Are we living our dreams?

Mini Horses

Sustainability Master
Joined
Sep 2, 2015
Messages
7,153
Reaction score
14,762
Points
352
Location
coastal VA
I believe we add 2 for ever 1 that gets done. BUT we do work at getting them done if they are written down. I try to do some little thing each day from a list. My lists are separted into NEED to do & WANT to do....need to has a short & long time (for actual job) so on not good days I do a short time to do one. :rolleyes: sometimes two get done! Paper towel rolls work for the lengthy lists. :lol:
 

rhoda_bruce

Almost Self-Reliant
Joined
Jun 11, 2010
Messages
1,522
Reaction score
65
Points
187
Location
Lafourche Parish, LA
I tackle it a little each day, even when I don't want to. Yesterday I started putting a new coat on my clawfoot bathtub. Glad I did, but its still tacky, so will wait until tomorrow to put the 3rd coat on it. It is so shiny. I didn't tell anyone outside of my house that I'm doing it, so when some of my DD's and their poppa come over, they will be shocked.
I finished painting the walls in one of the small rooms we closed in. I need to paint the ceiling too, before I lay down some kind of flooring, but that will cost me a little. I might just buy some peel and stick squares. It will be so nice to get that room finished. My DD8 wants it, but I think I will stall her and tell her, after the others are all done. I really want to put the sewing machine in their and organize my house a bit. If I can stall her, I can empty out, what was originally supposed to be a small library in the center of the house. I have several small book shelves, but what I really want to do is lay down flooring, paint the walls and have shelves built throughout the room, so I can do away with all the extra bookshelves in the house.
Well, I was probably given some bad advice on fermenting grain. A friend of mine claimed she soaked her feed for 12 hours, so I have been soaking my corn for about a day and then feeding my birds. They did seem to not eat as much, so seemed I did some good for myself, but upon further reading, it seems I need to have between 3 to 5 days. So I got 3 more buckets from the house to use for feed and I put them each with about 3 gallons of corn and drowned each of them. I'm still using the first bucket and figured I'd use that one, as I have been for 2 more days and after that, I'd fill it and put it in line with the other 3 and let it ferment and wait its turn and I should be in business.
 

rhoda_bruce

Almost Self-Reliant
Joined
Jun 11, 2010
Messages
1,522
Reaction score
65
Points
187
Location
Lafourche Parish, LA
My oldest bed is totally waiting for plants or seeds. DS helped me move the bulky tractor off of it. I tied the 3 Araucanas with one single foot each to a problem area, nearby so they can clean up for me a while, seeings as I moved their house.
Also, replaced the retaining wall blocks that the goat knocked over on one of the smaller beds, so it looks really cute, but I need to drag a small tractor to let some birds preform a little magic on them.
2nd day of sunshine....thank the Lord. I stayed up very late last night, cleaning. I could have just laid down, awoke for hours or playing, online, but really needed to get a jump start on today, so found a kitchen cabinet and kept the house warm. If I wouldn't have eventually gotten sleepy, I would have just continued until daylight.
My garden area is looking controllable, but not exactly what I'd call pretty. The chicken tractors tend to eat down to the bare mud and then they act like they never saw food when I move them. But it is nice to see the ragweed going to good use. At the rate the birds are tending to it, I won't have a problem with it this year.
I have started a batch of marmalade in a 4 quart pot, following a youtube video, given by a chef....hopefully she is a really good chef. She used 2 cheats that I noticed, which normally aren't employed. I was actually thinking of using a little pectin because of past batches not coming out right, but now I see a pro doing it. She also added a few drops of yellow and a single drop of red food coloring....CHEAT!!!! and 2 drops of orange oil...CHEAT!!!! But I will use at least one, maybe two of her cheats.
So, I think I can get DS to help me bring that A frame into the old bed......I am still planning on using it as a coop and reverse coop, when needed and want to drape deer netting over it and the asparagus beds.....speaking of which. I have accidentally killed snakes almost every time I put deer netting out. They seem to get tangled up and can't get out.
And while I'm out, might as well start digging a hole for the T frame too.
 

rhoda_bruce

Almost Self-Reliant
Joined
Jun 11, 2010
Messages
1,522
Reaction score
65
Points
187
Location
Lafourche Parish, LA
IMG_20160112_173622.jpg

It was a little dark when I went outside to do my final run down on the animals and make everything ready for night, but look at what I ran into. I'm pretty sure this is one of my mystery weeds, which has escaped chicken and goat harassment. I used a flash, so it looks a lot lighter than it really was.
 

rhoda_bruce

Almost Self-Reliant
Joined
Jun 11, 2010
Messages
1,522
Reaction score
65
Points
187
Location
Lafourche Parish, LA
They are some really tough plants. I searched and searched a few days ago to find them. As common as they are in my yard, you'd think they would be top of the list, right there with ragweed.
 

Denim Deb

More Precious than Rubies
Joined
Oct 21, 2010
Messages
14,993
Reaction score
616
Points
417
Not sure what it is, but I'd say it's in the same family as daisies, asters, sunflowers, etc. Can you post some better pics so I can try to ID it?
 

rhoda_bruce

Almost Self-Reliant
Joined
Jun 11, 2010
Messages
1,522
Reaction score
65
Points
187
Location
Lafourche Parish, LA
I was wrong actually. In the dark it resembled, but its just a different weed that grows here. Today I was working in the garden and I had 2 of them growing as buddies together.
I so beat myself up today. Most likely will feel it tomorrow. I put the T frames from my old clothes line in the garden and one of them still had a big clump of concrete on the bottom. It was so heavy, dragging that thing. DS came to get it from me, when he saw me pushing on it about 13 feet. He thought we should break the concrete off but I told him we'd just have to buy more and the ground would accept it because its supposed to rain tomorrow.
I also cut a few small trees in the garden.
I'm almost on a roll with the fermentation of the grain for the animals. In 2 days it will be 4 days I started the process and as I feed them, they will always be getting 4 day yucky corn.....nice, huh?
I'm a little bummed out that the rain is going to be starting. I was hoping to do more of my list. I only dug one spade deep and found water, when I planted the T frames. I just hope I don't wake up to a lake.
 

rhoda_bruce

Almost Self-Reliant
Joined
Jun 11, 2010
Messages
1,522
Reaction score
65
Points
187
Location
Lafourche Parish, LA
My great sadness is almost upon me. DH called last night to tell me he was bringing me a vegetable soup he cooked, because he was bored and would most likely be leaving most of it with me when he brings the girls to his house :( Yeah....thats the thing. I am still not used to them leaving.
So he interviewed 2 days ago for a janitorial job at the local middle school. I don't know how long he has to wait until SS decides if he is able to draw on disability, but he will be getting $191 in Food Stamps, if he follows all their rules. Glad for him.....I know its an abused system, but I also know his last supervisor was an idiot (I worked under him) and who will hire a man with an almost dead heart, when they can hire a healthy man?
So hoping I can keep myself motivated this weekend and X a bunch of things off that to-do list. DS has been complaining about the garage sale my sister and I are planning.....it needs to get done. That will make us lighter and richer. I have several fruit trees I have to get in the ground, which should probably be my No. 1 priority. They have waited long enough. And it would be awesome if flylady goes on a rampage.
 
Top