Thursday, August 4, 2011
RAWESOME RAID by FDA Aug. 3, 2011
This is seriously sickening.
I'm deeply outraged by this right now, I can already feel a rant going on for days, weeks, months, and years until this is no longer an issue! We have rights people!
BIG AG NEEDS TO GO AWAY!
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
You did what?!
Since Saturday my husband SL and I have been running the farm solo :)
(With a little help from Mr. M)
The first few days were hectic. Seriously.
Waking up at 4:30am to milk wasnt too bad but it definitely made me miss sleeping until 7:00. Then going to the full time job (8:30am - 5:30pm) followed by evening farm chores which btw takes longer than morning chores bc you are feeding everyone and milking mostly everyone. Granted my dear hubby let me off work early Tue. and Wed. to get started on milking early since that is the most time consuming part of the chores...but feeding is the most labor intensive in my opinion of which hubby conquered! I showed him the first day what to do and he found the easiest way to do it for him. He worked super hard and I'm so proud of him for working so hard. He used the farm truck which is an old truck w/ a wooden flat bed on it (totally rocks my socks off). First he would load all the hay bales he could fit which is about 3, he filled all 8 buckets w/ the milkers feed, loaded all the pellet feed bags plus the 5 gal. bucket for the front pasture then he rides off into the sunset to feed the goats lol...and poultry whose feed is also loaded onto the truck. After he feeds he comes and helps me finish milking (on the days I didnt get off work early bc on them days I pretty much had it done by the time he got out there). Milking takes 2.5 hours - 3 hours solo but dually 2 hours (thats one mainly milking and one gathering goats <- me). Mornings take about an hour give or take a few minutes. Once milking is complete I at the moment dump the remaining bucket on the parlor floor and let it soak (milk cleans don't cha know) a few until SL is finished prepping for evening chores (loading the truck up ^^ like mentioned above) and then he would usually clean the parlor unless I finished first then I would. Time to clean the equipment :) by the time I'm done which takes me almost 20-30 mintutes SL is done. Time for work or bed.
I milked the goats bc I know the goats and they know me...it was too funny the first day the goats did not like SL so he had to hide partially behind the wall lol. I would be lying if I said I did not get aggravated at the ding bat nubians and the hard headed alpines! Did I tell you guys it rained/thunderstormed :( I already knew in advance what happens when it rains/thunderstorms...the goats are ridiclously frightened and stay bundled up in the barn which made me have to retreive them...but that didnt slow me down! I fed the milkers bc SL didnt have barn boots and that my friends was (and I know this already) the hardest part...they wedge you in between them and the troughs (we call that goat surfing here at LPF.)
Overall it was a great experience. I enjoyed it in a weird way...however...I'M SUPER DUPER GLAD S AND M ARE BACK! I'm tired. I have a deeper respect for them now that I did it for 5 days, morning and night. I learned alot about my hubby, the goats, and myself.
Cuteness: The turkies loved SL and rode with him on the truck so did the kittens. hehe. I wish I had my camera at those moments ;)
I'm all worded out guys and ready to shower after all that work so until next time 'I'm knee deep in sleep' later gators!
(With a little help from Mr. M)
The first few days were hectic. Seriously.
Waking up at 4:30am to milk wasnt too bad but it definitely made me miss sleeping until 7:00. Then going to the full time job (8:30am - 5:30pm) followed by evening farm chores which btw takes longer than morning chores bc you are feeding everyone and milking mostly everyone. Granted my dear hubby let me off work early Tue. and Wed. to get started on milking early since that is the most time consuming part of the chores...but feeding is the most labor intensive in my opinion of which hubby conquered! I showed him the first day what to do and he found the easiest way to do it for him. He worked super hard and I'm so proud of him for working so hard. He used the farm truck which is an old truck w/ a wooden flat bed on it (totally rocks my socks off). First he would load all the hay bales he could fit which is about 3, he filled all 8 buckets w/ the milkers feed, loaded all the pellet feed bags plus the 5 gal. bucket for the front pasture then he rides off into the sunset to feed the goats lol...and poultry whose feed is also loaded onto the truck. After he feeds he comes and helps me finish milking (on the days I didnt get off work early bc on them days I pretty much had it done by the time he got out there). Milking takes 2.5 hours - 3 hours solo but dually 2 hours (thats one mainly milking and one gathering goats <- me). Mornings take about an hour give or take a few minutes. Once milking is complete I at the moment dump the remaining bucket on the parlor floor and let it soak (milk cleans don't cha know) a few until SL is finished prepping for evening chores (loading the truck up ^^ like mentioned above) and then he would usually clean the parlor unless I finished first then I would. Time to clean the equipment :) by the time I'm done which takes me almost 20-30 mintutes SL is done. Time for work or bed.
