Tpals Place

Battles

2012-02-10T05:53:00.002-06:00

I woke twenty minutes early this morning and as I considered going back to sleep my thought process was:

"I'm tired of fighting goblins. I might as well get up now."

Which tells you how restful my night was. :)

The Musgraves

2012-02-06T00:31:00.001-06:00

My new favorite band!

Firewood

2012-02-05T23:30:00.002-06:00

Two pickup loads of wood tucked away in the garage, ready for a cold snap. If only I had the stove already!

Where the real party was...

2012-02-05T20:01:00.002-06:00

Here are Duchess and Ninja Hen acting as hostesses.

Road Runner joins the party.

Frodo, of course, in the guest of honor.

And the venue: the fabulous Coop!

My parents even made it down for the party. (They pretend they're coming to visit me, but we all know they really want to hang out with the hens.)

Heat wave!

2012-01-30T12:43:00.001-06:00

It's 45 F (7 C) outside and I can imagine how much fun the chickens are having outside right now. I wish I could be there too.

Wood!

2012-01-29T12:42:00.002-06:00

I found a firewood source not too far away and my son picked up a load yesterday. I'm going to have him get one more load soon and that will pretty much fill up the space available in the garage. Knowing my tendency to obsess, I can only imagine how much I'll have ready for next winter!

I've got the quote for the stove installation, now I just need the W2 from work so I can get my tax return filed.

Today wasn't very productive as I started off with a nasty headache. By late afternoon I did get out and install an awning on the side of my chicken coop. I've been having trouble with snowmelt dripping off the roof of the coop onto the pop-hole ramp and icing up so I couldn't close it. The awning will divert any drips away plus give them a little extra shelter when it rains.

Wood burner of choice

2012-01-21T22:59:00.003-06:00

My next big purchase is going to be a wood burning stove and this is the one I've decided on:

I expect this to be the only stove I buy so I'm definitely going with the model I liked best. Sweet feature: the top swings open revealing a cooktop.

The stove will be my last major planned purchase. After this I'll be saving up for likely future issues such as car or furnace replacement, tuition or emergencies. Of course, if I had to borrow or charge this I wouldn't be buying it in the first place. I don't think I could handle the stress of going back into debt!

Update

2012-01-09T05:27:00.003-06:00

The beef has been picked up and now fills the freezer. I made a Sunday roast yesterday and it is very good.

The chickens have all filled out nicely after the fall moulting and are looking good.

This has been a strange morning as I woke early and couldn't go back to sleep; instead I got up and rode the stationary bike for a time. That's the first time it's been used for anything other than a coat rack for months! I fear it will be a very long day though.

The weather continues clear and cool. Very unlike a normal January. The big question is how this dry winter will affect the summer growing season. As there is nothing to be done about it, we will just have to suffer through jacket weather. :)

This past weekend I watched a show from around 2003 called "That'll Teach 'Em" where they took 30 volunteer 16 year olds and put them in a 1960s boarding school for a month. This was series 2 of the show and it was fascinating to watch these modern day, below average students blossom in a disciplined setting. I would love to see a follow-up done on where they are now and if the experience had any lasting benefits.

After watching that I looked up series 3 which was with above average students in a 1950s school. Curiously, they were much less adaptable to the discipline and caused a lot more trouble. They seemed to suffer from the 'I'm a special snowflake' syndrome and didn't make the most of the opportunity. Funnily enough, while most of them failed dismally at the 50s exams, they all scored very high on modern tests. So, there are today's doctors and lawyers; lazy, never having to do anything they don't want to and expecting someone to give them the answers. I think what shocked me the most was that not one of them could do a long division problem without a calculator. Pitiful.

The end of the holidays

2011-12-26T22:49:00.003-06:00

Back to work tomorrow, but it's hard to feel bad about that since it's another short week. It really doesn't feel at all like winter here. Even the temps are well above normal and without any snow or strong winds...just weird!

I'm getting a side of beef, organic and grass-fed. One of my co-workers has a 'beef guy' who raises a few as a hobby in his retirement. I called him about six months ago to reserve one for our family and it's being processed this week.

I set up my aerogarden with mixed lettuces and they are growing fast:

The hens are loving the dry warm weather and I spoil them with daily treats. I can't think of anything that gives me so much happiness for so little effort as my chickens. Every time I go into the pen I'm surrounded and if one is sitting in a nest box when I gather eggs, often she will let me pick her up and shift her to another box. Ten hens are averaging eight eggs a day.

And such a variety!

I hope everyone is staying safe, warm and happy as the year winds down and we greet a new one.

Barrow in Furness

2011-12-11T17:17:00.003-06:00

I've been rereading Nella Last's War, which is taken from the diary of a middle-aged housewife during WWII. I've read a number of first-hand accounts of life in those turbulent times, but this is my favorite.

Aged 49 in 1939 with a difficult husband and two grown sons, the book provides a front row seat to her reactions as events unfold as well as her observations on those around her. It feels real because it was. Volunteering became a vital part of her life by working in the WVS (Women's Voluntary Service), the canteen (to feed the soldiers and sailors passing through or stationed there), and the Red Cross shop (selling donated items to raise funds to provide parcels to P.O.W.s). Added to all this was the strain of having her youngest off fighting, the worry of making do with very restrictive rationing and inflation, and the horror of heavy bombing.

Barrow in Furness was (and is) a port with a major ship-building yard. That made it a prime target during the blitz. Today I googled the location and, while looking at the images, found myself doing a double-take. Furness Abbey looked very familiar....

and there it was in pictures I had taken on my 2004 visit. On that same day I was in Barrow where I saw a submarine in the ship-building yard...

Talk about having history come to life! I wish I had known about Nella's book then.

The good life

2011-12-11T17:02:00.002-06:00

I've started my next knitting project. This time I'm making a baby blanket for my niece's first baby. There's a deadline on this one! No sitting around taking an entire year to finish.

It's been a nice relaxing weekend. My parents came over yesterday and we watched Cowboys & Aliens. Today I've finally gotten around to putting up the rest of the window plastic. It's been a mild winter so far, but that's not likely to last.

Exciting news: after weeks of 1 egg a day, recently production bumped up to 3, and today, 4 eggs! Yay, hens!

Knitting success!

2011-11-27T10:05:00.003-06:00

Last night I finally finished my first major knitting project - the scarf. Six and a half feet long, it's going to be very warm. :)

Now I'm ready to choose a new project!

The Story of Esther

2011-11-23T00:12:00.002-06:00

That's her in the foreground, making a dash for the outdoors. She was one of the older generation of hens but as the only Araucana (blue eggs) and having a lot of character, I attempted to relocate her to my coop last month. She was having none of it! Even after dark, she took off out of the coop and over the fence and never looked back.

