I posted another video on my blog today so you can see what it was the 3 of us did the past 2 days. I'm fencing in another 2 to 3 acres of pasture for the goats and chickens to graze in. There was already fencing on 2 sides of the field. Some of it needed to be repaired where posts had broken and fence had sagged or broken. We had another 36 posts to put in before we could put the fence up. Remember Adam was digging holes for me a week or 2 ago. That was taking too long for me and I decided I wanted them deeper because I bought 8 feet long posts instead of the 6 1/2 feet long ones. The 8 feet ones were on sale at Lowes and we can add wire on top if we ever need to. I decided to rent an auger from our local rental place, Green Valley rental. The owner, Dave, is a real character and I really like him. He wears long shorts with tall socks but is always so nice and remembers my name and what I've done, like building a pizza oven. He gives us discounts most of the time. He's even loaned us a book on tape he thought we'd like. Good guy.
So, about the holes. Adam and I picked up the auger, 36 posts, fencing and some concrete and headed back home to experience what Adam says, "was the hardest work he's ever done in his life". I'll have to agree it came pretty close for me too. I think it's right up there with giving birth. The 3 of us are very tired, sore and a little bruised here and there. It was soooo much fun. Seriously. I can't think of anything the 3 of us have done together in a long time that was as much fun. When we first started we had no idea what we were doing. It was just Adam and me. We let the auger go down too deep without bringing it out to remove the dirt. It got stuck in the ground and probably took at least 45 minutes to get it back out. I think that's why I couldn't sleep last night because of my aching back. Once we got the hang of it it moved along much better. It was really hard to start back this morning because I was so sore and weak from yesterday. James joined us and that made things go much faster. He and Adam did most of the augering while I used the post hole digger and tamper to get more dirt out.
I got the gate posts concreted in now and tomorrow I'll finish digging and putting the other posts in. I can't wait.
We worked so well as a team and all 3 of us were in good moods (always a good thing). We only heard a little cursing early on today and I won't comment on who's mouth it came out of. After the fence is up, which I'll probably do alone, we'll begin the barn. I'm hoping that's another project the 3 of us can do together. It'll be a breeze after digging holes. I think it'll be even more fun.
Enough bloggering about my augering.
As Tigger would say, "TTFN"
Friday, May 29, 2009
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder
Someone sent me this email today. I had to use it in my blog because it fits me so well and it made me snicker. I don't know if this applies to men as much as women but if a man reads this and identifies with it let me know, ok?
AAADD
KNOW THE SYMPTOMS.....PLEASE READ! Thank goodness there's a name for this disorder. Somehow I feel better, even though I have it!!
Age Activated Attention Deficit Disorder.
This is how it manifests:
I decide to water my garden.
As I turn on the hose in the driveway, I look over at my car and decide it needs washing.
As I start toward the garage,
I notice mail on the porch table that
I brought up from the mail box earlier.
I decide to go through the mail before I wash the car.
I lay my car keys on the table, put the junk mail in the garbage can under the table, and notice that the can is full.
So, I decide to put the bills back
On the table and take out the garbage first.
But then I think,
since I'm going to be near the mailbox
When I take out the garbage anyway, I may as well pay the bills first.
I take my check book off the table, and see that there is only one check left.
My extra checks are in my desk in the study,
so I go inside the house to my desk where
I find the can of Coke I'd been drinking.
I'm going to look for my checks,
but first I need to push the Coke aside
So that I don't accidentally knock it over.
The Coke is getting warm, and I decide to put it in the refrigerator to keep it cold.
As I head toward the kitchen with the Coke,
a vase of flowers on the counter
Catches my eye--they need water.
I put the Coke on the counter and
discover my reading glasses that
I've been searching for all morning.
I decide I better put them back on my desk, but first I'm going to water the flowers.
I set the glasses back down on the counter, fill a container with water and suddenly spot the TV remote.
Someone left it on the kitchen table.
I realize that tonight when we go to watch TV,
I'll be looking for the remote,
but I won't remember that it's on the kitchen table,
so I decide to put it back in the den where it belongs,
But first I'll water the flowers.
I pour some water in the flowers, but quite a bit of it spills on the floor.
So, I set the remote back on the table, get some towels and wipe up the spill.
Then, I head down the hall trying to
Remember what I was planning to do.
At the end of the day:
the car isn't washed
the bills aren't paid
there is a warm can of Coke sitting on the counter
the flowers don't have enough water,
there is still only 1 check in my check book,
I can't find the remote,
I can't find my glasses,
and I don't remember what I did with the car keys.
Then, when I try to figure out why nothing got done today,
I'm really baffled because I know I was busy all day,
And I'm really tired.
I realize this is a serious problem, and I'll try to get some help for it, but first I'll check my e-mail...
Do me a favor.
Forward this message to everyone you know, because I don't remember who the heck I've sent it to.
Don't laugh -- if this isn't you yet, your day is coming!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Worry warts
Where did that expression come from anyway, worry wart? Is that even how you spell it? Well, whatever, I am one. I come by it naturally though. My mom and sisters are worry warts too. I even think my grandmother was.
