Catching up October ~ For Those Interested

It has been nice having Lon home these past 2 days. I don't know if it is due to the amount of time I have spent alone since moving here. Or my recent fall, but I don't like being alone right now. I am enjoying having someone here with me. I believe it will be quite nice once he retires, hopefully in 2 years. That's our goal, as the county accepted the new retirement plan. Two years is all he will need, he already has the 30 years of service required (he had 33 yrs. as of last month). He just needs to reach 55 to qualify. Now there is something to look forward to about getting older.

It has been a rather slow pace these past 2 days. My activity is hampered by the fractures I received when I fell 3 weeks ago today. Lon has his own aches to deal with, so movement is difficult for both of us. But even in all the struggles he has managed to get the walls and roof on the goat shed completed. It is so large and roomy that I won't have to fear bumping my head anymore. It's a good thing, I can't afford to hurt anything else. Now the need is to get some wall covering on it, to make it rain and wind proof. It will give them a warm, dry place to hang out this winter. Putting down shavings will make a soft place for them to bed down in. As the chickens have scratched out the straw we used in the silo for them and Sassie ate the rest right out from under them.

Good news from the barn, we no longer hear or see evidence of rats in it since starting our war with them. Now we can begin the interior tear out and prepping for the goat birthing room/ kid nursery and a feed storage area. I plan to set up a place for milking indoors too. Anna has about 8 weeks before she is due to deliver. I am hoping her emotional status will change from cranky to some form of sweet after giving birth. Sugar is showing her pregnancy quite easily on her small frame. Sweet Amber is just looking solid for someone who has birthed twice before.

The leaves are changing everyday and many have fallen. Leaving bare limbs where only a month ago stood a canopy of shade. We sat for a few minutes this evening before dinner, sipping hot tea in the porch rockers. The air chilled by the setting sun, giving cause to enjoy the warmth of the tea cup and a blanket on my lap. Which an hour earlier the sun had everything toasty. It was nice rocking and resting in the dusk of darkness. Something we need to make more time available for on a regular basis.

Boots has made himself at home in our hearts and lives. We had forgotten the joy of watching a kitten at play. Or the sweetness of one sleeping in your arms.

Rocking cares away,

Deborah

NOT AGAIN!

This day started on a bad note when I fell through the barn flooring. We have had some flooding due to all the rain we have been blessed with as of lately. On top of an already weaken wood from years of sitting unused. Resulting in re-injuring my spine for the third time since my original fall two weeks ago. Makes one wonder what I am doing right to have the enemy so hot on my heels of lately. The second occurred when I slipped last night on mud in the pasture on my way to do the evening chores. Pulling loose all that hurts in my spine. Sending me quickly to bed with yet again pain medication on board. If that was not enough, to add insult to injury, this morning's fall was too much! Heaping more injury on a delicate area is not something you sign up for. I also managed to twist my bad knee as my foot shot through the floor and pulled my back in the process. At this point some of you would probably label me "an accident waiting to happen." I have never had so many injuries so close together before.

I had more than a few tears coursing down my face. Wails of pain, fear and frustration flowed easily to the point of no stopping the outgoing tide. An hour later after hobbling as best I could back to the house. I was still in a state of free-flowing tears. Needless to say this will cause me to be in the doctor's office as soon as I can get an appointment.

We have been having our backdoor compost bucket and garbage can dumped out for several nights now. We have been suspicious that it was either a raccoon, possum or stray dogs that were tasting our leftovers. Well the mystery has been solved. Caught the bandits red-handed and managed to blind them in the process. There was two of them and they appear to be living in the trash pile from the remodeling of the house. (Waiting on clear weather to dispose of it all at the dump.)

To most people these marsupials bring groans of disgust. But do you know they are the only species of animals America has, that carries their babies with them, like a kangaroo? Yep! Plus they serve the purpose of cleaning up that which most animals wouldn't even sniff much less sample. So next time you see one on the side of the road, how about letting it cross safely so as to keep doing it's job of cleaning up the refuse that so many feel necessary to dump on the sides of our highways.

