Untitled (I just couldn't think of a good title for this post!) :-)

Yesterday I was on Pinterest and saw the most gorgeous olive colored chicken eggs (for which I aim to obtain someday soon!) .  I went to the blog site of one of the pictures.  Nice blog.  Great pictures and interesting reading.  But the author hadn't updated in months.  From blogging very regularly to nothing.  No explanations.  Just nothing.  It's not the first blog that I've visited that's been that way.  I always wonder what happened to cause that person to not post anymore.  A death in the family?  Too busy?  Tired of blogging?  Did they not post for so long that they just don't know how to start again?

Busted!!  Guilt!!

There I sat, thinking about how many times I've done the same thing.  I don't go months without posting but I've gone quite a few weeks too many times.  I confess that many of those times I've just been in such a funk about our circumstances that it's hard to think of anything "worthy" to post.  You know, "if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all"?  And so it's been these past few months. 

I dwell upon (in no particular order of importance)...
Our financial circumstances continues to deteriorate.  We've went from almost nothing (very little income) to almost nothing-er.  Things are so tight that I've cut my last two convenience/luxury expenses of paper towels and paper plates out of our budget.  We do continue to count toilet paper as a necessity though.  ;-)

The weather has been cold and gloomy and that affects my mood more this winter than it has in previous years.  I long for spring but fear another horribly hot and deathly dry summer.

Our renovations to our ancient, tiny mobile home are going much slower than we had anticipated.  It's hard for DH to get much accomplished with his back always hurting and I'm certainly not skilled enough to do much of it.  We have gotten our new kitchen cabinets stained and the first clear coat on.  DH works on sanding them so that we can apply another clear coat.  They are beautiful and I cannot wait to get them installed!!  Oh, I'm so impatient!!

Our little ancient car has been giving us a lot of trouble and has broken down several times.  Today it broke down when I went to the bank and is, in fact, still sitting in the bank's parking lot.  DH has to tow it home tomorrow (it was just too cold to do anything with it today).  We have access to DH's father's van but I hope that our car can be fixed quickly and cheaply. 

Stuck on the side of the road in December about an hour from home!!

Daughter #2 thinks everything is a photo op!

I still can't find my camera and I fear that it is truly gone.  I just cannot remember for sure what happened to it that last day that we used it--Halloween when our little Dachshund Uno had an allergic reaction and we took pictures of his poor swollen little face and body.  Did we take it with us and leave it in the car and it got stolen?  Did it somehow get thrown away?  It certainly wouldn't be the first time that something valuable ended up in the trash!  Did it get stuffed in some little hidey-hole somewhere that I haven't searched?  I feel lost without it!!  And I certainly can't afford to buy a new one!!  I borrow Daughter #2's camera but it isn't as good as mine is and the pictures end up disappointing me.  :-(

Is it just me or is does it seem like the world is going a bit crazy?  I really like a calm, stable, loving environment and all the crazy stuff going on in the world gets to me sometimes.  Crazy weather, earthquakes/volcanic eruptions, government corruption/debt, little children being sexually abused or shot and killed in school...  And the list goes on!!  Jeepers!! 

In a nutshell, I'm a bit worn down by the cares of this world right now and don't feel that I have very much to offer. 

On the bright side...
One of my New Year's Resolutions this year was to craft/create more.  I've been crocheting most evenings and have a few projects that need just a bit more attention to be finished.  I'll try to post some pictures when they're complete.

We've been getting a fair amount of schoolwork done for a change.  Daughters #2 and 4 recently enrolled in the Penn Foster High School program (Daughter #2 is a bit late but has firmly decided that she wants a diploma--not a GED--and worked a housekeeping job at a resort last summer to be able to afford to enroll).  Both girls finished their first unit and received 100% on their first test.  Yay!!

I'm perusing garden catalogs/webistes and planning this year's garden.  I hope that the weather is much more cooperative and not so hot and dry.  I have lots of ideas and there are tons of seeds I'd love to buy.  So far I've ordered...

Amish Paste Tomatoes

Yellow Sweet Spanish Onions

I have a few simple projects planned for this spring.  One of them I am working on now.  I'm saving my yarn scraps to put in a suet feeder to hang on the fence for the birds to build their nests.  You can read about it over at Juniper Moon Farm...

I have a few other things on my mind as well but I'll save those ideas for another post.

I hope that I can post more frequently again.  I do enjoy blogging.  :-)

Until next time...

A Post Christmas Hello!

Yes, I am still alive. 

And we made it through Christmas. 

I hope all of my dear friends and family who read here had a wonderful Christmas!! 

We certainly did.  With our financial circumstances over the past few years, we haven't really been able to buy many gifts but last fall we sold our remaining piece of property to the neighbor who bought our former home (read about it here) and we decided to allow a little frivolity this year by having a bit of Christmas.  It was a welcome break and we did over-do a little but I'm sure we'll recover.  Daughter #2 had worked all summer at a resort as a housekeeper and she went all out on everyone since she doesn't really have financial responsibilities yet.  It was a real blessing to the younger ones since she bought them a new XBox--our old one kicked the bucket several years ago.  Son #4 kept saying, "I can't believe that you bought all of these awesome presents!".  It's been a long time since we've really indulged in much of anything and it felt heavenly. 

