Frustratedearthmother's Journaling Journey

[frustratedearthmother]

Thank goodness no I-10 travel. He's coming south from the medical center. He has several options, but tonight he was going to take the Fort Bend toll road because 288 is in the middle of some crazy construction...but Ft. Bend county is catching heLL from this system.

Our plan is for him to stay with his company until the next eye surgery which is scheduled toward the end of March. Then we want to check with his eye docs and see if they predict any more surgeries in the near-ish future. If so, he'll stay there until that happens - if they give him a positive prediction for the future he'll give his notice. Hopefully, he has at most two more months. We have an appointment at the local SS office Friday to try and glean any info and/or ideas that will help us with that decision. Then we get with the financial advisor and decide if we want to start taking any disbursements from our investments or hold off for awhile. I think there is light at the end of the tunnel! (for him, at least)

 

[Mini Horses]

Sitting in the hot tub right now because butchering hogs makes me sore. The sun is going down, I have a glass of wine sitting on the ledge, and just finished a sandwich size baggie of caramel popcorn. Sounds like a good combo, right? Not low-carb though.....

Sounds just fine to me. Although I like cheese with my wine.

Retirement. Yes, I want to and am looking at all financials, like you are. There is some emotional adjustment, not just $$, although that is also part of the emotional . Then, there is the "control" factor -- with spending or not AND your time. Some days when I'm home I just want to crash! Of course, that has to do with needing to from long work hours -- plus the long to do list. When I was off a lot late last summer, I did get a good amount done and the desire to "get up & get doing" was revived. Work was at a more leisurely, enjoyable pace.

I am going into my one jobs "heavy" season. It means long days for about 3 months, then steady but, normal days for a month. Then slacks to not much of anything. It will be my "last hurrah" with that as I really don't plan to do it next Spring. The other job, food sampling, stays pretty normal & only heavy at holiday times...naturally. I will probably stay with that one another year. It's easy, no stress, lot of "leftover" & gift appliance stuff, pays well, mostly weekends. At my age, employment interviews are few & far between. It's almost like another retirement check and keeps my farm needs costs out of my actual retirement income. PLUS a lot of free wine! Oh, yeah, other stuff, too. If you lived close, I could give you a never used Foodsaver unit...yep, a demo gift appliance. I did use it to seal a "fake steak" a couple times, sent along to demo to public. (I already had a unit <6 mos). Now, two. Got a "gift" Instant Pot couple months ago. Benefits? yep.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Oh wow - I might need to find a job like that to supplement my appliance list, lol. All those extra goodies might work good as gifts also - except the wine - that's a job perk I wouldn't be giving away, lol!

 

[Mini Horses]

except the wine - that's a job perk I wouldn't be giving away, lol!

But often I do. When I count so many, I gift!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

But often I do. When I count so many, I gift!

Okay - I'll send my address!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I took the does down off of craigslist yesterday. I've already "sold" them twice to two different people on two different days and got stood up by both of them! ARGH! So the next day I got an email from another lady who said she was looking and did I have any does. Well, yes'm, I sure do! She's supposed to come out Friday. She wanted both does but she doesn't want the buckling....sorry - they are a package deal and much too young to separate. So, we shall see...

Heard peeping when I was out in the pasture feeding pigs.... huh? I thought maybe some bird had a nest in a tree...I looked over in the general direction of the peeping and saw one of my nekkid neck hens with a big ol' clutch of peepers! Must be about 10 of 'em. I've gotta go back out and check on 'em and find 'em something to eat. Debating on whether or not I should catch 'em tonight and pen 'em up somewhere...but where????? I'm afraid that a rat or something will get 'em. But if that many eggs survived 21 days without a rat attack then maybe they'll be ok. Some of the chicks looked like they have some wing feathers so they're not brand new. Just what I needed after buying 25 chicks already, lol. Oh well - nature finds a way, right?

 

[NH Homesteader]

Good job mama hen! Hope the lady shows up, are these Nigerian does?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Yes, the one she's taking is my original Nigi doe. She wanted the other one, PIA, but won't take her with the buckling kid. So, maybe I'll ask her if she wants PIA and her doeling after the buckling is old enough to pull.

I got close enough to count chicks and there are an even dozen. At least half of them look to be nekkid necks. I loooooove, looooove, love those birds! Of course she did this AFTER I ordered some from Ideal, sigh. Life is all about timing! I guess I've got some genetic diversity now. I need to cull at least half of the older birds I have now. I've been so busy butchering pigs I haven't even thought about chickens. I might even do the nigi/kinder cross buckling but there's not much to him right now. I guess I could band him and let him grow - but I want him out now - not six months from now. I reduced my price on him but I'm not gonna go down much more - I'll eat him. I like goat.

 

[NH Homesteader]

I don't understand people. Why can't she just sell him or butcher him, I mean I'd never let a buckling be a deal breaker if I wanted a doe. People..

I vote eat him!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I know, right? But, she has six buck kids that she needs to sell, lol! She could just toss him in with the others and sell 'em as a group! Who would notice one more itty, bitty buckling?