MoonCat Farms Meanderings

The Defense Rests

2012-04-20T14:07:00.001-07:00

In the case of MrMoonCat vs.THE CHICKENS, the defense offers this photographic evidence:

MrsMoonCat states: "My husband is very supportive of my chicken obsession. He helps me out and encourages me in growing our endeavour. But, he tells the guys that he is just indulging his crazy wife. He says that he puts up with the feathered fiends to appease me and doesn't have anything to do with any of the birds. I don't understand why he doesn't want anyone to know that he enjoys being out with them almost as much as I do and has his favorites in the flock."

MrMoonCat replies: "Uh, no comment. I need to go feed my chickens."

The defense rests..

Spring is Sprung in the Coop

2012-03-16T23:04:00.000-07:00

Nature's Incubator

I initially started raising Giant Cochins with the thought they would be broodies for my Blue Andalusian chicks. Andalusians just have no interest in taking care of their own kids. They produce a bajillion of them, then they are just "dead-beat" parents and don't want to take the time to hatch or raise them! Spring fever has hit hard and they are popping out eggs like crazy in that pen. I was in need of some help to get the blue babies hatched.

So Cochins to the rescue...or NOT. I waited and waited for one of my beautiful blue Cochin gals to go broody. You would think out of 9 hens, one would cooperate? Nope. Nada. So I took the plunge and ordered an incubator off of eBay. Guess what? The pretty little lady pictured above and below decided she wants to raise some chicks! The very day after I spent a small fortune on an "alternative" way to get those babies hatched.

Goofy bird...

"We are NOT amused"

Baby Blues at MoonCat Farms

2012-03-07T20:24:00.001-08:00

I'm sure the title of this post had you thinking of something else. Never fear, we aren't pregnant and we aren't blue at all around here, but our new babies are!

Welcome to our first hatch of the year (from Monday). 24 eggs went into the incubator and exactly 21 days later, these pretty babies made their way into the big wide world outside their shells. I'm especially happy with these 17 hatchlings because they are the first chicks from my young breeding birds.

In the first week of incubation, 4 eggs were found to not be fertile while 1 started and died. The other 19 eggs went the full three weeks. 2 eggs didn't hatch for unknown reasons, but 17 did and 17 out of 24 is still very good. The fertility and hatch rate should both improve as the breeders get a little older ~ and more experienced :)

The fuzzier chicks are Giant Blue Cochins with the others being my Blue Andalusians. As you can see in the photo, there are some differently colored birds in the brooder. Most birds that carry the common blue or "Andalusian" gene have the possibility of producing Blue, Black or Splash chicks. I am pleased with the group of mostly blue babies: 10 blue (5 Cochins/5 Andalusians), 5 black (3 Cochins/2 Andalusians) and 2 Splash Cochins. Splash chicks will be a whitish based bird with blue or black "splashes" of color. More about the blue genes later.

More photos and blathering on about my birds to come soon!

Chasing Chickens

2012-02-22T21:28:00.000-08:00

Well, it's been so long since I've posted that I pretty much had to learn how to do it all over again! Life has kept us very busy here at MoonCat Farms since I last checked in many moons ago. There's too much to cover in one post so I'll just start fresh with one of my favorite and frankly, most time-consuming interests. My chooks...

Mr. MoonCat's parents call them their "grands". When they come up for a visit, they enjoy helping me with the little feathered fiends. In fact we're looking forward to a visit next month when I will be enlisting their help in vaccinating the flock and accomplishing a few other chores that seem to need a few willing extra hands. Plus, we just have fun playing with the birds and spending time outside. The chickens reward their "grands" by sending them back to Arizona with a bunch of beautiful farm fresh eggs!

Rudy Roo - Barred Plymouth Rock

Rudy Roo is called a Barred Plymouth Rock or just a Barred Rock. He runs with my laying flock of mostly Rhode Island Red hens and a few girls of questionable parentage. He's a very gentle bird that takes great care of his girls and is pleasant for us to be around. (His neck shouldn't look all fuzzy like that, he's been sticking his head through the fence to reach the rosebush and messed up his feathers. I will be putting up more chicken wire soon, as Mr. MoonCat accused me of trying to strangle poor Rudy!)

"I'll Be Back..." Iowa Blue hen

This little gal giving us all the stink-eye is an Iowa Blue hen. She's a smallish bird that lays a small creamy colored egg. They are a personable breed that is enjoyable to be around and as you can tell by the up close and personal photo, very nosy! (BTW, they aren't blue..just those Iowa people coming up with a name for their birds... :)

Boo - Blue Andalusian rooster

This pretty guy is one of my favorite boys here at MoonCat Farms. He is Boo, a Blue Andalusian rooster which comes from Andalusia, Spain. Blue Andalusians actually show up in three color variations: Blue, Black and Splash. They are all the same bird, they just carry the blue gene differently. I will do a post on each of the breeds I am raising and go a little more into the colors then.