For our extended family I made most of the gifts.  Hopefully I can post a few pictures in the next day or two showing some of the things we made and gave away.  I always enjoy crafting and love to make practical things that I know will be enjoyed.  This year I made my customary soap and it all turned out wonderful.  I also made the ladies fingerless gloves (aka texting gloves) and I'm still working on the ones for my nephews and sons (I just ran out of time!).  The pot holders that I had made in the spring and summer were a bit hit.  As was the wild violet jelly I made in the spring. 

Previously when our business was going strong I made lots of cookies to give to the superintendants on the jobsites where DH and our sons worked.  Then when the business bit the dust I decided to start making cookies for the family.  Now I'm hooked and look forward to my cookie making sessions each year before Christmas.  So naturally the extended family got cookies this year too.

It would be almost an understatement to say that I was really BUSY from Thanksgiving until Christmas!!!

Yesterday was Son #4's birthday and there were more gifts.  I think he's in shock now since he got a few more nice gifts.  :-)

Today I have to drive Son #3 back to his place and Daughters #1 & 3 back to my sisters (or at least to Son #3's place so he can do me a favor by driving them back to my sisters.) and that will pretty much conclude the holiday celebrations. 

I've been mentally working on my New Year's Resolutions and hope to put those down on paper soon.  I'll share them soon.

Writer's Block

Guess I've wound up and gotten me a good dose of "writer's block".  I just can't seem to dredge up anything interesting to post about here nowadays.  :-) 

Life goes on with it's usual comings and goings.  I do the standard domestic engineering stuff--cooking, cleaning, laundry, shopping, etc...  The kiddos are on our usual holiday break from school (Thanksgiving until after the New Year) and are helping their daddy insulate the underpinning of our mobile home.  It's hard work but they are doing it without too much complaint.  It won't be long until this little place is the epitome of what a well insulated, energy efficient dwelling should be!!  If I could just keep up with all the dirt getting drug in from the boys having to crawl around underneath the trailer...  Wow!  At least they enjoy the excuse to get good and dirty.  ;-)

We are having fun this Christmas season so far with gift buying, decorating our tiny tree, listening to Christmas music and making lots of handmade gifts.  I can't share what they are yet since I have family who will be receiving these gifts and who also read this blog.  (Hello there!!!)  :-)  Maybe I'll post some pictures after Christmas.

I still haven't found my camera and I am earnestly worried.  Daughter #4's camera has a bad battery and I recently ordered her a new one so that we will have a working camera again.  I can't wait until it comes in!!  Have you ever noticed how many photo opportunities arise when you DON"T have your camera?  Crazy!!

DH has a doctor's appointment today for another evaluation on his back so I will leave you with a couple of pictures I took some time ago (I just can't have a pictureless post!!!) of one of my favorite things to photograph...  the sky.

Beautiful Sunset Colors!!

Interesting formations.

Doesn't it look like these clouds were drug across the sky?

This and That

It's been quiet around the homestead lately.  In between storms we've been working outside to get all the odds and ends wrapped up.  Cleaning up the remodeling debris is the worst. 

I've also been working on planting my order from Northern Trading Co. that I got earlier than I expected.  So far I've gotten everything planted that they've sent (all but my apple tree)--so that's a load off my mind.  They sent a Robin Hood rose and some hyacinth and crocus bulbs as free gifts.  Everything looks fantastic!!!  I can hardly wait for spring now to see it all grow!

Another project I have coming up is to pull up the poison ivy along the fence line to plant daffodils and the hyacinth/crocus bulbs.  The last time I attempted such a feat (in 2004) I was laid up in bed for 2 weeks afterwards with poison ivy on my face and chest (I was breastfeeding Son #6 at the time and I didn't know that I was covered in the oil when I nursed him.  He proceeded to help spread it on me though he didn't have any reaction himself--Praise God!!).  Sadly, I didn't realize that all those stringy roots I pulled up was poison ivy until after the fact because the leaves had fallen off already.

This was BEFORE it got really bad!!!

The best memory from the whole ordeal was when Son #4 said to Son #5...

"Don't kiss Mommy or you'll get poison ivy and you'll

be UGLY too!"  It still makes me laugh. 

The children constantly told me how much I looked like Gothmog

on Return of the King (Lord of the Rings)

Honestly, they were just about right!!!

It really was horrible!

They almost admitted me to the hospital but I was allowed to agonize at home on my own with the help of lots of Benedryl and some serious steriods! 

This time I'll pull the ivy while I know what and where they are and I will be prepared by wearing rubber gloves, jersy gloves, long sleeves, and pants with all of it coming off as soon as I'm done and being thrown into the washer immediatly.  Then I'll wash up with Dermoplast Poison Ivy Treatment/Wash.

I will never be without this most excellent product again!!!

It truly is miraculous!!!

I must do this dreaded job myself as I don't want anyone else to suffer if it goes badly.  I've got lots of experience in how to avoid it now while working in/around it.  I ignored pulling it up last year and it went forth and multiplied.  I cannot ignore it any longer. 

And now, on to happier thoughts.  :-)

A well camouflaged grey tree frog on our weathered window sill.

He's so cute!

Our chickens are moulting.  We've kept chickens for almost 15 years and I've never seen any look this pathetic!!  I'm giving them hard boiled eggs (crushed up, shell and all) for extra protein as well as their regular feed and scratch. 

From left to right...

Wellsummer, Americauna, Gold Laced Wyandott.

The Wyandott doesn't really appear to be moulting (the fuzz

on her tail is from the other hens pulling at her feathers.  Brutes!)

I still get an egg from her almost every day. 

But the other two are terrible--feathers missing, they're not laying

and they've lost weight.

