Tick City

Ticks.
Even the name says "ick".

I am not an advocate of DEET.
Maybe, on occasion, used sparingly and shower after.
But not every time we walk out the door.

Other advice I have seen on the internet:

Stay out of the grass and trees.
Who owns this place me or them?

Wear light colored clothing.
Ticks don't care what color you are wearing.

Wear long pants and hiking boots.
We're talking ticks not snakes.

Outfit yourself with tick repellent clothing (permethrin)
Can you say Restricted Use Pesticide?

We aren't tourists in the Rocky Mountains.
We are just trying to survive outside our own home.

Do they make Frontline for humans?
Can we get that in all natural, organic form?

I recently bought some guinea keets.

I tried to photograph them for you,
but my first subject threw himself off the table and
onto the floor before I could even pick up the camera.
(note to self - guineas are not chickens)

The guineas, I have read, will help keep the tick population down.
But I didn't get 600 keets - just six.

Has anyone got any sensible advice that doesn't involve
chemicals that are as dangerous as the tick diseases themselves?

signed,   

Seriously bugged in Nebraska

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Tantalizing Sun Tea

You think I could just make myself a little sun tea

without it being the most interesting thing on the farm.

(ears forward meaning - this is the most interesting thing on the farm)

They really needed to put their heads together to figure this one out.

 First they chewed on the strings.

Then they pushed it over.

Yes - he really did that.

Then, he got mad at me for getting mad at him

and tried to challenge me to a head butting duel.

Alas, my sun tea (minus a little spillage) had to finish brewing
out of goat's reach.

Let's not forget to remember, today.

.Linking up with Angela at West Virginia Treasures for Tuesday Show and Tail.  Check it out!

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Award!!

I am so tickled to have received this Versitile Blogger award from

Liesl at A Little African Magic

Now I am supposed to tell you seven things about me you didn't know.

1.  My name is pronounced like Michelle.  

2. I have feetaphobia.  Can't stand bare feet. Not just mine.

3. I have had one dream my whole life and I am living it.

4. I could survive in solitary confinement longer than the average Jane.

5. I love yoga.

6. I have a troll doll collection.

7.  My little wild baby bunny died  : (

I would like to thank Leisl for letting me get this off my chest,   lol

I also would like to send this on to these 5 blogger friends.

Cindy at Rick-rack and Gingham

Jennifer at Our Little Farm

Tonya at Pumpkin Pie Painter

Sonya at Under the Desert Sky

Sandie at Chatty Crone

I know this award has been making the rounds.  If you have already
received the award, feel free to pass it on, or just enjoy it for the second time.

I would love to learn more about you and ALL my blogger friends.

More May Days

Gauging rain.

What's your name?

Hoof trimming.

Sun tea brimming.

Chicken nuggets.

Lilac buckets.

Storms begin.

Storms end.

Glass unearthed.

Finger perched.

Falling asleep.

Webbed feet.

Packing for two.

Good bye - I will miss you.

To Each His Own

Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them.  ~A.A. Milne

Do you like Dandelions? 

I do. 

But to each 

his own.

Linking up to deborah jean's Dandilion House for Farmgirl Friday.

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The Day Has Arrived

What do all these words have in common?


Fund raisers

Shopping trips

Packing lists

Diets and tanning lotions

New clothes

Magazines and snacks

Cash

Batteries

Cameras

Bulging suitcases

Airborne and hand sanitizer

Hugs from mom

My girls have left for their band trip to Estes Park.

It will be an awesome trip no matter the weather, or the teenage drama.

I just know it!!

They have every minute of the day planned out.

Horseback riding, night hikes, crafts, zip line, swimming, theater, malls, tours, shopping, performing, Six Flags (and those are just what I can remember).  They traveled on tour buses.  Rylee was excited because the buses were even equipped with iPod chargers.  (wow!)

She sent me a text this morning to say one of the band teachers got on the bus in his pajamas.
That is the sense of humor needed for this trip they have all been working towards since last October.

I am so happy for them.


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Starter Chick

 Sara was home for a few hours over the weekend.

 When she left she took 4 dozen fresh eggs for herself and her roommates.

 She tried to sneak off with this little one in her purse,

hoping to grow her own eggs someday.

.

What's Up?

 Peas

 Lettuces

To name a few.

What's up with you?

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Caprine Pedicure

Our goats are big babies.

Whatever you do to them,

they consider it attention.

Even hoof trimming.

