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Phillips Phamily Pharm
2006-Sep-26
And so it goes...

A week since an update... why do I do this to myself? I end up with more to type than I want to, and probably more than you want to read

Oh well, let's see.... big news first. This morning I finished reading the ENTIRE Bible . It took me several months, but I am finished! Yay. For me, it's quite an accomplishment, since it took me nearly 40 years to do it, but I'm happy. It was the first, but won't be the last time that I read it cover to cover.

***

On the adoption front we are waiting... I suppose I'll be writing that a lot in the coming months. The day I finally got in touch with our county's adoption specialist, she had scheduled an orientation for that evening. Of course, since Carlin didn't know about it, and didn't get home until shortly before it started (and it was 45 minutes away), we didn't go. The next one isn't scheduled until October 10. We plan to attend that one. The process goes as such... First, we attend the orientation meeting. At that meeting, they'll give out all the necessary forms to fill out for background checks and such. We sign and give them to her, and she sends them off. Once they're returned, if there are no red flags, they schedule us for the Foster/Adopt PRIDE classes required of all foster and adoptive parents. Since  I fully expect a red flag (mentioned in the previous post), ours will be pulled aside for review. I should add, though, that the adoption specialist said anything on your traffic report, including a speeding ticket, can cause you to be pulled aside. Anyway, from there, it goes to the supervisor of the aforementioned adoption specialist for review, and then on to the Director of DCFS, at either point, it can be approved, or they can pass it on to a committee to review. I imagine it will go to the director, at minimum. One good note, though, is that I know people who know both the supervisor and director, since I worked with DHS for five years - one good friend and former boss is a co-worker of the DCFS director, and has said she'll make a point to put in a good word for us when it crosses his desk.

Anyway, once we get the background checks approved, we'll attend the classes. There have to be at least 6 families wanting to take the classes before they'll even schedule any, so there could be a delay in starting them. I have heard there may be a class scheduled to begin the end of October, so if we can get in that one, it will be the earliest. The classes run from 5-9 weeks in length, depending on how many days a week & hours a day they provide them. At the very least, it will be sometime in December before we finish the classes - maybe later.

Once we finish the classes, they'll give us a 15-page, double sided, single-spaced typed questionnaire to fill out. When we return it, the caseworker will forward our file on to the homestudy agency, and they have 45 days in which to respond and contact us.

Once they contact us, the homestudy starts, and the process can take 4-6 months. IF, at the end of ALL that, we are approved, they'll begin finding a match for us. A match could come in a month, 6 months, one year, or longer.

At the earliest, I don't expect to have a child in my home until next Christmas. Unreal. The hoops one must jump through, and the bureaucracy one must endure just overwhelms me at times. I wonder if they made any other family (one who could HAVE biological children) go through all this before they were allowed to have a child, if half the people in this country would be allowed to reproduce. Sour grapes, I know, but it's incredibly frustrating.

I did talk with a private non-profit agency, though, and they were somewhat more encouraging.Of course, they're in Washington state, so the parts they could speed up still have to be done here.  Going through the bureaucracy of the state monster is what's to blame for the slow pace of adoptions here. And all the while the children in foster care are growing older....

The caseworker from the private agency is sending me a list of agencies in Arkansas that are licensed to do homestudies. I'm going to check them out and see if any of them also offer the PRIDE training. That training is required regardless of where you want to adopt in the US, if you are adopting a child through the foster care system. IF I can find an alternative source for training, and IF we can afford the cost of a homestudy on our own, I'll use the Washington state agency - their placement time on approval of a homestudy for a waiting child (defined as one seven years old or older, or with disabilities), is almost immediate. We'll see.....

***

Those are the two things that are most on my mind this morning, so I guess I'll quit here for now. Most of the last week has been spent on the phone all over the state and country about adoption, so I haven't accomplished much of importance around here... I'd better get busy on that. You all have a great day, and continue to pray for us that the hurdles we have to jump will be lowered, and the process will be sped up.

Kathy

 


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2006-Sep-19
Before I start my day...

I've got about 20 minutes this morning before I need to get busy with the animals, so I thought I'd jot a note. Yesterday was a pretty good day. I finally got the bugs worked out of my egg deal I mentioned the other day. There is a local farm/dairy that sells ungraded free-range eggs to a wholesaler - they have an order in for 100 dozen eggs a month. The owner of the farm has made arrangements with me to help them meet that order. I'll still be selling eggs from home, but once a week or so, I'll take any extra eggs I have up to them to help them meet that contract. I won't be making any more on them than I would be if I sold them from home, but at least they won't pile up on me. I think it's a good opportunity, and a chance for me to have a much bigger market. I have 25 brown egg laying pullets right now that are just starting to lay, so I was beginning to worry about what to do with all those extra eggs. Now I don't have to worry.

**

I did call the Adoption Specialist who works with our county and left a message on her voicemail, but she had been on vacation all last week and I'm sure spent yesterday catching up on phonecalls and deskwork. She hasn't yet called me back. I'll give her till about noon today and then call again. As slow as this process is going to be, I want to get the ball rolling as quickly as possible.

I also got a couple leads from a friend about potential sources for private (non-agency) adoption. It's still pretty expensive to do it that way (since you're providing, many times, support for the birth mother), but I'll be checking into them. He told me he'd known someone who successfully adopted that way. I figure the more irons I put in the fire, the better chance I have, so I'm going to try anything I can think of. Someone asked me recently what I wanted to be when I grew up. The earliest memory of mine was that I wanted to be a mommy. I think 40 years is long enough to wait. I sure hope this works.

**

I got a lovely find on freecycle this week, too. Someone locally was giving away an old Montgomery Ward sewing machine (the kind that sets down in a table). It works great and I love it. Now once things slow down outside I'll be able to do some more sewing. I burned up my machine a few months ago working on my bluejean quilt - that makes the 3rd machine I've burned up in the last five years sewing too-heavy material. I'll have to be more careful with this one.

Well, the sun is starting to come up here on Phillips Phamily Pharm, and my day has a long to-do list ahead. When I take a break later today I'll probably post something worth commenting on  - or at least I'll try to. Y'all have a great day.

K


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2006-Sep-17
New beginnings

Here comes the notable exceptions to the week's routine I mentioned in the previous post. Two big choices were made this week which will affect our family in ways we can't yet forsee. First, my niece Nichole.

Nichole has decided to join the Army. She's 21 years old, and she's been thinking about it a long time. Our family has a long (many generations) tradition of military service, so it doesn't come as a surprise to any of us that she would want to follow in the family's foot steps. My brother, her father, retired from the Army with 20 years in 2002. Nichole swore in last week, and will leave October 4 for basic training. I, of course, am proud of her, but am apprehensive at the same time, given the current world situation. I just have to leave it in God's hands, and know He'll take care of her. The Army is providing her some wonderful opportunities, though. She'll receive medical training as a part of her service, and they'll pay for her to go to nursing school. She's wanted to be a nurse for a while now, and within two years she should have her LPN (or LVN if you live in Texas ) license. By the time she finishes school, she should only have about a year and a half left in her tour of duty. She'll be stateside until then, for sure. After that, I'll worry more. Again, I am proud of her, though. It was a very adult and tough decision, but one that I hope will give her great benefit in the future. Way to go, Cole!

***

The other major decision is a major life change for me and Carlin. I'll be 40 on my next birthday, and Carlin is 42. Neither of us has ever had any children. I cannot have children, because I have PCOS (if you don't know what it is, click the link. There's a lot of good information there.) Anyway, we have now been married 5 years, and have decided that, if we want to have a family, we'd better get busy. Since I cannot have children, we've decided to investigate adoption. We cannot even fathom affording private adoption, which can cost $30,000 or more, so we're going to try to adopt through the state department of human services.

I tried once before as a single person to adopt, but the bureaucracy of going through the state slowed the process sooooooooo much. After questionaires, police background checks, 6 weeks of classes, and more than a year of waiting, I hadn't even been able to get them to do the home study (which is step two of the process). My personal opinion was that my caseworker at the time was 99% to blame for the delay - this time I will have a different caseworker, and am optimistic that things will go better. By the time they finally contacted me for a home study, Carlin and I were engaged to be married. They informed me then that I would not be eligible to adopt a child until we'd been married more than two years. It simply broke my heart. I didn't have the emotional wherewithall to even consider going through that again for a long time.

But, Carlin and I talked about it last week, and we both feel ready to try again. So, I've sent in an inquiry and will follow it up with a telephone call to our area's adoption specialist on Monday. The process is cumbersome and time consuming, even if we are approved for adoption, so I know it will not be an easy journey, but we're committed to try to fight it out, and see where God takes us.

Both Carlin and I don't have the most rosy past, though thankfully neither of us has any criminal activity on our records , but having to go through all this again is going to be very trying. Several years ago, before Carlin and I were married, and before he'd left his past completely behind, he was pulled over for drunk driving (thank God it did not involve an accident - he just got caught behind the wheel). Thankfully, that event woke him up and he's since turned his life completely around. As I have mentioned earlier, we're both so blessed to have been spared by God all the trouble we could have brought on ourselves from our stupidity, and we don't miss church these days. We are both so thankful to God for leading us back to where we should have been. I just hope that the past DWI doesn't go against us in our quest to adopt, and they will understand that people can, and do, change.

