Farm Dreaming
hm -- guess I've been pretty busy!!
I've been busy, though!
Got my garden up and running. Got the following planted and beginning to produce: lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, oregano. Got squash, beans, more lettuce planted, and also marigolds planted to help with rodents. Have parsley, basil, lemon balm, nasturtium, marigolds, and zinnias on the way. Working like crazy out in the garden, cleaning out debris and reorganizing lots of stuff.
On a new medication to help with my many migraines - side effect is weight loss, but also some forgetfulness and concentration problems. I'll take the weight loss!!! Forgetfulness -- well, if it helps with my migraines, I'll deal with it. My migraines have gotten progressively worse, and have been interfering with my life too much.
Today, found my mother's old gardening work bench in the garage .... and an antique reel mower!! An old Folbate -- appears to be in good condition, just old and a little rusty, but looks usable. Have to figure out how to oil it and get the blades in working condition. My husband let me know it was in there after I asked him about getting a push mower so that I could mow the lawn and give him a break from it. It amazes me that the new modern reel mowers cost as much as I think a motorized one should cost!! So I have our Folbate reel mower sitting out back at the moment, and I will go grab some WD-40 and start spraying it a bit, roll it around some ... see what happens.
Two goals -- to have enough zucchini, tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, squash, peppers, for my family and I to eat and also maybe to have a little produce table in front of my house for passersby to purchase fresh organic produce ..... to get the reel mower working so that I can mow the lawn and give my husband a break on our lawn (he'll still have to do my aunt's lawn - she's very picky about how her lawn looks, wants it done a certain way, etc.).
When the rest of my seeds are delivered (from Burpee), I'll plant the Lemon Balm outside my kids' bedroom windows and hope that gives a nice sent to the east side of the house (also near the kitchen). I'll plant the Nasturtium seeds out front for the strong afternoon sun in the south and give the front of my house a nicer appearance. The parsley and basil will share the garden with the oregano, and the zinnias and the marigolds will line the border of the garden and help distract from the old ugly wooden fencing.
This is how I think it will all come together, anyway .... will see what actually happens this summer, LOL!!
I know my arms are turning brown, my whole body is tired and aching in a good honest way, and I am LOVING every minute spent in the great outdoors on God's good Earth planting in the sun and wind, with the critters and the earthworms and watching my plants blooming and growing all around me :)
Even helps lessen the aggravation of my kids fighting over silly kid things .... sometimes!
rosaries for our soldiers
Yesterday I received an e-mail from a soldier, giving advice on how to contact military chaplains about rosaries for the troops. He gave some good suggestions, and also mentioned how much trouble he had trying to get a rosary for himself.
Well, I e-mailed the PA National Guard, and this morning I just e-mailed Adopt a Platoon about any soldiers in need of rosaries. And I have nearly completed a rosary for the soldier who e-mailed me.
At the moment, I have black twine with black plastic crucifixes, military style. I may also be able to obtain camouflage twine and I can get brown plastic crucifixes (no metal). I have the feeling that if I keep "building" rosaries, the requests will come.
I have a set of rosaries ready to ship to Florida to a parish group that sends them to various military chaplains, but it would be nice also if I could send rosaries to individual soldiers, or to a platoon in need of spiritual support, and to know that this little mom cares about them. I'm a bit intimidated by the level of commitment and information required by official organizations who want people to participate ... I'd rather work on my own. Although today I did learn about programs for our soldiers in the "forgotten" war in Afghanistan ... I hope to get connected with some of them and help them know that this little mother cares about them also.
Anyway .... my little one is home sick again, still with a fever. I'm still not quite sure what she's sick with, her biggest symptom is running a fever. Coughing sometimes, being kind of tired and low appetite, but otherwise ... not much. I'm waiting for it to run its course, or show more symptoms so I know how to treat it. Most of my gardening and housework plans are being put on hold for the moment until my little one gets sorted out - but that's ample time for making more rosaries! And I need to start preparations for my 9yo's trip this weekend.
gardening projects
Weeding and gardening have so many metaphors for life -- I learn something every time.
It occurred to me this weekend that I could try fall/winter gardening also. So I started researching this, and now I'm planning what seeds/plants I want to try and when I need to work on it by. I have more lettuce seeds, I have green bean seeds (can start next week), and I want to try another cucumber plant in a different location -- my husband always plants cucumbers in the same location and they nearly always die. So I want to experiment a little with places, soil and ............
