I found a number in the community's mail room for a local handy-person and called him. He (Jeff) came over at 8 a.m. this morning to give a quote for putting up the goat pen and making an exercise area. He left and the family headed to Home Depot for supplies. We instead found and bought a kit for a 6x19 dog run. We bought two... one for inside and one for outside.
On the way home went to another town to a rancher store, where we bought goat feeders and water buckets, along with goat minerals, leashes and collars. (All for the goaties.) Leaving there we found a guy in the Wal-Mart parking lot selling second-cutting hay from his semi, so we bought 6 bales for $6 each, mixed (alfalfa plus other grasses).
Home, grabbed a quick bite and Jeff came over to help. He and Hubby were about halfway through making the first one (the interior goat pen) when Hubby's friend M from high school arrived, with his wife. First time I'd met either. We enjoyed the afternoon as the guys put together the pens and we got rained on. By the time Jeff left, the interior goat pen was inside the workshop/barn and ready for it's inhabitants, and the exterior one was sturdily tied down just on the other side of the workshop/barn. Ready for us to walk the goaties there for the daytime exercise and fun.
Hope we can pick them up tomorrow.
Jeff left, and M and wife came in to enjoy some hot tea and fun. The Kid got out his little guitar and electronic keyboard and M jammed it away! Great fun. We even built our first fire in the fireplace. Talked about books and music and high school and dinosaurs and so much more. I'm thinking we hit it off. I hope so, at least.
We drove into town, with them following, and had a pleasant dinner at Village Inn. Then home to take something for my headache and nausea.
It was a good day. All things considered!
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Grow for Hay, Movie Review Blog and Christina Cooks
We're in the process of placing a special order for seed that we can plant in a couple of small "pastures" - just 8 x 20 plots. Maybe bigger. We haven't worked it all out yet. Will order next week from a local farm supply store.
We'll seed these in early Spring (in just a few weeks) and grow until mid-summer. A scythe or who knows what will help us cut it down, then we'll dry and put away for winter where it won't mold or get eaten before it's time. Then we'll grow it out again and let the goaties munch it all towards mid/late Fall.
They won't be allowed to eat it to the ground, tho. Most of what we'll plant is perennial, so it will grow up one more time and hopefully go to seed. That will mean more for the next year.
RABBIT: Pasture seed for Hay
(cut for Bunnies then browse ONCE for goats then allow to seed for next year. Do not rotate as some of these are perennials):
60% alfalfa
20% timothy or teff
10% orchardgrass
10% red clover
GOAT: Pasture seed for Hay
(cut for Goats , allow to regrow, goats to browse, then allow to grow and re-seed. Do not rotate as some of these are perennials):
30% orchardgrass
30% bluegrass
20% alfalfa
10% red clover
5% yarrow
5% amaranth
Assuming we let these go to seed each year, we will only need to buy seed just this first year (2010). While we usually advocate rotating crops, the best way to eliminate the need to buy seed for "hay" is to let it re-seed. These two "hay" crops are the only "fields" we plan on NOT rotating.
Again, it's our plan to be self-reliant. That means not needing to buy seed every year.
We are not under the illusion that our small plots will provide enough hay for our critters for an entire Winter and most of Spring, but it will help.
= = = =
Starting seeds tomorrow... lots of tomatoes, a couple of bell peppers, some cabbage and broccoli. Came across a neat way to do it.... at the end of last season, I had bought a lot of those peat pellets. The ones you add warm water to and they expand. I've prepared quart-sized baggies with how many seeds and of what (5 purple russian tomato, 4 broccoli, etc.). Rehydrate the peat pellets, and sow seeds. Place in baggies. Zip up tight and place in warm area (but not in sun). Check on regularly and add water as needed. When sprouts appear, open bag and place in sunny window, watering more often.
For the $2 Garden Challenge:
I haven't learned how to make newspaper "pots" yet but will use the Kid's empty yogurt containers and some dirt from the yard. I'll place a couple of the rabbits poo-pellets in the bottom before adding the dirt (they don't need to compost first). I think I'll put the yogurt cups in baggies as well, to help keep the "soil" moist to help the germination. These yogurt pots are what I'll use to start the seeds for the $2 Garden. Might not get to these seeds tomorrow, as we're kinda still buried in snow here. Might be next week.
I'll try to remember to take pictures or video of the Kid and I starting seeds tomorrow.
= = = =
One more comment added at 6:40 a.m.: I was just watching "Christina Cooks" on PBS. I like watching her cooking show because she does things a little more healthy than other cooking shows. Two things bug me about it: (1) Way too much salt, justified by saying it adds depth of flavor, especially added after each new ingredient. I have high blood pressure, and very rarely use any salt. It's not just her show... I can't think of any cooking show that doesn't add a liberal amount of salt to most every dish. (2) What is the deal with that Jon Michaels guy singing during each episode? It doesn't have anything to do with cooking, and yes, it passes the time when she's doing something mundane but still... I usually turn the channel when he starts, and also usually forget to go back to the show.
