In The Good Ole Summer Time

All in all it has been a good summer despite the heat. We did a few family things, a few fiber things and a few farm things. Though where ever we went, whom ever we saw, the heat was the topic of many conversations.

It has been a real scorcher here at the farm. Everyone outside is miserable. The heat is taking it's toll on all of us. Milk production is down, chickens backed off laying, sheep, goats, dogs, cats...all panting and hiding in whatever shady, dark, cool spot they can find. I have been getting up at daybreak to do the milking, feeding and other chores. Go back out 2 or 3 times a day to refill and cool down water troughs, plus take a head count to make sure all are surviving. At sunset I go back out, refill troughs and check on everyone once again.

The garden basically burnt up. A few veggies here and there were all we could manage to keep alive this year, even though I watered. The blackberries and wild plums barely made it past the blooming stage, what did fruit burnt up if the birds didn't get to them first. Then there was the issue with a wild animal of some sort, the lettuce, spinach, kale, arugala... all the summer greens were wiped out in one evening. Oh and how could I forget... the tomato-sheep incident due to my total absent-mindedness. We sold this year's wether ramling for a pet to a very nice family. The day he was to be picked up I brought him, his mom and sister into the front yard. So they could see his family as well as not have to walk a mile down to and up from the pasture to load when they were ready to leave. Three of the other ewes wanted to join in the adventure so I let them in also. Oh yeah, not even giving a thought to the few tomato plants we had planted in those upside down tomato planters or the variety of peppers plants I planted in decorative pots. The sheep basically left the plants alone though ate all the veggies. The roses however did not fair as well. Have hopes for the pumpkin they seem to be hanging on.

I just couldn't tolerate the heat to accomplish many summer projects. I managed to paint one out building before the 100 degree temps set in. Oh, can't forget managed to paint half the propane tank. You do not know how annoying it is to me for it to be setting there half painted. I plan on finishing it first, as soon as the heat breaks. Did work outside a couple of hours each morning mowing, weeding, cleaning feed troughs, sweeping out milk room and stalls, trimming a hoof here and there, etc. until I could no longer bear the heat of the day. Have to say it was not a productive farm work summer.

The weekends the better half was home we ventured out in the mornings to the nearby farmers markets, produce stands and feed stores. At the Lebanon Farmers Market ran across a very nice farmer who had the most reasonable prices we had found all summer. Plus like us he uses no pesticides on his produce. Win, win in my opinion. We bought some of all his produce he had available. Will definitely be returning.

Speaking of the better half he has been sending a few photos of sunsets...he has been driving mainly at night lately. The first is in Texas, the second Kansas.

Happy to report the "Lamb Warmers" are finished and listed on the new website. Have it up and running though no online store for the moment. It maybe a few weeks.

Models and photos courtesy of Robin from Buffalo Creek Farm

I did say Lamb Warmers :-) though they also work well on kids too. For lambs & kids 15 lbs and under. Will have lambs modeling the warmers soon. www.southardfarm.com

Hope everyone enjoys the remainder of the summer, stay cool!

This, That & The Weather

Rain, rain, go away!

Yesterday (Saturday) was beautiful though the days before were filled with heavy rains, flash flooding, severe thunderstorms, hail and damaging winds. They say the weather we are having is typical for this time of year, that May and June are normally the wettest months for Southwest Missouri. Seems we are stuck in an unstable weather pattern that is producing heavy rains and severe weather. I do wish we would become un-stuck from it. We have been very blessed that the worst of the severe weather has gone around us.

The access road/drive way washed out again. Weather permitting it will be the first of the week before anything can be repaired. The straight-line winds that came through (they say the winds reached between 50-60 miles an hour and in some places 80 mph) took down two large trees in the east pasture. One broke in half, luckily not landing on the fence as of yet. The top half is resting tangled in the tops of trees above the fence line. Waiting for the road to be passable in order to have BIL come cut it down. The other fallen tree downed a couple smaller ones that were in its landing path. The goats are enjoying having access to the green leafy branches.

