Semi-aimless wandering....

The peach tree is budding out!

Vera.

Max trying to herd Jules away from the hay.

Dog training lessons.

On the way to freezer camp.

Semi-aimless wandering...

In life lately, in thoughts and probably in this blog post.

The last two weeks I just have not felt much like blogging, actually all things online have not held much appeal. I am not sure but I suspect I have a case of the winter doldrums. In the last two weeks it has been predominantly rainy and cold here, some sleet, some snow and lots of mud. We are redeemed the last two days with scads of bright blue skies and sunshine! It makes me feel so much better to be able to spend time outside in the sunshine.

Part of the reason for not being outside is my lack of time, real or perceived, due to work. It seems to be especially frenetic, frenzied, frantic--all at once! Part of this appeals, I admit, as a challenge. I realize now that it is actually taking its own kind of toll, and I have been letting it. Dave will be glad to hear this, but I have to start putting work down earlier in the day, not checking the email after hours (several times a night), and not allowing all the frenzy to bring me down emotionally or physically.

On a physical note, great thing have been happening here. Dave is on a healthy challenge team at work, the grand prize for the one who loses the highest percentage of weight is a trip to Las Vegas. Dave is convinced he will win it for us. Subsequently we have been exercising daily (Oh My Gosh!), and watching every nibblet we put in our mouths. We are not "exercise people", so this has come as a surprise to me--how good it actually feels and how much I want to keep challenging myself to do more, do it better, do it faster. I was at a plateau on my weight loss, not any more. This is so much more fun with my partner. I am looking forward to improved strength and overall conditioning. As to the food, I am trying to eat as much whole food as possible, and cook very healthfully--watching the portions is getting easier as we get to know what 4 oz means, etc. The big revelation is that we (or anyone) can each anything they want to, as long as the portions are within reason.

Vera has been giving a steady 3/4 gallon a day. This is so frustrating! I can feel her upper udder is tight and firm--she is the queen of holding up. When the calf bawls for her or she finishes her breakfast she starts dancing about; this morning she got her hoof latched onto the hanger bar for the milker, resulting in the milker coming off, teats cups losing suction and me doing a lot of screaming. It was not a fun morning. The calf is almost 3 months old. If this keeps up I am considering vealing him at 4-5 months and just having to milk once a day. I am not sure how else to get her to let down for me other than take him away. I welcome any suggestions!

The pigs went to the butcher on Saturday, what a relief. They were at the destructive and annoying stage. The meat will be back in a few weeks. I think we will have enough pork to last until we go to Maine. Speaking of that, I found the absolute perfect house for us. It is The One with one small exception, it is for sale now and we need it to be for sale two years from now!

So many things still up in the air that I have to stop worrying and obcessing about--such as taking the livestock or not, renting a place first to be sure of the location, do we re-home all the barn cats first or try to get them to adapt, do we take all the freezers full of meat or not? Etc, etc...the list goes on and on in the back of my mind. I figure so many of these things will work themselves out, for now it is the unknowing that makes me buggy! Which is another thing I need to put down and really be able to enjoy a healthier lifestyle without worrying about things I can't change right now anyway!

The bee hives are all empty, I did not post any explanations under the pics last week, but those are dead bodies outside the hive entrance. One hive died, the other two disappeared. I am not sure if we are victims of hive collapse or hive relocation. Our friend Melissa is going to set out a trap with bee pheromone to catch a swarm for us. (thank you Melissa!)

The garden is coming along--in my planning! Actually I started some tomato seeds, and they are bright green spindly babes. Dave picked up some at the nursery for me and they look like trees compared to mine! We will transplant the big ones sometime this week when the freeze predictions pass. I planted more onions and I have been harvesting little bites of broccoli every time I pass the plant in the garden, delicious. This years garden is going to consist of tomatoes, cucumbers, squash, beans, herbs, onions, garlic, lettuce and not much else. I want to have really abundant crops of the things we enjoy most and not try to grow everything under the sun. I have found a couple of farm stands, and there are several PYO farms in our area, so that will round out our produce needs.