That was the last time she was seen and I thought she had probably been eaten. Dogs, foxes, raccoons... it's a dangerous place for a hen without shelter. Then yesterday my son came in from taking his dog out and said one of my hens was out of the pen and in the garden. I went out to find out who was a.w.o.l. but all 14 were right where they belonged. Then I saw her, long lost Esther. Clearly torn between rejoining the flock and living wild, she comes back but dashes for the horizon if anyone gets too close. When I see her I hear a shrill Scottish voice shouting in my mind "You can never take my freedom!" Thus she is now known as Esther Braveheart.

Recycled Passive Solar

2011-11-20T17:03:00.002-06:00

How's that for a catchy title? Tanya asked me to explain my plan to add some passive heating to the chicken coop so here it is:

I took some empty pop bottles, filled them with water and spray painted them black. After that I hauled the bottles out to the coop and put them on a shelf across from the south-facing window. Hopefully, the water will absorb what heat the sun puts out during the day and release it back into the coop at night. I'm not expecting much, but every little bit helps.

Speaking of cold and weather; yesterday we had our first snow of the season (I know! Incredible to be this late!). Not a lot, just enough to give everything a coating of white. I was feeling a bit scornful of my hens this morning when none of them wanted to venture out even though the wind was calm and the sun shining brightly. Then I remembered the cat started to go outside and did the fastest u-turn possible in the doorway... and he was wearing a fur coat. :)

One thing that makes me happy: I can see the garage solar panels from my kitchen window and although fully covered in snow this morning, the solar guy spoke true and it quickly melted off.

The time has come again to venture out, close the coop up tight and bring in the dog.

Book nook

2011-11-15T22:00:00.002-06:00

No, not an electronic device, just the paper and ink books I have stacked next to my reading chair.

Winding down the vacation

2011-11-13T17:29:00.002-06:00

Filling in a couple missing days:

Friday I dismantled the guinea pig cage and cleaned. Also, the last of the farm chickens moved out. Happily, Duke went on to another farm where he will attempt to usurp the reigning rooster.

Saturday was supposed to be this gorgeous, sunny day of 60 degrees. Ha! It was cloudy and windy and utterly disappointing. Instead of the outdoors things I planned on, I made a big pot of super soup and started rereading Eragon.

Today was the long awaited nice day! I put plastic over the chicken coop window and built a shelf on the opposite wall to try out a passive solar heating method. I'll paint 2 liter bottles of water black and line them on the shelf to absorb sunlight and hopefully radiate it out at night. The shiny insulation behind the bottles should help with that.

Back to work tomorrow. :(

Day 6

2011-11-10T23:28:00.002-06:00

This was a good day!

I went to Sam's Club with my parents to stock up. It will be crazy busy from now through the holidays so they won't go back until next year. My shelves are full. :)

Arriving home found the solar guy and electrician working hard on the system. They tracked down the solution with the manufacturer and after rewiring the connections and one pesky fuse... it works! Hooray! The electrician is all fired up now and can't wait to tackle another installation. The solar guy said he even had friends who wanted to try this but all refused to be the first. Luckily, I'm mad enough to be a guinea pig.

Days 4 & 5

2011-11-09T23:23:00.002-06:00

Day 4 was lovely though cool; I dug up the last of the potatoes, closed up the polytunnel and tidied the big garden.

Today was not so nice with a cold wind. It would have been enjoyable to do more of the indoor jobs I had planned, but instead I was stuck working all day (at my job!). Rather spoils the fun of taking an entire week off when it's interrupted right in the middle. :(

Ha!

2011-11-08T10:56:00.001-06:00

One full day plus a couple hours. That's how long my boss lasted before asking me to do some work during my vacation.

I think I need a raise.

Day 3

2011-11-08T01:19:00.002-06:00

A good, productive day. I started off gleaning more ears of corn in the field, lots of bending, walking and carrying. At home I replaced the messed up ceiling tiles that I had to destroy to reach the old attic access. Before covering it up I stapled some leftover insulation across the access cover in case extra blown insulation didn't make it into the top of that area. This was one of those jobs that needs doing for months and makes a huge improvement in the appearance of that room; not to mention providing another layer of insulated space to conserve heat.

Finally, tired of watching X-Files (which do get a bit monotonous after awhile), I pulled up Voyager. My son doesn't really remember the show at all so he enjoyed watching too. Cute moment: I had the scarf I'm knitting rolled up on the desk in front of the monitor and Trigger decided it made a perfect cushion to lean on when sitting in my lap...yet another Star Trek loving member of this house.

Day 2

2011-11-06T22:12:00.002-06:00

Quiet day, mostly spent chilling out. I did pick up a bag of corn from the empty field behind my parent's barn this morning. The combine misses quite a lot and if left would just be eaten by raccoons; I'd rather my chickens got first chance.

I just finished watching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind thanks to Amazon's freebies. It started very slow... so much so that I almost gave up on it. In the end I'm glad I stuck until it picked up. Interesting.

Tomorrow the solar electrician will be back to figure out why one battery bank isn't charging.

Day 1

2011-11-05T23:10:00.002-05:00

After the last couple months of very intense work, I get an entire week of vacation! It's wonderful. :)

Today, as the official first day off, I cleaned the garage. It was much too windy to work outside, yet warm enough that being in a sheltered place was comfortable.

I finished off the day watching First Wives Club and knitting on my scarf. A great day.

Sweet solar

2011-11-05T07:52:00.002-05:00

Yesterday my solar system finally got hooked up and running. So, now my furnace, frig, and freezer are all running off batteries.

It's a bittersweet time though as my solar guy was diagnosed with lung cancer yesterday. While I am thrilled to have some degree of off-grid sustainability; I'm also deeply worried about the traumatic time he and his family are dealing with.

No rest for the weary

2011-10-31T20:29:00.002-05:00

To avoid squabbling over my time, my boss asked me to work evenings and try to wrap up these two projects this week. Then I can take some time off next week! I'll need it!

This evening I pulled into the garage and hadn't even got out of the car before the neighbor girl came asking for candy. Being a heartless, practical person I promptly put her to work carrying in groceries. :)

I had two soft shell eggs today. Definitely icky to pick up.

Sigh...back to work.

Chickens!

2011-10-30T23:20:00.002-05:00

My crew tend their clean up duties diligently.

Even braving ruffled feathers!

Popping inside for a break from the wind is always a nice option.

The coop

2011-10-30T23:08:00.002-05:00

Spoiled hens? Indoors feed choices include cracked corn, layer pellets, grit and a scratching block (which they haven't figured out yet); outside they receive garden gleanings, kitchen scraps and odds and ends.

I keep ceramic eggs in the nesting boxes to encourage them to lay there. I need to put up the second roosting bar to hold the rest of my young hens when I bring them over. It may feel a bit cramped but the extra heat will help in the winter months.

I love the 'spaceship feel' of the insulated walls.

Quiet

2011-10-25T22:12:00.003-05:00

Why do I always feel colder when I can hear the wind blowing? I even nudged up the thermostat a little. It's not that cold yet anyway; still in the fifties.

