OK, it is DW Day. Em and T need washed for the Expo tomorrow. T is easy, we can wait until this evening to wash her. We just pop her into the kitchen sink and commence to scrubbing! We dry her in a towel and then put one of the grain filled microwave hot packs next to her and she snuggles down to sleep while she finishes drying.
Em on the other hand, has me scared. S. says Em doesn't like water. I have not been part of any of her other bath episodes, only C. and S. It is a balmy day here and I will use warm water. However, I am prepared for a wrestling match of epic proportion. It makes me tired just thinking about it. We also have to give her some worm medicine. I'm sure that will be a real treat too.
Yesterday I must have been prophetic. When we went to the dog training facility, gas at the station we pass was $3.45/gal and I though that high. On the way back, about an hour and a half later, it was $3.65! Twenty cents a gallon in that short time. Like the gas they have in the tank in the ground cost them any bit more. I am sick and tired of being gouged on all sides by those involved in the petroleum industry.
I saw a cute thing on the net about how to spend our incentive money. I will try to post it here, but am not sure who originally wrote it. My appologies to the author. I would be happy to add the correct attribution when it is available.
"As you may have heard, the Bush Administration said each of us would get a
Rebate check to stimulate the economy.
If we spend that money at Wal-Mart, all the money will go to China. If we
spend it on gasoline it will go to the Arabs, if we purchase a computer it
will go to India, if we purchase fruit and vegetables it will go to
Mexico, Honduras, and Guatemala, if we purchase a good car it will go to
Japan, if we purchase useless junk it will go to Taiwan and none of it
will help the American economy.
We need to keep that money here in America. The only way to keep that
money here at home is to spend it at yard sales, since those are the only
businesses still in the US." I would add "or buying other second-hand,
used stuff, where the money stays home!
So, for the rest of my day, I am going to suck it up and wash Em. I am going to bathe me and change clothes and take S. to town to see the agility show going on. We will do our grocery shopping for the week and then meet C. We will transfer into the old truck and go to the local tree trimming service and cut a load of firewood for this winter. Then home to unload the wood, he and I will remove the middle seat of the minivan and put Em's crate in and load as much as we can. If there is still daylight left, I will stack split firewood until it gets dark. Then I will come in and get dinner on the table and gather up things for the Expo tomorrow. Everyone in bed early.
Tomorrow we will get up and on the road by 6:30, travel a couple of hours and then try to figure out what's going on at the Expo. I will run around trying to make sure all of mine (C., S., T., and Em) are safe and having a good time. Then in my free moments I will try to get to the special meetings for 4-H advisors to gather as much information as I can to help the dog project kids in our club. We will travel back home after the event, feed the chickens, and have a quick dinner and plop into bed.
I am hoping that next week will be calm. I have decided to start a program of basic obedience training for the dogs, a refresher of the basics will be good for them. I will also pursue my house cleaning rampage, and my yard raking extravaganza.
I think John Denver was nuts when he sang, "Weeeell, life on the farm is kind of laid back...." What fantasy was he living? Not my life, for sure!
Gotta go and face my doggie challenge,
Lori
Friday, April 18, 2008
Thursday, April 17, 2008
Enjoying Spring!
Hi,
Today I am watching S. as I type. She is swinging in the side yard, reading a book, and keeping an eye on the dog and puppy. I can't imagine swinging and reading at the same time--I get a little carsick just thinking about it!
Spring is really here. C. got out the riding mower yesterday, gassed it up, and took a few experimental swipes down the lower yard. I'm a little concerned. He mentioned that he is planning to mow in stripe-like sections, alternating which ones he mows each time. Honestly, I think it looks horrid! I know he is doing it to save on gas and we do live out in the country at the end of a dead-end road, so who will see, but still.....
Are concerns about the economy, etc. bothering any one else? I have to confess, I am a bit of a survivalist at heart, and some of my minor alarm bells are starting to ring. Are we like the proverbial frog--at what point will we realize that our pot of water is about to boil? Are the current troubles a forewarning of things to come or are troubled times already here and this is just the first few waves before the oncoming tsunami? Or is all of this just a temporary glitch and all will be well again soon?
