This January weekend was lovely here in the South. A favorite neighbor called to say the Camellia was blooming, and he had his boots on to walk the overgrown and rock strewn path back to where his Grandmother had lived and cultivated his love of gardening and nature.

Among the tall oaks and one single ancient magnolia stood his Grandmother's old house, padlocked and leaning. The porch floorboards had rotted through, and the chimney had long ago fallen through the ceiling into what used to be the kitchen.

The gardens had suffered a similar fate, and the years of benign neglect left most of it covered in a heavy layer. of leaf mold and compost and topped off with the fresh leaves that had fallen over the last year.

Amongst it all, at the back of the house stood the camellia. A hard frost and temps in the teens at the beginning of the month had left the buds burnt on the edges, and yet the bright crimson flowers were a lovely dot of life on an otherwise mostly dull winter landscape. The bright evergreen glossy foliage was the perfect canvas.

The camellia that flanked the front corner of the porch was covered with pink buds that had not yet begun to open. It was shorter and rounder and perhaps not as damaged by the frost. I can't wait to get the call that she too has burst into color. Dan promised me a display of showy pink & cream blossoms and a light scent.

I bid my neighbor a fond farewell promising that I will be back to dig bulbs that are starting to emerge. The forsythia are already in bloom. 

From the back of the house, I find the old path meandering around the hundred acres or so of cow pasture and woods. My neighbor's house and farm is, as we say in the south, a half mile as the crow flies. It was a beautiful walk home.

First things first. “No chickens were harmed in the making of this post.”I’m only a part time weekend permaculture hippie farmer. The rest of the week I live a fairly hectic normal boring life wondering how the heck anyone can afford to eat– let alone eat organic.  I digress. We are talking trash.Full disclaimer aside – I did something recently that excites my inner hippie.

Do you know what this is??

Do you know what the chickens are doing?? Ahh…good chickens. Scratch away!

That’s right — a compost bin.And not just any old DIY compost bin, but an AWESOME HUGE DIY COMPOST BIN conveniently situated across from the chicken coop.

That’s the closest I’ve come to farm space planning in a long time. Chickens are useful to turn the compost as they root around for bugs and scraps. In turn this converts the brooder bedding and aged horse manure into compost — humus. (not to be confused with hummus–yum hummus).“But  I don’t have a ton of brooder bedding and horse poop accumulated to do something like that” says average mom in the burbs. ” What’s a normal suburban dwelling permaculture hippie wannabe supposed to do?

”Start small. Do what you can. Make a difference."

What would happen if you skip the Miracle Gro for the tomatoes, flowers, etc. and ordered  your very own organic fertilizer maker? What you say? What on earth is that?

What if I told you the benefits are two-fold since you will use your kitchen scraps to make the fertilizer?The technical permaculture hippee term is vermicomposting.

Korie was an extra special good girl this year and really racked up with Christmas gifts! On top of the antler chewies she also received some stuffed toys and a humongous rawhide chewie that lasted approximately 40 minutes before chewing the end off of it. She loved every second of those 40 minutes. 

I'm known for wanting strange things for Christmas: 
some 4x4x8 treated pine lumber, handmade soap, unique antique roses or rose cuttings, new saw blades, and the ability to make real butter are all right up there on the list.

Which leads us to this post, and the need for whole non-pasturized milk to make butter. I could be simple and go south of town where it is rumored that such milk is produced and sold quietly to those with the secret code word and $9/gallon. But alas that is just not me. 
I'm difficult that way, and I want my own cow.
A cowopotamus for Christmas.

As it turns out, I'm not quite ready for such endeavor as more secure fencing is necessary to contain such a bovine delight. 

But as it turns out, a friend in Pennsylvania recently bought and brought home a cow. And not just any ole cow. She bought a house cow, and she's an old Irish Heritage breed called a Dexter. Her name is Christmas, 

"A house cow?" What the heck is a house cow? 

Dexter cattle are a very old Irish breed, developed to thrive on scrubby pasture. Sometimes referred to as the Irish “house cow,” they have provided both milk and meat to single-family households since at least the mid-1700s. The first Dexters were brought to America between 1905 and 1915. 

These gentle, hardy and easy to handle animals are one of the world's smallest bovines. They require less pasture and feed than other breeds. They thrive in hot as well as cold climates and do well outdoors year round, needing only a windbreak for shelter and fresh water. Fertility is high and calves are dropped in the field without difficulty. They are dual purpose, being raised for both milk and meat.

