a great way...

...to bookend my days!

now that's COLD!!!

Right now it's cold here, I don't know exactly how cold but cold enough that when I went out to do the barn chores tonight the snot in my nose froze. Needless to say that I was not excited to be out there much longer than necessary but I do need to feed and care for my animals so I bundle up and go out and try to ignore the cold. Dakota, our llama has an abscessed tooth which I am in the process of treating. Not to worry, he's responding well to treatment and from what I understand this is quite common for both llamas and alpacas, considering this is our first one here I think I'm doing alright. Other than being over the moon disgusting treatment isn't that bad, a course of antibiotic and flushing the draining pocket of puss until it heals. By pocket of puss I mean the first time I drained it there was well over a tablespoon of thick, white, slightly chunky puss that came out of the hole in his face! Gross is not the word for it! In some cases I understand the tooth can be removed but the risk is a broken jaw neither of which sounds good to me.

Dakota is learning that when I come into the stall without food I'm coming after him for treatment, he has been taking off to the far end of his pen requiring me to follow, now he's realized that treatment isn't going to kill him and he feels better and is followed by grain - which he loves! Now he steps away just a few steps as if it's an attempt to remain defiant in front of his herd but secretly just giving to the temptation of grain...

Tonight after most of the chores were done I popped back into the house to draw up the syringe of antibiotic and the flush and went back to the barn to treat Dakota. When I got to the barn I placed the syringes on the mini shelf of the stall, went to fetch Dakota and tie him up because he does not enjoy the dose of antibiotic and by doing this it's less space for him to move and dance around in which allows me to use both hands. Got him tied and grabbed the syringes. Feeling around under a ton of thick warm fiber for a place to pinch up a bunch of skin is not exactly an easy task, after this was accomplished I pushed the needle into his skin. I was not able to press the plunger down, I was sure I was in, but the plunger would not move, so I switched out the needles and tried again. The liquid in the needles was frozen! OMW!!! The flush was warm too! I couldn't believe it! I warmed them up so they would thaw and be given but I could not believe in the three minutes they were on the shelf they'd gotten cold enough for the liquid in the needle; which was covered, to freeze. Yup! That's COLD! After the antibiotic was given and the abscess was flushed (and bonus tonight I didn't get any of the puss or flush splashed back onto my face tonight! woohoo) Faith led Dakota over to his bowl of grain which he devoured almost as fast as Andrew eats pesto!

because my darling, you're getting a bargain

I love my sister, I really do, even when she gets annoyed with me because in my life it is so hard to make plans for pretty much anything. I'll admit, I've never been really good at planning or much of a planner but know that sometimes having a plan works and is a good thing, like getting out of debt, it's a great plan, and we're getting there. She's a planner to the nth degree, I respect that, I get it, but even when I try to make a plan it's likely to be unattainable, for example the past 24 hours... grab a cup of your favorite beverage and settle in, you're in for a wild ride!

We were all set to head out the door to go to the feed store, grocery store, errands and to pay some bills yesterday afternoon when Andrew ran to the bathroom with a bout of "intestinal distress" so we decided to forgo the trip to town and stay near the toilet, er I mean home. Not a huge deal right? I decided I could just go tomorrow and it wouldn't really be an issue, so that's what I planned to do. At some point during the afternoon I think to myself, 'It's been a while since I did any knitting, I should try to finish up that second sock tonight.' I'd been reading and getting some things that needed being done on the computer which is much easier to do with the new laptop I might add, which hadn't left a lot of time for knitting so I planned to get to that after dinner and evening barn chores. When we got the the chicken coop we found a hen in obvious distress. She was separated from the rest of the flock and very droopy. I scooped her up and brought her into the house. I noticed she was as light as a feather; quite literally, and set her in a cat carrier until I finished the barn chores and could get to her. When I came back in I palpated her abdomen to see if she was egg bound but quickly discovered that was not the case. Leghorns; as she was, are not known for being especially winter hardy for this area, but it's not unheard of to have them in a laying flock here and we have two others that are doing just fine. I whipped up a batch of the only thing I could think of to get into her; warm water, sugar and a dash of salt, which is what I'd had success with in the past with a couple chicks we almost lost. I also made a batch of warm oatmeal, chopped apples, flax seed and apple cider vinegar. I'd read recently in a Mother Earth email where that worked for another flock keeper especially with the colder temps we've had recently, I figured I'd give it a try. So when the oatmeal was ready and cooling I took an eyedropper and tried to get a bit of warm sugar water into her as she would not drink it on her own. She was not interested in the oatmeal either.

Some may say I spoil my animals, and to that I say, "Well, that may be how you feel and that's fine, but as a caretaker of creation I feel it's my job to do what I can for the animals entrusted to my care. Besides, they spoil me with fresh eggs every day!" My gut told me that we would lose this poor girl but still I tried, sliding my fingernail against her beak to open her mouth and get the liquid into her, she swallowed, opened her eyes, looked at me and shut them again. Several times we did this but it was no use, she passed sometime in the night. I stayed up with her for a while and had her wrapped in a towel to help keep her warm. Needless to say, I did not get to the knitting last night.

