Shhhhh. . . . . the sound of sneaking. . . .

Quietly, ever so quietly, I'm going to leave the farm, animals, and children behind. I'm taking my sweet husband and whisking him away for a romantic getaway in Chicago. It is my birthday weekend after all, and Health Freedom Expo will be going on. So, what a great time to learn more, love more, and just plain have fun. The animals will be in the capable hands of grown children, and I'm sure they won't miss me. I love the idea of just a lot of space, peace and food I didn't have to cook. :-)

Weddings or Funerals?

You know those forwards people are always sending that are like quizzes which are supposed to help people get to know each other better? You answer one of the two options for several questions such as "White or Black," "Pizza or Steak," etc. Then, you send the e-mail back to the friend who forwarded it to you so they can see your answers. Of course, their answers were all there, and you got to see them as you deleted to put your answer in.

Well, today, a new question, one I've never seen on these, popped into my head - "Weddings or Funerals." Why? Because I found out that one of my brothers who didn't attend the wedding this past week had a perfectly good excuse, he was at Disneyland with his in-laws. It is a trip that they make every year, and never would consider using their vacation for anything else, except, well, funerals. The same brother was there in 3 days notice when my nephew drowned in a pool. He had to travel farther, make shorter notice plans, etc. But, he said he needed to be there for our brother. So, with almost a year's notice for the wedding, it was harder to plan I guess. Had he been at another niece's wedding a year earlier, he would have known then about this one too. But, no, he didn't come to that one either. I try not to be judgmental about things like this when he does them. Either way, it made me reflect.

As a child, I remember the family funerals, many of them. They were celebratory occasions! Food, fellowship and lots of bickering. (My nephew's funeral wasn't so bad, by the way, other than all the heavy hearts and familial strangers who feel the need to show up at such times.) To this day, I despise attending funerals, and only do to honor those living with the grief. But, I rarely remember a family wedding. My mom came from a very large family, and my dad was one of 3 siblings. There were lots of cousins, aunts, uncles, etc., more than ample opportunity for weddings and celebrations at family holidays. But, I don't really remember many, just a few here and there, and an occasional Thanksgiving dinner with an extra relative or two.

I suspect my father once had the same musing I'm toying with today. When I was around 8 he started organizing a yearly family reunion for his side of the family. It would be a great day of food, fellowship and catching up. We'd do it at a park, or a church, or wherever. It moved around too, so more family could participate. Most of the relatives I had never met until the first gathering. After that, though, I had very fond memories of all but the ones who spent their whole time playing baseball. I'm sure they had fond memories too, even though I never met them. Either way, it seems Dad had figured out something important - life is when you make memories, not death.

So, for me the answer is WEDDINGS!!!! definitely. I prefer a culture of life, a culture of community, a culture of family. Though some people don't put a priority on communing with family while living, I've decided that I do. I really prefer to get to know someone rather than show up at a stranger's funeral.

If you want, you can count this an idle musing of a strange person who lives in the woods, chases animals all day, and hates to use their clothes dryer. But, I'm content with my newly realized paradigm. I hope this gives you pause to consider which you prefer.

ADDENDUM to Vacation - Employing the Clothes Dryer

I just wanted to add this little note of frustration to traveling. When we returned home to what had been a flood zone in our absence, and days of rain still forecast, and a very damp feeling house, we were struck with the task of drying 11 days of laundry for the four of us. Normally, you can see clothes on the clothes line, or even racks around the house, but the humidity level was a bit too high for that. So, our dryer, which is normally just a work space for folding laundry and fills an empty hole where dryers belong in the laundry room, offered its services. The dryer seems quite happy with gobbling up electricity for which we will be billed, removing lint, and drying our cottons (hopefully to the same size they originally were) for us. As a matter of fact, I think it is even feeling a little loved, though that is just a misperception on its part. So, Vacation Note: unplug the dryer so it can't order wet weather and force its use when you get home!

Oh, well. . . ..

Life, Vacations and GPS

We've returned from what I fear may be our last full-fledged family vacation. We loaded all 8 of us into the Suburban and drove cross-country to our eldest niece's wedding in PA, then hit the road after the wedding to trek on up to Northern Maine to see family. Actually, only all 8 of us were there for the drive from PA - No. ME - Bangor, as two of us didn't get sufficient time off and had to fly to PA, then fly out of Bangor in order to be at work on extra days.

On Traveling as a Crowd:
It always, yes always, surprises me how surprised people are that our family can exist and still love each other in such close quarters. A Suburban is a massive vehicle, but load over 1,000 pounds of humans into it and it gets tight. The kids all shared the two back seats well, taking turns and switching locations for a variety of reasons. We only had one meltdown, but that is to be expected over the course of a 4,000 mile journey, and was quickly recovered. We shared snacks we packed, shared expenses of gas and hotels, and just chatted away endlessly. One of the keys is to have some distractions. Our distractions? MP3 players, GameBoy Advance, Computers, Cameras, "Do The Right Thing" by Mike Huckabee, and my own personal one - "The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide." Funny thing is, we talked so much we used very few of our distractions.

On Vacationing with a Farm at Home:
This is my least favorite part of vacationing - the animals we left behind. We had a wonderful neighbor caring for the outdoor animals, and locked the cats and indoor animals in with enough food to grow fat and lazy in our absence. Our cats are all house broken, so I wasn't sure how much litter they would need for 11 days. Well, 1 box per cat for eleven days is not enough. Our super conscientious Siamese thought sure we were going to discipline her for going to the bathroom in the house when we got back, so she hid upon our return only to come out and caterwaul at our bedroom door when the lights went out. We finally convinced her that we weren't upset. The fish got a great feeding pyramid, and though it was only for 7 days, it kept them alive for 11. The bird has bowls of water and food at his feet, that look more like litter boxes now, but he is alive too! I felt worse for Ruby, our lab mix, though. She HATES thunder storms, and wouldn't you know? Every day we were gone there was a thunderstorm. She had to stay out in the storms (in her dog house, but not with us) and was very happy to see us. It's always a lot of work to come home to animals you've had babysat, but nice to be able to leave.

