Caught Pail Faced

Someone on the farm needs to learn to share her night time grain ration with her fellow goat.

Who?  Me?

Sharing is caring, Mellie.  Sharing is caring.

Seedy Saturday

Today we packed everyone up and headed off to Almonte's Seedy Saturday sale.  The boys were not so much interested in heirloom or organic seeds but they were on the hunt for samples.  Much to their delight they found hand creme, lip gloss, pretzel sticks with BBQ sauce and Lindt chocolate balls.  Once the sample options were exhausted, we kept them interested in the outing by encouraging each one to pick out a packet of seeds to plant in their very own garden.  We have promised that they can share a pallet garden this year and plant whatever they like. 

Liam went straight for the colourful carrots - they were his favourite from last year.  Seamus had a harder time choosing.  He initially selected spicy mustard greens, then switched to pumpkin seeds, and finally (with a bit of direction from Dad) settled on a chocolate sweet pepper.  Even though every year I vow not to purchase any new varieties of tomatoes (we have so many already!), I could not resist a beautiful heirloom variety from Greta's seeds. 

Greta's photo sold me.  That is one gorgeous tomato!

Ian, ever the economical spender, opted to stop at Richie's on the way home to buy a package of daikon seeds (the only thing we actually needed) that was half the price of the packet being sold at the seed sale.  We also picked up a square of Pro-mix soil since we are itching to get our first seeds planted.  Spicy pepper, onion and eggplant seeds can be started indoors any time now!  And so it begins...

Lamb From Farm to Table

Despite Ian and I functioning in a state of perpetual sleep deprivation, life is still puttering along on the farm.  The vast majority of our energy lately has been directed toward making sure our animals and little humans are safe, fed, clean and warm.  However, we have managed to fit in some "extras" since welcoming Alistair home.  There have been fun extras like taking Alistair for a baby photo shoot.  He slept through the whole thing. 

I captured this photo on my phone during the shoot
(with the permission of the photographer, of course).

We have also undertaken some less fun, though necessary, farm tasks.  For instance, we typically celebrate the life and poetry of the poet Robbie Burns by inviting friends over for a dinner of haggis (a sheep's offal mixed with suet, oatmeal, and seasoning and boiled in the animal's stomach) and other Scottish delicacies each January 25th.  This year, while sheep meat was still involved in our Robbie Burns Day festivities, it was in a different way; Ian's hunting buddy Enzo came over to the farm and taught him how to harvest lamb. 

Sadly, the time had come to send Cobalt and Lego to Freezer Camp.  As much as I love the idea of growing our own food, I am the first to admit that it is much easier to harvest vegetables than meat.   I found it difficult to say "goodbye" to animals that I had bottle fed as babies and loved for the better part of a year.  Upon speaking to life long farmers, slaughtering one's animals never gets much easier. Yet, harvesting is part of farming and I knew that I needed to "put on my big girl panties" (as one lady farmer on a homesteading group I follow put it) and give Ian my blessing to proceed. 

Under Enzo's tutelage, Ian did an exceptional job for his first time harvesting our own livestock.  By doing it himself on the farm, he saved us hundreds of dollars in transportation and processing fees at an abattoir and butcher.

Ian involved Liam and Seamus in the butchering process.  The boys supervised while he deconstructed the lambs into various roasts, steaks, chops, etc.  Like we try to do with field dressing during hunting season, we used this as an opportunity to normalize obtaining meat from our own farm animals.  It is important to me that our boys are informed about what meat is and that they are not squeamish about how it gets from farm to table. 

This time spent together also provided the boys with the opportunity to work through the emotional side of harvesting the lambs they saw born and raised on our farm and for us to validate their feelings by assuring them that is okay to be sad when we have to say goodbye to members of our farm family.  It was a learning process for all of us but we weathered it together and nobody seemed upset when we served lamb neck stew, feta lamb burgers or garlic crusted rack of lamb for dinners in the following weeks.

Lamb Stew

Lamb Burgers

Rack of Lamb

Except maybe Alistair...

...though I am not convinced that his angst has anything to do with eating Cobalt and Lego.

And Then There Were Three

What a week it has been!  Life here on Gael Glen Farm has changed forever, and for the better, with the birth of our third son, Alistair Scott.

Both Alistair's gestation and birth were on his own terms.  He may look angelic but I will not be at all surprised to find out that this kid has an independence streak unparalleled even by Seamus'.