I'll be glad when they're new feathers come in and they look

whole and healthy once again!

Just look at all those pinfeathers!!

I'm so excited about this little thrift shop find!  Dh had a pretty good day last week and we went shopping.  One of our stops was at our local Goodwill where I found this tiny little desk...

Toddler size!

As I looked closer I realized that I knew that little clown face in the

center of the upper part of the desk.

And those little red knobs.

The neurons in my brain were firing furiously.

Revelation...

I realized that I had a desk very similar when I was little.

Very little.

My most vivid memories of my desk are of wiping chalk

dust off of the inside groove where the chalkboard top rests

when it's closed.

When you erase the chalk marks some of the dust gets

caught underneath.

I can also remember the way the pegboard smelled when you

lifted the lid.

$12 for a little piece of my past.

I'm working to replace a few little things that I've lost through the

years (to our many moves as a child and getting flooded a

couple of times in my married life).

Funny how I didn't even remember this little piece of my life until

I saw it sitting there--waiting for me to come and take it home.

Now to get it cleaned up and find it a comfy spot in our home.

 I'm so happy to have this little jewel (back) in my life!

What I don't remember though is the little attatched seat.  Perhaps my desk didn't have a seat.  I'll have to see if my mom can remember.  :-)  It boggles my mind that this desk could be 40+ years old and in such wonderful shape.

It's the little things in life that give me so much pleasure.  :-)

Still Here...

I apologize for being so negligent with this here little blog.

And for not following along on what's been going on in

everyone else's lives on the blogs I normally frequent.

I've been pretty introspective and reflective as of late.

And way busy too.

My "wonderful" habit of procrastination has once again claimed my attention these past few weeks since our 2011 corporate business taxes needed to be figured and filed before September 17th (we filed for an extension in March).  It took me over a week to get all that done.  Then I had to get our personal ones all figured out (which aren't quite due until the extension deadline of October 15th--so technically I'm early on that!).  Thankfully I am all done!!  Yippee!!  Freedom!!!!  That was a huge load off my mind.  Yeah, I know that we barely made it in time but now I don't have to worry about any more of that stuff for many more months.  :-)

We have finished filling out all of the application/paperwork for DH to receive Social Security Disability.  It's been well over 2 years since his (failed) Spinal Fusion surgery and he is nowhere able to work.  His pain is still too great and his "good days" are far too unpredictable.  We had hoped that he would recover and be able to have a full time job again.  His doctor was adament--as was everyone else--that, after all this time, he really should file for disability. 

These past few years have been really hard on DH because working is SOOOOO his thing!!!  Honestly there is nothing more than he enjoys doing than working on something--anything.  And being in pain and virtually bedridden for many, MANY months now has been such a thorn in his flesh.  We're almost thinking that with his level of pain and lack of recovery if maybe there is something else going on with his back and plan to have another MRI done in the near future to see if another of his discs have ruptured.  Or if maybe something from his Spinal Fusion has come undone.  Or something.  It just seems like there's more going on since no one can seem to explain why he is still in such bad shape.

Needless to say, I've been up to my eyeballs in paperwork these past few weeks and am glad to have a breather.  :-)  Now I can hopefully get my life back to normal (HA!!!).

Beautiful and interesting cloud formations

We have lots of these funny little critters around the homestead.  They're always such fun to watch!! 

The other morning I was outside and looked over to see a squirrel in the driveway sitting up on his hind legs muching away at something he was holding in his front paws.  It was earthy colored and looked kind of like a stick with little twigs sticking out.  He let me get really close but I still couldn't tell what it was that he was eating.  When he finally scampered off I searched the ground for traces of crumbs to try to figure out what it was and discovered this...  (click on the picture for a larger view)

Squirrels eat grasshoppers!!!!!  Eeeewwww!!! 

Who knew???

Fall is HERE!!!   I am certainly enjoying the cooler temps and the wonderful changing colors all around.  We are in for some cold, wet weather these next few days.  Although I am not ready to be done with my garden, I will surrender to the changing season and do as much as I am able to do still yet. 

Hope everyone is doing well and enjoying this wonderful season of fall so far.  :-)

The Ongoing Social Security Saga...

Last week Son #4 received his Social Security card in the mail.  Curiously it was marked, "Not Valid For Employment".  Minutes later my cellphone rang but I couldn't get to it before it went to voicemail.  Turns out that it was the Social Security lady that I've been working with.  She left a message saying that before they could issue Son #4 a card they needed to see more documents and I needed to answer a few more questions.  Sigh.  I called her back the next day and told her that we would bring those documents in the next day and let her know that we had indeed received a card in the mail already.  She was quite confused since the computer said that our case was still pending.

The next day we went into their office and they copied the requested documents and I filled out a 2 1/2 page form telling them WHY I had waited so long to file for Son #4's SSN.  Sigh.  Lack of need.  Laziness.  Procrastination.  Poor planning.  Confusion.  Etc...

She said that they had obviously issued him a card as if he were not a US Citizen.  Nice.  Another sigh.  Hopefully the new paperwork will convince them that he is a US Citizen and they will issue him a new card (without the "Not Valid For Employment" emblazoned across it).   

We will wait a couple of weeks in hopes of receiving a new card.  If we don't we have one last "big gun" that will guarantee him a proper card.  We will apply for a passport for him.  If he has a passport the Social Security will issue him a card.  He shouldn't have any trouble obtaining a passport since they accept birth certificates that were filled 5 years after birth.  Grrrrrrr...

