The people here are different.
Very different.
Not really like anybody anywhere else we have lived.
Sometimes it's interesting & sometimes it's just odd.
Here's just one recent example:
I have a collection of pins & brooches.
I like to wear them on my jackets & I quite often switch them around according to the season or my whims or whatever.
One of my favorites is a star shaped "sheriff" badge which says "Wells Fargo Agent".
It was a promotional give-away that I have had for literally 35 years.
I wear it all the time. I have for 35 years.
In all that time I have received a few comments on it.
Mostly along the lines of "new sheriff in town" kind of thing.
No big whip.
So a month or so ago I pull it out & pin it on my Levi jacket ~ as I have done dozens of times in the past.
You would not believe the comments I have received!
Some from folks I know but many from strangers, people in stores, that sort of thing.
And 1 or 2 was along the "new sheriff in town" line.
But most of them want to know if it is REAL. Or what it says (duh). Or why I am wearing it. Or am I some kind of peace officer. Or whatever.
They are totally annoyed/surprised/clueless when I say "No. It's just a pin."
They totally do NOT get it.
Is it just me?
Am I really that odd?
I mean, I know that I am odd but I don' think it is me in this case.
I have worn that badge for years, in many different areas & around all kinds of different people & never had it be an issue.
I am pretty sure it is just here.
Not sure what it is about these folks but it is sure something.
I finally took my badge off & put it away.
Too many comments of the weird variety. It just wasn't fun to wear anymore.
I have other examples of "not being in Kansas" anymore but this was the just the latest.
And in my opinion, one of the weirder.
Blessings.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Saturday, April 23, 2011
The Good Old Days
In honor of the $175.00 it took to fill the gas tank in my Suburban this week (yes, I did want to vomit)
I thought I would share a story about the good old days.
Back when it didn't take a bank loan to fill up your car.
Back when it didn't take a $20 bill to fill the gas can for the mower.
Back when (gasp) gas cost less than a dollar a gallon.
Yes, you read that right folks. Less than $1 a gallon.
Sigh...
My first vehicle was a 1971 3/4 ton Chevrolet pickup (longbed).
It was a beast.
It had V8 350 engine.
And being that it had a V8 it also got 12 mpg.
But it got 12 mpg no matter what. City. Highway. Towing (& that baby could tow a house). Fully loaded. Empty.
Didn't matter.
12 mpg.
When I was a young adult (for purposes of this story "young adult" will be defined as between 18-22 yrs of age) my friend, Anne, & I used to cruise the main drag in my pickup.
Windows rolled down ( & I do mean 'rolled' down).
Long blonde hair whipping in the wind.
AM radio blasting (HA!).
And our homemade Peace flag flying proudly from the antenna. (My dad hated that flag. Really HATED it).
Yes, I admit it. We were hippies. We rocked. :)
And being that we were generally broke; we put gas in the tank $2 at a time.
Being that gas was maybe 75-80 cents we could do that.
Anybody can scrounge 2 bucks.
Go thru your pockets. Riffle the couch cushions. Heck, break out the penny jar.
Yes those were the days.
When a handfull of change could keep you driving all night.
Try that now ~ I dare you!
You can't even run a chiansaw for less than $10 these days (shaking head sadly).
There is a Hal Ketchum song, 'Small Town Saturday Night'.
One of the verses goes: 'Everybodys broke, but Bobby's got a buck. Put a dollars worth of gas in the pick up truck'
Would today's generation even understand that song?
Cheap gas? That's gone the way of the dinosaur or the pay phone or the drive-in.
Sigh.
Just a thought:
It took nearly 100 years ~ a century~ for gas to break a dollar.
It took maybe 10 years to go from $1 to $2.
It took less than 5 to go from $2 to $3.
And less than 1 year to go from $3 to $4.
Can I just say : "Way to go Barry"?
And yes, that is sarcasm ;)
Blessings.
I thought I would share a story about the good old days.
Back when it didn't take a bank loan to fill up your car.
Back when it didn't take a $20 bill to fill the gas can for the mower.
Back when (gasp) gas cost less than a dollar a gallon.
Yes, you read that right folks. Less than $1 a gallon.
Sigh...
My first vehicle was a 1971 3/4 ton Chevrolet pickup (longbed).
It was a beast.
It had V8 350 engine.
And being that it had a V8 it also got 12 mpg.
But it got 12 mpg no matter what. City. Highway. Towing (& that baby could tow a house). Fully loaded. Empty.
Didn't matter.
12 mpg.
