Sunday, February 27, 2011

Been several days

A lot has been going on over the past few days.  We've been super busy with spring time on a farm.  We have kid goats now which means we've been milking.  I called a few of my favorite customers from last year to let them know that we will be making soap again and ready to ship about a month from now.  I wanted the first few batches done to be their favorites.  So I called and I will be making oatmeal, mint, plain, coffee, and citronella.  I think the citronella is because the first ticks of the season have arrived.

All the kids we have this round so far are bucklings.  Not a single female among them.  They have beautiful markings, but that's about it.  I might try my hand at preserving the hide when the time comes to butcher them for meat.  I know that the amount of whatever it is in the brain is supposed to be enough for the hide of that animal.  But, I need to do more research between now and then.

The chicken coop got done and it looks great.  I love it.  Husband did a good job with it.  I will be getting pictures tomorrow and I'll post them.  (I also have plenty of other pictures that need posted.) 

I baked a whole bunch of bread today.  I even made cinnamon rolls for breakfast tomorrow.  I need more cookie sheets so I can do more sandwich bread and less dinner rolls.  But, the time for that will come.  Meanwhile, no one is complaining about being made to eat hot from the oven dinner rolls during a dinner of beef stew.

The other day we were at a friend's house and she had gotten me a birthday gift.  Or rather three gifts.  All cast iron.  A 16QT dutch oven.  A 6QT dutch oven.and a long oval deep I don't know what you would call it cookware.  The lid also doubles as a griddle.  I love it.  All of it.  I have been wanting at the very least a dutch oven for the longest time.  I never dreamed of having one that big.  It's funny how it happened.  She has a 14QT that she was making stew in and I called Husband over, pointed to it and said "I want."  She stepped away, went into the other room, came out with a box and said "Now is as good a time as any.  Happy Birthday."  My jaw dropped.  I opened it up and lo and behold.  Then she comes out with more boxes.  All the cast iron cookware I could ever need.  I already had skillets.  I was just needing (want need, not need need) a dutch oven and maybe one or two other things.  And she got me all of this.  I am indebted to her forever.  She was grinning from ear to ear over this.

Wednesday I go for another pap test.  One of these days I will stop having precancerous cells showing up.  But until then, I keep getting tested.  The only reason the doctor is not being more aggressive is because I tested negative for something like 13 different HPV viruses.  (I'll have to go back to confirm that number.)  Wednesday is going to be a busy day.  We are going to drop the children off with the cast iron friend, go to West Plains and hit Aldi's, then go to the doctor, then come home, unload the groceries and get them put away, then go to the monthly meeting at the fire department where I get to find out about first responder training for the ambulances.  This would be the first step to me going through EMT/EMS training.  This is the stuff I want to do before I even consider going for midwife apprenticeship.  Although not a requirement, with the remoteness of everything here, it is something I want to do for my own peace of mind.  Let's face it.  One deputy to patrol 750 square miles and the fire department is 100% volunteer with a total of 6 people for the local area of 60 square miles (four of which are over 65 years old) and the paramedics for the whole county is a total of five people and two ambulances, having the training even if I wasn't looking to become a midwife just plain makes sense.

Anyway, we have been busy with kids and goats and chickens and children and spring.

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