Just a quick post to let you all know I haven’t forgotten the blog I have just been incredibly busy. 

In the last few days I have butcherd a hog, made sausage and rendered lard. I will go into more details later. I also am frantically trying to get my website up which is difficult with this snail internet.

Parts  for the 4 wheeler should be in today and also my cream separator. A trip to town is in my schedule. 

The break up is coming fast and there’s mud everywhere but yay!!!! It’s spring!!!!!!!

Off and running again but want you all to have a very blessed day!

Yesterday was such a beautiful day, 50 degrees and a bit breezy but hey, it was 50 degrees out!  

The family had ground wheat the night before (yes it’s a family affair as hand grinding wheat is a lot of work) so I got to work after chores and baked bread. I was expecting it to last for at least a few days but the minute the first loaf came out it was reduced to a few crumbs in seconds. Literally!  



There’s still a loaf for today but I will be baking again this afternoon for sure.

Baby rabbits got to finally see the sunshine now that the cold snap has broke. Their mommas allowed them to the screened section of the hutch and they were quite active hopping and frolicking. Bunnies are so darned cute don’t you think!



Rooster Jack and Henny made complete pests of themselves all day running in the door of the cabin everytime they found an opportunity.



My critters have the idea that they run the place! 

I am very excited that I am finally getting my cream separator. It should be here in around a week. I am receiving it from a company that I will be reviewing it for. I will share more on it later in my posts.

Dear hubby spent the day preparing for hog butchering day on Thursday. We originally planned for it today but a phone call changed all of that. I was asked by a gentleman who teaches an anatomy class if they could join us as a hands on field trip and of course I said yes! Any time people can further their knowledge is time well spent and I am happy to be a part of it. I will attempt to video tape this and share later.

Soap is finally aged and ready for sale so I will have to spend today working on the website. I will immediately post a link when it is up and running. We will have soap, lip balm, powdered goat milk hot cocoa mix and leather items available for purchase with many more items coming in the future. 

Yes the days are getting longer and busier here at Two Moose Farm and we are blessed to be able to share them with you-stay tuned!

Have a beautiful and blessed day all.

I am getting my cream separator!!!! This company sending me one for review so will be sharing a lot of info and probably more than you want to hear on the joys of separating cream! 

http://www.slavicbeauty.net/cream-separators/separators 

Today was an odd day. Starting just after midnight our cold snap broke and the temperature began to rise. This morning found us in the middle of a beautiful snow fall, I know I have been complaining but it truly was a beautiful site.  By noon it had warmed up to 41 and the snow switched to rain. By 2 p.m. The sun was shining and it was a glorious warm afternoon. By 6 p.m. The wind was getting quite blustery and now we are back to rain showers and around 34 degrees.  The old adage “if you don’t like the weather just wait a minute” sure rang true today!

I had such big ambitions today to get things done but once again I was side tracked-my attention span is about as long as each sentence, but you have probably  noticed that already. My friend Cathy and I refer to those moments as “squirrel” meaning the squirrel ran by and diverted our attention. No real squirrels are ever harmed during these episodes- (giggle).

Speaking of Cathy she scared the daylights out of me today, texted me she was involved in a car accident.  Now many of you know Cathy is very dear to me-sisterly love kind of dear so my initial reaction was fear then anger. After I heard the details I just wanted to cry. Thankfully she is alright but she sure went through a lot in just a few seconds. Let me explain, Cathy has MS and is in a wheel chair. She was in her wheelchair in the back of the van with her husband driving and sees a vehicle  coming at them and knows that it isn’t going to stop-imagine yourself in that situation! Scary!!!!  They were hit in the rear drivers side back where she is a passenger. I thank God for watching over her today as it could of been much worse. Cathy, I know your gonna read this and please don’t be mad but you know I have to put everything to words to deal with it. I only wish I could be there for you now.

Today reminded me how life can be changed in a split second.  I hope all of you take a minute to hug those you love and tell them daily how much you love them. 

Well it is getting late and there are still animals to check on so I will bid you all a good night and I pray you are home safe and sound, surrounded by those you love. God Bless and Good Night

Woke up this morning to snowy weather but it’s warm!  I know I have been complaining lately about winter being here but there is something about fresh snowfall that makes me smile. Maybe it’s the freshness it brings, where everything is pristine and white. Trust me as a homesteader it’s the only time everything is pristine and white! 





No new babies yet but the goat ladies are packing around heavy bags and have begun to waddle. Who knows maybe soon maybe not.  

Children are enjoying a snow day today. They needed to run off some much needed energy that has been bottled up for days and I needed them out of my hair so I could get a few things done around here.

Bread baking is a priority around here many times a week. Yes we are carb junkies! I have many friends who cannot tolerate gluten and I feel so bad for them as breads are so important to our daily life.  There is no aroma more welcoming than the scent of freshly baked bread.

Spring is still in my heart so I will begin my spring cleaning. It amazes me how much soot, dust and cobwebs accumulate over the winter months.  I cannot get it all done with the rain snow mix we are having but neatly organized shelves will be a great start.

Well I must get busy but will post more later with pictures of my progress. Have a blessed day all.

It looks like our little taste of winter will be ending in the next couple of days and then the fun begins!

Big plans to get the greenhouse project kicked into high gear, hopefully the parts for the 4 wheeler will come in soon and we can resume cutting wood for all of the projects. 