When I was a young adult (for purposes of this story "young adult" will be defined as between 18-22 yrs of age) my friend, Anne, & I used to cruise the main drag in my pickup.
Windows rolled down ( & I do mean 'rolled' down).
Long blonde hair whipping in the wind.
AM radio blasting (HA!).
And our homemade Peace flag flying proudly from the antenna. (My dad hated that flag. Really HATED it).
Yes, I admit it. We were hippies. We rocked. :)
And being that we were generally broke; we put gas in the tank $2 at a time.
Being that gas was maybe 75-80 cents we could do that.
Anybody can scrounge 2 bucks.
Go thru your pockets. Riffle the couch cushions. Heck, break out the penny jar.
Yes those were the days.
When a handfull of change could keep you driving all night.
Try that now ~ I dare you!
You can't even run a chiansaw for less than $10 these days (shaking head sadly).
There is a Hal Ketchum song, 'Small Town Saturday Night'.
One of the verses goes: 'Everybodys broke, but Bobby's got a buck. Put a dollars worth of gas in the pick up truck'
Would today's generation even understand that song?
Cheap gas? That's gone the way of the dinosaur or the pay phone or the drive-in.
Sigh.
Just a thought:
It took nearly 100 years ~ a century~ for gas to break a dollar.
It took maybe 10 years to go from $1 to $2.
It took less than 5 to go from $2 to $3.
And less than 1 year to go from $3 to $4.
Can I just say : "Way to go Barry"?
And yes, that is sarcasm ;)
Blessings.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Hmmm...
Must write something...
Have lots of ideas. Lots of posts written in my head but when I finally get to my computer they are gone.
Thank goodness for small favors ;)
We butchered 2 goats, 5 rabbits, & picked up our pork.
So nice to have our freezers full again.
Still haven't gotten my garden plowed yet :(
But I have spinach & lettuce & different herbs coming up in the raised beds.
Our meat bird chicks are doing awesome. Best batch we've had yet.
Next Sunday is Easter. We are doing a sunrise service & then a breakfast.
The first weekend in May is a big community parade & games at the park.
We are having a float & taking the donkey & wagon & the horse in the parade.
We are also doing a booth at the park with a bounce house & 'gold panning' & Wordless bracelets.
Hoping it is fun for everyone.
Tomorrow I head up to Oregon for a piano lesson for my daughter. She is almost at the end of the program she is learning.
It is a bittersweet thing as it will be nice (& more cost friendly) not to drive back up every few weeks but we will miss her teacher terribly.
Managed to make everyone sick today with bad lemonade. Not sure how but my son thinks one if the lemons was 'bad' & it must have had some bacteria or something nasty because it gave us all yucky tummys :(
Hoping you had a blessed Palm Sunday.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessings.
Have lots of ideas. Lots of posts written in my head but when I finally get to my computer they are gone.
Thank goodness for small favors ;)
We butchered 2 goats, 5 rabbits, & picked up our pork.
So nice to have our freezers full again.
Still haven't gotten my garden plowed yet :(
But I have spinach & lettuce & different herbs coming up in the raised beds.
Our meat bird chicks are doing awesome. Best batch we've had yet.
Next Sunday is Easter. We are doing a sunrise service & then a breakfast.
The first weekend in May is a big community parade & games at the park.
We are having a float & taking the donkey & wagon & the horse in the parade.
We are also doing a booth at the park with a bounce house & 'gold panning' & Wordless bracelets.
Hoping it is fun for everyone.
Tomorrow I head up to Oregon for a piano lesson for my daughter. She is almost at the end of the program she is learning.
It is a bittersweet thing as it will be nice (& more cost friendly) not to drive back up every few weeks but we will miss her teacher terribly.
Managed to make everyone sick today with bad lemonade. Not sure how but my son thinks one if the lemons was 'bad' & it must have had some bacteria or something nasty because it gave us all yucky tummys :(
Hoping you had a blessed Palm Sunday.
Hosanna in the highest.
Blessings.
Monday, April 4, 2011
Spring
There is no middle ground here.
Just a little over a week ago it was pouring~monsoon season pouring~ and cold and dark and damp.
The last several days the sun has been shining & it has been in the 80's.
From sweaters & boots straight to shorts & flip flops.
No spring. Headlong rush to summer.
Missing the slow, gentle spring in the Basin.
Oh well. ;)
This morning our last doe kidded out.
We went out to do chores & found a big buckling already dried off & yelling.
So we ended up with 2 singles & 1 set of twins. 1 doe & 3 bucks.
Works great for us because we breed our Nubian does to our Boer buck & we butcher the kids.
