Now, we're getting somewhere

Early, our Cuckoo Marans Roo, is proud of his new stomping grounds.


SweetPea and the girls out picking.


This is not a joke, we don't have a toilet up here yet so we use the the portable chair, leftover from my broken ankle, for pooping, and then cover and bag the poop. When you gotta go...

SweetPea and a Cuckoo Marans hen.

SweetPea hangs out behind the chair Mike is sitting in, he rubs her butt.

Mike and a turkey girl.

Mike and MilkDud. We've got some age and pounds on us, all this labor is hard so we have to take breaks. My knees are gone, Mike says he aches all over.

Franklin and his three girls moved to the barn this weekend. All but one girl are taking it well, in a photo above, Mike had to catch one of the turkey girls and lock her up because she flew out and was walking back home.

SweetPea and June at the barn entrance.

Spring water is set to start running in there, that Faverolle girl better git.

Mike and Nephew Jeremy putting up fencing. Cain is SIL's dog, he walked over the hill and came for a visit.

FIL looks on.

Will Trade Sister For Tractor. Nephew Jeremy's son, Daniel, loves SweetPea.

Our three dogs - Brawn, Blissi, Henry. At supervised times, they get to run the 30 acres.

Now the bathtub is hidden behind some panels.

Entrance to MIL's large garden, has been tilled but nothing planted yet.

thanks for the visit, 'til next time

RV, Barn, Susan Boyle thoughts

I didn't arrange things to be photo-ready, so a little messy, but here's my kitchen, I love my gas stove/oven for cooking. Quiche on the counter.

Mike and I are really comfy in the RV. A must when shopping for an RV was that I had to a kitchen because I enjoy cooking especially with our fresh eggs and goats milk.

This is my hangout corner, Mike likes the sofa. It won't be but I wish my little window would be facing the barn. Been reading the latest CountrySide magazine.

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We don't have any fencing at the barn area yet but I let the chickens and Dud out for a few minutes yesterday afternoon, figured I could reel 'em back in by shaking the plastic cup of feed, and yeah that worked.

Construction in the barn, can't wait to get this mess cleaned up. Obviously I like taking photo's, and I like for things to appear photogenic. Over exposed, but large dog kennel in the rear, the dogs have a beautiful view of mountain tops back there.

Fencing supplies ready for this weekend.

Dud was a good boy, had a big time running around. He has 3 young bucklings coming to live with him, Dud loves to play so he can't wait.

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I wish Susan Boyle had resisted the makeover.

Boyle, 47, became an instant YouTube and Internet celebrity after appearing on the British TV show with gray frizzy hair, bushy eyebrows and a jowly face above a remarkably unflattering dress. The contrast between Boyle's un-adorned looks and her angelic singing voice endeared her to viewers the world over.

But on Friday, Boyle appeared on the cover of The Sun tabloid sporting freshly dyed and styled brown locks and newly shaped eyebrows.

In addition to the new haircut, Boyle has also upgraded her wardrobe. Instead of the plain beige dress she wore on her first TV appearance, she was recently photographed wearing a stylish black leather jacket.

Do you remember in The Sound of Music when Mother Superior sang - Climb Every Mountain?

I thought she was so beautiful singing in the window sunlight. How heartbreaking it would have been if she had ripped off the robe and gone to get a makeover and new black, leather jacket.

Quiche and more Apr 23

Last night I made a simple but tasty quiche in the RV. I like to use our fresh eggs in dishes whenever possible, quiche is easy and good leftovers.

3 beaten eggs
shredded cheddar cheese
microwaved a package frozen cheesy broccoli
carmalized some onions
poured all the above in a pie crust that I had baked for a few minutes prior
into a 400 degree oven for approx 35 minutes
delicious


Goldie! How did you get out of your pen?
There she was wandering around in the hayloft.

Standard Salmon Faverolle, Goldie. Mike fianally caught her, back in the pen she went.

