Birthday Girl

You were a girl from the country who sat on a front porch who dreamed of a new life in the big city. You gazed upon the lights on the horizon, hoping that your new life would include your dream of becoming a wife and mother. 

You graduated from high school, packed your bags and headed towards those big city lights. You got a job in a restaurant where you caught the eye of a city boy who was fascinated by the lovely country girl who didn't even know how to operate a cigarette machine for a customer.

It came true. You married and held 3 healthy babies. 

You passed quietly in the early morning hours as a gentle rain fell while thunder rolled through the hills. Some say Jesus walks the earth during those hours. Fresh green leaves were appearing on the trees and the flowers were starting to bloom. I guess Jesus was picking flowers that morning. 

Happy Birthday Mama. Thanks. 

What I Have

I have diamonds on the roof top and on the ground after a frost.

I have woods that light up in the afternoon.

I have flower petals from a pear tree that float in the air like snowflakes.

I have eyes- so I can see these things- in color.

I have a friend who shared her food with me when I couldn't go out and get it myself.

I have a brother who cares enough about me to find me a car at a price people would laugh at and fixed it up and shopped for everything to go with it all the way down to the "little trees", - and then, brought it to me.

I have a niece that, when I requested goldfish for my birthday- didn't just bring me any goldfish- but fancy goldfish.

I have a niece when, I couldn't run my own business anymore - ran it for me.

I have a little dog that, once when I was ill, came and put his tiny paw on me and then, laid down beside me.

I have stars in heaven above me and fireflies in the air all around me, and sometimes I can't tell where one ends and another begins.

Top 10 Things I'm Learning From My Dog

 

1) Take naps and rest or relax.

2) Don't give up. Always do your best. 

3) Keep a great attitude no matter what your situation may be.

4) Appreciate food.

5) and treats. (See #4)

6) Keep smiling. Have joy.

7) Be fearless. Stay safe.

8) Soak in the sun.

 

9) Stay close to The Master. (See #6)

10) Love always.

Kevin Dewayne Hyatt, A Good Boy

My first date was with Kevin Hyatt.  My family and I were living on the old Cleghorn place.  Kevin and I were 16 years old. Born in 1960 and 1961.

When we were in the 2nd grade we were elected class favorites.  Kevin and I were led out into the hallway at Meek Elementary School by our teacher. A photographer was there and we were asked to hold hands as a photo was snapped for the school's 1969 yearbook.  I guess I must have needed a good boy to hold my hand.

When we were in the 5th grade, I got an enormous crush on Kevin.  If he had had a fan club like Donny Osmond, I would have been in it too.

We were in the 11th grade at the time. I was allowed to date at 16.  It was Fall of 1977 I'm guessing.  We went to Decatur.  We ate at Wendy's and saw "Smokie and the Bandit" at the theater on Highway 31 in the shopping center that had the dime store with a lunch counter.  I recalled CB jargon from the show as we were walking into the lobby after the picture was over. I told him I needed to go 10-100 and went on into the Ladies Room.  I came out, and there he was, standing tall, waiting for me.

I remember the Wendy's and being perfectly comfortable with Kevin, who sat across the table from me as we shared that simple meal together.  That, along with the gas for the car and the movie experience, were probably paid for with what he had earned by bucking hay in the stifling heat of summer under the sweltering Alabama sun.

More than likely, he was a multimillionaire when he got to go be with Jesus this year. Fortune acquired using he gifts and talents God gave him.  Not just financial gifts, but the most precious of all wealth, a treasure in love of family and friends and a life well lived.

 I thank the Good Lord that I got to be the recipient of a moment in time with that good boy...My Donnie Osmond.

The Miracle Dog

Above Photo:
Doc Tyree and Ginger, years after that Faithful morning.

RING, RING. RING, RING. 

The sound of the driveway bell after 8 a.m. that February morning sounded a bit more insistent than usual. As I was preparing for the day 

ahead, "Ginger has been hit!", came the urgent cry from my doorway.

  Ginger Buddy, was named for the color of her silky "ginger" colored fur and "Buddy", my Niece's dog, was her father. Ginger's mother was 

"Faith" whom I had adopted from my Dad after he passed way.  Faith was a Golden Retriever/Shepard mix and loved to ramble in the woods by the stream 

behind my house. The pair were forbidden to go out of the yard and past the driveway gate but would occasionally venture across the highway into the 

blackberry brambles where the rabbits made their dens. My house was in a rural area and the traffic was only moderate.  I had gambled with that highway that 

morning, and I had lost the bet. 

