Happy Holidays!

Wishing you all a very happy holiday season and a healthy and prosperous 2017! Yet again, we failed to send holiday cards, emails, texts. Yet again, we failed to maintain contact with old friends and family. At home, Christmas wishes are flooding in, from photo cards to greeting cards to yearly update letters. The year flew by, as most years do. Here is our year in review, from the Capra Lane Farm house to yours. . . 

Down on The Farm

This will be our second holiday season at the new house and its feeling more and more like home. We've transformed the land quite a bit, and we've celebrated the first year ever having a surplus of hay. Did I just jinx it? Stalls up, stalls down, wiring in, fences up. Trees down, trees in, mowing, tedding, baling. We asked for it!

Home Sweet Home

The house itself is still a work in progress. the largest renovation of 2016 is conversion of the old fireplace to a woodburning insert to help heat the house. Its been wonderful and toasty warm, the dogs have permanent residence in front of the blower. We're known amongst family and friends as keeping a chilly house, but no longer. Men + fire = stifling at times. We're still tweaking the milk room and will hopefully get to painting and staining later this winter. Having hot water in the barn has been fantastic. The powder blue carpet is disappearing room by room, replaced by wood, stone and tile. The basement is now dry, thanks to many hours of moving stone and dirt by Rog and his father (aka Capra Lane Farm's #1 intern). The new landscaping was a bit stunted by this summers drought, but next year will hopefully bring growth and lots of color to the new garden plantings.

Death Defying Stunts

This is just one of the many reasons women live longer than men. Many of this years projects required ladders, and sometimes the ladders weren't high enough. No worries, noone got hurt. Leaky roofs, loose gutters, dead ash trees and 36 acres of hay all needed attention before winter set in.

Lives on the Farm

The goats are well. We've bred 19 for the spring of 2017 so it will be a busy few months shortly. All of the older girls have their 'spots' in the barn. Blessing the guard llama is working hard from her perch atop the manure pile. She was a bit put out by the angus calves next door. We only made it to one goat show this year and we left with several first places and a handful of GCH and RGCH wins. We can't let them get too lazy thinking they can go all summer loafing at home. We raised 520 lbs of pig this fall due to be picked up this week, bringing milk fed fresh bacon back into our lives. That is a very good thing. 

Speaking of Bacon. . . 

Summers are generally rich with 'farm fresh meals' which has turned into a bit of a joke for us. We compete nightly to put nothing store bought on the plate once the garden is in production. Despite the lack of rain, our garden turned out to be quite productive. Not pretty, as usual, but productive. I went on another canning rampage and stockpiled beets both plain and pickled, tomatoes, marinara sauce, green tomato pickles, green tomato marmalade, applesauce, apple butter and apple jelly. I think Rog was ready to hurl my pressure canner and copious jars out the back door at one point. I may have gotten a little obsessive about preservation.

Roger

Rog hit the big '4-0' this spring, which was nothing short of traumatic for all. We reminisced with childhood friends over Lu's pizza in Grafton, a common hangout during their high school years. We also had a beverage at the absolute shadiest bar I've ever had the pleasure of entering. Again, noone got hurt. His now much longer commute to school was made easier by a mild winter and a shiny new truck - working brakes and reliability are not overrated. The acreage expansion at home shifted Rog's focus to collecting larger equipment in greater number. He gave up his long term state park naturalist position to focus on farm work and found himself busier than ever and seemingly always teetering on the edge of a haywagon. Rog's newest adventure has him leading a grant funded water quality initiative studying the environmental impact of runoff from Lorain county's large farms.

Amanda

When asked how I am my standard answer is 'living the dream every day'. Sarcasm? Yes. The healthcare industry routinely gives me heartburn but so far I've managed to stay independent in practice and am gifted with a thriving office and wonderful staff. A couple years ago I accepted a teaching position twice yearly in Memphis- truly, Memphis is kind of a shithole. Aside from one spectacular restaurant I'm usually anxious for the sessions to end. I was recently invited to speak in China (still attempting to weasel out of that one) and I tucked a few more publications under my belt this year. Hospital meetings, resident journal clubs and speaking engagements rounded out my year. Gosh I'm boring...