So, as things progress, I'll have yet another reason to update this blog. If any of you have any ideas for preserving my sanity through all the red tape to come, I'd sure appreciate it. I also ask that all of you pray for us as we begin this journey.

Kathy


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2006-Sep-17
New fencing and happy chickens

The last week has been pretty routine and uneventful with a couple exceptions. We did get the garden fencing taken down, except for the corner posts and gates which are concreted in. And Carlin used a great deal of it to enlarge my chicken run area. They probably have a half acre to run around and catch bugs in, now. They're much happier chickens, I know. Of course my girl bunnies live with the rabbits and they're in Hog Heaven now. They think they're completely free till they zoom across the run and find a fence. It doesn't deter the intrepid bunnies, though - they just turn around and zoom off another way. We cross fenced the chicken run, so that all my banties are on one side of the fenced area, and the bigger chickens are on the other side. (They have two separate rooms in the same house that open to the outside by two different doors.) They can see each other, but they don't bother each other usually. Of course, the chickens don't realize they could just fly over the fence (YET), but they don't care, either, with all the extra room they have.

I watched a few days ago as we were putting up the new fence, as a beautiful, majestic hawk swooped down and carried off one of my baby chicks. I was so mad. They are beautiful to watch, and I could watch them pick off field mice all day long. I just wish he would have been a bit more picky in his diet. Then again, maybe he was tired of field mice. I put the mama and the remaining three chicks in a more sheltered area after that, so hopefully the rest will be safe. I don't think the hawk was big enough to carry off one of my big chickens. At least I hope not. Lord only knows I have enough chickens, but I hate to see any of them harmed (unless it's time to put them in the freezer that is ) All (bad) joking aside, even when it's time for that, we do kill them as quickly and humanely as possible. I see no reason for any creature to have to suffer.

Since we used most of the fence for the chicken run, Carlin went out and bought another 50 foot roll of fencing to expand the goat pen as well. I'll need to get started driving posts next week for that. We're supposed to get a good rain tonight (they're calling for at least one and a half inches), so it should make driving posts easier in the next few days. I went out to trim Cinnamon's feet today after church, and they sorely needed it, but my trimmers had gotten rained on and were a bit rusty. So Carlin filed them down to get off the rust and try to re-sharpen them. They worked okay, but they're still dull, so he's going to buy me another pair tomorrow, and we'll tackle her feet again then. Cinnamon doesn't kick when you try to trim her feet, but she does try to sit down on you. And as FAT as she is, she's not the easiest critter to hold up (I know she's approaching 200 pounds), so the faster you can do her feet the better. Sharper cutters will make the job a lot easier.

That's about the extent of the farm news, but we have some other news which certainly deserves it's own entry, so I'll post that separately. Have a great day.

K

 


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2006-Sep-11
Monday update

It's been a couple days since I've posted.  The weekend was busy - not here at home, but everywhere else. I've spent a lot of time since Thursday over at David and Becky's house. That happens a lot when a family loses a loved one around here. The community rallies, people and food are constantly coming... the home of the deceased is generally very busy in the days following the death, and up to and including the time surrounding the funeral. Lou's funeral was yesterday. She was such a gem, a pillar of our community, and of our church. She will be very missed.

Lou's service, as expected, was a beautiful tribute to a beautiful woman. The chapel was packed, and the procession of cars going to the cemetery was so long you couldn't see both ends at the same time.

I plan to give David and Becky a few days "off" from visiting, to give them some time to wind down. I know that as much as company is valued when you lose a loved one, sometimes just being alone with your thoughts is really what is needed. I'll give them a call today, but we probably won't go by unless they need something.

While at the cemetery yesterday, I stopped by and visited daddy's grave. Lou was buried not 100 yards from daddy. Mom and I talked about doing some work there, planting flowers, laying some landscaping timbers and mulch... and we'll probably do that once the weather really begins to cool down. It's not so bad these days, but it has approached 90 degrees, and that's just a little warmer than I like when working outside. The last time she was at the cemetery, my niece Nichole said she'd seen deer tracks all over daddy's grave. That's exactly what he would have wanted. Actually, he picked out the spot for his grave because it was where the deer often cross. He was such a lover of the outdoors, and an avid deer hunter.

The little cemetery where Lou and daddy are buried was established in 1895. Many generations of families from this area are buried there, and one day, it will be my place of rest too. It's such a peaceful place in the woods.

***

Since we have been gone all weekend, my house is a disaster. Today I'll be playing catch-up with everything that hasn't gotten done all weekend. Nothing terribly exciting, but chores that need to be done, nonetheless. I'll probably also make up a batch of cheese, since I have some extra milk in the fridge. And I need to make a follow-up call to the lady about the egg business I mentioned the other day.

A neighbor (well, she's a couple miles down the road) called yesterday and said she had a big bag of okra for me if I wanted it. I told her I'd gladly take it. Though we do have okra planted, our garden has just gone to the pits this summer - between the extreme heat and drought, the weeds have taken over, and the garden has been very neglected. I'll set back some of the okra to fry, but plan to pickle the rest. I do love pickled okra. It's a southern thing .

Carlin and I are also planning to take down the fencing around the garden. It was put up to keep the deer out originally, but it's not really tall enough to do the job, and the deer haven't bothered the garden anyway... so I can make better use of the fencing elsewhere around here. I haven't decided yet if I want to fence in a bigger area for the chickens to run, or if I want to enlarge the goat pen. Both sorely need the extra room, so I'll have to think about it. I know the chickens are so much happier when they have free range instead of being in a coop, and the larger area I can give them to run, the better they'll do. The goats, at least, get hay to eat in addition to their pasture. But, they have managed to decimate the quarter acre or so that we have fenced for them, so I know the extra range would be welcome by them as well - and would save us on they hay we use... oh well, I'm still thinking about it.

Sharon, my goat mentor, plans to buy a few hens from me, and we'll do some trading as well. She's got more milk than she needs right now, so I plan to get some of it from her and make up several batches of cheese. Since Carlin got me my cheese kit, I haven't been able to make any of the hard cheeses because I haven't had enough milk. My plan was to use the additional milk I was to get from Cinnamon, but we all know how that turned out. Fat goat.  

***

This morning, during my quiet time, I read Ecclesiastes and the Song of Solomon. I'm looking forward to getting into Isaiah, and will probably start on it as I have time today (IF I have time today). I'm getting so excited that I am actually getting close to finishing the entire bible. I've wanted for a long time to be able to read it cover to cover, and now I am pretty close to achieving that goal. I have gotten so much out of it. The quiet of the morning is the best time for me, when nobody else in our house is stirring, and the day's chores haven't started. I can clear my mind and just absorb what I'm reading, listening for the still, small Voice of God, and trying to focus on what He has to say to me that day. It means I get up everyday between 4:00 and 4:30 am, but the sleep I lose is nothing compared to what I gain. When I finish the cover-to-cover reading, I'll start studying by topic, keeping the same schedule.

Well, the dogs are barking outside at some imaginary boogeyman (or more likely the rabbits or chickens), so I'd better go check on them and get started with the dishes, laundry and other oh-so-fun jobs that lie ahead of me. I hope you all have a blessed and productive day.

K


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2006-Sep-8
Cinnamon the fat goat and egg business

If you'll remember, some time back I mentioned that I'd sent Cinnamon, my Nubian doe, off to visit a buck for a month. Well, nobody ever saw them actually mate, but about halfway through the month, (when Cinnamon should have been in heat), the interaction between the two of them changed, and we made an assumption that Cinnamon had been bred. We estimated a due date, and since then have been treating her as if she were pregnant.

Well, her due date was about September 13, so the plan was to induce her this weekend. She's a fat little rollie pollie thing, and  though I hadn't seen other obvious signs of a pregnancy, we have been continuing on with the plan that she was. I've been feeding her grain everyday (assuming she needed the extra vitamins for the kids), and she has been putting on all kinds of weight.

My goat mentor, Sharon, came by last night to check on Cinnamon. I told her that I really didn't think Cinnamon was pregnant - or, that we had really misjudged a due date if she was - because her udder hadn't started filling out. So when Sharon came over, she checked Cinnamon over ... bare lightbulb, fine toothed comb, and all that.... and it turns out that all I have is a fat goat .

She's been living like a queen the last five months, eating to her heart's content and getting fatter by the minute. Today, she started on a diet. She's not a happy camper.

The good news is, Sharon told me she'll make arrangements to take Spice, my LaMancha (and perhaps Cinnamon again) during October to have her bred to one of her LaMancha bucks. And in the mean time, I still have milk from Spice. So, it's not all bad.

