Farm Life

[LostNFound]

It is the 26th and the temp outside is bouncing off of 66(F) degrees. Partly cloudy it is and there are still patches of snow from last week. That is the warmer climate you were hashing about. In the mid range of mountains of Arizona and yet still cold to the acclimatized. I have a good brother who lives over in Machias Just east of Lake Stevens and another good sister who lives in the Republic just west of you. The both are under the big brrrrrrrrrrrrr zone. I am glad you have family coming and living with you this winter. I have two daughters living up in Fort Collins land Wellington Colo. Too cold for me now both Washington and Colo. I know you will have a great Christmas with the grandchildren and you children. The goats and dogs will manage to keep themselves warm also.

Merry Christmas and a very prosperous New Year
Stay warm, dry, healthy and happy
Steven

[Spiritwind]

It’s a new year, less than two weeks in and it’s already been weird. I’ve been sitting here this morning looking up information on a couple new projects we want to start this year. As much as I lamented not being able to try bees again yet, glad we didn’t this last year. Pretty sure that prolonged early cold snap and excessive amount of snow would have been problematic. And the shelter we built for them has totally collapsed under the weight of the snow. Gotta come up with something better there, and plan to research what a hot box is all about, that’s been used with good success in Alaska.

Anyway, the plan is, well, I have a lot of plans, LOL. And now it’s past the middle of the month, so I will try to write a bit more again. Too early to go out yet as it’s still dark, and with the heavy overcast it’s unlikely the internet would work well enough to watch any videos. This winter has been different in a way that’s hard to put to words. A feeling of anticipation is kind of hanging there, with the mix of outer factors at play. It’s like someone took a big spoon and stirred up all of humanity, and it’s all mixed up into something chaotic and unidentifiable. We’re not in Kansas anymore, that’s for sure.

Many of us can see where the agenda is being driven as far as the current epidemics of war fever and the cult of covid, and we even have some larger than life villains in the mix. It makes me think of Thanos from the Avengers movies who tries to make wiping out most of the population sound like something noble and necessary. Plus we have them trying to make us sexless automatons who have to be in therapy the rest of our lives for, in my case being white, and then all the rest of us for being the cause of global climate change. Guilt and shame, what a combo. And then fear, gotta have fear. Oh yeah, and according to one WEF spokesperson I briefly listened to, besides subtly putting us down for balking at the “you will eat bugs” propaganda being shoved down our throats, he also denigrated everyone who believes in such a concept as god. You know, we have no “proof”.

Funny thing is, one of the items on my list of projects for this year is learning how to raise mealworms. I wasn’t going to have chickens anymore, but life had other plans, and with Corey’s two we are now back to four. Mealworms are an excellent source of protein for them, and supposedly aren’t that hard to raise. Most of our problem with any of these projects we want to do is because of being off grid. We don’t have a lot of indoor space, and things like regulating temperature around the clock can be problematic. The mealworms need a dry environment, so that’s not too hard, plus they don’t take up much space. But we also want to try growing mushrooms. Besides a fairly steady temperature, they need humidity. I can do a small crate in the RV probably okay, just to try it out, but any larger operation will have to probably be somewhere else. Of course, there is outside growing in the summer.

I’m quite excited about these projects, especially the mushrooms. It would be nice to come up with a couple of at home projects to generate a little income stream, and good bartering items. Much of my energy will be directed this year at continuing community building and developing our trade networks. I won’t be doing the Farmer’s Market at the nearby Grange this year, even though I was asked. In fact, they wanted to bump it up to twice a month. I’d rather spend my time with those who haven’t drank the koolaid, and already realized that doing exactly what the government wants, the way they want, is simply becoming more and more untenable. They still haven’t figured it out yet, and I don’t have time for that.

As of this Saturday we’ll finally be down to just two pups left. It’s been the highlight of my winter to go from watching them be born, to being three months old. Most awesome thing ever. I’m so happy with the homes they have all went to, even if it did take a long time to find them, and I did have to come down a bit on price with the last two. I have made the appointment for Nahla to be spayed, because no matter how adorable they all are, I don’t want to do it again. There are already too many unwanted animals out there. I have to say that these dogs having been born and raised here has taken the work out of having to do much to train them. I do work with them to sit and not jump all over me, but the rest they have picked up from mom and dad. They already know what to do.

One really awesome thing I keep forgetting to mention is that little Miss Iona is not pregnant and totally faked me out. I mean, she got an udder and was starting to blimp out, and totally looked like she was, but nope, I was fooled, again. That’s good news, as for one, getting pregnant that young is not a good thing, and I didn’t want to be doing any birthings in the middle of winter. I had visions of having her in a crate in our oh so small kitchen area in the RV. Whew! Dodged that bullet!