I have a lot planned for June and July. And I hope to spend a good amount of time gardening. I really enjoy it -- it gets me achy and tired but in a good way, and it all looks so lovely and tidy once I have everything weeded and aerated from digging. I want to try mulch and some natural fertilizer. I want to get some flowers to put on the slope by the butterfly bush and the lily. And I'm looking forward to growing more of my own vegetables and having our own fresh produce this fall and winter, while knowing that I can start again come February or March.
Neat thing about gardening -- there is always something to do, always projects to plan, depending on the season of the year!!!
Off to my munchkin ... just trying to wake my brain up a little more before getting on with my day.
changing neighborhoods
It's been a good weekend so far. Yesterday I made three makeshift slipcovers for the couch cushions, out of an old blanket!! I was so proud of myself, even figured out how to get my mother's old sewing machine to work properly (sort of).
We watched a horrible movie last night -- I don't recommend Stephen King's "The Mist" -- at least not in movie version (I have not read the book, don't plan to, either). It's a horror movie that IS scary -- but it's also depressing, fills your head with all kinds of fears and "what if" thoughts, and the ending is ..... horrible also. Don't put yourself through the torment. After a while, my husband scanned through entire scenes just so we could find out how they got out of the situation, or if they did. So last night I prayed a rosary while going to sleep - #1 to hold off my irrational fears, and #2 to pray my way through it. If nothing else, this taught me to better guard my eyes and my mind in what I expose myself to, as once you see something inappropriate, you can't erase it from your memory, especially when you wish you could. Then that gives evil a greater foothold in your life -- with temptations or with fears, or the temptation to fear and doubt.
Today I will tackle laundry and hanging it on the line. Yesterday I helped my 9yo plant her Delphinium bush yesterday. Saw our community councilman who reminded me about the town meeting on Thursday. This is a good thing. Our community is on the outer reaches of Philadelphia, and often we get overlooked because traditionally we have been a quiet neighborhood, filled with "lifetimers" (including myself) who raise their families and live their lives and don't make waves. We're mostly blue collar families and we take care of our own. But the influx of immigrants and people from other areas bringing their gang and drug activity into our midst, and most of us having to work so much, we don't stick together like we used to (most of us don't have the time or have to work to pay the bills) .... so crime is starting to take a foothold in our community. The town meetings, in a way, are bringing back that "small town" feel that we used to have, when neighbors knew each other and reinforced the old-fashioned ways of courtesy and decency that we've lived our lives by. These things don't make sense to me -- to me, it's common knowledge that you don't climb all over your neighbor's lawn or eat McDonald's on their property, because it's not your home. My mother would chase kids off my grandparents' property when I was a child. I continue the same tradition. We don't get nasty, but we give them a good scare. My husband, more than once, has taken our big German Shepherd out "for a walk" when teens with skateboards were hanging around ... just to let them know that we have a big hungry dog -- walked by a big angry father!!! (My husband is 6'4" and he looks every inch of it!!)
So, these town meetings are intended to help bring the community back together and forming block town watches again -- and to let the police know that we're here and paying attention.
Well, I better get going. My kids are awake and I'm drinking my coffee. I want to vacuum out the furniture today, and I keep "forgetting" that my 9yo has her Hershey Park trip this coming weekend ... as a mother, I'm nervous, but I know the families she's going with. She made it through Girl Scouts Beach Jam okay, and she's going with the same families.
Maybe I'll make pancakes and give my kids a treat. My husband is out golfing this morning with a friend, and when he returns we'll have family over for dinner. Maybe we'll watch Band of Brothers again (remains one of my favorite war documentaries).
I wish everyone a blessed Memorial Day, and if you have lost loved ones in our present war, know that we remember you all in our prayers and thoughts ... I have five black military rosaries ready to mail to my contact in Florida for our troops -- I know five is barely a blip, but it is what I was able to get done between the time I learned of her group, getting sick, and having the time to work on them by Memorial Day weekend. I'm still making rosaries -- this is a continuous, ongoing hobby for me that I love!
just call me Noach's wife
Memorial Day weekend, and I am focusing on CLEANING HOUSE!!!
