Productivity is an amazing feeling...

I have had one productive weekend! The new additions - Bug & Spatz - required a new living environment because they squished a baby chicken and a baby turkey. So I took all weekend to build their pen mainly because I ran out of energy to do the physical work. On Saturday, I drove the T-posts and ran one roll of wire. Then I had to make a Big-R run because I needed more posts and wire. The pen cost more to construct than the friggin' goats did! LOL After I returned from Big-R with my fencing supplies and other various sundries I finished the third side of the pen but just plain ran out of oomph to do the rest so I relaxed for the evening. This morning I moved my old chicken coop and took the front off to create an A-frame house for the girls. I also had to make a run to WalMart today to purchase a tarp, carabiners and some bungee cords because the girls needed some shade! So by 3 pm today the girls had a finished home with shade, a tub for their feed and mineral block, and had been vaccinated to prevent goat diseases!

One thing I do wish I had taken the time to buy (and I still might buy it) is this great book called, "How to Build Animal Housing." It looks amazing! I also recently purchased Storey's guide to raising dairy goats and a self-sufficiency book. I am excited for them to arrive!














I woke up this morning with some serious sun burn! I'm still not used to being this far North meaning a higher UV index. I checked yesterday and today's UV index - it was 8 both days. Out of 10! No wonder I burned...I had bug spray and no sunscreen on. I did buy some Banana Boat this weekend though and will be sure to wear it!


I also did some planting of my containers. I planted my little BBQ with cucumbers - the Bush Crop variety. I planted my wheelbarrow with zucchini and I chose the Black Beauty variety. In my 4' by 4' raised bed I planted two varieties of corn (Earliglow & Orchard Baby), two hills of pumpkins (Small Sugar), some Six Nation heirloom dried beans, and a mix of marigold seeds everywhere! They are an excellent bug repellent and pollinator attractant. I have several lilac bushes in my yard and they are blooming like crazy! I picked some and put them in a Pace salsa jar - don't laugh it's the closest thing I had to a vase - and put them on my kitchen table. Gorgeous and they make the house smell great!

I stared a small herb bed near the house and am hopeful that I can keep it growing well into the future. I brought some Libson Bunching onions from my mom's garden and planted small Rosemary and Onion Chive plants that I bought at Walmart. I also planted some parsley and basil from seed. The parsley is coming up well but I had to replant the basil since there has been such cool & wet weather. Here's to hoping it comes up!

I've mentioned  how my dogs are my kids right? I always make sure they are spayed and

up-to-date on their vaccinations. June marks their annual vaccination time. I gave them a 7-way that covers parvo, distemper and Leptospirosis to name a few. Yotee did OK but didn't want to come to me so I could pet him for a while. Lil Guy did great but he didn't want to get his shot which resulted in a cat and mouse game for about 5-minutes. I tricked him by coming in to the mud room then nabbed him! :) Ruby on the other hand did not do too well. She struggled big time, had to be stuck three times and bent the needle but she got her shot! She must have struggled enough to make me hit her muscle because she's limping around and in obvious pain. So I called my resident farm vet (my mom!) and we decided to give her an aspirin and I started icing her neck. She's now resting comfortably!

Next weekend I plan on getting the chicken coop's outside run built! I love warm, sunny weather and the ability to be outside being ultra productive. This evening I let the goats and chickens out to run a bit before they got put back in their pens. As they grazed, I sat back and reflected how peaceful and content I am here. The middle of June will mark my one-year anniversary of being a Hi-Line resident. I am thankful for the chance to work at a job I love and with people who are great! All in all it's been a difficult but amazing year! :)

Mental Health Friday....

