Lambing is officially over for 2015. What a work-out! We had a total of 10 lambs born- with 3 sets of twins! Two lambs died, so we currently have 8 on the ground. There is a nice amount of color and pattern, too. This is the most lambs we’ve had yet. It’s fun [...]
Dirt under the fingernails. Scratches and bruises. Cattle getting out and having to be rounded up. Tall conifer-covered mountains. Bumpy dirt roads. Muddy diesel truck. The scent of the wood burning stove in the air… and in my hair. Soft fur. Hawks soaring in the big blue expanse. Calves playing in the paddock. Dogs romping. [...]
There is another voice on the ranch adding to the usual cacophony… Ducks! An adult flock of rare Ancona ducks is the generous contribution of a sweet Lady who has to move off of her farm. Thank You Sherri!!! Ducks are a completely new species to us, so it’s quite interesting and entertaining to watch [...]
Here I am, 10,000 feet in the air, on my way home. It’s been a whirlwind 2 months on the warm southern California coast. Incredibly wonderful to be with so much of my extended family, helping my parents during my Dad's recovery from hip replacement surgery, and seeing many old friends!! While departing is definitely [...]
Medicinal herbs are very near and dear to my heart! As our family herbalist, I rely on ethically harvested, sustainably grown and processed herbs that we cannot grow ourselves. I just heard about a campaign to raise awareness of the sustainability of herbs, called The Sustainable Herbs Project. Click here to learn more about how [...]
We are pleased to announce Krystal’s new book, “Rabbit Care… Naturally!” Krystal’s book gives a simple overview of what is needed to successfully raise rabbits for those new to raising a pet rabbit (kids, too!), and also a wonderfully detailed herbal section for the breeding/show professional to whom caring for rabbits naturally may be new, [...]
Yes it's that time of year! Lately, I find my mind wandering to spring planting of the kitchen garden, my mouth watering at the thought of the many heirloom vegetables to come. Of course, the seed catalogs arriving in the mail each week only encourage such dreaming and scheming! This list is the companies I [...]
"Preserving Food Without Freezing or Canning..." - The Farmers and Gardeners of Terre Vivante This is a wonderful book of fruit and vegetable preservation secrets collected from readers of the French organic gardening magazine Les Quatres Saisons du Jardinage (Four Season Gardening). The methods described date back literally hundreds of years, but are still in [...]
IMAGE HEAVY POST! This story has been a long time coming! In spring of this year, our major ranch project was to put in a driveway. We have deeded easement access from the county road to our southwest corner, but we needed to add on from there to reach our home site. Living in a [...]
A quick Google search will result in many homemade udder wash formulations and numerous commercial brands available. I have my own ‘secret formula’ because I prefer non-toxic, all natural products and appreciate making things inexpensively at home. My udder wash is mixed in a 16 oz. spray bottle, which uses less and is easy to [...]
