Making Sauerkraut with the Grandkids

Intro to Changing Winds Farm

Ice storm

New Life

It's been a long time since I've posted on the blog so thought I would do that today.

We have settled in to a new way of life here. Dewayne not working any more due to the damage to his knee 28 years ago and the severe arthritis that he has now, has changed things tremendously. We consider ourselves "retired" now. Dewayne just turned 50 last month and I will be 49 in December. We still have rabbits, we still have our two goats and we have Knox, our dog. We do not have chickens any more and really don't plan to get them any more. We don't see the reason to have them. We are on a limited budget and quite frankly, I want to buy food for me instead of animals. The rabbits are still frustrating at times. We downsized on them. We only have a few Cals left, a few Rex, a few White New Zealands and several Havanas. We decided to shift our focus on the rabbits from meat to fur. The Havanas are not letting us down right now. We can't seem to get the older Cals and NZ to breed but the Havanas have had a couple litters this year. We are keeping most of the babies to grow out as breeders and the ones that need to be culled will be for meat and fur. One thing about rabbits, they have awesome poop! At least that's something. With accepting the fact that they are still producing something (poop and fur) has helped. It's not so stressful when they won't breed. They will produce one way or the other.

We stay busy around here still. We have a lot of hobbies. We know we can make things to keep from getting cabin fever. We also are going to start being volunteers at Lincolns New Salem soon. I have a few clothing orders right now. I just finished a capote and I'm working on a frock for my dad. I also have an order for a boys shirt and pants that I will get to soon.

We enjoy having our grand kids on the weekends. We had them stay last weekend. They are getting so big it's scary. We have also found out that we will have a new gradbaby in 2018. We are so excited!

Our new way of life keeps us busy.........and happy and fulfilled.

Easter Sunday

We went to my dad's house for Easter today. We had a very yummy meal and had a nice visit with dad. It has been about five years since I went "home". Unfortunately the only reason I hadn't was because of the house having had animals in it. I am allergic to dogs and cats. With fabric furniture and carpet, I would be miserable instantly when I went in. We used to go every Christmas Eve, but with the winter time and the house being hot and the windows closed, I had trouble breathing, my tongue would actually itch, my chest felt heavy and my face would itch.....all within moments of going in the house. No allergy pills would help. The only option was to not go at all.

Now that Dewayne is home all the time, we can go to dad's more often. We can go when it's nice out and the windows are open. Dad said he's going to change out the carpet soon too. He no longer has the animals in the house, so over time, the allergens hopefully will dissipate. I hadn't realized how much I missed being there. Looking forward to going more often.

Yummy!

What's for breakfast? Today hubby fixed homemade pancakes using stone ground wheat, raw sugar and oatmeal. Topped them off with fresh strawberries and whipped cream. Yummy!

Snow.....again

So we woke up this morning to more snow. I am really tired of winter. Spring is just around the corner...so we are told. I really don't like it when the weather plays its little tricks on me. Be winter, or be done with winter. It is supposed to be around 0 tomorrow and this weekend be near 60. What??

What do you do when you really want to be outside? The best thing for today is to be in the warm comfortable house and read. Get out those gardening books. It will be gardening time soon....I promise. Do your reading and studying so when you get the chance to be outside playing in the dirt, you're ready! We have a lot of gardening and herbal books. Time to catch up on some reading and learning. It's got to be better for your mind to absorb knowledge instead of sitting around depressed and complaining about the weather.

There's nothing better than curling up on the couch with a good book, hot cup of tea and wrapped in my favorite quilt.

We belong to a frugal living group on facebook. It amazes me sometimes that the way Dewayne and I grew up seems to be "new ideas" for some people. Its always nice to be reminded of the obvious and it's good to get new ideas, but sometimes I am still amazed.

Growing up in the boondocks, we always had to be frugal with water. For showers, we would get wet, turn off the water, lather, turn on the water to rinse. Dewayne remembers even getting "showers" with the garden hose out in the yard.  Sharing tub water was also common.The kids took turns using the water in the tub, starting with the cleanest kid first.

If we ever went out to eat, it was a treat. It was not the normal routine at all. We were lucky if we went out once every other year. Home cooked meals, sitting around the family table, was the way it was done. Our families grew our own gardens and processed the food for storage, they hunted rabbits, squirrels and deer. We didn't grow up turning our nose up at eating the cute little critters. It was eat them or go hungry.

We grew up in the country, about 20 minutes to the nearest grocery store. You made the trip to town worth the gas. You didn't just go because you ran out of ketchup. You made due until you needed enough groceries to make sense.

We also never owned a dishwasher. Unless you ask mom, then she would say she had three of them, me and my two sisters. When a meal was over, dishes were done. Wash water in one side of the sink, rinse water in the other. Dishes were quick and little water was used. Now people brag they only run the dishwasher once a week. I'm sorry, but how many dishes do you own if everything is used once then put in the dishwasher to sit for a week. We don't even own that many dishes! Dishwasher use more water then you would possibly need if you did them by hand.

