There is great promise in new things - new shoes, new acquaintances that might just become best friends, new jobs that may just fulfill our career goals, new pets that offer more love than we can share - these are welcome in our lives. 

2017 is the year of new beginnings according to the numerologists. When 2, 0, 1 and 7 are added together the answer is 10 and when the 1 plus the zero are added, the number of 2017 comes to 1. One is the great beginning of everything, the first counted and the first start. We are on our way to a good year and a chance for every thing to be new again. 

The past year was a 9, which is a sign of a bad year for many and it was. The economy where I live in northeastern Alberta has been very poor for a while, with many jobs lost to the crash in the oil industry and no hope for improvement. Houses were abandoned, hoping for sales that never materialized and mortgages were called and property forsaken. One must go where the jobs are, where there is a chance to make money to survive. 

But things have picked up. There are some jobs being advertised in the oil industry and people who were struggling are beginning to have hope. It has not been an easy past two years for most, and that includes the Fat Ewe Farm. We saw hay prices rise to $150 per large round bale and grain prices to 40 cents a pound this year, while the dollars paid for beef on the hoof plummeted. Theft was on the rise and still is. People must eat and if that means stealing to get money, then that is what will happen. There is a solution, however, man is not ready to live in harmony and share. I am not sure I am either. Would I give up my hard worked for farm and let others live here for free or eat my food, the food I raised or grew? You see, there is enough in the world to go around. 

So, what hopes do you have for the upcoming beginning year, year number 1? 

I hope we can come closer to learning to share, not to take what is not ours. I hope we can closer to learning to love, that which is ours and that which is not, for we are all in need of love. It is hard for me to give freely to some one who sits and waits for handouts to fall, but easy to give to a man who is doing his best to support his family and working his fingers to the bone, yet not making ends meet. I feel that one deserves my help and one deserves a boot in the ass. But that means I am judging too, and I want to grow bigger than that. So I hope I can do better in the new year. 

It has been a wonderful 2016 in so many ways too. There are blessings untold living on a farm, close to nature, walking in the trees, listening to their primoridal songs as they sway in the wind, groaning and moaning in the frost and cold and swaying in joy during the summer heat. Living with the animals, my dogs, my sheep and even the chickens, who finally after 5 years are beginning to grow on me, has taught me so much about life itself. I am truly blessed here, doing what I want to do. That does not mean it is easy or has been or will be, but it does mean that I chose this life and am content and sleep well at night. 

For you, I wish a life of ease. Ease of health, no aches or pains or strains, either mental of physical, a life of joy, peace in yor heart and quiet in the soul. Happy 2017! Happy New Year! 

I was asked for a few photos of some goats and birds and eggs from the farm, so I started looking back from the inception in 2011 when my trusty dogs, Josie, Mike and Sofi, arrived here. It was March 17th and the truck with the furniture was delayed for a week. I slept on an air mattress for that time, which lost air after a few hours. The house was empty, but it was home. 

The nightmare of the rest of the move and the beginning is a subject for a long series of blogs. Suffice to say, the move was extremely challenging and I did what every good woman would - sit down and cry. But, over the years, perseverance paid off, and the farm began its transformation from the lovely grass lawn farm it was to the very busy working rare breeds permaculture farm it is becoming. 

The photos of the first dogs really touched my heart. Mikey was a border collie rescue. She was to be put down for excessive barking. When I got to her, she was tied on a 10 foot chain to a chain link fence. It appeared as though that was her home most of the time. Off the chain, she was insanely crazy, jumping on everyone and everything and not listening at all. And she barked. Still, she was only 2 and I felt with my dog training experiences I could help her rehabilitate and get a new home for her. She was a lot of work, but in the end, the home she was sent to was Heaven for a dog. Heck, it would have been Heaven for anyone! She went to be the companion for an elderly millionairess, who hired a personal trainer for her, a dog walker, a butcher to prepare her meals and a spa therapist for special exercise. Oh my goodness! Sofi was actually my daughter's dog, however, she had lived with me pretty much all of her life too. I had her exclusively then. Josie, my old trusty border collie was the other dog. She was coming 14 at the time and did not have many years left, but how I loved her so. 

