My Monday Musings

I haven't had musings in a while. ☺

We don't have cable. Air conditioning either. The other night I even said to Jim that it seems silly to run the dishwasher with just the two of us. This almost makes us sound backward.
I don't care. I'm a simple gal.

Jim getting things ready to take down the old antenna and put up the new.
Wouldn't you be nervous if you were me??
I can't climb that tower, but I stayed outside every time he did.

 Speaking of no cable. Our antenna tv coverage has been horrible this summer. To the point where we watch the local morning news and, even though I sometimes leave the tv on during the day for noise (although silence is real nice sometimes!), most of the stations putter out in the afternoon and evening. We just weren't watching much tv in the evening. Mostly Netflix, if at all. No tv is not a bad thing, but there are some things we like to watch (I love PBS!). So, we bought a new antenna and cable, a booster and rotater. The works. Hey, we don't spend money on cable so figured we'd flip for the new stuff. Our antenna is mounted on top of a windmill tower (that's where it was when we bought the place) and that seemed a good place for it to stay put. Jim had a lot of prep work to do and YIKES that was stressful. For me! The worst was when he was finally ready to take the antenna up. He climbed 35 feet with the antenna (about 10 feet by 4 feet) on a 3 foot pole. Talk about panic (ME). I was so relieved when he got it up there and mounted. I kept saying, "Please let's call Jon (our son) and have him come help!" Jim would reply, "He can't really help me carry it up." He was right, but it was definitely not a one-man-climb-a-tower-toting-antenna kind of job. And it will not happen again! He even admitted that when he was done. But all's well that ends well. Our stations all come in (plus a couple extra) and so crisp and clear. I WAS ABLE TO WATCH PBS LAST NIGHT!

Our new antenna.
Jim toted that thing all the way up there and installed it BY HIMSELF!
I took no pictures of him doing the actual carrying up and installing because I was too busy having a panic attack.

I've started letting our chickens free range. Not every day and not when Sosha is coming (I think the two dogs together might not be good for the chickens). They love it. They wander all over the place. They're not very smart though. Sometimes they get on the other side of a fence and can't figure out how to get back. I usually know where to look for them if I haven't seen them in a while. When they see me, they run to greet me (I'd be more flattered, but I know they're looking for food) and sometimes they follow me around. I feel like such a mother hen! And they head back at bedtime to their cozy little henhouse.

The girls enjoying the freedom of the yard.

Jim and I have been over two weeks on our own and have survived it so far. House seems quieter, neater, emptier. Not so much from Jamie moving, as from Sosha and Ricky. Going from two dogs and a cat down to one dog makes a huge difference in the fur factor. And my allergies. Sosha had a little trouble at first, but seems to do okay when her mom's at work as long as she can't get upstairs to the bedrooms. We kinda miss them, but it's okay. Everyone is close by. On to a whole new chapter!

And we had a little scare with Duke. It all turned out okay, but I'll let him talk about it on Duker-day.

Duker-day...and the horrible week

Duke here.

As some of you may know, my mom and sister went away for a whole week to something called LauraPalooza. Well, actually it was two weeks, but I got to go to where she was for the second week. That was a good week and I'll talk about that next week.

But that first week? It was horrible.

I knew something was up when I saw her packing the suitcases. And I know from experience that the suitcases mean that I'm not going. I know that when I'm going on the trip, she packs in the huge thing called a dufflebag . I don't know why. I just know that suitcases means I'm staying home.

And Sosha shared in my misery.

And she packed both her suitcases and then she packed some extra bags. I knew that this was not good.

My mom wants you to know that behind me is the door to the shop. That's why it's so dirty.

Very early that Monday morning, Mom and Jamie got into Jamie's car...and they were gone. And it was very quiet here. And things just weren't the same. On top of all that, Dad was very busy and Sosha and I were left home alone for very long days. It was a bad week. Every night Dad talked to Mom and that made me happy. I never got to talk to her, but just knowing that Dad was talking to her made things a little better.

Even if I banged on the front window to be let in, no one was in the house to let me in.

The house was quiet. Not that we got to spend much time in it since we were outside all day. No little breaks in the house like Mom gives us when she's there. No following Mom to the chicken coop and begging for the treats she gives the chickens. Just Dad. And he was always in a hurry. Especially for the the last couple of days.

