Just another Day on the Farm

Homemade Custard Recipe

Posted on January 13, 2021 by Just another day on the farm

I hope this photo shows you how silky smooth this custard can be..

Ah custard, so easy to make when it goes right, and fussy when it does not..

Creamy Homemade Custard Recipe

4 cups whole milk

4 egg yolks

2 tsp of vanilla extract

2 tsp of corn starch (add 1 tsp more if you like a stiffer custard)

1/4 cup sugar (if you want a sweeter but its not needed)

In a heavy bottom pot add your milk, sugar, vanilla and corn starch (blend this together while its cold, then add half a cup of your milk to the beated egg, blend it together and pour it into your milk mixture. This goes on your small burner for even heating and you want it at a low-med heat.. which on my stove is #4, it does mean that it heats slower but its worth it.. Whisk slowly and softly the whole time.. don’t worry it only take a couple minutes to bring it up to heat, it only needs to cook at that very slow low heat till the yolk cooked in combo with the corn starch thickens..

Once you have trail lines behind your whisk,, take it off the heat and stir another min or so, it will keep cooking from the heat of the pot.

Details in regards to your egg yolk Split out your egg yolk from your egg white, (save your whites to add to a omlet or however you would like to use them), beat them till they froth and have that lighter color change. Do each egg on its own, try as hard as possable to have no egg white in there.

This can be served hot (its very good fresh hot from the pot as is, its thinner but you will not care) or you can put it into a heat proof tub (cover it if you do not want a skin on the top to form and chill in the fridge, it will be thicker this way..

Can be served with fruit, can be served on pancakes or waffles, is amazing with banana’s, or a sprinkle of coconut, can be put in your icecream maker.. o my! can be placed in tart shells with a drop of whipped cream on top.

Now the joy of this is that you can take your recipe up or down as needed.. I find that the 1 cup whole milk to one egg yolk works very well.. I like half a tsp of thickener but if you like a thicker custard, you can up that a touch.. but do try it that way first.

Posted in Life moves on daily, Sheep Milk | Tagged custard, Farm Fresh Eggs, Making custard, sheeps milk custard, smooth vanilla custard, ways to use custard, winter egg use | 3 Comments

Increase your Skill Set -Hair cuts

Posted on January 11, 2021 by Just another day on the farm

When it comes to increasing my skill set when it comes to hair cuts, there are three area’s to get better at.

Human Hair trims/cuts

Sheep Shearing/crotching

Dogs Trims/Shaping

If there is one thing that 2020 taught us, we can go for ages without getting our hair cut, we can do our own nails, shape our own brows.. If you didn’t already do it.. bring your trims “in house” for 2021

In this case, I am do not recommend any major hair cut style changes and if you can do so, utube is your friend on this.. or just stay with the most basic trim, do your split ends and go..

I started trimming hubby’s hair year one of our relationship, he wanted a trim and we were way up in the north and he said I will get my hair cut next time I am down south, which had me give him the funny look and while it took me a bit to explain that we did home hair cuts 99 percent of the time in my family.. so I did the smallest trim possable for the first cuts he got.. I have been cutting his hair/beard/eyebrows for the next 20 years lol

2020 was the first time he trimmed mine.. he was very careful.. to careful really I wanted more off but it will come with time. Always better to want more trimmed off then to regret that to much was taken off.

I saw someone say, what are skills that we should be learning and or getting better at, and hair cuts was really on the top of that list.. Dog hair trimming was for sure in the top ten skills to learn.

Makes me wonder how many peaple are sending their dogs out to be groomed.. I do not mind grooming my dogs. My oldest girls are the ones that have the longest hair and need the most thinning/shaping and or shave down depending on the time of year.

I perfer to take the time to thin and shape then shave if I can.. but I have been known to take miss paris right down with the clippers once a year.. Dezzy is very double coated but short haired on her legs and so its a matter of trimming and lots of bush out..