  I immediately rushed to the phone to dial our local Animal Hospital a few miles away. Pam, the Veterinary Assistant at the Addison Veterinary Hospital, 

answered the phone and I explained the situation. "Bring her in right now!," she exclaimed.  Doc Tyree was still in the office, having been detained from a farm call that 

morning by The Unseen Hand.

  Ginger was placed onto a small tarpoleum and loaded into my van. She was 

breathing rapidly and unresponsive. As she stared blankly into space I stroked her soft cheek. "You are going to be alright", I told her as she was sped to the Animal Hospital.

  "Do you need some help?" asked Pam as she opened the door. Ginger's still form was cradled into a pouch formed by the tarpoleum as she was carried through the Animal Hospital's open

front door. She was still unresponsive as the screened door closed behind me. "Bring her in here." Pam indicated the exam room where Ginger was 

placed, along with the tarp, on to the exam table. Doc Tyree came in and began his

examination.  As i anxiously observed bustle of activity of the veterinarians' office that morning,

it hadn't been a leisurely one.

  The exam room was small so I stood outside the door gazing intently at Doc Tyree's

hands as he shaved a small area of fur from Ginger's chest to start her on I.V. fluids.

Her veins were collapsing. I heard him ask Pam for assistance, and then he added, 

"If miss this vein I'll not find another one."

  I sat down in a small chair outside of the exam room door and whispered a 

prayer as I grasped the back of the chair, "Please, Father." I acknowledged that I 

had been a permissive pet parent and this was my fault and I realized that Ginger

Buddy was not just a dog. She was my family.

  Doc Tyree completed his exam and I prepared myself to make a decision to stop

her suffering. He indicated that Ginger was paralyzed and that it could be 

temporary, or permanent. She had suffered two deep lesions, one to a fore paw, which

had exposed bone, and another to an inside leg. Her underbelly was raw red.

  I heard Doc Tyree say, "We could give her a chance."

  I looked up and humbly declared, "We'll give her a chance!"

  He cradled her into his arms and as he carried my sweet little dog through a

door to a back room to place her on a heating pad for the night, I wondered if I

would ever see her again.  As the Gentle Doctor carried the suffering creature 

through the doorway did I see Ginger wag her tail ever so slightly?

  I called my Mom, and a dear friend, and then, with others, a prayer chain on Ginger's 

behalf was formed...and an agonizing wait until morning.

  "I couldn't believe it," said Pam, after answering my anxious phone call the next day. "I came into work this morning and Ginger was

on the heating pad standing up and wagging her tail!" A wave of relief swept away 

the tension and calm pool receded into its place. She added, "I believe y'all had a 

little help from above."

  We all knew it. Ginger's trail on the way to complete healing was winding and riddled with 

switchbacks, but she endured, we endured, "with a little help from above".
From the ringing of the driveway bell as a concerned young couple had witnessed the accident and had stopped to inform me, to the Unseen Hand that had delayed Doc Tyree's departure from the Animal Hospital that morning.

It was all part of a "Master" plan for the "Miracle Dog".

   

  

The Boy With The Shrimp

He strode into the waiting room at the oil change place and sat down. He had a little "boonie" hat on like a military man. I had just taken my Mama next door to the place where she gets her hair cut on every other full moon and had took the opportunity to have the oil changed in my vehicle. I had took a seat by the door when I saw him walk in, The Boy With The Shrimp. He was involved with his smart phone. He spoke to me and offered advice about the technicians there, how they did a good job and all. I was shocked that he had anything to say to me.

I had gotten an invitation to join the AARP a few years before when I met The Boy With The Shrimp. I don't see how anyone that attended a Van Halen concert could possibly qualify for an
AARP card but I guess they were just looking at the numbers. It turned out that The Boy With The Shrimp had been looking at my knees. I had decided when I was looking down at those knees to brush my hair one day that maybe they belonged to a girl that HAD been to a Van Halen concert when David Lee Roth had hair so I was very surprised.

