"Herd Health Check"

When I worked at East Holmes Vet Clinic, there were several farms with good-sized dairy cow herds. Remember me saying that dairy cows are some of the most cared-for animals? Most dairy farmers rely on their vet to make sure their cows stay healthy--Because a healthy cow is a productive cow. At East Holmes, our bigger dairy clients had regular "herd health checks" just for that reason. CT Farm doesn't have cows (maybe someday) but, we have a lot of critters.

Meet Dr. Amity Wise (three weeks from having her baby!). She is a graduate of the Ohio State University (Go Bucks!!!) and a veterinarian at East Holmes Veterinary Clinic in Berlin, and is one of the four very talented vets at the clinic. She has been coming to my farm to do "herd health checks" on my brood for almost two years, I think. She's a great vet and am happy to have her.

As I mentioned last week, today was going to be "herd health check" day at CT Farm. The agenda: Four of the five dogs, all eight of the cats, the guinea pig and the horse were getting vaccines and a looking-over. This is why the vet comes to me and I don't go to them.

We started with the downstairs kitties. Milk, Jo ( He's really an upstairs kitty. He likes to hide, so he got put in a crate till we were ready for him.), Abby, Eddie, Lou and Mo. You are probably wondering "downstairs kitties"? Yes, some of the kitties live in the basement. I call it their "lair" or I also refer to it as "the kennel". I used to board dogs and cats, hence "the kennel". And yes, I boarded dogs and cats in my house in the basement. No, it really wasn't noisy. Many of my clients liked the set-up because I was so close to their pets and the dogs and cats got a lot of extra care that they might not have gotten somewhere else. But, that's another story for another day. The cats did pretty well. Roscoe and Toby were in a run waiting for their turn. Toby, however, was not due for any shots. Roscoe was a good boy for Dr. Amity.

Then, we moved upstairs. Alex gave us a little trouble, but nothing major. Justin never likes to give up his blood for his heartworm check, so Dr. Amity brought a tourniquet. That was the ticket. No problems getting blood today. Sadie was next. She is getting a little wear on her and Dr. Amity recommended she be on glucosamine tablets to help her joints. Old Tuffy was last. It makes me sad to know that he is starting to show the signs of being almost 11. She found changes in in eyes, but not bad. Possibly a yeast infection in his ear, a little more arthritis in his hips and a bulgy muscle on the inside of his right hip. The bulge has us stumped for now, but she is recommending an ultrasound and some other tests to get a better idea of what it might be. Poor Tuffy...He's my baby.

That was it for the dogs and inside cats. Dr. Amity took a quick look at Timmy, the guinea pig. He's a little overweight. I was so impressed how well he let her look at him. She looked at his mouth and teeth, looked at his feet and felt his belly. He never freaked out! I thought he would, but he didn't. He was a very well-behaved pig. She recommended I give him some harder foods like carrots to help him wear his teeth down. A guinea pig's teeth can become overgrown, a condition know as maloclusion. We don't want that to happen.

After "the pig", we headed out to the barn to vaccinate Connie, the barn cat. Then, it was on to Duncan, the horse. She vaccinated him and checked his teeth too. Duncan didn't need floated like we thought he might. Teeth what? Floated. Horse's teeth continually grow. Some horses wear their teeth in a manner that starts forming small points, hooks and waves to the teeth. This can lead to mouth ulcers, grain dribbling, etc. The teeth then need to be "floated". The instruments the vets use to file the teeth back down level are called "floats". Floats are long tools with files on the ends. The floats are different shapes and sizes to perform specific tasks of filing. The horse is usually sedated enough they don't care this is going on, but awake enough to stand. Some vets use a "mouth speculum" to keep the horse's mouth open during the procedure.

All-in-all, things went well. I gave Dr. Amity a small baby gift--some onesies with a cow on one and a horse on the other. She really likes working on horses and her husband, Dr. Aaron Wise (also at East Holmes) is more into cattle. So, I thought that would be an appropriate gift.

We chatted a bit and she climbed into the vet unit and was off. If some of you have never seen a vet unit before, it's really cool! The "unit" is usually a truck with a fiberglass insert that slides into the bed of the truck. It has several compartments. This is a picture of the back. These things hold A LOT of stuff! You can see the bottles of drugs, vitamins, etc. in the pull-out drawers. The sides, which I didn't get a picture of, also lift up. Usually there is a small refrigerator too. Some even have a way to dispense hot water! It's not as good as the clinic itself, but comes pretty close. I used to be a veterinary assistant to an equine vet, so I've been around a vet unit or two. Oh, the memories!

New Calves and Hoof Trimming

Like I mentioned in yesterday's post, today I was going to experience hoof trimming cows. I've seen horses trimmed and shod several times. But cows...that's a whole other ball game. With horses, the farrier or blacksmith comes and trims the hooves and will put on horseshoes, usually while the horse is tied or someone is holding it. Cows go into a trimming chute. There are levers and pulleys and all sorts of things to keep the cow comfortable while the person trimming moves, bends and supports the feet and legs, securing them only long enough to trim the hoof. I was amazed at how calm the cows remained while they got their feet trimmed! The first cow we trimmed, Faith, was so docile I couldn't believe it. She never mooed or anything--just stood there and looked around.

