Wishing You Just Enough Floof

It has been one heck of a year, hasn't it?  

I will remember 2020 as being the year of the family.  I have never in my entire life, spent more uninterrupted time with my immediate family.  It all started back in February with Ian taking paternity leave  (which seems like 11 years ago instead of 11 months ago!), then the big boys transitioned to home schooling after March Break, with social isolation orders, and the annulment of all our extracurriculars - the rest is history.  For almost all of 2020, the five of us have been stuck to each other all of the time in a way I would never have imagined possible.

Upon reflection, Ian has decided to remember 2020 as a "fishtravaganza".  He boasts to have done more fishing this past year than ever before in his life.  Ian, Alistair and I did a bunch of ice fishing together during his paternity leave, then he fished a bunch over the summer with Liam and Seamus, and now we have come full circle and Ian is back to ice fishing.  With our calendar cleared of all social events, it seems to have left Ian with much more time for getting his line in the lake.

I acknowledge that we are very privileged to be concluding the year with positive takeaways.  I know that there are many who have had a heartbreaking year.  My thoughts are with those who lost their health, loved ones, relationships, employment, housing, and/or financial security in 2020.  

With that, we here on Gael Glen Farm are glad to see you slide through the finish line of 2020, more or less in one piece.  We wish you all a Happy New Year!  

May 2021 bring you health, happiness, stability, and just enough floof to keep things exciting.  Pecky Becky has got it going on in the floof department.

No, no, no...Don't Let it Snow!

"Maaammm turn off da wind!"
"Maaam make de snows go away!"
"Maaaaaaaaammm I don't want de snows touching ma footies!"
"Mammm I wanna go play, make it warm up!"

Needless to say, the goaties are not impressed with the snow.

Thanks to Ried Vallee Ranch for the translation. 

A Marathon of a Day

Have you ever had a day that you feel really should count for two days?  I was about done by noon today but the day just kept on going...

We started the day off by making farmer's cheese with this morning's haul of Martha and Mellie's goat milk and some lemon juice.

We ice skated on our backyard pond.

We warmed up with hot chocolate and real whipped cream.

We then filled everyone's bellies up with homemade leek and potato soup with freshly baked, still warm from the oven bread topped with today's fresh goat cheese.

I could have called it a day right here but nope...we kept going!

We made tea biscuits with the whey from our cheese making.  We also made bread dough for tomorrow's loaf using whey substituted for the water.

We then decided that today would be a perfect day for a tea party.  Why ever not?  And so, we made:

Sliced cucumber sandwiches with dill flavoured whipped farmer's cheese.

Ham and cheese sandwiches topped with sliced Cortland apples.

Avocado, tomato, and basil sandwiches with mayo, salt and pepper.

Our warm tea biscuits with fresh whipped cream and your choice of homemade blueberry, sunflower, or passion-fruit preserves.

We steeped a pot of my new Pistachio Ice Cream tea for the party.

Seamus' winter-themed cupcakes (made using his new baking set Christmas gift) were featured for dessert.

And voila - a Gael Glen Farm Tea Party that could rival High Tea at the Chateau Laurier is served!

Today was a marathon.  I am beat.  Thank goodness I have a partner who will do tonight's dishes!  I'm out of sparkle for now.

Inside & Out

We spent the morning in the kitchen and the afternoon in the barn yard.

Cinnamon buns for breakfast.  Motivation.

Some serious barn mucking.  Hard work.

Bagels for a late lunch.  Reward.

Bread for tomorrow.  Thinking ahead.

It was a busy day both inside and out.

Baking Day at the Farm

Today Liam and I tied up our apron strings and collected our measuring cups.  It was baking day at Gael Glen Farm!

We started with pistachio cinnamon buns.

Followed up with Montreal-style bagels.

And concluded with a loaf of artisan bread.

Everything has completed its first rise, been shaped, and is now in the fridge to rise for a second time overnight.  Our oven will be busy tomorrow!

Barnyard Chaos

There may not be much going on in the farmhouse but what a day in the barnyard!  

During morning chores I was greeted by a biting wind and frozen water faucets.  There is not much that is more annoying (aside from Ava's bad behaviour, of course) than frozen water faucets.  Lugging water pails to the various animal shelters was lots of fun.  NOT!

All the latches to the chicken coop were also frozen shut.  I needed a hammer to pry them loose.  When I finally entered the chicken coop to collect the eggs, I bumped right into Beemster - laying stone-dead on the coop floor.  Granted, he was a really elderly rooster and these plunging temperatures are tough on everyone, but what a sad, sad happening.  RIP Beemster.  You were a kind and lovely gentleman of a rooster.  You will be greatly missed.

