Denim Deb
More Precious than Rubies
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I'm really curious, what are you planning on doing w/the reindeer?
Crown of Thorns Journal- Wood Cook Stove Challange
- Thread starter CrownofThorns
- Start date
I'm really curious, what are you planning on doing w/the reindeer?- Thread starter
- #12
CrownofThorns
Lovin' The Homestead
Mostly just for the fun of it and light farm work, sledding etc. But eventually we're thinking about possibly expanding enough to sell a few every now and then. The man we are thinking about buying some from sells them for meat for $1500. The buyer pays for them to be processed, for their disease testing etc.
ETA: There are really strict regulations for non Native Alaskans to have reindeer here in Alaska, but apparently he bought his animals from Canada, so since they are Canadian reindeer we don't have to get all the permits and go through all the red tape we would have to for Alaskan reindeer. I think the only regulation we have to have is 10ft high fences to keep moose out to prevent the spread of any diseases between captive and wild animals.
We're still just in the very beginning planning stages of this, so whether or not we will actually be able to get reindeer and sustainably raise them on our land is something that remains yet to be seen.
ETA: There are really strict regulations for non Native Alaskans to have reindeer here in Alaska, but apparently he bought his animals from Canada, so since they are Canadian reindeer we don't have to get all the permits and go through all the red tape we would have to for Alaskan reindeer. I think the only regulation we have to have is 10ft high fences to keep moose out to prevent the spread of any diseases between captive and wild animals.
We're still just in the very beginning planning stages of this, so whether or not we will actually be able to get reindeer and sustainably raise them on our land is something that remains yet to be seen.
- Thread starter
- #13
CrownofThorns
Lovin' The Homestead
Well I sorta figured out part of the problem with my slow growing barley. Part of it is because I have to dump all the barley into a strainer to rinse several days and this effects the root growth, which effects the grass growth. Also since I am only rinsing 2 or 3 times a day the dry periods really slow things up. Definitely putting it up "on the shelf" until we get a system built first!
Mid January I started a cleaning schedule that I made based off of Large Family Logistics, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!!! I've tried SO many different cleaning methods before and nothing ever worked more then a couple weeks. Here I am going on the 3rd month! Our home has never been tidier, me never happier (I HATE an untidy, dirty home), and my husband is very happy as well. I don't feel ashamed if someone suddenly pops in, and I actually have WAY more time on my hands then ever. Gotta Love it!
So here is how you make one for yourself.
First of all you organize the days into work days. I'll give you my days and you can change them around to suit you.
Monday-Laundry
Tuesday-Kitchen Day
Wednesday-Office Day
Thursday-Gardening/Home Projects Day
Friday-Cleaning Day
Saturday-Town Day
Then you assign tasks that need to be done to each day. I'll list mine so you can get the jist. Some things I don't have to do, for example, we share a shower and laundry facilities with my folks. My mom cleans the Laundry area and my sister the shower so I don't have to do those jobs, so I haven't listed them.
Monday: (Laundry Day)
1st Monday of the month wash blankets and flip mattress.
Wash sheets.
Organize closets.
Organize dressers.
Organize storage areas.
Mend ripped clothing.
Wash or beat rugs.
Tuesday: (Kitchen Day)
Bake bread and treat.
Clean inside, outside and on top of refrigerator/freezer.
Wipe down walls near trash, sink, and stove.
Wipe down and organize all cabinets
Wipe down appliances and trash can.
Spot mop floors.
Quick clean bathroom.
Plan menu for next week.
Clean and organize under sink and any cupboards.
Wednesday: (Office Day)
Answer nonessential email.
Take care of any paperwork.
Clean and organize desk.
Clean computer screens and keyboards.
Send any mail/packages.
Organize and dust bookshelves.
Organize pictures into appropriate folders.
Update/List ads on Craigslist and Alaskaslist.
Request library books online.
Prepare any bills.
Thursday: (Gardening/Home Projects Day)
1st Thursday of the month trim goat hooves.
3rd Thursday of the month clean out goat pens and underneath Oreo's outdoor cage.
Check goats: eyelids, hooves, udder, too fat? Etc.
Organize greenhouse, and start any seeds.
Do heavy weeding.
Work on any projects (sewing, etc).
Scrub food dishes.
Complete any yard work.
Friday: (Cleaning Day)
1st and 3rd Friday's of the month polish furniture.
Mop floors.
Deep clean bathroom.
Dust, and sweep down cobwebs. Don't forget fans and light fixtures.
Wipe down doors, and baseboards.
Vacuum.
Organize curio cabinet cupboards and drawers.
Wash windows.
Saturday: (Town Day)
Pay bills (once a month).
Grocery shop.
Yard sales.
Run errands.
Check mail.
I know it seems like a LOT of organizing, and for the first two weeks or so the days were long days. But now that I have everything organized, and I'm organizing it again EVERY week, it only takes me a few seconds to MAYBE a minute to reorganize.
For those of you with children the original plan has the kids doing similar things or helping out with different things. For example on Wednesday the kids clean up their desks, organize homeschooling areas etc. On Kitchen day they help bake, they organize things like the tupperware etc.
