I worked with dh again today (as well as yesterday). Over the weeks, I've been slowly gathering items to make this job more comfortable for me. I've always been a glove wearer, and found a nice pair of real leather gloves from one of those cheap tool places for $5. The gloves actually seem to be well made and high quality.
I have also worn a hat over the years, to protect my face and neck from sunburn. Gloves and hat when gardening in the summer. During the winter I'm not so fussy about it.
The first new addition this year was wearing a bandanna. I haven't really worked much in the HOT HOT part of the day for much of my life, and haven't needed something to mop the sweat that drips off my forehead, and runs into my eyes, burning them with salt. I actually never knew I sweated this much, to be honest.
Yesterday, we worked on putting a deck back into place. Whoever built it didn't do the best job. For one thing, it's a pretty large deck, 20 feet in length by about 12 feet, and they only put in supports on the outside perimeter of the deck. The ledger, which was attached directly to the house, was the only support for the beams. Anyway, it's hard to explain since I don't really know all the official terms and probably only carpenters would care about those anyway. I don't think any carpenters are reading my blog...
But here, with this picture, maybe you can get the gist. Okay, see the board against the back that the "ledger" arrow is pointing to? The bottom of the first beam you see is just bit below that ledger, but see how the next one is quite a bit more below it? The bottom of the beam should be level with the bottom of the ledger, so you can see it's sagging down quite a bit. Then, see the nails pulling out from the ledger? The beams were being held in place with nails, and also, you can see there are no supporting pillars (under any beams) from this view. The entire side of the deck was attached to the manufactured home! Remember, this deck is 20 feet long - and that length was butted up against the home and nailed into it. It's a wonder it hasn't started pulling the home apart (it is a double wide) from the weight of it.
Okay, so here is a picture during the repair. We used joist hangers to secure each beam to the ledger. This should have been done originally, and this problem would have been less prone to happen. We also used metal straps to help secure things better. We also put several pillars underneath the deck in various spots, to give it more support, rather than just counting on the ledger to be the sole support.
Ideally we would have taken the thing down and redone it, but then you have to pay for permits and inspections, and that sort of thing. So if the deck could be repaired, that's what we were asked to do.
So yesterday dh removed five boards to create that gap you see. The person who put in the deck wasted no expense or time on nailing down the boards. Every single board had 3 to 4 nails pounded into every single beam. The boards are six inches wide by twenty feet long. The beams were probably 18 inches apart, so each of the five boards had 39 to 53 nails, long nails, mind you. We didn't really have a work table or anything like that, so I worked on my knees pulling out the nails. I also became very good friends with my cat's paw, as I learned how to use it to gain more leverage when pulling out the long nails. Otherwise I was whacking the hammer again and again, without the nail budging. Very cool.
You see, I've always loved this kind of work. Every since I was a little girl. When my father left when I was five, I kind of stepped in as the "handyman" around our house, which was just my mom and the three of us girls. So I'm pretty lucky that I do like this kind of work. It is gratifying work!
We worked on this place several weeks ago, putting up a fence. So it's been about a month since I've been back. I did notice that I could navigate the terrain much better -- meaning it feels like I am in better shape now than several weeks ago! The house was set up on higher ground, and there is a steep grade to walk up to the deck area. At least this is the quickest path. I could walk several yards east to where the cars are parked. But that would make for a lot of walking back and forth with tools, etc. Then of course, coming down, with the sandy dirt and rocks, you have to tippy-toe and walk fast, almost running to keep from falling due to the steepness.
Yesterday I decided that I was buying myself knee pads, no matter if dh thinks I'm a sissy or not. ;-) (Actually I get a break because I'm a "girl").
So this morning when we stopped at Home Depot for more material to build the new stairs, I took a little detour over to the knee pads. I also decided that I should get myself some goggles, since we were going to be using the circular saw today. I hate getting sawdust in my face and almost in my eyes every time. I found this nifty "professional" kit for less than five dollars, which included plastic goggles, plastic earplugs with a string (like little children's mittens often have), and a dust mask. Dh tried to hide the look on his face as I walked up with my choices. He's such a Real MAN ®, and apparently REAL MEN don't wear ANY safety equipment, thank you very much!!!
We got to the worksite and started marking up... wait, I must tell you about the free wood we found on the side of the road. I can just say there was a LOT of it. Like twenty boards. Made of pine, all 1 inch width. Varying lengths, from probably 6 feet to 10 feet long. There was a little sign on it that said, "FREE - Pine Flooring". So we stopped and loaded it up. Oh, and while at Home Depot we found a bunch of cull wood, which sells for $0.51 per piece. I found a piece of real oak which retails for $14.95 and the cashier even called someone over to ask and make sure it was really cull lumber, since it didn't have a black or pink mark on it. The lumber area guy walked up while we were there with more cull lumber and it was some kind of board that you use to put at the lower part of a room, and then put trim at the top of that to decorate the room. It cost almost $9 a sheet and since it had been cut for someone -- wrong cut -- they were now selling it for cull price $0.51 per sheet. There were nine pieces. I love getting cull lumber.
But we started marking up the stringer... see, I'm learning all these technical terms. The stringer is the part that goes under each tread to support. You ask, "What's a tread?" The tread is the part you step on. So the zig-zaggy piece that goes under each tread is the stringer. We marked up the stringer, and then it was time to get my stuff put on.
Dh couldn't stop from laughing, and he kept saying "You can see with those on, can you?" So I was groping around for my tools and pretending like I was having a hard time seeing. I had my earplugs in, too, and kept saying, "Huh?" He said he just had to take a picture of me.
So here I am all decked out. My senses were dulled: touch, sight, hearing. It really was harder to see, especially since my sunglasses kept going askew (bad grammar?). I couldn't breathe very well under that mask either. But I was all set for putting up with the noisy saw and sawdust!
It wasn't until a while later that I got to try out my new kneepads. OH OH OH. If you do any kind of yard work on your knees, forget those stupid little cushions, buy yourself some KNEEPADS!! Do it today!! They are INCREDIBLE!! I cannot believe HOW much easier it was for me to work. I ended up having to pull out more nails from more boards and usually I can't stay on my knees too long, and have to sit down, or if I have to move from one section to the next, I have to actually stand up, then reposition, then sit back down. But with kneepads... just walk on my knees to the next spot. I was helping dh hold the treads in position with the level, and I was able to rest on one knee, then the other, then both, and switch, so I could hold the position without having to ask him to stop for a minute while I took a rest.