The fluffy butts in the photo above belong to my lovely Giant Blue Cochins. That is one of the two roosters with his head up while the others were pigging out on a pumpkin. They lay medium-sized brown eggs, but not in large quantities. In spite of this and in all honesty, because they are so darn cute, they came to MoonCat Farms with a purpose - to sit on and hatch the eggs of the Blue Andalusians. Andalusians are notorious for NOT sitting on their own eggs while Cochins are notorious for being broody and wanting to spend their time raising chicks - instead of laying eggs! It's a perfect match :)

If you haven't noticed yet, I have a bit of a theme with the BLUE chickens. This has become quite the endeavor and I am truly hooked on my birds. I look forward to sharing more about this journey with you.

Ernestina Hemingway - Our Polydactyl Cat

2011-09-08T14:52:00.000-07:00

Just a quick post to introduce you to the baby of the house. "Ernie" is a polydactyl cat with extra toes on each of her paws. She actually has little "thumbs" on her front feet which makes her two times the menace of the other cats ~ she can open drawers and latches like a person! I'm baby-proofing several cabinets now. I did try to get a better photo of her feet, but she kept swatting at me so I'll wait until the monster is asleep for that. You can see a bit of her thumb in the second photo.

As for her name, it obviously stems from a beloved and well-known figure in American history. What isn't quite as well known is that the Nobel prize-winning author Ernest Hemingway had a his house full of these "abnormal" polydactyl cats. In fact, even decades after his death his home in Florida is still a haven for the descendants of his original six-toed cat that he received as a gift from a ship's captain.

These type of cats are said to be much more common on the East Coast than here in the West. I personally hadn't come across one until we adopted Ernie after someone dumped her at our non-pet friends' house. At the time we had a hard time telling if she was indeed a girl, so I called her Ernie and Mr. MoonCat was calling her "Hemi". Got a little confusing since we already have a "Hammy" in the house.

2011-06-20T00:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Father's Day

to all of the Dads out there including

my own dear Daddy!

Pops and Pete

While I've Been Away..

2011-06-17T15:17:00.000-07:00

As usual, I can't make any excuses for the severe neglect that this dear little blog of mine has been suffering. My only excuse is that I've been super busy in the great outdoors. Mr. MoonCat and I have been working on expanding the chicken runs and temporary coops. I have great things planned and my hardworking, ever-suffering hubby usually is the one to make them into reality. Good thing he loves me...

A few pics to show why I've been preoccupied elsewhere:

My two-day old babies

Are YOU talking to ME?

My baby blue roo

Voracious appetites

When I am inside the house I spend a lot of time:

Saying "Aren't they cute?":

Then acting as referee:

She's MY mommy & I want to lay in her lap
~Notice my normally rotten Porkchop just
ignores them & continues with his nap

And, trying to convince a large hound that I can still see him behind a tiny pillow:

"Maybe she'll think I'm part of the sofa.."

So that's just a tiny peek at what we're doing around here. I won't make any promises as to when I'll see ya next ~ I'm not very reliable that way lately....

Happy Mother's Day

2011-05-08T15:44:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all,

whether your kids have skin, fur or feathers.

I miss you Mama

Cowboy Up!

2011-05-02T20:38:00.000-07:00

We had a fun time out at the ranch today. After having a lively breakfast, horseback riding was the scheduled event. The star of course was Rowan!

Our favorite little nephew dude dragged his parents and his Grandma up to visit Aunty Julie, Uncle Mike and Papa Bill. He was sporting his brand new cowboy boots and told them he just had to go on the long drive to see us. We weren't fooled though, he really came to see the horses, the chickens and Adolph the dog! We're all aware of our place in line :) I think the tractor we call "Greenie" has also moved ahead of us..

Rowan was all dressed up for the occasion

-Uncle Mike, not so much

Rowan on Hailey, Uncle Mike on Ace

"Tickle, tickle Hailey!"

Rowan showing Papa Bill how to drive "Greenie"

He's a natural farmer!

It was a fun way to spend a sunny morning with loved ones who don't live close enough to see as much as we'd like. We're already looking forward to Ro's next foray into cowboying. Look out Hailey!

Recipe - Basil Beer Bread

2011-04-27T13:51:00.000-07:00

While I do grow most of my basil from seed, I sometimes can't help myself and MUST buy a beautiful plant when I see it. I recently snagged two gorgeous basil plants while out shopping. I was pleasantly surprised when one of them had the following recipe included on the plant marker. Because I had all of the ingredients on hand and just reading the recipe made my mouth water, I tried it. And I loved it....So here it is...

