White Trash with a Purpose episode #13

I have been thinking on it and I believe that Husband needs his own tv program. You paying attention DIY Network? I mean the way he can take "trash" and turn it into something very useful is simply amazing to me.

The Hanging box

Here is a tip for you, contractors will throw out privacy fencing material if it is flawed, crack or just plain unpleasant. The ones that are cracked, as long as it isn't more than half way up, can be used for many other projects.

Now the Hanging box is wonderful for dry aging meats that hang no longer than 48 hours. Longer than that and you will need to regulate the temperature better.





Right now it holds four 20lbs turkeys easily. Later hooks will be added to hang smaller animals, as well as being plumed into some piping and a fire box to be used as a smoker.

The Linen Closet.

Many of you know that we live in a single wide trailer. The single most thing I hate about the homestead. We have finally resigned ourselves to the fact that because of the lay off we will be unable to build our dream house for a few years. Because of this fact we have decided to customize the aging mobile home. First is my linen closet. I do have a set of cabinets in the bathroom. Not enough room! Not only in the cabinets but also cramps up the bathroom.

Using old window sills and warped wood flooring, Husband created this for me.




The boys room.

For some strange reason, the people we bought the homestead from decided to take the closet with them. There was no doors, no shelves, no rail. I never figured that one out. We used it as part of the room rather than a closet. But the boys are getting bigger and acquiring more items.



A little paint and some cabinet doors to hide the blankets and seasonal clothing, it should be very pleasant to behold. He also has plans on building cubbyholes into the bottom for shoes and toys. It was built using dry wall that was removed from the closet (it had about 3 feet sticking out causing a large cubby area) window sills, wood flooring and pvc pipe. The shelf is strong enough to hold a television.

Total price for all 3? $0

Introducing Xuxi

Born Dec 22 2010 to Murrial




Half Long Legged Kerry (Dexter registered) half American Milking Shorthorn.



More than likely, Xuxi will be trained to the milk stanchion, gotten pregnant and placed up for sale as a milk cow. You have about a year to think it over.

Girl on Turkey Action

Sometimes it is fun to title something from a browser search that lead to your blog.

No pictures, but this will be wordfully violent, so my wonderful vegan friends, and those that prefer to believe that meat grows in packages in grocery stores, I would suggest you skip the rest of this post.

I don't kill things. I just haven't got to that point in my life or this homesteading deal to actually do the deed myself. Husband has a talent for it, and I would never want to steal his thunder by doing it.


I few days before Thanksgiving it was time to butcher. We decided to butcher 4 turkeys. As they like to sleep on the back porch, it was simple to do to grab one and carry it to slaughter. Husband works during the day, so this had to be preformed in the evening. Did I mention it was 20F degrees?

Husband scooped up one of the ladies and I wrapped her wings tightly. We need a cone. That's all there is to it. Husband needs to either create something that will replace me. Here is some soap, spiff up that dirty little mind of yours. We took her over to the block and as I partially laid on her (oh the google hits from that) husband got her to bleed. It was difficult for me. I am a wussy, and I cried a bit. I could feel her fighting death, I could feel the life draining from her as I kept her from jerking about. The blood gushed for an eternity, before she sighed, and was gone. She took it stoically though, no desperate screeching came from her.

She was hung and allowed to bleed out.

At 20F degrees, we decided to only do one more bird that night. She was easier on me than the first. I just don't kill things. Don't care if it makes me a hypocrite, I just don't have the emotional fortitude to do it.

Husband had made me a hanging box out of privacy fencing. I love it! It works wonderfully. This spring he says he will fit it to be a smoker. I digress, cleaning the birds is more my style. Because of the lateness of the evening by the time I got around to cleaning, I forgone the defeathering for the night. Merely degibblitizing the insides. This was the first female turkey I have done. The books say that at this age you will have to deal with eggs. Not so with mine, they seemed to be woefully immature. The eggs I found was a finger length of fabric/flesh with tiny little balls covering it. No egg cycle system in broad colors as it is with the chickens.

