Today we are supposed to go buy a truck to replace Jace's almost dead car. The weather is cloudy and around 38 degrees. This is actually perfect weather to shop because who else shops for a vehicle in yucky weather? I like to think we're going to make some salesman's day today. They probably think they are getting up, going to work, and just going to sit there all day not making any money. A little fantastic don't you think?
If I wasn't doing this today I probably would be sanding the china hutch. I haven't gotten any further due to a lack of opportunity to sand. I have faith there will always come bad weather days and I will get it done.
Many hours later...
It's the end of a very long day. And we are back home without a truck. We were very productive, though.
*We have financing through our bank. This is good because it gives us bargaining power with a dealer.
*We found a couple of trucks and are sort of playing the waiting game to see if they really want our business and will call us back tomorrow.
*We have found a few more on the internet since getting home and sent emails out to the dealers.
Now I need to go read up on how not to get swindled with warranties and such.
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Sunday, February 9, 2014
February 9, 2014 Strawberries, Peonies, and Honeysuckle
Sunday. Ahhh. Yesterday was a very horrible day. I am glad that it is over. I should have known it would be bad. Onslo stood right in front of me and peed on the floor. My mouth dropped. My excessively potty trained dog just peed on my floor. I'm pretty sure it was because it was cold outside and he was just being stubborn. I'll keep an eye on him. Work was chaotic. It's so busy in winter. It makes me very cranky. So I got in an argument with Jace. We stopped talking to each other for the day. But then I didn't have a support system to whine to about my terrible day. Thankfully, Saturday is over.
This morning I took some time to read one of my old blogs. This is actually my third blog to write. I think I felt I outgrew the old one. It put me in a good mood reminiscing about some past garden adventures. Things are definitely improving on this tiny homestead.
Today, is beautiful outside. I can tell it's a day for getting some things done. I want to keep a good schedule of cleaning out the chicken coop on Sundays so I'll be doing that first thing. They sure do make a mess.
This morning I took some time to read one of my old blogs. This is actually my third blog to write. I think I felt I outgrew the old one. It put me in a good mood reminiscing about some past garden adventures. Things are definitely improving on this tiny homestead.
Today, is beautiful outside. I can tell it's a day for getting some things done. I want to keep a good schedule of cleaning out the chicken coop on Sundays so I'll be doing that first thing. They sure do make a mess.
I planted 11 strawberry plants in the hoop house today. The box said there would be 10 plants. Ha! I got an extra. Should strawberries come in a box? I know I planted strawberry seeds and I still have a pot of dirt. Rowan wants strawberries so bad and I'd love to make that happen for her. She may have to settle for an artificial strawberry plant.
Today is exceptionally beautiful. I went around the yard taking some pictures. In the hoop house I planted 11 strawberry plants, a clematis, and three more peonies. I love peonies. If they grow I will even try to paint a picture of one.
It's hard to see but this chicken has a tasty clover weed I picked out of the potato area I'm working on. It has turned out to be a good idea to dump the weeds for them to sort through.
This is a winter honeysuckle. It always blooms about this time. It doesn't mind any freezing temps. It's wonderful to sit next to and watch the bees on warm days like today. I can get close enough to see the pollen they have stored on their legs. The winter honeysuckle smells very sweet and like perfume.
These are poppies. They will be red. I harvested seeds last year and then scattered them over all the back garden beds. They are quite whimsical and lovely when they bloom. They are one of my favorite picture taking flowers.
This is from the nectarine tree. Lovely buds of new leaves. Some are already opening. This tree did very well last year. However, due to blustery spring winds, all the blossoms were blown off. No nectarines :(
Friday, February 7, 2014
February 7,2014 I Wish Winter Wouldn't End
I really wish the day would start later. Something decent, like around noon.
The chickens are a bit funny. I opened the coop this morning and they all ran out but then must have decided it was too cold and they all ran back in. I didn't get to see what they did after that because it's Friday.
Friday means paying the bills and buying some food before all the money is gone. Today was a special Friday. I also got to buy 150 pounds of various animal food. It's still in the car. I suppose it will help to give some weight since there's ice on some of the roads. It would be my luck to end up in a ditch with 150 pounds of pet food strewn all over.
