mrshoppes

07:15 pm: This is going to be pinned to the top.

By this time next year:
Be 90% self-sufficient wrt produce.
Have the wood furnace working.
Have the windmill up, working, and operational.
Have a whole house generator.
Be off the grid.
Increase our goat herd.
Increase our flock.
Lose 100 pounds.
Take an EMT course.
Make my own medicines.

As we accomplish things, they will be crossed off. As I think of things, they will be added. Maybe I should add have Hannah potty trained so we can stop with the diapers?

11:28 am: I Moved
I am fed up with livejournal.  I tried posting my Friday Update seven times (or more) and it would not post.  So, I decided to move.  This is not the first time I had run into this problem and it does not seem to be getting better.

Anyway, here is my new blog.  If you've linked me, you might want to update. 

http://hoppeshomestead.blogspot.com/

I will keep my account here so I can continue to read friends pages.

Sorry to inconvenience everyone, but this will hopefully take care of the problems of sitting for an hour trying to get a post to go through and maybe I can stop losing posts. 

See you in cyber-space!

=)

07:52 pm: Random Thoughts
I have a massive head-ache so I don't think I will make much sense.  As a result, I am just going to blog mindless ramblings.

In history today, we discussed some of the highlights from 2002 to today.  I fired up the laptop and had Charlie (and the girls) watch a few minutes of Bush's inauguration and Obama's inauguration.  A few observations.  

1.  At Bush's, a bunch of liberal democrats (or people who did not vote for Bush) broke through the barrier and had to be stopped by police and they shouted out threats and curses.

2.  At Obama's inauguration, the people who did not vote for him (Bible clinging, gun clinging republicans to use Obama's words) quietly welcomed him into office without threats or drama.

3.  When Bush came out to "hand over the keys" so to speak, he was booed.

So much for bringing the country together.  It seems at a glance that while liberal Democrats are all for tolerance and acceptance, it is only on their terms.  They've had control of Congress since 2006 and still they complained about everything that came down the pike.  They've had opportunity for "change" and the only change that has happened over the past couple of years is everyone starting worshipping this guy who loves his country so much he has found time to write two books about himself (not his country) side-stepped questions, claims to love his family, yet leaves his own brother living in squallor.  www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/barackobama/2590614/Barack-Obamas-lost-brother-found-in-Kenya.html
 
President Obama is a very eloquent speaker.  I'll give him that.  But it sounds very empty.  I'll pray for him and I'll continue to pray for this country.  I pray that he proves me wrong.  I pray that he does great things.  In the meantime, I will happily classify myself as one of the bitter clingers he has referred to and see if I can find a countdown to mark the end of an error.

In other news, my MIL does not look good.  She knows she's dying.  She might not know the details, but she knows.  She told us two things when we all went to see her.

1.  She never thought she would die like this.  (In a nursing home?  Don't worry, Mom.  You will be brought home before you die and we will have hospice.)

2.  Keep doing God's work.  (That's our priority in life, Mom.) 

04:28 pm: The end of an era
No, I am not talking about the inauguration.  I am talking about the chickens.

ALL THE ROOSTERS ARE DONE!  And we ended up butchering a hen by mistake.  Woops.  The rest of the hens were freed, the roosters are in the freezer.  Life is good.

I examined our pregnant goats today and Robin has another month easy even though she is HUGE.  Her vulva shows no signs of getting anywhere near ready.  Flora, on the other hand, has a vulva that is clearly sticking out beyond her body and her udder feels fully developed.  We are going to do checks on her every few hours rather than a couple of times a day and have her up on the milking stand twice daily just to get her used to it.

We also examined Gi-gi and she is definitely showing signs of pregnancy.  She is getting rounder.  If I were to guess, I would say she has another three months or so.  This is a good thing because her kidding in the dead of winter is not good.  She lost a kid that way last year.  She dropped one of the twins out in the open in the middle of an ice storm and she (the kid) never made it.  So, spring kidding is best for Gi-gi.

George pulled the bookcase out of the wall and did some exploring.  Apparently, there is some ice forming on the ceiling in the access area to the solar panel blower thingie.  (Like my technical jargon?)  That is not a good thing.  I also noticed wetness on the floor inside the wall and when I looked up, there was mold and what looked to be some rot.  So, there is a roof leak inside the wall where the bookcase goes.  This is not a good thing.  We can't afford something like this.  Maybe if I ignore it, it will go away.  Hey, I had no clue it was there until we did some exploring.  The bookcase is back in place so it no longer exists.  Right?  RIGHT?  

Anyway, the bookcase is back in the wall and I need to get the books back in the bookcase and get other stuff organized.  I have a disaster on my furniture.

09:52 pm: Long Over Due Pictures
I have some pictures here that are long over due.

Our "fridge" that is doing a fantastic job.  (It is plugged into a timer now):



The food inside.  I have discovered that I need to label the lids of the jars rather than the sides from now on.




