Reader's Thoughts

Hello Everybody, Frank here.

Recently, Fern published an article that received a number of comments - Government's Uncivil War. Yes, the article was picked up by Western Rifle Shooters Association and the Woodpile Report. This certainly increased our readership with some extra comments. We didn't see anything special about the article, but there were some great comments, thoughtful, sincere and genuine. 

We're going to share a few of those comments with you. These are readers that share often. Fern and I benefit from, and respect these folks ideas and contributions. Hopefully, you will also enjoy their insight. These are in the order that we received them.

Please share any thoughts that you have. We're all in this arena together and when it rains, it rains on all of us. We are approaching a dicey period in our civilization. Things may stay the same, but there is the opportunity for significant change. Pay attention. It's changing very quickly.

You know the rules. Food, water, fuel, protection, shelter. Pay attention. Stay away from crowds and don't get on the bus.

Hope you enjoy these comments. Enjoy may not be the right word, but I still hope you enjoy these comments.

We'll talk more later,  Frank

 

Vicki

 

Personally, I now believe that we are passengers on a runaway train, the brakes don't work and the bridge is out a mile ahead.

Greed and corruption and lies have nearly always existed in politics. But never in my lifetime have I seen those things displayed so openly. Candidates for the office of the leader of the free world are openly celebrating the murder of babies, every perversion known to man and the changing of our system of government that takes away the freedoms our forefathers fought and died for. And a fair share of our population are in the front row, standing and applauding.

We have ourselves to blame. When TSA agents at the airports began digging into granny's Depends looking for bombs and began touching our children in places they had been taught were private, we wrote letters and signed petitions and wrote blog posts condemning those actions, but we did nothing that might make a difference and we soon accepted those behaviors as normal.

When hairy men in dresses and heels and lipstick were allowed in the same restrooms as our daughters and granddaughters, we raised a ruckus and vowed to boycott the businesses that allowed this practice. But we did nothing that would actually put a stop to it. By this time we feared being labeled racist or homophobic or some other 'phobic.' We soon accepted this practice as normal.

When we were told that to openly express our opinions about things like Sharia Law or that All Lives Matter or our dismay at the unstoppable tide of 'refugees' illegally crossing our southern border, we were told to just shut up or be accused of 'hate speech.' College students were told they could speak freely only in designated 'free spaces.' School kids were told they could not wear t-shirts that had anything to do with our flag or with guns or with Christianity because others found those things offensive. We fussed about it. We wrote op-ed pieces about it. A few PTA members objected, but nothing happened to change it.

I, like so many, have no answers because I believe we are now so very close to the end of what was once the most wonderful place on the planet to live and there is no turning back. We have become afraid and understandably so. Twenty years ago I had little if any fear of going anywhere alone other than the obvious 'skid row' areas of cities. Now I wouldn't even consider walking around my block in daylight or after dark without protection. Those I know living in small towns or rural areas are equally cautious these days.

I do not know what is coming. I just feel in my bones that it is bad. This seems to be the prevailing thinking of those who pay attention. I know there is nothing I can do to change things. Those we hire to see to our well-being in government are far more interested in power and lining their own pockets than they are in doing their jobs. So I continue to get ready. I fill my deep pantry and stockpile everything I can think of to make life bearable for me and my family when the world comes crashing down around us. And it will - sooner than later.

*
 

Peteforester

 

I've been watching this and have come to the same conclusion that you have; there's no path to victory here. America has become the world's largest dysfunctional family. Hell; families can't even sit down at a Thanksgiving dinner without ending up in a raucous, family-dividing political argument! Abortions are not only legal, but encouraged. Life is cheap; 'don't like your classmates? MOW 'EM DOWN! 'Don't like the fact that some stranger is wearing a "MAGA" hat? BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF HIM! You'll be CELEBRATED on THE VIEW! You cannot turn on the TV or go to the movies without the homosexual agenda being rammed down your throat. Even preschool kids' shows are showcasing homosexual marriage and portraying it as "normal!" The toddlers watching things like this will grow up knowing nothing else. To them homosexuality WILL be normal! Our government "representatives" don't even TRY to hide the fact that they're lying to us. Neither does the MSM. The sacrifices of our forefathers are trivialized and even DEMONIZED! Their living memorial, the American flag, is trampled and burned as a matter of free speech, even though doing the same thing to a Mexican flag flying in in the neighborhood is considered a hate crime. It goes on and on.

