Ducks Say What?

What the hell has she done now?

We're the geese. And no, these are not yarmulkes.

The Tufted Roman geese arrived today. The ducks are much kinder than chickens. While they didn't become instant buddies, they didn't harrass and peck the little guys. Everybody went into the duck house tonight with no problems. Keep your fingers crossed for these little guys. Esther brought me a small and large one, hoping that one is a boy and one is a girl. We'll just wait to see. While I've read several descriptions of sexing waterfowl, I'm not to eager to massage cloaca and invert to find out what little sex organs pop out. We'll just play "wait and see". I've been thinking of names. I guess it's lucky for them (or maybe not) that I had way too many years of Latin. The good thing is that whatever I decide to name them, there is probably a masculine or feminine equivalent. Gaius/Gaia, Julius/Julia, Augustus/Augusta ad infinitum.

Which reminds me - Jelly Jam goes in the mail tomorrow to Jamie and KW. I can't mention enough how much Dulcinea and Agatha (Agatha Grunker, that is...) enjoy their names.

A Pretty Perfect Day

The weather was near perfect today. I didn't even mind the late afternoon shower. In fact, I stayed in the garden weeding until the rain changed from an easy-to-live-with drizzle to a more steady downpour. After a half hour I was back outside in the late afternoon sun, grazing the goats on the still-wet lawn. Bliss.

We visited Spinning Spider Creamery earlier this afternoon for their open house. Chris Owen taught the dairy goat class I took this spring at the Organic Growers School, which was supposed to convince me that I didn't want goats (yeah, we know how that turned out...). We checked out the milking shed, saw the creamery with it's coolers full of aging cheese (Chris had some bleu cheese that I'm dying to try, but it's not ready yet.). Monkey got to milk a goat and actually did well considering the size of her tiny hands. She was more interested in the litter of Cairn Terrier puppies than the goats, however. I'm really in awe of that family. They all pitch in and everyone is involved with the farm. The goats are lovely and well cared for. The boys are personable and talkative. They all are knowledgable and friendly (the boys, that is. The goats are friendly, but I'm not sure that they are very knowledgable). I can't wait until we can milk Dulcinea and Aggie Grunker.

While at the farm I struck up a conversation with a woman named Esther, who is a friend of the Owens and raises sheep. In the course of conversation she found out I had chickens and casually, in a tone I should have recognized, asked me if I would like a couple of geese. I should have run, but I said "Yes!" (You thought I would say, "No"???) I really wanted geese and have been quite sad since I lost the last four. Esther ordered 5 American Buff and 5 Crested Roman geese this spring (10 is the minimum order). They are now about a month old and she doesn't want to keep them all. So it looks like later this week we'll have two new geese on the farm - I think Crested Roman, as she said she had been trying to get the Buffs for several years. Let's hope they have better luck than the past geese. Now that we have the duck pen, I think they'll be safe. Don't you like when life throws you those pleasant little surprises? I was really just hoping to check out the goats, ask a few questions and pick up some more fresh chevre and now I get a few geese as well.

Liz has tagged me for a photo of my favorite view from home, so here it is:

The view from my office.

Life does indeed toss us some good little treats every now and again.

Addendum: Thanks to Liz for pointing out that my goose link was not quite right. Now you may check them out!

Barnyard Confusion

On Friday Gigi the Chicken was setting on Number Four's nest. Number Four was setting on Number Three's nest and Number Three was setting on an empty nest. At first, I thought that Gigi was just taking her time depositing yet another egg on Number Four's mound. She stayed all day. Perhaps she was offering Number Four a little time away from the kids, because yesterday morning everything was back to normal. Is it just me, or do my chickens have issues?

I'm allowing them to carry on in this manner as I have enough daily eggs and enough chickens. And they seem to want desperately to set, so I'll amuse them. If I actually get some chicks, it will be an amazing thing.

Another animal with issues is Louis the Royal PalmTurkey (You see, he's named because he gets to stay). He seems to have developed a crush on Juliette, the Cochin hen. She's not returning his affection and I'm not sure about how I feel about this interspecies attraction. Luckily his attention span seems rather short and hopefully he'll turn his attention to one of the Royal Palm hens soon.

Must...Raise...Family

I find no rhyme or reason in why two of my hens would decide to go broody on me. I also can't figure out why one of them is setting on an empty nest. Dominique #4 (I hate to admit it, but I just can't tell the surviving Dominiques apart - so they never got proper names) felt her biological clock ticking last week. I don't mind her having a few eggs to hatch, but because all the hens love to lay their eggs in the same nesting box, she is now sitting on 19 eggs. Yes, 19 eggs, damn her. Her sister, #3, decided to follow #4's lead and started setting in the nesting box next door - only she's not setting on any eggs. Let's just say that #3 might not be that bright.

Tonight, after getting two eggs in two days (at least one hen has refused to lay in #4's vicinity), I shooed #4 off of her nest for a minute and counted the eggs and numbered them with my handy-dandy Sharpie pen. I took pity on #3 and placed four eggs under her. Perhaps sometime in mid-June we'll have even more babies at Little Creek Farm. Of course, I'm planning on being out of town and in the North Georgia mountains when the chicks are due, but more on that later.

Let Me Introduce To You...

Dulcinea and Agatha!

The names were chosen by Monkey after much consideration. I have to add that Agatha is only our little blonde goat's first name. Monkey wanted to call her Grunker (???). Then Fatty Grunker (!?!) and finally Sunday morning she settled on Agatha Grunker (which sounds like a great name for a character in a book). Congratulations to Jamie and KW, respectively for the name suggestions. I will be sending you a jar of Strawberry Jelly Jam.

The girls are settling in quite nicely. Yesterday I took them for a browsing walk around the perimeter of the yard. They are quite fun to walk and better behaved than say, Chelsea, on a leash, er, lead rope. They greet us when we go down to the pens and seem to be content. Agatha, who has already been called Aggie, is the leader of the two. She's rather bold and inquisitive. Dulcinea/Dulcie is more timid, but sweet. She's very concerned about the dogs and poultry. She seems at the moment to be following Aggie's lead.

As they checked the goat's records out before I brought them home, it was noted that these two are twins (believe it, or not). Their mother is not Cow Girl, as Erin thought, but Delia. And I had their father's name wrong. It's not Dudley, but Conway. You can see how I'd confuse those two, right?? They turned a year old on May 3.

In other barnyard news, the lucky ducks have their own pen now - complete with pool/day spa, house and grass. As Charlie (yeah, I've decided to use his real name because Big Daddy takes longer to type) puts up the rest of the barnyard fencing, they'll be able to wander out on their own. For now, let's hope they're secure from the bad dogs.

The garden is keeping me busy as well. Cucumbers and beans are coming up. I need to plant more and get my second round of sunflowers in. I've also got to plant melons and pumpkins and get more of the flowers started. I've got a lot of work to do before I can enjoy Memorial Day...

This Is What We're Made For!

Jamie has had an overload of cuteness on her blog with her new baby birds. I thought I'd share yesterday's cuteness overload here at Little Creek Farm.

The lucky ducks had their first swimming excursion in their new "pond". Here are Black, White, Black Two and Buffy. I'm not giving them names until I know if they are boys or girls. Buffy has started quacking (a lot!), so I'm going to assume she's a girl. Ah, the bliss of being a duck.

I'm off in about an hour to pick up Dudley's girls, so be prepared for some caprine cuteness to follow.

Toil, Toil, Toil

I've spent the last several days planting, weeding and trying to get the goat pen ready for the girl's arrival on Saturday. Big Daddy is out of town, so that leaves lots of construction and perfecting to me. I've finally started staining the chicken coop - a lovely blue/grey. I've converted the new east wing into a feed room. The turkeys will just have to live with the chickens. Once I removed the chicken feed cans from the coop, there was plenty of room for all our avian charges. The little goat shed is full of nice straw bedding and I've cleaned out lots of little trees and overhanging branches around the pen, so they'll have more light.

I went to the feed store this morning and stocked up on goat chow, alfalfa hay and mineral salts. I need to find another source for my alfalfa because the feed store charges $9 a bale (it is close to 89 pounds, but still). Growing up in the midwest definitely spoiled me on my feed costs. I need to go buy some baking soda. I was hoping the feed store would have livestock grade, but no. Goats need baking soda to keep their rumens happy, so I'm off to the grocery store later.

My blog has been acting funny. I'm only able to see my last post with comments - odd. Let's hope it works itself out soon.

Keep those goat names coming!

Goats Ahoy!

I crossed the Eastern Continental Divide this morning and went to look at goats. I'll be bringing two of them home on Saturday morning. They are two sweet little girls and at least one seems to have a good milking potential. I was wrong in my first mention of them. Their daddy is a rather handsome cream colored Nigerian Dwarf named Dudley and their mommas are La Manchas.




The first looks a lot like her daddy, Dudley. She just didn't want to pose for the camera, but did enjoy a good ear rub and back scratch before she wandered off. Trust me she is quite adorable and reminds me of the goats I had in Africa. The picture doesn't do her light golden coat justice.



The second looks more like her mother, Cow Girl, but with ears (La Manchas have very short or almost non-existant ears; for those of you who didn't check the link above). She's all sleek and svelte. Her udders are very nice and I think based on her mother's and father's records will be a good milker. As you can tell, she likes to pose.

