Memorial Day 2018

I would like to take a moment to thank all the veterans out there on this day, as we remember those who gave all in service to our country. We should all thank God we live in this country, even with all our problems the USA is still the best country in the world in my opinion. So if you are out and about just enjoying a day off, at least take a moment to think about those who serve so that we may enjoy our freedoms. Thank You, and God Bless You.

Homestead Update 4/8/2018

I had a new pole barn built in the back area of the homestead this past week. First, the truck showed up with the supplies. I was worried they would not be able to carry the material to the back where it needed to be but the man said “no problem. This forklift has wheels that rotate so it can move sideways.”

Sure enough, he picked up the material, turned the wheels, and slipped right down the gravel path beside the barn.

There is the opening I cleared out by the creek.

The men laid out the square where the posts would be set then used a post hole digger attachment on a skid steer to bore the holes.

They set the posts then used the skid steer to lift and place the steel trusses.

Soon, they had it finished.

And by soon, I meant REALLY soon. Those 5 young Mennonites had that 24X30 barn up and finished in three hours. I kid you not! It would have taken me and my three employees 5 days to do what they did in 3 hours, that is why I was willing to pay them $1900 to put it up for me. I am going to enclose the barn on three sides with my employees and myself, but there is no hurry on that.

I already have two posts installed for the back wall and I am waiting for the concrete to set up and I will continue slowly but surely on the walls. I’ll keep you updated on my progress. Until then, keep prepping everyone.

He is risen! Spread the good news!

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices so that they might go to anoint Jesus’ body. Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb and they asked each other, “Who will roll the stone away from the entrance of the tomb?”

 

But when they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had been rolled away. As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man dressed in a white robe sitting on the right side, and they were alarmed.

“Don’t be alarmed,” he said. “You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, ‘He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.’ ”

Trembling and bewildered, the women went out and fled from the tomb. They said nothing to anyone, because they were afraid.

Mark 16:1-8

I hope you all have a glorious Easter, may God bless us all.

Homestead Update 3/31/2018

Yes, I’m back. I took a break from posting this winter but Spring is just around the corner. We had a really cold winter with two different spells of temperatures in the low single digits. Before the weather turned bad, I made sure we were prepared. I laid in a supply of firewood, serviced and ran the generators, checked the battery powered lights, bought kerosene for the lanterns and heaters, and made sure we had plenty of water and food stored in the pantry. Fortunately we didn’t need any of that but it is good to be prepared.

We also had two light snow events such as this one where we received about 6 inches. I stepped out on the porch and snapped this photo just at sunrise and I thought it was pretty.

I had my trail cams out behind the house and I saw this nice buck.

I also saw this scraggly spike buck.

A nice close-up of this little Doe.

During one of the cold spells, we built a fire in the fireplace. At first, Brandi was afraid of the fire due to the popping and crackling sounds, but soon she decided “Hey I kinda like this!” She just stretched out and laid there like a big dog.

The temperatures were low enough to kill the broccoli planted in the raised beds. I have it replanted now so there should be enough time for the new broccoli to make before hot weather comes. More to come, keep prepping everyone!

Homestead Update 12/30/2017

The weatherman is predicting night time temperatures in the single digits for the next few days so I have been preparing. I know you Northerners are accustomed to these temps and you stay prepared but it is rare for us to be in the single digits. I pulled my two generators out and cranked them up and let them run making sure they were ready. I bought 15 gallons of Kerosene for my heaters and lamps. It is a big pain getting kerosene out of a 5 gallon can into these items so I bought this fuel pump. I had one that is a manual model but it doesn’t work too well, but this battery model is the cat’s meow! Just flip the switch and it pumps away. I wish I had bought one sooner. I wrapped my outside water faucets with insulation to keep them from freezing. The faucets are the only thing I have exposed, I hope I covered them enough!

I worry about Jethro and Wilma in these bitter temps, but I have made them as comfortable as possible. Brandi goes out with me in the mornings when I feed them and she wears her insulated vest for two reasons. One is to keep warm, but the other is to have a bright fluorescent color to dissuade the Coopers Hawks from swooping down and snatching her up. Without her vest, she looks just like a rabbit running across the yard! I take her out and check all around before I put her down, but I still keep her close to me. Keep prepping everyone!

Merry Christmas! 12/25/2017

Here’s wishing everyone a Merry Christmas! I hope each one of you is spending your day with family and friends. With all the hustle and bustle of the season, let us not forget the true meaning of Christmas. Jesus is the reason for the season, may God Bless you all!

