As the poet, Robert Burns, wrote in his poem "Ode To A Mousie," gang oft agley. That was today. If it could go wrong or break at work, it did. So it was nice to get out today and get home. Only ... plans have continued to "gang oft agley," because it's a tad too cool to get outside for things and get anything done, so it's another day to stay inside and get things done here. Still a few dishes to do, which can get done now. More knitting and writing can get done, I can put a bunch of stuff on my Amazon wishlist, lol.
And of course, there's paring down that horrendously huge wishlist, lol. There's sooo many goodies I'd love to have, and I really want to get it pared down so I can actually start putting orders together. Plus there's getting the wellhead set up to try to pull some water out of it. I'm still not sure if that's going to work or not with the bailer bucket, because from what I understand, when the well was drilled, the drilling company went deeper than had originally been intended. So the folks who paid for the well to be drilled (grandparents of our landlady) stopped payment on the check, and the drilling company came out and dumped several bags of quick-crete down the well. Mind, when we dropped a few good-sized rocks down the thing last summer to see how much water was in there, they made some really good BLOOPs in the water when they hit. Turned out the water table is 125 feet down, so I really need to find out how much water I can get out of the thing. If I can get a steady draw out of that wellhead, I'm in happy times for a garden, lol.
Okay, granted, I'd have to draw it up a gallon or so at a time out of that well, and it would be hard work, but it'd be a lot easier than having to fill jugs and haul them home every day at a rate of 10 or 20 gallons just to make sure we have plenty of water for us as well as for a garden. Yikes, but that is a LOT of water to haul home, and a lot of time spent filling jugs, lol. No thanks, I'll come home and pull it out of the well, it's less troublesome! But I know you want to know about books, so I'll get busy on those. Hugs till tomorrow, gang. I still have dishes to get done, thankfully, there aren't too many!
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
35 More Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes: Healthy, Easy to Make Chicken Breasts, Thighs, Wings for Your Sow Cooker
Raising Backyard Chickens For Beginners: Simple Guide To Keeping Happy & Healthy Backyard Chickens (Complete Guide)
50 Homemade Frozen Desserts - Frozen Pies, Ice Cream Sandwiches, Pops, Pudding Pops, Granita, Frozen Souffles, and Ice Cream Floats (The Summer Dessert ... And The Best Dessert Recipes Collection)
35 Easy Casserole Recipes- The Easy Casseroles Recipe Collection (The Casserole Recipes and Casserole Dishes Collection)
Circle of Friends Cookbook - 25 Bacon Recipes
100 Easy Recipes In Jars
Top 50 Most Delicious Blueberry Recipes (Superfood Recipes)
101 Quick & Easy Cupcake and Muffin Recipes
Vegetarian Value Pack 5 - 200 Vegetarian Recipes - Tofu Recipes, Spinach Recipes, Quinoa Recipes and Kale Recipes For Vegetarians (Vegetarian Cookbook and Vegetarian Recipes Collection)
How To Control Garden Pests Organically
Monday, March 31, 2014
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Day of Rest - NOT!
Sunday may be a “day of rest” for many folks, but for us homesteaders, homesteaders-in-the-making, or even just homesteader-wanna-bes, you quickly realize that there is no such animal as the much-vaunted “day of rest” that so many nine-to-fivers seem to get. There is always, ALWAYS something to be done, that doesn't seem to get done any other day of the week. The closest thing to a full day of rest is when you're pretty well done with things, and are pretty well done in to boot, and you set your alarm for two hours down the road, collapse on the bed, and stretch out for a well-deserved and hard-earned nap. That was my day.
I didn't even get out of the house, barring carrying water jugs in from the deck and putting them away, or taking the trash out of the house and putting it on the deck. Quentin was gone for a couple of hours to take yesterday's movie rentals back to the RedBox and fill up water jugs at the RedX gas station in Alpena. Once he got home, he hauled the jugs to the deck, and took the trash and burned it. He also cleaned out the van (it was still something of a disaster, and now it's clean, I have to clear out the winter's junk accumulation from the car) and burned that. Then he took Bouncer outside for about 20 minutes for a walk. However, after that, all he did was mess around with the truck exhaust to make it louder. As if you can't hear him from half a mile away on the mountain road as it is. Then he declared he had “done enough chores today,” played on his PS2 for a couple of hours, and took a nap.
Me? While he was gone, I made the bed, cleaned the cat box and added more litter to it, picked up all the trash in the house and got it out to the deck, swept down cobwebs and swept floors, and put new bags in all the trash cans. Also cleaned off my desk in the living room which, over the winter, became a trash collector, thanks to a certain person (*coughQuentincough*). After he got back and unloaded the water jugs, and they were in and stowed away in the water cabinet, I changed out the doody bag in the sawdust toity, refilled the sawdust bucket in the bathroom, put away the laundry that was done yesterday, picked up yesterday's dirty clothes off the floor and put them in the basket, knitted a few rows on yet another afghan I'm making, straightened out my craft stuff in the front bedroom, and put some old jeans (nearly new, but they were given to me by someone who either is trying to inspire me to lose weight or thinks I'm a lot smaller than I am, lol) on the local yardsale groups. Then I made myself dinner from some of yesterday's wild game dinner leftovers, caught up email, worked on writing on two of my books, and got in a shower so I'm fresh for work tomorrow. THEN I took an hour for a nap.
I still have to do some dishes tomorrow, but I'm just too worn out tonight to get on them. Plus I have more writing I want/need to do, ideas for other books to sketch out, knitting to do, finish up shortening down my “shopping list” for my seeds to get this year and store away, and I don't know what-all else. I'd have to look at my to-do-list from the back of beyond to find out.
Some of you have told me that with the way I write, and how it's obvious that I love words, that I should write books. I'm no novelist, goodness knows, but short books on various things I do know are in the works, or at least on the list of things to write about. Thanks for all the encouragement. You created a monster. I doubt I'll ever get rich at it, or even just make a living at it, but with what I have done, I've managed to start making a few bucks a month at it, and that's always a help, since I can have it all directed to me as Amazon gift certificates, and that means I can shop essentially for free for things that are needed on the homestead. Books, tools, seeds, anything I can think of, I can almost always find on Amazon one way or another.
Which brings me to my usual point about now - freebies!!!!! I know you guys love these things, and some of you make a point of telling me so. This is what inspires me to keep on putting the daily list together for all of you - knowing that they are appreciated! Remember that they may not be free for very long, but they are free and at least three stars when I post them. Have fun collecting - I need to quit until I get some more converted to PDF in Calibre, as I have over 11,000!!!!!!!!! books on my Kindle for PC now, haha. Woops, think I got me a heck of a library of mostly cookbooks. Ooops.
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
Container Gardening Essentials : The Secrets to Growing Amazing Container Plants, Flowers and Edibles
Classic Italian Cuisine Cookbook - 80+ Delicious Italian Dishes - Seafood, Side Dishes, Soups and Salad Recipes
80 Tasty Italian Slow Cooker Recipes: (4 Volume Collection) The Classic Italian Slow Cooker Cookbook
The Economy Driven Cookbook
21 Classic Italian Holiday Cookies & Desserts (Delicious Assortment of Traditional Italian Cookie and Dessert Recipes)
Survival Pantry: Definitive Preppers Guide to Food and Water Storage, Canning, and Preservation (Prepper Survival Pantry - Can your own Food, Store Water, and Preserve your Food)
Best Ever Fruit Cobbler & Crisp Recipes (Best Ever Recipes Series)
Natural Colors to Dye For - How to use natural dyes from plants and fungi
Paleo Slow Cooker Beef Recipes: Simple Gluten Free Crockpot Recipes. (Paleo Slow Cooker Series)
I didn't even get out of the house, barring carrying water jugs in from the deck and putting them away, or taking the trash out of the house and putting it on the deck. Quentin was gone for a couple of hours to take yesterday's movie rentals back to the RedBox and fill up water jugs at the RedX gas station in Alpena. Once he got home, he hauled the jugs to the deck, and took the trash and burned it. He also cleaned out the van (it was still something of a disaster, and now it's clean, I have to clear out the winter's junk accumulation from the car) and burned that. Then he took Bouncer outside for about 20 minutes for a walk. However, after that, all he did was mess around with the truck exhaust to make it louder. As if you can't hear him from half a mile away on the mountain road as it is. Then he declared he had “done enough chores today,” played on his PS2 for a couple of hours, and took a nap.
Me? While he was gone, I made the bed, cleaned the cat box and added more litter to it, picked up all the trash in the house and got it out to the deck, swept down cobwebs and swept floors, and put new bags in all the trash cans. Also cleaned off my desk in the living room which, over the winter, became a trash collector, thanks to a certain person (*coughQuentincough*). After he got back and unloaded the water jugs, and they were in and stowed away in the water cabinet, I changed out the doody bag in the sawdust toity, refilled the sawdust bucket in the bathroom, put away the laundry that was done yesterday, picked up yesterday's dirty clothes off the floor and put them in the basket, knitted a few rows on yet another afghan I'm making, straightened out my craft stuff in the front bedroom, and put some old jeans (nearly new, but they were given to me by someone who either is trying to inspire me to lose weight or thinks I'm a lot smaller than I am, lol) on the local yardsale groups. Then I made myself dinner from some of yesterday's wild game dinner leftovers, caught up email, worked on writing on two of my books, and got in a shower so I'm fresh for work tomorrow. THEN I took an hour for a nap.
I still have to do some dishes tomorrow, but I'm just too worn out tonight to get on them. Plus I have more writing I want/need to do, ideas for other books to sketch out, knitting to do, finish up shortening down my “shopping list” for my seeds to get this year and store away, and I don't know what-all else. I'd have to look at my to-do-list from the back of beyond to find out.
Some of you have told me that with the way I write, and how it's obvious that I love words, that I should write books. I'm no novelist, goodness knows, but short books on various things I do know are in the works, or at least on the list of things to write about. Thanks for all the encouragement. You created a monster. I doubt I'll ever get rich at it, or even just make a living at it, but with what I have done, I've managed to start making a few bucks a month at it, and that's always a help, since I can have it all directed to me as Amazon gift certificates, and that means I can shop essentially for free for things that are needed on the homestead. Books, tools, seeds, anything I can think of, I can almost always find on Amazon one way or another.
Which brings me to my usual point about now - freebies!!!!! I know you guys love these things, and some of you make a point of telling me so. This is what inspires me to keep on putting the daily list together for all of you - knowing that they are appreciated! Remember that they may not be free for very long, but they are free and at least three stars when I post them. Have fun collecting - I need to quit until I get some more converted to PDF in Calibre, as I have over 11,000!!!!!!!!! books on my Kindle for PC now, haha. Woops, think I got me a heck of a library of mostly cookbooks. Ooops.
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
Container Gardening Essentials : The Secrets to Growing Amazing Container Plants, Flowers and Edibles
Classic Italian Cuisine Cookbook - 80+ Delicious Italian Dishes - Seafood, Side Dishes, Soups and Salad Recipes
80 Tasty Italian Slow Cooker Recipes: (4 Volume Collection) The Classic Italian Slow Cooker Cookbook
The Economy Driven Cookbook
21 Classic Italian Holiday Cookies & Desserts (Delicious Assortment of Traditional Italian Cookie and Dessert Recipes)
Survival Pantry: Definitive Preppers Guide to Food and Water Storage, Canning, and Preservation (Prepper Survival Pantry - Can your own Food, Store Water, and Preserve your Food)
Best Ever Fruit Cobbler & Crisp Recipes (Best Ever Recipes Series)
Natural Colors to Dye For - How to use natural dyes from plants and fungi
Paleo Slow Cooker Beef Recipes: Simple Gluten Free Crockpot Recipes. (Paleo Slow Cooker Series)
No work but a great day
Errand day today as always, but also a long one. One of the local churches puts on an annual Wild Game Dinner and Big Buck Contest, and this year, we finally got a chance to go this year. We ate far, far too much good food. To this point, I hadn't tried any wild game other than venison, because my family really isn't much for hunting. So I tried a couple bites of everything. Elk, antelope, rabbit (yeah, last time I had rabbit, I was six), bear, squirrel, gosh, Iost track of what all I tried. But it was a LOT of food. And they had take-home boxes, so we brought home leftovers. Oh yeah, I forgot the pheasant. And all the fish.
This means everything is late and nothing's doing tonight. Other than books. And time with the cats. And a movie - tonight is "Thor: The Dark World," which I've been wanting to see. Good times with a good movie, and right after a good dinner. What more can you ask for from a quiet Saturday night?
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
Knitting for Knitwits: The Quick and Easy Learn to Knit Guide (with six easy patterns) (Craft Instructables)
33 Amazing Recipes For Homemade Brownies - The Scrumptious Brownies Recipe Collection (The Brownie Recipe and Dessert Recipes Collection)
Beginner's Guide to Raised Bed Gardening: Grow your Own Salad Garden
Worm Farming ---- The Fun and Easy Way to Turn your Waste into Amazing Fertilizer!
