AA for dogs?

I've mentioned previously that we often find things which do not belong tossed in the easement beside the highway.  Frequently these include beverage cups and tin cans along with an occasional bottle.

The bottles have become a problem.  Today I caught Thor carrying a Budweiser bottle around the yard.  It was empty.  I'm not sure if that was the case when he first picked it up.  He was more than a little reluctant to part with it.  I sure hope my dog doesn't become an alcoholic.  Since he refuses to get into any vehicle it will be so hard to get him to those AA meetings.

"Hello, my name is Thor and I'm an alcoholic."  On the other hand, maybe I can teach him to say, "Hello, my name is Thor and I'll be your designated drinker tonight."

Nah, I don't see that happening.

I just hope they don't start tossing out hard liquor bottles!

Cane bales

The cane bales for the winter season were delivered and it was hard to determine who was happier about their arrival-the chickens or the goats.

Two bales weighing a total of 2300 pounds were brought here by our certified organic farmer Bob on a flat bed trailer.  The smaller one probably only weighed about 900 pounds and the two of us (Bob is slightly older than I am, making him the age of rocks instead of dirt) managed to roll it off the trailer rather easily.  He repositioned the trailer and it was time to attack the big bale.  It is characteristic for the bales to have a "flat spot" which develops from them sitting in the field after baling.  This comes in handy for transport as it keeps them stable on a trailer.  It is not handy when it comes time to move them off the trailer without the aid of machinery other than the human body.  We huffed and grunted and shoved and pushed putting all of our backs, legs and shoulders into the task.  We finally got it off the flat spot and it was pretty easy rolling after that.  I'm sure it was a sight to see for anyone passing by on the highway.  Encouragingly enough, neither of us noticed any aching or sore muscles the following day.

The goats have already spread a nice thick layer of cane in the barn to sleep on when it isn't their turn on top of the bale.  They have a comfortable place to escape the cold winds coming this winter.  I feel better about that.

peppers are done

It got down to 27 degrees in the greenhouse the last couple of nights (low was 11 degrees outside) and the pepper finally gave up for the season and became goat and chicken food.  The tomatillos weren't looking all the good anymore either and weren't growing, merely surviving so the ripe ones were added to the stash with which I am going to make tomatillo/lime jelly and the plants and remaining fruits went to the goats.  They thought those were some pretty good things this time of year since pickins are slim in the pasture.

There are still things growing in the greenhouse.  The radishes have nice tops on them and the lettuce and other greens are all very happy.  The peppers which were next to the heat sinks (black buckets filled with water) and under the remay (woven lightweight fabric) are still doing okay as are the roses and most of the herbs except the basil.  Black, frozen basil isn't a pretty sight.

It is supposed to be in the 50s here tomorrow so I plan on putting more greens in the dirt for me as well as planting some wheat and/or triticale for the chickens to have this winter to keep their egg yolks that golden color all my customers rave about.

Hot Pepper Brittle Season

It is that time of year again when we offer Hot Pepper Brittle on the coop.  I'm always surprised at how many orders we get for it on the coop.  This year my jalapeno crop was a dismal failure but the cayenne peppers were over achievers.  As the flavor is different as well as the scovall units (heat) in the peppers I'm hoping it still turns out well...not too hot but hot enough.
I love watching the expression on folks when they taste it for the first time.  It is deceiving as initially it tastes just like my regular, ordinary peanut brittle.  Then that subtle surprise hits your tongue and thoughts of "what's going on here?" register on the brain.  That surprise usually only causes the hand to reach for another chunk to try.

Chicken feet

It was chicken processing day at the Mahlburg farm.  Mark and John pardoned some pullets for me to give sanctuary.  I loaded two kennels in the back of my car.  My new car's hatch opening is about 2 inches higher than the Vibe was so the kennels actually fit into the back of the car.  I was happy about that.

I took their new kitten with me.  He was not a good traveler and cried most of the way there.  He has an excellent set of lungs and I may have an eardrum still suffering trauma.  His siblings have not missed him.

I came home with a much higher ratio than 2 to 1 on chicken vs chicken feet.  Most of the extras went into the freezer but a few of them have been processed into broth. The feet have to be blanched and peeled before that can be done.  Most are easy to peel, but if they haven't been in the hot water long enough or have been in the cold water too long it is a challenge.  They make nice, thick, flavorful broth which is destined to have noodles added to it for lunch today.  mmm mmm good!

