Thats all she wrote

I think I am done blogging for a few weeks.

Thanks, everyone, for reading it and sharing my farming adventure. It has made me feel less lonely here on the farm, away from home and all my friends, knowing that people are taking the time to read and comment and stay updated on my life.

While I am still learning a lot of new things every day, I am finding it harder and harder to describe in a clear way what those things are. I know that I am really finding it much more difficult to stay up late and write in the blog, now that morning milking has been moved to an earlier time!

For now, my plan is stay on the farm a little longer. The pace and chores and people and goats are better than I could have asked for, so I feel pretty lucky. I am finding farm life pretty appealing, quirks and all, and for now am I content.

So anyway, thus ends my brief but satisfying foray into the land of blogs. If I move to another farm, I'll probably be inspired to write again. Or maybe I will miss flaunting my adventures in the public forum, and again write posts of grandiose compost projects and vegetable garden victories. But goodbye for now, little blog, and rest well.

Inundated with Interns

One of the best things about this farm are the people (and there are now people aplenty!). We now have eight interns, and maybe one more on the way. There are also three permanent residents that live in the house year round. I don't know how long all the interns will stay, but at the time, there are enough of us to get the work done, and kick back a little, drink a few beers, and have some fun.

Marcia, who I've written a little bit about before, is the farm owner and powerhouse of the farm. She runs a cleaning business, and takes care of the farm, and leads the interns (kind of). She tries to avoid complaining, never feels sorry for herself, and rarely says anything negative about anyone. She is even the soul of patience with her cranky, controlling husband John, the second permanent farm resident. He delivers milk to the accounts and dabbles in the cleaning business. Finally, there is Craig. He is an energetic, nervous, sweet guy in his early fifties who works for the cleaning service as well. He wants to be a farmer someday, but is cleaning in the meantime to build up a little money. Individually, I like them all pretty well. As a unit, the house dwellers make me insane. They squabble, they chatter, they mess up the house. They actually remind me a great deal of the new litter of puppies we have right now. Except they are even more ineffectual than puppies when it comes to farming.

Speaking of ineffectual...

We interns are an interesting and somewhat uninspiring mix.

First, there is me. I've been here the longest, and, as revealed in earlier postings, am clearly the bossiest if not the most experienced. If I make it til mid-April, I will have been a farmer for all of three whole months. In this time, I have learned that to be a farmer, one must enjoy physical labor, monotony, and being poor. Only time will tell if these things sound as incredibly appealing as they do now.

Caroline, our happy hippie, has been here for about two months. She is no longer quite as happy. But she is still a free spirit. She plays the guitar, songs she wrote herself, but refuses to write them down, on the grounds that she plays only to capture the moment, so the music is only true in the moment. I like her a great deal, even though she insists upon being idealistic and optimistic about life.

Tom was third to arrive. He is twenty, and has never lived away from home before. He has only recently learned how to toast bread, launder his own clothing, and imitate normal human behavior. His interests range from antiques and estate sales to helping birth the baby goats, but with very little in between. He has yet to show any initiative or personality, or willingness to help with chores. I think he will improve with age, but he has a lot of ground to make up.

Then there is Steve. He has been awesome. He works harder than anyone, and has great ideas about how to get things done in an efficient manner. Plus he has more upper body strength than the rest of us combined. He can get a little intense though. We have taken over the farm together- we write the schedule, make the to-do lists, decide what needs buying, and so on. Then we make an evil plan for how to get it done. We make a great team- he lets me be bossy and I let him do all the digging! He is also hilarious and keeps me entertained everyday.

Fifth to arrive was Ben. He is twenty-one or two, and has spent the last few months hitchhiking and train-hopping across the country. He showed up high, looking like he'd been sleeping under bridges the last few months (he had) and hadn't showered in awhile (he hadn't). My judgy side kicked right in, and I thought he'd be be awful. But he is actually a pretty responsible kid, and has taken on all the gardening. He is the only one of us that has ever done any farming before. He'll probably move on before long, but its good to have him here.

The next two interns to arrive were Charlotte and Lulu. They are 19 and 18, and soooo nice, and sweet, and seem very young. Charlotte is my new roommate, and she tells the best stories of silly things she's done, and her recent life in Germany. Lulu is more practical and levelheaded, and makes cookies frequently. Obviously a keeper. They have only been here a week, but with their arrival, things really started getting done. Though they have never farmed and aren't super strong and ask two thousand questions each, we make so much more progress now.

The most recent farm acquisition is a fifty-something year old man named Glenn. He arrived yesterday and I am already worn out. I know I should have learned from my experience with Ben to withhold judgement til I get to know a person, but I cannot help myself. He talks. And talks. And laughs loudly. And talks even more loudly. I usually appreciate talkative people and am impatient with those who are reticent, and yet... he makes me crazy. But he is very glad to be here, and has read everything about farming ever written, so I'll try to be nice.

So that is the crew. I will post pictures soon, so the characters in my story are easier to know. Until then, its back to the low-paying, back-breaking drudgery that I love!

New Post

I was kind of running out of steam when it came to writing this blog a few weeks ago. I was starting to feel like on worn out Debbie Downer record: "not enough interns, super tired, poor me." But a few things have changed, my energy is back, and life on the farm is exciting again! Well, maybe not exciting to read about, but it feels pretty action-packed when you live here. Trust me.

First, I went on vacation, which was great. We went to Vegas and tried to go to the Grand Canyon. March is apparently not the best time of year to do that. Oh well. Vegas was odd and fascinating and a lot of fun. Everything there is such a spectacle. Its like walking through a seedy, drunk circus being performed in a sumptuous palace, but with more neon and gambling and old people. There is just no good way to describe it. We ate a lot, drove around, walked the strip and through all the themed and fancy hotels, drank a bit, saw the lights, played pinball at the Pinball Museum, saw the Freemont light show... The highlights for me were the amazing burlesque show we saw at the MGM Grand, the fountain show in front of the Bellagio, and the drive-in with the best frozen custard in the world.

After returning from Vegas, I got to spend a few days in Portland. That was really nice, too. Visiting made me want to move back there, despite the inconvenience of living in the big city. Of course, I have no job and no money and no rental there... so I came back to the farm. And what a strange contrast that was. Vegas is the polar opposite of farming, I think.

Since my return to the farm it has been constant go, go, go. The newest intern, Steve, has a lot of drive and ambition and tons of energy, so it has been a little easier to get things done lately. Also, the weather has been improving and the days lengthening, which makes all the outside tasks easier. Marcia and John are still not making things easier, of course, but we are bringing them around.

I finally got the greenhouse cleaned. Its all set up with tomato seedlings and grow lights now. Looks pretty awesome, even with all the broken crap John insists on storing in there. The herbs will be sprouting in their trays soon, then the other veggie seeds, so the greenhouse will be packed with cute little plantlings wanting their share of the shelving. That will be fun to see. Then, in a couple of weeks, we can start hardening them off and thinking about where we want them to go in the gardens. Hmm. Better get the garden beds finished soon.