When I woke up this morning I checked in on her and found her gone and felt sad because I couldn't 'fix it.' Later I headed out to the barn for morning chores, rolled back the door, looked down and saw water, quickly thinking it was strange to see that there as it hadn't started thawing yet, then looked down the rest of the isle and was devastated! The pipe had burst in the barn and was spewing water everywhere and obviously had been for sometime! It's an odd time for the pipe to have burst as we've not been using it since sometime in December, but it happened and now I had to deal with the issue now at hand. I ran back into the house and shut off the main water supply as it was the only one I knew where it was, I looked around for the barn shut off and could not locate it then went back to the barn to survey the damage come up with a plan.

Garlic peeking his head inside the barn trying to figure out what happened and why it is interfering with his breakfast! The center isle of the barn was completely flooded as were all the stalls! Standing water mid calf deep in some places!
At some point I went back into the house and called Ron, not expecting him to wave a magic wand from his office to make it all better, but just to have him listen for a minute, I was stressed! (Afterward I felt like an idiot for calling him at work because I didn't want him -or anybody for that matter- to think I couldn't handle this...) Then I quickly called my mom because I needed to laugh about this, before I cried. I detest crying! We had a good chuckle too!

I fed the animals outside in the paddocks instead of the stalls and once they were fed they seemed not so worried about the whole flooded barn thing. Then the kids and I grabbed buckets and started bailing the water out bucketful by bucketful.

As much as I miss Hyacinth I'm so glad that she was not here for this, I cannot imagine how horrible it would have been for her to have had to deal with this! It was at that point I realized the grace and mercy I was seeing and that was the beginning of my thankfulness. I was thankful Hyacinth was not here, she would not have been able to escape the rising water the way the other goats did. I was thankful I hadn't thrown hay down from the loft last night like I needed to. I was thankful I hadn't made it to the feed store and had had bags of beet pulp, grain and alfalfa cubes that would have been ruined. I'm glad the other goats had deep bedding that made an island type situation to keep them out of the water. I'm thankful if wasn't more water that had spewed out. I'm thankful I'd put a raised floor in the chicken coop instead of them being on the dirt floor where they may have drowned if they hadn't been able to get up to the perches. I'm thankful for the flat edged cat litter buckets which made bailing the barn easier. I'm thankful that I'd purchased a new muck bucket a few weeks ago so we could throw all the soaking wet hay into and lug it out easier; the metal one we used to have rusted out a while ago, and for the new muck fork Ron gave me for Christmas. Thankful for the tall rubber boots all three of us had so we could work and not have soaked feet. Thankful for the thin wool socks I'd knit last year to wear in those boots! Thankful that it wasn't a barn fire, just some flooding!

I was feeling so blessed that I was not expected at a j.o.b. somewhere and could deal with this situation and not feel like I might loose that j.o.b. because of it. Thankful that I had the kids to help me get the barn bailed out. I was thankful for so many things today and saw the mercy of God and His protection in all of this.

How does that saying go, 'work at doing something you love and you'll never work a day in your life.' or something like that. I don't know who said it but it's very apropos to today. We were in the barn cleaning up from the flooding for most of the day, and though it wasn't the most fun task I've had to do on the farm it didn't seem like work either. Andrew loved it though! It also got me thinking about small farmers, like myself (some people may not consider me a farmer and I'm ok with that, I've never lived my life by someone else's definition and I have no intention of starting now. Incidentally I believe these people would also say I'm spoiling my chickens.). Thinking how much of what we as farmers do is a labor of love and how we choose to live this life because we cannot imagine doing anything else or want to do anything else. How many people do you know would want or choose to spend a day in March (read really cold day) in Maine bailing out a barn that is completely flooded? How many would feel happy doing it because it means you are exactly where you were meant to be and doing something you love and cannot fathom doing anything else? See what I mean, a labor of love? I'm so thankful that I do not have to do Ron's job, I've peeked over his shoulder a couple time when he works from home, he's tried to explain what he's doing and mercifully stops when I start twitching and I shudder to think about having to do that. I'm so glad he enjoys his job and loves doing it but am thankful I do not have to do it, on the same hand I think he's glad he does not have to do mine.

I was watching a news clip recently about the struggling dairy farmers here in Maine and one farmer was interviewed and talked about how he didn't think that many people knew how little farmers make, what they actually live on. He said his farm yearly took in over $750,000.00 but netted around $20,000.00 that's what he and his family live on. Would you choose that? What would you do if you had to live on that or provide your own food? Would you consider paying a higher price for a gallon of milk, a pound of bacon, or an ear of corn a bargain of it meant you didn't have to invest your time in it? Why should a farmer (or soldier for that matter) work so hard and have to live on so little? What is the cost of that bargain? I am fortunate that Ron's job is what we live on and it has good benefits but I would like to get to the point of... well honestly I'm not sure, just further along that where I am with the farm currently.

Ron surprised me midday by coming home to help and with the help of a water pump he just picked up at Tractor Supply. I mentioned above that I think he's glad he doesn't have to do my job, farming is not 'his thing' which made his effort and willingness to help even more appreciated. His damsel was in distress and he was on his way. He changed out of his work clothes and put on some clothes to work in. Took the pump out of the car, read the instructions and lugged it to the barn to fire it up. Ron is a rule follower, me not so much, which makes the fact that the pump would not stay on even more frustrating, he followed the instructions to a t and every time he got it started and it was sucking water it would just die. Needless to say it'll be returned tomorrow. So I continued to use the buckets to bail the water out, knowing the weather was to turn very cold tonight, like -2! I had to get it done.

