2 months later...

Quite a bit has happened since I last blogged! Remember reading about the 3/4 ton truck and camper we owned? Well, Bo and I were returning from a wonderful weekend of camping, just the 2 of us, when someone in the oncoming lane decided to pass in a no passing zone. We were not seriously injured but the truck and camper were totaled. Thank the good Lord for insurance. We were given a little money for what the truck was worth and they paid off the camper. We have yet to purchase another camper buuut...we are 1 bill closer to being debt free.

Remember my friend that helped me with our rooster harvesting? Well, she decided to move back to Texas. She really had nothing keeping her here and she has family there. I was sad to see her go but there are some friends you have for a season and some you have for a lifetime. I pray we are lifetime friends and that we keep in touch but, if only friends for a season, I learned so much from her. One day this blog won't be Homestead in the Making but something more like Our Little Homestead and she will be so proud because, even though the homesteading seed had already been planted, she encouraged it to grow into the deep desire I now have.

With all of that being said, we purchased a couple of things from her that couldn't easily be transported the distance from here to there. Our chicken coop seemed to serve it's purpose while we had it. We had a decent size coop for the birds to climb up in at night to roost and 3 nesting boxes beneath the coop. They had a nice yard to play around in and, as often as we could stay out to keep an eye out for neighborhood dogs, they could graze free range. For some reason though, the girls stopped laying when it started getting colder. When we read up on the situation we thought that maybe they weren't feeling all cozy in the open area under the coop. We purchased from my friend their Taj Ma'chicken'hal. It's like a walk in closet with about 6 nesting boxes on the left and a big roost on the right. Their food stays nice and dry. They can stay there out of the wind and cold and have little windows at ground level for them to exit out into their "run". So far they seem to enjoy their new home but still no eggs after the 2nd full day there.

My most exciting purchase, by far, has been Delilah. Do you remember reading about Delilah? This was my friend's milk cow. Another couple along with Bo and myself decided to go in halves for her. It didn't take her long to adjust to her new home and routine. We hand milk...yes, I said hand milk...her twice a day. I get Mondays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Friday mornings.  The other couple gets Tuesdays (the day I work), Friday evenings, Saturdays and Sundays. They volunteered for the weekends (and most holidays) because Delilah actually stays on their land. Of course the schedule isn't set in stone. We work together. And, I know she could produce lots more milk than she is giving us but we have more than enough for the 2 families. We get between 2-3 gallons a day. I enjoy making yogurt and delicious cultured buttermilk from the raw milk. We have made butter and sour cream from the fresh cream. I made mozzarella once with my friend and plan to make some on my own when I get all the ingredients. I can't wait to share all of those recipes with you but it's going to have to wait until another day. I have to tuck the children into bed and I must be getting to bed myself because I have a cow to milk bright and early in the morning.

Until then, we are still...

A HOMESTEAD IN THE MAKING