Time flies ...

Time sure flies when you're having fun ... NOT!  I've hit the "bored beyond comprehension" state.  I'm beginning to hate the computer!  I upgraded to Windows 10 and changed my browser to Chrome.  Boy do I miss Windows XP!!  It was easy to use, and things were called what they were ...  I needed to clear all the cookies I'd been accumulating for a while and couldn't find anything that said "cookies" ... anywhere!  I had to do a search to find out it was under a tab called "content settings"  - what a moronic name ... there are many, many more things I'm really beginning to hate!!  I'll go into them as they pop up on me, besides when they do, I really need to vent, so stay tuned ... I know they're coming ... LOL!

I also think cabin fever has set in ... we've had a bit of snow the last couple of days, not enough to get excited about.  The snow rarely lasts more than a day ... little skiff that is more annoying than useful.  It has been cold and windy though.  It's hard to sometimes even go out to feed the chickens and let them out.  They also take a while to come out of the coop.  They eat and if they can find some sunshine they run for it or if it's overcast they scoot back into the coop - I have a heat lamp in there ...

The roller coaster ride that is the election is one of the most frightening things I've seen ever since I sort-of started paying attentions to elections ... I'm a Ted Cruz supporter.  Trump scares the hell out of me and Rubio is wishy washy.  He does something and then denies it ... sorry Marco, you are not much better than Trump.  Trump is out for himself ... if he didn't think he could get something out of being President he wouldn't be running ...

There was a surprise in my mail box today ... the March/April 2016 issue of Grit magazine!  I'm going to go through it as soon as I crawl into my bed in my warm fuzzies (pj's)  I usually watch TV while playing games on my tablet, but tonight after all the votes are counted, Grit will be gone through with a fine tuned comb.  I even read the ads ... LOL  I also go to some of the web sites just to see what they're all about.

Sure wish I had more open, sunlit ground on my property, but it's covered with trees ... not a bad thing, but I'd like to rearrange the trees a bit ... that way I can have a flat garden area and a greenhouse that both get sun!  The only place for a greenhouse is in the front of the house ... and that spot is used for the snow piles in winter ... I want a permanent greenhouse ... I've been trying to get seeds to grow for many years, but I've resigned myself to getting seedlings for whatever I want to grow ... I just don't have that darn green thumb for seeds.  I try to start them indoors, but my house is really dark and the way the house is laid out I don't have good window placement for seeds ...

I had a nice vacation last year to see my daughter, son-in-law and grandson.  We met in Seattle - the grandson is in the Navy and son-in-law had a big meeting with Microsoft, so my daughter went and talked me into going ... I loved every minute of it.  And my bestest friend and her daughter met us for an afternoon of lunch and some shopping.  Bestest friend and daughter live on Widbey Island, so it was a bit of a trip, but we all agreed it was worth it.  I need another trip away from the house!!!

There are quite a few dozens of eggs in the fridge so tomorrow I'll dehydrate some more raw eggs.  I also have celery that needs to be dried too.  That'll keep me busy for a couple of days ... then what?

I'm running out of things to 'talk' about besides being more pissy, so I'll let you all go for now.  Hope things are working out well for everyone.

Ta ta

I'm still around ...

Things have been very blah and so so since my last post.  The weather has been real cold with a day or two of 'nice'.  No snow to speak of which makes me sad.  I've been following the things going on in the world, but I really have nothing to say since I think the govt is as crooked as a winding mountain road!  The attacks in Paris makes me worry about when it will come to the US ...

My animals are healthy and a lot of fun to watch - crazy chickens.  Of course the dog and cat are equally fun, but the chicks are the best!  The cat, Joey, will hang on the living room screen when he wants in, and will keep it up until you open the door.  PIA, but at least I know what he wants.  If I don't pay attention to his antics they will get worse and worse when he wants out - he'll terrorize the other cats or knock things down just to be let out.

My Social Security was increased by 1.7% this year ... that gives me $16 more a month.  I promise I won't spend it all in one place ... LOL  It's wonderful to get a raise, but when every thing else, car ins., cable, phone bill goes up more than the raise ... I want to say  "what good is it", but it is an increase even if it doesn't cover the bills.  I DO appreciate it, but to call it great is a really bad joke.  I now make $5.79 an hour using the formula of annual pay divided by 2080 (the number of hours we normally work during a year) and I just can't make it stretch ...

Tim, my grandson, enlisted in the Navy at the end of last year - I'm sooo proud!!  I'm also a bit scared.

The two granddaughters are doing fine, I just can't believe how grown they've become; K will be 27 at the beginning of March and A will be 25 at the end of March ... WOW, makes me feel OLD!!

I've been knitting quite a bit this last 6 months or so, now I just need to finish those projects ... LOL.  I have to finish binding off a cowl for myself, but the yarn is hard to work with - homegrown (not me) alpaca with quite a bit of fuzz and size 5 needles. I can only do so many stitches at a time since the yarn splits really bad.  I will get it done this week sometime which means I will start something new.  Never mind that I already have a half dozen other projects to finish.  I love my knitting!!

Even though it's only January, I'm starting to think gardening and what I'll plant this year.  I need to plant a ton more of each veggie and learn how to can for long term storage ... I got tons of bell peppers last year, but instead of puting it by, I ate them almost faster than they ripened!   I hope I can get this down before harvest this year ... I also need better soil; that would help too!!  LOL

I think I've run out of nonsense to talk about, but this is pretty much how it is on a daily basis here on my little patch of earth.  I have to post more often - 3 months is NOT acceptable to me!!

Bless you all, and Happy New Year!

