One More Step on a Long Road

My garden is started, and I'd say it's coming along fairly well. I haven't gotten everything in yet, however, and I'm hoping it's not to late to plant a few more things from seed. Out here things need to be started pretty early in the year because of the long growing season and the extreme hot and dry days coming up later on.

I took some pictures at different stages and I will try to post a few soon. I uploaded all of my recent pictures to my old computer last week, but since then I got an amazing new laptop that I have been using almost exclusively, so I don't have immediate access to them. My other computer is very old and is really having some serious problems, but I'll try to get over there and get a few of them up.

So far, this is what I have already growing in my garden: potatoes, red onions, sweet onions, elephant garlic, which is actually more of a wonderful leek, basil, dill, lemon balm, rosemary, a few green bean bushes, spaghetti squash, some early girl tomatoes, because they reportedly do fairly well out here, a few other heirloom variety tomatoes, and a pot with some cherry tomatoes to sit nearer the house. That makes them handy for snackin', and if it gets too hot I can move them out of the heat.

There is some sort of volunteer plant coming up over against the fence. I don't know what it is, but it's thriving! It's a remnant of a bygone garden attempt, and therefore probably either a squash, cucumber, a melon, or a gourd. I think that is all I would have planted near the fence. It's a section of fence that we erected in order to keep the dogs away from a newly planted tree so that they wouldn't chew it off at the ground. Ten or twelve or so years, many feet of tree growth, and several dogs later, it's only purpose for years now has been to support climbing garden plants. I don't think I would have planted anything else over there.

I planted a blackberry bush at the end post of that same fence. I'm very happy about that! It seems to be pretty content in it's little spot. I am hoping to find a raspberry bush to plant near it, on the opposite end post. Eventually I would like to have rows of berries. I don't think I can ever get enough. I love berries.

I bought some strawberry starts, too, but they are still in the little six pack they came in. My husband thinks I'm trying to kill them by not getting the poor things in the ground, but actually I'm trying to gather some containers and fix them to my fence like hanging baskets. I think I'd rather have them there. I don't have a lot of garden space yet, and I would like to better utilize what I do have by growing things in it that need the space. Some of the things I want to grow will probably do just as well in planters or baskets as they would in my garden space, so I am planning on pulling a rabbit out of the hat and starting chard, lettuce, radishes, and my strawberries in those kinds of containers. I have a ton of big ideas, but if I don't get them underway I'm going to miss my opportunity.

I seeded a few zucchini plants along another stretch of the same old fence. I have some watermelon and a few decorative gourds planted in hills along the back of my garden as well. I hope they come up soon. Almost immediately after I planted them it turned unseasonably cool, and the wind blew so hard it probably dried the hills out, so right away I start to wonder if they will survive it all. I tried to keep them wet. We shall see.

"The farmer sleeps at night and is up and around during the day. Yet the seeds keep sprouting and growing, and he doesn't understand how." Mark 4:27 (CEV)

I still have cucumbers and cantaloupe seeds to plant. I've run out of fence to plant them near, so I'm going to have to rig some sort of trellises for them. I also found some brussel sprout seeds, but the cool weather came and went, and the chance to plant them, or any cabbage or kale, slipped unceremoniously past.

I have some green pepper seeds someplace around here, and I think I'm going to throw a few of those in when I find them. To me, a garden isn't complete without green peppers. I think they will do alright. I have quite a bit of mulch to cover things with once they get up and growing. That will help keep the moisture in, and that's really the biggest concern. The blazing sun is always an issue when it hits, whether the plants are big or small. We have talked about erecting some kind of a sun screen to protect things, but we never have. Maybe this is the year for it.

I get a little aggravated with gardening out here. I know once I get everything up and running it will be fun and wonderful and everything I was hoping it would be, but with all the expense of constructing shelters and shades, and for all the extra water and everything we have to do to make it work, we would be almost as well off to pay for produce at the store! I do take comfort in knowing that the food will be actual food, and it will be more nutritious for the family, and that every year that we make improvements to the garden areas will serve to make it more and more self sustaining until someday it wont be necessary to buy any more props or artificial aids from the store. Meanwhile, I guess I will continue propping it all up.

