Wednesday, January 05, 2011

A Quiet Night on the Homestead

Enjoying another quiet night. H was out like a light by 6:30PM. He played outside all day today while I worked more on the chicken pens and feed room. Sure going to miss the little guy when he goes home Saturday. Speaking of feed room, we have been having to set traps to catch field mice. They are getting in the feed room and eating on the bread for the animals. We have the animal feed and the bread in metal trash cans. The feed cans have lids but the bread is stack so high in the cans because of not enough room that the mice are going to town nibbling on it. We set 4 traps each night and have 4 mice each morning. We have caught 21 mice!! We have cats so what is wrong with this picture? Bet we are the only farm that catches mice to feed to their cats. Hopefully we have caught them all. Little Pug Face (orphaned baby bunny) is doing wonderfully. He got out of his mom's nest and for some reason she wouldn't let him or her (not sure yet) back in. I tried putting it back after she pushed him out when he went back on his own but she did the same. She lets me handle and put the others back but not this one so it is in a cage in the diningroom. I have been giving it a bottle 4 times a day. It's a bottle for kittens so is just the right size. Today it found the water bottle attached to the cage and has been drinking from that several times. He is also nibbling at rabbit food and whole wheat bread crumbs. He is only 2 weeks old so am surprised. Will try to take a picture of Pug Face (He has a pug nose) and post it tomorrow. The parakeets are all settled and happy. Bobbie (the male) will sit on my finger and sing. Meoka (female) will bite if I try to get her to sit on my finger but I pick her up and hold her anyway. One day she should get use to me and stop biting. I was so happy I got the kitchen and diningroom cleaned and mopped today until William decided to bring a work bench, tools and a chainsaw inside to work on tonight. Now my diningroom looks like a toolshed or workshop. Life on a farm, what can I say. Last night for supper I fixed baked barbecue chicken, german potato salad, cucumber salad, blackeyed peas, and collard greens. The only thing bought was the chicken and I got a bag of leg and thighs for $5.98. After dividing the bag I ended up with enough for 5 meals.The potato and cucumber salad came from Gerda. Leftovers from a meal at her home. The blackeyed peas were from peas dried 2 years ago and the collards are some we had in the freezer. Tonight I cleaned out the fridge so we had a lot of leftovers. The last of the potato and cucumber salad. The rest of the hopping john from New Years. The rest of the collards and the last of the cabbage and polish sausage along with the last little bit of stir fried squash,onion, potatoes and garlic. Am trying to see how many meals I can fix with mostly things from the freezer or pantry. The grocery bill for this month was only $103. That's down from $150 last month but we had the family for a weekend and several friends that ate with us a few times. We shop once a month and that amount is for food and household items. It doesn't include animal feed or supplies. We have to purchase animal feed every two weeks and we spend way more on their food than ours! The prices have sky rocketed over the past couple months. I find it fun to see how much I can cut cost and still eat very well. Leftover nights may be a weird mixture of items but heck its saving money and weird still taste good! Well I am off to check the fire in the stove and head to bed. Tomorrow is another day of outside chores. These 50 and 60 degree days won't last and we are suppose to get snow tomorrow night! I sure hope so.Don't forget to count those blessings.

17 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hi Peggy, I know you will miss little H when he goes home. He just tires himself out following you and William around the farm, doesn't he? Can't wait to see your little bunny. You have made me hungry talking about all your good food! Hope you rest well and have a great day tomorrow.

Anonymous said...

Hi Peggy,
Sounds like a very peaceful night.I love using up leftovers.
Have a blessed day.
Elizabeth

Kelly said...

Peggy, it sounds wonderfully warm and cozy in your farmhouse. I'm glad that you had H for this time. He will always want to come back to your house. No big ticket toys, nintendo etc. Just outside, imagination time and love. Jasmine always wants to come to Maine. It is her time. They love the undivided attention. We love to bake cookies together. We don't have the veggies from the fridge but we have the chickens that we raised. It does feel good to use what you raise. I wish I had more time to garden. It is a labor intensive, every day job. Maybe when I retire I will be able to work a garden. We do try to buy local. We plan on buying through an organic co-op this spring so I can put some veggies in the freezer. I'm glad that you are happy and content. That is HOME. Much love.

