What's New @ Marshview

2010-10-28T06:09:00.000-07:00

Well most of the girls have cycled and bred. I will be so excited to get next years kids on the ground. I am using my new guy on all girls this year... Here is a photobucket link showing the dam, great-dams, sire and various goat relatives of my buck...He is a son of Cool Copy
http://s750.photobucket.com/home/Quappelle_Alpines

Preserving

2010-09-29T05:56:00.000-07:00

This week is preserve week...harvest is at it's peak. Peaches, pears, apples, tomatoes, peppers... So far this week I've put up a bushel and half of peaches...sliced in syrup, dehydrated, peach jam, chutney; several baskets of tomatoes...salsa, frozen whole... various jellies like garlic/red pepper jelly; the pears apples and more peaches coming on Friday will be some fruit cocktail, apple butter, pie fillings more dehydrated fruit. Herbs are being cut and dried, and soup mix will be made from these. Got to go!

2010-09-09T16:58:00.000-07:00

Well lots of soap being made and wandering out the door quickly which hasn't left a lot of time for blogging. So I'll try to catch up quickly...We have had a fabulous summer weather wise, the garden could really have used more water. Next year I am investing in some soaker hoses and some automation. The tomatoes are ripening rapidly now and I've been making salsa and throwing extras in the freezer. I also did a great batch of blackberry jam. Yum! The basil has had 3 cuttings and lots of pesto has been made as well. My cucumbers lost the battles with cucumber beetles this year : ( so I haven't gotten many at all. Win some lose some I guess.
Summer has been busy with several markets a week...Windsor, Halifax (QE2), and Wolfville. We have also added several more retail accounts...Scotian Gold, Coldbrook; Love Me Boutique, Birmingham St Halifax; Dempsey's Corner Market, Dempsey's Corner; My Mother's Keeper, Windsor and I won't announce it yet but there looks like a Bedford location will be stocked soon. I've doubled my batch size this year and am going to double again soon. I'm in the process of looking at some bigger equipment.
The kids are back to school now. They were excited to start again and see their friends.

Pippi's Craving

2010-06-06T10:19:00.000-07:00

Pippi's due to kid within the next 2 weeks and exhibiting some cravings..."No I don't want the hay...I want apple tree trimmings!"

New Baby

2010-05-30T05:40:00.000-07:00

Our new Baby has arrived and is now 5 weeks old. He is not officially named, paperwork is pending but unofficially he's known as Chester. DD2 knowing that this is our herd sire and what he will grow into...gave him the moniker of Chester the Goat Molester. Anyway he is a cutie patootie at this point.

2010-05-19T05:25:00.000-07:00

Maybe it just feels like the garden is behind. The strawberries are blooming and I see a few small green berries. Funnily enough I planted a few in beds in the greenhouse and they do not appear to be any further along. The green beans are up in there though ; ) and no where near ready to plant in the outdoor garden. My garlic looks amazing. I am totally surprised because they were not mulched heavily enough and over the winter had become exposed and eroded from rains, then as they recovered in the spring a lone goat decided to prune them for me. That first early green is fair game she told me. My spinach seems late, it is only about 2 inches tall. I dare not even pick for baby leaves yet. The chard I tried to overwinter in the greenhouse did not make it, I think it became too dry in the raised bed. They probably would have made it left in the main garden and mulched.

Bee Adventure

2010-05-18T09:21:00.000-07:00

Today my friend Norm asked if I wanted to go out and help re-queen some hives. I really enjoyed learning a lot about bees today. My own hive is supposed to be set up in June so this was a great trial run in working with them. Nothing like hands on experience.

Warning depressing content

2010-05-17T11:41:00.000-07:00

If a tree falls in a forest and no one hears it did it make a noise? We've all contemplated this, my variation to this question is-- if a life or part there of is now unwitnessed did it really happen? or maybe it just doesn't matter anymore. What if the witnesses are gone? A friend of mine passed away last fall and I have to admit I am still having trouble with it. He is gone, a piece of me and my childhood is gone, our history is gone. I feel selfish thinking of it this way but I do and I can't help dwelling on it. He didn't have an easy life, sometimes life is cruel to some, everything is difficult for them right from the start, and yet the smile is always ready. Now it is gone.
He still exists because I still witness it but he is gone to witness the part of me that was attached to him.

I've been remiss

2010-05-11T06:30:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I've posted anything... Sorry! Wow my last post was February...so what's new since then. LOTS!

In goat news most of the does have kidded and the kids have actually been all sold. Except for 1 doeling I've decided to retain. I'm proud of myself. I decided what would happen before kidding season and I stuck with it. Two more due in June. I would like does of course. They have been bred to a buck I haven't used before and actually I think these would be his first kids to hit the ground. So that should be interesting. I have ordered a new herdsire from the Qu'appelle herd in BC. He is a Cool Copy x Keno. I'm pretty excited for next years kids! Everybody will of course be bred to him. Now I have to get busy and build him his own little house. My DH has been bringing home sheets of wood from his office. A sign company is in the same building and they dispose of full sheets of "chip board wood" and also pallets. I've been keeping them in a corner of the hay shed (now that it's mostly empty) thinking about what I can get together.I hope the sign company gets another couple of big orders : )

So lots of milk in the house and I have been making a ton of cheese. Chevre of course. I freeze this unflavoured and it is great to use in the winter with my frozen spinach for Spanikopita. This is one of our families favourites. I've also got Feta down pat. I've been having an issue with mozzarella. Half the time it works and half the time it doesn't...need to get a pig for the mistakes.

The garden is slowly going in. The greenhouse and all my window sills are over flowing with heirloom tomatoes, peppers and herbs. I am going to do one garden as a traditional 3 Sisters garden this year. Back to my roots, but I'm not putting dead fish in the mounds LOL a little fish emulsion will have to do.

Soap has been leaving and in a few more stores lately...the newest include a shop in Fort McMurray Alberta and the Lobster Pound in Halls Harbour...details can be found here http://bohemianbubbles.com/calendar.html
I've been busy lately as we are going to do 4 different Farmers markets this year. Wolfville, Windosr, Kentville, and QEII Halifax. Times for these can also be found on the above link.

My oldest DD has left for Quebec city on a school trip today. She was very excited. Funny she wasn't that excited when I took her. haha I guess the possibility of being with her friends for 5 days would do it. She was vibrating this morning and I don't think she slept at all last night. I, on the other hand, really hate it when my kids are away from home. DD # 2 was also excited this morning Rugby starts today...look out team mates here she comes and she's fearless.

I've also been falling behind on my 52 Books in 52 Weeks Reading Challenge. I'll have to double check but I think I am 3 books behind. I'll have to grab some light reading soon that I can whip through quickly. I am at present reading Timothy Findley's Pilgrim and I just finished Hunting Halifax by Steven Edwin Laffoley. I actually really enjoyed all the Halifax history and will check out a few more local histories this year. I need to get busy and read Middlesex by the end of the month for book club. It doesn't appeal to me, but anyway...

A keeper of a keeper

2010-02-24T09:41:00.000-08:00

Every year I try to grow something we have not tried before. Last year it was Spaghetti Squash. The new items are not always keepers in future gardens for various reasons..pests, quantity of harvest, taste, storage ability etc. Spaghetti Squash is going to be a keeper for quite a few reasons.
#1 My squash hating daughter likes it! Yeah!! I of course not told her that it is spaghetti squash it is vegetable spaghetti. Squash makes said daughter throw up, or so she tells me.
#2 There were very few pests. I did have some beetle issues with the squash in general last year (yes I still grow regular squash, everyone but dd2 likes it) but pests didn't overly affect the vines or fruit.
#3 Storage ability...the shell of this squash is much harder than many other varieties of squash and it keeps extremely well. I have a basket of various squash that sits in my kitchen through the winter, and I inspect weekly for "use first" vegetables with soft spots. The buttercup was the first to start to deteriorate, and are all gone now. The sugar pumpkins next, the butternut, and then the vegetable spaghetti is last. I still have some pumpkin, and butternut left that are fine but have had several start to go through the winter.
The whole family enjoys this vegetable and like it best with a simple dab of butter, salt and pepper served right on it's own shell dish. The goats of course enjoy the shell dishes when we are done. ; )

2010-02-21T07:12:00.000-08:00

My car has been slowly dying : ( I have been babying it along this winter hoping for spring before I bought something or better yet it would have been nice to wait for DD2 to be done with the orthodontist. I think after 2 kiddos in braces I've bought him a new car. Anyway...I came home with a Hyundai, the Elantra Touring 2010. Lots of room for soap boxes in the back and I'm getting the trailer hitch installed this week. I am not allowed to put goats in it apparently. It is actually very similar to my Focus Wagon which I loved so I am happy. I actually went to the Ford dealer to buy another but they don't make them anymore...I would have had to step into a Ford Escape as the closest thing. ??? those Focus Wagons sold like mad, they are everywhere. I can't understand why they would get dropped but oh well, I guess that's why I am in the soap biz and not making cars.

