Pioneer Woman at Heart

One Flourishing, Frugal and Fun Family!

One family learning to live off the land, cut back on expenses, and to live a simpler and a more self-sufficient lifestyle.

Adopted Motto

"Eat it up,
Wear it out,
Make it do,
Or go without."
~A Pioneer Sampler, by Barbara Greenwood~

Friday, December 18, 2015

Homestead Happenings

The puppies sleep all night, but get up between 5:30am and 6:30am.  Not a big deal really.  Today they slept until almost 7am.  It helps me get up and going and back to intentional exercise (again).  They don't like going in their crates while I work out, so I've been testing their behavior by blocking them into the kitchen where I can mostly see them.  So far so good.  I have noticed they have exceptional hearing, which is always important when you want "guard" dogs.


The chickens are back to getting free roam of the homestead again.  Hubby's ladder fell during a windy day (don't try telling him he should have put it away either), and it landed smack dab on my chicken run fence.  As soon as school is out, or Son is here, I'll go out and repair it.  

I am making my spring shopping list alreadyI may be ordering the minimum of Rhode Island Reds, Leghorns or Buff Orpingtons to add to my brood.  Hubby still won't agree to guineas, but he is agreeing to at least two nigerian dwarf (wethers) goats to put out in the pasture.  The idea of raising rabbits for meat is still being tossed around.  

Has anyone raised turkeys successfully while raising chickens near each other?  Considering raising my own Thanksgiving turkeys, but concerned on preparations I would need to make. 

If the weather stays on the warmer side, I need to remove my pea fenceI don't plant anything in the same place each year.  I kind of forgot about it. 

Son arrived home at 1:00am.  Jesse was beside himself, and I have not seen Jesse since Son went to bed.  When Son arrived, he walked very quietly through the room with the puppy crate, and those pups could smell him.  They let off a "stranger danger" bark and it was quite impressive.  They are already showing signs of being wonderful guard dogs here. 

We are making a bit of progress with Jesse and the pups.  He's starting to tolerate them, but puts up a growl when he's tested beyond his old age.  He's letting them know their limits.  The cats are starting to come around more often too.  It will just take time to get everyone to get along.  The pups give barn cat Timmy kisses almost every day, so that helps teach them to not chase the barn cats.

I've finally installed a baby gate with a swing door, so the dogs can't get out of the kitchen when the house door is opened, nor out of my sight.  They are truly like having grand kids, but we are enjoying them.  I hope they are still young enough to grow up with bucklings, when the bucklings arrive.
  
Last night I made a sage tea infusion.  I have not made sage before (other than a hot tea), and it is said to help control sugar in the body.  Hubby struggles off and on, so I strained that already this morning.  I tasted it, and it's pretty good. 

2 comments:

Susan said...

I am always so thankful for my alert dogs (even the old, half-deaf one). They really put up a ruckus if someone even walks on the road in front of the house! It must be so great to have your son home for the holidays -- thanks to your creative and adventurous herbal journeys, I made sage honey for the first time and it has already come in handy. I think that more herbal remedies will be added to my to-do list for this coming year.

Pioneer Woman at Heart said...

Susan, I hope to try more herbal recipes over the next year too. Our weather finally changed today, so I'm not sure if I'll get much more from the herb garden this year. I am drying one last batch of sage today. It snowed here today. The girls are all excited their brother is home. The dogs are even excited.