Mastitis and Luna

On Thursday I noticed my gray mare, Luna, was away from the herd and not eating. Luna eats more than she breathes, so I knew something was wrong. I put her in the stall and looked her over. The last thing I checked were her teats. They were warm and one was swollen and she did not like the touch. So I called the vet and he said to bring her over. We spent the afternoon preparing the trailer, truck and winter tires. Luna is trailer trained and she went right in the trailer.It is very hard to inflate truck tires with a basic car tire unit. It took an hour to get to the vet in Houston, Missouri, but we made it. I walked Luna for the vet and he hoof checked her. Her temp was normal but her hoof and teat were tender. So we put our vet put her on some bute and we are watching to see how she goes. The good news is that she is eating again and is running with the herd.

Cookie Making

Here is one of the many dozens of cookies I made last week. All these cookies were to be brought to my husbands folks for the holidays. He is having neck pain and is unable to make the long drive. So off to UPS to ship them all before Christmas. Here is my husband and my cats holding the floor down while I pack boxes. He is trying to rest his neck on the hard floor. Our cats do not waste a warm lap opportunity.

My Farm Hunk

Here is my husband of 12 years, Alan. He is holding Daisy as we hiked back to our farm from the back 40. Daisy is just posing in his arms for this shot, she can walk just fine.

Pumpkin Cookin'

I was given several pumpkins along with a few I bought for decoration. I finally made time to cook them when I realized my oven needed to be run through its cleaning cycle. So today I cooked 2 of the 5 I have around the kitchen. These were very thick skinned and needed longer to cook. After almost an hour they were ready to be pulped into pie filling. I froze almost a gallon of bright orange pumpkin filling. My chickens got to have the pumpkin skins and leftover pulp for dinner treat.

And after this I made a persimmon sorbet with just lemons, frozen persimmons and agave nectar. A very nice treat after cleaning up the kitchen.

Cougar Tree

We walked our woods and found this tree clawed up near our pond. Seems we have a large cat around that needs a scratching post.

Jeepy

Even though I have a working 1989 Volvo, I wanted a vehicle for the farm. My car is great for the 'burbs and highway driving, but not gravel rock roads. So for fun we want and looked at used Jeeps. They are pricey even used since they are very popular out here. And we see them all around town. I like the big tires and outdoor open vehicle option. My Volvo has a moon roof and I love that. Since the weather out here is great for open vehicles, perhaps one day we will get one. For now we are just window shopping.

Staying Warm Outside

We have a lot of cedar trees on our farm. But cedar is not good to burn in your woodstove inside the house. The sap burns forming creosote in the chimney. But burning it outside is wonderful. The cedar crackles and gives off the best smelling smoke. When the wind is weak I will get the chiminea going with pieces of cedar and old newspaper. It is nice to sit on the swing and watch the fire. Even our barn cat comes out to enjoy the warmth.

Christmas Twilight

I took photos of our home from the pond at dusk. The sun had set beyond the ridge and only a few bands of color remained in the sky. The air was very cold and crisp and it snowed later that night. I love this time of the early evening when the night sky sparkles.

Our Tree

We bought this tall pre -lit Christmas tree last year and did not put it up. This year we set it up early and took our time decorating. Everything was bought used, the ornaments, ribbons and picks were purchased second hand. The family ornaments were put on last. I made the tree skirt several years ago. I have to say the pre-lit tree is easier to set up and cleaner, no sap. But I do miss the smell the real tree provides. The cats still nibble on the fake tree as if it were real. Providing me with green hairballs of cheer to clean up after. It is nice not having to water the tree and the needles everywhere.

Early December Snow

For the last 2 years here we have had a white Christmas. However, this year Christmas came early to the Ozarks and I had a white birthday instead. Snow fell overnight and stayed the whole week long all over my freshly put up decorations. It so looks like and feels like Christmas with the snow and cold, lights and garlands. Nothing like the quiet of the snow and living on the farm, life is good.

Old Nativity Restored

Here is my old plaster nativity restored. I had to coat each figure in plaster to fill the holes. Then wash each one with a brush to remove excess plaster. After sanding each figure, I repainted each one over the last month. I coated the paint with a clear coat to protect the porous surfaces. I was able to match metallic paints by mixing several colors with new metallic acrylics. With careful packing these figures should last another 50 years.

Making Ceilings

Here is my neighbors room addition drywall ceiling work. We both helped get the drywall up and tacked in place. He will go back and finish up the seam work after. It was quite hard to hold the boards up and wait as the tacking got done. But the result was a nice warm room with a view. I can't imagine how he got those boards up by himself. But now he can get the ceiling and walls done by Christmas.

Ice Ducks

This morning our pond froze a thin layer over the shallows. It was the first time our ducks had to experience the ice. First thought was to avoid the pond. But after a forced slippery march, they made it to unfrozen waters.