Enjoy this week's pics, and I apologize for taking an electronic media break--I hope to see you all online soon as I get back into the swing of things!

Liz

Two weeks in pics

Cooper's first week

Well, the first puppy week went pretty well.

Cooper is a little bit shy when he first meets a new person or goes to a new place. He did not say a word on the 3 hour trip home, just laid or sat in the seat next to me looking really cute.

The first night home he cried incessantly from his kennel (in our bathroom), we did not sleep.

The second night he cried intermittently until I gave up at 2 am and took him out. After we came back in he fell asleep under my chair, and I snuck off to bed praying he did not do any damage I couldn't fix in the morning. Sleep came quickly.

The third day Dave was home with Cooper and they napped several times to catch up on their sleep. They napped in the bed! (So much for that rule!) That night Cooper started out sleeping between us, he eventually jumped down to be with Max, they slept quietly all night, we did too.

He has had a few accidents in the house, nothing too major or too messy.

Max absolutely loves him, except when Cooper plays too rough and comes at him with little sharp teeth showing! Max plays tug of war with him, bathes him, rolls him, snuggles him--he is a great big brother!

So far Cooper has learned to retrieve a tennis ball and sits on command about 30% of the time; smart boy!

He was very shy at the vet's office this morning, preferring to snuggle close to us rather than greet Dr. Umlang with a sloppy puppy kiss and wiggle. He is healthy (16 lbs), was started on heartworm prevention and got a clean bill of health. We go back in 3 weeks for his next set of shots and in a few months he will be neutered.

The impatient gardener

I couldn't wait! I had two varieties of tomatoes that I want to grow, so I started the seeds. They are up! The pic is not the best, but you can see little green shoots coming up.

The garlic bulbs are Roso de Castro Creole. They smell as good as they look! I have planted over 100 cloves. The weather this week is back to being influenced by Canadian air, so the greens I planted last week may freeze. The garlic will be ok though.

Today is errand day and probably bread or baking day. Tomorrow Charlye and I drive to LA to pick up the puppy. We are so excited and full of anticipation to see him! Dave is preparing the indoor kennel for him today. We have the collar (check), bowl (check), puppy food (check), plenty of extra "barn" towels (check) carpet cleaner (check), all we need now is the pup! I will post pics after we get home and introduce Max.

Dirty hands and due date!

This week seems to have gone by faster than the speed of sound!

We took Hattie to be bred by a friend's bull, he did his job and she is due 10/31/10.

Daisy is settling in very well, though unfortunately she is at the bottom of the pecking order, and the big girls remind her of this when it comes to hay or treats.

I got a few things planted in the garden: onion starts, garlic, lettuce, brussel sprouts and cabbage. The 2 broccoli plants and one artichoke are still alive so they did not get fed to the cows! Dave weeded the bed for me so I could just plant things. (sweet!)

When I was buying seedlings in town (completely on impulse, I saw them from the road and had to turn in--no one was harmed in this quick maneuver), the elderly lady behind the counter asked if I needed anything else. I said "No, but the tomato seedlings look good". She said "a-yup" (no hint of enthusiasm). So I asked "What does the Almanac say about frosts and freezes for the rest of the year?"

"It says don't buy tomatoes yet". Dry, dry, dry humor in that one! I am not sure if there was a twinkle in her eye or if it was just kind of rheumy.

I left without any tomatoes. Dave says wait until the end of Feb; Theresa says you have to wait until the peeps (frogs) freeze back 3 times (has only been once so far); Duff says wait on the pecan tree to leaf out (that thing takes forever!). I will wait. If I just cannot stand it one minute more and I buy some seedlings, I will have to keep them in pots in the house until Feb is past. I go through this every year; a couple of sunny, warm days and I am in a rush to get the garden planted! Usually we get a freeze that kills everything a couple of weeks after the garden is planted. I am practicing patience (today).

The garlic soup was not a favorite, it has a water base instead of a cream or broth base is is really quite plain. I did not make the hollandaise or ladyfingers yet, so that is on my list for this week.