Old picture (obviously it didn't snow while they were gone).
And no one was here to take pictures.

What last couple of days, you ask? The last couple of days before he loaded up the car, opened the door and told us to hop in, and we left! Then the very good week began! And I'll talk about that next Duker-day.

This is me the last time I took that wonderful trip!

Duker-day...And The Sad Day

Yesterday after lunch, my dad noticed that a chicken was missing. Everyone looked all over, but could not find her.

Later, my dad decided to look off the trail into the woods and found where she had been taken... :-(

I swear. I promise. We had nothing to do with it...

Monday Musings

Monday is easier to face when you've experienced such a great weekend, as I did!

Let's see what's been going on?
First of all, I've gotten a few compliments on my header picture of the mums and I must give photo credit to my daughter, Jamie. Technically it is my picture as she took it with my camera ☺, but she did take the picture...last fall actually. I love it.

The past week didn't end up going well for our Detroit Tigers, but they had a great season and there's always next year. Plus, yesterday was the first loss of the season for our Detroit Lions, but still they are doing so well. I understand the Red Wings are undefeated so far - correct me if I'm wrong. It's been good to be a Detroit sports fan. I'm actually not a huge sports fan, but I do follow what's going on and support our teams through good seasons and not-so-good seasons.

Let's see...what else has gone on in the last week? Oh, Jamie and I went to see the local production of "To Kill A Mockingbird" (her favorite book). She treated me to dinner and the theater. A lovely evening. On Saturday, she's going to enjoy going to a Laura Ingalls Wilder musical with me. And I'm buying lunch afterwards!

My chickens are averaging four eggs a day. That means we have two slackers. Just kidding. I love my chickens. We are going to have to net the top of their yard as we have had an occasional flyer. Last week, Jim was working just outside his shop when he saw Duke trying to pick up a chicken who had flown the coop. He ran over yelling for Duke to drop her and, when he did, the chicken ran right over to Jim! I'm convinced that Duke was just going to bring her up to the house to show me she had escaped! But I am taking it seriously. I don't even want to think of what could have happened. Duke is a dog, after all, and that's what dogs do...

Yesterday, my nephew received the rank of Eagle. If you're wondering...that's just the highest rank that a Boy Scout can earn! I know that Duke touched on this event Saturday. The weather was beautiful (although we were all worried there for a few days), the ceremony was perfect, and we are all so very proud of Caleb. He is a really great kid!

Here's our newest Eagle Scout and his very proud grandmother.

I'll share more pictures soon.

And one more thing...have you been waiting for me to post about my giveaway? My apologies. Busy time right now. I promise that it will happen!

Monday's Musings #5

Monday...Monday...

I had a lot on my mind when Jim and I left to go north a week ago Friday. There were some decisions that I felt that I needed to make about things that I am doing and what better time to do the thinking than when your mind can be empty of  "work stuff"?

Beautiful morning visitors on the lake.

At the cabin, there is no computer access and I have an old-fashioned cell phone. So, I went old school and wrote. Yep, I had a notebook and a pen and I wrote. What did I write? Well, I wrote about the cabin, of course! I loved the writing part of it! All these years it's what I always wanted to be doing, but was always thinking I wasn't good enough or I was waiting for the right time. I want to keep up the notebook and pen writing.

A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.  ~E.B. White

I love to write! It doesn't matter if I'm no good. It matters that I enjoy it.

The decisions that I wanted to make had to do with some things in my life that I thought I should cut back on or give up entirely.
I cannot give them up.
They are things that I love too much to see leaving my life forever. What I need to do is set my priorities straight. That, my dear friends, is my next goal! :-) I will always be a work in progress.

The chickens' first gift to me!

Guess what! My chickens started laying eggs!!! I have collected five beautiful, lovely brown eggs since Sunday! Jim set up a chicken cam too! Isn't that the greatest? I can turn on tv and watch my chickens in their little house while they're settling down for the night. I haven't been watching much tv lately, but this is definitely must see tv! :-) I would share it with you all...if only I knew how. :-(
Oh, and I have to tell the story of how I discovered the eggs:
Jim and Jamie had been doing a fine job of taking care of the girls for me while I was not feeling well. For some reason, on Sunday, Jim was rather insistent that it was time for me to go take care of my chickens. He was really bugging me about it. So out I went, telling Jim that I was still sporting a fever of almost 101 on the way. I talked to the girls who came to see if I had any good treats with me greet me and opened the door to the coop to start cleaning it.
And I discovered two eggs. Jim knew they were there and wanted me to be the one to find them (and he didn't expect me to clean the coop). What a guy. This beats a dozen roses anytime!

