Frankencoop is Born!

It was an eventful weekend.  Saturday was insanely busy with the kids, and Sunday – Ah Sunday! A friend came over to salvage parts of our fort that we are removing, and then my son and I took three of our hens out to a friend who is ready for a few back yard chickens.  Helps with bugs, provides eggs, and in general are just peaceful fun little critters to have around. 

I should mention now that she recently injured herself in what can only be described as an accident of cartoon proportions, and is on crutches for a while.  We loaded the truck with some supplies to install a short fence to separate the yard, and some scrap wood.  She had a large box that we were going to use for their new house, but I threw some scrap lumber in the truck just in case.  (Prescience maybe.)

My son caught the first bird and got her into the crate, then it was chicken rodeo to catch two more.  We ended up with one black giant, one white giant, and one red star. What a pretty trio these girls will make in their new well shaded yard!  Off we drove, and we arrived to move a little bit of wood and install a short section of fence.  As soon as we had the expanse up, we turned the girls loose so they could stretch their legs and we could then commence to converting what shall now be known as The Box into their new home.

The Box is a former small-medium shipping crate, which would have been perfect (note the would have been!) was filled with spray in foam covered by a sheet of plastic!  We got a couple of trowels and started digging it out.  After about 30 minutes (and keep in mind it’s 106 outside at this point), we called it quits on the box and decided to use it as a base.  We flipped it over and decided to make that the floor of the coop. 

Here I have to admit that a little bit of desperation was kicking in. I was getting overheated and starting to not feel quite rationale. 

Whatever shall we use to top it?!  Oh! The lid to the box can be the roof, right?! Sure it can!  How will we support it?  Well, here’s some handy scraps of wood that I had tossed in the truck!  Now… sides… “Oh friend! Can I salvage from the odds and ends stack to finish this out?”  Sure she says – use whatever you need.  Mwahahahahaha!!!!!!

Well… we found a length of polymer roofing (you know – looks like tin roofing, but it’s plastic and fairly flexible) – that wrapped and made two sides!  Awesome – Frankencoop is emerging.  Hmm… third side..  what the heck are those?  Oh! Garden stakes!  So we drilled pilot holes for the top mounting, screwed them side by side, then pilot hole drilled the bottom line and screwed those in.  Now… a ladder. 

Hello scrap wood! And some odd little flat panels that were in a bucket I brought.  And hey – a round monkey bar that I also tossed in the truck.  My son and I have created a monster! It will do it's job, so it isn't a monster - it just looks like one! Frankencoop has been born!  They have a roost, ramp, and 3 sides in which to shelter and to lay eggs.  They get a door Later!  

But what is that squawk?  Lucy, the red star, laid her first in her new home egg – in the back corner of the yard! 

When it’s cooler, we’ll take them a pretty coop.  I promise! 

Silly Girl

We were lax in getting the stall gate closed quickly - so Ms. Penny had to try to tell us that she should have her own stall.

She was a little bit haughty when I told her she needed to step out.  LOL

If Only

As today was a surprisingly quiet day in my office, and work was not overwhelming I found myself wondering what I would be doing with this particular day if our goat milk soaps were really productive and I were able to make a living selling them instead of working in an office.

I would be making soap, and taking care of some of the myriad little things that constantly need done in order to keep going, and I would be loving every second of it.

It's hard work - hot and sweaty in the summer, and sometimes numbingly cold in the winter - and worth every drop of sweat and every shiver! 

Ahhh! Goat Milk Soap

So we have been playing around with our soap recipe lately, and I think we have a brand new winner.  Coconut oil, Canola oil, Grapeseed Oil and Olive oil.  Oh the delightful texture this soap has, and it carries a scent so well!  On top of all of that, it lathers up beautifully and leaves your skin feeling soft and supple and refreshed.

The bar is a little softer than the Olive / Canola oils blend, and I really like it that way.

I’ve put some samples out and about for feedback from users and if all goes well, this may end up being the new standard for us!

They'll Get into Anything

Before I start this tale, please keep in mind that Saturday it got to about 111 degrees. 

The afternoon was busy and I was tired, and had already sweat through my clothes once.  I went out to the barn to feed and milk, gather eggs, refill water the water tanks, etc., to find sweet little Balvenie hung up in the wiring on a gate.  I’d hoped to get that down before someone got hurt, but there’s nothing like livestock to make you do it on one of the hottest days you’ve had so far this year.

