Oh Boy, Almost 2024

Man alive I have really been slipping up on keeping up here.

It has just been one thing after another. The world doesn't stop because I want to do something else, lol.

My 42 year old sewing machine had about the only piece of plastic in the whole thing some kind of washer fall out when I opened the left side door and it clunked more when sewing. It is a New Home bought it in MO. in 1981 and they were made in America then. Before they were sold to Japan. We order a Janome as that is what they became. Learned the company had been sold to one in Taiwan. We had to send it back as it was not what it cracked up to be anymore that's for sure. :( Disappointing.

We went back to hunting for a good machine and ended up looking at Husqvarna Vikings. I am trying one out. I didn't even know they made sewing machines. My dad had Husqvarna chain saws for years working in the woods. They are Swedish but assembled in China, the only thing I didn't like. I have been sewing on for 2 weeks, so far so good.

The weather has been crazy, like the L'Nino weather in 2006 to 2007 winter. Cold, snow, warm, ice, rain cold, ice, rain, snow, warm. lol. Back to cold I hear in the middle of Jan.

After the snow melted we had quests.

Thanksgiving was at J and J's as normal. We took a ham, jello, and 2 pies. It is not a hardship on anyone to have everyone bring something. We all volunteers something and then the holes are filled in. We rally miss those that didn't come. It was nice to see so many of the adult kids grands and great grands. It was great to see in laws of J's. 

A son D and his son A came for Christmas weekend. Daughter T was supposed to come Monday but a flat tire happened so she came Tue. :)

We also had the Manger scene up, odd Christmas decor. and 3 snowmen that you set small tea candles in to glow :).

We had to get a new fridge :( but found one on clearance because of damage on the right door, :) it is a side by side. Big deal.

Then the doors had to be taken off on the old one and anything else sticking out, ack. The doors it had to go out were 31 1/2 and 31 with the doors on. So, doors were taken off and we just barely scrapped out onto the deck with it. Take the fridge and freezer doors off the new one and get it inside.

There was no getting it through the kitchen door as the stoppage would be that door and the back porch door are short and narrow. With a very short angle to get anything large in, no way. We even cut down the counter between the dining room and kitchen that former people had cut through the house wall and made the back porch the kitchen. Now that has to be kind of remade but makes for more room going through there.

Kitchen side you can see the boards from the outside of the original back porch. One can't just buy 2 tiles wither. We are going to piece in pieces from what we took off.

I managed to finish a short book called; I Lacked Vital Information. It is linked on the same page with it's paperback. Link to books

I just put away all the Christmas things last night, the containers only need to be taken to the barn now. Just the small tree box and 3 plastic containers.

We want to wish everyone a Happy New Year to come.

Sheeeshhhhhh

 I was going to do a post in the middle of October and ended up sick. Dh brought home a bad sinus cold type thing and I caught it from him about 2 or 3 days later. He is better but I tell he's not quite right yet when he has to be gone most of the day or tries to do to much here.

A lot of the family has been ill as well in all their different places, in and out of our state.

We had our first snows 5 to 7 days ago. Warmer this week with rain starting today. May mean freezing at night and ice in the mornings.

On the morning of the 9th of Oct. a good size bear scared our neighbors cattle and they plowed through their upper fence to get to the lower fields. It then went under our mutual fence in the upper pasture and tore a T post out of the ground and broke the cattle fencing away from another T post. It proceeded down to our lace and went through 2 fences letting our 3 visiting mules out. We don't know where the bear went out but it may have followed the mules out the driveway. We found them around 4 miles away visiting a horse at another farm.

Thank you Nancy for letting them stay and visit while we let the owners know they has escaped and gone walk about. Mrs. C came with her horse trailer and picked them up. They due to go home on Sat. anyway.

This is where they are in the mornings for their oat treat. To the east of thee back yard the day before.

On the way home I spotted 2 white turkeys with the rest of the flock at a neighbors. Not real good pics with my phone.

All take care and don't forget to have extra food, water and blankets on hand for cold weather if your electric goes down. A few games for the kids and etc. to.

More Rain Coming and Work

 Lots of work being done and rain supposed to be on the way in Monday night. Not that we haven't needed it because we do. The rain a couple weeks ago was great.

We still have a ton to do both barn work and the garden with a bring in wood and so on.

Lots of beans picked and canned, we froze about 4 gallons. Yellow, green and dragons.

Supposed to be getting down in the 30's F. by the end of this coming week and we still have stuff in the garden that isn't quite ready yet.

Dh has been working hard trying to get the barn ready for winter. We have the east wall up, the door may be a tarp this winter. Also still needs flashing put up.

