To the end.
Pay attention.
Become proactive.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Tuesday, November 25, 2014
Sunday, November 23, 2014
Meet Beatrix!
Anna the alpaca gave birth this morning. A wee girl, and we named her Beatrix.
She is lovely!
We have separated Anna and Beatrix into their own section of the barn and they have a couple of stalls made comfy with a layers of straw or three. Yeah, I wanted to make it extra fluffy and warm for them.
She is lovely!
Wednesday, November 19, 2014
Empty Mailboxes Are Sad....
I have ordered seed catalogs. Chicken catalogs. Farm supply catalogs.
Now I wait. And wait. And wait....
Anyone else going through the agonizing wait for their catalogs.
Every time I peer in the mailbox and there is no catalog, I get a little sadder...
Now I wait. And wait. And wait....
Anyone else going through the agonizing wait for their catalogs.
Every time I peer in the mailbox and there is no catalog, I get a little sadder...
Tuesday, November 18, 2014
Opinionated Me....
I get questions once in a while from folks that want my opinion on current events, politics, etc.
I figured I would give my opinion on a few things, even though this is primarily a farming/homesteader blog.
Sooo...in no particular order, here are my opinions, for whatever they are worth.
***********************
1) Ebola: Not much of an issue. Unless you are in one of five countries in West Africa or you are medical staff caring for ebola patients or you have a family member with ebola or you handle the bodies of deceased ebola patients, you don't have anything to worry about. Quit stressing.
2) The recent mid-term elections. Yes, I vote. I tend to vote for the person, not the party. In politics, I guess you'd call me a libertarian. Still, the election basically showed that people in this country are pissed off at the current administration. Good or bad, we'll all have to live with it.
3) ISIS, IS, Islamic Caliphate...whatever the hell they are being called this week. They are savages and not quite able to be considered *civilized* in any sense of the word. Then again, I feel that way about ALL Muslims.
Before anyone gets in a snit and calls me a bigot/racist/Islamaphobe/whatever, here is my reason:
If you are a Muslim, have a "live and let live" opinion of Islam, support Islam in ANY way, shape or form,
you condone or approve/support pedophilia and child molestation. No way around it. Even the fabled "moderate" Muslims (that are more elusive to find than unicorns) approve of pedophilia.
Here's why: One of Mohammed's wives was (by Muslims accounts and the Koran) either as young as 6 or as old as 12 when he took her as his wife. He was 50. She was a CHILD. He had SEX with her.
If that doesn't disgust you, nothing will. I do not care if Mohammed was a *prophet*, performed miracles, helped Santa, gave birth to the Great Pumpkin or whatever is claimed by his followers, HE WAS A PEDOPHILE.For me, that negates any positive thing anyone could say about him. And makes the entire Koran a bogus *sacred* writing.
If you still feel Islam is okay, take your daughter or granddaughter, niece or whatever young girl you care for that is no older than 12 nor younger than 6 and give that child to a 50 year old man to sexually molest. Still feel good about Islam?
Remember, any politician that *makes nice* with Muslims or praises them supports pedophilia.
That is my opinion and it will never change.
4) Kim Kardasian's *break the internet* nude pics. Why anyone asked about this, I don't have a freakin' clue. Also *Mama June* dating a sex offender that went to jail for molesting her older daughter.
Reality t.v.? Really? REALLY?
My opinion is these people should: Just. Go. Away. They are classless and clueless. Never watched this garbage. Never will. Wait...I saw part of one Honey Boo Boo episode where they were making *'sketti*.
As for Kim K., I honestly think her mother should have been arrested for pandering/pimping when those girls were younger. She pimped them out to rap stars and the NBA as sex partners. Disgusting woman.
5) Gay marriage. Why is this a problem? Two consenting adults that love each other want to get married. Let them. Crap, the government should not be in the marriage business, anyway. When did the government get in the marriage business, anyhow? Gonna have to do some research on that. Betcha' it has something to do with taxes or fees charged. Anyway, what two consenting adults do in their bedrooms and private lives doesn't affect me and mine. I do have gay/lesbian people in my family and friends. None of them are attracted to children (most pedophiles self-identify as straight, anyway, even if their preferred victim is of the same gender), none of them want to force their views on anyone. So, if you don't like gay/lesbian marriage, don't marry one. Problem solved.
To round up and bring it to a close so I can go feed the animals and run to town to get a few things...
GMO foods are bad for you, the environment, etc. Support GMO labeling. Ban GMOs where you can.
Marijuana should be legalized and taxed. Cultivation of hemp should be encouraged. The products made from hemp (rope, fabric, biodiesel, etc.) are myriad.
