And so it happens

It's amazing.  Just about the time I begin to truly despair of selling our house.  We had a showing last Friday morning.  They came back that afternoon and we had an offer on Saturday.  We countered on Sunday and (due to some insurance issues) we're finally getting a response today to our counter.  They have accepted it and we are signing the paperwork TO SELL OUR HOUSE!!!  I can't believe it.  I'm not holding my breath... I haven't seen the paperwork yet and all, but still.  I can almost feel the huge sigh of relief welling up inside me.

I know that the next few weeks will be crazy.  We won't really start packing until inspections and appraisal are done, but then we have to find a place too (for which I've been praying the past four and a half years).  On top of that, we have two more weeks of school to do and get out of the way.  Heaven help me (and I'm burning out already anyway - NEED. TO. BE. DONE.)

So that's the excitement.  If this is premature and it backfires on me... I don't know what I'll do.  My wife may have to pick me up out of the corner where I'll be blubbering like an idiot.

We need to move, and other stuff

Well, it's been 11 months and we're still here. My wife has taken a new job which will require her to drive to work everyday (rather than the two days a week she currently drives). It's about an hour and 20 one way. We need to move closer in a bad way, because that's gonna get old fast. We continue to have showings but no one makes an offer. It's quite frustrating to spend half a day staging and cleaning your house so someone can take ten minutes to walk through and say, "Meh, no thanks."

Recently I've been praying for some healing in my life about some pretty deep kind of stuff. I'm usually not one to observe Lent, but this year I felt like God was asking me to do something. So I gave up chocolate. You may not know me well at all, but I'm a serious chocoholic. Wife and I have a bag of Dove Dark in the cabinet at all times and usually eat two a day. Any ice cream I buy, cakes, etc... it's chocolate. So this is a serious thing. I'm thinking that doing so will allow me to better experience the richness and sweetness (like chocolate) of God's healing when it comes. Pray for me.

Further, I've decided I'm sick of being overweight and unhealthy. I've been walking (serious walking, not just taking the dog for a stroll). And I think I'm going to make the goal of running a mile by the end of summer. Yes, one mile. But, I'm 39 years old and have NEVER been able to do that. Not even in junior high when we had to do it for that cursed President's physical fitness test, which I'm convinced was designed by Nazi's to weed out the weak ones. I've also been doing push ups. I must say, that never having been one to really try, I'm appreciating the improvements I'm noticing already. Here's to being hopeful.

Otherwise, life goes on. We're on track with school and the kids, so we should finish up right around the end of May. I applied for a certificate of completion program from my Alma Mater so that I can be licensed as a counselor (long story, maybe some other time). I should know about that in the next month or so and would start in the fall.

Hope you're well. Thanks for looking in on my little corner of the world.

Long Lost Blogger

Hi, it's been about two months since I posted anything and that's probably because there's not a lot to post. Well, maybe that's not true:

We've been running amok this summer. Went on a family trip to Sawyer, MI, where we picked blueberries, swam in Lake Michigan, climbed the Dunes at Warren State Park, and spent time with family. I took the kids to the county fair, we spent a day at the State Fair (planned intentionally so that I could be sure and see the dairy cattle), took the kids fishing (once), went swimming and hiking at Shakamak State Park, spent a week with the in-laws during the 4th of July celebration, which was also the sesquicentennial of Sheridan, IN. We've been running about. My Niece is getting married this weekend, and my youngest will be the ring bearer.

With all of that, I managed to do some reading and math with the kids once in awhile. We started our school year here yesterday. I'm doing two curricula at a time now, and I was pretty worried about how I'd juggle it, but maybe it's not going to be as bad as I'd imagined. I could be worse! Lol.

On the home front.... we had a contingency offer at one point, but he wanted immediate possession and we weren't willing to give that, so it didn't go through. If the other guy sells his house and ours is still for sale, he may well come back with another offer. We had a showing about the middle of June, then didn't have another until July 29th. We've had a few more since then. The housing market, like everywhere, is just the pits right now. But it's picking up around here. We had a showing and found out that ours is in the top two of this couple that looked at it. She likes our house, he likes another. BUT one of their parents live on the next street over from us, so that may be a selling point. Hope to hear something soon.

Melora's job as a flight nurse is going well, but it's taking her away from home a lot, as it's easier for her to go to her parent's house between shifts than coming two hours home, just to turn around and go back. This is kind of a bummer for us, but it's only temporary. If we sell our house, and can't find what we're looking for in Sheridan or nearby, my sister-in-law has offered us her place. She lives in an upstairs apartment above her art studio. She's remodelling a front room as a master bedroom and all five of us could sleep in it! Her husband is stationed in Vermont for three years with the military and she said she'd just go be with him while we were there. Her mortgage is half what ours is now. That way we would have a place to go and not be so pressured to buy someplace that wasn't exactly what we wanted. We'd just have to put all our stuff in storage for a while. Not the optimal situation, but it's an option.