On Friends and GPS:
Jay has a friend at work who loaned him a nice Garmin GPS for the trip. Jay had wanted to take one since he hears all sorts of wonderful marketing for them on talk radio, and since I like technology he thought it would be fun for me to have one for the trip. So, we loaded up, turned it on, and within about 15 mintues I was ready to smash it to bits on the road. Yes, it is the most recent technology and can do wonderful things like "recalculate" when you make a turn it didn't understand how to tell you not to make. My favorite was the time it told us "keep left, and keep right" for the CENTER lane. Huh? Well, we kept left, but then there was no right to keep as we had merged onto a different highway, so we hear the dreadful two bongs and "recalculating." After 4,000 miles, we now understand its little oddities better, but still wouldn't want to take one again. I love how it tells you to drive 400 yards and turn right when you are on the top floor of the Eastern Maine Medical Center parking garage facing the Penobscot River. WE didn't listen to that instruction obviously. So, NO to GPS for me for quite some time. It was helpful in finding a great little pizza place in Wrightsville, PA though. If you have a chance, it is Wrightsville Pizza, and wonderful.

On Time:
YES!!! There is NEVER enough time when visiting friends and family, but yes we did enjoy it anyway.


So, in summary: we had a great trip. Did some interesting things, saw some interesting sites, and are glad to be home on the farm again. Now, for the mowing and cleanup from all the storms while we were gone. I've got about 100 loads of laundry to go! Wish me well.

Digital TV Converter Box Coupons - GOOD NEWS!

NEWS FLASH: IF you converter box coupons expired without being used, you can reapply for new ones!!!!

Being out in the middle of the woods, in the middle of nowhere, in Tornado Alley, does have a few minor issues. First, we could pay $50 a month to subscribe to satellite television so we could watch tv after the digital conversion, and since Sky Angel went internet so we can no longer use their service (a whole 'nother issue I won't address). OR - we could get a couple of digital converter boxes or new televisions so we can watch the weather warnings that roll through on a regular basis spring and fall.

We decided, as usual, that the practical option suited us just fine. We keep our money and use the free service offered to us by using the government's coupons to purchase converter boxes. So, we applied last year for converter box coupons. Thanks Uncle Sam. We were being slammed with info about how important it was to get our coupons early, and our boxes, and be ready for the change. Oh, yes, that change that keeps being pushed back every few months.

Our coupons came, and with them in my purse I headed to the store to get my boxes. I came home empty handed. For the next 90 days, any time I made the 30 - 60 minute trek out of the wilderness, I had the coupons with me. I checked the electronics stores, KMart, Target, and heaven forbid, even WalMart. Hmmmmm. . . .there was a bit of a glitch in the government's plans. (as usual) I kept coming home empty handed, until one day, at Circuit City, there happened to be converter boxes!!! I bought one - yes, kick me now - just one. I figured they were finally going to be available, and I didn't want to invest in more than one if I made the wrong decision about which one to get. After all, even with the coupon, this cost me $20.

So, with just a week or so left until my coupon expiration date, I bought only one, brought it home, set it up, and was annoyed beyond end! You couldn't leave it plugged in and get the analog and digital stations. You had to keep unplugging and replugging and fiddling with the antenna for each digital station. I decided I really did need one of those analog pass through boxes, so didn't run right out to pick up another.

Digital tv sucks (sorry for the language) big time. I didn't think about it much more as I switched the box off, unplugged it, and went about watching the analog stations, which didn't lose audio every 10 seconds like the digital signals. You know, the picture on our analog stations was just as clear too. :-/ The coupon expired, the switchover started to happen about 9 months after the original coupon application, and we can now only get some channels via digital. The box is plugged back in, and I do no want to pay full price for another for our other television.

A couple of drawbacks with only one box. You can only watch one station, on one television, at a time. Or, you can only record one station, on same television, at a time. No more taping one show while you watch another; not that we did that often, but it used to be an option.

I just reapplied online for our second coupon since I received an e-mail from the FTC about my appeal for a replacement coupon filed many months ago. They denied the appeal, but let me know if a coupon expired unused, I was eligible to receive a replacement. It went through, and my coupon should arrive on the 29th.

This is good news, since I don't want to pay full price for the privilege to still be able to do what I used to be able to do. . .. you know? But, I recently noticed a new problem. Those boxes are gone again.

So, the real question is, when this coupon arrives, will there be digital converter boxes on the shelf for me to use it to purchase?

AAAAAAAhhhhhhh, gotta love change. Either way, we have one, and can watch the weather until the power goes off - since the digital converter boxes aren't dual power though our television is. It is usually when the power goes out that we really need to know what is happening. That sleeper sofa we bought for the storm shelter may see a lot more sleeping this year, so we don't have to worry.

Guess we are in the market for a battery operated digital television for the storm shelter.

Go get your replacement coupons. They ship fast, so make sure there is local stock before you order them.

What was your Easter Face

Alternate Title: If you give a homeschooler a paper plate.

In the wake of the weekends events, I thought I would share some of the fun we had. Sure, a stray dog found us, the power went out, life was crazier than usual, but we did manage to have some fun with Easter. Since it was at Amber's she asked if we could use paper plates. She still had some left from her wedding a year ago, and didn't want to do as many dishes. While we sat waiting for the final touches on our dinner, I picked up a pencil that happened to be nearby, turned over my plate, and started the game.
Janice caught on quickly, flipped her plate and asked for the pencil.

Then Brenna
Ross couldn't be left outWith a little encouragement Dad even did a self portrait!! Thanks Jay for joining in.
For a reluctant artist, we were all impressed with the detail. As a matter of fact, we had to wrestle the pencil away so Jared could have a turn. Amazing how you can get into this project.
Finally the food was ready. But, the game had become more important, so we had Amber and Eugene complete the picture with their visages.
No matter how our stomachs complained, we still had to do a few combo shots for posterity.
Finally, our stomachs overcame us all. We flipped the paper plates over and filled them with ham, potatoes, green beans and ate!!! But, most of all, we made a memory.

Feelings of Inadequacy and Productivity Suffers

We all get them. Those days that you just feel like you aren't measuring up. Days when you do those things you always strive not to do. Then, you just want to kick yourself and can't seem to be as productive as you should - or is it all an imagination.