Out of the two new boys, its Uther above that needs the steady daily groom time.. He would shed enough with all that lab blood and that crazy blow the coat twice a year.. but he really shows his Chessie blood all down his back line and he has this crazy course/wire type all over his back and down to his shoulders.. its so thick and water proof that the vet felt the need to warn me twice now that I will need to groom him regular to brush that out, keep the oils moving, and brush it back up after swimming as he says they can get skin infections if its not looked after properly.

So he is learning that he gets a daily brush out and I am always amazed at all the things that come out that you do not see.. little seeds, bits of hay, little sticks and so on..

Then comes the one that I am not fond of but do need to get better at.. shearing.. I am down to 3 ewes that need to be sheared.. and I swear at some point I will get back to only having hair sheep that shed out fully on their own.

Until that day comes, at least once a year I have to tackle shearing the ewes, I promise you they are not more happy to see me coming then I am to do it.. I know that some folks like shearing their sheep, I am not one them.. I wish I was!

So this year, I am going to see if there is any way to learn to be a better at it, to try hard to be safe but just a touch faster at it.. Thank goodness I use the wool in my gardens and I am not shearing for wool..

So when it comes to clippers/scissors use in your house, have you brought them in house, will you be bringing them in house.. Do you do basic grooming but send your dog out for the trim/cut/bath?

When it comes to the sheep, do you have any words of wisdom to make my shearing go better? If so I am all ears? I have power clippers as well as hand shears

One part of me wants to point out that it will save you money and it will in the long run if you keep it up but in truth depending on how much you need to buy in regards to grooming kit (dog) sheers(sheep) and grooming kit (human) it could be a bit spendy to set you up..

Still if push comes shove for peaple at least, you need a straight comb and a pair of straight scissors, if you have to in a pinch, good fabic scissors will get the job done..

Posted in farm | Tagged brushing your dogs coat, cutting your hair at home, doing your own dog grooming, Shearing sheep, trimming your dog, Trimming your own hair | 5 Comments

Carrot Slaw -Lighter Carb

Posted on January 10, 2021 by Just another day on the farm

I love a good carrot slaw in winter, the carrots keep so well if prepared properly and they just get sweeter with age if they are the right storage kinds.

This is just one of my Sweeter Carrot Slaw Recipes.. A lovely red Carrot Slaw. I also love it with a creamy dill dressing made of mayo, cream a bit of sugar and lots of black pepper and dill, so good.. or how about this great Sweet Pickle Slaw recipe?

However with Hubby’s new Diabetic rules in place, I wanted to lighten this version up..

Carrot Slaw Light Recipe

2 Medium size Carrots, Peeled and grated med course
2 Medium young Zucchini, ends trimmed, grated med course
1/4 cup of pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds
1 tbsp of golden raisins
1 tsp of poppy seeds
1/2 tsp of salt free herbal salt replacemnt
2 TBSP of a good Italian Dressing

If you need to drop out the raisins you can do so.. but even just the odd one works to bring in that the chew texture at times and that hit of sweetness.. the poppy seeds seem to meld but they do add to a bit of pop in the mouth feel. I personally go unsalted with the seeds as hubby’s heart issue also means we are balancing between heart smart and Diabetic at the same time.

The joy of the Zucchini is that is lower carb compared to the carrot and it takes on the flavors of the carrot in a lovely way.. Enjoy..

This makes 4 sides to go with a meal or a hearty salad to go with soup or meal side.. Does not hold up that well in the fridge as the Zucchini lets out more liquid and makes the carrots even more soggy..

If you need to keep in fridge, be prepared to drain off , add a bit more grated fresh carrot and touch up your dressing to bring it back up to full flavour and texture.

If you are looking for a way to turn leftovers into something different, a leftover of this could be added to a cabbage slaw to create a new dish to finish it up very easily.

Posted in Recipes from the Root Cellar | Tagged Carrot Slaw recipe, Carrots in salads, Winter Carrot Slaw, Winter Keeping carrots, Winter root veggies | 8 Comments

Increased Theft in Rural Area’s

Posted on January 9, 2021 by Just another day on the farm

My biggest and best driveway alarm

Every single day my local police department puts out a notice on what is happening in our local area, I have watched the reports of theft increase.

