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Monday, August 31, 2009

The A/C is Off and The Windows are Open!

The air conditioner has been turned off all but two of the past six days at our house. The temps have been pleasant enough to leave windows open through the night, again. I’m back to shutting windows around 1:30pm and letting the logs do their job to keep the house cool until evening. But the good news comes with a warning for us. At this time – we’re over 7 inches above our normal rainfall in East Tennessee. For the past couple of weeks and despite all the rainfall – we’ve noticed the leaves turning color and beginning to fall – already. I thought it was just me – at first. But I keep hearing other folks around the area making comments that they feel we’re headed for a hard winter this year. Honestly – we almost need it. The rain brought on a triple dose of insect population to our area this year. They say we need an average of 15 – 21 days with below-freezing temps to eradicate the infestation for next year. We’re not going to make our deadline for getting the wood-burning stove installed inside the house this year. All the trouble with vehicles really set us back this year. Instead – we’ll be making another go at depending on the EdenPure Infrared heater. If nothing else – we may be buying a second one for using down in the basement. There are a lot of inside projects that Dwayne will need to be working on and I don’t want him working down in a freezing cold basement. If you don’t feel like putting up with high natural gas bills this year – I’m telling you now – you will save a minimum of $200.00 per month by investing in the EdenPure heater. Dwayne and I found a dealer selling reconditioned heaters on eBay with a perfect record. And he knows his stuff. His price includes shipping and he’s prompt! They make several models for different areas of space – so be careful. I’m including the link for the one we have – which heats 1000sq. ft. of living area. It keeps our entire upstairs perfectly comfortable in the winter! Kids and animals can even sit on this thing without getting burned. The unit is cool to the touch. The reason why this guy ends up with these heaters back in his hands for repair is due to folks handling them incorrectly. They operate with infrared bulbs. You can’t just pick ‘em up and drop ‘em anywhere. You have to be gentle in moving them around. At the same time – there are proper instructions for turning them off before unplugging them. Folks just seem to ignore instructions and blow good money down the drain! If you follow the simple instructions – that thing will become your best friend in the winter – every time you open your utility bills! They don’t even pinch your electric bill! Much of the inside work we planned for this winter pertains to pulling all the trim off the windows – making sure they’ve been set in properly and adding more insulation. We’ve also planned on framing in the basement to get insulation installed. I don’t think my little watermelon experiment is going to work. They have to have no less than 70* temps during the day and night. We dropped below 60* just last night – alone. But I have learned more about my thornless Navajo Blackberry bushes. Apparently – they love being watered here. So I can let go of the over-watering fears – which is fine by me! I’m going to mulch them with hay this fall to help them get through this coming winter. Next year should be a lot of fun. I just may have enough berries to freeze next year! I have an update regarding a prayer request for my friends Heidi and Monica. Received an email from Heidi yesterday – with more bad news. Here is her email. Please continue to include these two ladies in your prayers. They are such wonderful human beings and it just breaks my heart to see them going through so much. But I truly believe – they are another pair of believers that God is using as a tool for Testimony to walking in faith – no pun intended. Even Monica has been able to accomplish that challenge – despite being bedridden! If she can do it – anybody can! Oh – one more thing. Heidi – I snagged your photo from your FaceBook page. LOL It always helps to have a face to put with a name! And folks – these two are serious Pittsburgh Pirates/Steelers fans. They worked for the pirates at one time. But listen – don’t hold that against ‘em! J/k LOL Hello again family and friends..... Wanted to give you and UPDATE on Moni's accident. Initially they were going to try to do surgery on her broken right femur (Leg), but due to her condition, they CANNOT do surgery, so they were going to brace her leg and shoulder and send her home with pain meds. THAT has since changed from Friday. Moni and I had been asking them to xray her left leg since she fell on that side and it was hurting more than the right. FINALLY right before they were going to release her they DID the xray and found out her left leg has a broken femur too! There are also issues with her breathing and trachea, and Moni decided that she was afraid I couldn't care for her here at home right now, so she wanted to go to a facility for a few weeks. I hadn't been in to see her after Wed night/Thu Morning, so I went to the hospital last night and we talked. After seeing her (and finding out about the other leg being broken) I realized that I couldn't care for her till she gets a little stronger. They intially were thinking of a nursing facility, but with her size and compound issues they found a place called Kindred Care Hospital which is a LTAC (Long term acute care). They did the assessment and accepted her, and the doctor just called me to say he was writing the orders for her to go there for a short time to get stronger. Moni seems to like the idea of this since her pain level is pretty high. Our friend Ellen is with her and when all is set up, her and I are going out to the hospital to make sure she is situated. It is only about 5 miles from our home and looks like a nice place. All private rooms and they have a lot to offer. I HATE THIS, but after seeing her condition I know that I wouldn't be able to care for her like they can right now. I told her of the prayers you all sent and I WILL print out the emails and take them to her. I would sincerely appreciate if you could continue to pray for Moni that the Heavenly Father places HIS healing hands upon her and that we can get through this latest bump. KNOW that we love you all so very much and appreciate you being in our lives. Some Birthday Present for Moni, huh?? If anyone wants to send cards or prayers, our address is: Monica and Heidi Narr 1765 Crafton Blvd. #1 Pittsburgh, PA 15205-3126 God Bless You All and I WILL keep you updated as I can. With our love and huge hugs and kisses......Heidi & Moni xoxo That's Monica on the left and Heidi on the right! Time to get in gear. I’ve got some organizing to do in our freezer. We have no room for meat. So – I’m taking a few bags of frozen vegetables to our neighbors down below.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Needs.. Wants.. Pennies.. Treasures.. Jackpot!

I woke up with a headache this morning. Not sure if it’s the same headache I’ve had since day before yesterday – or not. The Tylenol has been working whenever I reach a point of feeling the pain getting the best of me and decide to take a couple of the pills. Relief comes for a few hours in between the twang. The past week has been a rather full-packed box of a volatile frenzy of emotions. Seems like everywhere you turn around – something terrible is happening. And the hardest part is watching the reactions from others. Anger is brewing. I guess I should feel positive about that. I have been praying for folks to become angry enough to get up – take charge – and take back the reins of their lives and happiness. So far – the most I’ve seen in our area has been the effort of many more households loading up their houses with guns – to protect themselves and be ready for the home invasions. Pitiful – isn’t it? And yes – even our household is prepared and ready to protect in the same fashion. Of course – that’s been the case since Day One. But then – we’ve always lived a mindset of preparing for worst-case scenario in all things. In other words – we’ve always believed in covering our butts – just in case. LOL I actually left the house for a few hours yesterday – alone – in my Putt Putt! Dwayne was sleeping. Yes, he still has two more days to work. But I needed to run by the Vet’s office for supplies and take care of a few more errands. As luck would have it – Dr. Walter’s office is closed on weekends. LOL But it didn’t take much for me to be lured onto a slight detour – right across the street! I am always so into the old ‘tried and true’ scene. Anytime I buy anything – I prefer to buy ‘Made in U.S.A.’ when I get a chance. These days – the best place to find those treasures would be in the consignment shops – antique shops – junk shops – whatever you wanna call ‘em! And that’s just what I did! Look at the treasures I found! (click on photos for larger view) I don’t know why – but some of my fondest memories of things I appreciate today pertain to what I call – ‘That June Cleaver Effect’ about my Grandma Paparelli and my Mother! Believe it or not - they both had those habits! And these are the things that remind me of the two of them! I can’t wait until I get my hands on those rectangle pyrex dishes with the flat lids! They were my grandmother’s favorite baking dishes!! And she had those refrigerator dishes, too. They looked a lot like the pyrex baking dishes – but they were specifically for leftovers in the fridge. I found a couple of those - but waited. If they’re meant for me – they’ll still be there next time I go hunting! Here’s the funny part. The prices were - $17.95 for the oval cassarole dish - $6.50 for the small white and blue pyrex bowl - $8.00 for the ice cream scoop - $30.00 for the set of three pyrex mixing bowls. And I got a 10% discount. Now – go find those same items on the Internet. Don’t forget to check on the shipping costs and add that in, as well. I got a great deal!! It’s my goal to load my kitchen with all those ‘necessary’ things my Mom and Grandma had back then. You should see one of the canister sets I am just refusing to part with. It’s the dark brown Tupperware canister set. Oh, my gosh… if anyone can find lids for the smallest and the next to the smallest… PLEASE grab ‘em for me!! The lids on those two puppies have just chipped to shreds on the edges because they’re so brittle. But I’m determined to find replacement lids! Everything else in that set is just fine. I just need those lids!! Aunt Judy…. You still using that bread bin? Yeah… that metal one… Where’s it at? Every time I go into one of these shops I always make a point of going through and looking at all the old costume jewelry. Now - My Mom – Uncle Tommy – Aunt Judy and Uncle Danny are probably snickering right about this moment. What they don’t know is there’s one particular set that I’m always looking for. And I’m about to give them a hint. I turn 50 years old on September 29th. For my birthday – I would love for someone to send me an 8 x 10 of a particular photo of Grandma Paparelli. She’s standing in the living room of the apartment over Pappy’s. She’s wearing that beautiful pink dress that had the stripes and polka dots. I always loved that dress – especially the fabric and the print. It was such a beautiful color of pink with a print in a monochromatic style. And it was silky/satiny – maybe taffeta? But she’s wearing the necklace and earrings that I am always looking for in the treasure shops! The big beads remind me of a pink tiger-eye stone. Okay… I’m off to enjoy a few minutes without any televisions turned on – nor any Internet news websites hurling in my face with all the guts and gore going on. Right now – I don’t have to know anything. And there’s absolutely nothing in this world I must have – that’s any worse than the need of the joker trying to get my money into their pocket. I’m gonna go have a little peace and quiet! Hope everyone else enjoys the day!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Crazy Schedule is Becoming Even More Crazy

The routine around our house has been shaken a little more than what’s normally expected when Dwayne’s shift changes. He only had two days off during this last round. Currently, he’s working a run of six days – covering for a coworker that had to take his son up to get settled in for college.

Before going any further – I received a very sad email this morning from my friends, Heidi and Monica Narr. Heidi was reporting that Monica is back in the hospital after a terrible fall from her bed. She has broken an arm and a leg. Doctors are in the middle of deciding whether or not she can handle going through surgery for repairing the femur in her leg. I’d like to ask everyone to add these two ladies to your prayer list. Heidi continues marching on with her commitment to taking care of her sister. Here we have one more challenge that she faces with her sister – despite her own health issues that continue to add to the struggles. However – this is living testimony to the truest depth of love one can feel for another!

We have dropped everything to focus on our issues with getting the house resealed. We got the deck of the front porch finished. The staircase is all that’s left to the front of the house. Dwayne is doing some reconstruction on that during his next round of days off before we reseal it. We don’t know what the previous owners had in mind when they built it. But right now – even after requesting another handrail for the top steps – I have these vicious thoughts of somebody falling through the mangled mess. We’re not happy about it. So Dwayne’s gonna make it right.

(click on photos for larger view)





It’s amazing how time can help you see all the “brick walls” that actually exist around this fiasco! You would be surprised at how many things you are unable to do around this crazy mess – above – below – around – all the above. You can't tell from this view - but there is about a 1.5' space of wasted area on the landing between the landing rail and the railing for the top steps.



He dismantled the outside railing for the top steps so we could finish the porch decking. But here you can see how the top steps to the porch are actually eating up the landing. The remaining intact rail for the steps really shows the difference in the finished efforts with resealing! To the left of that railing is that area of wasted space between the top steps and the landing rail below – which makes absolutely no sense.



Dwayne is going to move the entire landing and bottom stairs out further. The top steps will meet the landing properly - and he'll be widening the top set of steps. He may have to cut the support posts from the pads – if the same ignorance was applied here, as was done so with the piers for the back porch. But I think it will look and function so much better after he gets it all corrected!

I’ve been watching Craigslist like a hawk, lately. Came across a queen-size headboard and footboard for $125.00. We drove all the way up to the Halls area in Knoxville to pick it up. Without being fore-warned about all the road construction in that area – we ended up going through a maze of roads that had the feathers coming out. The map guidebook I bought a few years ago - and got teased for buying - turned out to be our saving grace - once again! The new find looks great in the guestroom! Needs a little bit of cleaning up. But the Old English is on my grocery list. So that little job will have to wait a day or two.



Beyond that – I’m in the middle of trying to situate a few things down in the basement during the evenings while Dwayne’s at work. However – this evening is one of those time-consuming jobs. I usually mop the wood floors with only water – damp mop at most. Tonight’s job will consist of using the wood cleaner and hitting all the rooms in the house – except the bathrooms, of course.

So – if you go to any of my two farms at FaceBook and you see plots not planted – now you know why. LOL

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Watermelons From Some Crazy Whim!