"Faith", waiting patiently to get her bovine "pedicure".

You may be wandering, why we had to trim hooves. Depending how cows are managed, they can be kept in free-stall barns, out on pasture or a little of both. Around here, many cows are kept in free-stall barns, especially on the big dairies. What's a free-stall barn? A free-stall barn is a big open barn with a line of "stalls" for the cows to lounge in. There is usually a large aisle way for them to walk and a long area where they can eat. The cows can roam about freely through the day between milkings. Some barns have water-cushioned mats for the cows to lay on in their "stall". Typically there is some sort of mat with bedding on top. The bedding is usually a sandy type of material or sawdust. The farm I was at uses sawdust. The downside to sawdust, as far as feet are concerned, is that it doesn't wear on the cow's hooves like sand to keep them nice and trim. There are pros and cons to using sawdust or sand, but that is determined by the farmer's preference, cost, etc.

We trimmed two cows. I guess I should say Stan did...I mostly watched. However, on the second cow, Stan let me have a go at it. It was definitely harder than Stan made it look! Their hooves are hard. It took about two hours to trim two cows. It was all manual labor, no grinders for shaping, just strength and finesse to shape the hooves with the trimmer.

Now with nice trim feet, the cows move better, stand better and are all-around more comfortable. Cow comfort equals more milk production. A friend of ours is a dairy nutritionist. His mantra is, "cow comfort, cow comfort, cow comfort!" I think dairy cows have to be one of the most cared-for creatures in the agriculture industry. A good milking cow is worth her weight in gold. Just today I heard on the radio about a cow that now holds the record for milk produced. She gave a record 8,400 gallons in a year! To dairymen, milk is measured in pounds. Why? Not sure. But, convert that out...If a gallon weighs 8 pounds, that's 67,200 pounds of milk a year. Divide that by 365 days, that's 184.11 pounds of milk a day!!! The average amount produced by a cow is probably 60-80 pounds a day. Some cows will give more. In February, Stan said he had four cows that were hitting 100 pounds a day. But 184...? That's phenomenal!!!

On another note, I took some video of some of Stan's new calves. They were born a couple of days ago. The one with the green ear tag is a heifer and the one with the pink nose is a bull. I think the bull is cuter...If you turn up your volume and pause the playlist, you can hear me talking to the calves.

Work Day, Date, Day of Rest, Cows & Recipe of the Week: Brats with Mustard Slaw

Okay, I admit I'm a little behind. So, I'm lumping a bunch of things together.

Friday was a work day. Nothing real exciting. My boss had an appointment to get his taxes done Saturday, so it was a last minute scramble to get all the information finalized for his appointment. I left work at 7:45 PM, grabbed some take-out and went home.

Remember in last Thursday's post I had mentioned that I had to drop something off for a friend of ours and that you would get to meet Stan...? Well, I never got to do what I was planning on doing Saturday for you to meet Stan, but I'll get to that in a moment. Instead, my hubby wanted to go out. He took me shopping! I couldn't believe it! He's been so busy pushing snow, catching up on sleep and working his real job, I haven't really seen much of him. So, I jumped at the chance to spend some time with him. I do kind of like him.

Before you get too excited, our shopping isn't usually anything too elaborate. My list included:
cooling racks
serving spoons
3-Ring binder

See, nothing extravagant. Matt was in the mood for a good burger. Our usual haunt wasn't really on the way to anywhere we wanted to go. We decided to head to Mansfield and eat at Logan's Roadhouse. Before we stopped at Logan's, I wanted to stop at Once Upon A Child and see if they had anything we could use to set up our nursery to prepare for foster kids. I did find a Noah's Ark quilt for $4.50. For those of you who aren't familiar with Once Upon A Child, it is a children's resale store for gently used items. Logan's had an hour wait, so we decided to eat elsewhere. We made a few quick stops at Goodwill and Gabriel Brothers before stopping at a new restaurant, Johnny Biggs. Check out the links under "Where I've Been".

We weren't very impressed with Johnny Biggs. They were a new restaurant and definitely needed to work some bugs out. The food was overcooked and under-seasoned. I hope they will do some tweaking. It has a lot of potential.

After supper and still unable to find cooling racks, we tried Meijer. They didn't have any like I wanted either. They have 15 kinds of bake pans and sheets and two kinds of cooling racks! I was looking for chrome or stainless steel ones, not ones with non-stick coating or that stacked. The last ones I had, had the non-stick coating and it eventually chipped off and would stick to my cookies, yuck! No luck at Meijer, so we tried Kohl's. They only had one kind of cooling rack! I gave up and will try another store. Overall, it was a nice evening with my fella.