I had taken the cordless drill with me anyway (good timing) to raise the gate on the small stall, when it suddenly became a marathon of removing boards and un-sandwiching the wire fence material from between the boards of the big stall gate.  I’d tried to call my husband’s phone because I couldn’t leave her like that.  He had his phone turned off. 

Out two screws, pull the wire, in two screws. ETC..   Goat-girl (Balvenie) kept re-tangling herself, and Chester tried to climb my back, and the donkeys breathed down my back and rubbed up against me, and the chickens clucked madly, and the adult does argued.  Sweat poured off of my in rivers.  I finally got all of it out, and Balvenie untangled for the 3^rd and final time.  The wire is disposed of, and I figured I was already drowning in my own sweat so I may as well raise the other gate.  Why not, at that point! LOL

That was a piece of cake, if you don’t count the sweat and my sweaty hair repeatedly getting in my eyes so I couldn’t see where I was pointing the screw gun! 

Eggs collected, everyone got fed and milked, and I was about to pass out.  No kidding.  I was so hot I started to feel cold.  I left off everything else and went in the house to deposit  the eggs and milk on the table and call out to Bill.  He woke up grumpy, but I begged for water and went and dumped myself into a shower of ever decreasing temperature. 

Bill took care of cleaning and filling the duck pond, and topping off the stock tank.  Now I am much recovered, and contemplating the big gaping hole (read wide enough expanse between boards) that Chester and Balvenie can easily hop in and out of the stall.  There is no containment whatsoever.  Tonight – That! J  (But I’ll take my Gatorade with me!)

The Sad... Lowly... Delicous... Beet!

Who else grew up with the notiont that beets are "Naaasty!"?  Yeah, Between our friend who is a chef bringing a beet dish to our UnThanksgiving party, and Alton Brown (think Food Network) who did a special on them some months back and I decided to give preparing fresh beets a try.

This amazingly healthy root vegetable has become a favorite of mine, and my husband I must add.  They are low in calories, high in fiber and phytochemicals, has significant amounts of vitamin C, and also a good source of flavonoids, niacin, vitamin A, and even more goodies!  Plus, they are pretty!!!

(simmering with rosemary, before being strained)

The first time I made them he was extremely skeptical, but I cooked it so he tried it.  The next trip to the market included his words "Hey, why don't we do those beets again?"  Heh... heh... heh! 

(chopped greens)

Not only is the root fantastic, and can be roasted or simmered, but the greens are awesome too!  The first time we did the beets, we rubbed them with a little olive oil, then pricked them with a fork and baked the roots for about an hour and 20 minutes, then the skins slipped right off and I diced the now roasted beet root and sauteed it with the chopped up greens and stems in a little olive oil and garlic. 

(olive oil and garlic in a medium hot pan)

Next, we decided to try simmering them with some garlic until tender, then doing the saute with greens again.  WOW! Not only does the house smell amazing from the rosemary, which is also very healthful, but dinner is served!  This is a fantastic side dish we should all be adding to our diets.  It's earthy taste, and supple texture is complimented by the fantastic color and incredible taste. 

(greens sauteing in the olive oil and garlic)

The fresh beets we picked up at the farmers market this weekend are cooking right now, and my mouth is watering in anticipation. 

(beet roots and greens finishing their saute)

Try it. You won't be sorry!

Vegan Queso

Who knew that vegan - or nearly vegan - queso could be so easy?!  The vegans of course - but as I'm not one, I just learned this little factoid today 

We did errands, farmers market, health food store, etc.  I picked up nutritional yeast and rice flour, planning on trying it because the vegan queso that I *can* have (no dairy at all) costs $5 for a pint jar.  Screw that, says I! 

Once home, and the edge taken off my hunger with a sandwich that definitely contained some meat, to the kitchen I returned to try my hand at this.  Oh Holy Goats it's awesome!

Into a dry cool saucepan went 1/4 cup rice flour, 1/2 tsp mustard powder, 1/2 tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp onion powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp pepper and 6 Tablespoons of nutritional yeast.  Then a cup and a half of goat milk (see - this is why it's not vegan - all the recipes actually call for water!) and whisk together, then put over medium to medium high heat until it simmers and gets thick. 

A taste test gave proof that it was indeed like a cheese sauce, but I wanted a smokey kick... in goes 1/2 tsp chipotle chile powder and voila!

