Happy 2013

Happy New Year Everyone!

Little Friday Blizzard

We were supposed to get some ice and a slight chance of flurries. The Ozarks got 

almost 5 inches of the white stuff.

Putting up the poultry in the snow along with Zilla in tow.

As the sun sets our world is covered in white flocking.

Finally, the tiny LED tree looks full dressed in snow. It is so bright you can see it from space.

Osa thinking about running in the snow.

My husband posing in the thickening snow and ice.

Snowy Cardinal

We feed black oil sunflower seeds in the winter. All the wild birds come and empty the feeders daily.

So pretty in the snow.

Christmas Ducklings

I did not have hope for a broody duck in winter to have a viable hatch. Well, she did and we got 5 ducklings freezing on the coop floor. I put then inside my brooder box and 4 survived. I needed to clean the brooder box so our ducklings got a bath. They were supervised by our alpha cat, Ump. She used to be small, so we called her Imp; but she gained weight, so now we call her Ump. After a few minutes we moved the ducklings back under a heat lamp in the clean brooder. Everyone was happy after bath time.

My adult ducks have discovered the heated water bowls. Why go to the cold pond when there is a hot tub in the poultry yard? So I have to chase them out of the bowls now. We now have 20 adult ducks and four baby ducks.

White Christmas Wishes

May everyone have a wonderful Christmas. And may everyone share in the joy of the season.

Poppy wished for snow and is sharing it with us.

Hedgehog Pillows

I made these for the people who performed my surgery last month. Just a thank you handmade in the Missouri Ozarks. The hedgehog is the name I gave the pain I felt from a calcified fibroid. I felt like I had hedgehogs inside my abdomen. And when they were removed I felt so much better.

I used suiting samples to make the spikes.

Wool and silk sewing on top of cotton makes for soft little hedgehogs. No more uterus means no more fibroids and no more pain. I am so glad I finally found a doctor who correctly diagnosed me. I had gone through several Ob's over the last 13 years in Houston, TX and none got it right. It took a small town GP in the Ozarks to figure out what was wrong. And I went to Baton Rouge to have the surgery. They have very talented experienced OB surgeons there at the Woman's Hospital. Funny how life can turn out. 

Spring Plant Planning

I have been taking note of what made it this year and what I want for next year. I will add beans to my expanded garden. Peas, butter beans, snap peas, pole beans are up for space in the garden. Zucchini is now my favorite squash. Easy to grow and several summer meals from just a few plants. They just take up a lot of garden space. Lettuce did well until the heat made it bitter. Tomatoes ruled this year for me. I had a ton. My potatoes and yams took a hit from Mr. Mole, but I still have plenty. Next year I am planing them in cages. My cucumbers did great until the heat got them. This summer might be just as dry and hot as this last one. I will add more heavy mulch and use the shade of the trees if I can. 

This year I will plant Wisteria for my chickens, protecting them from eagles and the sun. I love the smell and the color those vines give. Dahlia's did very well for me, they are a no work flower to have in the garden. I was able to have several bouquets to share in spite of the beetles. Growing plants without pesticides will test your skills and patience in the growing season. But I was happy with this years bounty. I'm looking forward next years garden.

Snowy Train Town

Last week I got to go to the local Habitat for Humanity resale store and this train village was set up and running. The owner of the store has collected these trains and figures for years. He displays them every Christmas for all to enjoy.

Mushroom King

Here is a huge gold mushroom found on our land. It was growing out of an old rotten

oak tree. It was nibbled on by the forest critters.

Here is my smallest rooster, Little King. He is the exact copy of his grandfather rooster

except 1/2 the size. Little King is about the size of a tissue box. He is always on the move

protecting his hens. I've heard that bantam roosters can be trouble, but he is a great rooster.

Frosty Morning

Chicken breath frozen on the inside of the coop. They had a heat lamp on and 

the glass froze into a neat pattern.

Scrub grass

Frosty oak leaves

I had to break the pond ice so the ducks could swim.