 The Boy With The Shrimp talked to me about new movies and war, he asked me for my phone number. My eyebrows raised. "To young?" he asked. "Well", I said, "there is more to being a man than a number", and I gave him mine.

Now don't get me wrong, I am not in the habit of giving every young man I meet in the oil change or any other place my phone number but this one was special, The Boy With The Shrimp.

He called. We talked. He asked me out for a date and I said yes to The Boy With The Shrimp.

He had told me he had been in the military and was in a war and had been jumping out of airplanes and chasing bad guys so I knew that I was going to have to keep my fences tight. He could have ruined me if I had been a younger woman, The Boy The The Shrimp, but I had grown older and hopefully a little wiser in all these years of living on God's good green earth.

 I'll have to give some of the credit to my Mama for the genetics. I once held a puppy adoption at a local flea market and a friend of the guy that sold leatherwear for bikers followed my Mama around the flea market that day like HE was a puppy and the guy was my age.  The next time we visited that same flea market my Mama stopped for a moment and asked me how she looked. She was a motorcycle rider and was riding Harley's when this guy was probably learning to ride a bicycle with training wheels. I told her she looked fine.

The Boy With The Shrimp came to my house. It was a Friday. As he drove to the local Italian restaurant with me by his side with a taser in my purse, his radio was tuned to a classic rock station. I knew I liked this boy who was a man who had been in a war. When "Every rose has it's thorns" was playing on the radio, he asked me if I had any thorns. He threated marriage and flowers but I knew that line and would not bite.  

He gave me a light kiss, ever so gently, publicly, The Boy With The Shrimp, while we were waiting at the restaurant for his name to be called. I was thankful that the Pastor and wife of the Church I attended were there also waiting for a table and for the introductions and the pleasant conversation as we waited. We were soon seated and ordered our food. He ordered some kind of shrimp. I do not remember what I ordered.  He offered me a shrimp off his plate and extended it in his hand to me. He ate like a man. I loved to watch him eat. There was a young family dining at the table that was next to ours and a little girl almost fell out of her chair and The Boy With The Shrimp was on his feet so fast to lend aid I don't believe lightning could have struck any faster. She was alright.

 I motioned with my hands for the Pastor and his wife who were dining at a table near us to pray for me when The Boy With The Shrimp left the table to pay our bill. I was so sick I had to order a glass of sweet iced tea and sipped it slowly as I tried to appease the butterflies that were in my stomach. I believe David Lee Roth DID have hair the last time I felt like that.

He made a good play, The Boy With The Shrimp, but I was to weary of the game and he would have only snagged me anyway with those old lines. I closed my gate after that and entered into what I like to call "The Aunt Bea Years". I knit and crochet brightly colored hats now for soldiers deployed in the war on terror as the memory of that night fades, one stitch at a time, into the glassy sea of gems.

It took "Aunt Bea" from Maybury, USA 2 entire episodes of The Andy Griffith show to almost marry a Sea Captain portrayed by Will Geer. Aunt Bea refered to it as a "beautiful interlude". She was concerned that he loved the sea to much to ever be content at home, so she threw him back in.

I feel ya girl...and I've got the pearls to prove it.

Local Herbs And Their Uses

"And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed, to you it shall be for meat."
Genesis 1:29

Herb Defined:

1 Plants, seeds, or flowers used for flavoring, food, medicine, or perfume.

2 Botany 
Any seed-bearing plant which does not have a woody stem and dies down to the ground after flowering.

Erb or Herb?

The word herb began use in the 1300's from an old Old French word, erbe which came from the Latin word, herba. Here in America, because the French word is used, we don't usually pronounce the hard "H".

Herbs are useful in maintaining health and can be used to treat illness. Herbs fall into two categories, tonic and medicinal. Tonic herbs may be safely used to maintain good health and medicinal herbs may be used to treat ailments.

Dandelion: High in phytonutrients and antioxidants which aid in slowing cancer growth and spread, prevents free radical damage to cells and DNA. Can be used to treat diabetes, high blood pressure, gallbladder and inflammation. Boosts immune system.

Plantain: Astringent properties- May be crushed or chewed and placed directly over a sting, bite or rash, hemorrhoid remedy. Healing effect on the digestive system. Gentle expectorant.

