Well....

that didn't take long! This morning when I let the chickens out somebody was crowing! It's my kind-a ugly grey and orange olive egger hen. So much for waiting on her green eggs. I'm actually glad she's a boy. Mrs. Winnie, my only easter egger is one of my original hens and she is getting old. I hatched out two of her babies this Spring both were female both have orange legs instead of greeny grey so I'm guessing they will lay brown eggs. So now that Mr. hen is a boy I could actually get some real easter eggers out of Mrs. Winnie! Since he just now found his crow, it might be awhile before he figures out his man bits. I'm just happy to have a rooster again!

My not very good looking boy! That one tail feather had me wondering if she was a he for a few weeks now :)

A very young Mrs. Winnie! Love that girl
 

Happy/Sad Day

Today my little brother got to go home from the hospital. He had viral meningitis which he got from his kids daycare. He had a horrible headache, couldn't stand lights, and was completely miserable for about a week. We aren't very close, (because of something stupid that happened about seven years ago) but I love him and want him to be healthy and happy, so I'm glad he's better. I also have several broody hens sitting on eggs and today found a baby chick in a nest that three of the crazy broads were sitting in :/ I'm pretty sure my chicken total will double over the next few weeks. Don't get Cochin's unless you want babies. Lots and lots of babies they love to sit on eggs. Even the half breeds!

The baby chick is the happy part of my day. The sad part is one of my free range baby bunnies has apparently hurt it's back and is now dragging it's back legs. This makes me cry (again) just to type it :'( I held the little cutie and bawled my eyes out tonight. I can tell it's not going to live much longer. I'm not sure what happened to it but it's very sad :( Mrs. Ellie it's mamma is the best mamma bunny ever and she is so loving to the little thing.

On the garden front, I'm throwing in the towel on the squash. The bugs win yet again this year! I have spent hours hand picking the nasty little turds off the plants and they are still destroying it. I think aphids have gotten out of control on my cantaloupe plants. The lady bugs are all over it but the underside of the leaves are full of bugs. I really don't like using chemicals on my garden so this is going to take some research and lots of work to save them :/

This weekend my kids are headed to the panhandle to visit my sister, swim, and ride horses. They leave in the morning so I need to get them packed up. It will be a nice break but I will worry and miss them while they are gone. I need to finish up their laundry and guess what! I haven't done a ding dong dish today. Yeah, I hate dishes that bad, lol!!!!!!

I hate my job!

I have nothing exciting to post besides my job sucks! I LOVE being able to stay home and garden, play with animals, sew, crochet, all that fun stuff BUT the house cleaning, laundry and dishes are for the birds! I literally spent FIVE hours cleaning my kitchen today! You would think in five hours the oven would be cleaned, the floors mopped, cabinets cleaned out, and all the crusty gunk from behind the appliances gone. Nope it took five hours just to get caught up on all the stuff I haven't done lately. I'm lucky to have the hubs. He's adjusted to our new way of life, which is pretty much a dirty house and he hasn't fired me, yet ;)

Well that's my boring post for the day. How many days are left? I will try to liven it up before I take my July hiatus from blogging so I can get my whole house clean :))))

Silence of the Yard

This is the first time in years that I didn't wake up to a roosters crow................I'm not sure how I feel about this :/

The chicken pen is calm (too calm). The hens will have time to regrow their missing feathers and won't look like a flock of mangy mutts. I have two hens that have dirty behinds probably from being oversexed :/ they are getting baths today. Those roosters would really piss me off with their aggressive lovin' so my anger issues are gone while visiting the chickens but the silence, good grief it's quiet. This will take some getting used to. It doesn't feel like a farm without rooster noises. Hopefully the baby roosters find their voice soon and end this silence of the yard...........

Chiggers, mosquitos, and flies oh my!!!!!

I rebated my swarm traps yesterday and got chiggers around my ankles. My whole body is ate up with mosquito bites and the flies. Good grief the flies! Why didn't I put these sticky strips up weeks ago!!!!!

