SuburbanFarmChic Journal - update and rant 5/5

SuburbanFarmChic

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So our kick off meeting is this Sunday. I'm trying to write an agenda to keep things on track. I want to let people brain storm for up to about 30 minutes and I'll write down ideas while that's going on. Then we can get down to the actual meeting with less Blah blah blah going on.

What I want to try and get people to keep track of is the crop they want to grow for the CSA and do a test plot and track how much time, money, labor etc was involved and then expand that out to make predictions for next years availability.

I'm also working on building the website, woot, not. I hate website building. I would gladly trade somebody else to do it for me.


The weather here yesterday was more along the lines of June, so I dragged the kids outside and while they played I uncovered the asparagus bed, turned over 3 others, broke apart the garlic starts and replanted them and then hauled an unknown qty of 5gal buckets of rabbit poop over to the garden.

Preggos are getting more preggo. I should start a post for them. One is a due date of "the week of X" and the other is totally unknown.


Found a registered Nigerian up in PA that we are going to go get as our buck since the one we wanted was accidentally castrated. Don't ask. Way long story. Anyway, we were compensated with the mini toggenburg out of it so I'm essentially ok with it, I just would have preferred that buck to use. This guy is nice, middle aged, papered, mild mannered and disbudded. Works for me. They've sold off all their other goats and are now selling him. It's an elderly couple that was raising them for years but it just became to much. And the price was right. So I'll be putting up with a buck again for a bit.

We also have a wether here for a week before he's turned into dinner. One of my more amusing day care kids has given him the name of Barbeque Cut. He comes from a farm family as well and likes to ask if new animals are for petting or eating. When told that we were going to put him on the big cooker for the party at Bob's house he said, "Ok, his name is Barbeque Cut". This the same child that dubbed the foundling Labrador we have at the moment the rather fitting name of Fence Post and decided that one of the meat rabbits was Mr Naughtygrass. I won't be lacking for names while he's around. He also steals my goat feed bucket for his rocketship robot head. Which apparently is what you get when you put the goat bucket on the handle of the little red wagon that you have just piled bricks, hay and dog toys in. You get a robot that turns into a rocket ship. Who knew?

Anyway. That's what's going on here for now. Contemplating planting things but I'm afraid of end of March snow storms. And I've been sternly speaking to my apple trees about NOT blooming yet.
 

ThreeBoysChicks

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Don't plant. The urge is strong, but don't do it. You may sorry and end up replanting. I am hoping to put down grass seed tonight as we have had a nice slow drizzle that will help to hold the seed down and get it to germinate.
 

SuburbanFarmChic

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Yeah the rain was pretty heavy last night but it was nice and light this morning. Now just clouded over.


I'm not really going to plant anything but it is very very tempting. I think I will console myself by starting stuff inside.
 

ThreeBoysChicks

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SuburbanFarmChic said:
Yeah the rain was pretty heavy last night but it was nice and light this morning. Now just clouded over.


I'm not really going to plant anything but it is very very tempting. I think I will console myself by starting stuff inside.
Yeap, time to get the seed starting kits out.
 

SuburbanFarmChic

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Well that's embarrassing.

I messaged everybody that is supposed to be getting together for the kick off meeting for the MONTHLY CSA project and told them all the wrong day to meet. Oy. Learn to read a calendar I should. :hide


In other news our new buck is here and I'm kinda liking him. He's very square. Seems to have nice width in the back. A manly but delicate bone structure. I LOVE his face. He's super shaggy right now and I really want to shave him in the Spring and see what is really under all that.


And tonight or tomorrow I'm picking up a bottle baby Texas Dall ram lamb. He's 4days old and the mom was older and just suddenly died this morning. My guess would be birth complications but I don't know. They raise sheep for organized hunts and offered to either buy him back at weaning or I can keep him. I might end up keeping the little bugger. We'll see :) I wonder how Dall and Katahdin cross.
 

SuburbanFarmChic

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The new buck is currently being happy and bucky. He couldn't care less when I go in the pen if a doe is in heat. He's gentle. He doesn't want to be petted. I SO want to keep him. We'll see though. Hubs does not want a buck here long term. Our previous buck experience has been so miserable though that it may take a while to set in that this one isn't a poop head. Ohh and he doesn't come pee on me!! :clap


The Dall lamb spent it's first night outside with the goats and was just fine. Fed him before bed and again this morning. I gently but firmly told him he was an arctic sheep and not sleeping in the living room when it was only going to get down to 35 and there were 10 other creatures to snuggle with. He accepted it gracefully with minimal wining.

He is probably not here to stay. I'm bottle feeding him for somebody at cost of milk and time. A couple more bottle babies are arriving on Friday that I think may stay if their owner doesn't want them back at weaning. I will either find them good homes or put them in the freezer. There are only so many outlets for extra dairy boys. Might have some cashmere or angora boys coming though. That would be fun.
 
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