tommywalnuts-My Self Sufficient Journal: Rural, Urban, and back again

tommywalnuts

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Hey SS folks, hows it going?

First an update on the tornado. 8 people were killed. One was my buddies childhood friend. He opened his door to look out and was sucked away. His body was found several hundred yards away. To make it even worse, some bunch of crazies from Kansas came down here, protesting at the funerals. Thier stance is because an Oklahoma City preacher came out as gay, then God punished us by sending a tornado. The world is definitly a nutty place.
On the SS front, not a lot going on. Mostly just waiting for the danger of frost to pass. We have 10 each broccoli, cabbage, collards, and lettuce doing well under a light. The starts are about 5 inches tall. Chicks are doing well also. Also, found my first great deal on Craigs list. Got a great compound bow, arrows, broadheads, quiver, and hard carrying case...all for $50!!!
We had some lay offs at my job, which is a first for the 20 year old company. They let 3 guys go from the building department, and combined me, my partner, and one other guy into one team for all projects. So, while sad for the other fellows, I am very happy to still be working. Now, when asked how I'm doing, I reply "employed" and smile real big.
So, as soon as frost danger passes, we will be putting out our starts. I salvaged a BUNCH of various sized plastic planters(probably a hundred or so). They were in a friends dump! I plan to try most veggies in pots, so we can move them about as needed. Also thinking about adding to our flock(Japanese bantams).
Hope ya'll are doing well. Have a great day tomorrow!

T
 

2dream

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TW - you are right the world is CRAZY. Well, a lot of the people are crazy.

Sorry to hear about your friend. That tornado was awful.

You answer the same way I do when ask how I am. I also try to remember how lucky I am to be employed when things at work get frustrating.

Sure wish I lived closer to you. I would come begging for some of those free pots. All my pots are so old. I had to throw away 8 this past week because they were falling apart. The local nursery here is crazy. They throw perfectly good plastic pots in the dumpster. I ask one day if I could have a few. The lady said yes. When I went to get some that were laying on the ground by the dumpster, the owner came out and talked to me like I was a thief. Informed me those were his pots. When I told him I was told it was ok to get them he got even madder. He ask me WHO told me that. I just said never mind and left. Did not want to be the cause of someone getting in trouble. I don't shop there anymore. So you are lucky to get those freebies.
 

tommywalnuts

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Yeah if you lived closer you could really load up on pots. My friend bought this house with 5 acres, fixer upper. The folks before had done landscaping, fighting chickens, horses, etc. The 5 acres is FULL of all kinds of stuff. When I have time I help him cleanup a little by rummaging around the piles. There are hundreds more pots out there, an old car, a horse walker, lots of welded wire from chicken cages, lumber, stone, etc. I sure wish some of ya'll like minded folks lived closer, to share time with projects and stuff. I really haven't found any SS folks here in the area.
 

tommywalnuts

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Hey all, hope everyone has had a great weekend.

My oldest Chassity, showed a heifer she has been raising in a Chickasaw nation program this weekend. She raised a shorthorn heifer(its a February 08 yearling at 944lbs.) She won second over all in her class! I was soproud of her...I think the judge was biased on his choice of 1st lol. later, they had a premiumsale, and it brought $1500. Shes gonna do well in life, I just know it :)!!!!
The cabbages, broccoli, collards, and lettuce are all out now in container gardens. The chicken coop is more like the chicken fortress, and good thing, cause another dog tried to get in. He couldn't, and recieved an arrow in his rump for his trouble lol.


Chassie in the ring

478_chas1.jpg


Judging

478_chas3.jpg


Chassie and her cow

478_chas2.jpg
 

Tallman

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Way to go Chassie. :thumbsup Great pictures.

Tommy, glad to hear that you nailed that dog. There is no use messing around! :celebrate
 

2dream

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Love the pics - Tell Chassie I said "You go girl". She did a fine job with that calf. Oh and tell her how beautiful she is too. Thanks for sharing those pics.

Looks like I am going to have to break out the bow and arrows myself. Have not shot it in years so it looks like practice time for me. (I have been using the gun to get rid of the occasional varmit).
But it appears my neighbors are going to force me to do something I don't really want to do. (Make their dogs go away).

Sounds like your friend has some really neat usable stuff. I love to rummage around in junk piles. If I lived close by between me and you we could clean that place up in no time. It would all be at our houses. LOL
 

Beekissed

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Great pics, Tommy! Beautiful daughter and cow, for sure! I wish my boy was interested in showing livestock for FFA....he's much too lazy to consider it. I would have given my right arm if my folks had let me participate in it when I was growing up!

Great deal on the bow! I'm thinking of brushing up with a bow myself, as my property is kind of small for gun usage while hunting.
 

modern_pioneer

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Congrats Tommy & Chassie.... I am very happy to see that FFA is such an important part of peoples lives still. I posted on my own thread a pick of my sister showing carcas while in FFA. I know why you and Chassie are so proud, it's more work than people really know. Working many months, day in and out for months. Than, in our case over the week of the fairs, it comes down to the last showing.

Chassie has done well, and your doing a great job!!! Congrats to both of you.
 

tommywalnuts

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Thanks for the congrats all, I passed 'em on to Chass, who has done all the work. She is just back from OKC, she placed 3rd out of 15 with 1054 lbs Charlois heifer! I have pics, but they are on a cell phone, and I have yet to figure out how to download them(thats Laura's job lol).
On the SS, plants are all doing great except for my lettuce. It has just withered away and is quite pitiful looking. I think I am going to chunk them and try again with some greenhouse starts. We planted some spinach, india mustard, and spinach mustard this weekend. Next weekend we will finally plant our potatoes and red onions, leaving only cukes, acorn and yellow squash, and green beans to go. I am thinking of making some rainbarrels soon to water the garden with.
At Orsheln's this weekend they had bourbon reds...they were $12 bucks a chick! If I didn't live in town right now I would definitly raise some turkeys. I had no idea they were so much.
I hope ya'll are doing well, have a blessed week.

T
 

TanksHill

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Great pics, thank you so much for sharing. I love to see what everyone's children are doing. Glad to hear about the chickens being safe. Darn dog, I bet he wont come back. I am contemplating the Bourbon Red's as well. May need to put them off until next year. Have a great day. :)
 

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