What do I worry about? Oh, all kinds of things that aren't important and just a few that are. Since I got my buck, Witty, he's had diarrhea most of that 2 and a 1/2 weeks. The second or third day he was here he ate all the chicken feed and had terrible poops. It got a little better but then came back with a vengeance. Finally I took a fecal sample to the vet to find out he had worms, which is what I suspected. Because I suspected it of course I did all kinds of searches on the internet and read about goats and scours. Turns out they can die very quickly if the parasite problem gets out of hand. To make a long story a little shorter, I worried he was going to die and would get up in the mornings and look out in their fence and when I'd see his little white face, usually grazing somewhere, I'd breathe a sigh of relief. I've been deworming him for the past 3 days so hopefully he'll be better soon.
Being a mother, I spend LOTS of time worrying about my child. I can't even begin to tell you all the things I worry about when it comes to him. I'd be embarassed to type most of it on this blog. Once again, most of it is unwarranted and a waste of energy. The funny thing is, a friend of mine has a son the same age as Adam and when she tells me things she worries about I can't figure out why she frets so about them. I'm sure it's the same with her and my worries. It always looks different from someone else's point of view, I guess.
I'm not alone in this house when it comes to worrying. James comes in a close second, though I doubt he'd admit that. Recently he had his cholesterol checked. It went up since last time he had blood work done. He says he's no longer eating red meat and he turned down ice cream a few nights ago. It's really bothering him. Thank goodness my cholesterol is in good shape. One less thing to worry about.
James and I walk 6 laps around our field (4 miles) several days a week. Usually we do lots of talking. A few days ago on our first lap we saw 2 crows eating the corn out of the garden that James had spent many hours preparing and planting. He was pretty upset about it and worried they'd eat all he'd planted. We walked the next few laps sharing very few words, he worrying about the corn and me about Witty dying. What a pair we are.
We both read a book last year by Eckhart Tolley, A New Earth. Great book. It's a shame I haven't learned to take what he wrote and apply it. He talks about "living in the now" and not worrying about what's happened in the past or what might happen in the future. It makes so much sense. Maybe I should read it again.
What do I worry about? Oh, all kinds of things that aren't important and just a few that are. Since I got my buck, Witty, he's had diarrhea most of that 2 and a 1/2 weeks. The second or third day he was here he ate all the chicken feed and had terrible poops. It got a little better but then came back with a vengeance. Finally I took a fecal sample to the vet to find out he had worms, which is what I suspected. Because I suspected it of course I did all kinds of searches on the internet and read about goats and scours. Turns out they can die very quickly if the parasite problem gets out of hand. To make a long story a little shorter, I worried he was going to die and would get up in the mornings and look out in their fence and when I'd see his little white face, usually grazing somewhere, I'd breathe a sigh of relief. I've been deworming him for the past 3 days so hopefully he'll be better soon.
Being a mother, I spend LOTS of time worrying about my child. I can't even begin to tell you all the things I worry about when it comes to him. I'd be embarassed to type most of it on this blog. Once again, most of it is unwarranted and a waste of energy. The funny thing is, a friend of mine has a son the same age as Adam and when she tells me things she worries about I can't figure out why she frets so about them. I'm sure it's the same with her and my worries. It always looks different from someone else's point of view, I guess.
I'm not alone in this house when it comes to worrying. James comes in a close second, though I doubt he'd admit that. Recently he had his cholesterol checked. It went up since last time he had blood work done. He says he's no longer eating red meat and he turned down ice cream a few nights ago. It's really bothering him. Thank goodness my cholesterol is in good shape. One less thing to worry about.
James and I walk 6 laps around our field (4 miles) several days a week. Usually we do lots of talking. A few days ago on our first lap we saw 2 crows eating the corn out of the garden that James had spent many hours preparing and planting. He was pretty upset about it and worried they'd eat all he'd planted. We walked the next few laps sharing very few words, he worrying about the corn and me about Witty dying. What a pair we are.
We both read a book last year by Eckhart Tolley, A New Earth. Great book. It's a shame I haven't learned to take what he wrote and apply it. He talks about "living in the now" and not worrying about what's happened in the past or what might happen in the future. It makes so much sense. Maybe I should read it again.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
Front Porch Sittin'
We've had front porches before but we didn't use them as much as we do at this house. Yesterday a neighbor stopped by while James was sitting on the porch with his laptop in his lap. He came by to return some tiny pots that James gave him vegetable plants in. I joined the 2 of them after finishing up what I was doing. I love that neighbors stop by to visit us here and I love sitting on our front porch. Another friend had stopped by earlier in the day on his motorcycle because he was in the area.
Oooh, I just got creeped out. I stopped writing this post to go feed the goats and chickens because I could see the chickens were growing impatient. When I went back to the barn to put stuff away I saw a small patterned snake with it's little head coming out the crack below the door hinge. I looked at it's back to see if I could tell what kind of snake it was. I then went to the outside of the door to see it's head. It looked very triangular to me so I quickly decided it was a young copperhead and just as quickly closed the door so it's neck (if a snake has a neck) got squeezed in the tight crack of the door. I'm sure it's dead by now and if you go out to my garage you'll see just a tiny head sticking out the front. Gives me the chills just thinking about it. I hope I didn't kill a harmless snake but if it is a copperhead I don't feel too bad about it.
