My wayward son has returned...

Well, 2 beings have returned today :)

Mr Farmer is home from being gone for what feels like FOREVER for work! AND....look who popped up this afternoon outta no where!

Yes, hiding under the dirty old rabbit table/stand is the freaking potbelly pig! He walked off about a week or 2 ago (not that I was complaining) and VOILA! Like magic he popped back up outta nowhere today while I was out there working on stuff!

He must have smelled the "BBQ' - I'm not actually grilling, but I threw a TON of nasty stuff on the burn pile when I lit it last night....I'm sure to the pigs nose all he smelled was food cooking and not the funky fridge stuff that needed to be thrown out and set on fire....

I swear, if we get ONE morning that is around 70 degrees at like 6 am...he might just be sausage before it's all said and done this summer...otherwise his day waits until winter...

Culling again....

It's getting close to fall, close to when most other people will be breeding their goats for the first time this year, and not just myself, but many other breeders will be culling the herd. When it gets close to "breeding season" you start noticing all the flaws in your goats more so, mostly because you are looking to see what buck will compliment what doe and so on.

Well, I have decided I have one runty one that has to go - she's well built structurally, just tiny and a hard keeper to boot. I don't want anymore hard keepers that's number one. The fact that she just refuses to grow is number 2. I don't know what it is, maybe she is anorexic, but dammit, she just WILL NOT eat! She never wanted to finish a bottle as a baby, she never shows much interest in ANY food - just hangs out with the others, playing and goofing off while they chow down!

So, TC has been benched if you will....

She isn't gone yet - oh no - I have someone ALLEGEDLY placing a deposit on her and wanting to come in 2 weeks to get her....we will see. I never really believe it until I see it with stuff like that. But she is on her way out at least.

Also...I have 3 milkers that are good milkers, pretty decent BUT:  One has bad feet, the other has small teats, and the last one is just a rotten turd. IF they are not bred and come back open when I send off for bloodwork and pregnancy tests in another week or 2, then THEY are out too! I REALLY wanted to retain kids from them, as I know structurally and personality wise I get improvements in their kids with my bucks...BUT...the plan is all 3 MUST go eventually. If they come back open and not bred, then that means I must wait another 5 - 6 months before they kid...right now we are about 3 1/2 months out from kidding.  I can do 3 1/2 months...I dunno if I can do twice that much time. SO....we will see with them.

Needless to say, the "market" will have some decent goats on it soon - not super top of the line awesome, but not totally bad or sickly either...just kind of a pain in my butt and not right for me....

Cicada Killers? Killer Hornets?

Oh yes, I THINK that is what we have here! Now ...I'm no entomologist, but here's the deal....

Two summers ago, when we moved in, we killed ONE giant hornet looking thing in the house with wasp spray. ONE, that's it and I never saw any more ever again. The end right? WRONG!

Last summer, I never saw any of these things - I really was thinking that one big, HUGE dead bug (who was still in my window at that point) was a freak one time occurrence, I should have taken a picture of it there. Because it was not a one time thing and now I can't get a picture of a live one!

This summer, a few weeks ago, I noticed I had one circling the house every day at about noon. It would buzz on by, then disappear. I was a tad bit freaked out - this thing was HUGE! Like a killer bee the size of a hummingbird huge! BUT...I was willing to let it go since it seemed to circle and leave - I was on their flight path I figured, but in no danger right? WRONG!

Look at these things:  This article describes them and has some pictures....nasty things!  The other article I found adds a few more details that I think to be true - we have one that has started slamming into the windows of the house...I'm pretty sure he knows it's a window now and is trying to get to me and kill me not cicadas!

I had 1 attack me, dive bombing me, a few weeks ago, I saw one attack a goat last weekend...these things mean BUSINESS! The good news is, they live in the ground...I'm hoping the recent rain ha drowned a few of them at least, I'm tired of sharing my home with killer bugs!

My date with Murray...

Actually, it kinda sounds like a man, but it's just the mower :)

I like mowing - I really do. Except lately I have been getting attacked while I am on the damn thing! Apparently, the bugs here do NOT like the fact that I mow! I mean, look at the "lawn" - ankle deep in grasshoppers, wasps, and GIANT hornet things!

