Finally a warm up

This winter has been BRUTAL! Not only for us here, many places have suffered the wrath of the "white death" WOW! I know I am ready for spring here. Oh sure.... in a month or so.. we will be complaining about all of the mud and muck then a few months later we will undoubtedly be complaining about the heat and humidity...but for now.. I am dreaming of warmer days. We are headed for a quick warm up here... and with that brings the threat of severe thunderstorms for Thursday. *sigh* That's ok tho...it will NOT be snow! 50's and 60's... for a few days, just a teaser as we will plunge back into the 20's for highs soon after. For today tho, I am going to sit in the sunshine and recharge my internal batteries. Oh, I know I SHOULD be out there cleaning out something.... or shoveling out something but I think I will just pay in the sun with a book for a few hours. Of course, that is after I take care of the morning chores...clean the kitchen... get supper planned out.. bring in more firewood to get dry...and run the sweeper. I hope you all are having a sunny warmish day too... if you are, try to get out there and ENJOY!

Winter is ALMOST over, *sigh*

They say winter is almost over....It has been a long, COLD winter so far. More snow than usual, and in places that don't usually get it. Global warming... Hmmmm. We are in for another snow tomorrow. They are calling it a Winter Storm Warning. We are to get 3 to 5 inches. I am not worried....for us here. I DO worry about those who are out of fire wood or propane...or homeless. We really NEED spring. Supposedly we are to get temperatures in the UPPER 60's by next weeks end. I sure am looking forward to it. Those temps will let me get out there and get the barn and coops cleaned out before they start to stink... and not freeze while doing it. My plan is, to clean out under the rabbits, put all of THAT in the wagon, maybe add some of the dirty hay from the sheep and goats waste...cover it with a tarp, and let it do its thing until spring planting. Once all of this thaws out...it will be "mud season" I better start buying Lime now...so I have a good stock pile before hand. Lime helps with the smell. So the other day, after I cleaned out the wood box, I was thinking... " there has to be something I can do with all of these wood "crumbles" from the bottom of the box." I decided to try and make fire starters with toilet paper rolls. Here is how I did it. Take a TP roll and fold closed one end...stuff the wood chips inside, then fold closed the other end. They work great! I am going to make a bunch of these for next year.

The other day I was needing summer so bad... I decided to try to force myself into feeling better with this.....

It sorta worked... we really enjoyed it, even if the strawberries were store bought. The end of February is time to plant those seeds. I am super excited to get them going. Before we know it we will be sitting in the shade of a big tree, enjoying the fresh produce from the garden...the bite of a warm tomato, fresh from the garden...cucumbers by the pounds...fresh greens, and herbs...Ahhhh, summertime...I long for it! But for now...I will carry in a bit more firewood...wrap myself in my lap blanket.. with my big dog at my feet, and dream.

February 5th... and another winter storm. *sigh*

Well, here we are in February and yet another winter storm is upon us. *sigh* It started yesterday with afternoon snow....then rain and sleep to top it off....and this morning, a little more snow, to make sure that everything is nice and slick. Morning chores we fun. No, really, they were. See, there are a *few* cats that live in the barn, and in the morning they come to the front porch to greet me, and walk me to the barn. You know.... to make sure I find my way to the kitty food. As I headed out several came running towards me and when they tried to stop.... they didn't! They went skidding across the top of the snow and ice, scrambling. I laughed so hard I had to sit down the buckets of warm water I was carrying. We all finally made it to the barn, safe. Once I came inside, I had a recipe that a dear friend shared with me for Pita pocket bread. We love pocket sandwiches. Brown some sausage in a skillet, add sliced potato's and a bit of water. Cover and let simmer until the potato's are done. Then add your red and green pepper slices. add salt and pepper and let simmer, covered until peppers are not completely soft, but cooked. Slice your pocket bread open...and stuff this inside. YUMMY! Oh, here is the recipe for the Pita bread. It is so easy, you will never buy it in the store again! Wimbush Family Pita Bread 1 tablespoon yeast 1 ¼ cup warm water 1 teaspoon salt 3- 3 ½ cups flour Dissolve yeast in water for about 5 minutes in the bowl of an electric mixer. Add salt and 1 ½ cups flour and with the dough hook, beat to make a batter. Add additional flour until a rough, shaggy mass is formed. Knead 8 minutes until dough is smooth and elastic. Add more flour if it is too sticky. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and divide into six pieces for large pitas or ten for smaller. I make all sorts of sizes to suit different snacks and meals. Form dough into balls, then flatten with a rolling pin into ¼ inch thick discs. Try and keep an even thickness as this is what helps them ‘puff’. Let rest on the floured surface 30-40 minutes until slightly puffed. Preheat oven to 425F. With a large spatula, flip the rounds of dough upside down on to a baking sheet. Bake 10-15 minutes until light golden. Stick around for the first five minutes of baking when the pitas perform their magic and puff up from flat pancakes to proud, four inch high pitas. These store for up to two days well wrapped or frozen for three weeks. It really IS easy!