50 Top Slow Cooker Recipes - Easy One Pot Recipes For The Whole Family (Easy and Healthy Cookbooks)
Paleo Breads: Easy and Delicious Paleo Bread, Muffin, Pancake and Waffle Recipes
Beanie Hat With Bunny - Easy Crochet Pattern
Grow thy Own: A Simple Guide to Organic Gardening
Insect Zapper: Natural Ways to Repel Insects
Wheat-Free Classics - Bread and Baking Recipes
21 FAVORITE PALEO DESSERT RECIPES (Everyday Paleo Recipes)
Basil Recipes: Cooking with the King of Herbs (Quick and Easy Series)
Paleo Slow Cooker Cookbook: 60 Healthy Recipes to Make Life Easier (Paleo Diet Recipes)
Almond Flour Recipes: An Alternative to Wheat Flour Cookbook for Celiac, Paleo, and Gluten Free Diets (Quick and Easy Series)
Vegan Italian Recipes: Delicious Gluten Free Recipes for Appetizers, Pastas, Lasagnas, Pizzas, Stromboli's, and Desserts (Quick and Easy Series)
Best Chicken Breeds: 12 Types of Hens that Lay Lots of Eggs, Make Good Pets, and Fit in Small Yards (Booklet)
Vegan Slow Cooker Recipes: 125 Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooker Recipes that Taste Delicious
How to Organize Your Kitchen - 189 Great Kitchen Organization Tips and Ideas
36 Recipes For Beef Soup - The Easy Beef Soup Recipe Collection (The Amazing Recipes for Soup and Ultimate Soup Recipes Collection)
History Lover's Cookbook
Make and Freeze Recipes: Great Foods You Can Cook, Freeze, and Use Quickly and Easily (Eat Better For Less Guides)
This means everything is late and nothing's doing tonight. Other than books. And time with the cats. And a movie - tonight is "Thor: The Dark World," which I've been wanting to see. Good times with a good movie, and right after a good dinner. What more can you ask for from a quiet Saturday night?
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
Knitting for Knitwits: The Quick and Easy Learn to Knit Guide (with six easy patterns) (Craft Instructables)
33 Amazing Recipes For Homemade Brownies - The Scrumptious Brownies Recipe Collection (The Brownie Recipe and Dessert Recipes Collection)
Beginner's Guide to Raised Bed Gardening: Grow your Own Salad Garden
Worm Farming ---- The Fun and Easy Way to Turn your Waste into Amazing Fertilizer!
50 Top Slow Cooker Recipes - Easy One Pot Recipes For The Whole Family (Easy and Healthy Cookbooks)
Paleo Breads: Easy and Delicious Paleo Bread, Muffin, Pancake and Waffle Recipes
Beanie Hat With Bunny - Easy Crochet Pattern
Grow thy Own: A Simple Guide to Organic Gardening
Insect Zapper: Natural Ways to Repel Insects
Wheat-Free Classics - Bread and Baking Recipes
21 FAVORITE PALEO DESSERT RECIPES (Everyday Paleo Recipes)
Basil Recipes: Cooking with the King of Herbs (Quick and Easy Series)
Paleo Slow Cooker Cookbook: 60 Healthy Recipes to Make Life Easier (Paleo Diet Recipes)
Almond Flour Recipes: An Alternative to Wheat Flour Cookbook for Celiac, Paleo, and Gluten Free Diets (Quick and Easy Series)
Vegan Italian Recipes: Delicious Gluten Free Recipes for Appetizers, Pastas, Lasagnas, Pizzas, Stromboli's, and Desserts (Quick and Easy Series)
Best Chicken Breeds: 12 Types of Hens that Lay Lots of Eggs, Make Good Pets, and Fit in Small Yards (Booklet)
Vegan Slow Cooker Recipes: 125 Quick and Easy Vegan Slow Cooker Recipes that Taste Delicious
How to Organize Your Kitchen - 189 Great Kitchen Organization Tips and Ideas
36 Recipes For Beef Soup - The Easy Beef Soup Recipe Collection (The Amazing Recipes for Soup and Ultimate Soup Recipes Collection)
History Lover's Cookbook
Make and Freeze Recipes: Great Foods You Can Cook, Freeze, and Use Quickly and Easily (Eat Better For Less Guides)
Friday, March 28, 2014
Rainy evening again
So it's time for more indoors stuff, lol. I don't mind. If I can't get outside, trust me, on a five-acre homestead in the making, there is always something to do somewhere. I'd planned on getting trash out and burnt and getting some more wood cut today, but when I got out of work, it was raining steady and that squelched that idea. By the time I got home, I had just about enough time to get inside and hang up my coat before it started drumming hard on the roof again. If nothing else, the seasonal creek at the bottom of the mountain is running full, so the wildlife has plenty to drink right now. The ranchers are happy, because steady rain like this for a few weeks in early spring means three or more good harvests of hay as long as we don't get a major summer drought like we did a couple of years ago. Ranchers then were lucky to get two cuttings, and the second was pretty horrible. Hay prices shot up everywhere due to lack of hay, and you know that meant a lot of cattle got sent to the slaughterhouses so that ranchers wouldn't have to feed them over the winter, too. It was awful. The area still hasn't completely recovered from it. I'm sure other places around the country that got hard-hit haven't completely recovered, either.
So much to do, so little gumption to do it. I think tonight's going to be a wasted night, because I'm just whipped from this week. It's been hard, and getting back into the swing of things as far as getting stuff done outdoors now that I can GET outdoors again most days is just making me more tired. Add in all the rain, and it really gets to you.
I did have fun with HughesNet yesterday evening. Our bill is generated the 28th of the month, and Quentin and I checked to see what it was supposed to be. Somehow, it went from what is should be up to nearly $90. No, no, no. That is not right. So I spent some time on the phone with a lovely rep last night and she got it fixed before the bill was generated today. Seems when Quentin called a couple of weeks ago to add me to the account and have all the one month free extras taken off, all the rep then did was make a note about it and didn't do his job. The gal I got last night looked back at the notes, and fixed things, including removing all the unnecessary antivirus (have my own, thanks), and express service stuff (I can probably fix it myself, thanks) that added the extra money on the bill. Hopefully, the OTHER rep will get yelled at, but I ain't holding my breath. I didn't fall off the turnip truck this morning, after all!
Some sadness tonight, though, left from late yesterday. One of my friends from church back home posted on her Facebook that an older lady we all know and love from church had passed. Everybody knows her and her husband as Gramma Faye and Grampa Chuck. Chuck likes to give hugs to EVERYBODY, and Faye has always been a pillar with loads of hugs as well. Chuck is apparently not doing too well with this, and no wonder, as they have been together for forever. Well, over 50 years, and these days, with the divorce rate the way it is, that is just about as close to forver as you can get.
And remember how I mentioned Crossroads Village? Faye (Margaret) worked there for 35 years as a volunteer and employee as "Mrs. Eldridge" in the Eldridge house. She also put on 4th of July ice cream socials at the Eldridge house, and will be missed by everyone there. The Village did a lovely photo of her at work as "Mrs. Eldridge," located here:
Mrs. Margaret (Faye) Smith as Mrs. Eldridge at Crossroads Village
I'm gonna be a wreck this weekend and Monday, which is her funeral, because I so want to be there and can't be. Four states is a bit far away on a tight budget and especially when I can't get bereavement time for a non-relative. Even if she WAS a substitute Gramma. So pardon while I drown my sorrows over the next few days with Irish step dancing videos and Coke (soda, not the drug, lol) and don't seem to be quite myself. I know you will all join me in praying and sending good thoughts the way of her family, especially Chuck. Goodness knows what he's going to do, he's not been well of late, either, so it likely won't be long before "Mr. Eldridge" joins the Mrs.
Not too many books tonight - the majority of what I could find were junk "cookbooks" and weren't worth the bother of posting them. What I could find that seems good is here, though.
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
Christmas Cookies - Just Like Your Mother Use To Make
Starting a New Garden (VOL. 2): How to Plant Seeds and Seedlings, Care for Your Plants, and Grow 12 Simple Vegetables, Plus Shade Gardening (Growing Organic Vegetables at Home)
Knitting Scarves For Beginners (Learn How to Knit)
Container Gardening For Beginners : A Comprehensive Guide For Growing Plants In A Limited Space
So much to do, so little gumption to do it. I think tonight's going to be a wasted night, because I'm just whipped from this week. It's been hard, and getting back into the swing of things as far as getting stuff done outdoors now that I can GET outdoors again most days is just making me more tired. Add in all the rain, and it really gets to you.
I did have fun with HughesNet yesterday evening. Our bill is generated the 28th of the month, and Quentin and I checked to see what it was supposed to be. Somehow, it went from what is should be up to nearly $90. No, no, no. That is not right. So I spent some time on the phone with a lovely rep last night and she got it fixed before the bill was generated today. Seems when Quentin called a couple of weeks ago to add me to the account and have all the one month free extras taken off, all the rep then did was make a note about it and didn't do his job. The gal I got last night looked back at the notes, and fixed things, including removing all the unnecessary antivirus (have my own, thanks), and express service stuff (I can probably fix it myself, thanks) that added the extra money on the bill. Hopefully, the OTHER rep will get yelled at, but I ain't holding my breath. I didn't fall off the turnip truck this morning, after all!
Some sadness tonight, though, left from late yesterday. One of my friends from church back home posted on her Facebook that an older lady we all know and love from church had passed. Everybody knows her and her husband as Gramma Faye and Grampa Chuck. Chuck likes to give hugs to EVERYBODY, and Faye has always been a pillar with loads of hugs as well. Chuck is apparently not doing too well with this, and no wonder, as they have been together for forever. Well, over 50 years, and these days, with the divorce rate the way it is, that is just about as close to forver as you can get.
And remember how I mentioned Crossroads Village? Faye (Margaret) worked there for 35 years as a volunteer and employee as "Mrs. Eldridge" in the Eldridge house. She also put on 4th of July ice cream socials at the Eldridge house, and will be missed by everyone there. The Village did a lovely photo of her at work as "Mrs. Eldridge," located here:
Mrs. Margaret (Faye) Smith as Mrs. Eldridge at Crossroads Village
I'm gonna be a wreck this weekend and Monday, which is her funeral, because I so want to be there and can't be. Four states is a bit far away on a tight budget and especially when I can't get bereavement time for a non-relative. Even if she WAS a substitute Gramma. So pardon while I drown my sorrows over the next few days with Irish step dancing videos and Coke (soda, not the drug, lol) and don't seem to be quite myself. I know you will all join me in praying and sending good thoughts the way of her family, especially Chuck. Goodness knows what he's going to do, he's not been well of late, either, so it likely won't be long before "Mr. Eldridge" joins the Mrs.
Not too many books tonight - the majority of what I could find were junk "cookbooks" and weren't worth the bother of posting them. What I could find that seems good is here, though.
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
Christmas Cookies - Just Like Your Mother Use To Make
Starting a New Garden (VOL. 2): How to Plant Seeds and Seedlings, Care for Your Plants, and Grow 12 Simple Vegetables, Plus Shade Gardening (Growing Organic Vegetables at Home)Knitting Scarves For Beginners (Learn How to Knit)
Container Gardening For Beginners : A Comprehensive Guide For Growing Plants In A Limited Space
Thursday, March 27, 2014
Trashy trashy burny burny!
Today wasn't a firewood day. Today was a "since I cleaned up enough wood laying around to expose more junky, nasty trash, I need to haul it to the burn pit and light it off" day. So that's what I did when I got home. It isn't much, but it makes a bigger difference than you would think. Still haven't heard on my shift transfer at work yet, but that will come along I am sure. Hopefully tomorrow, assuming my supervisor remembers to look at his mailbox! Even my lead (boss), Anne, is asking me now if I've heard. Not a peep, and it's irritating. Ah well.
Internet income is slowly coming up. This month, it's up to around $90. Not too shabby. Too bad everything I do holds back payment a month, lol. It's not much but it would be nice to have on hand pretty quick. Gosh, just had to turn the little radiator heater off in here, it's that hot. (Quentin turned it on for some reason after I left for work and didn't turn it off again ... now it's so hot in here, I'm sweating, whew!) Right now, it's in the mid 60sF outside, but we've got more clouds rolling in, so I guess it's a good thing the mini fire of trash is pretty well out.
The fire pit I built works out great for the bigger stuff, or for burning brush, or big piles of the last tenant's trash that was all left behind. Those of you who have been around for the whole journey remember the pictures of what the place looked like originally, and it wasn't pretty. Several months, and I do mean MONTHS of cleaning had to happen for this place to become liveable, and that was just the house. The property itself is another kettle of fish, being tackled about 25 square feet at a time. Clear the brush and scrub and kudzu from a 5' x 5' space, then pick up all the big trash, then rake it up for all the small stuff. Ugh, ugh, ugh. And there are still 4 1/2 acres to do all the cutting on, but thankfully, only about half to three-quarters of an acre left that actively got trashed to clean up as well.
We have made arrangements that even if we move out of here, we can still come back to cut brush and trees and such for firewood as long as we clean the mess up while we are at it. For free firewood access, I'm all for it. Heck, some of the stuff we cut down originally two summers ago is already grown back enough that I have to cut it back again, it's nearly two inches across again already, and tall as well, so there's several good small logs in the recutting. Heh heh heh. Them trees is coming DOWN. And eventually going up - in smoke.
So, anyhow, books. I'm pooped and it's going to be an early bedtime for me. See you all later!
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
Soulful Gardening: 52 Weekly Tips for Getting the Most from Your Garden
Rhubarb, the Pie Plant
Herbal Tea Recipes: Refreshingly Quick, And Easy to Make Tea Recipes That Are Healing, Nutritious, Relaxing, and Energizing!
Soap Made Easy: An Easy Introduction to Making All-Natural Soap From Scratch
Keeping Chickens: A Beginner's Guide
Homemade Cheese - The Ultimate Recipe Guide
Slouchy Hat Knitting Pattern
Internet income is slowly coming up. This month, it's up to around $90. Not too shabby. Too bad everything I do holds back payment a month, lol. It's not much but it would be nice to have on hand pretty quick. Gosh, just had to turn the little radiator heater off in here, it's that hot. (Quentin turned it on for some reason after I left for work and didn't turn it off again ... now it's so hot in here, I'm sweating, whew!) Right now, it's in the mid 60sF outside, but we've got more clouds rolling in, so I guess it's a good thing the mini fire of trash is pretty well out.
