Thursday, July 31, 2008

Change in plans

Oh boy, did I mess up!!

I had my whole day planned out....making salsa, relish, bread, egg casserole, doing laundry, mopping the floor, etc. Then the phone rang, and it was my BIL. You know, the one with the hog building. For the life of me I couldn't figure out why he would be calling. I found out real fast.

Let me digress....about a month or so ago, BIL was power washing out the hog barn, when the gas can for the generator powered washer fell over, igniting the whole front part. Scorching the ceiling, walls, etc. The water pipe along the ceiling broke and extinguished the fire, (thank goodness) but the result was a blackened mess. Well, he hosed it all down as best he could, but lets face it, the man is busy running a farm. So about a week ago he asked me "If the insurance company pays you, would you scrub down those 3 walls and 2 doors in the hog barn?" Sure, why not? A little extra cash would be nice, and all I'd need is a rag and bucket o' soap. No Problem, I say. I can do it over the weekend, or first of the week.

Fast forward to today...."Were you planning to wash those walls?" OH SHIT!! I had TOTALLY forgotten about that!! DAMN!!!! Ok, no problem...."I'll be down there at 2pm, as I'm in the middle of canning!!" lol Well, it happens that I got done a bit early and went down at 1pm...took me 2 hours, and about 10 gallons of sweat, but that baby is clean!! :) Since it totally screwed up my plans, I'll have to finish up with everything else sometime tomorrow. Although I don't know when, since Old Thresher's is this weekend. The Antique Tractor Pulls are at 1100, and that will last about 2hrs. I wouldn't normally worry about it, but the FIL and BIL are always in it, so I need to make a showing. So that puts a kink in the 'to do' list as well. Not to mention my nephew's birthday party at 6pm.

Saturday is for me...at least in the morning. See, I am in LOVE with draft horses. And on Sat morning (0800) is the Draft Horse Team Pull...oh wow!! I love watching those HUGE babies back up to the weight sled and with a simple command, pull that weight with all their strength. Flipping dirt, digging deep, muscles rippling, snorting, and just all out RAW POWER. One day I will own a team of draft horses, and I will be one of the extreme few women who compete......one day......

The work doesn't end.....

So after taking a day to recover, I've finally gotten the opportunity to write about my day on Tuesday.

It started like normal...feeding dogs and chickens, but the work escalated from there. DH and I had a lot of work ahead of us. We needed to move the 27 baby chicks to their own coop, which meant butchering the 4 old ones that were there. After that, I needed to pick up the house because my MIL was coming over. We had agreed to have her over so we could put up corn. "Put up"....to preserve, can, or freeze corn for later use. This entails shucking, cleaning, cutting it off the cob, boiling, then bagging it for freezing. Between her and I, we had 3 seed bags full, which is about 75-100 ears.

After picking up the house, I proceeded to butcher the 4 hens, while the DH prepared the coop and moved the 27 chicks over. After butchering/skinning these hens, I put 2 of them in the stock pot to make broth...that takes 4 hours!! So I got that started, then dove into the meals I needed to make the DH for him to take on the road. Tater-tot casserole, spaghetti, and chicken/noodles. All of this had to be made, separated, then frozen. DH was great about it, as things came out of the oven, he was dividing it into his containers and making room in the freezer. In between that task, he was shucking corn and getting the chicken broth rolling (picking the meat off the bones, restarting the boiling, keeping it stirred, etc), and hauling out cobs. At the same time, I was cleaning the corn (brushing out silks, picking out bad spots, etc), keeping the dishes done, boiling pots of corn and straining it, keeping the brine made, and getting food cooked....not to mention doing the laundry, getting it hung on the line, and then pulled in and folded.

