Homesteaders

[Chicken girl 15]

Mostly I see little black crickets in the front yard. I wish my chickens would get the moles that are digging about. I'm tempted to get a cat, but it can be a dangerous thing for cats around here. 

I apologize for asking about ants and grasshoppers as most folks are here because they're not grasshoppers. 

no apologies, it was a cute little laugh. Many of us need to laugh and joke more.

 

[CLSranch]

no apologies, it was a cute little laugh. Many of us need to laugh and joke more.

Amen. Life ain't no fun with out a laugh or enjoyment. Without enjoyment your alive no life, not living. I'm glad I enjoy my chickens, garden, horses. It's a lot of work to just not have life.

 

[CLSranch]

I have a decent paying job that would allow me to get a house in town no land, no critters to feed, A LOT more time on my hands. Working on the road I wouldn't have to switch companys to get closer to home or get laid off a little to long just to make sure I work the horses or get the garden finished before I leave again. I couldn't do that. It's just not me and I've always been a workaholic. 1 thing my mom instilled in me. If you want it get up and do/get it. Nobody's gonna help. Not when you need it.

 

[henless]

My husband has Parkinson's Disease. He would give anything to be able to walk steady and do all the things you talked of doing. About all he can do is sit on the couch and watch TV. His mind is getting confused and he sees people who are not here. He said yesterday he needed to get a job. It is sad because there is no job he could do. He was in construction from the age 16 to 75. He was supt on jobs costing millions to build. And now he can't remember how to turn on a table saw. I have to help him take a bath and get dressed. He wears diapers all the time. He uses a walker and can't remember what to call it or where he left it. He has fallen several times but never hurt himself except for bruises. I am saying all this so that we will all be thankful that we have work to do and are able to do it. I get angry sometimes that I have to do everything now but then I stop and think that it could be me with PD instead of him. I am afraid for what the future holds for us. I have two chickens that are a lot of pleasure to me and a little cat that loves me very much. I have started making my own butter from cream I buy at the store. You see, I have had to give up a lot of things because of my husbands sickness. We used to go hiking in the woods, fishing, sailing, flying to see our kids in Vermont and San Franscisco. Now we just stay at home. We do go out to eat sometimes but I have to push him in a transport chair because he can not walk very far at all. We bought our house with seven acres 10 years ago and had big plans to have a garden and a beef cow or two. We enjoyed walking our land and sitting by the spring and crossing the railroad tracks to see the creek.But now he goes no further than the back yard. I pray that I can get rid of resentment because of the way might life has been kind of put on hold along with his. I know this is off subject but we need to rejoice at all the things we can do and that we have lots of things that we are interested in. My husband has lost interest in almost everything. I am talking to myself.

We all have dreams & plans when we are young. My husband & I always said once the kids are grown & gone, then it would be "our" time. Life didn't turn out the way we had planned it. Seems like God has other plans for us. I was diagnosed with Rheumatoid Disease 4 yrs ago. I have good days & bad days. I can't do as much as I used to. I tire much more easily and just don't have the energy to do the things we always wanted to do. We learn to adjust and do what we can. I don't know what God's plans are for us, but I trust in him. I'll keep you & your husband in my prayers.

GN, sounds like you have a very workable plan. Not to mention the increased ease of tending the flock in the winter. Just get in the habit of pushing a wheel barrow, or pulling a garden cart back and forth from the garden/coop, and you'll get some exercise, as well as transport your compost/coop bedding. There's a product that is used as a roof sealant: black tarry stuff. May be called Black Jack. Folks say it's fantastic for coop liner. go a foot up your wall, and you can have DL in your coop w/o fear of rot.

http://www.lowes.com/pd/BLACK-JACK-..._clickID=3d0cc728-c1ed-498f-ba4e-fac2267843b5

I put Black Jack on the floor of my brooder. Just make sure you apply on a low humidity day. It rained the day after I applied it, and it turned out sticky. I just threw some dirt on it to get rid of the stickiness & it turned out fine.

Three year old little boys are so delightful! One day my daughter in law who lives in San Francisco was driving with her young son and he was singing. She began to listen and he was singing Sweet Home Alabama. She had no idea he knew the words. She had played it several times in the car. Of course we were so pleased because we live in Ala and see our grandson and granddaughter only once a year. My son was a traveling nurse and when he was called about a job in SF he packed his car that very night and left Ala and hasn't looked back. They now have three children, one is only 1month old. We won't get to meet him until next Feb. We used to go out to SF but my husband has Parkinson's so we can no longer travel.I will be so happy when they come back to Sweet Home Alabama next year for just a little while. My other grandchildren, two girls live in Vermont. We haven't seen them in about 4 years now. It makes me very sad. When I was growing up I saw my grandmaw everyday. She only lived down the road and I loved to go sit in her porch swing with her and listen as she told me about her life. I loved her very much and it broke my heart when she died in 1958. I know my grandchildren will never feel that way about me because we can't really share our lives with each other.

