Saying Goodbye to a Family Member

We let our Ruby-Eyed White French Angora rabbit go today. This breed takes a lot of care, combing the fiber regularly to prevent matting, and generally letting them exercise and eat healthy. I did the best I could, but with everything else on my plate, I just couldn't give Blanca the care she needed.

The lady that originally sold her to us 18 months ago took her back. She's going to clean her up, get her ready to show, and hopefully find her a great new home.

We'll miss her.

(Her fiber did make really great candle-wicking material! Will probably get a replacement down the road when things at home even out.)

Pix of Quail and Rabbit

It's windy today. Way too windy to do any planting or building outside.... so I took some pics this morning. The rest of the day was supposed to be spent publishing my Kid's haiku book, writing and soap-making! However, my left arm is so messed up that I can barely do anything. The Kid's book is a priority. Then starting Hubby's porkchop dinner in the crockpot. Then lots of pain meds.

This is Blanca, our ruby-eyed french angora bunny rabbit. She's ruby-eyed (red-eyed) because she's an albino, which means no pigment in her skin or anything else. She can't be out in the sun, and definitely prefers cold over warmth. The above shows her munching on a dandelion leaf that I picked on the way out to the barn. Unfortunately, we have a large supply of them.

Here's Blanca contemplating jumping from her cage down 3 feet to the floor. Hmmm... better not. The big person has a hand-full of hay for me!

The above is a pic of our quail: Pecka the girl is on the right, kinda crouched down, and Fella (formerlly Ella) is on the left, keeping watch over his girl. Pecka has had a rough few days, and it's kinda cool that Fella is showing his concern. I think the flax seeds I gave them yesterday helped perk her up a bit. Well, I can only hope. I'd hate to lose her.

Goat Pen Figured Out

Our back neighbors came over around 11:00 a.m. yesterday to look around our property and help me figure out where to house the goats. We have two good areas that really hadn't occurred to me:

(1) The workshop. It's a really big building (30x45) and we can easily house the goats along the side or back of the workshop inside. It's got a couple of opaque skylights, and electricity available for heat lamps and video-cams for when we kid later on. They could go in there at night, and in the morning we'd walk them outside and around to the "dog run" that's fenced in. We could put one of those big heavy pallets in their workshop-pen, stack hay around and scatter more across the pallet and dirt floor. That would make a nice warm place to milk them later, too. Very safe from predators and the elements.

(2) There's space under our back deck that the former people used to store firewood. We'd have to do some repairs because the former dogs dug holes all around it and through it. We'd also have to replace the aluminum door with something more like a barn door that would still offer protection but also sunlight when the snow is deep.

Maybe we'll fix up the workshop first, and if it works out, we'll either cut a hole in the back for a door and make a fenced area right behind.

And maybe we'll fix up the under-the-deck area for the billy goat(s) when it comes time.

Yeah, I'm thinking we'll prepare an area for the goats in the workshop. There should be room in there for the chickens too. Maybe we'll even move the rabbits and quail out there too!

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After we finished our taxes yesterday (we paid through the nose ... ouch!), we popped on next door to eat our annivesary dinner at a steak restaurant. The Kid too. After all, he was part of the wedding ceremony too. Can't believe it's been 4 years. Anyway, we got home just before dark, time to get doggy-bags refrigerated, teeth brushed, and things ready for today.

Hubby left this morning with the check for taxes to mail. Now I need to move money around. Basically, the gov gets our fence money. Oh well. Better luck next year! We'll do the fence when we can and just hope that critters don't eat up all our corn, beans, pumpkins and so on.

Meanwhile, I have a doc appointment this morning (for the migraines that have increased in frequency). Hope I can get the Kid in too because he's had a cough for a couple of months and he's also got another ingrown toenail. After the doc, we'll head on over to Home Depot where I'll pick up a few things to "fence-off" the goat pen in the workshop. Hoping that one of Hubby's friends will come by on Saturday to help us build the pen so that we can pick up the goaties on Sunday.

I just realized I never took a pic of my seedlings. Maybe I'll have a chance tomorrow. Today's schedule is kinda packed.

Have a great day, all!

Hutch, Pallets and Pine Tar

I had a migraine all day and it wasn't pretty, but sometimes, one needs to just push through adversity. We donned old clothes and carried coats to the car, taking the long drive to pick up a 6x12 u-haul trailer. Then another long drive to where the rabbit hutch was.