And we did! Then I decided to figure out what happened, which is when I discovered the burst pipe. (no idea why this is suddenly underlining itself.)

The barn water hose after the heat tape (which had stopped working), insulation and (burst) pipe were removed. It was tough because the temperature was dropping and everything was all wet which made our fingers freezing cold! I'd been through three pairs of gloves already! Ron and I muscled the old pipe off so I could take it to the local hardware store to get a replacement, because if we didn't get this fixed we had no water in the house until we could get a plumber out here to fix it!
Ron put the new pipe back on and I wrapped the heat tape around it and insulated it and we were good to go, hopefully not have to deal with this again for a while, or at least until we get a frost free hydrant!
We came in from the barn, thawed slightly and I cooked a huge pot of quinoa, stir-fried some veggies to add to it and looked forward to eating it. On one of the trips inside to the bathroom, or to get a drink, to warm up or something today, I ran to the basement, grabbed a frozen chicken from the freezer and stuck it in the crock-pot with a little water and an onion. It wasn't fancy, or the best thing I've ever made, but it was warm and there were a few other things that needed some serious attention.

So there you have it, another day in the life of this small farm farmer. A day for me that is not really unlike any other day really. I didn't go looking for a handout, grant, bailout, subsidy or any other 'out,' most small farmers I know don't. We just do what needs doing because it needs doing; so please remember that next time you're at a farmers market, joining a CSA, or stopping at a farm stand. The farmer may sell eggs for 4.00 a dozen or a pound of meat may very well be 7.00, the CSA share might run a couple hundred dollars and there is a reason for it. The reason is my darling, you're getting a bargain!

Sam I am!

How cool is this? I'm a Dr. Seuss character! Green eggs and ham produced here on the farm! This is actually a smoked and nitrate free ham steak, but it is ham just the same. When cooking meat that I've raised I feel like I need to be more careful with is and make sure it all gets used/eaten, especially the pork. I know that sounds crazy, but I don't like to think that these girls died only to be overcooked, cooked badly, or tossed out with the garbage because the meat wasn't all consumed. Raising my own meat has certainly made me think differently about cooking it for sure!

lessons learned

2010 is quickly winding to and end and I've got mixed emotions about it, you see 2009 was a doozie and 2010 was awesome so naturally I hope that 2011 will be good and I certainly hope that we won't have another 2009. I've got lots of things nay goals for 2011 and I'm hoping to be able to pull them off to some degree by using some of the lessons I've learned this year. The biggest things I've learned is that above all other things time need to be taken to enjoy the ride. Don't get so wrapped up in it; what ever it is, that you forget to enjoy the ride. We only get one shot at this life it would be a shame to miss it, don't ya think?


Some of the other things I've learned are:



1. "They don't eat much hay." is a subjective term. Much hay compared to an elephant or a goat?


2. There is a reason for the old farmers saying that fences need to be horse high, pig tight and bull strong...


3. No matter how much you prepare your self or steel yourself against it taking animals to the abattoir hurts more than you think it will.


4. Good neighbors are amazing!


5. Do some research before raising animals, (especially for food) as you don't want to go in blind, but know that it will cost you more than you think, but not too much and it's worth every penny.

6. Farms are built by blood, sweat and tears and worth every drop.

7. Others will laugh, scoff at or even make fun of your choices and that's ok, let them. Forgive them, they just have now idea how blissful your life really is.

8. Enjoy the breeze on a warm sunny day at the beach with your children.

9. Crops fail, livestock eventually becomes deadstock, and large amounts of wind, rain and snow happen, roll with it. Hopefully it doesn't all happen on the same day, sometimes it does. On those days count your blessings and move on.

10. Lots of things just don't matter, it's the little things that do...

11. Sunsets are beautiful and a nice way to end the day with the hope for a beautiful tomorrow.

12. It's easy to bite off more than you can reasonably chew at one time and it's ok to say no.

13. It's very exciting to see an egg being laid and even more exciting to watch one hatch!

14. Children grow up way to fast and horses age way too quickly.

15. Sometimes it takes a 500 pound heifer and a show ring to give a young girl some self confidence, and it's heartwarming to watch.

16. We do all get the same 24 hours in a day it's how we decide to spend them that makes the difference. We do have the time if it is a priority. But sometimes even the best laid plans can get 180'd because the pigs got out or the truck got a flat or whathave you and not everybody understands. I hope you make it a point to surround yourself with people that do.

17. You are able to do exactly what needs to be done when it needs to be done even though you didn't think you could.

18. Red and grey squirrels; albeit cute, are very destructive!

19. A barn full of happy animals is a wonderful thing to hear first thing in the morning, or anytime really and a ride on a trusty steed can lift even the darkest cloud.

20. White tile flooring is not really ideal for my lifestyle. It shows way too much crud and despite the fact that the floor is swept daily it rarely looks that way. So I'll take a bit of wording from Joel Salatins wife, 'If you're coming to see me come anytime, if you're coming to see my house make an appointment.'

