SSDreamin Blessings and curses

[SSDreamin]

01. Name? Cindi

02. Gender? I'm a woman.

03. Disneyworld or Disneyland? Neither, do you know how much it costs?!

04. What is your favorite color? Tan. I know, boring, but also very flexible

05. What is your favorite kind of gum? Strawberry. Don't really care what brand

06. How much do you weigh? A LOT

07. How tall are you? 5' 9"

08. Can you swim? Yes

09. Do you like to swim? Yes, although I rarely do

10. Living arrangement? Married

11. What's on your mouse pad? Laptop

12. Favorite board game? Trivial Pursuit - I am scary good

13. Favorite magazine? Don't read them, but DH is begging for a script to Back Woods Home

14. Favorite Actor? Colin Firth now, Cary Grant then

15. Favorite Actress? Betty Davis - such a b*tch

16. Do you have an accent? Depends on where I'm at

17. Favorite smells? Cinnamon rolls & freshly bathed babies

18. Least favorite smells? Hamburger cooking, human fecal matter

19. Favorite sound? laughter, a cat's purr

20. Do you prefer pools or oceans? I prefer Lake Michigan - all the bennies of the ocean, but no sharks or jelly fish!

21. Do you watch Buffy The Vampire Slayer? No

22. Pencil or pen? Pencil - I am not that sure of myself

23. Who's better - boys or girls? I would have to say boys, but I'm biased

24. Would you like to own a motorcycle? No. I like to have metal between me and the pavement

25. Do you sing in the shower? Yes, and quite badly, I'm told

26. Who's the best looking Disney character? The beast? Guess I like my guys grouchy & hairy

27. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning? What time is it?

28. How many rings before you answer the phone? Usually the full song (only have a cell) - ended up having to get a longer song though, to buy me time

29. How do you want to die? Not sure

30. Have you ever called a 900 number? No, but know plenty who have

31. Gold or silver? Silver - offers much more flexibility

32. Would you ever go bungee-jumping? Nope. I freak out on the ferris wheel

33. Do you like dressing up? No.

34. Would you rather be short or tall? Short. My inseam is 36, and my waist USED to be 25. Try to find jeans for that!

35. Do you enjoy reading? I love to read

36. What book are you reading now? The real George Washington, The Family Cow Handbook, Raising Miniature Livestock, Home Cheese Making and The Original Argument. I like variety.

37. Favorite books? Pride and Prejudice. Love most of Jane Austen's work

38. What was the last movie you saw? Grown Ups (guys choice)

39. Favorite movies? Sleepless in Seattle, Pride and Prejudice (the PBS version)

40. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? No

41. What is your sign? Virgo, with Scorpio rising

42. What are your personality traits? Quiet, unless I know you; not very patient; enjoy a good political or religious argument

43. What's your biggest fear? Loss of family.

44. Would you ever have cosmetic surgery? Yes, absolutely! I want the tata's I had pre-children! Nobody mentions the fact that they may SHRINK, and sag. Ugh

45. Future child's name? Really wanted a Dallas. Was vetoed.

46. Favorite foods? Hot, spicy Tex-mex food.

47. Chocolate or vanilla? Vanilla

48. Do you like to drive fast? Um, yeah.

49. Storms - cool or scary? Very scary

50. Do you like to dance? Love to dance. Never do, unless it's by myself to the radio

51. Do you do drugs? Nope, highly allergic to most recreational drugs. Allergic to quite a few script drugs too

52. Do you smoke? Yes

53. What do you think of people who smoke? I feel their pain

54. Do you drink? Very rarely

55. Favorite drink? I like weird stuff - pineapple upside down cake, peanut butter martini

56. Do you think men and women could ever be just friends without wanting each other? Maybe, rarely, but no for the most part.

57. Do you eat the stems of broccoli? No

58. If you could have any job you wanted, what would it be? A writer, or making stained glass windows

59. What's your "type"? Used to be charismatic and abusive. Now, it seems to have morphed to socially inept but with a heart of gold

60. Do you bite your nails? No - I have to cut them frequently, or I wind up with dragon nails

61. Any siblings? Yes. Older half sister (same Mom), younger brother, and MANY step siblings

62. What movies have you cried in? I've never been in a movie OK, too many to list. My DH picks on me because I cry A LOT

63. Do you believe in God? For the most part, yes. I have been having a bit of a... crisis of faith in recent years

64. Did you ever cry over a guy/girl? Oh yeah, too many

65. Have you ever stolen anything? Yes. A make up compact when I was 11.

66. Do you procrastinate? Absolutely

67. Do you believe in fate? Yes

68. Who's your favorite Sesame Street character? I don't have a favorite

69. Do you organize your CD's? No, DH does

70. What is your favorite kind of music? Metal. White Zombie (but not Rob Zombie solo, he stinks), Ozzie, etc. Plus I enjoy Enya, Bach, 'older' rock, Some contemporary rock (like Nickleback, Buck Cherry, Collective Soul, etc). I really don't like Country that much, unless I'm at a dance hall in Texas - then, crank it up!