Sunday was another day of rest spent going to church in the morning and the rest of the day with my parents in leisurely fellowship. I helped mom plan menus most of the afternoon and then we sat around and talked awhile.

Today, I started with chores, like always, and began cleaning up the house. I worked until 4:30 PM and then I got ready to go milk...yes milk. Milk cows. Here enters our friend Stan. Matt pumps manure for Stan and was his very first customer. Let me give you a little history how I got to know Stan...

Back in the fall, Matt was at Stan's pumping his manure pit. Matt was there several days before he finally got finished. For some reason, I had to go to the farm a few times in the evening--usually during milk time. One time my parents even stopped to see Matt's operation up and running. Anyway, I had always wanted to learn how to milk cows--I know, it seems odd, but I did. However, I could never find anywhere to learn and couldn't get hired anywhere because I wasn't experienced. I really liked heading to the farm those few nights and was noticeably disappointed when I didn't have a reason to go anymore. Matt was on the phone with Stan a few days later and relayed my disappointment. Matt handed his phone to me and Stan told me that they were going to test milk in the morning and I was welcome to come watch!!! I was a step closer to realizing my dream! WOO HOO!

For someone who never sees 4:45 AM, Matt was impressed I rolled out of my rack to go watch milk be tested--what that entailed, I still had no idea. For almost two hours I stood in the milk parlor and watched the milking and the testing. The medicinal smell of the teat dip and the pulsing vacuum of the milkers was mesmerizing and calming to me. I was captivated--I know...I'm odd.

To give you an idea, testing measures the amount of milk each cow produces over two milkings. Milk is measured in pounds, not gallons. Also, a small sample of milk is taken and then sent to a lab and analyzed.

I went home elated and told Matt everything that happened. I was disappointed that I didn't get to milk. However, testing time wasn't the best time to learn anyway. But, Stan said that I was welcome to come and milk anytime! WOO HOO! Finally!!! The next Monday I was at the farm at 5:00 PM for evening milking. I milked a couple of times a week from the beginning of October to a few days before Thanksgiving. Everyone wanted to know why on earth I wanted to learn to milk and astonished that I did it for free. True, I wasn't paid with money, but I was being paid in knowledge--that's priceless.

With Thanksgiving, then Christmas, then I had the flu and Matt had knee surgery--I hadn't had any time to call my own, let alone go see the cows--until today. I was a little slow, but quickly fell back into the routine. After milking, we fed the new calves. I got to bucket-feed a new heifer and Stan bucket-fed a new bull. New calves are so cute! I'll try and get some picks to post for you. I hope I can keep going to milk on a regular basis. I do enjoy it very much.

Tomorrow I'm going to get to experience hoof trimming the cows...That should be interesting.

Recipe of the Week: Brats with Mustard Slaw
courtesy Renee Schaaf, CT Farm

5 (or one pack) Brats
4-5 c. water
4 c. cabbage, thinly sliced
1/4 c. honey mustard
1 T. Dijon mustard
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. black pepper
1/2 T. vinegar
1 T. brown sugar
1/4 t. celery seed
1 large onion, sliced
1 T. olive oil

Cook brats thoroughly.

Bring water to boil in large saucepan. Add cabbage to the water and blanch until tender, but not soft. Remove cabbage and shock it by running it under cold water. Drain and set aside.

Combine, mustards, salt, pepper, vinegar, sugar and celery seed. Whisk together. Set aside.

Cook onion in olive oil until tender. Add cabbage and toss with onion. Add mustard mixture and toss together. Add cooked brats, sliced or whole, to cabbage and onions and let cook together for 10 minutes.

Grocery Day

I've been around the world today!

My parents came up today and we all went grocery shopping together. I had to run some errands the Millersburg way, so we headed to the Millersburg Wal-Mart (my favorite). But first, I had to stop and drop off something for a friend of ours. You'll get to meet Stan soon. Hopefully Saturday you'll get to hear about him...

We ate lunch at East of Chicago and took advantage of their "Any Pizza, $9.99" deal. For $9.99 plus drinks and tax came out to less than $5.00 per person--and we were stuffed. Then, off to Wally World. It took awhile, but we finally got through. Then we were off to Berlin, about 15 minutes East of Millersburg. Remember, heart of the worlds largest Amish community... My veterinarian (the one I used to work for) is there. I needed to stop and get a printout of which of my animals are due for what shots. Dr. Wise (I call her Dr. Amity) is coming next Thursday to vaccinate the dogs and cats and to look at our horse to see if he needs his teeth floated. In case you just asked, "Teeth...what?" I'll save that for next week. "Herd Health Check" day, as I call it, is always fun. This time there will be an extra degree of difficulty because I found out that Dr. Amity is pregnant and her due date is getting close!

