WHATCHA DOING TODAY?

[Mt_Rider]

[snapshotmiki]

All is good here, but hot!!! 87 today! Yesterday I was mending a seam on a fleece jacket and bent the sewing machine needle. I bought more today and hope that will fix it--tomorrow. If not, I;m kind of lost. What I was sewing was not a thick piece of material and nothing like denim. Update at 11! Tomorrow

 

Just did lots of running around and some grocery shopping today. It is supposed to cool down by Thursday!

[Jeepers]

I went grocery shopping today. I was starting to get low especially on refrigerated food and fruits etc. When I was checking out the cashier asked me if I wanted to use my pharmacy 'rewards'. I didn't know what she was talking about but she told me I had $8.00 off I could use. Heck yeah I want to use it. I know I get gas rewards but from the grocery store and pharmacy combined but this was something added. I still have $1.10 off each gallon of gas that I have to spend by the end of the month. I'm not complaining!

Then I went to Wal-Mart and got some after Halloween candy and a few more glow sticks. It's been torn up all summer. They are expanding the store. They have it almost finished and it is HUGE. I was in one end of the store and forgot something and had to walk all the way to the back of the store again. Crimony, I felt like I needed hiking boots, a map and a pup tent to rest in by the time I got out of there. It's a big one. I wonder if they are planning on K-Mart closing down next year and getting all of their customers. Could be.

[Homesteader]

DH loves it when we have guests for dinner. He gets foods that I normally don't fix for us. We had a great time with our missionary friends and got caught up on what's happening at our old office in Indiana. They walked our property with us and got their legs stretched before their last 6-hour drive home.

 

After we cleaned up the kitchen after lunch, DH went out and attached the new 3-point post hole digger to the tractor. He wanted to make holes all over the place. We were wondering where groundwater was in our lower lands because there's so many soft spots, so we started there. He drilled 4' down and the water came up 2.5 feet. It was kind of scary to me. I was afraid it would come out of the hole and chase me up the hill.

 

After playing with his new toy at the new honeybee barn location, I loaded up 100 pounds of barn lime in my wheelbarrow and headed for the garden. The soil tests recommended a lot of lime. I spent the next hour spreading it by hand. When I was done, I added about 25 pounds of fertilizer to try and balance out the soil before planting next spring. It wasn't much but should help the 12" of leaves/grass I tilled into the garden plots last week.

 

This weekend we head to a horse farm and pick up a trailer full of composted manure. That's what I really need to compliment the leaves/grass ... manure. I just can't get enough before winter. Too bad I didn't have a dairy farm closer to me.

Edited November 2, 2016 by Homesteader

[Jeepers]

Homesteader, I'm so thrilled for you! I can tell from your posts how happy you are.

I really like reading your posts and 'seeing' what all you are doing in your new forever home. Does my heart good.

[Cecilia]

Holy Hannah! It took me 3 days read all this. I'm glad everyone is doing so good. Me, my big prep is getting my teeth in good shape. Annoying but necessary.

 

Jeepers ~ in reading some of your posts about clearing out the canned food, do you anybody who can give you a name and phone number of a women's shelter? I'm pretty sure they would take it.

[Jeepers]

I only know of one woman's shelter around here. I went with the pastor of the church I was attending to deliver Christmas presents. It's hidden away and the pastor had to vouch for me to come. He took the 'scenic' route and I'd never find it again. At that I was only allowed inside the door to bring the presents in and drop them off. The place is hidden in plain sight. From the outside it looks like doctor or business offices. I understand the secrecy though.

[Annarchy]

Holy Hannah! It took me 3 days read all this. I'm glad everyone is doing so good. Me, my big prep is getting my teeth in good shape. Annoying but necessary.

<snip>

 

I know what you mean Cecilia. If I miss a couple of days, it seems this thread grows, at least a page or two. LOL Glad you are getting your teeth in good shape.

 

Teeth are a very important prep. IMHO. If your teeth are bad, they will be hurting, you won't want to eat and will have trouble eating. That's not a good thing in a situation. My whole family has issues, something in the jeans or water.