Hopefully I will have a successful garden this year and will have plenty to put up. I haven't canned in many years, but I think I remember how. Between me and google, we got it! I have a water bath canner, but my next acquisition should probably be a pressure canner. I would like a nice, big, stainless steel one. I found one at Amazon for $99.00, and that is really a pretty good price. Maybe by the time I need it I will have found a way to get it.

I'm scanning yard sales and second hand stores for pressure canners, too. You never know, I might get lucky. I'm really hoping for two. I want the one big one for canning, but I would also love to have a smaller one to cook in. I can remember my grandma cooking in one. It was a long time ago, but I remember the food being good, and I remember her talking about how fast it was. I can't remember the cook times, but I can remember the fork tender pot roast and back bone. I know you can start food from a frozen state and still cook it quickly. That would be quite a bonus around here since we don't use a microwave and I'm notorious for forgetting to thaw the meat.

Last week end I picked up six cases of Ball jars with the rings and lids at the church yard sale. I got them for two dollars a case! I was so excited. I already have several cases of large jars in my shed. Now I can add a few more, and several cases of smaller jars to go along with them. There were some tiny wide mouth jars among them. I think I may try to make a few pies in them. I saw a recipe for some tiny fruit pies that are made right in the jars, and can be frozen and later baked or reheated in the same jars. I think it would be a fun thing to try. It would be a handy snack for my husbands lunch box. Maybe I will get enough blackberries to make a few pies out of them.

We haven't completed the patio, but it should be done soon. It's all ready to go, but it is on hold until my husband gets a few days off back to back. We have to get some sand and then set the cement pieces in, but I don't think I'm strong enough to move them all on my own. Once it is finished, I'm going to set some containers on the south end with lettuce and chard in them. That will not only save space, taste good, and be handy, but it will look nice, too.

We have acquired a nice, big table to use in the work area. I don't have a potting shed, just a shady area under a tree, but perfect for a nice table and for a staging area for whatever I find myself doing out there. I have to pick it up this week. A good coating of polyurethane or some other sealer is all it will need to be in full time service. Meanwhile I have a big piece of plywood propped on two sawhorses, all things that could be put to better use elsewhere. The plywood is about ready to be turned into a set of shelves in my kitchen. That is a plan that's been put on hold for far too long. It will be the biggest single improvement to the inside of my house and to improving my daily life and schedule in many years.

We still haven't done anything concrete about setting up any water catchment. I inquired after a few large containers but I haven't heard anything back about them. I'll follow up on that tonight. We have researched it a bit and know fairly well what we plan to do once we get the big containers. It will be a huge thing for us to be able to water our garden from rain barrels. That is probably one of the projects that is working it's way to the top of the priorities list.

I am learning as I go. I am planning to start saving seeds, composting on a larger scale, making small structural improvements, and marking what did and didn't work well. I'm going to can and dry some of the produce, if we get enough and it's not all eaten. I plan to get a few laying hens. I have a little roost and an area that could be pretty easily and inexpensively changed over and prepared for them. I'm not sure when I'm going to do that, though. I don't want to bite off more than I can chew at the expense of the chickens. I'm doing well to keep up with what I have, if you can call what I'm doing 'keeping up'.

Well, that's the update. I will post when more happens. I'll probably post when more doesn't happen. ;-)

Success!

I read this in a wonderful blog this morning that spoke straight into my heart:

A rich industrialist was horrified to find a fisherman lying comfortably beside his boat, smoking his pipe.

“Why aren’t you out fishing?” asked the industrialist.

“I’ve caught enough fish for the day,” said the fisherman.

”Why don’t you catch some more?”

”What would I do with them?”

”Earn more money. Then you could have a motor fixed to your boat and go into deeper waters to catch more fish. That would bring you money to buy nylon nets, so more fish, more money. Soon you would have enough to buy two boats, even a fleet of boats. Then you would be a rich man like me!”

“What would I do then?” The fisherman asked.

”Then you could sit back and enjoy life!”

”What do you think I’m doing right now?”

I was actually formulating a blog of my own, and having difficulty putting into cohesive thoughts when I read this, here:

Is Hard Work Good or Bad?