Grandchildren are God's gift & so precious. It's a shame how life is now. Families are not able to spend time together like we used to.

I get to see my Granddaughter almost every day. She is the light of my life. I have a Grandson that I haven't seen in over 4 years. He is 5 now and will never know his Nana or Pappy.

 

[Beekissed]

Amen to all of that! God's plans always work out better than my plans anyway, so I've grown to trust Him on changes in life, no matter how drastic...He's got a plan and it's a good one!

I also agree that it's a shame families move away from one another and can't stay close any longer...the grandchildren suffer from the lack of that elder wisdom and patience in their lives and so do the children. When families all lived together in the same house or on the same land there was plenty of help in times of need but now everyone is fragmented into their own little concerns, not realizing that, when they have trouble in their own lives~it always happens eventually~they will have wished they had the support system of a close at hand family.

Unfortunately, it's the times in which we live and a sad reality.

 

[Chicken girl 15]

Amen to all of that!  God's plans always work out better than my plans anyway, so I've grown to trust Him on changes in life, no matter how drastic...He's got a plan and it's a good one! 

I also agree that it's a shame families move away from one another and can't stay close any longer...the grandchildren suffer from the lack of that elder wisdom and patience in their lives and so do the children.  When families all lived together in the same house or on the same land there was plenty of help in times of need but now everyone is fragmented into their own little concerns, not realizing that, when they have trouble in their own lives~it always happens eventually~they will have wished they had the support system of a close at hand family. 

Unfortunately, it's the times in which we live and a sad reality. 

for me I had to let my family go, well my mom and her siblings. Sometimes people are just born without the ability to help. My mom (and a lot of her generation sadly) (no offense to any of you in that generation) birthed me but was always too busy to mother me. So grandma raised me and great grandma babysat during the day so she could work. I'm extremely lucky to have been raised by "parents " from the 40's. I love the values and lessons they shared. Now it's my turn to share the "old ways " with my youngens. Family and love are key to survival.

 

[Beekissed]

I'm doing the same here with my grandgirls....my poor DIL was raised by wolves, so learned the bare minimum of mothering and wife skills, though she has been quick to learn what we try to help her with(can't get too deep into that with just an inlaw without being too pushy).

I was fortunate to have an incredible Mom who taught me everything and then some and is still teaching me, while she used to take a bus out to her grandma's house when she was a little girl~about 30 mi. one way~to spend time with her grandma, plus she and I learned a lot from my paternal grandmother. All that combined old timer wisdom is still in use here and will be passed along to DIL if she wants it and to grandgirls if they want it, if there be time to do so.

I LOVE the gift of these grandchildren and God arranged it so that I'd have time to spend with them and that they be near enough to see them.

 

[CLSranch]

I'm going to start on children soon. LOL Wedding coming up next Sat. Hope I can teach the ol' ways. I'm pretty old school. Never had a smart phone, face book or whatever else is a gotta have these days. Me and the DW to be, you could say was raised by wolves. Meet some other people after moving out of the house that showed me that's not the way it's supposed to be. Like sit down with the family not an Ipad, computer (which we never had as a kid) or T.V. for dinner. Which is all to common these days. I've worked with people making great money running themselves broke to buy their kids the newest video game or other electronic device. And maybe mine will learn to work, starting with feeding the chickens.

 

[GardenNut]

Congratulations @CLSranch! I'm watching my grandson grow up with technology, video games, etc. I'm trying to at least teach a few things, like where food comes from, growing it, fishing, caring for critters, etc. he loves coming to Grandma's house.

 

[rancher hicks]

Congratulations @CLSranch ! I'm watching my grandson grow up with technology, video games, etc. I'm trying to at least teach a few things, like where food comes from, growing it, fishing, caring for critters, etc. he loves coming to Grandma's house.

Haven't been through all the posts but this makes me think of a book I just bought for my grandchildren titled, "The Old Ladies Who Liked Cats" by Carol Greene. It's a great book but you'll have to look for it on line because it's out of print. There are some used copies that are still in decent condition. Newer copies are a bit expensive. I'll be buying some more copies for posterity. You know how books get ruined and all that. A used copy is good for little ones IF you let them play with them. I believe a story before bed is a good thing. Children who are read to and read do better in school. Especially if they see mom and dad reading.