Frustratedearthmother's Journaling Journey

[frustratedearthmother]

@Medicine Woman - I'm sure you're right and some epi probably coulda saved her.-

DS came over yesterday to show us the truck he just bought. He's such a sentimental person, lol. (Totally unlike me.) He bought a truck almost just like the first truck he ever had. Same color and everything. It's a clunker, and he's going to restore it. I shouldn't talk bad about it because it's a '83 and everything works on it including the AC. Pretty good for a truck that's over 40 years old! Definitely gotta have AC in this part of the world.

My goodness - I don't ever want to hatch this many quail at one time again. They make a huge mess! It stinks! I noticed that some of 'em were looking kinda puny and I think it's an air quality problem. I left the garage door open and put some wire on top of the brooder (so I could leave the top open) and cleaned it out. I moved some of the better feathered ones outside with a heat lamp on 'em. I felt like I needed to get some of them separated or they're all going to start dying. Can't have that.

Appointment today with the Neurosurgeon was enlightening and not in a good way. DH got another adjustment to open the shunt one more level. However, it turns out this is the last adjustment he'll give him. He says if you open the shunt up too much it can lead to subdural problems. He didn't really elaborate but he's said previously that you can't take too much fluid out or you'll cause more problems. So, this adjustment better do the trick. It's actually kind of depressing to think we've reached the end of the line for what they can do for him. Hopefully, this adjustment works well and lasts forever!

 

[frustratedearthmother]

PT is coming today and my house is a mess. The floors are atrocious - don't think I've swept or vacuumed in days now. Amazon boxes everywhere, lol. Lately, I've been spending all my time taking care of critters and driving DH around. At least going to his appts gives me a break from work, lol. We went to breakfast after his appt. yesterday. This morning DH pointed out that we both forgot our anniversary on the 15th. At that point, we decided that the breakfast out on Monday was our celebration.

Neighbor's chickens have decided they live at my house. Wouldn't normally mind at all except they've decided to roost on the fender of the livestock trailer. I'm sure chicken poop is not kind to paint. They need to move back home. They've also dug holes in the drive back to the pasture to dust themselves. Not a big deal now - but when I start mowing in the spring I won't be happy about it. Argh!

Been looking at the supposedly pregnant goats. Some are blossoming right on out, and some barely loook pregnant. Even one of the ones that I P-tested came back in heat so I'm beginning not to trust the tests. I don't wanna feed goats all year if they don't give me a ROI. I'm probably over-reacting. Due dates are actually spread out from late January all the way 'til April/May so not surprising that some of them don't look so fluffy, I guess.

More broccoli is ready to cut. Yummy! Pulled a couple radishes and a bunch of weeds. Sugar snaps are blooming. Potatoes need more dirt around 'em. Collards and cabbages are doing what they do. I like fall/winter gardening.

 

[The Porch]

@Medicine Woman - I'm sure you're right and some epi probably coulda saved her.-

DS came over yesterday to show us the truck he just bought. He's such a sentimental person, lol. (Totally unlike me.) He bought a truck almost just like the first truck he ever had. Same color and everything. It's a clunker, and he's going to restore it. I shouldn't talk bad about it because it's a '83 and everything works on it including the AC. Pretty good for a truck that's over 40 years old! Definitely gotta have AC in this part of the world.

My goodness - I don't ever want to hatch this many quail at one time again. They make a huge mess! It stinks! I noticed that some of 'em were looking kinda puny and I think it's an air quality problem. I left the garage door open and put some wire on top of the brooder (so I could leave the top open) and cleaned it out. I moved some of the better feathered ones outside with a heat lamp on 'em. I felt like I needed to get some of them separated or they're all going to start dying. Can't have that.

Appointment today with the Neurosurgeon was enlightening and not in a good way. DH got another adjustment to open the shunt one more level. However, it turns out this is the last adjustment he'll give him. He says if you open the shunt up too much it can lead to subdural problems. He didn't really elaborate but he's said previously that you can't take too much fluid out or you'll cause more problems. So, this adjustment better do the trick. It's actually kind of depressing to think we've reached the end of the line for what they can do for him. Hopefully, this adjustment works well and lasts forever!