Kids reaching voting age this year weren't even alive when 9/11 happened. In fact, they've known NO disruptions to their sensitive little lives. Their freedom has never been threatened. Their idea of a crisis is when the internet goes down for a couple of hours. They walk out of class to protest "climate change" after being ferried to the school... in their parents' cars... from their houses a few blocks away! Unfortunately for America, this batch of weebles is larger than both the Millennials and the Baby Boomers, and is being solicited by "folk heroes" like AOC and, for some reason, Bernie Sanders. In short, they're too dumbed down to know any better. They're so stupid that they don't recognize the Trojan horses being wheeled through the wide-open gates, even though they're made of clear plastic, plainly revealing the soldiers inside.

I could go on all day...

No, I don't see a path to victory. If America is to return to its roots, it won't happen until things get WAY worse; kinda like what happened in Old Testament Israel...

...Stand by for heavy rolls as the ship comes about...

*

Bluesman


Hi Fern,
The world about us is certainly in very chaotic times. It is sad to see the erosion of this once great country. I believe it will take something very unpleasant to happen before things will get better, if they ever will improve from today's craziness.
The destruction of our country has taken a long time to occur. I believe bad things got a strong foothold here during Wilson's presidency. The Communists infiltrated F.D.R.'s administration at high levels in the 1930's. Senator McCarthy was right, but the press did a job on him.
The takeover of our country's educational system was a major step for changing the way people think.
If only we could learn from history, but we refuse. Things are going to be different this time, right. I think not. People should get familiar with United Nations, Agenda 21 and Agenda 2030 to see the direction of things that are planned for us.
We prepare for bad things as best we can. We don't know what event will "trip the switch" to liven things up, but something has to give, these situations cannot continue forever. Turbulent times are here. We pray for guidance and direction on a daily basis, may the Lord have mercy on our country.

*

CWfromIowa
 
The people of this country who know the true and indepth history of our nation did not learn it in a public school setting. Most educated people gain their knowledge through study they do on their own. They are also aware of revisionist history, and they attempt to find older more reliable sources. The same holds true for current events. They do not accept the garbage that comes from the media. It takes a little extra effort to look for the truth and very few are willing to do it. It makes me so sad to see what we have become and how the majority of Americans will celebrate this Memorial Day...completely unaware of how fragile our nation is today.

Thank you, Fern. You and Frank know, so much better than most, the real and nasty struggle ahead of us. Too many people are uninformed, brainwashed, or are in denial. We will all suffer the consequences. There will be no hiding from what is coming.
 

Government's Uncivil War

What in the world is happening to our government? I don't think anyone can adequately wrap their heads around it and explain. I know I can't. Just to name a few things that come to mind.

Cover ups?

 Coup d' etat?

Treason?

Obstruction?

Espionage?

New Green Deal?

Medicare for all?

Invasion at the border?

The example our government is setting can lead to nothing but chaos. If the populace continues to emulate the behavior of those we have elected to govern us, there will be no peace, there will be no sense of community, of belonging to one of the greatest countries on earth. If every workplace, family, church and organization dealt with their differences the way our government officials do, there would be anarchy in a week.

As educators we had a saying. 'Want to know what the parents are like? Watch their children.' If we want to know how this will all turn out, just watch our country's leaders. 

And then there is the media. It doesn't matter what you watch or read, everyone is biased. Everyone. Wherever you turn there is disagreement, censorship, and bias. What is true? There is literally no way to tell anymore. Truth means nothing in this society. Absolutely nothing.

