A Couple Recent Meals.

I told you I was going to start photographing some of the recipes I've been trying out. I've found it remarkably hard to remember to take pictures because I'm usually too focused on getting down to the process of eating the food instead of prepping it for a photo session. Alas, I did remember to snap a few for a couple of my recent endeavors.

First off is my made up rendition of stuffed mushrooms. My husband had already had supper, and I thought I wanted something a bit special. I had some button mushrooms that needed to be used up, and I've always got eggs on hand, so stuffed mushrooms was my first thought. After I'd stuffed the mushrooms I had filling left over, so I just spread it on a slice of bread and popped them all in the oven to cook up all nice and pretty.A Quick Stuffed Mushroom Recipe:

Servings: 1 (but I was really hungry)

5 Button Mushrooms, stems removed, but not discarded
1 Egg
2 Tbsp. Butter, divided
2 Tbsp. Seasoned Bread Crumbs
Feta Cheese
Mozzarella Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Salt and Pepper
A piece of Bread for Extra Filling

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Clean mushrooms and remove stems. Chop stems and place in a bowl. Add egg, bread crumbs, cheeses (a hefty pinch of each) into the bowl. Mix and add salt and pepper to your taste. Coat bottom of pie pan with some butter. Place mushrooms and bread in pan and put a sliver of butter in each mushroom cap. Spoon filling mixture in caps and leftover amount onto the bread. Put in oven for about 15-20 minutes or until filling is lightly browned.



Cheesy Spinach and Mushroom Quiche
Makes (2) 9-inch pies

(1) 9-oz. pkg. frozen spinach
2 pie crusts (I just bought Mrs. Wicks pre-baked variety)
8 mushrooms (I used 1/2 baby bello and 1/2 button)
6 eggs
Cheddar Cheese
Cottage Cheese
Feta Cheese
Parmesan Cheese
Onion Powder
Garlic Powder
Salt and Pepper
1 cup milk
2 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup ground pork

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. If you are using unbaked pie crusts, then poke the bottom of the crust and bake until golden brown, then set aside to cool. Cook pork in skillet, and drain on paper towel and set aside. Put butter in same skillet and saute mushrooms until golden brown. Return pork to skillet and add a dash of onion powder and garlic powder and salt and pepper and stir to combine. Add your cheeses to your taste (I put 4 dollops of cottage cheese, a handful of cheddar, feta and parmesan), and add spinach. Stir again to combine. Place evenly between the two pie crusts. Crack eggs in a bowl and add milk. Whisk to break yolks and mix whites. Divide this between the two crusts. Place some foil around the edges of the crust to keep them from burning and bake the quiches on the center rack for 40 minutes. Uncover edges and bake for an additional 5 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from the center.

Both of these meals were a hit. Very tasty. My problem with recipes is that I never really go by a set to paper recipe. I always add things that sound good, or not measure things exact, but they always turn out pretty well. I think you need that reckless spirit--at least it helps when you're cooking something new. I hope you enjoy these as much as my family did. And don't be afraid to make them your own.

Enjoy!

Being a Mom is SOO Neat.

And I'll tell you why...because I've got this little person tagging along with me everywhere. Nothing more than that simple statement. Everyday is something new and exciting to her, and I love to see that look of total awe come across her face when she does or sees something for the first time. Never have I met a human being with such a happiness about her ALL the time. My favorite thing lately is that she is developing a sense of humor. Earlier we got to laughing so hard at each other for no reason except that we were happy. How awesome is that?

I want to make her into a strong, independent, fearless girl--and it's kind of daunting to know that how she turns out rests on my shoulders. Last night there was a little boy ahead of us at the Dairy Queen being held by his mother. He was about 4, and he was being a brat. His mom was looking at the menu and he grabbed her face in a very violent way to make her look at some kind of dessert that he wanted. She just let this behavior go without a blink of an eye. Then he threw a fit when they gave him white milk instead of chocolate--again, no reprimand--just gave him what he was yelling for. I looked at Joe and thought--no way, I'd have her butt back in our truck and we'd be hashing it out before she could even think about throwing the fit in the first place. I know all of you are saying, "Oh Julia, you say that now, but..." No buts--I help to raise my nephew a bunch when he was younger and he'd be the first to tell you that I didn't let him get away with bad behavior. I was called "Mean Old Aunt Ju-June" all the time, HOWEVER, you ask him who his favorite person was and he'd say me...so it's not like I was evil or anything. I just have a high expectation level for kids. I'm strict but fair.

I was reading a forum yesterday about Exer-Saucers and one woman called it the "Ring of Neglect" and wanted other women to add their opinions. It amazed me how many moms out there feel guilty for not constantly interacting with their child. To me, it's not your job to entertain your kid. Joe has happily played by herself a portion of every day since she was just a couple of months old. I feel no guilt in putting her down on the floor or in her playpen and getting things done around the house. She's happy, she's got a clean diaper, she's been fed, she's fine.

I've had people comment on her ability to keep herself occupied at such a young age--and I'm proud that she doesn't need me all the time. Don't get me wrong--we play together and interact a lot throughout the day, but I give her space as well. It does us both some good. To hear the mothers in that forum talk though, I'd be considered a bad mom. What do you want to make a bet that a bunch of their kids will be like the kid ahead of me at the Dairy Queen? Kids don't have to wait for anything anymore--it's just instant gratification--hell some adults are just as spoiled, but I don't think Joe is going to have it that easy.

