BARN CATS. GIVING MICE THE BOOT... FOR GOOD!

Gotta love em'. Gotta have em'.

Barn cats are essential to fighting mice on the homestead. With so much grain and other forms of feed around, a farm is a smorgasbord  for a mouse colony. If you've seen one, even just their droppings, then chances are you have hundreds! The grossest part? If you can slide a pen under your door, the mice are welcoming their friends right in.

For us this is a HUGE problem... We have bags of barley feed for fodder production, then there's the horses grain, the pig feed, hen scratch, rabbit pellets, dog food, and for a short time longer chick starter crumble. All of these food sources are a target for a growing colony, and I refuse to support their growth. Plus I have a two year old, for whom nothing is sacred, so you may find a piece of fruit or crackers under all my furniture.

We've tried traps, we've tried poison, we have even tried anally cleaning the house and out buildings to avoid finding hints of their presence.... That's right poo..... Sorry but it is the sad truth, there't lots of poop on the homestead. Personally I prefer the kind that isn't toxic or deadly to my family, wouldn't you? Mice carry Hantavirus in their feces. The dust and debris released can then be inhaled into your lungs... Not so good as HRS (hantavirus respiratory syndrome) has something like a 40% fatality rate (don't quote me on that, I think what I read was like 38% but whatever.. you get the point!).

My end game has no traps or nasty poisons anywhere on the property.... I can't possibly have piece of mind knowing there's lethal poison on my property with so many animals and children about.

Enter Poco and Loco, my two newest homestead additions. And boy are they shaping up to be great mousers!

The first thing to keep in mind with raising any barn cats is just that, they are BARN cats. Allowing them to make a cozy home in your home will do nothing to help your mouse issues. They must be motivated to kill the mice. This is the hardest part... do not let them inside. Their meowing may look cute an innocent but if they discover the cozy warmth of your couch, you'll end up with a lazy house cat, and that's not what we want.

Since our kittens were only 5 weeks old when I brought them home creating a safe warm environment for them was a must. Since I didn't have a proper barn stall or set up to keep them safe outside, I settled for our uninhabited guest bathroom. The kittens are given about an hour of daily attention from myself and my little farm girl to socialize and bond. There's nothing worse than trying to get a ferrel cat to the vet..... trust me, socialize your kitties!! We want them to bond and love us, but ultimately I want them to love the outdoors and independence more.

They will be 8 weeks tomorrow and their transition out the garage/laundry room will begin this week. This will serve as their nursery until they are old enough to begin venturing outside and exploring their new surroundings. We will always provide them food as mice will not be their sole diet, especially in cold winter months.

What I love most about cats is their simplicity. There's not need to "train" your cat to mouse. Although a nice game of string or feather will always spark their innate killing nature. They are simply born with that instinct, provide shelter with water and they are good to go. Do make sure your other animals are cat friendly in order to avoid a dog or other animal running the cats off your property.

A few short months after weaning the kittens will begin understanding their territory and all that comes with it, mice included. Personally, I hope my cats will target the finch population... pesky little food skimmers!

Off to get some kitty loving'!


Q

MY ROAD TO ESSENTIAL OILS.

I'll be honest, I used to snicker at those folks who would suggest oil use to me in the past. I was stuck in a mindset where using essential oils and eating organically was some yuppy hippy mumbo jumbo that I would just never understand.

Well friends, this is one ignorance I can say took me a few years to overcome. Becoming an adult and then a parent (soon to be twice over) opened my eyes in ways I never thought possible. I went through a denial phase for sure.....

Our diets aren't that bad... are they?

The food we're eating can't possibly be detrimental to our health....

Essential oils can't really help. pharmaceuticals have to be a better route....

I'm a medical professional, these granola hippies can't really know more than the medical industry...

If my food isn't safe and neither are our medications and supplements then why would my doctor recommend and advocate for it....?

So many questions raced through my mind about what these "essential oils" really were. Why are they so 'essential' and is this all just a sham? If they really are so amazing and life changing how come I'm just hearing of them and why don't doctors advocate for them?

Funny side note I actually used to get irritated when I would walk into a knitting or bohemian shop in the greater Portland area. Chances are if anything along the lines of artisan, organic, or hand-made graces the window of these shops you'll be bound to smell essential oils the instant of your entrance. Commonly the smell of patchouli is the one that smacks you right in the olfactory nerves. Granted, I love it now... but in those years as an ignorant and close minded youth, I just got head ache from what I had dubbed the 'hippie stink.' Alas those days are behind me and now I respect and appreciate every drop of essential oil on this planet. And I would never describe any oil with the word stink ever again!

