Welcome Spring!

For as long as it took Old Man Winter to arrive last fall, he sure hasn't been shy about loitering around this spring.  Despite the bright sunshine, the air has had a definite chill most days.  It's only been the past few mornings that we haven't worn our winter barn coats to go out and do chores.

I've washed all our winter coats a couple of times now in anticipation of packing them away for the summer but we keep having to pull them out again.  I washed them again yesterday and they're hanging on the line to dry - hopefully for the last time this spring! 

The cold weather hasn't kept the plants and pastures from springing to life.  The garden was all overgrown.

 

We use 4 X 4 raised beds for our garden.  The beds are kind of expensive to put in initially but they do have many advantages.  The size of the bed makes it easy to reach each plant from one of the sides and, since you never walk on the soil, the dirt stays nice and fluffy.  This is a huge advantage when weeding - the weeds are easy to pluck before they get rooted in.  For monster weeds, like the ones that were growing out there this spring, this tool is invaluable. 

 

 

It allows you to reach down along the root of the weed and pull it up from the bottom.

 

When we first put the garden in, we tried laying weed blocking fabric under the whole plot then building our boxes then we spread mulch on the paths between each box.  The boxes performed beautifully but the paths were soon overrun with weeds.  Since we don't like to use chemicals or herbicides, they became very difficult to maintain. 

 

The second year we decided to move the boxes further apart so there was plenty of room to crouch beside the beds and also so we could run the push mower between them.  Now we just mow off the garden paths whenever the grass gets high.

 

We also pull the weeds and grass from around the base of the beds.  This keeps the grass from growing up through the bottom of the bed.  It's still able to grow up into the bed despite the weed blocking fabric so it's just easier to clear the plants away altogether.

 

 

We make squares for each bed so it's easy to diagram and remember where we've planted.  To do this we simply stretched nylon string from one side to the other.  The string holds it's shape and doesn't wear out very quickly.  It's held in place with small nails.  When we want to work the whole bed it's easy to unhook just one side and pull the string out of the way.

 

 

You can find out more about this method of planting in the book, "Square Foot Gardening" by Mel Bartholomew.  It's a great book with tons of hints and tips and exact instructions on making the beds and the supports for climbing plants.

 

Ready to plant.

 

Thanks for stopping by and happy spring!

Happy Birthday, DH!

DH and I will celebrate fifteen years of marriage this summer.  That means I've made Mrs. Field's Carrot Cake at least fifteen times.  Probably more, since it's the one cake he requests for his birthday year after year.

 

I use the recipe DH's mom wrote out for me.  Low fat, it's not. Two bricks of cream cheese and an entire pound of butter!

I gathered the ingredients and the kitchen tools I'd need; strainer for the crushed pineapple, chopper for the walnuts, Kitchenaid to shred the carrots and the hand mixer for the batter.

The job was made easier since we've organized all our baking needs into one place.  I got the idea from this fun blog, Sugar Pie Farmhouse.

 

Okay, so Aunt Ruthie's baking center is a little more grand!  Ha, ha.  But I liked her idea of having everything for baking all in one spot.  We made our island this winter by putting four kitchen cabinets back to back and topping them with a butcher block top.  A couple coats of red paint and added casters at each corner so, if need be, it can be pushed against the wall to make more room. 

Once the batter is made up, add the extras; raisins, shredded carrot, chopped walnuts and crushed pineapple.

 

This year I made it a triple layer cake but it can also be made as a double layer.

 

 



Happy Birthday, DH!

 

Mrs. Field's Carrot Cake

 

Stir together:





2 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

2 tsp. cinnamon

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 cup white sugar

 

1 1/2 cups salted butter, softened

3 large eggs

2 tsp. vanilla

Add the butter and only one egg and the vanilla and blend on low.  Beat on medium for two minutes then add the other two eggs one at a time beating 30 seconds after each.

 

3 cups grated carrots (3-4 medium)

1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained

1 cup raisins

1 cup (4 oz.) chopped walnuts

Add and blend on low.

 

Pour into 2 nine inch pans (or 3 eight inch) that have been greased and floured .  Bake at 350 for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  (The three layers took only 35 minutes.)  Invert immediately onto cooling racks.  Let cool 10 minutes then carefully lift off the pans.

 

Cream Cheese Icing

16 oz. cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup salted butter, softened

1 T. fresh lemon juice

2 tsp. vanilla

3 cups confectioners sugar

 

Cream together the cream cheese and butter then add the lemon juice and vanilla.  Gradually add the confectioners sugar and blend on low until smooth.

 

Spread plenty of frosting between each layer and over the cake. 

 

 

Enjoy!



Good-bye, Calico

 

We said goodbye to Calico last week.  He was only here a short while but it was fun to have him while he visited.  Here he is looking like a mud monster (he loved to roll in the dirt!) but he cleaned up well and was a fun horse to ride.

 

In the spring and fall Calico works at dog trials carrying the judges for as many as thirty miles a day as they follow the dogs.  Then in the summertime he is used at a camp  giving trail rides to children.  He's a hardworking horse!