Not moving,

Deborah

A Visit and a Stay

So much time has past with both little and a lot of activity happening. Doesn't seem possible but it can happen. My injury from 2 weeks ago still hinders my level of movement, hence a little of activity. Decreasing what I feel like doing and what I can actually get done each day. But in the midst of this several things are happening.

Changing temperatures for one, along with a colorful hue of leaves overhead. We have seen a flock of geese fly over our place nearly everyday - heading north. One was very large with over 50 that I counted in the V-formation. I love the sound they make in flight. One of encouragement to the "point man." I look forward each Spring to hear of their return in the fresh blue skies. Their departure signals the coming of winter and their return signals the end of it. The promise of Spring ushered in on their wings. How awesome is that! God gives us an audible bell for the changing of the seasons from warmth, to cold, to warmth. We do not have a water source for them here yet. But hopefully within the next year or so, we can create a small pond and enjoy their company once more. Did you know that mate for life, and will not leave behind their mate if it should get injured or sick? I believe as humans we need to take a lesson from them in their level of commitment, don't you?

I have managed to get a few pots of mums set out in the year and on the porch. Bought them and some more "fall color" decorations for the house when shopping a week or so back. Large and small pumpkins along with an assorted group of gourds I plan to place in a basket to grace our living room table. The larger pumpkin sits by the front door to support the farm's scarecrow. The other sits upon our dinning room table with other little touches of the colorful hues of Autumn. It's a pie pumpkin and will be used as such once the turkey decor comes out for Thanksgiving.

The same trip to town took me by a new place to feed my crafting hunger that is always present. I thoroughly enjoy my visit to Hobby Lobby (for those who don't have one in their area, it is a mega craft/decorating store as the name implies). WOW! I had not been in one for years. Craft choices galore had me walking each aisle. I could definitely spend a lot of time and money on all the temptations this store carries. No visit is complete without stopping by the yarn/fabric section. They have free leaflets you can get for ideas of new projects, like I need any help with that! But collect them I do without fail. One in particular was a easy poncho for children and I immediately thought of Leah. So I chose a soft pink with a skein of multi-colored for some detailing. Their store brand is the softest yarn and I can see many projects being made from it. I was also thrilled to see that they also carry a brand that "Wally world" has dropped. They already had a sale on their Christmas ornaments, which gave cause to pick up a few specialty ones for gifts this year. You just can't beat 50% off this early in the season. Just walking through the Christmas aisles put me in a decorating mood and it is not even Thanksgiving yet. Every year I think the stores rush to see how early they can get Christmas put out on the shelves. By the time you get ready to purchase some of the items they are already gone.

Finding time to sit and sew, crochet and such is so hard for me. When so much calls for my attention. I realized this morning that I have too many interest for the time I have available. Then I wondered can you have too many interest? Possibly, but I know one thing for sure. I am never at a lost for something to occupy my mind or hands. The challenge comes in balancing it all with the necessary. Which always seem to loom larger than the time available too.

We have made much progress on our interior barn remodel. Despite the interference of health issues, availability of time, and good weather. We are down to 2 months left before Anna will need use of it's birthing area. It is like a "catch 22" if I ever saw one. Money is needed for the supplies, which calls for Lon to work extra shifts. Working extra shifts means no time to do the repairs, though we have the supplies. See what I mean?

Leah came to visit this past Sunday and stayed 3 nights with us. Enjoyed her visit like always but still felt a lost when she left yesterday. She is growing up so fast and I miss her daily presence like we once had. She enjoyed doing her usual activities, besides helping to plant in the garden. Watering the flowers on the porch is a must for her. Insisting that they are "very thirsty" every day, several times a day. I think all children love playing in or with water. I hope they survive her loving care.

I was able to catch several good pictures of her with our new kitten ~ Boots.

Can you tell she loves him?

I have much to do today. A lot of "have-to's" and a long list of "want-to's". But I can't seem to get going yet. I've made my list out and time is quickly slipping by. Getting started is my problem. It being the middle of the morning and my not having eaten my breakfast could be part of my dilemma. Instead here I sit, with my cup of coffee cooling beside me, with Boots nestled in my lap, sitting out on the porch, staring at my list and feeling somewhat gloomy. Should I just give into the grey clouds gathering in the morning sky? Or fight the urge to call it a day and simply start at the beginning of my need-to-do's and get done as time will allow.

