A few days ago, one of my first bunnies on the farm, an imported from Holland Flemish Giant buck, passed away. I knew he was going. First it was ear mites, then an eye infection, then loss of fur and no matter what I was doing for him, he would recover and get sick again. I knew it was his time. But he did give me many bunnies and had a long and good life. He was a gently buck and preferred to be in the company of another rabbit, rather than alone. Despite what people said, and that he was a male, he still did better with another male and did not scrap and beat him up. 

I also have a pair of Satin Angoras and a pair of Giant/ French Angora crosses. The Satins are a smaller rabbit and as anything small, I find they are never as pleasant as the big ones of their kind. There is a white red eyed male Satin and a red Satin female. Of their mating there is a white and an unusual chocolate tone kit. Well, they are bunnies now, not babies. 

I knew the French/Giant cross female was bred. She dug a burrow in the side of their pen and carried hay down it. She was building a nest. That was 4 weeks ago. Yesterday I saw the first kit, a dark chocolate. Oh, it is so delightful! Then I dug open the burrow to put him back in, but it was just enough for a little bunny, not open wide. The mother did not cover it back up as I thought she would, so obviously she instinctively knew it was time to allow the babies out into the world. First a little grey popped his nose out and later a solid black. They are so beautiful! 

These are not the most common Angora rabbits and with their pretty colours, they should sell well.They are easy to keep and very sweet natured. In the house they can be trained to use a litter box and be a house pet, but most people prefer to cage them. I have had bunnies in the house in a cage and unless their cage is cleaned almost daily, they stink! Yuk! If the cage was large enough to allow a litter box, I think they would use it and then be litter trained. In the far future I may try it, but Robbie, the border collie most likely would not allow a bunny in his domain. 

The idea with the Angora rabbits is to sell the fibre. I would need a lot of bunnies the same colour to sell enough fibre to make money at it. Being part of my little farm, I only want to keep 6-10 bunnies in total. So, I will try to sell them as babies, but if they do not find new homes, then I will harvest their fibre  twice and then send them off to the butcher shop. The Giant/French are large enough to make a good sized rabbit that will dress out at 5-6 pounds, but the little Satins are small under that wool. Eventually, I do not wish to keep any more of the Flemish Giants. There are 4 escapees left out roaming around and they really do destroy the plants and flowers, just the four of them. They are well large enough to be harvested, so their fate is meat and hopefully, no more escapees will be around to munch down the garden. 

​I am not sure how many babies there are in that burrow, but are you ready for a new pet? A cute, cuddly fluffy baby bunny? 

I am pretty special. I was gifted a beef tongue (and dog bones) yesterday by my friend. She and her daughter came for a visit and she produced this frozen beef tongue, either for the dogs or for myself, whichever, she said. I chose me, since there were lots of bones that day and the next day I went to the butcher's and got their usual weekly ration of raw meat and bones. And there, I was given about 10 large turkey carcasses for the dogs. Those lucky dogs! 

I left the tongue out to thaw and then the next day, simmered it slowly all day, about 8 hours in total, with bay leaves, mustard seeds, a chunk of organic turmeric, garlic, onion and a handful of black peppercorns and some Himalayan salt. I peeked at it several times, checking the broth level to be sure it was submerged. And I stuck two turkey carcasses in the oven and slow roasted them. There was not much meat left on them, as their original purpose was for turkey sausage and jerky, but there was a bit and it was delicious. Normally, I would not eat store bought turkey in any quantity, but there was truly only a few ounces. I realized that the turkey carcasses should be raw for the dogs, though, so I am not sure what to do with the bones at this point. 

The broth from the tongue was turned on high to evaporate the water and get a reduction. Tongue broth will gel when it is reduced enough and my aim was jellied tongue. I ate some of it hot after peeling the skin off and removing the membrane and muscle where it attaches. Gross? People used to eat tongue, and organs and other parts all the time and cook the bones in broth too, but we have lost our way through the desire for quick easy and convenient meals. The long simmered tongue was tender and had a hint of cinnamon and cloves with the fragrance of bay, just the right amount of salt and a smack of black pepper hotness. Delightful. 

