JRmom
Lovin' The Homestead
Thanks for the "salsa verde" instructions! I have a pound of tomatillos that have been waiting around for me to get inspired. So dinner tomorrow is taken care of. 
Rathbone: Eggs for Hatching, Eggs for Eating, Eggs, Eggs, Eggs
- Thread starter rathbone
- Start date
- Thread starter
- #72
rathbone
Lovin' The Homestead
Rathbone: Shake-N-Bake Experiment Gone Wrong.
My hens seem rather ... itchy. I assume they have mites? Something I have come to realize about myself is that I don't really enjoy taking care of sick animals. I am not proud of it but...well, there it is. I have phobias about medicines and chemicals. I always fear that I will make us sick somehow. So I knew I wasn't handling the mite issue with pesticides. That means DE right? Sounds simple enough.
Now I have thought and thought about how it is exactly that DE works. I know what diatoms are. But I still don't get how the DE kills the mites. I used to be a pediculosis eradicator. For those of you who don't know what that is... I was the "Lice Lady" at school. I used to check kids for lice, educate families on how to treate it and sometimes if I was feeling really nice, I helped clean their heads. I had this sudden mental image of dusting students with DE.
I got up and showered, put my hair up and slipped on my old overalls. I started thinking about how exactly to apply it? I had heard someone say they used a pillowcase and basically submerged the hen in it but I was worried about that approach. I finally settled on a large bucket to "bathe" them in. I grabbed the nearest hen and we started. Using a cup I poured the powdery substance on the hens back and did my best to work it into the feathers and down to the skin level. I carefully rubbed it into the crevices under the wing area, under the thighs etc. I even more carefully worked it in on the hens head - ultimately they were lifted out of the tub, ghostly white and blinking away the powdery DE.
Let me just say that I have a LOT of hens. "Too many hens to do" was my opinion by the time we finished. Husband did the catching while did the application. Some hens were docile, some were NOT. When we finished...I surveyed all around me. It was like a shake-n-bake experiment gone horribly wrong. Hens waddles about in varying shades of white, shuddering and shaking clouds of DE behind them. The ground was covered in it. I took what was left in the bucket and coated the floor of the coop. And I grinned at my husband - batting my powdery eyelashes at him.
I really, truly hope the DE works. Thinking of mites gives me the shudders!
My hens seem rather ... itchy. I assume they have mites? Something I have come to realize about myself is that I don't really enjoy taking care of sick animals. I am not proud of it but...well, there it is. I have phobias about medicines and chemicals. I always fear that I will make us sick somehow. So I knew I wasn't handling the mite issue with pesticides. That means DE right? Sounds simple enough.
Now I have thought and thought about how it is exactly that DE works. I know what diatoms are. But I still don't get how the DE kills the mites. I used to be a pediculosis eradicator. For those of you who don't know what that is... I was the "Lice Lady" at school. I used to check kids for lice, educate families on how to treate it and sometimes if I was feeling really nice, I helped clean their heads. I had this sudden mental image of dusting students with DE.
I got up and showered, put my hair up and slipped on my old overalls. I started thinking about how exactly to apply it? I had heard someone say they used a pillowcase and basically submerged the hen in it but I was worried about that approach. I finally settled on a large bucket to "bathe" them in. I grabbed the nearest hen and we started. Using a cup I poured the powdery substance on the hens back and did my best to work it into the feathers and down to the skin level. I carefully rubbed it into the crevices under the wing area, under the thighs etc. I even more carefully worked it in on the hens head - ultimately they were lifted out of the tub, ghostly white and blinking away the powdery DE.
Let me just say that I have a LOT of hens. "Too many hens to do" was my opinion by the time we finished. Husband did the catching while did the application. Some hens were docile, some were NOT. When we finished...I surveyed all around me. It was like a shake-n-bake experiment gone horribly wrong. Hens waddles about in varying shades of white, shuddering and shaking clouds of DE behind them. The ground was covered in it. I took what was left in the bucket and coated the floor of the coop. And I grinned at my husband - batting my powdery eyelashes at him.
I really, truly hope the DE works. Thinking of mites gives me the shudders!
- Thread starter
- #73
rathbone
Lovin' The Homestead
Frugality and Adjusting to our new and Not-So-Improved Income.
I wanted to comment on the social aspect of frugality. I find that our change in income has made for social awkwardness. I no longer can afford to go out to lunch, give social gifts, invite people for a dinner and make something I am really proud of. Frankly it is making social difficulties in my life.
This weekend I had an influx of friends and family come visit. They showed up early, midday and late - and none of them were expected. In the end I had 11 children, 3 puppies someone brought with them, and a slew of adults - and every single one of them was hungry. I ransacked the cupboards and with what I had on hand - Spaghetti was the only thing I could think of.
