A Clear Blue Sky and a Brightly Shining Sun
o/` "open up your ears and hear the breezes say
ev'rything that's cold and gray is gone.
Open up your hands and feel the rain come on down,
taste the wind and smell the flowers' sweet perfume." o/`
-- "Spring" performed by John Denver
Hello, world. It seems like every time I get well enough to return to my favorite activities, I get sick again. I've spent the last two months with an ear infection (finally cleared up, thank the gods, and I even retained my hearing). We had made an appointment with my physician but he couldn't see me until...next week. Most of you already know how I feel about hospitals and emergency rooms and so we treated it at home with such time honored remedies as dry heat, olive oil, and rest.
With the weather getting steadily warmer, we're preparing for the planting season. Much can be said about heirloom plants; our entire garden, with the exception of the peppers, survived all the hard freezes. The tomatoes are now proliferating flowers and a few have already turned into the loveliest grape tomatoes I've ever eaten. We've had home grown lettuce on our burgers and a variety of oriental vegetables in our stir fries. I have a great start on both the culinary and medicinal herb gardens. The catnip has already had to be pruned back once and my pennyroyal --- excellent for certain external fungal infections and a choice flea and tick repellent --- has turned into a little round bush of dark green, pungent leaves.
What we cannot produce, we procure on a weekly basis from the farmer's market. Now that the days wax warmer, I can once more accompany Dorie. I found I'd been missed; everyone asked after my health or had some sort of kind word or blessing for me. The woman who sells us our plants has become a friend and sometimes we talk for at least an hour. She knows absolutely everything there is to know about most plants which grow in this area and if she doesn't know, she either looks it up or knows someone who knows the answer. This lady won my heart with her collection of rare and hard-to-find succulents. I now have six Living Stones, an uncounted number of jades and agaves, an numerous varieties of cacti. I also now have, because of her, a Swedish ivy, and Dorie has a key lime and a limequat tree. The front deck looks like an exotic forest sprouted up on it.
We need to improve the land and maintain what we have; we have reached the limit of what a lawn tractor and multi-use weed trimmer can do. Mr. Shapeshifter and Dee have been putting away a little bit of a time from their cheques toward purchasing an actual farm tractor. They pooled their funds and we finally have enough for a down payment. It's a John Deere 3000 series, which includes the trailer on which to haul it, a front loader, and an implement by which we can help maintain the road. This purchase will enable us to level the cleared land and to fill in some of the low areas for improved drainage. Within the year, we'll have the acreage prepared for my beloved horses.
The main objective this spring, aside from improved production from the garden, will be moving the dog run to the front of the house. The old 10x10 kennel will be converted to a chicken run and a coop installed. I've several blueprints from which to work which have been successfully executed by other homesteaders. We haven't decided which breeds we want other than something large enough for meat production which will also lay well. We're looking at Orpingtons, Jersey Giants, and Wyandottes with one rooster only for obvious purposes. Eventually I want to expand the flock to include guinea hens (they eat parasites and insects), some ducks and geese, and a peacock pair. Peacocks, I'm told, make absolutely wonderful pets if handled properly as a hatchling.
I've also begun looking for reliable breeders from whom I might purchase a pup to be trained for service. Anubis is still working, but he's getting old and his hips are starting to bother him. He deserves to spend his later years as a pampered pet alongside Freyja, who was fourteen years old this year. Since I don't walk for any length of time, we don't need a large breed. After some investigation and talking to others who use service dogs and have multiple disabilities, I've concluded that a beagle would be best. What I need most now is an animal which will form a strong attachment with its handler and whose primary abilities include scenting and retrieving. There's a good prospect living only thirty minutes away. They only breed beagles and they've done so for decades (it's a family run kennel). They'll even take back the dog if it becomes impossible for the owner to keep it (not a problem here but there's a rather touching story about it on their web site). I'll send an e-mail, start a dialogue, and see if something can be worked out. Obviously we're not quite ready to get a new puppy, but I don't want a gap in service. The puppy will need training and will need to be ready to step in when Anubis does retire.
This year will be the final season for therealljidol and of course I couldn't resist participating. That, at least, is something I can readily update and work on from any device instead of needing to sit at the big computer in my office. I am hoping like hell I won't get sick enough again to have to exercise that option, though.
ev'rything that's cold and gray is gone.