The electrician was working on getting the lines run from the garage solar panels to the basement today. We're still waiting on a couple pieces of equipment that should be in this week.

We watched Captain America tonight. My son wasn't too impressed with the graphics and thought they were silly to follow the comics so closely instead of making it more realistic. I liked it; I can do without too much realism lately. :)

I've gone off the prepping blogs for a few weeks now. Maybe it's because I feel like I'm doing enough at this point and I really need a break from reading about it. Speaking of breaks, I wish I could have taken a week off after the last work project. My reset needs pushing!

I hate that soon my parents will be relocating to winter quarters. It wouldn't be quite so bad if they were going to the city where I work but they chose the opposite direction. I will miss them terribly and hope we have such a mild winter that they spend some time at home too.

Adventures in knitting

2011-10-15T17:38:00.002-05:00

Now that it's getting colder I've got the urge to pick up my needles again. I ordered some yarn online, re-purposed a videotape rack from the basement and arranged my stash. I've already ordered more so I'll have to clean up another rack when it arrives.

There is something very cozy about yarn even before it's been made into anything warm and useful.
This is a blanket a friend made from left over bits of yarn. The photo doesn't do it justice. To truly appreciate the warmth and pleasure provided, you must drape it over your legs with a good book. Be sure to run your fingers through the ruffled rows quickly because it's guaranteed that a cat will be in your lap within minutes.

I'm starting with my basic dish washing cloth as I recall the mechanics of knitting. My goal this year is to finish the scarf begun last winter!

Moody

2011-10-09T09:42:00.002-05:00

We've had a long dry spell which ended this weekend. Logically I should feel good about moisture on the garden and trees, about the rain barrels filling up again. Instead I just feel fed up with everything and crabby.

I'm sure it's partially due to the work-load at my job and the sinus headaches from the weather change. The result is that I let my cell phone battery run out and I'm hiding until work forces me out again.

wow

2011-10-06T20:59:00.002-05:00

That's what I kept saying as I harvested this beauty today. A full seven inches across and much better looking than anything I've seen in the store.

Almost more amazing than the size is the complete absence of bugs. I may have to freeze some...this was just off one of many plants!

This, that and some of the other

2011-10-04T19:19:00.002-05:00

These are the heirloom chocolate cherry tomatoes I planted this year. Sadly, they don't taste like chocolate, but do have a nice tomato flavor. :)

Only four eggs from the farm chickens today; rather a poor showing for 19 hens considering the very nice weather we've had. Allowances: some are quite old and a couple have begun molting. The hens I brought over are settling in well. I chose the gold speckles because they're mild-mannered and the white because she wanted to set (a silly time of year to try to hatch babies!). Moving to a new coop with strange youngsters around has changed her mind about setting at least.

I had my annual mammogram this morning. Unpleasant, but over quickly and definitely worth it if I should ever develop cancer.

I really don't like how early the sun goes down now. It's a daily reminder that soon I'll be driving to and from work in the dark. Ugh.

Adult hens

2011-10-02T22:13:00.002-05:00

I brought three hens over from the farm to introduce the chicks to society. They don't mingle much yet although the chicks were fascinated by the hen that could easily be a mum to them. After dark I had to fetch the speckled hens out of the branches of the honeysuckle bush and put them inside the coop. Hopefully they catch on soon.

Chick time

2011-10-02T18:33:00.002-05:00

The chicks are growing well and have adjusted happily to the coop and pen. In fact, they seem fearless. When the dog lies down with his nose against the fence to watch them, they settle in a row on the other side to watch him.

They tend to stick close together. Earlier today when I didn't have my camera they laid down snugged up against each other and every one leaned over and stretched out a wing and a leg. It was hilarious!

Trees vs solar

2011-10-01T20:31:00.002-05:00

Now that I have the solar panels up I could see how much my trees shaded them at different times of the day. Along with the problems in the big garden from not getting enough light it was enough to motivate me to have some of the trees cut down. Eight black walnut, one box elder and one dead horse chestnut were removed and it's really opened up the space. Since the walnuts were over 60 feet high and some quite near the house, I had to hire professionals to do the cutting. Spendy, but Madison Arborcare does great work.

Don't worry about the squirrels - I still have 25 more mature black walnuts in the back yard along with a sprinkling of other varieties.

It also means I have some great firewood ready for next year when I get a wood-burning stove!

Garden update

2011-09-30T22:53:00.002-05:00

We've been lucky with the weather apart from no moisture at all. I've covered the squash plants on a couple nights when we had frost warnings, but otherwise it's been warm.

Soon I'll be doing a big clear-out of the big garden, then I'm going to add in lots of compost and get it ready for next year! Not this weekend though, I need to paint my chicken gate and do some more work on the coop.

Chicken pen

2011-09-29T19:02:00.002-05:00

The wind wouldn't leave the coop door open today so I added a pop hole for the chicks. It took them all day to brave the new opening and then they weren't too impressed by the strong wind gusts so didn't stay outside long.

Here is an example of my handiwork - a homemade gate to separate the chicken pen from the dog pen. Poor old Jupiter would love to come play with the chicks...but it wouldn't be healthy for them!

Solar progress

2011-09-29T10:52:00.002-05:00

The panels are up on the roof! Because I've got limited south-facing roof space these four are on the garage and the other four are on the house. Today should have been hook-up day, but my electrician bailed out at the last minute and has decided to have nothing to do with solar. My solar guy is making arrangements with his electrician to do the work.

More pictures as the work progresses.

Growl ;)

2011-09-11T13:59:00.001-05:00

This was the result from a quiz I just took. Funnily accurate.

http://quizilla.teennick.com/quizzes/101145/what-is-your-animal-personality

Selective invisibility

2011-09-10T23:25:00.002-05:00

I got my hair done this week. It's a fairly rare event, averaging about twice a year. Last time nobody noticed that it was cut and colored so I told my stylist I wanted something with a little 'pop' this time. We decided to switch out one of the blond shades with red so my hair now has bands of three colors and it definitely pops. Everyone noticed at work and complimented the new look; my son called it 'cool'. So, what did my parents think? I'll let you know if they ever notice. :)

The second garden

2011-09-03T14:07:00.003-05:00

Due to uncontrollable circumstances, my little garden didn't get planted in the spring. Instead, it got the dregs of the clearance racks of leftover plants in the middle of summer. Isn't it nice to see how well they've grown now that the big garden is practically empty?

Three and a half weeks

2011-09-03T11:27:00.002-05:00

Lots of feathers and lots of attitude! So much fun too. What else could make a gardener say 'yay!' when finding caterpillars on her broccoli plants?

The tall chick with bright orange feet is Gandalf. The chick with feathers all the way to it's claws is Frodo and his sidekick is Sam of course. Frodo might be the first genius chicken; he's snagged every caterpillar on offer so far. Every thing a carer is supposed to have to teach a chick he has figured out without help: how to drink water and how to eat from the trough. If he's a rooster then the next generation of hens doesn't have a chance!

