Farm Life

[Spiritwind]

A picture of our newest garden space. Just finished it yesterday. And a picture of Vida, who is due to kid next week.

[Spiritwind]

I don’t know how far I will get with writing this today. Mr. Thomas (the cat) just came in, and had to take over my lap temporarily, and hair out on me, and now I have it floating all over the place, including up my nose. Not my favorite. Plus, he smells like dirt. All three of our cats have been spending almost every night outdoors, because there is just so much action going on out there, things to kill and eat and all, that they hardly spend any time indoors lately.

It’s a full moon in Sagittarius today, and I’m feeling it, but then I always do. Usually, at least one or two nights around the full moon I can’t sleep well, or, wake up and feel like I didn’t sleep even when I did. That’s pretty much how I feel today. Plus, I went to the city yesterday, to stock up on needed supplies. I was going to pay a bill but, when I saw the line with people standing 6 feet apart down the block just to get in the store, decided I would try my luck paying it by phone today. Also not fun, due to poor cell phone reception. Oh well, such is life these days. I did go to Costco and used the form I was given to show them at the door, so as to not wear a mask. It worked great! I was quick and won’t go back for at least a couple months, as I stocked up on everything I normally buy from there. Primarily the dog food. Our female Great Pyrenees can’t eat a cheaper kind, or she has health problems, and I can’t afford to buy an equal product somewhere else, otherwise I probably wouldn’t go there at all.

And today my oldest grandson is coming over for the first time in many months. I’ve decided to throw caution to the wind and just go for it. He wants to come over so bad, and even offered to wear a mask and stay 6 feet away. Kind of made me laugh, because we live in a 30’ RV. I told him just to come any damn way, and leave the mask at home. If I was to leave this world, any time soon, I wouldn’t want to go without being able to spend time around the people I love most. Plus, I already know going back to school this fall is not going to be like it was before, for him and his younger brother. It makes me worry for all the children, really.

Don’t want to veer off too much, but my verdict on the “virus” is pretty much just to observe, keep sifting through the different voices, and follow my intuition in the end. It has worked pretty well for me my entire life. The only time I get into trouble is when I don’t listen to it. Whatever the truth is, I would bet it has several different levels, and no one has all the answers. One thing seems apparent though. “They” want to lock us down, and they want to do it in a big way. It’s been “their” dream for ages. So far, I’m shocked to see how successful “they” have been at steering the narrative. It seems so obvious to me, and even people I thought had a more open mind, absolutely discard that possibility out of hand, and totally “believe” in the system, regardless of any pesky factoids to the contrary. Those I counted as friends is kind of shrinking these days, as some I will have to avoid altogether from here on out. It’s certainly clarified a few things, though. I’m seeing people with more clarity than ever these days, and, frankly, that is what scares me more than anything.

Okay, well, I guess I’m on the other side of the full moon now. We did have my grandson over and had a great time. He’s almost 13 and getting more and more interesting to talk to. I encourage him to do his own thinking, and not just blindly believe everything he’s told. He’s got a pretty good sense of humor too. It’s the one thing that makes me wish we could get going on building a cabin, is just the space to have both him and his brother over seems to be shrinking as they get bigger. But, we have much to focus on right in front of us for the moment. One thing at a time. Trying to continue to be in preparation mode, and stocking up on things I’ll need for the goats health maintenance, plus our own various supplements that my husband and I take. Not that I have any inside information that’s reliable on what the future holds. I just watch, listen, feel. I’ll know what I need to know, when I need to know it. Not all is written in stone.

It could be the stack of laundry, on the sofa to my left, that suddenly inspired me to finish this post. I admit, I am procrastinating. Could be that I finally feel an uplift in my spirits after several days of feeling sort of not quite right with the world. It’s a lot to take in, as I feel into the energy behind what appears to be taking place. I know my instincts are right, and I’m willing to stake my life on it. And, ultimately, someday, maybe not even too far in the future, I’ll have to do just that. As I said, I will just continue to observe, do what I can, as I can, and then let it go. Just lately, it’s been taking a bit more effort is all.

Anyway, took the goats for a walk today, as after days of rain it was semi sunny, and cool, and everything is very green. It was much needed. I finally got the copper supplement I ordered for the goats today. My older buck, Bob Dean, has a stubby no hair on the end of his tail thing going, and his fur looks like crap, even though I’ve supplemented with selenium. His symptoms match exactly the signs to look for copper deficiency in goats. I have a mineral block for them, but it must not be enough. And our area is low on copper and selenium.

I learned a few things I was wondering about this last week. One, is I wondered how easily the chickens could get through the cattle panels, and how much they would mess up the little area in my attached garden space that wasn’t separately fenced. I found out that, yes, they can get through the cattle panels, with ease I must say, and they would definitely tear up the garden in record time if I don’t fence every bit of it I care about.

My neighbor is warning me about when I lock the dogs up here one day soon, to let the chickens really out, that they will tear up all the compost piles just as fast. I guess I’ll find out soon enough. I’m willing to try it at least once and assess the situation from there. They are such little dinosaurs, and I forgot how noisy, especially when they’re getting ready to lay. I did put up chicken wire around the outside perimeter fence so at least I won’t be chasing them around through the brush, trees, and assorted other obstacles. I’m sure it would have been highly entertaining had anyone been around to watch. It actually made me smile, too, as I saw the folly of thinking they wouldn’t do exactly what they did.

