Of Heartbreak And Sorrow

We've only been on the farm for three short months, but we've already experienced our share of heartaches and sorrow. First, there was little Jude. He was a runt. Kicked aside by his mother, and had gotten too cold right after his birth. He was born during a bitter cold spell. The farmer didn't want to deal with such a nuisance, and so, we took him in. We hadn't even moved to the farm yet, but here was this little goat. I got up every few hours to feed him during the night. When it was time to close on the house, along came Jude. Our real estate agent laughed- he said it was definitely the first time he'd seen a goat at closing! Such a sweet, sweet goat he was. He did eat, but it was always only little bits at a time, no matter how hard we tried. He was a happy goat, but he never did gain weight quickly. But it seemed he was making slow progress. But, it was just too much to overcome. We lost little Jude. And, he took a piece of my heart with him.

We had also bought two little LaMancha bucklings. Little known to us, they carried a bacteria that reared it's ugly head around day 7. Both seemed perfectly healthy, and then suddenly went limp. Just like that, they were gone.

Then we had a really close call. Daddy and Bear had gone out to check on the animals before bed, and Bear noticed smoke. Sure enough, a heat lamp had fallen into the hay and started a fire. Both piglets were trapped behind the fire. We all jumped into action, and managed to get it out quickly. We didn't lose the barn, and we didn't lose any animals. But it sure gave us a scare! The funny part was that the barn smelled like a smokehouse for a few days, which somehow amused us with the pigs...

Then there were the lambs. First, I took in Samson. He was a scrawny newborn that had been kicked aside by his mother. He didn't receive any colostrum (that's bad!), and the farmer really just didn't want to fool with it. So, I took him in. I figured out his pallet wasn't well formed, and that's why he struggled to nurse. So, I worked with him. I taught him to eat. And he gained weight like a champion. The scrawny newborn turned into a vivacious baby. He loved Rufus, a newborn Nubian we bought around the same time. Rufus became his big brother, and taught him fun tricks. We decided to take the two of them out for some playtime in the barnyard. We'd be right with them, and thought it would be enjoyable for all. In a few short seconds, tragedy struck. It appears that Paul, one of our miniature donkeys, was trying to heard Samson and Samson didn't oblige. So, he picked him up and ran with him. When he picked him up, the strength of his bite broke Samson's spinal chord. I felt so helpless as I took him into my arms. He was already slipping away. But, that little lamb looked right into my eyes, and I know he told me "thank you". He seemed to wait until I had him before he left. I sat and held him and had a good long cry. That little lamb that I had taught to eat was gone.

A few days later, I got a call asking if I'd take in another kicked aside newborn. I, of course, said yes. He was a BIG newborn. The mother struggled with his birth and the farmer had to pull him. But, despite his size, he just didn't eat right. We never could get him to eat. He didn't seem to have the internal drive to even try. He was gone by the next morning.

After facing several losses, you might wonder if I"m done taking in kicked aside newborns. I can't think of a better way to say this than the Facebook status I wrote the day we lost Daniel: "Lost little baby Daniel, the newborn lamb. I knew he was a "gamble". It is heartbreaking to go through, but I will always keep my heart and doors open to babies like him. If I can provide a happy home, for even just a short time, I will. His time may have been brief, but it was pleasant."

Joshua said that I just can't turn away a baby without a mother. He's right. I can't. I know that means many more losses to come, but I am prepared for that.

Love in Christ,

 

Simple Goat Cheese

We've been using the Prairie Primer for school this Spring and Summer. We thought it'd be a nice break from our regular routine during this very busy season of life. Anyway, one of the really cool things about the Primer and starting a new homestead, is that the lessons are really relatable to real life.

We are currently reading Little House in the Big Woods, and we just read the chapter where Ma made cheese. Well, it just so happened that our family just got milk goats, and we've been learning to milk. Since we had our own fresh milk, we of course had to make cheese!

Since, like I've mentioned, this is a really busy season for us, we decided to make a simple goat's milk cheese. This recipe makes a cheese similar to ricotta cheese.

This recipe is super simple. Here's what you'll need:

Ingredients
1 qt fresh goat's milk
juice of 2 lemons (or, if you realize you forgot to buy lemons, OOPS!, you can use 6 Tbsp of lemon juice)
coarse salt

Directions

In a medium saucepan, heat milk to 180 degrees. Remove from heat and stir in the lemon juice. Let stand till set. This only takes 15-20 seconds. 