I don't know why I wanted to write about this today; maybe just to let us all know we suffer from being human. It all started with the weekend gone awry. or did the weekend really go awry? In an effort to save me a trip out to the store, someone offered to bring groceries for the weekend. I figured out what I needed, they purchased them, then left some of them an hour away. In the meantime, I got up Saturday morning to find there were some things missing from the list I gave, since I had to do it in bit of a rush during other business. So, I went to the store. Then, they got here and found they had forgotten some things, and they went to the store. Of course, first thing the stray dog showed up. Then, the power went out when we should have been cooking Easter dinner, and we finally found out it wasn't coming on until we should be eating Easter dinner, so we packed up all the groceries and headed back to Tulsa. You noticed I said "all" the groceries, right?

Ah, so after a busy day yesterday of chasing leads to get rid of a stray, I am now devising a new grocery list, planning a trip to Tulsa, and going to be doing something other than I what I should be doing today - which is laundry. In the busyness of yesterday, I also didn't have the energy to deal with the wood fire that keeps us warm and heats our hot water. Oddly, that is where the inadequacy comes in. I was fine with the 21st Century catching me, until the kids complained how cold they were and I finally walked to the thermostat on the wall, buried under its cobwebs and dust, and pushed the little lever to "heat." Eeeeeewwwww. . .it stunk from inactivity. But, heat was coming out, and the kids would be happy, and I could focus on whatever it was by now I wasn't able to focus on.

So, after a winter of great diligence, I actually used the electric heat after the first day of spring, after Easter even. Rats. Well, I guess this won't be the year we finally make it through the whole season without falling back on the comforts of knobs and buttons that require little work. So, today, it is supposed to be warmer. The house is 62 right now, and not a complaint from the kids. No one has felt it necessary to throw on their jacket to stay inside. Yesterday it was 66, and breezy outside. Somehow that always makes the house seem colder. Today, the sun in shining. I'll whip out a couple loads of laundry; Ross will hang them for me, and I will head to Tulsa to get some groceries - that would have been here already if the power hadn't gone out. Funny, it is turning on the heat that made me feel inadequate. I'm sure normal people don't suffer from feelings of inadequacy for having to turn the heat on.

Tomorrow, I promise to be more productive. I shall put this all behind me. Today, I run like I'm part of the rat race and long for quieter days. Oh, yeah, have I told you how much I hate shopping?

Have a blessed Tuesday and please pray for my Wednesday. I am. Today's theme: Salvage Tomorrow!!

Stray Dogs, Rural Life, and all that Fun

If you have never lived in a rural setting, you may find the following post shocking. If you have, then you may find the following post all too familiar.

The ferrier came this weekend. We were all getting ready to have breakfast when he pulled into the yard. Unusually, he pulled up to the house instead of driving up to the barn. We heard a honk, went out, and he rolled down his window and asked if that was our dog. Oh, boy.

Then, Fred Flintstone and Dino style, the dog headed straight for Jay! I thought for sure she was going to knock him over and they would both go tumbling. What Jack had inadvertently brought us, since it followed his truck in, was what appeared to be a pure bred, German Shorthaired Pointer.

I don't think this is a good gift to receive at all! For those who don't know the breed, it is a sporting dog of course. My family knows I have a general disdain for sporting dogs because, first, I'm not a sportsman in that sense. Second, I don't like the hyperactive energy which if not focussed on hunting or fishing ends up focussed on destruction! Not at all. I think the sporting dogs are some of the prettiest dogs, and yes they are specifically smart to their breeding, but as a house guest they are absolutely not bright at all and very unwelcome.

Another reason they may be unwelcome is pictured below.


By now, you all know that we have chickens. Well, I don't want to endanger our free range chickens with one of these sporting dogs. They are often trained on things like chicken wings. So, I'm sure a whole bird would be more than an exciting catch, especially if the dog is lost and hungry. So, we quickly put the dog on a chain, which of course it hated and let us know continually.

Now, I had a stray dog, barking in the yard, and jumping at all who would get near it. This is not the first time this has happened. There was the mastiff pup, who was already bigger than this dog when he showed up. He got tied to a tree where he persisted in emptying out his intestines on to the ground for us to inspect - old socks, balloons, you name it, everything but food. We did find his owners. Then there was the border collie who showed up. These dogs always look healthy enough. We rehomed the border collie, as we have done many times to many dogs.

The final straw for this pointer was when we let her loose after the chickens went to bed, presumably to see if she would leave and find her way home. Well, she didn't. Instead, she just chased Gypsy, our least bright cat, up a tree.
We got the cat down from the tree. Jay chased the dog off as best he could, and then we went to bed. There she was, on Ruby's couch, in the morning. The morning was also rainy, pouring actually, and very miserable and wet. I assume, even if she did know where home was, she had seen the covered patio as a much better place to spend the night.

We covered our for sale signs with pictures of the dog and a phone number so people could find her if they were trying. We put the dog back in the pen, on a chain, and she jumped over the fence with the chain on. Jay canvassed the neighborhood to make sure no one locally knew her. Fun stuff.

Well, today, I am off to the vet - remember, long drive - to have her scanned for a microchip. Hopefully, since she is an expensive dog, she will be microchipped and we will find the owner. If not, then I have already contacted the national German Shorthaired Pointer rescue. She needs to go, and I will be spending every waking hour trying to get her gone.

What many don't realize is that responsible people live in the country. We don't just shoot stray dogs, we try to find their owners. Sometimes we are successful, sometimes we are not, but either way we find them homes. NOT OURS EITHER! We already have 3 dogs that were dropped off here and we kept. We don't need other people's dogs. We don't need hunters losing their dogs, we don't need families dropping their unwanted grown puppies, we don't need neighbors who can't keep their dogs home (I've probably given a few of those away too.) The time we put into caring for these dogs and finding them homes is something I wish the owners would put in, instead of me.

Permit a short rant: if we have 3 dogs when we wanted none, that is a sign that there is a problem. Yes, there is good reason to spay and neuter your animal. Back yard breeder, even the supposedly reputable breeders, are adding to a growing population of animals that end up on my doorstep. At the very least, if you can't spay or neuter the thing, then at least microchip the babies and keep track of who you sold them to so we can find you and let you know when they end up on our doorstep instead of at the feet of the loving family you thought you placed them with!

So, for Easter weekend, we are giving, loving and sharing and trying to find this dog her way home or to a new home. Lots of fun. Lots of adventure.

