February 2, 2014 Rain and More Camper News

Today it is raining, cold, and windy.  The temperature is high 30's. 

I had to clean out the chicken coop today.  I shoo all the birds out and then block their entrance.  They are very curious about anything I'm doing.  They get very irritated when they can't see what I'm doing.  It took me about 30 minutes to get it cleaned out, empty the waste into the compost pile and put a new layer of shavings on the floor.  I emptied their feeder and filled it with fresh food.  Now their coop is clean, dry, and tidy. 

I checked in the hoop house for any signs of growth.  I'm happy to report there are okra, cucumbers, and marsh mallows growing.  I didn't have time to take pictures today but I will this coming week.  I'm very happy I'm now able to grow something in February.  Only 2 more months till outside planting!

Yesterday we heard back from the bank about the camper.  We got the loan!  We'll sign the papers on Tuesday.  On Wednesday we're supposed to have a walk through and learn how everything on it works.  I'm feeling a little overwhelmed about how to furnish it and have enough storage.  I'm spending a lot of time on Pinterest getting ideas.  Today I'll find out exactly where we're headed to this summer, so I can start looking for a campground close by.  Once we actually have the camper at home then I'll call the state park I have camping reservations at for later this spring and see if I need to modify my reservation to include the camper.  Jace and I laugh as we say things like, "well in our vacation home..." 

This will have to do for today.  I have to go to town for some things and then it will be time to get things ready for work tomorrow and put the chickens and myself to bed.  What a busy, busy weekend.

January 28th, 2014 Sanding the China Hutch Is Not Going As Planned

0830  Waking up back on the homestead.  I'm done with work till the end of the week.  The weather is 28 degrees and showing some freezing rain or snow.  It's 47 degrees in the hoop house.  It'll be an inside day here.  I'll be going out for an eye appointment.  I purposely scheduled all my doctor checkups during this time of bad weather.  It does look like Thursday and Friday will be nice days.

I need to work on the blog appearance.  It's on the same list as needing to put away laundry and needing to plant my okra seeds.  I did soak the seeds but now they are sprouting in the water.  I might need to redo soaking the seeds and planting.

 

I've been enjoying eating dried fruit that I keep stored in jars instead of their ugly plastic wrapper.

 

 

Onslo is a dog who thinks he's a bird because he made a nest with his blanket.  He's refusing to come out.

0315  My sanding project came to a halt.  I need to palm sand the china hutch I bought the other day.  I got everything ready and the palm sander does not work.  It's been sitting around for much too long.  Looks like tomorrow I will go get a new one.  I don't want to let this project wait too long or it won't get done.   

January 23, 2014 Reinforced Hoop House

0700  Nope.

0715  Under protest.  Got up and let Lizzie out.  Coffee was already ready.  Drinking coffee and sitting with Peppermint.  She feels that I've been gone a very long time and she has missed me terribly.  Lots of meows.  Every. Time. I. See. Her.  She must have memory problems.  Probably from chewing on the computer.

I'm doing some shopping in a little while.  Jace has asked nicely for some horse liniment from Tractor Supply.  There could be a chance for some adventure there.

The real question here is why am I shopping today?  Because we're knuckleheads and I just saw the weather for tomorrow.  I thought this whole week was nothing but nice or a few clouds.  Turns out the Polar Vortex will be here tomorrow.  *Dum dum dum*(dramatic effect music)  I don't want to be out shopping tomorrow when the temps are freezing, possibly snow/sleet, and taking Rowan with me. 

Yesterday evening we added another layer of plastic across the roof of the hoop house for this event.  We're not sure of its' ability to stand up to sleet.  In a logical thought process I would think the heat generated inside the hoop house would melt any ice off the roof.

UPDATE:  I helped the warming process along this afternoon.  I ran an extension cord under the hoop house and connected a small heater.  I crawled around all the edges at the bottom of the hoop house checking for drafts.  I blocked them with scrap plastic, cardboard, wood and rocks.  I bought a thermometer at Tractor Supply and it's showing 49 degrees in the hoop house.  I'll recheck later to see if this is working.

 

Heater sitting on a cinder block to elevate it off the ground.  I'm nervous about the connection sitting on the ground so I tucked it into the hole of the cinder block.

 

 

Ye ole thermometer

 

 

 

 

I read on Garden Therapy a recipe for All Natural Orange Cinnamon All-Purpose Cleaner.  I made some and put it away.  I'll check back in a few weeks.  I also put it on my calendar and made a note of where exactly I put it.  Two weeks from now I may not remember.  "Great, it's ready.  But where is it?!"

Since the weather is so yucky there's a couple things I'm working on inside.  I'm making bread, even as we speak.  I do it the lazy way...in a bread machine.  I bought a bread machine at Goodwill a few years ago.  I don't really like bread baked in a bread machine, but it's wonderful to use just for making the dough.  Throw all the ingredients in and come back an hour later, shape some loaves, and bake in the oven.  Perfect homemade bread.

The other thing I have to work on is cleaning out the freezer, which I AM about to go do, for real.  I got a very good deal on some meat and I don't have room for it.  There's also a lot of stuff in our freezers (2 of them) that no one is ever going to eat.  I will get to eat homemade bread as a reward.