Last night at work was a bit rough, in that after lunch break, I got yanked back to my least-favorite place, boob line. At least I only had to trim out bones and such, because I flat-out told my supervisor there was no way I was flipping them to go through the x-ray. I still hurt from the night before. He was okay with it, and told me he only needed an extra trimmer, so I got a bit of easy work to finish the night. So "a bit rough," but not too bad.
I am working on an addition to the blog - a few new pages, strictly for links to all kinds of free patterns online for knitting, crochet, and "other crafts" like sewing, papercraft, scrapbooking, and so forth. They are going to be BIG pages, and the only problem I'm having with it is finding out how to do in-page anchors on Blogger, as it keeps trying to change them on me and then they don't work. It's rather frustrating, but I'll work it out.
In the meantime, I really need to wake up, because I have so much to do before I head to work tonight. *blink blink* Unfortunately, I'm tired. Work'll do that to ya.
*****
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Not a good week so far
This has been the week from h**l so far. Monday, the truck died on the way to work. We were able to get our mechanic, who is also a friend, to come get us ASAP and haul us home so we could get my car and get to work. Turns out with my car that what hubby thought was the alignment gone out completely was instead a rear tire that had belts separating to where it had a huge bulge in it and it was ready to go boom. We made it to work on time, thank goodness, with the not too great spare on the car. It's a full-sized tire instead of the standard doughnut, but it's a bit low on tread, so we only use it for short distances and periods of time.
Yesterday meant I lost all computer time that I normally use to wake up, because in order to get to work on time, we had to get up and rolling way earlier than normal. We had to pawn a few things to get the money to get a new tire (nearly $100 for the tire, mounting and balancing, yikes!), but that's taken care of. We got through work, which didn't help me out much, as they moved me back to my old spot for most of the night, so I am sore today and have a monster of a headache. But, considering we managed to talk the fellow we are getting the truck from to add the tow and repair back to the contract, as long as we make honking huge payments for a while to get it paid off ASAP.
We are also having to seriously consider a move in closer to work. There's a trailer park not too far from the plant, within walking distance. I'm not fond of the idea of having people that close to me. I'm not a people person. But hubby feels we "have to do something" in case of vehicular problems in the future, and he's "tired of freezing," which wouldn't be a problem if he'd work with me to put in a propane heater instead of putting everything he has leftover after bills into tricking out the truck, and insisting on using electric radiator heaters that aren't that efficient. Yes, we have a bit of conversation about that frequently.
A move would mean a number of things. It would mean no garden next year, because I couldn't trust neighbors not to steal my produce. (No, I'm not really all that trusting of folks in that respect. I've gotten rather hermitish over the last few years, and I like it like that. I'm becoming rather a curmudgeon.) It would be being on the grid for everything, which I don't really like. But it would also mean being able to have a real stove so I could get back into soap and lotion making, and baking, which could be sold online and at farmer's markets and swap meets come springtime (which would also give me a chance to get a good stock going by then on the soaps and lotions), and I could get a good stock of seeds built up for when a place is finally bought. It would mean regular heat and running water and al lthe outlets working. The biggest reason I'm considering okaying the move is because the trailer park is, should worst come to worst, literally walking distance to work, the smoke shop for hubby (he's a pack a day, I'm trying to get him to quit, but so far in 4 1/2 years, no good), and if we use the collapsible cart, walking distance to the laundromat, dollar store, and grocery store for most staples. Not much need to drive anywhere, as other things could be planned for ahead of time and bought online and shipped. So as long as we can scrape up a deposit and all (there are ways to make it really low, apparently), we may end up moving before the end of the year. We shall see.
*****
Yesterday meant I lost all computer time that I normally use to wake up, because in order to get to work on time, we had to get up and rolling way earlier than normal. We had to pawn a few things to get the money to get a new tire (nearly $100 for the tire, mounting and balancing, yikes!), but that's taken care of. We got through work, which didn't help me out much, as they moved me back to my old spot for most of the night, so I am sore today and have a monster of a headache. But, considering we managed to talk the fellow we are getting the truck from to add the tow and repair back to the contract, as long as we make honking huge payments for a while to get it paid off ASAP.
We are also having to seriously consider a move in closer to work. There's a trailer park not too far from the plant, within walking distance. I'm not fond of the idea of having people that close to me. I'm not a people person. But hubby feels we "have to do something" in case of vehicular problems in the future, and he's "tired of freezing," which wouldn't be a problem if he'd work with me to put in a propane heater instead of putting everything he has leftover after bills into tricking out the truck, and insisting on using electric radiator heaters that aren't that efficient. Yes, we have a bit of conversation about that frequently.
