Quail_Antwerp
Cold is on the Right, Hot is on The Left
I'm the local barter queen-it's become a dear necessity of our life!
AND I've a serious addiction to AUCTIONS! especially farm auctions and our local Livestock Auction!!
up here in lalaland ~ Tennessee here we come!
- Thread starter lalaland
- Start date
I'm the local barter queen-it's become a dear necessity of our life!
AND I've a serious addiction to AUCTIONS! especially farm auctions and our local Livestock Auction!!
- Thread starter
- #12
lalaland
Lovin' The Homestead
yup, I have to limit the number of farm auctions I go to, else I spend too much on things I don't really need - like a set of horseshoes (the ones you throw at a post in the ground) or more shovels. They are a good source of stuff you really do need, like fencing posts and linens, nesting boxes and dutch ovens.You can see I have a lot of ground to cover at auctions, needing both tools and household goods.
I did actually have to buy a new show shovel on Christmas Eve, but usually can plan ahead and get what I need at auctions. (and stuff I didn't really need.
Bet Ohio has some good auctions! Its getting harder to find auctions at multi-generation farms.
- Thread starter
- #13
lalaland
Lovin' The Homestead
frosty morning here, maybe 10 degrees. Gonna have to chase the chickens out after I shovel out the chicken yard.
I woke up thinking about planning the garden for next year, can't believe how many seed catalogs have already shown up in the mailbox.
Tough gardening year last year because it was so cold, the tomatoes never ripened until september! and the eggplant had small baby eggplants. almanac says this summer will be equally cold, so I'm considering whether there is anything I can do to help the tomatoes along. Don't want to use plastic to mulch.
I met a woman last summer who was growing artichokes! quite the feat here in northern minnesota. She starts them, of course, indoors - I have no room for seed starting unfortunately - and it still feels funny not to have flats of seedlings needing tending. Maybe I could trade something for some artichoke starts?
Also on today's agenda is snowshoeing, will wait til the afternoon when it might warm up a degree or two.
Neighbor brought over a jar of maple syrup, suggesting I add corn syrup to extend it. Hah! I can't imagine destroying the syrup that way. He was happy when I offered to return the jar along with half a dozen syrup jars I've accumulated. Just wish the folks I share canned goods with would think about returning the jars....had one friend tell me she forgot to save them and put them in the recycling bin
This year my potatoes had an awful lot of discolored hearts, I'm going to have to do a little research and see what thats about.
The pileated woodpecker just slammed into the suet feeder again - I'm going to see if the local meet locker has any fat I can put out as these itty bitty suet packs are kind of pointless with the pileateds.
enough rambling, time for coffee and chores!
I woke up thinking about planning the garden for next year, can't believe how many seed catalogs have already shown up in the mailbox.
Tough gardening year last year because it was so cold, the tomatoes never ripened until september! and the eggplant had small baby eggplants. almanac says this summer will be equally cold, so I'm considering whether there is anything I can do to help the tomatoes along. Don't want to use plastic to mulch.
I met a woman last summer who was growing artichokes! quite the feat here in northern minnesota. She starts them, of course, indoors - I have no room for seed starting unfortunately - and it still feels funny not to have flats of seedlings needing tending. Maybe I could trade something for some artichoke starts?
Also on today's agenda is snowshoeing, will wait til the afternoon when it might warm up a degree or two.
Neighbor brought over a jar of maple syrup, suggesting I add corn syrup to extend it. Hah! I can't imagine destroying the syrup that way. He was happy when I offered to return the jar along with half a dozen syrup jars I've accumulated. Just wish the folks I share canned goods with would think about returning the jars....had one friend tell me she forgot to save them and put them in the recycling bin
This year my potatoes had an awful lot of discolored hearts, I'm going to have to do a little research and see what thats about.
The pileated woodpecker just slammed into the suet feeder again - I'm going to see if the local meet locker has any fat I can put out as these itty bitty suet packs are kind of pointless with the pileateds.
enough rambling, time for coffee and chores!
- Thread starter
- #14
lalaland
Lovin' The Homestead
would like to say that like ohio girl bacon martini that I've left the big life in the city behind, but it still plagues me. (nah, don't go thinking I've got the big money that og got!). so most weekdays find me up at 4 am, and in the car by 6 for a 75 mile commute.
