Country Lessons

Potatoes

Yes, potatoes. What could one say about the lowly potato which is a valuable food for so many meals?

We recently ran out of our winter supply and had to buy some from the store 2 weeks ago. I'm about ready for our annual winter stocking up. These huge potatoes in the photo show them with my dehydrator behind them. You can see the 2 potatoes are as long as the dehydrator is wide. Last year was a good year for potatoes.

I just read the following stats regarding the top 10 potato raising states on a group this morning. The 2007 figures are in hundredweight.

1) Idaho 117,000

2) Washington 95,000

3) Wisconsin 29,000

4) Colorado 24,000

5) Oregon 22,000

6) North Dakota 21,000

7) Minnesota 18,000

8) Maine 16,000

9) California 15,000

10) Michigan 14,000

What is your favorite way to eat potatoes? I'm tied between a good baked potato and french fries (steak fries or crinkle cut).

Egg Recall Equals....

... a GREAT appreciation of having my own eggs and those hard working girls who supply them!

I had to go to the store today and walking by the eggs gave me a great sense of appreciation and satisfaction in having my own farm fresh eggs!

Aren't they nice?

I really enjoy looking at the various shades and even the differences in shape. Did you know that some off the darker eggs only have their color on the outside and not clear thru the shell?

I also enjoy photographing eggs for some odd reason. I have no idea why but I enjoy it. I enjoy seeing the photos of others' eggs too!

Too bad the hens can't understand how much we appreciate the eggs they supply us!

Where's the Sign?

There must be a huge HUGE sign out for the predators to come to my barn for chicken dinner. I've lost a LOT of hens and a few roos over the last few weeks and I've tended to 4 big coons and 2 possums and I'm STILL losing my hens. Only I'm losing some of my pullets I've hatched out too! The black cochin roo that I was hoping would be my back up was gotten.

I've also lost one of my Brahma pullets that I hatched (leaving me 3). The Brahma pullets and a golden + blue hen who was Orpington x Americauna (25x25%) and x Cochin (50%) have been very friendly and out going girls while in the trailer growing up. They had still been quite friendly and happy to follow me around since they moved out with the adult chickens. The golden blue hen was dead yesterday. That really upset me as she was the most friendly of all and seemed to enjoy being pet, hand fed some treats and even be picked up and carried around. She was GORGEOUS! She was gold with some blue wing and tail feathers, some black ticking around her neck feathers and darker red for the skin around her eyes and comb. She also had gold leg feathers due to her Cochin sire. She was the only one I know that was from my blue roo I lost last winter. Her mother was taken in the last month too. What a disappointment as I'd like to have had more of her even if she was mixed breed. That was a dispostion to have and she'd have done just fine providing me table eggs. I'll miss her sitting on my foot looking up at me expecting me to have something to feed her!

I have 2 live traps going and I've dispatched the varmits I caught. I JUST bought chicken wire to put over the top of the pen. I'm trying to get the pen straightened back up so I can start covering it. We had the tree in the pen struck by lightening a week ago and I've got most of that half of the tree cut off with the remaining piece at the tree to take down. I don't have help so this isn't going to fast or well.

Then to top it all off, I came in for a couple hours so I could rest and clean the goat pen here in the house with Lady Bug 'n twins. I just went back out to feed and get the goats in order to eat and then milk at 6 and went into the buck/hen pen to feed. I had another cochin pullet I hatched DEAD! This had to be a hawk. Coons and possums aren't active in the middle of the afternoon.

I am so bummed! How do I find the chicken dinner sign that must be out there for the wild life?

My Plans for the Day

There was a post on a group today asking what our plans are for the day! I thought I'd post here with my elaborated "plans" for your "enjoyment"! Personally, I think I'm rather a "boring" type person at times and that moment is here! So, enjoy my little writing about what I plan on doing today!

I don't have much planned today which simply means I'll be working on the usual borning and mundane tasks such as laundry, garden, tending house critters (cats, dogs, goatie n her 2 girls, chicklets & chicks), farm work (chores & milking), house work, yard work, cooking, and taking numerous breaks as I go from thing-to-thing putzin' along. ;) I need to have hubby hold my goatie girl today so I can start her back on antiobiotics. Her pastern is abcessing again and rupturing open again. It's not looking good at all. This is from the fireworks incident over a month ago.

