More Snakes

I guess we didn't cover the hole well enough. This morning I went to water the baby chickens. It was actually the first night I turned the light off for them. Turned on the light and there was another big ol' king snake with a bulge in his midsection. Right next to him was a chicken just sitting there. Not injured or anything.

After a small fight with the stinky snake, which I won, I came back to count the chickens. There were three missing, but I could have swore, that there was only one in the snake. It was big enough that you could see the entire silhouette of the unfortunate chicken. I went ahead and watered and fed them. They all seemed to be recovering find. I moved the feed totes to get to the layer mash, there was a chicken still hiding in the corner. I put him by the food and he started eating just fine. Then I got the goat chow and saw another chicken huddled behind there. He was fine too.

The snake did only get one. I still have 15. It was a bit of a shock since I had not been missing any eggs. Guess my mothballs are done doing their job. I need to sharpen my shovel a bit. Got more of a workout than I expected this morning (especially since my treadmill died on me this morning too).

I guess I better go and see how the little survivors are doing.

End of September

Really?? September is almost over? Where did it go? I had so much to get done...did I do it? Gosh, I am not sure. Better pull out that September list...

My greenhouse raised bed is doing okay. A windstorm blew off the back door of the greenhouse and it has not been repaired yet, which means animals, including rabbits can get in there. I tell you this because I had green bean plants blooming and ready to put out little baby beans. I waited two days because it had been rainy and cloudy so assumed that I could get away with not watering as much. Well, I ended up with one little stem. No leaves, no blooms, definitely no beans. All 6 plants that were blooming were gone! Poof! They didn't bother my cucumbers. They are faring nicely, growing up the small trellis. The basil I planted in the raised bed is beautiful. I see an Italian meal in my future. I made a bit of lattice work and put different lettuces, spinach and radishes in. They are coming along nicely too.

In the outside garden, the rain watered our turnips, radishes and broccoli . I still have three 4x4 sections to fill. Some kale and cabbage would be good, I think. I will be going through my seeds over the next couple of days and get that done.

I guess it is about time to pick my one little white pumpkin. I was hoping it would grow a bit more, but alas, it has not. It is still in the mid 80s in the afternoon though, so I don't want anything rotting. Then again, maybe I will wait a bit on that.

Why is it I want to wait on things that need to be done now and do what really needs to wait? Do they make medicine for that? Not that I would take medicine, maybe an herbal tea...

Chapter 4

"Learn from Kids as They Live in the Moment."

Yes, I have a big problem with being in the moment or focusing. Friends and family will ask me, "do you remember when..." No, no I don't. Sometimes it may be vaguely familiar, sometimes it does not ring a bell AT ALL. Often times I have felt that I might be losing my mind. But I know that it is my ability to "multitask" during stress that causes this problem. When I am in the middle of typing a "stat" report and the kids come in and tell me something I need to do for them at school...guess who forgets to do that.

There was one point in my life where I was so stressed with an outside job that I was forgetting important coversations at work and at home. Peoples lives were dependent on some of these details. It was at that point that I realized I had to lessen my stress. So I did quit (and began working at home eventually). There was a few weeks of decompression and it felt wonderful. I still have stress and yes there are things that I should do to help myself, but I am not ready to move forward on those for different reasons.

One of the things that I have picked up on, as many people have, is yoga. I took a few classes to learn the correct poses and get more of an insight to the practice. I now practice at home, sometimes. Not nearly as often as I should. I absolutely loved it. The focus on the breath and the moment, on each small fractionated movement your body goes through as you change poses and positions. Learning to relax different areas of your body. It is a wonderful, calm feeling when it is finished. And that feeling does stick around for a while.

I guess I had better unroll my mat and take some time to focus on the now...not fret about the past or worry over the unknowns of the future. Now is really all that matters, isn't it. (Namaste)

Out of the Brooder

Jake and I officially let the birds out of their brooder box. One brave bird had escaped and others were sitting on top of the waterer contemplating. So we opened up the front of the box and let them have a bit more freedom, not enough to let them out into the fenced yard yet. I will probably give them at least 1-2 more weeks. (We have to finish putting up chicken wire along the bottom so we don't have to chase them back in.) They seem to be enjoying their new found space. There are a few that seem to like staying by the door so we have to open it gently. It won't be long little ones. It won't be long.