A little over 2 weeks ago now, I was dive bombed by a GIANT stinging thing! I almost ran into the damn house with the mower, while my husband watched no less! Honestly, I don't think he was paying any attention...but still. I was swinging at it with a towel, no hands on the wheel, not even thinking to break, and almost ran into the house!

So....2 weeks go by and it looks like this again:

Not good, not good at all! ANYTHING could be hiding out there! So back out I go, for my date with Murray...only this time I KNOW to watch for the giant hornet stinging things (which I have potentially identified and are another post yet to come).

I head on out, and when I near the same spot as the last attack I see them, TWO of them, waiting on me! I swerve around them, avoid them, and safely manage to finish the job! I actually waited until it was almost dark last Saturday to finish!

And the freaking GRASHOPPERS! THOSE damn things! I SWEAR, they all run towards the stuff I haven't mowed yet, slowly growing in numbers as I circle round closer, closer, and ever closer still to the middle then BAM! THEY HIT YOU! Actually, they hit ME! They ALL come flying out, jumping at me ambush style when I get to that last few patches that need to be mowed! I HATE the jumping bugs almost as much as I loathe the stinging bugs! Seriously, I could do without them....

Then, there's the small, innocent, STUPID frogs! I have no idea how many frogs I have killed, but it's not my fault I swear it! They just jump out in front of me as I mow! Frogs and field mice....I've killed a few these last couple months and I wasn't even trying - it was accidental frog slaughter I promise!

The sad part is, both times I have mowed lately and wanted to get "after pics" it has rained :( So, before I could even enjoy my manicured lawn for a few days it has already sprouted back up! Looks like this time, I may need to get out there again in one week and not my usual 2 weeks :(

Really, I think that is my most favorite part - how it looks when it's all done. Nice, even (mostly, I miss stuff), bright green and pretty....sure, riding the actual lawn mower is entertaining as well....it beats the heck outta pushing one that's for sure! I do use the little push mower to get up around the house and all. No weed eater for me - that's one piece of junk I can NOT conquer! So, the closest I am gonna get to weed eating is pushing the little lawn mower around stuff. It's not my fault I can't figure out how to work that stupid thing, but I just am incapable of running a weed eater.

Anyways, that's my dates with Murray - my lawn mower - he makes every other weekend entertaining thats for sure!

Conquering the Jungle - Part 1

I know, no one has to tell me, I let stuff get away from me at times. Take for example the Jungle right outside of the front door:

This little patch of my own personal hell started out with good intentions - and was actually useful for the purposes it was intended for, for a short while.  The very first year here it held a SMALL and barely successful "winter garden". I got ONE SMALL "crop" of turnip greens out of it. Then, being the bad gardener I am, I gave up on that. But there was already a bit of (weak) fencing in place. At that point it became a holding area for poultry soon bound on a voyage to Camp Kenmore. Turkeys, chickens, ducks - anything meant to live a short (but full life) was housed there until it was large enough to roam a bit, then allowed to sleep there and be out in the day time. Often times, I have a few friends who send me extra birds after their kids are done showing them. They would be brought home, placed in lock down right there, and then the next day taken off to camp....freezer camp....but still..

You can see the last of the fence still standing here:

I never intended for it to be "long term" as far as the fence goes - it was just cheap plastic stuff put up with the intent to keep rabbits (and that freaking armadillo!) out when I had my tiny garden there.  Being as it was just zip tied on u-posts, it sagged over time, then the rains came....and being less than vigilant, with an ever present meaning to clean it up but lacking the get up and go I needed, it grew over into the mess in the first picture.  And the farmer was sad :(

I knew last year it was going to be a pain to clean it up. I DOUBLE knew this year I had to get it out of there and looking good if only because I was going nuts looking at it! THEN I saw a little snake crawl into it and I had enough! I seriously was well over having a wild life sanctuary right by the front door! There's enough woods around this place - they need to stay in the damn woods I said! So I woke up yesterday not sure what I wanted to get done, until I walked outside and saw my own little piece of hell waiting on me....

The porch swing, relocated since that is where the hay now goes, was not relocated to a spot to swing in, but hurriedly tossed aside one day. Many a string from a bale of hay found it's way down there. Before I located a trash can for the hay strings, let's just say many a string found it's way ANYWHERE it wanted to go - BUT where it belonged (in the trash!). There was even the tarp, which once protected poultry from sun and rain, buried under all that green weedy bits! No seriously, look VERY closely in both pics above, and tell me: DO YOU see a TARP??? No, really? Well look...it was there:

Note all the dirt and weeds still stuck to it....I'm still shaking my head about it, I had almost forgotten that was there too!