I took a mental health day today - I am very glad I did so! I went grocery shopping, which I desperately needed to do. I had no food in my house! Next time I think I'll shop more frequently instead of running out of everything before I go to the store. I used a bunch of coupons while I was at WalMart and while I can't say I saved a super whole bunch I was able to save around $10....better than nothing right? I picked up stuff to make the following recipe for creme cheese chicken enchiladas. They are auh-mazing! I found them on another blog called Homemaking on the Homestead; I find a lot of great things here! You should totally check it out! So here is the recipe and my comments:

Creme Cheese Chicken Enchiladas

* 1 lb boneless, skinless chicken meat, cut in to bite size pieces (I shredded my chicken)
* 1 medium onion, chopped (I diced mine)
* 1 teaspoon minced garlic
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 8 oz. creme cheese, softened & cut into chunks (I took it straight from the fridge)
* Milk to thin sauce (I used some of the table cream I bought for this recipe)
* 2 teaspoon chili powder (I used more)
* 1 teaspoon cumin (I have an allergy to cumin so I omitted this and used paprika instead)
* 1 cup salsa (I bought a regular size jar of Pace Picante sauce and used the whole thing)
* 12 corn tortillas (I didn't use this many but I would suggest doing so)
* 2 cups shredded cheese (I used more just because I wanted them ooey-gooey & cheesy)
* 1 cup cream (I bought "table cream" and just eye-balled everything)

In a large frying pan cook chicken, onion & garlic in the olive oil. (Here's where I shredded my chicken meat then added the onions & garlic.) When the chicken meat is fully cooked & the onions are soft, add the creme cheese. (I used a wooden spoon & paring knife to divide up the cheese.) Stir to mix everything together while melting the creme cheese. Add a little milk to make the sauce a gravy consistency. (Here's where I added the table cream instead of milk.) Add the chili powder, cumin and salsa. (Remember, I didn't use cumin but feel free to use it in your recipe.)

Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray. (I forgot to do this but didn't have any problems with sticking) Lay half the tortillas in the pan. Spread half the chicken mix sauce over the tortillas. Sprinkle half the cheese and salsa over the chicken mix sauce. Repeat the layers. (I got two layers in my pan.) Pour cream over the top. (I just eyeballed about a cup of table cream all over the top of the enchiladas.)

Bake at 375F for 30 to 45 minutes, until the enchiladas are golden brown on the top. (I am at roughly 2500 feet in elevation and only cooked the enchiladas for 30 minutes.)

I served my enchiladas up with some Uncle Ben's 90 second Spanish style rice.

I would also suggest some good re-fried beans and a salad but I was too hungry from making the enchiladas and just plain impatient to try how a new recipe turned out to make more than the rice! :)

I truly enjoyed my meal! I am going to save another serving for diner but the rest is going into my awesome new Tupperware and the freezer so I can have lunched for a while. Yummy in my tummy!

Totally gone! ;)

"There are half as many farmers and ranchers today feeding a population that has more than doubled."

I would like to highlight "The Cattleman's Stewardship Review: Connecting Our Vision and Values" that has just come to my attention. It is a report that was funded by Beef Checkoff money and sponsored by the Cattleman's Beef Board and the National Cattleman's Beef Association. It discusses the beef industry's influence on communities, the economy, public health and the environment, and it turns out it's pretty interesting!

The world population is currently at 6.8 billion, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, while there are only 742,000 farmers (USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture). According to the the review, there are half as many farmers and ranchers today feeding a population that has more than doubled.

The U.S. produces 20 percent of the world's beef while raising 7 percent of the world's cattle and they do this in a way to ensure quality. The report states, "it is estimated that farmer- and rancher-funded Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) programs influence the handling and management of more than 90 percent of the feedyard cattle raised in the U.S. today. Due to these practices, the 2005 National Beef Tenderness Survey found an 18 percent overall improvement in tenderness since 1999 and three-in-four consumers say that they have a positive beef eating experience."

Another key accomplishment cited in the review is the cattleman's investment in safety. The U.S. cattle rancher and farmer invested nearly $30 million in safety efforts since 1993 and the whole beef industry invests $550 million annually to beef safety efforts. "Due in part to these efforts and others, there has been a significant reduction in foodborne illnesses, including reducing E. coli O157:H7 incidence to help meet the 'Healthy People 2010' goal of no more than one case per 100,000 people."