I don't mind the ice or yucky things of this weather. Especially in
February and early March. Most of the blogs I read are all bemoaning
the endless snow and pronouncing boredom and plans for riots against the
weathermen. I see it in a completely positive light.
I'm not ready for Spring! The weather, sure, but I don't have things ready yet. If tomorrow was planting day outside I wouldn't be ready. I'd even be disappointed with myself for not having things completed. Disappointed that some things would be getting a half effort because it wasn't finished. Disappointed because my plan was to work hard over the winter so there would be no hard work when spring came. So I could enjoy my Spring. All my beds would be cleaned out and compost mixed in with all the dirt. All the dead things would have been cleaned out and moved to the compost pile. All the tools, pots, buckets, and trash will have made it to their purposed spots. All the fencing put safely away. The lawnmower tuned up and anxiously awaiting it's first chance to mow.
Most of my plans are actually coming along quite well. I proved true and completed the cucumber and grape growing area. That's a huge relief. The grape growing area does need some bun poo still. I'm creating another area for growing potatoes. I only started this yesterday. I approximate needing 30 sq ft this year, allowing for spacing. I have much work to to do to get this area ready. The rest is making sure the beds are topped off and pulling errant weeds. Then I will proclaim it Ready!
It should only take 2 days. That's where things don't work out. It's difficult to work outside in these kinds of conditions. Although, the boys at the greencenter do give us weird looks for wanting dirt and seeds right now. One can only ignore the biting cold on the hands for so long. The hoop house is a blessing to work in when there are winds or rain.
We should have been able to complete some more over the weekend but a minor travesty occurred. Jace decided to take his car into the shop to get something fixed. It's going to cost more than what the car is worth. Now we are blessed because we didn't get the camper this past week.
The rest of the weekend will be spent scouring the internet trying to find the elusive .
vehicle he's searching for. I have found 6 within 100 miles of us. Jace will have to gather the rest of the information and make his choice of which one he wants.
I hope next week isn't so pressing on my time.
The chickens are a bit funny. I opened the coop this morning and they all ran out but then must have decided it was too cold and they all ran back in. I didn't get to see what they did after that because it's Friday.
Friday means paying the bills and buying some food before all the money is gone. Today was a special Friday. I also got to buy 150 pounds of various animal food. It's still in the car. I suppose it will help to give some weight since there's ice on some of the roads. It would be my luck to end up in a ditch with 150 pounds of pet food strewn all over.
We spent our evening playing Go Fish with Lizzie (one of us is a cheater and licks the cards)
Cardinal on a Mesquite Tree. Foggy day, long grasses underneath
I'm not ready for Spring! The weather, sure, but I don't have things ready yet. If tomorrow was planting day outside I wouldn't be ready. I'd even be disappointed with myself for not having things completed. Disappointed that some things would be getting a half effort because it wasn't finished. Disappointed because my plan was to work hard over the winter so there would be no hard work when spring came. So I could enjoy my Spring. All my beds would be cleaned out and compost mixed in with all the dirt. All the dead things would have been cleaned out and moved to the compost pile. All the tools, pots, buckets, and trash will have made it to their purposed spots. All the fencing put safely away. The lawnmower tuned up and anxiously awaiting it's first chance to mow.
Most of my plans are actually coming along quite well. I proved true and completed the cucumber and grape growing area. That's a huge relief. The grape growing area does need some bun poo still. I'm creating another area for growing potatoes. I only started this yesterday. I approximate needing 30 sq ft this year, allowing for spacing. I have much work to to do to get this area ready. The rest is making sure the beds are topped off and pulling errant weeds. Then I will proclaim it Ready!
It should only take 2 days. That's where things don't work out. It's difficult to work outside in these kinds of conditions. Although, the boys at the greencenter do give us weird looks for wanting dirt and seeds right now. One can only ignore the biting cold on the hands for so long. The hoop house is a blessing to work in when there are winds or rain.
We should have been able to complete some more over the weekend but a minor travesty occurred. Jace decided to take his car into the shop to get something fixed. It's going to cost more than what the car is worth. Now we are blessed because we didn't get the camper this past week.
The rest of the weekend will be spent scouring the internet trying to find the elusive .
vehicle he's searching for. I have found 6 within 100 miles of us. Jace will have to gather the rest of the information and make his choice of which one he wants.
I hope next week isn't so pressing on my time.