After the vet's, we went to Nature's Food Market in Berlin. They are a natural health store. I'm really trying to embrace healthy living--not necessarily go all natural or all organic, but at least make an effort to be that way when I can and when I can afford to. I picked up some shampoo ("Whenever" shampoo by Kiss My Face), lotion ("Radiance Body Lotion with Royal Jelly" by Burt's Bees) and nasal spray by NutriBiotic. I wanted to be able to pronounce and know what the ingredients were in these products--or at least know most of them. I'm just shocked at some of the ingredients in things. What are some of those things anyway? I did pay more for the products, but if I'm using something that is better for me and better for the world, can you put a value on piece of mind?

After Berlin, we headed back to Wooster. Mom and I needed to go to Aldi. Then, Mom needed to go to JoAnn Fabrics. After there, we split up--Mom and Dad dropped me off at Buehler's, our local supermarket, and they went to Lowe's. We met up again and headed to the equity making a detour at my bank to make a deposit. We got to the equity at five minutes till close, got dog food and kitty litter and finally headed back to my house. Whew!!!

I'll list the websites for the products I purchased today at the health store under "Interesting Links". Check out the new entries under "Where I've Been" and "People to Know".

Having Fun

As you can see, I've been having fun customizing my blog. Maybe it's over-the-top, but I like it.

Day with Friends, Family Valentine Dinner & Recipe of the Week: Rice Krispie Treats with a Twist

I've been a busy bee lately. Saturday was chock-full. Me and a couple of friends got together and checked out a home and garden show in Ashland at the old K-Mart. It was nice, but I don't think worth the $5.00 admission. Then, we stopped at Drug Mart, Goodwill and Hawkin's Market. Later, we dropped off Angie, who had some prior commitments to attend, and then my friend Peggy and I went to Home Depot. I bought a humidifier. My allergy doctor recommended I get one and put it in our room and run it at night while I sleep. I also bought some microfiber cleaning pads. After Home Depot, we went to Applebee's for dinner. We maybe didn't plan that so well, considering it was Valentine's weekend. Our food took forever to come and our waiter was so apologetic. He had only been working there for two weeks and seemed a bit frazzled.

Sunday was our family Valentine Dinner at my parent's house. Matt and I left early to take care of the kitties one more time before heading to church. I totally underestimated how long it would take. On the last day I cat sit, I want to make sure the dishes are cleaned up, kitty pans cleaned, floors are swept, etc. By the time I got everything done, we were running so late, we just headed to Mom and Dad's and missed church. I felt bad because this was the second week we've missed.

We had a lite lunch and then Mom and I started getting things prepped for supper. I was handling the vegetables and Mom had already made the dessert. All she had to do was mix up the meat for the Salisbury steak. While I was in the kitchen, Mom and Matt filled the porch up with wood. Mom and Dad have a wood burner too. I made Green Bean Casserole and Candied Carrots. The casserole was good. I didn't use mushroom soup, but instead made a cheese sauce and sauteed onions and mushrooms to add with the beans. The carrots were cooked in a heavy syrup of brown sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. My brother, his wife and my three nephews arrived around 5:30 PM. We had a nice meal and fellowship. At the end of the evening, Mom got out her "Valentine's" for us. She made big heart-shaped sugar cookies with pink frosting. In the middle, she put the first letter of our first name in white icing. Yum! She's such a good mom!!!

Tuffy, my big, lovable Valentine!

Decorations

Mom's Valentine Tree

Place settings for dinner.

Today hasn't been real exciting. Matt informed me that we were to get another four to eight inches of snow by tomorrow evening! Ugh! So, he's sleeping in anticipation for being "Plow Guy" again. I reorganized my spice cupboard today and threw out all of my really old spices. I just gave everything a good going over. I am starting to bake a lot of my own bread now and needed to make room for the 20 pounds of flour I bought at the bulk food store last week!

It just bothers me to read the labels on the foods I eat and not be able to pronounce most of the ingredients. I was reading the list of ingredients on the bread bag in Wal-Mart and it was an inch-long paragraph. That's just crazy. So, I've started making or baking a lot of my own food. I'm a big believer in using minimally processed, natural or organic foods if I can. And, I'm staring to do a lot of "from scratch" cooking, like my bread. It is different, but I feel better doing it--Like raising my own vegetables. I know what went into that green bean from seed to my dinner plate. If you have the time, it's worth doing.

Along with this new way of eating, I'm also looking at how I can be more frugal and earth-friendly. I am a neat freak, especially in my kitchen. I hate a dirty floor. So, I use the wet Swiffer pads a lot. The wet Swiffer pads cost like $8.00 (I think) for the big pack. I use them once and have to throw them away. How wasteful. But, I don't want to break out my mop and bucket all the time either. So, what to do? Then, the other day I had an idea. While I was at Home Depot Saturday, I bought a pack of those microfiber cleaning cloths. I put about seven of the cleaning cloths in my Swiffer container, added some all-purpose cleaner and enough water for the cloths to get saturated. Now, when I want to "Swiffer" I pull out one of my cloths, attach it to my Swiffer mop and clean away. When I'm done, I pull off the cloth and throw it in the laundry. Now, no waste and I save money!

