However, my sweet, sweet, darling husband came through:
Monday, February 6, 2012
He's the best!!
I was so frustrated with my old camera this morning when trying to take photos of the eagle. I can't use the zoom at all or it shuts itself off, it doesn't hold a charge and it doesn't seem to have the clarity that it once did. I have been getting more and more irritated with it as it has slowly died over the past few months. I've been researching new cameras but I find it hard to justify that kind of purchase for myself.
However, my sweet, sweet, darling husband came through:
What's in the bag?
Oooooo!!!!!
I can't wait to see what I can do with this baby!!
However, my sweet, sweet, darling husband came through:
Our National Bird
Up close and personal!
This beautiful bird has been hanging around for a couple of days. Not the juvenile that was here a few weeks ago (haven't seen him/her in a couple of days- maybe the adult scared it off). I ran outside with my camera with wet hair and no coat when it landed in the tree right across from the end of the driveway. V followed moments later with the bigger, better camera and a coat. Here are some shots for you to enjoy!
Beautiful!
This beautiful bird has been hanging around for a couple of days. Not the juvenile that was here a few weeks ago (haven't seen him/her in a couple of days- maybe the adult scared it off). I ran outside with my camera with wet hair and no coat when it landed in the tree right across from the end of the driveway. V followed moments later with the bigger, better camera and a coat. Here are some shots for you to enjoy!
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Family Sunday
We had a great, but not typical day. This morning, we got up early-ish and headed South. We attended church with my parents and then headed to the farm to celebrate Dad's birthday. Okay, his birthday isn't actually until Tuesday but we can't really make the drive then. Surprisingly, we were also joined by my brother who stopped in for lunch and stayed an hour or two after.
While we were there, Dad had a task for the boys:
Hauling a few buckets of corn out of the almost empty grain bin.
Dad is having trouble climbing in and out of the bin these days but wanted some more corn to crack for the birds before their tenant finishes cleaning out the bin. He stood there and chuckled as he watched them climb in and out, shaking his head and saying "oh, to have knees that work like that again". He was glad for the help and the boys were surprised that the task didn't involve that much. I guess we've got them trained that when we've got a job for them to do, it involves WORK.
Other than visiting and driving, we didn't do anything today. So... it has been a relaxing but not at all productive weekend. However, tomorrow is my day off so, of course, I've got it jam-packed with plans. But I'll let you know about those some other time.
While we were there, Dad had a task for the boys:
Other than visiting and driving, we didn't do anything today. So... it has been a relaxing but not at all productive weekend. However, tomorrow is my day off so, of course, I've got it jam-packed with plans. But I'll let you know about those some other time.
Saturday, February 4, 2012
Satisfying Saturday
I can't even say what made today so great. It certainly wasn't the weather. It couldn't decide if it wanted to rain or snow and spent the day changing back and forth. It never amounted to anything but a bone-chillingly damp day. I didn't even get much accomplished. I couldn't even really tell you what I did this morning. I slept in until 8:30- unheard of for me, took a shower and made breakfast for V and I- but apart from that, I couldn't really tell you what I did.
V and I did a little shopping in the afternoon. We needed to go to the home improvement store to get some more corner bead for finishing drywall in the hall and decided that while we were out we would stop in at Bed, Bath and Beyond since my MIL gave us a gift card for there for Christmas. We picked up sets of flannel sheets for the boys- on CLEARANCE!!- and I found the perfect crock for sourdough starter. I've been wanting to start sourdough for a while but haven't been able to find a crock the right size (at least that I was willing to pay the asking price) until today. Of course, the whole trip was topped off by me screaming like a little girl and then bursting out into gales of laughter after a mouse ran across my foot in the van while we were heading down the road at highway speeds. Good thing I wasn't driving! I guess we need to set a mouse trap in the van. We haven't driven it for a few weeks and the mouse moved in. Ah, the joys of country life.
So, after we got home I washed my new crock and mixed up my sourdough starter. I cheated and added a bit of yeast. I'm going to have to keep it covered with a towel when I'm not in the kitchen due to curious kitty paws and I'm not sure it would capture enough wild yeast to work well. I'm excited about trying this. I remember Mom having a sourdough started for a while but I didn't pay that much attention to it. Ah, now there's something else to feed and tend in the house. But this will motivate me to bake bread more often.
