Greetings all,
It’s about 5PM here at Fertile Acres Farm. I took Unc to PT, and delivered some rhubarb to a VIP earlier today. I then made lunch, and had to feed and water the chickens.
The rabbits, I moved to the next spot needing mowing. They are my maintenance crew out here. Since all of our working lawn machinery needs repair in one form or another, they get the job done for me and negate any imagined need for fertilizer on the farm.
The chickens today got a scraps meal. I feed them about once a week a meal designed to attract insects to the coop. The insects are their real meal, and getting rid of kitchen waste is a plus. I really want to get a bug zapper out there, but there isn’t any spare money for that kind of a purchase right now.
A bug zapper? Yep, would take care of flies and other nasties, and the chickens would eat the remains. Bug zappers also provide entertainment in the Summer, due to watching a particularly nasty one fry for awhile.
Oh well, life gets teejious. We won’t get the bug zapper this year.
I’ve been thinking though, the entertainment value… Hmm.
Before I go an open up my Amazon account, I’ve been looking into a few other changes I need to make out here on the farm.
I need a few specialty cables out here. I want to get the antennae put up on the roof. I need coax cable just long enough to make that work.
I need a networking cable as well. I want to move the office out of the living room, sorta. If I put the office in Unc’s bedroom after he leaves next month, I want to move the router as well. To do that, I either want to put the router in the attic, or move the router connection to the basement. Either way, I have to get either the phone company out here to move the connection, or I need to put the connection there myself. We will see which is the best long term solution.
I also want to redo the laundry room in the basement. It needs to have the old washer cleared out, but that has to wait until fall, when we start thinking about burning garbage as fire starter again in the wood stove.
We are also going to have to get a wood stove and new chimney. A windstorm that took one of our roosters also blew down our chimney. Ugh. So, during the rest of the work in the basement, I want to get ready for the new wood stove to go in. Personally, I want one that would also double as a cook stove, but those kind of stoves cost twice as much. Oh well, life gets teejious.
A riding lawn mower out here would make my work that much easier. I would want one with a trailer attachment. I could haul feed and water around the farm, but also bag grass to use as mulch and insulation.
Insulation? Yes, grass would insulate the chicken coop in winter.
All of these ideas take money that I don’t have.
All of these ideas take strength that I lack. Oofda. I’m going to need a crew of about 50 to get the work done/did.
So, I’m sitting here on the deck, dreaming. The work still sits and waits.
I better get my butt moving eh?
That’s all for now.
Louise Ann Benjamin
Month: July 2015
On the move
Over the next two weeks, I’m going to be migrating to a new website. Stay tuned for more info.
Louise Ann Benjamin
Change
Hello all,
Louise here, for Walking Barefoot on Gravel. It’s been one of those chaotic days, and tonight, I blog from the deck. I’m being attacked viciously by mosquitoes currently to bring you the evening edition.
Today I took Uncle Ed to therapy and the Dr. He will be having therapy three times weekly, so that means I will be driving him at least 11 more times. It’s all good. Meanwhile, I need to squeeze in my IT work for a person in town during those times. I also need to squeeze my errands in on those days.
Change is just that, change.
Meanwhile, I brought my binder system with me to town, and began work in the car on bringing everything up to date. I’m going to have to bring more than that to the table though. Tomorrow, I’m going to have to pack my IT bag, as well as my binders. My “Office in a Tote” system needs some serious updating.
That’s all I have for now, I’m getting bit up despite a very heavy spray of mosquito repellant, and I need to go treat some bites.
I still hate mosquitoes with a passion.
Louise Ann Benjamin
Reluctant
Hello all,
I just don’t want to write today. I’d rather spend the afternoon in bed, crying. It’s one of those days. I’ve been busy though. The chickens and the rabbits have been fed and watered. The fellers have had their lunch, and I’m letting a couple of dishes soak.
I feel like throwing up.
This is what happens. My abdomen has been riled for a few weeks again. I haven’t eaten lunch yet, and a large meal is out of the question. I’m thinking of grabbing some ramen and just vegetating a little.
Definitely after I eat, my abdomen is going to revolt.
I’m stressed, really stressed. Sadly, it’s nothing on the farm that is bothering me.
I broke out my book this morning, and reread what I wrote. I was going to work on editing it, but I decided to follow what it said instead.
I wrote this a couple of years ago, and no it is not meant for publication. It’s a how-to manual for working the program of recovery outlined in many twelve step organizations with a focus on alcoholism as the main problem. I wrote it for those who are qualified for several fellowships, in order to help them survive the twelve steps in a reasonably sane manner.
I wrote it because I had noticed that my brain was slacking off, and I knew that I was forgetting the homework assignments that I give the people I sponsored back then.
The main problem I have though, is I stopped.
I am an alcoholic/addict. I’m related to more than one alcoholic.
I stopped.
I’m having a problem with one area of my life, a serious one, and I just am so overwhelmed. I want to curl up in a ball, and cry for days. I want to give up, and I want to give in. Hell, even some sick miniscule part of my brain even says maybe it would be better if I was boozing and using again.
That’s not the answer.
So, today I grabbed the book I wrote, and got back to work on doing what I need to do. Dad kinda understands that my brain is running away with me right now. Unc doesn’t understand, but is giving me the time I need to work through this stuff.
Thank God.
Meanwhile, I need to get back to work. There are dishes to do, laundry to wash, and some Tylenol to ease the abdominal and back pain.
Who else would do the work? Ergo, I must.
That’s all, Take care,
Louise Ann Benjamin
A little heat and humidity
Hello all, it’s hotter than blazes out there. Okay, rephrase that, it’s muggy out there. My coffee cup has less humidity coming off of it than the outside air.
Steamy weather it is.
Inside, we are running two dehumidifiers. One on the main level, and one in the basement. With yesterday’s rain, well, it’s a little less pleasant than it could be.
My job of picking on Uncle Ed is coming to a close way too fast. It’s going to be sometime next week that he goes home. From there, my sister Tina will check on him every day, but he doesn’t need 24 hour supervision at that point.
The chickens are safe and cool in their pen. I fed and watered them later this morning than I wanted to. The wall of water that just slams you when you step outside is quite physical. Taking a shower is dryer.
I live for the night time. It’s cooler, quiet, and more pleasant. Come the moment that the outside temp is even one degree cooler than the inside temp, we open windows and start the fans running.
I like that. Usually, in the evening, there is the slightest small breeze.
Usually, in the evening, there is quite a bit of shade available on the East side of the house.
Usually, in the evening, we play cribbage tournaments, and so far, the games are about even.
Hmm…
That’s all for now,
I’ve got to get the fan moved into the kitchen, the air circulating in there, and my chores done did.
Have a great, cool, day!
Louise Ann Benjamin
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