Kittens

We've got at least two litters of kittens here now...and we think we have a third, we just haven't found where that third one is yet. This little kitten is the oldest. It is the only survivor of a litter of four. The Mom had them outside, between the hay bales, and since the hay bales were moved to feed the cows earlier this spring, they got out more in the open and she didn't move all of them to the barn before something happened to the others. This one is the only one she got moved to safety. DH tried to make a little shelter over and around them once he found them...but guess it didn't work.

The other litter of kittens that we know where are, are under the big cattle trailer. Guess that means we can't get it moved and unloaded until they are old enough to be moved to the barn by us. This litter is almost all white, with just a little color here or there on them...well I think one was more like the color of the kitten above...but the other three were white with colored tails and maybe a spot or two elsewhere. I would sure have preferred a little more color...and a nice calico would have been nice! LOL

Silly cats, not sure why they have to have them outside like they have. Not sure how long it will be till we find where the other cat hid her kittens.  Hopefully we can find them eventually and see what colors SHE had...course hopefully her's has more color on them than the last batch.  LOL


The dogs discovered the kitten since it came out to play while we were out at the barn, and naturally were really interested in it. Autumn wanted to "get" it, but Peaches, being the scaredy dog that she is, was a little jumpy around her. She would kinda "sneak" up behind it, leaning out to sniff, but if the cat moved wrong, she would jump back. Goofy mutt. LOL Growing up with that mean ol Autumn sure made Peaches scared of other animals. Poor Baby.  She does seem a little more brave now and then...but then sometimes she is still a weenie dog.  That's ok, I still love her...even if she is a bit afraid of a tiny little ball of fur like this little kitten.  *snicker*

Gotta love having farm babies around...even if I don't get out to see them as much as I should.  Hopefully we will have some calves around later in the year (or early next)...who knows if any of the cows are pregnant or not yet...but I'm sure hoping!  :-))

Fat and Sassy

Our cows sure are looking nice and fat these days...all that good spring grass is being enjoyed by all I think! Button is looking sleek now she lost her winter coat...downright beautiful in fact, I'm loving her coloring! Sadly she wouldn't let me get a good side view photo, to show how nice she looks, but I thought this one at least shows how fat she looks. LOL Course she is suppose to be with calf...only time will tell if she is, the really fat side isn't the calf side I don't think.


Snowball is getting a tummy on her too...it's not near as big as the older cows...but it's got a good start! Lets hope we have enough grass for all our cows and Pearl...God willing the grass will keep growing good so they have plenty to eat and keep those tummies of theirs happy!  LOL

The neighbor who had looked in on Pearl, after her owner moved away...till we got her...walked over for a short visit last night with a couple of his sons.  I didn't actually even know they were here but DH told me about his visit after he left.  I guess he couldn't believe how good Pearl was looking, not just because she has filled out from all the good grass but also because of how much happier she looked.  It IS nice to see the change.

Course it's STILL funny how DH managed to get me convinced to bring her home...we were laughing about that the other day again...he sure is sneaky that hubby of mine!  He knew that all it would take is me seeing how sad and hungry (for attention OR food) an animal looks and I'd be a goner...does he know me or what!

Speaking of Pearl and the cows...DH told me tonight, when I was out seeing them that Pearl and Daisy hang out together now.  After being almost afraid of Pearl, (all the cows were) Daisy has been seen laying down by her...even touching her!  LOL  If Daisy isn't in the pasture with Pearl, Pearl gets antsy.  Here and I figured Daisy and Button would become best friends, if anyone was...little did I know that Daisy would choose a horse over a cow for her best buddy, now that Honey died. It's kinda funny in a way...but sweet too.  Least Pearl has a friend now...after the trauma of being left behind, that's nice to see.

