Ye Wet White Stuff Is Upon Us

 So, overnight we got the wet, white stuff ... and it has stuck. Daniel and Samantha have had fun sledding down the driveway, and have popped in to see us a couple of times. I have no wish to go out, it was enough for me to see it when I let the dogs out earlier. It looks very pretty. Oh for the days when it would have excited me, and I'd have been out there all wrapped up with scarf and gloves, building a snowman and having snowball fights. Now, with my body feeling the cold even at much higher temps than today, the frigid weather isn't as welcome. I'm glad, though, for those who do still enjoy it, especially since this kind of "sticking" isn't that common in SC. It's nice for the kids to be able to experience, and play out in it. 

Playing Catch Up ... and BBBRRRRRRR!

Oh my gosh, it is getting coooooollllddd! And the ice storm cometh. We are indoors and probably not going anywhere for the next couple of days, IF it gets as bad as they expect. I am thankful that we have gas as well as electric, just in case we lose power, but hubby spent today sealing draughty windows (this is an older house) and getting the generator ready in case it's needed.

We went over to the property, late yesterday afternoon, and set out food for the stray dogs, cats and even the deer. Hopefully the shed will give the stray pets a place to get out of the nastiness.  There's cedar chips, a dog bed and a blanket in there, and hubby propped the door so that they can get in and out but so that it should be a bit warmer than being totally out in it.

Earlier, Friday was busy.  Hubby had a doctor appointment, in the morning, and the news was not good. His A1C was 9.2, so she now wants to put him on insulin. I hate that for him, and we're trying to readjust his diet again, and make sure that he does activity after eating to burn off carbs. All the rushing back and forth to the new place has made for some grab and go eating and most of the activity has been sitting - in the car, driving, or on the tractor/mower - so we are having to rethink stuff, as while he was at Lockheed, he was walking a lot, up and down ladders, etc. A big difference in activity that constitutes exercise v. sedentary even though doing stuff.

Our afternoon started with enjoying our Christmas presents to ourselves, as we had a 90 minute facial (I love Groupon!) with Rebecca at Skin Deep Therapy on Woodruff Rd. I came out of there with my skin feeling like a million dollars. It was lovely. She was really good and explained what she was doing as she went along.  I just lay there and thoroughly enjoyed being pampered, and our conversation.

I had mine first, and then when I went to join the car line to pick up my great grandson, Mark had his turn.

It was after we both got home, that we went down to the property.

The day before, hubby had his other prezzie, a massage at the By Faith Studio in Powdersville, so he had some good pampering that day too.

I, meanwhile, caught up on updating some documents online, and catching up on some emails/messages that I needed to respond to. I'm also printing pages of gardening/canning/preservation/herbal remedies info, and putting in a binder, in protective sleeves. Just trying to get everything organized, that I want to do, at the new place. I want to make sure I get the companion plantings done correctly for natural pest control, nutrient replenishment, etc. To start as I mean to go on, saith she.

Water bath canning now being considered less safe than pressure cooker canning (and me being terrified of pressure cookers) I've realised that I can use a pressure cooker to do it BUT I'll set it up OUTSIDE at the end of an extension cord, and well away from everything (especially me!). I am too much of a coward to be in close quarters with one, having seen an explosion years ago and lid, content and pan go flying around a room. Yes, that will never happen again!

With the storm coming in, we're snug and watching On Patrol: Live, and with the dogs sprawled on our beds with us. Very thankful not to have to be out in it at all.

A Good Day

 Saturday

Well, it seems that we are still feeding mama dog, as the trail cam caught her by the shed, this morning. It appears she has a running mate, a bigger black dog.  Possibly one of her pups? It's been a few weeks since we started leaving food for her so that could be a 3 month old pup, I guess. Or possibly the dad of the pups? Either way, I need her to come by when we are here so I can get her used to me, and then get her snapped up and spayed. She can stay feral if she wants to, she'll have the shed to sleep in and we'll put food and water down, if she doesn't want to be around humans much. At least though we could stop her having any more puppies in future.

Sometimes people like me are useful.

It's like when we had Mystery. Feral pup, 8 weeks old approx, and biting people out of fear. the vet told the shelter to euthanize.  The shelter owner thought it funny, that I (who is scared of dogs!) offered to take her and her siblings to attempt to socialize.  The siblings were ok to move on to another foster home in about a month, Mystery just stayed the way she was.  She cleaved to our German Shepherd/Husky, Angel, and got on ok with out other 2, Princess and Max, but had no interest whatsoever in human company. I always said I thought she was autistic as I could catch her when she was smaller, with a towl around her neck to where she couldn't turn and bite me.  I would lie with her on my chest for maybe an hour, she'd settle, let me stroke her gently, avoided eye contact at first but I would move her head and tell her she was safe now, and she'd be ok.  As soon as I put her down, it was as if she had never seen me before in her life. She lived in my kitchen for about 6 months, with puppy pads, as I was too scare to let her out in the yard as I didn't think she'd come back in. Finally, I took a leap of faith one day and let her outside with Angel, and called Angel in 5 minutesl later.  She followed Angel back in.  I did that about 5 times that day and that was when I quit using puppy pads in the kitchen for her. She was never able to move on to another foster home, and I wasn't about to let her be euthanized for it, so she lived happily with us and our tribe for 12 years.