It was fun to visit the farm today. One of Monkey's classmate's mother manages the farm. We chatted and she showed me the milking operation and the new soon-to-open creamery. All the little babies were so cute (I swear baby goats are cuter than labrador puppies!). It gave me courage to try this new venture. All the does just come up and want to be petted and have their ears scratched. The bucks were all friendly now that breeding is done and recieved a fair amount of fawning over. They are smart enough to spot a sucker (that would be me...). Along with the goats, there were chickens and emus. The emus were interesting, but not something I want. The male was growling. I don't need any birds that can growl.

Both of these does are being sold because they will be too small to fit in the owner's new milking stanchions. And she is setting up her new creamery for Grade A status, which means everything is pretty uniform. But they should be good for us. We just have to find a nice small (preferably for the first breeding, Nigerian) buck to breed them to this fall, so they can have kids and freshen for next year. Then it's cheese for everyone!

Now here's the rub. They don't have names (They've both been known as Dudley's girls). I have to come up with names. If we leave it up to Monkey they'll both have princess names or be called Gigi. So that's where you come in. Send me your suggestions. We here at Little Creek Farm will choose the winners. Your prize will be the satisfaction of naming a cute little goat and a jar of Big Daddy's Now Famous Strawberry Jelly Jam! Entries will be taken until Sunday 8:00 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. Enter as often as you like.

Let the naming begin!

Damn the Luck

Or the lack of it. I have no luck with waterfowl. None at all. I was gone last evening for a couple of hours. The ducklings and goslings were in their new pen, where they had happily played all day. I came home and asked Big Daddy if he had put them up. No. When he went down to put them up, he could only find five. Seven ducks and four geese had vanished. We've found several bodies - not all, in the woods. B.D. swears our dogs were inside. It's a mystery. If it were one or two I would have thought a fox did it. If the little carcasses were laying around their yard, I would have blamed the dogs. It's like they were whisked away by something, all ELEVEN of them. I have no clue what. I'm once again left with this ache and this loss. Last night I was pretty much inconsolable. Today I'm remorseful, mournful and exhausted.

Still, there are five ducks left - two Pekins, two Cayugas and one Buff. And while they are a little skittish today, they seem no worse for the wear. I've left them inside. They are sharing digs with one little Wyandotte chick. I gave some eggs to a neighbor's son to hatch for his class project. One out of three hatched. Pikachu has come back to our house to live, only he's too young to go in with the other chickens yet and I really wanted my studio to be bird-free again. He's got a swank dog crate under a light with his food and water well out of reach of the piglets, er, I mean ducklings. We're down to five - let's hope four are girls and one is a boy. Keep those fingers crossed.

Back On Schedule

My mother left this morning. We are trying to get back to the daily ebb and flow of life up here on the mountain. So far, so good.

Monkey's birthday was yesterday. She is now four and had proclaimed that she is a big girl now and we should all treat her as such. Jeesh. Her birthday party was Saturday and she and seven little girlfriends (no boys allowed!) enjoyed a tea party and her new play set/fort/castle/pirate ship. They were all well behaved and finished off the morning with this...

That's strawberry cream cheese filling wedged between three layers of decadently rich chocolate cake coated in strawberry buttercream and topped with pink fondant cherry blossoms. Just thinking about it now makes my teeth ache and my arteries collapse, but it sure tasted fabulous, if I may say so myself. Hey, you are only four once, right?

In other news, we are trying to purchase a piece of land next to ours. It has gone into foreclosure and the bank says we have first dibs, but we have to wait a month (or more) while they finalize details and so many things can happen in a month and I tend to be a worrier, and I really want that land... you get the picture. So keep your fingers crossed for us, will you?

I have located two young Alpine/Nigerian dairy goat does. Big Daddy just finished the goat shed, so I may be getting them. They aren't freshened, but will be ready to breed in the fall - so we can have babies and milk next spring. They were sort of a mistake (wrong daddy) last year, but they are supposed to be very sweet and have a good milking lineage on both sides, so they may be just perfect for us.

How My Mother and I Chose to Spend Our Afternoon

Is there any other way to spend a lovely spring afternoon after the rain storms have passed and the weeding is done?

A Beautiful Spring Day and Everyone is Outside

"O.K. Which one of us wants to try to get past Maggie and have a go at the ducks???" "What's a duck?" "Taste like goose."









"O.K Which one of us want to try to get past Maggie and have a go at the dogs???" "What's a dog?" "I think we should send the geese."


*No animals were hurt in the process of making this post. All are fine and dandy.

Arrival Pending

My mother touches down at the Asheville Airport in approximately 45 minutes. I just noticed that there are short red dog hairs all over the black couch in the guest room. eek.

duck, duck, GOOSE!

I haven't really mentioned the new batch of ducklings and goslings. They are now three weeks old and are quite precocious. I was waiting for a formal portrait outside on the lovely spring grass, but the weather has not been cooperating. They are quite vocal, the whole lot of them. I've yet to name the ducks. The geese, however, quickly acquired names. The two Brown Chinese with their elegant long necks are Mulan (it's Monkey's doing - everything Disney...) and General Tso. The Toulouse are Lucinda and Marcel.

You really can't do anything near their brooder pen without the geese telling you how to do it correctly. And the ducks all move in blustery herd of peeping from one end of the pen to the other anytime I approach.

So I give you the first glimpse of the water fowl. That would be General Tso demanding more baby spinach in his diet.

Talking Turkey

Our turkey poults are interesting creatures. They are more tender in constitution than the chickens. We've lost two to unknown reasons. I found one of the bronze poults laying on her side yesterday morning when I went to open the hen house door. She was still alive, but barely. The poor little thing died in my arms.

I think the turkeys suspect that they most of them may not make it past late fall. Each one vies for my attention and tries to get on my good side. One little white one has taken to flying into my arms every time I enter the run. I like to take a 5 gallon bucket into the run and sit on it among the young chicks. That way they can get used to me. They particularly like it when I bring treats. Watermelon is one of their favorites. This same turkey and one other like to come and sit on my lap. Then they take on the persona of a house cat and nuzzle and want to be petted. I will have to put an end to this soon. One reason is that a grown turkey flying up into my arms will probably not be so cute. The other reason would be that I really can't be petting my dinner, now can I?

No Idle Hands Here

The mountains are finally green. Well, the lower elevations are green at least. It seemed to happen overnight. It's amazing what a week of wet weather will do. We've had some cooler weather and I've been cautious about putting things out in the garden. Yesterday I did plant some filet beans and wax beans. The corn went in on Sunday and the potatoes are coming up. I think I'll wait until near Mother's Day to plant the tomatoes and cucumber seeds. That seemed to work quite well last year. Black-eyed peas may go into the ground this weekend, if all goes well.

Yesterday was the start of the Eat Local Challenge. I had a school board meeting (how I got talked into being on Monkey's school's board I don't know...). So dinner was sort of a free for all. I had leftover Bath County Steak on top of fresh greens from the garden. I think Monkey ate South Carolina Strawberries and something involving cheese. Big Daddy skipped dinner all together as he was busy making his contribution to the local food chain...

Behold! South Carolina Strawberry Jam. 24 half pints of yumminess. Monkey started off her day this morning with a healthy spread of "Big Daddy's Strawberry Jelly Jam" on a homemade biscuit. She then demanded two jars to take to her teacher and teacher's aide. I complied with her wishes as we should share the wealth when we can.

My big challenge today will be to come up with dinner. I have a meeting tonight. Normally on Tuesdays Big Daddy and Monkey eat out. B.D. generally takes her to a locally owned restaurant, so I may just leave it at that tonight. For me, there's always fresh lettuce and morrells when I get home...

No Rest For The Weary

The rain finally let up yesterday afternoon. Today I prepped the tomato rows, although it will be a few more weeks before I can put them in the ground. I'm planning on Mother's Day. We've been pulling radishes out of the ground and I harvested a bowl of baby lettuce and spinach today. The rather warm weather is pushing up the asparagus before I was prepared to eat it, but I'm not complaining. If this rather warm weather continues, it will be time to plant beans, corn and squash soon.

A Little Barnyard Tragedy

There is a dark cloud over the henhouse tonight. Although they could be celebrating for all we know - who really understands the avian brain? We were all down by the henhouse this afternoon - Big Daddy was working on the Turkey Extension, I was cleaning the coop, and Monkey was picking flowers. All was sweet and country heaven-like. The chicks were outside enjoying the sunshine. The grownup birds were free-ranging. Biscuit was laying on the sprouting carrots, Chelsea was soaking up sun in the middle of the yard, Gigi was whining because I was in the henhouse and she couldn't see me...

Mooney the Rooster made a fatal mistake. He attacked the Monkey. We're not talking a slight peck. He flew at her, scratched her arm, her neck, her nose and cut her lip. There was terrified screaming. It was not a sound I (or probably any mother) want to hear. Ever.

