Are we living our dream?

[Mini Horses]

Well, I love the doctor's report!!

And I love that you can attend to those sales. Tired but able....that's a recovery in action

 

[baymule]

Your orange sales always do so good for you. I’m so glad that you can get in the orchard and do the picking.
No new growth sounds fabulous to me and must be a huge relief to you. Sounds like remission to me!

Great shopping and finding bargains on clothes, baby bed and stroller. I just love good deals!

 

[tortoise]

Things didn’t work out well for my grandnephew at school and he needs to be homeschooled. He has been home at least a week now and my niece hasn’t found a free homeschool program for him but I think she really needs something spiritual because she broke down today and told me she can’t do it anymore. I found a Catholic school with a really cheap pre-K and kindergarten curriculum. I think I will splurge. Waiting for a return call.

Kahn Academy is a fantastic, free online program. 4K to college

 

[Missa@#5252]

Today was anti-procrastination day. Before getting on the road with DH, I planted some Ponderosa Lemon seeds and some onion roots and the end of a celery.
DH and I then fed the pigs, collected venison from his cousin (neck roast and a leg), checked all our mail, did two more errands then I went to my old house for planters. I ended up finding two of the containers I used to use for soap molds. I’ve been wondering if I can half the recipes.

I hope things keep getting better

 

[Medicine Woman]

I know I live in the warmest climate on the forum (probably anyway) but I woke up to a pretty chilly house and took pity on Trouble by lighting the heater but I decided early to get the house warmer by killing two birds with one stone. So I burned some crisco in a cast iron pot on the stove (gas of course) and I then took out my favorite pot to roast 4 wild ducks with a bunch of organ meats. I woke up DH (sleeping pattern is way off) because one of his friends arrived. Funny how he gets up for them but not for me. Then I started bringing in the pumpkins we had growing in the front yard and pulled out the seeds. Shoved 2 small pumpkins and two normal sized ones into the oven which can barely close. I have it over 200F just to start reducing it and soften them up. After we eat duck (I’m kinda late) I will cut the pumpkin off the skin to smother in butter and sugar and later I will fill whatever jars I have left with the preserves. I might collect more jars from my old house because I have two more pumpkins, given to me from my uncle (different variety). But I did turn off the heater.
I have been having back pain so 2 nights ago I stripped my bed and put my mattress warmer and fresh sheets and started a heavy day of laundry with washing 2 comforters, one blanket and sheets. Good thing I had caught up on laundry before. But even besides just being good to snuggle up in a warm bed when it’s cold, it just feels good on my back.
Also I woke up to peep peep coming from the Bator. I don’t know how many ducklings have hatched but DH put in an order for more eggs. So I got wild ducks in the pot and domesticated ducklings in the Bator.
Yesterday DH wanted to get some treated boards he had picked up to create a place for my plant pots. I have taken to putting them on the rail of the front ramp. He wants to make a rack on the opposite side. No argument from me because my cousin gave me a 5 foot stack of 3 gallon pots. I haven’t exactly counted them yet. I don’t have enough potting soil for them so I will fill with sticks and leaves and then put 4 or 5 inches of soil. My cousin has a little side line of succulents, houseplants, cacti and other plants; not necessarily useful but pretty. I rather like green but I might as well have food growing in the pots. So I told DH if he wants to do that I would appreciate it if he can make me a hoop covering the ramp so I can have a vertical garden at that spot. We shall see.
We are really roughing it right now because of an unexpected vehicle problem that occurred on Thanksgiving Day…set us back over $300 then loaned my oldest a bit of money which I think I will get it back Wednesday…which is also DH’s payday. Just two more days!! YeeHaa!!
I guess the mice come in because of the cold. I caught two last night with some almonds and I reset the same traps. Gonna set even more before tonight.
I really want to start my own garden plants soon, inside. I might start them in egg cartons and put them on top of the Bator during the night.

