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Medicine Woman

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It’s been raining and stuff is complicated. I didn’t realize it had rained so much last night and I’m glad DH put his hoop coop where he did. I think I have been caring for our small flock of Barred Rocks now for around 2 or 3 weeks. I bought one single sack of hen scratch and I noticed DH had just a little left that he was using to feed his pigeons. I cut 4 milk jugs just enough to be able to put a quart of scratch into it and start a 4day fermentation with. It’s working out great. I give them (6 hens and 1 rooster) one quart of fermented scratch, about 6 handfuls of grass from the yard and whatever table scraps we have and I usually pick up 4 or 5 eggs a day. I found a few golf balls while cleaning up around DH’s old home and I brought them home to train the girls where to lay because they were depositing eggs all over the place.
I have several birthdays coming up for DDs, DIL and GKs this month starting in 2 days so I was pressured into recognizing the two youngest DDs and therefore I plan on making gumbo on the 9th and making it a family dinner with cake so I’m giving the house about an extra hour or two of my time everyday to create space and organize. Yesterday was kinda wasted on pre-admit for an upcoming colonoscopy 😫. Just a precaution really but not looking forward to it. So I’m hard at it to reclaim my sewing area and basically just have more room. I’ve run into a few obstacles. I was unsuccessful at hanging my blinds and so far DH hasn’t been able to fill in for my shortcomings. But I don’t want that stopping me. My BIL came over 2 days ago and helped DH removed the hospital bed from my living area which cleared a lot of space.
The incubator is on the blink so all hatching is on hold until further notice.
It’s rather difficult for me to live on my current budget because SS doesn’t pay nearly what a nurse can get on her paycheck so I’m anxious to start a few tricks involving incubators, sewing, crocheting, writing, etc…..
So much to do and so little me. But I’ve been logged out of Facebook and I don’t know if I’m going to be recovering my account so maybe I can organize and let flylady go on a rampage.
 

Medicine Woman

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Maybe it’s a blessing. I probably shouldn’t have submitted my license to verify my identity but I did. I’m so slow doing things but I already put my 4th day grain to soak in the drip water from the still dripping faucet water. I hung yesterday’s laundry, put another batch to wash (which I should probably soak) and took Trouble out to potty. I can’t believe how much rainwater was in the garbage bin.
Oh yeah….since I started recycling again I can go a few weeks without putting the garbage out. I still seriously wish the milkman would make a return….glass bottles and all. Even though I think of ways to make use of a lot of plastic jugs and other things that come into the house, I hate to see so much waste and plastic in general.
DH got a new female goat 2 days ago too…right before BIL arrived with fish to clean and to take the bed. He thought she might be lactating but the previous owner….his imaginary friend, claimed he tried to milk her and nothing. He said if that’s what she looks like dry, look out after she is full of milk. Hmmm. I might have to set up something for her closer to home when that day comes. I don’t mind drinking goats milk. That will certainly cut down on my plastic usage. I have already started using my shampoo bars and dish soap (which I made myself) and I finally ordered and received some washing soda( been out since Ida) so as soon as I make a few bars of laundry soaps, I can start making my own laundry detergent again. In the meantime I’m using boxed detergent because of the cardboard really. If anyone but me washes clothes I find the detergent runs away too fast. I really think everyone else uses a whole cup of detergent while I’m just too cheap for that. I just use a quarter cup.
 

flowerbug

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... I really think everyone else uses a whole cup of detergent while I’m just too cheap for that. I just use a quarter cup.

i've tried for years to get Mom to use less detergent, bleach, vinegar, etc. in the wash but she keeps piling it in. basically wasting $...

glad to hear you're doing ok. :)
 

Mini Horses

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Yep, laundry detergents are used too heavily. Plus expensive! I use a cheapo powder "Roma". Works great.

So glad you posted, it's been a while. Hope things are going well. Goats milk? Oh, yeah! :old but you know, of course, she'll need to be close to milk. Lot of dairy! Cheese is fast & easy. I have a customer who buys for her soap making business. I did that for a while, few years back. Life added a change for me but, time to make more. I use nothing else, finally down to about maybe 50 bars. Great stuff.

How's you orchard looking for spring?
 

Medicine Woman

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DH had pinched some gutters somewhere and I wanted to try strawberries in them but I didn’t realize only one link was open on the top. The others would be more of a heavy grade of metal and totally closed so not sure what to do with them. But welcome to my strawberry farm. I have 2 varieties planted here and I didn’t know why they came in 2 different size boxes but the larger one had that green bag in it for planting. Claimed each box had 10 plants but I only found 9 each. Hope this works out. I’ve only seen this done in pictures.
I’m losing my Medicaid on the 1st. I have to go all of April without insurance and I start having insurance through marketplace on May 1st. I’m supposed to get a month of Verzenio during April, free from Lilly Corp and then get a savings card for afterwards but I’m still concerned about my infusion so I sent a message to my oncologist to come up with a new plan for me because cancer is fixing to get a whole lot more expensive.
I babysat my grandchildren today by accident. I totally misunderstood my DILs text but seeing I was already there and with food she left to workout and then copy my application for assistance with Lilly at her mom’s house. It was time to see the children anyway. Now if we can hang up the clothes line on the wooden fence for vertical gardening I will be happy. I am trying to convince DH that just because we gardening doesn’t mean we have to break our backs.
The orchard is doing great. Lots of flowers but it’s mainly time to just clean up because harvest is in the fall although I am totally open to planting oranges that ripen in the spring and summer as well. I would love to double dip and grow a good cover crop for the summer season so we could multiply our profits.
 

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