Gracie

Here is 9 week old baby Gracie a red border collie pup. She will be a pal and a farm dog for our neighbor.

I am sure she will be joining my dogs Osa and Zilla around our farms soon enough. 

T-Shirt Time

Several T-shirts arranged on my design wall waiting for approval from the owner.

Here is my friend approving her shirt layout for her quilt.

I am showing another quilter how to put one of these together. It is a fun way to use up old t-shirts.

About 36 shirts were used for the top and the back of the quilt will be the shirt backs. She gets space in her closet and the shirts get recycled into a usable quilt.

Turkey for dinner

Here is our bronze breasted turkey hen waiting to be processed. She had 1 bad leg and that was removed by our Amish processors. She is now in a brine soon to be put in our freezer for dinner.

Here are four overzealous roosters from this years summer crop. I had nine roosters born this year and had to cull these four. I still want to cull a few more but these will fill our freezer for now. We lucked out buying two used poultry cages from a local flea market. We have used them quite a bit and are handy to have. Needing to transport poultry around town, cages are a must on the farm. 

Under Pressure

My husband testing our our new blood pressure machine.

We decided to find a machine that records both our numbers for blood pressure. Mine was high before 

my surgery and I wanted to get a handle on it to avoid taking meds. So we bought one for the house. You can see our cat, Coco, aka Ump, watching Alan. She is wearing a sock over her recovering neck wound.

Nap Time

Pepper and Daisy holding down the sofa.

Still have not moved all day.

Me taking a surgery recovery nap along with Daisy. It is so nice to take a nap and feel refreshed after.

I hated naps all my life. But post surgery has finally given me a good reason to nap. And my cats are 

very agreeable to that.

Bean and Saddle

Oh, the agony of saddle shopping. We have had a synthetic saddle, roping saddle, cutting saddle and English saddles. I am so glad we have tried out so many saddles. As new horse owners it is an important lesson. The roping saddle was great for ponying baby horses and cattle work. But to ride young horses you need a lighter saddle that fits the horse. A friend lent us two older trail saddles to try out. After some restoration my husband was ready to try one out. The saddle fit tiny horse and tall husband like a glove.

The only shortfall was the large girth. We needed a smaller one for our Bean, but were still ok to ride. My husband was able to ride very well on the trail.

The trail saddle has a smaller horn and large forks to hold you in. The broken in saddle was easier on the rider and the young horse. Softer leather, wider stirrups, slimmer seat all helped the rider feel more connected with the horse. Buying used or borrowing a used saddle to find one the fits is worth it. Rather than spending big bucks on a new saddle that needs to be broken in. For trail riding used or borrowed is the way to go for training young horses.

Maple Mail

Here is Alan riding our filly, Maple home. She was a bit upset over the smell of dead deer around. Plus the scent of predators had her on edge.

Here she is after biting our mailbox. She is afraid of them and attacks them just in case they might get her.

Returning home calmly after setting the mailbox straight.

Friday Trail Ride

 My husband got to ride our young gelding, Bean, home on Friday. Our trainer and his wife rode to our farm from their place. Alan rode Bean for the first time. Bean will be my horse as he is very short. But he is still a bit behind developmentally and will need a tune up again in March. After I heal from my surgery I can ride Bean for short rides. Bean is only 2 years old and still has some growing to do. It is too hard for young horses bodies to be ridden too soon for too long. This time next year Bean should be bigger and stronger as a 3.5 year old.

Alan and Bean on the left, Osa and Shorty the dogs, Dicky and Malinda on the right

Shorty in the lead down our driveway.

Dicky ties up Moose, a green 7 year old horse, to our tree after he broke his lead rope. Moose ran free for a bit to go and visit my mares. Moose is a 16+ hand Fox Trotter gelding in training.

Alan helps get the lead rope off the tree.

After a coffee and soup break our trail rider friends head back home before dark.

Heading home following the sun.