By the time we were finished, it was 5pm. I had been on my feet since 0630!!!! We were finished and had the remaining dishes piled in the sink when I just looked at the DH and said "Take me to supper, please!" So we showered and went out for a relaxing meal. I figured why not? I had been cooking all day, and it was someone elses turn to cook for ME. LOL

After the whirlwind of a day on Tuesday, we woke up Wednesday and had to leave right after breakfast to take the DH to work. I came home and CRASHED!! I was sooo tired, I just layed down on the couch and died. It was short lived though. I had to get up again and go to an auction in town in order to try to buy a freezer. Didn't get the freezer, but had a nice time visiting with people in town anyway. :)

Today, I'm back at it. I need to make more broth, make sweet relish and salsa and get it canned, and do laundry and pick up the house in between. But that's ok, because its supposed to be hot and steamy today, and I'd much rather be inside!!

*Thinks to herself....."damn, at some point I've GOT to mow the grass!!" :(

Sunday, July 27, 2008

Just when I thought....

Yep, just when I thought things had settled back down, my routine was shifted. Although for the past week my usual morning chores had been extended by 30 min due to watering my MIL's plants, it was nothing compared to last Thurs, and Fri. The work I did those 2 days set me back on my regular work around here, so I'm playing catch up. But that's ok, I learned a lot, and proved even more. Let me tell you the story....

My BIL has a hog barn. For those of you who don't know what that is, I'll explain. Basically, its a HUGE building with concrete floors. These floors have slits in them about 6 feet long and 2 inches wide, all over. These slits allow the waste to drop/drip down into a pit....yes, a sewer pit. Anyway, if you draw a "T" and make the top long, that is what this building looks like. Along the inside of this T, it is divided into smaller pens, in which anywhere from 30-60 piglets are placed. These pens are approximately 60 feet long by 10 feet wide. That being said, each one of these 2,000+ piglets needs vaccinated. And there is where the fun begins! These piglets are raised to 'finishing' stage, which means fattened up so you can have that Christmas ham, or your morning bacon. That being said....

Strapped around my neck is the bottle of syrum, hanging upside down like an IV bottle. Out of that is a rubber hose, much like what you see in a hospital, and on the end of that is a sort of 'gun'. The syringe is placed inside, and on top is a small can of spray paint. As you squeeze the trigger, the proper amount of vaccine is administered through the needle, and a spot of paint is sprayed on said pig all at the same time. Basically, stab and squeeze. Stab sounds harsh, how about 'poke'? lol.

So now I'm armed and ready, although never having done this before, how hard can it be? Pick up a baby pig (too damn cute, by the way) and give it a shot. HA!!! Little did I know how exhausting that plan would be. Watching my BIL, he was just poking them on the run-by. I kept thinking "no way can I do that, I'll end up hitting an eye or something awful". So after picking up about 60 piglets, I was sweating like a whore in church. Dripping, even. BIL just laughed and said, "you'll get the hang of it, I was like you in the beginning, too. Don't worry about it." I finally decided to try his method.

We crowded them into one end with a folded gate, and locked it into the side panels. They would pile into one corner, and get still, at which time I could poke/squeeze each one in the neck, as directed. Then, we would slowly let them out, watching for any that we missed. By the end of day 1 I was exhausted, but felt I had gotten the hang of things pretty well. 0830-1230, with a 15min break in the middle, was solid vaccinating. I showered before leaving the building, but had to shower again once home....that smell just hangs on you!!

Waking up on Friday morning proved difficult. I was so sore from climbing over railings, pushing pigs, and bending over for 4 hours, my poor body screamed. But, like clockwork, 0830 he was at my door. This day proved more efficient. We work well together, and barely spoke. We got into a nice rhythm and moved along very well. It was so nice, and I think he and I came to a new level in our understanding of each other. Mind you, this is the husband of the SIL who has the hethan daughter I've discussed in previous entries. He admited to being sore as well, and was glad when we were finished.