And the lid.  I think I'm going to keep a sheet of paper on it to jot down notes or shopping lists.

09:16 pm:  We got the confirmation today with the biopsy. My MIL has terminal liver cancer and has 3-6 months to live at the outside. What happens now, I have no idea. I do know we will have to get ready to go to New York at a moments notice. That is where her husband is buried.  

We got two roosters taken care of today and Hannah’s appetite is definitely back. Although she is still coughing horribly, she ate half a chicken by herself. And right now, she is eating popcorn. (It’s the good kind. Not the pre-packaged tons of junk added to it kind.)  

I did a bunch of dusting today and vacuumed the whole house. I also cleaned some intakes and noticed something. There is an intake above the thermostat and I’m wondering if that doesn’t affect the thermostat at all. So, we blocked it off. I need to get on a high enough ladder to clean the one up on the balcony and I want to put some kind of filter in it.

I put up some fabric in the doorways to the kitchen and dining room. I am hoping that it will help with containing the heat controlled by the thermostat. The kitchen and dining room won’t freeze since there are a couple of heat vents in there, but with the area being sensed by the thermostat, maybe we can use a bit less electricity while still maintaining the temperature in the main area of the house.

Tomorrow is Obama’s inauguration. Why they don’t just call it a coronation, I have no idea. The whole thing is just sickening. I can’t believe how bad people just fall all over themselves to get a glimpse of him. He promises change, but I seriously doubt the change is going to be a good change.  

People have been complaining about Bush for a few years now, but just about everything that has come out of Washington that people have been complaining about has come from a democratic controlled Congress. Obama is just going to make things worse. I saw the best picture that perfectly describes what is happening.

09:36 pm: GRRRRR!
I finally caught my tail between my teeth and can finally settle down into some sort of normalcy. MIL has been moved to a nursing home and seems to be doing very well. Both girls are recovering from pneumonia and are looking and sounding much better. Hannah no longer has a fever and looking at her, you would never know she had been sick.

M called to say her children will not be at Geography tomorrow, but that is ok. I have plans for Geography tomorrow that I have been mulling over in my mind and I am going to implement them if no one else shows up.

This week, I am going to focus on hearth and home. I have been gone so much this week that even though I put gas in the van, it is hovering around empty. This will force me to stay home and take care of the house and the family. I know my family has been feeling very neglected lately and I need to remedy that.

Oh, crud! I almost completely forgot! I have a sonogram of my gallbladder tomorrow at 8:30am and I have to go on an empty stomach. I am also going to have to take the truck. I don’t want to go. I want to stay home. I have a husband and children. There is coffee here. I can’t even have coffee before the sonogram. Or even water.

I’m off to set the alarm. The children actually let us sleep until 8:30 this morning.

 

11:41 am: I've been tagged
Rick over at http://musingsofavastright-winger.blogspot.com/ tagged me with the direction to share 6 things about my self. The rules for participation are as follows:

1. Link to the person who tagged you. Done
2. Post the rules on your blog. Done
3. Share six non-important things/habits/quirks about yourself. Done
4. Tag six people with a link Done


1.  April will be 10 years I've been married.
2.  I miss photography.
3.  I used to be anti-gun until I educated myself on the realities of guns and gun ownership.
4.  I do not like doing dishes.  But when I do get around to doing them, it doesn't seem that bad.
5.  I bite my nails and pop my joints.
6.  I can't carry a tune to save my life, but still love to sing.

Tagging:

The same people I tagged in the Lemonade Stand.  =) 

11:35 am: Substitute America for England
You get basically the same thing.

Gun bans work. They work great. If you want to live in fear, get killed, or be a perpetual victim.

 

10:51 am: Lemonade Anyone?



Thanks to http://tinlovewith4.blogspot.com/ for thinking of me.


If you are not familiar with what the Lemonade Award is, the Lemonade Award is given by a previous winner to 10 people who have shown a great attitude or gratitude this week. It’s a great way to show these people that you appreciate them.
I am passing on the award to the following:


http://modern-homesteader.blogspot.com/  First and foremost, anyone who can stay married to me for close to 10 years and still laugh is most deserving of this reward.

http://supportyourlocalgunfighter.com/  Anyone that can maintain a sense of humor while rasing three boys, a new girl, and be a cop deserves this award.

http://mysimplegifts.blogspot.com/  A wonderful friend and a great attitude with life, she is the epitome of the Lemonade Stand Award.

http://rtsponderings.wordpress.com/  An amazing person who seems to have no end to a wonderful attitude about life, weight loss, and a great relationship with God.

http://jedimomma.livejournalcom/  Good friend and a great attitude about life.  Even when her children have been subjected to my children.

http://rebbyribs.livejournal.com/  Pregnant and raising children and still having a sense of humor?  Definitely deserves this.  (Unless lemonade makes you nauseous?)

I don't know if that's 10 or not.  I know there are plenty more deserving of the reward, but my sick children need me.