Let it Snow!

The house is snugged up tight,
The hot chocolate is mixed up just right,
There is no place we need to go,
So let it snow!

The bunnies are in the basement warm,
A dog in a sweater has become the norm,
And everyone's bundled up just so,
So let it snow!

Snow cream is on the menu soon,
Knitting, crocheting, and holiday tunes,
Sledding and shoveling and snowmen, whoa!
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!!

Holiday Bustle

You know, for someone like me, the holidays are probably the most difficult time of all. I'm constantly surrounded and bombarded by people who enjoy it for reasons completely different than my own. Every year the stress of the holiday increases for me. I would honestly love nothing more than to simply ignore this holiday and treat it as nothing more than any other day. I don't believe in the religious aspects anyhow, so all the "reason for the season" crap that you hear spewed all over the place doesn't really apply to me. Yes I enjoy the holiday, usually. But it's not for the same reasons that religious folk do. I like all the pagan traditions: the tree, the jolly figure of Santa, the stockings and the gifts (though I prefer giving to receiving). I enjoy the music and the light displays and the foods. What I just can't take anymore is the stress. Stress from trying to have something to give my children, but also to give our extended family (because David would never hear of "let's just give to the kids this year"). Then there's the cleaning, the cooking, the decorating, the keeping the small children away from all the highly fragile heirloom decorations. Not to mention the constant bickering among the children. Arguing about how big a tree we should get. Whining about when am I going to bring up the decorations. Honestly, this season brings out the worst in so many!

Then there's the day itself. Last year was horrible for me. Even though I was not employed, I went to a lot of trouble getting things for the children. Yet it was not enough. So I couldn't even enjoy the day. I'm telling you, the sooner I can stop celebrating, the better.

You know what's interesting, I'm pretty good at standing up for myself to most people. I won't take criticism without a fight and rarely back down from confrontation. Except where it concerns my own parent. On the other hand though, I don't know many children, regardless of their age or advanced maturity who aren't affected at least in some part by their parent's opinion. It's even more interesting to watch the cycle as it repeats completely without knowledge of all parties. I can see the cycle, my mother, cannot and would be completely mortified and antagonistically/aggressively deny any such associations with her own mother. I know, because in the past if I've pointed out similarities to her, she vehemently and viciously denies to the point of anger that she has anything in common with her own parent.

I am an animal lover, I have been since childhood. I was restrained by parentage while young, less so by marriage, though still somewhat restrained. I have a brain and common sense, I'm not an idiot. David offered me a choice of holiday gift: an Ipad or a puppy. The puppies are purebred (non-papered) Labradors. The Ipad, in my opinion, is too much of a gift, I don't want it. Not when I can barely give a decent holiday to my children. We have bills that should take priority also. The puppy is a much more reasonably priced gift, though the long lifespan and accumulated upkeep costs of years would certainly far outweigh that of the ipad's single expense. Not to mention the training involved: housebreaking, basic obedience, and harness. Then there's the inevitable shedding and potential bad habits (chewing, barking, jumping up on people/furniture), and the fleas that we have mostly been able to avoid. However, it's the first time in our entire relationship that he has offered me an animal as a gift. So I choose to cherish this rare moment.

I made the mistake of mentioning my dilemma to my mother. I hadn't mentioned it to anyone else as I was torn between wanting the pup and my more practical side telling me to not accept, that it was not the right time. The moment I let it be known to my mother that he was offering me a puppy, her comment was "you don't need another mouth to feed." Thank you very much, however, the number of mouths in this household to be fed are none of your business. I was merely sharing my conundrum, not requesting her opinions on the matter. Whether or not she's right is completely beside the point.

I know it's been awhile, but I was sitting here and listening to Ari play a Katy Perry song called Firework and something occurred to me. I just viewed the video of that song earlier today, and while I have always enjoyed the tune, I never really paused to truly listen to the lyrics. It's actually fairly impressive prose and a powerful message to young people everywhere. Very much to my surprise, I learned that Katy wrote that song herself. My impression of her as a person increased as a result.

I won't pretend to be impressed with everything every entertainer does. Some of them are reprehensible in the extreme. Most of them are not the kind of examples I want my girls to be setting up for hero-worship. Many of them create works of 'art' that are not of their own minds, and all too often, the message gets buried beneath lewdness that utterly destroys the basic meaning. It's disappointing since so many of these people are handed the opportunity to do the right thing. To set the example for the next generation. To step up and actually be the hero. To show girls they don't have to starve themselves to be beautiful. That they don't have to be addicted to drugs, sex, or alcohol to have a good time. I feel like in most cases, they see nothing beyond their own selfish worlds.

Very rarely, one of these people will take a step above and out of the general melee, and show themselves to be genuinely worthy of their fans. Katy Perry has impressed me today. We'll see how long she's able to hold onto that. If you haven't heard the song or seen the video yet, I urge you to take a look at her piece titled 'Firework'.

Oh, and ignore the sparks that appear to be shooting out of her breasts, I'm of the inclination that was poor planning on the part of the video director. Though it's good for a laugh!

Why women live longer than men

A long time ago I was sent an e-mail about why women live longer than men, and while I can't find the exact message, I can recall a good bit of what was in it. It went something like this:

A man and a woman were sitting together watching television. The woman stands up and announces that she's going to bed. She then goes into the kitchen and washes the few dishes in the sink and wipes down the counters. She moves a load of laundry from the washer to the dryer and starts another load washing. She notices the mail lying on her desk and remembers she wanted to pay a few bills and writes a note for her child for the next day's school field trip. She then remembers that she really should pack a lunch for her child, so she goes back into the kitchen and fixes up the bagged lunch. She then gets out hamburger to thaw from the freezer for the next day's meal. About this time the husband calls out, "I thought you were going to bed?" To which she replies that she is. She then goes into the bathroom and takes a shower, brushes her teeth, cleans her face, applies moisturizer, and shaves her legs. She peeks in on her child and picks up a few scattered toys and clothing garments and adds them to the laundry basket. About this time the husband stands up and announces he's going to bed. He turns off the television and goes to bed. The woman then notices there's some dust on the tv and goes to get a dust-rag. She folds the basket of clothing and puts everything away. Finally she goes and lays down for bed.

So the reason women live longer than men? Well of course, she still has so much to do!

On Losing a Loved One

Have you ever noticed that when you find out the news, that a family member has passed away whom you had known very well, even if you hadn't seen/talked with them in a long while, that it brings all the memories crashing back, and inevitably, regret. Today I learned that my paternal grandmother had passed away on Tuesday. My father apparently did not feel it to be a momentous enough occasion to inform me or my other brother directly, even though he was present when she passed, for which I am glad, truly. However he informed my eldest brother and left it to him to pass the information along to the rest of us. A bit cowardly in my opinion, though perhaps, just maybe, he was overcome with grief and was not able to make those necessary calls. I honestly don't believe it really.

Family strife aside, I miss my grandmother. Even though I hadn't seen her in a decade. Even though I had made the decision a few years ago not to seek her out for reasons that, at the time, seemed viable. Even though she had dementia and would not have recognized me anyway (decade of years aside and all). Even though I had seen photos of her before and had (selfishly) thought that I would not wish to taint my memories of her as I remember with those of her as she had become. I look back through my childhood and remember her idiosyncrasies. I developed my strong feminist attitude because of her. The cedar Hope chest behind me came from her and my grandfather as my 'coming of age' gift at 13.

My grandmother died from breast cancer. Now, this might cause me alarm except that she developed it as a side effect of certain medications she took when she was younger. She was still cognitive when she was diagnosed, she refused to allow treatment. So we all knew it was a mere matter of time. In all honesty, she lived much longer than probably would have been expected, given her condition. She also lived with cirrhosis of the liver for nearly 3 decades. I can only barely remember when my grandmother could walk unassisted. But I remember how much she loved me, her only granddaughter for a long time.

No Waste

I'm a frugal person by my very nature, always have been. It was ingrained in me during years and years of struggling by my mother to make ends meet throughout my childhood. However, I sometimes wonder if I don't go to much more impressive extremes. For example, I purchased half a bushel of apples. The first half of that batch was made into applesauce, the cooked 'pulp' remaining after having been strained was given to the chickens. Tonight I went farther with the other half of that batch of apples. I had my eldest daughter help me peel and core the apples. Then I canned those sections in spiced syrup (got 5 qts too), but what to do with the peelings and cores?! It seemed like such a waste! All that lovely flavored peelings. So I cooked them down with a couple cups of water and ran them through an uber-fine mesh sieve. I not have 3 cups of the loveliest natural apple juice. I will add another cup later and make jelly with it! Still not quite finished though, because I also have the remaining paste-like pulp that is left after squeezing every possible drop of juice from it. I put that aside and tomorrow I plan on mixing in some whole oats. I'll bake those 'apple biscuits' on low for awhile and hopefully I will have home-made apple crisps to feed to the rabbits! I wouldn't want humans to consume them as they may contain whole stems and seeds as well. However, that accounts for every bit of the apples I purchased, with no waste whatsoever. And gives me 5 qts of canned apples, 3 pints apple jelly, and a couple dozen 'apple biscuits' for the livestock. Definitely a thumbs-up on this one!

A few other no-waste recipes I use include one for peaches and one for watermelon. The peaches you peel them and section them, canning the fruit itself in syrup, and then boil down the skin peelings to make peach honey! The watermelon recipe, you eat the pink part of the fruit (it's best to cut it off though LOL) then peel the green skin off and use the remaining part of the green rind to make watermelon rind preserves!

I have other methods to reduce waste. I have a dog that frequently clears most of any 'plate' leftovers from the children, not to mention her special usefulness in cleaning up toddler food messes. In addition I have a pair of rat boys who stay fat on leftovers and bones. Not to mention the compost pile!