Before we left the SS Office this last time the nice lady working with us told us how much she appreciated our patience and our good attitude.  It's not really her fault or even Social Security's.  It's just a speed bump in the road of our lives.  :-)

If worse comes to worse, Son #4 will be able to leave the country in a hurry with little trouble.  ;-)

The Price of Procrastination

Sometimes procrastination is not just an annoyance but a serious enemy. 

I am a terrible procrastinator.  TERRIBLE!!  Not always.  Not about everything.  Seldom will you find me ahead of the game.  Most of the time I am going under for the last time and about to drown when something happens in my favor to keep me from going under permanently.  It's just the way it's always been for me.  I like to say that I work best under pressure.  My oldest sister says she's going to pay off the hearse driver at my funeral to make me late that one last time!!  :-) 

After Son #6 was a couple years old I decided that it was time to get the last 3 children's birth certificates.  That would have put Son #6 at 2 or 3, Son #5 at 5 or 6, and Son #4 at 7 or so.  Son #5's was a big ordeal because he was born out of state and they made a mistake on his paperwork leaving him without a middle name--but that's a whole nuther story!!

I made sure to check the little boxes on all their forms to receive a Social Security card.  What I didn't know is that if a child is over 5 when you file the forms you won't get a card.  Son #6's came right on time but not the other ones.  So it wasn't out of character at all for me to think, "I'll deal with the other ones later."  :-P

I was able to get Son #5's card earlier this year (yes, more procrastination) with just a trip to the Social Security office and some official documents since he was still under 12. 

But for Son #4, who was now over the magical age of 12, he had to go in for an interview and we had to bring several documents to prove his birth and he was our child.  No big deal, right?  I took his birth certificate (plus mine and DH's), and his insurance card.  Well, since his birth certificate was filed after he was 5 years old that wasn't valid proof.  His insurance card wasn't dated so that wasn't valid either.  We left with a very angry DH and my solemn vow not to let him go with us ever again.  :-P

Since Son #4 was a homebirth, is homeschooled, doesn't get sick and need to go the doctor, we don't vaccinate, don't do sports, or any of that "normal" stuff he pretty much has no paper trail to his name.  A great asset for a .007 type or something but he does plan to do higher education, drive and get a job someday!!!   

The second trip I took some official paperwork with his name on it and I dredged up an income tax return with his name on it and lo and behold if there wasn't a SSN next to his name.  So I was thinking I was mistaken and he DID have a number.  I also took in his last year's school report card. 

The paperwork with his name on it wasn't satisfactory and the SSN on the tax return turned out to be the number of a deceased woman (our tax guy was obviously asleep at the wheel on that one!!) and I was warned to not show that to anybody else!!!  ;-)  And the report card--issued by me--wasn't good either (Duh!)!!  

What you have to understand is that when we moved from our house with about 3,000 sq feet (including external storage space) into a 1950s 10x50 trailer with a modest addition--there just isn't room for anything but necessities.  So most of our stuff that we don't use on at least a weekly basis is still boxed up in storage.  And none of it is organized as a lot of it was packed hurriedly by other people than DH or myself. 

The Social Security worker that I am working with called me to let me know that the elusive birth memento I told her that I had somewhere (it wasn't where it was supposed to be in the file with my older children's birth documents!) with his footprints on it signed by the attending midwife was our only option besides trying to track down our old family doctor who did his circumcision that is no longer in business and get records from her!  We are to have it turned in by Aug. 13th or they will deny him a Social Security Number/Card.  How crazy is that????? 

We had some boxes in our bedroom with personal stuff in it that I thought the birth memento paper could be in and started going through those.  I didn't find the paper but I did find that the mice had gotten into some of the boxes and made a mess and tore some things up.  I have been meaning to put out traps but keep putting it off and forgetting (more procrastination!!!).  Oddly we don't have a lot of trouble with the mice here in the fall/winter like we did at our other place.  It's the spring and summer when they start pouring in.  Sigh.

Then there was the last box that I had left to go through that had sat on the floor on DH's side of the bed about a foot or foot and a half away from the end of the bed.  I started lifting stuff out of it and saw something moving.  It was a snake.  A juvenile black rat snake about 2 and a half feet long.  Real pretty too.  Nice shiny scales, white underbelly, beautiful light markings.  I caught him (yes, with my bare hands.  He did try to bite and kept hissing.  The younger snakes are more aggressive that the adults) and showed him off to everybody else around--and then we let him go. 

This is not my picture but one I found on the Internet.  I loved how shiny this one looks.  :-)  This one is older than the one I found too since it doesn't have the brown markings anymore.

Photo Courtesy of John Mosesso, Jr/NBII

I did manage to find the paper that I was looking for in a box of memento birth stuff that I keep separately--so it wasn't nearly as hard to find it as I thought it was going to be.  And before I found it I found some other things that I had been looking for and needing.  :-) 

The thing I'm wondering is since it was left to me to fill out his personal information, will they accept that even though it has the midwife's signature?  I guess we shall see.

So...


Fast forward to this morning.  I'm getting ready to can another load of tomatoes and was putting away the clean dishes out of the dish drainer that I had washed last night.  I opened up the silverware drawer and let out a scream.  There was our snake again!!  I'm not scared of snakes but I certainly wasn't expecting to see him there!!  I tried to catch him again but he got away--into the nether-regions of the lower kitchen cabinets.  I couldn't believe it when DH said, "Well, he won't hurt anything.  Just let him alone and he can catch the mice."  Now is that hillbilly or what?!  I'm picturing Jed or Jethro Clampet!  And I'd be Ellie May, "Aw, he's just a little ol' black snake.  He ain't gonna hurt nobody."

