Boy go away for a little while and everything goes down the tubes.  Apparently the gremlins have been at work "fixing" things and I sure don't like it.  Was nice and simple before, now it took me ages to figure out how to post, why don't they just leave things alone,lol.

Well now it is June and things are in bloom and it is nice and warm , still cooling off at night so pretty perfect. Adding  things into the vegie garden and working on pumpkin patch, also just got order of trees so they will need to be planted.  Looks like we may have some apples on the old trees this year which will be great!!  For the last several years we have gone appleless, missed them as they were so good!

I have some hints for you, one I really love.  I buy lemons for baking and cooking but usually end up with a few that are wasted as they spoil so fast.  Well, I heard a hint that really works, when you bring the lemons home from the store put them in a zip lock bag.  I have two in the fridge right now that are over a month old and still perfect, how cool is that!!!

Speaking of zip lock bags I was speaking to a friend and mentioned that I reused mine and she had never thought of that.  I just turn them inside out and put them in top rack of the dishwasher and they are fine.  When you think of it most of what we put in them is not icky so putting them through wash cycle kills any germs and you have not added to the land fill.

As I work in my flower beds I am using old magazines, papers, feedbags (which I split down the side and open out), shreds from the bank , etc to use as mulch.  Over that I put mulch or straw, which ever I have on hand.  This is another way to refrain from adding to landfill and also kill weeds without chemicals.  I am also using my borax mixture as well as vinegar to kill weeds.

Have a wonderful weekend and I will try to get back sooner.  I am also trying to catch up on my blog reading and seeing what everyone else is up to.  So far none of the blogs are allowing me to comment, not sure what is up with that!!

Barbara

Things are growing!!

Happy April!! I have things growing and blooming and I love it. Makes me happy to walk out and see something new every day! I even have asparagus growing, how cool is that! Not enough to really make a meal, but in a year or two as it keeps increasing. I have mentioned before how much better the vegetables taste when they are freshly picked. I do not have the words to describe the difference in taste from that bought in the store. Of course the down side is that the weeds are also growing,lol, maybe I need to study and see which ones can be eaten. I do know that the dandelion greens are used in salads and I believe I have read somewhere that the thistle is edible.

I went out to dig up some violets to take to a friend yesterday, she only has white ones and I have several different colors. I ended up having a good laugh, first several of the outside cats followed me to get the shovel and pots. Then as I went around the yard they kept me company, chasing each other up and down the trees. The final stop was out back by the fields where there are a burgundy colored ones growing. As I was digging away a new voice was added, one of the chickens came to help. She was just clucking away and scratching around and then followed me back to the house. Started the day off great! smiles , friends and sunshine what more could anyone want. Our friends live a couple of hours away other then wind the drive was good, had a wonderful meal, good company and a good drive home. The wind up here is something else!!

Hint wise news, I am using my new cleaner and also have a new batch brewing. I do not see any major differences between what is purchased in the store and what I have made. There is still a vinegar odor but it is not strong and you can smell the orange. I have used it to clean the microwave, counters, inside the fridge , the stove top and my mixers. So far so good!

Hope your Easter was good and the bunny brought you goodies!! Enjoy your April.

March is almost gone!

We have had quite a run of nice weather which ended yesterday. Temperatures have been running about 20 degrees above normal. So many of the plants are coming up, the trees are getting leaves and the grass is green. Problem is that there is still the possibility of frost and freezes, even snow. Hopefully that will not happen, if the fruit trees have blossoms then the crops will be ruined. The last couple of years have been a bad one for our apple trees. The tornado hurt them and then cold and wet Springs messed things up even more. The apples are so good I miss them.

So I keep thinking of hints but have not written them down, need to tie a notebook around my neck I think,lol. One thing I discovered was for the dishwasher, I use those little packs with the dawn in them and they kept getting stuck and not dissolving all the way. Turns out if I put them in the compartment with the liquid side down they work fine. Other random money savers, if you grate your own potatoes for hash browns , one potato will make enough for at least 2 servings. I like to also grate some onion in when I make them. I grate several potatoes into a dish of cold water to rinse the extra starch off them, this helps to stop them from turning dark. I will take the extra and make patties and freeze them in zip lock bags. Quick and easy and much less them buying them from store. I found a really neat slicer/shredder at the thrift and it makes it so much easier. Has a fairly large bowl and electric so I can do bunches at once. Also good for making potato pancakes, slaw, carrot salad, etc.

