Arm still messed up, and more

I'm still in major pain from whatever I did to my arm last weekend. Not getting anything done.

Very late in getting the garden's raised beds built and filled and planted. I hate that. I have lots of seedlings ready for the ground ... they are overtaking my garden room!

Got my holly bushes and trees in the mail on Saturday (I think) and still haven't planted them. Hope they stay alive long enough to get them in the ground.

Still need to repair the goat house, and finish building the first chicken coop so we can get Henny Penny in it. Then we can clean out her temp coop and get half of the baby chicks in that one.

Glad Hubby is taking off Thur and Fri so we can have 4 whole days to get projects done. I'll do as much as I can, but I hate it when my body won't keep up with my project list.

As far as the Kid .... his toenails are healing. Good enough for him to want to go out and play with the new neighbor next door. I told him if you feel that good, you can do your chores. Ah, no. Don't feel that good. Yeah, I figured.

I think our quail have had it. Pecka hasn't laid an egg in almost a week, and still crouches there.

And I'm pretty sure the quail eggs in the incubator won't hatch because I can't get the temperature to regulate! Do NOT buy the Chick-bator or whatever else you find it being called. You have to manually turn the eggs twice a day. It does come with a little thermometer but no way to regulate the temp. It includes 1 piece of aluminum foil that you are supposed to make into two strips. One goes in the bottom of the yellow bowl, and hold the second in reserve as needed. But my house has been in the 60's, so the temp in the chickbator was hovering until 90. Need it to be smack at 100 degrees. I added more foil around it which helps but as the temp in the house fluctuates, so does the chickbator.

Never again. I need a silkie hen to hatch my eggs. And now that Pecka isn't laying, I won't ever have any of her kids. I'm really angry that I spent our hard-earned money on something that was supposed to work, and doesn't.

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As a side note, we are having yet another horrible wind storm. Just had to chase down one of the plastic kiddie pools that we had on the deck, waiting for dirt and my cabbage plants. Well, those, and a few other seedlings that just can't wait until the rest of the garden's raised beds are built and filled.

Had to put the goaties back in the workshop/barn because the little things were getting so scared out there in the wind.

Did we pick the right place for our very-last-home? So windy that I'm afraid to get the plants planted.

Genetically Modified Organism GMO Food

Found the following in my e-mail yesterday, and found it worthy to post here. Not sure if all of it is true, but getting GMO-free produce for us and our critters has been very important for us. So important that we're attempting to grow most of our own feed.

Here is the contents of the e-mail ...

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Dear Friends --

I know many of you are already well aware of the issues and dangers of GMO foods. I am forwarding the information below because there are new developments, new research findings of the frightening effects, and specific actions we can take to stop this atrocity before it is too late. Note: GMO alfalfa is different and must be stopped. It is a perennial, and if it gets started, there may be no way to stop its pervasive effects on the soil, the plant kingdom and the rest of the food chain from there. Please take time to read below, sign petitions to stop this, and take action to save the lives of your grandchildren and this planet that gives us all Life.

Severe Impact of GMO on Health, Sterilization, & Killing the Soil Itself -- AND WHAT TO DO ABOUT STOPPING IT NOW!!

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

I strongly believe that one of the most obvious clues about the danger of GMO foods are that just about EVERY species of animal that is offered a GMO food versus a non-GMO food will avoid the GMO one. Many times they will do this to the point of starvation, as they have an intuitive sense of the danger of this food.

Please listen to the interview as Jeffery expands on this point in great detail. It’s one you can use to effectively share with your friends and family who are not yet convinced of the dangers of GMO foods. (link to video is at end of this article. read first.)

If you have more time with them you can bring up the sterility argument that is expanded upon with these new research findings. You might have read before that genetically modified foods may cause sterility in future generations but now the latest research from Russia provides shocking confirmation of this potential.

This study, which was conducted by the Russian equivalent of the US National Association for Gene Security, has not yet been published, but its findings were recently announced. It’s anticipated that the details will be published later this summer.

Russian Scientists Find Third Generation of Hamsters Sterilized by GM Soy

The release of this new information provides yet another health risk, and confirmation on earlier problems related to fertility, birth weight of offspring, and infant mortality.

In this feeding study they used hamsters, an animal which has not been previously featured in GM safety studies.

One group of hamsters was fed a normal diet without any soy whatsoever, a second group was fed non-GMO soy, a third ate GM soy, and a fourth group ate an even higher amount of GM soy than the third.

Using the same genetically modified (GM) soy that is produced on over 90 percent of the soy acreage in the US, the hamsters and their offspring were fed their respective diets over a period of two years, during which time the researchers evaluated three generations of hamsters.

First they took five pairs of hamsters from each group, each of which produced about seven to eight litters each, totaling about 140 animals.

At first all went well, but serious problems became apparent when they selected new pairs from the offspring.

The first problem was that this second generation had a slower growth rate and reached their sexual maturity later than normal.

However, this second generation eventually generated another 39 litters:

•The no-soy control group had 52 pups
•The non-GM soy had 78
•The GM soy had only 40, of which 25 percent died

So these second-generation GM soy-fed hamsters had a five-fold higher infant mortality rate, compared to the 5 percent normal death rate that was happening in the controls.

Nearly All of the Third-Generation GMO Babies Were Sterile!

But then an even bigger problem became apparent, because nearly all of the third generation hamsters lost the ability to have babies altogether.

Only a single third-generation female hamster gave birth to 16 pups, and of those, one fifth died.

In short, nearly the entire third generation of GM soy eaters were sterile!

But it doesn’t end there.

In the GM soy-fed groups they also found an unusually high prevalence of an otherwise extremely rare phenomenon – hair growing inside the animals’ mouths. (You can see the images here.)

Says Smith:

“… it’s a very rare phenomenon but he [study author, Dr. Surov] had never in his life seen more hair in mouths of hamsters than with these GM soy-fed, third generation hamsters.”

As you may know, genetically modified crops weren’t released until 1996, starting with GM soy, corn and cotton. Modified canola came about a year later.

Please remember humans have MUCH longer life spans than rats and that GMO foods were only introduced in 1996. This is LESS than one generation.

So we’re still nowhere near seeing the full effects of these potential ramifications in humans, as we’re only about 15 years into it. But if the effects are anything like the effects on numerous types of animals, we could be looking at sterility on a grand scale as our great-grandchildren grow up and begin to try to procreate...

The fact that the US is completely unwilling to implement the precautionary principle with regards to GM foods is incomprehensible in light of the findings we already have from animal studies.

Additionally, some 800 genetically engineered food applications have been submitted to the USDA, but not one single environmental impact statement has been prepared. So not only are human health ramifications ignored, but the entire eco system is being jeopardized.

Rampant Conflicts of Interest Put You and Your Family at Great Risk

Unfortunately, it’s clear that the US government is not in a position to make reasonable and responsible decisions related to GMOs at this point, when you consider the fact that the Obama administration has placed former Monsanto attorney and Vice President, Michael Taylor, in charge of US food safety, and serious conflicts of interest even reign supreme within the US Supreme Court!

That’s right. Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas is also a former Monsanto attorney, but refuses to acknowledge any conflict of interest as he’s hearing Monsanto’s third appeal for deregulation of genetically modified alfalfa seeds.