There was a place we had our eye on that met our criteria very well. Newer house, close to her parents, barn/pasture, land to spread out..... It got an offer and out from under us it went. Bummer.

So that's what's going on. Otherwise, I've been reading the works of James Herriot (Yorkshire Vet) and watching the series, "All Creatures Great and Small." Great stuff.

No News is... well, no news.

Hi, I'm blogging on my wife's laptop, so no pics today. Sorry.

Our house is still for sale. Wanna buy it? Two weekends ago, we went up to my in-laws for a visit and met our realtor and looked at four different homes. Nope, not a one of 'em was 'right'.

Do you remember a couple of years ago when I blogged that I'd written a letter to the owner of a farmhouse and property, asking if it was for sale? It's here in my list somewhere.... check around October, 2008. Anyway, as we're looking at houses, I drive by this place again, as I've done numerous times. It's now for sale! Great, right?! No. I looked it up online. 89.3 acres for only (snark) 2.67 MILLION! That's 30K an acre. They're crazy. Land is expensive where we're looking, but not that high! I'm so disappointed. I feel like God pressed the 'smite' button on me or something. We looked in the windows... wow. Beautiful woodwork, but that's about all it's got going for it, besides good bones and seemingly newer electricity. Still, if it could be purchased cheaply, then the money could be spent on the house to make it livable. Sigh. I've been debating whether or not to write another letter to the man to see if he'd split the land or consider a deal or something. But I looked online yesterday on Realtor.com and it says it's no longer available. It hasn't been on the market much more than a few weeks, I'm sure. I'm thinking something has happened and they aren't going to sell it. Who knows. So, the hunt continues. Meanwhile, we've had one showing in the past three weeks.

In other news, I've been dying wool. Oh, just two skeins so far. I buy the wool yarn in cream at the store, then come home and have fun with Kool Aid! Yes, that magical drink from your childhood contains enough citric acid to work with the protein in the wool fibers to cause it to absorb and hold the food coloring in the drink! You start out with a pot of colored, fruity smelling water and when you're done, the water is clear! It's all been absorbed and bound to the yarn! Fun stuff. I'll try to post some pics of the process later on.

I also won four free tickets to and Indianapolis Indians game because I called in with the correct answer to a trivia question on a Saturday morning talk show from the University of Indianapolis. The host and guests were talking about a book of collected stories written by a woman from Baker's Corner, Indiana (she's now deceased) on the subject of growing up on a farm in the early 1900's. Yes, I might have to read this one. We happened to be in Sheridan at my in-law's at the time (5 miles down the road from Baker's Corner) and it was my FIL that suggested I might want to listen to the program. It was mildly interesting, but then the host asked the trivia question. He starts talking about a cabin in Sheridan's (Indiana) Veteran's Park that was the home of a man running from bounty hunters because, as an abolitionist, he'd helped several slaves escape. He wanted to know what this man's name was. I picked up the phone and called in. Of course, I don't know how many people were actually listening to the program, and of those, how many knew the answer.... probably me and one or two others (and that may be being generous). But I did, in fact know that it was George Boxley, the first settler of Adams Township, Hamilton County, Indiana. WHY do I know this bit of frivolous trivia? Because my Father-in-law was the president of the Sheridan Historical Society up until this year and was heavily involved in the restoration of the cabin! So now, I get to go to a Minor League baseball game for free! I don't really care for sports much, but a trip to an Indian's game is usually a lot of fun. The seats are closer to the field, play is faster than the Major's, there's always some kind of giveaway or sideline activity going on... it's just a good time.

Not having a garden this year is kind of a bummer. Not knowing when we'd be moving, I didn't plant anything. I'm either going to have to go to the local Amish Auction or a farmer's market and get some things to can, etc. We're running low. It's kinda sad really.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading!

Odds and ends

Hey ho.

Not much going on. We've had two showings on the house, but no takers. I'm not really surprised. My mother-in-law is on a serious quest now that we've decided to move back closer to my wife's hometown. My inlaws have called numerous times (and I mean NUMEROUS) with listings and homes they find when they're out driving. Problem is, they don't understand what we want. Yeah sure, the house is nice, but it's only on two acres! Oh sure, there's 39 acres for 400K.... can't afford it and don't need that much land. Sheesh. Added to this is the fact that they rarely give me enough information about the house to actually find it online and give it a look. But I continue to take down the information and be polite. I understand that they're excited and want to be helpful.

I should be doing some homeschooling right now, or making lunch, but I'm not (obviously). Spring comes and I lose all sense of drive to do school. The kids want to be outside playing and it gives me a reason to put off school for a few hours. I'll buckle down here soon and get it done.

