Telling it like it is (photo added)

The other day Lydia spent a good portion of the day over at Mamaw's house. When she came home I waste teasing her about being gone so long, and asked her why she liked Mamaw's house better than home. She didn't miss a beat, and informed me, "Because Mamaw's house is clean." Ouch!

Yesterday I was out feeding the pigs and Vivian was standing in the driveway near me. She had found the spray end of a backpack water toy that we have. She was using it as a microphone and singing her little heart out. I couldn't exactly make out the words, but she was sure into her singing. She was swaying and dancing to her own music. I smiled at her and asked if she were singing me a song. She gave me a look that pretty much implied that I was out of my mind. Then she tells me, "No, sing piggies." Now I know where I rank.


*****
This morning Vivian decided to serenade the pigs again. I had to add a picture!

On the job training, again.

Our ram is a big old boy. He is tough, and has a tendency to be a bully. He isn't exactly mean, but he will push you around. He has sent Papaw, Tim and I all flying a time or two. His favorite target once was Billy Bob, the goat. Billy was pretty young when we got him and the ram was the boss.

We separated them, and during that time Billy grew up. He still isn't as big as the ram, but he has a large set of horns that more than compensate for the body size difference. The last time they got together, while we were moving some animals to a different pasture, Billy got the better of the ram. He gave him a couple of good scrapes and small punctures. We put bag balm on the sores, and other than the ram being a bit more humble for a few days, he was just fine.

The ram's latest tangle we suspect was with a deer about a week ago. He had two puncture wounds, one on his front leg and the other about mid abdomen. We covered them with bag balm and didn't think anything else about it.

About mid week I noticed he wasn't acting quite himself. He stayed in the barn a lot, and wasn't waiting at the gate to plow me over at feeding time. It was very hot this week, and he has behaved similarly in the heat before. I didn't think much of it, and was happy to not have to fight him to feed the sheep.

Then yesterday he came out for feed while I was still there. I noticed that the wound on his abdomen looked black and not healed, and he stunk. Not your normal sheep stink, but a rotten stink. I tried to look at the wound. It wasn't easy to hold him and look at it, so I decided to wait until Tim was home to help, but I supected fly strike.

I knew sheep were susceptible to fly strike. I had read a bit about it when we were deciding about docking the lambs tails. The problem is that I had only read about it in conjunction with tails and flies laying eggs in manure that could accumulate on the fleece. I never even thought about it being a problem elsewhere.

Looking back it seems silly that I wouldn't see that there is a connection. Blow flies like sheep. An open wound is a warm moist place perfect for laying their eggs. Well, duh! But that seems to be how we learn things around here, a little at a time, putting bits and pieces of knowledge together. On the job training you could say. I know this is part of the learning curve with animals, but every time something happens I feel so bad.

If you're squeamish you may want to skip ahead to "SAFE NOW."

When Tim got home we went out to look at the ram. The wound looked to be the size of a quarter, so we didn't expect cleaning him up would take long. Tim pulled back on the wound, which in fact was nothing but black rotted flesh, to expose it and found it full of maggots. I couldn't look, but the smell was awful.

He started scraping them out and just kept finding that the wound and the maggots went deeper and longer along the rams abdomen. Tim trimmed back fleece and dead skin, scraped out maggots and poured on peroxide or alcohol for about an hour and half while I tried to keep the ram still. We were all exhausted by the time we were done.

SAFE NOW

The ram is left with a gaping wound about four inches long. We debated stitching him and tried to find information on the internet, but with no luck. Most of what I found addressed pets, (This can affect almost any animal, but sheep are the host of choice for the fly.) or for commercial farming, not for homesteaders.

We think we got all of the problem out, but are opting to keep the wound open and clean it out several times a day with antiseptic just be safe. The ram was given a dose of penicillin and we removed him from the pasture and barn. We tied him out and are moving him around the yard to keep a closer eye on him and to give him a cleaner place to lie down. We also gave him a good spraying of fly spray to try to keep the flies away.

He seems perfectly happy and is eating, and hopefully headed for a full recovery. From other accounts I read about in severe cases (I can't imagine what that would look like.) the animal is listless and lethargic. It will kill them and it is best to put them down. This was bad enough. I am glad to have caught when we did, though I wish I had paid closer attention earlier.