Cherry's Road Trip

No, it was not for pleasure (per se). I thought she was in heat...well, she probably was...yesterday. Okay, I was ignorant to the fact that it only lasted 24 hours. I told the lady with the buck that Cherry's tail was wagging like crazy. I mentioned it was yesterday, not today. I had put the buck rag out this morning with maybe a little tail twitch, but she was more excited about the branch of leaves I had for her. Well, we tried anyway. Nope, not interested in the least. I need to watch in 10 days, but usually it is 21 days between. Oh well. At least Cherry got to take a little road trip. And maybe I was mean on the way back and turned on the back window wiper just to see if it scared her...it did.

Random Thoughts

I didn't go to church this morning. There were physical reasons, but probably more so prideful reasons. Nonetheless, I spent the morning with God. I could see him in the trees blowing and feel him in the warm sun on my skin. I could hear him in the birds singing their songs. I saw his beauty on the pond. No, I didn't go to church, but my spirit was renewed (must be the Indian in me).

Change of Seasons

Don't you love the lightness of the air when fall is on its way. The cool morning air puts a little bounce in my step. I feel myself breathing deeper and slower. It is still 90 degress in the day, but it is in the 60s when I wake up.

As fall approaches, I once again turn to my to-do list in my head. What needs to be done over the next couple of months to make sure we fare well through the winter.

The well is insulated to ensure we have free flowing water. We should insulate the pipes in the greenhouse, however. All the animals have decent shelter. I do need more hay and straw for food and insulating the shelter. There is still some fallen trees to be cut and split to have ready for the fireplace in case we need heat, or just want a warm fire crackling with our hot chocolate around January. The garden can still be tilled and planted with cool crops and cole crops. I also want to have a cover crop on some garden plots. I need to be thinking about what trees or bushes I need plant for our food, bee food and soil improvement.

Of course, it is my favorite time of year to decorate. Time to think about setting some mums on the porch and pumpkins here and there. I do have one small white pumpkin that survived our summer. It grew by the porch. The rest of the plants burned up in the heat. (I will be planting them elsewhere next year).

It is deer season for bowhunters. Maybe I will have a chance to clean out my freezer and rotate some new venison and even hog sausage.

There is a lot to do in the fall, but for some reason, it just does not seem as hard as the summer chores in the heat...

Chapter 3

"A Happy Spouse is a Helping Spouse"


I think that is pretty clearly stated. I have learned a lot from Bruce in how to treat your spouse. He has shown me great patience, trust and to really "not sweat the small stuff." We are a great team. He is laid back and I am uptight, so when you put us together, it works out pretty well...most of the time.



I have asked Bruce what makes him happy. His reply...if you're happy, I'm happy...Come on, that doesn't make me happy. That doesn't give me anything to work with, does it? I have asked him in the past about what is most important to him when he comes home? Quiet, hot meal, sparkling clean home, Cleopatra costume with a palm leaf? Again, he says if you're happy....blah, blah, blah...

Well, okay, then let's say he is a simple man with a simple thought pattern and that is what he means. Then that means I have to figure out what makes ME happy...great, that is even harder! Especially since I am not simple with simple thought patterns, as most women aren't. It would make me happy if he would tell me what would make him happy...okay, I am dizzy now.

I guess what makes me happy is a clutter-free home, knowing the kids and Bruce have good, healthy food to eat and Bruce keeping his fat head off my fluffy pillow...that's about it...I think I can work with that.

Chick Pics

Well, its almost 3 weeks. Yes, they have hit that oh so awkward stage-half furry, half feathery.

