Be Ye Separate

Ladies in Waiting:)

Blesings!

  As our days slowly warm up to normal temperatures for this time of year and we are readying our gardens, cleaning out homes and outbuildings, mowing, weeding, maintaining, preparing for outdoor life, so too is our farm bursting with activity.

   Our choice to farmstead came with it's sacrifices and hard decisions. We spent many many years helping our children to understand and experience the realities of living a life of self provision. We all know that God is our great provider and through Him this is possible. With that comes disappointments, and sorrow. There are also great joys:) It all balances out in the end but getting there strengthens our resolve and our hearts to a clear understanding of being self sufficient.

   As a farmsteader we know, through experience (trial and error and successes) what we need and what we don't. I think the hardest thing is the "dwindling family" syndrome:P It's like going through your kitchen and pulling out VATS to make your family that pot of spaghetti and sauce and realizing that you no longer have 11 people sitting around your table on a daily basis anymore. That vat works for awhile and so you forget until suddenly you only have 6. It's time to downsize:P Your children are cast to the winds in different directions. Some still come home and some don't. Whatever the matrix, you make consessions. Suddenly you trade your vat space in your cupboards for a stock pot. Over time your daily meals become smaller and smaller. Our once bustling family is now 4. We have graduated to saucepans:P Right where we started:P I can now cook our meals in 4 quart saucepans! The dishes take moments. It's fun to have placemats again:P The table actually FITS in the kitchen:P

   Have I gotten rid of those vats? Well...most of them:P I do keep a couple of the big things in our shed. For family and friends so I am not having to make huge meals in our little saucepans:) But mostly they are out of the way and stored. Not nearly as many as I once had but enough to get us through a large meal if needed:)

   Just as we downsize INside our home we also must keep a watchful eye on the OUTside. I'm referring to our animals, of course:P We keep a certain amount of chickens because they are part of our livlihood as well as for our own sustenance. Some are eaten, some provide eggs, and some get broody and help to replenish our little flock:)

   Just as we maintain those numbers so to must we maintain all the others. We raise dairy goats. These are not pets, although they do provide us with companionship and entertainment, their most important job is to provide us with milk. In order to do this they must be bred. As you all know, breeding means....MORE GOATS! Our needs for our family once called for a larger number of goats to provide the needed milk for cheeses, yogurts, kefirs, soaps and of course drinking:) Now that we are a family of 4 our needs have changed and we keep only 2 real milkers. This means that babies, although necessary to get those milkers started, must be sold.

   We cannot keep them just because they are cute. They will consume feed and time and therefore are not beneficial to our farmstead. They become a liability and a drain on our resources. If these animals cannot be sold, they are butchered for meat. It's simply one of those choices that must be made that might not seem very popular and fun (and is often sad) but very necessary to maintain the balance of our farmsteading lifestyle. 

   As you all know, our elderly BARREN dog surprised us with a litter just 6 short weeks ago. Those puppies, though adorable and fun, already have buyers. We cannot keep them! Another sad little moment on the farmstead but a necessary one. Our children know that, it's not just because we are renters here, it's truly because we cannot afford to fill their tummies and still maintain a balance here. When our dog dies then we will consider another, but until then one dog is more than sufficient for our needs. She helps to herd the goats and the chickens and ducks. She gives us warning when someone arrives or something is amiss on the farmstead. She alerts us when the goats are kidding, when coons are after our birds and when company arrives.

   I've been approached on several occasions about having "barn cats". We have ONE cat. She's the greatest mouser we've ever had. Thankfully she CAN'T reproduce:P (and now neither can the dog:P) She keeps the house relatively mouse free. She keeps the mole population down outside, We taught her long ago NOT to kill birds. However, this hasn't stopped her from bringing me live ones! They are never injured, just frightened. A gift:) (good kitty) She keeps the barn mostly rodent free and snakes out of the yard:) We have no need to add to her and don't want to. When she's gone THEN we'll get another but not until.