Now to be fair, its not like theft is not a somewhat normal event in our area and I am sure the same in yours? We have had a small propane tank theft in some of our small towns locally that has struck year after year..

we all try and figure that one out.. do they use the tanks? are you they stealing them to turn them in for the refund on them when you recycle them? Where do they sell them onward because its not local that they are going?

Sure those hit are unhappy at the loss but its one of those.. o again.. when its reported. We have really had a increase in vehicle thefts and they are very targetted and rarely recovered, they are believed to be targetted, chopped and shipped out of the montreal port at very rapid speed. (no idea if its true or not, just here it on the news and radio) this morning, they annouced 5 vehicle thefts of the same make/model in a very small local area..

Clearly someone wanted parts or those makes and has a plan.. no one steals 5 of the same make and model (but different colors) in one night without knowing what they are going to do with them at the end point.

We have very little theft in regards to truckers compared to the big city areas, where they will hit the whole truck and take everything out the back.. it can happen but its rare.. heck we have even had peaple come and steal truckloads of grain..

Of course we have the normal amounts of B&E’s it happens.. not to often but it does happen. We have a mother-daughter set that did local B&E’s for a couple years in a wide ring around our rural area.. they were finally caught and the whole area got real quiet that way.

Right now, the biggest issue is farm thefts, they are using small drones to check the farm out.. a) to check to see if they want to hit your farm b) to see if you are home

now that is taking new tec to a level that I am honestly surprised at.. I am not even sure our dogs really would react to a small drone zipping by.. do you think yours would?

They say the top items that are being stolen off the farms are, mobile generators, wood splitters, chain saws, tools, Jerry can’s, snow blowers, lawn mowers, ATV’s, Moterbikes, Saddles/horse tack,

In the past two years the other one we see is small stock theft, baby goats, baby sheep, the odd calf and chickens.. I mean really.. chickens.. and then there is garden produce theft..

Last year someone within 2 hours of my farm, had someone come in at “JUST” the right moment and cleared out 12,000 worth of garlic.. first to do that in one night did not happen with just one person and second.. who and how did they move 12,000 worth of raw garlic.. ??

I have heard of fruit trees picked clean in the night, I have heard of garden raids, I want to believe that they really needed that food.. but then I think about the time someone raided my own garden as it was to close to the road.. no one is ever going to make me think that a herd of raccoon came, cleanly picked all the ready zucchini on the same night.. as I was growing for canning and there was over 30 plants worth.. I still do not know who or how they needed and used that much of the green stuff lol

I am just glad they did not damage the plants and so it was a blip, but still.. it taught me to not plant quite so visable to the road that’s for sure.

So the stats clearly state that having dogs, really helps and that often the sound of a barking dog or in my case a pack of barking dogs will encourge them to look for easier pickings..

Yes, she put be behind this fence.. yes I could clear this fence in a heartbeat.. she is just trying to make you feel better but know I am watching you..

I swear my new lab boy would help them load stuff(maybe he will grow into a better watch/bark dog) but given Remmi would not let them out of the truck its a moot point.. and my little girls would be raising a rackit that would be loud enough to raise the dead..

Remmi will wake me up in the middle of the night if he thinks he hears something, one night someone parked on the road, I am not sure why but it was around 2ish in the morning and he heard them, woke me up, I went and let him out.. he pointed his nose to show me the issue and barked his fool head off while a line went up his back..

The two men shaped shadows on the road standing out, kind of leaning on their car, got back in and sat for a min or two and then started the vehicle and pull around and drove off.. while he has got me up a few times that I am not sure why.. he is very sure why and I do respect his work ethic.

Camera’s are a good idea if you can make it happen, Locked Gates will help to a point, Locked doors will also help, if you have lots of windows, spraying with the window paint that is that soft white can help, lets the light in but blocks just looking in, unless they scrape it off. Chaining things up can also help.. in some cases running a hot line in just the right place and way can give a nasty surprise.

