Just rambling on...

I can't seem to post a picture. I did a few days ago. But all day yesterday, every time I'd try, the computer would just freeze up and all I could do was shut it down. So don't know what's going on with it.

I have sold most all the lamb! I am so happy about this. After worrying about not selling any at all. I sold half to a friend. Another half to another friend who had hay that I desperately need right now. So we are swapping 37 nales for a half a lamb. Then there are 3 others who are just buying pounds. And a pretty good bit too. I hope there's enough for us now! But I can always use the money.

I have 3 ewes that will lamb around the first part of Feb. These are all hair sheep. Then I am not sure about Darla. She's so wooly right now I'd never know. She's half Suffolk and half Finn. VERU wooly. She looks like those little felted sheep people make with little tiny stick legs. She really needs sheared bad. So I hope she's been bred because now I don't have a ram for her. Since they are both in the freezer. I have her son, who's been in with all the ewes since before Christmas. I haven't seen any action between them. SO hopefully one of the other rams got to her first.

And then I have 4 younger ewes that will be lambing in May of they've been successfully bred by Mr. Abraham. These will be all mostly Finn lambs. Docking tails and castrating all of these. I'll castrate all hair rams too. What fun awaits!!! I love little lambs.

I hope to be getting a deer this week too. The slaughterhouse where I get my dog's food has a lot of deer that hasn't been picked up yet. They are giving the people til Friday to pick it up. If they don't I get one!! And I just want half burger and half sausage. So I am hoping someone doesn't want theirs so I can have it.

We also need wood. A friend up on the mountain has about a truck load for us. Free! I love free. I'll have to give him some deer sausage. It's been warmer than normal here the past few days and will be near 70 this weekend. So I let the fire go out. You just can't turn down a wood heater. And we can save quite a bit of wood this way. But I just know we are in for a blizzard or ice storm any time now.

And I have one doe that's about ready to pop. She'll be kidding around the first of Feb. Her first time too so I am a little nervous for her. She is already loosening up in the tail and quite puffy around the most important parts. I took pictures and wanted to post her and Zarah and Trudy's rears and bellies. I hope this computer cooperates soon so I can post them. I don't think I'll need to make kidding pens because Penelope is the only one the 1st of Feb with Trudy following later. So I can just put Penelope in the big back stall for a few days. All the goats are so stagered this year. I usually have them kidding all at the same time. At least within a few weeks. But this time they'll be going til the end of May. AND I will be selling ALL the doelings this year. I might keep the Boer cross bucklings to raise for meat. But ALL doelings MUST go!

Need to get the quilt done. Hubby will be home this weekend.

Have a great day y'all!

Quilting

This is my little quilting frame. I've had this for about 32 years now. It's a bit wobbly and has some duct tape holding one of the legs on at the bottom. Gotta love duct tape! And this blue jean quilt is heavy. So it leans a little to the left. But I love this frame. It's been in the garage for a long time. My husband keeps asking me if I am ever going to use it again. Well, yes. And I will keep using it. Til it falls apart and duct tape doesn't help any more.

I'm about halfway done going one way. So this shouldn't take too long to finish. And when hubby comes home, he'll have a new quilt to keep him warm. Because it looks like he'll be out on the road in his truck for another year.

And my fingers hurt. I feel like a diabetic that's having to prick my finger a million times a day. Because I have. And I HATE needles!

Free range chickens

I heard the dogs barking today out toward the field next door. Went to look and saw my hens way over next to the trees. Not a good place to be. The dogs across the road go over there sometimes. And I only have 4 hens and a rooster. I've been getting 3-4 eggs a day now and don't want to lose any of them. This is the first time they've all been that far away. Really free ranging hens.

These are some of the horses across the road. I love this view with Pigeon Mt. behind them. So pretty.

To market, to market

Not to buy a fat pig. But to take my 2 ram lambs. I am loading them up this afternoon to take them to the butcher. They are pretty big right now. This was taken during the summer at my friend's house. I'm keeping Abraham, the black ram. He's with the ewes now. He'll be staying IF he is successful at breeding the younger wool ewes.

SO, if anyone local would like some realy good lamb, let me know. I have one half already sold. So a whole lamb will be available for sale or barter. Half will be $150. Or if you just want a little, it'll be $5 a pound. I'll have burger, sausage, chops, legs and some stew meat.

I would be interested in bartering for firewood or square hay bales. Running low on both.

These guys are a mix of Katahdin, Dorper, Suffolk, Hapshire and Finn. All really good meat breeds. Should be some really good eating here.

They should be ready Friday.

Record player

I got this for Christmas from my mom and step dad. I love it. We went and dug out all the old records from out in the garage. We used to have a record player years ago when the kids were little. Out oldest daughter somehow tore the needle off and we never did get it fixed.

So this is sitting on our buffet in the dining room. It has a radio, CD player and a cassette player too. I have already listened to Cat Stevens, Willie Nelson and a few others. It's so nice to be able to hear records again. I love how they sound, with the scratchy noise coming through.

I love Willie Nelson. I remember when me and my husband went to see Honeysuckle Rose way back in the early 80's at the theater in Red Bank, Tn.  And we got the record. I put that on the other night while I was sewing together the blue jean quilt  I'm making for my husband. It brought back a lot of good memories. It's a good album.

The stack of records on the window seat. I need to go through them and put these loose ones back in the covers before they get all scratched up. Some of them look pretty scratched up but when I wash them off they play fine.

I used to have Peter Frampton. I can't find it. I am going to look for a new one when I am at a music store. I think that's got to be my favorite album ever. And he's still good. Hasn't aged a bit.

Now a little blue

It is BEAUTIFUL outside today!! Bright blue sky and sunshine! Everything's frozen but that's ok. I would rather walk on frozen solid mud than squishy mud any day. I did have to haul warm water to the goats and cats and dogs this morning. The doe's water bucket was nearly empty. Penelope stood there and drank for 5 minutes. Had to go get more after that. I need to check water buckets more often. But the sheep's water trough is still full. Plus 2 buckets. I did have to break the ice on theirs.

I am so happy to see this pretty blue today after so many gloomy drab grey days. I know, it is January and winter. It's supposed to be like this. So this is a very welcome sight to see. I hope it's like this all over today.

Kansas came outside long enough to hug Sybil.

This is all the wood that's left. We need more. But with the new wood heater, we aren't using nearly as much wood as we did last year with the open fireplace. We have a lot of wood inside. Enough to last a few days. I went yesterday to a place that sells wood. Oak is $50 for the smallest size. A rick? I can't remember. And the hickory was $60. But there were a lot of really small pieces. I'll look around some more. I have seen lots of ads on Craig's list. I'd love to have it delivered because our truck gets about 4 miles per gallon.

Waiting

It's been a nice day here today. I actually had to wear sunglasses while driving to town. But it's a muddy mess here. I hate that my poor goats and sheep have to step in mud to get anywhere. And everything is so brown and drab.

But I know that in just a few short months, it will be all green and pretty again. And there will be little lambs and goat kids jumping around and chasing each other. Little seeds will be popping up in the gardens. Flowers will start coming up again. Right now everything is just taking a little break. Resting. Meditating. Getting ready for a rebirth. A new beginning. New life. It's awesome. Something to look forward to. To long for. And wait for. It will come. The earth will bring forth new life again.

Until then, a little color. Lots of beautiful red berries, from my good friend's yard. Beautiful bright red.

And this old iron horse on an old barn, hiding from everyone. I had no idea it was even there.