One day after hanging this up :/

Worked in the garden tonight and watched one of my free range baby bunnies eat tons of green bean buds, ugghhhh, not cute!

We butchered three roosters this weekend and tonight our neighbors buddy (funny fellow) came and got the other five. So in the morning my girls/hens will have a much needed break! I'm super happy about this! Some of my hens are missing tons of feathers on their backs and it looks like it hurts. I hope they heal up before the baby roo's grow up to be little buttheads.

I haven't been able to see blogs on my computer. It took a major dump last night and kinda crashed, so my lack of commenting isn't intentional. I just can't see your posts. Sorry :(

My beehive

Got my beehive painted today. I still need a bottom board and a top for it so I'm planning on visiting my beekeeping buddy this week :)

Rabbit hides part deux

Yesterday I finally got the hides washed. Hung them on a clothesline outside since they still kinda smelled funny. Today I started working them. I am covered in fur, some of them have bald spots but I'm so in love with these furs, bald spots and all, they are beautiful. I'm also very proud of myself for getting through the whole process without barfing :)



Hanging on the line. Two of my compost bins in the background. Yes I have more than two. There is a lot of oopy around here lol! Notice the rabbits feet. Hubby wanted to save them. I'm sure I will end up making them into keychains or something gross, lol! Fun fact only the left hind foot is lucky :)

three done three to go see the bald spots in the black one :/

soft and purty :)

Bullfrog

My neighbor has a giant bullfrog in his pond. It sounds like a bull. I guess that's how they got their name :)))))
Have a great weekend ya'll!

Stupid goat

My baby goat Darcy used to snuggle in my lap when I would milk her mamma. Now the little $!#%head likes to play ram the lady with the milk bucket. I no more walk in and the head butting starts. I usually try to wrestle her down with my leg but now I just milk with one hand and put a choke hold on her with the other. Yesterday she got the best of me and rammed my knee cap. It hurt all day. I'm thinking she's going to be tied up while I'm milking Mrs. Lady. She won't like it, but I'm sick of my legs being black and blue. Glad the little turd doesn't have horns :/

Not sure about morning glories.......

but I am sure that the Wonderberry is a pain in the butt! LAST YEAR I had four plants in the big garden. The baby chickens that were able to get through the chicken wire enjoyed their fair share of the berries. They were very tedious to pick, the berries were also so small and chock full of seeds they weren't that good. Yesterday I pulled weeds from my herb garden (which is a few feet from the big garden) and noticed a Wonderberry plant amongst the lemon balm. It had blooms and berries all over it. Then in my big garden I realize they are EVERYWHERE. I guess I've been so obsessed with killing squash bugs I haven't really looked around. I have several quarts of berries frozen from last years harvest. My plan was to make wine with them. The nutty flavor of the berry would probably make a fine red wine. I need to get it made so maybe next Summer I will be glad they are popping up everywhere :)

The Wonderberry plant nestled amongst my green beans. Something is eating the leaves on all the plants in the garden but it's still producing like crazy :/

Garden fence

Our neighbors son is mentally off and is a bit of a pervert so last year we put up privacy fence to block our swimming pool from his creepy eyes. This year we made a garden fence. The hubs found a curved tree to border it and I'm in love with this new garden. I planted cucumbers on both ends, sugar snap peas for the little one, she loves to eat the peas straight off the plant. Birdhouse gourds which I guess squash bugs really like, GREAT :/ Morning glories and moon flowers in the center. After all that work to build a permanent garden fence we bought a used above ground pool for next year that won't even fit there, lol!!! So I'm thinking about making a new half circle garden where the pool usually goes so the garden will be growing again next year :))))

For Sunnybrook an up close picture of my morning glories :)

Fathers Day

Happy Fathers Day to all you dads, step dads, grandpa's and great grandpa's out there :))))

My eight year old found this project on Pinterest. My 13 year old cut the ties out. My eight year old organized the ties how she wanted them to go and printed out the letters. My 17 and 13 year olds cut the letters out. Then my eight year old glued them on the ties. On her way to grandma's she told me to finish it up for her. So mamma hole punched and ran yarn through the ties and hung them on the mantle. What a project lol!!!!!

