Wednesday, August 29, 2012

A New Group

I've recently organize a group on Facebook for gardening/farming/cooking/homemade/DIY/green living enthousiast, it's call : Do It Yourself.

If you guys would like to join us ... we are a pretty lovely bunch and we don't bite. You can join us there
http://www.facebook.com/groups/267869459992169/

The more the merrier and ... the wiser.
Sharing is knowledge!

Sunday, August 26, 2012

Don't trash the dress ...

This morning I was reading the news when this caught my attention.
What a tragedy! I mean, before saying all I think about this trend, I will have to tell that the death of an individual, no matter the circumstances is a tragedy and a terrible lost of a community.

This being said, I can't stop to think of reasons why this is so wrong.

I did a couple of research on the "trash the dress" thingy and I came across some very "spectacular" picture not to say surprisingly dangerous.

A dress, dry, weighs a lot, been there, done that. I came across and incredible number of picture of people trashing dress in situation where water is involved. I mean even if the girl who drowned wasn't expecting that for sure. I mean who does, but still, this can easily become dangerous.

There are million of things to be done with the dress when the party is over.

1. Sell it - I mean of course you won't get back the amount you initially paid but someone else might want to use it. You'll help someone to feel pretty that day.
2. Keep it - I remember playing in my mother's wedding dress when I was 6, I was then a princess. I kept mine thinking that one day the princess will be my daughter. Of course, in my case the daughter will never arrive. But each time I see it in my closet, I can't help but smile.
3. Upcycle it! - There are plenty of ways to upcycle a dress, especially one that has that amount of fabric. I know a girl who kept a dress and made it remodel for her 10th anniversary when throwing a party with friends and relative.

Ideas are plenty and I just don't get why we would trash something that costs that much. What happened is sad, just way too sad.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Giveaway !!!

Dear readers,

As I am about to renew my subscription to the amazing Country Living Magazine, and that I have a free subscription to give to "a friend" (Lord knows that none of my friend would like a magazine even less a country magazine ...) So I thought about giving it away here.

Of course, for that I will need your address if you win (and no it's not to stalk you!)

If you are interested just leave a comment in saying you are. I'll do a draw on August 28, 2012.

This applies only to people from Canada and USA.
(sorry international people)


Monday, August 20, 2012

Ever wonder how they make chocolate milk?

http://www.abc57.com/video/Kentucky-rancher-feeds-candy-to-cows-during-drought--166399206.html


Now you know ...


Well I don't know what to think about this.

New pics of the cat colony


Pol
Mousse - 1 month old now

Sleeping Auguste

That's L.O.V.E (Pol and Moutarde)

New hens ... and no I am not feeling blue!

Last Saturday we went  to our favorite breeder and got ourselves 15 baby Ameraucana. We are going to be breeders! Yeah that was a little shock for us too. It will be so funny to pick blue eggs!

So yeah, I am going to be a breeder of some variety of Standard chickens.

I plan in breeding Ameraucanas, Anconas, and if all goes to plan, Warrens, Orpingtons, Plymouth Rocks, Leghorns and of course some hybrid chickens. I am looking to breed breeds that have good dual purposes.

I want to offer people in my region who aren't massive breeders or hatcheries an alternative to hybrids brown and white chickens that are sold each year like just one day at the farmer's market. To me it's important to have more choice and better ones.

I am passionate by Standard Large Fowls Chickens.

So, that's for the news.

More pic soon! :)

In Memoriam



Dear Isis,

thanks for the purrs, thanks for the hugs, thanks for the laughs.

We don't know if you are still alive, if you are ok, but we surely pray you are.

If you are in kitty heaven, we hope you are happy and met new friends.

Friday, August 17, 2012

Goodbye Little Hen

Well, when I said in a previous post that "the death of the jackrabbit was preparing me for many more to come" I couldn't be more right.
This morning, in like 10 minutes we lose a Warren.
I started to cry when I heard the news, good for me, I didn't see her, husband did.

I am very worried, how will I manage the first death I will have to manage myself?

I just can't deal right with death.

We put the hen in a bag and buried her in the cemetery along the rabbit.

I am very sad.

Goodbye little hen, thanks for the eggs and the laugh.
(Warrens are really funny).

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Kittens-update

Ooopsie ...

My kittens are all ... female!

I've been confused by the color of fur, normally yellowish kittens are male so I've been told.

But nah, those are all lil girls.

