Pelenaka's Blog
This lady is hard-working and very resourceful. She seems to believe in the saying 'Bloom where you're planted.' She has a great writing style and is quite witty. I find myself checking in quite often, hoping she has posted while I was out!
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Friday, March 25, 2011
Headway
We have progressed towards our goals more in the last three or four months than we have in the entire previous year. It feels great to finally be taking steps in the right direction.
Goats: Our two girls are doing great. Our older doe, Daisy, is showing her pregnancy now in both size and attitude. She's going to be a challenge to milk, I'm afraid. We've been working on touching her belly and udder while she's eating her grain at night and she gets quite acrobatic. I hope to have a milking stand built soon so we can start practicing on it. We have less than two months to go before her scheduled kidding time.
Little Sierra is growing like a weed and has become something of a pest. It can be difficult to do chores when she's nibbling (or biting!) your pants leg or using your back as a spring board. She's lucky she's cute :)
We have another doe to pick up in June after she's weaned her kids. It's going to be quite the drive to pick her up but she's worth it - her dam is an 8th generation star milker (8*D) which is quite a feat for Nigerian Dwarves. I am ecstatic to have her.
As soon as the weather breaks, I'll be fixing up our larger red barn in order to move them out there - as it is now, we have the goats in our backyard - not the best set up. My hubby has been very understanding but I can see that he doesn't appreciate their mischievous ways (when it comes to the various things they have access to in the backyard). The goal is to have them moved before Daisy kids.
Chickens: The girls we have left are doing very well. I hate to brag but our girls are obviously well-fed and healthy-looking, with bright eyes and silky feathers. Our neighbors were so enamoured with our girls that they bought a little laying flock of their own - with two roosters. The roosters have 'access' to our hens when they free-range so here's hoping we'll have some chicks later this year. As for plans - I am planning out a nesting box to attach to the outside of the coop. The girls don't like the current set-up, and they show it by not laying in the nestboxes. That will be another project for when the rains (finally!) go away.
Garden/Produce: I have gone slightly crazy with the seed and plant ordering lately. I also have tons (and tons) of plans and projects for this year's growing season. I hope to be semi-successful but I'm afraid this year is mostly going to be the beginning of a very large learning curve. It's taken me quite a while to get to this point - I generally procrastinate until there's no more time to do anything due to a huge fear of failure. This year, I just keep repeating - You can't succeed if you never try.
Other: I ordered some large, air-tight containers for food storage and ordered organic red wheat berries to fill them. I also bit the bullet and purchased a manual grain mill. I see a lot of baking and sore shoulders in my future.
And, finally, I'm planning a grey-water system, at least for the washing machine. It is such a waste to pump all of that water to the septic when we don't get rain all summer long. I haven't divulged this last plan to the hubby yet. He's not going to like it, but I'm sure he'll see the benefits after a while.
Until next time!
Goats: Our two girls are doing great. Our older doe, Daisy, is showing her pregnancy now in both size and attitude. She's going to be a challenge to milk, I'm afraid. We've been working on touching her belly and udder while she's eating her grain at night and she gets quite acrobatic. I hope to have a milking stand built soon so we can start practicing on it. We have less than two months to go before her scheduled kidding time.
Little Sierra is growing like a weed and has become something of a pest. It can be difficult to do chores when she's nibbling (or biting!) your pants leg or using your back as a spring board. She's lucky she's cute :)
We have another doe to pick up in June after she's weaned her kids. It's going to be quite the drive to pick her up but she's worth it - her dam is an 8th generation star milker (8*D) which is quite a feat for Nigerian Dwarves. I am ecstatic to have her.
As soon as the weather breaks, I'll be fixing up our larger red barn in order to move them out there - as it is now, we have the goats in our backyard - not the best set up. My hubby has been very understanding but I can see that he doesn't appreciate their mischievous ways (when it comes to the various things they have access to in the backyard). The goal is to have them moved before Daisy kids.
