Most of you probably don't know this and probably don't care, but we are Wesleyans. You're probably thinking HUH? What's that. That's the church we go to, the Wesleyan church.

One of our beliefs is to abstain from alcohol. So why oh why would I want to go to a bar?

Welllllll ... it came to my attention in the local paper that this bar was having a Ladies Nite! Good place to sell SOAP! Wouldn't you say? Well really it was a good place. Dave and I went, and even though it wasn't busy we sold over $100 worth of soap!

We have two new scents, Lavender (with or without lavender petals), and Patchouli. I named the Lavender one "Lavender Dreams" and the patchouli one "Holy Patchouli!" Because Holy Patchouli! that scent is strong! They're not very original, but oh well.

Our business cards came in the day before Ladies Nite. They came in handy.

I've ordered a whole bunch of different scents online and they should be coming in tomorrow. I'm all excited!

Well that's it for today. Have a Blessed Day.

Lisa

Two Fridays ago, we were driving home from J's hockey practice, when we spotted 3 teens walking on the side of the road. It was dark out, so we only saw them at the last minute since they were wearing all dark clothing.

We were just beside them when they threw a two by four in front of the car! What the heck!!?? We just couldn't believe it. We heard Thunk! as it hit the car. By the time we realized what was going on the culprits were gone. We stopped at a friends house to call the cops, for all the good it would do. But we did anyway.

We started on our way home again, when Dave said, "This is bugging me! I'm going back!" So he turned on a dime and we went back. Don't ya think the buggers were there again!

So we went to the house we called the cops at and Dave dropped us off and picked up his friend.

They was gonna go idiot huntin'!

To make a long story short, they found them and Dave chased them down, first with the car, then by foot! He caught one of them, and brought him at the fire hall, since that's where they were at the time and Dave has a key to it.

He called the cops from there and the kid squealed on his friends (honor among criminals eh?). The cops came and took a statement. The kid's dad came and he was not a happy camper! Since they are all underage they have a curfew set on them by the cops. No damage was done to the car. In a way I wanted some damage to the car, because they were obligated to pay for it, if there had been some. I know that's not very Christian of me, but I am so sick and tired of young punks getting away with everything, just because they're underage. My motto is, "If you're old enough to do the crime, you're old enough to do the time."

So putting that behind us, we thought our brush with the law was behind us. WRONG!

Last Saturday was an extremely busy day. I was working, Dave was at a craft sale till 4pm with my soap and spices (he sold 22 bars of soap btw, very good). J. had to be at the Sunday school concert practice at 1pm, then at a hockey game three hours away for 3pm, then he somehow had to go to my mom's in the other direction 45 minutes away for 4pm to go to the Santa parade for 6pm. Then Dave and I had to be at a banquet for 6:30pm. So needless to say, it was busy and J. didn't get to the hockey game. Only so many hours in a day and I don't really want to cut my son in half, like Solomon wanted to do in the Bible.

Anyway ... we all got home around 9pm and all fell into bed soon after. We were pooped.

Little did we know.....

What had transpired in......

our back yard!

Sunday we were still clueless until after we got home from church, and our neighbour came to see if we liked the new creature in our backyard.

We were like, huh?

Till we saw this......

Kids... this is what happens when you drink and drive!

I won't go into details with it, since the police are involved, and it's not over yet, but I will say one thing, this poor truck is in a swamp that has 80 feet of mud under it. It's slowly sinking....it's been raining, this is not helping matters. It's been a week today and it's still here. Technically it's not on our land, but it visible from our land and people are coming to see it, and it's causing congestion in the road. They stop to have a look, block our driveway, and we are at the bottom of a blind crest. Not good.

The police have been here so many times, you'd think someone died here. Geez! I just want it gone. It was funny at first, but it's not anymore.

Anyway, I can't leave a post without photos of goats, it's been a while since I've posted some and new ones of Tundra.

She's now in with the goats permanently. She even sleeps with them at night. I have my house back. Phew! She wasn't happy in the house anyhow. She's so happy outside all day and in the barn all night. Someone told us it's cruel to keep a dog outside all the time and not bring it in the house. They said, "what's the point of having it?"