Shortly after moving, I wanted a livestock guardian dog, but could only find a part Maremma, part something. Petey was so cute! But he was more interested in playing with the dogs across the highway and went missing one day, never to be seen again. Two beautiful rough collie, a tri colour female followed by a standard golden male, came to live at the farm. Oh, I loved those dogs. One day, one day...I will have rough collies again, but not here. They were both killed on that darn highway crossing over to the unspayed female there and their two other dogs. I rescued and rehomed a Maremma/Golden retriever named Ella too, during the early days on the farm. 

After the first year here, Josie was put down, my Josie, and Robbie, my new border collie pup entered the scene, followed by Ofcharka a few months later. Oh, Harley, a real Maremma, was rescued inbetween that time. He was a big dog and the owner told me to be cautious around him. There was aboslutely no need for that, because he was a teddy bear, as it turned out. He was the best thing to come to the farm and kept all the predators away, but it was too much for one dog. That is why Ofcharka joined us. Then Jade and Jenna came from Saskatchewan. Poor things. They were beaten, kicked and starved, so I rescued them, but they have turned out to be great additions to the pack. Finally, the last two, Mike and Joe, Maremma/Great Pyrenees cross puppies joined the Fat Ewe Farm as livestock guardians. They were a bit more challenging to teach the ropes to, but then again, so was Ofcharka, who decided he should eat ducks when he was a teenager. I got them all straightened out and on the right path, guarding what was theirs and not eating what they were supposed to look after and all was well, and still is. 

There have been so many animals that have come and gone in the short time here. It has been an absolute delight to be on this journey, not having grown up on a farm, nor really had any farming experience prior to this venture. I would not change a thing! And to know that some of you have been with me from the onset is so comforting too! Thank you dear readers! 

So, the going through my photos has inspired me to create a picture book of the farm, a printed one in which I can tell a little story. I am going to write it for my grand daughter, dear Stella, but for all children everywhere, big and small. Are you one? 

There are times when you want something to eat, something like a bit of cake or a muffin, but do not want to bake a whole recipe, especially if you are fond of eating those morsels you have just created. I think I have the perfect solution. Mug cakes and muffins. 

I first read about mug cakes a while back, but at that time, I was convinced I would die if I used a microwave oven. Since then, with new data, I now feel microwaves are safe enough to use on occasion. So, initially, a mug cake was out of the question, since it was 'baked' in a microwave. 

I am also developing recipes that are compliant with restricted diets. The muffin I just made tonight was flour free, entirely flour free, not made with substitute flours either. The dry ingredient was milled organic flax seed. There was no requirement for flour then. 

I created a recipe with a little knowlege or a flax bread made from milled flax, oil, a liquid and a fat. I did not like that bread one bit as it reminded me of eating brown paper. Definitely lacking in flavour and texture, it was also dry. It did, however, suffice as a piece of 'bread' for a sandwich and is extremely low carbohydrate. So I modified it to make a peanut butter muffin and I must say, it was delicious. 

The muffin was moist, not sweet but full of flavour and had just the right amount of peanut butter to give it the extra oomph it needed. I suppose other nut butters or sunflower butter even could easily be substituted for the peanut butter if allergies are a concern. This muffin did have a bit of organic raw sugar, though honey could be substituted or it could be ommitted and the flavour and texture would only slightly change. It definitely qualifies as gluten free, low carbohydrate and tasty! 

Here is the recipe: 

1/4 cup of organic milled flax seed
1 egg. I was fortunate because today, one of my young pullets laid her first egg!
1 tbsp of melted butter
1 tsp raw cane suger, coconut sugar or honey
3 tbsp coconut milk
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
1 tbsp organic peanut butter with no ingredients other than peanuts
1/8 tsp baking powder
dash of salt (easily omitted since the butter has salt)

Method: 
Melt the butter slightly, 
Whip the egg and whip the butter into the egg
Whip in the coconut milk 
Whip in the peanut butter
Whip in the vanilla extract
Whip in the cane sugar and salt if using
Pour into the flax seed and combine well, but do not over beat. 
Pop into the microwave for 2 minutes. That might not be the right amount of time for every microwave, but mine is 1200 watts of good power. 

