Rabbits in a colony

 Rabbits are very social animals. In the wild they live in a group called a colony and their home is a serious of tunnels with "rooms" called a warren. Rabbits in the wild don't live alone in a cage. So our rabbits don't live alone separated in cages. There are some good things about colony keeping and there are some bad things. We have been raising our rabbits in colonies for about 10 years (give or take). The 2 biggest drawbacks we have are trying to feed them without stepping on rabbits. They love to see us come in the colony and instead of running away they run circles around our feet. This makes walking difficult. The second drawback to colony raising rabbits is moving the little ones off to themselves to grow out. They do get moved to a cage but the whole litter goes together in one large cage to grow out and get bigger. In all fairness we did try at one time to raise rabbits in cages. It simply did not work well for us. We just couldn't get the timing right or something. We had very few litters and does that really didn't like us very much. Now our rabbits are happy to see us, happy with their lives and really have it pretty good. Many blessings, Kat

One Big Stall

I LOVE IT!  We took out the stall dividers between the horse stalls and made one very large stall. The reason we did this was for a couple of reasons. The first reason was that we leave the barn doors open most of the time and use the barn more as a run in shed. Our horses live most of their lives outside unless they choose to head to the barn. Then when they would head into the barn before the divider removal they would all 3 squeeze into 1 stall. Sometimes horse number 3 only had her head in the stall, but by golly she wasn't leaving her buddies. The second reason is that it really is easier to clean and it works much better as a run in shed. The middle stall door can now stay closed while the two end doors stay open. This actually provides more shelter than when all three doors were open all the time. I love it. The horses love it. They have loads of room and it is so much nicer in my opinion. Now all we need is to refurbish the floors! Soon my friends....very soon!

 

Aging and being alone

 Not so long ago, I was asked by my priest to help a fellow member that was on up there in age and had just gotten home from the hospital and needed some help with her medicine. Several of us from church were being asked to do this along with taking her meals and anything else she might need.  She lives out in the country like me and in the same county, but not as close as people from town seemed to think we were. In fact, some of the folks from town had a shorter drive than I did. However, it wasn't long before they bailed out and I was left carrying the burden of going to see her, take her meals, help with her medicine, clean her kitchen and help with her animals. This was 3 days a week for 12 weeks. She had 2 neighbors that also helped, so in all there were 3 of us sharing this duty. The sad thing is that she is 86, has many health problems and shouldn't be living way out in the country by herself. She certainly shouldn't be trying to care for livestock. However, these very things are what keep her going. She would be miserable in town. The even sadder thing is that she had 2 children in town that have nothing to do with her. She essentially is all alone, but for a couple of neighbors and the church. So, because of that I kept going to see her, check on her, help her long past the time that she truly needed me to. I helped find someone to cut her yard and do odd jobs to keep her place looking lived in.  She fell once during this time one night. She was out in the pasture at 2:00 in the morning checking on her goats. She laid there until the neighbor came to check on her in the morning. She was not very good about keeping her cell phone on her, if she even kept it charged. Then a few month later, I was supposed to come on a Tuesday but I was coming down with a cold. I tried to call but got no answer. By the time I got well and could go back over there I found out she had fallen and laid in her bathroom for 3 days. She did not have her phone with her and it was not charged. One of the neighbors found her.  A week later she fell again. She was able to get one of the neighbors to come over, but he was unable to get her off the floor. So they had to call the paramedics. This led to her finding out that they could have her removed from her home if they felt she was unsafe. She was unsafe. None of us had a regular schedule. We just went by when we could. All of us had talked to her about her situation. Then one of the neighbors sent a couple to work for her, to be her caregivers. They moved right in her house, essentially they have taken over her place. They even fired the yardman and moved their children and children's "friends" into the house and ton he property. At first, I was very suspicious. Still am a little bit.  A woman did the same thing to my grandparents and she was definitely taking advantage of them. I saw the same situation happening here. Her children were made aware, but still they don't take care of her. By this time close to a year had gone by, she had been to the hospital, almost lost her foot to diabetes, and fallen numerous times. Three people were running themselves ragged to see about her as best we could and still they didn't come. So, I started to wonder if it really is so bad that these people have moved themselves and their kin into her home and her life. She is no longer alone by herself in the middle of nowhere. There are people to care for her place and it looks lived in. She has 10 people now that eat dinner with her every night. She has the family that her children won't give her. She looks good. She looks happy. So she is getting as much as she is giving and as long as they don't abscond with all of her belongings and money leaving her high and dry, I am beginning to think she is in a better place than she has been for a long time. If she changed her will and left everything to these people that is her right to do so and I would almost say they deserve it more than the children do. They are the ones there...doing the hard work. It's hard aging and being alone. Maybe God sends us a family to fill the empty spot where there should be one. The idea of being all alone way out in the country with no one, but a couple of neighbors and a church member is not my idea of a good life. Don't get me wrong I love my animals, but they can't help me off the floor if I have fallen in the bathroom. I also don't want them to become such a burden that I don't enjoy them anymore because I can't properly care for them. If no one wants to be a part of my life then they certainly don't deserve to profit from my death. I really am beginning to see this as a God thing. After seeing her and seeing how alive she is.....I am happy for her. This "family" has definitely been a blessing for her. I still have a little bit of suspicion. I guess my skeptical side is worried about what will happen to her if they up and leave. She will be devastated. I will just have to pray that does not happen. I pray that they stick around and give Mary the family that she so desperately craves and certainly deserves.  Many blessings, Kat

