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Hi Everyone,
If you are a mother, I hope that you have had a lovely Mother’s Day! Since I was a little girl my Mother’s Day tradition has been to pick my Mama a bouquet of fresh flowers. Many times it has been wildflowers, but with our Cottage garden now I have been able to pick Mama a really nice floral bouquet. This year though I didn’t think that there were enough flowers actually blooming in the garden to make a nice bouquet—so I wasn’t sure what I was going to do. Then a customer came by to pick up an order on Saturday and brought Mama a really nice floral bouquet of Daisies and Mums. The flowers were soft pinks, whites and lavenders. Then I went to the garden last night and cut two gladiolas—one that was pink and white and one that was dark purple to add to the bouquet and they made the finishing touch to the bouquet.
Last week was a hard week, and when it was done I crashed! Thankfully we did get to sleep in until 6:00 every morning. For the last three weeks I have had many goals, with most having to do with the garden—but something always happens to prevent me from getting done what I desperately need to get done. I have been trying to get some beds weeded in order to plant the roselles, tomatoes and peppers. It was 2:00 before I finally made it to the garden Monday afternoon and I weeded with a fierce passion. Papa was busy shoveling one compost bin into the other compost bin so that he could empty the chicken house into the empty compost bin. Mama was busy cleaning up the Poultry kitchen putting things back to the Brooder house and the Feed Room. When we moved the sheds all the loose items were moved into the Poultry Kitchen, which was fine since we were not processing chickens—but we would be back to processing on Friday so we had to claim our space back. Mama called me inside when I had about five feet left to weed, but after weeding 32 feet of the four foot wide bed I really had no strength left to complain. I told Papa that I was going inside because Mama had called me. He asked me why, but I had to tell him I didn’t know why. When I got inside I found out why—it was after 5:00! I had really hoped to have everything weeded and planted—but with a late start that wasn’t possible.
I had planned on finishing up a few of my salves on Tuesday—but once again things did not go as planned. When I was finished milking I needed to bottle the kefir—but before I could get to the kefir Papa came in and asked for some help to get some wayward sheep put back. Thankfully that really didn’t take long. When I finished the kefir I should have come inside to do the salves—but I got sidetracked visiting with a customer. Then I had to make the yogurt, eat lunch and package eggs. While we packaged the eggs Papa went to pick up a new batch of meat chicks. Mama and I realized that there was no place to put the new chicks. Life had been so crazy that we hadn’t even thought about moving the chicks in the brooder house out to pasture and cleaning out that section and getting it ready for the new batch. So when Steve finished his lunch break and came in to help with the eggs Mama broke the news that the chicks needed to be moved out and the building cleaned up for the batch that would arrive in an hour. When the eggs were done I had to harvest some veggies for the JAX delivery on Wednesday. Once Papa got back with the chicks and settled them into their new house he spent the rest of the afternoon taking the roof off of the chicken house. The last hurricane tore of a quarter of it off and before we can put the new batch of laying hens in the chicken house it needs a new roof.
Wednesday morning found me toughing it as a cowgirl. I had just finished fixing up some buckets and troughs with alfalfa for the milk cows and was heading out to bring the cows into the waiting area. I usually open the wire gate and then step over the hot wire fence to shoo in the cows—but this time when I stepped over the two-strand fence I got my leg all twisted up in the wires (hot wires that is). I managed to catch myself and I didn’t fall to the ground—but it took me a little bit to catch my balance and figure out how to get my leg out of the wires that were twisted around it. To my amazement I was not getting shocked though—and I have absolutely no idea why except that it was the mercy of God. The hot wire usually pulses HOT every four seconds, but it took me a lot longer than four seconds to get myself untangled. I may not have gotten shocked, but my leg did get scratched up and bruised. That was just the beginning of milking! As the milking process began the cows decided to give us a little bit more than just their milk—they let everything down (poo and pee). They gave no warning and they did it multiple times each! I do not know how many times I spot cleaned my dress, but at one point there was nothing that I could do but to hose my dress down for I was covered in dark brown sticky and stinky spots. I was wringing the skirt of my dress out when I heard a truck door shut—our friend and chef had arrived with the bread order. It is not the first time he has found me a little stressed by too much poo. There has been many a time that Brett has said that we need someone to catch the poo while we milk. We used to have someone for the job, but I fired him a few years back when he lost his temper and took a stick after one of the cows. Some days Steve or Papa finish their chores before we finish milking and they will come and catch poo for us which we are always most grateful for. Most days we can manage just fine—but there are those days where managing is next to impossible. Finding help isn’t all that easy either. Help wanted—but how do you find it? Brett totally understands for not only does he run a pizza and bread business he also runs a farm with animals and gardens. We find ourselves in over our heads quite a bit. Everything doesn’t always get done, and it is hard to get things done on time. We had someone call for a job a few weeks ago—but when I talked to his old boss I was told that he wasn’t very reliable. Farming is 365 days a year—rain, cold, heat, hurricanes, no exceptions. It is hard work and it requires a passion if you are going to enjoy it.