Gloriosity! I am not alone!

My family is full of people who have been successful in business. Many are college educated, and many who were not were still 'hard workers' who climbed the ladder of success and have all of the rewards one would expect from such a life; nice homes, nice cars, kids in college, exotic vacations. They have made their lives into what they had always wanted them to be. For them, they are successful.

They are a generally kind bunch of folks, loving and all, but several of them have never understood why I was such a comparative failure. Why is it that Rhenda could never seem to progress? Why couldn't Rhenda ever get ahead? Why didn't Rhenda ever 'straighten up'? Because Rhenda was cut from the fisherman's cloth. I have wonderful news, friends and family. I am a raging success, far surpassing my hopes and dreams! I am set on the path that my heart would keep and I'm squarely in the middle of the will of God for my life. I am crazy successful! Be happy for me!

My husband and I have arrived at an age where we are considering our retirement. We are not old, but plans must be laid if you are to achieve the desired results, and I just ca not help but chuckle a bit when I think of what kind of reactions I might get from my family if they knew my plans. I would never cast them in a light that makes them seem haughty or judgmental. They are not. They are wonderful people. Given enough time to explain myself they would, in fact, understand, and probably be very happy for me even if they did think me a bit odd. That wouldn't be anything new.

There are many people out there, however, that presume to understand all there is to know about life, progress, happiness and success, and how one achieves them, who would not understand. Their lack of understanding would make me wrong and somehow substandard in their eyes. Some would try to force me to change. Maybe they'd send me for counseling or medication. Maybe they'd try to raise my awareness and send me for some kind of re-education. Some would just seek to legislate against 'me and my kind' because it's not normal and they can not abide my presence as it is.

I remember a news show I saw once. It was on FOX news' Bill O'Reilly show. Now, I don't think Bill O'Reilly is an evil man. There was a similar magazine type of a program by Diane Sawyer that gained a lot more notoriety, so I suppose I should mention it as well; spread the wealth. It just happened to be during the Bill O'Reilly piece that I began to put things together in my own mind.

Mr. O'Reilly was absolutely repulsed by the lifestyle that the Appalachian mountain people had chosen for themselves. 'They' were poor, and lived in hovels! 'They' needed care! The government was going to have to step in to help 'those' poor souls! 'They' lived in shacks out in the mountains and 'their' culture hadn't progressed for generations. Oh my! It was going to cost tax payers money for the government to go in there and change 'those' people, protect 'their' children and bring 'them' up to a more acceptable level.

Acceptable to whom? Bill O'Reilly? Diane Sawyer? The federal government? They did not ask for government help, so save your money. Their lives were of their choosing in a place and style that was traditional, comfortable and quite acceptable to them, but the government, and Bill O'Reilly, evidently, decided it wasn't a life worth having. So, as big government is wont to do, someone waltzed in and tried to put an end to their chosen lifestyle. I never heard the end results of their mission. Were they successful in reforming these unfortunates?

If it were any other established people group the liberals and bleeding hearts would be appalled! Can you imagine going into a traditional Native American village and forcing them to live like 'the rest of us decent people'? You would be on the front pages by evening and probably walking the plank by the next morning; that is, unless you are a medical volunteer who is stepping in and forcing them to receive pharmaceuticals that they have deemed necessary 'for the good of the community'. But that is a whole 'nuther blog...

Different is not dangerous, it is right! Leave them alone, for God's sake! The view and judgement of the powers that be and lack of understanding is nothing more than short sightedness on their part. They are the first people to tack the label of narrow or closed minded on to others, and most guilty among them. Take a deep breath! Take a nap! Take a hike!

I didn't mean for this to become a rant, but I guess it was one. Actually, I am very happy today. I am just hopeful that 'polite society' will allow me to pursue that goal.

Dead Reckoning

I've been making a lot of plans in my head. I've been collecting things, learning skills and trades and crafts and lots of 'needful' things for as long as I can remember to go along with these nebulous plans of mine. I get frustrated at the lack of forward motion and obvious progress. I can be very self-critical, but after a half century of life I have come to a brilliant conclusion. That does not solve anything or even help. So I stopped myself and thought, what would my advice be to someone else if they were thinking about the things I think about and facing the same circumstances. My advice to me is this: I think it's about time I get something down in writing.

