Hen23's Journal~Goodbye

[Henrietta23]

Quackers quit! I was locking up the house last night when I heard her in the yard. She had already come out during the day for food and water so this was unusual. I went out to see what was up. She was living up to her name, quacking her fool head off, trying to get into the pen. There was food and water where she could get to it because I hadn't put the food away yet. She wanted IN the barn! So I opened the pen and stood back. She went in and tried to get in the coop. I let her in and she was calm as anything. I locked her up with the others and went to check the nest. There were 6 eggs, way too early for anything to have hatched. When I went back out of the shed I caught sight of one more egg on the lawn, cracked open and leaking. Ew. Cleaned that up. I can't imagine how it got there unless she removed it herself. How would she do that? Roll it with her bill? She would have had to push it through the messy cluttered shed and down the ramp and out into the yard. The other birds have been penned up and couldn't have done it. The pug might have been able to fit into the shed but he can't see and doesn't have any teeth... The big dog couldn't have fit and the Golden can't get over there. It's a mystery! I didn't see signs of a preditor and Quackers wasn't acting like something was attacking her or her nest. This morning she is quite content to be in with everyone else and doesn't seem anxious to get back to the shed at all. This is what all my ducks have done in the past, go broody for a week or less, then give up. Edna is the first to follow through. Oh, Petunia, the baby who was maybe developing angel wing, not only seems to be better, he figured out how to get up the ramp on his own finally. I was getting tired of Edna trying to kill me while I was putting him to bed.
Packing for Cub Scout camp. I need to make meals for DS and I both. We leave Sunday after church. I am looking forward to it although I am already aware that some of the adult personalities are going to be a challenge to deal with. The two other leaders and I went to a meeting at the camp Tuesday night. Our main leader who has been organizing everything is major type A. He offered to drive me up to so I rode with him. He wanted to get there early and check out different campsite areas. Fine with me. I've only been there for day camp. He had in mind he wanted a particular area but when it came time for the meeting the camp staff had already made assignments. They had also grouped different packs together to make numbers work. He grumbled all evening because we got the last site that he wanted. I'm happy because it's the handicap accessable site and has showers and flush toilets on site and they're individual rather than communal so I can use them. There are a number of female leaders going and the ones who have been there before are saying we have to walk to one of three places to shower. Ugh. We'll see at orientation on Sunday. Maybe they will let me use to one on our site since it's totally private. We found out we are grouped with all the boys who are coming without their own leaders. There won't be more than a handful and they will probably be really independent good kids to be sent on their own, but not necessarily. I was told that we will probably have a member of the camp staff staying with them, at least at night. That's an advantage! The guys are telling me I am going to have to climb the rock wall. It's apparently an unofficial challenge between groups, how many leaders can do it. In the past ALL of our packs leaders have. Don't see it happening. I just don't have the strength anymore and I'm still suffering from the fall I took at our pack campout in June. (The one where I misstepped coming out of our tent and fell full force on my side. I still don't have full range of motion with that arm. I can't see myself pulling myself up a rock wall with it. Or without using it.) Getting back to the meeting, I said hi to another female leader, whom I had met at my outdoor training a few months ago. We hit it off but she mentioned having had issues with our other leader at camp in the past. Sure enough after I said hi to her he actually leaned over and said to me, "Careful, she's the enemy!" Are you kidding me??? What is this, middle school? apparently...... I'm thinking of bringing a notebook to keep notes because I'm sure I'll have some funny tales to tell and my memory isn't what it used to be. But I can't let it get found. And it all revolves around a shared latrine

 

[abifae]

I find most people like to stay in the middle school mentality. Ugh.

 

[Farmfresh]

Occasionally a rat will roll an egg like that and then bite it open to eat. Perhaps one decided to do that and Quackers got freaked out.

 

[Henrietta23]

Occasionally a rat will roll an egg like that and then bite it open to eat. Perhaps one decided to do that and Quackers got freaked out.

Could be. We had some rats under the rocks that are now in the goat pen a few years back. We'll have to keep our eyes open. We removed the others so there's no more to attract them in the shed. We'll set a trap in there to make sure.

 

[Bubblingbrooks]

Birds carry their eggs under their wings. That is how they steal eggs from other nests. And I have witnessed this myself!.

Who knows, maybe she was trying to move the eggs into the coop

 

[Henrietta23]

Middle of the night egg smuggling.... Who knows with this one. She's a nutter!She is showing no signs of wanting to go back into the shed for the rest.

 

[Henrietta23]