Lessons learned from this on the job training session:

1. Fly strike can happen at any weak point on the sheep.
2. Fly strike can affect other animals.
3. I need to pay more attention when an animal has a wound or is not quite acting like their normal self.

These are hard lessons to learn.

Save the Bees

Yesterday we went on a field trip to Stiltner's Apiary. The kids enjoyed it, especially the taste testing. I found it fascinating. Mr. Stiltner has raised bees for a long time, and works for the State Agriculture Department. He knows his stuff.

He walked us through part of his bees. He keeps millions (literally) of bees. He explained some cross breeding projects he is currently working on, and showed us the process used to get the honey. All along the way giving lots of interesting tidbits and facts about bees. I learned a lot.

The Africanization of bees.
I didn't even know there was such a thing, or that it was a problem. Basically African bees are very aggressive toward people and other bees. They also are genetically dominate. His bees are very gentle, and his cross breeding project is an attempt to get a hardy, productive and gentle bee suited for West Virginia. He suggested that those who want to start with bees do not order queens from Florida or California because they are likely to be Africanized there.

The demise of the bees.
He recommended a National Geographic production about bees. Another mom at the field trip said that PBS also recently showed it. I don't know the exact title.

You may have heard about the great numbers of bees that are dying for reasons scientists can't explain. According to the film, if the current loss rate continues there will be no honey bees by 2035. If you've seen the animated Bee Movie, you know what happens when the honey bees stop working, plants stop producing our food.

Health Benefits of Honey
I know that honey is supposed to be a healthier sweetener, but am not very educated on the subject. A couple of things he mentioned on the field trip caught my interest.

Honey can help those with allergies, but not any honey will do. You need to eat honey that was made locally or at least in a place with similar vegetation. Honey produced far from you was made with pollens that you don't encounter, and therefore won't help your allergies. Makes sense doesn't it?

According to Mr. Stiltner honey that is mass produced has little more health benefit than sugar. The processing it goes through kills all the good stuff. Ever microwaved your honey after it crystallized? That is a no no too. It kills the good stuff. Warm it up with hot water or in a sunny window.

The glue like substance the bees use in the hive is like penicillin. In fact, it is nicknamed Russian penicillin and has been traditionally used to treat illness.


Papaw has mentioned getting bees several times. While I've always thought it was a good idea, this field trip has piqued my interest. Time to do some more research and move bees up on the want list. The other project that has been mentioned latley is maple syrup. Mmmm.... it is going to be sweet around here!

A little of this and a little of that

Having not posted for a week, you might think that we've been terribly busy around here. Tim has been busy with work, working late every night this week except Friday, and he will be working Saturday too. For the rest of us though, it has been comparatively quiet here at home.

Last Saturday mom and I canned apples all day. Something like 30 quarts of sauce and 20 quarts of sliced apples. I am ready to do some more, but don't have any picked. It has been raining the last two days, and I can't see dragging the kids out in the mud to pick apples in the rain. Maybe tomorrow.

The rain was much needed. The rest of the month was very dry. My fall garden, peas, beets, and beans need the water. The tank we use to catch rain water and water the animals was almost empty after staying full almost all the rest of the summer. Yes, the rain is good.

As for the animals nothing too exciting. Two hens are sitting on nests. The baby pigs are doing well. You can see charcoal and her piglets were making good use of the mud hole made in the pasture. Flame's piglets are doing well too. The little red one in the photo is the one we stitched up.

For the most part school is doing well too. The biggest problem I have is I can't get library books. It is a long story that is going to end in us paying for a book I'm pretty sure we returned. Frustrating? Yes, but I need books!

Lydia is having a bit of a mental block with math. She just shuts down. There were tears this morning. The frustrating thing to me is that she knows how to do it! When I sit by her she whips right through. When I am not there she whines and cries that she can't do it. I guess I'm going to have to hand hold her until she gains the confidence to do it alone. She is reading like a pro though. I can't believe how she has just taken off with reading.

Kellen is flying through his materials, like always. He really is into his trombone right now. He is learning to play the Mario theme by ear. He posted a video of it.

Nolan also wanted to do school this year. We are reading books, and playing games mostly. I printed out a freebie workbook for him, but I need some library books to supplement. Well you know why that isn't happening.

So, that is what we've been up to.