71. What are your favorite bands/artists? See above, Favorite all time song- Love Hurts, by Nazareth

72. What was the last CD you got? Not sure which one - but it was Ozzie. 'See You On The Other Side' will play at my funeral. Total freak and can't understand a word he says in interviews, but I love his music.

73. MTV or VH1? Do they even play videos anymore? Or are they all reality TV now?

74. Who do you admire the most? Famous, or 'ordinary'? Really beginning to admire George Washington- loads of integrity and humble.

75. Internet Boyfriends and Girlfriends? Um, no. Seen that destroy marriages, not interested

76. Are you single? Nope

77. Favorite TV show? Not impressed with TV these days, mostly watch news

78. Blondes, Brunettes, or Redheads? Redheads!

79. Glasses or contacts? Depends on my mood

80. What color are your eyes? Family calls them chicken sh*t green

81. What is your natural hair color? Not sure any more - crappy looking brown?

82. But what color is it now? Red, highlighted with red, and red

83. Have you ever been in love? Yes

84. Any pets? Yes. A German Shepard going for horse status and a rescue cat who thinks she's a dog

85. Good, decent, or poor grades? Decent

86. Is the glass half empty or half full? Usually half empty. Sorry, I'm a pessimist.

87. Do you type with your fingers on the right keys? No, I hunt & peck

88. What's under your bed? Hmmm... gun cases, a backpack, boxes of out-of season clothes, a box of saved receipts, cancelled checks (tall iron bed)

89. What is your favorite number? 8? Not sure I have one

90. Favorite sport to watch? Racing. Love it- watch it on TV (practice, qualifying too, midgets, sprints, ARCA, K&N, Trucks, Nationwide, Cup), go to local tracks to cheer on kids who used to race with my youngest DS, have been to several big races in several different states and loved every minute of it! Willing to stand in line for HOURS, to get a ticket, to stand in line for several MORE hours, to get drivers autographs. We (DH, DS & I) are fanatics.

Edited: Someday I hope to learn to sig Girl

 

[SSDreamin]

