J.I.T. Just doesn't cut it

I remember when working at my "real" job back in the 'burbs, JIT (Just-In-Time) was all the rage.

Materials came in just the second you needed them.  Products shipped out just the second they needed to.  Inventory was kept low to save overhead costs and save space and everything was hunky dory because everything was calculated to the very second/minute/hour/day.

But you know what?  If something - anything - went wrong in that long line last-second logistics, some of those materials didn't make it to our dock in time.  And that meant either we had to work overtime, pay extra for expediting items or have our products ship out behind schedule.  Having been out of the manufacturing industry for almost nine years now, I can't tell you if JIT is still "in" or not, but I'm assuming for behemoth companies like Wal-Mart it's just a fact of doing business.

I understand the theory behind it.  It may work for "competent" companies (ours was a little on the wonky side, and that's being nice), or in situations where there aren't a lot of variables.  But here in my world, JIT just means that someone (usually me) has been slacking.

We've had a bitter cold winter so far and our wood pile has suffered immensely.  We've been lucky the past two winters and didn't go through a lot of wood so I think that made me complacent.  Paul has taken down & limbed more than enough trees to last us several years, but I haven't been out there to cut or split them.  Paul does 99% of the fire wood chores.  He fells them, hauls them, limbs them and cuts them into logs and he had justifiably hoped that I would at least take over splitting and stacking.  And I haven't.  Although in my defense, it is difficult to split wood with a five year old running around you.

Anyways.  We only have a few days worth of seasoned, split & stacked firewood left.  Paul has been working 12 hour shifts since last Sunday because of the weather and had it not let up on Saturday, would still be working.  So this Saturday and Sunday he was outside cutting up logs and I was moving the "good enough" to burn ones to the house.

There is still a lot to be split and hauled.  We won't have to stack much of it because it's going to be used almost on an "as needed" basis.  In our case, JIT firewood is not a good thing.  Actually, I think JIT anything is pretty much crap when running a homestead or a family.

Unfortunately I think that too many people are using this business model to run their lives.  Everyone is trying to cram more and more activities into their lives.  Running here and there with barely a minute to spare.  Cupboards as bare as Old Mother Hubbard's.  Savings neglected in order to buy the newest iPhone.  Because they feel like there will always be time to run to the grocery store, time to save for retirement, time to work on that project, time to spend time with the kids.  And more often than not, that time never comes.  Or, when that time does come, there are no goods on the grocery store shelves, retirement comes but there's no nest egg, and your children have grown and it's too late to take that walk through the woods with little Johnny.

Don't live your lives on a Just-In-Time schedule.  Think ahead to the future.  Prepare for the future.  Prepare for an uncertain future, as best as you can.

Barnyard Icecapades

We just may get out of the below-freezing daytime temps (and single digits at night) today so the ice that has been causing so much trouble may be gone by later this afternoon.  The ice we had on top of the snow has made everything an ice rink outside.  Rhiannon is enjoying it though, says she's ice skating in her boots and has been able to do some sledding.

I've been struggling to haul wood in the wheelbarrow without slipping and hauling the two 5-gallon buckets of water to the goats/chickens without falling is like an Olympic challenge.  Guess it's time to get some of those ice walkers, although Paul has said my outdoor muck boots are thick enough that he can drive some screws through the soles.  I may let him do that, but then that means that I won't be able to come in the house with them (which I occasionally do).

The goats are doing ok on the ice, probably because their pointy little hooves can break through the ice more easily than big boots or Giant Sloppy Dog feet.  Even Charlie has had his fill of slipping and he's now walking kind'a funky so he doesn't end up on his behind.

We still have avoided any major livestock mishaps because of the frigid weather, although I did have to play detective after spotting this in the yard:

Apparently the two dominant roosters are at it again.  I found both of them, very much alive, but very much bloodied up.  Not life-threatening, but blood enough around their combs, wattles and neck feathers to make one go, "ewwwww".  I really need to get rid of some of the roosters.  I had a lead on somebody that was supposed to come get them.....like three weeks ago, but it seems that most people can't bother either showing up, calling ahead or other socially polite norms when receiving free livestock.  It never ceases to amaze me.  So we'll try again.  Or they're getting made into soup.

