Sunday, May 27, 2012

I might have to build an ark...

I got the call about 5pm on my drive home.

"Hi Honey, there has been a bit of a flood in the house, it looks like the kitchen tap broke and flooded"

Me: Well, there are towels in the laundry room to mop it up.

"um. I don't think towels will do it. You will see when you get here"

Well, what a mess. Our house was completely flooded, the basement below was destroyed, the kitchen cabinets were swollen shut (I shuddered to think about the rice and flour inside. Ewww)
the floor had buckled...

We called our insurance.

Thank goodness we paid that little bit extra for "replacement" cost on our policy which means that we can replace all of the damaged furniture in the basement.

I am trying to find a silver lining in all of this. We were almost finished the bathroom and I was so excited to finally get my home "back to normal".   It seems that the universe had other plans, and so here I am in the midst of chaos again.

The insurance company has said that they will redo the kitchen, and the basement. It will likely take 6-8 months to complete. After I got over the shock, I realized that a new kitchen is a blessing. So yes it does mean months of living out of boxes, and mess in the house - but in the end it will all be terrific.

And if that doesn't pan out...I will just build an ark and live with it.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

My Lamb Dish

I do so like a challenge.

We were told that the most recent sheep association meeting was going to be themed around lamb dishes, and we were asked to bring our favorite lamb dish.  The trouble is, I don't really know how to cook lamb yet. I suppose I could have searched the internet for an amazing dish to make, but my talents don't really fit into the "hot foods" category.

So I made a lamb dish with a twist!  

They were a hit.

What's your favorite lamb dish?

Sunday, May 13, 2012

Feathered Fuzzy Faces

Well, the wee ones have arrived! The chicks and baby muscovies arrived today. They are so cute at this stage, and really focused on eating it seems. 

So for your pure enjoyment, baby photos!




Wednesday, May 9, 2012

Newbies in the Business

Someone asked me the other day how long I had been "lambing".  I had a good giggle.  I looked him straight in the eye  and said "about 9 days now". 

If it weren't for the overwhelming support and kindness of other shepherds, and the power of YouTube videos (which we have used on many occasions in the barn at 3am!) we wouldn't have a clue what we are doing.

Somehow, we are managing. And these lovely wee ones remind us daily that we are succeeding as farmers!

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

The Red Light District

Well, it's been a mad dash to the finish but I think we are almost done the new chick house. The chicks arrive next week, so it couldn't be a moment too soon.  My dear sweet fireman did an amazing job of designing this, right down to finding the two big picture windows at a farm auction! The tin room is recycled from a barn he is tearing down for another farmer, and most of the wood also came from that old barn.  It is truly an effort to reuse and recycle.

I have the pens set up inside and the heat lamps are ready to go. It's so nice and clean in there right now...I know it won't stay that way for long! LOL!

I affectionately call it the "red light district".