Remove from the microwave and let cool for a few minutes. Microwaved food is hotter than you think, so be careful. 

I ate it plain, though I can see another pat of butter would have been spectacular or a fruit sauce or even whipped cream, or whipped cream and the fruit sauce! Yum! I ate it out of the mug, though it would be fine to remove it gently and split it in two to add the condiments or toppings. 

​I hope you give it a try and let me know how it turned out. Thanks for that!

It is the close of the day, Christmas 2016. 

My trusty border collie is curled up by the door on his mat, dreaming of the wonders of his day, chasing something in his sleep, his mind alive with the hunt. There is a glowing fire sharing its welcome warmth in the little wood stove and atop simmers an old enamelled pot of water with the essence of pine, cinnamon and eucalyptus. In the corner stands the little tree, shimmering with its artificial glow of many colours provided by fibre optic technology. The Christmas cards grace the base, reminding me that there are others who were kind enough to extend their greetings my way. Two little Stearling fans that run on the heat of the fire only are busy wafting the heat around the little living room. I want to knit or crochet, but my hands are tired and sore today and they do not cooperate holding the needles without causing some grief, so I simply sit and sip a cup of hot apple cinnamon herbal tea. All is well in the farmhouse at the Fat Ewe Farm. 

There was a little fresh snow overnight and this morning, about three inches and the world outside was pristine and white again. By ten o'clock the glorious sun shone brightly and the tiny flakes flitted from the trees in the gentle breeze caught in the sunrays, scattering the little crystals around the clean snow like diamonds. There had been comings and going on the snow with the big dogs and little cats, but those were early morning tracks. 

The bunnies were the first to get their Christmas presents - fresh organic carrots from the garden. I love the rabbits, watching their tiny  faces light up when they see and smell the treats. What a delight! Next the chickens got half a spaghetti squash per coop. Each coop has its own rooster and he was first to sample the nourishment and then proclaim it good enough for his hens, which he then clucked and danced to attract to the food. The piglets got purple potatoes and they munched and crunched and stole some of the squash from the chickens. But of all the animals, the dogs seemed to know it was their turn and waited impatiently through the rounds for the time. I saved a bag of meat scraps. Oh boy! Using the five pound hammer, the bits were knocked apart and distributed to the hounds, and the cats who were brave enough to come out and try to steal some. Generally the big dogs do not much care, however, Jenna and Jade, do not share with cats, and nor does Harley. They best keep their distance when they are around and they do. 

Everyone was fed and watered and there was no time left to ponder my beautiful life, for my son and I were invited to Christmas dinner at a neighbour's for two pm and it was time to get ready to go. I was grateful and filled with joy. My little farm, the animals, the blessings bestowed on us all - well the peace of my world was immense at that moment and joy swelled my heart to the point of bursting. What sublime happiness! 

May this Christmas have been as blessed for you as it was for me. May your heart be filled with joy and love and your cup runneth over! Merry Christmas from the The Fat Ewe Farm!

Simply stated, I love my sheep!

Of all the animals on the farm, the dogs win my love the most, but surprisingly to me, the sheep have a very close reign on my heart as well. I can stand and watch them for hours. 

Sheep are not dumb, at least not most of the breeds I have had, and that is a considerable amount. I choose primitives, or the breeds that are not improved by man, and improved is really tongue in cheek, because in my humble opinion, man's improvement meddles with the genes too much and causes great losses of important traits, like being naturally pest resistant. Most of my sheep do not need to be wormed. It is not that they do not have worms, but they are able to manage the worm loads they have without losing condition. You cannot say that prior to chemical wormers, sheep were routinely wormed by the shepherds. In those old days, they were selected for their vigour and strength, which included health and the ability to fight off disease and thrive without being sick. Worms are always going to be present in pastures. Sheep are always going to eat the grass that has worms and the cycle will always continue, but it does not need to weaken the sheep beyond its ability to cope with nature. That is not to say that on occasion an individual sheep, for whatever particular reason, will need some intervention, only to remark that the sheep I want on my farm are strong and naturally resistant. 