The fire pit I built works out great for the bigger stuff, or for burning brush, or big piles of the last tenant's trash that was all left behind. Those of you who have been around for the whole journey remember the pictures of what the place looked like originally, and it wasn't pretty. Several months, and I do mean MONTHS of cleaning had to happen for this place to become liveable, and that was just the house. The property itself is another kettle of fish, being tackled about 25 square feet at a time. Clear the brush and scrub and kudzu from a 5' x 5' space, then pick up all the big trash, then rake it up for all the small stuff. Ugh, ugh, ugh. And there are still 4 1/2 acres to do all the cutting on, but thankfully, only about half to three-quarters of an acre left that actively got trashed to clean up as well.
We have made arrangements that even if we move out of here, we can still come back to cut brush and trees and such for firewood as long as we clean the mess up while we are at it. For free firewood access, I'm all for it. Heck, some of the stuff we cut down originally two summers ago is already grown back enough that I have to cut it back again, it's nearly two inches across again already, and tall as well, so there's several good small logs in the recutting. Heh heh heh. Them trees is coming DOWN. And eventually going up - in smoke.
So, anyhow, books. I'm pooped and it's going to be an early bedtime for me. See you all later!
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
Soulful Gardening: 52 Weekly Tips for Getting the Most from Your Garden
Rhubarb, the Pie Plant
Herbal Tea Recipes: Refreshingly Quick, And Easy to Make Tea Recipes That Are Healing, Nutritious, Relaxing, and Energizing!
Soap Made Easy: An Easy Introduction to Making All-Natural Soap From Scratch
Keeping Chickens: A Beginner's Guide
Homemade Cheese - The Ultimate Recipe Guide
Slouchy Hat Knitting Pattern
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
Rainy day
And I'm okay with it. It was threatening here when I left work, and the newscast on the breakroom TV was saying it was already raining to the west of us in Fayetteville, so I knew by the time I got home, it wasn't very likely I'd get much, if anything, done outside today. I was right. It was sprinkling when I got home, and the yard light was already on, so that ended that idea! And as I finished up supper, and started to write this, the rain started to drum on the roof. But it's fine, I have a lot of things to catch up on indoor anyhow. There's some knitting to do, my book to work on, those pots to wash, some stuff to root out and get up on the local Facebook yard sale groups, and most importantly, call my Mom.
We talk every week or so and tonight's a good night for it. I'm not over tired, it's raining, and it gets me out of household chores for about an hour, lol. Seriously, I love my Mom and talking to her is sometimes the high point of my week. She is 66 now and I know enjoys our calls as much as I do. We talk about EVERYTHING. People I remember from back home, changes that have happened, stuff my daughter Amber is up to, stuff I'm up to, and anything that strikes our fancy. So you can imagine it is kind of important to us to talk regularly.
I did have to make a stop on the way home at the grocer's, because we were out of butter. The lady in front of me was buying all kinds of JUNK "food" - aka, stuff that wasn't really food. I kid you not, she bought about $40 worth of nothing but ice cream! Argh! And then she's standing there griping how her kids and her are "so fat." Well, how about cutting back on the junk, it might help! Reminds me of the gal in front of us at WalMart last weekend. She didn't have enough to get everything she had in her cart, so she had to put some stuff back. What does she keep? You guessed it, the junk food that has absolutely NO nutritional value at all. What does she put back? If you guessed the meat and canned fruits/veggies, ring-a-ding-ding, we have a winner, folks! If I'd had the money to spare, I would have paid for her to have the other stuff, just so she would have some decent food. It about made me want to cry and then throw up.
I just don't understand how some people can consider all that stuff as "food." It's not even food, for heaven's sake, it's bleeding well air and some seasonings and a lot of chemicals for color and "flavor" and no real food to speak of in it at all. Then they laugh because I'm getting things like flour, sugar, salt, herbs and spices, butter, shortening, oil, fruits, veggies, etc. They wonder what I can do to make that edible. "Here, get some of this Name Brand Yucky Fake Pasta Inna Can! It's got meat and stuff in it, that means it's healthy!" *rolls eyes* Please, someone just shoot me and put me out of my misery with these folks, will ya? It's no wonder the world has gone to H**l in a handbasket with the food supply, because people just have no clue where food comes from or what real food is.
Which reminds me - real food for dinner tonight as always, haha. I mentioned supper, and you are probably wondering what in heck I managed this time. Chicken alfredo with veggies - julienned a carrot, threw in a handful of broccoli florets, and added a bit of red bell pepper for color and flavor. Om nom nom nom. Quentin better be careful. This stuff is so good, he might not get any, lol.
So anyhow, tonight is a short missive, because I have something really super important to do, and need to get to it as soon as I can. Hugs, till next time.
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
Healthy Crock Pot Recipes: Easy Delicious and Healthy Crock Pot Recipes Your Family Will Love (The Best Healthy Recipes)
Paleo Italian Slow Cooker Cookbook Quick & Easy Slow Cooker Meals For Busy Women
Slow Cooker Dessert Recipes - 30 Simple and Easy Slow Cooker Dessert Recipes (Slow Cooker Desserts, Slow Cooker Dessert Recipes, Crock Pot Desserts, Slow Cooker Recipes Quick and Easy)
Companion Container Gardening: Using Easy Companion Planting Techniques to Get More from Your Small Space (Organic Gardening Beginners Planting Guides)
Camping Recipes: Foil Packet Cooking
Slow Cooker Chicken, Pork, Beef & Beans Soup Recipes - 35 BEST CROCK-POT RECIPES WITH PICTURES
Backyard Chickens Book Package: The Backyard Chickens Handbook and The Backyard Chickens Breed Guide (Modern Homesteading)
Unusual Medicinal Herbs (Herbal Medicine from Your Garden or Windowsill) - What I find interesting is the gal who gave it 3 stars because it wasn't "practical" for her at this time.
We talk every week or so and tonight's a good night for it. I'm not over tired, it's raining, and it gets me out of household chores for about an hour, lol. Seriously, I love my Mom and talking to her is sometimes the high point of my week. She is 66 now and I know enjoys our calls as much as I do. We talk about EVERYTHING. People I remember from back home, changes that have happened, stuff my daughter Amber is up to, stuff I'm up to, and anything that strikes our fancy. So you can imagine it is kind of important to us to talk regularly.
I did have to make a stop on the way home at the grocer's, because we were out of butter. The lady in front of me was buying all kinds of JUNK "food" - aka, stuff that wasn't really food. I kid you not, she bought about $40 worth of nothing but ice cream! Argh! And then she's standing there griping how her kids and her are "so fat." Well, how about cutting back on the junk, it might help! Reminds me of the gal in front of us at WalMart last weekend. She didn't have enough to get everything she had in her cart, so she had to put some stuff back. What does she keep? You guessed it, the junk food that has absolutely NO nutritional value at all. What does she put back? If you guessed the meat and canned fruits/veggies, ring-a-ding-ding, we have a winner, folks! If I'd had the money to spare, I would have paid for her to have the other stuff, just so she would have some decent food. It about made me want to cry and then throw up.
I just don't understand how some people can consider all that stuff as "food." It's not even food, for heaven's sake, it's bleeding well air and some seasonings and a lot of chemicals for color and "flavor" and no real food to speak of in it at all. Then they laugh because I'm getting things like flour, sugar, salt, herbs and spices, butter, shortening, oil, fruits, veggies, etc. They wonder what I can do to make that edible. "Here, get some of this Name Brand Yucky Fake Pasta Inna Can! It's got meat and stuff in it, that means it's healthy!" *rolls eyes* Please, someone just shoot me and put me out of my misery with these folks, will ya? It's no wonder the world has gone to H**l in a handbasket with the food supply, because people just have no clue where food comes from or what real food is.
Which reminds me - real food for dinner tonight as always, haha. I mentioned supper, and you are probably wondering what in heck I managed this time. Chicken alfredo with veggies - julienned a carrot, threw in a handful of broccoli florets, and added a bit of red bell pepper for color and flavor. Om nom nom nom. Quentin better be careful. This stuff is so good, he might not get any, lol.
So anyhow, tonight is a short missive, because I have something really super important to do, and need to get to it as soon as I can. Hugs, till next time.
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
Healthy Crock Pot Recipes: Easy Delicious and Healthy Crock Pot Recipes Your Family Will Love (The Best Healthy Recipes)
Paleo Italian Slow Cooker Cookbook Quick & Easy Slow Cooker Meals For Busy Women
Slow Cooker Dessert Recipes - 30 Simple and Easy Slow Cooker Dessert Recipes (Slow Cooker Desserts, Slow Cooker Dessert Recipes, Crock Pot Desserts, Slow Cooker Recipes Quick and Easy)
Companion Container Gardening: Using Easy Companion Planting Techniques to Get More from Your Small Space (Organic Gardening Beginners Planting Guides)
Camping Recipes: Foil Packet Cooking
Slow Cooker Chicken, Pork, Beef & Beans Soup Recipes - 35 BEST CROCK-POT RECIPES WITH PICTURES
Backyard Chickens Book Package: The Backyard Chickens Handbook and The Backyard Chickens Breed Guide (Modern Homesteading)
Unusual Medicinal Herbs (Herbal Medicine from Your Garden or Windowsill) - What I find interesting is the gal who gave it 3 stars because it wasn't "practical" for her at this time.
Tuesday, March 25, 2014
Outside fun
Today was pretty good. We got a new person in my section to learn the job, transferring from another department. I don't know her name, but she's good, and has done similar stuff before, so she's picking it up quickly. She said she put in for her departmental transfer on Valentine's Day, so we're talking five or six weeks she's waited. Another gal who recently transferred from second shift to first shift in my department said hers only took two weeks but she did it on a hardship transfer. I put mine down as hardship/transportation, so here's hoping that a new person means good news for me towards the end of the week. I'd really like to get on a diferent schedule so I can make more money, lol. (I'm not greedy, but I really would like to get completely out of debt. Regular bills don't count.)
And getting home was nice, despite a bit of a breeze and temps not really super warm yet. I got out with tools as soon as I tucked away my lunchbag, and got about an hour in of log-cutting before the wind got a bit too brisk and chilled me. But that's more wood cut up for the pile for "if we ever get a woodstove in" haha. I think it could happen this summer if all goes well with finances, and we don't have any major setbacks.
I did have to stop on the way home at the dollar store - I was out of steel wool pads, and need some. I've got a couple of pans soaking from last night's dishwashing that got stuff stuck on them. So when I finished dishes, I just poured the soapy dishwater into the pans and left them to sit. - yeah, I know, dirty, but what the heck, it was soapy so it'll soak the crud off and leave me not having to kill myself for letting stuff get stuck in the first place. Love my stainless, but there are days I would happily kill for a woodstove and properly seasoned cast iron so stuff would just clean right out in man's original invention of "teflon."
But in stopping there, I made a nice discovery. They have a small - very small - selection of seeds at 25c a packet. ALL HEIRLOOMS! Once we are back to full paychecks next week, I am going to get a small tote to store seed packets in and start hitting up the dollar stores and such and buying them out of heirloom and open-pollinated veggies and flowers. Flowers can always be swapped for something I want or sold. Veggies get KEPT, lol. That is going to start being a nice little score every week once things get straightened out financially, because of all the time Quentin's taken off to fix the van.
I'll be glad, too, when May gets here, because in late May, that stupid garnishment kicks out for at least a couple of weeks, and I can put in for selling my vacation days back and getting the money. I don't really like taking time off work anyhow, never quite know what to do with myself. When I was unemployed for 18 months, that was more "vacation" than I really needed, lol. Even when the kids were little and I worked for Mom for 12 1/2 years, I never took a vacation. Sick days, yes. Vacations, no. But I have plans for the money - my new laptop. This one still works fine, but it needs a good cleaning and to have some of the key contacts regilded so the keys work better. The A and the spacebar are especially troublesome of late. So I want to replace this one and then get this one fixed up a bit, because Quentin wants to learn to use a computer, of all things! He got hooked a little bit when he had to do his app for rehire at the plant on computer, and now he is anxious for me to get a new one for myself and fix this one for him to play with.
But that is my day in a nutshell. Thanks to everyone for all the kind words over time about how you like to read my little missives. It makes it all worth it. Though I do have to agree with something one of my high school buddies said yesterday on Facebook - your life never really seems all that boring until someone asks you, "So, what do you do for fun?" Yeh, when my fun involves cleaning house, gardening, knitting, reading, cutting firewood .... ummm ... yeah. Might be boring but I enjoy the heck out of it!
In the meantime, while the sun finishes setting behind the neighboring ridgeline, I'll find y'all some hopefully still free books!
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
Coffee Cakes and Pound Cakes (Delicious Recipes) - In my family, company means you make coffee or hot tea, and bring out the "company snacks" - either coffee cake or cookies or something to nosh on while you are chatting and sipping.
Backyard Chickens For Preppers (Survival Prepping For Hard Times)
Polly Dunegan's 20 Amazing Gluten-Free Bread Recipes (Gluten Solution)
Slow Cooker Desserts - As if I REALLY need more reasons to pull out the crockpot!
Grandmother's Natural Medicines: The complete guide by the wisdom of grandmothers
Potato Cookbook: Tantalize Your Taste Buds with Delicious Potato Treats
Raised Bed Gardening System: A book on soil, irrigation, designs and ideas for growing vegetables (Vegetable Gardening)
Household DIY: Turn bar soaps to liquid soap and save money!!! - Personally, I just dump all the bits and bobs into a soap saver and call it done.
