It's Been A Year...Already!

So much has gone on that a lot of it has been forgotten and the (almost) worst of it has been the computer has been on the fritz. As in, I couldn't access any web sites except those the computer (or Google...let's not forget Google...) decided I could see. That includes my very own blog which explains no Sabbath Keeping yesterday but today the Good Fairies seem to want to play nice. ??? I'll take it!

I don't even pretend to understand! So...if something wonderful has happened in your life, please let me know because, for more than a week, I've missed it all. Except for the storm last week. I sure didn't miss those zero temps with wind chills below zero. I would sleep for three hours then wake up in a tizzy, afraid the pipes were going to freeze, burst, thaw. When awake, I'd feed the wood stove but when asleep, I had nightmares of freezing, bursting, thawing pipes. Seriously, I would wake in a sweat because I was dreaming the ceiling was falling down around my ears just like it did Jan 8! Speaking of...the epic mess is still not fixed. Pipes are still leaking although it's of absolutely no concern to the insurance rep; he just said, "Oh, that's a separate issue and has nothing to do with this issue."

Welllllll...I do not have issues...I've got problems, one of which seems to be ignoring the fact an insurance policy is a contract. Anyhoo, I'm still waiting on the heat registers which are on order. The insurance rep "allowed" the exact cost at Home Depot and not a penny more. Yeah. Those registers are doing me a lot of good at Home Depot because not only do they not have them in stock, the insurance rep didn't allow shipping. I am puzzled, enormously, how those registers are supposed to get here. Is the insurance company responsible for shipping or not? Home Depot assured us the registers would should might be here by mid-May. At the very least, the end of May. Surely. Yeah. We think. wink. If those registers can be found anywhere else, trust me, they're coming to this farm. No one wants to mess with a cranky, cold senior citizen who knows her rights!

I do know this much...I am well and truly sick of being cold, living in chaos, not being able to get into my closets, having bedroom furniture and clothes strewn in three rooms and a hall, sleeping in sharing a twin bed with Sam P. Spade, still doing laundry of textiles and clothes that were either in the dining room or my bedroom...blah, blah, blah. Three months is long enough to wait...I want to be warm and sleeping in my own bed...NOW!

Okay...rant over...apologies if you require.

I need to make a run to Duchess Dairy, I'm in need of sweet Jersey cream to churn into butter and buttermilk then to make biscuits, gravy and a lot of other fattening, nice kitchen goodies. The two large churns are both family heirlooms with the largest being from my Grand-Grandmother Delilah via Aunt Bonnie. I learned to churn, make cat head biscuits, apple butter and a lot of other things from Aunt Bonnie and have always had a serious case of heroine worship on her.

Aunt Bonnie kept a Jersey and a Guernsey cow for milk and cream and yes, chickens for eggs and the table. If you're going to keep milk cows, Jersey and Guernsey are the absolute best. Most commercial dairy herds are Holsteins because of their prolific production; a Holstein produces more milk but of less, much less, quality while a Jersey's quality is best in the bovine world.

Daddy John and Daniel have been calving...yes, in the nasty, cold, bitter weather. Last week, on the worst day, they had eleven calves born. I was allowed to tag along and took these photos of a calf being born.

This cow's water has broken and the small white dot is the calf's foot. When presented correctly, a calf will come out front feet first. Sometimes, when a cow is in labor, she'll steal another cow's calf which is what this cow did. She tagged a calf and followed it around the field, all the while, in labor with her own. Sometimes, a calf will follow a cow in labor and steal milk. The animal world is funny, just like the human world.

She finally laid down and began pushing only to get up, move around again

laid down again, the calf is beginning to slip out

cow is taking a break and you can see the calf raise his head...he's alive!

cow clambers to her feet but calf isn't fully birthed

 this is where it got funny...

the cow began walking around, poor little calf still caught half out, half in

the cow feels something strange, keeps turning, turning, turning

what in the world!!!!????

calf scrabbles for ground, can't get purchase

and...suddenly! slips out onto the ground

proud cow turns and begins licking the afterbirth and in a few minutes, the calf wobbled to his feet and began nursing.

Sadie, watching over the Peaceable Kingdom, is enthralled with the cow herd and with the idea Spring is here, so says the calendar. The old timers said whatever weather was on the first day of Spring is what we'd have the rest of the quarter. Please God, let it be so! It's been warmish today, a tot of rain and mostly sun. I've done seven loads of laundry, a bit of house cleaning, some re-arranging which means I'm, slowly but surely, putting furniture back in rooms where they belong. Yes, by myself. Don't ask.

Happy Spring People...be safe!