Certain breeds seem to do better too and it also seems that those breeds are more intelligent than man bred models. The Icelandics for example, are almost comical. They jump when they are happy and frolic and play. It is a joy to watch them! When they are being fed or watered, they express themselves. They talk and tell me they are glad I am there. I want to stroke their beautiful long woolen coats and pat their heads and tell them I am glad they are there for me. I have milked a few Icelandic ewes, not regularly, but they have rich creamy milk that is plentiful. I am aware of at least one dairy that emplyes Icelandic sheep, the original triple purpose girls, providing meat, milk and wool. That is a lot more than beef, which people eat too much of, in my humble opinion. One could have 7 Icelandic sheep on the same pasture as 1 beef cow, possibly more, since they thrive on marginal forage. Of course, the best feed is always preferred, but they COULD make do, whereas other man breeds cannot. 

Another old breed that I am in love with are the Babydolls. Oh my goodness! They are the sweetest natured little sheep, standing knee high only. But they are a meat breed, or were, and were the original Southdown sheep, with very fine, but short fleece, rich milk (if you can get underneath one to milk her) and chunky, heavy carcasses. I have not eaten any Babydoll meat, but did try Icelandic, strictly grass fed, and it is delicious. Rosy, and her little Rosalee (and Ross), the twins from this year, come when I call them and they also talk to me. Rosy and Rosalee are quiet and somewhat shy. They will not compete for food. Ross and Randy (a Babydoll ram with a little Jacob in him) live with the goats and they are definitely at the bottom of the run there, so I feed them away from the goats. I just have to make sure there are enough spots for the sheep to eat at so they do not have to compete or they will draw back, but then Rosy complains loudly to me and I know I have to make sure she has a place to eat where she can enjoy her hay without fighting for it. 

Another breed that I love are the Cotswolds. They are a huge sheep, with the ram being close to 300 pounds and the ewes at 200 to 250 pounds. They have soft ringlets for their fleece and although I have not used it for anything, I recall having met my first Cotswold on Salt Spring Island long, long ago and deciding then that I would one day have these sheep. The ringlets are often sold to felters and wool painters to use for particular special areas, such as Santa bears or wispy clouds. I gave my wool from last year to my business partner, but so far not much has happened there with it. I was hoping that it would be sold. In a few months this year's girls will be shorn again. I have given up on trying to keep the hay out of the wool and being a fibre farm. It is too hard in the frozen north where we feed hay 9 months a year and the sheep are all different sizes. 

When I retire from here, somehow I would like to keep a few sheep in my life. They make me happy. Whodathunkit? Sheep make people happy! Me, they do, at least. From my gentle Cotswolds to the little Babydolls, and the furry Icelandics, at least a few of them must remain in my life somehow. How, I am not just sure yet. But my sheepy love is true and must be fulfilled with my charges. Do you love any sheep?

I used to. I mean, there was a time when for the month or two prior to Christmas, I was caught up in the need to bake, to buy, to make and consume. There were Christmas parties and gatherings to attend, and gifts to purchase for everyone. L'est I forgot someone who was not really someone I should have felt the need to purchase a gift for, such as the boss, or some coworkers, I fretted. I fretted about the decorations. Would they be extravagant enough to wow those who saw them? At one point, I decorated the church I attended and felt incredible pressure to made the tree unique and exquisite as no other tree has ever been. Live flowers and greens were carefully shaped into wreathes and boughs graced the surfaces, tied with luxurious bows and all sparkling with twinkling lights in the new colour of the season. 

Yes, there was a time when I was caught in that trap of being a consumer, when I felt the pressure to perform, to buy, buy buy and buy and to make Christmas happen, as if without me, it would not come.  I often thought about the Whos from Whoville in the Dr. Seuss classic of the Grinch. They had Christmas without all the trappings. Why couldn't we? 

And the expense. Some years it took until June to pay off the credit cards that were used to pay for the debts to make that Christmas happen. I was aware that some of the gifts I gave were not appreciated and were either regifted or given to charity. But I was in a Christmas frenzy, dictated by those in charge of telling humans in polite society, just what to do and what to buy and what to wear, what colours to use and what foods to create. So, if one or two were not overly pleased with my efforts, did it matter? The point was, I did what needed to be done. Or did I?