And there you have it... now go...get your bake on!!

Arctic Vortex.

So, that's what the weather people are calling this last blast of cold weather. An Arctic Vortex. Hmmm, not sure why they feel they need to label the weather. Why can't they just call it what it is? DARNED COLD! So it was a rough few days, but happily all of us made it through. Whew! Yesterday I let everyone back out to the pastures and yards. The goats and sheep went RUNNING out, kicking up their heels. I guess they were getting "barn fever" The chickens were not so excited to get out. They ran to the door, looked at the snow...and stopped dead in their tracks. They were happy to just stand in the doorway looking out for a while. At least I was able to air everything out a bit. Today was even better. I think we hit a high of 42 today. It is still going to be a while before everything thaws, but it sure felt good not to have the wind feeling like it was ripping my skin off. The day ended with a little snow and rain mix but it isn't terrible.... yet. They are talking next week, back into the teens for highs. Not looking forward to that. For now I will take advantage of the "warmer" temperatures and clean out the stalls and coops, get fresh bedding down and prepare for the next round of winter weather. One good thing about these long cold days... I have a reason to be inside, thumbing through seed catalogs, getting ideas on what I want to plant this spring. I just love planning a garden. Oh, but as most everyone knows...even the best laid plans can fail. I usually plan these grandeur gardens.. then last minute... just about the last few planting days.. I am throwing things wherever they land. LOL Every year I say " this year I will plan better" So, this year... I WILL plan better. Adding a few more fruit trees this year, and expanding the hog pen into the woods. 2 fairly big projects, I intend to finish.

Mercy it's cold!!

What a way to bring in the new year.....colder than a well diggers bottom! The weather guy said we were supposed to get a LOT of snow Sunday, however we didn't. We got a LOT of rain. At first I was glad....rain fills the water troughs and rain barrels. Yep... that is a good thing....then...the temps started dropping. FAST! Everything froze solid. The winds picked up, it started to snow on top of all of the ice. Wind chills of -30 to - 45. So, while the temps were "warm" and we were getting rain, I headed to the barn to get everyone settled in before the "big freeze" Locked the goats in their stalls, threw a lot of extra bedding to everyone...a little extra groceries. Yes...I was sure everyone was ready. This morning...wow..it was so cold going out there to do chores. They warned us that any exposed skin would freeze after 30 minutes. So we did chores in increments. First the barn.....warm water for everyone, extra hay, done. I was happy to see the sheep was laying with the pig. Since the pig is older, she needs all the heat she can get. Back inside to thaw a bit and grab more warm water for the pigs and poultry. We added warm water to the pigs feed so they could warm up from the inside. Everyone seemed to be doing alright. I am so glad. I was worried I would go out there to frozen critters. The temps are steadily dropping here. It was 5 degrees at 04:30 this morning. It is now -6. Dangerous temps. By the weeks end...back into the upper 40's. CRAZY! I am going to grab my blanket...some hot tea...and sit here by the fire. Until it is time to take more warm water to these critters. Stay warm....be safe if you MUST get out there.

What a year!

It is hard to believe that this year is almost over. Wow! One more for the books. I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. Ours was nice and sad. We have 3 living children, and only one of them lives close enough to come home for Christmas. He came with his family...our wonderful daughter in-law and their 3 children. It was a great day. Every so often, little Kaylen ( she is 4 ) would come up to me and so sweetly say.. " Grandma, I love you" then give me a BIG hug. I love all of my grandchildren....but she knows just how to melt my butter. :) When the time came for evening chores, the oldest grandchild, Skylar, he is 13...went with me to get the chores done. He is such a great helper. He volunteered to break the ice in the water troughs and rain barrels and haul water to the critters. Even tho he is only 13, he towers over me. Of course I am only 5 foot tall...so MOST people tower over me. I believe he is standing at about 5 foot 6 or 7 now. Such a great kid. We had a wonderful day but it would have been perfect if the other 2 children could have been home. I will not dwell on that tho, I am thankful they are healthy, and have jobs that kept them from coming. So many are without jobs right now. So now that the "hustle and bustle is over...... I have thought about the new goals for next year already. I don't make resolutions...however this year I am...my resolution is to walk away from negativity...and try to spread happiness and be more helpful to every who needs it. I also have goals..for the farm. I am hoping to get the new pigs into the woods. This will not be a small undertaking, however, it will be good for them and me. They will have more room to roam and eat more naturally...and will have the coolness of the woods. I plan to keep the pen they are in now, connected to the wooded pen so I can move them up for winter. This will keep them in a smaller area, closer to the house and make it easier on me during the colder months. Well, that is the plan anyways. Another goal is to get the small pond fenced in, and build a hut for the ducks. Not sure this goal will be reached, but, I am throwing it out there. I also want to build my Medicine Wheel. Don't know what a medicine wheel is? Well....let me tell you...In Native American spirituality, the Medicine Wheel represents harmony and connections and is considered a major symbol of peaceful interaction among all living beings on Earth. I am planning MY medicine wheel to be planted with Herbs and a few flowers...with my totem in the center. This is something I have been planning for a few years....collecting just the right materials , rocks and such. This is something I "need" for MY spirituality. Each one is very personal to whomever builds and maintains it. It will be a place for me to go and cleanse my mind and reconnect with Mother Earth. This next year, I would also like to plant more flowers. There has always been so much work on the farm I have not been able to enjoy flowers. It is time... I need it...the farm needs it. We also need to add a few more apple trees and maybe a few peach trees. Oh boy, the list is growing! Winter months give us all time to sit and think and plan for the new growing season. It won't be long before we are getting in the gardens, feeling the dirt under our fingernails smelling that sweet scent of fresh turned soil. But, for now, I am enjoying the little bit of down time...sitting by the wood stove with my blanket and my seed catalogue's and dreaming.