Uh ... well ... to protect the animals it was bought for. It's bred into to her to protect those goats. And she's happy and does it well.

Well that's about it for today.

Have a Blessed day.

Lisa

I don't even know where to begin. Well first, I've started with the soap making. It's so much fun, and I wish I had more time to make it. I made 2 batches on Monday. We've started to use 3" PVC pipe for the molds and it works great. It's hard to get out, but "Red Green" already has his brain smokin' on a way to take them out easier.

Then we got an email from the Baptist minister we met on the ferry last month. They're coming for a month long visit next summer. They've already booked at a B & B. This is going to be lots of fun.

Dave has sold all his piglets from this litter. Well he's got deposits on all of them. I've also found out how to make lard!! So when we take our pigs to the butcher I'll be able to get free lard! Cheaper soap.

The goats have gone nuts. I think Tommy has begun to be bucky. Tonight we were getting whiffs of some different odor while we were beside him. I haven't seen him pee on himself yet, but I'm also not here all day. Cindi Lou was going nuts tonight. She was trying to jump on our backs and stay there as we were walking away. She would actually walk on her hind legs and follow us. Methinks she's going into an early heat. Even Febe is getting edgy and nasty, which means heat time is a coming. It would be so nice if they could be bred early in the season. Then I could relax the rest of the fall. So far in the past years, Febe has only come in heat at the end of October, early November.

We put Tundra in with the goats. He stayed there. Thank Goodness!! Who needs a livestock guardian against coyotes when you have Febe. If we wouldn't have been there, she would have hurt badly or even killed Tundra. I mean Tundra is now almost the size of a coyote (they're small here, about 50-60 lbs). But we tried again tonight and it went a bit better.

This last weekend we went to the Windsor Exhibition. It was really good. Lots of animals, tractors, old, old machinery and a venom show. I got to hold a tarantula, a scorpion and pet a python and an alligator! How cool is that!

We also went to Grand Pre. Ok, here's a quick history lesson.

In this part of the province we are mostly Acadians. Acadians were peace loving French people that came to the new world sometime in the 1600s. (Don't quote me on that, I can't remember my history at the moment, lol.) It was also at the time when the British and the French were fighting for this land. To make a long story short, the British won the land and wanted the Acadians to swear fealty to them. They didn't want to swear fealty to them or the French, they just wanted to be left alone, in peace to live like they had been for years.

So one night the British told all the Acadian men to meet them in the church for a meeting. After they were all there, they were locked in and held prisoners. That's when they began the deportation or expulsion of the Acadians. They were sent to the four corners of the earth. Most ended up in Louisiana. Some were sent to Jamaica but never made it since it was hurricane season when this happened (no cruise ships here chickies). It lasted from Sept 5, 1755 to Dec. The men were separated from their families, children from their mothers. It was a great way to break their spirits. I mean, if you've just lost your entire family, what is there to live for?

If you've ever heard of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's poem "Evangeline" this is where he got the inspiration from.

Many of the Acadians actually walked back from Louisiana to Nova Scotia. To return to their land. And that is why I'm here today. Because my ancestors were extremely stubborn. A couple of years ago, we actually got a formal apology from the Queen of England for the Expulsion.

But that's all in the past, we learn from our mistakes ...don't we?

Anyway, Grand Pre is where it all happened. So we wanted to show J. his heritage. As we were walking the grounds, he kept saying to himself, "I'm so proud to be an Acadian." I felt so proud that he recognized his heritage at his young age.

So that was your history lesson for today children.

So that was my "slow" week. Saturday is our annual yardsale at work. It's going to be a long day. Sunday, if it's nice, I want to go apple picking after church.

Have a Blessed Week!

Lisa

Tommy is not doing his deed! Febe AND Cindi Lou came into heat again this week. Febe on Monday and Cindi Lou today.

Dave put the goats out for me today and I told him to watch Tommy and Cindi.

He brought Febe to the pasture and when he came back Tommy had jumped his stall! He was waiting outside for Dave. You gotta understand that Tommy's walls reach up to my shoulders! It's also not big, so he couldn't get a running start.