At 38 weeks, Alistair had still refused to turn head down.  It was not until we made the appointment at the hospital to have him turned by a doctor that he decided to turn on his own.

Me waiting to see if Alistair is head down or if he will need to be turned.

In collaboration with our midwife, we decided to induce Alistair at 39.5 weeks given his high estimated weight, off the chart abdominal measurements and Liam's experience of shoulder dysplasia at birth.  Alistair did not want to be induced.  He refused to budge until we were faced with the most invasive method of inducing labour.  I went into labour hours before we were scheduled to head to the hospital to be hooked up to the oxytocin IV.

Despite full dilation and much pushing, Alistair refused to descend into the birth canal during labour.  At this point, the OB and midwife agreed in their recommendation for proceeding with an emergency C-section.  Faced with the prospect of being cut out of my uterus, Alistair apparently decided that he would rather just be born.  Eight minutes after the OB said the word "C-section" and three massive pushes later - Alistair arrived; no surgery required.

After all that, Ian and I are very proud to announce that Alistair Scott was born at Almonte General Hospital at 4:01 am on Wednesday January 16, 2019.  He weighed 9 lbs 4 oz and measured 52 cm.

Alistair looks exactly like baby Seamus did; the resemblance is uncanny.

Alistair on the day he was born.

Seamus on the day he was born.

One week in, Alistair is breastfeeding like a champ.  He loves to sleep during the day and stay up all night long.

His brothers were very excited to meet him but have since decided that he sure nurses, sleeps and poops a lot.  Liam and Seamus have turned out to be excellent baby holders.  Seamus helps me change diapers and even helped give Alistair his first bath.

I expect it will take us a while to establish a new routine here on the farm but of one thing I am certain - life will never be the same and we would not have it any other way.  Welcome to the family Alistair.  We waited a long time for you and we are so incredibly thankful that you finally decided to join us.

A Dog's Life

Tonight is a good night to be an inside animal; it is wicked cold outside.

Emily has made herself cozy curled up on a fleece blanket on the couch.

Meanwhile, Charlotte has been sitting in front of the fireplace most of the afternoon
absorbing the heat into her black fur.

Ian's Search & Squash Mission

To some extent we can choose our battles in life.  Since the fall, Ian has been waging war against the aphids determined to devour the leaves of the hot pepper plants that he is attempting to overwinter inside. 

At some point each day, I find him methodically surveying his plants, searching for the offending creatures. 

When he finds an aphid (which he inevitably does), he sprays the infested plant with soap water and then gleefully squashes the bug.  Ian is meticulous and very regimented in his search and squash mission but, between you and I, I think that the aphids might be winning.  He finds at least a few each day and they are doing their utmost to migrate to Liam's baby pumpkin plants that he planted at school and gave us for Christmas.

So far, the aphids have left my houseplants alone and I am really hoping that they are not fond of the microgreens that I began sprouting earlier this week.

Peas.

Now that our outside garden is officially done, I am craving fresh greens.  Moreover, I will soon be able to eat sprouts and microgreens again without worrying about food poisoning our fetus.  So, I figured I better get them started.  Besides, it is nice to see something growing besides my stomach.

Three Unusual (and Not Very Scientific) Experiments

Experiment #1

Research question: Will shovelling snow induce labour?

A quick google of this question provides a very clear answer:  No.  No, it will not.  As other women point out, shovelling very late in pregnancy will not induce labour but it will give you a very sore back and an aching vagina.  Check and check.  Note to self: next time, google before trying some new way to kick start contractions.

Experiment #2

Research question: Does it make a difference whether you bake bread in a dutch oven or on a rack in the oven using steam from melting ice cubes and a spray bottle?

Loaf on the left was baked on a rack in the oven. 
Loaf on the right was baked in a pre-heated dutch oven with the lid on.

Oven rack.

Dutch oven.

When using the same dough and baking for 30 minutes, it seems that the method of baking does not make a substantial difference to bread outcome.  The crumb in both loaves was similar.  The crust of the rack baked loaf was very slightly browner and chewier, than that of the loaf baked in the dutch oven.  The oven spring was about the same in each loaf.  In conclusion, the loaves were very similar.

Experiment #3

Research question: When making corn bread, does it matter if you mix all the ingredients together at the same time even though the recipe calls to mix the wet and dry ingredients separately and then combine?

Mixing everything together at once changes the texture of the corn bread.  It is moister, has large holes and doesn't rise as well.  Who knew?  On the bright side, it still tasted good and we only had to wash one bowl.

What an enlightening day.