Ponder this ~ conduct is the best guide to character ~

The Prep Work is the Hardest

~ my love hate relationship with the beautiful thistle ~

Before starting on the day, I wanted to ask a favor for a blog friend. Patrice, she of Everyday Ruralty and Chats on the Farmhouse Porch, wants to take a course on Nutritional Psychology Coaching. Along with being a wife, mother and farmer alongside her husband, Patrice is also a chef. She's learned the hard way about food allergies, in her video she states one of their daughters could only eat five foods! Patrice is asking folks to "like" her video, click here for her post and, if you're so inclined, please vote/like Patrice's video. It's for a scholarship to take the course. Thanks!

~ Primary Route 91 ~

I've been calling Duchess Dairy for days but to no avail...until this morning around 8:30 when they answered the telephone. I told them I needed cream in order to demonstrate churning at the Tazewell County Fair and they said, "Sure, not a problem. We milk on Mondays and Thursdays so today is good." By "milk" they meant they put milk in jugs for retail sales. There's no easy way to get to Rural Retreat from where I live...a week ago Friday, I-77 was shut down due to a tractor trailer catching fire in the tunnel so I decided to go the back way. Route 91 is the only primary dirt road in the Commonwealth of VA. As you can see, it's narrow although two vehicles may, very carefully, pass each other. When it's a big truck with a 24 foot livestock trailer, I just pull over and sit very still and quietly and give them the total right of way. We also don't waste a lot of tax dollars on such nonsense as guard rails. -grin-

Thistle Cove Farm, 3.3 miles away 

Kudzu is Very Invasive and is taking over the world, tree by tree. When the blooms are open, they smell exactly like grape juice. Some enterprising folks are making beautiful baskets from kudzu and I applaud them! 

A little over the top of our portion of the Clinch Mountain Range and here is Dogpatch. Don't even ask if it's available for rent because there's no electricity, toilet, running water or much of anything. It is a sweet little cabin though and the folks that own it, at times, still stay there. 

~ beautiful stone wall, generations old ~

~ cute mailbox design ~

~ perhaps part of a plane? ~

Some time back Little Tumbling was named one of the top ten trout streams in the USA. 

Part of my journey took me on both Saltville Highway and Possum Hollow Road, over in Smythe County, our next door neighbor. 

This lovely 360+ acre farm in Rich Valley is going to be auctioned off, regardless of price, August 23rd by Albert Burney. I've read their website information and it bothers me they're saying "Blue Ridge Mountains". I hear that a lot from folks who live around here and it's simply not true. While it's true the Blue Ridge Mountains lie in the Appalachian chain, it is not true the Appalachian chain is the Blue Ridge Mountains. It bothers me because it's the "you ain't from around here" and "we'uns just as good as anybody else" mentality. If you believe you're as good as everyone else, you don't have to beat others over the head, just go do the best you can. Many years ago, during church youth service a young man proclaimed, "I'm going to go to XXXU and prove it doesn't matter we're from Appalachia, we're just as good as anybody else!" After the service, I whispered to him, "No one cares where you're from, they care what kind of man you are, and by the way, that university you're headed to...it's in Appalachia too." I'm not sure but I think he's still shaking his head over my comments. At any rate, this property is breathtaking! The homestead sits on a little peninsula and the North Fork Holston River meanders by in a U formation. But hey! what do you expect boys from Huntsville, 'bama to know anyway? "You'uns ain't from around here r ye?" -grin-

My drive took me by Hungry Mother State Park (twice) where it's said generations ago, some Anglo settlements were destroyed on the New River, south of the park, and Molly Marley and her young child were some of the survivors taken to the the raiders base. Molly and her child escaped but she, eventually collapsed, and her child was found but could only say the words "hungry mother". The search party found Molly where she'd fallen and died; the mountain where she was found is called Molly's Knob and the creek is Hungry Mother Creek.

After more than two hours of driving, I arrived at Duchess Dairy Products, in Rural Retreat, where only milk from Jersey cows are bottled. Aunt Bonnie, Daddy's oldest sister, had a Jersey and a Guernsey cow that she milked twice a day then churned a few times a week to make butter, buttermilk and cottage cheese. She taught me how to do all of that and then she gave me her churn which had come from her mother and, possibly, her mother before. Aunt Bonnie knew out of all the children, nieces and nephews, I was the only one who would ever keep the tradition alive and I do proudly. Some in my family think I've a screw loose but I love keeping the old ways alive and, when the butter is ready, they love eating it. 

