Wednesday, February 25, 2009
New Baby Goat!!!
Louise is a proud new mom of an adorable little guy, born yesterday while we were at work. He is so cute--1/2 Nubian (like Louise), and 1/2 Oberhasli (his dad). Both are dairy goat breeds. We were hoping for a girl, but too bad. He's quite a cutie. If anyone's interested, we'll have to give him away when he's ready to be weaned, so just let us know. Or, you can bottle feed him if you like! We are excited that we'll be able to start milking Louise in another week or so, so we'll see how that adventure goes.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Feed Lots are gross.
There is an enormous feedlot just outside of Lubbock that we passed by on our way back home from a visit to see Amanda this weekend. It is so disgusting to think that these cows are packed into this dirt field like sardines. It is unhealthy for the cows, the people that eat this beef, and the environment surrounding the feedlot. While we are not vegetarians, seeing this feedlot renewed our committment to try to avoid eating and buying beef that is not pasture-raised. This seems like the best choice for us at this point.
You know you're in Texas when...
This was a full page advertisement in the Lubbock newspaper on Saturday. Really? Free boots when I buy a new truck? Wow...that sounds like a great deal. Because everyone knows you can't drive a truck without a shiny new pair of boots. And who in the world would wear boots without driving a truck? Okay, I'm in.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Chicks, Man!
We got home from work last night and two of the chicks were peeping inside the incubator! It was so exciting. I guess we had estimated our 21 days wrong, because we thought they were going to be hatching today or tomorrow, so it was a surprise. It is absolutely facinating to watch them hatch out of their shells. I feel like I'm in my first grade classroom all over again. So far we've had 8 chicks hatch, which I think is great, because to be honest I didn't think any of them would hatch. This whole incubator/egg turner contraption seems complicated. As you can see, they are pretty ugly when they come out of the shell, but they get progressively cuter as they dry and get more fluffy. I highly recommend incubating and hatching eggs to anyone considering it. It is so much fun!
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Seed Starting
This is Aaron.
I have an addiction to seed starting....it starts innocently enough, "I'm not sure how many I can eat. Better too many than not enough"which leads to"Of course some will die, I better plant a few more than I need." So now.....I have about 70 cabbage, 30 broccoli transplants up in the kitchen. Since I started the tomatoes last night and still need to get eggplant and peppers going - and since my wife's patience is wearing thin about 100 transplants being nutured in the kitchen - I've got to thin the herd. So.....let me know if you would like some cabbages (Early Jersey Wakefield variety). Other news....Tomatoes (Porter and Improved Porter) are just got started yesterday afternoon. Eggplants (Black beauties) maybe this weekend, and pepper seeds (TAM Jalepeno and Vietnamese Multicolor Hot) are on their way. Also, just ordered from a new source that is really awesome....Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds http://rareseeds.com/. It's a great site/resource with forums, etc. As you can see, I really do have a problem...
Cabbage Seedlings looking awesome:
Broccoli seedlings looking less awesome:
Tuesday, February 3, 2009
25 Random Things About Me
On Facebook everyone seems to be doing this "25 Random Things About Me" game. I got tagged and actually decided to take the time to come up with my responses, so I thought I'd post here too for those of you not on Facebook who might be interested, curious, or bored. :)
1. I have had 10 grandparents in my lifetime…2 of them are still going strong.
2. I currently have two pets named Roscoe: a miniature schnauzer and a llama. I like the dog a lot better than the llama.
3. Sometimes I wish I could just relive my 20s over and over again. I really enjoyed that decade.
4. Before 2006 I barely knew how to hammer a nail. Now I can fix just about anything that needs fixing, and if the market was better, might even consider flipping houses. (or not)
5. After college I told myself I would live anywhere except Dallas. Eight years later I live in Venus, a short 40 minute drive south of the city I said I would never return to. Sigh.
6. I really don’t like cold weather, but loved living in Ann Arbor. The friends made up for the snow, I guess.
7. I never imagined in a million years that I would live on a farm, but I love it and cannot imagine wanting to live anywhere else.
8. I LOVE everything about my job…the students, the colleagues, the research, the freedom.
9. I daydream often about being able to grow all of the food needed to feed my family.
10. Until my parents moved to The Heights neighborhood in Houston last summer, I thought I hated Houston. Now I am in love with it.
