Landed Brutus in a ravine today...thanks to the guy in front of me who lost control and I was trying to avoid, could not go on opposite side of road as someone was coming- caught the edge of the road (deep snow) and spun, then slid down the ravine sideways. I did manage to avoid a pole, several trees and avoided flipping. I thank God he gave me the state of mind to think it through and for keeping me and Brutus safe. Then while I was out of the truck taking pictures...someone else was going too fast and slid down too. I saw her coming and ran the other way. She hit Brutus with the front of her car as she went straight down. Minor damage as she mostly hit the tire- just a 2 inch deep dent on the fender along the wheel well. At least Brutus stopped her and was in the way of her hitting the trees. You can see my slide marks and the pole I missed.

 

The police showed up and gave the girl that hit me a ticket for going too fast for the conditions. Felt bad for her and her freind- she was 18 and her 16 yr old freind was pretty shaken up. The police only asked me who I was insured with and asked me if I knew how lucky I was that I didn't roll (I do). Someone died on st rd 9 last night close to where I slid off. Tow truck driver was nice enough to give me a break on the tow fee....1/3 off.  I then continued on to Ft Wayne to get my last store completed. Signed in and went to use the restroom...and realized pretty quickly that I was in the mens. The man standing there looked surprised as I did. I quickly turned around and told him not to worry, I didn't see anything (though I did) ...under my breath I added big. LOL  While working a customer came up and asked me about a product that was not on the shelf, so I checked the label then turned to go get the dept manager so he could check the back room...I didn't realize the guy had set his case of pop down right behind me (great place to put it). I tripped over it, but did avoid falling.  At that point I decided that Someone was trying to tell me something...like go home!  I quickly finished my store call and picked up tom from work. Stopped at the liquor store to pick up a tiny bottle of gin with the intent to forget about the day when I got home.  But when I got home I was just hungry and tired. Tom cooked dinner quickly then I ate and went to bed for a nap. I feel better now, but did cancel my appt with Brandon to replace my brake rotors since the brakes are still working fine and I really don't want to spend the extra gas money after paying a pull out bill.

Quick Post

Busy week once again. Lots of work and Tom's jeep still down. Getting it towed in tomorrow for a diagnostic before we decide to trash it.  Got a call from Spring and Edan's new owner...going through a divorce so I may be boarding the dogs for a little while until he can get situated in a new place. Going to Chicago tomorrow with Justin as he is going to sign up for school to become a mechanic. I was touched that he wanted me to go with him so rescheduled my work so I could.  He is sounding more like the Justin I used to know and love lately...has not been like that since he came back from Iraq. I like that he is looking to the future again instead of looking back on what he has been through or trying just to deal with the present.  Going to go pick up some chicks saturday. Have not heard about the calves yet, but I am ok with that. With the snow we have not been able to get the box built for the back of my truck so we can transport them.

Girls are home!

Yesterday while Brandon was replacing the tie rods on my truck, they brought the bred does back. Counting down to kidding time! Looks like they will be due the beginning of June. 
 Took Gizmo back to the outside pen as it was a nice day....but he will probably be coming back up tommorrow night as it is going to be pretty cold again. He needed the exercise though.
Going to be another busy week with 40 hours of work scheduled in 4 days- not including drive time....hoping more doesn't drop. I am going to tow the Jeep over to a shop tomorrow to have it diagnosed...Tom wants to be sure it is dead before buying another. Looks like the other Jeep he was looking at was a scam...when it seems to good to be true- it normally is. I am just glad he did not send any money.
Brandon bought a brand new car! 2011 Dodge Charger...cherry red.  I am happy for him. He has been out showing everyone all day. By the time he got here it was dark, but I am sure I will see it in the light soon.   The inside was pretty cool...computerized and neat displays....and it even has heated cloth seats.

If it has tires...