Procrastination is NOT for the faint of heart!!  That's for sure!! 

Now I'm off to can those tomatoes I've been meaning to get to for the past 3 days--before they are too far gone.  :-P

Celebrating a Simple Life

"It is no bad thing to celebrate a simple life."

 Bilbo Baggins

This is what I am doing right now. Celebrating a simple life. A quiet life.  A life of not keeping up with the Joneses.  Thank you Lord.  It is freeing.

There are definite benefits to not having money. Sure, I have to cook more (from scratch, no less!) instead of running out to grab fast food because I was too busy doing who-knows-what to bother with cooking something nutritious.

And we can't afford to be out and about. But we're staying healthy by not catching everyone else's germs.

And we more often "Use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without." (Boyd K. Packer) which is really cool to see how God provides--or that we didn't really need it after all.

It's a life of enjoying working indoors doing homey things and outdoors doing yardwork/gardening.  Of listening to the birds singing (you wouldn't believe how this place sounds like a bird sanctuary!!) everyday and enjoying the weather by varying degrees (ha ha!!  Pun intended!!).  It's a respite that I am grateful for.  I know it won't always be like this but I'm loving this low key lifestyle right now.


Daughter #2 was here for 2 weeks begining with Easter weekend.  The calm before her storm of having to go back to work at the resort where my sister works at the Lake of the Ozarks doing housekeeping. 

We pretty much kept things laid back but we did get in some driving time (she still hasn't gotten her license--our kiddos generally aren't in a real hurry to grow up.  And since we can't afford to get her a car or insurance this suits us for now.)

A beautiful sunset while driving.

We did some clothing alterations. Years ago I won this little denim miniskirt on eBay in a lot of other clothing. I didn't really know what I would do with it but kept it in case I had an epiphany... And we did! Daughter #2 cut off 10 inches of a velour dressy dress that used to belong to Daughter #4 that I had saved to use for scraps or a craft. She hand sewed the pleats and we sewed it onto the miniskirt for a cute little layered skirt.

We also added ruffles to the hem of a pair of denim shorts that were a bit too short.  But I didn't get to take a picture since she had to leave before they were finished.  Hopefully she'll send me a picture and I can post it soon.

On a sad note...  One of our neighbors died yesterday.  He was quite old.  A little over 25 years ago he loaned us the money to buy our first house--a serious fixer-upper on the Mississippi River slough (built on stilts).  And he was old then!  :-)  He lived a long, very productive and quiet life and was busy right up until the end.  I'm thankful for all that he's done for our family over the years and pray that his soul finds eternal rest.

We Interupt this Blog...

Something's been acting up with our Internet service this past week!  It's scary how much I depend on availability to the Web.  Sigh.  I'm sure that I could adapt if we had to go without (but it had better be something of massive proportions!!  :-P) but I sure love it when we have it and it works right!! 

Sometimes it works perfectly but a lot of the time it doesn't work much at all.  :-(  Today it seems to be working fine.  Go figure.

I hope to be back in a couple of days with pictures of my wild violet and dandelion jellys and and update on our humble going ons.  :-) 

Just thought I'd let ya'll know.

A Little Less...

Well, it's the first of February and I have decided that I will not be blogging daily. But it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure that out does it?? Cause I haven't been doing it to begin with. There are days that I'm not home or just not able to post. But this is my official statement. ;-)

When we moved last summer I had packed up all of our business stuff and we just stuffed it here and there all willy nilly like. But the time of reckoning is upon me... Tax time. Now I've got to dig it all out and get it all organized again. Sigh. Hours of organizing. Hours and hours of organizing. Gotta love procrastination!! 

So I'll be back to posting less frequently--as I have time.

My latest submission to Project Sky:: 365

Secret Lives of Cats and Dogs!

The diaries are pretty close to my own personal observations from owning various cats and dogs most of my life.  But the video really cracks me up!!  Poor kitty having a secret identity crisis!!

The Dog's Diary

8:00 am - Dog food! My favorite thing!

9:30 am - A car ride! My favorite thing!

9:40 am - A walk in the park! My favorite thing!

10:30 am - Got rubbed and petted! My favorite thing!

12:00 pm - Milk bones! My favorite thing!

1:00 pm - Played in the yard! My favorite thing!

3:00 pm - Wagged my tail! My favorite thing!

5:00 pm - Dinner! My favorite thing!

7:00 pm - Got to play ball! My favorite thing!

8:00 pm - Wow! Watched TV with the people! My favorite thing!

11:00 pm - Sleeping on the bed! My favorite thing!

 

The Cat's Diary

(Day 983 of My Captivity)

My captors continue to taunt me with bizarre little dangling objects. They dine lavishly on fresh meat, while the other inmates and I are fed hash or some sort of dry nuggets. Although I make my contempt for the rations perfectly clear, I nevertheless must eat something in order to keep up my strength.

The only thing that keeps me going is my dream of escape. In an attempt to disgust them, I once again vomit on the carpet. Today I decapitated a mouse and dropped its headless body at their feet. I had hoped this would strike fear into their hearts, since it clearly demonstrates my capabilities. However, they merely made condescending comments about what a "good little hunter" I am. B*st*rds!

