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Hi Everyone,
Last week was full to the brim with planned and unexpected events. While the very first event for Papa was a planned feeding of the sheep, it quickly turned into an unexpected event. While Papa was feeding the sheep he noticed that one of the sheep was losing her uterus out her back end. He came inside to get Mom so that she could go and figure out how to put the uterus back in—but when Mom got there the ewe was choking on the alfalfa (she was doing her best to eat more than her fair share as quickly as possible). The choking fit did not end well, and the ewe died—which saved Mom the trouble of fixing the prolapsed uterus. BUT . . . Mom was not about to let that sheep go to waste. We needed to milk the cows, so Mom called my Brother-in-law next door, Gary, and asked him if he would come and butcher the sheep for us and he could keep half. He was more than eager to have his morning plans rearranged and he came quickly over to pick up the deceased ewe. Mom and I then went to work milking our cows.
When we were done milking we gathered an ice chest and prepared to head over to Gary’s. I was expecting to take the van—but Papa said we had to take the golf-cart. I was a very unhappy camper because I was cold and I did not want to drive over in an open vehicle on a cold morning. Then I noticed that Mom grabbed the camera—and I wondered what on earth was she bringing that for since there was no need to film or take pictures of butchering a sheep. We drove through the pastures and down the lane up to the pasture that borders my sister’s property. The Murray grey beef cows spend the winter in that field. As we were driving through the field Mom pulled up to a tree and told me to look. There at the bottom of the tree lying nice and sweet was a little heifer calf—a grayish red and white calf with a white face and red circles around her eyes. She was Jabez’s first calf! I felt horrible for being so grumpy about going by golf-cart in the cold wind. Papa had told Mom about the calf, but had told her not to tell me until we got there. It truly was a grand surprise! Nine months ago we put Jabez, a South Poll bull, in with our Murray grey beef cows—and he did his job. The little calf resembles Jabez very much. It will be interesting to see how Jabez stamps the rest of his calves. The little heifer laid still just long enough for me to get the first picture—at the top of this journal, and then it took me quite a few reels to get a good video of her and her mother. You can see it here: “Jabez had a youngster!”
We finally made it to my sisters and the area where Gary was processing the sheep. All was done but cutting it into pieces so we really were not there that long. Once the pieces were put in the ice chest they filled the ice chest up with ice and sent us on our way home. When we got home we went straight to work moving the citrus trees back out of the poultry kitchen since the freezing temps were past. Then we edged the sidewalk—for the weeds had crept up over the edge of the sidewalk and I wanted it cleaned before we put the trees back. Then I watered the strawberries in the greenhouse—and to my dismay managed to lock the cat inside for the rest of the day and all night. Thankfully there is plenty of fresh air, water, and dirt for her in there—just no food, but she had eaten breakfast and is fat enough that skipping a meal wouldn’t hurt her. I found her the next morning when I headed over to the milk house to set up the milking equipment and I noticed that she was walking toward the door from inside the greenhouse. Oops! She was very forgiving and really just wanted me to spend a lot of time petting her. She wasn’t too hungry for she hung out with me while I set up the milking equipment.
After lunch Mom and I headed to the garden to plant some seeds. There was plantain, four types of lettuce, borage, Echinacea, rudbeckia, Baby’s breath and snapdragons. I haven’t had much success getting things to grow in the greenhouse of late, so I made little seed beds in the West Garden tunnel. By the end of the week some of the seeds had already sprouted.
Steve spent his afternoon transporting the first batch of chickens from the brooder to the pasture. They had to spend an extra week in the brooder house due to freezing cold temperatures. Last week the weather was so perfect (80’s by day and 60’s by night) that it was time to move them outside—plus the brooder needed to be cleaned out because the second batch of chicks was due to arrive on Thursday.
