Living life in rural Arkansas with my husband Johnnie and stepson Joshua. Johnnie and I both have Parkinson's disease. This makes life a challenge, but we're living a full life with each other as best we can. We really enjoy living in the woods. We spend our days making things, eating good food, watching a movie or two on TV. We enjoy learning new things and keeping our life focused on the positive.
Sunday, November 30, 2014
Game camera photos
My husband handed me a disc yesterday and asked me to post some of his game trail camera photos. So, here they are!
This big buck has been hanging around our east property line since October. He was still there a few days ago.
Friday, November 21, 2014
Dang, it's been cold
Cold, wintry weather made a brief stop by earlier this week. The mercury dipped down to 15F several nights in a row. We even had snow. That's very odd for Arkansas!
Today, it's a bit warmer. It's 39F right now and we're supposed to have rain most of the day with a high of 45. Cold and dreary weather. A good day to stay in, bake some bread and make a pot of soup. Potato soup, I think. Yeah. That sounds good. I have a new bread recipe to try, Peasant bread. It rises faster than the sourdough I've been making....
Potato Soup
Peasant bread
Yield: 8 servings
I've started on my charity knitting for this year. I have 20 hats done. I'm working on a baby blanket too, but I don't like how it's coming out so I think I'll unravel it and start again. I think I'll do a mosaic type blanket with it. Yeah. That will make a good blanket for the bright colors in this yarn.
Today, it's a bit warmer. It's 39F right now and we're supposed to have rain most of the day with a high of 45. Cold and dreary weather. A good day to stay in, bake some bread and make a pot of soup. Potato soup, I think. Yeah. That sounds good. I have a new bread recipe to try, Peasant bread. It rises faster than the sourdough I've been making....
Potato Soup
Directions
- In a Dutch oven, cook the bacon over medium heat until done. Remove bacon from pan, and set aside. Drain off all but 1/4 cup of the bacon grease.
- Cook celery and onion in reserved bacon drippings until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in garlic, and continue cooking for 1 to 2 minutes. Add cubed potatoes, and toss to coat. Sauté for 3 to 4 minutes. Return bacon to the pan, and add enough chicken stock to just cover the potatoes. Cover, and simmer until potatoes are tender.
- In a separate pan, melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, for 1 to 2 minutes. Whisk in the heavy cream, tarragon, and cilantro. Bring the cream mixture to a boil, and cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir the cream mixture into the potato mixture. Puree about 1/2 the soup, and return to the pan. Adjust seasonings to taste.
Peasant bread
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients
2 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
All-purpose flour, for dusting
Directions
Combine the bread flour, whole-wheat flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees F) and mix with your hands or a spoon until the dough comes together (it will be wet and sticky). ( If you have extra time, refrigerate 12 to 24 hours; this is not necessary but will improve the flavor of the bread).
Let the dough rise, covered, at room temperature for about 3 hours; this rise is necessary whether you refrigerate the dough first or not. The surface will be bubbly after rising.
Generously dust a work surface with all-purpose flour. Turn the dough out onto the flour, then sprinkle flour on top. Fold the top and bottom of the dough into the center, then fold in the sides to make a free-form square. Use a dough scraper or a spatula to turn the dough over, then tuck the corners under to form a ball. Generously dust with flour. Cover with a cotton kitchen towel (do not use terry cloth) and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 2 to 3 hours.
Position a rack in the bottom of the oven and place a 2- or 4-quart cast-iron or enameled Dutch oven (without the lid) on the rack. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F for at least 30 minutes. When the dough has doubled, carefully transfer the hot pot to a heatproof surface. Uncover the dough, quickly invert the dough into the pot (shake the pot to center the dough, if necessary). Cover with the lid and bake 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until brown and crusty, 15 to 30 more minutes. Turn out onto a rack to cool.
2 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon active dry yeast
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
All-purpose flour, for dusting
Directions
Combine the bread flour, whole-wheat flour, yeast and salt in a large bowl. Add 1 1/2 cups lukewarm water (about 100 degrees F) and mix with your hands or a spoon until the dough comes together (it will be wet and sticky). ( If you have extra time, refrigerate 12 to 24 hours; this is not necessary but will improve the flavor of the bread).
Let the dough rise, covered, at room temperature for about 3 hours; this rise is necessary whether you refrigerate the dough first or not. The surface will be bubbly after rising.
Generously dust a work surface with all-purpose flour. Turn the dough out onto the flour, then sprinkle flour on top. Fold the top and bottom of the dough into the center, then fold in the sides to make a free-form square. Use a dough scraper or a spatula to turn the dough over, then tuck the corners under to form a ball. Generously dust with flour. Cover with a cotton kitchen towel (do not use terry cloth) and let rise at room temperature until doubled in size, 2 to 3 hours.
Position a rack in the bottom of the oven and place a 2- or 4-quart cast-iron or enameled Dutch oven (without the lid) on the rack. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F for at least 30 minutes. When the dough has doubled, carefully transfer the hot pot to a heatproof surface. Uncover the dough, quickly invert the dough into the pot (shake the pot to center the dough, if necessary). Cover with the lid and bake 30 minutes, then uncover and bake until brown and crusty, 15 to 30 more minutes. Turn out onto a rack to cool.