There was some sort of assembly of their accomplices tonight. I was placed in solitary confinement for the duration of the event. However, I could hear the noises and smell the food. I overheard that my confinement was due to the power of "allergies." I must learn what this means, and how to use it to my advantage.

Today I was almost successful in an attempt to assassinate one of my tormentors by weaving around his feet as he was walking. I must try this again tomorrow, but at the top of the stairs.

I am convinced that the other prisoners here are flunkies and snitches. The dog receives special privileges. He is regularly released, and seems to be more than willing to return. He is obviously retarded. The bird must be an informant. I observe him communicate with the guards regularly. I am certain that he reports my every move. My captors have arranged protective custody for him in an elevated cell, so he is safe. For now ...




Giggle!!

Final Sunrise Observation, An Egg and A Brave Nuthatch

Thought I'd give a final update on my sunrise observations...

Taken September 1st at a little after 7am. Sun is behind the silos.

Taken October 1st at a little after 7:15am. The sun is quite a bit farther to the South and not nearly as high.

Taken November 1st at a little after 7am. Sun still hasn't risen.

I think that it's been really interesting to observe these changes. I've noticed this through the years but never paid this close of attention. 


And remember way back in the begining of September when I said that we would be expecting eggs by the end of that month? Well, as usual, it took quite a bit longer than I had anticipated. I don't know who comes up with the "start laying eggs at 21 weeks" rule!! It's never happened for us!! But finally, yesterday I found this little egg in their laying box!! Hooray!!

I found another one this morning!! Woo Hoo!! I LOVE farm fresh eggs from chickens that I can put a face to. :-)

While walking down our driveway today I saw this cute little White Breasted Nuthatch on one of the Sycamore trees. He just hopped around on the tree when I came closer. Normally birds will fly away. Not this little guy though. I ran in and grabbed the camera and got a couple of shots before he decided to skedaddle. They are always one of my favorite birds around the winter birdfeeder. It's always funny to see them climbing around upside down.

Feeling a Little Sad and Frustrated

We learned yesterday that our old homestead was sold. Our neighbor bought it. It's the same neighbor who's barn we are using to store some of our stuff that we haven't been able to finish moving to the new homestead yet. He owns land on 2 adjacent sides of the property and he wanted to be able to move his cattle around more easily. We knew he wanted the property and we're happy he could buy it.

What saddens and frustrates me is that we worked SO HARD to try to refinance our loan--we owed right at $100,000. We had already paid 12 years worth of payments (almost $900 a month) and had put down $30,000 of our own money when we bought the place...28 acres, a 40x60 barn, a 30x70 warehouse and a 4 bedroom double wide mobile home.  (If you don't want to figure all that up yourself, we had invested well over $150,000 in total--which was more than we originally bought the place for!  So they had already easily gotten their money back) 

Our House

Our Warehouse

Our Barn (and backyard)

We had missed a few payments when DH was unable to get around very well (before his back surgery) and things were really starting to fall apart.  Our mortgage company said they would work with us to get the loan refinanced due to hardship circumstances. We had to pay 3 monthly reduced payments to prove that we could pay the payments while they worked on redoing the paperwork. Three months came and went. We knew that our original loan had been bought several times but we discovered that the current holder was now Freddie Mac (why don't us little guys have any say in all of that? We chose our lender to begin with and then they have to switch it all around!) There was always some little thing that wasn't quite right. A line was missed here. An initial missed there. They were short on staff to process the loans. They needed more time. And on and on it went.

Finally they told us to just pay three more reduced payments while they continued to work on our loan. Three MORE months come and went. Still no sign of being close to refinancing. So we continue to send in our reduced payments until one day we get a foreclosure notice saying that if we don't pay up all of the back missed payments (they accused us of not paying our full monthly payment--Duh!) and the phenomenal fees and penalties they tacked on--totalling almost $9,000--they would foreclose on our home.  We continued to call and call (the wait time to speak to an actual person was almost an hour!!  Each time!!) and they continued to assure us that they were working hard on our refi and everything would be ok.  Friends and family told us they were lying and that if we wanted to save our home we would have to file bankruptcy.  So at the very last minute that's what we did.  Surprise, surprise.  They DIDN'T get the paperwork finished. 

To make a long story short, we had to convert the Chapter 13 over to Chapter 7 because our financial circumstances continued to degrade.  We still tried to keep the house but they continued to add fees and penalties and toward the end we owed the mortgage company well more than our original loan was for nearly 13 years before!  So we let it go.  And everything else too.  We wanted to keep our house more than any of the other stuff--so what was the point any more?

Brace yourself...

Our neighbor paid $48,000 for our property.  (a moment of respectful silence for our grief please)

We worked so hard and spent so much time trying to secure a simple refinance for $100,000 to keep our home and property.  We jumped through every hoop they threw at us.  They sold it for less than half of that.  I guess they figured "What the heck!  We've already got our money back over the years." 

I'm happy for our neighbor.  He got a great deal.  I'm envious. 

This is just a prime examply of why our country/government (Freddie Mac is a government lender) is in such a financial mess right now.  There's just no intelligence to be found!!!  "Why no, we can't refinance that loan for $100,000 and make oodles of money over the long haul!!  Lets throw this family out of their home since they've done everything we've asked!!  Oh, and lets sell the property for less than half of what they would have paid for it and a fraction of what it's worth!!  Yeah, that's the smartest way to handle it, don'tcha think?  Duuuuuhhhhhh."

