The "goings on" around here....

Well, since I always seem to wait several days between posts, you get the wonderful priviledge of reading a really long blog...lol...lucky you.

Our Thanksgiving went well. On the actual day, we went to my sister's house and pigged out, then the following Sunday all of my In-laws came over. I spent all day Saturday prepping, then my MIL and I danced around the kitchen getting it all put together by noon. Hubby helped a bit, which was ok. Everyone had a good time, even the kids, and were all gone by 5. My kitchen was cleaned up, dishes washed, and everything put away by 6...whew! Then, on Wednesday evening, was my Pampered Chef party. For those of you who don't know what that is, Pampered Chef is a line of cooking utensils/products designed to make life in the kitchen easier. I love their products!! http://www.pamperedchef.com is where you can see what they offer.

So I finally got that over with, everyone gone by 9pm...ugh, what a week! Elite is in heat, kinda, and Carlo is outside howling almost constantly. Its driving Ben nuts! I don't k now what is worse, the howling, or smelling Elite. She isn't letting any of the boys near her, which is fine by me. I keep VERY close tabs on this crew at ALL TIMES. Don't need any mutts!!

In other news, I am in the middle of designing a site for dogs.....that's right, for dogs. Oh, and their owners can check it out, too. Hopefully, my friend Novel will agree to co-design it with me, and I will also try to get Robin in on it when her life settles down a bit. The thing is, with the cold weather here (only 28 right now...bbbrrr) I'm not much on being outside. I needed a project, and then it hit me. Why not make a site where dogs can bring their owners, get tips on training, find out where different events are and when, share pictures and stories, and get advice on issues? That is the big part of it....an advice column for dogs!! ASK BEN is the original idea that spurred this site, but as it started coming together, I thought "Why not have a place where people can look up short articles on training, food, holistic care, events, etc?" And so it began. Again, I'm still working on it, but keep checking back, because once its up and going, I'll post a link!! I also thought it would be a good idea to post about puppymills (what they are, etc), petshops, and even have a "Adoptable Pet of the Week" page. This will feature a dog in a shelter that needs a home. So many people either don't know about PetFinder, or don't know how to look for pets in their area. This will give them that oppportunity. We will also advertise rescue organizations (so if you know one or are a member of one, let me know), and cool places to get stuff for your dog!

So that's whats going on around here. Took the dogs for a walk the other day, before it got bitterly cold.
Hard to see in this one, but Elite has her head in the gutter LOL



Then Max had to see what was going on, but he was too chicken to stick his head in:



Of course, Ben is just everywhere





I had to laugh at this one....big dog, little dog..."Whats going on down there?"



And finally, a tired dog, is a happy dog

What if......?

So, in my spare time (deep note of sarcasm) I got to thinking.....What if the world as we know it was suddenly plunged into a completely different way of life. What I mean is, what if for whatever reason, we lost everything. Cars, electricity, phone, etc. Thats right...no computers, no cell phones, no radio, no TV, no light bulbs, no washing machine/dryer, nothing. What if the world was made to suddenly live like the early settlers,...or Pioneers if you prefer that term. Could you do it?

Could you make your own clothes? No shopping, remember. Could you make your own bread, hunt for your own meat, or grow your own food? Could you stand the thought of going out to the outhouse? Or only taking a bath about once a week? Ladies, could you handle going through your menstrual cycle with only rags pinned to your underwear? Could you go through daily tasks wearing dresses? Men, could you handle going out everyday to chop firewood? Could you use only a horse and plow and have a good crop for you and your family? Could you stand sleeping next to your spouse who doesn't shave...EVER??? Could any of you go through life only having sex when you wanted to have a child? No birth control, remember. Keeping in mind that the more you have, the more you have to feed. Could you live in a 2 room cabin?

I think to an extent, this way of life has been romantisized through TV shows like Little House on the Prarie, Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, etc. I personally think only about 25% of our population in the USA would survive. I think that 50% would probably kill each other. Bad thought, I know, but probably more true than we would like to admit. So that leaves 50% left....of that, 25% couldn't handle the lifestyle, and would either starve or freeze to death....so thats what is left. A small percentage of people who could possibly handle it. These people aren't scared to butcher a cow, pig, chicken, deer, etc. They aren't scared to be out in the garden, ankle deep in dirt, working the crop. They aren't worried about getting up early to build the fire, do the chores of feeding livestock, chopping wood, gathering water, etc. These people live off of meat and potatoes, they are familiar with animals, aren't scared to hunt, and know that it takes work to survive. It is also these people that could really care less about the computer, the cell phone, the TV. I think that these people carry more of the pioneer blood in them than others. That strong will, the need to be with the earth, the want to do for themselves.