Paul made me three little cedar suet feeders a while back and the woodpeckers & wrens have finally been using them.  Filled them up today with a peanut butter and lard mixture and put them back outside.  It's nice to watch them come up to the house.

The juncos have been visiting lately and are taking advantage of the weed seeds still left from summer:

I only seem to see them when there's snow on the ground.  I wonder if they are what people refer to as "snow birds" down here.  Not sure if you only see them when it snows because they stand out more or if they really are here all the time and just blend in with the darker, snow-free landscape.

Hope you're able to find some enjoyment from all the snow.  I'm trying :)

The Right to Warm Weather

Warning: Political Soap Box Rant Ahead

Yes, sheeple Citizens of the United States, you have the right to warm weather!  It is your gawd-given RIGHT to have balmy temperatures even if you chose to live north of the Mason-Dixon line!  Are you sick and tired of twenty-six inches of snow and sub-zero weather every day for four months at a time up in Minnesota?  Well then, vote for ME for Congress!  I will make sure that you will receive a plane ticket to your choice of southern states on the taxpayer's dime for free as well as taxpayer-funded government-subsidized housing in your chosen southern state.  Don't worry about having to find a job there either!  You can ride rely on the disabled / unemployed / underemployed gravy train government assistant programs regardless of your actual ability to work.  And if you get too hot down south, just fill out the coupon for a free air conditioning unit.

Year-round warm weather is every citizens right and I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that you vote for me your rights are being upheld!

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Sooooo.......what got me all in a political uproar this crisp and brilliant (i.e. freaking cold) Friday, you ask?  Well, two things actually.  Last night I was reading some online news regarding something (I have already forgotten), but what I remember was the last line of the article stating that "Health, education and nutritious food are a human right."  Then this morning I saw a little quote on Google (yes, Paul, I know it's evil, just like Facebook) that said, "The practice of sport is a human right." - Olympic Charter.

Ok, in essence those things are a right; as in you should be free to undertake whichever (non-aggressive) paths lead to those goals.  But I am sick and freaking unbelievably tired of seeing every. stinking. thing. being claimed as a human right....and provided by the government.  Now don't get me wrong.  I'm a big fan of the part in The United States Declaration Independence where it states that,

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

But where does it say that life, liberty, and happiness are supposed to be provided by the government?  Meaning by the money that the government steals from other people.  The government's only purpose is to make sure that no one else infringes upon those rights, not to make sure you're given things that you equate with those rights.

It says that the PURSUIT of those things are an unalienable right.  If you're too lazy to work when you can, you are not entitled to a paycheck just because.  If you're not happy where you are financially, physically or mentally, then do something to change that; you are not entitled to have someone else make you happy.  And most importantly, if you are giving up your Constitutional rights little by little, or are voting to take OTHER people's rights away, then you should not expect to keep YOUR Liberty.

Most of you know that I'm not talking about taking food out of children's mouths (that's ALWAYS the case the left-wing, bleeding heart wacko's bring up).  Why do they always bring up Children or The Elderly or The Disabled or Cute Little Puppies?  It's always the same; A child with a cute little starving puppy is being killed every five seconds because of guns/reduced food stamp benefits/lack of better education/lack of "free" health care.  Sick of it.

At what point does the government mandate that EVERYthing is a human right and that those rights have to be "upheld" by them?  Meaning that if you aren't feeling quite up to snuff with the Robinsons next door, just cry "nutritional, educational, sexual, financial, etc." discrimination and bingo!  you've got yourself a new free cell phone (with internet capabilities, of course).

Ironically, while our asinine government is providing all these make believe rights (at your expense), they are destroying the rights that truly matter.  Day by day, minute by minute, they are outlawing, over-regulating, abolishing, eroding and erasing those silly things written in the Bill of Rights.  If you'd like, I can give scathing examples of tyrannical abuse for all but the Third and Seventh Amendments (although give me five minutes and I'm sure I can come up with something).