A few years ago, I would have bought the cheapest ones I could find, but I've changed my mind (and having more money to work with HELPS) about trying to find items that are higher quality. I ended up getting some kneepads that have a hard plastic front piece on them, and I'm sure glad that I did. If I'd bought the cheapy foam ones, I don't know if they could have withstood the little rocks and bits of sand I was kneeling on today. The cheapest kneepads were $3.97 all the way up to $40. I opted for the $10 ones and they worked GREAT!
See my cute work pants? They have pink embroidery on the left knee. They are one size bigger than I need, and they are really comfy which makes it easier to work.
Kneepads are awesome tools. I can see myself using them while gardening, or any kind of work outside where I might have to kneel. I'm going to have to find a duffle bag to stash all my work equipment in so I can find it easily every weekend. That's another thing, trying to keep all this stuff together so I don't forget to bring anything that I need to have to be comfortable!
Until next time.
Sunday, October 08, 2006
Kneepads, Where Have You Been All My Life?
Labels: Memory Lane, work
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Thinking And Not Crocheting
Labels: crocheting, Gardening
I've looked all around for my crochet hook, but have not found it yet. I know I have at least two other sized "F" hooks and so I took a look round my bedroom for them. No luck. I really felt like crocheting tonight. It's a little bit scary for me because I can lose interest quickly. I don't want to lose interest. I can't believe I might have to BUY another hook on Friday.
Since I couldn't crochet, I focused my attention on something, which I cannot disclose tonight since someone in my family might read my blog and discover what I did.
I thought and thought and thought while doing the secret something, trying to decide what I could blog about, but nothing came to mind. I could have written about something neat and cute I saw the young pretty rooster do the other day, but I want to take a picture of him to include with the blog, so that will have to wait.
Oh, here's one tidbit of news. There are little green babies peeking their heads up in my garden bed. I am pretty sure some are radishes, but there look to be a lot of weeds, too.
I am very tired tonight, so I guess I will just call it a night.
Until next time.
Tuesday, October 03, 2006
Lost My Hook!
Labels: crocheting, Gardening
I've lost my crochet hook! I don't have time to crochet tonight anyway, and I learned it was lost this morning on my way to work when I was wondering if I could sneak in a few stitches while sitting in rush hour parking lot. I mean traffic. Uh, so I guess it was for my own good that I didn't find it this morning.
I also felt a bit more hopeful about my garden last night. I think if I can pound t-posts into each corner of the garden and then wrap chicken wire around the posts, and attach the chicken wire embedded in the dirt up into the chicken wire that is around the posts, maybe I can prevent the gophers from getting into that bed. Only problem is it is going to be like Fort Knox getting into my own garden bed to weed, harvest, etc.
Until next time.
Monday, October 02, 2006
My Fall Garden
Labels: Biking, crocheting, Gardening, goats
I woke up this morning and remembered that not too many years ago, I woke up every morning without an ounce of pain. Now it's pretty much routine for me to wake up stiff and aching. I'm not sure why, if it's the extra weight, the exercise, the extra work. I hope eventually the pain will subside. I mean, it's not incredible, unbearable pain. It's just uncomfortable, and not normal. Or maybe it is just growing old.
I drove the route we took on the bikes last night. It was 5 and 7/10ths of a mile! It's not too hard to get that kind of distance out here, since there are long, long roads with miles between stop signs, and no signals at all. At least not out in our area. We went north on the main road that goes by our property about 1/2 mile, then east for about 2 miles, then south for about 1/2 mile and then west again, through a neighborhood area which eventually took us back to the main road that we live on. The first little stretch is downhill, the next two miles are downhill - this is just the slightest grade, but enough that you can definitely feel it when bike riding. The next 1/2 mile is uphill, as was the next 2 miles. And the wind was blowing. Not too hard, but enough that you could feel it.
I realized while riding yesterday that it makes sense for what is uphill and downhill, if you take into consideration the flood control: the canals, the washes.
Ds2 helped me with hoof trims yesterday morning and this morning. The last ones we did were on July 30th and we didn't trim the herd sire's hooves. His don't seem to grow as fast as the does. We have two bucks, the other is a Nigerian Dwarf and he almost never needs hoof trims. I probably did his six months ago and his hooves were barely overgrown. Wish I could somehow pull his genetics for feet into our herd.
We did fourteen sets of hooves. We also gave everyone a shot of BOSE, and took girth measurements on them all. I'm still trying to do things to increase milk production. Everyone has stayed about the same. BOSE is given for selenium deficiency, and we live in a deficient area so we give shots every six months or so. It can also cause milk production to drop.
L's milk production went from 2 pounds one day to 3 pounds the next day. She used to give 5-8 pounds, so she is still down. They are supposed to increase every year, not go down!
Here is my progress on the baby sweater. I was able to put on a few rows while waiting for dh to throw 17 bales of hay on the back of the truck. I'm supposed to make this piece somewhere around 7 inches long. I'm getting there.
I put in one bed of my garden tonight. It has been over a year since I have tried to garden. I think it's been over a year. The gophers win every time lately. It's been a big fight out here. The first year, Fall 2002, I just put the seeds in the ground. The birds came from far and near and ate every single tiny green shoot coming up. So dh made a chicken wire cage about 18 inches tall to surround the entire garden. I managed to grow some that year. The next year we made a chicken wire enclosed garden. That worked for a couple of years, keeping out most of the birds (the smallest could still slip in through the 1" chicken wire), ground squirrels, ground chipmunks, cottontail bunnies. Until Fall 2004, when the gophers came. They took one look at the succulent goodies inside and burrowed right under the fencing.
I tried again last Fall, but had no luck. Tonight I just tossed seeds here and there... well I kind of tried to put them in specific places, but as I was planting seeds I noticed the dirt was also overrun with fire ants. Those cannibalized my okra one year. I put Amdro down around the perimeter of my garden, hoping it will get rid of the ants.
I am not sure why I'm trying again. It makes me sad to not have a garden. Here's a picture of my garden in October 2004.
Until next time.
Sunday, October 01, 2006
Riding Bikes
Labels: Aggravation, Biking, Memory Lane
Last week sometime, ds2 and I went on a bike ride one night, then for a bit the next night. I think it was Sunday and Monday evening.
Anyway, I haven't gotten on my bike again until tonight. We rode between 4 and 5 miles. It wasn't too hard, but my wrists were hurting a lot. I have always had a bit of carpal tunnel syndrome problem. I put some Arnica Gel on them when I got home.
Earlier today, I was working on my blog, labeling some of my earlier posts. I was trying to think of a good label for the ones where I was griping and complaining. I looked up the synonyms for complaining. I have decided to use the label Aggravation. Because usually I'm very aggravated about something, hence my complaining.