Chickens: The girls we have left are doing very well. I hate to brag but our girls are obviously well-fed and healthy-looking, with bright eyes and silky feathers. Our neighbors were so enamoured with our girls that they bought a little laying flock of their own - with two roosters. The roosters have 'access' to our hens when they free-range so here's hoping we'll have some chicks later this year. As for plans - I am planning out a nesting box to attach to the outside of the coop. The girls don't like the current set-up, and they show it by not laying in the nestboxes. That will be another project for when the rains (finally!) go away.
Garden/Produce: I have gone slightly crazy with the seed and plant ordering lately. I also have tons (and tons) of plans and projects for this year's growing season. I hope to be semi-successful but I'm afraid this year is mostly going to be the beginning of a very large learning curve. It's taken me quite a while to get to this point - I generally procrastinate until there's no more time to do anything due to a huge fear of failure. This year, I just keep repeating - You can't succeed if you never try.
Other: I ordered some large, air-tight containers for food storage and ordered organic red wheat berries to fill them. I also bit the bullet and purchased a manual grain mill. I see a lot of baking and sore shoulders in my future.
And, finally, I'm planning a grey-water system, at least for the washing machine. It is such a waste to pump all of that water to the septic when we don't get rain all summer long. I haven't divulged this last plan to the hubby yet. He's not going to like it, but I'm sure he'll see the benefits after a while.
Until next time!
Monday, February 21, 2011
Happenings
A week ago Saturday, I picked up our new Nigerian doeling. She is so precious! And so tiny! I got her from a nice farm in Vacaville that tests their goats for CAE and CL. Sierra (doeling) has the potential to get a 5th generation milking star. Here's hoping! She's given me a bad case of kid-fever. My will-power is being severely tested right now. I just have to hold out until Daisy kids in May. We'll see if I make it that long.
After my last post, I got a small garden area set up. We still haven't bought bricks, so the raised bed consists of the few bricks I had lying around and some old fence posts. I'm using a modified sheet-mulching technique to make it garden-worthy. Still not sure at this point if it'll be ready for planting time, which should begin next month. I'll have to re-evaluate when the time comes. We're still looking for a great deal on bricks. When/if we find one, I'll replace the fence posts with bricks and raise the bed quite a bit too.
The neighbor's dog attacked two more of my hens, both Black Australorps. Neighbor caught the dog in the act, thank goodness. I was very worried about Betty (yes, my hens have names) for a day but then she perked back up. They have built a much sturdier and larger pen for their dogs, and so far there haven't been any more break-outs. I don't blame them for the attacks, after all I choose to free-range my hens. I cannot explain the gratitude I have towards them for taking it as seriously as they do and trying to ensure it doesn't happen again. They've even offered to replace the hens that we've lost. Great neighbors.
Soon, I will be changing the name of my blog. I'm waiting until I have my 'farm name' registered with AGS and ADGA. More changes to come.
After my last post, I got a small garden area set up. We still haven't bought bricks, so the raised bed consists of the few bricks I had lying around and some old fence posts. I'm using a modified sheet-mulching technique to make it garden-worthy. Still not sure at this point if it'll be ready for planting time, which should begin next month. I'll have to re-evaluate when the time comes. We're still looking for a great deal on bricks. When/if we find one, I'll replace the fence posts with bricks and raise the bed quite a bit too.
The neighbor's dog attacked two more of my hens, both Black Australorps. Neighbor caught the dog in the act, thank goodness. I was very worried about Betty (yes, my hens have names) for a day but then she perked back up. They have built a much sturdier and larger pen for their dogs, and so far there haven't been any more break-outs. I don't blame them for the attacks, after all I choose to free-range my hens. I cannot explain the gratitude I have towards them for taking it as seriously as they do and trying to ensure it doesn't happen again. They've even offered to replace the hens that we've lost. Great neighbors.