FYI - Many people in rural Oklahoma just shoot dogs who walk into their yard. We only shoot foxes and possums, and maybe a stray dog we catch with a chicken in its mouth. Otherwise, someone has willingly or unwillingly taken up several days of my time.

Now, to my oatmeal, then to the vet!! Wish me luck.

Spring Fires and Caring Friends

Since I’ve had people ask, I thought I should let them know how the fire situation is here. We did get some rain this past week, with more coming tomorrow, but as far as fires goes, the rains actually create more danger. People become more careless when it rains because they think the danger is over. Just one day of high winds and warm temperatures will erase any sign of rain, and fuel the fire danger.

First, some history of the spring fire season here. It has been very dry. Yes, we have had some of the fires on our property, but not the most recent ones you hear about in the news. Thanks to a neighbor, we don’t have to worry about wild fires getting to us any more, since he already burned off about 25 acres of our property, and most of the contact points where a wild fire would get to us.

We keep around the house and barns pretty well cleaned out, but the bulk of our acreage is actually pasture or wooded and away from view. So, the morning a retired neighbor knocked on the door, before breakfast, to tell us we had fire, we were thankful. The fire had already climbed the ridge and was heading to pastures, and another neighbors.

We all put on our shoes and headed out the door to gather shovels and rakes. This is not that usual a routine, but enough so we know what needs to be done. We opened gates and headed to the “back 40” to find the fire. It didn’t take us long to find it. It was spread over a quarter mile. We got straight to work and called Jay to contact the proper authorities to come help us. We knew we couldn’t put this one out alone.

The 911 rant I shall save for another day, but I ended up having to stop fighting the fire myself, get my phone and call 911, since Jay was in Tulsa he couldn’t contact our local 911, and they don’t communicate. So, with the kids and the neighbor fighting the fire, I got on the phone. I had to go to the front of the property to show the fire department where they were going when they finally got here. It was a very long morning, culminating in a hike along the back fence line to see that yes, the fire had been started by the same neighbor whose fires we had been putting out all summer. Well, 2 fire departments and a forestry service bulldozer and professional fire lighter visit later, we found ourselves having breakfast at Chili’s at 1:00p.m. Probably about 25 acres had burned, and the forestry service back burned more to keep any flare ups from happening.

That same night, I was back down below the ridge, in what we call the bottom, to check an make sure we had no rekindles, when what did I see? That neighbor back out there with his matches!!! So, I called the fire department again, and they came, told me the fire was out and it was just the neighbor burning off pasture, no big deal. Huh? They just had two fire departments and the forestry service out here putting out that guys fires and now it is no big deal he’s lighting them again? No one wanted to talk to this guy and tell him to stop. So, we caught him when we were down there a few days later, and Jay gave him a good talking to.

Now, you are wondering about the new fires. Well, people often think lightening or arson when they hear about these fires. Our experience is that they are often lit by well meaning property owners who think they are going to clean things up around their property to save having to worry about fire. In reality, when the fire gets across the fence, they become blind to the plight of their neighbors.

This week, when Jay went looking for one of the golden’s who didn’t come back after a run, he drove around to a back neighbors and saw the fire. He didn’t think much of it because it was three properties behind us, and well, all the connecting property on our side had already been burned, bulldozed and saved from further fire incursions. Two days later though, I got up to smoke in the air. Was that fire still burning? Or was this a new one? I looked around, far from us obviously, but not that far. Didn’t think anything of it.

Thursday, Brenna notified me that we had company driving up the drive. So, I headed out to the deck to see a nice, black Ford Excursion pulling up to the house. The fellow inside looked like the typical real estate person, so I assumed it was a realtor visit, since one had been here last week to leave literature hoping to convince us to list with them instead of selling by ourselves.

What I got was, in the end, a pleasant surprise. A state inspector had just pulled into my yard to ask about the neighbor who keeps lighting thing afire and the neighbor by him who has the same penchant!! YEAH!! Finally, someone took notice of the plight of the residents of Mayes county. He asked where he could find said neighbors and I was more than happy to supply him with any information I had, including phone numbers.

Evidently, the state has gotten to the point they are finally tired of these two guys setting the country side ablaze, and have sent a state inspector to investigate and talk to them. I hope it works.

The fires you hear about on the news aren’t near us, but these ones near us don’t even make the news. Often, this little corner of Oklahoma goes unnoticed and uncared about. We drive by burn spots in pastures, medians, and just about everywhere on a daily basis. Sometimes it is a thoughtless cigarette toss, other times just pulling a hot vehicle over into the dry grass on the side of the road will start these fires. But, most often, it is an oblivious landowner who doesn’t care about the fire once it crosses the fence line. Thanks to our neighbor, you shouldn’t have to worry about any of the wildfires reaching us the rest of the fire season. We had ours.

I do hope that everyone realizes that a simple brush fire, or burning a fence row, can lead to a dangerous situation for neighbors who are hoping to go about their usual days. One of these fires, a few counties over, even took the life of a local volunteer firefighter our son-in-law worked with.

So, thanks for asking how we were fairing through all of this. And help us get the word out, that even the most innocent fire can cost property owners and communities.

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and Ruby

Well, last week was quite a week. Trying to catch a fox, not lose any more chickens, survive the cold by keeping the wood fire going, etc. There were also those horrendous winds that pounded at our brains until finally the cold front fully arrived.

I actually sent the kids to visit their older siblings in Tulsa at the beginning of the week, and thought I might relax with a few movies, some popcorn, pizza and other terrible foods I don’t let them have, and just enjoy some solitude. Of course, we’ve all heard about the best laid plans of mice and men. And as Slartybartfast would say, “I don’t see what men have to do with it.”

Sunday night seemed normal enough. Monday was spent picking out the movies I’d like as well as the junk food. Watched “Nights in Rodanthe” (less than epic, but tolerable) and “16 Blocks” (pretty good flick), then brought the dog, Ruby – black lab mix, in to go to bed as we do every night. She had been up at the pen still, so I went to fetch her. Odd, she was laying in a place she never lays, and didn’t really want to get up to come to me. She took her time getting to the house, unlike her usual hyper self. When she reached the patio, I knew something was up. She took the first two steps gingerly, then just hopped over the last too, and limped with her right back leg into the house. She went directly to bed, and didn’t get up at all. That too was unusual.

