The Warm Place

Somebody found a warm place.

 Yep - it is The Willow.

 Hey, can I come in too?

No.  Go away.

My warm place.

All mine.

(sigh)

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A Twist on Toby Keith

We got goats, we got chickens

Guinea hens and roosters

And we got weasels, we got mice

We got radios playin' real nice

And the girls who come

dress up like Eskimos

Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm I love this barn.

I love this barn It's my kind of place

Just walkin' through the front door

Puts a big smile on my face

It ain't too far Come as you are

Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm I love this barn

I like my garden I like my dog
I like to take her out a huntin'

for a squirrel now and then
But I love this barn It's my kind of place
Just climbing to the loft

puts a big smile on my face
No cover charge   Come as you are
Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm I love this barn
Hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm I just love this old barn

linking to Barn Charm - go check out all the neat barns over there!

Taking Back The Farm

Things at the farm were a little out of control.

There was a mouse city in the barn.

There was a "something" city in the chicken coop

that is now occupied by guineas.

Whatever is tunneling under the coop is bigger than

a mouse or rat, doesn't eat guineas and doesn't eat d-CON.

It is not interested in the tuna I put in a live trap either.

It appears only to like to dig holes and eat corn.

For the mice, I put d-CON directly into their holes

so the goats wouldn't be accidently poisoned.

For whatever is digging under the chicken house,

I used Critter Ridder.

This is "peppery" and supposed to be bad to the taste and touch.

I put it in their holes and all around the edges of the coop.

I have mixed feelings about whether I wanted to kill them or not,

since I don't know what it is.  

So I thought I would discourage them

and see what happens next.

On the side of the barn where the chickens are
and where I was having weasel problems,
I simply put a radio in there
and have not lost a single chicken since.

Then there was the issue with the kitchen.

Can you believe these

feathered out chicks

were still living in a box

in the house?

Shyne actually attempted a crow today.

I'd think by now 

they'd have flown out,

learned to turn on the TV

and open their own beer.

"There's beer?"

Seriously, I have nowhere to go with them right now.
With all the varmints and predators lurking at the farm
this winter, I don't dare move them anywhere outside.

So, this is what the kitchen turned into in a few short months.

Oh yes, this sort of thing actually can happen
at a farmhouse you don't live in, but do chores out of.
And yes, I am embarrassed to say so.

But
Sparkle and Shyne have now been moved to the basement.

All water buckets are now heated so I don't
have the urge to store buckets of water in the house
in case of a hard freeze.

And we have taken our kitchen back.

Okay, so not all the cupboards and drawers,

cuz, hey, a gal's got to have her tools, right?

But it feels good to try to gain some control.
We want to start staying out there on weekends again,
if the girls ever have a free one that is,
and now it is a little more welcoming.

I am ready to start planning my next project there,
but it has to be cheap - like painting or decorating.

Store Space

We set up our display of products

in a store on Main Street today.

The store has a country market theme to it

and I think we fit in, don't you?

Our Valentines Day display.

I love shopping here.

We buy all our meats and breads from this store.

This is what an internet page had to say about the store.

We have a "Country Market" atmosphere and feature handmade or home raised/grown products from Nebraska such as: Kuper Farms drug-free pork and hormone-free beef, insecticide-free produce during the summer months Ma's Country Bakery of Verdigre - Amish baked goods such as pies, cakes, breads, candies, jellies, potato salad and more Bud's Original Honey Butter Jisa Farmstead Cheeses HR Poppin Snacks Especially Homemade Salsa Purple Cane Road Root Beer Country Taste of Homemade Mixes ...new vendors added frequently We offer Gift Baskets, Gift Certificates, and Special Orders are Welcome!

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I just have to go back to this photo again.

See the table of tomatoes behind our display?

Those are hydroponically grown tomatoes 

from O'Neill, NE that are naturally ripened

without the use of chemicals.

Get this - 25 cents each.

Can you believe it?  In January?

So, if you're ever in the area...

