Hard to get a shot of bees!

Today was one of those beautiful
days that make you forget the days earlier in the week when you wanted to just stay inside and do nothing.

Well nothing except sit by the heater and count your blessings that you aren't a chicken or cow out in the wet, cold, muddy weather.   

My bedroom faces east towards the back so the rising sun woke me this morning, how wonderful!

The change in weather was like a dose of medicine for us all,  the dogs slept in the sun, the cows jumped around and ran, the chickens stretched out their wings in the sun and of course the bees finally left their hive.

Bees are kind on weird animals to take care of, I mean you do have to feed them and check on them,  but only if the weather is right.
So what usually happens is I will  put my ear up to the hive on
those cold stretches and try to hear them. I never can, it is dead silent. Which always worries me, are they gone? are they starving?
Poor babies I should open the box and check on them...
But I can't do that, they need to retain their heat in the box, opening it up would be very hard on them.... so I just have to wait.

I  keep them covered with a tarp on  cold nights. I also put sugar and water in the hive for them to eat. Otherwise I have no idea how they are....  The thing is, with the internet I will be reading bee keeper blogs and come upon a post the says "my whole hive is dead" and I think.... "my whole hive is dead".

So today I got to see them again. They were out swarming all around their hive, drinking water enjoying the sun.... I love those little guys... I mean girls.  
  
I want to say "Thanks "to everyone for their support of Novellas Farm and continuing it.

For now I  am working on a business plan and researching funding 
possibilities. I got some wonderful information about The City of
Austins'  Small Business Development Program from a delightful
blog called, "Jack and the Tealeaf"
Check it out, 
May your dreams come true.
        





 

Novella grazing at a neighbors house who loves her

 I have not wanted to let any one know what is
happening here, but it is time to post about it.

As you know we are located in a neighborhood. The lots are large and animals are allowed, but no businesses.

A few weeks ago we were notified about the fact that we were breaking the by laws and the business part was mentioned.

So I am no longer able to have Farm Days.
At least not here.

You see I live next door to the President of the HOA, and actually he has had a bee in his bonnet for us ever since we got here. Bless his heart, we just aren't the right kind of people he wants next door, even though he actually lives in Hyde Park....

In life you run across people like this, they live through others, doing bizarre things like searching the Internet looking for evidence to support their suspicions (like farm days). Instead of just being happy with what is right, and living their lives... they worry about the rest of us.

At first I was upset and angry about it, ( because there are other people out here running classes, and with lots of horses ) but now I am happy, I say thank you neighbor for lighting a fire under me and my husband. For reminding us of where we really want to be.

My dream is to be able to offer a place for families to come, spend the night or weekend and actually
do farm chores along with relaxing in their own yurt or other shelter.
Its called Ag Tourism, and I want to do it.
I  want my girls to have pasture, plenty of it.
I  want to be able to grow my business to the point where I can hire people to help me, and then they can go and do the same things on their own.
I want my greenhouse and so much.... too much for Spring Lake.

So my postings will be taking a different direction, I will be posting about the journey we will be taking to make our dreams real.
















An

Christmas this year was a little different than years past.
For one thing the kids are getting older. Ian is 18, Tommy is 15 and Juliette is 11.
I had warned them that I was short on funds and not to expect much if anything in the way of gifts this year.

Last night I started to worry a bit, because I actually only had stockings for the boys and for Juliette only
2 small gifts along with her stocking.

This morning after I finished my milking, Juliette opened her gifts and seemed so happy with them. The boys seemed happy too. All were quite relaxed and quiet.

When they were little I used to fret and shop like mad to get them every little item their little hearts desired.
Then by the time Christmas morning came my expectations were so high I always felt a little blue about the whole day. There was always so much packaging and well, just too much stuff.  I would always be so tired out and feeling a little sick from the excesses.
.
I have to say I really had a good day.today. I think I am starting to understand the true meaning of Christmas. The  birth of Christ, a day to just be with the ones you love. A day to practice a bit of quiet.
.
Hope everyone had a wonderful day!

Fun Stuff

A few weeks ago I saw a post on my email for a
"Star Watching Party".

I thought to myself "That sounds so cool!"

I got in touch with Amy Jackson, the  woman who offers the parties.

I ran the idea of putting on a party out here in Novellas meadow.
So......
She came out one day with her daughter and we decided, yeah! Lets try it.

Amy Jackson is the founder of "Starry Sky Austin".
I'm going to say right here, she was younger, thinner and prettier than her facebook photos look.

And she was well, a bit odd. Which I mean as a compliment. I was very impressed with her. I liked her!

She is a science nerd, which I have missed a bit since leaving A&M. I have one other friend out here who is
a science gal, the soap maker who is a Chemistry nerd. It is hard to put my finger on what it is... but if you are a science major you are just of a certain genre.

Since I too am one of these science nerds I feel I can make the statement that we are all a bit odd, and somewhat out of place in the usual setting.
We are unmanicured, shall we say. Not as fussy about the natue, one foot in the civilized world and one foot in the real world.

I am thrilled to be able to have Amy out here to teach us all about the Starry sky. If you are interested in attending please contact me personally and I will fill you in.

We will have a fire, roast smores and hot dogs (not mandatory) and learn about the stars in the sky.
This party is of course, weather dependent... clear skies are mandatory.

Today was a sad day around here.

Scout left.

A few weeks ago my husband said he was going to make arrangements to have Scout processed.

I was upset but told him I was going to leave it up to him.