Putting one foot in front of the other,

Deborah

Fall Happenings

The weather has been typically Fall-ish in every way. I just love the warm days and cool sweater evenings. We have seen two groups of geese fly over yesterday signaling that colder weather is just around the corner. Today we saw 3 different groups flying in their trademark V formations.

We are still not ready for a fall garden, but Lon did manage to plant 2 kinds of cabbage and some collards we think, as the tag on the tray of seedlings were mixed up. I guess we will have to wait till spring to plant a garden in earnest. The best we can do this winter is to improve the soil with some natural amendments found around the barnyard. Then dream over the seed catalogs during the cold days when you don't dare stick your nose outside for long.

Curiosity got the best of us recently and we sat down to figure up the due dates for the girls. Not really knowing when Anna was bred posed a problem with her projected dates, but we just figured it from the week prior to her arrival here. The previous owner had said she and the buck had been seen together, so it is a safe bet that she came to us already bred. All three of the does have gone past their repeated heat cycle dates, so we feel sure they are all pregnant with our future herd mates. It was surprising to see how the due dates fell ~

Anna - due Dec. 24 - Jan. 2nd. (Holiday babies?)

Sugar - due Feb. 5th -Feb. 9th (her birthday is Feb. 9th)
This is one of her baby pictures from back in March. She has grown into a beautiful doe. Guess I need to take some new photos of her, huh?

Amber - due Feb. 12th - Feb. 16th ( Valentine babies?)

This will be our first kidding and we are excited about having baby kids running around the place. But a little nervous about any possible delivery problems we may encounter. I've helped deliver human babies before, but I have a sneaky suspicion that this will be way different. Reading up on the details will be one thing I can do as I wait for my injury to heal.

We now have the wood needed to put the roof on the new goat shelter we are building for their new living quarters. Hopefully it won't take too long to complete and they will have a dry place to wait out the winter weather sure to come. Plans are to also partition off a place in our "barn in progress"for a kidding area and holding pen. A big need that will be used sooner than I think we will be ready for. Here's hoping for some dry weather and well bodies to get the work done.

Lon put up a deer stand near his food plot behind the house, in hopes of getting us some venison for our freezer. We have seen signs of their presence on the property. The grasses and peas are coming up good in it and someone has been sampling the corn we left out in the woods. It is a wait and see game, that is played out each year about this time.

With all the time I've had to sit gingerly around the house, I was able to finish the quilted pumpkin I had been working on. I have several other fall craft projects I would like to get completed too if I am able. Some are leftovers from previous years and would be nice to finally see them finished. One is a small quilt that I started last fall during hunting season, from fabric bought many years before that. I have a wooden pumpkin that needs to be painted and some fabric acorns that would look great in a bowl with pine cones and other natural items if I could get "around to it."

Then there is this poncho I started knitting for myself that has been set aside for more pressing things. I am never at a lost for some sort of hand work to pass the time with. That is if I can ever find the time to pass. In an effort to get a jump on some Christmas craft items, I started back hand stitching some quilted pieces suitable to be used as coasters or ornaments for our tree. I think they would also make cute hostess gifts if we should get invited to some one's home this year. They are a pick-me-up kind of craft, one that can be easily set back in the basket by my reading chair if the need arises

As you can tell from my notes I am still not sitting or moving well. Lon is of the opinion that my tailbone is not broken or I would be in more pain than I am. I on the other hand is not so sure! I have had broken bones in the past and know what one feels like. Resting as best I can has been the order for the day and will continue for several more. Sleeping is beyond a comfort level that I can find right now. Lying on my back is impossible and trying to sleep on my side causes pain also. I am unable to sleep on my tummy, due to a previous injury to my cervical spine as a teenager. So that only leaves sleeping standing up or on my head. Don't think I want to risk another injury with that one!

Looking for some sleep,

Deborah