Adding an alligator was briefly tempting

Written by Shana Thornhill Tuesday, 20 November 2012 15:57

I think I have now officially seen it all. I know, I’m still pretty young yet (although I don’t usually feel that way until I’ve had my cup or three of morning coffee). Still, there comes a time in your life when you’ve finally seen the absolute last thing you expected to see.

I was at Tractor Supply buying feed last week. I’d rather not have to go all the way to McPher­son, but nobody around here sells non-medicated chick feed, and I’m all about no antibiotics in my chickens. I grabbed a Rural Messenger, since I enjoy many of the columns, as well as looking over the classifieds to see if anything we need is offered and affordable.

You all know how much I love animals. A friend once almost talked me into getting a wallaby...

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You always need one more thing on the farm

Written by Shana Thornhill Tuesday, 16 October 2012 14:02

There’s always something you need on a farm. It starts out small, with the simple things. It’s a given that you’ll always need feed of one sort or another.

One day you go out to do chores and think, “I really need some new gloves. These are all crusty and have holes in them.”

Of course, thinking about holes reminds you that you should probably get some new wool socks before it gets cold, because your old ones have holes too. (Yeah, you can darn the ones you have, but a fall-back pair would be nice, wouldn’t it?)

While you’re thinking about your feet, you realize that you’ve almost worn through the backs of your boots. Hmm, thinking about boots makes you recall The Pitchfork of Doom. You’ve been meaning to replace...

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We should have named our place ‘Funny Farm’

Written by Shana Thornhill Tuesday, 18 September 2012 14:25

We call our place Thorn Hill Farm—a real no-brainer, I know. We should have called it the Funny Farm. We’re all a little wacky (or at least some would think so), and most things that happen out here are funny. If they’re not funny at the moment, they sure are in hindsight. Sometimes it just takes longer.

Even the critters are funny. Watching the chickens is like watching a circus with a hefty dose of soap opera mixed in. If you’ve never seen a horse roll, you’re really missing something—it’s ridiculous! Seeing one of the house cats boxing a dog is always great for a laugh, as is a little barn kitty pouncing at a Great Dane and watching the Dane flinch. The bunny lays around loafing then jumps up and bounds around for no...

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Food processing ‘skillz’ improve with time, tips

Written by Shana Thornhill Tuesday, 14 August 2012 13:08

To borrow an antiquated phrase, “I got skillz.” Of course, the English expert in my head insists that I rephrase that as “I have skills.” Apparently though, I don’t have enough skills yet.

Even though I’ve learned how to process chickens, how to raise rabbits, and (hopefully) not stab myself in the foot, I have much to learn. I’ve been taking a certain amount of pride in roasting one of those home-raised chickens for dinner (and a few lunches) but what do I do when my husband says he’s tired of roasted...could I please make fried chicken?

I grew up like many of my generation: with a dim idea of chickens as feathery things, but the kind you ate came on a Styrofoam tray, in nice neat pieces that all looked the same.

Um...

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