Open up your hands and feel the rain come on down,
taste the wind and smell the flowers' sweet perfume." o/`
-- "Spring" performed by John Denver
Hello, world. It seems like every time I get well enough to return to my favorite activities, I get sick again. I've spent the last two months with an ear infection (finally cleared up, thank the gods, and I even retained my hearing). We had made an appointment with my physician but he couldn't see me until...next week. Most of you already know how I feel about hospitals and emergency rooms and so we treated it at home with such time honored remedies as dry heat, olive oil, and rest.
With the weather getting steadily warmer, we're preparing for the planting season. Much can be said about heirloom plants; our entire garden, with the exception of the peppers, survived all the hard freezes. The tomatoes are now proliferating flowers and a few have already turned into the loveliest grape tomatoes I've ever eaten. We've had home grown lettuce on our burgers and a variety of oriental vegetables in our stir fries. I have a great start on both the culinary and medicinal herb gardens. The catnip has already had to be pruned back once and my pennyroyal --- excellent for certain external fungal infections and a choice flea and tick repellent --- has turned into a little round bush of dark green, pungent leaves.
What we cannot produce, we procure on a weekly basis from the farmer's market. Now that the days wax warmer, I can once more accompany Dorie. I found I'd been missed; everyone asked after my health or had some sort of kind word or blessing for me. The woman who sells us our plants has become a friend and sometimes we talk for at least an hour. She knows absolutely everything there is to know about most plants which grow in this area and if she doesn't know, she either looks it up or knows someone who knows the answer. This lady won my heart with her collection of rare and hard-to-find succulents. I now have six Living Stones, an uncounted number of jades and agaves, an numerous varieties of cacti. I also now have, because of her, a Swedish ivy, and Dorie has a key lime and a limequat tree. The front deck looks like an exotic forest sprouted up on it.
We need to improve the land and maintain what we have; we have reached the limit of what a lawn tractor and multi-use weed trimmer can do. Mr. Shapeshifter and Dee have been putting away a little bit of a time from their cheques toward purchasing an actual farm tractor. They pooled their funds and we finally have enough for a down payment. It's a John Deere 3000 series, which includes the trailer on which to haul it, a front loader, and an implement by which we can help maintain the road. This purchase will enable us to level the cleared land and to fill in some of the low areas for improved drainage. Within the year, we'll have the acreage prepared for my beloved horses.
The main objective this spring, aside from improved production from the garden, will be moving the dog run to the front of the house. The old 10x10 kennel will be converted to a chicken run and a coop installed. I've several blueprints from which to work which have been successfully executed by other homesteaders. We haven't decided which breeds we want other than something large enough for meat production which will also lay well. We're looking at Orpingtons, Jersey Giants, and Wyandottes with one rooster only for obvious purposes. Eventually I want to expand the flock to include guinea hens (they eat parasites and insects), some ducks and geese, and a peacock pair. Peacocks, I'm told, make absolutely wonderful pets if handled properly as a hatchling.
I've also begun looking for reliable breeders from whom I might purchase a pup to be trained for service. Anubis is still working, but he's getting old and his hips are starting to bother him. He deserves to spend his later years as a pampered pet alongside Freyja, who was fourteen years old this year. Since I don't walk for any length of time, we don't need a large breed. After some investigation and talking to others who use service dogs and have multiple disabilities, I've concluded that a beagle would be best. What I need most now is an animal which will form a strong attachment with its handler and whose primary abilities include scenting and retrieving. There's a good prospect living only thirty minutes away. They only breed beagles and they've done so for decades (it's a family run kennel). They'll even take back the dog if it becomes impossible for the owner to keep it (not a problem here but there's a rather touching story about it on their web site). I'll send an e-mail, start a dialogue, and see if something can be worked out. Obviously we're not quite ready to get a new puppy, but I don't want a gap in service. The puppy will need training and will need to be ready to step in when Anubis does retire.
This year will be the final season for therealljidol and of course I couldn't resist participating. That, at least, is something I can readily update and work on from any device instead of needing to sit at the big computer in my office. I am hoping like hell I won't get sick enough again to have to exercise that option, though.