I’m going to have to make some tough decisions, once again, regarding the goats, as to who to keep, and who I have to let go. I always hate it, and it’s never easy. I want to keep them all. Right now the big dilemma is Dotty’s boy, we named Flash. He’s big, and goofy, and very sweet natured. I have no one to breed him to, and if I don’t have him wethered, he’s going to be big and stinky, and not so easy to handle when girls are in heat. And Rollo, Rhiannon’s little buckling, seems to have something a little off with his back right leg. Not sure if it’s genetic, or not, but it’s always something to think about when breeding. Always something to stress over it seems. But that’s just me.

Vida’s milk didn’t come in right away, after she kidded 10 days ago, and I was a little worried, and supplemented with a bottle a few times the first few days, but it did finally come in good and her kids are very fat and happy. She’s a very good mom, and very attentive. And, as always, they are just too cute. I’m thinking of naming them Braveheart and Liberty. The little girl has blue eyes, and is pollled, so no horns will grow.

I admit, as I watch the garden grow, by leaps and bounds with all the rain, and I hear the birds endlessly chirping, and see the horse out laying down taking a nap in the sun, and the goats all chewing their cud’s, I realize how very fortunate I am, and how much peace nature provides. And now I think I’ve procrastinated enough that I’d better wind this up. I am getting a hefty amount of milk everyday now, and plan to make a couple batches of mozzarella cheese tomorrow. Next project is cheddar, and I did get the mesophilic culture I need for that, so I’m ready to go. I find I am so much happier when I focus on what’s right in front of me, and turn off the repetitive narrative I hear every time my husband watches the news. It’s positively awful. Even online, sometimes you just got to turn it off. It’s nothing but shock, awe, and trauma inducing. With that in mind, I’m outta here!

[Spiritwind]

As I sit here drinking my morning coffee, contemplating the day ahead, I realize I probably won’t be doing much today, other than the usual daily chores I have to do every day. My eyes still feel heavy, and the slight sun burn on my back tells me it’s not a good idea to spend a lot of time in the direct sun again today.

It’s been a busy time, since the rain has finally let up on us here, and we’re starting to see more sunshine and warmer temperatures. My corn better kick it into high gear, if it’s to get knee high by the 4th of July. All the cooler weather and rain has kept if from growing upwards as fast as it has the last couple years. That’s one of the reasons I am so wiped out today. The weeds were getting almost as tall as the corn! My neighbor helped me get it all weeded yesterday. I worked in my bare feet and it felt so grounding and wonderful, and it was gratifying to see how full of worms and rich the soil has become.

My neighbor also helped me finish another big job yesterday, and that was the big boys pen. That was a several day job, especially due to all the rain and how saturated the hay on the ground had become. What a stinky disgusting mess! But it’s finally done too, so another job I can scratch off my list. And tomorrow I’m going to look at and probably buy another Nigerian Dwarf buck. My goat friend who does the dehorning for me is going to take the buckling from my full Lamancha doe, Dotty, for breeding to her girls. And I have decided to keep Arya and Fiona, the two girls I had been trying to sell. I need a buck to breed to them, as they are related to my other two.

I want a quality buck that has been bred up so their offspring will also be good milking prospects. What I have noticed is that many people who just breed the Nigerians as pets look more for cuteness than production, so care in my buck selection seemed to be a good idea, as I am not just breeding for weed eaters. And unfortunately I did not receive many bites on these two girls. They are only 1/6 Lamancha, the rest Nigerian, but are both nice looking girls. I lost both their mom and grandmother to the cougar attack earlier this year, and they were both great milkers and had no problems kidding. I should get the higher butterfat of the Nigerians, yet slightly more production. I do not vaccinate, and now it appears people are more worried about that than they used to be. So, I figured I’ll just keep them, get them friendlier, and increase their value by breeding them. Then we’ll also be able to see what kind of udder they have too.

I do plan on going in with a couple people to purchase the vials for a blood draw this fall, so I can say my herd has been tested for CAE, which is another thing prospective buyers often ask about. That is what many goats owners use to justify pulling all the kids and bottle feeding them when born, for it can be transmitted this way. I personally don’t feel, unless you know you have an infected animal, that this practice is justified. The kids are noticeably healthier when left with their mothers, and I feel the bonding is important too. All my goats came from people who test every year, but I’ll do it anyway, just to be sure.

The other big thing accomplished is I finally got my two boys “coppered” as they call it. It was a big job! I had help fortunately, as I couldn’t have done it by myself. Also gave them selenium and trimmed their hooves. I will say that stupid little plastic applicator I got to get the copper capsule down their throat was about useless. And I got one of the other girls, Danae, coppered too just yesterday. I thought I had trimmed her hooves, but I guess I only did the front ones for some reason. I noticed when I took them all out for a walk that she was running kind of funny. She runs funny anyway, because she’s always been on the stout side and has short little legs. She looks like a torpedo running down the road! Anyway, they were pretty bad, so figured might as well do the copper and selenium while I had her on the stanchion. My husband finally just shoved the capsule down her throat while I held her mouth open, after trying to use the applicator about three times unsuccessfully. Geez Louise!