In soapy news we have another new store, Crossroads Gifts, 5110 St. Margaret's Bay Rd, Halifax now carrying our soap and in the works for another store on the other side of the country. More details on that will follow
For anyone looking for other spots they are listed here
http://bohemianbubbles.com/calendar.html

The new seaweed bar, Silky Seaweed, has been so popular right off the bat, as has May Chang. Something coming out very soon is a new soap for Dogs. It has a mixture of essential oils that are good for repelling insects...pennyroyal, cedarwood, citronella, lavender, rosemary and peppermint. It smells great. I think it may become my new "going for a walk in the forest" bar ; )

Yesterday was market day. I really enjoy catching up with friends and meeting new ones. It's great to see so many out supporting local food production and of course local craft. February is not really known for fresh garden product...but I still leave with chard, frozen pesto, potatoes, carrots, squash, eggs, meats, tofu, cheese, bread, and some great wine. I also seen (but didn't buy because we have our own) sprouts, lots of preserves, dried herbs, baked goods....

2010-02-16T09:41:00.000-08:00

So everything is a little more organised...I made soap and found everything. Yeah! I can sleep again.
I really feel like we're on the back side of winter now. It's even starting to feel a little warm out. I was at a friends house yesterday seen his first goat born of the year, a doe. I had a peek at some lambs born over the last few weeks- a set of triplets and a set of twins. Another set of twins was being born as I left...momma did not want me watching. She kept stamping her foot at me LOL, so I thought it best to leave her with her shepherd. The babies are so cute but I must say I'm not so fond of the adults. I can't remember what breed they are though...some meat breed that produces twins, all white.
I started my tomatoes and peppers today...new for me this year is Principe Borghese tomato. I like something new every year. I dropped the black cherry and am still undecided on whether or not to put in the white tomesols. I wasn't going to put in Brandywine as I like the Mortgage Lifters better but what the heck. The more the merrier.
The girls have some b-ball playoffs tonight so they are staying at school for dinner and I won't need to pick them up until 8pm. I think I'll wander over to watch the game tonight though. It still feels weird to me that they are gone all day, let alone into the evenings sometimes.
I need to fix up some kidding pens. There's a full moon on the 28th and I have goats with dates as early as March 3rd...the moon may entice them to go early so I'll be prepared. We are supposed to get some snow tonight but I must say it sure doesn't look like it now. Sunny and warm...see ya I'm going outside ; )

Why do I start these things!

2010-01-27T10:44:00.000-08:00

Hyperventilating here!! I decided to make the move and put the soapmaking room in the basement, where I will double the amount of space I have. I have a lower amount of stock right now, so it's the best time to make the move. The current room will keep my computer plus house our scrapbooking items and have an extra table for projects & homework. Sounds fabulous in principle but everything is a disaster right now and I'm not going to be able to find a single thing for weeks AHHHHH! I'm halfway through, kind of, but having a panic attack I think.

52 in 52 Local Style

2010-01-26T06:08:00.000-08:00

Last year I took part in a 52 books group and enjoyed the challenge of reading 52 books in a year. I also ended up joining the local book club and meeting some new friends. I'm still going to do the book club this year and I thought I would also do the 52 in 52 again. But keeping with my theme of buy local and eat local I am going to read local. Canadian authors only this year...the one exception will be my book club selections which will only be 10.
So far this year I've read Roughing it in the Bush, Susanna Moodie; The Year of the Flood, Margaret Atwood; and I'm currently reading Sketches of a Small Town by Stephen Leacock
Roughing it in the Bush was a diary of sorts depicting Moodie's arrival and survival in Canada. It was an interesting read and I've ordered her sister, Catharine Parr Traill's book from the library, The Backwoods of Canada. Another thread I will follow from here will be Atwood's book of poems The Journals of Susuanna Modie.
Speaking of Atwood...last week I finished The Year of the Flood...excellent work. So of course I have to take a step back and read Oryx and Crake. The Year of the Flood depicted some of my own personal nightmares about GE foods and gene spliced animals. I could totally be one of her "God's Gardeners"
Leacock's Sunshine Sketches of a Small Town is one I've been meaning to read for about 20 years now. Really cute work, my parents are from small town Ontario and some things never change.
I'm not too sure where else my Canadian year will take me, I find one thing leads to another so I don't want to make too big of a list at the beginning. I do want to read The Birth House by Ami McKay. It's rather embarrassing that I haven't taken the time to do so yet since she only lives a short distance away, and we have a number of mutual friends. Can't get much more local than that. Anyway off to get a cup of tea and finish the Leacock....right after I put a few more cable repeats on my Irish Walking Scarf

2010-01-09T11:30:00.000-08:00

I heard some stats today on December... we had 40 hours of sunlight in Nova Scotia last month. This was down from around 70 the year before. No wonder getting past the solstice gives a sense of relief, but it would be nice if during the short days we would at least get some sun. The sun is shining in my imagination though and a few seed catalogues are starting to show up. Yah hoo!

Today I was back to market for the first time in 2010. There were quite a few people around especially since there was a big announcement made about funding for our new year-round indoor market space. This is exciting and will enable permanent vendors to have permanent booth space. Plain English... not as much schlepping of boxes weekly. I will have a mini store and can just bring restocks in with me weekly : ) I've seen some conceptual drawings and it is exciting. I'm sure it has been a tremendous amount of work for our market board to get here and it certainly speaks of the local support that we get as well.

2010-01-08T09:12:00.000-08:00

Another food recall yesterday buried on the 6th page of the paper. This was another recall for processed meats but not Maple Leaf this time. We haven't purchased processed meats in a few years so all's safe here but I had been at the market the night before and was tempted to bring my DH home some. I haven't had time lately to make any. Anyway last night a roast came out of the freezer and is marinating now. I'll cook it and I'll be putting it though my meat slicer in a few days.

The meat slicer was a great kitchen purchase considering my DH really likes deli style meats. It's certainly cheaper to do myself as well. Marinating the meat gives different flavours but the key for him is nice thinly sliced pieces for sandwiches. Slicing cold really works best.

The big reminder to me was how many food recalls happen that the public never hears about. I read a daily paper but still miss them.

Here is where you can check for recalls in Canada--

http://www.inspection.gc.ca/english/corpaffr/recarapp/recaltoce.shtml

Just pics

2009-12-31T14:12:00.000-08:00

Sylvi & Lemons

2009-12-06T14:25:00.000-08:00

My wool is on order and should be here this week. I needed 15 skeins of briggs & little red for this fabulous garment called sylvi. And yes I am a selfish knitter : ) It is for me Sylvi I can't wait to get started. I suppose I should do a little Christmas shopping before I get too carried away. Maybe this week. LOL, my poor kiddos.
Tom has a winter knit order in for a knitted jacket. He wants one of those "Mary Maxim" styled jackets with a collar and a moose or a beaver or some such on the back. I'll have to go pattern hunting I guess.

I am eating lemons. Who really cares except I grew them myself and I'm in Nova Scotia and it snowed today. We had a ripe one last week and it looks like about another 1/2 dozen will be ripe this week and next. I am so hoping I can get it to bloom again in January. Now I'm thinking about bananas : ) Outside the gardens are a soggy mess. There is a little love in the greenhouse with my swiss chard, but I didn't get the spinach planted soon enough this year and it's not doing a thing. Oh well, come March it will perk back up.

Too busy : )

2009-11-11T17:28:00.000-08:00

Well pretty busy lately...I've been making tons of soap of course. The market has moved indoors for the winter and Christmas shopping has begun. I've also had a soap making workshop planned and it has sold out of the maximum # of seats that I wanted to teach. It should be fun ; )

My 2 senior does are now bred and I managed to successfully keep the 3 junior does separate. I went to take a look at a buck to use in January for them this afternoon. He is a great looking young guy and I was also able to see his dam, who has lots of milk lines in her pedigree. So 'm set for this year. Now on to thinking about next year, well maybe I should see what I have next year before I make too many decisions.

My own kids have settled into school life quite well and are enjoying it a lot. Except for cadets, or so they try to tell me, but I think they just say that because all their friends say it. Today they went to the Remembrance Day services and Tom snatched a pic before we left. One is in formal dress and the other in regular...

I've been getting some knitting finished as well. My entrelac wrap and also some hats for the girls.

Don't I have a fabulous model?

