tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-84349702024-03-15T11:06:03.394-04:00Seldom Seen Acres...random thoughts of a crazy country lady.Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.comBlogger189125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-44644252977816428352024-03-14T16:16:00.003-04:002024-03-14T16:16:44.557-04:00Sourdough and Random Thoughts<p> I came here to look for a recipe I used to use all of the time, only to find that it's been four years since I've posted anything. I was looking for my bread recipe to try to convert it from a commercial yeast dough into a sourdough recipe. I've been maintaining a sourdough starter now for couple of years now and only baking with it occasionally. I mostly us the discard in recipes but haven't really perfected making a straight sourdough loaf.<br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSNt4_kx8-blZGVlrTBYN-HJdAfUppdQDz0wEQGAbmMbuyr4aE2qv9jZWbeLAbJJECqz8elkdHBT9Lg-ahDVivyzyyMXOOY2_b43ELF_R-l_1NkTRDgEqnD4R_ZvGL36bfB-ZC6DdW9piQEfGbVwu94HdR7TGwjsSaIL9HGRnxhAkLUAswi_6E/s2015/2021-05-06%20Sourdough%20starter.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2015" data-original-width="1504" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSNt4_kx8-blZGVlrTBYN-HJdAfUppdQDz0wEQGAbmMbuyr4aE2qv9jZWbeLAbJJECqz8elkdHBT9Lg-ahDVivyzyyMXOOY2_b43ELF_R-l_1NkTRDgEqnD4R_ZvGL36bfB-ZC6DdW9piQEfGbVwu94HdR7TGwjsSaIL9HGRnxhAkLUAswi_6E/s320/2021-05-06%20Sourdough%20starter.jpg" width="239" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">May 06, 2021</td></tr></tbody></table></p><p>One of the first things I made with sourdough was Bagels. They turned out okay but not as soft as we would have liked. I think with more practice they will get better.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7NxOlcYn1nS0V_d8YIkundCkQPHe7AUwPj1rWsnUBzmX3Bdula9YjDHN8_uyAC56Oy9ZNF3PjO-PlS491W6XYDpV2Usd0f34CSaCHHkDJoUaFXh6JHC8MmwQHlXvT3jcqZdc7uz1joHnYQxr8rrvgMKdw90pmbrubPluOW5nPUiB3A5D9X0ue/s1440/2021-05-11%20Sourdough%20Bagels.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1440" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7NxOlcYn1nS0V_d8YIkundCkQPHe7AUwPj1rWsnUBzmX3Bdula9YjDHN8_uyAC56Oy9ZNF3PjO-PlS491W6XYDpV2Usd0f34CSaCHHkDJoUaFXh6JHC8MmwQHlXvT3jcqZdc7uz1joHnYQxr8rrvgMKdw90pmbrubPluOW5nPUiB3A5D9X0ue/s320/2021-05-11%20Sourdough%20Bagels.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">May 11, 2021</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p>The best bread I made so far was from <a href="https://venisonfordinner.com/kates-soft-sourdough-master-recipe/?fbclid=IwAR2K6CnSAfY-_CQ1oPtz9Za9MXaSTKMrccma47rQzhWRj-3qFgorOoeuG-w" target="_blank">Kate's Soft Sourdough Recipe</a>. Here are pictures of the first time I made this recipe. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqgnr_-4CQ_p0BlBHHexplgBKkMQVQECF1lwoqHfLAh_Z_3m6rbSr_OR6yXRLg1w4KM-DJ0NPQ-zwTmnwyR87XJQqkSek-yPDe9G33NXDIEPB-UU1ZH63hAcrjeuH_Ge0fX12WMvYxuv4wjM3Bw8CD5DvsmqrKAy6vqFpZKv3m9v-xgkF7kuqh/s2048/2022-02-15%20Sourdough%20bread%20(1).jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqgnr_-4CQ_p0BlBHHexplgBKkMQVQECF1lwoqHfLAh_Z_3m6rbSr_OR6yXRLg1w4KM-DJ0NPQ-zwTmnwyR87XJQqkSek-yPDe9G33NXDIEPB-UU1ZH63hAcrjeuH_Ge0fX12WMvYxuv4wjM3Bw8CD5DvsmqrKAy6vqFpZKv3m9v-xgkF7kuqh/s320/2022-02-15%20Sourdough%20bread%20(1).jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">February 15, 2022</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZlqzEc-ZpafYg4vnLou2uc1QBI07Dm5Kcddhl1L4qen7tDLdysOaK9ckdmDzjgRYu8cCsSF8g2KzdvzUPI4VBSjqKjRYW1M3yzdHvHOA3-rHP7D0ZQU4a7pzsVMZD6PxAwMPpYtNpllrUWIoaOtICmVQinsQwcXaZzbPrJXJ3DIiRdBuDmfU/s2048/2022-02-15%20Sourdough%20bread.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIZlqzEc-ZpafYg4vnLou2uc1QBI07Dm5Kcddhl1L4qen7tDLdysOaK9ckdmDzjgRYu8cCsSF8g2KzdvzUPI4VBSjqKjRYW1M3yzdHvHOA3-rHP7D0ZQU4a7pzsVMZD6PxAwMPpYtNpllrUWIoaOtICmVQinsQwcXaZzbPrJXJ3DIiRdBuDmfU/s320/2022-02-15%20Sourdough%20bread.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">February 15, 2022</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After making sourdough consistently for a few months, I drifted back to buying bread as my family isn't really found of the taste and texture of my sourdough. I'm starting to experiment with recipes again to find a milder tasting loaf that will be kinder to my family's taste buds.</div><br /><p><br /></p><p></p>Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-25099448187498216032020-02-14T22:48:00.001-05:002020-02-14T22:48:19.025-05:00Life Goals... <div style="text-align: left;">
Two weeks shy of a year and I finally achieved what I set out to do with those little fuzzy chicks we brought home last March. This is the first time ever I've gotten this variation of colors all at one time. I love it!</div>
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We all have different life goals. I realize mine are not normal, but they are goals. And I can check this off the list.</div>
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Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-11265143201744291022019-03-02T11:51:00.000-05:002020-02-14T22:03:12.027-05:00 I took some time off and now I'm going to attempt to get back to this. To say many things have changed in the last 3 years would be an understatement!<br />
I got married, took my older boys out of the public school they were in and started them in an online cyber school, downsized our 'livestock' to just a few animals and had another baby boy. Of course there has been a lot of other thing, good and bad, that have happened but I'll stick to the basics for now.<br />
After a hiatus it's time to start again. I'm sure I've lost most of my followers during the time I've been gone but maybe there are a few of you who are still around and interested in what is going on here at Seldom Seen Acres.<br />
Last fall and early into the winter we lost all but one hen and one rooster to predators. We decided to restock and get 30 new hens. We had decided to buy the chicks through our local Tractor Supply instead of ordering them through the mail for because the weather is still so unpredictable and I didn't want babies in the mail during freezing temperatures. When we called to see when TSC would be getting their first shipment of chicks they said they would be getting them starting the last week of February. I'd already decided that I wanted to get breeds of chickens that will lay a variety of egg colors. Not sure why but I love when I get a mix of browns, white, and blue or green eggs. Thinking we were only getting 15 chicks this week and 15 next week - depending on the breeds the store had available, I spent Thursday afternoon setting up my little makeshift brooder. When we got to TSC, much to my surprise, there were nine different breeds of chicks there, including Ameraucana and Leghorns. So I could get all three colors of egg laying chicks TODAY!!! What?? that is not what were had in mind when we left the house, Hubby and I agreed to just get all of them today instead of splitting up the orders. Okay that's settled. Now which breeds besides the Ameraucana and Leghorns do I want? The options were Amber-link, Black sex-linked, Black Jersey Giant, and Isa Brown (all pullets) and there were also Buff Orpington, Barred Rock and Cornish Rock straight run chicks. Oh my! If you know me you know I have a hard time with snap decisions, I need time to think. While I was thinking Hubby wandered off to find some other things that we needed. When he came back I told him that I had decided to get 5 of each of the pullets. That would be the 30 we agreed on. But.... they have Orpington and I know we love that breed. Since we only have one rooster we decided it wouldn't be a bad thing if we ended up with at least a couple more so we got 5 of each of the Orpington and Barred Rock as well as the others... Yes, that is 40 baby chicks! When we left the house we had agree on 15 for today... oops. Needless to say, I had to revise the brooder when I got home. Instead of the little brooder box I had set up we had to use the small stock tank.<br />
The store also had ducklings and I didn't bring any of them home so I think I'm did good.<br />
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Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-17340359090693065812016-09-01T10:56:00.001-04:002016-09-01T10:56:56.648-04:00So it begins...The days of school work getting sent home to be finished, because someone was to distracted during the lesson to get his work done. When we sat down to do his home work he refused to do this page. His reasoning was that he already corrected the mistakes, so He feels he did it and the changes he made are correct so no need to rewrite the whole thing.<br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;"> No amount of incentives are getting him to change his mind either.... I'm about to lose my mind!!!</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 19.32px;">Have I mentioned lately how much I hate homework, especially if it was something he was supposed to have done in school?? He brings home more work that he didn't finish in school than actual homework.<br /></span><br />
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Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-45444635411395383252016-07-01T11:17:00.000-04:002016-07-01T11:18:03.076-04:00That time of year again... <a href="http://pottercountyfair.wix.com/index" target="_blank">The Potter County Fair</a> entry forms are due today! Yes, my boys' rabbit and goat form are in, just barely but they are there....lol.... I mailed the rabbit papers yesterday so they could be postmarked by today and hand delivered the goat papers last evening too. Talk about last minute, but if you know me you know that is the way I am.<br />
Now the challenge is to get the boys to not change their minds about which rabbits and goats they want to show between now and fair week. In the last weeks they have changed their minds so many times. I guess that is one of the problems of having so many animals and telling you kids that they have to pick only a few to take to the fair. Trust me folks, the struggle is real. :)Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-62895749042825782852016-06-29T10:10:00.000-04:002016-06-29T11:34:46.774-04:00Craziness...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Almost four months, and you'd think I'd have something to write about... or not?<br />