James and I went to an auction yesterday and spent a big $1.05 on some bushel baskets and a few bent up thin wooden crates, all stuff for our veggies this year. It was fun. This auction is 2 days long, yesterday and Monday. Yesterday was all outside stuff, tools and such. Monday is the household items, 2 outbuildings and a pickup truck. I'd love one of the outbuildings but I don't know how we'd move it and we're also hoping we can get the truck cheap since ours is now kaput. They also have milk cans and a butter churn that might be kind of fun to have too. So that's how we'll spend our Memorial day, at an auction. Today we're going on the river with some friends and then to some other friends for dinner. It's turning out to be a really nice weekend.
Oooh, I just got creeped out. I stopped writing this post to go feed the goats and chickens because I could see the chickens were growing impatient. When I went back to the barn to put stuff away I saw a small patterned snake with it's little head coming out the crack below the door hinge. I looked at it's back to see if I could tell what kind of snake it was. I then went to the outside of the door to see it's head. It looked very triangular to me so I quickly decided it was a young copperhead and just as quickly closed the door so it's neck (if a snake has a neck) got squeezed in the tight crack of the door. I'm sure it's dead by now and if you go out to my garage you'll see just a tiny head sticking out the front. Gives me the chills just thinking about it. I hope I didn't kill a harmless snake but if it is a copperhead I don't feel too bad about it.
James and I went to an auction yesterday and spent a big $1.05 on some bushel baskets and a few bent up thin wooden crates, all stuff for our veggies this year. It was fun. This auction is 2 days long, yesterday and Monday. Yesterday was all outside stuff, tools and such. Monday is the household items, 2 outbuildings and a pickup truck. I'd love one of the outbuildings but I don't know how we'd move it and we're also hoping we can get the truck cheap since ours is now kaput. They also have milk cans and a butter churn that might be kind of fun to have too. So that's how we'll spend our Memorial day, at an auction. Today we're going on the river with some friends and then to some other friends for dinner. It's turning out to be a really nice weekend.
Thoughtful Appalachian Thru Hikers
Last year my women's hiking group met a young guy, Jon Schwenk, aka Don Juan, on the AT. We shared some of our lunches with him and asked how his thru hike (hiking the Appalachian Trail from GA to Maine) was going. We were a gabby group and he probably was being very patient answering all our questions. That's the price he had to pay for free food. I gave him my phone number and told him he could come stay with us if he wanted a soft bed and shower. He called that night and hitched a ride here. To make a long story short, he turned out to be a great guy and 5 months later came to stay with our pets and house sit while we were in Italy.
This past April Jon told us a friend of his was hiking the AT and might be calling us to stay here. Cody, aka C-zur, called 2 days later and brought along another hiker, Dustin, aka Myko. Again, really nice guys. They stayed 2 nights at the cabin, did their laundry, ate lots of food and caught up on the internet. Today I read C-Zur's blog and this is what he wrote about us.
C-Zur
PS I'm dreaming of your pizzas Karen and James...
Reading stuff like this makes me feel good about helping out young people. I wonder if anyone will call next year.
This past April Jon told us a friend of his was hiking the AT and might be calling us to stay here. Cody, aka C-zur, called 2 days later and brought along another hiker, Dustin, aka Myko. Again, really nice guys. They stayed 2 nights at the cabin, did their laundry, ate lots of food and caught up on the internet. Today I read C-Zur's blog and this is what he wrote about us.
C-Zur
PS I'm dreaming of your pizzas Karen and James...
Thursday, May 21, 2009
April 19
Pannabecker's Cabin 0 miles
I got probably the best night's rest (that I've had since my own bed) last night. The Pannabeckers are 2 of the kindest, most giving people I've ever met. It is going to be very hard to leave this place tomorrow, hopefully I will be able to come back and visit for longer though. We had a nice lazy day today, however I did help James with his garden some this morning...it was nice to do some physical labor that wasn't hiking (don't get any ideas Dad!) I found a fellow thru-hiker's wallet and phone a few days ago and today he and his parents drove down from Waynesboro to pick them up...his Dad brought me a six-pack, cookies, and oranges for a reward (Crazy Awesome!). Glad to hlep you out, Splinter. Well I'm off to have another wonderful night's sleep. Thank you, James and Karen, for all of your wonderful hospitality...I hope to see you again when I have more time to hang out.
C-Zur
I got probably the best night's rest (that I've had since my own bed) last night. The Pannabeckers are 2 of the kindest, most giving people I've ever met. It is going to be very hard to leave this place tomorrow, hopefully I will be able to come back and visit for longer though. We had a nice lazy day today, however I did help James with his garden some this morning...it was nice to do some physical labor that wasn't hiking (don't get any ideas Dad!) I found a fellow thru-hiker's wallet and phone a few days ago and today he and his parents drove down from Waynesboro to pick them up...his Dad brought me a six-pack, cookies, and oranges for a reward (Crazy Awesome!). Glad to hlep you out, Splinter. Well I'm off to have another wonderful night's sleep. Thank you, James and Karen, for all of your wonderful hospitality...I hope to see you again when I have more time to hang out.
C-Zur
April 18
PANNABECKERS!!! 14.4 miles
James picked me and Myco up at the Foot Bridge @ 3:00...took us back to his house and his wife Karen gave us all sorts of junkfood. Then he took us kayaking for a couple hours and we had freshly baked pizza when we got back. Sweetness! These are hands down the nicest (I can't think of a better adjective to describe them.) people I've met. I don't think this can be topped. These people are the Houdinis of Trail Magic! We are staying in a cabin they own near their house and it just made the stay here even better. There aren't even words to describe how great this is...Zero day tomorrow!
