schellie69 trying to be SS while living in a city

[schellie69]

Hello my name is Pam my user name is just something I use its my DD's nickname and she is my hero she is mental and physically challenged but she is the sweetest and most loving person I know. so anyway I just joined this group I have been reading a fellow SS journal and it really got me thinking in ways that I haven't before. I live in my hometown I do want a farm but right now its not happening DH lost his job last October so he is going to school for machinist when he is done with that we will go from there I started out to SS just by trying to be more frugal make my own stuff like laundry soap and making more from scratch unfortunately this last winter was very hard on me (i will go into more detail later) so I have been working on things slowly since, I do have a flock of 14 hen and a rooster I planted my 1st garden this last spring I have made some mistakes with it but I am learning a bunch of stuff now I need to learn to can anyone know any good books to help. I am a mother of 4 children ranging in age from 24-14 and a grandma to 2 little girls who I love very much they live with me and I love seeing them grow. I also have a wonderful DH who is so supportive of any thing I want to try he has helped build the pen and new coop for the chickens he made my raised garden and helped me plant apple and nectarine tree and my 2 raspberry bushes. just wanted to say hi and can't wait to learn as much as I can oh yea sometimes I can't spell very well I do use spell check but that doesn't always work. lol

 

[miss_thenorth]

 

[dragonlaurel]

Welcome! Sounds like you're off to a good start. Chickens and a garden are both huge helps.
One of my favorite garden books is Rodale's Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening. You can find used copies sometimes. There is a link to The Easy Garden at the bottom of the page, too. It's a sister site that has lots of good garden info.

 

[schellie69]

thought I would answer some of these
01. Name? pam
02. Gender? female
03. Disneyworld or Disneyland? never been to either
04. What is your favorite color? purple
05. What is your favorite kind of gum? don't really chew gum
06. How much do you weigh? I am a female not going to answer that one lol
07. How tall are you? 5' 2" and 3/4
08. Can you swim? yes
09. Do you like to swim?yes
10. Living arrangement? married
11. What's on your mouse pad? on laptop
12. Favorite board game? heroscape
13. Favorite magazine? good housekeeping
14. Favorite Actor? sean connery
15. Favorite Actress? sandra Bullock (sp)
16. Do you have an accent? yes everyone says I have one
17. Favorite smells? babies right after a bath, lavender
18. Least favorite smells? skunk
19. Favorite sound? rain/water sounds
20. Do you prefer pools or oceans? never been to the ocean so don't know
21. Do you watch Buffy The Vampire Slayer? no TV
22. Pencil or pen? pen
23. Who's better - boys or girls? both
24. Would you like to own a motorcycle? no DH does
25. Do you sing in the shower? no
26. Who's the best looking Disney character? don't know
27. What is the first thing you think of when you wake up in the morning? coffee and DH
28. How many rings before you answer the phone? 2-3
29. How do you want to die? peacefully
30. Have you ever called a 900 number? no
31. Gold or silver? both
32. Would you ever go bungee-jumping? yea but I am scared of heights
33. Do you like dressing up? NO
34. Would you rather be short or tall? just like I am
35. Do you enjoy reading? yes
36. What book are you reading now? tightwad gazette
37. Favorite books? to many to list
38. What was the last movie you saw? Avatar, the blind side
39. Favorite movies? to many
40. Do you sleep with a stuffed animal? yes DH
41. What is your sign? Pisces
42. What are your personality traits? shy, quite, polite nice
43. What's your biggest fear? flying
44. Would you ever have cosmetic surgery? not answering that one
45. Future child's name? can't have any more
46. Favorite foods? cooked
47. Chocolate or vanilla? both
48. Do you like to drive fast? nope
49. Storms - cool or scary? cool
50. Do you like to dance? yes
51. Do you do drugs? nope
52. Do you smoke?Yes
53. What do you think of people who smoke? to each their own
54. Do you drink? no
55. Favorite drink? coffee
56. Do you think men and women could ever be just friends without wanting each other? yes I do
57. Do you eat the stems of broccoli? yep
58. If you could have any job you wanted, what would it be? being a mom which I am.
59. What's your "type"? my DH
60. Do you bite your nails? not anymore
61. Any siblings? one younger brother
62. What movies have you cried in? to many to name
63. Do you believe in God? yes
64. Did you ever cry over a guy/girl? yes
65. Have you ever stolen anything? yes
66. Do you procrastinate? yes
67. Do you believe in fate? very much
68. Who's your favorite Sesame Street character? Bert and Ernie
69. Do you organize your CD's? nope DH does that
70. What is your favorite kind of music? country and 80's rock
71. What are your favorite bands/artists? trace adkins
72. What was the last CD you got? trace adkins
73. MTV or VH1? neither no tv
74. Who do you admire the most? my youngest DD who is special needs
75. Internet Boyfriends and Girlfriends? no
76. Are you single? no
77. Favorite TV show? don't have one no tv
78. Blondes, Brunettes, or Redheads? any
79. Glasses or contacts? yep
80. What color are your eyes? depends on my mood
81. What is your natural hair color? dark brown
82. But what color is it now? light brown
83. Have you ever been in love? yep
84. Any pets? yes
85. Good, decent, or poor grades? good
86. Is the glass half empty or half full? depends if I just filled it or not
87. Do you type with your fingers on the right keys? yep
88. What's under your bed? nothing
89. What is your favorite number? don't have one
90. Favorite sport to watch? don't watch any no tv lol
so there are the answer to those questions. as a family we decided to do away with dish and cable we can watch most things on the internet I don't usually watch any shows on the computer but I did miss the Superbowl this year.