Wow. I don't even know where to begin, really. <br />
Daisy had boy/girl twins on March 5th. *K* named the babies Dana and Dexter.<br />
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<span style="text-align: start;">Bubbles had twin bucks the next day (March 6th) so in three days we had three sets of twins.</span></div>
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Of course both does had their babies at night so no good pictures or video could be taken right away. The lighting in the barn is horrible even in the daytime.<br />
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I bought *K* another copper satin doe rabbit to replace the one that died a few months before. Her name is Cindy. She is much larger now but this picture is from the day I bought her.<br />
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I bought another milk goat. Her name is Willow and she a half sister to Bubbles.<br />
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Then this happened on April 4th! Yeah, crazy, right? But such is life here in North Central Pennsylvania.<br />
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... and did I mention that this happened at some point? No, probably not! Kittens! They are cute but I really could have done without.<br />
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... and then there was more of this on April 9th...</div>
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We had baby bunnies!<br />
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The baby goats played in the yard...<br />
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Buttercup had a baby boy that *Z* named Buddy, on April 16th.<br />
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So, as you can see there is a whole lot of nothing going on here. Oh, and we built more garden boxes and got the garden area fenced in. YAY! Sounds really nice but I still haven't gotten anything planted in the boxes. <br />
Life just isn't turning out the way I had planned it, so long ago. It has taken a detour recently. As much as I've always felt I am raising my boys alone, even with their father living here, it is real now. I've known it was coming for at least the last two to three years so it isn't too much of a shock. I can honestly say it doesn't feel much different because he was never present anyhow. He wasn't really interested in any of the projects I was working on or even anything the boys wanted to show him or do with him. Financially things are going to be a little more stressed until I figure something out, but that department has always been stressful anyhow. At least now I know I'm the only one who will be spending, so it'll be easier to save for something, instead of hoping that he didn't spend all of the money I was trying to set aside for something we needed. Its going to take some getting used to but we (the boys and I) will be okay. If any of you have any suggestion on things I can do to make money from home, please let me know. </div>
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<br />Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-75127868146418407132016-03-04T22:47:00.001-05:002016-03-06T21:27:44.284-05:00The full circle of life here on the farm today... <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> This morning I started the day mentally preparing myself to send the last of our pigs to the butcher. All the other times that we've sent pigs to be processed, I haven't really thought too much about it because the intended purpose for raising those pigs was for meat. This time, we are sending two sows that we kept for the purpose of raising babies. The thought of eating them never crossed my mind until recently when our financial situation, unexpectedly, changed. Red is three years old and Peaches (out of Red's first litter) is one and a half years old. They were both really good moms and had big litters (13 to 16 piglets each), so my heart is heavy today as I prepared to send them off to be processed. Once they are loaded onto the trailer and off the property, I will be okay. I will enjoy the meat just as much as I have any other pigs we've raised.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peaches sharing her last meal with the ducks and chickens.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;"> Soon after starting my morning chores my heart lightened a little because </span><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">I realized that Shay (one of *Z*'s goats) was definitely in labor and we would have new babies in a few hours. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shay cleaning her new babies.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shay cleaning her babies.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Actually it didn't even take two hours. Within an hour of me noticing that she was in labor she delivered a set of twins. A buck and a doe.<br /><br /> When it came time to load the pigs, Red decided she really didn't want to go for a ride. She squeezed through between the barn door and the trailer and went for a walk about!</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red on her last walk around the farm.</td></tr>
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Yep there she goes back the other way!! I was half expecting to see *T* following along behind her with a bucket of feed...</div>
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I was not helping but was told that Red did NOT want to get in that trailer, and it took quite a lot of convincing before she finally did get in.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red finally on the trailer.</td></tr>
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I guess Peaches wasn't nearly as hard to load.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peaches on the trailer.</td></tr>
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So, with the pigs on their way down the road, it is time to focus on the new additions. Meet Sage and Sarah!</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sage and Sarah - Shay's twins.</td></tr>
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Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-55064247245769533522016-03-02T10:06:00.000-05:002016-03-02T13:47:41.881-05:00Duck eggs...YAY!!<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #141823; font-family: "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636px;">I've been looking for the ducks' nest, but couldn't find it. The way they've been acting I was sure they were laying, but I hadn't seen any eggs. I found their nest! There were three eggs in it yesterday and two this morning.</span></span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17.5636px;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif;">Given the choice of eating duck eggs or chicken eggs, I choose duck eggs.<br /><br /><a href="http://seldomseenacres.blogspot.com/2005/03/is-spring-coming-any-time-soon.html" target="_blank">Click here to see a post from 11 years ago today</a><br /><br /><a href="http://seldomseenacres.blogspot.com/2005/03/lion-has-arrived.html" target="_blank">Click here to see another post from 11 years ago today.</a></span></span></div>
Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-4309193762089495972016-03-01T15:23:00.000-05:002016-03-01T15:23:09.908-05:00I said I needed 200' of fencing ...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">... and he asked if I really needed a 50' by 50' garden! He should know by now that by the time I say I want something I've already done the math. </span></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7xdVvSRihEaUwgYelwjSKdPDhEenmXgPKGcQ-Ltse9w1SPbg6dFjtCYzJaiotfiKUqtm3_v0LC4QGrl-qwGZ0vTveIsPBOF3qTi2HXqwGFsXIEF6Nmf8ImFYxhCI5UZ244txF/s1600/2016-02-26+garden+plans+%25281%2529+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7xdVvSRihEaUwgYelwjSKdPDhEenmXgPKGcQ-Ltse9w1SPbg6dFjtCYzJaiotfiKUqtm3_v0LC4QGrl-qwGZ0vTveIsPBOF3qTi2HXqwGFsXIEF6Nmf8ImFYxhCI5UZ244txF/s400/2016-02-26+garden+plans+%25281%2529+-+Copy.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Apparently he forgets my stories about the garden that was started when I moved here, and the ones I had the first few years I lived here. I wish that I had taken pictures of it. They were lovely! Planted in rows and deep mulch between the rows and plants to keep the weeds down, so they were different than the one I have planned now. I want to have mostly raised beds now. After not having a garden at all for several years, I put in four raised bed three years ago and they worked really well for me. Now I am ready to expand the garden again.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Here is a picture of my little garden from 2013</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwLndFV2KIjUiySe64se3rl70yBuf7HOctSsaOngGz0dQyx7jTVV5qmO_BWpdohSd8yDMwRG635Pyo8xLaN8jOn3SSICvBKAB7qGsqnoR7q6fxhMJ7Znt7spyS8pzQxgskZ_U/s1600/2013-07-20+Garden+1+month+and+11+days+-+Copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="290" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwLndFV2KIjUiySe64se3rl70yBuf7HOctSsaOngGz0dQyx7jTVV5qmO_BWpdohSd8yDMwRG635Pyo8xLaN8jOn3SSICvBKAB7qGsqnoR7q6fxhMJ7Znt7spyS8pzQxgskZ_U/s400/2013-07-20+Garden+1+month+and+11+days+-+Copy.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have since fenced it, but the fencing I used is low enough that my goats have learned to jump over it and get into the garden. I bought 200' of welded wire <a href="http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/welded-wire-48-in-x-100-ft?cm_vc=-10005" target="_blank">fencing</a> a couple of days ago and want to get started but I have to wait for the ground to thaw before we can drive fence posts. I could start making the boxes now.