When Big Daddy rushed to get him off of her, he flew at B.D. I took Monkey to comfort her and told B.D. to catch the rooster and I would end it right then and there. (Big Daddy can be a little sqeamish about the whole killing thing... Well, B.D. threw his hammer and hit the foul bird in the head. It was the end of Mooney. Rest In Peace. (I have to add that while Mooney frequently was aggressive to others, he hadn't attacked Monkey before and never attacked me.) Like I said, who understands the avian mind? I don't know why Mooney would attack and continue to attack one small little girl picking flowers. I felt some remorse, but nobody messes with my Monkey. Nobody.

We weren't feeling that practical nor farmerly (I know it's not a word, but I'm using it anyway). No one wanted to stop what they were doing to clean and process the dead wacko rooster, so B.D. took him into the woods to bury him. That's when he discovered these...














Morrel mushrooms. Springtime Woodland's heavenly treat. I'm so excited. I'm just upset that for two years, they've been there and we didn't know it. Lost a rooster, gained some mushrooms. I'll call it a fair trade. And I'll be spending a lot of time in the woods for the next several days.

Drip, Drip, Drop Little April Showers...

The thunder woke me at 5:00 this morning. We had a nice long rain, which was much needed. I've been hand-watering the garden everyday. I hate watering, although it does give me time to stand and ponder what to stick in the ground next. This week I've transplanted lettuce, planted potatoes, english peas, snow peas, carrots and shallots. I spent a lot of time lining the aisles with layers of newspaper (which I've been hoarding all winter) and then adding a layer of mulch. The corn area is primed and waiting, as is the first row for green beans and Jacob's Cattle beans. My next chore is prepping the tomato beds. I don't yet trust the weather with those little babies. They are hanging out in the garage under lights and have all been transplanted into larger pots (styrofoam cups!)

EAT LOCAL CHALLENGE

The Eat Local Challenge is in May. Jamie got me hooked last year. May is a little early in the mountains to find all our usual favorites, but we are game to try. Big Daddy and I decided we would aim for one meal a day to be totally local and try to search out other local fare as our schedules allow. This will be a wonderful challenge to find things in their season to munch on. Luckily, the farmers' and tailgate markets are all starting up and we will be able to locate lots of goodies. We are lucky that Asheville and the surrounding areas have some wonderful growers. Last year the Challenge really encouraged me to locate food grown in my area. It also inspired me to grow even more varied produce, can and store more of my own food. I've met some fascinating people that I probably wouldn't have had the chance to meet, had I not been looking for local farmers and food artisans.

We will mainly be focusing on Western North Carolina, but will get some things from the rest of the state and South Carolina. We are also including Bath County, Virginia. Big Daddy is working on a rather large project up there and has been spending at least half of the week up there. He's located some really good sources for locally grown foods and for us it's semi-local. I was thinking awfully hard about coffee. I am addicted to caffeine and need that morning cup. Big Daddy saved the day. He's also working on a project in Cherokee, NC with the Eastern Band of the Cherokee and he came across Tribal Grounds Coffee. There's another reason to love the man...

The sun has come out and I must get back into the garden for awhile. I just finished baking a lovely blueberry/blackberry cobbler made with the last of last summer's berries and two loaves of Oatmeal Porter Bread to take to dinner with the Bishop tonight. "Dinner with the Bishop" sounds so hoity toity, but it's not...trust me. Oh and I have to go keep Monkey under control as it is spring break and she's itching to get into trouble...

At Last!

Here it is - ta da! The first spear of the year. There are three more. Should I be patient and wait for Big Daddy to come home on Friday to share, or should I keep this our little secret and gobble them up myself? Decisions, decisions....







And on another note. I picked up these two girls yesterday. They are Partridge Cochins. They are nine weeks old. By the time they mature they will weigh close to 10 pounds. Now that's a big chicken! Look at the feathers on their feet. Odd. But they are rather sweet and quiet. They don't seem as haughty as the Uppity Chickens. Today they had a brief visit (in the photo they are in a dog ex-pen) with the Uppity Chickens. The Uppity Chickens were not so pleased. Mean old biddies...

Monkey named them Belle and Chicken. Belle is the one on the left in case you were wondering.

Blooming

Tulips and one naughty duck-eating dog.

What's That Smell?

I found ramps at the Asheville Farmer's Market this morning. I was only going to buy one bunch to experiment with. However, we asked the vendor if you could plant these and she said, "yes." She said that's what she does with the ones that don't sell. She even told us what sort of location they thrive in and how to plant them. I bought 3 bunches! So one bunch will be cleaned and cooked tomorrow and the other two will go in my top secret woodland patch along with the ginseng and goldenseal. Sshhh... it's very top secret...

For those of you unfamiliar with ramps(and it is easy to be unfamiliar with this member of the lily family), it is a relative of onions and garlic and is native only to Southern Appalachia. It has been a local favorite for longer than those of us of European descent have been around. It is only available for a short time each spring because after it blooms the leaves die back down and there's nothing again until the following spring. Lately its fame has spread far from its native soil, which has lead to overharvesting in some areas. Some people, like the woman at the Farmer's Market, have started to cultivate it and protect it. It is rather strong in odor, tastes great fried, in grits (this is the south!), sauteed with potatoes, and if you are really brave - raw. However, I think it is at its most noble stuffed into a freshly caught brook trout and cooked over coals. Trout season opened last weekend and I am slightly bummed that we missed the trout and ramp festival down in Cherokee. I'm going to have to find some trout. I'm sure Big Daddy won't mind if I send him fishing...

If you are lucky enough to find ramps, go easy - If you eat too many of them, your skin will smell of them for days. The smell in the kitchen was so great, I had to move them to the back porch. The only other delicacy I've had to do that with is Morbier cheese.

Burning and Blooming

Yesterday evening we were on alert as there was a forest fire in our valley. They finally stopped it last night about a quarter mile from our house. "Let's see, it's dry and it's very windy - what shall we do? Oh, I know! Let's burn some brush." Not to mention that there is a fire ban in the county... A total of 10 acres burned. Did you catch the quarter mile from my house???

Today the inbred, erh, irritating individuals down the hill (you'll remember them, I've mentioned them frequently - Confederate flags, pit bulls, Trans Am on blocks, old washers tossed into the woods...) decided that it was perfect weather to burn trash - tires, mattresses, t.v.s... I'm really not making this up. I decided it was my civic duty (and the fact that fire tends to move uphill is a little frightening!) to call the fire department. They sent someone out right away and the bonfire of the vanities was extinguished.

In between the flames and smoke Spring is happening here. And now a few shots of spring for your viewing pleasure.




A Promise Of Apples












Bloodroot











Sassafrass!

Gigi Recommends

Will you throw the ball already???

Positive dog training involves plenty of rewards. Training Gigi in a positive way takes lots of rewards. I do mean lots of rewards. Luckily for me, Gigi is fascinated with her ball on a rope. However, I can't always toss a ball. Since it seems I'm spending most of my budget on waterfowl, I decided to come up with some tasty treats for the dogs that wouldn't empty my pocketbook. These have passed the Gigi Taste Test and she even prefers them over other treats. Biscuit likes them as well. She says they taste "better than duck". (Did I just actually write that???)

Little Creek Tasty Treats

2 cups whole wheat flour
1/3 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup apple sauce
1/2 grated parmesan cheese
2 eggs
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 cup non-fat powdered milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl; mix well. Roll the dough out to about 1/4 inch thickness. Place on lightly greased cookie sheet. Using a sharp knife or pizza cutter (my choice), cut into desired sizes (for training purposes, smaller is better). Bake for 15 minutes until just golden brown. Turn off oven. If you want crispy treats allow cookie sheet to remain in oven as it cools for an hour or so. I prefer softer treats that I can break apart, so I leave the sheet in the oven for another 10-15 minutes. Break them apart and you're ready to treat the dog. I keep them in the freezer and thaw them before training sessions, as I've found they don't have a real long shelf-life.

Gobble Gobble Hey!

The turkeys have decided to make their first appearance to the world today. I hope this in no way places a jinx on them. The demise of their web-footed comrades seems to have had little to no effect on their tender young psyches. Baby turkeys are inquisitive critters. They greet me every morning. The little toms are already (!) puffing themselves up and strutting around the brooder cage.

I ordered more ducks and geese yesterday. This time I picked breeds (and spent more money). For the ducks - Buff Orpingtons, Cayugas and White Pekins; for the geese - one pair of Toulouse and one pair of Brown Chinese. They arrive the week after Easter. I will be training the geese in the art of dog intimidation.

Garden Update:

I planted two grapes yesterday - a Niagra and a Concord. There are now a hundred some onions (red and white) in the ground, as well as cabbage and broccoli. On Friday I planted some Black Seeded Simpson lettuce. I planned on planting more today, but we had a giant thunderstorm last night and the ground is a little too wet to play in today. Maybe tomorrow.

Devastated

Heart broken. Utterly, completely, incapacitatingly heart broken. Yesterday morning, under the inattentive watch of Big Daddy, Biscuit (who is now dead to me for at least a week) got into the ducklings' pen and slaughtered everyone in a matter of seconds. Eight ducklings and two goslings gone in the blink of an eye. I couldn't even write about it yesterday and now really can't say much. I haven't even been able to pet or look at the dog. She has always been trustworthy, but I think the fuzzy vulnerability of those little birds was too much for her terrier heart. She is on my shit list and she knows it. Big Daddy is as well. He knows it. He even tried to find me replacements locally yesterday...