Like I said earlier, I'm not sure what made today wonderful- it just was. Maybe it was that I didn't do much and let myself relax. I drank coffee and read the paper this morning, laughed with my DH, got some great deals on sheets for the boys and got J17 some new drawing nibs for her ink pens at the craft store (next to BB&B) when we stopped in there to look for a specialty ink pen for one of V's projects. I picked up some potting soil for seed starting, saw a bald eagle with a rabbit in its talons struggling to fly across the road, gathered eggs and washed some dishes. Tonight is family movie night. Hmm, I wonder what we'll watch....
V and I did a little shopping in the afternoon. We needed to go to the home improvement store to get some more corner bead for finishing drywall in the hall and decided that while we were out we would stop in at Bed, Bath and Beyond since my MIL gave us a gift card for there for Christmas. We picked up sets of flannel sheets for the boys- on CLEARANCE!!- and I found the perfect crock for sourdough starter. I've been wanting to start sourdough for a while but haven't been able to find a crock the right size (at least that I was willing to pay the asking price) until today. Of course, the whole trip was topped off by me screaming like a little girl and then bursting out into gales of laughter after a mouse ran across my foot in the van while we were heading down the road at highway speeds. Good thing I wasn't driving! I guess we need to set a mouse trap in the van. We haven't driven it for a few weeks and the mouse moved in. Ah, the joys of country life.
So, after we got home I washed my new crock and mixed up my sourdough starter. I cheated and added a bit of yeast. I'm going to have to keep it covered with a towel when I'm not in the kitchen due to curious kitty paws and I'm not sure it would capture enough wild yeast to work well. I'm excited about trying this. I remember Mom having a sourdough started for a while but I didn't pay that much attention to it. Ah, now there's something else to feed and tend in the house. But this will motivate me to bake bread more often.
Like I said earlier, I'm not sure what made today wonderful- it just was. Maybe it was that I didn't do much and let myself relax. I drank coffee and read the paper this morning, laughed with my DH, got some great deals on sheets for the boys and got J17 some new drawing nibs for her ink pens at the craft store (next to BB&B) when we stopped in there to look for a specialty ink pen for one of V's projects. I picked up some potting soil for seed starting, saw a bald eagle with a rabbit in its talons struggling to fly across the road, gathered eggs and washed some dishes. Tonight is family movie night. Hmm, I wonder what we'll watch....
Friday, February 3, 2012
IDC- the beginning
As I posted yesterday, I'm participating in the Independence Days Challenge. The trick is to keep track, on a weekly basis, how I'm/we're doing in certain specific categories to help reach self sufficiency- or at least preparedness for an emergency. The challenge officially kicked off Feb 1 but here is the first week. I'll be keeping track Saturday- Friday and posting every Friday- or at least trying to. So, this report has a bit of pre-challenge January in it.
Plant something- Amazingly YES!! I planted some lettuce seed in an old window box. It's currently sitting on the pantry shelf near the (usually) sunny South door. On nice days, I'll move it out onto the deck. We'll see how it goes. If all else fails, I can put it under the grow lights on the seed starting racks. I'll probably be starting some parsley soon but that's for another week.
Harvest something- only eggs this week. But we've gathered 34 eggs this week.
Preserve something- I dried some orange zest for future use. That's about it.
Waste not- recycled and composted, as usual. Anything chicken-friendly goes into the chicken bowl rather than into the compost. I even cut some clippings of the oat 'cat grass' and gave it to the chickens since it was getting a bit out of control. At least with the cat grass Spaz has been leaving my lemon grass alone!
Want not- Hmm, not much in this category this week. We really haven't made any purchases. Oh, wait, can I count my new drip hoses? They arrived this week and will be hooked up to the water barrels this coming summer for the garden. That is definitely a 'planning for the future' kind of thing.
Eat the food- Let's see, we ate several quiches out of the freezer that I made ahead when we had surplus eggs. We're getting down to the bottom of our beef and will probably need to contact our Amish Farmer for more. And, I made a shocking discovery! I do believe that this year, for the first time EVER we will run out of tomatoes! I did inventory today. Tomato Sauce: 7 quart jars, 2 pint and a half jars; Diced Tomatoes: 12 pints, 1 pint and a half. Even with rationing one jar of sauce a week, we'll run out in March. The diced tomatoes will last a little longer but not much. Ack! I'm going to have to re-think my garden plan for a few more tomato plants. I really need another 40+ quart canning year. Hopefully those soaker hoses will come in handy if it turns out to be a dry summer again.
Build Community Food systems- started selling eggs at work. I sold three dozen this week and have an order for another next week who wants to become a regular customer. I just hope the girls keep it up.