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNQkocXIwYG2I1ZoKmNRkCGATQawNOMhDV3qddbps2_lG93Kya1Jc2yWImFFX-4AD3m25AZryMHnKQafSV-0FsMOsdq3E0YNhMVLTLzRlUJn-7yieVW_UKn9x5I5IMBQrRft4/s1600/2016-03-01+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNQkocXIwYG2I1ZoKmNRkCGATQawNOMhDV3qddbps2_lG93Kya1Jc2yWImFFX-4AD3m25AZryMHnKQafSV-0FsMOsdq3E0YNhMVLTLzRlUJn-7yieVW_UKn9x5I5IMBQrRft4/s400/2016-03-01+002.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Nineteen days away from the first day of Spring and its 56° F. so we are getting closer to being able to start planting.<br /> The first of the baby goats are due to start arriving next week, so I'm hoping to be able to post lots of cute pictures soon. Last week one of my heavily pregnant does died suddenly one morning during chores. I have really don't have any idea what happened to her. She was having a hard time getting up on and I tried to help her up and all of a sudden she acted as if she couldn't breathe and she was gone just that quick. I was quite shocked by the whole thing. She hadn't really shown any signs that anything was wrong other than the day before had started to have a little trouble getting up on her own. She was due to kid March 11th but she didn't show any signs of being in labor, just having a hard time getting around and getting up on her own... the next morning she died.<br /> Two days ago I went out to the barn to find a set of twins had been born during the night and were dead. I had their mom's due date written down as the 17th of March, so I wasn't expecting them yet, but they did not appear to be born early. They were fulling developed an were even all dried off and Mom's udder looked like they had nursed. I'm really hoping that this isn't the way the whole kidding season goes.</span></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: helvetica, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-34516343065120708642016-02-23T06:30:00.000-05:002016-10-15T17:04:20.040-04:00Real Talk Tuesday... Today I want to talk about phone calls. I'm not even sure where to start but I think its something that a lot of people don't understand about me. I really don't like making or receiving phone calls, if its an unknown number or if I don't know the person I'm calling. For a couple of very personal reasons the phone ringing, and me not expecting it, sets off one of my anxiety triggers. It has taken me a while to realize this but it takes me back quite a few years ago to a time when I was really struggling financially and almost every time the phone rang there was a bill collector on the other end. In that same time frame I had taken a second job to try and recover from my financial troubles and wouldn't you know that second job ended up being a receptionist at an animal shelter. Well, I'm not sure how many of you know this but probably 90 percent of people who call or come into a shelter, are not inquiring about an animals to adopt. In fact its quite the opposite! They either have a box of kittens they say were left at their house (which I rarely ever believed), or they were calling because they had a dog who they couldn't (or should I say they didn't want to take the time to train properly, or they hadn't done their research on the breeds characteristics), or they were moving, or having a baby or whatever the excuse of the hour was. The job also required me to return phone calls that were left on the answering machine during hours that the shelter was not open. So majority of my time there at that job was spent just dreading that door opening, or the phone ringing, or even having to make a phone call because I never knew what craziness I was going to be facing at any given moment. Because of the policies at that shelter it wasn't like I could just accept every animal that was being brought in. There was quite a protocol that had to be followed and if it wasn't followed then I'd get into a lot of trouble. So that was very stressful for me.<br />
My main, full time, job I was working in retail. So, I was dealing with customers (and answering the phone on occasion) for at least 6 of the 8 hours that I was there. So, for the few hours I was home at night I REALLY didn't want to see or hear another human being. When the phone would ring I knew it was most likely a bill collector anyhow so I'd let the answering machine get it. If it was a friend I'd sometimes call them back right away and other times I'd just put it off, because I just wanted my alone time. Needless to say, this became a very bad habit. When I was home that my down time, away from humans. I did not want bothered. I lived alone with the exception of my animals, of course, and down here on this dead end road there was little traffic so t was the perfect escape.<br />
So that was like 11 or 12 years ago, so what is my problem with phone calls now?? Well, lest see. It could be the fact that I have small children and every time I am on the phone one or both of them think they need to be in my face asking or telling me something in the loudest voice possible. Or, maybe its that if the kids aren't making a fuss, I'm trying to get dinner ready, or its chore time, or maybe by this time its homework time, or possibly its bath, story time and bed time.... <br />
Are any of you noticing that phone calls are just not normally fun for me? If you call me and leave a message and I respond back by sending you an email or private message on Facebook, instead of of an actual phone call - PLEASE DON'T TAKE IT PERSONAL. It has NOTHING to do with you, honest! Email and messaging are just easier for me most of the time. I might not always have a chance to call someone at the moment I think of it, but I may have a few seconds to send out a quick post and you can respond when it is convenient for you.<br />
Recently I had someone ridicule me and say that I was hiding behind messaging instead of calling and dealing with an issue over the phone. That wasn't the case at all. I really did want to address the issue with him but my daily schedule doesn't always work out so I have a spare half hour or so that it would have taken to resolve what he was confronting me on and quite frankly I felt the 'issue' he wanted to talk to me about wasn't my problem to begin with, so no I was not going to take time out of my day to make a phone call about something that I didn't want involved in.<br />
So, please, if you call someone and they don't return your call immediately or they send you a message in another form, try to be a little understanding. Its probably nothing personal against you.Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-18993253141790362642016-02-21T11:16:00.001-05:002016-02-21T11:16:36.712-05:00Just plain tired...<div style="text-align: center;">
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Yesterday I was just so tired. At first I couldn't think of a reason why. I had been up until about 1:30 am but that really isn't anything out of the ordinary, for me.<br /> Since it was Saturday I was able to sleep in later than normal, so I hadn't even gotten out of bed until after 8 a.m. I didn't have time for my tea before going out to do barn chores, like I normally would, because there was a scheduled power outage that was to start at 8:30 and I needed to get the animals watered before we lost power.<br /> After chores we left to check on a friend who has recently had surgery. When we got home I went to my room to read. With no electric there wan't much else I could do, right? I know, I know, there are lots of other things that I could have been doing, even with no electric. I have no idea how long I read before falling asleep but I woke up around 1:30 p.m. The electric had come back on at some point between 11:30 and 1:30. The rest of the house sounded pretty content (I could here the boys talking to their dad and the tv was on downstairs) so I just rolled over and went back to sleep. The next time I woke up it was 3 p.m. WOW!! "I have slept most of the day" is what I thought to myself. But a wise women once told me not to feel guilty about taking a nap because if you are able to sleep, your body must have needed it.<br />
Once I finally did get up I felt so drained. I had no energy at all, my mouth hurt, I just felt icky.<br />I was hungry but didn't feel like eating because my mouth hurt - I think I forgot to mention that I had six broken teeth extracted a week ago. There were supposed to be 7 pulled but somehow the dentist missed one, so I have to go back in tomorrow and have that one taken out - My gums really hadn't been bothering me, until yesterday, not even the first few days after the extractions.<br /> I'm wondering if everything was just finally catching up to me. I had been under a bit of emotional stress (over the chicken incident - refer to previous post) in the last few days. I hadn't really been eating much of anything, for a week, because really what can you eat when you have open holes on both sides of you top jaw. <br /> I hadn't felt that tired in nearly a year, since before my gallbladder surgery when I was so sick. Oh. and I hadn't had any tea or coffee at all yesterday either.... I didn't have any tea in the house and quite honestly I was too lazy to brew a pot of coffee.... yes I was that tired! Hahaha ...<br /> I did feel a little bit guilty because it was 64° outside and I had promised my bunnies that I'd clean their trays the next warm day we got. At least they are trays underneath they cages so the bunnies are not sitting in the poo, but the trays are getting full and need cleaned. But with the pee and poo frozen solid it isn't easy to do. Thankfully today I feel better and could clean the cages, but everything froze up again last night. I guess that is that will have to wait til another day. Spring has to be coming soon, right?<br />
<br />Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-18474637754142032922016-02-18T13:55:00.001-05:002016-02-19T19:40:44.514-05:00My rant for the day...<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: x-small; line-height: 0.19in;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "arial" , "helvetica" , sans-serif; line-height: 0.19in;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #141823; font-family: "arial" , sans-serif; line-height: 0.19in;">When
are people going to learn that animals are not a convenience item?
