Typical Tuesday on the farm...

So my day started off normal, up just before 6, get the boys up, dressed, fed and to school.  We had to be at school early because Sky is working patrol this week.  I ran to Staples to ship back Brady's DS that is still not working then to the Toyota dealer for an oil change...normal everyday things.

Then...

Stopped at the feed store and got a bale of straw to put down in the chicken run to try and keep the girls from getting too muddy.  Once I got home with the help of all 20 girls we spread the straw around...Little Roo supervised the work but didn't help out much.  Noticed something had broken the plastic roof  panel of the chicken coop so Shane ran to town for a new piece of metal roofing while I started cleaning rabbit hutches.  Tomorrow I am adding Quail to the farm so I had to clean the end rabbit hutch out for them to make their home in.  When Shane got back we fixed the roof and installed a light in the chicken coop. Since there is no longer a clear plastic panel the girls are not getting any light in the coop so this will make it better for them.  We are setting it up on a timer so they will still have nice dark nights for sleeping. 

Next I pulled a tarp over part of the chicken coop in hopes that when it rains again there will be a dry area.  With the broken roof panel the inside of the coop got wet so I shoveled out all the wet bedding and replaced it with nice fresh clean and dry wood shavings.  Freshened up the nesting boxes and the turkey coop, since we are due to get 3 new turkeys tomorrow, filled all food and water dishes...found a broken nozzle on the rabbits water system, didn't have a new nozzle handy but luckily Vic happened by and found me a twig just the right size to plug the opening.  This is the reason for the muddy mess around the rabbit hutches so with the leak temporarily fixed I shoveled the muddy poo away from the front of the hutches so the boys can't complain when they go out to do their chores.

Now I have to figure out dinner, shower, get dressed, get the boys to swim classes then I have my PTO meeting.  Once home take care of homework, dishes, make sure everyone has clean cloths for tomorrow and off to bed.

That is my Tuesday.

Live and learn...

So we just got back from Spokane last night.  Had a nice time with the family but I was so happy when I turned off the highway onto our driveway.  I saw the porch light flicker through the trees and I swear my heart skipped a beat.  All the girls were already in bed so I waited tell this morning to go see them.  All are happy and healthy although it rained all day today and they were all inside to stay dry.

So what did I learn?  I learned that life is always changing.  I know that Nick is now grown and has his own family and I will never be as close to him now as I once was.  I miss him so much and yet I love it here and don't want to go back to Spokane.  I wish my family would just move here.  Then I could have it all.  Reality is though the last few years I lived in Spokane I hardly saw Nick or Pam.  Mostly just communicated by email with both. 

I guess me living far away won't make me feel sad that they don't have time in their lives for me anymore.  After all I am the one who left so I can't feel that I was the one being rejected anymore. 

My mom told me on Friday that she just wants to live 2 more years.  That way she will have her 50th wedding anniversary.  Then she is ready to go.  I get so sad even thinking about that.  She may be ready to go but I am not ready for her to go.  I have a fear that when she is gone then Pam and I will not see each other again.  When I lose my mom I will lose everything. 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  Sky kept asking people what they were most thankful for...I guess I am most thankful for all the memories from when I was younger and had my whole family around me.  At the time I hated all those family Thanksgiving dinners with all the aunts, uncles and cousins but now, I do miss them.

Please just leave us alone...

This is a message for Brian.  I am assuming since you are keeping tabs on our other web activity that you are also reading this blog.  Please just leave us alone.  You were like family to Shane and we did everything we could to try and help you over the years.  Please just leave us alone now.

You need help.  We are not your enemy.  We just want to have our quiet life and for it to not include you or your family.  Ron was a wonderful man and I am only glad that he isn't here to see how low you have sunk.  I am so sorry that it had to come to this.  I don't want to have to keep calling the authorities because of your violations of the no contact order. 

I have no ill will towards you Brian, but, you do need to leave us alone.  I hope you can pull your life together.  Maybe go back to school?  You need to take responsibility for your actions and stop blaming everyone else.  Time to be a man Brian.  Time to re-build your life, if not for you then for your daughter.  Give her the opportunity to be proud of you when she grows up.

I wish you the best.

Lisa

Ahh so cute...

Look look look!  I got a rutabaga out of my garden!  Ok, it is small but I planted them kinda late, hoping to get a fall harvest, obviously that isn't going to work around here.  I will just plant them in the spring and should get lots of big beauties!!!!

