Richard was able to get some hay delivered today 
As hay is SO scarce right now, we got some from the local MFA which they brought in from Kansas. Not cheap hay but good quality. This first batch is Orchard/Alfalfa mix, first cutting but not hard & stalky. The cost of delivery was only $75 which was well worth it as time we pay to hire a flat bed & then all the diesel to go back & forth it normally costs us way more than that.
The guy arrived early afternoon & brought it in a truck with a walking floor so it was very easy to unload.
7 tonnes (14000lbs) – 11 bales which means each bale weighed approx 1270lbs! That is BIG bales First time we have ever used the big squares. Wondering the price of hay this year? Each bale was around $115! Ouch! Due to us getting the hay in so early this needed to be stacked in the barn – can’t risk it getting ruined outside. We put big tarps on the floor so no bugs can burrow up into it & then the top is covered with tarps to stop the chickens pooping all over it. Richard brought in one at a time with the tractor. Sadly due to the height we are not able to stack two on top of each other. (Our tractor cannot raise the bale spike high enough.)
Barn smells really nice now
Was out walking the pastures again today & this is how bad they look right now:
Even the “good” one that the cows are on right now is not looking very green. We are pretty sure that most of the seed we put down early this spring has died 
We can see some fresh clover up at the top but nothing else.
Take care,
Liz
When Michelle went down to feed Hammy & his girls this morning she discovered this Golden Laced Wyandotte hen with ten chicks!
No idea where she actually hatched them out but it cannot have been right here as we would have noticed them before PLUS pigs love eggs so if she had been anywhere near the pigs they would have eaten the eggs. We decided not to move her as it seems likely that she is working her way back up to the barn gradually. They have access to the pond down there so should be fine.
Take care,
Liz
This time last year we had so much rain there was water everywhere & the grass was really high,. This year is the complete opposite. Most of our pastures are looking AWFUL!. We have not seen any significant rain fall this spring at all – things are getting a little crisp It is beginning to look a little like Arizona around here, thankfully not quite as bad yet but still…
We are planning to get our hay early this year so that we are not scrabbling around all winter to find some. However when Richard called our regular supplier this afternoon he said he had no decent hay & if it didn’t rain, he wouldn’t have anything later either. That was NOT good news but made us realize that we had better stop talking & get our butts into action before hay prices go through the roof. Right now folks are still hoping for rain but if we do not get any there could well be a shortage later on.
We are having to water the garden every evening. Up until today the temps have been in the 70′s so not too hot but today they have started to climb & we were in the high 80′s which means the ground is baking even more.
It seems like the rain is always either going above us or below us
Liz
LOL! At times last week it seemed like Richard & I were training for the rodeo As we told you earlier, we started out milking Helen & Karen. After the first couple mornings we noticed that despite not having her calf with her, Karen did not have any milk! The three other calves still out in the field were drinking from her! The only way to stop this was to take all the calves. Of course this means that each morning & evening we have to bring 5 cows up to feed their calves. The noise for the first couple days was rather loud & the cows were up early yelling at us to come sort them out. Now though things are much more relaxed as everyone has got into their routine & they know we are going to make nobody starves.
One evening three of the calves got out whilst we were moving the cows back. There we were in semi darkness trying to catch calves! Another later than planned evening
The five calves are happy together & now all have tags & names:
- Alfie (Karen)
- Burt (Adrienne)
- Chad (Felicity)
- Hermione (Helen)
- Opal (Garnet)
Adrienne is another sweetheart allowing us to halter her & lead her wherever. Garnet earned the nickname “Darn-it” as she was as stubborn as a mule! She really gave Richard a run (literally) for his money last week – absolutely no way I could have moved her. Felicity, being the youngest mama, is still very feisty. She is also Richard’s charge. As we have moved into this week perseverance has definitely paid off: Garnet & Felicity are getting much better. Helen has settled down into a very good milker – she walks up to the stall by herself each morning & stands quietly whilst being milked. Karen has had some sore teats due to the boys being so rough so she has started kicking. We have been treating her teats but have also invested in a Kow Kan’t Kick which fits over a cow’s hips stopping her kicking. We used to have one for Tulip which worked really well.
Another great attribute of these cows is that they let any calf drink off of them. You do not see that all the time in other cows. Here is Garnet this evening with three calves on her:
They all eventually settle down & go to their individual mothers. Here is Hermione drinking from Helen. Hermione is a beautiful calf.
Alfie is another really good looking calf. He will be sold as a registered Bull Calf this year – very good, solid conformation:
Hope your week is going well,
Liz
One of Michelle’s ewes had a ram lamb on Sunday morning. We had nearly given up on this ewe ever lambing as she was SO late & out of sync with the other ewes. We had her with a group of ewes & a ram out with the cows but that night she decided to break through the fence & go out with pigs! Bad move! She actually had twins but the pigs ate one! OOPS! (Pigs do fine with lambs once they are dried & up running around but when first born they are just a tasty meal!) We will probably wean this little guy early so that we can get the ewe back in sync with everyone else.