OH NOM!!!  And SO CHEAP and FAST!!! 

Good Old Fashioned Apple Pie

When I was a child, my mother would sometimes let us have a special treat for breakfast – Apple Pie!  No one could ever deny that she made the worlds’ best apple pie that stood 4 inches high in the center, with a pretty fluted edge and a floral design pricked into the top crust, then to top it off it was every bit as delicious as it was pretty. 

She’s a smart lady, for little did I realize she was letting me have a big serving of fruit in a pastry shell that wasn’t much different in ingredients than biscuits.  To me it was a fantastic treat!

When I started cooking at a rather precocious age, she taught me her recipe.  The most important part of this was, of course, to taste the apples you are cooking with so you know how much sugar to add to the pie. 

What I’m not sure she realized was that she was teaching me was to taste ingredients so that you can adjust your recipe accordingly.  This didn’t apply to just apple pie, but all other foods too.  You can’t make great meals unless you know what you are starting with, right?  Right!

This recipe is going to assume you can roll out a pie crust to 1/8” thick, twice.   (Bottom crust and top crust.)

5 lbs Johnathan Apples (or Gala if Johnathan’s aren’t available)

Sugar – amount varies, see note below

1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Dash of salt

¼ cup tapioca pearls OR ¼ cup flour

Dots of butter flavored Crisco, butter, or goat butter (no more than about a Tablespoon)

Double crust pie shell – (I openly admit to cheating and using the Betty Crocker pie crust mix. Just be sure to use ice cold water and don’t overwork the dough.  It makes all the difference!)

Utensils and paraphernalia: A big bowl, a black baking sheet (I really recommend a black t-fal jelly roll pan), small knife and cutting board, measuring spoons and ¼ cup measuring cup, plus one big wooden spoon.

Prepare the bottom crust and line your glass pie plate with it, leaving about ½” of overlap all around the lip of the pie plate, then set on the black baking sheet.  *The black baking sheet is key in making any double crust pie come out cooked and tender on the bottom, instead of classically mushy.  (Just try this with a pumpkin pie! You’ll never bake a double crust pie any other way again!)

So for the best Apple Pie in the world we start with a five pound bag of Johnathan Apples.  These are getting harder and harder to find, so Gala apples will work if Johnathan apples aren’t available.

Peel and core all of the apples, and slice into medium thin wedges. (That would be about ¼” thick or slightly above that.)  Too thin and they become mush when cooking.  Too thick, and they will not be tender enough at the end of cooking. 

IMPORTANT: TASTE AN APPLE SLICE OR THREE!

Place all in a very large bowl. 

Add sugar.  If the apples are on the sweet side, you can get away with 2/3 cup sugar. If they are slightly tart, use a full cup of sugar.  If they are very tart, use 1 ¼ cup of sugar. 

Add cinnamon, nutmeg, dash of salt and tapioca or flour, then mix well.  You really need to fold it up from the bottom to make sure all the apples get coated.   

Now, remember that pie crust?  Pour the entire contents of the bowl into the pie crust bottom, and dot with little bitty lumps of the butter or butter substitute.  *This just adds richness to the pie filling – if you are conserving your fats to just the crust, it IS OK to omit this step. 

Now that it is all in that lovely bottom crust, roll out the top crust to cover the entire thing and leave an overhanging bit of about ¾ of an inch.  Carefully roll the pie crust over your rolling pin, and unroll it on top of the pie.  After it’s centered on the pie, you’ll fold the top edge over the bottom overhanging “flap”, lightly pinching together around the pie. 

To flute the edge try this before touching the folded crust:  press your thumb gently between the flat pads of the index and middle fingers.  Now proceed to do this around the edge of the pie crust using light pressure, and with each successive pinch only move half that distance, that way your index finger ends up where your middle finger was, creating an overlap that allows you to make an even and pretty crust.  You will get a pretty fluted edge around all of your pies!  And if you don’t, people will still be impressed that you tried. 

Now, get your handy little paring knife back in your hand, and prick into the mounded top surface a design of your choice.  This allows the steam to escape.  Now all that’s left is the hour of baking and several hours of cooling!  Then… Oh then you have deliciousness!

425 for 15 minutes, then 325 for 45 minutes.

