themartianchick

I like the coupon deals that CVS has from time to time. They allow you to use the manufacturer's coupons as well as the store coupon, and if they offer Extra Care Bucks in addition, I am even happier. Their prices can be a bit more than Wal-Mart but a sale with coupons and extra care bucks can be pretty good. They are not as good as they used to be though. A few years ago, they were amazingly good.

 

Grocery prices are going nuts ... I like that Cracker Barrel cheddar cheese, and the price has been climbing and climbing. I am going to call it quits here soon, it's getting too pricey. My husband and son really like Rice Krispies - they're getting up there too.

 

I used to buy the cracker barrel cheese because I love the really sharp stuff! However, I discovered a brand at Save A Lot called McCadam. They sell all kinds of bricks of cheese (8 oz) but my favorite is the one called Adirondack, which the package decribes as being 'wicked sharp'. I haven't bought Cracker Barrel in 2 years. They do have other cheddars that are not quite so sharp and I usually buy the Monteray Jack to have on hand for some recipes, etc...

My favorite poem is

The Ballad of the Ice-Worm Cocktail by Robert Service.

 

http://explorenorth..../bl-iceworm.htm

 

though I really like a lot of his work.

 

I used to go on the Alaska RR up to some lonely spot and have them drop me off with a back pack. I'd catch the southbound train a few days later. Had to flag them down. I worked for the RR and got a pass whenever I wanted. One morning I woke to find bear tracks next to my bed. LOL

I wanna be CGA when I grow up!

Just finished the book. Really enjoyed it! First time I've read Nora Roberts. I like her writing style.

Nora Roberts' books are fantastic!! She also writes under the pseudonym of J.D.Robb, so when you run out of Nora Roberts' books, you can still find more under her pen name!

aww, Madison, you made me giggle and want some of that pie and baked ziti for sure. Latin, wow. I won't say what happened in my Spanish class in high school but French was better in college after the navy. I just pulled my Spanish and French discs out and ripped them to my laptop. I need to give myself lessons again. The Latin is important and I am glad you are doing well with it. I am glad you have the opportunity to take it in school too.

Mt. Rider I am glad Darlene kidnapped you and I would be trying to get that pan of pie from you I bet, to Madisons' chagrin.

 

It is heartening to read your summary MrMom on the Gatherings. I felt it would be so. Someday I hope to be able to come.

 

Bless the new pups, Lord, they will all have the best of homes and importance I am sure with the guidance and needs of those who are able to be so blessed with one for their homestead and home needs. I cannot think of a better prep item for Mt.Rider now. I just don't know how it will fit when it is grown, in her bitty cabin.

 

Thanks for sharing and I feel on the mend now from my recent health ordeal and the head is staying clearer.

My daughter uses a website called busuu.com to learn foreign languages, Arby. It is free and there is even a feature to allow you to chat live with people all over the world as your language skills increase.

Love it!

Stopping By the Woods on a Snowy Evening is my 2nd favorite poem...My favorite is The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost. I learned it when I was in 5th grade and thought that it seemed to fit my life at the time. I was always different from the other kids in one way or another. All of these years later and it still fits....right down to the homesteading leanings:

The Road Not Taken

Hubby fixed our radiator problem over the weekend. It turned out to be the water pump and not the radiator. The water pump was $65 and the new radiator would have cost $200. He was able to install it himself, so we dodged the bullet on that one. Best of luck to Gofish and Jeepers with their vehicles, too!

Congratulations!!! We're going to have another birthday to celebrate at Mrs S.

I have to ask this question, Cat... Was the family black? The reason that I ask is that I am frequently asked about my upbringing in the boonies by other black people. Many think that it would be scary to be "only' black family or to be so isolated from the culture.I think that there are still some lingering fears about rural white people being racists.It is a completely unfair perception, but it is still there.I'm pretty comfortable in just about any environment and can easily walk confidently in any of the inner-city neighborhoods without fear.Of course, I also speak to everyone that I meet which lends a bit of personality to the interaction.

In general, I think that we train children to fear the woods from an early age. Think about the stories of Snow White and Little Red Riding Hood. Bad things happen when you venture into the woods. Children learn to fear the dark. Wooded areas are dark with trees that hang over your head. Think about how many cartoons we've seen where the spooky looking trees come to life and grimace while shaking their branches at someone.When our children were very young ( ages 13, 12, 3,2) we took them to a festival that was about 50 miles away. On the way home, I had my husband turn onto a different road because the highway was backed up and I didn't want us to be stuck on the highway for hours. I wasn't completely familiar with the area, but I had traveled that way as a kid and was reasonably sure that we would eventually run into something familiar. Besides, I knew that we were going in the right direction on a parallel road. Our youngest kids fell asleep, but everyone else was terrified. After I was able to recognize a road that connected with the one that my parents lived on, everyone began confessing how scared they'd been. They mentioned that it was so dark and that there were no street lights. Even hubby mentioned how the trees looked so scary when they were only illuminated by headlights.