After corn, soy and wheat, alfalfa is the most widely grown crop in the US, so allowing GM alfalfa to be deregulated could spell disaster in several ways. It’s easily cross-pollinated by bees and wind, and it’s a perennial, meaning GM alfalfa could live on for years, spreading their genetically modified traits far and wide for a long period of time.

It remains to be seen how Justice Thomas rules in this case…

But in addition to conflicts of interest, we’re also dealing with government agencies that refuse to acknowledge the science produced by their own scientists.

Closely tied to the production of GM crops is the use of the herbicide Roundup, which contains glyphosate. Monsanto’s Roundup is the most widely used herbicide in the world, and contrary to the popular belief propagated by industry, pesticide use has significantly increased – DOUBLED since 2005 -- rather than decreased with the use of GM crops.

As it turns out, this is a serious problem for more reasons than one. Not only are GM food crops saturated with more pesticides than ever before, which naturally ends up in your body when you eat them, but glyphosate may also be killing the soil itself.

This startling conclusion comes straight from one of the USDA’s own scientists, Dr. Kremer. However, his employer has opted to more or less ignore his findings, which, according to this article in Grist, include evidence that glyphosate causes:

•damage to beneficial microbes in the soil increasing the likelihood of infection of a crop by soil pathogens
•interference with nutrient uptake by the plant
•reduced efficiency of symbiotic nitrogen fixation
•overall lower-than-expected plant productivity

More Evidence of Reproductive Problems from Eating GM Foods

But let’s get back to the infertility caused in animals.

The evidence of third-generation sterility in hamsters is just one link in a chain of studies that show evidence of this tragic side effect.

For example, back in 2005, Dr. Irina Ermakova, one of the senior scientists with the Russian National Academy of Sciences, reported that more than 50 percent of the babies from mother rats that were fed GM soy died within three weeks, compared to a 10 percent death rate among the controls.

Again, that’s a death rate five times higher than normal – identical to the findings in the hamster study above.

Similarly, the rats were also growing more slowly, just like the hamsters, and their offspring also had lower birth weights. And again, when the rats’ offspring tried to reproduce, they too were found to be mostly sterile, but it happened sooner, with infertility striking the second generation of rats, as opposed to the third generation of hamsters.

Ermakova wanted to perform further studies to analyze the organs she’d collected from the study, but she never got the chance. Says Smith:

“She told me as we were sitting at the EU Parliament after giving a presentation there, that her boss had been pressured by his boss.

So, she was told to do no more GM food study on animals, her documents were burned on her desk, samples were stolen from her laboratory, and one of her colleagues tried to comfort her by saying, “Well maybe the GM soy will solve the overpopulation problem on earth.”

She wasn’t impressed.”

Neither am I.

However, she inadvertently stumbled upon further proof that GM soy wreaks havoc with reproductive health. She discovered that the rat chow being fed to all rats in the facility had been switched, so that all of it contained GM soy… Two months later she asked her colleagues whether or not they’d discovered any surprising changes in the infant mortality of their various studies, and yes indeed, they had!

Inexplicably, infant mortality in the animal studies performed at the National Academy of Scientific Laboratory in Moscow had skyrocketed to over 55 percent, sometimes higher.
There’s more evidence of reproductive health being harmed in various ways. Smith explains:

“[Ermakova] gave me a slide of a completely new study in which she fed male rats genetically modified soy, and it’s absolutely stunning.

On the left side of the slide is a pink testicle. On the right side of the slide, is a blue testicle.
She said that when the GM soy was fed to the male rats, it changed the color of their testicles from pink to blue, and you could see the cells on another slide, left to right, the structure of the cells in the testicle was different; a completely different blood flow.

And this reminded me of what they had studied in Italy, where they fed mice genetically modified soy and they also had changes in their testicles, including damage to the young sperm cells.

Now, if you’re damaging the young sperm cells, it could result in one of two things. They can result in infertility, or problems with the offspring.

Well, it appears that they may have had both.

In fact, with the mice, they looked at the offspring and they took the embryos out of the pregnant mothers and looked at how the DNA was functioning. And they compared the DNA of those who were born to GM soy-fed parents versus those who were fed non-GM soy and the DNA functioned differently.

So we’re seeing a fundamental change in the offspring of mice that were fed genetically modified soy, whose parents were also fed genetically modified soy.”

Other feeding studies using GM corn have also produced similar results. For example, mice fed GM corn had increasingly fewer and smaller babies the longer they stayed on the GM diet.

There are also plenty of reports about pigs, cows and other livestock having reproductive problems when fed genetically modified feed.

It’s Time to Save Yourself and Your Famiy Because White Knights Don’t Exist in Government

It’s important to realize that the key to ending the ongoing atrocity of GM foods lies not with government, but with you and me.

Consumers are going to have to drive GM foods out, and we CAN do it.

Through educating yourself, your family, friends and community about GMOs, and most importantly of all, through the food purchases you make, you can stop this unregulated science experiment.

Once we reach the tipping point, which is probably as little as five percent of the US population, the market WILL respond. They can’t afford not to!

Once enough people refuse to buy GM food products, it won’t be long before food manufacturers start switching their ingredients.

Europe did it, so can we.

How to Sniff Out GMOs and Vote with Your Pocketbook

You CAN avoid GMOs, if you know what to look for.

First of all, remember there are eight genetically modified food crops:

1.Soy
2.Corn
3.Cottonseed (used in vegetable cooking oils)
4.Canola (canola oil)
5.Sugar from sugar beets
6.Hawaiian papaya
7.Some varieties of zucchini
8.Crookneck squash

Based on this list, anything containing soy or soy derivatives should be avoided, as well as anything containing corn, the most obvious ingredient being high fructose corn syrup.

The easiest way to avoid ending up with GM foods in your shopping cart is to do some pre-planning using the free non-GMO shopping guide, available at www.NonGMOshoppingGuide.com.

TheInstitute for Responsible Technology has also created a free iPhone application that is available in the iTunes store. You can find it by searching for ShopNoGMO in the applications.

The shopping guide lists the various derivatives of each crop to be avoided, and even better, it lists hundreds of brand products in 22 food categories that are non-GMO, so if you’re still buying processed foods, at least you can easily select a brand that does not use genetically modified ingredients.

Tipping Point… If Europe Did it, the US Can Too!

Getting into a shopping habit of continually avoiding GM food products will create pressure on the marketplace, without which there is little hope. So take this one step! Download the shopping guide, and make note of which brands to buy and which ones to avoid like the plague that they are.

Europe managed to reach their tipping point in April of 1999, ELEVEN YEARS AGO(!), within a single week of negative media which swayed the shopping habits of consumers enough for food companies to commit to stop using GM ingredients.

The idea that consumers have tremendous power is not wishful thinking. It’s an absolute fact.

Monsanto could probably be effectively bankrupted by the end of this year, if enough consumers were to take individual, proactive steps to avoid purchasing anything even remotely related to their business.

Another point that validates the effectiveness of this consumer-driven strategy is the progress we’re now seeing with high fructose corn syrup. Within the last few weeks, several major corporations have declared they’re taking HFCS out of their products due to consumer demand.

