serafina and company

we have four ducklings
serafina is a bit......ahem.............. protective

protective duck....+ me needing to FEED and WATER them.....= me covered in duck poop

not the way i wanted to end my gardening day the other day
oye

and it was exceptionally smelly poop.......and i know from poop
bright GREEN too

ok so we had this storm the other night..... and bernie ( you remember him right...mr. no more animals.....and mr. get rid of the ducks???)

ran out in the storm to make sure falstaff was ok....as falstaff is in the outer pen....since he tried to kill the babies and rape serafina....
the outer pen doesn't have a roof.... just a small panel and then top flight netting....

all that happened was....his food got really really wet......

my tomatoes flopped over......
and falstaff spent the night in his crate
oye

I tied up the tomatoes...... there are a LOT of baby fruits on them....
i am looking forward to black tomato sauce.....
and canning hopefully 500 pounds of fruits......
after last years abysmal season.....
the peppers aren't doing as well

meanwhile badger the lamb is getting big..... he is hearty and healthy and quite a handful at times
and he doesn't always listen like he should
but he's growing on us

bernie loves him and wishes we could keep him

we can't.....he's going to be a HUGE sheepie when he's done growing

oye

vi

where do i begin.......to tell the story.......

let's see
we'll start with the new lamb.....
there is a bfl lamb on the floor next to me
he doesn't have a name yet....he was born monday morning
and after three hours of life and motherly attention.....
he was rejected
so he came here to be bottle fed
he's doing well and in spite of the fact that he is a bit confused about his ahem.....
species.......( that's really easy to do around here)
i think he will be a fine and dandy fiber animals....... ( is it only me who hears george carlin saying.....fine......and DANDY)

ok
i have put a giant white stuffed cat in with him....so he isn't alone.....he sleeps with it.....and he trys to nurse off it....and me....and the pen......and georgette up the hill......and bernie.....AND his bottle.....
this boy is one CONfused little guy

i took him up the hill to georgette's fenced and private yard to gambol and frolic.... as lambs DO.......
yes we have pictures.......forthcoming

in duckie news....
we have a hatch......but a dead duckling
i am really upset about that...they pipped last night and probably died shortly after
bernie has to help me remove it from the nest box
it isn't in the next....but beside it
and we don't want it drawing anything


speaking of bernie
he's got a new job........as a shop manager of a fleet of ambulances, and a couple of techs
it is a wonderful job...much much more money..... better benefits
he will love what he is doing....i know him.....he is going to love this
and best of all...... salary......so more money AND he actually gets it!
closer to home a bit as well......by 60 miles a day


ok in cat news...... they are not impressed by this lamb
they have retreated to the boudoir
and have come downstairs only to express their displeasure by pissing behind the front door

so far......only the hens love me ( and the lamb but he's too young and dumb to know anything)......they each laid an eggie today....so i got 4


ok......now a few other odds and ends....
i still can't knit.....my hands are pretty swollen
however i was able to can a bit
i got 14 quarts of beef in red wine with mushrooms done..... 7 with homemade red wine from a friend of bernies.....and 7 with commercial wine
needless to say....
i intend on making wine this summer
ha
and i don't DRINK!
hahahahaha
i want red for cooking and white to make vinegar with....

meanwhile the garden is still not finished planted...i got pumpkins to go in
but we got small green tomatoes......bean flowers
mesclun........... and peas
( and the constant slug battle over my beloved peppers)
ok so i think
THAT is all the news......

stay tuned for pictures
and if i remember any more news


vi

Short Vent ***

thar she blows

oh man

ok so i went to talk to the police today, as the staties won't come help unless the locals chief asks the local DA to call them in.

nice young officer, ( when did cops start being 12?) I told him all the stuff
showed him the court papers
showed him the order of no tresspass
the defiant tresspass order
the download from the TV station
told him about the kids tresspassing
about the harrassment
he asked me...'have you tried to talk to him'

