Tuesday, February 27, 2007

planting

Today was a real good day. I got a tree planted. I bought a couple of 4-5 feet tall pecan trees. I have been wanting some for a real long time. I figure that I can use my own pecans for making things and down the road maybe even make some money selling some fresh pecans. I have one more pecan tree to plant. I need to find a place for it. LOL 15 acres and I need to find a place. LOL. I also have some more planting to do this week. It will be a busy week for me. It is time to get things ready for spring planting. I know some of yall are still in deep winter but here it is time to get those early plants out! I have some plants ready to go as soon as my ground is ready. I am going to plant extra tomatoes this year. I am hoping to can a lot of salsa. Salsa is a good diet food! Very low in calories and high in anti oxidants!
So I am out of here now. I need to eat and read journals. See yall later!

other journal

From time to time I post on my other journal C's Life. These entries are not the same as the ones I post here. Sure there may be a duplicate every now and then. I can't say every entry will be different. I know that sometimes people from here on AOL do not like to go to other journal places and do not read or comment there. One complaint is that you cannot get an email alert. Well I did put a fix in on that part. There is a link on the side bar where you can sign up for email alerts of when I post over there. There are a few links for some different RSS readers to allow you to put it there too.

Another complaint is that you can't comment. I allow anonymous comments, (i just delete the comment spam.) Or you can just email me.

 

Monday, February 26, 2007

it has been a week!

I cannot believe it has been a week since I have been here. Time flies sometimes.

I am trying to do some spring cleaning around here. For some reason I am not getting much done.

I have been reading journals. I am sorry if I have not commented much lately. No excuse other than I just did not have anything to say.

The animals are all doing good with one exception. Well she id doing good just not being nice. Crystal(Pat's horse) is having a problem with me. She is not happy that I am the one doing all the feeding and stuff. She keeps laying her ears back at me. I am having to carry a fishing pole with me into the field to feed Baby. I am not happy with this. It can get dangerous if she wants to get that way. She never has liked me. I have not rode her in 2 or more years. Every time I did she would sling her head and bounce and generally just be a jackass.

Brook is coughing tonight. I hope she is not coming down sick again. In a way I hope she is. I hate to think her asthma is causing her troubles. She coughs instead of audible wheezes.

I have been doing a couple of neat projects over on my Blogger journal, C's Life. I am doing a photo shoot on Wednesday, on Tuesday I am starting a Tackle it Tuesday project. This will be there tomorrow. I am also going to be participating in a Made from Scratch Carnival. I have discovered a world very different and yet the same as we have here on AOL journals. People read you and keep coming back and soon you get to know each other.

I might be getting broadband. It will be great to get away from dialup! Supposedly my phone company now offers broadband to my number. We will see. I will be placing the order next Monday.

My diet went belly up or maybe I should say belly out. I have to get back into it or I will die. I don't mean that figuratively, I do mean it literally.

I did some sewing. I repaired a top that my daughter got for Christmas. I sewed new straps on it, took the sides in and put some darts in the boob area. I am enjoying this machine. It is a new experience for me. I am one of those people that if they sew a button on, it will not come of. It will also be so tight that you can't get it in the buttonhole either!

What else? Oh yeah. This weekend Pat and I played pool and I ran the table. I broke the balls, made one on the break and then knocked all my balls in and pocketed the eight without missing a shot! Now if I could do that regularly!

Ok. I am out of here. Have a good night yall(or day)

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Picture posted on last entry

just life here

Yesterday poor Scampi got not one bath but 2! The dummy went back out and got into whatever it was that he had gotten into the first time! this time Brook washed him 4 times! LOL I think she was trying to drown him. Today he has stayed away from anything smelly! LOL

Baby is doing good. Eating good and no milk!

Brook and I made M&M cookies yesterday. I know I know. I am not to eat them! LOL hard to resist but I an doing it. I had her so most of the work. She had me drop them on cookie sheet and bake them. She decided she wanted to go play some pool with her papaw.

