Medieval Photo Shoot

Medieval Photo Shoot

Little sis' and I ventured out into the pasture one day and did an impromptu photo shoot. Here are the results of said photo shoot. Hope you enjoy!

Just look at my little model sister y'all! <3

Striking my dramatic pose:

BLACK RIDER!!!!!! not really....

:BlOoPeRs:

 

My tree! No touchy.

Something was apparently very funny...

Too high up for you peasants...

You don't see anything!

And I just couldn't resist the opportunity to put a picture of Laurie on here for obvious reasons:

"Has Meg misplaced a certain personal article...such as...a glove?!" 

What a very interesting tree you've discovered!

 

#100%-done

 

 

Such goofiness! 

 

Gandalf the peasant is not amused:

 

Just look at that sassy smirk! ;)

Blessings - 

~ Aspen

Miracle Turkey

Miracle Turkey 
 

Several weeks ago, we had a monstrously cold, snowy blizzard. 

 Thankfully we had a few days forewarning and I was able to clean pens, put down fresh bedding and get everyone ready for the snow that was to come.

I was barely outside except for mad dashes I made to the barn to throw food to everyone and check on them. Other than that I burrowed up inside, read books and sat by the fire and was a contented, happy little hibernated lark.

After the blizzard started to move out, I head counted my birds and noticed that I was missing a turkey hen. Oh dear. 

I knew my turkey girls, especially one of them was very adventurous and constantly flew the coop to explore around the house pasture. With all the snow on the ground still and predators out hunting I feared that she had gotten killed. I knew coyotes and other varmints came up very close to the house and could have easily taken her. I said a silent prayer that she would return unhurt and went about my chores.

A week or more later, my girl was still missing and I knew for certain that she was gone for good. 

A day or so after that I was outside finishing up my chores and the thought popped into my head that I should clean out inside my building where the turkeys and ducks had slept during the blizzard. I pushed the thought from my head, I am a professional procrastinator and didn't really have plans to devote my time to that just then. But, I gave in and went about scraping out the soiled bedding. About half way done, I happened to glance over and saw something on the other side of the bird encloser I was in. 

I gulped, it had feathers. 

It was my missing turkey girl. I just knew she was dead, after haven fallen down behind a cabinet and stayed there for over a week. I pulled the cabinet out and much to my astonishment found her alive! And more than that, other than a slight limp, she was in excellent health. I put her in with the other birds and she immediately ran to the water and started gulping it down. After a few good meals she was as right as rain. 

I named her Miracle, because I believe she truly would have died without some Divine intervention due to a small, unspoken prayer. 

Blessings - 

~ Aspen 

Raptor Chick

Raptor Chick

Several months ago a friend gave me a single, newly hatched Guinea keet from her flock. She told me he was the only one they had hatched out, but that they (her guineas) were running it to death and trampling it. She caught it and brought it to me. I carefully drove home with a tiny, shivering, very weak baby keet in my lap. When I arrived home I set up a brooder for Arnold, (fondly named by a friend) and tried to get him warmed up.

 He was so weak I thought I would have to dropper feed him, but as soon as I put some feed in his pen and used my finger to peck at it, making clucking noises, he rushed over and started gobbling it right down.

He's been doing great ever since! Except he is a lot bigger now.

I miss him being so small, but all baby things must grow, yes? Sadly, of course yes! 

Arnie still resides in my room, despite his monstrous size. He keeps me company...and awake at night. You see; he thinks he is a runner. A really good, athletic runner and his favorite times to run marathons in his pen, is about 2:00 in the morning. Oh yes, I drowsily wake up and applaud him for his exertions. Actually no; I wake up and screech at him to be quiet so Momma can get so sleep.

He keeps me entertained and on my toes. 

Did I mention he thinks he is a raptor???? Yes, well; it's true. Take heed all young parents, never, ever, ever allow your young toddling keets to watch Jurassic World at such a young age,

 otherwise...

...this will happen! 

See, I told you. He thinks he is a little raptor chick from Jurassic World.

 I try and tell him otherwise but he just makes this face. I give up. *sigh*

Blessings - 

~ Raptor Momma

 

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

Star Wars: The Force Awakens

 So, for an early Christmas present, my Mom took all of us to go see Star Wars: The Force Awakens, on opening day, at the very first showing. Wow! It was jammed packed full of avid, hard-core Star Wars fans. Some of them had been sitting there since 8:00 that morning, and the showing didn't even start until 7:30 that evening. Them people crazy man, crazy! Now, if we had been going to see the latest installment of The Hobbit trilogy, heck yeah! I would have been dressed as Gandalf and sat in line for 48hrs. Bring it. But alas--

So, we still had to wait in line for an hour or so before going into the theater, but it wasn't too bad.

Now then, on to my review:

OK, first of all, who else thought from the trailers and the movie poster that the silver/dark storm-trooper was going to be a big deal? Then in the movie they killed her off in like 5 seconds. What's with that? I was kind of excited about her, oh well. It's all a part of the deception.