Courtesy of Food Network Magazine
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/no-knead-peasant-bread-recipe.html?oc=linkback
Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/no-knead-peasant-bread-recipe.html?oc=linkback
I've started on my charity knitting for this year. I have 20 hats done. I'm working on a baby blanket too, but I don't like how it's coming out so I think I'll unravel it and start again. I think I'll do a mosaic type blanket with it. Yeah. That will make a good blanket for the bright colors in this yarn.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
The weather is turning colder
We've been having rain and wind the past few days. It's really Autumn now. I took Cricket for a long walk this morning, and we really needed to wear a coat. That's a change for sure.
Our garden is done and looking rather sad. We talked about turning it under... but with the rain and wind that's not happening now. Too wet.
I'll have to bring my plants in for the winter soon.
Josh has been grouting the tile in his new bedroom and the mud room. Then he and John will get the molding up. And the freezer needs to be moved into the mudroom... set up the shelves... get it ready for winter.
We'll need to get some wood cut and stacked too. We have our propane tanks full already and have "pre-bought" for the coming year. That's a load off my mind.
We have our bulk food purchases all sealed in jars, stored in the "root cellar". That feels good too.
Our friend with sheep a few ridges over gave me a few fleeces last week. I really appreciate that! Her fleeces are so nice. She's so generous. Thanks, Sue!
We're hoping to go to Parker Homestead this weekend. We always have fun there.
Our garden is done and looking rather sad. We talked about turning it under... but with the rain and wind that's not happening now. Too wet.
I'll have to bring my plants in for the winter soon.
Josh has been grouting the tile in his new bedroom and the mud room. Then he and John will get the molding up. And the freezer needs to be moved into the mudroom... set up the shelves... get it ready for winter.
We'll need to get some wood cut and stacked too. We have our propane tanks full already and have "pre-bought" for the coming year. That's a load off my mind.
We have our bulk food purchases all sealed in jars, stored in the "root cellar". That feels good too.
Our friend with sheep a few ridges over gave me a few fleeces last week. I really appreciate that! Her fleeces are so nice. She's so generous. Thanks, Sue!
We're hoping to go to Parker Homestead this weekend. We always have fun there.
Sunday, August 24, 2014
Man, I have been remiss in my postings!
I haven't been posting very much lately. I just haven't felt like I had anything to say....
Tammy and Rickie came to visit the last week of July. We had fun! One day we all piled into the farm truck and went down to the neighbor's creek. Here's a few pictures from that day.
Tammy's fish was just bigger than her bait!
We also spent a day fishing on the Spring River. That was alot of fun too.
We've been destroying an old addition on our house. We're building a new addition to replace it. Progress is good, so far. First, the destruction....
And now for the construction!
This is one week's progress.
And here's week 2!
The addition will be our son's bedroom and a mudroom. The ladder is standing in the closet area. The boxes are in the mudroom area.
And 1 last picture to share... 1 day's harvest from our homestead.
Tammy and Rickie came to visit the last week of July. We had fun! One day we all piled into the farm truck and went down to the neighbor's creek. Here's a few pictures from that day.
We also spent a day fishing on the Spring River. That was alot of fun too.
And now for the construction!
And here's week 2!
And 1 last picture to share... 1 day's harvest from our homestead.
Wednesday, July 16, 2014
Summer visit almost over....
So, today I realize Tammy will be coming in 8 days. That's great! I'm looking forward to seeing her and Ricky. But, that also means that Ariel will only have 2 more weeks with us. Bummer....
We haven't done as many outdoor activities as we did last year. We went floating once with Gena, Karna, Beth, Rhonda and April. That was fun!
Ariel has really been focusing on weaving this summer. She's woven 2 dishtowels on Gena's loom and 1 on our table loom. She's also warped our little inkle loom, and now she's weaving on the backstrap loom I got her as a little present. She's loving it!
She's also learned a lot about baking and cooking this summer. She really like baking cobbler and pot pie. I admit, I like those too! Yummy!
We haven't done as many outdoor activities as we did last year. We went floating once with Gena, Karna, Beth, Rhonda and April. That was fun!
She's also learned a lot about baking and cooking this summer. She really like baking cobbler and pot pie. I admit, I like those too! Yummy!
Friday, July 11, 2014
July is getting hot
The heat is building up. The air conditioner is running full time now. Yesterday it was 91. Today it only got up to 88, because we had a thunderstorm and that lowered the temperature.
I've been working on the garden, to get all those darn weeds pulled. I want to be able to see what's growing. We had so much rain we couldn't get out there and work. Now, I'm pulling grass after it rains. It's the only time it's cool enough. And the ground is softer and the grass will come up.
I got all the vining plants cleaned up (squash, melons, zucchini), I'll get the tomatoes cleared up tomorrow. We have melons blooming and a few fruits growing. There are squash blooming too. The tomatoes are putting on flowers. The cucumbers are doing very well. Josh has been bringing 2 - 5 in each morning.
Ariel and I have been doing a lot of baking. Yesterday we made Red Velvet Cherry Whoopie pies. Yummy! I made a nice pork and rice casserole. Today Ariel made beef pot pie for lunch. That was yummy too.