The kind of "prepping" we don't like to think about

 We have always been "preppers" of one sort or another. When we were younger and broke we "prepped" by saving what we could and learning to do with as little as we could. This was the time that I learned to cook cheap meals, like baked potato and salad night,  that would stretch our budget. When we were a little less broke these were the times that we bought a few extra cans of tuna fish and candles for when the lights went out. As our budget expanded so did our "prepping" pantry along with our skill set. We learned to garden, preserve our food, raise livestock, make do with very little and save money even when there didn't seem to be any to save. However, there is one thing we really didn't think to prep for very much when we were very young....getting older. We did start saving for retirement at a decent age, so financially we were smarter than some but not as smart as others. We are playing a bit of catch up there, but the fact that we have almost no debt and will be completely debt free long before we retire will go a long way toward financial freedom. However, we did not realize how hard things would get physically. Homesteading is a very physical lifestyle. Had we realized how our older bodies would get slower and weaker, we would have prepped our homestead a little better. Let me explain a little bit. When we bought this little farm there were quite a number of repairs that needed to be done. The front steps on the house needed to be rebuilt for instance. Living in the south we know that wood touching the ground is never the best idea because of termites and rot. However, not thinking into the future enough we used wood to rebuild the steps on the front of the house and the barn. Now, 6 years later we have had to replace those steps. The work has been harder and it has taken us longer to complete. We have been smarter this time around. The steps to the barn are sold concrete block, no rot or bugs to worry about. We have  some painting to do to seal them against the weather, but then those block steps and flower beds will be there long after we are gone from this earth. No more redo. The steps for the front porch have concrete block pillars, but a wooden plank tread so that they match the front porch of the house. This is our trend now. Building things so that we won't have to repeat repairs. Our bodies are getting slower and weaker. Things like this are harder and take up more time. So this time we are working smarter in the hopes that by saving ourselves from having to repeat repairs we will be able to enjoy our little homestead longer. I hear of friends who are giving up their beloved life in the country to move to town because they can't keep up with the chores. It simply becomes a life of constant work instead of something that can be enjoyed from time to time. We don't want that. We want to stay in the country. We want to enjoy the life and the land that we have worked so hard to get it just the way we want it. What a shame it would be to have to give it up.  As homesteaders, this is important prepping. We need to start early financially preparing for our golden years. We also need to start early from the start preparing ourselves and our homestead physically for our golden years. Many blessings, friends!