Basil Beer Bread

3 cups self-rising flour
3 tbsp granulated sugar
12 oz warm beer
1/2 cup chopped basil

In large bowl, mix all ingredients together. Pour mixture into a well-greased loaf pan or dish. Put loaf pan into an unheated oven. Turn the oven on and set at 350 degrees. Bake for 50 minutes or until lightly browned on top. Remove from pan and place on a wire rack to cool.

***I think I would leave it in the oven for a few minutes longer and just keep a close eye on it. This first loaf didn't get quite as brown as I would have liked.

The basil smell alone was enough to get the hubby wandering into the kitchen to find out what I was up to. I sliced it up while still warm and used some of this overly delicious herbal butter that I had made up the day before. I followed the recipe I found at my idol Nancy aka The Lemon Verbena Lady's blog. (Be sure to visit her site for great recipes and herbal wisdom.)

It was a huge success as we skipped dessert and opted for another piece of bread instead. Needless to say, this will be a recipe that we'll use quite a bit in the coming months. Many thanks to the lovely Nancy for the awesome herb butter recipe :)

Dawg Days

2011-04-08T13:28:00.000-07:00

The little tyrant tells him off and then attacks

(Cailen and Pippi)

The old man ignores them all

(Muttley)

Bottoms up! Vole hunting..

(Chandler, Cailen & Pippi)

How can you stay mad at this face?

(Pippi)

Mama's big baby boy

(Chandler)

Chandy has the toy and is ready for take-off!

Spring is Sprung

2011-03-30T17:20:00.000-07:00

You know you've been a neglectful blogger when the hubby of all people, asks why you haven't posted anything in several weeks! I didn't even realize that he'd been paying any attention to "my little blog" as he calls it :) So I have a couple photos for you today..

Our first flowers of the year

Needless to say, I've been spending a lot of time outside this week. After weeks upon weeks of storms, we're finally seeing some sunshine. This has been our wettest winter since 1997 ~ we've been having extreme flooding and our ground is completely saturated. Since we usually live in a state of near panic due to drought conditions and the threat of wells going dry, it really is nice to see an overabundance of water. It would just be nice if it could rain a few days and then be sunny; then rain a day or two and be sunny..... We had ten days straight with rain at some point so we're a little soggy.

Super high grass and weeds

Poor Mr. MoonCat is asking if I won't reconsider adding a couple of goats to our menagerie for weed control. We may have to get the mower deck for the tractor for the front and back yard as the grass and weeds have been growing several inches a day. The ground is super wet so we can't get the lawn mower in there yet and the lovely sunshine is just making everything GROW!

Our gorgeous Weeping Willow

The photo below is actually a blossom from a weed. I loved the shading and pattern on the bud.

Weed flower bud

And finally, we already have a rose (or possibly, still have a rose?)

Rose in bloom

More to come...

Woman Eaten by Chickens or Stuff n Such

2011-03-07T21:10:00.000-08:00

So, as usual I've been a flake. I guess my only excuse for not posting is that I didn't really feel like I had anything to say. I figured I'd better give a brief update on what's been going on around these parts or you'd think the chickens truly had eaten me. Bad birds.

Mr. MoonCat has been working six days a week, keeping very busy. I've been working on my new business which is in the infant stages. I'm excited about getting it off the ground and I'll have more on that at a later date. The garden is starting to see some activity.

The hubby's uncle passed away a few weeks ago after a very long battle with cancer. We've spent a day up in Sacramento for the last two weekends helping his parents clean out the house to get it ready for sale. While it was a sad reason for us to all be together, we really enjoyed visiting with his parents. Hubby's best friend/brother from another mother Chris went with us this last weekend to help us move all of the furniture. We were grateful for the help as there was a lot of heavy lifting involved.

Most of the critters are doing well. The dogs and cats are happy that Spring is pretty much here. The chickens are keeping us snowed under with eggs and attitude. We have a great bartering deal going on with my "other parents" - my best friend Becky's folks. They keep kitchen scraps saved up and I weigh them down with eggs. Everyone's happy! Especially the chooks - it is hysterical to watch them dig through the goodies. They recognize the large plastic ice cream tubs that the scraps are saved in. When I walk out carrying one of those it is a large squawking herd of mini-monsters meeting me at the gate. (Remember the Velociraptor Chickens?) They get quite rude and scary!

All is not great though as we do have some cause for concern. Wedgie's leg isn't healing like we had hoped. Since I posted about his injury we've had him x-rayed and found that he had actually fractured his leg. The vet seems to think it will heal just fine in time, but it's sure making us worry. He has to stay in the small box stall and not move around too much. Poor little guy isn't taking confinement well, he is horribly bored. It's really hard for such a curious and mischievous little dude to deal with forced inactivity. We try to keep him entertained, but it's a challenge. He is such a good baby though. He allows us to change his bandages/semi-cast with a minimum of fuss.