Navigating in West Virginia

I once considered myself to have good navigation skills. I liked to try new ways to get from point A to point B. I was confident that I could figure out how to get somewhere even if I'd never been that way before. And if I had a map in my hand, well, I could get anywhere.

I did not realize that I was simply spoiled. Spoiled by navigating roads that generally went the direction they started. Spoiled by roads that were labeled and maps that matched.

When I moved to the land of ridges and hollows, I quickly learned that my Northern navigation skills meant diddly squat here. Roads that appear to go west will actually end up taking you east. Not that I can ever tell which direction I'm heading in anyway here. The curves and hills mess with your sense of direction. I learned that trying an unknown way only leads to burning a lot of gas, seeing a lot of country side, and feeling like you'll never find your way out of all the twists and curves. Driving here is like navigating a huge labyrinth. I learned to only go ways I'd gone before, or to get very specific directions from those who knew the way.

Today there was a swim party for our homeschool co-op at a family's home I'd not been to before. They gave very specific directions from a variety of nearby places. The trouble with all these directions though is that from my house they made a big U, traveling south, going east, and then north again. Shouldn't I be able to just go straight east and get there faster?

So, I got out the county map. The swim party was just into the next county (of which I don't have a map,) but I could see one of the roads listed on the directions. Lo and behold it was directly east of me. And the "big" road I live near turns into another "big" road. (This is something I just don't get here. Roads are essentially the same road, but at some point get a new name. It is all so confusing!) This second big road goes directly to the road on the directions to the party. I felt like I'd just found the Northwest Passage. (Except I was going northeast, but you get the point.)

We set out this morning and headed to the "big" road. I am familiar with this road, but have not traveled it beyond where it turns into the second "big" road. We were traveling along observing the scenery. We saw the electric company trimming trees with a helicopter in a hollow. (Oh why didn't I get out the camera?) We saw a wide variety of beautiful homes, and some that were not so beautiful. We saw three housing developments on this winding curving in the middle of nowhere road. We were enjoying the country drive.

From the map the road we were traveling appeared to be the only sizable road. The road did twist and curve and at times would branch off. Of course there were no road signs to show which road was which, but this didn't phase me much. I just stuck to the bigger road.

At one point I did begin to wonder if I were still on the right road. I tried to draw on a northern navigation skill, looking at the address on the mailboxes, only to remember that mailboxes here are marked not with road names, but with some strange RR code that only makes sense to postal workers.

Suddenly the road had not more lines painted on it. Then it began to narrow. Soon I was on a one lane road in the bottom of a hollow. Could this still be the road I thought it was?

I really began to wonder when I came to a T in the road. I saw no T on the map I was looking at. Where was I? There also were no road signs. Having the map was no help, even if I were still in the right county. Left or right?

Luckily for me there happened to be some state road maintenance workers there. I asked if I should turn right or left to get to the road on my directions.

They looked at me funny.

And said that left would take me to some place I'd never heard of. Right would take me to a road I do know, but not the road I named, if I turned left after this bridge and right at this fork and right again at the old barn, or something like that. (I later realized that the road they mentioned was actually just another name for the road on the directions. I did know that the road changed names, but it didn't register in my confused state.)

I looked at them funny.

And asked if I was still on the second "big" road.

They looked at me funny again.

And said no you are on some road I've never heard of. Then they asked me where I was actually trying to go. I told them. they consulted each other on the best way to get there, and offered to take me to the road where the pool party was.

I looked at them funny again.

And they explained that they were waiting for asphalt. The truck had just left and had to go to a "nearby" town for the refill. It would be at least an hour, and they didn't have anything better to do. Well I think helping a lost mom with four kids is a better use of our tax dollars than just sitting there waiting don't you? The whole crew loaded up in the truck for the ride.

They must of driven me at least five miles to get to the road I needed to be on. Then they pulled off to the side and waved me on. We waved our thanks and followed the directions that led us straight to the house.

I'm forced to admit I can't navigate the back roads of West Virginia, even with a map. In case you are wondering, we followed the directions home, making a huge U and enjoying every minute of it.

The kids are ready

Seeing that it is now the end of August, I thought that it might be a good idea to order our school books this morning. LOL! We still have a few things to finish up from last year, but I wanted to be sure that Kellen and Lydia had math books ready to go. They use the Key To and Miquon workbook series.