The yard is littered with leaves, twigs, branches and limbs. Anything that was not attached or anchored down was blown around and scattered about. The two tarpaulins we used as wind breaks over the doors of the smaller shelters blew off. I still have yet to find the throw rugs I had drying on the clothesline before the storm hit. I could kick myself for not remembering to bring them in. I really can’t believe I forgot about them. No telling where they blew off to. I even walked the neighbor’s property when the weather cleared looking for the rugs. Couldn’t have been just the bath rugs or the rubber backed throw rugs used by the doors, nope these were my one of kind hand braided rag rugs. Sigh :-(.
One afternoon after the worst of the days weather had passed we lost electric and telephone for roughly 6 hours. Thank goodness my son has his new fangled phone which for some reason will let him send and receive text out here in the boonies even when he can’t call out. (Our cell service doesn’t and never has worked down here in the valley.) Knowing the better half would call home to check in, that he would worry if not able to reach us after so long a period of time I ask Son to text Sister who is 300 miles away to have her call the better half that was 800 miles away to update him on things at home. The miracles of modern technology, don’t ya know.

The satellite we expect to and it’s a given will go out for hours during overcast cloudy days. We really need to invest in one of the new digital antennas to pick up off air channels just to keep abreast of the weather situations. One day even my little standby Am/Fm radio could not pick up any stations.

This weeks forecast says we may experience more of the same type of weather.

With the weather being as it was I didn’t manage to accomplish much out of doors. The yard is half mown, weeds not touched and pens not raked (rather hard to rake mud) and work on the skirting table came to a halt.

Still on baby watch. I assumed that the dairy girls would decide to kid during the stormy gully washer weather. Thankfully no. June 9th was 150 days after being exposed to the buck. They were with him for 2 months so we have a rather wide window for kidding. Really could be just anytime now. Isabella’s ligaments are gone; her udder is filling so we are guess-timating that she will kid first, within a week if not sooner. Barb is such a hard one to judge. Again this year in the beginning she showed signs of being bred, her ever expanding mid section, cranky attitude, her udder showed just a hint of change. Now like last year the closer we get to kidding time she almost seems not bred. No loose ligaments, slimming down through her mid section (could be babies rearranging themselves), no notable change in her udder (could be one to wait until the last minute). If I were a betting woman I would bet she really didn’t take. She also could have settled later than Isabella who knows, we will just have to wait and see.

This year the peahens came of age. The girls brought up 8 new peachicks. This is good if we can successfully round them up before any predators have their way. We have 4 buyers on the waiting list.

With dear son home and asking for dishes and treats he hasn’t had Mom around to make for him in the last 10 years, these rainy days are excellent for puttering around in the kitchen. I normally don’t make many desserts, don’t have many sweets or snacks on hand either. That has changed a bit since his arrival. It actually surprises and amuses me in what dear son comes up craving…Rice Krispie treats, Minute (sometimes called No Bake) cookies, my quick peach cobbler, blonde brownies (he is not a big fan of chocolate), strawberry shortcake. His sweet tooth has put dessert back on the menu. Yep, gained a few pounds since he has been home. ;-)

Looks like another storm is brewing, so I best unplug. Til next time…have a good one.

The Hail of It and Blog~a~versary

Friday morning Brutus the pup woke me up about 5:30'ish or so for his early a.m. feeding. It was drizzling when I turned the other dogs out the front door for their morning potty break and went about the inside morning routine. I checked the weather and noticed we were under a thunderstorm watch.

About the same time daylight was arriving so did the hail.

Adam is a heavy sleeper, hard to wake him most of the time. Though the hail brought him out of bed and questioning what the noise was.

I waited until the storm had passed then went out to take a few photos. Figured no one would believe me.

The white is the hail - in the front

Below is the door to the screened in porch on the back of the house. This is where we get most of the run off from the roof when it rains (the small white bucket collects rain water for watering house plants - it was filled from the storm). The hail had bounced, rolled and collected in the same area where the rain runs off.
Hopefully you can see the hail on the roof and at the base of the ramp (where the ramp begins)

Most pieces of hail were this size.

