This means that I'm soon going to be getting my happy behind outside once I get home from work so I can get some wood cut and some trash cleared up and just generally do things that are fun and outdoors and in the warm and not leaving me cooped up indoors with the boob tube. I don't mind the background racket and all the knitting time, but after three months of it, I'm a little bored.
But I'm nearly caught up with my catalogs, with only nine more to go through. Yeah, that's still a lot, but since the seeds are going to get tucked away for the future anyhow, no real biggie if I don'tget to them until late spring. It's better than not getting to them at all. I'm finishing up Shumway's, then there's still Totally Tomato, Territorial, Burpees, Cooks Garden, Johnny's, HPS, Terroir and High Mowing to get through. My basic list is going to be huge, it won't take long to pare it down to just the stuff that isn't duplicates and get me the most bang for my buck.
The week through Wednesday continued warmer and windy, but it was so nice. So what if I couldn't get the trash burnt any more for now, it was nice out! I'm having such a good time being able to sit in the living room to play on the computer, without having to be bundled up like an Eskimo, or having to hunker down in the bedroom under a zillion layers of afghans to stay warm. This weather is so very welcome. I think I'm just going to bleeding well enjoy the heck out of it.
By Thursday, I was still glad of the warmer temperatures, and that work has been going so well. Seriously, nothing has been breaking down and causing major stoppages for several minutes at a time, and things have generally been going really, really well. It's been a lot of fun the last few days, even though I walk out with extremely sore feet yet.
Did I mention that I've got a pair of really nice hiking shoes on layaway? Harness Boots in downtown Harrison, right on the square, does layaways and has some seriously cool stuff. Justin, Ariat, Red Wing, Carhartt ... all top brands at good prices. Best of all, they do layaway, which a lot of places don't. Ten bucks holds your new footgear, and just make a small weekly payment, at least another ten bucks, and they'll hold your stuff for you till you get it paid off. I put a pair of nice hiking shoes on layaway last weekend, total cost $130 and change. Worth it, though. I love these things. I have crazy feet, I swear. The ball is wide, the heel is narrow, the tumble last summer left me with a cankle on the left side, and I have extremely high arches. There's nearly three inches between the bottom of my foot and my ankle bone, which makes regular pull-on boots of any kind pretty much impossible to get on my feet. No matter how much I point my toe, my heel gets stuck on the back of the heel.
These are just hiking shoes, but they've got excellent ankle support, lots of tread on a solid sole that's not going to detach from the uppers any time soon, waterproofed leather, good arch support, and so comfortable that I can't imagine wearing anything else to work once I have them paid off. These things are going to get beat all to heck there and here, with outdoors work, and they will last a long time, so the money's worth it. So very, very worth it. I can hardly wait to get them paid off and show you what they look like, besides "hiking shoes."
And my seed "want" list is so huge, lol. I'll be glad when I get through the last of these catalogs so I can sort things out by vegetable and variety and price, and get the best price point that I can. I love Pinetree's affordability, but honestly, for about fifty cents more on many things, I can get a lot more seeds for the price, so I'm going for the best price per seed as well as everything else. I'm on a budget, and I've got to get the most bang I can get for my bucks, much like many of us who homestead. So there's a lot of things to consider and get done.
The log cabin afghan got a quick border knitted on it, and shipped off Thursday morning. Well, early afternoon, Quentin's morning, as he mailed it for me on his way to work. There's a reason it didn't end up larger and here. Once again, I needed an emergency gift for someone. Seems like most of the afghans I make end up being gifted to someone, which is fine, but boy, I sure would like to have one I finish up and keep for the couch one of these days, lol!
But that still doesn't bring us to the frabjous day, does it?
Friday was pretty decent, considering that winds were just ridiculous. The newscast said in Springfield, MO, that the gusts were up to 60-60 mph, and it wasn't much better here. I thought the car was going to be blown off the road in the morning on my way to work. By the time Quentin headed in, he had to stop several times on the mountain road to pull tree branches, some of the of good size, out of the way to make the road passable again. He also stopped on the way in and picked up a box from Mom which contained our very late Christmas presents.
I got candles from Amber, when she'd said yarn, but still welcome, as they are what she used to call "stink pretty" candles - various scents. Mom got me my usual tree ornament, and some puzzles, which she got the picture off the top of the box, and put it in the bag with the pieces, then taped the bag shut to keep things together. Quentin got the short end of the stick, lol. All he got was a t-shirt from Amber, because Mom says she never knows what to get him. (He officially gets part of the gift card she sends every year, but it's not quite the same.) But his jaw dropped when he opened the shirt, because it's Dukes of Hazzard with the General Lee on it, one of his favorite cars from a favorite TV show.
I also managed to get ahold of Hughes Net, which, while not my preferred choice of internet provider, at least will provide it up here on the mountain without a lot of hassles, and with decent bandwidth for up and downloads. That's set up to be installed on the 28th, this upcoming Friday, because Quentin's off probation as of the 25th, Tuesday, and is taking Friday off to celebrate and relax, while also doing a quick errand in the morning before being back here in time for the internet setup.