Have a great day fella's!

Sexy time

It seems roosters aren't the only one's that get extra loving at dusk. Since I didn't have the kids last night and I was in no hurry to cook dinner, I went to the garden to battle the squash bugs. Killed 10 real quick. The funny thing was they were paired up/mating. So if you have a squash bug problem, forget supper (or have it real early or real late) and get out there about 7 and getcha two squash bugs in one whack ;))))

My day.......

was pretty uneventful. Tried helping my teenage daughter sew up a skirt (for about 3 hours) on her horrible sewing machine that we got her for Christmas. I hate Wal-Mart, China, and all the junk that is sold these days!!! Finally busted out my sewing machine and she went to work. By that time I was done :/ Went outside to pull weeds in my raised beds. Battled a scorpion (and won) and saw this little cutie in my asparagus bed

held it for about 30 minutes until the hubs came home. We found what looks to be it's nest in the raised bed, so I put it back to wait for mamma to come feed it.

My MIL called to see if my little one wanted to stay the night and of course she did. The two older girls were headed to their dads this afternoon so this mamma has a much need night off, whoo hoo! Now I'm off to do my chores, have a great night ya'll!

Squash bugs and roosters!

I love your comments on my posts. I really enjoy reading them throughout the day. I just haven't had time to reply. This blog a day is time consuming but fun. Every day I try to visit other blogs and leave comments too. Thank you for taking the time to read my ramblings :))))

I had been asked how many chickens I have. My kids say 100! I haven't really done a head count since the last time we lost some, so I tried to count them during a chicken scratch frenzy......... I think I'm close to 50???? I also thought I had my two older roosters and just four new cockerels, for a total of six roosters. Wrong!!! While doing my count the four cockerels turned into five and then last night during horny hour (that is the time right before bed when the roosters go on a humping spree) I realize one chicken that I thought was a hen is actually a roo! What!!!! So now I have eight roosters :///
When people that live in town buy or I give them chicks, I tell them whatever roosters they have in the bunch just put them for free on Craigslist. It's an easy way to get rid of them. I have always said it will be a cold day in hell before I give away my grown roosters/food. Well hell hasn't frozen over, but my time is limited, my freezers are full, and these roosters are driving me nuts! At least four of these guys will be put up for free, gasp, and hopefully some sort of peace will return to the chicken yard!

The squash bug battle has started. I lost my first plant a couple weeks ago. The rain seemed to keep the bastards at bay for awhile but now that the sun is back so are they. I don't know when I started squishing eggs and picking up bugs with no gloves on (probably when I started pulling fat off rabbit hides) but I'm no longer squeamish of the bugs and I'm on a mission to kill :))))