They are a long term commitment. Some people seem to think they can
acquire animals and keep them until its no longer fun for them, or
the weather isn't warm enough, and they don't want to go out in the
cold to feed them, or all of the sudden they realize that they can't
afford to the feed it takes to properly care for the animals. Do they
think maybe they should have done some research BEFORE getting those
animals, and made sure they have the means and resources to care for
them throughout the year? No, they didn't, because they just figure that when its
no longer 'fun' for them, they can just get someone else to take care
those animals..... and in the spring they'll either decide to go get
the animal from that person who has been taking care of them all
winter or buy new animals.... and the cycle starts all over again! </span><br />
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">I
warned you that this was going to be a rant. And its something I
should probably keep to myself. But wheres the fun in that? [laughing
to myself] I guess I just need to get this out there, because I can't
be the only one who has experienced this. Or maybe I am the only
gullible one who gets myself into these situations, I don't know. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Here
is a bit of a background story to help you understand why I'm upset
today...... A few years back I had someone ask me take their animals
because they were in a bad situation at that moment and needed
someone to care for the animals "for a while". Even after
agreeing that they would give me a set dollar amount (and a very low
cost at that) to pay for feed costs, I had seen nothing. The animals
were here for months and I contacted the owners, stating that if they
couldn't pay for the feed I had into them or at least come get the
animals at that point, or find other accommodations for them, I
needed to sell the animals. It was agreed that I would sell them and
keep the money I got from the sale as payment for feed and care over
the months that I had the animals. </span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Fast
forward to a week ago.... I got a Facebook message from the father of
the person I had dealt with before. The message stated that some of
the chickens I acquired in December were his.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">WHAT??</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">He
wanted to know what the plan was before he had a bill that he
couldn't pay. Again, WHAT?? Why do you think any of these chickens
are your's?</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">He
said that 14 of the chickens I got (in December) were "on lone"
to the guy I got them from and he was supposed to get them back in
the spring. And from what I'm getting, he thinks I need to return his
chickens or replace them with pullets in the spring.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: black;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="color: #141823;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">Really?
I have fed, watered, and housed these things for over two months and
I did not know anything about your involvement, until now. So let me
ask you, if you had gotten animals from someone and two months later
another person shows up stating that those animals belong to them.
HOW WOULD YOU FEEL??? In my mind I've paid for them. If nothing else
because I have money into their feed and care.... not once in those
two months have I seen any help from anyone else. No money, no feed,
nothing. And that doesn't even include the time and money that the
guy who I got them from had into them. How long can you expect
someone to take care of "your" animals with no help and you
still consider those animals yours to do with what you want?</span></span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">And
may I add that its always the nastiest coldest part of the year when
there is no natural food for these animals, and feed costs are at
their highest, when people think they can "lone" their
animals out. Do you think I like freezing my hands, face, and feet,
etc. to take care of animals that aren't even producing anything for
me at the moment... NO... I don't .... but I also know it is part of
owning animals. You have to weather the bad days as well as the good
days. Why should I be expected to put in the hardest part of the work
so someone else can come claim them for the summer, when it takes a
lot less feed and labor to keep an animal. In the summer there is
tons of food growing in nature and the chickens could pretty much
fend for themselves and do quite well. Furthermore when I got these
chickens I knew nothing about the deal you had with the other guy, so
if you feel you are owed chickens - then take that up with him, not
me.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">I'd
like to offer him a solution to his (and his son's) problem of
acquiring animals they can not take care of for the winter. How about
come fall put those animals in your freezer and let them feed you for
the winter.</span></span></span></span></div>
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<span style="color: #141823;"><span style="font-family: "arial" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: small;"><span style="background: #ffffff;">If
I'm being a cold hearted wench then be that as it may, I don't feel I
owe him anything.</span></span></span></span></div>
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Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-89536607339811949062016-02-15T19:00:00.000-05:002016-02-16T00:13:41.368-05:00Who is thinking about the County Fair in February???<br />
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That would be me. Not only does it help pass the time on a cold winter day, it helps me know what our plan is come spring time. For example: My boys like to enter the doe with litter and meat pen classes. We have to plan the breedings for those litters to be no more than 70 days old at the time of the fair. Same goes for the meat pens, but depending how your bunnies grow out, you don't want them too big because the meat pen bunnies have to be at least 3 pounds but no more than 5 pounds at the of the show. Roasters have to be under six months old but at least five and a half pounds but no more than eight pounds. Stew rabbits are required to be at least 6 months old and at least 8 pounds. Oh, and on top of all that, the entries need to be sent in by July 1st - 4 weeks before the start of the Fair. So as you can see it does take some planning. You can't just wait until the week of the fair to decide what you are going to enter.<br />
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This is my son *Z*'s Doe and litter</div>
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The meat pen that *Z* entered.</div>
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We took 24 rabbits to the fair last year. Here are both boys in front of some of the rabbits.</div>
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The boys were thrilled (contrary to the look on *K*'s face) that every rabbit they entered got something. All but one got at least 3rd place or higher. The one that didn't got fifth and still got an honorary which happened to be rainbow colored and my 4 year old (at the time) was into everything rainbows at that time so he thought he'd won the big prize - and wouldn't you know that is the ribbon that got eaten by the rabbit. *K* was so bummed!<br />
So, hopefully, with a little planning now we will have more bunnies to enter this year. The boys love showing their bunnies and goats at the fair. Planning for showing goats will have to wait for another post... oye.</div>
Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-11498113029924090972016-02-15T15:03:00.000-05:002016-02-21T11:25:26.785-05:00We have a new arrival and some heartache here at the farm... Molly, the miniature Mediterranean Donkey, came to live with us two Saturdays ago. I have wanted to get a donkey for several years. Last week I was talking to a friend of mine who mentioned that he is trying to cut down on the number of animals he has, and also mentioned he had a mini donkey for sale. I had to have her!<br />
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She has been here for a little over a week and seems to be settling in nicely. I'm hoping she will bond with the goats (especially the babies once they start arriving) this winter and stay with them once I put them out to pasture again in the spring. Some of my older does are pretty set in their ways so its probably going to take more than a couple of months for Molly to win those girls over. Any babies born this year and after should bond with Molly from the start win no problem.<br />
I'm hoping Molly will fill the void we have right now in the 'protection' department. We had our old Chesapeake bay retriever, Whiskey, who thought he was a Great Pyrenees. He was raised on a farm with a Great Pyrenees for a few years before we got him. He loved people but did not like strange dogs or other critters in the pasture with "his" animals. This past year he has been slowing down a lot and not quite been up to par in the protection department. I'm not really sure how old he was but we've had him for almost four years and the lady we got him from said she thought he might be at least 5 or maybe 6 years old then. Sadly, Whiskey passed away yesterday. He will be greatly missed.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">R.I.P. Whiskey. You will be greatly missed by our family.</td></tr>
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<a href="http://seldomseenacres.blogspot.com/2012_02_15_archive.html" target="_blank"><br /></a>
<u><a href="http://seldomseenacres.blogspot.com/2012_02_15_archive.html" target="_blank">Four years ago today.</a><br /><br /><a href="http://seldomseenacres.blogspot.com/2010_02_15_archive.html" target="_blank">Six years ago today.</a><br /></u><br />
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Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-17140447056567190432016-02-01T14:00:00.000-05:002016-02-01T15:06:58.024-05:00Beef Barley Soup I love soup. I love leftovers. During the winter months I think I could live on soup and nothing else, and be very happy. The only problem is that I am the only one in my house who loves soup that much. That being said, I can almost hear my family cringe every time they hear my soup pot hit the stove top!<br />