Soon, I will be changing the name of my blog. I'm waiting until I have my 'farm name' registered with AGS and ADGA. More changes to come.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Wow, it's been a while
For our family, 2010 was a year with a lot of ups and downs. Not long after my last post, I got orders and also realized that my surgery hadn't gone as well as we'd hoped. What I mean by that is the surgery actually aggravated my condition so that it is much worse now. Our original plan was for me to separate in November to go into the Reserves or National Guard but in order to do that, you have to be 'deployable' - physically able to do some rather demanding things. That suddenly, two of my three employment options were gone. Within days of realizing this, I got orders overseas. To say it was a stressful time would be an understatement. My husband and I decided I would re-enlist and go to my new assignment; he and the kids would stay here. That would keep me employed, make my assignment shorter by one year, he would be able to keep his (very good) job, we would keep the house, and the kids wouldn't have to be uprooted. To make a decision like that broke my heart. I was supposed to leave in Oct and the last week of September I actually had a panic attack. If you've never had one, it feels like you're dying. I thought I was having a stroke because my hands wouldn't function and I couldn't feel my face or speak intelligibly. This happened while I was driving our daughter to an appointment - it was terrifying.
Shortly after that my doctor decided to start paperwork to medically discharge me due to my condition, which cancelled my orders. It's a little scary to think of going down to one income, but hubby and I agree that we're going to use this opportunity. If we can manage, it's time for me to stay home and focus on our family and home.
While all of this was going on, we didn't get much done in the way of homesteading. No garden to speak of, though we did manage to keep the apple and orange trees alive and finally get my horse out here. We went down to 10 hens, which recently became six - neighbor's loose dog. And, for Christmas, my husband got me a Nigerian Dwarf goat that is due to kid in May. We were having a hard time finding another goat that had been tested for CL and CAE, so we have a doeling reserved from a breeder in Vacaville. She has several does due the first week of February, so we should have her by March. Having our goat around is a lot of fun - I enjoy interacting with her and watching her antics. Her name is Daisy; should have a picture up soon.
So, my recently modified (and re-instated!) to-do list:
Buy/barter for bricks for the raised bed garden.
Buy/barter for a large chainlink dog kennel to use for pasture rotation for our goats.
More fruit trees and bushes.
Buy/barter for a manual grain grinder for making whole grain breads.
Get back into canning!
Put in a hand-pump for our well.
'Borrow' a friend's rooster come springtime for chicks.
Finish fencing.
Purchase necessary goat supplies (for kidding, milking).
Learn as much as possible about permaculture.
That's not the entire list but it's way past my bedtime. You should never start canning after 9 pm.
Shortly after that my doctor decided to start paperwork to medically discharge me due to my condition, which cancelled my orders. It's a little scary to think of going down to one income, but hubby and I agree that we're going to use this opportunity. If we can manage, it's time for me to stay home and focus on our family and home.
While all of this was going on, we didn't get much done in the way of homesteading. No garden to speak of, though we did manage to keep the apple and orange trees alive and finally get my horse out here. We went down to 10 hens, which recently became six - neighbor's loose dog. And, for Christmas, my husband got me a Nigerian Dwarf goat that is due to kid in May. We were having a hard time finding another goat that had been tested for CL and CAE, so we have a doeling reserved from a breeder in Vacaville. She has several does due the first week of February, so we should have her by March. Having our goat around is a lot of fun - I enjoy interacting with her and watching her antics. Her name is Daisy; should have a picture up soon.
So, my recently modified (and re-instated!) to-do list:
Buy/barter for bricks for the raised bed garden.
Buy/barter for a large chainlink dog kennel to use for pasture rotation for our goats.
More fruit trees and bushes.
Buy/barter for a manual grain grinder for making whole grain breads.
Get back into canning!
Put in a hand-pump for our well.
'Borrow' a friend's rooster come springtime for chicks.
Finish fencing.
Purchase necessary goat supplies (for kidding, milking).
Learn as much as possible about permaculture.
That's not the entire list but it's way past my bedtime. You should never start canning after 9 pm.