So it looks like I will have 15 goats, by keeping those two girls and another buck, which is more than I feel totally comfortable with. I’m hoping we don’t have a problem getting hay. With all the rain the farmers haven’t been able to cut their hay, so don’t know if or how much this is going to affect availability yet. I’m figuring down the road, though, I could even sell the buck with the two girls as a beginning herd for someone. Quality bucks can be hard to find and spendy. For now, I’m also keeping both of Vida’s kids, as her mother was by far the most outstanding goat I’ve ever had. She was a dream to milk, with perfect treats, extra smart. Vida’s little doeling (I named Liberty) is polled and has blue eyes, so that’s always a selling point for some unknown reason, but I could even breed her down the road with the new buck I’m getting. I guess for now I’m just not going to make a decision and see what happens.

We still haven’t done the water system yet, and it will probably not happen until closer to fall. For now, we got the materials to build on to the well house, so we can put the freezer in there along with a washer and dryer. I don’t know exactly how it’s going to go this fall and winter, but I do want to be able to preserve the food we grow and milk for winter months, along with the cheese we are making. If the current trends continue with the outer roll out and predicted “second wave”, I will not be going hardly anywhere, and it will be great not having to go to the laundromat anymore (and have it stacking up in our little RV to the point of ridiculousness).

My husband is almost done reconfiguring the batteries for the solar system. It has been a brain cruncher for sure. We now have 12 batteries, and hooking them up to each other, and then to the charge controller has been no easy matter. I thought his brains were going to leak out his ears a few times, as he kept trying to make it so that it will be optimally efficient. He works things out in his mind, and has always been exceptionally good at it. Sometimes, though, he has had to make some changes as what he works out in his mind ends up having hidden complications that are not apparent until he actually does it. I’ll take a picture of it when he’s done and post it here for those who might be thinking about installing a system themselves.

I still have some rather big jobs to do, but at least I’m gaining on it. I’ve got to extend the fence on one of the pens, and build a little shelter and pen off the side for the two bucklings, Rollo (Rhiannon’s boy), and Braveheart (Vida’s little guy). Yes, I’m keeping both of them for now too. I’ve got to finish putting up another little fence to keep the chickens out of the garden area when I finally let them out. And, my least favorite, I need to consolidate the poop piles into two instead of multiple piles, and cover it, also for when I let the chickens out. I decided I didn’t want to try it first, to see what they would do. I’ve been reassured that they will do exactly what I think they will do, and definitely don’t want to have to pitchfork it all back into a pile again after they tear it up.

I did go to the Liberate America event in Coeur D’Alene, Idaho last weekend. It was a stormy day with wind and rain, and the event had to be held outdoors due to the big “V”. I don’t join groups for the most part, but just wanted to get a feel for the people who at least also feel strongly about freedom being something worth standing up for. It was informative on several levels I won’t expand on here. Interesting, to say the least.

I will say they have done a good job bringing out of the closet just how “un-united” this country has become. At some point, I’m hoping people begin to realize that we are not each other’s enemy, and that we need to be looking in a different direction than at each other. In the meantime, other than on this forum where I can speak my mind fairly freely, I’m going to be saying less and less. The information is out there, and nothing but a willingness to actually look at it, even if it doesn’t support your belief system, is going to help people see this truth. I’ve done literally 25 years of reading and researching, to know what I know. I’ve given many hints in my five plus years of writing and posting here, and I’m still reading and researching. And I do read stuff that doesn’t support what I thought I knew, and still sometimes have to change my mind based on the evidence. There are many layers to sift through, and you really have to want to know to begin with. It’s a little late to be starting on that road now, but there are also many who have done a good job at saving those new to the game a lot of time by having done much of the work at laying it all out.

Their biggest fear, those in the control game, is for enough of us to really “see” what they have went to great pains to make sure we don’t see. Knowledge really IS power. In the meantime, while the game plays out, I know a storm is coming, and I am battening down the hatches to be as ready as I can be. And, on that note, I’d best get busy. Love to all....

[LostNFound]

Absolutely great conversation and pictures of your farm dear lady. For the most part You and your Hubby are doing great and have to ask, do you stare at the goats?

Okay, you live in a really weird state and have a communist dictator for a governor. I see where he is trying to make it mandatory for anyone to wear the government control device anywhere in public. Good lord I really hope the good folk of Washington stand up against that freakazoid. He should be herded into the Chop/Chaz zone and striped of his rights like he is trying to do to you all. I have a lot of good friends that live over there and it is quite scary for them at the moment. Well enough of that.

Love your convo with the farm and pics Keep on moving forward.

Steven

[Rob]

I know how to post images now

[Spiritwind]

I’m not done with my post yet and I’m not in the mood to do it right now. Will be going for an eye exam later today. I’ll be paying considerably more for it than I wanted to, but I’m going over into a small town in Idaho so I don’t have to deal with the nonsense going on in the big city. I haven’t had new glasses in years, and from working on the farm my lenses are so scratched up I can barely see through them anyway. They will be dilating my eyes, which has never been my favorite thing. At least my husband will be driving. Last time I went I drove myself home that way and I vowed I would never do that again.

