Wednesday, September 26, 2012

The Odyssey of Snowball AKA Wiz

Odyssey: a long wandering or voyage usually marked by many changes of fortune .


When we first got Snowball, the white lionhead bunny, it was because we bought more cages and she came with the purchase.  Lionheads were not in the homestead "plan".  Nonetheless, she came here to live..Man has always called her Wizard (or Wiz) which is bizarre as we are not into "that" kind of stuff, but he says that the eyebrows and hair going every whichway made her look like a wise old wizard.  And Wiz stuck, and somehow we got it into our mind that she was a he....

After about a week,  I came into the barn to milk at O'dark:30 only to find Wiz's cage open.  Great!  About a day later, Boy saw him outside and tried to chase him down, only to have him run inbetween rows of our woodpile.  Then part of the pile fell and an upset boy thought he had crushed Wiz.

Fast forward another week, Man calls me on the cell phone while I was at Ace Hardware.  Using his "I don't have good news" voice, he starts a story (also usually not a good sign).  "I went out to check on the rabbits, on my way back from the barn..."  He saw Wiz in the cow pasture!!!  WooHoo!

When we got home we tried to catch her.  Well, yeah, she's been eating on the pasture and say possibly the 80 acre soybean field around us.  So not so interested in the pellets in the have-a-heart cage.  We thought we might put a girl bunny out to entice "him" into the cage...only to remember....despite the name "Wiz" it is a girl. 

Everyday we see Wiz as we walk to and from the barn.  Sometimes she even comes all the way over to the fence near the chickens.  But still WAY too fast for anyone to catch.  And off into the weeds and soybeans.  I took comfort in the fact that she was fine and still around and held the hope that eventually we will catch her.

Until this past Monday, this past Monday was different.  I was on the phone with my cousin....and I looked over and I am sure I heard her (the rabbit, not my cousin) snicker at me.  She stood very tall and proud....and mockingly.  Yes, the rabbit is mocking me!

And the Odyssey continues......

Sunday, September 23, 2012

Well....Man and Boy just butchered our first rabbit.  I am not going to include pictures as I am not involved in that part of the homestead.  Maybe someday, but right not I'm not even sure I'm ready to cook it to be quite honest.  It's my job to keep things alive....

Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Lots of little things....

Today was a catch up kind of day.  Got lots of little nagging things done.

Milked X2
Made a batch of cheese.
Ground wheat
Made bread
Used the ham bone to make stock
Made bean soup
Put away laundry
Folded socks
Straightend up the living room
Worked on decluttering laundry room
Cleaned out catch all bag.
Cleaned off desk
Emptied Boy's school desk onto my desk
Cleaned off my desk...again
Filed bills
Filled out insurance paperwork
Got 3 rebates ready to mail.
Made chef salads for dinner
Planed wood with Boy for Man to use tomorrow.
Swept shop
Emptied 3 gallons of water from the dehumidifier in the pumphouse
Hauled water to chickens
Gave chickens whey!!
Fed & Watered all the animals
Made butter.
Bean soup into jars. (Quart for us, Quart for Dad-it was his hambone, and a Pint for my landlady who had surgery today)
Emptied dishwasher X2
Worked on packing a care package-will mail before 9/20
Read a (short) book
BLOGGED ! (well, kinda!)

Now it is 9 and I am beat...off to bed!
Love you!  Thank you for all your encouraging words!  they made ALL the difference. 

Oh, and here is a few pictures of my new daily "norm"  Yes, that is my son's Little Tykes chair from when he was 2!!


I made a grown up decision...

...I decided that there was no way I could get the stuff tagged for the 3Bags Sale, so I withdrew....gasp!

And my Man, knowing this was a dramatic turn, told Boy that they needed to pray for me.  Snort.Grin!

So I have a pile of kiddo stuff that is pulled out and cluttering up my bedroom (laundry room, etc) that I'm not sure what I'm doing with....I could put it in the Delaware 3 Bags Sale next month.....

In the meantime...I am a bit bummed not to be able to get into the Hartford Sale early because I'm a consignor/worker.  My kid is in dire need of clothes and shoes!!

We will be going to Athens to deliver a bed on Thursday (and that is the preview sale) so I wouldn't be able to go anyway.  (No, not bitter....grin)

Sunday, September 16, 2012

I'm...I'm....chagrined!

cha·grin (sh-grn)
n.
A keen feeling of mental unease, as of annoyance or embarrassment, caused by failure, disappointment, or a disconcerting event.
 
Yep, that's me....not..


Anyway....I have not been blogging as I had hoped.  Here's the thing...if I could find a brain to blog app life would be awesome.  I compose so many posts as I am milking the cow (hands a bit busy) or driving to the city to help my mom (eyes kinda busy...ok hands too).  Or trying to fall asleep....mind not supposed to be busy.

This summer has gone by in a blurr....so much to do and I haven't done much of it.  We haven't gone swimming.  I haven't canned.  The farmer's market has been very neglected as has the garden.  I may have mentioned that my mom tore her rotator cuff (shoulder) completely off and had to have surgery to reattach.  I've been going down to town (37 miles each way) to help her and my dad three times a week.  No, not because I am an awesome daughter, but because I should and my parents do pay me for my time.  It's nice that I can take Boy with me and occasionally do a load of laundry while there.  They don't mind if I'm late or have to leave early.  And I love them, so I really do wish I were just an awesome daughter and could just do it for free.

