Good-bye, Trusty....

Trusty, our trusted Mazda pick-up, went the way of all old cars at the end of November 2010.

Somehow I think all trucks and cars that have served their owners so well deserve some sort of memorial.

We bought this truck new way back in 1991, and hauled stuff faithfully for many, many years. It came with no radio, no power windows, no power steering, no automatic transmission, no air conditioning, no computer controlled anything, nothing fancy at all. It was named in 1998 when the teenagers started to drive.

It moved with us from our apartment, into our first home, and then again into our second home.

It survived 4 teenagers learning how to drive.

It hauled grain and hay and camping gear.

It hauled manure and dirt for the garden.

It was borrowed by friends and neighbors to haul their stuff, too.

It was taken on yard-sale trips.

It hauled garbage to the dump and donations to the thrift store.

Vet2Be really wanted it to last until he could drive it, too. "All the other kids got to drive it, I want to learn on it, too!"

I would have thought the youngest would be more spoiled and want something fancier to drive than an old blue pick-up with 180,000+ miles on it. All the kids have fond memories of Trusty, even Vet2Be who never got to drive it on a road--only in the pasture and the riding arena.

Trusty lived until Son1 came home from Mexico. It even lived for another 8 months. When the clutch gave out, we realized it was time to put our friend to rest. It had served our family well for a long time.

Hubby thought it was funny that I would take photos of Trusty. But it seems like most of us were attached to it and appreciated a little truck that could..... do everything we needed it to for a very long time.

So, good-bye Trusty. We have wonderful memories of you and you will be missed.

Fabric Produce Bags

I ran across a pattern for fabric produce bags that were so cute that I had to make some!

I found the link at Daisy Janie's blog, she has a free pattern for downloading--that speaks to my frugal nature.

Bags with produce inside....

Slip the long handle through the small loop and the produce stayed right inside!

Since I have some scrap fabric on hand, I decided to give some a try. I ended up making four! Two for my aunt who always uses reusable grocery bags, and two for me to see if I will really remember to take them to the grocery store!

They were really easy to make. Each one takes about 20 minutes for me to put together. I used a serger for the seams on the first three... then of course my 25 year old serger decided that it was time to give up the ghost!

The last one I made with the sewing machine. Since the bags are made to hold produce, I zig-zagged the seams after sewing them with a straight stitch for more strength.

I took two to the store, just to see how I liked them. I do! It is really nice to have the produce inside a fabric bag instead of sweating inside a plastic bag. Not only do these bags fit in my purse so I don't have to remember them, they are soooo much cuter than the plastic ones at the grocery store!

Table Runners

My friend gave me a beautiful table runner for Christmas. She borrowed a pattern I bought last year and hadn't gotten around to making.

My daughter saw the table runner and loved it, too!

My daughter doesn't sew, and had sworn when she first got married 8 years ago that she never would sew--she didn't want to do anything that seemed to be like me.

Since she liked mine, I told her that it wasn't that hard to sew, it only had straight seams, and that I had the fabric if she wanted to give it a try.

Her husband received a medical dis-charge from the Army last year and they haven't found a job yet, so the incentive wasn't really sewing and spending time with mom.... it was the fact that the gift was cheap and I had the supplies.

Surprisingly, she enjoyed making the one for her mother-in-law so much that she wanted to make one for herself!

Here is a photo of hers...

The Autumn side....

The Christmas side...

The great thing about this pattern is that the batting is sewn in as you are sewing the fabric together. When the 'putting the pieces together' part is done, the only finishing work is the binding.

Here is the link to the Quilt Company, the company that sells the pattern.

It took my daughter about 4 hours total to choose the fabric, sew the table runner, and put the binding on. An experienced quilter/sewer with a fabric stash could probably get one done in about 90 minutes.

I think hers turned out just beautifully! And I'm happy to say that she enjoyed the process!

Old-fashioned, Non-electric, Changing Picture Cube!

This is one of the things we made for Christmas this year. It took some time, but it was lots of fun.