I said yes......and he got in my face about two inches from my nose.......
and i am terrified of him
I told the cop that i have no doubt that if jackass could.......... i would have been dead already

i begged the cop to tell me what to do to help them help me

he said.....camera's but that he didn't tell me that
i said..... that's 2550. which i don't have

he asked about the fence
I said yup we fenced...... 6K worth of fence
that they've now damaged

ok....... then I came home
falstaff and serafina are making a mess since she started setting eggs
I don't think she's gotten off that nest today to eat or drink though

i uncovered the beans and tomatoes
brought the 7 trays worth of plants BACK out

watered and weeded the garden
and picked up a tick
ew
now you all don't know how much of a tick phobia I have
so when i felt this tiny little deer tick......... ewwwwww
crawling on my neck i flipped out
and flipped it off
only to have it replaced by a second one
talk about the creeps
oh man

i got the second....... smothered it in vaseline
shook and shivered until bernie got home
he practically had to do a cavity search until i was assured there weren't anymore ticks

listen you know who your friends really are
when you get a tick on your ass
and it is
JUST too far for you to reach

don't ask..........................


ok
then my insane KY sister in law.....( what is with my husbands family ??? are they ALL nutso ticking timebombs or what???)
got some sort of crazy restraining order on her husband by calling him up
rileing him all up
TAPING HIM without his knowledge and taking THAT to court
the man was in tears.
their sons were in tears

talk about a hillbilly hoedown
this sister in law ripped her entire family apart
like a BAD country western song
my poor nephews and brother in law
they were such a close family........ they all were always there for each other
always together
what a mess

i am thinking at this point
that the tick was probably the highlight of my day

oye


vi
til next time




*** like a whale!

Serafina is to be a momma

i can't see how many, but there are a fair amount eggies in there
she isn't setting close though
but it has been pretty hot
tomorrow is to be cold so i imagine she will set really close
falstaff is of course not helping at all
( what would you expect from falstaff)

meanwhile
they are eatting a ton of bugs ......flies included and bernie watched falstaff eat a spider.....oops wrong buggie that is a GOOD buggie.....

falstaff meets me at thier door looking for the leaf mold/compost and his corn
serafina LOVES the little bathing pool thingie that aunt pieheart gave them
( top of a garbage can......hey they aren't snobs)

they wag their tails at me

they pick over the leaf mold
they cut it all up
mix it all up
and i then take it out and mix it into the garden beds
wow they are so much help

shhhhh don't tell bernie but i prefer the ducks to him in the garden
they don't weed whack the soaker hose...........
they are much quieter then him too.........
and peaceful ( bernie likes his weed whacker........we won't go there)

i keep hoping that damn thing melts or something

and LOUD
how can I think with all that noise going on

ok
now we are to get really cold weather tomorrow with a sunday night low of 37
so i will be covering the garden
and then planting more monday

i got the beans up.......this hot weather has really really brought them on
they are about 6-8 inches high already

i put in the broccoli
the one poor remaining red cabbage
the purple cauliflower
some of the many many many MANY tomatoes i accidently grew
and then seeded some carrots
and some marigolds

i have to still put the peppers in......
and seed some corn
then there are the eggplant, zucchini, pumpkin......... winter squash, mellons
oye
celery, garden huckleberry, tomatillos *salsa is in my future*
and goodness knows WHAT ELSE
gees i forgot the beets, chard, brussels sprouts too

the deck garden has lettuce.... spinach
peas!
hahahah
oops gotta go
gotta water them

til next time

farmer vi

duckies and goaties and little lambsie daisies

ok first off
my baby goatie is going to her VERY first DAIRY GOAT SHOW
how about that!
little violet is all grown up and is to be BRED this fall
(tune in this fall and watch ME melt down with worry about my beloved little goat)

we named the female duckie
soooooooooooooooooo
( drum roll please)

it is SERAFINA!

that is the ONLY name i found that fits her!
remember what she looks like?

she is so sweet and serene
he is soooooooooo falstaff

so i give you...... falstaff and serafina muscovy

my duckies!