I milked the goats bc I know the goats and they know me...it was too funny the first day the goats did not like SL so he had to hide partially behind the wall lol. I would be lying if I said I did not get aggravated at the ding bat nubians and the hard headed alpines! Did I tell you guys it rained/thunderstormed :( I already knew in advance what happens when it rains/thunderstorms...the goats are ridiclously frightened and stay bundled up in the barn which made me have to retreive them...but that didnt slow me down! I fed the milkers bc SL didnt have barn boots and that my friends was (and I know this already) the hardest part...they wedge you in between them and the troughs (we call that goat surfing here at LPF.)
Overall it was a great experience. I enjoyed it in a weird way...however...I'M SUPER DUPER GLAD S AND M ARE BACK! I'm tired. I have a deeper respect for them now that I did it for 5 days, morning and night. I learned alot about my hubby, the goats, and myself.
Cuteness: The turkies loved SL and rode with him on the truck so did the kittens. hehe. I wish I had my camera at those moments ;)
I'm all worded out guys and ready to shower after all that work so until next time 'I'm knee deep in sleep' later gators!
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Farm progress from my eyes.
LPF is progressing at an alarming rate! Soon we'll be on top of the WORLD or at least the LOCAL WORLD anyways.
Saturday was 'Operation Clear Out for Construction' and it was A HUGE SUCCESS!
I want to personally thank everyone who came out to support a local farm. It made me smile on the inside seeing (even if was only a few people) everyone working so hard. My 'area' was the front of the barn...and everyone else tackled the 'soon to be' cheese kitchen. We knocked it out fast and then enjoyed some yumminess (frozen custard).
Community. I love it!
I took my niece and nephew too...they had a blast! MC wrote 6 sentences about the farm but I forgot the notebook this morning :( and camera.
Did I mention how I'm ready to be on the farm full time? I literally had a dream about it Sunday night. IT WAS AWESOME! The whole front (where the produce will be grown) was full of fruit trees, berry bushes, vegetables, herbs, and rabbits! It drives me insane to be in this office everyday when I could be doing what I love.
Kissing goats and growing vegetables!
'Knee Deep In' Progress.
Saturday was 'Operation Clear Out for Construction' and it was A HUGE SUCCESS!
I want to personally thank everyone who came out to support a local farm. It made me smile on the inside seeing (even if was only a few people) everyone working so hard. My 'area' was the front of the barn...and everyone else tackled the 'soon to be' cheese kitchen. We knocked it out fast and then enjoyed some yumminess (frozen custard).
Community. I love it!
I took my niece and nephew too...they had a blast! MC wrote 6 sentences about the farm but I forgot the notebook this morning :( and camera.
Did I mention how I'm ready to be on the farm full time? I literally had a dream about it Sunday night. IT WAS AWESOME! The whole front (where the produce will be grown) was full of fruit trees, berry bushes, vegetables, herbs, and rabbits! It drives me insane to be in this office everyday when I could be doing what I love.
Kissing goats and growing vegetables!
'Knee Deep In' Progress.
Friday, July 15, 2011
Operation Clear Out for Construction
Operation Clear Out for Construction
Tomorrow from 2pm - 5pm
Look for a post and a guest appearance/blog from MC my niece. She will be sharing with you all her experiences and what she learned!
(Pictures will be taken by her to document the experience.)