C-Zur
James picked me and Myco up at the Foot Bridge @ 3:00...took us back to his house and his wife Karen gave us all sorts of junkfood. Then he took us kayaking for a couple hours and we had freshly baked pizza when we got back. Sweetness! These are hands down the nicest (I can't think of a better adjective to describe them.) people I've met. I don't think this can be topped. These people are the Houdinis of Trail Magic! We are staying in a cabin they own near their house and it just made the stay here even better. There aren't even words to describe how great this is...Zero day tomorrow!
C-Zur
Reading stuff like this makes me feel good about helping out young people. I wonder if anyone will call next year.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Youtube - too much fun
I can waste all kinds of time watching videos on youtube. I always thought that videos on there were put there because people made videos intending to put them on youtube for a reason so I wondered why there were so many lame movies on there. Well now I know why. To post a video on my blog I have to download it on the internet to add as a link. The easiest way to do that is to put it on youtube, lame or not. So today I added 2 more videos to my blog, one of the chickens and another one of the goats on their daily stroll. This time I added music. Youtube provides you with a whole menu of music you can add to your video but it takes forever to find something that suits what you've filmed. After listening to way too many tracks I just picked two. One day I'll be more creative. As you can see I have lots of free time to do this very important work.
Loss for words
Most people who know me know that it's rare that I'm at a loss for words. Some days I don't feel like talking but for the most part I've been a chatterbox since I was little. At least that's what I've been told. That's why it's funny that I can't really think of anything I feel like writing about today. I could write about how I'm going to take inventory of the lumber in our garage today so I can do some real planning for the next goat shelter, or how I'm not very good at drawing out plans on paper. I could tell you my parrot is getting on my nerves right now doing the chicken scratch and throwing his food all over the place after I just vacuumed this room. I could ramble on about how I'm worried Strawberry won't go in heat this month but will get pregnant a few months from now and will have babies in the dead and cold of winter. I could mention that I'm kind of tired this morning because Adam didn't get home till after 1:00 this morning then woke us and told us he brought 4 other kids here to sleep too. Or maybe I could write about how James and I are going to some auctions this weekend and how much I like auctions and I'm wondering if they'll have a truck we can get cheap to replace our dead pickup which is just taking up space in our yard now. All this seems too trivial to write about in a blog but it's my life, maybe trivial but full..... full and fulfilling.
I'll try to do better next post.
I'll try to do better next post.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Holes
This time I'm not talking about holes in my jeans. I'm talking fencepost holes. This morning I gave my almost-19 year old son, Adam, the choice of cutting grass or digging fencepost holes. Digging the holes pays much more than riding a lawnmower around. He chose the holes. I was sure he had no idea what hard work it was going to be. I was also pretty sure he was going to dig one hole and quit because he was frustrated. I went out after an hour and told him I would pay him either $15.00 and hour or $4.00 a hole. Before he knew how long he'd been working he looked at me with a big ???? on his face. He didn't know which to choose. When he learned he'd been working an hour it was an easy choice since he had already dug 5 holes. His whole attitude changed when he realized he'd already earned $20.00. Even though I know it's all about the money, I'm glad he chose the hard work.
I think it took owning my own house to want to choose hard work, and that was more for the satisfaction of doing it myself than it was about saving money. The older I get the more gratification I get with each job I do, usually wanting to prove to myself I'm capable of doing just about anything I set my mind to. One of my most rewarding projects yet was building our outdoor kitchen, complete with wood-fired brick oven, barbecue pit, cupboards with a concrete countertop and a pergola above. I've posted a picture below, though it's not complete in the photo. It looks better now with vines growing up the columns. I couldn't have done it without James' help and faith in my work. He's the other reason I choose hard work today. James works twice as hard as I do. Anyway, I think the reason I enjoyed building this was because it wasn't necessary to the livablity of our house, like a bathroom or kitchen is. It was all about creativity, fun and solving the puzzle of each next step. I love puzzles.
My least favorite job in my house was gutting and rebuilding our upstairs bathroom, but I have to admit that it was almost as rewarding as the outdoor kitchen. It's a tiny room but created a huge amount of frustration and many hours lying in bed wondering if I was qualified to be doing this and wondering how I was going to do it. Much to my delight I still love that bathroom after 3 years. As Adam's tattoo says, no regrets.
My wish is that one day Adam takes pride in his hard work, not because it brings him more money but because it brings him joy and a sense of satisfaction. For now I'm just happy he's digging those holes and that I don't have to. Did I say I like to do all the hard work? Maybe I'll go ride the lawnmower.
I think it took owning my own house to want to choose hard work, and that was more for the satisfaction of doing it myself than it was about saving money. The older I get the more gratification I get with each job I do, usually wanting to prove to myself I'm capable of doing just about anything I set my mind to. One of my most rewarding projects yet was building our outdoor kitchen, complete with wood-fired brick oven, barbecue pit, cupboards with a concrete countertop and a pergola above. I've posted a picture below, though it's not complete in the photo. It looks better now with vines growing up the columns. I couldn't have done it without James' help and faith in my work. He's the other reason I choose hard work today. James works twice as hard as I do. Anyway, I think the reason I enjoyed building this was because it wasn't necessary to the livablity of our house, like a bathroom or kitchen is. It was all about creativity, fun and solving the puzzle of each next step. I love puzzles.