I always keep a fairly presentable pantry. We live far enough out that it is inconvenient to go to town more than once every one or two weeks. Also, with the dirt roads around here, too much rain or snow can make it dangerous to travel sometimes. So I keep about 3 or 4 months of most non-perishables on hand. It saves a lot of money because I can shop sales and buy in bulk, not to mention saving the $10 per trip it now costs in gas to get to the nearest store. It is also nice to be able to satisfy the odd craving without going to any trouble. (C. will say, "Remember that black bean chili dip you made that one time, I'd like to try some of that again," and I can just go to my shelves and find all the ingredients I need.)
But now I am trying to slowly up my supply from 3-4 months to 6-8 or even a year. I do have at least a year's supply of staples like flour, rice, sugar, etc. We wouldn't starve, but it would probably get a little monotonous after 6 months or so. I am deliberating on whether to plant a big garden this year or whether to do more of a seed saver ark type of patch, just to continue the viability of my seed stock.
I am also starting to work on an inventory of my medical supplies. S. goes through bandaids by the pound! Again, I tend to have a fairly decent supply because it would take the squad a good while to respond to a problem here and so I have tried to be somewhat prepared. The problem with the medical stuff is that most pharmaceutical preparations have a limited shelf life. You can only stock so much and then have to faithfully rotate it to keep it fresh. I can't afford to keep buying expensive antibiotics and then throwing them away when expired. We practically never use them, but I like to keep them on hand for that once in a blue moon emergency. I have been dabbling in herbal medicine and will try to give that more of my attention this summer. If things get really bad, we will have to rely on renewable resources anyway.
As I hinted at with the mower, gas prices are getting to us. It costs C. $50 per week just to drive to and from work. I have tried to cut out unnecessary driving. I doubt Mom's pasture will get brush hogged as many times this summer as she would like. As a result of high transportation costs, everything else we buy has gone up. Chicken feed costs a whole lot more now. I expect hay to be outrageous this year. If I can find any really cheap, I am going to buy it up. If we don't get any llamas, we can sell it for our cost and be a real blessing to someone else next spring. Food prices have gone up. We can plant a garden, but as anyone who cans can tell you, home grown is not cheaper. Tastier, healthier, fresher, but not cheaper. We will also try to fill the freezer with meat as soon as I can save up enough cash from my weekly grocery allottment. We may be eating more venison this winter, which by the way, cans great.
I'm thinking about going to some of the urban thrift stores before long and buying up some clothing essentials, especially for S. During the Great Depression, farmers didn't go hungry but they didn't have money to buy anything. I feel that if I can cover some of those other needs by being proactive, then we will be OK.
So, dusting off my tinfoil hat,
Lori
Today I am watching S. as I type. She is swinging in the side yard, reading a book, and keeping an eye on the dog and puppy. I can't imagine swinging and reading at the same time--I get a little carsick just thinking about it!
Spring is really here. C. got out the riding mower yesterday, gassed it up, and took a few experimental swipes down the lower yard. I'm a little concerned. He mentioned that he is planning to mow in stripe-like sections, alternating which ones he mows each time. Honestly, I think it looks horrid! I know he is doing it to save on gas and we do live out in the country at the end of a dead-end road, so who will see, but still.....
Are concerns about the economy, etc. bothering any one else? I have to confess, I am a bit of a survivalist at heart, and some of my minor alarm bells are starting to ring. Are we like the proverbial frog--at what point will we realize that our pot of water is about to boil? Are the current troubles a forewarning of things to come or are troubled times already here and this is just the first few waves before the oncoming tsunami? Or is all of this just a temporary glitch and all will be well again soon?
I always keep a fairly presentable pantry. We live far enough out that it is inconvenient to go to town more than once every one or two weeks. Also, with the dirt roads around here, too much rain or snow can make it dangerous to travel sometimes. So I keep about 3 or 4 months of most non-perishables on hand. It saves a lot of money because I can shop sales and buy in bulk, not to mention saving the $10 per trip it now costs in gas to get to the nearest store. It is also nice to be able to satisfy the odd craving without going to any trouble. (C. will say, "Remember that black bean chili dip you made that one time, I'd like to try some of that again," and I can just go to my shelves and find all the ingredients I need.)
But now I am trying to slowly up my supply from 3-4 months to 6-8 or even a year. I do have at least a year's supply of staples like flour, rice, sugar, etc. We wouldn't starve, but it would probably get a little monotonous after 6 months or so. I am deliberating on whether to plant a big garden this year or whether to do more of a seed saver ark type of patch, just to continue the viability of my seed stock.