Folks, I don't see any way for people to come together. They are only going to continue to become more and more polarized, and in the process the division between races, cultures, cities, states, neighborhoods and political ideologies are going to spread farther and farther apart until there is no solution, no common ground, no tolerance, only judgement, condemnation and hatred.

There are a number of sites we read and watch that are warning of a coming 'event'. They base this on the success of President Trump and the never ending attacks by his political opponents. The warning is that the Left, the Deep State, whatever you want to call them, need a serious event, a false flag, a black swan, a major catastrophe to use against the president. Something that may collapse the economy, or somehow present the notion that the President is responsible and thus unfit for office, or give them the support they need to win the 2020 election and take the country back. They need to win to reinstate their agenda.

There is also the issue of the coming reports from the Inspector General, the investigations by the Attorney General's office and others that have been appointed to investigate those government employees that were involved in the investigation into President Trump's activities during the election, while he was President Elect and after he took office. Some suppose that the almost hysterical behavior of the Democrats are in response to the current investigations and fear of what they may expose. 

Regardless of the reasons or actions behind the scenes that we are not privy to, the government, the Washington D.C. apparatus, is at war. Plain and simple. Their behavior, accusations and actions, or inaction from some viewpoints, are escalating to a level of viciousness I never would have imagined possible. Where will this lead? We have yet to see, but it doesn't take much to feel the angst that is building all over the country, from the largest city to the smallest burg.

Add in what's happening in France with the Yellow Vests, the UK with Brexit, the EU, Iran, North Korea, China and the tariffs, Israel and their neighbors, Venezuela, Cuba, Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador and the list goes on and on. 

Is it just our turn? Is it time for another world wide change? I know some people think it is the end times as predicted in the Bible. But there have been many generations before that thought the events of their time matched up with biblical prophecies. There have been groups of people that went up and sat on a mountain waiting for the rapture because they just knew the time was at hand. I think it is the same now. We just don't know.

What we do know is that history is playing out before our very eyes, every day, on television, on the internet, an in our neighborhoods. Resentment and anger are growing to the point that people who never would have said anything to anybody before are arguing and fighting in public with strangers for the most trivial of matters. And sometimes it's deadly. Has the value for human life and care for our fellow man fallen to such a level that it just doesn't matter anymore? Some would say yes. Look at the new laws that applaud a woman's rights over the life of another, the life of a helpless baby. Look at the backlash of the new anti-abortion law in Alabama and the other states that are following suit.

Our government is leading this uncivil war in our country. The people appear to be following that lead, for we are at war. A war that cannot end with a continuation of life as we currently know it.

Are you ready for TEOTWAWKI? The end of the world as we know it? There is absolutely no way to know what it will look like on the other side of this conflict. Prepare for it as best you can. Ignore it at your own peril.

What do you think? We're all in this together.

Until next time - Fern

Open Thread

We found an open thread format over on Western Rifle Shooters Association that generates some interesting conversations and thought we would give it a try here.

Topics of discussion are yours to determine. Remember, keep it respectable. Avoid personal data, location, etc. All comments will be moderated before publishing. After all these years, we have only blocked two or three comments.

Disagreements are fine as long as they create a constructive dialogue and free sharing of thoughts. It's something that appears to be repressed more and more these days - free sharing of thoughts. Let's see what we can do to encourage instead of suppress them.

What's on your mind?
What are you working on?
What's sticking in your craw about the doings in our country, locally and nationally? You know, like these people.







Topics might include different garden varieties, cooking techniques, recipes, your favorite radio - any type, guns of all makes, how is your health, surviving the collapse, politics, the economy, employment or unemployment, weather, climate, race relations, being politically correct (maybe I should stop here), or anything else that comes to mind.

 
We look forward to hearing from you and entertaining some lively conversations.

