ozarks podcast

Acorn has a set of 15 goats for sale, buyer to come up tomorrow- maybe Monday.  Will allow the farm to keep more of the 50% Savanna doelings for the great "breed up" program...

Got some rain, fields doing ok enough.  Geese have been given full use of the yard, not like they weren't doing it already...

Acorn is going to drop a few pounds... Fun fun there... Blind Hog needs all the calories he can get...  Sam cut a toe going after a skunk, but he got the skunk so he counts it as a win.  He doesn't smell bad enough to warrant a bath.

As work on the Springfield House comes to a close, Blind Hog and Acorn can focus their attention to the farm.  

Two trips to different IKEAs, assorted trips moving furniture and soon the job will be "mostly" done...

Geese are acting all cliquish- Alpha gander is bullying Bravo gander something awful, but geese will be geese.

Goats are getting caught not only in the fence, but sinking in the mud as the ponds dry up.

Acorn has been a baking fool- three different items today and most are in the freezer, all portioned out.  Goat milk yogurt making continues- won't be long till that little chore is over.

A week of silly things happening, from unknown tractor belts to out-of-towners getting gas at Costco to varmints in the barns.

Rain evades the farm for the most part, but 0.47" did manage to fall to start off the month.

Goats are weaned, milking is in full swing and the chest freezers got sorted through. Skyr is going into the freezers at the rate of 3 qts a day.  At this rate, Acorn may only have to milk for the month of June, if that.  Make the skyr, make the mozzarella and be done.

If only the weather could last longer as it is...  Highs near 70F, lows nice and cool enough to sleep with the windows open and needing a bit of blanket..

Geese and goat kids are growing, garden is putting out asparagus.  Apple trees got a pruning so Blind Hog can ride the new mower under the branches and not lose his hat.

Zero turn mower is certainly the way to go!  If only it could cut 8" tall out in the fields!

What a fun week at the farm! 

Goslings hatching, new porch furniture, a porky pig sighting, goat milking in the mornings and whatever did Blind Hog and Acorn find in the clothes dryer blower fan but a pair of blue racers!  BTW- Acorn did check to see if they were on the trail of mice but there was not one tell-tale dropping or sign of mouse nesting activities- what we had here was a pair of snakes looking for some "privacy..."

Oy oy oy...  At least it was discovered that the dryer belt was cracked and would soon need replacing, but that in itself turned into two fruitless trips to Springfield.  New belt is to be delivered on Monday, via Amazon- the Helper of Rural Folk everywhere...

Bravo and Charlie gooses have both hatched their eggs- Bravo had two of her seven eggs hatch (the remaining eggs stinky duds), Charlie hatched four of eight.  Eggs five, six and seven are in the incubator since the first four goslings are out and about...  Egg #eight was an unfertilized dud.

Bling Hog got his pan of brownies.  All is well with the world.

The incubator hatch was so-so... A few duds that were iffy when candled and alothough four goslings hatched, one did not make it.  Acorn thinks the egg was too warm and thus a "preemie" pipped too early.  Them another gosling developed spraddle leg from the incubator's "too slick" floor.  When the legs go out sideways, they tend to stay that way.  Bandaids to the rescue!

Electric fence is back on and the goat kids have been learning some lessons...  Maybe..  Some seem to be repeat offenders...

All in all a good week, and Bling Hog goes off on a tangent...

Alpha Goose sat on 9 eggs and 8 hatched.  The unhatched egg was a stink bomb, we see this.  Now to see if Bravo and Charlie gooses are ready to incubate their nests or were they just giving Acorn a cruel "April Fool's" prank when she found both on their nests ...  23 eggs in two incubators, Bravo and Charlie both have 5-7 eggs in their nests.

Work continues on the city house- appliances delivered and Blind Hog and Acorn got them installed.  Nothing is easy/simple save the fridge- attach the water line and wait for magic ice to flow...

5.5+ inches of rain in 48 hours- THAT got the farm right soggy!

Goose pens were flooded, needed trenching to divert the drainage but even better news?  The county road held!

Blind Hog and Acorn had a productive week at the Springfield house, ready for appliances to be delivered.  They even took a couple days off to stay at the farm.  Well, ok- they HAD to stay due to the rains but it was a nice change of pace!

Another busy week at the Springfield house, but things are coming along.

Blind Hog and Acorn came back to the farm at noon, ate lunch, took a nap and off to evening chores.  Tomorrow is a "stay at the farm day," so that is sweeeeeet.

Goats are growing, geese continue to lay, extra goose eggs in an incubator.

Farmers have about had it with "house renovation" work, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel and things will calm back down. THEN they can concentrate on FARMWORK...

Wellllllllll, Acorn is rather tickled that she has not had to get out of bed in the wee hours of the morning.  Blind Hog said he was also relieved, but we all know he falls back to sleep.