A move would mean a number of things. It would mean no garden next year, because I couldn't trust neighbors not to steal my produce. (No, I'm not really all that trusting of folks in that respect. I've gotten rather hermitish over the last few years, and I like it like that. I'm becoming rather a curmudgeon.) It would be being on the grid for everything, which I don't really like. But it would also mean being able to have a real stove so I could get back into soap and lotion making, and baking, which could be sold online and at farmer's markets and swap meets come springtime (which would also give me a chance to get a good stock going by then on the soaps and lotions), and I could get a good stock of seeds built up for when a place is finally bought. It would mean regular heat and running water and al lthe outlets working. The biggest reason I'm considering okaying the move is because the trailer park is, should worst come to worst, literally walking distance to work, the smoke shop for hubby (he's a pack a day, I'm trying to get him to quit, but so far in 4 1/2 years, no good), and if we use the collapsible cart, walking distance to the laundromat, dollar store, and grocery store for most staples. Not much need to drive anywhere, as other things could be planned for ahead of time and bought online and shipped. So as long as we can scrape up a deposit and all (there are ways to make it really low, apparently), we may end up moving before the end of the year. We shall see.
*****
Monday, October 13, 2014
Funday Monday
I am officially done with the vinework and have a butterfly well-started. In all honesty, while I was waiting to get my hands on all the colors Wally World doesn't carry, I started the one, so the one wing was half-done already. It's now finished and I'm a few steps into another wing. It's going faster than I thought it would, but I figure it's just because I was getting awfully tired of green. The vinework on Mom's lap quilt was getting pretty darned boring by the end, so it's a good thing I did it first.
It's awfully cloudy today, and drizzling a bit here and there. Of course, the girls are still not sure enough of the house to come in to eat, so they are currently eating on the deck in the drizzle. They still love their attention with food, so I am likely getting a largeish crate this weekend or the next and starting to feed them in it so they will get used to it, and I will be able to get them caught and indoors easier without having to dress heavily and scare them really badly with hauling them in. It's much simpler to put their food in the crate, let them go in it to eat for several days, and then one day, shut the door on them. It teaches them that the carrier is a good place to be, much like crate-training a puppy.
But now it's time for books, and getting ready for work, and maybe a bit of a nap before we leave. Hugs, all!
*****
It's awfully cloudy today, and drizzling a bit here and there. Of course, the girls are still not sure enough of the house to come in to eat, so they are currently eating on the deck in the drizzle. They still love their attention with food, so I am likely getting a largeish crate this weekend or the next and starting to feed them in it so they will get used to it, and I will be able to get them caught and indoors easier without having to dress heavily and scare them really badly with hauling them in. It's much simpler to put their food in the crate, let them go in it to eat for several days, and then one day, shut the door on them. It teaches them that the carrier is a good place to be, much like crate-training a puppy.
But now it's time for books, and getting ready for work, and maybe a bit of a nap before we leave. Hugs, all!
*****
Sunday, October 12, 2014
Sunday Guest Post
Good Designs for Chicken Coops Make All The Difference
by:
by:
Gone are the days of chicken coops being just a simple shed with tar paper as insulation with rickety doors and windows. These days, designs for chicken coops perpetuate solid, well-built, highly functional coops that look great and last a long time.
I remember the first time I saw a "modern" chicken coop; I was at a friend's house and he wanted to take me out to see his chickens. I was stunned at how good the coop looked and how well designed it was.
I had raised chickens a long time before and I really didn't have any good memories about it. The coop I used was there when I bought the house and I guess if I knew how bad the coop was I would have done something about it.
If there wasn't a skunk or raccoon killing one of my chickens they were dying from the cold. And believe me I tried to fortify the coop, but there were some "secret passages" that I just could find until I gave up on raising chickens and finally tore the building down.
Now the attitude about raising chickens has changed and more emphasis is being placed on the quality of the birds housing. Chickens are fairly self-sustaining if they are given what they need. So to have a successful flock the focus should be, as it is now, on the environment you provide them.
A solid foundation with quality materials like treated lumber help to ensure the coop will keep its integrity and be just as solid as it is now, twenty years from now.
Today chicken coop designs take into account such things as good lighting, ventilation, spacious layouts, and weather-tight construction so that you should expect to be able to have a healthy and productive flock.
I've been back in the chicken raising fold for over ten years now and with my new modern chicken coop and run and I couldn't be happier about how things have gone. Because of the great lighting, both natural and artificial, my hens are egg laying machines!
I haven't had one issue with a predator and I can't see that I ever will as long as I keep the coop up, which really doesn't take much with the quality of the construction.
I have the option to add more birds whenever I'm ready for them since my coop is very spacious and can keep up to twenty hens and roosters. Plus I'm able to take advantage of the chicken-produced fertilizer and my vegetable garden and my wife's flowers are reaping the benefits big time!