or testicles its bound to give you trouble.  I had an issue with the truck's steering shaking. I knew I had some parts that needed replaced, so had already ordered them and they are sitting in my dining room....but wasn't sure what was now moved to the soon category to the NOW category. Took the truck to Patriot Tire as they will check it out for free. Found out NOW is the front tires and the tie rods. The rcommended replacing both inner and outer at the same time as you have to take off one to get to the other anyhow. Asked them if they had 2 used tires in my size...adding only this size. They said of course- if you put on a different size it will tear up your transfer case.
Note: I wish that Tom Steele's had told that to Tom when he took my truck to get new front tires last time...instead thy asked him if it was OK that they were a different size and he said sure, not knowing any better.  I had to replace my 4WD accuator because of it...and they would not pay for it because the transfer case had a little crack in it already from bottoming out last winter- which we have known about and so keep fluid in it. Thankfully, I have son's that can do about anything I need on a vehicle so it just cost me the part- but still it as not a cheap part and I still pay my son's for the work they do.
Anyways, that store did not have any in that size, but they called around and found me a pair and told them to hold them for me. I got to the other store and they were swamped and heard him tell the man in front of me that it would be an hour and a half. I was all set to have to reschedule my stores as it was getting late. He asked me when I would like to pick it up and I told him, I am not from this area so I am going to have to wait on it. He said, let me finish this car in here and I will get it right in. I was out in 20 mins and the cost was less than I normally pay! They have earned my business. I will take it back there on Saturday to get my alignment done.
I bought the inner tie rods for the truck online tonight (seems I only bought outers when I placed my last order) and saved quite a bit....I love the internet for savings! I went to Advanced Auto website to place the order and then found a coupon code...got $15 off my order of $40 or more....and can pick it up at the store on my way to bring the truck to Brandon to fix so no shipping cost :)  If I was spending $50 or more, I could have saved even more....so will keep that in mind next week when I buy the idler arm and pitman arm and shocks....then Brutus will be ready to go pick up my calves :) 
The Jeep is toast, but previous owner will buy it back for what we would get from the junk car place. Tom found a really good deal on another one though, so if he can get a small loan, he will buy that one. I am hoping he can- he is pretty excited about it. The sad part (if this is true) is the vehicle belonged to this couples 19 yr old son. Apparrently he had gone out with his fiance' and she was driving when they were struck by a drunk driver. He did not make it. That is why they are selling it so inexpensively, they don't want the constant reminder of his vehicle sitting there. They are in south carolina and will have it delivered, it is already at the shipping company.  The transaction is going to be handled through ebay for buyer protection. I truly hope this is not a scam- that would be a horrible story to tell to scam someone.

Peppermint working?!

It has now been 10 days since we sprayed the peppermint oil in the coops/rabbitry and on the rat holes and I am cautiously optimitic. The only other thing we have done is to place one bite poison down the few rat holes we found inside the coop....but the only rats I have seen so far- dead or alive is one in the goat barn tonight that had been stomped by the goats. No evidence of poisoned rats that I have seen in the past when I have used one bite, so thinking the peppermint oil IS working.  I am going to check the poison to see if it is still in the holes or if it has been touched tomorrow.  It will be great if I can keep the rodents away without risking the lives of my livestock, cats (mine or the ferals), hawks or the great horned owls that nest in my trees. Honestly, the mice that used to frequent the chicken feeders did not bother me, they ate little and never bothered the other animals...but I can't have rats killing and maiming my poultry and rabbits everytime they find the feeders empty.  The French Lop that was attacked is recovering. She is back to her old self...thumping in her cage for her dinner tonight, trying to climb out of the cage to nibble out of the scoop when I open the door and wanting a scratch behind the ears. The ears are healing well, and she is putting her weight back on. She was thin because the rats were eating alot of her food and we were not aware of it. I probably made it worse - attracting more rats to her feeder by feeding her sunflower seeds when I noticed she was getting thin- here I thought it was just that she was more active and it was winter.  I am going to watch for a couple more weeks and if it appears that the problem is solved, I am going to start breeding the rabbits again.

Another remodel in progress

My oldest son has started work on the laundry room/ back entry. We are covering the walls with veneer and will stain it and add moldings to make it look like paneled walls. Trying to find some cabinets on CL to put up after that is complete.
Then we will start in on the kitchen, putting in a pantry and replacing the linoleum with ceramic tile and refinishing the cabinets with veneer and new solid wood doors. I already have the tile. This will be a huge job as some of the base floor has to be ripped out due to past water damage when my washing machine flooded the area.
Choosing paint colors for the main living areas now since I am able to get paint at a discount due to the discontinued paints we are taking off the shelves during the resets I have been doing. As Heather said the primer is now cured- after 9 yrs :)
Hoping to get all this done before spring is too far under way...as then we have to turn to outside projects and maintence.
 Our last remodel project we completed was my son's old room that we turned into a guest room.
This bedroom was trashed after my son moved out (I will not say which son to protect his dignity). He had attempted a redo before, but left the walls in poor condition, and painted over it anyhow with his choice of paint and ruined the carpeting I had gotten for the room. 

