Are we living our dream?

[Mini Horses]

You are plodding along and some progress is being made! No doubt this is huge and depressing to have but, I know you will get through it. Is your house one story? Did you have flood water in it or the rains blown in? Either way, a mess....believe you lost most of your roof. Have they gotten utilities back up?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

One foot in front of the other...sometimes that's all you can do. But, it does sound like you're making progress and that's got to feel better!

 

[Medicine Woman]

Technically my house was one story but it flooded in 1985 for Hurricane Juan and we had 4 inches of water. After that every time it flooded I was stressed because of worrying it would come inside so after Katrina knocked us a little sideways and the house blocks were all tilting to the west, we borrowed $20,000 in addition to $10,000 we had and hired a contractor to elevate us 8 feet and put us on pilings that were anchored to the ground in concrete....not just put in mud. We later had a concrete slab poured downstairs to add more strength to the house. The house originally just sat on blocks so it could move but once it was bolted to pilings it was better so the walls pretty much flew apart...probably because of a tornado but the floor stayed put. I only have 2 rooms left standing and one of them has a little sunshine in it. My youngest daughter has her room and the hall in front of it.
Really it is discouraging but I will soon be at a point where I can pry plywood from walls and start cutting them for fires in a pit or make rabbit nests or whatever. I plan on reusing the studs and sheet metal to just close in downstairs. Once we set up the greenhouse we will still need a place to protect the plants in the event of another storm. I can also use it as emergency shelter, office or workshop or all of the above. If I can rescue some of my stuff before it’s ruined I can freeze dry food and store it there because I sure can’t do a lot of stuff I normally do in this little house or the camper. Sigh....it’s hard to be me. Most of my coworkers have found jobs. I am not even looking because it’s pointless. No more money than I have received, I would have to give it all away and hire someone (which there isn’t anyone) to clean up and demolition means heavy equipment pushing everything to the roadside for pickup and then I will just have a floor and whatever is left downstairs. They will just push my stuff down and haul it off. This is probably my best shot at independence. I seriously just need to grow food, raise meat, preserve food, store food, sell food, grow fruit trees, sell fruit trees, graft fruit trees. Hmmm. A week ago I went to get my daughter and DH wanted to get some cabbage plants from a greenhouse halfway between. While I was there I looked at the prices of orange trees they were selling. It was $35 each and they were in some 2 gallon pots. Walmart probably can beat their prices but man!!! That’s more than I was expecting. I would be a fool to not start some rootstock that I can later graft and pot. Even if it’s a three year investment...even if I start rootstock every year and have to wait 3 years to sell the first it will be worth it. I have so much to do that it’s ridiculous but I think it’s safe to say I can’t allow myself to become discouraged to the point of stopping.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I think your ideas make sense - do what you can yourself. I admire your 'never quit' attitude!

 

[Medicine Woman]

DH had surgery yesterday on something involving his lower colon and I am in total control now of everything. Send prayers . I was so tired by the time I got him home last night I was ashamed of myself.
I am better now and tacked the fridge, kitchen, laundry, teetered goat, dog, rabbits....stuff. Really I need to put on my shoes and head to my ‘house’ and take care of my farm now. I have 4 buckets of grain fermenting so I can get more bang for my buck so I plan on using that today although it won’t be much fermented yet. It’s warmer today than it’s been so that should improve soon. I hope I have time to clean up my yard a bit too.
Well break was nice but I best go conquer the world. See y’all!!

 

[Medicine Woman]

Happy Sunday everyone. I woke up earlier than usual. DH not exactly as good as usual. I fetch lots of things for him. It was a 2 pot coffee day. I went to the 11:00 Mass and went to my farm to feed everything. I swear I am going to have a big slaughter day as soon as possible. I really think I have 3 Tom’s and 2 turkey hens but DH thinks opposite. But they kinda cocky and I really don’t need one of them to leave my yard and jump a kid. I also have too many drakes and I need to check how many unwanted roosters. They should be all chill about now, drunk on fermented grain. I didn’t cleanup my yard because DH requested grits and eggs and I have his chores to do now. Oh....he is up from a nap. Sure hope pain free. See y’all.