I think that is the benefit of being a farm kid--to start she's not going to get everything she WANTS (a) because we are fairly poor, and (b) she's a kid and kids are flaky, but she will have everything she NEEDS. She'll help us on the farm and around the house with chores as soon as she's able. She'll be responsible for her own livestock someday and she'll reap the profits from it. Also, she'll be helping us to raise our own food in the garden and from the livestock and that will teach her patience and that work really does pay off. In turn she'll grow into a sensible adult (I hope).

Most of all this kid is teaching me a lot too. She's made me slow down a TON. I see all the small wonders in the every day. I always put her before myself. I savor every laugh and smile she gives me. So as I'm trying to raise her into a well rounded adult she is sanding off my rough edges too. It's a pretty neat process. I'm so glad that Mike and I decided to have a baby--and I'm even more glad that the baby we had is such a beautiful and amazing little girl.

Food Websites and a New Horse.

So I finally found a horse to buy that has met all of my requirements: smallish, well broke, and most importantly in my price range (in other words cheap). She's a registered Quarter mare, and she's a beauty. I went and looked at her last night, rode her, and handed over the check. I'm picking her up tonight--Mike has to borrow a work truck since we sold our full-size pick-up before Joe was born. I'm really looking forward to having her here. It's been way too long since I've had a horse I could ride--plus I was pregnant all last year, so that kept me grounded too. Although I did sneak out around my four-or-five month mark and hopped on our ancient gelding for a bit (I got chewed out pretty bad for that).

Anyway, all that doesn't matter now because (insert excited little dance here), I've got a horse, I've got a horse, I've got a horse. I'm sharing her with my mother-in-law, but she doesn't intend to ride much. I sure do--I've told Mike that I get a half an hour of 'me' time each night to go ride. I've never asked for 'me' time since Joe has been born, and I'm cashing in my chips now. The best part about her is that she isn't Mike's horse--I know that sounds mean, but Mike has his way of riding and training and I have mine. I always felt a bit self-conscious when I was riding one of his horses because they just weren't mine. I had a mare when Mike and I were first dating and she and I got along great. Mike HATED her--and she felt the same about him, but she was my mare, so Mike didn't have a say in her daily matters. Just like I have no say in Mike's horses' goings-ons. It's kind of an unwritten law with us--everything else is shared except for our livestock. Odd I know, but it keeps us happy.

Here's my new mare!

On another topic entirely I've been obsessed with food lately. Cooking shows, websites, blogs, you name it and I'm there. I've been trying to get Mike to branch out in his eating endeavors, but he's worse than most five-year-olds about being a picky eater. I've inserted some new recipes into our meals with some success, and I'm going to continue to do so. I always think (after I've inhaled half my plate), "Man, I should've photographed this for the blog." But when I think of it--it's too late. Maybe I'll remember to do that from here on out and I'll do a little write up about how it tasted. I've got lots of recipes written and ready to try, so I'll have plenty to write about. Also I think I'll start sharing what I've found that potentially looks good--and where it came from--so you can possibly make it for your supper too. I'm reading all that stuff anyway, might as well let you benefit from it, right? Gotta go, Joe just woke up and so I've got to snap back into 'mommy-mode.' I hope everybody has a wonderful evening!

Dead Chicken, Blooming Trees, and Tame Turkeys.

As I said before, life has been incredibly busy here lately. Last week I got lots of Joe's baby stuff together and took it to my sister-in-law's house for a garage sale--sad to say, but at almost 25 years old that was my first experience in helping to run a yardsale. My family just never was one to have them, but I have always enjoyed going to them. Anyway, I took a bunch of stuff over there last Wednesday and then went up to Martinsville to look at some chickens a guy had for sale because my mother-in-law wanted some Aracaunas.

Hen and Chicks Before the Storm

The guy was as crazy as a loon I think, but I caught and purchased 1 adult hen, and 4 half grown birds. It was hot and their pen had no water, but the birds appeared healthy. I brought them home, segregated them, and they settled down nicely. Fast Forward to Friday and a storm came through--when I went outside my dog was standing above something (never a good sign)--he'd caught my momma hen that my cousin had given me a few weeks back. Poor girl was still warm, but dead as could be. The coop door had closed and she was separated from her chicks and her frantic behavior was too enticing for my dog to ignore. Oh well, it happens. So, now I've got her chicks under a heatlamp and they are doing fine.

A VERY Hot Baby Joe and the Lap Turkey

On Saturday I took two of my turkeys with me to the garage sale in Bloomington because I was meeting their new owner later that day. As you can see from the picture they are ridiculously tame. If I was outside and Joe wasn't in my lap, then that particular bird was. They were actually kind of jealous of one another--you can see a bit of that in Joe's face. Back to the story--I'm not used to subdivisions or being around a bunch of people, but bringing farm animals into that environment is always entertaining. City people are hilarious. Two groups of kids came up saying, "LOOK DUCKS!" What on earth are they teaching kids today? I got lots of interesting questions about them, and the adults were just as clueless as the kids. Just another reason for people to understand and know where their food comes from. After a bunch of gawking drivers and humorous comments we met up with the new owner. I don't think they were any worse for wear--even with their little stay at the subdivision.