Saturday was a lot of errands, including the frabjous day. I've never really been quite sure how Lewis Carroll intended frabjous to be defined, because it is a made-up word, and it's been so long since I read "Alice in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking-Glass" that about all I remember is the frabjous day, calloo, callay, beware the Jabberwock, my son, and the vorpal sword going snicker-snack. I tend to use it for really superb days, and Saturday was one of them. Though by the time we got everything done, got home, and got groceries put away, I was so exhausted and dealing with a mild fibromyalgia flare, that I had to take a four-hour nap.
But the day. Wow. Not only was it nearly 70F, but errands got done in jig time, overall, including a couple of extras. And we got a very pleasant surprise when we got to Bill's to make a payment on the truck, which we figured was almost paid off. Somehow, either I missed recording a couple of small ones, or the thing got added up incorrectly by Bill's wife, Faye, but we walked in and discovered that apparently, we only owed $125 yet on the van. I had $170 on me that was possibly going to be used to set up the internet, but that had only been a $40 hold on my debit card, with the actual $60 or so charge going on after it's set up (so that comes out of my NEXT paycheck, and the $40 hold is released in a few days - they do it to make sure the card is good for payment when it's all set up). We went outside, made a call to the bank to make sure we still had more than enough to get through the week till payday again, and I pulled a bit more out of that $170 to pay off the van instead of making a bigger than normal payment.
O, frabjous day, calloo, callay! That means the van is completely ours, and Friday morning, Quentin will go to the revenue office and transfer the title all to us, no lein on it. Bill made jokes that now we just needed another $500 or so for a downpayment and he'd get us busy buying another vehicle. Sometime later this summer or early fall, more than likely, we'll go see him again, for a 4x4 for me for this upcoming winter, just in case the roads get screwy again. Because that $65 a week now can go to paying off some back bills and getting out of debt. YAY!
So this has been a fabulous week, and it's all just getting better. With the advent of internet at home, that means this is my last missive from McQuack's on a Sunday. They'll be posted from home from here on out, and as of Friday, there will be daily posts of the Kindle freebies, so those who have been missing out because they were no longer free at the point at which they had a chance to get at them will have a better chance at them still being free. Good news all round. Now to just hope it stays that way for a while!
Now it's time for the Kindle freebies - remember that they are free only for a short time. Starting Friday, however, there will be DAILY posts of Kindle freebies and news, so you'll have a much better chance of getting the freebies. Hope you guys have more patience than I do ... it's only a few more days and I'm anxious! I also should note, Adf.ly has been performing better lately now that I've figured it out, so I'm going back to using it with the text links here. If it makes a bit of chump change, that's great. Just remember to wait the five seconds for the top bar to load and then skip the ad so I get credited. Thanks guys, for reading, for helping to make this blog worth writing, for everything. I love you guys!
FREE KINDLE BOOKS
Homesteading Books
Essential Vegetables Box Set (4 Books in 1 Package): Organic Gardening with Tomatoes, Potatoes, Peppers, Eggplants, Broccoli, Cabbage, and More
Gardening in a Cool Climate
Backyard Berries - A Step by Step Guide to Growing Strawberries, Blueberries, Blackberries & Raspberries in Your Backyard
The Creamy Craft of Cosmetic Making with Essential Oils and their friends
The Great American Jerky Cookbook: A simple guide to making your own authentic jerky with 52 delicious jerky marinade recipes
How To Saw Logs Into Boards With A Portable Band Saw Sawmill
SOAP: How to Make Natural Handmade Soap. (A Home Life Book)
Boxed Set 4 How To Make Natural Skin Care Products (How To Make Natural Skin Care Products Series)
Chopping Wood Tips For The Homeowner
Low-Maintenance Greenhouse Gardening Book: Everything You Need to Know to Get Started Setting up Your Own Greenhouse
How To Make Gardening Easier
Cookbooks
Paleo Slow Cooker: 33 Quick Prep, Easy, Healthy And Delicious Smelling Paleo Slow Cooker Meals-Eat Well Even If You Are Tight On Time Through Paleo Slow ... , Paleo Slow Cooker Meals, Palo Diet)