What an incredible morning to wake up and step out on the porch to view. You’d think it was Spring, all over again! Gentle breeze with cool temps – the sky is that perfect blue with beautiful white fluffy clouds. Sunshine just bringing out the best in all the color! And I don’t seem to be the only one noticing. The birds are all over the place here, this morning! Even had several Cardinals getting busy with the sunflowers – right along with a few Yellow Canary Finches. The Hummingbirds are back after taking a slight break elsewhere – feuding over the feeders, of course! (click photos for larger view) Beautiful – isn’t it! Yeah… But around 4:30pm today – it won’t seem quite as beautiful to me for a while. It’s my turn to mow. Ta! And you just took a look at about one-third of the job. Funny how photos can be a little deceiving. See that area darkened by the trees on the right. Oh, it’s dark, alright! It’s what we call ‘The Hole’. That Dallas grass is thicker than all get-out! And the incline fights pretty hard with trying to turn the area into a bog. Just a tad bit to this side of staying away from being constantly mushy. But we’ve had a few times when the wish for sitting on a 4-wheeler at the moment crossed our minds! Takes a little finesse’ to make that tractor-mower crawl back up outta there! Luckily – we will be saying ‘Bye-Bye’ to The Hole next year! Once we get the barn down and relocated we’ll begin on some major shifting of dirt and soil. The goal is to level out the area a little more – and redirect rainwater away from the house, as well! I’ve been given fair warning – that’s my chance to design a layout for the entire area to the left of where the barn sits now. I spent time working on a layout about my little watermelon patch after Dwayne headed to work yesterday. Back in Texas – everybody knows the repercussions from busting open an ice-cold watermelon and getting busy with it outside. Let one seed hit that San Augustine grass. It will find the dirt! Never fails! I bought a watermelon last year and brought it home. Both of us were totally surprised to find it was a yellow-meat watermelon when we sliced it open! Neither of us has had such a treat since we were kids. Naturally – the gardening horns came out and my first thought was to save seeds! Knowing our Navajo thornless Blackberry bushes would be a few years before they’re grown enough to yield enough for canning – I decided to let them share their area with watermelon this year. I started out planting five seeds. Took no time at all before deciding we better sacrifice some plants. Went down from five to two. Now I’m thinking I should have just saved one! But even with just the two plants I’ve had to get out there and thin out the runners. I’ll bet I cut the life short on a half-dozen babies. But last week the count became so confusing that I got a wild hair idea. Took a Sharpie pen out there and gave everybody a number. HA! I’ve ended up finding five more babies after a week of all the rain we’ve received. But I’m pinching off anymore that come along. These puppies are huge. And keeping the count down will benefit growth and success. Funny thing about the size these are putting out. That watermelon I bought in the grocery store was only half as big. Now – just how do you think that happened? LOL Mass planting – chemicals to force production – Oh, who knows what else they do to mess up a natural wonder! Anyway – here’s my finished work. It was almost 2am before I managed to get this posted on FaceBook for Kimberly. This kit gave me a challenge! She did some awesome work on some of the papers that causes a 3-D effect. And I just had to go with it! Numerous attempts at adding more embellishing just stole away from the shadow-box appeal. So – I finally gave it up and signed off! Like I said earlier – photos can be so deceiving. Measured the largest one this morning. Length is 18 inches from end to end. And when I wrapped that tape measure around that puppy – I felt wonderful about my shrinking waistline! I was stunned to see my fingers come around to 36 inches! It’ll take using the wheelbarrow to get it up to the house. I know it weighs over 14 pounds. The stem is beginning to wane – so I know it’s just about ready! Funny how a watermelon can make me feel so excited. But there’s a reason. I only decided to make this first go at growing the darn things – purely out of a wild hair whim! Kit - Ladybugs and Daisies - created by Kimberly Stewart at Scrapbook-elements.com Get the Ladybugs and Daisies Alphabet Here!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Shame on The Rain and Fat Boy's in The Barn!

Claudette seems to have spurred off activity to mess up the flow of things around here. We have been dealing with some rain. And we’re being told to expect the same for the next several days. Not good news. The wind and the dumping of rain have reached all the way under our porches. Dwayne picked up extension ladders and a walkboard – on loan from a friend at work. But we’re not able to make any progress on getting the power-washing and re-sealing completed on the house. I’m afraid this spell of rain may shove us right into fall with temperatures sinking fast. Actually – things are looking a little strange around here. Despite all the rain we’ve had this year – leaves have already begun to fall from the trees for the past week now. I just have this really bad feeling. I think we’re in for a pretty rough winter this year. About the only thing we have been able to do is fight with all the mowing – in between the spells of rain. Never fails – every time we get caught up to a point where we can actually enjoy a nice looking carpet – we get more rain. And before we get the next break – we’re looking at setting the blade box to #4 – once again. I am looking so forward to getting that tractor next spring. We have what they call “Dallas” grass going nuts here. It’s okay for a yard – I guess. Well, let’s just say – it’s not okay for pastures. The growth and spreading into horse pastures this year has caused some serious problems with animals – especially horses. The moisture that this grass can hold is incredible. We can go a month without rain and with temps in the high 90’s. This grass will remain wet at the surface of the dirt and in between lower layers of blades. Most people don’t maintain mowing their pastures like they do with the yards at their houses. This grass has made for a perfect environment for a fungus to develop that is showing up around the coronary bands on the hooves of animals. This can be – and usually is – fatal. Treatment is a pain in the butt. And it can be costly if you don’t deal with it full-force and immediately. Even worse – the animals must be removed from the pasture until the grass is dealt with and soil tests come back clean. While tomatoes continue producing and ripening at a much slower pace – I have put my foot down and called it quits on canning anymore of them! I have jalapenos yelling from the refrigerator. I go out and look at my watermelons every chance I get. Got so mad about not being able to count without losing track. So – I took a Sharpie pen out there. LOL Yep – I actually gave everybody a number so I can stop losing my mind. It’s helped track the four new babies I found yesterday. I dunno – they must like all the homemade compost I’ve been spreading under them. But I think fourteen watermelons between two plants is a bit much. I’ve decided to do some sacrificing once I can get out there and safely thin ‘em out. Busted the Groundhog heading for the barn a couple days ago. I haven’t seen a mate. So – I’m not all that worried. If anything – he’ll keep the weeds down around the metal gates. As for the veggie garden – if he can get over that fence without doing any damage – he can have at it! I just want a chance to watch. Fat Boy must weigh about 25-30 pounds. Wouldn’t that make for a Kodak moment! Yesterday was a day of running – all the way to Farragut – to Lenoir City – and back home. Got the bills paid – got some groceries bought. But the one thing I was shooting for – smoked mozzarella cheese – none in stock until next Saturday at the Fresh Market in Farragut. Go figure. I did do some window shopping in one of the antiques and crafts shops. But I got fed up with the “Made in India” crap going on and walked out empty handed. Okay – I’m outta here. Promised to make a cake for lunch snacks this week.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Testimony of Walking in Faith - No Test of Faith

I sent out a prayer request a few weeks ago through my email for the family that owns the Curly Tail Farm up in Vermont. Sometimes – even in the midst of our own struggles we are moved to seek God’s help for others. I’ve learned something so wonderful about that. When we get that feeling in our gut to do something such as that – God is preparing for many folks to receive the blessing of a life boat – besides ourselves!

This posting will be one of my long postings. It’s a true story going on right now. But I think anyone reading it will find it to be pretty cool. And I’m praying God will let this reach many people who need this right now.

Luke and his family are one of the contacts I have been blessed with for a network of helpful sources – through one of the Yahoo! Groups - for help with the goals Dwayne and I are striving to accomplish here at our place. His family has been working very hard for many years now – toward the goal of becoming totally self-sustaining in life with their farm. This year’s efforts have been severely threatened by all the incredible amount of rain they have endured. When Luke came to the group to report all the challenges that were in front of the family – I felt the need to come to bat for support and encouragement – as well as the need to go to God on behalf of his family.

The past few weeks of communications and reports of all that has transpired has been amazing. I’m including some of the communications that have gone on between the two of us in this post. There is a story – and a wonderful lesson here for all of us. My own struggles have gone up and down in the middle of it all. Just when I would begin to feel like giving up and just doing nothing – Luke would post wonderful news – just like this morning! And I take that as a blessing of that life boat God is sending!

By the time this first email arrived from Luke that I am posting – he'd already had some pretty large brick walls jump in front of him. My gut had heard enough by the time I received that email.

Read – and enjoy! Pay close attention to the dates of each email. May God bless each of you with all He wants you to receive from this. There is always a reason for everything!

July 27, 2009
Hello Everyone,
As our wet summer plugs on, we have come to the conclusion if we don't see a change in the current weather patterns. The cows will have to go to market this fall. We haven't been with out a cow on the homestead in near 10 years. It's a scary thought for me as I enjoy those big beautiful beasts.

Needless to say we are praying for a drastic weather change here. I had to brush hog one of my hayfields yesterday as the grass had gone bye and it was dead. While on my way home last night the tractor lost the head gasket, so today was the day to change it, I suspected it might be going last fall and purchased one so I could change it this last spring. Well knowing me it was in the tool shed and I had forgotten all about it, so I got to do it today.

The garden is doing much better than I expected for the amount of ran we have had though tomatoes and cukes aren't doing to well. I'll go to the potato field tomorrow and check and see how they are doing since we sidedressed and hilled them last week. At least with hillig them I now have the walk rows lower and if we keep getting rain it can run down the row and leave the tubers a little drier.

I do plan to try to do some creative haying and take a chance even though it is calling for rain most days, I have noticed that when it does rain it is a 10 to 20 minute shower, so the hope is to keep after the field with the tedder and spin the rain water off of it and let what sun we get dry it, then hope I can get it dry enough to bale before the next shower. I figure it's worth a try even if it's not the best quality hay. It sure wouldn't make a differance because we'll loose it anyway at this rate, and I sure would like to keep at least my milk cow.

Blessings,
Luke

July 27, 2009
Luke,
This is a time when the need for the power in prayer is of the utmost. As has Trish - I, too, have offered up my prayers.

Though we can't find guarantee in the blessings or compensation being exactly those we hope for - I know that He answers when two or more are in agreement. And when He answers - the blessings end up coming to us in even much better form than we would even have imagined.

Test of faith? I think not. I would have to say your family is being used as Testimony for faith. God needs you and your family right now - to reach many others in a way some would never even imagine. He will get you all through this. Many will learn from your faith. And many will find reassurance that God is - very much - here and plugged into the situations going on around this country and the world right now.

Keep us posted! Each day I will be praying for God to cover your family and your farm for the day. As with all the trials I have endured in my life - He knows I will be giving Him the glory for each and every event - even the most difficult or painful one - that unfolds in that day. And for every difficult event - no matter how small - God knows what comes next in our little relationship that I share with Him! Whatever happens - I know that He has good reason and I will be waiting for the better plan He has in mind. I will be waiting for the compensation of blessings that will show up for each sad or painful event that occurs! I know that through my faith - and because I wait for Him to do His own thing with the situation - He will bring a wonderful surprise of blessings. He NEVER fails to amaze me!

Give the whole day to Him. Give Him the glory for every single little thing that happens. And if it should bring hardship or discomfort to you - recognize Him at His works! And let Him know you're paying attention - giving Him the glory for it! And make sure He knows you'll be watching and waiting to see the good He brings forth from it! God always gets the last word in anything and everything - and it is always good.

Challenge God! He loves a good challenge from those who put their faith in Him!

Believe it or not - I'm going through my own little setbacks here in other areas of my life right now. I think He's reaching out in ways so others can gain comfort in knowing that He really is here. Too many folks are going through so many tough times right now. The future is uncertain to them and they're feeling the fear and insecurity. Those who know His constant presence and power are going to be used as God's tools to help all others.

That's why I say - keep everyone posted. Your outcome will be good, Luke! Post updates on the daily events and outcomes.
Teresa

July 28, 2009
Good Evening Everyone,
Finished the 9N this morning, Fueled up the Cub and headed to the hayfield, 1/4 mile down the road the front tire starts going soft so I turned around went home and pulled the wheel off. I dismounted the tire and found a hole in the tube toward the rim side, the rim is pretty rusted so I took the heavy duty wire wheel to it to smooth things up, installed a new tube, mounted the tire and off we go.

Got to the field and looked it over, the orchard grass is 4 to 5 feet tall and looking really good, some has gone to seed but only about 25% so we fire up the mower and around we go. Everything ids going really fine and oh no, the darn tire went flat again. I parked the tractor and start walking the 2 mile trip to home.

Wow! someone I know stops and gives me a ride 100 feet down the road, thinking this is cool I get home and can't find my other spare tube. Oh well the rim is obviously bad enough now so it would be a waste of a good tube to put it in. So I fired up the 9N and headed to the field with the brush hog. This was a good test for the work we did yesterday so here we go.

I'm mowing away and watching this tall grass get set under the mower and I'm really paying attention to what is coming out. Then it strikes me, it's halving this stuff and breaking up the stalks in good shape. This is working like a conditioner and should dry that much sooner.So maybe just maybe the flat went flat for a reason? Only the next couple of days will tell, we'll be tedding late morning tomorrow.

I looked around and found a place to buy new aftermarket rims for $65.00 for the cub, that's not bad since one from International is $144.00.

We Let The meat birds out of the barn today for the fist time, it's kid of cute to see them peek out the door turn and run back in. by days end most of them came out and scratched close to the barn and seemed to have a great time doing it. I do have to get a good move able outside pen built for them soon. Guess we'll start that in the early morning.

All in all it was a good hot sunny day for us today. I'm not looking At the weather I'm going to practice what I preach. I'm going to provide the labor and trust Him for the out come. How much you wanna bet we can save it??? hehehe

God Bless,
Luke

July 28, 2009
Good Evening Luke!
As I read this post from you I find myself just grinning from ear to ear! You walked in faith through each stumbling block. And He fulfilled the promise of meeting the need on the other side of each one.

I have seen God do this too many times in my own life to know how much easier and how wonderful events play out when the day is given to Him and He goes to work! I'm looking forward to hearing about the rims!

We have been slammed with rain here, several times today. First round brought 3 inches within an hour. I had saved seed from a yellow meat watermelon last year. My Blackberry bushes are down to two of the three surviving - one struggling and one smiling and going crazy. But their ready area was such a span that I took a chance. Started out planting five watermelon seeds around the area. Remember - Dwayne's always telling me that I grow too much. Well - I listened this time. LOL Yanked three out a couple weeks ago. Spent the better part of this morning going through and thinning as much as I felt comfortably safe. We have four melons sizing up well, already - two over a pound. But I'm giving it a week for all the others to show up enough without having to hunt. I know there's over a dozen there. Once I can see them I'll be making my choices for the sacrifice. In the meanwhile - I'll be keeping the runners in check.

Time and weather have played against us in our efforts to get the logs and porches power-washed and resealed. My 'Putt-Putt' has been a strong issue. We're back to square one after dropping about $1,500.00 into that - which has been a learning lesson for me, as far as I'm concerned. I'm no longer worrying about a second car right now. I'm not supposed to. Everything will be fine. I have enough on my plate. When the time is right - God will put things in place as He sees fit! Letting go of sentimentality is actually bringing me some relief. I'm a little perplexed about my frugality taking a hit. But who knows. I put that one in His hands, as well. And there's just no telling what may happen with that situation. All I know is the turnout will be better than what I could have come up with. LOL

I'm no longer concerned about all the revamping we wanted to do inside this house. Getting the wood-burning stove is an issue still up in the air. But if we don't reach that one - we'll be fine. This PureEden heater will get us through this winter and it will knock off a minimum of $200.00 per month from the utility bills.

That 'Honey-Do' list has been cut down to only a few major essentials. A good used tractor is at the top of the list. Come spring - we're hoping to accomplish the chicken coop and chicks - setting up for rabbits - moving the barn and reworking the fence line to make more efficient use of our property for raising meat. We may extend the garden, as well. But the hayfield comes first. Beyond that - I can only think of a pressure canner. And that is a list I can handle much better than the previous list that kept me wrapped in angst.