~ the Duchess men ~

It really does make a difference when Jersey cows are milk vs. Holstein. Jersey milk has a butterfat content of around 34% while Holstein is around 9-12%. Jersey milk has 17% more calcium, is higher in protein and has a 20% smaller footprint than her black and white cousin. A Jersey will take 32% less water and 11% less land to produce cheese from her milk and, if you're ever able to do a taste test, you'll find the Jersey milk is superior in flavor as well and their disposition is calm and gentle, the perfect milk cow for someone starting out.

It took another two plus hours to drive home and yes, I am exhausted! Part of the way over and all the way home, I drove Rt. 16 which is nothing but two lanes of switchbacks, U's which make for beautiful scenery but my poor hands are aching from gripping the steering wheel! 

Now you see why it takes me for.ev.er. to do almost everything once I leave the farm. There's no easy way to get from here to most anywhere else and it takes hours to get the most menial errands accomplished. Still and all, I love my farm and the surrounding valleys. Appalachian is the home of my heart (until I get to heaven anyway), my roots go deep and wide and I've never lived anywhere I've been happier. Yes, I am sorry to say good-bye (when that time comes) but it's time to move forward. Like I told Dave the other day, "Just because I'm moving on doesn't mean I'm forgetting you." (I'm not sure but if I could put that to country music, I could make a small fortune!)

Blessings ~ safe trip across those mountains ~ Jersey cows ~ Holstein cows ~ Duchess Dairy ~ Appalachia ~

Chatting with Patrice, Number 150

~ l to r - Peaches, Dandy Man, DaniGirl ~

Patrice, Everyday Rurality, is hosting Chat Number 150...a milestone and, in the land of blog, that's a major accomplishment! Each Wednesday, she asks five questions, answers them and bloggers are allowed to drop in and do likewise. This week her questions, my answers:

1. Do you ever watch old TV shows or movies from your childhood or youth? I gave up sat t.v. and now only watch DVD's such as I Love Lucy, Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Andy Griffith and the like.
What I'd like to see is Sky King and Penny...anyone else remember that one? I. loved. it. For some reason, it grabbed me...maybe it was the ranching and the flying or the fact a female had a central role... not really sure but I. loved. it. From out of the clear blue of the western sky comes Sky King!!!

~ Lightly, DaniGirl, Izzabella ~

2. Have you ever adopted a rescued animals? Sheep, horses, alpacas, dogs, cats, guineas, ferret, skunk, owl, fish...in my lifetime, I've either adopted a rescue animal or doctored a foundling back to health and released it (owl), paid for the adopted, picked up animals by the side of the road... I used to tell Dave we have a unicorn flying over the farm; we cannot see it but being as unicorns are the 'patron saints' of foundling, rescued animals, they know to come here for medical care and a meal. 

3. Are you good at keeping track of paperwork and records? Better than Dave (not saying much) and getting better because I have to get better. I'd love to take some kind of class but have no idea what, perxactly?!

4. What would you like the Magic Wendell Fairy to poof with his wand (thought that'd be hoof???) and turn into a treat for you. Any snack or sweet you would like...forget snacks and sweets, I'd rather have supper...meat and veg, please and thanks.

~ Izza and Tumbles ~

5. Tell me something interesting-please. The hay field yielded 22 and a half bales which I'm going to sell. It's not as many as last year but this year has been wet and chilly and the field hasn't done as well. I'm closer to having the house packed and will start on the farm. When God brings a buyer, I want to be ready! I'm getting ready to clean fleeces and will send them to the mill for spinning and weaving into blankets. 

It's been chilly here and one or two nights I've slept in a flannel nightgown. The night temps have dropped into the low 60's - high 50's and it's been wonderful sleeping weather. 

The county fair begins tomorrow and on Thursday I'll demonstrate churning butter. I'm going across the mountains to Rural Retreat and buy pasteurized cream from Duchess Dairy and their Jersey cows. Jersey cows have a milk fat content of about 18% 
When I was younger and visiting/staying with Aunt Bonnie, she taught me how to milk. It's not for those with weak hands; milking takes body strength but the results are well worth it. All my life I've helped or have churned raw milk but, for the fair, I'm churning pasteurized cream. When dealing with the public, it's best to be on the safe side...not that I'm giving up any of the butter, mind you. This year I'm buying the cream out of my own pocket and am bringing home the butter and buttermilk. Faith, and Becky, her sister, are helping me and they're being paid in butter but the rest is mine. 

Last year several people came to me and wanted to buy butter but it's against the law for me to sell it. Also, several wanted to buy my churn and were rather put out when I said, "Not for sale". Actually, some folks got downright rude when told, "This is my heritage and it's not for sale at any price." One person told me, "Everything has a price" and my reply was, "Maybe so but you can't afford it." yeouch! I'm not sure but don't think they enjoyed my response quite as much as I enjoyed giving it -grin-.

