Day 27: Deer and chickens

This is some of the deer tenderloin my friends brought us last night. I cooked some for breakfast this morning,

along with some of my chicken's eggs. Aren't they good lookin' eggs? They're so good too.

And a good cup of coffee to go with breakfast. I am really loving this Coffee Mate natural bliss coffee creamer. It's real milk and cream, sugar and natural flavors. It's also hard to find more than the plain flavor. And in whole milk, not non fat stuff. I did try the low fat chocolate, which is just low fat milk. It was ok. I just don't care for all the low fat- non fat stuff. I want the real thing, ya know? But this is really good.

I am so thankful I can go out the kitchen door and gather fresh eggs from my happy healthy hens every day. They are slowing down some, but what I get we are using fast. I guess no more egg selling for awhile.

Happy eating', ya'll! And Happy Thanksgiving! I'll probably not post tomorrow. Have a great time with family and friends and don't eat too much!

Day 26: Dedicated Farmers and Good Friends

Today was cold and wet and nasty. I had to take Tiny to 2 doctor appointments today. One for an ultrasound on his corroted (?) arteries, and the wound care center. They did say his woulds are shrinking! And it rained the whole time we were out. It really was a crappy day to be out in it. I like to be home on days like this.

We got home and Tiny asked me if I had gotten the bread. Well, no. I get day old bread from this cool artisan bread bakery in Chattanooga on Tuesdays. And I forgot to get it before we went home. So headed back to town. Only a 35 mile one way trip.

The Main St. Farmer's Market was today instead of Wed. so I went there first. This is most of what I got there. I just want to say how much I am thankful for these people. It was cold, wet, rainy and downright nasty out, but these farmers came to the market anyway. Great people, these farmers. And look at all this good organic, locally grown food we get to eat now. I love it! We will have no money for the next 2 weeks, but we will eat good!

Then when I got home, my friends from up the road called. They had something for us and wanted to know if they could bring it down. I said yes, of course, come on over! They brought us half of a deer! 2 legs and a bunch of tenderloin. So I am so thankful for good friends who share their bounty. I cut up 3 pounds of stew meat, 3 small roasts, got 4 baggies of tenderloin (which we will have some with eggs for breakfast tomorrow morning) a small bone in shoulder roast and some boneless shoulder meat. I think that's all. And 4 nice leg bones for Bubba and Stella. They are munching on 2 right now. Full of good marrow. Yum! Happy thankful doggies they are. So thank you, sweet deer, for feeding us.

And it's now 84 degrees in this house. It did finally stop raining. The animals are NOT thankful for all the mud and muck. Me either, really. I know there is a purpose for it all, but I don't like it one bit. Especially when I have to be out in it. I don't like hauling hay in this mess. But I am thankful I have hay. And dry shelters for all the animals.

I hope you all are warm and dry right now. And if anyone knows how to spell that words up there, let me know and I'll change it. Spell check is no help at all.

Day 25: WOOD HEAT!!!!

We finally got the wood heater all hooked up and full of wood! It took way too long and a lot of bad words, but we did it. I hope anyway. We had so much trouble out of this heater last winter, with smoke pouring out the door every time I opened it to put wood in. Smoke coming out of the pipes. We finally figured out that the pipes were blocked with creosote. So we stopped using it.

We went to Ace and got some poles that hook onto the chimney brush. Got the chimney all swept and cleaned. All new pipes. Fixed the opening in the fireplace with sheet metal so no air gets out that way. We have learned that this heater needs to be burned HOT. Like we need to leave dampers open so the fire gets super hot and keeps the pipes cleaned.

As you can see, withing just a few minutes, this is the temp in here. And it's so nice! I love wood heat. It's WARM heat. But it sure is hard work. How many times that wood makes us warm. Cutting it, loading and unloading it. Stacking it. Loading it onto the wagon and hauling it to the house. Then hauling it up the steps into the house. That's a lot of sweat already right there.

It ain't pretty, but it sure is a nice thing to have when it's cold outside. And we are in for some nasty weather the next few days here. Possible snow and sleet. We have plenty of wood so we should be nice and warm now!

I'm sorry I am so late on these posts. But I had to take Tiny to a new doctor this morning and it turned into several hours. Then all the wood heater work. I was a bit irritable to say the least.

Day 24: It's COLD out there!

This is not really a thankful post, as I don't like to be cold anymore. But it's freezing outside! I had to wear the old Carhart jacket this morning. And my fingers were frozen. I have some nice warm felted wool gloves that I love and they keep my hands toasty warm. But when I'm throwing hay to starving animals, I just want my hands free. And when I milked Penelope, they got warmed up real good! She probably didn't like it though.