I have been doing a lot of reading up on this lifestyle. And more people than you think are turning to a more simple way of life. Sefl reliance it is called...also voluntary reliance, simple living, etc. If you go to Ask.com, and just type in self reliance living, you'll get a whole host of sites chocked full of info. Some even call it Homesteading. Like I say, I've been doing a lot of reading, trying to educate myself on this way of life. No, I don't have an outhouse, and obviously I've still got my computer. But I often wonder how little stress I would have without these "conveniences". Just imagine, not having to drive to the grocery, checking ingredients, price comparing, battleing the crowd, and finally, going through that check out line that is a mile long. Then battleing traffic on the way home...ugh. Just imagine...going to your pantry/cellar and grabbing all you need for the evening meal. Working hard during the day and seeing the fruits of your labor. Going to bed TIRED....not just going to bed because its dark. Working with the land, actually GAINING something from your hard work, instead of worrying if your pay is worth the effort. No modern conveniences means no bills. No heat bill, no electric bill, no filling up on $3 or $4 gas, no phone bill, etc...NO BILLS. That alone could make me go pitch a tent somewhere.

SO, could you handle it? Could you really do it? I truely believe I could.

Musings....

Well, I can't say that anything exciting has been going on. Like everyone else in the USA, we are getting by. Its funny how you can have tons of life experience...heck, 20 years worth even, but when you are applying for a job, they want to see it on paper. So, since you can't put "Life" in the "experience" block of an application, they instead choose the irresponsible 22 year old with the bachelor's degree who is still living with mom and dad. Ok, so that was a rant.

Yesterday was yucky and rainy, so I layed in the chair all day....other than the wonderful phone conversation with Novel, nothing exciting happened (unless you count baking cookies exciting...lol)

Today however, something neat happened. I was out in the pasture with the dogs, burning off some energy, when my girl Elite flushed a buck out of the ravine. As for size, he was very large, but he was young. Only 4 points (2 on each side) and they were small, too. But it was the darndest thing.....he came up out of the ravine, and just stood there looking at me. We were about 30 yards apart and it was for about 5 seconds, but wow, he was gorgeous. Of course, me without the camera (I debated taking it, wish I would have listened to my gut on this one!) or a gun. Of course, I don't have a hunting license, but who would have known? There are so many hunters around here, nobody would have known. Oh well. But what happened next was equally as beautiful. Ben, my Mastiff (who will be a year old in about 3 weeks) looked at the buck, and when it took off, so did Ben. He was in full stride, nothing puppy about him. I have never seen him, or any other Mastiff run so fast, with such long strides....it was truely a sight to see. He ran hard for about 150 yards, obviously out-run by the buck, and came lumbering back with his tongue hanging to the ground and a big smile on his face. He was so proud! LOL Max, my JRT was too busy eating racoon poop to care, and I guess Elite decided it was below her to chase deer. No matter, I think Ben expended all of his energy for today and tomorrow in the brief sprint. Too cool.

Earlier today however, I looked out the back door to see this:



You guessed it...that is my Ben, lounging on TOP of the hot tub!! I'm glad the lid didn't cave in with his 125lb butt on it. But I guess he thought he was the king sitting up there.....what a goofball.

In other news, I found an interesting website in my neverending search for knowledge concerning gardening, raising chickens, canning veggies, fruit, and meat, and any other notion to do with "simple" living. All a part of getting back to my "roots" I guess....or going green if you prefer that term. www.backwoodshome.com

They have bloggers on there that answer questions and talk about daily "simple" life. Recipes, techniques, sewing, gardening, hunting, ect. I've only scratched the surface of this site, but as far as I can tell, its a good one and I recommend it to all of my "simple life" friends. I also like www.seedsavers.org . They deal mostly in heirloom and organic veggies and fruits. Nice site.

So there ya go....a few thoughts from my neck of the woods. I guess next time I'll take the camera....you just never know!!

Going Green....