My stock pot holds 8 quarts so they all think we are drowning in soup by the time I get the pot full. I love it because I don't have to cook for a few days, and will still have enough to put some in the freezer for another day.<br />
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<u style="font-weight: bold;">Beef Barley Soup</u><br />
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2 quarts water or beef broth<br />
3 Tblsp. beef soup base (L.B. Jamison's) - optional if using beef broth instead of water<br />
1 pounds for ground beef, browned and drained<br />
1 onion, chopped<br />
1 cup pearled barley<br />
4 stalks of celery, chopped<br />
1 cup corn (I used frozen)<br />
1 cup frozen mixed peas and carrots<br />
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes<br />
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Bring water and soup base (or beef broth) to a boil. Add the rest of the ingredients and stir. Lower heat to a simmer and cook for two hours or until the barley is tender.<br />
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My blog post from <b><u>6 years ago today</u></b> is posted <a href="http://seldomseenacres.blogspot.com/2010_02_01_archive.html" target="_blank"><b>here</b></a> if you are interested.<br />
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<br />Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-37877112862619019592016-01-26T15:17:00.001-05:002016-01-26T21:54:16.511-05:00Lets talk about me ... I'm not really sure why I can't get myself motivated to let everyone know how things are going here at Seldom Seen Acres, but I just don't seem to take the time to do it. I'm sorry. <br />
I know I've always kind of kept this blog about my animals but I'm veering off that for a moment to talk about me. I have something I need to get out there. I'm not sure why but I feel I need everyone to know what I've been going through. So this is going to be a long post, as I should have been keeping you all posted as I went along and I didn't - or couldn't because I just plain didn't feel like it.<br />
Honestly, I had a couple (okay, more like four) years that I was really sick. I just didn't feel right but couldn't put my finger on what IT was.<br />
The last week of October, 2010 - I was laid off from my job of 16+ years when I was 5 1/2 months pregnant with my second child. That pregnancy was nerve wrecking enough, because I rarely felt the baby move and at least half of my appointments the midwife couldn't find a heartbeat. I'd get sent for an ultrasound to make sure everything was fine - and it was. But it took a tole on me and I kept questioning if maybe I should have left well enough alone and been happy with just one child. I was constantly afraid some freakish thing was going to happen and my baby would die before I ever got to meet him, although at the time I didn't know whether he was a boy or a girl. So on top of all of that I got laid off from my job... yes, I did! Talk about anxiety and depression setting in. At the time I didn't know that is what was going on but now - several years later - I know that is what it was. Add that too what ended up being a complicated emergency c-section for the delivery of my son in February 2011, with little to no help once I got home, complications with the incision site, etc, etc. I ended up with so much anxiety that it took everything I had just to cope with day to day life taking care of an infant, a two year old, their father, all my animals, and my home. <br />
In October of 2011 I ended up in the ER because I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I had laid down to rest in the evening while the kids were taking a late nap and there dad was not home. I was so exhausted, and while laying there my heart started racing. Of course I panicked. The thoughts that run through your head when you are home alone with two very small children and something like this happens, are not very good ones. I took my pulse and it was 160 bpm. I'm sure, now, a lot of it was my adrenaline because I was thinking 'whats going to happen to my babies if I die'. I called my mom who came over and called T home. I ended up going to the hospital by ambulance but by the time I got there my heart rate was back to normal and they couldn't find anything wrong. This heart racing thing would repeat itself every few months over the next year or so. I didn't end up going to the ER again just my family doctor. But again, when I was at the office my heart rate would be normal, so they chalked it up to anxiety. I started noticing that even when my heart wasn't doing its racing thing, there were times that I'd get kind of sick to my stomach and just not feel right. I'd get light headed or kind of dizzy feeling. That would lead to me getting nervous and my heart starting to race again. I dealt with this for a long time. The 'episodes' stated getting closer and closer until it got to be at least once a day it would happen. I was scared to go out in public because it was so debilitating when these feelings started. If I was out somewhere and it would start, it would be gone by the time I got home. So I kept thinking it really was just anxiety, but I didn't want to be put on medication for it because I hate taking meds of any kind.<br />
By the fall of 2014 I was sick all of the time. I had had a sinus infection or a cold almost all year and I was just sick. I couldn't explain to anyone how I felt, I just didn't feel good at all. I had been to the doctor for sinus and ear infections in Sept and Oct, but they just wouldn't clear up. I continued to have fluid behind my eardrum, especially my right ear, even after being treated for a double ear infection. On October 24th, I started getting a headache. The kids wanted to go to the local Fire Dept's Halloween party. I didn't want to go because the pain in my head was to intense and for some reason T couldn't go with me but was going to meet me there. My mother, being the great lady she is, went with me and the kids. I don't really remember the party that much. All I really remember is how sick I was and how much my head hurt. I thought I was going to pass out at any moment - and the look on my mother's face every time she looked at me. I knew she knew I was sick and was worried about me. That night I didn't sleep well because my head was hurting so bad. The next morning Mom ended up taking me to the ER. They did a bunch of tests and scans and gave me some pretty potent pain killers. They concluded that I had a lot of sinus congestion on the left side of my sinuses - that was odd as it hurt on the right side over my eye. Anyhow, they sent me home with drugs and told me to follow up with my doctor if the headache returned. I was in bed all weekend and by Monday my back had started hurting and I was generally sick all over again. I don't remember actually having a headache just my head feeling strange because of the pain meds. I couldn't eat or drink without getting really sick to my stomach... so I just slept, and slept some more, only getting up to go to the bathroom. Tuesday I went to my doctor's for blood work. Of course he did an exam and told me "if you'd lose weight you'd feel better". Really? He I am sicker than I've ever been in my life. I can't even sit here and talk to you with out crying and can't even tell you all the places I'm hurting or feeling sick and that is your answer? I've been this exact weight for at least three years so I don't think that is my problem today!! I left there so discouraged! I went home and went back to bed. Wednesday morning I got my kindergartner off to school and laid down on the couch until my mom came to get my 3 year old to take him home with her so I could rest. Then I went to bed. Sometime that day the doctors office called to say my blood work came back and I was slightly dehydrated but not much. "Just get some rest and we'll see you tomorrow for your follow up". I honestly wondered if I'd still be alive the next day, that is how sick I was. When T got home from work he and mom decided I needed to go back to the ER after he talked to the doctor in person and all Doc offered was some more pain meds. In the ER I had more scans more blood work and was told I had Acute Kidney failure and was going to be admitted. I remember the feeling a kind of relief wash over me because someone had finally found something wrong. Not because I wanted to be sick but because I knew I was sick and no one believed me, until now. T wasn't happy because I had to stay in the hospital. He has this strange sense that he can't handle the kids or life on his own, so I need to be there. I really wonder what he would do if, heaven forbid, I ever die. I ended up being in the hospital from Wednesday night until Saturday afternoon. My creatine level still wasn't down to where it should be but the doctors felt that they would continue to drop as long as I kept drinking lots of fluids.<br />
Even after leaving the hospital I still got that strange dizzy feeling every now and then and just felt there was something else going on. I talked to my doctor about it and he said he thought it was because my body was no adjusting to the creatine levels, since it could have been off for a long time and we didn't know it. Okay, whatever. I could tell he was back to the 'she's fine she's just got anxiety over being sick" thinking.<br />
Over the couple of months the sickness returned to almost the same level it was before. Thanksgiving 2014 was horrible but of course I brushed it off as being anxiety because Mom's house was full of a lot of noisy people. I left early and sure enough, shortly after I got home I was fine. Early in December I returned to the doctor and told him I thought I was ready to be put on anxiety meds. He gave me the lowest dose and I only took it once. Wow, that was the worst mistake ever! Even the lowest dose knocked me out for seven hours. By the end of January 2015 I was so sick at least every other day that I couldn't function well. I knew I had to go back to the doctor but was putting it off, I'm not sure why but I did. I was talking to a family member, one day in late January, about my situation and she asked if I'd ever had my gall bladder checked. I told her that the only thing that was ever mentioned about my gall bladder was one morning when I was in the hospital back in October, during shift change I had over heard the nurses going over my chart and the one nurse saying they had done an ultrasound of my kidneys and everything looked normal but they did find cholelithiasis. I had asked her what that was and she said "gallstones". I hadn't given it much thought as none of the doctors had mentioned it and the only thing I knew about gall bladder attacks were stories of severe pain. I didn't' have that so gallstones never crossed my mind.<br />