That is 3 days a week that I'm basically not here on the farm.  The inbetween days I am frantically trying to get the other stuff done.  While I was on steroids, I could do it.  Now not as much.  Right now, I am in the midst of trying to get 7 loads of laundry done.  (And my washer currently leaks....I've been praying for it to be healed, but I think it's telling me that I need to get on Craigs to see if I can find another....) 

All the stuff on my 101 list that I wanted to get done with my kid didn't happen either.  The days of childhood are almost past and I have missed most of his childhood, either by working nights, being unconscience waiting for surgery, or just being busy with stuff that in the long run is probably not important.  Boy is growing beyond quickly.  He's over 5 foot tall (I think 5'4" now) and over 110 pounds.  Wearing size 8.5 mens shoes!!  He's not going to fit in the hammock with me for my 101 list!!

OK, enough complaining about what I cannot do and how fast life is passing by.  I went to the doctor on Friday.  (Both were late by 2 hours...I spent almost 8 hours sitting in waiting rooms or the office on Friday).  Found out that my vitamin D is still dangerously low.  Had another round of blood tests, new meds to try, a new doctor with still more blood tests and a follow up visit in two weeks....

We've been puppy sitting for the last 10 days...but he is going home tonight.  Ah...the buzzer on the dryer...be back soon....hopefully!
 

Maxx

I mentioned that we were puppy sitting for 10 days.  Here is our guest...Maxx.

Maxx is a 4 month old Samoyed purebred puppy.  He is very sweet and loves to harass the black cat.  And black cat loved it right back.  I think the cat has been a bit depressed to have no one to hiss at since Maxx went home last week.



 

 
Boy really enjoyed playing with Maxx.  After awhile, Danny would play with him as well.  Kristl...well she is kinda cranky and anti-social....

 

Thursday, September 6, 2012

OK...to do list....take 2....

Home again today...still have most of my list from Monday to do...plus some...AND a friend is bringing over her 16 week old puppy for us to puppysit for  10 days...so I need to "Puppy-proof"  And the "3 bags" sale is in 10 days....and I haven't even started to tag items....Man.  So....not much in the way of blogging today. 

  • Make bread

  • milk/cheese/butter

  • roast peppers

  • make bean soup

  • make salsa

  • pick cabbage

  • make saurkraut

  • make coleslaw

  • make cabbage rolls

  • clean out garden

  • mow garden

  • rototill garden

  • replant beans

  • take coveralls and Iona's blanket to laundry mat

  • find out what is leaking on washer

  • laundry (4 loads)

  • price 12 items for 3 bags full

  • answer business emails.

  • call Aunt S about banty's

  • get sweet feed and chicken feed

  • go to the grocery store

  • go to Meijer

  • put out chair

  • clean laundry room

  • picture of Danny

  • brush Kristl (shedding-bad!!)

  • clean out fridge

  • straighten front room

  • vaccuum steps

  • Added today:

    • Bread  (again)
    • Milk / cheese / butter
    • 2 more loads of laundry
    • vaccuum downstairs
    • puppy-proof
    • tag 30 items for 3 bags
    UPDATE (DONE!)
    • brush Kristl

    Monday, September 3, 2012

    Day off?  Um.....not so much.

    Saturday was supposed to be "Get the garden under control" day.  Worked on it after milking for about an hour until thunder took me under the porch cover.  I still worked on pulling old beans off the plants that I had yanked.  These will be next season's seeds.

    Then....we discovered something on the well pump burst.  And it ran all night....and emptied the well.  So no water to the barn and coop and everything in the pump house was wet and a mess.  And let me just admit.  You couldn't even really get into the door because we've (me and Boy) have just been putting stuff "temporarily" out there.  So then I spent the rest of the day (and man, it was hot and humid) cleaning out the pump house.  I filled up both trash barrels, the wheel barrel, and a huge pile.

    Last Thursday, I filled 12 feed sacks of dirt, nails and junk from the tool room in the barn.  The trash guy will LOVE us on Wednesday.

    So here is my list for today:
    (I know that if I have a plan, it will get changed!)

    • Make bread
    • milk/cheese/butter
    • roast peppers
    • make bean soup
    • make salsa
    • pick cabbage
    • make saurkraut
    • make coleslaw
    • make cabbage rolls
    • clean out garden
    • mow garden
    • rototill garden
    • replant beans
    • take coveralls and Iona's blanket to laundry mat
    • find out what is leaking on washer
    • laundry (4 loads)
    • price 12 items for 3 bags full
    • answer business emails.
    • call Aunt S about banty's
    • get sweet feed and chicken feed
    • go to the grocery store
    • go to Meijer
    • put out chair
    • clean laundry room
    • picture of Danny
    • brush Kristl (shedding-bad!!)
    • clean out fridge
    • straighten front room
    • vaccuum steps
    Here we go.....