It didn't fit.

Unbelievable. I got the biggest u-haul I could get, and that stupid rabbit hutch still didn't fit. The guy suggested getting a flatbed and coming back later with it, so I gave him $20 to hold it, and we went one street over to the lady's house that gave us a bunch of free pallets last weekend and again yesterday. LOTS. All free. Even a medicine cabinet, a second plain cabinet and a double-sink. (Sold her house and is moving at the end of the month.) Very nice lady. Gave us a great idea for how to do the dog-house so that wind doesn't get it. She even dialed the number to a closer u-haul about renting a flatbed trailer and a truck to pull it. Was going to cost another $150 or so just to get the $50 4-compartment rabbit hutch to our place. That turns the great deal into a horrible deal. We decided it wasn't worth it; that we can wait another few months to get our angora rabbit a boyfriend.

After loading the 6x12 u-haul trailer and our car to the hilt, we went back to the rabbit hutch man. Boy he was upset. He didn't understand why we wouldn't go through the extra trouble and expense for the great deal. I can understand. I mean, we did say we'd take it so if he had any calls about it during the week, he said it was taken. Someone else could have taken it. I don't begrudge him, but we just couldn't do it. It wasn't feasible.

Came home, rested for about an hour, and unloaded the 6x12 trailer. We now have enough pallets and wood to build the goat pen and another chicken coop. Then while the Kid rode his bike down our driveway and around, Hubby and I walked our property, looking at the trees and such. The russian olive trees have nice thorns on them ... hmmm... might keep them just because of that! We have three pine trees, one of one kind and a third of a different kind. One pinecone I found had a little seed in it (have no idea what kind) and lots of sticky tar on it. Took a lot of effort and hot water with soap to get it off.

Wonder ... can we use that pine tar to make glue? Or distill into essential oil? Gonna give it some thought.

The quail gave up another egg today ... that's 6 eggs in 10 days. Gave the bunny a quarter of an apple, some more hay, and came inside to fix me something to eat. Early to bed. We were all exhausted, and I hadn't really slept well the night before. Migraine and all.

Today we return the u-haul and get our taxes done. Probably hit the store because the Kid can't find his mouse pad and I need steering fluid in my very old car that leaks everything from everywhere. (We need to find me a pick-up truck in the next month or so). After we get home, we might move some boxes around.

Have a great day, all!

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.

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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.

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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.

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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?

Grow to Feed Rabbits, and another Blizzard

As you know, we have one Ruby-Eyed White French Angora rabbit, who we plan to mate and breed for more rabbits. Wonderful fiber to spin, and also makes decent-enough wicks for candles (more on how to do that probably next Fall). Here's our plan for growing enough in our garden (being self-reliant/self-sufficient) to feed our rabbits:

For now... we keep the pellet dispenser full of ManaPro Grow, and keep a good suppy of fresh hay in the back of her cage. When we get a hay-rack, that will be kept full.

Morning:
3 baby carrots
Hay

Evening:
Hay
1 or 2 of the “treats” below (3 months old and above)

Treats (Alternate – 1 serving of seeds per week):
-dandelion leaves
-parsley
-turnip greens
-clover
-grass
-carrot tops
-blackberry leaves
-broccoli
-lettuce
-spinach (1-2x/wk)
-green bell pepper
-carrots
-1 tsp flax seeds
-1 Tbl wheat berries
-1 Tbl sunflower seeds
-apple
-banana, banana peel
-2 Tbl rolled oats

WATER: Clean and refresh with clean water daily.

Our bunny, Blanca, loves her pellets, but quickly ignores them for a chance at "real" food. We keep her pellet dispenser full, as she's good as self-regulating. If we get a bunny that eats and eats without self-regulation, or paying attention to hay, then we'll feed pellets only once a day.

When we eliminate pellets, replace with 2-4 cups of “treats” per day, with all the hay they can eat, starting at 12 weeks of age.

We plan to still feed them 2 papaya tablets 2-3 times a week to help prevent wool-block. Keeping the rabbit cage clean, keeping the rabbit clean, and giving plenty of healthy hay will also keep down the wool-block.

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Another blizzard hit us yesterday. Expected for several days, this started with humongous wind gusts followed by rain that was quickly followed by freezing sleet. After an hour or two it became snow. Within 15 minutes the ground was covered.

