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I planted my potatoes last weekend, so the second weekend in April.  This year I planted some in pots versus in the ground.  I’m hoping this method will make it easier to avoid or minimize a blight outbreak if one comes our way.  Portable pots will fit in the garden better too.  If nothing else, I’m interested to see how they yield. One downside to growing potatoes this way is they require more regular watering since the soil dries out faster.  I’m not too worried about that.  My biggest concern was finding enough material to fill the pots with.  Brian solved that problem for me.  On the left is a scoop of composted hay.  On the right is some topsoil he scraped up from where the lean to was that burned.  There were cattle in there before the fire.  He cleaned up the old bedding and manure a long time ago but I’m sure a lot of the nutrients seeped in to the soil underneath. I mixed the soil and compost about 50/50 and spread it a few inches deep in the bottom of each pot.  Then I placed the potatoes in.  I put anywhere from 3-6 potatoes chunks in

There is so much going on!  Not that I’m really busy.  I’m just dabbling in a lot of things.  I keep thinking I should totally do a post about this and this and this and yet when I sit down at the computer I enjoy reading everyone else’s blogs instead.  Plus, I’m following Dancing With The Stars for the first time ever this year because Kate is on there.  I know she’s kind of crazy but I really like her.  I think it’s because she says what so many women are thinking/feeling.  She’s certainly not setting a Godly example for her children so I’d love to see her make some changes and I’m cheering for her (in life and on DWTS).  Anyway… LoL So what have I been doing?  Planting potatoes in pots, starting seeds, organizing the basement (or thinking about it), trying to settle in to a housework routine that works, raising chickens, thinking about pasture arrangements, trying to eat healthier, trying to have a better attitude, trying to work in some new recipes, etc.!  Enough for you?  Now what do you want to hear about?  I’m not promising I’ll write about it all so if you’ve got priorities

First, thanks for sticking with me through my venting the other day.  A girl can only take so much and I just couldn’t muster up a real post right then.  Right now we’re no closer to a diagnosis.  I’m going to take some samples and send them to MSU this week so I’ll keep you posted.  Basically, CL is a disease that causes random abscesses externally or internally.  A few of our ewes have developed abscesses in the same location for no apparent reason.  The disease can be managed but not easily eliminated.  At this point we’re not overreacting but are prepared to deal with whatever result we get.  As a side note, our final lambs of the year were born Friday morning.  Angel delivered twins: one boy, one girl.  I named the girl April because Mama really held out, she was way overdue.  The twins had a slow start and aren’t real big but they’re both nursing and doing great now. After church and a nice breakfast we worked on the garden.  It took all afternoon.  Brian spread manure and we rototilled.  We added a new patch and expanded the main garden by about 1/3 rd.  I think I

I’m seriously starting to wonder if we should just cull our entire flock of sheep and start fresh.  I may be only half serious but it’s not the first time I’ve had this thought.  The footrot was not a big deal and has completely resolved as far as I can see.  The lamb losses this year and the ensueing chaos stretched my patience.  Now, we’re dealing with what may very well be a few innocent abscesses.  Or, it could be caseous lymphadenitis aka “CL”.  Google it.  Reeeadd about it.  Pray for us.  ARRRGGG!

Aural Hematoma in Newborn Lamb When we finally had a set a twins thrive and stay alive this spring we were thrilled.  We checked them over for all the basic problems: no umbilical hernia, no cleft palates, no parrot mouth, no inverted eyelashes.  I thought we were good to go.  After a day or two I noticed a problem with one ear on the lighter colored twin.  The lambs’ ears are naturally droopy when they’re born.  Within a few days they begin to straighten up and move about like the adults’ ears.  On this particular lamb one ear remained droopy while the other stood up as expected. The affected ear felt thickened and warm to the touch.  The lamb’s rectal temperature was normal.  She was nursing and acting normal otherwise.  A talk with our vet confirmed what I suspected: an aural hematoma.  It is a condition wherein blood fills the space between the two sides of the ear flap.  Usually, it occurs when the animal’s ears are irritated and they are shaking their head a lot.  The shaking causes small blood vessels to rupture.  In the lamb’s case I suspect the ear was traumatized during delivery.  The hematoma was probably