My husband lost his wallet yesterday (not an uncommon occurrence, but nerve-wracking each time), and was having a very hard time finding it. So this morning, it occurred to me to say a prayer to St. Anthony to help him find his wallet. I promised 2 to 4 bags of clothing for the thrift shop (benefits a homeless shelter) if St. Anthony helped him find his wallet.
So what happened? I finished with my shower this morning and came up to find a message from my husband on the machine -- saying that he found his wallet, in a hard-to-reach, hard-to-find area of his work truck!! Well, I now have three bags of clothing gathered up for the thrift shop next week!
I washed his big comforter in the tub with some Borax and baking soda - that's hanging on the line now. I'm switching bed covers this weekend now that the warm weather has finally arrived. My 9yo has a play date here this afternoon, so I can attend to measuring old blankets for pillow covers and also finishing up some rosaries for shipping to troops next week. My husband may be taking a friend out who just had his fourth baby (I know, his wife had the baby, but somehow HE needs a break?), so I'll be planning on homemade cheeseburgers for my kids and my daughter's friend. We will probably have my in-laws over this weekend. With gas being so high and money being so tight, we're not traveling anywhere. I'll take the kids to the playground for a while and otherwise hang out at home.
My husband will be on vacation the first week of June, except he'll still have his night class. So I told him that I'm planning our first yard sale for June 7 (he'll be off). Hopefully we can unload a bunch of stuff then.
I've got this urgent feeling that I need to take this next year to get rid of things and clean out the house. I don't know why, but I've gotten the feeling that we'll be moving next fall. Something about my husband's job - he'll be done school next spring, and I get the feeling that his job will have him relocate or a better opportunity or something .... whatever it is, I've got the tuition money for my daughter's school to pay this summer - next summer feels to be a time of transition. I often get "gut feelings" a while in advance of these things happening, to give me time to prepare. So "prepare" I am -- and it's a lot of cleaning out and packing up. Just call me "Noach's wife" -- I'm not building the ark, but I'm getting the family and our belongings ready to move!!
Decided that Borax mixed with baking soda doesn't work too well in a dishwasher - for now I'm just using much less of our dishwasher detergent until I find a better solution. Waiting on the Fels-Naptha soap to arrive, and will see what all I can do with that. Got more clothes to sort and bag, but every time I do that, I start sneezing -- no allergy medicine in the world can overcome the dust in my house from decades and generations of "stuff" -- the only thing that would work, would also knock me out!!
I finished another rosary last night (except for the crucifix, I'll take care of that soon), and I'm working on another one today. If I'm lucky, I'll have five to send to Florida to be shipped to our deployed troops.
good deals on practical items
I have a bunch of yogurt containers with plastic lids that are coded "5" (can't put in regular recycle), so I'm thinking of cleaning them out and for laundry, filling with half Borax and half baking soda. And otherwise, distributing baking soda and Borax in individual containers in other rooms of the house for ease of cleaning while I'm there. I used to just keep one big thing of cleanser with a sponge or a rag, but invariably found myself at one end of the house wanting to clean a room while my cleaning supplies were in another area. I have found it simpler for me to have small batches of supplies in each room (kitchen, bathroom, laundry, etc.) so that I can just grab and scrub.
Website promo -- there is a website I found called "Soaps Gone Buy" -- they stock Fels Naptha Laundry soap and a bunch of other stuff. I just ordered 7 bars of Fels Naptha today -- they cost $1.50 each at the SGB site -- they can ship up to 7 bars of laundry soap for $4.80 Priority Flat Rate mail. They accept PayPal, and they are a verified merchant. I'll try to post my "review" of things once I receive my order. I'm always looking for cheaper, safer alternatives to chemicals -- including Tide!
Another website, MomAdvice, has free printables for keeping track of store prices and also a weekly calendar that I like. And I signed up with Organized Families, I want to print out a monthly family calendar to help keep track of my family's varying schedules on one sheet (not three calendars like at present). I'm hoping to do this rather than having to order a wall calendar - which, though it's nice, costs more money.
and more thoughts ....
That's good to know -- I will experiment with that - keeping Tide for his uniforms (but I'll still probably use half Tide with a mix of Borax and baking soda because they seem to get the grunge out better), and just use the Borax/baking soda/vinegar combo for other household laundry. It's working well for cleaning. Still not sure about the dishes, but I'll play with that also.