I can't let this tragedy set me back and will be ordering more. The next batch will have a pen with full out defenses against marauding little mongrels.

Last night was Chickapalooza One. The party was a huge success and we had a moment of silence for our web-footed friends. Our friend, Father Brian blessed the birds and threw in something about them all being good laying hens. I was a little sad through it all. Over half of the chicks went to their new homes and it's much quieter in my studio. I need my ducks back...

Sprouts!

China Rose Radish

Be Kind To Your Web-footed Friends

The Barnyard Combo has arrived! Those ducks are pretty damn cute and cuddly. I had to stop myself from taking them out of the box and snuggling on the way home from the Post Office. Unlike chicks, ducklings illicit the need to pet. It must be the cute little bills... I am truly, deeply in love with the goslings. They come right up to me when I go out to check on them. Their slight ungainliness and giant feet make them even more endearing. The turkeys are cute at this stage with giant eyes and they love to snuggle under your hand. The chickens may have to kick it up a notch to stay in my good graces...

Look at those feet!

Pick Up a Pig

Pork Pick Up Day is Saturday at Warren Wilson College. We are splitting a half a pig with a friend who is on faculty. So Saturday before The First Annual Chickapalooza I will be three miles down the road (if it were any more local, it'd be in my front yard!) loading pig parts into coolers and rubbermaid tubs. I'm so excited!!!

I'm also waiting for the ducks, turkeys and geese to arrive. Hurry little duckies, hurry!!!

They're Here!

I got a call from the post office at 5:30 this morning. 5:30. I hopped in some clothes and drove to the post office to pick them up. They all look good and healthy. Maybe tommorrow at 5:30 they'll call to tell me that the ducks, geese and turkey have arrived.

Getting Ready...

Spring is here - in theory at least. Yesterday, it snowed all day. I used it as an opportunity to finally paint Monkey's bathroom. It needed it. It was dreadful. Big Daddy cleaned the house. I love that man.

Today we cleaned out the studio. A client of his has an antique auction house in Columbia and is taking the "Giant German Victorian Dining Room Which Does Not Fit in Our Country Home" off of our hands. Can I hear a hallelujah?!?!! We inherited it from B.D.'s father and it looked lovely in our home in Kansas City, but it just doesn't work here and takes up way too much space. So I will now have space in my studio. Hooray. I will have room, that is, after the chicks have grown big enough to be outside. For the next several weeks my studio will be the poultry nursery. It's not so bad. I shared it last year with the uppity chickens. I just have to remember to cover everything as chicks create lots of "chicken dust". I'm not sure what it actually is, but it coats everything. Maybe I'll paint some poultry while they are captive subjects.

cockadoodledoo!

Rufus is quite proud of his mixed bag of offspring (some may not be his, but don't tell him that...). They have taken to their little home for the next several weeks. It's Gigi's dog crate, but we'll call it a brooder. They are mutts, but they are adorable mutts.

Tomorrow I'll be setting up the other brooder for the chicks who should arrive this weekend. I've also got to create a nice warm spot for the duckies and goosies. We are having our first annual Chickfest (I should have called it "Chickapalooza", but I already printed the invites) on April 1st.. It will be a big party for friends and future chicken parents. After the party they can take home their chicks and I'll be left with a much more manageable number. Did I mention that FIFTY chickens will be arriving this weekend???

Counting...

Here's the view for Wednesday.











And here's a picture of the first chick. It hatched before school started. The others were rolling and rocking and pipping through by the afternoon and one was out of its shell by the evening. Monkey's teacher just called and said seven had hatched over the night with a few more looking like they were trying to hatch. Wow. It worked.

Let's Start A Countdown

Spring begins in a week. So this was yesterday - windy and sunny after some rain the night before. The temperatures in the 70s are gone for now. We're back to the 50's.

Let's start the countdown. No green on those hills yet, but surely it will start soon. The spicebush near the house are beginning to open their blossoms. Bradford pears are blooming everywhere. Buds are swelling and I think the lawn is a little greener. Oh, and the radishes have sprouted!

Dog Tired

It has been one busy week - my only excuse for not posting.

The weather has been incredibly spring-like. Yesterday was practically Junish around here - in the high 70's. I've been spreading mulch, prepping beds, transplanting trees and overseeding lawn and pasture areas. I even managed to pop some cute little pansies in the ground.

The animals know it's spring. The fish pond has been cleaned and I found lots of little fish eggs, so maybe I'll have new baby comets this year. The eggs that we put in the incubator should be hatching (keep your fingers crossed) Wednesday. All the kids in Monkey's class are so excited I'm worried they are going to pass out or wet themselves. Seriously. New chicks, ducklings, goslings and turkey poults arrive in two weeks.

We've ordered all the materials to build fences around the garden and about a quarter acre for the poultry.

This past weekend I attended the Organic Growers School. I picked up a lot of good ideas. I attended the dairy goat class taught by Chris Owen of Spinning Spider Creamery (lovely, delicious fresh chevre and hard goat cheeses!). I thought/hoped it would discourage me from wanting dairy goats (what with the milking, breeding, lots of work...), but it didn't and now I want some so bad I can taste chevre rolled in cracked black pepper. Her farm is not far from us and she was very encouraging, so I may give her a call and see if I can come up and check out the herd and breeds and the more serious day to day work. Her suggestion was that I get two dry yearlings or a pregnant doe. We have enough room for a couple of goats, I would love the milk and things I could do with it. I have to decide if I want the extra work and responsibility. My cowboy grandpa must be rolling in his grave thinking I want to be a chicken and goat farmer...

I took two classes on marketing - Being a Local Food Activist and Value-Added Production and Marketing. The local food class was fun and enlightening. It was amazing to see how many "organic" companies are owned by the giant conglomerates. I don't think I can buy anymore Horizon products. It was nice to network with other growers, students, and those interested in locally grown food. I sat next to a guy who works for a local produce distributor that deals mainly with farmers in the area and distributes to restaurants and groceries here in Western North Carolina. Everyone wants eggs - another reason to up my production. The value added production - sauces, jams, jellies - various processed foodstuffs was also intriguing, but it would mean the need for a lot of start up money and jumping through a lot of federal regulation hoops. Something I'm not quite ready for.

The last class I sat in on was Pastured Poultry. I was hoping to pick up a few hints and insights to make the "girls" even happier. However, the class focused on meat production and meat class birds like the Cornish Cross - a chicken monster mutant, if there ever was one. Those birds are ready to be slaughtered in 8 weeks. They feather out in one to two weeks. In contrast, my good old-fashioned multi-purpose layers take about 4 weeks to feather out and months to mature. The class did cement for me that I don't want to do meat production. And "pastured" basically means they get rolled around in a cage on a pasture. That's not for me.

Anyway, that's what I've been up to. I'll be doing some more planting today and enjoying this weather while it lasts. I just know it's going to snow again...

Finished

I finished this painting this morning. So much for my resolution of a painting a month. This was to be January's and it's now, uhm... March. I guess this means that I need to get cracking and do two this month to catch up. This one is of the Monkey in a rare moment of rest. Her portrait is an annual thing. It also looks like I may need to clean my camera lens as the photo appears a little fuzzy. Next up - I don't know, but I better get painting.

I had a dream in which I made a sheep. Now I'm obsessing about it. Not a painting, a sculpture covered in mosaic. I'm not sure how I would realistically accomplish the feat, but it creeps into my mind any time I'm idle. Scary.

In the Ground

I was beginning to feel by the middle of this past week that I would be in the ground soon. Flu. It sucks. I developed a fever Sunday night and it continued - anywhere from 100 degrees to 102 degrees until Thursday afternoon. My body ached so badly I was sure I had something tropical... My lungs were not happy. I did nothing for the entire week. The bad part was that Big Daddy was out of town for two days and I still had to function on a somewhat limited level. I'd take Monkey to school, come home and languish on the couch, then pick her up and come home and languish some more. So if you wondered where I was, or why was so silent, or why you had yet to receive promised packages, I was languishing away; surviving on takeout hot and sour soup and limeade.

Anyway, I obviously survived and am doing nicely thank you. Today I even felt up to going outside and working in the garden. Actually Big Daddy did all the tilling and prepping the rows and I just sat on the ground and stuck seeds in the dirt. Today the following went into the ground: Radishes - Cherry Belle, French Breakfast, Giant German, and China Rose; Beets - Detroit Dark Red, Ruby Queen, and Scarlet Supreme Hybrid; Spinach - Long Standing Bloomsdale and Rembrandt; Russian Red Kale, Bok Choi, Red Deer Tongue Lettuce, Piedmont Mache, Rouge d'Hiver Lettuce, and Craquante d'Avignon Lettuce. Next up - the peas!

Oh, and it's good to be back among the living.

Culinary Success

Last night we made coq au vin with one of the roosters. It was a lovely, winter dish. Our dinner guest, Craig, thought there should have been snow to accompany it. I served it with new potatoes, green beans we had canned from the garden and fresh sourdough bread (remind me to write about the "beast", that is the starter I created, sometime). The company was fine, the food was excellent (if I might say so) and a great time was had by all. I meant to post a picture of the finished dish, but I got so caught up in my role as hostess, that I forgot to take the picture. You'll just have to trust me that it was as lovely as it was tastey.