I haven’t spent much time on the goats this winter, other than feeding and watering. This spring is not going to be fun in that regard. Only just bred the two, with one due in March and the other in April. They should still provide plenty of milk, and I’m committed to keeping the numbers down and manageable. Even just coming up with things for our twice a month Market is work. I won’t have cheese for a couple more months probably, so I’ve been making some really yummy scones to take for trading and selling. Only problem there is I want to eat them all. I plan to make kimchi for the Market too, by next month. And some herbal products are on the list, too, time permitting. But the big thing on the horizon is taking care of my dental issues and being able to build up my health again. Which is why I don’t want to take on any more projects or responsibilities. If I don’t take care of myself, I won’t be able to do all these things I have planned.

I did manage to respond in time to keep them from taking the Medicare part B portion out of my social security check every month. There is a story that goes with that too, but suffice it to say it’s ridiculous to pay for something I know I will never use. My husband and I have even talked about getting an oxygen tank and a defibrillator, because neither one of us wants to go to a hospital for any reason. Trust is completely gone there. I mean, if we go fast that’s fine, it’s a done deal, but if either of us was to have a mild heart attack we can’t just sit there and do nothing, so as unpopular as the subject is, we’ve had to talk about it. It’s really sad that we’ve come to this place where we feel completely on our own when it comes to healthcare. But everything they do now is suspect. And I’m not giving the right to make medical decisions for me away to anyone working within the system. Just not happening. Interestingly, one of the pups went to a woman who is a nurse, who managed to keep her job at a local hospital without getting the jab(s), and she is so taken with her she wants the other one we still have available, so is picking her up at the market on Saturday. Anyone who managed to stay working under the pressure to comply over the last two years is to be respected, for sure. Many weren’t so lucky and did lose their jobs. What a deal.

And now it is light enough to suit up and go outside. The new sprinkling of snow we got last night at least covers up how muddy everything had become. It wasn’t looking pretty, at all. At least we are slowly gaining on the days becoming longer, which strangely makes me feel I have more time to get things done. Being light at 8am and dark by 4pm made for a short workday. I’m not fond of doing things in the dark. I didn’t mention the transportation issues we have still been encountering. It’s been endless and I’d rather skip over it. Besides, it’s almost unbelievable (we had two flat tires in one day!). Anyway, we just keep on trucking along. What else can you do? Farm life goes on....

By the way, hi Steven/LostNFound. Love it when you drop by! Happy New Year to you!

[Spiritwind]

I haven’t written a farm life post in quite awhile. As I sit here thinking about the past month I find it hard to gather my thoughts (so I’ll start by talking about the weather, LOL). We still have a lot of snow on the ground, and a great deal of icecrete (our new word up in these parts). We did start to have mud season, almost, until another bout of frigid temperatures came along. That, and the wind, have given us another opportunity to experience what it’s like to go several days without running water indoors. When it’s like this, with temperatures in the teens during the day, and near zero at night, with strong winds to boot, it’s near impossible to keep the water running in our RV. Literally, if you don’t run the water about every half hour, it freezes up (and unlike a house hooked up to the power company, you can’t just leave the water running at a trickle). We are waiting for the new water pump we ordered to arrive, so we haven’t been able to keep the one we have on all the time, to keep the water pumped up. It has a problem wanting to shut off and runs the batteries dead. On and on it goes.

At least we kept the well house pressure tank from freezing up this time, so have water outside. And I’ve learned to just keep lots of water in containers and buckets to get through these times, so I don’t have to melt snow for the animals again. It turns out that the charging system for the RV itself has developed a problem too, and hasn’t been charging up the two batteries we have in here. We found that out when several consecutive nights left us shivering in the early morning hours because there wasn’t enough juice left. But, overall, not too bad at the moment, in that we are getting a lot more light, and the solar system has now been keeping us going at night, even with the fan forced propane heater going all the time.

A few other things have happened since I last wrote here. One, is my son who had been staying here in another RV since his release from a correctional facility in July has moved out. Long awful story there. He has been working 10-12 hour days, and wasn’t exactly enjoying the winter months out here, roughing it with our off grid lifestyle, plus the hour drive to and from work left him very little time for anything. But, besides that, my husband being 77 and a Vietnam combat Veteran who still suffers a bit from PTSD (which he gets angry if you even try to talk about), plus his extensive training, in combination with my 43 year old son who also now suffers from PTSD due to his 6 years of incarceration and experiences he had there did not gel well. I am, and always have been, the peace maker, but there was no fixing this. Let’s just say, the two developed some deep resentments towards each other and it was like a tinder box waiting to be ignited. It all ended over parking (but so much more in reality). So now my son is staying in the city with his dad, who he didn’t want to live with because he didn’t think he could get along. But, strangely, he is getting to bond with his dad who has some fairly serious health problems (and may not be around long) and he is beginning to see that maybe it isn’t as horrible as he thought it would be. He has become somewhat more self reflective, and even a little spiritual in his thinking. He saves quite a bit of time on the drive, and he doesn’t have to deal with all the challenges that come from living out here. He really needs to stick it out, and get his own place to live, so he can truly become independent, sort of. The system won’t ever let him be truly independent again, but at 43 he’s not exactly thrilled with additionally being under the thumb of parental figures.

