Grudgingly...

Ace was not impressed that R & I set a trap, tied his Mama up and caught him.

But he was tied and held to learn the halter and us will NOT kill him!

He balked and tried to run but he has to learn

DON"T MESS WITH THIS MAMA!

Actually he acted like every other one we've haltered and taught to walk.

Ace just had a full 6 weeks of freedom that had he been born here he would not have had.

Bad picture and I'm sorry but better than

Johnny the steer that stuck his head in an old truck body we use to store feed in.

He was wedged in the tire well above the tire for quite awhile before I saw him. Several wrenches on the fender and yanks on his head by 3 of us cleared him. Hope he learned his lesson.

Today was "Day of the Animal Chaos" here.

Same Old Same!

Hen-acide ?

I had 23 eggs in the bucket and was reaching for 2 more when

an "angry bird"

jumped/flew up and knocked bucket on ground.

so...

I got this mess

smeared with raw egg and shells

and I got...

and I ended up with 10 good saleable eggs

and 1 for us to use

after washing all the crud off .

Dang lil bratty Hen !

I'm working store today alone, S went to PA to pick up 5 ton of feed that wouldn't fit on 22 ton trailer coming tonight. Guess that means we're doing business.

LN has last wrestling match she manages today after school and 4-H monthly meeting where she is the reporter tonight so leftovers I think.

Good thing I had little bit of lasagna left from Suoer Bowl party at neighbors. Way too much food , we tried to make a dent but sadly no....

What to Do?

So what's a girl and her offspring to do while waiting on game party you ask?

Red Solo Cup I Fill you Up!!! & decorate you too
(well with ice tea or soda probably, not much of drinker)
 

and this...

I tried to work on my quilt the prove is in above picture with LN

The blue/yellow strips I sewed to start quilt but...

the STUPID rotary cutter and I don't get along very well I find it hard to believe

 that the blade is dull but maybe ...

so now have to make trip to town on Tuesday to buy blades.

Anyone have advice? Seems to take 2 or 3 passes to cut thru cotton fabric? Fiskers is nice brand 

I thought. Only cut material for 3 baby size quilts with it. Is this normal?

Otherwise here's some Ornaments I made years ago. 

They are almost no sew just pressing pieces and using fabric glue sparingly.

The binding is only hand sewing involved. 

I'm hoping to have a class teaching this to 4-H sewing club.

Super Sunday!

Put the turkey in oven , should only take 4 1/2 hrs.

Have everything ready for lasagna assembly on counter.

Washed eggs from last few days.

Fed everyone and turned out.

Checked ewe again, she's asking to go outside. Thank-you God!

                                    Now.... May I please work on my "Quilts for Kids" ????

And Then.... Make some sense outa all this.....LN picked this out for her quilt, she doesn't have a pattern just wants all this together???? Really? Well I'm sure it'll be one of a kind!

Off to check ewes again and see if rained on loads of laundry on the line are dry

 before I go to my  dungeon  sewing/craft/den in the basement!

I'm crossing my fingers and toes I get there.

Smart Cookie !!!!

  I'm stoked she let me catch her! My SIL S2 delivered a cow calf pair to me last monday. I tie up our 2 bred ones in their pasture/roping arena so Festus my donkey can eat. He chews ea morsel 90,000 times and they run him off because I only give them few handfuls of grain.  
   They have plenty of hay and I don't want them toooo fat to deliver easy. Especially the 1st year heifer but I digress...it happens I know.
    Anyhow Duece (the dropped off cow) hasnt been caught daily since last year during fair prep. Then S2 had to rope  her before they got her halter on. Here me and R had to build a trap and tease with grain so she gets with the program. It's only been since last Sunday and yesterday R caught her by the round bale feeder at the far end of the arena. Today she came up with the other 2 and bobbed and weaved a few times but then just gave in. I slipped halter right on! Yeah she's figured out I get caught and tied up then the ladies feed me. Smart cookie!
   Nope on knitting or quilting or sewing today. I worked till noon at feed store. Went to lunch with R and friend then shopped for plain shirts for LN to wear with printed skirts. She very particular about clothes in that she never wants to be made fun of.  Doesn't care about brands just wants to slide under radar  on people noticing flaws. I hope when she returns tomorrow from 4-H weekend she likes them. She reminds me she needs them at 9:00pm when I'm half asleep. I came home to catch new cow and feed rest of clan.
      I had to change feed pan and give better hay, horse quality soft hay to ewe. She finally started nibbeling then. I guess something smelled funny in that feed pan. Strange how animals can sense what we don't. S will give her penn shot when he comes home from auction at midnight. Hope this all works.
      Off to neighbors to help set up for annual superbowl party they host. Tomorrow have turkey and crockpot lasagna to make. Reminds me I'm hungry!

Whipped!

    I'm beyond tired. Kid and me cleaned steer pen which had not been done it awhile so it was half frozen. Yuck! But with cleaning sheep pens this morning and adding more straw to goat pens I'm done.
    The ewe seems to be doing well. She has laid down alot but is in different positions so I know she s been up and lambs belly is full too. I tried a higher protein feed to help her milk but she balked so went back to barley and sheep pellets. Maybe later she ll perk up to sweet feed.
    Now when LN leaves tomorrow morning for her 4-H Junior Leader Weekend and our feed store closes at noon maybe I can get back to sewing and quilting. S will leave for auction house he auctioneers at on Sat till midnight or so. It's a large junk type weekly sale.
     I have a small Quilts for Kids to work on and I'm trying to follow Craftsy Learn it Make it. This months blocks are posted. I haven't done Januarys' but I watch instructional video and printed out instructions so won't take long to catch up I hope.
    Of course it will all depend on the Ewes' plans too. If alls quiet tomorrow afternoon I may go to the movies with a friend whose husband is a civilian in Afghanistan.
    Time to go check everyone again!