America's farmers and ranchers are extremely innovative. The review highlights this concept through "a Washington State University study, where each pound of beef raised in 2007 compared to 1977 uses 20 percent less feed, 30 percent less land, 14 percent less water and 9 percent less fossil fuel energy." The drive and creativity of those farmers and ranchers has lowered the carbon footprint of producing a pound of beef by 18 percent; pretty good for a bunch of cowboys huh?

In 2002 the USDA studied the major use of land in the United States. According to that survey about 587 million acres acres of U.S. land, which isn't suitable for raising other food, is used for livestock grazing. Forest-use land is 29 percent of land use in the U.S; grassland, pasture land and range land uses 26 percent; cropland comprises 20 percent; special uses takes up 13 percent; and miscellaneous land uses 10 percent. Surprising to this blogger is that urban land only makes up 3 percent of land use in the United States. I honestly thought this number would be higher considering the startling rate at which we, the farming and ranching community, lose land to developers.

Now we all know that the farming and ranching lifestyle is one to be embraced and treasured, but did you know the nearly one-half of cattlemen and women volunteer with a youth organization (that's 47 percent) and more than one-third (35 percent) donate their time to other civic organizations? Compare that to the national average of only 7 percent and I think it's safe to say that farmers and ranchers most definitely give back to their community. Over 84 percent of farmers and ranchers also contribute to their church.

If that wasn't evidence enough of a community with a giving spirit here are some more statistics: "nearly one-fourth of U.S. cattlemen and women have served in the military" which is significantly higher than the national average of only 14 percent. Also, 94 percent of cattlemen and women vote in "national, state and local elections; comparatively, only 64 percent of the general population votes. One-half of cattlemen and women have run for an elected office and 81 percent have been elected to serve."

Perhaps the next time someone says something derogatory towards farming or ranching you can quote some of these statistics. You can find out more by downloading a copy of "The Cattleman's Stewardship Review: Connecting Our Vision and Values" or watch stakeholder interviews discussing the beef industry's accomplishments by visiting Explore Beef.

Procrastinating with "The Wild Within"...and dishes

Welcome to the procrasti-nation!

Here in my small chunk of North central Montana I have been doing just about anything there is to do besides the homework I desperately needed to get done. I mean I even did dishes for crying out loud! Well half of them anyway. :)

For those of you who would say, what does an individual who's cleverly disguised as a responsible, college -educated adult doing homework for anyways? The smart-a$$ answer would be that I'm paying Washington State University a whole bunch of money for a piece of paper that says I'm well educated...again! The real answer is I am trudging through my Master of Science in Agriculture degree.

There is a bit of light at the end of this seriously dark tunnel; at the end of this semester I am three-quarters of the way through my degree and have only my project left to complete. I chose not to pursue a thesis because I don't want a PhD so I get to do a project of my choosing; a professional public relations portfolio if you're wondering. Half of the portfolio is completed so the rest will be a breeze! Ahhahahaha! :s (that's my crazy face)

With my incredibly expensive piece of paper that says "I be ed-u-mah-cated" comes a good pay raise. So not only is that an incentive but it also opens up jobs in my home state of Washington, as well as states like Arizona and Colorado. I'm busting my butt to see it done if for no other reason than I've been working on it since 2007 and in my book not having it done by now is a fault for me. I push myself hard and this is one area where I've been slacking....no longer folks. No longer.

With that lovely piece of whiny rant I'll shift gears and tell you about an awesome TV show that illustrates a viewpoint I think a lot of us are coming around to: one of self-sufficiency or self-sustainable living. "The Wild Within" stars Steven Rinella, a gentleman who believes in the hunting lifestyle so he can fill his freezer and feed his family. I find this show amazing because it actually showcases hunting and the responsibility that comes with it in a positive light. I encourage you to visit the Travel Channel's website and check out Steve's show. You can also find the information there to follow him on Facebook or Twitter.