Stray Dogs

After literally weeks of housing one small dog, I've finally managed to find him a permanent new and loving owner. Interestingly when I had the dog advertised as being free to a good home, I had just a couple inquiries. The moment I placed a re-homing fee on him, even though I didn't really care about the money, I had over half a dozen people wanting to see him. What actually prompted my adding the fee was the second person inquiring actually left me waiting in a hot car with a dog and two small children for 30 minutes. Then simply stopped returning my repeated requests to meet to see him.

I admit, I feel better knowing someone had to put out money to adopt the dog. Even though it was just a minimal fee. At least I know the new owner is willing to spend some money on him.

Next Year's Gardens, a reconsideration

I keep changing my mind on what and how I intend to setup the gardens for next year. So at the moment, these are what I want to plant:

In the main original garden I want:
green onions
garlic (soft-neck)
tomatoes (Roma, Better boy, Early girl, Sweet 100)
peppers (Bell, banana, jalapeno, habanero)
lettuce
chard
collards
spinach
radishes
kholrabi
beets
sunflowers

Behind the main garden, just in front of the barn I want to plant:
sweet white corn

In the second part of the main garden:
pie pumpkins
butternut squash
yellow squash
cucumbers (pickling and burpless)
watermelon
cantaloupe
sweet potatoes (though I may put these closer to the house)
beans (either Blue Lake bush or Tenderette, maybe both!)

In the raised garden:
spinach
strawberries
carrots

In the front herb gardens or herb pots:
lavender
sage
lemon balm
oregano
sweet basil
thyme
dill

Fruit trees/bushes:
apple (Golden delicious)
fig
blueberry
boysenberry
cherry
black raspberry (wild and thornless)
rhubarb
pear
peach/nectarine/plum

I will also be seeing about obtaining tapping equipment for my Maple trees and a couple of the neighbor's trees this next winter/spring.

Finding Homes for Strays

About a month ago my dear David took in a small stray dog, a Shih Tzu. Fine, I'll take care of it, no different than any other pet around here. Except it is different, these are high-maintenance dogs. He requires a weekly bath and will probably need monthly clippings to keep him neat. He must be walked no less than 3 times daily, because he refuses to defecate in the yard anywhere. He's not a nuisance barker, thankfully, but he shows mild aggression towards the younger children. That alone nixes his chances of staying with us permanently.

So far, I have advertised him available on Hoobly, Kijiji, and Craigslist. I've gotten numerous nibbles, but no one really serious until a couple days ago. A man looking for a companion for his mother. We e-mailed back and forth a bit and decided he would meet me with the dog earlier in the afternoon yesterday. I loaded up the freshly cleaned dog and my two youngest children and carted them off to the meeting place where we then proceeded to wait in vain for over 30 minutes. Half a dozen attempted calls later, I left and went home. I did hear from him, but as of right now I am not prepared to be magnanimous toward him.

Instead he has prompted me to change the ad to indicate that a small re-homing fee would now be required. If I'm going to be traveling all over only to be stood up by people, I feel that I should be compensated! I'm doing them a favor, not the other way round.

The Fall Garden

Yes, that's right. I am trying to keep things moving along with a fall/winter garden. I've never tried it before, but I'm in a good region to give it a shot. I've turned the soil and had planted 3 rows of leaf vegetables including collards, chard, and lettuce. The lettuce is being stingy, but the chard and collards have come through. A bit farther down I planted a row of radishes and broccoli. The radishes are flourishing, but the broccoli is being hesitant. I've also got some spinach, kholrabi, and carrots that are being slow to respond. I want to plant garlic, but since that grows best in a cool climate, I have to wait until later in the fall to plant it.

I think next year I'm going to turn a plot just in front of the barn and plant a section of corn. Some stray pieces spilled by the hens took root and put up stalks and developed ears! However, with them being sporadically sewn, they didn't do as well as perhaps some purposely planted seeds might. It's worth another try anyhow.

On Bacteria

Have you ever noticed that the worst bacteria all seem to be part of the Clostridium family? I mean think about it, C. perfringens is a bad one for causing bloat (and death) in goats and gangrene in people. C. tetani is one that causes lockjaw, even from something as simple as a vaccination (you push a metal tube into flesh, creating a deep wound). C. sordellii is involved in postpartum problems. There is C. difficile that cause problems in cattle. And finally, C. botulinum is a major cause of food poisoning for people. What do these have in common? The Clostridium bacteria is supposed to be an anaerobic bacteria! Meaning it only grows in the absence of oxygen. So why do they seem to be such major scary bacteria? Because they're DEADLY!!!

*sigh* I hate Clostridium, because C. botulinum is the major reason I cannot simply can my beans or corn or greens or meats. I have no pressure canner, and that means I have to freeze everything or pickle it. :/

Next Year's Gardens

I'm already planning for next year's gardens. Each year I change things around to find the best spot for growing certain plants, and add or take away ones that either did or didn't do well this year. So far, this is the plan for next year:

I'm planning on doubling the main garden next year, squashes and melons will be completely separated from low and tall crops since they have an unnerving habit of crossing over and strangling them. So 2 large gardens and a raised garden.

In the low/high garden I want the following: (top to bottom, or something like that)
tomatoes (half the garden, or at least 1/3) - Early girl, Better boy, Roma, & Sweet 100
Peppers (chunks, two chunks of 2-3 rows each) - Banana, Green, Habanero, Jalapeno

Then in rows:
green onions
cabbage
kholrabi (early spring and fall)
lettuce - Romaine and leaf (early spring and fall)
radish (early spring and fall)
broccoli (early spring and fall)
swiss chard
collards
garlic (probably softneck)
beans (sigh, yes I will try for a 3rd year in a row)

Then in the squash side of things I want to plant:
cucumbers (burpless and another kind)
yellow squash
watermelon (4th year attempt)
pumpkins (sweet pie variety)
butternut squash
cantaloupe

In the raised garden I'll likely plant:
spinach
carrots

I'd like to try and find more blueberry bushes to add next year. And I have some apple and grape seeds planted, so I'll see if I can get them to germinate and grow a little. I'd also like to plant some of the peach seeds I have and perhaps an avocado.

Canning Peaches

First, just throw out and ignore every single video tutorial out there on the 'net trying to show how 'easy' it is to blanch peaches for canning or jam. It just simply does. not. work. Especially if the peaches you have are not quite completely ripe, and sometimes not even then. I was treading a fine line between ripe and rot and I still could not get those skins to slip off as they were supposed to do. I finally ignored the blanching aspect and just peeled them. Sadly it wasn't until I had tossed the peelings out for the chickens that I found a recipe that uses the peelings to make peach honey.

There are a few things that can be done with peaches, the first is to can them in a medium syrup. I made 2 different kinds, the first with honey and the second with just sugar. Both turned out nicely. I suppose you could also add a spice bag with a cinnamon stick, some cloves, and allspice to the boiling syrup for spiced peaches, and I may try that with a second batch. I also made a batch of spiced peach jam which turned out nicely.

I also discovered a good use for the leftover 'syrup' in the pot. By adding some maple flavoring and a little brown sugar, it became maple syrup. Thus any waste at all was completely eliminated!

Billi's Best Spiced Applesauce

Since the applesauce recipe I found is kind of on the vague side, I thought I'd post one here that I've created that works out great every time (I've made several batches with it so far and they're wonderful every time). Here goes, you'll need:

1/4 bushel whole, fresh apples (don't ask me about weight, I rarely measure)
2 Large stock pots, at least 12 qt size
2.5 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground nutmeg
1.5 C sugar
2 qt water

1. Wash and quarter the apples, don't skin or core them
2. Fill one of the stock pots to the brim with the apple quarters
3. Add 2 qts of water
4. Cover and cook at about medium or med-low until the apples have cooked down and are soft. Careful they don't boil over. Periodically push the top apples down with a flat wooden spatula and try to shift the ones on the bottom around so they don't stick
5. Pour softened apples (may look like a really thick applesauce at this point) into a food mill over top the second pot to remove skins and seeds.
6. Add 1.5 C sugar (if using a sweeter apple, this may not be necessary, I used a combination and they were slightly bitter, the sugar eliminates that bitterness)
7. Add 1 tsp nutmeg and 2.5 tsp cinnamon
8. Heat sauce to boiling, stirring constantly as it will tend to stick rapidly if you are inattentive.
   
9. Once boil has been achieved, reduce heat to keep sauce at a simmer, cook for 5 minutes.
10. Ladle sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Process 20 minutes in a boiling canner.

Sauce may also be enjoyed hot right from the pot!

Ready for the first week of School

I have my first school week for Aydi planned out. I have the basics for the next 30 weeks (a letter a week, plus review weeks) laid out, but didn't want to get too detailed until I figure out how everything goes. I went so far as to actually map out the days, trying to stay general so that we can adapt as needed. I'm trying to stay loose and easy. The main goal is for her to learn 5 new things a week and review them every few weeks.

I may be being too optimistic at this point, but I have high hopes. She will be in 'school' from 8 in the morning until 2:30 or 3 in the afternoon. If that seems a little too strenuous for a nearly-4-year-old I just remind myself that kids do this very same type of scheduled day all the time in actual preschool. She will have lots of fun time, crafts, play, and even free time. The special catch is that she will be learning while she plays, colors, draws, and sings.

I admit, I'm having fun with this too.