My husband took this picture of me when out walking the goats, and for once I didn’t look like a goober (country bumpkin for those who haven’t heard the word before). I’ll come back soon. And, Hi Rob! Glad you figured out how to post images!

[Moonlight]

You look great Lady ! Nice to see you.

[Spiritwind]

I’m hoping I find the time to write a bit today. Right at the moment I hear the neighbor dog barking hysterically. It always barks like it’s being attacked or something, with a very loud urgent sense about it. Our dogs bark, but never like that. It’s hard to even think straight with this going on. And I wonder how the people who own it can stand it. It’s funny, because my goats start to make quite a racket when I’m late feeding them, and sometimes when they are in heat, but I can tune them out. Even the horse gets quite animated when she thinks it’s time to eat more. And she’ll do this after I’ve let her out for several hours which she spends almost non stop eating. Like, seriously, how can she possibly be starving? But, it’s more of a reflexive I’m bored kind of thing with her I think.

My friend who grew up riding horses comes out to get milk and eggs quite frequently, and usually helps with a project or two, usually making cheese. But yesterday she did finally get to focus on working with Freckles for a bit, and help me regain a little more confidence in starting to work with her again too. She got pretty pushy this spring, and a bit unruly, always trying to grab the hay out of our hands as we were trying to get into the goats pen to give them their share. The gate is right next to her area, and she found she could reach over the fence far enough, and was starting to become a grabboid. Even though we made it clear we didn’t think much of that behavior, she persisted.

But, as I started letting her out almost every day to graze and hang out with the goats she has calmed down quite a bit, and is much more amenable to interacting. I kind of don’t care if I ever ride her, although I can still see that in our future. I do need to start exercising her regularly. As she is getting older, she is starting to put on weight even though I feed her the same. She pretty much wants to eat constantly out of boredom, so I can’t get away with not spending more time with her, as it’s not healthy for her to be overweight and so lazy. And my whole purpose in getting her was to heal some confidence issues I have, and get over some painful early life memories, as well as a very traumatic one from a past life experience.

It was beautiful to see how well she responded to my friend though, as she is a very sharp horse who still knows what to do even if she has become kind of spoiled by lack of attention. It’s my own fault, and I accept full responsibility. I tend to let all my furry friends take advantage of me more than I should, and it’s a good barometer for me to see what I still need to work on.

I’m going to jump in here and pick up where I left off. It’s been over a week since I started this. It’s been busy here on the farm, and I haven’t been leaving home hardly at all. I spent 4 days working on the fence around the area where I lost my three girls to a cougar attack earlier this year. We had already completely removed the A - frame shelter where it happened. The two bucklings from Rhiannon and Dotty were getting old enough to be a problem, so needed to be separated. It seemed all the girls when into heat around the same time, and the two boys were all over them the last time I took them all out for a walk.

We spent several days tearing down the part of the fence that was going to be expanded, and putting up the fence panels in a new configuration that basically made their area twice the size it was, with a smaller pen in back to put the boys in. I’m just short of two fence panels to finish making it 7 feet high all the way around, to help keep predators out. We had to replace one sheet of OSB on the older barn that had deteriorated, so mucked out the barn while we were at it. Then Sunday night I put the boys in the back to separate them. Imagine my disappointment the next morning when I went to milk and Dotty didn’t have any. She had let her boy nurse through the fence all night, and I even caught her nursing both boys through the fence. So, I ended up putting Vida with her two kids in the back, and putting the two boys in the side pen off the bigger barn where she had been. There’s no way they can get to their moms, or any of the other girls, in there. And yes, they are not quite happy with the new arrangement, but had to do it. Flash, Dotty’s boy, will be going to his new home this weekend. And Braveheart, Vida’s little buckling, will be going to his new home in about three weeks.

And my husband is working on the little room he is building off the well house for a laundry room. He would have it almost done, but found quite a few of the 2 x 4’s he bought had warped and could not be used. He bought them thinking he was going to get to the job sooner, but first we had some unexpected storms with a lot of rain, then the weather got too hot to work in. At 74 he just can’t work in the heat like he used to. And I feel bad for all the farmers who lost most of their first cutting hay this year. I called one guy I’ve been getting it from, and he didn’t have any to sell due to all the rain. I’ll be going to get a ton later today from someone new and hoping it’s decent. I have to say this last year I did not have the usual experience of swearing like a sailor every time I went out to feed due to the crappy quality of hay, as was my experience the two years before.

Speaking of fencing though, I’m even having to put taller fencing around the corn this year. Freckles, who basically ignored the corn until it was almost all done the last couple years, discovered she can reach far enough over the fence and ate the tops off as much as she could reach! It’s finally warmed up enough for things to be growing well, but everything is a bit later this year. Raspberries are finally ripening (and I’ve been grazing on them every morning), and the zucchini is producing quite well. At first many of them were rotting at the ends, which I’ve never had do before, but they’ve pretty much quit doing it as it has warmed up. It didn’t freeze, but we did have some pretty cool nights. And the blackberries are growing like I remember them doing on the west side of the state, like, I should have an unbelievable crop this year.