I've been working on the garden, to get all those darn weeds pulled. I want to be able to see what's growing. We had so much rain we couldn't get out there and work. Now, I'm pulling grass after it rains. It's the only time it's cool enough. And the ground is softer and the grass will come up.
I got all the vining plants cleaned up (squash, melons, zucchini), I'll get the tomatoes cleared up tomorrow. We have melons blooming and a few fruits growing. There are squash blooming too. The tomatoes are putting on flowers. The cucumbers are doing very well. Josh has been bringing 2 - 5 in each morning.
Ariel and I have been doing a lot of baking. Yesterday we made Red Velvet Cherry Whoopie pies. Yummy! I made a nice pork and rice casserole. Today Ariel made beef pot pie for lunch. That was yummy too.
Monday, June 23, 2014
Life can be confusing.... a RANT about technology.
This morning, I checked my blog and discovered the links to all my photographs were not working. I spent about 2 hours trying to figure out why. No luck.
Because I got frustrated... I went and ate lunch (pork chops and cheesy potatoes). Then I had a piece of nutella no-bake cheesecake. Yummy.
I decided to see if my Google+ account was also messed up... Well, no. Not really. But every picture that was posted in my blog was suddenly there, waiting to be shared. Crap! I didn't want to have all those things posted on my Google+ account. Why does Google insist on sharing everything. Why are my blog photo's automatically required to be posted on my Google+? I don't USE my Google+. I only have the darn thing because it's integrated with my Andriod tablet and phone.
Automation is NOT my friend! I will post something when I want it shared. I don't want darn Google deciding for me. What a hassle!
I HATE autocorrect when I'm typing! I don't WANT to talk TO my darn phone! I don't WANT my location to be shared with the world!
I guess I must be getting cranky in my old age. Sure, I have a few apps on my phone. The app Out of Milk is very handy for me. Having new pictures on my phone downloading to my tablet is handy... Dropbox is cool, because I can share the files I choose with several friends at the same time.
But, my phone is a PHONE! It's not my extra brain. I don't want the darn thing beeping at me all the time. I don't want it automatically notifying me I had a Facebook "like"... Hell, I didn't even KNOW that was why it was making all the distracting noise until my son told me. The nice gentleman at AT&T linked all those things together "for" me when he was initializing my phone. I know he was trying to help, but that wasn't what I WANT. I want my phone to make a sound when someone is calling or texting me. Period. Nothing else... well, maybe having it make a GODAWFUL racket when we're under a tornado watch would be nice... but cripes!
WHY do I need my phone to tell me someone "liked" my picture? I'll find out when I go on Facebook. There's NOTHING in my life that needs someone else's "like" to demand my immediate attention. Are the woods on fire??!! OK. That I need to know. That my cousin in PA found my picture of a chicken amusing??!! No. I can find that out when I'm ready.
I don't WANT my phone to check me email for me. Or tell me when I'm near a restaurant. When there is a HOTSPOT... Is the HOTSPOT the result of a volcano? OK, that I WOULD like to know! Do I care that I could be browsing while we're driving down the road? NO! I DON'T!
Back to my blog photos. I finally got them to show up AFTER I gave in, and shared a few photos on my Google+ page. Wizz! Bang!! Finally, all my blog photos were back. What the HELL!!! Why??!! What damn difference does it make??!! If I'd wanted my darn pictures shared on Google+, wouldn't I have done so? Why do I have to relent and share all this? WHY, WHY WHY!!! Cripes. Doesn't Google already know enough about me without demanding I share my pictures?
I live in rural Arkansas, in the woods, on a gravel driveway ON PURPOSE! I don't WANT to share every facet of my life with the 'PUBLIC'. If I did, I'd live in a glass house IN A CITY! I want my privacy. I want to share what I'm comfortable with, to the people I WANT to share with. I don't want some company (or a *&^%$#$%^&* piece of technology) deciding for me.
I would classify myself as a Libertarian. I want my FREEDOM OF SPEECH, my right to LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. My right to bear arms (or bare arms for that matter)! My freedom from unreasonable search and seizure. I think our Government should follow the Constitution. Hell, I vowed to protect those rights from all enemies, foreign and DOMESTIC.
And my damn pictures are in that category. I want to share them when I wish! Not when damn GOOGLE decides I should.
So, here I am. Angry at GOOGLE. And I can't decide how to remedy this. Maybe I should stop using Facebook, Blogger, Google... damn "smart" technology and social media. Yahoo. Youtube... No, I LIKE Youtube. And that means I have to interact with GOOGLE. I'm NOT happy about that.
There are some people in this world who believe that TECHNOLOGY is evil (or a serious threat, anyway). I am sure that our Government will use all TECHNOLOGY available to it, to monitor each and every one of us. I'm not happy about that either. There are cameras everywhere. Our little, local town of Hardy isn't too bad... but, what level of surveillance is too much? A slippery slop... A dangerous game... a DAMNED IF YOU DO AND DAMNED IF YOU DON'T scenario.
Why can't I just have a nice little blog about my adventure in homesteading? Why can't I live my private life, use what technology I want and leave the rest. Why?