Creating a Harvester-Friendly Basement

The biggest problem with my half-basement is that it tends to get damp whenever it rains. In a very hard rain there might even be water on the floor. Not much usually, so I tend to just keep anything damageable off the floor. However, I recently (last summer) cleaned out most of the accumulated junk in the basement and then this past winter I did a little more. Now I keep thinking it would be an ideal place, if arranged properly, to set it up as a gardener/harvester basement. You know, clear out more of the junk and set up decent shelves for storage. Maybe setup a few top shelves with fluorescent lighting to grow seedlings down there in early spring. There's a spare stove already down there, I might see if I can get it cleaned up and hooked up, if it works, it would make a great canning stove, since I have discovered that canning tends to ruin a stove's top fairly quickly. It would be nice to have. Perhaps in a few week-ends, when things quiet down a little and the children settle into their school routines I'll have the time for a project like that.

On making Applesauce

Whew! Lesson learned, when they say "add just enough water to prevent sticking" they mean add just enough water to prevent sticking! Now I have to slowly boil off the excess. The problem is that it's difficult, as the apples soften, to keep them from sticking anyway. In spite of that, however, the first batch tastes great, second batch is in the pot ready for boiling and spicing, third batch is still whole, final portion will likely remain as apples for the kids.

I have to say though, it is cinnamon and a little nutmeg (having had a very bad experience with nutmeg, I am understandably cautious about it's usage), that really takes an applesauce from being mediocre to being sublime.

Apples and Peaches, Oh my!

Today I purchased a bushel of apples (approximately 35 lbs) and a half-bushel of peaches (approximately 15 lbs). I'm working on spiced applesauce, spiced peach jam, and canned peaches. It's an interesting venture, to be sure. I have discovered that while I didn't really have the patience for preserving when I was younger, I truly enjoy doing it now. It's fun to watch things take shape. And knowing we'll be literally enjoying the fruits of my labor this coming winter is an added bonus!

Fall/Winter Crops

Yep! It's that time of the year. A lot of the spring and summer crops have been harvested and either eaten or preserved and stored. Spring and summer fruits are likewise put up. Now is the time to re-till parts of the garden, pulling up the dying vines and stalks, and plant my fall and winter crops. On the agenda this season will be swiss chard, collards, carrots, broccoli, lettuce (maybe), radishes, and kholrabi.

The sunflower seeds are ready to be harvested and tomatoes are still giving fruit, though it won't be long until those will come out. We have one very nice looking pumpkin just turning orange and at least half a dozen NICE looking butternut squash. I purchased a bushel of apples and half a bushel of peaches to put up. Next week I may break down and buy half a bushel of beans to put up. I would like to have a variety of veggies and jams available this winter. The yams are growing well, however since they were a late addition to the garden, I'm giving them at least another month of growing time.

Next year I'm planning on turning over 2 large sections of the back of the garden and putting the melons, squashes, and cukes over there. The vines are just too invasive for me to like having them on the east side of the lot. And it gives me more room. Half a plot of tomatoes is good, I like having 2 rows of sunflowers. I may add some corn next year, the kids like it and several stalks came up this year anyway.

Inventing Games

I find it interesting that more families don't do this very thing. I am working at my PC and outside I can hear my older children playing the game we invented called Freeze-Go, which when played correctly and with some pizazz is a ton of fun, and it makes me wonder how many of the 'other' children playing outside will pass this game along to their children someday. My point however isn't the game itself, but the concept. Most of our games are intellectual these days, though not all of them have been, a few were created purely for the fun of it! Freeze-go is the most frequently played. I've also invented games for when they were little as ways to get my children to mind me, games such as the Quiet game and Stay-in-Your-Square for when we were out in public. In the car on long rides we play Tell-the-Truth, I-Spy, Spell-It, or mental math games. In a living room it's the Pick-a-Letter-Name game. Not all of these games have actual names, the only one we refer to is Freeze-Go. All the rest are usually made up on the fly, creating rules where necessary.

You know you've made it as a concept designer when...

Someone actually makes 3 movies about your concept, then someone goes and makes a spoof movie about the 3 movies.

Gotta love Vampires Suck as the spoof on Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse. I think it's fair to say Stephanie Meyer can be proud of her mini-empire.

Preschool Curriculum

Here I sit... at 1 in the morning... trying to settle on a curriculum for my preschooler. Of course, being the kind of person that doesn't believe that any one way is the right way, I have to go and create my own as a sort of amalgam of a variety of different ones. And what I've learned so far... is that there is an awful lot of stuff to teach these little people! How in the world do kindergarten teachers manage to get everything entrenched in them in just 9 short months?!?! I mean, just looking at true basics, not even taking anything else into consideration, there are 26 upper case and 26 lower case letters. Each letter generally has more than one sound. So to ease reading, they ought to learn the phonetics of each letter, to ease writing they need to learn each letter's look. For lack of time I may have to combine upper AND lower (which I don't really want to do) simply because we would still be at them next summer! The phonetics are harder, I really hesitate to put multiple sounds together in the same week. So for Aa, it'll start with the short sound (apple), but then I'm stumped, should I spend 2 weeks on Aa so that the second she can learn about airplanes?! And for C I was going to use cow or cat, but I don't want to confuse her when we get to kitten (hard C and soft C). Do I start her later in the year on double consonants ch and th or hold that until she's actually in kindergarten, because I really don't remember if that's taught in preschool or not!

You see?! Something that ought to be simple or intuitive is NOT. My respect for teachers has just shot up about a thousand-fold! Because in with the alphabet I have to teach her about colors, shapes, numbers, body parts, music, animals, crafts, and so many more things. I'm exhausted and I've just started trying to put together an overview! I haven't even gotten to specifics yet. Take pity on me. LOL

A new adventure: Homeschooled Preschool!

That's right, I have decided I will not allow my preschooler to fall behind other children her age. And while I am running a bit short on planning time, I'm going to start with a pre-set arrangement (in other words, a curriculum already written out) for the first week to give me some breathing room. My current plan is also to speak with the school she'll be attending to find out what skills they would expect the average kindergartner to possess. Then I will base my teachings on those expectations.

The most important aspects for preschool, in my personal opinion, are reading and writing (alphabet and name), counting, pattern recognition, shape, color, and basic animal recognition, art (crafts), music (singing and perhaps the piano), dexterity, physical capability, and expanded life skills. The most important thing for her though will be to have a structured day. However, it might sound simpler than it really will be since there is a wild card in all of this... the toddler. That's right! A barely toddling, into everything, make-a-mess-in-2-seconds-when-you-aren't-looking little brother! Of all those I've asked about it, no one I know has tried teaching a preschooler with a toddler underfoot. So if nothing else, this should be a true adventure. Most important for me will be to try and keep the television to an absolute minimum. For, while she does watch educational shows, they can't teach her everything I want her to learn. I will have to stay on track as much as possible. She will begin next Tuesday, when her sisters start their school.

Trade-offs

Sometimes in life, there comes a time for a trade-off. In this instance I am willing to give up one aspect for a different one. The birds will be leaving as soon as I can locate buyers for them. All the birds and probably a dozen (or so) rabbits. This will make things much easier on me as far as funding is concerned. I will also be eliminating my hamster colonies, though admittedly they don't require much. And we will maintain only the dog and cat as pets. It will probably be the lowest number of animals I have had since before I left my family for college. However, I know that this is the right thing to do for my family.

I suppose as one ages, priorities change. I will still have rabbits, I find I can't completely give them up. We will still have a couple pets, but my focus seems to be changing from external interests to familial ones. I'm still very much a homesteader at heart. I just can't see a reason to keep hens that don't lay or a goose who turns out to be more trouble than she's worth or a trio of ducks I simply can't seem to find spine enough to butcher as I'd intended. Though don't get me wrong, if they don't sell within a reasonable time frame, I *will* put them in the freezer. I simply need to try and sell them first.

Making a decision about rabbits

With the current status quo, something will have to give. Sadly, it appears that it is going to have to be any extracurricular activities on my part that require an ongoing financial investment. What's interesting is how I've managed to keep them for almost 15 years and now it appears that may change. I don't want to go out entirely, I'm fairly sure I'd regret that sincerely since I'm happiest when I have something to breed/work with on a regular basis. Rabbits are one of the smaller, yet easily handled aspects. That leaves removing some breeds and sizing down to a more easily handled herd. The girls rabbits will stay, that's a pair of Jersey Woolies (I actually really like these, in spite of the wool they seem to be fairly easy-keepers) and a quartet of Fuzzy Lops. The Spots are reasonably good producers and pet folk like spotted rabbits. Havanas are also fairly easy-keepers and actually breed, plus we have nice ones. There's no question about keeping my Hare baby. The Hollands will be pared down to bare bones, the Mini-lops are going (they eat too much and grow too slowly), and the Mini-rex I have not made a final decision as of yet. They are the longest breed in residence, yet somehow they are not what I would have envisioned.

It may be a little while yet before some of these are implemented.

The Poor get Poorer

Yesterday I visited the local grocery for a couple of basic staples: milk and sugar (for jam). Outside the store was a small table set up with a few flyers, a poster, and a woman requesting donations for veterans. I'm really not sure why or which ones precisely, or even why she thought that would be a good place to setup on an idle Saturday. However, it brought to home for me the idiosyncrasies of our society. You won't see these small vendor type tables outside major or elite sales places, just as you would rarely spot a wealthy person in such an ordinary place as a grocery. I've often wondered on the second, where do the wealthy purchase their staples? Though it occurs to me they can probably afford to have them delivered directly to their abodes from elitist grocers. However, at this particular time and place it brought to mind the old adage, as way to explain why donations always seem to be requested from those least likely to be able to afford it. And the basic reason is this: those without are more likely to share what little they have, knowing that a simple kindness from a stranger could mean a world of difference to someone else. And it is this basic premise that then begets the saying, "the rich get richer, the poor get poorer" not because of the donations themselves, or even those soliciting them, but rather because of a true underlying aspect of human nature. Those that are inherently greedy will not be likely to give except perhaps under the guise of some alternative agenda. Whereas those that are genuinely altruistic in nature will share, even if it is mere coins in their pockets. Because of this tendency, they are less likely to rise beyond their humble beginnings. Whether they desire to do so or are content to remain as they are.