Speaking of Aggravation. There is a game with that name. I wonder if it still exists. Ah, here is is, Aggravation, manufactured by Hasbro. It was my stepfather's favorite game, because he loved to aggravate his stepchildren. We (myself and my six siblings) were always being quoted that Bible verse:
Ephesians 6:1 KJV "Children obey your parents; for this is right."
Not until I was in my twenties did I know about:
Ephesians 6:4 KJV "And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. "
Okay, obviously my stepfather chose to blatantly ignore that passage. God rest his soul, he passed away a few weeks ago. He was not one of my favorite people, unfortunately. He caused me a lot of grief as a child. He wasn't very smart either. I remember being 10 years old and realizing I was smarter than him in many things. It's why the men in my life have to be smarter than me in SOMETHING, or I have a hard time having any respect for them as a person. I also remember listening to him blathering on at the dinner table, talking about things like how lucky we children were to be eating with the adults. Because when he was growing up, the children ate scraps after the adults had their fill. This was always said in a threatening tone, as if we didn't watch ourselves we might be doing the same one day. I remember thinking to myself, if there wasn't enough food for everyone, I'd go without before I'd make my children eat scraps. Then he'd tell us about how his grandmother used to beat him every day and that's what made him such a good person. And how if she'd beat him more, he'd have been an even better person. Whatever. Dude. Get. A. Grip.
Now you know why I don't believe in hitting children.
I hope I'm not sore tomorrow. And I hope I sleep well tonight. I did put on a few more rows of the baby sweater, but I'm not going to photograph it tonight.
Until next time.
Dairy Dog
Labels: crocheting, goats, LJ
LJ loves his raw goat's milk. Especially fresh from the goat. I shot these pictures this morning. We practice his sit/stays every morning and he waits patiently to have his goat's milk.
I did the gauge swatch with the "G" hook, but it was too big stitch-wise, so I started the pattern with the "F" hook. Here is how far I got. Ds2 distracted me for a while to show me some Matrix spoof flash movies on www.ugoplayer.com I was cracking up at the silliness.
And last but not least, one of our does is in heat and was flirting with the buck. We are keeping with our plan to not breed anyone. So the does will cycle every 21 days until about March and the bucks will go bonkers.
Until next time.
Saturday, September 30, 2006
The Gauge Swatch
Labels: crocheting, Memory Lane, movies
It's official. Satellite Internet is so cool, so MUCH faster than dialup. I just counted off the seconds for uploading this image and it was done in THIRTEEN seconds. WHOO!!
This is my gauge swatch. I don't like doing them. I don't think many people do. I think most, like me, just want to get started on the project! But it's really important for sweaters. This evening's question is, "HOW important?"
My pattern's gauge: "15 hdc and 10 rows = 4 ins"
My stitches gauge is right on, but hold on... I'm using the "F" hook, instead of the "G" hook! I have always liked the "G" hook. It reminds me of my maternal Grandma. She used to crochet slippers for us when we were little, and she'd put a nice soft padding of material inside, and then she'd sew a plastic foot to the bottom. I can remember lining up to have her trace our feet onto the paper. She worked for the county as a court recorder and she always had foot high stacks of legal sized paper. We were admonished to NEVER look at the writing side as these papers were legal documents that had been thrown away - long before the days of document destruction and identify theft concerns, but my Grandma was quite the recycler. I'm sure to her way of thinking, throwing all that perfectly good paper in the garbage was simple horrid. She did live through the Depression, which I understood had the effect of making a person very frugal. It is interesting that I always viewed the writing side as the "back" side of the paper. The blank side was the "front". Now of course if I see a piece of paper with writing on it, that is the "front" side. The plain side is the "back". Even though I could read, I never, ever read the back side.
Now back to my gauge swatch... alas, my rows are a bit off, unless I do some flattening and stretching. Once I do the flattening and stretching on a flat surface, then it measures properly.
I went online to do some research into what happens if your gauge is right one way, but off the other way. I found this site which gave some great explanations:
Annie's Attic - Yarn FAQ
According to Annie, it's much more important for your stitch gauge to be accurate. Let me take the liberty of quoting her:
Q. What if my stitch gauge matches, but not my row gauge?
A. Of the two, the stitch gauge is more important. In a sweater pattern, for example, most patterns will tell you to work so many inches to the underarm, then so many inches to the neckline shaping. In this case, it doesn't matter if your row gauge is a bit off since you're working in inches. 
I just realized that I have the option to "Show all" of my Blogger labels at one time, so I don't have to try to remember which ones I have already used. I wonder if there is any way to change all entries labeled with one thing to another, for example, how hard it would be to change "memories" to "Memory Lane". I know I haven't labeled too many posts with "memories" yet, so it won't be too hard to just change those few. "Memories" sounds a bit ominous.
As you can see in the image to the left, after the stretching and patting, I'm almost at 4 inches.
I did pretty good today. I had a good breakfast: leftover chicken breast with a red bell pepper and one zucchini squash. It kept me going without feeling tired. I managed to watch the movie I said I wanted to watch, about a month ago. Days of Heaven. It was a confusing movie. I am noticing more and more that I enjoy older movies though, rather than most newer movies. My back is still feeling pretty good. I think I'm going to take a bike ride with ds2 tomorrow morning. We have to do hoof trims one day this weekend; either tomorrow morning, or Monday morning. I also got through figuring out our finances and know where we are at, and tomorrow I'll write out some checks to pay some bills.
For dinner I made meatloaf. Of course I couldn't stick to the recipe. Thank goodness. It called for 1 1/3 cups brown sugar and it was way too sweet using only 2/3 cup. We also had frozen corn.
I think I'll crochet another swatch using the G hook. The yarn that I chose is a bit frustrating to work with... There is this thin shiny piece of thread wrapped around the yarn and it keeps getting hooked onto the crochet hook.
Until next time.
What's a Toque?
Labels: crocheting
I have a new project I'm itching to begin. I have a new, okay relatively new baby nephew. He turned six months old yesterday! I sent a crystalline baby hand thing from JoAnn's as a present for my sister (it's a thing where you end up with a crystal fist which is your baby's fist?) I'm looking over at Joann's right now to see if I can find the thing. I had the thing in my possession for a couple of months and finally mailed to my sister. When she got it, it was all dried out so she couldn't use it. Anyway, as usual, I digress!!
I have so much going on, but this weekend I'm supposed to not have to go anywhere, well, maybe on Monday. And it's getting cooler, and that's when I start longing to knit or crochet. I'm a much more experienced crocheter, so it tends to be less stressful when taking on a new pattern. I taught myself to knit about three years ago, and only know how to knit and purl. I really should start remembering the YEAR that things happened, instead of trying to keep count.