Leaves Everywhere and the Message they Brought

 I had an orientation meeting to attend for my daughter's class she is taking outside of home this past week. The speaker told a story about herself that really touched me deeply. I work a part time job. I have also turned in my notice to leave said part time job because the attitudes and atmosphere has become downright toxic. The head cook treats people horribly, screaming and yelling, even throwing things in anger and rage. It isn't the same place that I started working at. The place that I started working at was run by a woman whose faith and commitment to God was strong. She truly believed in living for Him and her restaurant became a ministry that honored Him. Through that little country restaurant many lives were healed by Christ's love that shown through her. She gave opportunity to people who would otherwise have not gotten any. She loved on customers who had no one else. Her little restaurant became home to employees and customers alike. She retired last year and her family still runs the restaurant. While most of the employees call themselves Christian I would dare say that their behavior does not match their words. I have noticed it more and more. However, the past 4 months or so the atmosphere has become unbearable as I watch this person get away with nothing less than abuse. Mostly the abuse is directed at the young teenagers that work for us. They are all hard working, good kids. However, they are still kids who make mistakes or become lax in their work ethic. This is the place for them to learn from caring adults how to be better...how to do better. It shouldn't be the place where they are told that they are stupid, worthless, or even to have their hair pulled. The owners have been informed. They shrug it off and say they don't know what to do because she says she doesn't do these things. She thinks everybody else is the problem. She is proud in a way for her behavior. It's a toxic place to work and it shouldn't be....we are all Christians....we all talk about God's blessings, grace and mercy on a daily basis. So this brings me to the speaker's story yesterday at orientation. 

Her neighbor has a very large magnolia tree just inside his property line. If you know anything about Magnolia trees you know they shed large leaves and flower buds all over the place. This lady was sweeping her sidewalk in front of her home and noticed a large amount of magnolia leaves all over her perfectly manicured lawn that her husband had just spent hours mowing, weed eating, and edging. She got very upset and was tempted to go get the blower and blow the leaves back into the neighbor's yard. However, the Lord convicted her heart. Instead, she got a trash bag and started picking up the leaves by hand. After a bit of time a stout breeze came along and blew a good portion of them back into the neighbor's yard. It was as if the Lord were helping her to do the right thing. She continued to pick up what was left of the leaves until reaching the last leaf. This leaf was in the shape of a heart. The good Lord sending a message of "well done" to his faithful servant who had been open enough to feel his conviction. Her behavior that day honored the Lord, even though there was no one to see it and no one to hear any words she might have spoken in praise of Him. Very often as Christians our words are the only thing that praises and honors Christ our Lord. Our behavior though, brings Him shame. Our behavior contradicts our words of praise. It doesn't matter how many Christian songs are played, or how many "I am so blessed" phrases are said. When behavior dishonors God, not amount of "God is good" can make up for it. He sees how we behave and our behavior and our life should match the words that leave our mouth. We should aim to be more like Him everyday and He would never treat us with harsh, demeaning words. He would never rage when small corrections and teaching suffice. A simple story became a very profound realization for me. I plan to try and spread this message in as many places as possible, but especially among my current coworkers. Hopefully, some seed will be planted before I leave. Many blessings to you all. 

Mom's Cats Become Barn Cats

 