Gardening for an Autumn Harvest

In discovering the joy of canning (doesn’t that sound like a book?  Hmm… it probably is, and if it isn’t yet it should be) as an adult, instead of helping Mom when I was a kid, my fervor to have a successful garden is renewed.  I’ve been doing even more research on gardening in Texas, and feel ready to take another crack at it with planting for a fall harvest.  The plantings will be limited to just five things:  Tomatoes, green beans, zucchini, chard, and carrots. 

Let me say first that the preparation of this area for a new garden was partially accidental, but I’ll take it.  With the drought in Texas last year, and hay at an all-time premium it wasn’t uncommon to hear that people were having their hay stolen.  As a result, we had several round bales stored in our back yard and covered under a gigantic tarp, so that anyone who wanted to try to steal it would have to go through not only locked gates but a pack of dogs through one gate or a barnyard and pasture with guard donkeys in it through the other.  No one stole our hay J

Since we peeled flakes off the hay, and fed those in order to moderate control over consumption, one of the results of this particular storage place was the fallout hay on the ground, and the bottom layer that got wet.  It was winter.  Ground water seeped up.  We had other projects going on.  Blah, Blah, Blah!  Excuses.  Anyway, we left a several inch thick layer on the ground right where the new garden will grow, then this spring sometimes we let the chickens in to scratch around.  Guess what?  We have a well mulched and well broken down area that we’re topping with more composted barnyard waste.  (There we go again with polite phrasing!)

We have some step in posts which we will couple with some light weight fence that should keep the dogs out.  In addition, one of the recommendations is to give the plants some FILTERED sun so they aren’t so bedraggled by the beating that our Texas sun provides.  This is probably the hardest thing for my brain to accept.  Being from Illinois I know that you put the garden out where it gets full sun all day long.  Not so here in Texas.  Quite possibly we will use lattice along the side to filter the late afternoon and evening sun.  

Let’s see how this goes … Cross your fingers for us!

A TRUCK AGAIN!

A few months ago, we were faced with the decision of either repairing my poor old truck that I personally put nearly 270,000 miles on, or trade it in.  I bought it with 17 miles and put all of those miles on it over a period of 14 years.  I was attached. 

With its age and high miles we traded it in, and got an SUV that we could put a hitch on.  (Not new this time.)

No sooner than the plates arrived it started demonstrating electrical problems and then spent a week not even turning over.  A week not running and a week back at the dealership that we bought it from, and many phone calls and furious moments later, they traded it back and we got a truck!  YAY!

Now that the ordeal is over, I can say how much I missed having a truck and this one suits my needs perfectly.  We have 3 kids, and having a second set of doors makes me phenomenally happy as does having a real truck bed, and a tow hitch package already on it.  HOORAY FOR MY TRUCK!

Pardon me, I'm having a Dr. Seuss moment -
Oh the hay it will haul
and the feed that we need...
the camping we will see
and the fence rolls that will be! 

Success!

The Pear Butter was a huge success!  The result is a thick, sweet, pear and cinnamon and nutmeg spreadable fruit that is delicious.  I found a recipe with a slight variation that would use a hint of orange zest as well - orange zest and pears and nutmeg, Oh My! 

Now - on to process the rest of the pears on that tree!

I can see what my weekend is going to be full of, can't you?!!!

The Learning Curve!

I grew up in the Midwest.  A land so fertile that it seems possible to stick a seed in the ground and have it almost guaranteed to grow.  Some of my favorite childhood memories are of helping Mom can produce from the garden, and working in the garden.  In truth, I probably didn’t help much but I remember it very clearly.  (And I was very normal and complained about it a little bit, especially when I wanted to do something other than hoeing out weeds and standing cornstalks back up after a terrible storm flattened every row!)  We had a big family and a big garden, as was appropriate.  Corn, tomatoes, peppers, green beans, onions, peas, cantaloupe, zucchini, cucumbers, and more.  MMmmm!! Nothing in the world tastes as good as food you picked from your own garden.  We all learned a lot from these experiences, too.  

At my dad’s place, he would feed the horses in a wide run between the pastures over the winter, and of course where they ate they left nutrient rich deposits too. ;-)  In the spring, that section would be closed off and the garden would be put in.  No kidding, we had tomatoes the size of small cantaloupe out of that area!  And the flavor was incredible! 

I think this is why children today are more fussy eaters – the food from the supermarket does not have the richness and depth of flavor that home grown quality produce provides, and the textures are bland and frankly often unappetizing.

