The Front Porch Swing

[topdycke]

That version of the map always floors me.The hubs is there now working. The very first thing he said to me when he had been there a couple of days was "every american should have to come to a third world country, it truly puts things in perspective." We no longer take our communications for granted.

I also no longer watch the news as they do not give accurate reports. I speak to people who actually live there and compare versions. Main stream media almost always gets it wrong.

We do take so many things for granted here. Communications, roads, food. The 'news' frustrates my by its lack of real information.

 

[lazy gardener]

Re: electric fence and birds going through it: I don't think it's really a concern in the long term. It's only the leghorns that go through, and they have such a flock mentality that they stay within a foot or 2 of the fence, and dive back inside at the least little provocation. If i were truly concerned about their welfare, i'd put up a small standard fence inside the electronet. They don't get zapped because they dive through some of the holes that are about 8" above ground level, so they don't get grounded. You have to have skin in contact with the ground to get zapped. That's why little birds can sit on the fence, and for that matter, why birds can sit on the power lines without getting zapped. Your body completes the circuit. so as soon as they get bigger, and i clip their wings, it will be a non issue. Re: putting black plastic down under the fence: It's not a bad idea, but i think it may actually create more work than it alleviates. My girls would be very busy tearing it to shreds to see if there were any goodies under it, or even if the stuff it'self was good to snack on. It doesn't take me more than 10 - 20 minutes to move the fence line to mow around it. And it doesn't need to be done that often. Like PP stated, you can move up to the fence line, and move the fence out into the newly mowed section, so you'll end up shifting the whole area 6 - 12". The birds eat the grass inside pretty well, so when you're moving the north and east side out, you're moving the south and west sides in. Some folks spray their fence lines with round up, but that's not my style.

 

[bruceha2000]

No, mine do not have tufts. I will not purposely breed a chick that dies right before it hatches, just to have feathers growing out of it's ears.

A perfectly double tufted Araucana is a beautiful bird. But, you have to hatch a lot of chicks to get one with nice double tufts.

My rooster I am using now does not have wattles. Not even tiny ones. Since I have no interest in showing my birds, I don't breed to color standard. I breed for conformation first, good temperament in roosters and the blue-est eggs in hens.

I do need a new rooster for some genetic diversity. I am having a hard time finding one that doesn't have wattles or what is called dropped tail feathers. Both are definite signs of cross breeding.

Do you have Araucanas, Bruce?

No I do not. The closest I got was when mine were moulting. They kind of looked like Araucana when they had no tail feathers.

I learned about them on BYC when researching breeds which is why I know they are pretty rare in the USA. Not a bird one is likely to have 'by accident' which is why I asked TW the question. I would not mind a few true blue layers though, especially since Andromeda was taken, she laid blue though not BLUE blue) and I don't care what color the birds are.

Bruce

 

[Beekissed]

Tomtommom, I bet you wouldn't want to take your children with you on that swap. People over there are starving to death, literally. Many of them are being killed by their government as they scurry around looking for food and water. I forgot what the death toll is. It's in the millions. Many are also being taken as slaves. I agree on the trivial things that we have our lives filled with though. I have thought a lot on that lately.

Oh no, I wouldn't want to go for real. It's just one of those passing thoughts. All this excess we have in the west is going to be what does us in. In truth there should be a better balance between us that have and they that have not.

I've been thinking about these things myself. Every time you talk to someone about giving money to those ministering to the poor of these countries, they always come back with the same thing..."I can't afford to give money away, as me and my family are just struggling to get by"~I hear it from my own family. Those kind of comments make me give a loud~but internal~snort! Really? Do they really "struggle" like those people struggle? Do they even know what that word means?

No one in America is poor compared to the poor of those countries. Even our homeless have better garbage to glean out of the dumpsters, they have soup kitchens, they have homeless shelters, etc. Over there? Nuttin'.

I too used to think I couldn't afford to help others but God opened my eyes to my own excess and that's when I really started increasing the efforts towards frugal living. I was already pretty frugal, but He showed me more ways in which I could cut expenditures and even ways to not spend at all. Then it became a way to honor God, as we are to do all things as if we are doing them for Him.

Here awhile back a BYC member was very insulting towards me and accused me of always thinking about money, money, money when I was stressing trying to save money on chicken feed.....well, I do. I do think about it every time I dish out feed to my chickens... that a family could live on for about 3 days...or more.