More Educational Material

You can find loads of additional information about GMOs on the site www.ResponsibleTechnology.org.

There you can also order additional guides to hand out to friends, health care practitioners, and decision makers within your community, along with free online videos, pod casts, and articles that you can repost and republish.

Last but not least, I want to put out a call for a very special donation.

The iPhone application was created by someone who generously donated their time to make it, and if you or someone you know is a competent Android developer who is willing to assist in this cause, please contact info@ResponsibleTechnology.org.

You can also make financial donations on their website to help accelerate the tipping point against GMOs.

FIND RELATED VIDEOS and MORE INFORMATION HERE:

http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/05/22/jeffrey-smith-interview-april-24.aspx

THERE IS A LOT MORE INFORMATION and PETITIONS ON THE INTERNET ABOUT THIS VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR HUMANS, ANIMALS AND THE PLANET. READ MORE. EDUCATE YOURSELF. AND TAKE ACTION TO STOP IT NOW!

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Back to Vikki again .... we have stopped buying soy products, but do have some heirloom gmo-free edamame seeds to grow this year. I'll hopefully grow enough to feed the critters and Hubby (can't have them for me, and the Kid is sensitive to them)... and still have enough to plant for next year.

Same with corn, zucchini, and yellow squash. The rest on the above list, I can do without or find substitutes.

Chickens, goats and more

We've been so busy that I haven't blogged, and didn't even check e-mails until just tonight. Very busy weekend.

Finished the baby-chick coop for the garage, and got all 10 of the 3-week old chicks in it late last night. At first, they just sat there all confused, then ran around in circles in one little spot, some of them poking their heads out of the poultry netting (thereby scaring me silly). By this morning, they had slept in complete darkness (I checked on them at 4 a.m., and spied them all spread out on the ground). Today they discovered the roost, the holes in the concrete block, the little house we built, and so forth. I added lots of hay and grass clippings to the coop during the day, which are all mashed down now.

Pecka, the girl quail, got very scared yesterday. We thought she was going to die. Kept flying up and hitting her head on the top of the cage. Didn't put out an egg yesterday. For that matter, neither did Henny Penny. Hmmm.

Shoot, just remembered I didn't turn the quail eggs today (in the incubator). Ok.. In a minute.

Tried to finish the goat pen, and nearly did. Still need a better way to fasten the gate. Got the water bucket over there and filled. Added 2 bays of hay in the back of the goat house. Then, just 5 minutes before we planned to move the babies to their new home, the new next door neighbors' dog came up and scared them. Terrified them, actually. Moved them anyway, but they started panting and panting. We showed them around, where their water was, etc. Didn't stop panting until we gave up and moved them back to their indoor pen. We'll try again in a day or two.

It got quite warm today. So warm that when I walked into the workshop to check on the critters, the poor angora rabbit was laying down. Gonna have to move her back in the garage.

Ok, the big news. The 13 yo Kid had ingrown toenail procedure on Friday. Didn't go well. The doc didn't do it right, and didn't catch the infection. Once the numbing agent wore off, the Kid was in the most intense pain I've ever seen with him. Not since he had major surgery when he was 9 months old. It got so bad.... not even a half of one of my percocet or anything else I tried, helped. Ended up making the hour trip to the closest hospital (one of the downsides of living in the country). The doc had said the Kid didn't have an infection, but the ER pediatrician said he did, and a few other things. Put him on antibiotics, and stronger pain meds. Finally feels better today, Sunday.

A neighbor 2 houses down, who we hadn't met before, drove his tractor up our driveway. We greeted him. He was just grading his driveway and wanted to know if we'd like him to do ours. Just a neighborly thing. We chatted. He graded. I gave him 6 of Henny Penny's green eggs. We made tentative plans for cocktails some time during the Summer.

And the house next to us closed last week, with the new owners moving in. This is a very tiny house, so small that the neighbors call it "the doll house". Owner Don and wife, plus their 5 children. In that tiny house. But they seem nice. Plan to have a mini donkey and chickens. The 12 year old wants a bmx track but the father poo-pooed that right away.

The neighbor behind us ... with the turkeys, chickens, goats and ducks ... the turkey had babies a few weeks ago. Three of them. And one by one, they got eaten by the neighborhood fox. Now the turkey is going around, depressed, looking for her chicks (is that what they're called)? She came over several times today, visiting, looking around. Wanted to be petted and picked up. First time I've ever touched a turkey. So sweet. We introduced her to our baby chicks because the garage was open, but she wasn't interested. Poor thing.

We planned to cut the grass this weekend, but every time we got ready to, the wind kicked up. Fun fun. Finally did tho cut the weeds that surrounded the front door area. Poor UPS guys trying to find a foot-hold to leave packages there on Friday did it. (BTW: the chicken and baby chicks loved the clippings!)

I'm burnt. Sore. Hands cramped up and can barely type. My left arm is so messed up that I really need a sling. Did WAY too much. Didn't cook at all this weekend. Didn't clean this weekend. Finally took a bath but .. feels like, although I got a LOT done this weekend, I guess, I actually didn't. I hate that.

Gonna go take some meds and go to bed.

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Please plant a nut or fruit tree today. Thanks.

Health vs Harvest

You may wonder why I look for short-cuts in gardening and so forth when we have this big ole 2 acres at our new home.

If you've read my blog(s) for any length of time, you know I'm disabled, and really lacking energy. Even yesterday and today, my hands have been so swollen, really painful and won't work. I'm trying to rectify my many health problems, but much I can't do anything about. I'm usually up by 4:30 a.m. with Hubby on weekdays (might go back to bed tho), and on weekends, up by 6 or 7 or 8 a.m. By the early afternoon, if I've had a good day, my energy is gone and I'm done completely. If I had a bad day (migraine, swollen hands, etc), then I don't get anything at all done.

Thus, my need to find easy ways to garden, take care of the house and livestock, school the Kid, and enjoy our critters.

That's why... even tho we have 2 acres to plant here, most of the acreage will be for perennials like fruit and nut trees/bushes/brambles and herbs like lilacs and lavender. That "trash dump area" will get trees just for beauty. The fenced-in "dog run" that measures about 56x87 will suffice just fine for our vegetable garden and livestock housing because it's close to get to. As for the large patches of (1) corn/beans/squash, (2) sunflowers/-cucumber/-watermelon, and (3) amaranth.... here's where I'm hoping I can get the help of Hubby and the Kid to do the hard work. And as for preserving the harvests, I freeze or dehydrate most of our surplus, and Hubby helps with that.

I'm hoping having healthy produce at our fingertips will reduce some of my symptoms. AND I'm hoping to teach the Kid how to make yogurt once we have the milking goat(s) producing! After all.... between him and Hubby, we'll need at least 2 a day! Hmmm... wonder if the Kid can "help" me make the cheese too?! I **know** he'll help with the ice cream!

Just wanted to explain.

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Had a good birthday. Played with the goats and got lots of answers to my goat and chicken questions from my goat/chicken neighbor lady who came over to see our new baby goats. Cleaned a little (the Kid helped in between schoolwork assignments) and organized the few clothes I can find (need some summer clothes because I can't find that box!). Didn't get much of anything else done. Made some lentil veggie soup in one crockpot (way too many lentils!), and rice in the other. MIL came over when I was in the shower, then helped me move the goaties from the outdoor pen to the indoor pen (late afternoon). Put some bread to make in the bread-machine, then we sat down with decaf iced green tea and chatted till Hubby came home. Dinner, cake (chocolate!) then gifts! The Kid got me a "mom" heart ring and Hubby got me heart earrings. Very sweet.