As usually happens, I’ve kind of sloughed off on keeping up with it all as it has warmed up. The weeds are a bit out of control in a few areas, and didn’t finish a few projects. But, considering we almost doubled our growing area, I don’t feel too bad. It takes me almost three hours a day to thoroughly water it all on hot days, and at least two hours a day to feed, water, and milk. So even when I’m being lazy, I can’t get away with being too much so. Which is a good thing, I think. It keeps my mind off of what’s going on in the outer world. And keeps me focused on what’s real, what’s right in front of me. I get great satisfaction out of eating what our little farm has produced, and I’m getting better at it all the time. I just refreshed my kombucha yesterday, and it turned out fantastic. I’ve become quite strung out on making and eating kimchi as well. And I’m finally going to be making more herbal supplements from what we have growing here to help keep my immune system strong. The more I can teach myself to not only make, but get into the habit of using them, rather than reaching for something I have to buy, the better.

We moved out here to my friend and neighbor’s property in the summer of 2014, and onto this land in the fall of 2016, and it’s quite amazing to look back now and see how far we’ve come at adapting to a whole new life style. I’ve gotten to where I can literally spend extended periods of time not leaving home, which, as it turns out is a very good thing. It’s not just the physical, but the mental, emotional, adjustments that had to be made to adapt. I worry for the rest of the world though. I do see what is coming, and have been spot on with much of what I personally predicted to friends and family. But it gives me little comfort, when I know the masses do not see. And with the election and flu season just around the corner, I do not see things ramping down. Quite the opposite.

My next goal is to learn about ham radios, as I predict it’s entirely possible that we will have to resort to them as our only way to communicate with those of like mind to navigate our way through, as those who love to plot, scheme, and implement their nefarious agendas continue full steam ahead. It’s easy to see why they want to herd everyone into the cities. Us rural folks are almost like a completely different breed of human, and want to retain our sense of self, and our ability to rely on ourselves and not the “government”. In fact, I know many who will stand up when the time comes. But there’s no way out, only through. It reminds me of the series we have been watching, Star Trek Voyagers. They are always running into some kind of sub-space anomalies, and often they cannot avoid whatever weirdness they encounter. They just have to adapt, and find ways to make their way to the other side. That’s where we are now. Not the kind of brave new world I was envisioning, but here we are nonetheless.

The pictures are of the new garden area we made near the chickens. It’s amazing that we used the composting poop/hay entirely to grow in, since that’s all we had. It’s all grown a bunch more since I took the picture. And the other one is of the big boys when they broke out of their pen to go fraternize with all the girls in heat. Their freedom was short lived, as we quickly made repairs where they got out. And now, I’m done with this installment of farm life. Gotta get to work.

By the way, though, thank you Moonlight! Nice to have you pop in! Always brings a smile to my face!

[Spiritwind]

I’m feeling all kinds of weird, itchy, and I wake with a slight feeling of anxiety every morning now. Wish I could make it all go away. Don’t know how far I’ll get with this today, but don’t have much going on, especially outside, as it’s supposed to get hot. Also, I cut up some fence panels with the bolt cutters a couple days ago, and now I’m having some shoulder, neck, and hand issues.

We got what we wanted to get done this last weekend, even though there is always more to add to the list, with every project we complete. But still, we are gaining on it. My husband has the laundry room door, windows, walls, and roof up. I’m quite happy about that. And, I got the fence pretty much the way I want it around the one pen where the cougar attack took place back in January. The pen is now twice the size it was, with 7 foot high fencing all the way around, and with the addition to their shelter area, a good amount of space out of the weather should I have to lock them up in there. One down, two to go. Probably won’t get everything done to the other large pen this year, but I still have a decent sized shelter in that area too, that I can lock them in should I need to. I don’t ever want to loose goats to predators again, if I can help it. And I wanted enough room so they wouldn’t be crammed in almost on top of one another. Goats can be mean, and I want to avoid injuries as well.

The boys area needs a serious upgrade to their shelter too, but I have until late fall to get it done. One thing I will have to do is fortify the garden area where I plant the corn. Taller fence, and smaller mesh fencing all around, with more fence posts so the horse, and Dotty, our full size goat, can’t just muscle their way into eating pretty much everything around the perimeter. And, I’m groaning at just the thought of having to rebuild the area by the boys where we stored a couple ton of hay last year. After the wind blew the shelter over the hay a second time I just left it, but now that it’s empty, I can fix it to the pallets so that hopefully it doesn’t happen again. We’ll have to get at least 5 ton of hay in, so we don’t have to scramble this winter. I did buy a ton from a farmer about a month ago, but won’t go back for more, as it had so many stems that the waste was way more than it should be, which makes more work for me.

And, the horse needs to go on a diet. Now that she is 15 years old, her metabolism is slowing down, and she is gaining weight. It started this spring when I got some extra rich hay, which was all I could find at the time, and it just isn’t coming off. In fact, yesterday, when I let her out to graze with the goats I had let out to forage, she got herself stuck in one of the pens. She crammed her way through the narrow gate to scrounge around the feeder in there, and then didn’t want to come out, because she was actually too big to get out without almost hurting herself. So we had to take part of the fence apart, to get her out.