Whoo boy, more digression. On to the pictures. OH. WOW. I just discovered that I can add more than ONE photo at a time with Blogger. I'm sure that option has always been there, but I would never have bothered to try it out with my slow dialup. It already took 2-3 minutes to upload one SMALL image, so no sense in torturing myself. But with my FAST Internet, which is working out WONDERFULLY so far, it's no problem!! I must go to www.dslreports.com and rave about my new satellite ISP. It was receiving LOTS of complaints, so we were a little hesitant. Did I digress again?
Here is the yarn and the buttons.
Since my time is limited, I decided to spend another $5 on new hooks, instead of trying to find the ones I already own. And I didn't even notice until I was taking these pictures that the hooks come with a tiny little pair of scissors. Cool!
And here is the pattern. The "toque" uses an entire "ball" of its own. I think the toque is the hat? And since it's for a boy, of course it will be in blue. Especially since my sister gets into that sort of thing. She would probably flip out if I'd made it in orange or green or lavendar. 
Now, I must get off here for now. I have SOOOO much to do! First I have to tend to the milk, which has been waiting on me since 5:45am! And then I am not sure what I'll do next. I redesigned an entire website in about four hours between Thursday and Friday evenings. I have a paid for website to continue working on, the gratis website will get some attention as well. I have to figure out our finances, too.
One more thing. For days my lower back was horribly stiff for hours each morning. So bad that I have been scared that something bad was wrong, like a slipped disc or something. I wasn't able to bend over in the morning, milking hurts, I would have to lay down and stretch. It was starting to feel so stiff that I felt like my legs were going to give out. I even took Tylenol on Tuesday morning to try to help, which I rarely take pain medication. Yesterday we left for town at 6:30am and my back bothered me the whole day until 1pm. Anyway, of all things, I think I made the bed too soft. I finally figured it out yesterday, when I laid down for a short nap. My back felt like it was being held in the wrong position. So I removed the second foam pad I'd put in a few days ago and this morning my back is MUCH better. Either that or I threw something out bike riding a few days ago.
I'm also VERY hungry and so I must eat and get my day started!
Until next time.
Monday, September 25, 2006
Building a T-Post Fence
Labels: work
I built a fence on Saturday and Sunday, while dh was cutting in a driveway.
We took down 190 feet of field fencing from another property that SIL owns and made a small fenced area at that same property and then brought the rest with us to this job, to make another small fenced area. SIL feels having at least a small fenced area is a selling point, especially if the new owners have a small dog or children and don't want them wandering about the entire acreage.
I used a tool called a post driver to drive the t-posts into the ground. Since the dirt is so soft in this area, it was rather easy for me to do this task. Once I had the post driver in position, it was just a matter of lifting and dropping 6-10 times for each post. The post driver weighs about 40 pounds and is awkward to handle. I'm always afraid I'm going to drop it wrong and hurt myself somehow. The picture actually shows the tool upside down from the way it is used. There is an opening at the end that is closer to the handles. I have to slide the t-post into the pole driver while it's lying on the ground, then hoist it upright and then start banging. Taller and stronger people (most men) position the t-post in place, then pick the post driver up into the air high enough to put it over the top of the t-post.
I measured out my area using an antique tape measure, it's one that you have to use a little handle to roll it back inside itself. It is really cool though, because it measures as long as 50 feet and then you just roll it back together. As seems to be the trend, newer tape measures aren't made very well and they don't want to roll back into themselves after they've been used a few dozen times.
Anyway, I digress. I measured out the area and put t-poles in at each corner. Then I tied this long orange string from one t-pole to the next one, so I would have a guide as to where to pound in the t-posts in a straight line. I measured my distance and divided the number of poles equally into the distance so the fence will look somewhat symmetrical.
I used a tool called a cat's paw (although I keep referring to it as a cat's claw) to hook the fence and pull it tight against each t-post. I used bailing wire to tie the fence to the t-posts. Finally I used a pair of pliers to twist the bailing wire tightly.
It is a lot of up and down work. I used the milk crate to sit on, and hold my tools. The dirt is really powdery and it's similar to walking on a sandy beach, but there are fist-sized round boulders hidden in the powder which when walked on cause one's ankle to twist right over. I did this so many times, I'm surprised I didn't end up with a twisted ankle.
The way birthday cake candles are lit at our house... with a blow torch. The cake is German Chocolate (cake made from scratch by ds2) with store bought coconut pecan frosting, and hot fudge topping. Dinner was shredded beef and cheese enchiladas, restaurant-style with a side of refried beans.
Until next time.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
Cutting in a Driveway
Labels: work
This is what dh did today with the little Farmall Cub Tractor. Click on the photo to see the larger version. The first one is the before picture, with the desert shrubbery and the second one is the after picture. Pretty impressive!
Until next time.
TYDSITC - Brahma Bull
Labels: Things You Don't See In The City
This guy is HUGE. We get our hay at this farm sometimes; they raise Brahmas. I asked the lady today what function the hump on the back serves. She said, "Nothing. When they are butchered, it is just another roast."
Oh. Our satellite Internet was installed on Thursday. My free AVG Antivirus conflicted with it for some reason and I could not download my email. I noticed my AVG was greyed out and tried to update the virus definitions, but was unable to connect. I decided to uninstall it to see if that would make any difference. It did. I was then able to download my email.
I'm still having a few minor problems, but that should clear up once I switch my email address and am no longer using my old one.
Ds2 got a new bike on Friday. He and I have started taking bike rides in the evening just before sundown.
I worked with dh today and will tomorrow. I'm looking forward to having Monday off.
Until next time.
Monday, September 18, 2006
I'm a *REAL* Working Girl Now
Labels: work
Apparently there's some rite of passage for working in construction... helped dh build the back deck yesterday and after a bit more work on it today, it was ready for painting. I was out in the sun a lot, and I'd bought myself a "new" uniform shirt, bright coral/pink, which had shorter sleeves. The picture you see first is my left arm. Near the bottom of the photo is my elbow and that's my normal "tan" color. I am olive complected and tan nicely, but I do not like being in the direct sun. I've sunbathed maybe three times in my life and it was sheer torture! Too hot!
Back to the rite of passage... I pulled up my sleeve and showed my arm to my dh who told me "You're a REAL working girl now!" Heh!
Isn't it funny how my arm looks normal with the bright contrast of the shirt, until you see my lily-white skin? LOL.
It doesn't really hurt too bad, unless I accidentally scratch it, and when I went outside and the direct sun was beating on it, it felt like it was catching on fire.
I guess I need to buy longer sleeved shirts for my work uniform.
The back porch looks great!
Here is a picture of it - the plastic and blue tape are to protect the house from overspray:
I have noticed that Blogger is aligning my posts funky. Like it's not seeing my hard returns. Bugs me.