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Please plant a nut or fruit tree today.

Lots Done for a Monday

I got a lot done yesterday before another headache and wave of nausea hit.
-installed shelving in two bathrooms
-installed 3 towell bars in two bathrooms
-found a comforter in a box that matches green room
-found a sham in a dif box that matches comforter for the green room
-wrote the honey-do list (for all of us tho!)
-cleaned out the fridge and organized
-checked on seedlings - almost all greens have sprouted!
-found box of my clothes and hung up

Then the headache hit (by around 3 p.m.) so laid down to take a nap until Hubby came home. After dinner, we did some painting and fixing the kitchen plumbing.

Today I need to order the lilacs, lavender and windbreak plants.

Began a Headache Diary

Busy day yesterday. Left around 9:30 to meet new doc and discuss increasing frequency of headaches. Not all are migraines. Suggested I keep a "diary" of what I do and eat and etc. all day so we can figure it out. Said I'm taking migraine meds too frequently, so I'm scaled back to 2-3 a week. Said I also need to make a schedule for everything (eating, tasks, errands, etc.) that will help knowing the headache causes and help me eat a little more healthy. Five meals a day (small, yes).

Then since the Kid and I were in town, did lots of errands. Five places? No, six. Plus getting gas, lunch, and a few supplies to construct goat pen. (Didn't get everything because a headache had started.)

The ride in our area doesn't help. Unpaved and very very very bumpy. My 1984 car hates it and has started losing bolts and such. Plus really bad for my headache and back.

Home. Within 5 minutes I had a call from our tax preparer. She had messed up and the IRS had rejected our electronic federal tax return. She wanted me to drive right back into town (over our bumpy road!) and sign the revised form. Why on earth no one could have called my cell while I was in town I don't know. I told her no. Print it out to file by mail and provide an envelope. Hubby picked up on the way home. We took care of it last night (angrily!) and he'll mail it today. The 15th. I hate last-minute things.

After Hubby got home, he fixed the workshop door that had broken loose during the windstorm the other day. That's good.

I did end up taking another migraine med last night, plus 2 aleve. Had severe nausea so didn't really eat dinner (couple bites of yogurt that didn't want to stay down). The soy protein drink I had during the day didn't help either. Did finally get to sleep, dreaming of my angora bunny attacking me!

Awoke, tho, with a lessened headache. Good. I have lots to do today. Hopefully I can get the Kid to do the lifting to rearrange the workshop so we can build the barn area in there tomorrow and Saturday. Also have lots of writing to do, and my seedlings need attention. Have a great day, everyone!

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Updated 11:30 a.m. Figured out my daily schedule and kinda-a-diet too. Already had breakfast, exercised, moved some things around downstairs, had a banana for a snack, checked on my seedlings and watered as necessary, and found a recipe for gf granola.

The Kid, however, is not concentrating and thus, although he's been up since 7, has only completed 1 assignment. Gotta light a fire under him!

Goat Pen Figured Out

Our back neighbors came over around 11:00 a.m. yesterday to look around our property and help me figure out where to house the goats. We have two good areas that really hadn't occurred to me:

(1) The workshop. It's a really big building (30x45) and we can easily house the goats along the side or back of the workshop inside. It's got a couple of opaque skylights, and electricity available for heat lamps and video-cams for when we kid later on. They could go in there at night, and in the morning we'd walk them outside and around to the "dog run" that's fenced in. We could put one of those big heavy pallets in their workshop-pen, stack hay around and scatter more across the pallet and dirt floor. That would make a nice warm place to milk them later, too. Very safe from predators and the elements.

(2) There's space under our back deck that the former people used to store firewood. We'd have to do some repairs because the former dogs dug holes all around it and through it. We'd also have to replace the aluminum door with something more like a barn door that would still offer protection but also sunlight when the snow is deep.

Maybe we'll fix up the workshop first, and if it works out, we'll either cut a hole in the back for a door and make a fenced area right behind.

And maybe we'll fix up the under-the-deck area for the billy goat(s) when it comes time.

Yeah, I'm thinking we'll prepare an area for the goats in the workshop. There should be room in there for the chickens too. Maybe we'll even move the rabbits and quail out there too!

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After we finished our taxes yesterday (we paid through the nose ... ouch!), we popped on next door to eat our annivesary dinner at a steak restaurant. The Kid too. After all, he was part of the wedding ceremony too. Can't believe it's been 4 years. Anyway, we got home just before dark, time to get doggy-bags refrigerated, teeth brushed, and things ready for today.

Hubby left this morning with the check for taxes to mail. Now I need to move money around. Basically, the gov gets our fence money. Oh well. Better luck next year! We'll do the fence when we can and just hope that critters don't eat up all our corn, beans, pumpkins and so on.

Meanwhile, I have a doc appointment this morning (for the migraines that have increased in frequency). Hope I can get the Kid in too because he's had a cough for a couple of months and he's also got another ingrown toenail. After the doc, we'll head on over to Home Depot where I'll pick up a few things to "fence-off" the goat pen in the workshop. Hoping that one of Hubby's friends will come by on Saturday to help us build the pen so that we can pick up the goaties on Sunday.

I just realized I never took a pic of my seedlings. Maybe I'll have a chance tomorrow. Today's schedule is kinda packed.

Have a great day, all!

Migraines on and on

It's a short posting today. I've been struck with migraines for every day for the last 3 days. Still, have things to do.

Today... picking up a u-haul trailer (ours is too short) to go get a rabbit hutch we found on Craigslist. The one we saw last weekend. We'll clean it out and set it in the garage to transfer our angora rabbit to. Once she's settled, we'll find her a mate and start breeding her. Same guy wants to know if we want chickens. We'll talk about it.

After picking up the hutch, one street away is a bunch more pallets waiting for us. For free. We'll take everything we can fit in the trailer. Unload at home, and I'll rest for the rest of the day if I'm feeling this bad still. If I'm better, I'll help move and unpack boxes.

Tomorrow, we'll return the u-haul on our way to get our taxes done. Found all of the paperwork. Chances are we'll have to pay this year. Bummer. After that, we need to start building the other chicken coop and goat pen, and need to build the raised garden too. Yeah, like that's gonna get done this weekend.

Shoot, I never ordered my windbreak and other plants ... next week.

At least the Kid and I shopped and found "teen" bedding for his new "sophisticated" room. He loves it. I'll take a picture when I'm finished making the curtains and getting everything done. Found some stuff for the "music room" too .... to provide a place for the Kid and his new friends to "hang".

Fun weekend

What a busy weekend.

First, Saturday was my dentist appointment to get my tooth repaired. It was an hour away, so we left early which meant we had time to check out a thrift store beforehand. Came away with even more books. Yes, we have a spending problem: we love books!

Then it was time for the dentist. Just as I sat in his chair, a migraine hit me. Sooo not fun. He was sympathetic and moved the light from my eyes. I took 2 Aleve as soon as I could get something to drink, because the nausea and aversion to light had intensified while he was working in my mouth.