Wonder if we could hitch Daisy up beside Pearl to a buggy...think she would help Pearl pull us around? We'd probably be the only ones around who had a buggy team that consisted of a horse and a cow!  *giggle*  That would fit our farm name at least...it sounds like a hillbilly thing!  LOL  Ok, probably wouldn't be a good idea...Daisy isn't trained THAT well!   Guess we will just have to hope that Pearl won't mind leaving Daisy behind for a little while, if we ever do get her hooked up to a buggy.  :-))

Anyway, it's good to see our cows (and the horse) getting fat and sassy on the nice spring grass!  It's making the fresh homemade butter nice and bright yellow too...and the cream is a nice creamy color, not mostly white, like the winter cream is.  It's just beautiful!  I've made two batches of cheese this week so far...a cheddar and some brie...hopefully once they age they will be yummy like they should be.  Looking forward to making more and hopefully getting the cheese fridge filled up!

Birthday Buddy

When I was young, there was someone in my grade at school who shared my Birthdate with me. Since then, I've not known personally (that I remember...or least that I know of) anyone who was born on May 19th...that is till now!

Some young friends of ours just had their first baby this year on my birthday!! They had a little boy, so I'm thinking of him as my little birthday buddy. LOL


He was born in a little town not far from where we were going to be the day after my birthday, so we called them up to see if they could stop and let us see him real quick, before they headed on home...back to Nebraska (they came to Missouri, so they could have a midwife birth instead of a hospital birth...which I'm all for myself if the mother is healthy and things are going well...Nebraska doesn't allow midwives at this time which is a shame.)

His Dad looked so proud and happy! I didn't manage any real GOOD photos, but...they had some other friends who happened to be driving through, stop to see him too so I had to jockey for position with my camera. LOL


His Mom looked happy too, although I'm sure she was really tired and was wishing the trip home was over already.

I'm so glad we happened to be in town at the right time, so we could see him. He is a cutie, and looks a LOT like his Daddy! In fact, I don't think I've ever seen a baby who looks as MUCH like one of their parents as this little cutie did.

We had a nice little chat with them and learned that they knew our Azure Standard drop coordinator (which I thought was really kinda weird...after all they are from Nebraska, actually the new Mom is originally from the west coast and came back here last year to marry her hubby and SHE is the one who had known her since she was a child.)  We also found out our drop coordinator had a connection with someone else we knew years ago which made the day that much more interesting and odd.  LOL  What a small world it truly is at times!

Needless to say, being able to see a new little blessing and learn a little more about someone we knew really made the day extra special.

We went to pick up our Azure order, which is why we were in that town to begin with, and one of the ladies gave us a couple fresh backed loaves of homemade sourdough bread!  I think it was because the month before DH changed a tire for her when we discovered it was flat.  Didn't expect anything for it, just being nice, but what a sweet thing for her to do in payment!  Gotta love homemade bread!!!  :-))  All in all, it was really a wonderful day, and beautiful besides with the countryside between here and there being so beautiful and green making the drive not so bad.

Wish all our shopping days could be so nice!  Wonderful, beautiful AND extra interesting! It seems some of the connections we've made here in Missouri, lead us to connections we've had in the past...both resent past and distant past.  How strange yet blessed is that.  :-))

DH's latest project.

DH has been working on building a buggy, so Pearl could go for a "drive" now and then. He's gotten this far so far...still has a little ways to go, but it's starting to look like one at least!

Not sure how I'll like a buggy...but we will see how it goes when he gets it done. It seems a little tippy right now (although I know it probably isn't)...and I'm kinda nervous about stuff like that...but it could be fun.

I really want a sleigh though...even if it would only be usable when there is snow on the ground, it would still be so cool to go for a sleigh ride.

The biggest problem we are having is finding the money for a harness set...most of the stuff he needed for the buggy he was given or was really cheap...but harnesses are NOT cheep, so...we are still waiting to see how we manage to come up with that.  I'm sure, when the time is right, we will either find the money or find one cheap.  God is good at providing what we need, when we need it.  :-))

I think Pearl will be happy...DH said when he is out there with her, she always looks up when she hears a buggy go by like "hey, I used to do that...and want to again!!"  :-))

Surprises for my Birthday!

Today is my birthday, and yesterday my DH surprised me with a gift!! We don't usually get any major surprises, simply cause we don't have lots of extra money laying around for them, but this year he managed to surprise me cause he's done a little work on the sly (that I didn't know about) for some of our neighbors. What a sweet, resourceful hubby I have!