Breakfast at 1:30 pm

                          1st Lamb of season came at 11:00pm last night a 16 lbs. ewe lamb ! With that came a prolapsed uterus, the whole thing! So now I'm experienced in putting it back inside along w anus that popped out too just slightly! Phone call to vet I've used gave me a starting point and necessary steps but still GROSS. I'm not squemish but let's just be glad I was elbow deep in her and couldn't take pictures. I was curious to see what a uterus looks like, kind of like alien  suckers all over a giant red mass of tissue. Apparently the sack the lamb is in inutero attaches to these suckers to hold it inside. Bet you didnt need to know that! Anyhow she didnt prolapse last night , she was fine w slight bubble out at 3:30 am check so I assumed it would go back in after final cleaning of sack and fluids. Wrong! At 6:30am check whole darn thing was out when LN checked her. LN came inside where I slept on 2 seat  loveseat, comfortable? No flipping way! She said ewe had 2nd lamb but its all red and bumpy! Definently was not a lamb justa a typical day of work for yours truely.
      While I waited after putting it back to see if it would stay I cleaned 3 lambing stalls and 1 big ewe pen. Then opened all nanny pens and dismantled them giving everyone a community giant pen till I can put them outside if it gets warmer or sunny. Kids were jumping like kangaroos at all the space. I threw a few tubs upside down for them to climb on and they were good to go!
      Made it inside to shower blood and stuff off and ate toast for breakfast at 1:30pm.
                         
                                   So how was your Thurs night and Fri morning?

Feed Biz

    Thursday and Friday are our regular delivery days for the feed business. 75% or more of the regular delivery customers are Amish with a buggy horse or 2 so 100# or so of feed every 2 weeks. Each of our 2 routes only covers 15 mile radius ea week but its a niche my husband S developed 30 years ago. They dont have to hitch up buggy or hire driver to come get feed. They have a set amount he delivers unless they call to change or add feed. He also sells them hay mostly from fields directly in the summer. He buys from same hay farmers ea year so we can expect quality. His truck carries 10,000# each trip and he sets ea route up in circle to minimize fuel usage.
   We deliver to other areas like livestock sale barn he auctioneers hay at on Wed nights mostly non-Amish customers and when he goes to pick up feed we order, he delivers to whoever is on the way. Otherwise we have a feed store here in our barn that I man when S is gone. Alot of our sales are 100# bags so don't mess with me I got muscles! Most customers in the store are non-Amish as well.
   We store our feed which we send a tractor trailer to PA at 4 diff mills  every 2 weeks for and what S goes for downstate in trailers and front part of barn. Our store is built over the old solo base and has variety of things available as well as feed. Today we loaded S's truck for deliveries. It usually takes an hour with both of us working at it unless customers driving in interrupts us which is good thing as well. 
   1st picture is his truck as we begin loading in order of his delivery tickets so he can peel off his bag as he gets to their barns. That cart he using holds 1000# easily which with the way it counterbalances its weight I can use without straining. It saves our backs! The upright bags are my responsibility I haul and stack ea 100# bag according to his ticket plan. 
    2nd picture shows 1 of the trailers we store feed in. It's pretty empty right now as our 23 ton load is due Mon night. Come help us unload it by hand ;[ if you're in the area! We use casual seasonal help from Amish teenagers , they like to help at night so they get some spending money. If they work during daytime they have to give it to their parents to help support the family.
   Tonight LN has wrestling match ,she manages team so late supper of steaks, dried corn and sweet tator fries tonight. I love our beef we raised, he's so tender! 

Teazer

Is there ANY doubt she 's ready to deliver soon? I do NOT think so... she's gonna burst so come on Valentine- yep her name cause she was born on Feb.14th- let's get going NOW!

Done and Blocked- over 85 inches long, hope kid likes it!

Might be a multiple posts day, have to see!

More...

Agate, our Shorthorn heifer due to calve in March. Dubbed Aggie for short! Won Bred and Owned at our State Fair last year, My daughter R was happy.

Festus, he deserves a post of his own some day! He babysits every calf born here wether the Cow appreciates it or not!

Duece the mama cow of my SIL S2 and Ace the feeder calf hopefully for LN this year.

Diamond- she began it all . My son Z bought her as a calf about 8 years ago. She is mom to Aggie and Gemstone from yesterdays post. Yes they are full blooded sisters 1 year apart.

The present the farmers across from me left yesterday. I'm standing in my driveway, yep its a heaping pile of chicken manure. I don't care normally only on the day they spread it in the spring. Then I have to close windows and NOT hang out laundry! I love agriculture in general since our family is in it to oue eyeballs. But...Stinky Gift!

The reason I'm alive! To wash and hang laundry !

The chickens outside run (when they are not allowed free run) under the Pecan tree. Mostly Rhode Islands with a few Barred Rocks and 1 other I don't know what! She lays so it's all good.

Inside pen in the old equipment shed , wire walls on 3 sides open year round only north wall closed but they thrive even in deepest snow. South side has good overhang of mayb 6 ft so not much ever blows in anyhow. Water is outside picture for winter we use trough that we can break ice out of daily. In summer a 5 gallon waterer sits on the cement block w hay string tyed to top so they wont jump up and roost on it, fouling their water ;[ Left side in picture is smaller pen we put chicks in when we start new layers or broilers we raise for freezer. We use our eggs and sell rest to our feed store customers.

The queen, Puss-Puss or Moo depends on who calls her. She answers to Puss Puss and comes when LN calls her. Mainly nighttime  house cat but goes in and out since I fixed her during day.



Filling in some more blanks about how I live here in Delaware on our small farm.