A Day of Freebies

I had a shopping list of things that needed to be purchased for projects to be done around the micro farm.

Then I paid the mortgage bill and looked at our bank statement.

Let's just say thank God I got the grocery shopping done BEFORE paying the mortgage.

As crazy as it may sound to many people, I actually pray that God would give me the creativity to make do.  We would love to have a working farm someday, but we can't achieve that dream by blowing Mr. Scott's current paycheck on the micro farm we have.

So, here are today's freebies:

The biggest project was making a gate for the side of the barn that houses the breeding rabbits, feed and hay.  The goats, being very goaty, figured out how to bypass the accordion baby gate I had there.  I was going to build a gate out of wood, fencing, hinges and some sort of latch system, but the shopping list for it started adding up fast.  

So, I wandered our property brainstorming when I came across the headboard to the old crib.  I picked it up and thought, "I bet this is exactly the right width!"  And sure enough, it was!!  I cut off some of the leg so the goats wouldn't figure out how to sneak under.  Then I drilled holes in the left side to weave baling twine in for hinges.  I knotted the hinges to the inside of the gate so the goats couldn't chew on them.  Then, I hammered a fencing staple inside the door frame, added a spare latch to the chain I had on hand and voila!  A (hopefully) goat-proof gate for free!  I like that the crib slats are vertical, which keeps the goats from finding footholds.

The other goat project was recommended by their owner.  I needed to install a leash in the milking area to keep the nervous goat from bolting every milking.  Since she is in so much milk, it takes a while to milk her and she gets bored and just wants to leave long before she's milked out. And when she wants to leave, she doesn't care who's in the way.  Let's just say I have a bruise on my bicept from her running me over while milking her.

So, while this doesn't prevent her from dancing all over the place, shifting and trying to get away, she can't actually run down the corridor (which is too narrow for her to turn around in....she's a good sized goat, for goodness sake).

This lead was made from an unused plant hook I had in my bedroom ceiling.  I squeezed the hook part closed with pliers into an eyelet.  I used baling twine (love that stuff) looped through an extra leash latch I had on hand.  Another freebie!

Laundry is a never-ending task, of course, but I was running low on detergent and what I have on hand I discovered I am allergic to.  So, I poured some borax I had on hand, some baking soda, a scoop of an oxygen detergent I had on hand, grated half a bar of my homemade goat's milk soap, added water and some scented oils and made my own laundry detergent.  Freebie!

Lastly, I removed the air conditioners and put the storm windows back on.  That required needing window cleaner.  Well, my dear daughter asked to wash windows for me a week ago and ended up using almost all of what was left in the bottle of Method.  So, I grabbed the rubbing alcohol and vinegar, added some water and made my own window cleaner.  Freebie #4!