When we got up this morning (early so Hubby could make the hour drive in about 2 hours), we had snow drifts of 2-3 feet but for the most part, snow measures about 6 inches here. Expecting another couple of inches today but for the most part, snow stopped.

The Kid and I and the critters (quail and rabbit) are safe and snug in our home. If the electricity goes out (this is a heavy wet snow), then we'll light candles, open all the blinds, and figure out how to light a fire. We have plenty of food and drink, toilet paper, and things to do. My goal for today is to unpack more for the bedroom, bathrooms and kitchen. Oh, and work more on planning our 2 acres with permaculture and hopefully the county extension office will call me back today.

Just hope Hubby makes it to work safely. He usually calls when he gets there. Hope he remembers today.

Dinner tonight: crockpot with extra-wet rice, lentils, chopped mushrooms, diced onions, garlic, and chili powder. Maybe tomato sauce too. Kinda like a non-meat taco meat. Will serve with tortillas. I'll add cheese and sour cream to mine. Spinach and zucchini on the side.

Have a great day, all. Stay warm.

One Day to Closing!

We actually got some sleep last night so we're feeling better today. More positive outlook. And with the closing for our house tomorrow, the excitement is so ... indescribable. By Sunday at noon we'll be in front of our new home with a trailer of stuff and a car full of cleaning supplies, ready to unload and start preparing for our lives there. Monday we'll take another load to take care of while we meet the radon mitigator (since we can't live there until that's done). Then other the course of the next week and a half, we'll take what we can, little by little, until we finally rent a big truck and workers to get the big stuff, like the chest freezer, appliances, furniture and beds.

I dream about types of fencing, and chicken eggs. Of designing a chicken coop that maybe our little goats can share. Of planting the millet, or where is the best place for the lentils, or how many of each tomato will we grow.

Love this.

= = = =

We're looking at the McMurray Hatchery for info about chickens, quail, and more birds. While there, found rabbit hutches! Perfect since our Angora rabbit needs a mate!

We had already ordered Auracana chicks and Coturnix quail chicks from a feed store near our new home but now that I've seen Black Astralorps ... changed our order to 5 black astralorps and 5 auracanas (coming in the week of April 26) and keeping the 10 coturniz quail (coming in the week of June 8).

Anybody have any experience with any of these?

We got the house!

Remember the 2 acre house we loved on sight and put an offer on? The short sale (because the sellers/owners haven't been paying their mortgage payment)?

Late yesterday I got a call from our agent, saying we got the house. Yippee! Problem, tho. Argh! The bank's acceptance fax was dated Jan 20 and was received by the seller's agent the same day. That date was supposed to "start the clock" for all of our deadline dates, like the inspection, request for documents, etc. Unfortunately, the seller's agent SAT on that fax until late yesterday, the 25th. WHY!?!? We're ticked and clueless. Because that jerk sat on the fax, we have already missed several deadline dates.

Part of the acceptance letter included several requirements, including that the seller's bank requires the closing to be on or before February 26. We had a closing date of Feb 19. Wonder what it will actually be?

= = = =

... I had more to write about that but was interrupted from typing when I got an e-mail from our agent. It appears that the sellers don't want to leave until the end of March. Huh? We need clarification... do they want to wait until March to close, even tho that's against the bank's wishes and they haven't paid a mortgage payment in quite a while, or do they want to close on Feb 26 and live there free until the end of March? Under our dime, while we pay apt rent and mortgage, two utilities, an extra month of storage units and etc? Either way, no way. Agent is contacting them to get this clarified and to let them know in no uncertain terms that we will close before Feb 26. And we want it in writing.

If they had asked for additional time before they accepted the contract and IF their bank had agreed to it, we might have agreed to another week or two. But now, Hubby and I are concerned that they'll destroy the house if they are allowed to stay even one minute past closing. We've decided that we'll do our walk-through inspection on our way to closing, get the keys, and immediately go to the property and squat while Hubby changes all the locks.

Paranoia doesn't fit me but sometimes, it pays to be diligent.

= = = = =

I've been up since 5:30 and haven't eaten yet. My nauseous tummy is growling so I need to feed it before I get another call to deal with. Plus trying to get the Kid to understand math. Cooking. Critter care (one of our two remaining quail is laying 1 egg every other day and our angora bunny has torn out a lot of her fiber!). Arranging whatever is needed to get this deal done. And not sleeping at night. Plus... craving a good ole Fuddrucker's cheeseburger.

