It's been crazy busy here! The garage renovation is well underway. I will try to get a pic before we do much finishing - before, in-process, after.
Sugar's teats are chewed up a bit and we've suspended milking until they heal. In hindsight, it was a mistake to completely milk her out in the morning and then let the calves have at her. They are only 10 weeks old and I would hate to wean them this early so we decided it would be best to let them have our share of the milk until her teats heal. They look much better already since the last time we milked on Saturday. Our annual vacation is coming up and when we we get home, we'll probably put them on bottles so we can have some milk for ourselves.
The butcher's coming Monday for three lambs. There is still one available. Any takers?
Wednesday 16 September 2009
Monday 7 September 2009
September 7, 2009
Construction work is taking all of our time here lately. I completely gutted the greenhouse over this weekend. The driveway is supposed to be cut tomorrow and I'm going to order the framing wood and siding, as well. Yoder's Lumber is the place to go in northern Morrow County for lumber, siding, roofing, etc. We're going with red siding and white trim to match our barn on the other side of the property. We're going to call for concrete quotes tomorrow and hope to get that done before the end of the month. In addition to a garage for parking our car, this is also going to give us a place to store tractor implements, hay and firewood.
Speaking of firewood, we've also made the decision to get a wood stove before winter hits. We chose a Jotul stove and will have a new chimney installed for it. This stove is 72% efficient and is therefore eligible for a 30% tax credit up to $1500.
All of these expenditures we're making are designed to help us weather the economic storm we believe is coming. When it comes to the economy I'm firmly in the "we ain't seen nothing yet" category. If (when) commodities skyrocket, we'll be burning wood instead of fuel oil and we'll be well-positioned to continue producing our own food efficiently.
We skipped two days in a row this weekend milking. This is in anticipation of our upcoming vacation. Sugar will not be milked for ten days while we're gone. The calves ought to be fat and sassy by the time we get back.
Speaking of firewood, we've also made the decision to get a wood stove before winter hits. We chose a Jotul stove and will have a new chimney installed for it. This stove is 72% efficient and is therefore eligible for a 30% tax credit up to $1500.
All of these expenditures we're making are designed to help us weather the economic storm we believe is coming. When it comes to the economy I'm firmly in the "we ain't seen nothing yet" category. If (when) commodities skyrocket, we'll be burning wood instead of fuel oil and we'll be well-positioned to continue producing our own food efficiently.
We skipped two days in a row this weekend milking. This is in anticipation of our upcoming vacation. Sugar will not be milked for ten days while we're gone. The calves ought to be fat and sassy by the time we get back.
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