Life in the Whacked Lane

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It just seems like it's never going to rain again here. The sky clouds up and it will threaten all day, but it just doesn't give up the moisture. If we don't get rain soon, we will be in quite a bit of trouble.

Yeserday I got the poles set for the lean to to house the rabbits and the lawnmower. The poor mower has had it's home under a cedar tree for far too long. I am soooorrrrre. One hole just could not go past twelve inches. There were too many rocks and it was in one of those veins of insanely heavy clay. I just widened the hole quite a bit and then I made circular forms for all the poles and filled that with concrete. I think i will look better tthan five gallon buckets around each hole! Hopefully some friends will be able to make it to help with the framing today.

The garden is growing quite well, and if the toms ripen all the fruit that is on them I may be able to sell some sun dried tomatos in olive oil yet. The potato plants seem like they may have gotten a virus as a few wilted and turned yellow. They are ready tto be dug up anyway, but I haven't gotten to it yet. For some reason he baby chicks kept squawking last night and I went out four times with the flashlight and tthe 22, but nothing was there. Guess I had better mow all those tall weeds down...I thought it would be good shade for them, but it makes snake visits more likely. Off to critter care!

-- Anonymous, May 05, 2002

Answers

Still no rain. It stayed north and west of us...bummer!

Got the frame up on the lean to and need to do the rafters this am. Only one friend was able to come and help-but BOY was tthat a help. For the lack of a clamp an entire project can be undone:).

One of the chicks was acting puny yesterday and I caught her to have a good look-looks like something tried to get her. I gave her probios and oatmeal with yogurt and some cider vinegar water and she seemed to perk back up. The mother decided to go to bed in the coop so I believe there was something trying to mess with them. Sure hope this one makes it, she is an Australorp....Gotta run!

-- Anonymous, May 06, 2002


My poor little hen died yesterday....I am bummed. I just didn't have the time to be nursing her all day and I think that is what she needed. The others are doing well, but momma hen decided to get into the nest box last night and I have no clue as to how, but she got two of the babies in with her and one was left running around peeping and scared. So I caught that one and then when I wanted to put him in with momma--- well I had to get some heavy gloves on as she threatened to go chicken bomb on me! I think I'll be clipping her wings tonight and insuring that she stays in the extra yard with her babies.

Got the roof on the lean to!! It actually looks pretty good. i don't understand how something can be level and square and then when you put the tin on it ends up not aligning the way it should. I guess the mysterious plumb aspect is involved in the trouble, but it looks good to the eye, just dont inspect the roof seams too closley.

No chance of rain for the next 7 days....hope God decideds to make the weatherman into a liar!

-- Anonymous, May 07, 2002


One short day at a time. Seems as though even when it drags time flies by so much more quickly with each passing year. I think that when I am sixy the alarm will go off I will hit the snooze button and it will be next week! I don't know whether it is really all simply a matter of relevance to the number of days we have already put in on this life or if it's that time is actually speeding up...I know several years ago there was an article regarding such and the adjustment of the atomic clock, but it was a paltry amount, not anything a body should be able to notice.

The world continues to go more insane. I sooo wish that I could just stay behind my gate and not have to deal with the rest of it, but then I would miss out on blessings and the very little bit of socializing I actually do. I find myself thinking that I really ought to go out and meet people, but where? when? and all that jazz. The little church is not growing and I need to find another one as I simply have to have more praise in my life. It is hard to leave when it is literally small enough to be family, but I know that is what I need to do....it feels like I'd be abandoning them. Weird.

I just spoke to a man who wants to lease some acreage for cattle and that will be a very good thing for the land as well as the pocket book. He was impressed with the hay field and thinks that would be a nice bit of income as well. Most of the property is simply too steep to hay...

