Goat Delivery

I sold my handsome French Alpine buck and had to deliver him Saturday. The farm that purchased him is about a two-hour drive from here. Naturally, it was rainy, and cold, and muddy to make it as interesting as it could possibly be. We were taking him in the pick-up truck that has a tight-fitting shell. (Remember tight-fitting for later reference.) Jack thought it was going to be nigh impossible to coax him into the back of the truck so he designed a pulley system that worked very well and we were off. For those of you that haven't had personal experience with billy goats I'll explain here that they are in the same family as deer and elk and so they breed in the Fall of the year (right now). And to make themselves attractive to the females they develop (we won't go into detail about how here) an aroma that is less than pleasing to mankind's sense of smell. My daughter and two grandaughters accompanied me on this trip. (Very kind.) We had to stop for gas (and snacks !) on the way and while they ran in to find their goodies I pumped the gas. While I was pumping, a very strong odor wafted out of the back of the truck and surrounded me and because you can't see into the not-tight-fitting-enough shell I knew that noone would have an idea what it was. I stood there in my mud-covered muck boots, smiling and trying to look pleasant, while thinking about what I was going to have to do with my clothes when I got home and wondering if there were any other stops we were going to have to make before we got there.
We pulled up to the farm and the mother and young daughter who was purchasing the goat came out, and after introducing ourselves, and apologizing for the mud all over the goat (good thing she had seen pictures already), and gee, if we had done this on Wed. when I wanted to he wouldn't of had a speck of mud on him, we began trying to come up with a stategy for getting him out of the truck. The dad of this family now comes pulling in and we think (and say out loud) AHA! what great timing! Help has arrived! He walks up to the truck and looks in at Zeb (who I think was also smiling now) and says, "I'm not going to smell like a billy goat" and goes in the house. And, yes, you really could have heard a pin drop (if you can hear them when they fall in the mud) while we smiled and worked on regaining our senses. (All except the sense of smell, of course.) Zeb, not wishing to appear offended, hopped right out of the truck and with head held high, pulled the new owner (who was at the other end of the rope) to the pen that was to become his new home and entered without so much as a sidelong glance around him. A little polite conversation later, we hopped in the truck, turned it around, and headed for home.

Scarecrow Massacre

We went to the wedding of the daughter of some friends of ours Saturday, and while we were gone, the puppy (you know it's coming, right?) chewed through his rope and totally and completely destroyed the scarecrow. That's the end of that.

Puppy Life

I spoke before of the cycle of fun, trouble, fun, trouble that a dog's first year consists of, and because our Great Pyranees was hit by a truck last summer, we find ourselves involved, once again, in this process. This isn' the first time we have had a puppy in the Fall. And there is something about putting decorations for this season out in the yard that brings out the worst in them. A scarecrow is just more than they can handle. By now Duke has learned some degree of self-control, but not when it comes to scarecrows. He was discovered in the yard this morning giving the new guy a good shaking, after he had pulled him out of the straw bale so as to be able to give it a good go. Jack was able to rescue the poor fellow and restore him to his proper place intact, albeit, missing one eye and his hat.(The hat was later found and also restored to its place. It hangs down over the face now so the missing eye isn't a problem.) After some stern discipline he left it alone. ***UPDATE: There were two more attempts made and foiled.***
Having to leave the scarecrow alone in mid-thrashing must have left a bad taste in his mouth because he was found taking it out on a chicken. By chewing on it.
With the puppy being locked up in the barn for the night, peace has been restored to Family Circle Farm. Goodnight.
Nancy

Chris Klicka's Passing

It is with much sadness that I refer here to the passing of Chris Klicka, attorney with Home School Legal Defense Association. He was used mightily of God to fight for and secure freedom for homeschoolers. He had a vision for homeschooling that, according to HSLDA, never waned. I can tell you, as one who homeschooled in the early days, that we owe him and his family very much gratitude.

The Freeze Warning Scramble

There's nothing like a good freeze warning to get everybody moving. For my part I worried that I didn't have enough herbs dried for cooking and winter tea so I gathered lemon balm, chocolate mint, oregano, chives, and more basil. The frost the night before got most of the basil but not all of it. We picked the green tomatoes to ripen inside and the last (again) of the okra. I'm going to miss the tomatoes and herbs. Having an herb garden is a wonderful thing. The fragrance when you are working in the garden is amazing and when you cut them to bring indoors it is delightful. And nothing you buy can compare to the freshness of your own homegrown herbs. Then you get to enjoy them all winter! The kitchen smells absolutely great right now with all of the bunches of herbs hanging to dry there.
Hope you'll grow some of your own fresh herbs to enjoy!
Nancy

Mile-Long Wagon Ride

We went to an auction not far from here today and they had you park at the county yard and then took you by wagon to the site. That was fun. Didn't find anything but enjoyed the ride.
It is sunny and chilly today. There was ice on the chickens' water this morning and the ground was frozen.
We were gone much of the day today so I'd better get going.
Hope you're enjoying your day!

Rainy Day

It rained all day yesterday so I was able to do some inside things. I did some straightening and had a great phone conversation with a good friend. I also made butter, cultured buttermilk, and mozarella cheese. And, what can a person do when they have all of that fresh butter but bake cookies! Homemade soup, cornbread, and, of course, cookies. Perfect for a chilly rainy day.
We picked up our beef today and have a couple of steaks out for tomorrow. It's a very good feeling to know that you have grown your own food. It's kind of a milestone for us because we waited so long to be back on a farm doing this sort of thing again. God has been very very good to us. Tonight we will have homemade pizza with the fresh cheese.
Wherever you are today I hope that you have taken the time to notice the many good things around you.
Nancy

Farm Help

Our children and grandchildren that live fairly close all came last weekend to help with several things. The guys set the posts for the new milking parlor (this is very exciting! We have been milking outside for over two years!), repaired a lot of fencing, reinforced the bucks' pen (so they can't get to the does!), helped with chores, and I'm sure things that I'm not listing. Two of my grandsons built a pen for the little chicks that we hatched out and did a wonderful job. It is so cute! And the chicks are very happy. It was so wonderful to have their company!
I hope you are enjoying your day and everything that God has blessed you with!
Nancy

Last of the Garden

I pickled some more okra last night and froze the rest for gumbo. That will taste so good this winter! We always have pickled okra with our holiday meals. I'm saying it is the last of the okra but Jack said it is getting more blooms. I think I'm going to pull it up anyway to prepare some beds for spring planting. It has produced like crazy this year! Jack also picked one lone tomato so we are going to eat it with dinner tonight. I hate to see them go.
We are ready to plant the cold frames with lettuce and spinach for fresh greens during the winter. If you haven't tried this I encourage you to do so. It is so easy (and no insects or weeds to deal with!) and you get to enjoy home-grown veggies during the cold months. What a blessing!
Hope your day is going very well and that you were able to enjoy some home-grown or locally-grown produce this year.
Nancy

Catch-Up

Morning chores in the rain today. We can't complain after the beautiful stretch of weather we've had. Does make it difficult for milking because we're still milking outside!
Rachael and the children came yesterday and helped us clean up by the barn and haul some scrap metal off. That was a tremendous help! And, we enjoyed their company very much.
We went to a friend's Farm Day last Sat. He holds it every fall and it is always a lot of fun. Tons of food, horse-drawn carriage and wagon rides, spinning and weaving, and lots of good company.
Sadly, on another note, Jack's mom is being declared incompetent due to dementia and because of her behaviour they won't release her from the hospital to go anywhere but a nursing home. Such a shame. We're praying that God will be in control of the situation.
Hope you're enjoying your day and that you are living each day on purpose.
Nancy