You just keep getting up each day giving the day to God - and then watch yourself walk through all the fire - in peace! Your efforts will be met in agreement through prayer on this end! And keep posting! I'm excited about watching all this transpire for y'all! Because I already know - the turnout is just gonna be awesome! And I get a kick outta watching God work - more than I enjoy a good baseball game!

Have a good one!
Teresa

July 29, 2009
Hello Everyone,
Tedded the field today, the grass is super thik and had to run the tractor in first insead of the normal second gear. The rain did come this afternoon, but it's still very green so it shouldn't effect it.

I'm sure we'll be good for a weekend baling. Looked for a new rim for the Cub today, Your going to like this. I print my own checks on the computer using purchased blanks. It saves money. Well I found a 12 inch trailer rim at TSC and checked the lug pattern, it was a match, now the center is a little small but I can open that without any trouble.

So I take the rim to the teller and he checks me out, well, the reader won't read the check, he manually enters it in. It won't take it. So he calls some company on the phone to get this good check aprooved. He is cut off. Now the line is growing behind me and I tell him I'll come back tomorrow with the cash and I left the rim.

I was talking to my brother about the rim this evening and low and behold he converted one of his trailers from 12" to 15" wheels and he gives me two new rims with new tires mounted, same rim I was going to buy today at TSC. Now we have two new rims to put on the front of the tractor. I will mount them tomorrow.

Isn't God wonderful? ALL THE TIME!

Blessings,
Luke

July 30, 2009
Good Morning, Luke!
See why I told you I was waiting to hear about the rims? LOL

Had the same experience, yesterday. The manager of the transmission shop drove all the way out to our place to look at the mess done to my car by their mechanic. Dwayne had already pulled the motor and tranny and had it resting from the hoist. The manager was upset by what he saw. Told us he will be talking to the owner about reimbursing our money. Dwayne called the other place where he bought the transmission. They replaced the transmission. God has blessings waiting on the other side for each whammy we face. In this case there were two. And He fulfilled His promise on both!

Keep Walking in Faith! And keep posting!
Teresa

August 7, 2009
Hello Everyone,
This has been a busy week on the homestead, we have been doing allot of canning,and the past couple of days has brought sunshine and hot days. We have a 3 acre field of hay that will be dry and ready to bale tomorrow. It looks like no rain so HURRY! we may get one.

We are averaging a half bushel of baby carrots per row and have three more rows to get done. We stopped thinning carrots early several years ago, because I was thinking one day why throw what could be canned away, so we gave it a try one year and it worked out well. If left until they are just big enough to peel and can, they really don't interfere with one another. Once thinned, the ones that are left are hilled to be sure they are covered well and the manure that has been worked into the row is now acting as a side dressing of fertilizer when it is pulled up to the plants.

We have grown carrots as large as 2 1/2 pounds each and they are not corky or bitter. Our soil was Heavy clay and tended to compact fairly easy so we planted Danver half longs, as they didn't grow too long but are large in diameter. Over the years we have put literally tons of manure and organic matter into the garden and it doesn't compact as easily as it used to but we have continued with this breed carrot.

The results on these carrots has changed, we plant therm on hills and they now have plenty of depth in soil to grow and they do just that, they not only grow large in diameter but they grow 8 to 10 inches in length as well, giving us in a normal year a good size crop for putting buy.

I have learned over the years that one can read all they want and get a good idea how to start out, but like in other areas of life. There are as many gardeners as there are ways to garden, and what works for one doesn't always work for another. Each will do things a little different and come out with good results.

This year for many has been a challenging year, Where there is rain it has been just that, and where it's dry it has been just that too. But I'm hearing allot of folks saying they are fairing out better than they thought, and with the cost in the grocery stores on the rise. I can only say, it's great to hear that so many gardens are giving their yield in conditions that should have prevented it.

Guess we should all learn who truly is in charge here. Provide the labor and trust the outcome to God.

God Bless,
Luke

August 13, 2009
Hello Everyone,
Looks good so far, we have a predicted five day break in the weather, I downed 4 acres of hay this afternoon and will be dropping 12 acres tomorrow. Saturday will be 10 acres. 26 acres down all at once will mean 10-12 hour days in the hay field for the next 5 days.

This will be the first time we have ever had that much hay down and it could be risky if the forecast should change, but we are stepping out on faith and know we will make it.

The garden is doing well, with beans being down by about 40% so far, I'm going to blame it on the wet weather as the plants are really showing signs of being over watered. Hopefully the break in the weather will give them the shot they need.

The carrots have done very well and when we went to thinning found they were really ready to harvest so we have been pulling them. We may do a planting of spinach in their spot in a couple of weeks.

The corn has really perked up and has ears growing. Corn is normally hit or miss for us, and this is the first year we have planted it in several. I haven't made it to the potato field like I planned but they were doing well when we hilled it a few weeks ago.

So all in all I guess I have to say it will be a more productive season than I thought it would be.

In the past couple of weeks while haying or brush hogging fields, I have had several folks stop and ask me questions about gardening and what to do about different growing problems, along with being asked about getting a garden started for next year. Many of these people are beginning to worry about the direction our country is going and most really believe they need to be doing something for them selves.

The comical thing for me is, most of these folks over the years have in one way or another expressed how they thought we were wasting our time and energy producing our own all these years. I don't say anything to them about those things and just give them the answers they are looking for, after all that's what we have been about these past several years.(Encouraging sustainable living.)Even though on occasion some of you have to be the one's doing the encouraging to me, when I start getting a little stressed or down. (Thank you to all of you for that!)

It has also given us an opportunity to pick up a couple of jobs breaking new ground for their gardens. As they seem to want them big enough to grow allot of vegetables, and would rather not start out with a spade. Now I can't blame them for that as that is how my first garden came about, and I know all too well how much work a garden of 1,200 or more squar fett in size can be when spading it. Now I won't be surprised if we see a couple of those folks join the group as I have told them to stop by and pay us a visit. If they do I think that they will be surprised to see that my family isn't the only one doing what we do.

Which proves to me that Teresa was right when she said "Test of faith? I think not. I would have to say your family is being used as a Testimony for faith. God needs you and your family right now - to reach many others in a way some would never even imagine."

You were right, I believe people have been watching and continue to do so. some seem to be getting the idea, that maybe, just maybe the Turco's aren't that strange after all.

Which also brings me to a local general store, whose owner asked me if my chickens were free ranged or pastured. When I told him they were pastured; he said could you sell me a couple of dozen a week? "As I have some customers that want pastured chicken eggs. As if there is a differance." Of coarse you know me, I explained to him the differance between the two.

So we picked up an egg customer as well this week. Who knows, I may need more layers for next year and maybe even a larger chicken coop, but I won't bank on it.

All in all if the next five days falls together we'll be keeping all the cows, and maybe even adding a bull as I may have found one.

Blessings,
Luke


I keep these email postings from Luke. They’ll always help me. When I get down there in the pits – I go back and read.

I encourage everyone to email the link for my blog so they can read this post. Just have them look for the post titled, "Testimony of Walking in Faith - No Test of Faith" - if they don't find this posting at the top when they get here.

There are too many people out there needing to hear a testimony to what can happen when you walk through life with faith in God – especially during the toughest times.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

August and September Are the Worst Months for Us

Well – I’m done with the garden. The garden’s not done. But I am. Dwayne came out and helped me pull the green bean plants out of the ground yesterday morning. We harvested a whole bucket and got nine packages out of those. It all seems so little when you type out details – even less when you read everything. But there’s so much more that goes on around here – in between the things mentioned. With absolutely no exaggeration – I have spent the past two months waking up and hitting the floor running. I haven’t even finished a whole cup of coffee before digging in – over the past three weeks. The layout of this place is so spread out that there’s no way I can get through a day without plenty of exercise. I ended up having to let things go in the garden for certain days so I could get laundry done. Otherwise – I was ready to drop dead by 7pm. Trying to go back and forth was becoming downright stupid. LOL The garden is about 300 feet from the house. I’d walk out to the garden – walk back and inside the house – go down the stairs to the basement – deal with the laundry. I’d make my way back up the stairs and go in reverse. And this would be for about 4 loads of laundry. As luck would have it – there’d be times when the loads weren’t dry – and I’d have to make extra trips. When your area is under a yellow air alert and the temps are running 98* or higher with 89 percent humidity – and you turn 50 years old in a few weeks – just that challenge by itself can be Hell! But then you have to add the other trips down to the basement! You need a tool – getting food out of the freezer or the pantry – or just taking a short cut to get out to the driveway area so you can water all the crap out there – or fill the birdbath and bird feeders! I want a 4-wheeler Mule! But I’ll settle for a dad-gum Golf cart! It was just time to give up the fight. Not only that – but I’ve given up the idea of trying to get a fall season garden going. My husband needs my help! That’s all there is to it. Both of us have tried so hard to handle things around here as best we can – just the two of us. While I’m dealing with all the gardening and all the stuff inside the house, etc., - he’s been working his 12-hour shifts at work and spending his days off trying to get somewhere with completing this huge project of getting our home, porches and decks power-washed and resealed. In between – the two of us have taken turns mowing the 4-5 acres that demand attention. We have what they call Dallas grass here. I never want to hear one more soul complain to me about Bermuda or San Augustine grass – ever again! We don’t even wait for the fifth day before mowing again – unless we get the rain. Timing worked in our favor this week. However – by the time Dwayne finished mowing yesterday – you could not find our driveway. The lowest he could put the box blade down was at 3.5. The answer is not a goat. Goats will eat your trees and rose bushes before they look at grass. But now I think I see why the old man down the road has one sheep with all his other animals. A sheep would be in her glory around our place! And when the grass dies down – wonderful! By then – she’d be ready for us to dig that hole to roast her! Thank you for the thought, Jessie Rosas! But dude – you’ll have to bring me somebody else willing to eat all that stuff you tagged for yourself. I don’t do the brains and all that crap! Nope – I have my limits. The word ‘Delicacy’ just doesn’t include that in my definition! Back on track – I’m down to tomatoes and jalapenoes – no thanks to the squirrel going after the corn that Dwayne busted. We thought it was raccoons. We were wrong. I have about one more case of tomatoes waiting to be canned inside the house - at the moment. I’ve already canned four cases. And we could get about two more cases out of what’s out in the garden right now. They’re not ready – yet. And the plants have started new growth – new flowers – more babies. Uuuggggghhhhhh! I am not even going there. When these remaining full-grown tomatoes are ready for picking – that’s it! Babies or no babies – they’re coming out of the ground! My husband needs my help. It’s going to take the two of us to finish getting this house resealed. And even then – it could take us another month or two of his rounds of days off. If the grass gets any worse – I may go borrow that old man’s sheep. Only because we don’t have time to go buy one and then get a bunch of people up here to experience roasting one underground! The darn thing wouldn’t be old enough and ready for that, anyway. Our house looks like Hell. The kitchen doesn’t look so much like a produce stand right now. We only have tomatoes and Butternut squash all over the place. LOL But it would take us a week to get the entire house back in order before I would be satisfied enough to find it fit for company. My mother wants to come visit. And Dwayne’s folks want to come visit. Our 7th Wedding Anniversary is September 11th. My 50th Birthday is September 29th. Dwayne gets to work Labor Day weekend. Thanksgiving is coming. Christmas is coming. And I already know we’ll do the same as we have for the past 8 New Year’s Eves that have passed – sleep through it. My husband and I never had a real wedding. I barely remember being at the Courthouse. Don’t bother asking what we did after that – can’t even remember. We have never had a Honeymoon. We have never gone on any vacation spot alone with each other. Let me go on record right now. This Dream Home will be ready in three years – if I have to become THE nightmare in the life of Tilla The Hun to get it done. Dwayne and I will be celebrating our 10th Wedding Anniversary in the year 2012. Since the actual date falls on Tuesday – we will be celebrating a couple days earlier. God willing – we will be having a real wedding and renewing our wedding vows! I want an old-fashioned country garden wedding – with the barn dance celebration following – complete with the Bar-B-Que and all! So – all my friends and family better start saving their pennies now! One special gift I’m hoping to receive will be a very special guest in attendance. I’m praying that God will bless good health allowing the late Commissioner Richard Williams’ wife to attend. We were one of the very last – if not – the very last couple that the Commissioner officiated his final wedding ceremony before going in for heart surgery – which he never recovered from. He was a wonderful man – a very Godly man! His kindness extended by overseeing our marriage ceremony was confirmation to the whole picture showing that Dwayne and I were making the right step in our lives! And I would love for his wife to be there in his honor – to witness one of his efforts make another step forward to reaffirm the hopes her husband had for us – as well as our promise to God and the Commissioner!
Man, I look strange in this picture. I almost see that same grin and wince of the eyes I remember admiring about my Grandma Paparelli. Only difference - it sure looked one hell of a lot better on her!

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Butterfly Breakfast

Oh, my goodness - it feels like the sun is trying to suck all the oxygen right out of the air with all its heat today. Got up as early as possible and headed out to do my watering. Been over a week since we've had rain the temps are rising back into the 90's - again. I let Zucker go run wild during the time I was out watering. Big Mistake. My Zucker-Doodle went from being My Baby - to Mutley - to Pigley by the time I finished and headed to the house. The dog was absolutely trashed! Needless to say - he got a second bath for this week! It's been too hot to do anything outside. Pretty much caught up with all I can do on the inside while Dwayne sleeps. And when all else fails - Scrapbook! Butterflies are out in full force around here - especially in the mornings! I guess they all like the breakfast around here. Tried to get shots of the gorgeous blue colors on these two characters. I dunno - something was going on there. Either - they couldn't make up their mind - or - there's something in the food they're finding there that turns 'em hyper! I love this kit! It's absolutely precious! And when I went in to get the url to help scrappers find their way to the store where they can buy it - guess what I found. Sandy has another one that's just as adorable! And I'm fixin' to go buy that one - right after I finish here! Remember to click on the photo to see a larger view! Kit - "RoseBud" created by Sandy Collins at Digital Design Den Yes! DDD is back and you can get the kit right here! Fonts - Sylfaen Springtime York Script ES Okay - almost time to fix supper and I have a few more stops to make. LOL Have a great weekend, everyone!