Yesterday I couldn't find the new adult hen and she was laying in a dog house that I'd put in the coop. It was almost dusk, so I just assumed she was going to roost there. But, alas, this morning she was laying next to the fence of the coop and wouldn't get up when I walked to her--essentially I imagine she's dying. I think she broke and egg inside of her. There was a broken, thin shelled egg laying on the ground so that's what I'm going with. She's moved since this morning, but I'm not holding my breath for her recovering. I've always had this rule about buying adult birds--it never seems to go well--and this just solidifies my beliefs. From here on out--never again--chicks ONLY. I rarely have trouble with any of the babies I've raised, but on more than one occasion things have gone awry when I purchased full-grown birds.

Catalpa Tree in our yard.

On a happy note my Catalpa trees are blooming. Catalpas are my absolute favorite tree, and we've got LOTS of them on the property. They are very striking when the white blooms fill the entire tree. I've taken quite a few photos of them the past few days. Also we've got a rose bush that came with the house that never bloomed before I came along--then it would have one or two blooms, but this year--Holy Cow--it has bloomed and bloomed. I blame it on Joe--she makes everything better.

The Roses by the Pasture Gate.

Lots of Goings-On.

I've got to edit a bunch of photos before I can put some on here as well as list some on Etsy. I've gotten some new livestock, and Joe has started to pull herself up to stand for long periods of time. Summer is here and we've been really busy. I promise to write later including pictures about my recent adventures. I'm heading outside and probably won't be back to a computer until dark--oh how I love summertime.

Stay tuned--I've got some GREAT stories to update you with, but it's too nice to stay inside any longer.

After a Visit to my Hometown.

I went up to my hometown to visit my folks two weeks ago and came home with the remaining four of my grandfather's peafowl. He decided it'd be better for me to take them home and turn them out than for them to be kept in their cage at his farm any longer. He's got Fox Terriers and they just would love to get ahold of the birds and so he's always keeping them locked up. So I agreed I'd take them home. Also while I was there Joe decided to take to standing against the couch all by herself. She is really getting the hang of standing now. I say in a couple of weeks she'll be walking.

The Pied Peacock
The Peahen

The Pied Peacock again.

Joe being a big girl.

These peacocks were raised by me a couple of years ago--I originally bought 10--five whites, two pieds, and three blues as day-old chicks at Dinky's. Quite a few died after the trip to Grandpa's--a couple got out and were eaten by the dogs, a couple got sick, etc--and all that were left were four birds to reach adulthood. One pied male, one blue male, one 'blue' female, and a white male. My dad and I caught them and stuffed them into a cage (no easy feat) and they were placed in the back of my truck for the long haul home. I got complemented on them by four different people by the time I made it back to Worthington. I placed them in the outdoor portion of the coop to let them have a few days to settle before I would turn them loose.

Fast forward a couple of days and I opened the coop doors so they could venture outside--nobody budged. I eventually had to forcibly make them go outside and they proceeded to fly to four different trees on the property. They called to one another the rest of the afternoon--which let me tell you is quite a fuss, but they seemed to calm down that night. The next couple of days they stayed close and did great, but on day three they just started heading for the road and walked single-file to the west. I know they are still in the general vicinity, but as far as them staying on our property--I think it's a lost cause. Oh well--it's a better life for them than being stuck in a small pen all day, right?

Oh, and if anyone asks you about peacocks roaming Western Greene County--you know nothing about it, okay? Ha. Just another day in the life of me.

Good Fences.

I wish I liked my neighbor across the road, but that's never going to happen. I went upstairs to get Joe up from her nap and heard a dog barking--not one of our dogs--so I peak out the window and the neighbor's dog is in our pasture carrying on about something in the grass. Almost all of my poultry are able to go as they please around the farm, so I figured I better go check it out.


I went out there and found that she was barking and nipping at one of our barn cats. I yell at her to get home, and chase her to the road. Our neighbor is mowing his yard and ignoring me while I frantically jump and wave trying to get his attention. I'm getting madder by the minute. Finally he stops and I tell him what his dog was doing.


"Well, did you make her come back home?" He asks like it wasn't a big deal that (a) she was on my property and (b) she was trying to tear up my cat.

"Yes, but you realize that I've got my poultry running loose now too, so she really needs to NOT be on my property." I say a bit shocked that he's unapologetic that he has a roaming dog.

"Well she wouldn't leave the property unless she was chasing a squirrel or rabbit--I guess a cat or chicken is probably the same to her, huh? Well you realize that the coyotes and foxes will be after your chickens too."

"I take care of the coyotes." I said without a smile and with a very serious tone. "Plus, I put them up at night, so I don't have to worry about much besides your dog."

"Well if you need to buy some rock salt for your shot gun, that's okay. Do what you have to do." He says and he goes back to mowing.

UNBELIEVABLE.

I would expect him to shoot any of our dogs if they were attacking one of his animals on his property. It would be our fault for not keeping them on our side of the road--it's not my responsibility to control his dogs. I have my own animals to control without having to add his to my list.