More stuff, not all of it nice ...

We had good weather out at Deer Camp.  We filled 3 out of 4 tags.  Ron did not get his deer.  The guys are now out at Elk Camp - it ends fri the 24th, so we'll see if any Elk are brought home.

There are several groups of campers that come to our campground every year and we are like one big family out there.  There are jokes played and they can go back and forth between camps during the whole time.  Lots of laughs.  I left camp 5 days before the end of the season - a week is just about what I can take camping ... they say I'm getting old ... What????  Old ... who me?  67 is not old!!!

There were a total of 200+ croppy caught!  After Elk is over we're going to have a really BIG fish fry!!!  Love those croppy!!

The weather has dropped since then and we've had several nights of rain lately.  We still need rain ... and lots of it ... then we need a good hard freeze to prepare us for snow.  Every where I look for weather says that the Pacific Northwest will have above average temperatures this winter.  Just not a good thing!  If the weather goes no lower than 26 deg we could still get a load of snow.  I pray for SNOW!!  Several friends plow during the winter to make a bit of extra money.  I love winter as long as I can stay WARM ... LOL

It seems that I gather orphans.  I have a girlfriend from Boston staying with me since her husband passed away and now very good friends from So. Cal are looking to come up and stay until they can get back on their feet.  I've already scoped out where they can park the camper and get hooked up here.  M will find a job while she's going to (online) school to learn Medical Transcription.  I'm sooo pulling for her.  Her husband (B) is medically retired but is willing to help out with things that need to get done around the property.  Looking forward to seeing them again.  Things are definitely in the works, they would like to be here in 2-3 months.  I can keep the ground clear of snow until they arrive ... I know I'm nuts, but I really like to shovel snow ... really!

I got bad news today ... SueAnn, my 13 yr old dog had a growth removed last week; the biopsy on the lump was cancerous.  There was a small part of the lump left, but in the location the lump was, I can see how a bit could be missed.  For now I will watch her.  She is the love of my life and I will take care of her until she can't any more.  It is just heartbreaking for me ... I'll let this topic drop for now ...

Fall chores are slowly getting done, the hoses being put away, the camper being winterized too.  The garden (LOL, LOL, LOL) needs to be cleaned up.  I have to find a place to put my compost pile before I start cleaning the garden ... but I need a container of some sort ... or build one out of pallets ... no matter what, I needed it last week ... LOL - this too will get done ... or not.  Then a big messy inside winter job - cleaning the wood stove (that should have been done a couple of weeks ago) and the wood box on the front porch ... and loading it up.  By the time I'm done with those chores, I don't need the stove ... LOL.  I've been picking up pine cones to use as fire starters - they work really well.  I should have enough wood for the winter months ... surely hope so!  Next year we will have to get wood for 4-5 cords for next winter.  I do use a lot of wood - I hate being cold!!!  Besides, the stove is so old that it's hard to set the damper, so it usually ends up being warmer in here than I really like, but I crack windows to help.

I'm going to let this post sink in ... I need to get back to my knitting ... LOL.

Blessed Be ya'll !

I think I can breathe now ...

It's not that I've been holding my breath, but there sure have been a lot of times where I wanted to.  My friend Ron, has had quite a few problems with his '72 Bronco ... it's still a Ford ... LOL.  New parts needed, parts not in stock, wrong parts, broken new parts - I think that covers it for now, and hope he can get it put back together without any more issues ... fingers crossed and prayers said.  I've been running back and forth to town with him (he's paid for gas) to get parts, exchange parts, to pick up out of stock parts.

 ... and yesterday we went to the local "Stand Down".  That's when the military hands out new and used military issue socks, thermals, shirts, jackets, back packs and pretty much what you can think of.  The doors open at 8, but in order to now having to wait all day you want to get there early ... We were there by 6:30 am ... I had to get up at 5, but missed it by about 30 min, so only had 30 min to get ready.  That's not easy when you're still asleep ... LOL.  So we had 1 1/2 hr to wait in the morning cold and in the shade no less.  You get a number and they call that so you can register.  The you get to walk around all the booths set up for Lion Club vision, VA homeless help, The Klamath Tribes, the Library and a ton more services offered here in the Klamath Basin.  The give out can coolers, pens & pencils, pens & pencils, books to read and books of benefits, did mentions that there was a lot of pens & pencils ... after you had your registration form signed by all these groups, you get in line to pick out the surplus items that you'd like.  After that ... you can go home.  You do get help from the Boy Scouts and active duty personnel - thank goodness because neither Ron nor I could carry the bundles we had accumulated ...

Once we got back home I have to get rid of some old things so I had room for the new stuff.  For some reason I ended up with a Parka, trench coat, and 3 other jackets - where the dicksons I'm putting them is still a mystery.

My other friends, Dale & Candy went camping with the Moose Lodge's Camping Club this weekend.  They are only about 6 or 7 miles from home - we stay close because the gas price is getting worse and worse, up to anywhere from $3.79 to $4.10 in our area.

I'm trying to recuperate from all the running to and from town, the waiting and the carrying of stuff yesterday, and the screwed up computer.  The place that sold me the new computer and not even half ass reloaded things really SCREWED things up bad.  I will not go back to them - EVER!!!  I think that I'll let my Son-in-law's company fix it long distance from now on.  I couldn't get my old computer fixed because it was close or over 9 yrs old.  After I bought a new revamped computer was when a shit load of problems started ... they did not load my firewall or anti-virus programs so guess what happened within 2 days ... yup, major mess.  I went and picked up my old tower because it still has all my information on it and I really don't trust those guys after all the problems I've had.

