chicken

Don't expect much posting from me lately. I am starting up the beginner rental season and this week alone I am working Mon Tues Thurs Fri and Sat besides my regular schedule. Yes, it is that busy until the end of September, I didn't slow down until December last year. I am however twittering away it is easy to send a text and keep you up to date rather than sit and take time to blog typing out this long post. You can always email me to talk to my mother has found the internet and it has been easy to catch up on things that way. Need acne creams ? I don't need these any more, I never used them to begin with.

So yeah, chicken. Paul and I were clearing away brush for a lane in the pasture. We then took the tractor to push the brush out of the way, well we couldn't see, and the right front tire went over the edge and took the rest of the tractor with it. The tractor didn't fall entirely over the edge, the rear right tire was holding it up out of the heaping pile of brush it would be landing in soon. So after lunch we took the big tractor over and began to pull it out. Paul wanted me to get on the little tractor (it is small, weighing in at 4 ton) I said, uh no thanks, ( there's the chicken part, he didn't call me a chicken, he didn't want to get in there either) I don't want to go over with it. So sure enough, when he tried to pull it out the first time it went right over, not completely on it side though. After that I was able to ride it out and we then successfully got it out of the pile o' brush. It may not sound like it but I was pretty scared. oh while we were getting that out, the cows got out of the new pasture we were working on to get patched up so we then had to get them back in and start fixing fence, the thing we were there to do in the first place....It is always an exciting day working on the farm.

I guess I am a real farmer.

This morning we had another litter of pigs. Stephanie has pictures. you can read and see all of it here. I had to stitch one of them up. It was pretty fun. Yes, I laid him right on the kitchen table (the table cloth was old.) I guess I am a real farmer stitching up pigs and all. I have given the goats and sheep shots before. I forgot I have done that before.

the week flying by

We have spent the week working on the farm as usual. Paul has purchased another tractor.This one has a PTO. The back tires on it are taller than I am. You can see pictures of one similar too with a front loader. Ours doesn't have a front loader. Yes it is that big. the pigs are looking good. We are waiting for flame to farrow now. It should be soon with in this week I would guess. I am going to butch the rest of the rabbits this weekend. I think there are 12 or soo that is a whole day's work I think.
We finally have the apartment rented out. The one floor has been empty for too long. It will be nice to keep it full for a while. With all the farm work I don't need to buy diet pills online. Do I?

Just a clean red neck

Today was my day to find the yellow jackets nest. I only got stung three times. We were unloading the freshly cut locust posts into a pile when we needed to make a new one. well, the yellow jackets had a different idea. I say it was my turn, because Paul found one a week ago when we were shoveling manure around the barn. Before that I found one clearing out a path for the electric fence. that time I got stung about ten times no exaggeration.

So today we cut fence posts, then went over to where we keep the cows pastured and cleared trees that had fallen over the fence but not on the fence, we then continued to trim the trees above then fence about 100 yards or so. Steph and I planted the garden, and realized we didn't grow many potatoes in the tires just great dirt. I'm sure she will update you on that. After we were done with the trees, we went up to the other garden and finished picking the corn, we came out with 12 walmart bags. yeah, you read right 12. She is husking them now as I type.

The older three left with my mom and dad. Dad has his company picnic at Cedar Point Monday. I am jealous. Kellen is tall enough to ride the big rides now, and I wish I could go with him but I can't...I haven't been there since the top thrill dragster opened, and I didn't get to ride it because of maintenance..... We did go there when we were kids, I can remember the magnum was the tallest ride and we used to stay at a cheap hotel with a pool. It's one of those weird things you remember as a kid. Another example is Stephanie brought home a big jar of White House applesauce. When I first met my dad (step dad, long story) he kept cans of White house applesauce in his refrigerator.

This post is sponsored by acne treatments.After all that talk about being a kid, I might break out again...With that, I took a shower at 10pm and came out a clean red neck, not a dirty one. I got a little sun today too.

The week is almost finished

Kellen has had a good week at the fair, He received a blue ribbon for showmanship, and he placed 6th out of 12 for market rabbit. The judge had a very hard time deciding between 3rd-6th, he took a lot of time. Kellen was disappointed at first but got over it quickly. He said he was happy wth his placings. Last night at the market auction he brought in $125 I think. I was soo tired last night. He even hinted that 4H isn't so bad, and he might be doing it next year. (he told us he doesn't want to do it again next year before the fair)the company who bought the rabbits gave it back to be resold, so Kellen can keep them if he wishes. We were there until midnight last night. They had pizza and pop after the fair closed at 11p. We were there to be resold anyway, so we stayed. I slept in this morning until 8am. Today I am working, and then I will meet everyone there. The fair closes at 11pm and we have to stay until the fair closes to tear everything down, so it will be another long night.