 



 

Coming to our farm was like a vacation for him.  We rode him just around the farm and out on short (one hour) trail rides on neighboring lands as often as the weather cooperated.

When we knew he was going to be going home, DD and I saddled up for one last ride.

Calico's owners didn't have to care for him over the winter, we got a nice horse to ride and Calico got a nice vacation - the arrangement worked well for all!

Trimming Grapes

Grapes, we learned, are best trimmed in winter while they're dormant.  (If they're cut while it's warm the sap just runs and runs out of the vines.)  

 

 

Since we had moved to the farm in late spring, we didn't have a chance to trim the grapevines that first year - though they were badly overgrown and interwoven with huge weeds.  That winter I cut them back - hard.  Basically I left a single vine sticking up out of the ground.  When I told my dad what I'd done he worried I may have killed them. 

 

 

But they came back strong as ever.  In fact, we even got a few handfuls of grapes this fall!

 

The lingering cold weather gave us another chance to trim them back before spring sets in for real.

 

 

Though they were not as bad as when we'd moved in, they still needed a good haircut.

 

 

Fynn helped drag vines toward the trailer.

 

 

Then he hopped in for a ride to the brush pile.

 

 

DD made a grapevine wreath.

 

 

And hung it on the outhouse door.

 

 

All done for this year.  I know, I know, it looks as if there's nothing left.  But, we've discovered, grapes do best with a good, hard trim every year.  Too many vines and too many leaves actually keep them from producing fruit.  Hopefully this year we'll have enough of a crop to make preserves . . .

 

Thanks for stopping by and have a wonderful spring!

Triplets! And twins!

We had begun to despair of Sally giving birth on time.  The children had enrolled in Livestock 4-H for the first time this year.  We learned that, ideally, the babies destined for 4-H should be on the ground in January or February.  I thought for sure that she would give birth toward the end of February or beginning of March but we didn't know exactly when she'd been bred.  We had dropped her off at another farm for nearly a month last fall.  Well, it was drawing close to the end of March and, still!, no kids on the ground. 

Then Sunday Sally started to show signs that she was ready to go. She began to call and pace and grind her teeth. We put her into her small pen and checked in on her periodically. Sure enough, around five that evening, she lay down and gave birth to a pure black buckling.  

 

A brown and white painted doeling was born next and it seemed as though she was done.  She'd gotten up and was licking the two clean but DN mentioned he could see her belly moving again.  Sure enough, she laid back down and had a third!  

 

 

 He is a traditional-looking Boar with a white body and a black head except he has a large white blaze on his face.

 

Clover came over to see what all the fuss was about.

 

The little black buck, although he was born first, is the smallest.  He took a long time to figure out how to nurse.  Finally we squeezed a little bit of milk into a dropper and forced it into his mouth.  That seemed to give him more strength but we noticed he was not up and about like the other two.  His hind legs splayed out behind him like a frog's and, if he did struggle to his feet, they would bend inward toward his body instead of away like a normal goat's do.

 

DD and I went out later that evening and made little splints out of popsicle sticks and ace bandages to encourage his legs to bend the right way.  The extra support seemed to help and he moved around pretty well with them on.  We took them off the next morning and he's been fine ever since.

 

Tuesday I was at the office all day and we were a little late getting out to do chores.  DD and DS had headed out to the barn before me.  I was still in the house warming up Stew's bottle.  As they approached the barn they heard baby goats crying.  At first they thought it was Sally's triplets calling out but then they saw Clover had given birth to twins! 

  

Clover is Daisy's 2011 kid.  This was her first time giving birth and she was completely bewildered.  She also seemed almost afraid of the babies.  They were trying to nurse and she would back into the corner and headbutt them away from her. 

I quickly gathered the things we would need and headed out to the barn; rag towels to help dry kids, a small container for the iodine, dental floss for the cords and a gallon of warm molasses water.

We pushed Clover against the wall and held her there while the babies got their first drink.  We draped the rag towels over Clover's body and rubbed her down with them then picked up the baby with that same towel and rubbed the babies dry.  After that, she seemed to accept her babies; she was licking them with more gusto and let them drink without us having to hold her.  We found she had had one boy and one girl.

After the babies were dry, warm and fed we tied off the trailing umbilical cords with dental floss and cut them then dipped the stump into iodine.

We always give the new mommas a drink of warm molasses water.  They all seem to really enjoy it and it helps them recover their strength.  Clover, though, wasn't sure.  She sniffed it a few times but didn't try it until we brought in Daisy and offered her a drink.  As soon as Daisy began drinking, Clover shoved her nose in and drank down the rest.

We named the new Saanen babies "Chrysanthemum" and "Sweet William" continuing with the flower theme.  We'll call them "Chrissy" and "Billy."  We'll get better photos of them once they can venture outside.

The sun came out for a few minutes so we let Sally and her babies out to explore.
 

The doeling is by far the largest and the most curious.  We named her "Suzie."  She was galloping around in large circles venturing further away from her momma than the two boys. 

 

She sniffed noses with Fynn.  Fynn was a little hesitant.  He's had first-hand experience with what happens when he gets too close to a new baby!  He's been rolled by both the milk cow and the goat when he wasn't paying attention.