Line a colander with a few sheets of cheesecloth. Place the colander over a bigger bowl or a pot. Ladle the milk into the colander. Then tie the four corners of the cheesecloth together over the handle of a large spoon. Set the spoon across the big bowl so the whey can drain into the bowl. Let drain until it is the consistency of a dry cottage cheese, usually 1 to 2 hours. Place the cheese in a bowl and stir in the salt to desired taste. You can also choose to add in herbs if you'd like. 

And there you have it. A delicious yet simple goat cheese.

Love in Christ,

Oh! Hello There!

Oopsie! So....I started this blog. And then we started house hunting. My Father-in-law passed away and we made an impromptu trip all the way to Georgia. Then we came back, found the PERFECT house and went into overdrive. Packed two, yes two, 4,000 sq ft houses, got our house cleaned up and prepped for showing, and before I could blink, Honeybird Farms was a reality.

Three months have FLOWN by, and we are settled into the homesteading routine. Notice I mentioned the homestead part, but glossed over the home part. Ah! This is a beautiful house, but I'm nowhere near having us unpacked and settled. That is highly unusual for me. But, there's two really good reasons (ok, maybe there's more than two. I do have the whole homeschooling five boys excuse. Or the I'm not quite a spring chicken excuse...) First, we've been really focused on getting our farm established. It's Spring, and, as you know, Spring is a really important time for farm "stuff". There's the garden to get going, and animals are born. So, outside work has taken priority. We loved this house and the property, but unfortunately it was not set up with fencing and barns. We had a LOT of work to do. We've built a pig pen, and a rabbit yard, lamb yard, fortified fencing in the goat yard, built a stall inside the little barn, plowed up a large garden spot, fenced the garden, moved a raised bed, started planting, plowed a berry patch, planted strawberries, built a turkey coop and run, had a barn and chicken coop delivered, and now we've started work on the large pasture that'll run the length of the east side of the property. We've hatched chicks and ducks. We have goats we are milking. The farm is moving right along. I've unpacked and prettied up the main living area. But the rest is a mess!

The second reason that I haven't finished the house is that it's a LOT of house to unpack. We'd asked God for the right house with room to spread out. He delivered! 12,500 sq ft of home sweet home. That's not a misprint. It's really 12,500 sq ft. I've almost avoided that subject, because I'd received some rather unkind comments about our home and it's size. But if you know me at all, you know I'm not one to flaunt wealth or be stuck up. So, I was a little hush-hush about the size. Oh, and the indoor salt water pool. But, there's no point in trying to make it seem less than it is. God has allowed us to have this home, and I'm so thankful for every inch of it. But, I'm a little overwhelmed at unpacking it. It'll get done...eventually.

Back to the goats- Have I mentioned how much I LOVE goats? I had no idea they were such incredible creatures. But, they are! Such personalities! Such empathy for others! They are like giant puppy dogs that give you milk- delicious sweet creamy milk. We now have 14 goats at Honeybird Farms. I'm seriously the crazy goat lady. What can I say? I love my goats.




We also have 6 sheep, 15 bunnies (it was 10, but then we had a litter of 5!), 4 pigs, 4 turkeys, 4 Pekin ducks, a gazillion chickens (ok, I've lost count. I have no idea...), 2 mini donkeys, and 1 very special donkey (more on that later). Oh, and we had three barn cats. Then mama cat had kittens. Now, we have 9 cats. And three dogs. And then there's the duck eggs in the incubator...

In other news, we've been SO blessed with a new homeschool group. I just love the ladies there, and it is so refreshing to be around other women who are doing so many of the same things that we are. We've been very involved in a PE co-op, too. I even coached scooter boards this last two seasons. Next year I am teaching chorus, which is obviously much more my style, lol. What a great group of kids! It's been a blast, and I'm really looking forward to next season.

I just signed the boys up to start violin lesson in June. I think we are also going to do clogging again.

Life is busy, but so blessed. I'm so thankful for the blessings that have just poured down on us lately. Now, I think I've caught up on the basics...so, no excuses, right? Time to start blogging again...

Pax Christi (the Peace of Christ),