Kylo Ren's Vaderish costume was so neat! I really loved it, until he took it off. Eck. Creep, creepy bad guy! And the fact that he is Leah and Han's son just makes it that much sadder!

OK, so I'm going to take a moment and make all the hardcore, old time Star Wars fans very very angry. *ahem* I didn't like Han Solo at all until this movie. Yep. Go ahead, throw rocks at me, scream at your computer screen in angry fury. But it's true. I really felt for his character in this movie, and yes, bawled when he died the terrible death by his own son's hand. The touching moments with him and Leah were so sweet, I just wanted to curl up into a ball and sigh happy sighs...

I loved the beginning of the movie with Finn and Poe. But I'll talk about Poe more in a minute...right now I want to talk about Finn.

I am so happy someone finally decided to make a storm trooper with some empathy. So very glad! Seeing the internal struggle that Finn went through, struggling with the dark side and struggling with what he knew to be right, was very well played. I appreciated some of the humor he added to the film, but he also got on my nerves. A lot. I've heard several people describe him as being portrayed as the younger generation of this time, and maybe that's why he gets on my nerves more than he should, because I'm afraid I don't have much love for the attitudes and such of this generation, but that is a whole nother' post.

Rey was a very loveable character and I related in some ways with her, which instantly made her one of my favorite characters. Definitely looking forward to seeing more of her in future films.

And BB-8...all I have to say is: I WANT ONE! His adorable little puppy eyes are adorbs. And that is all.  

Poe was by far my favorite character and I am ecstatic that the next film will be featuring him! I know we didn't get to see as much of him as we did other characters in the film, but the short glimpses of him we did see, I really enjoyed. 

I think one of my favorite parts had to be when Finn helps him escape, and how their relationship grows over such a short time. I love the way Poe brought Finn underneath his wing and befriended him. And I must say, it was weird seeing him play a good character after his role as Prince John in the Russel Crowe Robin Hood. But I liked his character despite that. 

OK, be honest; how many of you gasped with shock when Kylo Ren stabbed Han through the heart?....

  

My heart sank to the floor and my mouth gaped open; resembling this:

And it hurt even worse when Leah feels his presence leave, and she just sits down in inner turmoil and grief. Heart breaking! 

Kylo Ren played his role of a spoiled, bratty, dark villain well. Please tell me I wasn't the only one who thought he acted like a bratty kid, throwing fits and wanting his way, through the entire movie! I'm not? I'm so glad!

This forest scene was so well shot and I really liked the effect and feel it had. I also love how they gave Rey a scene to build on her ever growing powers. We don't realize, neither did Kylo I suspect, just how powerful she is, as inexperienced and untrained as she is. I can't wait to see what some good training will do for her in the future films. 

The only bearable part about Han dying, was that Chewy got to have Rey as a co-pilot. I think I felt sadder for Chewy than I did anyone when Han died.  

Overall I very muchly enjoyed myself and can't wait for the second installment, Rogue One!

What were your thoughts on Star Wars: The Force Awakens? Do tell!

And for an added bonus, here are so pictures of me, Anakin and the storm troopers; just chillin' in the theater hall.

 I've just got one question: how can I apply for a job as a hobbit sized storm-trooper? 

Blessings - 

~ Aspen 

What I've Learned From Raising Fuzzy-Walking-Haystacks...

What I've Learned From Raising Fuzzy-Walking-Haystacks...
(a.k.a French Angora rabbits)

I became interested in wool-bearing animals several years ago and have never relinquished the idea of one day owning a few (OK a-lot) of woolly mammoths, of my own. As well as learning to harvest, spin, and make gloriously soft garments from their all natural fiber. What's not to like, yes? Of course yes! 

So, while visiting family up in Tennessee I was able to bring home two French Angoras that I had reserved several months before. I had planned on getting a male and female, so I could have, you guessed it, BABIES! But it was not to be and after I thinking about it, I thought it would be better to have two girls for now so they could live together in harmony and make my life easier...so I thought.

So after a miserably long car ride; we made it home and I settled my two ladies into the garage for the night.
 

Next morning I carried both of them out to a nice, spacious run with lots of grass-hay and playthings and oowhed and awwhed over my new fluffies, then went back to the house to let them settle in proper like. No sooner had I made it back to the yard when I heard ear-piercing rabbit screams. I thought one of them had gotten stuck or something so I hightail it back to their pen to see Anastasia (the black girlie), sitting atop Ella (buff girlie), trying to show her whose boss. I whacked Anastasia off Ella, thinking maybe it was just a misunderstanding, and left again. Well it happened again, and then it dawned on me from my few past years of rabbit raising experience that two females can rarely co-exist because they are so territorial. DUH. 

Thus my dream of having two Angora ladies keep each other company was utterly dashed against the wall. 

  
So Ella got her own spacious run, away from Anastasia and they lived happily ever after...until a couple days later.

I was gone for the whole day and little sis' did my chores for me. 

