Wordless Wednesday

Keeping the Animals Warm When It's Below Zero

Like so many Americans today, we are dealing with bone chilling temps.  It's -14.  And I'm not talking wind chill.  With the wind chill it's -30.  This is the aftermath of the big snow storm that saddled us with 16.5".  My cousins in Buffalo have a "Blizzard Warning" right now with 2-3 feet of the white stuff expected!  They are used to that, though.
These photos were taken on my deck.

My grill is under there somewhere!

With these cold temperatures I was worried about our goats and chickens.  This is how we kept them warm last night.

The chickens in the small coop got a radiant heater which made it  a toasty 20 degrees in there this morning.  They were pretty happy.  I have some tiny bantams in there that have tiny body masses to match.  In the other coop, we hung a brooder light.  It's not the safest method but I hung it high enough to avoid burning wood shavings and wings.  It was 20 degrees in there, too.  All is well.  'Course it would be "well-er" if it was 80 degrees instead of below zero.

But then there's the issue of the goats.  Here's their goat hut.

How much snow is up there, anyway???

The wind was ferociously blowing yesterday and I became increasingly uneasy about their  overnight safety.  I pulled some fleece PJ's and a sweatshirt out of the "for the Salvation Army" bag and was prepared to make them sweaters for the night.  But when I trudged out to give everyone fresh water I changed my mind on what needed to be done.  Luckily, I had  a very large dog crate that temporarily acted as a chick barn last spring.  I pulled that crate into the garage, filled it with straw, put a blanket underneath and over it and and filled it with two dwarf goats.  They are pretty cozy in there and I was at ease with their overnight lodgings.

Ya gotta do what ya gotta do to survive sometimes.  

How do you keep your livestock warm in freezing temps?

Spinderella Story con't. and Frog Frenzy

So in she came to live back in her habitat.  She would usually hang out in the cave where she had spun the web mass.  Cut to a couple of weeks later...
     It was about mid-August by this time.  We had some sort of celebration at our home which was the reason for a yellow tablecloth dressing up our kitchen table.  Someone had been checking on Spinderella before we sped out the door for a 4-H activity, and her habitat was left on the kitchen table, which ended up being a blessing in disguise.  We walked in the door  and much to our surprise and shock...there were several tiny moving black dots on the yellow table cloth!  Gotta love the table cloth.  Believe it or not...WE HAD BABY SPIDERS!!!!  No kiddin'.  There were several baby spiders on the tablecloth.  A few had made their way to the door wall which I painstakingly caught with a piece of paper and gently set them outside.  Had we arrived home any later and we might have had a slew of spiders inhabiting our home.  We were weirdly pretty smug about the fact that we actually hatched spiders!  It's a fun story for us to tell and I know folks think we're pretty strange but it's an experience that my kids will remember their whole lives.  I guess you had to be there and only science-y country gals can appreciate the tale.

FROG FRENZY
      Here's another quick similar tale that my boys still talk about 10 years later.  We had a pond behind our former home.  We arrived home after dark one rainy evening in early summer only to be met by a mass invasion of FROGS  on our paved cup-de-sac.  I saw this as another teachable moment, sent the boys up our driveway for buckets and set off to catch frogs.  I drove our van down our little street, dodging frogs of all kinds and sizes, headlights shining bright to illuminate the road and watched the boys with delight as they caught frogs. They were 5 and 7 at the time.   After the catching frenzy we put a board over the buckets and went off to bed.  Cut to the next morning...we unveiled the buckets and peered in with wonder.  One by one we took out each frog, observed them and let them go.  There were several kinds and every size imaginable.  They had caught 60some frogs in about 15 minutes.  They neighbors thought I was nuts, the boys thought I was the coolest mom ever.  It was an experience we'll always remember.

Chapter 2 "A Spider Tale" - Crazy Country Living

So, now we have this "pet" spider - very large, black, hairy, spider.  After consulting with Ms. Google, I found that people actually do keep these darlings as pets, so perhaps we are not that kooky,   he hum.
    Well, we kept said spider for several weeks snatching bugs to keep her on the hunt.  This cool little habitat has this little cave like structure in one corner that she eventually grew very fond of.  Before we knew it she had built this web/nest inside there and she would hang out there for the day. They do not build the typical lacy web like most spiders do.  They have this small thick tangled mass of webbing.  Well, she holed up in there for weeks.  We never saw her poke her head out or come hunting the nice juicy insects that we painstakingly  caught for her.  After two or three weeks of her being AWOL we figured she went up to spidey  heaven.  We figured it was time to open the habitat outdoors and let her out(if she was still alive) and if not it was just time to get the habitat outside.  With no pouncing show to watch she had lost her charm.  So out she went in mid July.  The habitat was stationed by our deck just in case something started happening.
     Two weeks went by.  I was headed out the back door, toward the deck, and who was there to greet me but "Spinderella".  That is what my then 9 year old son named her.  She was sitting on our back steps literally saying "Hey, I've missed you and I want to live in my habitat in your house".  I understand spider-speak.  I made the assumption that it was our Spinderella so I scooped her up, gathered up the habitat and went on a hunt for feeder flies.