So this morning's thoughts are "God is in control.  He has ordained this.  He is working in our lives for our good.  Thank You Lord."  I don't understand.  But I know that He has a plan.  I will strive to rest in Him and keep my heart open to the new adventure He has plunked us down in the middle of.

Lemony Snicket's 13 Observations About Occupy Wall St.

(I had, once upon a time, attempted to read the "Unfortunate Events" series but became way too depressed to continue.  Those poor Baudelaire orphans!!  Maybe someday, when I've recovered from our own "Series of Unfortunate Events", I shall continue...  Until then, I thought this was good!!...)

Unfortunate

Thirteen Observations made by Lemony Snicket while watching Occupy Wall Street from a Discreet Distance


1. If you work hard, and become successful, it does not necessarily mean you are successful because you worked hard, just as if you are tall with long hair it doesn't mean you would be a midget if you were bald.

2. "Fortune" is a word for having a lot of money and for having a lot of luck, but that does not mean the word has two definitions.

3. Money is like a child - rarely unaccompanied. When it disappears, look to those who were supposed to be keeping an eye on it while you were at the grocery store. You might also look for someone who has a lot of extra children sitting around, with long, suspicious explanations for how they got there.

4. People who say money doesn't matter are like people who say cake doesn't matter - it's probably because they've already had a few slices.

5. There may not be a reason to share your cake. It is, after all, yours. You probably baked it yourself, in an oven of your own construction with ingredients you harvested yourself. It may be possible to keep your entire cake while explaining to any nearby hungry people just how reasonable you are.

6. Nobody wants to fall into a safety net, because it means the structure in which they've been living is in a state of collapse and they have no choice but to tumble downwards. However, it beats the alternative.

7. Someone feeling wronged is like someone feeling thirsty. Don't tell them they aren't. Sit with them and have a drink.

8. Don't ask yourself if something is fair. Ask someone else - a stranger in the street, for example.

9. People gathering in the streets feeling wronged tend to be loud, as it is difficult to make oneself heard on the other side of an impressive edifice.

10. It is not always the job of people shouting outside impressive buildings to solve problems. It is often the job of the people inside, who have paper, pens, desks, and an impressive view.

11. Historically, a story about people inside impressive buildings ignoring or even taunting people standing outside shouting at them turns out to be a story with an unhappy ending.

12. If you have a large crowd shouting outside your building, there might not be room for a safety net if you're the one tumbling down when it collapses.

13. 99 percent is a very large percentage. For instance, easily 99 percent of people want a roof over their heads, food on their tables, and the occasional slice of cake for dessert. Surely an arrangement can be made with that niggling 1 percent who disagree.


Giving credit where it's due...
Article on OccupyWriters
Article on SOTT where I saw it

Goodbye Indian Summer... (and a few other things)

Goodbye Indian Summer...
You will be missed.

I will miss the way that your warm, soft light carressed my skin.

The way your azure sky dazzled my eyes.

The sweet and spicy smell of the leaves in the sun.

Tomorrow there will be rain.
 And cooler temperatures will be here to stay.

But Indian Summer lives on in my heart.

I LOVE FALL!!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Daughter #4 took this picture of our Moonshadow Hyacinth Beans that I planted in Mid July. 

I knew that they would never make beans--but they are so beautiful in flower that I couldn't resist. I never really got to put in a garden and so I was overwhelmed with desire to plant something!! My Uncle gave me the seeds when we were at his house after my Grandma's funeral in October of 2008. He called them "Jefferson Beans" because Thomas Jefferson grew them in his gardens at Monticello. I had been wanting to order some but since they are mostly ornamental (the bean pods can be stir fried while small but they become poisonous when they are mature and beyond) I always spent my money on more sensible seeds. I'm so glad that he gave these to me and that I decided to grow some--even if it was only for a few short months and without any harvest. I still have enough seeds left to plant this coming spring too. My uncle was very generous. :-)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

A really cool thing happened last night.  I had one of my lifelong, heartfelt desires fulfilled!!  And I wasn't even aware of it at the time!!... 

My daughters were walking outside at about 8pm or so and called me to come out and see this weird sight.  The sky was glowing red to the north.  We have a lot of light pollution from the neighbors dusk to dawn lights so it was pretty faint.  It really was weird!!  I thought that maybe they had a light on that was reflecting off of their red barn and that maybe that was reflecting off of moisture in the air or something.  Then today we discovered from some news articles that what we had seen was Aurora Borealis!!

This picture was taken in Independence, MO courtesy of Tobias Billings that I found on NASA's site.

What we saw was much duller and not nearly as visable.  But I know now, it really was aurora borealis!!  It's cloudy tonight so we won't be able to see it again if it comes down this far.  :-(  I'm just so thankful that we got to see it at all!!  Even if I didn't know what it was at the time.

Occupy...

Who's with me???

Giggle!!

Girls Day Out

On Monday I took the oldest two daughters out for a bit of shopping.  Daughter #2 is home for a few days and wanted a girls day out--and I needed to do some grocery shopping.  So off we went.

We took a detour to a little conservation site down on the river.  When we pulled into the parking area there was a man I guessed to be gathering nuts who gave us a perturbed glance as we parked.  Perhaps he thought we were encroaching upon his harvesting turf.  We let him be though I was very curious to know what he was gathering!