The Kids

Don't be silly, your didn't miss anything, no kids here of the two-legged variety! Just the cute little ones with fuzzy ears. On January 1st of 2016 we woke up, went to the barn and found a kid with a broken leg. Happy New Year! Always the way things happen. The rest of the crew did just fine this year. Birthing season was uneventful, kids were sold, some were retained. They bounced happily in their new pasture and made it their job to torment the chickens through the adjacent fence. 

The Other Kids

Luna and Tinder are suffering from 'only child syndrome' - yes, both of them. Without Kaelyn's guidance and Rosie-cats discipline they've basically become suicidal. And some days we want to strangle them. How can 13 lbs (collectively) of dog cause so much trouble?? Luna started the parade by eating a tilex soaked shower-cleaning sponge. All except the scouring pad, it must have been uncomfortable to chew. Why? Seems a logical question. She was fine. Canned pumpkin meals and poop checks for well over a week until the last of the purple sponge bits made an appearance. Next incident- we came in from chores and those buggers had pulled a backpack off a counter height table, unzipped it, unpacked it and ate 2 packs of gum. They're tiny-how'd they do that? Remains a mystery. Gum with xylitol is highly toxic, meaning quick death in such small dogs. Even the emergency vet was dumbfounded by the fact that they weren't sick and their labs did not show multiorgan failure. Especially since Tinder pooped out two Trident wrappers on their floor. Again, they were fine. A few days later they had passed the 'worry phase' for liver failure and then I caught them in the garden eating nightshade berries off of a weed. Again, they were fine. Over Thanksgiving they broke into Ava's (our niece) diaper bag and helped themselves to 3 full quart sized ziploc bags of vanilla wafers, goldfish crackers and cheerios. You guessed it, they were fine. They have us well trained. They have a cozy bed in front of the fire, a newly decorated room (bathroom), an impenetrable (not!) baby gate and various furry blankets to snuggle into (and pee on). I hope they make it through 2017. 

Equine Events

Yes, we are officially horse owners. Two senior, somewhat crabby mares have joined our motley crew. Sierra and Rain have fit in somewhat seamlessly and have chubbed up in time for winter. We've enjoyed learning their quirks and taking leisurely rides. seeing how they respond to unpredictable winter weather and screaming goats in labor should be interesting.

Ohio Weather

Unpredictable. Multiple personalities disorder. Gray. Generally crappy. All over the place so far this fall after a dry, hot sunny summer. If this is a predictor of whats to come in 2017 I can't say I'm looking forward to it. The picture of the roses is from a 70 degree day November, the snow is from 24 hours later. 

Family

2016 was full of unexpected excitement, retirements, parties, growth and loss. I suppose all are par for the course in adulthood. 2017 will bring extended vacations (not us), new homes (not us, are you crazy?), and probably block parties like the Columbus area has never seen. As old traditions give way to new, we wish all of you who read this far (!) a fulfilling and rewarding New Year. Happy Holidays from Capra Lane Farm!

With much love, 

Roger and Amanda

Horsing around

I never really wanted a horse. Except maybe when I was 5 when every girl wants a horse for Christmas-- or a unicorn. We took a few trail rides over the years on 'family fun day' and had some distant relatives with horses but other than that my life in Youngstown was quite far removed from what it has become. Rog and his family lived with "Happy" the horse who took up residence in their barn for many years but Rog himself never took much of an interest in horsemanship.

It wan't until we moved to the new farm that the desire to add larger animals set in. The farm was previously used for boarding off track racehorses and was therefore set up as such. 28 stalls, wash room, tack room, drylots, pastures with run-in sheds and plenty of hay. A few of the smaller pastures had been rearranged or scrapped by the time we got here. So I decided I needed a cow in my life. Specifically a mini-Jersey.

Yes, that's a real thing and yes, they're exceptionally cute. Jersey cows make higher protein, higher butterfat milk that makes wonderful fatty cheese. I need that in my life. 