The Recipe of the Week is nostalgic for me. I made these treats for Matt last week and it's the same recipe my Grandma Hay used to make. They are so good!

Rice Krispie Treats with a Twist
courtesy Valerie Buehler

1 c. white Karo
1 c. sugar
1 c. peanut butter
6 c. Rice Krispies
6. oz. butterscotch chips
6 oz. milk chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet)

Bring Karo and sugar to boil. Take pan off the heat and add peanut butter. Stir until mixed together. Pour over Rice Krispies and mix thoroughly. Pat ingredients into a greased 9x13-inch pan. Melt the butterscotch chips and milk chocolate chips together. Pour over top of Krispie Treats. Refrigerate until topping hardens.

Plowed Out, An Amish Gem & Work Day

Things have been pretty boring lately, I have to admit. I didn't want to bore you with a post yesterday because there wasn't anything really exciting. However, in the evening, Matt finally got us plowed out from the second snow we had. Check out Mount Schaaf...



Matt wanted me to snap a photo of our snow pile that he made from plowing our driveway with our loader tractor. I had Tuffy sit on the ground to give you an idea of how big the pile is.



Anyway...we were out of a few things, so we decided to go shopping...

We have the privilege of living on the fringe of the worlds largest Amish community. If you go about 40 minutes southeast of here, there is a small town called Berlin. Berlin is in the heart of the world's largest Amish community. This is reaffirmed on a sign outside of town that reads,



So, now you know I'm not lying. I had the luxury of working in Berlin for a while at a veterinary clinic for about six months. Berlin is small, but when it's tourist season, look out. There are people everywhere taking in the quaint shops and daily life of the local Amish. While working down there, not only did I learn about Amish culture, but I also learned where some really neat places were, off the beaten path. I found this absolute gem of a little country market, literally out in the country and called "The Country Pantry", run by a Mennonite (I'm guessing) family. (It's hard to tell who is actually Amish or Mennonite. There are so many different groups. Each group has their own bishop and some bishops are more modern than others.) The Country Pantry sells bulk foods, deli meats, cheeses, etc. The meats and cheeses are half the price I would pay at our local supermarket or even Wal-Mart. It really is a gem. So, I make the trek once or twice a month to restock Matt on his sandwich making supplies.

After The Country Pantry, we headed to the Millersburg Wal-Mart. Yes, we have a Wal-Mart in Wooster, but I hate it. It's always busy and out of everything. Since we were in the Millersburg direction, we just stopped there. It's less crowded, better stocked and just nicer. It even has a covered hitching area for the Amish buggies--not just a bar like most places around here. On our way to Wal-Mart, Matt noticed a sign outside of the East of Chicago Pizza, that said, "Any Pizza, $9.99". He was hungry so we decided to check it out after Wal-Mart. I thought there would be some sort of catch or something, but any pizza really was $9.99!!! Any size, even specialty pizzas!!! We took advantage of that and got the biggest one with lots of toppings so we could take some home. Yum!

On our way back home, we had to make a pit stop in Wooster. I'm cat sitting for a couple right now. They are super nice and have nice cats.

So, maybe I could have posted yesterday. I guess it wasn't sooo boring after all.

Today was a work day for me. Fridays are always work days. It's the "most important day," says my boss. The trading for commodities ends around 2:30 EST and I have to enter the opening, high, low and closing values for the days (Monday through Friday) and then on Fridays I am able to enter the opening, high, low and close for the week. My boss studies this information and uses it to determine when to buy and sell commodity futures. I also keep track of the hog records too. The hog farm where I work is part of a larger group of growers and finishers of hogs. The group is monitored by a veterinarian in Western Ohio. Quarterly, we have to send records to the vet for her to review to make sure everyone is doing well in production, health, etc. Well, a few weeks ago our program we use to keep records decided to go haywire. It was almost two weeks before we got things on track. But, to make matters worse, I had been sick with the flu previously. I was getting way behind on the hog records. Of course, it was time now to send our records to the vet and they were no where near caught up. The boss's wife stepped in and helped me get the records caught up because we could send them today. The vet could wait no longer. Now we're all caught up.

Remember, Sunday is Valentine's Day. Don't forget your special someone...

Same Old Same Old

I feel like my days are starting to be duplicates of each other. It snows. We dig out. It snows. We dig out, and so on. I don't go anywhere, except where I have to. I do chores, putter away at odds and ends, maybe go to work if the weather is fit, come home, putter, chores and bedtime. Maybe cabin fever is setting in...

"Plow Guy" got home this morning around 4:30 AM. I feel bad that he's out there in the thick of it while I'm at home in our warm cozy house. I slept in the chair waiting for him. More like, dozed in the chair--so I didn't get much rest. We both slept in today.

I've been busying myself doing those tasks that you hate to do until you finally have no choice. Since I'm pretty much stuck at home, I forced myself to do paperwork. I hate taking the time to do paperwork, filing, etc. You just about have to hog-tie me to get it done. Well, the snow has "hog-tied" me. I went through the file cabinet and pulled out all the 2009 paperwork and sorted it. I did this for our personal info and then Matt's business. I do have to say it feels good to have it done. Now I have more room in the file cabinet again!

