Escapees

Escapees

 Alarm! Alarm! Send out the dogs, bring them back!!

One day, while we were all inside eating lunch, Atlanta said all of the sudden "Um, there are Buffalo in our backyard!!" I jumped up and looked out, to see these three goobers grazing the backyard.

Oh but they were having a fine time! They investigated every mesquite bush...

Sniffed the swing-set...

and evidently he didn't like what he smelt, because...

he kicked it.

Meanwhile, the poor momma cows were bawling up a storm for their long lost babies.

But the calves weren't paying them any mind. No sir! They were to busy fighting, butting heads..

 bucking...

and bouncing. Apparently, they are taking high-jump lessons from the deer.

Afterwards, we herded them back to the barn, and they squeezed through the un-wired fence where they had escaped, and we fixed it. Hopefully we'll have no more escapees on our hands.

Blessings - 

~ Aspen

Living Vegetable Trash Cans

Living Vegetable Trash Cans

 

Don't ya hate throwing out good, organic veggie scraps?

Wouldn't it be nice if you could put all your leftover vegetables to good use? 

Well, you can. The solution is called "Own a Couple of Rabbits".

Here, Alora is enjoying some bell pepper trimmings.

The bunnies get all the leftover vegetables, and in return they give us lots of compost. And I do mean lots.  

Come spring, all the lovely compost that has built up over the winter, can be tilled into the soil in the garden to help the new sproutlings thrive and grow.

On another note, I think Chip might be expecting a litter anytime now. Did I tell you I think Alan, Alora, and Dutchess are all boys? Yep. I think there is a pretty good chance she is pregnant. I check her cage every morning, expecting to find a fur nest full of tiny, pink, naked, kits.

Alora is an attention freak..in case you haven't noticed by all the pictures of "her" sticking "her" nose in the camera. 

Lately, when I tote all the bunnies outside for the day, Alan has started a bad habit of nipping (biting) me. Solution = carrots. Now, every time I carry them to their hutch, I let them nibble on a carrot, instead of my fingers. This makes the trip more enjoyable for everyone. 

Do you have any living vegetable trash cans?

Blessings - 

~ Aspen

Homemade Butter

Homemade Butter

I don't know about you folks, but I love butter. I smear it on anything and every thing that I can get my hands on, not just a small slice mind, I'm talkin' a big hunk of butter. Just ask my family, they can testify. Maybe I should rename this blog "random rumblings of a butter addict"..or maybe not. Where was I? Oh yes, butter. Let's get down to business, shall we?

If you are staring at the picture below, and your mouth is watering...you need serious help. Like major help. There is only one thing that will cure you of this illness. Butter. And LOTS of it.

First of, go milk the cow, strain off your milk, and allow milk to cool in refrigerator for several hours to allow the cream to rise to the top.

Can you see the cream line?

Get a jar ready, and dip off all the cream you can into the awaiting jar. 

Make sure you choose a jar that is fairly big, you want it to be about half full of cream, and the rest empty space, so you can shake it really well. 

Below, my jar is filled about 3/4ths full..it took my butter quite a bit longer to make, because it didn't have enough room to slosh around.

Screw on your lid very tightly. You don't want to dribble any cream over you floor. Of course, I wouldn't know anything about that dribbling on the floor stuff. ; ) Nope, not me.

Here's where the fun begins!

 I would suggest you stick in an hour long movie, get comfortable, you may be there awhile.

What are you waiting for? Get to shaking!!

After a bit you should start to notice some thick creamy substance rise to the top, keep shaking, you ain't done yet!

A few minutes later you should see a chunk of yellowy goodness separated from the buttermilk..that's your butter!

Note: I made two different batches of butter, one turned out with a much softer consistency, the other turned into butterballs. I think I shook it for a bit too long. Both batches turned out absolutely delicious tho, no matter the differences in consistency!   

Dip off your butterballs, and place them in a bowl.

Don't through out that buttermilk now! You can make all sorts of delicious things out of it.

Now, give that butter a water bath. You heard me, get to it!

I used a rubber spatula to smoosh all the excess buttermilk out of the butter. Keep dumping out your buttermilk water, and refilling it with fresh water until the water stays clear and clean.