I asked them to pull out their workbooks to see where they were at in the current one and if we had the next one in the series. They did and I went about ordering the things we need for the school year. I glanced over to them, and they were both sitting at the table doing math! Then they pulled out their reading! Lydia even cleaned and organized her shelf of school supplies. (Now if I could just get her to do the same in her bedroom!)

I guess we have officially started back to book school routine!

On the way home from church

Nolan: Mommy when can I get my ears peered?

Because his sister used the same word up until a few weeks ago, I knew he meant pierced.

Me: Oh I don't know. Maybe when you are thirty.

Scattered conversation about why at the age thirty he could get his ears pierced.

Me: Daddy doesn't have his ears pierced.

Nolan: When will he be old enough?

Me: Oh I don't know maybe when he is fifty. You'll be old enough too when you are fifty.

Nolan: Fifty?! I'd be dead then!

Piglet Hospital and Nursery

Early this morning Ashley's pig, Flame, had piglets. Ashley and Miles went back to their mom's Wednesday, so Ashley missed it, but here is the story for her and you.

Yesterday afternoon Flame started building a nest. Yes, pigs build nests. It is an interesting thing to watch. She pulled up roots, moved sticks and branches, and leveled off a bit of ground. She even tried to pull the wire off the fence. The result was a lot of pulled of chicken fence, but I don't think she ruined it. Papaw put some hay in the building, and that enticed her to move inside with her sticks.

At 5 AM Papaw went to check her, no babies. About 7 he went back out and there were already half a dozen or so. Tim and I woke up to, "We've got babies." Papaw gets a little excited about his animals. He thinks that 14 were born, but only 12 are living.

One piglet got stepped on and had a big open wound on it's hip. Time for stitches. My kitchen was soon turned into a piglet hospital. Tim stitched the pig on my table. Thanks so much for putting some rags down honey! Ya know we eat off that table!


One runt was pretty weak. He is currently in a box in my kitchen. Kellen and Lydia have said they will bottle feed it. My plan is that they will feed it until it is strong enough to go back with Flame. Kellen's plan is to raise it as a pet. Despite our warnings that the pig may not make it, and if it does, we will not be keeping it, he has named it Arnold. He isn't taking very well to our feeding him, so I guess we will just see what happens. Any suggestions?


NEVER a dull moment in the 100 Acre Wood!

My Little Teacher

Lydia has been teaching the younger kids sign language. It is so cute. I had to catch it on video, and of course, share it on the blog!

Conquer the Turtle

Wordless Wednesday

Oil Painting with Tim

Tim has taken up a new hobby, oil painting.

He isn't painting on canvas. He prefers to paint on wood or metal. He isn't using a wide variety of colors. In fact, his painting is rather monochrome and dark.

He is painting with used motor oil.

This is a little trick we learned from the neighbor. Used motor oil can be used to paint untreated wood and metal. Here you can see the manure spreader and a gate that have been painted. The oil soaks into the wood to preserve it. On metal, it helps prevent rust.



Our neighbor uses this method on several of his outbuilding as did his father before him. It stains the wood a deep gray color as you can see in this photo, except of course for the red doors. Apologies for the shadows in this shot.



The oil we used was saved from servicing the vehicles around here. It is a cheap and easy way to make our wood and metal last. The largest drawback I see from it is that it is a little messy. Not so much more than paint, but it did seem to take a little longer to dry.

I hope Tim enjoys his new hobby, there are a lot of gates and other wood to paint around here!

Finally, A Break in the Schedule

The kids returned from a long weekend and a trip to Cedar Point with Grandma and Grandpa on Tuesday. I'm done canning beans. I'm done freezing corn. Little Lambs is this weekend, but I've dropped off my clothes. We are done picking blackberries for those who ordered them. The tomatoes that are ripe are processed. The apples aren't ripe yet. I just want to pick some more blackberries for myself before they are all gone. Other than that, all the pressing work is complete.

And. . .

A friend emailed me the other day about an awesome field trip she is arranging for homeschoolers next week at the Huntington Art Museum. The topic is the Civil War and the kids are going to make pinhole cameras. I thought it would really be something the kids would go for, but was afraid that we wouldn't be able to make it. I turned to my planner for the week, and IT WAS BLANK! A whole week with no appointments or scheduled activities?! Well, it was until I wrote in the field trip to the art museum.

