The Artistic Farmer

As with humans, our animal friends are prone to anxiety and stress and sometimes require an herbal aid to help calm their nerves. Several herbs used for relieving stress in humans may be applied to cats, dogs, horses and birds. Calming herbs help cure anxiety in animals due to traveling, the introduction of a new pet, shows and races, and for breaking bad habit

Dogs

• Herbs to help ease anxiety in dogs include chamomile, which calms the nerves and induces sleep. Try soaking a treat in chamomile tea or giving your dog some tea before a long car ride. Skullcap is an effective sedative herb for nervous tension in dogs, according to Natural Dog Health Remedies, and also helps epileptic dogs. Valerian, another natural sedative, is available in capsule and tincture form and helps ease over-excitability and tension in pooches. Saint John's Wort is another herbal sedative that combines well with Valerian.

  Cats

  • Cats suffering from anxiety and nervousness may benefit from catnip, which can be utilized as a mild sedative that promotes sleep and calms the nerves. It also helps ease stomach upsets and gas

Horses

• Calm horses with Vervain, which is often used for calm spooked thoroughbred horses. The hops plant helps process their nerves through their heads, according to Honeyvale Herbs, as the mind of a horse is constantly buzzing and easily distracted. Passiflora helps stop ingrained bad behavior and works well in conjunction with other calming herbs. As with dogs, Valerian and chamomile are helpful for calming horses, particularly before a show or race

  Birds

  • Chamomile is used to calm parrots and may also be used to kill staph and yeast infections. Kava Kava is an herb from the pepper family that has sedative effects and can be used to ease hyperactivity and feather plucking in parrots. Valerian and Saint John's Wort are used with parrots for their sedative properties as well as the Passionflower herb.

It's going to be another perfect day. It was pretty cool this morning but the sun is shining beautifully. What a wonderful way to start the day :)

I just love Texas, Yeah, it might be hot in the summer but I tell you what, I don't miss the snow and ice at all. We might get a few days of this every year but for me, that is A-OK.

Wishing all of ya'll a wonderful day

Petra

www.texasherbcompany.com

Just wanted to take the time to send out a GREAT BIG KUDOS to all of you that are supporting your Local Growers. You make it possible for us to do what we do. Working towards strengthening our local economy. Keep going strong we THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts

Hello Everyone

I like to invite ya'll to my new great newsletter (it's FREE), where you find great ideas on everything that has to do with yarn as well as awesome tips on herbal remedies and homade herbal goodies.

http://eepurl.com/tCjLD (This is the link to sign up with)

Of course I share a glimpse of the farmlife with all of you and hope that you enjoy this little window of daily homesteading.

Have a Happy Saturday

Yours Truly

Petra

www.texasherbcompany.com

Good Morning Everyone

It has been a pretty busy few month here at the Farm. After harvesting and prepping herbs for drying the camelid girls where ready to bless us with new llam babies. What a joy.

So, the new fresh herbal teas are added to the store. I am sure that you will be pleased since all the teas are single herbs that you can mix with eachother or maybe you like to mix on of the herbal teas with my great black tea, hibiscus, peppermint.

A great way to try your hand on creating your own wellness brew.

Please contact me if you need any help or have any questions. I am always looking forward to be helpful.

Look out for fresh new Green Tea that I will add soon, it is my first batch and is still currently drying.

Wishing All Of You Peace and Light in this Busy Season

from all of us here on the Farm

Be Well

Petra

Yes it's pretty amazing but it is Saturday already :)

It's been incredibly busy around here the last few weeks and I am just tickeled to welcome so many new great people to our herb family. Welcome ya'll and thank you so much for taking advantage of the herb sale that is still going on until the 19 of November.

Thanksgiving is just around the corner so make sure you have your herb cabinet ready to go and probably like to add some great tea mixtures that are sure to please.

Lots of yarn is spun right now since I started adding alpaca/llama rugs to my collection of handspun doodats.

I will add new great items as well as a whole array of great new fres herbal teas.

So, happy Saturday Everyone and Thank you so much for supporting this great Texas Farm.

Yours Truly

Petra :)

Oh goodness, it is 4 am and I am up and needing coffee in the worst kind of way and wishing that this little mosquito, that keeps pestering me, will find something else to other then keep flying around my ear.  

I guess it is a very early Saturday morning for me today since "Buddy" the Great Dane decided that it would be a great idea to go out after he woke up everyone in the house.

Yesterday I was pondering if I should add some additional herbal tea to my store and was hoping that I might be able to put a shout out to all of you if you all would be interested in that . 

I already grow a great variety of herbs that would be awesome to prepare as a loose tea. 

Maybe there is an herb or two I can add to the many that are already growing here. Either way I would be delighted to receive some input from all you great Local Harvest Supporters.

Wow surprising what some coffee can do I am already getting creative and it is a little after 4 am, weird :)

I wish everyone a grand & creative day

as always, yours truly

Petra

www.texasherbcompany.com 

Wow, time sure passes fast when you are having fun.

It must have rained last night a little more, everything is nice a moist and you can just feel how thankful Mother Earth is. All the birds are singing and ready for this wonderful new day.

"Lizzie" my little chihuahua mix 5 month old puppy already has the house upside down . All her toys are all over the house and she is busy trying to get "Schatzie the dachshund, to play with her. She is a trip, always happy , busy finding everything just amazing.