I started writing this e-mail an hour or two ago. It's now 10:46 a.m. Yep, time to eat. I'll write more when I know more.

Recipe: Basil Pork Chops

I don't like pork chops. I had a bad experience with some in the early 80's and haven't eaten them since. But they were on sale this week at King Soopers, and Hubby likes them, so I did this recipe for him, in the crockpot as usual. HE said it tasted pretty good.

Ingredients:
4 pork chops
1 cup water
1 tablespoon whole cloves
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons minced dried basil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bell/sweet pepper, sliced into strips

Directions:
Spray or oil the bottom of the crockpot. Sprinkle the cloves on the bottom of the crockpot. Place the porkchops and onion in the crockpot. Add water. Mix basil and olive oil to a paste and spread across the top of the chops. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Add pepper about an hour before serving. (At this time I also added about a large handful of whole mushrooms because Hubby loves mushrooms.)

The porkchops came off the bone so be careful when serving. I'm sure this could be modified to pan frying or baking.

I modified a holiday ham recipe from a scandanavian cookbook.

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I also made baked potatoes last night, and a pot-roast (I sure do love my double-crockpot!). The Kid ate a baked potato with lots of sour cream, carrots, pumpkin seeds, and GF butter-bread. I'm makig taco meat tonight to serve with corn tortillas (for Hubby and me) and for the Kid, who can't have corn and doesn't like beef, he'll get baked beans with an organic hot dog cut up in them. For tomorrow's breakfast, I'll place some GF oats and amaranth in a crockpot with water, which will cook overnight. Yum!

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We've named our quail: Ella is the one with the bad eye (which is getting better) because she loves to sing (after Ella Fitzgerald - named by Hubby). Pecka is the other female, named by the Kid because she likes to peck at the blue plastic of their cage. I named who we think is the boy ... Nervous Ned, because he likes to pace. He spent most of yesterday trying to fly up to the perchs/poles towards the top of the cage, and by late afternoon and about 40 tries, he's succeeded twice. Odd quail.

No eggs last night or this morning. Could be because we moved the cages from the living room to the garage. They are right across from the Angora Rabbit so they can keep each other company. Also, so we don't track hay and birdseed into the apartment. Quail don't like to be moved much so they must be settling down. Blanca, the bunny, was a bit wary about her noisy neighbors but this morning seemed to be better about it.

= = = =

We bought an imitation Wii for Christmas... 2 actually, called "Wireless Sport Plus" and "Wireless Fit". Finally got them hooked up yesterday, and had some fun last night. Hubby and the Kid played horseshoes, and then while the Kid got ready for bed, Hubby and I played bean-bag toss. It was great fun, but we really shouldn't play them so late at night. Took forever to get the Kid calmed down to get to bed. Wonder if he slept last night? He just got up so I'll ask him when he's coherent. (He says "good".)

Hopefully, we can use these "games" during the day to help the Kid get rid of some of his extra energy, and help Hubby and I get healthy.

I've been sticking with being gluten-free, although I crave pizza and burgers pretty often. Found a great GF sub for wheat pizza crusts, but not thrilled with the GF burger buns. Still working on it. Meanwhile, I've considerably cut back on cow's milk products. Still love my swiss, provolone and mozzarella cheese tho! My weight loss seems to have stopped; probably because I'm sucking on cough drops all day. My mouth still hurts from my oral surgery last week; wonder of my cough-drop sucking is contributing to that?

Guess that's it for now. Enjoy the pork chops! Vikki

Pix of Kid and Bunny

Finally downloaded some pictures from my camera, so this posting is just a catch-up!

This first and second pictures were taken on October 31, Halloween! It was the first time my Kid had been sledding. Ever, if I'm remembering correctly. This is the hill outside of our tiny temporary apartment, and he borrowed the sled from the other kids out there sledding.

We have since bought our own sleds, but haven't had a chance to use them. I had a really bad accident sledding when I was 6 and refuse to ever get on one again. So I'm not the one to go out with the Kid if he wants company. I'm hoping there will be a good sledding hill at our new house. Would be great. Can just imagine the Kid sledding down a hill with a dog racing alongside. Ah. Bliss.