If I need to I switch days around. For instance on Tuesday I was out of milk and could not do my baking, so I switched Tuesday and Wednesday around with no trouble.
I printed out two copies of the tasks for each day. One I cut out into daily squares and I keep them in a small photo holder that sits on my desk and each day I rotate the previous day out and the current day in so I have a list I can check in the bedroom if I forget any of my tasks, and the other is on my fridge. It's really handy that way.
Have I said how much I love this schedule? I will NEVER go back to anything else.
I get SO much more done, and have so much more spare time! 
Today I actually has so much spare time that I spent most of the day doing something I love, paperwork.
Ok so it's home paperwork but I love it. Over the last couple of weeks I have spent a couple hours every Wednesday creating paperwork to keep me on track in various things and make life even more organized for me.
I made all kinds of goat paperwork, Barn Notes, Breeding/Heat Records, Doe Record Sheet, Buck Record Sheet, Expenses Ledgers, and medical records.
In household management I have made Menu Plans, Pantry Lists, To Order sheets, Grocery Budget sheets (so I can keep track of how long something lasts us and the rate prices are rising) and a Do Everyday List (because I'm very absentminded, although that has GREATLY improved since I started taking Chastetree berry 2 weeks ago!)
Today I checked on the plants growing in the greenhouse and I can't believe how fast my comfrey is growing! Each time I check on it it has doubled in size. And they said the fastest way to kill comfrey was to put it in a pot....
Does anyone know what size the leaf is when the pyrrolizidine alkaloids are gone? Some leaves are getting pretty big and I have no idea what size to harvest them at.
Anyways that is what I have been up to today.
Mid January I started a cleaning schedule that I made based off of Large Family Logistics, and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!!! I've tried SO many different cleaning methods before and nothing ever worked more then a couple weeks. Here I am going on the 3rd month! Our home has never been tidier, me never happier (I HATE an untidy, dirty home), and my husband is very happy as well. I don't feel ashamed if someone suddenly pops in, and I actually have WAY more time on my hands then ever. Gotta Love it!
So here is how you make one for yourself.
First of all you organize the days into work days. I'll give you my days and you can change them around to suit you.
Monday-Laundry
Tuesday-Kitchen Day
Wednesday-Office Day
Thursday-Gardening/Home Projects Day
Friday-Cleaning Day
Saturday-Town Day
Then you assign tasks that need to be done to each day. I'll list mine so you can get the jist. Some things I don't have to do, for example, we share a shower and laundry facilities with my folks. My mom cleans the Laundry area and my sister the shower so I don't have to do those jobs, so I haven't listed them.
Monday: (Laundry Day)
1st Monday of the month wash blankets and flip mattress.
Wash sheets.
Organize closets.
Organize dressers.
Organize storage areas.
Mend ripped clothing.
Wash or beat rugs.
Tuesday: (Kitchen Day)
Bake bread and treat.
Clean inside, outside and on top of refrigerator/freezer.
Wipe down walls near trash, sink, and stove.
Wipe down and organize all cabinets
Wipe down appliances and trash can.
Spot mop floors.
Quick clean bathroom.
Plan menu for next week.
Clean and organize under sink and any cupboards.
Wednesday: (Office Day)
Answer nonessential email.
Take care of any paperwork.
Clean and organize desk.
Clean computer screens and keyboards.
Send any mail/packages.
Organize and dust bookshelves.
Organize pictures into appropriate folders.
Update/List ads on Craigslist and Alaskaslist.
Request library books online.
Prepare any bills.
Thursday: (Gardening/Home Projects Day)
1st Thursday of the month trim goat hooves.
3rd Thursday of the month clean out goat pens and underneath Oreo's outdoor cage.
Check goats: eyelids, hooves, udder, too fat? Etc.
Organize greenhouse, and start any seeds.
Do heavy weeding.
Work on any projects (sewing, etc).
Scrub food dishes.
Complete any yard work.
Friday: (Cleaning Day)
1st and 3rd Friday's of the month polish furniture.
Mop floors.
Deep clean bathroom.
Dust, and sweep down cobwebs. Don't forget fans and light fixtures.
Wipe down doors, and baseboards.
Vacuum.
Organize curio cabinet cupboards and drawers.
Wash windows.
Saturday: (Town Day)
Pay bills (once a month).
Grocery shop.
Yard sales.
Run errands.
Check mail.
I know it seems like a LOT of organizing, and for the first two weeks or so the days were long days. But now that I have everything organized, and I'm organizing it again EVERY week, it only takes me a few seconds to MAYBE a minute to reorganize.
For those of you with children the original plan has the kids doing similar things or helping out with different things. For example on Wednesday the kids clean up their desks, organize homeschooling areas etc. On Kitchen day they help bake, they organize things like the tupperware etc.
If I need to I switch days around. For instance on Tuesday I was out of milk and could not do my baking, so I switched Tuesday and Wednesday around with no trouble.
I printed out two copies of the tasks for each day. One I cut out into daily squares and I keep them in a small photo holder that sits on my desk and each day I rotate the previous day out and the current day in so I have a list I can check in the bedroom if I forget any of my tasks, and the other is on my fridge. It's really handy that way.