This is an Old-fashioned, Non-electric, Changing Picture Cube. It comes with 6 photos already installed!

The ones I made for my family had their family photos and photos of their kids on them. I snagged them all from FaceBook and their blogs so the puzzles were a big surprise!

Here is one of the sides, with a view of the lid and box we made for the puzzle. On the right are the 'answer cards' that have all the pictures (one on each side of the cards) that I laminated.

I bought 1 1/2" wooden blocks from Woodworks Ltd. They had the best prices I could find on the internet and they shipped them really fast. I used my word processing program to size the pictures I found on the internet. I used my color printer to print out the pictures. I used a craft knife and quilting ruler to cut the pictures to fit the blocks. I used ModgePodge to glue the pieces of the pictures to the sides of the wooden blocks.

Here are a few more photos of the finished puzzle.

Here are the 'answer cards' to go with the puzzle in the photos.

The other side of the answer cards.

Here is the Halloween side of the puzzle with the answer card on the side.

Here is what the blocks look like pulled apart.

Here are all the blocks nestled next to each other--but they are not all part of the same 'face' of the picture. This is what it looks like when you turn the blocks one or two sides at a time from the Halloween picture above.

It turned out to be a great gift! I still have a few more puzzles to make. I'll take photos and put up a tutorial the next time I do it. I just didn't have time during the Christmas Season to do everything I wanted to do, so the blog got put on hold for a while.

Kidding Kit

I decided to post what we keep ready when our goats are getting ready to kid. The easier this information is to find for new goat owners, the better!

This stuff is really important to have on hand, really.

You can't just expect to go out and find mama and kids all doing well, especially if it is a bit chilly outside.

Plan on staying with your goat if you find they are in labor. Or at least go out every 15 minutes or so to check on them. It takes about 5 hours for a goat to labor and deliver. If your goat is laboring longer than that, call a veterinarian or be prepared to figure out what is wrong.

1. A clean, quiet place for the goat to kid
2. Flashlight & batteries or lights in the barn just in case you have to help a goat at night
3. Latex gloves – In case you have to assist. Some people like to use their bare hands, I like gloves because I also play guitar and have longer fingernails on one hand. I don't want to hurt the animal on the inside. You can buy OB vet gloves that go up to your shoulder for about 25¢ each at your local farm supply store.
4. OB Lube – In case you have to “go in” to assist. K-Y Jelly works well, so does the off name brand.
5. 7% iodine – To treat the umbilical cord to prevent navel ill. 
6. Film container (or spray bottle) – for dipping or spraying the umbilical cord with iodine. We prefer to dip instead of spray.
7. Dental floss – To tie the umbilical cord, if necessary.
8. Blunt nosed scissors – For cutting the umbilical cord if it is too long.
9. Alcohol or another type of sanitizer - to sterilize tools, hands, anything that might have to go inside the doe.
10. Baby nasal aspirator – To remove fluids from newborn’s mouth & nose, if necessary. We know of one family who saved some kid's lives because they had one on hand.
11. 3 old but clean towels – To dry kids to prevent chill & dry hands.
12. Blow dryer - if our doe is kidding in cool weather we always use a blow dryer to make sure the kid is dry and warm before it takes it's first drink.
13. Bottle & Nipple – In case you need to bottle feed
14. Lamb / kid puller – In case of a kid that is positioned wrong. (Usually just your hand is enough to help a doe that needs help but it is a good idea to have one).
15. Weak lamb syringe & feeding tube – To feed kids too weak to nurse.
16. Feed bag (garbage bag) – For picking up the afterbirth.
17. Soap & warm water - for washing up in case you need to assist.
18. Digital thermometer – To check the temperature of chilled kids, to check the temperature of the doe if she has had any birth trauma
19. Nutridrench (we use molasses in a pinch) – nutrient and energy supplement, we usually give one squirt to the kid, sometimes a few squirts to the mom. Sheep and goat nutridrench is the same formulation, we buy whichever is cheaper
20. Colostrum — either powdered or frozen from last year's kidding, just in case you loose the doe and need to save the kid(s). 
21. Feeding tube and syringe in case you have a kid that is too weak to suck 
22. Phone number of at least one vet that is familiar with goats - in case of an emergency.

