This is supposed to be a comment on Aunt Carolyn’s Blog, but the wavy words think that I am a robot.
Aunt Carolyn- My middle name is German spelling, unlike Libby’s ‘May’ mine is M-a-e.
Amy- It is really good at washing clothes. My recipe does not leave a smell either. Aaron says that you guys are opposed to heavy smells. I haven’t tried it on his clothes yet though. 
Since they read this, (and I am assuming subcribed to me), they’ll read this too.
Last week, I boiled one of the chickens from the second butchering at the farm. The chickens were tough and not really good for anything but canning and soup. After a few hours in the pot, I ladled a few gallons of stock into mason jars and picked the meat off of the bones.
The stock will go into the freezer. Aaron and I will use the meat in sweet and sour chicken and BBQ dishes. The bones I gave to my cat…and whatever she didn’t eat off of went into the chicken pen at the farm. That’s a lot of bones for one cat and Alley has a habit of disappointing me when I give her something I think she will really like.
Aaron and I had a good Valentine’s Day. I woke up at around 9:30 due to the fact that Aaron put a Styrofoam board under our memory foam mattress, needless to say I slept quite well. We watched Mutiny On The Bounty. I walked on the tread mill, while he worked on trim. Then went out to eat at Ponderosa.
After that we drove around the countryside, through Oil City and back up M 20. We went nice and slow. I like it when Aaron takes me for rides. He checks out what the farmers are doing and I comment on the houses and people’s gardens. We went by a place that had work horses and I exclaimed “Oh!” when I saw a few geese nibbling at the ground, at the edge of a fence.
Lately, I have been reading up on different livestock. Ducks, Geese, Chickens, Pigs , Goats and Cows. I have read a little bit on sheep but I don’t think I will really get into sheep. They are pretty, but I read and heard about how they can get sick very easily and that they are so batty that they could die of a heart attack from just hearing thunder. Plus, Aaron hates sheep.
If it were up to me, I would probably get some type of fowl and maybe a pig or cow, if I thought I were able to handle raising something for slaughter. Aaron has been kicking around the idea of getting a few steers to raise for meat. Whenever I find myself thinking that I might not be able to handle it, I try to think about Genesis and how man is supposed to rule over and care for the beasts.
When Tuxedo died I was heart-broken for a few reasons, one was because he was my pet. But livestock are different, you make a living by them, one way or another. I was reminded of that when I was watching Sarah, Plain and Tall on DVD and Sarah was upset because a coyote killed a lamb, and after a bad storm Jacob said that they might have to sell the sheep.
A few weeks ago , Mom Cook asked me what color calf I would like. I didn’t think it would be wise to choose a color I liked if it was going to get slaughtered anyway, but if I were to pick one for milking I probably would pick a Jersey because of their big eyes or one with a unique coloring and I would probably give it some stylish old lady name. I would ask Betsy about stylish old lady names because she works at a local nursing home.
That seems to be the habit with me, whenever I think of getting animals someday it goes like this…
What are they going to be used for? If for slaughter, then I would get a breed suited for that, give them no names, etc. Like, if I were to get chickens- If I wanted eggs I would get the black and white barred kind because they are so pretty, but if I wanted meat I would probably get the white ones like what Libby had.
Like most of my musings I have this all written down. Where else would I be able to keep track of all the ideas I get? These all aren’t immediate plans just notions I get and store away for later. And like some, I don’t like to share, sometimes I think my ideas are impractical, consider yourself fortunate that I posted this much. J
It has been 8 days since Aaron had his surgery. He is doing great! The tumor was bigger then the doctor thought and it was a source of pain that he was having. So now that it is removed Aaron is feeling much better and he is able to move his arm around more. We have had a good past week being able to spend more time together. Actually, I am getting spoiled having him around so much. We cook together, watch movies, talk, he is able to do small home improvement projects. His countenence altogether is more cheerful. We are so thankful and blessed by Our Lord through this whole experience and we are ready to move forward.
— — —
And now for something completly different…
Our garden:
Green House or Porch
Herb Garden Additions
Flowers
Plants that will have their own areas
When I showed my list to Aaron he told me that I had to compete with his dad’s garden size. But when he found out a good chunk of them were salads he told me that a lot of it would fit in our garden, except my squash.
The annual herbs and flowers will be put into pots or baskets, some might be put throught the garden to attract bees and butterflies. The perennial herbs will go in the ground. The perennial flowers will be in the flower beds around the house. And if I have excess I might give away a few healthy plants, but we will see.
Seeds I already have
The lima and wax beans, lettuce and carrots will defiantly be planted. As for the others I might give a few away. The seeds are old and the seeds from the catalog are better than the store bought kind.
This year I am going to keep better track of planting times, when certain crops will need to be thinned, etc. I also made a list of items that I need. I have a few trellises to make, potting soil, shelves for the greenhouse. etc. I need at least 96 feet worth or trellises and supports for my climbing plants, Cement tubes to have the celery grow in, tires or containers for potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Another thing I want to do in the summer is sell more things at market and at roadside. So I need to write up stuff and prepare for that. Boy, am I going to be busy. I probably don’t know how busy.
What a heavy work load I have ahead. Gardening, blueberries, trimming apple trees, market, housework. Whew. I’m excited about it though. And maybe I’ll be so busy I won’t be as down in the mouth as I was last summer!