I also plan to thaw a ham and let it cook all day in the crock pot for pull-apart pork.

Wishing you a great weekend!

Farm in flux--always!

Finally we saw sunshine at sunset tonight!

Daisy in the trailer.

Daisy at home!

Max 2 yrs old.

Max 7 weeks old.

"Vinny", 6 weeks old.

I don't know anyone with a farm (of any size) that is not in flux. Ours too!
Today all the sheep left to live in LA with Theresa and Tom, and their heifer Daisy came to live with us. Daisy is 6 months old and has been handled extensively--which means she is extremely socialized, sweet, docile and trusting of people--fantastic! She traveled well, unloaded well and then discovered pigs. "Yikes! What the heck are those???" As she did heifer sideways cartwheels away from them! They really just wanted to greet her and sniff her. She had a look that clearly said "they smell funny". We plan to keep her in a small paddock for a few days and then put her out with Hattie. We can't put her with Vera yet since Daisy was still nursing some and she would probably try to nurse. We don't need anyone else taking milk from Vera!
Another change that is coming is that Max will be getting a little brother! The breeder we got Max from has another litter from Max's dam ( www.EarthAngelsES.com ). Vinny will be coming home with us in a couple of weeks! Above are pics of Max as a pup/grown and Vinny for comparison.
We are delighted to be able to get Max a brother!

Frosty Tx and Time to Plan!

The last few days have been extremely cold for our area (15 degrees at night). Two days ago the temp was 27 and the windchill was 10F! South Texas is not set up or prepared for such an insult! Pipes are freezing and breaking all over town, seems that is the main story these days on the news. We have not had any broken pipes (knock on wood), and have just had to break ice daily for the animals. The pond has been completely frozen over--this really confuses Max. I am not sure what the ducks think of it, they are hiding in the hay pretending to hibernate.
Vera gave a shy 1.5 gallons this morning. We skipped several days of milking in the last month: this or the need to increase her grain are probably both factors, we also have only separated the calf twice. That is an undeniable factor (the little piglet likes his milk!). She continues to do very well in the stanchion and is usually a sweet girl. This morning (we separated last night) she was more intent on getting to her calf than she was on getting her breakfast, you would think it was only a few days old the way she was acting!
I got a wild hair to repaint the dining room yesterday. It was a great idea for the room, just not a great idea for me. Too much stretching and moving in ways I should not have. I was in pain and too worn out to attend the Holiday Party for my office. Advil is a great thing. As for my coworkers, I will finally get to see them all on Monday. It has been a month since I have been there or seen them, I miss them!
My favorite seed catalogs have arrived! Seeds of Change, Seed Savers, Stark Bros and Richter's.
It is time to sit down with graph paper and plan out the garden. I do this every year, start with a bang and even remember to document what I plant and when. By May my record keeping usually leaves something to be desired. I have to remember to go through and catalog (and proof) seeds left over from last year. This time last year I neglected that step and ordered doubles of things I didn't need to, and ended up short on some other items.
My plan this year is to focus on our favorites, plant double the amount of tomatoes, revamp the herbs and plant twice as many pollinator flowers for the bees and butterflies.
The joy of winter is planning the spring garden (and the fact that all the weeds are dead)! It is all excitement and anticipation!

Learned something new today!

Don't laugh (too much), this is not profound but I learned to ride a 4-wheeler today!
It was so much fun, I was laughed until I was crying, or was that the wind chill of 10F? Seriously, I grew up doing all things aquatic. We lived on lakes, rivers, oceans, canals and I learned to swim in the Gulf Stream! Sailing, boating, swimming, fishing, skiing, para-sailing, snorkeling, etc is what our family did. This farming life is relatively new (<10 years), and well I just was so excited to learn a new skill!
I can see why people go hit the trails to ride their ATVs. It is fun! I successfully managed to drive it to the hay barn (at the breakneck speed of 3mph!), pick up a bale of hay and drive it out to the sheep shed. Again I say, wow! Dave says it is remarkably similar to snowmobile driving, so I am one step closer to Maine (in my mind anyway)!
Speaking of sheep...our friend Theresa saw the ad for the sheep today and she would like them--so we are bartering sheep for heifer. Woohoo!! We go make the trade next week!