Now once this doe is done with colostrum & giving good milk we shouldn't have to buy anymore milk.
YAY! That is a wonderful thing!
My only real complaint is that I am never ever ever ever ever ever never never breaking in another first freshener as long as I live.
Somebody else can do that & I will be perfectly content to spend a little extra $$$ on a doe who is already milking & knows that the milking stand is not a torture device, laying down on the milk bucket is not acceptable behaviour & kicking the milk bucket out of my hand will result in unpleasant conequences.
Never ever ever!
It is such fun to have goat kids playing out in the pasture. I'm hard pressed to think of a cuter animal.
The butcher came & killed the pigs today. He figures they were about 300 & 350 lbs a piece.
Perfecto!
I was obsessing over their weight this morning ( as I always do). Worried that they would be too small & we should have waited. Kill fees & cut & wrap prices have gone up so much that we like to make sure we are getting as much meat as we can for our money & aim for 300 lbs with the hogs.
So I am happy.
We plan to butcher last years goat kids, hopefully this week. We kill & dress them out at home & then take them in to be cut & wrapped. We just don't have a practical place to do it here.
We have 49 meat birds in brooders in the garage. They are almost 3 weeks I think? They will be going outside to free range in another week or so if the weather holds.
If you stuff them with super high protein feeds you can butcher them at 6-9 weeks but we feed ours not so much protein & let them free range for closer to 12-15 weeks. We also like to butcher them at a bigger size. We aim for an 8-10 lb bird (dressed out) rather than a 4-6 lb bird.
We like 'em big.
I need to find someone to plow our gardens soon. It is time to plant.
I plan on having 2 large areas apart from one another. I am planing on putting sweet corn in one area & popcorn in the other. Along with melons, pumpkins, green beans, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots & bunches of herbs.
I already have spinach & lettuce & a few other things coming up in the raised beds.
All of the trees all of the sudden are leafing out. Everything is fresh & new & green.
It doesn't last long here but it is pretty while it does.
Blessings.
Just a little over a week ago it was pouring~monsoon season pouring~ and cold and dark and damp.
The last several days the sun has been shining & it has been in the 80's.
From sweaters & boots straight to shorts & flip flops.
No spring. Headlong rush to summer.
Missing the slow, gentle spring in the Basin.
Oh well. ;)
This morning our last doe kidded out.
We went out to do chores & found a big buckling already dried off & yelling.
So we ended up with 2 singles & 1 set of twins. 1 doe & 3 bucks.
Works great for us because we breed our Nubian does to our Boer buck & we butcher the kids.
Now once this doe is done with colostrum & giving good milk we shouldn't have to buy anymore milk.
YAY! That is a wonderful thing!
My only real complaint is that I am never ever ever ever ever ever never never breaking in another first freshener as long as I live.
Somebody else can do that & I will be perfectly content to spend a little extra $$$ on a doe who is already milking & knows that the milking stand is not a torture device, laying down on the milk bucket is not acceptable behaviour & kicking the milk bucket out of my hand will result in unpleasant conequences.
Never ever ever!
It is such fun to have goat kids playing out in the pasture. I'm hard pressed to think of a cuter animal.
The butcher came & killed the pigs today. He figures they were about 300 & 350 lbs a piece.
Perfecto!
I was obsessing over their weight this morning ( as I always do). Worried that they would be too small & we should have waited. Kill fees & cut & wrap prices have gone up so much that we like to make sure we are getting as much meat as we can for our money & aim for 300 lbs with the hogs.
So I am happy.
We plan to butcher last years goat kids, hopefully this week. We kill & dress them out at home & then take them in to be cut & wrapped. We just don't have a practical place to do it here.
We have 49 meat birds in brooders in the garage. They are almost 3 weeks I think? They will be going outside to free range in another week or so if the weather holds.
If you stuff them with super high protein feeds you can butcher them at 6-9 weeks but we feed ours not so much protein & let them free range for closer to 12-15 weeks. We also like to butcher them at a bigger size. We aim for an 8-10 lb bird (dressed out) rather than a 4-6 lb bird.
We like 'em big.
I need to find someone to plow our gardens soon. It is time to plant.
I plan on having 2 large areas apart from one another. I am planing on putting sweet corn in one area & popcorn in the other. Along with melons, pumpkins, green beans, onions, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots & bunches of herbs.
I already have spinach & lettuce & a few other things coming up in the raised beds.
All of the trees all of the sudden are leafing out. Everything is fresh & new & green.
It doesn't last long here but it is pretty while it does.
Blessings.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)