My dg who just came into my life has taken on the chicken chores, and to tell you the truth, I kind of miss that morning stumble to the coop, the girls sleepy clucks as I get the fresh water and feed going. I know I am definitely missing something by just stumbling straight to the car and hitting the road.
the driveway goes over a field that some fool halfway plowed decades ago, and never finished - the truck goes over big rolls, the front end pointed down, back bed skyward, and then the front end up and back end dirtward - impossible to hold a cup of coffee, so it has to stay in its travel mug with the lid on til you hit the dirt road by which time I usually forget I've got hot coffee with me. Yesterday by the time I remembered, the coffee had frozen solid.
commute time is a mixed blessing. lots of time to think, to consider chores and plans, to dream .....but the gas costs me more than two car payments each month, and I'm at Ricks -the local garage about every month or so getting oil changed.
first time I went to Ricks, I brought a book to read while waiting for the oil change. I was reading, and sort of aware that the people were coming and going, and pretty soon I started wondering how long a danged oil change could take here, so I got up and wandered into the garage proper and asked this fresh faced kid just how long he thought it might take before he got to the oil chanage. was kind of fuming inside because I did make an appointment, and it was a good hour later and here was my car just sitting there where I left it.
Kid looks at me, breaks out into a sweet smile and says, well I didn't want to interrupt your reading, I did it an hour ago! geesh!
Anyways, I spend most of the commute time on the cell phone. Yup, I'm one of those drivers....talking to my mom, who is 84, to my daughter, friends, and most of the time to one of the developers on the west coast about whatever problem hit the system that day. By the time I get home, I'm done with the outside world, and pleased as punch that I've no cell service there.
time to go scrape the snow off the car, its Tuesday!
My dg who just came into my life has taken on the chicken chores, and to tell you the truth, I kind of miss that morning stumble to the coop, the girls sleepy clucks as I get the fresh water and feed going. I know I am definitely missing something by just stumbling straight to the car and hitting the road.
the driveway goes over a field that some fool halfway plowed decades ago, and never finished - the truck goes over big rolls, the front end pointed down, back bed skyward, and then the front end up and back end dirtward - impossible to hold a cup of coffee, so it has to stay in its travel mug with the lid on til you hit the dirt road by which time I usually forget I've got hot coffee with me. Yesterday by the time I remembered, the coffee had frozen solid.
commute time is a mixed blessing. lots of time to think, to consider chores and plans, to dream .....but the gas costs me more than two car payments each month, and I'm at Ricks -the local garage about every month or so getting oil changed.
first time I went to Ricks, I brought a book to read while waiting for the oil change. I was reading, and sort of aware that the people were coming and going, and pretty soon I started wondering how long a danged oil change could take here, so I got up and wandered into the garage proper and asked this fresh faced kid just how long he thought it might take before he got to the oil chanage. was kind of fuming inside because I did make an appointment, and it was a good hour later and here was my car just sitting there where I left it.
Kid looks at me, breaks out into a sweet smile and says, well I didn't want to interrupt your reading, I did it an hour ago! geesh!
Anyways, I spend most of the commute time on the cell phone. Yup, I'm one of those drivers....talking to my mom, who is 84, to my daughter, friends, and most of the time to one of the developers on the west coast about whatever problem hit the system that day. By the time I get home, I'm done with the outside world, and pleased as punch that I've no cell service there.
time to go scrape the snow off the car, its Tuesday!
ohiofarmgirl
Sipping Bacon Martinis
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thats kinda the cutest thing i ever heard! yep small town service is an entirely different thing. the first time i took my truck in to a local place i wanted to pay them MORE.. i couldnt believe thats all it was.
the commute is a doosey out here for The Big Man. he didnt have 75 miles but just over 50 one way. between the gas and all its kind of sad when its cheaper NOT to work!
good luck with all them corporate types.
Dace
Revolution in Progress
lala....is there no way to work from home a day or two with your job? Wouldn't that be the best of both worlds? Ahhh.... to dream right?
- Thread starter
- #17
lalaland
Lovin' The Homestead
Yeah, I do try to work from home maybe one out of 10 days = more if I am lucky. My boss likes a person to be handy and isnt open to the idea of one day a week at home yet. And she has been on maternity leave for a month now, and I'm her stand in so it makes it even a little harder to be at home.
it is a fine thing to work at home, and with IM and all, pretty darn easy.
thats why I think I need ajob as a writer, all at home !
it is a fine thing to work at home, and with IM and all, pretty darn easy.
thats why I think I need ajob as a writer, all at home !
- Thread starter
- #18
lalaland
Lovin' The Homestead
seeing the "how do you meet like minded people post"got me thinking. Last serious relationship I was in was maybe 5 years ago, and I dated for a while, and then decided that dating just was too much work and not enough fun.
found this land, took a couple of weeks to draw out a small, one level, infloor heat, humungous screened porch, lots of windows house, had an architect make the plans, lived in a tent on the land while the house was being built, and settled in for a very happy single life. Built the house knowing it was a one person house!
but.....life changes! Fell for Renee, and she has been here pretty much full time for 4 months. You know what? the house isn't too small. Am thinking will need to build an addition connected to the house by a screened walkway - 3/4ths to be a big room turned family room/bunkhouse and 1/4th to be an above ground (high water table here, need I say more?) root cellar. That would give enough room to store her gear (fishing, hunting, ice fishing, outdoor gear, tools), a place for a little separation so she can watch the football game on the laptop there and I can do my thing too...
and next year when my whole family comes up for xmas cookies there will be enough room to do it - hmm that would mean putting a stove in the addition. that might not work.
but there would be more room for sleepovers by family and friends.