**

I spoke today with a lady near here who has been selling her free range eggs in Little Rock at the Rivermarket there. She's getting $3 a dozen for them, and always sells everything she can carry down there. I may start supplying the same seller she does, so it should be a new market for my eggs. My hens are laying really well, and I'm getting 2-3 dozen eggs a day. This time of year, though, my regular local customers aren't buying as many (not many people eat big breakfasts in the heat of summer), so they're piling up on me. I'm hoping this will help me move some more eggs, as well as sell them at a price better than I can get around here.

Who knows, if they sell well enough, I might buy a few more chickens! (don't tell Carlin lol)

Speaking of chickens, I need to run out and check on them, so this set of entries will have to stop for the moment. Hope you're having a wonderful day!

Kathy

 

 

 


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2006-Sep-8
Sad news

We had some sad news yesterday. A good friend of the family passed away. I have known Lou and her children (I went to school with both her son, David, and daughter, Lorrie) since I was about nine years old. She was a saint - a dear, sweet woman, and will be very missed. Even more sad is the fact that Lorrie, who graduated with my older brother, passed away only a little more than 3 months ago. I mentioned Lorrie's passing in another entry. Lou's granddaughter and daughter in law found her at home. She lived right next door to them. It's such a sad time, and a double blow to the family in such a short period of time.

One good thing about being in a small rural community like the one we live in, is that the community always rallies to help families in times of need like this. The family will, no doubt, be buried under all the food that is brought by, and I know if they need anything at all, community members will make sure they have it. David is going by the funeral home today to make arrangements, and I expect the funeral will be Sunday afternoon. Please say a prayer for Lou's son David, and his wife Becky, and all their children.

 


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2006-Sep-5
Friday Feast on Tuesday

Patti posted  funny on her blog that I had to put over here, too.. I loved her answers. She posted it on Friday and therefore called it Friday's Feast, and here I am borrowing it on Tuesday... oh well. Not one given to much creativity, I'll call it Friday's Feast, too.

 

Friday's Feast

Appetizer

What are some lyrics you have misheard (such as, instead of "Gettin' Jiggy With It" you heard "Kick a chicken with it")?

 

I suppose everyone has mis-heard the lyrics to Manfred Mann's Blinded by the Light, and I am no exception... I won't even tell you what I thought it sounded like he was singing... It's probably not appropriate.  But for the record, in case you don't know, the actual lyrics are "Revved up like a deuce, another runner in the night."

 

Soup

What is the worst movie you have ever seen?

 

I really, really dislike stupid (physical humor) comedies. Give me something I can think about - not slapstick. Yesterday Carlin and I went out for lunch and the TV in the pizza place was playing Corky Romano (is that the name?) Boy, that is one stupid movie. Thankfully I was only forced to see it during the time I was eating lunch.  I can't say for sure that it's the worst, but it is certainly representative of the kind of movies I can't stand.

 

Salad

Using the letters from your favorite number, write a sentence. Example: Tomorrow has really easy experiences.

 

Seven: Sing every voice, enthsiastically, nightly. 

 

Main Course

What was the most interesting news story you have heard this week?

 

That one's easy. The death of Steve Irwin. Poor him, and poor his wife and children.  

 

Dessert

Which word(s) would you choose to describe your wardrobe?

Comfortable, practical, and must-go-with-farm-work  


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2006-Sep-3
A day full of blessings

It has been a good day. Carlin, against my request, ended up driving back late last night. He got in at 3:00 am. Needless to say, the dogs woke me up and I was more than a little startled, not expecting anyone at that hour of the night. But I was happy to see him home, and in a way, I'm glad he ignored me  . Of course, I still get up at 4:30 every morning, so I was more than a little dragging when it came time to do the milking, but I got it done, and then, after reading my bible for about an hour (I'm in Psalms now), I went back to bed. We laid around being lazy until about 9:30 and then got up to get ready for church.

I really enjoyed the service today. Sometimes you can just tell when everything is clicking... or rather when the Holy Spirit is truly present . Today was one of those days. While the morning offering was being taken up, Daniel, the young man who plays piano for us, was playing Amazing Grace. Daniel is an incredible young man of about 23 years old. He plays completely by ear, and is truly gifted. Anyway...Generally, there are a few who sing along with whatever song he's playing during times like the offering, but today, the entire congregation was singing along. All four verses, perfect harmony. It really sounded beautiful. When the song leaders got up afterward to lead the normal morning singing, one commented that he felt like we were just about ready to break into the preaching at that point.  I think everyone felt it.

Our pastor's sermon was, as usual, a message that touched everyone's heart, and moved our souls. Odell (that's his first name - and no, nobody ever calls him by anything else) has a gift of speaking to each person individually when he preaches. I have never left a service where I didn't feel he was speaking directly to me - the Lord really uses him. We have a great congregation and Carlin and I are so blessed to have found a church home that really does feel like home.

After the service, I was talking to Odell's wife Kathy. I brought up the starting of a Titus 2 study group of women in the church, and she thought it was an excellent idea. So it looks like it may be a go.  We'll just have to work out the details and such. I have forwarded her by email the guide to starting a group, and we're going to put our heads together in the coming days about it. She'll also be talking to the deacons of the church, since we'll probably hold some meetings in the community room at the church, but all in all, I am pretty sure the group is going to be going soon. I'm pretty excited.

I also talked with her about my cousin Valerie's artwork. In addition to the sculpture she does (her site is listed in my links), she is also an accomplished painter. She has recently painted a mural on the wall of one of the children's classrooms at her church that is just wonderful.  It's along the theme of "Jesus Loves the Little Children." Here's a couple pictures when the mural wasn't quite finished, but you get the idea. She is so talented.

 

 

 

Anyway, when I was telling Kathy about Valerie's mural, she said it would be a wonderful idea for me to do one on our church nursery's wall, too! Well, I am not nearly the artist that Valerie is, but I said sure! I think it will be fun. Since mine will be in the nursery, I can get away with doing a bit more "babyish" characters - which works for me because I am a far better cartoonist than am at doing portraits. The clipart below is along the same idea I plan to use as the starting point for my mural. I sketched it out today on my sketch pad, and added a few things.... I think it'll be adorable for a baby's nursery. Of course, this picture is just the outline, and mine will be full colored and have other things added, but you get the idea. Above the mural I'll  be putting John 10:27: "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." I can't wait to get started.

Well, I need to get off line. I just remembered a phone call I need to make, and yes I just have a dial up connection. I hope you all had as blessed a day as we did. Have a great evening everyone!!

Kathy


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2006-Sep-2
Just me and the critters

I'm all by myself tonight. Just me and the critters, that is. One of Carlin's best friends, Brock, has come up from Dallas.  (well, home to his mother's house in the little town he and Carlin both grew up in, anyway... not here). Brock's a huge Arkansas Razorbacks fan (as is Carlin) and tonight is the football season opener for the Razorbacks. (They're playing USC - who thoroughly trounced them last year, so pray for the Razorbacks - unless you happen to be a USC fan, that is lol ) So Carlin has made a trip south to see him and watch the game with a bunch of his buddies. He's also going to go see his parents, and take care of a medical appointment (some lab work) while he's down that way, and run a couple more errands, so it's not all just for fun, but I'm sure he'll have a good time visiting friends and family. Since the game doesn't start until 8:00 tonight, I suggested he go ahead and stay the night and come back early in the morning. I didn't want him making the two hour drive home after midnight.

Since I'm milking twice a day (and I'm paranoid about something happening to my critters anyway if I was gone... ) I couldn't go with him. So it's just me and the dogs tonight. It should be a quiet night. Carlin and I have spent exactly 3 nights apart since we got married - this will be number four. I generally don't sleep well when he's gone. Every little noise sets me, and the dogs, on edge (and of course, they run to the front of the house barking their heads off). The poor dogs don't know why daddy hasn't come home yet, and everytime they hear a car go by they run to the front window to look out and see if it's him. It's a good thing we don't live in the city, or they'd never get any rest.  

When I was a kid, the road we live on wasn't paved. I grew up in the house right down the hill from where we live now. There's a lot to be said for dirt roads, and there are many, many times I wish it was still dirt. Back in those days, not just dogs, but people too, would peer out the front window when a car went by. It happened seldom enough that it almost always grabbed your attention, and 9 times out of 10 you'd know who it was anyway and recognize the car. My dad used to tell me I was nosy because I always looked to see who it was . But, about 8 or 9 years after I left home, the county came in and paved the road. Now that I'm living back home, because of the pavement and some growth in the area, we have  a lot more traffic. It's not as bad as it would be in a city, of course, but it's a far cry from the days of my childhood when you could go most of a day and not see a car go by.

Since I'll be by myself, and probably not sleeping, I've gotten together some handwork to work on. Carlin has more t-shirts than any one human should have, so I have weeded through and taken out the ones he doesn't wear, or that have rips, etc. and I'm cutting them into strips. I'm using the strips to make a braided rag rug for the living room (yes, there are THAT many t-shirts ) so tonight I'm braiding and sewing the rug, and cutting additional strips as I need them. The good thing about t-shirt material is that it doesn't ravel when you cut it, so the rug should last a long time. And, since he has so many different color shirts, it should be a pretty mix of colors when it's done. If I finish it in the next hundred years or so, I'll take a picture of the finished product and post it here. (Hey, don't laugh - it took me about two years to finish the denim quilt I use as a couch cover.... of course, in the meantime, I sewed about a dozen quilts for other people.) Oh well, God willing, it'll get finished eventually, and it's surely a lot easier than the quilt, so it should go faster.