Okay, so I've not been feeling well and every time I'm not feeling well I have very strange dreams. I've not been sleeping well either for over a week. Except for Saturday, I've just slept in bits and pieces, but apparently sometimes long enough to dream -
I've never been on a cruise...till last night. I had a dream that I was on a cruise ship all alone. Well, not quite all alone. There were also three pirates and I had to fight them off. I did too. I found that I could render them helpless by a good blow to the shins with a large branch that I had found.
Where would one find a large branch on a cruise ship? Why was I alone? And what kind of pirate is rendered helpless by a blow to the shins?

This is a group picture of the girls from a couple of months ago. They were still just babes then.

I realize that I'm rambling. I guess I have to find a better way to go about writing about random things in my simple happy life...

I am truly blessed. Have a wonderful morning/afternoon/evening (whichever you are celebrating ☺)!

This, That. and The Other

And that's exactly what I'm talking about today --

• My chicks are growing like crazy and they give me a chuckle each and every day. I never thought having chickens would bring me a little joy (and a lot of stink) but they do.
• We spent the evening last night at our son's house. Just the five of us celebrating Brittany's (Jon's girlfriend) birthday. She's a Fourth of July baby. Chinese take-out, birthday cake and nursing school bday presents for Brittany (we're happy that she's starting nursing school this fall☺). We're a kind of low-key family, not overly demonstrative, but I hope Brittany knows that we do love her!
• One year ago today (well tomorrow if you go by the date, but it was Tuesday), we left to head to Mankato, Minnesota and LauraPalooza. Beyond Little House is having a LauraPalooza event this week into next, looking back at last year's LauraPalooza and forward to next year's. I will be sharing a memory or two next week over there and a little more in depth right here (because I may tend to go on and on☺)
• Also on Beyond Little House last week, I posed a question: "What kind of fan are you?" regarding what, as a Laura Ingalls Wilder fan, might you collect, if anything besides the "Little House" books. My collecting has evolved over the years from books, to knickknacks, to antiques of items mentioned in the books or that Laura, herself, may have had. I have a hankering to talk about it more in depth here because, as I mentioned above, I tend to go on when in comes to LIW. Is anyone interested in seeing and hearing more about my collection here on this blog?
• Every year wrens nest in the same birdhouse in our backyard. They are my very favorite birdsong to listen to and one of the reasons I don't have a/c, so that I can have my windows open...especially early in the morning when all the birds are greeting the new day with their beautiful song.
• Call me crazy, but I've decided that my beloved pup, Duke, has enough to say that I'm devoting a day a week here to him. He'll share pictures, his thoughts, maybe a short (or long) story. It'll be every Saturday, but we're calling it...Duker-day!

I thinks that's it for the This and That. So, here The Other:

 Jamie, from From My Classroom Window (who also happens to be my daughter☺) tagged me and gave me two awards. Thanks Jamie! I already have one of them and here's the other:

I'm supposed to tell you seven random facts about myself, tag people and pass the award onto five people. Let's see...can I think of seven random facts that I haven't already talked about here:

1. Daisies are my favorite flower.
2. I can count on one hand the number of nights Jim and I were away from our kids while they were growing up. I don't regret it, but now that they're adults I'm cherishing the times Jim and I can get away on our own for a weekend.
3. I wonder why, at 50, I know what I want and I can get there, but I just don't...(I know what I mean!)
4. It's easier to think of seven negative facts about myself than it is the more random or positive ones I'm trying to come up with. And it's taking waaaay too long to think of them!
5. I wrestle with the fact that, for the first time in over 25 years, I don't volunteer for anything. I enjoy the freedom, but feel a little empty.
6. I feel my children are my greatest accomplishment. Other than that, I often feel that I have failed in most other aspects of my life.
7. I used to be a cat person, but then Duke came along.