He was just raring to go see Cindi. So without going into graphic details ... Dave said at least 10 times!! Surely to goodness it took this time. If it didn't we're going to bring them to a friend's buck. I'm not taking anymore chances.

Well it's cold here now. That means lugging water and low egg production. Crud. I'm also down to milking Febe just once a day. She's giving a liter with one milking. She was giving less with 2 milkings. So I just milk in the morning.

Oh I also need some ideas from everyone. I need a cute, catchy name for my patchouli soap. Honestly I hate the smell, but I had a request for it.

Have a Blessed Day

Lisa

I have been dreading this post. I have no clue where to begin. It's been so long. Well I'll try to start at the beginning.

We've known for some time now, that there were changes coming at Dave's work. We've known since last summer, but we had no clue what was going to happen.

Then we found out what was going to happen. We almost wished that we were still wondering.

One thing was no more bringing the truck at home. So that meant that we'd have to get a second vehicle that we could NOT afford. Including the gas and maintenance. He'd have to drive to get the truck, which is an hour away (on a good day). So he'd have to leave at 5am and only get home at 7pm. There goes family time. Plus ... he'd have to start working nights also. So once again, there goes family time. Also, he's not on propane anymore, he's on an oil truck. He doesn't mind that, but he's got a bad back and pulling a 100lb hose everywhere is not good for him.

So after the initial shock, we regrouped and figured out what we were going to do. He started looking for work elsewhere, which is hard to do, since he's been with this company for 18 years. He loves his job and the company. It was a very stressful time. He even sent resumes to Alberta. This was a last resort kinda thing, but still an option. He would live there and commute here every several weeks. The only good thing about that option, was that I'd be able to quit my job and stay home, since he'd be paid mega bucks in Alberta. But I'd rather just keep my job and keep my hubby at home.

After several weeks went by, the company changed their mind and even though, he was still not on the propane truck, they could keep the trucks at home and travel with them. So that meant we didn't need another vehicle. Phew! Then they changed the schedule again and the night shifts, were changing, 2pm-2am. That's much better! (I'm not being sarcastic here) This way it meant that he could get some sleep at night, see us a bit in the morning and then go to work.

We were very concerned about the safety of night shifts. They go for 2 days and then 2 days off. So you'd never get your system used to staying awake at night and sleeping during the day. It would have been half bad if it was like the city drivers, their stops are close at hand, so they're in and out of the truck constantly. The drivers down here, can drive for 2 hours before they get to their first drop, lots of opportunities of falling asleep at the wheel.

So we're happy with the 2-2. It's not perfect, but it's livable.

During all this stress, I started making soap. Lots and lots of soap. So much soap that 2 stores approached me to sell my soap in their store! I approached one store last week and she was thrilled to have it and she also makes home parties (it's a home decor store) and she wants to take it on the road with her! Well needless to say, we were on cloud nine!

But not everyone was happy. A friend of mine who was also making soap, accused me of stabbing her in the back! How, I'm not sure. I'm still trying to figure that out. She says I went behind her back and made soap and sold it. Ahhh ... no I didn't. I blogged once that I was making it. I put photos of it on my Facebook page. I wouldn't say, I went behind her back. I'm not using her recipe, I don't even know what it is!? I found my own on the internet.

Now she's slandering me and Dave to everyone that will listen. Supposedly 5 of my friends on facebook have dropped me as their friend.

This summer she stopped talking to me because, someone had reported her and another goat person to the authorities for selling illegal yogurt and cheese. They said it was us. It wasn't. But it seems like Dave and I are everyone's scapegoat (pardon the pun).

So this stress added to the other stress of Dave's job, didn't help matters. So can ya'll see why I wasn't in the mood to blog?

Well I think that's enough for now.

It'll be easier to get in the blogging mode now.

I'm off to the doctor's to get a cortisone shot in my heel. Ouch!

Have a Blessed Day.

Lisa

I cannot believe it! I've finally made soap. I was so stressed out, I got a headache. But it was really nothing. I don't know what I was stressing over. Geeezzz! I knew that was going to happen. I made oatmeal and honey goat's milk soap. I finally found a recipe that wasn't very big. Just in case it flopped. But low and behold....it didn't flop!