Skill up- not much here. Have been doing some reading and research on medicinal herbs since I am determined to finally build my herb spiral this spring and want to figure out what else to plant. I may have to order seeds for some of the more uncommon things I want (gasp- and I thought I was done!!) I also need to move some herbs from in front of the porch to somewhere more sunny this spring.
Now, we're waiting to see what Mother Nature has in store for us this weekend. There is a winter storm headed this way but we're so close to the rain/snow line that no one seems to know what will happen. Probably icky slush. Blah. But, we're warm in the house. I've got French bread ready to go into the oven and will be making some spaghetti in a bit. Mmm.... Oh, that reminds me. I need to bring up some herb butter from the freezer for the bread. More "eating the food".
Plant something- Amazingly YES!! I planted some lettuce seed in an old window box. It's currently sitting on the pantry shelf near the (usually) sunny South door. On nice days, I'll move it out onto the deck. We'll see how it goes. If all else fails, I can put it under the grow lights on the seed starting racks. I'll probably be starting some parsley soon but that's for another week.
Harvest something- only eggs this week. But we've gathered 34 eggs this week.
Preserve something- I dried some orange zest for future use. That's about it.
Waste not- recycled and composted, as usual. Anything chicken-friendly goes into the chicken bowl rather than into the compost. I even cut some clippings of the oat 'cat grass' and gave it to the chickens since it was getting a bit out of control. At least with the cat grass Spaz has been leaving my lemon grass alone!
Want not- Hmm, not much in this category this week. We really haven't made any purchases. Oh, wait, can I count my new drip hoses? They arrived this week and will be hooked up to the water barrels this coming summer for the garden. That is definitely a 'planning for the future' kind of thing.
Eat the food- Let's see, we ate several quiches out of the freezer that I made ahead when we had surplus eggs. We're getting down to the bottom of our beef and will probably need to contact our Amish Farmer for more. And, I made a shocking discovery! I do believe that this year, for the first time EVER we will run out of tomatoes! I did inventory today. Tomato Sauce: 7 quart jars, 2 pint and a half jars; Diced Tomatoes: 12 pints, 1 pint and a half. Even with rationing one jar of sauce a week, we'll run out in March. The diced tomatoes will last a little longer but not much. Ack! I'm going to have to re-think my garden plan for a few more tomato plants. I really need another 40+ quart canning year. Hopefully those soaker hoses will come in handy if it turns out to be a dry summer again.
Build Community Food systems- started selling eggs at work. I sold three dozen this week and have an order for another next week who wants to become a regular customer. I just hope the girls keep it up.
Skill up- not much here. Have been doing some reading and research on medicinal herbs since I am determined to finally build my herb spiral this spring and want to figure out what else to plant. I may have to order seeds for some of the more uncommon things I want (gasp- and I thought I was done!!) I also need to move some herbs from in front of the porch to somewhere more sunny this spring.
Now, we're waiting to see what Mother Nature has in store for us this weekend. There is a winter storm headed this way but we're so close to the rain/snow line that no one seems to know what will happen. Probably icky slush. Blah. But, we're warm in the house. I've got French bread ready to go into the oven and will be making some spaghetti in a bit. Mmm.... Oh, that reminds me. I need to bring up some herb butter from the freezer for the bread. More "eating the food".
Thursday, February 2, 2012
Independence Days is back!!
I was so thrilled to hear that Sharon Astyk is bringing back the Independence Days Challenge. I guess it's not your typical challenge. It's a way of looking at the things you do to see if you are ready. "Ready?" you may ask, "Ready for what?" I think it means ready for anything. It's really pretty simple, and kind of like my 12 for 12 challenge, except with more specific categories for 'prepping'.
Now don't get me wrong. I don't think that there will be a zombie apocalypse, or that the world will end in December. But, I do have a sneaking suspicion that things are going to get worse before they get better: the economy, the jobs situation, food prices, big business (and agribusiness!!) running the show, climate change and energy (peak oil if you wish) are some of my big worries. But the IDC can help us sort out how we can better be prepared to handle the roller coaster ride we're facing in the future.
Sharon has identified several categories. The idea is to track your accomplishments in each on a regular basis. Here they go:
Plant something: The key here is to try to keep on top of crop rotation and tending the garden. From February to September to try to plant something.
Harvest something: This goes along with Plant Something. But it can also include things like eggs, honey, milk.
Preserve something: This goes along with the ones above. To preserve the harvest and store for the future.
Waste not: Reducing food waste and also the production of garbage. This can include recycling, composting or feeding things to animals. This can also include rotating your food stocks to keep things fresh.
Want not: Adding to your stash of food or goods to prepare for emergencies. Building up resources.
