12/25/2014 - Happy Birthday Jesus!

I woke this morning to find my best friend pressed into my back as he is most mornings and the early morning light filtering in through the window shades, I smiled and thought how lucky I am to be alive and have great family and friends, I miss them all and wish we were closer but I know without any doubt that this is home…I'm at Peace! Thankful! and Happy! 
I hope that all of you that read this can find (if you don't already have) Peace and Happiness, and always be Thankful…

With all that being said I am a little disappointed, just a little, I was hoping for a white Christmas, with a forecast of 49 degrees, sunny, 0% change of rain I don't think it's going to happen… maybe next year… 

Herc went crazy for the chicken jerky he got from Honda and Louie, he got so excited I was afraid that he was going to start peeing, but he didn't and enjoyed the piece on jerky very much, of course he wants more but will have wait.

That reminds me of a store I want to share, the last time I was in town I got some of the cheap hotdogs for him as treat, he likes them a lot and since the weather has gotten cold he wants to eat more, I figure that he needs more fat in the cold but I don't know just a guess. So the other night I gave him three in his food bowl and went to fixing me some supper, after my food was ready and I got ready to eat I noticed that he was laying near his bowl drooling, I had forgotten to tell him it was OK… I felt bad but was very proud of him… OK, hotdogs gone… lol.

This Christmas season I have been reflecting on my life and I remember an old friend from back in the days that I raced RC cars and knew he had move to so I looked him up on the computer, sent him a Christmas card. He contacted me though Facebook, gave me his phone number and I called him the other night, it was good to catch up it has only been 20 years or so… I didn't value friends back then as much as I do now, another lesson I've learned is how good it is to have real friends…

Still not getting much done here on the homestead but that's OK too. Spring will be coming before I now it…

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year… 

  

December 23, 2014 - National Roots Day

"All your life you think 60 is ancient, and all of a sudden you find you’re 60 and you don’t really feel that different. I feel stronger and more engaged. This is the best time of my life." - Glenn Close

The weather has been cold, cloudy, and wet lately so I have been spending a lot of time indoors on the computer and in front of the TV…

I discovered a while back that some of the Kindle books that I had purchased over the years are available on audio books and if I already purchased them on Kindle that they were only $1.99. What a deal some one will read to me for several hours for 2 bucks! I'm sold and I set here at the computer listening to some of the books that I have enjoyed over the years…

The other day I was going to go to town so I got into the Mini with Herc only to find that the battery was dead, I didn't have to go so I postponed the trip and looked for one of the several battery post cleaners that I have, of course I could not locate any of them and added one to the list of things to pick up from town. I decided to put the charger on the battery anyway and didn't expect it to work very well, I was correct…

A day or so later I drove the truck into town and got the supplies I wanted including the battery post cleaner. When I got home cleaned the battery posts and hooked the charger up, several days later, I'm going to need a new battery :-(

As I think about the whole deal I realize that it will be important to have at least two vehicles as it’s too far and dangerous to walk to town. So it will be a priority to keep the vehicles in good running condition.

Got a couple of seed catalogs today in mail so I’ll spent some time on the garden plans, have been watching Youtube videos on permaculture again and planning and planting a food forest here and on the 37 acres or at least the beginnings of them.

I got some tree collards that I ordered from ebay and got them planted, the ones that I left outside didn't make it though the frost, lesson learned. Next fall I'll save some cuttings and keep them inside or in the greenhouse if I get it built by then...

Still haven’t finished the chicken coop it’s been too cold for me to do much outside, and kind of ran low on cash so hopefully I’ll get it done next month and get some chicken then (maybe)…

The worm farm seems to be doing fine, their eating the scraps I give them and when I check they look active so I’m happy with them, plan on upsizing the project in the spring…

December 8 2014

The sun started shining and it warmed up this afternoon (53 degrees) so I went out and worked on the chicken coop, didn't get a whole lot done but I got some done. I need some more hardware but going to have to wait until my next payday…

The last time I went to Walmart I picked up some small potatoes for the crock pot, the ones I picked were Anya fingerling potatoes they sounded interesting and I couldn't remember ever trying them so I got them.

"The Anya is a fingerling potato. It has a firm texture and knobby appearance with a slight nutty flavor. It can be enjoyed boiled, roasted or steamed, either hot or cold in salads but also tastes delicious roasted. It mixes well into vegetarian dishes and with green leafy veg." - https://www.lovepotatoes.co.uk/potato-varieties/anya

After sitting on the shelf for a week or so I decided to use them, I found that a few of them were starting to sprout, wow so live food! I kept a few to plant in the spring and cooked the rest in the crock pot. I like the taste so I try to grow some, if it works that's good and if they don't I try some other variety, But I want to grow potatoes for sure.

