Feb 28, 2011

And Here's Peter....

We had our second little kid born early Sunday morning.  He is very little and a bit wobbly on his feet, not big and stocky like his sister Lydia.
His color is beautiful chocolatey brown.  I love the color and am looking forward to spinning it.
See-his legs are a bit wobbly.
Isn't it a pretty color?  He is a honey.
Now if the weather would warm up and these two goats -Lydia and Pete- could get out of the house.

Feb 23, 2011

Bumper Buckets

When winter is getting too long and there seems to be nothing new to do, how about a game of bumper buckets? 
Find a nice smooth patch of ice, one that could easily cause injury.  Get a five gallon bucket for each player.  Have each player sit on a bucket and push themselves around the ice into their opponents.  The object of the game is to make your opponents hit the ice.  You can "kick the buckets, pull arms, legs, etc.  Whatever it takes to make it happen.
No one came in crying, just wet and cold.

Feb 17, 2011

Yarn Design

I've been trying to use up my stored fiber as it will soon be shearing time again and I have such backlog.  I started carding some white mohair today.

I had some blue mohair that I had carded and dyed. 

Here's the  yarn it made.  Kinda pretty, I think.

Then I thought, wouldn't it be pretty to put the blue and the white mohair together.

There's still a bit of debris in it.  And here's the finished yarn.

I think that I like this better than the plain blue.  I'll call it clouds in a blue sky. :)

Tamarack Cones

These are Tamarack cones.  The Tamaracks are full of them right now.  I've always thought that they would make a nice.....something or other.  I've just never figured out what. I think that there should be someway to make jewelry or something.  So, I guess I'm looking for ideas.  These cones are small.
That's my big ole thumb next to them.  What do ya think? 

Feb 14, 2011

Home grown eggs-uck??

I am rejoicing.  My hens have started laying again after almost a month's sabbatical.  We're only getting four eggs a day, but I know that will increase as the daylight increases. And then I started thinking....
I've been reading about GMO corn and GMO soybeans and so on.  Realizing these are in the scratch and the laying mash that I give my chickens, I realized these are getting into my diet as well.  What to do?Time to go on line for some research.  I couldn't find anyone up here that raises organic corn and soy.  If it's organic, can it still be GMO?  I can order organic feed on line, but it's cost prohibitive, not a good idea.  So...I can grow my own organic corn, but that's a bit labor intensive considering all of the other projects we have going right now.  My chickens free range all summer, I supplement their feed with kitchen scraps all winter.  I grow extra vegies for them, but it's not enough to keep them all winter.  So I guess I'll just eat these eggs, knowing they're still better than the store bought.  I'll just be thankful for the eggs.  There's only so much I can do, the Lord will take care of the rest.
Home grown eggs are so much tastier than the ones I get at the store. I shouldn't read so much.

Feb 4, 2011

Introducing Lydia

It's awfully hard to get this little kid to pose.  She also thinks that everything in the house must be sampled by mouth.  I guess that's where goats get their reputation.
Lydia is an Angora doeling.  I happen to think she's adorable. I've never had a two colored Angora before.  As adorable as she is, I'm still looking forward to getting her into the barn to live.

Feb 2, 2011

New Kid On the Block

Sunday morning was cold and cloudy.  My honey came in to tell me that we had a new kid in the barn.  I knew the doe was due soon, but was  hoping she would wait until we had a warm spell.  She wasn't very obedient.  This was an "unplanned" pregnancy, as the buck got loose last September. 
Oh well, the doeling is healthy and living in my bathroom until we get warmer temps.  We take her out a few times a day to spend some time with her mom.  She's a cutie, beautiful white and caramel fiber.  I'll post a picture as soon as I can find my daughter's computer cord for her camera.
We only have one other doe to kid and she's due in a month and a half.  Don't you love babies in the spring?  Makes this whole farming thing worthwhile.

Feb 28, 2011

And Here's Peter....

We had our second little kid born early Sunday morning.  He is very little and a bit wobbly on his feet, not big and stocky like his sister Lydia.
His color is beautiful chocolatey brown.  I love the color and am looking forward to spinning it.
See-his legs are a bit wobbly.
Isn't it a pretty color?  He is a honey.
Now if the weather would warm up and these two goats -Lydia and Pete- could get out of the house.

Feb 23, 2011

Bumper Buckets

When winter is getting too long and there seems to be nothing new to do, how about a game of bumper buckets? 
Find a nice smooth patch of ice, one that could easily cause injury.  Get a five gallon bucket for each player.  Have each player sit on a bucket and push themselves around the ice into their opponents.  The object of the game is to make your opponents hit the ice.  You can "kick the buckets, pull arms, legs, etc.  Whatever it takes to make it happen.
No one came in crying, just wet and cold.

Feb 17, 2011

Yarn Design

I've been trying to use up my stored fiber as it will soon be shearing time again and I have such backlog.  I started carding some white mohair today.

I had some blue mohair that I had carded and dyed. 

Here's the  yarn it made.  Kinda pretty, I think.

Then I thought, wouldn't it be pretty to put the blue and the white mohair together.

There's still a bit of debris in it.  And here's the finished yarn.

I think that I like this better than the plain blue.  I'll call it clouds in a blue sky. :)

Tamarack Cones

These are Tamarack cones.  The Tamaracks are full of them right now.  I've always thought that they would make a nice.....something or other.  I've just never figured out what. I think that there should be someway to make jewelry or something.  So, I guess I'm looking for ideas.  These cones are small.
That's my big ole thumb next to them.  What do ya think? 

Feb 14, 2011

Home grown eggs-uck??

I am rejoicing.  My hens have started laying again after almost a month's sabbatical.  We're only getting four eggs a day, but I know that will increase as the daylight increases. And then I started thinking....
I've been reading about GMO corn and GMO soybeans and so on.  Realizing these are in the scratch and the laying mash that I give my chickens, I realized these are getting into my diet as well.  What to do?Time to go on line for some research.  I couldn't find anyone up here that raises organic corn and soy.  If it's organic, can it still be GMO?  I can order organic feed on line, but it's cost prohibitive, not a good idea.  So...I can grow my own organic corn, but that's a bit labor intensive considering all of the other projects we have going right now.  My chickens free range all summer, I supplement their feed with kitchen scraps all winter.  I grow extra vegies for them, but it's not enough to keep them all winter.  So I guess I'll just eat these eggs, knowing they're still better than the store bought.  I'll just be thankful for the eggs.  There's only so much I can do, the Lord will take care of the rest.
Home grown eggs are so much tastier than the ones I get at the store. I shouldn't read so much.

Feb 4, 2011

Introducing Lydia

It's awfully hard to get this little kid to pose.  She also thinks that everything in the house must be sampled by mouth.  I guess that's where goats get their reputation.
Lydia is an Angora doeling.  I happen to think she's adorable. I've never had a two colored Angora before.  As adorable as she is, I'm still looking forward to getting her into the barn to live.

Feb 2, 2011

New Kid On the Block

Sunday morning was cold and cloudy.  My honey came in to tell me that we had a new kid in the barn.  I knew the doe was due soon, but was  hoping she would wait until we had a warm spell.  She wasn't very obedient.  This was an "unplanned" pregnancy, as the buck got loose last September. 
Oh well, the doeling is healthy and living in my bathroom until we get warmer temps.  We take her out a few times a day to spend some time with her mom.  She's a cutie, beautiful white and caramel fiber.  I'll post a picture as soon as I can find my daughter's computer cord for her camera.
We only have one other doe to kid and she's due in a month and a half.  Don't you love babies in the spring?  Makes this whole farming thing worthwhile.