Ooooooh

2011-08-22T22:12:00.002-05:00

Big ole thunderstorm flashing and rumbling it's way into town right now. Very cool.

And, before I forget: happy birthday to me, happy birthday to me... :)

Too bad I had bothersome hot flashes all day. Must have been my body making a point about the whole aging thing.

The battery system for my solar panels arrives tomorrow. That means the installation will begin in earnest on Wednesday. So exciting!

So, a very nice start to the week and another (hopefully good) year of my life.

Peep peep

2011-08-21T14:20:00.002-05:00

The kids are growing well. Now 1.5 weeks old, they've just started 'roosting' on the top of the feeder. I really expected some problems with the cats, but they've completely ignored them.

It's a good thing we don't need the garden to survive! The only produce I've harvested enough to preserve this year were green beans. Maybe next year will be better.

I've listed my big fish tank on craigslist; only a couple nibbles so far, no serious buyers. I'd mostly like to sell it to open up the floor space but the cash would be nice too.

The solar install will get started in the next couple days. I'm looking forward to posting lots of pictures!

PS: lovely to see you online again Tanya. :)

Groan again

2011-08-14T23:11:00.002-05:00

I spent today putting together the new shelves in the basement. There was a translation problem in the instructions; it used terms like 'tap gently into place' when it was supposed to read 'hit as hard as you can repeatedly'. My arm is very sore tonight.

2011-08-12T06:45:00.002-05:00

There are now three cute little fluffballs in the chick cage. We're still waiting to see if the last two eggs will hatch.

Last night it RAINED! And rained. And rained some more. It was badly needed so...Yay!

Early birds

2011-08-10T18:02:00.003-05:00

This was a surprise; I wasn't expecting a hatching until Friday but two of the chicks were in a hurry.

Which means they get first go at the cushy digs while waiting on their siblings. It's going to be fun to see how they develop. While all five eggs have the same rooster I have no idea which hens laid that day.

Dehydrating

2011-08-09T22:17:00.003-05:00

I tried out my dehydrator for the first time. It's a Nesco FD-75PR. My son was given a large bag of free sweet corn which I blanched in boiling water and filled the trays. All five trays held about 17 ears of corn.

In the second batch I ran I broke the sections up into smaller pieces to speed the drying process.

This is what those 17 ears dried down to:
Definitely less labor intensive than pressure canning and takes up much less space also. Freezing would have been faster but then all those bags of corn would have had to stay in the freezer.

I'll be using this again.

Contagious

2011-08-07T19:38:00.002-05:00

A microbiologist friend once told me that if everybody just stayed home for a few days at the same time all these viruses that we pass on to one another would die off. I wish I knew who went out carrying the contagion that I picked up...I'd give them a few choice words!

My entire weekend has been spent in the toilet or in bed. It's been pure misery especially with the list of must-do-now projects that I had ready. How many did I do? Zero! The green beans are still waiting to be harvested and canned. The sweet corn needs to be processed. Everything needs watering, weeding or trimming.

My fever is down, but I still can't eat and am easily exhausted by walking from one room to another. There's a battle going on inside my body and I'm not sure which side is winning yet.

The Midas Touch

2011-08-04T17:24:00.003-05:00

Have you ever had a golden day when everything goes right and you find yourself wanting to bottle some of it up for those days when it all goes pear shaped?

I just finished a major project at work so took today off as a reward. My weigh in showed a loss of 3.5 lbs bringing my total so far to 34.5. The contractor boys came to blow in attic insulation in the section where it was lost when they were working on the ceiling and topped off any other low spots they found up there (saving me from paying someone else to do it). The insurance adjuster came to sign off on the job and agreed to pay me for having to do the clean up to the tune of $500...the cost of my deductible! Finally, I got the email confirming a refund on shoes I returned weeks ago.

All around, this has been a brilliant day. :)

Scorcher

2011-08-01T21:36:00.002-05:00

Today was so brutally hot that my boss let me come home early so the dog wouldn't have to be outside in the worst of it. Tomorrow is supposed to be about 10 degrees cooler which sounds wonderful.

Can you imagine trying to sleep in this hot, humid weather without air conditioners? It would be miserable.

The other big news tomorrow is I'll be putting in the order for my solar panels!!!

Foodsaver

2011-07-30T15:01:00.002-05:00

As I recently made some bulk spice/herb purchases, I decided to repackage them in jars to store in a dark pantry and hopefully extend the shelf life. Out came the handy vacuum Foodsaver.

The jar sealer is placed over the lid (I have both regular and wide sealers) and the vacuum tube attached. A quick press of the 'Canister' button, some humming noises and flashing lights, then...

sealed jars! Powders are tricky as the sealer tries to suck the powder up and this needs to be avoided to save the Foodsaver from clogging. I used a bit of waxed paper to cover most of the powder before sealing.

Solar wants

2011-07-29T22:11:00.002-05:00

I've been working with a company to figure out what it would take in solar panels and batteries to run the essentials in an emergency. Because I'm in a heavily treed town there isn't anyplace which would get full sun all day so they've estimated it would take 24 panels to completely power my home. Obviously, I can't afford that many and it would a bit silly to have that large an array in town.

What I've been working out is what I want to be able to run all the time. I've come up with the refrigerator, freezer and furnace. I can live without hot water and have alternatives for cooking. A couple fans would be nice but not necessary; likewise the computers.

So, that's basically it. Now all that's left is to see if they can make it work.

Abuzz

2011-07-28T21:23:00.002-05:00

There must have been something special in the air today because the the bees were very busy on the purple coneflowers. I couldn't count them but there were more than I've seen at one time for years. Definitely something to smile about as I've hardly seen any before today this year.

Sterno deal

2011-07-22T22:25:00.002-05:00

My mom spotted this deal at Lewis Drug store. If you have one in your area check out the camping aisle for 2 packs of Sterno canned cooking gel at half price.

The little stove I found on Amazon; it's a Coghlan's.

I can't see it in the photo, but the can is lit and burning with a blue flame here.

This is an excellent option for emergency cooking if you're like me and have an electric stove. I have outdoor options with the grill and my rocket stove (which I'm planning a post on this weekend) but sometimes cooking outside isn't a good choice. The weather could be bad or mosquitoes might be swarming. I also have a propane camping stove, but that isn't recommended for indoors.

If you don't have a Lewis in your area, try to check your local stores just in case. I've found that different stores will often have the same items for sale.

How do they do it?

2011-07-19T10:44:00.002-05:00

I'm referring to those amazing gardens and allotments that are flourishing and weed-free. To be honest, I am struggling yet again attempting to keep up with the weeds and since the potato flattening there isn't any part of my garden that is thriving this year.

This morning I weeded out the polytunnel and confirmed that the romaine and parsley never came up. I had to dust the broccoli because the white hairy caterpillars were shredding them. It's a shame I don't have hens here because those would have made a nice treat!