My least favorite job in my house was gutting and rebuilding our upstairs bathroom, but I have to admit that it was almost as rewarding as the outdoor kitchen. It's a tiny room but created a huge amount of frustration and many hours lying in bed wondering if I was qualified to be doing this and wondering how I was going to do it. Much to my delight I still love that bathroom after 3 years. As Adam's tattoo says, no regrets.
My wish is that one day Adam takes pride in his hard work, not because it brings him more money but because it brings him joy and a sense of satisfaction. For now I'm just happy he's digging those holes and that I don't have to. Did I say I like to do all the hard work? Maybe I'll go ride the lawnmower.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
And on the 7th day she rested
It was such a dreary morning I thought I'd get nothing done, at least nothing fun. Of course I wasted lots of time on the computer reading goat forums, craigslist, updating my blog, reading and sending emails. I made a trip to the cabin to get a hole punch so I can work on my notebook to keep records on all the goats, which I did when I got home. I went upstairs in the cabin to use the bathroom and for some reason looked in the shower. As I looked up I saw what looked like a tube, like a water line, hanging from one wall to the other. I thought that was strange so looked closer. It was a 3 to 4 feet long snake skin. We rarely see snakes that long in the cabin, usually just small ones. Must have been a black snake. I'm sure he's long gone by now.
The sun came out in the afternoon so I went out to play with the goats. I had these large, thick cardboard hollow cylinders that our roofing copper came on. I put them in the goats pen for them to play in and on. They were so funny inspecting them. I wish I could have videoed them trying to help me put things where I wanted. They made the job challenging. After they settled down I was petting Witty. He was being so sweet just staring at me when I felt my leg get warm and realized he was peeing on me, his way of showing affection if you want to call it that. I just realized I still have those jeans and shoes on. Oh well, I can't smell it. Maybe I should call this blog filthy jeans instead of holes in my jeans.
I love freecycle.org but there's never enough stuff listed on our local freecycle so I signed up for the Roanoke one hoping they get more listings. They have to approve me first. I wonder what would make them turn a person down. I've gotten a few things already from freecycle, canning jars, gigantic free-standing peg boards for my tools, large plastic water jugs, horse manure and a small (cheaply made) medicine cabinet. The only thing I've given away on there so far was fresh basil from our garden.
I cleaned up most of the branches I had trimmed yesterday and then cut some more paths through the tall grass in the lawn field for us to walk through on our evening strolls with the goats.
Not an exciting day but a good one. My day of rest.
The sun came out in the afternoon so I went out to play with the goats. I had these large, thick cardboard hollow cylinders that our roofing copper came on. I put them in the goats pen for them to play in and on. They were so funny inspecting them. I wish I could have videoed them trying to help me put things where I wanted. They made the job challenging. After they settled down I was petting Witty. He was being so sweet just staring at me when I felt my leg get warm and realized he was peeing on me, his way of showing affection if you want to call it that. I just realized I still have those jeans and shoes on. Oh well, I can't smell it. Maybe I should call this blog filthy jeans instead of holes in my jeans.
I love freecycle.org but there's never enough stuff listed on our local freecycle so I signed up for the Roanoke one hoping they get more listings. They have to approve me first. I wonder what would make them turn a person down. I've gotten a few things already from freecycle, canning jars, gigantic free-standing peg boards for my tools, large plastic water jugs, horse manure and a small (cheaply made) medicine cabinet. The only thing I've given away on there so far was fresh basil from our garden.
I cleaned up most of the branches I had trimmed yesterday and then cut some more paths through the tall grass in the lawn field for us to walk through on our evening strolls with the goats.
Not an exciting day but a good one. My day of rest.
Thoughts on the recession and our spending
I know, I'm not usually one to talk about things like this but I just read an article about how the recession is affecting the spending habits of Americans and I thought it was really interesting. It seems that, while retail is down, some manufacturers sales are increasing, companies like Burpee Seeds. Maybe we're finally learning what's good for us and what saves us money. The number of vegetable gardens is predicted to jump 40% this year compared to 2 yrs ago. That's pretty amazing. As I look around our yard it looks like James has increased his garden size about 40% in the past 2 years. I'm guessing that canning supplies will be selling off the shelves this summer.
James and I don't go out to eat very often but we know a lot of people who did. Now it appears that folks are scaling down in the food department too. Where someone may normally choose to go out to a high end restaurant they now have chosen to buy a good steak and prepare it at home. If someone typically bought name brand groceries at the store, they might now be buying the store-named brands. Maybe not a healthier option, but sales are also up on the cheaper foods like Spam, Dinty Moore items and Mac n Cheese. Comfort foods maybe?
Do-it-yourself auto supply store sales are also up. People can't afford a new car and paying to have a car repaired is so expensive. If only James and I knew more about auto mechanics. Our cars are so old and it seems like there's always something wrong with at least one of them.
Condom sales, up. I guess people don't want another mouth to feed? Hmmmm.
Fishing supplies and firearm sales have increased quite a bit too. We rarely eat the fish we catch from the river but maybe we could eat the trout from the creek beside the house. It seems like they should be healthier than the ones in the muddy river. Neither of us thinks we could hunt but we sure appreciate the venison in our freezer given to us by friends.