I guess it annoys me more because I just finally am rid of my husband's dog that he had since before we met who always attacked and ate any of my animals she could get ahold of. A couple of months ago she started looking at my daughter the way that she used to look at the chickens, and since she was an older dog we just put her to sleep at the vet's office instead of taking a chance with her hurting Joelee. She wasn't a pleasant creature--and I waited five years with my chickens penned up tight and no goats--now I have the ability to have the animals loose and happy and here comes this little obnoxious terrier mutt from across the road bothering my stuff. Not cool.

So my request for today is that if you have some extra spending money and you're a nice person--please go and buy the farm across the road from me so that I can have a neighbor I can tolerate. Otherwise I'm going to start building a huge stone wall around my property so that I don't have to even glance over and see the idiot.

I feel that I should add that this isn't my first run in with this man or his dog. She comes over to poo in our yard often and has been behind our house barking at my chickens when they were in the coop (and our house is quite a ways back from the road). He tries to be a farmer and boasts about his cattle, but he has all of fifteen acres and about forty head of pitiful cattle that are constantly bawling because they are hungry. Farmer John he isn't. Just a wannabe--but you try to be nice to him and he gets all 'holier than thou' and tells you he knows it all. Anybody in this county you mention his name around will give you a knowing look--believe me, my feelings are justified.

Lots of Excitement--and all before noon.

So I went and bought two dairy does yesterday. One is a two-year-old registered LaMancha who is very sweet, and the other is a yearling Alpine that I've got a registration application for. Last night I put them in our old dog kennel at the barn with the plans of covering some gates in our pasture to make it goat-safe this morning. I also had a hen and four chicks dropped off at my doorstep yesterday morning, so I made a spot for them to be happy all day yesterday and then placed them in the coop last night so they could get out this morning with my other chickens. Morning comes and I take Joe over to my mother-in-law's house across the drive so I could work on fence. I let the turkeys out in the chicken lot so they could get in the coop for the bugs as I went to the barn--we had a few barn cats dropped off this week and I watched as one was stalking my big Brahma hens--I'll give her credit for trying, but that's a bit too large a game for her. Anyway, I covered the two spots I knew for sure the goats would get out, led them to the pasture and turned them loose. No problems--they went to browsing and were content.

The hen with chicks was attempting to get her chicks to jump over the little ledge to get out of the chicken coop and they weren't going for it, so I helped her get them all outside--I'm not exactly sure they will get back in okay--I might put them in with the turkeys, (that's my usual chick pen). The turkeys were doing fine staying inside of the yard, so I decided it would be safe to go get Joe and bring her home so she could nurse and probably take a nap. Just as I started to nurse Joe, both does go running past the French doors because they'd escaped from the pasture. Poor kid, I yanked her off, set her on the floor, covered myself up, and headed out to catch them. No biggie--they are tame, so I went out to see where they got out. Sure enough the big doe had squeezed through a hole that the dogs use to get to the pasture. I covered it with the water bucket, but I knew she'd squeeze under the gate next. Needless to say my mother-in-law just took them back down to the pen until I could work on the extra escape routes later, and I went back in to feed my hungry daughter.

She went to sleep and I carried her upstairs to take her nap. I made myself some breakfast (it was 10:30 at least by this time), and sat down to do some work. All at once I could hear turkeys chirping--it was coming from Joe's baby monitor. I knew they weren't upstairs, but the window up there was open, so apparently the sound was carrying on the wind. I decided I better go outside and investigate because they shouldn't be on that side of the house.

Outside in the chicken yard are two of my five turkeys...great, where are the other three? I call for them, but don't figure they can hear me for the wind. They aren't down at the barn, so I call out again and hear a reply. They'd been out in our east pasture--where the goats were supposed to be. They started running for me apparently they'd gotten a bit lost and were happy I came to their rescue. I penned them back up, sighed, and asked myself why I like having livestock. They keep me on my toes that's for sure. Just another day.

This is the LaMancha--they are an earless breed. My poor husband thought I was kidding when I warned him that she didn't have ears.
This is the Alpine doe--she's not as friendly as the other one, but I can catch her and such, and that's all that matters to me.

So other than being escapees the goats are doing good. I'm looking forward to the cheeses I'll be attempting to make next spring with their milk, and all the calves and piglets I'll raise on them too.

A Semi-Good Cook Wanting More.

This is my kitchen--for what it's worth--it's under construction (as you can see by the unfinished drywall), but I use it every day. I make a lot of simple recipes for my family--meatloaf, casseroles, roasts, etc--but I want to branch out. I want to make souffles, breads, cheeses, and multi-course meals. I'm talking good, home-cooked, from scratch meals. I do pretty good as it is, but I want to do MORE. Bring stuff in from the garden for supper every night, instead of just some days. I (on more than one occasion) have had to run to the coop for eggs while I'm cooking because I'm out of them in the fridge--that's a good feeling. To know that I won't have to run to the store for something because it's being produced on my own property.

I read a lot of food-blogs. They all have amazing looking recipes that I print out all hopeful-like and then I go back to making 'safe' recipes. That's mostly because of my picky husband. I've made a vow to myself though--he's not going to like it--but I'm going to start making them. Even if it just amounts to a new recipe every week or so--it'd still be wonderful.

And...(this is a big 'someday-way-down-the-road' and) I want to have big shin-digs here where all the food catering them comes from the property. I'd show off the house (because it would finally be finished), and we'd have a nice outdoor theme maybe with a movie projected on the barn or a bonfire to sit around.