I finished my mother-in-law's Wool Peddler's shawl. Gave it to her last weekend when we went for a visit. She loved it and wore it to church. Good thing, it was cold in there.

I sincerely hope we can sell our place soon and find our next home so I can manage to put out at least a small garden and get my chickens ordered and started.

Here are a couple of pictures of the Wool Peddler's Shawl:

Selling the house

Well, we listed our house yesterday. It's kinda wierd and it produces a fairly generous amount of anxiety for me because now I have to keep the house 'hotel room' clean for goodness knows how long with three kids running around! It'll take awhile I imagine, unless God's just gonna be really good to us and send someone along right quick.

My wife has a new job with Lifeline as a flight nurse and she's going to be stationed in Lafayette, IN. She wants to move closer to her parents so she can be around to help out as they get older. So, we've been looking a lot online. The place near Anderson we looked at won't work for two reasons. 1)It's in Anderson and not nearer to Lafayette (it'd be about an hour and a half drive!), and 2) the appraisal of that house came back a lot higher than anyone thought it would.

So there's a little place in Sheridan we found that sits on 10 acres, has fruit trees already and could be really great. Problem is, the house has two small bedrooms and only 1.5 baths. We'd have to build on at some point, and it would require quite a change in lifestyle until then. But 10 acres! Wow. So we're gonna look at it next weekend.

I had originally thought about posting several longer posts about what I did last summer and all, but that's just crazy at this point. Needless to say, I did a lot of canning!

I've checked, and good for me, I will be able to order chicks way into the summer, so if we get moved by June or July (I hope), I'll still be able to have chickens this year! Call me crazy, but I can't wait!

I'm still knitting. I'm currently working on a shawl for my Mother-in-law. The pattern is called "The Wool Peddler's Shawl" from the book, Folk Shawls, by Cheryl Oberle.

Sheesh, I gotta get off of here and get started on school with the kids... More later.

OY VAY!

It's been a LOOOOOOOONNNGGG time! What's happened? Well, Melora Graduated with her MA in Nursing Ed. from Indiana Wesleyan University in December (good to see ya Doug). She got a job as a flight nurse with Lifeline and is loving it. It's a major step up in her career.

The kids are growing, I nearly made it through the winter (it was a tough one for me), and now we're looking to move!!!

Melora is tentatively going to be stationed in Indianapolis at Methodist Hospital, but Lifeline is opening two more bases in Indiana, one in Muncie, so she could get transferred there.

Yes, I'm looking for my farm! We found one NW of Anderson out in the country, but I'm not gonna say too much at this point. The people are really great Christian people and have a very nice home/property. We're going to do an appraisal to see what it's worth, since the owners don't even know. We're hoping and praying still.

Our house will go on the market sometime in the next couple of weeks if I can get my butt in gear and get some things done.

I've done a lot of knitting this winter and actually finished six or seven projects. Still haven't finished the throw I started three years ago, and at this point, I'm not going to. I'm gonna frog it and use the yarn for something else. Perhaps I'll post some pics of some of my projects. Anyone on Ravelry? Hit me up!

I'll try not to wait too long to let you all know more of what's happening in our lives.

Thanks for being patient!

Little bits

The picture above is from somewhere in Michigan. I have several pictures like this saved.... a path leading off into the woods. I'm not sure why pictures like this are so intriguing to me. Is the sense of adventure they conjure? Perhaps the notion of 'the journey' they imply? Not sure, but I love pics like these. Mostly, I just wish I were actually on those paths walking through the woods.

It's been crazy busy around here lately. Sorry I've been lax in my blogging. This weekend is my daughter's dance recital. Her teacher doesn't just do a little show where each class comes out and dances and that's it.... no, she rents out a huge music hall at ISU, and puts on a HUGE performance with backdrops, props and everything. Each class' dance tells a part of the story, and the older dancers have the main character parts of the story. This year we're going to see "Alice in Wonderland". At the end of the show, the whole company (around 300 kids) are on the stage for the closing number. Basically that's just a bunch of hand waving in the air, because there's just not room to do much else. But the place usually sells out for this show, with family members coming to see their little angel perform, from all over the place. My daughter's class are ladybugs. Eh, what can you say? My in-laws are here for the even, and my sister-in-law comes down to stay with the boys for the evening (there's no way they could last through this thing).

I planted some Peperoncini seeds and now have seedlings. My wife and kids and I love these things, so I decided to pickle some of my own. What are they? They're those little wrinkly peppers you get in your box of Pappa John's Pizza. Yeah, we love 'em. I'd have bought plants, but I couldn't find them anywhere, and I had to order the seeds! I was at Aldi the other day getting some groceries and the cashier pointed out some plants they had. I came home with a fully grown, ripe-fruit-bearing Sweet banana Pepper plant. Picked some red peppers off it that evening and had em on salad. Wow are they good. Sweeeeet. Really excellent sliced lengthwise and spread with some cream cheese!

