[MuddyMess]

Family. At a young age I was exposed to gardening, raising livestock etc. Then life, job ,kids, I went in a whole other direction. Was living in the burbs of Atlanta. Nice 1/2 acre lot. Above ground pool ,deck all around it, NO HOA, etc etc. I had planted fruit trees in front yard already. About 5+ years ago I was standing in my back yard and something just hit me in the gut, saying that pool isn’t necessary, growing food is. I tore out the pool and most of the deck, had soil and compost brought in , made a small in ground bed, then numerous raised bed. Had a abundant garden that year, started back canning, realized we needed more space. Looked for 2 years and finally found our place. That i call Muddy Mess hollar, 7 acres, house build in 1842 ( it had been updated on inside recently) barn , a small pond, lots of fence already in place. From the time I sat foot on this place that gut feeling went away, I truly believe this is where I was ment to be so I could provide for my family and help the community as much as possible. We now have chickens, pigs and a milk cow that will be delivering her second calf on our homestead ( I call it my staystead, because I’m staying right here. Don’t even like to go to the store for necessities) sorry for the long post, but I would encourage any one that gets that true gut feeling that want go away follow it, is it risky, yep probably, lots of work ? Oh yes, some days you will think why did I do this, but when you lay your head on that pillow at night take a minute to think about what you accomplished, no matter how big or small the chore, I can always smile knowing I’m taking care of my family.

[MuddyMess]

My girl will be calving in about 3 weeks. With the suggestion of a few dairy cow owners im trying a product called x-zelit. It’s given everyday ( in with her feed) for a few weeks before calving to prevent milk fever. She’s never had it, just trying to be pro active. It’s used up north and Canada on dairy farms, I’ve never heard of it down here in the south until this year, I had to order it because I can’t find it down here.