I always have the following on hand whether it is kidding season or not. If you have a problem, you need to have the necessary supplies on hand even if you have a veterinarian. If you call a vet and you have supplies on hand, they can suggest to you what to do while you are trying to get the goat to the vet. If you don't have any medications on hand, you may loose the goat. Please, don't rely on the neighbors to have supplies in case you don't.

1. Fortified B Complex
2. Naxcel or Excenel (vet Rx only - 0 withdrawal)
3. Penicillin - for snotty noses, polio, and mastitis
4. Eprinephrine (for anaphylactic shock when given injections vet Rx only)
5. Kaopectate or Pepto Bismol - for scours
6. Therabloat - in case you have a goat that bloats. Baking Soda drenches work, too.
7. Probiotics - give when off feed or after antibiotic treatment
8. Electrolites - prevent dehydration during stress
9. Kaptan or Clorox for ringworm & other fungi
10. 5cc and 12cc Syringes
11. 18g x 1" and 22g x 1" Needles
12. Drench gun or syringe
13. BluKote or another type germicidal and fungicidal

If you have a first aid kit at home for your family, you should have a first aid kit for your goats, period. The old saying, "If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail." is absolutely true. You may have had years and years of good kiddings and no problems, all it takes is once to make you realize that it would have been better to have the right things on hand.

What Do I Tell Her?

We have an acquaintance who has posted on a few of the yahoo groups we use. Here is what she asked for:

Looking for a Place with land...
Our landlord is wanting to sell the place we just moved into a few months ago. She'd like it if we moved out.
 
Hubby and I have been discussing it before she even brought up the subject.

We've been feeling pulled to move to somewhere where there is land, trees and a place we can grow food, raise chickens and goats. We'd love something we could rent or preferrably rent to own. We really don't want to have move again after this time. I'd love to live in H--- or L---, but anywhere along [the center of the state] is fine. We could go as far as B--- [north of her current city] if need be. My hubby works repairing and selling iphones. He uses [a local online classified] for most of his business, and we don't know of anything like that anywhere else or we would consider moving to another state, or to [the southern half of the state].

We can afford about $1200/mo...give or take. Preferrably less, but that would depend on how much land.

Let me know if you know of something that fits my description. We just want to be self-sufficient as much as possible...we cannot do that here. I cannot plant a garden or even a fruit tree at our current location.

I hope that this gets to someone who knows of a place for us!

Thank you in advance.


Here is some of her background:
They have never farmed or raised animals.  The have had a small family garden.
She has severe epilepsy and quite often is not allowed to drive a car. Sometimes she is in bed for days at a time after an attack, and often has had to go to the hospital for tests or emergency care.
They have 5 kids, 3 of whom live at home.
They used to live in a very nice 3,500+ square foot new home--until they lost it due to foreclosure.

Here is what I wrote back to her:
I am assuming that the most important things you are looking for are animal rights and water rights [we live in the desert and the right to use water does not come with agricultural land unless you buy it]. If you don't have those, you can't do what you want. Any size house in live-able condition would be okay because I'm assuming that your first goals are raising a few animals, raising a garden, and letting your kids have some space to run. (Same goals as we have--which is why our house is comparatively small, fairly old, and in need of repair.)

Just as a little information for you, it costs us approximately $200 each month to raise our animals. That includes feed and electricity for the barn. It doesn't include things like fencing that might need to be repaired or vet bills (if you can find a vet to help with large animals) vaccinations or meds that the animals might need, building shelters (like a chicken coop), feeders and waterers for the animals, loss of animals to predators, spring-time repairs, breed fees (for the goats), hoses and sprinklers, shovels and other 'out door' tools (pick-axes, pitch forks, manure rakes), bedding for the animals.... We LOVE what we do.... we really love the lifestyle, but to get set up is very costly, we grew into it gradually.