I cooked an enormous batch of sauce up and got a pot boiling with as many noodles as I could fill it with. We served the first round of people and everyone ate in turns. People sat in chairs, joggled little ones on their knees, and others simply stood at the table and ate. As soon as a plate was emptied, my husband washed it and the next person was served. As soon as I poured the noodles in the colander, I set another pot of noodles to boil. They ate it - and they had seconds and thirds, and while they were eating that I made a quick peach cobbler using some of the peaches I had canned. Thank heavens I have an indoor oven and an outdoor oven. I had never needed them more.
Every single person that ate dinner with us, seemed to immensely enjoy what they were served and the good company as well. I can sincerely say I cannot remember having as good a time at any of the nice dinner parties I used to throw.
I have been grappling with how to handle our change in income. I certainly won't be giving the same type of gifts at holidays or socializing in the ways I used to. This has been a real journey for us...still is. But I think I am starting to see that it will all be okay. Like the lyrics to Three Little Birds: "every little thing, is gonna be all right."
I wanted to comment on the social aspect of frugality. I find that our change in income has made for social awkwardness. I no longer can afford to go out to lunch, give social gifts, invite people for a dinner and make something I am really proud of. Frankly it is making social difficulties in my life.
This weekend I had an influx of friends and family come visit. They showed up early, midday and late - and none of them were expected. In the end I had 11 children, 3 puppies someone brought with them, and a slew of adults - and every single one of them was hungry. I ransacked the cupboards and with what I had on hand - Spaghetti was the only thing I could think of.
I cooked an enormous batch of sauce up and got a pot boiling with as many noodles as I could fill it with. We served the first round of people and everyone ate in turns. People sat in chairs, joggled little ones on their knees, and others simply stood at the table and ate. As soon as a plate was emptied, my husband washed it and the next person was served. As soon as I poured the noodles in the colander, I set another pot of noodles to boil. They ate it - and they had seconds and thirds, and while they were eating that I made a quick peach cobbler using some of the peaches I had canned. Thank heavens I have an indoor oven and an outdoor oven. I had never needed them more.
Every single person that ate dinner with us, seemed to immensely enjoy what they were served and the good company as well. I can sincerely say I cannot remember having as good a time at any of the nice dinner parties I used to throw.
I have been grappling with how to handle our change in income. I certainly won't be giving the same type of gifts at holidays or socializing in the ways I used to. This has been a real journey for us...still is. But I think I am starting to see that it will all be okay. Like the lyrics to Three Little Birds: "every little thing, is gonna be all right."
framing fowl
On a mission
Wow! You handled that gracefully! I would have been in a total panic. I guess it's not what we serve people to eat but giving the best that we have at the time.
- Thread starter
- #75
rathbone
Lovin' The Homestead
Yes FF, I think that is the exact lesson I need to learn.
snapshot
Farmwife
Sounds to me like you did an excellent job and had some fun also!!!!
Britesea
Sustainability Master
I hope people will start thinking about bringing something with them when they visit. I can remember when you ALWAYS brought something with you to give to the hostess- be it a bottle of wine, some cookies, or even a bunch of flowers. That used to be the norm, but I think people got out of the habit.
It sounds like you handled that surprise influx with grace and confidence. Thank goodness you had all that extra pasta and sauce! Overall, it sounds like a really fun get together.
It sounds like you handled that surprise influx with grace and confidence. Thank goodness you had all that extra pasta and sauce! Overall, it sounds like a really fun get together.
- Thread starter
- #78
rathbone
Lovin' The Homestead
I live in an area where the culture is different from my own. Things I would consider "incorrect" like say, showing up at a person's house at dinnertime without calling first - those things are totally acceptable here. So I am learning to adapt and try to filter what happens through a new lens, a different culture. And I am finding that I actually enjoy it, it is rather liberating.
dragonlaurel
Improvising a more SS life
You handled it great. I could have managed pasta for surprise guests, but i wouldn't have thought of a cobbler.
You might to mention doing a potlucks sometime to make things easier though.
I could have managed pasta for surprise guests, but i wouldn't have thought of a cobbler. You might to mention doing a potlucks sometime to make things easier though.
- Thread starter
- #80
rathbone
Lovin' The Homestead
The boys woke up this morning, and wordlessly stumbled to the bathroom. They jostled slightly to make sure each had enough room, two pairs of pants hit the floor at the same moment and simultaneously they started to pee. "Jinx" Armando yells out. "What?!" bellowed Amarante "You can't jinx me for pee! We didn't even say any words!!!"