I'm not sure what I'll get into later. I might make another loaf of bread, or maybe a batch of cookies. Matt just left to go plow again. Maybe I will make some cookies for the guy.

I've been busy adding some gadgets to the sidebar. I've also added another one of our "kids" to the sidebar. And if you are wondering why you are hearing Christmas music, the songs I've been choosing seem to fit right now.

Busy, Snowy & Recipe of the Week: Renee's Sweet and Spicy Chilli

Yesterday and today have been busy for me. Yesterday, I started my day with chores and then I had to pay some bills and run some errands. However, a voicemail upset my whole apple cart. Matt and I just became licensed foster parents for Stark County. As foster parents, especially new ones, we have to have 40 hours of continuing education training. Yesterday, we were scheduled to meet with our case worker and establish our training plan. Due to the weird weather we've been having, our worker called to postpone our meeting. Matt, having such crazy work hours, was frantic because this was the only time he and I could meet with her. After playing phone tag and sending emails, we finally got it all worked out to still meet. However, I had eaten up a lot of time in limbo waiting. But, I tried to busy myself as best I could not really knowing how my day would end up going. Finally at 2:55 PM, Matt called and said, "She can be there in 45 minutes." Ahhhhh!!! Now it was 52-pick-up time for the house, re-prioritize errands and 100 other things before she got here. It all worked out in the end and we had a nice visit and got our training plan established. I had nothing quick to fix for supper except a big roast in the fridge that would take hours to cook. So, Matt and I cleaned out our spare change jar and went to Tumbleweed for supper. Yum!

Today hasn't been any too calm either. I started the day with chores and then had a doctor's appointment for my allergies at 10:30 AM. The winter weather storm we were supposed to get was already starting. Matt came home early to sleep because he was going to be "Plow Guy" again. So, I took "The Shoe" and went to my appointment and then to work for a little bit. I figured I should go to work today since I didn't know how tomorrow would be. (My job is has a flexible schedule. I know what I need to get done, and as long as I do, my boss is cool with that.) I left work at 4:15 and was home around 5:00. It's normally a 25 minute commute... Matt was getting ready to go plow when I got home. He left and I put my roast in the crock pot, made some bread, tidied the house, did some chores and am now writing this post. All-in-all, a full last two days. Not crazy, but full.

I apologize for not getting my Recipe of the Week out yesterday, but better late than never. This week's recipe was recommended by Matt, I hope you enjoy.

Renee's Sweet and Spicy Chili
courtesy Renee Schaaf, CT Farm

1 pound Bob Evan's regular bulk sausage
1 pound ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 14.5oz. can diced tomatoes
1 8oz. can tomato sauce
1 14.5oz. can kidney beans (do not drain)
1 14.5oz. can black beans (do not drain)
1/4-1/3 c. Bob Evan's BBQ sauce ( I use 1/3 cup)
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. garlic powder
1 Tbsp. chili powder
3 tsp. cumin
1/8 tsp. ground red pepper
2 tsp. smoked paprika
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp. liquid smoke
1 1/2 tsp. white vinegar

In a Dutch Oven, slightly brown sausage and ground beef over medium heat. Add onion and cook until tender and meats are cooked through. Drain any excess grease. Lower heat to medium-low. Add salt, garlic powder, chili powder, red pepper, paprika and cinnamon. Stir. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce, kidney beans, black beans, BBQ sauce and sugar. Stir. Let simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add liquid smoke and vinegar. Stir. Let simmer 10 minutes. Serve over corn chips (Fritos) and top with sour cream.

This makes a thick chili. If you like a thinner chili, add water until desired consistency.

Day of Rest

I can hardly say it's a day of rest when it's so much work to do anything outside. I woke up this morning to find my bum and legs were sore from all the trudging I did yesterday. Not that my bum couldn't use a little more toning... Anyway, I'm kind of stranded at home right now. Friday evening I drove to my hubby's work and we left my car there and we rode in his Bronco II, lovingly dubbed "The Shoe" by my friend Peggy, to the Valentine dinner. The weather was so bad, we just left my car at his work and used "The Shoe" to get home, it has better tread (ha ha ). So, now I am without wheels. Needless to say, we did not make it to church today.

Hubby has been out plowing since yesterday morning. He rolled in at around 4:30 AM this morning, slept a few hours and was out again. Do any of you remember that show called "Men In Trees"? There was a character that Maren Frist's best friend called "Plow Guy". Yesterday and today, hubby is "Plow Guy". See his picture under my new Friends & Family section.

I checked on Sam, the rooster, and his feet look beautiful, as far as feet go. My little pullets have already given me two eggs today! Pullets are young hens that are just starting to lay eggs. They are around 20 weeks old now.

My parents thought they might come up to see me and bring my car, since it would be on the way. That would be great. Mom wants me to take her to Kohl's and JoAnn Fabrics. Won't see my "Plow Guy" till tomorrow probably.