I've been on several camping trips so far and they are always nice.  I've slowed down on my knitting because I haven't had time to enjoy it and am just too tired at night to work on any of my projects ... I'm now going to get back into it again - I really, really enjoy it and it helps slow down my brain - as if it goes too fast anyways ... LOL!!

Enough for now, but I did want to tell a bit of what's been going on.  I didn't want every one to think I fell off the edge ...

The weather was sooo nice and warm last week but today and for the next few days it is suppose to be cool.  We had frost / freeze warnings the last 2 nights ... run out and cover all the new shoots that have come up.  I'm not getting the sprouting that I was expecting, but maybe I just need to hold my horses and wait a while longer ... LOL.  I'm hoping it warms up again so the little shoots can grow and the ones still not showing will appear.

Hope every one has a nice day, week, month ... life!!

Oh my goodness ...

it's been way too long since I posted. 

It has been HOT here and very uncomfortable.  Hot here is in the 90's, anywhere from 90 to 99 and over is HOT, HOT, HOT!

I've done absolutely nothing on the hugel garden - even in the early mornings it's too warm to start shoveling dirt.  I just look at it and wonder when I'm going to get to finish it ...

We, our group, went camping last weekend and had a blast!!  Ron and I went up on Wed morning, set up and relaxed in the shade ... it was hot.  Dale brought up the 5th wheel later on and Candy and the youngest grandchild, Ben, stayed.  Dale had to work on Thursday so he had to wait a day.  It was his birthday weekend, so we handed out presents.  It was still hot.

Fishing was terrible the whole weekend, so we only had one meal with fish and really nothing to bring home to freeze and enjoy during the winter ... LOL ... if they last that long!

Dale's parents came up on Saturday and spent the afternoon and evening with us.  Mom brought Ice Cream and Cake - we were styling it ... The one grand kid and the great grand kid talked Dad into doing some fishing.  He's in his 70's, not in the best health, but hasn't fished in at least 20 years.  He sat on the dock in a good chair and caught a 13" Catfish!  The biggest all weekend!  We b-b-q'd steaks with pasta salad and cake & ice cream.  We eat better when we are camping ... LOL.  Mom & Dad stayed until just before they closed the gate at the campground - 9 pm.  It was a wonderful day, full of fun and laughter.  Dale cleaned the cat and dropped it at his parents on Monday - a meal for the two of them.

I still haven't dumped the camper - it's too hot!  Everything else is out of it ...

We are trying to figure out when the next camping trip will be ... we only have one more due to money before Deer Camp.  That starts, I think, on Sept 28 and runs for 12 days.  Ron and I will go up the Tuesday before so we can get the sites we want ... two together.  It is getting earlier every year because people are discovering that the campground is open for hunting season.  I go up for maybe a week, but the guys stay for most of it.  If they get a deer early then the rest of the time is "party time".

Any way, back to the next trip - I'm not sure we want to go over Labor Day, but the 24th of Aug is out - a family thing ... LOL.  The weekend before is too close, and the weekend after is Labor Day ... so I think we will go Labor Day no matter what ... time will tell.

I will try to not go so long before the next post - I was doing well for a while, twice a week, but then the weather got HOT and I did nothing ... I sure hope these temperatures drop down to the low 80's soon - that's normal for us!

Hope you all stay cool and safe
(((Hugs)))

ps: I still haven't figured out the camera "error message" to get pictures up loaded ...

Another day ...

There is a slight breeze and the temperature is just hitting 80.  I went out about an hour ago to move some more dirt from the dirt pile to the hugel pile (garden) ... I'm about ready to go out again in a few minutes ... before the sun really hits the pile ... LOL.  I can shovel dirt for about 30 minutes and then I need a good rest. 

Susan and I planted potatoes a little over a month ago and the plants are about 6-8" tall now ... we haven't looked to see if there are any baby spuds yet, but I doubt it.  Maybe in a few weeks?

On the 17th we are going on Dale's birthday camp out, just back up to Topsy, but it is sooo nice up there.  Ron and I will leave about 10-11am to get our spots, but the rest of the gang, especially Dale, won't be there until Thursday late afternoon.  So looking forward to it.

All of a sudden there are clouds out there ... so I really should go shovel some more dirt.  If any of you get bored you can always come help ... LOL.

Had a nice 4th of July.  Spent it with friend and little itty bitty fireworks ... had Bratts, baked beans, macaroni salad and there was cake and ice cream for desert ... um ... no room!  I hope everyone had a great day and evening and stayed safe.

Hugs to all!

A little more got done ...

I got a bit more done on the Hugel garden this weekend.  Yesterday Dale stopped by with his chain saw and we cut up some more wood (I loaded some, but he did the work) ... woohoo!! ... the pieces are anywhere from 1 1/2  foot to 4 feet. It is just cut to be able to stack nicely and fit into spaces that are open.  We (he) then put some dirt on it, and today I brought 2 wheelbarrows full of chicken pen 'stuff' and covered it.  Two loads is about all my back will handle at one time ... I'm posting here and after resting up a bit will 'reload' the chicken coop with new straw.  Over time they manage to pretty much scratch it all out into the pen ... that's why I have such good 'stuff' ... LOL  I have onions that need to be planted, but have no where to put them just yet.  I need a good sized container ... maybe I'll go help myself at Dale's house ... if he has any left that he will turn loose of.

I've had one of those pounding headaches for at least 24 hrs.  It is slowly going away, but it sure does drain the energy.  Yesterday I was sooo woozy that I had trouble doing anything halfway well, but there are things that need to get done no matter what comes along ... and I do rest in between chores ...