Friday, August 7, 2009

It pays to be stubborn. I ended up down in the basement last night - giving it one more try at finding my cd for my digital scrapbooking program. Guess what I found. Uh-huh! But - guess where it was. In a box that was completely ignored and never unpacked. LOL Man - I found all kinds of goodies in there that I forgot about! I had to take a day of down-time, yesterday. I am just feeling so poopy. This part of the season and year is a learning experience for me. Harvest time - canning time - and Dwayne goes to graveyard shift. Two biological clocks running at the same time. It's just nuts! I know I have to get my feet grounded on this part of the year. I'm alone in the majority of handling all this around here. We don't even have the chickens and all the other animals, yet. You know? What's it gonna be like then? Well - I can only come up with one answer. I have to stay on the schedule of going to bed around 9pm and getting up at 4am. I need every moment of daylight from the break of dawn - especially now. The days are getting shorter, already. About two weeks ago - I told Debbie that I got photos of this huge moth that showed up one night on our back porch. Finally got that scrapbooking program re-installed and - here ya' go! The wingspan on this little thing is about 4 inches across from where it rested on this 2" x 4" cross-frame for the roof of the porch. Kit - "Summer Love" created by Vickey Morrisey at Scrapbook-Elements.com . This kit is absolutely beautiful! I chose it for a rather odd subject. And it worked out pretty well. But I have several other photos that would be perfect for all the other elements and papers included with this kit. Vickey did a wonderful job on this one! Okay - I'm outta here. Starting off late. Time to do the usual - catching up, again. Have a great day!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

You Put WHAT in My Food?

We’re having a full moon. I can feel it. My patience is thin and my backbone is running thick. I have nothing for idiots or malicious people. And I know it’s not the menopause. The hot flashes aren’t following the monster that unleashes! Actually – I’m pretty much over the menopause. I’m back to just being – me – but in a newer and much anticipated and greatly hoped-for way! Age and wisdom prepare even the most timid for smacking back! Most around my circle know I’ve been fighting – for weeks now – with my computer. I’ve done everything but hum this puppy out the window to crash and burn on the driveway! But today could be the day! Ya’ never know! Actually – all the time spent in the maze has come down to what my common sense was telling me all along. I just had to wear Dwayne out until he hollered, “uncle”! I need more RAM. I can’t even do any scrapbooking. Imagine this – buying PhotoShop Elements 7 – well over $100.00 of software – and I can’t even get the thing to load up without locking up. All I can say about that is – software developers are designing expensive hogs these days! And I’m sure that – in time – their lazy efforts will reach around and bite them in the butt with both heads of that two-headed snake! Because ya’ know darn well – they’re not gonna bother with the challenge of efficiency! I won’t be recommending PhotoShop Elements to my friends and family! I do continue taking photos. I have a boatload of photos. But I’m saving them – for my RAM. When I get my RAM – I’ll be able to do what I want with my photos. Until then – everybody can join me in saluting PhotoShop Elements. I don’t care – whichever you are – right finger – left finger – same message! My enamel pot that I use for the water baths when I’m canning had a dent on the bottom that has developed a little hole. So – I picked up another pot a few days ago. The new one is a bit larger – and just perfect. I can get 5 jars in this one. Managed to get 11 pints of tomatoes canned yesterday. Ran out of jars. And it’s looking like I’m gonna need – at least – 6 more cases of jars. Hopefully – that will be enough to cover all the tomatoes and jalapenos for this year. Actually – it’s just gonna have to be enough. I’m wiped out – already! Currently – I have two overloaded gallon-size ziploc bags filled with green beans in the fridge. Also – I have started on a second same-size bag filled with jalapenos. No room in the freezer – and no jars. Hmmm…. I love my FoodSaver! I can blanch and bag the beans. They’ll keep in the fridge for a couple weeks – which should give me plenty of time to make room in the freezer. I could can the beans - if I had a pressure-canner. Dwayne and I are beginning to see more common sense with investing in a pressure-canner for next year. Less loss if the power goes out – right? Considering the exhaustion from this first year of growing and preserving veggies for our home – I’ve come up with an idea. We want to expand the garden – believe that or not! Anyone with common sense shouldn’t buy into the lies about this so-called recession – I call it the Pelosi Posse Massacre on America - nearing any end. Did you know – five of the top ten richest people in America are Waltons – as in – WalMart? My wonderful flirt of a friend – whom I consider just like a brother – Ricky Moore dropped that one on me while we were talking on the phone the other day! And over the past month I have watched prices on everything in the store climbing. Anyway – I’ve decided to see how many of the guys at work – and their other half - would be interested in going in on a little co-op scenario next year. We’ll grow the food here. And everybody shows up with FoodSaver bag rolls and canning jars. We’ll have canning parties and everybody gets to take a load home. Now – Mother Nature does not have everything come ready to pick in one weekend. So – everyone would have to commit to coming up on one weekend day every week until the garden has played out. But I think there are many that would learn a lot – and save even more. Not only that – but – after this last trip to WalMart – my anger has me determined to go ahead and get a few goats. Watch ME! All the milk and cheese – even the soaps can sit on the shelves at the grocery stores and rot! I will be learning to make my own! And I’ll even get free fertilizer and a lawn mower out of the deal! Ohhhhh, yeahhhh – we gonna have goats – rabbits – chickens – cows – plenty of meat and eggs and cheese – soap – and fertilizer! And when it comes to the veggies – all my seed will now be purchased by sources carrying seed that is not ‘enhanced’ with GMO’s. “What the heck is she talking about?” Glad you asked! If you haven’t seen this video – check it out! Thanks to Luke at Curly Tail Farm in Vermont for bringing it to my attention! It’s a documentary full of pure and clean facts. Everyone should pay close attention – especially those with children and/or grandchildren! Wait until you hear and see what Monsanto and other Biotech companies are putting into our food supply!

Monday, August 3, 2009

PIcking Our Battles Around Here!

The past eight days here have been absolutely infuriating. This was the final opportunity for us to have a long-stretch of days off to get the house power-washed and resealed before Dwayne begins graveyard shift. We were slammed with rain almost every single day. And the graveyard shift begins in about 36 hours. Mother Nature has tilted her scales so badly this season. Where some are struggling without rain – others are feeling like it’s just never going to stop. And the situation is causing nothing less than loss and hardship in both areas. Whereas in our area – it’s not so much the amount of rain – but the timing. Many folks around here are having to pull crops here because of the increase in powdery mildew and other diseases threatening – not to even mention the explosion of bugs we’re experiencing. Here at the house – if it’s not one thing – it’s another. I was ready to bury my car. Apparently – Dwayne still had some fight in him. The salvage yard in Powell that sold the transmission to us was kind and upright enough to replace the transmission they sold to us. American Transmission in Maryville – on the other hand – can expect their doors to shut if they keep the demeanor they chose to offer us. They received over $800.00 for a botched-up job that had numerous serious errors. They were only willing to compensate with replacing a brand new axle that the mechanic tore up – and a $25 check. Dwayne put the car back together – and it’s running, again. And now I’m so exhausted that I don’t even wanna go anywhere. Our freezer was crammed by last Tuesday. Called Jaybird and made plans for him to come pick up some food on Saturday. He forgot. LOL Dwayne has told me to start watching Craisglist for a used upright freezer. I’ve been able to continue picking green beans and the last of the squash when we’ve had a pocket of time between rain and after the plants have dried. My tomatoes have begun their warfare. But all the rain and the flooding yield that has produced are giving me a fit. I’m having to make sure and get out there to get them picked as soon as I can before they blister. I’ve even had problems with a few of them splitting from the onset of all the rain. I’m almost done with drying the Balisto beans. Looks like we’ll get over 4 quart-jars of dried beans out of two rows. How cool is that! Our last section of corn is coming along better than the other two. At this moment – I have a mess of green beans that I need to freeze – and I haven’t picked beans in two days. I know I’m gonna have my hands full this evening. I have a gallon-size ziploc bag full of jalapenos – and I know I have five bushes out there loaded with more to pick. That means more canning in the next couple of days. By then – the mess of tomatoes on the kitchen counter will be ready, as well. Can’t work the dirt in the garden to get it ready for the fall garden. Too wet. All I can do is get out there and pull up the squash – the Balisto bean plants – and the old stocks of corn plants. Hopefully – the weatherman is on the mark for next week’s forecast. The dirt will be dry enough for me to get out there and start prepping for the few fall plants we want to get in. I’ve got to order my garlic so it will arrive by then. My life changes tomorrow – for five months. My biological clock is already screwing up – no thanks to the frustrations. House cleaning has to come at night – after Dwayne goes to work. I begin cooking supper no later than 3pm. My phones get turned off until 4pm. We’ll be doing good if Dwayne gets two days of work around this house during his days off. The cold weather and rain will be here in no time at all. And we still have three sides of this house to power-wash and seal. I will be spending time slopping sealer on while Dwayne sleeps. Car or no car – I’m only gonna have time to go to the grocery store. Jen begins her new job at Food City in Maryville, today! Saturday had me on the road. Went to pick her up in Maryville. We headed to Turkey Creek in Knoxville to shop for Khaki pants that she needed for work. And yeah – she came out with a few extra goodies – but they look adorable on her! Does it to me every time. LOL But we made out like bandits! Old Navy had a 30-percent discount going on and we got out of there under $100.00! We met Charlotte at the Turkey Creek store at 6pm. She filled in for a co-worker that had her father pass away a few days before. From there – we drove to Lenoir City – where Dwayne, Wayne and Austin met up with us at Angelo’s for dinner. I can’t even remember the last time I’ve done that. Had a great time! Jen came home with us and spent the night. We fought with my sewing machine to get her pants hemmed. Of all days – that thing decided to go squirrely on me for the first time. Go figure. Drove her back to Maryville around 7pm. Made my way back and stopped at Food Lion for absolute necessities. I had Zucker in the car with me – so – I couldn’t stay in there for very long. But it was 9pm before I got back to the house. I’m overwhelmed. There’s not enough time in a day. I’m fed up with waking up to find the same chores in my face every morning. I’m fed up with all the brick walls that keep getting in the way. And I feel the same FOR everyone else that’s going through all the same frustration. I know I am not alone in all this! But for me – I have reached the point where this world will have to accept the fact that Dwayne and I are – each – only one person. There is only so much we can handle in a day. Crap that is beyond our control keeps happening. We will do our best to pick our battles. But if the damn floors look like hell for a week or so – Oh, Well! It’ll just have to wait! We will get to it as soon as we can! Both of us need a beach with a chaise lounge and somebody else bringing us the drinks – a couple days of spa treatments – just pure pampering to revive our bodies and souls. But that just isn’t in the cards right now. There is no way in hell we can drop everything and come visit anyone. We can’t even schedule time to do anything like that! My pop-off relief valve is this computer. THIS is my vacation time. And that’s okay. There’s no telling what I’d have for Mickey and Minnie at this moment. And we grew up with that phrase – ‘if you can’t say anything nice – say nothing at all.’ I said we grew up with that rule. I didn’t say we agreed with it. LOL Bottom line – the previous owners of this place got out before the crap hit the fan. You would not believe the things we dropped off that list. We need gutters. We need to go in and fix the jacked-up mess that was done with the eves and several other exterior areas of this house. There is more chinking to be done. The permanent fix on the back porch piers needs to be done. There are just a whole lotta major issues that need to be tended to. There are only two people here to take care of it all. And we have to fit in all the ordinary house cleaning and other crap in between!

Sunday, August 2, 2009

We Have a Winner to the Guess The Plant Name Game!

Stinker Wingo - Thank you, Darlin'!!! The common name of the plant in the photos I left in the previous post is called "Devil's Trumpet" and I found information! Datura are woody-stalked, leafy annuals and short-lived perennials which can reach up to 2 meters in height. The leaves are alternate, 10–20 cm long and 5–18 cm broad, with a lobed or toothed margin. The flowers are erect or spreading (not pendulous like those of the closely allied Brugmansiae), trumpet-shaped, 5–20 cm long and 4–12 cm broad at the mouth; colors vary from white to yellow, pink, and pale purple. The fruit is a spiny capsule 4–10 cm long and 2–6 cm broad, splitting open when ripe to release the numerous seeds. The seeds disperse freely over pastures, fields and even wasteland locations.

Common names include Thorn Apple (from the spiny fruit), Pricklyburr (similarly), Jimson Weed, Moonflower, Hell's Bells, Devil's Weed, Devil's Cucumber, and Devil's Trumpet, (from their large trumpet-shaped flowers). Nathaniel Hawthorne refers to one type in The Scarlet Letter as Apple-Peru. The word datura comes from the Hindi Dhatūrā (thorn apple); record of this name dates back to 1662 (OED). In Tamil it is called "oomathai" (ஊமத்தை).

Datura species are food plants for the larvae of some Lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) species including Hypercompe indecisa.

Read More Here! Guess I'll be saving those seeds, for sure now! The scent of that flower is absolutely worth it!

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Anybody Know The Name of This Plant?

This weekend is loaded with a list that has me running ragged. Today - I will be running the roads that will consist of hitting Maryville - Knoxville - Lenoir City - and then back home, again! Going to pick up Jen, Wayne and Austin Greene. Bringing Wayne and Austin back to the house to spend time with Dwayne. Taking Jen to shop for Khaki pants for her new job at Food City. Charlotte's having to work for a co-worker today at Turkey Creek - where Jen and I will be shopping. One of her co-workers just had her father pass away a couple days ago. Jen and I will meet up with Charlotte after she gets off of work. And then - the guys are meeting us in Lenoir City for a night out for Dinner at Angelo's! Can't wait! But after searching the net and my book of East Tennessee Wildflowers - I cannot find information on a flowering plant that has shown up in my yard. So - I got out there this morning and took pictures. The flower is about 4-5 inches long. It blooms out white with a beautiful purple that graduates down the inside of its throat. But the real kicker - it has the most wonderful - intoxicating - perfumed scent!!! I've found two on the property - so far - here in Loudon, Tennessee. One popped up next to our Pink Lady Apple tree - and I won't let Dwayne touch it! I told him to leave it alone and let it make seed. I will MAKE a special home for this gorgeous Perfumed Stranger! If anyone knows anything about this plant - please let me know! Click on the photos to get a larger view.

Monday, August 31, 2009

The A/C is Off and The Windows are Open!

