Chilly Day

Today, we had about 2-3 inches of ice in the animal's water buckets.  Talk about hard to crack!

Draining the hose is a daily chore for us right now.

Yep, we gave into our old dog, Gabby, and let her in the house.  She was cold  :)

Forgot to post pictures of our new LGD pup!  She's pretty good with the goats thus far...but she still needs to learn that they're not toys  :-)

Judah, the gentle giant!  He's a big baby.

I am very thankful for our stove!  Wood heat is the way to go, especially out here in ice-storm country!  It keeps this little house nice and toasty  :-)

Last pic of the day.  One of our Muscovy ducks, at the water trough.

Have a great day!
~Hannah

Linked up to:  Cool Clicks Thursday

Winterizing a Shelter

It was a very pretty day for working outside!  So I decided to winterize a shelter for our bucks that was in dire need of a makeover.

Here the shelter is before anything was done to it.  It was like a wind tunnel.

Always keep your hay rope! Comes in handy for projects like these.

First, I hung a thick quilt on the open side, cutting 4 slits in the top, then stringing hay rope through over the roof, and attaching it to the other side. Yes, it's pretty okie-looking, but it works :)

Attached hay rope.

Then, I cut two slits in the sides, and wrapped the blanket around the poles.

The side is done.

 I started on the wall by digging about a 3" trench, then setting a board inside the trench. Then I attached wire to the inside of the board, and nailed a piece of metal on the outside of the board, leaving a space in between the wire and metal wall. I used the little space to put insulation in (junk blankets and fabric). Then I added a support beam at the end.

Another view of the wall.

I added a coroplast board to finish the wall. I put a pallet on the side behind the quilt, and leaned a pole up to secure it.  Done! It's pretty warm inside already :)

Jasper, already enjoying the shelter

Stay warm!
~Hannah

Photo Friday: The FALL Season!

Goodnight!
~Hannah

Sunday Project: Planting Rye Grass

Yesterday, my two brothers and I planted about an acre of rye grass by hand.  It was pretty fun and only took about an hour and a half.  We walked in a line and spread out the seed by hand, sprinkling it as evenly as possible.  After the seeding was done, we took a piece of chainlink fence, and folded part of it on itself, making it heavier at the end for dragging on the ground.  Dragging the fence spreads any uneven seed out and helps bury it a bit.  Now we just wait for rain and growth!

Rye grass seed

Some photography from today  :)

Goodnight fellow bloggers!
~Hannah

New Ranch Project: Miniature Donkeys

Yep, so I decided to buy a mini jenny (miniature female donkey) yesterday as my new school/farm project!  The front pasture is getting quite tall and we needed a cheap way to mow our lawn, and she's a perfect choice!  My brother bought a john (castrated donkey), and together, we're working on halter training them both.

Josiah with his miniature donkey

Mini jenny

We've only had them for a day and already have halters on them.  They're leading quite well for how stubborn donkeys can be  :)

That was pretty much it for today

Cheers!
Hannah

Homeschool Field Trip: Meet the Governor

So our family and another homeschooled family decided to take a little road trip down to the OSU Auditorium to meet our Oklahoma Governor and hear her speak.  We had a nice drive in the pouring rain!

Headed to Tulsa in the pouring rain!

Where is our freedom now?

Me and my brothers Josiah (right) & Isaiah (left)

Qadoshyah Fish, riding with us on the way down to Tulsa  :)

Our crazy little group before we go inside

Unfortunately, the meeting was largely centered around science and technology, instead of focusing our destroyed liberties.

Governor Mary Fallin, along with her legislative cabinet

During this meeting, the Governor allowed some of the citizens to ask questions publicly, and my dad was able to get a question in.  Later, we met Mary and spoke with her for a bit.  She hates the constitution and does not know what freedom is all about, since she, at the Oklahoma State Convention this year, called Ron Paul supporters "Obama supporters".  She also endorsed Mitt Romney for president, the candidate who supports the National Defense Authorization Act, which allows for indefinite detention of any American citizen, without charge, trial or due process of law.  So, the way I see it is, big government against the people!

Anyway, the drive back was a blast, filled with singing, junking out on candy bars, and good conversations!

JUNK FOOD  -  I rarely eat this kinda stuff, but hey, we were on a road trip  :)

The back window

Politics is a large part of my life right now, since it involves our liberties being taken away piece by piece.  I'll try and post more!

Goodnight!
~Hannah

Leaves Falling Already?!

It's only August and the leaves are already starting to change color and fall?  This is crazy!  Within the past week, droves of leaves have fallen on our property.  It hasn't rained hardly at all, and when we do get rain, it's usually just sprinkles...but no serious rain fall.

Either it's the drought and intense heat Oklahoma is experiencing, or it's a disease going through. 

FYI:  Weather experts are predicting a drought throughout the United States from this year and all the way through next year, so make sure you get all the hay you need for your animals!

Night!
Hannah