Farm Visitors have broken up the day-to-day routines, is always nice to see friends. Not only do  the farmers get to have fun, but the house gets cleaned as well!

The "city house" has had the electric wiring totally redone.  Five days with workers in the attic and the skinny ones in the crawlspace. Plumbers start Monday.

The little wigglers are running around in the field like a white tidal wave. Cows getting jumped on now as they lie to chew their cud. If they could, they'd be rolling their eyes...

Freeze, thaw, frost, mud...  And kidding resumes on top of everything. Twins born yesterday were very appreciative of the heat lamp last night- temps got down to 16F.

Blind Hog and Acorn had a couple days to hunker in while it was raining with flood warnings posted.  Tax return papers to be organized, magazine articles to read, baking, cooking, all the usual farm chores...  Obviously, was NOT good weather to look for the comet.

About time for Acorn to do a pasture walk- see if any newborns have popped into the world. Some nannies are waddling around...

Snowmageddon avoided, thanks to Cedar Gap splitting the snow as it approached from the Southwest.  SteelMeadow only received just under 4" whilst areas to the north and south had almost double!

Blind Hog and Acorn have been doing the usual farm chores in winter, which means one or two major tasks during the day and catching up on TV series  for a couple hours at night.

The green comet was spotted, but Acorn will try next week for a better look, perhaps even a photo!

No big earth-shattering news from Missouri- ya'll be safe out there!

Snow and below average temperatures are on the way, Blind Hog and Acorn have hay chores to get done today- will be the first time in a month the Mahindra has been asked to work!  Will the tractor remember how to start?  Ha!

Blind Hog and Acorn are thinking about the garden, upcoming appointments.  Acorn has finally had enough of the "chronic coff-coff" and NP says is probably nothing more than stubborn allergies.  No problem with that diagnosis, considering the alternatives!

Hay feeding, pizza and ice cream making, and enjoyable afternoon football while Dry January continues.  Fizzy water maker ($59 Sodastream deal at Costco) continues to delight.

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...

Blind Hog and Acorn rang in the New Year as they usually do- sound asleep!  The past week has been full of farm chores and activities, even with sinus drainage...

Goose pens completed, geese paired up and set in their new digs where they will stay, segregated from each other, until goslings are hatched.

Goat kidding is now on hold for a month- 18 more nannies yet to pop.

Weather has been tolerable, so no big complaints from the farmers.  In fact, Acorn is thinking that today would be a great day to make up a batch of ice cream.  Blind Hog has requested a pan of brownies, and a day in the house  resting and relaxing might just be the ticket on an overcast day- highs in the mid 40's they say...

Here is to a restful start for the New Year!

Took some finesse but the calves thought they would be tricksie and came home with the goats last Sunday- Acorn quickly closed a gate behind them, got them separated into the round pen and cheered!  Let the weaning begin!  Calpurnia, Lulu and Pi shuffled on down and over the next day.  After 5 days with no ill effects, the buyers for SteelMeadow's Piper, the last heifer, was loaded into a trailer to join her half sister and 30 other head of Irish Dexters outside Kansas City.

Now Blind Hog and Acorn can focus on goats and kidding to begin- looking at behaviors, one or two are beginning to "mumble..."  Talking to kids in utero...

Yet more exciting futbol on the telly, weather has also been mild.  Finally got a good soaking rain.  For the first time all summer the dry creek has water flowing and the dredging by the county is working a treat!  No flooding up in the road!

Influenza is really hitting the Ozarks hard- neighbor's son is in the ICU, folks all around are feeling/getting sick.  Get yer jabs, people... Not too late!

Not a very exciting week...  Garden chores, woodpile chores... Blah blah blah...  Goats DID get vaccinated, with the help of the Badger. That was a might task that needed doing.  Tail hairs sent off on four doelings to get them registered as 50%'ers...

Acorn got all excited about a new coffee grinder but after recording the podcast it was found the new unit won't even power on!  No!!!!!!!!!  Tried taking it apart, putting it back together. Nope nope nope...

Cell phone booster still working well.  Just amazing. 

Apologies for any repeated material from week to week, but when everyday is the same, it is easy to get days mixed up!

Blind Hog and Acorn have been busy with farm chores, food preparation, canning, woodsplitting. Today's pasture walk revealed the winter forecast via persimmon seeds (spoiler, it was a spoon = snow).

Sam's paw is healed, no more protective boot. Yay!

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...

Blind Hog and Acorn are slogging along, one better than the other.  Farm chores wait for no one and things just chug along.

Happily, there is light at the end of the Covid Tunnel and both have been taking walks again in the morning, not like they are totally laid out flat...

Canning up the last of the tomatoes and okra, green beans about done.  Weather remains dry, garden has about had it.

Before the farmers went on their trip, Acorn sent a letter to the UK to a certain naturalist she fancies.  Today a response was waiting in the mail!  Whooooooooo!  Needless to say, the letter will get framed. #sciencenerd