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Showing posts from April, 2014

things are happening way too fast

 Seedlings started mid-April started out great, then grew too fast,  got emptied from their trays by the wind, repotted, transplanted into an experimental planter (of which photo didn't load), and 2/3 of them didn't survive.  So I bought three tomato plants to transplant...  And Sunday afternoon the goslings and biddies were mixed together for the first time in the small pen, enjoying the sunshine, until dark when a big goose discovered the goslings and would NOT let me take them out. I had to wait until after dark when the other geese herded (is that even a word?) to the pond before I could return them to the heat lamp. (We've turned them over to the "momma geese" in past summers...one year both goslings drowned in the storm...the next summer turtles got one and we never found out what happened to the others...so no, I am not letting them have the goslings until they're well-feathered.) Meanwhile, two more eggs in the incubator have piped and are s

happenings

These pics are all from last week, and have all changed radically since then, but they'll just have to do for now.   House going up across the street. PawPaw tree is coming back to life after the main shoot died last fall! :) The two Rhode Island Reds and an Ameraucauna. The Welsummer is bottom left. Two goslings...three more eggs to go. (All thanks to Buster, who keeps raiding the nests and bringing us the eggs...the ones he doesn't eat, that is.) And my small camera that died a few months ago now has a new SD card, so hopefully I'll be able to post new pics more often. Despite the turmoil at home with my cousin's death and Mom's health, there's a LOT happening here!

;(

How do you arrive to school on Monday morning, only to tell your class that one of their own will no longer be back? How do you comfort young hearts who think death is only for old people, not for 13 year olds riding four wheelers?  How does a subsitute teacher walk into a classroom, knowing that all day long the students will be asking about their teacher, who was the mother of Gracie, the teacher that "died" a few years earlier delivering a child, but regained vital signs as family members and church members throughout the area prayed, as doctors said "she should be dead; she was dead; we can't explain this" and is now dealing with the fact that her oldest child is no longer with us? This was a holiday to celebrate Life and Resurrection, to rejoice, not mourn and grieve. And yet as I visit 13 year old Gracie's Facebook page and read posts from friends, classmates, family, and church members, I am comforted by what I read. Posts like this: God, we don&#

sometimes there are no words

In my dream world, there would be no problems. Everything would always be clean and organized, there would be no pain, and no laundry. We could just go swimming in our clothes and come out majestically clean. Wouldn't that be awesome? Many years ago a group of ladies read a book titled, The Power of a Praying Wife by Stormie O'Martin. At first, I was skeptical. She started out the book talking about how terrible her marriage was, and how learning to really pray for her husband changed her marriage (not him, but how she viewed him and herself).  My marriage was and is fine, but the later chapters did force me to think about how seldom I prayed for Bobby in depth. Not just a "God be with Bobby today", but "Lord, give him wisdom in his meeting, help him find the right words to speak, grant him favor with that grouchy attorney during the meeting, etc"  And I found that as I prayed more specifically, I became a little more patient and caring about his needs. (W

blessings

 Last year we bought three PawPaw trees from a man in Raleigh. I put them outside, on the ramp, to get some sun for a few hours. When I returned home from running errands, the dirt was all over the ramp, and the small seedlings were in the yard...with dry roots. I was sick, and so mad at our dog. I was ablee to replant two, one of which died almost immediately, and the other survived for several months. I kept watering it, hoping it was just dormant, and was thrilled beyond measure last week to see this:  Of course, this would have been even more wonderful had I seen it three weeks earlier when I ordered two replacement plants, and not within an hour after planting those small trees. But still, I'm happy it survived. :) AND, even though we didn't get the wyandottes we hoped for last week, I had a surprise for me at Hudson's this morning: Welsummers! (which are supposed to lay dark chocolate brown- colored  eggs)    And an Ameraucauna (that lays light blue or

more than a little late

Grape vines are supposed to be pruned in February/March. I started mid-March, have finally finished, and am now half-way through cleaning up the mess. Hopefully I can finish tomorrow. I will say that the vines have been "weepier" this year than normal, but I'm not to concerned as two other grape owners have said the same thing. I don't know whether or not the amount of rain we've had this winter has anything to do with it or not, but I'm hoping that means we'll have a good crop this year (which  is crazy as we eat less jelly every year and I've yet to find a grape juice recipe I like). And since pruning is pruning is pruning is pruning and doesn't change, here's a link to pictures from a previous year (if have that crazy desire to see). http://burdenbearer.blogspot.com/2011/03/passing-of-time.html And this year, I'm not making vine wreaths, but am simply hauling the stuff into the small wooded area along the fence line that last year

