Flockmaster Daybook

Well today was Daylight Savings time. I hope you all remember to set you clocks back in the morning. I always have a hard time with the change and today was no different. I was very tired by 2:00 p.m. I did not get much done today. I must begin to transition my flock slowly to the post-daylight savings period.

Droper get to locker lamb weight at about 5 months. I plan to to breed for Holiday target marketing. 224 to 374 is the total day for breeding to sale date. I still do not have a ram but intend to find one as soon a possible. If I have it by this month and then can breed in December I should have lambs for next years Ramadan.

Barn Surprize

Barn Surprize
Originally uploaded by Lakenvelder

New one here at Bois D'Arc.

10.06.12-13-BarcampNairobi-018

10.06.12-13-BarcampNairobi-018
Originally uploaded by Jakub Górnicki

How about that! An address by IP address.

Food Crisis: What you can do now!

With recent rise in food prices and the worlds food crisis now is the time learn some skills that could be useful in the future. Although I am really not concerned at this time for a food food shortage in the basic foods we will likely have to go without the the varieties of food products due to the sheer costs and not being available. To be able to have a great diet with variety I suggest you take action in three ways.

1) Learn to garden. Start small now and in the future make your garden larger. Start buying seeds now. Many seeds will last for years in kept refrigerated or in a cold place. You will have the best growing experience with hybrid seeds but It is good to have some seeds that are open-pollinated seeds or heirloom seeds that so you will be able to save seeds in the future. One benefit with saving seeds is you can develop land race plants with will tolerate your climate better that other varieties. If you can start planting fruit trees do so. In some area it can be difficult to grow many of the tress but check state/local sources of what will be best to plant. Discover the native fruit trees/shrubs/vines that grow in your area. I have already planted wild plums and elderberries on my land and have some mulberries growing. Already the plums are producing and growing new plants that I will be able to start planting elsewhere or give to others.

2) Learn to can, dry and store your food. Even if you are not able to produce all you want or need you may be able to barter or purchase fruit or vegetables that you do not want to got to waste. The Grand pappy information page has lots of articles and recipes. If you do not want to can or dry for you own family I suggest going to any of the many emergency supply companies or start stocking up on food your family enjoys eating.

3) Learn to cook. You can learn to make do and make great food if you learn to cook.

Moving day in the barn

It was moving day for the Welsummer chicks. They went from the away room to the barn after preparing they brooder. The goslings were moved from the brooder to a small pen where we still have a heat lamp for them. Now I can get that away room a spring cleaning. I ended up having a rather productive day and got a lot of the barn cleaned up.

I spend some time taking pictures to for my photography class. I already had one lesson and have learned quite a bit.

Chickens and Geese

I got the geese to the barn in my set up I have using a water trough. It works well and keeps them safe. I put heavy wood and weight on top but for the most part nothing large gets into the barn with the two guard dogs.

I will soon get the chickens out there. They are starting to get feathers and are getting crowed in the box I have them in.

I came up with plans to move the older hens and roosters into the orchards to be with the geese. We have a cement pad out there that used to be for a garage that I will build on. I plan to make it easy to clean and a safe place for the poultry at night. One part of the building will be a tool shed and a section in the back will hold the wood pile. I figured keeping the building to one for three uses will help keep the cost down.

Nobody’s Friend

Nobody’s Friend

My name is Gossip.

I have no respect for justice.

I maim without killing.

I break hearts and ruin lives.

I am cunning and malicious and gather strength with age.

The more I am quoted the more I am believed.

My victims are helpless. They cannot protect themselves against me because I have no name and no face.

To track me down is impossible. The harder you try, the more elusive I become.

I am nobody’s friend.

Once I tarnish a reputation, it is never the same.

I topple governments and wreck marriages.

I ruin careers and cause sleepless nights, heartaches and indigestion. I make innocent people cry in their pillows.

Even my name hisses. I am called Gossip.

I make headlines and headaches.

Before you repeat a story, ask yourself:
Is it true?
Is it harmless?
Is it necessary?
If it isn’t, don’t repeat it.

