New Poo-eeys.

My grandpa was a neat old guy.He  had the oddest expressions that I remember just as well as the taste of the thrills gum he'd give us that tasted like soap, the beautiful music he made with his violin or saxophones, and the bags of hazelnuts he'd have hanging in nylon pantyhose in the basement to dry.

 If my sister and I wore perfume, we "stunk pretty", and if we got new shoes, they were "new Poo-eeys"

Still with me?

Ok, so what I'm really saying here is that I've designed some new shoes with a redneck theme and I think they're real darn nifty. In fact, these new Poo-eeys will stink pretty with that new shoe smell longer than that thrills gum tasted like soap (which was a loooong time)

Have a look see. Men's Hi-top style (good for women folk too) and a ladies/kids lace up version.

Check em out! Hi-Top KEDS   Lace Ups

B.F.D.

By now everyone in the world has heard about Joe Biden's latest blunder. I'm in Canada, and not all that interested in politics beyond election time when I have to mark my X and even I am hearing about this. 

All I can do is shake my head at his "This is a big $#@& n deal" comment - this is a person that helps run a country afterall, not some Joe Schmoe at the local grocery mart. Disturbing, to say the least.

Of course, he IS only human and he's entitled to use a little colorful language now and then but WOW. What must the big Obama man think about his right hand guy now? Who on earth talks to the *President* with language like that either?  Balls, I tell ya.

As can be expected, T-shirts were being created the minute this all went down, and small fortunes are going to be made. I'm not sure what type of person would actually wear a t-shirt with the big F-bomb emblazoned on it, but there are already thousands to choose from and hundreds more are uploaded every hour. Call me old fashioned, but I cringe to see the biggest, baddest grandaddy of all words in large bold type.

I figured I'd throw my couple offerings into the ring but so far no bites yet.

BFD Here You Go, Joe! by RedneckHillbillies
View more Biden T-Shirts

Back in my day we were threatened to have our mouths washed out with soap for using such filthy language. I didn't ever use it within earshot so I was spared that traumatic experience thankfully. ;p  I made a couple other designs that are a little um ahem louder but still censored with a handy little asterisk.

There's only so far I'll go for my dime and somehow just writing the word leaves me with a faintly soapy taste in my mouth! Shame on you, Joe F'n Biden!

There's a MOUSE in my bucket!

This morning when I went out to the hayshack to get the calves their grain I discovered a surprise! A scurrying rodent like surprise - and it's not the first time either! EEEK!

The stupid mice, or maybe they're shrews, jump into the 5 gallon pail thinking they've hit the jackpot with the little bits of corn and whatnot left in the bottom. Problem is, there ain't no way in hell they're gonna be able to jump back out, leaving them at my mercy. BWA HA HA. (insert evil laugh) Lucky for them I'm nice enough to let them go when I find them. Others might not be so kind.

This time I snapped a picture for the doubting Thomases who think I'm making up stories to try to shirk my cattle feeding duties! Awww, Isn't it cute? 

Weaning

It's time to start weaning the calves now so our trips out to the field with steaming buckets of sweet smelling milk are nearly over with. The bottom of the third bag of milk replacer is about a week or so away so we've cut the feedings back to half strength once a day in the evenings. This saves us from the added hassle in the mornings which is always a little rushed to begin with. Although the youngest kidlet helped out without complaining day after day, it's nice not having to worry about missing the bus!

Hank the holstein doesn't need milk any longer anyways, and his head is almost too big to fit in the bucket. The smaller three still rush to the fenceline for their milk, so they might moo a little bit when that routine stops.

I've been videoing the last couple of feeds in hopes of capturing the two biggest boys, Hank and JimBob in their daily after-milk performance. They like to suck eachother's mouths clean, with a whole lotta slurping and sucking noises which some might find amusing. If I manage to get a few good clips I'll be uploading them to Youtube and posting the link in this blog. ;p

ETA: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8I1sBl7T8ws

Have I mentioned before how much I love living outside the city in the country? This is the good life, even if waking up in the morning on a beautiful day like today is means getting a good whiff of what these four calves leave behind. Hoooo- Eeeee!