They are well, two of them have some troubles with Feline viral rhinotracheitis but of course with the fact those are barn cats and the fact that they were given to us (I mean the others, not the newborns that are the first born here kittens) let say that they were not brought to the vet on a daily basis (I am not doing it on a daily basis either but I am at the vet like every 3 weeks or so since the beginning of the summer).

But we have meds for them and everything is going to be alright.

Victory!

I told you about this couple a few weeks back.

They win!!!!!
They can keep their garden and the town decided to let other people doing it under supervision (which is normal)

This victory isn't just theirs, it's for all of us.

It's the beginning of a return to true things.

It's the acknowledgement that things have to changed and to evolve!

I am super happy about that.


The Sad Learning Curve

Last Monday our neighbour came to my door with a box.

"I have a new lodger for you" he said.

I look at a box to find a tiny lil creature who looked like that:


"What the hell is that!" I've said.

At first I thought it was a baby Chinchilla rabbit.

"It's a jackrabbit!" he said. "I went that far to smash it with my ATV, it was all alone in the middle of the ATV road"

I accepted, though I was worried a bit about how I would take care of the thing.

I put it in a big cage and as I was working rapidly gave water and food then told myself I would take care of it asap.

After work, I started to check the net to discover the heartbreaking truth:
Baby hares have no scent so the mother hides them away from the den while she hunts. She does it usually right in the open covered with grass or leaves ... They stay there waiting for her returns.

Basically ... it was a very bad news.

1. The baby didn't really need help.
2. There was now no way I could find back the mother. (as my neighbour didn't really remember where he exactly took the baby)

I started freaking out.
We tried our best but this morning, husband found the dead baby in the cage.
It let itself die obviously.

It's hard to know everything as it's hard to not feel guilty.
Though, I kept telling myself that I am not the one bringing him back here plus where it was he would have had probably be smashed by an ATV before his mother would be gone.

The lil one has been buried in a quiet and charming place on our land. That first death is preparing me for the many others to come. I have to stop pretending it won't happen. It will. It's part of the circle. I have to learn to deal with it. Husband and I have decided that this part of our land would be the cemetery.

That's the hard and sad learning curve we have to go through.

And I can already hear the "judgements" of people who would so have done better ... sigh.

Saturday, August 4, 2012

Kitten's names - official

I forgot to mention that the kitten has been officially named.

The first born, the girl, will be named : Mousse. She is all fluffy and it fits her well.
The second born is all quiet and has the nicest eyes in the world all blue, for that, he will be named : Azul
The third born, a very big fella with not 1, not two but 3 extra fingers on each front paw, will be called Patou.
The forth one, a brown tabby, will be called Biscuit (don't forget that in French Biscuit means cookie, so to us he is more of a cookie than a salty biscuit)

The first visit out of the barn in video. (don't mind the blabla, it's me and my young neighbours talking) and I am sorry if it's not on the right side ...

Decisions

This post will be semi-personal. I always taught that one of the thing that I have to learn on this earth is to let go.

I don't let go easily. It is particularly true for people and living things. For instance, I would stick to a situation or to people that I know are not good for me just because I don't have the strength to let go. I just can't separate myself from people I know and love, even if their love is toxic.

Just imagine then. if I have an total hard time to get away from a toxic situation, how letting go would be when it comes to an animal.

When it's time to make decisions ... when it's time to me THE decision.

Eole arrived with 3 walking paws yesterday morning. He was not even able to stand on one paw.

Emergency call to the vet.

"It looks like a broken paw"
"what then?"
"Radiographies (125$) and then possible surgery (around 300$) a night or two at the ward (150$), reeducation (almost impossible for a farm cat)"

My heart twisted.
First, I don't have that kind of money, second, there is 16 of them. If I start with one, it will never stop.

I looked at my husband...

"well let's make a radio" he said, then we will take a decision.

My head started spinning. Ok, if it's a broken paw, is it like the end? Would we drop the E word?

"We could let nature decide" said my husband.

In a way he was right. But on the other hand, will I be able to see him suffer. What's better life suffering or no life at all.

Eole is a lucky fella. As the vet was to put him on the radiography board, she felt a tiny hole in the paw. She took the razor, took some fur off and to her surprise discovered an infected wound that she was not able to feel during the exam. She came back and an injection of antibiotics later, Eole was in a cage in our yard, alive and "well".

I would have to learn to let go. I am sure that farm will teach me that.
When I love, I love deeply.

Eole at the vet: