Snowy, cold weather

We've been having our share of cold snowy weather.  On Tuesday, last week it was 68 degrees!  Amazing.  By Thursday, it was raining and 34.  Then we had sleet and freezing rain, the temperature got down to 9 degrees!  On Friday, we had 10 inches of snow!  Damn, the weather in NE Arkansas sure can change!

Here's some pictures of our place once the snow stopped.

Looking at the fence and driveway, facing NE.

Looking at the fence and workshop/chickens facing north.

Looking at the house, facing wes

My husband and son went to the mailbox on Friday afternoon.  The mailbox was frozen shut!  No mail, the highway wasn't plowed.  The only vehicle moving was a tow truck with chains.







The chickens were nice and dry, with the new roof working perfectly!  No mud.  It was still cold, but the plastic kept the wind out.  No frost bite for our feathered friends.  That's good!






Can you see the icicles?  Some of them got VERY large.  Our house doesn't have gutters on this side.  With so many trees, they just fill with leaves in the winter.  We do have gutters on the south side of the house, they were full, with icicles hanging down too.

Facing south.

Our neighbor's cabin in the background.  John walked over and checked on everything.  Things were fine.

We had plenty of food on hand.  Plenty of wood and propane.  We haven't ventured out since Thursday morning, when I made a quick trip to the post office.  I think we're going to venture out and get milk and such today.  I need to check with the farm we get our milk from first.



We weathered this storm well.  No problems.  The power never even flickered off.  It's been cold and the dogs are getting a bit of cabin fever.  Otherwise, no big deal.

The weather is supposed to warm up in the next few days.  Still below freezing at night, but mid 30's during the day.

I'm sure we'll have more snow before Spring gets here.  I don't mind.  If it's going to be cold, I like having the beautiful snow to look at.

People need to make sure they have supplies on hand, before the storm comes.  We've read about fist fights in grocery stores south of here, over bread and milk!  Get real people!  Cripes!  Buy some bread and put it in the freezer!  Don't attack another human for it!  Craziness!

Some perspective on "off-grid" living

OK.  I admit it.  I like the modern conveniences of life.  Indoor plumbing, a refrigerator, washing machine and dryer, lights, TV, computer.....

But, I grew up in the 1960's.  In rural Pennsylvania.  On a dirt road, in the woods.  We did have electricity.  Thankfully.

The old homestead, barn, out house, chicken coop.

 We had an outhouse (a 3 holer!)  And a chicken coop, there's also a little building down by the creek off to the right of this picture.  We called it the "pigpen" even though we never had pigs.  When we got a pony and horse, it became the "stable".  The field to the right was the pasture.

The old red barn was torn down during the early 1970s.  There was also a cow pond off to the left, just off this picture.

This was a 39 acre homestead, I lived on this property the first 18 years of my life.  I loved that place!  Most of the property was wooded, but off across the field shown on the lower right here there was 5 acres of blueberry bushes.  YUMMY!

Behind the house was a covered back porch.  Off the porch was the well.  Complete with a little well house, windlass and bucket.  We even had a church pew/bench in front of the well house for us little people to stand or sit on.

That well went dry every summer.  Which sucked!  No water.  That means using the outhouse.  When I was little, we didn't have a phone or TV.  We did have a radio.

The dirt road in winter

 This is a portion of the road we lived on.  I think we were 5 miles off the "blacktop".  The road was well maintained, but could get pretty icy in the winter.

 

And in summer

Here's the same section in summer.














Now I want to show you OUR house.

NE side of our 12 sided house Spring 2013

 We live in rural NE Arkansas, on a long gravel drive.  We're 1/2 mile off the highway.  Our property is 42 acres.  Mostly wooded.  It's very hilly.

Front porch 2013

 We have a nice covered front porch.  Complete with rocking chairs and dog houses.  Our well house is off behind the house, near the south property line.  I've posted pictures of it before.

North flower garden, veggie garden & workshop.

This section of my flower beds is off to the north side of the house.  I planted lilacs, in honor of the bushed I loved playing under as a kid.  They were located to the left of the house pictured above, beside the large corn field.

Anyway, our beds are filled with edible plants.  Herbs and strawberries.  The guineas and the dog ate most of the berries before we ever got to them this past year!

