Christmas preparation

Goat love triangle

Please take me with you!

Daisy is unhappy today.

You see Sampson made his triumphant return arrived today.  Daisy likes Sampson, but I think she is having problems with how much her sister Lily likes Sampson.  Ahem.  Within minutes of his arrival, Lily was flinging herself mercilessly at him.  And there is very graphic evidence that he didn't mind the attention one bit (aka expect kids in 5 months from this post).

But none of this impresses Daisy who has stood bleating at the gate since this all started.  She already made one great escape, and headed straight to the little stall hoping that I would lock her up with Lily and Sampson's daughter Clarabelle there.

Wishlist

Hanna:  Mommy, for Christmas, I really want somebody to get me a sweet little baby pig.  That way I could love it and hold it, and when it gets big we can eat it.

Me:  But wouldn't you love it too much to eat it, you know, after you love it and hold it as a baby?

Hanna:  No, because somebody would probably get me a boy, and I do NOT love big boy pigs.

Hanna, my dear girl, sometimes you make things ridiculously easy!

Gory scenes from the barn

With a title like that you are probably expecting photos... Well not today.

This morning, I couldn't understand why Puck was acting strange.  I was worried that it was a sign of an upcoming seizure.  I collected all of my kitchen scraps and took the bowl out to the animals.  I tossed some less than fresh broccoli into the goat yard and then made a last minute decision to give all of the kitchen scraps into the turkeys yard.  I let out the turkeys.  I grabbed an armful of hay for the goats and headed towards their door. 

Now I am used to startled hens leaping out, feathers ruffled and squawking away.  So when I was suddenly struck with a face full of feathers, I was not ruffled.  But in a split second I recognized that brown and white feather pattern.  It was a young Red-tailed Hawk flying into my face!  I ducked and it flew over my head and took perch in the big Maple tree next to the patio.  I was breathless and speechless, and considering myself lucky that I didn't get tangled with some talons.  Then I turned and took a quick glimpse of a pile of blood and bones on the floor of the barn, and I ran like a little girl to the house.  Actually, I closed the barn doors (if Damon had done that last night, there would be no hawk in the barn this morning), ushered one terrified and de-feathered hen into the coop, dumped the hay into the goat yard and then I RAN.

I can handle gross, but I can't handle dead.  I make my boys act as undertakers for any dead chick, trapped mouse, etc.  Just like a cartoon character, I leap onto the nearest chair screaming.  Matt and the boys tease me about it all the time.  But I know that a poopy diaper has the same effect on them.

It makes me wonder if Puck knew the hawk was eating one of our chicken friends and that's why he was whining and following me around.  I wonder if that is why I had a sudden sharp pain in my stomach as I walked out the door.  Matt has been bugging me about putting the kittens in the barn full time.  I had said it would be done by now, but for some reason I've been dragging my feet about it.  SO glad they weren't there for that.

My 2 roosters are now circling the chicken yard while all of the hens stay inside on this beautiful day.  Snowman, Gigi and Spiderman (a hen) had been living in the barn. 

So now I wait until Patrick arrives home from school, only to be greeted with the news that he has to act as crime scene investigator and undertaker.  I'll make sure to save a poopy diaper for leverage.

Free-range turkey, outside my sliding glass door.

Hanna and Grandpa looking at a "Can You See What I See?" book.

Sunflower "house"

Matt and Griffin.

I love this photo, note the curled-up, dirty-from-the-frog-pond toes.

A once-noble steed in a pasture of golden rod.

Backyard cemetery.

Last day at the pool

Grandpa's pool closed for the season as they are renovating it.  So we got in one last wonderful swim.

Fond farewells

Future O-lineman!

Don't worry about the girls!  When the friends come to visit, we have our own special friend to spend quality time with.

Best friends

Campbell has known his best friend since he was just a few months old.  Since their older brothers were best friends, they really didn't have too much of a choice but to play together, but they became best friends.  They always had fun together, never disagreeing on much.  They played in the playground, went on double playdates with their brothers, and when they were old enough to play in the community soccer league, they were on the same team.  It has been 5 years since they played on the same soccer team,  since then they have both played competitive soccer and both of them were even selected for their district development programs.  So when Campbell's friend and his family came for a visit, Campbell's soccer coach was nice enough to let Campbell's friend practice with the team.  For a moment, it was as if there was no time or distance, just best friends playing the game they love best.