Shortly after the hail storm passed the more severe weather arrived. Thankfully we did not suffer any major damage. Only a few branches fell, a few plastic buckets and odds-n-ends were blown about the barn yard. During the last few minutes of the storms our electric went out. The electric was out for about 5 hours after the storms passed.

The "all clear" was given about 10:30. I went out to check on the livestock and finish up the morning routine. I went to the bottom pasture to feed, the sheep were not in their shelter. Of course I didn't think to carry the camera with me. I found the boys out happily browsing the high spots in the pasture totally unconcerned about the flash flooding, oblivious to the fact that the creek had jumped it banks, flooded the bottom pastures and flood waters were rushing not 50 feet from them. Luckily when they heard me yell "breakfast boys" they came running and I closed the flooded pasture off.

Standing on the back porch I could see and hear the flood waters gushing down the wet weather creek that is the boundary line of the back of our property. It was the highest it has ever been in the 12 years Jim has owned the property.

Later in the day after the electric came back on and the flood water retreated, the neighbors up and down our drive brought to my attention that the flood waters had taken out part of our access road and there was no way in or out. According to their reports one section of the road had been washed away and it could no longer be driven over without fear of driving off the side or the road caving in.

Knowing I could be of no help I call Matt (BIL) to come out to look things over. Turns out there really was some damage to the drive. A drain/culvert was clogged and the flood waters went over top of the road instead of under the road. The flood waters sheared about a foot off of a section of the road, a person could drive off the side down a steep drop if they did not pay attention to what they were doing. He highly doubted if the road would cave in, said it was still driveable just not with large machinery. He sunk a couple of T-posts as markers to show where the road side dropped off and what area to avoid. He thinks a few dump truck loads of dirt and gravel will fill it in and will have the road back to normal.

While he was here he saved me the task of walking the back of the property. He wanted to check out the creek area, he had never seen the water so high. On his walk about he discovered the flood water had also taken out most of our fencing on the back of the farm. Guess what we will be doing in the near future...more fencing.

Can you believe that today is my 1st year Blog~a~versary? Sending a big Thank You to my followers and visitors. It means so much to see that you visit and read the blog.

April Showers

If April showers bring May flowers, we should be growing a rain forrest.
A line of strong to severe storms moved east/northeast across the Missouri Ozarks yesterday afternoon through evening. We were under a tornado watch/warning most of the evening. Hope everyone in the area weathered the storms, are OK and suffered no damage.
Forecast today calls for a damp, dreary, overcast, rainy type day. To say the least it’s muddy out there, suck your boots off your feet type muddy. All the critters are hold up in their shelters this morning. The only brave souls to venture out were the Shetland boys. The rain doesn’t seem bother them.
To my surprise yesterday I found we have new barn kittens. Surprising due to our only having male cats on the farm, so I thought.
When we moved to the farm there was a stray female who dropped a litter of kittens, she raised them to weaning age then disappeared. No biggie, we gave away all the female kittens and let the males stay. Thinking with all males, there would be no future kittens and we wouldn’t be over ran with cats. I don’t mind the 4 barn cats, they are no problem. They do a job and do it well. We have no mice, moles, etc. Our barn cats could actually be considered feral cats. They are not friendly to humans, run if they see someone approach and really can’t be caught.

We call this big boy Catmando

The tomcats come and go as they please. In winter I occasionally find them sleeping in the barn, in Summer I catch a glimpse of them fleeing the barnyard with a dead mouse or frog. They get along nicely with the livestock dogs and never cause any problems.
When the neighbors moved into the area they brought cats, cats that multiplied quickly. Guess one of our guys brought his girlfriend home. This was a smart momma cat she found an empty box in Jim’s tool room to have the kittens. The tool room is close to the self-feeding cat food dispenser. The tool room is also next to the hay room, which is the warmest shelter on the farmstead.
I heard them mewing, wanted to see them, but Momma cat hissed and spat when I got close so I left them be.
Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Spring Has Not Sprung

See ... crazy weather I tell ya, a day ago or so was 70 degrees. This morning we are in the midst of a snow storm with a high in the 20's. Could be up to 5 inches of snow.