I also want to do some extra cleaning and organizing now that I have some free time without Carlin in the house... so hopefully it'll look neat when he comes home. Well, if I'm going to get anything at all done, I'd better get off here... I hope everyone has a wonderful evening, and I'll chat with you again after church tomorrow.

Kathy


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2006-Sep-1
Learning from Esther

Another beautiful morning, this morning. The air is cool and comfortable, the sun is shining, the birds are singing, and all is well in my corner of the world, thank God. My to-do list for today is long, as usual, but I don't mind. I'd rather be busy, honestly, than bored.

So far this morning I've read a couple chapters in my bible (I plan to read more today, God willing). I'm already in the 33rd chapter of Job. I can't wait to finish Job and get into the Psalms and Proverbs. I just love reading both of those books - there is so much wisdom in them. Perhaps it's the poetic style that I enjoy. God used each of his messengers with their own talents to convey His message, I believe, knowing that some of us would be more drawn to one style of writing than another. As I am musically inclined, poetry and prose really appeal to me. Of course, regardless of how it is written, it's God's Word, and I always find something I can apply to my life each time I read - even if it's only a few verses at a time.

Yesterday as a part of my reading, I read the book of Esther. Wow. One verse in particular jumped out at me so much that I stopped reading there and thought about it a long time. In the story, Haman, an advisor to the king, had convinced the king to issue a decree calling for the death of all the Jews in the kingdom. The king agreed, not knowing that his new queen, Esther, was a Jew herself. Esther's uncle Mordecai asked her to intercede on behalf of her countrymen, which of course, would endanger her own life. No one was allowed to approach the king without his first calling them. If she approached him without his beckoning, she could be put to death. Mordecai said to her, in Chapter 4, verse 14:

"...who knoweth whether thou art come to the kingdom for such a time as this?"

That stopped me in my tracks. How many times have I wondered what God had in mind for me as He put me in places or circumstances in which I could see no benefit. Or, times He has blessed me with abundance? Wherever I am, He has led me to that point in my life. God has brought me "here" for a reason. What is His reason, and what should I be doing in response?

When things are bad, is there a lesson I am supposed to learn? When times are good, what is the lesson?

It has been said that everything happens for a reason, and my goal is to keep that in mind. To search for the reason I am where I am, and to act accordingly.

Esther's response to her uncle's request, by the way, was this:

"Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish." Esther 4:16

She was willing to do what was required of her in this circumstance - what was right - regardless of the consequences. May we all have the strength to do the same, and learn from her example.

Have a great day, everyone.

K


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2006-Aug-30
Fall memories and sharing old skills

Good morning everyone!

Thank heavens for cooler temperatures. I was afraid I was being a bit optimistic about fall being just around the corner the other day when I posted, but I woke this morning to crisp cool air - the kind that just energizes you. How nice it is this morning. The blanket of dew is covering everything, soaking my feet and halfway up my calves as I went out to do the morning milking... but even dealing with wet socks is better than hearing the crunch, crunch of brittle dry grass under my steps that I've heard all summer. The last couple weeks of rain has greened everything up so nicely, and the critters are so much happier. We've made it through what I hope is the last of the summer heat, and now I can look forward to the beauty of fall's changing colors.

Fall has always been my favorite time of year. I don't know why, unless it's because I have so many happy memories associated with it. It seems like when I was a child, we were always outside during the fall. My dad was an avid hunter, and I remember many trips to the "deer woods" when I was a kid. Waking up from a chilly night of camping and going out to sit around the morning's fire, while the adults woke up to their morning coffee. The smell of a breakfast of bacon and eggs cooking mixed with the smell of the coffee and the campfire...The smell of wood burning on a cold day still brings me back to that time, and the happy memories we made camping.

This time of year daddy would always start going through his hunting gear, making sure he had everything ready for the season. For daddy, it wasn't about bagging a deer as much as it was spending time alone in the quiet of the woods. If he got some venison for the table, all the better, but the yearly regeneration of being in the middle of God's creation was what he relished. Carlin is a lot the same way. He doesn't trophy hunt. He just enjoys the cool mornings out in the deer stand. Again, if we get some meat for the table, great. But that's just a bonus. I have inherited my father's love for the outdoors and I often find myself longing for a walk in the woods, or sitting by a babbling creek, just to hear the birds singing, the bugs buzzing, and some quiet time alone with God. I don't do it nearly often enough, but fall always brings the desire back to the forefront of my mind, and I find myself out in the woods far more often in fall than in any other time of year.

I can also remember cutting wood in the fall with my dad when I was a kid. One year we cut a LOT for my grampa to use in heating his chicken houses (he had large broiler houses then, and used wood to heat them). I don't remember how much it was (something like 30 rick), but I know we cut and cleared and stacked wood forever. I don't remember the hard work, though. I just remember the coolness of the days, the sounds of the woods, and spending time with my dad. Happy times those were.

I know it will be a warm day today - the high is supposed to be in the mid 80's - but fall is on the way. I can taste it. And I can't wait.

***

I received from Lisa at New Harvest Homestead yesterday a meeting guide for starting a Titus 2 group here, as she has done. Thanks Lisa. The basic premise of the Titus 2 groups is to do exactly what we are told in those verses - for the older women to teach the younger women. To help them be better keepers of the home. In this day and age, that includes teaching about the quickly-being-lost home arts: canning, cooking from scratch, gardening, animal husbandry, sewing, quilting, and so forth. Now there's a lot of those areas I don't know a lot about myself, but I have, through sheer determination (and a lot of mistakes) learned many things that women in the past took for granted as a part of being a home keeper (and without a mentor). I know there is much I can learn, still.  So, even though I am quicly approaching the category of "older woman" (I'll be 40 on my birthday), my goal for starting such a group here is as much to learn as it is to teach.

I wonder if any of you have started similar groups where you are? I can see that the skills are sorely needed in todays age, and how few people there are who actually possess those skills, but I wonder how you get the younger people interested? Though I can see the immense value in having these skills, many of the younger girls I know are still of the "I don't need to learn to sew - I can buy the clothes I like," and "who has time for that, I have a job?" mindset. And working in a garden? Not a chance.

I want to start such a group here, but I wonder if I'll just be beating my head against a wall.... any ideas would be welcome.

Well my to-do list is longer already than the day I have, I'm afraid, so I'd better get busy. Hope you all have a wonderful day. I'm looking forward to hearing some ideas .

Kathy


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2006-Aug-28
Rainy days and Elvis the barn rooster

From having no rain for what seemed like months, we've gone to having rain just about every day in the last two weeks.... that's what it seems like anyway. I'm not complaining, mind you, but the grass which hasn't needed cutting all summer is suddenly knee high in places. Carlin's outside right now working on getting the mower ready to mow... if the grass ever dries out enough.

The rain has made the barn is a mucky mess, from the goats and chickens tracking in water, and the few leaks we haven't managed to get sealed up yet - but this too shall pass. Carlin almost has a new gate ready in the goat pen. The gate is hung, but the old fencing hasn't been cut to allow the gate to open yet. Once the new gate is functional, I'll have access from the goat pen directly to the compost pile. That'll make cleaning out the barn so much easier than going through the labrynth of gates to it - as it stands now. Within a couple days I'll be cleaning out the muck and adding it to the compost, and getting ready for Cinnamon to kid (about two weeks to go!).

We're also going to have to put some of the older hens in the freezer in the coming weeks. The egg business has slowed some - it always does this time of year, when people aren't eating as many eggs for breakfast, and I'm getting buried in eggs. So, it's as good a time as any to cull out some of the older hens. I have 25 younger hens that should start laying any minute now (they're just about old enough), so any I take out will be replaced in short order anyway. It's a messy job, and one I most certainly do not enjoy, but it does fill the freezers, and our tummies, nicely . The only hens guaranteed to die of old age are those who have names - and I try to limit them.

A couple months ago, I rescued a half-hatched chick from the main chicken run. I didn't even realize that one of the hens was sitting (she'd hidden her eggs), and I arrived at the pen in time to see the first unfortunate chick already dead. Killed by the bigger chickens. So, I rescued the little one still attached to half his eggshell, and brought him in the house. As luck would have it, it was a banty (not good for much but bug eating ) but I couldn't just see him killed. So, he stayed in the house in a box for a while, and once he was fully feathered, he went to live in the barn with the goats. Now he's a fully grown, if tiny, little white rooster. I named him Elvis, because his comb is so huge, it flops down over one eye - yeah, he's cool.   And he has the attitude to match. He thinks he's 8 feet tall and bullet proof.   So, Elvis the barn rooster will be one, no doubt, that dies of old age.

