The Evolution of Atlas: A Breeding (and Chat) Thread

[getaclue]

Nice!

 

[MistyMountain]

Hello outside world! Cyn, wow, those biscuits look amazing. I've got to tackle making biscuits one of these days. We don't eat them often and the frozen kind have been so nice when we just want a few in the morning. I'm currently conflicted about getting a big stand mixer. I could never justify having one, for the cost or the counter space. My little hand mixer worked just fine. Well, in these days of isolation and limited bread products, I find myself kneading (uhh, needing?) one more and more. No only do 90% of the recipes I have found online use one, it would certainly help me be more efficient with my time. I'd like to think that after everything settles I will continue to bake our own bread and this might help me stick to it. Bread is not all, though. Gabby girl will calve in July, so I'll be milking once a day. I'll have a use for the mixer for butter making, among other things. Any suggestions on a model?

I hope you all are doing well. I've not left the house in 5+ weeks now. It's funny because nothing has really changed for us here. Introvert me is thriving to say the least. Home school for the boys is not bad at all. We do what we can, and let it be. They get plenty of real life experience on the farm outside of the paperwork. I love having them home with me, and running on our own schedule. I've worked from home for the last 15 years, so managing my work and kids is nothing new.

 

[speckledhen]

I'm currently conflicted about getting a big stand mixer. I could never justify having one, for the cost or the counter space. My little hand mixer worked just fine. Well, in these days of isolation and limited bread products, I find myself kneading (uhh, needing?) one more and more. No only do 90% of the recipes I have found online use one, it would certainly help me be more efficient with my time. I'd like to think that after everything settles I will continue to bake our own bread and this might help me stick to it. Bread is not all, though. Gabby girl will calve in July, so I'll be milking once a day. I'll have a use for the mixer for butter making, among other things. Any suggestions on a model?

I've had my Kitchen Aid mixer my mother gave us for a wedding present for 44 years now. I just noticed that the head near the front has developed a minor crack, but she has never failed to work for me. Now they come in all sort of gorgeous colors and with new attachments. I just have three attachments for mine, nothing major. Pricey, but if they still make them like they used to, worth the money. Of course, I don't use a mixer for biscuits and so far, Tom likes to use the bread machine for bread, but I've made Gump Bread ala gumpsgirl and other breads by hand in the past.

I hope you all are doing well. I've not left the house in 5+ weeks now.

I've been home for 6 weeks myself, by my count.


Just ordered a two-camera security system by Defender for house and barn, with two way audio. Had great reviews unlike many with multiple cameras. So, we'll see. Have to decide where to put the camera outside the barn.

 

[speckledhen]

So, which corner of the barn would you put the camera on? I want to point it in the general direction of the barn door, though that will leave the garage roll up door uncovered (it would make major noise being unlocked and rolled up, though). So, front corner closest to the house and the front pen entry gate pointed toward the barn door area and maybe getting some of the rear pen, or back corner pointed toward the front pen gate and the door? If I put it on the front corner pointing at the door, it won't get the pen gate we enter when coming from the house. If I put it on the back corner pointing at the barn entry door, it may show part of the entry gate, but not the back gate where someone may come from the pasture/rear. Here is a photo for you, taken just after it was put up so it shows both gates I'm talking about. There is already a sign on that tree nearest the door with a solar motion light that says "Smile, You're on Camera". I also ordered four more of those lights. I like those and already have them in various locations.

Oh, it's this Defender camera system I got, one camera for the house and one for the barn. Has very good ratings on several sites. Just need to decide where to put the barn one, right corner or left corner facing the barn this way

 

[1muttsfan]

While I never thought I would need one, I have a KitchenAid stand mixer and I have to say I really like it. it was a refurbished model from Amazon and I got it at quite a discount, but it works fine. I would not, however, consider it a replacement for a small hand mixer. It is hard to do small batches in the stand mixer. It is easy to use and clean, but it does take up some counter space.

 

[speckledhen]

It is easy to use and clean, but it does take up some counter space.

It does take up room and it's heavy to move. I move mine to a closet shelf when not in use and back to the island when I need it, which isn't really often. I don't own a hand mixer at all.

 

[getaclue]

Some of it depends on what you're trying to see. If you are trying to catch people/animals breaching your perimeter, then put it further out, where it shows that. You can put up a fence post, exactly where you need it, and put the camera on it. Even if it doesn't cover the garage, you will get an alarm, before they even get to the garage, so you are prepared.

 

[speckledhen]

Some of it depends on what you're trying to see. If you are trying to catch people/animals breaching your perimeter, then put it further out, where it shows that. You can put up a fence post, exactly where you need it, and put the camera on it. Even if it doesn't cover the garage, you will get an alarm, before they even get to the garage, so you are prepared.

I want it up high so no one can easily get to it to trash it. It has to have power, which we can run into the eaves of the barn so a fence post won't really work anyway. I dare anyone to try to access the barn through the roll up door when we're home, which is pretty much 24/7 and at night, there is the baby monitor in the barn that will telegraph their activity. That thing is so blasted noisy. The human entry door could be lock-picked so that is where I want to focus. When my chickens groups are fewer and I can corral them into fewer pens, I will divide the barn into chickens in front and storage in the back half of the barn where the roll up door is so even without chickens, I need security.

I could possibly put it on the back of that old coop that is nearest the barn pointed toward the barn, though. Hmm, that's a thought. It would show the entire front of the barn and a good portion of the pen that way and that building has power as well.

 

[getaclue]

When you get it mounted, as you can afford it, consider getting one or two of these: https://www.amazon.com/s?k=infrared+lighting&ref=nb_sb_noss_1 They do a great job of boosting the lighting, so you get a clearer picture, AND can see further.

 

[getaclue]

Sounds like a plan....