Because I got frustrated... I went and ate lunch (pork chops and cheesy potatoes). Then I had a piece of nutella no-bake cheesecake. Yummy.
I decided to see if my Google+ account was also messed up... Well, no. Not really. But every picture that was posted in my blog was suddenly there, waiting to be shared. Crap! I didn't want to have all those things posted on my Google+ account. Why does Google insist on sharing everything. Why are my blog photo's automatically required to be posted on my Google+? I don't USE my Google+. I only have the darn thing because it's integrated with my Andriod tablet and phone.
Automation is NOT my friend! I will post something when I want it shared. I don't want darn Google deciding for me. What a hassle!
I HATE autocorrect when I'm typing! I don't WANT to talk TO my darn phone! I don't WANT my location to be shared with the world!
I guess I must be getting cranky in my old age. Sure, I have a few apps on my phone. The app Out of Milk is very handy for me. Having new pictures on my phone downloading to my tablet is handy... Dropbox is cool, because I can share the files I choose with several friends at the same time.
But, my phone is a PHONE! It's not my extra brain. I don't want the darn thing beeping at me all the time. I don't want it automatically notifying me I had a Facebook "like"... Hell, I didn't even KNOW that was why it was making all the distracting noise until my son told me. The nice gentleman at AT&T linked all those things together "for" me when he was initializing my phone. I know he was trying to help, but that wasn't what I WANT. I want my phone to make a sound when someone is calling or texting me. Period. Nothing else... well, maybe having it make a GODAWFUL racket when we're under a tornado watch would be nice... but cripes!
WHY do I need my phone to tell me someone "liked" my picture? I'll find out when I go on Facebook. There's NOTHING in my life that needs someone else's "like" to demand my immediate attention. Are the woods on fire??!! OK. That I need to know. That my cousin in PA found my picture of a chicken amusing??!! No. I can find that out when I'm ready.
I don't WANT my phone to check me email for me. Or tell me when I'm near a restaurant. When there is a HOTSPOT... Is the HOTSPOT the result of a volcano? OK, that I WOULD like to know! Do I care that I could be browsing while we're driving down the road? NO! I DON'T!
Back to my blog photos. I finally got them to show up AFTER I gave in, and shared a few photos on my Google+ page. Wizz! Bang!! Finally, all my blog photos were back. What the HELL!!! Why??!! What damn difference does it make??!! If I'd wanted my darn pictures shared on Google+, wouldn't I have done so? Why do I have to relent and share all this? WHY, WHY WHY!!! Cripes. Doesn't Google already know enough about me without demanding I share my pictures?
I live in rural Arkansas, in the woods, on a gravel driveway ON PURPOSE! I don't WANT to share every facet of my life with the 'PUBLIC'. If I did, I'd live in a glass house IN A CITY! I want my privacy. I want to share what I'm comfortable with, to the people I WANT to share with. I don't want some company (or a *&^%$#$%^&* piece of technology) deciding for me.
I would classify myself as a Libertarian. I want my FREEDOM OF SPEECH, my right to LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS. My right to bear arms (or bare arms for that matter)! My freedom from unreasonable search and seizure. I think our Government should follow the Constitution. Hell, I vowed to protect those rights from all enemies, foreign and DOMESTIC.
And my damn pictures are in that category. I want to share them when I wish! Not when damn GOOGLE decides I should.
So, here I am. Angry at GOOGLE. And I can't decide how to remedy this. Maybe I should stop using Facebook, Blogger, Google... damn "smart" technology and social media. Yahoo. Youtube... No, I LIKE Youtube. And that means I have to interact with GOOGLE. I'm NOT happy about that.
There are some people in this world who believe that TECHNOLOGY is evil (or a serious threat, anyway). I am sure that our Government will use all TECHNOLOGY available to it, to monitor each and every one of us. I'm not happy about that either. There are cameras everywhere. Our little, local town of Hardy isn't too bad... but, what level of surveillance is too much? A slippery slop... A dangerous game... a DAMNED IF YOU DO AND DAMNED IF YOU DON'T scenario.
Why can't I just have a nice little blog about my adventure in homesteading? Why can't I live my private life, use what technology I want and leave the rest. Why?
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Gardens, grandkids and crocheting
Then we found our home in Arkansas and moved. John had always wanted to live in Arkansas. Tammy and Ariel came and stayed with us the first 2 trips we made out here. Ariel came to spend the summer when she was 6 and 7. The next 2 summers we weren't able to take her, but she's been here last year and this year. Good memories in the making.
The garden is growing, very weedy at the moment. I spent 2 hours out there this morning and got 1 row done. Here's what it looked like before I started.
I also promised to finish a lockerhooked rug. I enjoy making rugs. But they do get hot and heavy after awhile!
Monday, May 19, 2014
Flowers and bees
We've been blessed with mild temperatures lately, and plenty of rain. The flowers are happy!
Our garden is sprouting, growing and looking good. I'll spend the morning thinning out the seedlings.
I found 2 strawberries under our lilacs yesterday. Dang, they were good!