I finally combed back through some previous entries here, and found two comments I'd missed before. One, from Kimmy, my cousin Marty's wife, and one from my cousin Dooley (her name is actually Valerie, but we've always called her Dooley.) Dooley's incredible artwork is on line, and I have her website listed in my links. You should check it out if you have time. So, I have to send a shout out to the two of them... and tell them THANKS for stopping by .

And thanks to the rest of you as well. It's gratifying to know someone actually reads what I write lol.

Nothing terribly exciting prompted this entry tonight, except I'd just finished with the goats for the evening, and felt like getting on line for a minute or two. The rain has cleared out for now, and the weatherman tells us cooler weather is on the way... I can almost taste fall. Perhaps I'm optimistic, but I call it hopeful.

Here's hoping you all have had a wonderful day - and have a better evening.

Kathy


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2006-Aug-25
Along for the Ride

I came across the following article today. When I thought about what I wanted to post on today's entry, nothing seemed more appropriate than this entry by the family's eldest daughter, Rebecca. Such wisdom from a young woman of 25.

Enjoy the ride, everyone.

Along for the Ride

from The Serven Clan

"Are we there yet?" seems to be a universal phrase of childhood--the fussing at a long car ride, the longing to arrive at your destination, the cramped spaces, the inability as a young child to influence how fast you are going and where you will end up. All these emotions are recognized the world over by automobile travelers who too "were young once".

As we have been driving with our little people the past week (who, for the most part, have been very patient happy travelers) I have been thinking of how my heart is quick to slip into the mentality of a traveling child, yet in my walk with the Lord.

In our flesh, we think that it is a righteous desire to anticipate and long for each next day that God takes us on our journey. It is good to look forward to see the Lord's hand of providence and direction, but when the joyful anticipation slips into impatient unrest, that is a different story. We are called to enjoy the journey. Just like a little child asking their Daddy, "Are we there yet? How much longer? Now are we almost there?", my heart is wont to be impatient when I should wait upon God. We are called to rejoice in the midst of each day the Lord gives us.

The speed of our life is also something out of our hands. Whether God is taking us through a time of unbelievably quick change or the slow regularity of everyday life should not phase us. How often I feel like a youngster urging Daddy to "Drive faster!!" or "There are too many curves--can you drive slower?" We should rejoice in all things, being content with little or much; joyful when life comes fast or slow.

The funny thing in both traveling a physical road to somewhere and the journey of your life, is the speed of traveling and your destination do not change when you pester the driver with questions. God knows where he is taking you. He knows the perfect speed at which he has appointed things to happen. He won't make any wrong turns--my job is to rest as a young child.

I'm just along for the ride. Our God is lovingly taking us where He has decreed. And as we tell our little people, if you fall asleep, we'll get there faster.

Psalm 107:4-9
Some wandered in desert wastes
finding now way to a city to dwell in;
hungry and thirsty their soul fainted within them.
Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble
and he delivered them from their distress.
He led them by a straight way
till they reached a city to dwell in.
Let them thank the Lord for his steadfast love,
for his wondrous works to the children of men!
For he satisfies the longing soul
and the hungry soul he fills with good things.

Proverbs 16:9
The heart of man plans his way,
but the Lord establishes his steps.

Matthew 7:11
If you who are evil know
who to give good gifts to your children,
how much more
will your Father who is in heaven
give good things to those who ask him!


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2006-Aug-24
Potluck

What a wonderful time we all had last night. I decided a few weeks ago, that I wanted to give our family and friends more opportunities and fewer excuses for regular get-togethers and fellowship, so when Carlin finished his new horseshoe boxes (horseshoes is his new obsession ) and invited a few folks for an impromptu horseshoe tournament, that I'd go ahead and make an event out of it.

So, I started calling family and friends and invited everyone over for potluck. We ended up with nineteen people over (all out in the front yard, mind you... my house isn't THAT big). Carlin, Scott and I, mom, my sister Jennifer and her family, my brother Todd and his family, my friend Teresa and her family, my cousin's husband Craig, and two friends of my niece Nichole - D.J. and Stu. It was a grand old time. I made a large venison ham with potatoes, and everyone else brought side dishes, desserts, bread and drinks.

It was after 10 pm before the last of the crowd cleared out - pretty late for a weeknight when everyone in my house is up by 5am, but it was an enjoyable time for everyone, and one I'm sure will repeat in the not-too-distant future.

It was the day after Nichole's 21st birthday, so her friend (and my adopted nephew) Stu (who is an excellent cook, btw) made her a lovely chocolate birthday cake. It was also the anniversary of daddy's death one year ago, so it was a good chance to be together and honor his memory. Todd said a lovely blessing on the food before we ate, thanking God for the completed year, and His strength which helped us all through it. The horseshoe tournament was a hoot, and at least a couple outstanding feats were accomplished, including 2 ringers in a row by Scott. Guitars, singing, and laughing completed the night, and when we all parted ways and went back to our homes, I know everyone had enjoyed the evening. I was glad to be able to host it, and hope we can do it again soon.

****

We had a great find on our homestead this week, which I incorporated into our potluck - a wonderful bunch of field mushrooms. Now, I'm usually very leary of mushrooms, but I had the guide included in John Seymour's The Self-Sufficient Life and How to Live It to go by, and when I was 100% sure the mushrooms were safe, I sauted a bunch to add to the potatoes. They were yummy, and this morning everyone is still alive, so I guess they were safe.  There are a LOT more where those came from, and I'll be harvesting some and preserving them for later in the year this afternoon. The good Lord does provide, doesn't He?

****

Teresa and I have started a weekly study together using the book, A Wife After God's Own Heart, as our base. The book details the expectations for a Christian marriage for both a husband and wife. I read it through by myself some time back, but Teresa and I are going through it together, and I find myself being really challenged and enlightened by many of the passages in the book. On the whole, I'd recommend it.

****

Well, there is much to do, and never enough time to do it in, so this short entry will have to close for now. I hope to be more regular in updates than I have been. At least a note a day... God willing. Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Kathy


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2006-Aug-22
The entry with no title because one wouldn't fit :)

Sometimes I just feel like writing. Tonight is one of those nights. So much has happened in the month since  I last wrote that I hardly know where to begin.

 

Our dear friends, Randy and Belinda, came for a visit a few weeks ago. They live about 3+ hours drive from us, so a trip either way is a rarity. Mostly because when you have critters, you can't be gone from home that long without someone you trust to take care of them. And I really have a hard time trusting much of anyone with my goats - anyone close by, that is. But we had a wonderful visit, (they came for Carlin's birthday), and they went to church with us on Sunday before heading home. I get such a lift from Randy, especially, when we have a chance to talk. Randy is a deacon and youth pastor at his church, and he is one of the most dedicated, spiritual men I know. And a heck of a lot of fun to be around!

We had a cookout for Carlin's birthday while they were in. There was a bunch of food, lots of friends and family, serious horseshoe tournaments among most of the guys (there are still bragging rights going around from that day ), guitar playing and singing out in the front yard until nearly midnight. My kind of a good time. I do play some guitar and love to sing, and I did several songs that I've done in church recently. I do an unplugged acoustic version  of Casting Crowns' Praise You in this storm (which I really like) and recently did Amazing Grace (to the tune of House of the Rising Sun). I played that for Randy and he said, "Girl, if I die before you, I want you to play that song just like that at my funeral." What a huge compliment from a dear friend and a man I admire.

***********

The critters are doing pretty well, despite the record breaking heat and drought we've had for the last month. I say, HAD, because the it rained Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. And good, beneficial rain, too, not just a shower. We sorely needed it, so I was very thankful for it. Looks like there's more in the forecast for this week too, so we may be past the drought, God willing. Along with the rain, the temperatures have gone down by about 10 degrees as well. 90 degrees I can handle much easier than 100. I know the critters are happier, too.

Cinnamon is getting big as a house . She's due to kid about the 13th of September (if indeed she's pregnant and not just fat  - nobody ever saw the actual mating, but she was in with the buck for more than a month, so we're assuming she was)... so, I've been giving her some grain instead of just alfalfa, beet pulp, and hay, which is what the goats get when they're neither milking nor pregnant. And she has indeed put on weight. We'll see in a month or so if it's just from the grain she's been eating, or if there are actually kids hiding in there . Her udder hasn't started to fill out yet, though, so I'm still waiting for confirmation. This will be her second kidding. I bought her just after the first. She had a little boy and a little girl - Rocky was the boy. I'm hoping we have at least one little girl again, because I plan to keep any does she has. I'll sell the bucks, though. I already have one neighbor girl who has asked for one for her 4-H project.

The garden is all but gone, now. What hasn't burned up from the drought, has been weeded out because I couldn't keep up with the weeds in 100 degree temps. Oh well, we're doing okay in the pantry department, so I am thankful for what we did get. And in about a month, I'll start a fall garden, too.

********************

My darling hubby got a promotion at his job a few weeks ago - he is now the shop manager. I am very proud of him, but sick and tired of him being gone all the time. This time of year is very busy where he works, and 10 and 12 hour days are not uncommon. Things slow down some in the fall and winter, though, and his schedule gets a little more regular. The overtime pay comes in handy, don't get me wrong, but I'd honestly rather him be home and forget the money.