There are lots of other things I've learned this year so this is just a smattering, but I don't see how it would be possible to learn it all at once or in one year, nor would I want to. Learning is part of the journey. So here's to a look back at 2010 and lessons learned and a hope for a prosperous 2011 for you and all of us here at From the Country Farm. Good Night, God Bless and Happy New Year! Welcome 2011!

it's not going to be a good day tomorrow

On this snowy night as dark settles in on our farm it is with a very heavy heart that I write tonight. I've had a horrible pit in my stomach since the flipped the calendar to December. (Hence the lack of posts.) Tomorrow I'm taking our girls; the pigs to be harvested. The tears are really flowing now. I knew it would hurt when we got them and I knew this would not be easy. One person said to me the other day, "It'll get easier." Well, I don't want it to get easier, I don't want the fact that I am responsible for their lives and deaths to be easier, to feel painless, like it means nothing. I've been entrusted to care for these creatures, their well being depended on me. It was suggested that we get two so they could keep each other company and so I wouldn't get so attached to them. I'm glad we did get two, one would be so lonely as they really are such smart and social creatures but as far as to prevent me not getting attached to them that was unlikely to begin with, I love animals. I know why I'm raising meat, despite the fact that I'm a vegetarian and I'm ok with the end result; it's like ripping off a band-aid after the wound has healed, but tonight the wound is fresh and very raw. I hope I gave them a good life, they seem happy and in the end when it's all said and done I hope while on this earth it was just one bad day they had.

Tomorrow will be a very long day and the kids and I will hurt. Ron is working from home tomorrow to be here so the kids don't have to go with me to drop them off and I'm so thankful for that. So tonight I ask those of you who are of The Faith, if you're so inclined, I'd really be grateful if you'd send up a prayer for us tonight. We are really going to miss our girls.

They've grown a bit...

...and enjoyed a "mar sarge" or two...

...and been 'loved on' a little...

.. and will sincerely be missed...

that's a lot of feet!

Yesterday I looked out into the field and thought "Wow! That's a lot of feet!" I counted and between all these feet, the cat, dogs, laying hens, pigs, kids and I there were 102!

Where'd you say we're going tomorrow?!

good fences and good neighbors

The other day we woke up late and generally that does not make for an ideal start to the morning, but we manage. Hungry barn animals and dogs that are crossing their legs do not greet you like they are happy you are there, it's more like "My eyeballs are floating I have to pee so bad!" (Dogs) or "It's about time you showed up with breakfast! I'm STARVING!" (Barn animals) Then to compound that the kids were...shall we say needing redirection... it was not a good morning, and yes, it was a Monday. Why do you think I renamed the alpaca?! So after all that unfolded I was needless to say shocked to glance out my living room window and see my neighbor and another gentleman standing in my driveway looking in the direction of the barn. Andrew asked if he could run out and say "Hi!" I said sure and went out just a minute after him, I was in the process of making tea, it was likely "tension tamer."

As I walked into the yard I glanced around the yard and nothing seemed out of place, much to my relief, when I approached the neighbor and the other man Andrew was in mid story hurling back to me the events of hoe the two men came to be standing in my yard. The pigs had gotten out!!! I can only imagine the look on my face, sheer horror I'm sure as that is certainly what I felt like on the inside. I was promptly introduced to the unknown gentleman and was quick to discover where he lived in relation to me. OH. MY. WORD!!! He and his wife had just recently finished planting tulip bulbs and looked out or were out in the yard that morning and were shocked to find two black and white pigs rooting up the area where they had just planted the tulips! The day was only just beginning and it was already a real corker! They managed to shoo the pigs out, but had no idea where they came from or anywhere to put them until they could figure it out. He tried to rope the bigger of the two; seeing as they were friendly and not aggressive he was not afraid of them. But I don't know how many of you have ever tried to rope 250-300 pounds of pure muscle, but those pigs will go where. ever. they. want! This gentleman found himself on the losing end of a rope with a squealing well muscled pig who was having nothing to do with going in the direction he wanted her to go. So I'm told.

I'm not sure how exactly it came to them to try our road, oh, did I mention that when the pigs escaped they took off from the farm up the driveway, down our dirt road and onto a second road? Why they ever left our yard is beyond me, but suffice it to say that I was seeing dollar signs in property damage that I'd need to repair from my 'wild' pigs! Ah-hem, I mean these girls are so wild they sit like a dog on command... I checked with the neighbors and they didn't do any damage or eat the tulip bulbs, much to my relief and they didn't hurt anybody or cause too much mischief. They did eat all the apple drops on this gentleman's yard, and a bit of garlic bread I'm told. It turned out that my neighbor (who knew the pigs were ours) and this other gentleman were just on their way back across the street after putting the pigs back in the pen and looking back over their shoulders to make sure the gate would hold. I was told they tried ring the doorbell, but it didn't work. Our doorbell doesn't work, hasn't since we moved in, tried to have it fixed but it's very similar to the doorbell on the Cosby show, instead of a ding! it was more like a weeeeoouughnntttttt! dingggggggernt! Yeah, it was annoying, so we unplugged it. Besides most people know we're usually pretty busy doing all that we do and it's better if they call first to make sure we'll be home before they pop in. Or if they do pop in by chance we're likely outside anyway, or the dogs will announce a visitor. But they know now it doesn't work. Oddly enough the dogs didn't even hear the ruckus.