Just today we finished seeding the pasture. We planted it with a rye, alfalfa, and some other range-y, browse-y type grasses. We then covered it with compost mixed with lime, humates, and boraxo soap for fertilization. I am hoping that it is not too early or too late to have planted- any earlier and it might have been too cold and the grass seeds would freeze, but any later and there won't be time enough for the pasture to actually grow before the goats are trampling on it again.

We also built some awesome potato beds. Instead of using half the garden to grow potatoes, I thought we should grow them vertically. So we chopped up some pallets that were just sitting around and made two three foot by four foot-ish vertical beds for the potatoes. I have never grown potatoes like this (or at all), but I have seen them grown in old tires stacked in a similar way, so hopefully it all works out. It was pretty quick and easy, but best of all, it was entirely FREE. Now we just need some dirt to throw in there as the potatoes sprout.

A few days ago, we moved the bucks to a new barn. Oh my gosh! Another barn! Its a small barn on the south end of the property, and it has always been there. Obviously we'd seen it, but we didn't know, however, that there is a stall there that they use to store the boy goats, not just rusty tools and musty straw. It is a tidy little stall now, and the boys are settled cozily in. Its easier to clean then their old stall in the large barn, and has a small pasture attached. It is perfect, and moving the bucks there will not only help us keep the big barn so much cleaner, but will free up space for the new moms and baby goats. We still need to figure out a good system for feeding and watering the bucks now that they have been taken off the beaten path, but overall, it is very exciting.

But when it comes to exciting news, nothing beats this: COMPOST IS UNDER CONTROL! Ok, mostly. Steve has spent two full days on the tractor rearranging compost. Soon, we will be able drive the tractor past the barn where there was once a mountain of compost. Unfortunately, it has merely been relocated, not broken down. But it is progress! In its new location, we will be able to turn it more often and it will break down, and then we'll be able to move it. It has been my fondest dream since coming to the farm that compost NOT take over everything like a stinky, oozing beast of the armageddon. And now my dreams are being realized.

We are also planning a worm business. If all goes according to plan, five pounds of worms will be delivered in the next week or so. They will move into the new worm condo we are designing, and will promptly begin to deal with our kitchen waste. Then, hopefully, they will continue to be fruitful and multpily, and we will use them to break down not only kitchen scraps, but also goat poo and hay, and they will make us many piles of castings for our garden. Steve thinks he can breed enough worms to sell castings as a side business. I am more realistic- call it pessimistic if you like- and think that we will be lucky if they survive the inconsistent attention and the deluge of poo we heap upon them. But maybe they will thrive and selling their byproduct will raise some money. Its a business I've been wanting to get into anyway, and this is certainly an easier location to run it from than the carport at my rental in Portland.

Tomorrow, I am going to begin construction on the hoop house for the garden... if we make it to the Home Depot tonight. We will be growing tomatoes and melons inside of it. Here is a photo of what I hope it will look like when completed:

If all goes well, it will be a 10' x 21' greenhouse with an aisle down the middle of the two four foot beds. I am not sure how well it will hold up in a strong wind, but it should work well enough if this mild weather continues. Of course, the weather has been so pleasant, that by the time the hoop house is ready, it may be unnecessary. But won't building it be fun!

Whew. We have been doing so many more projects in the last few weeks than we were able to achieve all winter that this blog entry could go on and on. But I am stopping here, because its my day off and I want to work on the garden before it gets dark. Also, maybe I need to bake something, just to satisfy my urge to play in the kitchen- I tried making kimchi yesterday but I am not confident in the results, so I will make something foolproof this time, like brownies.

Back home

Back home and all tuckered out already...

No energy to write tonight, but wanted to share a few photos from the last week, then I'm back off to bed.

Oh, yes, and last one is the Grand Canyon photo- I think I really captured the majestic, snowy beauty of the Canyon in March.... in the WHITE OUT FOG AND SNOW!

Many hands make light work

Well, I am super pleased and relieved to announce that Steve is working out marvelously! He is energetic, hardworking, and interested in learning absolutely every single thing about farming or homesteading. He also laughs loudly and suddenly at odd times with inappropriate enthusiasm, leading me to believe his delight with this place is drug induced, or possibly the result of insanity. Whatever it is, I like it!

In addition to Steve, another intern showed up to stay for a few weeks. She has worked here before (its Laura, who was my roommate shortly after I first arrived) so she already knows what to do. She is staying through the fifteenth, which is perfect, since I will be going on a vacation the fifth through the twelfth. Now I can vacation guilt-free!

The increase in interns has already made a huge difference. Yesterday we plowed and re-fenced the north vegetable garden. I dosed all the baby goats with their coccidia medicine. Poor little goaties have all been infected because we didn't get the barn clean enough. Then we gave copper and selenium and wormer to all forty bucks. It was awesome. It was pretty entertaining watching Steve and Carolyn "rassle" the skittish and bouncier goats. Some of them never hold still anyway, always playing and hopping and fighting and scrapping among themselves. Then when you chase them, they get nervous, though they still feel tempted to play with you. In addition to those tasks around the farm, I milked in the morning and made dinner for everyone in the evening, and read some of my book. I felt so efficient! I love days when there are lots of tasks to do, and enough people to actually make a dent in the to-do list.

Speaking of to-do lists, I acidentally aid down the law around here. I got sick of not having a plan, so in my frustration, I bullied Marcia into making a schedule then I hung an enormous to-do list on the wall for the interns. I think bossiness is one of my worst habits, and getting worse all the time. I wanted learn, not direct, but apparently I am an out-of-control control freak. But I try to be a benevolent dictator, keeping the iron fist hidden behind a witless smile and a curtain of manipulation! I am mostly kidding. There is no way I can compel the other interns to do what I want. But even if they don't follow the list, at least it will be a good way to keep me on track. Today I have no milking shifts, so its a project day today. I will have to consult my list to see what I told myself to work on!

I think I will work on clearing out the greenhouse. The greenhouse is a kit greenhouse that looks like a plastic shed and is currently being used for storage of a bunch of odds and ends- broken bicycles, wire fencing, old cardboard boxes, and dirty buckets. It is sitting on the driveway in one of the least sunny areas on the land. I'd love to se it moved but unfortunately its a bit of a beast. For a structure made of hollow plastic pieces, its surprisingly heavy. No matter where it sits, though, the interior needs a thorough cleaning. Of course, there is really no where to organize the contents of the greenhouse to. I'd like to put them in the garage, but it has been compromised by the chickens. They seem to think it is their coop. There are chicken droppings and eggs everywhere. Thats a big project all on its own. Of course, the seedlings might not get enough sun in the greenhouse anyway, so perhaps I'll start elsewhere...

I might do some repairs instead. We have a fence down in the north pasture. I could go try to fix it today, but its tough to do alone. The fence panels are 16' long and weight four thousand million pounds each. Well, almost. So I can't do it unless I can figure out how to get the panels out there on the tractor, or harass another intern into helping. Unfortunately, the pasture has a "creek" running through it that turns the exact area I need to do repairs into a total swamp when it rains. Hmm.