I didn’t sleep well that night. Something was obviously wrong, but no sign of injury. The next morning, she woudn’t even get off the bed. I picked her up and set her on the floor. She fell over and just laid there. I told her to just stay there (silly I know, she obviously couldn't walk), and went out to care for the rest of the animals. When I got up to the dog pen and saw Ruby hadn’t eaten the day before.

Due to a rash of escapes, the goldens were on chains in the their pen. They couldn’t reach her food to eat it, which they could have the days before. So, I wasn’t sure how many days Ruby hadn’t been eating, but it was obvious that she hadn’t yesterday. I called my favorite vet, who told me to take her to the vet hospital for x-rays and blood work. Tick born disease was her guess.

Ruby still wanted to drink, so I gave her a drink of water and then picked her off the floor and loaded her in the car. We drove the 30 minutes to the vet hospital, and then the fun began. They took her temp – 104°. Her eyes had started gooping the night before; they were all runny and green, a clue. She wouldn’t lift her head for the vet even. He was concerned; she was a pretty sick dog.

They asked her age, which I could only guess was around 10. I told them if they looked, the last time she was in was for mange when she was a puppy. That would give us a good idea; it was 1998. So, she was 11! Pretty old, but usually pretty chipper and healthy. I remembered to tell them I thought she was suffering from a bit of arthritis, since for the last month or so she had a hard time getting off her couch at night. She has a couch she sleeps on just outside the back door until we let her in for bed at night.

The vet took the blood, and it showed low platelets, but not high white cells, which should be for an infection. All the rest looked good, not even that dehydrated. Now, he seemed much more concerned than I was. He suspected tick born illness too, but she got so sick so fast, and her blood work didn’t look bad. I told him I’d leave her for IV through the day, then would check back before 5:30 to see how she was.

We got back at 5:00, and he seemed more concerned. They hadn’t force fed her yet; she hadn’t drunk, and they had an IV drip going. The first antibiotics she had thrown up, so none had gotten in her system yet, and they were out of injectable. The decision was to leave her over night to be monitored. They could make sure she kept some antibiotics down, and see how she felt in the morning. If she still was vomiting, the injectable ab would be there by then.

We went back at noon the next day, and she looked happy to see us, lifter her head and wagged her tail. The vet thought she looked worse, but I assured him she looked better. They had her on a second IV bag. We tried force feeding her some wet food, and she was more than happy to eat it from a tongue depressor. The kids and I went to lunch to see if she was going to keep the food down and let the IV bag finish.

When we got back, the vet reported she had kept the food down, and she was free to go home since he’d done all he could. I felt bad for him though. He really had hoped she would stand up. They took another blood sample to send off for a tick borne illness screening. We scooped her off the floor, loaded her in the car, and drove her home.

When we got home, knowing she had been in a cement run for 24 hours without opportunity to go to the bathroom, I set her on the grass in case she needed to go. Well, she stood. She actually didn’t want to not stand. So, I let her stand a bit, until she decided to sit, then scooped her back up and brought her back to the bedroom where she sleeps. We set up a bed with her favorite blanket and some of those training pads, in case she needed to go.

We left her there to rest and within seconds heard that familiar click-clack of her claws on the hard surface floors. She walked from the bedroom to the cat dishes and drank most of their water. Then, she went and laid back down. I called the vet right away to let him know she was up and walking. He was relieved. It was now Friday. We would have to wait until Monday to hear about the tick screen.

Monday came, the vet called, and it was Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever for sure. By now, Ruby was feeling much like her old self, though eating her dry dog food was still a chore, so we were supplementing with wet. She would have to take the antibiotics for a total of 14 days.

In the end, I learned that I very much would miss this specific dog were anything to happen to her. She is the one who lets us know when predators of the animal or human kind are in the yard. She keeps us safe through all things, and we keep her safe through thunderstorms. I told the vet she is hyper, but not very bright. I still stand by that statement, but will add that she is bright when it counts, and a bright spot in our lives.

As a final step in the process, I picked up some Vectra from my favorite vet. She switched us from Frontline to Vectra last year, and it really is more effective for the dogs. So, as soon as Ruby is feeling a bit better, we will treat all the dogs. We will also treat the cats with Frontline (Vectra isn’t for cats). And, hopefully, this will be our last tick borne illness this year.

In total, we have now had three animals with tick borne illnesses. All were nursed back to health with antibiotics and force feedings.

A Fox near the Chicken Coop

Just like I said. I was sitting at the computer this morning, in my pretty pink nightie, since I hadn't been up for more than a few minutes. I'd just gotten off the phone with my husband, all was well and relaxing too.

The dog barked, as it should to issue a stern warning. I nonchalantly rose from my position to look at the dog and see which direction the alert was aimed. Following the dog's line of gaze led my eyes to the chicken coop, and the prettiest red fox! Well, our visitor had returned.

We saw this same fox a couple weeks ago, just a day or two after we noticed our friend the pheasant (see picture on the right bar) had not been around. We had also lost 2 hens one day, and 2 hens another day. Naturally, we blamed the fox for the disappearance of fowl. So, we have been sitting out there random days waiting for it to return. Was I sitting out there today? with loaded gun? NO! rats. . . .

Knowing the fox is easily spooked, as it was the first day we spotted it, I grabbed the loaded gun and headed out the front door. Idiot me forgot to jack it though. So, I was outside when I did that; the fox obviously heard, and by the time I got around to the back side of the house, the fox was all the way to the play house. Too far for my rather innacurate shooting, and too far to know the horse wasn't just down the hill.

So, in my pretty pink nightie, with my slip on white converse sneakers, and a 12 gauge shot gun, I went wandering about the yard following the foxes trail. I was hoping that no one would drive into the yard at this particular moment. I decided that since I didn't see the fox anywhere, it was a good time to get my rather odd looking self back into the house before anyone did see me.

There's always tomorrow. . . maybe if we don't let his food supply out of the coop today, he will be hungry enough to show back up tomorrow.

Mornings are definitely an Adventure around here.

Doughnut Distractions

Well, since it was chick week, and the modern schools were taking a break, we decided it a good distraction week. My daughter LOVES homemade doughnuts, and so I finally gave in and bought some stuff to make them. We don't do doughnuts often, probably less than once a year. One reason is my general disdain for the use of shortening. I guess expeller coconut oil would work, but it would cost $20 or so for the right amount of coconut oil to fill the dutch oven to fry a couple batches of doughnuts.



