Check this out

I just went over to www.homesteadrevival.blogspot.com and they are having a great giveaway. If you enjoy cooking over a campfire, then this is for you. I would love to win this myself. So good luck!

Notes to self

These are just a few of my lists. I am constantly writing notes. If I am talking to someone and they have something I need to do for them, I write it down as soon as I hear it. Or I will forget right away. I have little note pads all over. Lots in the car. And beside my bed. SO if I think of something I'm supposed to do during the night, I can write it down. My car is full of these lists. I clean it out all the time and there are usually 5 or 6 lists on the floor. All crossed off or checked off. Sometimes I don't get everything done that's on the list. I might add it to the next one. If I didn't make lists, I don't know how I would function.

And I don't go to town every day either. When I do, I make a list of everything I have to do in the order that it has to be done. And it all has to be listed so that all places are on my right. And going to town and then back home. I don't go willy nilly all over the place. No. I have an order to things I do. I hardly ever turn left to go anywhere. Those places that are on the left are saved for the way home so they are on the right then. Saves so much time and gas. I'm not sitting there waiting for traffic to clear or a light to change. This is probably the only time I am organized doing anything.

There have been times where I have had a note in my hand and completely forget what I was doing. Or be thinking and go right past the place I was supposed to go to. So sometimes the lists don't help. I'm sure I am not the only one who has done that, right?

Chickens and Rainy days

    I ordered 50 Freedom Ranger chicks today from www.freedomrangerhatchery.com in Pennsylvania. I spoke with Lisa. She was so nice and helped with a lot of questions. The chicks will be shipped July 25th and will be here probably the 27th. I went to the co-op while I was in town to see if the had unmedicated chick starter and vitamins for their water. They do sell Purina feed that is not medicated so I can keep all that junk away from them. I want basically a free range bird that can feed itself and only need a little supplemental feed. I have a whole yard for them to range in that's fenced in. It sure needs some chickens over there because the sheep have been in that yard. Lots of poop that needs to be spread around!

    I have a friend who gave us a wooden box that will be perfect for a brooder. I hope all 50 will fit. It's about 5x4. I'll be getting another one so I can put them both together. And then use them outside too. I plan to keep them in for about 2-3 weeks. So we'll have at least 4 weeks to make a chicken tractor for when they are small. I want them big enough before I let them loose so they won't go through fencing.

    So I am excited to be getting these chickens. I have heard a lot of good things about them. We shall see how good they are about the end of October.

    It's been raining for the past 2 days now!  It's been so nice. And cool too. I can actually see the trees and grass turning green again and looking very happy. We so needed this rain.I am very thankful for it. I only wish I could have gotten the garden tilled and planted with more things. This would have been perfect. But I still have plenty of time to do that.

Got Milk?

 This is what goes on here every morning and evening. Usually there are about 4 cats in here too but I made feta cheese yesterday so the cats and chickens got whey this morning. This is how the dogs get their milk. Stella, as you can see in this video, likes her straight from the goat's udder, please! They are so funny. And you can see Bubba looking at the teat, like he's saying he's finished and needs some more, please.

 Sophie is a lady and will have hers in a bowl. Plus she's too small and old to get up on the stanchion.

These 2 dogs are great at cleaning the stanchion, too.

 They all say thank you when they are done.

 Abby, finishing up her breakfast. She's such a good old goat. 10 years old and still the best milker ever. She's been a little droopy with this heat so I gave her a shot of Thiamine yesterday. Also mixing the goats up a bucket of brown sugar, mineral salt and baking soda in water. They suck that stuff up. I'm sure it helps them in this heat.

I tried to get a good shot of Sandy, but she's more interested in eating here.



Just a typical morning here at Outback Farm. What's it like at your farms in the morning?

Rain!!

 This is from the front porch. You can see the water coming off the roof. I think our gutters need fixed or cleaned out, ya think?

 Looking towards Pigeon Mt. Where is it? Behind the clouds and rain!

 Looking North from the front porch. Water just pouring off the roof to water the bushes and flowers.

 Looking out the kitchen door. Nice and wet out there. And it cooled off so much. I am so thankful for this little bit of rain. It has stopped but what we did get was much needed and very appreciated for sure. My sheep are happy!

I hope everyone who needs rain gets some soon. This was wonderful, if only for 15 minutes. It helped. It's been about a month since we have had rain here. All around us has had rain at some time but it's missed up by about a mile each time.

Lucinda. Again.

This morning while feeding and doing chores outside, I noticed Lucinda's jaw was swollen. Again. So I got 2 syringes and filled them with Cydectin and Ivermec. Grabbed the shepherds crook and some feed. Went out there amongst the sheep and proceeded to catch Lucinda. She has been letting me pet her just a little lately. But sheep know when something's up. And something very serious was up. With her. So Lucinda and a few others went into the little place that has a gate and I went in and shut it.  Gave them some feed and waited. I grabbed her with the crook and she let me give her both wormers and was so good. She knows I am not going to hurt her. I am just trying to help her.

It has been so hot and very dry here for the past month. The grass is all crispy and brown. So not much good stuff out there for the sheep and goats to eat. But the worms love this. They are thriving. I was talking a someone up in middle Tn. who has about 130 sheep and he said they have been going through the worm meds like crazy lately. In fact, he said that they have had 5 sheep die from this. I hope they can get theirs under control soon. If we could get some good rain and cooler temps, I think we can.

So lets all do the nekked rain dance!

Happy 15th birthday, Sophie!

 Sophie will be 15 years old tomorrow, the 7th. We got her and her sister Zoe when they were just 6 weeks old. So long ago. Zoe died 1 1/2 years ago in Jan. Sophie is doing pretty good for 15. She's a Rat Terrier. I have heard these little dogs can live to be over 20. She is so much like a little old lady. She has to take a running start to get up the 2 steps to the living room. She lays in the sun when it's 100 outside. I kid her and tell her she needs her sweater on. I have a friend who is 95 next week and she wears a sweater all the time.

 This is my husband. I got the 2 dogs for him way back when. She loves him.

 And she's had enough fun for the night. She's going to bed. She's old, she goes to bed early. And she will sleep all night til about 6 in the morning and wake me up with a few yips. I don't need an alarm clock. She's a good ole dog. I hope she has many more birthdays. As long as she can get up those steps on her own. I told her she's going to the doggy nursing home if I have to carry her in and out. That ain't happenin"!