The air conditioner has been turned off all but two of the past six days at our house. The temps have been pleasant enough to leave windows open through the night, again. I’m back to shutting windows around 1:30pm and letting the logs do their job to keep the house cool until evening. But the good news comes with a warning for us. At this time – we’re over 7 inches above our normal rainfall in East Tennessee. For the past couple of weeks and despite all the rainfall – we’ve noticed the leaves turning color and beginning to fall – already. I thought it was just me – at first. But I keep hearing other folks around the area making comments that they feel we’re headed for a hard winter this year. Honestly – we almost need it. The rain brought on a triple dose of insect population to our area this year. They say we need an average of 15 – 21 days with below-freezing temps to eradicate the infestation for next year. We’re not going to make our deadline for getting the wood-burning stove installed inside the house this year. All the trouble with vehicles really set us back this year. Instead – we’ll be making another go at depending on the EdenPure Infrared heater. If nothing else – we may be buying a second one for using down in the basement. There are a lot of inside projects that Dwayne will need to be working on and I don’t want him working down in a freezing cold basement. If you don’t feel like putting up with high natural gas bills this year – I’m telling you now – you will save a minimum of $200.00 per month by investing in the EdenPure heater. Dwayne and I found a dealer selling reconditioned heaters on eBay with a perfect record. And he knows his stuff. His price includes shipping and he’s prompt! They make several models for different areas of space – so be careful. I’m including the link for the one we have – which heats 1000sq. ft. of living area. It keeps our entire upstairs perfectly comfortable in the winter! Kids and animals can even sit on this thing without getting burned. The unit is cool to the touch. The reason why this guy ends up with these heaters back in his hands for repair is due to folks handling them incorrectly. They operate with infrared bulbs. You can’t just pick ‘em up and drop ‘em anywhere. You have to be gentle in moving them around. At the same time – there are proper instructions for turning them off before unplugging them. Folks just seem to ignore instructions and blow good money down the drain! If you follow the simple instructions – that thing will become your best friend in the winter – every time you open your utility bills! They don’t even pinch your electric bill! Much of the inside work we planned for this winter pertains to pulling all the trim off the windows – making sure they’ve been set in properly and adding more insulation. We’ve also planned on framing in the basement to get insulation installed. I don’t think my little watermelon experiment is going to work. They have to have no less than 70* temps during the day and night. We dropped below 60* just last night – alone. But I have learned more about my thornless Navajo Blackberry bushes. Apparently – they love being watered here. So I can let go of the over-watering fears – which is fine by me! I’m going to mulch them with hay this fall to help them get through this coming winter. Next year should be a lot of fun. I just may have enough berries to freeze next year! I have an update regarding a prayer request for my friends Heidi and Monica. Received an email from Heidi yesterday – with more bad news. Here is her email. Please continue to include these two ladies in your prayers. They are such wonderful human beings and it just breaks my heart to see them going through so much. But I truly believe – they are another pair of believers that God is using as a tool for Testimony to walking in faith – no pun intended. Even Monica has been able to accomplish that challenge – despite being bedridden! If she can do it – anybody can! Oh – one more thing. Heidi – I snagged your photo from your FaceBook page. LOL It always helps to have a face to put with a name! And folks – these two are serious Pittsburgh Pirates/Steelers fans. They worked for the pirates at one time. But listen – don’t hold that against ‘em! J/k LOL Hello again family and friends..... Wanted to give you and UPDATE on Moni's accident. Initially they were going to try to do surgery on her broken right femur (Leg), but due to her condition, they CANNOT do surgery, so they were going to brace her leg and shoulder and send her home with pain meds. THAT has since changed from Friday. Moni and I had been asking them to xray her left leg since she fell on that side and it was hurting more than the right. FINALLY right before they were going to release her they DID the xray and found out her left leg has a broken femur too! There are also issues with her breathing and trachea, and Moni decided that she was afraid I couldn't care for her here at home right now, so she wanted to go to a facility for a few weeks. I hadn't been in to see her after Wed night/Thu Morning, so I went to the hospital last night and we talked. After seeing her (and finding out about the other leg being broken) I realized that I couldn't care for her till she gets a little stronger. They intially were thinking of a nursing facility, but with her size and compound issues they found a place called Kindred Care Hospital which is a LTAC (Long term acute care). They did the assessment and accepted her, and the doctor just called me to say he was writing the orders for her to go there for a short time to get stronger. Moni seems to like the idea of this since her pain level is pretty high. Our friend Ellen is with her and when all is set up, her and I are going out to the hospital to make sure she is situated. It is only about 5 miles from our home and looks like a nice place. All private rooms and they have a lot to offer. I HATE THIS, but after seeing her condition I know that I wouldn't be able to care for her like they can right now. I told her of the prayers you all sent and I WILL print out the emails and take them to her. I would sincerely appreciate if you could continue to pray for Moni that the Heavenly Father places HIS healing hands upon her and that we can get through this latest bump. KNOW that we love you all so very much and appreciate you being in our lives. Some Birthday Present for Moni, huh?? If anyone wants to send cards or prayers, our address is: Monica and Heidi Narr 1765 Crafton Blvd. #1 Pittsburgh, PA 15205-3126 God Bless You All and I WILL keep you updated as I can. With our love and huge hugs and kisses......Heidi & Moni xoxo That's Monica on the left and Heidi on the right! Time to get in gear. I’ve got some organizing to do in our freezer. We have no room for meat. So – I’m taking a few bags of frozen vegetables to our neighbors down below.

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Needs.. Wants.. Pennies.. Treasures.. Jackpot!

I woke up with a headache this morning. Not sure if it’s the same headache I’ve had since day before yesterday – or not. The Tylenol has been working whenever I reach a point of feeling the pain getting the best of me and decide to take a couple of the pills. Relief comes for a few hours in between the twang. The past week has been a rather full-packed box of a volatile frenzy of emotions. Seems like everywhere you turn around – something terrible is happening. And the hardest part is watching the reactions from others. Anger is brewing. I guess I should feel positive about that. I have been praying for folks to become angry enough to get up – take charge – and take back the reins of their lives and happiness. So far – the most I’ve seen in our area has been the effort of many more households loading up their houses with guns – to protect themselves and be ready for the home invasions. Pitiful – isn’t it? And yes – even our household is prepared and ready to protect in the same fashion. Of course – that’s been the case since Day One. But then – we’ve always lived a mindset of preparing for worst-case scenario in all things. In other words – we’ve always believed in covering our butts – just in case. LOL I actually left the house for a few hours yesterday – alone – in my Putt Putt! Dwayne was sleeping. Yes, he still has two more days to work. But I needed to run by the Vet’s office for supplies and take care of a few more errands. As luck would have it – Dr. Walter’s office is closed on weekends. LOL But it didn’t take much for me to be lured onto a slight detour – right across the street! I am always so into the old ‘tried and true’ scene. Anytime I buy anything – I prefer to buy ‘Made in U.S.A.’ when I get a chance. These days – the best place to find those treasures would be in the consignment shops – antique shops – junk shops – whatever you wanna call ‘em! And that’s just what I did! Look at the treasures I found! (click on photos for larger view) I don’t know why – but some of my fondest memories of things I appreciate today pertain to what I call – ‘That June Cleaver Effect’ about my Grandma Paparelli and my Mother! Believe it or not - they both had those habits! And these are the things that remind me of the two of them! I can’t wait until I get my hands on those rectangle pyrex dishes with the flat lids! They were my grandmother’s favorite baking dishes!! And she had those refrigerator dishes, too. They looked a lot like the pyrex baking dishes – but they were specifically for leftovers in the fridge. I found a couple of those - but waited. If they’re meant for me – they’ll still be there next time I go hunting! Here’s the funny part. The prices were - $17.95 for the oval cassarole dish - $6.50 for the small white and blue pyrex bowl - $8.00 for the ice cream scoop - $30.00 for the set of three pyrex mixing bowls. And I got a 10% discount. Now – go find those same items on the Internet. Don’t forget to check on the shipping costs and add that in, as well. I got a great deal!! It’s my goal to load my kitchen with all those ‘necessary’ things my Mom and Grandma had back then. You should see one of the canister sets I am just refusing to part with. It’s the dark brown Tupperware canister set. Oh, my gosh… if anyone can find lids for the smallest and the next to the smallest… PLEASE grab ‘em for me!! The lids on those two puppies have just chipped to shreds on the edges because they’re so brittle. But I’m determined to find replacement lids! Everything else in that set is just fine. I just need those lids!! Aunt Judy…. You still using that bread bin? Yeah… that metal one… Where’s it at? Every time I go into one of these shops I always make a point of going through and looking at all the old costume jewelry. Now - My Mom – Uncle Tommy – Aunt Judy and Uncle Danny are probably snickering right about this moment. What they don’t know is there’s one particular set that I’m always looking for. And I’m about to give them a hint. I turn 50 years old on September 29th. For my birthday – I would love for someone to send me an 8 x 10 of a particular photo of Grandma Paparelli. She’s standing in the living room of the apartment over Pappy’s. She’s wearing that beautiful pink dress that had the stripes and polka dots. I always loved that dress – especially the fabric and the print. It was such a beautiful color of pink with a print in a monochromatic style. And it was silky/satiny – maybe taffeta? But she’s wearing the necklace and earrings that I am always looking for in the treasure shops! The big beads remind me of a pink tiger-eye stone. Okay… I’m off to enjoy a few minutes without any televisions turned on – nor any Internet news websites hurling in my face with all the guts and gore going on. Right now – I don’t have to know anything. And there’s absolutely nothing in this world I must have – that’s any worse than the need of the joker trying to get my money into their pocket. I’m gonna go have a little peace and quiet! Hope everyone else enjoys the day!

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Crazy Schedule is Becoming Even More Crazy

The routine around our house has been shaken a little more than what’s normally expected when Dwayne’s shift changes. He only had two days off during this last round. Currently, he’s working a run of six days – covering for a coworker that had to take his son up to get settled in for college.

Before going any further – I received a very sad email this morning from my friends, Heidi and Monica Narr. Heidi was reporting that Monica is back in the hospital after a terrible fall from her bed. She has broken an arm and a leg. Doctors are in the middle of deciding whether or not she can handle going through surgery for repairing the femur in her leg. I’d like to ask everyone to add these two ladies to your prayer list. Heidi continues marching on with her commitment to taking care of her sister. Here we have one more challenge that she faces with her sister – despite her own health issues that continue to add to the struggles. However – this is living testimony to the truest depth of love one can feel for another!

We have dropped everything to focus on our issues with getting the house resealed. We got the deck of the front porch finished. The staircase is all that’s left to the front of the house. Dwayne is doing some reconstruction on that during his next round of days off before we reseal it. We don’t know what the previous owners had in mind when they built it. But right now – even after requesting another handrail for the top steps – I have these vicious thoughts of somebody falling through the mangled mess. We’re not happy about it. So Dwayne’s gonna make it right.

(click on photos for larger view)





It’s amazing how time can help you see all the “brick walls” that actually exist around this fiasco! You would be surprised at how many things you are unable to do around this crazy mess – above – below – around – all the above. You can't tell from this view - but there is about a 1.5' space of wasted area on the landing between the landing rail and the railing for the top steps.



He dismantled the outside railing for the top steps so we could finish the porch decking. But here you can see how the top steps to the porch are actually eating up the landing. The remaining intact rail for the steps really shows the difference in the finished efforts with resealing! To the left of that railing is that area of wasted space between the top steps and the landing rail below – which makes absolutely no sense.



Dwayne is going to move the entire landing and bottom stairs out further. The top steps will meet the landing properly - and he'll be widening the top set of steps. He may have to cut the support posts from the pads – if the same ignorance was applied here, as was done so with the piers for the back porch. But I think it will look and function so much better after he gets it all corrected!

I’ve been watching Craigslist like a hawk, lately. Came across a queen-size headboard and footboard for $125.00. We drove all the way up to the Halls area in Knoxville to pick it up. Without being fore-warned about all the road construction in that area – we ended up going through a maze of roads that had the feathers coming out. The map guidebook I bought a few years ago - and got teased for buying - turned out to be our saving grace - once again! The new find looks great in the guestroom! Needs a little bit of cleaning up. But the Old English is on my grocery list. So that little job will have to wait a day or two.



Beyond that – I’m in the middle of trying to situate a few things down in the basement during the evenings while Dwayne’s at work. However – this evening is one of those time-consuming jobs. I usually mop the wood floors with only water – damp mop at most. Tonight’s job will consist of using the wood cleaner and hitting all the rooms in the house – except the bathrooms, of course.

So – if you go to any of my two farms at FaceBook and you see plots not planted – now you know why. LOL

Saturday, August 22, 2009

Watermelons From Some Crazy Whim!

