Frustratedearthmother's Journaling Journey

[baymule]

Ringo is with the ewes, everyone is content. One is about to pop, I had him with 2 ewes in the “off” season. This year, with all the slaughter appointment crazies, I’m taking lambs to auction. All of them, plus half of my flock. I’m culling hard. Then I’m going to buy as many good registered ewes as my auction money will cover.

 

[baymule]

I should have said next year, lambs won’t even be born this year except for those 2! LOL

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I need to get more serious about breeding. I've got a young buckling with the mature does. I'll pull him out in a week or so and list him for sale. Just don't need him around, but I like him so thought I'd give him a chance to procreate before somebody probably puts him in their freezer. Who knows though - he's a nice little boy so maybe he'll get a chance to be a breeding buck.

If, in a few weeks, it looks like he didn't get the job done I'll separate the remaining open does and decide who gets a date with which buck.

 

[Mini Horses]

I bet he appreciated your thoughtfulness -- to precreate!


I hate herd culling sometimes. With goats & lambs many will be freezer fill. That's hard if it's a friendly doe/ewe. At least with the minis they were welcome pets. Well, it's a hard thing for me...and I am culling this year, too. Next month or two and I'll load a few more to auction that just don't cut it for me. Looking at 6-8.

We can't keep them all!!!!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Culling is never fun...but is a necessity...is a necessity...is a necessity! I wish we had a livestock auction around here. Years ago we had a decent one but it went out of business. Ugh. It was so simple to just load 'em up and go. Not anymore - have to run an ad, tolerate ridiculous texts from some, have strangers on your property, sigh. Almost not worth it. Might try selling bucklings as bottle babies this year. I might have said that last year too, lol.

Got a wild hair and rearranged some living room furniture yesterday. That was fun and forces under furniture clean-up, lol.

Something(s) is eating my fall veggie starts. I don't mind sharing a little - but this is ridiculous. Saw a bunny at the fence yesterday evening. Grrrr! I miss Gracie - she kept the critters away. Beau is willing to take over, but he's still just a baby (he would disagree) and I bring the pups in every night. Not ready for them to be alone and unsupervised outside over night.

 

[Mini Horses]

Yep -- this auction was STARTED for goats & sheep -- has expanded with the occasional hog, calf, llama. Quite a good amount of poultry & rabbits now, too....with misc "stuff" related to...even some pups.

We have some good buyers who come to load up for the butchers upstate. It's been good. PLUS -- as you say, all at once, no people issues, no shows, haggles, etc. You just hope the buyers are there.

It's fun! I enjoy seeing like minded people.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I've been trying to make more room in the freezer so I can put another pig in there. I found a pork belly that I had put away intending to make bacon out of it. Soooooo - today I made bacon out of it. Actually, I started the process of making bacon. Made a dry rub of brown sugar salt, and black pepper and a little pink salt. Simple enough to rub it on, stick the meat in a Ziploc bag and turn it for 7-10 days. Then I'll cool smoke it and slice it up. Some will stay in the fridge and a bunch of it will go in the freezer. I do love me some home-cured bacon.

The pups are growing! They have such different personalities. Beau - nephew of Gracie has so many of her mannerisms. Must be in the blood. I look into his eyes and I see Gracie. He recently started coming up to me and sticking his nose under my hand so that I'm forced to pet him. Gracie would do that. The first time he did that I just lost it... sat on the back porch and cried like a baby. He is pure joy and is doing his best to heal my heart..

Raine! She's a bundle of intelligence and independence. Half the size of Beau and she totally rules the roost. She has eyes that look right inside you. She knows what you want and if it suits her - she'll do it, lol.

My DD has jumped on the English Shepherd bandwagon and will be getting a pup also. She's going to get one of the pups from Gracie's littermate. I fully intended to get that pup and bring it to my house - but OMG - three pups at the same time would be too much, lol. Pups need a lot of attention and I want to give mine enough attention to make sure they turn into really well-mannered dog citizens. But, it would be hard to mess this breed up - they want nothing more than to please you.

Appointment with hand-doc tomorrow. And of course, the hand is doing much better. All I had to do was make an appointment and it scared the hand so much it decided to get better on it's own, lol.

 

[baymule]

I think I would have lost it too. Gracie is still with you. Beau is his own dog, but Gracie is there too. How wonderful it is that you are on this adventure with your puppies. Big hugs.

Time to get that hand fixed! Nobody likes surgery, but it needs fixing. You are too active to let this slow you down. Start the process, git-er-done. You will recuperate and life will be better for it.

 

[Mini Horses]

AGREE. with Bay. Maybe you won't need surgery? Or maybe just a tiny bit of one. A "band aid" thing. They do amazing things now.


Also-- bacon sounds good! I have one I need to do. maybe next month.....yes, month. I'm busy!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Doc appointment went just as I figured it would. She wants me to see a neurologist and have an EMG scan which will indicate where the nerve problem originates. In the interim, waiting on a referral from my PCP, I'm on steroids again. By this time tomorrow I should be full of energy and doing amazing things, lol. They give me energy (but they don't make me immune to Covid, lol)!