A lull in the schedule is just what I needed. I spent today piddling at various projects. Don't worry it isn't like I don't have anything to do. No chance of being bored around here, but it is nice to not have schedules, commitments, and over ripening vegetables breathing down my neck.

Ahhh......I will enjoy it while it lasts.

New Pigs

Miles' pig, Charcoal, had piglets Saturday evening, eight of them to be exact. Tim and I were there when the last two came. Charcoal is a good mom, and fairly tolerant of us being around. Sows can be pretty mean when they have piglets. Charcoal has a gentle nature. I doubt it will be the same story when Flame, Ashley's sow, has her piglets. She is mean now. I bet she'll be a beast when her piglets come in about a week! Now the question is what are Miles and Ashely going to do with all these pigs?!

Happy Birthday Dad

Today is my dad's, aka Papaw, birthday. Happy Birthday!

Last week at the fair was crazy, but good. Kellen's rabbits placed about the middle of their class. He was slightly disappointed, but we were happy. The kids had a grand time being at the fair everyday. We walked the animal barns everyday. We watched the demolition derbies, mud bog, fireworks, and motor cross. Kellen showed his rabbits twice, and then sold them twice on Friday. Lydia participated in the open class for rabbits. They were both nervous, but did well. Kellen also took part in a watermelon eating contest.



Monday Kellen participated in the annual Battle of the Books. His team took third. They had all the questions right until the tie breaker round. His team has won the previous two years, so third was a slight disappointment, but Kellen handled it well.

Today Kellen is having Ryan over to spend the night for a late birthday celebration. It is actually Ryan's birthday tomorrow. Have I ever mentioned how crazy the end of July is for birthdays? For some reason the majority of the birthdays in this family are clumped around May and July. Kellen's was the 21st, Torrey ( a cousin) the 22nd, Avery's (Jake's youngest) the 27th, Jeff's (Tim's dad) the 28th, Jake's the 29th, my dad's today, and Gage's (Tim's brother's son) the 1st. It really is crazy!

The Big 1-0

Today Kellen turns double digits. The fair also starts today, so we will be celebrating his birthday next week. And how does the birthday boy want to celebrate this special occasion? He just wants his best buddy to spend the night, and to eat pizza and cheesecake. Kellen is becoming a very practical kid! Happy birthday Kellen. We love you!

Filling in the blanks

Alright so my last post was a little brief and some people would like more details. I'm happy to oblige.


Roller Coasters & Rock Bands
Last weekend I made an unexpected trip to Kings Island for three days. My parents had promised to take my oldest niece and nephew along with my two oldest to Spirit Song. Papaw isn't a huge fan of amusement parks to start with, and he wasn't feeling well that week. So, he asked me if I'd like to go instead, and I did.

This was the first year Lydia was tall enough to ride the big coasters. For the most part she rode all that she could, and loved it. The people on the platform cheered for her when we were in the cars for Son of the Beast. The attendant made Lydia get out to double check her height. When Lydia got back in the people still waiting cheered for her. That was one of the last coasters
we rode.. Honestly, it was a little much for Lydia, but she was a trooper about it.

We spent the days riding rides or at the water park. The evening were spent at the concerts. "Rock Band" may be a stretch for some of the artists there, but there was some rockin' bands there like Skillet and Kutless. Kellen loved these. Lydia said they were too loud. It is funny how seeing groups live is completely different than just listening. Some groups I like recorded were not that great live. My favorite live was Toby Mac. I also enjoyed Jeremy Camp and David Crowder.

Kellen, Lydia, and Nolan too will soon be getting some more roller coasters in. They will be heading to Cedar Point with Tim's parents the first week of August.


Rabbits & Rockets
These are Kellen's 4-H projects this year. The fair starts Monday (Kellen's birthday.) He's been busy finishing up his project books, making display posters, and getting the rabbits tame enough to handle in the show ring. I guarantee you will hear more about all this in the next week or two.


Beans and Blackberries
The beans are producing full force. 51 quarts canned so far. The first planting is starting to fizzle, but the second is still going strong.

The blackberries are late this year, but they are beautiful. We've eaten some, made a cobbler and one batch of freezer jam. Then we started selling them.

