Are we living our dreams?

[Denim Deb]

That's horrible. But, I'm glad you found a place that wants them, and hope it works out for next year.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Thanks. Me too. I'm distantly related to the owners and the manager of the grocery dept was also a child I grew up knowing, although about 7 years my senior. She was always so nice to us and I see her often at church. I will try really hard to stay on good business as well as personal terms with her. I think if I tell her straight out what happened, she will at least appreciate the heads up. I mean she has to help run a business and she needs a steady supply of food to do it with, so I can't very well keep her in the dark.
If I can at least offload the satsuma crop in the fall with the company, it would be awesome. I got home 3 hours ago and cleaned the fruit and put them in 4 Lb sacks and boxed them. Made sure both boxes weighed at least 40 Lbs. So I'm all set for tomorrow.
My brother told me he has a Louisiana Sweet I can raid and my sister told me she has a Valencia, so hopefully thats at least another 80 Lbs. I'm wondering about a $300+ security system with about 6 separate cameras and how far from the home base it has to be......any of you know whats the furthest I can monitor something? I know my parents paid under $300 for theirs and had 6 cameras, running on a single screen, constantly recording. Thats just 2 weeks of oranges and it'd be paid for.
Well, DH wanted to fence in the orchard with cattle panels, but it would cost over 2,000, but I think I could do it for about 300 with 2X4 wire. Need to tend to that, cuz I need pasture for my ducks and geese....not to mention free feeding.
Daddy agreed to sell me his 2012 Silverado, which has 2,000 miles on it for $10,000, which he will split in half and give to my 2 siblings. I'm still coming out better than both of them combined, so I can't complain or be jealous. If anyone is to be jealous, it'd be them. DH likes the arrangement. Actually Daddy didn't agree, he came up with the idea. He only wants to be taken for rides in it sometime. My heart breaks. He sees nothing but saddness.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

First shipment of Louisiana Sweet Oranges have been tended to. I have my first check. YeeHaa!!! I explained about the orchard being wiped out in the woods.....which is the largest section of orchard my family has and so I have to rely on whats clearly visible (and therefore safer) to fill as many orders as I can. Produce manager was very understanding. I'm just glad I have my foot in the door for October. Talked to Daddy and he said,"So you mean the days of me having to sit on the side of the road, selling oranges are over?" and I said,"It would seem it is." DH is racking his brains out trying to figure who might have taken the crop and came up with a few suspects and I hope to God he is wrong about who he was thinking it was, but I told him its over and the best we could do is be happy we finally have a big company interested in our produce for the future and we best take steps to protect our future crops.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I had a decent hatch Friday. Not so good with ducks and geese though, but they are young and not sure if fertility was high. Besides when romance starts to occur, it looks like all the water fowl begins fighting with each other. Not going to get much fertility going like that.
I have a buck on loan a few weeks to service my 2 does. I think my smaller doe may have mated. She had a certain discharge and was walking strange. Seemed to have a little problem with her hind quarters moving right. Fingers crossed.
I had a customer from last year (who is full of questions and wants to be a SS as possible), call me because worried about her roo (my stock). She felt he was constipated and has been doing everything the BYC people are telling her to do and as far as she can see he is back to normal, but she wants me to look him over and will be taking a trip to come over. Origionally I was going to slaughter him for her, but when DH found out, he was horrified and bought lumber, promising to make her a coop this week and told her to buy more pullets for him, so he doesn't mark up the girls.....another problem she is experiencing. So now she has barganing power. But she is coming over anyway to show me the roo......which I think will look like a perfect roo. And we will just walk about the place and talk shop. So I will be educating Miss Cajun Optisism, real soon.
Only a few hours of freedom left, before my work week starts and I am completely prepared to take my 6th or 7th herbal studies test, but I want to officially finish the whole book. Who is to say that I might read info that would be extremely valueable to my family and I wouldn't know if I just take the test....