Papa spent his afternoon spreading cow pee on the pastures. Yes, you heard me correctly! We have been saving the cow manure from the milking parlor to make compost for the garden and to spread out as fertilizer on the pastures—but the pee we have just poured down the drain. Then about a month ago I got this grand idea that we could save the pee and use it as fertilizer for the pastures. I ordered some screw on lids, attached them to three five gallon buckets, and got a clean bucket for catching pee. Now we have a pee bucket and a poo bucket and it can get pretty confusing when the cow starts to squat and lift her tail while we are milking her—you don’t know if she is going to pee or poo and you don’t know which bucket to grab—so you grab both and stand ready. It took a week and a half to fill three buckets each with four gallons of pee. Then we had to wait for Papa to have time and the weather to cooperate so that he could spread it out. We were told to mix the pee on a one part pee to five part water ratio. Papa has a big liquid sprayer that fits on the back of the tractor, and he was able to fill it with 60 gallons of water, and then add the 12 gallons of pee and make 72 gallons of liquid fertilizer to spray on two of the winter grass fields. The grass in those fields was starting to turn yellow, but once Papa fertilized them it looks like they might be starting to green up. It is definitely a science project needing lots of data.
I had hoped to plant some sugar snap peas on Tuesday—but the trellis where we usually grow them was buried in the thick of weeds. I wasn’t sure about constructing new trellises in “Martha’s Vineyard” which left the trellis in the raised beds behind the gazebo as my only option. Those weeds were as big as an elephant—and do you know how to eat an elephant? One bite at a time! So I decided to work my way through the weed jungle one weed at a time. By the time Mom came to get me for lunch I had created a pile of weeds about five feet wide and six or seven feet tall—and I hadn’t reached the trellis yet. I had no more time that day to attempt to clear the trellis so that I could plant the sugar snap peas. I was very disappointing, and I really didn’t think that I would get to plant any peas this year. The rest of the day was spent making yogurt, packaging eggs, and harvesting the veggies for the Jacksonville orders the next day.
We had two things arrive on the farm Thursday and they were both most welcomed! Our volunteer Mrs. B came to spend the day with us, and the second batch of chicks for this year arrived at the Post Office after a little trip from Texas. Once the milking was done and the chicks were settled in we spent the rest of the day in the garden—tackling the elephant size weeds. As the day came to a close I was delighted that not only had we pulled up all the weeds in the area—the walkways were swept clean, the area under the trellis was composted, the pea seeds were planted and the garden bed was covered in a thick layer of mulch. Yippee!! Lord willing those peas will sprout and grow and we shall be eating sugar snap peas come April and May. I was so thankful for all the help.
Friday we finished milking the cows and then I had three batches of kefir to bottle and two pots of yogurt to make. To our delight the milk production has greatly improved. We are up from eleven gallons a day to eighteen and nineteen—those winter grasses really make a big difference—and Praise the Lord that they have grown so well this year thanks to all the rain. We have been selling out of kefir and yogurt, so with the extra milk I have been able to make more kefir and yogurt. What a blessing! Once I was done with all the “kitchen” chores and lunch was over Mom mentioned that we should fold some clothes. I very strongly declined—I just had to get outside and do something out there on such a beautiful day! So Papa, Mom and I gathered up some bags and headed out to get our new IBC tote garden compost tea brewing. First we filled a bag with oak tree wood chips from the pile that Asplundh dumped for us sometime last year. Then we headed up to the chestnuts to fill another bag with chestnut leaves. A third bag was filled with kitchen scraps and some weeds. The final bag was filled with old mustard green leaves. The IBC tote was filled up with water and all we had to do was to put our “tea” bags inside and let the sun and time do the rest. Before we put the tea bags in the tote was full of clear blue water. By the next day it was starting to turn a dirty color. It should be dark brown or red by the time it is done. Then we open the valve and fill up a watering can and feed the plants.
By Saturday the sheep meat was done chilling and soaking, so Mom and I spent the afternoon packaging it up. We got a leg roast, a shoulder roast and a neck roast. Since we split the sheep with my sister’s family the deal was to invite my sister over for dinner when we cook the neck roast—since there is only one neck per sheep. There was also a rack of ribs, two shanks, a back strap, and maybe a sirloin. It was nice to know that we were able to turn a curse into a blessing.
It is hard to believe that January is almost gone—and then my favorite month of the year arrives. I have always said that I do not want to live anywhere where spring doesn’t start by February 1st. Last week was absolutely gorgeous and today I saw the first redbud in bloom. Everything will be popping before we know it.
Serving you with Gladness,
Tiare