1. What state/province/country are you in and what is your climate like?
Michigan. Presently southern, but soon to be mid-northern lower peninsula. Here it is frequently sunny, usually hotter than most of the rest of the state in the summer and, strangely, we catch a lot of lake effect snow- it skips over the lake shore & hits us! Up north- cooler, less sun & less heat.
2. How many people are in your family? Marital status?
Married. DH, DS(11) and myself
3. How would you define self sufficiency?
Being able to rely on yourself for the majority of your needs, as opposed to outside sources
4. What would you do with your spare time if you had any resources you needed?
I would build huge, gaudy stained glass windows for obscenely rich people
5. Have you ever built a house , or other types of building? Do you want to?
Never built an entire house, just pieces and parts, but always wanted to
6. Can you weld? Steel, aluminum, MiG, TiG, stick, Oxy-Acet?
No, DH can and he won't teach me
7. Who or what inspired you to become more self sufficient?
My Grandpa & my Dad
8 Cloth or paper?
Paper. I will go without a lot of things before I'll give up my tp
9. In what ways are you self sufficient now and in what ways would you like to learn more?
I grow a medium sized SFG garden (want it doubled), have a small orchard (again, double wanted), cook most everything from scratch, raise chickens, have a miniature jersey/lowline cross heifer, can, dehydrate, sew, have a small rainwater catchment system (which will be expanded into a rain fed cistern system once we move/get settled), DH hunts for 90% of our meat supply, that's all I can think of right now. Still want to learn so much; tops on my list right now is soapmaking
10. In what way(s) will you never choose to become self sufficient?
I have long ago learned to never say never. I TRY to stay open minded, although I may never keep bees because I'm allergic and must carry a stupid epipen everywhere I go
11. Are you interested in stocking up for future needs?
Absolutely. DH has lay offs regularly, and stocking up eases my panic attacks about them
12. Where do you end up when you sink into yourself, away from the outside world?
I go to a quiet meadow and talk to my oldest son. I can't see him, but I know he's there and he hears me
13. Can you drive a farm tractor or a semi?
Grew up driving a tractor on a regular basis. Used to drive a school bus - that's as close to a semi as I want to be
14. Do you make crafts or useful items? Would you want to teach others how to do these?
I do make stained glass items, quilts, needlework, various sewn items and some wood projects. I would guess that most people would prefer to learn from someone much more talented than myself! I have a 'what the he**' attitude - I'll try it and, if it looks anything like what I had in mind, it's a success! Maybe that's why my family hates my homemade gifts!?!
15. Can you have legally livestock where you are at? Do you have any? What kinds?
Yes. One heifer, 6 buff orp's, 2 columbian wyandotte's, one buff orp rooster, a miniature horse, I mean German shepard and a rescue cat.
16. Can you operate a lathe? Metal, wood?
No, but I would love to learn, especially wood turning
17. Do you like to garden? If so, what do you enjoy growing?
I really enjoy my garden. This year, I put in tomatoes, potatoes, okra, peas, beans (green, wax, pinto & navy), peanuts, onions, beets, peppers (green, jalapeno), carrots, cabbage, lettuce, radishes, peanuts, asparagus, cantalope, sugar pumpkins, cukes and butternut squash. I also have blackberries, blueberries, rhubarb & strawberries. I want to plant twice as much of everything next year
18. Do you fish? Bait or explosives?
DH & DS love to fish. I can take it or leave it. I don't eat it, and it's good bonding time, so I let them have at it. Bait
19. How much space/land do you have or rent? City? Country?
We own our home on 3 acres here, just bought a place on 7.4 acres up north (for cash- I can't help feeling like we stole it - HUD is GIVING away property up home!) and we own 10 acres 1/2 hour north of that house that backs up to 1,200 acres of federal land that DH uses for hunting (accumulated over many years of working long hours and making do).
20. Are you a Novice, Technician, General, Advanced? ARRL?
Let my novice license lapse years ago. sad
21. What is your self sufficient specialty? Or what one would you like to learn?
I have no specialty. I would love to learn more about solar/wind/geothermal
22. If you could create a degree and curriculum, what would you major in and what classes would you take?
I have always wanted to take writing classes. I have STARTED many novels, completed none.
23. Do you do wood work? framing, finish, cabinet?
DH is a journeyman carpenter. He does beautiful work. I am his grunt/laborer when we do projects together
24. Are you interested in herbal medicine?
Very much so
25. If you could live any place you chose, where would it be?
The foothills of the Smoky Mountains. Lived in Knoxville, TN for a while and fell in love withe area. Also found out I have vertigo, so foothills, and I will never be able to leave big_smile
26. Do you use a wood stove for heating or cooking?
Have in the past (both), plan to again in the new house
27. What would your ideal super hero/villain be?
The biggest villian in my life has always been fear, so Fearman???
28. Are your family or friends also interested in self sufficiency?
My Dad was. Wife #3 is not, and makes fun of the small stash of food he has in their basement. MIL/FIL are to a small degree. All siblings think we are absolutely insane and never miss an opportunity to poke fun. Friends all think we've joined some sort of cult. Trying to talk to any of them is like, well, I'd rather have a nice long chat with a brick wall, because I'd get a lot farther!
29. Do you like to cook? Are you interested in whole foods and natural foods? raw milk? farm fresh eggs?
Love to cook, and I have the waistline to prove it! I am slowly changing my families diet to whole/natural foods. Can't wait until the heifer is old enough for a sp**m donor, becomes a mommy- I grew up on raw milk, fresh butter and home made ice cream (her name, BTW, is Ice Cream big_smile ) My little girls give me lots of yummy eggs, so...yes to all the above?!!
30. What was your MOS?
Never in the military
31. Do you forage or hunt for part of your food needs?
DH hunts. I have no patience for it. I used to forage - blueberries & raspberries when we lived in the U.P. & morels on my Dad's farm. Not so easy to do here
32. What skills do you have that help you be more self sufficient?
I have several, DH has many more. I am an idiot savant with cars, does that count? (I can tell you what's wrong with the vehicle and, most times I'm right. Don't let me fix it though, if you ever want to drive it again!)
33. In which fictional universe would you most like to live?
I would love to live within the pages of Pride and Prejudice. I'd like to meet/talk to Elizabeth Bennett, she seems so fearless
34. Do you have solar panels? Plans to use solar energy?
Don't have any yet, but plan to. Want a solar pre-heater for my hot water heater and a small solar system as a minimal back up system
35 What is the mass/weight ratio of a European swallow carrying a coconut from the tropics to England?
Isn't that from Monty Python?
36. Have you ever lived completely off grid? Would you like to?
Never have. Would really like to tell the electric company to shove it
37. In what do you trust?
God (although I've been working through a love/hate relationship with the big guy for a while now) and immediate family, as in DH, DS, and one or two others
38. Do you make things yourself to save money?
Yes, frequently
39. Has trying to be more self-sufficient changed your attitude or habits about money/spending?
Yes! Money has become much more of a means to reach an end, rather than a way to stay on the treadmill of life a few more days