That's about it around here at MoonCat Farms and the ranch. I will try to post some photos in the next few days - truly. Wedgie really is getting cuter all of the time. I know he sends his love to all of you who love him from afar, especially his honorary auntie Lemon Verbena Lady :) (Phantom kisses being blown your way)

Building a Small Business and Killing Some Trees

2011-02-09T13:20:00.000-08:00

As many of you know (and our new readers will soon learn), we've recently joined the ranks of "backyard chicken farmers". I mentioned my initial desire to have about six chickens in order to provide enough eggs for us and the immediate family. Well, the hubby and the Dad decided if six was a good amount then NINETEEN would be a GREAT amount of chickens to have. Men!

Well, all of this has led to a MAJOR over-abundance of eggs and the addition of "farm fresh eggs" to the things that we are starting to sell here at MoonCat Farms. I am trying to get completely organized and making sure that everything is legal and by-the-book. One of the first things I started looking into is insurance coverage.

It is amazing how much information is out there and just how uninformed I am! I had no idea the different types of insurance I could or can't get for our little operation. The green things we grow are covered in one area and the birds are a completely different ball game. I've learned things I could never have imagined ~ or wanted to imagine knowing. So for instance, do you know that along with credit scores there are also insurance scores? (I found an informative guide to insurance score in case you didn't and would like to.) Needless to say, I'm doing more homework than anything else right now.

I've been filling out so much paperwork lately that I'm afraid I'm responsible for at least two trees being killed. I've always known that agricultural pursuits are highly regulated, but OMGosh! I have permantly cramped hands from filling out forms in duplicate and triplicate..blah blah blah... I'm nowhere near done either. Still have banking to go...

On a good note, we have happy chickens who are happily producing lovely eggs. LOTS and LOTS of eggs.

Have a great Wednesday my friends.

Wedgie's Week of Woes

2011-02-04T00:01:00.000-08:00

Wedgie had a lot of firsts this week - he was FINALLY weaned from his mama, he got his first big boo boo, his first haircut AND he had his first hoof trimming. All pretty much within 48 hours. Little guy's world was turned upside down. We had planned on weaning him a couple months ago, but the unbelievably wet weather the last two months made it difficult. We didn't have any spare stalls or inside pens that were dry, so the pasture was the best place for him and his mama.

Walking the Wedge

The use of a "butt rope" laid loosely around his hindquarters helps teach Wedgie to walk forward while being lead with the halter. This is a very common training technique we use with foals.

He was actually taught to lead and accept a halter when he was just a few days old. He was then turned out with his mama and the other mares in the pasture where he was allowed to just be a baby. (The photo above shows him getting a reminder to go forward when led.)

He'll be worked with up close in the barn for a few weeks again while he's completely weaned and then turned back out to pasture to continue learning how to just be a horse. He'll now be out with the rest of "the boys" instead of the mares. At two years old, he'll be brought up again and start very light training to be ridden. Their leg bones are still maturing up to about three years old, so heavy riding at too young of an age can actually be detrimental to their development. He'll probably be gelded at this point as well.

Boo Boo wrapped in blue

Wedgie's boo boo. He cut himself on the ankle when he was having a tantrum over being separated from his mama. We put them in side-by-side stalls when weaning, but he still managed to have a fit and bang up his little leg on the wall. **On a related note ~ Horses tend to find numerous ways to hurt themselves. It's a full time job trying to keep them safe. For instance; if you have a mile of fence posts and only 1 has a tiny nail sticking out, the horse will find that 1 tiny nail and cut himself on it. I think you could put them in a padded cell, cocooned in bubble wrap and they'd still manage to do something! It's part of their nosy nature and part of life with horses.

Wedgie's 1st trim

Wedgie received his first pedicure or in equine terms: hoof trim. A lot of times this is a very difficult task as the babies don't like their legs and feet messed with and lifted off the ground. This first trimming was made much easier because we got him used to us touching his legs and looking at his hooves when he was just a few days/weeks old. The more they're handled when young, the easier it is to do the necessary tasks as they grow. He was a perfect little gentleman while Dad trimmed his hooves. He won't actually get his first set of shoes for another year or so.

Wedgie's 1st haircut

This photo was more of a snarky comment by Mr. MoonCat on the similiarity of Wedgie's wild forelock and mane and my wooly head. It was pretty foggy that day and with a lot of moisture in the air comes lots of curls and frizz in my hair! So yes, the Wedge and I both have naturally out of control locks. We did manage to trim what is called a "bridle path" for Wedgie (not me). It is a strip of about three inches of his mane right behind his ears that we trim down to the base. It makes it much easier for the halter to fit snugly and secure. It's also more comfortable for him as the halter won't be sitting on top of a wad of mane and pulling his hair.