I went to do chores the next morning and was checking on the rabbits; I noticed Anastasia had a sack of puss underneath her neck. After looking at it more closely I determined she'd been bitten by a rattle snake, seeing as how they are the only poisonous snakes we have around here, and the only creature that could have gotten into her run. 
I thought to myself this is just wonderful, I've barely even had them a week and I'm going to loose one of them to a darned snake! I wasn't a happy momma. However, Anastasia prevailed and is as happy and healthy as ever.
I've had rattle snakes bite some of my rabbits in the past and normally, as long as they get bitten on the neck, shoulders, or somewhere on the front of their body, they will survive. But if they get bit on the back legs or stomach, they won't make it. Anastasia was lucky.  

When I got them, Ella was ready for some of her wool to be harvested, it was everywhere in a big, matty mess. I brought her inside and snipped as many matts off as I could off and then proceeded to trim as much of her wool as she would let me. It wasn't terribly hard, and I know there are lots of different methods for harvesting their wool, but trimming them every couple of months works better for me than having to hand brush them daily, and slowly saving it over a several months span. 

They came with a small amount of alfalfa pellets that they were used to eating, so I fed them that with as much fresh grass, alfalfa hay and vegetables as they would eat.
However, after doing some research and hearing from others who raise Angoras, they said they are prone to wool block. However, several homesteaders said you could prevent it by feeding them a non-GMO diet of whole grains as well as fresh produce. It sounded like a winner to me.
However, I don't have local access to bulk organic grains except through our food co-op Azure, but they are far too expensive. However, I did find a source for organic timothy blend pellets via Amazon that I have been ordering, until such a time as I can make my own homemade blend of organic rabbit food. 
They each get 1/2 C. of pellets in the morning, as well as any greens I can forage for them, and then in the evenings I give them each a chunk of alfalfa hay to munch on during the night. I tried to give them a bowl of pellets at night, but they thought it was a fun game to dump the bowl, along with the pellets, into their water bowl, thus wasting feed and a hefty chunk of my money. 

My system isn't perfected yet, but I'm learning as I go. 

And I'm having a trailer-load of fun while I do it!

And my giant, monstrously, ENORMOUS dreams of having all sorts of woolly animals on my future homestead; is growing bigger by the day. I think rabbits, sheep, angora goats, llamas, alpacas, and camels will be sufficient for now. What? You can't harvest wool from camels??? Fine then. I'll just milk them.
 

So, tell me dear readers, do you have any experience in raising Angora rabbits, or rabbis in general? What have you learned? I'm welcome to any and all advice as I start this venture in raising French Angoras for their beautifully soft wool.

Blessings - 

~ Aspen 

 

Sweater Weather Tag

 Sweater Weather Tag

Thanks Angel darling for the tag!!

1. Favorite candle scent- Vanilla or chocolate. 

2. Coffee, tea, or hot chocolate- Tea, most definitely.  

3. What’s the best fall memory you have- Maybe not a particular memory, but my favorite part about fall/winter is the changing colors and the different attitude the world seems to have. It's winding down from its busy spring and summer, and it has such a peaceful calm about it.

4. Best fragrance for fall- The trees and fresh, damp earth.

 
5. Favorite Thanksgiving food- Turkey dressing! Delish.. 

6. What is autumn weather like where you live- Sometimes its mild, and sometimes its very severe. It just depends on the year. This go-round, we've had a wet fall and winter. 

7. Most worn sweater- Don't really wear sweaters, but I have a favorite light grey coat that I wear a lot.  

8. Football games or jumping in leaf piles-  Leaves, don't care a pinch about sports. ;)

9. Skinny jeans or leggings- Neither. 

10. Combat boots or Uggs- Combat boots 

11. Is pumpkin spice worth the hype- GOODNESS YES! Pumpkin everything!

 
12. Favorite fall TV show- None. Just about all of my favorite shows are already out!

13. What song really gets you into the fall spirit- No particular song. I listen to a wide variety of music all year long. :) 

14. What do you want to be for Halloween- Don't celebrate halloween.

15. Hats or Scarves- Scarves! Both! But I tend to wear hats more than I do scarves.

16. What’s your #1 favorite thing about fall- Same as #3! The changing sphere the world seems to fall into during the fall and winter is utterly magical!

This was a fun post!

I tag

Deborah O'Carrol

Sarah

That is all I can think of right now, but please...anyone who reads this and thinks it might be fun to try, Please Do! 

Blessings - 

~ Aspen

Riding The Waves of Life

 Riding The Waves of Life

Hello, hellooo little (big?) blog world! How I have missed you! 

Here we are in brand spanking new, 2016...I have a good feeling about this year. So many new and exciting possibilities and opportunities to embrace! As exciting as I am about this year, I'm also kind of a-lot nervous. I'm starting a new chapter in my life, and I am curious (...& nervous) to see what God has instore for me. 

I've learned so much about myself this past year, it's helped grow me in areas that I hadn't really touched before. 

I have so much I want to share with y'all and I'm excited to enter the blogging-sphere again!

So greetings, long lost blogging friends and dear follows! I'm back...for good (hopefully)!

Love and Rich Blessings - 

~ Aspen