Sales at Saks 5th Ave. are down 32% but Goodwill sales are up 7%. That's pretty cool. We have many clothes in our closet that came from Goodwill and none that came from Saks. Any clothes we own that came from a high-end store are probably many years old. Okay, I confess, I did buy 2 outfits at a nice dress shop last year before we went to Italy. I will still have these in 10 years though. I can't remember the last time James bought nice clothes. Our family doctor told me last week that, "James is the most normal guy I know". He commented on how James doesn't care how he dresses etc. That made me laugh. It made me wonder what James wore to the doctor a week earlier. Sales at WalMart and Dollar Tree have also gone up.
Most of the stuff mentioned in the article made sense but I guess we still need our special treats because sales of chocolate and wine are still strong, a comfort in hard times, though we're buying cheaper vintages of wine.
Two products and services that are up aren't on the positive side though. Pepto Bismal and visits to the dentist. Money and employment stresses may be causing upset stomachs and grinding of the teeth. James and I have both worn bruxing guards to bed, me for several years, James for 7 years. I've been grinding my teeth since I was a little kid but I'm not sure it has to do with stress more than it's a bad habit.
James and I have definitely changed our spending habits and love the idea of homesteading and self-sufficient living but I don't know how attainable that really is. Others do it so I guess we just have to do it with baby steps as it appears America is doing. Hopefully
James and I don't go out to eat very often but we know a lot of people who did. Now it appears that folks are scaling down in the food department too. Where someone may normally choose to go out to a high end restaurant they now have chosen to buy a good steak and prepare it at home. If someone typically bought name brand groceries at the store, they might now be buying the store-named brands. Maybe not a healthier option, but sales are also up on the cheaper foods like Spam, Dinty Moore items and Mac n Cheese. Comfort foods maybe?
Do-it-yourself auto supply store sales are also up. People can't afford a new car and paying to have a car repaired is so expensive. If only James and I knew more about auto mechanics. Our cars are so old and it seems like there's always something wrong with at least one of them.
Condom sales, up. I guess people don't want another mouth to feed? Hmmmm.
Fishing supplies and firearm sales have increased quite a bit too. We rarely eat the fish we catch from the river but maybe we could eat the trout from the creek beside the house. It seems like they should be healthier than the ones in the muddy river. Neither of us thinks we could hunt but we sure appreciate the venison in our freezer given to us by friends.
Sales at Saks 5th Ave. are down 32% but Goodwill sales are up 7%. That's pretty cool. We have many clothes in our closet that came from Goodwill and none that came from Saks. Any clothes we own that came from a high-end store are probably many years old. Okay, I confess, I did buy 2 outfits at a nice dress shop last year before we went to Italy. I will still have these in 10 years though. I can't remember the last time James bought nice clothes. Our family doctor told me last week that, "James is the most normal guy I know". He commented on how James doesn't care how he dresses etc. That made me laugh. It made me wonder what James wore to the doctor a week earlier. Sales at WalMart and Dollar Tree have also gone up.
Most of the stuff mentioned in the article made sense but I guess we still need our special treats because sales of chocolate and wine are still strong, a comfort in hard times, though we're buying cheaper vintages of wine.
Two products and services that are up aren't on the positive side though. Pepto Bismal and visits to the dentist. Money and employment stresses may be causing upset stomachs and grinding of the teeth. James and I have both worn bruxing guards to bed, me for several years, James for 7 years. I've been grinding my teeth since I was a little kid but I'm not sure it has to do with stress more than it's a bad habit.
James and I have definitely changed our spending habits and love the idea of homesteading and self-sufficient living but I don't know how attainable that really is. Others do it so I guess we just have to do it with baby steps as it appears America is doing. Hopefully
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Video of Goats
I decided to try my hand out on using the video feature on my camera. I didn't realize it could take such long videos. We took the goats on a walk last night and I decided I'd take the camera with us. Okay, it's not a very thrilling movie but you can see how they follow us around. You can find the link on the right side of the blog in the blue. I always enjoy this stroll with them. I plan to fence this whole area in so they can have more grazing space. I'll keep the other fences up though so I can separate them when they need to be. I also want to build a larger goat shed. The design is in the works (in my head).
Friday, May 15, 2009
Saving money and recycling
One of the reasons I started doing this blog is because James and Jan told me I should. James thought I should put things in here like my soap saving tip. To be honest, I hadn't given it much thought until a friend of mine (and James) were so impressed with my discovery. I bought a dispenser of that foaming hand soap to use at the bathroom sink. When it was gone I put maybe 20% of regular liquid soap and watered it down to fill it the rest of the way. It foams just like the foaming soap you pay much more for. My friend told me little kids wash their hands better when you have foaming soap. Since I don't have little kids I didn't know that.
Let's see, what else? My neighbor and friend, Feenie, is forever bringing me gifts he found in his garage or at the dumpster telling me he knows I can find a use for it. Once he brought me one of those old tables they used to have outside McDonalds and other places. The ones with the swivel seats attached to them. It had no table top, just the metal frame and seats. After looking for barstools for my outdoor kitchen and seeing how expensive they were I decided to make my own using the old seats from Feenie. I bought cheap wooden stools from Lowes ($15.00), stained and sealed them. Next I cut the seats off the metal frame of the table with my Dremel and attached them to the stools. They swivel and everything. The total project probably cost me no more than $25.00 per stool instead of the $200.00+ pricetag I saw on other barstools. I'll post a picture below.