My ear and throat ... it's also my sneezing, feeling really tired sometimes ... don't know if it's a cold virus or just persistent allergies ... I may break down and call the doctor's office this morning, but I'm really reluctant to go in for a checkup because I'm concerned that the roads are still under construction. I heard on the news this morning that some major Philly streets and highways will be shut down for construction soon -- makes me VERY glad that my life as an at-home mom of a special needs child has prevented me from finding a part-time job anywhere, especially downtown ... I'd be in big trouble soon!!
My freelance work with Demand Studios seems to be working out ... don't know that I can ever tackle their suggested assignment load of up to 20 articles, but it's something I can pick up and back off of as I need to, and it seems to be supplementing my regular print shop freelance work nicely. Nothing I'll make a fortune at, but it will help with gas and food!!
MomAgenda has a new wall calendar out, with their same format of up to four kids. I may look into that, I think it will be useful for my family. At the moment, I have my husband's postal calender, my 3yo's preschool calendar, and my 9yo's Catholic school calendar on the fridge. I do have a MomAgenda planner, but somehow when I'm on the phone, I'm looking at the fridge door instead of my planner (which I keep in my bag). I know I should have a central location for all schedules, but it's difficult to do this when three schedules change frequently, and some things are going on but they aren't always relevant to my family's schedules. Especially with STARS activities, it's tough. Lots of things going on with STARS -- I'm not involved in many of them because I simply don't have the time for all the volunteering anymore. My family needs me more.
Speaking of which -- after Girl Scout closing ceremonies on June 6th, I am wondering about having an informal yard sale in my driveway the morning of June 7th. I can't do it this weekend (9yo has playdate here), can't do it next weekend (9yo has trip to Hershey Park with Girl Scout troop), so I'm thinking of starting the following weekend. It's a target date, and that way I can start gathering up clothes and items for sale.
Well, I think I'll call the doctor's office this morning and see what they say-- from what I've seen, lots of people have been getting sick or having problems with the same symptoms I have -- maybe they won't make me come in, maybe they'll prescribe something for me by phone ...... will see.
Hmmm .... just called their office .... they have Thursday evening hours from 7 to 9:30 p.m. -- theoretically, that would be after hours for construction, and even though I'd have both kids with me, I wouldn't have to worry about school schedules by then .... question is, do they have any openings??
preparing for some busy weeks
My other musings this morning ..... I have "What I Wanted to Say" by Marie Bellet in my mind this morning, and had a bizarre dream that I was being chased by the paparazzi and misquoted about my children, that for some reason they just decided to target an ordinary, quiet homemaker and make her life miserable. Of course, I've also been awakened the past couple of nights with this persistent sore throat and slight earache, and going to the doctor is not really an option yet, just muddling through as best as I can ....
If you haven't listened to Marie Bellet .... she's a Catholic mother of nine children, she doesn't really sing Catholic songs so much as songs of Christian faith about motherhood, marriage, fatherhood, and standing against modern culture that is so obsessed with self-destruction, self-obsession, and materialism. I downloaded her albums through iTunes - cheaper that way ($9.99 as opposed to $16.00).
I tried a mixture of Borax with baking soda last night for the dishwasher -- not sure if I recommend this or not -- some of the dishes and silverware had a powdery feel to them afterwards. Maybe I used too much. Nothing that a simple rinse won't fix, but I need to fine-tune it. I was just glad not to have any soap residue.
I also tried washing a batch of towels and new clothes (for my kids) in Borax and baking soda with a vinegar rinse -- will see today how that worked out. Some claim that the agitation of the washer combined with warm water should be enough to clean clothes - for some things, I agree with this ... but not for my husband's work uniforms -- he works a physical job outdoors, his clothes (including socks) get pretty grungy and smelly!!
Will try to get to more later ... for now I have to get moving!
homemade burgers
2 lbs. of farmers market ground chuck (preferably free-range, pasture-raised)
1 large egg (preferably cage-free, free range)
whole butter (real butter, farm style)
garlic powder
oregano ~ basil ~ minced onion ~ kosher salt
Italian bread crumbs
Worcestshire sauce
sliced cheese (if you want a cheeseburger)
In a large bowl, mash (with your fingers) the 2 lbs. of ground chuck, and flatten out a bit. Crack the egg, sprinkle garlic powder, oregano, basil, minced onion, and a dash of kosher salt, Italian bread crumbs, and a dash of Worcesthire sauce. Fold up the meat over the seasonings and start kneading. Keep kneading until ingredients and meat are well blended. Have a plate ready and form into about 12 medium-size (about 3" across) patties.