2009-09-26T02:17:00.000-07:00

Well I managed to get the dog cleaned up. I used a salt bar and it did the job very well. I thought maybe the salty lather would help "grab" the aroma and it seemed to work. One thorough wash through and he seemed to be cleaned up. I did have to ditch his collar though. There was still a lingering aroma in my garage for a few days. I've laid out trays of baking soda and am leaving the doors open all day. It's much better this morning.

So another use for the salt bars, but can I still say I don't test on animals? lol

Speaking of stink, it's that time of year again and I've arranged for the same buck to come visit the goat girls. I'm going to separate out the doelings, just breed hannah and ooh la la early, and probably by January be able to breed last year's doelings. Here's to hoping the plan holds up.

GD Dog

2009-09-23T02:44:00.000-07:00

I let the dog out before bed last night and he came back smelling like a skunk. Damn Damn Damn!

He stayed in the garage all night so I guess this is what my morning will be spent cleaning up. Did I say -Damn!!!

Roll in the Hay for another year

2009-09-22T07:06:00.000-07:00

The hay is all in for another year. I have a really good hay guy, in fact this year he won a 1st place for his 2nd cut hay at the exhibition. I get the 2nd cut for the goats. It's a nice mixed hay with legumes testing at around 12 -14% protein. It's getting harder and harder to find square bales so I stay on the good side of Don : ) Good hay, reasonable price and in square bales....yes I did drop him off a few bars of soap too. The round bales are easier for the farmers to handle with machinery and consequently cheaper to buy, but I just don't have the big tractors needed to move them about. Each one of Don's round bales are equal to about 16 traditional bales- that's heavy!

The goats have been eyeballing the bales as they come in and wondering why they aren't allowed to just go to town. They just don't get the idea of no food in the pasture in February. LOL

I was pretty tired last night and picking hay seeds from all sorts of nether regions before I hit the shower. Hay is damn itchy, whoever thinks a roll in the hay would be pleasant hasn't actually rolled in hay.

This afternoon I'm mixing up a batch of lavender soap. I am down to maybe a dozen bars in stock and they are spoken for. OOPS! I'm also going to mix up some seaweed soap. I've had some ground seaweed from "Farmasea" infusing in Olive Oil for a few weeks and am getting excited to turn it into soap. All those fabulous trace minerals from the sea. I think I'll put a smidge of sea salt in as well. It won't be a true salt bar but not many of us can use one of those very often through the winter anyway.

Exhibition

2009-09-20T05:39:00.000-07:00

Two doelings were exhibited at the fair this week-end and each one ribbons! Marshview Acres Junie B won a second and Marshview Acres Pippi took third, both in the doeling class.

They will be coming home this evening to tell tales in the goat house of all the sights and sounds they seen at the fair.

They were very nervous the first night after being placed on the opposite side of a wall from oxen. Pippi obviously knew something very large was on the other side! LOL By the next day both girls were lapping up all the attention and petting received from fair visitors.

I was quite pleased as it looked like we were going to get a first, and the judge was wavering until the very end and then moved Junie down into 2nd. She said the top 3 were so close and in excellent condition. I think it was a fabulous first showing for our herd!

Everything's Peachy!

2009-09-05T16:46:00.000-07:00

Peach season is here! Our cold spring was not great for the local peach growers but they are ready! I brought home a 40 pound box from the market on Friday and my kitchen smells fabulous.

Peaches go from being hard as a rock to mush very quickly so as soon as I get them I go through the box for already ripe, bruised or damaged fruit, then I check daily to see when the rest will be ready. Hard as a rock Friday...I'll be canning the majority of them Sunday morning. Tonight I made a few batches of jam and the dehydrator is full with slices and bits to be used in Peach-Almond Granola. Tomorrow I'll bottle the rest in a light syrup. I count on about 5 peaches per quart. I'm hoping to get another box next week, they taste so wonderful in the winter.

The tomatoes are starting to come on strong too so I'll be canning those this week-end as well.

In the early spring I found a great deal on mason jars in Kijiji. An older couple were downsizing and moving into a condo, so I relieved them of over 100 jars for a great price. I probably won't have too many extras either : )

Love Song

2009-08-21T17:36:00.000-07:00

I just love this song, and I'm especially partial to the kiddo singing this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8fdiW5Lu4aA

If I'd known my soap room was going to be a music studio I might have tidied up a bit : )

Fill ins....

2009-08-16T03:51:00.000-07:00

Well lots going on around here lately....a few day trips here and there, company from the Yukon and now my nephew from Montreal, some family BBQ's, soccer,the kids got their tatoos (the goat kids lol) and of course the garden.

There have been some ups and downs in the garden.

The ups...I'll be up to my eyeballs soon in tomatoes. Can't complain about that. yumm I do a lot of them into bottles for the winter. I planted a few different varieties this year and want to do some blind taste tests. That should be interesting. Potatoes...we've been digging a few here and there and there are lots and good sizing. Vegetable squash, well all the sqash and pumpkins look amazing and we should have lots.

The downs.... I dug up the garlic, but I'm a little disapointed with the sizing. They were bigger last year. Cukes and melons didn't do well this year. I'm blaming it on the cool wet July. They really need more heat. The cukes are just coming on now and I don't think there is enough time for the melons to catch up.

As for family life, all is well and certainly busy. Market twice a week for me. The girls have each got roles in another production, a musical this time...The Pied Piper of Hamelin. So we are into rehearsals 2x a week and since they are under 16 I must stay. So I've started a large knitting project. I taught myself entelac and began this wrap.

I'm using a different wool without as much colour change, but it still looks pretty so far.

We are also getting ready for back to school. Lots to do there. Taylor has started back into her algebra books to freshen up and I've heard Tori going at her French. Uniforms are hanging in the closets and we need to go sneaker hunting, get some graphing calculators and locker locks. I think we have everything else.

Here's the girls in the new get-ups...

My kids are gone

2009-07-12T11:32:00.000-07:00

Sigh, off to camp they go. Gone for 6 days. I should be going woo hoo, and don't get me wrong I have lists of things I want to do, but it's been 3 hours and I miss them. Obviously they've been away for more than 3 hours before so I guess I just miss the idea of them being here. What on earth will I do when they move out someday? Ok- focus on the good things and cut those strings a little right!

So my to do list for this week begins with

make more soap x 10, a visit to a craft store with my mom, out to lunch, clean the house, go to Gaspereaux Fibers, watch an R rated movie (I don't even care which one at this point lol), get the homeschooling books itemised and listed on the for sale site, move Tom's office into homeschooling room, weed the carrots, and maybe I'll even go for a massage.

My solace is that soon enough those 6 days will be gone and I will have back my little darlings, overtired from camp, bickering and worn out with each other and they will deliver all the dirty laundry from those 6 days into my waiting arms. : )

New Toys

2009-06-04T17:21:00.000-07:00

Did you know capricious comes from "caprine" which is Latin for goat? Kid goats certainly are capricious and they do love to play! A few toys have shown up in the kid pen to help excercise and use up a little energy.

Fudge is going to demonstrate for Junie B how to use the new slide!

Junie B was a little concerned but Fudge is A OK!

Junie B now knows what to do!

2009-06-01T03:29:00.000-07:00

Well I've been working on an orchard area in a front corner of our property. So far it has 7 apple trees, blueberries and raspberries. I'd like to get some cherry trees, pear and plum, a few grape vines and......bees! I found a 2nd hand bee suit and smoker over the week-end so now I'm a little closer to being ready. Plus I look so cool in it : )

Super Fudge

2009-05-06T17:04:00.000-07:00

After all the fuss and waiting for the babies things quieted down and we were rather tired by the time OohLaLa gave birth to Fudge. So why Fudge for a name? Well we have Eloise, Pippi and Junie B what else could we have called a boy? Children's literature comes alive!

I've potted up the tomatoes and peppers and they should be comfortable out in the greenhouse for another few weeks. I have about 90 tomato plants this year, and I'm not too sure how many peppers but there are 5 different varieties. Should be enough for a few batches of salsa : )

What a day, what a week

2009-04-30T17:36:00.000-07:00

We headed back into the city today to visit DH's dad. He's been in hospital since last weekend but feeling somewhat better now. He's looking better today and asked me to go find him some good doughnuts from Tim's before I left lol. DH has had some anxiety about having to go into a hospital when a possible pandemic in in the midst. After all hospitals are where all the germies are, right? We were in Sunday morning too and when we arrived home we discovered that we appeared to live in the midst of the epi center. I guess we should have been more worried about possibly dragging it into the hospital instead of catching it there.

