Coffee's ready...

[rancher hicks]

Same here. Happy and prosperous New Year.

 

[rancher hicks]

Hi all. Got tomatoes started and some flowers. Oh and some okra. Got more to get going.

Have trip for Alaska coming up. Going to see my grandkids who are there now. I hope to get the garden in before hand though. The weather here is not cooperating.

Down sizing nearly all of the chickens. Just holding onto the Delawares for now. Don't have someone to care for them while we're away. Unless something changes.

Winter was rough. There's lots of repairs to make on my rustic fencing around both gardens. Have to figure a way to keep the wood from drying out and breaking. Any ideas would be helpful.

TTFN,

Rancher, still here, Hicks.

 

[sourland]

Hey, Rancher, good to hear from you - hoping that all is well with you and yours.

 

[rancher hicks]

It is. DW is doing okay. Bone test tomorrow but I'm sure things will be fine. She gets tired but did go into school with me. I volunteer in the kitchen. She made a marble cake with crushed oreo's on cream cheese frosting. I think out of 70 pieces there were six left. She's a good cook.

Chickens are doing good too. I have one that is sitting on eggs. She just turned 8 the end of Feb. I am downsizing but can't give up Frenchy so I'll have to keep some. It's just getting a caretaker while we're away.

We're leaving after the first of May so I can get my garden in. This is what I came home to last year when we were gone for six weeks. My son in law did not mow anything. Took me a couple of weeks to get it all done but I managed.

It was worth it since the granddaughter is so cute.

 

[sourland]

That was a daunting project. Glad that things are going well for your wife, and hope that today's test provides a favorable result. The longest I have been away from home is 3 weeks when we went on a trip for our 50 th anniversary. Generally after about a week I start getting homesick - silly old man. When we bought this place, the previous owner cried at the closing. I as a 'kid' didn't understand. Now I do.

 

[rancher hicks]

That was a daunting project. Glad that things are going well for your wife, and hope that today's test provides a favorable result. The longest I have been away from home is 3 weeks when we went on a trip for our 50 th anniversary. Generally after about a week I start getting homesick - silly old man. When we bought this place, the previous owner cried at the closing. I as a 'kid' didn't understand. Now I do.

Oh I can understand it all. The kids don't though. It can be hard to realize they have their dreams. Just wish it didn't make living mine so difficult. The flight to Alaska will be over 10 hours. Strangely I"m more worried about the 45 mins to get to our connecting flight. Those Terminals can get huge and of course the connecting plane has to be on the other side of the terminal.

I'm having a hard time giving up the chickens.

 

[sourland]

I'm not a good traveler. Connecting flights rest heavily upon my nervous system. Daughter had her first two children while living in Ga. We saw them maybe 2 or 3 times a year - tough. Then they moved to Md, and we saw them more often. # 3 was born in NJ about an hour drive away, and since the move back to NJ we have become more a part of their lives. Son and family live in Md about a 2 hour drive away so we don't see them as much as I would like. The 'old days' of families living close together for the most part are gone. I understand the need to live your own dream, but it is sad when 'family' is lost.

 

[rancher hicks]

I was taken aback by Leslie Stahl saying "both of them work and they make less than we did". Today's young make more but it doesn't go as far. Point being my daughter had to move out of state for a job. My son joined the military and of course they've moved a few times.

New York State is not a good place for jobs. Sure there may be jobs but they don't pay much. The Governor wants to raise the wage, but what will happen to those in professional jobs who aren't making $15 hr.

 

[karl E lutz]

Good morning chicken wranglers,
How all y'all doing these days? I've been swamped and still trying to keep my head above the water but boy is it deep.
God Bless!

 

[karl E lutz]

It is sad that families relocate, but seems to be thee order of the day, I'm in Il. but have siblings all over , we all got together at once for the first time in years . Sadly it was for Dads funeral but good to see them all anyway.
My grandchildren are all from one daughter and she lives close, my other children have not married or are too young so we have yet to see what will happen with that.
God Bless!