Grandpas

What Grandpas do. There is something wonderful about watching a grandpa with his grandkids. The way they connect is on a very different level than Grandmas and Grandkids. It's instructions. It's carefulness. It's one on one life. Watching Billy going over gun safety ~again with Bailey before she gets to shoot her Red Rider. That right there is precious! She gives him all of her attention, and it pays off big! When she gets to line up on her target and squeeze of a shot that strikes the bulls eye, she looks at Grandpa and sees how proud he is of her! This is Grandfathering at it's best! I can only imagine that they will have this same look on their faces when he teaches her to drive a car or talks to her about boys and dating and not to rush into that sort of thing. They have a great respect for each other. He loves introducing her to new things including foods from other countries. And she is always willing to try these new foods! I hope that one day she will learn to cook from Grandpa. He is a wonderful cook, and is the most patient person I've ever known.

Golden years and what makes them golden.

Someone very dear to me said recently "Do whatever makes you happy." I know what would make me happy. Aside from spending the rest of my days and nights with my husband of nearly 30 years, I look forward to retirement in just a little over 3 years from now. In the retirement years, I hope to spend lots of days with my daughter, sons, their families and do the little things together that will make memories that will last well beyond my years. I want to make jelly with my daughter and grandkids. I want to spend lazy hours watching the kids play at the beach or lake while chatting with my children. I want to spend holidays with them. I want to be there to help paint a wall, pick up the grandkids after school when the schedule is hectic. Be available when there is sickness or injury. I want to make my golden years golden. Maybe I want a Waltons kind of life. I want to always be a mom and grandma to my kids and their kids. I want them to call me randomly and just chat for a minute to tell me about something that made their day or ask how to make some old recipe. This is what makes me happy. This is what golden is.

Raised By Wolves

When I was growing up, I had some understanding that I was different than my siblings. I never understood why. I was the 5th child and maybe my parents, mainly my Mom had just gotten tired of doing the parenting. By the time I was 8, I had a new baby brother that was taking up all of Moms time and energy. We had to tiptoe around and only whisper so as to not wake the baby! The entire neighborhood was well aware of this including the ice cream man. Poor Good Humor guy... It's tough to get verbally beat up by a mother that is frantic about her baby getting enough nap time! So, there I was. 8 years old and having to fend for myself. It all started out innocently enough; having to make my own breakfast or lunch, figuring out that it IS okay to eat a "raw hot dog" and cold spinach. Drinking milk from the carton to avoid having to wash a glass was my new trick! Until that one night that I accidentally grabbed the carton of buttermilk! YUCK! Dad caught me and got a good laugh over that move. So, as I was discovering how to use an alarm clock to get myself up for school, I slowly became more and more independent. Within a few months, I tried smoking cigarettes. This impressed my big brothers friend and I felt very grown up, so I continued. Over the next few years, I was like a street urchin only one with a home to come into at night. I hung out at the drug store, stole candy bars, flirted with boys and then with drugs. At the ripe old age of 12 I was seduced by a 24 year old pervert with some pot and a bong. He was a bastard from hell and raped me after getting me so stoned that I passed out. Afterwards, I was a 12 year old on a mission to just find love. Now, as you all know love is found in all sorts of places and from all sorts of things. I was pretty sure that if a boy liked me, then I was likable. If I allowed him to become intimate with me, I was certain that I was lovable! At least for a little while. I was "ruined" and was sure that I asked for what I got. I was hell bent on using and abusing all men. I began living as dangerously as I could. I was one of the daring young fools that found great pleasure in hitch hiking all over the US. I got to feel very special when I would become the story teller in each car or truck that picked me up. Growing up, I never got the full attention of an adult for more than a good talking to or a whipping. I would be something special to my new friends in whatever town I would stay in for the week, and then again felt very special when I got back home. I loved feeling special! This became my new addiction for the next 5 years and I traveled away from home and almost always alone about 2 weeks every month. I learned a lot of important things about how to survive, what to look for when a ride stops for you and most importantly, how to quickly dive out of a car when things were going very wrong! I don't know how many angels I had wrapped around me in those days. A bunch for sure! So, I spun my stories and as I did, I realized in each story, there was some truth about myself that I hadn't known before the story came out of my mouth. I suppose I was my best counselor and even though there were some awful bad things that happened to me while I was growing up, I chose to take the positive from each experience and move on. There are a lot of wolves out there. Some where there to teach me and some were there to destroy me. They all had a part in my raising. I made it though, in spite of myself! I am in my 50's now and have a fantastic husband, 3 grown kids and 3 grand babies. I have a stable and happy life filled with stable and happy friends. So, I guess the moral of my story is even wolves can raise a family.... or even when raised by wolves, there is always hope of a bright future. I write this for those of you in the world that are still struggling to find happiness in all the wrong places. I want to tell you that there is a true and perfect love only in God. The most awesome part is if you knew him and turned away from him in order to follow your own wants, He is right where you left Him. He is waiting for you to come back.His arms are open wide and with Him, you can build your life right.Your reward is greater than anything that you can imagine! You think Christian life is boring? Then you don't know me or my stable and happy friends! I've looked at this life through drugged vision and clear vision. This is most certainly the best. I invite you to join me.