I had a freind from AUS coming to visit...but only had $250 to spend and little time. We stripped the walls where needed by hand and hand sanded the mounds he left, filling in where needed as well. Materials $10. I found wallpaper at a yard sale- talked them down to $5 for the box. That was my source for the rooms color and theme. Flooring was laminated tile that looked like wood parquet- Big Lots $60 total. Home Depot had a store going out of business- got the door for $25- used hardware from old door. Bed was free- my son's wife had hers still. Headboard , armoir (not seen in photos) and chair was from Freecycle. Table-already had. Curtain- shower curtain from goodwill that I sewed a seam on.  Bedding- down comforter, $25 on clearance, sheets $5 on clearance, toss pillows and pillow cover $3 Goodwill. Decorative items and lamp (shade found in someone's trash!)-$20 total at yard sales. Desk, $20 used. Rug- yard sale $10. I did have to special order another roll of wallpaper to finish which did not come in till after my freind arrived, that is why there is still a strip undone in the photo. That was $60. So total cost was $243.00...came in under what I had budgeted.

This day stunk!

So much for a good day. Tom's jeep went down during paper route, so went out and drove so he could finish, came home and decided to stay up while he slept as I had taken a nap earlier when Tom was sleeping and had to take him to work in a couple hours anyhow. Took him to work, wished him happy valentine's day then left to work one of my stores. On my way, I saw some guy was hung up on a snow bank and stopped to pull him out. I got my errands done, called Brandon to see if he could fix the jeep and picked up hay for the goats and came home to take nap for a few hours- really needed one by then as I could barely function. Got up and took dogs and Gizmo out, fed cats and Steven called to tell me there was a bunch of chicken marked down in CC, so took off for there since I had to pick up another tote to put away Xmas stuff and drop money off for Austin anyways. Figured I would be fine as long as I made it to pick up Tom by 8:30...but on my way to Ft Wayne, Tom called and asked where I was at 8:20 as he was done already (normally he is not out till 8:30). I told him and he screamed at me. When I got there he couldn't understand why I was mad, yelled some more about me being late, called me self centered and complained that he would only get a few hours of sleep now and that he had planned on getting my valentine's gift (after he told me yesterday he was not getting me anything till wed) and it was too late now. Ran through a drive thru so he could grab a bite to eat, stopped for gas, came home and got the pellet stove going. At least it is not real cold tonight. I need to get my work reported and see if the jeep gets fixed tonight before I lay down so I know if I need to set my alarm to get up to take Tom to the jeep at 1 am, as if I oversleep he will just be mad at me for not waking him up. I hope Brandon can fix it tonight as I have to do an overnight reset on the south side of Ft Wayne tomorrow and not sure how I will swing that and be able to get paper route done too. If Tom drops me off and I get done early, I really don't want to hang around at Walmart in that part of town for several hours- its not a safe side of town. At least I should be able to get some sleep tomorrow if I have Tom take the truck to work, I can put off doing a store I had planned till later in the week.

The weekend!

Not a lot to write about today. The week was very busy with work- put in 49 hours this week with 3 overnight resets.  Coming week looks a little better at this time- but that could change. icked up some clothes this week since they had such a good clearance at Walmart. Spent about $3 each for sweaters, tops and leggings...so for under $20 got 3 outfits! Also picked up some clearance paint, so far have enough to repaint the kennel building and at least one coop- if not both for $25. Still need lots more white paint, so will keep looking for the mark downs.
Took back the JRT today to the previous owner as he was not working out here. She was happy to see him and going to try talking to her landlord again to see if she can keep him. Took down alot of the xmas decorations and put them away- still have some lights on the house and a couple trees, but will get those tommorrow when it is even warmer.   Spending the rest of today relaxing with the dogs until paper route tonight. Tomorrow I will get the house cleaning done.  The bunny that was attacked is looking much better. She is back to being alert, eating good and her ears are healing well. If it is warm enough next week, I think she will be ready to go back out to the rabbitry.  Its nice and quiet with the JRT gone- except for Gizmo calling for his dinner.

Brrrr!

Going to be a cold one tonight...they are saying it could get down to -20 degrees F. with wind chill! Making sure everyone has a deep bed of straw or shavings, put tarps up on the outside sections of the rabbit cages, will lock the chickens and dogs in tonight...now wondering if the goats will be warm enough in solid stalls with deep bedding.  Posting on goat board to find answer.
Ideal finally called me today! Chicks and ducklings will ship 4/27...I think that will be a good time.///will be warm enough to put them in the coop once they feather out. Going to pick up some EE chicks from a freind this weekend....have a feeling they will be in the house for a while LOL
Looks like the calves I am getting will be born in the next week or 2...hoping it warms up enough that they don't get chilled on the trip home.  Need to get something built for my pickup so I can haul them home.