Brook is having a hard time in TaeKwonDo right now. She needs to learn to do a cartwheel and is having a hard time of it. She has no arm strength. So now we have to do some muscle building in her arms! Anybody know of anything?

I have posted on C's Life also.

Monday, February 19, 2007

ho hum

This weekend was a quiet one at home. No one came over and no one called. Pat and I spent the days playing pool , watching movies and tv, and playing on the computer.  No excitement felt good. Oh wait we did have 1 piece of excitement. My neighbor called us. She had a possum on her front porch that was acting weird. It was in the daytime and they are night creatures. Pat and I went down there and dispatched it. It was very aggressive. This is not normal behavior. Afterwards we had a cup of hot chocolate and came home.

 Imade a big pot of chili and that is what we had to eat and will have today also. LOL I gave the kids some last night when they brought Brook over. She is out of school today for Presidents Day.

 Time to get the nesting box ready for Chip and Peaches. They were doing the deed yesterday. LOL babies in the house again, maybe.

 UGHHHHHHH Scampi just camme in and was promptly sent back outside. He stinks! He has found something dead to play with. Got to get him a bath ready. UGHHHHHH

Friday, February 16, 2007

Georgia Carnival edition four

The Georgia Carnival edition four is up and running. Go to Georgia on my Mind and check out what some other Georgia bloggers are writing about. (yours truly was included)

Calf update

It is cold here today, 17 with a wind chill of 6. I have been wondering when Georgia decided to be a northern state. I don't recall voting for that! LOL.

Anyway because of the cold I have to carry water out to the animals. 5 gallon buckets of water gets pretty heavy after awhile. It is about 150 feet from my front door to the watering trough. Breaking the ice is doing no good now because there is no water under the ice. It is frozen all the way. I had a heater but it did not last 1 season and Pat said it is not worth the cost if we have to replace it every year. It is not a real problem carrying the water to them. I know they are glad to see it.

Baby is eating about 2 pounds of grain a day now. She is doing good! She has quit drinking her milk and is only drinking water. She will down a 5 gallon bucket a day by herself! I was hoping to get out and fix fence for her this weekend but it is supposed to snow and rain on Saturday. I really hope they are wrong. It won't take much to keep her in. She is small enough that I don't think she will be doing much wandering around. I am hoping the goat will stay with her.

Crystal caused me some trouble last night. I had a grain bucket for baby and she was trying to get it. Cow food and horses do not mix. it will cause problems for horses. Anyway she kicked at me and tried to shove me! After I got the bucket in Baby's stall, Crystal took a bite out of Baby's door! I don't mean that she bit the door, I mean she took a chunk out! I think she was trying to pull the door open. If she tries she can get the door off. Now Precious won't try to pull the door off, she will try to open it. She is a lippy horse. She works on untying things and picking things up with her lips. The door has a drop bar and a latch. If she figures out how to get the latch open.... Of course she will have to get the latch opened first then lift the bar. If she lifts the bar first it drops over the latch LOL.

Ok it is time for me to get a cup of tea and feed my face before feeding baby. See yall later.