The barn does come with running well water and electricity which is great.

The bathtub is an eyesore at the moment but we will likely use it or put a container in the place of it for animal drinking water. We fill up our water pails there too.

Nephew had to do some electrical rewiring, but the barn does have its own meter which will also be linked to the RV when it arrives. We hope to hookup a generator to run the barn and RV in case of power outages, we desire to be as self sufficient as possible.

One view from the barn, the side we enter and exit.

Looking the other way, path to inlaws house.

So much has to be done

1) cleanup

2) fencing
3) barn mending

4) stalls

name it, it needs done up there but we work on it as time, money, and weather allows. Local weather man is finally prediciting some nice weather.

Barn Update Apr 21

Dang weatherman says we'll be getting some snow today and tomorrow, the weather has not cooperated for getting much done this Spring, has stayed cold and rainy.

Now, I know you see an old, junkie barn but you'll have to bear with us for a couple of years. In fact, if I try to look at the big picture, I start to meltdown, just have to look at it in small parts.

We now have some of the chickens at the barn, in the kennel, behind the egg-carton house. We put tarps on top but still got wet in there so we may have to come up with a Plan B.

One of the nephews is an electrician, and he did a lot of work on Friday, do you see the security light? Nephew rewired the fuse box and got other lights going, he'll come back for some more work in a couple of weeks. Thank you nephew; he saved us a lot of money.

The 4 goats are now over at the barn! Mike built the stalls off the ground.

SweetPea looks on as Mike screws in the feeder cups which will include minerals and baking soda for 'em. The goats get pellets and sweet feed twice a day plus fresh hay. Their hay rack is up on the right.

We actually own 8 goats now but only in possession of 4 at the moment. We did buy Caliente, so a 14hr roundtrip to West Virginia looms in our future.

Cahoot has to be weaned and he is only 1hr away. Boones and Cubby are Caliente's wethers, I got them just to keep her company for a while but I'll need to sell them as a pair at some point (I say that and then I'll get real attached to 'em).

looking out from the barn to an outbuilding, we may need to move the chickens up there.

The Irish Terriers, Brawn and Bliss, are officially working dogs now. 16yr old Henry gets to be retired. They have a big dog kennel in the back of the barn, has a great view. They get to run when we are there. Irish Terriers have been bred to be ratters, unfortunately, cannot mix with goats and chickens though.

Bliss in pink, and Brawn in red.

The gravel road that brings you to the barn which is sitting in the middle of 30 acres.

1/2 our poultry is at the barn and the other half is back at the house. Franklin and his girls are not at the barn yet. Franklin, our Bourbon Red tom, is VERY sensitive to change. He almost grieved hisself to death when we purchased him and brought him to our house, lost a lot of weight. Mike and I are living in an RV at a closeby campground.

The chickens at the barn are in the kennel for now. The girls are actually laying very well, sort of surprised, thought they'd go on strike.

a visit with our animals

"have you seen how BarbraJean keeps throwing herself at Early?"

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On Thursday April 16th, we had sunshine! We've been used to cold, rainy, overcast, misty weather. Although we are living in the RV near the barn, we visit the goats, turkeys, and chickens twice a day back at the house. The barn isn't ready for the animals yet but hopefully soon.

Hi Dud and Darlene!

Hi Franklin!

Early! Glad to see your frostbite healed up on your comb, honey.

Hi girls, June and SweetPea!

Hi Clara! (Isn't that a smoking little body?)

Hi Birds!

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First, the goats get pellets and then, fresh hay. Here, the three girls are lined up eating the hay. We are considering adding a red doe, Caliente, to our herd but she is 7 hours away in West Virginia and we don't have time for a 14-hour roundtrip right now, so we'll see.

Mike tries to spend quality time with Dud everyday. Cahoot will be coming to live with Dud at our new home in a few weeks.

I'm certainly taking some bamboo shoots for planting to the barn.

Digging in his fresh hay for the perfect bite.