Whenever you plan a project around here you can bank on it taking 10 times as long as predicted. Making do with what you have there are always adjustments to be made and absolutely nothing goes as planned but it eventually works itself out and we find a way.

Big on our list of “must acquire” this year are a gas powered weed eater for cutting hay, a cream separator, aggressive tires for the wheeler that will go through the mud and praying another wheeler makes it our way. We have been actively searching for a polaris 400 that may need work. So many are sitting around abandoned for newer models I have faith one will make it our way. We were blessed by a kind soul who gave us a small one that needs rewired but appears to be in good shape otherwise. Yes we do love our projects and other peoples trash is our treasure!

The cold weather has us all sapped with constantly running in and out thawing critters water and making sure they are comfortable. The goats although warm enough have slowed down a bit on milk production but I believe it will pick up again in warm weather.

Made 2 batches of cheese in the past couple of weeks both bombed. After discussing the problem with my cheese guru friends it appears my cultures are bad so back to doing things the hard way and making my own-see nothing is ever easy!  Perhaps I could of salvaged them but I am not one to take any chances when it comes to food. In the mean time we will be happy with farmers cheese that while still tasty lacks that delicious bite that aged cheddar gives you.

Rabbits are having little ones and a couple of my girls have slowed down in the production department so will be culling them and replacing with some of my upcoming females. I was also blessed by a friend who contacted me to see if I would be interested in giving hers a new home so that brought a lot of excitement as I like to add new bloodlines every year. 

Birch trees are still in a holding pattern as the cold keeps them from producing sap but with the predicted warm up we will for sure be on high alert.

Everyone is excited that we made it our first year and now are officially residents so can get hunting and fishing licenses. Our awesome friends Dan and Robin so kindly offered to assist us with our subsistence fishing for salmon and that will be such a blessing to our family. I am excited that we can finally get a moose and hopefully a bear as both will provide lots of tasty meat and oh bear lard is the best for baking!  All of this must be heavy on my

Mind as last night I woke up out of a sound sleep, arms flailing and realized I was dreaming of netting fish. Mind you I know in the past when I was very young my paw paw did this and I vaguely recall watching it but have never actually done it but in my dream I was sure catching them!

We are supposed to be getting a good view of the aurora tonight so I will cut this short so I can keep an eye out. I pray your all blessed with good health and happiness. 





Well today started out much like other days, you know the drill-feed kids and critters, listen to a hundred and one whines about school work and how mean the teacher is but that’s where the typical ends. Today I have proven that it is possible to kick your own butt and knock yourself silly all at the same time!

Alright now I know you are expecting an explanation so please follow closely as this is too embarrassing to repeat more than once.  It all began with milking time. I gathered the needed supplies, sanitized my hands, grabbed the milking bucket and headed outside. I guess I should mention milking goats with gloves does not work- yes I have tried. Mind you the wind is blowing and it is a balmy 8 degrees out my goal was to hurry out- Prepared, milk and hurry back in. Best laid plans yada yada y’all know where this is going!  First problem, kids didn’t separate goats and all the does were mixed in together in the dry doe shelter……including my goats who needed milked. Strike one!  So with grain bucket and milking bucket in hand I attempt to open the gate, sort out one single girl to milk and Ha I was successful, well almost. I get her to the stand and latched in, feed her some grain, wipe down her bag and disinfect my hands again which by now are feeling the cold (remember-quick trip no gloves) and just as I get about a cup of milk in the bucket I am bombarded by flying goats. Strike two! Seriously they were coming at me from all directions flying over top and spilling the milk, the grain from the bucket and as I attempt to gain some semblance to the chaos I tripped over a goat sprinting under my legs and find myself looking at the sky-Strike three and I’m done counting!   I managed to get up and check for injuries to the goats who of course had none but my butt sure hurt!  Alright grabbing goat collars 2 at a time I managed after several trips to get goats in appropriate quarters and was ready to resume milking but now I am out of grain. Curse words came to mind but I stifled them, beat my hands on my legs to help warm them up, went and refilled the grain bucket then completed milking the very impatient goat on the milking stand.  Everything appeared to be back to normal except my butt was aching and fingers weren’t working quite right due to being half froze so one gal left to milk I persevered.  The occasional errant squirt of milk blinding me with a white cloud (eye glasses, milk and freezing temperatures not a good mix) I was in the home stretch!   Woo hoo!!!! I placed the milk bucket on it’s appropriate stand, released the latch and with perfect timing tripped over some invisible object just as the goat decides to jump knocking the head latch sideways and straight onto my head!  Poo!   

Regaining my composure……again, shaking off the stars I’m seeing behind the white milk fog I get the last gal put up for the night and head inside. The milk has begun to freeze-well what is left of it and I quickly get it straining into jars and go behind the curtain, mirror in hand to check my backside to see why it is STILL aching.  Wait for it…… Here it comes……plainly imprinted on the cheek of my butt is the chain marks from my ice cleats.   Yes I knocked myself silly and kicked my own butt-I would love to say this is not a typical day but I would be lying. 

My fingers have thawed, my head has a black and blue lump from the top of my head down onto my forehead, my butt is bruised but not nearly as bad as my pride but that too will heal. I am blessed to have the health to recover rapidly, I couldn’t ask for anything more. God Bless and good night folks.