French Cooking Update

So far the French Onion Soup, Beouf Bourguignon, Chicken Fricassee and Onion and Potato Soup are wonderful!
I did make a mistake on the Fricassee and the sauce was not as creamy as it should have been.
I have learned the difference between a saute, fricassee and stew. I have also learned that so far nearly every recipe starts the same--butter, onion and carrot. Much different than my tendency toward Italian food and starting every dish with sauteed garlic and onion!
I hope you are enjoying some cooking adventures too!

Cows are my love, obviously!

We have consigned to buy a heifer from our friend Theresa.
"Daisy" is from a cow that has genetically tested positive for a good amino acid (proline), as opposed to histine. This is a very good thing, and Daisy should carry the genetics to produce milk that has proline. In New Zealand and Australia there has been extensive research done on the difference in milk with proline vs. milk with histine. Here is a link to an article that can explain it much better than I can:
http://www.acresusa.com/toolbox/reprints/Dec09_Woodford.pdf
Daisy will be disbudded, vaccinated, halter trained and weaned in February when we go get her!
Daisy is 7/8 Jersey and 1/8 Guernsey; isn't she beautiful?!

French Onion Soup!

(Page 43) Is a great success! The Beouf Bourguignon is in the oven, the house smells fantastic!
A glass of wine, a slice of swiss cheese and a piece of homemade wheat, yum.

Happy New Year and Welcome 2010

It is true that time seems to speed up the older I get. Last year flew by and I expect this one will too in retrospect. I hope August and September heat fly by and leave us without a hurricane. Oops getting ahead of myself, need to focus on the now.
Mom gave me a choice gift card to B&N, which I have just redeemed online for several picks from NPR's reading lists. All are fiction, that is my thing when I have a chance to read for fun I want it to be for fun. Here they are, let me know if you have read any or suggest different ones for the night stand in 2010: The Interrogative Mood: A Novel?, Cutting for Stone, Happens Every Day and The James Deans.
THE cookbook arrived! I have been perusing the introduction with a smile, Julia was a witty one wasn't she? Dave has chosen onion soup to accompany dinner tonight. It should go well with the beef roast entree (I have not decided which Julia recipe to try). I heard from a dear friend (he may or may not join us in this endeavor) who cautioned that Julia likes to be liberal with the wine. He made the beef bourguignon and remarks that unless one is especially enamored of wine and wine aroma filling the house, the recipe will work with half the original wine called for. (grin)
We will bring in the first day of the new year with good food, friends, and an easy day at home. The most energetic endeavors (besides cooking) will be hanging a new curtain rod in the living room, watching the Parade of Roses (Conroe High School marching band is entrant #53) and draining the water pipes in the barn tonight (supposed to get down to 24'F).
We are thankful for our family, friends and farm. We wish you all the best in 2010!

A project for next year

After watching the movie Julie and Julia (twice) and being inspired to learn some new techniques, we have ordered the book (Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking).
A few friends have agreed to cook and learn with me next year! I am excited about the challenge. We are going to do a couple of recipes a week, and work our way through the book. I don't expect we will do all the recipes or several recipes a day like Julie did, but it should be great fun!
The Julie and Julia Project that Julie Powell did was 500+ recipes in a year. Her original blog of the project is still online (big surprise!). The top post, which is her last post is is quite poignant:
http://blogs.salon.com/0001399/
There have been blogs about the blog, some even arguing that Julia Child did not like or agree with Julie Powell's project. Whether she did nor not, I am of the mind that both of them, Julie Powell and Julia Child are inspiring through their humor, teachable moments and life lessons. Besides, if we don't keep learning and growing where does that leave us?
(Bored and boring).
Anyone wanting to join in is welcome, this is a very relaxed type of challenge: cook two recipes from the Julia's cookbook each week, and share comments/tips with the rest of us. The first few weeks will be soups. While watching/owning the movie is not mandatory (though it is a good chick flick), owning the cookbook, or having regular access to it is.
Bon Appetit!