Snow, Sam the Bantie, Valentine Dinner and, Oh Yeah--More Snow!

Like most of the Midwest, we have been hit hard by snow. I'm guessing we have around a foot. It's hard to tell because of all the drifting in places. Check out he slide show I posted. There are some drifts that are up to my waist! It sure made doing chores rough. I was worn out by the time I got them done and took pics to share. However, the dogs seem unaffected. Tuffy and Toby have been having a blast! I left Toby off leash and let he and Tuff bound. Sadie and Justin were kind of wussy about it and wanted in right away. I took Roscoe down the road, so he didn't have any trouble.

When I fed my chickens this morning, I noticed that one of my banties, Sam the rooster, had this little ball-like think stuck to his foot. He is a Silkie Bantam and has feathers on his feet. The Silkies also have five toes instead of four like regular chickens. Of course, he being the rooster that he is, did not want me to inspect any closer. However, I won. He threw his tantrum and then resigned to let me inspect. There was a ball of poo and sawdust stuck to two of his little toes. It was very hard and stuck on that I had to get a pair of needle-nosed pliers to crumble the ball apart little by little! He was good the whole time. While I was at it, I trimmed the feathers around his feet to help keep them from getting stuff caked to them. Invariably this kind of thing happens. Chickens, or birds for that matter, don't care where they poop or if they step in it--no matter how clean their pen is. After I was done, I held him for a while to baby him and back in his pen he went.

Of course, last night was the Valentine dinner at church. A few brave souls ventured out in the snow for a nice time of food and fellowship. We had a guest speaker, Elsa Kok-Colopy. She spoke on families and relationships. One thing she said was "(a) relationship is rich and good and worth the effort." This is so true. For some reason, that really hit me. I think too often we take some of our relationships for granted. They become too comfortable. Sometimes we don't want to put forth the effort to cultivate our relationships into something great. She also talked about words--the words we say to each other and how they can be taken in good or bad and the lasting effect they can have. She shared a story about her father. It was her anniversary and her father had called to give his love, best wishes and how proud he was of her and her marriage. The next day, her father was sailing and never returned home. The coast guard found him at sea where he had drown. Sad. But, she now has her father's voice mail message saved in her ITunes library, cherishing the words her father left. It was a very touching and eye-opening talk she gave. If you would like more information on Elsa and what she's about visit her link under, People to Know.

Valentine Dinner Pictures (Check out the arrangements...they were a hit!)

Cleaning & Crafting

I spent the better part of my day cleaning the house. With five dogs, if you don't keep up with cleaning, the hair can start to overwhelm you. I probably vacuum every other day and sweep the kitchen every day, sometimes twice! Oh well, I guess that's the trade-off for loving my animals.

After my work was done, (In times like this, I remember hearing my mother say, "Work before play...")I started making the table arrangements for our church's Valentine dinner. They turned out great and can't wait to see how they look on the tables. I'll take pictures and post them. If you would like instructions on how to make your own Valentine arrangement, I've listed step-by-step instructions at the end of this post.

I will not have any posts tomorrow because I won't have time. But, I'll catch you up on Saturday.

Valentine Flower Arrangement
courtesy Renee Schaaf, CT Farm

Materials:
1 4" clay flower pot
1 4" foam ball, green (like oasis) (One ball can make two arrangements)
15-25 silk flowers of your choice (number will vary depending on the size of the flowers)
1 glass votive
1 tealight candle
Hot glue gun
Wire cutters
Paint
Spoon
Bread knife

1) Spray paint or brush paint your clay pot and let dry. (Figure 1)
2) Cut your foam ball in half. A bread knife works well for this. (Figure 2)
3) Take one half of the foam ball and lay it on the table. Using your glass votive as a guide, try to center the votive on the top center of the foam ball. Once you've found center, push the votive down in the foam to give you a guide for a circle. (Figure 3 & 4)
4) Take a spoon and dig out a hole on your foam using the guide from the votive. Dig down about 1/2 an inch, making sure the bottom of the hole is flat. Your glass votive will sit in this hole when done. (Figure 5)
5) Once your clay pots are dry, take your foam piece and sit it in the pot and then put a little bit of hot glue on the foam and pot, enough to hold the foam in the pot. Two globs opposite each other should be enough. (Figure 6)
6) Place a small bit of glue on the bottom of the glass votive and place the votive in the hole in the foam. (Figure 7)
7) Begin placing flowers in the foam. Use your wire cutters to cut off the flower leaving 3/4 to 1 inch of stem. Make sure you add plenty of flowers and pack them in well. You don't want any foam showing. (Figure 8 & 9)
8) Place a tealight candle in the votive. (Figure 10)
9) Now you have a festive Valentine Flower Arrangement! (Figure 11)

Figure 1

Figure 2


Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 10

Figure 11

Not too Much Excitement

There was nothing real exciting about today. Got up, did chores, worked on the blog, went to work, came home, ate supper and am now trying to finish the blog for today.