I felt better once the aleve started to work, and I ate something. Off to Home Depot with my list: closet and shower rods, carbon monoxide detectors, wire shelves and coat hooks, among other things. Buying a new home always means repairs or buying things for functional living!

Sam's Club was next. We buy bulk once a month to help me cook decent meals, but really can barely wait until we have our own critters and can eat just what we raise.

By the time we got home, it was late and we crashed. I was up early Sunday... Hubby's dad was in town for a few days, so Hubby's mom agreed to bring him out to visit our new home. Planned for late afternoon, so suddenly my plans changed from investigating a local nursery for fruit trees, to organizing the house and painting the Kid's new room in the basement. Here I am at 6:30 a.m. moving boxes around so Hubby's dad won't trip over something, then I gathered the painting stuff and started on the pink shelves in the yellow room. Remember, that was the playroom for the previous owners. The light green paint over the pink shelves made them look blue which was fine. By the time I was ready to start on the school-bus-yellow walls, everyone else was up and we all dug in. Hubby installed door knobs on those doors, the Kid cleaned his new bathroom and found tp/soap/towels, and I used the roller to paint the walls that light green. Hubby completed the door knobs and helped me finish the room. We were done by 2:00 ... just in time for showers and a quick 2nd tidy in the house.

What a feeling of accomplishment! I rock when it comes to painting, but I tell you... I can barely move. Again. Ah, the pain. I took a muscle relaxer last night, but only helped me to sleep. This morning I'm worse.

I never did get to starting my seeds last week, but that is my plan for today. Taking it easy, and starting seeds.

= = = =

I used the Parker/Aurora branch of Labor Ready to help with the move and I gotta tell you... very glad we're not moving again. The person who helped to pack placed open containers of flour and pancake mix on their sides (spilling) and honey upside down (what a mess). Hubby picked up a heavy box marked "plates" and it nearly burst open. Stacked among the plates were bowls and other dishes, many of them were not packed correctly.

The three guys who moved us (lifting boxes, etc.) didn't follow the labels, which is contributing to the fact that I still can't find my clothes or dishes. A kitchen box is in the downstairs schoolroom, and it took us almost 3 weeks to find the box of schoolwork with the Kid's history books in it. And one of those guys had to rest after every load, so basically I paid him the same as the others for only half the work.

Just checked the bank account and Labor Ready is putting through another charge ... without calling me first! That was the deal I made with Teresa when I hired them. She promised up one side and down the other that she would call if there were any additional charges, and yet, she didn't.

I'll never use Labor Ready again. I'm so tired of them overcharging and tacking on additional charges weeks afterwards.

Now I need to find a handyman to help build the barn and chicken coop, and put up the fencing. Oh, and dig holes for the trees.

Stones vs Snow

I had barely left the hospital yesterday (where I had my CT scan) when I got a call from the doc. Already had the results! Yes, I had some kidney stones, one fairly big and one just a little smaller. One was trying to escape, which I believe it did ... yesterday afternoon.

The doc started me on medication that will break them up, as well as an antibiotic since my kidney had become inflamed. I also took it upon myself to increase my intake of supplements: dandelion, apple cider vinegar, cranberry and corn silk.

If this doesn't work, the "pulse" laser thingy is next. That's what they did the last time, and it worked well in breaking them apart. I'm thinking I drink too much cow milk and that's already stopped.

I already feel less pain, so I'm figuring that it will be just another day or two before I've got the worst of them gone.

Meanwhile....

The weather services have been predicting a major snow storm for today. Denver, Colorado area. Supposed to get 6-12 inches or 8-24, depending on location. Supposed to start around midnight. Here it is 4:31 a.m. and we don't have even rain out here in the boonies yet. Weather.com says not until 8 a.m. out here, but that it's already raining and sleeting where Hubby works.

I did errands on the way home from hospital.... last minute groceries, especially stocking up on goat yogurt for the Kid. We have plenty of propane for heat (gotta get this fireplace checked out and firewood stocked) and have a pretty good idea where the candles and lighter are just in case the electricity goes out.

Our first blizzard out here. Yippee!

Stones Derail Plans

I worked really hard on Monday, moving boxes around to find the Kid's schoolwork, my Hubby's vitamin supplements, and dishes, among other things. I started getting abdominal and back pains, and just assumed I had pulled something.

By Tuesday morning, I hurt so bad I barely got out of bed to see Hubby off to work. Within a couple of hours, vomiting hit me, and after the second attack in 1 hour, I called my health plan. Made arrangements and Hubby drove the hour home to take me to doc. His tests led to even more intense pain, lab tests, x-rays and pain killers (thank you). Finally got my results when the doc called me at 10:10 p.m.... kidney stones. Lots of them.

The pain killers helped a little but kept me awake all night, to listen to the sounds of the house and the coyotes outside. At least the pain started to subside a little.

This morning, I increased the apple cider capsules I take daily, along with multi-B and cranberry, and have dandelion capsules waiting for me at the health store. I'm halfway through a gallon of distilled water for today. Meanwhile, some are breaking up and going on their way, accompanied by the sound of my in-pain-moans and groans. The Kid is being very helpful, taking care of me and doing his schoolwork without argument.

Tomorrow I have a CT scan to get more details about how many, size and so forth. Guess afterwards, doc and I will come up with a course of action. Meanwhile, I only unpacked dishes today. Well, and checked schoolwork. Fun fun.

Back to bed.

Ow. Ow. Ow.

Tuesday I met 2 temporary workers there to get some painting done. And even tho I'm not supposed to raise my arms, I felt so guilty watching them work so I did some too. After 4 1/2 hours, working a few minutes at a time with long breaks in between, we quit for the day.

The kitchen got a complete coat of KILZ on it (like a primer) and a partial coat of the right color, and most of the dining room done. That's Tuesday.

I could barely move by the time we drove the hour-plus home.

Hubby had Wednesday off, but I had hired those same temp workers to come back to the new house at 7 a.m. so the Kid and I were up and out of the house by 5:45 a.m. Hubby hung back so he could pick up the U-Haul at 7 and meet his temp workers (movers) at 8:00. The Kid and I helped paint a little but my two temps did most of it. By the time we had finished for the day, the dining room was 100% done, the living room and foyer were 90% done, and the kitchen was about the same, except behind the fridge. We finished that part completely early in the day.

The refrigerator was supposed to be delivered at 10:30. I called them at 11:30 and they said it would be another couple of hours. Hubby got there with the full truck (from our storage units only) and had it unloaded (I directed) and was on the way back to return it and the workers before the fridge arrived at 3:30. At least the paint was dry behind the fridge! Unfortunately we couldn't find the valve for the water for the ice maker/water dispenser so... another task to handle. Later.

Hubby was tired and sore from all the moving but he's better today except for a bit of twinge in his lower back. The Kid, while he helped some, spent most of the day at the back neighbors with the chickens, turkeys and goats. I, however, can barely move today. I can't stand to have people do work for me and not contribute but I'm paying for it... both physically and literally. I have problems with gripping with my hands anyway, and now that I've held a paint roller and brushes in them, I can barely type, and my hands keep cramping up. I squatted to get some lower areas on the wall so my legs refused to move, and don't get me started about my shoulders and back.

