GreenwayTrail, our turkey toms

We got up this morning, loaded Bliss and Brawn in the truck, and took off for the Greenway Trail in the Town of Boone.


We used to come here all the time.

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back at home, a turkey girl feels good

I told Franklin that I was going to get him a Tshirt that read:

I survived another Thanksgiving.

And Jefferson gets a Tshirt too:

I survived my 1st Thanksgiving.

June was getting a pedicure, her little girls were in the background, waiting for Mama.

A dark cloud has hung over us this Thanksgiving holiday because of the Jeremy situation. Five of us, [his maternal grandparents, mother, Mike and I] visited with him Saturday morning at the Detention Center, he on the phone through the glass and us taking turns on the phone on our side. Was a sad time, he was weeping and we were weeping. As we walked out, we agreed that the grieving process is the same as if he has died, (because we know he's never coming back home).

goat fort,Sandy, Jeremy

I had several things on the to-do list today but only got one accomplished. I took an afternoon nap that wasn't on the list.

And Black-Friday shopping at retail stores was certainly not on my list. The retailers know not to count on me. One of my FaceBook friends said he was sitting at BestBuy at 1:30 in the morning! They'd have to giving out big bags of money before I'd even consider being down there in the middle of the night.

We recycled this children's playset into a goat fort/poultry perch. Mike and I were taking bets who would jump up there first, Pie was the nosiest.


then Cubby.

We're retrieved the fort from Sandy's yard, Mike's middle sister.

Sandy and Jeremy, our nephew charged with double homicide, were neighbors, living down the road from us. Sandy says she doesn't know if she can continue to live there looking at Jeremy's house (although the murders occurred up at Heather's house).

A Watauga County man is being held under a bond of ten million dollars after he was charged with two counts of first degree murder in the deaths of a man and a woman in the small community of Vilas on Monday.

Jeremy Russom was arrested after he was found under a home in the Foscoe Community several hours after the shootings.

According to friends of the victims, Heather Bumgarner arrived home about 2:30 in the afternoon and noticed a widow appeared open and the blinds moved in a way that made her think someone had broken in.

The friends say Heather then called another friend, Barry Cook and told him what she saw and that she was going into the house. Inside the house, say authorities, something happened and Bumgarner was shot to death.

Minutes later, when Cook arrived to check up on Bumgarner, he was shot to death as well.

Jeremy has visitation tomorrow at the Detention Center. We aren't allowed to drop off any items but can give cash so he can make purchases. Maybe the jailors come by with a cart of supplies, I don't know. We are planning to visit him, still very saddened about what he has done, but we feel like going there with love in our hearts is a good thing.

Which made me think of a gift idea for the holidays - donate some money to an inmate so s/he could buy some supplies.

my cousin, and my nephew

My cousin, Sandra {my father's side}, arrived Friday night, 11/19/10, and we had a really good time together. Here in this photo, she's a little closer to critters than she prefers, Sandra has always been the prissy, big-city type. She said the only culture shock though was when she didn't have to pay cash in advance for gas in her car.

Sunday night, she got very emotional being around Mike's family - the joy of a big family around a Thanksgiving meal.

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Here is my nephew, Jeremy {Mike's side} as he is being escorted last night by sheriff officers. Jeremy took care of our animals and drove the freight truck for Mike when we went to goat shows. He helped us a lot with projects around the farm.
http://www2.mountaintimes.com/watauga_democrat/Two_dead_after_Zionville_shooting_id_004203

I can't put into words how I feel, sorta like I can't fully breathe. I'm at the office today - trying to put one foot in front of another so-to-speak. .

Heather was the mother of Jeremy's two children, they never married. Heather and Jeremy were very young when they met and their relationship was always off and on. Recently, Heather had starting dating another man, and apparently Jeremy just couldn't handle the other man around Heather and his children.

All of Mike's family is terribly heartbroken. Last night, as we were gathered around, Mary, my mother-inlaw, as she was wiping away tears, said "I want to call Jolene {Heather's mother} but I just don't know what to say.

our webpage, cousin coming

BooneDocksWilcox webpage, featuring our Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats
http://boonedockswilcox.weebly.com/

This is our GingerBreadGirl and she's polled which means that she's naturally hornless. We have several polled goats.