This third pic was taken on his 13th birthday (first week in Nov)... the Kid, me and Hubby went to Amazing Jakes. No, Smiley's Fun Center. Argh... I'd forgotten to take pictures while we were inside. It was our 3rd year in a row going here for his birthday, and every year, it was under new management. This year was the worst.... bad food, almost nothing for my gluten-free kid to eat. Higher prices. Most of the rides and games were closed for repairs. We did manage to play miniature golf, and had a great time! Have already told him that we're not doing this next year ... too long of a drive, not worth the money, and, well, he's kinda outgrowing this kind of thing anyway. We'll find something else to do. Maybe we'll meet some like-minded families with similar-aged kids in our new neighborhood. (Note that Hubby is sitting in the car.)

And here's a picture of Blanca Bunny. She's our Ruby-Eyed French Angora Rabbit, born June 14 (or 16th?). She'll be ready to be mated by the time we settle into our new house. Notice the orange patch on her chest - she'd just eaten some carrots and oftentimes, she gets it all over her. Usually gone by next feeding because she's fastidious about cleaning herself, as with most rabbits. And yes, there are baby play rings in the background, which she loves to play with.

She sits so pretty, doesn't she? We've moved her from the living room to the garage since this pic was taken, and it's quite a bit colder there. She's just fine, although we have a heater come on when the temp dips into the 40's. The move has also mellowed her out. Quite a happy little bunny now.

Seed Catalogs and Purchases

I'm such a hopeful person. I really truly believe we'll have our property (whether the one we've offered on and are waiting for a response about) or another one, by Spring. No matter, we'll be at a place where we have room for 6 (or 7, or 8) "pasture" areas, an herb garden, vegetable raised beds, strawberry tower, and fruit/nut trees and brambles.

We couldn't have much of a garden last year because our house was on the market. The year before that, however, we went nutso. We'd never really gardened, and I got all kinds of seeds. I had no clue what I was doing, but I read everything I could get my hands on. I got my seedlings mixed up, and some plants crossbred, but I comfortably fed my family on what we grew for quite a few months. We still have some tomatoes and soybeans in our freezer from that Summer (2008).

So... yes, I've already bought SOME of my seeds. (Hanging head in mock shame.) I love pouring through seed catalogs and deciding what will best meet our needs. I'm a picky eater, as is the Kid, and we don't care for cooked vegetables, so nearly everything we grow is either eaten fresh-just-picked, dehydrated to be "hidden" later, or stored for winter eating. Back to the seeds... last time I waited too long, and some of the herbs and the corn I chose were out of stock. So I'm already pretty much done for this year. I still need to find seed for quinoa and oats, and for the pasture/green manure with timothy hay and alfalfa.

I have too many seeds to actually type the list here. Suffice it to say that I have seeds to grow: tomatoes, carrots, onions, greens, beans, radish, peppers (bell and hot), squash (winter, summer and pumpkins), loofa and other gourds, cucumbers, melons and lots of herbs. And others! I have the corn I want (black aztec which is good both for sweet, and once it's dried, cornmeal and feedstock). I have rutabagas and turnips, which I hate but are good for feeding goaties. I have lots of different winter squash (I'll grow all kinds this year to see which 3 (one from each family) we will grow heirloom the next year. Also included are lots of those little pumpkins, which are also good for goaties.

Waiting. I hate it. I'm waiting to see if we get our 2.05 acres with the huge house. I'm waiting to order the fruit and nut trees and brambles, and the grape vines, blueberry bushes, strawberries, etc. Waiting to find supplier of the pasture seed. Waiting to build the mini-barn and chicken coop/tractor. Waiting to contact the Nigerian Dwarf goat breeder I found near here. Waiting to order the baby Americana chicks (they lay the blue and green eggs). Waiting build an additional hutch and to find a mate for our Ruby-Eyed French Angora Rabbit. Waiting to build the aviary for the 50-quail that we still need to order. Waiting to go to the humane society to find a tiny yippy dog and big guard dog. Waiting to rototill the "pasture" land then fence it off into 6 sections (for rotating which I'll discuss in another post).

I hate waiting.

Saturday, the Slow Day

We had such a busy day yesterday, that today seems extremely slow in comparison. The offer was made for the land yesterday. Picked up ceramics we painted as a few Christmas presents. Grabbed a few items for mom-in-law's b-day basket. Dropped off books at the library. So much.

