Pests! Pests! Pests!

First it was the flies.  They were everywhere.  So I got a couple of green reusable fly traps.  They are awesome and after having them out for a month, I have actually seen a difference.  Thank goodness, cause flies are gross.  Thanks to our fancy doggy septic system, there are never any doggy poops out, but for some reason the  flies are always out and about.  I haven't figured out what is attracting them.

Next it was the spiders.  Well, to be honest, I never did anything about them. Those are skittish little things (although very poisonous) and they mostly hang out in the garage and under the house.  They are not bothering me.... yet.  I will get to them when I get to them (way down low on the priority list).

Then it was the yellow jackets.  They didn't bother me at first.  They never bit or stung me and I thought we could all live peaceably together.  But now they seems to be taking over.  And it is hard to move about the yard without dodging one of them.  They seem to like the water in the pond, which is why they are hanging around the yard.  So off to the store I went to get another trap.  Just like before a nice green reusable one.

Now, it's the gophers.  

How do I deal with gophers?  I absolutely refuse to put poison down.  I have too many loved animals to risk having poison on the ground.  Someone told me to flood it out with a hose and then when they come out to breathe, hit them over the head with a shovel.  But if you haven't noticed, I happen to be an animal lover.  That would be hard to do.  Why can't I write a nice letter asking them to please not dig holes?  It would go something like this:

Dear Mr Gopher and Family,
I know you think you have found prized real estate.  It really is beautiful out there, especially during the sunrise.  But I hate to tell you this, but there is already someone living there, me.   And I really do not appreciate the holes you are creating in my front lawn.

I know, I know.  I have a lot of space.  Why can't I share it?  Well, I am here to tell you that I can.  Just please live by my rules. Here they are:

1. Do not dig or live in my front lawn at all.  Period.  I hate to say it, but your holes are unsightly and I don't want to upset my neighbors.
2. Do not dig or live in my immediate backyard.  This is for your benefit as well as mine.  You don't want to pop you little head out and be attacked by a doberman.  Trust me, it will not be pleasant.
3. Do not dig or live in the vegetable garden.  This is food for me and my family.  Please find your own.

That's it!  Three little rules.  There is plenty of space for you everywhere else.  Tons of it actually.  If you could agree to my 3 simple rules, I am sure we can live amicably with each other.

Very Truly Yours,

Lilian A. Ramey

Sigh... If life could be that easy....

Our Fresh New Look!

Aren't we cute!  I am so excited about our new blog design.  Let me know what you think!

Wild Black Berries

Can you think of anything more quintessential "American Summer" than sun-ripened black berries?  You just get that image of a blond 7-year old with purple juice smeared all over their mouth while smacking their lips.  If you can take that image of a blond 7-year and add 21 years you have my husband Kevin.  Every chance he gets, he is out there picking ripe black berries right off the vine and popping them in his mouth.  Pop! Pop! Pop!  (Which happens to be a very similar habit I have with cherry tomatoes.  Shush!  Don't tell anyone!)

Not only is he enjoying the blackberries, but so are the goats.  Very much like a honey badger eating a rattlesnake, the goats don't give a shit about the thorns.  They walk right through them and eat them, thorns and all!  They LOVE those leaves.  So on a nice sunny afternoon you will see both Kevin, Butters, and Oreo out there eating the blackberries.

So, to take advantage of all those black berries I went out there and picked about two cups and made some black berry sauce for a pork tenderloin. Here is a modified version of Martha Stewart recipe for Black Berry Chutney over Pork Medallions.

The black berries below are all washed and clean in my salad spinner.  If you have fresh berries, do not wash them until right before you are about to eat them.  

Cut up a couple shallots and cook them for about 8 minutes in butter until soft and golden.  Add your blackberries, cider vinegar, and small palm full of brown sugar.  

Let it cook down so it is nice, thick, and syrupy and the berries have started to collapse.

While your berries are cooking down, take your pork tenderloin and slice it into medallions.  Salt and pepper each medallion and pan fry each side so it is light pink on the inside.

When it is all cooked, pour that beautiful purple sauce over your pork and serve with a yummy salad.

Delicious!

Oops!

Things don't always go smoothly and accidents do happen!

