My new boys

 These are my 2 Alpacas. Aren't they amazing! The white one is Pecan Lane's Sugar Baby. But he will be called Gandalf, the White Wizard. And the red one is Baryshnikov. The Russian ballet dancer. He looks like a dancer to me. I love them!

Just look at those faces! And that wool! Oh, I am in love! Seriously in love with these 2 guys. For now anyway. While they're still at Susan's farm. We'll see how I feel next week. She's delivering them here Sunday. I may change my mind and send them back. Who knows?  We shall see. But right now, at this moment, looking at their pictures, I am in love with them. Total Alpaca love.

This morning, I was at the Alpaca farm, ready to help with the gelding. She had 8 to do. The vet was supposed to be there at 11. Huh! Was he? No. Not til about 12:30. We had already gotten al 8 boys in a small pen so we could get halters on them. We did the 2 white Suri's first. Then my white one was going to be next, til the vet saw he only had 1 testicle. It's either not come down yet, or because of the stress, went UP, or some other reason. So we decided to leave him that way. since we'd geld the red one. Then when we shear them, the shearer can cut his fighting teeth.

Then it was Baryshnikov's turn. He went on down and they did their thing. But I noticed he was bleeding a bit more than I thought he should be. So the vet put some gauze inside the wound. After he got up, his legs were really bloody. So the vet just did some sutures. I hope he'll be ok. He's so sweet.

I can't wait til Sunday now. I took tons of pictures of course. I'll post more later. Have a great weekend!

Beautiful old Wurlitzer fiddle for sale

This was my step dad's old fiddle. He's had it for years. My mom had it restrung and a few of the knobs were replaced with new ones.  It's beautiful. It's a Wurlitzer. I tried to get the inside but it didn't show up to well. It says New York and Chicago and Solo.

                           Had to get a chicken shot in somehow! It looks good with the red hens, right?

                                                    This little piece was also replaced.

                                                       
                                                     And the 2 knobs on the left side.

Mom looked it up and it's worth $600.00. If anyone is interested, please let me know. I'd love for someone who actually places, to get this. It has an old wooden case, but the guy who did the work to it said it shouldn't be put back in it. It's too big and the fiddle moves around too much. It also has the other piece that I can't think of the name of it now. I do have another case for it but it's the plain black case.

Random-ness

Yesterday, I cracked open one of the white eggs I found in the hidden nest, and it was a double yolker! Haven't seen one of those in a long time. And so far, all of them have been good.

Some of the muskadine juice I made yesterday morning. 9 quarts. I'll be able to make more jelly as I need it now. I had some juice left over and added sugar to it and left it on the counter with a loose lid. I did this last time I made juice and it fermented really good.  I love it! Just right with the fermenti-ness.

Also made several jars of apple butter. And pear-blueberry butter. I feel like I have been making either jelly, preserves, butters or soap for weeks now. I am doing nothing today but mow later. I am so tired! But I have a lot of things ready for the Grape Stomp at the Georgia Winery this Saturday from 12-6. I hope I sell out. If anyone is near here, come on out. It's in front of the KOA campground right off I75 at Battlefield Parkway. It's so fun. And THE best wine in the country too.

Yesterday at market, I walked down to use the bathroom and too pictures. I love this wall. There was a van parked right in front so had to take a side shot. There's a rooster at the end near a coop. It's so cute. I'll have to find out who did this. It's on Main St. in Chattanooga. The Southside  has grown the past few years into a very eclectic and cool place to go. Lots of places to eat and really cool stores to shop. And there are so many new or renovated homes and condos there now. It used to be all run down and ugly. Not now. I love it there. I just love Chattanooga.

Here's the apple butter cooking. From my own apples. It turned out really good.

So I am staying home today. Just hanging out. I'll mow later when all the dew is dried off the grass. I also need to rake up sheep poo. Good grief, those sheep poop all the time! Big piles. That'll all go on the garden. Which is looking pretty good so far. The kale and collards are all coming up. Radishes almost ready to pick. The Brussels sprouts look good too. Can't wait for fresh sprouts. Love them.

Next week, after the Grape Stomp is over and I can do nothing for awhile, I am cleaning this house! From top to bottom. I have neglected it so much doing all the soap and stuff. It really needs a good fall clean up. And my mom will have another yard sale at her house, so I'll get some things to take over there. I have way too much stuff.

Y'all have a great day! I think I will too.

My mother and her honey bees

Mom told me she had seen honey bees on her hummingbird feeder. So while I was there Sat. I filled it up. It's already half empty today. These bees are hungry. Mom even fixed some sugar water in a small bird bath. They don't drink from that. They like this feeder.

I wonder if these are wild bees or if there is a hive somewhere in someone's yard near her. I'd love to find them in a tree somewhere. There's lots of hollow limbs on some of the oaks around my mom's place.

I love honey bees. I miss mine and can't wait for spring now so I can get more. I got really close to these bees and they were great. Love them.

