Homesteading: A Woman's Journey

Blessed Rain

02:44, Monday, August 14, 2006 .. Posted in Family Blessings .. 1 comments .. Link

Today, we are finally getting a true break in the heatwave that has affected our area for so many weeks. The temperature has been right about 93* and now we are getting a nice gentle soaking rain. Praise be! After so many weeks with temperatures reaching above 100*, this is truly a blessing.

My last planting of squash is showing signs of getting ready to bloom. They have clusters of buds growing, preparing to open up into the blossoms. If we should get more of the hot temperatures, I will have to cover the plants to provide enough shade to prevent them from producing small vegetables. With all the heat we have had, the plants did not grow very large. I am hoping that the fruit from them will grow to normal sizes.

Yesterday, I was at Roman Nose state park and was baptised in a pool of water that is natural spring fed. The water was very cold at first, but I was enjoying it. We even stayed in the water for a time after the baptism to cool off. Surprizingly, the cold water was very good for my Fibromyalgia. It wasn't cold enough to cause me to be numb, but the cold water took away the pain I was having. Once I warmed up, the pain returned, but the painfree time was quite a gift.

When we were enjoying the water after the baptism, I felt good enough to get playful with my beloved. While giving him a hug, I tossed us both sideways and dunked us both under the water. Though others were concerned for a moment that the playful act would cause me more pain, they were glad to see that I felt so good at that moment. After I warmed up, I still had no adverse affect from that act. :) My beloved has such a wonderful sense of humor. When he came up out of the water, he was laughing right along with me.

Today, I am taking advantage of the cooler temps and working in the parts of the house that are normally too hot to work in. Our bedroom being one of them. The room is not insulated and has no air conditioning, so I normally don't work in there during the hot time of day. I am setting up an area to make into a sewing corner. We have a large wooden table on our porch that is perfect sized for cutting fabric on and sewing. This weekend, we will get it moved into the room. In the meantime, I am getting the area ready for the table to be brought in. Up until now, I have been sewing on the kitchen table. It will be so nice to be able to have a more permanent spot set aside for my sewing.

I am making more plans for our homestead's fall & winter work. It is our goal to be able to provide all of our family's food needs from our homestead within 2 years. This means that over the fall and winter while temperatures are cool, we can get the chicken coop, turkey coop, pig pen and possibly a sheep pen built and made ready. In the spring, I will start bringing in the animals. We are still considering getting some goats to eat down the brush in our woods near the house. It all depends on whether or not I will be able to care for them when my Fibromyalgia is flaring up. The chickens and turkeys will provide our eggs and some meat. The sheep and pigs will be a breeding pair and then we will have the young they produce to use for meat. They are all small enough that I will be able to care for them, even during a flare-up.
On the weekends when Joe is home, he will be able to help me with the heavier stuff, such as carrying the heavy feed sacks or hay bales. Also with any fence mending that I can't get finished during the week.

Another big fall project is getting the garden boxes built so that I can start getting the soil prepared for spring. After having armadillos tear up my garden this past spring, I am wanting to plant in raised bed garden boxes. They will be high enough that the armadillos can't climb in and dig up the seeds for the birds to carry off. This will also make my gardening easier due to less weeding and also not having to get down on the ground to work.

Today, after I get the rooms cleaned, I am going to be doing more sewing. It seems that I have sewing projects to work on each day. Joe loves to keep me busy with that. He knows that when I am having flare-ups, the sewing gives me something to do, yet won't cause me to over-work myself. I have never met a man so proud of the fruits of my labor. When Abbie wears a new little outfit I have made for her, he shows her off and tells people I made the outfit. He also enjoys the things that I make for him. That is such a blessing. It would be so hard to enjoy sewing if he didn't support it or talked in a negative way about it.

I am so blessed and lucky to have such a man as my Beloved. I thank the Lord each day for him and the blessing of being his wife.

Paula

Leave a Comment

great witness

09:44, Monday, August 14, 2006 .. Posted by deedee06
I love to hear you write about your husband. He must feel truly blessed to have such a supportive wife. Here in Montana I can honestly say, I've never had an armadillo in my garden! A big, goofy dog - yes.....but he's ours and we like him. May you be blessed with cool temps and productive days! ...........Denise (prairiemom)

{ Last Page } { Page 163 of 179 } { Next Page }

Homesteading: A Woman's Journey

Blessed Rain

great witness

About Me

Links

Categories

Recent Entries

Friends