Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

[Finnie]

That’s not how it works. She is going from 5 acres to 15 acres. More acres equals more sheep. She will NEED that bigger trailer to take MORE lambs to auction! Hahaha!

Well in that case, it’s a no brainer! Why make 3 or 4 trips when they are going to need a bigger trailer anyway?

 

[farmerjan]

So, sell the smaller one once they get moved.... there is a capital investment that can be ultimately sold to recoup some of the investment... rather than just gas out the tail pipe with nothing to get as a return on the expense...
Plus tax deductions for the investment in the trailer....

 

[Ridgetop]

No keep both - the smaller is good for shorter runs with fewer sheep. You won't always be moving 50 head. Like having a small car for around town and the big dually for hauling. LOL That's the reason why ranchers usually have several trailers sitting next to the barn.

 

[Ridgetop]

So worked yesterday on taking apart the shelving unit in the milk shed, hosed it off, and moved it up to the house to use in family room for children's toys. Then DD1 arrived with Annabel, and we watched her all day. She is an exhausting child. Also, very quiet so hard to keep track of. She can scale al the baby gates but luckily seems to think that climbing in and out of the baby jail is a great thing. DD2 came to pick her up and DH, DD2, Maisie, Elizabeth, Annabel, and I went to the Back-to-School night. Been to one, been to all. In my case with 5 kids and 9 grandkids, literally been to them all! Back home to supper and DD2 begged to stay for supper since DSIL2 is out of town with his truck working. Luckily, I had made enough ravioli and just added more vegetables. Kids had popsicles for desert. Went to bed early. Must still be on Texas time.

This morning DS1 and I put the shelving unit back together and I cleaned it again. Then took a shower and DS and I went to our nail appointment and then to Ventura County to pick up the lambs. We got three boxes but they are not cut the way I order them, and it looks like we may be missing some meat. We were going to have one lamb for DDIL2's family but there is not enough. They were large lambs too. Kent was not there since he had a death in the family and had flown to Pennsylvania for the funeral. Not going to worry about it. If he comes across another box, he will call. So back home and rearrange all the food in the 2 house freezers to put in all the lamb. It all fit but DS2 has been on one of those diets that you buy the food, and they send you all these frozen meals. The cooler was sitting on the porch when we got home. Not sure where he will put all his frozen food, but I don't care. I have 2 enormous freezers and one large freezer, and they are half full with his diet food and the food DDIL2 buys for her Filipino cooking.

We will take the large "garage ready" freezer to Texas and it will have to live in the spare bedroom for now. Once we have done the retrofit heat barrier in the shed, and run electricity to it, we can move the freezer into the shed in the yard. We may have to put the small fridge that is currently in the house there to use for animal meds and drinks. I would like to put fridge in the barn with the animal meds and bottled water, but putting heat barrier on the tack room would be harder. It does not have a ceiling and we need to replace some siding. While a small fridge with bottled water for when we are working in the barn or pastures would be nice, a cooler with ice and water would work just as well.

Next bunch of boxes we pack should hold tools, but I have to clean out the shed in Yantis first, rearrange the shelving, and hang the cabinets we took back. I need some more cabinets too. I really don't want to remove any of the ones I installed in the tool shed here but . . . . Putting the boxes of screws nails, etc. on open shelves is not good - too much dirt gets on them. They need to go in cabinets with doors.

I need to attach the large display cabinet to the wall (earthquakes), clean it out and wash the glass shelves so I can put them back in. Then the assorted items that I gave DDIL2 can get shoved in there and out of my way. DS2 left 3 boxes f items that I gave her and packed for her here - "You can take them to Texas for when I move there next year". Going to send them home with her. Now that most of the pictures are off the walls, DDIL2 can bring in her huge pictures that DS2 bought her. He didn't realize how large they were. LOL Once they are out of the Connex I will actually be able to get in there and find the lamps and the other items that I need to take to Texas. I also need to start packing some of the livestock stuff but hate to do it until we are ready to transport the sheep. I found my sheep sorting paddle in the family room. Apparently, Robert took it to use as an oar.
Sigh . . . .

 

[Ridgetop]

Worked out that we will save $1500+ on gas each trip. So a 24' trailer will save us A LOT! We will also be able to load longer corral pieces into it along with the scale, most of the bulky equipment like the field feeders, large troughs, crates of livestock equipment etc. Oh yes, and our freezer and furniture. Maybe we could take one trip with a 24' trailer with the rest of the household goods and furniture, and the second with the sheep and horses. Might be able to fit everything into the 2 trailers, then pick up the car when we return DS2's truck. Just have to find a trailer.