Then a few days ago he said, "pretty soon I am taking Scout to be processed." And he was quiet.

"If you can find him a home, I will go along with that, even if you don't get much for him, I am not looking forward to doing this".

Knowing the odds were not good to find a steer a home that does not involve a freezer, I at least thought I should try.

So I posted an ad on Craigslist, it said something like this.. "For sale, steered miniature jersey,
would make a good, unusual pet, sweet nature."

Yesterday I got a response, saying.
"We will take Scout and give him a home for the rest of his life here at our farm."

I hoped they would have other cows for him, but they said no, they have horses, alpacas and other animals, so he will not be lonely.

It was a hard call, he really needs other cows, but what are the odds of someone else offering to give him a good home and not have him as Bar B Q?

Ok I said, come get him.
They did.


A wonderful little family... we are going to miss him so much.

I cried last night, today and right now.
I am doing all I can for Novella, she is sad.

When they came to pick Scout up I mentioned maybe they would like a cow in milk, since they have a few kids. I am supposed to call them when we have our new calves.. I hope I can convince them to take one of the girls later to be with Scout.

I really, really love these animals, and I absolutely
hate this part of the business. I hope one day I have 50 acres and I can keep mothers and babies together for as long as I think is right.
Right now I just can't.

I keep thinking of this poem that starts with
"God bless the beast and the little children,
 for in this world they have no voice.
 In this world they have no choice."

We have to watch out for them both.

Get out there and vote, Doggonnit!

Today is election day.

I don't know about you but my guy never made it past the debates.

I personally feel the whole system is outdated.
I mean why don't we let the whole bunch of them run in the general election and let the winner be president, and the runner up be vice president?

That way at least most of the voting public would be represented. I just don't get it. Myself I usually vote for the candidate who scares me the least, or I should say against the candidate who scares me the most!

Right now I am doing a course called You Decide, which focuses on the Bill of Rights and court cases that
have gone to the Supreme Court involving the Bill of Rights. Both of my sons are discussing court cases with me..... It seems to me that people used to understand their rights and would stand up for them. Now we just
roll over and shrug it off.

Wake up People, it's like exercise. It's a whole lot easier to stay in shape than to get fat and then try to get in shape.  Be aware of your rights, don't just let them be taken away from you. We can't just assume our elected officials are doing what they say. It is hard to believe but they live in a different universe from most of us, they really don't have a clue.

 Vote not only today, but every day with our actions.

The way we treat our selves, and others... our purchases, our thoughts our general attitude. Let's not be
divided, let's not fall for the tactic they play on us, to split us according to income or race.Just because some one makes a certain amount of money or has a certain color skin they are not to be assumed to be better or worse. This kind of thinking is saying that others are not as good. Everyone is the same, no better or worse.

Unfortunately our elected officials get to make the rules for the rest of us and even though they call it being a
"public servant" it must be a pretty good gig cause no one gives it up willingly.

Most of us are not living in their universe. We, most of us want, clean food and water for every one of us, we want to be able to assume if a product is labeled and sold as food it won't make us sick. We want the right to decide and to be able to purchase what we want to eat. We want to decide how to raise our kids, they are after all our kids.

We want to be able to trust our elected officials....
Follow your heart, pray and cast your ballot. Then turn to the next person in line and smile, because really and truly  the future is up to us.
.

Our Turkey Experience

So beautiful

 Last   May some friends asked if we would like to get turkeys from them. Seems you have to order at least 15 turkey chicks and they had no desire to keep 15, so we said yes.

We were given 6 little turkey chicks, and one chicken chick. The chicken chick is to show the turkeys how to do simple things like, find the water and food.....

Now these were not the kind of turkeys that feed the masses on Thanksgiving. These were Heritage
Turkeys.  From what I understand they are a  cross of European and Native turkeys.

As I recall after the first night at least one died. Actually every morning for a few days it was touch and go.

With the rabbits. See the chick on their backs?

I had heard that turkeys are notoriously difficult to brood, but I felt confident we could do it!

 I realized they were getting cold and that they seemed, well ...sensitive in an emotional way. They just seemed shy,
kind of clueless. So I put them in with my rabbits and we had no more problems.

The rabbits are soft, warm and gentle. The chicks would lie between them or just sit on top of them
and snuggle up...they began to thrive.

Unfortunately they did not get much smarter. For example where as chickens will go into the coop when the sun sets, the turkeys just could not be trained to do so. The chickens could easily find their way back and forth between pens and fences, not the turkeys. They just aren't programed to think.
Now I could make all kinds of jokes about jive turkeys and such but I think you get the idea.

So every night for all these months we have been going out at night and rounding up turkeys and putting them in the coop to be safe.

Then one night we plain old got sick of it. We left them out. Sure enough the next morning one was
missing. I noticed vultures in the meadow and of course found the missing turkey.

 After that we decided to keep the turkeys cooped all the time. I mean we just couldn't go to all that work and then let a fox or some other animal get them!

I called my husband at work one day and told him the turkeys were depressed. They were too. They were, are... regal animals. Keeping them penned seemed just wrong. Now the alternative did not make us
happy.. but what could we do?

Yes, I came home on Halloween to find them all, well, ready for the freezer.

My husband said he didn't want to do it, but he felt it was the kindest thing to do.

We will not raise turkeys again.

I have heard that Ben Franklin wanted to make the turkey our national bird. I understand why, they truly
are beautiful animals. I for one think they should be wild.