Death and Taxes

7 am already??  5 more minutes.  5 more minutes.  Oh hell.

The motto of the country life is "Nothing is an Emergency".  Try telling that to a chicken.

The sunlight this morning seems somewhat watery when I go out to free the JW and the girls.  I don't know why they have to rush so.  They have new hay smell in their coop.  Why can't they just lounge around and watch the other birds (who have to WORK for their living) fly by the window?  Hmmm.  I guess a roost is not a very comfortable place to lounge.

Radar shows rain from the west.  Good for my seedlings planted yesterday.  Not so good for pastured chickens.  Well, Ides of March, should be great for death and taxes.  This is the first year in about 30 that I will attempt taxes with no bookkeeper.  Turbo tax here I come.

Chickens that graze together stays together

BUT FIRST, while the sun is still shining, more tilling.  Every day, I just know I will finish.  Every night, the fallow elves come out and undo my previous day's work.  I SWEAR.

OK.  tilled for about an hour and got more done but still not finished.  My garden is 360 square feet and my tiller is VERY small.  Plus, periodically, I have to stop to throw weed roots outside the fence.  And look at the sky.  And check my pear tree for blossoms.  And watch the chickens scratch in the compost.  And...  well you get the idea.  In the country, nothing is an emergency.  Clouds are rolling in so the tiller goes in the carport.

Turbo tax here I come.

BUT FIRST, the goat milk I got from Walter, our former pastor and goat aficionado (sp?), is ready to be turned into goat cheese.  When I first found the recipe online, I couldn't believe it was right.  It was SO EASY.  Much easier than making tofu.  I thought, 'I've been paying 3 bucks per ounce all of this time???!!!"  'Course, then I realized that goats give less milk than cows and it isn't widely commercially available in straight-from-the-goat form.  So I suppose it's fair to charge

(sorry, one of the girls was making the "danger danger Will Robinson" sound so I had to go check.  All seems well)

                                                                                                                  that much for it.  Anyway, off to make goat cheese.

Success.  This batch I flavored with garlic and sage (from last year's garden).  It takes 24 hours for the spices to permeate the cheese well.  I save the whey and use it in recipes that call for milk.  It makes bread and biscuits nice and brown and crispy on top.

Turbo tax here I come

BUT FIRST,  I need to gather eggs

Only 6 eggs, but I did find the egg out of the nest box so I substituted it with another one.  And, for some inexplicable reason, miss broody two has moved to the fourth nest box and had NO eggs, not even wooden ones, under her.  I just don't get it.  So I put the eggs in the refrigerator and

Turbo tax here I come

BUT FIRST,  it's time for dog walks.

Good walk today.  One of the swamps thoroughly investigated by both dogs and Buddy scared up a rabbit.  I did notice, however, the smell of smoke ever so faintly in the air.  There must be a wild fire somewhere.  We've been windy and dry the past few days and it is one of my biggest fears, living in a log cabin as I do and surrounded by pine forests as I am.

Turbo tax here I come

BUT FIRST, I have to shut the chickens up.  And then there is supper and then tonight is Glee night.

Oh well.

I guess I'll turbo tax another day.

In the country, nothing is an emergency, not even death and taxes.

bak bak

PS:  This is for my sister.  Sorry it makes the post so long.

I am Ann

Ann I am

My chickens lay brown eggs, eat ham

Will you eat brown eggs from ham?

I do not like brown eggs from ham,

I do not like them Ann I am.  

Will you eat them on a farm?

Will you eat them in a barn?

I will not eat them on a farm

I will not eat them in a barn

I do not like brown eggs from ham,

I do not like them Ann I am.

Will you eat them with a spork?

Will you eat them? they're from pork.

I will not eat them with a spork

I will not eat them, they're from PORK.

Not on a farm not in a barn

I do not like brown eggs from ham

I do not like them Ann I am.

Will you eat them with my wine?

Will you eat them rain or shine?

I will not eat them with your wine

I will not eat them rain OR shine

Not with a spork, they ARE from pork

Not on a farm not in a barn

I do not like brown eggs from ham 

I do not like them Ann I am

Will you eat them with my jam?

Will you eat them with a lamb?

I will not eat them with your jam

I will not eat them with a lamb

Not with your wine, not rain, not shine

Not with a spork, THEY are from pork

Not on a farm not in a barn

I do not like brown eggs from ham

I do not like them Ann I am

Try them, try them and you may

Try them, and you may, I say

Say!

I do so like brown eggs from ham!

I do, I like them Ann I am

And I would eat them with your jam

And I would eat them with a lamb

And I would eat them with your wine

And I would eat them rain or shine

And on a farm and with a spork

They are so good, they are from pork

And I would eat them in a barn

And, oh, just anywhere, gosh darn!

I do so like

brown eggs from ham

Thank you

Thank you 

Ann I am