The same view during the big ice storm 2009.

Here's the same view, in the aftermath of the big 2009 ice storm.

Now, here's the thing about "off grid" living.  During this storm, we were without power for 10 days.  We do have propane heat and a freestanding fireplace in our den.  We also have a bed in the den, and another bedroom off the den as well as a bathroom.

But, no power means NO water.  And for several days, we had NO PHONE.  No cell service.

Our driveway during the big ice storm 2009.

 Our drive was blocked by fallen trees.  It took us 3 days to cut our way to the road!

South entrance 2013.

Here's the south entrance to our home.  This bed is in full sun all winter.  And mostly shade in the summer.  Which is great, because my indoor plants get plenty of sun in winter.  And they don't cook in the summer.  I like that.

I over winter my cayenne pepper, and night blooming jasmine, basil, a tomato, and aloe.

South entrance 2009.

 

During that ice storm, we made a fire ring and set my husband's Grandma's old cast iron laundry cauldron up.  That way we had a constant supply of hot water.  Luckily, we had a cast iron clawfoot tub in the bathroom off the den.  We filled a "solar shower" with hot water and could take a nice hot shower.

My brother-in-law Joey and his family, and his friend Randy drove all the way from Georgia to help us out.  My step-son Joshua worked at Lowe's at the time, so he got us a large generator that Joey brought out.  So, now we could run the water pump.

We cooked food for 7 people in dutch ovens in our fireplace.

The house was nice and warm.  We had 5-gallon buckets with melted snow/ice  to flush the toilets with.
We kept the freezer and fridge cold with the generator.  We only ran it when necessary.  I mean, come on!  It was 30 degrees outside.  The freezer's on the unheated back porch... a no brainer.  No need to plug it in, when it's already COLD.

The 7 of us did just fine during that storm.  John and I had set our homestead up so that we'd be prepared during bad weather.  We have home canned food.  We had 2 small generators, but needed that new bigger one to power the water pump.

We have dehydrated veggies.  Flour, butter, milk... and chickens for eggs.  We have some solar panels and batteries set up for solar lighting.  Hand crank radio, rechargeable digital TV, hand crank generator for cell phones or laptops.  Hand powered kitchen appliances (old fashioned ones and/or brand new ones).  Our new summer kitchen building has a wood cookstove.  It keeps the building VERY warm, and the oven is big enough for a pizza!

Do I want to live without electricity?  NO!  Without my Roku?  Or the internet?  NO!

Can I live without it?  Yes.

I love living in the country.  Walking in the woods.  Sewing on our treadle sewing machine.  Baking bread, making cheese, making butter, canning, spinning, knitting.

But do I ever want to go back to needing an outhouse?!  NO!!!

Do I have a wringer washer? Yes.  Do I have and use a clothes line?  Yes.  Do I want to stop using my washer and dryer in the house?  NO!

People who have NEVER lived in the woods, on a homestead, in really primitive condition make the whole experience sound very romantic.  In truth, it's damn hard work.

Would I want to try raising all my veggies without a gas-powered tiller or the tractor?  NO!  Could I?  Yes.

Would I want to do my canning in our 1960's pressure cooker on the wood cookstove?  NO!  Could I?  Yes.  I could.

Do I want to stop using our propane heat?  NO!  Could I?  Yes.

Sure, we could put the woodstove back in the great room.  We still have it, and all the required stove pipe.  Do I want Josh to have to chop and split wood to keep the house warm, and so I could cook?  NO!  Could we?  Sure.  But, that's hard work!

Could we butcher a few deer, squirrel and rabbits for our winter food.  Sure.  Could we catch and process fish, and store it?  Sure.  Could we can all our own veggies?  Sure.  Make all our baked goods.  Sure.

But here's the thing.  I want to do it when I want to do it!  Not because I have to.  Maybe I don't WANT to mess with cooking today.  Maybe I want to go to town and have Mongolian Bar-b-que.  Maybe I want someone else to cook me chicken fried steak.

I like living in the modern world with modern conveniences.

I'm very greatful that I grew up the way I did.  I learned a lot.  I know how to do a lot.  I hope to keep all these skills alive and teach them to others.  But I don't want the modern world to go away.  That would be a hardship.

Deer Cam photos

It's hunting season.  Our neighbors, River View Farms, is an 832 acre hunting club.  The members of River View Farms have become good friends over the past 8 years.  We sure lucked out buying property next to them.

Our neighbors to the west are also hunting properties.  So, our little 42 acres is surrounded on 3 sides by hunting property.  Which is nice because that means we actually live surrounded by over 1300 acres of forest.  Nice!

Anyway, one of the ways hunters know what location is best for finding game is by using a game camera.  These cameras are strapped to a tree, and are triggered by movement.  They take color photos during daylight and black/white photos after dark.  We've gotten some very interesting pictures on our cameras in the past few weeks.

"Big Buck" white tail deer

John was hoping to get this big guy, but our friend Joe Barnett of River View Farms got him instead.  That's ok though.  There's plenty more out there.

Here's who came to visit the camera yesterday.

Doe white tail deer

But here was the real surprise!

Bobcat

 

Do you see the bobcat, center frame?  Notice that's at 3:04 in the afternoon. 

Who else have we seen in the past (not our actual photos, since we didn't save past years images)?

Red fox

Grey fox

Skunk

Racoon

Veteran's day

We're well into Fall now here in the Ozarks.  The leaves are turning and falling down in great piles.  Hickory nuts, walnuts and acorns litter the ground.  With all the trees in our yard, walking is a bit hazardous!  Those hickory nuts just roll under your feet!  I've come close to falling on my kister several times...  The dogs think it's pretty funny!

Today is Veteran's Day.  It always seems like a sad day, to me.  Memorializing all those dead... And there are a lot of dead military people to remember.  And many living.  Being a Veteran, and having been raised in a military family,  I'm very aware of the sacrifice many have paid to our country.

When I was a young child, my father took me to a memorial in Wilkes-Barre, PA.  It names each person who died in the Wyoming Massacre.  One of those people was my ancestor Elisha Richards.  Wow!  I have a Revolutionary War ancestor.  Very cool.

My grandmother, Virginia Wyans Cragle is a descendant of Elisha.  She passed away in an automobile accident when my dad was 3.  So I never had a chance to meet her.  But I met her brother Paul, who ran a little museum in his house.  Again, very cool.  I always enjoyed going to visit him.

Family history has it that the Cragle family are descendants of a Hessian who served King George and was surprised when Washington et all crossed the Delaware.  Since that was a disgrace for the Hessian's, they remained in Pennsylvania.  This same history was found in a book my younger sister found while doing a report in high-school.  I haven't read that particular book, so I'm not sure of the title.  I guess some research with the Osterhout Library in Wilkes-Barre would reveal it though.  Ousterhout Free Library

I also grew up knowing that one of my Cragle ancestors served in the Civil War.  And one in WWI.  Several of my uncles served in WWII.  My father served in Korea, Viet Nam (3 times), and was in Guantanamo Cuba during the Cuban Missile Crisis. I have several other family members who served in Viet Nam.  I was in the Navy during Desert Storm.  I wasn't deployed, but many of my coworkers were.  Our friends Kevin Stout and Jim Saxe were.  And, we have several friends' children and 1 cousin who are still in the military and serving in the Middle East.

When I started working on my family tree through Ancestry.com, I discovered I have wartime ancestors on all sides of my family, in all our wars.  From the French and Indian war, up to the current conflicts.  We're a military family.  That's just how it's done. 

I've been to Gettysburg 3 times.  Every time I'm there it wigs me out.  I guess I've seen too many of those pictures with the dead horses and dead men lying everywhere.  Knowing that creek was so full of blood it clotted!  And when I went there, I could see it very clearly.  Back to the bus for me!  I could do without THAT image being burnt into my brain.

I know a lot of people don't understand American History.  They don't understand the conflicts our military have been involved in.  Or what it's like to be in the military.  I found that Naval service had some benefits, and some drawbacks.  I learned a lot.  I met a lot of good people.  And some not so good.  I was able to go to college on the GI bill.  I was able to buy my first home with a VA guaranteed loan.  I met my first husband, Curtis Brown, while I was stationed in Newport, RI.  He was also from a military family.  We were married for 25 years.