Steven Rinella not only shows hunting in the positive light it deserves, he makes the connection between the human-ness of hunting and knowing where your food comes from. He says in one of his shows, "Hunting is seeing where your food comes from. Knowing it doesn't just appear one your table wrapped in cellophane." What an amazing sentiment! I concur! Everyone should know where their food comes from and this show brings that concept to the general public. It makes me very sad to hear a child answer "the grocery store" when asked where milk comes from.

Rinella, also grows a garden in his current home of New York City He also plans on teaching his young son, Jim, the concepts of hunting and self-sustainable living; just as soon as he's old enough to walk. :) Additionally, Rinella has authored a book called, "American Buffalo: In Search Of A Lost Icon" which I have on my Amazon Wish List. You can pick this book up on Amazon here. I plan to do a book review once I snag this book and get a chance to read it.

Currently, "The Wild Within" is on in my living room and Steve is in Alaska hunting deer with his older brother. Yet another positive aspect of responsible hunting; being with family and sharing that experience with a brother, sister or parent. I know I thoroughly enjoy spending time with my brother and dad when we go out hunting ducks or pheasant. I treasure the time spent with uncles and cousins sharing stories and genial company with each other. These are positive memories I will always keep close to my heart. :)

Research, planning and strawberries

I have been researching up the wazzu people! Not only did my last two classes before I start my Master's project but I am researching varieties for putting in a mini-orchard up here, chicken coup designs, greenhouse designs, and more. I am also trying to get some raised beds planted as soon as possible because I have garlic coming that needs to be planted this fall. I am also trying to build a couple cold frames so that I can have some greens and carrots throughout the winter.

One thing I've learned really quickly is is you want to eat week up here you have to grow it and can it yourself. So thank goodness when mom and dad come over they are bringing vegetables over so I can make spaghetti sauce, salsa, butternut squash soup and sundry other things. I am so thankful for this because there was no time for my container garden to grow!

I am making plans for more permanent growing structure. I found a great, small and cheaply built, greenhouse. I am hoping to construct it this spring and use it all season! I cannot stand not having fresh vegetables but I am REALLY missing the fresh fruit so I've gotta get some growing up here! There are varieties that will work because hey if Canada can do it so can we! :) I also have an idea to create a hedge/boundry line along my sidewalk and pitiful patio with all the strawberries I have. It could turn out pretty cool looking if I can get my sprawtberries to survive the winter.

I am going to finish putting a run on my chicken coop so I can be ready come spring for my girls and then I can have eggs and then meat in the fall. But I might figure out a way to insulate the little house I built so I don't have to chop any heads. Don't get me wrong I can chop their heads off, it's the smell that comes from the scalding and plucking process that grosses me out. I am toying with the idea of getting a milk cow and starting a milk cooperative. There are some ladies in the area who would be down for it and then we could have beef in the freezer from the calf. Could work...hmmm.

I had 23 people show up, or rather stick around, for my gardening clinic. This is a huge change since I have done two events and not a single person has showed up. Needless to say I almost started crying in happiness when I saw all those people waiting there for me! :)

I finally got Internet at the house - about damn time I might add! My net book showed up the same day the Internet did. However, the FedEx guy left it with neighbor Hillary, which is turns out I have two! One I've made friends with but the other I've never laid eyes on. Guess which house it was at. I stopped buy and grabbed it quick since that Hillary wasn't present. I can now do my homework at home instead of at work on a Sunday afternoon.

I am still arranging my office; however, the two extra desks are out and I have put up my pictures on the walls. Now I just have to find a place for all those ribbons and trophies. It's going to be a challenge but I want the kids who show up to realize they can accomplish things if they try.

Well, I'm off to do some more research on the MSU Master Gardener's program. Have an excellent day!

So I'm sure you've heard the expression "breath-takingly beautiful" before but Montana actually puts those words into action. Here are some photo's I've snapped on my travels around the Hi-Line area of North Central Montana.

Encountered on my morning drive around the reservation to post flyers.

An approaching storm created some beautiful lighting!

Can you see the double rainbow?

The Zurich hay house. They bale everything out here, even vacant lots!

Outside Big Sandy, same storm. The pic
doesn't do the beauty of it justice.