I also need to get the chick brooders cleaned and the chicklets (and Keith the noisy guinea keet) in the big brooder need to move to the horse trailer for growing time, the little brooder chicks to the big brooder and the 8 new chicks in the incubator into the new chick brooder. I have 10 new hatchlings but 2 haven't made it. That's the worst part about incubating - the weak chicks that get hatched but don't survive....

I guess I can stay busy with a day of no plans! I can have no plans and still put in a whole day's work! Interestingly, if someone asked me if I'm busy today, I'd probably say, "Not really." Now, why would I say that? Habit?

Cats

Hubby's kitten, Bobbi, is growing well and nice and sleek. She's quite personable and quite a character! She does a LOT of hilarious things. We've both decided that we have gone too long without having a komical kitten to make us laugh and provide some entertainment! I'm not so sure the other 4 who consider themselves house cats in the winter and move out side to live their feline lives in the summer. I've gone to feeding them just outside the back door as they aren't too thrilled with Bobbi. Of course her favorite thing is to charge out the back door and jump them to surprise them. They are just lazy enough to not appreciate her jumping to disturb their peace and quiet.

I have a sheet on my office chair for the summer because it's more comfy than the fabric abraiding my exposed skin over the summer. I have a lot of allergies so a lot of itching too. Bobbi likes the fitted corner that sometimes falls low in the front! She climbs in her little make-shift "hammock" and takes a nap. I think she actually enjoys all my moving around so her "hammock" swings a bit to rock her. What a cat!


She's also become the chief laundry assistant and about as much help doing laundry as a gal can use when it comes to taking over the basket and attaching my hands if I try to add another item to the basket.

I often wonder what the 4 adults who come in the house for the winter are going to think come cold weather. Bitty, Fuzzy, Rascal and their momma, Miranda may not be the happy campers they usually are. Bobbi MIGHT find out she doesn't really rule the roost as she is currently thinking she does. The others might stand up to her which will be a major surprise for her. She terrorizes the dogs and chases and attacks them! They have put up with A LOT of kitten antics!

This is Miranda, with the dark face, and Fuzzy with the LONG hair and marked face. I need to find pics of Rascal and Bitty to share with you. The 3 girls are from the same litter. Another 2 from the litter live with 2 of our daughters.

Bobbi also enjoys trying to play with the 2 goatie doelings in the goat pen here in the house. Lady Bug is still 3 legged lame so still here inside. She and the kids do go out the front door into the dog yard some but she prefers to just lay here and be spoiled and waited on. She doesn't enjoy Bobbi's antics but it's sure funny watching the doelings tell Bobbi she's not as tuff as they are with their head butt shoves and rearing up on their hind legs.

So, being it's a cat topic today and I've exhausted it, here's a cute cat joke. There's a few lines that I think could have been funnier but I'm not sure I should rewrite someone else's joke!

Signs Your Cat is Too Fat

9. Instead of "meow," she says "moo".
8. Takes 3 days to lick himself.
7. She has nine lives and ten chins.
6. He has had more heart attacks than Dick Cheney.
5. Have to get special extra-large flea collars from "Big & Tall Feline".
4. Instead of a yarn ball, she plays with a meatball.
3. Only thing he's curious about is when Domino's stops delivering.
2. When he goes outside, people say, "Can I get your autograph, Mr. Gore?".
... and the #1 Sign Your Cat Is Too Fat ...

1. Next month, he's doing a full hour with Dr. Phil.

Have a good day.

A Sunday Silly

Nothing better than a farm joke, right? This is one I never heard before so thought I'd share it. Now I'll probably hear from you all that you all have heard it and I was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. Anyway....


What kind of car does a cow drive?





A Cadillac of course!

No wonder my herding dogs always think they should get to drive our DOG Caravan, errrr Dodge if you want to be specific.

I hope you're all having a good weekend!

Burnt Pan - Kitchen Tip

This topic came up on a group and I thought it might be a good one to share! I've found that putting a good sized amount of baking soda and water in the pan works for me. I heat it and then put a lid on and let it sit over night. Some times I have to do a second soak. Usually 1 does it as it's usually a few spots in the bottom of my stock pot from cheese making.

I just read a couple new tricks to try!

One is to pour coke in a pan and boil for about 10 minutes. And the other is to cover the burnt area with warm water and then lay a fabric softener sheet over the top, cover and let set over night.

I will have to give these 2 new ideas a try! I do hope I don't have to try them too soon though! Burning pans is something I rather avoid it at all possible!