We have a new roomie living with us. Carlin's cousin, Scott is staying with us for a while. I love having Scott around most of the time  He's good company, a good conversationalist, and one of heck of a guitar player, so I have someone to practice with, too. He's working at the same company as Carlin, and so far seems to like his job, so I figure he'll be around for a while. He goes back "home" to south Arkansas about every other weekend to take care of his house there, bills and such, but otherwise he's here. I know Carlin enjoys having another man around for conversation, too lol.

************

My bible reading continues on at a good pace. It amazes me how much easier it is to read at my age now, than when I was younger. I am really getting so much out of it. I'm reading the entire bible cover to cover, for the first time. Not piecemeal. I did read the new testament through before the old testament, but still, I'm reading the old testament straight through. As of today, I am in Second Chronicles. It's a daily habit I plan to continue even when I finish the straight-through reading, though from that point on, I'll be studying by topic.

*****************

Oh, before I forget : my eldest neice, Nichole, turns 21 today  

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, NICHOLE!

She's out with friends now, but I know she'll be stopping in later tonight.

It's both a happy and sad time tonight - and the reason I am up and not sleeping right now. My dad died one year ago at 1:45 in the morning - tonight. He hung on until the day after Nichole's birthday, if only for a couple hours, but he did it. That's one heck of a gift to give a kid. And she loved (and loves) her granddad so much. She says he was her best friend. I can relate. Daddy was one special individual and touched all of us in unique ways. The only way I can fathom the idea that I will spend the rest of my life and never see him again on this earth, is to not think of it in terms of how long... I just take it one day at a time. Otherwise it would paralyze me. I miss him every single day.

So, tonight, Nichole's planning to come up here (with a couple of her friends) and we'll sit and be together when 1:45 a.m. hits. Who knows, we might even end up with more company. Or at least a phone call or two.

This night completes the year of milestones - we had to go through each holiday once without daddy, and they will forever be remembered as the Christmas, or Thanksgiving, etc "the first year after daddy (or granddad) died." It's a life altering event, losing some you hold so dear. His passing has changed who I am as a person in profound ways. It has changed many of us. At least 5 close family members have returned to the Lord since he passed. He changed so many lives during  his life, but I don't think he could have ever estimated the lives he would change by leaving us.

I only hope to see him one day again, when I can hug his neck and tell him how much I've missed him.

I love you, Daddy.


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2006-Jul-17
Thankful

It was 100 degrees here today. The heat was just oppressive all day long. We're officially in Moderate Drought conditions - again.... I did just about as little as I could get away with outside today, hung out and took in a couple loads of laundry and made sure the critters had water all day, plus morning feeding and milking....

But...I did get a lot done inside, and toward the end of the day today - early evening, I opened the back door to let the dogs out. Afternoon milking was done, and I could relax until dark - when I had to close up the goats.

As I sat outside for a minute, instead of thinking how hot it had been, I was instead so pleased at how much cooler it was - the chickens were out and picking through the grass, instead of being in the barn all day where there was shade... the goats were also out grazing for the same reason. The poor rabbits were getting some relief from the heat (I always worry about them on hot days)... This is the time of day my grandmother used to sit outside with friends and family drinking tea or lemonade till the mosquitoes drove you in after dark. Many times when I was a small child, the time outside continued well after dark with a pit fire and roasting marshmallows at Grandmother's house.

Just then I was pretty thankful to God who seems to always give a bit of relief when things are tough... I thanked Him that I don't live in that oppressive heat all the time. Even when the days are scorchers, the evenings are so much cooler that you can re-charge.

 

Hope you all had a wonderful day.


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2006-Jun-28
Highs and Lows

The journey back home started about 8 years ago. I left a bad marriage, re-connected with my family, married my soulmate - a man who complements me in every way, with his support literally moved "back home," and now have come full circle back to my faith as well. God has truly blessed us.

 

Carlin and I were baptized last Sunday in the little country church we've been attending, with many friends and most of my family there, as well as Carlin's cousin in attendance. It just so happened that the Sunday we were baptized was also the date of the church's monthly potluck luncheon, so we also got to eat a meal with friends. Sharing a meal is what was done in old times to seal a covenant between two parties. It was appropriate that we shared a meal with our new church family on the day that we both chose to dedicate our lives to Christ. I looked upon it as a covenant meal of sorts. It was a good day.

Last night, Carlin was returning from a trip out of town when, out of the corner of his eye, he saw a jeep off in the ditch, lying on it's side, obviously having rolled - and with smoke coming out from under the hood. As he was stopping, he saw a hand come out the driver's side (up) window. The car was down an embankment, and had rolled several times. Carlin ran down to help. The man in the vehicle was badly injured and had, he thought, a broken hip. The man was in shock, and Carlin was afraid the car would catch fire (with the smoke coming out from under the hood), so he pulled the man out the window and helped him about 40 yards from the car. He stayed with the man until emergency response people were loading him into the ambulance. I do not know the man's name, but I am thankful that Carlin was there when he was needed. It was a lesson, though, on the fragility of life, and how each moment must be treasured. And for me, personally, it was a reminder that God could call us home any minute. I thanked God that Carlin had had a safe trip.

Today, the same lesson was repeated for us - only under much worse circumstances. Carlin's father died this morning very unexpectedly. He was driving a large tractor, when he apparently had a heart attack or stroke. The tractor ran into a tree, causing the tree to collapse and fall on him. We do not know whether the attack killed him, or the falling tree. Regardless, the situation is the same. My husband is hurting, as am I. There's nothing really I can do to help him, except be there. Losing my own father in August last year, I know how Carlin feels.  Norman (Carlin's father) was a wonderful, vibrant, full of life, joke-telling, wise-cracking, fun, and caring man. He will be very missed by all who knew and loved him.

 

And as the thunder rolls,

I barely hear You whisper through the rain, "I'm with you."

And as Your mercy falls,

I raise my hands, and praise the God who gives,

And takes away

Casting Crowns

 


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2006-Jun-16
350 pounds of potatoes :)

What a day. My neice, Nichole, and I today dug up all the potatoes..... Carlin and I had dug up 75 lbs a week or so ago. With what Nichole and I dug up today, we got a total this year of 350 pounds of potatoes! Wow. I got 35 quarts canned out of the first 75 lbs. The rest are all over the kitchen now. We only planted 25 pounds of seed potatoes, so I'd say we got a good return. I'll be canning up probably 2/3 of them, so we'll have potatoes for the entire year. Thank God. I don't have a decent root cellar, or I'd probably save more of them un-canned... but that's okay. You can just about do anything with them canned as you can fresh - with the exception of baked potatoes... and that's okay. I'll be a cannin' fool for the next week or so.

That's part of why I haven't been here for the last two weeks. The garden has kept me very busy - and the previously mentioned spring cleaning is still going on (with only a week or so left in Spring). I put up 17 and a half pints of carrots the other day as well. I've been working at the garden steady keeping up with the weeds for the most part, and even though we have had a dry spell here the last couple weeks, they're predicting a 70% chance of rain both days this weekend, so everything should be okay. I could use a couple rainy days to work in the house anyway, in addition to the garden needing the rain, so I'm not complaining in the least.

While I'm canning, I'll probably finish my denim quilt - or at least that's the plan. I've been working on it as I've had time here and there, and I'm just about finished. Then I need to back it, and tie the top. It's going on the couch sort of as a couch cover. Our couch is shot, and the quilt over it will make it look much nicer, without having to pay the price to reupholster it.

The critters continue to do well. The eggs haven't piled up on me since the last trip to the farmer's market, so I haven't yet made another one. I probably have 3 or 4 dozen in the house right now, and that's manageable. Got 27 eggs today. Not a bad day, but not great either. I'll be happy when my "babies" start laying in July or August. I expect 3 or 4 dozen a day then, at least.

That's about it for this update - I know there's more, but I wanted to share a poem I found. I don't have an author, but if anyone knows the author, please let me know. It's a great old poem, first published in 1884. Enjoy!

 

The Farmer’s Wife

The farmer came in from the field one day; 
His languid step and his weary way, 
His bent brow, his sinewy hand, 
All showed his work for the good of the land;
For he sows,
And he hoes,
And he mows,
All for the good of the land.

By the kitchen fire stood his patient wife, 
Light of his home and joy of his life, 
With face all aglow and busy hand, 
Preparing the meal for her husband's band. 
For she must boil,
And she must broil, 
And she must toil,
All for the good of the home. 

The bright sun shines when the farmer goes out,
The birds sing sweet songs, lambs frisk about; 
The brook babbles softly in the glen, 
While he works so bravely for the good of men:
For he sows, 
And he mows, 
And he hoes, 
All for the good of the land. 

How briskly the wife steps about within, 
The dishes to wash, the milk to skim; 
The fire goes out, flies buzz about-- 
For the dear ones at home her heart is kept stout; 
There are pies to make, 
There is bread to bake, 
And steps to take, 
All for the sake of the home. 

 

When the day is o'er, and the evening is come,
The creatures are fed, the milking done, 
He takes his rest 'neath the old shade tree, 
From the labor of the land his thoughts are free;
Though he sows, 
And he hoes, 
And he mows, 
He rests from the work of the land. 