I love the thrift shop, get cool things for cheap. Things you only use couple of times a year so why pay big bucks for them,lol. A fun thing browsing through and seeing what you can find and only spending 5 or 10 dollars. I just found one of those electric pots you can fry in or use like a crock pot, was $3.00!

Hopefully we won't blow away and will be back again! Best to you all,
Barbara

Hi just a quick hint I just found. I am going to try this for sure as I already use vinegar to clean with and Jim eats oranges all the time.

Orange peels, vinegar in a quart jar, let sit for 10 days or so...strain out the... liquid and use as an all-purpose cleaner. Easy, cheap, natural, smells good!

Oh and for you gardeners with cats, I am saving my lids from the cat food. Since they have the pull tab and are soft metal I am going to use them for row labels. I am also going to bend the tab over the fence so have markers at both ends of rows. Last year had some problems with peppers as my markers did not last.

Loving this spell of warm weather.

Best to you all

A couple of Hints

This feels good being back and keeping in touch. I mentioned I wanted to add a dimension to my blog, sharing hints I run across and hope will help others. I learned early about being thrifty and self sufficient from my Grandfather. I have not always followed his good advice, but as I get older it makes more and more sense. Instead of running to the store whenever I need something I do look around and see what I have and how can I use it. In a way the advice I share will be in honor of Grampa's smart ideas.

So my first hint is one I saw on Rachael Ray's show , how to use fresh Basil. Basil is fragile and somewhat expensive to buy fresh. When growing it does not like cold so what Rachael shared makes sense. Instead of putting it in the fridge treat it like fresh flowers, trim the stems and put in a glass of water. The take a zip lock bag or other small plastic bag and place it over the Basil and set the glass on the counter. According to Rachel it will last much longer. I have not tried this but once my Basil comes up I will try it for sure.

There was something else I wanted to share, but can't remember it,lol. I have spent most of the day working on homework and trying to learn tax information. My brain is bruised and not working well,lol.

Best to you my friends

Still Here

In talking to several people I find I have company with other missing in action bloggers! I promised myself I would get back to it for New Years, hummm that didn't work. So today plopped myself down and here I am. I have been mulling over which way to go with this, I was boring myself . So I think what I am going to do is put in some of the home type things and maybe make a section that is hints. Ways to fix things, reuse things or do things differently. I read constantly and find tidbits here and there so think I will share and see how it goes. I have also thought about having an anonymous blog where I could rant and rage and no one would know it was me,lol.

As I go through the day my mind is constantly churning away with an overload of thoughts. A mix of good, bad and ugly, I have ideas for improving things, making things and complaining. Currently, I am not in the best place, a birthday reminded me that time is flying by and we are not in a good place financially. I seem to be the only one who has any sense of urgency while the other half of the team seems to be content to coast along. All this brought about a new determination to not wait for help but to surge ahead with my ideas and plans. I have found a handyman to help me build the Adirondack chairs I had tried before and also the yard art I wanted to do. I have lined up people to help me get my shop into shape so I will have space to do my pet treats and teach cake decorating and eventually do catering. I avoided this in the past not wanting to hurt others feeling by going outside the house for help. Now have decided if I don't take the bit in my teeth and go forward it may never happen. There are those that sit and those that do and I have always been a doing.

Anyone reading this who may have some ideas for online marketing, I welcome your input. Due to our location I believe online sales will be the way to go. I am going to try and be better about keeping up with this as I enjoy visiting with everyone.

I have been doing a few things, here is a painting I did last week. I am also learning china painting, when I get something done I will post it. I love the oils as you have instant gratification, the china painting is a long process layer after layer of painting.

We're still here

It has been so long since I posted, I think of things all the time but can't seem to get them on here. We made it through the winter fine, with the work Jim did on the windows and the wood stove things were much more comfortable. We actually paid off the
last of the gas bill last month, last year we were paying all the way into the fall.