I'm thinking of making a doro wat with the other rooster. I love and miss Ethiopian food. Whatever I decide to do, it is going to be worthy of the bird.

Today it was sunny, but very chilly. Big Daddy and I did manage to plant the cherry trees - two pie, one sweet; and the fig tree. They arrived earlier in the week and I heeled them into the mulch mountain that just seems to never diminish. We moved a young pine that was in the way of the new orchard. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it lives, as its roots were a little sparse for the top growth. Now I'm just waiting on the apple trees to arrive. The tomato seeds arrived yesterday, so today we set up the starter flats. Big Daddy is taking them to work and will put them in one of the greenhouses tomorrow. I can't believe I've not started tomatoes from seed before. Wait, I did in Africa, but there I could just seed them directly in the ground. No luck doing that here, I'm afraid. I'm keeping my fingers crossed for them as well.

It's Quieter On Little Creek Farm

I'm writing about the actual slaughtering of the chickens. It will be graphic, and I apologize to those who may be offended. If you think you may be, skip this entry.

I got up this morning, had a cup of coffee and went to the chicken house. I had been steeling myself for this moment since Wednesday. There was no snow in the forecast, no rain, no sleet. Today was the day. This morning, cloudy and still, was the morning. I caught the Barred Rock rooster first. It was easy. I put him in the dog crate on the back porch. Then I went back to catch the Dominique rooster. He was more difficult. He had a premonition perhaps, or maybe he was just a lot less tame. I trapped him in the chicken house and went in after him. He had flown to a roost, then straight at me hitting me with a claw below my right eye. "I deserve that", I thought.

Once both roosters were caught I went inside for more coffee. I gathered everything I needed - bucket, work gloves, rope, twine, filet knife (very sharp), a tub for feathers, and my courage. I set water on the stove to warm and went back outside.

I took the Dominique first. I had strung a rope between two trees near the creek. I trussled up the legs and tied the rooster upside down to the rope. Quickly, before I could lose what nerve I had mustered, I slit his throat. I looked down and realized I had forgotten to place the bucket underneath to catch the blood. There wasn't as much blood as I thought there would be. I went back and got the bucket. When I returned the rooster was still. I then noticed the blood on my gloves. I filled the bucket with water from the creek and flushed the blood off the leaf-littered ground. I didn't want the dogs wallowing in it. There was still blood on the tree trunk. I left it.

Next came the plucking. I moved the water off the stove and outside. I dunked the bird in the water and loosened the feathers. I began pulling the feathers. They came out easily. Big Daddy came out and helped finish the plucking and I went to get the second bird. I went through the motions again. I had hit mechanical mode. Big Daddy did the gutting. That part was easy for him. I think we've drawn the line on our labor roles.

It wasn't easy , nor was it as difficult as I had anticipated. I had been calling it the "deed" for a while - not quite able to say "slaughter". A life is not to be taken lightly and I said a little prayer for each bird. I have more respect for my chickens. Before they just laid eggs for my family. Now they have given their lives so I may eat. Not everyone is comfortable with that. I can't get all mystical about it - my role, their role. My thoughts are this - if I am going to raise a livestock animal, and I am going to eat meat, then I must be willing to do the "deed" myself.

I've also learned a lesson. If the birds are destined for the table, I can't get close. While the two roosters had no names, I knew them intimately. I knew their habits. I will undoubtedly have more roosters with the hatching and the next shipment. I think the key is to do the slaughter early, before I know them so well (and they are more tender). I like to know where my food comes from. I know exactly where the chicken, now chilling in my fridge, came from. I know what it ate. I know that it was healthy. I know that it got to run, chase bugs, eat my black-eyed peas before I could harvest them, flap it's wings and crow. If chickens can be happy, these birds were happy.

By the way, Mooney, the Silver Spangled Hamburg, received a stay of execution. I will have more hens by the spring, so two roosters won't be so bad. Monkey loves the "Hamburgler" and he's kind of funny. Besides, Hamburgs are a really light breed and what we'd get wouldn't be worth the effort. I'm a sentimental pragmatist.

A Little Bit of Fresh Air and Exercise

The weather seems to be seesawing back and forth - one day it's snow, the next it's sunshine. Today was a sunshine kind of day. I prepared two rows for planting spinach, kale, bok choi and maybe a few radishes. Soon the lettuce can go in. After two rows I was sweating. I need to get back in garden-shape. If all the twittering birds are any indication, spring is slowly coming this way. Soon, I will have muscles and a little sun-color on my cheeks. That is to say, I will have muscles where they belong, like in my arms, not on my cheeks... jeez.

While cleaning up the two rows I found a few shallots that were lost and forgotten last year. I've now got a bunch of little shallots to replant. I also have a jumbo-size rootstock of rhubarb that's destined for a garden in Georgia.

I've got 18 eggs waiting in my garage for the incubator. We are filling it up on Thursday. Hopefully, I'll have a few more to add, then in 21 days, if all goes well, there will be chicks. More chicks mean more eggs! Kookookachoo.

Dreaming

August 2005

I am posting this picture because there are a couple of inches of snow on the garden and I've spent all day planning for spring. My seeds are arriving and I'm cataloguing and dreaming and planning and dreaming and plotting and... did I mention I hate February? A twelve foot sunflower is just what I need to get my mind out of snow, sleet, rain, snow mode.

I'm also dreaming of little chicks, ducklings, goslings and turkey pullets that will arrive at the end of March. I'm visualizing the perfect little barnyard that Big Daddy will be building soon and the fence around the garden. And I'm dreaming of a vacation that is in its development stage. Am I fool to take a four year old to another continent? And can I leave my garden for two weeks???? You'll have to stay posted to see where it might be.

Many Thngs

This week has been full of plotting and planning. The incubator arrived yesterday. We are planning on setting it up at Monkey's school next Thursday. Twenty-one days later, if all goes right, we'll have some little mutt chicks to ooh and ahh over. I ordered more chicks yesterday. Some chicken loving friends and I put together an order. I ordered the Barnyard Combo for us. Big Daddy will be building a whole fenced in area for the new arrivals. There will be seven turkeys, seven ducks and two geese. The only problem is that we don't get to choose what we get. I hope they aren't all males, although with the turkeys I don't care to much. I'm so excited for the geese! Maybe they can put the uppity chickens in their place. Five Speckled Sussex, one Rhode Island Red, four Auracana and three Black Minorcas will be joining the uppity chickens. I had to use an enormous amount of restraint. I want one of everything.

Yesterday and Today the weather has been rather spring-like. And surprise! they are forecasting storms and a "wintery mix" for tomorrow. I spent most of yesterday outside and I just want to keep going outside today. I'm feeling the need for spring!

The Damage I Can Do...

...to my checkbook. I took a hearty chunk of the tax refund and ordered seeds, trees, and such to my heart's content. Here we go with the vegetable and herb list:

All Blue Potato
Centennial Sweet Potato
Komatsu
Craquante d'Avignon Lettuce
Piedmont Corn Salad
Rembrandt Spinach
Watercress
Red Russian Kale
Pak Choi
Hooker's Sweet Corn
Relleno Chile
Giant Marconi Sweet Pepper
Amish Paste Tomato
Kentucky Beefsteak Tomato
Cherokee Purple Tomato
Flame (Hillbilly) Tomato
Gold Medal Tomato
Miss Pickler Hybrid Pickling Cucumber
Burpless Hybrid Pickler Cucumber
Green Arrow Pea
Maestro Pea
Jade Bush Bean
Roma II Bush Bean
Golden Wax Bush Bean
Trionfo Violetta Bean
Jacob's Cattle Bean
Cosmic Purple Carrot
Amarillo Carrot
Kaliedoscope Carrot Mix
Haricot Rouge du Burkino Faso Cowpea
Kirby's Whippoorwill Cowpea
China Rose Radish
German Giant Radish
Ruby Queen Beet
Scarlet Supreme Beet
Goblin Eggs Gourd
Bushel Basket Gourd
Horseradish
Sorrel de Belleville

And then there's the flowers:
English Lavender
African Marigold
Cottage Red Marigold
State Fair Mix Zinnia
Cut and Come Again Zinnia
Single Hollyhocks
Supermane Sunflower
Tigers Eye Mix Sunflowers
Lemon Queen Sunflower
Teddy Bear Sunflower
Mammoth Russian Sunflower ... yeah, I have a thing for sunflowers.
King Theodore Nasturtiums
Jewel Peach Melba Nasturtium

And we must not forget the start of our orchard who will join the Fuji and mystery apple planted before we bought the place:
Starkrimson Sweet Cherry (semi-dwarf)
2 North Star Pie Cherries (dwarf)
Brown Turkey Fig
Sheepnose/Black Gilliflower Apple (semi-dwarf)
Mutsu Apple (semi-dwarf)
Calville Blanc d'Hiver Apple (semi-dwarf)

My apologies to those with no interest in plants. I went crazy! I did order what I had planned and not a packet more (like there would seriously be room for more). This list is not everything that will end up in the garden. I have to go through the seeds I saved from last year and I picked up last fall. It has snowed all day, but I am excited for spring now.