Sadly, our beehive is empty. Our bees didn't survive the winter. That is very sad. We have seen some honeybees flying by though... We weren't successful in catching the swarms the past few springs, so there are bees around here somewhere. John and Josh saw some on Riverview Farms property when there were visiting the creek. I've seen them on the clover in our yard. We're hoping to get our hive re-established.
There are lots of mason bees and bumblebees around this year. And those darn red wasps. John killed a LARGE Japanese hornet here in the greatroom yesterday. Nasty! Yellow and black with red highlights! I'd never seen one before. Not even when I lived in Japan!
I should have chicks hatching in a week or so. Tuesday next week is what I marked on the calendar. I hope this batch does better than the last. 1 chick out of 28 is awful! That little guy is doing well in it's brooder though. Growing and chirping.
That's a wooden egg I have in there with it. I found it standing on the egg reaching for a fly yesterday. Silly little critter.
Our garden is sprouting, growing and looking good. I'll spend the morning thinning out the seedlings.
I found 2 strawberries under our lilacs yesterday. Dang, they were good!
Sadly, our beehive is empty. Our bees didn't survive the winter. That is very sad. We have seen some honeybees flying by though... We weren't successful in catching the swarms the past few springs, so there are bees around here somewhere. John and Josh saw some on Riverview Farms property when there were visiting the creek. I've seen them on the clover in our yard. We're hoping to get our hive re-established.
There are lots of mason bees and bumblebees around this year. And those darn red wasps. John killed a LARGE Japanese hornet here in the greatroom yesterday. Nasty! Yellow and black with red highlights! I'd never seen one before. Not even when I lived in Japan!
I should have chicks hatching in a week or so. Tuesday next week is what I marked on the calendar. I hope this batch does better than the last. 1 chick out of 28 is awful! That little guy is doing well in it's brooder though. Growing and chirping.
Tuesday, May 13, 2014
The garden is finally in!
Josh got the tiller going last Wednesday (May 7th), and we got the garden planted! Yippy!
I hope we have the same kind of year we did last year. Man, things grew really well! Here's 1 day's harvest...
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Projects around the house
We've been staying close to home lately, puttering around. I've been playing in the flower beds and knitting, baking and making soup.
Monday and Thursday, Chris and Jack came over and worked on the finishing the interior work on the windows. They milled some cedar logs into boards, and framed around the windows. It smells VERY good in here now!
While they are here working, I like to make a large meal for lunch and feed them. Heck, they are working for us, helping us out. Besides, I like to cook. So the other day I made some beef stew, baked bread and made cinnamon rolls. YUMMY!
Our friend, Joe Barnett, also stopped by and had a "fresh & hot from the oven" cinnamon roll with us.
I started a new lace knitting project. I'm making another circular shawl with some lovely lace yarn I got as a birthday present from my friend Nancy Bjerke. I decided to use the pattern "Old Shale" (also known as Feather and Fan). I really like knitting that pattern. It's easy and looks lovely! Here's the Raverly link to my project. Feather-and-fan-stitch-or-old-shale
Yesterday, I went to a few yard sales with Gena Stout and Karna McFadden. That was a lot of fun.
I guess I'll spend my day today puttering around outside. Maybe we can get the seedlings planted in the veggie garden. I'll take some more pictures of things growing and post them. I really LOVE Spring!
Monday and Thursday, Chris and Jack came over and worked on the finishing the interior work on the windows. They milled some cedar logs into boards, and framed around the windows. It smells VERY good in here now!
While they are here working, I like to make a large meal for lunch and feed them. Heck, they are working for us, helping us out. Besides, I like to cook. So the other day I made some beef stew, baked bread and made cinnamon rolls. YUMMY!
Our friend, Joe Barnett, also stopped by and had a "fresh & hot from the oven" cinnamon roll with us.
I started a new lace knitting project. I'm making another circular shawl with some lovely lace yarn I got as a birthday present from my friend Nancy Bjerke. I decided to use the pattern "Old Shale" (also known as Feather and Fan). I really like knitting that pattern. It's easy and looks lovely! Here's the Raverly link to my project. Feather-and-fan-stitch-or-old-shale
Yesterday, I went to a few yard sales with Gena Stout and Karna McFadden. That was a lot of fun.
I guess I'll spend my day today puttering around outside. Maybe we can get the seedlings planted in the veggie garden. I'll take some more pictures of things growing and post them. I really LOVE Spring!
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Latest round of storms to hit Arkansas
Last Sunday night, Arkansas was hit by another round of tornadoes and flooding. Thankfully, none of my friends or family were effected.
We do have a storm shelter. We have never had to use it. In fact it's our "root cellar", where we store our dehydrated foods and such.
For more info on the how Arkansas was effected by the recent storms, please check out our local news station, KAIT8. Storm surveys continuing for arkansas tornado
We got 7 inches of rain in our area. The local town of Hardy had some flooding, along with all the other little towns along the Spring River.
Our friend who live in Ravenden found a cottonmouth (2 feet long) in their basement while there were sheltering from the storm. NOT GOOD. Luckily, it was stuck to one of those stick mouse trap things! Damn! It wasn't enough that they were in the basement, watching the river rise higher and higher... they had to worry about MORE snakes being in their basement!