 

[Medicine Woman]

Basically if DH is awoke I am awoke. I am extremely tired. All chores are still mine. I had a miscommunication with the doctors office yesterday regarding DH’s condition and they prescribed a medication he was already on so insurance refused to fill the med. I then informed the nurse (without telling her I am also a nurse) that he couldn’t urinate so that’s why I asked for antibiotics and they put him on Flomax so she tells me if he can’t urinate it’s not an infection he needs Flomax because his prostate is enlarged so I tell her he is already on Flomax and I personally don’t have a prostate and yet I have been unable to void in the past. Tries to explain what Flomax is and I tell her I know.... I give it to men for a living. I don’t want to go to the follow up appointment. Anyway I fortunately was able to pull enough stunts to get him on the right meds and herbs due to things previously rescued from my house. A lot less screaming now. I was beginning to be afraid his kidneys were shutting down. Enough of that....
Because I had no choice I did chores while I really just wanted to sleep. Rabbits were grateful. Clothes hanging and washing. DH wanted me to make soup with the turkey bone pieces but I am making turkey dumplings. It’s not a Cajun dish so it’s really not something I am an expert at.
Youngest child is here and wants to go back in Taekwondo. Just discovered they not training until January 3rd.
I am now afraid to take the dog run at night in the cane field in the back. It’s harvest time and last night we made Trouble get back in the truck and we turned around at the boat launch in the far back and on the rebound a pig ran in front of us exactly where we made Trouble load up. Bigger than her. Gonna have to wait until someone kills all the pigs. They will destroy the sugar cane anyway. They probably swam there for the storm.
I went to my sisters house yesterday to pick up some beanies she had made. I didn’t realize she had used a knitting machine for all of them. She showed me how to use it to make a beanie from start to finish. I ordered a smaller one because I don’t think we should have the same size. I am mainly wanting to be able to not order socks in the future and so many people have given me all their dead momma’s yarn because they saw I was crocheting that I literally don’t know what to do with it all. It might be a few days before it comes in.
Well I guess the dumplings won’t finish themselves. See y’all.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Sorry everything is still falling to you. Been there done that with my DH's health from time to time. Hope it gets better for ya'll both really soon! Turkey dumplings sounds pretty darn tasty!

 

[Trying2keepitReal]

Prayers and a hug, sounds like you need them both.

 

[Medicine Woman]

DH finally moving around better. Past 2 weeks have been with very little sleep. I hear him in the bathroom and it’s really bad. Surgeon is a joke waiting a whole month and making me beg for Tramadol like as if it’s a narcotic . So glad he is finally on the mend. Finally went to the house because the coop needs repairs and we losing expensive animals. I am down a goose and two turkeys and several French ducks. I know I am planning on chipping most of the branches but I made a fire pile in the barnyard while I heard DH working the chainsaw near the house and eventually he joined me and lit the fire. It was getting dark and I worked by the light of the fire for a while. DH burned the goose with the branches. I was hoping the fire might scare some predators. I asked DH to pee near one of the entrances of the coop. It looks like most of the flock is high and dry. Whatever wants them either has to fly up for them or climb. So I wanna make repairing the coop a priority and bring the incubators to the little house because no telling when or if I will have electricity on the place. I did just order 5 outdoor solar motion lights so animals safer and we can extend our work time. If I like them maybe I will get more. Really tempted to order one of those really big kennels. I think they like 20 X 30 or so. I know DH has at least 3 pregnant does. If I can take one and give her some hen friends and cover it and haul in weeds and grain for her and the girlfriends I can milk her later and I don’t have a job that will interfere!!! Maybe even two goats. I don’t mind milking so long as my hands fit the teats. If too little I need a machine . Plus I am doing good if I have a quart. My nephew made me a milking stanchion years ago and it needs a little love but it was such a lifesaver. I needed help holding a doe steady and he came over. I explained that if I can make a stanchion that I wouldn’t need help and he asked me to explain and it was hard but I started talking about it and about a week later he showed up with one he had made. Got to love people like that. I don’t know what the weather is doing. Looks kinda like an old English movie out here. Maybe we can locate mushrooms later. While burning the sticks and palm branches last night I pointed to a tiny tree we have growing in the nooks of the palm tree and I told DH in addition to the other fruit trees we can grow date palms. Inspiration.