Thursday, February 6, 2014
February 6, 2014
0815 I suppose the chickens want out. They're needy like that. Have I mentioned that one of them is trying to find their voice? That means crowing is coming soon. That means chicken dinner is coming soon. Still need to watch a video on that.
Update: I watched 2 videos. Tomorrow might be the day...
0830 Chickens are free. Chicken water is frozen again. Not all the way through. This will give them something to do. Yesterday I gave them all my grass and weed pullings from the garden. Is this ok? I don't know. They are all still alive today. I also gave them some dog food my neighbor gave me. They let it sit around for awhile and then they peck at it. They seem to like it ok. They are interesting birds but I find that I don't have a real deep affection for them. Perhaps because I know they are livestock and are here to work and serve a purpose. I feel the same about the rabbits. Jace takes care of them so I don't really see them a lot anyway.
My love is for Peppermint, Lizzie, and Onslo. I let Lizzie and Peppermint sleep on the bed last night. A big no no, I know. Peppermint sleeps on the bed all the time. Lizzie was looking kind of downhearted about sleeping in the laundry room. I think she does not like it there any longer. Her breed is very social and she is well potty trained, so I think it may be time for her to move up in the world and stay with the family all the time. This will of course depend on her obeying and behavior.
Today looks like it will be an inside day. Outside it is gray, cold, and breezy at 36 degrees. In the hoop house it is 40 degrees this morning. No new sprouts and all the current plants look ok.
Update: I watched 2 videos. Tomorrow might be the day...
0830 Chickens are free. Chicken water is frozen again. Not all the way through. This will give them something to do. Yesterday I gave them all my grass and weed pullings from the garden. Is this ok? I don't know. They are all still alive today. I also gave them some dog food my neighbor gave me. They let it sit around for awhile and then they peck at it. They seem to like it ok. They are interesting birds but I find that I don't have a real deep affection for them. Perhaps because I know they are livestock and are here to work and serve a purpose. I feel the same about the rabbits. Jace takes care of them so I don't really see them a lot anyway.
My love is for Peppermint, Lizzie, and Onslo. I let Lizzie and Peppermint sleep on the bed last night. A big no no, I know. Peppermint sleeps on the bed all the time. Lizzie was looking kind of downhearted about sleeping in the laundry room. I think she does not like it there any longer. Her breed is very social and she is well potty trained, so I think it may be time for her to move up in the world and stay with the family all the time. This will of course depend on her obeying and behavior.
Today looks like it will be an inside day. Outside it is gray, cold, and breezy at 36 degrees. In the hoop house it is 40 degrees this morning. No new sprouts and all the current plants look ok.
This cold and dreary weather is responsible for THIS! (pointing to evidence above) It's a simple white cake recipe which I added brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice and almonds to.
Lizzie and Peppermint sleeping. They have been growing up together and Lizzie loves everyone and everything. Today Rowan and I gave her a bath and conditioner. I shaved a little more. I'm doing it a little more and about once a week to get her used to it. There are so many stickers that it's a lot of work trying to keep her sticker free. It'll be easier just to keep her shaved.
Isn't she cute? I picked her up at Hobby Lobby. I'm hoping she'll sit on the china hutch when I finish it.
This is the orange cinnamon natural cleaner I put together a couple of weeks ago. I poured it into a bottle and put the orange peel and cinnamon sticks in the compost bucket. It smells pretty much like you would expect: orange, cinnamon, and vinegar. I had already finished cleaning the kitchen (4 sink loads of dishes) so I'll have to try it tomorrow.
Lastly, this is my first paper rose I made last night. I followed the youtube video. For color I used a couple drops of red food coloring in about a quarter cup of water. I'm looking forward to making some more.
Wednesday, February 5, 2014
February 5, 2014 Mishmash
Labwork This morning I went and had some labwork done. Just some yearly regular stuff. Glad that is out of the way. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.
It's a cold day here on the homestead. It's around 38 and windy. The temperature isn't too bad but the wind makes things uncomfortable. Rowan wants to move our fairy house set up into the hoop house. It might be kind of fun to play around in the hoop house today.
I saw a paper roses tutorial at A Delightsome Life. I need to watch the video first. Here's some I found 1, 2. I think these so pretty. I'd love to make a dozen or more of these and put them all around the house. Roses are so calming to me.