We do have a storm shelter. We have never had to use it. In fact it's our "root cellar", where we store our dehydrated foods and such.
For more info on the how Arkansas was effected by the recent storms, please check out our local news station, KAIT8. Storm surveys continuing for arkansas tornado
We got 7 inches of rain in our area. The local town of Hardy had some flooding, along with all the other little towns along the Spring River.
Our friend who live in Ravenden found a cottonmouth (2 feet long) in their basement while there were sheltering from the storm. NOT GOOD. Luckily, it was stuck to one of those stick mouse trap things! Damn! It wasn't enough that they were in the basement, watching the river rise higher and higher... they had to worry about MORE snakes being in their basement!
Thursday, April 24, 2014
Some home improvements and spring landscape
Spring is busting out all over here in the Ozarks! We have things blooming. Bees are buzzing. Dogs are running around outside after the squirrels and chipmunks. We saw our first black snake down by the gate earlier this week.
My lilacs and peach trees did really well this year. We didn't have any frost when most of our neighbors did. I'm not really sure why. I think those who were unlucky and got frost are closer to the Spring River than we are.
Our peaches usually do well. We had more blossoms this year. These trees are about 8 years old. I'm looking forward to fresh peaches!
The wind really blew the petals around!
Now the lilacs are blooming, and the violets. It smells so wonderful walking by.
Our house has been in disarray the past few days. We decided it was time to replace our windows. The ones we've been living with for the past 8 years are the windows that were installed when the house was built in 1978. The 2 windows in the Great room were cracked (I had packaging tape over then hole/crack). We got our friend, Chris Graves of Mammoth Springs, to install the new windows. He and Jack are doing a great job!
The first 2 sets went in fairly well. But when they got to our bedroom window they discovered some pretty serious rot in the logs. Out came the chainsaw! Once all the bad wood was removed, Chris called around until he found an acceptable window. Jack drove up to Koshkanong, MO to Ozark Salvage and got a very nice 5 ft by 5 ft window. So now we have an egress window in our bedroom. The other 2 windows went in well, no problems.
Jack and Chris are milling some cedar to use for molding and such today. And depending on the rain and other possible issues, will be back on Friday or Monday to finish the interior work.
So, here are some before and after pictures.
After Chris and Jack get the molding and such up, they will be building us a new storage shed to replace the old aluminum one we have now.
Once the storage shed is complete, we'll be moving Josh's furniture out into it. The weird extension on the northwest end of the house will be torn down, and a new addition will be built in it's place. This space was a afterthought porch kinda space when we bought the house. We did a some work on it and made it into our "back porch" and a bedroom. The brick patio was added outside. Here's what it looks like now.
Here's what it looked like before we worked on it in 2007.
Notice how much the landscaping has grown in 7 years! Amazing!
My lilacs and peach trees did really well this year. We didn't have any frost when most of our neighbors did. I'm not really sure why. I think those who were unlucky and got frost are closer to the Spring River than we are.
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| Peach trees and daffodils (with bedroom to be removed in the background) |
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| Peach petals falling like snow |
The wind really blew the petals around!
Now the lilacs are blooming, and the violets. It smells so wonderful walking by.
Our house has been in disarray the past few days. We decided it was time to replace our windows. The ones we've been living with for the past 8 years are the windows that were installed when the house was built in 1978. The 2 windows in the Great room were cracked (I had packaging tape over then hole/crack). We got our friend, Chris Graves of Mammoth Springs, to install the new windows. He and Jack are doing a great job!
The first 2 sets went in fairly well. But when they got to our bedroom window they discovered some pretty serious rot in the logs. Out came the chainsaw! Once all the bad wood was removed, Chris called around until he found an acceptable window. Jack drove up to Koshkanong, MO to Ozark Salvage and got a very nice 5 ft by 5 ft window. So now we have an egress window in our bedroom. The other 2 windows went in well, no problems.
Jack and Chris are milling some cedar to use for molding and such today. And depending on the rain and other possible issues, will be back on Friday or Monday to finish the interior work.
So, here are some before and after pictures.
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| South entrance, before |
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| South windows, after. |
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| Front entrance, before. |
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| Front entrance, after. |
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| North side of our house, before, with bedroom addition to be removed. |
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| Our bedroom window, after. |
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| Our computer room/utility room window, after. |
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| Our kitchen window, after. |
After Chris and Jack get the molding and such up, they will be building us a new storage shed to replace the old aluminum one we have now.
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| The storage shed is behind the truck, on the left. |
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| Patio and back porch now. |
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| North side of our house in 2007. |
Thursday, April 3, 2014
It's spring!
Spring has sprung here on the Farm! We have daffodil and hellebore blooming. Our peach trees are showing off (they looked better before the winds today).
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| Peach trees on the north side of our house |
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| Peach blossoms on the ground from the wind |
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| Daffodils and wild violets I've transplanted from the woods |
I wish I had taken a picture of the trees yesterday. They were beautiful! And the fragrance!
My lilacs should start blooming soon. I love the smell of them! One of my favorite smells from childhood.
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| Guinea fowl on the south side of the house |
Our banty hen, Pebbles, and her 3 little chicks are doing fine. Those chicks are so cute!