The field toilet that is also pictured below was built from stuff I had in my garage already. We're lucky to have a 4 stall garage/barn with an attic above so we collect all kinds of stuff and store leftover building material. Even the toilet seat was in the attic of the barn. The toilet is in our field down by the river for the use of campers and us since we spend so much time down there. My chicken tractor was also built from leftovers. The majority of it is built from old screens that used to be in this house but were removed years ago and left in the barn attic.
This year I've been lucky enough to have friends let me dig up plants and flowers from their yards to transplant in mine. I'm not planning to buy many flowers from Lowes this year in hopes of saving a little money. I usually buy flowers for my pots on the patio. This year I'm going to plant some of the artichokes and eggplants that James started from seed. They're just as pretty as flowers. I may also put some zinnia seeds in there that James had saved from last year's flowers. Last year I got moss from the woods and put it in my rock/flower garden and it has done as well as the stuff I bought at WalMart.
We had some leftover copper from when our roof was put on a few years back and I've found some uses for it too. I've done a few peices of "art" (and I use the term loosely) for our house and made some earings using a propane torch, old bed springs and other tools.
I'll try to keep thinking of other ways I recycle what I think are interesting things.
Let's see, what else? My neighbor and friend, Feenie, is forever bringing me gifts he found in his garage or at the dumpster telling me he knows I can find a use for it. Once he brought me one of those old tables they used to have outside McDonalds and other places. The ones with the swivel seats attached to them. It had no table top, just the metal frame and seats. After looking for barstools for my outdoor kitchen and seeing how expensive they were I decided to make my own using the old seats from Feenie. I bought cheap wooden stools from Lowes ($15.00), stained and sealed them. Next I cut the seats off the metal frame of the table with my Dremel and attached them to the stools. They swivel and everything. The total project probably cost me no more than $25.00 per stool instead of the $200.00+ pricetag I saw on other barstools. I'll post a picture below.
The field toilet that is also pictured below was built from stuff I had in my garage already. We're lucky to have a 4 stall garage/barn with an attic above so we collect all kinds of stuff and store leftover building material. Even the toilet seat was in the attic of the barn. The toilet is in our field down by the river for the use of campers and us since we spend so much time down there. My chicken tractor was also built from leftovers. The majority of it is built from old screens that used to be in this house but were removed years ago and left in the barn attic.
This year I've been lucky enough to have friends let me dig up plants and flowers from their yards to transplant in mine. I'm not planning to buy many flowers from Lowes this year in hopes of saving a little money. I usually buy flowers for my pots on the patio. This year I'm going to plant some of the artichokes and eggplants that James started from seed. They're just as pretty as flowers. I may also put some zinnia seeds in there that James had saved from last year's flowers. Last year I got moss from the woods and put it in my rock/flower garden and it has done as well as the stuff I bought at WalMart.
We had some leftover copper from when our roof was put on a few years back and I've found some uses for it too. I've done a few peices of "art" (and I use the term loosely) for our house and made some earings using a propane torch, old bed springs and other tools.
I'll try to keep thinking of other ways I recycle what I think are interesting things.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Girl Talk
Today was hiking day with my women's hiking group. We hiked about 6 miles, most of it along a fantastic stream with many small musical falls. As great as the sound from the running water was, we probably didn't hear it most of the time because of all the yapping going on. There were 8 of us today, the largest group ever on one of our hikes. I love this group. Our ages range from 43 to 57, conservative, liberal, religious, not so religious and everything in between. The conversation runs the gammut. There's no telling what the subject will jump from from one minute to the next. With a larger group like today's though, you miss out on so much because you can't listen to everyone at once. I wonder what a group of 8 men would sound like doing the same.
During our lunch, sitting on rocks along the stream, we planned many of the next year's hikes. We've been doing this for 3 years now and I hope we continue for many years to come. I sure am thankful for my girlfriends.
During our lunch, sitting on rocks along the stream, we planned many of the next year's hikes. We've been doing this for 3 years now and I hope we continue for many years to come. I sure am thankful for my girlfriends.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Mother's Day
I had the greatest Mother's Day. James and I drove a little over an hour south to Enchanted Hill farm on Bent Mountain with the intention of looking at a buck for Strawberry, our Nigerian Dwarf goat, to breed with. The farm was incredible, alpacas, goats, chickens, dogs and birds all over. The owners, Ed and Joanie, were very warm, welcoming and informative. We stayed for 4 hours as they gave us the tour of their farm. They had so many outbuildings/barns, I was envious. I'd love to build one for the goats and hay storage and can't wait to get started. If only I had the materials. I have an idea in my mind though. I LOVE a building project.
Of course we came home with the buck, Witty, formerly Woody, aka Woodrat. We changed his name to Witty because we have a human friend Woody and we thought Witty sounded close enough to his name. As I type, I'm watching Witty chase our chickens around their fence. He doesn't touch them, just herds them. I just put him in their fence because he was wearing Jake out, my cute little wether (neutered male goat). He keeps butting Jake and Jake seems scared to death of him. Strawberry, our doe, has mixed feelings I think. She butts Witty like she wants to be in control but then lets him hump her and doesn't seem to mind at all. Hopefully in a month or less she'll be pregnant and we'll have little Nigerian Dwarf goats running and jumping around. I don't think there's anything cuter. Even puppies and kittens aren't as bouncy and playful as a goat kid.