Boxed Set 3 Gift Ideas and Gift Baskets
30 Delicious Family Favorite Cake Recipes
Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes: 50 Quick & Easy Chicken Breasts, Thighs and Wings for Your Crock Pot
Natural Cleaning Solutions:: 37+ Simple, Eco-Friendly Recipes For Everyday Cleaning (100% Safe Ingredients)
21 FAVORITE PALEO PORK RECIPES (Everyday Paleo Recipes)
And getting home was nice, despite a bit of a breeze and temps not really super warm yet. I got out with tools as soon as I tucked away my lunchbag, and got about an hour in of log-cutting before the wind got a bit too brisk and chilled me. But that's more wood cut up for the pile for "if we ever get a woodstove in" haha. I think it could happen this summer if all goes well with finances, and we don't have any major setbacks.
I did have to stop on the way home at the dollar store - I was out of steel wool pads, and need some. I've got a couple of pans soaking from last night's dishwashing that got stuff stuck on them. So when I finished dishes, I just poured the soapy dishwater into the pans and left them to sit. - yeah, I know, dirty, but what the heck, it was soapy so it'll soak the crud off and leave me not having to kill myself for letting stuff get stuck in the first place. Love my stainless, but there are days I would happily kill for a woodstove and properly seasoned cast iron so stuff would just clean right out in man's original invention of "teflon."
But in stopping there, I made a nice discovery. They have a small - very small - selection of seeds at 25c a packet. ALL HEIRLOOMS! Once we are back to full paychecks next week, I am going to get a small tote to store seed packets in and start hitting up the dollar stores and such and buying them out of heirloom and open-pollinated veggies and flowers. Flowers can always be swapped for something I want or sold. Veggies get KEPT, lol. That is going to start being a nice little score every week once things get straightened out financially, because of all the time Quentin's taken off to fix the van.
I'll be glad, too, when May gets here, because in late May, that stupid garnishment kicks out for at least a couple of weeks, and I can put in for selling my vacation days back and getting the money. I don't really like taking time off work anyhow, never quite know what to do with myself. When I was unemployed for 18 months, that was more "vacation" than I really needed, lol. Even when the kids were little and I worked for Mom for 12 1/2 years, I never took a vacation. Sick days, yes. Vacations, no. But I have plans for the money - my new laptop. This one still works fine, but it needs a good cleaning and to have some of the key contacts regilded so the keys work better. The A and the spacebar are especially troublesome of late. So I want to replace this one and then get this one fixed up a bit, because Quentin wants to learn to use a computer, of all things! He got hooked a little bit when he had to do his app for rehire at the plant on computer, and now he is anxious for me to get a new one for myself and fix this one for him to play with.
But that is my day in a nutshell. Thanks to everyone for all the kind words over time about how you like to read my little missives. It makes it all worth it. Though I do have to agree with something one of my high school buddies said yesterday on Facebook - your life never really seems all that boring until someone asks you, "So, what do you do for fun?" Yeh, when my fun involves cleaning house, gardening, knitting, reading, cutting firewood .... ummm ... yeah. Might be boring but I enjoy the heck out of it!
In the meantime, while the sun finishes setting behind the neighboring ridgeline, I'll find y'all some hopefully still free books!
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
Coffee Cakes and Pound Cakes (Delicious Recipes) - In my family, company means you make coffee or hot tea, and bring out the "company snacks" - either coffee cake or cookies or something to nosh on while you are chatting and sipping.
Backyard Chickens For Preppers (Survival Prepping For Hard Times)
Polly Dunegan's 20 Amazing Gluten-Free Bread Recipes (Gluten Solution)
Slow Cooker Desserts - As if I REALLY need more reasons to pull out the crockpot!
Grandmother's Natural Medicines: The complete guide by the wisdom of grandmothers
Potato Cookbook: Tantalize Your Taste Buds with Delicious Potato Treats
Raised Bed Gardening System: A book on soil, irrigation, designs and ideas for growing vegetables (Vegetable Gardening)
Household DIY: Turn bar soaps to liquid soap and save money!!! - Personally, I just dump all the bits and bobs into a soap saver and call it done.
Boxed Set 3 Gift Ideas and Gift Baskets
30 Delicious Family Favorite Cake Recipes
Slow Cooker Chicken Recipes: 50 Quick & Easy Chicken Breasts, Thighs and Wings for Your Crock Pot
Natural Cleaning Solutions:: 37+ Simple, Eco-Friendly Recipes For Everyday Cleaning (100% Safe Ingredients)
21 FAVORITE PALEO PORK RECIPES (Everyday Paleo Recipes)
Monday, March 24, 2014
Brrrr ...
I think Lady Spring has either sprung a leak or is bipolar and off her meds. It's blasted cold again today. And tonight, it's threatening to rain. I did get a tiny bit done outside today cutting some wood for about fifteen minutes before my chainsaw quit on me, but to it's credit, I was cutting through some thicker than usual oak. That's gonna take a toll on a battery operated saw. What I need to do is get me a nice bucksaw, nothing too huge, just enough to deal with all the stupid small stuff I have to deal with, so I don't have to mess so often with various things that happen when you have a motor involved. I can't help it - motorized stuff bugs me to no end. I live with powered vehicles and machinery, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.
My family swears I was born about 100 years too late, lol. Back home, there's a county park venue that is an historical re-enactment village, called Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroad. I always loved going there, and when the time comes for a pilgrimage back home for a visit, I am sooo going. Including the 45-minute train ride. If you are ever near Genesee County, Michigan (county seat, the not-so-great city of Flint - yeah, the same one that's always getting panned for crime and everything), be sure to go to the northernmost part of the county and visit Crossroads. It's one thing I really miss. Yeah, the Ozarks has Silver Dollar City, but it's more of an amusement park with an old-fashioned theme to it. Crossroads is all 1850s buildings from all over Genesee County, and the people who work there have to wear period dress and everything, and even do demos of the kinds of skills people used in those days. The blacksmith does metalwork, the toy barn makes toys with pedal powered tools (I loved the pedal powered jigsaw and lathe in there!), there's even a barn and a schoolhouse and a church where they do actual special services and weddings.
The schoolhouse is most folks first introduction to the village, as every middle school has a day sometime in the year where the girls all have to make a mobcap and all the kids have to wear something resembling period dress so they can get bussed to the village and attend school like our pioneer ancestors did, complete with slates and chalk and McGuffey's Readers! When the church does special services, men and women sit on opposite sides of the aisles, just as in the old days. The doctor has an herb garden, there's an old fashioned barber shop and opera house where shows are put on, and a restaurant, and pretty much everything. And you're probably asking why they called the train the Huckleberry Railroad. The train is an authentic narrow-guage steam locomotive which runs on part of the original tracks that ran from Flint to Pere Marquette. The story for the train goes that it ran so slow at times that passengers could jump off the front cars, grab a few handfuls of huckleberries off the bushes that grew in profusion next to the tracks, and hop back on at the caboose. (Yeah, you can tell I've been there LOTS of times, lol.) I always felt a close affinity for the place, and loved going there any time of the year. (The Christmas light show drive-through and walk-through are amazing, especially the Tree of Lights - they take a tree by the train depot and literally wrap it in white miniature lights, so that every tip of every single branch has a light on it. It comes out to about a million lights a year on that thing!)
So because of all the time I spent there, and all the knowledge I soaked up and all, then add in my love of homesteading and all it entails, and you can understand why my family has often said that I was born a century out of date. Life then wasn't easier than now, or better, but simpler, and I think a lot of the love I have for homesteading is the ability to simplify our complex world down to a way of living that comes as close as we can these days to life back then. Of course, given a chance to live then, I'd mostly fit right in, I think. I am just that old-fashioned in so many ways.
With it threatening to rain tonight, the boys and I are hunkering in the bedroom tonight for comfort. I just finished dinner (penne pasta, chicken, spinach and carrots in a garlic-butter sauce I threw together, though I got a bit too much garlic on it. WHEW!). The boys are snuggled up on the other half of the bed engaging in their mutual bathing committee. It's so funny to watch them washing each other in all the spots they can't reach for themselves, and they will go at it for an hour or more. Gotta make sure their gorgeous fur stays that way, ya know!
So that's been my day, mostly, and I think I'll go see what I can find in the way of books for y'all. Hugs everybody, I'm off to have fun and relax! Oh hey, I got my SD card slot and the lappy to be friends again, so here's a few pictures for you!
This is from the last snowfall, looking off the deck towards the mountain road as it passes the bottom of our place. You can see my "solar clothes dryer" (aka the clothesline) in the photo.
This is taken on the deck, looking back towards the two junk trailers. You can see our tv satellite dish. All the snow looked so much like fairyland - till about noon when it hit near 60F after only 30F or so the day before. By noon that day, the snow had all melted away. Yes, there were spots that morning that had no snow at all and were slightly green!
And this was Smudge last night on the end of Quentin's side of the bed, all comfy and sprawled in a bit of last-minute sunshine.
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
Only a few tonight as it's Monday - wait till later in the week, I'll inundate y'all again!
Permaculture Chicken: Pasture Basics
Creative Homemaking Guide to Make-a-Mix Recipes - I smell money from making these up in small batches to sell at the farmer's market!
29 Gluten Free Cookie Recipes - Mouthwatering Gluten Free Cookies To Try Today (Gluten Free Cookbook - The Gluten Free Recipes Collection)
Top 50 Most Delicious Spinach Recipes (Superfood Recipes)
How To Crochet Vol. I. A Complete Beginners Guide with Step by Step instructions with Pictures!: Learn the Basics from Hook Selection , Yarn type and the Different Patterns. Become an Expert - Wasn't someone asking about learning to crochet a bit ago?
THE EVERYDAY CAR PHYSICIAN: THE EVERY DAY CAR Home-care tips your mechanic wont reveal to you. (THE CAR PHYSICIAN SERIES) - Really could have used something like this these last few weeks, ya know?
My family swears I was born about 100 years too late, lol. Back home, there's a county park venue that is an historical re-enactment village, called Crossroads Village and Huckleberry Railroad. I always loved going there, and when the time comes for a pilgrimage back home for a visit, I am sooo going. Including the 45-minute train ride. If you are ever near Genesee County, Michigan (county seat, the not-so-great city of Flint - yeah, the same one that's always getting panned for crime and everything), be sure to go to the northernmost part of the county and visit Crossroads. It's one thing I really miss. Yeah, the Ozarks has Silver Dollar City, but it's more of an amusement park with an old-fashioned theme to it. Crossroads is all 1850s buildings from all over Genesee County, and the people who work there have to wear period dress and everything, and even do demos of the kinds of skills people used in those days. The blacksmith does metalwork, the toy barn makes toys with pedal powered tools (I loved the pedal powered jigsaw and lathe in there!), there's even a barn and a schoolhouse and a church where they do actual special services and weddings.
The schoolhouse is most folks first introduction to the village, as every middle school has a day sometime in the year where the girls all have to make a mobcap and all the kids have to wear something resembling period dress so they can get bussed to the village and attend school like our pioneer ancestors did, complete with slates and chalk and McGuffey's Readers! When the church does special services, men and women sit on opposite sides of the aisles, just as in the old days. The doctor has an herb garden, there's an old fashioned barber shop and opera house where shows are put on, and a restaurant, and pretty much everything. And you're probably asking why they called the train the Huckleberry Railroad. The train is an authentic narrow-guage steam locomotive which runs on part of the original tracks that ran from Flint to Pere Marquette. The story for the train goes that it ran so slow at times that passengers could jump off the front cars, grab a few handfuls of huckleberries off the bushes that grew in profusion next to the tracks, and hop back on at the caboose. (Yeah, you can tell I've been there LOTS of times, lol.) I always felt a close affinity for the place, and loved going there any time of the year. (The Christmas light show drive-through and walk-through are amazing, especially the Tree of Lights - they take a tree by the train depot and literally wrap it in white miniature lights, so that every tip of every single branch has a light on it. It comes out to about a million lights a year on that thing!)
So because of all the time I spent there, and all the knowledge I soaked up and all, then add in my love of homesteading and all it entails, and you can understand why my family has often said that I was born a century out of date. Life then wasn't easier than now, or better, but simpler, and I think a lot of the love I have for homesteading is the ability to simplify our complex world down to a way of living that comes as close as we can these days to life back then. Of course, given a chance to live then, I'd mostly fit right in, I think. I am just that old-fashioned in so many ways.
With it threatening to rain tonight, the boys and I are hunkering in the bedroom tonight for comfort. I just finished dinner (penne pasta, chicken, spinach and carrots in a garlic-butter sauce I threw together, though I got a bit too much garlic on it. WHEW!). The boys are snuggled up on the other half of the bed engaging in their mutual bathing committee. It's so funny to watch them washing each other in all the spots they can't reach for themselves, and they will go at it for an hour or more. Gotta make sure their gorgeous fur stays that way, ya know!
So that's been my day, mostly, and I think I'll go see what I can find in the way of books for y'all. Hugs everybody, I'm off to have fun and relax! Oh hey, I got my SD card slot and the lappy to be friends again, so here's a few pictures for you!
This is from the last snowfall, looking off the deck towards the mountain road as it passes the bottom of our place. You can see my "solar clothes dryer" (aka the clothesline) in the photo.
This is taken on the deck, looking back towards the two junk trailers. You can see our tv satellite dish. All the snow looked so much like fairyland - till about noon when it hit near 60F after only 30F or so the day before. By noon that day, the snow had all melted away. Yes, there were spots that morning that had no snow at all and were slightly green!
And this was Smudge last night on the end of Quentin's side of the bed, all comfy and sprawled in a bit of last-minute sunshine.
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
Only a few tonight as it's Monday - wait till later in the week, I'll inundate y'all again!