We are all healthy and I guess we'll just keep practising our hand washing etc. I am somewhat less concerned than DH. I don't know why really. I had a super bad bug about 5 years ago that really knocked me for a loop and made me examine my mortality. It wasn't a swine flu just some random virus picked up from who know's where. You'd think I would be really shy of walking that path again. Anyway, I'm just going to wait and see where all this heads without getting overly excited right away.

Upon leaving the hospital today we looked up into the bright spring sky to see a huge smoke cloud. Sh**, here we are concerned over swine flu and we're presented with a mushroom cloud. My mind immediately starts thinking...magazine hill? wrong direction.... another Halifax explosion? too far inland-- it appeared to be over the Northwest Arm....Radio on and it's a big forest fire out of control on the city's edge. Several families lost their homes and it happened so fast that several others were lucky not to get caught up in it.

So here in small town nowhere a reminder to be prepared for virus lock downs and then another reminder to have that emergency bag ready to leave your house in a hurry.

2009-04-26T02:41:00.000-07:00

The tomatoes and peppers are all up and doing great. I will need to repot them this weekend and put them into the greenhouse. The foundation has shifted some on the greenhouse and the door is not closing tightly so I guess that is something I need to look at, maybe this afternoon.

It's been dry and warm for the last few days so hopefully it will dry things up a bit in the garden. I tried to wander out to see the garlic poking up but sank too badly to make it in too far. It has been very wet the last few weeks. We've been spending a few hours clearing out the new orchard area. How easily things happen in my minds eye " Oh we'll just clean that overgrown brush and put the orchard over there" Well the hawthorns have taken over in there and it's deadly. The existing apple trees are of no value and need to be chainsawed right out. I'm putting in some scab resistant varieties but the advise is to get rid of the others to keep the organism at a minimum. I have a couple of older trees near the house that are good trees so I'll keep those.

The kidding is finished! & Stupid People

2009-04-23T10:52:00.000-07:00

OoLaLa had a single buck kid today, and he is the spitting image of his mom...sundgau. All went well with no issues for all kiddings this year Yeah! I can now turn off the baby monitor and sleep through the night. Bigger Yeah!

So I am pleased over all, 2 doe kids out of my 100% papered doe, and another doe kid out of my fave grade doe and a single buck out of my first freshener. And my fridge will floweth over.

On a "What were they thinking?" note I received a telemarking call today (yah I know we're on the do not call list) Anyway the first words out of the caller's mouth was

"Are you the home owner?"

"Yes"

"Do you have household security?"

Okay so how stupid is that? Who made his script anyway. And what dumb nut is going to tell someone you don't know who happens to call their home they don't have home security?

Yes I have home security dumb ass, his name is Nick and he will bite your dumb ass.

Look what I built!

2009-04-19T17:32:00.000-07:00

I needed a new milk stand this year. Rachel was a dream to milk last year, so well trained that it didn't matter but this year I will be milking a first freshener. I took the plans for this from fiasco farm website.

My DH was proud that I did it, but I'm not too sure he liked sharing his tools : )

I still need to add the feed trough and I'd like to put rubber padding on it too.

Are your chickens cold?

2009-04-19T04:05:00.000-07:00

http://redshirtknitting.com/?p=269

The lengths people will go to to keep their peeps warm : )

Introducing Pippi!

2009-04-17T14:26:00.000-07:00

And Next....

2009-04-17T10:28:00.000-07:00

Hannah decided to have her baby today at noon hour. Now that's a decent hour! A single doeling and the two are doing just fine. She's a very pretty darker silver with black markings. She looks like she's frosted. I think this one is "Pippi" Pics to come soon.

So only OoLaLa left to kid and she is feeling rather left out. All her friends are off with their babies and they do not want anything to do with her. Poor Oo!

So that makes all does born so far. I'm guessing OoLaLa has a buck.

New Babies!

2009-04-16T10:04:00.001-07:00

Yes 10 days later.... Finally Rachel kidded at 3:15 am. Yes I was awake and there, and am now yawning. So we have twin doelings. The largest was 10 pounds and will be named "Eloise" and the smaller weighed in at 7 pounds and she is "Junie B". Of course those are the kid goats the human kids are Taylor & Tori.

The doelings look almost identical, one is a little more silver than the other and of course a size difference. They are 100% Alpine but the silver colouring reminds me of Toggs.

The Waiting Game

2009-04-06T08:40:00.000-07:00

Rachel has been pawing the ground, circling, staring off into space and I can see her side heaving from kids, so I hooked up the baby monitor and I listened over night. Tom put his earplugs in. Well she pawed all night and I don't know how much sleep I got, but still no babies. She ate her breakfast this morning and I'm sure she was snickering at me. Now she's off in a corner of the yard by herself chewing her cud. The waiting game is on. Of course while I'm watching Rachel, OoLaLa starts to get a messy tail. Hmmm maybe it'll be a race.

Lemons!!

2009-04-01T17:04:00.000-07:00

Citrus in Canada, couldn't be. At least not without a big sunny window and my handy dandy paintbrush pollinator. My tree was in bloom the end of January and I ended up with a few lemons growing but it has suddenly gone back into full blossom again after I re potted it. This is a Meyer lemon and it will live on the deck in the summer but has wintered nice and cozy with a view of the snow covered pool. Of course my lemons just look like bitty limes right now.

Baby Bumps

2009-04-01T16:40:00.000-07:00

Still no babies, but the baby bumps are getting bigger. We've got a running guess as to who has how many and who will go first. First is OoLaLa and then Hannah, they seem to be carrying deeper whilst Rachel seems to be carrying out and across. My guess is Rachel first with 3, OoLaLa with 1, and then Hannah with 2. Here's hoping for does and no train wrecks.

Sense about Scents

2009-03-18T06:35:00.001-07:00

I had the best compliment a few days ago. A young friend of the girls' came over for the first time and upon entering took a big breath and said "Your house smells just like I thought it would". He's often smelling the soaps at the market and is appreciative. It reminded me of something my oldest daughter said when we first moved to the valley. We were on the search to find a natural foods store. We went to a few, only to discover upon entering that they were mainly vitamin pushers rather than purveyors of "food". Finally we found EOS in Wolfville and when we entered Taylor took a deep breath and said "I think we're in the right spot."
This brings me to yesterday. I was reading the Opinions Section in the paper. A woman was calling for the removal of flowers from supermarkets, because of the odour, and she wanted it legislated! Talk about give an inch take a mile. We just can't make this world completely unscented. Scent brings on so many memories, tastes and emotions. I sympathise, really I do, with being stuck next to overdone perfume or cologne. I myself have a hard time with a lot of candle fragrances but I certainly would never ask a store to not sell them, I just don't go near that area. We do need to take some personal responsibility as to what we want to be exposed to whether it's flowers, candle fragrances or GMO foods.
I often have people walk by at the market and say something like...
"I am often bothered by scents, I can't believe I am standing in front of all these soaps and not filling up." I use high quality perfume oils and essential oils in my soaps. Sometimes people are not sensitive to the fragrance itself but the carrier oil. Sometimes it's an out and out allergy to a particular plant. I am "allergic" or have a strong reaction to chamomile. I cannot harvest it and fill up when I use the essential oil, so I am careful when I see products that contain chamomile. Funnily enough I can drink the tea. Go figure.
For those looking for unscented product, I make the Goat's Milk & Oatmeal, as well as Calendula Soother. Both have no added fragrance but do have a warm sweet odour that comes from the oils and milk used. I think they are both great for young children and sensitive skins. As for the scented bars...they are scented to the level that you should enjoy the "bloom" in a warm bath or shower and have a slight linger to the skin.

Secret Weapon

2009-03-15T06:03:00.000-07:00

My secret weapon for fabulous tomatoes is....eggshells. The goat berries are not a secret! Every single tomato planted gets a big handful of pulverized egg shells in with the roots. This extra calcium has eliminated all incidences of black end rot on my fruit.I spend all winter collecting shells. We have 8 hens and eat a lot of eggs so our shells can really add up. I keep watch on the quality of the shells, and if any appear to be getting thin I feed the shells back to the chickens to up their calcium. This hasn't happened this winter at all, so I now have buckets of shells waiting. I keep my shells in a bucket under the sink to dry out and once a week I put them on a tray in a warm oven. I usually put the shells in after some cookies or biscuits come out, turn the oven off and just leave them there until the next day. Crush them when they are cool and add to the stash.

I am going to have a bunch of free time this fall...