Blackberry: Rich in bioflavonids and Vitamin C, low sodium, one of the highest antioxidant levels, source of fiber, good for digestive health, prevents cancer, useful for weight management, bone strength, skin health, improved vision, prevents eye disease, heart healthy, cognitive health, immunity booster, normal blood clotting treats endothelial dysfunction (abnormal function of lining of blood vessels), the folate useful in pregnancy, also known as the "gout berry" by the ancient Greeks AND is the Official Fruit of The State Of Alabama. The leaves cure diarrhea and the tannins in the leaves heal wounds.

Mullein: Treatment of various inflammatory diseases, diarrhea, asthma, coughs and other lung related issues. Used to treat the pain and inflammation associated with earaches.
Treatment of bruises, burns, hemorrhoids and gout, leaves can be applied topically to soften and protect the skin.  Mullein can be ingested, applied topically and even smoked.

Yellow Dock: High in iron, the root is medicinal for detoxing and skin ailments, laxative.

Eating seasonally has health benefits.

Spring greens for blood cleaning and purifying.

Summer Fruits and Vegetables to boost immunity.

Fall/Winter foods for antioxidants.

Essential Oils

Lavender: Reduces anxiety and emotional stress, heals burns and wounds, improves sleep, restores skin complexion and reduces acne, slows aging with powerful antioxidants, improves eczema and psoriasis, alleviates headaches. Researchers claim that 2,000 years ago lavender was referred to as Spikenard or Nard. The most famous usage of  lavender being the oil Mary used in John 12:3 to anoint Jesus.

"Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus' feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume." John 12:3 (NIV)

Tea Tree: Treats acne, bacterial infections, chickenpox, cold sores, congestion and respiratory tract infections, earaches, fungal infections (especially Candida, jock itch, athlete’s foot and toenail fungus), halitosis (bad breath), head lice, MRSA, psoriasis, dry cuticles, itchy insect bites, sores and sunburns, boils from staph infections.

Household uses: Antimicrobial, laundry freshener, insect repellant, natural deodorant, acne face wash, removes foot order, removes mold, household cleaner.

Local Wild Foods Smoothie

1 Cup Almond Milk
1/2 Frozen Banana
1/2 Frozen Mango
1 Handful Dandelion Greens (Washed)
1 Handful Frozen Blackberries
Blender

Combine Almond Milk with Dandelion Greens and blend until smooth. Add frozen Banana, Mango and Blackberries.
(Any other additives such as 1 T Flaxseed or 4 T Almond Butter may be included.)

Blend until smooth, pour into a pint mason jar and enjoy.

Disclaimer: The information herein is intended for educational purposes only. It is not meant to be used as a diagnosis, prescription or treatment, nor is it meant to replace the medical services of a medical professional. The remedies, approaches, and techniques described in these materials are not to be a substitute for, professional medical care or treatment. They should not be used to treat an ailment without prior consultation with a licensed medical professional. You should always consult with your medical professional before beginning any course of treatment.

These statements have not been approved by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

L-R: gardener, bee keeper, honey bee

Timing Is Everything

 Regardless of whether the local Groundhogs saw their shadow this month or not, Valentine's Day is going to happen on February 14 and the honey bee queen is making plans for expanding in anticipation of Spring.

Right now would be a good time to find a day when the outside temperature is going to rise above 60 degrees F and put those supers of empty comb over the brood chamber. The hives here reside above I-20.

Stayin' Alive

  Mr. Baker, of the Ole Baker Farm in Harpersville, Alabama was probably 100 years old when he told me the story of a local family that had moved down from Birmingham, Alabama during the Great Depression of the 1930's. They had become his neighbors. This particular family was inexperienced at gardening and had failed in their first attempt to feed themselves. Mr. Baker and his family, being the good neighbors that they are, helped this family survive the winter by supplying them with sweet potatoes and molasses.

  This recipe survived. 

Sweet Potato Dumplings

2 or 3 Sweet Potatos (Raw Grated)

Basic Biscuit Dough

2 C. Water

1 1/2 C. Sugar

1 tsp. Cinnamon

1 tsp. Nutmeg

1/2 Stick Butter

1) Roll out Basic Biscuit Dough into a long rectangle about 1/4" thick.

2) Spread sweet potato on top.