So, if this mama wants to stay feral with limited human involvement, that's ok.  My own 2 four-legged sons and four-legged great-grandpuppy give me plenty of love and kisses.

Today, we rented a Ditch Witch, and hubby dug me some ditches where I need to plant the fruit trees when they come next week (they were ordered back in November and get shipped when it's time to plant) and some others where I'm going to need other stuff in the ground.  Easier than digging with a shovel, and I'll just need a couple of bags of nice potting compost, and weed barrier fabric and some mulch to finish them off. I'm going to get some earthenware plant pots to create an Amish-style underground watering system since we won't have irrigation there yet. It'll be gallon jugs for a little while, but I wanted to get the trees in when they come, so that they are started in their new home.

Sunday

I ordered the earthenware pots (apparently called ollas) for the fruit trees, and today am going to start some seeds in pots, indoors, so they'll be ready for my Spring plantings. I sent hubby to get me some potting compost so as to get them bedded nicely.

My plan is to have a very bountiful kitchen garden, and then to freeze, can and dehydrate when we harvest everything. I want to can again but it's been probably 50 years since I last did, so I need to re-learn, and now - apparently - the water bath method is frowned upon and it's pressure cookers all the way. As someone who is afraid of pressure cookers (oh yes, when you've watched one explode and everything fly around the room, you really don't want to experience that again!) I am thinking I will have the pressure cooker outside on an extension cord when it gets to that point, that way I won't need it anywhere near me while it's doing its job!.

So, mama dog apparently stole the bag of cat food earlier today (it showed on our trail cam). We had run out of dog food yesterday and were planning on buying a bag today, and she took the bag of cat food we had over there for the strays. So far, we've seen 3 strays come to feed. We've also put deer food down, and we have 3 or 4 come visit down by the creek, where we've been putting that. They look at the camera when I talk to them, trying to figure out where the humans are. I just want it to be a safe spot for them, and help them make it through Winter.

We were blessed again to have a Blue Heron down by the pond area, just standing there. I'm guessing it's the one we'd seen fly in a few days ago. Apparently, here in our neck of the woods, if they find plenty of resources in an area, they will stick around! I don't know that we have many fish in the creek or swamp, but there are frogs (apparently another of their staples) so maybe I will get lucky!

Seeds planted today indoors - watermelon, cantaloupe, mixed bell peppers, black and white rose, iceberg lettuce, black rose and 2 seedlings out of the fridge that I BELIEVE are possibly cherry (because they were refrigerated pits in damp paper towels wrapped in foil). Feeling content though, hoping they all grow.

Yay Progress!

 It's been a busy day.

Our "cement guy" has been out doing the footings for the barn,

and - in order for the inspector to come out and inspect it on Friday - Mark had to head down to Anderson to sign something in person, and show his ID. He took Brunel with him, so our #1 son had a nice ride out with daddy.

I, meanwhile, made some phone calls to keep up with everything going on, paid some bills and then did the school run, to pick up Daniel. Coming home, I've updated the various contractors on where we are at, and all's well, although hubby's stress level is running high right now. We have a lot of time ahead to do everything, so now I am not stressing like I was. I'm just feeling very thankful.

The Joy of Little Things

Some things are definitely for savouring. I LOVE turkish delight, in most of it's forms. Fry's and Cadbury's are my favourites, the Cadbury's being slightly more delicate. I do like the non-chocolate covered lemon and rose ones dusted with powdered icing sugar, as well. Suffice to say, I'm easy to please on that score.

Recently, I started using raw cacao powder (for medicinal purposes) and have been adding it to my cups of hot chocolate.  It's supposed to help clear plaque from arteries, and I figured, even if it doesn't work it still tastes good. Well, I have rosewater in my refrigerator, so have started adding a few drops to each of my cuppas (one a day) and oh! It tastes just like a delicate turkish delight. Now it seems it's the only way I want my hot chocol.ate.

Another "little thing" I'm enjoying is watching the trail cams we've set up over on the property, it appears we may have a fox as well as cats and deer. I am so blessed, and thankful, for them having a safe place to be. Tomorrow we'll be back down there again, and taking some more food down for them all.

Hubby has retrieved our Troy Bilt tiller from his old shed, the poor thing has been in there, unloved and unused, for many years now. He is going to have to replace the pump and some hoses, that have rotted over that time, before we will be able to use it again. It'll be nice to have it being productive again, once fixed.  It took me for many a journey many moons ago, it was the boss when I tilled.

Daniel came over earlier, and tomorrow morning, he and I will be doing his school run. I asked him if he wanted me to thaw him a piece of quiche for breakfast and you'd have thought I'd offered him a million dollars. The quiche is now in the fridge ready for the morning! That something so simple can make him happy, makes me happy too.