Now you may be asking how it came to be that the pigs were out in the first place. Well, let me tell you. The night before it was freezing cold and freezing rain; and since the pigs will not leave the shelter I've re-built only about a million times up, (Bethany seems to think it's an excellent place to scratch her butt on) and I was in no mood to rebuild it in that kind of weather so I opted to rearrange the animals in the barn for the night and put the pigs in there. I'd spent part of the weekend running some new fencing and hadn't finished it due to freezing fingers, if I had the pigs would not have been running around town. I knew the girls (pigs) were not too excited about being inside, but I felt better knowing they were not out in that cold weather wishing they hadn't knocked down their shelter, again. I knew I'd put them back out in the pen the next morning when I did the morning barn chores. The stalls in the barn do not have latches on them to the outside, never had a need, they slide open and work well - except when you've got to pigs that will go where. ever. they. please! They do respect the electric fence though, thankfully! The two men had shut the pigs into the pen and were on their way home with a great story about a crazy morning wrangling pigs back home to an even crazier neighbor I'm sure. I thanked them both wholeheartedly and both were kind and told me no problem and they were glad to help. They were glad the girls were so friendly too!

Want to know something even more embarrassing to me but you may enjoy it. The next day we went into the town hall to vote, when I walked in I was greeted by, 'Well, I'm glad to hear you got your pigs back!' This was from the wife of the man I get my hay from who lives on the other side of town! The runaway, seemingly homeless pigs were the talk of the town - on election day not doubt! Does that say something about the candidates we had to choose from or is it more like pork barrel spending?! I rarely blush, my face felt as hot as the summer sun! It did give some excitement to an elderly neighbor who lived up the road in the opposite direction from the one the pigs took, but still it was excitement and to be the talk of the town well, that was a bit too much excitement for me!

So tonight I'm thankful for my awesome neighbors, who even before this incident I thought very highly of. (I'm also thankful they were not afraid to wrangle the girls.) They all welcomed us into the neighborhood within days of moving here with fresh baked pies and cookies and warm wishes. They don't mind my children talking their ears off while out in the yard doing yard work or their offers to help. It's a phone call in a power outage during a nor'easter to let you know if you're heat is out they've got a wood stove with a roaring fire and we are welcome there anytime that makes this neighborhood warm, friendly and my home. Before we moved here we lived in another town, much larger than this and never knew most of our neighbors, and it wasn't because we didn't try. But for so many reasons I'll take these neighbors every time! Thank you God for placing us in this neighborhood at this time with these neighbors. Thank you neighbors for being as wonderful as you are!

My girls have been busy!

Ahhh, finally! My new girls have started laying! We've had about 150 +- chickens on the farm since the first batch of broilers, hatched chicks and replacement layers arrived, and during that time we were getting 1-2 eggs every couple of days. Talk about annoying! This was a very welcome sight in the nesting box this morning.

So how many injuries does it take?

The boys have been here for almost a week and are settling in brilliantly! They are not even bothered by the constant handling of their fleece and hearing "ooooooooooohhhhhhhhhh you're soooooooo soft!" then a squeal of sheer delight! I think with so many of them they take turns deciding who'll be next, but they really are good sports about it. My mother told me last night that I never blogged about the "experience" of getting them here. Oh yeah, right I forgot to do that... it's a story I thinkg you'll find.... well interesting at least. Here it goes.

Last Saturday we had a 'get together' at my parents home and it usually involves too much food and too much fun, but like my father-in-law says, "too much is just right!" You know the kind of gathering that involves food, family, fun, cousins, crazy aunt Twistie, etc, well that makes for an all day event type thing (especially when you have to work around two families farm chores, milking schedules and 4-H meetings), but I was also supposed to pick up the alpacas...

The afternoon was winding down and it was getting late in the afternoon, as you know the sun is setting earlier and earlier... Well, I decided it was time to go get them and head home. My dad was graciously allowed me to use his truck (which has a cap) to transport my farm animals. I really need a trailer... I've got a tonneau cover for the bed of my truck, but that wouldn't work, hog panels, tarps and ratchet straps, mmmm nope! Not a chance! I got ready to go and asked who was going to tag along on this adventure, my sister who's always ready for a gathering of people and/or party jumped at the chance - mind you this is the sister that IS NOT a farmer or animal person really unless it's a petting zoo... My other sister had gone home or I think she'd have come if just to laugh at the whole crazy situation; my dad scoffed, hmm, maybe he had an idea as to the calamity this would become.... So I asked mom, saying to her well you went with me when I was getting Strawberry bred, and helped me wrangle the pigs back onto the truck at the fair, so you have to come! What do you know, she did! She changed her shoes, flip flops are not proper farm footwear, are they mom? and got in the truck. He he he! Off we went. Ok so I had Jen, my sister, call for directions, I felt like I could get back there no problem, but cell reception is sporadic at best out there and did I mention it was getting dark? I'd only been there one other time and came in from an entirely different direction, I was not interested in being lost.