If you are on the fence about whether or not to raise chickens just let me say that you can't go wrong if you take your time to find a design that you like and which will work for the number of birds you want to keep.
The benefits far outweigh and negatives you may thinking of that would keep you from taking the next step toward fresh eggs, meat and a small level of self-reliance.
Happy Sunday!
It's the end of one week and the start of another, and I'm glad of the day. Very few chores needed doing on the homestead (laundry from yesterday put away, cat box cleared up, trash out and burned and composting toilet emptied and refreshed), so most of today has been spent working on fun things, like writing and embroidery on Mom's lap quilt. That has me extremely please. Barring a tiny bit of the darkest green for the vines, the darned vinework is done and so it's all butterflies from here on out. Whew.
I have put aside, for the moment, what I'm beginning to call the "antifreeze afghan," as it's the one where all the yarn got soaked by the antifreeze when the heater core went out. Ooops. The fluid part dries eventually, but the stuff to make it anti-freezing doesn't. Once it's as dry as possible (it doesn't dry sticky or anything, but who wants that stuff on an afghan?), I'll make up the squares and assemble them into strips, and wash the strips. I could wash the yarn ahead of time, but it's all in balls anyhow, and I don't know how well it would all wash without unrolling and tangling up, even stuck inside pantyhose to prevent as much of that as possible. Add in that it might end up molding or mildewing if I wash it first and it becomes, "Houston, we have a problem." So it's work with the stuff, wash it and then do final assembly. From what I understand, washing (even just soaking and swishing in a gentle soapy water solution) will clear it all up and make the yarn nice again. But I need to get a lot of other things done, so it will have to wait. As it's all scrap yarn anyhow, and I have a TON of it, if any of it decides to mildew in the meantime and become unusable, I can toss it out without feeling bad. It was leftovers from other projects anyhow.
Next weekend is supposed to be decent weather, so that is when I will do final clearup on the garden, and put it to bed for the winter. How about you guys? Any garden winterizing going on? Or has the weather already turned for you to where you had to do that already?
*****
I have put aside, for the moment, what I'm beginning to call the "antifreeze afghan," as it's the one where all the yarn got soaked by the antifreeze when the heater core went out. Ooops. The fluid part dries eventually, but the stuff to make it anti-freezing doesn't. Once it's as dry as possible (it doesn't dry sticky or anything, but who wants that stuff on an afghan?), I'll make up the squares and assemble them into strips, and wash the strips. I could wash the yarn ahead of time, but it's all in balls anyhow, and I don't know how well it would all wash without unrolling and tangling up, even stuck inside pantyhose to prevent as much of that as possible. Add in that it might end up molding or mildewing if I wash it first and it becomes, "Houston, we have a problem." So it's work with the stuff, wash it and then do final assembly. From what I understand, washing (even just soaking and swishing in a gentle soapy water solution) will clear it all up and make the yarn nice again. But I need to get a lot of other things done, so it will have to wait. As it's all scrap yarn anyhow, and I have a TON of it, if any of it decides to mildew in the meantime and become unusable, I can toss it out without feeling bad. It was leftovers from other projects anyhow.
Next weekend is supposed to be decent weather, so that is when I will do final clearup on the garden, and put it to bed for the winter. How about you guys? Any garden winterizing going on? Or has the weather already turned for you to where you had to do that already?
*****
Saturday, October 11, 2014
Still raining!!
You can tell it's fall in the Ozarks. The sumac, elderberry, kudzu, locust, and ash are all turning colors. They are about all the color we get here, because the weather just doesn't get quite right most of the time to make for the kind of color we get back home. Most of the hardwoods will just go brown and lose their leaves. There is also a lot of fog and rain. The rain is supposed to last till Wednesday. Makes for an awful cold, wet ride to and from work, but it makes snuggling under covers for nighttime sleeping or a nap really nice. Which is what I'm off to do right now - go take a nap. Chores and errands are all done, so I'm going to reward myself with a nap. Then I'll get more done on Mom's lap quilt, because I'm just about done with the vinework, finally. Should have that finished this weekend, then it's all butterflies.
*****
*****
Friday, October 10, 2014
Really tired
And it's raining hard today, which doesn't help with waking up again. I've so much to do, no time to get it all done, and all I want to do is sleep. Not go to work though I have to. Not do needlework, though I have to. Just snooze. Me and rain!!! The girls got fed UNDER the trailer this morning. It's been raining all night and under the deck, where I usually feed them in crappy weather, was even soaked. They don't quite trust us enough to come indoors yet, but they sure were happy to see me with food. Not enough to get wet to say thank you by stropping my ankles like normal, but enough to stop eating and look up at me as I backed off to give me happy looks of thanks.
*****
*****
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