1. What state/province/country are you in and what is your climate like? Eastern CT Zone 5B 4 seasons, typical "New England"
2. How many people are in your family? Marital status? Married, one son.
3. How would you define self sufficiency? Providing as much food as possible without purchasing it. Using resources wisely. It's something I'm not and probably never will be but I strive to be more so whenever I can.
4. What would you do with your spare time if you had any resources you needed? Learn languages, spin and knit like mad. Can can can all kinds of delicious stuff.
5. Have you ever built a house , or other types of building? Do you want to? I have helped construct our shed and barn. I don't have the skill or physical strength/energy to do so.
6. Can you weld? Steel, aluminum, MiG, TiG, stick, Oxy-Acet? No
7. Who or what inspired you to become more self sufficient? Something internal that I can't define or explain.
8 Cloth or paper? cloth whenever possible and glass rather than plastic
9. In what ways are you self sufficient now and in what ways would you like to learn more? We have chickens and ducks for eggs and goats for milk. I need to get comfortable with the idea of breeding the goats so we can contiue to have milk. If we had the space I would raise meat birds. But would have to have them processed for me. We do buy some of our meat from a local CSA. I have met my Thanksgiving dinner 3 years in a row.
10. In what way(s) will you never choose to become self sufficient? I can't see myself hunting. I'm not against it. I just don't have the stomach for it.
11. Are you interested in stocking up for future needs?
12. Where do you end up when you sink into yourself, away from the outside world? On my sofa with my family close.
13. Can you drive a farm tractor or a semi? No
14. Do you make crafts or useful items? Would you want to teach others how to do these? I knit a little and try to sew. Not good enough at either to teach.
15. Can you have legally livestock where you are at? Do you have any? What kinds? This is ambiguous where I am so I can't honestly answer. The rooster is pushing it and I've heard that we are supposed to have 3 acres to have livestock and we don't. So I keep it sort of quiet.
16. Can you operate a lathe? Metal, wood? No but we own one. DH can use it.
17. Do you like to garden? If so, what do you enjoy growing? I garden. I sometimes enjoy it. I like growing tomatoes, beans, cucumbers, greens, carrots, garlic, onions, sunflowers. Flowers too. I don't like fussy things that need a lot of care.
18. Do you fish? Bait or explosives? Niether
19. How much space/land do you have or rent? City? Country? We own 3/4 acre with a small house
20. Are you a Novice, Technician, General, Advanced? ARRL? No
21. What is your self sufficient specialty? Or what one would you like to learn? Goat cheese. I want to make more and different kinds.
22. If you could create a degree and curriculum, what would you major in and what classes would you take? Communication for Autistic People in the Real World. I'm not putting enough thought into this to explain it well.
23. Do you do wood work? framing, finish, cabinet? I have refinished and painted. But that's it.
24. Are you interested in herbal medicine? Yes but don't have experience in it.
25. If you could live any place you chose, where would it be? this hard to answer when I haven't seen much of our country. So I'd probably answer somewhere in New England with more land where I could have animals, seasons and be close to family. And not have super high taxes.
26. Do you use a wood stove for heating or cooking? Heating yes. I would love t have one for cooking. My grandma had one. She showed me how to use it when we visited her when I was young. An aunt has it now.
27. What would your ideal super hero/villain be?
28. Are your family or friends also interested in self sufficiency? Yes, DH is. My father was into it in the 70s.
29. Do you like to cook? Are you interested in whole foods and natural foods? raw milk? farm fresh eggs? I love to cook, hate to clean up.
30. What was your MOS?
31. Do you forage or hunt for part of your food needs? No
32. What skills do you have that help you be more self sufficient? I'll try almost anything!
33. In which fictional universe would you most like to live? I've been thinking about this one all day and don't have an answer yet.
34. Do you have solar panels? Plans to use solar energy? No. What we have is shade. Lots and lots of shade.
35 What is the mass/weight ratio of a European swallow carrying a coconut from the tropics to England? No clue, but I do get the reference!
36. Have you ever lived completely off grid? Would you like to? No I haven't. I'm not sure I know all that it would entail, but I might!
37. In what do you trust? God, my DH and myself.
38. Do you make things yourself to save money? Sometimes
39. Has trying to be more self-sufficient changed your attitude or habits about money/spending? Definitely

 

[LovinLife]

Yaayyy new questions!!

 

[Henrietta23]

DS and I are off to Cub scout camp Sunday afternoon. So I am cook, cook, cooking like mad! For breakfast I am bringing coconut flour muffins for me and sorghum waffles for him. Lunch will be salad with protein for me, uncured deli meat, veggie sticks and fruit for him, dinners I am making various meat, veggies and fruit for dessert. We'll eat what we can of the provided food. I'm told there's a salad bar so I will bring my own dressing. A few snacks and we'll call it simple and good. DH will be on call to bring up anything lacking.
DH is off at the Salvation Army buying a corner cabinet he found for under $50. Solid real wood. It isn't gorgeous or anything I'd have chosen new but we can work with it and we've been wanting one. Time to purge books from the wall to wall shelves that will have to come down.

 

[Henrietta23]

Eh, I quit. I'm so freakin' tired I don't care if I have no food by Friday. My feet are killing me, the stove and or oven have been on all day for 2 days, I swear. DH tore apart the LR to get the "new" corner cabinet in. I told him the TV woudn't fit, I was right. He measured the screen, not the base. So the base sticks out about an inch until he modifies it. Books are piled every where in the basement because we weren't ready to do this project yet but he found the cabinet and couldn't pass it up.
DS's stuff is packed. Mine is 99% done. I have a few things to throw in tomorrow. We're going to attempt church. Don't have to be at camp until 1. I need the peaceful start! It just started to rain which is awesome but not if it continues for long. I hate being wet and we are sleeping in military style canvas tents on platforms. No zippers. Just flaps that tie. Scattered thunderstorms predicted for Sunday-Wednesday, but temps no higher than 80 after Monday. SOunds about right for camp, huh? We've got our ponchos packed at the top!
So I will talk to you all in a week!