"Where The Rivers Run": My County Made PBS News!

  Check it out!! My county here in Missouri got highlighted on PBS! I watched this with the family last night, and we all had a blast saying, "I know that person! I know that place!" A few things highlighted are the Katy Trail, which I LOVE biking on as often as possible, the Missouri river, which I've canoed on, some local goat cheese makers whom I've gotten to know (they have lovely Saanens...), an artist who is a staunch milk customer at the family farm, and best of all... A little clip about my hometown, New Haven (clip starts at 38 minutes)!

  So if you've ever wondered what it's like, right here in my neck of the woods, this'll give you a great feel for it. If you've ever wondered why I chose to call Missouri my permanent home, instead of moving elsewhere, this will explain. And if you ever happen to find yourself travelling through this state, well... I highly recommend giving Franklin County a try.

Enjoy!

Wanted: Your Thinking Cap!

 

 Hey guys, I need a wee bit of help in the thinking department; care to give me a hand? I'm working on a project, and need some unique enterprise ideas that can be done on a small farm (example: quail, chevre cheese truffles, barn dances, etc.). I've already got quite a few of these ideas, but as I near the end of my needed quota, it's starting to get harder to think up these creative enterprises!

 So here's where you come in: What's the most unusual/creative business you've heard of someone implementing on their farm? Put your answer in the comments below!

 And to sweeten the deal, here's what I'll do: If I get enough answers that I haven't used yet, I'll give you guys a sneak peek on what the project is!

Come, Walk With Me

Yesterday evening was such a beautiful, peaceful time that I couldn't resist getting some video footage of it all, since you couldn't be here to take a walk with me. This being deer season, I couldn't stray far, or go into any of the pastures, but here's at least a clip to show you a little bit of the family farm. 

Puppies, Pregnancy, and Moving Back to the Farm!

  Ze' Caity (me) is re-entering the stage with style! Ta da, a video for you! Actually, I don't know about the "entering with style" part... I think the term "dorkiness" might be more fitting. Anyway! Here's a video about what all has been going on since we last talked. Busy times, folks; busy times.

Notes: The ringing and dinging you hear in the video's background would be the bells on the three heifers. I was inside a barn, okay?? 

 Another note that I forgot to mention in the video is that one of the things that's been keeping me busy lately is that I enrolled in an online business/marketing course back in September (year long enrollment) and its been intense. Awesome, but intense. So its taken me this long to figure out how to balance "school", life, and the blog. But I think I've got it. 

 All for now! Happy deer hunting to those who are out right now!

E.coli Came To Town

  There is a very specific reason that I haven't been posting much lately. And that is that I've been sick from drinking contaminated water. Yuck, yuck, yuck. I felt slightly "off" on Wednesday, spiked a fever by Thursday, and basically have more or less been a fixture on the couch since then. Missouri has been experiencing a very WET summer, complete with lots of flooding. I guess this flood water somehow got into my county's water supply... And now ALL of it is contaminated with E.coli. Yup. Thing is, I didn't know this until Saturday; and apparently all the town's had put down a "boil order" on all city water just the day or two before. While I definitely don't have E.coli, I am for sure feeling the effects of drinking bad water.

  Not having access to news is usually a great thing in my mind; keeps my stress levels down. LOL. But, I could see how it would be very handy to know what's going on in the town when we suddenly have to boil our water because of an E.coli breakout!

  This whole thing has been a bit of a shock for me. Things like this always seem to happen to "someone else", in "some other state". And yet here we are: my town alone has almost 30,000 people; and none of us can use our water unless we boil it first. For the record, boiled water tastes horrible. My husband assures me that it's better than water with iodine tablets in it, but that really doesn't make me enjoy my boiled water any more. 

  And then with the problem of now boiling all water, I'm going through my day thinking, "Wait, how do I wash dishes now? Can I still do that with tap water? And what about taking a shower?? Or doing laundry? Surely laundry will be fine, being washed in yucky water, right???" 

  It's a mess.

  I've been reading through a library book that's half about preserving/stocking food to be frugal, and half about preserving/stocking food in case of an emergency. Now, I have to admit, that up 'til now, I've been skipping over the emergency section. The idea of storing jugs of water made me think of my mother who stored multitudes of jugs in our spacious bathroom closet, many years ago... And then dumped every single one of those jugs out years later because they never got used. This E.coli thing is probably the first emergency/disaster I've experienced (and thankfully a mild one to start with!), so up until now the idea of "prepping" seemed like something for folks who really think zombies are coming. And yet now... Here I am, wishing I had been smart and stored away bottled water, disposable plates/bowls/ utensils, and bottles of hand sanitizer. Live and learn, folks. Live and learn...

  But if nothing else, this crisis has at least opened my eyes to the fact that emergency preparedness is a good thing, and need not be taken to a crazy level. 

  And now, methinks I need a nap. Being sick is no fun guys; stay away from dirty water.

How Hard Can It Be To Write An Essay?

 Apparently very hard. Or at least when the essay is only allowed to be 200 words long. Yes guys, I'm referring to that essay contest to win the goat farm down in Alabama. I had all these wonderful ideas for my essay submission, but then when I sat down and started writing, I realized just how hard it is for me to write SHORT essays. I can do five hundred words easily. One thousand words is even better. But only two hundred?? Gaah, it's killing  me.

  But I'm still trying. I'm stubborn that way. 

  I had thought about giving up at one point, but my morale was greatly boosted when someone made the mistake of telling me to give up now because, "You're not good enough of a writer anyway..." and "It's a pointless contest since there's no way you'll win."  *Enter dramatic music.* (I don't know what kind of music, but it needs to be dramatic.) I was mad. Insulted. Determined more than ever to enter the contest. On the outside I was perfectly cool and polite, on the inside though I was roaring with indignation. Such is the way this girl ticks... I flat out never argue; I just annoyingly decide that I'm right, keep that opinion to myself and basically tune the other person out until they're done talking and we can all go our separate ways. Growing up with ten siblings taught me the art of keeping my mouth shut. 

Now sure, that person is right for the most part; my chances of winning are something like 2,500 to 1. But there's still that ONE chance. And in the end, the way I see it is like this: If the good Lord wants me to have that goat farm, then it doesn't matter what I write; it'll happen. And if I'm not supposed to have that goat farm, then by Jove it won't happen! Simplistic of me? Possibly. But hey, you sleep better at night with simplistic views such as this. 

  But views aside, one does still have to write a 200 page essay to enter the contest... And this seems to be my Waterloo.

Pinterest Link Up!

  After what -- almost two years? -- I'm finally bringing the Pinterest Link Ups back! This week's round is short, since I'm still trying to get the hang of it again; but I feel like I found some pretty good stuff this week. :) Enjoy!

1. DIY Fodder System! {Courtesy of Rina Marie Blog} - I REALLY like the looks of this system, and have a hankering to try it out!

2. Why You Should Consider Keeping Quail. {Courtesy of 'The 104 Homestead'}  - I've been thinking about trying quail out for YEARS, but have yet to do it. This article is making me think I should give it a go...

3. Growing Mushrooms In A Laundry Basket. {Courtesy of 'Milkwood'} - This article doesn't give specifics on getting your mushrooms started (great links to be found on Pinterest!), but I was so tickled by their pictures of growing mushrooms in a laundry basket that I had to share! I'm totally buying a spare laundry basket next time I go to Walmart!

4. Make Your Own Dog Food. {Courtesy of 'Home And Farm Sense'} - For those of you out there who are thinking about switching to real food for your dogs, this is a great starter recipe. Whenever I had dogs, they always got raw/real food diets and the difference in their health was amazing!