We dipped below freezing last night so first thing in the AM I am going out to check and see if I can salvage any more beets for pickling.  I have been leaving them in the ground until I needed them, the carrots and potatoes but now I guess I need to clean them out.

I let the girls out of the chicken run yesterday and let them wander around the yard for a while.  They kept close to home except the turkey girls, they ran around and I had to keep herding them back together.  Today when I got back from town the turkeys went crazy chasing each other and making all kinds of noise, when I stopped and looked at them all 3 ran to the door, I think they wanted to get out again.  Unfortunately I was too busy today to play with them, maybe tomorrow.

I have been trying to take some good pics of my turkeys but they are camera shy and never stand still long enough, this is a bit blurry but this is Christmas and you can see New Years in the background.  I am really hoping to add at least a Tom soon and would like to maybe get a couple other Jennys once we get the turkeys their own home.  Thanksgiving is not nice to Fuzzy (one of my white chickens with feathers on her feet) so I want to give them some space. 

I know what you are thinking...Christmas IS the most beautiful turkey EVER!  When the other turkeys are not around she still lets me pick her up and give her lots of hugs and kisses, but if another turkey comes by then her head turns all red and she will start to protest...Same thing happed if I kiss or hug Sky at school!

Well, that's about all for now, I have a huge todo list so I better get working...

Catch up

Ok, I am only almost a month late...

Sky didn't like the wig and beard but still wanted to be a wizard

Our little Willy Robertson.  Don't worry the BB gun stayed home.  By the way, B added a 2nd BB gun and his own 22 rifle to his collection for his birthday.  He has also added this fancy scope to this BB gun and is becoming quite a good shot and loves getting to practice with various weapons at our neighbors range.  He even joined Shane and Vic on a hunting trip.

Another Halloween in the books!  I can't wait tell they outgrow trick or treating!
 

what is wrong with me?

So I am sitting in my office.  Boxes stacked around, I have not put anything away yet.  One problem I have is most of my free time is at night and I have no lights in this room.  I have one desk lamp but not really enough to do much.  I spend all my days in the kitchen or doing laundry or re-cleaning the living room and bathroom.  Just one day I would like to not have to do the entire list from the day before again.  Ya know the saying, 2 steps forward and 1 step back?  Well my life is 1 step forward and 2 steps back!  I can't get excited to do anything.  Right now I just want to crawl into bed and pull the covers over my head.

This office still smells like...I don't know what.  But it smells funky.  I need to make this my space still.  The boys have half days all week because of parent teacher conferences.  I should start each day with AT LEAST 1 hour a day this week organizing my office.  Once this room is done then I will re-organize the pantry and clean the freezers out.  If I focus on the little things I can do maybe I won't feel so overwhelmed.  easy to say, hard to do.

My girls are molting.  They look so sad!  big balding areas and just an overall shabby look.  And we are not getting many eggs.  Some days we get 4 but normally we get 1 or 2 a day.  The idea of adding more chickens next year has to happen.  Still waiting to find out if the turkeys are girls or boys.  None of them have given us any eggs and none of them have gobbled yet.  We are pretty sure they are all the same sex just not sure what sex that is yet.

Oh gross, apparently the funky smell is Romeo, he has gas!  What in the heck did that dog eat?!?

Chickens and pumpkins

So I was roasting my pumpkin seeds and started thinking about those big jack o lanterns on the front porch.  I hate to waste them every year and I have read that it is a real no no to make pie out of them so I thought...CHICKENS!  my girls so loved their water melon this summer so I did a little digging and not only do chickens love pumpkins but it acts as a natural dewormer for them!  Hot damn!  So now I am going to try and convince the boys to let me toss their works of art into the chicken run for the girls to enjoy. 

Here is my before:  Brady's on the left and Sky's on the right.  We actually have a 3rd one that was part of Brady's science class this week.  Oh and I got 1 tiny sugar pumpkin from my garden, I have steamed it and I am hoping to have enough to make a pie.  If it turns out good then next year I am going to attempt sugar pumpkins again in hopes of a good crop of pie for my boys.

I have to find the time to can pickled beets!  I have left them in the ground but time is running out and I need to get started.  Sky LOVES them! 

My life is so strange these days, wouldn't trade it for the world!