Productive

Today I started with grapes, they are just about ready to be made into jam. I haven't ever tried grape jam before, but have a recipe to follow.

The tomatoes have slowed down a bit, now if only I could muster up the courage to get busy picking and pickling beets, peppers are starting to pick up too, still getting some cucumbers and have seen a few more squash. The Kholrabi survived the groundhog and are recovering slowly. Broccoli will be re-planted soon as well as some squash, collards, carrots, and swiss chard.

Frustration

Sometimes I wonder why I belong to certain forums. Most of the 'mom' boards I am on are affiliated in some small way with my business. Ergo, I cannot go airing out dirty laundry on them, no matter how great the frustration or the temptation. For similar reasons, Facebook also cannot be the ground on which I release enmity. I wouldn't on a rabbit board, as it's rarely relevant to the lives and interests of those therein. That leaves merely this blog, of which I'm fairly sure I have the merest few actually perusing it. Some might say, "hang the forums and Facebook! Say what you mean and mean what you say!"

The truth though is that I may very well need some kind of professional reputation and sincerely cannot afford to have that jeopardized in any way, least of all through childish and immature tantrums, thrown only in the name of releasing the mild burden resting upon my shoulders.

Once more, I am no longer under the employment umbrella. I had been so relieved to be working again, though deep down I felt I knew it couldn't or wouldn't last. I'm honestly not even sure why. Some might say that I may even have brought it down upon myself as a result of my expectations, though I might argue that case. I am waiting now to see what will happen with regards to unemployment, though I am not holding out much hope for it to be granted. Therefore I have been searching feverishly for some alternative. Up to and including what some may consider to be 'alternate' employment. I genuinely don't care what one would call it, if it can pay my bills each month, put food in my childrens' and rabbits mouths, then I will be well satisfied.

It's funny how my expectations have dropped over the years. I once held a very profitable position with a long-standing corporation. It was lost through no fault of my own, just simple bureaucracy. I hold a masters of science and a few upper-level management positions with extensive training, and yet I cannot find gainful employment. Ah well, tomorrow is another day. Here's hoping I can keep everything afloat as long as possible.

Mama's Tacos

I've made my own tacos for many years. I do things a little differently than some though. Tonight I'll share my method. You'll need the following:

half a head of fresh lettuce
2 medium tomatoes
shredded cheese (I like cheddars or combination cheeses)
sour cream
1-2 lbs hamburger
1-2 packets taco seasoning
Fajita sized wheat wraps
1 can re-fried beans

Cook the hamburger completely and drain off excess grease. Add 2/3 C water for each packet of seasoning mixture. If cooking 2 lbs of meat, use 2 packets seasoning. Cook on medium until the mixture thickens and most of the water is boiled off, then add the beans and mix well. Chop tomatoes and thinly slice the lettuce. Place a wrap then add a line of meat mix leaving about a 2 inch space to one side. Top with cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, lettuce, and taco sauce (optional). Then fold up the end you'd left bare and fold in both sides. This gives a drip-free grip on the whole thing.

Enjoy!

Preserving the Harvest

Now is the time of year that all the goodies from the garden need to be preserved to last. Everyone has had their fill of fresh cucumbers and tomatoes, so it's time to make pickles, spaghetti, salsa, and canned tomatoes. After purchasing 2 dozen canning jars and adding the dozen left over from the previous year, I realized that we just did not have enough to can everything that would need to be canned. The dear husband (DH) came through! He traveled to his grandmother's home, dug around in her basement, and was able to produce 2 dozen canning jars, sans lids. I then purchased new lids for these jars. After looking them over, I decided they were indeed serviceable. Interestingly, several of these are actual Mason jars, emblazoned with the name across the bottom. Most are another brand I don't recognize called Kerr and a couple are completely blank. Regardless of their 'make' they should suffice for what I wish to use them. With luck, their age will not render them brittle. It would be disaster for them to shatter in the boiler!

If you give a Mom a Muffin

This explains why it's so hard for most mom's to really get anything done!

If you give a mom a muffin,
she'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
So she'll pour herself some.
The coffee will get spilled by her three year old.
She'll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor,
she'll find some dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do some laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She'll trip over some snow boots & bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her
she has to plan supper for tonight
She'll get out a pound of hamburger.
She'll look for her cookbook
(101 Things To Make With a Pound of Hamburger).
The cookbook's sitting under a pile of mail
She'll see the phone bill which's due tomorrow
She'll look for the checkbook.
The checkbook's in her purse
that's being dumped out by her two year old.
Bending down to scoop up the contents already on the floor,
she'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two year old.
While she's changing the two year old
the phone will ring. (Of course!)
Her five year old will answer it & hang up.
She remembers that she wants to phone a friend
to come over for coffee on Friday.
Thinking of coffee will remind her
that she was going to have a cup.
She'll pour herself some,
& chances are, if she has a cup of coffee,
her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

Summer in the Garden

The forecast for end of July... hot, humid, muggy, in truth you can practically cut the moisture in the air with a knife. Enormous occasional summer cloudbursts don't really do anything. It feels as though the moisture barely makes it into the ground before the heat is pulling it back out again! In spite of repeated watering of the garden, the squashes are having a hard time thriving. They are starting to die back. I may need to look into the how's and why's of growing them in this region. Perhaps it would be better to start them sooner, or later in the season. Currently there is just one small pumpkin growing. We've had a few yellow squash, but no other squashes even though there were plenty of flowers, there have been no fruits developing.

It's not really affecting the cucumbers though! After eating dozens of them and putting up half a dozen quart jars of pickles, there are more coming out every day! Just this afternoon I pulled no less than 8 large ones out. The tomatoes are also loving the heat, they've begun ripening and daily I can pick at least a bushel of all different types: Roma, grape, cherry, and the huge sandwich tomatoes. The sunflowers have achieved their full height and blossomed. The heads aren't nearly as large as I'd been anticipating, but I've been able to observe the bees at work on them, so fingers crossed. Even the bean plants have managed to put out a few more flowers, even without their leaves. The new lettuce came up, though I probably should have waited a little longer to replant those, they aren't doing as well now as they would later in the season. The cantaloupe plants came up, but I'm fighting to keep the 2 watermelon plants alive, they too are not flourishing. We also aren't getting as many peppers as we did last year, which is a disappointment.

I did realize though that while I like the layout of this year's garden, I will need to make some modifications for next year. The stakes I used for the tomatoes just aren't strong enough to hold them up properly. Especially the larger fruiting varieties. Next year I will need to look into trying something else, I wonder if an arboretum would work for things like tomatoes. And I may move one of my fence panels next year and see about growing the cucumbers vertically instead of along the ground, it's sometimes difficult to locate the fruits before they are as large as my arm! And next year I plan on setting up a few 'scarecrows' to try and keep the wildlife at bay. We work way too hard on the garden to have the produce of our efforts stolen from us. I wouldn't mind sharing, but the business of consuming every last leaf or taking a bite out of every fruit is the pits!

Speaking of fruit, the apple tree has mysteriously lost all it's fruits. It's a moderately sized tree, but I'd have sworn I saw some apples earlier in the year. Hmmm The fig tree is loaded with fruit, those should begin to ripen within the next month or so. I may try preserving some of those this year.

The herb gardens out front have sprouted, or at least half of it has. The lavender and the sage have come out, but the fennel and the oregano are being stubborn. I'll give them a little while longer so I don't accidentally mistake a young plant for a weed, then I may just try re-planting.

That reminds me, 3 stalks of corn came up in the raised garden. They aren't very tall, but I left them and now there are a couple ears on each stalk! Interesting, isn't it what happens when you leave some things alone.

Garden

Finally today I was able to harvest a few tomatoes! It's been a race against the groundhog to see who can get the tomatoes first. I've been trying to keep the plants up off the ground, but it's been very difficult. I saw the first butternut squash developing though and the first pumpkin is doing nicely. The sunflowers are enormous towering giants and starting to flower. If it weren't the the lost kholrabi, broccoli, and bean plants I'd be very pleased with the garden's progress!

A new lullabye

I find that this has become one of my new favorite lullabies since my son came along, composed by John Lennon:

Close your eyes,
Have no fear,
The monsters gone,
He's on the run and your daddy's here,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,

Before you go to sleep,
Say a little prayer,
Every day in every way,
It's getting better and better,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,

Out on the ocean sailing away,
I can hardly wait,
To see you to come of age,
But I guess we'll both,
Just have to be patient,
Yes it's a long way to go,
But in the meantime,

Before you cross the street,
Take my hand,
Life is just what happens to you,
While your busy making other plans,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy

Explaining Yarn

The interesting thing about thread art is the vast array of medium there are to work with. And each one will have it's pros, cons, or uses. I have always said that the reason I love thread art the most out of everything I can do is that it is portable. Give me a hook or pair of needles, a skein of yarn, and a pair of scissors and I'm good to go! But this entry isn't about the benefits of my main hobby, it's about the different yarns available. Right now I'm going to focus on the basics, the most readily available. And those are in 3 categories (simple, eh?), those are acrylic, wool, and cotton. Of course there are blends and I won't go into that, but I do urge everyone to read the blend % of the yarn band to be sure you know what you're getting. Don't always trust your fingers to know what you're holding, some of the blends and fibers can be crafty!

Generally, most acrylics are very sturdy and extremely soft. Not all of them are, but the better ones should be. A few can be scratchy, those are usually the cheaper ones though. Honestly, there are a few that I absolutely refuse to use for anything because they feel awful sliding through my hands. These also tend to come in the widest array of solid colors. This is the fiber I use most often for my toys. It is not a natural fiber, but it is very durable and also washable.