Welllll ... I just took a 3 hour break from writing this post ... LOL   I dragged my trash can to the street; talked to Dale, when he came down with his, about the size of the garden ... we both think it has enough logs, so now it's more trips with chicken 'stuff' and then a heavy layer of dirt!!  We will have to bring in a tractor with a large front bucket so we can dig up more dirt from my south 40 ... LOL  Then I need to find a fence so all the deer can't get to the produce!  If I get this done quickly, I can put the onions in there ... hmmm ... tomorrow is another day!

I also had a huge salad for dinner and now I'm ready to crawl into my warm fuzzies and watch some TV in bed ... and knit.
(((Hugs)))

Busy as a bee ...

I've been busy (for me) and have gotten a bunch of things done - that's a nice feeling!  Of course some of the things I did could have been done a year ago ... LOL.

Last week was my daughter's 45th birthday ... phew, that makes me feel old!!  Nine days before that was my birthday, I'm now 6xxxx years old.  Nope, not telling!!

On Friday, the 14th (+15th) , the Klamath County 2013 Stand Down took place at the Fairgrounds.  The DAV had 2 days of military surplus give away to the local Veterans.  I went with a friend, Ron, and he picked up some things he needed.  He was really looking for boots, but anything from 8-10 was gone before we got to the table ... bummer.  There were tables and tables of goods, from socks in large and small - no medium ... LOL.  Shirts, jackets, backpacks, wool blankets, sleeping bags, etc.  In another section there were tables of information for services that the Veterans could apply for and get them either for free or for a reduced price. 

Ron and I were sooo tired from the waiting, sitting, standing and walking around that when we finally got to his car, we dropped into the seats like stones!  It was definitely to bed early for me and I think Ron did the same thing ... we were up at 6 am, so I'm sure he dropped out early too.

Saturday I was absolutely worthless ... I hurt in places that I forgot I even had!!  But on Sunday I got some stuff done here at the house.  I stretched out the hoses to the various places they go and looked around for some connectors - no luck.  I dumped (finally) the camper tanks - it doesn't take long, but I just hate doing it ... ugghhh!  I put it back in it's resting place until the next trip - I'm ready to go any time again.

I had over a dozen canning jars that sat out over winter and all but 6 cracked and broke.  I got my butt together and picked up all the broken ones so I could (finally) get them in the trash for pickup.  These are the ones that have sat for over a year ...

I asked Dale to bring my mower back when he brought down his trashcan ... I mowed the side yard today and have had the sprinkler going for about 4 hours, moving it from place to place.  The poor grass won't know what to do with WATER ... this is the first water, except a bit of rain, that has been put on the grass.  Oops - bad me!

I'm going to town tomorrow to pick up some things from the market.  I hate going to town; I always end up spending at least $100!  It's just inevitable. 

I'm going to go back to the couch and watch the evening news ... and maybe knit while I do.
(((Hugs)))

Now that I'm older ...

I celebrated my birthday by going camping - it's an annual event.  Both the birthday, LOL, and the camping trip.  Our little group have certain events that always included a camping trip, and we love it.  We can't afford a nice dinner out for all our birthdays, but we can afford camping!  The sad part is that only 2 out of 5 have summer birthdays the rest are one in January, one February and the last one in November and those are not good for camping.

In order to get the two campsites we really like, two of us left on Wednesday am, but still didn't get our sites ... The campground is a small one and there are only 13 available sites.  People are learning about our favorite place and it's getting tough to get our spots.  We at least need 2 sites together as we camp as one big happy family.

I've had lots of birthday wishes on my FB page and I appreciate all the people that posted.  I love my friends & family.

After getting home from camping the next day's activity always includes a trip to the market.  As usual there is a prescription to fill, and also to replace some of the things taken to camp.  We also found a potato pot for $5 and proceeded to plant them this morning.  We also stopped at the local nursery and bought some tomato plants and a little pot with 2 Cantaloupe plants in it.  Our planting season here in Southern Oregon is short, but we make do.  The Hugel garden is still only half way done, so it won't be useful until the end of the season, so next year will be it for that garden!!

The temp outside in the carport is 78 right now at 1 pm.  The temps are going to keep climbing until this weekend where it is suppose to reach the very upper 80's and lower 90's.  This is about 10-15 degrees above normal for us ... it has definitely hit Summer Mode.  I need my mower back from Dale so I can cut the 12" high weeds before I disappear in it when walking across the yard ... LOL

I got my Camper Renewal in the mail yesterday ... Ugghh! $114.75 ... it is for two years, but still, it's hard to come up with all at once when on a fixed income ... no more whining ... !

I'll leave you now with all the wisdom of my 66 years ... LOL
(((Hugs)))

and time marches on ... slowly

It seems like my life is moving in slow motion ... nothing happens on a daily basis, well feeding the animals moves at regular speed, but the rest - Nahhh.

The weather has turned cool again and yes we had a skiff of snow the other night and it has been COLD!  The day after the snow the temperature didn't get above 42 for the whole day.  It is warming up and I hope it gets back to normal as we are going camping in a week.

I drove up to the campground earlier because I had a bag of children's goodies to give to the camp hosts to hand out.  I told them to look through the bag and put aside any that they didn't think were appropriate.  They have a week to go through the stuff and I will take the rest and get rid of it.  The camp hosts have been so good to our group over the many years that we've been going there, that they deserve donations.  I have a friend that picks up coloring books and crayons for the hosts.