December 7 2014 - National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day

A society grows great when old men plant trees who's shade they shall never sit. - Greek Proverb

Has been cold and rainy and I just haven't been doing much…

I heard on a youtube video that all store bought apples have poison on them and that is why animals won't eat them; hum well I had an apple left from a bag of them that I ate so I figured I would do a little test. Come here Herc! I offered him a small piece he smelled it and didn't want anything to do with it, OK that doesn't mean a lot. I have a squirrel that hangs out around the house so he will eat it he's always running around looking for food so put it out for him/her and see what happens…well it has been a couple of days and from what I could see from the window the apple halves looked untouched.
So I went out and looked at them, both look as if they had been chewed in the center of the cut side but very little…hum with the woods so close and a lot of bird traffic it makes me go hum… makes me wonder…

My outside projects have been put on hold until the weather gets a little warmer.

On a more positive topic I have been searching youtube and podcasts on information on food forests and permaculture and gardening in general. My plans are to try to grow much of my own food and now is the time to make those plans and start working on that plan. Searching sources for fruit, nut trees, grapes, berries, seeds, and planning on building a green house. Planning on getting a wood chipper too to help building the fertility of the soil, along with that may get some rabbits for that purpose and maybe a meat source along with the chickens.  

November 29 2014 - Electronic Greetings Day

“If you really want to do something, you'll find a way. If you don't, you'll find an excuse.” - Jim Rohn

Clear Day, 70 degrees, forecasted low of 54 degrees, 8 mph wind out of the South, 91% humidity, 10% of rain.

This is the warmest day we’ve had in a couple of weeks, it has been cold and windy, we got a little snow which didn’t stay around for long within a few hours it was gone. My projects were put on hold and I have been spending most of my time on the computer and watching TV. Retirement is so ruff.

It was so nice today I took advantage of the warm weather and worked on the chicken coop, I was able to finish installing the wire but it took everything I had, my back is hurting again but I got all the wire installed… The new pneumatic stapler made it possible, without it I might have gotten one or two pieces done. Still have a few more thing to do but it’s almost done, I learned a lot about what to do differently if  I ever build another one. That’s what life is all about isn’t it?

Yesterday it was in the 50s and Herc and I went out and played Frisbee, he really enjoyed it, I think he was getting cabin fever…

Last night Herc wanted under the covers so I let him get under them which I didn’t mind he helps keep me warm too so we work together… Well that sounded like a good idea, until about 3:40 this morning and I get awoke and after a moment I realize that he had his butt pressed into my back and he was having some kind of a dream where he is running, so my back is getting hit with his back paws quickly and repeatedly. Well I moved him over and tried to go back to sleep, but here I sit wide awake tell you my store and Herc is under the covers snoring.

We had a pretty bad thunderstorm the other day it didn’t last long but the thunder was real loud and Herc got scared again and since then he has not wanted me out of his sight. Another thing that has happen is he is uneasy about the kitchen which I don’t understand but he won’t eat in there unless it is bright and I’m in there with him, if I’m in there and it’s dark he won’t eat, if it’s bright and I step away he stops eating, well I figured that when he got hungry that he would eat so I didn’t worry about it but after several days of seeing the same food in his bowl I needed to step in and get him to eat so I stood there and he ate all of his food and wanted more…

There’s been a squirrel hanging around the house, running from tree to tree in the front yard, and I’ve seen it on the back porch rail too. Herc gets so excited when he sees it and what to go after it. Must think of it is a chew toy…lol

My week here in the Ozarks...

November 21, 2014 - National Stuffing Day

“When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened for us.” - Helen Keller

Cloudy Day, 43 degrees, forecasted low of 40 degrees, 8 mph wind out of the Southeast, 91% humidity, 20% of rain.

I got two dormant cold hardy fig trees from eBay but I’m out of potting mix so I made another trip to town, picked up some at the home center. While I was there I looked at and decided to get a pneumatic stapler and staples to finish the coop project, nailing the wire on by hand was really hurting my back. The shortest staples they had are 1” long which I got but I wanted some shorter ones so I ordered some 1/2" and 5/8” long ones online.

When I got home I planted the fig trees in two of the bucket garden pots that were empty and got cold while doing it so came in and got warmed up ate lunch, watched a movie and relaxed…

Made a disturbing discovery today as I was putting some groceries away, I found a bread bag that was on top of the refrigerator it had two heals in the bag that had gotten pushed behind a box of sweetener. The disturbing part wasn’t that it was hidden, but that it had been there for at least two months, this was a name brand wholegrain bread and I noticed that there was no mold the heals were soft and even smelled fresh. WHAT! Are you kidding! What kind of “food” are we being sold?

Bread didn’t use to last for months. This has made me rethink what I eat and buy that’s called food…

Got a little rain this afternoon but to get excited about...

A day in my life here in the Ozarks…

November 20, 2014 - National Peanut Butter Fudge Day

“If you would not be forgotten, as soon as you are dead and rotten, either write things worth reading, or do things worth writing.” - Benjamin Franklin

Sunny Day, 49 degrees, forecasted low of 21 degrees, calm, 32% humidity, 0% of rain.

Another beautiful day here, woke up with more aches and pains than normal so decided to take the day and rest up recoup.

The other night I watched two series that I can’t get out of my mind, the first was Battleground Rhino Wars, I got sick to my stomach and then I got really mad, how can people be so cure to any creature is beyond me. Then I watched Ivory Wars and the same feeling came again.  People are so disappointing...

Slow day here on the homestead…