The old hog pen area didn't yield well because it didn't have enough soil amendments but did produce a few Oaxacan corn ears and some random pumpkins and gourds for the pigs and the house.
I have, however, decided to make raised log planters in a modified keyhole design (kind of like Lincoln Logs in idea) to put there. I sell Sweet Annie every year at the Feast of the Hunters' Moon at Fort Ouiatenon near West Lafayette about 12 miles away. The Sweet Annie grows wherever it pleases (and I enjoy that) but it's gotten out of hand. I plan to make the Sweet Annie grow in these new triangular log planters that will be about 7' on each side. I think the size will be about right, the Sweet Annie will benefit from having taller sides and be easier to harvest. I want to make the planters about 3 logs high.
Currently, the area is blank and I waited for the frost to finish planning.
The Saskatoon blueberry shrubs are still just small 'sticks' and I'll move them from under the pecan tree to an area of better light and air. Saskatoon blueberry shrubs are lovely. The berries do taste just like blueberries and don't require the acid soil I struggle to achieve. A WWOOF friend, Heather, told me about these and now I'm hooked! The university has some as landscaping plants and I got to taste some of the berries. WOW. Nice nice nice.
I did get a saddle on the punk mule last summer but haven't done as much prep work with her as I'd like (ok. not even as much as that). She tolerated it well! Definitely need some adjustments to the tack, but she stood there with a "WELL?!?!?" look on her face.
I have, however, decided to make raised log planters in a modified keyhole design (kind of like Lincoln Logs in idea) to put there. I sell Sweet Annie every year at the Feast of the Hunters' Moon at Fort Ouiatenon near West Lafayette about 12 miles away. The Sweet Annie grows wherever it pleases (and I enjoy that) but it's gotten out of hand. I plan to make the Sweet Annie grow in these new triangular log planters that will be about 7' on each side. I think the size will be about right, the Sweet Annie will benefit from having taller sides and be easier to harvest. I want to make the planters about 3 logs high.
Currently, the area is blank and I waited for the frost to finish planning.
The Saskatoon blueberry shrubs are still just small 'sticks' and I'll move them from under the pecan tree to an area of better light and air. Saskatoon blueberry shrubs are lovely. The berries do taste just like blueberries and don't require the acid soil I struggle to achieve. A WWOOF friend, Heather, told me about these and now I'm hooked! The university has some as landscaping plants and I got to taste some of the berries. WOW. Nice nice nice.
I did get a saddle on the punk mule last summer but haven't done as much prep work with her as I'd like (ok. not even as much as that). She tolerated it well! Definitely need some adjustments to the tack, but she stood there with a "WELL?!?!?" look on her face.
I came home from a day trip on Saturday to Ohio (IKEA and Jungle Jim's), too late to do much outside. I woke up on Sunday, deciding to take my time going outside... When I did? Starla Gina had obviously gotten tired of waiting for me to come see her and had jumped a 4 1/2 foot tall tensile and electric fence to come and see ME! I found her, standing calmly watching the pigs. When she saw me she decided to chase the cats, explore the barn and THEN relented and came to be put back in the drylot enclosure... Um. Ok, Starla Gina! I guess I need to spend a bit more time with her...
My neighbor (and now partner in wooly sheep) has a daughter that wanted to milk the goat and did a nice job. The next generation of goat women! My neighbor has llamas, alpacas, meat goats and various other species... Great folks. Neat daughter.
My neighbor (and now partner in wooly sheep) has a daughter that wanted to milk the goat and did a nice job. The next generation of goat women! My neighbor has llamas, alpacas, meat goats and various other species... Great folks. Neat daughter.
Oberhasli's ONLY as I sold my Nubians...
My milk doe, Omo May the Oberhasli.
My new buck, Larry. He's from great stock but came underweight and scruffy. If you look, he's down on his back pasterns. Pasterns should not look like a horse's pasterns. They should be perfectly upright. It shows an ability to carry weight of a pregnancy or weight of an udder.. NOT what you want in a herdsire, but his dam gave 2 gallons of milk a day. So, I'll cull any poorly structured animals and focus on his strengths... I've since brought him up in weight and health. The pasterns are still inferior though... Pity...
First picture is when we first got him. Notice the tail tip is non-existent (an indicator of extremely low copper). Copper is a requirement for goats and some breeds demand EXTRA copper - such as the Oberhasli. I really felt that Larry wasn't going to make it through. Very very thin and he stood with his head down like this most of the time... Weepy eyes and lethargic.
The second pic shows him recently (like in the last several weeks. The tail tip is still 'fish-tailed' meaning he needs more copper. But his depth of body is better (he's grown), The collar is tight as he's in full rut. Buck goats neck's swell and they pee on their faces and bodies as an attractant to the does. Not much different than humans putting on aftershave, in my opinion... Larry still needs weight on him but he's much better and I don't think he'll die (I did think he would when I brought him home).
I'll give him more copper, another shot of BoSe and continue to feed my hand-mixed alfalfa/soy pellets mixed with cracked corn and black oil sunflower seeds (BOSS). I expect it will take another 3-6 months to see optimum improvement. The back pasterns will most likely stay down and it's probably just a function of his structure. Trimming his feet will help a bit.
First picture is when we first got him. Notice the tail tip is non-existent (an indicator of extremely low copper). Copper is a requirement for goats and some breeds demand EXTRA copper - such as the Oberhasli. I really felt that Larry wasn't going to make it through. Very very thin and he stood with his head down like this most of the time... Weepy eyes and lethargic.
