Gee willikers

I thought I'd post a quick update on all the stuff that's been happening in our lives - but only those subjects that start with G. Because I'm feeling geeky.

Goats

We've finished the unpleasant task of disbudding all of our baby goats. This is an un-fun process that will keep them from growing horns. Unfortunately, the breeds we're dealing with get non-trivial horns, and we've already learned that our one fully horned goat is quite a nuisance, and verging on dangerous.

We also sold all three of our male goat babies. Well, there may be one or two more to come, but the three we have are all sold. The bottle baby has left us already, and he'll be joined by his brother and his half-brother as soon as they are weaned. The more sensitive readers out there will be happy to know that they won't be sold for meat. They'll be living out their days together on a brushy hillside with a running stream. No word on whether daisies grow there. But an animal-loving granddaughter and aspiring vet will take good care of them, I'm sure. And it won't be long now before we can stop buying milk at the grocery store again...

Glamour

I've been asked by BlueGreenEarth (no relation) and The European Social Ecology Institute for permission to republish a couple of my posts here. I am honored. Not bad for somebody just a year and a half removed from a life in suburbia. And further vindication that I am not crazy. Or at least that I'm not the only one who's crazy.

Gadgets

Speaking of crazy, I bought one of these on eBay:
This scary-looking cast-iron contraption can press apples for cider, grapes for wine, sunflower seeds or shelled nuts for oil, meat for lard, and any number of other things. Should be fun.

Garage

Our baby chicks were scheduled to hatch yesterday. They should be arriving any time now. And since our pole barn isn't done, they'll be moving into the garage.

So if you're keeping score, so far we've had nesting mice, rats, mourning doves, goats, and now chickens in our garage. Our attached garage. Can't wait for that pole barn...

Gawking

Lori spotted a flock of hooded merganser ducks in our pond. There were about 10 of them. I tried to take a photo, but they're a bit shy. I dug this up on the Ohio DNR web site:

What a handsome devil.

We've also seen a pair of whistling swans (the big white ones), and we get daily visits from a hungry great blue heron.

Garden

Seed starting resumed yesterday. Not exactly on schedule, but it'll do. Into the seed blocks went:
- Diamond eggplant
- Applegreen eggplant
- Cilantro
- Sweet basil
- Purple basil
- Flat-leaf parsley
- Oregano
- Catnip (to draw a beneficial predator or two to our rodent-laden fields)

As you can see, I was feeling rather herbal.

Some of my small (3/4-inch) seed blocks collapsed when I tried to work with them. I'll have to work on that soil block mix. Other than that one row, they seem to be working pretty well so far.

But I have a confession to make. I don't really like starting seeds indoors. I'd much prefer to plant the seeds once, outside, in the ground, and let them do their thing. Gardeners are supposed to relish the start of gardening season, inside, in tiny little plots of earth, or something like it. But as happy as I am for spring to be approaching, for some reason I don't get too excited about the indoor stuff. In a few months, I'll be glad I got it done though. [Mental note: Look into floating row covers.]

Goodbye

... and stay tuned for fluffy baby chick pics.