 

[SSDreamin]

OK, sorry I posted/ copy & pasted the survey's and ran. Life got in the way of my computer addiction

How do I start? I've wrote quite bit of back story stuff in other threads, so I'll try to keep it minimal here. Besides, I've got tomatoes cooling and won't be able to blab very long anyway. I grew up on a farm in NW Michigan. Very SS type. Did most of our 'shopping' in the basement storeroom and huge freezer we had. Raised chickens, beef cattle (for personal consumption), always had a pair of dairy cows, and various other rescue animals. In that part of the world/ back in the stone age when I was a kid, there wasn't much of a rescue system. If somebody found an animal that was abused, they called my Dad. He'd go get it, we'd nurse it back to health, and he'd either sell it or give it to a good home. We nursed goats, a pony, and a wonderful horse named Joker. Didn't think he'd make it. Just skin and bones. I learned a lot about dealing with animals on deaths door.

I hated the farm. Not the place really, so much as the people. Ran away at 15. Made my way down to my mother, in Texas. Culture shock is an understatement! She lived in San Antonio. The town I came from had 500 people in it. I had to LEARN to mistrust people and not take stupid risks by doing things I'd always done, like walking home from school. Things at Mom's sucked too, but in a different way. Married right out of high school to escape.

Best gift I got from marriage number one is my oldest DS, who would've turned 28 next month. Raised him by myself, with a brief, crappy marriage to a con man thrown in at some point in there (yes, I had issues).

My friends forced me to go out with DH . I was not interested, because he was 'a nice guy, not my type, boring, blah, blah, blah'. He hunted whatever was legal at the moment, fished year round, and (hold on, this is bad) actually loved and enjoyed spending time with his parents, who were still together! Then I met his Grandparents, who were not only the sweetest people you'd ever meet, but spent time with their extended family and actually enjoyed it! Basically, he lived on an alien planet that I found strangely fascinating!

Dh grew up in a trailer park. No garden, no animals, nothing. He did spend a few summers helping his "Uncle" who had a farm. His Mom canned anything she could get her hands on, sewed and quilted. She was the most un-citified city person I'd ever met. As I mentioned before, DH loves to hunt and fish. After we were married, he took DS#1 with him all the time.

Dh had always dreamed of having his own place to hunt, so we both worked hard and saved up for a nice 10 acre parcel that backs up to 1200+ acres of federal land. Kind of scrubby, no utilities, but an ancient trailer for 'camp' (Yeah, never happened. Slept in it one time. DH's pillow began moving, and that was it He was a city boy, after all!)

We lived in a trailer park. When the trailer burnt down (faulty H/W heater), we bought a 'real' house in a small town. Loved that house. DH custom built the kitchen cabinets, it had a tornado shelter built into the basement (which, in hindsight, was probably a root cellar, but I'm a total freak about tornado's, so that's what it was to me), barrel vaulted ceilings and tons of storage. DS#2 had made his appearance by that time, and the only down side was that the boys had to share a room because there were only 2 bedrooms. It was just a city lot, so all I ever grew there was flowers. We were living there when DS#1 had his accident. Brakes failed on his Geo Metro. Went through a stop sign and hit a Chevy 1/2 ton. It was April Fool's Day. He was 19 1/2. I developed severe issues. The doctor said it was PTSD, and it would resolve itself soon enough. It never has. Too many painful memories there, and DH thought a new start might help, plus he wanted a place in the country. We made a good profit off that house and we bought a trashed out fixer upper on three acres one town over. While DH transformed the interior, I put in a huge garden and orchard. I planted grapes. blueberries, bush cherries, rhubarb and strawberries all around the garden. No animals, but lots of fresh stuff to eat and plenty left to can. I really liked that house. DH decided we needed to move (for his job/DS#2's racing), so we sold that place for 3 1/2 times what we paid for it, so we bought our 'starter' house down here in So. Michigan for cash. It is a doublewide on 3 acres. A repo, so we got a deal.

