The Godfather, Part IV | Chickens in the Road

Oct
27

There’s a deer head in my driveway.

There are two possible scenarios to explain this gruesome situation.

A. Like a scene from The Godfather, my animals have gotten together to let me know that if I don’t deliver more cookies, next time, this deer head will be on my pillow.

B. It’s simply associated with the deer leg that Casper was admiring on the back porch a few days ago and will soon disappear to the same secret location to which he later removed the leg.

You decide what is more believable.

In other news:

1. There was a “scheduled” power outage today. Gwennie and I took it in stride.

I powered up the generator on light duty, knowing it was deliberate and short-term, just hooking up a few lamps and my laptop to ride out the power company’s whims.

When I fired up the generator, I felt an awesome sense of pride that I always feel when I turn on the generator. I did it myself. This is because I got myself a push-button start generator, which removes the issue of arm strength in turning it on. The generator at Stringtown Rising was a big issue. It was pull-start, and I couldn’t start it myself. And I had no control over it and what it powered. I almost enjoy power outages now…..

2. Shortcake’s in the alleyway.

I’m transitioning her from the stall. What I want to do is train her to come to her stall in the evening for feed. I’ve had her stalled this week, giving her feed in the stall at the same time every evening. (Of course, she also has access to hay and water in her stall.) Today, I let her out into the alleyway. I’ll keep her in the alleyway, with access to her stall, a few days, then transition her to the back barn yard and see if she still comes to her stall in the evening for feed. If this all works as planned, I can count on having her “contained” overnight so that she is easy to “catch” to work with her or ride her as we continue to work on our relationship. That will allow me to work with her or ride her in the morning before letting her out to the back barn yard, but still know that she will come back in the evening to her stall. That’s the plan, at least.

3. Friend SarahGrace and her husband stopped by today to help me verify that I have found a spring that is viable for developing into a natural water source for the goat yard.

I’ve been approved for spring development money from the Department of Agriculture. (More on this soon!) When I registered my farm earlier this year with the local county farm bureau, this was one of my goals, to learn how to take part in agricultural programs that are available to farmers to develop natural resources that increase and enhance a farm’s potential, so I’m excited about this project.

4. I took a pint of coconut-raisin pear sauce and poured it into a bowl. I whisked in three eggs then poured it into an unbaked pie shell. I baked it at 350-degrees for one hour. THAT’S IT.

Coconut-raisin pear pie.

Delicious! What an easy way to make a pie!