To be continued.........

A Spider Tale

Chapter 1

   Ok, you are going to think I'm a pure lunatic - I don't know, perhaps I am.  Maybe I'm strange, a nerd, weird-o, kooky.    Really, I'm pretty sane.  But what I am is a teacher(for real) a bit of a science geek, biologist, zoologist, entomologist, farm girl, country girl and critter lover.  That includes bugs, insects and arachnids.  Now, I will confess that I do not want said spiders crawling on me and I was known to let out a blood curdling screech many years ago when a tan spider the size of a watermelon - ok, maybe not that big- was crawling up my collar after a war with the weeds in the garden one summer.  I just find nature and all of it's buzzing, crawling, creepiness  and crowing animals, ah... interesting. And so that is  the lead in to my story, which has now evolved into two summers.
     So, last summer I find on my foyer floor a very large black hairy spider with green eyes and white markings.  She  had apparently hitched a ride on some beach towels drying on our front porch swing.  Enter my alter ego the entemologist me.  I grab a peanut butter jar and instantly she has a new home for the night.  My  intention was to research her a bit just to see what she was and educate the family on her lifestyle.   I really was a teacher for 14 years before I had my children so the teacher in me is constantly setting up rituals such as these to "teach" my three boys about the world.
     After very little research we found out that she was a female Daring Jumping Spider.  Jumping is the operative word here, remember that.   Later that evening we decided we had better try to feed her something.  That was a great excuse to catch the flies that the boys let in the house.  So the first fly gets nabbed and into the jar it goes.  Within seconds that spider pounced - hence the jumping part- on that fly and held on for dear life.  As it turns out they enjoy the feast and leave the carcass.  Many more flies and light buzzing moths followed that night.  Seeing this as the teachable moment, the next day I fixed up a nice habitat in one of our many aquariums meant for this purpose and in she went - for the rest of the summer.  Which meant we were on bug catching duty for a couple of months.  Here's an internet photo of a Daring Jumping Spider.  It's a better shot than any of those I took.


STAY TUNED...TO BE CONTINUED.

Daring Jumping Spider

Summer Picture of the Week

                                                       AWWW, need I say more?

Summer Picture of the Week

               My what big teeth you have, my dear Alpaca.

New Family Members

   We have contemplated adding goats to the family for several years now.  We finally gave in!  We are now owners of two Nigerian Dwarf doelings.  They were 9 weeks old when we picked them up a few weeks ago.  To say they are too cute is simply an understatement.  That's the breeder in the first photo.

Now here they are at our home.

"Ivy", our tan/white darling is the alpha goat .  She is the first to dig in to the food, the first to greet us at the door and quick to give "Willow" her new sister a butt if she feels like it.  She has blue eyes and is "polled", which means genetically, she has no horns.

     "Willow", our black and white baby is still quite timid.  She is slow to warm up but if seated on your lap is content to enjoy some cuddle time.

We watched the goat showing at the fair this year.  I'm hoping the kids will be interested in showing these gals next year.  For the time being, though, we are just enjoying their antics and affection.

 
We found the cutest kids play house on Craigs List for them to stay in.  It needs a paint job as the children who previously owned it showed off their artistic talents with a wild paintbrush.  Inside, there's plenty of indoor graffiti announcing the names of little girls allowed in the house and those who are  banned(even little girls can be snarky), but  it's the perfect little home for them.

     Now, I wonder if we can talk my husband into getting alpacas...

Cowboy Boot Birdhouse

I entered many things in the fair this year, this birdhouse being one of them. I think it turned out pretty cute. And it was the first place, blue ribbon winner! Ok, so it was the ONLY birdhouse entered this year so I won by default- but I still think it turned out great.

Unfortunately, I did not get to keep it after the fair, although I knew this going in. All birdhouses were going to be kept and auctioned in February for our fair fundraiser. That's fine with me. I hope they raise enough to be able to buy a fair trophy for one of the kids next summer. I was disappointed though, that no one else entered a birdhouse. I always love to see other artist's creations. Let's make it. You will need: a cowboy boot-I found mine at a garage sale license plate bandana wire belt small grapevine wreath drill with bits to drill through metal plus one of those circle grindy things with the teeth little stick for a perch small piece of wire fencing-optional glue Ok, here we go. We had some fencing left over from a goat pen project. The holes in the fence were about 2 x 4. I rolled up a piece,about 12 x 6, tube fashion, tucked it inside the boot, just to support the inside of the boot so it wouldn't collapse or crush. You couldn't use anything with small holes as your birds wouldn't be able to get into the house. Like I said, it's not necessary but we had the fencing so I used it. You will have to cut your piece to fit inside your boot. Using your drill and big circle grindy thing(is it used to cut holes in doors for a door knob?) cut an entry circle in the side of your boot so your birds can get in. You can also use an exacto or craft knife. Using a smaller drill bit, drill a small hole under that to accomodate a perch. Now switch to a metal bit to put holes in your license plate. Bend your plate in half to form a roof. Set it on top of the boot and decide where you will be able to attach the plate to the boot. Drill one or two holes on each side of your plate with matching holes at the top of the boot. You will be wiring the plate on via these holes. Cut 2-4 lengths of wire-depending on the number of holes you drilled- 5"-6", long enough to fit through the boot and the license plate. Wire the plate to the boot. My boot had loops at the top so I cut a length of wire and wired it onto the loops for a hanger. I cut a 12" piece, attached it to the loop on one side, ran it over the top of the plate, and attached the other end to the loop on the other side. Add the perch by making sure your little stick fits snugly in the perch hole. Add a dab of glue to hold in place. So that's your basic boot. Now it's time to embellish it.