Permaculture Chicken: Pasture Basics
Creative Homemaking Guide to Make-a-Mix Recipes - I smell money from making these up in small batches to sell at the farmer's market!
29 Gluten Free Cookie Recipes - Mouthwatering Gluten Free Cookies To Try Today (Gluten Free Cookbook - The Gluten Free Recipes Collection)
Top 50 Most Delicious Spinach Recipes (Superfood Recipes)
How To Crochet Vol. I. A Complete Beginners Guide with Step by Step instructions with Pictures!: Learn the Basics from Hook Selection , Yarn type and the Different Patterns. Become an Expert - Wasn't someone asking about learning to crochet a bit ago?
THE EVERYDAY CAR PHYSICIAN: THE EVERY DAY CAR Home-care tips your mechanic wont reveal to you. (THE CAR PHYSICIAN SERIES) - Really could have used something like this these last few weeks, ya know?
Sunday, March 23, 2014
Quiet day
It was just one of those days when you don't really do a whole lot. I got some knitting done, relaxed with a new and rather addictive game I found (2048 - gabrielecirulli.github.io/2048/), and basically just goofed off. Dinner was a new recipe, chicken parmesan bacon pasta. It came out really well for off the cuff and thrown together, but I should have made more, lol. It was just that good. Don't ask what I did, I can't remember exactly what I did. The name tells you more than I can!
Quentin got the truck hose fixed, it took a couple of hours because the hose the popped a leak yesterday wasn't the right type of hose to begin with, so the ends had shrunk some onto the housing where it goes, and it made it a right bugger to get off. Despite what someone suggested, it's not the head gasket, it was just a hose that didn't get replaced with heater hose, but with what was pretty much literally lying around. (I love Randy as a mechanic, don't get me wrong, but the hose and two clamps cost about $10 - you're telling me he couldn't spend an hour to go get them, when they weren't custom parts, it turns out? Just go into the store and ask for X number of feet of "heater hose?" ARGH!)
He also got the truck somewhat cleaned out, and it needed it desperately - still does, but it's better. And he fixed that crakced spot in the fan shroud, AND tested one of the tires Eric had against the car. The hub holes need to be ground out a bit to make them go on and off my car easier, but they will work a lot better than the 13" rims I've been running. So as soon as they have better tires on them and the holes are ground out, I have a better set of tires. They are 4-lug Chevy tires, just not specifically meant for the Aveo, so the hub holes are a fraction too small for easy installation and removal.
I'd have a couple photos to share, but my SD card and the laptop are not playing well together today (probably need to reboot, I have a tendency to just close the laptop up and not shut it off very often), so they'll have to wait for another time. Other than that, it's chilly and I have a monster headache that is slowly dying. A hot shower in a bit when my water's ready will help a lot. (Should note, I left another homesteading group - the owner says one thing on the group page but does another behind the scenese ... let's just say that "Simply Off Grid" is not a very active group anyhow, especially of late, and now I'm finding out why.) Till then, I'll work on books for y'all!
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
Growing Juicy Delicious Tomatoes (Rainforth Home and Garden's Secrets and Solutions)
How to Plant and Grow Tomatoes
Sock Monkey Knitting Pattern
I CAN CAN RELISHES, Salsa, Sauces & Chutney!! How to make relishes, salsa, sauces, and chutney with quick, easy heirloom recipes from around the world ... or sell (I CAN CAN!! Frugal Living Series)
Gluten Free Bread Recipes: Delicious Gluten Free Bread Recipes The Whole Family Will Enjoy!
Natural Dyes From the Backyard (Techniques from Lakeshore Textiles)
Paleo Muffin Recipes: Mouthwatering Muffin Recipes For Paleo, Celiac, And Gluten Free Diets. (Simple Paleo Recipe Series)
No Fail Kale: How to Grow Your Own, Make Kale Juice and Green Smoothies, and Cook Delicious Recipes
How To Make A Homemade Incubator
Quentin got the truck hose fixed, it took a couple of hours because the hose the popped a leak yesterday wasn't the right type of hose to begin with, so the ends had shrunk some onto the housing where it goes, and it made it a right bugger to get off. Despite what someone suggested, it's not the head gasket, it was just a hose that didn't get replaced with heater hose, but with what was pretty much literally lying around. (I love Randy as a mechanic, don't get me wrong, but the hose and two clamps cost about $10 - you're telling me he couldn't spend an hour to go get them, when they weren't custom parts, it turns out? Just go into the store and ask for X number of feet of "heater hose?" ARGH!)
He also got the truck somewhat cleaned out, and it needed it desperately - still does, but it's better. And he fixed that crakced spot in the fan shroud, AND tested one of the tires Eric had against the car. The hub holes need to be ground out a bit to make them go on and off my car easier, but they will work a lot better than the 13" rims I've been running. So as soon as they have better tires on them and the holes are ground out, I have a better set of tires. They are 4-lug Chevy tires, just not specifically meant for the Aveo, so the hub holes are a fraction too small for easy installation and removal.
I'd have a couple photos to share, but my SD card and the laptop are not playing well together today (probably need to reboot, I have a tendency to just close the laptop up and not shut it off very often), so they'll have to wait for another time. Other than that, it's chilly and I have a monster headache that is slowly dying. A hot shower in a bit when my water's ready will help a lot. (Should note, I left another homesteading group - the owner says one thing on the group page but does another behind the scenese ... let's just say that "Simply Off Grid" is not a very active group anyhow, especially of late, and now I'm finding out why.) Till then, I'll work on books for y'all!
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
Growing Juicy Delicious Tomatoes (Rainforth Home and Garden's Secrets and Solutions)
How to Plant and Grow Tomatoes
Sock Monkey Knitting Pattern
I CAN CAN RELISHES, Salsa, Sauces & Chutney!! How to make relishes, salsa, sauces, and chutney with quick, easy heirloom recipes from around the world ... or sell (I CAN CAN!! Frugal Living Series)
Gluten Free Bread Recipes: Delicious Gluten Free Bread Recipes The Whole Family Will Enjoy!
Natural Dyes From the Backyard (Techniques from Lakeshore Textiles)
Paleo Muffin Recipes: Mouthwatering Muffin Recipes For Paleo, Celiac, And Gluten Free Diets. (Simple Paleo Recipe Series)
No Fail Kale: How to Grow Your Own, Make Kale Juice and Green Smoothies, and Cook Delicious Recipes
How To Make A Homemade Incubator
Saturday, March 22, 2014
A lovely Saturday
Just lovely all round, in spite of a small issue with the recent repairs to the van. Seems that one of the hoses wasn't quite up to spec and developed a small leak already, so we had to make an extra trip to Harrison after everything else was said and done, other than a bit of outdoor fun, and get a new hose and clamps for it, so Quentin can replace it tomorrow. He did get started tearing the van apart this afternoon after we got back from that trip, so he has less to do tomorrow.
But the day was generally pretty good. Traffic was light today, and the people in Wally World were not as grumpy and silly as usual, which meant Quentin didn't get as irritated. He doesn't like going and stocking up on stuff, because he really doesn't like crowds and traffic, but he will tolerate it. We just happened to get up and moving earlier than usual today so we beat the crowds. We had to hit up O'Reilly's this first trip to replace all the antifreeze we'd already used up when he replaced the van's radiator, as we both like to carry a jug with us just in case. I still have some small pinhole leak somewhere that Bars Leak doens't quite seem to keep fixed, so I have to top off my overflow tank in the car about once a month. It's not bad, so we just keep topping off the antifreeze and otherwise ignoring it ... no sense investing a small fortune we haven't got into the cooling system when we don't know what exactly is wrong. Once we know, we can fix it. Until then, maintainance works best, and since little Victor (my Aveo) is a 2006 model, and is thus 8 years old, he's bound to have a few minor middle-aged issues. Heck, we were talking today how if I was still back home in Michigan with him, he'd be about dead, with rust and all due to all the road salt from the winters. Here, he's still in prime shape and mostly still all original parts (crossing fingers that he holds out like that for a while longer).
We also hit up the store where Quentin got his Carhartt boots and I'm getting my hiking shoes. $130.12 for my shoes, but they will be sturdy and waterproof for work at the plant and around here. Well worth the price, and comfortable to boot. Can't wait to get them and take photos to show you. It will be a couple more weeks though, because I still have two more payments to go.
Laundry got done, water run got done to refill water jugs, and we texted Eric to see if he had a cordless drill Quentin could borrow overnight as Quentin's requires running extension cords out to the easement and that's a LOT of cordage! With the ground damp, it's not a bright idea. Eric did, so Quentin went up to get it and that was when the one hose sprung a leak. Quentin needs to borrow it to use on the van, because when he and Randy fixed it the other day, the bottom of the fan shroud somehow got a crack in it and the best, cheapest solution is to drill a couple of holes near the bottom on either side of the crack and zip tie it to something down there to hold it still. Every time Quentin gooses the gas pedal, it makes the shroud rattle against the fan blades, lol. Not good, but an easy jimmy-rig repair.
The other reason Quentin went up to Eric's is my car and Eric's little Honda. A couple of years ago, my rear rims got dented up pretty badly (the mountain road is rough, but it is smooth sailing compared to where we lived then, lol). We found a couple of 13" Honda rims that fit the back of the car, but the car is supposed to run 14" rims. It makes it feel a little off to run those smaller rims. Eric's Honda runs 13" rims and he has a set of 14" rims for a Chevy that he sometimes uses when he needs a spare tire, but they don't fit his Honda any better really than the 13" Honda rims fit my Chevy. They have the same lug hole pattern and all, and will work, but they aren't the best solution. So we are doing an even trade once Eric puts a couple of decent used tires on the Chevy rims, which will leave me with four good rims and three! full-sized spares. I carry a full-sized tire with me for a spare anyhow, I'm not fond of driving on a donut spare which is hard on the car anyhow. So this will be good for us both and we will both make out like bandits!
Once we got home from the second trip to Harrison for that hose, Quentin started tearing into the van so he has less to do tomorrow, and I did some household chores. Put away laundry and dishes and cleaned the cat box and pulled together the trash. Then the trash went out to the burn barrel and got lit off, which made for a bit of warmth to huddle next to while we were outside having fun. Quentin got as far as he could on the van today before he got to where he needed to stop, otherwise he wouldn't have had light long enough to finish the job, and he's of the type that once he starts he hates to stop for ANY reason. So he reached a stopping point and we looked at each other and said "Chainsaws."
Yeah, while the trash finished burning down, we went and got our saws out and started cutting wood. Ahhh, that was so much fun. The battery on my little one doesn't hold a charge well anymore, it's been through so much, but I got in a good hour with it on small stuff and Quentin worked on some of the bigger trees. I have a lot of small stuff I need to go through and get what good I can off them for the woodpile and the rest can go into the burn pit as junk brush. We don't have a rocket stove so we don't need it, and the wood ash can do so many other things for us - lye for soap and mixed into the compost heap, so junk brush just needs to burn.
Side note: I do need to expend a few dollars and get one of those extendable gripper things to get small trash off the ground and sorted into burnable, recyclable metal/glass and just plain bury it in a hole. There's so much of it around here and I do not relish the idea of either walking around bent over to get it all or crawling around on hands and knees. I'm a bit old to find that fun anymore. So it's a $20 investment to save time and my back.
Then after cutting wood for about an hour, it started to sprinkle, so we headed indoors to finish the trash (just had to put bags into the small cans - we use the plastic grocery sacks, it puts them to good use and means I don't have to wash out small trashcans every week or so! - instant labor-saving device, lol) and wash up and get supper going. Quentin dealt with getting our wash water hot so we could clean up while I started in getting supper together. I wasn't filthy like he was because he'd been working on the truck, but I still had a lot of sawdust stuck to me that wouldn't come off and some general dirt. Dinner tonight is homemade brownies (baked in the microwave) and sweet and sour chicken over rice, plus broccoli and carrots for a veggie (bought those at the farmer's market last year and stuck them in the freezer, boy do they taste good!).
So now dinner is ready and calling my name. I'll list books when I get back from eating all the yummy food!
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
Leg Warmers Knitting Pattern
5 Ingredients One Pot Meals: Easy Slow Cooker Recipes for Busy Women
Easy Crochet Bow Tie Patterns (Three Patterns in One eBook!)
How to make Yogurt & Recipes: Greek & Natural
How to Grow Potatoes: Planting and Harvesting Organic Food From Your Patio, Rooftop, Balcony, or Backyard Garden (Booklet)
How To Produce 15-25 Pounds Of Tomatoes PER PLANT
Eat What You Grow: Easy Recipes for Backyard Homestead
Slow Cooker Wanderlust: 101 Adventurous and Delicious Slow Cooker Recipes from Around the World
Peanut Butter Recipes: The Collection of America's Favorite Recipes
Paleo Cookies: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Treats for Any Occasion
Paleo Desserts: Paleo Dessert Recipes: Paleo Muffins, Paleo Cupcakes, Paleo Smoothies & Paleo Pudding
Beyond Organic... Growing for Maximum Nutrition
Healing Herbs for the Ornamental Garden (Herbal Medicine from Your Garden or Windowsill)
Garden Pests and Problems 2nd Edition (The Constant Gardener)
But the day was generally pretty good. Traffic was light today, and the people in Wally World were not as grumpy and silly as usual, which meant Quentin didn't get as irritated. He doesn't like going and stocking up on stuff, because he really doesn't like crowds and traffic, but he will tolerate it. We just happened to get up and moving earlier than usual today so we beat the crowds. We had to hit up O'Reilly's this first trip to replace all the antifreeze we'd already used up when he replaced the van's radiator, as we both like to carry a jug with us just in case. I still have some small pinhole leak somewhere that Bars Leak doens't quite seem to keep fixed, so I have to top off my overflow tank in the car about once a month. It's not bad, so we just keep topping off the antifreeze and otherwise ignoring it ... no sense investing a small fortune we haven't got into the cooling system when we don't know what exactly is wrong. Once we know, we can fix it. Until then, maintainance works best, and since little Victor (my Aveo) is a 2006 model, and is thus 8 years old, he's bound to have a few minor middle-aged issues. Heck, we were talking today how if I was still back home in Michigan with him, he'd be about dead, with rust and all due to all the road salt from the winters. Here, he's still in prime shape and mostly still all original parts (crossing fingers that he holds out like that for a while longer).