But, Veteran's day always makes me sad.  So many dead people.  All those war movies on TV.  Most of them glorify war.  Watch Saving Private Ryan or Bat 21, or watch this Youtube video listing the top 5 recent war movies to see what war is really like.  Best Modern War Movies.  Personally, I can't watch Black Hawk Down.  It's too real.

A cool, foggy morning

I guess Fall is fully here.  It was 39 this morning and foggy.

Our garden looks pretty sad.  Tired.  Done.  Although the Jerusalem articokes on the right in this picture are still standing proud.  Not everything is completely done.  Our small orange bell peppers and the nasturtiums are still growing and producing.

My husband laughed at me and said "it looks like the plastic faerie has been here again"... because I put the plastic over the chicken cages.  But I knew it was going to get cold.  So, I got them covered up.

The new puppy, Cricket is really growing.  She's taller than Peanut now.  Of course, being a shorty Jack Russell standing 11 inches high, this isn't really much of an accomplishment. But, I hope Cricket doesn't get MUCH bigger.  Her mom was about knee high and dad is unknown.  So I guess she'll be whatever size she is!

So, for some entertainment this morning... I made a short video of inside my chicken house.  Not very exciting for people who don't live on a farm... but I enjoy my chickens.  I hope you do too.

Some thoughts on the "government" shutdown....

For those of you who may not know this, Johnnie and I both receive Social Security Disability Income (SSDI).  We each had to go through the process of proving we are disabled and unable to work.  During our working years, part of our income was diverted and accumulated by our Federal Government, in order to ensure we had saved some money for our future retirement.   I receive my SSDI on the 4th Wednesday each month, directly into my saving account.  The deposit totals $1023 dollars per month.  John receives a bit more into our checking account on the 3rd of each month.  That's our total taxable income each month.

I'm also a service-connected, disabled veteran.  After many forms, hearings, appeals and frustration, I was granted 100% service-connection in December of 2004.  As a married veteran with a spouse, my monthly income is $2973. This is non-taxable income. This includes complete medical care, if I go to the local VA medical center for my care.  I do go to the VA for my yearly pap exam, but I don't go for my neurological care.  I'd have to travel to Saint Louis to receive that care, and that's just too far to go.

We are both on Medicare.  This is provided through Arkansas Blue Cross, and the premium of our coverage is taken from our SSDI directly by Blue Cross each month (before we receive our deposit each month).  When we each became "eligible" for SSDI, we became "eligible" for Medicare.  And we each had to pick our "provider".  So, like everyone else who has medical insurance there are co-payments, eligibility forms, in network providers.  It's all very confusing. 

Our son Joshua moved here to Arkansas to be with us and help us out.  We are two older people, with chronic health problems.  Josh decided to do this, and we really appreciate it!

So, we made sure that Josh has health insurance too.  And we got him coverage with Arkansas Blue Cross.  We pay for this health insurance each month, and we're glad he hasn't had any health issues that required medical care.  He's a health young man. 

Because our government wants to make sure we all have the insurance we need, we are also required to have automobile insurance.  This is required in order to register your car.  We have our car insurance with Nationwide.

And, if you buy a home and need a loan in order to make that purchase; you most likely were required to secure home owners insurance.  Our home owner's insurance is with Shelter Insurance.  Shelter is the only company that will ensure a log home (at least in our area).

So when I look at our monthly budget, the largest expense we have IS INSURANCE!

Almost $800 dollars a month of our income (not counting the Medicare taken directly from our SSDI)!  And that's $800 dollars we are required by our government to spend.  And who knows how much this will increase with the new "Health Insurance" plan that our dear leaders are forcing upon us.

One of our friends is impacted by the current government shutdown. His job has been deemed as "non-essential". He has been forced to NOT work, and will have NO income until our elected officials can stop arguing like children and figure out how to overspend our tax money. 

Does our government care that people can't afford to spend so much money on insurance?  Do they care that people can't afford to NOT WORK?  And if this shut down continues, when will MY family have NO INCOME because some one else will not be allowed to do their job?  When will Social Security and VA benefits become "non-essential"?

This whole situation disgusts me!  I have to live on a fixed income.  Granted, my income isn't low.  I admit that.  But it is fixed.  I have to have a balanced monthly and yearly budget.  Our government should also.  As a society, we can't continue to spend money we don't have.  Otherwise, none of us will have a future.  No job, no income, no future.