Maybe instead I'll muck the barn. If we do it now, after the boys were paid to clean it, it won't turn into such a nightmarish chore by next week. Then maybe we can prevent more babies from getting sick. I don't know, though. I am a little wary of going in the barn as I spent this morning researching all the zoonotic diseases- meaning viruses and sicknesses that pass form livestock or animals to humans. Ew. Now I am scared of the barn due to the rat population AND the pathogen population. Great. That is the problem with online research. Sure, you may find the info you need, but along the way you may turn yourself into a total hypochondriac! So if I just avoid the barn 'til I forget how it will probably make me catch Q fever, I could instead....

Trim hooves? Don't know how.

Plow the field? Too rainy.

Cook lunch? Too early.

Butcher a chicken? Too icky.

Feed the bees? Too scary.

Build a greenhouse? Too expensive.

Prune the apple tree? Too high.

Clean the driveway? Plant tomatoes? Feed the dogs? Weed the garden? Turn the compost? Check the mail? Muck the run? Fix the feeders? Make some tinctures? Brew some beer? Start some sauerkraut? Build a picnic table? Fill the troughs? Bake some cookies? Grind some herbal medicines? Plant the pasture? Fertilize the soil? Build some worm bins? Bake some bread? Walk the dogs? Exercise the founderers? Check on the pregos? Rotate the pastures?

Gosh, if only I could think of something to do with my day....

Maybe all the help is making me lazy. Social loafing, I think its called. Just the other day I was bemoaning the lack of organization and berating myself for lazing about in my few hours of spare time, while feeling understaffed, overworked, and self-pitying. Now we have plenty of troops to accomplish some big stuff, a whole list of big stuff that need doing, and here I am not doing any stuff at all. Alright, Erin, stop internetting around and go get something done!

Grrrrr.

I am trying to hold onto my happy thought (upcoming time off!) and enjoy the last of my (good weather) fairy dust, but I am having a very hard time flying high this week. We are so short staffed that I feel worn down and strung out. We were supposed to have more help starting this week. That would have been heaven, but I guess it was not meant to be...

The first new intern arrived on Tuesday. She lasted SEVEN HOURS. Then she fled. Seeing this place through her eyes almost made me want to flee with her. The kitchen was a mess, the house is covered in cats and Bible verses, and the mud is knee deep. There were pets everywhere, making as much noise and poo as possible. The farm itself has trailers and cars parked all willy-nilly-everyplace, giving the farm more of a white trash look than pastoral charm or quaint appeal. Add the cackling parrots screeching "Oh my GAAAAAAWWD," and Daya the killer dog acting rabid, and no wonder the poor girl was overwhelmed. Even though she was a fussy city girl, I think she would have lasted if Marcia hadn't greeted her with the news that she had forgotten all about this intern's arrival. How is that for a welcome! Plus the messy, gross kitchen made the potential new resident fear e.coli or worse. Yikes.

Luckily, we have another new intern arriving tomorrow. His name is Steve. Hopefully, he is made of sterner stuff. But just in case he is not, I am cleaning the whole house tomorrow, making a big hot lunch, and greeting him with fun facts like "Everything here is amazing and perfect and it rains candy on the weekends and unicorns help us with the chores!" Maybe by the time he realizes its all lies- that in fact we are a disorganized, dirty, slobby, tired farmers and disillusioned, crabby interns- he will have already unpacked, and will be too lazy to leave again.

I don't know why I am letting the schedule get to me. Lord knows, I have had jobs with longer hours and higher demands. I think it is because there are many cool things I expected to learn on a farm, and instead I am performing the same task over and over and over. Its disheartening. The garden was really fun to work in, and I am excited to get back to that once there are more people to help with milking. We are building a hoop house for the tomatoes, and I think that I get to design it and construct it- which will be a breeze, as its the same style shelter we built for Burning Man a few years ago. Granted, that one collapsed, but... I am sure this one will be more successful! Also, on the bright side, Marcia actually paid three people to come clean the barn! Yay!!! The goats will be more comfortable and healthier, and the interns will be less exhausted and more productive! Yay for the hardworking barn muckers!

But its getting late, and I am sleepy and cranky. We still don't have a schedule up so I don't know if I have a double milking shift tomorrow. That makes me crazy. And the roosters haven't' shut up all day and my trailer is cold, and I'm in a humbug-y mood. I guess for now I am just having a hard time focusing on the silver lining, and I am counting on Steve, whoever he may be, to make everything better. Is that too much pressure to put on one guy? Maybe.

Good Stuff

I am back on the farm after a quick weekend trip to Bellingham. I had such a great visit that it was a little hard to come back to the farm. I really just wanted to stay in Bellingham awhile, where I was enjoying the great city, spending time with my friends, walking through Boulevard Park, sipping on real coffee, seeing my folks, drinking too much whiskey...

But if I had to come back, at least it was on the nicest day ever! Oh my goodness, I love all this sunshine so much. In fact, I am so delighted by the sunny days that I am not even bummed that this early spring weather extends hay fever season into a good six month block, instead of the usual two or three.

We spent some time this afternoon digging in the garden. It was nice and cool, good weather for hard work, but sunny and bright and happy outside. Perfection. I would be a farmer every day of every year if it were always like this in the winter! We started measuring and digging to create a garden of raised beds. We only got a couple of beds and their paths dug, but it loks great so far. The beds will be 4' x 30' -ish, and there will be five or six of them in the south garden, and about four or so in the north garden. So thats about, um... 1,200 sq ft of growing space? That sounds about right. Should be almost enough. Of course,the tough part is deciding how much of everything to plant. I think we've got one entire gardens worth of tomato seeds alone. I am not sure how we will narrow it down!

The tomatoes are all heirloom varieties that we got off of a really great website. Of course, I was sure we could find a vendor closer to us, and resisted online ordering at first. But the photos and the descriptions sounded so good, I caved pretty quickly. We are getting giant white tomatoes, sauce tomatoes, tie-dye color tomatoes, melon flavored tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, chocolate tomatoes, green tomatoes, yellow tomatoes... the list goes on. We ordered eighteen kinds, I think. Hopefully they find someonewho loves making sauces and salsas to work here in August, because they are going to be swimming in tomatoes by then!

Hopefully, the gardens will be really successful this year. If they get some good compost stirred in there in time, and they continue to give the veggies enough attention throughout the season, there should be a pretty good harvest. The plan is to feed the farm crew, and have enough left over for a farmers' market stand. I think they will have better luck if they don't count on having much to sell this first year besides just the dairy's raw milk. After all, its unlikely that a first year garden with a rotating garden staff will really yield its full potential. But with just a little encouragement, there should be a good amount for the twelve person crew that will be living here this summer. That is pretty cool. I don't know that I'll be here to see the literal fruits of my labors, but its fun to imagine someone eating the veggies we are preparing and planting shortly. (Well, someone who is less weird than me about the content of the compost here, anyway.)

We bought 100 trays for seedlings and starters, so the garden should be completely planned and half planted by the end of the week! I am a little nervous that our enthusiasm- and this beautiful sunshine- will lead us to start our seeds too early. A late snow or even an end of March cold snap could be disastrous. If our plants were outside already, they would die in the frost. But if we leave them inside, they may get too big for the seedling trays before we get them outside. Oh well, one worry at a time! For now, there is still a TON of digging to do before I even worry about transplanting. (I'm sure you can relate, Mr. Bird!)