 

[Medicine Woman]

Scary!! It’s not like I also had been expecting company to show up but I needed to doctor up DD who insists on staying at the ex and I had so much to accomplish before leaving and the FLOOR!! Omg!! DH undresses wherever he wants to and just drops his clothes on the floor and forgets it there. DD’s bedroom door was blocked by random pieces of junk. What I did to fix these problems I could have done in minutes just a few years ago but just to collect random recycling containers and put them in a box and a big basket wore me out and throwing all the laundry in the wash room. Just to reach DD’s bedroom and find something she requested .

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Got some pens ready for quail and got more moved outside yesterday. The brooder was waaaay too full and the air quality was compromised. I ended up with mostly the white Texas A&M quail. The eggs were supposed to be a mix of those and regular brown quail. The brown ones are easily sexed by color differences between male and female. The white ones are not - ugh. I'll have to watch those very carefully and when/if I catch breeding activity I can band the males (or females). Just need to identify the extra males so they can go in the freezer. When I whittle those down some I'll try to find some of the regular brown quail to replace the white ones. Hope to find some grown ones for sale locally.

Need to cut some more broccoli today. What was I thinking when I planted so much? It's a nice problem to have! I don't get tired of fresh broccoli.

DH is doing well after the last adjustment. He's walking around using only a cane instead of a walker. It's making me crazy! I'm not comfortable with it - but he insists.

It's pretty darn cool this morning. I mean, it is that time of year. We were in the low 80's yesterday and we're starting this morning in the 40's - almost 20 degrees cooler than yesterday morning. Crazy weather as usual here.

 

[frustratedearthmother]

Occupational Therapy is coming this morning. Oops - house not perfect but I'm ok with it, lol. Laundry on the couch. I'm about to add another load to the pile. Might be a speck of dust on the furniture...depends on how closely you look, lol!

I need to get the animals fed and then get to town. I hate the whole idea of shopping today but hopefully this is IT until after Christmas. It's really crazy, but I might need to buy eggs. I have maybe 6 or 7 hens running around out there and I get maybe 2 eggs a day - on a good day. I know therre are others, but I think the dogs beat me to them. The two eggs I get are laid by hens smart enough to put them inside the hay ring where the dogs can't reach 'em. But I can, lol.

DH has been walking around without a walker since the last shunt adjustment. Not saying it's perfect, but it's an improvement for sure. The biggest hope is that it lasts forever.

 

[Mini Horses]

The biggest hope is that it lasts forever

I have 15 hens...2 or 3 eggs a day no dogs

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I got a big fat ZERO eggs today. Went ahead and picked up some at the store - justincase - ugh.

Went shopping this morning after DH's Occupational Therapist left. Couldn't get an early start like I wanted to. I can't even begin to tell you how much I hate shopping! DH formerly ran most of the errands because he enjoys it. To me it's a waste of my time. I still haven't pulled the trigger on signing up for a delivery service. As much as I hate shopping - I can't quite convince myself to let someone else pick out my stuff, lol.

Prices are out of control! But, butter was on sale so I stocked up. It freezes well. Can't wait until my girls kid! Love goat cream in my coffee. Not that I get tons of cream, but I do get some and it's creamy, thick and delicious. I really didn't even milk much last year because so much was going on with DH's health. Really, really hope next year will be easier. Some of my girls are starting to show a tiny bit of udder development. Eeeeek! So exciting!

 

[Medicine Woman]

I think I have eggs somewhere but they are elusive. One day I’ll get all my ducks in a row. Oh yeah…my duck. Well she vanished about 4 weeks ago so

 

[Moon888]

I've been a lurker here long enough! I think it's time to start my own journal because I've gotten to the age where if I don't write it down - it didn't happen! I love reading other folks journals - I glean great ideas and inspiration from you folks!