Immigration should have better controls. Protect our borders. (I know, this goes against the libertarian view, but, crap, nobody is perfect)
Abortion is murder. (Again, against libertarian viewpoint) After having 7 kids, I simply can't understand how any woman can have a growing separate life ripped from her body. "Woman's right to choose", blah, blah, blah and all that. What about the father's rights? The baby's rights? People seem to forget there are more people in the equation than just the woman.
Now that I have pissed off more than a few people (I suspect), I'm off to do chores.
I figured I would give my opinion on a few things, even though this is primarily a farming/homesteader blog.
Sooo...in no particular order, here are my opinions, for whatever they are worth.
***********************
1) Ebola: Not much of an issue. Unless you are in one of five countries in West Africa or you are medical staff caring for ebola patients or you have a family member with ebola or you handle the bodies of deceased ebola patients, you don't have anything to worry about. Quit stressing.
2) The recent mid-term elections. Yes, I vote. I tend to vote for the person, not the party. In politics, I guess you'd call me a libertarian. Still, the election basically showed that people in this country are pissed off at the current administration. Good or bad, we'll all have to live with it.
3) ISIS, IS, Islamic Caliphate...whatever the hell they are being called this week. They are savages and not quite able to be considered *civilized* in any sense of the word. Then again, I feel that way about ALL Muslims.
Before anyone gets in a snit and calls me a bigot/racist/Islamaphobe/whatever, here is my reason:
If you are a Muslim, have a "live and let live" opinion of Islam, support Islam in ANY way, shape or form,
you condone or approve/support pedophilia and child molestation. No way around it. Even the fabled "moderate" Muslims (that are more elusive to find than unicorns) approve of pedophilia.
Here's why: One of Mohammed's wives was (by Muslims accounts and the Koran) either as young as 6 or as old as 12 when he took her as his wife. He was 50. She was a CHILD. He had SEX with her.
If that doesn't disgust you, nothing will. I do not care if Mohammed was a *prophet*, performed miracles, helped Santa, gave birth to the Great Pumpkin or whatever is claimed by his followers, HE WAS A PEDOPHILE.For me, that negates any positive thing anyone could say about him. And makes the entire Koran a bogus *sacred* writing.
If you still feel Islam is okay, take your daughter or granddaughter, niece or whatever young girl you care for that is no older than 12 nor younger than 6 and give that child to a 50 year old man to sexually molest. Still feel good about Islam?
Remember, any politician that *makes nice* with Muslims or praises them supports pedophilia.
That is my opinion and it will never change.
4) Kim Kardasian's *break the internet* nude pics. Why anyone asked about this, I don't have a freakin' clue. Also *Mama June* dating a sex offender that went to jail for molesting her older daughter.
Reality t.v.? Really? REALLY?
My opinion is these people should: Just. Go. Away. They are classless and clueless. Never watched this garbage. Never will. Wait...I saw part of one Honey Boo Boo episode where they were making *'sketti*.
As for Kim K., I honestly think her mother should have been arrested for pandering/pimping when those girls were younger. She pimped them out to rap stars and the NBA as sex partners. Disgusting woman.
5) Gay marriage. Why is this a problem? Two consenting adults that love each other want to get married. Let them. Crap, the government should not be in the marriage business, anyway. When did the government get in the marriage business, anyhow? Gonna have to do some research on that. Betcha' it has something to do with taxes or fees charged. Anyway, what two consenting adults do in their bedrooms and private lives doesn't affect me and mine. I do have gay/lesbian people in my family and friends. None of them are attracted to children (most pedophiles self-identify as straight, anyway, even if their preferred victim is of the same gender), none of them want to force their views on anyone. So, if you don't like gay/lesbian marriage, don't marry one. Problem solved.
To round up and bring it to a close so I can go feed the animals and run to town to get a few things...
GMO foods are bad for you, the environment, etc. Support GMO labeling. Ban GMOs where you can.
Marijuana should be legalized and taxed. Cultivation of hemp should be encouraged. The products made from hemp (rope, fabric, biodiesel, etc.) are myriad.
Immigration should have better controls. Protect our borders. (I know, this goes against the libertarian view, but, crap, nobody is perfect)
Abortion is murder. (Again, against libertarian viewpoint) After having 7 kids, I simply can't understand how any woman can have a growing separate life ripped from her body. "Woman's right to choose", blah, blah, blah and all that. What about the father's rights? The baby's rights? People seem to forget there are more people in the equation than just the woman.
Now that I have pissed off more than a few people (I suspect), I'm off to do chores.
