Remorse

A little belligerent negativity goes a long, or shall I say deep, way towards a desired outcome.  We've had about 15 inches of snow in the last several days, which has exceeded all expectation for a white Christmas (see previous post).  As such, I am taking a physical holiday off tomorrow, before my body gives out completely from shoveling snow.

Why?

This occasion has also reminded me how very off-track my attempt at omnipotence can become.  I am not admitting to being wrong (no, never).  However, 8 out of 10 times I am nearly never right.  This is why I don't gamble and feel lucky to have not had the opportunity to make bad decisions, when it REALLY mattered.  Thus, my reluctance to be decisive at all.  My husband is similarly afflicted, which makes life most dull and cumbersome when trying to move forward on projects, including home renovation.  In the end, I wield the major cutting utensils and take "full" responsibility while we do a dance over which part of the "new house" needs to be cut out.  But, that's another story.

Looking back, I am old enough to remember the television advertisements for computers in the '80s.  As I recall, it was a public service announcement with cartoon characters promising an easier way to file important documents, for dad, and store recipes, for mom.  Let's not lament nor belabor the implied sexism.  At an especially dumb early age, I recall thinking, "What a waste of time, why would anyone bother to use a computer when they could just write it all down on paper and put it in a file cabinet?".  Let's just say, it was a good thing I didn't have an investment portfolio.

So in retrospect, I really wish it hadn't snowed so damn much and maybe if I hadn't said (posted) anything it wouldn't hurt so bad.  But I am in no way superstitious!  Fingers crossed Mother Nature will go easy on me from here on out.       

No SNOW for you-know-what

So, we are celebrating the Winter Solstice!  Yeah!! Whoo-hoo (insert backflips here, b/c 20+ years ago, I could do them)!!  Days are getting longer from now on, which means 3:30 pm sunsets will be in our past for another year.  However, we are only a few days from Christmas and still have no snow.  Oh, and we live in VERMONT!!  Officially, I am not complaining because at $45 per snow plow, who really does lament the lack of white stuff.  But, think of my children and their innate desire to eat fresh snow, sled in our driveway and skate on frozen ponds!!

We nearly reached 50 degrees Fahrenheit today, as well, which means the big storm blanketing the northeast is rain.  It is predicted to become cooler over the weekend, resulting in snow, but the forecasters are off by 5-10 negative degrees, on average and by my estimation.  More complaining, I know.

On the bright side, I have post holes to dig this season and another freezing day will mean breaking/thawing ice out of my animal's water buckets.  I'm sure this will come back to bite me, but as a not-so-wise man once said, "bring it on!"  Screw you Old Man Winter, I have other plans...that have been delayed or otherwise postponed under better judgement and following the principles of nature, which apparently do not apply in this age of Global Warming.

2013 Nigerian Dwarf Kidding

 We are making preparations for our 5th kidding season!  With seven expecting Nigerian Dwarf does, 2013 will be our largest and most diverse group of kid goats, with outstanding genetics including progenitors from Old Mountain Farm, Rosasharn, PromidedLand, Sugar Moon, Dragonfly, and Twin Creeks!  We will have a fairly even mixture of first, second and third fresheners.  Based on previous seasons and reasonable expectations, I expect to have 16 bundles of joy bouncing around in the barn. 

Milking time has been temporarily suspended for our girls as their bellies grow and bodies miraculously adjust to the gift that is pregnancy.  They will receive an extra copper bolus, shot of selenium/vit-E, and an annual booster vaccination for CD&T, within the next several months.

March will usher in another three weeks of lost sleep over nighttime pregnancy checks, birthing participation, and hand-scrubbing goo out of all my good linens.  It will be a great month of hard labor and much love.  May will bring a work reprieve and sadness as we see our babies to new homes.  Summer-time is filled with milking and cheesemaking, fall breeding and finally a winter rest.  Which is where we are now.  It's a wonderful cycle that I am eager to repeat.
  
Join me and many others in raising these curious, intelligent companions, who support your homestead dairy.  Our kids are weaned from unpasteurized Nigerian milk (CAE-free herd) at 8 weeks and eating hay/grain supplemented by kelp and minerals.  They are also disbudded (no horns), vaccinated against CD&T (Rabies is optional), and castrated (for wethers).  Does and bucklings are tattooed for registration purposes.  I demonstrate hoof trimming and vaccinations (subcutaneous injections) to new goat owners and offer full support after kids go home.    

photo courtesy M. Mesler

If you are interested in reserving a kid(s) in 2013, please send me an email capsandcreamery@gmail.com.  We accept verbal reservations until all of our kids are born.  After which, a deposit is required to hold a kid until weaning age.  We offer a breeding service, at reduced rates and optional boarding for doe kid customers!  I will also demonstrate milking and cheesemaking to customers, when the time comes.

For now, though, I will enjoy my break along with the hard cheeses and frozen chevre that I've been fortunate to set aside for our winter meals.  Happy Solstice!!