The rest of the garden is doing ok. I cultivated the other day to help get rid of weeds, but that only seems to make it worse. It turns over new weed seeds and allows them to grow. Plus, my compost pile had bindweed seeds get into it. That's wild morning glory. I've got these little things springing up all over the place... YAAAAAAACCCKK! Drives me crazy. The onions are growing well. My grapevine is covered with blossoms. The tomatoes are finally showing signs of growth and have a few blooms. My lettuce -bipkus. Beets... eeh, we'll see. Peppers, I think they'll live. Cukes, I've got five plants out of a whole package of seeds. Green beans. They're spotty and I'm going to fill in the spaces with new seed. Yeah, I'm crazy. I'm not sure what happened. I don't think it was a problem with the seeds. I think it was that it rained for several days not long after they were planted, and they must have gotten too soggy. I dunno, but I'm disappointed. We'll see how they do as the summer goes along.

My mother was pulling some weeds yesterday at her house. They were growing around her mailbox where she usually plants flowers every year (and swears she's not going to plant flowers every year, but they never survive). She got tired of pulling weeds because the roots were all spread out (crab grass, I'm guessing). So she went and bought, not one, but TWO bottles of bleach and dumped on them. "I reckon that'll get rid of 'em," she said. Yes, I imagine it will.... and anything else you plant there for awhile. Sheesh. It'll probably wash out in the next couple of rains... I hope.

I do have several other pictures that I'd like to share with you of some things I enjoyed this Spring, etc. I will get to it, I promise. My wife is plugging away on her Masters degree in nursing. She begins her practicum hours in just a few weeks. It's going to be a busy summer with all of that. I started the last week of curriculum with my daughter yesterday, so we should be 'done' with school by the end of this coming week. However, we are going to continue to do some things through the summer. She needs it. (Though I need a break too).

Our CSA started two weeks ago. So far we've gotten salad greens, spinach, green onions, radishes, Boston lettuce, strawberries, chives, and kale. I may be forgetting something. It's exciting to see what comes each week. What's more interesting is seeing what I decide to do with it! I made a really good Kale and white bean soup last week. Some of the spinach is in tonight's lasagna. Strawberries are going into a glaze for cheesecake.

Hope you all are well.

Wierdness

Well, I don't know what happened, or what changed, but several of you said you could see pictures. I couldn't. Odd. But today - poof! I've got pictures on my blog... and on others' where there were only red x's. I've no idea what's changed or how it got fixed - which is a little unsettling - has my computer developed AI? But I'm happy it's fixed. So, I'll try to take some time today to post some pics and updates about what's going on around here.

I will say this. I roasted a 20.6# turkey for dinner yesterday. Got it on sale after the holidays and pulled it out of the freezer a few days ago. Of course, the five of us didn't even eat a whole breast! So I've picked the meat off and am freezing it 2 cups to a freezer bag. I ran out of bags but already I have 10 cups of meat and a lot more to divvy up. Then the carcass went into the stock pot and I made a big ol' bunch of broth - YUM! Turkey Tetrizini, Turkey Salad sandwiches, turkey soup, turkey pot-pie... I feel like I'm living in "A Christmas Story". Fortunately, I have no "Bupkiss dogs" to terrorize my kitchen. I truly thank God for this provision. It's food for my family!

More later. Promise.

Winter Finally Came

Ok, well, winter's been here for awhile, but not like this. Over the past two days, we've gotten around nine inches of snow.

Now I realize that some people living in the great frozen north - where driving a car onto a lake in order to go ice fishing isn't uncommon - would laugh mockingly at our measly nine inches. But you must understand that here in my part of Indiana, well, snow just doesn't come in nine inch depths all the time. We usually have one, maybe two good snows a winter in which six inches or so is 'deep'. Other than that, it's flurries, an inch here, some sleet there. But today....










Folks are having trouble getting around today. Our street hasn't been cleaned off yet and my wife has to get to work tonight. Hmmm. Maybe I should go out and shovel some more.

Bits and Pieces

No, there's no real reason why I posted a picture of a Polish rooster, I just thought he was funny looking. Someone recently told me that he likes my chicken pictures. I'm praying that someday I'll post pictures of MY chickens.

Well, the mid-west is in the midst of its annual winter Arctic blast. We got about two inches of snow overnight and the temp is supposed to drop to -1 tonight with windchill as low as -25. Now that's cold. Crazy cold. Did I ever mention that I hate winter?