We also hit up the store where Quentin got his Carhartt boots and I'm getting my hiking shoes. $130.12 for my shoes, but they will be sturdy and waterproof for work at the plant and around here. Well worth the price, and comfortable to boot. Can't wait to get them and take photos to show you. It will be a couple more weeks though, because I still have two more payments to go.
Laundry got done, water run got done to refill water jugs, and we texted Eric to see if he had a cordless drill Quentin could borrow overnight as Quentin's requires running extension cords out to the easement and that's a LOT of cordage! With the ground damp, it's not a bright idea. Eric did, so Quentin went up to get it and that was when the one hose sprung a leak. Quentin needs to borrow it to use on the van, because when he and Randy fixed it the other day, the bottom of the fan shroud somehow got a crack in it and the best, cheapest solution is to drill a couple of holes near the bottom on either side of the crack and zip tie it to something down there to hold it still. Every time Quentin gooses the gas pedal, it makes the shroud rattle against the fan blades, lol. Not good, but an easy jimmy-rig repair.
The other reason Quentin went up to Eric's is my car and Eric's little Honda. A couple of years ago, my rear rims got dented up pretty badly (the mountain road is rough, but it is smooth sailing compared to where we lived then, lol). We found a couple of 13" Honda rims that fit the back of the car, but the car is supposed to run 14" rims. It makes it feel a little off to run those smaller rims. Eric's Honda runs 13" rims and he has a set of 14" rims for a Chevy that he sometimes uses when he needs a spare tire, but they don't fit his Honda any better really than the 13" Honda rims fit my Chevy. They have the same lug hole pattern and all, and will work, but they aren't the best solution. So we are doing an even trade once Eric puts a couple of decent used tires on the Chevy rims, which will leave me with four good rims and three! full-sized spares. I carry a full-sized tire with me for a spare anyhow, I'm not fond of driving on a donut spare which is hard on the car anyhow. So this will be good for us both and we will both make out like bandits!
Once we got home from the second trip to Harrison for that hose, Quentin started tearing into the van so he has less to do tomorrow, and I did some household chores. Put away laundry and dishes and cleaned the cat box and pulled together the trash. Then the trash went out to the burn barrel and got lit off, which made for a bit of warmth to huddle next to while we were outside having fun. Quentin got as far as he could on the van today before he got to where he needed to stop, otherwise he wouldn't have had light long enough to finish the job, and he's of the type that once he starts he hates to stop for ANY reason. So he reached a stopping point and we looked at each other and said "Chainsaws."
Yeah, while the trash finished burning down, we went and got our saws out and started cutting wood. Ahhh, that was so much fun. The battery on my little one doesn't hold a charge well anymore, it's been through so much, but I got in a good hour with it on small stuff and Quentin worked on some of the bigger trees. I have a lot of small stuff I need to go through and get what good I can off them for the woodpile and the rest can go into the burn pit as junk brush. We don't have a rocket stove so we don't need it, and the wood ash can do so many other things for us - lye for soap and mixed into the compost heap, so junk brush just needs to burn.
Side note: I do need to expend a few dollars and get one of those extendable gripper things to get small trash off the ground and sorted into burnable, recyclable metal/glass and just plain bury it in a hole. There's so much of it around here and I do not relish the idea of either walking around bent over to get it all or crawling around on hands and knees. I'm a bit old to find that fun anymore. So it's a $20 investment to save time and my back.
Then after cutting wood for about an hour, it started to sprinkle, so we headed indoors to finish the trash (just had to put bags into the small cans - we use the plastic grocery sacks, it puts them to good use and means I don't have to wash out small trashcans every week or so! - instant labor-saving device, lol) and wash up and get supper going. Quentin dealt with getting our wash water hot so we could clean up while I started in getting supper together. I wasn't filthy like he was because he'd been working on the truck, but I still had a lot of sawdust stuck to me that wouldn't come off and some general dirt. Dinner tonight is homemade brownies (baked in the microwave) and sweet and sour chicken over rice, plus broccoli and carrots for a veggie (bought those at the farmer's market last year and stuck them in the freezer, boy do they taste good!).
So now dinner is ready and calling my name. I'll list books when I get back from eating all the yummy food!
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
Leg Warmers Knitting Pattern
5 Ingredients One Pot Meals: Easy Slow Cooker Recipes for Busy Women
Easy Crochet Bow Tie Patterns (Three Patterns in One eBook!)
How to make Yogurt & Recipes: Greek & Natural
How to Grow Potatoes: Planting and Harvesting Organic Food From Your Patio, Rooftop, Balcony, or Backyard Garden (Booklet)
How To Produce 15-25 Pounds Of Tomatoes PER PLANT
Eat What You Grow: Easy Recipes for Backyard Homestead
Slow Cooker Wanderlust: 101 Adventurous and Delicious Slow Cooker Recipes from Around the World
Peanut Butter Recipes: The Collection of America's Favorite Recipes
Paleo Cookies: Gluten-Free, Grain-Free Treats for Any Occasion
Paleo Desserts: Paleo Dessert Recipes: Paleo Muffins, Paleo Cupcakes, Paleo Smoothies & Paleo Pudding
Beyond Organic... Growing for Maximum Nutrition
Healing Herbs for the Ornamental Garden (Herbal Medicine from Your Garden or Windowsill)
Garden Pests and Problems 2nd Edition (The Constant Gardener)
Friday, March 21, 2014
It's WARM in here!
The house is practically a sauna tonight, lol. Quentin forgot to open it up and turn off the heater before he went to work. So not only did it hit near 70F outside again, the house is really, really, REALLY warm. I walked in and felt like I'd been hit by a brick wall. So off went the heater, interior divider curtains and windows were opened and after an hour, it's starting to feel like a more comfortable temp. I'll have to close up in a while though, it's threatening to rain and if it does, the way the house sits on the mountainside, it's liable to end up with rain coming in the main windows. But it's awful nice to have it warm again instead of barely tepid!
Bouncer is feeling spring fever, too. He gets a walk daily with Quentin around lunchtime, but now when I get home, he wants me to take him for a stroll, too. So I did that, and then I grabbed my little chainsaw (aka "the midget cricket") and got some wood cut. Not a lot because someone last fall decided it would be a great idea to see if an 8" battery operated chainsaw could cut a log off a 6" tree. (*coughQuentincough*) Said same person thought it would be a good idea to "help" the chainsaw "torque through the tree" by pushing it and using it in a sawing motion as it cut. This has worn out the engine to the point that I'm lucky to get half an hour of cutting done before it can't take anymore and has pulled way too much off the battery. There's a short in there somewhere because of that little stunt, so now I have to look into getting a new one and NOT letting you-know-who have his grubby little paws on it, lol. At least I'll have a backup battery that way and can cut even longer though.
My dinner is ready and as soon as I'm done eating, I'll get busy on finding some books for everybody! Hugs all, it's been a great day (even though next week, we'll barely see 40F to maybe 50ish all week), but I need to eat and do some other things. See you tomorrow!
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
Paleo Slow Cooker: 50 Everyday Paleo Slow Cooking Recipes
Backwoods Home Magazine #129 - May/June 2011- Considering that one of my groups was recently discussing seed saving, that this one has an article on it is great!
Simple Home Brewing Master Collection (John Anderson's)
In the Kitchen Again, Soups, Stews and Casseroles
Paleo Slow Cooker Soups & Stews: Delicious, Healthy, Nutritious and Gluten Free Recipes for the Entire Family
Land Contract Homes: The Top 10 Mistakes Home Buyers Make... And How to Avoid Them!
Simple Gluten Free & Paleo Bread: Fast, Sumptuous and Guilt-Free Baking Recipes - Satisfy Your Primal Cravings!
The All American Biscuit
Low Cost Gardening - A Recycled Garden
No-Knead Beer Bread: From the Kitchen of Artisan Bread with Steve
Healthy Quinoa Cookery for Beginners (Food Matters)
Homemade Laundry Detergent: The Ultimate Step-By-Step Guide For Making Your Own Laundry Detergent With Ease And At A Fraction Of The Cost
Upside-Down Gardening: A Beginner's Step-By-Step Guide To Creating And Maintaining An Upside-Down Garden
Totally Wheat Free - No Cook Breakfast Recipes: Wheat Free Cooking for the Wheat Free Grain Free, Wheat Free Dairy Free lifestyle
Knit Now: Awesome And Easy Hat Patterns For Any Level Knitter
Raising Chickens For Beginners
Patio Planters: & Vertical Gardening - Designs & Wood Working Plans Volume 1
Some Cake Crumbs from Antique Cakes Great Grandma Baked (Easy Cheap Comfort Eats)
Amazing Lemonade Recipes To Thirst For!: Old Fashioned Classic Drinks to Modern Herbal & Spicy Designer Blends
Flower Box Gardening: A Beginner's Guide To Successful And Beautiful Flower Box Gardening
Understanding Garden Design: A Simple Guide To Effective Garden Design For The New Gardener (So you want a better garden?)
Simple Kitchen Tips
Knitting Scarves: Awesome Scarf Patterns To Knit And Impress Your Friends
Knitting Patterns: 10 Mitten Knitting Patterns For Any Level Knitter - Works for me. I use up a lot of scraps for mittens and hats for underpriviledged kids at the local school and the one back home, so more patterns for different looks is great.
Troubleshooting Methodology for Homebrew
Bouncer is feeling spring fever, too. He gets a walk daily with Quentin around lunchtime, but now when I get home, he wants me to take him for a stroll, too. So I did that, and then I grabbed my little chainsaw (aka "the midget cricket") and got some wood cut. Not a lot because someone last fall decided it would be a great idea to see if an 8" battery operated chainsaw could cut a log off a 6" tree. (*coughQuentincough*) Said same person thought it would be a good idea to "help" the chainsaw "torque through the tree" by pushing it and using it in a sawing motion as it cut. This has worn out the engine to the point that I'm lucky to get half an hour of cutting done before it can't take anymore and has pulled way too much off the battery. There's a short in there somewhere because of that little stunt, so now I have to look into getting a new one and NOT letting you-know-who have his grubby little paws on it, lol. At least I'll have a backup battery that way and can cut even longer though.
My dinner is ready and as soon as I'm done eating, I'll get busy on finding some books for everybody! Hugs all, it's been a great day (even though next week, we'll barely see 40F to maybe 50ish all week), but I need to eat and do some other things. See you tomorrow!
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
Paleo Slow Cooker: 50 Everyday Paleo Slow Cooking Recipes
Backwoods Home Magazine #129 - May/June 2011- Considering that one of my groups was recently discussing seed saving, that this one has an article on it is great!
Simple Home Brewing Master Collection (John Anderson's)
In the Kitchen Again, Soups, Stews and Casseroles
Paleo Slow Cooker Soups & Stews: Delicious, Healthy, Nutritious and Gluten Free Recipes for the Entire Family
Land Contract Homes: The Top 10 Mistakes Home Buyers Make... And How to Avoid Them!
Simple Gluten Free & Paleo Bread: Fast, Sumptuous and Guilt-Free Baking Recipes - Satisfy Your Primal Cravings!
The All American Biscuit
Low Cost Gardening - A Recycled Garden
No-Knead Beer Bread: From the Kitchen of Artisan Bread with Steve
Healthy Quinoa Cookery for Beginners (Food Matters)
Homemade Laundry Detergent: The Ultimate Step-By-Step Guide For Making Your Own Laundry Detergent With Ease And At A Fraction Of The Cost
Upside-Down Gardening: A Beginner's Step-By-Step Guide To Creating And Maintaining An Upside-Down Garden
Totally Wheat Free - No Cook Breakfast Recipes: Wheat Free Cooking for the Wheat Free Grain Free, Wheat Free Dairy Free lifestyle
Knit Now: Awesome And Easy Hat Patterns For Any Level Knitter
Raising Chickens For Beginners
Patio Planters: & Vertical Gardening - Designs & Wood Working Plans Volume 1
Some Cake Crumbs from Antique Cakes Great Grandma Baked (Easy Cheap Comfort Eats)
Amazing Lemonade Recipes To Thirst For!: Old Fashioned Classic Drinks to Modern Herbal & Spicy Designer Blends
Flower Box Gardening: A Beginner's Guide To Successful And Beautiful Flower Box Gardening
Understanding Garden Design: A Simple Guide To Effective Garden Design For The New Gardener (So you want a better garden?)
Simple Kitchen Tips
Knitting Scarves: Awesome Scarf Patterns To Knit And Impress Your Friends
Knitting Patterns: 10 Mitten Knitting Patterns For Any Level Knitter - Works for me. I use up a lot of scraps for mittens and hats for underpriviledged kids at the local school and the one back home, so more patterns for different looks is great.
Troubleshooting Methodology for Homebrew
Thursday, March 20, 2014
Spring is here!
Finally, and none too soon for me. There is green grass poking up in the cow pastures around abouts, but you wouldn't have known it this morning. Leaving for work, the upper part of the mountain, where we live, was not a bit of frost in sight. Got to the cow pasture and BAM, hoar frost EVERYWHERE. It was really wild to see the change between driving down through the trees and no frost, then get past the upper cattle guard and see so much frost.