Thursday, February 15, 2007

insurance

I read this morning that State Farm insurance is not going to write anymore new home policies in Mississippi. From what I read, several other insured have already stopped. They say that it is because it is not feasible for them. I can understand. After all they are in the business of making money and if they have to pay out billions of dollars every few years because of hurricanes, where is the money?  I imagine that insurance is a lot higher in those areas that are prone to hurricanes. I suppose that is part of the price you pay if you live in one of those areas. I know we pay higher because we live in an area prone to tornados.
I don't like that they won't write new policies but that is their business. Personally I don't like State Farm anyway. My problem is that the state of Florida has passed a law FORBIDDING insures (insurance companies) from leaving the state. That is wrong. If a business no longer wants to do business there it should be able to stop. No state should have the right to force a business to continue doing business there. An insurance company is a business and like any business it should have the right to decide if it wants to continue doing business in a state.
I know there are some that will say that what business is it of yours? It will never affect you anyway. Yes it does. Number 1 I do live in a coastal state, we do get hit by hurricanes, tornados and floods and we are one of the states affected Number 2, I pay for homeowners insurance and it affects my rates.
I don't know. Maybe I am wrong. Maybe businesses should be forced to remain in business. Maybe they should be forced to write new policies. I can see the policy now, insured 1 house only covered if it falls down from old age because we cannot afford to insure again wind, rain, fire and vandalism. Acts of God are not covered, nor those of the devil.

Click here to read the article

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

the day has started

The cold weather is on its way back. Just when I get used to running around without a coat on it is time to break out the Carharts again.  I just looked and wind chill is 9 degrees. Now I know that lots of people are having colder weather but I am in Georgia, you know, the SOUTH! Scampi was glad to get outside this morning and run with Pup but he was happier when I let him back in and he could lay on the heater vent! He gets cold so easy. I have not been able to find a coat that fits him because he needs a large because of his length but they fall off of him because he is so skinny.

Here is a picture of feeling good  and a picture of "what are you?"

I did  something the other day I have never done before and it hurts. I tossed some hay over into a stall and somehow the motion I did caused me to have severe back spasms. Now back spasms are not so unusual but where these happened at is unusual for me.It is in about the middle of my rib cage on my left side. I was almost in tears by the time I got thru with the animals and got back to the house. Pat started rubbing my back for me. He said I had a knot the size of an egg there. It was like getting a Charley Horse. Now these usually go away with a bit of muscle soreness if you don't get them right away. However this one still hurts. I mean hurt, not an ache. It feels almost like it did when I broke a rib except I am not having pain with breathing and it can be pushed on and stuff like that. I am thinking that the muscle spasm may have pulled some cartilage when it happened.

So anyway time for me to get started on my day. Moving slower than usual but that's ok. Brook will be here tonight, I am looking forward to that. We will be working on multiplication tables.

I almost forgot.

 Happy Valentine's Day


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Monday, February 12, 2007

I tell you today has been ... well it has been. LOL

First thing this morning at 8am I hear a knock on my door. Now mind you this is the first day I have slept past 6:30 in I can't tell you how long. It is the water company guy telling me that he ran my horse back up our driveway. Not what I wanted to hear right off the bat. So I get my shoes on and head out the door. I find where she went back in thru an electric gate. I had to get a piece of wire to repair that. No way to stretch the wire so I can mend it. Actually I had already gotten some wire and cutters and turned the power off before I went to look. I knew what I would find. Precious (I am assuming it was her) does not jump so I knew that the wire would be broke. Anyway I walk the fence to see where she went out at. All this and I have NOT had my cup of tea yet! I did not find any other place broken. I did find some loose wire where she may have gone out at. This is not good. The fence is not electrified at that place. I will have to run some more barbed wire and set a couple more posts. I had done a temporary fix there in the past when some dogs had run her thru the fence. I had basically forgotten that it was a TEMPORARY fix.

It is a beautiful day today. 64 degrees right now and I really do not feel like doing a darn thing except soak up some rays! It is days like this that remind me that I do have to get back on my diet and lose this weight. I must get back into my longer walks. These short ones are not cutting it. I can contribute my weight gain and no walking to nothing more than sheer laziness! It just takes a small effort to get started but I have not been doing that. My sugar is creeping up and I don't like that. I have to start caring about what my life is going to be like in the future and now. Overweight, bad health, and laziness is not what I want.

HUM maybe I should join the will exercise for copmments club.

I played with my new sewing machine today. Brook has a new blue uniform that I need to sew patches on. I do not know how to sew but I am willing to learn. Actuall I think I may be a bit eager to learn! I never wanted to learn in the past but now as I get older and more settled I want something to do.