I have been trying to add things to make my blog more interesting. While visiting another blog today, I noticed there was a play list of songs on the blog (I added the blog to blogs I follow). I happened to find the website where the play list came from and did some research. If you go to www.playlist.com, it's a social networking music site. You can create your own play list of your favorite music and have it out there for the world to listen to. It's even free. I'm sure if you are reading this, you might be hearing music. The play list is at the bottom of the posts and has several songs on it. I'm sure I'll add more music later. Look for an eclectic mix.

Tomorrow I will be cleaning house and working on a craft project for our church's upcoming Valentine dinner Friday evening. I will be doing step-by-step instructions so you can duplicate the craft for your Valentine's day.

Be sure to try this week's recipe and vote on it at the top right of the page in my recipe poll.

Allergies & Taxes

Last Thursday and today, I went to my local Ear, Nose and Throat doctor to start allergy testing. I've been plagued with a chronic stuffy nose, cough and sneezing for a couple of years now and I'm tired of it. Last week I was tested for indoor allergens and today I was tested for outdoor allergens. Being a farm girl, I was shocked and dismayed to find that the thing I enjoy the most (my pets), I'm allergic to! I was 2 and 2+ for cats, dogs, horses and cattle, dust mites, dust and feathers and molds. The severity scale is 1-6, 1 being mild and 6 being severe. I was 2 and higher on all indoor allergens. I was 2+ for Aspergillus and Dog Hair & Dander and a 3 on Hormodendrum (indoor mold). I was mostly rated a 1 with a few 2's on the outdoor allergens. I was a 2 for Kentucky Blue grass pollen, 2's for Maple and Birch tree pollen and 2's for Ragweed and Goldenrod. I'm not sure if my reactions will merit needing shots (joy...) or can be managed with medication. I'll find that out next Tuesday.

Tax season is upon us! Today I will be working on getting information gathered to present to the accountant.

Busy Day & Recipe of the Week: "Take That BW3" Chicken Wings

Tuffy and I have been on the move since this morning. Mom needed to go to the grocery today, so I volunteered to take her since my dad has been having trouble getting around. Tuffy is always up for a road trip. We got to Mom and Dad's a little before noon. Tuff was going to spend the day with "Grandpa" while Mom and I went to Mt. Vernon. Mom and I left a little after noon and didn't get back until after 5:00 PM.

First, we went to Bob Evans for lunch. Then, we stopped at the Mt. Vernon Goodwill (You'll soon find out I am a Goodwill junkie!)to see what goodies we could find. Not much today. Then, off to Aldi and Wal-Mart. It was the beginning of the month, so everyone was out getting groceries. It seemed like it took forever. Finally, we were done. I was needing to get chicken feed, but didn't know where I could get any in Mt. Vernon. As I'm driving down Coshocton avenue, I noticed a Tractor Supply. Just then, I remembered that they recently became a Purina dealer. Ah Ha! I zipped Mom and Dad's van into the lot. I found my Layena, paid for it, loaded it and we were on our way. I proudly feed Purina Sunfresh Recipe feeds to my chicks and layers. It is certified natural and the girls seem to do really well on it.

Mom and I whipped up a simple supper and then I helped her organize her spice cupboard. Dad got her these small glass spice jars for Christmas. We cleaned out and organized and things look great!

I hope the suspense of finding out the recipe of the week hasn't been killing you too much. So, with out further ado...Just in time for Superbowl Sunday...

"Take that BW3" Chicken Wings
recipe courtesy Renee Schaaf, CT Farm

Preheat oven to 375 degrees

30-36 chicken wings (paddles, drumettes or both)
milk (2%, whole or buttermilk)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/8 tsp. red pepper
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2-4 Tbsp. cooking oil (canola or vegetable, enough to almost cover the bottom of a skillet)
vegetable spray

Add chicken wing pieces to a bowl and add enough milk to almost cover the wings and let sit. In another bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add chicken to flour mixture and coat. (I prefer a container with a lid so I can shake the chicken in the flour.) Do not overcrowd the chicken in the bowl.

Preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Add cooking oil. Let oil heat in the pan. (To test if oil is hot enough, sprinkle a little bit of flour into the oil. If it starts to "fizz" a little, the oil should be hot enough.) Shake excess flour from chicken and add chicken to the skillet. Brown chicken wings pieces on both sides till crispy and a nice golden brown. Do not overcrowd the chicken in the skillet; work in batches if you have to.

After all pieces are browned, spray a cookie sheet with vegetable spray. Place all browned pieces of chicken on the cookie sheet. Put cookie sheet in oven and bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes or until meat pulls away from the bone with a fork.

Wing Sauce
Melt 3/4 of a stick of butter (real butter)
add 1/4-1/3 cup of Bob Evans Wildfire barbecue sauce or another sweet barbecue sauce
Whisk butter and sauce together, until smooth. Add wings and toss to coat. Serve and enjoy!