But... I have chores and laundry to do. I brought home enough paint on my socks and clothing to open a store. I finally got the droplets off my glasses and out of my hair.

Ok. I'll admit. I am NOT a painter.

Give me a couple of days to recuperate, then I'll be back online. My hands are cramping as I type and I need to soak them in between catching up on chores.

Ugh. And packing. Ugh.

Teeth, House and the lack of sleep

Saw the dentist today... the one that did all of that work in Dec and January. Fixed one of the teeth that was messing up my bite. Hopefully this will correct all problems and my pain will go away.

Before I even left the house for that, tho, I got a frantic call from Hubby. He opened an e-mail from our mortgage broker people about a step they forgot to do and we needed to do it right away today or we might not be able to close the house on Thursday. Argh! I fired up the computer and snapped one at her, shooting with both barrels. I admit, I lost my cool. Not that I had any to begin with. Yes, after my dentist appointment and errands, I apologized to her.

It's been since last Thursday (5 nights) since we've really slept. The Kid, luckily, doesn't seem to have the same problem. Once he's out (with the classical music station playing softly), he's out until his bladder or I wake him up. But... for Hubby and I ... the neighbors above are still quite noisy most of the night, and the apartment complex won't do anything. I have a voice mail in to the local Fair Housing Act office. We've both very tired and even more grumpy. Not a good way to live life.

However, since we couldn't really sleep last night... we made progress on the book series! I love the plotting stage! Many thanks to the teens e-mailing and leaving their answers. Great info!

Neighbors, Teeth, Book, and more

Big thanks to Stephanie for her e-mail - we loved your answers! We especially felt blown away by your answer about the power, and the last question about what else would you like us to know.

Keep them coming! Here's the link: http://vikkisverandah.blogspot.com/2010/02/book-research-calling-all-teens.html - be sure to forward it to your teen friends!

= = = =

Once again the elephants in the apartment above are stomping around. Ok, they aren't really elephants, but for 2 small girls, a mid-sized mom and a very small-of-stature dad.... they stomp, scream and generally make enough noise to fool just about anyone.

It had been quiet since early January. We'd heard someone up there daily but the noise was tolerable. Around 6 p.m. last night, the herd came home and didn't stop stomping and screaming and throwing things until well after 10 p.m. And they were up by 5 this morning because THEY woke me up before Hubby's alarm did.

Soooo glad we're leaving here.

We close on our homestead in a week. For some reason, the closing will take place in one of the busiest places in Denver, DTC, so 3 hours before we will be in the house, doing our walk-through. I assume our agent will be there. And if the owners are there, that will not stop us from taking pictures of everything. It looked like, during our inspection, that they had already started taking down wall-paper. I sure hope they stopped that. We'll also be taking pictures of the workshop and grounds. If we find anything glaringly different at that moment that was different from our inspection will be brought up immediately to our agent. After the closing, we'll compare all of the pictures to the inspection pictures. And again, when we take possession 3 days later at noon, we'll be taking another round of pictures to compare to the other sets. This may sound like paranoia but since these sellers have already shown a bit of destruction and have proven that they don't want to leave and are quite angry, we will be very cautious.

I'm arranging the move today. We'll be doing it in two stages: the storage units and garage first, then several days later (giving us time to pack), the apartment innerds, angora bunny, and coturnix quail. Then a few days later, we'll be back to clean and do the walk-through with apartment complex. Before any walk-through, we buy that day's newspaper, and the kid holds it up in every picture that I take in the apartment, with open cabinets and closets, to verify that we leave all things in clean and liveable condition.

= = = =

We got a couple of inches of snow last night, and are expecting a few more tomorrow. The mountains usually (well, almost all) get more. We visit our little goaties (one - the other hasn't been born yet!) tomorrow. I'll be sure to take pictures of them, romping in the snow! Or trying to. One is getting ready to kid about 4 babies this time, so she doesn't romp right now.

= = = =

My mouth still hurts. Trying to figure out how to handle the 4 different dentist and their 4 different opinions as to what’s wrong. So when I got in the mood yesterday for roasted red pepper dip, I threw some on a piece of bread instead of chips. Not the same thing, but satisfied that taste in my mouth.

Hubby trying to convince me to get all the dentists on a conference call so he can give them a what-for and have them figure something else. I refused. **I** have to bear the brunt of their wrath in my mouth. He did come up with the suggestion that I call our dental insurance and have them help me sort it all out.

= = = =

Our internet was down most of today.... so this blog posting, although I started it at 9 something (a.m.), it's not actually posted until 1:14 p.m. So... didn't get done nearly enough today. I hope we have better connections out in the boonies. Can we say "satellite"?!?!

Kid Reading, House, Teeth and Misc

As you know, I assigned our 13 yr old Kid the first Percy Jackson book (Lightening Thief) as part of his literature curriculum. He read it in one week, and we went to see the movie that night (disappointment). All 3 of us decided it might be a good idea to read the entire series, with the thought of assigning all of them to the Kid. I went out and bought the rest of the books (we NEVER skimp on books). The second one (Sea of Monsters) was ok but not quite as good as the first. However, I started reading the third book (Titan's Curse) yesterday and am now at the zombie part. Zombies?!?!

Gotta tell ya... it's like Rick Riordan was trying to fit every possible non-human creature and power into his books. Zombies, cyclops, hippocampus, Siren, monsters, etc. all make an appearance. Invisibility, telephone systems from rainbows, and so on.

I decided to NOT assigned the books as required reading by the Kid. He can read them if he wants to. Meanwhile, he starts reading "Animal Farm" today.

= = = =

Found out yesterday that our loan for the house is out of underwriting and has been 100% approved and readied for our closing on Feb 25. Yippee! This is great new. After the long process, within the next month, we'll be putting up fences and barns, getting ready for chickens and more quail, and tilling up the soil.

My lentil experiment didn't go so well so I'll be ordering lentil seeds from a new supplier. Will let you know if they're ok ... should know by this Fall.

= = = =

Since the dentist messed up my mouth in December, I've been in such pain. Saw a new dentist last Friday who said I needed a root canal and 2 new crowns. Sent me to an endodontist in Parker. Saw him on Monday who said I didn't need a root canal. Probably just need the crown redone. Saw the dentist yesterday (Tuesday) who did the crown in Jan 08 and he said the pain I'm experience is probably caused by the work I had done in December... that the dentist didn't get my bite right and I'm all messed up, causing pain.

So NOW I gotta go back to the idiots, er, dentist from December, and tell them I need some work redone because they did it incorrectly. This is the dentist that made my tongue numb and feel like it was burning. Where I had the panic attack.

I am sooooo not looking forward to making this call today.

= = = =

I almost forgot. Late last night we got a phone call from the fire/police department of the town where we used to live. Remember we sold that house in September. The guy talked to Hubby so I have only second-hand knowledge of the call, but basically they were trying to find out who was responsible for the property.

Got us thinking. I hope the new owner didn't start a drug lab there. Or hope it didn't burn down with the new owners nowhere in site. Our former real estate agent said she'll drive by there today and take a look.