But the faithful wife, from sun to sun, 
Takes her burden up that's never done; 
There is no rest, there is no play, 
For the good of the house she must work away;
For to mend the frock,, 
And to knit the sock, 
And the cradle to rock, 
All for the good of the home. 

When autumn is here, with its chilling blast, 
The farmer gathers his crop at last; 
His barns are full, his fields are bare,
 For the good of the land he ne'er hath care, 
While it blows, 
And it snows, 
Till winter goes, 
He rests from the work of the land. 

But the willing wife, till life's closing day, 
Is the children's guide, the husband's stay; 
From day to day she has done her best, 
Until death alone can give her rest; 
For after the test 
Comes the rest, 
With the blest, 
In the farmer's heavenly home. 


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2006-Jun-2
Proverbs 31 & the woman my husband thinks I am

One of the things that I usually like about spending time on the internet - as opposed to watching television, for example - is that it's interactive. I'm not just a passive sponge, soaking up what is presented before me. Rather, I can interact with others. For this reason, I'm a member of several forums, and of course, I have email, and this blog. I've noticed, though, that the last several entries I've posted have zoomed off into cyber space with not so much as a raised eyebrow in return. Not that I've said anything all that extraordinary, mind you, but it is nice to know that someone actually is reading the things I write here from time to time.

The farm continues on as usual. The garden is all planted, and I'm just trying to stay up with the weeds and mulch. God willing, if we don't head into another drought, we should have a good garden this year. Everything looks good right now.

The critters are also doing great. The hens have been laying like gangbusters lately. I was getting buried in eggs at the beginning of the week, so on Wednesday, I decided I'd better do something about it. I loaded up 21 dozen eggs in the cooler and headed to town, with the intention of setting up at the farmer's market. Our farmer's market here is really informal, and as long as you're not breaking any laws, nobody (in authority) bothers you . I had spoken to the mayor some time ago, and he told me as long as the eggs were kept cool, I could sell them there anytime I wanted to. So, that was the plan. On the way into town, though, I decided to stop by several folks who buy from us semi-regularly, to see if they needed any eggs. Well, by the time I got to the park, I had sold enough that I only had a few dozen left. Not really enough eggs to justify sitting there half the afternoon, in my mind anyway. So, I decided to do some bartering.

I spoke to another vendor who was set up there and asked if he'd be willing to trade eggs for veggies. Happily he agreed - $10 worth of veggies for $10 worth of eggs. I got a cantaloupe, fresh squash and cucumbers, and some lovely tomatoes. It was a good trade in my mind. Plus it freed me of the remainder of the mountain of eggs that had been taking over the kitchen. Since then, I've sold two dozen more, and probably only have 2 dozen in the house as I write (but I haven't gathered today's eggs yet, either).

*****

My husband paid me the biggest compliment I have ever received in my life the other day. I still smile thinking about it. We were visiting with friends in the living room and some how or another, the topic of our attending church came up. Carlin mentioned how much he enjoyed going to the little church we've been attending, and then mentioned something about the sermon that our pastor had done on Mother's Day Sunday. His topic had been about a Proverbs 31 woman...

Carlin said to me, "You remember, it was the Sunday he did that sermon about YOU."

Wow. My husband thinks that much of me. That thought still brings a smile to my face and a warmth in my heart. I really love that guy.

I decided, though, that I wasn't really what he has made me up to be in his mind (much as I would like to think I was), so I decided to critically look at myself and see where I was lacking. I've been consciously trying, since then, to BE what he thinks I am, and I am much happier for it. I can't tell you the scripture, but I remember reading a few months back that we should "Do all things to the Glory of God," and that has been my starting point. If you're doing something, do it well. Do it well enough, even, that the very act shows that you are doing it with pleasing God in mind. If you're doing something to please God, you don't do it half way.... whether that something is helping others, working at your job, or on the farm, or cleaning house... so, with that in mind...

I took on the task of spring cleaning (yes, I know, it's almost summer) because my house sorely needed it. In doing so, I have been trying to very consciously make permanent changes, not just superficial ones. I'm purging unnecessary items we have (and boy are there a lot of them) in preparation for a yard sale next weekend, and deep cleaning every room, top to bottom as  I go. We have so much stuff... stuff I'm sure we thought we needed when we bought it - but stuff that just makes clutter. And besides, my attitude has taken a change. Although I've always been frugal, not wanting to spend more money than necessary, I realized one can be frugal and at the same time still be materialistic. It may be true that many of the things I have are practical, but exactly how many extra dishes does one need? Matthew 6:19-21... There's a starting point for purging if you need one

The outside chores have suffered a bit from my recent focus on cleaning and purging, but our home is so much more pleasant to be in, when it is neat and organized. My mood is better, I know... and I think Carlin's is too. If you're wondering how he's reacting to my cleaning frenzy.... when he came in the first day I dove into the bedroom (which had been neglected FAR too long) and saw the progress I made, he smiled. He went to the kitchen and made himself something to drink... and then came back down the hall, came up behind me, turned me around, and kissed me.  I'd say that's a pretty good reaction.

My trying to act like a Proverbs 31 woman is actually just the next step in the path I started at the beginning of the year. Since Carlin and I started attending church again, it has really changed a lot about me, and about our relationship. I'm more at peace, I think. In January, the only New Year's resolution I made was to try to read the entire Bible in 2006. So far, I have read all of the new testament, all of Genesis, and am halfway through Exodus. I would have read even more, but I'm taking notes as I go, so it's going slow. I've learned so much more re-reading the bible as an adult than I ever did as a youngster when I would read it many years ago. My perspective has changed, I guess, due to life experience, and it has enabled me to understand things that were not as open to me before. I would say, I wish I'd have done this a long time ago - but I figure it wasn't time then. Now is the time that my heart is ready to hear and learn, and God knows it.

Well, whether anyone else reads this entry or not, I'll keep writing as I have time.... it's a good way to summarize my thoughts and feelings, and keep myself on track. I hope you are all having a wonderful day!

K


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2006-May-22
Just a quick note

Time sure flies these days. Although the days are longer, there seems to be more and more to do. The garden is almost completely planted now - some more to do today if I have time, but it should be all the way planted by tomorrow, God Willing. I'm frustrated because it should all be in the ground by this point, but it seems that I run out of day long before I run out of work most of the time.

Carlin continues work on the wood shed. The frame is up and the materials have arrived for the roof, but haven't been put on yet. He was planning to do that after church yesterday, but Saturday the ladder slipped out from under him. He didn't fall, but in catching himself (and hanging) from a roof support, he pulled his already bad shoulder. So, he decided to take a day off. I imagine he'll be working on it today if he's feeling better - and he said he was this morning.

The critters are all fine, fat and happy. There's always much to do with them as well, though. I need to spread some more mulch in the chicken yard - to give them something to scratch in and to absorb water - though after rain, rain, and more rain, we've now had two dry weeks. I'm afraid we went from monsoon season around here straight into drought. I sure hope not. Last year's drought was a killer, literally. The whole garden about burned up. This year I'm mulching better around everything, though, so hopefully the garden will do better.

I've done some more training in the last couple weeks, with the last class of this round (of four) scheduled for today. This series of classes doesn't pay as well as the job I did in March, but every little bit helps. I'll be teaching at 1:00 today in town.

Before then, though, I have to run into town to attend a funeral. A friend of our family, and a high school classmate of my older brother passed away suddenly overnight Friday night. She'd had many health problems, but nothing anyone considered life threatening. She passed away in her sleep at home. She was only 42 years old. We never know when our time is up, huh?

After the funeral, I'll drive back home, and try to get a few things done around here before I have to run back into town for the 1:00pm workshop. The cemetery where Lorie is being buried is right behind my house (a straight shot through the woods) so I'd be coming back this way anyway. I'll have just enough time to change clothes, check on the critters and their water, and get ready for the class. Then it's back to town.

After today, though, things should slow down a bit. I hope, anyway.

My computer is almost back to normal now. I finally got all my files backed up and re-installed on this new machine. It's still taking some getting used to, though, since nothing is where I had put it before. I just need some time to re-organize my files. Time is a precious commodity, though...there's never enough, it seems. Lorie's death makes it all the more clear to me how we should cherish the time we have, use it wisely, and don't fret over the small stuff. Hope you all have a wonderful day, and cherish the time you have with your family and friends.

K


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2006-May-13
Tomatoes and Flowers and Wood Sheds, Oh My :)

Busy day here today.

We tilled the entire garden (again). We'd done it all at the beginning of the season - during the time for early crops- but the areas that hadn't been planted had started to get weedy again. Eventually, the entire garden will be done in permanent rows and beds, with mulch in the pathways... but so far, it's only about a third done. So, this year we're still having to till.

Anyway, it looks really good now, and I'm hopeful that we'll have nearly the entire garden in the ground by the end of the weekend. Today, we put out 50 tomato plants. Tomorrow, I'll hopefully put out the peppers (4 kinds). If I have time, I'm also planning to plant okra, summer squash, some cantaloupes and watermelon, and a few rows of beans and peas. These will get planted through the week if I can't get to them all tomorrow.