Until next time.
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Flat Tire
Today on the way home from the jobsite, the truck started driving a little funky. Sometimes it's just the freeway, but we were pulling the trailer, so it could have been one of six tires gone bad.
I couldn't tell if it was the road, and dh suggested I pull over as I was in the fast lane, going 70mph -- the speed limit on that stretch is 75mph. This morning on the way there, without the trailer, as we'd left it at the jobsite yesterday evening... I was doing 80.
We have never been able to get the signals to work properly for the trailer. We have brake lights but only the right hand turn signal. I can never remember which one. I turned on the signal out of habit more than anything while observing the traffic behind me. Not a lot, but many are traveling fast, at least 75, and remember I was only doing 70, and by now I'd slowed down to 60. (This morning when I was doing 80, someone zoomed past me and was a mile ahead of us within a minute, they must have been doing at LEAST 90 if not 100!) I needed over -- QUICKLY -- as a rest stop was just ahead (this was a park and recreation type trucker's rest stop without any facilities). The emergency lane on this stretch is very narrow.
One car passed me on the right, and another car was coming in that lane. I needed to get over! Suddenly they slowed and pulled behind me into my lane, which allowed me to make my merge just in time to merge into the rest stop area.
Dh got out and walked around the passenger side, around the back and up to my side. I rolled down my window and he said, "Shut 'er down, you've got a flat." Meaning my vehicle, not the trailer. It was the rear driver's side tire.
I immediately gave thanks to God for watching over us and thought of all the things that had just fallen into place with perfect timing. My gratitude list:
- the flat happened on the way home doing 70mph instead of on the way there, when I was doing 80
- the person coming up in the right lane was paying attention (this is important as many people do not seem to be paying attention while driving!) and pulled behind me, even slowing down themselves, to allow me to merge over
- the tire began to act up very close to the rest stop (which are far and few between on this stretch)
- I had enough time to merge safely into the rest area
- we didn't have to change the tire in the narrow emergency lane
- we were able to stop while the tire was just low, not shredded or blown
- the turn signal I needed is the one that works
- the tire may be repairable since it didn't shred or blow out
I used Krazy Glue to make the repair. I'm working again tomorrow. SIL is on vacation and is due back in a few days. We had hoped to be further along than we are, and there is still a full day's worth of housecleaning to be done. That mud bogging adventure we had last weekend did not help at all!
I'm tired.
Until next time.
Saturday, September 16, 2006
The Not So Twin Peaks
Labels: Memory Lane, Things You Don't See In The City, work
Worked with dh again today. The current jobsite is 88 miles away. On the way, 12 miles in the distance we can see these mountains that ds2 has named The Not So Twin Peaks. And here they are close up.
Worked on a few different things... like spraying the master bathroom shower with some stuff that's supposed to remove the calcium and lime, then working on the kitchen counter. I'm replacing some of the strip pieces that are broken. I will try to post some pictures tomorrow.
And dh found this critter -- a 4 inch long scorpion -- when he was moving the old front steps to the back door.
I discovered later that dh moved the steps over especially for me, because I am too short and out of shape to easily climb up from the ground to the floor inside the home which is 34" off the ground. I was using a 5 gallon bucket turned upside-down. That was very sweet of him.
I find that most people have a "thing" against manufactured homes - the stigma I think comes from the "trailer trash" trailer parks. But it's not just that; the value of your property is less when the home is a manufactured home. Especially if the manufactured home is not "affixed" the land - which is a fancy way of saying you have turned in the motor vehicle department certificates! "Affixing" the home to your land means you can never move the home again. So the land becomes more valuable, I guess because they are taking your word that you will never move the home. And you can actually get a normal home mortgage once those certificates are turned in.
We were blessed that our current home is a Cavco. When we were looking for a place out here, we didn't know anything about manufactured homes, so it was not something we were focused on. After all, I'd lived in a "mobile home" and a "trailer" and I've never had anything against them. I was so grateful as a young person, in my early twenties, to be able to afford to rent my own little home which was a trailer. It was small, but I had a bedroom, kitchen, living room and bathroom! If memory serves me, it was 8 feet wide and about 23 feet long. Sure, if you walked too fast you passed right by the bathroom into the bedroom. The bedroom was nearly from wall to wall with a full size bed. It was quite cozy and I loved it. $200 a month. This was in the 80s and at that time my other option would have been a studio apartment. But with this place I even had a tree in my very own little yard. One of the really neat things was the neighborhood I lived in. Lots of seniors and I loved to make friends with them, sitting and visiting in the evenings. I had lots of time on my hands back then, even though I worked forty hours a week and sold Avon on the side. Yeppers, I sold Avon for a few months in my twenties. I had an incredible first campaign, and was given a second neighborhood, where I did great there, too. But the success was short lived, as the neighborhood was full of low income folks who had not had an Avon lady for several months. After those first campaigns, my luck dwindled.
My trailer was similar to this one here, although this one is actually a hobby toy. Thank you, Lucky Irish Man Discount Hobbies site. I hope you don't mind that I borrowed one of your pictures.
The mobile home we lived in for the past 8 or 9 years (prior to moving here) in the big city, was located in a mobile home park. Purchase price: $10,000.00. My paternal stepgrandparents loaned me the money and it was paid back within 8 years time at $150/mo. We struck an agreement to pay back at 3% interest. I think it was 35 years old. It originally came from back East, so it was well insulated and constructed to withstand cold regions.
All the "trailer" homes I've lived in, the trailer, the mobile home and this one, have all been constructed very well. In fact, seeing the construction of new homes going on in my town, I'm sure our manufactured home is made better than those. How can chicken wire and styrofoam make a well built home? This Cavco is so well built, and so well insulated that we have never once used the heater in the winter, even though it gets down to below 20°F on many days.
Anyway, my whole point in reminiscing about the "trailer" homes (it's really not correct to call them that, they are MANUFACTURED HOMES! lol) I've lived in is to say the manufactured home we are working on now has got to be the most cheaply made home I've ever seen! Most of it seems to be plastic. Doorknobs, faucets even! I'm astonished at the low quality, and even more grateful that our home is a 12 year old Cavco. Cavco's are said to be the "cadillac" of the manufactured homes.
Until next time.
Friday, September 15, 2006
Thanks for the Bananas
Labels: Memory Lane
Tonight I made Hunter's Chicken, steamed fresh broccoli and fruit salad.
As I was slicing bananas into the fruit salad, I had a memory of my mother.