2009-03-11T16:37:00.000-07:00

After homeschooling for a long time, we have decided that the kids will be going back into school...grade 8 and 7 at a local private school. How did they get that old anyway? It was totally weird getting a letter from the school saying that they would be class of 2014 and 2015. When I think of them graduating from highschool it seems like some sort of random distant date, but to have a year put to it makes me realise it's coming up fast.
Anyway, schooling in yoga pants or jammies is coming to an end and the girls are excited to be donning their cute little uniforms this fall. I know I will fill my days and I will keep busy but I feel like many other mothers must have felt sending their 5 year olds out the door for their first day of school, worried, anxious and excited. Will they be ok?; the school seems big, will they find their way around?; will the other kids be nice?; what if they need me during the day? But at least I don't have to worry that they're potty trained : )

Seeding Begins in Earnest

2009-03-11T16:19:00.000-07:00

Today I planted broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, lettuce and tomatoes...seeds in the house, not plants in the garden of course. I seeded about 100 tomato plants and more to come. Yikes! Every year I add a few more varieties usually heirloom, and I can't seem to drop the old ones. I still plant a few hybrid varieties but don't really look for new hybrid varieties to try. The tomato line up for this year is...
Golden Cherry
Brandy Wine
Big Beef
Striped Cavern
Lemon Boy
Classica
Roma
Black Cherry
Mortgage Lifter
Woodle Orange
White Tomesol

The last 4 are new to me for this year, but look very intriguing.

My mouth is watering already.

2009-02-22T17:35:00.000-08:00

I was so proud of my roo..what a gentle guy he never even squaks when I come in to collect eggs. He really is a very beautiful Columbian Rock. Well this afternoon my dear hubby, decided to go out and collect eggs. Let's just say he won't be doing that again anytime soon. The chickens haven't really seen anyone but me for a while and Raymond decided Tom was an intruder. It was a little funny, but I definately get chicken duty from now on and the kids want nothing to do him, the rooster they're ok with Dad. My new coop is going to have egg boxes that can be accessed from the outside so this should solve the problem. I half expected DH to be mad but he shrugged it off. I think also being a sole male in the house, he could identify with Raymond's desire to protect his flock or feeling a little stressed and hen pecked.

2009-02-21T18:23:00.000-08:00

I have a new favourite. I know all my children should be equally loved but this one has brightened up my evening. It's Lime-Cilantro in a salt bar. It smells fresh, not really foody and matches the feel of a crisp salt bar well.
I've been soaping up a storm lately, trying to get ahead of the season plus a few gift shops need stock by April. I love looking at full shelves with all the different scents mingling while everything cures.
The soap is getting a new look this year. I have packaged in boxes for the last few years and I loved the fact that they are made of post recyclable paper and that they could be recycled again....however that all still does take energy in the manufacturing and recycling process plus boxes take a lot of room and energy to ship. And so I have found.... drum roll please.....biodegradable shrink wrap!! Clear and completely biodegrades in the compost. Still working out the details but looks like it's food safe and a go. I also like the idea that people can see the pretty soap. I like to swirl clays and add other botanicals and although they could be smelled through the sniffy hole, the soaps were never visible in boxes.

2009-02-20T07:04:00.000-08:00

We had some snow yesterday, around 15 cm. It was a nice "big flake" kind of snow but it was overcast and it felt cold upstairs so I started our second woodstove. For most of the winter I have used just the basement stove and on cold evenings started another fire after dinner on the main level. The house is designed to circulate and the basement stove and the solar gain from the main floor windows manages to heat all 3 levels very nicely for most of the day. Tom and I measured off how much wood we've burned this year....1 and 1/3 cord so far! I think this is a testament to new construction. I guess I should say that the home is 3300 square feet, quite spacious. One reason I am so excited about this is at 2 cords a year we can be self-suffiencient on our own property. And what a difference in work cutting and splitting 2 cords vs 8 or 10.
Planted my peppers last night, and today I'm going to wander out and sort out the greenhouse. The goats are starting to look really big, the first kids should be arriving the first week of April. I had a leak in my hay storage and a bunch of bales got ruined, so now I will have to go on hunt for more hay. Not super easy in February. : (

2009-02-19T03:52:00.000-08:00

Mid- February starts to feel like spring to me. We are expecting another storm tonight and it's still cold out but there is something different in the light. It's a little brighter, a smidge warmer, a tad earlier in the morning and still daylight when I eat my dinner. It's enough to put the spring in my step again. I went out to the greenhouse and dug out some pots last night and I will start some peppers today. Orders are also being taken at the feed store for chicks! I won't need layer type chicks this year but need to decide how many meat birds to get. I wasn't too happy with my dual breed rooster birds from last year, just not meaty enough.

2009-02-02T10:53:00.000-08:00

I've decided to begin embracing Winter a little bit more, after all I can't spend all my time waiting to do some gardening. Last week we did a nice hike with some other h-schoolers and even though it was very cold out we managed to enjoy ourselves a lot and the pot luck soup party afterwards sure hit the spot. This week we have been a little closer to home and I decided to build a luge run. The property is one big hill, but bottoms out into a bunch of trees so I worry about the kids picking up too much speed. So I decided to make a big track with corners to veer everyone away from the trees. It's been a tremendous success and my latent engineering abilities have come out and I've been designing ramps and extra corners. Tori says it feels like a water slide. At this point, I'd say it's about 200' long now and another storm is due in tomorrow. I'm thinking we could use another one.

Late Birthday Present

2009-01-26T13:03:00.000-08:00

I put off collecting on my last birthday present until today. My last birthday was in October and I turned 40! Why would I wait so long to collect on this present? Well I wasn't exactly overly excited about it. My doc said my 40th birthday was when I needed my first mammagram. So today was the day. It went really fast but the girls are a little tender now. I can't believe they got squeesed that flat! I haven't had to have hospital tests or a visit in years and I was expecting to spend some time waiting. I hear and read all the time about wait times, so I made sure to bring a good book. I seen no evidence of this, in the mammagraphy area anyway. I called about a week ago and received today's appointment. I arrived a few minutes early and was taken right in, and was dressed and out again in about 15 minutes. I was actually a little disappointed to not get any reading time in : )

New Year

2009-01-01T12:41:00.000-08:00

Well it's a New Year. I stayed up till midnight last evening but only because the kiddos made me. I'm not much of a stay up late kind of person, not that I don't like to par-tay, my issue is that I'm a 5 am kind of gal. I slept in this morning after such a late night lol.

There's a really big blizzard happening here, so I made rice pudding for dessert tonight. I don't know why but rice pudding is blizzard food for me. It dawned on me as I rummaged through the cupboard for my rice pudding rice that I have at least 5 or 6 different kinds of rice in there. What the heck? I didn't even like rice until I was an adult, and now I buy this many kinds...the short grain rice for pudding, regular long grain, sticky sushi rice (I like veg. sushi and onigiri), basmati rice, and some jasmine scented stuff too. When did I become a rice fan? My mom wants to know cause I absolutely refused to eat the maggots when I was a kid. I guess there's hope for my dd who refuses squash? not likely

Well what am I going to be up to in the new year? Well I'm going to try to keep up with some online homeschool buds and read a book a week (other than the school books). I don't know if I'll be able to keep up quite the same way though since I tend to read about 3 or 4 at a time. Maybe I'll just average it out and do 4 a month. Right now I'm reading The Omnivore's Dilema by Michael Pollan, Wicked by Gregory MacGuire, Time Travel in Einstein's Universe by J. Richard Gott and Invisible Enemies: The Story of Infectious Disease by Janette Farrell. Yah I know I read geeky things.

Mr. Stinky has returned to his own farm. The goat girls did some re jostling to figure out the pecking order since the man of the house left, but over all everything has gotten back to normal. We're looking forward to kids the beginning of April. Bert had some superb looking half sisters so I'm looking forward to some nice colour. Hoping for lots of does!!!

We've finally gotten our wind generator up and running. The first 4 days after it was up-- NO WIND, no kidding. It was really a challenge to raise the tower and then we weren't sure it was working or not. The first test was hurricane force winds, yup it works and yup so did the break stop when we started thinking that maybe 100 + km hour winds might be a little much.

Seed Catalogues

2008-12-05T04:41:00.000-08:00

The seed catalogues are beginning to arrive or be updated online for their 2009 offerings. I can drool for months thinking of what to grow. Actually I have a lot of seed stored from last year for the main garden items, so I'll just order a few new special things. Dragon's Tongue beans for sure and a few different heirloom pumpkin varieties, and there's a white tomatoe I want to try, and a watermelon from Iran that looks super yummy, and some lime basil, and I still have a month or so to add to this list. Here's two of my favourites that might not be so well known but have some interesting items.
highmowingseeds.com
growitalian.com

2008-12-04T08:24:00.000-08:00

I am in the process of making a new feeder for the goats. I need something to hold quite a bit more hay and keep it off the ground out in the field. I managed to get all the pieces cut yesterday, so I'm hoping to get it all together this afternoon. If the weather keeps holding out I might start on my new chicken coop. Maybe I can at least get the framing done while there's no snow. Oh yah..no snow. We had at least a foot of the stuff 2 weeks ago and since then lovely spring weather in the afternoons. I think it was up to 16C one afternoon. Needless to stay I am sinking up past my ankles in mud at the pasture entrances. I am not too sure how to solve this problem. I might get some big patio blocks for near the gates. I just about lost my boot this morning.
I'm kind of disappointed in the Columbian Rock chicken. It's so far off of what we have been used to eating for chicken. Grain sucking, lazy beasts that they are, the hybrid meat birds do provide a nice juicy chicken with lots of nice white meat. We've had 2 of our homegrowns so far this year grace the table and aside from the smaller sizing I've found the meat to be tougher and very dark! Well we have quite a few more to eat this winter so time will tell if I get used to it or not.

