homesteading in the ozarks

Art museum visit- check... 
Redbuds blooming- check...
Morels popping-  check...
Martin gourds up-  check...
28°F mornings (?)-  check...

Springtime in the Ozarks!

Blind Hog and Acorn have been doing the usual chores, extra work on the Springfield house, and even took a day off to visit the art museum in Bentonville.  Acorn is more than ready to do that again soon, and not wait another 6-8 months!

All in all, SteelMeadow Farm is right on schedule.  Garden might be limited to store-bought starts for a few crops,  but Acorn will support the local growers.  This is also the 17th anniversary of their move to Missouri. Tempus fugit!

Yes yes, Acorn lost track of the days (again) and remembered to make the podcast again a day late- so it goes...  Blind Hog has since cleaned out the ash from the woodstove and it is fired up, Acorn has baked the promised muffins.

Pretty quiet week- livestock of all kinds are content.  Goat kids are growing fast, running with moms out o the field.  Only once did Acorn have to go out and find a sleepy set of twins who got "left behind."

Football playoffs are entertaining, winter seems to be the time for kicking back early. Am sure it has nothing whatsoever to do with the length of daylight...

Busy week on the farm- both goats barns cleaned out and dusted with lime and diatomaceous earth, dead trees cut and brought down from the upper 40 for firewood, walnuts a-plenty in the yard for picking up, goji berries in the dehydrator.  PHEW!

Blind Hog and Acorn will take Sunday afternoon off at least, football game at 3:30pm.  Good excuse to have a sit-down!

Everything else is going along well enough.  Tomatoes, okra and peppers all cooked and combined into pint jars.  Gumbo at the ready!  Just add chicken!  At least the pie is ready...

10,000+ steps on Acorn's Fitbit and she has not really left the house- all that spinning around in circles!  Blind Hog did the pasture walks, refilled mineral feeders, moved the goats, tended the laying hens.

Chores winding down for the day- beans to snap and then jar up for the canner, okra to blanch and can as well.  Farmsitters will arrive in the morning, plenty of time for relaxed coffee chat before  the farmers depart.

Blind Hog felled, cut, and split a dead persimmon tree, will burn well. One good cord of wood laid by, second one started.

4.04" of rain yesterday, the county road did wash, but did not wash out so much that cars can't get through. Praise be!

What a wonderful time with The Goat Man and Brian!  Always fun to goof off and have fun with company.

Frank got to look over the goats, see how the Savanna Goat Breed-up Plan was coming along, visited with some other goaty friends, and had a lovely time.  Well, Blind Hog and Acorn had a great time...

The farmers will have a week to get things ready for their week-long absence in September...  Just around the corner!