Ok it is time to check on the animals and see if Baby ate her grain. She is starting to make some headway with that. Soon, very soon, I will have to add another wire to the bottom of the fence to keep her in the field and start letting her out.

Made from scratch

This weekend I decided to try my hand at butter making. Yep butter, made from the fat of a cow. I made sweet cream, lightly salted butter. It was easy to make and I will do it again! It takes 1 ingredient, heavy whipping cream. I got out my new food processor that I got for Christmas and poured in 1 pint of whipping cream and a pinch of salt and set it to low. After a short time it was whipped up into whipping cream. Shortly after that it started looking like clobbered milk. Soon it was fairly solid looking. I poured off the buttermilk and churned it for a few more minutes . I poured off more of the milk and scrapped it up into a ball and placed it in a wide mouth mason jar and screwed the lid on. I started shaking it churning it more using a steady shaking motion. I did this until there was no more milk coming out of the butter. I tasted it and it sure did taste like butter. Now it is time to clean it. I poured about 1/2 cup of ice cold water into the jar and started shaking again. I repeated this until I had clear water. This step is not necessary but it will allow for longer storage of the butter. I then shook it more without the water in it to dry the butter out, pouring off the water that was shook out of it. I poured it out of some waxed paper and I was ready to eat it! A warm loaf of cheese bread was waiting for me to put a pat of creamy fresh made butter on it! A juicy steak, hot potato, and cheese bread with fresh butter, a meal made for my king!

For inforamation on how you can make your own butter at home go here.

Thursday, February 8, 2007

Box of chocolate

Life Is Like A Box Of Chocolates...

 

Sally was driving home from one of her business trips in Northern Arizona when she saw an elderly Navajo woman walking on the side of the road. As the trip was a long and quiet one, she stopped the car and asked the Navajo woman if she would like a ride.

 

With a silent nod of thanks, the woman got into the car. Resuming the journey, Sally tried in vain to make a bit of small talk with the Navajo woman.

 

The old woman just sat silently, looking intently at everything she saw, studying every little detail, until she noticed a white bag on the seat next to Sally.

 

"What in bag?" asked the old woman.

 

Sally looked down at the white bag and said, "It's a box of chocolates. I got it for my husband".

 

The Navajo woman was silent for another moment or two. Then speaking with the quiet wisdom of an elder, she said: "Good trade."

 

Contest

I visited a journal, Adventures in the Hundred Acre Woods, the other day and found a contest going called Made From Scratch. In it you make something you have never tried before. It does not have to be a recipe, it can be crafts. So I decided to give it a try. I joined I would love to win a prize LOL! Me, I will make a recipe! LOL I love cooking and cooking from scratch is my favorite way to cook. I am not sure yet what I will be making but I can tell you this, it will be this weekend when I make it. If you are interested in joining the contest ( there are prizes too!) go here and let them know. I am open to suggestions also on what to make.

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Tuesday, February 6, 2007

yuck

My cold is no better but it is no worse either. A box a day is not bad I guess. At least it is running! My poor nose hates it but my sinuses are glad it is moving along downwards. I hate sneezing. Sneezing is not something to sneeze about. It spreads germs, and it makes old ladies have to change clothes.

Baby is okay. She is not drinking enough volume but she is getting enough milk since I am making it richer. I am getting her to at least smell my hand with the grain in it. Soon she will eat some of it. I really do not want to wrestle her. I have to get her gentle enough to handle since she will be freezer meat. She will need to eat good food for the next year.

How do you know when it is best to put your cat to sleep? I worry sometimes that I am keeping Sebastan alive because I am afraid to let him go. I love him so much. I am afraid to handle him sometimes because he feels so frail. LOL but when I see him slapping Scampi across the kitchen floor I am reminded of the cat that killed a rat that weighed about 3 pounds that had come inside.

