Are we living our dreams?

[Wannabefree]

I always bought DH stuff when I was away from him too. I dunno why that is. Maybe we just have too much of the nurturing instinct in us I could cuss him one minute(in my mind) and be buying him something nice the next minute. Funny how that works. The months I was gone from here, I still paid all the bills, grocery shopped, and made sure he had toilet paper. I even occassionally come by just to cook dinner and hang out with DD, who seemed really lonely and mad at her daddy at the time. Rhoda_bruce, I think we may just be a little bit crazy lady! I hope you find peace with your situation sis. It gets easier with time, but it never is truly easy. I know for fact God worked a huge miracle for us, maybe He will for you and your DH too...I'm still praying for it. There's nothing better in life than something that has the honest and true blessing of the Lord put on it, and nothing worse than something that doesn't. And aint a thing He can't turn around if it's in His will to do so. Blessings to you!!

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Its been a while. Well, still holding a crop of oranges and trying to figure how to not have it wasted. Recently learned that it easily can be canned, so that's my plan for today. I have lots of quart sized masons I can fill. Of course, I don't have enough masons to cancel out all the oranges that need to be harvested, but at least I know that I won't be left wanting orange juice later on.
Happy New Years, everyone. Well, I've seen all my family, except my oldest child, which I imagine I will be looking at eventually. She's probably cutting or stitching something or another with her new Singer. DH came over for cabbage and field peas. I also fixed some cornbread muffins....something I seldom do. We didn't kill each other, but its not like he actually complimented me on anything. Oh well, my dog seems to still like him though.
Speaking of which, the neighbors nearly killed her last night with all those fireworks...or bombs or whatever they were exploding outside. The poor dog wouldn't leave my side last night. Seriously. I'd go to the bathroom, she followed me. I'd go in my closet to find my nightclothes, she'd follow me. Anywhere I'd go, there she was; all except if I went outside for her to potty. There she'd be hidding under the table, trembeling. Guess who crawled under the covers and slept by my legs??? Poor Duchess.
Well, its been raining lately, which is good in one way and bad in others. Messy in my neck of the woods for sure. I have a job I want to do that will require some dry weather and I'm so looking forward to pulling it off. I want to jack up my shed, and drop it back down on what used to be my house blocks (higher than the blocks they now on), after having a concrete slab poured. I figure I will buy some treated 4X6's to support the shed, which later on I can use to construct a bridge I now need to replace in the woods. I wanna start doing all this stuff, without DH's knowledge and have it all done before he gets to dish out all his advice and tell me how it won't work.
For the love of God....he is now, as I type, on the phone with DD17, telling her (us) that the asparagus ferns need to be cut down, so that we can begin harvesting in April. He is gone, but still in charge of a few things. Too bad it don't involve sweat, backaches, scratches and getting dirty.
Well, I'm determined to show him that I will make it all work, even if I'm alone. Or maybe I want to show myself that I will make it work. Hard to say which is more true.
I am questioning my RIR roos fathering capabilities. He is old, but is supposed to be show quality. In truth, I've never seen a RIR hold that stance. So I did accept him because I fell in love with the shape of his chest, but I never really see him mount. So recently I learned of a local guy that had a Buff Orphington roo for sale for $5.00....8 months old. Well, I know I can use a BO in a sex-link project, same as I can a RIR because both are on the list of acceptable red roos, so I bought him and transported Gumbo (rir's name) and 4 RIR hens to a smaller pen, for a possible pure bred project. That gives me a better shot at insuring fertility....if he has less girls, I mean and maybe I can get a new roo this spring, with that gorgeous chest....one that will feel more romantic.
Well Goldie came here with a friend. Can't recall the breed, but its lav____er......something or another. Well, he had a black head and tail, but white body. My niece named him Oreo. I could tell that he didn't look right, so I put him in solatairy confinement and he died day before yesterday. I haven't told the origional owner yet, but fortunately whatever was wrong with him, hasn't seemed to affect my flock or Goldie. I didn't have a mate for him anyway.
Well, somehow my Rouens got loose and have had the run of my yard for about 3 days. They must have thought they were in Heaven. All this rain and so many puddles to play in, but today the pen they share with my white geese was empty, cuz those geese were visiting the Toulouse, so I opened the gate and made them go in. I'm thinking of making all my water fowl stay together, except the muscovy and in the empty pen, plant lots of rye, so they can feast later on.
I have so many SS New Year's resolutions, that I will not be sharing with my family, until I am either pulling them off or have pulled them off. I want to finish my fence ASAP.....that will save me big money, esp if I can protect the garden from the chickens and water fowl. I already mentioned the shed and bridge I need to tackle. I have to prepare for whatever orange sales I will have next fall, before I lose the phone numbers. And I really need to start sewing. DD 25 and I will be working on a dance recital. We have 9 costumes we need to make. Hopefully that will help get her more sewing jobs, because the girls will all know who made their costumes and we will take out an ad in the recital booklet. I also (shhhhh) want to start working on a camp, hidden in the woods, made completely out of my scraps lying around in my way. I've got a few ideas about how I will do it. I want to fix it, so as you won't really know what it is, and you can pass right near it and completely miss it. Thats the only way I can see it not being vandelized. If I clean up around it and I'm obviously constructing something, it will draw too much attention.
I taught my 10 year old school yesterday a while and I think I might do so again today, although its hard when publics are all here. Always something to do.