None of those will really stop someone with good planning and skills but they will stop those that are just looking for a quick grab and go..

So best theft preventing tips? What is the most commen types of theft is being reported in your area? Have you had theft’s happen to you directly, if so what did they take? What do you do to help prevent issues? Do you think with things going the way they are in regards to job loss, that we are going to see a increase in theft?

Posted in At the kitchen table | Tagged Farm dogs, farmdogs, rural living | 27 Comments

Friday Rambles- Fish and Feathers

Posted on January 8, 2021 by Just another day on the farm

What a week its been coming into my first Friday Rambles for 2021..

Bloody @$^@&%* hell.. $^@&%@& it all anyway.. O my did that #$@&**$^*^* really just happen..

Yes, yes it really did just happen and I do not know about you but this week’s highlights have made my gut clench a few times, made me cry a few times, made me rant in my own house and at my kitchen table more then a few times..

My radio has had me flip it the bird at it more times this week then I want to own to.. I have been reading my friends thoughts and comments.

So the first thing I want to point out is that as Canadian we are not in any way immune to this kind of thing happening, so anyone who thinks.. o we are canada and we are better then that.. then your head is firmly stuck in the past or the sand or up you own.. well you know what..

Shake yourself out of your “eco chambers” and take a good hard look and do not think for a moment that kind of crazyness is only on one side.. O no, I got to read some of the most “liberal” folks using words like crush them. I find it very interesting to watch peaple who truly believe they are hard core C and hard Core L’s both spout the same thing at each other..

Anything like a middle ground where you can find common goals seems much further away these days then ever..

So what can we do about it at the moment.. for the average person.. pretty much nothing! We can work on our own homes, lives, relationships, our plans for how we will manage the coming year. These thing are in our control..

All “that” pretty much out of our control..

So what do we do with that stress that comes with it it.. For us in our home two of the things we both enjoy that helps us lower that stress down, down and down is Fish and feathers.

Upgrading our main fish tank to a bigger one was pretty much a big gift to me and to the whole household, I have always had fish tanks but most of the time I use them spring/fall for outdoor growing, we have a nice little 10 gallon that has a fish or two in house. The big second hand tank that we had and use for many years for raising up hundreds and hundreds of tadpoles turning into toads/frogs took a beating.

So when a big sale came on, we picked up a new tank and some new fish and moved the 10 gallon fish etc into the new tank, it has proven to be a big boon this winter.. both of us will take time to stop and just watch the fish.. you can just feel your heart rate slow down..

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The second thing we enjoy in a crazy way is our big yard filled to the brim with fluttering feathers, we currently have 4 feeders in action, Mr Red is a young male that found the farm and has claimed it, as we had a young female pass though the year before but she moved on, he has settled and I have great faith that he will call in a female.

He adores our big spruce trees as one of his favorite sitting spots but he really enjoyed munching on the hawthorn berries.

The flashes of red are him or the three kinds of woodpeckers we have coming in or sometimes the red caps

When it comes to yellows, we have a flock of grosebeeks about 20 of them that are coming regular and man they are a fun bird to have around, so pretty indeed.

We also have about 40 finches..

plus all the wild zones that is providing natural eating for them.

of course we have lots of sparrows

and chickadee’s, I adore my little friends.. and they are for sure the most freindly of all the wild birds!

We often take the time to stop and just go to the window and watch the bird at the feeders, we have walking trails though the gardens and the food forest’s marked out and snow blown and as we walk the birds move from tree to tree and swooping over our heads and moving behind us or around us.

So what is your? Are you working on a puzzle? do you play a game of cards? Knitting? Writing (hubby does writing for sure) What are you using as short brief breaks to bring your stress down, or are you just turning everything off?

Posted in At the kitchen table | Tagged Fish Photos, Friday Rambles, Friday Rambles around the table, Wild Bird photos | 13 Comments

Low Buy Jan

Posted on January 7, 2021 by Just another day on the farm

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I joined a budget based group that lasts the month of Jan, its a good overview and tweeking type of plan.. I laughed a touch as folks are like.. what is something your life that costs you money every single month that has to be considered a luxury.