It's day four of our awful heat wave. Hot and humid - I just hope the power stays on.

stalking

2011-07-17T22:13:00.002-05:00

When I was bringing in the laundry off the line today I saw a dragonfly with black wings and a white tail on my compost bin. I got the camera but every time I tried to get close enough to shoot it flew off.

This smaller specimen was not quite so camera shy.

2011-07-10T18:19:00.002-05:00

The pace has picked up at work and with so much needing to be done outside and all the craziness inside... I've felt swamped. The good news is that the crew finished the work in the house. The not so good news is that they left behind a lot of clean-up and organizing to be done. I'll post pictures when I'm happy with the arrangement of the two rooms.

Two weeks ago we had a massive storm blow (literally) through town; trees were down or uprooted, metal pole barns were shredded, all the streets were blocked with branches and power was out for six hours. We were very lucky - hundreds of branches and sticks to be cleaned up but we didn't lose any trees. My camera battery was depleted at the time or I could have shown the truly massive limb that fell right next to the polytunnel, or the large branch that flattened my potato patch.

Shown here are two limbs that formed the top third of one of our trees. They had broken in the storm but were still hanging in the tree until another storm last night shook them loose. We received 1.5 inches of rain while my parent's farm four miles away got 2.25 inches.

The days have been brutally hot with high humidity so I'm far, far behind on weeding.

My neighbor came over yesterday and tightened up my clotheslines. I think, like me, he suspected his kids had been hanging on them. Now, back up to the original height of over six feet, they are safely out of reach.

The wet weather has been a bonus for the toad population. My lawn mowing was a slow affair since I kept pausing to let the babies hop out of the way. :) While clearing a pile of sticks today I disturbed the patriarch (or matriarch?) of the local population. It covered the palm of my hand (and promptly peed on me) before I shifted it into the flowers and safety.

Another weekend has flown by and it's back to work tomorrow.

giggle

2011-06-28T15:36:00.002-05:00

Oh dear. I just read a post where the author meant to refer to god as omnipotent but used impotent instead.

The buying local dilemma

2011-06-23T23:46:00.002-05:00

This picture shows the current fresh produce in my house other than some lettuce and carrots still in the fridge. I'm following the Slimming World plan which is heavily slanted towards lots of fruit and veg. And it works - I've lost two stone and feel great. The problem? Out of everything shown the only things that can be grown locally in this season are the strawberries. The grapes and bananas are never grown here. Everything else is at least a month away.

I may believe in going green and local but I'm not living it.

work progresses

2011-06-23T20:28:00.002-05:00

There is still a large section of my ceiling missing, but at least it looks structurally safer now.

This one has me wondering though...what on earth is this hanging in my attic for?

What I'm really happy about is being able to sleep in my bed tonight. :)

Life

2011-06-22T17:51:00.002-05:00

My life feels a bit crazy right now. Nothing really horrible like so many are facing with flooding and tornadoes and drought, but still crazy.

The insurance man arranged for a contractor to fix the sagging roof and the inside damage. Unfortunately, my house is the exception to the rule that all old houses were well built. They had planned to put up sheetrock today but instead are having to do more structural work. I'll be sleeping on the couch tonight.

Along with all that fun, my car needs new tires desperately but they didn't have any of the right size so I won't get it back until tomorrow. My son's car is acting up also so he's driving the beater my parents keep for emergencies.

Also, because I've got the computers set up in another room away from the deconstruction, the cat managed to tangle himself in the cords and pull a tower and my camera off the desk. I had to take the tower apart to get it working again and the lens protector on the camera smashed. Lots of taking deep breaths and holding on to my temper.

Hot but nice

2011-06-07T20:59:00.003-05:00

I braved the heat and wind to search for photo ops at the farm. The chives were buzzing with activity.

Tricky trying to focus on these gorgeous columbines with the gusting wind and this was the best I could do.

The corn is up in the fields. The one plant that is going crazy with growth this year is grass... it always seems to need mowing.

I'm melting!

2011-06-06T20:16:00.002-05:00

Someone stole most of mid and late spring. After weeks of cold and wet today did a complete turn about and shot up to 100...that's 38 Celsius and I'm not ready for heat!

It's especially annoying because I wanted to see how long I could go without putting the window air conditioner in this year and it's really tempting now. If I can make it through one more hot day the forecast is for cooler temps on Wednesday.

Such a rough start for the seedlings too. They haven't even had a chance to send down deep roots yet.

Progress

2011-06-03T16:51:00.002-05:00

I'm finally starting to see some results in the garden. The potatoes are up and looking strong. Beets and some of the peas have sprouted. There is still loads of work to do. I haven't even begun on the small garden because my neighbor is going to cut down the tree that is next to and overshadowing it. It's also hot and humid so I'm working in short spans.

I knew going in that I wouldn't have much of a weight loss this week. I never do following a big loss the previous week but it's still disappointing to see 0.4 lb less. Especially when there are some on the forum who pull big numbers every week. I don't know how they do it.

In a slight lull between projects at work I took two days off to recharge. I feel much better already. Yesterday, when the weather was even hotter and threatening rain we went to catch a couple matinees of movies we've been wanting to see - Kung Fu Panda 2 and Thor. KFP2 was even better than the original and recommended for kids of all ages. Thor was also a winner especially when it could have gone all wrong. Surprisingly, an actor chosen for his looks was also a very good actor! And a visual delight. :) It was also nice to be spared what seems to be obligatory female semi-nudity. That's right, she kept her clothes on and it didn't detract from her role in the movie...shocking! All in all, two thumbs up with the bonus of cheap tickets because of each being the first showing that day.

Mini-milestone

2011-05-26T14:20:00.002-05:00

I passed the 1 1/2 stone weight loss mark. Yay! Honestly though, after 22 lbs, shouldn't I be able to SEE a difference? I'm going to have a hard time not hugging the first person to notice a change...lol.

It's a beautiful day and I'd better get a load of laundry out because the next few will be wet.

Lovely Lilacs

2011-05-22T22:49:00.002-05:00

The lilacs are finally beginning to blossom so I brought some inside to provide that 'subtle scent of lilac' as my son described it. Flower close-ups are so fascinating ... intricate perfection.

Yesterday I started up the lawn mower (the entire yard is a bit too much for me to tackle with the reel mower). It's always a challenge getting it running the first time in the spring, but necessary; the grass was taking over.

Storms have been pushing through the area in waves recently. This afternoon I took scraps over for the chickens and when I got home had to quickly try to unlock the door as the latest swept in ... needless to say I was damp by the time I managed it.

I did something new today: I canned 6 quarts of chicken. The store had a sale on leg quarters last week and I've been wanting to try to preserve food without relying on electricity; thus, canning. I followed the instructions in the Ball preserving book for bone-in raw pack and everything went smoothly.

Back to work tomorrow.

Mortgage Free!!!!!!!!!!