Up until I turned 50, I loved winter. I always said I'd love to live in Alaska. I didn't like being hot at all. But then, when I turned 50, it seemed like I could not get warm enough. Couldn't put on enough clothes or blankets. Slept with 2 down comforters. And still cold. So now I've changed my mind and would like to live in Hawaii instead. When they build a bridge to Hawaii, I'll go.

I let the sheep in the back yard awhile ago. There was some green grass. And lots of leaves. So they are happy. I also cut some privet for the goats. It's slim pickins out there. I am ready for spring! How bout ya'll?

(This picture was taken out the back door of the laundry room. The door fell off the other day and hasn't been fixed yet. So I laid it across the opening to keep the sheep out of the laundry room. I keep my bread grain out there too.)

Day 23: My crazy, whacky, wonky family.

 I am so thankful for all these people that belong to me. I love them all. They mean so much to me. And this is just part of them. At my step dad's memorial get together we had back in June. I miss Gary.

My brother Mark came up from Colorado. He has a daughter, Phoebe, who had his first grandson, Austin, who is 4 I think. And a son, Zach, who has his second grandchild, Abby, who just turned 3. They all live in Colorado and couldn't come for the memorial.

Everyone NOT quite ready for the group pic.

This is one of those pictures where a goofy kid pops up and does something silly right at the moment of taking the picture. Kansas of course.












My beautiful baby sister Heidi and her brood. Oldest daughter Audrey with her dog, Heidi, middle daughter Emilee with her 2 girls Aubree in her lap and Taylor standing, then Samantha in front.

              My oldest daughter Heather 2nd with her daughters. Oldest Chloe, Coryn then Kansas.

 
              And the goofy guys: my brother Mark, son-in-law Jason and hubby Tiny, acting all silly.

                                           My youngest daughter Abby with her hubby Jason.

                                         This was at my house with all the girls, acting silly as usual.

Coryn and Chloe on piano bench with Kansas acting like a dog with Taylor. Silly kids!

And of course my wonderful sweet Momma, Iris, who started all this craziness of a family. Love ya, Mom!

I do love them all. And wish Phoebe and Zach and their kids could have been here with us. I miss them, so far away. So today, I am very thankful I have a family, however crazy and weird they are.

Finally found it.

 I have been looking for this black notebook since the Turkey shoot a few weeks ago. It's where I write down all my sales at the farmer's markets and craft fairs. I always keep about $15 in the baggie for change.

So, since I haven't been able to go to market the past few weeks, I thought I could use that money right now. But couldn't find it. Just a few minutes ago, my husband came in here to tell me something and I looked over at the printer and there it was. Practically right under my nose. I mean literally less than a foot away from me. Good grief!

So I opened it up to get the money out and there's a 20 dollar bill laying across the ones. Huh. I have NO idea where it came from. But it sure will come in handy. Well, I do know where it came from.

Day 21: Random Thankfulness

I missed a whole day! I am so tired and my mind isn't working right now. I can't even think of a title for this post. I feel so random at the moment. I should be so thankful for my husband's health right now. That he's home and is SO much better than he was a few weeks ago. And that he's safe. And that I am able to take care of him while he recovers from whatever it was that got ahold of him and made him so sick. He's so happy to be home. I know he'll get better and better each day. Just being home makes all the difference for this man.

I must admit, I am feeling sorry for myself. I don't even know why really. It seems like when it rains, it pours. We were not ready for this at all. The other day, on a wild goose chase, wasting precious gas, wasting time waiting for a prescription to be filled, I got a little mad. I cried and screamed like a spoiled brat. I did this in my car, driving down the road in the middle of  nowhere. And I had sun glasses on. And I felt better after this happened. I mean, I was hollering at God, myself, my husband, who ever was out there listening. Just a big old fashioned pity party, all by myself. I think it helped, just to let off steam. I guess I needed to do that. I can't even explain why. It just happened.

But then, when I looked out the back window that evening and saw the sky, I was reminded of how I am not alone in all this. I saw God's glory and awesomeness. It was literally ALL around me, everywhere I looked. The sky was lit up in these brilliant colors, all around. I went to the back and then saw the side and the front yard. It was all just so amazing. And it just got more and more beautiful as time went on. God is good, all the time! He will provide. He will be here for me. He will see us through this, just like He has so many times before. And yet I doubt. I am human. I worry. I get mad. And then He does this.

                                   And my animals do things like this to make me laugh. This is Alex, saying hello, on top of the chicken tractor. He's so sweet.

And this crazy silly dog! She had a big flat bread I threw outside. And when she sees me coming, she flops over on her back for me to scratch her belly. She is so silly, this dog. I love her.

So there is plenty to keep me laughing. I just need to look around. And sometimes, it's right in front of my face.

Thank you all for voting for my story about my funny husband.