   Our goats have started freshening (I prefer summer babies) and will continue until middle to end of July. THOSE babies will not stay. With the exception of possibly keeping a single doeling from our elderly Blackberry (she's almost 9). This will be her last freshening and the ONLY pet goat we have ever had. She's also a Nigerian Dwarf and doesn't take up a lot of room OR feed:)

   Our girls raise Nigerian Dwarf dairy goats. The babies are of decent value and the sale of those babies provide their necessary feed for the year. We use their milk in icecreams and lotions and soaps. They are companions for our larger does and as I said about all others...we don't keep the babies because we can't afford to feed them and we have no use for them. We can only use so much milk. After our needs and what we sell, it would got to waste and we cannot abide waste:)

   Having said all this I wanted to share pictures of our additions and surprises. All of which will be leaving us as soon as they are weaned. The goat's are often sold before they are weaned as we will start them on the bottle, disbud and whether the boys (if needed or desired by the buyer).

This is little JimBob. He looks just like his sire Manny. If you remember we lost Manny to bloat on January 31. Although a beautiful boy, we will not and cannot keep him. I could only breed him to one of our does and would have to keep him away from his mother so he can't stay. Notice our Miss Sarah, cuddling one of the puppies.

This is Sweet Brandy. She's the next to freshen. As you can see, it will be any day now. Again, her babies will be sold as we have no use for them here. In the background you can see our little Nigerian Dwarf, Platinum...she's due in July.

This is Sparky. We still aren't sure she's actually pregnant...believe it or not:P She has not had a successful delivery ever so if she does freshen by mid July, she will be sold at auction. We have feed her for almost two years now with no milk since just after we got her. She tends to be very aggressive and has a one track mind. What she wants to do or where she wants to go, there is no stopping her. That makes her a liability and it's no fun trying to strongarm a determined goat.

That wide little beast is our Blackberry:) The picture just doesn't do her justice. She is so huge for her little size:P She has never had less than three kids and has had as many as five! She is our only farmpet:P And little Twinkie just behind her (the white one), is having her first freshening this year. All these babies will be sold except for one doeling from Blackberry. IF she has any does:) (she had quad bucklings one year:P)

This is one of our little puppies. As I said, even though they are just stinkin' cute, they cannot stay. Simply put, we cannot afford to keep animals that do not contribute and we do not keep babies unless it's a replacement. Our son is taking one of the puppies so we'll have visitation rights:) This appeases the girls, our son was thrilled because he's wanted a puppy from our beloved Yoncalla Patch since he was 12 years old:) He and his wife are tickled:) They've already chosen the one they want and the rest are sold.

   It's a hard and sometimes sad decision that must be made here on our little farmstead. But the rewards are so great and the lessons learned help us all to trust our Lord and accept our limitations.

   Farmsteading isn't an easy life, but it's fulfilling in so many ways they far outweigh the trials.

   Praying you all have a wonderful and blessed weekend!

God be with thee!

Sister Lori

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{ 11:42, Friday, June 20, 2008 } { Posted by gabbie427 }

What a wonderful post!!!! I loved it. Thanks for telling your story, and sharing some pictures of the animals and girls.

God's Blessings,
Amy Jo

rings true!

{ 13:34, Friday, June 20, 2008 } { Posted by miniumgallegos }

All that you have said so rings true to our family. We've had some surprises this year--6 puppies--and although cute all gifted away--chicks that we, of course, kept to increase numbers in our flock. Deaths of two of our farm dogs and a decision that one will need to go due to wanting to chomp on my chicken flock. A poor baby goat we tried to rescue, but it was too late and she died. My children and myself have learned so much through these experiences. It truly teaches the blessings of life. I have a relatively young family now, but I know the time will be coming soon when seven at the table will dwindle and will I feel sad or just blessed to have accomplished what we did? I will rely on God for that answer..but thanks for such a lovely post into farmstead life. Blessings to you and yours!

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{ 04:49, Saturday, June 21, 2008 } { Posted by LivingSimple }

Loved your post...is your blackberry an african pygmy? They are such cute little goats..

~Kris

~~~Blessings!
None of our minis are pygmy. They are all Nigerian Dwarfs. Very sweet girls indeed:)
God be with thee!
Sister Lori

Edited by SisterLori on Saturday, June 21, 2008 at 20:25