And today, I was gifted one more time with a father and his two daughter's visit to the farm. He was a delightful young man, genuine as they come, which is rare in this day and age. I immediately felt that their presence somehow had enriched my life today and that the visit was my gift. Then my long time friend from White Rock stopped in for coffee and we had a good time chatting. 

See, life is filled with abundance and is bountiful, from tongues to friends and the laughter of children to carcasses. These are not the sorts of things we generally think of when we think 'gift' however, everything given freely with good intentions can be a gift. Do you feel blessed by the small things in your life too?

It has been quite a few years since I carved a Jack o Lantern. When my children were young, we were also very poor. living on welfare. To me waste was sacrilege and a pumpkin, that could be used for food, was not to be carved and discarded when it could feed the family. So, I compromised. 

Pumpkin was cheap in those days, but even if it was free, I would not have simply used the entire gourd for a single night of fun. Instead I cut the pumpkin in half from stem to blossom end and had two pumpkin opportunities for carving. With three kids, only two pumpkins were used for Jack O Lanterns and the other unused half was for pie or muffins or whatever was produced. My daughter did not like pumpkin or squash cooked, so it was not served in over abundance, yet still, on occasion it was on the menu as a vegetable. 

The kids got their half pumpkin and they had to hollow it out and then carve the face. In order to make a Jack O Lantern wtih a candle inside, tin foil was used as the back of the pumpkin and when sat on the stairs propped up on the stair behind, they looked entirely wonderful in the night, with the ghoulish faces grinning in the night.

Now, years later, the days of having so little are only a memory. Times were never really tough enough to be sad. There was always enough food and incidentals that were not necessary were simply gone without. Then, I was grateful I was able to be at home with the children to watch them grow, to see them take their first steps, to dry their tears and share their laughter. That was more important to me than the almighty dollar and though I could have gone to work and abandoned them, I chose to stay home and be their mother. It was a good choice, no, it was the only choice. For had I gone to work I would have missed the formative years, the most delightful smiles, the toothless grins and the carving of half a pumpkin. And, I would never have traded all that for a zillion dollars, not one bit! 

Living close to nature and the animals on the Fat Ewe farm, I am more and more aware that they are better connected with the Earth than most humans will ever hope to be. There were quite a few hens that had late nests in early September this year, but most amazingly, there are Muscovy ducks just newly hatched yesterday and another brood only a week old. I am convinced the fall will be long and warm and the animals realize that there is no danger of lots of snow and cold, at least long enough so their offspring will be well feathered for winter. That is at least 6 weeks from now, if not 8. 

When I checked the local weather forecast for long term, indeed, this is verified. There is no snow forecast until December with above zero day time temperatures until then as well, and the night temperatures not below minus ten. How is it the animals know these things? How can we become more connected to our planet so we can be aware as well? 

Long ago, when people lived closer to the Earth, slept on the ground without the barrier of concrete blocking the magnetic pulse of our mother planet, they were much more in tune with her than we are today. I am fortunate that I have a dirt basement in my house with only a wooden floor between me and the ground. I am not aware that I feel the pulse of the Earth here, but when I moved to the bed and breakfast house, I certainly felt different and could not live in that house. Maybe the connectedness is something I am simply not aware of, but exists. 

Certainly these mother ducks know the fall will be long and warm. I am not sure what to do with them all though. I have them advertised for sale, though no one wants young ducks to winter over. This is the time when baby animals can be had for next to nothing. My friend attended a local sale today and was able to purchase pot belly piglets for only ten dollars each, and they are 6 months old, which is a good time to butcher them. I have 20 some piglets with more on the way and really have no hope of selling them, so had better get a freezer emptied for the months coming up. 

The fall is a beautiful time in our four season area. It is a time of release, letting go, looking forward to more indoor time for hobbies, sitting by the wood stove and relaxing and contemplating life. I love my life here on the farm. I just wish you could be as content with your lives. I am very blessed and now, I am blessed by a bunch of baby Muscovy ducklings too! Happy Fall!