Of course I took my dog with me for the drive and sure enough, while I was talking to the host, she laid a landmine ... I grabbed a bag to pick it up and the host told me "Thank You" ... I would never leave a pile like that in their yard, or anyone else's for that matter!  But I know how a lot of people are - not very courteous but they will be the first to scream if some dog left a pile in their yard ...

I got a trailer load of dirt last weekend, and then we had rain and snow so it's still piled where it was placed.  I sure can tell the difference between that dirt and my own ... one is gray the other a nice chocolate brown.  I'm also putting chicken manure in the garden hole so that should help a lot. I've brought 2 wheelbarrow loads to the 'garden' and you really can't tell by looking at the coop that I've removed any thing at all. I need to get some calcium for the girls as their eggs are beginning to have very thin shells.  I stuck my finger through one egg yesterday ... I've been keeping my 'used' eggshells to feed back to the girls, but if there isn't enough calcium for them to make strong shells, how much calcium can there be in the shells I'm giving back to them ... I need to get some calcium!

As mentioned above, we are going camping next weekend for my birthday.  The weather is too cold to enjoy going over Memorial Day.  It seems like its been that way for the last 4-5 years.  Global warming my butt!!!

Have a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!!  Teach the children what it's all about.
(((Hugs))) 

a potpourri of 'stuff' ...

I haven't worked on the Hugel garden for a while because I need some real 'manpower' for help - or tractor power as the case may be.  The only thing that I can do right now is get some chicken manure with old straw and put a bit into the hole to fill some spots ... after that I need more logs - hence the manpower thing.  I'm not looking at a real garden this year, but maybe some potatoes.

Even though I do not like making the Pioneer Bonnets the sewing itself was an eye opener again.  I've been knitting for well over a year with not much else being crafted, but that Bonnet set my sewing juices in gear again.  I don't have the ideal set up in my craft room now that it's also my bedroom, but I can make do.  The next thing on my sewing agenda is a bunch of neck 'coolers' for our warmer months.  The kind you fill with water storing crystals ... they tie around your neck after having dipped them in cool water, and help keep you cool.  I even BOUGHT some fabric to make some although I have half a fabric store boxed up ... you just can't have too much fabric!  or yarn!  or ideas!  We are going camping again the first weekend of June and I'd like to have at least 4-5 done.  The pattern I have is very easy to do so that should not be a problem.

I took my tiny tomato sprouts and planted them outside last weekend.  I sowed a bunch of seeds from 2 different varieties but now have absolutely no idea of which ones survived ... I think it's the Beefsteak, but I have been known to be wrong once or twice ... LOL.  At this stage I really don't care, but it would be nice to have a decent memory ...  I have them in tires with lots of potting soil, and covered at night with clear plastic bottles since our night time temperature can still plunge into the low to mid 30's.  They have been out there for 3 days/nights and so far so good.

I paid the last installment of my taxes yesterday - WooHoo!!!  Now I have 6 months until I start over ... I also spent several hours grazing around our Joann's store where I got the fabric mentioned above, got a new bobbin box that closes and stays closed!  The old one had a cover that just sat on the bottom section and there have been many times when I went to get the box that the bottom, literally, fell off and I had to hunt bobbins - has bothered me for many, many years, but I finally broke down and got a latching box.

Picked up some allergy pills so that I can spend my days doing other things besides sniffling, sneezing and clearing my throat!  It sure feels good to be able to breathe regularly.  I guess I've had these allergies for a while, but they have finally gotten so bad that I need help now.  Just another pill added to my arsenal for feeling better ... Ugh!!

Even though I'm in a sewing mode, I need to knit a nice cover for my tablet so it doesn't get scratches ... I'll have to use worsted weight yarn, but lots smaller needles to make the fabric tight.  I think I have enough leftover yarn to make the pattern I like.  I'll show pictures of everything as soon as I get that camera thing figured out!

I'll leave you now so I can start the tablet cover ... have a wonderful day!  (((Hugs)))  

Hugel Garden ... with pics!

Ok, so now I have this huge hole in my front yard ... people drive by wondering who's being buried there ... LOL ... I wish I had thought to get a picture of Dale digging the hole with his tractor, but no ... I DID take pictures of the hole once I got a few logs and rounds tossed in ...

This is the south end - the hole was dug about 12" deep and 3 feet wide.  I started filling it with logs, rounds and wood that I can handle ... not as strong as I use to be ...

 ... and this view is from the north end.  The dug up dirt is sitting on my painted line so you can't see that side, but the rest you can ... once the hole is filled with lots of wood of all kinds, I will clean the chicken coop for some fertilizer to put on it and then some dirt.  I will add more wood - I'd like for the whole thing to be 4 feet, yes feet, above the surface of the grass.  It's just a matter of wood, fertilizer, dirt several times.  Then I need to add some good mulch, straw probably, and a bunch of dirt to top it off, and probably more straw to keep the birds from visiting.  I will then have to dig out my roll of fencing and do a makeshift fence around the darn thing.  I may have to pick up more fencing ... never ends ...

This was taken from the direction of the house, a bit out in the driveway ...

If all goes well, I will plant tomatoes and potatoes this year at least ... maybe a few other things.  I'm not going gung-ho this year as it is a trial garden - don't ask what I'm going to do with it if it doesn't work - it has no choice, it WILL work ... LOL!!!

I'm following the site Rich Soil at  www.richsoil.com - it is very, very interesting.  There are all sorts of articles dealing with back to basics type of things.  How to clean your cast iron pots and pans ... how to get rid of fleas,  lawn care and Rocket Mass heaters ...