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Growing Season Is Not Over

Mung bean seeds for sprouting.

Soak seeds overnight,

rinse and invert screened-lid jar to drain.

Rinse twice a day until sprouted.

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Enjoy.

The most common way sprouts are used are in salads,

sandwiches and stir fry or Asian dishes.

Around here, we put them on or beside everything we eat.
The girls actually look for them in the refrigerator.

My very favorite is cold sprouts and cottage cheese

 on top of a hot baked sweet potato.

Broccoli sprouts are great too.

The have just the right amount of "peppery" taste to them.

High in vitamin C and fiber,

so easy to grow year-round

and super fresh.

Do you sprout seeds?

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Thursday Thoughts

The Peace of Wild Things When despair grows in me and I wake in the middle of the night at the least sound in fear of what my life and my children's lives may be, I go and lie down where the wood drake rests in his beauty on the water, and the great heron feeds. I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief. I come into the presence of still water. And I feel above me the day-blind stars waiting for their light. For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free. Wendell Berry .

Animal Garden Plans

Keeping animals in the winter is always challenging.  I know how hard it is on them to go from grazing on new spring pasture grass and garden scraps to dry hay, processed feed and cracked corn.  My hens would rather starve than eat a certain feed store brand of layer pellets.  That has got to tell me something. 

Every winter it is the same thing.  It’s cold and boring for them.  I always try to think of treats I can bring once the corn stalks have been eaten and the sunflowers picked through.  Store bought cabbage, day old bread, a few scraps from the house.  It’s never enough and never practical.

This year will be different.  This year I am planting an animal garden, along with my own.  And even my own garden will be planted smarter. 

I have a friend who plants an animal garden.  I haven’t ever seen her garden, but I asked her if she could tell me what she grew for what animals.  With her permission, I am sharing what she shared with me.

o    We plant extra carrots and parsnips (lots!), pumpkins and mangles - also called fodder beets. The sheep and cows fight over the carrots and parsnips and the cows over the mangles. They all like the mangle tops. Pumpkins go to pigs and chickens and the chickens also like the mangles. We've got carrots and mangles stored in buried 30-40 gal. metal garbage cans covered with straw which is working so far. It's a bit tedious to chop them all up but way worth it. I've been looking for a livestock root grinder but haven't found one yet. I'm sure your goats would eat whatever the sheep do. I think most ruminants would also eat turnips, etc. but their milk might taste a bit off :) Hope that helps!

I am excited at the prospect of having my own animal garden.  

Lord knows I have room for it.

What could be better than

healthy treats they can look forward to

and a cut in the winter feed bill.

Did you know that pumpkin is a natural wormer

for goats and pigs?

I looked up what fodder beets were and here is what I found; 

  

    Fodder beets are the highest yielding forage crop any one can grow. The energy rich fodder beets are complementing the use of grass or protein rich legumes in the diet of the cattle. In many countries fodder beets serve as the reliable winter storage of feed. In other countries fodder beets play an important role in supplying forage in dry periods late in the summer.

How about you?  Do you plant anything for animal feed? Any more ideas for me?

Snowfall and Flowering Teas

We got what I call our first real snowfall this winter.

Enough that I worried about getting in and out of

the driveway with my Focus.

That is real snowfall to me;

If it worries me.

It was pretty and quiet and clean.
I love to see everything with a coat of white.

The guineas don't like it though.
They do everything they can to avoid stepping in it.

After chores, it was tea time.
Have you ever tried flowering teas?
My daughter introduced me to this tea a few years ago.
I would like to introduce it to you.

My flavor choice today was "Let It Snow".

Just click on Watch on You Tube to view this short video,
 if it doesn't play automatically.


Blooming teas are a special treat, but the benefits of tea are found in all forms of tea.