Where are we going, and why are we in this hand basket?

I will start this post on the state of our country. It is in a big ol' white hot mess! That is a problem at this time of year at elections.... we have to sort out the truths from the lies. We have to play this "who done it" kind of game and be strong and don't fall for the media hype or succumb to peer pressure. We are adults, and it is up to us to sort it all out and then pray, and then vote. I have actually lost friends over this subject. I don't understand why someone would unfriend me because I have an opinion! Really? We should all just follow along like sheep? I disagree. We each are given free will and an opportunity to sort out the stands of each candidate, then put that to the test of what our own beliefs are. On the stand of Pro life... I can honestly say that I WAS pro choice. I had never really given it much thought. I just looked at it like someone else would probably want this to be available to them for whatever reason. I didn't know or even want to know about what is done to abort a baby or fetus... whatever term you like. I have done my research and was appalled at the reality of this and quickly changed my stand on this matter. I have since come back to The Lord and I know that I know... this is the right choice for anyone that is a believer. You must do what is right in Gods eyes, not what is right for you at the time. On the subject of our constitutional rights. First, I suggest that you read them. Then expand on each one and get an understanding of what each one means to you and what your life would be like without that right. I wish that this was a subject in elementary schools...Constitution 101. We all need to know what our rights are why they were written. In this you will see why we should be wanting less government. I do not want to wake up one morning to find that I can no longer have a gun to protect myself from ANY intruder including government forces that want to surrender all of my livestock or tax 100% of my earnings. They are my EARNINGS. The more I get to keep, the more I have to spend at the local mom and pop stores, the more I will have to tithe, the less I will need to ask big brither for assistance... oh, that's right, they want me to depend on them. I can't do it. I truely enjoy being as self sufficient as possible and teaching others what I know as well as learning from them in return! Tonight is another debate. I will watch this and then turn the TV off. I do not want to hear what the liberal media have to say. I will check the fact checker and make my own opinions. I hope that you will do this too. After election day, I will post something witty. Promise!