Cleaning the Porch

Yes, finally got the back porch somewhat straightened. It had needed to be done all summer. We have our extra supers and other bee equipment all nice and neat in a corner now. I had a super full of honey that we were saving for this fall to put back on the bees. We had taken it off early spring and we saved it specificially for that purpose. It had been sitting on an empty freezer on the porch not harming anyone for months, but I moved it over the "bee" corner. I guess when I was moving the fairly heavy super full of honey, I opened up some of the capped cells. It was probably two or three hours later, Jake was going out to check on the animals for me when he wanted me to come and see the porch. The bees had found the honey. Really??? There were hundreds on the porch, and over the course of these past several days, have not left. Some fly in and out taking it back home, but I am really a bit afraid that they will try to make it their new home...on my porch!!! All the equipment is there, except nothing is covered, but several supers and frames with drawn comb...I may have to suit up and move that honey closer to them a little earlier than planned.

Getting to Know Penny

Lately I have found the act of simply watching Henny Penny (our 1 year old survivor chicken) and Cherry (our goat) relaxing. Watching them as they free range, watching them watch me. In doing so, they have become more of friends than animals on the homestead. Penny gets irritated and impatient when Cherry is allowed to graze and she is stuck in her fence. She paces, back and forth along the fence with that angry little clucking. "I can't believe she is leaving me in here...I just can't believe it." Of course, we can't have Penny upset, so when she is allowed out, she runs to Cherry and stays right by her side, probably whispering about me. It's a wonder my ears don't burn.

Penny has learned she is not allowed in the brooder coop, even though the curosity about kills her. While I am feeding the wee ones, I will see her hop on the top step and stick her neck in the door just to see what is up, but never any further.

Today, one of the dogs was barking toward the chicken coop, the back side or the tool shed as it were. I went in, hoe in hand, looking for a snake. There is no way I could find it in there with all the cords and wires and hoses and snakey-looking things. There was no movement. I went over to the coop side and the baby chickens were fine, Penny was fine and I had an egg. That was encouraging. I decided to check more often just in case.

As the evening was upon us, and the sun was setting, I decided to take one more look in the coops. Penny was in the chicken yard, a little odd for that time of the day. I opened the door to the brooder coop and Penny just hopped on in, nothing stopping her. What in the world? She had never done that before. She didn't even look at the babies as she went to a corner. The chicks were fine, nothing the matter. Maybe there was something in her coop...I shooed her out. She was a bit huffy about it. I grabbed the infamous shovel that I keep near the coop door. As I was walking toward Penny's coop, I noticed the door had shut. I am not sure how, must have been a wind. As soon as I opened the door, Penny bounded in and I heard her fly up on the roost and whisper 'finally.' Oops! She couldn't get in her own bed. No wonder she was cranky! My bad. I think I heard her snore before I even got out of the gate...

Chapter 2

I am moving on to Chapter 2 whilst keeping Chapter 1 in mind about the right emotional climate.

Chapter 2 Give Yourself an Extra 10 Minutes

So this goes along with the hurrying of everyday life. Rush here, rush there, late for this. I used to be early...very early. My dad was always late and I hated it. Now I find I am being late for more appointments and meetings. I feel it is a disrepect but cannot be helped. Well, guess what. It is a disrespect and it can be helped. Okay, yes, an extra 10 minutes. Wake up earlier, go to bed later, leave for work 10 minutes earlier, schedule things further apart to give yourself adequate time...but the most important thing is not to schedule yourself to death. Remember the movie with the Faukers, Meet the Parents, and how Robert DeNiro had everything scheduled down to the minute and any variance in that threw everything else off. NOT how I want to be. I would prefer to be like the older man down the road that has his lawnchair facing his garden. Yep, just sit there and watch the corn grow! Well, that may be TOO far the other way, but I would like to have the option to do so if I wanted. I do like soaking up some sunshine with a few minutes of calm. I guess what it comes down to is making sure we get done what we HAVE to, making sure we take time to help others, and say no to those things that really aren't going to affect our lives or anyone else's lives for the good in the long run. Easier said than done, huh?

Chickies Week 2

Their little wing feathers are growing. They are still cute, however, I know they are about to hit their "awkward" stage when their cute little furry feathers start turning into real feathers...not too cute.