The weather has been very unpredictable this Spring, lots of water
still standing in the fields. The farmers were very late getting crops in and my garden is a shambles. I will be harvesting late into to fall at this rate. I have planted tomatoes 3 times and had something just clip them off. I keep working on the fence around them and hope I have it this time. My fence building skills are limited at best,lol. My friend cleaned out her greenhouse so I have plenty of plants so can keep replacing, but they won't mature until late summer. I have taken lots of compost from the piles that have been ripening for a couple of years so hope that will help some. The Raspberry plant I put in a couple of years ago has taken over the strawberry patch and oregano bed and is heading for the horseradish. Time to move the monster, just have to figure where.

The Hollyhocks are rampant and I love it now that they are in bloom. They make me think of when I was small and we lived in UpState NY. There were some hollyhocks out back and I thought they were so pretty. Then when we lived in WI our neighbor Connie had some so now they make me think of her. A friend brought me some seeds for a dark burgandy Hollyhock, so am going to plant some and see what I get. I have such plans for the yard and property so keep plugging away.

Things are now going to get really crazy, I am going to start some new classes for a new client. I will continue working with AAA until I am sure I have passed everything. The best part of the new client will be that I will not have to work on weekends. So 4 hours a day will be spent in classes and then trying to work the job and take care of Husband, house and critters. Instead of being paid by the call it will be by the hour, so I am thinking money should be about equal. During busy spells could make more with AAA but there are those quiet times when you only answer a few calls an hour. I am also thinking less stress, as I have enough from everyday type things.

So still pretty much at the same point, Jim is working but making less then half what he used to, I am bringing in a bit but not nearly enough. Still moving at turtle speed at getting my shop together. Selling a few more eggs which pays for chickens feed and going to try taking them to farmer's market. I just hate being behind the 8 ball and at this age it is scary also, don't want to be that old lady eating dog food to get by.

Best to you all,

Barbara

Happy Easter

In my last post I was so happy because it was warm and plants were coming up. Well that soon went away and we have had snow and rain and gloom for ages. Today was back to Spring time weather and I finally have some daffodils blooming. I was able to work in some of the flower beds for a bit which made my day. Worked for the rest of the afternoon and evening and soon off to bed.

Each year the yard gets a little easier, I figure this grass and weeds have been here for hundreds of years so it will take me a while to tame it. In the vegetable garden the garlic, chives, horseradish are showing up.. In the basement there is lettuce, peppers, basil, tomatoes, pumpkins started and more to come. Hope for many more vegs this year. Was reading that the extra produce is good for the chickens. I did discover that the goats and chickens love pumpkin so any extra I will store next year.

Hope all had a good day and enjoyed your selves.

Barbara

I think it may just be here, for a few days at least,lol

I actually have a window open!! and went outside in a tee shirt. Ah heavenly!! The daffy dills are poking their heads up and last night we had a little rain and now there is some green in the grass. The chickens and goats are out enjoying the sunshine as are the dogs. Now we can take longer walks so they can sniff and run and enjoy. I know this nice weather will not last so will enjoy what I can.

Work is going ok, lots quieter right now as the weather is not bad and
people are not traveling that much. As soon as it gets nicer it should
pick up and more people will be out on
the road.

In the next week or so I will start working on my shop so that hopefully I will be ready for some cake and catering orders this
summer. Which hopefully will be the start of some good things.

So wishing everyone well, nice weather and all good things.

Barbara

It's Getting Closer!!

My friend Shelly in Wisconsin saw some Robins and I have seen a few flocks of Canada Geese flying over. We actually made it into the 40's today and now things are a muddy mess, still lots of mounds of snow but getting better. I keep looking at my Daffy Dill bed and trying to see if anyone is peeking up. Have planted more flats in the basement, some spinach, cabbage and bell peppers. Will be planting tomatoes soon, hoping the seeds I saved from last year will come up.

BARBARA CLARK - ARTIST

HANDPAINTED SHIRTS FROM YOUR FAVORITE PHOTO!
This is a shirt I painted as a gift for a friends husband for Christmas last year. She is such a sweety and posted this picture on her blog. I really love doing things like this and wish I could do more. I keep working on my space and trying to make it calm and organized as when things are crazy I just find it so hard to create. His puppies are just so cute and I am so glad he liked the shirt I made for him. They are such a wonderful couple, loving and supportive of each other and just all around good friends.

All is well with the critters, oh and we have another one show up a beautiful little gray tabby with green eyes. Such a lover but have no idea where he came from. The dogs are a muddy mess and keep me busy sweeping up after them and washing their blankets. I try to dry them off when they come in but with Gretel that is an exercise in futility. Here are the 3 babies being abused,lol.