Cats....hogs...and Electric fencing. Oh my!!

Oh boy....we were scheduled for 3 Thanksgiving dinners. As I sat here contemplating each and every bite, I worried of how hard I would have to work to get those pounds off. You know...we have to keep our "girlish figure" Hahaha. Anyways....so we were set for 3. First, in KY at my baby sisters house. That was a Saturday before Thanksgiving. Then on "the day" was ours with our children and their families....then the third in Ohio, with my husbands siblings and father.Well, fate decided for me, that 2 was enough. While at me sisters, I caught some sort of virus/bug. Oh, I wasn't the only one who got it...my nephew got it as well. It was one of those sicknesses where quietly you pray for death just for a bit of relief. The fever grabbed a hold of my brain as the aches wreaked havoc on my poor old body. Fever ran between 100 and 103.7 It was a doozy! Of course, having a farm, you still have animals to take care of....so, twice a day, I would bundle up, put on my "big girl panties" and head out to do chores. By Thursday I was feeling well enough to put together a big Thanksgiving meal...be social...then drop back into bed once everyone left. Fever raged once again. Friday, I thought death was coming for me, so I went to urgent care. That Dr had no clue...ears, sinus, throat, lungs...all clear. It was just a fever and aches...and Ohhhh, sooo tired. She wrote a script for the ZPac and sent me home. By Monday, I was still ill...so I called my family Dr, told them my symptoms...and they got me right in, but asked me to wear a mask. He checked the same ears,nose,throat, lungs....still clear...urine clear..so he ordered a full blood panel. ( Still waiting on those results) By Tuesday I was feeling better...the fever broke...chores were a LOT easier. Knowing to not over do it...I just did what needed to be done...water the barn animals...clean one small coop...feed and water...then back to bed. Today, Wednesday...I am up and...well..I am up. As I head out to do chores...let the ducks out, feed and water chickens...I head to the hog pen. One of the cats, Ringo...loves to follow me while I work. Now, USUALLY he steers clear of the hog pen...not this morning. For some reason, he decided he wanted to follow me in..well, he didn't know about the electric fence. He hit that fence, flew up into the air and INTO the pen...where he panicked..running to the fence line trying to get out and each time running into the electric fence...that old cat hit the electric fence at least 10 times before running into the chain link fence so hard, he got his face wedged into it. Luckily the hogs were busy eating....and he was under the electric fence enough where I could reach him safely. I grabbed the scruff of his neck...and pulled him free, holding tight because I just knew he would freak out once loose...and I didn't want to get shredded by those claws. I headed to the corner to toss him over, when he grabbed the tree and shot straight up!! *sigh* now I have a cat 15 feet in the tree, stunned, hurt, and scared. I went about the chores..letting him rest for a bit...then came back to him. I had to get him from the tree. If he came down on the wrong side of the fence, we would have been in for round two. So I had to wait it out...in case I needed to unplug the fence. I couldn't leave it unplugged because of the hogs. So, I sat, and waited....and waited...about 30 minutes before he finally found the courage to get down. He is fine...just a little frazzled. Then off to the barn to finish out there...throwing hay, laying bedding...getting everyone ready for this winter storm coming in Friday and Saturday. Yes, I said "winter storm" Its all the buzz....today the temps are supposed to reach almost 70 degrees....and by Friday..highs in the 20's...ice storm, then snow on Saturday. Crazy weather for sure. I am so glad I am over this...whatever it was I had..I am still sore, and tired..but the fever is gone. I am going to head into town and pick up rabbit food...then come home and finish laundry. A good reason to stay inside. Take it easy, and plan for the Christmas parties that are coming up. *sigh* I still have to finish decorating! Running out of time...I need 2 more of me. :)