At any rate--my kitchen is going to get a lot more use coming its way--I'll be sure to post any recipes I try--and even some I'd really like to try--and let you know how all that works out.

Scary Wind.

So two weeks ago, I honestly thought a tornado was coming--which is what probably led to my dream that I posted about earlier--we had very high winds and our neighbor actually had a tree take off his porch and hit his house. We just had lots of limbs down, and a tree in our south pasture caught the brunt of the wind and the limbs on the right side of the photo went down. Fast forward to last Saturday and another storm--poor tree lost the limbs on the left side of the photo--kind of hate to see what happens next--it's the only tree in that pasture. It's just a third of the tree that it used to be, but I'd like to see it stay standing just the same.

Custom Orders.

I wanted everybody to know that if you are ever looking for photographs of certain subject matter--whether it be barns, livestock, roads, etc.--you can ask me and I'll do my best to search out compositions that fit the bill. I'd love to do some series work that way. Also if there are any prints that you'd like to order and don't want to go through Etsy, I'm always able to do direct orders. Just email me and let me know what you need--put Custom Order or something identifying in the subject line and I'll get back to you as soon as possible.

After the Storm.

On Saturday night I was apparently dreaming about a tornado heading to our area. I woke up to a loud thunderclap and then rolling thunder directly afterward. Needless to say I thought it was a tornado and I jumped out of bed, ready to grab my daughter and run downstairs. I was yelling, "Train!" (meaning it sounded like a train, meaning tornado, but my husband had no idea what I was screaming about). He grabbed me and jerked me back onto the bed and held me trying to get me to calm down. He was probably figuring I was still dreaming or something. This all happened in a matter of seconds, and although it surely isn't as funny to read as it is to look back on--it was quite an interesting episode. Needless to say it was just a thunderstorm and everything is fine and dandy. I'm still rather impressed by my husband's quick actions, and my daughter's deep sleeping skills. She didn't even move a muscle through the whole ordeal. Sigh, at least I know if there ever is a need to jump to my daughter's rescue I'll be ready.

Going Short.

On Friday I decided to chop off all my hair--shorter than I've ever had it cut. Pretty much a boy cut, but I like the way it turned out. Something different--that's what I was wanting. I've always played it safe with my hair, and decided to be adventurous and just choose a gutsy hairstyle and go with it. The poor girl at the salon that had to cut my hair wasn't very confident and it was all I could do to make her believe me that I wanted it short. She actually didn't cut it as short as I wanted, but I really do like it. I'll post pictures soon.

My reasoning behind the 'boy cut' is that Joe had taken to tugging on my hair, and I was always tying back anyway, so I just said the heck with it and--ta-dah--I now have a lot less hair. A sad realization though--I've got lots of grey hair. When it was long I never noticed, but I looked at my part last night in the mirror and was astonished by the number of white strands that were before me. Sigh, I'm only 24, but alas I feel old.

Until Next Time,
Julia.

Potential Rabbit Kits and My Silly Daughter.

She's a Goober.

I dropped our rabbit off at the buck's house--I'll pick her up tomorrow. I'm hoping she takes and in a few weeks we'll be welcomed by a nice batch of kits. Joe and I went and checked the buck out earlier today and when we pulled into the driveway there were St. Bernards everywhere--in other words--my heaven. The owner raises them, and has a couple of rabbits as pets--one of them being the buck I'm using for a stud. Her daughter was very sweet and talked to Joe and I about the 'real rabbits' she had. She also had a 'real volleybally,' so apparently everything had to have 'real' in front of it.

They had one St. Bernard that was "Ooof"-ing at us (in a friendly way--not in a Kujo sort of way) and Joe started to 'bark' back at her and then decided it was very funny and laughed until we left.

At any rate it was an amazing day. I love my little business partner--she makes the most mundane things so much fun.

Feeling a bit grey today.

This was once, and will hopefully be again, our livingroom.

I'm not a complainer, I really do try to see things as 'glass-half-full,' but I could really scream from the top of my lungs. I think it's the weather--it's dreary and windy--but I just feel absolutely defeated today. My livestock buying opportunities have all fallen through recently. My house is a constant construction zone. I'm trying to start a business while raising a new baby. I feel like I'm treading water, but sinking slowly. Yeesh.

I thought motherhood and business were going to go together so smoothly (yeah I know I was dumb)--when she goes down for a nap all I'd like to do is sit down and BREATHE for a moment. I've never given her a bottle (she's always fed off of me), so she's never been away from me longer than about two hours since she was born six months ago--and that's just when I run to the grocery. That's why quite a few of my livestock opportunities have fallen through--I had no want to ride in a vehicle for a solid two-or-three hours one way to look at a herd of goats or rabbits. So I've been kicking myself as I read about various perfect sounding ads on Craigslist that are just a smidge too far away for me to travel with Joe at the moment. Makes a girl a bit sad, but alas I've got to pull it together and just keep pushing forward. It'll all work out--eventually she will be weaned and I will be able to venture farther from home and pick up all the livestock of my dreams.

I'd like to somehow magically become SUPER organized too. I look in the magazines and see how they've organized their kitchens and freezers and daydream whistfully that someday I'll have something similar. I know it's just a matter of starting slow and making a habit, but I'm clueless on how to start.