Growing potatoes is very easy. You just put a potato in the ground and it will grow and reproduce and you will have ten or more potatoes from the original one. But you do not need a whole potato to grow more. Just an eye will do. You can recognize the eye of the potato by the indentation and belly button like appearance. Potatoes can be cut in half or in quarters and there will usually be at least one eye in the cut. 

In traditional gardening the soil is tilled and weeded and then potatoes are planted in holes in the ground at least 4 inches deep or more. They are covered with soil and as the potatoes grow they push the soil upward and some will become exposed. Then 'hilling' the potatoes is required, which is to collect more soil surrounding the potato plant and hill it over the top. Potatoes exposed to sunlight become green and produce a chemical that makes the tubers inedible. 

But that is not how nature grows anything. Tilling is never done, nor is digging. The acorn falls on the ground and if it is fortunate, leaves will cover it and provide some microclimate that keeps moisture in. The potatoes do the same thing. The plant will produce seeds in a long enough growing season, which will fall to the ground, survive the winter and grow the next spring. We can mimic nature with potatoes too. 

First select a sunny location or at least half day sunny spot. If there are weeds or grass there, simply lay down two layers of cardboard first. Place the potatoes on the cardboard and cover them with at least a foot of straw. The potato patch must then be kept watered. A miracle happens. Potatoes grow! They will send roots down through the cardboard as it deteriorates gleaning nutrients from the soil. No hilling or weeding will be required thereafter. Once the plants have withered, the potatoes can be harvested simply by moving the now composted straw out of the way. 

This year I had some left over small potatoes from last year. In the area that I use as a compost, I put down some straw first, then strew the potatoes around over it and added another foot of straw over the top. Thus, kept watered, beautiful, clean potatoes were produced. In one area I did put down cardboard instead of straw because it was full of long grass and this also produced wonderful potatoes. 

It is a common thought that too rich of soil will cause potato scab, an unsightly though absolutely harmless potato disease. There could not be much richer an area than a compost pile, but grown in the straw method, no scab was evident. The potatoes require little in the way of washing as well. There had been a lot of rain this summer, so watering was not even necessary. When potatoes are too wet they can crack, but these were very wet and there is no cracking. Perhaps those ideas of too rich and too wet need to be challenged? 

Anyhow, the potato harvest is perfect from the straw patches. I planted some in the ground in another area and they are scabby, but then they are also a different variety. These are Russet and Yukon Gold originally from the organic section of the grocery store. 

I do encourage you to try growing potatoes in straw next season. It is so easy and yum! the potatoes taste amazing. 

One of the last tasks at the bed and breakfast, is to finish painting the kitchen cabinets. There were built in place by an old time cabinet maker in 1982. The job is excellent and he was indeed a craftsman, though the materials were not top notch, only plywood and veneer. The oak was then varnished with a shiny finish which has been durable and lasting. 

But the look is very dated and although I love real wood, I do not love real plywood. The ceiling at the bed and breakfast is pine, tongue and groove 4 inch boards, so there is plenty of real wood to be seen. The cabinets actually contrasted with the pine and were not a choice I would have made. So, I decided to paint them and antique them to give the kitchen a brand new look. 

Technically, the cabinets should have been washed with TSP and rinsed, then lightly sanded to help the paint adhere since the finish was shiny. I did not do those steps because with the new look, some scratches and a bit of paint peeling is simply adding to the weathered and worn appearance. So, the paint is a light pink, which over the orangey oak will give a warmer colour without the yellow in it. I have done two coats and a coat of oil stain over the top of the paint. The oil stain does not really adhere to the paint either, but creates a very special appearance that is appealing. The bottom cabinets are already done, but today I spent hours trying to put the doors back on. One would think that two exact size doors would face each other opposing the knobs for one cabinet module. Yet, because these are hand made, I, for the life of me, could not make the doors work. They obviously came off the cabinets so do work and I will try again tomorrow. 

