Last year, this is as close to turkey as we got!
Beauty before the snow
Our rush to get it all done in time before winter again came to a grinding halt with another snowstorm. Steve has been busy with building projects and I have been busy trying to get as much gardening done as possible. All of my new garden boxes that Steve built for me last week are set in place and mostly filled with soil. I would like to top them up with compost, but that task will have to wait until the newest snow melts, or spring, which ever comes first. The garden is looking very different now with the apple trees gone, one was removed my accident (oops, someone got carried away with the sawzall) and because the garden was now really out of balance, I took the other two out and replanted with blueberries, which won't shade the garden so much. The garden is also sporting a brand new fence to keep out the dogs and chooks, yeah!, so I am ready now for spring! I know, I just have to wait another 5 months.
I have been cooking all morning, making pies for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, this year spent down in Marblehead MA, with Steve's family, so I am bringing pies and possibly a side dish if I have time. I made two pumpkin pies with our own sugar pumpkins from the gardens. A far cry from the winter squash and sweet potato pie I made last year in Tasmania for Christmas. and a delicious sounding apple pie with a cheddar cheese crust. Sounded very interesting. we will see.
We have been walking Ribena (one of our milking does) every day down to the frat yard to frolic with Fred, hoping to get her in kid. Fred, our handsome boer buck wants nothing to do with her, so either she's not in heat, which is very possible, or he is just no interested, he'd rather frolic with the lawn machine goats. (John Deere, Toro, Snappa, and Lawn Boy) who are wethers. But when we bring Ribena down, the lawn boys are all over her. Go figure. Hopefully one of these days she will be in heat, Fred will get the idea and all will be happy. We will let you know.
Last week we dispatched the two turkeys we were raising to winter camp, a.k.a. the freezer. All of our food now is in storage for those long winter days, of which there will be plenty. We raise our animals kindly and with love, and they are dispatched kindly. We feed them through the summer so they will feed us and our families through the winter. Many people ask how can we do it, eat our own animals, but that is what they are raised for, they are not pets but they are well taken care of. We have an agreement.
May you all have a happy Thanksgiving, and if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving, spend tonight's dinner or tomorrow night celebrating with family and friends just cause.