3) Roll up jelly roll style and slice into 1/2" circles and place circles in a greased baking dish cut sides down.

4) Heat water, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg & butter in a sauce pan.

5) Pour over circles & bake at 425 Degrees F for 30 Minutes.

(Basic Biscuit Dough)
2 c. Plain Flour
1 tsp. Salt
3 tsp. Baking Powder
6 tbs. Butter
1 c. Buttermilk

Combine dry ingredients together into a large bowl. Cut butter into mixture until it begins to look like cornmeal. Make a well with flour mixture and slowly add milk into the middle. Knead dough with your fingers and add milk when necessary. 

2 x 4 Laundry And Dish Washing Liquid

Here is a recipe for a quick easy Laundry and Dish Washing liquid that is safe.

2 Gallon Bucket With Lid

2 Cups Washing Soda 

2 Cups Borax

4 Cups Natural Soap Flakes

1) In the 2 gallon bucket combine 4 cups of soap flakes with 4 cups of boiling water.

2) Use a wire whisk to stir after the soap flakes are like a gel.

3) Add the 2 cups of Borax and 2 cups of Washing Soda.

4) Add hot water to fill remainder of bucket.

5) Stir daily with wire whisk until the liquid becomes like gel.

Use 1/4 cup per average load of laundry.

Use 1/4 cup per sink of dishes.

Asleep On Snow

"Morning dove sat by my window and I awoke to hear his serene song".

My latest thrift shop find was a soft, mint green wool blend sweater that was hung at the very end of the ladies sweater display rack.  Finds of this nature usually jump right off the rack as if to say, "You're mine".
I tried it on for fit and made a quick check in a mirror to see if the shade was pleasing.  Two snap buttons closed the open front at the waist and there were squiggle designs all around.

I noticed the squiggle designs again when I put on my new found treasure for Sunday morning. On my way to meeting I received a call from a friend who wanted to see if I would stop by after Service and look at items that she need to part with and wanted to share..  She and her family had made positive changes and after a tough passage of time were filling a U-Haul and were moving back home.

When I arrived, one look at my sweater and my friend and her Mom instantly saw what I had not seen.  What I thought was scribbling was cursive writing. Around I went as they both read,

"Morning dove sat by my window and I awoke to hear his serene song".

~The real voyage of discovery comes not in seeking new landscapes but in having new eyes.~

One of my favorite quotes came alive to me as my sweet friend had inspired me to make positive changes in my own life.  The sadly neglected herb garden by my front door had been in need of positive changes for years.  The first thing that needed to happen was to reduce the area to a size that was more manageable.

One morning last week I was on my way back to my house from the goat barn.  I looked at the native sandstone rocks that defined the edge of the bed and grabbed a long-handle hoe and started re-arranging rocks.  I purposed to redo one section before I stopped.

In a popular novel set in the days of the Civil War here in the South one of  the main characters was quoted as saying,

 "Only do the amount of work today that you can get back up and do again tomorrow".

In 1988 I applied postive change to my own life.  I left a corporate job that was no longer satisfying and moved back to the family farm  to pursue making a life and a living for my family off the land.

"Asleep On Snow"  is where I would like to share my daily living here on Simple Life Farm and where I would like to share interesting ideas for simple living, interesting crafts, recipes, common sense and more.  \

I have needed to do this for a long time now, I just couldn't see it...

Love,
Cheryl of Simple Life Farm

Things I Learned On The Na Pali Kalalau Trail

1) Start each day with a cup of good coffee...it might be your last.

2) You meet the nicest people in the strangest places.

3) Food is more important than clothes.

4) Anything you really need, you can carry.

5) Don't leave it on the trail for someone else to carry, unless it's useful.

6) Luxuries can become a burden.

7) Comfortable shoes are a good investment.

8) Don't work so hard today that you can't get up and do it again tomorrow.

9) STOP, and look.

10) A tarp can make a pleasant resting place, especially when you have friends to share it with.

L-R: The McLeroys' and me. 

How To Make Cold Process Soap

When ever I don the bonnet and hover over the washpot (in public), inevitably these questions will rise:

Do you make soap? Yes

Next question:

How?