2011-05-19T14:33:00.002-05:00

Today I went to the bank and got a certified check for the payoff amount on my house. I mailed it and there went my very last payment to CitiMortgage. Of course, that wasn't the original bank that gave me a mortgage. It's changed hands many times over the last twenty years.

This won't really change my finances since next month I'll start saving for the fall tuition bill. Even so, it's a huge milestone in my life. This house that has sheltered us for so many years is now safe from foreclosure and financial storms. This is where my son has lived his entire life and where someday he may visit with his children.

There are improvements that need making; more attic insulation and replacement basement windows. There are also dreams to consider; wood burning stove, privacy fence, and serious solar panels.

For today: I'm happy.

Result!

2011-05-17T20:55:00.002-05:00

I finally got out in the garden today. I planted three rows of potatoes. Such a relief to finally get something into the ground!

How come the slow times at work never coincide with sunny weather? I could have done so much more today... if only.

Yeehaw!

2011-05-15T20:48:00.003-05:00

Sunshine! A little warmth! After the bizarre weather we've had recently: freezing, then up into the 80s, then cold and wet...today was lovely.

I stopped at the farm to visit the chickens and pick up some eggs.

Recently I've been researching vacuum sealer storage things and I called my sister to ask if she had ever used one; turns out she had one in her garage and offered to send it to me! It's a cool machine and you can see I've been having fun sealing my dried beans and peas into jars.

Given that it was such a nice day and yesterday's rain had dried off I decided to try out my new reel mower. I had a double incentive for buying it: mowing without fuel is green and exercise! I've found it's a lot easier to motivate myself if the exercise serves a useful purpose which is why my walks take me to the mailbox. The mowing was definitely a workout, a little frustrating because it jammed every time it encountered a twig, but a good accomplishment.

When Raleigh came home he helped me move the polytunnel over to protect the south end of the big garden from the young black walnut tree growing there. It would probably be more productive to cut it down, but I've only got 2 immature walnuts and I can't bring myself to do that.

On a final note: as of Friday I have lost a total of 18.5 lbs!!!!!

So close...

2011-05-08T12:57:00.002-05:00

Last night my neighbor tilled my big garden space. I asked the favor because I think everything will do better with the increased depth of the tilth and he has access to a tractor pulled tiller. So, there I was all set to get out and planting and what do I discover this morning? Rain! And wind! Grumble, grumble...

At least yesterday was nice with sunshine and calm all day. In the morning I took part in a Breast Cancer Awareness walk and the afternoon was spent celebrating my niece's graduation from college. I also got to hang out a load of laundry instead of line-drying it in the basement. I always forget the glorious smell of clothes dried in the sun. Lovely.

Saved soup

2011-05-04T23:41:00.002-05:00

When I went to the grocery store I was happy to find they had restocked the cans of bean salad. Tonight I added it to the big batch of super soup and it brought the flavor back to life. I was looking at this huge pot of soup and decided that, yummy though it is, I didn't want to live off it for days. This led to a late evening canning session and 5 quart jars are now de-pressurizing in the canner.

I'm trying out some of the Tattler reusable canning lids. If anyone is thinking of buying these, I found the home website http://shop.reusablecanninglids.com/main.sc looks to be the least expensive source though I haven't placed an order so can't comment on the shipping charges.

Bright spots

2011-04-30T23:05:00.004-05:00

I couldn't resist this hanging basket of happiness. I was holding a box of plants as my mom picked out the ones she wanted to buy, my eyes strayed up and I fell in love. Yes, you can buy love and it costs $12.

Other little news items...I've lost 14 pounds - 1 stone exactly! It's not fast, it took me two months, but it's gone and I'm very happy. Funnily enough, the very healthy foods I'm learning to cook and enjoy are both 'green' and sustainable. Many vegetables can be grown well in my climate. That is, if spring ever arrives fully so I can get the garden started!

Now, for any cooks out there: HELP!!! One of the items I added to my 'super soup' was a can of southern style bean salad. I know there was corn and black beans, but it was something I tried on a whim so never really paid attention to the brand or ingredients and now I'm out and it's disappeared off the grocery shelf. I tried making the soup without it but it's definitely missing that special zing so any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

I've just been doing a price comparison between a bulk buy site (25 lb bags) and my grocery store (1 lb bags) for dried beans. Even adding in 6% sales tax the store is far less costly.

Someone on my diet forum was excited about fitting into her tube top again. When I read that I wanted to scream in horror...weren't those vile things outlawed by the International Fashion Police? Honestly, women who are dieting generally need (require) a supportive bra and that's the one thing that can't be worn with a tube top. Shudder.

My brother's partner was in town last week on business and I had a blast hanging out with him for an evening. I wish they lived closer.

I ordered 2 dozen reusable canning lids and extra rubber rings. My son looked at the boxes and said 'I think you should order more.' And I thought I was a pessimist!

The long weekend

2011-04-22T11:27:00.002-05:00

I've got the day off from work so 'Yay!' for that. Too bad it's still wet and cold outside. I have lost 11 pounds so far!!! Getting past the 10 lb mark is a good feeling.

I sort of feel like I'm stuck in a holding pattern until the weather lets us out into the garden. The temperature has been 20 - 30 degrees below the normal for this time of year. As if we're running a month behind schedule. Ugh.

Unbelievable

2011-04-17T22:04:00.003-05:00

I thought the inch of snow last week was bad enough, but this? It's been fluffing down, off and on, all weekend. Still no chance of doing any real work outside.

On the other hand, my loo roll leeks are coming up nicely in the basement and I've sown some more seeds. Hopefully, when I can garden I'll be ready!

It's mostly been quiet here. My son worked all weekend but did take time to climb up onto the roof and do a rescue for me before going back to school. I have a shelf stand with a plastic cover that works as a portable mini-greenhouse. Last week I put it in what I thought was a sheltered corner. The wind proceeded to take the cover off the stand, carry it straight up and over the roof, then wrap it around the old satellite dish. It was lucky for me that the dish is still up there or it might have ended up in the next county.

Groan

2011-04-11T23:40:00.002-05:00

Is the sound my back is making tonight. I spent a good part of the evening raking wet leaves off the flower beds along the driveway and down into a pile. If you're wondering why I don't use the leaves for compost it's because the tree is a black walnut, just like the majority of my trees. Oh well, at least they keep the squirrels happy.

The rest of the evening I made some rush changes to a board for work. It's needed as a quick replacement because we can't get something from Japan at this time. By doing it tonight I can have it ready for him to check over as soon as he gets to work in the morning. As long as he doesn't make any more changes we can order it quickly.

I heard the first woodpecker of the year this morning - such a busy, cheerful sound. But now I am very, very tired. Good night.

Happy days

2011-04-08T13:22:00.002-05:00

Yay! I lost 2 pounds this week bringing my total to 8. These are results that keep me motivated and fire my resolve for another week. Even cloudy skies and gusting winds can't bring me down!