Coco pushes in for her share of attention while Ringo

tries to fall asleep during his hoof trimming.

Finally it's Coco's turn and she seems to thoroughly enjoy it.

Very complacent

and helpful.

 Good girl.

Rodeo, on the other hand, had better things to do.

He needed a headlock.

Sage and I had a little talk about her

incessant need to be chewing on something

before we started.

 She couldn't help herself.

I hope your weekend is proceeding smoothly.

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Seriously?

We have 9 hens who lay single yolked eggs,

(see egg on far right)

one hen who consistently lays double yolked eggs,

(egg not shown)

and a duck who lays eggs.

(see egg second from the right)

On Monday, I changed brands of lay feed.

On Wednesday we were like 

"seriously?"

(see eggs on left)

Linking up with Farmgirl and Farm Friend Friday.  Hop on over and check out all the fun posts.
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Look Who's Eating

There’s A Name For It…

CDC
Chick Compulsive Disorder;
Compulsive behavior triggered by peeping sounds heard upon entering a feedstore.
A ritual of newspapers, heat lamps, starter feed and chick dust
that one feels driven to act out again and again.
Usually, compulsions are performed in an attempt to make gosling obsessions go away.

Who can resist a Frizzle chick?

The name for this is:

 Baby Bunny I Rescued From My Dog's Mouth And Am Trying To Keep Alive.

Tess was tossing this bunny around like a cat would do with a mouse. 

When I finally shut the mower off to go see what she had,

she didn't want to give it up.

It has lived for two days now

and I am trying to feed it goat's milk

through an eyedropper.

These things usually don't end well. 

But it has to be better than what Tess was doing.

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Wheatgrass Juice

A few weeks ago I posted on How to Plant and Grow Wheatgrass
and I promised a follow-up post on making wheatgrass juice. 

Thank you for your patience with me on getting the

photos together for this post.

                                       First - gather your supplies:

Juicer,

wheatgrass previously grown

and cut and bagged. 

 Or you can cut just what you need

and leave the rest to grow for a day or two.

Cut the grass when it is 6-8 inches tall (a little taller won't hurt).

Wheatgrass can be stored in the refrigerator for one week.

Assemble the juicer and place containers 

to catch juice.  With my juicer, a little juice comes out 

the end also.

Turn the handle, which manually feeds the grass

and "presses" the juice from the grass.  This doesn't take

a lot of time or muscle, but it is manual.

What goes through my mind as I look at the grass juice

is "liquid powerhouse".  That is just how good it is for you.

We usually have about one ounce each in our 

shot glasses.  Mine has less, but I did get a 

good glop of foam this time. 

The girls have to be dramatic about it 

every time.  Rikki said she was "afraid".

Bottoms-up.

What's with that face?

The chickens get the remains of the grass.

And the remains after we did the cutting.

Meanwhile, another tray has begun and will

be ready in a few more days.

  

A few of you commented with questions on just eating the grass vs. juicing the grass. Although you certainly could eat the grass, we as humans are not able to digest the grass and get the nutritional benefits of it. That's why we need to juice it.

There was also a comment or two on the price of the juicers. As I mentioned, I purchased mine new for around $100 years ago, but the same type of juicer is always for sale on ebay for around $25. The price of the grass seeds is very minimal.

There are many benefits of wheatgrass juice but the list below pretty well sums up why I, personally, grow and juice wheatgrass.

Red blood cells. The chlorophyll in wheatgrass is molecularly similar to hemoglobin, a key component of red blood cells. For this reason, wheatgrass juice can help rebuild red blood cells, while also cleansing the blood of toxins. Studies show that a daily wheatgrass supplement helps patients reduce high blood pressure by dilating the body’s blood vessels.

Alkalizing properties. Over time, the body can build up toxicity, what with our current fixation with fast, convenient, cheap food that has less and less nutritional value. Besides increased toxins, the modern diet contributes to increasing levels of acidity in the body. Wheatgrass helps to restore our natural pH balance by acting as an alkalizing agent.

Immune booster. Because wheatgrass is so mineral-rich, it is a powerful illness fighter. It is a great source of beta-carotene, B vitamins, and essential amino acids. These help break down fats and promote dozens of essential biological functions. Wheatgrass can also be used topically to help heal cuts, scrapes, and bruises.

http://www.organicliaison.com/blog/2010/01/01/benefits-of-wheatgrass/

Remember to juice responsibly.