We were also blessed to run into some very good goat people--which means we paid a bundle for our first goats, but they were worth it because we knew they came from healthy, good milking stock--not just auction animals. We also know enough people that we can 'scrounge' materials for some things (old fencing for around the garden, old hay bales for temporary winter shelter, friend's kids that are willing to help us in return for our help....) But that took years of doing what we are doing to be part of the network in the state.

And if you don't own a truck with either a trailer or a shell, you will need to figure that into your cost. If you are planning on goats, you need some way to transport them from here to there as well as picking up feed from the store. It doesn't matter what type of pasture you have, if you want goats or other smaller livestock you will need feed through the winter. If you want goats to give you milk, you will need grain feed all year. You are probably planning on hauling your own hay--which means you are going to need a good sized truck--a little pick-up can't do the job.

It would be a good idea to go to the library and check out a book called "Hobby Farming for Dummies". It is written by Theresa A. Husarik who lives in an area similar to ours. You might also want to go to the library and check out any Storey Guides you can find (Storey's Basic Country Skills, Storey's Guide to Raising Chickens, Storey's Guide to Raising Dairy Goats, and Barnyard in your Backyard). Reading a few books will give you a better idea of what is involved and what type of land, fencing, and water needs you will have.

I'm not trying to discourage you, I think it is a great idea, but I don't want you to walk into it blind and think that hobby farming is easy or will reduce your living costs by much. It will take lots and lots of your time, and lots of hard work. I don't want to see you get the set-up and then realize that every day of the rest of your life has outside work that needs to be done.... there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done. And you don't get to go on vacation unless you add the cost of hiring someone to come into your farm and take care of the animals. 

It was 10˚F this morning. It took 30 minutes to haul buckets of water, clean out one water bucket that was nasty, feed all the animals breakfast, and collect the eggs. In the summer we plan on 60 minutes of barn chores in the morning and 90 minutes at night. That doesn't include extra time on Saturdays for maintenance.

YES, YES, YES! It is worth it! At least it is for our family. There are many, many other people (even in our own neighborhood) who think we are crazy! Our attitude has been, "We can't send our kids to a private school to learn what they've learned here. There aren't any private schools like that, and if there were, we wouldn't be able to afford them." But also understand, that our kids WANTED this. We didn't choose this for them, they wanted this and we followed what they wanted. That means we have very willing and mostly un-complaining helpers who do a job and do it thoroughly to the very best of their ability.

I don't want to discourage her, but I'm not sure what to say to her to make sure she understands what a commitment and change of lifestyle she is facing.

So many people think we are self-sufficient on our little place. Far from it! Without the local feed store and local hay growers, we would never survive. There is a reason we call it Hobby Farming, because like every hobby, it rarely pays for itself in our area.

She's a nice lady, and they are a nice family, but they are talking about moving out of the city and into the country with little idea of what they are getting into.

The Grand-puppy Misses Us!

I haven't posted for a while. The 'Crazy Christmas Craft Craze' was on and, boy, was it a doozy this year! I'll be catching up over the next week, but Spunky posted this picture today and I decided to just do a quick post.

I sent 6 mini-stockings to our daughter, Spunky, who moved far away this fall. We miss her. Apparently her dog does, too.

This is one of the stockings I sent. I think Surry stole it off the tree. Spunky says that she carries it around with her all day! It probably still smells like our house. Surry used to come visit and we would always puppy-sit when her 'parents' were gone camping or on vacation. She loves the farm and our dogs. They get along well and play for hours in the yard.

Once in a while, when they lived closer and I was visiting for a minute or dropping something off, Surry would run out the front door and sit by my car. She wanted to come visit her 'cousins'. So... Spunky would let her get in the car and come with me. Then she would stop by later and pick Surry up.

What a funny puppy!