Snow in Southern Colorado

It's cold and snowing here in my normally warm region. The moisture is much needed, but I don't care for the cold. Me and my little chihuahuas are desert rats at heart and prefer to bask in the warm sunshine whenever possible.

I've been following a blog about a young woman trying to create her own homestead in the northeast. http://coldantlerfarm.blogspot.com/ She wrote a wonderful book called "Made From Scratch" and periodically writes for Mother Earth News. She is having a hard time right now and my heart is with her. She is an inspiration to me as a writer and as a fellow homesteader and I wish her well. I understand how hard things can be when you are renting, and sometimes even when you own property.

I think things are tough for so many people right now, which is why we decided to go ahead and make our move to the country. Even if the property is not ideal, it is doable for a while and maybe it's all we can ever have. I can be okay with that. I think about how to turn our double wide into a sustainable house, adding solar panels and changing the roof line a tiny bit to allow for a clear story to bring warmth into the north side of the house. It really is a nice home and one entire side (70 feet) is south facing, which means when the sun shines, the furnace rarely comes on. Unfortunately we can't leave all of the rooms open because the little ones would be into everything, so the rooms on the north are considerably colder than the rest of the house, well, about five degrees. It's okay, we deal with it fine, but I wonder about putting cement bricks along the north wall, essentially residing the house to give it thermal mass. I'd like to put a sun room and studio on the south side with tile floors to soak up the warmth. Anything is possible, but everything takes money, which is in short supply these days. So we improvise.

I put an add on Craig's List asking for old, discarded whole tires so we can build a retaining wall along the front driveway of the house. Those are easy, lots of people have tires to get rid of. I'm still looking for fencing. Field fence would be great, enough to fence our two and a half acres would be divine, but I fear fence is in high demand and we will probably have to buy it out of pocket at retail price. Expensive, and I'm not sure where that money is going to come from, but I have to keep my goats and llamas safe. They are our real investment right now.

I have faith that it will all work out. The money will show up from somewhere. We will get through Christmas the best we can and the new year will be better. This is the life I've been dreaming about for so many years and I am determined to make it work.

Another Day

Another day on the homestead. The weather is wonderful, warm and sunny, I love southern Colorado. Nice enough to not need a jacket in the afternoon, but it sure cools down at night. I'm glad the chickens are in a warmer place. The big coop is almost done now. R put up the last of the outside walls and cut a door. He's working on their nesting shelves and roosts. Soon, little ladies, soon. I have lots of people asking for eggs, but not enough to sell. We have to get more chickens. Keeping my eyes open on Craig's List for layers.

The goats are doing well. They beg for hay like dogs, the little brown Nubian standing up with two legs resting on the fence. I worry that they will figure out that their temporary pen is not really strong enough to hold them. But for now they seem content, spending their days munching on the weeds and lying in the warm sunshine. They are still so cute.

Our family therapist came for her weekly visit (much needed due to the circumstances of life with an unhappy teenage girl) and we talked animals when the session was over. She wants to learn more about goats and milk and making cheese. She may have a horse trailer I can borrow to go get my llamas. Yippee! No more livestock in the minivan. I'm growing more and more fond of her.

I have been reading and reading about llamas and goats. Mostly about fiber. Excited to be thinking artistically again. I think I can make felt without too much hassle and I can use that to make some wonderful things, like toys for the little ones, and blankets for me. I'm so eager to begin. But first, a pen and barn for them and of course I have to pay them off. I can't wait to have the cute little guys join our growing homestead.

And we work on the soil. Always. R picks up leaves from around town and pulls cardboard out of the recycle bins so we can sheet mulch some of the areas we hope to plant next year. I thought there'd be more snow by now, but I guess the season is still young. Our soil here is like dust, no organic material at all. The cactus like it. I'm hoping the goats will like the cactus, especially the awful chollo that dots our small piece of land.

I'm looking for an old, cheap travel trailer with working plumbing and electricity. I thought it'd be a perfect little art studio, out in the few trees we have. Our views of the mountains are phenomenal. We've got the front range and Pikes Peak to the north and my favorite, the Wet mountains to the south. I've been thinking of trying the watercolors again. Not too much mess there.

There is hope still for this mom who'd like to get back to painting. But in the meantime, I am so in love with my animals, and busy with my children, it's not all bad. I dream of the future...that's not living in the NOW...but wouldn't it be nice if...

Goats and LLamas

We got goats! Three of them. We drove an hour and a half out into the boonies to get them, and put them in the back of the minivan. Now, let me tell you, there was enough space for three goats, sure, and I put down an old vinyl tablecloth and a dropcloth on top of that, and I thought I was adequately prepared. I sat in the back with them, with two chihuhuas on my lap, and the rest of the family sat in the front. They are sweet goats, not biters or anything, but they must have been nervous because I think between the three of them they pooped and peed every ten or fifteen minutes. I had to keep pushing butts away from my lap so I didn't become part of the growing stinky mess in the back of the van. It was dark when we drove home, and I could only imagine the lake of filth channeling itself around the van as we went around curves and over bumps. And the smell was horrendous. But, we made it. Had to stop at Wal-mart to pick up a couple of collars and leashes for them, and when we got home, we had to put them in the only fenced yard we have, which is next to the house. They immediately began chomping down on our newly planted trees and bushes, as R race to put up the last section of their temporary pen. What a night. I don't recommend goats in the car, although the mess didn't turn out to be as bad as I imagined.

So our goats are milking goats. One Saanen named Trace, one Nubian, I forgot her name, and one Cashmere mix named Cinnamon (I got her because she was so cute). The first two are about two years old and hopefully pregnant, due in March, and my little Cashmere is nine months old and really just my baby. Another little pet to add to my collection. Sure, if I breed her, we could milk her too, and we might, but I'm thinking more along the lines of using her as a fiber goat. They are all happy now in their pen, the cutest little creatures.

Yesterday we drove another hour to look at mini llamas. Who'd thought? I've wanted llamas for about ten years or so. I thought it'd be great to learn to spin and make blankets and rugs. Anyway, of course the llamas are adorable. They always are. I put a deposit down on two boys, a gray and a black, and hopefully will be picking them up in January sometime. Now, the lady there said I could put them in the mini van and that they lay down when they travel, nice and easy. But I don't know about that. R and I spent an hour cleaning and shampooing the carpet in the van and it looks brand new. Do I want to go through that again? Maybe without passengers, but I'm thinking I need to find an old horse trailer for cheap or maybe rent or borrow one.

So now R is finishing up the chicken coop and began a goat barn on the hill side of our little homestead. The llamas can live there too. The idea is that they will protect the goats from predators, and so they will be pastured and penned with them. And I get more fiber. I better learn fast how to shear and process llama wool. Exciting.

The homestead is really starting to grow. I feel so ignorant right now. I have so much to learn about all of these animals and gardening. The adventure is really underway.