The garden will sit until next week - I now have to get my stuff together for our camp out at the Black Powder Shoot.  I moved the camper today and plugged the old girl in.  I need to load with what I'm taking clothes wise and go shopping on Wednesday, and cook up a big pot of Chicken Noodle Stew ... I can't make soup, mine is just too stuffed with good stuff, so we all laugh and Soup/Stew gets eaten no matter what.  I'm sooo looking forward to this trip - it's been since beginning of October last year that we camped.  Well, since I camped, the guys stay out in the woods for a bit longer and then they also go for Elk season.  By then It's too darn cold for me!

I'm hoping to get one more post before I leave, but next Fri/Sat post won't show up ... I'm camping ... LOL
(((Hugs)))

Is it flea time at your house yet?

I just read an article about flea control.  The article is a bit long, but it gives a LOT of information!  Once you get into it, there are snippets that made me laugh.

http://www.richsoil.com/flea-control.jsp

It is a down-to-earth site that uses language like the common person does ... a few "not nice" comments, but NEVER vulgar.  I hope you read the article and look around the site - it is full of great back to basic information.  I've been studying the HugelKultur sections.  It is raised bed gardening, but in a way that I don't remember hearing about, but I'm starting to build my bed.

Aside from this, I've become wrapped up in what is going on in the government with terrorists and such - bad, bad, bad!!!  I'm leaving for a Black Powder Shoot next week and will not get near a radio during the 3 day trip.  I need to break this addiction and get on with my life of gardening, crafting, sewing and knitting as I love to do these things.  I feel like I've been walking under a black cloud and my mood hasn't been the best, but at least I know what the problem is, and I'm working to get away from it.

I think that this is the year to replace batteries ... I need a new one for my truck and the Jeep is now looking like it could use one also ... and a possibility of a new altenator ...  Saving my pennies and cashing in cans and bottles.  I do need to do crafts so I can sell some things to help pay for this barrage of vehicle expenses - doesn't seem to end, does it?

I also think I'm loosing my memory!  I can go into a room to get something and can't remember what ... sometimes it can take hours before I remember.  I try to say something and can't for the life of me remember the next word.  When I leave to run some errands I forget the car keys until I'm ready to start the car ... oops and the shopping list ... and on hot days, i forget my water bottle ... small stuff like that happens ALL the time ... maybe a doctor's appointment is order ... Phew, getting old is a bear!!!

Hope you all have a great day, week, month and year ... LOL

(((Hugs)))

News worthy week

Boy has the news been busy!  I've been wrapped up in the Marathon Bombings since my roommate is from Boston (outside) and knew where all the places were ... Well, the Libs must have been very disappointed that the bombers weren't the White Tea Party culprits that they were hoping for ... shame on them!

The Ricin letters ... the Fertilizer Plant explosion ... the murder of the City prosecutors in Texas ... Wow, not small news stories.  I got to a point during the week that I almost couldn't keep track of them.

I need to finish a Pioneer Bonnet for a friend for the Black Powder Shoot that takes place on May 3-5 up the mountain about 10 miles.  We will be heading out on the 2nd to set up camp. The use of the land is being donated, but it has to be left as we find it.  I'm not a member of the Mount Mazama Mountain Men, but I go for the 'camping'.  One of these years maybe I'll sew up a costume to wear at the Shoot, but don't hold your breath!  I'm taking responsibility for 2 of the 3 evening meals this time ... The Friday night meal will be Chicken Soup (stew actually) and some of the snacks.  The other meal will be Burritos with all the fixins' - Hopefully at least one evening will be a bit warm ... at least the meat and refried beans will be warm ...

I've outlined the area in my front yard for the Hugelkultur garden with branches so I can get a better picture and perspective for what I want to do ... I'm not sure if I should have Dale dig down about 12" or just leave the whole thing on top of the soil.  I'll figure it out ... The front yard is the sunniest area I have on my property and the garden should have close to 6-8 hours of sunshine.  I'm not sure I have 8, but I know it is more than 6.  It is also too early to plant; our last frost date is around May 15, so after that I'm good to go.  It is recommended that the first year you basically want to plant easy stuff ... potatoes, maybe tomatoes - I have to read up on this some more.  The "real' garden won't be planted until next year ... but I'll keep you informed.  I also need to fence it as the deer will eat it if it grows!

Time to get outside ... talk later.
(((Hugs)))

I think I'm hitting overload

in my garden venture ... I look at all sorts of sites, take mental notes, hold my heard and say "what am I doing to myself".  I have a habit of doing a lot of search and research instead of just "doing".  I planted tomato seeds, they sprouted and got super leggy.  I read that I need to catch them as they are uncurling from the seed pod and put a grow light on them ... yeah, well I did that and now I have leggier plants with only the two top leaves on them.  Back to square one.  I'm bound and determined to grow those d*mn tomatoes from seed, but I do want tomatoes this year ... I hate buying the hybrids, but maybe I'll just have to and read up on tomatoes during this coming winter ... or keep trying during the summer ...

It is Friday again so I hope everyone has a great weekend ... Our group is getting together, as usual, up at Ron's place and this week we are having enchiladas.  This is a split venture so no one has to pay for all of it - we's poo fokes ... LOL.   It's a bit after 2 and we meet at 5:30-6:00, so it is time I start chopping up the tomatoes :) onions, and a bit of lettuce for the ones that are making giant tacos ... LOL.  I also have a ton of shredded cheese - bought that way, I'm too lazy to stand there and shred it!

We will be discussing our upcoming trip to the Black Powder Camp/Competition and a bit about who brings what food wise.  I've ended up being camp cook for dinners and making sure we have snacks - chips, munchies, candy, cantaloupes and possibly grapes ... good snacks!  I guess I need to check to see what the weather will be like so I can determine if we need all hot foods or if a mix will be good ...