Miscellaneous: I read on a forum that a couple expected to have their student loans paid by the time he was 50. 50!! Imagine working 25 years or more to pay for college. Cash-flowing my son's education isn't easy, but I am determined not to have him starting his adult life with a massive debt.

Grrrrr! Ok, now I'm not so happy. My mom just told me my chickens were attacked by dogs and one of my sweet gold speckled hens was killed. I have zero tolerance for people who let their dogs run loose.

Sunday happenings

2011-04-03T18:11:00.002-05:00

We were watching The Great Escape when the fire siren sounded. I sat up and said 'The Germans!' In fact it was a building on the other side of town burning. While no day is good for a fire, today was particularly bad with winds from 25-30 mph.

I made a lamb dish today from a recipe off the slimming world site. I had planned on eating the leftovers during the week but it was barely edible to my taste. Very disappointing!

Everything else remains quiet.

Sunshine and chickens!

2011-04-02T13:05:00.001-05:00

And a few cats and one turkey. :)

checking in

2011-03-29T22:51:00.007-05:00

This is the 'super soup' I made tonight. It doesn't smell that good to me but tastes surprisingly yummy. It's supposed to be very healthy and good for weight loss. I think I'll add celery next time.

Everything else has been quiet. We still haven't escaped winter so nothing to report in the garden. I have a shockingly dull life! Of course with all that's going on in the world right now, dull is a good thing.

Surreal

2011-03-16T23:17:00.002-05:00

Work was so weird today! The building I work in is right next to a river and my cubicle is in the basement. With the massive amounts of snow upriver and the sudden change from freezing to very warm there are flood warnings out all over the area. Today we had to prep for the possible damage by clearing out all lower desk and file cabinet drawers, getting power cords and strips up off the floor and removing anything hanging on the cubicle walls (they're going to raise all the walls 5 inches). I had to move my computer from it's place under the desk and there are pallets of sandbags ready to be used. Plans are being made for some engineers to work at the other facility and others to work from home in case the worst happens.

It would probably be easiest for me since I already work from home a couple days each week. Part of my paranoid nature has me keeping back-ups of ALL my boards on a thumb drive. That means if the network is down, power is out, or any disaster struck at the office, I could carry on with my work.

I'll be keeping a close eye on the news to see what happens with the river in the next few days. I'm very glad I don't live by water!

dragging

2011-03-13T16:00:00.002-05:00

This is nuts, but after having my son home for the spring break week I am shattered now he's gone back to school. The depression feels like a heavy weight across the back of my neck and shoulders, pressing me down. If I didn't have to drive 8 miles to reach the nearest fast food joint, I'd be eating right now. This is going to be really tough if I'm so easily derailed.

positive reinforcement

2011-03-11T15:08:00.002-06:00

I have a chart similar to this that I keep on my desk to track my debt payoff. Some months I can only fill in a thin line, others a bunch of lines but it's been a good reminder of the progress I've made. So, I tried to find one for my weight but couldn't. This is my homemade version which will reside on the front of the refrigerator until it's full. It's marked in half stones up to five which is 70 pounds. My plan is to fill in two of these, then evaluate how much further I want to go. Because of the amounts involved this will be a very long term project (another similarity to the debt payoff!). I've decided to be satisfied losing one pound a week on average...which is still 52 pounds a year!

Sometime in the next 65 pounds I'd like to think of a nice reward to celebrate filling the sheet.

Nice weekend

2011-03-07T00:08:00.002-06:00

Nothing exciting to report; more snow today and my son is home for spring break so we're taking it easy. I did exercise this morning (Sunday, better note that since it's after midnight) and made a Slimming World recipe for spaghetti which turned out nice. My son came out to tell me the smell of cooking garlic was making him hungry again (this is after he ate an entire pizza).

I've been thinking about why this feels like the right time to get healthy. My finances are in order and no longer take extra thought or stress. My preps are as well done as is feasible within my budget so there's no benefit in stressing over that either. My health is really the next logical problem area to tackle. In fact, now is probably the perfect time before my weight has caused any health issues. That I don't have diabetes or high blood pressure or joint pain is almost miraculous so why take the chance anymore?

Meals

2011-03-03T20:25:00.002-06:00

For fun I took pictures of today's meals. The basic idea of the Slimming World plan is to fill 1/3 of the plate with 'superfree' foods - generally veggies or fresh fruit.

Breakfast: lean ham and eggs with fruit.

Lunch: chicken, lettuce and carrots with fat free dressing.

I've sort of run into a mental block on dinner so all I know I'm eating so far is beets.

The biggest challenge to date is getting past the cravings for junk foods. I'm eating generous portions of the healthy stuff so I know the urges aren't caused by hunger...more habit and taste. So, is the fact that I feel healthier from eating this all in my head or can it be biological so soon?

Healthy eating

2011-02-28T22:00:00.002-06:00

I stopped at the store to load up on lots of fresh fruit and veg today. It looks like a lot but the fruit will disappear quickly when a certain 19 year old college student comes home on the weekend. The bananas are a bit too green even for my taste, but that's all the store had and these won't be green for long. Yes, I bought 3 pineapples! Who knows when they will go on sale again.
The sticker shock came from the romaine lettuce; it's gone up nearly a dollar in a week. I'll be eating more salads and I don't like iceberg so...

I can't wait for spring when I can start getting greens out of my own garden!

Slimming World

2011-02-26T16:24:00.003-06:00

We are getting a nice (by our low standards) bonus at work this year. I've decided to take the plunge and invest in three months online with Slimming World. I just hope I have the success my friends have!

Dreaming of the garden

2011-02-26T09:32:00.002-06:00

Literally, I dreamt about clearing out and prepping the garden last night. So I get up, look outside... and yes, it is snowing... again.

I think I will do some puttering around with my seed starting supplies today. I can pretend spring is coming!

Randomness

2011-02-22T20:14:00.002-06:00

Today I had to shovel a path to the dog pen and inside it to open the gate. That ten inches of snow we got last weekend blew into some amazing drifts back there. The garden is now buried deeper than before we had the melt-week. I hate that tingling/itching feeling I get in my fingers when they get too cold.

I stumbled across a British show called Fast and Loose; it's a lot like Whose Line so I figured my son would like it. Some of the skits they do get a bit tedious and it makes a big difference which comedians are on, but there is one part that is on each time and makes the whole thing worth while. David Armand's interpretive dance is absolutely brilliant. Some of his stuff is on youtube, but he's gotten better. The last episode with him doing Don't Stop Me Now is the best. Watch it.

Wisconsin protests

2011-02-20T19:42:00.002-06:00

This is a big item in the news lately and a lot of tempers are flaring over it. I've never been around unions and they aren't common in South Dakota. One of the guys at work used to be in one and hated it. According to him everything is seniority based and merit has zero impact. A person hired one day before him could have first shot at all the best jobs even if they were totally incompetent.

Historically, I think unions had an important role to play, but they seem to have outlived their usefulness.