So that's pretty much Wedgie's traumatic week. He's doing fine and starting to enjoy being in the middle of everything at the barn. He has already learned to pull the lid off of the grain bin as he goes by and tries to snag a mouthful of hay when passing the bales. One thing is for certain, Wedgie will be in the middle of things on a regular basis.

Pippi's Opinion

2011-02-03T12:30:00.000-08:00

Pippi, aka Peepers, Rodent, Rat Dog, *&#@(&^, etc. recently shared her opinion of Mr. MoonCat while occupying the couch with him. I told him that it is unclear if she was commenting on his breath or his attempt at whistling. Could be a combination of both...

What ARE you doing Daddy?

Ewwww, what IS that?

Make it STOP!!!

Just a note, Mr. MoonCat CAN NOT whistle. It is a major cause for amusement around here. I have to call/whistle for the dogs (or he has to yell for them) because when he tries to whistle, the dogs all just look at him with their heads cocked to the side as if asking "Why is the air escaping from Daddy's face while he turns blue? Why doesn't he just have Mom whistle for us?"

OWOH 2011 - One World One Heart - My Blogiversary

2011-01-30T00:01:00.000-08:00

Today is a very, very special day! First and foremost, it is the start of the

5th Annual One World One Heart (OWOH)

Welcome or welcome back to MoonCat Farms Meanderings. This is a husband/Mr. MoonCat and wife/Jules endeavor (though as in most good marriages the wife is the one doing most of the talking/blogging :)

Our place is called MoonCat Farms ~ did you notice the cool logo that Mr. MoonCat designed? We have a large number of animals who call these 10 acres in the California boonies home. They include cats, dogs and chickens right now. We have horses and cattle as well, but they're at Dad's ranch a few miles from here.

Gardening, photography, riding, sewing, cooking and reading (see my other blog: One Book Shy of a Full Shelf for our book reviews) are just a few of the many things that keep us busy around here ~ besides all of the critters. We try to live as green a life as we can and lessen our impact on this Earth in as many ways as possible. I hope you'll stick around or come back and see what kinds of things we come up with to "Make It So" ~ I'm a closet Trekkie..

OWOH is the brainchild of Lisa at A Whimsical Bohemian. She created this event as a way to give bloggers all over the world a chance to mix and mingle. She dreamed of people meeting others they might never have crossed paths with except through One World One Heart. Lisa started what could only be described as a phenomenon. It has increased immensely each year with more bloggers worldwide taking part.

I started my blog TWO YEARS AGO TODAY because I was encouraged by several bloggers that I met through One World One Heart. They basically held my hand as I jumped into what would become a large part of my life ~ a very important part. So I'd like to say a big THANK YOU to Lisa for dreaming up OWOH and also to those lovely, lovely ladies who told me I could do it! One World One Heart started me on the blogging highway.

Happy 2nd Blogiversary MoonCat Farms and Happy 5th One World One Heart!

I'm sure you're well aware by now that each of the bloggers participating in OWOH is offering their visitors a chance to win a "door prize". It is a way of saying Thanks for stopping by and looking around. Y'all come back now ya hear?

I haven't really decided what I'm going to give away. I love doing surprise or mystery prizes so I think we'll go with that. Entry into the drawing is very simple. You must be an active blogger ~ sorry, but this is a blogger to blogger event.. and you must fill out this very short form. That's it! I will draw a winner using the random number generator and then email the lucky number holder. They will have 48 hours to respond or I'll have to draw another winner. Comments on the post are appreciated, but only entries on the form below will count for the drawing.

To continue on your adventure through the blogisphere, please click HERE to be taken to the list of participating bloggers. Have fun!

Fowl Food

2011-01-28T23:31:00.000-08:00

Like many of you I spend hours upon hours this time of year drooling over the newest seed catalogs and planning the garden's future. There's a big difference for us at MoonCat Farms this time around though, we're also deciding what kind of crops to grow for our chickens!

Since becoming the chicken mama to my feathered friends, I've been trying to learn as much as I can about what I can feed them - especially at this time of year. The ground is bare and there aren't many tasty bugs to be had so I need to supplement their fare. Trying to give them fresh produce is costing a fortune! They've been eating some very interesting concoctions that I've been creating in the kitchen as well.

For the most part, I've gathered that if it is natural and healthy for us ~ it should be pretty much the same for them. They have been enjoying A LOT of fresh spinach, cooked peas and beans, various fruits, a bit of fish or other proteins on occasion, homemade suet cake treats, etc. This is of course on top of their chicken mash, scratch and pellets.

When the garden was still in full swing we discovered that tomatoes and watermelon are their top choices. They'd line up like little inmates at the fence and beg for tomatoes. Squash and peas were OK once they're cooked by the chicken mama, most greens were welcomed as well. Strawberries and blackberries were another favorite treat along with cucumbers.

