Older Ducklings Update

Crest has three of her original ducklings. Not quite babies anymore anyday the three will start trying to quack. For now its still peep peep. I thought I’d share some photos of them hunting grasshoppers today with you.

Willow Branch Lattice

I made a willow branch lattice. I used bailing wire to secure the limbs to each other. I built it to shade the tomato plants from our harsh afternoon sun. I planted cucumber seeds so they can grow up the lattice. I really hope it works. If not it still looks nice.

What’s Crackin’. I’m Hatchin’!!!

Look there’s a crested one!

I can’t tell how many yet. I’m thinking seven.

UPDATE!

I went out and put all the babies in a bucket. It seemed there were so many I was never going to stop counting. There were twelve!

These two had the biggest crests we have ever had on ducklings. That one in the front almost looks like it has a mohawk! I can’t remember how many were crested or not.

Mama Duck was unhappy, to say the least, and was running around puffed up screaming her head off. My daughter and I cornered her and reunited her with her babies in the big kennel in the backyard. They will stay there for about a week until they get a little stronger so they can run through the tall grass after their mom. Otherwise its a terminal game of marco polo in the grass.

I saw Jasper the naughty cat peering through the fence at the ducklings. I warned him stay away. He is an excellent hunter but needs to leave mama’s birds alone!

Photos Around the Farm 6/17/13

Bluebonnet scratching at an itch she couldn’t reach. Yes I helped!

My beautiful dependable Bluebonnet

Merriwether long and lean

Fauna’s girls. We still haven’t settled on a name. Oh and Nigel our future dinner in the background.

My southern engineered way to make due with the standing water when it rains. A boardwalk.

Blue our rather shaggy looking donkey. She is scared of brushes. Sigh.

We covered one of the chicken pens with a big tarp.

Fauna and Merriwether getting in the way of us working on the board walk. Kisses and snuggles break!

My Fauna. Love this beauty!!!

A mille fleur went broody and hatched a chick. But it has a mole on it’s head. Weird!

We have been grilling a lot since the high heat sat in. Here is my first ever smoked turkey! No it wasn’t one of my girls. Was one from the store.

Great Oil Lamp Tips

This is some great info. Definitely something to print out and keep in a folder for future reference.

http://www.preparednesspro.com/tips-tricks-oil-lamps/

Homemade Laundry Soap (Powder)

My friend Laura passed along this recipe and it works just as good or better than Tide. We have horribly hard water that leaves a reddish tan color to whites unless we use the name brand laundry soap. This makes everything clean and white without adding extra bleach!

Costs about $24. You can get even cheaper if you use coupons. Of course I found a $2 off Purex later on. I mix up in a plastic three gallon bucket I got in the Walmart bakery department. I wash a minimum of three loads of laundry a day. Weekends even more. This lasted us a little over a month!

Xeroscaping Project

My daughter and I are working on a Xeroscape garden at each corner of our driveway. Xeroscape plants require very little water and are drought tolerant. Since we don’t have money in the budget for plants I have been collecting plants from friends. So far I got lots of baby agave, a few spineless cactus, and one red yucca. I’d really like to get more bricks to line it but will make do with what we have. Until I get the dirt level raised (the bed in kinda a low spot) I transplanted the baby agave in my daughter’s flower bed. Hopefully she won’t mind. 🙂

Tornado Outbreak. We are okay

There was a large storm front last night. Tornados all around us but none got us. The closest one I know of so far was the mile wide Granbury one. One time last night we headed to town to wait it out. Thankfully all was well but still had to take precautions. Note to self I need more batteries for the scanner. My prayers for all who lost their family or homes. Prayers also for all the volunteers and first responders.

Chicken Pen Finished!!!

Here’s the boys. I mean young men, sorry. With their beautiful chicken pen! The birds have now been in their new containment/occupational unit Lol for over a day now. The first day they stayed close together moving as a group because they were used to over crowded conditions. By that evening they were exercising their wings. I need to get a top on before they learn to fly. Lol.

Things we still need to do are finishing painting the untreated wood. Build a chicken house. Add some type of shade. Get bigger waterers. And figure out nesting boxes. After that I need to repair other chicken pen. Also and a top and more shade.

Struggling Financially

Well things have gotten even tighter money wise. I haven’t been sharing much on here but I do remember I promised to share the good, bad and the ugly. Financial struggles are sadly common in homesteading. You got at least two jobs in homesteading. Usually one person or both works outside the home. My hubby is a licensed Agriculture teacher. No jobs in the area so for a few years he worked away from home. He came home after being laid off while I was in my late stages of my last pregnancy. Turns out it was an answer to prayer because my health got worse and he was needed at home.
He took a huge cut in pay to take a Special Ed aide position at a local high school but it was a job.

He is burnt out from this job since he mentally and physically worn out. It probably wasn’t a good idea to work in special ed when we struggle with challenges of having a special needs child at home too. But worse than that we aren’t making it. God is seeing us through.
We have had quite a few bumps in the road this year. It’s all taking it’s toll on us. It’s hard to not lash out at each other. And boy it’s happened. I even thought of leaving my husband. The devil and society makes it easy to lie to yourself it will be easier. Better. Thankfully God changed my heart and mind to a recommitment to my husband. I will never even entertain the thought of that again. Just the stress of it all on top of what would normally be stressful, having two children with disabilities.

It also has made us question are we doing the right thing, homesteading. Are we hurting ourselves in any way? I feel the answer is definitely no at this point. But you seriously have to question yourself at times. Why do.Uk want to do this? What sacrifices are we making? Is everyone on the same boat? And I will say this. If you are struggling there is nothing wrong with starting over later. If you have to postpone your goals and dreams please don’t beat yourself up about it. We keep reducing our livestock numbers. Just keeping it as small as possible. No big garden this year or the past two but anything is progress. I really hope if you are reading this and are beating yourself up as to where you want to be, please don’t.

As to our financial situation. There’s so many worries we struggle with. Some of the most freshest in our minds are: need new local job for hubby, had to evict renters. Need to make repairs and find a new one fast. Now behind on both house notes. Both vehicles need to be replaced or repaired. They don’t start most the time. Tow truck actually coming to get the van today. No air conditioning in the van. Hubby’s truck tires are blowing one by one and can’t afford to replace. Two months in a row had to go to court six hours away. Had to appear even though had to use half house payment to make trip. And they don’t reimburse for gas or rental car. Health needs I can’t afford to take care of. Septic leaking bad. Oh and our food stamps lapsed. That $189 accounted for a lot of our food. I’m not whining but I’ve honestly thrown quite a few pitty parties for myself lately. I am sharing the person info because I promised I would. And also as what I believe will be a testimony one day. Look what God has done for us!

Does it mean we will come out unscarred? No. We aren’t in Heaven yet. But I seriously and wholeheartedly believe we will come out in a better place at the end.