Frank & Fern

Frank's Cinnamon Toast

Frank needed a little something different to eat. Something that just tasted different, but was still part of our low carbohydrate way of living. After some pondering and discussion, we came up with this.

A normal batch of our sourdough bread dough with about twice the honey and two tablespoons of cinnamon. I made the dough extra stiff with a drier consistency than I do for the buns.

After letting the dough ferment all day, I divided it in half and pressed each half into a large cookie sheet, kind of like making pizza. I discovered it needed very little olive oil on the pan, much less that making buns since I am not turning and coating the dough.

Frank likes his toast thin, somewhat well done, and crunchy. We've experimented for a while and this is the finished product.

One baked, one not

I brush on a thin coating of olive oil when it is done.

Recently we discovered that some chevre cheese with strawberries, blueberries, some of the berry juice, non-iodized salt and a little honey, makes a great topping for this toast. Frank will eat it with the cheese on it, he likes it, but he still prefers his toast plain. You see, when we have a snack, it's normally bread. Sometimes regular buns, sliced made into toast in a skillet. Good bread makes a good snack and this cinnamon toast provides us with a different variation.

Gotta have treats in life sometimes, even when storms are on the horizon. Stay alert, vigilant and strong. The winds of change are among us.

Until next time,  Fern

Plan Three Times, Measure Twice, Cut Once

Hello Everybody, Frank here

I received an interesting email from the Frank & Fern site and I wanted to share it with you. This man is giving thought to relocating and has some good questions. I hope you will enjoy reading his questions and I hope you enjoy reading the response that I gave to his good questions. This is just the way that I saw it and the way that I still see it. You see, I love watching the movies Jeremiah Johnson and Never Cry Wolf. Yes, I have read both of the books associated with them, and they are very good books, which I would also recommend. Both of those stories influenced my wanting to go to Alaska, and explore and live that type of life style.

Well, Fern and I have been lucky. You see, I got to live a dream and I am still living a dream. Now, I'm not what you call a dreamer. These dreams have come from lots of study, research and hard work. I hope you get to live your dreams, too.

I use a saying which I'll share with you now, "Plan three times, measure twice, cut once." So for your dreams, Plan. Then plan again. Have a back up. Do what you need to do to be successful, but always plan for failure. Then live your dream. Someday I will tell you my whole story, but not today. 

If you don't believe in God, that is your choice. But I do and that's my choice. God has been good to me and I thank Him for it everyday.

I hope you enjoy the email I received and I hope you enjoy the response. Please tell me and this gentleman what you think. We're all in this ballgame together. So get off your hands and tell me what you think. Good or bad. Remember, we are ladies and gentlemen. Plan three time, measure twice, cut once.

We'll talk more later, Frank

Email received

Hello, My name is [omitted]. My wife of 40 yrs. and I have lived in Alaska 39 years. I see you also have lived here, so I thought you might have some insight for us.

We are 60 and done raising our children, and are entertaining ideas about moving south. We are Christians for 40 years too. We had a 40 ac. farm [omitted] [between Valdez and Glenn Allen] yrs. ago, and have learned the harsh realities of self-sufficient living here, and feel it is not really possible due to climate. We cannot grow grains for feed, nor fruits for ourselves, vegetables are limited, winters are so long and harsh our goats, pigs, chickens and rabbits all had difficulty. 8 mo. winter is simply too hard with firewood, water hauling, long, dark and cold, etc.

So I have a few questions.

In Okla. are summers too hot? We don’t mind 4 seasons, but 3 months to each would be fine. We have looked in west Montana, mid-Idaho, and east Washington. prices seem higher due to higher demand and scarcity, but 20 ac. is approx. what we’d like, ½ pasture for grazing & hay, ½ woodlot for ongoing firewood harvesting. Must have water of sorts, i.e. pond, creek, lake, etc. Definitely a rural forested area is our goal. A house is not necessary as I do construction, but cost is always a factor, so $50k or less is our price range for land as we need to develop the farm. Does this seem like a reasonable amount?