Also today I signed up for the Organic Growers School . I'm going to go with my friend, Kelley. I'm planning on taking classes on Dairy Goats (it's my dream, cheese and all), Soil Ecology, Pastured Poultry and Value Added Oppurtunities for the Small Farmer (that's selling your jams, pickles, canned things, etc.).

Blame it all on CABIN FEVER. I haven't even gone to collect eggs yet. Don't worry. This is North Carolina. The snow will be gone tomorrow...

Snow Falling On Scarecrow

Snow, rain, sleet, then snow again. Ah, February...

We Haven't Had a Photo of a Chicken in a While...

Rufus is hanging outside my office window letting the world know who it's daddy is. He is the king and don't you forget it. He is celebrating because he is the chosen one. The other roosters are on the way to becoming coq au vin. Tomorrow is the scheduled day of execution, so to speak. The roosters are enjoying their last bright, sunny day. They spend a lot of time throwing mulch into the yard, harassing the hens and fighting. Tomorrow they may be locked up all day as the weather forecasts are dire and as usual, overexaggerated. We'll just have to wait and see how much snow we actually get. The roosters may get a reprieve for a day, but it definitely has to happen this weekend.

I ordered an incubator today. It should be here next week (keep your fingers crossed). Then we will set it up in Monkey's classroom with a bunch of eggs and hope some hatch. My luck, they'll all be roosters...

Snow Day

No school for Monkey today. She's busy destroying the living room and building an elaborate castle worthy of her habitation. I'm busy organizing and purging my office. I have several projects I planned on taking to the printer this morning, but we are snowbound for awhile. The temperature is supposed to climb to a reasonable spot (the South has made me so soft...), so maybe later today we'll venture out.

I'm waiting for replies from several friends before I place my chicken order. I'm looking at the practical egg layers. The orders for my eggs are far exceeding the supply at this point. Which is good, but I don't want my little stable of regular buyers looking elsewhere. As I have mentioned before, Big Daddy wants turkeys and ducks. Ugh. I'm going to order a barnyard combo and get two geese, seven ducks and seven turkeys. I don't get to choose the varieties. My luck they will all be boys. But as this is a grand experiment, we'll just see how it goes. I figure that I learned about chickens, so now I can learn about other fowl.

The Wisdom of the Very Young

This is one of Monkey's favorite characters. She calls him Curious George Bush. Why? I do not know. I will just say that Monkey has an astute political mind for a 3 year old.

So Much for Resolutions

I must say in my defense that I have tried to post in the last couple of days and everytime I try, Blogger won't let me see my blog. Bad Blogger, Bad.
I've been very busy with various deadlines. I think I've been working too much. My body is in shock. I've had too much time away from working and then suddenly that's all I'm doing. I keep telling myself that work is good.
Work is good.

The Title of the Blog is "A Room With A View"...

I detest February. It is a month of waiting and Winter's dullness is at it's fullest. The shortest month always seems like the longest. However, February did start out beautifully. Cold, but beautiful.

What Have I Been Up To?

Well, nothing and everything, really. I spent a lot of time in planning meetings this week - all volunteer and all looking like I will be losing my personal time and donating my talents without compensation. I must learn to say "no" at some point.

Saturday was quite lovely and I spent most of the day outside. I'm still trying to rid the drive of the mountain of mulch. One dump truck can hold a lot of mulch, in case you were wondering. The balmy weather has got me in the mind for spring, even though I realize it can snow at any moment. But, make hay while the sun shines, not that I'm making hay - just cleaning out beds and making things look all tidy. The weather has caused the crocus to start coming up.

I'm rambling as I've had about an hour of sleep. The Monkey was up all night (and I do mean all night) with an earache. She has finally passed out on the sofa at about 6 o'clock this morning. I'm waiting for her doctor's office to open so I can schedule a visit today. Her ear drum ruptured once last year and I'm worried it may do the same again. Poor thing.

I am making a new new year's resolution to post more regularly.

It's another unnaturally nice, warm day here in the mountains. When I took monkey to school this morning I heard the forecast for tomorrow and it sounds like we may get some snow. I should enjoy the day while I can. I got home, started to pour some coffee and the phone rang. It was Monkey's teacher. Monkey wasn't feeling too well. So I climbed back in the car and headed back to civilization to pick up Monkey. She's now in her pajamas, lounging and drinking grape juice.

As I was mentioning on the spring planning I forgot to mention livestock. By livestock, I mean poultry. I need to buy an incubator this week. Monkey's class is getting ready to start a unit on birds and we're going to hatch some of the chicken eggs. I'm also getting an order ready with a few friends for new chicks. I would like some Buff Orpingtons, a few more Wyandottes, a Speckled Sussex or two, and a couple of Ameraucanas (they lay blue eggs!). Most of the others want the Ameraucanas or Araucanas. I have a friend with Buff Orpingtons who has offered me eggs (another reason to purchase an incubator). Big Daddy wants turkeys, geese and ducks. I think the geese and ducks are mainly a reason for him to build a pond. I said an outright NO to the suggestion of Peacocks. Several of the hatcheries offer "farmyard" packages of a couple of turkeys, a goose or two and several ducks, but I'm not sure if I get to pick what breeds - and I do tend to be particular. So, our animal menagerie will by growing. Stay tuned for updates.

Plotting

I spent a damp Saturday afternoon going through seed and nursery catalogs and making lists. Long lists. Planning for spring is such a sweet thing. We will continue with the staple things, but are throwing in a few oddities and new things to try. The potatoes did so well last year that they will of course have space in the garden this year. I'm going to try some blue ones for fun. Sweet potatoes are going in. Big Daddy has become addicted to the colored carrots I've found at the market, so we will try some of our own instead of our normal plain orange ones. I'm planning on trying an African variety of cowpea from Burkina Faso along with the highly succesful black-eyed pea I've been planting. I want to add some Jacob's Cattle beans as well. We are cutting out most of the cole crops this year. They never do too well. I think I'll save some room for broccoli though.

I want to cut back on the tomatoes, but realize that probably won't happen as I'm ordering seeds and will pick up some great heirlooms from our local nursery as well. A semi-serious plot of corn will be added (I started ours much too late last year and only ended up with five ears). I'm adding sorrel and jerusalem artichokes. That leaves room for sweet peas, lettuce, arugula, kale, carrots, radishes, green beans, wax beans, sweet peppers, hot peppers, beets, cucumbers, various flowers, and whatever else comes our way.

We are also ordering a couple of cherry trees, a fig and some apples to add to the start of our orchard. It's going to be a busy spring.

Cruel & Unusual Tricks To Play On Preschoolers

Innocently store the dogs' rawhide chews in a Christmas cookie tin. Then when the unwitting tot sneaks into the pantry to steal a cookie she will come out to you with tears in her big blue eyes and say, "That's not fair!" True story.

Here's Maggie!

Were you worried? I've been so busy. We spent last week in Baltimore and enjoyed life in the Big City for a bit. As Big Daddy summed it up our first day as we walked down a wet and foggy street, "I know what I miss about living in the city.... It's that smell!" Monkey and I enjoyed ourselves at the National Aquarium and the Baltimore Science Center. She has a thing for sharks and dinosaurs. Something needs to balance out the princess obsession, I guess. Although crabs were out of season, we enjoyed other seafood and ate heartily.

We returned on Friday night. Two of my oldest and dearest friends - let's call them Buffy and Chowderhead - arrived here on Friday as well. So I spent the weekend showing them around town and doing the tourist thing. It was quite fun to see them. Chowderhead just finished her doctorate. So now we can just call her Doc Chow. It was a fun girls' weekend. We did allow Big Daddy to join us for dinner. After all, he did cook it for us one night.

Biscuit is doing quite well. I've taken her cone head off and she gets her stitches removed tomorrow. I'm also talking to a lawyer friend about what sort of options I have for revenge, er I mean justice. Because of a few unruly neighborhood dogs I'm out all sorts of money and I've had enough.

And for all of you here's a shot of this morning's sunrise.

What's the Worst?

This is. Poor little Biscuit the Wonder Dog once again had a run-in with a neighborhood bully. This time for the last time. She is quite well. The only problem (besides the drain on my bank account) is that we are leaving town tomorrow for a visit to Baltimore. While my good friend T. will be taking care of the other animals, Biscuit will be lounging at the veterinarian's swanky kennel. That way they can take out the drain they had to put into the wound on her flank. Poor B.

Staying true to my New Year's resolution to be kind, I kindly informed the bad dog's owner that he would be receiving a bill, plus the last bill from April, plus the bill for the chickens that were slaughtered in July (he has the previous bills, but never got around to paying them, ahem...). He would be receiving these from my lawyer. It's not as if I actually keep a lawyer on retainer, I just happen to have several for friends and family - which is even better. I didn't even raise my voice - I let Big Daddy take care of that part.

So, apart from that drama and the fact that I was peeing blood (another story - let me just tell you that I am taking lots of drugs and doing much better, thank you) I am looking forward to a few days in a big city with family to show me around. Big Daddy will be spending his day in a conference full of landscape designers and architects and salesmen (ho hum). Monkey and I will be spending our days at the aquarium and the science museum, eating crab and taking long lunches with my favorite cousin.

