It's still raining. Our pond is fuller than we've ever seen it. We designed it with a spillway to handle any possible overflow and this afternoon there was a veritable stream coming out of the pond via the overflow. The overflow is over flowing. Parts of the bank that have never felt water before are starting to erode a bit.
The ducks and geese are elated. They think it's spring time. If they're not playing a vigorous game of water polo, they're all grazing on the green, green grass of their pasture. Even the chickens can be seen out all day long. Most likely supplementing their late November diet with worms that have come to the surface of the soil to keep from drowning.
Tomorrow (dum-da-dum-dum) is butchering day. Three of the geese and eight of the ducks will be dispatched to freezer camp. Or our neighbor's smoker. I wish it was tomorrow night at this time. Is there anyone who likes butchering day on the homestead? Nah, I didn't think so.
This is what happens to my quilt room when I don't have time to spend in there, but have to run in and out doing emergency repairs or making a quick holiday fabric cover for a jar of blueberry jam to be delivered to a friend, or some such thing. I get in and get out, grabbing or doing only what I need at the moment . . .
. . . and this is the resulting mess. Oh well, soon (am I living in Fantasy Land again?) I'll be able to spend some time in there cleaning up and finishing the quilting on that blue and white quilt I've had in my machine (with the needle in the very same spot) for a couple of weeks. At least. We just have to get through butchering day tomorrow, then get four new tires put on the Suburban first of next week, then a trip to the big city to unload our old, worn out solar power batteries by meeting a fella who pays $18 each for the batteries. I think that's all that's on the immediate schedule, aside from every day things, (don't tell me if I've forgotten something important) so I should have a few days before Christmas to hibernate in my quilt room, unlax and become my usual (ha!) sweet, loving, even-tempered self again.
Oh nuts, I just remembered I was going to make up the dough for each of our Christmas cookies and have it ready in the freezer ahead of time this year. Aw, balderdash, who needs Christmas cookies anyway? (Did you hear that resounding, rather piercing cry from the troops that inhabit this place?) WE DO, WE DO, WE DO!
Like I said, where do the days go? Should any of you reading this be bored and need something to do for the next month, wanna come live here? I can make you a list . . .
18 comments:
Can't skip the cookies! A deep clean sounds like the perfect January project! :)
I think your quilt room is lovely. It shows a great sense of placement and color. And I can tell you that you aren't alone and that my dear is why God invented doors. You have a homestead life and it seems to me that working with it takes a bit of triage. First things first and all that. Fun blog entry let me know if you need to borrow one of our super sized River Rat inter tubes. Won't need them until end of December when the grand girls go sledding on Eskimo Hill.
Christmas without cookies? Unthinkable!
The butchering will be over in a few hours and then you'll have more goodness from the freezer to enjoy in the coming months.
So , is goose on the Christmas menu?
Sarah - No, I could never skip the cookies . . . especially living with the original Cookie Monster (aka husband). How about January is a perfect month for reading, quilting, watching a couple of DVDs, napping, etc.? ;o)
Goatldi - I was thinking the same thing last night about how lucky I am to have my quilt room, my own space, complete with a door. Who cares what it looks like in there? I've got the rest of the house spiffed up and I can, indeed, close the door on that mess!
Sledding down a great hill on a super sized inner tube?? Sounds like one hay of a lot of tun!
I hope you post about the actual process of butchering. I have no experience outside of chickens.
You know you will be making cookies!
Sue - Yes, I'm thinking there will be a Christmas goose in the oven this year. First time in several years. (You want the livers to make pate??)
Glenda - The butchering is really no different than with chickens. BUT the feathers are harder to remove. I will have camera in hand (a good excuse to stay out of the yucky stuff?) and will see what I can come up with that isn't too gruesome to post. This butchering is gonna be hard because this batch of geese and ducks are so tame and friendly.
We dry plucked our Grandmothers geese as she wanted all the feathers and eiderdown for pillows.
Oh, yes those feathers come out hard. Almost always had goose for Christmas dinner at her house. Sounds so good, been many years since I have fixed one. Such good eating you will have.
Myrna - Our good neighbor who helped us today said his mother always dry plucked to get the down, too. He experienced scalding the geese and ducks for the first time today and remarked over and over how much easier it was than dry plucking! If I could send you one of our butchered geese, I would!
We moved into our new homestead in Utah Nov 1. So we are busy getting settled in. We are pretty much painting the whole house and had to redo the walls down in my husbands man cave. That's where he is as I write this comment. I can hear the saw going.
Mama Pea,
Your craft room looks like you work in it. As they say a home should look lived in, not so put together one can't enjoy it.
Dispatching an animal is no fun however, it does fill up the freezer, and you know exactly how your meat was raised. I would rather dispatch an animal I raised than to go to the grocery store and buy meat (meat you have really no idea how it was raised, and what type of drugs were feed to the animal).
I think you'll bake cookies. You do it every year, and every one loves them.
Hugs,
Sandy
GAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Always glad I'm poor and don't have to eat stuff like pate and escargot and caviar. I'll stick with "poor man's" appetizers-cute little sandwiches and those little snausages baked in a crescent roll. Yep. MUCH more do-able!
I was wondering how your fun yesterday went. Feathers are the bane of my butchering experience. I cannot imagine geese - or ducks! It makes it a little difficult when you have a friendly bunch. Unless you have an extra dozen ducks that are making your life hell. Can you believe that I never have had roast goose? You want me to come up for dinner? I'd gladly take those livers offen your hands... :)
Michelle - HUGE project for you and your family! But how exciting to be on your new homestead. Hope you have an "easy" weather winter to help you get settled in.
Sandy - Yes, knowing where our food comes from, how it was raised (meat especially because we don't raise all of it here), and how the animals were treated is very important to us. Both morally and as good nutrition for our bodies.
Yepper, I will definitely bake cookies. I always do, and it's part of the good feelings of the holiday season. ;o)
Susan - I think there is going to be roast goose for Christmas Dinner. The livers are getting sauteed in bacon grease for dinner tonight!
P.S. Doth Susan speak from experience when she mentions the extra dozen ducks that are making her life hell??? ;o)
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