Also with all the instability in the country, dollar devalue etc. do you feel you are in a ‘safe’ place should civil unrest, depression etc. cause roving gangs from the city to seek nearby rural food sources? Or do you wish you had moved to  “the Redoubt” area? 

Thank you for an time or info you can provide. Also, I thoroughly enjoy your blog as I recognize experiential farming and all the added trials shared realistically.

Thanks again, and God bless.

[omitted]

Frank's response

Hello [omitted],

Congratulations on 40 years of marriage. 

Up front. Our time in Alaska was temporary every place we were, so we never gardened or raised any form of livestock, period. Here is a list of the places we lived, starting at the top and coming around and down. Barrow, the Kotzebue area, Nome, mouth of the Yukon River and Dillingham. We had a condominium in Anchorage for a few years, but it was only used a few days out of the year. So, again, we had no experience in gardening or livestock while in Alaska. We did have a church garden in one location, but it was really not very successful. That was in Dillingham, the lowest latitude that we lived.

Somewhere over the tundra about 500 miles from Anchorage

The reason we left Alaska, which was about 11 years ago, was my fear of the economy collapsing, which I still believe will happen. I did not want to be in remote, bush Alaska when the planes quit flying. We were there during 9/11 when the planes did quit flying, for 3 days I believe. That scared me then. Most people didn't have a clue what it meant, because all supplies there came in either by plane or barge during the warm months.

Nunam Iqua, Alaska 2006

We looked in the Redoubt area, western Montana, Idaho, eastern Washington, just like you mentioned. At the time we left, I was about 57 or 58. At that time I had had several surgeries and after leaving Alaska, I had lower back surgery and open heart surgery. But one day it dawned on us that we were not getting younger, not trying to sound funny here, but I was really tired of shoveling snow. The places where we could have a car, I was tired of shoveling out the car. I was tired of ice, and dark, and cold, and I mean really cold. -50 is chilly. -20 was a good day. When it broke 0*, we celebrated. You should know what I'm talking about. And dark? I never realized how much I missed sunlight until it wasn't there. And light? I never realized how much I missed dark until the sun went in a circle for 24 hours in the sky. I take it you put foil paper or something on your windows in the summer.

Right now, I am 69. Two plus years back I had open heart surgery and about six years ago I had lower back surgery. I am as active now as I was then, if not more, but I don't think I could shovel snow if I really needed to. So, therefore, the Redoubt is out of the question.

 

The non-sunset, Barrow, Alaska, September 2000

Why Oklahoma? Lots of reasons. Fern's mother lived in southeastern Oklahoma. We went to school in Stillwater, Oklahoma which is where we met and were married 36 years ago. Fern is ten years younger than I am. For various reasons we bought a house and piece of property that joined her family's property. About 40 years ago, back in my Mother Earth News days, I researched property all over the country for survivability. Southeast Oklahoma, southwest Arkansas and north a couple hundred miles, and south a couple hundred miles is a survivable area. Lots of hills, some small mountains, creeks, rivers, forested areas, and not many people to speak of. Country folks for the most part, a higher unemployment rate, lots of churches, not many bars, and the issues of positive and negative that come with this type of area. 

A small example. The closest westerly nuclear power plant to us is Glen Rose, Texas. The closest easterly nuclear power plant is just west of Little Rock, Arkansas. Our prevailing winds are from the west. I am not concerned about a melt down at the Little Rock facility. Glen Rose, Texas, a melt down would not reach us here. Tinker Air Force Base, just southeast of Oklahoma City, if something nuclear were to occur there, it would not reach us.

Next topic. Neighbors are neighbors, and Bubba is Bubba. This is the same everywhere. 

The rolling hills of southeastern Oklahoma.