Of course a new born lamb is loved by all & Caleb and Hannah spent the day “pestering” it. When Richard & I went out to move lambs after lunch Caleb was with us. After a few minutes Caleb disappeared & the mama ewe started yelling. Why was she yelling? Where was baby? Most importantly where was Caleb? Disappeared! Richard went back into the house to discover the lamb standing in the laundry machine! (We have a front loader.)
Caleb has been known to put chickens in the laundry machine before but this was the first time for a lamb!
The lamb was rescued & reunited with his mama.
Liz
Ginger has done & is continuing to do, an excellent job raising her crew of adopted & biological piglets. Each morning they get half a gallon of milk mixed with some pellets & of course the piglets are old enough now that they want some too!
Penny’s two gilts that Ginger is raising are SO friendly. We would never have thought after only 2 days in the house that they would be amiable but they are eager for belly rubs whenever we go out there.
Dead? Nope! Just waiting for a tickle They have been doing this since about 2 weeks old. We have NEVER had such young piglets so friendly.
Liz
We were out in one of the pastures today & the Prickly Pear is in bloom.
SO pretty yet the barbs on the cactus are very nasty should you feel one!
Liz
Molly & Wanda are doing a great job raising their 18 piglets together. All the piglets have survived & are thriving i.e. looking rather chubby! The mamas have plenty of milk & those piglets are HAPPY
Liz
OK so it was small, just a few mouthfuls each but boy did it taste good There were a few onions with some small kale & lettuce leaves. When we make salad we add some salt & pepper along with a little olive oil & raw apple cider vinegar. Makes for a very tasty salad.
Liz
For those of you reading this with young children, you may be under the impression that only your kids get into mischief! Please let me reassure you that that is not true! OK, sometimes our children can be little angels but other times they can be absolute horrors!
This morning I had to go pick up animal feed. When I came back we headed down to the barn to unload it all. Normally all the little ones are there with us but for some reason this morning Hannah & Caleb stayed in the house. We came back in to discover that the pair of them had spread a nearly full tube of bum cream all over the floor of the boys room, on the bedding, rolled the lego trucks in it etc! What a mess! The older Richard & I get and the more children we have, the more relaxed we have become and we have learned to pick our battles. We no longer sweat the small stuff – it is just not worth it. However there are some things we will not tolerate, disrespect & lying being two of them. We knew Caleb had been involved with the cream incident but also suspected Hannah as she had cream all up her arms & on her face etc. She vehemently denied having anything to do with it & when Richard asked her how she got the cream on her she said that Caleb had done it but later stated that she had been watching through the window! Yeah right! Both were punished & I spent about an hour cleaning it all up.
Fast forward to this evening……
Richard has been working on completing the installation of an attic fan today. We had purchased it a few weeks ago but have been so busy outside we are only just getting it put in. The nights here are still cool in Missouri but the days are warm which means the house warms up though the day but is difficult to cool it down at night. We do not like to use the air conditioning unless the temp in the day hits 90F PLUS we really want to keep our electric bill as low as possible. When we lived in Maryland friends of ours had an in-house fan that sucked all the hot air out of an evening & brought in the cool air. Ever since then we have always wanted to put one in each house we have been in but never done it until now.
Richard had cut the hole for the vent in the ceiling this afternoon so there was mess all over the floor. I figured the safest place for Hannah & Caleb to be whilst I cleaned up was in the bath so in they went. I could hear them splashing in there but they were happy so I carried on cleaning. As I was washing the floor around the table I suddenly saw water pouring towards me! It took me a few seconds to comprehend where the water was coming from as I was washing the floor but then it clicked. Those little monkeys had been pouring the water out of the bath onto the floor! The bathroom was flooded & now so was part of the living area! Daring them not to move from the bath tub or to pour any more water we grabbed some towels & began mopping up!
OH & if you think Daniel was our perfect angel today, please think again! He came in to do school this afternoon & his legs & shorts were plastered in thick mud! I have no idea what he had been up to. Normally he would have hosed off outside but no, today he walked right through the house. I told him to go wash in the bath but he decided to sit in the sink which promptly blocked up! I then told him to clean up his mess on the floor so he got a towel & pushed it into the corner. Being nine years old he is more than capable of cleaning up after himself so I made him get the dustpan & brush for the floor then get the cleaner & a cloth for the sink. He accused me of wasting time! Oh the joys of parenthood
Still love them though & waiting for the next one which brings me to another frustration. Our social worker has sent us four contacts so far which is really nice of her. However each one we have contacted, we have received the reply that the child is already in the process of being adopted by a family member. The joys of government red tape & creating away more paperwork & work than is really necessary! What do I mean by this? It appears that because the child in question is in state custody that “by law” they have to advertise the child as available for adoption by the general public even though they already have a family member adopting. Totally crazy! Richard encountered some of this when he was working for Fannie Mae way back when. He was in charge of hiring staff to work under him but even if he had a suitable candidate he had to advertise it externally even though no one had a chance of getting the job.
All the above just causes frustration on the part of the applicant whether it be for a job or like us, looking to add a new little person to our family. Now I should say it is not our social worker’s fault as she does not work for the state & is just passing on profiles that only she & other social workers can see. Richard & I know that the right placement is out there for us but patience is not our strongest attribute! LOL!
Take care,
Liz