Today I also finished the flowerbed I'd started beside the front porch and along the walkway to the driveway. I say finished, but I still have to mulch part of it and then plant flowers - but the hard work is done. I cleared out all the grass by hand. This field where we live used to be a hayfield. Most of it still is, actually, though we've been building our little homestead along the east end, and have turned it into "yard' :). The grass that grows here must have roots 6-8 inches deep. It's not the easiest stuff to pull up. But thanks to my handy-dandy garden claw (I love that thing), it was not as hard as it would have been. The flowerbed is edged with logs (more like large branches, actually) from trees we cut over at grandma's during the cleanup. With the grass gone, I laid down weed barrier and am mulching on top of the weedbarrier. Hopefully that will keep out the weeds.

One thing I did discover today though - I am fully convinced that alongside cockroaches, the only other thing that will survive a nuclear holocaust, will be Johnson grass.  In the garden, I've been mulching the pathways, as I mentioned. Well, I laid down feedsacks on freshly tilled ground, and covered that with 6 or so inches of mulch. Would you believe, the Johnson grass is just coming up through the stuff like it isn't even there. Man, I hate Johnson grass.

*********

Carlin started work today on the new wood shed. He set the corner posts in concrete so he can build on it tomorrow. Since we got a new wood splitter (new to us, anyway) with part of the money I earned from my last training job, Carlin wants to keep it out of the weather, but still have it accessible to the wood which is stacked along the east fence - which is the easiest access from the house. So, he's building a woodshed to store it in. I'm hoping it will be large enough to also be able to store some other tools there - like the weedeater and such. Carlin has a lot of tools and our storage building is just packed. I'd like to get him his own building just for tools ( a shop, if you will )... but that will have to wait for more money.

Speaking of the weedeater, I did a lot of weedeating today, too. I had to weedeat some of the much taller grass (hay actually) from the goat's pasture. It's thick lovely hay, but the goats won't venture into it if they can't see through it. So, I just took off the top 10 inches or so. It still leaves them with plenty to eat, but they can see better. Cinnamon came out right behind me and started munching away where I'd cut - and she hasn't been over there in days.

Tonight we had dinner at my brother's house (on the 12 acres behind our 13), after the evening chores were done, critters were fed, milking had been done, and the only thing left to do was close in the animals once it got dark. It's nice to have family close by. The older I get, I think the more important it is to me. We had a good visit. They'll be over for breakfast in the morning, and then we'll go to church together.

After church, we're having a potluck dinner for Mother's day. Barbara (my sister in law) and I will cook, and we're inviting mom up for lunch. So it should be a nice way to spend part of a Sunday - especially after a work day like today.'

We got a lot done, though, and I'm satisfied.

Hope you all had a satisfying day as well.

K


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2006-May-8
Productive Weekend

The family work weekend actually only lasted one day - but that's okay, because we were pretty worn out anyway come Sunday morning . We got a good amount of firewood from the area that the aunts wanted cleaned up next to Grama and Grampa's house. Enough six-foot sections of wood (logs) to fill the bed of the truck well past the top, anyway. So, Carlin will be cutting them into woodstove-size in the coming days so we can stack it to season for this winter's heating. We've managed to come across several sources of free wood so far this spring - people cleaning up areas, doing yard work and such, just call us and tell us to come get it. I'm thankful for it, though, because installing and using the woodstove for heat cut our electric bill in half over last year's usage (we previously had only an electric furnace).

Saturday night, though we were tired from working all day, we did have a very enjoyable evening at home. It was really such fun. Carlin and I just played with the dogs for about two hours. Pulled out all their toys and "rassled" and tugged and played till everyone but the puppy was worn out. I don't think you can wear out a puppy unless it wants to be worn out. For people who have kids, I guess, it would be the same as a fun family evening together. For us, it was playing with the dogs and watching basketball on TV. We didn't accomplish a darn thing, and had so much fun and relaxation. It made for a memory that I will treasure in the future, I know.

Sunday we went to church. The little country (non-denominational) church we've been attending is the first church I can say I've felt "at home" in, in more than 20 years. I am enjoying attending church again for the first time in many many years, and that's a blessing. Carlin and I go every week without fail, and I feel like I've missed something if for some reason we can't go. That's a big change for me. I've never doubted the existence of God, but I am not a fan of organized religion. Then again, neither is our pastor , so perhaps that's why I enjoy it so much.

Sunday was the church's homecoming - it was packed to the gills. There was much singing and several special songs performed by members of the congregation - including one by me and Teresa's daughters. We've been singing a lot together recently - those girls can sing like angels, and we somehow manage to do a great 3-part harmony together. I enjoy it a lot. After the service, because it was homecoming, there was a potluck with so much food everyone was stuffed. We stayed and visited and ate, and sang some more until almost 2:00 pm. I would have stayed longer, but I had things I had to get done at home, and critters don't know when it's Sunday.

So, Sunday afternoon, we sealed the roof of the goat barn to help keep it drier inside. Since we used recycled materials in building it, the tin on the roof had previously been nailed and had nail holes. Carlin had put silicone sealer on the holes when we put it up, but it was still leaking in several places, so we went back up on top, re-siliconed (is that a word?) and then put tar on top. That should help keep the goats out of the rain better and I know they'll be happier.

The rain continues almost daily here - I'm still thinking about building an ark  - and the garden is too wet to work in. My tomatoes and peppers are doing fine in pots, though, so I can't complain too much. I do need to get in the garden to put out things I seed directly that haven't been planted yet, though - like squash and okra and beans and such. But I guess we'll just wait and be thankful that we aren't having the 100 degrees and drought we had last year. Feast or famine, as they say.

I have started turning over a spot by the front porch for some flowers. It'll take me a while to get it all cleared and planted, since I'm doing it by hand, but when it's done, the flowerbed will wrap from the west side of the front porch and down along the rock walkway we have from the porch to the driveway. The first things going in are some flowers I dug up from some of Grandma's old flower gardens last week. For now, they're in pots and doing fine, but I want to get them in the ground as soon as possible. I don't know why I start new projects when I don't have time to finish the ones already started, but oh well, it keeps me busy.

Today I'm doing a bit of work here and there as the mood hits me - there's never a lack of things to do, so I just work on this and that till I get bored or tired, and then switch tasks. Or, as now, take a break for a minute and get on the computer. I'm probably going to stop here and go bake a shortcake for tonight, though. I have a very large bowl of strawberries from our garden that I picked this morning - they  are doing wonderfully with all this rain - so I'm thinking some strawberry shortcake sounds wonderful for dessert tonight. It will go with the sandwiches and salad (also from our garden) that we'll be having. I love spring and summertime dinners - so light and fresh from the garden. Plus I always lose a few pounds as an added benefit.

Hope you are all having a wonderful day - I guess I'm off to do some baking. More later....

K


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2006-May-6

Good morning all.

Another early start to the day here, and I'm already on my 3rd cup of coffee at 6:00 am. Oh well, that's how things go around here. I have a couple minutes before the day starts in full force, so I thought I'd drop a note.

This weekend most of my aunts, uncles and cousins are meeting at my grandparents' house to do a "family work weekend." Since Grandma and Grampa are both gone now, we all get together from time to time to do maintenance work on their house and the surrounding acreage so that it doesn't get run down or grown up. Today's project includes cleaning out underbrush and straightening up a small wooded patch next to the house - making it a suitable area for picnics and such, and setting the area up for this year's family reunion, which always falls the first weekend in August. So, weather permitting, I'll be working down that way for a while today. But, before I can go there, my own critters and farm need some care.

We finally had a dry day yesterday (yay!) and today, at least through this evening, is supposed to be rain-free too. I am so thankful. Everything is still soggy outside, and my critters are looking for dry ground. Hopefully, at least for the day, they'll find some today.

Yesterday, I repotted all my pepper plants that I started from seed. I repotted the tomatoes about a week ago. Now, sitting in pots, I have 71 tomato plants, 8 cayenne peppers, 16 jalapenos, 16 banana peppers, and 16 bell peppers. That ought to do us good for the coming year, I hope - and should make a lot of salsa, if the ground ever gets dry enough to put them out. I'm not going to complain too much about the wet weather, though, since this time last year we were in a severe drought. Actually, even with all the rain fall we've had recently, we haven't yet made up for last year's shortfall.

I have about 2 1/2 gallons of milk in the fridge right now, even before the morning milking, so my plans for the day include making up a batch of cheese - queso blanco. I know I've asked this before, but if anyone has any good web resources for cheese making (hard cheeses) and sites to visit to buy supplies (reasonably), I'd appreciate it if you can point me in the right direction. I'm finally to the point, I think, that I can consider making some hard cheeses. When Cinnamon kids in early September, we'll have more than enough extra milk to justify experimenting with them, so I'm looking forward to it.

Well, as Carlin says, I'm "burning daylight" so I'd better get up and at 'em. Have a great day, everyone!

K


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