Sunday, September 20, 2015

Fragrant Fall

I love the clean, crisp scent of fresh pine shavings.  We put the shavings in the pen for the Creepy Meat chicks and their substantially smaller Barred Rock brood-mates.  They are only a week and four days old today so it still smells like the shavings and not chicken poop.  I suspect in just a few weeks that I will be unable to smell the pine over the chicken poop.

If I recall correctly, last year I was cleaning out the pen every other day....and it probably could have used a cleaning EVERY day.  I don't plan on keeping them in the pen as long as I did last time, mainly because of the amount of labor involved in keeping the bedding relatively chicken-crap-free.

Once they're feathered out, I plan on putting the Creepy Meats out in the chain link kennel and then moving them into the fenced garden to pick at any greenery left after all the tomatoes and peppers are finished producing.  The drawback to putting them out in the kennel & garden is the fact that they will be vulnerable to raccoon and opossum attacks.  We've been lucky so far as in Charlie seems to be keeping most of the night time chicken murderers away from the hen house, but something has taken two older hens and three youngsters that refused to go into the coop at night.  I'm not sure if it is worth the risk putting them outside or not.  Nothing is worse than going out in the morning to a pen full of dead chickens.

There's another scent that has taken hold in the back section of the goat yard.  The gawd awful scent of a buck goat.  Herman is STANK-y.  Studly smells, but not nearly as bad.  Apparently he hasn't quite got his goat-mojo on, although Herman does have a few more years experience under his belt.

After being around the buck pen, it was enough to make me break the promise I made to myself not to indulge in ANYthing Pumpkin Spice'ish until the actual Autumnal Equinox.  I caved in and took a shower and used the fancy Pumpkin Spice bar of soap my Mom bought me a few weeks ago in order to erase all olfactory memories of the stanky-ass male goats.

Speaking of smelly stuff, I have some GOOD smelly stuff for my blogging buddies.  That is, if I still have any bloggers following me.  I've been a bad blogger as of late and haven't been reading yours or keeping up with mine.  So in an attempt to buy your loyalty back, I'm going to do a giveaway for some of the soaps Paul and I made a while back.

These soaps were made from all that pork fat we finally processed into lard a few months ago.  Normally I make our soaps using vegetable oils, but since we have lard coming out of our ears, I thought it would be a good idea to try using lard for the soap.  Well, and because I'm cheap.  The lard was "free"; the vegetable oils I'd have to buy.  We made the soap the first week of July, so they are ready to use.  We've been using them for weeks now and haven't burned our faces off, so don't worry, they're plenty cured!  I will say that the all-lard soap turned out much harder than the vegetable based soaps and they do not lather nearly as much.  I think I'll add some coconut oil in the next batch.

Anyways, these lard-based soaps are scented with sandalwood, lilac, orange and almond fragrance oils (as opposed to essential oils), so they're not ALL natural, but hey, it's free soap, right?!

So if you're still reading my blog and wanting some homemade lard soap, just leave a comment here.

And here's the "Fine Print" for the contest:

Contest open to U.S. Residents only.

One entry per person, UNLESS you say something nice about cats.  Then you get two.  Entries.  Not cats.

Winning name(s) will be chosen by a scientifically credible procedure to ensure a purely random winner or winners (i.e. I put all your names on little scraps of paper, throw them in a kitchen bowl and have Rhiannon close her eyes and pick one out).

Contest ends on 9/27/15 at Midnight, or sometime around then.  Because it's my blog and I can do whatever I want.
Cat(s) not included.
Good luck & smell ya later!

18 comments:

  1. I don't care if soap is 100% natural or not. Handmade soap is wonderful stuff.

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  2. We'd love to give your soap a try!!!

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  3. Love handmade soap😊. Just got me a new kitty a couple of weeks ago. He's a cutie. I had forgotten how much fun they are when small. My other cat has finally forgiven me LOL.

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  4. Oooooh, good giveaway, good giveaway! Please put my name in the hat. I'd love to sample some of your homemade soap. BUT, under no circumstances, send me a cat. (Did I just get disqualified from the drawing?)

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  5. Hey, there! I've been out of it lately myself, but I'm still here! Your soap sounds divine. Your male goats not so much. And, cats are the best animals in the world. I love cats. My husband says I was a cat in a former life. When he says that, I just nudge his hand with my nose and purr.

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  6. Please post your recipe(method?) for the soap with lard. Cats!

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  7. With all the busyness of our handyman business I haven't made soap for us. I did make some for someone else. Would love to have soap that doesn't smell like Irish spring and come from Walmart! As for cats is having 9 at the moment nice enough? lol They almost knock me down when I go out to feed them. They bring me birds and squirrels to repay me. I just love stepping on the back pitch bare foot!!!!!

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  8. I've never tried/used home made soap before so toss my name in the pot maybe I'll get lucky!

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  9. Hey Carolyn! No need to enter me in the contest, I have enough of my own lard soap which I love, isn't soap making fun? But I just wanted to say hi and yes, you are still being stalked, I mean followed.

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  10. Put me in! I would love to have lard like you are getting. I just tried a new recipe for flour tortillas using lard, and not many around here have pig fat. Soap making sounds wonderful. As for cats, when I feed the barn cats each morning, Timmy is the first to get some lovin' on him. He purrs up a storm and curls right up in my arms.

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  11. I'm in and LN has a 3 cats ;) one stays inside/outside and randomly brings us "meat" usually live birds or mice to enjoy. I have never used lard soap but I'll try it gladly.

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  12. Howdy!

    I've been (somewhat) faithfully checking in to see if you were still around...glad to hear all is well. (BTW, is the zombie goldfish still alive?)

    Anyhoo, put me in! I'd love to have some homemade soap.

    Diane

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  13. Carolyn,

    Please throw my name in your kitchen bowl. How awesome, soaps made from pig fat!!!

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  14. I still read - generally a lurker instead of a poster.........:) I have to pass on the soap though - so many damn allergies I'm not allowed to use anything but Dove and then only on my hands (Try cleaning your hands with Dove after a day in the garden. I'm still trying to get some of the ground in dirt out.). Anyway - just wanted to let you know you still have readers!

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  15. I would love to try your soap :) I haven't made any in a couple years. I'm always waiting until the kitchen is really clean, HA!!!!
    Something nice about cats, hmmmmm I think some mexicans down in Texas really like them in burritos ;)

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  16. I'd love to lather(ish) up with lard! TMI? And you know I love me my kitties....

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  17. I'd love to try homemade soap. Never have, and it sounds great. I LOVE CATS! Have 2 of my own. It's great that they might help me win the contest.
    sweetiesuzy@aol.com -- (this is where you can find me)

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