New Kitchen Floor: A Scary Decision

In my last kitchen remodel post I showed you the newly installed floor. Dan had to go out over the road right after we got it down, so the next steps had to wait, the next steps being staining and then applying a polyurethane finish.

Color of course, is a subjective preference. In my mind's eye, my new kitchen had dark floors. The original ceramic tile (besides missing grout and being badly cracked, photo click here) was light in color and showed every spill and speck of dirt. The hardwood underneath was dark, but in very bad shape (photos & problems here.) The new pine plank floor, in it's natural state was light, and looked clean and bright on the floor. Problem was, neither Dan nor I liked it that way. To stain it darker though, is one of those decisions we were hesitant about. Paint is one thing, it's color can be changed if it doesn't work out. Stain cannot.

Still, my kitchen wanted those darker floors. This is odd for me because I'm all about light, though I admit the solid white kitchen we started with (photos here) annoyed me, because I'm all about color too. The problem is that a dark surface absorbs light, especially a dark non-reflective surface. Dark is also said to give the illusion of smaller, while white expands, but good grief my kitchen is really small no matter what. No sense trying to pretend it's not. What I noticed in the hundreds of model kitchen photos I looked at, was that the "success" of dark cabinets and floors, was based on their finish. Those with a flat finish appeared dark and close and I didn't like them. Those with a glossier finish worked for me, because they reflected light, brightening up the kitchen tremendously, while still giving the "look" I was going for.

So here's the stain job, a view from the back door ....

We were really happy with it when we were done. I love how it "aged" the floor, giving it the rustic old farmhouse look we were going for.

I did not get any photos of the process, because it took the two of us working in a coordinated and timely manner. Dan applied the stain and I wiped up the excess. Since we managed this floor is warm weather, it didn't take all that long to dry, unlike the dining/living room floors, which took forever to dry in December!

Next step, applying the polyurethane (click here to go to that post). Doing the floor seems like a turning point. The last of the old will be gone, and the rest of the new can now commence.

New Kitchen Floor: A Scary Decision © April 2012 by Leigh at http://my5acredream.blogspot.com/

Riley's Wordless Wednesday

Riley in his off duty station

Riley's Wordless Wednesday © April 2012 by Leigh at http://www.5acresandadream.com/

Dry Spell (A Goat Post)

Neither Dan nor I are milk drinkers. We do however, love yogurt. A favorite quick breakfast at our house is a bowl of cold cereal with yogurt instead of milk. We like cheese too (mozzarella making I'm pretty confident with, hard cheese on the other hand.... ) We like having cream for coffee, butter, or whipping. The rest I cook with (especially baking), and feed to the chickens, Kris, and Riley when he's in the mood. I'm also thinking future pig feed.

In the goat world, does are typically dried up two months before their kidding due dates. This is to give their bodies a chance to put their reserves into the needs of the growing kid(s) inside them. It means though, that when they are dry, so is the milk jug. Even after kidding, if they suckle their own or their milk is bottle fed back to their kids, there is no milk for the goatherd.

I couldn't imagine not having yogurt however, so I froze about a dozen half-gallons for our dry spell. For yogurt, this is working okay, sort of. I recall having successfully frozen half-gallon cartons of homogenized, pasteurized, organic (cows') milk in the past, but my raw goats milk separates. Not just into cream and milk again, but into a top white layer and a bottom clear, whey like layer. I shake it well before making yogurt, but the result is that the bottom of the yogurt jar is more grainy in texture. Kris and Riley didn't mind, so of course no waste. On the other hand, it takes up a lot of room in the freezer, and there is the occasional misfortune of breaking a half-gallon glass jar. I don't think I'll freeze milk again this summer.

One plus for Kinders, is that they are aseasonal breeders. All (at least I think all) the dairy breeds of goats are seasonal breeders. They go into heat when the days get shorter, and kid in the spring. Other breeds like Pygmies, can be bred at other times of the year. Kinders inherit this quality, so it is possible to have both spring and fall kiddings. That means a year round milk supply.

Another possibility, is that of "milking through." Some does can produce an uninterrupted supply of milk for up to two years, if not re-bred. Production might decrease some when she's in heat, but can usually be brought back up again. This in fact, is a technique that some dairy breeders practice. Though it means fewer kids, it is less stress for the doe in the long run and can increase her productive life. It also means a year round supply of milk.

I just read recently, that for breeds that frequently birth multiples, like Kinders, carrying the weight of quads or quints year after year takes it's toll on the doe's body. Eventually she can end up with hind leg weakness. This seems another good reason to alternate a doe's kidding years and milk her through in the year's she isn't bred.

During our dry spell as we have to rely on the milk I froze for this time of year, I'm mulling the possibilities over. For not being milk drinkers, it's amazing how much we rely on our goats' milk. Not only for us, but I find my chickens' eggs have stronger shells when they drink it regularly. Plus raw goat milk is good for our growing puppy.

For another take on milking through, the following is a link to an article in Dairy Goat Journal:

"Milking Through: Dairy Goats Can Produce Longer Than Expected to Better Meet Owner Needs"

Dry Spell (A Goat Post) © April 2012 by Leigh at http://my5acredream.blogspot.com/