Here you go...

https://www.etsy.com/listing/400948801/recipe-cold-process-soap-making-soap

Next question:

Will you do my laundry? Sure

How much? $100 per hour

Last question:

None

James L. Gross, The Man Who Taught Me How To Fly...And To Land

 

We broke a shovel putting this great man into the ground.  He learned to fly when he was a young man and when he retired as a grey haired man he taught us how to land.  He left the sky to begin a career and a family and when both were grown he left the ground and returned to it, and took us with him.

  I remember doing "touch and gos" over Jim's watchful eye as he sat on the runway entrance as "Runway" the cat sat in his. He knew that the smooth morning air would be hospitable.

  As we stood with Jim's family on that cold December day to celebrate, friends were asked to share their "Jim" stories.

  Here's mine

November 23, 2005

Dear Friends,

Today is an anniversary for me and I would like to share my story.

I was doing my first short cross country solo on this day a few years ago (which took me the same amount of time the long one is supposed to take) out of Hartselle. When I got back to two open arms. My friend worrying about me and waiting for me.

I buried my Dad on his birthday this past April. When I think of him, in my minds eye I see him waiting for me in a beautiful country where he is at peace and can breathe freely. I buried my beloved Uncle 4 months later, as I had the honor of giving him his last sip of water on this earth he said, I'm tired, and in my minds eye he is resting 'neath the shade of the trees in that beautiful country. They are waiting for me to complete my cycle of life so I can be there with them.

All we can hope to leave on this earth is a legacy. I am a part of the legacy of Jim Gross as surely as I am a part of the legacy of my Dad and Uncle. As long as I live I will speak their name until I to shall arrive, cold & scared, and be welcomed home with open arms by The One Who loves me the most, Jesus. Until that time I had only gotten glimpses of Him in the lives that have touched mine.

Jim Gross was one of those lives.

I weep with you my friends,

Cheryl Patton

Did The Prodigal Son's Father Wave Goodbye?

  You know the wave is a funny thing. We wave goodbye, we wave hello. So what are we, as parents, spiritual or otherwise, supposed to do when a child goes away?

  Luke Chapter 15

"...But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was moved with pity and tenderness (for him);" v. 20. 

  The father had kept a watch and "a fattened calf" v. 23 ready for celebration. He had been waiting for the son to "come to himself" v. 17 and come home. When the father saw him, "he ran". v. 20 and if I were him I would probably be waving as I ran too.

  So why did the Prodigal Son's father let the son go? v. 12 Because he was his son, not his bond servant. If he was his bond servant he could have commanded that he stay.

  It doesn't take very long to spend "...all that he had" and "fall behind and be in want" and "get up and go to my father". v. 18

  So get that "best robe", "ring" and "sandals" v. 22 ready. He or she may be coming home...

  I'm saving my wave for that day.

What I Know About Goat Keeping...Thus Far

L-R: Tessie, Nub and Lilly

     

In 20+ years of goat keeping I have learned a few things and forgot most of them.

This is what I remember thus far:

Disclaimer: This is for information purposes only and is how I treat my goats and is not intended to treat or diagnose your goats where you live. Consult a local Veterinarian.

General:

1.) Provide fresh clean water and add a little apple cider vinegar if possible. (1 cup per 30 gallons of water) A floating tank deicer is well worth the money in the winter time.

2.) Provide shelter so the goats can get out of the rain that is well drained and protected from the prevailing wind in winter time. Something with a wooden floor that can keep them off the wet ground is a big plus. Hay that is allowed to accumulate on the ground where spend their time is a big minus. 

3.) Keep a loose mineral/salt blend available free choice. The following works pretty well... Thus far.

Combine:

1 pint food grade Diatomaceous Earth or Bentonite Clay

2 pints fine or extra fine Pink Himalayan salt or plain salt.

Optional Add:

About 3 ounces garlic powder (in hot weather)

About 3 ounces vitamin C powder (year round)

Keep this available at all times in something they can keep their feet out of, like an automatic dog feeder. This works well for all the other livestock that the goats may be pastured with.

4.) Allow goats to forage or graze freely.  Any changes to a goat's diet should be made gradually. Provide high quality horse hay (2-5 pounds per day per goat) in the Wintertime along with 1 pint per goat whole corn per day, if it's non- GMO, or 2 pint corn (non- GMO), Multi species non- GMO pellets, alfalfa/oat pellets or alfalfa/timothy pellets per day twice daily, divided. A trough that they can keep their feet out of works well for this. They don't need to stand in a wet area while they eat or sleep.