Besides tomatoes, we will be planting the usual suspects: carrots, onions, lettuce and salad green mixes, zucchini, squash, peas and beans. We are also planting corn, basil, radishes, kale, chard, potatoes, strawberries, raspberries, several types of cooking herbs and several medicinals, melons, artichokes, and sunflowers. I am not sure what else. I suspect that, when the time comes, we'll have a few more exotic and impractical choices as well. I do not have faith that we are going to get enough sunshine for melons, but Marcia has boundless enthusiasm and optimism, and maybe even God on her side, so we'll plant whatever crazy thing she wants and it will probably work out just fine!

Here are some photos of a few the cool tomato varieties we are planting. Absolutely beautiful. Pictured are the Black Krim, assorted Berkley Tie-Dyes, the Chocolate Cherry, and the Yellow Pear (I think).

One Month In, Feels Like Ten

Today marks then end of my first complete month on the farm. It is also the first time in a month I have brushed my hair. I'd like to pretend my inattention to the details of personal grooming is somehow a result of living the rural life, but I am afraid they are largely unrelated. My city hair was no tidier. At least on a farm, no one suspects I am homeless when I wear the clothes I like and have unkempt hair...

It has been an interesting month, to say the least. I've felt frustrated, stimulated, amped up, worn out, lonely, inspired, grossed out, and free. All these conflicting emotions are nearly as exhausting as mucking the barn! Its been a month of early mornings and early bedtimes. I've worked hard physically, though not as hard as I'd expected. There are days when I am surprised how much I've learned- and more days where I feel my education has been stymied by the lack of communication and organization. In spite of the chaos, however, I have picked up some pretty cool information- especially about caring for livestock. For example...

Foundering.

Founder is a disease of hoof animals, (theoretically) resulting from too rich of a diet. I don't know how it works with horses and cows, who also frequently suffer from founder, but in goats the progression is pretty sad. The leg begins to sink down onto the coffin bone, misshaping and deforming the hoof. This causes pain and further deformation. First, the back of the foot (coffin) sinks, then the hooves begin to spread apart and the nails to grow in maladaptive ways, and finally, the bone follows, deforming the foot. As it progresses, the goat may begin to kneel rather than walk on the now painful foot. Though there is no cure for founder, it can be managed throughout the animal's life. We are managing it by completely restricting the diet of the foundering goats. We provide them only with hay, no grain, and whatever they can forage. We dosed them with Epsom salts when we first noticed the problem, then followed it up with daily doses of nutrients like boron, combined with some pain killing herbs. Its sad to see them in pain, but it seems they are showing slight improvement.

Copper and Selenium doses

Copper is an important nutrient for the goats. It makes their coats shinier, and helps prevent/fight worms, which are common in herds that don't have tons of space or plants to graze on. The selenium also has multiple benefits, including encouraging easy births and passing of afterbirth in mama goats. The copper is in little chips, almost like broken up pencil lead. This allows it lodge in the digestive system walls and slowly release. We give it to the goats by sticking the copper to a spoonful of molasses, prying their mouth open and scraping it all onto their teeth,tongue, and lips- and then holding their mouth closed for a minute so they won't spit it out. Its pretty funny to watch them licking the molasses off their lips afterwards. To dose the goats with selenium, we have to give shots. Thats a little more intimidating. But basically, all you do is suck up the stuff in a syringe, pinch some skin near the front shoulder of the goat, and jam it in there and empty the syringe. Piece of cake. Unless they are skittish, or know whats coming, or pull away during the shot, or your needle breaks in their tough skin, or...

De-Worming, Naturally

Its fun to give them goats their wormer. I like it because it is an all natural mix, not a chemical dewormer, and because it smells really nice. That is important, as I frequently end up wearing a good amount of it by the end of the day! The wormer is a blend of cloves and wormwood.

Lactation Herbs

We give goats who are not making enough milk for their babies a blend of herbs that encourage lactation. It includes Fenugreek and Goat's Rue. It seems to have really worked for one of the mama goats, though I think time also played a part.

Anyway, those are just some of the things I have learned about livestock health and naturopathy. Pretty fun stuff. The herbal medicine cabinet here is pretty awesome, and I'm excited to pick Marcia's brain a lot more about both preventative and medicinal uses of herbs. Her number one tip so far: get plenty of calcium and vitamin D!

Oh, yeah, AND....

I got to deliver two baby goats yesterday. That was awesome. Marcia was gone and only the brand new intern was there to help. We totally did it. Well, ok, the mama goat did most of it, but we sure helped. Luckily, it was an easy delivery over all, and both babies are healthy! Yay!

Busier than bees... because they are dormant in winter.

Its been a really busy couple of weeks here at the farm. Though we are getting close to having enough interns, we aren't quite there. Asa result, we are working doubles and have fewer days off. And I still feel like we are behind! But at least there is always something to do. And it has surprisingly been a lot of fun- proving that menial, manual, doesn't-take-a-brain-to-do-it, backbreaking labor is still my favorite type of work.

We've been mucking out the bucks' stall in the barn. After four hours yesterday, we had gotten about a third of the way through. Ouch! All my digging muscles are protesting. Loudly. And constantly. Its such a big undertaking due to the extremely poor design of the boys' feeders. They pull the hay out and throw it everywhere within minutes of feeding time, then proceed to ruin the rest of their hay by climbing around in their feeders as if they were playground toys. There are 26 bucks and 25 of them are energetic, goofy, skittish but friendly, and are messy eaters. The other is still a baby, so I am sure as soon as the big boys let him at the feeder, he will be a slob as well! So today we are going to try to finish the stall. There will be three of us working on it today, so it will go a little faster. I hope. We also have to muck the center aisle of the barn, cause the spillover from the boys stall will make it too icky otherwise. If only the boys didn't smell so bad, it wouldn't be a big deal!

Dealing with the boys' stall smell isn't the only traumatic thing we've done recently. We had to learn to bisbud the baby goats. That means burn thier little horn nubbins so they wouldn't turn into big horns. Its so sad and hard to do, and you feel mean and awful, and the goats hate it. And it smells simply disgusting. You have to sit on/over/around the baby goat, trapping it with your knees, and press its little face into the ground to hold it completely still. Then Marcia presses the hot iron thingy on its horn for ten seconds, while the little baby struggles and screams. Then we ice it for a minute, then do it for ten more seconds to kill the nerves. Then we dribble on some pain killer and ice it again. When the ice goes on, the babies calm down a lot, but the smell remains. Its the smell of burnt hair and skin and horn, and it just lingers on your clothes when you are done.

We disbudded only three babies, one for each intern to learn on, and it was pretty upsetting. They were getting a little too old, for one thing, so it took longer than usual. The worst was Percival. Tom the intern had to hold down Percy the goat, who is playful and mischevious and getting really big. His horn were pretty big already, so Marcia had to burn them three or four times, and Percy bled more than the others. Poor little guy. It was so hard to watch all of them suffer. Hopefully we'll get to the other babies before they get so big, because the littler ones suffer a lot less. Not a part of goat owning I'd be willing to do, I'm afraid. I would just buy babies that are polled (naturally hornless).