It’s the next day now, and as I took a look at my email account, to see what’s new, found an email from a local group that are preparing for what is to come. I know the world thinks Americans are brain washed and deeply asleep to what is really going on, but not all of them. In fact, I talk to other rural people and have found that every single one of them IS AWARE, and they are preparing for what is to come. Many are figuring this IS IT! They are preparing to make a stand, when these well funded and well armed terrorists, by whatever name you want to call them, arrive in their neighborhood. They DO see that this is a planned takeover that will lead to marxists being in control of our daily realities. And they do plan to make our life a living hell, with no rights to anything, our property, our livelihoods, or any remaining freedoms to move around and live life the way we choose. These are indeed somber times.

And I so wish it wasn’t so. People just keep arguing about the big V, masks, and what have you, while many are quietly preparing for, as I have been rambling about for years now, a fight like never seen in my lifetime. And my husband is appalled. No matter what you think of the military, when he joined back during the Vietnam War, he ended up fighting right along with the people who lived there, who were fighting for their freedom. And they lost. All of those he fought with, were ruthlessly murdered by the Vietcong when America pulled out of the fight and basically abandoned those they promised to protect. Unless you’ve lived through something like this, you just really don’t know.

I even finally met and talked with our nearest neighbor, the one with the hysterical barking dog, the other day, and had quite the conversation with him. I had made a number of assumptions about him and his family, that may or may not be correct, but he was enjoyable to talk to. They are a young couple, probably early 30’s, but he seemed surprisingly aware of what is going on. Every single person I have talked to is almost unable to even articulate how they feel, but make it clear they just almost can’t wrap their mind around how fast things changed, are trying to anticipate what is ahead, while expressing their disbelief and struggle to make sense of it all. I often wonder why the huge disparity between country folk, and city folk who just keep their head down, mask on, and act like they haven’t a clue, or just can’t let themselves think about it, and get uncomfortable when you bring it up. Not all of them though. The ones that are awake, want to move out of the city as soon as they possibly can, realizing there is only a small window of time left.

That’s one of the reasons my husband and I feel a bit of a scramble to get certain things done as well. Gotta get our vehicles fixed up, as at the moment I can’t even leave home if I wanted to. We’re down to one vehicle again. That’s on our agenda for this weekend, to get our pickup back up and running. It’s always something, but there does seem to be a more serious tone in the air, and has been ever since March of this year. September and October will continue to offer clues about where this is all heading, and by November it’s pretty much going to be too late. Sorry to veer off, but I think about all this, especially having 14 goats, three cats, two dogs, and a horse to worry about. Can’t just up and leave without a little forethought.

And, people do seem aware that many of these fires that occur with increasing frequency, are being set on purpose. I was surprised to find that out. Another good reason to get into ham radios, as being able to listen to the updates about local fires is better than climbing up on top of the RV to see where the smoke is coming from.

As far as gardening and food production goes, our new area where I have mostly black oil sunflowers, zucchini, and tomatoes, I’m quite impressed with how well it’s done so far, considering I planted everything directly into partially composted goat poop/hay. I did fall down on the job with fencing the inside area, to hold everything together, so the sunflowers kind of fell over, and the zucchini turned into a jungle. The weeds got a bit out of control too, but oh well. Maybe next year. Next year. Wow, I do wonder what that’s going to look like. Anyway, I’ve also been getting a half gallon of milk a day, just milking once a day, out of my two first fresheners. I could get more, if I worked at it, but it’s about all I can handle, even with making cheese and giving some away. But, if things go really bad, cheese and other dairy products may all of the sudden become very valuable.

Just yesterday I made this dish, trying to use up what I have. I made Queso Blanco from a gallon of fresh goats milks (just takes a 1/2 cup of white vinegar added after bringing milk to a boil), and then sautéed up a sliced zucchini. Then I added a cup of broth, a cup of fresh sliced tomatoes, a couple big dollops of plain yogurt, and some seasonings (basil, garlic, salt, and cayenne). While I was cooking this up, I also cooked up a couple cups of egg noodles and stirred them into this mixture, and wallah. It turned out pretty good, and passed the Carl test.

There is probably a lot more I could write about here, but I am starting to feel a bit more guarded about what I post. I’ve poured my heart out, and basically my whole life here, over the last four years of writing on this thread. It’s been therapeutic, in a way. But, how much longer will I continue? I really don’t know. May get too busy just trying to stay alive. As I’ve said, I hope not. But, I’m kind of a realist, and I can clearly see the storm coming. It might blow over, go around us, whatever. But still, I feel the need to do what I can and from there, just have some faith in that which remains mostly unseen, but have seen operating to my benefit my entire life. There are forces for good, even if they just reside in the hearts and minds of ordinary every day people.

And, in closing, I crack that bottle of wine, fill a few glasses, and make a toast to those out there, who don’t even know me, but will be willing to stand up to tyranny. I think there’s more out there than we even know, and our time to shine is coming to a neighborhood near you, soon enough. Also, my heart goes out to those who already have lived through such things, and still are, in many parts of the world. Australia is taking some hard hits here lately. Time to shake off my feeling of disbelief that still tries to grip me now and then, and get busy doing what I can do. Until next time....