As a young adult, I remember opening fruit cocktail and noticing it didn't have bananas in it. I wondered why they stopped putting bananas into the fruit cocktail. My mother and I were estranged from the time I was 16 until I was 21. It was not our choice, but the work of the woman pastor to whom my mom was religiously enslaved. My father had recently left my mother who was newly pregnant,with two little girls under the age of five. My mother was vulnerable, scared to be alone and got involved in a church that ended up being a cult more than anything. The pastor of this church managed to persuade my mother that my moving in with her would be best for all concerned.
I know the cherries were always my favorite, but the bananas must have been a close second. They soak up the juice of the other fruit and become soft, mushy, sweet pieces. The perfect contrast to the other more solid fruits, like the pears and the peaches.
One day, after my mother and I had reunited, I expressed my disappointment in fruit cocktail, and the missing bananas. My mom explained that fruit cocktail has never had bananas, that that had always been her special touch.
Thanks, Mom, for the bananas.
Until next time.
Thursday, September 14, 2006
Insurance Saga - STILL not over
Labels: insurance-saga
I thought for sure this was all over and done with. Nope.
I have been watching for my reimbursement check to arrive. My insurance agent filled out my policy using information from when I very first signed up with them, about six years ago. When I lived in a mobile home park. Things are quite different now!
I wrote a check for $381 and sent it in, even though the "facts" were all wrong. When I got a chance to call, I let the agent know that things were different. So she reworked my policy and found that it actually came to $464. I told her I had the money to make the full payment, so she sent the policy for me to sign and I sent the check.
That was a couple of weeks ago. I called last week on Thursday to make sure the cancellation had been made for the first policy, etc. I talked with my original agent, Judy. After Judy royally messed everything up, she had Marge helping me. Judy was uncharacteristically friendly with me, asking how I was doing and promised she would mention the check to Marge who she was sure would call if anything was awry.
So I called again today, to see where my check was. This time I got Carla on the phone. I also went to my checking account online and printed out BOTH of the cancelled checks so that I had proof in hand. Carla called the insurance company and said they had issued a refund, but the amount of the check only came to SEVEN dollars. I told her that was wrong, and explained the situation. I offered to fax my cancelled checks to her, so she could have that information on hand.
She called me back a couple of hours later and says she has everything taken care of. The only problem is the insurance company only cuts checks once every thirty days. She said they said they would do everything in their power to expedite the refund. That would be nice, since our mortgage is still $70 higher than it should be. Once I get the insurance money refunded, I am writing a check to the mortgage company to be added to the escrow account and then I have to request that they analyze the account again, to find the new correct amount.
I printed out my entire blog, punched it with three holes and placed it in a notebook binder. I need a thicker binder...
I love these labels. Oh I love these labels.
Until next time.
Monday, September 11, 2006
Checking Out beta Blogger Templates
Labels: geek-stuff
Oh boy, oh boy. I am so excited! I am not able to have my old template look, with my customized picture at top and my purple colors, but now I have the option for labels!! It is sooooo, soooooo easy!!!
Off to bed now!
Until next time.
Why My Pictures Wouldn't Upload
Labels: geek-stuff
I finally decided to take a look around at Blogger to see why my images wouldn't show up in my blog entries. I kept getting thumbnails that looked clickable, and the instructions to click "DONE" but there never was a "DONE" button. For days and days I've been putting up with it. I figured out how to steal the html coding to make the picture left-justified, right-justified or centered, but that was a pain in the neck.
I didn't really find anything on Blogger Help, but then I decided to check Blogger Buzz. I thought for some reason that might give me some information. When I got there, I realized it is Blogger's blog with regular updates on what is happening with Blogger. I also discovered that Blogger has a new blog for its beta version: Known Issues for Blogger in Beta. I'll have to visit there periodically to see what's happening.
So the solution turned out to be that I had to clear my cache in order to fix my problem. They did an upgrade on the 6th of September which caused the problem. Now I hope I remember the next time I have some weird problem that I need to check out Blogger Buzz...
But now you can see that we also had cinnamon rolls today. StarchyK strikes again.
Oh, one more thing. I bought myself a ten-pack of socks about four weeks ago. I washed all my clothes today and I'm down to two pairs. Now where have all the rest of my socks gone!! It was so nice having a matching pair of clean socks every morning to go out and milk.
Until next time.
Movie and a Pizza
Labels: movies
We watched United 93 today, and ds2 made pizza. It was a very sad movie. I cried.
I sprayed off my truck but didn't get around to cleaning the mud out from the inside of it.
I don't feel like I accomplished much.
Until next time.
Sunday, September 10, 2006
Making A Deck
Labels: work
Check out the awesome picture ds2 shot of the sky this afternoon. You can see a larger image by clicking on it.
Today was not so adventurous as yesterday. Dh and I worked together again today. Dh and ds2 built most of the front deck at home during the week, and we took it in pieces with us to the place. We got it set up, and then we built the railing system.
I was feeling grateful and blessed that dh and I are able to work well together. I know some couples cannot. It is a good thing it works out for us. Here is a picture of the front of the place with the stairs it came with. They are turned sideways because dh was repairing the skirting.
Yesterday when it rained, this entire front area was an inch deep in water. This place needs some help with flood control! I think the new deck will help a bit.
And now here is the almost completed deck. We still need to paint it, and will do that next weekend. At first we were going to use redwood stain, but then I told the guys I didn't think redwood was going to go well with the house colors. I photoshopped some pictures with different colored decks and SIL suggested the dark color along the bottom of the home.
We are taking tomorrow off, and planning to spend time together as a family.
Until next time.
Saturday, September 09, 2006
Four Wheelin'
Labels: work
Usually when I hear the words "Four wheeling" I think people have been out having a lot of fun.
Dh and I worked together today, and had quite an adventure. We were 88 miles away from home, working on a property that is to be put up for sale in a couple of weeks. We had planned to have an "easy" day (no adventures on the agendy whatsoever) and I was to clean the inside, which was relatively clean, just dusty and needed a bit of attention.
Dh also looked up and found an air conditioning serviceman in the area and he was able to come out to get the a/c charged and working.
Things were going pretty, and ds2 called to tell us that he'd heard on K-LOVE radio station that the area we were in was going to get hit with some pretty good thunderstorms.
The a/c guys arrived and started working on the a/c unit. Shortly after that it began sprinkling. The sprinkling turned into hard blowing wind and pelting raindrops. Especially where the men were working. They finished to the point where they could go no further because it was raining too hard.
Dh had me write them a check and they would come back next week to finish charging up the system with freon.
But that didn't happen.
Instead, their back tires got stuck in the mucky mud.
We have four wheel drive on our Pathfinder, and we've driven through thick mushy mud pulling our water tank full of water, so we figured it would be simple. I got into my truck, we were also pulling our trailer, loaded with the front deck... made it out of the spot I was in, went around the house to higher ground and moved into position in the front of the van.
