Day 17: He's home!

This is my husband, all ready to leave the hospital this afternoon. After waiting nearly ALL day to be released. It takes forever for them to get it all together.

But they finally let him go. Just in time to get to Walmart to get all his many many prescriptions filled before they closed at 6.

We are home now! He's in his recliner, all covered up and in front of his big 55" flat screen tv. He's a happy man. (And he'll sleep so much better here. No one waking him up every few hours to take blood.) Had a nice warm bowl of home made soup. Had all his pills. His blood sugar was just 145 tonight after eating! It's been way over 200 most of the whole time in the hospital. And once it was 400. I think it was because he was there and laying in bed doing nothing, eating so much starch and carbs and fruit 3 times a day. Plus all the bags and bags of antibiotics all day for 7 days. I had him up and walking the past several days and that helps lower blood sugar and blood pressure.

Now it's back to the hospital Monday, Wednesday and Thursday to see the doctor and foot specialist. Then make appointments for primary care doctor and diabetic doctor. Here we go, with doctors every week! I think him just being out of the hospital and out of that truck and eating good food, he'll be a new man soon.

I am so thankful for all the prayers that went up for this man. Thank you all SO much! I really don't think he'd be home right now without prayer.

Need help with carding wool please!

This is my new Ashford carder. I would love some input here. Because I really don't know if I am doing this right. I'm thinking I have more felt than really good crimped wool.

And this is so not a thankful post right now! Because this is frustrating to me.

Because this looks like a nappy beard here to me. I am adding Alpaca wool to this sheep wool to make it a little softer. Maybe I'm putting too much wool on the carder? It's pretty thick.

                                                    You can see it a little better here.

This is it rolled up. I am loving the blended colors a lot. I'd love to knit a sweater and hat some day from this.

Here is some I added white wool to. I like this color so much. I am drawn to soft warm brown colors.

So the lady at Ketner's Mill who let me use her carder for the very first time, made a really long piece of roving as she took it off the wheel. She took off a little section at a time and it just all stayed together and she rolled it all up in a ball and let me have it. I can't figure out how she did it. When I do it, it's just one small piece and never stays together.

I have to say this is a little frustrating for me. I have not even tried the spinning wheel again. Well, I did once and just cried because I cannot get the wool to go onto the bobbin. No matter which way the wheel spun. I so need help.

But if any of this makes sense and you can figure out what I'm doing, please let me know. I would love to know if I'm just wasting my time right now.

Day 16: Home grown, home raised and home made.

I am so thankful that I can raise and grow my own food right here on our farm. I never use anything processed. Not much store bought. I always make from scratch. If I don't grow it, I buy or barter from the farmer's market. It's just something I have done now for many many years.

I'm making vegetable beef soup from beef I raised. And broth I made from the bones. Tomatoes, basil, corn I grew. Carrots from another farm. Potatoes from the store. I didn't have much luck with potatoes this year.

I am hoping the doctor will let Tiny out, at least by Sunday. He's doing so much better. His feet are looking really good now. He's restless. Wants out of there. He's walking all over the halls. The doctor had to chase him down yesterday. So hopefully he'll get out soon.

I'm cleaning today. Won't mop til I know for sure he's coming home.  It's been raining and I have 2 dogs who come in and out. Like children. So no sense in mopping. I need to make a menu for a week at a time now. I'll need to see what all I have in the freezers and pantry. I have plenty of meat and canned and frozen veggies and fruits. I will start making bread again too. I got lazy getting bread for the pigs and other animals. There was always some really good bread in the bags. I hated to give it to the pigs. But I got lazy and quit making my fresh ground whole wheat bread.

So today, I am thankful for home grown, home raised and home made foods.