Homestead Diary ~ Week 5

Tuesday, August 27, 2019

I heard my husband rush back to the bedroom door.  He beckoned me, “Come quick!” I reluctantly followed him to the kitchen. Immediately horrified by the sight that greeted me.  A cat managed to wedge her head between to slats of a kitchen chair and appeared to be hanging there. ‘Dead’, I thought. My husband reassured me it wasn’t, “dead yet.” I sprang into action and with his help I freed it. I wrap in my blanket and held it close.  Returning to bed I laid it on my chest and fell asleep.  That poor cat barely moved for 3 hours. Giving it options to exercise its bodily functions, by often carrying it to the proper locations all systems were a go.  In that, I was happy and when I left for market early evening, Suzi-Q did not need my supervision.  Within 36 to 48 hours she appeared to be feeling good.

Culver Market, as it often is situated next to Lake Max, was refreshing. I enjoy the people and the cool breezes coming off of the lake. This was the last of the Tuesday markets for Culver this year.  I am feeling a bit of relief. Attending 3 markets this year proved to be a struggle for me.  There are many other areas in my life I long to work on and grow. I am ready to focus in a different direction for the coming season.  I have Wed markets in Bremen and Saturdays in Culver that continue through the month of September.

Wednesday, August, 28, 2019

A new food vendor at Bremen, as Chubby Buddies would not be there this week, had me excited to try a tenderloin sandwich. It did not disappoint!

The beginning of this beautiful day I gave thought to the best way to move chickens around this fall, what breeding pens I want to keep going, new crosses, and how to best utilize the available space and pens.  I really do not want over 15 or 16 pens through the winter. However, I may have to due to my current breeding goals.  The thinking continues for the next few weeks, I know. I moved a few of the younger pens outside into cages for the day. This gives me a chance to look them over, handle them, feel their weight, and decide the best places to move them forward. Some will be for sale and other will stay for future breeding pens (or go into existing ones).  The air was on the cool side, but the sun warm.  As I watered the different pens, I cleaned their waterers with Apple Cider Vinegar.

The end of May as the watermelon plants were beginning to grow larger, I decided to experiment with the idea of allowing them to climb, instead of grow along the ground.  That did not turn out so well. As the watermelon grew heavier, the weight of them caused them to fall off the vine.  One such watermelon had been sitting on the ground for over month. I though perhaps it would ripen on its own. I decided this day to cut it open to see. It had in fact, ripened unknown to me and become overripe. I cut it into sections to feed to the chickens, to their delight.  But before, I removed quite a few seeds to save for future years. As for experimenting with using a trellis for the watermelon plants, I have decided to allow them to grow on the ground in the future.  Most of the watermelon vines I left to grow on the ground so I will be enjoying watermelon this season.

I had an idea to use the dried garlic stalks like mini corn stalks, but they seemed to blah.  I decided to put them around a glass vase with fall flowers in it.  It gives my market table a homestead look, I have been told.

Oh, the wind at the market kept knocking over everything.  I decided on a new table arrangement that allowed me to tie my vase to a crate.  Even then the changing direction of the wind had it falling over.  The heirloom tomatoes seem to be a hit and the garlic too. I plan to continue raising them next year.

For a reason unknown to me, I struggled to keep my sugar from dropping much of the evening.  I get these days/ hours sometimes.  I had to rest before feeding the animals. That too is ok.  I felt good by the time I went to sleep.  I guess like everything…this too shall pass.

Thursday, August 29, 2019

Previously I had planned to go Sheila’s house. I looked forward to our visit. I spent countless hours with her and my Mom a few years ago when we worked on our Christmas CD, Once in a Manger.  I am lucky now if I see her a couple times a year and often only if we plan it.  The visit proved to encourage me beyond what I could have imagined.   We chatted catching up and eventually wondered outside. She shared some of her delicious red raspberries with me as we talked gardens and life.  I offered to help her move her fruit plants to her soon to be new home and perhaps I could have a few starts for myself? We agreed on that plan.  Hopefully, that will happen one day in September. Yay!  Here is the thing. I would happily help her move her fruit starts even if I was not getting anything in return and she would share starts with me even if I was not helping her, but why not help each other and we both win? The phrase ‘homestead lifestyle’ is what comes to my mind.  At my request, we explored a couple of the old barns that were on the property. I found this:

I say it is a Maria powered tiller.  I am not sure if it is old or not, but certainly not common in my circles.  I feel super excited to have it.

I also needed to pick up chicken feed so I made that stop on my way home. I forgot to remove the market items from my car so I could only grab a couple bags.

Friday, August 30, 2019

For only the second time this week I made a schedule for my day.  I like this practice, and it does not always go the way I think it should. Tasks that I think should take an hour take 2.  At times I do not focus as well as I should or there are simply more steps involved than I realize.

I worked online most of the morning. Rosie was a spit fire when I let her out to eat grass. She was trotting around and once she shouldered into me. She doesn’t usually act that disrespectful. I had a thought in the back of my head, ‘Was she trying to tell me something? What did she want?’ I dismissed the thought and she wondered off to eat grass. In hind sight…. read on.

 I had the idea to do an IG live showing me putting the new tiller to use in a chicken pen.  That is where I am going to use it eventually. I will be moving the pens. The chickens have killed off the sod and I will work the ground before planting in it.    Found out I will need to loosen the dirt with a spade or shovel to get the best use out of it. Anyway, I finally got around to that Friday evening.  I am thankful to this tool. As a kid I used a 3-prong hand pushed cultivator in a garden we had at home.  I was in elementary school. I do not remember how old I was.

Before trying out the (Maria powered) tiller, I had walked out to observe the horses.  I did not see Rosie out eating with Dusty and Cider.  I had this sinking feeling and a picture of a horse laying out dead.  I told myself to stop being negative. I needed to stay on task with going live on IG.  So, I did. When I was done, it came to me again to go look for Rosie.  Sometime she hangs out in the shelter so realistically not seeing her was normal.  Oh, but when I stepped around the shelter, I thought I was looking at a horse dying.  I have seen animals dying before.  She was obviously under stress and hurting.  I hurried over to grab her halter, and when I put it on, I checked her gums.  They were gray.  I pulled her legs out in front of her one at a time. Stepping beside her I began to swat her on the rump encouraging her to get up.  She did, but she was shaky on her legs. I slowly led her out of the shelter.  I left her there and headed to the house for banamine. She was hurting, sweaty, dirty from rolling, and painful.  I placed a call and left a message for a veterinarian.  I was worried about how bad she looked.  It probably did not help I had those thoughts earlier about her laying dead.  It was a long night with little sleep.

Here I am, over my normal word count and I have so much more to say.

Saturday, August 31, 2019

Most of my day Saturday revolved around caring for Rosie.  In the afternoon, she was seen by a veterinarian.  In short, Rosie had an impaction toward the rear of her bowel that was removed. Her intestinal tract was inflamed and irritated.    My immediate question was, ‘If that is what can be seen, what does the rest of her intestines look like?’    Going forward from this colic episode, Rosie had additional struggles that would need to be addressed. She has been struggling with her weight the last couple years. Perhaps this the first step in finding answers. I am thankful to Dr. Gary Fouts for evaluating and treating her on a holiday weekend.

There are more details to share then this post had room for.  I may need to devote a post to Rosie and her current struggles. My niece, upon learning that Rosie had problems said, ‘I want to see Rosie.’ Her and Rosie go back at least 8 years of my ten year old nieces life. That is a life time to a child. Often when speaking with her on the phone, after asking after my well being, she says, ‘How is Rosie?’