Although this spring doesn't feel very spring-like yet, we know it's on its way when spring babies start arriving!

DS with "Nick."

  

DD with "Pablo."

 And, best of all, both children have their 4-H project for the year. 

Hooded Mergansers in the Pond

During breakfast this morning, we noticed some ducks in the pond.  At first we thought maybe it was the Wood duck back for another visit.

 

Back in January the children noticed a Wood duck on the edge of the pond.  It appeared to be a young male and they were convinced he was injured and would freeze to death in the cold weather.  They caught him and put him in in the barn with the chicks.  Only then did they come to tell me what they had done.  I was concerned he would go into shock or would give our chickens some sort of wild duck disease or something, but he seemed quite content to sit under the heat lamp and to share the chick's food and water.

 

 

Still, I insisted he go back outside so they carried him back to the pond.  When they put him down he fled into the underbrush and we didn't see him for a couple of days.  Now, ocassionally, he'll be back in the pond for a day or two and then will be gone again for a while.  Last time he visited he had a female Wood duck with him.

 

So we thought maybe the four ducks on the water this morning were Wood ducks until we looked at them through the binoculars. 

 

 

Three of them have distinct white heads.  It was tough to get a good photo since they were so far away and becuse they're so active, but when we looked through the binoculars we could see them better. 

 



 

It appaeared the three males were squabbling over the female.  They were chasing each other across the pond.

 

 

When we looked them up online we found their name, "Hooded Merganser," and a better photo of the male.  They really are stunning.

 

 



 It was fun to sit and watch them this morning.  Maybe we'll have a family of Hooded Mergansers soon!



Waiting for Babies

Poor Sally now is nearly as wide as she is tall.  We're expecting her kids any day now.

After all the goat kids sold last summer we were left with three goats; Daisy, Clover and Sally.  Each has her own personality.

Daisy

 

Daisy is the herd matriarch; the undisputed leader. She established her dominance the first time she met Sally by biting her on her side as we were loading them into the truck. I didn't even know goats bite!  

 

Daisy is clever and naughty.  She's figured out how to open most of the doors into the barn.  She either headbutts them or wedges her nose in and shoves them open.  She never forgets the source of illicitly-gained feed and will check back frequently to see if more is available.  Her favorite treat is an apple and she will watch it arc through the air and then chase it down like an outfielder if we throw one into the pasture for her.  

 

Sally

 

Sally was a rescue at an auction. Her dame gave birth to her on the truck and Sally was going to be destroyed - it was too much trouble to try to keep momma and baby together through the auction. A farmer friend of ours took and bottle fed her. She's turned into a sweet doe. 

 

She is quiet and reserved.  She would rather stand back and wait for an open spot along the trough than push in among the other goats to eat.  She loves to be scratched.  If she's eating and someone begins scratching her neck or back she'll stop chewing as if in concentration.  DH is her favorite person.  She likes to scrub her face on the top of his head every time she gets a chance.

 

Clover

 

Clover is Daisy's daughter.  She was born in 2011 as one of two matching doelings. 

 

 

Daisy has passed much of her personality along to Clover except that Clover will tattle on her mom when Daisy is getting into trouble. When Daisy pushes open the door to Lily's stall and gets into the barn, Clover will baa and baa. We know when Clover is crying that Daisy is in the barn and is probably eating either more than her fair share of hay, or Lily's alfala, or she's gotten into the grain bin. Thankfully Clover hasn't yet figured out how to open barn doors like Daisy has.

All three does are pregnant right now. Sally is due any day. Poor thing waddles when she walks. Clover should give birth late this month and Daisy sometime in April.

 This is Daisy at the front door of the house.  I think she'd prefer to be an indoor goat!

Daisy and Sally crashing our picnic.  I was laughing so hard I could scarcely push Daisy off the picnic table.  I was just trying to rescue the pickles before they knocked them down!

Sally in her small, temporary pen for the night. We separate the goats at evening chores so that if Sally gives birth overnight she'll have her own space.

 

Daisy at the gate of the barnyard.

 

Forget Me Not Farm just wouldn't be the same without goats and we're looking forward to meeting this year's crop of kids!

One of the hazards of rural living . . .

DH hit a deer last week. 

Or, rather, a deer hit him . . .  Again.  *Sigh*

Last year a deer jumped into the right, front side of the Jetta while he was driving the children in to school.  Poor DS was sitting in the front seat when it happened and was still a little jumpy a couple of days later.  The damage to the Jetta was severe enough, and the car was old enough, that the insurance company totaled it. 

So we shopped around and found DH another little commuter car.  We paid it off and, wham-o, another deer collision!  DH had just dropped DS off at his Boy Scouts meeting and a small deer jumped off the bank and leaped right into the side of the car.

 

At least the poor thing didn't suffer.  It was dead pretty much right away.  And, thankfully, DH wasn't hurt.  He just wishes he could have avoided it.

 



Both accidents happened nearby.  One of the hazards of country living, I guess.

Hope all your travels are safe and deer free!