Kinder Goats For Us

This past weekend Tim drove up to northeastern Kansas to purchase a couple of little Kinder goats. He was actually also picking up a baler so the goats were a plus in the whole deal!
Kinder goats are a dual purpose goat (meat/dairy) that are a mix between a nubian and pygmy.
If you would like to learn more about them you can go to these links:

Kinder Goat Breeders Association
Oklahoma State University Education: Breeds of Goats

This is a new venture for us and we're excited about the possibilities, but also aware of the commitment that we've taken on..
Eventually, it is our hope to have these two breed and the doe produce offspring to sell. Kinders are prolific bearers and it isn't uncommon for a doe to birth quadruplets. Milk consumption for our family is also a goal. In recent years, I've become lactose intolerant and hope that since goats milk is more easily digestable it will solve my milk drinking woes. The girls and I hope to try our hand at soaps, lotions, and cheese-making, too.
Oh the plans we have for these two!
By the way their names are Willow and Daisy. Willow our buck is the brown colored one while the doe, Daisy, is the black and white goat. It is my desire that the future herd would also have botanically inspired names.
Strangely, I thought this summer would be a more laid back one, but what with taking care of goats and bottle-feeding three Holstien calves, gardening, and trying to attempt some schooling it's definitely been a busier one.
But I wouldn't have it any other way!
Blessings, Julie

Beauty Exists Here in Abundance

I haven't forgotten that I was going to post wildflower photos on a regular basis throughout the growing season this spring and summer. Commitments regarding kids, family, and even some unexpected ones have prevented me from being able to get outdoors for extended periods of time to photograph the abundance of blooms we're seeing here. I guess that's just life, huh. But I did get a little collage of flying flowers put together in the early morning hours while drinking my coffee and found a picture of goatsbeard.

And here is a photo of Goatsbeard, one of my favorite wildflowers.

Time now to go wake two of the cherubs, only two as my middle-child is at church camp. And Momma is missing her bright, spunky ways. It's been a little too quiet for me. But I'll feed her little bottle-calf for her and look forward to her being back to do so herself.

Blessings, Julie

A Couple of Painted & Decorated Canvases

In the post before this one, I had mentioned that the girls and I are decorating canvases.
We've really enjoyed the process of getting creative.
These pictures measure 7x14 and were so much fun to paint.

So that's just a little peek at some of what we're selling at craft shows. And to be honest we haven't sold a lot but we're having fun and coming up with new ideas all the time while hoping to find what people will buy. The girls and I are learning about the economic side of a small business and we're making memories that I know will last a lifetime.

Blessings, Julie 

Honey Locust Creations & Designs

We've started a new little business on the side. And when I say little, it really is. But the girls and I have enjoyed working and creating together.
There are magnetic dominoes decorated with scrapbook paper and jewels.

The girls decorated flip-flops with strips of colorful bandanas.

And we've been painting canvases and adding a bit of mixed media to them.
I'll try and post pictures soon but can't now as our internet provider is just not providing that umpf needed to do so.

Catching up a bit, we've got three little one month old bottle calves and are working on aquiring some goats. My oldest wants to show a Boer goat at the fair and next Spring Livestock show and I'm wanting some dairy goats. Have you ever heard of Kinder goats? If you're curious, you can read about them here .
Gotta go, blessings, Julie

Departure Day/ Field Trip

This morning we were up before dawn.
Tim borrowed a truck from a friend and also the friend's gooseneck trailer. We have a truck but no gooseneck trailer attachment. We have a trailer, but not near large enough for all the broads and their offspring. We are blessed with some very generous people in our lives.

Speaking of blessed, this is the blessed day that the huge, pasture-plodding bovines will depart...yahoo!!!
I've looked forward to this day since they set hoof on our place back fall!
Of course we learned a lot from these gals and their babies regarding beef cattle.
I posted an entry here regarding tagging and vaccinating calves.
And I'm thankful for the foreseeable profit that will probably go to a much-needed ATV,...but in all honesty, this day couldn't have come sooner.
Needless to say, although, I'm gonna say it, I won't miss them at all.

Good-bye Tuff-Stuff! You were a lot of trouble but probably the best momma-cow we had! I will not miss your wild ways nor odor! I will not miss running through the neighbor's pasture to try and get you and your troublesome calf back into ours. Adios!

And Tata to you Mother Gothal! You were the bully of the bunch. And that's really all I've got...Good-bye.

This will be a fieldtrip for the kids and their dad.
They're heading to the Oklahoma City Stockyards.

I think he'll be treating them to the locally famous Cattleman's Steakhouse there.
I'll be treating myself to frozen yogurt in town later today.
And I'll be smiling as I remember the last I saw of those bovine broads as they exited our property.

So that's that!
Next project??? Bottle calves and goats...it's never-ending folks.

