Just another Day on the Farm

The best thing about your family is when they get you things you really like and or want and or can use..

DH’s mom rocked it this christmas, she got Dh a wonderful book on writing, a fabulous LED lantern (which is even more funny because we sent her the very same one), and the most amazing! pair of winter long gloves, they are good to the depth of winter, they have high parts that can be tied down and they have the soften leather inside parts, for a farmer/outdoor working or pleasure, they are dreamy.. We got a small but high quality selection of dried chocolate covered fruits and some of the best fudge I have had in ages..

I got (but its clearly going to be a we present) of a new scale that not only measures weight but also fat percent, bone percent, water and BMI to which I say, thanks but yikes!

Then I got my two pair (both in my favorite colors!) of the best socks in the whole world to me, which are the T-max heat socks from Marks!, love love LOVE those sock on the coldest winter days in my boots and my feet stay so warm.. I have spent most of my life taking socks off and going barefoot but in the past few years I have come to really enjoy fat thick warm fuzzy socks in a new way.

I got a new book as well, one filled with Grandma’s home remedies, I have not had a chance to more then skim it but I can see that its right up my alley and I will enjoy sitting down and having a good read on it.. and then one more special treat and surpise, a truly awesome goat cheese melting/heating dish in the most amazing wooden box, the inside is lovely but honestly the box is just as nice.. I will share it with you later after I start milking the sheep again and make some homemade cheese to go with it.

Last but by no means less, is a totally freaken awesome Pink cowgirl hat to match my saddle!!!! Ehhhhh, its just a touch on the big side for me but I figure it will just provide more shade 😛 in the summer, its got the prettiest band/jewlery on the front and I see that I can in fact get different ones to chance it up.. can’t wait to wear it out and get a photo of us together in our pink gear..

Brandy went shopping and got me a Clyde’s 2013 calander for the way, just in case I needed to remember that her breed is pure beauty LOL, and the critters got DH a advanced monjo playing CD for his computer.

My Dad rocked out the presents this year in amazing fashion, boy do I need to find a way to say just how humble we are at the presents he sent this year, each one will be used many many time and will last years..

Most of my Presents are directly related to Brandy and I, I got Crooked Stirrups which I can’t wait to get on my saddle, I would have been just fine with the steel ones but I won’t lie that the leather wrapped ones I got are so beautiful and will go with any saddle that i get in the future (I still have my eye on a very well built black leather one in the future when I have lost weight and need a new one) They will help with keeping both my knee’s and hips in proper placement, and its easier to mount which will help Brandy as well, the second part is a new bit for Brandy, its not only easier on her mouth but it also has a copper roller in the middle for increased pleasure in both taste and she can play with it with her tongue to help relax her, she has such a soft mouth and I would like to keep it that way.

The buggy was the biggest present from Dad, and its awesome, combine that with DH’s ma having gotten me (well most of the funds for my birthday) a new Driving Harness for Brandy and I am well on my way to having pretty much a full set of gear for my wonderful big Sweetpea..

Dad didn’t forget my man and let me tell ya, he made out like a deer, or moose or wolf or ? name any other critter that could be sneaking around our place and they better watch out (kiddin), cuz someone got a new Excalibur Vortex complete full package kit for his present, he had not even had breakfast yet and he is watching the video and putting it together so that we can try it out on the big square bales with targets set up.. I will take photos.. Its one sweet looking tool..

DH asked for a good pair of winter rated hiking boots from Santa, and I asked a new ski pants (I know, I know, other girls want diamonds or gold, I want a way to keep my legs warm while doing chores LOL)

Now if you can believe it we still have the rest of my own family to get to.. I got a awesome Vin calander, some very special purfume, a amazing steel veggies garden basket with a totally rad garden knife that can cut with a flat blade on one side a cutting blade on the other and can be used as a trowel/row maker up to six inches deep. Dh got fencing tools, a nature/learning book for our season’s that breaks down what is typically seen per month in our neck of the woods, , and summer leather hat with breathable mesh as his big thick leather hat can get so hot in the summer around here. as well as a new pair of fancy leather gloves.

What a amazing amount of truly well thought out gifts that suit us to a T, Thank you to everyone!! We love them and we will put them to work for many years to come! Merry Christmas! and a Happy New Year…

This fall, I have been running a battle with egg eating in the hen house, I split the flock up, moving hens into different flocks, trying to make it more space, less birds per Sqaure feet, more outside time, more feed pans, more water pans, more quiet nest box’s, some up, some down, going out six times a day, trying different bedding in the box’s etc, and still the eating continued and I got more and more grumpy with the production I was getting with my girls..

So finally I said ENOUGH! I butchered out the smaller flock that no matter what I did, I could not get even a fifth of the eggs I should, if I could get it when the hens where still sitting, I would get eggs but otherwise, forget it.

The other pen was doing better, some nests didn’t seem to be raided as much as others, but it was clear that I was still having regular loss’s, I culled out chickens that were found with clear egg eating evidence (yolk etc on head feathers) and kept culling downward on the age in that pen..

Then I had a baby fit at the cost of feed giving the egg return I was getting and did a huge butcher out, leaving me with just nine hens, all late winter hatched girls in their prime, two breeds, all brown egg layers, and just coming one year in age, and I gave them a break to certain in to the new flock and voila..  Snoopy Dance of Joy!!!

These eggs are lovely, and boy are they big! They are Extra Large for sure..