In the nearly two years that we’ve had sheep we’ve had a few issues arise.  This year a few things came up that I called the vet about.  By calling the vet I expected to bite the bullet and have a big farm call to pay.  Instead, he told me what he would try if he came out and told me to do it.  Ahh, the joys (and overestimations) that coming with being a vet tech! To start this series off I’ll share how we handled it when 2 of our ewes came home limping. Footrot I never actually confirmed that this was footrot but I suspect so.  Footrot is caused by two different bacteria mixing.  It generally occurs in wet or damp conditions.  The only reason I’m not completely sure our ewes had footrot was because it didn’t spread to the other ewes.  Otherwise, it fit the bill, and the treatment for footrot fixed the problem. When we sent our ewes off on their date with the rams two of them came home limping.  I suspect they were in a pasture that was too muddy for too long.  The best way to treat footrot is to prevent it by

Today: Shredded BBQ Chicken sandwiches (for Brian) T: Mama’s Supper Club tilapia parmesan w/ homemade creamy garlic shells W: Grillin’ Beans (for Brian), veggies (for me), and homemade cornbread R: Homemade chicken strips w/ salvaged hashbrowns F: Homemade pizza & breadsticks (Loved that last recipe, using it again) S: Eating at my Mom’s for Easter? S: Going out after church or having a turkey here? M: Meatloaf T: Cheesy Chicken Bundles w/ buttered noodles W: Breakfast for supper R: Marinated chicken on the grill w/ fried rice F: Steak on the grill w/ chips S: Parmesan crusted tilapia w/ garlic pasta S: Leftovers Head on over to I’m An Organizing Junkie to see what’s cooking for everyone else this week.  Are you trying anything new?

As I start making plans for this year’s garden I need a little help.  In an effort to be all naturale I have pretty much done nothing to help my plants grow beside plant them and mulch them to control weeds.  We do spread compost on the garden but I have never used any supplements or solutions.  This year I need to run some soil tests and do some amending.  So… Do you supplement your seedlings?  With what?  Seaweed solution, compost tea? Do you run soil tests?  Do you add amendments throughout or just in certain areas? How do you prep your soil for planting?  No till?  Shovel?  Walk behind rototiller?  Tractor mounted tiller? Those are the three big areas I could use some help in.  What we’ve been doing just isn’t cutting it.  Thanks in advance for your feedback!

Ahh, and so we shift gears.  Up until today it has been plan, prepare, design, print, mail, pour over catalogs, etc., etc.  Today the real work began.  We’ve now entered the time of year where we get busy doing all the things we’ve been talking about.  Why did things change today?  Because the first 100 meat chicks arrived! The post office called at 6 AM.  I was back home with the chicks by 7AM.  They are Colored Rangers from JM Hatchery.  The lovely folks at JM were kind enough to send a few extras.  All 102 chicks arrived healthy and lively.  I’m still amazed at how well they ship!  Right now they are in a temporary brooder in our basement. The latest batch of Heritage breed chicks are down there too, under their own light. The next step is to prepare a bigger brooding area in the barn.  This weekend is going to be colder than the last few so we didn’t want to take any chances but putting them out there right away.  The chicks will be in a brooder for 3-4 weeks and then move to their pastured area.  In 10 weeks we’ll take the first group for

So I got my hair cut.  A LOT.  It was down to my lower back.  I donated it to Locks for Love.  I also had it colored to cover up my old highlights.  Turns out my roots are a lot darker then I thought but I really like it!  Brian likes it too because I’ve atually been styling it.  It’s fun.  There was really no point in having it so long since I almost never wore it down.  Plus, it was giving me headaches it was so heavy! I treated myself to a shopping trip to Goodwill on Friday.  Here’s what I got: Set of scrubs (pants and top) Cute thermal top for under scrubs Little black dress (brand new Target leftover for $2.50!!!) 1 Pair of Jeans (Angels brand – one of my favorites!) Blue and grey comfy top (needs some easy mending) Grey sweater Total spent: $23.  I <3 Goodwill! 🙂 ^ Jeans & sweater, cute enough for church this morning! 🙂 What kind of deals have you found lately?  Where do you get your clothes?