As to the Wisconsin mess, these are my opinions (it's my blog so I can talk about what I want). :) First, the teachers are under contract and should get their butts back to school and teach. Second, the democrats hiding to stop the vote should be ashamed of themselves. Wouldn't they howl if it was the other way around and the Republicans were pulling this stunt. They lost control at election time and need to deal with the consequences...their current actions are undermining the entire process. Third, it's a RECESSION. There are going to be a lot more painful budget cuts coming but this is the reality. They aren't going to get any sympathy from me because they are suddenly expected to contribute to their own health insurance and retirement funds...like everyone else already does!

I don't think people are aware of just how bad the economy is and how drastic cuts will yet have to be made everywhere. We all wish the cuts wouldn't affect us personally, but that's not realistic. Be grateful for the jobs we still have and be frugal. It's the best way we can lighten the troubles to come.

white-out

2011-02-20T19:27:00.002-06:00

No, not for correcting typos, just typical winter weather. Snow, ice and strong winds have caused the interstates to shut down. Nice that tomorrow is a holiday so all the schools were off anyway. I can work from home as long as my boss makes it in to turn on my computer there.

The dog is loving it because not only did he get to stay inside all day, but for a bonus his boy is home too!

For the fun news: yesterday I took my mom to Sioux Falls and we got our hair done and went out for Chinese. Yummmmm! I even splurged big time and bought a new purse, which I haven't done for years. It was sheer luck that we got to go since the last time we tried a few weeks back she was snowed in and we missed this blizzard by one day. It's nice to get the heaviness cut out of my hair and bring back the blonde. It was also long past time for my mother to get a real stylish haircut. Some things are worth the cost.

a puzzle

2011-02-14T22:31:00.002-06:00

I ran across a puzzler today. Why would someone (anyone) spend 80 pounds (128 dollars) on a pen? Not just one pen either: pens, ink, pen cases...totaling 360 pounds (yep, over 570 dollars).

Even before I turned into the cheapskate I am today it never would have occurred to me to buy anything like that.

Speaking of money.... I paid off Chase credit card today!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Happy dance!

This and that

2011-02-13T21:30:00.002-06:00

We've had three entire days of warmth...as in: above freezing! It's amazing and I could definitely get used to this. I even saw a bit of bare ground. Of course, it was where the plow had moved the snow away, but it still counts. :)

I was reading a post where someone listed an inventory of things they had stockpiled. The ones that stood out to me were 400 rolls of toilet paper which they estimated would last nine months and 5 CASES (!!!!!!) of toothpaste. Why on earth would someone buy more toothpaste than they could use in the rest of their lives but less than a year of toilet paper? Someone out there might have deep issues with oral hygiene.

Inflation: corn has taken a significant leap up in price. This is going to reflect in most food prices because so much out there contains corn products or is fed corn. In the last week I noticed some fresh vegetables were selling for as much as 30% more than normal. A couple months ago I bought a new bra; last week I decided to pick up another of the same style (after all, how often do you find one that is comfortable?) and found the price had risen by $2. This just confirms the warning that cotton prices were up and clothing would follow... it has.

Exhausted, knackered, dragging feet...

2011-02-09T23:57:00.002-06:00

You know it's been a long day when you fall into bed before 8 p.m.

Aha

2011-02-05T17:20:00.002-06:00

I found an empty flower vase while cleaning my counter top this afternoon. Suddenly I was swept up in a longing to bury my face in beautiful, fragrant blossoms. Looking at pictures helps a little, but it's like talking to an old friend on the phone when what you really want is to squeeze the stuffing out of them with a bear hug.

Aargh

2011-02-05T14:45:00.000-06:00

Yes, it is snowing again.

Rocket stove

2011-02-05T00:02:00.003-06:00

Here it is! My very own homemade rocket stove. I've been enamored by the concept since I first heard of it, bought the materials last summer and finally got around to putting it together today. Now it's at my parents waiting to swallow up the ashes from their wood stove as insulation. The lid has been cut down to fit inside, over the ashes and around the stovepipe.

All I need is a metal grill to place across the top for the pan to sit on and a few twigs to burn and I'll have a highly efficient (and cheap) cooking appliance.

I love vacation

2011-02-03T18:23:00.002-06:00

Sleeping in, staying up late, taking naps, staying home and loving it!

I read about a challenge recently that called for people to go a full month only eating the food already in their homes. I thought it might be worth trying for a week to start with...and tomorrow will be a week already. It's probably not fair since I've been home all week and there aren't any places around here that do delivery - no temptation.

Something I've been wanting to try my hand at is writing a story about an EMP strike, but written from a female perspective. Most out there are very masculine (guns, guns, gun fights, and a little about food). I used to really enjoy writing; unfortunately, I'm about 25 years gone to rust and it's not easy to get back into. I'll keep trying, but it will be slow and pretty rough.

I got delivery on propane for the furnace today...$500!!! It's enough to make me howl. Now the challenge is to make it last the rest of the winter. I'm hoping we're past the worst of the cold. We had wind chills in the -30s and -40s this week! My son's dog loved being inside all the time. :) I didn't enjoy walking him quite so much.

Tax time

2011-02-01T23:42:00.002-06:00

I did my taxes tonight. There were a couple of 'huh?' moments; first when I realized I earned less in 2010 than I did the year before. Then I figured out it was because I began contributing to retirement (before the company hadn't required any matching from us but they used the poor economy to wriggle out of that benefit). Our income dropped another 20% when my son finished high school and no longer qualified for survivor's benefits. It's good that I had already gone frugal and begun the debt payoff by then.

Because of the American Opportunity credits on tuition I'm actually getting a decent return this year. No wild plans here though, it's going straight to debt. In fact, if it shows up in the next three weeks I will finally be saying farewell to Chase credit card for good. I hope I've been a huge disappointment to them; I believe they increased my minimum payments to 5% in the hopes that I wouldn't be able to keep up and they could increase the interest rates. Ha! It's still at 4.9% and once it's gone I'm never going back.

Quote of the day

2011-01-27T21:36:00.001-06:00

When I asked for my Jericho dvds mom said "yes, better watch them while we still have electricity."

Lighting the way

2011-01-25T21:52:00.003-06:00

I've been thinking about something I normally take for granted - light. How would I adjust to the lights going out long term? I've always kept a few candles and a couple of oil lamps, but what if that were all I had to work with?

The experiment I'm trying is to do without electric lights in the evening and see what works. The oil lamps put out a lot more light than candles, but it's still much, much less than I'm used to. Just compare that dim glow to a computer monitor! I also need to buy wicks.

I placed an order with Emergency Essentials this month to take advantage of some good sales and the free shipping. Part of my order was light sticks (very good temporary option avoiding any fire hazard) and 'one hundred hour candles'.

Of course, I also have some flashlights. Those with rechargeable batteries could be a big help. I'm tempted though, to find a battery operated clip-on light for reading. An evening without a book would be a sad time.