Week of 12/20/09

Julius wanders in to help Dave milk...

Super beefmaster steak with chipolte butter!

New farm tool!

The last week has seen me getting much stronger and more independent each day. Dave has been a great nurse, and I am so thankful he has been off for a week.

We traded the old suv in for a new/used truck. I am glad we dont have to worry anymore about having a vehicle with 180K miles on it. This year is also the last to get a tax credit according to the dealership. Every little bit helps!

We ordered a new couch for the living room, the family Christmas gift that will keep on giving. It should be here in a week or so, yippee skipppy!

Dave thawed and grilled ribeye steaks last night, these were from the beefmaster we butchered. The steaks were enormous! Delicious too with a little pat of melted chipolte butter on top.

We welcomed the winter solstice with a nod and the knowledge that the days will start getting longer now. We have not had too much of a winter yet; rather than a change in temperature we really look forward to more sunlight hours.

We wish you all a very peaceful and joyful holiday season!

Travel to a foreign land, and halfway back

The last week has been like travel to another land, or planet. I have been completely out of my comfort zone on this trip. This trip to the hospital for surgery last Monday (abdominal hysterectomy). Vital, healthy, nervous one minute and the next thing I know I feel like a mewing kitten relying completely on others for the most basic needs. I was thankful to see Dave's sweet face and know all was well. I tried very hard to be a good patient, and do everything they asked of me! It is not a role I am used to or comfortable in, I could not have done it without the excellent nursing care and Dave's encouragement.
We came home wednesday and suddenly everything looks like a hazard. I cannot stand up straight yet, and am leery of anything that I may trip or stumble on. It is a different perspective to be sure. My surgeon gave me vitamin supplements for healing, as well as arnica for pain/bruising. I am also using arnica gel. I love that they hand out homeopathics!
The only drawbacks have been the deep cough once or twice a day that make me feel like my guts are coming undone, and when I laughed a belly-laugh, which made me cry.
Dave assisted me to the back porch to get some sunshine; I felt a little like a cat taking a sun bath and a little like an invalid at a solarium! Either way, I soaked up as much Vitamin D as I could.
On a really positive note, a friend shared the name of an iPhone app she uses to track calories; it is called "Lose It". It tracks calories, nutrients, exercise, weight, goals, etc. I am using it to track all that, but especially my water intake; I love this app.
Dave has been in charge of milking and all farm chores; he and Vera are doing quite well at milking, as evidenced by a fridge full of milk! Dave banded Julius, so he will soon be a steer. Dave reports all is well in the barn and pasture, except that Julius does not want to come near anymore.
I am thankful for my family and friends and all the help and support they have been. It will be a very different holiday for us (I am not running around preparing, shopping, readying, decorating, baking, entertaining). I am certain the nice, simple holiday we have ahead of us will be very meaningful though different. Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Another week flies by...

Another week has flown by, amazing!
All is well here, Vera is doing very well at milking. No kicking, no tap dancing, just pooping and/or peeing to show her displeasure. That only lasted the first five days, this morning she did not do either! We are getting a gallon at each milking. Her edema is improving with the red raspberry leaf tea we feed her and the mint udder cream. She is not really letting down the milk supply yet, though I expect her to fairly soon. She is more relaxed with the routine daily.
Dave named the calf Julius since he was born on our friend Julie's birthday. Julius is asserting his independence by sneaking out of the pen when I am milking. He is so cute when he runs and scampers about! Hattie and Elsie have been relegated to the back pasture to simplify milking/feeding time. Hattie was in heat 2 days ago, argh. I will worry about that in a month or two.
We have had a lot of rain in the last week, the barnyard and pastures are very soft and squishy. It seems like it has been 2 weeks since we have seen the sun shine. The good news is that there have only been a couple of nights we had to drain pipes due to freezing temperatures.
Have a great weekend all!
Liz