Ch-Ch-Ch Changes

Spring Forward!

I'm suffering the after effects of very little sleep and a beer or three too many for an old girl like me this past weekend after a wonderful visit from family. Add to that the loss of that precious hour of REM thanks to some sadistic authority that came up with daylight savings time. That single hour feels like a few more being the dreaded monday morning.

Today was also the first day our calves did not get their morning milk, since we are trying to wean them before the end of this last bag of milk replacer. Hank's big holstein head is almost too big to fit in the bucket now and he'll do just fine, but the three smaller ones, JimBob, Bessie and Delilah looked a little bit confused. Then again, cattle aren't exactly the smartest animals to roam the earth, so looking confused is to be expected.

I snapped this photo of Delilah which perfectly sums up how pissed they were today not to get warm milk in their bellies.

It's about how I'm feeling on this blah monday as well!

The Cat Came Back

I looked out the bedroom window this morning with my blurry, sleep-filled eyes and thought I recognized a new but already familiar shape on the neighbour's field. Our little friend the bobcat was back!

I ran to the kitchen to grab my camera and stood out on the rear balcony in the shorts and Tshirt I that I had hastily thrown on  enroute and attempted to film it again. Let me tell you... it's pretty flippin cold out in early march!

Holding the camera stable and steady at full zoom is difficult to do under the best of circumstances, and even harder apparently when you're shaking from the cold. I got a few seconds of jittery and blurry cat and then tried to see it from the downstairs porch. No go there, so I trudged across the lawn and watched it for what seemed like eons from the fenceline, camera poised. Silent, but for my chattering teeth.

For 15-20 minutes I watched and photographed and filmed the beast crouching and expertly stalking something in the field before my whole body was beginning to turn blue and I had to go back inside. I never did see the bobcat actually strike or pounce, and once I had warmed up a little bit I was only able to watch it retreat back into the gully. Next time, maybe.

Who needs T.V? I've got my own little National Geographic program to watch right outside my window!

Calf Run

We put up a temporary stretch of electric fencing to create a small calf run for the spring calves. The four of them have been cramped up in the little calf pen for a while now, and it was time to let them stretch their legs a little bit. In their new space they can get accustomed to their new feeding bins and water trough, as well as learn respect for the little yellow wires that border our property on all sides.

I uploaded a video of them discovering the fence http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4znfCurij8 and our first 5 star rating and comment came from a fellow who thought we'd be getting a whole pile of hateful comments because of it. So far, so good though. No PETA peeps, no vegetarians, no cruelty to animals type people who don't understand the  reasons for electric fencing and spout off in ignorance. As of today, we have 5 five star ratings so apparently people watching the video understand.

Our first year raising calves we had aging rusty barbwire fencing around the perimeter - and our fencebreaking angus broke through it repeatedly. We've now replaced 95% of our fencing with pagewire, with a barbed wire top strand, and a single line of electric fencing.

Just for the record: we raise our calves as humanely as possible. Yes, in the end they share the same fate as those who are stuffed into feedlots and treated badly - that's a given. But we spare them any unneccesary pain. We don't keep them for three years so alot of the usual and standard treatments are unnecessary. . Dehorning is not necessary - partly because three of them are angus X's and therefore polled (no horns) and the male holstein will only have small nubs come butchering time.

So anyways, as I was saying before I went off on a tangent - we put up some electric fencing, and the cows love it. One afternoon with a few shocks was all it took for them to realize they had boundaries. They are happily eating from their feed bins, and love the new fresh water source. Milk feedings will continue for another week and a half or so, then they'll be vaccinated and let loose on the field to grow up into big, tasty veal. :D

Here Kitty Kitty

Imagine my surprise when I looked out the laundry room window the other morning and saw something out of the ordinary in the neighbour's back field! I didn't have my glasses on or my contact lenses in at the time, so while I couldn't see it clearly, I did know it wasn't the usual lone coyote and definately NOT a tabby cat.
Of course, with a nearby resident dumping who knows what here and there the chances of some radioactive chemical causing a genetic mutation of a barn cat isn't entirely out of the question. ;p

Anyways, I ran upstairs as fast as my old legs would carry me and grabbed the camera for two reasons. One, it has 18x optical zoom (I love my camera!) so it doubles as binoculars, especially handy when glasses are not nearby - and two, to snap a photo of this mysterious creature before it turned tail and ran. 