Chicken Update

Little Hen has returned to the flock. She seemed quite happy to be back in the great outdoors. I was tempted to sit her on the couch just once, but decided that might be foolish. I did paint her toenails purple before I put her back with the other chickens. That's not quite as foolish as it sounds. You see, she looks just like all the other Dominique hens and I wanted to be able to tell her apart quickly so I could check on her progress. She's doing well and I imagine the fashionable nail color (monkey's choice) will fade away with time.

A New Year

Yesterday was a perfectly lovely day. The weather was practically balmy. I set outside in an adirondack chair and fed the chickens popcorn. That was about as much activity as I could handle. You see, my body seems to be rejecting one or both of my lungs. The awful virus Big Daddy brought home just before Christmas has nearly wiped me out. After four days I am feeling better though. Today the weather has changed and I'm sitting inside watching clouds roll up and down the valley.

I thought a little bit about what I would like to do this coming year. So here's a quick rundown.

1. I would like to learn a new skill. Something I haven't done before.

2. I would like to become more self-sufficient around the household. Grow more produce, can more things... I'd like to be able to do more with less this year.

3. I plan on being kind. I normally try to be, but there seems to be a lack of kindness and respect in the world these days. I'll make it my little mission to change things when I can.

4. I am planning to read one new interesting book a month - any topic, fact or fiction.

5. I am planning on one new painting a month as well. More would be better, but we'll start with an attainable goal.

6. And finally, I will get rid of the unwanted and increasingly nasty roosters.

I've been addressing #2. I started a natural yeast sourdough starter yesterday. Nothing too exciting on that yet. Also, Big Daddy had a lot of leftover fat as he was preparing uncountable pounds of brisket for the smoker. I rendered down the fat and am going to make my own suet cakes for the wild birdies today. I think I have enough to keep the nuthatches, chickadees, woodpeckers and titmice happy for a month or two.

A Pig in the Fridge

As we all know, there is a chicken in the kitchen. She was joined this morning by what has to amount to a whole pig in our fridge. Big Daddy has once again been requested to cook the Epiphany dinner for our church. You see, in reality, North Carolinians know very little about barbeque. It is secretly the transplants to this region who have those mad smokin' skills. Monday, B.D. and a friend who also is originally from Missouri will smoke all those pork butts and turn them into something awesomely good for the end of the week feast. I don't think that barbecue is a traditional Episcopalian Holy Day food, but it keeps the people happy.

In a little while we are heading down to Transylvania County to our friend's summer camp for an evening of festivities to welcome in the New Year. Our friends bought a summer camp. I am extremely jealous. Imagine having your own camp! I spent a lot of summers at camp and spent most of my college years living in a tent or cabin and riding horses for very little pay. What fun. Anyway, I'll be back tomorrow with tales of the evening and maybe a few resolutions. Happy New Year to everyone!

Chicken in the Kitchen

Try to say the above title five times fast. You'll sound like a choo choo train.

"Let me out, dammit, before I hurt someone..."

Per laura's request here's the chicken update. Little Hen (I am trying to resist naming her due to the utter despair I felt after the dog attack on all my little hens earlier this year) is doing well. I gave her a bath this morning and lathered her up with Preparation H. It seems to be working.

Big Daddy doesn't have the heart to kick her out to the studio, so she's living in a dog crate in the kitchen. Yesterday she shredded all the newspaper I put down in the crate in a vain attempt to make a nest to lay her egg. Today I made her a nice cozy nest out of a box filled with fresh straw. I think it meets her approval, but there was no egg today. No egg is a good thing as we want to give that whole region of her body a rest. I spoiled her with blackberries from the freezer, slices of cucumber and the frilly tops of celery stalks. I figure the softer foods will be gentler on her as well. She may start to like it so well inside that she'll be hanging out on the porch begging to get in when she goes back to the rest of the flock. I'll turn into one of those nutty women that let their chickens sit on the couch, eat bon bons and watch television (They do exist, you know...). Help me.

I Swear, I'm Moving to Canada

The government is pissing me off.

Well, I like Canada - it's a little cold though. Maybe Australia?

Do you think they'll spy on my activities now because I said that?

Call Me Doctor Doolittle

Yesterday afternoon as I was herding the uppity chickens back into the coop I noticed something was wrong. One of my Dominique hens had a big old mass of ick* hanging out of her backside. Now for those of you who don't know about chicken physiology please understand that a chicken has just one orifice for the all bodily functions. One little hole called the vent is where chicken poop and eggs come out (I hope I haven't put you off of the incredible, edible egg forever...). Oh, and in case you're wondering, chickens don't pee. Sorry, I'm getting away from the story.

My little hen had a prolapsed vent. That is, her insides were on her outside and need to go back where they belonged. Action was needed. So I brought her inside. But, before I brought her inside, I needed a place to keep her. I had to carry her around as I looked for the cat carrier. I couldn't find the cat carrier in the garage or the shed, so I had to settle for a dog crate. All of this searching was going on while the little hen was carried around like a football under my arm. (I know, I should have found the cat carrier first and then brought her inside, but my brain was in crisis mode.) After setting up the crate here is what I had to do according to my research.

I gave her a bath of warm water and in the sink. I cleaned out the vent (very nasty job, that was...) wearing gloves, of course. I manipulated the prolapsed vent (ehwww....), gave her a good lube up with some bag balm and then plopped her down in the dog crate in the kitchen. I gave her some water and a little feed, covered the crate, and left her alone.

This morning things seem to be, eh hem, going back to their proper places. I've been advised to give her some electrolytes, cut back her feed, and keep her isolated in a warm, dark place for a few days. I'll probably move her to my studio today. It's cooler than the house, but warmer than the coop and she can rest and recover. And, I don't think the kitchen is the proper place for a chicken. I've also been advised to apply some hemorrhoid cream to the area to reduce swelling. I'll probably head out to the drug store later to pick some up as it's not something we have had any need for. Also, I plan to talk to the other hens and tell them this sort of behavior is not acceptable and to please keep their insides to themselves from now on.


*I don't believe this is a technical veterinary term, but if I were one, I'd use it quite frequently.

Recovering

Ah, the joys of post-holiday relaxation... Things are getting slowly back to normal. Big Daddy went back to work this morning. The Monkey, unfortunately, seems to have picked up a little stomach bug somewhere. She's convalescing on the sofa - watching cartoons, nibbling on saltines and sipping some peppermint tea with honey.

Everyone received something that they truly wanted. All our gifts to friends and family arrived at their destinations on time and seem to be appreciated. But what was really wonderful was that we spent a quiet day together as a family with no obligations to the outside world.

I spent a small part of Christmas day loading songs on to my new iPod. I feel a little like I did when I got my first Sony Walkman in high school. (Yes, they came out when I was in high school. I'm old...) I reminisced and ended up downloading songs that I only had on albums or cassettes. I told you I was old. Then I moved on to other tunes. I went on a five mile walk yesterday morning, bundled up against the snow and wind. The iPod was a welcome change to my routine. Also, with all this "new" music I can now respond to the meme that Jamie tossed my way.

So here it goes...

7 Songs I'm Into Now (in no particular order)

1. Soul Meets Body - Death Cab for Cutie
2. Bed Bugs and Ballyhoo - Echo and the Bunnymen
3. Essence - Lucinda Williams
4. Girlfriend - Matthew Sweet
5. Wake Me Up When September Comes - Green Day
6. Do You Realize - Flaming Lips
7. Michael Rockefeller - Guadalcanal Diary

I won't tag anyone in particular, but you can tell me your current favorites. I still have lots of iTunes gift cards to spend, so if you have any suggestions, let me know. I do live in any area with very little radio reception (not that I've ever been that influenced by radio play) and what stations I do get tend to be top 40, oldies rock, and blue grass.

Stick A Fork In Me, I'm Done...

Monkey and I went on our last Christmas shopping expedition. We visited Complements To The Chef, a local cooks haven, and found Big Daddy an 8-inch Chef's Knife. With the help of my friend, Doug (who I had know idea worked there), I selected the Zwilling J.A. Henckels Twin Cuisine . It had a very hefty feel and I think he'll like it. As that was being gift wrapped Monkey picked up a little Peugeot pepper mill and announced that she was getting it for Daddy. She knows her daddy well, and I think he'll be pleased. The biggest excitement of the day was when I found the Maldon Sea Salt. I've been searching for it since I ran out of my stash over a year ago. There it was on the shelf next to the cash register. How had I missed it before??? Christmas is complete.

Monkey and I then ventured in to downtown Asheville. I picked up a bar of chai tea soap for Big Daddy's stocking. I'm not saying he needs soap, he just likes that particular one. In our family stockings tend to be for little practical things that really don't call for wrapping. I remember getting new socks, a toothbrush, and sometimes even underwear each year. Now that I think about it, it's odd that Santa would get me underwear... Anyway, we had a nice lunch and then headed for our last stop - Target. I would not recommend a store like Target on a day like today to anyone, but I needed more wrapping paper and I wanted all our presents to match, or at least coordinate... The drive there past all the other big "box" stores was rather hellish, but the actual shopping in the store wasn't so bad. As I paid for my purchases I sighed. Shopping for Christmas was done. I think...