If we don't think about these things, if we turn a blind eye to these people, what does that say about us and our ability to love our neighbor? How can we continue to consume without a thought of those who have nothing to consume? Do we really need that pair of shoes? Can we get the same thing at Good Will for $3.99 instead of buying it for $35? Can that extra money be funneled towards people who are spreading the gospel and ministering to these countries and people who have never heard it before? I bet it can.

TW is right....our chickens eat better than millions of people out there and should that make us feel guilty and driven to make a change? You bet it should.

This reminds me of a verse and a very specific set of criteria~a set of questions that Christ will ask at the Judgement Seat~ that can indicate where our heart lies....

Matthew 25:35-40
35 for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; 36 I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
37 “Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? 38 When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? 39 Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ 40 And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’

I asked my kids this when we were on vacation: When is the last time we ever truly gave someone food, water or clothing? Was it once or have we formed a habit of it? When did we take anyone in and give them shelter? When did we visit the sick or imprisoned (for Christ's sake)? I think there is an opportunity to do all these things by supporting an honorable mission group who ministers to the poor in these 2/3 world countries, if we cannot go there ourselves.

It doesn't have to be much, just what we have extra. If we never stop spending on ourselves, our kids, our pets and our hobbies, how will we ever have any extra? Chicken math? Really? It's not a joke, it's never been a joke to me and I've never found it to be funny. That's why I subtract before I add, that's why I eat them instead of rehome, that's why I am constantly trying to cut feed costs....because there are better places to spend the money God has given me in this life.

I've been thinking about this a lot and I can do better. I WILL do better. And I will get back to living my life in light of eternity, with the thought of laying up treasures there instead of here. The devil is very good at distracting me from that purpose and he dangles the things I want in front of me...even chickens. More chickens, better chickens, etc. At the end I just want to be told "well done, thou good and faithful servant" and I'm just not sure self-indulgence is the way to hear those words from my Father.

Just ponderings.....sorry...didn't mean to rattle on and do my soul searching out loud but just felt led to do so.

 

[Beekissed]

I keep trying to read through everything! Haha! Like lindz8504, I got behind, but I've only not been on this weekend! Yesterday yardsale and lemonade stand.... And today


Trying to get family time in before my son and I leave my husband behind to go on a week long camping trip starting this Saturday. Then I'll be super behind on this thread.

I LOVE this pic!!! If that doesn't say "JOY" , I don't know what does!

 

[Triple Willow]

I also worry about the dos and do nots. Most of us have zero clue how to take care of ourselves without air conditioning and microwaves and google.

You sure said a truth there! Should something bad really happen the majority of the population of the US will shortly die because they won't even know how to eat or not freeze to death. They will be looking for the government but the government won't be coming.

 

[Tomtommom]

I hate money. I wish we could do without. I wish I had something worth trading for instead... a skill or something. I would love to barter instead of using that stupid money. It all takes time to learn and I want to learn it all and I end up paralyzing myself because I'm so overwhelmed.

There are things I want, although they're not fancy and they would save money in the end. I want canning equipment (which will save money) and learn how to use it. I want a deep freezer so I can cook in bulk and freeze (which saves power in the end). I'd like a dehydrator, but that's more of a 'down the line' tool, once the garden produces well. I want more fruit trees (again, will save money). I hope once I get my garden going that I can share with others. I suppose I should focus on what I do have, which is my MIL's sewing machine. I need to learn how to sew properly (I used to sew clothes for my barbies when I was young

)

My husband is gone so much, I really want to lower our need for money so he can get a job with less hours that pays less. My kids need both parents in their lives. Dinner at the table as a family.. it's something so simple.. he's hardly ever home for dinner. He leaves at 9am, comes home at 8pm or later. I'd love to have something we could do as a family to make a living.

Anyway, back to the point. I don't like money. I don't like donating money. I do like donating time or food... something that feels like it will actually do some good. Money is too tempting for others to take or use in ways that aren't all that beneficial. Donating items can very well reuse something that would have ended up gathering dust somewhere or in the trash (like old clothes). That just makes SO much more sense. My mom always gave homeless people food, instead of money, so they couldn't go and spend it on drugs or alcohol.

 

[Triple Willow]

@Bee... great post!!!

Just a day or two ago I was straightening a pile of feed sacks (that I'll use for something) and I was thinking about how much each of those bags had cost. I was wondering if what I got out of my birds was worth what I had put in them...? Am I wasting money on a hobby...? Some folks I have met overseas have made it hard for me to waste money anymore. Yes I still waste some, too much. But nothing like I use to!