 

[Denim Deb]

Sounds like you're going to be busy.

 

[hqueen13]

Hope things settle down to a positive rhythm for you soon. I know so many people that split (myself included) this past year or moved, or both. I just Hope 2014 is a Bit easier.
Edited to fix stupid phone typing errors.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

I guess we still a family, but a really weird family. Looking back, I wonder how we lasted so long. In some ways we were perfect for each other because we have a lot of the same talents, skills and interests and when we wanted something bad enough, we'd work together and build it, but it was never a marriage made in Heaven. As long as I am busy and making some kind of progress toward my goals, then I don't get discouraged.
Today I picked the last of my satsumas for the boat company. I do have 2 more trees with some fruit, but the skins are ugly. Fruit still nice, but I can't sell that. I can maybe get another order filled in my sister's share of the orchard and then I have to change types of citrus. I have a few other varieties of easy to peel citrus and then just the Louisiana Sweets, which fortunately will last a good while.
I'm getting old because I'm really early to bed and to rise.....sometimes I am getting up at 3:00am. Crazy, but I start doing all kinds of inside chores and figure I can get my animals tended to before the kids are even awoke. Too bad the weather hasn't been my friend lately.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I loooove the idea of your hidden camp. How cool!

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Well, it appeals to my sense of adventure, paranoia and stealth.
I survived another weekend of nursing and now time to tend to my family and farming projects. Last night I had a family meet up with me before my shift to buy 2 dozen peking eggs. We talked a while. Always nice to compare notes with like-minded people.
I was made to understand a very cold spell will hit, so after I woke up this afternoon and drank 2 cups of ambition, I started hanging tarps against the pilings under my house. Half the north side is done (would have done it all, but needed an entrance for the dog), all of the east and a little piece of the south. The west is all exposed, but I"m hoping the warmth coming from the house will help the bananna trees survive. They'll come up again anyway, but its nice to have actual banannas coming from your trees, so you don't have to buy em from the store. Actually have been wanting to do this for years, but it was never a good idea, but now no one is here to stop me. Well, lets see if it was a good idea or not. And actually DS and I worked our tails off bringing all the plants in the house several weeks ago for cold weather and this little job really wasn't so very hard. Just moved the plants and other things out the way a few feet, drive in a few nails to hold the tarps in place and lay some unsplit logs over the excess on the concrete. We shoelaced the edges to close off meeting places. Kids love it. They asked if it could be their club. I figure I won't have to worry about the incubator that is under the house as much either. My best guess is that the house will hold a better temp, both inside and under....one hand washes another.
Pullets are pooping in the nesting boxes, but I think I have an idea that will stop them. I'm going to construct some curtains, made with my empty feed bags.....plain white, and weigh down the bottom with a slat of wood, that I plan on fastening in the late afternoons, to the bottom of each nest. If I can get this started, I think it will only take me a couple of hours. I do have to clean stuff up and replace the shreaded paper, which I use as nesting material, but if I can lock up at night and open up early in the morning, I think I will be a happier camper. The only thing this seems it will cost me is sacrificing some of my nails, because everything else will be junk I have lying around for rat nest material. I've tried to physically pick them up and move them to the roost, but they don't get it and they freak out. I think if I can secure the bottom of the roost, so they can't escape, I can chase them all inside and lock them in for the night, then they have no choice, but to roost.
I have lost a pattern for a ballet costume I need to make, so I bought a new one, which might even be more useful.....much more sizes. If I have any material at all to use, I may as well start very soon working on a costume. It will make my girls and godchild very happy and take a lot of stress away from godchild. She is worried they won't be done in time. Worry is a bad thing.
Well, I can hear the tarp hitting the pilings. Hope I have it so it can't tear. Feels like I need to be doing something.

 

[Denim Deb]

How cold is it getting where you are?

 

[rhoda_bruce]

At present it is 40F with 77% relative humidity. By 6:00am, it is supposed to be 34F, but its supposed to be worse tonight. I have some clothes washing and drying, so the dryer vent hits under the house, to do whatever magic it can. Went down a little while ago to bring the dog out and come up with my arms full of logs. Its not so very bad under the house, but with all the wind, trying the tarps, you'd swear the house would blow away.
I know our friends in the northern climates are like...oh wow! 34F @ 6am....but its nice inside..I'm just worried about some things that really need warm temps. I can kiss my bananna tree privacy screen goodbye, in all likelyhood. I guess the neighbors will be able to see everything I do in a few weeks. The orchard is probably safe. Its planted in a forest, so don't think the wind can really reach it and it probably won't even get as cold due to all the protection.

 

[Denim Deb]

While it's cold up here, at least we're set up for it. How many houses where you live are even built for cold weather?