1. What state/province/country are you in and what is your climate like? Gulf Coast of Texas
2. How many people are in your family? Marital status? Hubbie and I have three kids between us and five grandkids!
3. How would you define self sufficiency? Simply put - The ability to take care of yourself/family by means of your own preparation, skills and abilities.
4. What would you do with your spare time if you had any resources you needed? Would love to be a modern day Johnny Appleseed, would like to preserve natural areas (trees = oxygen!).
5. Have you ever built a house , or other types of building? Do you want to? I built a house for my water well and helped build a small barn.
6. Can you weld? Steel, aluminum, MiG, TiG, stick, Oxy-Acet? I welded once, just to say that I did.
7. Who or what inspired you to become more self sufficient? I think it started with my grandmother. She was an organic gardener all her life.
8 Cloth or paper? A little of both.
9. In what ways are you self-sufficient now and in what ways would you like to learn more? Goats for meat/milk, chickens for meat/eggs, big ol garden (some years better than others) canning/drying/freezing the bounty. Would love to learn more about alternative energy sources.
10. In what way(s) will you never choose to become self sufficient? Would prefer to never live without toilet paper!
11. Are you interested in stocking up for future needs? I am interested and I do. Recently a family member stayed with us for a short while and she mentioned yall have a LOT of food here! 
12. Where do you end up when you sink into yourself, away from the outside world? On the back porch in the hot tub looking out to the pasture, or actually out in the pasture.
13. Can you drive a farm tractor or a semi? I can drive a tractor.
14. Do you make crafts or useful items? Would you want to teach others how to do these? Love to be crafty when I have time.
15. Can you have legally livestock where you are at? Do you have any? What kinds? I can and do have lots of livestock will probably get more. I have mini-horses, Nubian goats, Pygmy goats, chickens, geese and piggies.
16. Can you operate a lathe? Metal, wood? Not yet,  but, I can run a band saw and a drill press.
17. Do you like to garden? If so, what do you enjoy growing? I have a garden. I grow as many veggies as I can. Tomatoes, squash, pumpkins, herbs, beans, peas, corn, greens, radishes, beets, okra.
18. Do you fish? Bait or explosives? Bait, so far 
19. How much space/land do you have or rent? City? Country? Definitely rural - 2.5 acres of our own about 3.5 more we borrow from the neighbors.
20. Are you a Novice, Technician, General, Advanced? ARRL? HUH?
21. What is your self-sufficient specialty? Or what one would you like to learn? Not sure if these things are a specialty, but - Animal husbandry, gardening, preserving food
22. If you could create a degree and curriculum, what would you major in and what classes would you take? I would love to be a master gardener think there is already a curriculum for that!
23. Do you do wood work? framing, finish, cabinet? Can build simple things, and have refinished wood furniture pieces.
24. Are you interested in herbal medicine? Yep!
25. If you could live any place you chose, where would it be? Right where I am but without hurricanes, humidity and mosquitos.
26. Do you use a wood stove for heating or cooking? No
27. What would your ideal super hero/villain be? A super hero that could heal all the damage weve done to our planet.
28. Are your family or friends also interested in self sufficiency? Some of them
29. Do you like to cook? Are you interested in whole foods and natural foods? raw milk? farm fresh eggs? Loooove to cook. Use organic food from our gardens, raw milk from our goats, and eggs from the chickens.
30. What was your MOS? HUH?
31. Do you forage or hunt for part of your food needs? No further than my own back yard.
32. Do you have solar panels? Plans to use solar energy? No, but would love to.
35 What is the mass/weight ratio of a European swallow carrying a coconut from the tropics to England? Thats confidential information.
36. Have you ever lived completely off grid? Would you like to? No, yes.
37. In what do you trust? God first (!), myself and my family
38. Do you make things yourself to save money? Yes.
39. Has trying to be more self-sufficient changed your attitude or habits about money/spending? Ive always been frugal, but my city-boy husband is learning and succeeding!

Thanks for the intro ... I will respond to the ones I like most : ) Living off-grid & Self Sufficiency: we bought a home just over a year ago, and have 7 acres; recently gone completely off-grid. The rainy weather has been crazy, and planting has been impossible. We are planning on relocating a tunnel framework nearer to the house, where I can grow veges (using bird netting; the netting that I bought from Ebay is so flimsy and low grate, so I may have to find true "industrial grade" netting). Medicinal Herbs: I am looking for a good illustrated book so that I can identify, grow my own, and use for medicinal purposes : ) I also want to grow more butterfly and bird attracting plants, and flowers : ) Linda