James Hill Goats

Let's see...I'll admit I'm getting older, and I forget things sometimes.  But I sure don't remember moving and I haven't rerouted my mail.  So tell me why we're preparing for a SECOND winter storm in the less than a week!!!  More ice, maybe snow...DEFINITELY  a muddy, mushy COLD mess for the next two days. Right here in the heart of the south in good ole Louisiana.  Squeeze had the same reaction as me when I told her the news:  What...more icy slush!?!

It's been far too long since we've last posted, and I feel I've fallen out of touch with many of our friends.  Seems the chaos of today's world crept sneaking onto James Hill and thoroughly disrupted our quiet life on the farm.  

Funny, isn't it?  The world starts spinning a little faster every day, and you don't notice it right off.  An added obligation here, a new responsibility there.  One morning you open your eyes to a life spun out of control.  

Then it's time to shake off the craziness of our "modern" world.  To take a moment to enjoy living.  To have a cup of coffee and rock on the porch.  So friends, come on in. Welcome back to James Hill.

As you might well guess, we here at James Hill are fond of most things old-fashioned...vintage items as well as old-time skills and traditions.  And what better way to combine those things than a high tea?  Most any occasion (or no occasion at all !) is a great excuse to set the table with our favorite thrift store and flea market finds, and enjoy some good food and quality family time.

 

Just before I sat down to write this entry, I walked out on the porch to watch it snow.  Yes, SNOW!!!  For the forth time this winter...in Louisiana.  I almost postponed this writing for a later date.  But as hard as it is to believe, time is marching on and spring will be here before you know it!

This past Saturday, my son and I took advantage of the 70 degree weather to catch up on our spring chores.  We did some major cutting back of our perenniel herbs, evergreen shrubbery, vining roses and blackberry bushes.  Dug the majority of the weeds from the garden spot, and spread the site with compost to be tilled in later this week.  Cleaned the chicken coops and scattered them with rosemary trimmings to discourage insect and rodent pests.  All in all, a very busy day.  But it was easy to keep in good spirits with reminders of spring popping up, like this double daffodil we transplanted from an old home site a few years ago:

With the exception of kidding and harvest time, early Spring is our busiest time here at James Hill.  Late February/early March is the ideal time for many Louisiana gardening activities.  Fruit and nut-bearing trees need to be planted now, and it's a good time to trim up and fertilize those orchard trees we already have.  Potatoes, onions, and that spring crop of greens need to be planted now to take advantage of the season before summer temps get too hot.  

The Louisiana State University Ag Center has a wealth of information on home gardening, as well as a calendar outlining garden and livestock related activities and offerings for our state.  Visit their website at www.lsuagcenter.com  

2013 was a very stressful year for our family...we welcomed new members, while we said goodbye to others.  We apologize to our readers.  In trying to keep up with everything life threw our way, we let our blog go to the wayside.

It is a brand new year, and we look forward to the challenges this year will bring!  Our goals are set, and we are making strides (OK...maybe baby steps!) toward reaching them.  One of these goals is to bring a new look and focus to our site so that it more clearly reflects our family's purpose and outlook. 

We will present more in-depth and informative content on goat and chicken care,  recipes and tutorials for cheese, soap and other goat milk products, and LOTS of "upcycle" and DIY projects.  Our web store will be functional with unique product offerings by late spring/early summer.  

So drop us a line, say "Hello", and let us know what you think as we clear a new path into 2014!  

Over the last few weeks we have put a good bit of time into fine-tuning our recent retail opportunity. We have updated our packaging and presentation, and are striving to bring unique and memorable merchandise to our customers.  

You know we love all things antique and vintage, and are passionate about reducing our "carbon footprint" through recycling, upcycling and repurposing items.  Going "junking" is a favorite activity for all the members of our family, young and old.  So it just seems natural that vintage and upcycled treasures would make their way into our retail offerings! 

From delicate china teacups to repurposed barnwood shelves, many of our favorite pieces are being offered as individual purchases or packaged with our soaps in unique gift sets.  

Drop by and see us at Serendipity, the upscale flea market on Main Street in Jonesboro, Louisiana.  They are open 10am-6pm Tuesday through Friday, 9am-2pm on Saturday.  And stop back by our blog and check us out on Facebook...we'll be posting "sneak peaks" of fabulous finds and upcycling projects.

In today's world it's easy to get caught up in the rush, never taking time to experience the simple beauty in our surroundings.  Take a moment...take a breath...don't "look"... just see.  Below, a single feather from a common guinea fowl.  Beautiful. 

Recently I purchased several air plants from Tilly's Air Plants, and have been searching for a unique display medium for a smal collection of them.  I finally decided on using an old deer skull that I found in the woods nearby a couple of years ago.  First, we applied three coats of varnish to the skull to give it some color and depth:

I only used one coat on the antlers to maintain the contrast between them and the bony part of the skull:

For the base, I "repurposed"  an old piece of cedar porch board.  The grayish color of the wood compliments the darker brown tint of the varnish, and it had just the right weathered, rustic look:

Since we are going to display the piece sitting on a surface, hot glue was sufficient to secure the skull to the board.  If we planned to mount the display on the wall, a small screw or two would have been more appropriate.  Air plants require neither soil nor "watering" per se...weekly misting will suffice. This allows the plants themselves to be tucked into the natural openings in the specimen, and secured with a small dot of hot glue.  I'm very pleased at how well it turned out.  Very interesting and unique!

There is a definite snap in the air, even here in the deep South.  Fall is on the way!  Crisp orange and red leaves raked into a pile, ready for jumping in. Warm apple cider with a sprinkle of cinnamon to warm you up when you finish up the evening chores.  Pumpkins and gourds and scarecrows...a riot of color and texture!  

To dress up the house a bit, we always decorate a grapevine wreath for the season.  While wandering a thrift shop and yard sale or two (or three or four...but who's counting?), I found all the materials for this years wreath.  A mass of flowers in fall orange and red, acorns and corn.  A smiling scarecrow.  A showy orange and gold scarf.  Perfect!  And all materials were less than four dollars (including the wreath).  It looks perfect on the split level railing, overlooking the dining area: