Animal news and organic stuff

Many of you read on our Facebook page last week about being adopted by a puppy. We found this little sweetie at our back door. She was hungry, shaking and scared. We asked our neighbours to see if she belonged to anyone, but no one seemed to know where she came from, so we decided to keep her. We took her to the vet and we were told she's between 2.5 and 3 months old. She got her injections and flea serum and has settled in nicely. Initially, we thought the puppy was a boy and Kevin liked the name Bob. Upon a closer look, we realized he was a she... so we named her Bobbie (I call her Bobbie McGee). She's very friendly, and considering she's just a puppy, she's exceptionally calm. Our miniature Dachshund, Frankie, was none too impressed with the new arrangement though. It's only in the last couple of days that she's warmed up to the little one. Bobbie loves to play and is always kissing Frankie. This habit is barely being tolerated, but like I said, Frankie is finally understanding that Bobbie isn't going away, so she might as well make the best of it. If you ask me, it won't take long before they're best of friends. Bobbie, however, is an outdoor farm dog. We have set up a nice comfy kennel outside for her to sleep in and stay protected from the wilder animals at night. During the day though, she can roam as she pleases. She tends to stay close to home, following either Kevin or me wherever we go. She's a smart cookie, too. It's hard not to fall in love...

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Yesterday, Kevin and I caught our first fish of the season. We haven't had trout in a couple of months so I was THRILLED when Kevin suggested we catch a few and see if they're big enough. They're not huge, but they're definitely big enough. The one at the top of the picture is a male, which is surprising to see because the fingerlings we get from the trout institute only sell female trout. Although a few months ago, I noticed some really small fish compared to the rest of our batch, so perhaps they came from the river through the aqueduct system? The male is quite a bit darker than the females, his back seems more rounded, and his mouth is shaped differently... he has an under-bite. We had two for dinner last night and Kevin smoked the other two today... YUM!! My favourite.

Today, as I was sitting outside reading with Bobbie on my lap, I noticed that Rambo (Martin's black and white bull) was in the pasture. He was munching away and I saw his gaze following something on the grass. I looked to see what he could possibly be observing. Suddenly, I spied a rabbit hop directly in front of him. The rabbit then sprinted onto the terrace. Bobbie was asleep thank goodness. I gently got up and put Bobbie in her crate. I called Kevin and told him a rabbit was somewhere near the smoker. We have a small alcove where we keep the extra rubber boots, the fishing poles and other odd and sods. We found the rabbit huddled in the corner. We made sure Frankie was in the house because she would have surely done everything in her power to catch it. Dachshunds, as a breed, were bred to chase/hunt rabbits. That's why they're so short and long... better to maneuvre in the rabbit's warren.

We couldn't let her stay, so we poked her lightly and she ran off. Just look at her colouring... gorgeous!

In other news, we went to our friends Seidy and Danilo's farm this morning to learn how to make Mountain Microorganism (aka MM). MM is a technique that uses microorganisms to make quality organic fertilizers, both liquid and solid, from organic waste materials found around the farm. The benefits is that it improves soil health and crop productivity, stimulates seed germination and roots growth, and protects crops from disease... all naturally... no chemicals... and IT WORKS!

The recipe consists of:
- decomposing forest leaves and soil
- ground rice (flour)
- molasses
- water

That's it. You lay the first layer of forest leaves and soil down first, then mix in the rice flour and pour molasses in to give it energy. You mix it all together... and then shovel it into large bins lined with plastic bags. The key is that the mixture is air-tight.

As they pour in a little at a time, they use a heavy wooden beam to compact the mixture.

And the final product is sealed in the bin for one month. After one month, 10 kg of this mixture will be put into a separate porous bag and dunked into another bin full of water. This will create the liquid MM, which can be sprayed onto all garden beds, pasture grass, etc. There's also a hot chili version which acts as a natural insecticide. Bugs don't like the hot spicy smell and taste. Bonus!

So, as you can see, we continue to learn and grow every day. It keeps us on our toes :)