Not so simple. We ended up getting stuck ourselves! The pictures do no justice to the actual situation we were in. We were sunk in sloshy mud, and trying to get out only got us deeper into the muck and mire.
Thank God, there were things around that came in handy. There were otherwise useless bags of hardened cement (that's what happens when you leave bags of cement out in the elements without a cover, and it rains. The water soaks through the bag and into the cement, hardening it into a bag-shaped hard thing.
The old deck, which SIL was hoping to save for another place, came in handy. We used several pieces of the board to put under the tires. Thank God, ds2 wanted to invest in a $60 truck jack, a huge honking device that has come in handy more than once (and not only for jacking up the vehicle it was purchased for!).
For over an hour, we shoveled mud and water around, placed boards, jacked up my vehicle, and then the jack lost its balance and the truck fell over, thank God no one was in the way. Actually, dh WAS, but he leaped out of the way at the right instant. One of the guys said he was QUICK, he must have played ball in school.
The three men pushed me, while I gave the truck gas, let off, gave the truck gas, let off. We were attempting to ROCK the vehicle out of the holes it was sunken into. I couldn't get the rhythm at first, they were pushing while I was letting off, but finally we all got the same beat and managed to rock the vehicle into a position where I could finally climb out of the mud.
I drove in the mushy mud, and backed near the van from a different area, which was less muddy. We worked for another hour, and finally they were also freed!!
They decided since it had now stopped raining, they would go ahead and charge the unit with freon so they didn't have to come back next week.
Finally they were on their way again... the guy started heading out onto the driveway, the muddy, slushy, quicksandishly driveway and GOT STUCK AGAIN!! He didn't get overly stuck this time. I made my way over to him, staying on the uncleared less mushy area. This is what I had to drive through -- lots of desert shrubbery. If you straddle the plant as you drive over, it works out okay. But if you drive right over the plant's center, you can blow a tire! So I had some fancy manuveuring to do, as you can see!
We hooked up the chain, and I pull the guy out. This time it was as simple as we thought it would be. I had planned to pull him all the way out to the road, but after a few feet he wanted to try by himself. He managed to get out to the street.
And now I'm exhausted. No time left for proofing.
Until next time.
Friday, September 08, 2006
Dragonfly Nymphs
Labels: dogs, LJ, Things You Don't See In The City
A few days ago, ds2 noticed there was some kind of thing swimming around in the dog pool. It is a little pool that the dogs drink out of, and sit and lay down in to stay cool when it's so hot outside, like this cute fellow!
Ds2 came into the house and had absolutely no idea what he was looking for, but he began putting keywords into Google Search. Dh and he began guessing what it could be. From the start, ds2 thought it was a dragonfly something or other.
He actually was able to figure out that we have dragonfly nymphs in our doggie pool!!! Once he had a name for what we were looking at, I was able to put the word into Google Images and find many pictures of the insect to confirm that that was indeed what we were looking at.
So I noticed a lot of what looked like mosquitoes floating on top of the dog's wading pool this morning. It was getting pretty mucky looking and green algae on the sides. The mosquitoes had finally died down somewhat so I don't want them to get started again.
On the way to the grocery store, I asked dh if those insect things were still in the wading pool. He told me they were gone, they had died. He said he guessed they needed shade and couldn't survive being in the direct sunlight. I told him I'd seen what looked like mosquitoes on top of the water, and that we should clean out that pool just in case there were mosquito larvae in it.
When we finally got back home, I threw hay to the goats and started filling their water buckets. I observed the doggie pool again with the insects lighting on the surface. Armed with the knowledge that the poor dragonfly nymphs had died, I uprighted the pool and dumped out all the water. I saw a lot of wormy shaped things flow out, and I began to examine more closely. Because I know that if you see worm-like markings in the bottom of a water container, it is the mosquito larvae moving around at the bottom. So I started looking really closely at the water which was seeping into the earth. I noticed a lot of tiny -- like pieces of thread -- tiny, red worms.
I asked dh to come look at the red worms, to show him that I thought they were mosquito larvae. Then I saw a dragonfly nymph! I found two more! I picked them up and put them into the doggie pool. I then went inside to get the camera, so I could take a picture. To see if I could get a good closeup of one.
I got back outside, and there was LJ sitting in the doggie pool! So of course I had to snap a few pictures of him. After a minute or two, he jumped out and took off.
I was looking around on the ground again, to see what the mosquito larvae were doing. Since the water was seeping into the earth and it will be dry as a bone within a couple of hours, they have no chance for survival. While doing that, I found TWO more dragonfly nymphs!
So now we have a total of FIVE dragonfly nymphs. One of the things I read said they live in the water for one year. Ds2 tells me they shed their skins 14-15 times.
And I just now read that they are carniverous insects and help to keep the mosquito and fly population down. ACK! I just drained out all the mosquito larvae! Poor nymphs, now what will they eat!?
Until next time.
Monday, September 04, 2006
Bad Body Thoughts and Potato Salad
Labels: Body Acceptance, Memory Lane, recipes, Self-Sufficiency
I've probably already used today's header (okay, not exactly, probably didn't include potato salad prior to now) for a previous entry, as this issue crops up every once in a while. Once in a while isn't so bad, as many women experience "Bad Body Thoughts" on a daily, even hourly basis.
According to Jane Hirschmann and Carol Munter's theory discussed in their book _Overcoming Overeating_, Bad Body Thoughts are never about our bodies - no matter how much we want them to be. They're always about something else going on in our heads.
My Bad Body Thoughts started yesterday, when I pulled out a pair of coveralls that I haven't worn for over a year, and they were tight on me. Immediately I started feeling like crap. My dh knows how sensitive I am about my weight, and thinks women are much too hard on themselves. To his credit, one of the many reasons I love him, he also does not think I'm fat. When I asked him if he thought the coveralls were too tight on me, he said they weren't. I complained that it feels as if I've gained weight and that it seems this will be my fate, to just keep gaining weight and gaining weight, every year, year after year. Because at the mere thought of going on a diet, I begin to overeat and continue in that vein. Gaining weight, losing
weight, I eat. I recall a couple of weeks ago, feeling that my pants were a bit baggy. It's like somewhere in my mind, a celebration begins. "Now we can EAT!"
I'm wearing a pair of shorts that are cutting an indention in my waist.
Then suddenly it occurs to me that it IS that time of the month... and customary for me to have some bloating at this time.