I have been behind this week because of my work van being in the shop. the rear wheel bearing was gone,( not gone just worn out.) and the right front axle neede replaced. I took it in last friday (the 18th), told them exactly what needed done, they called me back that day, telling me that I was right. The service manager said he didn't have the parts in that he needed, and that they (the dealer) didn't like to use after market parts on this repair because he has some trouble in the past. ( translation: your a business and we need to make more money here.) I didn't mind that because it is the work van, etc. Sometime the dealer parts are better. They said it would be done Tuesday or Weds. I call Weds after noon, the parts were not in yet. He said Thursday morning it would be done by noon. It would happen that Thursday is the day I planned to be out on the road because the van was in the shop. Thursday morning, the dealer calls me and says they recieved the wrong part, and that they would just get it from NAPA. That would be aftermarket parts... I would have had the van much earlier. People wonder why I will just do it myself. I ended up leaving much later than expected, and working Friday day instead of just half. Not taking the days off that I could have because I work on Saturday.

Another note, I borrowed Ted's van to go sell stuff, and brought it home. I know Ted is not very mechanically inclined, so I thought I would check his van out and make sure there in nothing wrong. While driving it, I heard a rattling noise that sounded like a belt tensioner pulley. I need to check fluids to, because Ted ,admittedly, does not do this. Here is the list of things I had to do:

• So Friday morning I go to open the hood and the latch is rusted shut. The cable pulls but the hood doesn't pop up. After I got the hood opened:
  
• ALL the fluids were low brake fluid, oil, Transmission fluid, antifreeze, power steering
  
• I added 3 quarts of oil ( this should never be this low...)
  
• replaced two hoses
• Checked the PCV valve ( that was the rattle)
  
• fixed the cruise control ( He said he couldn't remember the last time it worked)
• filled the tires to the right lbs
• I would have checked the AC pressure ( because it lost cool for a while) but I didn't have time.
• The serpentine belt need replaced, but I didn't have one there, and it is easier to replace with two people. I'll do it later (or when it brakes)
  

It only took me an hour. I was happy to help out. Ted, thought I was a genius, I said it is nice to have the right tools. Having me service the vans is much cheaper for George then the dealers...I told him I am driving his van home once a month....
Maybe I can cure mesothelioma while I'm at it.

fair week.

It is Monday and I have spent the entire morning running errands for this week. Dropping off a water pump core, parking my four wheeler, getting feed in Milton, and stopping by the fairgrounds to buy week passes for Steph, Lydia and myself. The office doesn't open until 2pm. So I have to go back there again. I had to park the four wheeler in my parking lot, because the dealer is not open on Mondays. I went to buy a pad lock to lock the hitch (so no one decided they can back right up and pull out with a nice quad) and the lock was too big. So add that to the list of stops. There has been my Monday so far, weigh in is at 6p tonight. I drove past the building where the rabbits will be, it is sooooo small. We are used to the Wayne County fair that everything is dwarfed in comparison.

Did you remember it is Kellen's 10th birthday today? He's over half way to legal adulthood... Steph posted more too. Drop by and tell him happy b-day. Or better yet buy him some handcrafted jewelry! Well, maybe not.

I update on twitter about three times a day or more, so if you want to know more details that you can't get here, follow me on the twit side.

forgot this too

I have to help finish the white van (radiator,heater hoses, and a valve) the Subaru needs some rust removed and I am picking up a gasket for the exhaust that has been leaking since we went on vacation.

Did you know people sell Miele vacuums just because they do a good job (so they say) filtering the air you breathe? A while back, I am trying to remember when I will by the time I get done typing this, we bought a vacuum for more then the disposable ones you find at the big box Walmart.
We had a salesman come and demo it at the house (we lived in Fredericksburg, 1998-2000. I remember now.) I think the price was $1200 ish. We didn't buy it then. we did some more research, and ending up buying a used demo off ebay for $280. I though back then it was a lot of money to spend on a vacuum, but we still have it, and it works great. I have only ordered and replaced one part. and I was able to order it directly from the factory for a lower price, because we live in the middle of nowhere there is no dealer around. If you are thinking about buying a vacuum, then do your reasearch and buy the one that is going to fit your needs and budget in the long run as well.