 

[Medicine Woman]

Maybe it’s a blessing. I probably shouldn’t have submitted my license to verify my identity but I did. I’m so slow doing things but I already put my 4th day grain to soak in the drip water from the still dripping faucet water. I hung yesterday’s laundry, put another batch to wash (which I should probably soak) and took Trouble out to potty. I can’t believe how much rainwater was in the garbage bin.
Oh yeah….since I started recycling again I can go a few weeks without putting the garbage out. I still seriously wish the milkman would make a return….glass bottles and all. Even though I think of ways to make use of a lot of plastic jugs and other things that come into the house, I hate to see so much waste and plastic in general.
DH got a new female goat 2 days ago too…right before BIL arrived with fish to clean and to take the bed. He thought she might be lactating but the previous owner….his imaginary friend, claimed he tried to milk her and nothing. He said if that’s what she looks like dry, look out after she is full of milk. Hmmm. I might have to set up something for her closer to home when that day comes. I don’t mind drinking goats milk. That will certainly cut down on my plastic usage. I have already started using my shampoo bars and dish soap (which I made myself) and I finally ordered and received some washing soda( been out since Ida) so as soon as I make a few bars of laundry soaps, I can start making my own laundry detergent again. In the meantime I’m using boxed detergent because of the cardboard really. If anyone but me washes clothes I find the detergent runs away too fast. I really think everyone else uses a whole cup of detergent while I’m just too cheap for that. I just use a quarter cup.

 

[Mini Horses]

Yep, laundry detergents are used too heavily. Plus expensive! I use a cheapo powder "Roma". Works great.

So glad you posted, it's been a while. Hope things are going well. Goats milk? Oh, yeah! but you know, of course, she'll need to be close to milk. Lot of dairy! Cheese is fast & easy. I have a customer who buys for her soap making business. I did that for a while, few years back. Life added a change for me but, time to make more. I use nothing else, finally down to about maybe 50 bars. Great stuff.

How's you orchard looking for spring?

 

[LaurenRitz]

Stupid!!! I don’t even have another word for it. I’m sorry I couldn’t have caught the whole lot of them but I did get most.

I'd call it a miracle. Not just that they were dumped, but that they were dumped in a place you regularly go, to be cared for by someone who appreciates them.

 

[Medicine Woman]

Merry Christmas everyone!! I have been under the weather.
I usually contribute it to my treatment but I might have caught a bug. Not sure. On the 23rd I spent several hours plucking 5 wild ducks and the next day I was visiting with the family. I saw all my children, grandchildren, some in-laws and even my ex for a while but I couldn’t eat a lot. I really thought it was just me until I heard about a few people not feeling well Christmas Day. So today I finally cooked the duck, rice and two cans of field peas in roux.
I for sure need to go through DH’s overalls and harvest some denim for a pillow because between the 5 ducks I just cleaned and everything I cleaned last year, I most definitely have enough feathers for a pillow. And DH had to kill one of our hens…..a mercy kill so I asked him if he wanted me to clean her too, but he said she was little so he’s just gonna skin her. I figured, more feathers .
Need lots of prayers for the Amish team to come down the bayou so I can get my house built. I really want to go back home!!! It’s past time!! I want my big barn back in operation and my space.
Well I guess it’s time to wash Trouble. She’s gonna hate me.

 

[Medicine Woman]

Yesterday I harvested several sacks of satsuma but the little guys at the hardware stores that normally help me sell were afraid to set up my table without the bosses permission, even though they all know I have been selling for years but I filled an order for a box for one of my coworkers...also out of work. And today I started messaging all the people who normally buy privately with me so I got bites and hit one of the hardware stores. I think I can probably sell whatever the raccoons don’t eat. Tomorrow we need to make a peanut butter sandwich for the coons and place it in a trap. No...we will not be nicely relocating the coon to terrorize someone else’s farm. We will eat all the coons we catch.
I have been really depressed when I think about how my kids are staying with my oldest daughter when they could have been helping me. I could have forced the issue but I don’t want them to be disrespectful to me or DH and then a big stupid fight starts and there I am trying to neutralize it. Sometimes when that happens I just wanna be done. I want my kids all settled in their lives and I wanna be so very old and just done.
So after running around selling satsuma and dropping off at a hardware store we went further up the bayou to buy rabbits from a man we were supposed to go to yesterday. We like prepared for 12 new rabbits....I don’t know why , and the guy is gone until Sunday. So we go to eat at this Cajun seafood restaurant nearby and the old couple we just pulled the colony of bees out their house are there and want us to join them. Old man insisted on paying. My lucky day or at least blessed. Then I find out I can go to two other places with fruit so in the morning we gotta harvest, set traps and bring fruit to hardware stores and gas station. Oh and DH hit at least 3 piles of rubble that were on roadsides to collect studs and drums....only him. Y’all know how the price of lumber went up? Well if you want to make something and you up for a road trip bring a trailer to Lafourche Parish right now!! Three weeks ago would have been even better. People throwing away half their houses for the garbage truck. $300 exterior doors. Water fountain and chandeliers. DH actually took a chandelier he plans on hanging in my chicken coop. Seriously??