I painted the hinges this time. For the lower cabinets, I took the hinges off, but I am running out of time and energy, so I left the doors on and painted over the hinges. They will look just fine. Tomorrow I will do a second coat and then the next day, do the oil stain. Depending on the weather, the oil stain can take almost a week to dry fully. That is another reason I did not remove the upper doors. A top cabinet from a buffet with hutch (the hutch) was also painted, stained and installed since there were few upper cabinets and not much storage for dishes in the kitchen. I will be using my hand made pottery dishes there now. The kitchen is painted a vibrant green, not quite lime, but close, and the dishes are all green hues, so they are perfect. They were at my own home prior to being installed in the renovated kitchen.

The faucet and sink were replaced as well. There was an inch of ice on the windows above the sink during the flood, and there was previous water damage already, so the unit was replaced. The last bit of work in the kitchen will be to 'paint' tile mosaic on the wall as the back splash. It is done with a one inch square sponge and various colours of paint, and lastly, it is coated with a clear matte varnish to seal the 'tile' and to waterproof that portion of the wall. The kitchen is painted with clay paint. Since the ingredients are clay, earth pigment and water, basically, the walls can stain with grease and will not wash off. By installing the fake tile and clear coat, the most likely areas to be splashed with grease and oils from cooking, will then be protected. 

So, by the end of the week, the kitchen should be complete. I have been doing loads of dishes and putting them away already. The silver will have to be sorted and the pots and pans washed and put in easy access cupboards. The following week will be for tying up loose ends, getting the inspection done, reinstalling fire extinguishers and doing a final cleaning. Then for October 1st, I do believe Moose Hills Inn will be opened! Yay!

hI love my son and his family. They live in Calgary, which is close to a 6 hour drive from me. It is a challenge for me to go there to see them for various reasons. The main one, of course, is that I have a farm to run. The animals need to be fed and watered every day. In order to go away overnight, I must do all the chores on the day I leave, providing extra food and water for the following day as well. Sheep, pigs, goats and dogs will devour the two day's supply of food in one day though and be hungry the following day, plus if it is hot outside, they will deplete their water supply as well. It is not critical that they go a day without food and water, particularly since they gorged themselves the previous day, but there are other issues. Robbie, the border collie, must be tied for the absence. He cannot be trusted not to chase the sheep or cows or something that will run without my supervision. He has a pretty safe place to be tied without a chance to jump over a fence and hang himself or get too tangled that he cannot move to get a drink or eat. Still, he has gotten tangled and he has attempted to jump the fence. Fortunately for him, his collar is not tight and he was able to slip it. I was home, thank goodness, but if I was not, he would have had every opportunity to herd some poor critters and worry them to death. 

So, chores must be done on the day of leaving and the day of returning, which leaves the visit very short. My truck is old and sometimes I argue with myself whether it should be taken on long journeys, which of course will contribute to it wearing out sooner than later. Still, I really had a desire to see my new granddaughter. I had only met her once before briefly and do wish to be part of her life. So, I drove down to visit. 

Living in the country for 5 years, I do not hear people or traffic. They kids live in the city of Calgary and it is busy twenty four hours a day. There are comings and goings and sirens and trucks and noises that keep me awake or waken me. I can sleep through barking dogs, but not city noise. And the baby is teething, bless her tiny heart. She was not fussy really, she is such a good little girl. She hardly ever cries and even then, it is only a moment before her loving mother whisks her away and loves her to sleep. Still, she wakes early in the morning and so does the family and so did I, but I felt as though I did not sleep. The cat jumped up to snuggle with me on her couch, where I was parked for the night. I was startled and without thinking dumped her quickly to the floor where she meowed three times and gave up. 

But then, as I arrived, I heard a strange and unhappy noise from the wheel of my truck. I told my son and asked to help me get it checked prior to driving home. We took it to the shop and found out the wheel bearings had gone and the truck was actually too dangerous to drive. We were fortunate nothing happened to us as we drove to have it looked at. The shop gave us a lift back to their condo and 1000 dollars later, I began the journey back to the north. It was already late. 