February of 2015 I made an appointment with the doctor again. As it turns out there was a new doctor in the practice and I was to see her that day - probably the best thing that has happened to me in five years! After a thorough exam and lots of questions she ordered all my blood work to be redone again because it hadn't been done again since the first week of December to make sure my creatine levels stayed down after reaching the normal level. During that appointment I asked her if there was anything in my chart about the gall stones. After looking through everything she did find it. It was like a little light went on.... she nodded her head and said "I bet that is your problem. I wonder why no one ever mentioned it before?" Remember the only one who ever mentioned it was the nurse, thank you Paula!<br />
March 13th, 2015 I had my gallbladder removed. I had a few issues with digestion for a couple months following surgery but I feel SO much better. No more general sickness, or heart racing issues. I was still having a lot of sinus issues during 2015 and still had fluid behind my right ear drum no matter what we did. I still got dizzy occasionally, probably due to the fluid, but nothing like I had been through in the last five years.<br />
In mid November 2015 I got a horrible toothache and abscess in my lower jaw - in a molar that had been capped at least 20 years ago. I was put on antibiotics but couldn't get in to see the dentist until mid December. The antibiotics cleared up the infection and also seemed to help my ear issue a little. On December 18th I had two, bottom right, teeth extracted. The capped molar and the molar behind it, that had been broken off at the gum for many years. During that appointment I also asked the dentist about starting the process of getting upper dentures. All of my top molars are broken off at the gum line. There are only six teeth left, on top, that are not broken off. One of those is a root canal that was done eleven years ago and I can feel that it is badly worn. Now that I've done more research on root canals I wish I'd never had them (I have two total) done in the first place.<br />
The dentist told me I have two options for my upper teeth. Either fix up the remaining six teeth, which all have issues, and get a partial or pull them all and get a top denture plate. He also told me that even if I fixed up my remaining teeth and got a partial they would probably only last another five years - yeah, they are that bad! <br />
I'm thinking these bad teeth are a big part of all the sinus and ear problems - not to mention the high platelet counts that I've been having these past few years. Did I mention the platelet counts? No. I think I forgot that, but yeah there is that too. It has started to come down since having those two bottom teeth taken out so hopefully that continues. I'm feeling so much better than I was a year ago but I'm still not where I want to be. My mouth doesn't really hurt but I sometimes have a lot of ... what should I say? Kind of like pressure, maybe. It feels almost like I have something stuck between them, but I don't even have any teeth there to have something between. Does that make any sense? No, probably not. The teeth never hurt when they broke off either. I'd be chewing something and, pop, there went part of my tooth. I'm guessing I've lost about one a year for the last ten years. Even when I did have dental insurance it wasn't enough to cover what needed to be done to fix them. They weren't really hurting so I just kept putting it off. So here I am almost 41 and getting top dentures. I've kind of known my whole adult life that this was coming and should have done it at least six or seven years ago.<br />
So, yeah, this is the start of a new journey... I'll try to keep ya posted.<br />
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<a href="http://seldomseenacres.blogspot.com/2010_01_26_archive.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #cc0000;">Six years ago today</span></a></h4>
Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-18855460860472242542015-10-01T22:11:00.000-04:002015-10-01T22:11:21.538-04:00Thursday, October 1st.<div style="margin-bottom: 0in;">
There are days I get the feeling T thinks I've sat around doing basically nothing while he has been at work all day. Today I've decided to track my hours.... or at least attempt to.<br />
<br />
6:20 a.m. - Alarm goes off.... of
course I push the snooze button. Did you really think I was a 'jump
out of bed on the first alarm' kind of girl? If so, you are so
wrong!<br />
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6:30 a.m. - Wake up. Take a few minutes to get out of
bed, let the dog out, & see if Z
is awake.<br />
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6:50 a.m. - Go see if Z is awake & realize I
should have come in a few minutes earlier. He is still sleeping
pretty soundly! Ugh. I don't like mornings like this. The last few
days he's been awake when I got up. I like those days better than
having to force him out of bed.<br />
<br />
7:10 a.m. - Z is finally on
his feet and out of his room! Once he is up, getting him to get
dressed and ready doesn't take long. Good thing because the bus will
be here by 7:30. He likes to eat lunch at school so most mornings he
wont eat anything here.<br />
<br />
7:27 a.m. - Bus is here. K is out of
bed and running out to tell Z “Good-bye” to which I have to reign
him back in because he is in his underwear, no pants. As soon as he
realizes it he hurries to shut the door “we don't want them seeing
my undies”. No, K, we don't want them seeing you in your
undies!<br />
<br />
7:30 to 7:45 a.m. - K and I take the papers out to
burn. Today is garbage pick up day, so we set that out by the road
too. He is such a good helper – when he wants to be! <br />
<br />
During
the time we were taking garbage out the big trucks from Hoffman's Farm
started coming in. Must be they are going to cut the corn in the
field behind Mom's house this morning. <br />
<br />
7:45 to 8:30 a.m. -
Fed the dogs. turned the eggs that are in the incubator. Now it is time
to feed the outside critters. We started with the quail then moved
on to the rabbits. We had just started watering the rabbits who are penned
outside the barn when K headed for the house saying he was cold. He
had shorts and a long sleeve shirt on but that wasn't enough on a
morning when its a damp 47°. He never did return to help me. When
I got back into the house he was sitting at the counter eating a can
of peaches that he had opened all by himself. I guess it only makes
sense – If I have to feed the furred and feathered critters, the
kidlet must be hungry too.<br />
<br />
8:30 to 9:00 a.m. - Clean up all
of the toys that are scattered around the house. Not sure how we
didn't get to this last evening before bed, but that isn't anything
unusual. Sweep the floors. Then go back over the living room and
dining room floors with the vacuum. K points out how much more dirt
went into the vacuum canister even though I had just swept a lot up
with the broom. I explain – again – if he and his brother would
take their shoes and boots off as soon as the come in from outside
there wouldn't be as much dirt on our floors each day. I swear it is
a challenge for them, every day. To see who can track in the most
dirt and mud. No worries, boys, your dad has you beat - hands down!<br />
<br />
9:00 a.m. - I sat down to have a cup of coffee
and check my email....”Somehow” I ended up on Facebook.<br />
<br />
9:25
a.m. - I realize the time and decided I better get moving. I still
haven't eaten, but that can wait.<br />
<br />
9:30 to 10:00 a.m. - I
cleaned cat litter boxes while K started to empty the dishwasher. I
don't remember what distracted me but I didn't get back to help K.
Then all of the sudden I heard Whiskey (the outside dog) barking and
I realize that I hadn't taken him out by the barn. I like to do that
so he doesn't scare 'my extra kids' who are coming for the day and
their mother. Whiskey normally likes everyone but for some
reason does not like they kids' mom. He was barking because the other
kids are here. I ended up just bringing him through the house and
onto the back porch while for now.<br />
<br />
10:15 a.m. - Its time for K
to start getting ready for school. He is in the afternoon Pre-K class
so my Mom will be coming to pick him up soon. She gives him a ride to
school on the days that I watch the other kids.<br />
<br />
10:40 a.m. -
“K you need to get out of the tub. Its time to go”. Typical day.
He doesn't want to get a bath but then once I get him in the tub he
doesn't want to get out. <br />
Get him out of the tub, start getting
him dressed and … Oh NO! … I still haven't packed his lunch!.. I
know, I've had all morning, what seems to be the problem? … I throw
something together really quick while Mom is helping him get his
socks, shoes and coat on.<br />
<br />
10:50 a.m. - K and Mom are out the
door. They have twenty minutes until he has to be at the school door. Good
thing they only have three miles to go. <br />
<br />
10:50 to 11:45 a.m. -
I spent this time reading to, redirecting and playing with the 1, 2,
& 3 year old kiddos. <br />
<br />
11:45 a.m. - The three Littles were all so
chilled out this morning, I was about to lose them all to naps so I
decided I better start lunch before they all fall asleep. Normally
we don't do lunch until around 12:30 but today they are all extra
tired or something. The three year old sounds like she has a cold so
maybe that is why she's tired today.<br />
<br />
12:00 to 1 p.m. - Lunch
for the kiddos. I folded a load of laundry while they were eating.