Same storm and more pretty lighting
at Verona.

Same field where the double rainbow photo was taken.

I think this should be the tourism poster child photo for anything in
Montana that's East of the Rocky Mountains. It takes my breath away!

Don't Forget to Feed the Chooks Bandicoot!

Howdy ya'll! I have been remiss in writing I know. Sad thing is no computer at home and no Internet their either. *tear* LOL I have been busy at work with cleaning the office (almost done), organizing (my fav...seriously) and working on programing for the upcoming months. My boss, Dave, was up here on Tuesday and helped finish cleaning the stuff out I couldn't lift. He's a very nice guy and we get along well. He's very lax and OMG trusts me to do my job, which as most of you know is a very welcome relief after the last two jobs and year I've had. I am thoroughly enjoying my job and meeting all the people. I do get lonely when I get home but I'm working on that too.

I signed up for a quilting class starting in September and plan to do one each time they become available. I joined the Zurich Garden Club which is full of people who are passionate about actually gardening and not the elevation of their social status. I participate in the Friday Zurich Farmer's Market. It's super tiny but people always show up to see what's there and it's another time to meet people and socialize. I've met Hillary M. and she's great - formerly of NY she gets the new girl thing and has some awesome thoughts along the same line as I do. Plus the Native like her a lot so that might help me in the long run but mostly she's just a cool chick to talk to! :) Another lady, Laurel, owns the coffee shop in Chinook and she's a spunky gal...I like her too! With the frenzy of haying season swiftly followed by wheat and barley harvest it'll definitely be late fall before the neighbors get around to visiting. I have much to do in the house yet so that is OK with me. Speaking of the house - there are some Heuterite girls coming tomorrow to scrub the house from top to bottom. They are well worth their $15/hour in my view. One less thing I have to do! :)

I mowed the inner lawn Tuesday night which turned out to be a good thing because it rained almost all day yesterday. I'm telling ya; I hardly have to water my veggies at all! I got a single bloom on my sugar pie pumpkin yesterday but without other blooms I think he probably won't germinate! the winter squash wheelbarrow is growing like crazy; however, the summer squash BBQ is lagging behind - not enough warm weather for them I guess. My hideous strawberry planter got moved into a more sheltered spot and is again producing strawberries. For first year plants they are doing amazing in the production department. I went "junking" in the out buildings and came up with three more containers and a cast iron bath tub that I resolve to use somehow. I just need to wrestle it out of the grass.

Snake update - since killing that last one I've only seen one snake (he was big for a water snake) but he was too quick for me and the snake killer. Sadly he escaped under the house. Thank GAWD I do not have to go under the house much! LOL

I have decided to get some chickens. I am in the process of building a hen house for them to lay their eggs in and roost at night. Otherwise I just plan for them to run around and eat bugs. Get those grasshoppers under control! I heard of a lady who wanted to get rid of seven hens on Tradio (kinda like Craigslist but on the radio) and gave her a call. I will call her back after I get the house built - hopefully this afternoon - to pick up my Oscar White chickens. Seven hens is way to much for me; however, there is a bulk discount and ya never know when one or two will disappear. :/ Soo I will post pics of my hen house and chooks when they are done/arrived!

TTFN!

Playin' in the dirt is the way to spend the day!

Well I decided to take a break from packing, house hunting and just generally preparing for my move to play in the dirt a bit; specifically the garden.

These are some pics from my fun time in the dirt.....

So in this picture there is a lot going on. So from left to right there are some radishes, which aren't my favorite but mom likes to eat them.  We planted a lot of radishes and with all the rain we've had they are splitting so the ducks, chickens and turkeys are getting to eat them, which they like...a lot! There is also a lot of snow peas, the kind where you eat the pod and are my favorite. They are yummy for a stir-fry! This is about the last heavy haul and I'm thinking of freezing the rest of the harvest for stir-fry mixes in the middle of the winter. In the center of the pic is a few stalks of mint, which is beautiful smelling and mom is brewing some lovely iced tea from it as we speak...uh type. :) Also in the center are two scallions from our stock that are growing quite well. Behind the mint is our lettuce haul. It's the kind you cut and it grows back...it's nice and sweet too. Then the pretty colored mix is half spinach (yummy) and then oak leaf lettuce which you cut and then it grows back. I'm working on using more greens in my diet. I have horrible eating habits so I'm trying to fix that! :)

