Animals

I would like to introduce our new family members. These two are from our little nanny we kept from last years babies. Her name is Brownie. This is her first year to have babies and she did a wonderful job. She had one boy, 5.5 lbs, and one girl, 5 lbs. They were born during the night last night.

These two are from the nanny we kept two years ago. Her name is Daisy and she also had a boy and a girl. The little boy is the white one and he weighed 8.5 lbs, and the little girl weighed in at 8 lbs. They are sooooo cute.

We still have one nanny yet to deliver. Ghost, she is a nanny we kept from three years ago and this will be her third time kidding. Can't wait to see what they look like.

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Homemade Udder Salve (For Cows and Goats)

• 1/2 ounce Beeswax
• 1 ounce Shea Butter
• 1 ounce Coconut Oil
• You can use any type of coconut oil that you have on hand.
• 3 ounces Calendula Infused Oil
• (Optional) A few drops of essential oil (your choice). Lavender or Tea Tree Oil might be nice.

·         To make the udder salve:

·         In a double boiler, melt the beeswax. I use a hillbilly double boiler setup:

·         I fill a small saucepan 1/2 way full with water and place a Pyrex measuring cup (or some other stove-top safe container) inside. I place the beeswax in the Pyrex, and allow it to melt over medium-high heat.

·         Once the beeswax is melted, add in the Shea butter and coconut oil. Gently stir, incorporating everything as it melts. Add the Calendula oil, mix together, and then remove from the heat.

·         Store in a small glass or plastic container (if using plastic, allow your mixture to cool a little before pouring it into the container). Make sure you choose something large enough that you can reach your fingers inside to scoop out the salve.

Apply frequently. I like to use it every morning after milking.

A few notes:

• Not sure where to find Shea butter, Calendula, or beeswax? Check your local health food store.
• I’ve seen several udder balm recipes calling for peppermint oil. I thought about including in my recipe, but then I also got to thinking that peppermint seems to make everything feel colder. I’m not sure that would feel the greatest on a wet udder when it’s already 20 degrees (or less!) outside.
• However, many folks seem to think that massaging the udder with peppermint oil helps with mastitis. So, I would recommend adding a few drops of peppermint oil to your salve if you are having problems with that.
• I do NOT recommend leaving this out in the barn when it’s cold… It will turn into a solid brick. I leave mine in our mud room and just slip it into my pocket when I head out the door to milk.
• Don’t stress out over the measurements. Feel free to play around with the ingredient amounts- it’s pretty flexible. If you want it harder or softer, try adjusting the amount of beeswax you use. The more you add, the harder it will become.
• This is wonderful for your own hardworking hands and feet, too!

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These are our pets.

This is Taffy , she is our fat cat.

Here you can see her looking out into the yard at Shy Ann

 Shy Ann is dutifully hunting. She is our little predator.

She really gets into her job.

As you can see,she doesn't like being interrupted during her hunting trips.

 Meanwhile, Taffy doesn't like being interrupted during her napping times.

As you can see, she turned her back on me.

After a hard day of hunting, our little huntress is taking a nap, getting ready for a new day.

This is Valkyrie's Flash O'Blue "Flash". He is the newest addition to the family.

Raindancer "Dancer" is our rescue girl and what a cutie.

They both are such lovers. Although it is taking some time for them to trust us.

They seem to get along quite well together. Although Flash is quite the hoover and likes to eat all the food we put out for them, if he can get away with it. I think Dancer is starting to stand up for herself though.