Are we living our dreams?

[rhoda_bruce]

Its night time and I still didn't do all my chores, so I'm going out and doing them with a flash light. I let the goat hang around with me in our much overgrown garden, while I was clearing out around one of the hives. Just pulling dried ragweed and piling it on top of a raised bed. I honestly don't know what I will do with that area. I have to think of an easier way to garden and I really think container planting, under my house, to the south side is the ticket and do away with outside gardening all-together. I just can't keep up.
Well, off to the coop....me and flashlight.

 

[hqueen13]

I know about doing chores in the dark. Not fun! My headlamp has saved me a ton of effort since it frees my hands up! With horses that's really helpful.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Totally agree on the headlamp!

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Oh Lord!!!! I don't know how much more I can take or how I have lasted this torture this long. Every weekend I put 40 people's meds in number order according to how they fall in the MAR (medication administration record), then I actually move faster Sunday than I did Saturday because of knowing I have he proper meds. I normally find things I don't want to find.....I won't get into it, but its true. I pretty much give meds for 16 hours, except for a hurried lunch break and a few hide in a closet donut breaks. Well, one of my old nurse friends have finally cracked and put in he notice. That means when I'm on call, I get to do her work, unless she is replaced. On the weekends, on call nurses show up to relieve me for 8 hours. What happened Saturday night, totally flipped me out. I actually liked the nurse, but had to report her. Then a man, completely in his right mind tells me, he knows we all suffering but he prays I can handle it and not quit like X did. Now what am I supposed to do????? I hate it when they pull guilt on me.
So, I go on working and then farming a bit and the whole time thinking about giving it a shot. Wandering if I go for it, if I can make it.
Well, need to shut off the stove. Doing good, just to have a meal homecooked, considering its Monday. Then pick up eggs and load up the incubator with a round of dark eggs for my latest craze.....marans. To tell the truth, if I make it with my herbal ideas, I think the cigs might be what does it for me.

 

[hqueen13]

Trust your heart and your gut. They know the answer. Your head will be afraid of all the what is and the fear of failure. But your gut will know if it is right for you.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Thanks. I'm making a deal with myself. Waiting to see what kind of return I will get and thinking about if its over a certain amount, putting it in writing, that I want to go part-time in 2 weeks.
Well, I get up late this morning, drink my coffee and I have chicks peeping in the bator. Hoping they are just early birds and the majority will really hatch tomorrow, which is usually the case, right??? Right. Well, I'm putting water in the hatcher and putting the hatcher on, so I can make room for the really dark eggs I want to hatch next and I transfer the eggs when I see it went up to 90, because the chicks can handle it and it will be to 99 really soon.....probably by now. Had to throw a goose egg that is leaking...hate that.
All of a sudden there is DS....all gun hoe with his own agenda, wanting to know if I will cut grass....NO!!! He cuts a while, then decides the pool has got to go, so he is pulling it apart right now. Good thing because it was rusted out at some of the connections and fell apart. But does make me sad cuz I don't feel I got my $ worth. Then he is pointing to the logs and telling me we have to deal with that too.....You think???? I tell him we need to rack it before it gets too hot, which today is......Welcome to South Louisiana!!!! My AC's are on.
Need to hurry with school and see what all I can accomplish for my girls and lunch will be late too.
I can almost say, with certainty, that my she-goat is pregnant. Her teats are engorged. She is always wide though.
Came in to make home-made gatoraid, but only had grapefruit juice to use as my orange juice, but did it anyways. Hope the kids like it.
DS fixed the drier. He worked 2 of his off days at his old workplace, which sells furniture and appliances to our locals. He ordered the part for $3, rather than a $600 drier. Proud of him. But I'm still line drying when time allows and to keep the house cool. I've gone about 2 months without a dryer and it didn't kill me. Yes a drier is nice to have, but its just a luxury to me.
So I ordered some straw, because I want to use my wood ash to make lye with. Not sure where I will get the lard. Maybe I will buy some boston butts and trim off the slab of fat to make cracklings and have my own lard. But I want to try some soap. I wanna stockpile some stuff like that. Fix lots of things and get myself started. Need to get DD 26 to fix me some business cards for all my hobbies. Amen....See y'all

 

[hqueen13]

Go Rhoda, go! Sounds like you're kicking butt and taking names! Glad you're able to get things moving so well!
Good on the drier, that's helpful even if you don't use it all the time.
Good luck on the return!
Sheesh! AC already! Ugh! tomorrow's low is 8!

 

[rhoda_bruce]

It would be nice if the whole planet was 70F year round. I don't think I'd be very happy too far north, but somewhat....maybe someday. I have only experienced temps around 10F a few times in my 49 years. It kills everything except what we protect.
Well, I'm wearing shorts and a t-shirt right now. I put 9 fuzzy butts in the brooder, but might have to put back in the hatcher, cuz they hugging the light. I'll watch.
My goat is either constipated or kidding. Not sure which. Talked with DS and told him, if she kids, (and even if she doesn't) I want the geese and ducks away from her. She needs privacy, quiet, safety and clean water and some extra nourishment might be nice too. Actually I put out the word that I'm looking to get rid of a bunch of ducks.
So I have 2 big boston butts waiting....yeah, I'm gonna multitask. I need some lard, so I get fatty meat, so I can make cracklings, so I can have lard (and a snack) and will use rest for about 20 stirfries.

 

[rhoda_bruce]

Well, goat still acting funny and panting, but nothing popped out yet, except a few droppings, even though she frequently bears down. So DS and GS (godson LOL) gets in there with me and put some pallets to bed down possible kids, then digs a deep enough hole to bury a labrador in and fills it in with beer and wine bottles, so we have higher ground and better drainage. They actually looked shocked when they hit water after only 2 feet. Really??? But they were only able to bury most of the collection we had together.
I just fnished putting the rest in a hole and I need about another 2 dozen to fill it up, so I can bury. It really improves drainage in the barn. I have about 5 labrador sized holes, filled with bottles in various areas of the barn and one big enough to bury at least 2 of me....that one is deep, long and has....idk, maybe 120 to 200 bottles. Now that one really made a difference.
So the ducks and geese have been confined to a smaller pen and all is secure. They have lots of water to mess up and the goat has a good supply all to herself....of clean water.
Well, I just took 4 more newly hatched babies and put them with my fuzzy frankinchick. I can tell some of the chicks will look like my roo, because they are grey and he is a blue copper maran. So I'm only up to 14 chicks so far, but we did have fluctuations in temps the past 3 weeks and I didn't know something was wrong with the water system.
I haven't told DS anything, but it won't kill us to finish closing in the barn. I don't even care how we do it. I think if we had to, we could do it in a day. I don't want to worry about where I will do this or that, if I suddenly decide to raise X or Y just to slaughter for our table. The whole idea was for me to have room for that kind of idea because DH saw I really was bringing meat into the house and turning a profit. Truely, I could do better with a finished barn.
Apparently it is now 39F. I went out to check the chicks before it got too late, and its a good thing. Well, even though I had added another light, 2 of them didn't have stable temps. The others all look fine. I stuck them against bare skin, while I finished up chores and put them back in the hatcher. Good luck to them. I've saved a few and lost a few that way.

 

[hqueen13]

Hope the goat is ok!