This is a nice bowl of strawberries from mom's strawberry patch, which my brother claims as his own. Sooo he gets to eat this bowl all to himself. We've been having some issues with something eating our strawberries. I think it's slugs or mice but who knows. We're going to but out some Seven and dust them to see if that fixes our problem. :)  

God  has been working wonders in my life lately and I'm very thankful to have the opportunity to play in the dirt with my mom today! Well that's all for me today. Hope you all have a great day! :) 

The Government as Seen Through Ears of Corn

"When, in some obscure country town, the farmers come together to a special town-meeting, to express their opinion on some subject which is vexing the land, that, I think, is the true Congress, and the most respectable one that is ever assembled in the United States"  -Thoreau

Ever notice how people who come from an agriculture background look at things a bit differently than those from the city? This is why I thought with all the public, and private, dissatisfaction in today's culture we might take a closer look at what we should really be focusing on - agriculture. I know this seems a bit out of sorts but if you really think about it, we truly should be concentrating on this because it affects every aspect of our daily, and political, lives.

One of the biggest media buzzes right now is the immigration reform Arizona has recently passed. If you look at this from an agricultural point of view, you can see former President Bush's guest worker program. The manual labor force required to put those cherry pie, T-bone steak, potatoes and milk on your dinner table is astounding! The state's $38 billion food and agriculture industry employs 160,000 people and contributes 12 percent to the state's economy. Nearly $14.8 billion in food and agricultural products were exported through Washington ports in 2008, the third largest total in the U.S. (WSDA) We have to face reality here and that reality is today's Americans do not want to work in the fields doing hard, physical labor. We need those who want to do the work and the guest worker program is an excellent solution to this predicament. Workers are recruited and brought into the U.S. to complete the job at hand and then sent home. This is the best solution I have seen, and the Washington State Farm Bureau supports this initiative. I strongly encourage you to do your research and contact your local and state representatives to share your views with them.

Another area we should be looking at from an agricultural viewpoint is homeland security. We need to preserve farmland to ensure we can feed ourselves in case of a national emergency. There are several ways to go about this but I feel the best way to do this is to make sure everyone knows where their food comes from. Milk does not come from the grocery store! People need to know how to grow a garden, as well. Basic steps to be able to feed themselves. It is my opinion Whitman County in Washington state is doing an excellent job of preserving farmland. Land owners are only allowed to divide their land into parcels no smaller than 20 acres. No one acre parcels for super, energy and resource sucking homes. Please also remember there is a difference between preservation and conservation. Preservation = continued, sustainable working of the land, and conservation = no use of the land what-so-ever. These are issues neither conservatives or liberals should fight over - if we cannot feed ourselves we are doomed to failure!

A third political issue we should be focusing on from an agricultural stance is environmental stewardship. Farmers and ranchers are the original environmentalists. They know they have to care for the land, replenish it and not overwork it, because they will be out of a lifestyle if the land isn't cared for. Spreading manure on your field isn't a new-fangled, organic way of thinking. Using fewer and less harsh pesticides and herbicides is not a new concept. Giving pigs and chickens run of the pasture to fertilize and aerate do not belong to a new way of thinking. These concepts all belong to the generations before us who farmed, ranched and cared for the land. People need to stop and think about how their actions will affect the soil, farming and ranching in the long run. And I'm not just talking about chemicals and farming practices, leave a place better than you found it. Put the neighbors horse manure on your garden instead of nitrates, use soap water instead of pesticides and take care of your natural resources. Follow the golden rule and leave a place better than you found it.

These are just three areas of today's political atmosphere when looked at from an agricultural viewpoint might work out to our advantage instead of causing civil unrest. Just some thoughts.