Yesterday we did a simpler, less damaging to the psyche kind of project. We made tinctures. I had picked up a bottle of 151 last time I was off the farm to make herbal medicines with, so we finally cracked it open and made two kinds. First we threw cayenne, garlic, and echinacea in with a pint of the vodka. That makes a good general medicine to help fight infection and colds, as well as help with brian function and circulation. The other was a St. John Wort tincture to use as a pain killer. I like learning about stuff like that. Pretty neat to make your own medicine cabinet.

Those have been the major, if not thrilling, projects for the last few days. In addition to milking all the time, torturing babies, and cleaning the barn, we've also been planning the garden and fixing some fencing. Its amazing how time consuming all these projects are. Plus, whenever hay is delivered or the lunch bell rings, we all drop everything we are accomplishing to race to that end of the property. Once it stays light later, we'll have more time for projects. I hope that happens soon!

I am out of fun pictures, so I'll have to get out my camera again before the next post.

If only the days were longer. Like summer days, for example...

Today I spent some quality time playing in the mud. It was fun, invigorating, gross, stinky- and a bit scary to think I might slip and fall and get sucked into the depths, never to be heard from again.

Its been such a dry winter, there shouldn't even be that much mud. But due to some really terrible drainage planning paired with some unfortunate but unavoidable natural features, this farm in Everett has a mini-slough of its own. That would be fine- everyone would love a wee crick running through the pasture- except that the sheer amount of goat poo sliding into it creates such a heavy, thick muck that you could lose a boot in there. Or a whole intern!

Today we actually built a bridge through the sludge

out of wood pallets. I am afraid the goats will break their ankles if they step on them wrong, and it will only get worse as the pallets rot. But if we didn't build it, they wouldn't come out to the south pasture at all. They are rather more fastidious and more particular about the weather than one would expect, and will only brave deep

mud if there is something super tasty in sight on the other side. It was a ridiculous way to solve the problem, but it was all we could think to do. Pallet bridges? Hrmph!

After the mud was semi-conquered, we finished putting up some fencing- or rather, some gates. That was heavy, hilarious work, hampered by the completely unnecessary presence of too many dogs and too much twine. It was further interrupted by the escape of a buck and the merry chase that followed. After an afternoon tea break, I

dug up some of last years flower bulbs to move to a new garden. I fear that in my digging I may have damaged them enough to make transplanting futile. But transplant I will, nevertheless. They were not buried very deep, so it should have been simple. But I swear there must have been a million bulbs. Either that, or my digging muscles are in truly awful shape!

By then it was time to make yet another to-do list, have a warm drink, and off to bed to check email and watch a movie- which I have discovered I can do while typing this blog. Yay, multitasking! Today I am watching 'Cold Comfort Farm' as it reminds me in certain respects of my current situation...

Oh, and here is a cute picture of a cat sitting in the fruit basket on the table.

Progress?

Yesterday was such a great day to be a farmer! The weather, which has been phenomenal since November, was even more perfect then normal. The sun would come out and warm everything up, then it would sprinkle just a little, then get sunny enough again to create rainbows here and there. The cool air was good for diggin' and haulin' and muckin' and milkin', and all the other doin' type activities involved in farmin'.

We did some plannin' for the garden yesterday, as well, and actually made some progress. I took down the fences around the existing gardens in the morning, so we can extend them using the tractor and plow. Sure beats digging them by hand, even though it compacts the earth. If we stir in enough compost, then mulch as well, it should be alright by the time we get the seedlings into the ground.

Marcia wants to use her garden plans from last year, but also to completely redesign the gardens in the French Intensive style, i.e. with raised beds. I fail to see how she'll be able to simultaneously keep things as they are and change them entirely, but the contradictions don't seem to slow her down a bit. After we discussed what had been where last year- in order to avoid digging up dahlias or planting brassicas over brassica graveyards- we figured out a few initial steps to get the beds ready. First, transplant the eight or nine giant two foot by two foot root balls of comfrey from the smaller herb garden area out to the pasture, where they may grow rampant to satisfy goat munchies. Second, move all the herbs and flowers that survived to the herb and ornamentals garden. (I just named it that to make myself feel better. I kind of steamrolled Marcia into agreeing that flowers that require as much space as peonies, dahlias, and other shrubby type flowers should not be taking up the bulk of the veggie garden, despite their insectary properties.) Third, get rid of all the dead stuff that is sitting in the garden making it look all neglected and bedraggled. Fourth, plow out the new areas and mulch the entire bed. John will have to do the plowing- I am not nearly comfortable enough with the tractor to drive it near important stuff, like the house. Then... well... umm... The truth is, after soil preparation, I have no idea what to do. Plant seeds? Indoors or out? Which ones first? Is it too early for the dark greens, or too late for garlic? When is the last frost, and how do I know when the garden temperature is above 40 degrees?

I'm afraid my knowledge of gardens is sketchy at best, and purely theoretical. The only veggie I have ever grown outside was cabbage, and actually Nils took care of them. I just watched with surprise and they began to look like cabbage! Then there were the potted veggies I tried- lettuce and cherry tomatoes- that Nikki resuscitated. I killed the herbs I planted, ignored the overcrowded onions, couldn't even find the beets. Not a great track record. And farm gardening is not even a method I've read much about, because I don't like row planting. I am more excited about having a intensive back yard food forest someday. If I ever have a yard...

However, in this more traditional garden, I might begin to understand how to tell a weed from a veggie, how often to water, why carrots love tomatoes, and how to mulch without suffocating seedlings. If I am ambitious and get all my reading done, I may also learn how to build hoop houses, how to trellis climbing beans and zucchini plants, and how to save seeds for many of the plants.

Gardening here will be typical of all projects on the farm, I think. It will be slow to get started, and there will be no clear cut plan communicated to the troops until something else has been decided on. Progress will happen in starts and stops, and everyone will find it more frustrating than it should be, and no one will ever know what the next step is 'til they invent it or figure it out through trial and error. Despite that, it will be pretty fun to see it go from an ugly plot of dirt and sticks to a (semi)productive, happy little farm garden!

Milk Room

Here are some photos from milking time. Courtney and Melody milked this afternoon, and I snuck in to get some photos of them and the ladies together. Both of the intern couples are leaving this weekend, so I thought it would be nice to get some action shots of them while they are around the goats they love so well. Oddly, Mel and Courtney were dressed to match today, leading to some very harmonious milkroom pictures. I also notice that the mess, the noise, and the smell do not show up in pictures, but I promise, all three are definitely present!

Below is Mel with the inflations in her hand. Inflations are the ends of the suction tubes and they go right on the teats. In the next photo, the ladies are hooked up and are already looking around for more food. They sincerely seem to think every meal is their first-and last!

This is Uma. She is my absolute favorite. She is about three parts Oberhasli, and one part Alpine. Ignore the beard- this one is a total diva.

The Alpines are "bitchier" goats, accordin to Marcia. They do seem to have more of an atttitude than our other milkers, and they sure do not like being pushed around. I think they are great. We have Uma, who is mixed, and are currently milking Tapioca and Pinto, who a

re all Alpine, and act it.

