wyodreamer - we're not in Wyo any more

[wyoDreamer]

Well, decided tonight to start my own journal - I have enjoyed so many of the ones on here and I think I need something to get my butt off the couch and get this farmstead going. As background, DH and I purchased a 25 acre farmstead in NE Wisconsin early this summer. We have a beautiful 80 year old house, a detached garage, a big red barn, and 6 other buildings. DH moved to WI Jan 1 for his job and I stayed in WY until our home sold this fall. We had 2 mortgages for the summer so I had to continue working.

Up next - "the Interview/opening questions"

 

[wyoDreamer]

I got the offer for Position B this morning! So excited!

I did call yesterday to see if I was even being considered and she said she was working on the offer to me, she was trying to get it expedited through the superiors and I should have it this morning. Yay! the offer is quite a bit more per hour and really, the work is what I have enjoyed doing for the last 20+ years. It is a conditional offer - they need to do a background check on me - no worries there.

I have a job!! yes!

 

[wyoDreamer]

Still looking for job, time to stop looking for that "career" job and find something to pay the bills. It would have been nice to find something in the field I have spent most of my working life but obviously that is not going to happen. I have had interviews almost every week but no luck. My chosen career has rejected me - Boo Hoo. Big girl panties time and find a job.

My new layers are growing fast. Bought 9 Orpington and 6 Silver laced Wyndotes from tractor supply at the beginning of May. One of the orps is a roo - not bad out of 15 chicks. They prefer fresh picked weeds over the chick feed, so that is cool. I need to get the chicken tractor finished so I can get them out onto the grass.

Gotta get outside and get the garden weeded. It is so overgrown it is pitiful. Need to tie up the tomatoes also. We just used up the last jar of canned cherry tomatoes and getting low on diced tomatoes. I need to make sure that I get alot more of those canned.

I absolutely LOVE the electric canner. Recently I canned Prepared Garlic, red onions in vinegar (those should have been waterbath canned oops) and chicken gizzards. I also made strawberry jam.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I am going to make cutout cookies for Halloween. I have cookie cutters that I bought 4 years ago and haven't used yet. Last week, I did an impulse buy of a cake decorating set - don't tell my DH. Figured it would be a good time to try them both out.

 

[wyoDreamer]

Well, I was just offered a position. Woo Hoo! I got a job!
Trouble is, I interviewed for another position last week that I think I would much rather have.

Timeline:
October 21 - interview for Position A. Good job, doing something different, office work. Excited for the possiblitly. Told 1 month before the new person would start.
November 1 - interview for Position B. Great job, same field as I have worked for 30 years. 2 weeks before I will know if I got the job or not. 2 weeks is Nov 14.
November 7 - offered Position A. I can pick a start date of Nov 21 or Dec 5th.

Argh!!!

Now I get to call Position B and see if I even had a chance at the job and if they can expedite the hiring process at all ...

Position A would be learn new things, a lot of record keeping. forms to fill out, filing, small office lots of work to do.
Position B would be more money, but they both are state jobs, so same benefits (I think).

 

[wyoDreamer]

A couple more:

The coop and grape vines on the silo.

Sunrise to start a winter day.

 

[wyoDreamer]

New chicks seem to be doing good - I have to actually enter the stall and look into the brooder to make sure they are alive because they are so quiet. I may need to get some heat on them tonight though; heater is set up, just not turned on. They have been fine so far, running around doing chick things - eating , drinking, pooping, scratching shavings into the waterer. They are all sleeping together at night, not piled up at all - no peeping, no climbing to the center of the pile or anything like that. When the sun comes up, they wake up and start moving around.

I am starting to look forward to getting these little gals out of the brooder and into the tractor. I hope this batch will be good foragers. I want to be able to let them out to free-range in the evenings after work. They are scratching around in the shavings already. I need to get some treats in there for them to find.

 

[wyoDreamer]

I finally tried the Strawberry Lemonade Concentrate recipe from the yellow Ball Book of Canning that I have wanted to try for 6 years. Only tweaked it a little bit - subbed in Cherries for the Strawberries and lime juice for the lemon juice.
I love Cherry Limeade! This turned out fabulous! I will make a full batch and can it up for the pantry. Directions say 50/50 concentrate and soda, but I like it 1/3 concentrate and 2/3 soda and ice.
It is great with Ginger Ale for a refreshing drink for lunch and really good with some rum and white soda for an adult beverage in the evening.

Making some Amaretto Cherry sauce today. I was making spirited cherries but find I really don't use them much. The ones I have on the shelf are 3 years old. Took out a jar of amaretto cherries and whizzed it up for a sauce and found it wonderful to eat on ice cream and it would be great on cake with some whipped cream. Going to make the same recipe for the spirited cherries but chop the cherries up before canning.

 

[tortoise]

People need people! Is your internet connection strong enough for video chat? That has helped me a lot when I was effectively isolated. I had a virtual support group with others who have similar struggles.

 

[wyoDreamer]

You all have already helped me so much just by responding here on this forum.
Thanks!