Come on, somebody ask me to list the specific ways each of the Amendments are trampled on a daily basis!  I'm in a fighting mood today.  Although I'm sure you've had enough crappy political ranting for the day.

So, what's the reasoning and moral of my crazed-political-blog post for this morning?  I suppose that too many people are being immoral.  That they'd rather have someone else do the pursuing of happiness for them instead of getting off their lazy duffs to do it for themselves.  I also needed to vent.  Although it's pretty much preaching to the choir here.

Oh, and I'm cranky from all the cold.  And we're running out of seasoned, split wood for the stove so that means I gott'a get my butt out on the splitter or we're gonn'a be having to wear five layers of clothing in the house.

Wonder if Obama has a program for free firewood.

Caprine Ready-To-Wear

Lily & Pickles first potential due date has passed without any sign of labor.  Both are starting to bag up, but Lily's udder is more full.  Not like dairy goat full udder, but definitely larger than they were a month ago.  Pickles still doesn't look very heavy, but I'm hoping the fact that she is starting to develop an udder is a sure sign of pregnancy.  I've been massaging their bellies and haven't been able to confirm a baby in there, which I am a bit surprised at.  When I was massaging Nettie during her bloat incident this past weekend, I was able to feel at least one kid kicking around like crazy.
Next kidding date for Lily & Pickles is on February 28th.

And the day before that, Nettie and Annette are due to kid.  So if you guys don't see or hear from me at the end of February, rest assured that I'll be in the barn up to my eyeballs in afterbirth and wobbly goat kids.

In anticipation of The Insane Goat Baby Fest of 2014, I decided to check how many goat coats I had in my stash.  Last year (or was it the year before??) was the earliest I had ever scheduled kiddings and the nighttime temps dipped into the 30's so I was scrambling to make some sort of goat kid covering and ended up with a butt ugly goat coat..

Susan must have been horrified at my hasty attempt and was kind enough to send me a couple of homemade kid coats.  But even with those two beautiful goat coats and the three dog sweaters I picked up at Walmart end-of-season for like two bucks, I'm still going to be needing a few more.  Four goats due in two days times an average of two kids each and, well, I really need to make a few more goat coats is what I'm getting at.  Although I'm hoping we'll eventually get through these insnae cold-snaps we've been getting, knowing my luck we'll continue this trend just through kidding season so I want to be prepared.

I went through my stash of material and found some fleece blankets that I was eventually going to do "something" with:

The Sponge Bob pattern was selected as the first prototype, because honestly, I can't think of anything else I'd really want to do with it.  I was going to make Outside Kitty a pillow using it but when I showed it to him he rolled his eyeballs and with an audible "humpff" trotted off, butthole puckering his disgust at the thought of having to sleep on something so silly.

So I'm off to make some slightly-less-butt-ugly goat coats.  I'll let you know how they turn out.  That is, if I manage to finish them before the kids hit the ground.

Diospyros Virginiana, Weather Oracle

Yesterday I did a post on the winter fortune telling abilities of our local American Persimmon trees (Diospyros Virginiana).  Well, it's not the trees themselves with the psychic abilities, but their seeds.  If you split one open lenghtwise, it will reveal either a knife, a fork or a spoon.  Finding a knife will mean you're in for some bitter cold winds that cut like a knife.  Opening one to reveal a spoon / shovel means you'll be digging out your driveway on a regular basis.  And one can only hope for a fork, as that signifies a mild winter and good eating.

Not sure if it's just Ozark Hillbilly Snockered on Moonshine kind'a folklore or if it applies to wherever persimmon trees abound.

Where American Persimmons can be found.

The Arkansas Champion Persimmon tree is located in Yell County and has a 151" circumference and is 96' tall (as measured in 2004).  Our persimmons are skinny, tall and lanky with a circumference less than 12" and I seem to have more standing dead ones than live ones.  Not sure if we just don't have the right soil for them, if there's some sort of persimmon disease in our woods or what.  I just try to make sure that Paul doesn't doze them over.