Ok, so we've been seeing it on the news, hearing it on the radio, etc. I can't say I've been thinking about it, that would be a lie. In fact, it has been a seed in the back of my brain for a long time. Living out here in the country, I had the small vision of a grand garden full of veggies, fruit trees/bushes, and farm stock. Actually, it has been a vision since I was a kid to live "simple"....but I would be a total hypocrit if I didn't say that I would still at least want my computer, and my TV. Sorry, but I have to know what's going on in the world and keep in touch with friends. But, I always thought that I could handle doing the daily "up keep" of a domestic farm. Lets face it....Mother Earth has had enough of our crap, and she is retaliating for our abuse. We owe it to her to back off of the pollution and get back to the way it should be. Yeah, I'll still ride my Harley, but at least I'm not buying the hormone ridden crap at the store anymore.....that is the goal, anyway.

I think part of that vision is going to come to light. I was given a thought-boost by all of the media talking about it, and sat down with my husband to tell him of my vision. Of course, at first, he laughed. Then he was skeptical. Then he was half heartedly appeasing me. Well, now I think I've about got him all in. He has agreed to section off a garden for me....36ft wide x 50ft long! AND...hold on to your hats folks...he has agreed to let me get chickens to raise for eggs and meat!! WOOHOO!! So we spent several days plotting out where the garden fence would be, how it would impact our yard, and then also working on the chicken coop.

At first, we thought we would build one from scratch, but as we got to looking at our yard, and what we had, we decided that part of our shed that we really aren't using could be converted into a coop. All we would need to do would be to build the roost, nesting boxes, ramp, and sections for juveniles and chicks. So we jumped in with both feet. He helped me get the roost started, and built 2 nesting boxes. All of this with spare lumber we had from previous projects, or that was left behind from many years past.

Here is the outside view. We will cut 3 small "doors" in the tin, and those will lead to seperate sections as mentioned above. The outside will also be divided....


The fencing for the outside portions will come out 15ft. This picture shows the shed we are using in relation to the house/back deck. The coop being in the far right portion (tin) of the shed.


A different angle...


This door will be replace with either barn doors, or something similar, like a regular people door, and fill in the rest with plywood or other lumber. Depends on what we can scavenge..lol...


A different angle:


I am so excited! Here are some pictures of our progress so far...we need to get some chicken wire, and he needs to make a few more nesting boxes. But I think so far, for what it is and what we have, its not bad!







Me, making a "chick ramp"...lol



I am going to learn how to can fruits and veggies from my Mother-in-Law, which should be interesting. I would like to learn how to do it without a pressure cooker, because lets face it, the pioneers didn't carry those around in the wagons with them. I'm also going to have a large cast iron pot set up to hang over a fire pit. This is for when I butcher the chickens, I can dunk them in the boiling water to loosen feathers. Kinda like blanching fruit to peel. Not in long enough to cook, but just to make getting the feathers off easier. Then I can butcher them according to need (seperate breasts, legs, thighs, or leave them whole)and freeze them. No, that's not how it was done "back in the day", but my point is they will be organic, and not cost me as much as buying them at the store.

Have any of you heard of canning MEAT???? My MIL said her mother used to do it, but she can't quite remember how its done. So if anyone has any suggestions or links feel free to speak up!

I tried to get the hubby talked into rabbits and ducks as well, but he said "Lets see how you do with the chickens, first"....I had to laugh. I also told him I would like to eventually have a cow and hog to raise for butchering as well. He just looked at me and shook his head. Maybe next year? Hopefully the chickens will do well enough to prove I can handle other livestock. I can't wait for spring to get here!!

Realizations....

WARNING!! This could be a really long post....hope you have time to read it all!! :)



Ok, so for the past week or so, some things have come to my attention. I don't really want to say its "age", because that makes me sound old. I'm 36, but I think my life and my soul have come to some conclustions. I'm putting these realizations here, for all of you to read, in hopes that either you have already had them, or maybe one day you will. I'm not saying they are profound, they don't earn the Pulitzer Prize or anything, but I think they do warrant print. So, on with the show!

I have realized:

--that my husband truely loves me, regardless of anything that has happened in our past. He doesn't want me to have to work, and he really wants me to be happy, therefore indulging in some of my crazier ideas.

--that I want to spend time being goofy with my 8 year old son. It dawned on me the other day how far from my childhood I had become when he wanted to scoop out the center of a Whopper, only to fill the chocolate shell with metal shavings or bb's, then place it on a table with a magnet underneath and make it "magically" roll around. We decided that a ball-bearing would be better.