Today, well, I've been sick twice so I'm not getting much done. Hubby's finally getting around to cleaning the bunny's cage; she appears to be molting so we'll give her a good comb and pull tomorrow. Hope her skin isn't drying out from the heating-fan.

Just printed off the Hubby's list of family's addresses so he can finally address his holiday cards; mine went out weeks ago. Do have to send my Dad's b-day gift overnight as his b-day is Christmas Eve. He called yesterday to let me know the Kid's gifts are on their way, and asked for us to Skype with him on his b-day. No prob! Now... where is the box with my makeup and earrings?!?!

I forgot to call the doctor yesterday. I still have my bronchitis cough, which doesn't seem to be abating at all. Every evening, I have such a coughing jag that I'm exhausted afterwards and pretty much drop off to sleep whether I'm ready or not.

Tis the holiday season and I was really hoping to do some baking and cooking this week and next. Hope I get the energy soon. Would love to post some new recipes!

Have a great day, all.

Offer placed for land

Here's the big news. We got a call from our agent, saying that all offers for the piece of property we're interested in must be made by yesterday at noon. So we scrambled, arranged our schedules, and discussed numbers. We don't have much cash, but pay our bills on time every month with a tad bit more to spare. So we based our offer on what we can reasonably afford in a monthly mortgage payment. The agent and our mortgage broker weren't happy with us for making an offer about 8K less than the asking price, but our opinion is... we can only try! If the bank doesn't like it (short sale), and rejects our offer for someone else's (there were 2 other offers, at least, being submitted at the same time), then we'll keep looking.

So after our vision appointments (Hubby and I both need new glasses, my cornea degeneration is getting worse, and the Kid is perfect!), and Hubby's and Kid's dental appointments (aw man, don't get me started!), we headed to the agent's office yesterday to sign documents and get the offer in on time.

HOWEVER... by 3 p.m., we got an e-mail (yes, not even a phone call!) that we didn't get the house. Bummer. We'll keep looking.

= = = = =

Meanwhile, we painted ceramics today. Most gifts this holiday season are just gift cards because, frankly, I'm too cheap for large amounts of postage! However, 3 gifts this year will be ceramics that we painted. Hubby and I also painted mugs for ourselves, and the Kid painted a license plate for himself.

Next week I test the Kid for his 7th grade studies. Fun fun... sure wish I could find the box I put those test booklets in! Then he gets a couple of weeks off, then starts 8th grade the first week in January. We school year round, except for little breaks here and there, so he'll wrap up 8th grade the end of 2010. Hope he actually understand math by then; everything else is up to snuf, grade and age level.

Weather has been below freezing since last Saturday. Today finally got ever so slightly more than freezer - yippee!! Here's what's on our bed: 1 sheet, 3 comforters, 1 blanket, 1 afghan, 1 quilt folded into 2 layers, and another blanket. That's 9 layers! Finally, I was warm last night!

The bunny has finally settled down in the garage. We have a fan blowing warm air on her, and we've caught her putting her little white butt towards the fan. Unfortunately, now I'm finding her angora white fiber on the other side of the room, blown by the fan into the potatoes! I covered them with a towel! At least she's happy now. And she's not nearly as mean as she has been. We keep the radio set on classical music for her, and have a light on a timer so she's not in the dark 24/7. I think she's pretty happy there. And we visit several times a day, bringing carrots twice a day, and salad with the evening carrots.

I guess that's in for now. Ah, the saga of my life!

What Animals Should We Get?

One of the reasons we're looking for a homestead (mini-farm) of at least an acre is for animals. On that acre, we plan to have chickens, maybe a turkey or two, quail, angora rabbits, and 4-8 mid-sized animals: goats, sheep, pigs, alpaca.

We know about our "small" critters:
-chickens (feathers, pest-killers, meat, eggs, fertilizer)
-quail (same, but smaller, and indoors)
-turkey (same)
-angora rabbits (fiber, fertilizer)

Here's our thinking about the mid-sized animals (goats, sheep, pigs, alpaca)... We want:

• fiber to spin
• milk that my lactose-intolerant Hubby can tolerate
• meat
• since we're newbies, the animal(s) should be easy to care for (especially since **I** will probably be the one doing all the work (sometimes it's just easier than nagging)
• we plan to grow our own feed so we won't spend a lot of money at the feed store!