So best to all, keep your eye out for Spring and send it my way!

Spring?? hummm not here,lol

Jim moved my other computer up the my office so that now I have two monitors to have info up on while I work. The picture is not completely accurate as I had Jim move it around again but you get the idea. This will allow me to keep my maps and some other sites up on one and the business items on my business computer. I am trying everything to make this all work. I so hate having bills hanging over my head and hope this will aid me to be faster and there fore make more money.

We had a couple of days of warmer and you could actually see the grass and then yesterday afternoon it started to snow again and all is covered again. Just a few inches, nothing major but makes spring seem even further away. I was surprised to see Red wing blackbirds at my feeders, that's a first. I also have far too many grackles which I dislike as they chase off my other birds. It always seems as if Winter lasts so long and the Spring and Summer zip past.

Right now it seems like every thing zips,lol. Must be the age thing, I know I got a medicare card in the mail and that put a damper on things, was not ready mentally for that. Just saw that a friend from high school lost her husband and he was my age. Last month received a phone call letting me know another old friend died. A tad depressing! Not a whole lot one can do other then try to take care of ourselves and keep plugging.

I think I have decided on a color for up here, right now it is a grayish blue which was fine for a boy but kind of gloomy for me. I am leaning to a cream color that will make it lighter and brighter up here, think that will work. I will go from top to bottom as this will be the easiest to paint, will have to keep my eyes open for some mistint in the right color. Can usually pick up 5 gallons for only a couple of bucks.

Hope all are well and enjoying life. Renie posted some pictures of her daffydills on Facebook which was a pretty site. Spring is slowly working it's way up.

Be Well all,

Barbara

February

I promised a few friends that I would get back to my blog. I guess I am always surprised that anyone reads it or wants to see more so kind of let it slide. I think of things all the time to share but then sometimes I feel as if I am in a rut. So, here I am back again with same old things and new things and life goes on.

Jim seems to be enjoying his job, working with a great bunch of guys. What I like the most is that he is out interacting with people and also getting great workouts. The place is huge and he does a lot of walking which is wonderful for his health and something that I could not get him to do on a voluntary basis. I know he is sleeping much better no thrashing around, so I am sleeping better also,lol.

My job has slowed down a bit after the holidays and no bad weather in my area. I feel much calmer and confident most of the time, what I struggle with is to be faster on the phones. It is hard for me to be curt and cut people off which I think is how lots of the people manage to be so quick. I usually try to find them the phone numbers they are looking for or help them as much as I can. I do now try to direct the conversation to the facts and not let them rattle on about the whole situation. I hate to do this, but am tired of the notes that I am not fast enough. I am keeping my eyes open for another client that might be more along the lines of Lands' End where you are not penalized for trying to help people.

The chickens are thriving and with the warmer weather laying more. The young ones will start laying in a month or so and the egg business will increase. I had to raise my prices a bit as the feed prices are going up. My plans are to take them to a farmer's market this summer where I will be able to get a much higher price for them. Hope to also have herbs, peppers and some produce to take also.

The office area is pretty much together, still some more filing to get done, I have tons of papers to go through, I am making up for years of shoving things in boxes and moving them from spot to spot. Now I will finally be able to clear so much stuff out and it will feel so good. I am also making progress on the craft side of the room,have even come up with what I think will be a nice color scheme. I am thinking cream colored walls and some sort of border. It currently is a bluish with a baseball border so need to cover that. Of course once again all this depends on Jim getting the roof sealed and a new ceiling in. I have so many plans and it drives me crazy to have things all up in the air. With no place to put things and clutter everywhere it keeps me off balance and cranky.

I am determined that this is the year things are going to get done, I hate to be a nag but will if that is what it takes. Jim just has no interest in things being organized, he is a piler. I clear off tables or counters and he busily fills them back up. I keep tearing out pictures of colors and curtains etc. If need be I will pay someone to come in and patch holes etc so I can paint and paper. Having grown up with women who made a career of nagging I will not be able to do much of it as it makes me even more upset.

I have been busy planning out the garden, so many catalogs coming in I want it all,lol. We have a larger area planned and that should work out very well this year. Piles of compost to use and I think it will be successful. Time will tell.