I didn't expect to get paid, or to really get anything in return. I was doing him a favor, just helping out the way family should. So I was completely shocked when he handed me a check for $100!! Woohoo! He then asked me "So, wanna help me in 30 days when they need a booster shot?" I had no problem saying 'yes'. It was a great learning experience, and a great bonding experience, as well. Almost a 'proving' of sorts. However, it cause some friction at home for him. :(

See, she has always been a bit 'jealous', although I'm not sure why. I would never in a million years do anything but shake hands with him, but for some reason she thinks the possibility exists of there being 'more'. eeww. Don't get me wrong, he isn't ugly or anything by any means, but HELLO!! I am married to his brother, and the list of reasons why it would be so wrong gets longer from there. Why on earth would I even THINK of doing that????? *sigh* Moving on.....see, she is very 'prissy' although claiming to be a tomboy. PFFFFFTTT. He asked her to help before "Oh no,I can't do that, it stinks in there, and there is poop, and EEWWW!"....So here I come, with no reservations in any of it. Yeah, I commented on how cute they were, but also explained "That is a girl thing, no matter what." he laughed. As I was saying, he went home and was telling her what a good job I had done, and how we worked well together. Well, that went over like a lead balloon. "Well isn't that nice"....he in turn said "At least she helps me!!" Again, *sigh*. Not my issue, though. I don't care, its who I am, its how I am, and if she doesn't like it, tough shit.

Funny thing, though, I can vaccinate pigs all day, and still turn around and clean up for Hot Mamma's Club that night, lookin smokin hot!!! LOL That is for another entry!!

So all in all, I did a fine job....so good that BIL is bragging to FIL, SIL, MIL, and all the farmers around about me...hehe...not bad for a chic who didn't know squat about farming when I moved here!! :)

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

The whirlwind has settled

I think I can get back into my routine. My step-son arrived on Friday, took my son back on Saturday, then spent Sunday hanging out. Monday my step-son went back home, and while the DH was taking him back, I spent the whole day canning green beans. On Tuesday, I took the DH back to work, told that woman who gave birth to me to forget visiting this week, and came home. Due to that wonderful thing called PMS, I spent most of the day on the couch with a HUGE headache (bordering on migraine) and slept.

Today, after taking care of the animals, I'm waiting for the grass to dry out a bit so I can mow. I plan on doing laundry, and then just being lazy. I thought my BIL would call this week for me to help him vaccinate his new piglets, but he is so busy, it might wait til next week.

Also, my SIL and I have created a new 'girls club'. I came up with the idea of us girls getting together once a month, like my MIL's "Mother's Club" only with our generation. So, we named it "Hot Mamma's Club"...LOL. Thursday is our first 'meeting', and I'm looking forward to it. As most people know, I'm not endowed with a lot of 'friends' so I'm hoping this works out.

Friday, July 18, 2008

Spiderman is REAL!!!

Yes folks, thats right, Spiderman is REAL and he lives at MY HOUSE!! Exclusive photos taken yesterday reveal his abilities to scale walls with no effort! He hides, watching, and waiting for bad guys to enter the house, then POW! he jumps on them, using the element of suprise!! Oh, the poor, unsuspecting criminals will never see it coming!!

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Monday, July 14, 2008

Sorry, no pics...

You got it, I forgot to take the camera to the cookout on Sat. *sigh* I guess it doesn't really matter, it was cloudy and rainy anyway, and the kids didn't get to play in the water very much. My son and I left at around 3, but the rest of the family stayed until 5 or 6.

Yesterday we just hung out around the house. Did a few little chores, but mainly just rested. We played "DOG-OPOLY" and I totally whooped his butt!! lmao. You gotta love the Monopoly games...when there are only 2 or 3 playing, it can really be a time killer. We played for 2 1/2 hours straight!! Today is catch up day, and I will try to get all my "to do" list finished. It seems to be getting longer the more I think about it. But Wed we are going to town to get things for making pickles, to watch a small concert in the park, and to get his pictures done at WalMart. I figure for $8 its not a bad deal and I don't have to rely on his dad to send me a school pic.

Friday hopefully the DH will be home, but I think we are going straight from picking him up to Dubuque to get our other son. He will stay until Tues. or so. Not to mention this Sat I will be taking my son back. Lots of driving on Fri and Sat...ugh.