Monday, November 10, 2014
Walking In A Winter Wonderland.....
The other day, I woke up to THIS:
It looked magical!
Not a lot of snow, but more than we were used to in El Paso. And, I swear, it sparkled ! Faerie snow!
The alpacas loved it. The goats were not happy, particularly the ones that had never seen snow! The ducks were confused....at first they tried to run around and catch the snowflakes, lol! I think they thought it was popcorn or something.
I am currently awaiting my seed catalogs and planning the gardens and such. Also looking for a buck to breed the does so we will have spring kids and milk!
Not a lot of snow, but more than we were used to in El Paso. And, I swear, it sparkled ! Faerie snow!
The alpacas loved it. The goats were not happy, particularly the ones that had never seen snow! The ducks were confused....at first they tried to run around and catch the snowflakes, lol! I think they thought it was popcorn or something.
I am currently awaiting my seed catalogs and planning the gardens and such. Also looking for a buck to breed the does so we will have spring kids and milk!
Sunday, November 2, 2014
So.....Now What?
Land, check.
House, check.
Livestock, check...sorta. Need more chickens! And a cow. Maybe a sheep. A couple pigs.
Now what?
I have everything a budding homesteader could need (well, seed catalogs are in the mail!), now what do I do with it all?
Now, the Darlin' Man and I could just live our lives, prep, garden, etc., just for ourselves. And our kids. (Between the two of us, we have 10 offspring!)
So...discussion, discussion, discussion betwixt the two of us since he arrived.
Both of us have volunteered for non-profits before, and/or did charity work. I started a non-profit when I lived in Asheville, NC.
Neither one of us want to delve into the red tape rigamarole required by federal/state/local governments to start/run a non-profit entity.
But....we both want to combine our love of homesteading and prepping with something that will benefit others unable to have a homestead.
Took a lot of thought....some research...okay, a lot of research....and some more thought...and talking to folks in the area, but we think we finally have an idea!
Here we go:
We have a large elderly population in our area, also many veterans. Also, a fair share of disabled (both veteran and civilian).
We would like to put in some handicapped accessible greenhouses (walipinis, really) and/or hoop houses and redo our downstairs kitchen as a *communal cottage kitchen* for large scale canning, cheese making, etc.
I could give classes on cheese making and canning for minimal fees, and we could allow disabled/elderly/veteran folks from the area use of one or two of the greenhouses/hoop houses. There are private grants out there that could help with this and/or we could attempt to crowd source funds.
There is currently nothing like this in our area...or in the entire state, as far as we could find out. Yes, we looked at insurance regulations and they are doable.
I plan on putting in a shop downstairs, so participants could sell produce, craft items, etc. that they raised or made themselves.
We are still *fleshing out* the idea and finding out the details of the cottage laws in New Hampshire, etc.
Still....we like the idea.
Thoughts? Ideas?
House, check.
Livestock, check...sorta. Need more chickens! And a cow. Maybe a sheep. A couple pigs.
Now what?
I have everything a budding homesteader could need (well, seed catalogs are in the mail!), now what do I do with it all?
Now, the Darlin' Man and I could just live our lives, prep, garden, etc., just for ourselves. And our kids. (Between the two of us, we have 10 offspring!)
So...discussion, discussion, discussion betwixt the two of us since he arrived.
Both of us have volunteered for non-profits before, and/or did charity work. I started a non-profit when I lived in Asheville, NC.
Neither one of us want to delve into the red tape rigamarole required by federal/state/local governments to start/run a non-profit entity.
But....we both want to combine our love of homesteading and prepping with something that will benefit others unable to have a homestead.
Took a lot of thought....some research...okay, a lot of research....and some more thought...and talking to folks in the area, but we think we finally have an idea!
Here we go:
We have a large elderly population in our area, also many veterans. Also, a fair share of disabled (both veteran and civilian).
We would like to put in some handicapped accessible greenhouses (walipinis, really) and/or hoop houses and redo our downstairs kitchen as a *communal cottage kitchen* for large scale canning, cheese making, etc.
I could give classes on cheese making and canning for minimal fees, and we could allow disabled/elderly/veteran folks from the area use of one or two of the greenhouses/hoop houses. There are private grants out there that could help with this and/or we could attempt to crowd source funds.
There is currently nothing like this in our area...or in the entire state, as far as we could find out. Yes, we looked at insurance regulations and they are doable.
I plan on putting in a shop downstairs, so participants could sell produce, craft items, etc. that they raised or made themselves.
We are still *fleshing out* the idea and finding out the details of the cottage laws in New Hampshire, etc.
Still....we like the idea.
Thoughts? Ideas?
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