We hung the birds overnight, and I tackled feathers in the morning. It was even colder by that time. Morning found frozen water and heavy frost settled on the ground. The hung turkeys did not freeze thanks to the box. I spent the morning thawing water out, lighting fires and making sure I had all my equipment. Plucking seemed easier this round then it has in the past.

The process was repeated that night with 2 more turkeys. And may I suggest that if you are doing more than 1 turkey to have a little help with the plucking part of it. My hands were killing me by the time I moved on to the 4th bird. They were cramped and I swear I could feel the beginning burns of blisters from the pliers.

The remaining 2 turkeys have decided to now sleep on the front porch.

The birds hung in the box dry aging for 24 hours. The first hen that we killed made it to our Thanksgiving table. She was light at about 19lbs. And delicious! Well worth the emotional trauma I had to suffer for my meal.

Thanksgiving dinner was almost entirely homegrown food stuff. The rest was local grown.

So how was your Thanksgiving?

Play it again Sam

Husband and I have been secretly trying to find our horse Sam a new home. With us not moving to the farmstead, Sam was nothing but another mouth to feed. I hardly needed her on 5 acres. We didn't advertise her, just asked a couple of people

I got a phone all, seemingly out of nowhere, from a woman I don't ever remember meeting. She said that a friend of ours had told her we had a horse for sale. Her and her husband and 3 boys came over to meet Sam. All 3 of her boys have different and varying levels of autism. While the oldest boy rode Sam around the yard, I spoke with the woman. She was starting a nonprofit for low income families who has children with autism. The program is equine therapy. Her youngest had made remarkable strides in speech and responsibilities ever since they started doing it with him.

We do have a equine therapy ranch in the next county over, but it is expensive. This one would be through social services only. And for those well under the poverty level. As we talked her youngest spied out our goat Zombie. I see there are some new readers, even in my long absence, Zombie is a little billy goat that I hand raised along side 2 dogs. If you were to ask him, Zombie would tell you he was indeed a dog. The youngest boy wasn't quick enough with the affections, and Zombie butt him in the stomach. Nothing too hard mind you, just enough to get his attention. The boy began laughing, no, not just laughing but cracking up! This in turn got me giggling. Zombie took this as a signal to keep playing, and the young boy kept egging it on. The woman and I continued our conversation.

Next thing we know Zombie is giving the boy a ride over to the garden area, both seem very content with each other.

The program is called Abe's Hearts and Hooves for Autism. It is the brain child of her oldest son. After his equine therapy session (parents do the therapy using neighbors horses) the boy said to his mother that he wished others could do the same as him. After lots of calls, legal council and a bunch of paperwork, the family began contacting business and individuals about donations and they purchased their first horse. A mistreated pony. The couple are excellent horsemen. Grew up training horse, but life has a way of steering you away from the things you love, well at times anyway. They have been working on this pony and he is now doing wonderfully with the children.

They fell in love with Sam.

The asked me how much I wanted for her. I knew what price I had quoted to another that was interested in her, but I always try to do one good did for the year and the year was rapidly approaching the end. I looked toward the garden where the youngest boy had hold of Zombies tail, and Zombie was happily leading him around. I made her a deal.

You can have Sam free, if you take the goat.

She was shocked, and readily agreed to it. She had been prepared to pay for Sam. But this is a wonderful charity and I just couldn't see myself selling her Sam.

After they left with her I got a phone call from the family, updating me on Sam. She seemed to be enjoying her new role with the boys. And Zombie is a hit with all the kids. Who knew I was raising a therapy goat.

Another week passes and I get another phone call. Sam is gone! She walked over the fence, and they were out looking for her. I told them I would call if I saw her. I left the front gate open and headed to town. When I returned I spied Sam standing at the back gate waiting to be let in with the cows. Guss she missed them.


Back to her new home she went. She belongs there.

I have returned

It took a bit o' whining, but I am back online.

Hope everyone had a great December and a happy new year!

A few things have happened. Sam and Zombie are no longer here. I had a birthday. A little one has been born. Husband has decided to customize the house this winter. Lots of projects. hhmm. . . after being quiet for so long I am not sure what to say. I will update and explain some things Tuesday morning.

It's nice to be back