So we arrive at the house and the owners are out in the pasture with the alpacas, mom drives the truck over to where the gates opens and the boys (alpacas) are... shall we say ....energetically bouncing around the pasture, they smelled a rat! It was most likely me and the multi species oders from my farm off my barn shoes, I don't think our farm smells bad at all, but occasionally I've gotten a whiff of my barn shoes and whew! but I digress. Seeing as one owner has seriously messed up her back to the point of needing surgery she would not be able to wrangle any of the freaked out boys. Her husband, my sister, mother, children, and children of the guests they had were all in the pasture, just past dusk trying to catch the alpacas. Now would be a good time to mention that they live WAY out off the beaten path and there are NO streetlights or many lights at all really. The pasture area was, well, large enough for all 5 alpacas so it was not easy convincing them to stand still and let us strange people walk up to them and put a halter on and be led out, they just were not comfortable with that. So we made a wall of people and cornered them, all together and eased the pressure off them and they settled down a bit. We went in for one of them and managed to get one, but the others scattered, so we had to repeat the process several times.

We get one caught and haltered and start to lead him out to the where the woman owner was so we could do shots before bringing them here. I was helping, or at lest making an attempt at it and the plunger wouldn't depress, so I asked her to check it out for me. Well she took the syringe and pulled it back slightly and redirected it, right into the tip of my finger! It was totally an accident and all it really did was scratch my finger as I jerked it away. It bled a little but I've been vaccinated and wormed now! LOL! So we start loading them up, one at a time, alpacas are herd animals and they were being loaded into the back of a strange vehicle by strange people in the dark alone, they were a little freaked out. I expected that no matter how we did it that would be the case to some degree.

If you're keeping a tally as to the injuries, sharpen your pencil! So far it's just the current owner's back and my finger, but as we load one on the truck it's leg slips and kicks my mother in the leg, leaving an oblong plum shaped (and colored) bruise on her thigh. The husband was hit in the 'family jewels' area and doubled over in pain and in doing so wrenched his back. I found out later that it cost him a trip to the ER because of the pain. While in the pasture chasing another one down my mother's foot got stepped on, (I'm betting she's glad that she didn't have her flip flops on and was likely thinking "And I'm doing this, again, why???" I was able to get one against the fence and once they are caught they stopped fighting, but the others had just run by us and he thought he'd give it a go to be with his herdmates and I'd just stepped on a rock or in a divot or something and turned my ankle a bit so I let him go to prevent further injuries. My foot was also stepped on at some point, but was wearing boots, so it didn't' really even hurt, but a tally mark is a tally mark, right? Andrew managed to get kicked in the thigh somewhere along the way. I don't know how many of you know this, but alpacas and llamas do not have hooves, they have a soft pad and two toenails on their feet. It's not a hoof like a goat or horse, so it you get stepped on or kicked it's not say, pleasant, but it's not as painful as say a horse. I remember walking back into the pasture to halter another on and seeing my sister who I mentioned is NOT an animal person with her arms around an alpaca saying "I'm not the weakest link, I am not the weakest link!" I guess she'd let a few slip through her hands and was determined not to let it happen again! Hey, I'll give her an A for effort!

Ok, so we're getting them loaded and it's getting a tad crowded in the truck and as I'm in there with them unhaltering and handing out halters and leads and holding them back I got knocked around a bit, again it's nothing bad, just stressed animals. BUT on a good note, after we got a couple in there the rest were more willing to hop in to be with their buddies. Ahhh! They are finally all loaded and the tailgate is up and the cap is shut, latch is secured, or so we think.

So we get them all loaded and head back over to the house to warm up and chat for just a few minutes. Did I mention it was dark and cold that night? So we thaw inside, and decide that it's time to start home, head back out, this time I'm to drive my dads truck, after all it is my livestock now, I took a peek at the back of the truck and it looks a bit odd, I step closer and see one alpaca standing up. The others have relaxed and laid down, yea, I thought. I get closer and peek in and there is only one alpaca! The other four somehow manages to not only unlatch the gate but hop out of the truck and are now roaming around the neighborhood! Yup, dad must have known something like that would happen and that's why he stayed home...

Fortunately one of the boys is all white and one has a white face or we'd never have found them that night and fortunately the guest who was visiting had a HUGE Great Dane dog and these alpacas love big dogs and went right to him, she walked him into the pasture and they all followed! So I backed the truck over to the gate, again and we reload all the boys, only this time there was no stop at the gate for shots and the full moon was out which lit up the pasture better than before. This time they all loaded much faster. One was so eager to get back into the truck he literally leaped in so fast he bumped his head on the roof and ricocheted into my head which smacked the side of the truck, as I had no time to react or guard against it. Ouch! Needless to say we were extra diligent about the latch and tied it down, I did not need to be heading down the highway with alpacas leaping out of the back of my truck!

Finally we arrive home to the farm and mind you it's nearly 11 pm! I'm blessed (and I mean that honestly) with a barn that has lights, lots of lights! I was able to back the truck right up to the front of the barn and stood just to the side of the tailgate so they couldn't pull a Houdini and escape! We opened the back of the truck and let them listen, look, smell, hear and talk for a little while. Our llama Dakota was in the stall closest to the action and was very interested in all the goings on. His ears pricked forward and he started talking to them right away. Garlic, thought it was time to be fed again so he started stomping and nickering to me, the chickens who heard but could not see all the commotion started clucking and squawking and the goats woke up, yawned, stretched and jumped up on the door to see what was going on. After a bit of coaxing the boy that was last in and therefore closest to me was the first out. It just so happens he's also the one with neurological issues and when he jumped out he landed wrong and slipped in the isle and landed with a "kathud!" Realizing they could now get out the others started springing out of the back of the truck like fleas off a dog! One landed on top of the alpaca on the floor who was in the process of getting up and shook himself off like a person coming out of hypnosis, wondering what the heck just happened! It all happened in the matter of just a few seconds, but when I could I went over to him to see if he was ok and it seemed he was, but how can I tell really, he's got neurological issues.... I'm not sure what the tally for injuries is, but I know it was a lot and I'm so thankful they were not serious.