If you've been following my blog, you may recall reading that I had thought about asking a man at church to mentor me a bit in terms of fathering, etc. (read it here). Well, I asked him about it in a very 'no pressure' way a few weeks before Thanksgiving. We decided to pray and think about it. Then the holidays came... He was finally able to catch up with me about two Sunday's ago and told me he'd be happy to meet with me. We made no concrete plans for what our time would be like or how often or anything. We'll play it by ear. So yesterday morning, I drove the half-hour to his farm, ate spelt biscuits and real butter (he's the guy with the grass fed dairy operation - go check it out here). We then went to his basement and sat in front of the wood stove and talked for quite a while.

Come to find out, not only does he have three kids, but they are about the same ages apart as our kids, daughter first, then two sons, just like us. Their third was a surprise, as was ours. And their second was, umm, a challenge, as is ours. Hmmm, coincidence? I think not. Needless to say, I think this will be a good thing for me. As Spring approaches, his work will increase as the cows freshen and he starts milking again, but he said I'm welcome to come any time, pull up a stool and talk while he works, or join in and help! Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clause. Well, ok, I don't want to sound sacrilegious. It's all a God thing. Truly.

My wife has been given a pretty cool opportunity. She's going to be teaching 5 clinical students for ISU, beginning next week. She'll work with them one day a week on the med-surge unit at her hospital. Now, teaching a clinical, working full-time (36 hrs), and working on her MA is going to keep her busy. But I'm ok with it. The extra income will help us get our house ready this year as we hope to move in the next 12 to 14 months. The experience will look very good on a resume, and it gives her a foot in the door at ISU, should she apply for a job there. Plus it's only for 11 or so weeks.

I think that's about it for now. Oh, I'm working on knitting a sweater. Still haven't finished the throw I started back months ago, but that's ok, it's not too great anyway.

Is it too early to plant some lettuce? Just kidding.

Roosters

Up until recently, I'd never considered the possibility of raising/owning a rooster or two. Fact is, I was set against it. Of course, I don't even own chickens - yet. But I was thinking about the future when I do. I didn't want the bother of having to watch out for the old boy so he didn't flog me. Because none of the eggs the hens would lay would be fertile, I'd have to order new chicks every year to raise for meat.

Not very sustainable, is it?

I like the site, http://www.homestead.org/. They have some forums on which I posted a question about aggressive roosters. Was it possible to have a rooster that wasn't a menace? How many hens per rooster? BOY did I get some responses! This thread is still getting responses a week or more after I posted it. People have given me all kinds of advice on rooster-to-hen ratio and what to do with a mean rooster, as well as some stories of their own adventures. If you'd like to read the thread, click here.

So what's the verdict? Well, first of all, I need to read up and select a breed that is typically known for gentleness. Buff Orps are a good start. However, chickens all have different personalities just like we do. So even the gentlest breed of bird can have its crack-pot. Some would advocate a good quick grab of the neck and shake for any roo that showed his colors with me. Others say a mean roo is a tasty roo and never tried to flog anybody when it came out of the stewpot.

I think I will try it. I figure if I can get three broody hens to sit on clutches of 5 to 8 eggs, once a year, I could quite easily raise enough meat to put into my freezer. Why spend money, time, and effort with a brooder and chicks, when a momma hen will do all the work for me, not only hatching the eggs, but raising the babies too? Of course, I am very idealistic at times.

FYI. The rooster in the picture above is a Dorking. This ancient breed was brought to England by the Romans. It is a heavy bird with a large, square frame, single or rose comb, and fifth toe. The American Poultry Association recognizes Silver-Gray, Colored, Red, and White Dorkings. The British also recognize a Cuckoo variety (from Feathersite.com). They are a decent layer of medium white eggs and are a dual purpose breed (meet and eggs). I know, I know... more than you cared to know.

On another note, Grant, my youngest, has been sick the past two days. Some vomiting and a little fever the other night. He's acting fine now (which means loud and playful), but he was acting that way yesterday too, before he got sick twice last night. Yech.

Got some flurries here the past two days but the sun's shining now. It's supposed to get really cold in the next week. Yep, it's January.

A year end tid-bit

Well, this picture really has nothing do do with anything, I just like it. No, it's not my clothesline, either. However, I have been wishing it were nice enough outside to hang clothes on the line. But alas, 'tis winter.

I found my fruitcake recipe. Today. Stuck in between some cookbooks that I KNOW I moved and looked through. So I'm wondering what kind of lesson I'm supposed to learn here. I did call mom and got the thing made. Good as always.

Had a nice Christmas. Kids got way too much stuff from family, as usual. My daughter has some money she's been saving and it's burning a hole in her pocket. She had plans to go spend it on this or that, but she got everything she wanted to buy for Christmas, including a digital camera. So who knows now?