= = = =

As I was sorting through my seeds, I suddenly realized that some of these packets have almost no information on them. Specifically, Baker Heirloom Seeds, a company I have used for several years. I'm looking at the bulk package of new zealand spinach, and the danvers 126 half long carrot, and there's no info on there. Just the name, that they are bulk, cost, when packed for, and when germinated (I guess as a test). I glanced at the others I bought from them, and for most of them, it's the same situation. Almost no info.

So now I have to look up all of these online and find how many days to harvest, spacing, germination, etc. Even the herbs -- some of them I have no clue if they are annual or perennial so I need that info too.

I think I'm not going to use Baker again. They have okay choices but with the lack of information, and their newly revamped website that's a bit difficult to use... I think I'm gonna use seedsavers from now on.

= = = =

Guess that's it for now. I have a lot of work to do today.... I have to look at my seed packets and calculate days before last frost and when to start seeds so I can plant them on time. I have a LOT of seeds to go through! But... it's my favorite part.

Colorado Home and Garden Show 2010

Saturday was a busy day. We picked up mom-in-law, parked at a light-rail stop (kinda like our above-ground subway), and took the light-rail to the Colorado Convention Center. It's said if one walks the entire conventionl, it's a 3-mile trek. We came close.

We meandered through many of the booths, collecting information we'll need for house repairs and improvements: roofing, solar panels, wind turbines, decks, energy audits, sheds (we could use for barns - cheaper), and much more. I was disappointed that I didn't see any greenhouses - were there really none there? And sunrooms don't count!

There was a moment that I lost my family. We separated so I could listen to Michael Weishan from the Victory Garden PBS show give a talk about starting gardening. More about that in a minute. When it was over, I went to find my family. Up and down the aisles, past prodding exhibitors and throngs of people. Standing on tiptoes. Searching and searching. Then my phone beeps. Didn't hear it ring. It was my 13 yr old Kid who had gotten separated from Hubby and Mom-in-Law. Now I started to panic. I could barely understand his message so I grabbed someone with a nametag and had him listen. Just as he finished, the phone rang again. It was Hubby who had finally located his phone (was in his coat in the coat-check area). He found the Kid and were staying put until I found them.

I tell you... I cried. When my son was 6 years old, someone tried to steal him (I'm a fighter) and a year later, he wandered off in a bookstore. This time was just as frightening.

= = = =

I attended the Victory Garden talk because I wanted to ask him about the changes in the Victory Garden show. Very little discussion about edible landscaping, and lots of talking about decorative plants, etc. NOT what a Victory Garden was. Michael Weishan was nice and gave a good talk. Basically for a beginner so I just sat there, listened, and waited for my time. After the lecture, I approached him and asked him the question: how come the show, that's name after a specific way to garden to feed families during the war, has deviated from edible landscaping? He said: don't get me started. One of the reasons I left. Ooops. I don't think he wanted me to type that. That's ok. He said that he's starting a new PBS show, I think he called it "Garden Earth". Will deal mostly with edible landscaping.

Good.

He also said that there haven't been any more Victory Garden shows filmed in a while.

Double Good.

= = = =

Valentine's day: We didn't do much. I made finally a lasagna (since I won't be able to eat today), but didn't like it much because I forgot 3 key ingredients, and didn't add enough onions and garlic. What the hairy heck was wrong with me?

We watched a rented DVD: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. It wasn't as good as the previous films, but then, the books had also gotten darker by this one. I was the only one who'd read all the books, so I had to keep shutting my mouth so I wouldn't give away who really died and who didn't. Who was good and who wasn't. Argh.

The Kid watched the cartoon movie of Watership Down which he felt was ok but a little violent. He wants to write his own book series but wants to be careful about what he includes so that he can get a good rating, like G or even PG.

Hubby and I, by the time we got done with the Harry Potter movie, had pretty much run out of time so we just swung over to the Outback and picked up appetizers and dessert. V-Day isn't such a big deal for us. It shouldn't be for people who should show their love and respect for each other daily. Heck... last year we went to Walmart, found special cards for each other, met in the middle of the section, exchanged, laughed, hugged, kissed, and returned them. Cheap but effective!

I gotta go get ready for my root canal. I probably won't blog again today because I KNOW I'll be in pain. I really hate going to the dentist, am prone to panic attacks, and, well, I have a very low threshhold for pain. Plus it takes a lot of numbing agent to numb me.

Help?

= = = =

UPDATE at 12:48 p.m. on Monday 12/15/10 - got to the endontist for the root canal, and after careful examination, new x-rays and a freezing-cold-on-the-tooth test, he declared that I DON'T need a root canal. I just have a crown (installed only 2 years ago) that had started to come off. The gooey-center of that tooth wasn't covered or protected at all so even simple swallowing was causing pain. I need it repaired. Still a painful procedure but... thank goodness! Now I need to track down the dentist that did the work 2 years ago, and get them to redo it. For free. THEY screwed up!

I'm so happy!

New Dentist

Remember all that dental work I had done the last week in December? I was in so very much pain, for for a few days mid-January it kinda went away. Only for a few days, and never completely gone.

Well, it got so bad that about 3 weeks ago, I called up the dentists office and told them I'm still in pain and my tongue was still numb (which I figured was a side-effect of all the numbing-agent for the dental-work). Patty, the receptionist, said she had work done the day after I had mine, same basic procedure, and she was still in pain. Give it time. I said to please discuss with dentist. She said she would and expect a call right back.

No call until last week. There I'd waited patiently for her to call me, and when she called last week, wondered why **I** hadn't called her back. I reminded her that SHE was supposed to confer with dentist and get back with me.

By this time, I was in so much pain but didn't want anything at all to do with them. So I took pain relievers, brushed several times a day, used mouthwash, flossed, and stayed away from hard foods. This morning I'm in so much pain that I promised Hubby I'd find a new dentist. I went online to search our dental insurance's data base and found a dentist within walking distance of this dinky apartment. My appointment is today at 11:30 - fitting me in as an emergency. I'll keep the ice pack on until I leave.

= = = =

We have our e-mailed notice to the apartment last Friday, but they said that wasn't good enough although I'm sure in a legal situation, it WOULD prove to be satisfactory notice. However, this apartment complex, which is horrible if you recall our problems with neighbors and the management's inactivity, wanted THEIR form filled out. I completed this morning, signed, Hubby signed, and he took it with him. He'll drop off at the management office this afternoon on his way home from work.

= = = =

I had planned to make lasagna today. Have such a craving for it. Yes, there are gluten-free lasagna noodles. So Hubby and I went to store late last night, and got the ingredients that I was missing. I need to make two batches because I need gluten-free noodles and can handle regular cheese, but Hubby gets regular noodles and non-cow's milk cheese. So at the store even looked for goat/sheep cheese (Mt Vikos) that he loves and melts really well but they, I guess, had discontinued that particular cheese at the store. Oh well. I have some goat brie that might work for him.

But now that I'm going to the dentist this morning (just called to change appointment to 11:00), and have a regular doc appointment at 2:20, might need to reschedule this for this weekend.

HOWEVER... this weekend is Denver's Home and Garden show at the Colorado Convention Center. We went 2 years ago, taking the Light Rail with my mom-in-law. Doing the same this year. How exciting, because this year we need estimates for greenhouses and solar panels. Wonder what else wonderful we can see?!!?