The nubian does were bred 2 weeks ago...going to wait one more week to see if they took or not then they will come home.  Should have kids end of June :)  Here is a photo of all of them this summer.

And here is Peyton (grandson) with Fayline (front) and Fawn. These two girl love him...they come up and nuzzle with him -when they don't have hay in front of thier face LOL

Gun, ratting dog or peppermint?

What is the most effective rodent control? I am so sick of rodents in my coops/rabbitry! I thought they were finally gone as I had not seen any signs of them for a few months...then this happens! Something (I am assuming a rat due to the droppings in the J feeder) attacked one of my french lop does....no attack is too gentle of a word...mutilated! She is now missing half of her ears! Fortunately, she is still eating and drinking so very hopeful she will make it.
Wishing I had a .22...I would sit down there in wait for the vile bastards to show thier faces and blow them away! I got a JRT on a trial basis hoping he would help patrol the coops, but he does not seem to have the drive to even play fetch and with my work schedule lately he is not getting enough exercise...so was planning on returning him next week. I am going to take him for walks down there though and give him a chance to see a rodent and respond. Last night Steven took him down, but no rodents were seen. I am hearing that the esstial oil of peppermint will repel rodents. I am going to do more research tonight and if I see alot of people saying it has worked for them, will try it.  Meanwhile, I am going to try setting a trash can trap plus go the feed store and picking up some one bite bait again. I hate to use it as I saw a stray cat grab a dying rat once in one of my chicken runs and the cat died...and I have a couple ferals hanging around here...but I can't have my rabbits being eaten alive!

Thinking spring!

With all this snow and the blizzard, I am dreaming of spring. I am on the waiting list for my salmon favorelle chicks as well as replacements for the rouen ducks (thanks to the raccoon that wiped out all of them) and a few other chicks to round out our breeding trios. I have been combing through seed catalogs and starting to plan for the garden. I am planning on making a green house out of plastic 2 liter bottles and some glass panels I picked up last summer. If all works out I will be able to extend our supply of fresh veggies and cut our food bill even more! Here is a link that gave me the idea for this. http://www.tenbees.co.uk/article/recycling/20071126134017/Plastic-Bottle-Greenhouse-at-Mayfield-Primary.htm
Now to see if I can collect enough plastic bottles to get it done this spring! I posted on all the freecycle groups in my area, so hopefully will find a few families that are avid pop drinkers since we only go through a couple bottles a week :)
We also need to finish up the goat barn. For those of you who don't know, we built it primarily out of used materials- the lumber and windows were all recycled. I still need to buy the sheathing as I have not found any available on CL or other places, but lining the inside walls with palletes and building stalls out of them as well, got us by for the winter.  I will be adding the new nest boxes made out of pallettes as well in the chicken /turkey coops this spring. I am still looking for more used rabbit cages so the "Rabbit Hilton" as Tom calls it can be completed.  We may have to build a pallette run in shed to shelter the calves I am getting in a few weeks, but for now they will be comfy in the goat barn. The focus this year will be on finishing projects that we did not complete last year...the electric fence needs to go up, the goat barn sheathed, the garden ponds that I got for free installed...as well as maintence that sorely needs done. Painting the shed and coops decks and fences and putting shingles on the house. We need to have a really good garden this year as we are almost through our stockpile of canned goods from 2 yrs ago. The chickens have been doing thier job fertilizing the garden area and we will till in the compost from the compost pile and the spring clean out from coops and rabbits and goats. When we do that we don't have to buy any fertilizer. The chickens are good at controling garden pests as well- if we can remember to plant to the cucumbers and melons and squashes on the side of the fence that borders thier run.  We forgot that last year and lost most of those crops. Guess I better write out the garden plan soon so I don't forget!
Hoping the nubians will be bred soon- they have been visiting thier BF for a couple weeks now. I should call and check tommorrow.

Gizmo (the PB pig) goes to get his hoofs trimmed this morning. Tom is worried that he will think he has abandioned him since he has to be dropped off and then picked up afterwards (they put him under to trim hooves). I think if Tom just waves a french fry in front of his face when he picks him up- he will forget all about it LOL

My New Blog!

I decided it was time to make this a reality as I have been sitting on this for over a year. Someone told me they wondered what the point of blogs were as who wants to know about what your doing unless your famous? That may be, but I decided it would be nice to have a record of all we accomplished each year, my thoughts, our trials and tribulations and such to look back on. So here it is.