The only thing I did wrong was I didn't mix my oatmeal and honey well enough. But I'll know for next time. And the oils cool off alot slower than the lye and milk mixture. Note to self, melt the oils way ahead of time.

I was kind of worried because the recipe I found on the blog Chickens in the Road said that goat's milk soap takes 15 minutes to trace. Mine traced in 5 minutes. So I was hoping it hadn't flopped.

Tonight I unwrapped it did the pH test and it was safe. It was officially soap.

I finally found coconut oil. After running everywhere, going online, having every grocery store in the area try and find it, a craft store 30 minutes away from here sells it for 4$ a pound. Duh!

I sent Dave all over creation last week to find me some. The stores sent him to the health food store and they were about to sell him some. 20$ for 6 oz! He's like, I don't think so. Then they said, "What do you want it for?"

Dave told them it was for making soap. Ahhhhh!! They told him to go to this craft store downtown and they had some there. Who would have thunk it?

Now I have to find a cheaper source for olive oil. I can't buy it at the store. It's too expensive. I'll call the craft store to see if they have any cheapo stuff.

Well, well, well....It just amazes me how fast the temperature can turn. Last week it was so hot and muggy you could have steamed carrots in the greenhouse. A week after "Earl" went by, God flicked the switch and it's now freezing out. We actually had to start the furnace tonight.

Mind you the first day of school it was still hot and the kids actually went in shorts. That's the first time ever. I don't even remember going to school in shorts. Some schools in Halifax let the kids go home because of the heat. See the schools around here don't have air conditioning.

The pastor we met on the ferry actually called us on the Sunday after the hurricane to see how we had fared. It's nice to know that there are actually people out there who honestly care.

The funny thing is that Hurricane Earl turned out to miss us and hit Halifax. We were prepared and they weren't. Bummer for them. Good for my sunflowers. A few fell but most stayed up. Nothing was damaged around here either. Mind, we had strapped everything within an inch of it's life, so short of a tornado would have moved anything. It was actually anti climatic. On that Saturday morning we sold out of batteries. Funny. But I guess it's better to be prepared.

There are so many things I love about having animals. But there is one thing I really despise about having them and that is BUGS!! Oh mylanta! The last few weeks every time I leave the chicken coop I have a little bug or two on my arm. Nothing serious. It kinda looked like baby spiders. I can handle that. Then Friday night I stuck my hand in the hen's nest. I took my arm out and it was full of bugs!! UGGGGHHH. Oh my, oh my, oh my! I brought the eggs in the house and they were crawling with these little buggies also. So we went out with the Raid. Now 99% of the time I do e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g organic. But when it comes to stuff like that, I whip out the Raid can.

When we got to the coop we opened the lid of the nest and it was teaming with crawlies!! AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I don't think it was baby spiders. I think it was a kind of mite. What ever it was, they is dead! Saturday I Raided that coop. I'm amazed the the hens are still alive. What saved their butts is that I let them loose outside. I never suspected anything since the hens weren't scratching. Oh well. We should be fine for now. I hope.

Today was the second annual Meteghan Family Picnic. We were asked to bring Cindi Lou Who for the kids. It went well. Well kind of. I brought her in the back seat of the car. (uhmmmm didn't I say in a post somewhere, that I would not bring a goat in my car again...) She wouldn't lay down, sooo you know what they say...a goat won't poop or pee if it's laying down. Well, she pooped in the car. Dangit! At least I had the dog cover on the seat. Phew!

But the kids loved her. But again, most kids had never seen a goat other than in photos and a few adults asked if it was a dog. Huh?

On the way home we stopped to get an ice cream. Again...not a good move with a goat in the car. I'll never learn, will I.

Guess what I found in the weed garden a.k.a the veggie patch. Tomatoes!! Beefsteak tomatoes! I'm so impressed. It was hard to find them in all 2 foot high grass, but I found them.

The greenhouse is almost over for the season. I figure by next week I'll be cleaning it. I have been forbidden from making anymore pickled beets. Like I've said before I hate the darn things, but I love making them. But that is one thing that actually grew well in the garden this year. I still have a row of them left, but Dave won't let me pickle them.

Little does he know, I'll get to them eventually. Muahhahahahahaha!!!