Good news today, I found out my shift transfer may be quick, even though normally they take 3-4 weeks to accomplish. That I'm doing it for a lot of good reasons helps, but what really helps is that the supervisor on second shift REALLY wants me there. X-ray needs someone that knows what they are doing, and they've got so many people that don't, that getting stuff done is next to impossible. Other good news, the van is back on the road. Quentin was only going to take a half point and go in late after picking me up at work, then going to the mechanic's outside of town and getting the van, then heading to work ... but he ended up sick as a dog. There's some kind of stomach bug going around and he got it. So he's being treated with a hot shower (once the water for it heats up), peppermint tea and Pepto Bismol for the evening. Gotta get him settled down so he can get back to work tomorrow.
It's still a bit chilly though to be outside today after yesterday's cold snap, because even high 60sF can't clear off that much chill that fast off the ground and out of the air. So I'm taking care of a sick spouse tonight and trying to be patient till it warms up a tad. On the bright side, I look at it this way. We survived another winter on the mountain, harsher than the previous one, and it is officially over. We might get some spurts of crappy weather now and then for another couple of weeks, but by the end of the month, it will be blue skies and sunshine and green trees and wildflowers and being outside doing things as much as possible. For now, I'm off to find y'all some books. (Though what it is with most of the freebies I'm finding lately being cookbooks again, I do NOT know ... but I love food, so I'll be nice and share cookbooks! After all, ya gotta use up that stuff you grow somehow, right? Why not find a few new ways to fix it!) Till tomorrow!!!
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
Top 30 AMERICAN DESSERT Recipes In Just 3 Steps That You Will Have Never Eaten Before
Top 30 AMERICAN SOUPS AND STEWS Recipes In Just 3 Steps That You Will Have Never Eaten Before
Top 30 AMERICAN MAIN DISH Recipes In Just 3 Steps That You Will Have Never Eaten Before
Mexican Recipes: 30 Quick & Easy Mexican Recipes for Authentic Mexican Cooking. An Illustrated Cookbook of Favorite Mexican Cuisine
The Perfect Compost Plan: Simple Guide To Making Healthy Compost
Gluten-Free Vegan: Healthy everyday recipes in under 30 minutes
Simple Easy Paleo: Fast Fabulous Paleo Recipes with 5 Ingredients or Less
Cooking with Beer - The Ultimate Recipe Guide
Organic Pest Control Made Easy: How To Naturally Keep Your Home, Garden & Food Pest Free
Italian Paleo: The Paleo Italian Cookbook with Gluten Free Recipes for Authentic Italian Cooking Just Like Nonna Used to Make (Paleo Diet Solution Series)
Modern Rustic: Starting an Orchard: A homesteading guidebook for growing fruit trees, berries, grapes and nuts - The blurb on this one looks good.
Natural Green Cleaning: Eco-Friendly Recipes to Clean Your Home Naturally
How to Prepare and Cook Food at Home - 606 Great Food Preparation and Cooking Ideas - Basically just tips, but there are some good ones.
Top 30 SPANISH SOUPS AND STEWS Recipes In Only 3 Steps That You Will Never Ever Forget For The Rest of Your Life
Top 30 SPANISH MAIN DISH Recipes In Only 3 Steps That You Will Never Ever Forget For The Rest of Your Life
Top 30 AMERICAN ONE DISH Recipes In Just 3 Steps That You Will Have Never Eaten Before
Top 30 AMERICAN APPETIZER Recipes In Just 3 Steps That You Will Have Never Eaten Before
Top 30 AMERICAN SALAD Recipes In Just 3 Steps That You Will Have Never Eaten Before
How To Make Homemade Bread
Vegetable Soups: Healthy, Easy and Nutritious Home Made Vegetable Soup Recipes (Simply Delicious Cookbooks)
Paleo Slow Cooker Meals: 45 Easy Nutrient-Rich Slow Cooker Recipes (Paleo, Low Carb, Crockpot Recipes, Quick & Easy, Paleo Diet, Crock Pot, Grain Free)
Cooking in a Cup: Easy recipes for muffin tin meals (Cooking with Kids Series) - Meant for kids, but some sound good for grownups, too.
Raising Chickens: Answers to the Most Common Questions About Chicken Care, Feeding and Egg Laying
Indoor Gardening for Beginners: Start an Indoor Veggie Garden & Grow Your Vegetables and Herbs at Home
Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipe Book - Vegetarian Cookbook for Busy Women (Diet Recipe Books - Healthy Cooking for Healthy Living)
Tomato Container Gardening Tips
Can It!
Newsboy Hat Crochet Pattern
Homemade Wine :The Ultimate Recipe Guide - Over 30 Delicious & Best Selling Recipes
Grow Your Vegetables For Your Nutritional and Financial Health
Simple Home Brewing Getting Started
Gluten Free Vegetarian - The Ultimate Recipe Guide
Gluten Free Slow Cooker Recipes: 30 Simple And Easy Gluten Free Slow Cooker Recipes (Gluten Free Slow Cooker Recipes, Gluten Free Slow Cooker Cookbook, Gluten Free Recipes, Gluten Free Cookbook)
Creative Casseroles
Boxed Set 3 Food Recipes
The 30-Day Caveman (Paleo) Appetizer/Snack Recipe Cookbook
Good news today, I found out my shift transfer may be quick, even though normally they take 3-4 weeks to accomplish. That I'm doing it for a lot of good reasons helps, but what really helps is that the supervisor on second shift REALLY wants me there. X-ray needs someone that knows what they are doing, and they've got so many people that don't, that getting stuff done is next to impossible. Other good news, the van is back on the road. Quentin was only going to take a half point and go in late after picking me up at work, then going to the mechanic's outside of town and getting the van, then heading to work ... but he ended up sick as a dog. There's some kind of stomach bug going around and he got it. So he's being treated with a hot shower (once the water for it heats up), peppermint tea and Pepto Bismol for the evening. Gotta get him settled down so he can get back to work tomorrow.
It's still a bit chilly though to be outside today after yesterday's cold snap, because even high 60sF can't clear off that much chill that fast off the ground and out of the air. So I'm taking care of a sick spouse tonight and trying to be patient till it warms up a tad. On the bright side, I look at it this way. We survived another winter on the mountain, harsher than the previous one, and it is officially over. We might get some spurts of crappy weather now and then for another couple of weeks, but by the end of the month, it will be blue skies and sunshine and green trees and wildflowers and being outside doing things as much as possible. For now, I'm off to find y'all some books. (Though what it is with most of the freebies I'm finding lately being cookbooks again, I do NOT know ... but I love food, so I'll be nice and share cookbooks! After all, ya gotta use up that stuff you grow somehow, right? Why not find a few new ways to fix it!) Till tomorrow!!!
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
Top 30 AMERICAN DESSERT Recipes In Just 3 Steps That You Will Have Never Eaten Before
Top 30 AMERICAN SOUPS AND STEWS Recipes In Just 3 Steps That You Will Have Never Eaten Before
Top 30 AMERICAN MAIN DISH Recipes In Just 3 Steps That You Will Have Never Eaten Before
Mexican Recipes: 30 Quick & Easy Mexican Recipes for Authentic Mexican Cooking. An Illustrated Cookbook of Favorite Mexican Cuisine
The Perfect Compost Plan: Simple Guide To Making Healthy Compost
Gluten-Free Vegan: Healthy everyday recipes in under 30 minutes
Simple Easy Paleo: Fast Fabulous Paleo Recipes with 5 Ingredients or Less
Cooking with Beer - The Ultimate Recipe Guide
Organic Pest Control Made Easy: How To Naturally Keep Your Home, Garden & Food Pest Free
Italian Paleo: The Paleo Italian Cookbook with Gluten Free Recipes for Authentic Italian Cooking Just Like Nonna Used to Make (Paleo Diet Solution Series)
Modern Rustic: Starting an Orchard: A homesteading guidebook for growing fruit trees, berries, grapes and nuts - The blurb on this one looks good.
Natural Green Cleaning: Eco-Friendly Recipes to Clean Your Home Naturally
How to Prepare and Cook Food at Home - 606 Great Food Preparation and Cooking Ideas - Basically just tips, but there are some good ones.
Top 30 SPANISH SOUPS AND STEWS Recipes In Only 3 Steps That You Will Never Ever Forget For The Rest of Your Life
Top 30 SPANISH MAIN DISH Recipes In Only 3 Steps That You Will Never Ever Forget For The Rest of Your Life
Top 30 AMERICAN ONE DISH Recipes In Just 3 Steps That You Will Have Never Eaten Before
Top 30 AMERICAN APPETIZER Recipes In Just 3 Steps That You Will Have Never Eaten Before
Top 30 AMERICAN SALAD Recipes In Just 3 Steps That You Will Have Never Eaten Before
How To Make Homemade Bread
Vegetable Soups: Healthy, Easy and Nutritious Home Made Vegetable Soup Recipes (Simply Delicious Cookbooks)
Paleo Slow Cooker Meals: 45 Easy Nutrient-Rich Slow Cooker Recipes (Paleo, Low Carb, Crockpot Recipes, Quick & Easy, Paleo Diet, Crock Pot, Grain Free)
Cooking in a Cup: Easy recipes for muffin tin meals (Cooking with Kids Series) - Meant for kids, but some sound good for grownups, too.
Raising Chickens: Answers to the Most Common Questions About Chicken Care, Feeding and Egg Laying
Indoor Gardening for Beginners: Start an Indoor Veggie Garden & Grow Your Vegetables and Herbs at Home
Vegetarian Slow Cooker Recipe Book - Vegetarian Cookbook for Busy Women (Diet Recipe Books - Healthy Cooking for Healthy Living)
Tomato Container Gardening Tips
Can It!
Newsboy Hat Crochet Pattern
Homemade Wine :The Ultimate Recipe Guide - Over 30 Delicious & Best Selling Recipes
Grow Your Vegetables For Your Nutritional and Financial Health
Simple Home Brewing Getting Started
Gluten Free Vegetarian - The Ultimate Recipe Guide
Gluten Free Slow Cooker Recipes: 30 Simple And Easy Gluten Free Slow Cooker Recipes (Gluten Free Slow Cooker Recipes, Gluten Free Slow Cooker Cookbook, Gluten Free Recipes, Gluten Free Cookbook)
Creative Casseroles
Boxed Set 3 Food Recipes
The 30-Day Caveman (Paleo) Appetizer/Snack Recipe Cookbook
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Spring is almost here, right?
Because it's cold again today after a lovely warm day yesterday, and it does not make me very happy. I work in the cold all day, so I don't really want to come home to cold to do outdoors work in as well. Add in that my feet got soaked at work (long story), so my shoes are waterlogged. Since I don't have my waterproof pair out of layaway yet, that means my feet are also waterlogged and ice cold, so I made dinner and climbed under covers and said the heck with it. Tonight is a goof off night for once. I will probably do some knitting as I pull books together, because sometimes the pages take a moment or three to load (I am on slow satellite - I don't mind, it's cheaper and works better than dialup on this mountain, lol). So I have warm kitties curled up at my feet, a hot meal inside me and warm afghans covering my extremely cold tootsies. Heh heh. Sometimes, even in homesteading, you just need a day to say the heck with it.
My transfer to second shift still hasn't come through, but it's only been a couple of days since I put in the paperwork. However, the 2nd shift x-ray lead wants me REALLY badly, and the supervisor, a lovely lady named Jordan, wants me, too ... so she is really pushing my current supervisor, Carlos, to let me go. He signed off on it as he had to before I could turn in the paperwork, but we have to keep on Carlos so he will keep on whoever to get me transferred. I think it will work out good in the long run - 40c an hour shift premium plus some overtime, plus not having to ride back and forth with a neighbor. I can still take my own car while Quentin takes his van, so I can run my own errands without having to take time off to do them, or can do things outside around here before going to work. Just gotta hurry up and wait.
On the van front, we have good news. Randy got it towed up to his shop from Harrison yesterday (about 20 miles worth of tow - country living means LONG hauls for tows, haha! Your friendly tow service and/or mechanic are NOT literally around the corner any more!). He got it fixed fairly quickly today, including the new thermostat. Grand total of financial damage? A bit less than expected, more than hoped, but still within budget so I think we can get it out of mechanic's hock this weekend, considering the bill is a mere US$85. It could have been so much worse, but once Randy drilled out the old bolts as much as he could, the leftovers essentially crumbled and just had to be air-blasted out or some such to clean the holes. A bit more work to get all the corrosion out, and voila ... one van, back on the road. What a relief.
Ahhh .... the lovely feel of warm kitties on my feet. The only thing is, they are putting my feet to sleep. Hope I don't have to get up any time soon, my feet will be on pins and needles! On to the bookfest!!! (And to all who keep thanking me, you're SO very welcome! It's nice to know the efforts are appreciated!)
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
50 Amazing Christmas Cookies Recipes - The Best Holiday Cookies (The Ultimate Christmas Recipes and Recipes For Christmas Collection) - Nowhere near Christmas, but I have to share this one because Pamela K's books are so full of goodies.
Best Wok Recipes from Mama Li's Kitchen: Healthy, Quick and Easy One Pot Meals for Busy Families
The Way To Healthy Garden Soil
30 Paleo Side Dish Recipes - Simple & Easy Paleo Side Dish Recipes (Paleo Recipes)
Vegetarian Grilling: Healthy Recipes for Outdoor Cooking (Healthy Natural Recipes Series)
Dressings, Toppings & Sauces (Gourmet Ninja Guides)
35 Delicious Paleo Slow Cooker Recipes For Busy Families
Kale: Naturally Healthy & Delicious Recipes From This Amazing Green Superfood
Growing Bulbs in Containers: A Season by Season Guide to Growing Bulbs in Containers (The Weekend Gardener Series)
Best Homemade Shortbread Cookies (Delicious Shortbread Cookie Recipes For All Occasions!)