I am also starting to work on an inventory of my medical supplies. S. goes through bandaids by the pound! Again, I tend to have a fairly decent supply because it would take the squad a good while to respond to a problem here and so I have tried to be somewhat prepared. The problem with the medical stuff is that most pharmaceutical preparations have a limited shelf life. You can only stock so much and then have to faithfully rotate it to keep it fresh. I can't afford to keep buying expensive antibiotics and then throwing them away when expired. We practically never use them, but I like to keep them on hand for that once in a blue moon emergency. I have been dabbling in herbal medicine and will try to give that more of my attention this summer. If things get really bad, we will have to rely on renewable resources anyway.
As I hinted at with the mower, gas prices are getting to us. It costs C. $50 per week just to drive to and from work. I have tried to cut out unnecessary driving. I doubt Mom's pasture will get brush hogged as many times this summer as she would like. As a result of high transportation costs, everything else we buy has gone up. Chicken feed costs a whole lot more now. I expect hay to be outrageous this year. If I can find any really cheap, I am going to buy it up. If we don't get any llamas, we can sell it for our cost and be a real blessing to someone else next spring. Food prices have gone up. We can plant a garden, but as anyone who cans can tell you, home grown is not cheaper. Tastier, healthier, fresher, but not cheaper. We will also try to fill the freezer with meat as soon as I can save up enough cash from my weekly grocery allottment. We may be eating more venison this winter, which by the way, cans great.
I'm thinking about going to some of the urban thrift stores before long and buying up some clothing essentials, especially for S. During the Great Depression, farmers didn't go hungry but they didn't have money to buy anything. I feel that if I can cover some of those other needs by being proactive, then we will be OK.
So, dusting off my tinfoil hat,
Lori
Wednesday, April 16, 2008
Back in the Saddle
Hi,
Me again! The old pattern of dealing with a different subject each day isn't working so well for me anymore. My life isn't all that regimented. So, for the next experiment, I'll just try talking about what's going on or whatever is on my mind.
The pup did great at the freestyle workshop last weekend. I was so pleased at how much "try" that little dog has. She gave it her best the whole time. S. did pretty well, but she is now 9 and we are having some relationship struggles for control. So we got along mostly, but did have a few squabbles.
Next weekend we will go to the Dog Expo with both dogs. And C. That will be the major challenge--to see if he can find something fun and relaxing to do with himself while S. and I do dog stuff. I would like this to be a family activity for us, but I'm not sure it will go that way, since C. hasn't been all that enthusiastic.
I've got the laundry out on the line today. Both because I like how it makes the clothes smell and also to save on money. Our electric bills were nice and low last summer when the dryer was out of commission. So I am trying to hang as much as possible and consolidate all the dryer stuff into only one load on laundry day. It is so pretty to see all those bright colors fluttering in the wind on the line.
And I think the rams are finally sold! The new owner is trying to arrange for a vet health certificate now since she is taking them over state lines. Then it will just be us, the cats, the dogs, and the chickens. Not counting all the extraneous wildlife so abundant around here. I wouldn't be surprised though, if C. wants to get a couple of llamas this fall.
So that's it for my corner of the world.
Lori
Me again! The old pattern of dealing with a different subject each day isn't working so well for me anymore. My life isn't all that regimented. So, for the next experiment, I'll just try talking about what's going on or whatever is on my mind.
The pup did great at the freestyle workshop last weekend. I was so pleased at how much "try" that little dog has. She gave it her best the whole time. S. did pretty well, but she is now 9 and we are having some relationship struggles for control. So we got along mostly, but did have a few squabbles.
Next weekend we will go to the Dog Expo with both dogs. And C. That will be the major challenge--to see if he can find something fun and relaxing to do with himself while S. and I do dog stuff. I would like this to be a family activity for us, but I'm not sure it will go that way, since C. hasn't been all that enthusiastic.
I've got the laundry out on the line today. Both because I like how it makes the clothes smell and also to save on money. Our electric bills were nice and low last summer when the dryer was out of commission. So I am trying to hang as much as possible and consolidate all the dryer stuff into only one load on laundry day. It is so pretty to see all those bright colors fluttering in the wind on the line.
And I think the rams are finally sold! The new owner is trying to arrange for a vet health certificate now since she is taking them over state lines. Then it will just be us, the cats, the dogs, and the chickens. Not counting all the extraneous wildlife so abundant around here. I wouldn't be surprised though, if C. wants to get a couple of llamas this fall.
So that's it for my corner of the world.
Lori
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