The recipe is one that has been passed down from my grandmother, so is my daughter's great grandmother's. I love using old family recipes. The often don't rely on modern convenience ingredients, and that is wonderful. The old world taste is still all there too, many times lacking the massive quantities of sugar in modern recipes. I don't know how old this recipe is, since I never ask Grammy. She may have just gotten it from one of the cookbooks of her day, wonderful as they were. Here is the recipe with a change I have made - I added 1/2 tsp of baking powder to make the cake donut a little lighter.

¼ C butter ¼ tsp salt

1¼ C sugar 1½ tsp vanilla

2 eggs, beaten well 1½ squares chocolate, melted
1 C sour milk (Note 10) (or use ½ C cocoa) We use cocoa
4 C all purpose flour 1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder

Glaze (below) optional
Coconut (optional)

Cream butter and add sugar gradually while beating constantly. Then add eggs, chocolate, sour milk. Mix thoroughly.

Add flour mixed and sifted with baking soda, powder and salt.

Add vanilla and enough flour to handle mixture. Roll on floured surface to ¾ inch thick. Shape into doughnuts using doughnut cutter or making into twists, wreaths, whatever shape you desire.

Fry in hot oil, about 375°. (Cast iron Dutch oven is good for this). It takes about 6 minutes to fry the doughnuts. We actually roll them a little thinner too, probably 1/2 inch at most.

If desired you can glaze while still warm. Also, you can make chocolate coconut doughnuts by glazing, and before glaze sets rolling in coconut.

Glaze:

Mix 3 cups powdered sugar and ½ cup boiling water until smooth.

I hope the pictures are okay. I'm trying to remember to take pictures and add them, but am not a very good photographer, or very artistic. Bear with me :-)

What Says Spring to You?

Most often I hear answers like: Warmer weather, daffodils blooming, green buds on the trees, the red-breasted robin has returned, etc. Yes, those are all honorable mentions for signs of spring. But in our alternative lifestyle, nothing says spring like the disappearance of our youngest daughter on a school day.

What would make such an upstanding citizen leave her studies and just disappear? Why would her algebra be open on her desk, but her be nowhere to be found? Sure 83 acres of pure fun in the Ozarks is tempting, but that is tempting any day. This day (as on this relative day every spring) something more miraculous, spiritual and captivating happens. This is the day when the chicks start hatching!! The official onset of spring. Oddly enough, this day happened about 5 days too early this year.

It takes 21 days for chicks to incubate and hatch. We marked the calendar when our old barred rock hen started insisting the eggs under her were for her and her alone (brooding started). Well, that was exactly 17 days ago. The first chick started busting out yesterday.


So, now all things must come to a complete halt while we count and recount and investigate hourly or more. As of now, we have 7 chicks. At least 2 are black, one barred rock (black with the yellow dot), one brown, and one yellow. She was really hoping for a brown, as both her brown Sussex were hauled off by hawks. I saw the two black ones sitting in front of mom in the box. So, today is what we call, unschooling. It happens often around here, when her algebra is left behind for the things of real life learning.


More pictures of the babies.

Wireless or Landline, interesting study

Oklahoma Leads in Wireless-Only Households - Wireless-Only Growing On Map

Boy, have I been waiting 10 years for this lovely headline!!! Yes, it is lovely. I tried, as have many Oklahomans, to support the local phone companies. Unfortunately, many in real states don't understand what is happening here. You see, it cost me $25 to have my landline, monthly. Then, if I wanted to use my landline I could either pay another $30 for instate calls, or I could pay by phone call for long distance charges. You wonder what the big deal is? Many people incur long distance charges and don't mind. Well, do you incur long distance charges to call your nearest neighbor? Your child's school? You spouse's workplace? The local hospital? The local WalMart, grocery store, post office, etc? Yes, I am being serious. You can call one exchange for free, and in rural Oklahoma that means absolutely nothing, since the local exchange may or may not contain your emergency services, schools or even post office. I complained. I wrote my representatives, the Corporation Commission, all those people. Their response was always, "Your local telephone company has the lowest base charges in the nation, you should be very proud of them." Oh, yes, I bowed to the phone in worship every time I passed it. I bought a calling card and dialed a zillion numbers every time I made a call, even put the numbers in speed dial, to try to save a few pennies and be able to use that cheap phone.

Finally, one day, when I was more than usually frustrated with having to pay $25 to look at the phone and another $25 a month for internet dial-up because I couldn't call any of the free or cheap internet service numbers for free (long distance charges for any but the local phone company's internet service), it struck me. How about I check into cell service and satellite internet. So, I did. Well, a bit of number crunching led me to realize I could have phones with all of us anywhere for one price, high-speed internet service, and call anyone I want any time, while limiting access to us by those bothersome telemarketers for the SAME price I was paying for slow internet and the right to only look at the phone. YEAH!

So, that is what we did. We became one of the 1 in 4 households in Oklahoma who stopped using a landline, much to the dismay of our local phone company. See, they gave me the idea really. I was just a bit dense. I'd been receiving letters from them for months telling me not to give up my landline for a cell phone and listing all the reasons I shouldn't. You know, all those reasons were from the perspective that the landline was any use at all - that I could use it for that $25 flat fee. I don't know what planet the person writing those letters was from, but they obviously had never had to try to use the local phone service to call anyone or they would have known it cost them per call, just as they said cell phone service would. They talked about not being able to access 911, but our county was one of the first in the state to have cell coverage for 911. They talked about dropped signals, but the company I chose has amazing coverage that never drops a call if you know which phone to buy. They talked about how it would cost me to call long-distance - HUH? Cell phone plans include free long distance. So, they had me convinced. I dropped the landline.

Now, I'm gratified to see all the begging and pleading in the world has not overcome common sense. In our adventure in lifestyle, rural community living, one modern convenience is still heads and shoulders above the old way. So, if I call you from the wood shed, or chicken coop, or while I'm curled up warming myself by the wood cook stove, know that this adventure includes common sense not just hard work.

Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Wireless Internet

Ah, yes, the three basic tenets of the American faith. No you say? Okay, maybe not, but here in the middle of the woods, with limited access to many of the 21st Century's finer luxuries (like television - digital sucks, and phone service - have to use cells), internet does help keep us connected. And, with a laptop in the house, it is nice to not have to be physically tied to a specific wall. So, I set up a wireless router, and we've been networking for a while. Uh - oh! A new menace has moved into the neighborhood (a term I use lightly)- the unsavory neighbor. He believes that my wireless connection should be his free access to internet - MY internet. He's also a computer geek, because he easily got around my initial security, and my second line of defense. Okay, I admit, I didn't make our connection Fort Knox. No one lives within a quarter mile of us! They would have to have some serious boosting equipment to get our wireless, which barely radiates outside our four walls, and doesn't even make it to all rooms in the house.

So, our knew "Adventure" in lifestyle, is a complete understanding that there is no where to hide from thieves in America. They assume it is their right to steal, even if it means more expense and work than just accessing what they want legally. Whole psych discussion there I won't get into.

So, the week has been an adventure. First, the refrigerator went out on birthday weekend, so lots of leg work to replace that. Then, I found that someone had been using MB on our internet when none of us were online or even plugged into (or wireless on) the network. So, this neighbor who I still haven't identified, was back stealing our internet and threatening to get us throttled. See, the Thief doesn't know that we have limited MB usage. He was doing this 6 months ago, and I shut him down finally. But he's back! Now, I'm trying to figure out how to shut him down again, without having to shut us down also. I've had a few good suggestions from some great guys on tech boards. I've learned about MAC filtering, and started that only to find my neighbor knows how to clone MAC addresses and stole the laptop's. On top of all this, I'd rather be visiting my mom in another state because she isn't feeling well. I just had to give our oldest cat a steroid shot because she has developed allergies and was spasming. Spring is here, and I have seen my crocuses, so would love to be outside.

But, today, I empty the refrigerator so I can move the new one in. Have I ever told you I hate shopping? Well, 2 days this week were spent away from home (remember I live in the middle of nowhere) shopping for a new fridge, only to find most now are too tall! Today, though, that saga is over as the new fridge is on its way.

So, "Adventures in Lifestyle" has been just that this week. Between shipping fiascoes (don't even ask about FedEx. . . grrrrrrrrr) for birthdays, refrigerators, cats, internet and the usual day-to-day keeping up with the fire so we have hot water, feeding the animals, cleaning the house, doing laundry, etc., what a week. It has not been the "Adventure in Lifestyle" I really wanted - unique lifestyle which is more sustainable, peaceful, healthful and economical in a world gone mad. Instead, I feel like I've joined the insane world around me.

Now though, my weekend will start. Ah, the weekend, hubby home 3 days, lots to be done, but a change of pace none-the-less. Maybe next week I can get back to just trying to be different than the world around me. Maybe next week I can find this neighbor and stop them. Maybe next week I will pursue "Life, Liberty and Wireless Internet"

Thanks for reading and caring. I truly appreciate it. Now, my son informs me that though we have been by the feed store at least 3 times this week (just going by, not in) we need feed. Guess what? We are done going by the feed store for this week. . . . . .

Aaaaaaaaahhhhhhhh, time for some tea - or a Bloody Mary.

Estrogen Dominance and Homemade Laundry Detergent

One of our current adventures has to do with my own health. For many years, I've been watching over the health of my husband, children and animals, as with most busy moms, and forgetting to really pay much attention to mine. When the signs of estrogen dominance (allopathically known as menopause) started to get beyond the point of annoyance, I had to do something. The first thing was to start avoiding estrogenic compounds both natural and synthetic. Estrogen dominant or not, the great money saving idea I found thanks to it, will help everyone.

My research led me to many good resources including Dr. Lee, author of such books as "What your Doctor May not Tell You About Menopause," "Dr. Lee's Hormone Balance Made Simple," and other relevant books. All of which can be found on this Books For Sale page. More good resources were from Dr. William Eckhart, and the USP Progesterone product "Progestelle" site. There are some other good sources out there, like Yahoo Groups message boards dedicated to the cause, Neways progesterone cream distributors, etc. But, those two are my favorites.

In Dr. Eckhart's reply to my medical form, he mentioned that there really is no good, safe, estrogenic compound free laundry detergent with the exception of one he has found that is just too expensive for my budget. So, I decided to research the option of making my own.

I found a recipe, actually several recipes, on the internet. I took the plunge, bought the three required ingredients and whipped up a batch of my own. (Recipe below along with my notes on preparation) I will say I was very happy with the results. After 4 weeks, I've used about 1/2 of my $3 - $4 laundry detergent. A big savings compared to the $12 laundry detergent I bought at the store. The clothes are clean and fresh smelling, and I'm wondering why I didn't do this sooner. The first few loads of laundry the water was absolutely disgusting. I'm guessing the dirt was what my commercial laundry detergent didn't get out. ICK!!!! I rinsed all loads 2 times for probably the first 10 loads. My husband suspects that maybe the new laundry soap was cleaning the washing machine as well. That is possible, since I used to occasionally get grime at the bottom of the tub, and no longer do.

So, for your consideration, here is my first batch notes. I will make the next batch a bit thinner, and am trying to find a perfect container to store it in, so I don't have to use a pail. Didn't take pictures, but when I remake it in a month I will post pictures with an update.

Laundry Soap Recipe – 1^st Batch 1/31/09

2 full bars Kirk’s Castile Soap – shredded (what didn’t shred, I cut into small pieces)

1 Cup Borax

1 Cup A & H Super Washing Soda

8 Cups water

25 drops Grapefruit Seed Extract (a.k.a. GSE -preservative, antibacterial)

(Castile soap can be found in the Health and Beauty section of your local store. Most any pure, bar soap will do. FelsNaptha is the recommended so, but not available near me. Borax and Washing Soda are available in the laundry aisle of your store. They are in boxes, powdered. And the GSE is available at the health food store or at http://www.iherb.com The brand is Nutribiotic, you want the liquid. If you get it from iHerb it is much cheaper, and new customers can use the code KES097 at checkout for $5 of their first order)

First, put shredded soap into 6 cups of water and heated, stirring occasionally until most of the soap had dissolved.