Easy Ice Cream Recipes - Homemade Decadent Recipes You Are Sure To Love (The Easy Recipe)
Quick & Delicious - 25 NO BAKE DESSERTS - Pies, Cheesecake, Cake Recipes (Easy Dessert Recipes Collection)
Quick & Delicious Chicken Recipes (Easy Everyday Chicken Dinner Recipes The Whole Family Will Love)
Perfect Pierogi Recipes
5 Minute Paleo Recipes: The Ultimate Paleo Cookbook For Busy People (Quick and Easy Recipe Guide Vol 1)
50 Delicious Apple Pie Recipes - Delicious Apple Pies To Make All Year Long (The Ultimate Apple Desserts Cookbook - The Delicious Apple Desserts and Apple Recipes Collection)
HOW TO COOK HEALTHY IN A HURRY: QUICK AND EASY LOW FAT RECIPES YOU CAN PREPARE IN 30 MINUTES-VOLUMES 1 & 2
50 Vegetarian Casserole Recipes - The Vegetarian Casserole Cookbook (Vegetarian Cookbook and Vegetarian Recipes Collection)
30 Paleo Breakfast And Egg Recipes - Simple & Easy Paleo Breakfast and Egg Recipes (Paleo Recipes)
Classic Italian Cuisine Cookbook - 80+ Delicious Italian Dishes - Seafood, Side Dishes, Soups and Salad Recipes
36 Recipes For Beef Soup - The Easy Beef Soup Recipe Collection (The Amazing Recipes for Soup and Ultimate Soup Recipes Collection)
Paleo Lunch Recipes - On The Go Healthy Additions To Delectable Cuisine (The Easy Recipe)
21 Classic Italian Pizza & Calzone - Delicious Homemade Pizza and Calzone Plus Pizza Dough and Pizza Sauce Recipes
Christmas Value Pack II - 200 Christmas Cookie Recipes - Assorted Christmas Cookies, Drop Cookies, Bar Cookies and Sliced Cookies (The Ultimate Christmas Recipes and Recipes For Christmas Collection)
My Favorite Twenty Pies (Easy Cheap Comfort Eats)
Just 3 Or Less Steps Vegetarian Seasonal Dishes: Top 30 Most-Wanted & Mouth-Watering Vegetarian Seasonal Recipes in Only 3 Steps
Just 3 Or Less Steps Vegetarian Main Dishes: Top 30 Most-Wanted & Mouth-Watering Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes in Only 3 Steps - Volume No. 2
Easy To Make Cake Balls Recipes: Quick And Easy Ideas To Get You Started Making Delicious Cake Balls Today (Cake Balls recipes, carrot cake, chocolate cake, cookie pops, cupcakes, dessert recipes)
Just 3 Or Less Steps Vegetarian Holiday-Event Dishes: Top 30 Most-Wanted & Mouth-Watering Vegetarian Holiday-Event Recipes in Only 3 Steps
Only N Only 3 Steps Vegetarian Main Dishes: Collection of 30 Top Class Healthy, Easy, Super-Delicious & Most Popular Vegetarian Main Dish Recipes In Just 3 Or Less Steps - Volume No. 3
Breakfast Quinoa Recipes (Easy Quinoa Recipes)
Chicken Breast Recipes: Sweet and Spicy Chicken Breast Recipes for Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner and More. (The Easy Recipe)
Gluttony of Gluten Free - Cake, Cookie, and Dessert Recipes (Gluttony of Gluten-Free)
50 Easy Frozen Yogurt Recipes - The Frozen Yogurt Cookbook (The Summer Dessert Recipes And The Best Dessert Recipes Collection)
Old Fashioned Recipe's Like Grandma Used To Make
The Gluten-Free Dessert Bible (Gluttony of Gluten-Free)
Christmas Value Pack I - 200 Recipes For Christmas Dinner, Christmas Desserts, Christmas Candy and Christmas Pies (The Ultimate Christmas Recipes and Recipes For Christmas Collection)
Summer Desserts Value Pack I - 150 Recipes For Ice Cream Cakes, Homemade Ice Cream and Milkshakes (The Summer Dessert Recipes And The Best Dessert Recipes Collection)
90 Healthy Recipes The Mediterranean Diet: The Eating Plan For A Healthy Life
Top 30 Super Quick & Easy North American Vegetarian Recipes in Only 3 Steps
Beef Slow Cooker Recipes: Easy and Delectable Slow Cooked Meals For Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner (The Easy Recipe)
Cooking Made a Piece of Cake!
Latest Collection of 30 Top Class, Easy, and Popular Italian Main Dish Recipes
Cooking Under Pressure for Beginners: The Ultimate Electric Pressure Cooker Guide
Incredibly Delicious Soup Recipes from the Mediterranean Region (Healthy Cookbook Series)
Just 3 Or Less Steps Japanese Vegetarian Dishes: Top 30 Most-Wanted & Mouth-Watering Japanese Vegetarian Recipes in Only 3 Steps
Top 30 Popular, Recommended, Super-Duper Delicious, Quick And Easy Recipes For Coffee For You And Your Family
36 Recipes For Chicken Soup - The Easy Chicken Soup Recipe Collection (The Amazing Recipes for Soup and Ultimate Soup Recipes Collection)
How to Substitute any Common Ingredient when you're in the middle of making cookies, or anything else.
Top 40 Casserole Recipes For Vegan and Non-Vegan
Only 3 Steps Top 30 Lebanese Vegetarian Recipes For Everyone
Top 30 Super Tasty French Main Dishes For You And Your Family
Top 30 Easy and Quick Breakfast Recipes With 5 Or Less Ingredients
Top 30 Nutritious And Recommended Australian Dessert Recipes
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