Moving Right Along Updates

Orphan Calf

The calf didn’t make it.  It failed to regained its sucking urge enough to handle the bottle in spite of whole bag of Lactated Ringers and tube feeding.  Bummer yes, but not a huge surprise.   My headache will go away, Bet’s watching Australian girls who are dumber farmers than us and laughin’, and things will roll along. 

Outdoor Garden Tasks

Since I’m the only one in the universe without winter, I will be weeding my asparagus bed.  According to the moon signs there aren’t any days for seeding or planting until Monday so I’m going to get a bit of winter weeding done this weekend in the drizzle and fog. 

It is one of my favorite things to do when winter isn’t very wintry.  I would much rather be building a snow fort, sledding or watching Bet ice skate.  But weeding this time of the year comes in close second to those snow and ice things.

Not to mention that in my weeding travels I will come across a lot of slugs to cut in half.  It has been so mild, and last week down right warm, that the slugs are out and about it large numbers, they have already mowed down a couple primroses. 

I’ll have my rainsuit on only because everything will be dripping wet even if it doesn’t rain, and in one hand I will have my scissors and the other my winter weeding tool, the long screwdriver looking thing.  A beautiful thing about winter weeding is that you can’t, or at least ought not to, disturb the soil very much at all, so fewer tools to be carried to the garden, which in return means fewer tools to pick up and wash off.

Our Farm Animals

Bet’s angora rabbit, Lydia, is due to kindle today or tomorrow.  The box went in on Wednesday and she appears to be doing a little nesting.  This is the doe’s first kindling so we are not expecting perfection.

Mr. Bennet is hitching a ride up north tomorrow with the Bowermans to service both of Anna’s does.  We appreciate the ride so that Anna’s bunnies can get on with being successful producers for her.

Rory, the goat, according to the previous owner is supposed to have her kid(s) sometime this month (she only has a week and a half left to do her due) but she just looks like the same ol’ Rory.  We watch her as close as possible without becoming nags.  That is a very fine line to walk.

Lambs are due beginning next month.  CD&T shots for everyone this weekend.  Lots of life yet to come.

Hippy Hot Hut

Lavender, lupine, hollyhocks and echinacea are up in the greenhouse, along with the onions, carrots and beets in the root tubs and lettuce and mixed greens in the salad bowls. The Gypsophila is doin’ great and getting close to needing to be pricked out and into pots.

Monday I’ll seed more perennials, pansies, artichokes, foxglove, poppies and two more tubs of root veggies.   I’ll be moving the onion flats out of the Hippy Hot Hut and down to the cold frame today so that I’ll have more room. 

Kitchen Arts

Did I mention that the lovely dinner pictured in the previous post was seared duck breast on a pool of caramelized onion in a balsamic lingonberry reduction along side twice baked potato with sunshine squash?  Bet butchered one of her meat ducks and to make things go a little easier just harvested the breast meat and the thighs and legs.  Today the legs go into duck soup.

Feast Days

Today is Saint Agnes’ feast day.  Duck soup is on the menu.  And due to the giant sized headache and sleep depravation no German chocolate ganache cake or other sugary frivolities. But perhaps we will find something to make it a special meal, if only that it will be a quiet sit down reflective meal. 

Today we are reminded that we have nothing to boast about except for the Lord.  We are not great, we are not special, we do nothing greater than what the Lord does, for anything that is, anything that is worth anything, it is all the Lord’s doing.  He is the Treasure, the Reconciler  through who’s strength we can do any and all things set before us.  It is a shame if we find ourselves boasting about ourselves as much as it is a shame if we find ourselves shrinking away from the task at hand.