Add soda and borax, stir until dissolved, add two cups water. Continue to heat and stir for another 30 minutes on very low heat.

Removed from heat, added GSE, and let cool, stirring occasionally to mix foam back in.

As soap started to cool, it actually started to solidify instead of just gel as online instructions indicated it should. I had not added as much water as recipe suggested, since I wondered if you could make it more concentrated to take up less space in laundry room. Well, you can’t. Therefore, I added another 8 cups of water and put back on the stove on low heat to reliquify.

Let it reliquify, then added another 8 cups of water after using some of the still warm mixture in cold water wash only to watch it turn into solids in the water. Need to keep it liquid, or dissolve in warm water before switching to cold water for cold water washes.

Still semi solid gel. Will wait until completely cooled to decide whether to add more water or not. It has now been about 6 hours since I started the process.

Finally packaged it up and called it good.

I don't have the perfect packaging system, just a couple of old, plastic ice cream containers. I'll be on the hunt for better packaging, hopefully not plastic!

UPDATE: 3/14/2009 made my second batch and took notes. The first batch lasted our family of 4 on the farm for a little over 1.5 months.

Second Batch notes:

2^nd Batch – 3/14/2009

Basically followed same steps. This time I added more water than before. As liquid would start to steam, I would add 4 more cups. Dissolved initial soap mixture in 8 cups of water, then as it heated, added 4 cups at a time until I got to 24 cups of water. (previous batch was 22 cups of water.) Then started the cooling process.

As it cooled, it started to solidify, so added 4 more cups of water and reheated to combine. Went to check again after 15 minutes and top had solidified, so stirred it up and added 4 more cups of water. Will combine and let cool again.

In the end, I had 32 cups of water. Top hardened, but I stirred it all up when cool and had a loose gel soap.

Online source for Supplements, Vitamins, with Coupon - iHerb

The chickens are wandering about in the yard, wishing it was spring and the bugs were out. I can tell by the way they are scratching up the lawn in various locations without any satisfied looks. None of the usual clucking, "I've got one," which leads to the inevitable chase around the yard by the other birds hoping to steal the bug from the silly bird who didn't know when to keep quiet.

Well, I was just musing today about not telling my friends and family about a great online site I've found for purchasing my supplements and even some of our organic food items. So, I think I've kept my quiet too long!!! I placed an order today and patted myself on the back for my great savings, then thought, "I should share this site so others can get some great deals too." The roosters are good at this. When they find a good source for bugs in the yard, they actually stand up tall and start a special cackling to call all the ladies to the treasure.

So, here goes my cackling and calling my friends to the treasure:

The site is http://www.iherb.com a.k.a iHerb. I've been ordering from them for over a year now and love their discounts and fast service. I've never had a problem with wrong orders, missing items, or anything. I actually messed up an order and was able to call and get it fixed before they shipped it too!

The way iHerb works, you get incremental discounts based on the size of your order. So, if the Vit E that you usually get downtown has an iHerb price 10% cheaper before you put it in the cart, it will be an even cheaper price when you put it in the cart. Right now, as a VIP customer, my first level discount is 10%. So, if my Vit E was 9.00 instead of the downtown price of 13.00, I know it will be another .90 cheaper when added to the cart. Many of my items are $2-$10 cheaper here. Plus, if you order over $60 BEFORE THE DISCOUNTS, the UPS shipping is FREE!!! Gotta love that. Even if you don't get to $60, the shipping is $4 (with other options available at a higher price). I can't drive to the health food store for $4. They also offer many options in sizes and brands. Almost everything I can get at the health food store, I can get at iHerb cheaper.

Another benefit of iHerb is the information. They have very detailed info about each item they sell, including the full list of ingredients and potency. They also give info about uses, benefits and warnings. I use the iHerb site to check different supplement uses even if not purchasing them. A nice, concise encyclopedia of supplements, which was very important when we were trying to find fluoride free toothpaste, as well as many other items. They recently added food items to their offerings. I now get my Periobrite toothpaste, Arrowhead Mills peanut butter through them, as well as Braggs organic vinegar and other food items I used to buy at the store. New items are being added all the time.

I order many things online, but this is a site that I've really come to rely on for our budget and health. So, it is time I shared it. There was also a nice nudge from the company to share when they provided me with a coupon code to give my friends and family a gift of $5 off their first order as part of a new referral program they have started. If you use this coupon code - KES097 - at the checkout, you will get $5 off your first order from iHerb (not valid if you are already a customer). The person who told me about iHerb just had free shipping to lure me to try the site. Of course, if you don't have a first order that is $60 or more, this coupon code will more than cover the shipping.

While at iHerb, check out the links at the top of the page for specials and even FREE sample items. These are full size samples. This month I have 2 types of cereal, a new Vit E to try and a Green Tea drink coming as samples. I'm excited to get them and try them.

Now, my conscience is clear. I am no longer hoarding or keeping the goods secret for myself, but sharing willingly with friends. And none of us have to play chase around the yard. :-) I hope you get the opportunity to try iHerb and enjoy it as much as I have. So, before someone sticks there head out the door and tells me to keep it down (like I do for the over zealous chickens), I'll put my head back down and go back to work.

Have a great, blessed day and stay warm!

PS - if you can't use the coupon code, feel free to pass it on to friends. I do get referral bonuses that decrease the price of my items even more. If you do order from iHerb, you will get your own coupon code to share with friends, and earn your own referral bonuses.

On Life, the Universe and Everything

Well, almost two years since my Adventures in Lifestyles began. What have I learned of Life, the Universe and Everything? The answer is much larger than 42! Oh, yeah. I thought maybe I'd do some blogging. You know? Get my thoughts out there, share, elaborate, debilitate. I've never been good at journaling in a book, by my bedside, at night before sleep. What makes me think a desk full of bills to be recorded, school work to be corrected, cats to be petted would be any less distracting than the promise of sweet sleep?

I'm going to make another decent attempt at this. For now, just a quick welcome back note, after searching the morning trying to find my log-in info and the location of my page. Hopefully, I will keep up with how our lifestyle has changed over the last two years. We've gone from a growing family, to a mostly grown family. Now, our little piece of heaven is for sale as we attempt to be available for the children and the parents. Health has been a major focus, and will probably be a major focus of posts to come.

Blessings to all, and I hope to hear from you and read about you too!