I have heard that for years, literally. I have asked people how they accomplish things and they have told me to set goals, make lists, get a planner. I have listened to speakers or teachers that I have respect for. They all say prioritize. People have told me unbidden, which indicates my issues were obvious, that a clear plan helps. I have taught these things myself, and taught them properly and I think I taught them well. I just don't think I have ever kept them in practice long enough in my own life to actually see the results of a deliberate, well organized plan. What a shame. What a waste, and what a loss of a blessing, to not experience the feeling of real accomplishment.

I was told that it was my artistic nature that made me that way. I was a free spirit, the creative type and all that mumbo jumbo. Actually I was told that many times, which served to make it more believable. That was my best excuse for many years to come. What a bad bit of 'encouragement' that was! Of course I realize now what a detriment that mindset has been to me in my life. If I can organize my thoughts long enough to get these creative ideas, plan them out, start and finish them, then obviously it can be done in any area of life even if I am the 'artistic' type, whatever that was supposed to mean. Besides, God told me to be a good steward. I must be good with my talents, my obligations, my finances, my home, hobbies, habits, relationships, my time and whatever else He has given me. It may be easier for me to be a good steward in certain areas, but that does not excuse me from being a good steward in the areas that are not so easy.

For me the problem has always been that I didn't know I didn't know until I did know, and no amount of telling me, teaching me, nagging me or even threatening me could cut through the fog and make me know it any faster. I just had to get it on my own. I'm a relatively busy person and I have always known that it does me a world of good to put things in order and look at them on paper, and to re-arrange them until they resemble a plan. I know that. A simple list of errands shows me that. I do it when I write sermons. I do it when I write lesson plans. Yet in bigger issues of life, in areas that can become overwhelming or things that stall out and frustrate me, I do not do it without being prodded or otherwise made mindful that it should be done. In the past, when I finally would make an attempt at it I tended to misplace the list or set it aside for issues more pressing at the moment, but typically it would never make it back to the top of the stack.

There is no excuse for me to have been so discombobulated all these years. I could have saved myself tons of time and energy if I had determined to do this way back when. Plain for others to see, I didn't see it. I just did not. Now I do.

Thankfully, I have one redeeming quality. Once I know, I don't let any grass grow under me. There's no time like the present to make the changes and get it done.

So, I scolded myself well and committed to myself that with so many big and wonderful changes in my life, so many new horizons, I should make this sort of thing a priority in my life. Organization, list making, and prioritizing are all things I would and have counselled others to do, but have been so pathetically lazy about in my own life. I'm not even sure how to start, or where, but start I will.

I will at the very least begin a list, or a plan, or whatever I will call it, and start sorting my ideas. Maybe once I have a cohesive outline I'll share it here. I'm actually pretty excited about it all. With a fix on my present location, and with occasional recalculations and corrections for unseen roadblocks and detours I think my course is set. I feel better already.

Sometimes the World Feels Far Away

I was having a conversation with my husband over dinner. We got off on the topic of different blogs we read and found that we both read several blogs with some common topics, such as preparedness, homesteading, self-sufficiency and even survivalism. We have talked about things like this before. Naturally we have similar hopes and dreams, things like living more rurally, more independently, but I guess we really never talked too much about really specific things, because he mentioned a blog where some of the contributors were always talking about BoB's, or bug out bags, and I told him we have one, and he was surprised. No, we'd never discussed it, I just assumed he knew. I figured he'd want one. It made me feel a little bit silly, because he was talking about the bloggers as though they were just a little over the edge with the whole survivalist, bug out thing, and here I am setting one up!

All this got me thinking. I'm not some super qualified, weekend practitioner of survival skills and bug out emergency drills. Not that I wouldn't like to be. Actually, I'd love to. I just never have. I haven't made the time for it. It seemed like too much trouble, with kids and animals to contend with and with my husband's weird schedule. I haven't sat down and mapped out escape routes, or listed what I think are necessary items to have in my BoB, but, hey, it's my BoB, my interest, my weird preoccupation, so why not make it the subject of a few posts? Maybe I should dedicate a blog to it.