~ white tail deer ~

We've having a Senatorial election here in southwest VA. Seems the Dem who was in that position gave it up because his lawyer daughter of some eight years of lawyering was appointed a judge. One of them had to give up their job and the Senator decided it was him. There was a big ruckous when Daddy was offered a $100,000.00+ a year job...which he turned down because those ugly words "political graft" were mentioned along with an FBI investigation and the now former Senator decided to "pursue other options". The job he turned down was with The Tobacco Commission which was funded with $1,000,000,000.00, ummm, that's ONE BILLION tax payer DOLLAR$ and Commission positions are coveted, highly coveted. I mean, it's a lot of dough re me for doing little a nothing except tending meetings and handing out more taxpayer money to favored friends. 

Anyway, there are three men running...Mike Hymes, Democrat, Tazewell's favored son, Ben Chafin, Republican, Russell County's favored son and Independent Rick Mullins of Dickenson County. It's a terrifically important race because the Dems are in power in VA and should Mr. Chafin or Mr. Mullins win, it will skew the weight over to  the Republican side. Mike works in the coal industry, is a Board of Supervisor member for my district and he's a good man. As they say, "He's not from around here" but he's done himself proud during the time he's lived in Tazewell County. Mike did an interview where he wants stronger gun control and that seems to fly in the face of the Second Amendment, which, as a strong Constitutionalist, it bothers me a lot, but, other than that, I believe him to be a good man.

Mr. Chafin is a lawyer and the state current legislator for his district but I don't know him personally. I know his family and have worshiped in the evangelical church he and his family worship; they have a fine worship service and preacher. As a youngster, Mr. Chafin worked his Daddy's tobacco farm, something I've done as a teen on my uncle's tobacco farm. Working tobacco is a hot, stinky job (especially in central VA!) and my hat is off to anyone who has worked tobacco. Something else he and I have in common, we were the first in our family to be graduated from college, or in my case, university. A proud accomplishment! However, when I visited Mr. Chafin's website, I was dismayed to see southwest Virginia represented...minus Tazewell County.  

~ Izzabella and DandyMan ~

Mr. Mullins' Daddy was put into a wheel chair at age 28 when a coal mining accident happened. Mr. Mullins comes from a coal mining family and that's near and dear to my heart; bet you didn't know I'm a coal miner's daughter, grand-daughter, great grand-daughter and back it goes. My Daddy's people came to this country from Wales, where they were coal miners, and made their way to West Virginia where they went back into the mines. Mr. Mullins is a self-made man; he owns a funeral home, medical equipment rentals business, ambulance service and farm. He's also the owner of The Virginia Undertaker, a speed racking horse who has won two World Grand Championships and a slew of other championships. Aren't most self-made men hustlers and go-getters? Mr. Mullins is no exception to that statement!

When people ask for my vote, I have 4 questions I ask them:

1. Are you a born again Christian? 
2. What's your stand on abortion?
3. What's your stand on homosexual marriage?
4. Would you uphold the Constitution of the USA with your life, if need be?

As you might well imagine, I've heard a lot of waffling and you might say I have no right asking those questions. You're wrong. I have every right to ask those questions and further, to base my vote on the answers I receive. As a Christian, it is imperative for me to vote Biblically...not politically.  My view is not a World View, it is a Biblical View and my opinions count for naught; when I want an answer, I turn to the Bible to see what it says because that's what the Bible tells us to do; as a Christian (if you are a Christian) that's what you should be doing. God isn't impressed with my opinion and He's not impressed with your opinion; God is impressed with y/our desire to know His word and do what His word admonishes. Each of us, Christian or not, will stand at His throne on Judgement Day and, based on our response to His questions, we'll go to heaven or hell. 

Frankly, I don't think a man or woman should hold any elected office, but especially at a state and federal level, unless they've served in the military. I don't believe a man or a woman can fully understand what it means to serve unless they've first served in the military. There are too many men and women in elected office who think it's their right to be there. It is not their right; it is a privilege but some have forgotten they are employees of the people. Some of those elected officials treat We, the people like something to be scraped off their shoe. So, if you're a Christian, start asking hard questions of people who want your vote. Your vote is a precious privilege; men and women have died so you can vote so vote and vote wisely. Don't use that sad, sorry excuse, "Well, they're all rascals so what does it matter if I vote?" IT MATTERS! 

So, if you're still reading...you deserve a cold beverage. If you differ, you're invited to, politely, state your opinion and we'll have a civil discourse. 

Blessings ~ voting ~ American Curly horses ~ white tail deer ~ Patrice ~ unicorns ~ rescued animals ~