My goal is to make this all come together and be successful. I also have help coming in the Spring so that this will also be the year my shop gets done. I have quite a few people who want to have me teach them and also others who want to work with me. I am going to make this happen so that we can back on track with the finances. I am going to be smarter about things and not try to do it all myself as I have in the past. Watching the cake shows has really helped me to plan things out better, all of them have several people working with them that do the "grunt" work. At my age I need to be more in the planning and less in the physical. With very little overhead I have a real shot at making this work and being successful. My job will provide the money for supplies and also I need a bigger mixer. My two Kitchen Aids are very old and have done a wonderful job but I know they will not last forever.

So plans are made and God willing and the creek don't rise it should all come together.

Love to you all and thank you for all the wonderful comments, they mean so much.

Barbara

Happiest of New Years!!

Greetings of 2011!! Another year gone and a new start , new opportunities abound. Jim is once more employed which is a very good thing for his psyche. While having him home allowed many things to be repaired I do not feel it was good for him to not be able to find anything. He is working for Winnebago in the maintainence department, much like he has done in the past but this time as a mechanic rather then in management. In some ways this may be a relief for him , he will be able to go in work his shift and leave with no worries other then doing what is assigned.

I am still working at home and it is going well, there is quite a bit of pressure more then I anticipated. They want talk time down but require you stay on the line for transfers etc so it is a constant battle to be within the guidelines. You also have the uncertiny of who will be on the phone and what the problem will be. I am thinking that when my 6 months are up I may look for something different. In many ways it is easy so we will see, I am not a quitter so tend to stick with things maybe longer then I should.

Jim was able to get many things done around the house over the past year, things like redoing all the old windows. He took the glass out, put new caulk and points and now the windows are as good as new. People keep saying "oh, you need to put in new windows" wrong! The few windows that were replaced by previous owners are terrible. I read in This Old House that the older windows properly maintained are just as energy efficient at the new expensive ones. So here is proof, windows that going on a hundred and now have no leaks or rattles.

We had a quiet holiday, just enjoyed each other and the critters. The tree and outside lights were were up, not as many as I wanted but still pretty. That is one of my favorite things about the holiday all the twinkling lights. I do not miss all the pressure or the feeling that I need to buy tons of stuff, couldn't anyway,lol.
We did what we could and sent out love which has no price.

So again I wish you a wonderful New Year and hope to spend more time in blog land in this exciting new year. Here is to our goals being met and our understanding that "things" do not bring happiness we do that for ourselves.

Best to you, Barbara

November Snow

We went from having some lovely weather to snow, which is pretty and we knew it had to show up sometime. Just never quite ready for it , unlike Spring which never seems to come soon enough.

We continue to plug along, Jim has another job interview on Tuesday so we will see how that one goes. I am getting the hang of my phone job, more information is seeping into my overwhelmed head. I have had some good feedback recently which has really helped. For the most part the members are very nice and helpful, with the occasional bad egg. The kind you want to reach through the phone and smack!! The ones who think they are the only people on the planet who matter and the rest of us are only on the planet to make them happy. Thank goodness they are in the minority.

The baby chicks are growing so fast, we brought in a small size water tank to transfer them to, it has high sides so they are not able to jump out. We will be moving them to it in the next couple of days so they have a bit more room to move around. Jim has been working on getting the barn closed up for the winter, our panels were a hit last year. Jim is refurbishing them and making some improvements to them to help the critters be comfortable.. Last year I covered a couple of the windows with plastic and chicken wire but the goats were still able to tear the plastic off. We fooled them this year by putting Plexiglas pieces over the openings. We have a couple of back up heaters and heat lamps if the temps dip really low for very long. Each year we learn a bit more.

Jim continues to work at caulking and stuffing insulation where he can. He found and sealed a huge leak in the dining room. He removed some drywall and found that there was no insulation behind it. I am constantly amazed that this type of work has not been done before living in this temperate zone you would think it would be a priority. We had some pretty high winds which aided in identifying where some of the major leaks were, they also showed what a great job he had done on the windows. Not one of them rattled or leaked, great!! He is also making huge strides on his shop area, finally going through and organizing tools and parts. When he is done he will have a wonderful area to work on anything.