The second most common fiber to be found is probably wool. Don't be fooled by this one either! The days of the old scratchy, itchy, coarse fiber are over. Wool can be one of the softest threads you'll find. It also has the added benefit of an ability to be custom hand-dyed. Therefore it's easy enough to get a skein of natural yarn, which is more of a cream color, not white, and either dye it yourself with acid dyes/kool-aid or have it dyed for you by a dyer in any combination of hundreds of colors. Wool comes in 1, 2, 3, 4, or multi-ply. The more layers to the thread, the less likely it will be to pill (create small balls of fiber) or felt together. Felting is where all the bits of the fiber connect together yielding a tough, solid piece of fabric. It is because of this phenomenon however that results in the 'ruination' of wool when washed and dried. This effect can be used is certain situations as a tool to yield a specific appearance and durability. A felted object can be washed, a non-felted object should not be. Felting renders the individual stitches in the piece virtually invisible. Wool itself is a natural fiber that also lends itself well to mild water-resistance and also has antimicrobial properties. Because of this wool often makes an excellent fiber for very young children. However, keeping in mind that because wool is less sturdy overall, the chance of felting by the child is extremely high.

The last common fiber used is cotton. This one is a bit of an enigma, it has a multitude of uses, mainly wherever absorption may be desirable such as washcloths or dishcloths, trivets or pot-holders, coasters, and a variety of other household objects. I have found that organic cotton can also make very nice stuffed toys, stuffed with cotton batting they make excellent specialty items for people that are intent on offering only the purest and most natural toys to their children. Cotton can also be dyed, though the process is somewhat more involved than for wool.

Bath Time

It's an interesting phenomenon that whenever a small child is placed in the bathtub in this house, no matter what it is precisely the other children are doing, if they are in the house, they will magically appear in the bathroom either demanding to be included or attempting to take over the bathtime ritual. Even more interesting is those same children, when requested to individually cleanse themselves, will vociferously refuse to do so. For some strange reason, when there is a baby involved, bath time is automatically equated with fun and playtime.

Tonight, in attempting to bathe my son, who granted adores baths, loves to play in the water, and whose childish giggles are often infectious, I was quickly inundated by the presence of my youngest pair of daughters. The third stripped bare and demanded to join her brother. Even though she is less amicable to actually being cleaned while bathing. The second pushed me to the side and attempted to pet her brother on the head and just make a general nuisance of herself.

The bath itself should have lasted a few minutes for cleaning and a few minutes for playing. Perhaps 15 minutes total, including drying and dressing. However, hampered so by my other children, my son's bath stretched into 30 minutes or more. He certainly didn't seem to begrudge the extra playing time however!

The Fair

Well, we attended our local fair this evening. It's generally a lot of fun and one we try to get to every year. This year we were fortunate to have a family member who won wristbands for 4, but wouldn't use them and so gave them to us. It was a good thing too! I went early to retrieve the wristbands and we returned later in the evening, when it was cooler. I was a little concerned as the sky appeared to be clouding over a bit. However, as I had checked the weather expectations earlier I had confidence that we should be alright. We went through a small animal petting area and literally as soon as we were coming out, a bolt of lighting lit up the sky. The fair, of course, immediately shut down the rides, it's not safe to have a bunch of people in metal contraptions swinging around in the air after all. Everyone was encouraged by the fair officials to seek shelter in the large center building. We took refuge under an overhang just in time to watch a deluge soak everything in sight. We waited for perhaps an hour or so and when it appeared to be lightening we decided to check around the fair at the games and offerings. At first the rain picked up again, but then lightened out and then stopped. The rides were re-opened and we quickly took advantage of the situation, riding as many as we could, which granted still wasn't many. When the lightning started up once more, the fair officials opted to close all rides for the remainder of the evening. We found a canopy with tables near some food vendors and the children enjoyed funnel cakes, cotton candy, and a steak sandwich while we watched the torrents of rain start up once more. After awhile we were instructed to try and head out of the fairgrounds through the main building. So we left. It was a good thing I hadn't had to pay for the wristbands, since we honestly weren't able to realize their full value in rides. Still, I think everyone had a good time, even through the frustration at the fair and the weather. And that's what is the most important aspect of visiting the fair.

What do you think about?

While performing rather mundane chores? I find myself mentally writing blog posts while cleaning out rabbit pans, weeding the garden, or otherwise puttering around the yard. Sometimes even while driving. Sadly it is the rare occasion that any of those mentally created blogs actually end up being admitted to the void of cyberspace. It's a shame because I've actually composed some rather compelling blog entries in my mind. Perhaps someday, if and when they invent a device that can withstand the rigors of everyday active life and still function admirably, then perhaps I will actually be able to take the moment and stop to record the myriad thoughts that roll through my mind.

Procreation

I'm sure everyone knows someone who really ought to keep their particular genes out of the gene pool. So why does it seem that those are the ones who seem the most easily able to procreate? And yet those that would have made excellent parents are denied. It makes little sense. I happen to know of 2 such people, the kind that probably oughtn't reproduce that is. The children are fine as far as genetics, quite aesthetically pleasing really. It's the parent-figure that is lacking. Or perhaps it is more that they are lacking in overall parental instincts. Whatever it is, it is one of the truly baffling phenomenon in our known existence to my way of thinking! So while I understand that it is the most basic drive of all species, I really wonder if some humans shouldn't more carefully consider before they choose to join the ranks of the generations.

Back into the Swing

My current plan is to get back into the swing of things with my soap-making and crocheting. I will be re-setting my store so that I can stock it again. I'll be offering more customs for animal toys and I even have a pattern for a tea set! I'm going to offer more fibers too, like organic cotton, soft wool, and touch cotton while still recommending acrylic. I'll be doing it for my own sanity. When I'm crocheting and/or soaping, it relaxes me. I need something to help with stress relief with all the tasks I have to accomplish each day. You might think it's adding just more stress, but since I can crochet with something in the background, it really is relaxing. And I only soap at night anyway, for safety reasons. Plus they are activities that I genuinely enjoy. I love watching animals take shape by my own hand, or watching a newly set block of soap being cut into usable bars.

Frustration

There is nothing I dislike more than a subordinate at a place of employment thinking they have an upper hand over their superior. Sadly, this is exactly the case and I am at a loss as to how to rectify the situation. Short of removing myself to an alternate place of employment, which may happen regardless, so I am beginning to try and prepare. I no longer feel comfortable at my place of employment. I feel constantly harangued and threatened by a biased relationship between my subordinate and my superior. As a consequence I don't feel that I can talk with my immediate superior about the goings-on. To top it off I have never been a complainer, to my detriment in most cases I've found since others seem to have no such compunctions and often by the time things come back to me it is too late for me to do anything other than attempt to explain or clarify, which sadly often comes off as being merely making excuses. Then inevitably I'm put on my guard around everyone else. I learned long ago to trust in no one, and that lesson is being quickly hammered in.

I had thought I found the perfect job for me. I'm finding it's not the work but the people with whom I have the most trouble relating. I just don't get drama in the workplace. What precisely does it give a person to bring drama into the workplace? Are they bored? Regardless I will continue my search for a job that I can excel in and enjoy. I hate to say it, but I think I'd prefer to work with primarily men. Not always, but more often there is less associated drama in a primarily male workforce. Sad, eh?

A Garden Update

I'm really very pleased with this year's garden overall. Everything did eventually sprout, including 2 sets of watermelon plants. Today, since I had a day off, I decided to get some yard/garden work accomplished. I tied up the tomatoes (almost waited too long for some of them) and weeded most of the garden. I did lose the cantaloupe plants. Too long out of the ground coupled with too much rain when they first went in resulted in their early demise. I still have not yet planted the fruit trees, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, rosemary, or marigolds. They'll have to wait now.

On the animal side, the ducks are nearly big enough for processing. They now have all their feathers. Sounds like there are actually 2 drakes and 1 hen. The red chicks are half-size to adulthood and appear to be mostly hens, which is good. The nuggets are growing well and almost ready to be separated again. The goslings have had a rough time. They are quite large now and we've had some trouble finding the best way to keep them from harm. Therefore, we are down to 4 with one possibly crippled (it's a long story, his name though, is Speshal). The rabbits are going along at their usual pace. I bred around a dozen does recently. Not sure yet how many of them will take. The previous round of youngsters are almost ready for weaning from their parents. There are several Hollands, Jersey Woolies, Mini-lops, and Havana youngsters.

Boysenberries & Other Interesting Things

It was me neighbor that pointed out my boysenberry tree to me a couple months ago. I hadn't even realized it was there! I had thought it a weed tree and as such tried to kill it repeatedly... and obviously, unsuccessfully. Now I'm very glad for yesterday afternoon I harvested a large handful of the tasty berries from it. I honestly like them very much. They aren't as sweet as most berries, and for me that is a great advantage of them.

Owing to a small catastrophe, we have just 7 baby geese remaining. All of whom are growing large and appear healthy. They now have a large corner of the yard sectioned off for their own personal use and grazing. The ducks and chicks are also growing well, it won't be long now until they are ready for harvesting or being added to the layer flock.

The garden is coming along very nicely. Though some more intense weeding will need to be done very soon. Everything has sprouted to some degree. Though the amount of rain we've been getting recently has not been entirely helpful. Only one set of watermelon seeds sprouted and the cantaloupe plants are nearly lost. I still need to work the raised garden bed, plant the flower border, get the trees planted, and figure out what to do with some of my herb pots.

The Documentary, Earthlings

This is a very long and in-depth look at all manners of animal uses by humans and potential for abuses. I watched the entire hour and a half movie with voiceover. I have to say, while there were a few places in it where I cringed at the abuse, overall I didn't react. I am not hard-hearted, nor do I condone the mistreatment of animals. However, I took what was being shown for what it really was, minute, singular examples of abuse. Not the norm as was suggested. I was also appalled at the horrendous amount of misinformation being spewed to the viewer. The entire purpose of the movie was to turn people against all uses of animals by human beings in all forms.