Do you see those fat butts up there in that photo.. any way you cut it.. they fit that bill.. back in the day, that was not the case, you would use them all the time.. however times have changed and even with the uses we do with them, there is no way to call them anything but hay burners.

Add in that this is the first winter that Caleb is starting to show his age and needing some extra care. feed and so forth, so of course I had to spend a couple hundred on his winter extra’s.

Still I have been reading and thinking about things (when my mind is not stuffed with all the breaking news these days.. and man.. there has been alot of breaking news in the past 48 hours) and when I am not chasing this lunk head to try and help get him around things or unstuck..

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I belong to a food co-op and you get a fresh food basket twice a month, I like this program very much as it

a) keeps me out of the stores and town

b) its local driveway drop off delivery

c) I pay the highest box fee which means that I help support a lower cost box for those in need in my community and I really like this.

d) sometimes we have things go on sale that I buy extra and donate though the program into the local community food box (anyone can go to the food box 24 hours a day and get or leave a little something as needed)

So this helps me greatly in keeping the “fresh” in the meals while not going to town.. our little towns around us right now are increasing hot spots and it would be a very good idea to avoid them for at least the next month.

The one thing that they were talking about was clothing budget, so I had a very hard look at my closets and have decided that I can plan a very frugal clothing year for 2021. I am going to allow myself 2 pairs of curvy fit blue jeans (I have worn out a number of my jeans, patched them and cut them into shorts) so I need to replace them with full legged jeans this year and my new summer dresses.

Thats it! Hubby does not need much at all either, I think the only thing he needs this year is new underwear lol..

Having said that a friend of mine out Sask way was talking about something worth mulling on.. she basicly said.. given how many big company’s are closing and that the odds are good that more will close over the next year, or couple years that if you have a favorite “brand” for your boots, gloves, coats and or certain wear, that you might want to really consider stocking up a few extra’s in your size or if kiddo’s the next couple sizes up as when you go to buy or size up, its very possable that you will find its not available.

I will add a personal note on this, or you might find its the same name, slightly more costly but they have changed something in the making of it due to supply chain issues. I had grabbed a three pack of extra duck tape, same brand I have used for years and then I grabbed a couple singles of kinds I like as well

Well I was totally shocked to find that my three pack rolls were “new” and they are pretty much useless,, they work kind of.. but they are thinner, weaker, I will hold it for in a pinch/no choice but I will not be buying that kind again and I have bought it for many many years..

So even if you think you know the brand, do the research or look at the product because it does not mean you are getting what you think you are.

Otherwise, I will keep looking at things a case by case way of needing things, but I am hoping to save on some things in order to have that extra for a few coming bigger projects.

Did you do your 2021 budget? if so, are you saving for a project, or just saving for the future.. or are you WHAT savings, we are using them up as we speak! Is anyone looking at taking advantage of the very low interest rates and considering buying a house and or taking out a repair/redo loan on this home?

Do you have anywhere in your basic budget lists were its pretty clear that you can bring things down and either just have a no spend or a very limited low spend on?

another area that should be very low buy/low cost is household items.. while I know I will be finishing some repair/redo work and paint etc.. that overall the budget for anything household is very small for the year. We put one vehicle into winter park mode and covered it for storage so that saves us for 7 months in insurance and really is there any reaosn at this point to have more then one vehicle working on the farm right now..

As it is, its hard to make sure it gets run once or twice a week to keep things moving.. I guess that there are some folks that’s not true on but certainly is for us at this time. Ar you driving less? Same.. More? (I know someone that is driving more.. normally taking public transport who does not feel safe doing so and with so many working from home there is parking at his work building, so he now drives in)

Posted in frugal | Tagged Budget, creating a budget, Frugal, its time to create your budget, low buy | 13 Comments

Garden Planning 2021

Posted on January 6, 2021 by Just another day on the farm

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I am going to be planting a ton of flowers this coming year.. We need some pretty and I want to increase the ability to have flower full of vases.

