A Word About Christmas

I did the first bit of Christmas shopping last week. The weather here was so warm for so long that it seemed to go strait from summer to winter, and along with winter... the holidays! I felt so unprepared!!! Since our middle daughter's birthday is December 1st, we don't decorate for Christmas until after her birthday. I don't want her birthday to be swallowed up with Christmas trees and stockings. However, I do like to have most, if not all, the Christmas shopping done by then. I'll tell you a little secret... I hate shopping, and I LOATHE malls! But what's most abhorant to me of all is the unashamed, greedy credit card wielders.On second thought, no, I dont' abhore them, I pity them. Perhaps it's not greed (well, not all of it anyways.) Perhaps more often than not it's simply discontentedness. A lost people who have no real purpose or don't abide in the Purpose they do have, and seek to fill the void with the sparkle and shine of every new gadget and what-ama-call-it the stores offer. (I am making a very broad generalization , and I'm quite sure you, dear reader, do not fall into this catagory.) The problem with all the flash and glitter is that, come January, its glory fades. Now all that's left is the mountain of garbage bags filled with crumpled wrapping paper and torn boxes, a credit card bill that is as long as Santa's toy list was, and a heap of "stuff" that has to made room for in closets or on toy shelves. And on top of it all, there is usually no more good chocolate left to console oneself with (all that's left are the waxy chocolates with the pink junk in the middle that looks like it should be delectable, but somehow reminds you of silly putty when you bite into it... you know the ones I'm talking about.)

So what to do about it? I honestly don't know.... for you that is. For me, I chose to simplify. Fist of all, we don't buy our children ton's of gift. There is no reason that children need more than a few. (I had to learn great self-control to turn away from buy any one of a million - and there really are millions - things that I know would put a smile on their precious little faces.) I purchase or make a couple of things, usually of my choosing, that I know will make them happy for a long time to come and not be tossed into the toy box not to be seen again for months or years. This not only teaches them that it is ok to not get everything you want (which is why most Americans, and even our government, are so greatly in debt. I firmly believe that a little self-denial is a healthy thing) but it encourages them to treat the few things they do receive with greater appreciation and care. I don't want to run my household like the throw-away society that has become our nation.

Starting the first paycheck after Christmas I put a pre-determined amount of cash into an enveloped marked "Christmas," and I continue to put the same amount of money in the envelope each and every paycheck for one full calendar year. That is my Christmas budget. And I don't break it. That means that when I want to buy my hubby that fishing pole for only $25 more than this fishing pole, I buy this one. It means that I would really love to get just that one extra little (fill in the blank)... I simply don't! Right now, our family Christmas budget is $600, and that includes EVERYTHING pertaining to Christmas, decorations, cards and stamps, cookie making ingredients, and gifts for the extended family as well. It means that we generally don't get to spend more than $50 per person actually living in our house. And do you know what? We're happy!!! Last year I didn't even put the presents under the tree until Christmas Eve. Instead I put our Nativity scene under the tree as a reminder of the true Christmas gift!

It isn't easy to balance out the constant pull of a commercialized Christmas, but if I do not fight back and make a concious effort to capture the true meaning of Christmas in my childrens' hearts, I only contribute to the Enemy's efforts: to draw attention away from our precious Christ! When Christmas comes around each and every year for the rest of my childrens' lives, I want them to be full to the brim with joy in their Purpose! and not seek aimlessly for shallow purpose at a mall, credit card at the ready.

(Stepping off of soap box... walking away)

Meat Rabbit Economy

I have been interested in raising meat rabbits for a couple of years now. It is a high protein, low fat meat. On the occasion that my husband has brought home wild rabbit for dinner, we have all enjoyed its flavor. But, I wondered, would raising rabbits for meat be economical enough for our already tight budget?

This year, at our county fair, I made it a point to walk through the rabbit barn. As hoped, I ran into a boy who had brought his rabbits for competition. He informed me that his dad heads up the meat rabbit division of our local 4-H club! After a very informative half hour of talking with the boy's father, I went home feeling greatly encouraged. But still the issue of costs lingered in my mind. This man was a professional and had many rabbits... enough that if one of his does had a particularly small litter, it wouldn't affect his overall production enough to matter. I needed to get down to the nitty-gritty... the dollars and cents of the matter.

Meat has been on mine and my husbands minds a lot lately. So while my husband was away hunting for elk, I took advantage of the quiet, lonely (once the girls were in bed ;-) ) evenings and, armed with my homesteading books and a list of the prices of feed from our local co-op, I settled down with my calculator and pen and got to work. Here is what I did and what you can do if you are interest in raising rabbits for meat.

Considering that the average 10 lb breeding rabbit eats 10.5 oz of food a day, you can either feed 10.5 oz of complete feed rabbit pellets OR 3.5 oz hen scratch (or other blend of grains) plus 7 oz of alfalfa.