We are smack dab in the middle between a freeway that runs along a mountain, and a handful of rural properties that line a river. Either way it had gone out of it's usual territory and crossed obstacles  in search of field mouse breakfast.

I also filmed it walking around the field while Mr. Redneckhillbillies made strange noises to get its attention.

The video clip shows it's beautiful markings, and odd little tail that doesn't quite suit its body.Watch the Backyard Bobcat video

Our Redneck Olympic Experience

We spent this past Saturday waaay out in the big city of Vancouver, B.C. to enjoy the last full day of the 2010 Winter Olympics... and what a day it was!

We got off to a rough start with the miserable weather, being pulled over by the police for expired vehicle insurance (WHOOPS!) and having to park the truck and walk or taxi to the nearest insurance agent.  A quick jaunt in a yellow cab and a friendly driver named Ali to Chinatown solved that little dilemma, and since we were a short jaunt (10 flipping blocks away) we walked/ran back to the truck rather than fork over another 8 bucks for a taxi ride.

Whew. Ok, that taken care of, our first mission was to find and photograph the Olympic cauldron. A feat in itself, since it was raining fairly heavily at the time, we had 15 seconds or so as our turn up against the ugly fence, and we were unwilling to spend 2 hrs in a lineup to get an obstructed rooftop view.

We walked with the crowds like a herd of cattle down to Robson Square to see the zipline and the skating rink.

The photos don't show it very well, but many people were wearing the Red and White Canadian colors, waving paper flags, or wrapping themselves in large flags. There were musicians playing, large screens broadcasting Olympic events and medals ceremonies, and hundreds.. no thousands... of people milling around. Everyone was polite, happy and enjoying the olympic spirit and pride of their country despite the foul weather that afternoon.

It was a sight to see, and I'm glad we took the time to see it!

Porky Puppies

This is Red - she's an 8 1/2 yr old little lady that we found on Petfinder when she was just a puppy, and had flown to B.C from Texas. She's a mutt of unknown heritage, and strongly resembles a golden retriever but is half the size. We think she may have some Nova Scotia Duck Toller in her because while she doesn't swim, she loves to play at the water's edge.

Red is definately the porkiest of the two, and has been for some time now. Her ribs are nowhere to be found, and when she sprawls out on the floor for yet another long nap, her belly in all it's round glory is exposed for the world to see.

She has been on prednisone for the last two years to fight pemphigus vulgaris so we allow her a little more leeway and excuse the bulging belly as water retention. ;p Vulgaris  is an accurate description of this rare disease because it is truly vulgar. It causes her immune system to attack and separate the layers of skin on her body, so a few days without her magic pill would have her nose bubbling up in blisters and the rims of her ears oozing.  We figure if she has limited time with us, it might as well be a good time living in the lap of luxury with treats-a-plenty.

This little lady is BLUE. Yes, I know, Red and Blue. People always think it's funny when we call out their names, and think we should get a third dog named White. Of course, we're not American so that would seem silly!  

We also get people calling them Yellow and Green, or Pink and Purple - which they always think is original and  hilarious.  She's a little fatty just to keep the treats fair with Red. Can't give to one without the other, right?

Spring is here and summer is on its way, so these two couch potatoes will hopefully spend some more time outside frolicking as dogs usually do and work off some of that excess winter weight. 

I'm hoping it works that way for  us human folk, too. 

Be Dazzled by Zazzle

 With a flashy name like zazzle it's no wonder I'm dazzled.