I encountered two severe thunderstorms on the way. Visibility was extremely poor and driving was slow, especially through Edmonton. I arrived home just after midnight and went out to do what needed to be done only. It was raining from Ponoka, two hours south of Edmonton all the way home and is still raining today, but the thunderstorms were centered in the middle of Alberta only. 

When I finally got to bed at 1:15, I was exhausted. Today I made a sad decision that I will not be able to drive to Calgary to see the family again. The truck is too old and the drive is too long. There are commuters who make that journey that I may be able to tag a ride from and there is a bus, though the cost of the bus is close to 200 hundred dollars. As much as I love my son and the family, it is not sensible nor feasible to drive. I could not help but think of what could have happened. The wheel could have fallen off at a high speed on the freeway, possibly causing injury to myself and perhaps others. Then what about the lives that depend on me for their survival back at the farm? Even the delay, and it was most fortunate that my son was able to find a shop that could take the truck, was a problem. Calgary is a busy city. Driving late at night on quiet country roads with poor visibility was not the best situation either. There were long, long distances where not another vehicle was in sight. What if I hit a deer? 

You see? It is a dilemma. As much as I love to be with my son, his wife and my granddaughter, it is not a wise thing for me to drive out there. Sigh. 

I have been working really really hard. I feel that ten hours in a day is about right and feel guilty if I only work 7. Between the farm, readying for winter and the bed and breakfast work, I need more hours in a day! 
I have a potential booking for September 28 and 29, two weeks from now. I still have not finished the kitchen cabinets, which have been completely given a new look, or at least the lower ones have. The top is yet to be done. But the Master Suite, and the Sunshine and Guest rooms are finished except for hanging the drapes. The whole house needs the drapes hung and the windows that were replaced need new blinds, only the store cut them a half inch too big! ARgggggggh! I can either hang them precariously on the outside molding or ask to get them recut. I have a feeling they cannot cut them only a half inch. I will ask. 

I still need 8 pillows. There should be pillow alternatives for each room. Some people love firm pillows while others like soft ones so they can scrunch. If you are not comfortable with your pillows, you will not have a good sleep. And some people feel they cannot sleep with down and require down alternatives. There is cotton or wool as well as synthetic to choose from. And then, that is about it. A final cleaning, organizing the kitchen, fire extinguisher update and inspection and we are good to go. 

Here is a sneak preview of Moose HIlls Inn. The Master Suite is a deluxe room with the exclusive use of the upstairs lounge and the private ensuite. The bed is made from trees, yes, organic foam rubber with a Canadian maple patented dowel suspension support and the bed frame is a French country sleigh bed. The actual dresser, wash stand and armoire are eighteenth century Victorian antiques. There is a small screen with a blue ray player, though most people never touch it. Internet is not available except through phone tethering, so streaming movies is generally out. Instead there are many books to choose from, cards, games, a keyboard, drums and nature. 

The Sunshine Room has two very comfortable twin beds with feather duvets and a choice of pillows. It may share the washroom with the Guest Room if both are occupied. The Guest Room is a no frills room with twin beds as well. These rooms are on the main floor with a deck and comfortable lounge. 

In addition, a treatment room has been added for infra red treatments and spiritual healing. There will be more about that in another post. All meals can now be served at the Inn, including baking to take out to your meetings and lunches to go. The fare is organic farm to table simple suppers and gourmet breakfasts of delectable delights, such as Moose Hills Quiche, Light as Air waffles with real whipped cream and wild blueberries and fresh eggs omelets. The coffee is organic and made in an antique all stainless steel drip pot. There are several teas to choose from including Yerba Mates, herbals and Earl Greys. The Sunshine Room and Master Suite have fridges for their own beverages or snacks. No use of the kitchen by guests is permitted by Health Authority rules. The main floor has a small sink and a table to play, write or snack at. The entire Inn is beautifully decorated with period antiques, collected items of interesting and unusual natures and original art and prints. Staying at Moose HIlls Inn should feel inviting and at home. 

​There is not much left and time is pushing hard. Stay tuned for the next update in two weeks for the reopening of the Fat Ewe Farm Bed and Breakfast, now Moose Hills Inn. Oh, and I need to hang the new signs too! Ta da!