Note: It takes more energy for them to stay warm in the winter time (they need more feed) when the weather is cold and wet than clear and dry.

Pasture: If the soil pH is right the goats will provide the fertilizer. Here in North Alabama (above I-20) if there is excessive broomsage grass growing in the pasture, applying 2 ton per acre of lime is a good rule of thumb without a soil test. Local Farmers co-op's are a good place to start to find a lime spreader or to have it done for you. Ideally, Fall is the best time of year to have it spread so that the lime will work its way into the soil in time for Spring BUT anytime that the lime can be spread so that it can reach the soil (late winter/early spring when the grass is short) on a non windy day right before a gentle rain would be great.

Knowledge is power, and knowledge about where any bought hay comes is a plus. If any odd sort of plants spring up like a little low growing yellow waxy leaved plant (genetically modified rapeseed, I've been told) or a wicked, sawbladed leaf plant shows up in the pasture or yard or by the side of the road with a pretty purple flower at the top (thistle I've been told) removing it toot-sweet will be highly worth the effort.

5.) Check goats daily. If one seems a little "off" check it out. Keep Goat Nutri-Drench, Ivermectin, liquid anti-diarrhea medicine, red-cell, citric acid, injectable Vitamin B12, Collidal Silver and mineral oil on hand. Goats should have a healthy pink color to their inner eyelids when you pull down on them. I like to give all the livestock a dose of ivermectin in early Spring, during Full moon phase, to prevent

any potential lice/skin issues.

6.) Clear kids nose when they are born and dip navels in iodine solution. Give mom a tetanus toxid vaccination within 24 hours after she gives birth. Keep does and kids in together for at least 3 days. Keep them in a confined pasture for at least 30 days until the kids can keep up with mom. Do breeding when does will give birth in early spring. Disbud kids at about 1 month of age. I like to have it done when the signs are in the feet. 

7.) Have castration done at 6 months of age in males. Signs in the feet. Give males a jelly sandwich with about a teaspoon of vitamin c powder 3 days in a row occasionally.

8.) Avoid giving goats products labeled for deer.

9.) "Where there's breath there's hope." for a goat that is sick. (The Vitamin B12 injections work well for this at the onset if they look like they may not be well.  If 1000 type give 3 cc 1 time then again on the third day or if 5,000 type give 1cc then again on the third day,  IM, for large adult goats like the Nubians. This also helps to build their blood if they are anemic. If they get down and can no longer eat or drink on their own don't make them suffer to long but always look for a Miracle.

10.) Keep a guard animal that is compatible in stable fencing with the goats. Field fencing, the type with the squares, and an inner strand of electric fence wire that is run about 12"-18" off the ground on the inside (where the goats are) can help to keep them from climbing on it (the field fence). Goats are easily entertained by a pile of old
cement blocks or anything they can jump around on. The cement blocks, re- crete (concrete), bricks or rock pile can also keep their hoofs in shape.

2009 Alabama Auto Racing Pioneers Hall of Fame Inductee William Frank "Bill" Patton

http://video.fotki.com/alabamaracingphotos/76410/

This is what I wrote about my Dad for his posthumous induction into the Alabama Auto Racing Pioneers 2009 Hall of Fame. We all raised our glasses of sweet ice tea in a toast to the old Dixie Speedway.

William Frank "Bill"   Patton

An Ensley boy, would drag race motorcycles locally on Sunday afternoons in the early 1950's.

Would win every other weekend as he and 1 other particular motorcyclist would out perform the other on alternating Sunday afternoons after a week of preparing their bikes for the next match.

After motorcycle racing, he moved on to drag racers about 1953 which he built himself.

Bill had 8 different trophies in his drag strip activities including the first professional drag race trophy ever presented in the Birmingham area.

He had tired of the dragstrip after filling his wife Shelby's piano top with trophys and built his first stock car racer in 1958 at their residence on Brooklane Drive in Hueytown, Alabama.

After complaints from the zoning board about all the car parts in the yard, the "Wildcat 445" Red & White racer was born. It had parts from every Buick engine since 1953 and had parts from many other cars in the body.