The view from the porch this morning, when snow first started.

The big guy heading out to open a path up the access drive so the neighbors can drive in and out. The neighbors don't have 4 wheel drive so they are fearful of being the first to drive in and out.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Back On Line, Digging Out & Catching Up

Remember my grumbling about the phone line for the computer not working? That was fixed roughly 3 days after my calling the phone company. Then...this past Monday I attempted to get on line, regardless of how I tried, which phone line I used I could not connect. To make a long story short, the phone company had technical problems on their end. A piece of equipment failed. We were without internet service for 5 days. Brutal, I tell you.
Like many in the midwest we had a winter storm come through. Thankfully my plea not for us to have an ice storm was answered. Folks on the Arkansas Missouri border were not so fortunate. From my understanding thousands may still be without power. My heart goes out to them. In 2007 we were without power for 14 days after a similiar storm came through.
Here we had 3 days of freezing drizzle, sleet (about an inch) then 6 to 7 inches of snow on top of the ice and sleet. The weather has began to improve, the mess is beginning to melt away. Today it is suppose to be in the 50's hoping this will allow the mile long drive and side roads to town to clear. No one has been in or out for a week.
Even though we lost satellite and internet service, I feel blessed we did not lose power.
The animals weathered the storm well. The only ones I worried for were the meat and dairy goats (short hair) though they stayed hunkered down in their shelters. The sheep and Angoras seemed to enjoy laying out in the snow. The LGD's loved playing in the drifts. I used the paths where they patrolled the farm as my walking trails out and about.
The house goats, (twins born in Jan) are doing wonderful. They have doubled their birth weight and eat like little piglets. They are finally sleeping for 6 hours at night, which means I can also
:-)
Being holed up in the house without TV or internet was actually rather productive, tax prep was complete and ready to go to our accountant in record time. I did a winter version of spring cleaning, worked on budgets and bills, planned the garden and caught up on some reading.
Now I have much on line reading to catch up on from the look of my blog list.
Hope all are doing well and staying warm!

Winter Warmth

Regardless of it being winter, the days still begin at dawn, there are still many outside chores that need done – milking, feeding, filling water troughs & hay feeders, collecting eggs and a few other odds & ends "have to do" chores.
The weather the past few days has been surprisingly pleasant, low’s in the 20’s, highs in the 40’s. According to the local weather forecast the temps may even rise back into the 60’s by the weekend. Woo Hoo!
For some the 20-40 range is considered cold, here on the farm it is pleasant, especially in January to feel a bit of warmth in winter. Any day the sun is shining brightly, the temperatures are not at freezing or below is truly appreciated. I don’t feel as though I have to rush through the outside work and get back inside.
Knowing the winter warmth is fleeting, I purposely take the time to enjoy the mornings on the farm. I wish you could see what I see on these warm winter mornings. The glittering white lace across the bottom pasture, the sheep sparkling from their blankets of frost, the late sleeping goats curled up on their warm beds of straw and the chickens snuggled down in their hay filled nest. All are at peace, healthy, happy and content.

I noticed on my visits to other blogs the topic of gardening has sprouted. Garden thoughts came to my mind a few days ago while sister and I discussed the Stevia plant. She grows her own to make a liquid sweetener and asked if I would add it to my herb garden this year.
The wheels started turning, out came the seed catalogs and well... as you know it is never too early to start planning for the next years garden. Deborah over at Antiquity Oaks
has listed some great links to check out if you wondering how much you would need to grow to feed your family.
Each year we have a tendency to grow big, more than enough for just the two of us. The excess goes to our families and friends and is used for a bit of barter. In these uncertain times, this year will be no different, actually plan to be adding a larger variety of vegetables.

Sister’s Stevia Sweetener
Dry the leaves, crush them to release the sweetness of the plant.
Put ¼ cup of crushed leaves in one cup of warm water.
Let it stand for 24 hours and then refrigerate.

Good Morning From Prosperine

Still on baby watch. No Buffy babies yet.