now as to the lambsie stuffs
i lost bonnie's and arabella's papers
damn
i need them as arabella is to be shown this year and she is definitely nice enough to win the blues
anyone pschyic?
they are beighish and in a page protector
help~!!!!

meanwhile
it's time to plant the garden
yup yup
and tonight the broccoli is going in and possibly some tomatoes


my duckies are helping me by processing the leaf mold
they cut it all up
mix it up really good
and it's ready to spread in the garden
hmmmmmmmmm
nice duckies
helpful duckies
momma's darlink duckies...............................

well mostly it's serafina that does the bulk of the work
( right now a whole bunch of females are nodding their heads in agreement)

while falstaff sleeps on the top of what was a hay bale.................

too bad he doesn't have a beer and a remote huh?
thank goodness he's a DUCK and they don't do that


oye

meanwhile
someone we all know and love.................... who shall remain nameless.....( but is a CITY BOY who's name rhymns with ernie..........)
decapitated a red cabbage plant
why ?
I have no freeken idea?
but remember this is the man that gardens with CHAINSAWS...............

he uses a weedwacker when a small hand pruner would be much more appropriate, not to mention better for the plants health................
the man who yanked UP the ground cover that was pretty and green with little flowers and put some ugly ass brown shit he got from the dump

oye

ok
i will cut him some slack as he is to help me in the garden tonight......... however he doesn't know that yet
hahahahah
that is my own little special surprise for him
that and egg salad I think for supper

oye
but there are tiny new lettuce leaves for his sandwitch



til next time

vi

what do you get when you fall in love?

and plant WAY too many tomatoes?
peppers
etc............

oh man
i have been seduced by heirlooms...........
now I love my peppers...... sweet peppers of ALL kinds
tomatoes are ok in my book
but I got into the heirlooms........

STOP
WAIT
SAVE YOURSELF
learn from my mistake

and whatever you do............
don't accidently over plant maremmano tomatoes........every single freeken one of them will grow.....(and they will apparently TWIN ......and you will have countless pots of them all over the deck)
( news at 11)

and don't continue on with at least 20 different heirloom varieties........... save yourself
be firm.......... you will thank me for it later

we have now a sort of jeririgged greenhouse on the deck
we have tomatoes and peppers under lights in the house
we have given MANY away
to complete strangers
i have almost gratefully watched a few get dampoff..........
( I SAID almost)

i got tomatoes and peppers in the windows
in the sink

i am begging my friends to take two..............three.............18 more tomatoes and pepper plants

i had BETTER have a harvest of SOMETHING this year.............

i want to be so buried in tomatoes and peppers that I come here and kevetch at you all about how i am out of my mind
and how NEXT year i am eatting out or some such nonsense.........

however i would really like to be able to dry about 100 pounds of sweet red peppers
and can about 100 quarts of assorted tomatoes......... ( i don't know why)

and we won't even
DISCUSS the pole beans................... 4 varities of assorted green beans....... then there are the red, yellow, purple, and turkey pole beans......... but that is another post........

meanwhile my RED CABBAGE.............. bernie the city boy strikes again......he decapitated it
oh man........

now you all wish me a farm.........cause NEXT year I need a greenhouse to start off with
and wish me a pretty farm please
with stately sugar maples
just like I have now

and no jackass' anywhere NEAR us


til next time
vi

canning season has offically begun!

there was a nice sale on chopmeat,
how could I resist
so I didn't........ canning season started with 3 nice quart batches of chopmeat with mixed veggies
one batch has mushrooms added
the others are just chopmeat with mixed veggies.

i am watching the meat sales now
i intend to can more meats with mixed veggies as it is a very FAST easy winter meal.
sickdays, late days, and snow days are easier this way.

while i wait for this batch in the canner........ bernie has gone to get us icecream and rootbeer

it's time for rootbeer floats!

woohoo

we love rootbeer floats around here!

meanwhile on the duckie front
we got them a small garbage can lid....... it's the perfect size for a small bath for them
and they LOVE IT
they prefer it to their water bucket even for drinking
we are going to give them a perch this week........as they ARE perching ducks

they really are the perfect backyard pet
no noise!
no smell!
and they mix and shred compost as well as eat bugs!