I had an old thin belt with a western style buckle that I wrapped twice around the bottom 1/3 of the boot. Then I rolled up and tied on a bandana, leaving the corner down, bandit style, for some color and flair. I had seen some boots on the internet with bandanas just rolled and tied on but I liked leaving a little corner. I got it to this point but felt like it needed some thing more. I headed to the Salvation Army and found just the right size grapevine wreath to put around the hole. I glued this on. Hmmm, what else? A sheriff's badge was exactly what it needed! So off to the dollar store I went. Sure enough, in the kids isle I found a package of gold badges, a sheriffs star being one of the them. Perfect! It was just the bling I was looking for. Just a dab of glue to hold this in place and YEEHAW! You done got yourself and fine birdhouse, pardner! This is a great birdhouse for the cowboy or cowgirl in your life. It's easy to make and a sturdy home for your backyard birdies. If you make one please share it with me.

Another Fair Come and Gone

Well, our county fair has come and gone for another year. The kids and I managed to win more than few ribbons. I am a crafter and baker so it's a natural fit for me to enter my creations in the fair. In fact, I was the "Top Baker" this year. In the coming weeks I'll share those recipes with you. Wait 'till you see my first place scarecrow. I hope it makes you smile. In the meantime, here are some favorite fair photos.

More Joy From the Fair/Plug for 4-H

If you didn't make it to the fair this year you can visit vicariously below.  But first, I would like to sing praises  for    4-H.  Even though most of the pics I have shared are of the livestock,(cuz I love the critters) 4- H is so much more than animals.  It's leadership, citizenship, music, rocketry, animal/entomology/vet..study projects, writing, art, crafts, Lego building, food, photography, sewing, technology, entrepreneurship, shooting sports etc. etc.  So if you know of a child who perhaps, isn't big into sports but loves to do a lot of other activities, check out 4-H.  It might be just what that child needs to blossom.  It's the best kept secret out there!  Ok, I'll get off my soapbox and show those pics.

Thought I'd share a few more fair pics for all you farmy types.

                      Monster Truck Night

                             Mini Horses

                            Rocket Launch

                           Babies

                           More Mini's

A Week Of Fair Highlights

Well, Fair Week is over and we are all rested and on to other things this summer.  But we love the fair!  OK, true confessions time...I love the fair.  I simply love the fair.  Since I was a little girl, I have loved the fair.  Now that I'm a big girl I still love the fair.  It's not the rides or the games or anything like that.  It's the animals, crafts, food atmosphere, people watching, summer nights, lights and colors, night time shows, etc.  Anybody with me on that?  Any other fair lovers out there?

I submitted several crafty and food items this year-18 to be exact-(I know, a bit of over achieving this year.  I was scolding myself as I was up at midnight the night before baking a pie)...   but anyway, I won a ribbon for most of my exhibits, sometimes by default because I was the only person to enter in that category!  Not sure I would enter as many items next year.  It was crazy trying to finish up all three kids' projects, plus mine.

We took our new camper this year so that we would have a home base to come back to if we needed a break.  I took my stitching, thinking I'd get a chance to sit under the canopy and grab a few stitches here and there, but alas, that never happened.

This is our Buff Cochin Hen.  She took a third place ribbon.

Plus a photo of the Figure 8 races.  Stay tuned for a few more fair pics and photos of my winning crafts.

REMEMBER TO LUBE YOUR ROO!

Winter is rearing its ugly head - finally!  This  snow and cold can be hard on your backyard chickens.  Did you know that a rooster's comb can get frostbitten?  And do you know what happens when a rooster's comb gets frostbitten?  His points turn black and fall off!  That's what happened to Hucks' comb a few years ago.  He is my very suave,  non-attacking, gentlemanly Black Maran rooster.  I actually keep vaseline in the coop this time of year so that I can lube those combs on nights like tonight.  That night, I didn't think it was cold enough to do damage to the boy's combs.  I was wrong.  Sure enough, the next morning, his comb tips were white.  Eventually, they turned black and then...his points fell right off!  So he is point-less!  Poor Huck.  His lovely comb is smooth on the top.  It didn't seem to affect his manhood but it probably makes the hens do a double take.