 

[TanksHill]

Welcome!

The Ball Blue Book of canning is a good place to start. Basic stuff, great photos and lots of recipes. It doesn't cost that much either.

gina

 

[Henrietta23]

Welcome!

The Ball Blue Book of canning is a good place to start. Basic stuff, great photos and lots of recipes. It doesn't cost that much either.

gina

And can probably be found right in the canning supply section of the store. I saw it at both True Value and Walmart today!

 

[schellie69]

Thanks will look next time I am at the store Its been raining off and on all weekend so not getting much done. I just keep hoping as soon as my DH gets done with school next January we can find a farm and move out of the city I have figured out i am just not cut out for city living I feel to closed in and I just want open space I just have to keep hanging in there until I find the right place. I hope the housing market turns around soon right now we owe more then our house is worth, wish we would have went through and sold the house when we could have made some money out of it and got another place but the timing just did not feel right to many things going on, well we shall see what happens just got told that my grandma's doctor said she has about 2 weeks left., she is 97 so I know she is ready but it will still be hard she is my last living grandparent so I will go see her tomorrow I took her some eggs about a week or so ago she really enjoyed the farm fresh eggs. well not much else going on here just watching the rain and reading things on the computer. hope everyone has a great weekend.

 

[lorihadams]

Hi Pam!Just thought I'd stop in and say hello, glad to have you here! Sorry about your grandmother, my husband's nanny just turned 89 this week and she has alzheimers. It's hard for him to see her forgetting her life. She still remembers him but she can't remember me and the kids.

Sounds like you have big dreams like the rest of us We all seem to have that in common here, this is a great place, look forward to talking more!

 

[schellie69]

My grandma is lucky she still lives in her own house my mom and aunts come over and help also my uncles so she has managed to live on her own my grandpa died when I was 2 my grandma has buried 2 children and a grandchild so she is a strong woman heck she raised all 8 kids until adult hood. she has a cysist (sp) on her stomach that is filling with blood when it gets to her back and breaks she will be gone in seconds there is nothing the doctors can do she would not survive surgery she was told almost 3 years ago she had 6 months. the last time I talked to grandma when I took her some eggs what she was going to have a long talk with God and give him a piece of her mind. lol that's my grandma for you. feisty as all get out yep I do have big plans even borrowed an idea from another SS member and am starting to figure out a plan for the coming years some of it depends on the farm we find so now working on learning skills that will help me when we get the farm.

 

[TTs Chicks]

Yep we all have big dreams - just gotta keep pluggin along one step at a time

Sorry to hear about your grandma - I lost mine almost 6 years ago she had a stroke and never recovered. Lost my Dad last year - we knew he had cancer for a little over a year so we knew it was coming but that doesn't make it any easier. Just enjoy the time you have with her - she sounds like a wonderful lady!