--that my 4 dogs have taught me TONS of patience. My mastiff, Ben, is always in "slow-mode" which requires me to wait patiently for him to exicute a command. And that being pinned to the kitchen sink by a 125lb dog leaning on my legs is his way of telling me "I'm right here mom, no worries".

--that I have come to a point in my life that I will accept my body for what it is, and stop trying to make it what it really can't be....regardless of the fact that I would kill to look like Jillian off of The Biggest Loser. I love that woman.

--that I don't have to look "pristene" when I go get groceries. I am not there to meet men, or other people, so I don't have to put on make-up, and change clothes before I go. The people at HyVee or County Market don't care if my jeans have dirt or dog hair on them, nor do they care that I'm not wearing my "best" Carhart coat.

--that I can sit with my husband in the car, or in the hot tub in silence, and be ok with it. We don't have to speak to enjoy each other's company.

--that we can make it through tough times. We have had our highs and lows, both emotionally and financially, but we have made it through them all. We are a better couple for it, and I am glad to have him.

--that no matter how hard you try, or how loud you yell, men will NOT take out the trash or do the dishes. They WILL however, pick up dog poop, cook a meal, put laundry in the dryer, and hold you at night.

--that you can try things just once to see if it works and you aren't out a thing...in fact, you actually gain a better understanding of things when you try them out!!

--that keeping a puppy on a schedule for house training is great, but needn't be continued through adulthood because it makes your dogs crazy. They will refuse to pee if they know they are coming right in to eat.

--that I don't have to shave my legs every single day. Especially in the winter.

So all in all, things are good, life is good, and having these "realizations" is good.

Living with a Mastiff....

First let me apologize for being so long to post. Its been a bit mundane here. However, thanx to The Handler, I have applied for a job that, IF I get it, would have us moving....more on that later.

So, living with a Mastiff. For those that have never lived with an extremely LARGE dog, it definitely has its...well....situations.

First, even though the dog is 30 inches at the shoulder, and well over 100lbs, he is still an 11 month old puppy and should be treated as such. Yes, sometimes its hard to look at him and "think" puppy, but then he does something that quickly reminds me, he is ALL puppy. We'll start with trying to climb into my lap:



Then, when he doesn't get his way, he tries to "suck up" by giving kisses:



How am I to resist this face?



But alas, we pout:



Then we are outside, trying to find something to play with. Evdidently I'm such a meany, that he must scavenge pieces of PVC pipe to entertain himself with. Secretly, I think he knew he was making me laugh. In fact, I literally almost peed my pants watching him. The only dog I've ever owned that could fit a 4 INCH piece of pipe in his mouth:



But as I said, he is still a puppy. You know how it goes, the "back talk" when you want them to do something (especially when he knows I can't reach him for a correction), the sneaking around to see what that one shoe smells like way down deep, or why that mousetrap smells like peanut butter, or even trying to climb into the dryer. You know it smells good in there, and when it stops, its so warm and snuggly!!

All in all, I wouldn't trade my "snuggy bear" for the world. He only drools after drinking water, and wants so badly for "mom" to be happy. He just wants to be close, even if it means leaning on my legs while I'm doing dishes, thus pinning me to the counter. He wants to be brave for me, and will sit very "proudly" when Greg is around. He tries to be "easy", but just hasn't gotten that down yet. Excitement gets the best of him, and the "body-wag" coupled with the need to touch sends him into overdrive and I get stepped on, pushed, and snorted on....not to mention a good whipping with that tail!

He knows to sit for a rub, and has learned "platz" (down), and for some reason I am using the command "wait" instead of "stay". I don't know why I have, but it is working so I'm not going to change. He does real well for being a puppy, and I can see lots of potential when he learns to settle down. He will never leave my side, but then at the same time can be so incredibly stubborn you would swear he was deaf. He sings to me each morning, and doesn't try to run me down getting to the door. And he still wants something to suck on:





I had to take this toy away because he was becoming obsessive about it. He would carry it around, and suck on it for hours, like a pacifier. He used to want to walk beside me with my hand in his mouth (a previous owner thing) but he has dropped that annoying habit. I never encouraged it, and for a long time walked around with my hands in my pockets. He eventually forgot all about it.

But as I said, I wouldn't trade him for the world. After all, who can resist such a sweet face?