The Perfect Ornament...for me

My mom always finds a perfect ornament. I could search high and low for a goat ornament and not find one but my mom can not only find one but it's a fancy glass one to boot. I will even forgive that it's a pygmy because I'm sure next year she will find a Nigerian Dwarf.

Simplify

My motto, since coming home one afternoon after an earthquake, has been "simplify". I have gotten rid of most all my junk and nicky-nackies and even cut out most bills to the bare minimum. I only have a few TV channels as compared to more than I need. Hubby only watches 1 minute of every show so why pay for more. We have even simplified our food, eating no processed foods and hardly any sugar. This simple measure took about 30 pounds off me...which tells you how much sugar I was eating!
So when I received this package in the mail after entering a contest over at The Simple Life I thought the sign very fitting. The package arrived at school and was sitting on my chair when I came back from lunch (thanks to a mail lady that knows where I work). The scent of cinnamon filled my small alcove with the smell of Christmas. I opened the box and put the sign on my desk.
It is there to remind me to simplify at school as well as home for no matter what fancy curriculum they come up with it really comes down to the basics.
The package was filled with wonderful organic herbs and spices that I have been using in my holiday baking.
Thank you Tonia for reminding me of the simple pleasures in life....like receiving a package in the mail that smells like Christmas.

George

When I picked George up in my arms at only a few days old and promised him I'd find him a perfect home I didn't know it would be me. He has been sold twice but both times the deal fell through so George remains glued to his mother's side.
He is messing with my "keeping no more wethers" policy.

More Snow!

Snow!

Why in heck didn't they cancel school?

Small World or You Meet The Nicest People On The Internet

A few years ago when we first brought the pigs home I had some trouble with them. In my attempted to solve my problem I did what every modern farmer does and got on the internet. Somehow I made my way to The Posh Pig and emailed Cheryl which led to a very long phone call. She explained that pigs, as we know, are very smart animals that mourn the loss of their family and home. Pigs also need to know that you are boss and not afraid of them. Since I was afraid of them it took some good acting on my part to fool them into thinking I wasn't. I kept trying to treat them like dogs and dogs they aint. They are pigs.
Cheryl was so much help and after following her advice the pigs are now two of my favorite girls.
That was a few years ago and I haven't talked to her since so imagine my surprise when I was in Bakersfield at a farmers market with my family and I happened upon a woman selling beautiful soaps. It was Cheryl the pig whisperer in the flesh. I asked her if she remembered me and she did...cuz she's that kind of gal. We chatted awhile about our pot bellied friends and I bought some soap. I made her pose for a picture...cuz I'm that kind of gal.



The pig sisters can thank Cheryl for taking the time to give a stranger she met on the internet advice that allowed them to continue to live "Beyond the Sidewalks"

Duck Duck Goose

Duck

Duck

Goose

Goat


Pig

When A Chicken Comes To Visit

Invite her in....

Goat Minerals

Up to this point I haven't offered my goats loose minerals. They have their run of the mill salt/mineral blocks and I saw the loose minerals as too much trouble. I tried it once when someone gave me some loose minerals they weren't going to use but it was messy compared to the brick of salt that fit nicely in a square detergent bucket.
On my quest to boost the health of my goats, and because the goatfarmer ordered some from the feed rep on the farm tour, I bought a big bag of fancy goat minerals.
The goats went crazy for them. The poor dears had to have been depleted of all minerals in their systems. This could explain a few issues I have been having lately with the herd.

So I made a mineral feeder that will rival any square detergent bucket.

Somewhere on the internet I found this mineral feeder made out of PVC pipe. I used 3" but you can also use 4" for larger nosed goats.
All you need is a Y fitting, 2 caps, a couple of feet of pipe, and 3" brackets to attach it to the wall.



Just fit it all together. I did glue the bottom cap on but don't do the top because you have to fill it....and if your goats are deprived like mine you may have to fill it often.



I hung it on the wall and the goats got in line to take their turn at the fountain of life.

Pepe

The 5

We recently made our way down I-5 to visit the newlyweds in Bakersfield. I love a good road trip and since I rarely drive it is a time of thinking and snooping. Yes I look in your yard and even in your windows for a split second.

Somewhere on the way down, I-5 turns into the 5 and it stops raining. Then magically it is 80 degrees. That's the best part.

It is the land of year round farmers' markets.



Where hot peppers abound.



And our two favorite people are there.



With two of our favorite dogs.



Much too soon it was time to get back on the 5 and head north. Somewhere along the way it turns back into I-5, starts raining, and is 54 degrees.
We are home.

The Face of Avatar

This is a little goat called Blue Eyed Elaine. Lainey to her friends. I took this photo several months ago at Herron Hill Dairy. My camera loved the little blue goat that bears an uncanny resemblance to the girl in Avatar.
I got several pretty shots of her that day. Goats, just like people are either photogenic or not. I am not. Lainey is.
Now she looks like this.



I liked her so much I brought her home a while back. Lainey, once likened to a footstool, is super wide. She has what we need here. Some width. She also has the pretty neck and head associated with the Belle family.



She was suppose to lose weight when she came to my farm but Lainey loves to eat.



You will often see her licking the feed pan when all others have left.


Or sleeping in it while waiting for it to fill.


note to friends and family that are probably planning an intervention, I did sell four goats.

Ding Dong the Rat is Dead

I just had to open that box of Decon.

Rats

Recently, I was telling the teacher that I work with, as we were contemplating a class pet, that I couldn't stand anything that could jump on me.....like the lizard she took a picture of at Petco and sent me. It would have to live in a pretty dirty cage because I wouldn't put my hand in there. A snake I can handle. There is no jumping involved with them. The fear of something springing up when I don't expect it explains my fear of monkeys.

Little did I know I had jinxed myself.

On Saturday, I had just finished up cleaning the feed shed when I decided that I would clean out the drawers in the workbench. I reach down and gave the drawer a quick pull. Out of the drawer flew a big black rat.

And landed on my chest.

I screamed and thrashed while the terrified rat streaked around the tiny shed. Both trapped by the door, I screamed and flailed while he ran up every wall looking for escape.
When I say I screamed I mean I screamed like a little girl. After finally getting myself out of the shed and away from the rat, I sheepishly looked around at my neighbor's yards ready to let them know I wasn't being murdered.

But no one came so I went home and took a bath.

update: Rat has been popping out at me regularly now. He has made his nest on top of a box of Decon. There has been much screaming....and still no neighbors.

Wedding Pictures

I would like to share some of the amazing wedding photos by Holly Carlyle.







and they lived happily ever after.

Kids

I just had to get a close-up of that head.Can't you just smell it?



And then a close-up of these.

My favorite farm tour photo

Filbert & Company

Once again, Filbert was asked to take part at a local farm in the annual farm tour on the Key Peninsula. Filbert carries a small pack of chocolates to satisfy the sweet tooth of farm tourers and tempt the no candy children, who could take a chocolate but had to tuck it in their pocket for "later". The problem with the bite-size chocolates is the bite-size candy wrappers. They are still picking up wrappers around the farm from last year.
Well, being the professional that he is, Filbert brought along a solution this year.



Curious George. Curious George was the trash goat.


Look in Filbert's pack

Eat a chocolate...or tuck it in your pocket for "later"

Put your wrapper in Curious George's pack



Curious George was a big baby though and had to be held a lot and was glued to Filbert's side, making him doubt his decision to bring him along. But it did solve the problem of wrappers around the farm. The children loved throwing their trash into the trash goat.


Even the "later" children ran back with a little bit of trash to add to George's pack.

Filbert was been asked back next year.