Long Time, No Blog



This past week was full of germs and rain, but luckily both seem to have finally subsided. The rain even lifted a few hours into the farmer's market, whereupon we quickly sold out. Once we came home we took a few loads of soggy bedding out of the chicken house, and put fresh shavings in all the nest boxes. We're crossing our fingers the sun will stay out long enough to dry up the run some. Next week we'll start distributing fliers on how/where/and when to pick up eggs from the farm October - May. Hopefully we'll have enough new customers from the market that we won't get the usual winter backlog. In other chicken business, it's high time for the older chicks to move into the main pen, but first we need to get some small chicken wire to cover the bottom of the welded wire panels we have inside the barn - they're just large enough for a young pullet, if determined, to squeeze through. Then to finish raising up the feed store chicks still in the brooder and whew! no more chick raising for this year. It'll be a relief...we've raised four rounds this year, and that's more then enough.

Our deal to buy the Nubian doe from Mystic Farms fell through, so I've started advertising to trade one of our Nigerians for a Nubian, Togg, or what have you. Once that deal's set up I'll put the kids up for sale, if we haven't traded them. Faunus gets castrated this week and they both need to be tattooed once our new letters arrive. I'm going to go ahead and get a full alphabet and tattoo everyone - our other does have tattoo numbers, but were never actually tattooed. With all the NAIS craziness brewing, I want to make sure everyone's properly identified.

Today we went up to Sussex County to the Rural Living and Small Farms Expo. There were some neat exhibitors, and we sat in on a lecture on mixed species grazing for as long as Georgia let us. Lots of "alternative" animals - llamas, alpacas, mini donkeys and horses, and a mess of yaks. Who knew they were the new thing? We're not about to jump on the alpaca bandwagon anytime soon (remember the emu craze?!) but we couldn't resist some gorgeous yarn for Jo and a cute blueberry hat for Georgia. Hopefully she'll keep it on this winter!

I'll be busy putting together a few baby gifts in the sewing room this week if time permits - amazing how much time that darn full time job takes up... and if the sun stays out we need to Bt the kale and chard and thin the recent radish plantings. I love doing the farmer's market, and this year has shown us that even if we do start a CSA program in the next few years, we want to keep the market side of things going just as much - we love the people we meet and all of the networking and social opportunities it provides. We are definitely looking forward to October when we close up shop though...ah, to sleep past 6 on a Saturday morning!!! I'll be back tomorrow to post our last "One Local Summer" meal... Soon fall will officially be here.

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Posted: Sun - September 17, 2006 at 10:52 PM        

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