After we got them all settled in, grained, hayed, watered and placed the handful of poop where I wanted them to go to the bathroom, yes, I really had to do that. It works too, it's a communal dung pile and makes for some pretty easy clean up! We left them alone for the night and headed into the house to tell Ron all about it and the crazy time we'd had that evening. He did like he usually does, listened, smiled and shook his head. Thinking all the while I'm as crazy as a loon and he's glad he's the banker. Computers don't kick or spit!

mustering chutzpah

Ugh! Today is a day that I will never forget, though at least one part I sincerely wish I could. If they can come up with an easy button, why can't they come up with a do over button? The kids headed out to the barn to do morning chores a minute or two before I did this morning because a friend had called and I was on the phone trying to help her with a question she was having. They came back into the house with a chicken, one of the laying hens that were hatched out this spring, it had to be a hen, couldn't have been a rooster! Ugh! Well suffice it to say I was pretty certain, like 99.9998% sure it's neck was broken, it's neck had been stuck in the chicken coop door and the rest of the details are a mystery. So here I was trying to remain calm and not vomit because of the circumstances that were inevitable were swirling around in my brain, this was not going to be a good day. I called Ron at work and told him about the hen and what was coming, ugh! was all I could think. We talked about which way would be the fastest and least painful, after all it was clear that she was in pain and it tore me up to see it. I got off the phone with him and took the hen outside and placed her on a hardwood stump that we got last year when we took care of the huge dead hemlock in the backyard. I had Andrew head into the garage to get my axe. She really seemed to be at peace in the sunshine. She just laid there on the stump in the sunshine with her eyes closed, Andrew handed my the axe and headed inside with Faith. I took a measurement of where I needed to land the axe and placed it in the grass. I headed inside too. I loaded the rifle, just in case I missed and there was another situation I needed to suddenly deal with took a few long inhalations of lavender to calm my nerves. I had never done anything like what I was about to do and never in a million years did I ever think I would be able to! I'm a vegetarian for crying out loud!! I'm also a caretaker of creation and this poor helpless creature I'd been entrusted to care for was in pain and there was nothing I could do for her expect to end her pain. So I took another few whiffs of the lavender and headed back out to the stump. She opened her eyes for a minute to see what had changed then quickly closed them and went back to peacefully laying there. I propped the rifle up within easy reach and picked up the axe and thanked her for her life and thanked her for eating lots of bugs for us. Took another measurement of where it needed to be placed and with one swift motion it was all over. I will spare you all the gory details but it's not something I ever care to do again. I'm just glad I was able to muster up the chutzpah to get the job done. I've only ever killed bugs; like mosquitoes or black flies, or mice; once I ran over a garden snake with the lawnmower because I was terrified of snakes and was sure it was after me! (I shudder to think of it!) I have never taken a life like this; I am ok with doing it because I know she is out of pain but I feel so bad that it had to happen. I'm not one to panic in situations like this; pretty level headed but I've wondered in the past level headed to what point? It there a point when level headedness goes out the window? It was nice to realize that when I wasn't sure this was something I'd ever be able to to I was! I was able to reach way down in a place I didn't know I had and do what needed to be done, I know that I got that strength from my Father and I am grateful!

100 bales in several more to go!

What to do for a birthday for a kid that has nearly everything, like so many American kids do?? Hummm...... Ding! (that's the sound of my brain coming up with a great idea!) I'll invite him down for a day on the farm! My nephew; whom you may have read about here, is like so many American kids that have more than everything they want and are nearly impossible to do anything for on special occasions, like birthdays. Well they don't call me Twistie for nothing! I printed up a flyer inviting him down in the summer for a day on the farm; the flyer said it entitled him to do farm things, like poop scoop, feed the animals, collect the eggs, lug water, stack hay, you know things the kids and I do everyday! You should have seen his face it was like I'd given him the moon! I had sort of planned to have him down at this time of year to really give him a whack at farm/country life by having him help with the hay. I've recently heard of "haycations" but thought I'd test the waters to see if it actually worked! ha ha! The hay was to arrive yesterday and I could use all the help I could get, as Garlic smashed my foot when I was picking out his feet the other night, due to his lack of balance, and I've got a pretty good idea I've got a broken bone or two in there. When the hay needs to be done it waits for no one, smashed foot or not. We had a dicey afternoon weather wise yesterday and it did not arrive, but was taken undercover, rain and hay do not mix well when you're looking at long term storage.... So the hay guy called and said it would be delivered in the morning. I was not about to let these kids be bored, so I came up with a new plan on the fly.

We pulled the garlic... Andrew lugged it to the porch...

We hung it up to dry...