We've had a wide two drawer pressed wood piece of junk file cabinet for years now that I set our printer on. It's heavy and full of file folders...and is completely annoying. The drawers have to be fiddled with a lot, just so they will operate, and the folders are always falling off the rails...cause the rails move. It's life has been threatened on numerous occasions, mostly by DH cause he's so tired of having to "fix" it as best as he can, so I'm able to actually open the drawers.

Every time it gets moved it gets worse...and this last move just about did it in totally...but hubby managed to make it usable again, if we didn't breath on it to hard.  We use it to put our printer on, which is why I wanted one that was wide like it was...although we were considering getting two short matching ones, to sit side by side so the printer could fit on them.

Yesterday he came home with a new, handmade, solid wood file cabinet!!! It's SOOOO much nicer than our old one, and the middle rail doesn't move, so the folders SHOULD stay hanging like they are suppose to! The drawers even glide like they are suppose to!!!! LOL  There is nothing like rubbing your hand over REAL wood!  I Love my surprise Dear!!


Our Amish neighbor, who does wood working made it for him...he may have gotten a discount on it even...being it was for my birthday, hubby isn't talking about that much.  LOL  I tell you, this move has given us some really NICE neighbors...handy ones to have around!  We had a few good ones in Nebraska, don't get me wrong...but these here seem to be extra nice.

It was a really NICE surprise, and even gave me a chuckle, cause I know how much HE was happy to get it too so the old one could be chucked!  it's always nice to get actual wood furniture, and chuck the cheep pressed wood junk...sadly we still have some of that in our house, but least the MOST ANNOYING piece is now gone!

I actually got more surprises yesterday for my birthday...an online friend sent me a couple kindle books I've been wanting to read!  Thanks so much Jenny, I'm looking forward to reading them!!!  :-))


In the not such a surprise category...I ordered myself a couple birthday gifts the other day. The only surprise part of them is...I didn't think I was going to be able to come up with the money for another couple months, but finally managed to. I've been wanting a new larger soap mold for well over a year, but with the move didn't end up getting it...so got that ordered, and then this little gem pictured above!!

Over the winter, I've been getting some more cheese stuff together, getting ready to start learning to make hard cheese since I now had an extra refrigerator to be able to turn into a cheese cave. I kept searching on the net, for some other cheese molds I could use with the press my Daddy made me, that would let me do a bigger batch of cheese and just couldn't find anything that wasn't expensive...the one thing I considered was almost as much as a new press that I'd heard about last year and started drooling over.

After looking for several months and even having DH see if he could find where we could buy some food grade water pipe and make our own, I finally concluded I may as well just get the press I wanted, instead of spending so much for JUST the molds. I love the press my Daddy made me...but for two things, one being the mold I have to use with it is to small for making a 4 gallon recipe of cheese, and the other is, it's hard to place the weights on it just right, so it doesn't go lopsided on me and give me cheese that is higher on one side than the other.

So, I bought the press pictured above...it doesn't use weights at all which is wonderful, and came with two different sizes of molds, so I can use it with a small batch or a big batch of cheese!!!! I'll keep my Dad's press for a backup/2nd press, but will be using this one now the most! I got it just in time, in fact, to fill it with my latest batch of cheese. It's a fresh cheese, that doesn't have to be aged, but does need pressed. I think I'm really going to LOVE this press...and am especially happy because I somehow managed to get a discount on it too!!!

Not sure how I got SO lucky this year, but God has really given me several things I've been needing along with some I just wanted!

On top of the stuff I talked about above, my Mom gave me a decorated t-shirt and some money so I could get a trellis for the clematis vine I bought as well as a few hummingbird supplies!  Gotta feed those hummingbirds this year, they are so fun to watch!  My brother and SIL also bought me a cake so I didn't have to bake my own (which is ALWAYS nice!! LOL) and gave me some money also!