Unknown said...

Those dang mice! We don't have problems with them until spring and then it's one of the black and white dogs not the cats that goes after them!
I can NOT believe your grocery bill for the month is under 150.00!
Do you use coupons?
So impressive :)

DayPhoto said...

You are such an inspiration in more than one or two ways! It's cold here...maybe you would like it, I don't. -6* this morning as I came to work, with heavy fog and ice crystals in the fog. I am missing color, sigh! Terry is like you and enjoys the cold, I think you cold lovers are rare indeed.

Linda
http://coloradofarmlife.wordpress.com
http://deltacountyhistoricalsociety.wordpress.com/

Lib said...

Hey Peggy,
Your Home sounds so Loving, warm, and relaxing! :o)
So far our cats has kept the mice away:o) Hope you've caught them all!
I know you'll miss your Little Man and he will miss ya'll!
I can. freeze. dry most of our food and buy food buy the case or bulk. Right now we only buy whats needed , and cook from the stockpile. With gas prices Up-Up-up food prices follow:o(
Snow headed our way.

Have a great wk.
Blessins',Lib

amelia said...

Don't bet on the parakeet ever changing. Our cockatiel is thirty and still hates me even though I'm the only one who loves him!! He always tries to bite me.

I love this weather too and so do the dogs. They are not happy out in the summer heat.

I wish you'd come and cook for us, I can never think of what to make!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Peggy, I am amazed at your monthly grocery bill... We don't grow any of our food --and even though I constantly work on specials and coupons, we still spend between $75 to $100 a week... I certainly am PROUD of you!!!!! You do GREAT....

I couldn't just go to the grocery once a month... We eat a banana a day each --so we have to buy bananas every week. AND --what about milk????? How do you do it?

We have snow on the ground here tonight--about 1/2 an inch. We are supposed to have snow off and on for the next few days..

Take care, Peggy...
Hugs,
Betsy

Jackie said...

Now that's what I call good old country cooking! Budget friendly , and tasty too!

Thistle Cove Farm said...

And don't forget those chicken bones for stock. Dave doesn't like chicken so I buy chicken to make stock and then salad; for some reason, he'll eat chicken salad but doesn't like to eat chicken. Although, when I soak it in buttermilk overnight, he really likes that.
Yeah, you can tell I've got things to do, eh? I'm rambling around on the i-net.
sigh.

Becca's Dirt said...

Wow you have really gotten the cost down on your groceries. Great that you have so much that you can pull from. Leftovers are good. Would love the see little bunny.

Rebecca said...

Good for you for catching all those mice! Ewwee! I've never liked mice.

melissa said...

Sweet friend. Thanks so much for the Vicks Vaporub advice. Had never heard of it, but will certainly give it a try.

You take care. :)

JoyceAnn said...

Your cats , sound like our cats. Guess they're to full to chase mice , maybe we need to cut their food back (LOL).


~ Blessings ~

Carole Burant said...

Hi sis, great to hear that all is well on the farm:-) Well except for the mice! lol I usually have to trap them in our veggie garden because they get into my beets and cucumbers. I use a mouse trap with a bit of peanut butter on it and put that in a can turned on its side. Works every time:-) I can well imagine how much you'll miss baby H when he goes home, he's been such a huge blessing for you hasn't he!! Take good care of YOU and have a wonderful weekend. Love ya sis. xoxo

FarmHouse Style said...

It sounds like a perfect evening. We love left-over nights. Plus it clears out the 'fridge to make way for new left overs:-)

I too have noticed the increase in animal feed prices:(

They say we might get snow/ice tomorrow night. I hope only snow... ice is a mess!

Hope you have a great weekend.

Rhonda

Tossing Pebbles in the Stream said...

If the province of Alberta can keep rats out of its area I am sure you can keep mice out of your shed.

An old freezer is a good feed container. I bet you could find one if only you would cart it away.

I am thinking of you today and wondering how you are doing with the snowy weather. You may have more than I do. Snow is meager here this year.