the beans are up out in the garden, the ones against the tarp.
they are doing so well that I tarped the other row of beans!
what started as a way to protect my duckies from jackass...turned out to be good for my garden!

we have the broccoli bed almost ready
and we prepped the tomato bed
i was going to put the plants out this morning but when we got up
the temp on the thermometer outside was 34!
too cold for tomatoes, but the broccoli should be ok
i put blood meal on the broccoli bed as there is a mole digging tunnels under it
I am sure that he has gotten all the worms out now
so the blood meal is there

we need to prep the pepper bed........that one for SURE needs black plastic to heat the soil
i want to heat the tomato bed and put a smallish hoop house.

now that jackass 'privacy' fenced against us........( I am STILL loving that)
we can hoop house out there without his shit bothering us

so we get WINTER veggies all winter .............no?
hahahaha
this is GREAT


now i think that's all i got to tell you all

if i forgot anything please remind me
vi

duckies bathing......

in their water bucket
I got to get them a pond

they remind me of little japanese monks

they first plunge thier little heads deep in the bucket
then they take a bit of water and sprinkle it over their backs
I sat down to watch them
they do that a few times then beat the air with their wings

i think they are getting used to me

they love the wheelbarrow full of leaf mold/compost i gave them again today
they eat the bugs out of it
and the maple tree seedlings
as well as other sprouted seeds

they enjoy it so very much
i love to sit and watch them root around

when I go and get the wheelbarrow they run to the side of their pen and watch me fill it with leaf mold
then they rush to where i dump it


I wish my hens could do the same
this is just about killing me that my hens aren't safe out there as long as jackass is around

but the ladies do make a lot of noise

bernie said if jackass is gone
we will put the ladies in tractors for the day and they will come in at night
( i would miss them way too much if they were left out there)

i long for the day when my ladies can free range in our back yard.......hopefully on a farm
and my duckies can fly free
with the sheepies cutting the lawn and the goaties triming the underbrush
and maybe a nice little mini jersey cow and her calf happily grazing on fresh pasture

with jackass nothing but a distant memory
displaced by the lowing of my cows, the contented clucking and boop booping of the chickens.......
all the animal sounds

?

and with luck...... I get to put my stories in a book for folks to read all together
and getting back to being an artist

vi

jackass neighbor!!!

http://www.pahomepage.com/content/fulltext/?cid=17523

can we say........ fraud
money laundering
criminal activity
can we say district attorney
attorney general

yes i knew we all could

vi
ps: I sooooooooo wish I could have this clip
but i can't afford the 40.00 for this one

HERE there be DUCKIES

duckie have landed and names

justinius or justinian Cornelius
Octavius Honoria Hortensius
laetres Amalia Antigonus
Archidamus Cornelia Desdemona
Drucilla Eugenia Euphemia
Hortencia Lavinia Lucretia
Falstaff Lucetta Luella
Novella Octavia Odessa
Malvolio Olivia Ophelia
Pericles Proteus Rosaline
Sebastian Agamemnon Orsino
Clachas Deiphobus Diomedes
Menelaus Alarbus Lucius
Quintus barnabus


here are some of the names we been considering

I am leaning to falstaff for the boy
ha
that male duck
we got them home, opened the crates.....and he concernedly and what we thought was TENDERLY called her and went over into her crate

was it a concerned reunion of two lovers seperated for a day?????????????????????