2008-11-29T03:18:00.000-08:00

I'm supposed to be getting ready for a market today... but with 2 kids struggling through colds who also have to perform tonight and tomorrow at a local theater production I need to be here. Taylor was loosing her voice last night and hacking away and Tori looked like she was just coming into it , feverish and nauseous...The show must go on so I am letting them both get some good sleep this morning and pouring the home made soup to them today. This is the play they are in http://www.quickasawinktheatre.ca/ It is a production of The Best Christmas Pageant Ever - Taylor gets to do Imogene and Tori is Beverly and tonight is the opening night! Man I hope they are better today. They normally bounce back very quickly.

It does feel really strange not to be going out the door though. My Saturdays have become defined as "Soap Selling Day" and I enjoy it a lot. I like getting out and interacting with both the customers and other vendors. I like the unique items I get at markets too. Last week-end's big event was so so due to the snow dumping we received on Saturday but I did manage to get a few really unique items. The best has been a locally made spreadable gouda ! (SMEERKAAS) OMG it tastes so good. I have the sharp and the pepper. It's gluten free to0 so it's gonna end up in someone's sock! http://www.thatdutchmansfarm.com/
I really need to up my own cheesemaking to the next level this year!

Pre-show jitters

2008-11-16T04:01:00.000-08:00

Ok big 3 day show this week-end.... AHHHHHH. Ok it's out and I feel a little better. I have done these shows before and once I'm set up it's all good but the week before is a little frantic. I spend the week doing the .....do I have enough of this or that... I musn't forget this..... Maybe I should change this display... Anyway I know I'm going to be looking a little slim in December, stock that is definately not me. I doubled molds this summer, but could double them again and I definately need more drying space. I have a workshop that is 14 x 16 and I need more room!!!! I am eyeballing what is now known as "Man-Land" downstairs. It's a space about 25' long by 12' with work benches down each side and get this...running water and a big laundry sink. The previous owner was a professional photographer and this was a darkroom. It currently has tools and various electronic projects strewn about. I am thinking I could slowly move in my ready to go out the door boxed and labeled items and then maybe a few drums of oils, he'll never see it coming. Man-Land could be the garage, right?

Remembrance Day

2008-11-11T08:13:00.000-08:00

We have just arrived home from the Remembrance Day ceremonies. My oldest didn't want to go, we're starting into the teen years where everything is just so embarrassing. I'm pretty unsympathetic to it all, and her butt was there anyway. She of course did not dress for the weather, no socks and a light jacket, and was cold... I bit my tongue as she huffed out the door, natural consequences right? She straightened up by the time we got there. Sometimes we do things because they are our duty and part of being a citizen, I think she got it. At least she got the fact that I wasn't going to let her off with it. My younger was flag bearer for her Guide troop, and did a marvelous job leading all the youngers into the ceremony. She said she had a tear when the uniformed vets arrived.

2008-11-09T07:17:00.000-08:00

Well Bert has integrated well with the girls. I was a little afraid that Rachel would beat him up, but she has decided he is not really worthy of her attention. I suspect this will change drastically in a week or two. : )
It's been so warm here the last few days, so I have been getting a few more gardening chores done. Weeding mostly and spreading mulch. I put a really thick layer over the asparagus. I just put them in this spring so I'm hoping they make it through the winter ok. Tom and I have been cutting down the old apple trees, plus the little alder and hawthorn trees out on the front slope in preparation of this area being re-planted as a small orchard. I guess the more we can get done this fall the better prepared we are in the spring. I really want to enclose this area with hedging too, but probably won't get it all done this next year.
Well must get going I have to put up a few pounds of soap today... on my list of to do's for today- Spearmint & Eucalyptus and Honey, I Love You.

2008-11-08T02:31:00.000-08:00

Well it's pretty early here on a Saturday morning and I'm getting ready for market. No matter how early I have to be somewhere, I still need to have a good half hour and a coffee doing nothing to begin my day properly.
We have a visitor coming tonight.... or perhaps I should say the goats have a visitor. A gentleman caller to stay for a few weeks. My husband is not too pleased at the prospect of an odourous visitor but it's easier to borrow a nice registered buck than to try and catch everyone's heats and truck them off each time. It doesn't work out very well as evidenced by last year's fiasco (Hannah not getting bred)
Well time to get the kiddos up. Both girls usually come with me and help out, but today Taylor is getting picked up to go to Halifax with her Pathfinder troop.
Here's a link to some videos of market...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21z3-zOS2Bo

2008-10-31T03:53:00.000-07:00

Every so often I must venture into the city. It’s usually an exciting day and we try to grab some culture and get to a few stores we don’t normally see. What selection, a store for everything…you can get anything in the city! Everything except good, fresh organic vegetables on a week day. My last trip included a stop to that hallowed ground, Planet Organic. Oh, I was looking forward to this. At our small town Saturday Farmer’s Market I would see the cloth bags floating about, advertising where their owners shop when not milling about our provincial market. So here I was ready to take a look, with my own selection of random cloth bags to see what organic delights I would see. The vegetable case was pathetic…. Avocadoes on styrofoam encased in plastic, other tired looking produce...exotics -well of course they’re tired look how far they’ve come. I quickly turn away like I’d seen a train wreck, to be presented with…. Vegetarian corn dogs, encased in a large plastic bubble, being held by a hopeful child. Um …Yah… OK. Of course I always check out the soap selections, nothing good there either.
I don’t know what I was expecting. I get the best of the best at the markets I attend….just picked organic vegetables, local cheeses, fresh breads, sausages and other meats. We did finally leave the store with….some granola bars to snack on the way home and vegetarian corn dogs.

Mom's Knitting Taxi AKA The Knitting Wagon

2008-10-30T03:26:00.000-07:00

Halloween approaches in a few days and things farm related are slowing down considerably around here for me. I still have about 4 bushels of apples I want to turn into sauce and dehydrated rings but I'll probably take care of that tomorrow. The extra chickens and turkeys are gone and the outside garden has been put to bed, a new phase of the year begins. I am now in the Mom's Taxi mode and the waiting for the little darlings to finish activities mode. Lemons to lemonade right? So I guess I can now get some serious knitting done. Most of the acitivities the girls are in either are too far for me to go home or an adult needs to stay. Here's what my knitting schedule is looking like so far... Sunday--B-Ball (1 hour) then straight to Theater rehearsals in the afternoon (2 hours)and then Pathfinders in the evening (2 hours), Monday--B-Ball (1.5 hours), Tuesday more rehearsals(1.5 hours), and Girl Guides(overlap so will begin again after the production is over 2 hours) , Wednesday-B-Ball (1 hour) and then I ususally have something small and random on needles while I am at market on Saturdays...heck if I fit in a knitting club on Thursday it could be a full time job. Of course child 1 still is rumbling about beginning her Piano again and also riding lessons.

2008-09-03T15:15:00.000-07:00

Some meals in this house are planned 30 minutes ahead of time and some meals are planned 6 months prior. Tonight's meal was the latter. Six months ago I ordered Striped Caravan tomatoe seeds after reading what great stuffing tomatoes they were. I was intrigued. Tonight we had stuffed tomatoes. Striped Cavern did live up to it's reputation. They are shaped like peppers with very little interior "mush" so yes, great for stuffing. We stuffed them tonight with a simple rice mixture and baked in the oven. Yummah!

Back to School

2008-09-02T13:42:00.000-07:00

Back to school today! Everyone woke up fed the critters, and we had a lovely pancake breakfast while we watched last night's episode of Canadian Idol. Then we promptly began school at 9 am. We don't need to waste a lot of time with who is in our new class, since the only new member in our basement class is Isaac the Chinchilla.

Our turkeys were due to arrive today at the feed store. They were late getting in but are now snug in their new home. Two of them look a little stressed out. I am hoping they perk up by tomorrow. They are 4 weeks old and at the somewhat ugly stage of lost baby down and adult feathers still patchy.