That said, I am still learning to garden in Texas.  The brutal Texas sun and 100 plus degree days are an absolute beating on plants.  The one little pepper plant that currently enjoys filtered sun is the only one really surviving right now.  However, the lettuce bed produced like mad this year!  We took our barnyard organic matter (isn’t that a nice delicate way of putting it!) that the chickens have composted down for us, and added their own organic matter to, and worked that into the soil – which is heavy clay – and added some healthy doses of sand to keep the soil more permeable and it is really helping.  (We planted that in late February and covered the raised bed with a glass door that needed a job.  It let in sun, and kept in warmth during the cold!) 

Tomatoes… poor things burned up.  Peppers – all but one burned to a crisp.  Etc…  BUT, I have been inspired by that lucky little pepper that is in filtered sun.  It seems that a lattice providing some afternoon / evening filtered light would help tremendously, plus it would give climbing plants a handy place to grow.  I *have* successfully used blue lake green beans (bush style) as a border around the house serving as food and incentive to water the foundation.  (Digression here: This is Texas - you have to water your concrete foundation so it doesn't crack from the heat and shifting soil.  15 years in this state and that's still weird to me!!!)

Fall planting here I come!  Thank goodness Texas has enough warm weather to get away with two planting seasons a year!!!  Better for me and my learning curve!

Terror From The Sky

It’s been all over Facebook lately, and even on the news:  Advice and comments to keep your dogs safe and indoors during the holiday fireworks displays, as the poor dogs are terrified by the explosions in the air.

Sadly, no mention is ever made of the effect this has on livestock. 

Let me share last night with you.  The neighbors set off about an hour long display of Large and Loud fireworks and I spent the entirety of that time vacillating between the house and the barn / pasture trying to comfort my animals.  The poor donkeys were worked into a sweat, running trying to escape the nightmare explosions over their heads.  The goats were literally climbing the walls of the barn, when they weren’t running and trying to escape the horror around them.  The poor chickens huddled together in one of the stalls, and squawked with each display.   

The dogs were locked in the house and the two most sensitive had been given calming treats that contained valerian, ginger and chamomile.  They only last about 45 minutes though, so for that length of time they just whined and trembled a little bit.  The rest of the time they wanted to climb inside my skin for safety.  It's only a miracle that no one was injured during this night.

My pear butter burbled on the stove while I went back and forth from house to barn, projecting calm and trying to get the livestock to slurp some pear puree that was heavily laced with valerian.  Penny, Cindy and Chester all had some, but not enough to do any good.  Lulu, Gerie and Balvenie were skeptical of the world and would not eat anything.  Lulu came to me for short moments of comfort before another blast would send her running full tilt around the pasture, accompanied by Penny and Gerie, and sometimes all of the livestock, looking for safety and distance from the blasts.  Gerie and ‘Venie would cower against my legs for very brief moments then take off running again.

In the house, poor Puck trembled and whined even after calming treats.  Cami whined and couldn’t decide if she was better off in her kennel, next to my ankles, or behind the chaise.  The other three dogs barked and acted as if we were under attack.  To their minds, we were.

It was one of the most heart breaking nights to not be able to make it stop for them, and to be unable to assist them any more than offering myself as comfort. 

I beg of everyone who enjoys fireworks to enjoy them away from livestock and other animals.  Look and find someplace that is not right next to a farm.  The horror that animals are put through is not worth your enjoyment of a few sparkles in the night sky. 

Pears Galore!

When we bought this house we were delighted to find that there were two young pear trees on the north side.  What we have learned in the intervening six years is that they produce every other year!

Not having any idea what type of pear trees were planted, we just say that one has what we refer to as cooking pears, and the other eating pears.  When the cooking pear tree produces it's usually pretty good - but this year it's insane, despite the grass hoppers doing their level best to eat every leaf on the poor tree.

On the eating pear tree, the grasshoppers have devastated all but a few of this years crop of pears, but left the leaves largely intact.  It's extremely bizarre!

In the past, we have cooked down the pears from the first tree and used them in baking, much like you can use applesauce in cakes to replace the oil.  This works really well, slowly stewing them down then pureeing in the food processor and freezing the output for use at some future date.   The only problem with doing that this year is that we still have some in the freezers from previous years!  If I can't get a peach tree to grow in the heart of peach land, at least the pears are rampant!

In doing a little bit of research, we have learned that these hard cooking pears should make excellent pear butter.  We're going to try this out, and the process (or trial batch one as I'm calling it in my head) has begun.  After all, I've lost two branches to the weight of the fruit and it's just now coming ripe - I have to divest that poor tree of its burden, or we could lose the tree.