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

it was a horny male duck who'd been interuppted in the midst of his nookie
and wanted to finish

( see what i mean about falstaff? and he is a bit.............ah......portly...unlike her)


oh man MEN!

now i am attempting to associate ME with treats
I want them thinking.........."OOHHHHHHHHHHH nice lady with big straw hat, what have you brought us today"

today it was apples
they apparently don't care for apples
they liked the whole grain bred though
I can't wait to start feeding them slugs


they make a weird sort of dog sniffing noise
like a dog on a scent trail.......and they wag thier TAILS
hahahahaha
no kidding
and they got BLUE eyes
way cool
they watch me
but really they aren't all that concerned that i may hurt them
they don't rush me when i got to give them water or food or something.........
I almost was afraid that i would need body armour but they are pretty good duckies
I hope to get pictures soon

oye

vi

sheepies sans fleece***

(baby sheepies don't get shorn)


baby goaties.......cause.......well you know!


gee I LOVE life on the farm


vi

no news from the sheepie front

it rained like crazy today so hopefully my babies are still 'clothed'
I hope to get out to the farm for the derobing such as it is
I was busy all day......
I had a LIST of stuff to do
one part of the list was to research cow breeds
hahahahaha
( we have to move first huh? )
well i discovered not only mini jersey but dexter.....
so that pretty much is where we are heading for milk cows
they are much smaller.... in some cases much less then half the size of a full grown cow
the mini jersey will give a LOT of milk however
and they will do it on half the feed
I am thinking I am not all that tall......so i shouldn't have too much trouble handling them
with bernie helping with the hard stuff?

with two cows......you get milk all year long
probably too much milk huh?
about 6 gallons a day on an average

and me.............I LIKE milk

ok so i also love cheese and yogurt

and of course ICECREAM............
ok let's see

I gave the hens a mix of cornbread and hard boiled eggs and some of the kitty glow vitamin powder
as henrietta still isn't as bright red in her comb as I like to see on the girls

I am also thinking of a high tunnel hoop house out back
for winter gardening....
we can make one pretty cheaply
even the BIG ones are only about 500.
I am thinking maybe 75. for the one I would like............
and the girls maybe able to go out there as well.....
jackass won't be able to see them..........or hurt them
the ducks can defend themselves............... the muscovy drakes can be quite a deterant
to a moron who is too stupid for words..........

I have decided that until we know what is going on with bernie's job...... we are going to get as much stuff going here as we can... the high tunnel hoop house is not only dismantelable.....
but it is so cheap we could even leave it and build a new on at the next place

ideally i would love to put a hoop house for raising broilers out on the back parcel of land
but of couse with jackass next door we can't
I would like to raise about 100 broilers and 4 turkeys
for the freezer

I been also researching microfarms
tiny farms that earn a living
it's pretty cool if you have a mind

anyway
I am waiting to hear about my bonnie and edmund

stay tuned

vi

Firsts...... and hopefully no seconds!

well my two sheepie babies are getting shorn
not my lamb arabella........she won't get shorn until august
but my bonnie and my edmund
I can't get there to see it
sniff
but I hope for pictures
Carole says this shearer is most excellant and there will be very little if any second cuts
my first fleeces from my beloved tunis sheepies

in other news
we are getting muscovy ducks (accent on the COVY)
a pair of white ones
they will be working ducks as well as pets......eatting slugs in the garden
the hens won't eat nearly as much as the ducks and the hens would gleefully EXCAVATE the garden.

so until we get the chicken palace finished for hens
the muscovy ducks will live in there until the domicile du caneton finished.....
hahahahaha
the home of the duckling........sounds better in french

anyway.....
we will need some names befitting a rather droll pair of ducks
I am thinking...... something out of dickens?
well I mined the romans for calpurrnia's name....... and thaddeaus......well.... you know

soooooooooooooo how about dickens for the ducks

any ideas?


vi
stay tuned for what I hope will be pictures of bonnie and edmund getting shorn

march 31, heritage day at kutztown

Sunday march 25, 2007.... Spin surprised the hello out of me!

ok so maybe turning 50 isn't going to be so bad?
I got the best friends in the world

vi

Arabella at 1 month

and typhoon's new baby at 1/2 hour old


edited to add
my friend Julie is a tarot card artist as well as the author of some stuff on tarot
I put a link to her site on the side.........(it says 'my friend julie)
I love her decks, and i love her
so please go take a look if you are into tarot ( which i am)
she's coming to the east coast next month and I hope to get down to see her

vi

mother nature has GOT to be kidding right?

I am about to turn the big 50
in about two weeks
so what curve ball does mother nature that bitch decide to throw me????