I am an old thing. I love old things. My home is filled with antiques from the 1940's especially, but certainly nothing new. There is a quality to the furniture built then that has not been found since. Craftsmen took pride in their workmanship and built pieces to last of the best materials they had. Quarter sawn oak is made from a log that is cut into quarters down the trunk lengthwise then glued back together. That takes time and skill. Grains had to be matched. Inlays are done. Carvings are done and it was all by hand. 

I realize those are bygone days, and that is why I tend to collect those pieces. They won't come again. I cherish them and oil them, and never consider painting them, unless they are just pine, but even old pine has a charm to it with the patina of age. 

I have been on the hunt for a vintage camper since I moved to Alberta. I came out in a motorhome, a 36 foot Pace Arrow. It was deluxe and comfortable and I planned to live in it while my real house was being built, but it was too cold in Alberta to do that. I sold it a few years later, took a loss but consider that if I had to rent a place for the time I lived in it, it really paid for itself, and then some. 

I looked in the local buy and sell online today and there it was, a 1964 all original Airstream land yacht, and it was only an hour away. I called immediately and then drove out to take a look. I am delighted though there is going to be some work to be done. The furnace and hot water systems need attention, but the fridge and stove work and there is a microwave included, plus dishes and bedding. It is just as the factory made it, too. They were not the most beautiful trailers, though I have some dreams and plans for it. I want to park it beside the bed and breakfast and offer it as a summer cabin as part of the bed and breakfast. How often does one get to stay in an all original antique Airstream? 

Anyhow, I am very pleased with the purchase. It will come home as soon as my cheque clears. Yes, it is road worthy and fit to travel. Yay! What an adventure. 

Tatiana is a purebred Romanov sheep. She is about as wild as they come and for that reason catching her to inspect her or trim hooves has always been difficult. Romanov ewes are very prolific and may have up to 8 lambs - lambs by the litter,however; that many cannot nurse on two teats, so the shepherd must either set up a milk bar or bottle feed most of them. Tatiana's fleece is so very soft but not considered desirable by handspinners because it contains guard hairs as well as wool. I want to felt it though, so the hairs don't matter so much at all. 

Tatiana was last to lamb, a month later than everyone else, last year as well, because she also runs from the ram. She had pretty twin ewe lambs this year, born small as Romanovs are (these are half Blue Faced Leicester), but the lambs were not growing as well as they should have been. Tatiana also weaned them quite early, which is unusual. I needed to catch her and try to discover if there was anything going on. 

But it was too late. She went down in the pasture and could not get up. There were two young fellows here helping me tag the lambs and check the sheep, so we got the wheelbarrow and brought her in. Her eyes were white, which meant that she had a severe case of barber pole worms and was too anemic to stand. That is why she weaned her babies! Or she just stopped producing milk. 

Poor Tatiana. Now she must struggle for her life. She is skin and bones and cannot stand. It has been 6 days for her. She is eating and drinking well, so as long as she does there is hope. Today I tied her in the standing position by putting a lead rope twice around her belly and pulling her up then tying the rope to the fence rail. I left her for 2 hours and she seemed to want to use her legs, but as soon as she was untied, she went down. I turn her several times a day with her legs to the side to keep the circulation going. She has been dewormed twice, once with Eqvalen which is ivermectin and praziquantel .  

I wormed her a second time with injectible ivermectin. She is not responding. I have given her a shot every day of Nucells, which is a complex of vitamins and minerals that help build blood. I will continue the therapy until she gives up. 

On the good side, her lambs are penned with her and two baby goats are in there too and the lambs are becoming used to me. I can pet the black one but the white one jumps when I touch her. Tatiana, in her barely alive state, allows me to anything and I am hoping that when she recovers, we will be friends instead of her moving away from me all the time. She came from a ranch where the only time the sheep saw the shepherd was twice a year for routine care. 

​Please send a prayer out for Tatiana. She is not doing well and needs all the love we can offer her at this time. Thank ewe.