I gave Thor one of the feet still raw.  He also thought that was doggone good.  Much better than those lousy pig ears.

kittens are so cute

Four little kittens arrived at Prairie House in September.  Annabelle is the only cat we have here with reproductive capabilities.  She is an indoor cat.  However, when the instinct is there, keeping a cat in the house is nearly impossible.  She could be out the door before I even had it fully opened.  Of course, the neighbors don't bother to have their male cats neutered so numerous opportunities for Annabelle to become heavy with child present themselves.

The little ones are about 2 months old now and are at that really cute but really obnoxious stage.  It is always fun to watch their personalities develop.  As I type this, two of them are on my lap sound asleep and one is on the back of the chair keeping my neck warm while also fast asleep.  They all climbed to these locations on their own power unassisted (although unhindered either) by me.

The 4th little guy has the appearance of a dwarf.  He is only about 1/3 the size of the others and has the large head and big tummy with short legs.  He is somewhat of a loner since his siblings have a tendency to beat up on him.  Thor dearly loves the little guy whose name is Brutus.  The only problem there is that Brutus looks like he fell into a tub of water after he has been around Thor.  He doesn't seem to mind however because he usually ends up being wrapped in a nice warm towel and held on my lap until he dries.

The little boy has been claimed by the Mahlburgs and will be going to live with them before much longer.  (If the name sounds familiar, those are the young men who gave us Ginger the goat years ago.)

I still have 3 available if anyone is interested.  One is a very pretty calico with a feisty personality who will probably end up having long hair.  The other female is very pretty black and grey with just a hint of gold on her.

Okay, maybe there are only two still available.  Brutus may have to remain here just to see how he turns out as he gets older. I'd hate to give away one of Thor's favorite toys.

Thor

Thor is no longer a puppy.  He is large enough now that I can easily pet him without even bending.  He would have made a perfect service dog.  He has an extremely gentle nature and is a smart dog.  As with all dogs he has a bit of a stubborn streak but not bad.

He doesn't like coyotes and has chased them away several times.  The coyotes are bold this year.  I checked on Thor's barking one day and a coyote was less than 30 feet from me on the other side of a fence.  He stared as if to say "I know you are unarmed and I'm not afraid of you."  When given permission to leave the property, Thor went after him and chased him toward the highway.  Thor knows he isn't supposed to go on the highway and returned to me, as did the coyote.  Thor went after him again, this time chasing him to the north across the creek bed and up into the other neighbor's pasture.  At that point in time additional dogs started barking, Thor returned to me and I heard the sound of a .22 going off, followed immediately by the sound of a much larger caliber gun.  I thought to myself, "I hope they killed that sucker."  Shortly I heard a 4 wheeler start and saw the neighbor heading out on it at a rapid pace, then heard another neighbor shout, "I saw it in the ditch."  Apparently at least one of the shots was on target.

The following day there was a coyote on the highway who had obviously lost a battle with a vehicle.  I can't say I was sorry to see it there.  I hoped, although I knew it was most likely in vain, that the end of the coyote problem was neigh.

Alas, the problem is not over.  And the remaining coyote(s) are equally bold.  I came face to face with one behind the barn.  He didn't stand and stare for long, however, as Thor was behind me and the race was on.  I don't think Thor would stand a chance in a fight because his mouth is so gentle but I'm hoping the sheer size of him makes the coyotes think twice about coming very close.  Thor is very upset when anything (hawk, owl, coyote or opossum) messes with his creatures.

As near as can be determined, Thor is a cross between a Great Dane and some kind of herding (shepherd) breed.  He does like to try to herd his goats and chickens.

The summer season is over

Summer is over so in theory I should have more time so I can devote some of it to updating the Chronicles.

A winter storm warning was in effect for this area starting yesterday afternoon with snow depths of up to a foot and blowing winds.  National weather service was way off this time.  It is rainy, dreary and cold but not a flake of snow.  So far this season we have not had any snow which as stayed around for more than a few hours.  I'm not complaining...I know what is still to come when winter does finally arrive.

Updates to the Chronicles should be  more frequent now that the garden and yard doesn't take up so much of my time.  Thanks for your patience and please check back often.