Many of my friends know that we're planning on moving to a more rural location someday, hopefully sooner rather than later, and living a quieter, more self-sustained lifestyle. I had actually planned to blog about our day to day life once we had more concrete plans laid, but maybe I should start now. I've noticed there are many blogs about moving out, about finding land, scoping out the area, setting up a rural lifestyle, caring for animals, small farms, you name it, but I don't think I've see many from people like me. I'm not doing much. I'm more than a dreamer, and more even than a serious wannabe. I am more than a future farmer or homesteader or whatever you want to call people who do these kinds of things now days. It's not just a plan, and it's not just a dream. I'm not fearful or planning an escape. It's who I am inside and where I live every day of my life at, I just have to live there in my head and my heart for now, doing all the things I mentioned, but kept only slightly out of sync with it in a physical way due only to my physical circumstances and absolutely no other reason.

I realize that sounds like an excuse. I know that technically qualifies me as a wannabe. I'm aware that a 'real' homesteader, or a 'real' survivalist would probably laugh at me. I can tell you, however, that if heart and spirit and attitude truly are the biggest things in ones life, I am what I want to be in my life minus the land. I think I am truly qualified to blog in my field. What's my field? I'm not sure what you call it... heart of a farmer, spirit of a gypsy, will of a warrior, all mixed in with what is currently known as a prepper, I suppose. That might make for interesting reading for someone else who is hemmed into a life uncomfortable and unfamiliar to their own spirit.

I am happy; very happy. I'm happier now than I've ever been. To be happy in my life and yet to strive for something else that is deep in my soul doesn't mean I'm discontent. They are two very different things to me, distinct and never touching one another at any place in my life. They are comfortable being side by side until they can co-exist someplace in my future.

So what do you think? Should I throw caution to the wind, inviting criticism from the 'real' gypsies and warriors of the world, and blog til my heart's content, or should I continue to stealthily change my world, hat in hand and head hanging down, ashamed of my lack of obvious forward motion?

Maybe I should just continue to plan to take over the world with my mad ninja skills.

Things are Christmassy!

Normal, everyday things seem different around Christmas, don't they? Cold winter nights are just cold in January or February, but at Christmas time they are cozy and crisp! I burn candles all the time, but at Christmas they are prettier. They glow. Burgundy and sage colored home accents are now decidedly red and green. Hot tea is the stuff! Suddenly it not only tastes good, it makes me feel good when I drink it. Surely you know that hot chocolate was made for Christmas! It's always good, but at Christmas it's almost a food group of it's own. At Christmas, it's all more of an experience! I have a better attitude about traffic at Christmas. I listen to and enjoy music that wouldn't excite me any other time of the year. I mean, who listens to Alvin and the Chipmunks or Bing Crosby in June? I don't even mind Wal-Mart as much this time of year. Maybe that's a stretch, but grocery stores, quick stops, gas stations seem friendlier to me, and it's just easier to smile at folks and strike up conversations.

Funny, isn't it? I wonder why it's that way? It's not just a 'mood', really. It's in the air... things 'are' different! It's the magical part of Christmas that I didn't quite outgrow, I guess. If it is childish, I'll keep it. I would really hate to out grow whatever it is that changes the mundane, day to day life into a different, more pleasant place. I wish I could keep it all the time.

I was thinking about all this just now because I'm baking brownies. I bake brownies other nights, but they are just brownies. Tonight, they just smell... well, Christmassy!. It's great! Happy! Comfy! Cozy! Homey!!

It's over cast and cold, with a light, misting rain this evening. In my world that's next to perfect! In my world at Christmas time it's delightful, enchanting, captivating! I think I'll just take full advantage of it all. Maybe I'll stay up late and look out the windows at the mist, or sit on the couch with just a candle burning. I could do that any night I choose, but this time of the year it's just... nicer.

Yes, I know what Christmas is really about, and I am not making light of it, or trying to change the focus. I just really enjoy the feeling of Christmas time.

Me, a candle, and a warm brownie looking out the window at the rain. Sounds good.

I'll add a warm brownie if they make it that long. ;-)

Any Ideas?