Now I question for you. What are your Christmas dinner plans? I'm not inviting you because you all live too far away; I'm just curious. Our dinner is traditionally on Christmas Eve. We also generally have a big old hunk of beef roasted to perfection by Big Daddy. I'm planning on trying Jamie's Yorkshire Pudding recipe this year and make some sort of green bean dish. We often have brussel sprouts and mashed potatoes. What's on your menus?

After dinner we are planning to attend the late choral service at church. It may be late for the Monkey, but she can sleep. Last year we attended the afternoon "family" service complete with all songs done by the children's choir. It was painful (unless of course it was your child singing, I'm sure.). After, we'll toss her in bed and Big Daddy and I can enjoy a few Christmas Eve cocktails while Santa is putting the presents under the tree.


*I'm only listing B.D.'s gifts as he is in town and only reads my blog (rarely) when he is out of town. So the surprise is safe for now. I'm sure Monkey will tell him what we got him as soon as he gets home.

La Bûche de Noël

Here it is in all it's glory. The meringue mushrooms were added just before the class party. It was a hit and was pretty tasty. But really, with that much chocolate buttercream how could it not be tasty? Before the bûche was sawed into many pieces we sang French carols (O.K., the mother who is a French teacher and I sang French carols). While we were eating Père Noël visited and left treats in all the children's shoes on the porch. Yes, the Christmas party was French themed as the students have been learning about France for the last month or so. I thought it was rather inspired of Monkey's teacher to take on a French Christmas.

Today is the start of Monkey's holiday break. We made sugar cookies in the shape of Christmas trees and mittens together. I rolled the dough, she cut the shapes, and we both decorated with colored sugar and dragees. Monkey ate an abnormal amount of silver dragees. I hope they don't adversely affect her in any way... Big Daddy is coming home from Virginia tonight. Monkey and I have been working on a dinner of chicken soup and a loaf of fresh bread.

Holiday Stress Anyone?

My stress level really isn't that high. I have everything plotted and planned carefully (as long as the weather cooperates and the heavens stay in alignment). As soon as the butter and eggs reach room temperature, I will be making the butter cream and will start assembling the buche de noel. To answer Jamie's question on yesterday's post, the mushrooms will be meringue. A friend offered to make them because she likes to. Her daughter is in Monkey's class.

All packages have been sent. I'm planning on finishing my shopping tomorrow. Monkey's Christmas holiday starts Thursday.

Oh and is it sacreligious to say that because of this I will be in even a more festive mood? I don't think so.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas...

Well, not really. We are in the South after all.

We did have a rather nasty storm last week. Monkey had her first snow day, or rather ice day on Thursday. Despite the dire warnings from the weather man, we did not suffer much. Friends to the south were not so lucky and those closer to South Carolina are still without power. Yesterday we visited some who had delayed their annual Christmas party for a few days. Luckily they have a reserve heat source and several large fireplaces. The party was held in the afternoon to the glow of candle light. They had been busy with chainsaws cleaning up downed trees so people could get to their house. We all brought presents for several needy families in the area (the main reason for the party) and then enjoyed a rather festive afternoon. Who needs power?

I still have some last minute shopping to do for Big Daddy and Monkey. Right now I am in the middle of making a Buche de Noel for Monkey's class to enjoy on their last day of school this Wednesday. I'm not sure how I got talked into making one. I've never made one before. I am a fool. The genoise is done and I need to make the butter cream then assemble it all tomorrow. If it turns out halfway decent, I'll post photos. I just had to save the cooling genoise cake from the clutches of Gigi. She's a rather athletic and ballsy dog. She's been banished outside until the cake cools. Keep your fingers crossed.

A Small Winter Feast

Today I made some beer bread (or to be more specific Highland Gaelic Ale Bread) loaded with sharp cheddar and rosemary. It went great with a dinner of roasted chicken, green beans and a wild rice and pecan pilafy thing. It was oh-so-perfect for today's cold weather. The chickens even went to bed early; heading for their roosts before 4:00 p.m.

We have an ice storm warning for tonight through tomorrow. I think I would prefer snow. Ice means our power may go out. Luckily we have water stored (no power, no pump for the well). We have plenty of cookies and leftover chicken. If the power goes out we'll just huddle around the fireplace in our -40 sleeping bags and roast marshmallows!

I hope the weather isn't too bad tomorrow. I need to get more raspberries for my raspberry truffles and the only place I've found nice ones is at Fresh Market, clear on the other side of town. The first batch is almost gone thanks to Big Daddy and Monkey. I also gave quite a few away. They only last a few days. What can be better than a raspberry enveloped in a Chambord-laced ganache? Not much.

Preparations

It seems everywhere that I turn there is some sort of countdown to Christmas - only so many shopping days left, only a few days to get packages in the mail so they arrive in time, only so many days left of free shipping!

Saturday was gift-buying day. Today and tomorrow I will be wrapping and mailing packages to their various destination's. Yesterday was the start of baking. Monkey helped make the gingerbread men (and girls). We made spritz cookies in little tree shapes. Today I'll make some wreaths. Big Daddy has finished his chocolate balls (a fabulous candy - I'll try to pass along the recipe, if I can wrangle it out of him). He also made a mess of nut brittle.

In the ecclesiastical sense, we are counting down the last days of dark waiting. And what better way to face that waiting than to have a big party? That's the Episcopalian approach. Because what says Advent better than copious amounts of wine and a vast array of calorie-laden goodness? Last night we got together with friends from church for the annual Advent wine and cheese party. I made the following tasty treat.

SESAME AND ROQUEFORT BISCUITS
taken from Gourmet December 2004

1 1/4 cups self-rising flour
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1/4 lb chilled Roquefort cheese, crumbled (1 cup)
1/3 cup sesame seeds (2 oz.)

• Pulse flour and butter in a food processor until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Sprinkle cheese into mixture and pulse a few times to incorporate. Transfer mixture to a work surface (it will be crumbly) and knead briefly to distribute ingredients (do not overwork), then press together to form a dough and roll into a 7-inch log (about 2 inches in diameter). Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and chill until firm, at least 1 hour.
• Put oven rack in middle of oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet.
• Put sesame seeds on a plate. Cut dough into scant 1/4-inch-thick slices with a sharp, think knife (I used dental floss) then gently press both sides of each biscuit in sesame seeds to coat and arrange 1/2 inch apart on baking sheet.
• Bake until golden, 10 to 15 minutes. Cool biscuits on a baking sheet on a rack 2 to 3 minutes, then transfer with a spatula to rack to cool completely.

I didn't have Roquefort on hand. I used a mixture of Bleu d'Avignon and a locally made blue from Bath County, Virginia. My dough was a little too crumbly, so you may play with proportions a little. My baking time was also a little longer, which could be due to altitude or the not so fantastic oven that the builder of our home installed. They did turn out quite tasty and went very well with wine.

This week I'll be making raspberry truffles, grasshopper bars, the ever-popular chocolate chip cookie and some pinwheel cookies. Wish me luck.

Big Daddy Saves Christmas

I spent two days looking for what must be the most coveted toy for the 3+ year old girl set. Every little girl seems to want the Cinderella Twinkle Lights Pumpkin Carriage. At each store I was faced with an empty spot mocking me where my daughter's desired present should be. Every clerk shook their head and said that they couldn't keep them on the shelves. There were no pumpkin carriages to be found. The thing lights up when Cinderella steps inside for Christ's sake! This is the first time I've experienced the shock and terror known by many parents before me. My little girl's desires must be fulfilled. Panic was setting in. I broke down and called Big Daddy.

Big Daddy went to the K-Mart by his office. And there what to his wondering eyes did he see? High up on the top shelf sat one Cinderella Twinkle Lights Pumpkin Carriage With Horse alone and forgotten. He snatched it up and brought it home. It's hidden in my studio and awaits wrapping and delivery under the tree Christmas morning. Big Daddy apparently found the last remaining carriage in Asheville. Hooray for Big Daddy! Christmas has been saved!

A Thousand Apologies

Life got in the way. I've had an exhausting time the last week or so, and somehow I just let writing slip by me. My birthday was December 1 and the festivities seemed to carry on for many days. Big Daddy answered all my prayers and gave me this. Let the wild baking commence!

I spent a rather long three day weekend at a dog agility trial. It was the first for Biscuit and I after over a year and half. She is now fully recovered from illness and injury. While not back to her former glory, she did well and even finished another title. We even took along Gigi (against Biscuit's wishes) so she could become acquainted with the chaos of an agility trial. And it is chaos. Dogs are barking, running and generally doing what dogs do. Whistles are blowing and there are horns and buzzers and some very loud handlers. Biscuit and I are quiet (except when her beagle howl escapes every now and again).

Here's a shot of the wonder dog during her most excellent Jumpers run during the team competition on Friday. Our team, made up of Biscuit, a rather sweet Shetland Sheepdog, and a beagle/cattle dog mix, did not place, but we weren't at the bottom either. Better luck next time!

We are waiting on a big ice storm. I hope it comes later tonight and not earlier. Monkey and I have been invited to dinner by friends. Big Daddy was supposed to have been in Virginia through tomorrow, but they finished early so everyone could beat the winter weather home.