Later>>>>>>>>>>

My niece's fiance lost his little sister in a flash flood last night. She was seventeen and supposed to be the maid of honor in their wedding in June. The family is in shock. They only had the two kids...they do know Christ, which is always the biggest help, yet I cannot imagine the pain of losing a child like that, so suddenly, and my heart just hurts for them. I do know there is peace in Christ but it still hurts so much to lose someone in this life. All the platitudes in the world seem so empty and impotent. What can you do but hurt with them? Just such a sudden and unexpected tragedy.

I wish I were the kind of person who could lend some support in things like this, but when it is so raw I cannot form words to convey anything that might be healing nor helpful and find myself mute and unable to express the care I have and commisseration I feel....how can one be helful in these kinds of things? it's like sending a card seems so "de facto" and unaffected. Words are terrifically inadequate to express feeling. Such an imperfect form of communication, but it's all we have, and I guess that it is something to be thankful for. It's as though you can wrap words around a subject and convey it's aspects yet never truly touch the essential essence of anything's being through them.Too many times they are misconstured and misinterpreted along the way. Nonetheless, I love words as they seem to be close to being able to convey real meaning. Somehow I think music is a better vehicle for actual expression, and eyes have it hands down, so long as they are honest eyes.

that's it for now.......

-- Anonymous, May 08, 2002


Yesterday was kind of a strangely slacker day in a lot of ways. Work was really non productive, although I did get several little tweaky things taken care of...including a nice letter to the state extortioners explaining that my name isn't all caps. That was fun:).

I lost another chick, most likely the hen. I don't know what happened but it seems my dogs killed it as it was in the yard all covered in fire ants with a broken neck. ~Probably~ Sprocket tripped over it as he was herding them. It wasn't chewed up, just the broken neck.

It's really funny, I was leery of going to be under the umbrella of the old Cside board by moving the forum along with all the others, but I am just so tired of answering emails asking me if it was actually me that posted on Stan's explanations board, and tired of checking the forum just to see if there are three thousand posts from a fella that can't spell, that I am actually glad to be going! Descents into psychosis are never pretty to watch at all, and this has been even stranger watching it on cyberspace. I feel really, really sorry for the guy and I sure do hope he gets help. I guess we will be able tto see if the old Amish custom of shunning works at all.... The thing that's troublesome is that the banning is cross straight across the board, so it isn't something I would do lightly at all.

I've decided that if it is light out, I won't be on the computer unless it's to check work stuff. Simply have to be more productive in the physical realm.

The last buckling has to go this weekend. poor bugger, it must stink to be born to be eaten, but it's just the way it goes. Strangely enough my roosers are crowing before it's light out! They are usually very good about setting off until it is light.

My Uncle Bill isn't doing too well. I guess he has confirmed parkison's now. My Dad did get him all up to speed on diabetes, the VA hadn't even told him he needed to check his sugar daily, nor told him how at all. So now my Aunt Carol is going over in the morning to help him get his sugar checked as he has trouble getting the little paper strip into the glucometer. He has always been the sweetest man you could ever meet. Whenever we would go to visit him at his garage he would always give us the key to the little bottle Coke machine and let us each have one candy bar. I don't want to think how that relates to his diabetes, but it was sure nice when I was a kid! I was supposed to go and work for him one summer in his garage, but Mom didn't want me to because his wife was too off for a ten year old. Talk about a man who took his vows seriously- he still calls betty every day and until recently was going and taking her to breakfast and grocery shopping or what have you. She divorced him a long time ago, but he never accepted it, I guess.

Going for the coffee now!

-- Anonymous, May 10, 2002


Well the weather is nicer, as a lovely cold front came through. It failed tto give us rain beyond a few drops that ruin the car wash, but at least it isn't so sweaty anymore.

Getting the new rabbit set up together, but still need to do the wiring on the lights and fans I want in there. Work is very busy, electronic forums are sucking the life out of me. rented the land out for cattle to a really nice guy who used to ride bulls for a living in the rodeo. Quite a character he is. My Dad and he got along very well, so I am grateful for that.

Need to go and fight the power because of an insane increase in property tax. How fun. I just want to curl up and hide from the entire world and not deal with any that relates to where we are on the large face of the "time as we know it" clock.