See you next week with, hopefully, a solution to my tomato issue ... LOL

I'm reading up a bit on how to ...

do a variety of garden things in a new and different way from what I'm use to seeing and/or doing.  Raised garden beds using hugelkultur http://www.richsoil.com/hugelkultur/ - something that really makes sense and the hardest work is the first and maybe the second year.  I have tons of pine trees here, but the site says that there is too much tannin in pines.  I'm looking for 'other' than pines and firs, so on my drives to and from town I keep my eye out for downed stuff that maybe I can bring home.  I really have a great spot in the middle of my front yard that would work - and less lawn to mow ... LOL  Take a look at the site I mentioned earlier in my post.  You may laugh at me if you need to, but I really want to try this method instead of the planks and top soil squares ... so go ahead, laugh!

I also like the idea of growing potatoes in a barrel.  Evidently I have to watch which variety I get in order to grow 100 lbs of potatoes, but I will look around at that too!  Now I'm beginning to look at various containers I have around here, or raid my friends' yards ... LOL  The site I'm looking at for this is  http://greenupgrader.com/11708/4-simple-steps-to-grow-a-hundred-pounds-of-potatoes-in-a-barrel/#.TvxFLgXIzvg.facebook  - I know there will be more sites, like both the above, that I find and maybe list in a post for you.

Last Wednesday I took SueAnn, my dog, into a vaccination clinic for a couple of her shots.  I sort of guessed which ones she needed, I guessed right, but I forgot to order her thyroid pills.  I have them ordered now for pick up tomorrow.  I also forgot to stop and get her "stress" pills.  I had to give her only one pill per day for the last three days, and boy could I see that she HAS to have 2.  I went to town yesterday to get them ... I need to get my act together so I don't have to go to town so often - it is about 30 miles round trip and at 18 miles to the gallon in my Jeep that adds up fast!

I fill follow up on the "garden" things as I run across more interesting stuff.  Have a great day.
(((Hugs)))

April really is here ...

because April showers bring May flowers.  We have had lots of showers, I'm trying to start tomato seeds indoors, but the light isn't that good even right in front of the window.  Well, while trying to get the seed to germinate they need heat not light, but as soon as those little suckers show their heads I will need bright light . . . I might have to break down and buy one of those 'grow lights' unless someone can help me figure out how to make one cheaply ... any takers?  I planted Beefsteaks and Romas, both are heirloom seeds, so I can harvest seeds for next year - if the darn things do what they are suppose to do ... LOL.  When it's time for them to move outside in about 5 weeks they will go in to a tire planter.  I have another tire that I'm not sure what to plant.  No Zucchini!!!!  It will take over my small garden enclosure in nothing flat, but I have friends that plant zucchini, so I know I'll get some.  I mostly grate and freeze the Zucchini and use it as filler in soups and stews.  What do you do with your zucchini?

Last Wednesday my Vet had an "Immunization Day" at the local pet store and I took SueAnn.  I still had to pay for the shots, but saved the money charged for an office visit - saving money is a good thing!  My daughter lost her dog, Sunny, the other day ... a few months after having to put Honey to sleep.  It is hard loosing a pet, but two in such a short span of time is doubly hard.  My heart goes out to her and the whole family ... wish I could personally hug them all, but they live sooo far away from me - Texas!

I did replace the straw in the chicken coop on Wednesday, and about 1/3 of it is now outside in the pen ... go figure ... Pretty soon they will have 80% outside - Thank goodness that the weather is warming up a bit.  When it's COLD and WINDY they roost inside with the warming lamp, but now they have taken up roosting outside during the night.

Today it is a bit windy and we are promised rain showers on and off for a couple of days ... Yes, the pine needle piles are still sitting there waiting to be moved to the burn pile ... it would soak me, if I tried to move them now.

I should have posted yesterday, but I went to town for groceries and then up the hill to Ron's house for the weekly Friday get together, so time was limited.  I'm using the reminder feature of my email program to keep me posting, but I know I'll miss a day here and there, but that's better than missing a couple of months ... LOL

Have a great weekend no matter what the weather is in your area.
(((Hugs)))
 

I'm posting again so soon ... LOL

Boy has blogger changed since I use to post a lot more frequently ... oh well, progress.

I finished the little bunny and put it inside the mug I gave my niece for Easter, and she loved them both!  We have had rain the last 2 days so the raking of the pine needles is still waiting for me ... today is sunny, but it's after 2pm and I have a few other things that need to get done.

Over the weekend, or was it Friday ... no matter, I put the trickle charger on the truck, and today I went out and got it started with a little help from my Jeep.  Now I need to either get the truck down to the gas station or get a 5 gal gas can so I don't completely run dry ... It's easier to take the truck, but I'm not sure how far the fumes will get me.  It's 2 miles to the station ... Now I need to put the camper battery on the trickle charge.  We go for the first camping trip on May 4-5-6, so I do have some time, but it seems to, all of a sudden, be time to leave with not much done.  I try to start early.  The poor camper really needs to be cleaned after it's long winter nap, and that can be done anytime before leaving. 

I called my local computer place and found out that I need an inverter to be able to charge the tablet.  That's good to know before I go and blow it up!!  The computer guy said to go to a trailer place and that they should have what I need ... later this month.

I'm not hearing very good stuff about the economy - Obama is devaluing the dollar.  For the last 40-50 years the US Dollar has been the currency used for global transactions, but now some of the countries around the world is starting to make contracts with China to use the Yuan ... once that happens world wide, the US can no longer print money and we, as a country, will go down hill FAST.  OK, enough of that!