That is a very bleak vision.  Sadly, I think it's correct.

Darn, more water woes!

Monday afternoon (September 16th), I was taking a walk around the house with the dogs when I noticed that the bottom of the pump house looked muddy.  So, I walked over and investigated.  Crap!  A big mud puddle!

So, first thing yesterday morning John and Josh went out to start the next round of repairs.  This of course meant we had no water all day.  Not really a problem for us, because we keep about 40 gallons of distilled water on hand at all times.  And I can always flush a toilet with water from our "pond" water tank.  We also have a Big Berky water filter that's full at all times.  I've written about water storage in a previous post.

A big muddy mess.

So, Josh started digging.  First, they had to completely remove the pump house.  Then Josh started digging.  Yucky work, for sure!

Starting to dig.

Digging on hands & knees is no fun!

See the exposed pipe?  That had to be reattached.

After he finally dug down to the pipes, he had to find what the problem was.  And it looks like the "patch" done last time the pipes were leaking had failed.  Crap!
 
So, we made a trip to the hardware store in Highland.   B & B Supply.  They had what we needed.  Some clamps, some pipe and some Rain or Shine pipe cement.  Josh used to work at Lowes in Ellijay, GA so he knew exactly what to look for. 

After another hour or so, he got the pipe connected back together.  The water works!  Hurray!

Of course, you know they had to have puppy dog supervision for this dirty task.

Peanut and Cricket

Doggy supervisors

Thankfully, it was only 85 yesterday and not 100! 

John set out a live trap last night and there was that armadillo in there this morning.  He won't be digging under our pump house any more!  Peanut was excited about t varmit removal.  Cricket didn't want anything to do with that stinky weird looking thing.  She decided the front porch dog house was a safe place to be.

A beautiful fall morning

I know it's not "technically" Autumn.  Not until next Friday, but this morning was very fall-like.  It was 52F when I got up this morning.  I had to put a sweater on to talk the dogs for their morning walk.

I like the crispness of fall.  I like the way the air feels and the sound of crunchy leaves under my feet.

John and Joshua got busy with the tractor this morning and finally got a chance to move some of the sections of the tree we had removed back in July.  Some of it can be used for lumber, the rest will be firewood.  Here a quick picture I took from the kitchen window.  John was talking to Josh about using the different levers (I think)...  not really sure because I wasn't close enough to hear the conversation.

Meanwhile, I was pulling grass and weeds out of the front walkway.  The dogs were hanging out near by.    Here's the link to the video.
Peanut and Cricket playing

Yesterday, our friend Michelle Friend came over to spend the day.  We spent about an hour and each painted a silk scarf.  Here's how mine came out.

Silk scarf painted with Setasilk paint

I got the scarves and paint from Dharma Trading Company.  They have wonderful products!  Dharma Trading Company sundyeing kit .

On the first weekend of October we'll be participating in the Hardy Homesteader's Day at Loberg Park in Hardy, AR.  Our friends Gena Stout, Jerry Friend and Michelle Friend will be in our display with us.  We'll be spinning, weaving and talking with the public.  We dress in period clothes.  Here's a picture or two from last year.

Gena Stout weaving on a triangular loom.  The shawl she has on was woven the previous year.

Josh and John get the spinning wheels set up.

Getting a new puppy

Last Friday, I saw an ad of Facebook for free puppies in our area.  After a bit of phone tag and texting I finally arranged to go look at the little critters.

When I got there, I was met by the gentleman and the mama dog.  She seemed friendly enough.  The man was very nice, let me look at all the puppies.  I got them out of the kennel and looked them over.  One puppy in particular struck me.  Rather small compared to the others and much thinner.  She came right to me & didn't whimper or squeal when I picked her up.  I took her home.

She didn't have a good ride in the car.  She howled.  She cried.  She threw up all over.

And then she had diarrhea.  And vomited some more.  John was very upset with me for bringing home a puppy in such a sad state.  I stayed up all night with her.  She had to go outside every 45 minutes or so!  Oh the poor little thing!