If you have any great tips on how to 'thin out' and get rid of things you don't need, please share!! It's on my heart to start getting rid of things, but I don't know where to start. Some of it I think I'm ready to get rid of, then I'll re-think it and stow it again for another day. Sometimes it's for sentimental reasons, sometimes its because I might need it later, sometimes it's because I might know someone who could use it. Whatever the reason, it seems like a good one at the moment, so I don't get rid of anything and I'm bursting at the seams! I don't want to keep all this junk! I've lived in this house for almost 16 years, and it's jam packed!

It's always been hard for me to determine what should stay and what should go. I suppose I am a partially recovered pack rat. You can never recover completely, I don't think. That might not be altogether a bad thing though, because it helps me spot needful things that others tend to overlook. For example, my husband has been wanting an anvil for as long as I've known him. They are pretty pricey items, so they were way down the list of things to purchase. Well, guess what? I just got a couple of anvils at a yard sale really cheap. Smokin' deal. Anvils are hard to come by, especially out here where we live. These were old, rusting, and junky, and would have gone unnoticed, or maybe to the junk yard if I hadn't gotten them. They cleaned up fine. We saved a bundle of money.

That's just one recent example. I do that frequently with everything; furnishings, tools, clothing, appliances. So, see? I'm good at finding things, but, unfortunately I don't jar loose with them as easily. I guess I just don't know what I actually need.

Here's my dilemma; Let's use the anvils as an example again. My husband is not using the anvils right now, but he will eventually. He has always wanted one and I have been looking for one for many years. Tthey were very difficult to find, and I probably won't get another deal like that, so keeping them is justifiable. Right? Right! So many of my things fit into that kind of a scenario. What do I do?

I have been thinking along these lines:

Pitch it:

~if haven't used it in 6 months (many say 6 weeks but I CAN'T!! lol ...yet)

~if have too many of any one item

~if it costs me more to store it than to replace it (yes, I have done that)

~if it will probably need replacing soon anyway

~if I can, use my 'good' stuff now (stuff that I already packed for moving and safekeeping) and pitch the stuff I've been using in it's place.

(By "pitch" I mean give it to a friend or freecycle it, or maybe take it to Goodwill. I tend to do that with everything I get rid of unless it's beyond re-using.)

Please feel free to chime in on this. Any idea is welcome. I need help! I have had a few minimalist folks try to tell me how to do it, and I understand mentally what they're saying, but they are suggesting that I cut back so radically that I can't really get my brain around it. Baby steps! Baby steps. Man, I sound like an addict.

Technical Difficulties

My washing machine went out. Reaching into the tub full of water, I pulled out a load of heavy, soggy jeans and went tripping down the street to my neighbors's house to spin out the water in his machine so I could bring them back home and dry them. And it was my first dirty load. I have about a zillion more to do. Now what?

Talk about ham strung! It says two very important and very different things to me. Number one, when you have a routine, a schedule, losing valued equipment is a bad thing. This is a monumental setback in the life of a stay at home mom, homeschooler, home maker, and the chief cook and bottle washer. I'm not the hard to please type. If I need a hammer and can't find one, a shoe heel will do. A butter knife, maybe even a fingernail makes a good screwdriver in a pinch. But what can you use instead of a washing machine in a modern home? I went through a moment of panic, followed by some unknown sort of nebulous sadness, followed by a ferocious need to overcome this setback. Conquer at any cost! Never give up! Never surrender!

No, I didn't conquer anything... yet. I will though. Meantime the laundry is piling up.

The second lesson: we as modern Americans are practically incapable of making it when something like this happens. We are so far out of touch with what it takes to get by that we don't think we CAN make it without all of the modern conveniences. The truth is, we are ill prepared. We can't go anyplace if our car breaks down. We can't pay our bills if the internet connection fails. Perish the thought that we would lose our public water services for any extended time. After chaos and looting and weeping and gnashing of teeth, we'd probably all die of thirst!

What does this mean to me? Plenty! However, I have promised myself that I'd blog three or four times a week, and I can see this being a subject of a blog of it's own, so I'm going to make this a cliff hanger.

To my many 'ones' of fans, stay tuned. To be continued....