Bay sent me an ad for one and I have replied to it. Needs some repairs, but if the owner replies I will get information about damages and what has to be repaired. If we decide this will work, we will make arrangements. Wish we could see it in person though. If this one doesn't work out, I might find another one. Can't afford a new trailer - the older ones are made of heavier metal and although take more gas to pull, they are sturdier. Besides, after about a year or two of actual use most livestock trailers look old anyway! LOL

Have to repair some parts of the display cabinet. In several places the thin pieces of wood holding in the rubber gaskets around the glass have split. The wood needs to be reglued and clamped. Will do that tomorrow, then can finish cleaning the glass doors and moving the china into it. Also have to clear off my desk and take care of some business items.

DDIL2 has been at her mom's house for 3 days now. Kids had colds and once she went over to visit they got worse and she caught it. She stayed with them so the family coud help her with kids. Hopefully we won't catch it since they haven't been here since Thursday am. DS2 not happy, but to bad. Of course, he may have just been cranky since I discovered ice cream in the freezer when making room for the lamb and DH and I ate it. All of it. Didn't leave him even a spoonful.
Can we call it "Tough Love" or was it just greed?

 

[SageHill]

. Didn't leave him even a spoonful.
Can we call it "Tough Love" or was it just greed?

Just a step in making that transition of you moving to Texas a little easier for him!

 

[Baymule]

BAD parents! BAD!!

Was the ice cream good?

 

[Ridgetop]

Ice cream was tasty although not up to Blue Bell standard.

No response from trailer seller so probably trailer is sold. Will keep looking. Put up a 'Wanted' ad at butcher. Told DS3 that we are looking for a 24' gooseneck and sent him on the scent. DS3 is in Fresno right now working after the storm.

Had Annabel again today. Not sure why but DD2 having problem with DSIL2 - he is having "tantrums". Whatever that means. When she picked up Annabel she asked DS2 to help Maisie with homework with muttered aside that father was supposed to help her. Not getting involved.

Getting fed up with family of 3 men. All men asking when is dinner. Told everyone I was putting dinner on table now and immediately DH says he has to go feed dogs, DS1 says has to feed livestock before dark, DS2 starts collecting trash to go down to curb! What?!
Have decided to announce dinner is on table 15 minutes before it is ready to encourage timely attendance by men.

Did 2 pots of pork chili verde but when I looked up canning times, I found that it would be easier to can the pork meat itself without the sauce. Couldn't find a recipe to can cooked pork in chili verde sauce anyway. I suppose I could just use the time and pressure for canning the regular pork. Decided to can plain pork chunks with the remaining pork in the freezer. Froze 2 Ziploc bags of pork chili verde. Letting second Instapot cool and will bag it tomorrow. I freeze the bags flat so they take up less room and can be stacked in freezer. Problem is that now I have more frozen food when I wanted to transfer the meat from freezer to jars and cut dow on freezer contents before moving freezer and meat to TX.
Oh well, have at least another full pork leg in freezer so will do it as plain pork chunks in quarts jars. I wonder if i have some beef shoulder clod roasts that I could can too. Mainly canning the meat for transport to Texas and storage there without my freezer. I already have 2 cases of assorted jam and jelly that I can take with us. The rest of the jam and jelly can go to grandchildren who are complaining that they have eaten the case I gave the last year. LOL We don't eat that much jam and jelly anymore so maybe I should give the grandchildren most of what I made. Won't be any more mulberry or wild black berry jelly since we sold the Yelm house but that is ok.

Fixed display cabinet doors, transferred items to cabinet that I am giving DDIL2, boxed up large painting over fireplace, made 2 Instapots of Pork chili verde, did 3 loads of laundry and will do another tomorrow. Pulled a muscle in my back picking up grandchildren's small toys that rolled under furniture. Tomorrow need to vaccinate booster on ewe lambs in barn then they can be turned out onto field with main flock. 2 wethers will remain in creep pen and I will start them on some barley corn to get them up to weight for slaughter in another month. They are retty smal compared to the ewe lambs, but then they are only 4 months old while the ewe lambs are 5+ months old. The larger ram lambs went to auction before we went to Texas in July.

 

[Ridgetop]

Have found a couple livestock trailers but they are probably sold since they posted last month and no response to my queries. I also have to measure the inside of my trailer to see true cargo area. One ad for 20' gooseneck said the interior was only 12' long. So I guess they are including the gooseneck portion as part of the 20' length. That means the 24' gooseneck trailer interior may only be 16' long. Need to measure.

DH now says get a bid from Bob Mays Livestock Hauling for transport. On the other hand, if DS1 is staying in CA till end of school year for DGD1 school pickup, we can transport the pregnant ewes back and leave the rams, young stock, and horses here. Rika can stay in CA and will be ok to guard them. Then we can come back for second load later. Need to consider options.