Joanie gave us some of her homemade goats milk soap. I must learn to make this. It smells and feels wonderful. Ed says he loves using it. We haven't tried it yet. I almost hate to ruin it because she made it in such pretty molds. I have lots of plans for when Strawberry is providing us with milk. I can't wait to make soap, yoghurt and cheeses. I guess first I need to learn to milk her and of course raise baby goats. Once the chickens start laying I plan to make icecream from the goats milk and eggs. Some pretty rich ice cream huh?
On to something besides goats. Today I spent the afternoon in Roanoke with Feenie fixing some plumbing in his daughter's rental house. First we put a new faucet on the clawfoot tub. That went easier than I expected. Then we had to fix a leak in the drain of the bathroom sink. Not as easy as I expected. We took it apart 4 times. We still need to go back to fix the downstairs shower. Plumbing isn't one of my favorite chores but it was fun to do with a friend.
My son, Adam, offered to mow the lawn for me for Mother's day. He's broke. I prefer he doesn't spend money on me anyway. I thought about what I wrote about a few days ago concerning helping people. For a Mother's Day gift I asked him to do something for someone else. Not us or his friends, but someone who would really appreciate it. I still don't know what he did. I hope whatever it is he does makes him feel good and want to do more.
Time for dinner, steak and sourkraut.
Of course we came home with the buck, Witty, formerly Woody, aka Woodrat. We changed his name to Witty because we have a human friend Woody and we thought Witty sounded close enough to his name. As I type, I'm watching Witty chase our chickens around their fence. He doesn't touch them, just herds them. I just put him in their fence because he was wearing Jake out, my cute little wether (neutered male goat). He keeps butting Jake and Jake seems scared to death of him. Strawberry, our doe, has mixed feelings I think. She butts Witty like she wants to be in control but then lets him hump her and doesn't seem to mind at all. Hopefully in a month or less she'll be pregnant and we'll have little Nigerian Dwarf goats running and jumping around. I don't think there's anything cuter. Even puppies and kittens aren't as bouncy and playful as a goat kid.
Joanie gave us some of her homemade goats milk soap. I must learn to make this. It smells and feels wonderful. Ed says he loves using it. We haven't tried it yet. I almost hate to ruin it because she made it in such pretty molds. I have lots of plans for when Strawberry is providing us with milk. I can't wait to make soap, yoghurt and cheeses. I guess first I need to learn to milk her and of course raise baby goats. Once the chickens start laying I plan to make icecream from the goats milk and eggs. Some pretty rich ice cream huh?
On to something besides goats. Today I spent the afternoon in Roanoke with Feenie fixing some plumbing in his daughter's rental house. First we put a new faucet on the clawfoot tub. That went easier than I expected. Then we had to fix a leak in the drain of the bathroom sink. Not as easy as I expected. We took it apart 4 times. We still need to go back to fix the downstairs shower. Plumbing isn't one of my favorite chores but it was fun to do with a friend.
My son, Adam, offered to mow the lawn for me for Mother's day. He's broke. I prefer he doesn't spend money on me anyway. I thought about what I wrote about a few days ago concerning helping people. For a Mother's Day gift I asked him to do something for someone else. Not us or his friends, but someone who would really appreciate it. I still don't know what he did. I hope whatever it is he does makes him feel good and want to do more.
Time for dinner, steak and sourkraut.
Saturday, May 9, 2009
Helping others
Yesterday was a fun day hanging out with Kathy. She needed me to take her to town since she can't drive for fear of having a seizure. I enjoy doing it and it makes me wonder why I or anyone feels good about doing stuff for others. Is it because we sincerely want to help someone? Or is it mostly selfish, because it makes us feel good about ourselves? Or a combination of both? I have a friend who used to suffer daily pain. He laid around all day feeling sorry for himself. He decided instead of sitting around he was going to help someone every day. He says since then he hasn't had that pain. His truck says on the front, "help someone today". He and I are going to do a plumbing job for his daughter on Monday. I'd do anything for him because he'd do anything for me. Do most people have a friend like that?
Friday, May 8, 2009
A wet Friday morning
9:02 AM, chickens, goats, dogs and parrot are fed. I love this time in the morning except for the wet feet I get when I go out to feed the animals. Everyone is happy to see me. Maybe that's why I love animals so much. They make me feel loved. Okay, maybe the chickens don't really love me. As I walked through the dewey green I decide which parts of the lawn I'll cut today. I'll probably avoid the back since the laundry will be hung there soon and I hate cutting underneath while wet fabric slaps and sticks to me. James suggested maybe I should wear a mask while cutting. He's probably tired of looking at the constant stream of snot running down my soup strainer. Soup strainer, that came from a song we used to sing as kids when we went camping. I can't remember the song though.
I have a book, The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, to finish in 12 days before it's due back to the library so I think I'll read a little while I wait for the sun to come out and dry things off.
I have a book, The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, to finish in 12 days before it's due back to the library so I think I'll read a little while I wait for the sun to come out and dry things off.
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