My friend's court date was rescheduled, could be a good thing....I'm thinking about selling out here and heading for the deeper nether regions sooner than I had planned. Hmm. We shall see.

Did a neat study doubt in my Bible the other day. Quite revealing to me personally. It's funny, I don't doubt God himself, just everyone else! Brings the song quote to mind: "Don't put your faith in human beings, because human beings are unreliable things". T miuns whenever it feels right. Gotta run!

-- Anonymous, May 14, 2002



It still doesn't want to rain here. It was cloudy all day, and today was our best chance....OH how I want rain!! The trees want it much more than I do!

Yesterday I got to pick my first bunvh of beans and had several ripe tomatos--How cool! My first fully fresh, fully homestead, produced meal of the year. I don't coun all the sandwiches as I didn't grow the bread, and eggs with onions and cheese didn't seem to have as much celebration to them...I guess garden produced is what I really should say:). Anyway, it is just so amazing to me how God makes this all work. Wow. I love it!!

I haven't yet made a decision on FSR...I think by the end of the weekend I will know.

During lunch I popped in a video my Mom had loaned to me. What a tremndous blessing it is! It's called the Potter and the fellow gives a life application message while using the clay as an example the entire time. I can't explain it, but it was fabulous! I want to watch it again:).....night!

-- Anonymous, May 17, 2002


Well it is actually chilly here! Strange weather everywhere. We are in trouble now as we have missed all the chances of rain for the past month. Now it's time for the sledgehammer to kick in and 110• is just around the corner...Whoohoo.

Things continue to fall down around my ears here, but the property ax people seem to think if a place looks clean it is worth a ton more money than it was last year. Hmm. Wish I could make my living off of people who are under constraint to pay me for somehing I did nothing o improve. Actually, I don't at all- it's just really odd that people can sleep when tthey take your hard earned money(or lack of such) for doing nothing. Heck, they don't even call you when you tell them there is a coming property tax war and fill out their paperwork neatly and expeditiously. Sigh.

I m thankful it is cool today as I have to dig up part of the drain line for the greywater. That is going to be some good exercise with the clay soil. I sure hope I can get it fixed today. It took too much of my time yesterday and I had a lot I wanted to do in the garden.

Speaking of which- I got my first Armenian Cuke and made cucmber salad for dinner last night. Yipeee! That's one plus to being single- I can just eat one thing whenever I want and not have to worry about a well rounded meal.

I better get on it- I am going to miss church today. I think I will try to make an evening service at another church tonight. I need to have the shower fixed...:)-

-- Anonymous, May 19, 2002


The drain has turned into an even larger project. Nutz. I have so much else that I need to do. I'll get it, but it sure isn't going to be any fun trying to dig out the concrete joints that have to go. I can reroute around one of the three, but since I only have a small sledge hammer busting up the ttwo is sure going to make my elbow hurt.

I'll be going up to my nieces wedding if everything goes well. I am a bit at a loss as to what to get them They need everything, but I know my Mom and one of my sisters are getting everything you can imagine for the kitchen. Towels are always nice. Since she isn't exactly a good housekeeper maybe I can give them a bunch of hinged hampers so he clothes can be off he floor at least:). reminds me of two of my sisters when hey first go married. They used to call each other and compare their impressive mold growths when they finally decided to clean the fridge. Yuck. They grew out of that in about two years, so I have hope for C yet!

I miss my family...when I saw my folks I was struck by how they had aged in six months. Especially my Dad. He's still as feisty as ever, but just doesn't have the physicality o back it up anymore. Sure do wish my sister Dot would drop all of the petty resenment she holds to everyone in my family....'cept me. But she doesn't even talk to me like she used to. I keep her in prayer, but it breaks my heart that she has such walls that she put up just to keep herself from feeling convicted about what she is doing right now. Auugghh. Oh well. I just hope she knows she is loved. I tell her whenever I talk with her.

Have a lot of work to do today so I had better get on it.

-- Anonymous, May 20, 2002


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