Back to blogging :)

I finally have a new tablet so I can post again, thanks dear! The last four months have gone by quickly! Since my last post (in August) Jimmy has cleared about 20 acres and planted grass seed and cleared about half a mile around some of our fence. This is how it looked before (close to fence line) when he started

This is how it looks now, it's going to make fixing fence so much easier, I can drive up to it with the truck and not have to make a couple trips carrying what I need for repairs each time a fence is down. I can't wait until all the 2 - 2 1/2 miles of fence are cleared

He has gotten all this accomplished along with working over 50 hours a week at his job, so proud of him! This is the first time I have had to freeze most of our vegetables and fruit. My vertigo has acted up a lot over the last three months and this kept me from working on much, so many things had to be put on the back burner.....I have started canning this week, (mostly jelly) I have used a lot of the frozen veggies so not a lot to do. I am soooo happy to be finally feeling better!.....bad news/good news....our outside wood furnace was too bad to even try to repair this year (hubby said), it's 34 years old (he has welded it so much over the last 4 years now there is nothing left to weld....so we have worked really hard this past year to save enough money to buy a heatmor. Hubby picked it up a few weeks ago and has it setting on a concrete pad and pipe running underground to the house (now have to fabricate inside house) trying to get it installed this month, not sure if that will happen since our house is over 150 years old and has never had duct work before so Jim has a lot of work still to do.We are lucky that our forced air is still putting along. :)
We had a bit of snow the other day, it looked really pretty with the green grass.

My granddaughter and mom can be so cute sometimes! What one does so does so does the other.....my granddaughter had to have some tests ran and when I went to the front desk to ask a question, she found the masks on the wall and this is what I came back to.....

We had a really nice Christmas, our kids and grand kids were all together and are all in good health. I just can't believe how fast the year went by.....This is my newest grand babies first Christmas she was amazed by everything around her but of course the wrapping paper was her favorite part. I love this photo of her.

Hope everyone had a nice Christmas! It sure does feel good to be back on my blog! :)

Nutrigrain mill and long awaited vacation!

I learned an important lesson "if you get points letters in the mail check it out" My husband has to stay in a motel because his job is 5 hours from our home well he has been getting these letters in the mail (that I sadly ignored) about reward points for over 4 years because of staying in these motels....we thought it was just for free nights but since we don't get away that often I never checked into it....but hubby decided to check into it about a month ago and found out it was not just for free stays in the motel you can purchase hundreds of different items with your points! He had over 200,000 points so I got on the site and found something I have been wanting for years!! So happy :) and it was only 74,000 points

Next I purchased berries: 25 pounds each of spring white wheat and red wheat, 5 pounds each of rye, barley, spelt and 2 buckets with locking seals for the red and white wheat.

I was so excited to start grinding my flour! The first batch I made was rather disheartening they were rather heavy and dense so I decided to change a few ingredients here and there, then after more a couple more batches I ended up going back to the recipe Whole Wheat Honey Bread from a book I got a while back but I also added 1 tablespoon dough enhancer with 1 teaspoon water and I love it! the bread is light and airy and also make a great sandwich bread, I have made three batches of 2 loaves each since then and they have all turned out great. There is something about grinding berries into flour that is so exhilarating It makes me feel that this is one more thing I can control! The bread is not as light and airy as store bought white but I am slowly getting there and the flavor is so much better!

We are also finally using the vacation my husbands boss gave him three years ago! :) we are going (with two of our grandchildren) to Pigeon Forge Tenn for four days and Franklin NC for two. This is thanks to my youngest daughter that volunteered to set with my Mom and tend to our animals this coming week and thanks to our oldest for letting us take both her children. Excited!!

Winter winter go away....

Jim was home this past weekend yay! The two of us got 3 ranks of wood cut, split and ranked in the wood shed, with the storm that's hitting tomorrow morning I feel a lot better!

This was a big tree it fell during a storm last summer, part of it broke off and landed down the hill Jim cut some of it on the steep hillside and let it roll down to me

This tree was huge! the wood in the truck and on the ground have been quartered with the chainsaw just so we could load them, thank goodness we have the log splitter, once we got home it didn't take long to finish. 

I stocked up on groceries, feed, gas for the generator (if electric goes out) now with the wood up its just waiting game to see what mother nature is throwing at us again.....spring where are you....

I love watching the wildlife they can be so curious at times :)

Its nice after the work is done to set and watch the birds eating their seed.......

And the squirrel sneaking him some food from the bird feeder :)

I think the doves are my favorite to watch.

Hubby even found time to wax his company truck, its been getting really scratched and dinged up with some of the places he has to get into to do his job. 

Doing our best to get through winter....