I made it back to the garden on Thursday—and was able to finish weeding that last five feet. Then I added some manure compost to the area where I would be planting and then I topped it off with some of our new garden soil compost. The rest of the area I covered with wood chips—for I do not plan on weeding the section again. Then to my delight I could finally bring the roselle plants out of the greenhouse and plant them in the garden. I was also able to get two other rows ready and planted with tomatoes. Ma spent her day mowing, and Papa spent his afternoon working on the new chicken house roof. When Steve was done washing the milking equipment he scrubbed all the floors in the Poultry Kitchen to get them sparkling clean and ready for chicken processing the next day.
It had been two months since we last processed chickens—and we were totally sold out. We bring in 70 chicks every other week, so from now until Christmas we will be processing chickens every other week. We lost 20 out of this first batch, so we only had 49 to process, which was okay since we have lost our butchering help and this was our first time processing without them since four years ago. For the last six years we have had one family or another helping us package eggs and process chickens. The first one move to Pennsylvania and the other family has decided that it is time to move on to other things. Thankfully we had three people offer to help us this time—but two had never processed chickens before. They were not the only one lost though—we were too. The helpers that we had did so much that we almost forgot what needed to be one. Somethings I have never done (like get out all the bags for packaging and set them up on the table for easy access), and somethings I haven’t done in a long time (like cut up the chickens and package the hearts, liver, heads and feet). Usually we are done with all the butchering, packaging and cleanup by 3:30—but it was 6:00 before we were done on Friday. How grateful we were for the help we did have. When we got inside I was ready to collapse—but we had company for the night. Our friend Travis and his Mom were going to be spending the night with us so that Travis (whose sons have been working on our plumbing and electrical in our new barn build) could move the hot water heater so that the contractor could pour the concrete slabs around the perimeter of the building. The boys are on vacation and the builder was ready to start on the concrete skirts and the walls—so Travis decided to help his boys and us out and come do the work himself. Since all my time Thursday was spent in the garden and all my time Friday was spent processing chickens, I hadn’t had any time to do a little house cleaning (like the bathrooms and some vacuuming). So when I came in from chickens at 6:00, I had to clean the bathrooms—and then I had to cook dinner. Travis only got so far on the plumbing Friday night, but was up at 6:00 Saturday morning to continue on the project. At 6:30 though the heavens opened up and it began to rain. While we all slept, Travis worked in the rain (because no one knew he was out there working). When I went outside to set up for milking I found the hot water heater moved and a big heavy planter, and I was shocked that he had done it all by himself. With the rain and the plumbing issues we had a late start milking. We didn’t finish milking before noon—and it was one of the poopy days. Mom and I had just brought in two cows each when a customer showed up to pick up his order. We left our cows (big mistake) and took care of the customer—but when we returned our cows were done eating and like a baby when they finish eating they have to go potty. I thought that we would never get those cows finished. I was in the middle of milking another cow when another customer showed up—but I told them I would have to finish my cow first. When I finished with that customer, another customer drove up, and then another—I thought that I would never get back to finish milking my cows. I finally did though and like I said, it was noon by the time we finished. There was trouble in the herd though. Liberty was in labor, but she was not progressing. While Mama watched Liberty, I packed the Gainesville order. Papa helped Mama get Liberty into a smaller area. Poor Liberty was getting so stressed, but finally she laid down to deliver. Travis’s Mom was happy to get to see a calf born—it was a first for her, but that was not where the firsts stopped. It was shortly after 1:00 and Papa had to leave to make the delivery. Travis had just gotten back from Home Depot. Mama was calling for help, the calf was too big and she needed help pulling the calf out. As I said, Papa was leaving—but Travis had just arrived. Travis headed out to Liberty and Mama and he had the job of pulling. By the time I got there the job was done. Travis was a big help—but let me put this in perspective, he really is a city boy. Computers, cars, plumbing, electrical, construction that is his forte—not helping animals give birth. Hey, but that is what friends are for—giving a helping hand wherever it matters no matter what it involves. Liberty gave birth to a little heifer, and we named her Betsy (after Betsy Ross the maker of America’s first flag). Once the calf was delivered Travis and his Mom headed out. I was ready to crash after going strong for the last four days—but I was determined to get the Cayenne Peppers transplanted into the garden before the rains arrived. So I grabbed up the tray of peppers and headed to the garden. I just had to broadfork the row and then transplant the 24 cayenne pepper plants. I also had 7 bell pepper plants to transplant and I decided to go ahead and plant them too—but I had to weed their bed first. It was going on 3:30 by the time I finished and got back inside where I did crash for the rest of the day, and half of today.
Yep, it was a long week, and the contractors come back this week to start framing—so it will be back to 5:00 mornings. When it is all said and done, it will be so nice, and 5:00 mornings will have been worth it.
Serving you with Gladness,
Tiare