Medicinal benefits of tea have been confirmed in numerous studies and researches, and whether it be black, green, oolong, white or herbal tea, it has numeros health benefits. Tea health information reveals therapeutic properties for almost every type of health condition from arthritis, heart disease, cancer and liver disease to asthma, tooth decay, stress and weight control. The tea from Camellia sinensis plant (black, green, white, oolong tea all come from Camellia sinensis) provides beneficial effects and health benefits:

• Antibacterial effect.
• Anti-inflammatory effect.
• Contains fluoride and protects teeth.
• Reduces risk of heart disease.
• Controls blood pressure.
• Elevates good cholesterol (HDL).
• High levels of anti-oxidants fights free radicals.
• Increases bone density (green and especially white tea).
• Inhibits abnormal blood clot formation.
• Lowers bad cholesterol (LDL & triglycerides).
• Lowers rates of colon, esophageal and pancreatic cancer.
• Lowers the risk of heart-attack.
• Makes your skin healthy and young.

Health Benefits of Tea

Drink responsibly : )

Who'd Have Thought...

When I told myself I wanted to spend more time

doing things with my daughters.

I didn't realize it would lead to

watching Roller Derby on a Saturday night.

It was um...interesting?

Call CNN

There's been a ghost sighting at our local high school basketball game.

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The Ditty on Dirt

Alright everybody, as soon as spring arrives, 

get out there in the dirt. 

You will feel better and for good reason. 

Every gardener already knows this, but now we know WHY. 

Not only is it good honest work in the great outdoors and vitamin D-filled sunshine, 

but so much more. 

Did you know that soil contains a bacteria, that when breathed in innocuously, 

increases serotonin levels and has antidepressant benefits? 

And since serotonin also plays a role in learning, 

digging in the dirt actually makes you smarter.

And that’s not all. 

We have all heard of free radicals right? 

Those pesky little positively charged oxyen atoms that are missing an electron 

and and blunder about stealing electrons where ever they go, 

damaging cells and creating  many diseases. 

Well, guess what? 

The earth itself is full of an endless supply of electrons. 

Clint Ober writes, “By making direct contact with the surface of the planet—the skin of our bodies touching the skin of the earth—our conductive bodies naturally equalize with the earth. Figuratively speaking, we refill the electron level in our tank that has become low. Just like standard electronic equipment that needs a stable ground to function well, so, too, the body needs stable grounding to also function well.”

We have become disconnected with the earth 

and we need to make that connection again any chance we get.

So, kick those shoes off, opt for lightweight cotton clothing and gloves and 

don't be afraid to get dirty.

http://www.mnn.com/health/fitness-well-being/stories/breathing-soil-bacteria-makes-you-smarter


http://www.utne.com/Mind-Body/Earthing-Grounding-Sleep-Research-Electromagnetic-Fields.aspx

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Rylee's Valentine Ideas

Hi this is Rylee.

I am posting on my moms blog today. 

I wanted to share some Valentine's Day projects.

They are all really easy to make and look fun.

  I got my craft ideas from Pinterest. 

I think I will make these for my friends for Valentines Day.

 All you have to do is break crayons, 

separate them out into matching colors (or leave them rainbow), 

put them in you heart shaped muffin pan 

and put them in the oven for 15 minutes at 230 degrees.

 I got my heart pan at Target for $2.50.

 Im going to make tags that have cute sayings on them like 

"Valentine, You Color My World". 

Im hoping mine will turn out more like these.

This idea is pretty simple too. 

It sounds so good right now because it's so cold outside.

 You just freeze cool whip on a tray, 

cut it out with a heart cookie cutter 

and put it in  hot cocoa.

How about 

Rice Crispy Heart Pops?

Or

put a marble to the top of your muffin cup 

to make heart muffins.

 Valentine: I Dig You!

 I love these little robots. 

Tick-Tacks for a body, 

Star-Bursts for feet and head

 and M&Ms for arms and hat.

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You could fold a paper clip into a heart shape 

for your love notes.

Or you can use heart shape cookie cutter

 to replace the green apple heart with the red 

and the red with the green.

Will you o'fish'ally be my Valentine?

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