Sunday, July 31, 2011

Peanut Butter

Got 16 oz. jars of peanut butter for 92 cents a piece. Best price on pb in about a year. Could only get 5 of them, but that should keep us for a month or so. I already have about 2 dozen other jars on the shelf, so didn't fret about only being able to get 5 jars at this time.



Now I have got to find some recipes that use pb that doesn't involve jelly and bread.

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Pocket Change

Frugality – Prudent economy; that careful management of anything valuable which expends nothing unnecessarily, and applies what is used to a profitable purpose; thrift; — opposed to extravagance.



from Copyright © 2011 PickTheBrain Motivation and Self Improvement

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Epiphany



Every once in a while a person has an epiphany. I had one a couple of years ago when I realized that because I don't have enough garden space for all the tomatoes my family needs for the entire year, that is not a failure. If we use 100 tomatoes a year and only grow 50, that means we have to buy only 50, not 100.



That was a huge step for me, getting my head past the fact that I can't do something 100%, only 50%. (which is a failing grade on the school grading scale.) I had to look at it differently, seeing that I can cut out 50% of the tomatoes I have to buy at the store.




Now I came to another epiphany, courtesy of Leigh from 5 Acres & A Dream, here at




In a nutshell, Leigh says,
"For the homesteader, the questions about raising one's own food should be personal and ethical, not financial and economical. "




Wow.



Just read the article and you'll see what I mean.

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

RIP PollyAnna

PollyAnna was always the first at the feeder.




And always the photo hog.



The lightest-colored of the bunch of Red Stars, she was the easiest to spot.




My favorite hen PollyAnna, has passed away. She was a Red Star mix, just 2 years old. She has been acting poorly off and on since spring, not laying any eggs and losing weight, but usually bouncing back after a couple of days on cider vinegar water. I know when she is not well, she doesn't leave my side when I am in the yard. Yesterday, she came out of the coop, but went back in after a bit. I thought maybe it was just cooler in there, seeing as it was in the low 90's yesterday.



But I found her this morning. So sad.

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Update On the New Chickens





I haven't posted much about the new chicks. I am enjoying them so very much! As a whole, they have moved outdoors now and have learned to fly up into the nest boxes. Individually, I have learned that each breed is truly very different. All the research I did on breed characteristics was in vain, none of them have turned out what I thought.





The 5 Barred Rocks are much bigger than the rest at this stage (2 1/2 months old.)





The Golden Comets are very much more outgoing than the rest, they were the first to fly, first to greet me at the gate, and the first to investigate a bug or new green leaf.





The Rhode Island Reds follow right behind the Red Stars, but will not let me pet them as easily.






The 2 White Leghorns are so very pretty, so white, they remind me of a white dove. They even seem graceful in a way.





Lastly, the Welsummers hens remind me of red-tailed hawks, very stand-offish, not to be petted(please excuse the bad photo, they are not photogenic either.).





I am at odds what to do with the extra rooster. I bought a Welsummer rooster (above)in hopes to hatch out some Welsummer eggs next spring, but I also got a Rhode Island Rooster, either as a mistake from the hatchery, or maybe the hatchery thought the one extra chick they always throw in there should be a Rhode Island Red roo to go along with the RIR hens I bought. Either/Or, I think 30 hens shared by 2 roos is a decent ratio, but do I really need an extra roo? Maybe hatch out RIR chicks to sell next spring? I went to a garage sale and ran into a lady who is looking for a RIR rooster, so maybe I will sell him to her.





These new hens should start laying in late September. My hens usually average out to .75 eggs a day, so I could find myself easily swimming (or drowning) in 20 eggs a day. Note to self: quit procrastinating and find egg cartons!

Sunday, July 03, 2011

Growing Up



It's sort of a sad/happy day when you realize the little chicks have stopped "peeping" and are now clucking. But no peeping means they are just that much closer to suprising you with their first egg. Whoo Hoo!