What an incredible morning to wake up and step out on the porch to view. You’d think it was Spring, all over again! Gentle breeze with cool temps – the sky is that perfect blue with beautiful white fluffy clouds. Sunshine just bringing out the best in all the color! And I don’t seem to be the only one noticing. The birds are all over the place here, this morning! Even had several Cardinals getting busy with the sunflowers – right along with a few Yellow Canary Finches. The Hummingbirds are back after taking a slight break elsewhere – feuding over the feeders, of course! (click photos for larger view) Beautiful – isn’t it! Yeah… But around 4:30pm today – it won’t seem quite as beautiful to me for a while. It’s my turn to mow. Ta! And you just took a look at about one-third of the job. Funny how photos can be a little deceiving. See that area darkened by the trees on the right. Oh, it’s dark, alright! It’s what we call ‘The Hole’. That Dallas grass is thicker than all get-out! And the incline fights pretty hard with trying to turn the area into a bog. Just a tad bit to this side of staying away from being constantly mushy. But we’ve had a few times when the wish for sitting on a 4-wheeler at the moment crossed our minds! Takes a little finesse’ to make that tractor-mower crawl back up outta there! Luckily – we will be saying ‘Bye-Bye’ to The Hole next year! Once we get the barn down and relocated we’ll begin on some major shifting of dirt and soil. The goal is to level out the area a little more – and redirect rainwater away from the house, as well! I’ve been given fair warning – that’s my chance to design a layout for the entire area to the left of where the barn sits now. I spent time working on a layout about my little watermelon patch after Dwayne headed to work yesterday. Back in Texas – everybody knows the repercussions from busting open an ice-cold watermelon and getting busy with it outside. Let one seed hit that San Augustine grass. It will find the dirt! Never fails! I bought a watermelon last year and brought it home. Both of us were totally surprised to find it was a yellow-meat watermelon when we sliced it open! Neither of us has had such a treat since we were kids. Naturally – the gardening horns came out and my first thought was to save seeds! Knowing our Navajo thornless Blackberry bushes would be a few years before they’re grown enough to yield enough for canning – I decided to let them share their area with watermelon this year. I started out planting five seeds. Took no time at all before deciding we better sacrifice some plants. Went down from five to two. Now I’m thinking I should have just saved one! But even with just the two plants I’ve had to get out there and thin out the runners. I’ll bet I cut the life short on a half-dozen babies. But last week the count became so confusing that I got a wild hair idea. Took a Sharpie pen out there and gave everybody a number. HA! I’ve ended up finding five more babies after a week of all the rain we’ve received. But I’m pinching off anymore that come along. These puppies are huge. And keeping the count down will benefit growth and success. Funny thing about the size these are putting out. That watermelon I bought in the grocery store was only half as big. Now – just how do you think that happened? LOL Mass planting – chemicals to force production – Oh, who knows what else they do to mess up a natural wonder! Anyway – here’s my finished work. It was almost 2am before I managed to get this posted on FaceBook for Kimberly. This kit gave me a challenge! She did some awesome work on some of the papers that causes a 3-D effect. And I just had to go with it! Numerous attempts at adding more embellishing just stole away from the shadow-box appeal. So – I finally gave it up and signed off! Like I said earlier – photos can be so deceiving. Measured the largest one this morning. Length is 18 inches from end to end. And when I wrapped that tape measure around that puppy – I felt wonderful about my shrinking waistline! I was stunned to see my fingers come around to 36 inches! It’ll take using the wheelbarrow to get it up to the house. I know it weighs over 14 pounds. The stem is beginning to wane – so I know it’s just about ready! Funny how a watermelon can make me feel so excited. But there’s a reason. I only decided to make this first go at growing the darn things – purely out of a wild hair whim! Kit - Ladybugs and Daisies - created by Kimberly Stewart at Scrapbook-elements.com Get the Ladybugs and Daisies Alphabet Here!

Thursday, August 20, 2009

Shame on The Rain and Fat Boy's in The Barn!

Claudette seems to have spurred off activity to mess up the flow of things around here. We have been dealing with some rain. And we’re being told to expect the same for the next several days. Not good news. The wind and the dumping of rain have reached all the way under our porches. Dwayne picked up extension ladders and a walkboard – on loan from a friend at work. But we’re not able to make any progress on getting the power-washing and re-sealing completed on the house. I’m afraid this spell of rain may shove us right into fall with temperatures sinking fast. Actually – things are looking a little strange around here. Despite all the rain we’ve had this year – leaves have already begun to fall from the trees for the past week now. I just have this really bad feeling. I think we’re in for a pretty rough winter this year. About the only thing we have been able to do is fight with all the mowing – in between the spells of rain. Never fails – every time we get caught up to a point where we can actually enjoy a nice looking carpet – we get more rain. And before we get the next break – we’re looking at setting the blade box to #4 – once again. I am looking so forward to getting that tractor next spring. We have what they call “Dallas” grass going nuts here. It’s okay for a yard – I guess. Well, let’s just say – it’s not okay for pastures. The growth and spreading into horse pastures this year has caused some serious problems with animals – especially horses. The moisture that this grass can hold is incredible. We can go a month without rain and with temps in the high 90’s. This grass will remain wet at the surface of the dirt and in between lower layers of blades. Most people don’t maintain mowing their pastures like they do with the yards at their houses. This grass has made for a perfect environment for a fungus to develop that is showing up around the coronary bands on the hooves of animals. This can be – and usually is – fatal. Treatment is a pain in the butt. And it can be costly if you don’t deal with it full-force and immediately. Even worse – the animals must be removed from the pasture until the grass is dealt with and soil tests come back clean. While tomatoes continue producing and ripening at a much slower pace – I have put my foot down and called it quits on canning anymore of them! I have jalapenos yelling from the refrigerator. I go out and look at my watermelons every chance I get. Got so mad about not being able to count without losing track. So – I took a Sharpie pen out there. LOL Yep – I actually gave everybody a number so I can stop losing my mind. It’s helped track the four new babies I found yesterday. I dunno – they must like all the homemade compost I’ve been spreading under them. But I think fourteen watermelons between two plants is a bit much. I’ve decided to do some sacrificing once I can get out there and safely thin ‘em out. Busted the Groundhog heading for the barn a couple days ago. I haven’t seen a mate. So – I’m not all that worried. If anything – he’ll keep the weeds down around the metal gates. As for the veggie garden – if he can get over that fence without doing any damage – he can have at it! I just want a chance to watch. Fat Boy must weigh about 25-30 pounds. Wouldn’t that make for a Kodak moment! Yesterday was a day of running – all the way to Farragut – to Lenoir City – and back home. Got the bills paid – got some groceries bought. But the one thing I was shooting for – smoked mozzarella cheese – none in stock until next Saturday at the Fresh Market in Farragut. Go figure. I did do some window shopping in one of the antiques and crafts shops. But I got fed up with the “Made in India” crap going on and walked out empty handed. Okay – I’m outta here. Promised to make a cake for lunch snacks this week.

Friday, August 14, 2009

Testimony of Walking in Faith - No Test of Faith

I sent out a prayer request a few weeks ago through my email for the family that owns the Curly Tail Farm up in Vermont. Sometimes – even in the midst of our own struggles we are moved to seek God’s help for others. I’ve learned something so wonderful about that. When we get that feeling in our gut to do something such as that – God is preparing for many folks to receive the blessing of a life boat – besides ourselves!

This posting will be one of my long postings. It’s a true story going on right now. But I think anyone reading it will find it to be pretty cool. And I’m praying God will let this reach many people who need this right now.

Luke and his family are one of the contacts I have been blessed with for a network of helpful sources – through one of the Yahoo! Groups - for help with the goals Dwayne and I are striving to accomplish here at our place. His family has been working very hard for many years now – toward the goal of becoming totally self-sustaining in life with their farm. This year’s efforts have been severely threatened by all the incredible amount of rain they have endured. When Luke came to the group to report all the challenges that were in front of the family – I felt the need to come to bat for support and encouragement – as well as the need to go to God on behalf of his family.

The past few weeks of communications and reports of all that has transpired has been amazing. I’m including some of the communications that have gone on between the two of us in this post. There is a story – and a wonderful lesson here for all of us. My own struggles have gone up and down in the middle of it all. Just when I would begin to feel like giving up and just doing nothing – Luke would post wonderful news – just like this morning! And I take that as a blessing of that life boat God is sending!

By the time this first email arrived from Luke that I am posting – he'd already had some pretty large brick walls jump in front of him. My gut had heard enough by the time I received that email.

Read – and enjoy! Pay close attention to the dates of each email. May God bless each of you with all He wants you to receive from this. There is always a reason for everything!

July 27, 2009
Hello Everyone,
As our wet summer plugs on, we have come to the conclusion if we don't see a change in the current weather patterns. The cows will have to go to market this fall. We haven't been with out a cow on the homestead in near 10 years. It's a scary thought for me as I enjoy those big beautiful beasts.

Needless to say we are praying for a drastic weather change here. I had to brush hog one of my hayfields yesterday as the grass had gone bye and it was dead. While on my way home last night the tractor lost the head gasket, so today was the day to change it, I suspected it might be going last fall and purchased one so I could change it this last spring. Well knowing me it was in the tool shed and I had forgotten all about it, so I got to do it today.

The garden is doing much better than I expected for the amount of ran we have had though tomatoes and cukes aren't doing to well. I'll go to the potato field tomorrow and check and see how they are doing since we sidedressed and hilled them last week. At least with hillig them I now have the walk rows lower and if we keep getting rain it can run down the row and leave the tubers a little drier.

I do plan to try to do some creative haying and take a chance even though it is calling for rain most days, I have noticed that when it does rain it is a 10 to 20 minute shower, so the hope is to keep after the field with the tedder and spin the rain water off of it and let what sun we get dry it, then hope I can get it dry enough to bale before the next shower. I figure it's worth a try even if it's not the best quality hay. It sure wouldn't make a differance because we'll loose it anyway at this rate, and I sure would like to keep at least my milk cow.

Blessings,
Luke

July 27, 2009
Luke,
This is a time when the need for the power in prayer is of the utmost. As has Trish - I, too, have offered up my prayers.

Though we can't find guarantee in the blessings or compensation being exactly those we hope for - I know that He answers when two or more are in agreement. And when He answers - the blessings end up coming to us in even much better form than we would even have imagined.

Test of faith? I think not. I would have to say your family is being used as Testimony for faith. God needs you and your family right now - to reach many others in a way some would never even imagine. He will get you all through this. Many will learn from your faith. And many will find reassurance that God is - very much - here and plugged into the situations going on around this country and the world right now.

Keep us posted! Each day I will be praying for God to cover your family and your farm for the day. As with all the trials I have endured in my life - He knows I will be giving Him the glory for each and every event - even the most difficult or painful one - that unfolds in that day. And for every difficult event - no matter how small - God knows what comes next in our little relationship that I share with Him! Whatever happens - I know that He has good reason and I will be waiting for the better plan He has in mind. I will be waiting for the compensation of blessings that will show up for each sad or painful event that occurs! I know that through my faith - and because I wait for Him to do His own thing with the situation - He will bring a wonderful surprise of blessings. He NEVER fails to amaze me!

Give the whole day to Him. Give Him the glory for every single little thing that happens. And if it should bring hardship or discomfort to you - recognize Him at His works! And let Him know you're paying attention - giving Him the glory for it! And make sure He knows you'll be watching and waiting to see the good He brings forth from it! God always gets the last word in anything and everything - and it is always good.

Challenge God! He loves a good challenge from those who put their faith in Him!

Believe it or not - I'm going through my own little setbacks here in other areas of my life right now. I think He's reaching out in ways so others can gain comfort in knowing that He really is here. Too many folks are going through so many tough times right now. The future is uncertain to them and they're feeling the fear and insecurity. Those who know His constant presence and power are going to be used as God's tools to help all others.

That's why I say - keep everyone posted. Your outcome will be good, Luke! Post updates on the daily events and outcomes.
Teresa

July 28, 2009
Good Evening Everyone,
Finished the 9N this morning, Fueled up the Cub and headed to the hayfield, 1/4 mile down the road the front tire starts going soft so I turned around went home and pulled the wheel off. I dismounted the tire and found a hole in the tube toward the rim side, the rim is pretty rusted so I took the heavy duty wire wheel to it to smooth things up, installed a new tube, mounted the tire and off we go.

Got to the field and looked it over, the orchard grass is 4 to 5 feet tall and looking really good, some has gone to seed but only about 25% so we fire up the mower and around we go. Everything ids going really fine and oh no, the darn tire went flat again. I parked the tractor and start walking the 2 mile trip to home.

Wow! someone I know stops and gives me a ride 100 feet down the road, thinking this is cool I get home and can't find my other spare tube. Oh well the rim is obviously bad enough now so it would be a waste of a good tube to put it in. So I fired up the 9N and headed to the field with the brush hog. This was a good test for the work we did yesterday so here we go.

I'm mowing away and watching this tall grass get set under the mower and I'm really paying attention to what is coming out. Then it strikes me, it's halving this stuff and breaking up the stalks in good shape. This is working like a conditioner and should dry that much sooner.So maybe just maybe the flat went flat for a reason? Only the next couple of days will tell, we'll be tedding late morning tomorrow.

I looked around and found a place to buy new aftermarket rims for $65.00 for the cub, that's not bad since one from International is $144.00.

We Let The meat birds out of the barn today for the fist time, it's kid of cute to see them peek out the door turn and run back in. by days end most of them came out and scratched close to the barn and seemed to have a great time doing it. I do have to get a good move able outside pen built for them soon. Guess we'll start that in the early morning.

All in all it was a good hot sunny day for us today. I'm not looking At the weather I'm going to practice what I preach. I'm going to provide the labor and trust Him for the out come. How much you wanna bet we can save it??? hehehe

God Bless,
Luke

July 28, 2009
Good Evening Luke!
As I read this post from you I find myself just grinning from ear to ear! You walked in faith through each stumbling block. And He fulfilled the promise of meeting the need on the other side of each one.

I have seen God do this too many times in my own life to know how much easier and how wonderful events play out when the day is given to Him and He goes to work! I'm looking forward to hearing about the rims!

We have been slammed with rain here, several times today. First round brought 3 inches within an hour. I had saved seed from a yellow meat watermelon last year. My Blackberry bushes are down to two of the three surviving - one struggling and one smiling and going crazy. But their ready area was such a span that I took a chance. Started out planting five watermelon seeds around the area. Remember - Dwayne's always telling me that I grow too much. Well - I listened this time. LOL Yanked three out a couple weeks ago. Spent the better part of this morning going through and thinning as much as I felt comfortably safe. We have four melons sizing up well, already - two over a pound. But I'm giving it a week for all the others to show up enough without having to hunt. I know there's over a dozen there. Once I can see them I'll be making my choices for the sacrifice. In the meanwhile - I'll be keeping the runners in check.

Time and weather have played against us in our efforts to get the logs and porches power-washed and resealed. My 'Putt-Putt' has been a strong issue. We're back to square one after dropping about $1,500.00 into that - which has been a learning lesson for me, as far as I'm concerned. I'm no longer worrying about a second car right now. I'm not supposed to. Everything will be fine. I have enough on my plate. When the time is right - God will put things in place as He sees fit! Letting go of sentimentality is actually bringing me some relief. I'm a little perplexed about my frugality taking a hit. But who knows. I put that one in His hands, as well. And there's just no telling what may happen with that situation. All I know is the turnout will be better than what I could have come up with. LOL

I'm no longer concerned about all the revamping we wanted to do inside this house. Getting the wood-burning stove is an issue still up in the air. But if we don't reach that one - we'll be fine. This PureEden heater will get us through this winter and it will knock off a minimum of $200.00 per month from the utility bills.

That 'Honey-Do' list has been cut down to only a few major essentials. A good used tractor is at the top of the list. Come spring - we're hoping to accomplish the chicken coop and chicks - setting up for rabbits - moving the barn and reworking the fence line to make more efficient use of our property for raising meat. We may extend the garden, as well. But the hayfield comes first. Beyond that - I can only think of a pressure canner. And that is a list I can handle much better than the previous list that kept me wrapped in angst.