Essential oils can now be observed all over my house and in almost every aspect of my life. The first oil I gave a chance was the ever wonderful, peppermint. Being pregnant at the time finding medications and supplements safe for consumption and application was proving difficult. I had a terrible head ache so my friend applied one drop to her pointer fingers, massaging it into my temples and base of my skull. Within minutes I experienced relief that had me flabbergasted. I was taken aback by the speed and effectiveness at which it worked its magic. You can consider that to be the moment that changed my mind forever. It left me pain free and feeling relatively energized, though it was late afternoon and the baby belly needed some couch time.

There you have it, that was 3 years ago, and I and my families lives are forever changed. It wasn't until this last fall that I decided we needed yet another change. Essential oils had slowly began taking over our medicine cabinet replacing Tylenol, Advil, NyQuil, and I could forever go on about what the oils have replaced in our house, and all the money we actually save because of this. The best part about them is as I just mentioned.... The oils take over, you begin to realize how many wonderful uses these natural entities actually have and how many ailments can be solved with their simple application.

- Grapefruit to help curb my appetite helped me with postpartum weight loss.

- Lemon and peppermint decreased my nausea or morning sickness.

- Lavender I put on the kiddo before bedtime, this is an essential to our relaxation bedtime routine.

- Eucalyptus is amazing as a fever reducer/pain releiver (peppermint and lavender aid the tea trees effect) and also helps to maintain healthy feet and avoid athlete's foot.

- Peppermint under my nose when dealing with hospital odors changed world!!! Seriously, what would rather smell... duty or amazing peppermint?

- The immunity blend on the bottoms of our feet at night before bed is a great immune booster if you feel something coming on, or just because it smells great and has amazing disinfecting properties.

- I diffuse the respiratory blend in Ireland's room nightly when she has a cough/cold to encourage deep and relaxed breathing while sleeping.

- Deep Blue, used for deep tissue and muscle pain, does wonders in promoting realization in an achy back. I use the lotion rub version on my burly farm mans aches and pains and he loves it, plus the aroma is wonderful as a night time relaxant.

- For a tasty addition to water I add a few drops of grapefruit or lemon, just for fun, and its tastes great!

You see the possibilities are endless and I only mentioned my favorites. Before you know it you'll be an oil fanatic like myself, urging family and friends to give them a chance, or by golly just convert to essential oilism!

That brings me to this change I said we made last fall. After much consideration and fast deliberation we decided that becoming wholesale members of DoTerra would be the best option for us. With so many ways to utilize these treasures and the their adding up around the household, and some not so cheaply, it was just a no brainer. We made a leap of faith and are so happy we did! Seeing so many amazing changes with the help of oils, from behavioral improvements in our moody two year old to resolution of skin allergies in our dog, I can't think of a better way to keep my family safe and healthy.

NO MORE of those unpronounceable words you find on medications these days. How can a matriarch find piece of mind with all those chemicals??? The answer is you wont, with essential oils you'll never have those worries again.

So for all you oil skeptics out there, take a chance! Open your mind to the endless benefits and capabilities of oils, don't be like I was! Don't profile people who smell like patchouli they're probably happy oil users who know something you don't!

To find out more about the wonder of essential oils visit my business page here!

Dreaming of diffusing lavender when I get home!

Q

BRAGGING RIGHTS!

Every morning I am awaken my the sound of Ireland's little feet walking across the hall and into our room. Without fail she wakes up, comes in, and the three of us enjoy a good ole family snuggle. She talks to us about oh so many things, some of which we understand, and some that we don't. I simply can't get enough of her little antics and adorable voice.

Ok, ok maybe I am a little biased. But heck, we made a beautiful kid! Nothing wrong with a proud parent...

And this guy?!

Never could a woman ask for a more supportive partner. Not to mention the fit of his arms wrapped around me. Ah swoon! Ok, enough enough! The best parts about Spencer are the ones I'm still learning about everyday, we've known each other a decade and he still surprises me, he continues to grow as a man and a partner, and yet he's still the best friend I had as a teenager. Among these, watching him become a father has only made me love him more, and boy does Ireland lover her daddy. Nothing is more attractive than a good man whose an even greater father. 

And the best part? I get to call them my mine.

Happy Valentines Day!

Covering everything in chocolate,

Q