Stupid little things I forgot to add.

Animal signs:
A frog is somewhere in our RV. I’ve pinpointed the general location, but haven’t torn everything apart to find it. It randomly starts croaking though, as if to remind me its there. Also, as I walked out our front door this morning, I saw a turkey feather right in front of the steps. Since we have a fence all the way around our RV, and two big dogs, I found this a little surprising. No other sign to indicate how it got there. Turkey has always meant thanksgiving, gratitude, abundance, and community. And frog is all about cleansing due to it’s association with water.

Also, forgot to mention I’ve been making ice cream. Kind of not a good thing. My neighbor picked up a small electric ice cream maker at a thrift store, and so we both picked a bunch of raspberries, both red and fall gold, and I’ve made 3 batches now. I use about 2 cups of fresh goats milk, 1 cup of whipping cream, a half cup of organic sugar, and a full cup of raspberries. So damn yummy, that it’s expanded my tummy! LOL

And, for the first time in quite a while I got a foot in the bucket when milking. I am on a fly vendetta now. They gotta go. I use two buckets, just to minimize loss. That way, if I do get a foot in the bucket, it’s not a total loss. But this time, I just wasn’t quick enough. One last funny, is that the horse has learned a new trick. She likes to get sprayed down by the hose in summer, then goes and rolls in the dirt. But starting a month or so ago, she comes down when I am filling her water trough, and purposefully sprays me with water by sticking her nose in it. When I move back to get out of the way, she does it even more, and I swear, she is aiming at me. She even gets a little gleam in her eyes. I know she knows what’s she’s doing. Sometimes, it’s just the little things, I forget to mention, that make it all worthwhile. Oh yeah, and I forgot to mention the 4 chickens, when I was doing my animal inventory up above. Hate to leave them out.

The picture below is from quite a while ago, of the new area we planted this year before the sunflowers grew tall and flowered, and before the zucchini went completely wild. Unfortunately, the bush type acorn I grew has not done well this year. Had vine type last year. Think I’ll stick with that from here on out. Over and out for now.

[Spiritwind]

Good morning world! Another day is here, and I’m trying to “get in the mood” for the things I have on my plate today. I’ve already got the acorn squash in the oven, and water on the stove heating up for the pasta salad I’m going to make. Gotta get an early start, since it’s going to be a warm day. We do have an air conditioner in our little RV, but on a super hot day it doesn’t really do that great of a job since the metal outside absorbs the heat, and continues to radiate it even after the day has started to cool off.

It’s not as hot as it was a couple few weeks ago, though, and I am grateful for that. The pasta salad is, of course, going to have zucchini and cherry tomatoes in it, since I have an abundance of both. I’m going to a small potluck later today, so I can get to know some of my neighbors better. They really don’t just live down the street, but out here, anyone who isn’t in the city, and is less than an hour away, and, of course, is on the same page as far as outlook and perspective on what is coming, is my neighbor, and soon to be my friend.

Lots going on, both in my personal life, as well as the outer collective reality show. It does remind me of TV a bit, in that everyone can be watching the same program, but not everyone sees the same thing, or interprets it’s meaning quite the same way. I admit, I am a bit shocked sometimes though, at how hostile some people are becoming, at just me opening my mouth (or typing my words) and expressing myself in a way that contradicts their way of seeing things. It’s like somehow they think we (those of us who differ) are the reason things are the way they are, while all the while denying that things are the way they are. Kind of bizarre and crazy making to me. I’ve actually moved away from a couple of good long standing friendships in the last few years, primarily due to this difference, and some things that I used to participate in I have quit, due to the new restrictions and requirements being imposed on us in the name of public safety.

It’s like cell division, only the one that is being divided into two has developed a positive and negative charge that must separate into two polar opposites it seems. Yet, I don’t feel hostile. Maybe a little frustrated at times, but not angry enough to blame everyone not like me for things being they way they are. For I know there is a third hidden player in all this driving the narrative. I guess if you don’t see the man, or being, behind the curtain you just wouldn’t know. Unfortunately I’ve been getting glimpses of this my whole life. It’s just taken on heightened proportions.

And I do marvel at that something else that is actually the foundation of all life, and doesn’t take sides, but merely subtly suggests I step this way or that, as I chart my life course. It, of course, is not mean spirited or hostile, and doesn’t shame me into submission using fear and other coercive tactics. My gratitude for having built this relationship throughout my life is immense, as not a day goes by when I am not aware of it now. I feel it in my steps, as I walk around the farm, and take in the beauty and life force energy that surrounds me out here, and expresses itself in a myriad of ways. From the tall trees that I have come to know, as if old friends, to the insects that fly around, and even the weeds and brush that grow so tenaciously in harsh conditions (and even better where watered and the soil’s been improved!). I’ve pulled up so much Knapp weed and mullein, and still can’t even hardly put a dent in it.