You just keep getting up each day giving the day to God - and then watch yourself walk through all the fire - in peace! Your efforts will be met in agreement through prayer on this end! And keep posting! I'm excited about watching all this transpire for y'all! Because I already know - the turnout is just gonna be awesome! And I get a kick outta watching God work - more than I enjoy a good baseball game!

Have a good one!
Teresa

July 29, 2009
Hello Everyone,
Tedded the field today, the grass is super thik and had to run the tractor in first insead of the normal second gear. The rain did come this afternoon, but it's still very green so it shouldn't effect it.

I'm sure we'll be good for a weekend baling. Looked for a new rim for the Cub today, Your going to like this. I print my own checks on the computer using purchased blanks. It saves money. Well I found a 12 inch trailer rim at TSC and checked the lug pattern, it was a match, now the center is a little small but I can open that without any trouble.

So I take the rim to the teller and he checks me out, well, the reader won't read the check, he manually enters it in. It won't take it. So he calls some company on the phone to get this good check aprooved. He is cut off. Now the line is growing behind me and I tell him I'll come back tomorrow with the cash and I left the rim.

I was talking to my brother about the rim this evening and low and behold he converted one of his trailers from 12" to 15" wheels and he gives me two new rims with new tires mounted, same rim I was going to buy today at TSC. Now we have two new rims to put on the front of the tractor. I will mount them tomorrow.

Isn't God wonderful? ALL THE TIME!

Blessings,
Luke

July 30, 2009
Good Morning, Luke!
See why I told you I was waiting to hear about the rims? LOL

Had the same experience, yesterday. The manager of the transmission shop drove all the way out to our place to look at the mess done to my car by their mechanic. Dwayne had already pulled the motor and tranny and had it resting from the hoist. The manager was upset by what he saw. Told us he will be talking to the owner about reimbursing our money. Dwayne called the other place where he bought the transmission. They replaced the transmission. God has blessings waiting on the other side for each whammy we face. In this case there were two. And He fulfilled His promise on both!

Keep Walking in Faith! And keep posting!
Teresa

August 7, 2009
Hello Everyone,
This has been a busy week on the homestead, we have been doing allot of canning,and the past couple of days has brought sunshine and hot days. We have a 3 acre field of hay that will be dry and ready to bale tomorrow. It looks like no rain so HURRY! we may get one.

We are averaging a half bushel of baby carrots per row and have three more rows to get done. We stopped thinning carrots early several years ago, because I was thinking one day why throw what could be canned away, so we gave it a try one year and it worked out well. If left until they are just big enough to peel and can, they really don't interfere with one another. Once thinned, the ones that are left are hilled to be sure they are covered well and the manure that has been worked into the row is now acting as a side dressing of fertilizer when it is pulled up to the plants.

We have grown carrots as large as 2 1/2 pounds each and they are not corky or bitter. Our soil was Heavy clay and tended to compact fairly easy so we planted Danver half longs, as they didn't grow too long but are large in diameter. Over the years we have put literally tons of manure and organic matter into the garden and it doesn't compact as easily as it used to but we have continued with this breed carrot.

The results on these carrots has changed, we plant therm on hills and they now have plenty of depth in soil to grow and they do just that, they not only grow large in diameter but they grow 8 to 10 inches in length as well, giving us in a normal year a good size crop for putting buy.

I have learned over the years that one can read all they want and get a good idea how to start out, but like in other areas of life. There are as many gardeners as there are ways to garden, and what works for one doesn't always work for another. Each will do things a little different and come out with good results.

This year for many has been a challenging year, Where there is rain it has been just that, and where it's dry it has been just that too. But I'm hearing allot of folks saying they are fairing out better than they thought, and with the cost in the grocery stores on the rise. I can only say, it's great to hear that so many gardens are giving their yield in conditions that should have prevented it.

Guess we should all learn who truly is in charge here. Provide the labor and trust the outcome to God.

God Bless,
Luke

August 13, 2009
Hello Everyone,
Looks good so far, we have a predicted five day break in the weather, I downed 4 acres of hay this afternoon and will be dropping 12 acres tomorrow. Saturday will be 10 acres. 26 acres down all at once will mean 10-12 hour days in the hay field for the next 5 days.

This will be the first time we have ever had that much hay down and it could be risky if the forecast should change, but we are stepping out on faith and know we will make it.

The garden is doing well, with beans being down by about 40% so far, I'm going to blame it on the wet weather as the plants are really showing signs of being over watered. Hopefully the break in the weather will give them the shot they need.

The carrots have done very well and when we went to thinning found they were really ready to harvest so we have been pulling them. We may do a planting of spinach in their spot in a couple of weeks.

The corn has really perked up and has ears growing. Corn is normally hit or miss for us, and this is the first year we have planted it in several. I haven't made it to the potato field like I planned but they were doing well when we hilled it a few weeks ago.

So all in all I guess I have to say it will be a more productive season than I thought it would be.

In the past couple of weeks while haying or brush hogging fields, I have had several folks stop and ask me questions about gardening and what to do about different growing problems, along with being asked about getting a garden started for next year. Many of these people are beginning to worry about the direction our country is going and most really believe they need to be doing something for them selves.

The comical thing for me is, most of these folks over the years have in one way or another expressed how they thought we were wasting our time and energy producing our own all these years. I don't say anything to them about those things and just give them the answers they are looking for, after all that's what we have been about these past several years.(Encouraging sustainable living.)Even though on occasion some of you have to be the one's doing the encouraging to me, when I start getting a little stressed or down. (Thank you to all of you for that!)

It has also given us an opportunity to pick up a couple of jobs breaking new ground for their gardens. As they seem to want them big enough to grow allot of vegetables, and would rather not start out with a spade. Now I can't blame them for that as that is how my first garden came about, and I know all too well how much work a garden of 1,200 or more squar fett in size can be when spading it. Now I won't be surprised if we see a couple of those folks join the group as I have told them to stop by and pay us a visit. If they do I think that they will be surprised to see that my family isn't the only one doing what we do.

Which proves to me that Teresa was right when she said "Test of faith? I think not. I would have to say your family is being used as a Testimony for faith. God needs you and your family right now - to reach many others in a way some would never even imagine."

You were right, I believe people have been watching and continue to do so. some seem to be getting the idea, that maybe, just maybe the Turco's aren't that strange after all.

Which also brings me to a local general store, whose owner asked me if my chickens were free ranged or pastured. When I told him they were pastured; he said could you sell me a couple of dozen a week? "As I have some customers that want pastured chicken eggs. As if there is a differance." Of coarse you know me, I explained to him the differance between the two.

So we picked up an egg customer as well this week. Who knows, I may need more layers for next year and maybe even a larger chicken coop, but I won't bank on it.

All in all if the next five days falls together we'll be keeping all the cows, and maybe even adding a bull as I may have found one.

Blessings,
Luke


I keep these email postings from Luke. They’ll always help me. When I get down there in the pits – I go back and read.

I encourage everyone to email the link for my blog so they can read this post. Just have them look for the post titled, "Testimony of Walking in Faith - No Test of Faith" - if they don't find this posting at the top when they get here.

There are too many people out there needing to hear a testimony to what can happen when you walk through life with faith in God – especially during the toughest times.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

August and September Are the Worst Months for Us

Well – I’m done with the garden. The garden’s not done. But I am. Dwayne came out and helped me pull the green bean plants out of the ground yesterday morning. We harvested a whole bucket and got nine packages out of those. It all seems so little when you type out details – even less when you read everything. But there’s so much more that goes on around here – in between the things mentioned. With absolutely no exaggeration – I have spent the past two months waking up and hitting the floor running. I haven’t even finished a whole cup of coffee before digging in – over the past three weeks. The layout of this place is so spread out that there’s no way I can get through a day without plenty of exercise. I ended up having to let things go in the garden for certain days so I could get laundry done. Otherwise – I was ready to drop dead by 7pm. Trying to go back and forth was becoming downright stupid. LOL The garden is about 300 feet from the house. I’d walk out to the garden – walk back and inside the house – go down the stairs to the basement – deal with the laundry. I’d make my way back up the stairs and go in reverse. And this would be for about 4 loads of laundry. As luck would have it – there’d be times when the loads weren’t dry – and I’d have to make extra trips. When your area is under a yellow air alert and the temps are running 98* or higher with 89 percent humidity – and you turn 50 years old in a few weeks – just that challenge by itself can be Hell! But then you have to add the other trips down to the basement! You need a tool – getting food out of the freezer or the pantry – or just taking a short cut to get out to the driveway area so you can water all the crap out there – or fill the birdbath and bird feeders! I want a 4-wheeler Mule! But I’ll settle for a dad-gum Golf cart! It was just time to give up the fight. Not only that – but I’ve given up the idea of trying to get a fall season garden going. My husband needs my help! That’s all there is to it. Both of us have tried so hard to handle things around here as best we can – just the two of us. While I’m dealing with all the gardening and all the stuff inside the house, etc., - he’s been working his 12-hour shifts at work and spending his days off trying to get somewhere with completing this huge project of getting our home, porches and decks power-washed and resealed. In between – the two of us have taken turns mowing the 4-5 acres that demand attention. We have what they call Dallas grass here. I never want to hear one more soul complain to me about Bermuda or San Augustine grass – ever again! We don’t even wait for the fifth day before mowing again – unless we get the rain. Timing worked in our favor this week. However – by the time Dwayne finished mowing yesterday – you could not find our driveway. The lowest he could put the box blade down was at 3.5. The answer is not a goat. Goats will eat your trees and rose bushes before they look at grass. But now I think I see why the old man down the road has one sheep with all his other animals. A sheep would be in her glory around our place! And when the grass dies down – wonderful! By then – she’d be ready for us to dig that hole to roast her! Thank you for the thought, Jessie Rosas! But dude – you’ll have to bring me somebody else willing to eat all that stuff you tagged for yourself. I don’t do the brains and all that crap! Nope – I have my limits. The word ‘Delicacy’ just doesn’t include that in my definition! Back on track – I’m down to tomatoes and jalapenoes – no thanks to the squirrel going after the corn that Dwayne busted. We thought it was raccoons. We were wrong. I have about one more case of tomatoes waiting to be canned inside the house - at the moment. I’ve already canned four cases. And we could get about two more cases out of what’s out in the garden right now. They’re not ready – yet. And the plants have started new growth – new flowers – more babies. Uuuggggghhhhhh! I am not even going there. When these remaining full-grown tomatoes are ready for picking – that’s it! Babies or no babies – they’re coming out of the ground! My husband needs my help. It’s going to take the two of us to finish getting this house resealed. And even then – it could take us another month or two of his rounds of days off. If the grass gets any worse – I may go borrow that old man’s sheep. Only because we don’t have time to go buy one and then get a bunch of people up here to experience roasting one underground! The darn thing wouldn’t be old enough and ready for that, anyway. Our house looks like Hell. The kitchen doesn’t look so much like a produce stand right now. We only have tomatoes and Butternut squash all over the place. LOL But it would take us a week to get the entire house back in order before I would be satisfied enough to find it fit for company. My mother wants to come visit. And Dwayne’s folks want to come visit. Our 7th Wedding Anniversary is September 11th. My 50th Birthday is September 29th. Dwayne gets to work Labor Day weekend. Thanksgiving is coming. Christmas is coming. And I already know we’ll do the same as we have for the past 8 New Year’s Eves that have passed – sleep through it. My husband and I never had a real wedding. I barely remember being at the Courthouse. Don’t bother asking what we did after that – can’t even remember. We have never had a Honeymoon. We have never gone on any vacation spot alone with each other. Let me go on record right now. This Dream Home will be ready in three years – if I have to become THE nightmare in the life of Tilla The Hun to get it done. Dwayne and I will be celebrating our 10th Wedding Anniversary in the year 2012. Since the actual date falls on Tuesday – we will be celebrating a couple days earlier. God willing – we will be having a real wedding and renewing our wedding vows! I want an old-fashioned country garden wedding – with the barn dance celebration following – complete with the Bar-B-Que and all! So – all my friends and family better start saving their pennies now! One special gift I’m hoping to receive will be a very special guest in attendance. I’m praying that God will bless good health allowing the late Commissioner Richard Williams’ wife to attend. We were one of the very last – if not – the very last couple that the Commissioner officiated his final wedding ceremony before going in for heart surgery – which he never recovered from. He was a wonderful man – a very Godly man! His kindness extended by overseeing our marriage ceremony was confirmation to the whole picture showing that Dwayne and I were making the right step in our lives! And I would love for his wife to be there in his honor – to witness one of his efforts make another step forward to reaffirm the hopes her husband had for us – as well as our promise to God and the Commissioner!
Man, I look strange in this picture. I almost see that same grin and wince of the eyes I remember admiring about my Grandma Paparelli. Only difference - it sure looked one hell of a lot better on her!

Saturday, August 8, 2009

Butterfly Breakfast

Oh, my goodness - it feels like the sun is trying to suck all the oxygen right out of the air with all its heat today. Got up as early as possible and headed out to do my watering. Been over a week since we've had rain the temps are rising back into the 90's - again. I let Zucker go run wild during the time I was out watering. Big Mistake. My Zucker-Doodle went from being My Baby - to Mutley - to Pigley by the time I finished and headed to the house. The dog was absolutely trashed! Needless to say - he got a second bath for this week! It's been too hot to do anything outside. Pretty much caught up with all I can do on the inside while Dwayne sleeps. And when all else fails - Scrapbook! Butterflies are out in full force around here - especially in the mornings! I guess they all like the breakfast around here. Tried to get shots of the gorgeous blue colors on these two characters. I dunno - something was going on there. Either - they couldn't make up their mind - or - there's something in the food they're finding there that turns 'em hyper! I love this kit! It's absolutely precious! And when I went in to get the url to help scrappers find their way to the store where they can buy it - guess what I found. Sandy has another one that's just as adorable! And I'm fixin' to go buy that one - right after I finish here! Remember to click on the photo to see a larger view! Kit - "RoseBud" created by Sandy Collins at Digital Design Den Yes! DDD is back and you can get the kit right here! Fonts - Sylfaen Springtime York Script ES Okay - almost time to fix supper and I have a few more stops to make. LOL Have a great weekend, everyone!