Got them all down for naps. Cleaned up from lunch.<br />
<br />
1 p.m. - I
ate lunch and spent some time catching up on emails and a few bloggers who I follow.<br />
<br />
1:30 p.m. - Got a package of
burger (just delivered to us last night) from the freezer, for
tonight's dinner. The beef was raised on my land. The owner has cows
but no land, I have land and not enough animals to eat all of the
grass. This works out well for all of us.<br />
Changed out the laundry,
and put a load of towels into the washer. How does a family of four
use SO many towels and wash clothes?<br />
<br />
1:45 p.m. - Started
writing this blog post. There are hundreds of things I should be
doing, other than this, right now but there are three sleeping kiddos
in my house so … Shhh.<br />I did manage to finish the job that K had started.... I emptied the dishwasher and then refilled it.<br />
<br />
3:00 p.m. - How is it possible that its time to wake up the Littles! The older kids will be home soon.<br />
<br />3:30ish - 7:00 p.m. - Three crazy hungry kids get off the bus.<br />
The other kids were picked up.<br />
I made dinner. Everyone ate dinner.<br />
I had Z practice his spelling words for tomorrow's test then K and I went out to start feeding animals, while Z watched tv with his dad.<br />
I still have not located the crested ducks that we let out of their pen last week. I saw them one or two times after letting them out. I'm not sure if my pekin male has chased them all off or if something has eaten them. While feeding the buck goats I see that there is a white duck sitting in the pasture, all by itself. I sent K to herd or carry it back. He was a little leery at first because I've been telling him all summer to never go in the pasture because the bulls were in there. The bulls were sent to freezer camp last week, but K forgot that and was like "Mom, the bull will come get me". Poor little guy. I had to remind him they were no longer here. But I'm glad he knew to question me. He ended up carrying the duck to the fence and I carried it the rest of the way back to it's pen. It is very thin. I don't think its been eating or drinking for a few days. We looked around but still can't see the rest of them. There were five crested, two pekin, a black and white Swedish, and a grey and white Swedish. Maybe they've become coyote dinner.<br />Just as K and I were finishing up chores we heard the coyotes start howling not far away (at the base of the hill) and K got scared and decided he was going in the house. I have to admit they give me the heebie-jeebies too.<br /><br />7:00 to 7:35 p.m. - Bedtime routine for Z and K.<br />
<br />
7:45 p.m. - Remember the load of towels are still in the washer... guess I better empty the dryer and fold those clothes so I can dry the towels.<br />
<br />
8:15 p.m. - Get a call from my mother saying she forgot she has an appoint and can't take K to school tomorrow. Now I have to figure out how I'm getting K to school tomorrow, or will he just stay home with me and the other kids for the day.<br /><br />9:09 p.m. - Are you kidding me!?! The towels still have not made it into the dryer! I'm going to do that right now. As tired as I am I should go to bed, but anyone who knows me well, knows I'll still be awake a few hours from now.<br /><br /><br /><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-30518832799097895542015-09-30T17:15:00.000-04:002015-10-01T22:24:30.425-04:00THE BEST - Homemade BBQ SauceHave I ever mentioned that I may never buy barbecue sauce again? Well, let me just say I'm convinced I'll never be happy with the flavor of any store bought concoction [BBQ sauce] again! <br />
<br />
Early in my Pinterst days I came across <a href="http://kristineldridge.com/blog/in-the-kitchen/pulled-pork-with-homemade-bbq-sauce-in-the-kitchen/" target="_blank">this BBQ Sauce recipe</a>. It may been my very first pin, but even if it wasn't it is such a great recipe that it should have been!Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-4704553650505091142014-06-26T10:05:00.002-04:002014-06-26T10:05:54.165-04:00Public Notice<div class="text_exposed_root text_exposed" id="id_53ac283cb2c553799899112">
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"><br /> If you are driving by a residence and think you see an animal that is injured or cant get up, or needs help in some way. PLEASE stop and notify the owner of the animal or at the very least (if the owner is not around) check the animal yourself to see if it actually is in need of help. Please don't just drive by and call animal control! <br /> First off, if that animal is truly in need of <span class="text_exposed_hide">...</span><span class="text_exposed_show">help it will most likely be dead by the time animal control can get here, three and a half days later.<br /> So if you really want to help animals - then help the animal - don't call someone else to check on it because it will be days (especially in this area) before an officer will get here.<br /> IF you are calling to report an animal with an injury that is completely healed and the animal is getting around fine - then you are too late... don't bother calling animal control.<br /> IF you are just trying to be a spiteful ass - don't bother - you are wasting everyone's time and precious resources that could have gone to helping animals who are truly in need of help!<br /> IF you are driving by my farm and see a few animals with leg issues - YES, I do own three animals who have all had leg injuries and they were all under vet care until they healed. Two of which I did not even own at the time of the injuries. I was contacted and asked if I would give these animals a home because the owner was moving out of state and couldn't take them with her. She couldn't find a home for them and did not want send them to a shelter because she feared they would just be put down because of their disabilities and low adoptability.<br /> I've had several people call me or email me asking me if I could please take their animals because they know how we take care of our animals, and love them. Do you think I'd get those kind of calls if I mistreated my animals?????</span></span></div>
Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-44294024018121376572014-05-27T22:59:00.003-04:002014-05-27T23:12:06.840-04:00If ever you have to fall ...When I left the house to make my final rounds for the evening, to check the animals, I was not expecting what was to come in the next few minutes!<br />
<br />
Let me just say, if ever there is a time when you have to fall, I mean like there is seriously no way of avoiding it kind of thing, pray for the following things...<br />
#1. a soft landing!<br />
#2 that no one is around to witness or more importantly... take pictures!<br />
#3 that no other humans or animals are injured during your escapade!<br />
#4 that you are NOT in the middle of a messy duck pen and right next to the plastic kiddie pool the ducks use as their pond.<br />
#5 that the wind didn't blow hard enough at that one direction, today, to blow the pilot on the hot water tank out. <br />
#6 that you have some really nice soap available to wash your smelly self with.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6RVeTcqAYk-wW12xLELsCgMEpTbIpvo2zN0FNBFy_6kP9mA9Md1c8D7wZCdaYOvoxyAIwTO3YjObCZGxn8J9Zuijx6oGGOul7v2Id-OoOML6I2L4OiURMhY9F7cd7AWjsUqT/s1600/2013-08-23+blue+swedish+ducks+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjI6RVeTcqAYk-wW12xLELsCgMEpTbIpvo2zN0FNBFy_6kP9mA9Md1c8D7wZCdaYOvoxyAIwTO3YjObCZGxn8J9Zuijx6oGGOul7v2Id-OoOML6I2L4OiURMhY9F7cd7AWjsUqT/s1600/2013-08-23+blue+swedish+ducks+-+Copy.JPG" height="287" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The same pool only more 'mud' around it, but not the actual ducks involved in this incident. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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No, my friends, THAT is not really what I had in mind when I left the house two hours ago! I really thought it was going to be just a nice quiet little trek to the barn. Check to make sure everyone was in their proper pens and shut the doors, gates, etc. Come back in, and finish my evening routine.<br />
Have you ever heard about those little things call 'the best laid plans'? Yeah, you got it, they rarely work out well for me either.<br />
<br />
Oh, and as for the prayers being answered? Well.... <br />
#1 Answered. I landed in a mixture of about two inches of slimy duck poo and mud. And as if that wasn't soft enough? My arm and elbow landed on the edge of the plastic pool which proceeded to empty all around me and make the ground a LOT softer, and slimier<br />