Having Bad Body Thoughts are a way to avoid the real issues. When we focus on our bodies and our dislike for them, it is a convenient way to get our minds off the real problems. I've been following this theory for over ten years now, and it seems to be correct. Because when I am feeling happy and content with my life, I do not focus hatred toward my body. When I stop to ask, "Why the Bad Body Thoughts? What else is going on?" I am usually able to find something underlying that is bothering me.
For the first twenty-five years of my life, I ate whatever I wanted, when I wanted, in the quantities I wanted. I know that I even overate some foods, like pasta. I was slender and my body was beautiful, but at that time, I was unhappy with it. The way my belly pooched out, and on and on.
I began to diet and bodybuild in my late twenties, for a few years into my thirties. It really did a number on me, psychologically. Messed me up big time. I feel like I'm broken, when it comes to dieting. It doesn't help that 1) all the advertisements for weight loss have skinny SKINNY people, size TWO and then in tiny font you see the words, "Results Not Typical" 2) Studies show that 95% of dieters gain back the weight they lost, and usually more. I have done that, and I wish I'd never dieted in the first place. I feel certain I'd be at least fifty pounds lighter than I am now.
Anyway, enough of that. I know I've fonted on about it in past entries. I need to print out all my entries and put them into a notebook binder for quick reference.
For the faint of heart, you may want to skip over this part of my entry as I blog some fact of life farm details. I will italicize it so you can skip over it to the potato salad recipe. Just skip down to the next set of dashes.
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Today we harvested one of our wethers. It is the second time we have done a four legged critter on our own; the first time I was not present. I cried when I heard the details on the first one, and I cried today -- just for a few seconds I got teary-eyed, but then it was over and we were worked to process the carcass. I think today went much more smoothly. We were taught back the procedure on Memorial Day 2005 by a friend of ours; he came over and demonstrated the process. We had two Barbardos Black Bellied Sheep to do. He did the kill with his bow and arrow, which did not phase him a bit. He is used to hunting and killing, and grew up in PA and his family raised and processed their own animals, so it is easy for him. This is the most difficult part for us. We had the backstrap with our dinner tonight. Chevon is not really meant to be BBQ'd or fried, because it is so lean it should be slow and moist cooked. We have four more to go. Three are youngsters, which really makes it a lot easier. The fourth one is going on a year and a half. I am planning to make some goat bone broth, and I saved the liver and heart for a day when I'm more ambitious.
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I did make my potato salad, here is the recipe, but bear in mind I don't do exact measurements:
- 5 pounds russet potatoes, boiled, peeled and diced
- 1 bunch radishes, diced (about 10 or so)
- 2 ribs celery, diced
- 1 medium sized cucumber, diced (seeds removed)
- 1 large whole pickle, diced
- 1 - 6 ounce can whole black olives, sliced
- 2-3 Tablespoons pickle juice
- mayonnaise to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
I have been working on getting a contact form to work for one of my client's website today, and have finally gotten it done!
Until next time.
Sunday, September 03, 2006
The Hoagie Rolls
They were pretty danged good, and fairly easy to make.
I pulled the pork loin apart and mixed it into the drippings. I had mine with mustard and sliced pepperoncinis. Very good.
Until next time.
BBQ Pork Loin - My Rendition
- 1 pork loin roast, about 5 pounds
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 1/3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco (or other hot pepper sauce)
- 1/3 cup lemon juice and lime juice (you can use all lemon juice, I didn't have enough fresh lemon juice)
- 1/2 cup kombucha (you can use apple cider vinegar)
- 1 cup water
- 6 large cloves garlic, crushed and chopped
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 2 Tablespoons olive oil
Labor Day Weekend
It's pretty exciting that we are all home today as a family! Today the guys are outside working with SIL's tractor, which we brought home from her house yesterday. We have it because she has another house we are working on, and a driveway needs to be tractored. The perk is we get to use the tractor ourselves for the week and so plowing lots of hay from the goat's pen is on the agenda. That's my ds2 on the tractor. It rained last night, so it is not too hot out today, but quite humid. Not what we are used to. We have planned to stay home on Labor Day as well.
I slept in this morning, which I normally cannot do, as my back will not allow it. But for some reason it was just a little stiff, and since it had rained during the night, I was hoping it was maybe still raining, so I could put off milking for a little while. I was out there by 5:30am though, so the girls didn't have to wait too long.
Sometimes the scary thing about keeping one's books electronically is when one makes a mistake like entering two identical deposits for large amounts, only to find that you aren't ahead, but way in debt!!! Like maybe you had a deposit of two checks for $500 each and entered those separately, but then when comparing against the statement you find there is a $1000 deposit which you forgot to enter! Whoohoo, but then you discover those two $500 checks were deposited at the same time, DUH and the bank doesn't show them as separate entries, but as one entry. OUCH. But then there are the times when you find you've entered two electricity bills in the same month, which means you are ahead by a few hundred dollars.
At any rate, it looks like we are OUT OF DEBT!! Like I said, that is if I haven't mistakenly added in two deposits. ACK!! I am pretty sure all is well, I just have one more checking account to reconcile (we have two) but my balance is pretty close to what the bank says we have in there, and this account hasn't been used to purchase anything since last weekend. So we should be good!
I finally learned the trick was to figure out HOW MUCH extra money we need to bring in, then make that a goal each week. That is the cool thing about dh and ds's work, they can stay pretty much as busy as they want to.
The other trick now is to not go hogwild and go "Yeehaw!! We are out of the hole, what can we buy today?!" lol
I thawed out a pork loin overnight in the fridge, and I'm going to look in that fancy book The Gourmet Cookbook and see if I can find a good pulled pork barbeque meat to put into these Success at Last - Grinder Hoagie Rolls. I just found that site today, wow, I like it!! Don't forget to click on the rolls for a larger image, they look delicious!! I hope they turn out as good as they look. I am going to use bread flour (not whole wheat).
I couldn't find a recipe in the fancy book, so I'm going to use one of these recipes instead:
Barbecued Pork Loin or North Carolina Pulled Pork Recipe
I will report back with the one I used. Here's a picture of my pooch, okay I tried three times to upload the image with Blogger. So I give up, I'm going to use ImageShack. Hang on... I'll have it in a moment... I guess I won't. ImageShack is acting up now! Drang it!
Okay finally, there's my boy. Click on the thumbnail if you want to see a larger image. He's the youngest of our dogs, weighs the most and is taller than most of them. His new nickname is "Dairy Dog" because he loves goat's milk so much. We practice "Sit Stay" every morning, at least two to four times. He waits to have the strip milk from each doe.
We have a very nice dinner planned for tomorrow. New York Strip Steaks were on sale for $3.77/lb and I picked four out from the butcher block at Albertson's. Each one was just over a pound. We are also having fresh corn on the cob, potato salad and watermelon!
Until next time.
