Yesterday was beautiful, the perfect fall day. The sky was blue, very little wind and the sun shining. Unfortunately I spent most of it inside at my job, the upside there is that I was earning a tad.

We had a freeze so now I must shift into overdrive getting my plants covered and protected. I still have about 2/3 of the hay wagon to unload, I have been lazy. I need to stack those bales around the girls stall and at the openings to try and keep as much of the wind out as possible. It will also act as insulation as I plan on stacking all over the place as well as putting all the tarps back up. My friend Carol in MN said that they always stacked hay around the foundation of their old farm house and that it helped. So I guess I will try that also, looks like I won't have to worry about going to the gym!! Being here is keeping me active which is so good, and I read that weight lifting is good so I've got it all.

My friend Debby, who I have known since the late 70's, is going through a rough patch so if we could send her some positive energy that would be great. She is a strong woman and I know that she will come through this with flying colors. My feeling is that she will be in a better place once this is put behind her. She and I have been through a lot over the years and have always managed to come through the fire.

I so hope that each and everyone of you are either in a good place or on your way there. I know that with all the things going on in the world it sometimes feels as if we will never get there. I worry about our retirement and the fact that what we have been through has wiped out all that Jim had acquired over the years. I am pinning my hopes on having a home business that will generate income over the years. Our plans for solar and wind power and being able to heat with wood are all part of the future so we won't have to worry so much about utility bills. The new skills I am acquiring with the vegetable garden and canning will also help with the food bills. I have also been toying with the idea of growing herbs to sell to restaurants. From what I can see you do not need very much space and if I can get a deal on a small greenhouse I should be able to grown them year round. Since they can be dried I could also sell them over the Internet.

Time will tell how well these things work. I just know that we will need supplemental income as SS will not cover it all. Jim's mechanical skills keep our cars going so we do not have car payments, which I hate. My feeling is that the amount you have to pay is not worth that small rush you get from having a new car. Once you drive off the lot it is a used car and you have years of payments ahead of you. You also have a car that looks like everyone else's, when I drive one of my old cars around it gets lots of attention. I need to invest about $3,000.00 in my 85 BMW, she needs paint and an engine rebuild as she is now at 250,000 miles. If you check the price of a new BMW you will see that what I will spend will be equal to a few months payments. I love driving her, she still is full of spunk and purrs right along, lots of fun.

I also have a 75 Torino Elite, you remember those cars with the hood the length of a football field? We already have the engine rebuilt but now she needs lots of body work. Where she was stored kids vandalized her so a complete repaint is needed, plus a couple of windows and all the lights. I am hoping the upholstery will clean up or else that will need replacing also. This is also a fun car to drive and when it is finished I want to take her to car shows for fun weekends. Jim has his 75? Bronco that he loves, he had it started the other day and the grin on his face was priceless. My daily driver is a 92 Nissan Pathfinder that Jim found for $500.00. It has some electrical issues which Jim is working on fixing, but it starts each day and gets me where I want to go.

I feel blessed with all we have, still being able to function. Blogging has turned out to be a joy, so many super people out there. Some times it seems the world is only populated with bad things, greedy, selfish people. Being able to reach out and be touched with so many great people, meeting challenges just as I am and conquering them and moving on. I think we can inspire each other, boost flagging spirits and cheer each other on. Thank you for being my blogger buddies!!

Barbara