Neglectful

Neglectful of blogging that is. Things just stay busy lately. Geez, I didn’t realize it has been over 2 weeks since I posted. And it’s September already! Time does have a way of passing quickly hun?
It’s been a little bit of everything going on around the ole farmstead. Had a few ups and downs, a few ins and outs, even a high and a low.
We switched our hay provider about 2 weeks ago. Found a really good, pretty green, sweet smelling, orchard grass mix. Wrong thing to do with our bunch. Guess it was so good, they liked it so well, they over ate causing a few to come down with the scours or the pasture poos as the better half calls it. Not a pretty sight let me tell you. One would come down with it, I would get them cleaned up and straightened out, then another would have a bout with it. Yeah, I kinda felt knee deep in it.
More new baby chicks and peachicks hatched out. The new layers we picked up at the Cackle Hatchery in February have begun to lay. Happy, happy with that. Back in the swing of things with egg production now.
I managed to work through the entire stock of raw fleece we had stored away. This year was a lesson learned. Fleece Lesson - Do not store the fleece in the better half’s workshop where barn cats can go. Yep, the barn cats have access to the shop and found the stored fleece very, very inviting. So inviting they set up house. Seems a few bags of fleece were torn open and used as a warm cozy spot to have kittens, a warm cozy place for all of them to bed down in, plus used as a litter box. To say the least I was not a happy camper. I did try to save some of the fleece, after the 3rd wash and the awful smell was still there…I gave it up.
The last of summer’s harvest, a few zucchini are awaiting being worked up. Will be grating and freezing for winter baking. Zucchini bread…yummm.
We have had unexpected company in and out. The better half’s sister from Kansas came for a short visit. I love this sister. She is not afraid of the animals, getting dirty or being on the farm. Her husband is a cowboy. Really a real cowboy. They live on and he works cattle at a huge ranch some where on the Oklahoma Kansas border.
If you have followed the blog for awhile, you might remember each year (well the last 5) the weekend after Labor Day we have our big fat Irish family gathering. Everyone gathers together to attend the Southwest MO Celtic Festival. Unfortunately this year we did not have our big fat Irish family gathering. Dad’s health would not allow for the work involved in the family gathering or Festival. However we (better half, dear son and myself) did attend the Festival. Saving that for the next blog post.
Still have bottle babies and a few does nursing kids. We lost one doeling, to what reason I am totally clueless. So sad and frustrating, though won’t and can’t dwell on it, is part of the circle of life on the farm.
Good news is that we have sold all of this year kids (6). They will be leaving the end of this month once weaned. Plus have sold 2 of the milk does. Actually I made the decision to sell the milk goats due to my wanting to buy a new addition to the Shetland sheep flock. I am so excited. Will tell more on this too in the next blog post.
I wish you could see the pigs (camera not working at the moment). They are fattening out quite nicely. Will be ready for process mid October. They are quite the handful. I highly doubt we will raise 10 at a time again. As they age they become more aggressive, destructive and of course we all know why they are called pigs…they try to eat everything! That too is another story in itself.

Hope everyone is doing well and preparing for the change of seasons. I am so looking forward to fall. Til next time…have a good one.