A few weeks ago an acquaintance noticed all the unripe berries along our drive and asked me if we sold them. My first reaction was no, and that is what I told her. Later I thought why not? It would be a great way for the kids to make a little cash. They were all for it, so I sent an email out to some of our homeschool group. I offered for anyone to come and pick free. Our plants are loaded. Then I offered them for sale picked if anyone was interested. We got requests for 26 quarts!

There are plenty of berries, but we've (Yes, we. I've been helping!) been picking for orders first. I will get more for jam, shrub or other things when we are done.

Other news
Lydia got ten inches cut off her hair! You can see pictures here.

Vivian is no longer sleeping in the crib. While the older two and I were in King's Island Viv wanted to sleep in the bottom bunk the whole time. Tim let her, and she liked it. So, the crib came down.

We had our first lamb from the farm. It is delicious. I'm not sure why lamb isn't more popular in the U.S. It really is good. I was expecting a stronger flavor, but apparently that is only in mutton (sheep over a year old.) Our lamb was five months old and the flavor is wonderful.

Ok. I think I'm caught up on the details now! :) It has been a busy week, no a busy month, no a busy summer. . . I'm going to bed!

What have we been up to?

Oh not much, just....

• Rollercoasters
• Rock Bands
• Rabbits
• Rockets
• Blackberries
• Beans

You know, just our typical quiet life. . .

Bunny Ears

Wordless Wednesday

You Might Say She is Determined

On the agenda for the day we planned to get a little outside work done in the morning, and then my three oldest would walk to the creek with Ashley and Miles for a picnic and to play. Everything in the morning went as planned with minimal fighting or arguing.

When we came back in the house it was close to lunch time and Vivian needed a nap. It was a bit of a juggling act trying to get Vivian something to eat and facilitate the older kids packing their lunch and things for the creek. Just as I was thinking things were going smoothly and Vivian did not seem to mind that the other children were planning something without her, someone said the trigger word, swimsuit.

Apparently Vivian did not mind that the other kids were having a picnic or taking a walk without her. She did mind, very much, that she wasn't going where swimsuits could be used. It was instant tears. She kept repeating, muffled by her knuckle in her mouth, "Swimsuit. Go." Knowing she was very tired I tried to get her to eat a bit, finally gave up and put her in bed. We went on with our afternoon plans. The kids headed off to the creek, and I started in on laundry, dishes, and my to do list.

An hour an a half later while I'm hanging clothes on the line I hear Vivian crying. Crying when she first wakes up really isn't that unusual and I didn't think much of it. Sometimes when she wakes up crying playing peek-a-boo with her at the door helps lighten her mood. I went in the house, and cracked open her door, ready to play peek-a-boo. As soon as she saw my face, "Swimsuit. Go," and a fresh burst of tears.

It took me almost 15 minutes to calm her down. She ate a little more lunch, and I hoped that she would be over it. That hope was quickly diminished. About every twenty minutes she asks me, "Swimsuit. Go?" Or she may ask, "Boy, girl, where? Swimsuit?"

You might say she is determined.....

It is Friday? What! It is July?!

How can it be Friday already? The three oldest have been with Grandma and Grandpa all week. The traveled to Tennessee to visit with family there. Though I do miss the kids, my nice quiet week has gone so fast. We had company Wednesday. A friend came over to help can some green beans, and Tim's dad, Jim, came for the night from Virginia. Other than that there was not a lot of scheduled activity this week, so you'd think I would have a lot done. Well, it didn't happen, and the kids will be back tomorrow.

It isn't only the week that has gone fast, but the whole month; make that the whole summer. I think every week since the middle of May we have either been getting ready for an event, participating in it, or recovering from it. There has been no normal, no routine, and a quick glance through the calendar shows July to be just a busy. I've even said no to several things, even things that I really wanted to do or thought the kids would enjoy for the simple fact that I need some white space on my calendar. Even so life is so busy.

Around the homestead the garden is doing well overall. All the baby animals are doing well, and Kellen will soon need to pick rabbits for the fair at the end of July. We took the first livestock to the butcher. Next week we will have lamb in the freezer. Tim has butchered the chickens, rabbits, and the deer, but we decide the price was right just have the butcher do the work for the goat. We will probably continue to butcher our own small animals, but the large ones we'll send out. Now I need to learn how to cook lamb. Always something to do! :)