10 Things I cannot live without

I saw this article by Adam Van Koeverden, and got thinking about what 10 things I cannot live without.  It was harder than I thought, but here it is:

1. My husband and children - Obviously.  
2. My canning equipment - I use it for so much more than just jam or relish.  I use it to make soap, lotions, cheese, yogurt and more.
3. My chickens - Mostly because I am addicted to home-grown eggs.  Since starting my paleo diet, they have been my go-to snack.  Hard-boiled or fried, they are quick and give me energy to keep going.
4. My goats - Pets that produce milk for cheese, yogurt, etc.  Awesome.  If you asked me 10 years ago, I never would have thought I would feel this way.
5. My minivan - Any minivan actually.  I am not emotionally-invested in my 6 year old Ford Freestar, but how else could I drive kids to school, soccer, hockey, football, dance class, and so on.
6. My computer - It has taken the place of my cookbooks, my telephone, my mailbox, my television, my calendar, and definitely enriches my social life, as I can cyber-socialize with people all over the world with similar interests.
7. My mascara and lipbalm - I am a low-maintenance girl, but still a girl.
8. My gardens - I will always need a place to plant stuff.
9. My black Skechers flats - I love those shoes, so comfy, and goes with everything I wear.
10. My Canon T3i - I just got it this past year, but it is true love.

There are lots of other things I could add, like my pottery, my new and wonderful coffee table.  What 10 things can you not live without?

I love my country neighbours.  

My garden has not done very well this year.  My neighbours know it, so one neighbour has given me literally tonnes of cucumbers in varying colours and sizes (for pickles, relish, eating, and lots for the animals), another neighbour dropped off the rest of what you see here.  Another neighbour cut my front lawn for me, and yet another cut my hay and my back lawn.

Baby birds in a nest.  I think they are turkey birds.

Chicken Curry on "Cauliflower Rice"

I was drooling over a butter chicken recipe that my cousin and friend shared with me, when Patrick saw the screen and decided that he wanted to cook Tom's Trinidadian Chicken Curry, for dinner.  Sounds like a good plan to me!  Because I am following a paleo eating style, he replaced the vegetable oil with coconut oil, and mine was served over cauliflower "rice".  Awesome.  You know it is good when his siblings fight over extra helpings.

So when he leaves this nest, he'll know how to heat up lasagna, cook spaghetti with meat sauce, and Chicken Curry on rice.  Not a bad start I guess.

Beach day

The end of a long hot and successful day on the soccer pitch.

Free goat snuggles for anybody who visits.

These kitties are so chill.

Grey kitty.

Making yellow cucumber relish. 

Kira and Hanna brought ground apples for the pony.

Puck

Making meat muffins.  Made with ground chicken.

Roasted cauliflower, "meat muffins" and caesar salad.

Hanna at the football field.

4 wild turkey toms in the field beside us, not a clear photo, but I was just excited to capture them on camera at all.

Goat snuggles

I haven't had a lot of time for sitting down in the goat yard lately.  I've left that "job" to the kids, until today.  I sat down on a rock and Clarabelle ran right up to me as if it was an invitation for her to snuggle.

Can we snuggle?

While I was snuggling with her, the older goats, Daisy and Lily were trying to get in on it too, leaning against my back and putting their heads on my shoulder.

He's trying to figure out why Clarabelle is climbing on my lap and rubbing her face against my cheek.

He's waiting patiently for his playmate to finish her snuggle-time.

He can't resist!

If you've never snuggled a goat, you really should try it.  It is very relaxing.

Hanna loves swimming.

Yelling out commands as the other kids push him on his "raft".

Turkey update

Don't be fooled, this year's turkeys are EVIL!  

They want to kill me.  I have to get one of the kids to guard me with a big stick when I go in.  All I'm trying to do is give them food and clean water.  This year's turkey is going to be THE most delicious ever.