It wouldn't have to be heated infloor - could just have a wood stove, and the big cost would be the windows. ok, the steel roof, too....anyway, a girl can dream.
off to work I go!
found this land, took a couple of weeks to draw out a small, one level, infloor heat, humungous screened porch, lots of windows house, had an architect make the plans, lived in a tent on the land while the house was being built, and settled in for a very happy single life. Built the house knowing it was a one person house!
but.....life changes! Fell for Renee, and she has been here pretty much full time for 4 months. You know what? the house isn't too small. Am thinking will need to build an addition connected to the house by a screened walkway - 3/4ths to be a big room turned family room/bunkhouse and 1/4th to be an above ground (high water table here, need I say more?) root cellar. That would give enough room to store her gear (fishing, hunting, ice fishing, outdoor gear, tools), a place for a little separation so she can watch the football game on the laptop there and I can do my thing too...
and next year when my whole family comes up for xmas cookies there will be enough room to do it - hmm that would mean putting a stove in the addition. that might not work.
but there would be more room for sleepovers by family and friends.
It wouldn't have to be heated infloor - could just have a wood stove, and the big cost would be the windows. ok, the steel roof, too....anyway, a girl can dream.
off to work I go!
lorihadams
Always doing laundry
Welcome! you sound like you are in the same situation work-wise as my DH. He drives 52 miles one way and the gas is killing us. We are hoping to move closer in but on a much bigger piece of land and that would cut off about 20 miles. Aren't the oil changes a killer? It seems like we just got it done and have to go do it again!
- Thread starter
- #20
lalaland
Lovin' The Homestead
-23 degrees here this am.
Drove home yesterday after spending new years day in the cities with familiy and friends, it was dark and when I came up the driveway and saw NO LIGHT on in the coop, I was worried. took me about an hour to get the power back but the girls were fine, it was still 25 above zero in the coop.
this morning, well, the coop was down to 10 degrees, pretty good given it was 30 degrees warmer than outside! So I brought in some gorgeous alfalfa hay and stood there watching for awhile. Grace, the little barred rock, was ferociously chasing out everyone from the nest boxes - no sooner would a hen go in then Grace would roust them out - except the tiny bantam, Emma, stood her ground and stayed.
Decided to add another nest box to see if that helps, so rearranged things a bit. Haven't greased up the combs, so with the windchills in the 40 below zero range, I'm not letting anyone out.
Suns out, but it is darned quiet out there. Made sure the bird feeders were stocked.
DG got stuck in the ditch last night, luckily had good boots and cold weather gear. Got a neighbor to pull her out (had to use an axe to chip the ice off the road til the dirt showed, so the truck could have some traction to pull her out). Neighbor refused $ on the grounds that DG was "one of the ladies that looks out for my dad" - meaning Tony, the retired dairy farmer. We bring him baked goods and company, bring him along to trips to town and to auctions. He is at loose ends since his wife died a couple of years ago and he can't see well enough to do much farming anymore.
going to make split pea soup this afternoon and curl up with a good book. Happy New Year!
Drove home yesterday after spending new years day in the cities with familiy and friends, it was dark and when I came up the driveway and saw NO LIGHT on in the coop, I was worried. took me about an hour to get the power back but the girls were fine, it was still 25 above zero in the coop.
this morning, well, the coop was down to 10 degrees, pretty good given it was 30 degrees warmer than outside! So I brought in some gorgeous alfalfa hay and stood there watching for awhile. Grace, the little barred rock, was ferociously chasing out everyone from the nest boxes - no sooner would a hen go in then Grace would roust them out - except the tiny bantam, Emma, stood her ground and stayed.
Decided to add another nest box to see if that helps, so rearranged things a bit. Haven't greased up the combs, so with the windchills in the 40 below zero range, I'm not letting anyone out.
Suns out, but it is darned quiet out there. Made sure the bird feeders were stocked.
DG got stuck in the ditch last night, luckily had good boots and cold weather gear. Got a neighbor to pull her out (had to use an axe to chip the ice off the road til the dirt showed, so the truck could have some traction to pull her out). Neighbor refused $ on the grounds that DG was "one of the ladies that looks out for my dad" - meaning Tony, the retired dairy farmer. We bring him baked goods and company, bring him along to trips to town and to auctions. He is at loose ends since his wife died a couple of years ago and he can't see well enough to do much farming anymore.
going to make split pea soup this afternoon and curl up with a good book. Happy New Year!