Needless to say, it's been a blessed birthday already!  Hubby took me out to eat yesterday...and is cooking my favorite thing for supper tonight, (chicken Alfredo...and HIS is THE best!!) so... all in all, I'd say I've had a VERY BLESSED birthday this year!!!  :-))

Thanks so much to everyone to helped make my birthday weekend special!!  :-))

Newest photos of our Fur Babies

Peaches loves going out with me, when I go outside. I caught her with my camera, out in the tall grass and weeds...it would have been a better photo if that piece of grass wasn't in front of her face, but she didn't stay there long enough for me to try to get a better one...so I had to make do with this. I wasn't good enough in photo shop, to clone it out...the lighting on her face wasn't working for me...or maybe I just didn't have enough time I don't know. It's still cute, just not AS cute as it would have been, had the grass not been there.

She sure does know how to make life interesting around here, even though she's not a puppy anymore, she still loves to play...and still INSISTS on attention when she wants it...which is quite often!  :-))


Autumn...she is getting up in years, but also still loves to go out when I go out, in case she can get some wandering time in. She's always loved to mosey around, investigating things.  She spends a lot of time lounging...either in her bed, or on my lap if I'm lounging, but is still giving us lots of unconditional love.

Maybe one of these days we will actually get a fence built for the dogs...and a dog door, so they can spend a little more time outside, without having to be watched.  Till then, they really have adapted quite well to not having one, and it's not been as hard as I thought it would be, having to let them out.  It would be nice to get that fence done...so they could have more exercise and outside time...but it will come with time, and I'm just thankful they adapted to not being able to go outside every time they wanted to.

They really are extra special fur babies...and I'm so thankful they are ours!  We love them to death!  :-))

Pretty Pearl

Pearl is sure looking better these days...compared to when we got her.  She has filled out a lot...and seems much happier.  (Well...except for the fact the bugs are out in force now that it's warm...she was stomping and flicking up a storm yesterday when I went out to see her and the cows.)

She was standing in the shade of this tree, when I went out...but when I went looking for the cows she went running around me and down to join them.  She still makes me nervous, when she starts running and I'm very close to her...but she sure is pretty when she does!


DH moved the cows (and Pearl) to the back pasture today...to give the front pasture a rest and let the grass grow back some. He said Pearl was the first to go over there, and once she figured out she was alone, she went a little crazy again...running back and forth along the fence. She does NOT like being alone in a pasture, poor girl. She calmed down as soon as Daisy joined her...maybe it has something to do with being left behind when her former owner moved...all alone till we were told we could have her...or maybe it's from before that, I don't know. All I know is, she wants to be with one of her friends, even if they ARE cows. LOL

Since the back pasture wasn't connected to the barn yard, (you had to go through the side pasture to get to it) he solved that problem today, by building a lane from the barn yard across the north part of the garden area and over to the back pasture.  It took up a little garden area, but that's ok...we don't like to garden anyway, so won't miss it I'm sure!  *giggle*  Now all three pastures are connected to the barn yard, so we can have the girls anywhere and yet still bring them in to be milked!

The hay field is the only thing that isn't connected now...but if we let them roam in it in the fall after hay season, guess they will just have to have access to the front pasture too...unless DH has a better idea for that...I haven't asked, so don't know if he does.

Sadly it's not looking good to be able to afford enough woven wire fence, so we can change out all the electric fence this year...but least we are slowly getting the place so it's more usable for us!  Hopefully if we don't get enough fencing this year, we can next...so we can get the fences changed, so they don't require electricity to work.  Course, I guess it's early yet...who knows what door's God will open, so I finally figure out how to get that fencing, it could still happen this year...if he wants it to!

Can't get goats till we have better fences...so gotta get them changed as soon as possible, cause I sure would love having a few goats...even if we can't have a bunch of them.  Goats would LOVE our place, it's a jungle in spots...and they would help clean it up for us!  :-))

Things may be going slow...but we ARE slowly turning this new hillbilly farm into OUR place.  Love seeing it come together even if it does take way to long to happen.  Can't complain to much yet...we've only had the place for a year at the end of the month!  Maybe in another year or two (or three or four!  LOL) we will have it closer to how we want it.  :-))