So, we have more critters than just the goats and the rabbits.  When my mother passed away there was a dilemma of what to do with her cats. She had 6, 4 of which were feral even though they would come up to her. We had trapped them at one time to have them fixed and vaccinated. Mom was the resident cat lady of her little town. She didn't actively seek them out...they sought her out. Make no mistake about it, Mom loved her cats and she loved that they would seek her out. Fortunately, the numbers really never got out of control as most of them were outside cats and they just don't have long life spans. Well, we hated to leave mom's cats to the new residents of her house. They had already made it very clear that the cats were not going to be welcome. So, the 2 that were domesticated love bugs were easy to move. Then we once again set about trapping the others. We managed to get 2 more before it was very clear that the new owners of the house didn't appreciate us returning daily to check the traps. We wished the cats the best and made our way home one last time. Moving cats is no easy thing. When you get them to their new place you have to confine them for a good bit until they are absolutely sure that the new place is their source of dinner. None of these cats had ever been confined and only one had been a partial housecat. The old cat, Buttons, would come in the house to eat and then whine to go back out. We tried to confine them in the barn, which was not designed to confine cats, especially determined feral cats. We also, were trying to decide how best to introduce them to the dogs in such a way that they dogs understood that they belonged here now. The 2 feral cats were the first to escape their confinement and were chased into the woods by the dogs. Then poor old Buttons, escaped before we could thoroughly train the dogs. Pumpkin the terrier got to her first and Titan was next. My husband saw it happen but could not get to her fast enough. Buttons death broke my heart. Mom had her for quite a number of years and she had been a fixture at mom's house for a long time. It was like losing my Mom all over again I guess because she loved Buttons so much. And then there is Mr. Gray. The dogs learned that the cats were off limits...they were mine. But by now our track record was not so great. We made sure that they dogs understood that Mr. Gray was to be left alone. That darn little terrier, Pumpkin, though is pretty stubborn and has to constantly be watched. For weeks after Buttons' death Mr. Gray lived in the loft of the barn only coming down at night. We fed him up there since it was where he felt safe. During the day he would lie on the roof of the walkway like a lion overseeing his territory. Now, he eats in the feed room and spends time with us in the yard. He truly only feels safe if I am outside or the dogs are inside. I thought he was all that we had left of our attempt to save Mom's cats, but just last week I had a surprise. Mr Gray brought a friend to dinner, Ace. Ace was Mom's black cat and he had been one of the two that took off into the woods. Ace had been a housepet that truly did not want to be a housepet. He was not quite as feral as the other cats, but he was only a pet on his terms....not yours. So now we have 2 cats, Ace and Mr. Gray. Ace we never see except at feeding time. I know when he is in the woods close by though because that little terrier starts running up and down the fence. Mr. Gray will hear us in the yard or the barn yard and come down to follow us around and receive a few extra scratches. For someone who really doesn't like cats very much, I must say I am happy to have these two cats around. 

Rabbit update

 Our rabbits are doing well in the barn colony. We have replaced a couple of bucks over the last couple of years to keep our genetics fresh. They truly are meat mutts. We have had Dutch, New Zealand, Chinchilla, and Silver Fox blood in there. They are healthy and breeding like...well...rabbits. For anyone who doesn't know we keep our rabbits in a colony. When the babies are weaned by their mothers and eating well on their own we put them up in cages to grow out. If we need to keep a replacement doe, then my daughter will pick her favorite girl and she will stay on the floor with the adults. My youngest daughter, Little Britches, is the rabbit whisperer. The moms will actually take her to their nest to show off their babies and they do not get upset when she handles them. She starts handling them before their eyes even open and so when she walks into the colony they all run to see her and get their daily scratches. She has been able to keep one as a pet in the house ever since she was little. Rabbits actually live quite a few years as domestic pets as long as they are taken good care of. Little Britches had to learn all about rabbit care before she was able to choose her first pet rabbit. His name was Fuzzy Bunny and she was about 6.  I chose him for her because he was so friendly as a baby and just determined to love someone. He was the best pet rabbit and the two of them adored each other. She taught him how to sit still so that she could groom him and he taught her the proper way to pet and address a rabbit. Lagomorphs are definitely a bit particular about how they are handled. She learned quickly. When he died  of old age a couple of years ago, she chose another rabbit....Peter. Where Fuzzy Bunny was sweet and loving to everyone in the family, Peter is the opposite. He loves Little Britches and only Little Britches. He charges and growls at everyone else. The dogs are even afraid of him. He is about 12 pounds of the devil incarnate. Those are not ears I assure you....they are horns. However, he worships and adores Little Britches. He even sleeps on her bed at night to guard her. And since rabbits are nocturnal it is the only way she can get any sleep. If she locks him up at night she rattles the cage so hard that the whole house can hear him. He learned how to use a litter box for her, he guards her, she can do anything to him and hold him in any such way (including upside down). The only thing he does not like is to go outside on his leash (yes he is leash trained).  He has decided the outside is not a good place to be. Inside is much nicer and he is convinced that there are things outside that will eat him and he doesn't like that. In the house he is large and in charge, outside...his instincts tell him that there are much larger critters than him. However, he loves her and she loves him and wants him to get some fresh air and exercise. So off they go for a walk around the house in the grass while she monitors every plant he is near so that he cannot chew on the wrong one or so that he doesn't each too much of a good thing (like the clover patches). Peter is always thrilled to get back in the house at the end of his journey. Little Britches loves her bunnies and she says that her house will have a whole bedroom dedicated to pet rabbits. It will be a romper room for bunnies and her husband will just have to deal with it. If it is a room full of "Peters" then I feel terribly sorry for the rest of the household.  As for the bunnies in the colony, she knows their fate but loves on them while she can. They never get names, but she knows each mom and which babies belong to which mom. I think they live a good life and that is always my goal for my livestock....that they have a good life full of love and kindness before they become dinner. I think that is why I have always had a hard time selling any of them, because I don't trust anyone else to be kind and loving to them and I don't ever want them to suffer or be afraid. I guess it is the least I can do because they sacrifice so much for us.  I suppose even Peter deserves our love and kindness. Have a blessed day all!