Recipes in a Jar vol. 2: How to Can Vegetables
Knitting Stitches Handbook (Learn How to Knit)
Paleo Bread Recipes: 30 Delicious Gluten Free and Grain Free Paleo Bread Recipes (Paleo Bread Recipes, Paleo Bread Cookbook, Paleo Diet, Paleo Cookbook, Paleo Recipes, Quick and Easy Paleo Recipes)
Country Baking Quick Breads and Muffins (Delicious Recipes)
Coconut Milk Recipes, Paleo Coconut Oil & Flour Recipes. Low Carb Paleo, Allergy Free, Dairy Free and Gluten Free Recipes (Paleo Recipes: Paleo Recipes ... Lunch, Dinner & Desserts Recipe Book)
Live More With Less: The Gift of Minimalism: Simplify, Declutter and Get Organized
The Avocado Cookbook: Fun and Easy Recipes
Food in Jars: From Jellies to Jams and Lunches to Desserts
Natural Pet Food - Quick and Simple Guide
My transfer to second shift still hasn't come through, but it's only been a couple of days since I put in the paperwork. However, the 2nd shift x-ray lead wants me REALLY badly, and the supervisor, a lovely lady named Jordan, wants me, too ... so she is really pushing my current supervisor, Carlos, to let me go. He signed off on it as he had to before I could turn in the paperwork, but we have to keep on Carlos so he will keep on whoever to get me transferred. I think it will work out good in the long run - 40c an hour shift premium plus some overtime, plus not having to ride back and forth with a neighbor. I can still take my own car while Quentin takes his van, so I can run my own errands without having to take time off to do them, or can do things outside around here before going to work. Just gotta hurry up and wait.
On the van front, we have good news. Randy got it towed up to his shop from Harrison yesterday (about 20 miles worth of tow - country living means LONG hauls for tows, haha! Your friendly tow service and/or mechanic are NOT literally around the corner any more!). He got it fixed fairly quickly today, including the new thermostat. Grand total of financial damage? A bit less than expected, more than hoped, but still within budget so I think we can get it out of mechanic's hock this weekend, considering the bill is a mere US$85. It could have been so much worse, but once Randy drilled out the old bolts as much as he could, the leftovers essentially crumbled and just had to be air-blasted out or some such to clean the holes. A bit more work to get all the corrosion out, and voila ... one van, back on the road. What a relief.
Ahhh .... the lovely feel of warm kitties on my feet. The only thing is, they are putting my feet to sleep. Hope I don't have to get up any time soon, my feet will be on pins and needles! On to the bookfest!!! (And to all who keep thanking me, you're SO very welcome! It's nice to know the efforts are appreciated!)
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
50 Amazing Christmas Cookies Recipes - The Best Holiday Cookies (The Ultimate Christmas Recipes and Recipes For Christmas Collection) - Nowhere near Christmas, but I have to share this one because Pamela K's books are so full of goodies.
Best Wok Recipes from Mama Li's Kitchen: Healthy, Quick and Easy One Pot Meals for Busy Families
The Way To Healthy Garden Soil
30 Paleo Side Dish Recipes - Simple & Easy Paleo Side Dish Recipes (Paleo Recipes)
Vegetarian Grilling: Healthy Recipes for Outdoor Cooking (Healthy Natural Recipes Series)
Dressings, Toppings & Sauces (Gourmet Ninja Guides)
35 Delicious Paleo Slow Cooker Recipes For Busy Families
Kale: Naturally Healthy & Delicious Recipes From This Amazing Green Superfood
Growing Bulbs in Containers: A Season by Season Guide to Growing Bulbs in Containers (The Weekend Gardener Series)
Best Homemade Shortbread Cookies (Delicious Shortbread Cookie Recipes For All Occasions!)
Recipes in a Jar vol. 2: How to Can Vegetables
Knitting Stitches Handbook (Learn How to Knit)
Paleo Bread Recipes: 30 Delicious Gluten Free and Grain Free Paleo Bread Recipes (Paleo Bread Recipes, Paleo Bread Cookbook, Paleo Diet, Paleo Cookbook, Paleo Recipes, Quick and Easy Paleo Recipes)
Country Baking Quick Breads and Muffins (Delicious Recipes)
Coconut Milk Recipes, Paleo Coconut Oil & Flour Recipes. Low Carb Paleo, Allergy Free, Dairy Free and Gluten Free Recipes (Paleo Recipes: Paleo Recipes ... Lunch, Dinner & Desserts Recipe Book)
Live More With Less: The Gift of Minimalism: Simplify, Declutter and Get Organized
The Avocado Cookbook: Fun and Easy Recipes
Food in Jars: From Jellies to Jams and Lunches to Desserts
Natural Pet Food - Quick and Simple Guide
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
A better day
Today went much better. At work, with having put in for the transfer to second shift (more money and some overtime means a bigger paycheck and things getting done faster, among other things), I'm just waiting. The HR gal said that she has no idea how long it will take for it to go through when I dropped it off yesterday, but I know the lead (boss) on x-ray/breast table for second shift REALLY needs a pair of hands that can do all the jobs badly. We talked about it yesterday. So today, I told him what HR had said, and he's going to talk to the supervisor for nights on x-ray, and see about putting a little bit of a flea in HR's ear to get them to fast-track the thing. Apparently, he's got not quite enough people to hold down the fort, and two of them he's had for a whole three weeks, but they still can't do anything mroe than run the trim tables, where the bones are cut out or picked out of the meat after they've been through the x-ray machines. Larry, said lead, will be happy to have me, and I'll be happy to have more money coming my way. Of course, the whole getting to sleep in till noon every day will be a bonus as well!
No word yet on how much Randy is going to cost us to fix the truck ... I think he went and got it today, but since we haven't heard yet, he likely hasn't had a lot of time to pour over it and fix it up. Poor van buddy. Quentin REALLY likes his van, in spite of the fact that it's a Ford and he really hates Fords.
With riding with Eric and his brother Sean back and forth right now, it left me no time to do anything outdoors today by the time I got home. They had to run some errands after work, which is fine, but gosh, I really wanted to get out with the chainsaw. Soon's we either have the van back or I'm on second shift, the scrub trees around here better watch out, because me and the "midget cricket" are going to town on small firewood! And it was such a nice day for getting out, too, mid-60sF, so if I'd gotten home earlier, I could have done so much. Oh well, I am still picking out the things I want to get and hoping I can pare this list down to a dull roar before it goes into the stratosphere cost-wise. So far, I'm not doing so well, lol. I really need to pare it down more. A LOT more.
Doing some knitting tonight after posting the booklist, because I want to get more done on this one. It's coming along a bit at a time, but I'd like to put an hour or so into it while I cry over "Phantom of the Opera." I can't help it - by the time the chandelier crashes, I'm bawling, lol. Such a sad sack, am I. But I need a dose of theatre tonight, and that's the choice that came to hand. So booklist it is, have a blast folks.
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
The Homekeeper Handbook: How To Help You Keep Your Home Spotless and Organized
5 Simple Tips To Declutter Your Basement: From Cluttered to Clean (Happy House Series)
Kitty Draft Excluder - Easy Knitting Pattern
Paleo Baby - Healthy, Homemade, Gluten Free, Toddler & Baby Food Recipes (Paleo Diet Solution Series)
Simple Gardening Guide: Autumn (Fall)
The Fermenting Book Package: Fermented Foods: How to Ferment Vegetables & Paleo Probiotics: Fermented Foods for the Paleo Diet
Freezer Meals: Quick and Easy Money-Saving Recipes
The Goodness of Ghee: The Ultimate Guide to Using Ghee in the Kitchen and Beyond
Backyard Aquaponics Made Easy
50 Things to Know About Home Composting: A Beginners Guide to Learn How to Enjoy Composting Inexpensively
Create Baskets With Fabric Crochet
51 Cheap and Delicious Vegetarian Meals and Recipes (Vegetarian Cookbook and Vegetarian Recipes Collection)
Everyday Vegan Healthy Desserts Cookbook: Easy and Delicious Dessert Recipes for Busy Vegans
Sugar-Free Solution - Breakfast and Baking Recipes - 2 book pack
Mexican Paleo: Gluten Free Recipes for Tex Mex and Mexican Comfort Food Made Easy (Paleo Diet Solution Series)
35 Easy Pasta Recipes - Delicious and Traditional Italian Pasta Dishes (The Italian Cuisine And Italian Recipes Collection)
Homemade Dog Food Recipes for a Healthier Dog (Improved & Updated Dog Food Recipes) (Puppy and Dog Care Training at Home)
Tomato Container Gardening: How to Grow Tomatoes in Small Spaces
Paleo Slow Cooker: 55 Healthy and Delicious Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Recipes for a Paleo Diet (Healthy And Fit)
Gluten Free Bread Recipes: Quick, Easy And Delicious Gluten Free Bread Recipes (Glutne Free Bread, Gluten Free Bread Recipes, Quick and Easy Gluten Free ... Gluten Free Cookbook, Gluten Free Baking)
Green n' Gluten-Free - Dessert Recipes: Gluten-Free cookbook series for the real Gluten-Free diet eaters
Totally Wheat Free - No Cook Snacks Recipes: Wheat Free Cooking for the Wheat Free Grain Free, Wheat Free Dairy Free lifestyle
All Natural Recipes - Kids Recipes: All natural, Raw, Diabetic Friendly, Low Carb and Sugar Free Nutrition
Easy Kids Breakfast: Quick Healthy Breakfast Recipes (Family Cooking Series)
No word yet on how much Randy is going to cost us to fix the truck ... I think he went and got it today, but since we haven't heard yet, he likely hasn't had a lot of time to pour over it and fix it up. Poor van buddy. Quentin REALLY likes his van, in spite of the fact that it's a Ford and he really hates Fords.
With riding with Eric and his brother Sean back and forth right now, it left me no time to do anything outdoors today by the time I got home. They had to run some errands after work, which is fine, but gosh, I really wanted to get out with the chainsaw. Soon's we either have the van back or I'm on second shift, the scrub trees around here better watch out, because me and the "midget cricket" are going to town on small firewood! And it was such a nice day for getting out, too, mid-60sF, so if I'd gotten home earlier, I could have done so much. Oh well, I am still picking out the things I want to get and hoping I can pare this list down to a dull roar before it goes into the stratosphere cost-wise. So far, I'm not doing so well, lol. I really need to pare it down more. A LOT more.
Doing some knitting tonight after posting the booklist, because I want to get more done on this one. It's coming along a bit at a time, but I'd like to put an hour or so into it while I cry over "Phantom of the Opera." I can't help it - by the time the chandelier crashes, I'm bawling, lol. Such a sad sack, am I. But I need a dose of theatre tonight, and that's the choice that came to hand. So booklist it is, have a blast folks.
KINDLE FREEBIES OF INTEREST
The Homekeeper Handbook: How To Help You Keep Your Home Spotless and Organized
5 Simple Tips To Declutter Your Basement: From Cluttered to Clean (Happy House Series)
Kitty Draft Excluder - Easy Knitting Pattern
Paleo Baby - Healthy, Homemade, Gluten Free, Toddler & Baby Food Recipes (Paleo Diet Solution Series)
Simple Gardening Guide: Autumn (Fall)
The Fermenting Book Package: Fermented Foods: How to Ferment Vegetables & Paleo Probiotics: Fermented Foods for the Paleo Diet
Freezer Meals: Quick and Easy Money-Saving Recipes
The Goodness of Ghee: The Ultimate Guide to Using Ghee in the Kitchen and Beyond
Backyard Aquaponics Made Easy
50 Things to Know About Home Composting: A Beginners Guide to Learn How to Enjoy Composting Inexpensively
Create Baskets With Fabric Crochet
51 Cheap and Delicious Vegetarian Meals and Recipes (Vegetarian Cookbook and Vegetarian Recipes Collection)
Everyday Vegan Healthy Desserts Cookbook: Easy and Delicious Dessert Recipes for Busy Vegans
Sugar-Free Solution - Breakfast and Baking Recipes - 2 book pack
Mexican Paleo: Gluten Free Recipes for Tex Mex and Mexican Comfort Food Made Easy (Paleo Diet Solution Series)
35 Easy Pasta Recipes - Delicious and Traditional Italian Pasta Dishes (The Italian Cuisine And Italian Recipes Collection)
Homemade Dog Food Recipes for a Healthier Dog (Improved & Updated Dog Food Recipes) (Puppy and Dog Care Training at Home)
Tomato Container Gardening: How to Grow Tomatoes in Small Spaces
Paleo Slow Cooker: 55 Healthy and Delicious Gluten-Free Slow Cooker Recipes for a Paleo Diet (Healthy And Fit)
Gluten Free Bread Recipes: Quick, Easy And Delicious Gluten Free Bread Recipes (Glutne Free Bread, Gluten Free Bread Recipes, Quick and Easy Gluten Free ... Gluten Free Cookbook, Gluten Free Baking)
Green n' Gluten-Free - Dessert Recipes: Gluten-Free cookbook series for the real Gluten-Free diet eaters
Totally Wheat Free - No Cook Snacks Recipes: Wheat Free Cooking for the Wheat Free Grain Free, Wheat Free Dairy Free lifestyle
All Natural Recipes - Kids Recipes: All natural, Raw, Diabetic Friendly, Low Carb and Sugar Free Nutrition
Easy Kids Breakfast: Quick Healthy Breakfast Recipes (Family Cooking Series)
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