And my poor garden! It’s growing, but not like I envisioned. It’s turned into a wild out of control jungle. And the horse has made sure I won’t be getting much corn this year, due to her very long reach and tongue action I’ve seen. I did add some fencing, but apparently not enough. So, next year, I plan to be far more on top of it. I really can’t complain, because I’ve got a good start on it this year, with expanding and fencing and so on. Next year will be improving the soil and better planning on what and where to plant. I will be putting the sun flowers in their own special area where I can tie them up, for they got big and just fell over into whatever was growing around them. Not quite what I had in mind.

The bees love the sunflowers, though, and I can feed black oil sunflower seeds to both the chickens and the goats, so it’s worthwhile to grow, besides being beautiful. And finally, now that it’s almost the end of summer, the acorn squash is starting to produce. Don’t know that they will get big enough, unless we have a warmer fall season. I won’t be growing the bush type next year. And it’s true, I learn something new every year. I have managed to adapt to more work overall, and I see that as a good thing. Even though the chickens haven’t required that much, it was still an addition to my daily routine. They yuck up their water so I’ve trained myself to remember to check it at least three times a day. And the watering takes twice as long, since I doubled our garden areas. Still, it’s all good, and shows me on a daily basis how I’m really doing. When my energy and health are up, it’s a snap and enjoyable. When I’m not sleeping well, and/or had a few days where I ate like crap, I pay the price. But I still have to get out there, every day. And, again, am immensely grateful for even having the opportunity to fulfill a life’s dream. For I have, my whole life, wanted to be on a small piece of property, growing my own food, and just living close to nature. I wanted a horse, and even when young imagined having two big white dogs, which I do have. And I’ve always wanted goats too!

Something about raising animals, and caring for them, is like a (or can be) spiritual practice, and helps me to learn how to be that person I’ve always wanted to be. It’s taught me to handle a routine, and learn patience. It’s also taught me to observe small changes around me, and examine relationships between things I might otherwise have missed. I’ve learned to enjoy my own company a lot more, as well as having the time to explore my inner workings, and overall get to know myself better. In short, nature has been my medicine, and a big part of my healing journey. And, unfortunately, for most, this opportunity is not available. It didn’t just happen, of course. I had to go through, along with my husband, tremendous challenge to get here, but it’s been worth it.

I know so many people, and I used to be among them, stuck in jobs that are like prisons of measured time, and they are miserable, but don’t know how to change their life to become more satisfied, more fulfilled, and happy. They literally almost have to numb out, shut themselves down, and not even entertain what they would like their life to look like, let alone take the risks necessary to get there. It makes me sad, as the whole world has become structured this way. The filthy rich elite class literally stand upon the backs of the masses. They have enough wealth and resources hoarded and locked away to make it all go away. The rest of us fight amongst ourselves for the few scraps they throw us once in a while. And now, they want to tighten the screws even more. I’m afraid if they keep applying pressure, the screws are going to get stripped out!

Who knows, maybe that’s what needs to happen. I’m afraid, though, that they will just rebuild, and do it all over again. A quick look at history suggests they’ve been at this game for a long long time.

Anyway, I’ve strayed off again, as I often do. My husband has almost finished getting the solar system revamped. It was quite a wiring feat to hook up 12 batteries in the best configuration. He’s done it in 3 banks of 4, so he can isolate them easier if one of the batteries goes bad. Twice now, the system has went down in efficiency, and both times was due to a bad battery. We now have all new batteries, so hopefully that will help too, instead of using a couple that were already a few years old in with the rest.

And yesterday we finally got the second hay storage area back together. It had blown over twice last year due to high winds, with me leaving it knocked over the second time. With several feet of snow I just figured I wasn’t going to do it again! And now we’ve sufficiently tied it down I think, both to the pallets, and with big heavy concrete blocks. And my husband also got our pickup going again, with more parts to fix the front end coming any day now, so I should be able to get hay in. I also have some friends with a trailer, so I can maybe get two ton at a time. Especially this winter I want to make sure I have enough.

Another milestone in accomplishments is I finally got new glasses. I think it’s been like 6 or 7 years since I saw an optometrist, and my glasses were so scratched up from working on the farm it was like looking through a haze. I got a slightly better lens that should be more resistant, and even ordered a second pair for backup. Such simple, yet big, things. I can see clearly now! And hear too! Amazing!

Well, I frittered away the time quite well this morning. I need to get going on my day. My stomach is rumbling too. Eggs are on the menu. They are almost every day now, and I still give some away every week. Grateful to have them too. I’ve also managed to incorporate into my routine making mozzarella cheese once or twice a week. It’s super easy now that I’ve gotten the hang of it. The cheddar recipes all look fairly daunting, but I’m working up the courage to try it soon. And I still haven’t tried the milking machine. I need to get the stanchion area a little revamped before I use it, and since I’ll be winding down in a couple months, probably won’t use it until next year. But, I plan to milk even more goats then, and make even more cheese, so at least I’ll be ready, and already have the materials to make the changes I want. Onward and upward. Things are never in a straight line, but I’ve gotten used to taking regular detours, and even enjoying the scenery along the way.

So, with much gratitude and appreciation I will end my update for today. Hope all who read here are likewise where they want to be with life. In spite of all I might wish to see change, the one thing that has been within my grasp has allowed me to create something beautiful. If I can do it, so can you.