Just like my self-sufficiency wants. Where do I begin? I've had each 'piece' of the plan at one point in my life or another, but I'm not sure what is the best way to incorporate all of the pieces into one cohesive farm. I've got a small flock of chickens, and turkey poults that are doing really well. I've also got a nice young Flemish Giant doe that I'm hoping to find a mate for soon. I'm thinking I'll get another batch of chicks from Dinky's later this summer too. I've been on the lookout for a few young dairy does to raise for milk. I figure they are the logical next step because they can help manage our pastures a bit. When they come into milk, I'm hoping to use them to raise some piglets, poultry, and calves. Which will hopefully be arriving next spring. I'm hoping things will just grow slowly from there.


Same with the garden--I've never had much of a green thumb, but that was mostly because I didn't try. Now that I have the opportunity I see no limit. I'll eventually become a freezing and canning professional--then maybe I'll have the kitchen and freezer I mentioned above.


So anyway, that's what's going on with me today. I really hate being in a funk, so hopefully I snap out it really soon.

Hubert Goodale Article in Life Magazine from 1938.

I was glancing through yet another Life Magazine on books.google.com when I came across an article about Mount Hope farm where Hubert Goodale worked. He kept extensive records on the poultry, hogs, and dairy cattle and bred for ideal characteristics in the progeny versus looks and pedigree. His process sounds a lot like what I intend to try out here on my farm. See what you think of it--here's the article.

Living with Livestock

So my plans for last week's livestock purchases fell through--the horses were already sold and the goats weren't disbudded (and let me tell you horned goats and a woven wire fence don't mix very well--we've had to cut a lot of fence to un-lodge stuck goats--so I made a vow to only buy hornless ones from now on). Oh well, I'm figuring there will be some more possibilities livestock-wise springing up in the coming weeks.

On another note--my rooster has officially turned mean--last week he attacked me for the first time, and now he's relentless. I've had lots of roosters in my life, but this one takes the cake. I raised him from a chick, but he's not tame at all. He's an all around bully--he's hard on his hens, and I won't stand for that. Plus, since we put the chicken-eating dog to sleep a while back, I'm hoping to let the poultry be loose this summer. I wouldn't blame Ace if he killed the rooster after he flogs him, so I'm keeping him out of the chicken coop until the rooster leaves. Ace has always done really well with the poultry, so I don't think we'll have any trouble sans-rooster. He crows constantly while we're outside to display dominance--it gets old in a hurry. And that's when he gets after his hens so hard too. My turkey poults are about 4 weeks old, and doing great. They are so sweet, and come right to you for attention.

My Flemish Giant is ready for a mate, so that's on my shopping list too (along with my goats, goslings, and ducklings, and a new well-broke horse).

I went up to my Grandpa's house on Tuesday, and I've got some photos of his lovely flowers that I'll post later.

First Real Gallivant and a Clarification.

On Monday I went on the first gallivant of the season--it was much needed: beautiful day, windows down, sun shining, a smiling six-month-old by my side--makes a girl forget about winter. We found lots of neat sights, and we didn't venture too far from home--so that makes me excited for what else we might find when we go out a bit further. I'm still going slow with Joe--I don't want her to absolutely hate riding in the truck--then where will we be? These are all photos from Monday, unedited (much to my dismay I uploaded them and apparently there was a speck on the lens--nothing photoshop won't fix). Gotta love pastured pigs--boy do they root.
All of the trees were blooming and everything was green!

Hereford cows soaking up the sun.

Lovely rusted barn.

On a completely different topic--I was verbally attacked recently about my 'hippie beliefs' which a) I find hilarious because I'm anything but a hippie, and b) felt was extremely unwarranted. Apparently the person in question is a die-hard modern farmer; ie, thousands of acres and hundreds of cows. That's his choice and I have no problem with that. I, on the other hand, am more of a traditionalist is all--small family farms are more my speed. He claimed that organics are not what they claim to be--and honestly I'll agree to that--a lot of products stick an organic label on and raise the price by 100%, but I'm not certified organic--so that jab wasn't useful either. I do believe that the livestock I raise is my ideal--that's all I believe. I'd rather have meat and eggs from my animals because I know exactly what kind of feed and such went into them. It's just that simple. I think consumers would feel better if they know the farmer their food is raised by. I'm not saying that conventional agriculture is the devil--far from it. I think there are some producers that give conventional agriculture a bad name--just like there are some producers that give non-conventional agriculture a bad name. Every side has flaws and faults, but most are too proud to recognize them. Sorry if I came across as anything otherwise.

What a character.

I've got such a neat little human for a daughter. She and I were playing on the floor the other day and I got these great shots. I'm going up to look at some Nubian goats tonight and some horses Thursday night. It could be a great week.

Community Supported Agriculture in 1918!

Illustration from the article.

I was reading the 1918 issues of Farm Journal on books.google.com and came across an article by Hal Fullerton. He discussed how to sell produce directly to people in cities using 'home hampers.' I hope you find the article as interesting as I did. Here is the link.