~ Author Unknown

Outside Tasks

The Drive way from a distance



After some sewing and going shopping for a few supplies I came home anticipating being able to work in the yard. The ground was still too wet to weed or till. I tried weeding my herb garden only to have to soil hold together in big clumps. I noticed all of the herbs are now beginning to grow. This garden should look a lot better than last year. All we accomplished was adding some more gravel/soil mix to the front of the driveway. It took a few loads to bring this much. Now I need to get a quote from the Gravel Guy to see about getting gravel for the driveway and carport.


Rocky watching





Chickens enjoying the warm day



Scratching the dug up area.

Whoa

It is been a long time since I last added anything to this blog. I have started other blogs since then that are more focused. I am hoping to add more often to my gardening blog when the garden the garden starts to have more activity.

I am waiting for it to get warm around here.

It's 2010 and my Bucket list

My dear mother started talking about her going to Death Valley and it being on her bucket list. That got me to thinking. I have ideas in my head of what I would like to do before I “kick the bucket” but I had never written it down. So the other day I just did that. It was not as easy as it sounded because some of the ideas seemed so trivial but really that is the point to creating one. You will just put off even a place in your local area that you plan to go see or do but keep putting it off. S o what did I come up with? Some of the ideas are very doable but others with take a planning and saving to achieve.

1.Take a mule down the Grand Canyon.
2.Walk/see the Great Wall of China.
3.Write a book.
4.Visit Italy.
5.Go as a volunteer to another country.
6.White water raft in Colorado and Grand Canyon.
7.Learn to speak Hawaiian.
8.Learn to speak Dutch fluently.
9.Visit Machu Picchu.
10.Go to the Burning Man Festival.
11.Visit India.
12.Buy my own horse, mule, and donkey.
13.Get a small herd of sheep to raise (Soay or other easy hair breed).
14.Design a Joomla site for small farmers/ market gardeners in the area.
15.Learn to play ukulele.
16.Horseback ride on a beach.
17.Have a margarita on the Mexican Rivera.
18.Learn to drive (horses).
19.Take a Tai Chi class.
20.Take a yogi class.
21.Visit ancient 7 wonders of the world.
22.Go on a cruise.
23.Visit Hermitage museum in Russia.
24.Take an east coast road trip for Vermont to South Carolina.
25.Snorkel the Great Barrier Reef.
26.Explore Okefenokee Swamp and the Everglades.
27.Visit Easter Island
28.Ride on a dog sled.
29.Sleep in a castle. I have visited a lot of castles but have not stayed over night in one.
30.Visit Alaska
31.Learn and go cross country skiing and snowshoeing.
32.Make my house a beautiful place to visit and stay.
33.Go wine tasting in Sonoma, California.
34.Make a tree house
35.Build my dream home.
36.Sleep in a hammock
37.Build a horse barn.
38.Ride the Amtrak's Empire Builder.
39.Ride the Amtrak Downeaster.
40.Ride the Polar Bear Express.
50.Ride Northern Mexico's Copper Canyon train.
51.Skate in a canal in Holland.
52.Tour Hearst Castle
53.Write a magazine article.
54.Walk were Jesus walked in Israel and Jerusalem.
55.Visit Machu Picchu in Peru.
56.Write a cookbook
57.Visit Bellingwolde and Winschoten, Netherlands.
58.Go snorkeling in Florida, Hawaii and Great Barrier Reef.
59.Go to the Four Corners.This is the only place in the United States where four states intersect at one point
60.Stand of the Continental divide of the Americas.
61.Visit all of the channel Islands: San Miguel, Santa Rosa, Santa Cruz, Anacapa, and Santa Barbara, San Clemente, San Nicolas, Santa Catalina. I have only been on a boat around Anacapa so far.
62.Go to the Oktoberfest in Germany.
63.Go to the Oberammergau Passion Play, Germany
64.See all of the National Parks. So far I have been to Lassen, redwoods, sequoia, Yellowstone, zion, badlands, Bryce, canyon lands, Carlsbad, channel island, crater, grand canyon, great smoky mountains, volcanoes, Joshua trees, Petrified forest,

I am sure I will come up with other must see and do things but so far this is it. I have been lucky to see and do a lot in my life so far.