Goat Update

 Surprise! I actually made it back today. Today's update concerns our small goat herd. We lost our old buck last year to old age. It was time honestly because we really need some fresh genetics in our herd. He was a good boy, very gentle and loving. He is desperately missed. He did leave us with a full crop of babies this spring. We recently sold all but 2 of them, Bambi and Thumper. Both girls and both pretty skittish, but they are beautiful young does. Then we have Tickle and her first baby Pickle. Tickle is Lily's first baby. Lily was actually terrified of Tickle and ran away every time Tickle tried to get close to her. We wound up bottle feeding Tickle, so she is super friendly. In fact if you don't scratch her head when you are out there with the goats, she will follow you around butting you gently in the behind. Thumper is Lilly's second baby and by this time she was ready to try this mama gig. She actually turned into a really nice mama. She is also a really nice milker. Honestly, I can milk her anywhere as long as I have a pan of food. I don't even have to tie her up. Then there is Speckles, our old girl. If I am remembering correctly she is going on 8 years old. I don't expect to get many more babies from her. She is a great mama, a good milker and a strong producer. She has strong Kastdemur lines and it shows in her milk. So we are currently looking for a new buck. It's not a frantic look even though breeding season is coming up quickly. I am giving the girls some rest as we softly look. I need different genetics and so far everything I have seen is Kastdemur. I need something else. We are trying to keep our herd small, but it is so hard. Just like Bambi and Thumper....I never really expected to keep them. However, as I watched them growing the better they looked and I convinced myself that they would produce some really nice offspring and Speckles was getting old. You know....the old goats are like potato chips deal...All in all, the herd is doing well and they have really helped to improve our property. Even though I may retire from milking in the future, I will never get rid of all of my goats. They are really great for improving property and keeping fence lines clean. TaTa for now. More tomorrow!. Can't let this writing streak end so soon!