After the show, we'll drop off mom-in-law to her house, and we'll go on to see the Percy Jackson movie. The Kid is so excited he can barely contain himself.

= = = =

Guess that's it for now. Need to brush teeth again, floss, rinse, and then get in the shower. Be ready to leave in 30 minutes. No problem. I'm the only one in this family who can take a shower in 5 minutes. Add 2 minutes to condition my hair or for shaving my legs.

5 minute shower today.

= = = =

UPDATE at 12:31 p.m.: Just back from the new dentist. On the right side I have a filling/crown that wasn't done correctly. On the left, I have an abcess and cavity in a tooth that the December dentist should have caught. I might lose the tooth. Taking antibiotics and pain killers until my appointment with a specialist on Monday. Meanwhile, going to make the lasagna anyway because it won't be crunchy or too difficult to eat. Should be out of the oven by the time I leave for the 2:20 doc appt.

Oh, what fun.

NOT.

Good News About House; BPA toxins in canning

Thanks for the comments. Yes, we got good news late yesterday. We haggled back and forth during the day, but in the end, we all compromised. The house closes on Feb 25, then we're letting the owners have 3 days to pack up and leave. They'll be gone Feb 28 by noon. So we'll be able to move in before our apartment lease completely expires.

I'm glad we did that. We suspect the reason the house was for sale ... short sale ... was that the couple (sellers) is divorcing or otherwise splitting up. And there are very young girls involved. See this picture to the right? I took that the one and only time we saw the house. This is a pic of the kid's bathroom, filled to the brim with little girl clothing. The closet was full too. I hope that they find a place quickly and get the girls settled in.

In addition to the seller's disclosure, we got a copy of the plat map, which tells us we have a tiny bit more land that I thought (guessing at boundary lines from my perusal of mapquest, google-map, yahoomaps, etc.). We also found out that we can't plant every inch like I wanted to because we need to leave room for utility people to access telephone poles at the back of the property. Was told we probably can get by with leaving walking paths, so that will work. I've also decided to change the barn formation, the location of the greenhouse, and taking out the butternut, heartnut, and chestnut trees from our front yard plan. The walnuts, pecans and almonds, plus the beans, peas, lentils and eggs, will give us enough protein and variety. Trying to reduce costs since I just realized we need to buy a refrigerator, and want to install my verandah and greenhouse by the end of the year. Gotta save! Might reduce number of fruit trees too. Maybe. I don't know. We really like fruit.

Hubby wants to add more herbs to our plan. Medicinal herbs, plus I realized I didn't have any oregano. How am I supposed to make spaghetti sauce?!?!

= = = =

I was recently reminded that there is BPA (Bisphenol A), found in most canning jar supplies, "tin" cans and jars that our canned goods are in, and even the jars, cups and bottles we use in every day life. Even in baby food jars. It's the lids in jars, and the coating inside the tin cans.

BPA causes cancer and disrupts the endocrine system. The FDA does not limit BPA in food containers. Not good. (Read here: http://www.treehugger.com/files/2009/07/is-there-bpa-in-your-home-canning.php). Ball, Kerr... most all the canning supplies companies have BPA in their lids.

I found one that does not. Weck Canning (http://www.weckcanning.com/). I just called the number on their website (Tel: 815-356-8440) and was told that the website hadn't been updated yet but that there are no BPAs in their canning supplies. They use mostly glass, including the lids, and the rubber rings don't have the BPA. The only part you need to replace each time you can is just the rubber ring.

Although I dehydrate almost everything, except for storing the applicable fruits, nuts, seeds, carrots, potatoes and squashes ... I really wanted to start making my own pizza sauce, spaghetti sauce, ketchup, jams, and more. I'll start ordering these Weck canning supplies after we get settled into our new place.

We have enough chemicals and toxins in our lives without adding more to our home-grown organic foods.

= = = =

Hubby enjoyed the gifts the Kid and I painted at the pottery place. His mom came over with a special hard-to-find pillow for Hubby. Then we four went to the Outback for dinner and dessert. It was a pretty pleasurable evening.

Have a great day! Vikki

Now it's a house nightmare

Seller still doesn't want to leave the house. I pressed our agent to get them to agree to leave upon the house closing. But now... the seller's agent (Charles P.) tells our agent that he doesn't have their signature on the paperwork - our offer - so we don't actually have an executed contract. Unbelievable. The seller's agent says he always does short sales like that... and that neither he nor the sellers actually expected the house to sell. Attention: DORA and Better Business Bureau!!!

Hubby and I are furious. I just got off the phone with our agent, and besides fuming, I'm trying to not throw things around while baking for Hubby's b-day tomorrow. And trying to stop this major panic attack, which I'm prone to having while under severe stress. I told our agent in no uncertain terms that Charles, the seller's agent, WILL get off his lazy, er, butt and get the sellers to sign the contract and get it to our agent no later than 9 a.m. tomorrow, or heads will roll.

Charles and the sellers misrepresented themselves by placing the house on the market for sale, and again when they sent us a copy of the seller's bank's approval letter that agreed to our deal. If they didn't intend to sell us the house, then they should never have gone through with this.

All we wanted to do was get a little piece of property so we can moving on with this next phase of our lives, plant our perennials (nut and fruit trees and bushes, etc.), get our critters going, and start relaxing into a simple life. A plain life with plenty of fresh air and sunshine, homegrown produce and homemade delicious dishes. Reduced stress could equal my many health issues reducing or possibly eliminating.

Argh!

Can you get an inkling of how completely furious I am? We are?

Big Grocery Day

I can't believe how much we spent at the grocery today.... between Sam's Club for sodas and such for Hubby, and Wally World for cans and cans of baked beans, fruit cocktail and pears for the Kid, and many other miscellaneous things, well, let's just say that I'll be soooo glad when we out on our property and taking care of ourselves. = = = = How can a person cut out a dependency on sodas and other non-water drinks? I'm ok with water, as long as it's filtered, and I like making herbal teas. I like an occassional soda but can do without. My Hubby, on the other hand, well, it took a lot to get him off of caffeinated sodas. Now he gets a couple flats each of 7-up, Gatorade and Lipton Tea at the first of the month, and often goes back for more by mid-month. I worry about him. The Kid, however, drinks about a gallon of water every 2 days. I'm glad. He drinks rice milk with his cereal, and very seldomly will ask for a soda, but for the most part, it's only water. Great! = = = = I'm tired. We didn't get much sleep last night. The people in the apartment above us turned on the TV very loudly at 1:30 and didn't seem to mind the neighbors yelling at him. Them. Very inconsiderate. Obviously, no news on the house. Yet. Worked on the Kid's schoolwork last night. I have at least 2 months planned for all subjects except for World and US History, and Life Skills (manners, dating, gardening, etc.). Will work on it tomorrow. I've been coughing so much that the right side of my chest aches. I hope I'm not doing any permanent damage. But I'm faithfully taking my meds, drinking lots of liquids, staying away from gluten and all milk products, and taking hot showers to loosen what I can. Guess I'll quit for now. Not much self-sufficiency learning going on here. I hope to get back at it on Monday. Meanwhile, enjoy your weekend! Vikki