We threw down the rest of last years hay to make room for this years hay...

They jumped into the hay which was stacked nearly to the top of the ladder... and did the evening barn chores. This was from 4 pm on. Three very tired children went to bed and slept as well as you can with the heat and a wiggly and notoriously gassy dog that they wanted to sleep with them not to mention the excitement of company! I'd have taken a picture but left the camera in the barn and was not about to limp back to the barn to get it. Though it was a great photo op!

Breakfast - fresh fruit and cereal! Isn't the fruit pretty?

The hay arrives and the heat does too, it's over 90 degrees and I've got 100 bales of hay to stack. Note, I do not have an elevator, yet, so each bale is lifted off and thrown overhead into the loft then stacked. It's hot, sweaty, scratchy, hard work but it smells SO good, not as good as second crop, which will come on another sweltering day in August but hay smells good and what a good job to have done. I'm so impressed with these kids, words cannot accurately describe how proud I am of them for their willingness to pitch in and help and only one or two complaints, and justified at that, it WAS hot!

That's a lot of hay, yet not even half of what I need for the year.

*My nephew thought this would make a good family picture so I let him take it. A hard working family!

Water break...

The hay is all unloaded and stacked in the barn in just shy of two hours!! We kicked butt and took names! I think that was the fastest unload in my history, I couldn't have done it without the help of my kids and my nephew. This is the From the Country Farm Hay Crew 2010 gulping down an ice cold root beer after a hard days work had been completed.

They told me it was the best root beer they'd ever tasted!

Seeing as how the hay essentially flew off the wagon and it was over 90 degrees and part of the overnight trip to the farm deal I took the kids to the lake to cool off. I was impressed, nobody drown from exhaustion! I was not however impressed with the language of the people around us or the couple having a fight at the picnic table not 15 feet from us. Talk about a way to ruin a trip to the beach! Needless to say, we didn't stay long.

One night ended up turning into two nights because of the hay and tomorrows plans, which is no big deal, he's having a good time as are Faith and Andrew and when I drop him off tomorrow and his mom tucks him in bed it'll be like "Good Night Son, see you next Tuesday!"
So what did I give my nephew for his birthday? Hopefully a lifetime of fond memories. (and maybe a good night's sleep.)

a pool for the pigs

It was so hot here today, I think if I lived on a paved road we easily could have fried an egg on it! It was hot but the breeze made it bearable, thank God for the breeze! I went out to make sure the girls (pigs) had water after all they cannot sweat to cool off, unlike me, I sweat enough for the two pigs, myself and at least three other people! Oh, that's right, women don't sweat, we glisten.... who ever made up that cock and bull story never worked a day in their life! I sweat! They had slurped up all their breakfast and were nearly bone dry when I went out. Well, I had seen the giant hole they had excavated overnight thinking that was a good thing as the cool earth would help keep them cool, then I had the bright idea of filling up the hole with water. Holy pigs were they excited! I hooked a wagon to the tractor to make toting water faster and easier. Carted many water buckets to the impromptu swimming hole figuring that even in the water didn't stay it would make mud for them to play in. They done into it like you or I would into double fudge brownie ice cream! Literally squealing with delight.

Andrew wanted to get in the mud with them, (shocked aren't you?) but there wasn't much room with both pigs in there so he decided to sit on the edge and splash water on Freedom and give her a "marsarge." I think she really enjoyed it, have you ever seen a smiling pig?

Freedom enjoying her pool and "marsarge" or should I call it the day spa?

Beautifully happy cooled off pigs.

oi! you're such a turkey

Our newest additions to the farm, temporarily at least. Broad Breasted Bronze turkeys and a few more broilers.

Sound asleep standing up, I've had days like that.

new digs for the pigs

After the kids and I moved them out there and they were back together (after being separated for about 10 minutes for the move) they grunted around with their noses in the ground like kids in a candy shop! So happy with tails wagging and making the happiest little pig noises imaginable!

big numbers

I was doing barn chores last night and did a head count, realizing that when the turkeys get here next month we'll be at 90 animals that I'm responsible for. My head swam for a minute, I'll be honest. I now that number will be greatly reduced around the 4th of July, then again in October, after the turkeys and pigs are "harvested," but still 90 animals all at once is a lot to take care of. I have been so blessed with all of them and I feel great knowing that the freezer will be full and it's good homegrown food that we raised right here on the farm. Each animal that will be harvested will have been allowed to experience grass, sunlight and fresh air. The chickens will have been allowed to be a chicken and scratch and peck with toes and beaks intact. The turkeys too. Pigs will be rooting around in the dirt feeling the cool earth against their bodies instead of biting tails off other pigs out of boredom and frustration smashed into a concrete pen. Yes, it'll be sad to see them go but so rewarding at the same time, knowing I worked with nature instead of against it, and to me that feels right.

While I know scooping out feed and hay to my 90 animals makes for a large grain bill; however, while at the barn where the kids are working with their 4-H dairy cows that subject came up. I was thankful that my feed bill is small compared to having to feed 80 THOUSAND POUNDS of feed every day. WOW! BIG numbers!

home again home again jiggety jig

...and these little piggies screamed all the way home.

to market

to market to buy a fat pig.........or two.

Queen and her babies

In case you needed a dose of cute!