Besides the normal fruits and veggies that we're growing for ourselves, I'm trying to figure out what we can add for the chickens. I will be doing a lot of canning, freezing and drying of our own foodstuffs and things such as comfrey, spinach and other greens for the birds. I would like to get any suggestions that some more experienced chicken keepers might have as to what else would be good for getting us through the winter a bit cheaper..

Anyone? Bueller?

Our Other Selves

2011-01-24T00:04:00.000-08:00

My friend Susan pointed out that I needed to post a few pictures of Mr. MoonCat and I in our Renaissance Faire garb. I'd been writing about all of the new outfits that we would like to make with our LA Loot and she requested some photos. So here are some from the last few years; I hate having my picture taken, so there aren't an abundance of me :) Hubby on the other hand is a ham, so I will have even more of him in the near future.

I think these are in order, timewise:

Me, left. The lovely Aimee, right. (2006)

My first faire in (borrowed) WOOL garb,

105 degrees - miserable.

Dressed as Pirates for a charity event

2nd Pirates of the Caribbean movie premiere (2006)

My man at my feet (2007)

notice his long hair

Our Big Day (2008)

He cut his hair to surprise me!

I loved it :)

Our tavern garb (2009)

he helps behind the bar - I shop

Some of his old, old garb in need

of replacement (2010)

So that's it for now. I'll dig up some more photos in the near future. You can see my hubby in his Nobles (fancy) garb where he portrayed Lord Huntley, George Gordon. I renamed him Lord Pompousassedness as he played his character a little too well! I still call him that when he gets a little too regal, royal or flat out obnoxious :)

Rugs to Rags and Back Again

2011-01-17T00:06:00.000-08:00

Growing up on a working ranch meant we didn't really have a lot of frivolous decor in the house. Things needed to be useful, practical, and most of all, easy to clean. The hardest working "decorations" were the rugs. They took a major beating. Especially the rugs near the back door where we came in from the barn. We usually had one of the very colorful, very durable old rag rugs placed there. They were workhorses! They kept the majority of the mud and other things from going further into the house. I still have a couple of those old beauties that I try to keep anyone from stepping on because they're getting some age on them.

Old Rag Rug section

Here at MoonCat Farms we have our own share of mud and gunk from the gardens and the chicken runs. I had a cheap little throw rug at the front door that was doing a fairly good job keeping the muck out until Pippi ate it. As in there aren't even pieces to show you!

She is one of the most destructive little dogs I've ever had! She eats my shoes (notice I said mine, NOT Mr. MoonCat's), books and whatever she can get her little pointy teeth on. I have to be sure to get to any packages from UPS or FedEx before she does as she REALLY likes to open boxes and mail for me. Please note that she has more toys and chewy things than a puppy or child could ever want to gnaw on - she just prefers things that belong to moi!

The only time Miss Pippi/Peepers isn't

eating my stuff!

Isn't my sweet big boy Chandler a cutie pie??

So back to the rug issue. Little Miss Peepers has given me the excuse I've needed to replace the rugs in the living and dining rooms (it's actually more like a great room all combined). I've decided I want to go with somewhat more modern rugs than the plain older rugs we've been using. One of the other concerns besides the dirt trapping is keeping the wet doggy paw prints from being left on the hardwood floors. Here are two examples of what I am looking at:

Woven Diamond

This one is an indoor/outdoor rug that is handwoven. It's hoseable, scrubbable, bleachable and designed for high-traffic, muddy areas. I like that the design and colors combine to add a little punch.

Vine & Leaf RugThis lovely vine and leaf design fits well with my living room/great room colors and I think it would hide dirt well. It's also indoor/outdoor and said to be super easy to clean.

Both rugs are water resistant and could be hung out over the fence or big clothesline to dry when washed - not in the machine, but by being hosed down :) I am a lazy housekeeper as I'd much rather be in the garden or out at the ranch with Dad and the horses. Ease of cleaning and practicality are VERY high on my requirements for things around here.