We're puppy sitting for some friends who went out of town for the week. They recently adopted two Chocolate Lab/Huskie mix puppies. They're really adorable dogs. Toby (our Golden) is kind of perplexed, but seems to enjoy the company. I think it'll be good for him.

My blood pressure has been up lately. I'm not on medicine or anything, don't need to be. But I do need to learn to relax, and I need to drop some weight.

Speaking of which... most people seem to make those silly New Year's resolutions, especially about weight loss. I never do. Don't make the first resolution. Why? Because, statistically speaking, probably a good 90% of resolutions (and I think that's being cautious) get broken soon after they're made. Having made resolutions in the past, and broken them, I decided a few years ago that I don't need that kind of guilt and disappointment with myself. So... no resolution, no guilt. Works for me!

Hope this post finds you all well and enjoying the 'interim' before life really gets back to normal next week. Me? I have a list of errands as long as my arm to do this afternoon. I have a tree to take down and decorations to put away. I need to study for a class I'm teaching for k-1st grade boys at our Co-op starting next Monday. And I need to do laundry. Which brings me back to the picture at the top of the page. Hmmm, I guess it did have something to do with this post.

Twas the Week before Christmas

Well, here it is a week before Christmas. Not a lot going on around here but I thought I'd write something anyway.

We've broken into several jars now of the homemade applesauce. It's really good and the kids devour it.

I have a little bit more shopping to do for my wife and a friend, but otherwise, we're done. Yeah! I used to enjoy getting out in the crowd and mess and shopping for presents, but I guess I'm getting older and now I just think it's ridiculous. I don't have much patience anymore as well. I suppose my kids take all I have, so when I do go shopping, be it for groceries or gifts, and the line is a mile long and there are only three lanes open and another 24 closed - at 6:00 p.m. - I get a little testy. Most of the time these days, I try to psych myself up and remind myself not to get in too big of a hurry.

This weekend I'll be making "The Fruitcake". Yes, a real bonafide fruitcake. No rum flavor. It's full of dates, pecans, and candied pineapple and cherries. It has a boatload of sugar and just enough liquid and flour to hold it all together. Truly, it's more fruit than cake and it's very good. "WHY on Earth," you ask, "would I make fruitcake?" Well, it's my mom's recipe. She used to make it especially for my grandfather. But after he passed away some 10 years ago, she decided she couldn't do it. Didn't even want to look at the tin she put it in. Well, my sisters weren't going to do it and I wanted to. So she handed the recipe to me - the original piece of paper! She no longer has the recipe in her possession, it's mine. It really is good and does a fair job of redeeming the bad rap that fruitcake gets. I'll probably also make Santa's Thumbprint cookies. No, not peanut butter cookies with a kiss on top. These are the real thing, too. A sort-of oatmeal cookie with almond flavoring, melted chocolate on top and a pecan half. My personal holiday favorite.

I'll be singing next Wednesday evening as part of the worship team at our Christmas eve service at church. Check out my church at www.mccth.org. Melora and I attend the Exchange service on Sunday evenings. To get an idea of what we 'put up with' sometimes in our pastors... check out http://reson8.org/stuff/video/. Here, you'll see a selection of some really fine acting and general goofiness. Really funny stuff, especially if you know the people in the videos. But I think even without that familiarity, you'll find them pretty humorous.

Hope all is well with you and yours. Take some time and enjoy the season. Watch some of those favorite Christmas movies, listen to some old Christmas music (or some new), eat unhealthy stuff - and enjoy it.

Merry Christmas to all!

I have more to say than I originally thought!

Well, just an update on life.

There's been a rash of sinus infections going around the town here lately. Neighbors, friends, and family all have had it. And this one seems to be ugly, it hangs on for several weeks. My sister is currently under the weather, significantly, with pneumonia and has been getting sicker, leading up to this current bout, for a few weeks. I caught the sinus infection and still have remnants, three weeks on now. It moved to my chest a couple of weeks ago and I STILL can hear myself wheezing in the night. I've been taking Xopenex that we got for my son last year. I only take it when I need it. It's a nebulizer med and it works. Of course, that indicates that I have asthma. So I wake up in the morning and cough up all sorts of happiness. Yech.

On another note... If something doesn't change, I'm only gonna have one kid left come Spring, cause I'm a gonna knock at least two of 'em in the head! And it's only November. They get kinda antsy, teasing each other, tormenting... gets on my nerves BAD. I didn't have siblings young enough, or close enough in age to have this experience with, so it's new to me. And it's making me crazy. Which leads me to the following.