For the first camping trip, I need to make a Pioneer Bonnet for a friend of mine and I also want to make some of those neck coolers, that you dip in water and they stay cool all day long.  I have some instructions and they are just straight forward.  I think I need to make up at least 10!  And then some more to sell ... I was thinking of asking $15 for the ones for sale - the rest are free to friends ... LOL.  Does that sound like a reasonable price?  I always have a habit of selling myself short with prices.

I do need to go out and put some more straw in the chicken coop - every time I do that, those darn girls scratch it all outside.  They are down to bare wood in the coop and the nesting boxes. 

Have a good 'rest of the afternoon' and evening - oh h*ll, have a great life ... LOL
(((Hugs)))

This is almost May, isn't it??

I started getting this post together yesterday morning, but my girlfriend called and wanted me to ride to town with her - so a day late ...

It started out seeming to be a very nice day ... my border daffodils along the driveway/fence are looking very nice and bright yellow

Some are in beautiful clumps ...

... and some are a bit lonesome ...

I think come September and/or October I will put in more bulbs. I will try to get some of the multi-colored ones, so I have a nicer variety to show you next year.

This is what my beautiful daffodils look like this morning after an inch and a half of snow. If you look at the first picture, you can compare. They have been known to bounce back so I'm hoping they can accomplish this feat once again - and I hope the unopened buds will bloom!

I've also been remiss in showing you my new grown baby chickies. Remember these tiny little fuzz balls?

Well, now they look like this ...

There were 2 chicken girls retired to the freezer because they would lay their eggs, then immediately turn around and peck the egg and eat them!! Can't have that. Egg suckers cannot be rehabilitated, so are not welcome because the girls need to earn their keep!!! The new little babies were introduced to the coop on the 10th of April and seem to like it - except that the remaining chicken that lays keeps attacking them. I sure hope they grow bigger and turn on Chocolate to teach her to leave them alone. Aside from that they do get along with the two OLD ladies who are no longer laying those beautiful green eggs, but are friendly. They too, will have an appointment with the freezer, but not just yet.

The snow is starting to melt ever so slowly now, but it is still only about 25-26 outside.  Thankfully there is no wind (shhhh), but the sky is again overcast.  Not sure what to expect for today weather wise, but I guess I'll take what I get.

Hope you all have a great day.

Changes and chickens

The Changes:

I canceled my website registration and hosting company - just too much money a month right now. I've transferred my domain name to a holding site and will transfer it to my final choice in 60 days and begin again.

I am NOT letting it die, there is just a wait for the time being. I should be able to write a whole bunch of content before I launch it again. Like I said, I SHOULD be able to ... and hopefully I will get off my butt and DO IT!!!

I wish there was some way to notify my visitors that I haven't dropped off the earth, but when you didn't own the site, it is still listed in a search, but you don't get the site when it's clicked on. I really wish I could have just changed the first page to read "site under construction", but I can't ... bummer!! If anyone knows how I could do something like that, PLEASE let me know.


The Chickens:

Well, I have three more chickens. These girls are young, not little chicks, but young pre-laying hens. These three girls were raised in a household where they came in the house, sat on laps and watched TV. Ummm, NOT HERE!!

They have made it up the back stairs, but I can hear the clucking and come shoo them back down the steps. None of them have made it inside, but I can't say that for Cinnamon! I don't know how many times I have been out front and here comes that DARN chicken, walked through the house to where she could hear my voice. Thankfully I haven't had any poo to clean up yet, but I know the day is coming ... Uggh!

Update: This evening I had one of the new girls come in. I caught her just inside the door where she left me a present! Thank goodness it was on the back porch linoleum. I think I invited this since I mentioned it in the paragraph above ... LOL


These are the three new girls, aren't they lovely?


And just to be fair here is Cinnamon the "bitchy chicken" that wanders in the house!



She is the only one that laid eggs, but I got one a day, which is enough for me since I'm by myself. I'm waiting for her to stop due to age, and I think Frazzle is past laying, but she is sooo cute!



When I got her she had tons of feathers missing from being picked and pecked on, but she has come a long way. She still looks frazzled because of her Araucana cheek feathers, but that is natural for this breed.


Here are the Three Chickenteers, they are never far from each other. Hopefully that will change as they get use to the yard and the other two. See the dark chicken in the above picture ... if you look real close you can see the second one reaching up to taste the cedar branch. Didn't like it.

I can't keep calling them Chickenteers, but I don't have any names for them yet. I really don't want anything like Tom, Dick and Harry or Larry, Moe or Curly Joe - they are girls and need fine names. I'll come up with something pretty - maybe I'll think of names while we are at deer camp the first week of October.


Here is my big tom cat Joey. He leaves all the girls alone even if he does catch other birds, but he will go into the pen and drink out of their water dish. He was about two feet from Frazzle when I took this picture - neither of them minded.

And my little, itty, bitty tomato garden is coming right along. The plants are still setting a few flowers - the days are nice, but the nights are getting down into the low 40's at night so I don't know how long this will last. The fruits on the plants are still green and it worries me that I might loose them. The hanging plants in the milk jugs, that I showed you in a previous post, just didn't work out. The water sat too close to the stem and they rotted and fell out. Won't do that again!


If you look real close, right in the center, there is a shaded tomato hiding in there! I didn't get very many tomatoes, but I know what I did wrong - planted them too close and not enough water! Now I know!!

Phew, this post ended up covering a lot of ground! I need to pace myself and write less per post but post more often.

Hugs