'Knee Deep In'
Wednesday, July 13, 2011
Boot Burn //ouchie//
Long time no speak, I know.
Things have been rather crazy in life and life on the farm. New Parlor is nearing completion...
Now we are scrambling due to an unexpected change to get the cheese kitchen up and roaring :). We are all smiles though. BIG CHANGES!
As far as intern blabbering...well...
IT'S FREAKIN' HOT AS HADES! My boots were burning my legs so I decided to cut them..bad idea..bad idea.. (shakes head). Now I get debris in them aka poop/ice/ dirt/ water/ and everything else that deems itself bootable..AND..they still burn me! I'll do a post of its own on my boots. Perhaps a before and after shot. LOL.
Refer to our FB page for a more recent update about all the changes going on here.
Friday, June 3, 2011
When the sun goes down...
This post will start off by saying how awesome M & S are. You can tell by their actions how much they truly believe in what they are doing. I have a deep appreciation for them and the farm. I can't leave out little V for her hours of entertainment keep me/us rolling (laughing). Mr. M (M's Dad) b/c he helps w/ numerous projects on the farm and the barn expansion process..last but not least! (He even had on the right barn attire yesterday... boy, I wish I had my camera w/ me.)
(Enough of being sappy) :)
Animal updates: Holy moly we have new chickens, turkeys, and kitties (insert extremly happy face here).
Chickens: Coronations and Light Sussex, Blue and Lavendar Orpingtons, and more Buckeye chickens.
Turkeys: a pair of Narragansett turkeys
Kitties: 5 beautiful tabby cats w/ white paws and chest markings :)
(I feed them and even have Momma Cat coming to me)- S says, "They are going to bring their friends over". I'm just trying to keep some around to kill mice and snakes...but I wouldnt mind all of them staying ;)
Heat Advisory - is it insanely hot these days! I try not to complain but dang it is hard not too. The heat slows me down for some reason...maybe I should lose some more weight... I took 2 breaks yesterday during feeding (Thank the Heavens for the A/C in both the milk rooms). It is so crazy how much one can sweat. I drank 1.5 liters of water last night and didn't have to run to the restroom 100 times b/c it was leaving my body in the form of sweat!!!! I'm glad a/b that b/c of our friendly SPIDERS living in the bathroom (insert scary face here). I used to be extremely afraid of the 8 legged monsters but not so much now. (hehe don't let me lie I still run the other direction..sometimes :).. or I make S clean the boots out just to make sure there are NO monsters in there.)
DHEC gave us the green light to start building the new milking parlor!!!! You may have an idea how exciting this truly is! Now we are waiting on SCDA's approval for the kitchen to start making cheese, custard, and ice cream! :P As of this current moment the barn/farm is in transition..so, things can be at times out of control..fun part is working the kinks out.
I wish I had some pictures for you but I don't maybe next week :) Until then we are 'knee deep in' work!
(Enough of being sappy) :)
Animal updates: Holy moly we have new chickens, turkeys, and kitties (insert extremly happy face here).
Chickens: Coronations and Light Sussex, Blue and Lavendar Orpingtons, and more Buckeye chickens.
Turkeys: a pair of Narragansett turkeys
Kitties: 5 beautiful tabby cats w/ white paws and chest markings :)
(I feed them and even have Momma Cat coming to me)- S says, "They are going to bring their friends over". I'm just trying to keep some around to kill mice and snakes...
Heat Advisory - is it insanely hot these days! I try not to complain but dang it is hard not too. The heat slows me down for some reason...maybe I should lose some more weight... I took 2 breaks yesterday during feeding (Thank the Heavens for the A/C in both the milk rooms). It is so crazy how much one can sweat. I drank 1.5 liters of water last night and didn't have to run to the restroom 100 times b/c it was leaving my body in the form of sweat!!!! I'm glad a/b that b/c of our friendly SPIDERS living in the bathroom (insert scary face here). I used to be extremely afraid of the 8 legged monsters but not so much now. (hehe don't let me lie I still run the other direction..