My sister has been in the hospital again, twice in December and once in January. This is my grandson, my sister and him share a very close bond , he stood by her bed when she was hospitalized a few weeks ago and every time she would open her eyes he would say I love you Aunt Pat over and over. Broke my heart to see my sister this sick and my grandson so sad. She is being put on the liver transplant list, please say a prayer.....

This is my grandson carrying his Aunts purse from the hospital room, I told him this picture's a keeper.....maybe show his first girlfriend......                              

I took Mom out riding around the farm yesterday to gather some wood that had been cut and piled up. I had to look around a bit because I forgot where some of the piles were. I did manage to bring in a little over a rank, tomorrow I'm hoping to get at least two ranks in. Hubby has been gone since Christmas and is (fingers crossed) supposed to be home this weekend but just in case they don't get the job done and we get another cold spell I'll feel better with the wood shed full again.

Home

I had a really nice five days with hubby, so glad his boss suggested I go with him! :) hubby was in class during the day but in the evenings we had dinner together, since he has been gone so much the last five years it was really fun, I enjoyed ever minute. I was surprised though (not in a good way) the classes were in Nashville Tennessee and I kinda expected friendly down home relaxed people........not saying all of Nashville is like this, but the people I met would not even return my "hi" and it surprised me how many people don't even bother to speak English . I know this sounds weird but when I don't understand the language I feel like people are talking about me.....I know I'm a bit weird.... :) my grand daughter got to go with us, her and I spent one day at the Opryland mills

This was the highlight of her trip, we stayed for hours with her setting and watching the fish. 

She was smiling for this picture until (I didn't realize it was set on a timer) just as I snapped the photo it moved and made a noise........she wouldn't stand next to it for another photo.....

Hubby works hard, long hours away from home so he stays in a motel 5/6 nights a week, (I'm glad he loves his job) but what goes with it is not so great. I feel so sorry for him now, I did not realize how uncomfortable staying in a motel can be! The bed was too hard, the pillows too soft and there seems to be (at night) people either talking in the hallway (loudly) or someone slamming a door and on top of that during the day people on the highway are rude and then in person most people are even worse....it felt so good to get home today. I stopped by the post office to get the mail and it took me a good half an hour to leave because I kept running into people that wanted to just talk, hubby only had time to take a nap, pack another weeks worth of clothes and head back......miss him already, but I understand why he says every time he gets back "its good to be home"

And why he sets and stares at the fire when we are burning brush

Or watches the cows in the field for long stretches.......this is his down time.....his reality check from the rat race that he deals with day in and day out

With grand daughter

And both daughters

And most important his time to relax with family, I think after this short trip I went on with him its made me realize why when he is home that's where he wants to stay and why it's always seemed so important to have his "home cooked meals" its his reality check, his reminder this is why he is working long hours and staying in motels and putting up with rude people daily. Sometimes I think its good to walk in someone else's shoes for a bit, it makes you realize how lucky and blessed you are, at least it did me.......now just waiting for hubby to call and let me know he made the 6 hour drive to the motel safe and sound again, then I can climb in my nice comfy bed with a better understanding of the dear sweet, hard working man that my hubby is. All in all I had a nice trip but like hubby says "its good to be home"  :)

August in pictures

I sent my nephew to the well house to get some of my canning jars out and this is what he came back with! When hubby gets home this weekend I have a job for him (cleaning out the well house).......

 I am so happy our hay was delivered this month!

After last years drought and the shortage of hay and the expense of it all, it feels so good to see all 54 round bales setting there waiting for winter :) now to get all the winters wood up. 

We had mom in the ER a couple weeks ago.....and this is what mom and I had to look at.....I tell you I can't take my sisters anywhere!! :D

Love the great pictures my I-Phone takes!

We have a new Pharmacy that opened up this month and it has the cutest little tables and coffee/tea area.

Why is it my one white chicken (that can be spotted a mile off) likes to roam so far from home!

An animal/animals have been having a hay day in my garden and I have not been able to catch him/them. With every 8 cucumbers I get out of the garden at least 6 look like this, I don't mind sharing with the animals, I expect it, but this year its been awful!

My nephew bought a house this month and we were there for a BBQ and Mom was standing by their gazebo...she always takes such a cute picture!

My Redneck Lawn Mower

Our lawn is a good 2 acres and I have already mowed it 8 times this year with a push mower....... Hubby was home this weekend and we were finishing the porch and since I was busy.......I thought let the little one's take care of the yard! I let them in (they were more than willing to help) it took them both days but they really did a good job, now I won't have to mow until next week :)

Finally feels like spring!