Summer heat. Well, it gets pretty hot in interior Alaska during the summer. I don't know where you live right now. We have mosquitos, but nothing like the ones we had in Alaska. We have no no-see-ums or white socks. Heat is relative. We get the moisture from the Gulf of Mexico that provides us with our thick forests, which allows us to grow just about any plant we want to. Fruit trees can be grown, but they struggle because they just don't have the same conditions they do in the southeastern Washington area. Because of the gulf stream, in the summer time there is high humidity and high heat and sharply fewer bugs than Alaska. Yes, the heat and humidity can be an issue. We never had air conditioning in Alaska. We had a pretty nice condo in Anchorage, but it didn't have air conditioning. In the summer here, we start much earlier in the day and much later in the evening. That's the way we do it, and we do have air conditioning. In the winter, if need be, we can use wood heat. And I truly pray to God, that if the electricity ever goes off, it's during the winter so we will have at least a little time to acclimate.

Land price and costs. It's this way everywhere, you get what you pay for. If you were to look around with various real estate agents, I think you could find what you're looking for, for around $50,000. Now there are places here that are covered with rocks. That's part of being in a mountainous, hilly area. Some places have good well water, some places have poor water. $50,000 depending on the quality of land, could get you a lot more than 20 acres, or a lot less. In Oklahoma, building codes in the rural areas are just about non-existent. I cannot speak for Texas, Arkansas or Missouri. We don't have silly laws taxing rain catchment, but there are laws about damming up creeks and streams and affecting your neighbor down stream. A competent real estate agent should be able to answer most of this type of related questions.

You addressed roving gangs. Civil unrest. The farther away you are from towns, I believe the less this will happen. As far as the instability of our country and the devaluation of the dollar, the dollar has been devalued before. And instability? Just look at Washington, D.C. Look at that circus. As Ol' Remus says, Avoid crowds.

Buckland, Alaska 1990

I'm about to wrap this thing up. You ask, do I wish I had moved to the Redoubt area? Outside of the romance of a few novels and films? No. It's not survivable unless you are very young, in excellent condition and have skills that very few people have. It has a lot of the same features Alaska does. People struggle with gardens there, they have hard water issues. You know, ice. It gets as cold in Montana as it does in most of Alaska. We have ice here for a few hours, or a few days a winter. I am more than happy with where I live. If I were to ever move again it would be 30-40 miles farther east, therefore, I am extremely happy with where I am.

If you would like a recommendation, and I do not live in that immediate area, but I am about 60 miles away from Mena, Arkansas. Or come right across the border into Oklahoma. I do hope this helps.

You know bad times are coming and we are going to have to do the unthinkable. I hope that you and yours have your heads screwed on right. I would gather food storage and a realistic way to protect myself. Some day this thing is going to break. Most people will move to the cities and the vast majority will succumb within a few months. This is a horrible thing to think. You will need to protect yourself. This is the part where it's important to have your head screwed on right. I don't believe that God wants us to put our hands up in the air and just give up. God made us fighters and He expects us to do so.

Peace be with you,

Frank Feral

Goat Tales & the Stench

We have reduced our goat herd quite a bit recently. It's part of our downsizing to reasonable levels in the animal kingdom. We're also downsizing in many other areas, too. This year we had five does give birth resulting in 14 kids, which was way too many. One, we don't like keeping up with that many kids, and two, we don't need to milk five does. That is way too much milk.
 

We always debate whether to keep any young does and if so, how many. This year we went from thinking about keeping one, then two, then three. In the end? We sold them all and are glad we did.

Patch

One tale for this year is that our four year old doe, Patch, had triplets. She is a good mom and everything was going great until her kids were about ten days old. She went off her feed in the morning and by evening wouldn't get up. Turns out she had a retained placenta, which we had never had happen before. We thought she was going to die, called the vet, got antibiotics and anti-inflammatory shots, force fed electrolytes, vitamins and probiotics with a syringe and held the babies up to her teat to nurse as she lay there. She got up very weak after a few days, the babies were nursing, but not enough, so we enlisted the help of Patch's older sister, Copper, who was also raising her own triplets.
 