Think it over, why would someone carry a hidden camera to a facility that is actually following good practices towards animals? Why would they bother to show people doing the right thing? The average person wants shock factor. They don't want to hear that in reality, most animals are treated beyond humanely, are given quick and painless deaths, and do not suffer as was indicated. Now could it be happening in other countries? Of course, but since I don't study the laws and practices of those countries, I really couldn't say for certain.

Education is the real key to improving conditions and treatment for animals, but most people like the producer of the film aren't interested in educating the public. Only in changing as many as possible over to their side of the issue. That would include showing antiquated clips that had already served their purpose decades ago to change practices.

Now, was some of what he showed true? Yes. Were some of the things he claimed also true? Yes. Was all of it accurate? Absolutely not! I have been in many different processing plants (slaughter houses) and never have I witnessed anything even remotely close to some of the things he showed.

In the end, it's something each person will have to decide for themselves. But remember this: The ones doing most of the yelling are the ones trying to tell you that those who work with animals are evil. Sadly, the advocates for animal welfare are too quiet to be heard much of the time. I will point out though that every person that has ever attended any kind of agriculture classes will have been taught not only about animal welfare, but also ethics.

Size differences

Isn't it interesting how children grow so differently? My youngest daughter went from NB diapers to S in a couple weeks, by 2 months, she was in medium. By the time she was 6 months of age, she wore larges. When she was 2 I had her in XL and was worried she'd outgrow those as well (there isn't anything bigger with cloth diapers than XL, and even those are rare). She's 3 now and wears a size 4T in clothing.

My son, on the other hand, is nearly 12 months of age and still fits into size medium diapers comfortably! I admit, at first I was concerned, he looks small to me. Much smaller than I'm accustomed to seeing at his age. He eats fine, nurses fine, and is otherwise quite healthy, so I stopped worrying about it. It could be that he's just going to be smaller framed. Or it could be that he's growing more slowly. Or it could simply be that he is more average than his older sister, who was above average for growth in her first year.

Garden Update

Yesterday I turned the garden horizontally and created rows. Last night the girls and I removed any living vegetation. Today I neatened up the rows and started planting. I also dug a small 3x3 garden plot for Aydi next to her swing in which she could play. She planted pumpkins in it. I have already planted the tomatoes and sunflowers and laid out the rest of the seeds and plants. We'll have the following:

Sunflowers
Tomatoes (Better Boy, Beefmaster, Sweet 100 cherry, Roma)
Bush beans
Broccoli
Onions
Kholrabi
Beets
Romaine lettuce
Collards
Carrots
Yellow squash
Cucumber (Easy slicer & Burpless)
Cantaloupe
Watermelon
Butternut squash
Pie pumpkin

As well as the following fruits:
Apple (golden delicious)
Pecan
Cherry
Fig
Nectarine
Pear
Plum
Rhubarb
Strawberry
Boysenberry
Grape
Black raspberry

I wanted to add some blueberry plants this year, but was too late to get them this time.

I also have some herb pots with:
Lemon and sweet basil
Lemon balm
Lavender
Rosemary
Chamomile

And I may add some stevia or other herbs for which I have seeds.

The garden has been turned

My birthday present this year was something I'd wanted for many years... a garden tiller. It's a refurb, true, but I love it! A front tine, so it does tend to beat the piss out of anyone behind the controls. Still, it does the job, and for the garden size we usually put in, it's a necessity. This year I extended the width of the garden by about 5 feet. That makes the overall garden about 25' x about 50' (or so, I've never measured). Not a bad sized garden considering it's all hand-tended, minimal equipment (except the tiller). I have the plants and seeds ready to go, but have been waiting for the night-time temps to cooperate. It still gets quite cool at night, close to freezing recently. So the plants are waiting. Plus, I wanted a couple back-to-back days off to get everything in at once.

However, I wanted to start prepping as soon as I could. The soil is nice and rich, if a little dry. I turned the whole thing this morning and evening. The girls have been instructed to rake out any loose vegetation. Then on Saturday, I'll turn it again and the girls will rake once more. The idea being the less wild vegetation left in the soil, the fewer weeds we'll have to fight back later in the growing season.

I discovered though that I will need to add some new tomato stakes or cages, I'm down to just a few left.

Chicken Nuggets

A few weeks ago I was in the feed store and picked up 10 bargain chicks with the intention of raising them for meat (since I can't seem to get any Cornish Rock chicks). They were crammed tightly into the carrier-box and I set it on the counter in the house on the way to the brooder. Aydi came into the kitchen and announced that she wanted "that" as she pointed to the box. So I asked her what she thought "that" was, to which she casually replied, "chicken nuggets!" I, of course, roared with laughter then pulled the box down for her to see what was in it as I agreed with her, "you are absolutely right!!"

My Sick Boss

What is it about some people that think they are invincible?! Everything started with the first day of the pay week, Sunday. My boss switched days with the other manager so he could visit his grandmother. All fine there, no big deal. However, Monday he came in looking poorly and mentioned he didn't feel well. He allowed me to check his face later in the day (we didn't have a thermometer, but I'm a mom for heavens sake!), his skin was hot and flushed. Finally, when the other manager came in, the two of us made him leave and head home. A health store is no place for a sick person to be lingering! Some of our customers are elderly, some may have compromised immune systems, they do not need to be exposed like that. So we made him go home. Then yesterday he switched with me so he could sleep in a bit. He wound up calling the other manager in to work for him that evening though. I was scheduled to open this morning again, so he came in around mid-afternoon. He seemed alright at first, then he ate something and turned ghostly white. I told him to go home again, saying he could come in later tonight. He wound up calling the other manager to come in again this evening. He's supposed to work again tomorrow, we will see.

Him being sick is not a problem, it happens to everyone eventually. The problem is that he is salaried and has always been the 'bridge' between the hourly associates. No one is permitted to have overtime. I'm not sure that is going to be possible this week, though we can certainly try. For instance, I was alone today from the time I came in until I had to leave... read that as, I was not able to take a lunch break. That means that as of today, I am currently approximately 30 minutes into 'overtime'. That doesn't even take into account that I might have to work again tomorrow... on my day off! What is going to happen if I do have to work? The second manager doesn't have any extra time either. And he really shouldn't be trying to work doubles immediately after having spent the past 4 days sick. :/

Goslings!

Out of 14 eggs set a little over a month ago, 9 beautiful babies hatched! It was a fun few days. The eggs were due to hatch last Monday. However, it was not until Tuesday that we noticed two of the eggs moving and could hear the first of the peeps from within the eggs. On Wednesday, several of the eggs had cracks in them. Wednesday evening a couple of the babies had 'pipped' through (broken a hole in the shell). Thursday morning the first gosling was born, he literally popped out the eggshell, we were lucky enough to be there to see it. Later that morning I received a call that a second had broken through. That evening I was greeted by 6 wet baby geese. Later that night a 7th came out. The final 2 were born the next morning and afternoon. A total of 9 goslings from 14 eggs. After they had dried, I moved them to a brooder and left the remaining 7 eggs in the incubator an additional 3 days (just in case). At that point I removed the 5 eggs that did not hatch (too old, not viable, or just plain didn't hatch). There are still 3 eggs in the incubator due to hatch next week. Also, the hen is also sitting on a few eggs, though I'm not sure how many she has.

I certainly am enjoying the new babies though! And while I could sex them, I honestly don't care how many are hens and how many ganders. I just love them all!

Strength

I'm stronger than I had thought. I can haul and sling 50 lb sacks of feed up and down our yard easily enough. Who else is there to do it for me?! Dragging stack cages up and down, no problem. Moving fencing wire, driving in fence posts, tilling our large garden, mowing the yard. All done by myself without assistance.

Today, I had to move a couple 100 lb sacks of feed, from the rear of the van to the barn. Traditionally I would use a cart to do this, I've never been able to handle those alone. That's a lot of weight to lift and carry!! However, when I saw a neighbor hauling one of them down (Ari thought it was the rabbit feed she was trying to get, but it was actually the whole corn) I took and changed with him and carried it down myself. No big deal really, the guy helped a lot getting it shifted over to my shoulder. However, when I went up to get the sweet feed, I had thought I'd purchased a 50 lb sack and it turned out to also be a 100 lb sack! Without help, I didn't know what to do, but thought I'd try getting it down by myself. I managed with very little strain to shift it up to my shoulder, shut the door of the van, and proceeded to haul it down the 150 feet to the barn unaided! I was also able to control it's downward movement into the proper bin with great control (I didn't just drop it in like many would have, I needed it to fit a certain way!).

I am quite pleased with myself for being able to do that. It was the first time I had really tried, in the past I had always struggled with the higher weight feed sacks. Even David was surprised and said I may even be stronger than he is now! (of course, I'm also a lot more physically active than he tends to be as well)

The Shoplifter

My new job is now a month old. I've found that it's something I genuinely enjoy. However, today was an unusual and interesting day. Today we had our first verified shoplifter. Unfortunately, there's not much we can do about it though, except record and recall, so if he tries to return again, he'll be watched very carefully.

The young man had been purchasing and returning several items over the last few days. So his face was easily recognizable and we have his information recorded from the numerous returns. He'd already been put on the 'non returnable' list because of his tendency to buy expensive products and then return them a day later. Today he came in and said he was just wanting to pass some time in the store. he seemed anxious, but I attributed that to his having to wait for someone else. He then proceeded to a section and stood there for some time, I saw him opening a few packages to read the insert. He refused assistance from both myself and my manager. I was a little suspicious about him opening boxes, but as I saw him returning things to their boxes, I didn't worry overly much, other than to mention it to the manager. The young man had set down his water and refused my assistance a second time. Then he suddenly decided to leave the store and left his water bottle behind. Because I was suspicious of his whole demeanor, I suggested my manager check the area I had seen the man standing by and opening boxes. Sure enough, he found an empty carton tucked up behind a few of the other items on that shelf.

