Carla Burke

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since Oct 29, 2013
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Biography
A Christian & devoted Patriot, wife, soap maker, herbalist, formerly a homeschooler, baker, truck driver, and more. I was born in the South, but actually grew up around the Great Lakes. Both of my childhood families had big, lush gardens,& preserved everything they could for the winter. I carried that into my own life. But, change happens and for over a decade, it just wasn't an option. Now, retired in the Ozarks, on 29 heavily wooded acres of mostly ravines, our best crops are nearly inaccessible wild blackberries, rocks, wild herbs, and ticks. We're utilizing our burgeoning small-livestock collection, straw bales, raised beds, and containers to build soil, and a better, healthier life for ourselves and our beloved critters, who provide us with eggs, meat, milk, fiber, honey, beeswax, fertilizer, tick control, brush control, 'lawn' mowing, loads of entertainment, and even help turn the compost.
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Recent posts by Carla Burke

Ugh - I'm SOOOO not looking forward to that project! We have a (very) rough idea where ours is, but we've never found an access. I keep hoping that with great care, we won't ever have to go on that particular hunt, before we find the access...
12 hours ago
I've thought about sterno & DIY sterno, and that might still be the route I go. I like the battery operated co2 idea. The 'tent' wouldn't be much more than a wind/rain break, to start with, as it would be comprised of a tarp, the car door or trunk lid, or a tree (to keep it off me) & some tie-downs. Our family (though not me, personally) has had too much loss - including life - to fires, for me to get stupid with it. That said, not everyone has, and it's good to reiterate.
1 day ago
Many in the colder parts of the world keep a survival kit in their vehicles, in case they break down on the road. I don't go far north, anymore, especially in the winter, but even when there's no snow, it can get pretty cold out, especially at night. I have no budget for one of those little tent stoves or fuel, to simply sit unused (potentially/ hopefully forever), in the trunk. But, I'd love to have means to heat a tent & cook a simple meal with minimal wood fuel.

Toward that end, I've looked at plans for several different DIY mini stoves, including coffee can rockets with perlite/ cement, stacked cinder blocks (seems kinda hazardous in a tent), 5gallon bucket ones (these are too big, btw), and canned food ones that use waxes, or oils (again, oil/wax seems hazardous in a tent).

With the understanding that there will always be a need for ventilation, have you found something DIY you like, for this? The DIY, mini size, & no-cost fuel are important.
1 day ago

John C Daley wrote:If there was a large area in the tractor for a small number of bunnies, would that reduce the incidence of infection?



It will help. But, the very best way to limit the chances would be to move the tractor, every day, not passing over the same spot, for at least several weeks.
2 days ago
Hi, Nancy! If the fat has been cleaned of all traces of meat, and all the moisture has been evaporated out of it, most animal fats can sit at room temperature - even in a warm room, for months. Think lard, bacon grease, schmaltz, & beef tallow. I think this is a great idea, and, with a bit of modification, I want to try it, too. Herbs and spices can always be added, at cooking time, and most dried ones could even be added to the base, before storage.
2 days ago
Hi, Elanor - and, thank you! May I ask which of his books? He has several out, now.
2 days ago
Those "amazing farm sitters" make all the difference in the world. We currently have 23 chickens, 5 muscovy ducks, 9 "mutt" ducks, 1 sheep, and 9 goats. I can set things up so we can get away for about a week, in Spring or Autumn, only needing someone to come collect eggs each day (so the chickens don't eat them & they don't attract snakes). We have a couple friends who are willing to do that, though not daily for a whole week, and 1 of them can check on the 4leggers. So we rotate, so that the one who lives furthest away only needs to come once or twice - but she's the only one who knows anything about the 4leggers. The best thing is that we *can* get away; 2nd best thing about this arrangement is they do it for just the eggs they collect, in payment.
The downsides for us, are that with only a couple friends available, we have to be very careful not to leave them(or us) feeling like we're taking undue advantage of them, and there have been a couple instances where one of them wasn't able to come when they were supposed to, or when something off the wall happened that they didn't know how to address. My mom, who lives 9hrs away, is in poor health, and a simple fall could kill her, if she lands wrong, so we're trying hard not to go anywhere, just in case. But, we also have 3 indoor dogs, who are all very attached to their humans, and don't do well, if we're gone from them, more than a day. So, we work hard at finding ways to take them. Two are small, and easy to travel with, particularly in finding hotels that will allow them. The 3rd one is an Irish Wolfhound. Few hotels will allow a dog that size, and most of our friends and family have things in their homes that her tail will destroy, just walking by - if she were to get the zoomies, their belongings would be destroyed. "Oh, what's that? An irreplaceable, antique, heirloom vase that my dog's tail just nonchalantly swished off the shelf?" 'Oops - I'm so sorry' just isn't going to cut it...

Our only other solutions are not being away more than 2 nights, or only one of us being gone, so the other can take care of the farm & dogs. This coming autumn, for example, we have a family wedding to attend, in the Chicago area. Rather than trying to find someone to help on the farm and boarding the 3 dogs, we plan to find a pet friendly hotel, only stay 2 nights, and I'll stay at the hotel with the dogs, while John goes to the wedding, and my daughters, who live in the area, can come visit me, at the hotel. This past Autumn, my son, in Central IL (still over 5hrs away),  had 2 separate events, 2weeks apart, that we wanted us to attend. I went to the first, while John stayed home, then John went to the 2nd, while I stayed home. It's not ideal, and can be sad and frustrating, but it's efficient.
3 days ago
I always suggest that research be done, with a bent toward looking deeply and honestly at the family temperaments, activity levels, and proclivities, available space for running, shelter, etc. I find it much easier to choose by first eliminating the ones that would be an obvious bad match. Even with an outside dog. A working dog breed will need work to do, pretty much daily, or it will find things to do, that may or may not be to your liking.  A runner or hunting type dog breed will need LOADS of exercise, and will become an escape artist, to get it, if necessary.  A herding breed *will* herd, even if there is only the family, to herd - often by any means they can, including nipping at heels & ankles. Sight hounds need fencing (or to be on lead), or you might never see them again, once they spot a rabbit, squirrel, other dog, cat... Fluffy breeds can be very happy, in the cold, but will need a lot of grooming, if the areas they roam have burrs, thistles, etc. Non-fluffy ones will need better insulation in their shelter.

Once you eliminate the ones that won't fit your situation, the choices will be much easier.


3 days ago
Yikes, Trace. Poor baby. Hopefully, he'll heal fast & painlessly, and your lives can get back to normal, soon.
6 days ago