Mini Jerseys can give about 2 gallons a day, which I thought would be ideal so that we wouldn't be overrun with milk given that the goats give is 10-ish gallons a day already. They're also small, cute and more manageable in terms of clean up than a standard size cow. Which is important since we had already built a milking parlor with a door through which a standard cow would certainly not fit. I started shopping, Rog started panicking. Jersey minis, it seems, are quite expensive, surpassing $3000-4000 when sold bred. Cross contamination with manure and parasites when housed with the goats would be a concern. Housing it alone would be another concern. We discussed the possibility and Rog had some concerns with milking yet another animal that would tie us down and he uttered those fateful words "I guess I'd rather have a horse."

To Rog that means someday, many years from now, in the future, potentially never. To me that means I put down 'Cows for dummies' and picked up 'Horses for dummies' and started reading and shopping. The attraction about horses is that there are countless horses that need a home. Unscrupulous breeding practices, financial burden, poor management and judgement make horses an easy target for neglect and abuse. 

I started taking horsemanship / riding lessons over the winter and then began working with a midwest rescue program and waited a few months until someone came in that would be a good fit for aging-beginners-who-don't-want-to-get-hurt. Ultimately the chosen rescue horses did not pan out due to severe medical conditions that showed up once the weather warmed so we were back to square one. The goal being aged senior horses in relatively good health who were in need of a good retirement home that we were certain we could provide. Riding would be secondary, but soundness a plus, of course. Above all, safe, calm animals that would try their best not to kill us. Not asking too much, right? :-)

Enter Sierra - a well loved quarter horse / paint cross, 23 years old. Our trainer met Sierra's owners by chance at a show and they expressed their desire to rehome her due to an upcoming move and other obligations. Sierra is friendly, mild mannered and quite cooperative (most of the time!). 

Sierra - not abused, not thin - in fact, a little chubby

They were gracious enough to send Sierra with loads of tack and supplies and she soon made the journey home. Her adjustment to Capra Lane had its ups and downs, naturally. She traveled from a busy horse boarding facility near Cleveland to a quiet (sort of) goat farm - pretty traumatic to most any critter and she made it clear she missed her equine neighbors. She was especially wary of the loudmouth rooster and our neighbors cows at which she snorted incessantly. Her anxiety waxed and waned until a short time later we located a potential new companion, Rain.

Sierra's nervous corner.

                                  

    

Rain - and her 'feed me' look.

                           

Rain is earning her retirement from a girls horse camp in far northeastern Ohio where she worked long hours for the past 15 years. Rain is a 22 y/o Belgian / paint cross who is extremely well trained, a bit slow and quite social. Again, a good fit for aging first time horsemen.

Rain is happy to fit 'second wheel' position and does not challenge Sierra's role as leader. She is the more vocal of the two and is most excited at mealtime. Her 'Barbie-horse' flowing mane is quite a trap for shavings and dirt in which she likes to roll nightly, daily, frequently, thoroughly...

           

We think the two old mares have retired to a pretty nice place. They spend their days grazing happily in about 8 acres of pasture with a run-in shed for shelter, they now tolerate their goat neighbors antics without fear. Sometimes we rotate them to a smaller 2 acre pasture filed with treats (ie weeds) like chicory, plantains and trefoil. They're comfortable and content in their stalls at night, we'd cut a window between them to allow them to interact and adjust. We ride (slowly) around the property, mostly together as the two ladies are now bonded to the point of being 'buddy-bound'. They test our 'growing' knowledge on occasion but that is to be expected.

                   

Yes, we've added a bit more to the daily routine but there's something a bit therapeutic about sifting turds and shavings into a wagon - really! There is. And horses smell pretty good too. No, I'm not a horse person now, my muck boots still outnumber my cowboy boots, there's no bling on my jeans. I have no desire to attend a horse show and the goats still rank #1 at Capra Lane. For Sierra and Rain I hope they feel safe, well fed and cared for and can benefit from being a little lazy these days. For us they've brought another level of companionship and challenge to the farm and have presented another distraction as as they contentedly stroll across the property in the rear of the house. They look quite good there.

                               

July

The Fourth of July was spent locally - fishing and fireworks. This was the first year in a very long time that Rog did not work the holiday as part of his summer park gig. So we had time for a picnic as well.