Although they are the smallest naturally occurring (non-dwarf) cattle, Dexters are not miniature cattle. Cows range from 36 to 42 inches in height and can weigh up to 750 pounds. Bulls range from 38 to 44 inches tall and can weigh up to 1,000 pounds.

Dexter cattle eat about 12 to 15 pounds of hay per day, which is about half the ration of a typical large breed, and they have a relatively high meat-to-bone ratio compared with some breeds.

When milked twice a day, a Dexter cow at the height of lactation can produce 1 1/2 to 3 gallons of milk to share between her calf and the homesteaders family.

What does all this mean to the modern homesteader? Plenty of milk for the family with less expense for feed, shelter, vet bills (when the cow has difficulty calving) as compared to a more modern "dairy" breed that produces 6-10 gallons of milk per day.

Ok, I know everybody else in the whole world is preparing for Christmas.
Ditto here.

I even "almost" have lights on the Christmas tree. Most presents are bought, none wrapped...yadda, yadda.

But I finally felt true joy when coming home today and finding the Baker Creek Heirloom Seed Catalog waiting for me. It's another cabin fever kinda weekend with rain Friday night and Saturday and cool damp conditions on Sunday. What better way to spend a weekend than laundry, lights on a tree (maybe ribbons and bows and balls as well) and planning your spring and summer seed order?!!? If you aren't already on their mailing list, well, I highly recommend them. Great customer service and just an incredible variety of seeds you really can't find at the more traditional outlets. In a pinch, even their website will make you feel like it's almost time for a summer tomato sandwich or BLT with mayo!

We have so much planned for 2014. I hope you have enjoyed 2013 as much as we have. Thank you for spending it with us!

Back in the summer, I posted a recipe for homemade dog food. 

This morning I modified it using none other than the leftover turkey carcass from Thanksgiving, fresh broccoli from the garden, brown rice and a can of black beans.

Take your leftover turkey carcass, leg bones, etc. and boil down until meat is tender enough to pull easily from the bones.  Giblets are ok here too. 20-25 minutes medium boil (don't go outside and feed geese at this time or your pot will boil over resulting in nasty mess on your cooktop.)

Let it cool (I cooled overnight but couple of hours should do fine) and separate meat from bones, discarding bones. Feed a little meat to the dogs all sitting in a row at your feet in the kitchen.

Add fresh broccoli (2 heads) and 1 bag brown rice to your turkey broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 20-25 minutes until rice is reaching correct consistency and broth mostly evaporated. Add in 1 can black beans (rinsed thoroughly--no farting please) and the turkey meat.

Let cool and treat your dogs! Heck treat the chickens too. They loved the homemade food and extra protein does them good this time of year especially. Who knew chickens enjoyed turkey so much *lol*

This is a great way to use up some of your leftovers and smelled good enough to have for dinner. Enjoy!

Miss Korie our English Shepherd pup will be one year old on January 1st. 
Wow! She's almost a dog. And she's a very active chewer. She chews like it's her day job and can unroll a rawhide chew in about 20 minutes. Nylabones last a little longer, but even they succumb to her strong jaws and teeth and become rough and jagged on the ends. 

So what's to be done? Butchershop beef knuckle bones are great, but for sure not to be enjoyed on the rug in the house. And now I learn that rawhide is actually not good for dogs that can consume it like candy--especially if its the cheap poor quality "made in China" variety where they have very little quality control. Some hounds actually experience impaction from the stuff, and surgery is required.

As it turns out, I found what could be a great alternative--100% natural deer and elk antlers all products of the USA. At first glance, they seem pricey, but if they last like the reviews say they will, they are a value in the long term. They come in different sizes, and at 40 lbs., Korie is a borderline "medium" elk antler size. However, I know she has a "large dog" mentality when it comes to chewing, so I'll be ordering up for her to make sure she can't break the smaller one or damage her molars trying to.

Amazon.com with their free shipping on orders $25 and up, no tax and delivery to my door in a timely manner with a smile on the box is my "go to" source for almost anything not in the grocery store. They continue delight with their "Chasing Our Tails" brand elk antler chewies. I'm ordering these today in the large size. I hope they are all they are supposed to be. I'll have Korie post a review. 

Now off to Amazon to shop for Christmas! Bandit told me she needs a heated bed.