New View

We are moving to a greener sun-filled small acreage with a view and better schools for our children.  I haven't bothered sharing pictures of the house because it's filled with mold, rotten foundation, windows and walls that need replacing.  It is also half our current living space.  Aside from that, we love it.  I've said it before and will repeat once more, I'd rather live in a shit-box with a view than be restricted by taxes, shade or soil.  We spend so much of our time out-of-doors that occupying and heating a large space becomes silly and ecologically ill-founded.  This property has excellent potential for gardening and solar power, meanwhile our savings will go to purchasing a boat for fishing Lake Champlain.  My winter down-time will be put to good use scrubbing mold, replacing wood, learning drywall basics, building a NEW goat house, and planning an orchard and garden.  I keep telling myself that I can do anything I put my mind to and this project home will be what we make of it for better or worse. 

Meanwhile, the view from a short bicycle ride to the local winery and town beach have me swimming in dreams of retirement.  If I can put homegrown food on the table each night, we could do this earlier than anticipated.

YOU can expect new posts addressing gardening in shade/sand compared to sun/clay, as well as keeping meat critters (rabbit vs chicken) and miniature dairy goats in small suburban locations.

Pigs Over the Moon

So, our first two pigs went to the cold-room this morning.  It is, in a single word, relief.  They were good pigs, easy to care for, and an asset to the frugal kitchen gardener.  But, as anyone who keeps them knows, they outgrow their cuteness, eat tremendous amounts and get VERY big.  One of them nibbled at me the other day as I entered their pen at feeding time.  We've had a week or more of rain, which is welcomed considering the summer drought.  Except that it has made the pig pen a giant puddle, even in our well-drained sand soil, that I'm lucky not to have become stuck in a time or two.  Quick sand and nibbling boar pigs make for a very wary farmer, especially since they each outweigh me by +100 lbs.

Despite the lost sleep and worry, this morning was easy thanks to my on-farm slaughter hired help.  While taking on the entire task of shooting and dressing two +200 lb hogs by himself, he made casual conversation about being a chef in the Oval Office during the Bush Jr. years.  He had wound his way around the world during his career and somehow found his place here in Vermont, working from home and spending time with his young family.  I didn't need to ask why.  He beamed with self-satisfaction and pride.  On the other hand, despite our gruesome chore, I was at ease and frankly enjoying my time out of the house and AWAY from my children.

Raising a few weaned piglets to slaughter weight was an easy and fun farm project that made good use of all our kitchen and garden waste.  It may not be for everyone, but we thankfully made it through without issue.  With a rifle, some confidence and a stiff drink, I think I would even tackle the slaughter and cutup.  It won't be next year, though.  I'm guessing it will take us two years to consume our hog from the freezer.  Now, it will be just two weeks of waiting before the grand taste test.  Thank you Butterscotch!  We will always remember you. 

Guest Blogger Postings

The newly established Vermont Farm and Garden Exchange has been a wonderful source of information and opportunities to barter farm items, but most of all it has introduced me to extremely generous folks with interests similar to my own.  Every locality should have such a dependable resource and connection to their community such as this, in my opinion.  Being graciously offered the opportunity to contribute to their blog forum, I have written two posts, which I will reference (and provide links) here instead of repeating the information.  The first was an introductory approach to making a soft cheese from fresh goat's milk entitled "Easy Home Cheesy" and the second, a cursory guide to processing acorns for human consumption named "Robbing Squirrels".  I hope you will enjoy them both.

I have many posts to contribute to my own blog.  At the moment, however, the time dedicated to actually tending a farm is keeping me off the computer, temporarily.

There's No Time Like the Present...Nah, there's just no time

If August hasn't kicked my butt, then September is definitely going to smack me around a bit.  Aside from harvesting every day, canning tomatoes and freezing veg like Armageddon is near, and on top of the usual milking/feeding chores, we were gifted with two more milking goats.  Thelma and Louise were sold as kids by our farm and cared for by a very sweet friend, who has more important duties now than to milk a couple of unruly first-freshening goats.  These girls have GREAT potential as second fresheners, with long easily-expressing teats, they could be better than our top producers, their half-sisters Cordial and Constance.  For now, though, they really just want to mule kick me in the face.  My milking helper actually brought her biking helmet out of storage to approach these girls for the morning chore.  Every first-freshener has a breaking period, but for it to be this late on a strong, heavy gal is wearing me out.

To make matters worse, my neighbor helper is taking a week off this month, just before my inlaws AND great-inlaws arrive for a visit.  We have three family birthdays to celebrate in September, meaning gifts and homemade cake, at a minimum.  The meat birds are going to ice camp, etc.  AND for some reason, we now have a newly hatched chick (singular...no friends) chirping in my ear at the moment for my 5 yr-old to scratch her (fingers crossed that it's not a damn rooster) head.  Oh...and my newly 2 yr-old daughter needs weaning and shots.  Insert curse words and beer here!!   Come on winter, I really can't wait to sit down!

Thelma

Louise