All extra money and time went towards DS#2's racing at that time. He raced quarter midgets for 2 1/2 years, then moved up to mini cups. We bought a motorhome, to make things easier. People we raced against were spending 10k on tires for the season, buying new cars (mutliples - apparently, quarter midgets were like potato chips, you couldn't run just one!) every other year, and on, and on. No time for gardening. No time for anything other than racing.

DH was usually laid off in the winter and, occasionally, in summer (he's in construction). These lay-off's always made me panic. DH quit telling me they were coming, to alieve my fear, but not knowing made things worse for me. I decided to try to stock up and put stuff back, to help get us by when things got lean. DH thought it was a weird quirk of mine. He often picked on me about my habits ("Dear! We're down to 24 rolls of TP, time to stock up!" That sort of stuff).

Recently, he went into lay off like usual and 5 1/2 months later, he was still off. In his entire working life, he'd never been off longer than 3 months, so things were rough. He is very hyper and needs to stay busy. While re-organizing/'making my pantry better' he realized that, without my stockpile of food, we'd be a lot worse off. Little things I'd dropped hints about before began to take root in his brain. As soon as he was back to work, we started paying off debt and getting serious about my 'hobby'.

DH built me 2 4 x 12 SFG's. He OK'd chickens. I got 6 buff's, then 3 Columbian Wyandottes and a buff rooster. DH built me an amazing coop out of some scraps he'd accumulated, then attached a really nice and secure pen to it. I was enjoying myself. I experimented with which plants grew best where, I bought trees and pruned back the ones that were already here, I put in rhubarb, blueberries and blackberries. DH began discussing a milk cow and I got excited! We picked up our jersey/lowline cross, miniature heifer not quite a month ago. She's only 5 months old, but there was no way we could afford a cow in milk! She is a lot of added work, but I adore her Her name is Ice Cream, and I have her halter broke, but she still needs work with the lead rope. Right now, she's only about 26 inches tall and should only reach 32-34 inches at maturity.

Dh's work has gone into over drive. He will be working out-of-town, 6 and occasionally 7 days a week, through 2012 on a huge project. Racing has come to a grinding halt, and I can't say I miss it that much. I have started to feel very isolated and alone down here by myself with DS#2. We homeschool (At first, he had regression issues due to his brothers passing, then it was convenient for racing), so we can really live anywhere and move whenever. DH's employer had a special savings program for employees to use for a house, so we recently purchased a house just down the road from my inlaws. It was a HUD repo, on 7.4 acres. We offered all the money in the special account, which wasn't much, and they accepted! So, the new house cost us $500 out of pocket. Now comes the FUN part. We are having problems with the well, so I took the pump in for a bench test. If it checks out OK, that means it's probably a $10 part My brother (who works for a propane company) came by over Labor Day weekend and checked out our system, then made some SUGGESTIONS for repair, so we don't blow up. On the up side, he can get us the materials wholesale and will help install them, and help with the well repairs.

I am very excited about the house. It's 2400 sf, concrete block construction. Slab foundation, but somebody gutted the place and put in a sleeper slab, then ran all the plumbing through that. We already know the plumbing under the kitchen sink leaks, and are hoping that's it. It has a hot water heat/boiler system, but we plan to put in an insert into the fireplace. The floorplan is perfectly suited to wood heat. The only 'cold' room would be the bathroom.

Geesh, so much for short posts! Back to my tomatoes :/

 

[FarmerChick]

Welcome to your journal

you have been busy filling out those lists !!

 

[Denim Deb]

ETA: There's a couple of us on here that suffer from vertigo, so we share your pain. SD and I both suffer from Meniere's disease, though she's worse than I.

 

[SSDreamin]

Thanks FC, I have been a survey answering fool, haven't I?!

Denim Deb - I used to take meds for Meniere's, but hated the side effects and quit. It has since lessened to a level I can deal with. Thought I was having some weird seizure the first time I experienced vertigo. Felt dizzy & sick the whole way up the mountain, then - when I went to get out of the car - I fell down! The whole time we were up there, I couldn't tell up from down and needed help walking! That was my first, and last, trip up the mountain!!