= = = =
Now... my Kid wants to start a blog of his own, doing reviews of movies. It's his passion, not that we let him watch a lot of movies. He has lots of movie/video guides, and has practically memorized the books. An absolute fanatic about the rating system. He wants to write about movies, what they are rated, his thoughts about them and such. (I've told him he has to be careful to not copy the reviews in the movie guide books.) He also wants to write about movies he HASN'T seen, perhaps inviting his readers to give their own reviews.
The Kid wants to call his blog "Mark Twain Cinema", but that name is already taken by an actual cinema. Why Mark Twain? Because he's was my grandmother's uncle (she was a Clemens), and we're quite proud of being related.
I plan to give the Kid writing and creativity grades on his blog, to meet school curriculum requirements. He's excited about this but we're stumped on the name. Something catchy, that hopefully includes "Mark Twain". A little help, please?
We'll seed these in early Spring (in just a few weeks) and grow until mid-summer. A scythe or who knows what will help us cut it down, then we'll dry and put away for winter where it won't mold or get eaten before it's time. Then we'll grow it out again and let the goaties munch it all towards mid/late Fall.
They won't be allowed to eat it to the ground, tho. Most of what we'll plant is perennial, so it will grow up one more time and hopefully go to seed. That will mean more for the next year.
RABBIT: Pasture seed for Hay
(cut for Bunnies then browse ONCE for goats then allow to seed for next year. Do not rotate as some of these are perennials):
60% alfalfa
20% timothy or teff
10% orchardgrass
10% red clover
GOAT: Pasture seed for Hay
(cut for Goats , allow to regrow, goats to browse, then allow to grow and re-seed. Do not rotate as some of these are perennials):
30% orchardgrass
30% bluegrass
20% alfalfa
10% red clover
5% yarrow
5% amaranth
Assuming we let these go to seed each year, we will only need to buy seed just this first year (2010). While we usually advocate rotating crops, the best way to eliminate the need to buy seed for "hay" is to let it re-seed. These two "hay" crops are the only "fields" we plan on NOT rotating.
Again, it's our plan to be self-reliant. That means not needing to buy seed every year.
We are not under the illusion that our small plots will provide enough hay for our critters for an entire Winter and most of Spring, but it will help.
= = = =
Starting seeds tomorrow... lots of tomatoes, a couple of bell peppers, some cabbage and broccoli. Came across a neat way to do it.... at the end of last season, I had bought a lot of those peat pellets. The ones you add warm water to and they expand. I've prepared quart-sized baggies with how many seeds and of what (5 purple russian tomato, 4 broccoli, etc.). Rehydrate the peat pellets, and sow seeds. Place in baggies. Zip up tight and place in warm area (but not in sun). Check on regularly and add water as needed. When sprouts appear, open bag and place in sunny window, watering more often.
For the $2 Garden Challenge:
I haven't learned how to make newspaper "pots" yet but will use the Kid's empty yogurt containers and some dirt from the yard. I'll place a couple of the rabbits poo-pellets in the bottom before adding the dirt (they don't need to compost first). I think I'll put the yogurt cups in baggies as well, to help keep the "soil" moist to help the germination. These yogurt pots are what I'll use to start the seeds for the $2 Garden. Might not get to these seeds tomorrow, as we're kinda still buried in snow here. Might be next week.
I'll try to remember to take pictures or video of the Kid and I starting seeds tomorrow.
= = = =
One more comment added at 6:40 a.m.: I was just watching "Christina Cooks" on PBS. I like watching her cooking show because she does things a little more healthy than other cooking shows. Two things bug me about it: (1) Way too much salt, justified by saying it adds depth of flavor, especially added after each new ingredient. I have high blood pressure, and very rarely use any salt. It's not just her show... I can't think of any cooking show that doesn't add a liberal amount of salt to most every dish. (2) What is the deal with that Jon Michaels guy singing during each episode? It doesn't have anything to do with cooking, and yes, it passes the time when she's doing something mundane but still... I usually turn the channel when he starts, and also usually forget to go back to the show.
= = = =
Now... my Kid wants to start a blog of his own, doing reviews of movies. It's his passion, not that we let him watch a lot of movies. He has lots of movie/video guides, and has practically memorized the books. An absolute fanatic about the rating system. He wants to write about movies, what they are rated, his thoughts about them and such. (I've told him he has to be careful to not copy the reviews in the movie guide books.) He also wants to write about movies he HASN'T seen, perhaps inviting his readers to give their own reviews.
The Kid wants to call his blog "Mark Twain Cinema", but that name is already taken by an actual cinema. Why Mark Twain? Because he's was my grandmother's uncle (she was a Clemens), and we're quite proud of being related.
I plan to give the Kid writing and creativity grades on his blog, to meet school curriculum requirements. He's excited about this but we're stumped on the name. Something catchy, that hopefully includes "Mark Twain". A little help, please?
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