I'm back!...and here to stay!

It's been like....2 months since I have blogged. Sorry, all I have is the boring excuse of being busy.Let me fill you in on Triple K Farm news. This promises to be a big year for us, we have a lot in the works right now, and I will do my best to keep you posted.

First, we got a new sugaring arch 2x6 & Mark guarantees me that this will allow us to have a life during sugaring...me, I am not convinced, but time will tell. Mark has been working the last two weekends to install it. He & his right hand sugar man (Tony) are laying the fire brick as I write this. Last weekend K3, myself , and K1's boyfriend split sugar wood both weekend afternoons. Then I came down with the flu...that put me out most of the week.

This morning started out fast & furious. Chores, clean barns, and loaded recycling, this was before 9 am! Then the shearer came & sheared all the girls, did their feet, and they received their CDT shots.I know it seems cruel to take all their wool mid winter, but there is a logical reason. We are expecting lambs in the beginning of February. Without their wool, I can monitor their progress easier. I can actually find their udders (and so can their lambs!), watch them grow, and sometimes feel the babies move (super cool!).

Before....

During.....

and after....

I Love Weekends!

The first thing I love about the weekend is it means two cups of coffee while still in my pajamas and that Mark does the morning chores. During the week I do morning chores because I leave for work later than him. He does the evening chores while I cook dinner.

After coffee on Saturday morning we make our weekend to do list on the big white board in our kitchen. There is something very satisfying about erasing chores completed off that list. When I finally get dressed it's into my favorite jeans with ripped out knees. Not the ripped jeans you buy in the store, no these are  genuinely homemade from wear. Then I wear one of my favorite (too large for me sweatshirts). Either the red one that someone left at our house forever ago or one that says Beer is Good, and if you know me than you know I hate beer & never drink it.

Then it's outside we go. Today was sunny & warm. I really can't believe it's mid November.We made a pretty good dent on our list, good thing we have one more day left and it's suppose to be as nice as today.

Hope you enjoy your weekend, and make sure to get outside!!!

My Top Ten Thankful List

·       For being a Mom. It's the best job, the most challenging, and the most rewarding.

·        Our three beautiful, unique, and loving daughters. They are my whole life.

·        My husband of 20 years. I've spent more of my life with him than without him. We've built our life together, share the same dreams, and support each other.

·        My family (My Brothers, Sister, Brother & sister in laws, Nieces, and Nephews ). I can always depend on them, and know they love me as much as I love them.

·        My friends. I don't get to see them or spend much time with them, but when we do we have a blast. You know who you are and that I am only a phone call away.

·        My animals. They give me great joy, and plenty of hard work (keep me in shape)!

·        That I live in Vermont.

·        For the good health of myself & my family.

·        That we are able to raise and grow our own food. I love providing for ourselves.

·        That I am happy, and have a great life!

Storm days...

Sunday was prepare for the storm day.

•  I went grocery shopping, which was a mad house! 
• Mark & I got 60 bales of hay & stacked in the barn.
• Took grain out of my trunk & K3  helped me deliver it to chicken coop, pig pen & sheep barn.
• We moved the chicken coop, so they can clean up the remainder of my garden.
• Took the chicks out of the basement & moved them into the little coop.
• Brought the ewes in from the pasture & put them in with the ewe lambs
• What to do with Dave (ram)? First we put him in a pen in the barn,  he rammed his way through that. Then we moved him in the corral ....Sorry Dave guess you won't have shelter from Sandy. 
• K3 cleaned her coop & I cleaned the cows
• Brought in all the outside furniture
• Phew...finally ready! 
• Ended the day by making popcorn we grew. Yummy!

Monday:

Dave & the steer kept head butting each other between the fence. The steer was bleeding. Stupid Boys! We decided it was time for Dave to go....Mark loaded him up & off the commission sales he went. Mark decided to brace up the chicken coop, we didn't want that to blow over. Then we settled in to await the storm with drink & a house full of kids. Since school was cancelled, my 2 nieces & nephew came to stay the night because their parents had to work in the morning. Lucky me had a storm day...one of the benefits to working in the school system.

Tuesday:

Home for the day...it's 68 degrees, a little rain, windy with a few big gust...but really uneventful. No damage or power loss here. Enjoying my day!

Skunks!!

We have a skunk issue!