Today, life is entirely different. It has taken 6 years of dedicated work on my behalf to divorce myself from those societal dictates. I no longer fret and worry about having the best and latest decorations in the right colours, or concern myself with purchasing just the perfect gifts. As a matter of fact, Christmas is just another day. Yes, I still celebrate with others, as they are benevolent enough to include me in their festivities, but that desperate need to conform has left me. Thank goodness! 

Thank goodness it no longer matters what the fashionistas are wearing, what trappings and trimmings are en vogue and what dress, sparkly or plain, and burgundy or red, I must choose. I do not have to buy the latest fake tree with the prewired lights, because the last year's tree had to be strung instead. Not doing Christmas is very freeing. There is no pressure to purchase the present that the loved ones will remember. There is no pressure to make the meal that is unforgettable. It is another day, a day when the celebration is in the heart, the drama long forgotten. Christmas is peace. Christmas is just that. Peace on my Earth, at last. I wish for you, one day, it will be so too. I wish many blessings for you and your household in ways that money cannot buy and that your spirit will sing with the joy of the season the whole year through. I do. 

The bed and breakfast is almost done! 

Today the carpenter came and we worked together to install the blinds and curtains and rods that were still needing to be done. Some things were hung too, like the towel holder and magnetic knife holder. There are just a few minor details, like to clear coat the table I refinished and to clear coat the wooden shelves recently installed in the china cabinet hung on the wall. The inspector specifically stated that wooden shelves must have an easy to clean surface impermable to moisture. So, the dishes have to come out and the shelves, then be coated and dried and everything reinstalled. 

A great house cleaning is in order too. The house has been cleaned several times, but has remained empty, so the usual dust and flies have collected. Surfaces need to be disinfected with the sanitizing solution and every solid surface touched needs to be wiped down with the sanitizer. This sounds like it is more work than it is. Once I get in the routine of sanitizing, it is like second nature. Most home owners do a version of this without considering even what they are doing, from the walls to hand rails, to floors. 

Once the last cleaning is done, the professional photos can be done. The photos will be used to create the new website and also to put an ad on some sites, like the Alberta Bed and Breakfast webpage, Air B n B, Trip Advisor and so on. When the bed and breakfast was opened previously, there were some very awesome reviews on Trip Advisor, but they were deleted when the listing closed a year ago. 

The insurance has been settled. The result of almost a year of negotiations, renovations, innovations and so on is coming to a close. Finally! Yay! It has been difficult to redesign the home. Some of the furnishings were damaged and others were sold when the facilty closed due to the downturn in the economy and the oil industry being nearly closed. The oil business has started to come out of the ashes too, so the timing is perfect. 

Moose HIlls Inn will be officially opened for business on January 3, 2017. Wish us luck and do come in for a visit when you are in the area. Moose Hills Inn is going to be fun, with retreat packages being offered, infrared treatments, body annointing, and of course, farm to table gourmet fare. We are specializing in unique diets such as Paleo, GAPS, SCD, AIP and Celiac. If you are following one of these diets, you can preorder your meals and even a birthday cake that is diet compliant. Special charges will apply. Stand by for the official opening on January 3. Ta DA! almost done, except for those last little things. 

It has been terribly cold the last two weeks. Our low temperatures are around minus 30C and if there is a wind, it can bring that temperature to much lower. And it has been windy, a terrible north wind that chills one to the bone. 

There have been a few losses. One young female Muscovy duck has frozen feet. I have no idea where she spent the night to have frozen feet. If she went in the coop, she would have been 100% fine, but obviously she did not. One chicken froze too. She spent the night outside. Why? Who knows. She was mostly dead the next morning, totally frozen, but still wagging her head and attempting to walk. I wanted to put her down, but I could not. She passed away shortly thereafter. I felt bad for both these young birds. They have a warm enough coop to spend the night in. Now that the piglets have made it their home too, it is quite warm. They provide an enormouse boost to the temperature, but they also bring in humidity, which is not great for chickens. The vent is left cranked open to help with the humidity now, but that means some heat loss too. 