 

 

This week I have been spending quite a bit of time in the yard. Re-organized my garden work station. While checking the straw and alfalfa bales, I found that a rat had chewed a hole in my tarp and the bottom of the bales had been getting wet. Rats! Put the moldy parts in my mulch bin and re-covered the bales. After, finding more small animal holes in the ground underneath them.

 

What ever it is, it is able to eat the food I put in the trap, without tripping it. It'll miscalculate soon enough and I will catch it. I was hoping the rat the neighbors cat killed and brought him, would have been the last, but, the food in the trap was gone the next day. Thankfully, they are staying away from the house and not doing any damage.

 

I have managed to turn the soil in half of my gardens. Homesteader, you inspire me, but you have a rototiller. The beets, carrots and black eyed peas are thriving in the cooler weather. I transplanted the Paquin chili plants, to the border along the fence line, around one of my garden beds. Since I won't be eating them often, they should make a pretty hedge and provide shade.

 

Time to get back at it. It rained here last night and this morning..... So much for the new bale of straw, I got yesterday, planning on moving it today, to it's sheltered place in the yard, ...and the bird seed.... still sitting in the back of my truck.... wet....

 

Hope everyone has a beautiful day.

[The WE2's]

Homesteader, I'm so thrilled for you! I can tell from your posts how happy you are.

I really like reading your posts and 'seeing' what all you are doing in your new forever home. Does my heart good.

 

Agreed

[The WE2's]

I only know of one woman's shelter around here. I went with the pastor of the church I was attending to deliver Christmas presents. It's hidden away and the pastor had to vouch for me to come. He took the 'scenic' route and I'd never find it again. At that I was only allowed inside the door to bring the presents in and drop them off. The place is hidden in plain sight. From the outside it looks like doctor or business offices. I understand the secrecy though.

 

In our city, we just take it to the police station and they will deliver it to CASA.

 

ps...but we also have a women's homeless shelter and a men's homeless shelter that isn't "hidden" and they'll accept food, clothing and just about anything that they can use to help shelter people...temporarily.

Edited November 4, 2016 by The WE2's

[The WE2's]

Been busy "getting things done". It's that time of year. Was VERY pleased when we got our electric bill :-) By not using our a/c and hanging our clothes out for the sun/wind to dry we cut our electricity bill by over $70! This will be the first winter that we'll have all 3 properties to maintain so we're cutting expenses everyplace we can. Gotta get the homestead ready for us so we can get this place sold.

[Cecilia]

WTG Mrs. WE2! Nice savings. I know what you mean by painful eating. 2 Christmasas ago I somehow fracked one of my lower back teeth, talk about painful! Found a great dentist and now have an implant there.

Jeepers, can you talk to that pastor again? Maybe you can arrange to have that shelter to pick up your donation in a safe place like the parking lot of a grocery store or McDonalds.

[Jeepers]

He is no longer a pastor and he moved back to LA, California. He teaches in Watts now. I think Jr. High.

 

I don't even know how I'd contact a woman's shelter. I feel bad for the children in there. D-ex and I bought a bunch of toys and wrapped them and put sticky notes on them for boy or girl. One of the best Christmas' I ever had. The only other place I know of is the City Mission in downtown Cleveland. I've been there...once. Bad part of town, off street parking and men everywhere. Both inside the building and out on the sidewalk/grass outside.

 

I give to the Salvation Army but they don't take food. About 2 weeks ago I read where our food pantry moved again. Small suburbs of a large city don't have a lot of resources mostly because they aren't needed. Well, I suppose they are to some extent but not enough to keep them up and running full time.

 

Ya know, I just remembered that I went to that women's shelter twice. Once was for the toys and another time we went to Sam's Club and loaded up and delivered the same day. By the way, I wasn't the only one who donated. It was a church project both times. Small church...big hearts.

[Cecilia]

Ask the police or a hospital. They may know and help.