I love to watch the ducks search for minnows

I love this time of year! :) it seems as though I get up one morning and a light has been turned on inside my head that I did not realize was off (if that makes since). I can breath deeper, the air feels vibrant and everything around me is finally brighter. I suddenly feel as though I am on a time frame pulling out things that were packed away changing the oil and gas in the tiller and lawn mower, removing the hay fork from the tractor and replacing it with the bush hog  etc.....life feels good, actually great! Would be perfect if hubby were home, although he did get this past weekend off (mandatory shut down) they got to much rain ( he is working near Chicago). The job will be over soon and June 1st is just around the corner and I'm hoping the next job site will be closer to home so he can drive daily! Although by the time hubby gets home the gardens will be well (hope) underway.

 We did get a lot accomplished while hubby was home, he got one of the falcons running and moved (it was parked in front of the house) so now its out of the way until he and our son find time to play with it :)

Cedar trees branches burn so quickly

Sparky (my dog unless hubby is around) has missed his buddy, hubby had been gone for 3 and a half weeks and needless to say  the two of them were together all weekend. Hubby helped me finish the extended garden and we got the cedar tree cut, a raised garden built and the rest of the fence put up along with so much more! It always surprises me when hubby is home to help me, what takes me a week to do by myself we get accomplished together in one day. Hope everyone is having a great spring :D

Keeping our babies this year :)

I realize the calendar says Springs..... but I have my doubts they say we may get a little snow this weekend! I am hoping with Spring we will get back to normal, what we call normal :) With the warmer weather (coming soon) I will be able to get Mom out a bit more and maybe get rid of the cough that has not went away since her bout with phenomena in December.
On to the garden :D I am sooo ready to plant! I have been working on the size of the upper garden and am happy to say it will almost double in size from last years. What took the most time with regards to the extended garden was taking apart all the (over 40 years old) rabbit and chicken cages, they were so old some I pulled apart with my hands. My sister and I just finished with the cages yesterday and my nephew, being a good big brother took the scrap metal (his little brother helped so I gave him the scrap) so the next step is putting up the fence. I always use a 6 foot fence because between the goats, cows, chickens etc...I want to cover all the bases! It amazes me how the goats or cows seem to sense when the yard gate is left open even if only for a few minutes!
We decided after the price cow's went up to last year we better just keep our girls from last year and this year or we would never be able to afford to increase our heard!

Snow Flakes little one finally has a name, my grand daughter likes Sugar Plum and like usual if they have a name it means they can stay (even if I were not trying to increase the heard...... :)

We are also keeping Bella's calf on the left and Ellie's calf on the right

Callie (on left) also has a home, her mom Rosie is on the right

Sister is also staying, her and Callie were born spring of last year so we can breed them this summer.

 

Elevens calf we have not decided if we are keeping yet, but I do know one thing for sure as soon as hay is in the first cutting I am stocking up! This winter has been so hard we ran our of hay the last of February and have been scrambling every since. The hay cost double the usual price (by double I mean double of the inflated price of last fall) and I was lucky to get that I also gave more grain than usual since I was not to sure how good the hay was we were getting......goes along with farming.....some good years some bad, but its still worth it and I wouldn't change a thing. The grass (lucky me) has started to come up last week and not to soon since I fed the last round bale to the cows yesterday and cant find anymore.

I also got our three baby goats dis-budded last week, I swore I would never do this again but these are our future milk goats and since I have been horned a few times and cut up many cattle panels getting a goat horn out..........

All three by the next day were back to normal, the two babies on the left I have not named yet and Valentine is on the right.

Its been a while from my last post so I thought I would also include how many teeth my little one has lost since my last post. She has lost four teeth on the top and two on the bottom, now she talks with a lisp its sooo cute. :)

A day on the farm

 

We had one of those days today our list was long and not enough hours in the day to get everything accomplished! I guess that's what happens when you live on a farm, if everything went smooth then I would worry :)

Snowflake is such a good girl, she cut her leg above the hoof and in the above picture she is letting hubby clean it out with water and some iodine then she also let him spray on the coppertox. Her baby is getting so big I just noticed today she has a small white patch on the right side above her shoulder...cute!

We put Ellie in the upper barn lot today (on the right with horns) she looks like she should calve in the next two days and its sooo much easier to keep an eye on her in the lot than the fields.

Some of our animals make getting chores done a little more difficult (like in the above picture) and when I took Coco and Jill to the barn lot......

when I came back Gilbert and Boo had taken their place some days I cant win for loosing! :)

I did finally get the wood ranked outside and in the wood shed with the storm they were predicting it made me feel so much better to have the two cord of wood ready.

This was oh so fitting for the ending of a long day, I was a little upset I added the whipped cream in the beginning.... but I quickly changed my mind! :p