I didn't get all the leaves burnt yet.... too much wind. But, I'll get it done slowly but surely.
I've been taking it kinda easy, since I know I have that kidney stone in my left kidney. I had an outpatient procedure on Tuesday to put a stent in. On the 10th the doc will try breaking up the stone so I can pass it. I really hope this works, because I don't want to spend time in the hospital. The stone is too big to pass, so if breaking it up doesn't work, they will have to remove it through my back. Not something I would look forward to!
I've been working on one of my longterm knitting projects. A peach/pink merino and silk spiral lace shawl. I started it back in October 2011. And now it's done! Hurray!!
Here's how it looks.
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| How you wear a circular shawl |
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| A closer look at the shawl |
Friday, March 21, 2014
Dealing with health issues
I guess this week was "doctor" week for me. On Saturday, I had a little surprise! I passed a kidney stone! OUCH! So Sunday morning bright and early, Josh took me to the Urgent Care in Ash Flat. Not how I like to spend my Sunday morning, for sure...
But the staff were really nice. They took an xray to see if there were any more stones in my system. Yep, a nice big one in my left kidney. Wonderful! More adventures in health care! Just what I need....
So I called our family doctor, Dr. Douglas Bernard in Batesville. They didn't have any appointments open on Monday. We had a previously scheduled appointment on Tuesday morning, so that was when I went in. John and I really like Dr. Bernard. He's a good doc. He takes time to talk to us. And listens to us. And we get to talk about "farm" type stuff. He referred me to a Urologist, Dr. Emery, and got me scheduled for an xray/ct and an appointment on Wednesday.
So, Wednesday morning bright and early, we head back to Batesville. The xray was uneventful. Dr. Emery's staff was nice. They listened to my situation, did a CT scan of my abdomen, and put us in an exam room to wait for the doctor. He was very thorough. It seems this stone is too large to pass out the duct from my kidney. In fact, it's probably been growing there for several years. So, there are 2 courses of action. 1) put a stent in my bladder to enlarge the duct to the kidney and then use ultrasonics to try and break up the stone. This will involve 2 outpatient procedures in Batesville 10 days apart. Once the stone is shattered, I would then have to pass the pieces... Fun, fun! 2) Have a 2-step surgery which will involve making an incision in my back and installing a tube. Then, in a second procedure, Dr Emery would use the tube to remove the stone from my kidney. This would require staying in the hospital for several days. Again, more fun.
We opted for option 1. Doctor Emery will be out of town all week next week, so I have the stent put in on 4/1.
Wednesday was also food co-op day. Since I was in Batesville, Gena and Kevin received the order without my help. And my help really wasn't needed. Gena said it took about 15 minutes to divide up the orders. The driver was very nice. Our next order is in 6 weeks.
My friends, Linda and John Smuzer, from Concrete Washington are here visiting his Aunt Vivian in Mountian View. We were supposed to get together for lunch on Thursday. Because of the doctor adventures earlier this week, I asked Linda if we could re-schedule. We're going to Mountian View for lunch on Monday.
Linda and I have been friend since 1992. We originally met during a knitting class in 1989. In 1992, I found the Spindrifter's Spinning Guild in Bellingham. What a wonderful group of ladies! I became good friend with many wonderful people because of this group. Linda, Margaret and Nancy are special people. Very dear to me. Debra and Terry helped me a lot when I first hurt my back. Debra took me to many a doctor appointment when I couldn't drive. We learned a lot together. We had many "fiber adventures".
As with many things in life, things have changed. Some of us have moved, changed our life circumstances, divorced, married, found new loves, had our children grow up and move from home (and find their own loves and have children)...
I moved away 9 years ago now. But I still keep in touch. Seeing Linda and John is always wonderful. And a bit hard on my heart. It makes me miss my friends...
I love my life here in Arkansas. John and Josh really make life worth living. I love being in the woods, having my birds, dogs, cat. And my spinning and knitting keep me busy. But, sometimes I miss watching X-Files with Margaret while teenager Virginia (changed her name to Alex years ago) playing with the cats while Margaret's mom was quilting away... Or going to St. Distaff's Day Spin-in in the snow... Driving to the ferry in Edmonds to go look at fleeces with Terry. Having Irish coffee and scalding hot pot pie because we missed the ferry... all in the snow.
But the staff were really nice. They took an xray to see if there were any more stones in my system. Yep, a nice big one in my left kidney. Wonderful! More adventures in health care! Just what I need....
So I called our family doctor, Dr. Douglas Bernard in Batesville. They didn't have any appointments open on Monday. We had a previously scheduled appointment on Tuesday morning, so that was when I went in. John and I really like Dr. Bernard. He's a good doc. He takes time to talk to us. And listens to us. And we get to talk about "farm" type stuff. He referred me to a Urologist, Dr. Emery, and got me scheduled for an xray/ct and an appointment on Wednesday.