Not all the goats are easy to tell apart. I recognize Uma, the Alpines, all of the sick goats, and most of them pregnant goats. I can pick out the distinctive coloring of a few lighter toned goats, the skinniest goat, and the "prettiest" one. I also know Angie and Bree, who are Oberhaslis but not above pulling the diva routine. I can recognize a few more by face, but mostly I know them all by number, or by some complicated face/number/name/behavior combination algorithm.

They are each supposed to have a red tag with their number on it, and when we finish the current project to get them all re-tagged, life in the milk room will be much easier. Or maybe after another month, I'll be able to tell them all apart easily.

In this last photo, Melody is giving kefir to a goat- I think its Erica. We feed them kefir to promote healthy digestion. Since they are grain fed and thier stomachs are not made to digest such rich food, probiotic foods are super helpful in preventing the myriad health problems the grain diet causes. Poor goats- I wish there were more bramble here for them to munch on!

Brody

I miss Brody. He was so cute and little and sweet. He died Friday and I wish I could make it not have happened.

I am sad and a little sick, and I want to be at home.

Fattening Food = Pure Joy

Today has been a great day so far. Although John was on the schedule to take care of lunch, I volunteered to make it instead. As his usual contribution is Papa Murphy's Take'n Bake, I figured he would not be too upset if someone else wanted to shoulder the responsibility of feeding the masses. Plus, there is such an awesome assortment of spices here, that I've been anxious to get in the kitchen and play. I'd never been scheduled for lunch, though, and I was a little intimidated. The food coming out of the kitchen gets fancier every day. With so many connoisseurs to please, I thought I'd better make something foolproof that anyone can cook and everyone will eat: Lasagna.

I started early. I like to use every dish in the house when I cook, and, after all, it takes a lot of time to do that in such a well stocked kitchen! Plus,the stove top doesn't always work, and I was worried that the water would take two hours to boil. It has in the past. I had time to make my own homemade marinara, then I sauteed the veggies and put it all together with ricotta, parm, and mozz. For side dishes I made some bruschetta with an artichoke/tomato topping, and a spinach salad with walnuts, craisens, pears, sunflower seeds and shaved parmesan. Luckily, I didn't burn anything with the broiler, and it all turned out awesome. Of course, there was cheese in every dish so how could it not be awesome?! It was so fun to be back in the kitchen again, cooking for a group. And this is one of the few places I've cooked where there is no such thing as too large a batch.

Its about two o'clock, and I am just taking it easy for now. I am working tonight, so I'll have to get motivated pretty soon. Marcia said she would throw hay today, so its a little easier shift for us night milkers than usual. Meanwhile, some goats are going into labor, so I'll probably pop up to the barn in fifteen minutes or so to see if they are ready to deliver. Pretty soon there will be about five more babies running around, unless Marcia pre-sold some. There are only six right now, and the barn already feels so much more chaotic than when I arrived. One of the crew favorites is going to be picked up on Saturday. We all call him Kong, because he is a huge baby boy who is just super fuzzy and he lumbers around all clumsy and has a big ol' face and is just darling. He'll be sold to guy who will train him to be a pack goat. That sounds like the perfect career for him!

I have been trying to post a baby goat video, so everyone can see them playing and jumping and hopping around like mad things. It is probably the cutest thing in the world.

Unfortunately, technology has foiled me again though. Either I don't understand how to do it (likeliest explanation) or iPhoto is just not the best way to get video from a digital camera to a blog. So until I figure it out, there will only be photos.

Below are photos of me and my other favorite kiddo. He has been named Percival, but we call him Parker instead; we like it better (because then its cute and clever to call his twin sister Posy). In this photo, he is about five days old. I think I am likely to put him in my purse and bring him home with me when no one is looking!

Another Day Older, Sixty-two Days Wiser

Ok, so lately I have been feeling unsure about my future on this farm. That has not, however, prevented me from being pretty darn excited about the awesome things I am learning as I go along. Here is the short list of fun new things I've learned, done, or thought:

1. Goat Milking- obviously a big part of my daily routine, and one of the skills I came here to learn. Of course, its a bit harder without the machine, but doable.

2. Barn Mucking- Not as fun as some other skills I've learned, I admit...

3. The benefits of raw (goat) milk- If a adult of the species strongly believes he or she ought to be drinking milk, I think raw is the way to go. Yes, some people fear bacteria, but I think the ills of homogenizing and pasteurizing outweigh the risks- see also, Heart Disease, Causes of.

4. Tractor Driving- I probably haven't been behind the wheel of a motorized vehicle more than four times in the last decade. I am vehement and verbal about not wanting to drive, not needing to drive, and so on. But if I'd know how much how much fun tractors are! I remember being intimidated by the Big Red Tractor my grandparents owned, although I think we also had fun "driving" (i.e. steering) it as kids. And the tractor here is even more awesome, 'cause it has a rad turning radius, lots of fun attachments, and best of all, I am big enough to reach the pedals!

5. Going vegan- Ok I am really not there yet, but the thought I might someday is really new and intriguing. I'm spending a lot of energy thinking about a lifestyle I always dismissed before as unnecessary and too much work. In the end, it may still be, but I'd at least like to go with local, happy milk and meat products. That way I am supporting small farmers who are doing good things for the world and for agriculture's future. Plus, then I can still have cheese!

6. Fencing- Not the interesting kinds, as in swordfights, or selling and recieving stolen goods. Just the regular old putting up fences. But its a useful skill to have, I think. And I found out they make a heavy, cylindrical gadget for pounding in fence poles, so even the weak and puny may fence with wild abandon. Well, with wild abandon and work gloves.

7. How to Deliver a Kid- This is icky and magic at the same time. I imagine it would be a little less icky and a little more magical if you didn't have to kneel in goat poo-y straw to help the mama goat deliver. And probably even less icky if she didn't eat her placenta when it was over. With many births, there is not much you need to do- just make sure the feet come out first, then wait for the crown, then give a good pull. If the baby is breathing, you are not needed. But if the baby is struggling to breath, yank it in the air and swing it downward a couple times, with a good amount of force, so the lungs clear out. Yikes! This is the dicey part. But it usually works. Then let me mama clean it up, and wait for a it nurse a bit, so you know it will do okay. Give the buck no credit whatsoever, but heap praise on the mama. Last, exclaim over the kid's complete adorableness, the darling way it does absolutely everything, and pretend you had some part in making it all happen.

8. RV Living is Awesome- I liked this right off the bat. Its cute, compact, there are awesome hidden cupboards and handy bits everywhere. The bed is comfortable, the dining area is nice, the bathroom is sufficient, the living room comfy. I like everything about it, and would be considering living in one forever, if it weren't for my enormous, excessive, bordering-on-ridiculous amount of kitchen equipment. Oh well, maybe a slightly bigger RV...

Well, thats one new thought or skill for each workin' day so far. Not bad. I am sure there is much more, but lunch is ready, so off I go to enjoy another batch of quinoa.