So what do you think, any suggestions? I admit I'm leaning more towards the leaves at the moment, but I always let the Mister put in his 1/2 cent - since I get 1 1/2 hee hee..

~~~~~

**I am a CSN Preferred Blogger and will receive an item for review in exchange for this post. My opinions and words are 100% honest and MY OWN and are not influenced in any way.

Sunday Selections

2011-01-16T00:05:00.000-08:00

You are my Sunshine, My Only Sunshine

Toot, Celie, Hammie

You make me happy....when skies are gray

Lily, Celie, Porkchop, Toot, Hammie

You'll never know dear...

I swear, he's a cat - not a potbelly pig

how much I Love You

Sheena/Sha Nay Nay/Old Lady

Please don't take... my sunshine away.

Badger, Tory, Bugsy

Saturday Sweetness - Crummy Fruit Crumble

2011-01-15T20:28:00.000-08:00

I haven't posted a recipe in just about forever. So I thought I'd share a super-yummy one that I made last week for the hubby and Dad. It got rave reviews and I apologize for no photos, they ate it rather quickly!

This is based loosely upon a recipe I found in a book I'm reviewing this week over at One Book Shy. The book is a cozy mystery by Anne Canadeo called "A Stitch Before Dying".

It's a part of her Black Sheep Knitting Mystery series. Since many of you are avid knitters and readers, you may be familiar with it ~ if not, check it out. (I'm not getting anything by telling you about this, I just enjoyed the book.) Like I'm hoping you'll enjoy this:

Crummy Fruit Crumble

Ingredients

6 cups thinly sliced apples (I used Fuji, Macintosh, and Delicious varieties)
2 TBsp lemon juice
1 TBsp orange juice
2 TBsp lemon zest
1 TBsp orange zest
2/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
3 sticks unsalted butter, cut into tiny pieces - keep cold
1 cup flour
1/2 cup uncooked oatmeal
1/4 cup granola
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
3 TBsp cinnamon
2 tsp nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a mixing bowl toss the sliced apples with the lemon & orange juices and zests. Add 3 TBsp white sugar, 5 TBsp brown sugar, 2 TBsp flour, 2 TBsp cinnamon and 1 tsp nutmeg. If the mixture is still too juicy, add a bit more flour. Set this bowl aside.

Lightly butter the inside of a 9x12 baking dish or pan. Be sure it's deep enough to hold the mixture or you can go with a slightly larger size. Pour the apples into the pan.

In a large mixing bowl put the chopped up butter, the rest of the flour and both sugars, plus the oatmeal, granola, walnuts. Add 1 TBsp cinnamon and 1 tsp nutmeg.

I then used my clean, damp hands to knead this mixture until it was completely combined and had started to form into crumbles. (Since my beloved sister-in-law Cindy gifted me with a stand mixer for Christmas - I can now use that with the paddle attachment instead of my hands!) Sprinkle over the top of the apples and then bake for about 30 minutes. The crumbs should crisp up and the apple mixture will start to bubble.

It is wonderful served warm with vanilla ice cream or whip cream. YUMMMMMMM - I'm making myself hungry :)

*You can substitute other fruits for the apples - I'm thinking raspberries or peaches - or maybe combined!! yummmm again..

Let me know if you try this and tell me what you think!

Some Chick Pix and a SURPRISE!

2011-01-13T11:56:00.000-08:00

I haven't updated everyone on the girls (and Big Red) in a while so I thought I'd share a few photos from one of the VERY few days of no rain lately.

The hen's eye view

Big Red fascinated by a bit of straw

The death of a straw bale

So, are you ready for a surprise? We weren't! Look....

Aren't they pretty?

We really didn't expect the girls to start laying until March or April at the earliest. I think they're confused as they aren't supposed to lay during the very short days of winter. Given that they're also only 5 months old, we were amazed to find these beauties in the coop! My babies are growing up so fast...

Los Angeles Loot

2011-01-08T00:01:00.000-08:00

Behold me bounty...

This is actually about half of what was filling the trunk of the car!

As I mentioned yesterday, the hubby and I took off for a day of adventure with Chris and Cindy in a not-so-nice part of Los Angeles known as the "Garment District". Little Mr. Rowan kept his grandma Sandy company back at the condo in Anaheim.

I had never been to this part of the city and I was blown away. I'm sorry that I didn't take photos of the area, but I was waaaay too busy drooling over the miles of FABRIC! There were blocks after blocks of stores selling fabric, textiles, and notions. I was amazed!

We knew over a year ago that we would be taking a day to go fabric shopping so I had really been stashing money away just for this jaunt. Many of you know we do Renaissance Faires so we had several outfits in mind that we would be shopping for. We've also made plans to attend the Dickens Fair in San Francisco next Christmas and need to create Victorian clothes for that. So we had a list and a plan. The moment we saw the abundance of gorgeous fabrics and the miniscule prices, the plan flew out the window!

We bought a bit over 100 yards of fabric and several hundred yards of trim. Even with all of these purchases - I still came in $120 under my $400 budget that I had allotted and scrimped for. I spent $280 total. Mr. MoonCat figured out that we would have spend at least $2000 retail for the fabric and notions that we bought. The other day I found one of our new wools online at a sale price of $25/yard I was proud of myself because I had talked the guy in L.A. down to $6/yard from his price of $25.