Surprisingly housetraining DD is going really well. She goes to the door and paws when she wants out. No messes since the first day she arrived.


Our weather today is back within normal temp range for this time of year. Yesterday was in the upper 60's with storms passing through all day. It was a bit unnerving, severe thunderstorm warnings, tornado warnings and flash flood warnings in winter. They covered our area all day long.

In that type of weather with heavy cloud cover we are unable to pick up satellite service. I had the radio on most of the day listening for updates while I busied myself in the kitchen, putting away Christmas dishes, leftovers for the freezer and prepping a few casseroles for the upcoming week.


Thought I would post a family favorite recipe for using up left over turkey

Mom’s Turkey Chow Mien
Sauté:
1 cup minced celery
1 large chopped onion
2 tablespoons butter

Combine with:
2 cups diced cooked chicken or turkey
2 cup cooked rice
1/4 cup mushrooms
1 can cream of celery soup
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup slivered almonds
2 tablespoons soy sauce
Top with chow mien noodles, bake at 300 degrees for one hour.



From winter kidding this time last year...these are a few of the baby pics

Newborn Boer/LaMancha

Newborn twin La Manchas

Newborn black paint Boer

Baby It’s Cold Outside

5 degrees this morning, Burr! It was 7 yesterday. The local weatherman suggested if a person didn’t have to get outside before noon, don’t! He also emphasized layering clothes. Layering is definitely the key to staying warm don’t ya know.

There is an art to layering according to experts, supposedly you just can’t go willy nilly layering any old thing.
Layering simply means wearing a combination of clothes (in layers) to help regulate your temperature and keep you warm and dry. There are essentially three layers to consider: base, mid and outer. Each layer has a specific function/purpose. The base layer should draw moisture & perspiration away from your skin to keep you warm. The mid layer is for insulation and keeping you warm. The outer layer allows moisture to escape while also blocking wind and repelling water.
The Base Layer is what has direct contact with your skin. A tight fitting and wicking material is best to keep you warm and dry. Silk, wool, polyester are good choices, though they say avoid cotton because it traps moisture, so it stays wet and draws heat from you.
The Mid Layer provides insulation. It should be a bit looser than the base layer, but to function properly it needs to maintain contact with the base layer. Mid layers also carry moisture away from the base layer to the outer layer. Common materials for mid layers include down, polyester, fleece, wool and newer synthetic or natural blends.
The Outer Layer is the wind blocker. It should allow moisture to escape. Outer layers should be tough enough to withstand tears and abrasions. Should also be wind resistant materials or water-resistant fabrics.
For me, layering starts with the old fashion thermal long johns. Remember Carter’s? Now a day they make Long Johns in all sorts of fun colors and prints. They can also serve as a good warm pj if needed. The mid layer is an every day run of the mill fleece or sweat pant and shirt. Hanes is a good inexpensive brand. The outer layer is an insulated overall or coverall. Carhartt is my favorite brand, though Key has proven to be more affordable. Around here you have farm stores, so Gore-Tex, Thinsulate and the newer high tech fabrics are not readily found. Add to that a ski mask, gloves, skid and waterproof boots and you are set to brave the elements. Basically nothing exposed other than your eyes.
Let me suggest you do 1 thing before layer dressing…go to the restroom. Never fails as soon as I have all umpteen layers of clothes on, I gotta go! Mom says I was like that as a child also. As soon as she would finish dressing me in my snowsuit I had to go. Guess some things never change.
I’ve probably mentioned this before, I don’t mind the cold due to having the proper clothing to keep me warm. Honestly, I stay warm. Almost to the point of sweating by the time I have accomplished the outside animal care routine.

The one thing I do have a problem with is range of motion while being cinched up in all the layers. Being a short pudgy person to begin with, layering adds more weight and puffiness …

Have a great day and stay warm!

It Stuck

So much for the weather forecast of just having a few flurries. We had about an inch over night with a 20% possibility for more before noon.