Next at the goat barn the head latch on their milking stand was frozen shut.  When I tried to jiggle it loose, it snapped off completely.  Of course, it did.  There was absolutely no way the goats were standing still unrestrained to be milked so that was helpful. Again, sarcasm.  Thankfully, Ian was home today and made quick work of replacing the broken part for me with some leftover trim from building the donkey barn.

When I went out a half hour to milk the goats on my repaired stand, I noticed that Ava had obviously been chasing Martha and had left bloody bite marks on her hind legs.  I immediately tethered Ava and cleaned Martha's legs with warm soapy water, then applied Polysporin to her wounds.  Martha will live but UGGH Ava!  Seriously?!

What a morning.  Thankfully the rest of the day was uneventful; that was enough excitement to last me for a week at least.

It Ain't Butterball

Merry Christmas from all of us here on Gael Glen Farm!

We had a wonderful, relaxing day.  The kids were thrilled to discover that they had made Santa's "Nice List" this year.  They had a super time opening their gifts this morning.  They were so, so excited!

The rest of the day was quiet for the grown ups as the kids napped and then cycled through trying out their new stuff. 

Dinner with Grandma was simple but perfect.  We feasted on roasted rooster with cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, and sweet potato casserole.  The overly amorous roosters were definitely not butterball juicy but they certainly made for an ample meal.

With the boys full of rooster, thoroughly exhausted from a day of excitement and play, and warm and cosy under their new handmade quilts from Grandma, they were each sound asleep in minutes.  Now, it is finally time for me to settle in with a book and a hot cup of new tea steeped in my new tea infuser.  Happy holidays all!

Returning Home

After a glorious three day cottage get away, we are back to reality, specifically, the final preparations for both Christmas and the upcoming month long COVID-19 lock down.  On the way home from the cottage, we stopped to pick up our online grocery order and also hit up the public library to stock up on books before their borrowing services are seriously curtailed.

We arrived home to a mailbox overflowing with Christmas cards, two visits from neighbours bearing gifts, and two other lovely gifts left on our doorstep.  We are so lucky to have such kind neighbours and friends.  Thank you everyone!

Once the groceries, books, and cottage luggage were unpacked, it was time to put our farm family to bed.  I am well aware that our animals have been little monsters for their farm sitters over the last three days and, I swear, they know that they have been naughty. 

On the first night, Charlie the donkey flat out refused to go into the barn at bed time.  Our first farm sitters tried twice, even coming back an hour or so later to try to get her in again.  No dice.  Then our second farm sitter came over much later in the evening to try for a third time and Charlie still refused to go in.  She is so, so stubborn.  Charlie ended up spending the night by herself outside in the cold.  Thank goodness she did not get eaten by coyotes.

The next morning, neither Martha nor Mellie would get up on the milking stand to be milked.  Percy and Luna (who have no milk) had no problem jumping up on the stand but the mama goats were playing hard to get.  The farm sitters ended up running out of time and leaving without milking the goats.

That night (night #2), Charlie trucked herself into the barn with no trouble at all.  Figures.  But now Mellie the goat who is always hungry still refused to get up on the milking stand.  It did not matter how much grain the farm sitters tempted her with, nor how incredibly full her udders were by this time, she was determined not to cooperate.  The farms sitters had to catch her and heave her up on the stand.  Mellie was mad!  But at least she finally got milked.

Thankfully by the third day everyone seemed to have gotten over their disagreeableness and all the animals finally behaved appropriately.  

It is now Day 4 and we are back home.  Let me tell you, my animals have never been so good for chores than they were tonight.  There was not one rude kick or unwanted jump or hoof out of place.  There is no way you will convince me that these beasts don't know that they behaved badly during my absence.  It is a good thing that I love these little monsters and that I have very understanding, patient and reliable farm sitters.

Once the farm chores were dealt with, it was time to get to the good stuff: a yule log for dessert, matching Santa jammies, storytime with The Night Before Christmas, putting cookies out for Santa, and hanging the stockings by the chimney with care.  All the boys are excited but they still went to sleep immediately.  Anyone want to place bets on what time they will wake up tomorrow morning?!

Happy Christmas Eve everyone.  I hope you are all putting your feet up and enjoying a glass of spiked eggnog.  Wishing you peace and happiness tomorrow with the ones you love most (either in person or online).  Enjoy the "most wonderful day of the year"!