NO not that pink line thing THANK Goodness........or you all would be reading this with a ouija board after I threw my fat ass off a building..............


noooooooooooooooo
she sent me a period
and not just any period......
one of those bring you to your knees turn your brain into jello shooters periods

the kind where you explode and three days later realize it!
cause you can't stand or MOVE for three days

this is old age?
THIS is menopause?
please

I got the chin hairs......... I got the hot flashes and the night sweats

please please please don't make me have to BUY them damn napkins

don't make me suffer the cramps and bloating

I got enough troubles

I swear
periods are only for young broads........us old farts aren't strong enough to be laid this low

a bit of stiffness in the morning I can understand

oh man

so anyway this monstrosity happened sunday morning

last night bernie said to me
you are looking a bit better..........
( did I mention the duck bill thing too?)
today I can speak in coherent sentances for the most part............
although I still can't stand up that long

and bernie wonders why....sometimes I just don't get ANYTHING done

oye


vi

almost alive

In like a lion?

Well march is doing it's thing

hot weather.......bitter cold weather
snow, sleet, ice....... freezing rain

it better be nice by my birthday as bernie is taking the day off
carole and kris are taking me out prior......
life is good

meanwhile
we cleaned the chicken's pens last weekend
now when we clean chickens we always use a particle dust mask.
I had picked up two new ones for us prior to this
the new ones were dust/mist/vapor
I ended up having a horrific allergic reaction............
bernie's ok
me......I went beyond trout lips to DUCK LIPS now
when it hits platypus beak......
i will go to the doctor

I taught yesterday and I am very thankful I don't have another class until the 23
as I think it is going to take that long to get normal looking again


oye
meanwhile............
arabella has some new little friends
two baby lambs born to hurricane the texel/bfl crossed ewe that is one of carole's flock
little violet is loosing her kid fat and getting all sleek and elegant like a nubian goat will

she is going to be bred this fall to mohava the new stud buck at lilac corners
my baby girl...
I will go through hell worrying about her delivering and her kid
carole will laugh at me as usual...
and comment on the size as well as the attachment of violet's udder
I will fuss and worry over her and feed her cinnamon raisin bread

bonnie and edmund are doing well as are the chickens
and the cats
and the roosters...........( they are married now......did I tell you all? my boys have WIVES.........multiple wives! well you know.......they are CHICKENS)

so it is apparently spring huh?
I am starting broccoili and onion seeds today
and maybe some peppers
I know that some time this month or next month we have to get out to the farm for manure
I would LOVE to be able to rent a dump truck to fill
and clean both carole's barns and monica's barns....... hitting kris' sheep shed on the way home
I want to make sure that the tomatoes are on 'hot bed's of raw manure
to keep them as warm as possible as early as possible
plus I need it for the worms..( you all should see the SIZE of my worms)


our annual skein contest starts this month
I am doing two grand prizes......
both tool kits for knitter/fiber people
they will have a ruler, folding scissor, stitch markers, emery, and probably a hand balm.
with room for the people to put their own crochet hook, waste yarn, pad and etc in there

the experienced one is going to be in teal blue and purple
the novice one in pinks and blues

I have to get up to odd lots and see if I can find a small tape measure and maybe needle gauge for each one

that will be next week i imagine

anyway..
I added arabella's picture to the side links
oh and............
does anyone know how to fix my template issue of smaller to miniscule sized archives?
I would appreciate it
ok

till next time


vi

can you all stand more BABY pictures??

sheepies and goaties oh my!!!!


there is little arabella.........and violet!
see?
hahaha
boy my little violet is sooooooooooo much like us........ that is her at the hay rack.....it's dinner time at the farm.





as you can see......our girl is happy and healthy....... she is bouncing around and you can't get a good clear picture of her



here are todays brand new saanen kids........that's jellybean thier momma
you all have seen her many times before
she had a girl and a boy

these little guys are so cute that I had to put two pictures in
they really say spring don't they? and they LOOK like bunnies! they also have blue eyes!