Once Again it has been Awhile

 Yes, once again it has been awhile. I always have the best of intentions, but life this past year was a bit "more" than I planned. Or ever thought it would be. I thought I was leaving the restaurant business last July. However, I was asked to stay and for some reason I just could not say no. Shortly after my mother was diagnosed with cancer. It was in her bones, spread all over her body and no one could determine where it originated from. After a whirlwind month of appointments, testing, radiation to shrink a tumor for pain relief; Mom was sent home with the diagnosis of there is nothing more that we can do but try to manage the pain. Mom went downhill pretty quickly. In July, we were going out to lunch after doctor's appointments. In August we were doing the same but Mom was tired a little more. In September, it was becoming harder to manage mom's pain and even though we went to lunch a couple of times the pain became too much and our trips ended. By October the pain was really hard, but she did not want us to call in hospice. Toward the middle of October she stopped eating and just drank a few sips of an ensure. We called in hospice the last week of October and Mom passed away the first week of November.  My mother's health had been horrible for years and there had been many times that I had called my sister from the hospital and told her to come home. Mom always made a recovery....until she didn't.  It was expected, anticipated, prepared for....but it still hit me like a freight train that my mama was gone. The person I had coffee with each week and went out to lunch with at least once a month if she felt like it. The person I called in the event anything good or bad happened in my life. It has been a tough year even though I know Mom's suffering is over. She missed the birth of her first great grandchild by just 2 months. It was a hard day. I also lost my Godmother in August, just as things were ramping up with Mom. Work became much more busy than I bargained for and then I was hit with another blow. My Goddaughter passed away. She was young. Now, I am in another transition period. I am leaving the restaurant and coming back home. I will go back to writing and working on my artwork. Our little homestead is still going strong and we are getting ready to search for a new buck for our little herd. The rabbits are breeding like rabbits and we currently have 2 chickens. We have had a difficult time with chickens here on this homestead, but I think that might be another post. My oldest had a baby in January, she is now 25. My youngest is getting ready to finish high school soon and thinks she wants to be a marine biologist. I am a Nana and my husband is a Grandaddy. Yes, time for another chapter in our life and I guess back to blogging about our goings on and our thoughts. I guess it is time for the Journey of Willow Pond to actually become a real documented journey. So, my goal this week is to write daily and let's see if we can catch up on this journey. Blessings to all, Kat

It's Been Awhile

 Wow, 3 years!! It has been 3 years since I have posted anything here. Time to rev it up and get going again. So let me shake the dust off my keyboard, crack my knuckles, and see what my brain can come up with. It has been a very busy 3 years. Little britches has been riding horses, schooling, and playing volleyball. As if that isn't enough to keep a mom busy and a dad broke, I started what was supposed to be a part-time job. A very part-time job to help pay for all of these extras and extra projects to improve our little farm turned into a much bigger part-time job. At one time in my life, I was a restaurant manager. I went to a local restaurant just to be a relief cook on Saturdays. Earning a little extra money would help with some of the extra projects we wanted to do around here. Somehow, I am still not really sure how, I once again became the restaurant manager. I am still part-time, but a little more involved than just Saturdays. We have done quite a bit here on our little farm. Too much to list in one post, so I will work on that separately. I simply can't believe we have been here 5 years. The time has gone quickly. I feel like it is time to shift back to writing and crafts. I have some ideas that I am itching to get started on and it looks like my part-time job is going to become more part-time in the near future. Time for a shift in focus. Welcome everybody to Willow Pond. I hope you enjoy the journey as much as we are.

The Power of the 5-minute tidy

I am an avid believer in Flylady's system of cleaning and household management. At one time in my life it was the ideal system to get my household in order and then I adapted it to help manage the farm at Whisper Wind. So one thing that Flylady says is that you can do anything for 5 minutes and she is so right about that. You CAN do ANYTHING for 5 minutes. Set a timer and check it out if you don't believe me. The best thing about doing them regularly is the huge difference they can make in cleaning, organization, and cutting down big messes/projects into little chunks. They have to be my favorite part of the flylady system. We have been cleaning up around here ever since we moved in. There was 30 years worth of stuff left here by the previous owner. Then when the house was renovated, extra material unused materials from the house were just dumped in the flower beds and out by the barn. When I say there was stuff I wasn't kidding. The barn was full, next to the barn was full, and then there was discarded stuff all over the place. We are still working on this although we have hauled off and burned loads and loads. We still have hot spots as flylady would say because we had nowhere else to put our stuff and then there are the piles where stuff was being used. Anyway, I think you get the picture. Anyway, I have used the power of the 5 minute tidy to clean up and organize many things. This week, I am going to challenge myself to complete as many 5 minute tidy's as I can without making it a chain, which then becomes real cleaning. I am going to take before and after pictures so that you can see the power of the Tidy and the versatility of it as well. It doesn't have to be limited to the inside of the house at all. Let's get set, ready and tidy! Blessings, Kat