Since it will be at least the end of the coming week when I can get a food mill, I'm trying first a recipe that calls for stewing down the pears and then running them through a food processor, then sieving that resultant mush into a crock pot.  There it will be sugared and cooked down to the appropriate sticky consistency then canned.  I'm anxious to see how this comes out so I can post and share either the success or failure. 

Cross your fingers! 

Eerie Animal Moments

Perhaps it was prescience on the part of the animals that made them do it, just to unnerve us as they will undoubtedly be unnerved tomorrow evening.  Perhaps it was just a fluke.  Either way, this morning I fervently wished (30 minutes later!) that I had the camera in hand when I opened the back door to let the dogs out, and what greeted my eyes was a scene I’d never witnessed before.

Over half of our chicken flock was spread out in a long line along the fence bordering the back yard, all facing the back yard and not making a move or a sound.  I found this a little bit eerie.  This followed the first day in more than 20 months that not a single bird in our flock of 21 hens laid a single egg.  Something is definitely going on here.

Even the donkeys and goats were arrayed very quietly and barely made a sound. No donkey brays rent the morning air, nor did even a quiet bleat from a goat disturb the dawn.  It was very strange indeed.   My husband went out to feed and milk while I took care of the indoors events, and upon his return to the house said that they all quietly followed him into the barn.  Whatever spell was upon them dissipated when he tossed their scratch grains out. 

I’m a firm believer that our animals do communicate quite clearly if we pay attention to them.  They are far more honest than people ever will be, and something was up that had every farm inhabitant in a somber mood this morning. 

If only we could figure out what it was.

Whey Awesome!

With every batch of cheese we make there is one consistent result. Not necessarily great cheese, though that’s always our goal, but whey.  Whey is that funny greenish yellow leftover fluid, after one has convinced the solids in milk to all get married and cozy together plus live with the right kind of bacteria and turn into delicious edible-ness. 

There are only so many batches of ricotta cheese that I need, and though the dogs get a few spoons of whey on their meals, there is still a huge amount leftover.  I do hate to waste, and sometimes don't make it out to the barnyard to share it with the chickens and goats.  So, taking the advice of a friend of mine who suggested using the whey to replace the water in bread recipes, I did just that.  She’s a genius! 

That simple change made a basic white bread so tender and gave it such a remarkably richer flavor that I am going to have to start saving whey just for this purpose!  Can’t wait to do it with some bread in which we use spent beer making grains!  What deliciousness!

Easy Roasted Peppers

We can all probably agree that the best way to roast peppers is over a fire, and blacken the skin then pop them into a ziplock bag, close it and let them sweat.  Once they are cool, peel the skin off and toss the stems and you're ready. 

Sometimes that lovely open fire isn't a ready option or maybe it's raining or you really just don't want to fire up the grill to fire a couple of peppers.  Whatever the reason, you can roast peppers fast and easy in the oven.

Join a couple of sheets of aluminum foil and spray lightly with olive oil, then lightly spray your fresh garden peppers, wrap them in the foil so they are enclosed and put the whole package on a baking sheet or jelly roll pan.

Pop it into a 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes, then take it out and let them them cool.  Peel the skins off, toss the stems and voila!

Try chopping these into long strips and tossing with some pasta and pesto and pine nuts!  YUM!

Farm Therapy

Ever wake up in the moring and you're already on the wrong side of life?  Some days that extra fifteen minutes to "hatch" as a good friend of mine puts it, would make an enormous difference in your outlook on life. 

Today was one such morning, but the puppies were early in their whining to go out. I turned over and nudged my husband hoping he would get up and let them out so I could hatch slowly.  I should have known better, because just turning over I was awake and irritated about it.  We've all been there - don't deny it! 

Skip forward a couple of hours through the morning farm chores of milking and feeding, and loving on the animals.  (That last one sounds like a real chore, right?!)  That's good therapy - and I find myself making the chocolate sauce again for homemade mocha capaccino's and have a batch of gouda cheese started.  My daughters are sleeping in, lucky gals, and my son is helping with everything I ask and a few things without being asked.  I have awesome kids! 

It's hard to hold on to irritation when you have farm therapy.  I'm already trying to figure out what kind of project my teenage son and I can get into today that will be both productive and fun for us. 

Have a beautiful day!