Another way to save money and water...do your laundry in the bath tub. Mom and my older sister Shari would wash the laundry and my younger sister, Kandi and I would hang them on the line outside.

There are so many ways to save money....just think before you spend.

Getting By, Looking to the Future

To get through the winter, we sold all of our chickens and scaled back on the rabbits.

The chickens decided to stop laying so we didn't need to feed them for nothing. Either they got to eat, or we did. If we get more this year, we will only get about 6. That's plenty of eggs for us and they can help with scratching around out in the barn. They really make things easier to clean when they keep things from packing down.

In the winter, we bring the goats to the barn for easier chores and to keep them close. Hopefully Spring is coming soon and the goats stay out most of the time. They prefer being outside. I walk them to the garden most days now so they can clean up from last year. The garden got away from us last year with weeds and grass since we couldn't be out there all the time, so the goats are loving it now. It also keeps us from buying hay.

We plan to move the fencing for the pastures pretty soon. We will take the fencing out farther into the woods, making it narrower up by the barn to allow for more garden space. The garden HAS to produce a lot this year. We are getting low on canned food and have very little income now. We have to grow as much as possible.

Another Life Change

We are in the beginning of another life change. Dewayne is no longer able to work his job. After all of these years, all of his injuries and ailments are catching up to him. We are now going from me staying at home and him being gone 60 hours a week to us both being at home. Of course, the income is about to change as well....that's the scary part. I know things will all work out in the end, it's just the in-between that is stressful. We've been through lots of things in the past, layoffs, injuries, illnesses, etc and we got through all of that, so it's time to do it again. Adapt and overcome.

Since we do what we do here on our little farm, I am not worried about going hungry. We have freezers stocked with rabbit and chicken that we have raised. We have our garden still and have some canned food, although I need to get some more done. I have already sold off 10 of the chickens, more can go if need be. Some of the older breeding rabbits that we have been giving one more chance to are do or die at this point. If they don't work, they go to the freezer.

I also know that we won't have to buy laundry soap, deodorant, soap, powder, salves for burns and cuts, even band-aids, since we know how to handle these things. Right now, we are enjoying the internet and you tube, since that may have to go in the near future. We haven't had cell phones for about 6 months and don't miss them at all. We can't do without water and electricity at this point but use the least amount that we can to keep the bills down. (Of course, we always do that since that is the way we were both raised, so I don't see those bills really changing much)

I know we will get through this time like we always have in the past,,,,,it will just take some time to make some changes and "Adapt and overcome."

It's Berry Pickin Time!

For only 45 minutes of Dewayne and I picking this morning, we got quite the haul. We'll be pickin a lot in the next few weeks and the wild critters will still have plenty to eat as well.

June update

It has been really hard to keep up with things around here. I need to paint the barn and rabbitry this summer but things keep coming up.

We need rain! It's been a month since we have had any significant rain. I feel like I spend most of my time trying to keep our garden from dying. The zucchini are about done in. We've gotten maybe a dozen zucchini but the plants are done. The cucumbers are coming on but not enough all at once yet to make any pickles. The green beans are coming on nicely. I may be picking them in the next few days and the tomatoes, I have to say, look awesome! We should get plenty of produce from them (knock on wood!)

Dewayne has had a few health issues the last few weeks and he's been home a lot. I'm not complaining, just wish it wasn't due to his health.

We have been spending more time with our kids and grandkids.  We went on a fishing/camping weekend a few weeks ago and all had a lot of fun. Hoping to do it again real soon.

We have 31 fryer rabbits we need to get processed. We need this meat for the freezers. As soon as Dewayne is feeling better, that is the top priority. It gets expensive feeding all of these rabbits longer than we need too. We should also get some nice hides to do up.

It's almost July and I am praying for a better month....at least a healthier one!

I see it's been a while since I posted on here so thought I would give an update.

Our first Farm Stand in May went really well. I sold a lot of plants and goat milk soap. It actually surprised me to see how many people came to it with hardly any advertising done. The second sale in June didn't go as well since I only had the soap to sell, but It was pretty much what I expected.

All is going very well in the rabbitry. Litters from the first breedings have all been weaned and all does are bred for the second litters that will be coming soon. We have some nice bunnies out there! I am especially happy with the litter of Chocolate Havanas. Show potential in that bunch:) We will be looking and sorting through all bunnies for show potentials that will be shown this Fall, then added to the herd. We have several Cal does that need replacing.

The garden is in and growing nicely. We have a smaller garden this year so hopefully will be able to keep up with it better. Hoping for a productive year.

I've been selling eggs like crazy. The flock is doing wonderful. I sold the Buff Orpington rooster cause I got tired of him coming after me. He didn't do it all the time so I always had my guard up with him. I don't like that so he found a new home. I don't plan to raise Buffs anyway. The Columbian Wyandotte rooster has taken his place as the top guy of the flock. He is a really nice guy and handsome! I need to name him. The Cuckoo Marans are getting big. Turns out we had 3 pullets and 3 cockerals. They are NOT a smart bird. Hopefully it's just because they are still young. We have 5 new chicks that we hatched. First time hatching our own and it sort of flopped. Five is better than none. We will try again later on but I have enough to do around here and really don't want to mess with anything else.