I cruised craigslist this morning looking for all sorts of livestock to daydream about buying, but not quite yet. I want to get our pastures worked into a bit better shape before I fill them with my cattle, sheep, goats, and hogs. I've still got quite a bit of beef from my calves I raised two years ago, so I'll probably hold off on finding another batch of calves until next spring. There were a bunch of extremely nice goat kids down at Dinky's auction last Friday, but I didn't watch them sell--if I did I imagine I'd be owning a couple right now. The goats would help knock down the brush, so it's okay to buy them first...or at least that's the excuse I'll give my husband.

Spring is here!

Of course this time of year makes me think of gardening, so for a bit of inspiration I went over to Etsy and searched for garden markers. There were lots of lovely pieces up for grabs. They'd be lovely to put out and then have a garden party so that you could show them off. Which one is your favorite? And what do you use for your garden markers?

1. AnvilDesigns -- vintage silver spoon garden markers-set of 3. 2. EnchantedKey -- garden markers wooden set of 6. 3. DaisyChestnut -- 3 vegetable silver spoon garden markers. 4. GoldenLightCeramics -- set of 6 herb markers. 5. Ficurinia -- wooden spoon garden markers. 6. fromArtisanHands -- veggie garden stakes/plant markers--a set of 3. 7. KylieParry -- rustic ceramic garden markers with illustrations. 8. ButterMilkHollow -- spoon handle garden markers. 9. SayYourPiece -- ceramic herb garden stakes-set of 6. 10. JclayPottery -- organic garden stakes.

Working on some new pieces.

Grazing Dairy Herd

Forgotten Mailbox

Baby Mule Portrait

I had a few free moments today, so I scanned some old photos I had taken with my film camera around 2003 or so with the hopes of turning them into some sellable artwork after I edit them a bit. I have a huge pile of photos to go through still, but I did get about twenty scanned so far. These are just a few. Also I'll have a post going up tomorrow because I heard back from everybody whose work I'm featuring, so stay tuned for that as well.

Contemplating...

As you've read before I have a big-time goal of eventually being self-sufficient when it comes to my family's food (at least as far as meat, milk, and produce goes). I'm extremely interested in pastured livestock, and I've been reading a lot of articles from the late 1800s and early 1900s about their practices. I'm a bit stumped on the conflicting articles on hogs though. Some say you don't need to supplement with grain (which would be my ideal), and others say that you do, one article suggested having a few pastures sown with grain crops and letting your livestock utilize the whole plant instead of just reaping the heads.

Everybody also is touting the wonders of 'heritage hogs' which in turn drives the price up (insert my rant about Angus beef), so I'm thinking about working on developing a hog that would fit my needs. Blend various breeds of modern hog with some lard-type hogs and perhaps some sort of almost wild hog (Guinea hogs, or Mangalitsa)--pick and choose from the litters the traits I'd like to keep and put the rest in the freezer/sell. Watching what animals do best on my type of feeding set-up and environment and keep those while culling anything that doesn't reach my standards. Eventually I'd think I'd end up with an animal that was bred to thrive on my farm. Just like gardeners achieve with heirloom plants. Perhaps it will be a total wash, but I'd like to experiment and see. It won't happen overnight, and I expect many years to pass by before I start to see results. This idea of self-sufficiency isn't a light-hearted, passing thought, but an extremely serious presence in my life that has been on my mind since as far back as I can remember. So, you can imagine each part of the puzzle has been critically examined from every angle.

I imagine that I'm going to eventually do this with all my livestock. Chickens that are excellent foragers and mothers, with wonderful meat and laying abilities. Ducks and geese that are the same. Dairy cattle and goats that produce plenty of milk for my family, but aren't so productive that they wouldn't be just as easily put to pasture to raise their young. I'd also like the dairy animals to have plenty of fat in their milk and also a good meat quality. The sheep I'd like to raise would be of the hair-type variety and would be extremely hardy. I'd breed for animals that can handle birthing alone and successfully raise lambs. I'd like wonderful milkers with good meat just like the dairy animals. For my rabbits I'd like animals that grow quickly, and finish nicely.

It all becomes a giant web as well--the hogs, chickens and young animals would all benefit from the excess milk produced by the cows and nannies, the rotational grazing will fertilize the fields and the manure from the barn will eventually compost the gardens, the excess produce from the gardens will be fed to the livestock, and so on and so forth. I know it may sound like a Utopian crock of shit, but it is my goal. Many people have tried to make a go of it, and lots have failed, but with as much planning and trial and error that I'm putting into it even a slight success would be amazing to me because I want it so bad.

Just thought you should know what's on my mind.

Joe is five months, and time is FLYING!

Can you believe it's already been five months since this beautiful girl has been in my life? She's absolutely wonderful and has become my perfect little companion on my gallivants. She's already been to a few auctions including a cattle sale, Dinky's, and a draft horse auction. She went to her first artist gallery reception of a dear friend of ours last Friday as well. She's getting quite the education early in life. This is her typical sleeping position--she likes the burp rag over her face and a handful of her hair in her hand.
This was right after she woke up a few weekends ago--she's such a happy thing. Bright as the sunshine--I tell you. She loves that it's starting to be warm enough that she can venture outside some.

I'm itching for spring to get here--the local farm & feed stores have their chick days going on, and that let's me know that spring is just around the corner. I'm dreaming of our garden, all the farmer's markets Joe and I are going to find this year, and all the backroads we're going to travel. Joe is getting ready to get up from her nap, but I wanted to update the blog a bit. I have just emailed a batch of etsy shops about featuring some items in their shop for an upcoming garden post, so stay tuned for that.