We're talking BARGAINS people! On wool and silk among others. Most of the sellers were very motivated to make my day and my dear Cindy helped me get my feet wet in the art of haggling. We found an awesome place called "The Loft" above Michael Levine's. The fabrics were $2.00 PER POUND! I found several 250 yard rolls of trim there as well for $5.00 each!

The boys had to make a couple trips back to the car as Cindy & I did a great job of filling up our little shopping cart thing we'd brought to pull around behind us. They didn't complain (much) as half of what we bought is for their Faire garb as well as ours AND they discovered the famous "Junkyard Dogs". I think they both ate 3 of them!

Junkyard Dogs are sold by the street vendors and are unbelievable! They are bacon-wrapped hot dogs with all the fixings including fresh avocado, cheese, and sour cream. So the boys got their food fix and "cheerfully" carted around our purchases AND acted as bodyguards. It is not an especially safe area and we did come across a few crazy people down there, but we did our shopping and headed back to the condo.

So enough with all of the blah blah blahing..show me some goodies.....

This wool tartan will end up as a Great Kilt for the hubby and an arasaid for me

(Chris & Cindy chose the same tartan for theirs so we'll all match!)

The heavy brown will make a doublet for the hubby and a long Pirate coat for each of us!

The plaid and cream cottons are stash fabrics. (All at $2.00/lb)

The coral and white gauze are for chemises and blouses for me.

The bottom two are actually both sides of one fabric. For a Faire skirt and apron.

The pretty black/gray fabric is for a fancy underskirt for me and sleeves for one of his shirts. The top fabric is a light green linen and the righthand fabric is a greenish velvet.

Unfortunately, this picture's color is off.

The light wool fabric is actually a darkish sage green with black threads.

(The fabrics in the photo directly above this one coordinate with this fabric.)

Hubby and I both really liked this one so he'll get a doublet and I'll get a gown from it.

At $2.00/lb, these cottons are for the stash closet. Though Mr. MoonCat wants the bright striped fabric for his Halloween costume this year.

My Irish Bog dress will be made out of this light and lovely wool! Yay me!

Two more lovelies for the stash at $2.00/lb

This was probably one of my favorite finds of the day and my first purchase there.

It's a blue-green peacockish silk that changes colors as the light hits it. I found the trim at a completely different store later on. This will be incorporated into a Victorian gown for the Dickens Faire for me and we may use some of to accent the hubby's attire ~ the silk not the trim :)

A lovely cotton that was also $2.00/lb. It's 9 yards & I think it ended up costing about $2.50 for the whole piece! (Yes, I seem to have been on a turquoise blue kick that day!)

The wool tartan will be a skirt for me and the coordinating turquoise gauze will be the chemise to go with it. These were found at different stores too!

These notions were all found at The Loft. The two big spools are 250 yards each for $5.00. The other carded trims ended up being around 7 cents a yard!

So that was what we came home with after a day of bargain hunting. We're talking about making it a yearly trek down there as we'd like to really build up our garb closet for doing Faires. I can't wait to get sewing now that the holidays are behind us. Only problem is what you saw in the very first photo. That is my sewing room/office and THAT is my sewing table under all of those bags and boxes. It'll take me days to get to it!

Disneyland Photos

2011-01-07T14:24:00.000-08:00

A while back I said I'd post some photos from our Disneyland trip. So I finally pulled them off of my little camera and have a few to share with you. We spent a week (Sun - Fri) down in Southern California/Anaheim with brother Chris and sister-in-law (you remember my dear friend/sister/co-conspirator, the "Mad Scientist - Cindy"?), their son Rowan and Cindy's mom Sandy.

We had a blast and it was soooo much fun watching Rowan's face and seeing him experience Disneyland for the first time. It was also Sandy's first trip so it was an extra special treat all the way around. We all have a timeshare membership and the Anaheim condo is right around the corner from the gates to the park so we spent a lot of time there. It's great because they have a full kitchen and washer/dryer so you don't have to buy the $12 burgers at the park all the time. We ate pretty good... Of course, I justify it because we also walked miles and miles..

I am doing a separate post to show you the spoils for our day trip to the seedy side of Los Angeles. You won't believe what we found.....But you have to wait until tomorrow :)

On Friday, Mr. MoonCat and I headed to Las Vegas for the weekend where we met up with his parents. Mr. MoonCat got sick so we didn't do much while we there but that's OK, we were together! On to the pictures.............

Double trouble waiting to see Mickey Mouse

(I'm surprised Mickey didn't hide when he

saw these two coming in)

The Big Mouse and the Little Man

Sandy attempted to steal Mickey's wheels

Us on the pier at California Adventure

Loved the Christmas setting

Sandy and Cindy

All he needs is one of those police # clipboards...

Please turn to the left, now to the right

Stylin' in yellow 3D glasses (yuck)

Note the hair, this is BRC - before roller coaster

In the front seat of the roller coaster...after

Notice my hair is now flattened out? pretty

Mr. MoonCat and his folks in Vegas

Come back tomorrow to see what FILLED the trunk of our rental car on the trip home..