I finished digging up the area for grapes and another fruit tree. Now I've moved on to digging up a place for planting potatoes.
I got some great deals on magazine subscriptions from Discount Mags. I picked up Smithsonian and Mother Earth News. I found the site thanks to Mavis.
I want to make some shelves for the plants in the hoop house. It needs a more comfy feel. I've seen some pics of chairs and I might construct something with some scrap wood.
Here are some pics of things around the homestead today.
It's a cold day here on the homestead. It's around 38 and windy. The temperature isn't too bad but the wind makes things uncomfortable. Rowan wants to move our fairy house set up into the hoop house. It might be kind of fun to play around in the hoop house today.
I saw a paper roses tutorial at A Delightsome Life. I need to watch the video first. Here's some I found 1, 2. I think these so pretty. I'd love to make a dozen or more of these and put them all around the house. Roses are so calming to me.
I finished digging up the area for grapes and another fruit tree. Now I've moved on to digging up a place for planting potatoes.
I got some great deals on magazine subscriptions from Discount Mags. I picked up Smithsonian and Mother Earth News. I found the site thanks to Mavis.
I want to make some shelves for the plants in the hoop house. It needs a more comfy feel. I've seen some pics of chairs and I might construct something with some scrap wood.
Here are some pics of things around the homestead today.
The apple tree.
Zinnias sprouting.
Peony
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
February 4, 2014 *Groan*
And just as we were getting ready to sign on the dotted line... We changed our minds. Rather, the bank changed our minds for us.
We are not getting a camper at this time. When Jace had talked to the bank last Saturday, he was quoted an interest rate and monthly payment. It turns out it wasn't the correct interest or monthly payment. Today when we went into the bank to finalize the loan, we were met with the hard truth. We could not comfortably afford the monthly payment.
It didn't take long for us to acknowledge that while we could make the payments, there would be no room for saving any money...to, you know, take trips. Since that's what a camper is for, it didn't make sense.
So we left. The Campy Camper place is trying their hardest to win us back. They even offered to lower the price another thousand dollars. How complimentary of them. Which means if this hadn't happened I would be paying a thousand dollars more than I needed to. Thanks a lot.
The rest of the day I spent being morose. Another dream squashed. Does this happen to anyone else? I feel like it's happening repeatedly to me over the last year.
I took out my depression/anger on the garden. The grapevine/cucumber area is almost cleared! I've been met with resistance from some scary looking ants. It's gotten me to be able to imagine where I can plant some potatoes this year. I just need to look up a few references and then I'll know where to plant them.
In the hoop house there are lots of seeds growing. So far I have seen Black Krim tomatoes, zinnias, marsh mallow, cucumbers, okra, and my peony. It's very exciting to imagine having robust healthy plants ready to put in the ground at the end of March.
All in all, while today was not my best and I felt defeated, I will get up again tomorrow.
We are not getting a camper at this time. When Jace had talked to the bank last Saturday, he was quoted an interest rate and monthly payment. It turns out it wasn't the correct interest or monthly payment. Today when we went into the bank to finalize the loan, we were met with the hard truth. We could not comfortably afford the monthly payment.
It didn't take long for us to acknowledge that while we could make the payments, there would be no room for saving any money...to, you know, take trips. Since that's what a camper is for, it didn't make sense.
So we left. The Campy Camper place is trying their hardest to win us back. They even offered to lower the price another thousand dollars. How complimentary of them. Which means if this hadn't happened I would be paying a thousand dollars more than I needed to. Thanks a lot.
The rest of the day I spent being morose. Another dream squashed. Does this happen to anyone else? I feel like it's happening repeatedly to me over the last year.
I took out my depression/anger on the garden. The grapevine/cucumber area is almost cleared! I've been met with resistance from some scary looking ants. It's gotten me to be able to imagine where I can plant some potatoes this year. I just need to look up a few references and then I'll know where to plant them.
In the hoop house there are lots of seeds growing. So far I have seen Black Krim tomatoes, zinnias, marsh mallow, cucumbers, okra, and my peony. It's very exciting to imagine having robust healthy plants ready to put in the ground at the end of March.
All in all, while today was not my best and I felt defeated, I will get up again tomorrow.
Sunday, February 2, 2014
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.
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.
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