What are we feeding ourselves? -- Another little food rant...

Tomato plant from our garden.


I went to the grocery store earlier today--I have been doing really well to shop from the 'perimeter' of the store like the experts suggest for the healthiest food options, but even still I have to be careful because there are hidden additives and preservatives that I wish weren't there. Reading labels amazes me sometimes for instance:

• Yogurt--had corn syrup, tons of sugar, artificial flavors, and various ingredients that I couldn't spell. Why can't they just have Plain Jane yogurt without all the extra that makes it less beneficial?


• Lunch Meat--more preservatives than you'd think--I always figured it was a fairly healthy meal choice, but not anymore.


• Fruit Juices--none of them are just juice--why do they have to have five or six extra ingredients?


• Milk--lots of them have added nutrients. I'd rather them just be plain, you know?


• Cereal--it's truly hard to find a simple grain only cereal. I don't want artificial colors and flavors.

That's not even mentioning all the convenience foods--talk about words you can't even pronounce. And yet, every day we as consumers purchase these items without a pause. We truly don't know what we are putting in our bodies and nobody seems to care. I do though--I've really started to buy just the basic ingredients and make all of our meals from scratch, but even many of the most basic ingredients are produced in mass, so they have preservatives and additives in them. It seems so foolish to me. Why do we as a population depend on 'quick foods' and 'junk foods' instead of buying quality foods (ie, vegetables, meats, fruits, and dairy products) for our meals? It's gotten to the point that there are less choices of these quality foods available in stores because more and more items are becoming pre-packaged, and supposedly simplified. But what could be more simple than a banana or a carrot for a snack? We wonder how as a nation we've become obese and overweight.

That's why I'm such a promoter of self-sufficiency, local food, and direct-to-consumer agriculture. Raise all the food you are capable of. If you are in an apartment with a balcony, then raise a few herbs or a tomato plant. If you have a yard, then plant a garden that you can eat off of all summer and even can some for winter. Even better raise a small batch of hens and always have fresh eggs. If you have some acreage, then plant some fruit trees, raise a couple calves or piglets for meat, plant a huge garden and give what you can't eat to neighbors or sell the excess at a Farmer's Market. Can you imagine how much better this world would be if everybody would raise as much of their food as possible? Kids would have healthy food choices growing in their backyard, and even more important they would understand where their food comes from. Many kids today don't realize that there is a farm behind their glass of milk. Instead they just think as long as their is grocery stores there will be food. Wouldn't it be great if instead of going to a supermarket for your weekly groceries you take your family to the local Farmer's Market and create relationships with the various farmers in your area. That sounds blissful to me. Then again, I'd love to see a comeback in home dairy delivery and huckster wagons and the quality that went along with them.

I guess the point to this rant is that I don't see how America has let itself get to this point. Our food system is all wrong. We should be pushing for less industrialization and more small-scale farming operations that allow for better quality and not necessarily as much product as possible. To me the ideal is for everybody to do their part in feeding the whole. Support your local food producers--whether it be your neighbor's garden or the dairy farm just outside the city limits. Food shouldn't come from a factory. It needs to go back to the farm.

Amazing Etsy Photographer -- heyharriet.etsy.com

Here's another great shop -- heyharriet.etsy.com. It houses a lot of "Through the Viewfinder" prints of various subject matter. My favorites in the shop are her seagull photos. The point of view that she chose to take the photos of the seagulls is appealing to because it makes the birds look larger than life. The TtV effect also gives them a nice vintage quality. The artist also has a blog at heyharriet.blogspot.com. "Overcast Day Dandelions"

"Sepia Seagulls"

"Gourdy Arrangements"

Amazing Etsy Photographer -- honeytree.etsy.com

This photographer has a shop that I'm quite envious of -- honeytree.etsy.com. There are so many wonderful works here that I had a very hard time choosing my three images to feature. The textures and color combinations in all three of these photographs are what drew me to them. I'd say "Ruby jade" is my favorite--the name of the piece goes along with the image and I like the way your eye trickles down from the top of the page. I also really enjoy "Green Hill" because of how your eye travels the line of the landscape. Not only does this photographer have an incredible shop, she has a great blog too at lupeart.blogspot.com which I've greatly enjoyed reading. "Love's language"

"Ruby jade"
"Green Hill"

Amazing Etsy Photographer -- levansphotography.etsy.com

There is such a variety of subjects in the photographs in the shop levansphotography.etsy.com. Everything from landscapes, to food, to animals, and I found quite a few that I really like. As always I narrowed them down to three to feature here. My easy favorite is "The Washing Line" for the composition's eye lines and softness of focus. I also like the composition of "Cows" because it strikes me as beautiful--perhaps for the pretty clouds, or the softly rolling pasture, or the quiet stand of trees, or the sweet little grouping of calves. I'm going to say that it is the mixture of all of these--it'd be a perfect scene that I'd stop to photograph when I'm out gallivanting, so I think that's what attracts me to that particular image. To see the rest of this artist's work you should go look at her shop. She also has a blog at levansphotography.blogspot.com.

"the washing line""tracks to nowhere"

"cows"