I have started dragging out Christmas stuff , with Jim here to help me I can do much more this year. This is one of my favorite seasons with all the decorations and good food. I have been baking lots of cookies and scones and checking out recipes. I was watching an infomercial for the Cricut cake machine and learned a few things that I am going to try. I was so depressed when I was unable to go to the Wilton School I just kinda packed everything away.

I am hopeful that in a few more weeks I will have the job down pat so that I am able to make a decent amount of money to help us out. Then when Jim gets back to work and we get everything caught up I will be able to buy things for my shop and get it open. One step at a time,lol.

Best to you all and have a wonderful Turkey Day!!

Barbara

The babies are here!!

Jim picked up the babies and they are installed in the basement for the time being. They are so small and so cute!! We have the cage all closed in to keep the temps up, supposed to be 90 at first and then slowly open it up more to lower the temps. By the time they are a couple of months old they will go out to the barn. Jim has been working on a nice place for them until they are big enough to run around more. He will also begin work on the larger coop for the older ones.
All of the chickens lay the brown eggs that people really seem to like. From what I have read with the chickens being pretty much free range the eggs actually more nutritious. As I mentioned previously the brown eggs go for more, so thinking next summer will be making a bit more, yeah!!

Hard freeze last night, no more maters from the garden all froze!! With the work Jim has been doing to the windows the house seems much snugger. We have had some really high winds and not a window was rattling or curtains blowing as in the past. Temps are still modrate compared to how low they are going to get, but I am pleased. He keeps finding new places that need insulation , he finally calmed the windstorm in the dining room which is more then good. Little by little,lol.

I am off to my nest as tomorrow will be a pretty long day, will be on the phone for most of the afternoon and early evening. If you know of anyone looking for something to do from home, have them get in touch.

Best to you all,
Barbara

Wild weather all around!! Thought the moon looked rather Holloweenie, wish I could get a shot that shows the face but have not figured out how to get it. Another challenge!! Lots of wind the last two days which in some ways was good, Jim found lots more leaks to fill in and stuff insulation in. The current puzzle is how to cut out the draft in the dining room. Jim finds it a real challenge to get insulation into some areas due to the construction of the house. He took some drywall down in the dining room and there is no insulation in the wall behind it, just lots of boards. All this is the upside to him being out of work, so much is getting done around the house. He has taken out and recauked all the old windows and done any repairs needed to them. When reinstalling them he is moving the molding over slightly so that the fit is tighter and hence no more rattling windows. Right now he is out putting our panels back up in the animals building to close them in and keep everyone warmer.

Tomorrow morning we go to pick up 20 more baby chicks to increase our chicken herd. Jim finished the new area for them so they will be toasty warm. At the rate the eggs are selling we figured it could not hurt to purchase some more. Buying them now gives them the winter to grow and by spring they will be laying also. As I mentioned before I plan on finding a larger farmer's market where I will be able to charge more for the eggs. Around here I only charge $1.00 per dozen which is very reasonable considering that in the stores brown eggs go for $3.00 plus a dozen. I have people showing up and buying 15 dozen at a time because they like them so much.
We went to the Fall festival and took a couple of the bigger pumpkins, didn't win but it was fun.
I really like the type that did win and want to grow some of those next year, they were so pretty. An other project,lol.

Jim went on another interview and all were impressed with his skills and all the certificates he has for different classes, that is the upside. The downside is the constant comment was "over qualified" , grrrr. He explained that we do not want to move and he is trying to find a job within driving distance so he does not have to live away from home again. They are supposed to make a decision by next week so we are keeping our fingers crossed.

We are putting up fliers all over the place for "Rent my Hubby" and Jim is picking up a few small jobs here and there. I am counting on word of mouth to spread his fame and bring in a bit more to keep us afloat. Never hurts to try.

I am trying to pick up more hours with my job to help, just so hate being in this situation, but very glad that with the help of friends and family we are surviving. Trying very hard to count all our blessings. Best to all, Barbara

Fall is in the Air, sort of.

How to tell Fall is here, hummm let's see there are the thousands of Asian lady bugs that appear everywhere. I would love to find the people who thought they would be a good idea to import, they rank up there with the love bugs in the south. We have to resort to
spraying everywhere to try and keep them out. As companion to the lady bugs we have box elder bugs, yuck!! The goats are getting shaggy and the cats fuzzy. We had a couple of nights of frost last weekend which singed quite a few things. Jim helped me cover some of the pumpkins which helped and I had some row covers to put over the tomatoes and peppers. That was Saturday night, then we remembered we had a huge tarp which we spread out for Sunday night. Lots of leaves died but the stems still seem ok. A lady who came to buy eggs saw the pumpkins and thinks we should take the biggest ones to the pumpkin contest. I think it would be fun, so if there is time that is on the agenda. The Maple trees we planted have grown quite well and are starting to turn color, not like in some areas, but still pretty.