 

[Marianne]

Holy cow...when do you find time to just breathe? Your plate is pretty full, rhoda.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Must be. I'm 5 days late on seeing this post. Today was a challenge. I had to bring my father to a lawyers office. I stayed outside to wipe down the oranges and pack them behind my suburban, while I made DD 9 do her handwritting and DD 6 with math. Then brought him to the bank, while I again did more of the same, but only got one sack of oranges packed, before Daddy came out and I found out he had left his money at home, so went back to get his money and back to the bank....more cleaning of oranges and packing...then went deliver the oranges. Daddy exhausted, so brought him home.
But prior to that found out my neighbor called the police on me cuz my oldest daughter's dog was loose. I didn't get a ticket, cuz the police officer basically didn't wanna give me one.....won't go furthur, but I've never done this man anything. My number is listed. I've lived here since I was 9 years old. Couldn't he have called me? Well, DD 24 came over on account of the dog and we measured how big a kennel we could make with 10 cattle pannels, which is what the plan is....it will cost less than buying a dog kennel kit and will give him a lot more space. But now I feel like I'm at war with my neighbors. I already know I have to fence in the orchard and get a security system.
Well didn't have a good sale with my Easter Hatch, so I took my sign down and will be giving my sister all the pullets from the sex-links. I put the cockerals in with my older araucana chicks, until I can throw them in a stall to finish. I have araucana chicks hatching now and I'm putting them with my sister's future pullets. I might not breed the tails out of my araucanas this year, but if I have to I'll replace all my hens and breed them to their sires who are rumpless. Some kind of a way, I'm going to start seeing some rumpless hens. Might take me another year, but I'm gonna do something.
Marianne.....I breath when I'm at work. I work more at home than I do on my bridge. Great job. All I do is sit down and either study, crochet, read or sew and hope a boat doesn't come. Today I think I actually opened 3 times. Yesterday I had 5 boats. It takes me 8 minutes to open and close my bridge, unless the tide is really strong. I don't get rich, but no one is yelling at me, I'm not on these big ole painful feet and its the only job I can think of that I'm getting paid to do my own thing.

 

[Wannabefree]

Sounds like you had a bit of a rough day sis

 

[Denim Deb]

Sounds like you had a bit of a rough day sis

Ditto to that.

I wouldn't mind a job like that, sounds restful.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Well the dog pen is built, but we will have to chase a row of smaller wire on the bottom few pannels. The dog can squeeze thru. I woke up so stiff from all the work setting it up yesterday. So the poor dog is still chained under our house.
Went to feed all the animals and I have the same situation with my goats for a few weeks. The does seem slightly intimated by the visiting buck. Its too stupid to figure how their brains work. I put some feed at A, then the buck is eating A food, so I move to B and put some food, which the does start eating, so the buck runs over and basically pushes them away and starts eating that food, so I then move to C and put some feed down for geese and ducks, and the does try to eat that, but the buck scares them away from that and they just look at him and complain. They don't seem to realize that A and B are availiable to them. And the buck goes from loose to firm droppings, so today, I got fed up with my scared does and I grabbed the buck by his horns and finished feeding everything, while I dragged him around, then I left the barnyard with him and put him in the new dog pen to clean up the pen and his system....too much grains in his system. Kept him away from the does until I knew they had both eaten a good amount. I do believe he has now mated with both of them, so I can almost take him home.
Well, Daddy hasn't fallen in about a week and is walking around the house. Seems so much better. We have come so far.
Today was my 2nd day off and I have 5 more ahead of me. Hoping to start on whats left to do on the barn. Have to now. I have chicks that will need to be finished and hopefully kids in a few months. Gonna need a milking station.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Only one more day off. Today was a busy day. DH spent the morning cleaning the swimming pool. We are waiting on a replacement part, which broke early fall. Just ordered a kit from amazon, which will have that part, as well as others. I tended the animals and called the boat company about a citrus order....had to fill an order for 80Lbs of oranges....the very last our trees have, so until we get satsumas in the fall, thats all I can do. Needed groceries, so took care of that with my youngest. Gonna be a tight week.....usually is. Came home and DD 24 was here with a new puppy, which is apparently mine. I think he is a Jack Russel. He looks kinda like my rat terriors, but he is only a pup and is about to surpass what a ratty would be, so I think he will probably be at least another 15 Lbs heavier. Gonna have to teach him about farm animals and chores. I still have that loaner buck and I'm using him as a weedeater right now. Its just about time to get my eggs in the house, so I can put him with the does. Body is tired and still have to decide on supper and maybe a few lessons with the kids. Hope ya'll all fine in your own little farms.