 

[SSDreamin]

Have managed to do, then redo, because I missed a very important step :/, 20 pints of extremely hot taco sauce for my husband. Glad I only have to do that once a year! He is sooooo picky: It can't be salsa, it must be blended, then blended again, until smooth. Last years batch wasn't quite up to snuff, heat wise, so I bumped it up a notch this year. Last year I just used habanero's I'd grown. This year, I used 6 of the habanero's (I dried the bounty - still have 2/3 of a quart full left), 7 minced jalapeno's with seeds, and five packages of Mrs. Wage's hot salsa mix! My tongue tingled when I tested it! Once it's sat for a while, the fire is going to peel his throat He's going to be a very happy man!

On to experiments in pasta sauce and ketchup.

 

[snapshot]

Welcome!!! I just started journaling also. You are doing a great job. Very interesting life!

 

[SSDreamin]

Thank you Snapshot! I seem to not know when to quit talking (typing), and rarely edit, but so far I enjoy writing things down.

Today I will tell you about my next door neighbors. We have corn field on our other side, so they are our only one's.

They are very sweet people, in their 60's I'm guessing. He (who will be referred to as K) retired 9 years ago and she (Now referred to as A) just retired from teaching fifth grade math. She wanted to keep teaching, but she's been battling cancer.

We have lived next to them for three years now and, other than pleasantries or small things or brief visits on our porch or theirs, we haven't gotten to know them much. Well, since we've been increasing our animal herd lau ) they have began dropping by with things to help us out: Hay, fencing, more hay. I take them over a couple dozen eggs every other week, as a thank you for helping us newbies. Last night I dropped by 2 more dozen and asked if their pears were ripe (they offered me all their pears on an old tree they have - just had to come pick them when they were ready). We went to look at the pears and walked by their 'project house'.

The land they live on has been in K's family for a while, and he grew up in the project house - a gorgeous 1800's farmhouse. I happened to mention that someone on here was fixing up an old farmhouse and she had a kitchen that I was quite envious of: Open, cathedral ceilings with exposed beams, etc. K got a big smile on his face when I said that, and A told him to show me the house. I spent 1 1/2 hours touring the farmhouse. It is, for the most part, stripped down to the studs, but it is an amazing example of repurposing/recycling and ingenuity! A huge, bright family room is where we entered - all windows were other peoples cast offs. K made a beautiful transom about 16 feet long, from narrow windows somebody gave him, turned on their side. One wall was a series of cast off windows from a friends farm. Stepping into the kitchen, it is open, cathedral ceiling, with the original mortice and tendon (sp?) beams running across! Absolutely stunning! I noticed a leaded glass window over where the sink will be and A told me K made that himself, from an old nine pane window that had broken panes - it looked original to the house!
K had found an old wooden door. missing the glass in it's oval opening and far too narrow for the front door opening he had. He added to it, so seamlessly matching it that I hadn't realized until he told me, and said he just slapped in some plexiglass into the opening until he finds a big enough piece of 'old glass' to replace it.
The master bath had so many neat features too! Shower doors, made from cast off parlor doors (half wood/half glass). I asked how he'd keep them from rotting away, and he said there's some 'new fangled' polymer-type paint that will seal them up. The dresser, which was given to them because it was missing a drawer, is breath taking. K found the sink that he'll drop in it out in the woods ( A wire wheel, a new coat of that fancy paint, and they will have an amazing vanity). Of course, the claw foot tub that was already there is in place!

I was stunned by all the great use of other people's throw away's! A had several items sitting around that they were going to use for display hit ) A butter churn, an old wringer-washer, etc. I know I prattle on, but the list of awesome ideas K had for re-purposing things could fill three pages!

As we walked outside, A said she wanted to show me her 'pride & joy', then led me over to an outhouse! An outhouse? She opened the door, and I swear I heard angels singing! It was the coolest outhouse I've ever seen! It had an actual toilet, and a sink, and even a tiled floor! K said he and his engineer son designed it: it drains into a dry well, and is fed by a garden hose. When I told DH about it, he thought you could mount a stand/rainwater system to 'feed' it! I WANT ONE!!!

The sad part of this story is that we are moving, and we lived right next door to two people we could've learned SO much from these past three years.
A even cans all sorts of stuff and K grows a beautiful garden every year (he has shared their bounty with us this year). K even shares my passion for stained glass (though he prefers 'old school' methods, I don't mind 'cheating' with a saw and grinder).

 

[snapshot]

Think I'll take my cue from you and get to know what few neighbors there are out where our house is. I really wish I had enough sense as a teenager to get to know my grandparents better. I missed out on so much there also!