After a little walk and some pictures we moseyed on back to our truck and I noticed that the guy had moved on so I felt free to check things out. They were pecans. Not very big ones but they looked pretty nice. When we left and were driving out I noticed a tree loaded with persimons close to the highway on the side of the road. We should have a pretty good frost tonight (good for the persimons) and we had some strong winds these past couple of days (good for bringing down the pecans) so we will probably find ourselves back out that way tomorrow morning.  I can't wait!!

Wildflowers in a woodland scene.  Some of the trees were the pecan trees.

I Am Woman

A woman goes through so many changes in her lifetime, does she not?  Little girl to budding woman.  From budding woman to young mother.  From young mother to an experienced woman.  From an experienced woman to a woman of wisdom--a "wise-woman".  I know that this progression isn't always true for every woman--but it has been this way so far in my life--which seems fairly common. 

It has been over a year and one month since Aunty Flo has come to call at my doorstep.  My mother has always told me that menopause starts early in our family.  In my mid thirties I was able to stave it off by using supplements and progesterone cream but here at 45 (with diabetes) I cannot ignore the obvious any longer.  My heart longs for more babies still yet but that longing is dying down a little more and a little more as time passes by.  It is like watching Indian Summer fade away with the knowledge that Fall is here to stay. 

Part of me is sad to see my youth fly away.  Another part of me is emerging.  It is strong and wise and I feel a sense of power that I've never felt before.  As I walk on the same ground that I walked in my youth--when my first children were just babies--I see so much more now than my eyes were capable of seeing at that age.  There is freedom.  I am amazed at who I am today compared to who I was then.  And I giggle to think of how smart I thought I was!!

I have a deeper respect for the women who have gone before me.  I feel a connection that was never there before.  I feel a welcoming.  This getting older thing isn't all bad.  Beauty is fading but the calm and the strength is so very pleasing. 

I am woman!!  I am emerging Crone!!

A Guard Dog's Tale

This is Lila...

She's part Black Lab and part Chow.  One cold January morning nearly 12 years ago I dreamed that we found a fluffy, black puppy in our barn.  So when the kids rushed into my bedroom hollering, "Mom we found a puppy in the barn!!!"  I said, "Yeah, I know!"  Only to realize, of course, that I had only been dreaming.  She was exactly the same black fluffball I saw in my dream.  Go figure.

This is Daisy...

She's our Great Pyrenees that we bought in early spring of 2010.  Honestly I think that her previous owners had some inbreeding thing going on because Daisy just isn't what a GP ought to be.  Right from the get-go she hated being with the other animals.  She only wanted to be with us.  If we put her in with the goats and sheep she would terrorize them by grabbing their tails with her teeth while they drug her all through the fields bawling to high heaven!!  She jumps on us (though we worked from day one on this issue knowing that it's not such a big deal at first--but who needs a 100 pound monster jumping on you.  We have to train the goats not to jump on us too!!), tears up everything she can, steals things and hides them and is a general pain in the behind.  I'm committed to our animals and feel a strong sense of responsibility.  Sigh.  So we keep holding out that one of these days she will mellow out and be a good dog--though she'll never be a good livestock dog short of a divine healing!  But there is one thing she does very well with all her heart...

Guard Lila...

It's comical really.  She's obsessed with guarding Lila. 

The move has been really hard on Daisy and Lila.  They both grew up wandering our 32+ acres of ground and also the neighbor's endless fields.  Now they are stuck in a fenced-in back yard.  We live on a highway with two dog kennels bordering our property.  So they have to be fenced.  I console myself that they will adjust in time.  Right?

Daisy can scale the chain link fence just like the Velociraptor inside the compound on Jurassic Park 3.  So she isn't just fenced in.  We have to chain her up as well.  She's on a nice long "run" but sometimes Lila is just too far away for her liking.  Bark, bark, BARK!!! 

It's been stressful!!  Lila has issues with noises--particularly gunshots, fireworks and thunder.  She goes beserk and has to come inside to be with us.  MORE barking from Daisy!! 

And what will we do when Lila finally passes away????  I hate to think!!  She's definitely getting old!!  Sigh.  

For now we just take it all one day at a time. 

Ha Ha Tonka Outtakes

It's a fact.  I am easily amused.  I laugh... All. The. Time.  Back before DH and I started dating I was seeing his cousin (not really dating) but he "broke up" with me cause he just hated my laugh.  How miserable his life would be had we stayed together!! 

I try not to laugh at other people (especially when they're watching!!) but I do so many dumb things myself that I have a constant source of amusement!!  It's important to me to be the first one to laugh at myself so that others have the permission to laugh along.  I am a terrible source of embarassment to my children.  Ha!  It's great!  ;-)

So I get especially tickled when we get really goofy pictures that are just right to share...

"And then you realize.

You've seen her kind of eyes.

Watching you from underneath a rock!"

Little did she know, that's a big patch of poison ivy right in front of her!!  Yikes!!  No harm done though.  Thankfully!!

And I love this one!!  It makes me laugh everytime I see it!!  It's great!!

For our "formal" pictures at the "shelter" we did some for just all us girls (we did some for the boys as well, the children, the adults and individuals too).

I'm laughing.  Everyone else is trying to play it cool...

I'm laughing hysterically. 

My sister is laughing.

My mom is trying to keep her composure.

Oops!  She lost it!!

And now most of us are having a good laugh!

The worst part is that I started it... and there wasn't even anything to laugh about!!

And how about this one!!

I warned you!!  I AM easily amused!!

So what do you expect when you're at a place that means "Laughing Waters"?!

Proverbs 17:22  A merry heart doeth good like a medicine...