Homestead Update 12/23/17

Well, it’s been a while since I have been here hasn’t it? I thought about the end of the year being near and I looked back to see what I had actually accomplished around here and I realized not much. I did manage to get a few routine chores done but not much in the way of big projects.

I came home one day and found this Shepherd mix on my front porch. I checked his collar and he didn’t have a name tag. He was very friendly and I could tell he was very frightened and lost. I figured he would leave and go home on his own but after a couple of days he showed no sign of leaving. We posted him on Facebook and eventually we found his owner. Turns out, I actually knew his owner so I am sure he got back to his real home. Sweet Thing didn’t know it, but I was making plans in my head to keep the dog if no one claimed him.

I pulled my professional chipper-shredder out of storage after 3 years to get it started. I checked the oil and discovered the crankcase was full of gasoline which had leaked into the case. Not good! I changed the oil and started it up. It ran about 30 seconds before bright blue smoke came out of the exhaust the the engine shut down. I took off the carburetor and cleaned it up with carburetor cleaner. I put the carb back on the the engine and it ran like a sewing machine. Hard to believe after it has been stored all that time without being properly stored or started. I guess I got lucky on that one.

I went into a convenience store recently and as I was walking in I noticed this garbage can. There were at least a dozen honey bees buzzing around it. They were feeding on the sticky residue from the spilled sodas and such. All of the natural forage was gone for the winter but since the temperature was 70 degrees the bees were out foraging anyway.

 

I am going to try a different style of bee hive next summer as an experiment.  This is a Layens style hive. It is like a combination of a top bar hive and a langstroth  hive. It is constructed with 2 by dimension lumber so all of the sides and bottom are 1.5 inches of solid wood. This is intended to give superior insulation power. The hive is also narrow, deep, and dark inside which more closely mimics a bee’s natural home in a hollow tree. I will let you know how this works out later next year.

I attended a business meeting last week at the world famous Peabody Hotel in Memphis. The hotel was beautifully decorated for Christmas and we were entertained by a Choral Group from a local middle school singing Christmas carols.

While I attended the meeting, Sweet Thing attended a painting class where she painted this snowman. Apparently that is the latest thing around here to hold classes where the participants are giving painting instructions. Not to mention socializing and drinking lots of wine!

Keep prepping everyone!! Oh, I almost forgot it’s almost Christmas! How about a tune from Bing Crosby? Enjoy.

 

Trout Fishing

Last week I spent some time in North Arkansas (God’s Country). I went trout fishing on the White River. The weather was beautiful, but the tree foliage had just started to turn.

Never the less, we caught a lot of fish and had lots of fun.

We ate good too! Chicken Fried Chicken, fries, pinto beans, biscuits and gravy. That’s what I call dinner! Keep prepping everyone!

Homestead Update 11/11/17

Fall finally arrived here at the homestead and the trees are starting to show their colors.

I planted an acre of greens in the back bottom right before we received an inch of rain and I got a tremendous emergence! I have more German Mustard, Florida Mustard, and Turnips than we could ever pick. Oh well, I am willing to share them with the deer and other wildlife.

I still have some flowers blooming in the wildflower garden, but I don’t know what they are. The flowers look like cosmos, but some of them are 8 feet tall! Hopefully, next Spring I will have a good emergence from the flowers I had this this Summer that went to seed. And yes, I know that bee hive is leaning badly, I will get out there and straighten it up today. Keep prepping everyone!

Veterans Day

I wanted to remind everyone that today is a special day, Veterans Day. I wanted to ask everyone to think about what that really means. There are men and women who have fought and died for your freedom so we can stay here and enjoy the lives we all have. I think all those knuckleheads who are taking a knee and the other protests have a legal right to do so. But many of them would just as soon spit on a soldier as thank him or her. It’s ironic that the soldier is putting his life on the line so the protester can have the freedom to do what they are doing. Even many of our military who are not serving in an active battle zone are still making extreme sacrifices on our behalf. Many of them are away from the birth of their children, hearing them say their first word or take their first step. They miss birthdays, ballet dances, ball games, recitals and all the hundreds of everyday blessings we take for granted. So today if you see someone in uniform, thank them for their service and shake their hand. They are the reason you and I have the freedoms we sometimes take for granted.

Thank you Veterans!