Both of the frost free hydrants have been replaced. The back yard one was here when we moved here in Sept. 2004 and dh kept adjusting it to get it to work but we finally realized it needed replaced.                

Back yard. At least it had a shut off on it.

We found broken concrete blocks as he dug a few inches under the sod.

Chicken yard. Digging old one up.

Leaking badly.

He had to dig a drainage ditch.

Putting a shut off valve on, it didn't have one and we had to turn off the water to the whole house twice. The first time when he dug it up to replace it. Then having to stop the leak and go get the parts needed to put on new parts and valve.

In and putting the rock and dirt back in.

Chickens helping, NOT!

Hydrant in and blocked off from the chickens digging around it in the loose dirt.

Picture of a spider web blowing in the wind off of the top of a lilac bush.

Another September

 Or maybe the title should be; We're working as fast as we can.

The neighbor came over and helped with the gutter on the front of the barn lean-to on Saturday. We trade back and forth with helping with things. Better than ladders :).

The weather is turning cool, we even had a couple of rains that we needed. Made the grass and pastures green back up really quickly. Dave had to water the rest of the garden Saturday night as it was drying out. But still doing good. \

The pie pumpkins are turning orange and the corn is still not ready to pick. The corn may be cutting it close for being ready before our first frost. Usually this month.

I made sweet pickles with some beet juice in it so they look a little strange.

We have been canning beans, yellows, dragon and purples. But the dragons and purples turn green when canned. To bad they would look really neat.

I have been making jean purses or overnight bags whatever folks what to use them for. I sew in several pockets. Good way to use up scraps of things and old ties. On this one buttons and Velcro hold the pockets closed.

Everyone take care and have a safe late summer.

Needed Rain Arrived

 Rained a bit yesterday which was great to clear the smoke we have had in our area. Today we had a couple of gulley washers. True curtains of rain. We are hoping it has helped lessen and or pretty well put out the fires.

The guest mules have tried rolling in their favorite spot but it just turns into a mud roll :).

The potatoes are all dug up and the last batch is hardening off on the tables in one of the garage lean-to's. I think we will be picking one more batch of beans and then let the yet be for seed.

We will pick what's on the old apple tree tomorrow I think. They are mainly good for just things like apple sauce and apple butter.

Some of the family came up to visit yesterday late afternoon and brought things for a light meal with them. Thank you so much. Always nice to see grands and our adult children and in laws that we count as our children as well.

It's been in the 60's F. this week ,very nice. Will be low 80's at the end of the week but that's not to bad. With 50's F. at night. Good sleeping weather.

Everyone take care.

Great Gobbledygook

 Dave has been digging potatoes, first batch hardened off on tables in the sun and boxed up in pine shavings. We canned up some of the turnips, only 5 qts worth so far. Have another batch pulled. Just as many still in the ground. Also made dill pickles and will make more as the cukes come in. Don't know if the pumpkins will have time to ripen.

Looks like it's time to pick the apples off of the other tree. We did one this morning. The one by house didn't do to well but some is better than nothing. It was trimmed last fall for the first time in years.

It' been very hot this week 102 F. yesterday here, much hotter in the valley but normal summer temps for them really. There used to be months of that but hasn't been for a few years. Cooler and 84 deg. tomorrow, with nights back in the high 50's. Maybe some rain coming in for 3 or 4 days only 30 % chance but winds bringing in the cooler temps. on Friday. Sat. 80 deg. F. Yay. Except for hardening off the rest of the spuds. They will have to go into the car lean-to.

Front ramp is finished.

Some of the new bags made.

Monday the 7th we had gotten in from the garden and putting up some extra temporary fence. Everything seemed fine. I had some breakfast, we watched a April General Conference talk etc. I took a shower, got a dizzy while in it. A bit later got dizzy again. The next time were worse with my right side going fuzzy feeling. The seconds later another one hit and real dizzy and right now head to toe went numb.

At the hospital we found out I had a TIA, a tiny blood clot. Oh joy. Spent the night in the hospital and they started me on Plavix. 

After taking the Plavix 3 to 4 days I started getting woozy headed, balance wasn't good, couldn't sleep well at all, felt tired and weak. Took a pill on the 14th of Aug. and decided that was the last one. I was just getting worse.

Today is Thursday the 17th and finally feel more myself. 

Last week on Wed. I also got a heart monitor stuck to my chest. Supposed to wear it for 21 days, can't get it wet, HA. It itches, so I must be allergic to the adhesive. We called to tell them. Just lovely. I told them I would wear it as long as I could stand it. They said good.