The first thing to do is find out how much your feed costs per oz. To do this, multiply the number of pounds per bale or bag by 16. That will tell you how many ounces there are in a bag or bale. Forty pounds is 640 oz and 50 lbs is 800 oz. The average bale of alfalfa is 40 lbs (640 oz.).

weight of bag or bale in pounds x 16 = weight of bag or bale in ounces

Next, take the price of the bale or bag and divide it by how many ounces it contains.

price of bag or bale / weight of bag or bale in ounces = cents per ounce

Now calculate the cost of feed per rabbit per day, but multiplying the number of ounces of that particular type of feed you are feeding (either rabbit pellets or the scratch/alfalfa blend) times the number of ounces of each type of feed you are feeding.

cents per ounce (scratch) x 3.5 oz = cost of scratch per rabbit per day

+

cents per ounce (alfalfa) x 7 oz = cost of alfalfa per rabbit per day

= cost of feed per rabbit per day (in cents)

OR

cents per ounce (rabbit pellets) x 10.5 = cost of pellets per rabbit per day (in cents)

Now we know how much it costs to keep one adult breeding rabbit for one day. It's time to find out how much it will cost a in feed to raise a kit to butchering age. Each kit will eat an average of 4 lbs (64 oz) of feed from birth to butchering. If you are feeding rabbit pellets, simply multiply the cost per ounce of pellets times 64 oz. Your answer will be in cents and you may want to divide that number by 100 to translate it into dollars. If you are feeding a blend of scratch and alfalfa you will need to multiply the cost of each type of feed times the total ounces you will be feeding each type of feed ( 27 oz of scratch and 38 oz of alfalfa) and adding those two numbers together.

(costs of scratch per oz x ounces being fed (27 oz)) +
(cost of alfalfa per oz x ounces being fed (38 oz)) = cost of (4 lbs ) feed

That will be the cost to raise one kit. But the doe has an average litter of 8 kits, and most breeders breed the doe so that she has one litter every 3 months. So now it gets a little tricky. First, find the cost of your adult rabbits for three months.

cost of feed per rabbit per day x number of rabbits x 92 days
= cost of adult rabbits over three months

You need to take the cost it takes to raise each kit times the number of kits you will average (depend on the number of does you breed). To that number you will add the cost of your adult rabbits over three months. This will give you the total cost to raise your kits and maintain the buck and does for three full months.

(cost per kit per day x average number of kits)
+
cost of adult rabbits over three months
=
total cost of kits and breeding rabbits for three months

We're almost done! Take your total cost of kits and breeding rabbits for three months and divide it by your average number of kits. This will tell you how much you are actually spending per each rabbit you will be eating.

Total cost of kits and breeding rabbits for three months /
average number of kits
=
cost per rabbit you will be eating

Now, the final step!! To find out how much it will cost per pound of meat. The average kit (now young rabbit) produces an average of 2 lbs of meat. So... take your cost per rabbit you will be eating and divide it by 2 lbs.

cost per rabbit you will be eating / # of pound of meat per rabbit
=
total cost per pound of meat

Every three months you will be rebreeding your does and your whole cost analysis cycle will repeat.

In my case, I will be feeding a mixture of hen scratch ($9.87 for a 50 lb bag) and alfalfa pellets ($10.52 for a 50 lb bag) so it will cost me $40.57 to maintain my trio (a buck and 2 does) for three months. Since I will have two does, I should get an average of 16 kits every three months. It will cost me about $1.27 to feed one kit to butchering time. When I multiply that by 16 kits and add in the cost to maintain the buck and does it should cost me a total of $60.89 over a three month period. When I divide that by 32 (the number of pound of meat I should get from my 16 kits) I come up with the final cost of $1.90 per pound!!!

Now that makes sense and saves dollars!!!!

Bee Stings and Plantain

This last Thursday my middle daughter stepped on a bee's stinger that happened to be in the carpet by the window. She and I are both supper sensitive (possibly allergic) to bee stings. Poor girl! Her foot swelled up like a football and of course was as itchy as could be. For nearly four days she couldn't wear shoes and could hardly walk on that foot. In fact, she developed a fever the morning after she was stung. I'm not sure if the fever was related to the sting or her cold. None the less, I would feel more comfortable carrying an epi-pen in case of future stings. Unfortunatly, I've asked our doctor about getting an epi-pen and she didn't feel we needed one. I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it! But I'm at her mercy. So, I decided to do the next best thing... Plantain! No, not the banana variety. Plantain is an herb with very strong drawing abilities. It has many other beneficial qualities as well, but being able to soak up or draw out toxins is its most noted. The best method of use is simply a fresh plantain/spit poultice. Since I don't have access to fresh plantain for at least 6 months out of the year I use it dried. I took about a teaspoon of plantain powder wrapped in a small baggie (I put the dried plantain leaves in the coffee grinder to powder them) and placed it in a small Altoid tin. Along with the baggie of plantain powder I put in three fast melt Benedryl tablets and the directions for their use along with their expiration date.

I put my new Bee Sting Kit in my purse so I have it wherever I am. Armed with my new bee sting kit, I feel a little more prepared to help the next sting victim.
*To make a plantian/spit poultice chew up a fresh plantain leaf and spit the wad onto the affected area. Let it sit there for a half an hour. Repeat as neccessary. Using plantain powder, I will just mix some good ol' mama juice (spit) and enough powder to form a paste and apply it to the affected area for the same amount of time.