Frustratedearthmother's Journaling Journey

[baymule]

Yay for your husband's good report!

Chili for supper in our cold weather sounds good. We stopped in Tyler today and had fried shrimp. I've been thinking about chili, got some ground lamb in the freezer.

Karma! Karma is a lovely puppy, already has that wise look in her eyes. I agree, putting a baby outside in 20 degree weather is just mean. Spoil her all you can, she will be all grown up before you know it!

 

[flowerbug]

i sent a note to my sister the other day when i saw the temperatures overnight were going to be about 10degrees colder there than there (she's in the SW and we're up here in the midwest).

i was able to get outside for a while the other day and work on getting bean vines picked off a fence (still more to go). just nice to be outside for a chance. today is cloudy and i should go for a walk, but i also have some cleaning here i should be doing. i have a funny feeling i may not do either of those. instead i think i'll work on reorganising some beans because i really need to do that anyways and it will be more fun than dusting. it doesn't quite count as cleaning, but it makes cleaning easier if i can get some things moved out of the way... haha, i like that line of reasoning.

glad to hear the checkup went ok.

 

[Mini Horses]

Well, Karma is beautiful! And looks like a real lady....

That's 3 lgd and 3 es....right? I am already thinking I need a puppy!!

 

[baymule]

Well, Karma is beautiful! And looks like a real lady....

That's 3 lgd and 3 es....right? I am already thinking I need a puppy!!

You sure do!

 

[Mini Horses]

Maybe I could foster Karma. Fat chance, right?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

That's 3 lgd and 3 es....right? I am already thinking I need a puppy!!

Yep - 6 doggie mouths to feed! Puppies eat more than the big dogs most of the time. Even though the LGD's do increase their intake in the winter. Give me a couple of years and I might have an extra pup or 6. Karma's mother has had 3, count them, 3 litters of 12pups! She raised 35 of those 36 pups successfully. That's amazing!

I lowered the feed bill by two mouths yesterday. Had a guy come out and harvest the two mature boars. I have a small litter of four that has one baby boar in it. Trying to decide whether to keep him, sell him, neuter him, harvest him young or let him grow. I'm thinking I need to be out of the pig breeding business. Will still keep what I have and harvest them as freezer space allows. Did some research and most say that fully mature sows are really good eating.

Karma is a pure love! Raine is her favorite playmate as Beau just tends to plow her over, lol. She's tough and has learned to gauge his activity level. She knows when to stay out of the doggie pile when he's playing rough.

We've been cold and rainy for awhile - thankfully the last couple of days have been sunny and mild. Hoping for more of that!

 

[baymule]

Would you miss the meat if you sold out and butchered down the pigs? Store bought pork is like eating cardboard. Or would you just switch to goat meat?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Would you miss the meat if you sold out and butchered down the pigs? Store bought pork is like eating cardboard. Or would you just switch to goat meat?

Even if I just butchered two pigs a year - with what I have now I have 7 years of pigs, lol. After that, not sure I want to butcher 'em anyway. I'll probably be eating pureed food by then, lol. Heck, by then some of those pigs will probably have died of old age..

Here's a mind blower for you. I'm thinking about adding sheep to the mix. I love lamb and I'm looking at maybe, maybe picking up a couple of lambs in the spring to raise for meat. Don't want anything else to feed over winter. I've already given a glance at Craigslist for prices. YIKES! Let's see if that idea lasts for a couple more months, lol.

 

[flowerbug]

Even if I just butchered two pigs a year - with what I have now I have 7 years of pigs, lol. After that, not sure I want to butcher 'em anyway. I'll probably be eating pureed food by then, lol. Heck, by then some of those pigs will probably have died of old age..

Here's a mind blower for you. I'm thinking about adding sheep to the mix. I love lamb and I'm looking at maybe, maybe picking up a couple of lambs in the spring to raise for meat. Don't want anything else to feed over winter. I've already given a glance at Craigslist for prices. YIKES! Let's see if that idea lasts for a couple more months, lol.

maybe @baymule will have some culls you could pick up as starters? trying to save the little guys as long as i can!

 

[tortoise]

Most economical way to buy sheep I've found is to get bottle lambs from someone who doesnt want to raise them. Mine were $35 each. A weaned lamb or a ewe would run $120+. Just dont hand feed a bottle ram! Keep them afraid of you!!

Sheep are so much easier than goats IMO.