I took her to the vet first thing on Saturday morning.  We take our pets to Shaw Veterinary Clinic in Highland, AR.  Their great.  They've been in business for 30 year.  They've provided care to both Rusty and Peanut these past 7 years.  When Peanut was bitten by the snake earlier this year, we took her there.  We've boarded our pets there.  Very nice.    Shaw Vet Clinic

I had to give them a name to open a new file.  Earlier that morning, I'd been trying to get the pup to come to me by calling her with different names.  The only name she responded to was Cricket.  So, Cricket it is.

Doctor Roger looked the puppy over and said she'd need to stay for the morning.  She had worms (tests would be done to see which kind) and ringworms.  He'd also test her for parvo and get her all cleaned up.

Josh and I went  back at 11:45 to pick her up.  She was all ready.  It turns out she had 3 different kinds of worms (round, hook and tapeworms!), some intestinal parasite which we got medication for, and ringworms (actually a fungus).  No wonder the poor little thing was so thin!  No parvo, thank goodness. 

We brought her home.  She slept most of that day, and wouldn't eat.  But by Sunday morning she'd passed all those worms and was looking for some food.  Man, was she hungry!

After recuperating these past few days, she's really turning out to be a very nice puppy.  Playful, smart and friendly.  And I'm sure she'll have accidents, but she already knows to go to the door to go outside!  She's only 8 weeks old!  WOW!

Here's a picture of our new little cutie.  I'm smitten!

Guess who wants all the toys....

Making chicken & sausage gumbo with our homegrown okra

Being a "Yankee" by birth (NE PA is my home of record), okra is not a veggie I grew up with.  In fact, I never tasted it before I went to Navy bootcamp.  And I did NOT like it!  YUCK.  Slimy!

Since I moved to Georgia back in 2005, I've had a change of heart.  I love fried okra.  We grow okra. We buy froze, canned and pickled okra.  And now I've learned to cook gumbo, and I'm really hooked. 

Josh has been picking from the garden each morning. I've been holding onto the okra, until I had enough to make some gumbo.  This morning he brought in a few more pods, and I believe I have enough.

Today was a cooler day, so making some warm food for our lunch seemed like a good idea.  I got out my trusty New Joy of Cooking recipe book and gathered my ingredients.

My recipe, page 253

I like this recipe because it's straight forward.  Nothing fancy.  Just tasty, basic ingredients.

Dry ingredients

The peppers, tomatoes and cayenne were grown in our garden. 

Tomato paste, home grown okra and Old Bay seasoning

Next, I chopped our okra.  I needed 2 cups of chopped okra, but only had 1 1/2.  So I had to add a can of canned okra with tomato.  I like tomato in my gumbo.  So, I also added some tomato paste for added flavor.

Cooked free range chicken

Smoked sausage.  Chicken, pork and beef

Next, I cooked about a pound of free range chicken.  This was cut into about 1/4 inch chunks.













This sausage adds a nice, smokey flavor without being really greasy.  This was also cooked and cut into 1/4 inch chunks.












To get the gumbo itself started, you must first make the roux. This is fairly easy.  I use 1/3 cup olive oil and 1/3 cup flour.

 Make it nice and bubbly.  This adds the smooth thickening and much of the subtle flavorings.

Finished gumbo, ready to eat.

Serve your gumbo over cooked white rice.

I've also been trying an experiment with what's called a Ginger Bug.  Here's a link for the directions.  Ginger Bug starter for homemade ginger ale

Here's what my bug looks like.

I've also been trying a new sourdough recipe my friend Gena Stout shared with me.  This starter includes instant potatoes in the starter.  I've found I really like this recipe.  And the bread tasted really good.  I made a batch for my step daughter Tammy and her partner Rickie when they were here a few weeks ago.  It must have tasted pretty good, because they were cutting off hot hunks and slathering it with butter.  That's how I like it too!

I feed the starter every 4 days or so by adding a tablespoon of flour and a tablespoon of sugar.  I stir it well, and only add liquid if it's too thick.  When I'm ready to bake, I divide it in half.  I save the reserved starter and put it back in the fridge.

I put the starter I'm using into a large mixing bowl, add 4 cups of flour, 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of whey (or water).  I mix this well and let it sit over night.  The next day, I use the bubble goodness to make my bread using the same recipe I've used in my other sourdough bread posts.  That link is here.  Making cheese and sourdough bread