a no go

There's no pictures this week...but the brooder box is cleaned out and ready for whenever we get biddies or the goslings hatch. We actually went to the Hudson's Hardware Tuesday afternoon, and the bins were empty. A sales clerk laughed when we asked about the biddies, saying they sold all 75 before noon on Monday, and the previous week sold over 100 before the day was out. In other words, we need to make sure we go by 10am next Monday if we want biddies.  I'm slightly disappointed we won't have the wyandottes, as I think they're pretty when grown. Now if the last week of April we don't get the Leghorns (white egg layers) or Marans (dk brown egg layers), I will be disappointed!

when I grow up

There's a very fine line between reality and dreams. Sometimes I dream of owning a quilt shop. Whenever I tease Bobby about what we'll have in "our" shop, he gets a wary look of concern and says, "I think you should work in a quilt shop first." And I actually have thought about doing that, but the only shop I've known to be hiring in the last few years is a 40 minute drive away. That's not exactly cost effective. And for now, I'm perfectly content to simply think or dream about it. The reality is, the next two seasons of my life, maybe the next three, will simply not be conducive to owning a business (and chances are, if I made up a business plan for one, I couldn't afford it!). Meanwhile, I'm content to learn different techniques of quilting and their proper form, to observe how different shops operate, how they decorate, their fabric choices/selections. In my opinion, the most efficient and the nicest shops have a core group of empl

chicks

Today starts the week that Hudson's Hardware is selling Silver Wyandottes and Tetra Tints. We've had the tetras before, and they're fine, but what I'd really like to have is another wyandotte. (We lost the ones we had last year). I'm trying to decide a) do I really want to do this again, and b) how will Buster react to biddies in the brooder box (which is in the garage).  After his "playing" with the little rooster this past week, I really don't want to come home or go outside and find the brooder box tumped over (which would be a huge feat) and a small chirping coming from inside his mouth. We also have goose eggs potentially hatching in 2 weeks, and I do NOT want to have biddies and goslings in the brooder box at the same time. We did that last year, and one of the tiniest biddies flew over the divider in the box and the geese squashed it.  It was sad and horrific. Of course anything I get now will be 2 weeks old by then, so they'll be larger (a

DA Q&A forum

Wake County held a forum at Campbell Law School Tuesday night where people could listen to all the DA Candidates answer questions. We left with two questions still to go, but by the time we left, I knew who my top three (out of 6 were).  With the primary May 6 (but I'll be voting absentee before then due to working the polls and new changes in the state's voting laws), it's time to start researching who you want your local leaders to be. And here, they are, in order of how they were introduced (and I'm adding some of the question answers behind the introduction they gave for themselves): Terry Swain - father of seven children, has a law firm in Wendell. His family owns Southern Comfort Heating & Air (his father founded it), attended Duke University, and he wants to see more electronic courts for people who are seeking dismissals, rescheduling, or things that do not require presentation before a judge or jury. Swain thinks the DA needs free will and reign to han

numbers

5    am...the time Buster and squawking little rooster woke us up. 3  days...that's how long I plan for Buster to live in his pen for leaving at least two bald spots on the rooster and going after him not once but TWICE in an hour  AND three blueberry seedlings set out 2   days of no sugar at all (though Bobby says we might have to start our ten day count all over since I had corned beef hash this morning and that has tiny potatoes in it which is a starch and so it could count as sugar...no thank you!) 5  goose eggs in the incubator...have I lost my mind? 5  more days until the breeds of biddies I want go on sale at Hudson's Hardware. Now we just have to decide whether or not we really have time/want to fool with replenishing our stock. 7 more hours 'till bedtime (I hope!)

animosity

I totally understand the desire to hang out with people that are similar to you. There's a comfort and calmness there that makes life much easier. What I don't understand is the animosity exhibited toward people who are different. One thing I didn't expect to learn from Facebook was how much arrogance all of us humans possess. I've been baffled at how much animosity people display toward others who don't share their viewpoint. I've been disappointed and sometimes downright disgusted. Comments like these: Why should I pray for them? My parents live in Atlanta and I've visited there. Southerners are stupid and if they can't figure out a way to build houses to survive floods and tornadoes then they don't deserve my prayers. I want to help Muslims meet Jesus. (with a picture of a gun) Tell me I don't treat my kid right? It's a wonder they didn't call the cops and have me on the nightly news! Anyone who supports Hobby Lobby would al