Winter

Every morning now when I wake up, the fields are white with frost. There is such a bite in the air early mornings, I've been forced to keep good track of my hat and remember where I last set my gloves. Its been so pleasant and sunny this year, I had hoped we were skipping right over winter into spring. Although I know that it would probably cause droughts this summer, I still selfishly wished the seasons would accommodate my trial period as a farmer, and arrange themselves in the following order this year: Fall, Spring, Spring, Summer ... But I will accept the inevitable arrival of winter, late as it may be, and stock up on long underwear and Vitamin B12.

Meanwhile, around the farm, there is so much to do before Spring planting that we'll be grateful for a month or two reprieve. Though winter weather makes the chores more difficult to accomplish, at least there is still time to sit around and plan, steaming cups of tea in our hands, big garden dreams growing in our heads. Marcia, though her hands are more than full enough with the goats, is dreaming up the biggest plans of all. She wants to extend the gardens, which are currently 42' by 43' and about 25' by 20'. I'll allow that this is not nearly the space we need to grow enough veggies for the whole farm crew (12 people in high intern season), but that seems an unnecessarily lofty goal for a first year garden. They didn't even get the existing gardens planted in time last year, and there are always so many other chores that need attention. The goats, poor things, haven't been out to pasture near enough because the fences all need repair. Even if they did go out, they wouldn't be able to browse because nothing has been planted in the pasture but grass. So they are stuck in stalls eating hay, which contributes to the mess inside the barn, which desperately needs cleaning. And their hooves need trimming, there are 40 more baby goats coming, the basement is still flooding, the feeders need cleaning, the tractor needs lubing, the chicken coop needs fixing, and new interns need training throughout it all. Meanwhile the compost to improve the currently poor garden soil has not broken down enough to be safe- and from what I understand, should NEVER be used anyway, based on some questionable items that have found their way into the pile. So, where does that leave the garden plans? I hate to be the voice of reason, but the gardens should not take priority. (Ok, I don't hate it that much!)

When a person accepts responsibility for a herd of live animals, seeks it out purposefully, even, that needs to take priority. It saddens me that I don't see that happening here. The owners are nice people, not in the bland way, but in the true sense of the word. They help their neighbors, pass on knowledge freely, practice Christian values, give milk goats to orphans, and such. They are so nice. And its not that they are taking long vacations or intentionally abusing their animals. Its more a problem of poor management skills and inability to see things through. For though they lavish affection on the goats, they turn a blind eye to the part they are playing in causing these goats to have health problems, unnecessarily restricted activity, and ultimately, less happy lives. And while they dote on their dogs, they leave them in small kennels or they allow them to reproduce past demand for puppies. Come spring, it will barely be a step above a puppy mill here, unless something changes soon.

I just wanted to write a simple posting about the changes I am noticing in the weather, and the excitement of Spring around the corner. I wanted to feel that excitement, as well. To plan a garden, and be excited to see it from planting to harvest day. To see the baby goats arriving, and feel happy to see them stumbling around on shaky, new legs, learning to play. But I find I am unable to be that positive. I am worried. I am upset. I have not only doubts about the way things are done here on this farm, I am also starting to question the morality of keeping livestock, at least in large amounts. I am not going vegan- not yet, anyway- but I have some real thinking to do about what type of industry I am willing to support. Pretty heavy stuff after just one week...

I wonder, should I stay and try at least to do some relief work and fix what is fixable, or plan to move on to another WWOOFing position where vegetables are grown using organic practices I hoped to learn? Does it benefit me, or the goats, or the environment to stay here and try to change habits and minds? Or does it make more sense to work alongside people who may need me less, but teach me more, and, in then end whose values I can respect?

Goats don't lie

Well, since I have nothing awesome to report, here is a picture of a silly playful goat. Awww, cute!

Grossed Out and Homesick

Today will be my sixth day on the farm, and doubts are starting to creep in. I am not having second thoughts about being a farmer or working with goats, or even WWOOFing. But I am getting homesick and wishing I had found a farm somewhere closer to my people in Portland or family or Bellingham- somewhere I have community. Much of my homesickness is due to seeing my folks this weekend. It was really nice to visit with them, especially after not seeing them for so long. I also got to see my aunt Juli and cousin Chandra- thanks for coming up guys!- who I probably hadn't seen since Christmas 2008. So while it was an awesome Sunday, it was sad to come back to the farm without all my people around me.

All that would have just made me melancholy and more likely to try to build some community here rather than filled with uncertainty and thoughts of escape, however, if it wasn't for the RATS!!! I am so completely disgusted by the rats I couldn't fall asleep last night. And I haven't even seen the worst of it yet- night shift in the barn is still to come. I'm not sure I can handle it. Nothing else is really bothering me- not barn smells or animal feces or getting dirty or being around strangers- all the usual things I avoid. But Rodents Of Unusual Size? Oh dear god!

Ok, I can handle a few rats in the barn. Its kind of unavoidable, I suppose, with all the grain floating around for the chickens and the goats. But there are mountains of rats, armies of rats, a murder of rats. (I know, its usually a murder of crows, but no other animal grouping word seems harsh enough for rats.) And there are tons cats and rat terriers here, but they all live in the house and no one is training them to catch rats. Hello! Barn Cats are usually a staple ingredient of a farm. And above there is photo of one of the SIX Rat Terriers on the farm. Why do none of them live in the barn, catching rats???

Alright. I will not give into the rats. They will not GROSS me right out of this trailer and off the farm. Its war time now. As Aristotle once said, "We make war that we may live in peace."

So on that note, I am soliciting suggestions and doing research. How does one kill rats when the farmers do not lock up the food, poisons are out as they may get ingested by other animals, and water traps are dangerous hazards for baby goats? I have one idea, but it depends on poison that acts super quickly, so we'll see if I can find a brand. Post an idea if you'd like, and be creative people but show NO MERCY!

Weekend Plans

Today was my day off. But really, there is so much to learn before the other interns leave, who can afford a day off?!! So today Mark and I worked on putting up some new fencing along the back of the third pasture. Its not a bad job, though I wasn't really strong enough to put the posts in myself. Luckily, I've never been too proud to let a nice strong man do all the unpleasant jobs. We got a good stretch put up- hopefully it will withstand the goats and their fearless climbing.

After that we joined Anthony, Melody, and John in working on a plumbing project. Though that was supposed to be a small job, its turned into a three day dirt-digging, pipe-fitting, equipment-renting extravaganza. We reached a standstill at about six, and with the threat of rain and darkeness hanging over our head, we went to dinner. I think we were all a little grateful that Home Depot was out of the thingymajigger we needed. Others went off to their chores, and I gave Melody a hand with the night pet feeding. I figured she must be exhausted after all the ditch digging and gravel moving she had been doing for the last five hours!