That whole experience has also given me much room to reflect on my own savior tendencies, desire to “fix things”. I don’t like conflict, but it is so unavoidable in this reality, and in fact, I must develop some different strategies. I’ve been reading the book A Different Drum by M. Scott Peck and it’s all about how to truly be in community. One thing I’ve learned, is conflict is going to happen, and trying to keep your feelings under wraps all the time leads to a form of dishonesty in our relations. But then, people fear conflict because it can get out of hand. Maybe some rules before one dives in are in order, like, how to fight nice, keep from name calling and blaming (and going full combat), and learn to really listen to one another. Although, even at that, all parties have to be willing. Men, in particular, have a great deal of difficulty with this, as most have a lifetime of unexpressed emotions and trauma. Watching your loved ones get triggered and regress to such out of control behavior is not my favorite thing. I guess it’s time to move on....

The one other thing of interest that is happening for me is I am finally addressing my dental issues. I just got 4 of my 10 remaining teeth pulled yesterday, and hopefully they will be able to pull the remaining 6 at the next appointment. I put this off way longer than I should have. I really do have some issues with medical procedures of any kind, as all of my trust in the system is gone. But, I can’t pull those teeth myself, and there are some good people still working within the system. So far, my experience, though unpleasant, has not been horrible, in that they respected my medical exemption from wearing a mask (can’t believe they are still making everyone wear them in certain fields), and the dentist was very good at his job and did his best to put me at ease, even letting my husband be in there with me. Long story on the whole Medicare business (I just turned 65) that I won’t tell, but it’s obvious to me a whole lot of people are left hanging out, unable to get the help they need. I could rant for a long time on this one, but won’t. I’m just happy I’ve found a way to get this done, and hopefully can go at least another 7 years (except for the stitches in my head last year) without needing medical or dental help from the system. I have no doubt that the folks at the dental clinic would experience some dismay if I told them how I dealt with the ongoing infection I’ve had in my mouth, as well as the pain. Let’s just say, I’m not mainstream in my approach. Can’t do antibiotics anymore, as they make me very sick. And there are some great alternatives for dealing with pain, to get away from doctor prescribed pain killers, which I’m also kind of allergic to.

The goats are all doing fine, even though the pens are all in their usual gnarly state after the long ongoing winter. I did trim everyone except for the one buck’s hooves, and gave them copper and selenium. The buck stinks too bad at the moment so I’ll be donning a garbage bag for him. And the four chickens (my 2 and Corey’s 2) are all doing ok. We’ll be getting a couple more this spring, and moving the coop and run to a better location to give them more room. Went to Costco a few days ago, and they were out of eggs, plus the price is getting ridiculous. I’ve seen so called news stories trying to make everyone afraid of damn near everything, including chickens and eggs. I’m not buying it. The pups are doing great, and so happy to be down to two. So much more manageable, even if it’s going to break the bank trying to feed them all. Four big dogs (and they are getting big fast!) is a fairly formidable deterrent for all kinds of potential threats, which with where things seem to be heading in the larger scheme of things, we may be very glad we have. They are so loving, yet fierce, smart, and funny. I didn’t think I’d ever have this many dogs, but here we are.

Obviously, it’s a little early to be thinking of gardens, but still, I’m thinking about it anyway. Can’t wait to get a greenhouse put together, and start some seeds. Our little market is still going and we’re getting new people showing up every time. It’s been very rewarding and helps my general attitude to know that at least some of the population is aware of where our earth ship is being steered and doesn’t plan to comply. Great conversations, and exciting plans and future events in the works. Even though I do pay attention to what’s going on “out there”, I don’t try to figure what’s really going on in the same way I used to. The lies, deceit, and outright fabrications of reality have left me not wanting to give the outer show any of my energy and attention. They can fake almost anything and everything, so there’s no real way to know for sure about most of it. It’s all designed to keep us angry, in fear, and focus on all that is terribly wrong in our world. And, whatever you focus on, you tend to get more of. So I’m going to focus on LIFE! And LOVE! And, LIBERTY! The three L’s, LOL. The sun is shining, and my mouth doesn’t currently hurt, I am surrounded by loving animals and people, so it’s a good day to be alive, in spite of how weird it has all become. Until next time....

[Spiritwind]

Watching these pups grow, and all of them, mom, dad, pups, playing in the snow has been the highlight of my winter (that wants to go on and on). They are so smart, so beautiful, and so fun. Nahla’s tail looks sad in these pictures, and I’m happy to report that after giving birth, though it took a while, her fur all grew back even thicker than before. I might have mentioned the two (used to be one) neighbor’s dog. Anyway, they have a blue heeler that is bored. Owners are hardly ever home. Then they have another dog that’s been on the property for quite a while now, and I can’t tell what breed it is, except that it’s big and black (looks like it maybe has some standard poodle in it). Slowly over time it barks less and just stands there wagging its tail between the two properties (and also right up close to our barn). I’ve caught Nahla playing with it quite a few times now, and I swear it wants to be our dog. The other one is just a hysterical barker and both adult dogs still chase it back off our property. It doesn’t want to be friends (I think it really just wants a job to do).