 Our first skunk encounter was our lab cross Carter. This was several years ago, I let him out in the middle of the night & when I let him back in, I smelled skunk. I checked him but didn't smell anything, then I touched him, still nothing. I woke Mark & had him smell my hand....Yup skunk. Apparently, it takes a few minute for the odor to appear. In one weeks time poor Carter had 8 baths, needless to say, he now despises baths. We tried vinegar & douches. Douches worked better & we were buying them by the four pack. Then every time he got wet for months afterwards we still smelled a slight skunky odor.

Next was the sheep. We had a skunk spray them in the barn. When we sheared them months later, we had to throw away the wool because it still smelled.

Two years ago, Carter was sprayed again! This time we let him in the sugar shack, because we were sugaring...again it took a few minutes before we realized it was him. This time, we put him in the back of my brothers cab truck & brought him to the groomers. It was the best $50 I have spent! He smelled great & he knew it. He came home with a bandanna around his neck & a happy face!

Last month it was the kitten, Ryder. She just got a little on the side of her neck. I Googled what to use. A mixture of peroxide, baking soda, and soap (which actually seemed to work). I thought, this should be interesting...giving a cat a bath. Silly cat, didn't fight me at all. When I was done, I wrapped her in a towel & she let me hold her while she was shaking, terrified. Poor Baby!

Now, it's the pigs! Good thing they are babies & were not ready to eat them! It sure does make chore time, not as pleasant.

Triple K Farm Long Overdue Update

•  We have 3 new sheepies....they have been here before & now they are back for good. My niece brought her two sheep here last year to breed & they each had a ewe lamb. We got the ewe lambs back & one of the ewes.
•   Dave (ram) is doing his job & lambing will be in February & March.
• We sent 3 of the ram lambs off this week....they weren't as big as we hoped :(
•   You might be a redneck if........ We moved the piggies in a new pen of pallets & baler twine.
• K3's chickens are showing their age....we are only getting 8 to 10 eggs a day out of 26 chickens.
•  25 new chicks arrived in the mail this week. We were waiting every morning for the Whiting post office to call & tell us the chicks were in. Finally, on Thursday afternoon Mark got a call from the Brandon post office to come get our chicks.....not sure how that happened!!

Happy Piggies!

Monday Madness

Monday we go to K3's game & she is the goalie. This is her first year & she is doing great! We come home do chores, eat dinner, and watch TV. Miley is outside on the porch barking like crazy. I get her in, and think nothing about it. Half & hour later I go into the laundry room to finish the laundry & hear Dora whinny twice. I head for the door & tell Mark "something is wrong....Dora never whinnies." We grab our flashlights, boots,and make sure to leave the dogs in.

Well, on the lawn is Dora, Little Man (the big beef) who was suppose to be in my freezer but we decided he needed a few more months, and Buddy (the herford steer). OH GREAT!!! Guess that's what Miley was barking at.  The barn gate is wide open. Mark, obviously never latched it! I open the door & ask K1 who is doing homework to help. K2 is already in bed, K3 is in the shower.

Mark locks the other animals in the coral, so he can leave the barn gate open & nobody else will get out, with the hopes that they will just walk back into the barn. HA! I grab grain & a lead rope. I walk right up to Dora & lead her back to the barn. Mark thinks he can herd the cows to follow her. WRONG!

K3 gets out of the shower & lets the dogs out. This is not helpful because they will just scare & chase the cows where we do not want them to go. We get the dogs back in. The cows are close to the pasture so K1 runs to the barn & shuts off the fence. Next, K1 is on a mission for new batteries because of course ours are dying.  Mark lowers the wire & we herd them into the pasture, put back up the fence, and turn it back on. Maybe we can leave them there for the night?

Here comes the ram (Dave) to investigate, now we remember they can't be together because they fight. Off they go into the darkness. Meanwhile, for all those who have seen Mark in stress full situations, know what a joy he is. He is barking out orders, yelling that we did this & that wrong....K1 & I just ignore him & remind him several times that actually this is his fault.....he left the gate unlatched.

Somehow Dave chases Little Man thru the fence & into the chicken pasture. Now, he is after Buddy. He is chasing him toward the coral gate. Mark opens it, keeping Dora and the other animals inside while Buddy runs thru. Two down one to go.

We go over to the chicken pasture & Little man jumps back out onto the lawn. He runs down the driveway, somehow Mark manages to cut him off before he gets to the road. I think Little Man is as stressed with the situation as we are, so he just calmly walks back into the barn. We shut & LATCH the gate.

This ordeal lasted about an hour. Once inside Mark apologies for his behavior but states we are not good at chasing animals. I laugh and again remind him he caused this, and that I had my animal (horse) in within 5 min and no problems. His animals (the cows) were the difficult ones. Now that everyone is back in their place we can finally go to bed.