Once again we had a disappointing apple crop, I believe part of it is no bees and the other the tornado. The apple trees were in line of fire when it came through and now their are sections that don't look so good. The new trees are doing well and Jim is making cages to go around them so they do not get attacked over the winter. So much to do to prepare all the plants for the sub zero weather to come. Lots of work but well worth it when you see them come back to life in the Spring.

Jim's job hunt continues, all the offers involve moving and none pay well enough to allow him to consider taking an apartment. He is getting some nibbles for work in this area doing handy man type things. We printed up some fliers and are leaving them all over the place, if he could get enough coming in that way we would be alright. I am slowly but surly mastering my job, still lots of stress but not the panic when the phone rings,lol. The basic calls go well and the emergency calls are better. I am able to be calm and remember everything the first time through. There are still challenges in trying to find some of the locations when they are out on the highway.
For me the major stress with the highway calls is time, I want to get them done as quickly as possible and feel inadequate when it takes me too long. I know how awful it feels to be broken down beside the road and how scary. Advise from the older agents is to take deep breaths and keep going and it will all fall into place.

I am so happy with all Jim is doing around here, not only did he put the new windows in the attic but has been repairing all the old wood windows. They have been neglected for years so they leak and are loose in the frames. He has been slowly recauking them and making them weather tight. Some of them the glass was so loose it almost fell out of the frame. The majority of the windows still have the old wavy glass and we are trying to preserve them. He is also rebuilding some of the frames where the weather has damaged the wood. All kinds of new skills.

All the critters are happy and thriving, we now have a kitten room in addition to the bird room. We brought in all the barn kittens as there had been some hawks hanging around and I was worried they might get killed. It is a riot, Jim and I laugh so hard over their antics, he plays goalie when I open the door to feed them. There is an avalanche of small furry bodies pouring out the door. Each so cute in their own ways and funny, we will stand there with hands full of squirming , purring babies and it just makes the day so much better. They love attention and will try to climb your legs to get picked up and petted. All those precious little faces and the trust that you will take care of them.

I don't go on the phone until 5 today and it promises to be nice and warm so will pick peppers and maybe can some more. I did 12 jars of banana pepper rings and am thinking I will do some jalapeno and Hungarian hot wax rings as well. I promised a friend some jalapenos so will pack some of them up to send to her. I guess I will dry the Poblamos and not sure what to do with the Anaheim s. I have used some of my dill and will dry the rest, the basil plants are all in and have given several away. Still have not figured out how to harvest the horseradish,lol another new skill. I am already planning the garden for next year, trying to learn from what worked this time and what didn't.

Wishing much happiness from the small things in life to all my friends,

Barbara

This and That

As usual our lives are full of adventures, can never understand the people who complain about
being bored. I don't have time to be bored!! Let's see Jim's job hunt continues, we are still
resiting moving and sending up lots of prayers for an answer. He is still working around here fixing things and winterizing. The attic is two steps closer to being weather proof, he replaced
the two smaller windows in the front. Amazing how good windows make a difference, you can raise and lower these with 2 fingers. A couple of weeks after those were installed the next set of windows arrived. Now the North side of the attic has a wonderful pair of crank out windows in place of the jury rigged non working windows. When Jim removed the old windows he found no insulation and lots of gaps. He also found that the solution previous owners had used was to take two old windows and screw them together. We now have one reason for the attic being so uncomfortable. The new windows are energy efficient and tinted, it is wonderful to be able to open them and get fresh air flowing through. There was a persistent musty air which made time spent up there less then lovely.

Which bring me to another development, I will be spend more time in the attic at my desk working!! I finally made it through all the classes and certification, what a stressy time all that was. I received the news yesterday that I had passed and am now officially a member of the AAA team. I even worked one half hour shift last night, now that is a whole other story!!
The very first call I took was an accident! The lady was naturally upset, but also very impatient and cursing all of which made the call a challenge. We need to gather a certain amount of information for dispatch so they know what equipment to send and to locate the member. I made it through mostly intact , at 3:00 am while mentally reviewing the call there were some gaps but none major. The next 2 calls were pretty routine and then my shift was over and boy was I relieved. I work another 2 hours tonight and will spend today going over notes and trying to be more prepared.