Fortunately this happened in the hall closet, so I don't have to look at it all week.

I guess this weekend we will have to learn how to hang sheetrock on the ceiling, tape, texture, and paint.  In a few years we are going to laugh at this and be home repair pros!

DIY Warriors!

Kevin says I don't blog enough, so here is a quick recap of what's been going on:

We had our pool removed, finally!  Kevin and I never wanted it, just another thing to take care of and we didn't have the time for it.  So I put an ad on craigslist stating that it was free to whoever could pump the water out, dismantle, and haul away.  You would of thought we were giving away the lottery!  I got over 50 responses in the first 15 minutes.  Based on some of the emails I wish I had more pools to give away!  Well, we gave it to the first responder.  He came that Saturday and worked 7 hours.  By the end, he deserved it!

Also, my handy husband made a mineral/baking soda dispenser for the goats with some PVC pipe, plumbers tape, and PVC cement.

Isn't he handy?  We leave these minerals out for the goats to self medicate.  We have also been busy getting them all healthy for the year with de-wormers and vaccinations.  This week we are going to try to wean them off the milk.  Say your prayers that our neighbors don't go out there to kill the goats, or us!

Since this is a goat post.  How about a video?  One of the perks of working in construction is that I got to take a couple large spools from the site.

I hope you enjoy.

Beware of the UV Light!

So I admit it.  The last few posts were all la-di-da...life is wonderful on the farm...la-di-da!.  Well, not today!

The hubster is suffering from Corneal Flash Burns today.  What is that exactly?  Well it is basically a sunburn on your eyes, and it hurts. A lot.  

The 2nd question most people ask is, how did this happen?  Well, we recently replaced the UV lights on the pond filter.  Unfortunately, the lights either have to be turned off or you need to wear special eye protection while working with them.  Kind of like wearing a welding mask or those goofy sunglasses at a tanning salon.  After about 15 minutes of unprotected prolonged exposure, Kevin burned his corneas.  Here are the symptoms directly from WebMD:

Any time from 3-12 hours after overexposure to ultraviolet light, you may begin to notice symptoms:

• Pain that can be mild to very severe
• Bloodshot eyes

• Light sensitivity

• Excessive tearing

• Blurry vision

• Sensation of a foreign body in the eye

Kevin woke up in the middle of night complaining about sand in his both his eyes and that was the tell-tale sign that it was a sunburn.  He could not open his eyes long enough to see, so he could not go to work.  I left him with strict instructions to not read, watch TV, or play on the computer.  This didn't leave him much to do, poor guy!  Say your prayers for a quick recovery!

When I called my office to let them know that I needed some time-off to drive my husband to the doctor's, they compared us to Tim The-Tool-Man Taylor from Home Improvement.  Which is kind of true.  I very frequently raid my company's first aid kit every Monday morning to cure my scrapes, cuts, splinters, burns, etc.  We will probably have to get that restocked soon.  He he he, don't tell them!

Here are some pics of Kevin's burned eyeballs.  You see that fuzz on the outside?  It looks like speckled dots.  That's the burn and it makes it hard for him to see.

Lesson of the story?  Your eyes can burn, so please protect them and wear sunglasses outside.

County Fair

How fun is a county fair?  I just love it!  I love everything from the smells of BBQ, cotton candy, and livestock, to the lights on the ferris wheel, and the sounds of a rockin country band.  It all just goes so well with a warm hot night spent strolling with my hubby looking at all the sights and sounds.  It just feels so American and it makes me happy to live in such a wonderful country where we get to enjoy things like the county fair. 

I mean, check out these canned goods!  They all look so yummy!

So Kevin and I headed out to the county fair to check out the goat show and it was so much fun!  We only stayed around to watch 4H kids do their thing, but as they were learning, so were Kevin and I.

Aren't they cute!

You could hear the judge helping the kids along.  She would tell them how to hold the head better, how to stack their feet, and what side of the goat they needed to be on.

We also went and checked out the goats from the professional handlers.  

Look at this guy!  He has 4 horns!  I am not even sure if he is a goat or a sheep, but either way he was totally cool.  I just had to take a picture.

And it has finally happened.  I bought cowboy boots.  Can you believe it?  Now I really look the part!