It has been very interesting to work on our garden plans for 2021 given our new health issues in regards to eating certain items.. Being a Diabetic household certainly changes the garden plans.

Very limited potato’s (basicly fresh eating baby ones or fingers), no corn, limited pea’s, no real point in melons, other then maybe one or two plants as treats.

At the moment for annuals in the gardens we have seeds to plant out

Beets (6 kinds)
Turnips(summer/winter)
radishes (5 kinds)
Kolorabi (3 kinds)
peanuts
Tomato’s( cherry and canning)
Cucumbers (3 kinds)
Peppers (3 kinds)
Zucchini (2 kinds)
Onions (4 kinds)
Broccolli (3 kinds)
Caulflower (1 kind)
Greens (11 kinds)
Kale (4 kinds)
Cabbage (6 types, including Asian styles that are very loose headed but same family)
Beans- Fresh( 4 kinds) Dry seeds (9 kinds)
Snow Peas (3 kinds)
Carrots (2 kinds)
Celery (2 kinds)
Celeric Root (1 kind)
Brussel sprouts (2 kinds)
Broad Beans (2 kinds)
Winter Squash ( 6 kinds)
Pumpkins ( 4 kinds)
Sweet potato (I am already starting my slips)

That is the basic’s, we will see if anything gets dropped or expanded.. Everything listed, I currently have the seeds, sets or stock to do these for 2021 and in a number of cases for 2022/23 as well.

Posted in Garden, gardening | Tagged buy your seeds early 2021, Garden, Garden planning, Planning your garden, prepare, Seeds, winter garden planning 2021 | 7 Comments

Is your Vet available?

Posted on January 5, 2021 by Just another day on the farm

This handsome guy needed to be altered and microchipped and I am beyond glad that I was able to get him in and done.

The past year has been very challenging in regards to getting in to see your vet or getting your vet to your farm. The first lockdown in march saw the list say that vets are open but it was a very mixed bag on that..

When the big march lockdown came, the farm vets all shifted and trying to get booked for my standard “herd health” yearly checkup became a dance to find a time they would come.

The small animal vet was even more tricky.. in the first hard push, everything but total emergancy was cancelled, all basic vaccines could wait, you could arrange curbside pickup of meds but no surgeries unless it was life and death.. they requested that the vets send their ppe, and even their meds back to the human health care system.

At the same time, everyone wanted a new puppy, a new kitten and so many peaple gave no thought at all on if they could get a vet or the fact that vets would be raising prices and locally did they raise prices.. in some cases, something that could cost 500 in 2019 suddenly could cost 1000 or more in 2020..

Part of this was that the borders were closed, so no one could take their dogs and cats across the USA border to the very reasonable priced vet care clinics (normally the cheapest way to do so pet care) and just to add to it, the border between ontario and Quebec also did a lock down on travel and so all those amazing Quebec more rural vets that take on a huge number of city clients to keep pet care costs and altering costs down suddenly closed their doors to new clients, to out of province clients.

Ontario has always been the worst province for having the highest costs for vet treatment and care anywhere I have ever lived in canada and of course they raised the prices on the vets in 2020..

So just in case my readers do not know, while certain things are set down by our federal goverment, each province has a vet board and they set “basic” price costs.. they say.. all vets in the province will charge at a min X for this antibodic.

The idea is to create a baseline and its both a good thing and a total shitshow.. it means that because the quebec province has such a massive difference between ontario that you can have 50% to 100% to in some cases upwards of 500% price point difference on some really basic things.

I feel bad for alot of our really amazing great ontario vets that work so hard for their clients..

However (and let me be clear they are still working hard) there are some that have set themselves up as a higher end vet that pricing themselves out of the basic pet market and they are not yet in the mind set that this could be shared issue.. yes the pet owners do need to understand that pets cost money but no.. no one should have to run all the extras in order to have a healthy pet altered.

However its very fair to see some increase in costs this past year and in 2021 and perhaps beyond as they can not get as many clients in. in my clinic, you arrive and you call from the parking lot and you wait in turn, then you come in with mask and cleaning hands and you have to follow their new floor directions into the vet area. they have a sign in area, they have a blocked off different with floor directions to the payment area.