Things that I love

I am focusing on the positives in my life and want to list the things that I love. The more I give love and gratitude, the more love and gratitude will come to me!
This is where I will start, but I find myself loving so many things as I go about my day! I find gratitude in new places now such as a red light, as this often gives me time to check a text message or grab a water bottle from the back of my car.
I Start like this:
I love my husband! He is the perfect mate for me! He has such patience and is always there for me!
I love my children! They have grown up to be such wonderful adults and have given me so much joy as I reflect on their growing up. I love that they are all near by and all get along well with each other!
I love my grandbabies! Bailey is adorable and I love to hear her talk! She jabbers on and on and she brings me so much love! I love the baby that Jessica is carrying. This baby brings more hope and joy to us!
I love my farm! I love being able to go out and sit with my dogs and goats and just get loved on by them! I love that Bob is such a great mate for Pearl! I love that my goats are bred or being bred to have babies this year! I love my chickens! Big and small, I love listening to them when they are excited about laying an egg or cuddling up for the night on a cedar branch in the coop. I love my geese for the wonderful and delicious eggs that they provide and that they are such perfect alarms for the driveway! I love that they are grass eaters! I love my pigs! I love that they are prolific and gave us 4 piglets! I love that they are grass eaters too! I love that the female pig is easily contained behind a single strand of electric wire. I love our cats. I love that Lefty caught a mouse in the front yard today! I love that Tulip has calmed down when she is in the house! I love my jobs! I love being a nurse and being able to make a difference in many lives! I love my home health jobs and being able to connect with so many new people. I love that I often can see Divine Intervention at work in my daily life! I love my Mona Vie company! I love the people that I have become close friends with through MonaVie! I love eating right! I love having the option of having any foods that I want simply by going to a grocery store or restraunt. I love that I can get hot outside, then step into my air conditioned home! I love that I can take a shower when I want! I love that I have the convience of indoor plumbing and electricity. I love that if I get the urge to talk with my family and friends, I can simply call them on my cell phone! I love that when I get tired, that I have a nice big clean bed with lots of pillows that I can snuggle down into. I love that my husband can do the same beside me! I can(and will) go on like this for hours! I will do the rest of my listing of the things that I love later after I log off of the net. But, one more.... I love that I have internet and this sweet little net book!!!

A day in the life of a deranged farmer

Is a "Deranged Farmer" a farmer without a range?? Hmmm.
I worked hard all day at my job, which by the way I LOVE, got home after 7 pm and stopped inside for a brief moment to put away the ice. Apparently this has to be done in a timely manner. Otherwize, I would be putting a leaky bag of water into the chest freezer. This would do me no good. Okay, then I hurridly made my RVL shake for dinner... also LOVE this! Poured into a to go cup and took off to the neighbors house to bring them a bucket with a lid. Seems that they, along with 99% of the world have leftover vegetables that they would normally throw away. I rarely throw mine away now, because we actually eat them here! We don't guilt-buy them only to pretty up the fridge.
So back to the neighbor. She wants to contribute to the healthy appetites of my pigs! Cool!! She already had a sack of vegetables for me at the door. I thanked her and traded the empty bucket for the bag full of scraps. Back in the van/truck to the back door neighbors to feed their ducks and cats while they are at the coast this week. (Lucky bums) ~I accidently typed "Lucky Buns" I laughed for a minute, then fixed it. Then I thought that you may like to laugh too... Leave the engine running, cause I don't take long! Off to Chicken Larry's to pick up my newly hatched chicks! Larry rocks! He gave me 42 chicks for the price of 28! He likes to refer to himself as "Mr Haney"" from Green Acres. Only in the fact that if there is something that one may be needing, he will have it somewhere on his farm, and of course it's for sale! We all need a Mr Haney. Okay, I load up my 42 chicks and after discussing very important things like the sale barn in Durrant and what to do with chickens and peacocks when they die, I head back home to put the chicks in the brooder that I got from, you guessed it, Chicken Larry! Realized when I got back to the house that the animals had not been fed yet, so I dawn my evening wear (headlamp) and head out to the goat pen. Billy helps feed the goats and the dogs, we put up the geese, check on the chickens in the pen and gather eggs. I have 2 game hens (from Larry)sitting on some eggs together in a nest box (made by Larry) with a chick or 2 hatched under them. I like to make it worth their while for all of their sittin' so I popped a few of the chicks from Larry under them. They thank me by not pecking the holy begeebers out of my hand. Now I can feed the pigs the bag of scraps from the neighbors. The babies are all tucked in the pig shack. I am done. And it's only 10:15 pm! Now, I can relax for oh, 30 minutes before going to bed. Now for the count: 4 goats plus a billy goat on loan for breeding, 2 great pyrenees dogs to watch over the goats and everyone else, 27 chickens, 8 roosters (rescued 7 roosters Saturday night), 44 baby chicks, 3 geese, 5 rabbits and 6 pigs. Yeah, we've only got 3 acres here, so it's starting to feel a little cramped! I guess we need to sell some stuff. Feed is getting out of hand. Anyone need a rabbit? A few chickens???

Fences....