Nervous

Well, this is the month we are to breed Cherry. I have a buck rag given to us by the lady who sold Cherry to us. Basically, it is a washcloth that she took and wiped down the male goat with so it has that musky smell. We are to take that and tie it to the fence and watch for Cherry to start "flirting" and flagging to alert us to her being in heat. When I see that, I will come in and call the lady who has the buck, get her there and hope for the best. After she is bred, we only have 5 months until she freshens (or gives birth). ...oh my goodness. There is so much to do in that 5 months. Read and watch You Tube on kidding to make sure I am prepared for the birth and any emergencies that might arise, get the milk house ready, make sure we have milking equipment, keep Cherry healthy and warm and happy and...oh my goodness. Am I ready for this??? Uh, no. But am I going to do it anyway??? Uh, yes...

"Borrowed" Book

First let me say, Mom, I will send you your book back....after I try an experiment.


I found a book that was given to my mother by one of her friends. Don't Sweat the Small Stuff with Your Family. (I hope she didn't get that because of me??) Regardless, I have been feeling, um, "off" a bit lately. Divine intervention maybe? Well, what I am going to do is take my time and work on a chapter at time and see if it makes a difference. There are 100 steps, so we will see how many I actually get to or go through.


Chapter 1. Set a postive emotional climate.


So the other day when everyone left and I walked around and got all mad and huffy and upset, I wasn't setting a "positive emotional climate?" Things I will be working on. Does this need to be done yesterday? Do I allow the children to get one chore done before giving them another to do because I could have gotten it done by now? Do we need to hurry to get this done, really? Hmm...So what steps have I taken today to achieve a more positive emotional climate? I have purposely slowed down when speaking to the children and made sure they knew I was focusing exclusively on their conversation, even simply turning my chair away from the computer, even though I was working. Some things should take precedence over work. We all know that our attitude is the main ingredient that we can control, yes, we can control it, when it comes to our emotional environment. We can chose to be peaceful and understanding and slow to anger, pretty much as God intended. Or we can rant and rave and work ourselves into frenzy for naught except high blood pressure. I think I like the former.

So, can I move on to chapter two yet?? Didn't think so. This may take a few days. In fact, according to the author, it may have taken years to create the environment we are living now(yes, I do have an anxious personality), and may take time to create a new one...

Mom, I might just have to buy you a new book!

Just One of Those Days

The family had gone to town to do some shopping (Kohl's cash to be spent before it expired) and see if we could get a belt for the tiller. Meanwhile, I stayed here, hoping to get some work done, both on the computer and outside. Cherry and Penny free ranged for a while as I tried to pull up some weeds just in case the tiller was fixed today. After an hour with the shovel, I had about a 2 foot square of weedless clay. After putting Cherry and Penny back up, I headed indoors, shoulders slumped, head down. Started thinking about all the things I needed to get done and how many things I haven't accomplished yet. Doggone! There was that bad attitude again. Those sneaky thoughts that bring you down. Once the family got back, I was not in a good mood. But, as always, Bruce talked to me and reminded me of what I do have and have accomplished and not to worry so much. Yes, poor man, has to remind me often. There are days I can catch myself, and there are days, I can't. Today was an I can't day. Well, it is afternoon to evening now and I am better. And, I did get some things accomplished, when I look at it with a better attitude.

Missed the Pond!

As you recall, I had an encounter with a snake in my baby chicken coop. I took the snake remains and threw it into the pond for the snapping turtle to enjoy. Apparently I missed. The pond is down severely with the drought. I guess the buzzards found it instead. It was a bit eerie to see the big black shadows fly by my window.

NOTE TO SELF: Make sure carcasses are disposed of properly to avoid Edgar Allen Poe nightmares---in the middle of the day!!

Seedlings

My several trays of cooler crops are doing fairly well. Apparently mice or voles or whatever is getting fat on my seeds, really enjoy my lettuce varieties-arrrghh! I have picture evidence of where they have dug out my seeds (see below). I have to do another tray and see if I can get any worthwhile from that, as well as some spinach that they devoured. Beets, collars, Brussels sprouts, cabbage and kale are doing well. The timing should be just about right. The plants and garden beds should be ready about the same time. I do have some basil that I am hoping will have enough time to grow, even if I have to bring them in, so that I can dry some and make some pesto to have on hand. I still want broccoli and mustard greens. I think I have a few seeds left. Yes, my not-so-good furry friends feasted on those too. So far, I am pleased with how things are going.