                                      

And then the rain stopped. Every little green puff on the radar split up and missed our house completely for at least 6 weeks. Right after we got a new 15 acre hayfield planted. The early rainy season delayed our field prep considerably so we had a few strikes against us already in terms of timing. We stared at it every day as if willing it to grow,

About 5 weeks after planting we started seeing hints of green. Strangely, the grass and clover didn't grow- at all. Alfalfa, which is generally a bit more temperamental and unforgiving, was the only thing to show signs of life. The alfalfa came up sparsely and was soon joined by friends. 

Morning glories, in every color, shape and level of creeping invasiveness.

Some grew like shrubs, some like vines. It's like a damn forest shading the alfalfa. We've spent countless hours walking the field and identifying plants to determine if they're safe to be eaten, ie toxic to the goats. 

Not sure what these are but there are now millions of white hibiscus flowers, and the morning glories have bloomed yellow, purple and hot pink through the field. The purple alfalfa blooms are present but dwarfed. At this point we have no choice but to cut and bale it, figure out of the alfalfa seed is round up ready so we can hopefully kill of the intruders and then overseed it with clover. 

The garden did quite well, despite gross neglect on our parts. We've been enjoying our favorites. 

Coated in farina and fried quickly in grapeseed oil. 

And even on pizza. 

This spring we are out of bacon, yes *out* of bacon and dangerously low on pork products in general. 

So since we needed one more thing to feed, we got a pair of piglets!

In 5 months our bacon stock will be replenished. They have a large indoor / outdoor space that we built and poured concrete for ease of cleaning. 'Pigs' and 'clean' don't generally go hand in hand. The smells are back in full force. Nothing says July like 100 degree heat, pig poop, spilled milk and hundreds of fly carcasses. 

And Rog couldn't be happier, of course. He missed the pigs most of all. 

And because we needed another thing to feed. . . we brought in something even larger. 

Sierra looks lovely in the pasture. 

And then there were two.

More to come on the latest additions. 

June

May came and went and the rain finally stopped. We planted ornamental grasses in front of our propane tank - that's a law in the country isn't it? To try to conceal that monstrosity with tall grasses? 

Our first spring here brought a few surprises, like these peonies in front of the barn. We have a lone petunia that keeps sprouting up under the deck, however that got there. Peonies are one of my favorites, but they're so short lived. We have several - bright pink and dark burgundy, which I hadn't seen before.

The equipment was at the ready, sitting idly, patiently waiting for the ground to dry out. 

More acreage means bigger equipment! This beast can rake mean rows in about a third of the time. Plus it makes for a pretty cool photo. And it made for interesting lawn decor when a hydraulic line blew the first time we used it.

Finally it was time to cut hay! Our days of running short and scrambling to buy a few hundred bales at a time was over! The first cutting was successful enough (about 1400 square bales) that the barns were full and we even had a few spare wagon loads to sell. 36 acres of hay doesn't sound too unmanageable until you start stacking. 

                        

We managed to squeak in a garden, not quite as large as we're accustomed to, but then again, who has the time for weeds! The scrapped wood from disassembling stalls made excellent raised beds. The pig weed filled topsoil filled them up and started a nightmare for weeds. Asparagus and strawberries were started for next year. The blueberry bushes peaked early and we enjoyed several bowls, not having the patience to wait for enough to bake a pie. Lettuce, carrots, herbs, bush beans, beets, turnips, tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes and a brand new fig tree rounded out the food plot. Within a week, most had sprouted, within 2 weeks they were being choked out by pigweed. Those little buggers are hardy.

We cut. And raked. And baled. And stacked. And unstacked. And retstacked.

And got really sweaty. And itchy.

And done! Just before the rain threatened.

June also brought sadness. Having a cluster of older pets really, really sucks some times. Rosie left us at age 13-ish. We aren't certain as she was a rescue but we'd owned her since 2005 when it was believed she was 1-3 years old. One day she was fine, the next she was having difficulty walking and failed quickly within the next 1-2 days at the clinic with heart failure. Rosie was the sweetest, most affectionate and tolerant cat I'd ever come across. And a little freaky, depending on who you asked. We still miss her every day.

And sometimes in sadness comes growth. Two stalls were emptied and prepped in June for our newest additions. More to come...