On the personal side of our family, our youngest son just moved to the same county as us. I am very excited to have him closer to home. Half an hour drive is better than that 1-1/2 like before. We are all hoping we can do more camping and fishing soon as schedules allow.

Well, I guess that about sums things up for the last few months. The same ol thing around here....work, work, work.

What the Crap??

Doing morning chores yesterday, Dewayne found a litter of new Cals that were cold. The mother had not made a nest or pulled fur. She just had them, in the box which was a plus, but still had not covered them. He promptly got them in the house and tried to warm them. He got 2 back but lost the other three. We kept the two that came back in the house for a few hours to make sure they were good and warm. Later, I went out and made a nest in her box and put the babies in. Fingers crossed that she would take care of them.
This morning, both babies are dead, but now she is building a nest. She pulled fur and everything. What the crap?? This is the second doe this Spring to do the exact same thing. None of the does were bred over the winter so it was early last fall that we had any babies. I wonder if their instincts get messed up or something. Maybe their memory sucks or something; they haven't done it in awhile so they forgot the steps involved. Regardless of why it happened, we will rebreed and give them another chance. Both of these does have had litters before so hopefully all will be normal again the next time.

Remember the "Little Guys"

I had an experience yesterday that helped me remember why I used to shop at a small "mom and pop" store.
Yesterday I went to a "box store" to buy our weekly critter feed. Every week we spend $50-$75 worth of critter feed. To us, that's a lot of money. That doesn't include the weeks that we need bedding or something else critter related. We have been going to this store for ages. When I went to get the meat bird feed, they were out. I asked a store worker if they could see if they had anything in the back, which she did and they didn't.  While I was still in the aisle, a stock boy came over and asked if he could go check the truck to see if they had any they hadn't gotten unloaded yet. Before I could answer him, a manager came over and in her helpful way, said they have a small bag of game bird feed at the end of the aisle. I'm sorry, that bag is about 5 pounds of feed. I'm feeding about 40 birds right now. That bag wouldn't even be enough to feed them all for one day. I felt the helpfulness of the stock boy change as the manager walked up, so I didn't think I should push the subject of him checking the truck as I didn't want to get him in trouble. The manager said I could leave my name and they could call when they get the truck unloaded if they had the feed. Again, I'm sorry but it takes us about a half hour to get to this store. I felt like she was being a little snotty by this time and had had enough. That made me realize why I needed to go back to the mom and pop store that I used to go to.
The mom and pop store actually appreciate the business they get. They go above and beyond for their customers. This store is a little farther for me to go to and is not really on the way anywhere, but is definitely worth the drive. They have always had feed and if they don't have it in the front, they tell you they have it in the back and will go and get it. I sincerely regret the times that I shopped at the big store and spent our money foolishly with people that don't care if you come there or not. You're just a face. To the mom and pop store, they know you by name and know what you need when you come in. It is so worth the extra gas money and the extra time to go to someone who cares and appreciates your business. When I make the next trip to get feed, I will let them know that their customer is back and it was never anything that they had done to make me go elsewhere. They can count on my visit and money every week.

The Little Green Wagon

Our little green wagon is hands down the most used piece of equipment on this farm. We use the wagon for EVERYTHING!!!
I would highly recommend getting at least one of these and if you can afford it, get three, lol.

Here is just a sample of its uses:
**Taking nest boxes from the rabbitry to the barn to get them ready for the does.
**Hauling feed, potting soil, etc
**Bringing firewood from the wood pile to the cabin
**Moving landscaping rocks
**Gathering rabbit bowls and feeders to be washed
**Hauling trash
**We put a carry cage on it to take animals to the butchering area

You get the idea. Don't waste time...go buy one right now. You'll be glad you did.

Homemade Egg Candler

New at the Farm

New here at the farm this year is Quail. We recently purchased 18 quail to see how we like raising them. While researching the benefits of the eggs, we learned that they are supposed to help with your HDL or good cholesterol. Dewayne has a problem with his, so that's enough for me to want to try them.
So far, we are still trying to figure out the best way of housing them. We have some stacking rabbit cages that we're not using so we tried them in the barn. That did not work! Quail are very messy. I don't need something else to do every day, so outside to the extra rabbit hutches they went.
So far, I think I like this set up better. We are having a terrible time trying to find the right food though. You would think game bird feed would be at every feed store with every other kind of feed. There are 17 different kinds of layer chicken feed but no game bird except for a tiny little bag of it. That would last about a day.
Right now they are on meat bird feed. I'll see how they do on that until I can find the other. They have laid a few eggs, but we haven't tried them yet. I plan to hard boil them this weekend when I fix the Easter eggs.

The garden is cleaned up and ready

Dewayne starting working in the garden the other day. There is a small spot for the first potatoes to go in.

Burning off the old stuff from last year. 

No tillers are used. Good old fashioned tools are all that's used here. When we get the taters, we'll work up this area with the rotary wheel before planting the spuds.

I think I need new chore boots:)