Have I said how much I love this schedule? I will NEVER go back to anything else.
I get SO much more done, and have so much more spare time! Today I actually has so much spare time that I spent most of the day doing something I love, paperwork.
Ok so it's home paperwork but I love it. Over the last couple of weeks I have spent a couple hours every Wednesday creating paperwork to keep me on track in various things and make life even more organized for me.I made all kinds of goat paperwork, Barn Notes, Breeding/Heat Records, Doe Record Sheet, Buck Record Sheet, Expenses Ledgers, and medical records.
In household management I have made Menu Plans, Pantry Lists, To Order sheets, Grocery Budget sheets (so I can keep track of how long something lasts us and the rate prices are rising) and a Do Everyday List (because I'm very absentminded, although that has GREATLY improved since I started taking Chastetree berry 2 weeks ago!)
Today I checked on the plants growing in the greenhouse and I can't believe how fast my comfrey is growing! Each time I check on it it has doubled in size. And they said the fastest way to kill comfrey was to put it in a pot....
Does anyone know what size the leaf is when the pyrrolizidine alkaloids are gone? Some leaves are getting pretty big and I have no idea what size to harvest them at.Anyways that is what I have been up to today.
- Thread starter
- #15
CrownofThorns
Lovin' The Homestead
This is about all I can find.
freemotion
Food Guru
http://www.herbsarespecial.com.au/free-herb-information/comfrey.html
Didn't have time to read it all but it looks similar to info I found a couple of years ago. I now have at least 12 comfrey plants and will be naturalizing them. I feed the outer leaves to all my critters and have some dried comfrey that I put in my shakes sometimes, and some dried nettles.
I remember reading that one of the problems was a company in Germany that made capsules using the entire plant, including the roots, and several people ended up with liver failure. It was improper use of the herb. This is why I prefer to grow my own or buy whole herbs rather than capsules.
If that logic were applied to other plants, cherries would be outlawed since parts of the plant are poisonous. So would rhubarb. Wilting strawberry and raspberry leaves are poisonous, rip them out of your garden, quick!
I use the mature leaves.
Didn't have time to read it all but it looks similar to info I found a couple of years ago. I now have at least 12 comfrey plants and will be naturalizing them. I feed the outer leaves to all my critters and have some dried comfrey that I put in my shakes sometimes, and some dried nettles.
I remember reading that one of the problems was a company in Germany that made capsules using the entire plant, including the roots, and several people ended up with liver failure. It was improper use of the herb. This is why I prefer to grow my own or buy whole herbs rather than capsules.
If that logic were applied to other plants, cherries would be outlawed since parts of the plant are poisonous. So would rhubarb. Wilting strawberry and raspberry leaves are poisonous, rip them out of your garden, quick!
I use the mature leaves.
- Thread starter
- #17
CrownofThorns
Lovin' The Homestead
Thanks for the link. How do you know when the leaves are mature? I've used comfrey a TON but I always bought it.freemotion said:
kimnkell
Lovin' The Homestead
Hi Laura,
I am so loving to read your journal. It's very interesting... and we are doing about the same as you are with the tiny cabins. Our cabin is only a 9x15 so I definitely know how you feel about having a nice lounging area. We are planning on using our bed as a lounging area as well. We have also decided to build a big sun room type house on our property as well this summer for more storage and I have the need to have a big open area so we thought a big lounging area in the sun room with big decks going out onto the pond would be nice. . Also, we are gonna build our teen son a room off to himself beside the little cabin.
As far as living in the tiny cabin Laura we will have to try to find things that are more compact to accommodate our need I guess. I thought about getting a sofa that lets out and makes into a bed so that would solve the setting and sleeping in one piece of furniture. Oh, and another great thing about reading your journal is that my Husband and I both are just fascinated by Alaska. We have always wanted to go there.... I am looking forward to reading more about your journey.
I am so loving to read your journal. It's very interesting... and we are doing about the same as you are with the tiny cabins. Our cabin is only a 9x15 so I definitely know how you feel about having a nice lounging area. We are planning on using our bed as a lounging area as well. We have also decided to build a big sun room type house on our property as well this summer for more storage and I have the need to have a big open area so we thought a big lounging area in the sun room with big decks going out onto the pond would be nice. . Also, we are gonna build our teen son a room off to himself beside the little cabin.
As far as living in the tiny cabin Laura we will have to try to find things that are more compact to accommodate our need I guess. I thought about getting a sofa that lets out and makes into a bed so that would solve the setting and sleeping in one piece of furniture. Oh, and another great thing about reading your journal is that my Husband and I both are just fascinated by Alaska. We have always wanted to go there.... I am looking forward to reading more about your journey.
Bubblingbrooks
Made in Alaska
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Wait a minute! I just realized we most likely live not too far apart!
- Thread starter
- #20
CrownofThorns
Lovin' The Homestead
4 - 5 hours.Bubblingbrooks said:
And if I'm not mistaken I believe we were on the same farm group on FB until all the squabbling started. 
