Trins: Recently we had a goat...

...poop out deliver (spouse edit) two more goats.

Thanks Trins, that’s a great segue into another recent challenge. I almost decided against posting this but concluded that it may be useful info if others find themselves in a similar situation.

Wastewater was backing up into the toilets.  Assuming the worst, I searched for alternative solutions until we could identify the problem.  Digging holes in the woods (especially in the cold) didn’t seem reasonable so I researched composting options and discovered that most are expensive (~1k +) and some required power. Eventually I learned that the problem is not difficult to resolve.

The solution is access to lots of carbon, or sawdust.  Sawdust is placed in the bottom and added after every use (enough so that only sawdust is ever seen inside the bucket on the right). The carbon binds with nitrogen and reduces or eliminates odors. Over time there is additional bacterial breakdown of solids and possibly noticeable evaporation but eventually the bucket fills and can be emptied into a compost pile. As long as one isn’t on synthetic medications the waste turns into excellent odorless and nutrient rich topsoil after one year. Sounds strange but I learned that this isn’t that unusual of a practice.

Eventually I found the problem. A filter that is located before the drain field was clogged. I showed Trins how to remove, clean and re-install the filter so she can fix this problem the next time it happens.

Back to the goats, if you would like to "be there" right after new goats show up watch this video. As a bonus it includes a cameo appearance by Alfalfa from the Little Rascals.

We recently ran out of water...

...which offered us an opportunity to test our resilience. Showers are a great morale builder, especially when there is a long day ahead. With a failed well pump, you can still take a hot shower - if you have a stainless manually air compressed water tank. It works just like a garden sprayer except you can heat it with propane and pump it by hand to create pressure.

Turn the red lever on the left (where the hose leaves the tank) and a significant amount of water sprays out the nozzle on the right.

We're also better prepared with a giant external poly water tank. We've tried living three days off of water from this tank so far and learned that as a family we can get by with consuming 50 - 60 gallons a day and even less if you use the outdoor bathroom facilities (up to 40% of the drinking water in an average home is consumed by toilets). Just don't try and turn the knob when the temperature is freezing (the "ears" on the plastic faucet will break off. Trins thinks that's funny. No hot shower for Trins).

Freezing temps create snow and snow creates other challenges especially for rabbits raised on grass.  Theses guys are being housed in a culvert until the snow dissipates. (Our rabbits actually do better in the cold.)

Freezing temps can make it challenging to feed other animals. In this pic the goats are being provided with leaves and pine needles (Keena makes farming look glamorous - I guess it can be but not today, we lost two goat kids this morning).

Before it got cold we were busy with some usual maintenance items (hauling wears your breaks out faster than normal - I'm starting to delegate auto maintenance to TJ)

...and other occasional tasks like wild life control.  This is a pygmy rattler. Otto walked up and sniffed it. I yelled at the dog to back off and just as he did the rattler struck and missed.

Trins: Today's todo list says...

...hustle walnuts? What's that?

Oh yeah, we collect thousands of walnuts into the back of the truck,

And we dump them into a hopper from where they will eventually show up in people's kitchens all over the country.

Kinda like these chickens, except our walnuts are completely natural.

Like this beef, which came from a local farmer and will show up in a local kitchen.  The three oldest learned from our butcher how to do this the old fashioned way.  It doesn't get any fresher than this.  One may think that processing in an "approved" facility would be better, but... the problem with large factory operations is that the meat will come into contact with manure and it is given a chlorine bath.  That's in addition to undesirable hormones and medications that are commonly given to the animal along with a diet mostly of corn which increases the animal's amount of saturated fats and does not contain the same level of vitamins and minerals that a grass fed animal offers (the corn is also usually GMO, which is less nutritious than non-GMO corn, has traces of glysophate [Roundup weed killer] and or "Bt" - a toxin which kills some insects and which some studies show impairs the health of the animal).

We also went to the farm show.  There were probably a thousand vendors selling things from nutritional supplements to massively expensive tractor attachments.  Most things that directly relate to farming were about "improving performance," but they make you dependent upon their products and successful traditional farmers we've met argue that they make you poorer.  We agree. We know of an "approved" dairy that maintains "high performance" Jerseys which have been conditioned to require grain and medication. His milking parlor is a concrete and stainless steel shrine to the goddess of regulation and pasturization.  He confided in me that he can't make money and will likely be out of business in a few years. We know of two others that raise their cows on grass and rotational grazing without medications.  They are profitable and their businesses continue to grow.