If, like me, you get tired of people who do all the things and seem to have gorgeous houses for showing off online (or just being proud of - no judgement!), you'll appreciate this glimpse into my actual life: Yep, that's real. An actual mountain of dishes.
Next time I am about to impulse purchase something, I hope to remember this. Seriously, it's way too easy to get into debt these days and unlike the days of yore, it seems pretty socially acceptable. I have a small business so I have to have a credit card for that. But my goal is to get out of my credit card debt (yes, I do have some personal credit card debt) and really just have it for emergencies. So, when I went North to get Vespy, I might have also accidentally brought home a trio of muscovies. I absolutely adore them already!
Why muscovies? So many reasons, really. The domestic muscovy duck ( Cairina moschata forma domestica) is a large duck that comes to us from Latin and South America with small wild/feral populations all over the place. They're not related to the mallard derived breeds so any cross between a mallard-esque duck and muscovy will be sterile. They're called hinnies around here though word is they're officially called Mulards. So, how large is a large duck? The males can weigh 15lbs and females max out at about half that. They can be any number of colours or colour combinations of whites, browns, greys, and blacks. Both sexes have red or pink wattles on their faces. They also have seriously epic claws on their webbed feet. In spite of the warmer origins of the muscovy, it can thrive in much colder conditions. Here, they live in temperatures as cold as -30*C. Muscovies are fascinating in the way they communicate, using a variety of hisses and bobbing head gestures to make their point to one another. They don't really quack at all, though they can make this squawky sort of sound if they need to. There are a tonne of stories about the origins of the muscovy name. The story I like best is that it relates to their fondness for eating mosquitoes. And they truly are fond of mosquitoes. I love how they keep the populations down. They lay tonnes of delicious ducky eggs that, if you have a boy and you don't collect them, after 35 days of incubation, will turn into absolutely adorable cheepers. The cheepers will stick with their mums for up to three months because they need her heat to keep them warm. Although they don't form breeding pairs, a drake will help with protecting the hen on a nest, and babies, once hatched. PS - if you've ever eaten Barbary duck, that's the culinary way to say C. moschata. Well, in spite of my best efforts, I've given in to my habit. And yes, another goat came home. He's just young but shows great promise. He comes out of spectacular dairy and temperament bloodlines, and we love him already.
I cannot wait to see his babies! So, it seems that 2015 is my year of changing, learning, and growing. Of course every year is like that to some degree but this year, this year has taken the cake in that regard. My latest learning and growing experience consists of my iPhone and some water (yes, right out of my pocket and into the toilet). So, why do you need to know about this whole TMI situation? Well two reasons.
The first is that it's meant no pictures of things that usually motivate me to get a post up. The second is that I found out that although I purchased Apple Care +, it's not showing up on my local shop's system. So that's meant a week with no phone. Now this is definitely a first world (or developed world, to be more accurate) problem but a problem it is. In my case, it's not just a convenience thing, I use my phone with my clients to book appointments etc. so this has made it tough for them to get ahold of me. In future, I'll be going to my local provider to be sure that my Apple Care+ is showing up on their system before there's a problem. Coming up next... tomatoes! The first crop of chicks were a surprise. Momma just arrived with eight chicks in tow. Cornish hens, gotta love them!
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AuthorI'm a 40-something writer and smallholder living in the wilds of BC with my family, our small herd of Nigerian Dwarf Goats, chickens, ducks, dogs, and cats. Archives
August 2017
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