Barack Hussein Obama's testicles

Sorry, I couldn't help it. I think Jesse Jackson is mad because he can't say the black man is always getting beat down by whitey anymore. Therefore he can't make as much money. Yes, I said it.

That's really not the point of this post at all. I get call from Stephanie at work and she tell me that there is a water leak under the house. So I had to crawl underneath and find it. Luckily it was just a T with one of the pipes pulled out. I cut the T out and will replace it as soon as I get back. It was easy to get to, and the is plenty of space to work so it shouldn't be too bad. I also found out why our air wasn't cooling as well as it should either. One of the wormhole things (the tubes that carry the heated/cooled air from the heat pump to the house) was ripped off of the vents, so we were heating the crawl space as well as the house. I am sure the snakes/spiders/mice were appreciative. I also changed to filter while I was down there it needed it as well. I also need to pick beans, feed the animals, and check the rabbits and so on. I am supposed to work in computer memory but I couldn't think how.

Dead sheep walking

Yesterday I took our first sheep offspring to the butcher. It was the ram. His name was Gyro. We saved his sister the ewe. We named her mini ewe (get it? mini me, mini you...) We should get him back Monday or Tuesday. I am excited. We will let you know how he turns out. I kept on saying all day yesterday "Dead sheep walking!" randomly of course, and nobody really though it was that funny except for me. What's new.

work is picking up

Today I went to see a teacher about the start of the next year. That only means one thing. It is about to get crazy and stay there until January. When one Band director wants to see you, then all the other will be calling soon, and then it all spirals from there. Band camps will be starting, then rental meetings then Christmas it is just that fast. There are about four band director changes that have happened in the summer, that is a good thing all the Band directors that are coming in are really good and should succeed right away.

Notice anything diffrent? I am adding things along the way. The Entrecards have been adding to my traffic. I have also started to comment more when I stop by somewhere.

My biological dad came up to visit yesterday. We gave him the $1.00 tour of the farm and ate dinner at Hillbilly Hotdogs. It was nice. PayU2Blog has given me a variation of colon cleanser three times in the the last three months! This isn't really a popular subject in my blog until they showed up. I was at the restore in huntington and I had to go really bad and I tried to call Stephanie about some ceiling fans and I was snippy, because I was waiting for her to call me back and I had to go, and she didn't want them, and I had to go and.. well, you get the point.

Here is a snippet of my stats from last month. Just FYI, I guess. Stephanie dwarfs me every month.

Page Loads Unique Visitors First Time Visitors Returning Visitors
1,618 1,370 1,061 309

Moving weekend

We spent the weekend moving my brother and sister-in law (make that favorite sister in law now) only five houses down and around the corner. It was easier than moving across town. Paul and I went up on Friday morning to get a head start, and then Steph, Linda and the rest of the kids, came up Saturday morning and met us at the Hosteler (do you know how many ways they spell that?) reunion. I had a good time there were people there I knew and people there that knew me but I had no clue. that is the way it is with family reunions right? There were a couple people there that said " I know you. You are Gail's ( my mom) oldest aren't you? My mom works as the lunch lady at the elementary school I went to. Everybody know everybody. They also had a local singer come and preform for us. When he was tuning, I turned to Steph and said, watch, he is going to be an Mennonite Johnny Cash. Sure enough, (he even goes to a Mennonite church) he played in that style. You can hear ring of fire going through your head right now. I liked him. He told stories I didn't know about the town where I grew up, and gave me more insight to the culture I married into, sort of. ok not really. My in laws came from an amish background, they are not really amish.

After the reunion, I traveled to my cousins house spent some quality time there finishing up the movie O' brother where art thou? and then headed to my mother's house to drop off the kiddies (except Vivian) to spend the rest of the week with her.

Came back to the farm with animals crying, and rabbits that need to be butchered, and a lamb that needs the axe too. Can anyone pronounce Quinceanera invitations let alone send them out?

Sheering sheep

Paul picked up a set of sheep shears today, so this evening after I get home from work we will sheer 4 sheep. I think Steph will get pictures, I don't know how we are going to handle the ram. It is a pretty funny sight if you have seen it before. We sit them up on their behinds so they don't fight back. Then have at it and it take us just a couple minutes. Here is a picture of Paul and Terry taking care of Maggie Last year. ( This is before we got the ram, and then obviously before the twins came along) We are weaning the twins now and they are the loudest most annoying things right now. I still haven't decided whether or not buthcer the small ram myself or not. Experience tells me that in the end it will be better to do it myself. Maybe I have been hanging around Paul Miller too much. I keep you up to date. He will be butchered in a month either way.