He raced it for the first time at the opening of the Dixie Speedway in Mid-March of 1959.

Bill made $75 per week working at TCI Fairfield works and he made more money in towing allowance on weekends starting with Dixie Speedway on Friday night, Montgomery Speedway on Saturday night and BIR on Sundays.

He wrecked at BIR in 1961 before his daughter Cheryl was born and after her birth the family moved from Hueytown to Woodstock, Alabama where the Buick Wildcat was reborn in Silver color. He worked nights at TCI and would come home, sleep, and then work on the racer after he woke up.

The "Wildcat 445" was reborn in Silver color and ran "like a scalded dog", taking him to Rookie of the Year.

He was a great motivator and was often teased about his welding ability.

He stopped racing in 1963 after the birth of his son Richard because Shelby could no longer travel with him to the races and he said "it wasn't fun anymore".

Before ending his stock car career he was offered a sponsorship by a prominent Birmingham area Buick car dealership.

Note: A motorcycle racer friend, Cecil Golden, won 3rd place in The Nationals with a motor built by my Dad.

Society Of Persevering Princesses

Mama and "Butch"

  When I think about the Society of Persevering Princesses I think of a woman. She had 2 small children, a girl and a boy. The girl just started 1st grade and the boy was 2 years younger.  The boy was born the year that Kennedy was shot.

  The Woman had started a new life by going back where she came from.  She was going to take over the family business from her Dad who raised chickens commercially when 20,000 chickens were served their daily meals from the lip of a wheel barrow that had 2 strong arms gripping the handles.

  These strong arms that snuggled her children and made the family their living were extended to the take care of the least of these.

  Unknown to the the woman, who was taking care of the most immediate needs of her family flock, the family's pet had a litter of puppies.

  The nature of a whelping dog is to hide her puppies away and this expecting dog had hidden away to have her little brood.  Unfortunately the dog had hidden herself away from the attentive eye of the woman and was discovered later with her tiny little brood -some half eaten with maggots -and they were still alive.

  The woman reached down and took the tiny little pathetic creatures and made the only choice that love could make. She held the pups wretched little bodies in her hand and then there by the farm carrion pit where the tears and sweat mixed together she sent the little pups back to The Source Of All Life -and she had to do it with her strong hands.

  Well that's what you call a Persevering Princess; and the woman's name?  Well, I call her Mama.

Dear Folks, I Might Just Come Home By Bus Like I Left, Fort Rucker Georgia, USA, November 11, 1958, Love, Robert

                                             11 Nov 1958

Dear Folks

  We got off today being a
Holiday. I don't see why you
worried so much, after all you
brought me down here and I
also wrote one letter. I don't
feel like writing because there
is nothing to say. I have been
to Dothan once to watch a Parade
and I went to Ozark one time.
Both times I had to thumb.
I usually go to bed or over
to the EM club. Since I have
been here we have the two big
Inspections and one more to go
which is supposed to be the biggest.
These Inspections only happen once
a year and with my luck I came
at the right time.
  I wish that I had taken
the money I had when I got
back from Korea and fixed
my car. The last two
weekends we have got off on
Friday afternoon. But as it is
I don't want to depend on
anything else as far as going
or coming as myself, so
mostly I just stay here and
count the days. I am not
to pleased with this place
because I can't see why I
should still be in the army.
I haven't learned anything. It's
just the same routine. Well
maybe I will be out by the
end of the month. I will
call you if i want
you to come get me, as
is I don't know when I
will exactly leave this place.
I might just come home
by bus like I left.
                Love Robert

P.S. How about sending me 10$ ?scotia? money?

Hope Remains

Me and My Niece Gabrielle M. Armstrong

"..... But regarding the past, present and future, it is my hope that you will always be able to live life looking forward, not backward. Look backward long enough to remember the good times, but not so long that you cannot move forward to what your future may be, for we live not in the past, and not in the future, but in the present. It is in the moving forward every day that we live. You already know from experience that hard times will come, times you won't want to keep on going. Hold on to hope. Faith, hope and love exist together as the best things of this life, but when the times come that you lose faith, and when you feel completely unlovable, hope remains. There is a silver lining to be found in every situation...."
     -Marla Williams Murrah, Meek High School Principal, Commencement Speech, May 22, 2014