Shoooweeee

About a week ago we butchered five rabbits. I like to save the hides. I have this vision of making myself a rabbit fur purse/bag for Winter. I cooled the hides in cold water as soon as they came of the critter. I might have left them in just cool water over night since it was late when we finally got the bunnies butchered and put in the fridge. The next day I mixed up my tanning solution in clean room temperature water. Rinsed off the hides and put them in my redneck washing machine. A bucket with a hole in the lid where I put a dollar store plunger in and agitate the hides :))))) The bucket was in the kitchen because it was soo hot outside and the solution needs to be around 70* and agitated twice a day. I usually leave them in 24 hours then flesh the fat off. I think it was a day or two later when I found time to flesh them. I had already smelled what was brewing in the bucket when I would agitate them, gag! So Friday night after cleaning maggots out of the barn, scraping pee out of rabbit hutches, and cleaning up a nest box where a broody had stepped on an egg and the unborn chick was squished and stinkin' up to high heaven. I opened the bucket..........Nasty! I somehow managed not to barf and got two hides fleshed. I went in showered and that night in bed questioned what in the world I was doing. Saturday was my anniversary, since I had done a thorough job of cleaning the day before I just did minimal chores and avoided all things gross. Sunday I decided to finish my job. The hubs was in his shop piddling around cleaning up this and that. I brought out some paper towels laid them on his desk and opened the bucket. GAG!!!!! I discussed just throwing them out, the smell was too much, but like a true weirdo I carried on. The hubs came by one time and said he was going to go take a crap on my table, put a dead rat on it, and smear it around because that's what it smelled like I did to his desk, lol! One time he walked back in the shop and said "Hey why don't you go outside for about three minutes, come back in and realize you want to slap your spouse". Yep the smell was that bad. He eventually got a fan going behind me and blew some of the stench out the door. It didn't take too long to get the last three done, they had been in the solution so long the fat was coming off almost in one piece. I rinsed the bucket out refilled the solution for the next round and then went to rinse the stinky pelts. The fur was slipping :/  My neighbor laughed and said "you might just end up with chamois". These guys are comedians. I have a couple more days of them sitting in the solution before I shampoo them and hang them to dry. Fingers crossed I didn't ruin them. Once I get this fabulous bunny bag made I will just throw the future bun skins in the freezer and pull them out when I know I have time to work them. Like in the Winter :)

Suck muck :p

I love the rain. We need it. It's filling up the pond and watering the garden but..........

 

This is the corner of one of my chicken coops. Walking around the pen is dangerous. I might slip and fall into the poop soup that has been created. It stinks up the whole back yard too. I feel sorry for the chickens, they have decided to be ducks lately and brave the wet weather.

This disgusting slop is under the rabbit hutches. It has a totally different nasty smell and has become a breeding ground for a million gnats. I've been worried the buns will suffocate from the gnats. I've sprayed once and worried the spray would hurt the buns. I squish as many as I can twice a day. I'm ready for this to dry out again. I put lime down once but it rained the next day so it was gone.

The goat barn isn't as wet but everything is moist. The humidity has kept the hay and the free choice minerals damp. The rain made it impossible to clean for awhile and when it finally dried out enough that I could bring the wheel barrow over, the flies were insane!!! Thousands of them. When I peeled back the layer of moist straw which the goats had peed and pooed all over because it's been raining. I found maggots. Tons of them. It made me sick! I'm trying to keep the barn just dirt floor so it doesn't become a breeding ground for flies AGAIN but my goats love to pull their hay and fling it on the ground :/ My baby goat had scours Friday and I'm sure it was from the flies. I felt so bad but how the heck are you supposed to get anything done in this suck muck!!!!!

Friday's maggots, gnats, suck muck, and rabbit fleshing (that's a whole different post) had me questioning what the hell am I doing. This is nasty and not a normal life for a woman. Is it even worth it?

Then the baby goat, whose scours only lasted a day cuddles me. I get to look at my free range bunnies running around the yard and see mamma hens with their babies. Yep, it's worth it :))))

Lunch with a fellow blogger :))))))

Today, Carolyn from http://krazoacres.blogspot.com/ came to a town near where I live. So we met at a greasy spoon for some lunch. She took a picture. I don't think she's home yet but she will post it. I hate having my picture taken. I'm not real photogenic and according to my little one. I smiled too big and my eyes were squinty, whatever. It was great talking to her face to face :)
After lunch me and the little one went to the matinee to see The Fault in our Stars. Don't go! Saddest movie I've ever seen! That kind of show is best watched in the comfort of your own home. I have a headache from holding in a blubbery cry. Everyone left with mascara smears and boogers. Once again! Don't go!
I just got home so I need to check on the critters, make a run to the store, and then back home to shovel crap in this suck muck the rain has created!
Have a great day ya'll!!!!

Anniversary

Today is my Anniversary. The hubs and I got married on our dating Anniversary so we have now been together 12 years and married for 8. His coworker is getting married this evening. My plan is to hopefully get my chores done early. Get dressed like a lady for once and go celebrate all this love ♥

Blown Eggs :)))

My dad brought me this tool the other day. It's like a Dremel but an off brand. I love it.