[Annarchy]

Boy did we get rain yesterday afternoon. Collected over an inch in my bucket! Took a video of the water rushing through our yard from the road. I won't need to water the lawn/garden for a couple of days. It has not rained this much, here, in over a year. We needed it!

 

Today is house cleaning day. We have a few customers scheduled to come tomorrow and they want to go out and practice with their new toys. DH has offered his instructor experience and dinner at the end of the day. The dog (and us) have tracked muddy paw prints all over the house.

 

Poor Temperance is nearing the end. Breaking my heart in 1,000 pieces. The meds she is on is helping. She climbs in my arms and snuggles into my shirt, stapling me to the floor. I think of hundreds of things I could be doing, but she's worth every second of love.....

 

 

Well, time to get myself motivated. The sun is due up in a while. I need to rake up all the stuff that the rivers of water washed into our yard yesterday, and check to see if the new bale of straw stayed dry - or at least be able to dry out.

 

Hoping everyone has a blessed day.

[Mt_Rider]

I surely do hope we get some of that rain coming our way. An inch could be ...problematic tho.

 

Gorgeous days. ZERO energy. Dust, etc clogging my bronchial passage for O2.

 

MtRider ....sorry about your furry friend, Annarchy. Enjoy while you can....I do w/ 16.5 yr old kitty.

[The WE2's]

Got some rain Wednesday night, so our rain catchment barrels probably got a good flushing. We opened all four of the spigots some time ago to drain them. This way they'll get a good flush and not retain any water that would freeze. Still harvesting tomatoes, kale and some green bell peppers from the garden. Made a batch of sprouts so we're enjoying tomatoes with sprouts on top and salad dressing and kale in our breakfast scrambled eggs. Today was a beauty of a day!!! Did our weekly shopping and paid some bills. Stopped at a couple of yard sales and picked up another blanket, several queen sized flat sheets, a bunch of zippers, some yards of new fabric, a nice padded hammock with a lid that lifts up to store stuff inside, a really pretty set of 9 glass glasses for $1 :-) and a safety grab bar for the bathroom at the homestead. We have two here that fit over the tub so we can easily take them, but needed one inside the tub enclosure at the homestead (which we have here also) to make sure we have no slipping accidents. Picked up a nice box of new canning lids and about a dozen rings for $1. Just never know what useful things you can find if you stop and take a look :-)

[Jeepers]

Great haul We2!

[Mt_Rider]

Well yesterday I managed to change a light bulb....

 

Wait...that's waaay more difficult that it sounds. First, it was already dark.... which is WHY I turned the light on. So had to get the spotlight to see what I was doing. Then I have to get out one of our LED bulbs. We've been replacing with them, especially in hard to get to places. Then I had to haul out the HEAVY vacuum.... cuz there are always dead flies inside where the socket is. Yes, an upright light fixture instead of a downward hanging one.

 

So with a careful Note To Self about the LIGHT BULB in my right pocket, I hoist the upright vacuum and myself onto the bed. Hey....a nearly normal bed with mattress, etc is WAAAAY easier to walk and balance on than the waterbed [that died here recently]. Have to LIFT vacuum with one hand and the other to cup the vacuum hose end to suck out dead flies....while using my other hand [...wait, I'm outta hands] to lift up the glass globe an inch. Cannot even reach over the top and inside glass globe to unscrew the light bulb cuz....I'm too short and ain't trying to stand on a chair on top of the bed.

 

Well, with a few awkward maneuvers....trying to get flies to go into vacuum hose and not down upon me....I withdraw hose and begin to unscrew light bulb. Have to try to squeeze fingers under the partially-lifted glass globe. Globe can't fit to come off until the light bulb is removed. So have to pinch the stem of the light bulb from under the globe and twist. A tiny eighth of a turn with each pinch. More dead flies....never get them all on first try.