Get a large frying pan, turn the burner on, and get your pan hot. Melt a few pats (or shavings) of butter in the pan, swirl it around and get it all coated with melted butter. Sprinkle garlic and a little salt in, if desired. Place your patties in a circle around the pan, and one or two in the center (or however many you can fit). Cook the patties on each side -- about five minutes per side . Towards the end of the flip side being done, put a slice of cheese on each burger (or just on a few for family members who want cheeseburgers). Let that melt. Get another plate, place a paper towel or napkin on it, then take the burgers out and put them on the plate to cool.
I don't know how healthy the scrapings are for you (the leftover garlic, salt, butter, and ground meat crumbs), but they do taste yummy!!!
Dinner tonight, lunch tomorrow, and enough for my husband's dinner tomorrow (before his night class).
Enjoy!!
testing homemade cleaners
Tried cleaning out washing machine rinse cup (it was gross, but I cleaned it out) and also noticed that the vinegar and baking soda combination was breaking up the built-up gunk in the set-tubs (yay!). All without the harsh chemicals and smells of regular cleansers.
Reduced amount of Tide powder used to about 1/2 - poured in some baking soda - poured in some Borax (had some heavily soiled towels and a bath mat) - put 1/2 cup vinegar in rinse cup.
Just went down to check on laundry - so far, so good. No suds in set tub. Laundry smells clean. Tossed it in the dryer "as is" (it's raining all day, can't hang outside, won't dry fast enough inside) and will see what happens.
I can't waste an entire box of Tide laundry detergent (my husband would flip) - but I can use less of it and, in the meantime, try alternatives to see what works best. I have read a lot about Fels-Naptha soap, and I want to try it at some point. But I'm learning a lot about the uses of lemon juice, baking soda, vinegar and Borax as cleaning agents, so I plan to make them a mainstay in my home and cut down/eliminate chemicals and detergents whenever possible.
I also read of a recipe for dishwasher detergent using baking soda and Borax, so I plan to try that soon while I still have regular dishwasher detergent on hand, "just in case."
Wish I could get rid of this persistent cold and sore throat that I have, but I think it's the goofy weather -- April was very warm and dry, and May has been very cool and wet. Every time I think it's safe to put away the winter clothes and freshen up the spring clothes - we hit "rainy windy" season again. Don't know if it's that global warming business or maybe our climate is just changing its weather patterns. Tylenol helps a little, but not much. Hot tea, soup, oatmeal .... I haven't done the salt water gargle yet, but I probably will soon. I have kosher salt here, but not sea salt.
Tomorrow I will return to the store to return the $7.69 "natural cleanser" and fabric softener sheets I had bought, and I'll probably get more vinegar and Borax while I'm there (didn't realize that my husband used most of the Borax already). And to the farmers market as previously (I think) mentioned ...
Oh, wish I could take a nap ... but have to pick up dd1 from school soon ... dd2 is napping .... I've been finishing two forms for the print shop and waiting to hear back on two articles.
starting up again
Currently I am experimenting with baking soda and vinegar around my home - natural cleansers and detoxifying my house, reducing costs and eliminating chemicals. At the moment, i have the washer on a small load with baking soda and some vinegar diluted with water in the rinse cup (it was getting yucky) to clean out my washer before I do another load. I will also try using a 1/2 cup of vinegar in the final rinse as a fabric softener and see how that works.
My family of four generates a lot of dirty laundry, and I'm doing some belated spring cleaning (in the midst of watery eyes, a sore throat, and feeling achy) on top of it. Trying to clean up and gather up kitchen wares, clothing, knick knacks, and other items while trying to stay on top of the usual household chores. I also want to gather up my old cleansers - the chemical ones - and figure out about safe disposal of them.
Got a few more rosaries in the works - have a contact down in Florida now who collects handmade (knotted twine) rosaries and ships them to various military chaplains for troops being deployed.
And my poor husband - works a physical job outdoors and is going to school four nights a week to learn a different trade, won't be done until next spring ... Lord, he has been grouchy, but who can blame him?
Tomorrow the farmers market will be open again, so I can get more milk, cheese and yogurt.
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hm -- guess I've been pretty busy!!rosaries for our soldiers
gardening projects
changing neighborhoods
just call me Noach's wife
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