Bee... above ALL THINGS, the very best thing that anybody SHOULD hope to hear is, "well done my good and faithful servant". I only HOPE to hear that someday.

 

[Alice28]

I've been thinking about these things myself. Every time you talk to someone about giving money to those ministering to the poor of these countries, they always come back with the same thing..."I can't afford to give money away, as me and my family are just struggling to get by"~I hear it from my own family. Those kind of comments make me give a loud~but internal~snort! Really? Do they really "struggle" like those people struggle? Do they even know what that word means? No one in America is poor compared to the poor of those countries. Even our homeless have better garbage to glean out of the dumpsters, they have soup kitchens, they have homeless shelters, etc. Over there? Nuttin'. I too used to think I couldn't afford to help others but God opened my eyes to my own excess and that's when I really started increasing the efforts towards frugal living. I was already pretty frugal, but He showed me more ways in which I could cut expenditures and even ways to not spend at all. Then it became a way to honor God, as we are to do all things as if we are doing them for Him. Here awhile back a BYC member was very insulting towards me and accused me of always thinking about money, money, money when I was stressing trying to save money on chicken feed.....well, I do. I do think about it every time I dish out feed to my chickens... that a family could live on for about 3 days...or more. If we don't think about these things, if we turn a blind eye to these people, what does that say about us and our ability to love our neighbor? How can we continue to consume without a thought of those who have nothing to consume? Do we really need that pair of shoes? Can we get the same thing at Good Will for $3.99 instead of buying it for $35? Can that extra money be funneled towards people who are spreading the gospel and ministering to these countries and people who have never heard it before? I bet it can. TW is right....our chickens eat better than millions of people out there and should that make us feel guilty and driven to make a change? You bet it should. This reminds me of a verse and a very specific set of criteria~a set of questions that Christ will ask at the Judgement Seat~ that can indicate where our heart lies....
Matthew 25:35-40

[COLOR=000080][SUP]35 [/SUP]for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; [SUP]36 [/SUP]I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’[/COLOR] [COLOR=000080][SUP]37 [/SUP]“Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? [SUP]38 [/SUP]When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? [SUP]39 [/SUP]Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ [SUP]40 [/SUP]And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’[/COLOR] I asked my kids this when we were on vacation: When is the last time we ever truly gave someone food, water or clothing? Was it once or have we formed a habit of it? When did we take anyone in and give them shelter? When did we visit the sick or imprisoned (for Christ's sake)? I think there is an opportunity to do all these things by supporting an honorable mission group who ministers to the poor in these 2/3 world countries, if we cannot go there ourselves. It doesn't have to be much, just what we have extra. If we never stop spending on ourselves, our kids, our pets and our hobbies, how will we ever have any extra? Chicken math? Really? It's not a joke, it's never been a joke to me and I've never found it to be funny. That's why I subtract before I add, that's why I eat them instead of rehome, that's why I am constantly trying to cut feed costs....because there are better places to spend the money God has given me in this life. I've been thinking about this a lot and I can do better. I WILL do better. And I will get back to living my life in light of eternity, with the thought of laying up treasures there instead of here. The devil is very good at distracting me from that purpose and he dangles the things I want in front of me...even chickens. More chickens, better chickens, etc. At the end I just want to be told "well done, thou good and faithful servant" and I'm just not sure self-indulgence is the way to hear those words from my Father. Just ponderings.....sorry...didn't mean to rattle on and do my soul searching out loud but just felt led to do so.

We haven't given to out of country charitys but every year my son chooses a gift to give for toys for tots and always puts money in the bucket for Red Cross. Sometimes we have to run home and get money and go back. Whenever he chooses a toy, I always tell him "we are getting a toy and they will give it to another child who needs it". We don't have a lot and he always wants to get more gifts to give away then we can afford. We also don't give him lots for Christmas or his birthday and he always has to write thank you cards. As soon as he could hold a pen he helped me "write" his cards. Just teaching to be giving and say thank you is a good thing. . You can't help but think about money. It can be hard getting by, but a kind act makes everyone happier. I think you just do what you can. And if someone is mad you worry about money, maybe they have too much and should donate some to a good cause! I don't know anyone who doesn't stress about money! Lol.

 

[Triple Willow]

Of course there are people that need food, clothes, etc. But when I give money I want it to go first and foremost towards saving souls. You can feed everybody in the world but if they don't meet the Savior they are d*mn*d in the end anyway.