Picking muskadines. And cows.

This morning, my friend Stephanie called, wanting to know if I wanted more muskadines. Well, yeah huh! So she stopped by and got me and my big bucked and we went a few miles up the road to the Clark's. I just love this valley. Everywhere I go is a more beautiful view. They have some Black Angus cattle so have lots of acreage. They cut hay off the front part. And in the back too. You can see Lookout Mt. there over the tree line.

Mr. Clark had gotten this old hay thing from someone who was going to scrap it because a part didn't work and he said it couldn't be fixed. Well, Mr. Clark fixed it. I love this thing.

And he had so many deer antlers on this side of his barn, I had to get some pictures of them. He had 3 sets somewhere in the middle that were upside down. Those were from a pet deer he used to have that shed them. Each set is unique and so cool.

                                                The cows had to come say hello.

                                                 This one is huge and her head is really long.

 Isn't she cute? And they are all so friendly too. There are about 6 calves here I think. I asked if they ever sold them to individuals instead of taking them to the sale barn. They said yes they did. SO I have my name in for one when they are weaned. I've been wanting another calf to raise on grass. We are about out. The little one with the spots in it's head is a lighter blackish-brown color. If it's a steer, I'd like that one.

Here is the muskadine vine. It's is only one vine. It's full of fruit too. They've been picking on them for a month now. And I got those 2 gallons the other day from Stephanie to make jelly. Then I picked about 2 1/2 gallons this morning. And scupernongs are the same as muskadines. And they do grow all over the US.

Here's Mr. Clark up on the roof of his tractor picking apples for Stephanie. I have some so didn't need any. Next week, we will all go to a friend's place who has an old apple cider press and make cider. I need to pick all my Yates and granny Smith apples this week.

Right now, I am cooking down a bucket of Yates apples to make apple butter. I'll post pictures next time. These will go to market to sell. I am waiting on a frost so I can pick persimmons next to jelly. Yum! And I will save all the peels to make apple jelly too. And maybe try to make some apple cider vinegar.

What are ya'll making into jellies and preserves and butters? It's that time of year, right?

Lovin' my chickens...

 I am just loving my chickens right now. For the moment anyway. Things can change really fast for me around here! Ya just never know when the s*** will fly. But right now, I am really enjoying these girls. And Black Bart. He still hasn't figured out he's "the man" yet. Hopefully he'll be crowing soon and the ladies will respect him. They pick on the poor guy now.


So this is most of my flock. All together and pretty much getting along. They have plenty of room to spread out or run if they need to. So far so good.

This is one of the "Peaches". A Red Star hen. I have 8 of these. And 6 White Leghorn, 7 Barred Rock, 9 Black Sex Link, 2 Black Austrolourpe and 2 Black Giants. And Black Bart is a Black Giant rooster. That should be 34 hens and a roo.

This is one of the 2 Austrolourpe pullets. These 4 are a lot younger than all the others. And smaller. They hang out with Black Bart. But I thought she looked so pretty here in the straw.

And would ya just look at this! I had seen some of the white hens over here in the corner where the bee hive was. Singing their egg laying song and just hanging out. I didn't think anything about it. But haven't been getting but 1 or 2 white eggs a day now. Thought they had stopped laying. Til I found this, behind the bee boards I hadn't put up yet. I know, I am lazy. They can't be but a few days old, so I'll keep these for us. I put the boards back the way they were and see if they keep laying there. Crazy birds! But good to know they are still laying. I was getting worried already.

Alpaca update

I am getting those 2 alpacas. They'll be gelded at the end of next week (which I will be paying for and that's fine with me, considering how much she sells hers for) and she will deliver them after that. I went yesterday to see them. I said if any of them spit on me I was not going to get them. But they didn't. And they are so cute. Every single one of them is  so different. There are 2 kinds of alpaca: Suri and Huacuna . I know that's not how you spell the last one, but it's pronounced "why"acuna. That's the kind I'll be getting. But the Suri fiber is amazing. It's more silky and hangs in like threads down to the ground. So pretty.

I'm getting a white male that's between 2-4 years old. She has to look up on his papers. His name is Loki. He's so cute. And a bit smaller than the other one. He's red. And big. His name is Baryshnikov. And he is a kicker, she said. But not bad. I do not like the names. So will be giving them new names. I think the red one is about the same age.

As I was driving up her driveway, there were about 25 alpacas in the pasture. Some standing, some laying in the sun. I rolled my window down and said hello to them. Only a few even looked at me. Some were close and I could see their funny teeth. It's just so neat how each one looks so totally different. Some have fluffy heads. Some have straight hair on their heads. Some are spikey. Just so cool.

Anyway, I am SO excited to be getting these 2 guys! I'll keep them in the front pasture and will be slowly introducing them to the sheep. They are in the other pasture on the other side of the property and come back over at night and to eat. So they will see each other. I hope they all get along.

I'll post pictures when they get here. They're so pretty.