Since the turkeys were late arriving, and I knew we would be rushed getting the birds safely esconced at our house, I stopped to grab some KFC for dinner. My youngeast loves it and we don't eat it often. She rushes out of the car barely able to contain herself when we arrived "Daddy, Daddy we brought dinner home!!!"
"No Dear, we can't eat them yet!" replies a puzzled Father

The Summer is Gone

2008-08-31T04:11:00.000-07:00

The summer has gone. It's been cold enough lately to think of wood and cool days and mitten knitting. We've been pretty busy over the past few months. My ever expanding gardens with their ever expanding weeds won the battle the beginning of August, when a bad ankle sprain kept me from travelling too far. Fortunately most things were large enough to compete on their own. It's a jungle in there but we are reaping the fruits of my earlier labours. The kids are more than a little tired of zuchinni and now the tomatoes roll in...

We've been fighting escaping and marauding chickens for the tomatoes too. Everytime I think I have their fencing tight I find one loose and eyeballing the veggies. Free range chickens just don't work with the vegetable gardens. It doesn't help that I bought some heritage breeds this year, some Buff Orpingtons and Columbian Rocks. My research indicated they are better foragers than the hybrid crosses. Better foragers? read absolutely voracious! No "lazy, sit by the feed trough" meat birds are these. They almost snub their beaks at my offering of pellets. These breeds are dual purpose, so roos and extra hens can go to the freezer and a small laying flock will be kept. I was at the point of getting rid of everyone last week, but I think I will redesign a smaller yard and coop. They currently have a yard that is about 100x100 and I think I will reign them in considerably

April

2008-04-19T16:02:00.000-07:00

How remiss -I haven't posted anything since February! It's not that nothing happens, just the opposite I guess.

Spring is well underway here. The chickens are laying a nest full of eggs each day and my milk goat is producing about 3 - 4 liters of milk a day. Can you taste the omelettes? and puddings and I've been making soap and the dog and cat get some and there is still bottle upon bottle of milk waiting in the fridge. Waiting... for my cheese supplies to arrive. I need rennet! I will not say where I ordered from because I do believe it was an honest mistake, but they have finally shipped- a month late! So hopefully this week I will be able to start using some of my lovely milk to make some chevre and feta.

I've got a lot of seeds started for the garden and a few more to get going yet. I'm trying a number of heirloom tomatoes this year. I have grown Brandywine for years now but I'm branching out this year and have a bunch more on the go. It will be interesting to compare taste and productivity. Tomorrow I am going to start tilling the garden and get some peas planted. The spring garlic is already in and up a few inches, the rhubarb is starting to poke through and chives are coming on strong.

On my soap shelves I have added a Tea Tree soap made with goat's milk and some Canadian Glacial Clay; a multi-clay swirled Patchouli bar; French Lavender with goat's milk; and a creamy Anise bar also with goat's milk. I've also had to restock several old favourites.

Living with Ed

2008-02-26T09:43:00.000-08:00

I’ve been watching a new show this year called “Living with Ed”. This new reality show stars Ed Begley Jr and his wife Rachel as they explore green options and the marital strife caused by Ed’s uber green life and his wife’s need for aesthetically pleasing solutions. Another theme of the show seems to be Rachel’s desire to keep up “Jones’s”. To this end we are shown the Hagman residence, Cheryl Tiegs home and a few others who are incorporating green energy options and green building materials into their multi million dollar homes. Then we are shown some addition to the Begley residence from a new kitchen to Christmas lighting.
Begley had been talking the talk and walking the walk for decades now and I certainly do admire him for that and I am enjoying watching some eco programming, but for me the show just falls way short. It has the feel of a shopping show where we can view green products. Yes there have been some great advances but there is no depth to the information. My husband and I have been very interested in alternative energy and are looking at wind generators, Ed installed one but we want more info. Why did he choose this design? What makes it better for his type of situation? Prices?
One of the first shows has a water collector as the catalyst between Ed and Rachel. Ed wants to have this device to conserve water to use for his plants and Rachel sabotages it because it’s ugly. Whatever. Then we see an automatic watering system being installed and the gardener redoing Ed’s garden. How about some real info on using water collectors and instead of some glib comment about local backyard food some real info on how growing even a little food, or supporting local food growers would reduce carbon footprints for people.
It’s nice to see some Eco-TV but this just appears to be a green cross between ET and The Shopping Channel.

My seed order arrived and plastics link

2008-02-07T14:16:00.000-08:00

I put my order in Monday and it arrives this morning (Thurdsay). Yeah Vesseys! They rock! I love dealing with these guys for all my main items. So now I get to drool over all my little packages. It's still too early to plant anything indoors even... well perhaps the rosemary, and a little parsley and maybe just a few peppers to give them a really good head start. Oh hell when am I getting a greenhouse?

I have another package on the way too. Maple sugar taps coming from Ontario. I could not find any locally. The commercial "tappers" seem to use plastic tubing and taps now rather than individual metal ones and buckets. I don't mind checking buckets a few times a day since I will only have half a dozen taps going.

I really dislike plastic these days, but it is so hard to stay away from it. For anyone wanting to know a little more about plastics here's a link to part of a great CBC Radio show. I think it's a little shorter than what I originally heard on the show but it's still great.
http://www.cbc.ca/thecurrent/2007/200712/20071204.html
Just scroll partway down the page to "Listen to The Current - Part 2"

Spring is here?

2008-02-04T08:18:00.000-08:00

Spring must be coming, my seed order is in. I think I ordered one of everything. I started at one point to wonder if my eyes are bigger than my yard, but I think it will be OK. I do have big plans for this year with the hope of producing most of our vegetables, but I have been gardening for many years in a few different places so I know the key is planning. My problem is not planning, I am very good with planning, it's implementing it.
I am "planning" a new potager style garden off the side of the house that will have my grapes, fruit bushes, strawberries and asparagus as well as herbs and flowers. This will be separate from my vegetable "work horse" garden which isn't especially atractive and is getting half of it covered with a grow tunnel.
The other awesome thing I am "planning" is a huge patch of sunflowers. I love pictures of fields of sunflowers and I want one to gaze at. The real purpose is extra feed for the goats and chickens, who absolutely love them! Giving a full head to the chickens keeps them busy for hours and adding seed to the goats' diets gives them extra oils that makes their coats very glossy.
For now, though, I must content myself with my cold frame and newly sprouting spinach.

Off to the City Today

2008-01-25T04:14:00.000-08:00

The girls and I are heading out to tear up the town. Just kidding. It is a big thing though, we rarely go in to Halifax, so when we go it's usually a big day. I have to stock up on some much needed soaping supplies. The shelves are looking low after Christmas and I really need to build supplies back up for Spring and Summer sales. I haven't made a batch of soap in over a month and while I have enjoyed the break, cleaned the house and finished knitting several pair of socks it's time to sniff and swirl.
We might even stop at Michael's this afternoon. I might even bring my purse in with me.

RIP Bernadette

2008-01-23T14:25:00.000-08:00

My Mother in Law passed away last week. She was going to be 85 years old next month and had been married to my husbands Father for over 60 years. It is sad to have her gone but I feel so bad for my FIL who is home alone now, after 60 years that has to be such a huge emptiness.

Needle Felted Critter

2008-01-11T14:36:00.001-08:00

This little gal is my first attempt at needle felting. I love working with this, it's so...sculptural. For the body I did some wet felting of some balls of rovings and then needle felted overtop to join them and make everything solid, adding small amounts of wool here and there for detail. Her dished face, forward ears and colouring are indicative of my Alpine goats.

My daughters (10 and 12) also had fun with needlefelting. They made some great projects too. Some faces, a bird and my oldest is in the middle of doing a cow. My youngest spent hours making different "people". We are in need of more of the basic natural colours so off to the yarn store this week-end.

Play Date for Hannah

2008-01-03T09:59:00.000-08:00

It never fails, whatever is going to make you busy will happen all in one day. I have been wanting to get my new goat over to the breeders befor the Christmas holidays. Nothing has co-operated weather, piano recitals, children's sleepovers. Of course it didn't help that the buck I had picked out was several hours drive away. I resolved to bring her this week-end, but yesterday morning when I went out to feed I found her in full blown heat. The little piggy wouldn't even eat her food, so completely unlike her. It was not the day for me to be running around either, I had to meet a plumber at our other house (completely opposite direction from breeder). Well maybe, I thought, I could get home quick and run her down in the late afternoon. The snow and ice moved in for the afternoon. Needless to say we settled in for the evening, I marked the date and counted 21 more days. I called and talked to the owner of the buck and we thought it would be worth a try this morning. In she went to the back of station wagon and off for a play date. I was totally in shock but looks like she was bred today, crossing my fingers that it "took". Hannah enjoyed her outing but I can't say I enjoyed the smell of her on the way home. So on top of the breeding fee I am thinking car detailing may be in order.