To say my manager was upset with the person would be a mild comparison. It would be closer to describing him as livid. I have to agree though, just how stupid did that young man take us to be?! Does he think he wouldn't be caught?!?! Apparently he does though. The interesting thing is that because of the excessive number of returns, we have his name and contact information. If he's bold enough to return to the store, the plan is to ask him specifically about the item that turned up missing. Because while we cannot outright accuse him, in the event he became voilent, we can watch him like a hawk and let him know that we know he stole the item. The idea being not only to embarrass him and essentially call him out on it, but to let him know that we are aware that he stole the item and won't put up with it from him. Next time he comes in, he will be stuck to closer than if he were our best friend.

On Breastfeeding

Yes, I am going to type it here, because for once I don't have to hold back the truth I feel. Young mothers everywhere who were told they had to switch their baby to formula or who had been shamed out of doing what's best for your child by breastfeeding a minimum of 12-24 months (as recommended by the Pediatrics assoc. folk), you are wrong. For all those who tell me their body just wouldn't make any milk, you are wrong. You created your own problem, you succumbed to other people telling you what your body was NOT capable of doing.

I read an article today that was rather acerbic in regards to society and it's effect on breastfeeding women. As a mother of 4 successfully extended-breastfed children, I can say I would never have it any other way! Everything I list here is the absolute truth, google it if you want!

1. Mammals have been producing milk to support their infants for many millenia, why would that suddenly change in less than a century?! Humans ARE mammals.

2. Breastfed children have superior brain function. Just ask my 2 straight-A kids. (because breastmilk contains HUMAN proteins that support brain growth)

3. Colostrum (the first milk that comes in after birth) is absolutely essential to seal the intestine and provide immunity to the newborn. Breastmilk also supports healthy immune function. It is true that breastfed babies have fewer ear infections and less incidence of colic.

4. Ladies, let's face reality, no matter what you do, your breasts will not look 20 forever. Why not trade in for something everlasting?

5. Yes, breastfeeding will hurt initially. It is not instinctive anymore. And with prior generations having started this whole mess in the first place, you can expect it to be hard to find support. DON'T GIVE UP!! Get help with technique, and get your SO on board for exclusive breastfeeding for at least the first 6 months, anything less will ultimately result in early weaning.

6. Resist the temptation, don't even bring formula into your home. If you give yourself no other options, your body will adjust.

7. When your baby cries, check the diaper first, then offer a breast! They don't cry to annoy, there is nearly always a reason.

8. Remember that every drop of milk you put in your baby's mouth that is not produced by you will be that much less milk your body will produce! Yep!! You read that right, the body WILL adjust to your baby's needs, and that includes decreasing supply and eventually drying up if you offer your baby anything other than your milk from your body (or pump it out).

9. Remember that baby is the most efficient 'machine' at getting the milk out, pump if you have to, but don't use it as a substitute.

10. Do NOT give a baby a pacifier or bottle before they are 6 weeks of age! It can and may cause confusion. After 6 weeks I've rarely had a problem getting a baby to accept a bottle. Pacifiers are tougher, but be persistent and consistent if that's what you want. Waiting until 8 or 10 weeks is even better.

Finally, the 3 best reasons to breastfeed your infant:
- Always available
- Always the right temperature
- The cat can't get it!!!

Also remember that 50 years of research can NEVER replace 50 million years of evolution!

Cuddle your nurslings and rejoice in the fact that NO ONE else in the entire world can give your baby what you can! And remember they aren't little for long. You'll be proud you hung in there when they are older.

Feed Troubles

I had begun shopping for feed intermittently at a different supply store, a TSC that had opened up about 15-20 minutes away. I did a feed price comparison to my mill, and they were just $.50 higher than the mill on their rabbit chow and similarly compared with all the other feeds I buy. Now granted, the rabbit feed from the store was a smaller pellet, but the pellet was not as nicely green or obviously fresh as the mill feed. The rabbits did alright with it however, so I was prepared to accept the difference and switch fully to the other feed taking travel costs into account. However (isn't there always a down side to everything these days?!) when I got to the feed store the other day, I was utterly dismayed to discover there had been a significant price increase.

The rabbit feed that had been $10.49 suddenly appeared beneath a price tag showing it as $13.89!!! More than a $3 jump in price! I was flabbergasted (how often does one get to use THAT word in conversation! LOL), I even had an employee verify with the manager that it was accurate. She confirmed the substantial rise in price. I warned her that she would probably lose a significant portion of her business because of increases like that and suggested she pass along my complaints to higher-ups in the company. The thing about stores like those is the employees, even the management, has almost no control over anything in the store, they're just puppets.

So I put all the feed back in it's proper place and headed down to the mill instead... where I was informed they're prices had NOT increased even a single cent! LOL I proceeded to purchase my regular feed. I suppose I'll never get everything I want, however I will continue to search for the best deals.

April Fools' Day!

One of my all-time favorite non-celebrated holidays in existence! When else is it considered acceptable to play naughty jokes on people and have a darn good time doing it! A few years ago, we played one on my boss, telling her the star associate "couldn't take it anymore and he was going to quit" and that I didn't know what to do. Ha ha! We were the only ones to get her that day. For tomorrow, I've set one up on my children, going in after they were asleep and turning their alarm clock forward one hour. My plan is to get them up at their usual 6 am and tell them they are running late! Since their clock will show it as 7 am. I will update tomorrow as to how it proceeds.

Good Planning or Going Overboard?

I'm all for good planning, I'm all for being prepared for anything, and I'm all for sustainability. However, I wonder if it's possible to be too paranoid. Just how far is too far to expect one to be able to maintain sustainability in the city and why should it suddenly be my personal responsibility to arrange survival means for our family in the event of a social collapse?

I actually can do quite a lot right now. However, a breakdown in society may render any preparations pointless, as was pointed out to me by my dear other half, so what's the point in the first place? Personally, after looking carefully backward, my first suggestion was to establish close ties with neighbors in the community. A group of people working together stands a much stronger chance for survival than a single family. Look at the Amish, they've maintained sustainability for centuries.

For our family it would mean finding a source for water, the one commodity that would become very quickly in short supply. We have small animals that could be used for meat and eggs. We have fruit trees and can plant a garden. Milk and flour would be difficult to replace, though flour is cheap at the moment and dried milk could be gotten.

So there is a lot I could do in the event that supplies became difficult to locate. Not everything would be so easy however, we use electricity for both heat and cooking and artificial light sources would be difficult as wax sources are rare.

Quit Rolling your Eyes at me!

LOL

No, I am not a hippie, I am a modern-day green-ist.

So I will recommend supplements and herbal remedies for minor ailments rather than seeking a doctor for every sniffle. Give the body a chance to fight things off without assistance, medication in today's society does more harm than good. I refuse to be one of those people that cannot be treated without a hospital visit because the organisms have developed resistance.

I will breastfeed my children until they are toddlers or beyond. I will use cloth diapers and cloth shopping bags so I leave as little behind me when I'm gone as possible. I will insist on obedience from my children and my animals. I enjoy having the choice to have my children be born at home. I enjoy making many of my children's gifts and gifts for their friends. I genuinely enjoy impressing people with my skill and talent.

I love my animals and like knowing where my food is coming from. So if I choose to keep hens for eggs, rabbits for meat, grow my own vegetables and harvest fruit from trees, don't look at me askance. Not everyone has the opportunity I have to do this.

I enjoy being me, I am comfortable in my skin. So there is no need to roll your eyes when you see me doing something that might seem a little... odd to you.

Upcycling

Do you upcycle anything?

Upcycling is kind of like recycling, only it's making more of something, or of making something of value out of a thing that previously might not have had value.

In my case, I recycle or upcycle anything I am able to do. Most often I use cloth bags while shopping, however from time to time, if I am in need, I will request paper bags. I use paper bags for a variety of things including:

sewing patterns
stand-alone trash bags
cooking (ham/turkey)
book-cover
wrapping paper

among other things. Brown paper bags have a plethora of alternative uses. The best part about these versatile bags is their ability to return to the earth quickly when their full potential has been reached.

Celebrating Easter

We aren't huge on Easter here. Being non-denominational, non-religious I don't feel that it is that big a holiday and never have really. My concession is Christmas. I have never taken my children to see any 'Easter Bunny' and have never pretended that it was a real figure. I always thought my children were smart enough to figure out that I was the one filing their baskets. They all have very nice ones and rather than buy and throw-away new ones each year, I have them set them out like stockings and they are filled for them.

This year my eldest children will be receiving hand-made shawls. My youngest daughter will be getting a hand-made market bag and perhaps some play food (if I can find the time to make some). My son will be receiving either a hand-made monkey or an astronaut.

Mother's Day Tradition

In the last handful of years, my children and I have begun a tradition centered around Mother's Day. Rather than sending a trite card, or making a special phone call (because I call often anyhow), and because we live too far away to visit, we do something a little different. It is becoming a tradition for the children and myself to present my mother with one or more handmade gifts in offering for the gift of life she gave to me so many years ago. The first year we did this I helped the children paint her a t-shirt. The next year the children made her pot-holders and I made her a knitted dishcloth. The year after she requested another t-shirt as her first was wearing out from use. The year after that we gave her a variety of small items.

This year I am planning on a crochet shawl for her and the girls will likely make her some organic cotton coasters for her living room.