Copper

At two weeks of age we started penning Copper's babies at night to keep her milk. But instead of us getting the milk, I brought Patch's two little does in on the milk stand and let them nurse from Copper each morning. Their brother was getting most of the milk from Patch because after her time down she ended up with mastitis on one side of her udder, another experience we have never had before. To make this long story shorter, we continued with this routine until all of the kids were either weaned or sold. We also sold Copper this year. She is six years old, born here, and a little hard to let go of, but she went to a couple that really appreciated the milk supply.

Copper had to have her ear fixed when she was born.

Now, I am still milking Patch on both sides of her udder, discarding the mastitis side and keeping the small amount from the good side. I have turned her in with the buck in hopes she would breed and give us winter milk, so far no luck. The vet thinks her udder will recover and be productive on both sides after she births again. We hope so, and will just have to wait and see. 

The boys - buck and wethers

We have one older wether and three younger wethers that need to be butchered and put in the freezer, along with four new young wethers that were born this year. When we were banning the young wethers, on one of them we missed one testicle, which is now up in the body cavity since the scrotum is gone. He will have to be butchered this year since he is still able to breed. Once we get these five animals in the freezer, that will be a good reduction in the male herd, as well as more meat to eat.

We have placed our current buck for sale since we recently bought a new one. That purchase is a tale all by itself. In some ways it seems like a tall tale, but happened this way, none the less.

We had been checking Craigslist every so often looking for a new buck. We didn't keep any of our current buck's daughters, so there was no big hurry getting a new one, we could use him for another year, he is only two years old. But as we checked Craigslist a few weeks ago, we saw a young buck we were interested in, made contact, arranged a day, and drove the two hours to look at him. We liked what we saw, bought him and brought him home.
 

Gerty

As per our usual routine when bringing a new animal onto our land, we isolated him right away, gave him worm medicine, a copper bolus and an antibiotic shot. The next morning we went to the vet and picked up a vaccine shot which we gave and will give another booster in a month. Over the next few days he got two more antibiotic shots and continued in isolation, with the company of one of the young wethers, to finish out his quarantine time.

Well, the day after we brought him home, we got a voice mail from a lady that said we were in possession of her property. That her husband sold us her young buck while she was out of town and that he shouldn't have. She wanted her property back. What??? We were very surprised. I've never heard of such a thing, let alone experienced this. We didn't call her back, and the next morning we received a text message from another phone number insisting return of the animal with the offer of reimbursement of the purchase price and gas money for the return. Our response? I'm sorry. The sale is final.

Not only was the whole situation strange, in some ways I felt like this was some kind of scam. I'm sorry the man sold his wife's goat while she was out of town, but that is between the two of them, if that is actually what happened. I really have my doubts, but that doesn't mean I'm right. This is just another example of you never know what may happen in any situation. Something that appeared to be a normal everyday transaction that occurs all over the country everyday, turned out to be very strange indeed. We're still not quite sure what to make of it.

So, now we have two bucks, eight wethers, three does and one old lady goat, One Stripe. We get enough milk for our needs and to make some cheese every so often, and that is enough.

I think the lesson I have had reinforced from this tale is to beware the unexpected, whether it is a retained placenta and mastitis, or a shady deal from an unexpected source. Always remember, things are not always as they seem, from strangers, from people in positions of power, even from people you think you know. 

The wolves are howling all across the country, from every walk of life, position in society and cultural background. There are people now that will run you down with their car, punch you in the face, throw your food across the restaurant, or stage screaming mobs outside of your front door, not to mention shoot you while you worship. Things are not as they seem. The veneer is cracking and the seething, maggot ridden rot underneath is coming to the surface. It stinks. It's spreading. Spraying foo-foo dust on it and covering it with a pretty shiny veneer will not deter it's festering growth or dissipate the stench. This is now. What comes next?

Until next time - Fern