The weather is very cool, more so then usual so I am a bit worried about my garden. I am going to dig up a couple of my basil plants to bring in. I read a good article on Basil , both growing inside and ways to preserve. I also have bushels of green tomatoes which I am hoping will get to ripen. I have a nice variety of pumpkins and if we can avoid a frost I should make a few dollars selling them. One picture shows a larger specimen and the second picture shows our pumpkin tree. A few of the vines took off and climbed some of the smaller trees,lol.

Speaking of selling, we are doing well with the eggs, the chickens are self supporting. Jim and I are discussing making a new larger coop with additional nesting boxes. The current coop would then become home for new chickens that we will purchase in the Spring. Our chickens lay only brown eggs which are in demand. For next year the plan is to take them up into MN closer to larger cities where the brown eggs sell for around $4.00 per dozen. We now gather a little over two and a half dozen a day and have calls from people buying 10 and 12 dozen at a time.

So life at the homestead continues, learning new things all the time and finding new adventures. I planted Heirloom roses last Fall and have been enjoying them all Summer, was so grateful I found a spot where they would thrive. Most of what I plant is for zone 4 but some of roses are a 5 which puts them on the edge. The first year over here I planted lots of roses and lost nearly all of them. So bit by bit I have learned the secret of protecting them over the winter.

Be well my friends and enjoy life!!

Barbara

Fall is coming

This is a good thing and a bad thing, and there is nothing I can do about it,lol. This morning it is
54 degrees which is a bit chilly and nice as all the windows are open and I am serenaded by both inside birds and outside birds. The bad part is that all too soon it will be downright cold and when I get up I will need to put on layers of clothes just to be somewhat comfortable. All that being said there is no perfect place, some better then others but none ideal. A benefit of the internet are all the people who share bits and pieces of their lives with you. In a single day you get live weather reports from all over the globe, my son will im me and say it is 107 in Vegas. My other son or daughter in law will mention it is in the 70's or that they are having a heat wave in Everett, WA. Someone in England will mention their weather, I really enjoy hearing it all. If for no other reason then I can feel better about what I am experiencing.

The garden is producing a great many peppers, Jalapeno, Hungarian Hot Wax and Banana. I am also seeing some Poblamo ? and Aniheim. What I need to do now is take some time and make pepper slices and can them. I do like the Banana peppers on sandwiches so I can enjoy them as to the others now way. I do not do hot, hot , hot. I have sold several dozen to the local store and people seem to like them. My plans are for a much bigger garden next year so that I will have more to sell. Maybe put a little stand down by the road or take to the Farmer's Market.

My classes continue and my brain is going to explode with all I am trying to cram into it. Lots of technology and so many things to remember to ask and ways to accomplish things. What is amazing is the amount of resources we will have at our fingertips. So one week down and 3 more to go and then hopefully all will go well and I will once again be gainfully employed. I am really enjoying the fact that to go to school I just need to walk up to the attic and my space. It will be even more wonderful to go to work the same way, especially when the snow is flying and the wind is howling. I will not even have to leave home to get paid, it just gets put in the bank via direct deposit. So wish me luck and hope the brain does not develop a leak and let all this knowledge out.

Hot, Hot, Hot

One of our barn kitties, so cute!!

We have been getting some Florida type weather and have actually turned on the air conditioners. Well, Florida weather for this area,lol. I know that the temps have been much
higher in the South even Washington state had some record breaking temps.

I have made it through 3 days of class and wow what a lot of information. Lots of very great technology that will make the job much easier. We are making great progress on getting my office space workable. Jim has been so super, he figured out why my microphone was not working. The setting in the computer were turned off! Who , knew. He lugged the portable air conditioner upstairs for me, the attic was stifling. Just need to hook up my printer and I will be
up to speed. The phone pad and special headset arrived so will be ready to take calls once I finish the class. We are setting up buddies to practice calls with so that by the time we are on the phones with live calls we will be comfortable.

So, life goes on, we keep making progress. Best to you all, Barbara