So, Wednesday morning bright and early, we head back to Batesville. The xray was uneventful. Dr. Emery's staff was nice. They listened to my situation, did a CT scan of my abdomen, and put us in an exam room to wait for the doctor. He was very thorough. It seems this stone is too large to pass out the duct from my kidney. In fact, it's probably been growing there for several years. So, there are 2 courses of action. 1) put a stent in my bladder to enlarge the duct to the kidney and then use ultrasonics to try and break up the stone. This will involve 2 outpatient procedures in Batesville 10 days apart. Once the stone is shattered, I would then have to pass the pieces... Fun, fun! 2) Have a 2-step surgery which will involve making an incision in my back and installing a tube. Then, in a second procedure, Dr Emery would use the tube to remove the stone from my kidney. This would require staying in the hospital for several days. Again, more fun.
We opted for option 1. Doctor Emery will be out of town all week next week, so I have the stent put in on 4/1.
Wednesday was also food co-op day. Since I was in Batesville, Gena and Kevin received the order without my help. And my help really wasn't needed. Gena said it took about 15 minutes to divide up the orders. The driver was very nice. Our next order is in 6 weeks.
My friends, Linda and John Smuzer, from Concrete Washington are here visiting his Aunt Vivian in Mountian View. We were supposed to get together for lunch on Thursday. Because of the doctor adventures earlier this week, I asked Linda if we could re-schedule. We're going to Mountian View for lunch on Monday.
Linda and I have been friend since 1992. We originally met during a knitting class in 1989. In 1992, I found the Spindrifter's Spinning Guild in Bellingham. What a wonderful group of ladies! I became good friend with many wonderful people because of this group. Linda, Margaret and Nancy are special people. Very dear to me. Debra and Terry helped me a lot when I first hurt my back. Debra took me to many a doctor appointment when I couldn't drive. We learned a lot together. We had many "fiber adventures".
As with many things in life, things have changed. Some of us have moved, changed our life circumstances, divorced, married, found new loves, had our children grow up and move from home (and find their own loves and have children)...
I moved away 9 years ago now. But I still keep in touch. Seeing Linda and John is always wonderful. And a bit hard on my heart. It makes me miss my friends...
I love my life here in Arkansas. John and Josh really make life worth living. I love being in the woods, having my birds, dogs, cat. And my spinning and knitting keep me busy. But, sometimes I miss watching X-Files with Margaret while teenager Virginia (changed her name to Alex years ago) playing with the cats while Margaret's mom was quilting away... Or going to St. Distaff's Day Spin-in in the snow... Driving to the ferry in Edmonds to go look at fleeces with Terry. Having Irish coffee and scalding hot pot pie because we missed the ferry... all in the snow.
Saturday, March 15, 2014
A cool, foggy morning
We've had a nice week so far. Mild temperatures get me in the mood for looking at seed catalogs! What to plant? We usually have garlic, onion, asparagus (not old enough to harvest yet), rhubarb, tomatoes, bell peppers, potatoes, cayan peppers, carrots, beets, turnips, collards, okra, musk melons, cantaloupe, Cranshaw melons, yellow squash,acorn squash, zucchini, Jerusalem artichokes, cucumbers... A few years ago we also had popcorn. That grew really well.
My friend Michelle and I took a day trip to Baker Creek Seeds last year. Baker Creek Seed Company That was fun! I hope we're going to go again this year. Michelle and her husband Jerry are coming to visit today, so I'll talk to her about that while they're here.
Here's a picture from a few years ago, just the harvest one morning. Things were growing really well!
Here's what our garden looked like last spring when we plowed it, getting ready to plant. This was taken April 10th last year.
My niece Tricia is having her second baby in July. I've picked out the yarn and pattern I want to use to crochet her an afghan. You can see it on Ravelry, link is here... Tricia's baby afghan. I've got to print out the instructions, then I can get started. I love starting a new project!
Cricket and I took a walk down the hollow to the stream. It's running, slowly but running. This is the melt from our sleet/ice/snow storm earlier this month. We're supposed to have rain this weekend. That would be nice!
I spent part of the day burning leaves yesterday. My back is aching today from raking! I originally hurt my back while I was raking leaves, back in May 1999... and believe me, it really hurt! I blew out 3 disks! OUCH! My back went POP! I fell down on the ground and just laid there for about half and hour before I could even try to get up. That was the pits!
My friend Michelle and I took a day trip to Baker Creek Seeds last year. Baker Creek Seed Company That was fun! I hope we're going to go again this year. Michelle and her husband Jerry are coming to visit today, so I'll talk to her about that while they're here.
Here's a picture from a few years ago, just the harvest one morning. Things were growing really well!
Here's what our garden looked like last spring when we plowed it, getting ready to plant. This was taken April 10th last year.
My niece Tricia is having her second baby in July. I've picked out the yarn and pattern I want to use to crochet her an afghan. You can see it on Ravelry, link is here... Tricia's baby afghan. I've got to print out the instructions, then I can get started. I love starting a new project!
Cricket and I took a walk down the hollow to the stream. It's running, slowly but running. This is the melt from our sleet/ice/snow storm earlier this month. We're supposed to have rain this weekend. That would be nice!
I spent part of the day burning leaves yesterday. My back is aching today from raking! I originally hurt my back while I was raking leaves, back in May 1999... and believe me, it really hurt! I blew out 3 disks! OUCH! My back went POP! I fell down on the ground and just laid there for about half and hour before I could even try to get up. That was the pits!
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