Saturday, July 12, 2008

Hanging out

We have spent the last few days just 'hangin out' and doing things around the house. Its been super humid and I didn't even feel like being outside. We moved the baby chics out to the 'mini-coop' I built last week. Power tools rock! Chics with power tools are even cooler!! LOL

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I put my boy to work cleaning up the water container and the poop tray from the indoor brooder

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Once that was done, we relaxed for the rest of the day!!

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I then recieved 2 phone calls bearing bad news. Now, bad news can be "terrible with no recovery" or just "it happened and we are all ok". These 2 phone calls were of the latter kind.

The first was to say that my BIL's hog barn caught fire. It wasn't huge, and was contained to a small area, and by sheer fate, the heat melted a plastic water pipe which, upon breaking, dumped water on the fire thus putting it out. Nobody was physically hurt, although his pride was. A few electrical components were damaged, and thank goodness there were no hogs in the building. It was the 'in-between time' where the grown ones were gone and the new ones hadn't yet arrived. They were cleaning the building in prep for the next batch. The electrical will be repaired on Monday, and new hogs will be in next week.

The second call occurred when I got back home from one of my nephew's ball games. It was 9pm and my sister was calling. She apologized for calling so late (I usually don't answer the phone after 8pm) but had to tell me about my 6 year old niece. She has been taking swimming lessons for the past few weeks, and doing quite well. Yesterday was the diving board. She dove off forwards with no problems. Then it was time to dive off backwards. Toes on the board, her first dive was great. Then came the second. Evidently she was so excited, she didn't place her feet properly and when she launched off, her chin hit the board. We all know how badly face wounds can bleed, so you can imagine. Long story short, she was taken to the ER and recieved 5 stitches. There should be minimal scarring, and its far enough under her chin that you won't be able to see it anyway.

So, all in all, everyone survived and is ok despite the craziness. Today is supposed to be a cookout at the SIL's place, with a pool party thrown in, so hopefully the weather will cooperate. I'll try to get pics and post them soon!

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

Much fun

Well, the trip to get my son went well...we had a bit of a detour in order to pick up the DH. So we stopped at a farmer's market and got some peas, and picked up a few groceries which put us getting home at 9pm. Boy, was I tired!!


Anyway, we have been to the movies and saw Hancock...it was 'fair', went to the waterpark and had fun, went to a nature park that was crappy, lol, and got ate up with mosquitoes. I taught him today how to mow the yard with a riding mower.





Also had him working in the garden,








We've been having fun around here, too....

So you see, I'm not a complete slave driver, lol. More to come, I'm sure, as I have another movie day planned, and there is a concert by local bands in the park every Wednesday. You pack a lunch, and listen to whoever happens to be playing that day from 12-1. I think the SIL and her 2 kids will go with us to that next week. There is also a "kids' day" cookout planned for this Saturday, so I'll be sure to post plenty of pics!!

P.S. The pictures of him working in the garden were posed...no children were hurt/made to work like that in the making of this blog.

Friday, July 4, 2008

Busy days ahead...

Yes, the summer cannot go by without a whirlwind visit from my son. I'm so excited! I pick him up tomorrow, and from then on, there will be no rest for the weary. DH will be home tomorrow, too, so it will be a crazy few days. Once the DH goes back to work, my boy and me can settle into a routine of sorts and get things rollin. I have a lot planned, but am also letting things roll and just plan on hangin out. Museums, water parks, nature centers, bike riding, a poolside cookout with the in-laws, time in the hot tub, a movie or two, and rocket building....whew! So I ask myself, "What do we do for the second week?" LOL...j/k...all that will be spread out over the 2 weeks he is here. I will be so worn out, I'll sleep for the entire week afterward! ;) Actually, he has settled down a lot, and I'm sure he'll let me keep my routine nap going...he used to when he was little, and I know he'll be fine with it now...I can't wait til tomorrow!!

Did I mention he is 9 years old? LOL