There's a man at our church that has two grown sons. I've been praying for a long time for a mentor, someone that can help me along this pathway of fatherhood. This man is well spoken of - very well spoken of. I'm told his relationship with his sons is very good and he's quite a godly man. PLUS he has a dairy farm! How awesome would that be? He runs a grass-fed production, which is what I hope to do someday with my milk cow. So not only could he help me be a better dad, but boy could I learn a lot. His extended family hails from Switzerland and he's been over there to visit distant relatives. Anyway, he has a real dairy operation... they make cheese, butter, etc. It's goooood stuff. I was hoping to get to his place and help him make cheese, but my schedule just won't coincide. My plan was to spend the time with him, get to know him a little, then ask him to consider being a mentor. But now I think I'm just gonna drop him an email and lay it out and ask him that way. Nothing else is working out. We'll see how that goes.

Today was a busy day. In addition to doing school with Anna, I put up some veggies. Yesterday was the last delivery of the season for our CSA (consumer supported agriculture) group. We got a head of cabbage, carrots, celery, potatoes, cauliflower, parsley, turnips, and celeriac (it smells just like celery, but it's a root like a carrot). Not only do I have my box of veggies, but there were three more not picked up. Anything left is mine to keep, and I usually end up with an extra box every week or so. Anyway, we split our share with a friend, so she gets a whole box and I get one, plus two of the others. So, I cleaned, cut, blanched, and froze celery (yuck, Baldwin food service ruined Melora and I on that stuff - celery salad sandwiches), cauliflower, carrots, turnips, and celeriac. I'm dehydrating the three bunches of parsley. We had a bunch of potatoes from previous drops. I've put them all in a cardboard box with newspaper around them to 'cellar' them for the winter in the garage. We'll see how that goes. I did the same thing with 9 heads of cabbage. Yeah, we're eating it. I cut up a head a week ago or so and cooked it up with green beans and some ham bits. It was good. I feel like such a real homesteader, it's just really rewarding.

I also am making meals stretch. I bought a small ham loaf last week and baked it with cloves, honey and pineapple. What we didn't eat I froze. It was only one of those small loaf things, but I used some for a batch of ham salad for lunch Monday. I made ham and cheese quiche tonight (love that), and I still have a portion to use later, probably in the crock pot with pinto beans. My kids'll eat just about anything. Four meals from one nine dollar ham! I also bought two roaster chickens at KMart on sale a couple of weeks ago and made one. We don't eat a whole chicken, ever. So I cut the second breast off and froze it and will use it in stir-fry tomorrow night. The rest of it went into a pot and cooked down into broth and meat. It also had onions, garlic, and rosemary which it was originally stuffed and baked with. It'll make some yummy chicken and noodles. Also, don't ever throw out that last tablespoon or two of veggies that nobody eats at dinner. Collect it all in a freezer bag and, when the bag is filled, put it in a pot, add water or broth, herbs, etc. and you've got some great veggie soup. Or add meat to it if you want. THEN you can throw out what doesn't get eaten.

And finally, I just (literally) got a phone call from a man I met through the home school co-op. He's a doctor, has four kids. They have chickens and he's gonna butcher some. I told his wife two Monday's ago that I wanted to learn how to do all that and would love to help. She told her husband and he just called and set up the time and date. I get to help kill chickens. I'm so excited! Now how crazy is that? I'm so easily entertained, huh? But really, it's a skill I will need some day. Just like cleaning fish, which I learned to do this summer.

You know, all this said, I used to feel kinda badly because I'm such a 'Jack-of-all-trades, master-of-none'. I know a little about a lot of things. Have some experience with a lot of things, but don't master anything. That used to get me down. But the more I think about it, the more I realize that just maybe God made me that way so I'd be cut out for homesteading and do it relatively well. I'm finding some solace in that.

I'm homesteading in suburbia. Have a great rest of the week!

Dat don' happen too of'en 'round heah

Well, something rather unusual took place at our house today. We had three meals all together as a family. We were all up and at it this morning and sat down together to a breakfast quiche. Then, I made some homemade tomato soup and grilled cheese for lunch, which we all ate together. And supper rolled around with taco salad for all. We usually do have dinner all together. But three meals all sitting at the table together just doesn't happen often.

Other than that, I have a sinus infection with some accompanying chest congestion. I feel poopy.

Have a day.

Something different

Well, not much has happened in the past few days, so there's not a lot to write about. A neighbor friend of ours bought us tickets to the annual Kiwanis pancake breakfast, so we went there this morning. One of the perks of homeschooling... we got to all go out for breakfast.

Something you may not know about me - I'm a Superman fan. I've always like the Man of Steel and enjoyed reading his comics (though I rarely bought one as a kid). But I just think Big Blue is cool.