First Snow

On the front porch this morning I noticed the peacocks were sky watching, I wondered what they were looking at...it was snow

On the sills of the screened in porchThe weatherman said it wasn't to amount to much or stick

Thankfully all began their journeys home after Thanksgiving weekend before the snow started.

The Time Between Fall & Winter

The fall colors have faded, the trees mostly bare.

This past week has been quite busy. During the few pleasant days of our Indian Summer I finished painting the new milk room and began preparing for winter.

The temps have dropped dramatically. The past two days have been cold and crisp, highs in the 40's. So much to do, so few warm days left.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

Feet Hit the Floor Running

These storms we have had of late are totally wearing me down slick. Not sure if it is stress, the interrupted or lack of sleep. And I really don’t know why I have such an aversion and fear of storms (one day would like to find out). I do wish I could just relax while Mother Nature does her work. But nooooooo, have to be the worrywart, pace the floor, jump out of my skin at every lightning strike, scaredy-cat. Being a light sleeper doesn’t help either. I hear others say they slept right through it. Wouldn’t that be so nice.
It wasn’t until we moved out here to the boonies, did thunderstorms bring on a new meaning to us. Anymore if thunderstorms are in the forecast during the late night hours, we unplug every electrical device we have before retiring for the evening. The lightning travels through our phone lines and has fried 3 telephones, 2 motherboards, 1 modem and 2 TV’s with 2 satellite receivers. Expensive, yes.
I try to make a point of watching the local evening weather to prepare and unplug. Generally they do a decent job on the forecasts. Last night, not so well. Supposedly the storms were moving out of our area and we were in the clear. Relief from the rain and storms. Yee Haw!!! No need to unplug.
About 1:00 a.m. the rumbling and thunder boomers began. Baby, one of the outside dogs who shares in my fear of storms started her door clawing to be let in to safety. I jumped out of bed, scrambled to the front door, then started my unplugging marathon. About 4:00 a.m. the all clear was given, storms had passed.
One of my aggravations during the storms is the fact we have no television reception. Having to unplug the phones, computer, satellite receivers and TVs leaves no communication with the outside world. (Even if storms are not that severe and we don’t have to unplug, we lose the satellite during heavy cloud or overcast conditions.) We have a small TV in the guestroom that has a set of rabbit ears I try to tune in any off air local station I can. Usually no such luck. Occasionally can pick up audio but definitely no video reception. Being down in a valley leaves a lot to be desired on reception. Plus now with the new changes in Feb. 09, off air channels will no longer broadcast in analog. Grrrrrrr! Radio reception is another lacking or non-existent luxury down here. I do have a small portable AM/FM/weather band radio that if I stand in one particular spot in the house has been my saving grace for keeping informed. I find the spot, turn the volume up and lay the radio on the floor and try to go about my business (usually pacing) while listening for weather updates. If you had not guessed, cell phone reception is null and void here also. To make a call from any cell phone, you have to drive a mile up our access road turn left out onto the country gravel road, drive down 7/10’s of a mile and there is a spot…one spot by a tree you can find a signal, on a good day.
After the all clear, I decide to take 2 Tylenol (the migraine was mostly gone, but I still had a slight nagging dull throb) and go back to bed. Just maybe, be able to relax and sleep quick until the alarm goes off for morning milking. 6:00 a.m. comes rather early doesn’t it?
The ringing of the phone wakes me. I jump up and run to answer it. It was the better half asking if I was awake. He asks this reluctantly knowing I am an early riser, though I am not a sociable morning person. I answer NO. He apologizes for waking me, also in the same breath asks if we were OK after the storms. Yes. After the short but not so sweet conversation my head began to clear. Gathering my wits about me, I heard the dairy girls hollering. I look at the clock it was 7. I had forgotten to plug the alarm back in. I had over slept an hour.

Stormy Weather

We have had a bit of severe weather again in our area. Thankfully the worst missed us. Sunday morning we did find this when we opened the front door.

The large tree was at our drive way entrance. It sat on the property line. Luckily it fell towards the neighbors land. If it would have fallen the opposite direction it would have fell on my sisters car who was visiting for the weekend.