Did you know that the seeds of the Persimmon were used as buttons by the Confederate Army during the American Civil War?  And the roasted, ground seeds can be used as a coffee extender / substitute.

I know that my Northern blogging buddies are jealous of my Southern Oracle Tree so I did some research and came upon the seeds of the Great Northern Persimmon (Holycrapus Damitscoldus). I split it open and this is what it revealed:

I'm thinking you guys are pretty much screwed.

The Persimmon Doesn't Lie

Local folklore has it that if you split a persimmon seed in half (lengthwise...you know, the difficult way), it will tell you how severe the upcoming winter will be.  If there's a knife inside, it will be a bitter cold winter, if there's a spoon/shovel inside be prepared for lots of snow, and if there's a fork inside you're lucky and will have a mild winter (apparently the fork represents good eat'n).

We've done this several years now, and the 'simmons (as Rhiannon calls them) have been pretty much on spot.  This year we got a spoon four out of five seeds.  The fifth one was "kind'a" fork-like, almost like a spork.

Spoons. Definitely Spoons.

Fork?  Spork?!

I was hoping that the spork seed would mean "kind'a good eat'n", but apparently it was more shovel/spoon than a spork because this is what we got yesterday:

This is our third major snow this winter.  Need I mention that we were working outside just this Saturday in the mid-50's weather?  And on top of our 3-4" of snow we're supposed to get some more snow & freezing rain with temps in the upper 20's to lower 30's....meaning it will be a mess for the next week at least.

So I suppose it's good that Pickles and Lily didn't end up taking their first breeding go-around because not only would I have to put goat coats on the kids, but I'd have to look into fitting them for ice skates.

Pppfffffttttt....

Paul was outside yesterday evening around dusk and put the chickens up for me.  Then he comes in and says that he thinks Nettie is in labor.  

WHAT?!  I exclaim with an expletive or two thrown in for good measure.  I wouldn't have been so surprised if he had said it was Pickles or Lily (who have gone past their first kidding date) but Nettie wasn't due for another month.  I hastily throw on jacket, boots & grab my head lamp and on the way to the barn wonder how I would handle a premature goat birth.  

I get to the barn & Paul is in one of the open pens and Nettie is in laying down in the corner, head craned out and moaning a bit.  I check her backside and other than being a little more puffy than usual, she isn't dilated, there isn't any goo and she doesn't seem to be straining from labor pains.  But she is in pain.

I make her get to her feet, check her ligaments (still there) and feel her udder (no new milk).  So I'm pretty sure she's not in labor, but has bloat.  I'm not sure what she would have gotten into that day.  They all got the same ol' same ol' hay that morning and fed the same grain rations just hours earlier.  For whatever reason, Nettie seems to be predisposed to getting bloat.  I think she's had it four or five times.  At least now I've got the routine down and I head back to the house and break open my animal med kit and start preparing a drench for her.

I put a cup of vegetable oil in a jar and then add 3 Tablespoons of baking soda to it and mix it up well.  I brought that, the drenching gun and a thermometer back to the barn and had Paul hold Nettie so I could drench her with the oil / soda mixture.  We got a good ounce down her then Paul & I took turns walking her around, massaging her stomach and drenched her again until I got all the oil / soda mixture down her.

After about five minutes of walking her around, we got some gurgling, a burp and a fart.  Paul and I continued the walking / massaging for about an hour and drenched her once more before leaving her be for a while.  I went out later that night to check on her and found her in one of the goat huts.  I got her up, walked her around, got another couple good farts out of her (yes, I know I could say "gas", but fart sounds so much more phonetic, and let's face it, saying ffffarttt like it actually sounds is fun) and let her rest for the night.

I got up before dawn this morning to check on her and she seemed much improved.  She saw me wielding the drenching gun and made a bee-line for anywhere I wasn't going.  I got her in to the milk stand with a promise of a handful of cracked corn, locked her in the stanchion and drenched her with 5ml of Probios and 5ml of Vitamin B complex.  

It's all fun and games until somebody can't fart.  (Fffffaaaaarrrtttttttt!)