My cousin, Sandra, is arriving this evening from Charlotte to spend the weekend. Staying with us will be a big culture shock for her. My mother-inlaw has her Thanksgiving Dinner on the Sunday prior to the holiday so thought it would be a good weekend for Sandra to come. The inlaws always go to their Myrtle Beach house for several days over thanksgiving. Sandra's husband died in September and like me, she is a childless only child and our parents are dead so we don't have much family.

watercolor, recipe, video

I met the "girls" for lunch today and Mahala presented me with her watercolor of SweetPea & Peach. Oh my, isn't that so beautiful? I will get it framed and photograph it again but in natural light. Scroll down one photo, she based it on my photo. Peach was born 6/26/10 and she is a day old in the photograph. I will treasure Mahala's gift forever.

Dot gave me a recipe for a Veggie Quiche (click on veggie quiche) that sounds awesome because it uses goats milk and feta cheese, I'll certainly be trying it.

Video - . It's not goats milk that's featured but...wanted you to see that farming and milk are sexy.

fresh Brioche

Fresh, baked bread doesn't last long around Mike and I, in fact this loaf came out of the oven last night and it only survived only a few hours, we ate some before we went to the gym, and polished it off after we got home from the gym.

I saw that the Brioche recipe called for eggs so of course I wanted to try it. If any of my girls (Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats) were in milk right now, I'd have used their goats milk but had to use store-bought cows milk instead.

The only thing I would change is that I would use salted butter rather than unsalted. And if I ever retire from my full-time job, I'll be making my own goat butter. Yeah!

A Vagabond Song by Bliss Carman, girls new home

A Vagabond Song, By Bliss Carman, 1861-1929
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There is something in the autumn that is native to my blood --
Touch of manner, hint of mood;
And my heart is like a rhyme,
With the yellow and the purple and the crimson keeping time.

The scarlet of the maples can shake me like a cry
Of bugles going by.
And my lonely spirit thrills
To see the frosty asters like a smoke upon the hills.

There is something in October sets the gypsy blood astir;
We must rise and follow her,
When from every hill of flame
She calls and calls each vagabond by name.
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Nigerian Dwarf Dairy Goats



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This is Clara and Chamonix's new home. Isn't is awesome? A swimming pool and everything!

Jamey, their new owner.

Hash with a Poached Egg

I got out the skillet tonight, sauteed some cooked ham, them a chopped onion, cut up some baked potatoes and baked sweet potatoes, threw in some seasonings, poached some eggs. On the plate, let the warm, gooey yolk soak into the hash. Yum.

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It's cold outside, the local weatherman says this weekend the highs will be in the 30's and lows in the 20's with snow showers and squalls.
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I still have eye infections especially in the right eye, the new drops don't seem to be helping. I was excited about joining the gym and now I haven't been since Monday because the infection feels like I have a piece of glass in my eye.
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Clara and Chamonix are going to a new home tomorrow. The buyer sounds like an interesting fella who is trying to move closer to self sufficiency. I'll cry when Clara departs our farm, she's been a good, ole girl. When I sell one goat, I always prefer to sell two so they can go together on the buddy system, and Chamonix and her Mama, Clara, are very close.

tasty hashbrowns, bacterial eye infections, compost pile

Remember the other day when I made a dry hashbrown casserole? Today, I made a tasty, moist hashbrown casserole. Yes, to make it tasty, I added in many more calories. Fat is flavor :-)
bag of frozen hashbrowns
1 cup of sour cream
2 cups of grated parmesean
1 grated onion
salt, pepper
5 eggs beaten eggs
spray casserole dish with some non-stick
400 degrees for 40 minutes

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I'm at home from work today because I have bacterial infections in both eyes. I can see fine buy feels like I have a piece of gravel in my right eye. I drove myself 1 1/2 hr one way (just using my left eye) yesterday to my eye Doctor in Hickory. After looking at my eyes, he said that he understood why I was complaining about my right eye but didn't undertsand why I wasn't complaining about the left eye too, but it just feels dry. Anyway, I've got two new types of eyedrops although Dr said it may take 4 days to start feeling better. The first set of eyedrops brought me to my knees - painful. I hope I'm not allergic to the new cataract lenses, if so, then what?
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On the other side of the patchwork wall is my compost pile. As soon as Mike put up the divider on Saturday, those curious turkey hens were up there nosing around, aren't they darling? I've got lots of leaves in my pile now.

Gotta go do more eyedrops and lay in bed a while with eyes closed. I think President Obama is coming on TV to discuss yesterday's election, so I'll listen to him.

Big Lion Hugs & Kisses His Rescuer!

I voted in Watauga County, NC





I just well up with emotion when I watch this video.