Happy New Year

2008-01-01T13:55:00.000-08:00

I hate resolutions. I am a weak person so anything that is all about denial is not for me. Instead I like to add things to my life. This year I want to learn how to spin wool, spend more time cooking good food, and add an extra half hour to my days. Yes adding extra time does mean I will be getting up a little earlier, but doesn't it just sound so much better my way?

Winter Sprouts

2007-12-13T04:01:00.000-08:00

In my northern area, winter doesn't exactly give a bountiful harvest. I have my root vegetables and am working on cold-frame gardening but I rely on sprouts for my fresh greens salads. Sprouts are super easy and can even be grown in small space urban settings. You can't get more local than your kitchen counter! I have a 3 tray sprouter I bought years ago for about $30.00. Many people recommend jars but I find this tray system so ideal. I place the seeds on the trays and pour water over them twice a day. They are kept at optimal humidity and I have great success. It akes 3 - 5 days depending on the seed for useable sprouts and I usually let them green up the last day in the window.

I use the sprouts in sandwhiches, stir frys, salads and the kids like to eat them raw out of a bowl. The wheat sprouts have a sweet flavour that reminds me of watermelon. There is a variety of sprouting seeds and mixes available at my health food store. I get wheat berries, spelt, mung beans and alfalfa on their own and I buy several mixes. The mixes contain lots of different seeds... lentil, broccoli, alfalfa, daikon... and make nice salad mixes.

Winter is Here

2007-12-11T03:35:00.000-08:00

We have snow this year, and cold. The last few years there has been little if any bad weather before Christmas. Well I shouldn't say bad weather, it really is quite beautiful and fun. The girls have had a great time on the sled hill and I have managed to get some snow pictures.

We have a lot of rose hips hanging on in the hedge rows and they are beautiful against the snow and the evergreens. I see a lot of birds fluttering through too.

The extra snow and cold does give us a few challenges. The water needs to be checked for the animals a couple times a day and I like to change it out with warm water. The other challenge is our drive. The sloped drive is difficult to manage, but having the extra gravel put on this past summer has made it passable.

Still excited about Apples

2007-12-09T15:36:00.000-08:00

I brought a nice layered salad and a golden apple pie for a pot-luck gathering this evening. The apples in the pie came from our own trees. We discovered which trees had good apples and although had some scab, made great pies! I don't know how we would ever find out what variety they are, and maybe some types are not grown anymore at all. So I have taken to giving the trees names. So, let me introduce you. Shirley is on the south side of the house, her golden-red apples are marvelous in pies and out of hand eating. Beside her, Greta has smaller, darker red apples that are more tart. I think we will try her out in pies and sauce next year. Up in the forest we found shy Anastasia hiding when we cut a path through for fencing. Some of her limbs have been dead for many years but there were the most beautiful and delicious golden apples strewn at her feet. We found a few that were still on the tree and are so excited to rejuvinate this old lady. We still have not gotten through all the brush on the property to explore and I am sure we have more undiscovered treasures waiting for names.

The tree up in the back corner has nasty dry tasting apples, they never did sweeten up. So no guilt, the tree goes. We were debating about where the new barn would go but we would have had to cut this tree down. All summer I kept eyeing this corner of the property as a site for the barn but this was the most promising looking tree. Plentiful apples of very inferior quality so easy decision. It really was the most convenient spot for an out building.

I can't say how thrilled I was to get useable apples on our first year here. When I pruned the closest trees this spring I really didn't expect much. I honestly thought I would end up cutting down most of the old trees and planting new ones. Now I am excited to go out and tend to my girls.

My New Goats

2007-11-17T14:22:00.000-08:00

Goat's Milk Soap coming up... Introducing Hannah and Ooo La La to help with the production. goat's milk soap is soo creamy. I also like to drink the milk and make cheese. I make a cottage type cheese and a soft cheese (chevre). Goats are such wonderful animals for the small homestead. They are easy to handle, don't need a large barn space and goats do well on marginal land like mine with briars and alders.

Apple Trees

2007-11-15T06:40:00.000-08:00

Our apple trees did quite well this year considering they had been abandoned for the last 12 years. This past spring I did little to the trees beyond cutting out dead wood and a light prune. This fall we identified several trees that have good tasting apples and we will concentrate our energies on these trees. Three trees have just beautiful apples to be eaten out of hand, and one of these appears to be a golden apple. Some of the trees had downright nasty and bitter apples, I don't know if they have any use. Here is the before and after pic of one of the trees this spring. If you notice I didn' take very much off and they still need to be pruned a lot. This fall I will mulch the drip line with some hay and take off quite a bit more. The apples had some scab so I will be getting rid of all leaves and trimmings before spring.

Patchouli Soap is ready

2007-09-14T12:37:00.000-07:00

The new soap off the shelves this week is a straight up Patchouli. I usually blend the patch with something else but I have had so many requests for a patchouli soap that I just had to be simple. I fed my desire for the creative with multi colour clay swirls, and it is gorgeous!

Around the property I have been focusing on the new chickens but managed to find some time to spend in the garden today. The tomatoes are still coming on strong but the plants are starting to look a little ragged. I picked a bowl of beans for dinner and noticed the next crop is just getting ready to bloom. I will have to cover them against frost. I really hate to think of the end of the garden. I want to build a grow tunnel ala Elliot Coleman and then I will be able to extend the season on both ends. Realistically though I am not going to get that project done this fall.

Chickens at Marshview

2007-09-13T17:54:00.000-07:00

The big evening has arrived ---chickens have come to roost at Marshview. I finally have the new chicken shed to the point that we can add the hens so off I went to a friend's house and bought 6 laying hens from her. They are a year old so just getting past their prime but we'll still get some eggs and I plan on getting a few chicks too. It was getting dark when I got there and they were quite docile. Chickens really shut down at night time. By the time we got home it was quite dark and the chickens were quite groggy as we put them in their new home.

When I put my youngest to sleep tonight she said " I think lots of little girls would want to be me"

"Why is that?" I said thinking she would say something about her pretty canopy netting we recently installed that made her sleep like a princess.

"Because we have such a nice big yard and chickens!"

Well I have to agree chickens are pretty exciting.

School at Home - Year 5

2007-08-16T18:16:00.000-07:00

I can't believe that we are going into our 5th year of home educating. This year I will be teaching grade 5 and 6. As we go up in grades we have been getting more structured and this year it seems like there is going to be a lot on our plates. I am excited about some of the curriculum we will be using and it rubs off a little to the kids. My oldest was asking today how much longer until we start.
I have been pre-reading a lot of the subjects ahead of time and I'm not quite ready to teach it yet. Also our new school room is not ready. It still feels chaotic down there at this point so a few days organizing our items is going to be a must.
I still like the Classical homeschooling model and follow a lot of the Well-Trained Mind suggestions. Coming Soon... Pictures of our new school room and some of our curriculum choices.

Garden Lunch and Salt Bars

2007-08-09T11:56:00.001-07:00

At market this summer I have been selling a lot of salt bars. I love them too. Salt bars are different than my regular handmade soap. Just before I pour the soap I mix a lot of sea salt in. It produces a very hard bar with a low, lotiony lather. They are so creamy and made with extra coconut milk. These onces are scented with spearmint and eucalyptus, very fresh and cooling, just perfect for summer.

I will soon get this added to my soap offerings on the bohemian website.

I love getting fresh items from my garden. I love walking out and seeing what's ready and picking a little of this and a little of that. Today I started with some leaf lettuce, a few leaves of spinach, and a few tomatoes. Then I picked the beans, a few broccoli side shoots and grabbed a cuke on the way out. Tonight's dinner - pizza with some of the spinach and the tomatoes sliced thinly with a side salad.

Blog, blog, blog...

2007-08-09T03:26:00.000-07:00

Hopefully this won't be blah, blah, blah.
I had a busy day yesterday. I made 2 batches of soap in the morning and another in the evening. I was running low on a few things at market especially Oatmeal and Milk. I use coconut milk in this soap and it makes it sooo creamy, I can understand why it is popular. I also made a batch of honey and Gardenia. www.bohemianbubbles.com
In the afternoon I made a trip to the duplex to mow the lawns and fix a ceiling in the bottom level. An air conditioner on the second level wasn't draining out of the window correctly and leaked through, pulling all the plaster down in a section below. It's been drying out for about a week now so I re-stuccoed it.
We watched "Are we done yet?" last night. It was a good family movie. It is not always easy to find a good movie for the whole family. No swear words or inappropriate content and quite a few good chuckles.