The other interns here are pretty awesome. Anthony and Melody have been here for a little over a month. They live out of their RV, and have for the last two years (besides a brief settled period in Portland). Anthony seems to know a lot about plumbing and construction type trades. Melody is a great vegetarian cook, but I don't know what she was accustomed to doing for a living before WWOOFing. Something with computers, I think. The other couple here are Marc and Courtney, who will have stayed just under three months by the time they leave next week. They are headed to Montana after this to live on a homestead with no electrcity or running water. Montana in February with no heat- sounds just awful to me. But they are looking for some remote livin' off the land kind of time. (Another helper arrived today. her name is Laura. She is my roommate. Um, she's a little different.) All of them are really dynamic, hardworking people. By all accounts, they have done a lot this last month or two to really keep this place going. I am bummed and, quite frankly, scared to death about how this place will run without them. With great tact and all due respect toward the overworked owners, they nevertheless strongly warned me about the state things were in when they arrived, and it has put the fear of God in me. Knowing I'll be the veteran intern in less than two weeks feels like a lot of pressure. Oh well, maybe enough new interns will show up that we can get some momentum going on the projects that remain.

Anatolians

I love the dogs here- they are so cute and huge and affectionate. Well, except Daya. She is a stone cold killer. I put up pictures of a couple of the girls . They are Freedom (my favorite) and Rhoda (who is super old).

I can't believe how many pets there are here. I thought they must go broke just feeding the dogs, especially since there are five anatolians and they are enormous. After I learned the dog food recipe, though, it makes a little more sense. Though they do get raw chicken fairly frequently, their other meal is cheap and easy. Plus its nutritious and fun to make!

So here is the recipe, if anyone feels like switching things up for their dog's diet. The best part is the herbs you add. If you are feeding less dogs, use small scoops and less water. For our twelve, a big plastic stadium souvenir cup equals one scoop and we cook it in a huge stock pot.

Dog Food

To a pot of hot water, add

Oil (1 tsp for smallbatch, 2 Tbl for large)

Chicken or chicken seasoning

Bring to boil, add

1 scoop of rice

2 scoops of lentils

1 scoop of split peas

Spices, esp. turmeric and others with health benefits.

These also make it taste and smell like people food, making it appealing to the dogs.

Boil 15 min, then simmer one hour, or until the rice is softened.

If the consistency is too runny, add oatmeal to soak up the water.

Serve cold, maybe with a raw egg cracked on top for protein, and some sprinkled vitamin C powder.

Life on the Farm

So... where to start?

Today is my third day on the farm, and I am settling in alright. I think. Each day has been different than the others, and each that follows will vary somewhat as well. But if there were an average day, it would go something like this:

Wake up to the sound of howling dogs and roosters crowing at 5 a.m., but curl up in under the blankets for another twenty minutes until the alarm goes off. Roll out of bed, groaning over the lack of propane (still needs to be hooked up) and use the tiny dark bathroom in the RV (lightbulb still needs to be changed), then get dressed in the tiny hallway. Long underwear, cut off jeans, long sleeved shirt, socks. Not too cold yet, so decide against a sweater or coat. I'll be warm soon enough. Grab a headlamp, pocketknife, and coveralls, then slip into your galoshes head over to the house for some coffee or tea, maybe a snack.

The first two people up on the farm are the morning milkers. After a gulp of coffee, we head out to the Creamery to sanitize the equipment and set up for the day. Then throwing on boots and coveralls, we go toss hay to the non-grain eating bucks and to the does and their kids, and to the pregnant does. the bales weigh about fifty pounds, so I'll be getting a workout while I'm here. Then its off to the Milk Shed, and time for the milkers to come in- after more equipment sanitizing! The first eight in the door are a pushy lot, so excited to get their grain and kefir, they hardly seem to care when we lock them in place and attach them to the milking machine. After these eight, there are about six or seven more sets of eight, so we get in a good rhythm by the last batch. One fills the grain pots, the other opens the door. One tests the teats for mastitis, the other determines amount of feed- Enough to keep them busy seems to be the rule, though supposedly they are color coded! Then the first person sanitizes the udders, the second dries. Then the first person loops back, dries the udders and flicks on the power. The dull hum of machinery fills the air as we circle, attaching auto milking apparatus to each teat. Through it all, the does stand mostly still, though a few skittish newcomers dance around a bit or kick at the tubes. Then we feed them Beet pulp and kefir, which is good for their digestion.

After all the milkers are done, and we've bullied them off the stands and out the door, we run the milk jugs over to the Creamery for processing (and chug down some coffee). Processing the milk requires a whole lot of cleanliness, coordination, and concentration. None of which are my strong points! It will become more rote, I suppose, but for now I have to watch carefully so as not to overfill bottles. One person finishes up bottling and cooling the milk, while the other heads back to the Milk Room to spray it down and sanitize, sanitize, sanitize.

Whew! First chore finally done! Its about ten thirty, and time to check on the pregnant does. We head up to the barn and sort through the ladies to find the next due. Feeling for softened spine-ending-tendons and peering at their backsides are the best way to tell. Also, if she's not eating, you know something is up, because they are ALWAYS eating. So if no one is going into labor, pet them girls a few minutes and think about how mucking out the stalls really should get done today. Head back to the house instead, vowing that as soon as you have a free afternoon, you'll do it. This is a good time for someone to got to Home Depot for thier plumbing project, John (the owner) comes home from milk deliveries and sizes up the to do list, Marcia is running all over, walking goats, de-worming, getting dogs from kennel to kennel, and cheerfully chatting with all the interns, while babying the puppies and ordering supplies and balancing the finances.

Back at the house, someone is sure to be starting lunch. There are ten of us, so the more food is prepped, the better. Lunch is the only communal meal, and everyone rotates cooking. At noon, we ring the bell, and whoever is on the farm shows and sits down for lunch.

After lunch, the next task on the chart might be lunch clean-up. This is pretty easy, as everyone does their own plate and cup for the most part. A load in the dishwasher, and a few pots and pans and the kitchen is on shape within the hour. Then the afternoon is pretty open. Maybe we'll go work on fencing, or get to those stalls in the barn. If anyone is around who knows how, maybe we'll scrape the mold off the cheese and turn it. Its probably time to start boiling up some gruel for the dogs, and beans for the birds, as well. If anyone was looking likely to kid in the morning, we'll pop up to the barn a couple more times, looking for contractions to start. I suspect after I learn a few more things, this will be the most productive part of the day, as far as projects go. But by four, the two night milkers begin the whole process again- throwing hay, milking, cleaning, processing...

If I finish up whatever (currently hypothetical) projects I am working on, by six or so I wander over to help whoever is the night pet feeder. The Pet Feeder takes care of feeding the cats, birds, all 13 dogs, and 30 pregnant does or so. We give the dogs either a cooled porridge-y homemade dog food or raw chicken (yep, bones and all). One of the dogs, Daya, is so frightening that the interns basically just toss her food at her and run right away. She is not joking around, she'll murder you. Of course, she is a giant lap dog for Marcia and John, but is not so fond of strangers! The birds get beans or a baked potato. The pregos get three handfulls of grain each, and watch out cause they'll bowl you over to get it if they can! I don't remember what the cats were fed, but there are enough mice and rats around that I sure don't worry about them starving. Though they seem more like house cats- I'm not sure they are really up to catching mice. Because the pregos can only be fed three at a time, pet feeding can take about an hour as well. By the time we're done with that, its dinner time. After a cup of tea and a bite of leftovers, we go our separate ways. Marcia is still going and going like theres no such thing as sleep, but I'm all worn out so I head off to bed.

Wow. That was long.