Okay...who to tag and pass the award to?

1. Debbie at Debbie's Digest
2. Retired Knitter at My Next 20 Years of Living
3. Delores at thefeatherednest
4. Julie at Empty Nest Insider
5. Just Stuff From A Boomer

You know I hate picking people. Maybe that should be another random fact about me...

A Little of This and A Little of That

• First of all, thanks for all of your well wishes after my last post about my IBS. I really never wanted to talk about it, but am just trying to find a way to deal with it so decided to put it out there...
• I got one of those surveys for jury duty. That wouldn't bother me so much, except it'll be in Detroit which I'm afraid of driving in and then there's these IBS flares that I'm having. Hopefully everything will fall right if I get picked.
• My husband, daughter, son and I had a nice get-together for Father's Day. It was just...nice.
• I ♥ my family!
• My little chickens are growing like crazy and never fail to entertain me!
• My daughter has a job interview this afternoon. For a teaching job. In Michigan. Please send her good thoughts! She would have to move away, but it's only 3 1/2 hours. I could handle that much better than Georgia!
• Hmmm...that's all folks...

Look who came to join our family!

Chicks! Little baby chicks. Don't ask me who is whom (waiting to match the personality with the name), but I introduce to you: Eliza Jane, Alice, Lena, Minnie, Ida, and Hetty!

Brand new chicks in their new home.

Yep. I finally wore Jim down. ☺ He wasn't really thrilled with the idea, thinking that they will eventually be his responsibility. Not that it's ever happened before, but in my defense, those ducks weren't mine either! A few weeks ago, I talked to him about it again. I wanted to be in full agreement. I wouldn't do it if he was dead set against chickens.

 He stopped what he was working on (sweet man that he is), we cleaned out the duck coop (which the dogs have been using as their dog house) and Jim built nesting boxes (not that we need them yet). We decided to put them right in the chicken coop because, believe me, it was safer than the house! Two very interested dogs and a cat. I keep a close eye on the nightime temp in case I need to bring them in for the night. They have a heat lamp and their house is very tight, warm, and cozy.

The like to sit on the edge of the nesting boxes. Practicing their roosting techniques.

Then I decided that maybe we didn't have the money to buy and feed chickens. Then I changed my mind. The cost is pretty minimal actually. So last Friday, Jim had to pick up a few things at our local farm store and asked if I wanted to go. "And get my chickens?" I asked. And we came home with six cute little chicks.

All snuggled in for the night last night.

I'll keep you all updated!!

Taken just this morning. Look at those feathers coming in!

Next up: a garden. We haven't planted a garden in several years. Weeds, allergies, lack of time. This year's the year to begin again though. We're starting small. Wish us luck! If we can ever get it planted. If this darn rain doesn't quit we may have lakeside property...

We're becoming regular farmers!
☺

E-ggs

These are a few of my favorite things:

E is for Eggs

I like eggs. What can I say?
Poached, scrambled, hard-boiled. Yes, even fried. Dunker eggs please!
Don't you think eggs are so versatile and full of protein too? And, although I know I'm not necessarily one to talk about eating healthy, I don't think there's anything wrong with eating eggs. Just don't overdo it. Besides they come out with a study that eggs aren't healthy and then they come out with another that they're okay.

I think I know why I came up with Eggs for my E word.

I really want chickens. My husband doesn't. I would win this battle, except his argument is a valid one. Between the dogs, who are really gentle, but wouldn't understand that chickens aren't to play with, and all of the wild critters that hang around in our woods, I know that it would be tough keeping a little flock of chickens safe. We used to have ducks and raccoons were a big problem. We tried many, and I mean many, ways to keep raccoons out and the raccoons always found a way in. And it's not pretty...

We have a little house that was originally built as a duck house, then was used as a doghouse (and still is, when they feel like taking a nap there). The dogs could give it up. They don't necessarily need a doghouse, although I like that they have someplace to go when they're outside and no one's home, if the weather turns bad. Plus, Jim seems to want to put the garden, that I told him I want to put in, right in what would be the fenced in chicken yard. Darn!

And how did this post about eggs turn into a post about chickens?

Chickens = Eggs. Nice fresh eggs. Everyday.

There's still time to work on talking him into it. ☺