Tuesday, October 10, 2017

Cooler temps, clean rabbit cages, and homemade chili

90s on Monday and 60s on Tuesday, what a temperature change. Guess it's expected in the fall.. I remember wearing a hoodie and still wrapping in a blanket while watching my daughter do her color gaurd routine during half time at the school football game..
Cooler temps also gets me in the mood for homemade chili.. So I'd like to share my recipe..

The ingredients are simple.    
2 lbs hamburger meat.                                    
1 pkg of Williams chili seasoning.                 
1 small yellow onion.                                        
1 can rotel diced tomatoe and green chillies
2 cans of tomato sauce.                                  

Brown the hamburger meat with onion..( chopped)
Drain..
Mix the diced tomatoes and green chillies and
Seasoning..
Pour the cans of tomatoe sauce in then fill each tomato sauce cans with water and pour in the pan.. Simmer on medium for about 30 min.. Use a laddle and dip some into big bowls and enjoy.. You can add cheese, sour cream, or crackers..


Now I'll move on to my next project from outside..
Cleaning the rabbit cages .. It's a nasty job but someone has to do it.. My cages were stacked 3 high with tarp in between to catch the manure.. I separated them and removed the tarp, while trying not to dump it on me..lol. I still manage to get rabbit poop on me.. It's a given not to wear good clothes while working in animal area..
I managed to get tarps in wheelbarrow and getting it dumped on the spot I plan to till for spring.

Clean cages.. 
Tarps are also use as protection from wind and rain.. I am working on more solid shelter before winter. Temps are still to warm for them to be indoors..                                                                      
Now the cages are clean, I'll begin my breeding of the rabbits..
Next I'll make a temporary chicken coop for the free range hens..
Hope you enjoy my story and let me know if you make the chili... How's the weather where y'all are.

Sunday, October 8, 2017

Projects getting done on the farm

What an awesome day.. We worked on several projects that needed done.. Since my stud Muffin, Chris, is only home Saturday night and Sunday, he tries to work on the house.. Here he is finishing the ceiling in the closet.. It will be a large walk-in closet..
while he is working on the house, me and Christian is working on the fence.. Every night the Pyrenees get out of the fence and I need them to guard the poultry and rabbits from the coons and possums.. And living in the country, there are a lot of them..   So we are installing a hot wire to keep them in and critters out..                                             
 The Pyrenees know something is up..They are being so good and not even trying to get out...
My son is acting goofy..I told him to smile for the camera.. He does so much for me.
we had a good day.. I have more projects scheduled for this week..little by little we will get them done...                                                

Thursday, October 5, 2017

Autumn time on the farm

Well it's Autumn here at the farm.. Autumn is my favorite time of the year, but it's also a busy time too.. 
Since we just move back here, we have no buildings set up for the rabbits and chickens.. They have housing but only the kind that is good for summer.. That's what I will be working on next week..
It's also time to start breeding the rabbits.. Meat rabbits for food and lops and lionheads for sale.. Takes 28 days to have kits.. That's what baby rabbits are called.. 
I'm also expanding my garden.. 3 times the size it is now.. I'll be able to can and freeze more next year plus sell extra in a roadside stand.
So besides thinking of the fun work ahead of me this fall, guess I'll think of the other fun things I like..
I love the cooler weather. I like summer but there nothing like curling up with a blanket and watching a chic flick..  Ready for cute sweater weather.. I love the way the leaves Change colors.. It's not doing that here yet but they are trying..

Below is my son...This was taken last fall.. He would probably kill me for posting this...(we wont tell him)
Yes this are my favorite Fall things..
 I'm still harvesting cherry tomatoes...Still making sauces..
Oh almost forgot the sweet potatoes I harvested.. Yummy                                                            
Saving these for special dinners and Thanksgiving... If I can wait that long...

 Now that its October,I start looking for Pumpkin Patches.. I love roasted pumpkin seeds and carving funny faces in the pumpkins




Wednesday, October 4, 2017

Why I love living on my small farm

Why do I love living on my small 20 acre farm? That's easy to answer... I love animals, and growing fresh veggies..I love the fresh air and quiet evenings. Some times you can here a black panther holler from the river.. I live about a half mile from a large river, so there is several different types of wild life here. We have deer, ferrel hogs, large wild cats, coyotes, and others, but they dont mess with us although they cross the back pasture.

Here are some of the animals I raise. Rabbits, Chickens, Cats, and Dogs..

I do like the lionheads but they don't to be petted like the hollands do. I also have meat rabbits but will save them for another post.. Same with the other breeds of chickens i have. I will also save my garden for other post..
There is so much i do on the farm that i can't fit into one story...So please follow me as I share my story of my 20 acre farm.


Little about me..

I've all ready posted a few posts of the farm but I thought I'd tell you about this country girl.. Unlike Rea Drummond{A.K.A. the Pioneer Woman, by the way I love her show..) , I'm not an accidental country girl.. I'm a 4th generation farm girl. I didn't grow up on this small farm but I'll live the rest of my days here. I grew up in a very small country town, population of 800, I think.. I spent every weekend, holidays, and summer here on the farm with my 2 brothers and 5 cousins and always had someone to play with. 
My kids have even played with their cousins here.
And I can't wait for their kids to do the same..

Sunday, October 1, 2017

farm update

Good morning..
Its been a while since I posted last.. A lot has been happening here on the farm.. We haven't finished the house yet but still working on it.. Added new babies. Brought home 3 more Pyrenees pups abs a dairy barn kitten..

Thursday, December 8, 2016

Moving home

When I was growing up I've dreamed of living with my Grandmother on her farm...My dream came true when my Mother decided to sell it and my boyfriend gave me the down payment. That was May of 2012 and in Jan 2017 I'll be turning the electric back on..Why did it take so long?...money or lack of became an issue.
Since Purchasing the house I have been building a poultry farm of rare poultry breeds and now i'
m ready for the change. I need the 20 acres that comes with the house so I can triple my pens and increase my flock.

The house needs some work but i'm ready to
fix it.  it needs some ceiling repaired and new carpet.
I'll track my progress thru this blog.