It was a lot better landing than those rocks, that are scattered throughout the enclosure, would have been.<br />
#2 Answered! Not a soul (except the ducks) in sight. And an added bonus ... it was completely dark outside... so not even my mother (who lives across the road) could have seen, even if she had been sitting at her dining room table. And honestly, I don't think the poor ducks saw much - if any - of the landing... they were too busy running for their lives. Which brings me to prayer #3.<br />
#3 Answered! I somehow avoided any serious injury as did the ducks. I'm sure I'll be sore and maybe even a bit bruised tomorrow but hopefully not too worse for wear.<br />
#4 Let me just say God has a really odd sense of humor some days! :) <br />
#5 Answered! There was plenty of hot water when I got back to the house, so I could get a hot shower ASAP. Maybe I should also mention that everyone in the house was sleeping, so I didn't even have to worry about them seeing me in such a state.<br />
#6 Answered! There hasn't been a shortage of nice smelling, skin loving, goat milk soap in my house since I learned the art of making handmade soaps about 14 years ago.Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-2603425022631656812014-05-26T10:26:00.000-04:002014-05-26T10:35:42.588-04:00Our Fire Pit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Our latest project. We scavenged some old blocks from a pile that has been out in the weather so long it was all covered in moss. Too bad the moss wont survive the heat of the fires we plan to have, I really like the look of it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU41u3icm7lxXBZM9Hi9I963AZKpHXG3g_fi9IKh-g0QG8x-E0gMdWpxkxw4bsE-LojvzUDCHRqIGvT8JfBX_0y-RAwu2NwVitTodbpEJW9SJS4cu4XkMXsyzACMRPZpfMHlPJ/s1600/2014-05-25+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU41u3icm7lxXBZM9Hi9I963AZKpHXG3g_fi9IKh-g0QG8x-E0gMdWpxkxw4bsE-LojvzUDCHRqIGvT8JfBX_0y-RAwu2NwVitTodbpEJW9SJS4cu4XkMXsyzACMRPZpfMHlPJ/s1600/2014-05-25+001.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTC726OObmXQGoiTm47xg_OOxD68j3EqH-AR3bs-oeK8PgO9nYC6_jMnIU9WJliuwDO5XfJt7Xzmx2pu-Pe1K8gAQUnTxiSE5SX9C3O8mDPX9m7IP-y_kUqyfQZstbuXs2850/s1600/2014-05-25+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDTC726OObmXQGoiTm47xg_OOxD68j3EqH-AR3bs-oeK8PgO9nYC6_jMnIU9WJliuwDO5XfJt7Xzmx2pu-Pe1K8gAQUnTxiSE5SX9C3O8mDPX9m7IP-y_kUqyfQZstbuXs2850/s1600/2014-05-25+012.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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This was the view while sitting by the fire the first night.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHV8UHzvoO7iwukFqJb7qnuP5FfCCKTJkex8BxuKYQpVCcbkDUIh4bEj1WTk3mSUpR2T_TwulCeGS5_YLxdF7gkL0R5uBoKxBVAS2tgYZKUTMDcjtjms5-hpQr2zWtu4eQLnF/s1600/2014-05-25+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbHV8UHzvoO7iwukFqJb7qnuP5FfCCKTJkex8BxuKYQpVCcbkDUIh4bEj1WTk3mSUpR2T_TwulCeGS5_YLxdF7gkL0R5uBoKxBVAS2tgYZKUTMDcjtjms5-hpQr2zWtu4eQLnF/s1600/2014-05-25+016.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vkuL_H4amViL9Sd57KaKFUE09FNDRhduUqArcojvU-HMxwu8oliLmR7JmTLG8WfSb_Hemk1l8pxpInY3YZqY5MSDAyctBaGVcFaQa4_KIRW-PflNFi_a3pZnuu4ubegbcb7y/s1600/2014-05-25+022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0vkuL_H4amViL9Sd57KaKFUE09FNDRhduUqArcojvU-HMxwu8oliLmR7JmTLG8WfSb_Hemk1l8pxpInY3YZqY5MSDAyctBaGVcFaQa4_KIRW-PflNFi_a3pZnuu4ubegbcb7y/s1600/2014-05-25+022.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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There were no pictures of our first meal cooked on the fire but the boys sure did enjoy the hot dogs. Of course, they kept reminding Grandma that "the cookies and marshmallows are for after we eat", just like she is the one who couldn't wait to break into them... LOLSeldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-77792038726161146982014-05-16T12:21:00.003-04:002014-05-16T12:21:44.306-04:00Where is my camera when I need it most?I really need to start carrying my camera everywhere I go....<br />I just went to check on everyone in the barn and it seemed awfully quiet in there. I found Red in her pen all by herself. The piglets were nowhere to be seen. The goats were all out in the pasture, except the new baby who was in his pen napping. I figured the piglets were out rooting in the mud out back, but when I went to look I couldn't find them. Decided to fill the hay feeders for the goats and guess who I found sleeping in the goat pen, under the hay feeder? Yep, all 13 piglets were stacked up like cord wood sound asleep under the feeder.Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-12083311120290351592014-05-15T15:35:00.002-04:002014-05-15T15:37:45.746-04:00Throwback Thursday...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodr3l7KmRvSQ-UBpSiWbd6Ih17xk53jryAF5KMYVdAZopCLL66I8muxJSDimnRFPZzMNk-0qH-jG4Qg3Pq8jzsiBi9yyiQBINb_82fWTNgXIgIKS3sZXXJROgK5f7ofvDF-63/s1600/Amie&Goat1979+green+writing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiodr3l7KmRvSQ-UBpSiWbd6Ih17xk53jryAF5KMYVdAZopCLL66I8muxJSDimnRFPZzMNk-0qH-jG4Qg3Pq8jzsiBi9yyiQBINb_82fWTNgXIgIKS3sZXXJROgK5f7ofvDF-63/s1600/Amie&Goat1979+green+writing.jpg" height="383" width="400" /></a></div>
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A picture of me, and one of the goats we had at the time ( I think her name was Gena), in 1979. I was 4 years old and already in love with goats.</div>
<br />Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-9204650272802756772014-05-14T15:09:00.000-04:002014-05-15T23:09:39.452-04:00Wordless Wednesday<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6jSlW68YS7qA4PbppTz4n3lBDQL6JSfHfQwbVlFOZedABn0BNYIFdMS5Glqhyphenhyphen2ImefA3BTUWIx8fIxbvo7a_l267n0511CwxHMuISeJQZkvwxFgSM__ZmvbtOzsl2YDslpzAp/s1600/2014-05-09+Keith's+dirty+feet+-+Copy.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6jSlW68YS7qA4PbppTz4n3lBDQL6JSfHfQwbVlFOZedABn0BNYIFdMS5Glqhyphenhyphen2ImefA3BTUWIx8fIxbvo7a_l267n0511CwxHMuISeJQZkvwxFgSM__ZmvbtOzsl2YDslpzAp/s1600/2014-05-09+Keith's+dirty+feet+-+Copy.JPG" height="400" width="351" /></a></div>
<br />Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8434970.post-65062538798459359342014-05-13T14:44:00.000-04:002014-05-15T23:10:04.140-04:00The one and only baby goat for the year...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I was not expecting him until around the 21st and until the 16th at the very earliest. He was born on April 10th. According to the breeding date he was born at 139 days gestation. The gestation period for goats is generally from 145 to 155 days with an average
of 150 days.</div>
This little fella is small but otherwise doing okay. He needed a little help eating for the first couple of days but he's becoming a pro now and I believe he will do fine. His Mama (Bubbles) is very protective and wont let him out of her sight. If by chance he is out of her sight, she makes quite a fuss, and is she ever noisy.... if I didn't know better I'd think she was full nubian, not just part nubian. I've lovingly nicknamed her Bellering Bubbles. (Is bellering or should it be bellowing?... hmmm.. I pronounce it beller so that is what I'm going with.)<br />
So, here is a picture of the new baby, only minutes old.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ae9VOo9cFug-uR27g6ZFB2ZugvbKQkTmFC81CTlNEoXuRWpKadrAKmn0JUIBr3VZAe3mhNnAcWbHnmKxc_-ekccDTv28VAxWnMucjdLvNjzu1JB-PLnlBpo7hccfji9gXqIo/s1600/2014-05-10+Bubbles+and+her+first+baby+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9ae9VOo9cFug-uR27g6ZFB2ZugvbKQkTmFC81CTlNEoXuRWpKadrAKmn0JUIBr3VZAe3mhNnAcWbHnmKxc_-ekccDTv28VAxWnMucjdLvNjzu1JB-PLnlBpo7hccfji9gXqIo/s1600/2014-05-10+Bubbles+and+her+first+baby+(2).JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBeD39LtcvLPlLvqI1micbsEEnz7tJqL6yKTeonhb9FqowD_MdROwnXikpaQDYkP3LN_yY4srQKGuxfuJwSyD0GpqYTLhImmAPE197nlYjljTChoMnVRQZrW-9nzVRP6-tR3Qo/s1600/2014-05-10+Bubbles+and+her+first+baby+(5).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBeD39LtcvLPlLvqI1micbsEEnz7tJqL6yKTeonhb9FqowD_MdROwnXikpaQDYkP3LN_yY4srQKGuxfuJwSyD0GpqYTLhImmAPE197nlYjljTChoMnVRQZrW-9nzVRP6-tR3Qo/s1600/2014-05-10+Bubbles+and+her+first+baby+(5).JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
As soon as my 5 year old saw him he said he was going to name him Happy Feet. That seem appropiate for a baby goat, their feet are always on the move.Seldom Seenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16794335784084113093noreply@blogger.com0