GOATS: Neither Hubby or I have eaten goat meat, but we could get a Nigerian Dwarf (high butterfat and protein) because we all (including Kid) love goat milk, goat milk cheese, goat yogurt, goat ice cream, and an angora goat would provide beautiful fiber. I'd need to learn how to shear. Oh, and how to milk. But I've read how to feed goats what a homesteader can grow, especially that if you give a goat a pumpkin, she'll be quite content!

SHEEP: Hubby loves to eat lamb, and we both enjoy the sheep milk cheese. We haven't tasted plain sheep milk or sheep milk yogurt. They have wonderful fiber, but again, I'd need to learn how to shear and to milk. And if we raise sheep for milk, fiber AND meat, someone (eh hem, Hubby) will need to learn how to slaughter! I hear they need salt-licks... won't the deer (this area is full of wild roaming deer) think it's out for them?

PIGS: We are a family of bacon and ham lovers. If we can raise a litter of pigs a year, and slaughter one or two to smoke, sell the rest, we'll be fine. However, we know nothing about what to feed them or what a "pigsty" should look like! Yes, I know they don't give us milk, but sure are good eating! Are they "good for" anything else?

ALPACA: These could be used as pack animals, and they have wonderful fiber, but can we drink their milk or make cheese with it? What do they eat? Are they good for anything other than fiber, pack animals and friendship? Yes, I heard people eat them too, but I really don't think I could do that.

COW: Depending on the size of the property, we could have 1 or 2 cows, a mini-cow preferred. While Hubby could have cow's milk yogurt (and ice cream from that yogurt), he couldn't have cow's milk cheese or, of course, drink the cow's milk. The Kid and I could tho, and the Kid really loves mozzarella and cheddar and colby jack. But Hubby and I ... we sure do love our beef! I'd MAKE my Hubby learn butchering for that! No antibiotics or hormones in the ground beef. Hmm.... I've seen info about mini hereford or mini holsteins - are these as small as a goat?

Anyway... We obviously already have plans for the chickens, turkey, quail and rabbits so those aren't a problem. We just need to help in determining the best "mid-sized" animals for us. I've placed a lot of books on hold at the library about raising these particular farm animals, so hopefully, I can pick them up today or tomorrow and start figuring out the best for us. Meanwhile, your opinion would be greatly appreciated.

NOTE: There are a lot of deer in the area we're looking at. No, we won't be hunting them (well, unless it's hunting season and it's allowed!) but we will need a way to keep the deer off the property so they don't eat my garden, and the corn I plan to grow for us and our critters. And the greens. Berries. Pumpkins. Etc. We'll be getting a dog first thing (that's another posting!) but as far as plants or other ways to keep deer off our land... any advice? On any of this post?

My Mean Angora Bunny

Those of you who are joining this blog from one of my others know that we have a French Angora rabbit, a doe. She's about 5 months old, beautiful red eyes (she's an albino), 4 very sharp front teeth, and has a temper worse than a half-starved panther!

All of a sudden she's decided that (1) she doesn't want to come out of her cage so we can comb her (2) there MUST be an escape route if only she can scratch at the metal/tin cage often enough (3) the same hand that reaches into the cage to give her a carrot and some greens and hay MUST also want to take it right back out and therefore, must charge at the hand and bite it!

She's beautiful and healthy, but boy... what an attitude! Are we truly sure we want to raise a whole herd of these bunnies? Maybe an angora goat would be easier!

Hmmm. Something to think about!

Black Friday? Yeah, Right!

Yesterday was Thanksgiving Day here in the USA. Which means today is "Black Friday" - the day that many people do their Christmas shopping because retailers have supposedly fantastic deals to entice those buyers. I didn't leave the house today. I didn't run to the grocery store, or stop by the dollar store for another turkey baster (Kid has "misplaced" part of the one I've had forever).

I stayed home, read, made stuffing, ate leftover pecan pie, and tried not to nag Hubby to change the rabbit's cage. It was almost a week, and trust me, the ammonia smell is overpowering.

Why don't I do it?

Because I do just about everything else... I shouldn't have to change the bunny's poop-tray too!

So... I guess, in a way, it was black friday for me ... the black cloud hanging over the sweet little french angora rabbit's cage could kill anyone's digestion system or smelling abilities. I've nearly thrown up 7 times in the last 15 minutes, and that's "nearly" because I hate throwing up.

I know. TMI.

Good night. Sleep well.

Vikki