Some fences are intimidating. Some are functional. Others still are just kind of pretty. Unless you've seen my neighbors. I don't know what they were going for, but "pretty" is a far stretch! So are the terms "functional" or "intimidating" There is some really old picket fence, then a bare spot, well not really bare, there is an old chair laying there and part of a bike. Then there is more fence with tree parts and downed fence, then there is, I'm guessing, 12dogs laying in the road at the curve and spilling back into the yard. Lovely to look at. Really. The dogs like to find things to drag out of the "fenced" yard and lay them into the street at the curve. Well, I mention their fence because it makes mine look spectacular!! ;D Mine is a mish mash of garden fence made more goat-worthy by adding some wood pallets to the exterior, then other areas have cattle pannels. Another spot for the geese is hog wire with orange constuction netting to keep the pesky geese in. The south side of the property has some very old barbed wire, but goats don't respect barbed wire. Did you know that about goats?? I once read an interview with a goat in Mother Earth News and the goat said that you could just place the goat in the field and tell him to stay and he would. I think he is a big fat liar! So, I added some more, you guessed it.... wood pallets! There is one point where I ran out of pallets and decided that an old piece of barn tin would look nice along the poison ivy, so I slapped it up and it has held so far. It gives the place that certain ambiance! When the sun is just setting, the glow on the old tin is magical! The pigs are easy. 2 strands of electric wire. The problem with this is when an occasional baby chicken finds herself outside of the chicken coop, she tries to find a way back in and stumbles on to the electric wire! This is not good! This I know from experience. So does Sparky! I don't know if you have ever had the sensation of holding a hot wire for a second or 2, but try doing this while you place your free hand, (or head) on the chain link fence! Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the chain link fence around the chicken coop! I had some 20 foot pieces of chain link that were just laying around, so I beefed up the chicken coop with them. Nicest looking pen that we have! Anyway, back to the electric wire and Sparky. I was in feeding the chickens yesterday evening and counting babies as I usually do. They move around fast! Have you ever tried to count a bunch of chickens? Especially when they all look about the same!! It's as hard as counting fleas on a dog! I suppose, although I have never done such a thing. So, here I was counting. 1,2,3,4,5,6....11. Hmmm... again....1,2,3,4,5....11. Really I think I saw 12. Again and again. Now I am fairly sure that there are just 11. I started out of the coop when I saw #12 just laying there looking at me with a quizzical look. Hmm... never saw her look quite so layed back before. I then realize that she is entangled in the hot wire! Jeez! Okay, I carefully balance the handful of eggs in one hand while I ever so gracefully snatch the sizzling chick by the scruff of her neck away from the wires that were actually twisted around her leg! Her head had been resting on the chain link. (like I was talking about earlier, in case I lost you) I took a bit of a shock myself in this harrowing rescue! She smelled of singed hair, which I thought to be odd since she does not have hair. ~Note to all of you city folk; chickens have feathers. Which leads me to believe that burning feathers smell much like burning hair. Just in case you ever wondered. So, there she was, looking kind of like she was poised to do some sky diving, her legs stretched out behind her, long and stiff, toes slightly curled... This is not the way chickens usually lay. They really like to keep their legs up under themselves. Have you ever woke up in the middle of the night with leg cramps? They hurt! You have to get up and stand to stop the leg cramps, and then you walk around a bit. Next thig you know, you are wide awake and it's only 2 am, so you go on line to see who else can't sleep... Oh yeah, back to the chicken. (Sparky) Did you know that chickens sometime require physical therapy? They are not too fond of either! I laid Sparky on my legs and did some passive range of motion and she was a little pissed about that and didn't mind telling me so! Chickens can get loud! I put the poor girl in a box for the night. Mainly because she kept singing too much and would have kept us awake. This morning I picked her up for more therapy and she suprised me by her quick recouperation! She could stand and looked really good! Sparky got to go back to the coop this morning, and I reminded her to stay in the coop! "See this fence?" ~showing the hot wire to Sparky, "Next time it'll be the last time!" With that, she snuggled in a laying box and ate some feed. Now, I'm sure that all of this discussion about fences and chickens has made you think twice about starting a small farm. Or maybe it has made you think of KFC for dinner. In any case, next time you see electric wire,think of little Sparky! She will no doubt grow up to lay hard boiled eggs!