To city folks... utter darkness is frightening!!!! As a country person that now lives in the city, I am frequently bothered by the fact that it is never actually dark in the city!I can wander through my house in the "dark" and still be able to see clearly. I truly hate streetlights!

From someone with a leaky radiator (which will be repaired in the next couple of days), you have my sympathy. I will keep you in my prayers.

I'm so sorry that I missed your birthday, Michael! I hope that you had a great one! No Arby at Arby's? Hmmm...now that is a puzzle. Was Ms. Macy there at least?

It sounds as though you will all have a great time! This is always a tough time of year for me to get away and I'm so sorry that I'm going to miss it all. Please post a lot of pictures!

We haven't used the furnace in our house yet this fall, but I've been working on getting a rental house ready since the 1st of the month. That house doesn't have a woodburner of any kind in it, so I've had to use the furnace while there a bit. The house is really well insulated though which makes us a bit jealous. Our own seems like a drafty barn at times. Our tenant of 6 years moved out and the race is on to get everything painted, waxed, and touched up so that we don't lose more than 1 month's worth of rent. Of course, on her last day in the house, the hot water heater went, so hubby has to replace that this weekend.We haven't had too much truoble with frozen pipes in recent years. The pipe closet in the downstairs bath had a few issues years ago and we bought a heat tape to keep them from freezing. If the power were to go out, we can always fill jugs of hot water to raise the temperature in the little closet or we can heat them with a blowtorch or candle.I've got a small shipment of firewood coming next week as a precaution, but we do have a lot of firewood stored and ready to go. Last night, we burned our first fire of the season.

I am so sorry that you are still going through all of this C4C! It just seems so unfair. I think that the idea of a nice vacation is exactly what you need. Don't knock the Triangle! Bermuda is a gorgeous place to visit and one of my favorite vacation spots on earth! Quiet, quaint and laid back...Exactly what you need right now!

It is always sad when you have to put a beloved pet down. It sounds as though it was the right time to do this in order to reduce the risk of someone getting seriously hurt. Things will get better as the pain subsides and only the good memories remain. A big for you in the hopes that ou're feeling better about the situation soon. I am thoroughly amazed that you are able to think about others when you're grieving the loss.Your friend is awfully lucky to be getting your old hens and you will soon have a flock of new fluffy bantam cuties...to help to ease the pain.

BTW- Thanks for the tip about the contest! I'm not sure if I have anything started that would fit the genre, but I might have time to come up with something.

_{Our little guy was 8 days late but finally arrived yesterday. Mom didn't want me close until today and I observed her wishes.}

 

_{DGS has named him Bows Wow. No idea why and I'm sure he'll change it a number of times but as of today I'm introducing you to Bows Wow, the newest member to our farm.}

 

_{How could anyone not love these little critters???}

 

 

How cute!!!! Thanks for sharing the pic!

How wonderful!!! That must be an amazing feeling!

I love the one with the shopping cart!

A birthday trifecta to celebrate!

Did somebody say cake?

Hope you had a wonderful day!

Applause!!! An apple a day keeps doctors at bay??? Apples are always something wonderful for us. Read a book once where he said "eating the seeds of an apple fight cancer"...something about them drawing bad cells into their mass and destroying them...??? Just passing it along, have absolutely NO documentation! LOL

I love apples and I'm glad that I live in apple country to keep the prices on them low. This year, I got a shock...One of those cute little shopping bags of apples was over $5 at the supermarket last week. I think it only had about 4 lbs of apples in it. I'm gonna ask my mom if they have any decent apples on their trees. They don't spray theirs so its nice not to have to worry about pesticides.

Be careful eating apple seeds. They contain small quantities of cyanide.

What wonderful news, Philbe! I'm so happy for your son (and the rest of the family) beause that sounded like a stressful situation! I'll have to check out the video a bit later. I'm working on the slow computer this morning.

I confess... I am a nerd! I follow Neil deGrasse Tyson, so I love NASA jokes.

http://www.haydenplanetarium.org/tyson/

I decided to give this a try...no soda bottles but I have a square water bottle. Andrea, I put in some of the New Zealand spinach seeds you sent me. We'll see how they do.

New Zealand Spinach is wonderful! Let us know how this works out for you.

Congratulations, Darlene! Are you gonna post a picture of the little one? I live for posted photos of the milking animals since I can't have any here.