Friday, August 7, 2009

It pays to be stubborn. I ended up down in the basement last night - giving it one more try at finding my cd for my digital scrapbooking program. Guess what I found. Uh-huh! But - guess where it was. In a box that was completely ignored and never unpacked. LOL Man - I found all kinds of goodies in there that I forgot about! I had to take a day of down-time, yesterday. I am just feeling so poopy. This part of the season and year is a learning experience for me. Harvest time - canning time - and Dwayne goes to graveyard shift. Two biological clocks running at the same time. It's just nuts! I know I have to get my feet grounded on this part of the year. I'm alone in the majority of handling all this around here. We don't even have the chickens and all the other animals, yet. You know? What's it gonna be like then? Well - I can only come up with one answer. I have to stay on the schedule of going to bed around 9pm and getting up at 4am. I need every moment of daylight from the break of dawn - especially now. The days are getting shorter, already. About two weeks ago - I told Debbie that I got photos of this huge moth that showed up one night on our back porch. Finally got that scrapbooking program re-installed and - here ya' go! The wingspan on this little thing is about 4 inches across from where it rested on this 2" x 4" cross-frame for the roof of the porch. Kit - "Summer Love" created by Vickey Morrisey at Scrapbook-Elements.com . This kit is absolutely beautiful! I chose it for a rather odd subject. And it worked out pretty well. But I have several other photos that would be perfect for all the other elements and papers included with this kit. Vickey did a wonderful job on this one! Okay - I'm outta here. Starting off late. Time to do the usual - catching up, again. Have a great day!

Thursday, August 6, 2009

You Put WHAT in My Food?

We’re having a full moon. I can feel it. My patience is thin and my backbone is running thick. I have nothing for idiots or malicious people. And I know it’s not the menopause. The hot flashes aren’t following the monster that unleashes! Actually – I’m pretty much over the menopause. I’m back to just being – me – but in a newer and much anticipated and greatly hoped-for way! Age and wisdom prepare even the most timid for smacking back! Most around my circle know I’ve been fighting – for weeks now – with my computer. I’ve done everything but hum this puppy out the window to crash and burn on the driveway! But today could be the day! Ya’ never know! Actually – all the time spent in the maze has come down to what my common sense was telling me all along. I just had to wear Dwayne out until he hollered, “uncle”! I need more RAM. I can’t even do any scrapbooking. Imagine this – buying PhotoShop Elements 7 – well over $100.00 of software – and I can’t even get the thing to load up without locking up. All I can say about that is – software developers are designing expensive hogs these days! And I’m sure that – in time – their lazy efforts will reach around and bite them in the butt with both heads of that two-headed snake! Because ya’ know darn well – they’re not gonna bother with the challenge of efficiency! I won’t be recommending PhotoShop Elements to my friends and family! I do continue taking photos. I have a boatload of photos. But I’m saving them – for my RAM. When I get my RAM – I’ll be able to do what I want with my photos. Until then – everybody can join me in saluting PhotoShop Elements. I don’t care – whichever you are – right finger – left finger – same message! My enamel pot that I use for the water baths when I’m canning had a dent on the bottom that has developed a little hole. So – I picked up another pot a few days ago. The new one is a bit larger – and just perfect. I can get 5 jars in this one. Managed to get 11 pints of tomatoes canned yesterday. Ran out of jars. And it’s looking like I’m gonna need – at least – 6 more cases of jars. Hopefully – that will be enough to cover all the tomatoes and jalapenos for this year. Actually – it’s just gonna have to be enough. I’m wiped out – already! Currently – I have two overloaded gallon-size ziploc bags filled with green beans in the fridge. Also – I have started on a second same-size bag filled with jalapenos. No room in the freezer – and no jars. Hmmm…. I love my FoodSaver! I can blanch and bag the beans. They’ll keep in the fridge for a couple weeks – which should give me plenty of time to make room in the freezer. I could can the beans - if I had a pressure-canner. Dwayne and I are beginning to see more common sense with investing in a pressure-canner for next year. Less loss if the power goes out – right? Considering the exhaustion from this first year of growing and preserving veggies for our home – I’ve come up with an idea. We want to expand the garden – believe that or not! Anyone with common sense shouldn’t buy into the lies about this so-called recession – I call it the Pelosi Posse Massacre on America - nearing any end. Did you know – five of the top ten richest people in America are Waltons – as in – WalMart? My wonderful flirt of a friend – whom I consider just like a brother – Ricky Moore dropped that one on me while we were talking on the phone the other day! And over the past month I have watched prices on everything in the store climbing. Anyway – I’ve decided to see how many of the guys at work – and their other half - would be interested in going in on a little co-op scenario next year. We’ll grow the food here. And everybody shows up with FoodSaver bag rolls and canning jars. We’ll have canning parties and everybody gets to take a load home. Now – Mother Nature does not have everything come ready to pick in one weekend. So – everyone would have to commit to coming up on one weekend day every week until the garden has played out. But I think there are many that would learn a lot – and save even more. Not only that – but – after this last trip to WalMart – my anger has me determined to go ahead and get a few goats. Watch ME! All the milk and cheese – even the soaps can sit on the shelves at the grocery stores and rot! I will be learning to make my own! And I’ll even get free fertilizer and a lawn mower out of the deal! Ohhhhh, yeahhhh – we gonna have goats – rabbits – chickens – cows – plenty of meat and eggs and cheese – soap – and fertilizer! And when it comes to the veggies – all my seed will now be purchased by sources carrying seed that is not ‘enhanced’ with GMO’s. “What the heck is she talking about?” Glad you asked! If you haven’t seen this video – check it out! Thanks to Luke at Curly Tail Farm in Vermont for bringing it to my attention! It’s a documentary full of pure and clean facts. Everyone should pay close attention – especially those with children and/or grandchildren! Wait until you hear and see what Monsanto and other Biotech companies are putting into our food supply!

Monday, August 3, 2009

PIcking Our Battles Around Here!

The past eight days here have been absolutely infuriating. This was the final opportunity for us to have a long-stretch of days off to get the house power-washed and resealed before Dwayne begins graveyard shift. We were slammed with rain almost every single day. And the graveyard shift begins in about 36 hours. Mother Nature has tilted her scales so badly this season. Where some are struggling without rain – others are feeling like it’s just never going to stop. And the situation is causing nothing less than loss and hardship in both areas. Whereas in our area – it’s not so much the amount of rain – but the timing. Many folks around here are having to pull crops here because of the increase in powdery mildew and other diseases threatening – not to even mention the explosion of bugs we’re experiencing. Here at the house – if it’s not one thing – it’s another. I was ready to bury my car. Apparently – Dwayne still had some fight in him. The salvage yard in Powell that sold the transmission to us was kind and upright enough to replace the transmission they sold to us. American Transmission in Maryville – on the other hand – can expect their doors to shut if they keep the demeanor they chose to offer us. They received over $800.00 for a botched-up job that had numerous serious errors. They were only willing to compensate with replacing a brand new axle that the mechanic tore up – and a $25 check. Dwayne put the car back together – and it’s running, again. And now I’m so exhausted that I don’t even wanna go anywhere. Our freezer was crammed by last Tuesday. Called Jaybird and made plans for him to come pick up some food on Saturday. He forgot. LOL Dwayne has told me to start watching Craisglist for a used upright freezer. I’ve been able to continue picking green beans and the last of the squash when we’ve had a pocket of time between rain and after the plants have dried. My tomatoes have begun their warfare. But all the rain and the flooding yield that has produced are giving me a fit. I’m having to make sure and get out there to get them picked as soon as I can before they blister. I’ve even had problems with a few of them splitting from the onset of all the rain. I’m almost done with drying the Balisto beans. Looks like we’ll get over 4 quart-jars of dried beans out of two rows. How cool is that! Our last section of corn is coming along better than the other two. At this moment – I have a mess of green beans that I need to freeze – and I haven’t picked beans in two days. I know I’m gonna have my hands full this evening. I have a gallon-size ziploc bag full of jalapenos – and I know I have five bushes out there loaded with more to pick. That means more canning in the next couple of days. By then – the mess of tomatoes on the kitchen counter will be ready, as well. Can’t work the dirt in the garden to get it ready for the fall garden. Too wet. All I can do is get out there and pull up the squash – the Balisto bean plants – and the old stocks of corn plants. Hopefully – the weatherman is on the mark for next week’s forecast. The dirt will be dry enough for me to get out there and start prepping for the few fall plants we want to get in. I’ve got to order my garlic so it will arrive by then. My life changes tomorrow – for five months. My biological clock is already screwing up – no thanks to the frustrations. House cleaning has to come at night – after Dwayne goes to work. I begin cooking supper no later than 3pm. My phones get turned off until 4pm. We’ll be doing good if Dwayne gets two days of work around this house during his days off. The cold weather and rain will be here in no time at all. And we still have three sides of this house to power-wash and seal. I will be spending time slopping sealer on while Dwayne sleeps. Car or no car – I’m only gonna have time to go to the grocery store. Jen begins her new job at Food City in Maryville, today! Saturday had me on the road. Went to pick her up in Maryville. We headed to Turkey Creek in Knoxville to shop for Khaki pants that she needed for work. And yeah – she came out with a few extra goodies – but they look adorable on her! Does it to me every time. LOL But we made out like bandits! Old Navy had a 30-percent discount going on and we got out of there under $100.00! We met Charlotte at the Turkey Creek store at 6pm. She filled in for a co-worker that had her father pass away a few days before. From there – we drove to Lenoir City – where Dwayne, Wayne and Austin met up with us at Angelo’s for dinner. I can’t even remember the last time I’ve done that. Had a great time! Jen came home with us and spent the night. We fought with my sewing machine to get her pants hemmed. Of all days – that thing decided to go squirrely on me for the first time. Go figure. Drove her back to Maryville around 7pm. Made my way back and stopped at Food Lion for absolute necessities. I had Zucker in the car with me – so – I couldn’t stay in there for very long. But it was 9pm before I got back to the house. I’m overwhelmed. There’s not enough time in a day. I’m fed up with waking up to find the same chores in my face every morning. I’m fed up with all the brick walls that keep getting in the way. And I feel the same FOR everyone else that’s going through all the same frustration. I know I am not alone in all this! But for me – I have reached the point where this world will have to accept the fact that Dwayne and I are – each – only one person. There is only so much we can handle in a day. Crap that is beyond our control keeps happening. We will do our best to pick our battles. But if the damn floors look like hell for a week or so – Oh, Well! It’ll just have to wait! We will get to it as soon as we can! Both of us need a beach with a chaise lounge and somebody else bringing us the drinks – a couple days of spa treatments – just pure pampering to revive our bodies and souls. But that just isn’t in the cards right now. There is no way in hell we can drop everything and come visit anyone. We can’t even schedule time to do anything like that! My pop-off relief valve is this computer. THIS is my vacation time. And that’s okay. There’s no telling what I’d have for Mickey and Minnie at this moment. And we grew up with that phrase – ‘if you can’t say anything nice – say nothing at all.’ I said we grew up with that rule. I didn’t say we agreed with it. LOL Bottom line – the previous owners of this place got out before the crap hit the fan. You would not believe the things we dropped off that list. We need gutters. We need to go in and fix the jacked-up mess that was done with the eves and several other exterior areas of this house. There is more chinking to be done. The permanent fix on the back porch piers needs to be done. There are just a whole lotta major issues that need to be tended to. There are only two people here to take care of it all. And we have to fit in all the ordinary house cleaning and other crap in between!

Sunday, August 2, 2009

We Have a Winner to the Guess The Plant Name Game!

Stinker Wingo - Thank you, Darlin'!!! The common name of the plant in the photos I left in the previous post is called "Devil's Trumpet" and I found information! Datura are woody-stalked, leafy annuals and short-lived perennials which can reach up to 2 meters in height. The leaves are alternate, 10–20 cm long and 5–18 cm broad, with a lobed or toothed margin. The flowers are erect or spreading (not pendulous like those of the closely allied Brugmansiae), trumpet-shaped, 5–20 cm long and 4–12 cm broad at the mouth; colors vary from white to yellow, pink, and pale purple. The fruit is a spiny capsule 4–10 cm long and 2–6 cm broad, splitting open when ripe to release the numerous seeds. The seeds disperse freely over pastures, fields and even wasteland locations.

Common names include Thorn Apple (from the spiny fruit), Pricklyburr (similarly), Jimson Weed, Moonflower, Hell's Bells, Devil's Weed, Devil's Cucumber, and Devil's Trumpet, (from their large trumpet-shaped flowers). Nathaniel Hawthorne refers to one type in The Scarlet Letter as Apple-Peru. The word datura comes from the Hindi Dhatūrā (thorn apple); record of this name dates back to 1662 (OED). In Tamil it is called "oomathai" (ஊமத்தை).

Datura species are food plants for the larvae of some Lepidoptera (butterfly and moth) species including Hypercompe indecisa.

Read More Here! Guess I'll be saving those seeds, for sure now! The scent of that flower is absolutely worth it!

Saturday, August 1, 2009

Anybody Know The Name of This Plant?

This weekend is loaded with a list that has me running ragged. Today - I will be running the roads that will consist of hitting Maryville - Knoxville - Lenoir City - and then back home, again! Going to pick up Jen, Wayne and Austin Greene. Bringing Wayne and Austin back to the house to spend time with Dwayne. Taking Jen to shop for Khaki pants for her new job at Food City. Charlotte's having to work for a co-worker today at Turkey Creek - where Jen and I will be shopping. One of her co-workers just had her father pass away a couple days ago. Jen and I will meet up with Charlotte after she gets off of work. And then - the guys are meeting us in Lenoir City for a night out for Dinner at Angelo's! Can't wait! But after searching the net and my book of East Tennessee Wildflowers - I cannot find information on a flowering plant that has shown up in my yard. So - I got out there this morning and took pictures. The flower is about 4-5 inches long. It blooms out white with a beautiful purple that graduates down the inside of its throat. But the real kicker - it has the most wonderful - intoxicating - perfumed scent!!! I've found two on the property - so far - here in Loudon, Tennessee. One popped up next to our Pink Lady Apple tree - and I won't let Dwayne touch it! I told him to leave it alone and let it make seed. I will MAKE a special home for this gorgeous Perfumed Stranger! If anyone knows anything about this plant - please let me know! Click on the photos to get a larger view.