Butchering the ram... should I?

The ram is coming of age. To butcher, that is. the question is should I do it my self or send it out.I just called the butcher that is about ten minutes from my house, and it is only $40 to butcher process, and cut sheep and goat. Tell me if it is worth saving the money by doing it yourself. I don't know.

We came home to new livestock, we have a goat and eight count them 8 new ducklings! We are excited. I liked the duck I butchered last December. I look forward to killing these as well. ( I'm cruel, I know.) You could go to Amazon booksto find out more info I bet. But I don't need to.

Phase two of the fence

We started phase two on the fence. and the garden was tilled yesterday. Stephanie is starting to plant today. Beans beans beans. The four wheeler is working out nicely. It is a good tool to have around. Here is a picture of what we have.

Our has better tires on it and metal bars that are around the racks them selves. I took the kid for a ride when we got it back and loaded. Don't worry, we treat it like a tool, not a toy, so when we ride, it is a treat, and we wear the helmets too.

I was thinking about outdoor lighting but then I remembered that we had some in the trailer already.

Donkeys Manure and My Back

We got two donkeys, in light of the recent goat killings. I still will shoot anything that is not supposed to be on the farm. The donkeys are about 10 months old seem to bee enjoying the freedom of the pasture. Stephanie will have pictures up in a few days I am sure. I saw here taking pictures just yesterday. I think we (or I) will be shoveling the rest of the manure tomorrow, depending on the weather. Maybe we will get to tilling the gardens. Last week I think I hyper extended my back. It just hurts when I sit for long periods of time. I have been stretching almost everyday to help it out. I am not in that bad of shape. Sunday I was lifting pallets over my head. So it must not be that bad, huh? That's it for now. oh, does any one need home insurance?

Homesteading thoughts

Here is a response to Phelan's post which I started to comment on and decided it was too long of a comment so I am writing it here. Make sure you read here posts first because this might not make much sense.

If we were rich, we wouldn't homestead. I think there is some thing to be said about being poor. (what ever your definition of poor is. If you are going by the gov't's poverty line then most of the U.S. is in poverty and therefore most of the U.S. need to be dependent on the gov't , but that is a different post and maybe I listen to too much talk radio...) If you had more money to spend, you would spend it on other things. i.e. convenience. That is what society (advertising) teaches us now. Make money to buy an easy life. That is the world we live in today whether we agree with it or not. If you had never had the opportunity to suffer and get between a rock and a hard place, you would be where you're at right now. You had the choice to get up off your butt and do something about it, or choose to have a pity party that lasts forever and rely on other people's pity to get what you want. (I know people like this, their story is the same no matter what part of the country you live in) I don't think we would appreciate the way we live and raise our children and all that stuff now, if we hadn't gone through the rough times we did then. Are some homesteaders rich? Maybe. Are they our age?(30's) Probably not.

We are taught that if you don't have a lot of stuff and money to get more stuff, then you're a failure. Most kids these days aren't taught the values of working hard, and living within your your means not charging everything that moves. OK I am done ranting. I think we get the point, working hard, and not spending more than we make, are good choices for everyone in the long haul we call life. For us, homesteading is a part of that life.

more poles and fence

We are plugging away at the fence now with almost half of the holes dug. We could stretch the first run of fence. The digging has been easy, and the help of the tractor and auger has made it go faster. We cut down more locust trees to make more posts. I didn't buy the posts from directbuy.
We will need to have about 45 more to finish it up.




We cut them to 7 feet give or take an inch or two, and dug two foot holes leaving 5 feet to work with. I started this post a couple of days ago, and today after digging 12 more holes, we are 10 corner braces away from running fence.


So with all that fence we will be able contain the chickens and the ducks and the rest of the livestock. There has also been talk of bringing back a horse as well. With all this talk of digging its no wonder I posted this.

It is definitely is a different make it from scratch, but it sure fits the definition.

Make it from scratch... here!?!?

That's right folks. Make it from scratch will posted here.
Right here this very blog.
Can you believe it??
I can come back on Tuesday to see all the wonderful things people have made.

Busy Saturday

This is the first Saturday that I have had that has been really busy. I was at work today and I have a list of things I need to get done for work, and I usually get them done, but not today I had a steady steam of customers here and I had Lydia and Nolan with me (not at the same time. So needless to say I didn't get my list done. I got the electricity in my name at the apartments in Akron, but it took putting deposit down. It is another story. oh well, I am going home now.
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