Murphysranch - Bank blues and garage sale thoughts

[murphysranch]

I'm thinking about the one door closes and the other one soon opens. Waiting patiently....

I picked up 2 huge ziploc bags of frozen goats milk that was free, from someone about 1.5 hours away. Luckily, I was driving by on the way home from Mother's house. Its in the freezer.

Then just now, the lady from a nearby town, with whom I was emailing, called. We had a nice chat. She has dairy goats and meat goats, but loves her dairy goats. She also does worms, chickens, has a llama, and rabbits. She's a young'n, and a "work at home wife". But I'll make plans to go talk to her and see her place and farm. She has 5 acres; we have 7.5, but at least 2 of ours are wine grapes.

"you are standing at the precipice of goat-owning.. you mark my words" I'd have to fence them in. My grapes, dozens of rose bushes, flowers, iris, daylilys, etc would be mowed down by goats. And I realize that I'd need two of them for company. And how to keep them happy, if they are fenced in? thinkin' thinkin' thinkin'

Still bummed about the laundry soap, but I'm moving on. For sure....

btw: we dropped all of our petite syrah, cus they are only 4 years old. Next year, we'll keep some of the fruit. We did harvest some tempernillo up by my garden (vines were there when we bought the place) and DH went to our realtor's home to crush and press. Now we have 3 five gallon carboys under the deck, bubbling, with the airlocks on. I'm not getting involved in his hobby - its his and I'm not taking over. But I'm showing interest, since I can drink wine like the best of us.

 

[lorihadams]

My parents started winemaking as a hobby and now they have exploded.....they have made a ridiculous amount of wine this year....cherry, blackberry and grape. It's crazy.

I can't imagine having 2 acres of grapes! Thats a lot of work!

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

hey baby!

whats the update?

 

[murphysranch]

So I don't have a soap mold yet. DH has been driving down to San Jose for two painting jobs and hasn't had enough time to make me a wooden mold. I've been searching all the thrift stores and walmart to no avail - don't see anthing that would work for a mold. I want a long rectangular one that I can cut the soap with a knife into rectangles.

The good news? Its been raining here this morning! I think its Dace's and Gina's rain, finally come up our way! So far we've had 0.35 of a inch. The hard dry ground is about 1/4" wet. I think our last rain was last March. Woo hoo!

I quick gathered up my houseplants and orchids and violets and threw them outside this morning for a good wash down to get rid of dust and some natural watering. I've got all the windows and doors open, and the temp inside has dropped from 76 at 7:30 this morning to 69 inside. It really helps to cool down the furniture and cabinets and tile floors to try to keep the house cooler for the next few days.

Gonna go let the chickens out. Three of them have never seen rain since they are only 6 months old. woo hoo! Time to fly outa here and kick up my heels!

 

[homesteadmomma]

Oh I wish I could remember what rain look like, if it ever shows its head again I will put out my houseplants. What a wonderful idea, thanks for sharing it!

 

[ksalvagno]

Why not use a gutter for your soap? You can make it any size you want. My girlfriend uses a gutter that was capped on both ends. I don't remember what the size was though. I know she said it was perfect for her soap recipe and was very easy.

 

[Farmfresh]

I use either a Gladware plastic cooking pan (black plastic) or make a great mold from 12 inch section of 3 inch PVC pipe that you place a removable cap on one end.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

a gutter?!? really

so does the soap pop right out? what about the gladlock? just turn it upside down and give it a shake??

MR - are you still around or are you outside running around in the rain!?!? i bet the clucks loved it... think of all the worms they could find!

 

[murphysranch]

It stopped raining this morning, but everything is now clean and dust free. and humid too! but only 74 degrees so I think its heaven.

Worms? We have worms out here in the Sierra dustbowl foothills? Maybe there are worms in our small patch of grass, otherwise everything is brown for months and months. .. You remember - dry, more dry, only CA oak trees survive. Even the weeds die.

But it was refreshing and my mood is sooooooo improved!

 

[FarmerDenise]

Don't you just love that first rain. Everything looks so bright and the smell is hard to discribe. The combination of plants cleaned and bringing out the aroma of the plants, especially the oaks and wet soil.
Clouds and a cold wind have been coming in here this afternoon. It even sounds like fall now.