They’re Here!

I shared with you some of the birds I’ve seen around the farm last week.  I forgot to add the goldfinch

and the pair of thrashers.

This handsome fellow was strolling down the road.

pheasant

The oriole was trying to pick up the left-over llama fluff for her nest.

She tried taking too big of a chunk, so she never did get it.

I was happy to see these out in pasture.

bluebird

I think this is an orchard oriole.

red-headed woodpecker

But I have to say, I was thrilled when last Sunday I heard him.     (Audio from The Audubon Society)

The bobolinks are back!

One of the reasons I am so happy that they come and nest in my pasture is because Audubon does list them as a priority bird because of their declining numbers.

It was really exciting to get to see the pair of birds.

The girls are not usually as visible as the male.  He does kind of stand out in his breeding finery.  After the breeding season, they’ll both loose their colors and look a lot like female red-winged blackbirds.

I got to see the whole dancing and flirting (which is why the pictures are so cropped.  I didn’t want to disturb them.)

That’s why I always wait until after the first of July to make hay off my pastures.  I want to make sure they have a chance to raise their babies before we mow.

Best Buds

Uno and Xerxes have settled in together quite nicely.  Most times they are hanging right next to each other.

Uno and Xerxes

Uno has recovered from being weaned, and Xerxes is much happier now that he has company again.

The other day, I looked out the window and they were playing like a couple of kids.  Seriously, they were chasing each other up the fallen tree and running around the Quonset hut.

fallen tree in the back is what they were racing over

Silly boys.

Eventually, I’ll wean my two little bucks that I’m going to keep (for at least one breeding season) and add them to the mix.

Freddie

Uno will get to stay for a while longer, and then I’ll sell him when it’s time for people to be looking for new breeding bucks.  Until then, they can keep being best buds.

I Need Advice

With the changes in the world, I really want to get back to promoting and selling my products through my website.

infinity scarf

I keep expanding what I make, but that means I have to deal with shipping.  I can’t find a way to figure shipping that gives me control.

candles and wax melts

Paypal lets me create shipping based on dollar amount or weight.  But it doesn’t let me fluctuate between methods the way I need.

hats and ear band

Right now, my shipping is set for soap sales.

goats milk soap

I can upgrade my account at Weebly to use their shipping calculator, but I’m afraid I’m going to run into the same problem.

fine art print

My understanding is that Etsy no longer lets you charge shipping.  I thought about using Facebook, but I’m not sure how that works.

note cards

I can add shipping to the cost of the product, but I still can get weird combinations that means people could pay a lot more than they need to for me to ship their items if I have to jack up the price of everything.

feed sack totes

I really don’t want to do that.  I just got a lot of my inventory back from the consignment shop where I had to jack up the prices by twenty percent so they could have their cut.

goat’s milk lotion

It could also leave me stuck paying a large amount of postage and losing money on an order if I don’t add enough to items.

I try to keep my prices reasonable.  I haven’t raised the prices of my soaps since I started making them, and trust me the cost of supplies has gone up.

dish cloths, dryer balls, and coasters

I do allow for people to message me what they want, and then I can figure the price of shipping and send an invoice, which works well, but would most people be okay with that in our world of instant gratification?

hand knit llama wool rugs

What do you think?  Any ideas?