11. I finally feel like a real big sister (and not just a second mother) to Amanda, who is 12 years younger than me.
12. I had no clue what a crazy roller coaster the adoption process could be and I am currently hanging on for dear life, anxious for the ride to be over soon.
13. I’ve been searching for a church home off and on for the past six years and finally found what I was looking for last week.
14. I met my husband, Aaron, in my freshman year of college (Oct. 1996) and we’ve been together ever since. I love him more each day we spend together. Cheesy, but true.
15. It blows my mind when I think about how much I have changed since high school. Weird.
16. I buy 90% of my clothes secondhand. The other 10% I buy new in moments of weakness.
17. I have absolutely no rhythm whatsoever. I also think that rhythm is a difficult word to spell. Also license.
18. I am a huge football fan. When I was in 6th grade I wanted to become the first female pro football referee, and used to practice signals in my bedroom mirror.
19. I wish I had gone into the Peace Corps after I graduated from college.
20. I heated my house all winter with a wood stove just to see if I could do it.
21. I hate needles, snakes, and rye bread.
22. I currently drive a 1992 white Toyota Tercel, and I LOVE it. It is older than the first car I ever had, a 1994 Toyota Corolla. I bought it last year from an old lady for $3K. It had 30K miles on it.
23. I miss singing and wish they had “Lads and Lassies” for grownups.
24. I love crafts and sewing, and am constantly making something. But I have very little patience, so I hate projects that take a long time. Knitting, quilting, and needlepoint are therefore out.
25. I love staying up late and watching “B” horror movies on tv with Aaron. But afterwards, if he falls asleep first, I get totally freaked out thinking about zombies.
1. I have had 10 grandparents in my lifetime…2 of them are still going strong.
2. I currently have two pets named Roscoe: a miniature schnauzer and a llama. I like the dog a lot better than the llama.
3. Sometimes I wish I could just relive my 20s over and over again. I really enjoyed that decade.
4. Before 2006 I barely knew how to hammer a nail. Now I can fix just about anything that needs fixing, and if the market was better, might even consider flipping houses. (or not)
5. After college I told myself I would live anywhere except Dallas. Eight years later I live in Venus, a short 40 minute drive south of the city I said I would never return to. Sigh.
6. I really don’t like cold weather, but loved living in Ann Arbor. The friends made up for the snow, I guess.
7. I never imagined in a million years that I would live on a farm, but I love it and cannot imagine wanting to live anywhere else.
8. I LOVE everything about my job…the students, the colleagues, the research, the freedom.
9. I daydream often about being able to grow all of the food needed to feed my family.
10. Until my parents moved to The Heights neighborhood in Houston last summer, I thought I hated Houston. Now I am in love with it.
11. I finally feel like a real big sister (and not just a second mother) to Amanda, who is 12 years younger than me.
12. I had no clue what a crazy roller coaster the adoption process could be and I am currently hanging on for dear life, anxious for the ride to be over soon.
13. I’ve been searching for a church home off and on for the past six years and finally found what I was looking for last week.
14. I met my husband, Aaron, in my freshman year of college (Oct. 1996) and we’ve been together ever since. I love him more each day we spend together. Cheesy, but true.
15. It blows my mind when I think about how much I have changed since high school. Weird.
16. I buy 90% of my clothes secondhand. The other 10% I buy new in moments of weakness.
17. I have absolutely no rhythm whatsoever. I also think that rhythm is a difficult word to spell. Also license.
18. I am a huge football fan. When I was in 6th grade I wanted to become the first female pro football referee, and used to practice signals in my bedroom mirror.
19. I wish I had gone into the Peace Corps after I graduated from college.
20. I heated my house all winter with a wood stove just to see if I could do it.
21. I hate needles, snakes, and rye bread.
22. I currently drive a 1992 white Toyota Tercel, and I LOVE it. It is older than the first car I ever had, a 1994 Toyota Corolla. I bought it last year from an old lady for $3K. It had 30K miles on it.
23. I miss singing and wish they had “Lads and Lassies” for grownups.
24. I love crafts and sewing, and am constantly making something. But I have very little patience, so I hate projects that take a long time. Knitting, quilting, and needlepoint are therefore out.
25. I love staying up late and watching “B” horror movies on tv with Aaron. But afterwards, if he falls asleep first, I get totally freaked out thinking about zombies.
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