Once your animal is seen, you must leave and go back to your vehicle, they will bring you back for the paperwork and directions etc.. the office is closing a hour early for the cleaning, and I know they are fully booked but still seeing less clients so I fully support and understand that we are seeing a very reasonable 15% incease on our bills.

I have needed to see my small animal vet clinic a few times in 2020 and each time I was so impressed at how well they did everything but also heard that phone ring off the hook non stop and I swear every single time I was there at least one call was from somone new and the answer was always the same.. we are not taking new clients at this time.

I have had so many friends reach out in total shock at the qoutes they have been given on their vet costs in regards to their new kitten or puppies.. Right now for the vets that are taking new clients they are looking at around 600 for cat and around 1000 for dog..

I got my female cat done fully, vet checked, altered, rabies and a medical treatment for bacic care for 280 and I just paid 405 all in for my 50 plus pound male including health check, alter, microchipped, cone of shame collar and a fecal check (which i perferred to just treating and i was right to do so as he did not need meds at this time)

So how are things going in regards to your farm vet care in 2020, have you heard anything yet in regards to 2021? how about your small pet vet?

Did you get a new pet and how have you found it in regards to getting standard vet care in your area?

Posted in farm, Farm dogs | Tagged Altering your farm dog, Caring for your pet during Covid, Rising vet costs, Vet care during covid, Vet care on the farm | 10 Comments

Lockdown Mondays

Posted on January 4, 2021 by Just another day on the farm

I have to admit that I strangely have enjoyed reading weekly posts from Silver and a few others in regards to their week in regards to how C-19 and their local area/country/world is being effected.

I think that paort of the reason I like it is because i get to see and read about how its effecting differently depending on where you are at and how you live effects it. So After having a good think on this, I have decided that I am going to do lockdown monday’s for 2021. I do not know if it will be every monday or just the first monday of the month.

I am going to stay away from the politial points of this and focus on how its effecting our life here on the farm.. I did say that I would be digging down into the daily life and after spending some time thinking about it.. this is a huge part of my daily life right now I have to find a way to bring it in without it being the overall focus.

I will say that I do not think that “vaccines” are going to magically going to be rolled out and that we will be near normal by fall of 2021, I expect that we are going to find out that 2021 is going to be different but just as hard as 2020 in its own way, but much of the anger/frustrations seen in different ways in 2020 are going to spread in a different way and with different focus’s in 2021.

No point in sugar coating it, i personally feel that the economic outlook overall is going to continue to be effected and I will be focused on the farm, and on many things we are doing to work around different things.

So Unlike the pretty bird above, we certainly have not been able to fly away (haha, I could not resist the in joke for the Canadian readers! )

in regards to our first couple days of 2021, its been quiet, we have been on holidays, hubby had taken 10 days off over christmas and it was so nice, we shifted our days into max flex as much as we could possabily do so given 2x farm chores and limited daylight hours.

In other words we did slow down, to sleep in, to spend time outside in winter gear, to feel the bite of winter in our cheeks, to take twice daily walks with the dogs.. Daily training with the horse’s. Puttering in the house, long slow stews, pans of hot cabbage rolls, mustard glazed hams.

We had one fast driveway visit when we were able to give a helping hand to friends of ours, they called early on saturday morning and went.. can you help? and we could and had what they needed both in materials and skill/knowledge and so they drove over to do the pick up. It was nice to see them even with the distance we kept between ourselves.

Driveway visiting has become the norm in a big way for the local farmers around here, we all stand back X feet and conduct our business in this way.. In the summer we would do yard visits that were longer but right now the driveway visits are the gold standard.

I also had a short road visit from a local and friend who was driving by in his side by side while I was out with Bojangles on the road.. its was short but nice to visit as well.. he was on the tway to work down the way where is clearly bush with his hi-ho.

I thought I would have a harder time and i did miss my friends that I normally would have gotten together with but I just shook my head and did a mind reset and then settled into it and enjoyed that time with my husband, my dogs, my horses..