So, yesterday afternoon, I tackled it SLOWLY - it's hot you know! I pulled all of the old fencing, dug out a MILLION hay strings, found a few toys left over by the previous owners (I SWEAR that wasn't my Spiderman  action figure in there!), raked out the hay which had fallen off of the porch, and mowed it down!

It took all afternoon, and a short little bit of effort this morning even, but, drum roll please...

IT IS DONE!!!!!!!!!!! I had 2 giant spiders come flying up at me - they got squished, a mouse tried to escape my pile of raked up hay - by flying out at me! But Snowball II got it and saved it for me:

And some small snake, no positive ID but I am fairly certain it was nothing major, got brave enough to slither out to see what was happening. I did threaten to introduce him to the sharp end of a shovel, and he headed back under the house!

So, with that all done, off I go to finish mowing. Trying to keep the place looking good this summer - I let it get away too many times last year and I am fairly determined not to allow it this year... It just looks so much nicer when it is all manicured and pretty!

Don't worry...I have a few more jungle spots to tackle up around the house before I feel like I am done....a few more spots where I am sure mother nature will send her minions to try my nerves. UGH! I can't stand bugs tot ouch me, I don't appreciate freaked out mice and snakes headed my way at faster than light speed, and I really don't like not being able to see in the jungle while I am watching for all that stuff!

So...off I go to complete my mowing. Stay tuned as always...

Easiest Apple Jelly EVER!

From those three things pictured (and a little spice) you can get the EASIEST cinnamon apple jelly ever, I SWEAR IT! (Spice is optional of course :) ) No fruit to mess around with peeling and coring and dicing and washing and squishing, etc....Just need a little juice and sugar and pectin :)

Okay - a note on the ingredients here. The juice is KEY! It can be frozen, it can be in a bottle ready to drink BUT - IT NEEDS TO BE 100% APPLE JUICE NO SUGAR ADDED JUST THE JUICE! I dunno if other juices work, I can't tell you - I just know in this recipe what does work. I have heard, but never tried, grape juice, pomegranate juice, and a host of other juices will work...maybe I will experiment sometime...but for now, let's stick with apple juice.

Go ahead and get your jars and lids prepped and all (wash, heat up the water bath, etc...) This goes together FAST so before you even drag out the sugar and juice, get those jars prepped! You will need about 5 pint jars OR twice as many half pints.

Gather together: 1 can (12 oz usually) of frozen 100% apple juice
                          1 box (1.75 oz) of pectin
                          1 4lb bag of sugar
                          cinnamon (1/4 tsp) and nutmeg (1/8 tsp) OPTIONAL

A note here as well - the pectin I use is always just plain jane original pectin - I don't use the no sugar/low sugar stuff and I can't give any help with them. Sorry, I'm not that good, I LOVE my sugar LOL :)

Take your apple juice and add water like the can says - I usually buy store brand/generic and mind almost always ends up making 48 oz of juice. If going with the bottled ready to drink juice, shoot for 48 oz...

Once your juice is juice again, add your pectin and mix it up, add spices if you are going that route ( I love them, makes it taste like pie in a jar haha!), then bring to a rolling boil.  At that point, add your sugar, mix it up, and bring back up to a rolling boil and hold there for a minute (I usually let mine boil for closer to 5 minutes, but that's just me - I forget how long it's been as I am stirring).....here's where it gets a tad bit tricky...Don't forget! You CAN, if you want to, add about 1/2 tablespoon of butter if you want to cut down on foam...I usually do and I add it when I add the sugar....

Some people can use various methods of testing (plate in the freezer, cold spoon, etc) to test to see if it is "setting" - while all of these things are peachy great and work....you gotta keep something in mind here...I am more confident in my jams when I test the temperature they have reached.  See, the sugar makes them kind of like candy. Sure, when making candy at home you have all sorts of nifty tests you can do (usually involving cold water). BUT you can also take a temp a things and be fairly sure you will get the right end product. Jelly and jam are the same way.