Monday, March 22, 2010
Empty Nest Syndrome
The girls got moved into their new chicken coop two weeks ago, now. The kids think it is great that the hens have their own little house and yard. Here soon I need to decide which ones to keep and which ones will be going to new homes. It is tempting to keep them all - they are so interesting to watch! In a few more months, they'll be allowed to roam the entire backyard.
First afternoon in the newly-finished coop.
I have been watching craigslist for weeks now and came across a breed I thought I'd have to order from a breeder across the country - Wheaten Marans!! Hubby agreed that I could get two - so it was time to get the brooder back out! I've read that you should be able to sex them at this age by looking at their wings: definite black = boy; fawn/tan = girl. For now, it looks like I have one of each. I'm so excited to have them - the hens are such beautiful birds.
First afternoon in the newly-finished coop.
I have been watching craigslist for weeks now and came across a breed I thought I'd have to order from a breeder across the country - Wheaten Marans!! Hubby agreed that I could get two - so it was time to get the brooder back out! I've read that you should be able to sex them at this age by looking at their wings: definite black = boy; fawn/tan = girl. For now, it looks like I have one of each. I'm so excited to have them - the hens are such beautiful birds.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Food, Inc.
I watched this documentary with my husband last night. It was very eye-opening. I've already been leaning towards eating more locally grown foods, along with getting the chickens, rabbits, and having a garden of our own and this video has only made me more determined. It's hard to believe what big corporations are getting away with: suing farmers whose crops have been pollinated by their patented crops, suing farmers for helping other farmers save seeds that are not patented, etc. It's been obvious for some time that they (and the politicians who seem to work for them) are also trying to do away with small, local farmers by passing ridiculously stringent laws. I've read that Food, Inc. is very one-sided, though I can't see how. They were interviewing real people that work/have worked for these companies.
I'm so glad that my husband watched this with me; in fact it was his idea. He is now one hundred percent on board with the chickens, rabbits, and garden. He himself stated that our kids are no longer going to eat McDonald's when we're out and about and he's started looking at the labels on all of the processed foods in our cupboards. Though he's in great shape (for now), he's always been a junk food junkie and the kids have been following in his foot steps. It's going to take a lot of planning and effort on my part to lessen our dependence on processed and non-locally (is that a word?) grown food - being an active duty Air Force mom doesn't leave a lot of time for anything that isn't absolutely necessary.
There is a farmer's market about an hour from here that I will start visiting this summer. A friend of mine is going to start raising hogs, hopefully this year. We don't really have enough land for a cow, maybe we'll get goats after all. It's going to take a while for us to make all the changes we need to make - it seems pretty daunting right now. Wish us luck (and check out the newest blog that I'm following! SAHMville
I'm so glad that my husband watched this with me; in fact it was his idea. He is now one hundred percent on board with the chickens, rabbits, and garden. He himself stated that our kids are no longer going to eat McDonald's when we're out and about and he's started looking at the labels on all of the processed foods in our cupboards. Though he's in great shape (for now), he's always been a junk food junkie and the kids have been following in his foot steps. It's going to take a lot of planning and effort on my part to lessen our dependence on processed and non-locally (is that a word?) grown food - being an active duty Air Force mom doesn't leave a lot of time for anything that isn't absolutely necessary.
There is a farmer's market about an hour from here that I will start visiting this summer. A friend of mine is going to start raising hogs, hopefully this year. We don't really have enough land for a cow, maybe we'll get goats after all. It's going to take a while for us to make all the changes we need to make - it seems pretty daunting right now. Wish us luck (and check out the newest blog that I'm following! SAHMville
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Not so cute anymore...
This is not a great picture but it's the best I was able to get (I don't have the patience to take 10's of pictures). All the chicks are starting to look really raggedy as they lose their baby down. In just a few more weeks they aren't going to be recognizable from their baby pictures.
My favorite so far. She's a bit of a spaz but also very curious. She's an EE and looks like she'll develop the ear muffs. For now, she is called 'Fuzzy Face' - I'm sure this will change but the right name just hasn't struck me yet.
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