I truly hope you were able to enjoy the past days and your new years.. Now we start the hard work of stepping up to face 2021..

Posted in Life moves on daily | 8 Comments

Declutter 365 – Homestead Way

Posted on January 3, 2021 by Just another day on the farm

The title of the post says it all and yet it does not.. the past two years have been crazy hard on the farm and I have never felt like things have been less on top of. There is a great need for a spring clean up, a sort though and a declutter.

Now if you were to listen to the fads, that would include possable ways of

A) sit with it and feel if it brings you joy

B) Pack it up and if you do not use it in a month get rid of it by gifting, selling or donating

c) Go thought everything and get rid of all the extra’s example, pick your favorite 4 pairs of pants and get rid of the other 10 in the closet.

Now the issue with all of those is clearly these peaple have never run a homestead or a farm.. Lets break down a few of these issues

A) says sit with it and feel if it brings you joy, haha.. I have lot of things on this farm that use weekly, monthly and seasonly and I promise you they do not bring me joy but they are needed and they work hard.

Strange things I do have that bring me joy.. 5 gallon buckets, amazingly thick leather work gloves, my leather cowboy hat with the mess screen on the top, I swear when you learn to love a good bucket on the farm lol..

What brings you joy that is a common everyday item.. o.. your favorite coffee mug? that’s a good one.. I think we all have our favorite mug right?

I could sit with my worming gun for the sheep and it is never going to bring me joy, but its needed that’s for sure. (the ewe above says yup.. its useful but not loved by either of us)

B) Pack it up and if you have not used it in a month, let it go.. haha.. again.. clearly this is advice for someone in a apartment or house.. not a homestead or a farm.. if you got rid of everything in those boxes after a month, you would be spending money hand over fist for the rest of the year replacing a huge amount of it as the seasonal things need to be done. There are many things that only come out at certain times of the year..

I mean my lambing kit only comes out during lambing time.. its in use for maybe 3 weeks of the year pretty much but can you imagine replacing it yearly.

C) Once again I guess this works in a normal way but lets look at cloths, they start out as either a) go to town cloths or b) straight up farm gear. Now most :sunday best” can last you years with good care and while you might freshen it up with different jewelery or sweater or boots etc.. you are not normally replacing sunday best that often.. I mean, we paid big bucks for my hubby’s good suit (around a thousand) but its also last with care 16 years, we might change the shirt for a big event but most of the time, its just a matter of updating the tie if needed.

But sadly average cloths these days do not hold up, I still can buy some things from some company’s that last years but the flood of cheap clothing often means they only look good for a limited amount of time.. so they can move fairly quickly from go to town to farm wear.

Speaking of hard wearing, I have finally after 14 years worn out my knight in white flannel cotton summer gowns and that is one thing I do plan on ordering in a few more for my extreme hot summer garden working times. I adore their sleeveless gown, wears and washed like a dream.

My two big heavy winter gowns are still going strong, one is now 18 years old and one is 12 or 13 years.. I am giving thought to picking up one or two pj at some point

So that swings me back to my own plan to declutter.. the goal is to go thought the house, yard, farm, barns and sheds with a goal of 365 items to be, donated, gifted, reused, Sold or recycled and only lastly throw out this year.

I am only going to update now and again though the year.. We will see how I do. I am expecting the first say 50 to 100 small items to be fairly easy to track and find.. I mean I know I have a rusted solid tool that I have in a bucket that I have sworn that I am going to soak and see if I can fix but in truth, I most likely will never be able to fix it properly.

Just to keep it a little different, just as i will snag a photo or two of what is going out, I intend to snap a photo or two of things that I found that is going to be kept or reused, these will be items that I “expect” I will have forgotten I got at a farm sale, at the second hand store or bought? at a sale price, going hmm.. 70 plus percent off.. this could be something we need..

I hate paying full price for something and will often buy deap sale discounts while hedging then have to go pay full price.. so we will see what treasure or trash I find and report back on.