I always check that mine have reached a temperature of 220 - 225 degrees...usually they go to the 225* mark...because, like I said, I forget how long I have been there most times. You want this to get that hot so the jelly and pectin and all "act right" later when they cool down. Trust me, you will see :)

Now, let it rest just a bit off of the heat - go ahead and pull your sterile, clean jars out of the water (if you are like me and boil them in the canner) or dishwasher or oven (wherever you stash them) and have your jar tongs, funnel, lid lifter and ladle ready.  Take a moment to skim off the foam IF you want to....let's be honest, the foam isn't the prettiest thing to look at on the top of the jelly in the jar, but leaving it there won't hurt anything either! Since this is just for us, and not a gift, the foam stays where the foam is :P But if you want, skim it off and ladle everything into your clean jars, I usually leave about 1/4 inch head space, wipe the rims, slap those lids and rings on and process at a full rolling boil for 15 minutes (I think some people do half pints for 10 minutes, but I usually do both size jars when doing jams and jellies and I time UP to the biggest jar).

Take it out and wait for the blessed "PINGS"!!!!

See...before I put the lids on, there really wasn't any ugly old foam that much anyways :P

A note - this jelly sets up BEST once it is opened and refridgerated! It will look a bit loose in the jars after a day - don't worry! Once it gets nice and cool a day or 2 later it looks even thicker and once you go to use it and pop it in the fridge it is about the consistency of jell-o. Nice and thick :) See....

That glob is the last of it from the pot I cooked it in....yes, I licked the spoon when I was done LOL...But it stuck very well just at room temp even to my finger for the photo shoot!

So...easy peasy! AND CHEAP! I paid $2 for sugar, $1.18 for the juice, $1.99 for the pectin and I'm not splitting hairs on the spices....that's $5.17 for 5 pints of jelly....or $1.03 per jar! Home made, ingredients I can pronounce, so corn products (like high fructose corn syrup....hmmmm...just saying) and freaking DELICIOUS! Unless were are talking questionable tasting 99cent store jelly....you can NOT beat the savings there! YUMMY too!

Piggy Weigh in Day!!!!

Okay...not the best picture of her, I know...but let's just say the pig is coming along GREAT! She is SUPER active, a good healthy little eater, LOVES her quart of fresh goat milk at each meal (is a total pain in the butt until she gets it too!) and she is getting THICK! For real, she is one solid girl! I went out there this morning, armed with my measuring tape, to do her first weigh in....

I had wanted to weigh her once a month, and didn't get an actual weight on her when she arrived either (wasp stung me that day...I think I mentioned it...In a post titled "Meet Breakfast"

She couldn't have been more than 20 lbs and was in all honesty probably closer to about 10 or 15 pounds when she arrived.  She was maybe 4 - 6 weeks old...I'm betting closer to 4 weeks and TINY! I forget how little BIG pigs actually start out LOL. She was perfect though, and still is, she's just much bigger! They start so small, they grow SO fast, and they taste like bacon :)

So...anyways...out I headed with my soft measuring tape (like quilters and sewers use).

I know - you're like "WHAT???" How do inches convert to POUNDS???? But, they do....not perfectly, not 100% accurately, but VERY close! It is described pretty well, complete with a few pictures here at The Pig Site

You first measure from the base of the tail to right between the base of the ears - down the spine basically.  I got 26 inches (or there abouts...she was nose deep in her milk pan, so I was trying to work quick before she got done and was squirmy). She sure is Loooonnnngggg and has a nice loin on her!

THEN you must measure their "heart girth" - basically you measure just behind their front legs, around where their heart is inside of them...often times easier said then done...thankfully she was still sucking on her milk....I got 24 inches...which may be off a tad...but close enough, I just want a guess of how much she has gained right?

Okay...so NOW here comes the math part...grab your calculator (or cell phone or whatever does your math for you unless you are super bright and can do it in your head)....

GIRTH X GIRTH X LENGTH
________________________      ===    WEIGHT OF PIG

400


So, for me it was 24 x 24 x 26 = 14976 / 400 =37.44

 ALMOST FOURTY ONE POUNDS!!! I KNEW IT! I knew she was at least that much :)  It's been extra hot here lately = so she isn't eating as much or growing quite as fast as she could be, but overall I think she is doing good.

There's the porky update for the month .....And that is how you weigh a pig :)