 

Finally bulb is loose and I remove both globe and bulb. Apply the vacuum hose again for the last of the flies. Baaad idea to have a dead fly in the socket when I screw in the new bulb. Thread the new bulb inside the globe...old bulb now in my pocket. Screw the bulb in place with more tiny pinches of motion under the globe. Reverse order of exit bed. Turn on light and shut off spotlight.

 

 

...but this is a endorsement for LED bulbs. They ARE definitely lasting longer in our 'dirty electric' house. So maybe I won't have to change that one again. I'm surely gonna collect all the LED bulbs when we {ever} leave and put the cheapo ones in their place.

 

 

Also played Cinderella and cleaned out ash/soot from behind the firebrick walls of the pellet stove. I'd reallly like to know HOW I ALWAYS get streaks of soot across my face when I do that???? {probably itchy strands of hair falling in my face...}

 

Gotta put a roast in the crock pot today....and then go feed. DH is working extra this next week which is nearly as hard on me as it is on him.

 

MtRider

Edited November 5, 2016 by Mt_Rider

[Jeepers]

Sheesh, made me tired just reading it!

 

That reminds me though, I need to get some LED's to change out here too. I had some in my hands the last time I was at Wal-Mart but It said 'medium base' and I wasn't sure what that meant. I had to put them back and come home and Google it. Yep, it's for regular size sockets. I thought it was because there were so many of them but with my luck....

[Homesteader]

Good on you Mt. Rider. We're changing out all the incandescents in this all-electric house to LED's. We've been buying them by the box to save on costs.

 

I've got to lay low for a few days, and on a concussion protocol through tonight. We were working on our new bee barn and a board fell off the roof and caught me right in the forehead. We went to the VA hospital and had some very nice medical folks working on me. I opted for super-glue instead of stitches. They still had to glue up three layers due to how deep the gash was. I was thankful that I had on a RED turtleneck shirt yesterday.

 

We had promised a lady on Craig's list that we would come and haul away some of her horse poop today. DH let me hold the extra shovel as he loaded the trailer. The lady was very nice and very talkative. I'm not sure that's because she's a psychologist or she lives alone. She saw my gash and we both decided to stay out of DH's way while he filled up wheelbarrow after wheelbarrow. I really felt sorry for him cause we're usually a team.

 

Church tomorrow and maybe some more unpacking from our move as long as I don't lean over and let the blood rush to my head.

[snapshotmiki]

Try to take it a little easy, Homesteader! Hope you feel better soon!

[Mt_Rider]

OW! Goodness, Homesteader! That sounds like a nasty accident. Best you follow doc's orders precisely with a head injury. Sheeeesh, I'll bet that bled something awful ....head injuries do.

 

 

MtRider

[Annarchy]

(((((Homesteader))))) Ouch!

 

We now have 3 more chickens, the three we gave to a friend last spring. He got extremely irritated at their clucking and was afraid his HOA would fine him. The girls are separated from my girls and are very quiet. (?) Their names are, Pot Pie, Casserole, and Cacciatore.

 

We went target practicing yesterday. I got to try out my new trigger pull on my carry weapon. Not too shabby, it took a few rounds to get a good feel for it. We took a lady out with her first one. She did well and seem comfortable with it by the end of the day. She also enjoyed the auto...

 

The ground is still wet from the rain and it is amazing to see dew on everything in the morning. Usually, we are so dry, we never see dew.

 

I put fresh, dry, straw down for the chicks, because the rain had soaked (flooded) our whole yard. They seemed to enjoy it.

 

Other than that, trying to take it easy today.

 

Hoping everyone has a fantastic day.

[Ambergris]

Homesteader, take it easy for a while--don't forget about decision fatigue, either.

 

Every concussion you get is every concussion you've ever had plus one. This is why I had to give up so much of what I used to do, and why my main hobby isn't "reading" any more. By the time I go through my tracking exercises every day, I'm too tired to read. If I let the tracking exercises lapse for too many days, I lose my ability to read. (As in, it takes half an hour to negotiate a regular paperback page.)

 

Depopulated the chicken yard yesterday. They haven't laid since early summer, so I suspect they were all three well into henopause.