Eat the food: Just what it sounds like. It does no good to have a freezer full of food if you don't eat it. This is also getting the most of your food , trying new recipes, being creative and using what you have. I think this also includes being frugal.
Build community food systems: Just because you're prepared, doesn't mean you have to do it alone. This category looks at what have you done to help build a more resilient local food system or helping others to have access to better food.
Skill up: This is a new category from the last time the IDC was going. This is about learning. What did you learn that will help you in the future. This could be anything from repairing a screen or faucet to construction to learning a new craft or gardening skill.
See, it's all good.
The plan is to post every Friday to report progress. Now that will keep me hopping!! Trying to do something every week in every category keeps you focused. But, when I participated before (2009 and 2010) I found that much of what I did on a regular basis fit easily into the categories without much extra work. But it definitely helps keep you on track with independence- or self sufficiency- whatever you want to call it.
It's worth a try.
Now don't get me wrong. I don't think that there will be a zombie apocalypse, or that the world will end in December. But, I do have a sneaking suspicion that things are going to get worse before they get better: the economy, the jobs situation, food prices, big business (and agribusiness!!) running the show, climate change and energy (peak oil if you wish) are some of my big worries. But the IDC can help us sort out how we can better be prepared to handle the roller coaster ride we're facing in the future.
Sharon has identified several categories. The idea is to track your accomplishments in each on a regular basis. Here they go:
Plant something: The key here is to try to keep on top of crop rotation and tending the garden. From February to September to try to plant something.
Harvest something: This goes along with Plant Something. But it can also include things like eggs, honey, milk.
Preserve something: This goes along with the ones above. To preserve the harvest and store for the future.
Waste not: Reducing food waste and also the production of garbage. This can include recycling, composting or feeding things to animals. This can also include rotating your food stocks to keep things fresh.
Want not: Adding to your stash of food or goods to prepare for emergencies. Building up resources.
Eat the food: Just what it sounds like. It does no good to have a freezer full of food if you don't eat it. This is also getting the most of your food , trying new recipes, being creative and using what you have. I think this also includes being frugal.
Build community food systems: Just because you're prepared, doesn't mean you have to do it alone. This category looks at what have you done to help build a more resilient local food system or helping others to have access to better food.
Skill up: This is a new category from the last time the IDC was going. This is about learning. What did you learn that will help you in the future. This could be anything from repairing a screen or faucet to construction to learning a new craft or gardening skill.
See, it's all good.
The plan is to post every Friday to report progress. Now that will keep me hopping!! Trying to do something every week in every category keeps you focused. But, when I participated before (2009 and 2010) I found that much of what I did on a regular basis fit easily into the categories without much extra work. But it definitely helps keep you on track with independence- or self sufficiency- whatever you want to call it.
It's worth a try.
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Saved by being late
Whew! It was a close thing. I was saved from a new obsession by being a bit too late. Let me explain: Last night while perusing Craigslist I spied an ad for a 4 harness floor loom for $50!!! Evidently, the seller had inherited it and didn't know quite what to do with it, or even if it worked. But the price! Wow! I sent off an email but, alas, I was too late- the lady said it sold almost immediately- no wonder.. Or, maybe it's a good thing. As I told V, I need another passion right now as much as I need a piercing somewhere unmentionable. I do know how to weave- I had opportunity to learn a number of years ago- but I have never had access to a loom. But, it's OK.
In fun stuff I did get today, my other gift from V arrived today. For Christmas, he had given me an IOU for a soaker hose for the garden. He actually got me two hoses and they arrived today. Now, to get the rain barrels deployed in the spring and wait for the garden. I can hardly wait to get my hands in the soil!
Otherwise, not much going on. I sold another dozen eggs today at work. J17 got a new bow for her violin. Work was depressing (lots of really depressed people and I can't fix their lives). I'm hoping to have time this weekend to work on my quilt project and maybe do a little baking. See, thinking ahead to home stuff on only a Wednesday night.
In fun stuff I did get today, my other gift from V arrived today. For Christmas, he had given me an IOU for a soaker hose for the garden. He actually got me two hoses and they arrived today. Now, to get the rain barrels deployed in the spring and wait for the garden. I can hardly wait to get my hands in the soil!
Otherwise, not much going on. I sold another dozen eggs today at work. J17 got a new bow for her violin. Work was depressing (lots of really depressed people and I can't fix their lives). I'm hoping to have time this weekend to work on my quilt project and maybe do a little baking. See, thinking ahead to home stuff on only a Wednesday night.
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