Monday, February 5, 2007

shortie

23 degrees F(-5 degrees C) right now. Cold and crisp outside. Not going to do my walk this morning as I have Grandparents Day at Brook's school this morning.

Baby drank most of her milk last night. I was glad to see that. She seemed please to get her milk this morning. Started drinking right after I left the stall. Gonna try the molasses later on to help with her eating.

Poor Pat woke up during the night and got sick. I think it is the drainage into his stomach(from sinuses). My cold is no better but I am still going. Hate to disappoint Brook. After all it IS JUST a cold!

Well see yall later.. Got to warm up the truck so I can go.

Sunday, February 4, 2007

cold

I caught Brook's cold but my back is better. Now I can sneeze without hurting my back! LOL

Friday, February 2, 2007

something needing clearing up.

I think I need to clear something up. I was NOT sent to school. I went because I wanted to go. School was a place where I felt good and safe. School was normal, home was no longer normal.

memories

I was reading in Ramblings from the reservation in her entry about her friend D. In it she recalled a memory of when her mother was in the hospital. It reminded me of back when my Daddy died. It has been 34 years yet I still recall so many memories of that time. It was a horrible time in my life, the beginning of many horrible times. Up until the moment my Daddy died I had a wonderful life. No worries, I always felt loved and wanted, I felt special. Yes, I guess I was a Daddy's girl. When he died I was on the verge of a new life. In a few months I would be leaving 8th grade and entering high school, making plans for my future life. At the stop of a heartbeat everything changed. One morning my Daddy left for work, the next morning I left for school while a hearse transported him to a funeral home. At school a few people noticed me but no one said anything to me. No one knew that my daddy died that morning. I saw Kim and told her, she hugged me then the bell rang and we went to our classes. Soon I was involved in my classwork. Someone asked me why I was crying. I had not realized that tears were sliding down my face. I told her that my Daddy had died. She called me a liar and laughed at me. I could hear the whispers going around the room and the giggles. Not long after that there was a knock at the door and I was told to go to the office. Once there I saw Kim and her mother. She had called her mother and she came to get us and take us home. For the next few days I stayed at Kim's house except when I was at the funeral home.
I did not cry again for many years.

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Thursday, February 1, 2007

woohoo


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winter, poop and other issues

We have our winter weather today. At 4:30 in the morning it was beautiful, at 4:00 in the afternoon it is messy. Winter just does not know that it is supposed to stay cold enough around here so that on those rare occasions when we do get snow we can play in it! No snowball fights, snowmen or anything. Slush balls maybe. By 8 this morning it was already raining. Now our danger is that the wet will turn to ice tonight. It is what I fear. Pat went to work and it will be dark and cold on his way home. What if he hits ice and goes off the road? There are quite a few places where he could go off and if no one is looking for him they won't see him.

So anyway I am here alone. Brook had no school today and her mama did not work so she is over there. I did talk to her today. She called and interviewed me. LOL She needed to interview a grandparent for a homework assignment and that would be me.

The animals are doing good today. Precious was wet this morning which I fully expected. This is not a barn horse! She will not use the ppotty in the stall no matter what! I closed her up in the barn stall once and the next morning I had no door on the stall! There was no poop either. I have seen her leave the barn go poop and then head back. She will poop in the horse trailer. Crystal on the other hand is an entirely different story. That horse will poop as soon as she enters the stall. Her favorite spot is right in front of the door. She won't eat her hay out of a hay rack (she tore it off the wall several times) so it goes on the ground. At least once a week she turns around and poops in it looking at me the whole time. No skin off my back. It is not my dinner she is pooping on.

Baby is doing fine. Still not eating the grain. I will work on that next week. I just want to get thru this time when she may develop the scours.

My back is doing better. I have bben wearing a heat pad all day while up. I think it is helping. more than likely what is helping is I am not doing anything that will restrain it!

Well off to the games. See yall later.