So me and the little one tried our hand at blowing eggs. I used The Chicken Chicks directions. They turned out pretty good and my little one bragged about it to her sisters all night lol!!!!

I have a wire hen basket that my MIL gave me. It had someone else's blown eggs in it. I think I will fill it up with my own :)))

Busy day......

I love the days when you go and go and go and then realize it's late and you need to go to bed. That's how yesterday was for me.

I finally painted a light fixture that has been sitting in the floor for A YEAR!!! Before bed the hubs hooked it up and it looks awesome! I paid $5 for it at a yard sale and $3 for some turquoise sample paint. So for $8 I have a one of a kind, vintage looking light ♥♥♥ it!

After painting, I sat down with my two dogs and cut their hair with scissors. It took me three hours to get them both done but it saves me $70 in groomer bills each time I do it myself :)

When the hubs got home from work we decide to butcher the rabbits that are way over due for butchering. With a couple breaks and both of us involved we got five rabbits in the fridge in two hours :)))) Seven more to go. I'm not breeding them again until the weather cools off. It's going to be a booger keeping my four big bunnies cool as it is.

I had thawed out rabbit for dinner. I didn't feel like eating with the smell of innards on my hands but the hubs ate. It smelled soo good and he said it was delicious and tasted better than chicken. I'm going to have a bbq bunny sandwich for lunch :)))))

Turtle

The other day, on my way to the chicken pen, I accidentally stepped on this little snapper. Little one thought it was dead and buried it. Later that afternoon she told me something dug it up and ate it. I said "maybe it wasn't dead when you buried it and it dug itself out" Next day near the porch was the poor little snapper who had been buried alive, lol!

What I did yesterday

The hubs had plans to weed wack when he got off work, which is favorite thing to do, ha! So I decided to protect my newest grape vines and raspberry plants. I pulled grass up by the handfuls and made 12 trips to the front of my house to gather pavers to go around the grape vines. The weather was humid and hot. I was sweating like crazy in places that normally don't sweat and my glasses were sliding off my face. I battled rolie polies, a scorpion, and a tarantula but the grape vines were protected :) I went inside (dang the ac felt good) put my contacts in and grabbed a bandana to tie around my forehead. Although I got the sweating under control I was beat lazy and decided to protect this plant with less heavy bricks. We found these bricks in the rubble after our fence row was plowed down. Our new 2 acres was used as a dump back in the 50's so there is a lot of concrete, rebar, bricks, and just a bunch of crap in there. It's pretty bad but we are going to try and cover most of it with dirt. Anyways these bricks are cool. The red ones were used to make roads back in the day and the yellow ones are dated in the 1920's.

Little helper :)

 

 

Blog-A-Day

Thanks Carolyn for not letting me be a lazy blogger this Summer.

Right before Memorial Day weekend our neighbor and my husband made a deal. He is an excellent heavy machine worker and has friends with really big machines. The hubs is a hard working HVAC journeyman. We needed a fence row cleared. Remember when the hubs started clearing it in January and immediately cut his leg with a chainsaw. Well I've been belly aching about the goats needing pasture to save on the feed bill. With Summer here you can't get very far into the woods without being covered in ticks and the snakes, good grief, the snakes. The neighbor needed all new duct work under his house. The friend with the excavator wanted the neighbors dump truck bed. So Memorial day weekend the tradin' started. In about four hours the neighbor had the fence row cut and then we said what about a pond. So two days later we had a pond and it rained buckets that weekend :) I guess it rained pretty good last night and the pond is filling up some more :))))) The deep end of the pond is 15 feet to the top of the dam. The hubs put a big tree in the bottom for the fish that we will eventually stock it with. The hubs worked 16 hours straight Saturday and got his part of the bargain done. Not without achy shoulders, knees, and elbows but it's done and we couldn't be happier with our pond :))))

The two logs are going to be a bridge across what will eventually be a waterfall. They will probably end up moved since the water will/should get as high as where they are at.