The second pic shows him recently (like in the last several weeks. The tail tip is still 'fish-tailed' meaning he needs more copper. But his depth of body is better (he's grown), The collar is tight as he's in full rut. Buck goats neck's swell and they pee on their faces and bodies as an attractant to the does. Not much different than humans putting on aftershave, in my opinion... Larry still needs weight on him but he's much better and I don't think he'll die (I did think he would when I brought him home).
I'll give him more copper, another shot of BoSe and continue to feed my hand-mixed alfalfa/soy pellets mixed with cracked corn and black oil sunflower seeds (BOSS). I expect it will take another 3-6 months to see optimum improvement. The back pasterns will most likely stay down and it's probably just a function of his structure. Trimming his feet will help a bit.
This picture is of the almost 2 acres of Eastern White Pines my friend cleared for me. The pines to the right have been removed as well. I had almost no pasture for my goats and the horses are in a drylot. Animals need air and light to properly function. And I needed a pasture! Now I'm left with piles of tops, piles of 'junk' logs and piles of logs to be cut into lumber. My friend bought a Woodmizer and will be cutting lumber in the Spring.
NEW PASTURE!!
The guy standing on top of these logs is over 6' tall! THAT's a lot of logs!!!
JohnO cut each and every tree by hand in this manner. He'd take his Bobcat and get it positioned to push above his head for tension, hop out, cut the tree and then get back in and push it over. *shudder* I helped some days when I was home, but JohnO did most of the work by himself ALONE. The trees were 85 - 95 foot tall (we measured them once they were on the ground) and weigh TONS. Literally.
Farm folk are tough folk, but it still was a concern of mine I couldn't be there to help. At least to call his next-of-kin. There are only 2-3 trees left from the hundreds he dropped last Spring and Summer so I'm pretty happy. If you look above his shoulder, you'll see some green-leaved trees. Those are hard Maples. I wanted those retained for a maple sugar camp I plan to have within the next several years.
Farm folk are tough folk, but it still was a concern of mine I couldn't be there to help. At least to call his next-of-kin. There are only 2-3 trees left from the hundreds he dropped last Spring and Summer so I'm pretty happy. If you look above his shoulder, you'll see some green-leaved trees. Those are hard Maples. I wanted those retained for a maple sugar camp I plan to have within the next several years.
WOOL SHEEP! (or "whatever was I thinking?")
Woolies! My neighbor with the llamas and alpacas got a chance to buy some Cormo and Leicester X wool sheep - two ewes and a wether. So, we're officially partners in wool!
A Cormo is a cross between a Corriedale and a Merino. GORGEOUS wool with wonderful crimp. The Leicester X has very nice wool but is fairly flighty (not hand-tame). JohnO, Connie and I wrassled these three down as they'd not been handled very much, sheared them and treated them for lice.
I insisted on processing the wool, nits and all. After the cleaning of the wool (below) the nits (lice eggs) are inert but ugly on the wool. I am carding the wool to make felt (a non-woven type of fabric) and want to make a capote for the Feast. It'll take quite a lot of time and effort, but what's time? And effort is relative as well.
A Cormo is a cross between a Corriedale and a Merino. GORGEOUS wool with wonderful crimp. The Leicester X has very nice wool but is fairly flighty (not hand-tame). JohnO, Connie and I wrassled these three down as they'd not been handled very much, sheared them and treated them for lice.
I insisted on processing the wool, nits and all. After the cleaning of the wool (below) the nits (lice eggs) are inert but ugly on the wool. I am carding the wool to make felt (a non-woven type of fabric) and want to make a capote for the Feast. It'll take quite a lot of time and effort, but what's time? And effort is relative as well.
Wow. Just wow. I'm fairly pleased with the outcome.
American Guinea Hog babies! SIX this time!!!
Sorry about the fuzzy pic... She was keeping an eye on me. I've now sold three of the six and two of those will be raised as freezer meat. Thank you, Zoola the Sow!
And, yes, there was soapmaking going on! This one is pumpkin with Maya Gold fragrance and a pumpkin pie spice line through it. Cinnamon on top as well. I nearly sold out of this one!
I've decided I mostly enjoy my 'specialty' soaps. Pumpkin, charcoal, blackberry seed grit, salties, petroleum jelly, coffee, etc. I'll probably be focusing on them more. My basic recipe always has whole eggs (with the exception of the Charcoal Complexion), whole fresh goats milk and sugar (for lather). I don't and won't use palm oil.
CAMEL!!!! A young one... ...and my son...
Not mine or my neighbor's camel, but we're always getting a chance to see other people's animals here in Indiana... This little fellow was so very pleasant to interact with... He'll get so much larger than this...
The neighbor's young llama had to be transported to the vet... Here she is. Paisley. She's recovering and is growing. But you can sure see why these two are camelids! |  |
Very interesting animals. I'm glad I get to see these kinds of things near me!
Tasha the LGD likes to eat corn with the baby American Guinea Hogs. I've since had to secure the babies in their pen as they were ranging near the road and eating all my pecans and hazelnuts!
I'd best sign off for now. I'll post the few pictures of the Feast and my soap display and move on to closer to December's pictures. Hope you all have a good day!
I'd best sign off for now. I'll post the few pictures of the Feast and my soap display and move on to closer to December's pictures. Hope you all have a good day!
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