Now you're left with a big blob of butter. 

Now, mix in a little Sea Salt to taste. 

  Now what you ask? Well now, get yourself in that kitchen and whip up a couple loaves of fresh homemade bread to go with that homemade butter! That's what.

If you cannot figure out what to do next, well you need help.

Have y'all ever made homemade butter? How'd it turn out? 

Blessings - 

~ Aspen

A Day In A Dog's Life & Walking Lizards

A Day In A Dog's Life & Walking Lizards

Ever wonder what our dogs do all day long? Let me put an end to your wondering! 

 

They like to demolish cardboard rolls...

they like to take ALOT of these...

Let's take a closer look, shall we?

Yep, they do alot of this.

Did I ever tell you they like to use "puppy eyes" on us? Well, they do.

This is usually followed by a treat..yep rewarding good behavior..or maybe not? ; )

Who's been sleeping in my bed?

Now you know all the dirty secrets of our farm dogs. Let your mind be at rest.

On a non-dog-related topic..how many times have you seen a lizard walking on a leash? Zero? I thought as much! 

You learn something new every day, right? Oh, and in case you're wondering where on earth we got a lizard leash..well I'll be honest..I got it for him. It just seemed a fitting gift for a reptile lover. 

All this is coming from the lady who used to have a house chicken, who wore a diaper, and had his nails painted. Yep. I kid you not.

Now you know my dirty secrets.

Blessings - 

~ Aspen

P.s. Since I told you all my dirty secrets..let's hear some of yours! ;)

Sick...

Sick...

Greetings my dear readers. I hope this post finds you all in good health. Unfortunately, after the holidays pretty much the whole family has caught a bad cold. 

I meant to get serious on this blogging stuff and try and post something daily...but alas, when it's all you can do to milk the cow, haul feed, gather eggs, do laundry, dishes, and all the other household and barnyard chores..you have no strength left for blogging. 

So, here I am laying on the couch by the fire, laptop in my lap, Gypsy (my puddy dog) at my feet, Rusty resting his head on my arm so that I can't type, thinking of the many things I want to share with y'all, but haven't yet. But don't stress yourself my dear reader, because you will get to see them all in good time. I have some yummy recipes to share, a creamy post or two, and lots of other goodies. But for now, you must content yourself with this humble offering of a post. 

Blessings - 

~ Aspen

Bunny Bottles, Oh and Please Lay In Your Nest!

Bunny Bottles, Oh and Please Lay In Your Nest!

Since winter has moved in green grass is a scarce/rare commodity and the bunnies have come to consider it a treat to have a nibble of green vegetation.  

During the day, if the weather is pleasant, they bunnies stay in their big hutch in the front yard, then in the evening I bring them indoors (my room to be exact). Because I cannot seem to sleep at night if I know they are outside and possibly cold. For awhile I just had one cage that all four of them had to share, but we picked up another cage so I can split them up into pairs. They seem to be a lot more comfortable with this new arrangement.

 Since I got them, I'd been using a plastic container to hold their water, well they got smart all of the sudden and decided it was more fun to flip the container over and use it as a chew toy, than to have water. So along with the new cage I also got a couple bunny bottles. Now everyone is happy...for the most part. They have water 24/7 and I don't have to worry about them flipping it over. The only con is that all night long I have to listen to the constant sound of them getting water, which is a really annoying clicking sound. But oh well. Who am I to say nay to bunny thumping, running marathons, and clicking in the middle of the night? Not I.

 ...... 

Explain something for me, would you? Let's assume for the moment that you are a chicken, you just made a big, beautiful nest to lay your egg in...

and you lay in on the other side of the pen. Please explain.....???

Blessings - 

~ Aspen

Little Chicken With A BIG Attitude

Little Chicken With A BIG Attitude!

Have you ever observed that pretty much all of the smallest animals have the biggest attitudes? And all the biggest critters are mellow and laid back? It's the same with people. ;)

Here is a video of my Little Chicken with a BIG attitude: 

Now after seeing that video you probably think Little Man is a mean little thing, well it isn't so. He can be downright adorable and sweet and is awfully fond of having his tummy rubbed.

Do you have any little animals with a BIG attitude?

Blessings - 

~ Aspen