Happy trails to you, Julie

March Wildflowers Conclusion

The children and I went hiking several days ago on the property just to the south of us. I had gotten permission from the landowner last week when I was fervently looking for morel mushrooms. No mushrooms were found but many wildflowers were spotted. His property isn't as heavily grazed as ours and had some wonderful land formations such as deep gullies and waterfalls down towards the lake that both of our properties border.


The children played and searched for tadpoles.

The little stream we followed led me to find a flower that I had never knowingly observed before.

Yellow Fumewort


I took this picture of the leaves to help me identify later.

This little plant was growing very near the water. I thought I had better get a picture of the stem and leaves for the purpose of identifying later.


Violet Wood Sorrel

The toadflax that my youngest is holding is one of my favorite wildflowers, but again, I have many.


Toadflax

Of course there were many other wildflowers that were blooming that I did not include. I've got pictures of dandelion, bladderpod, and more. But currently, due to life in general ie lack of time, I'm not able to include all of what I've found. I will continue to post pics and show many though, just not all.
My husband and I did a bit of hiking yesterday and I noticed that the spiderwort, yarrow, rudbeckia, and tickseed will soon be blooming. I'm sure I'll be posting pictures of these during my April Wildflowers post.
Have a wonderful Sunday and rest of week!
Julie

Our Teen, More Wildflowers, & A Sssnake!

Recently, my oldest turned thirteen.
I wasn't ready!
Honestly, some days I wish that the hands of time could be turned back to her infancy and I could redo so much.
She's a good kid, but bless her heart, her mother has a horrible temper.
She wanted her ears piereced. They are now.
My young teen is beautiful but dealing with an old-fashioned, ridiculously conservative mama is going to stretch her...and stretch the old mama at the same time.
I'm praying for elasticity.

Here are a few more wildflowers:


Roundleaf Groundsel


Wild Violet


Fringed Puccoon

Of course, while tramping over prairie and through the woods, we're already seeing the wildlife that the warmer spring temperatures are rousing. The snakes are already active.
This is just one of several I've already seen.


Some type of water snake

And one of my favorite hiking companions is the three-legged dog.



Now to wake up kids and start the day!
Blessings, Julie

March Wildflowers Part II

Recently, I received an email from a friend that appreciates wildflowers in much the same way that I do.
Her words reminding me of  Matthew 5:44-45.

44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.

Wildflowers are nondiscriminating, growing around abandoned houses or lots as well as finding their way into the landscaping of your more affluent homes. Wildflowers have the tenacity and perseverance that I long to have in my Christian walk.

 1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2 fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.   ~Hebrews 12: 1-2


I put together a collage showing a few of the wildflowers we see in our yard in March:

               Clockwise from top left; Henbit, Spring Beautys, Muscari/Grape Hycinth, Johnny Jump-ups

We're also seeing False Garlic and Bluets.

                                                                                                False Garlic

                                                                                                 Bluets

The children and I have done some daily hiking down through the pasture and to the woods and lake as of late. I've been searching for morel mushrooms.
We've discovered the snakes are active as well as the ticks.
But, I will persevere with my search and bring you yet more wild blooms!
Blessings, Julie

March Wildflowers

March is such an exciting time in the world of nature!
The earth seems to wake up and don the most exquisite shades of green.
Migratory birds are passing through and many stop to make this home and raise a brood of chicks or two before returning south in the fall.
The Redbuds are about to open and bless us with their purplish-pink adorned branches! And the rains have been so welcome! Thank you, Lord.



Returning from a morel hunt down by the lake yesterday, my oldest and I discovered the Carolina Anemones blooming. Wonderfully, they bloom in both purple and white!





I love Spring!

More blooms to come...
Blessings, Julie

My Wildflower Watch Begins

When I first started blogging several years ago, many of my posts were nature related. And many of my posts were exclusively about the wildflowers the children and I discovered on our little forty acre homestead and the surrounding areas. At that time, my oldest was very involved in putting together a wildflower notebook for 4H and to enter in the county fair.
I can remember one day loading the kids in the van and we drove from one end of our county to the other just looking for and gathering wildflower cuttings. It took us all day, but we had great fun. We've also learned a lot about how the Native Americans and early pioneers used many of these plants for food and medicinal uses. We learned to look close and identify many by their leaves or how many petals the paticular flower had. The website we use primarily for identification is Kansas Wildflowers and Grasses  as we live in north central Oklahoma. Although, there are other websites that have been helpful as well as books.
And so this is my introduction to a series of posts that I will be doing throughout the wildflower growing season. I promise there will be a few that you've never seen or noticed before as I discovered for myself. One of my favorites and more subtle, as it is a low-growing, trailing plant is, Ratany. It blooms in late spring and early summer. I took this photo of it a couple of years ago.

Actually, I have many favorites and to be quite honest I was a bit surprised in the beginning of this learning experience to learn that there are so many different kinds of wildflowers.
And so my trek to spot the wildflowers begins. As busy as things have gotten around here of late, it's gonna be nice to carve out some time to stop and smell the roses!
Blessings, Julie