A few months ago I signed up with Cafe Press - the POD (print on demand) Grand Daddy. I uploaded a few designs in a free basic shop and wonder of all wonders I actually sold a couple things before Christmas. Great products, great variety of colors and styles to choose from, but not geared to the cheap redneck designer like myself that doesn't want to fork out for a premium store. I found it clunky and time consuming to open a new free basic store for every design and lost interest very quickly. I won't close it, that handful of products can stay there for all eternity in the hopes that I hit the minimum payout amount - but I won't bother wasting any more time there.   Boo, Cafe Press.

Rated R Redneck

Around the same time I signed up at Zazzle, and recently turned my attention there after realizing they had numerous advantages over the tried and true Cafe Press. I repeat: Numerous advantages. A decent assortment of products to work with, a fairly straightforward design process, a full blown store I can categorize and organize however I wish, and the options to customize my html or css down the road to truly make it my own  if I ever want to tackle that. Potential earnings increase exponentially with the referral program. I haven't earned a dime there yet, but I'm confident that if I build it, they will come.   

Bye Bye Cafe Press and HELLO Zazzle! (wolf whistle)

Stop by when you get a chance and let me know what you think!

Hell Yeah! 100% Genuine Redneck Woman

Go Canada!

Go Canada!
The spirit is contagious!


While I may not agree with the amount of $$$ spent on the Olympic games,  I certainly do support our local athletes.  They are the reason for the olympics, the whole purpose of all this nonsense - and the over-commercialized items that have registers cha-chinging everywhere.

The amount of determination and focus these people possess is impressive.

We have a decent medals count now - a few of very color from gold to bronze, and many top 10 finishes. I watch the evening news every evening to see where we stand and swell with pride when I hear of my country's achievements. We may not get a medal with every event, but those that finish off the podium still deserve Kudos - just imagine being one of the top 10!

I am a proud Canadian even when it is not "cool" to be so. I may not have a flag waving out my front door or attached to my truck window - and I may not wear the red and white colored hoodies and toques - But I do know that I am fortunate, or "blessed" to be here.

 What an amazing country to have been born in, what  an amazing country to be living in!

 So along with the rest of the crowd you will hear me chant....

"GO CANADA!"

One week down!

It's been just over a week since we got this year's calves: JimBob, Hank, Delilah, and Bessie.

It's been an interesting week of changing routines to allow for milk feedings in the morning before the school bus arrives, and in the evening just before dark. Then there's the shelter bedding changes, topping up water, hay and grain, and anxious mom syndrome while we assess the health and wellbeing of the little babies.

Shipping fever is a common occurrence for calves being moved from place to place, and a couple of them were feeling a little punky in the back corner of the shelter for a day or two but are lively and alert once more.

Going from excess waste dairy milk at their old farm to commercial milk replacer at ours also caused a little bit of scouring for Delilah and JimBob while their digestive systems adjusted.

Scours, for those unfamiliar with the term is a nice way of saying diarrhea. Explosive, extremely watery, foul smelling diarrhea that can cause a calf to dehydrate and die within days. We added some electrolyte powder to their milk and water, and I tried a commercial Scour Remedy this year which worked wonders to clear that up.

So now they are all pooping solid brown, happily eating hay and grain in addition to two litres of milk twice a day, and lively enough to play ring-around-the-rosy after a feeding.

Life is good in calf land today.

Redneck Hillbillies

RNH - It's the next hip logo for the youngin's to wear, don'tcha know?

Ok, so maybe it'll  just be my chitlin and kidlet wearing this beauty.

It's dirty. It's grungy. It's messy looking.   Perfect!

Almost like the GRG of Garage, or the W49, or the big E for Etnies....

yeah, I can almost hear my kids sighing with a big "not even close, mom!"

A girl can dream, can't she?

www.zazzle.com/redneckhillbillies*/

And Bessie makes FOUR!

<-- Delilah on the left, and the smallest of the bunch, Bessie on the right. Both are Angus X heifers.

Jim-Bob is the Red Angus
and Hank is the holstein.

Give a big welcome to the latest additions to the Redneck Hillbillies family!