Dualistic Life

I lead a dualistic life, what mom out there doesn't?! When I'm at work, I am the confident and assertive woman, capable and efficient. When I'm at home, I'm mama: loving and true, able to kiss away the hurt and growing pains, chief cook and bottle-washer, milk provider, and cuddle recipient. In both roles I am teacher and student. Sometimes at work I wish I were home, sometimes at home I wish I were at work.

Day Off

So what do I do on my day off from work? Because my off days are rarely consecutive, I clean!! I kind of remember this from working before, never actually getting any real time to relax because there's always something to do. Perhaps that is why I tend to be a little twitchy about relaxing. Perhaps that is why I find it difficult sometimes to just sit down and watch anything on the television. Today is my day off, the house was a wreck from a mere 3 days of my being at work. Thus far I have washed laundry, washed dishes, picked up the living room and our bedroom, vacuumed the kitchen and living room, and put clothes away. I have already turned the eggs and fed the chicks/ducklings. I still need to clean rabbit pans and feed/water the rabbits. I need to decide on additional yarn for a couple projects and try to finish them. I want to clean the front porch (it's looking a little trashy for various reasons), have the girls clean their room, and spot clean the bathroom. I will probably clean out rodent cages today too.

So what do I do on my day off? Work. LOL

Eggs in the Incubator

So far we have around a dozen goose eggs in the incubator. They are on day 3 now out of 28. Fingers crossed for a good hatch, this is the first time I've ever incubated eggs.

Poultry-wise, I picked up 3 Pekin ducklings and 5 Rhode Island Red chicks earlier this week. Red hens will be kept for egg-laying, the ducks will be raised and processed. I plan on trying to pick up a few more ducks and hopefully some Cornish Rock chicks early next week, if they have them by then.

I still want some quail and a few heritage turkey hens, and I will need to make a decision on whether I want a rooster or not. I'm in no rush for those however. I'm hoping to attend a poultry swap in May, and will see about locating some of these at that time. I may see about some Silkie hens as well, they are excellent setters.

Handling Others in Youth

There are rules in place for the youth. I may not agree with them, but I expect that if they are going to be put into place, they ought to be upheld. By ARBA rules, a child between the ages of 5 and 18 only may enter rabbits they own in youth. They must carry the rabbit to the table on their own and put it into the coop and remove it from the coop after judging. Children and young adults outside of this range can and should be encouraged to enter in the open classes. One of the reasons I'm sure it to ensure that the children exhibiting rabbits are the actual primary caretakers of those animals. I am a big supporter of self evaluation of individual children to determine their maturity and ability to care for and show a rabbit.

However, when it becomes plainly clear and obvious to the other youth that a child is too young, then it becomes the parent's responsibility. Perhaps in this case, the parent didn't know, didn't realize, but if so, why didn't anyone enlighten her? My child had to learn an important lesson: that it is not worth the energy expenditure it takes to be upset over someone else breaking the rules. A 4 year old girl who was not even interested in any way in the goings-on of the show won BOB. The girls did not groom her rabbit, was not required to listen or even observe the judging, and didn't seem to care either way that her rabbit won such a great honor. The rabbit was nice, and sadly it would only make my child appear to be petty if she said anything about what happened. As such I instructed her to simply, "let it go." With luck, sometime between now and the next show, someone, perhaps a person that has no personal stake, will inform that other mother of the rules and expectations of the fellow youth competitors.

I personally welcome the mother and the daughter with open arms, in the open class until the little girl becomes old enough to show in youth per ARBA regulations. If they are going to create a rule, it ought to be enforced.

The Streaker

"Yes, that's my daughter..." *sigh* Anyone that has ever potty-trained a toddler knows that when they are on the cusp, if they say they have to go, that means better find a toilet NOW. Apparently my youngest daughter, Aydi, is no different. Today at the show, the first time I took her to the toilet, she paid careful attention to it's location in the very large show-room. Thereafter she took it upon herself to get to the potty when she needed to go without alerting me. There seems to be one slight problem however, her habit is to push down her pants and then run to the toilet room. Therefore, it almost became a common occurrence to witness her streaking (slowly mind you, she'd leave her pants around her ankles) across the rear of the showroom in a direct line towards the bathroom! I can think of at least half a dozen times today. It was certainly embarrassing for me to have my child constantly streaking through the room! On the other hand, any parents that were there I'm sure could sympathize, and I know several snickers and a few out-right laughs were emitted every time she ran to the potty today!

Advancing

A lot has happened in the last couple of weeks. I finally found employment as a retail store assistant manager. The geese continued laying eggs in a different nest, I had been collecting them, but decided last week to see if they could do it themselves. I have half a dozen in the house awaiting an incubator, the geese have an additional 5 in their nest. They are not setting as of yet. I brought in half a dozen laying hens, of which only one is laying consistently (a green egger), though a second laid one egg a couple days ago (then stopped). And the rabbits finally started kindling, we are up to 5 litters: 3 Holland, 1 Jersey Wooly, and 1 AFL.

New hens & poultry

Today I added half a dozen laying hens back to our 'homestead'. They are simple mix-breed girls, supposedly 6-8 months of age, but most of them appear to be younger. They are pretty girls, 3 are black, 2 are mostly white with some gray speckling, and one is a beautiful white and black speckled hen with a muff. She happens to be the only one of them currently laying and a great surprise, she's a green egger! I had those before, so I'm grateful to have another here.

I don't have a rooster, and am not worried about breeding these ladies. They are here to fulfill a purpose and that is to produce eggs for our family. I'm very grateful to have them here and to have made a new friend in the person that took the time to meet with me and talk to me about her hens.

Next I'll be looking for Coturnix quail for eggs, heritage turkeys for eggs and a couple meat turkeys for meat, Pekin ducks for eggs and meat, and also some chicks. I'm not sure on egg layer breeds yet, but I'll be aiming to get at least half a dozen Cornish Rock chicks to raise out for meat.

Disappointment and Redemption

The goose eggs are gone. There were 3 in the nest, but yesterday I noticed the goose was out with the others of the flock, therefore not on the nest. When I went to check and collect the eggs, the nest was empty. I will be setting another live trap in the barn today.

I'm also waiting to hear about a job, not the best job I could have, but one that better suits my background I think. I'm still waiting though, if I've not heard by tomorrow, I'll be calling them to see what has happened to delay.

On a brighter side though, I have finally managed to locate some actively laying hens, or at least they are according to the person with whom I spoke earlier this morning. I want the hens for eggs for our family. Again, I have to make the barn safe as I wish to keep the hens safe and collect their eggs for family use.

I am also waiting on 3 does to kindle this week. Two are AFLs, Pie and Mambo, and one is a nice little broken sable point HL.

Clearing up some Misconceptions

I'd like to take a moment to clear up a few rabbit genetic misconceptions.

First, breeding chocolate into reds or torts will NOT clean up the color on those animals! It will NOT remove smut issues. It may hide it better, but that is only because chocolate against red tends to be harder to see. The problem will STILL be present! So to all those breeders out there constantly telling new red/tort breeders to cross in some chocolate to clean up the color, STOP IT! You are not helping them in any way! You are merely perpetuating a problem that already has enough issues clouding it and making it more difficult for those people to succeed. If you want good cleanly colored reds and torts, cross to clean colored reds and torts! Want more rufus factor? Cross to a brighter colored animal! Even if it's not a lot brighter, it will get you moving into the right direction. Want to be able to see your progress in the line? Then keep to a genetically black based variety!

Second, it does NOT help anyone in the fancy to keep rabbits that produce white spots or white nails and just "cross those to brokens to 'fix' the problem." The problem is keeping them in the first place. Cull those babies OUT!! Because it is inevitable that sooner or later, someone is going to use those animals, get promising youngsters after crossing and then have their hearts broken because the animal has a DQ white spot or nail! And please STOP telling youth to pluck out white spots before showing, it is ILLEGAL to do so, and telling the youth to do it taints our future generation breeders and perpetuates the issue. Not to mention they could get in serious trouble for it. Adults are supposed to set examples for our youth, so DO IT.

Finally, once and for all, linebreeding IS inbreeding. I get so sick of people telling me they linebreed, but they would NEVER inbreed, because inbreeding is just terrible! Sometimes I want to laugh, other times I want to shake the person, most of the time I just shake my head. It's very difficult educating people when they've been given so much misinformation while they were newbies. The definition of inbreeding is the selective mating wherein both individuals are related in some way, no matter how minor. Crossing a pair of cousins that are separated by 6 generations is still inbreeding, though very minor. Crossing a parent to an offspring is the main definition for linebreeding, however breeding full-siblings or half siblings is no better or worse. Learn and understand what inbreeding can do for your herd. Understand the potential consequences and be ready to handle those if they come up. Otherwise, take the time to recognize when this quite powerful and useful breeding tool can and should be used in creating a herd that consistently produces top quality animals in all traits. It has been done and can be done by anyone that cares to learn.

That is all... for now. ;)

The Value of a Dollar

I believe it is not until you are standing in a grocery store with only $10 or maybe $20 in your pocket and nothing in your bank that you finally feel the real value of a dollar bill. You are forced to budget and choose carefully. You finally realize that while that quart of ice cream maybe be only $2.95, that is about 1/3 or 1/6 of the money in your pocket, so is it something that is really necessary to have. Is that quart of ice cream worth sacrificing the purchasing of staple goods that will provide nourishment longer. Bread, milk, eggs, sugar, flour, cereal, pasta, etc.

It is the same when trying to keep the animals fed on a budget. Trying to balance between economy and nutrition. Do I really need a broom for the rabbitry floor or would it be better to wait and use that money for feed instead. Then also, trying to decide whether it would be more economical to try and find baled hay to purchase instead of feeding hay cubes and straw bales. Things like these decisions can make all the difference.

I know for myself, I have really come to appreciate the value of the dollar through these trying times.