DHEC gave us the green light to start building the new milking parlor!!!! You may have an idea how exciting this truly is! Now we are waiting on SCDA's approval for the kitchen to start making cheese, custard, and ice cream! :P As of this current moment the barn/farm is in transition..so, things can be at times out of control..fun part is working the kinks out.
I wish I had some pictures for you but I don't maybe next week :) Until then we are 'knee deep in' work!
Friday, May 13, 2011
Raw Intern Emotions
Sorry no cool pictures to add. My other lap top is on the fritz :(...say a little prayer for her.
Monday I spent most of the day on the farm. I picked up around and in the barn, and prepped for that nights chores (feeding & milking). Btw, in case you are wondering we are milking more than 50 goats 2 at a time. <~ crazy and time consuming. All that will change soon though b/c we are expanding and diversifying. New parlor, bigger barn, pasture chickens, turkeys, cheese, custard, produce and whateverrrr else we deem awesome and worthwhile. We (the whole farm including but not limited to the animals) are super thrilled for all the changes coming but with change comes the unknown. (dun, dun, dun, dunnnnnnnnnnn.)
It is rather hot?! Wouldn't you say? More humid than hot...but dang it is killer some days.
This is me keeping it real with you guys...being an intern sucks sometimes. You mess up things, you forget stuff, overflow the milk tank into the air compressor(?), teet dip the wrong goats, mark the wrong goats on the milking sheet, your ideas are that just ideas...and 9 times out of 10 you have no idea what you are talking about. Just smile and push through it b/c every farmer started in your shoes and no one ever truly knows it all (life would be very boring if you did). In other words it is easy for me to blog and make internship look and sound easy but truthfully this is the hardest work I've ever done for this long. Well, gardening is pretty labor intensive but this year is my 3rd one. (I'm working on my experience after all I'm only 23) With all that being said..I must admit I wouldn't change it for the world and it is the first thing I've ever stuck to for myself. I'm proud to be an intern. All the sweat and sweat to come will be worth it in the end b/c one day I'll be the teacher/ farmer. :)
Happy Friday!
Btw- We have a new kid whose name is 'Pinky' b/c she is PINK! How stinkin' cute..and if we ever get rid of our bulldog (to a good home of course)..I'm bringing her home..maybe I'll get Charm too, I love that goat!
Monday I spent most of the day on the farm. I picked up around and in the barn, and prepped for that nights chores (feeding & milking). Btw, in case you are wondering we are milking more than 50 goats 2 at a time. <~ crazy and time consuming. All that will change soon though b/c we are expanding and diversifying. New parlor, bigger barn, pasture chickens, turkeys, cheese, custard, produce and whateverrrr else we deem awesome and worthwhile. We (the whole farm including but not limited to the animals) are super thrilled for all the changes coming but with change comes the unknown. (dun, dun, dun, dunnnnnnnnnnn.)
It is rather hot?! Wouldn't you say? More humid than hot...but dang it is killer some days.
This is me keeping it real with you guys...being an intern sucks sometimes. You mess up things, you forget stuff, overflow the milk tank into the air compressor(?), teet dip the wrong goats, mark the wrong goats on the milking sheet, your ideas are that just ideas...and 9 times out of 10 you have no idea what you are talking about. Just smile and push through it b/c every farmer started in your shoes and no one ever truly knows it all (life would be very boring if you did). In other words it is easy for me to blog and make internship look and sound easy but truthfully this is the hardest work I've ever done for this long. Well, gardening is pretty labor intensive but this year is my 3rd one. (I'm working on my experience after all I'm only 23) With all that being said..I must admit I wouldn't change it for the world and it is the first thing I've ever stuck to for myself. I'm proud to be an intern. All the sweat and sweat to come will be worth it in the end b/c one day I'll be the teacher/ farmer. :)
Happy Friday!
Btw- We have a new kid whose name is 'Pinky' b/c she is PINK! How stinkin' cute..and if we ever get rid of our bulldog (to a good home of course)..I'm bringing her home..maybe I'll get Charm too, I love that goat!
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