I've been doing some reading lately. A week or two ago I finished a book by an archaeologist/philologist (a person who studies languages). The book was written in the 80's. I actually forget the name of the book, but his two other books on the same subject were called 'America B.C.' and 'Saga America'. His position is that Bronze Age Europeans actually traversed the Atlantic and visited North America centuries before Lief Ericson did, as our modern history books tell us. There are actually numerous sites in Canada and the U.S. that are near copies of European Bronze Age dolmen, stellae, burials, etc. These folks would have come over before the last ice age would have made that kind of sea travel impossible. Many of these are inscribed with early Celtic, Scandinavian, and Basque writing, called Ogam and Tifinag inscriptions. Most archaeologists have dismissed these inscriptions as mere decoration or 'wear and tear' of centuries of weather. However, to the trained eye, they tell a very real story, relaying the voyages and accomplishments of European traders and kings - most notably, a Norse king named 'Woden-Lithi'. Sorry, but I can't even remember the author's name right now. Good reading with a lot of pictures to illustrate his points, though.

Another book I'm looking at right now is called 'The Irish in Ireland'. It's a brief history of Ireland from pre-Celtic peoples, to more modern history. It's VERY brief.

I've got my eye on a couple of other books to read when I'm done... A new book just out called 'Liberal Fascism' which shows how many of the policies of liberal politicians through American history are actually rooted in Fascism. It's a scholarly work, and not the ravings of a craze 'Right-Wing Bleeding Heart'. The author doesn't leave off without a word or two about the need for some caution and care by the more conservative side of politics.

And finally, 'The Good Old Days'. It's a collection of interviews, diary entries, testimonies, letters, etc. of Germans involved in the real front-line killing of the Holocaust during WWII. I understand it's not for the faint of heart. But I'm always fascinated by peoples' personal stories, and especially when I can find out the answer to, "What in the world were they thinking?"

I get these books at the library. Good thing too, or I'd be flat broke, have no space in my house at all, and have a very unhappy wife.

All of these right along with the two or three other books unfinished on the shelf to pick up at leisure, several books borrowed from a friend, some homesteading magazines, and a couple of other books I checked out at the library. Go figure.

Well, I guess I did have something to say.

Not much to say.

Isn't she purty? That's a Guernsey cow. Not my first pick of a milk cow, but nice to look at nonetheless.

No news about the farm. Haven't even written the letter yet. I suppose it's probably because it requires me to sit and think for a while and I can't even come close to that with my three raving lunatics running around.

We're headed to the apple orchard on Monday, where I'll buy my usual apples for applebutter. But this year, there'll be an additional purchase as I intend to make applesauce. My boys can go through a whole jar in one sitting, so I think it behooves me (no pun intended) to look into ways of cutting that cost a bit. Making my own unsweetened and cinnamon applesauce might just do it. Gonna be busier'n snot.

Also of note, Grant turns 4 on Monday. He's quite excited.

Melora got another "A" in her Masters' work. She's doing exceptionally well and I'm quite proud of her. She stresses out so much about stuff though. I do try to help her see things more clearly and rationally. HA! Listen to me!! Ain't dat a hoot!?!

Well, that's all for now. Until next time, be well, do good work, and keep in touch. (Thanks Garrison Keilor).

Wow, long time

Well, it's been quite awhile since I've posted. Hmm, I guess I quit because no one was reading it and I was just writing for myself. But maybe that'll change.

I've recently become the coordinator for an egg group. A what? An egg group. See, there's this Amish farmer named Mr. Peachy that has a bunch of chickens (I mean a bunch!) and he sells the eggs. They're organic, free-range. He sells 'em for $2.50/doz. which is reasonable if you've checked prices at the local grocery for organic eggs. Basically, I take orders collect the money and let him know how many eggs to deliver to each of four drop sites around town, twice a month. What do I get out of the deal? Free eggs! Yeah for me. The first egg I cracked yesterday had a double yolk. I'm pretty eggcited.

My sister-in-law called me last weekend raving about this farm she saw with a great farmhouse and 80 acres. The granddaughter of the man that owns the place is one of her art students and said that he wants to sell it. I think I'll call the guy. Even though a fourth of 80 acres would be ample for my needs, and the fact that 80 acres with a house is probably so much more expensive than I could hope to buy... I'm still curious. It's up close to Melora's parents. I've looked at it on Google earth. Can't tell much about the house, but the property looks wonderful. Sigh. Someday I'll have my farm. I'm trusting that God will answer this prayer of mine. Some days the desire is so strong, it hurts. I know I'm asking for a lot of work and effort. But I've got three strong, healthy kids to help me and a supportive wife.

Speaking of the wife. She's working on her MA in Nursing Education and is just about half way through the program. I'm very proud of her. She's doing so well and is going to make a fantastic instructor. However, I think I should earn some sort of degree too... after all, I'm learning at least half of what she is just because I read and edit all she writes. But it's fun and we have a good time talking about stuff she's learning.

Maybe it won't be so long before I post again. Have a day.