Sipping my morning coffee I am brainstorming what should be first on my "to-do" list.

"Herne" & "Pan" the 2 new angora bucks are surely enjoying it here and really show their appreciation by rubbing noses with me :)

Funny how little animals expect from us and how much they give in return. This is truly something to ponder.

Enjoying the therapeutic life right here on the farm.

Wishing all of you a grand day and hug a goat today ( if you have one)

 Yours truly

Petra

www,texasherbcompany.com 

What a wonderful way to wake up this morning and be surprised by lightning moving in and a nice cool breeze. After I let the dogs out for their morning constitution it started raining :)

I opened all the doors to the house to let the clean air in. It has been quite a while since it rained so we are all welcoming this beautiful shower.

As I am writing this I can hear the rain with the wind chimes gently greeting this new day.

Wishing you all peace and happiness and may you be creative today and don't forget to dance :)

Yours truly

Petra

www.texasherbcompany.com 

It is time to sip my coffee and get started with my day.

I finished shearing the 2 Angora Bucks ( Pan & Herne) yesterday and I am sure that both of them appreciate that very much. They where both extremely matted and I can imagine with this Texas heat, walking around with a "carpet" attached to you , is quiet uncomfortable.

The camelid girls where not really impressed when they meet the Angora Boys, I think they where more like "what the heck is that" and Chrissy (one of our llamas) sounded the alarm call. All of them seemed to be rather interested in checking the goats out.

Today is "Hay Day" hoorah :) Getting hay delivered is so much more convenient and I am very grateful to not have to run to the feed store every week.

I wish everyone a beautiful Wednesday.

Stay tuned

Yours truly

Petra

www.texasherbcompany.com

It is a cloudy day here in the beautiful Texas Hill Country and I hope that the rain will find us today.

As I walked out to secure the front gate so the camelid girls can stroll around the property, which they enjoy greatly, I looked around in wonder and though for myself, I never had imagined that one day I will be here living the farm life with all the challenges and joys.

I feel so blessed that I have an opportunity to make a difference and even if it is only on these 11 acres.

My herbs are growing so well and all the animals are happy and it certainly shows.

I can honestly say, there is nothing in life that I would rather do then be here on the farm and handle everything that comes my way.

What difference do you choose to make on this wonderful Tuesday.

Smile and Be Happy

Yours Truly

Petra

www.texasherbcompany.com 

Good morning everyone. 

Lots have been going on here on the Ranch.

I finally found a reasonably priced drum carder that, I have to say, is a god's sent. It makes my fiber processing so much more efficient and incredibly fun. That was truly a great investment indeed.

So the summer is finally creeping in all the camelids are sheared and four of the fiber boys went to great homes where they are appreciated for their great disposition and fiber quality.It is always great to meet new camelid owners they are all so eager to have these awesome animals in there lives.

Yesterday we picked up two angora goats (bucks) that are great. I am planning on adding angora fiber to my list of products and I am sure that it will be a great asset to our Ranch. They are both a little over a year old and grey in color. This morning I will start to shear them which will probably make the extremely happy.

It makes me so happy to learn new things everyday about this wonderful life here on the Ranch.

Someone said ones: Get in touch with nature and you will find god. I have to totally agree with that statement.

I am so grateful to be able to live the farmlife. It is truly rewarding.

Wishing you all a wonderful day

Yours Truly

 Petra

www.texasherbcompany.com 

A beautiful morning to really enjoy pasture clean up. I am amazed how well the camelid manure turns this dry and stoney land into great fertile soil. The ranch is full of beautiful wild flowers and I am sure it is because of the great rain that we had the last few days as well as spreading the fertilizer all throughout the land. Today I have to run into town to get some errands done after that getting some of the boys ready to get picked up tomorrow. I wish everyone a great and productive day Yours Truly Petra

What a wonderful Wednesday it is. We where blessed with more rain yesterday and today the earth and all the inhabitants here are overjoyed with the beautiful warm sunshiny day today.

The peacock that found his way to our ranch a few days ago seems like he likes it here since he already found a place in one of our large trees that he spends the night in and he is very content with haveing the llamas and alpacas visit daily.

It is a great day to wash and soak more fiber. I also have quite a few orders that need to be filled and shipped. I will get jumping, I opended all the windows and doors so the beautiful energy from outside can flood the house.

Wishing all a super groovy, happy and peaceful day

Yours Truly

Petra

A Great Thursday to Everyone :)

Yes......it's raining finally. I am so happy. The air is so fresh and clean its incredible.

It has been raining off and on since yesterday nice and steady so it has time to soak into the ground and quench all the plant life.

I am glad I cleaned the pastures today and fertilized the fields, yes feeding Mother Earth :)

All the animals around here don't know what to think, the cooler weather is certainly appreciated by all.

I had a pleasant surprise yesterday evening when I did my evening feeding ritual of the animals.

Another peacock seems to move himself onto our place as it seems. He was standing next to the peacock enclosure and looked at me a little perplexed :)

Of course I fed him as well and he liked that very much. I think he is at least 3 years old so I guess we will see if he will stick around, It is such a beautiful sight to look at such incredible beauty.

Peace & Happiness Always

yours truly

Petra