Beginning to empty file cabinets into plastic storage boxes preparatory to moving one of my file cabinets back to Yantis. Some files in the file cabinet are not ones I need to get into very often, but need to keep available. DH's fie console will be last to empty and transport. I have one file cabinet that is almost empty - it just has cables/cords for computers and photos. I will pack the cables in one box and have DS1 sort them to see if they are necessary, then transfer any current files into that cabinet. The photos can also be stored. The office with DH's computer and the printer will be a big move. Not to mention all the computer paper, office supplies, etc.

Have decided to make the pullouts for the cabinets instead of ordering expensive premade pullouts. I can install bottom mount sides on existing shelves and make the pullouts to measure. I got the idea from some pullouts that are available to buy for $100 each. They come 30" wide, disassembled in pieces, and you cut them to the width you need, then assemble and install. I did some bottom mount pullouts years ago for my sewing machine and mixer. I only used a flat shelf where these have 4 sides. I can make the same thing out of pine boards a lot cheaper than $100 for each pullout shelf and they will be exactly to width. The pullout slides are about $12-15 per set. I might be able to make some pullouts for the upper blind cabinets as well. Those will take some figuring.

I have a very old Thai stick puppet - carved and painted with arms jointed using string. Really interesting with a nice face on one side of the head and a monster/devil on the back of the head. The arms are jointed and work with thin sticks. Two people are necessary to work this puppet. I display it by putting the main stick attached to the head in a wine bottle, The dress covers the bottle. It is very old and I have had it for at least 30 years - gift from my sister. One arm fell off and I was starting to repair it when the other one fell off, then the elbow joint of the first arm also parted company. The holes through which the waxed string was threaded are very small. Threaded the first arm with string using a large darning needle but the elbow joints are too small for the needle. I considered using fishing line, but the knots would be a problem. I am now considering screwing in tiny screw eyes to the shoulders to attach the upper arms, and attaching the elbows together with waxed quilting thread, or maybe fine jewelry wire. I wonder if I can find some other thin cording tht would work. Very annoying but I like this piece so I will repair it. Probably should replace the last joint at the same time.

 

[Ridgetop]

Yesterday I made another pot of pork in salsa verde sauce in the Instapot. Drained off the sauce, cut up the pork, put in quart jars, boiled up the sauce and canned 3 quarts. I was so pleased with myself I went down to the shed freezer and got the last pieces of pork, the shank half of the leg and 2 large sections from the middle. This am I skinned the 2 middle pieces and cut them into 1.5" thick slices and put the in fridge to chill. Then I had to skin the last piece - the lower half of the leg! Not too hard except the knife slipped and sliced a deep cut in the middle knuckle of my finger. Much bad language as I rinsed it under the cold water. Grabbed some paper towels and tried to staunch the blood. Nope. Grabbed more paper towels and went to my bathroom to repair my finger with butterfly strips. Not happening - blood saturating the towels. Finally, just het hand over basin watching blood pour out of finger and thinking bad words. More paper towels folded to make pads. Poured hydrogen peroxide over finger, slathered on antibiotic cream. Cream immediately washed away by more blood dripping out. Finally managed to get paper towels wrapped tight around finger and taped off tightly. Put on tight rubber glove over bandage so I could finish skinning the pork leg and cutting meat off the bone. Got it all into bowl in fridge. Cleaned up mess, mopped up blood, and went to change wrapping since I had to go to a hair appt. Removed paper towels and resumed gushing blood on bedroom floor - luckily laminate - dripped into bathroom and re wrapped finger. Mopped up blood and drove to appt. Difficult since I could not bend finger. At hairdresser got more paper towels to wrap finger since bandage getting saturated and dripping. After appt came home and removed saturated bandage of paper towels. Finger leaking a bit, cut was 1" long and started to gape open - very deep. Decided needed stitches so DH drove to urgent care. NO ONE THERE! Got right in. Nurse looked at cut after removing wad of taped on paper towels and said definitely needed stitches. Doctor came in and looked, said definitely needed stitches. Poked at cut which began to gush blood again. After getting ouchy shots to numb finger I couldn't feel a thing. Doctor put in 4 stitches while we regaled him with stories of how I stitched up a goat and the knots immediately fell apart needing DS2, age 12, to redo knots with fishermen's knots. LOL Half way home painkiller wore off. Told DH someone would have to make dinner for me. Got home and DS1 sneered at my 4 meager stitches. Told me to stop being a wuss and man up. (Shouldn't that be woman up?) Told him I was severely incapacitated and would spend the evening laying on my bed. Asked him to pick up my antibiotic prescription and more ice cream. Said he would and would have DS2 help with vaccinations.

Surprised I can type with 2 fingers on right hand and all 5 on left. Had to do a lot of corrections and it took a while to type this so will stop now. These are my first stitches other than surgeries and babies! LOL