The water freezes within an hour of pouring, so the animals need to drink when I bring it. The goats have that down pat, but most of the sheep could care less. They have been eating snow, now that we have some and do not even come running to the water, so I end up cracking the ice out of the rubber tubs the next day. The rabbits do drink when the water is poured and some afterwards, but they do not have long. Even they have been huddled in their houses, except for the French/Giant Angora crosses. They are outside almost all time and seem impervious to the cold and even that wind. They do hide on the windless side of their hut, but seldom go inside. 

The turkeys are very hardy and have an open shelter that is protected from the wind. It is not warm and they are doing as usual. Normally they hunker down on top of the chicken coop in bad weather, but the remaining two turkeys are sold and are waiting to be picked up. 

The dogs seem to be fine. Harley, the old boy, wants to come in the porch for the night and Charka has started to follow him, though I think Charka is fine outside. The other dogs sleep in the hay they paw down from the bale, except in the worst wind, when they actually seek the shelter of their dog houses. They have several choices for dog houses and will move to the one that is away from the wind. They are thirsty though because their water is freezing so fast and the creek has frozen over too. I will look into getting a heated bucket for them, but the last one froze and the bucket cracked, so maybe not. The cold is supposed to let up in a few days with back to normal for the season tempertures of minus ten to fifteen on the way. Whew! 

I am dressing in four layers with one of them being my beautiful felted wool parka and I am not cold. I can stay out for hours and as long as I am moving, I am fine. My face has been a little chapped from the wind and my lips a bit dry. Otherwise I am tolerating the cold very well. Staying out longer than I have to is not my preference so once the chores are done I am back inside. 

Today the lambs and one goat were picked up and brought home in small frozen wrapped packages, and the piglets came back whole. The next few days we will be distributing them to those who have requested one. There were 17 taken in and there are 5 left here. The butcher shop does not want to do any piglets under 60 pounds in the future, so they will have to be butchered in the spring. After that, no more piggies for the farm! No more turkeys, either! Way less ducks and geese, but I will keep quite a few hens for eggs, as they are starting to sell finally and I have sourced unsprayed grain for them too. 

In the meantime, we are trying hard to keep from freezing and surviving until tomorrow in the frozen north. Now, time for bed, zzzzz. Good night all. 

Lard is plentiful where I live and easy to procure. I have a couple of friends who are butchers and when people do not claim their lard, I am often offered it. I usually accept since I can give it to the chickens and dogs as well as use it in soap after rendering it. Rendering can be done many ways. My preferred method is to use the oven on its lowest setting and let it sit there until it melts. The last batch was slightly browned..oops. It will not affect the soap quality, but does change the colour slightly to a very light amber. Lard soap is excellent for skin, easily had here and inexpesive or free. Win , win, win!
​

So, what is this experiment? I am testing additives to see exactly what their properties are in soap, in this case 100% lye soap. The first soap was made with lye, water and lard. It was a different batch of lard than the next two, which are made with the slightly browned batch. The second batch substituted pale ale for the water, and of course used lye and lard. The third batch subbed rice water, the cooking water from boiling rice. Rice water is supposed to be skin loving, but whether it will actually make any difference in soap..well that will remain to be seen. 

The soap is made cold processed. The liquid is weighed and the lye and lard as well. The lye is added to the liquid and then that is added to the lard. The lard is room temperature so technically the heat that is part of the reaction of lye and water is transferred to the lard and it melts it to a certain extent. Today, with the rice water, the exothermic reaction (the heat) was not nearly as much as with the ale yesterday, so I put the lard in the microwave for a minute to soften it. Yesterday's ale soap is still a little soft and does not want to pop out of the mold despite an hour in the freezer earlier today. So I am leaving it there for another day. The rice water soap should be ready to unmold tomorrow as it was already harder than the ale soap. 

I need a helper to put the data and photos on an easily read table. I don't know if I want to take the time to do all that. 

Anyhow, the Great Lard Soap Experiement has begun. Every day there will be a new soap created, first with different liquids and then secondly with the addition of one other oil. And lastly, two different oils and lard will make the last soaps. That is a lot of data to record. While I do not mind writing in paragraphs, doing tables has never been a forte of mine. Hmmm. Anyone out there want to volunteer? Happy Soaping!