So, a day of small joys.

The Work Continues

We took a drive over to the property this morning, to take a look at the beginnings of the grading for the concrete base where the barn will be situated. Chris is doing a good job, and the old area he'd cleared will now be where I'm going to plant the trees for the orchard, when they 

arrive in a couple of weeks. All that will need to be done is digging the holes, planting the trees (with some potting compost tucked around them) and then mulching. This soil was a horse pasture for years, it is extremely well fertilized.

The varieties I have coming, are grafted trees, with 2 varieties on the cherry, and 4 on each of the pear, apple, plum/pluot and fruit cocktail one. Once they are all in the ground, we will bring over the peach tree from where we are living now, and - as Spring gets here - the blueberry and blackberry bushes, and the grapevines.

We'll be using water barrels and soaker hoses for irrigation, so hubby will be  setting that up as we plant.

The slab will be 80' x 30', with a porch area by the door in the center, facing the main road (where there will be a nice fence and gate, eventually).

Plenty of space for all hubby's toys (tractor, mower, trailer, pressure washer, toolboxes et.al.) and for propagating my plants, for part of the business we hope will be a part of our future.

We also set up another trail cam, I love being able to see what's going on over there when we aren't able to physically be there. Last night we watched storm footage and a cat crossing in front. I'm really hoping to see the mama dog and find out where she disappears to! Her, and it'd be nice to see deer coming out onto the grassy areas, from the woods or marsh (Mark has found their tracks there). I'm honestly thinking of getting some more and setting up in other areas. I know, in one part of the creek, we have turtle crossings, and at another, Mark has seen frogs. Nature is all around, and it'll be neat to watch.

It's all slowly coming together. God is good, amazingly good. I know, without His hands on this, we would not have this beautiful place to escape to. I am very thankful!

Things Are Moving Along Nicely

 Monday musings. 

I love being over here on the property. Seems God shines on it, as we were coming down the road in cloudy grey weather, and turned off at Arnold's in Belton and lo! Out came the sunshine! Absolutely glorious!

There has been some movement on our permit application, they are now reviewing it and I paid the fee for that, so once that's done we'll move onto the next bit and there'll be another fee.  Everyone said Anderson County was easy to get permits done but that was before they went online. It's ok though, at least now it's in the works.

I love that I can now hook my computer cord to our power and not have to worry aout my battery dying. Hubby hooks me up with the hotspot for now, eventually I'll get internet out here but for now, this works. unfortunately, I have to get him (or - the other day - Jel) to hook me up as I can't figure it out. 

No worries.

Hubby is doing some stuff with the tractor. I wish I were still able-bodied, there's so much I'd like to be doing. Instead, it all falls on him, and whoever I can get to help him.

I was hoping the nursing mama dog might have come back after we had Brunel here yesterday, but I don't see her.  I hope she, and her puppies are doing ok, wherever they are. Maybe somebody else is also leaving food and water out for her.

Last night, I ordered a tool to help us with clearing the cat's tails in the pondy area. They are useful, in that they help clean impurities from the water but they tend to get invasive, which is how ours are. We have probably a 50 feet by 20-30 feet stretch of them in the one marshy area, so they def need thinning out there. That's where I want to put a rockery at the "shore" sides and have the pond more open to be seen. 

I just want it all to be beautiful but kept mostly natural for the wildlife.

Wednesday wanderings.

So, today I was back over on the property.  It started off really foggy but was sunny by late lunchtime, as I sat in my car taking pics and reading my book.

The marshy areas are becoming even more clearer, so I sat near the center of the land facing the middle marsh area. I just love seeing more exposed on each visit.

I was also curious to see what my concrete guy, Chris, had done with regard to starting the grading for the concrete pad for the barn. I could see the pile of dirt

as I rode up the dirt track, and when I got closer, I could see the area he had started on.

He's suggested, though, that we move it 30 feet closer to the road (still waaay toward the back of the property) and we said that'd be fine soooo ... I have this patch of bare earth that saves ME from having to clear an area to plant my fruit trees when they arrive around the 19th of the month.  It's already prepped for me! I love it!

My 2 trail cams arrived today.  My plan is to set one up on a tree down towards the marshy pond area at the back end of our land, overlooking where Mark found deer tracks, and one on the shed where I set up the shelter for the nursing mama, pointing towards the woods (where I think she headed that day). I just want to see what they capture. We'll set them up tomorrow when we go over there.

The pond cleaning rake also came today, so hoping hubby will give it a try when we go over there tomorrow. I really want it to work to make clearing the cat tails easier for him, there are so many.

Tomorrow is also hubby's last day at Lockheed as he is  retiring. I've been busy phoning all the places that I need info from to continue the insurances, 401(K) access and other things, once he is no longer working for them. Everyone has been really helpful, and we can keep everything we have but will be paying the insurances by mail instead of deducted from a paycheck (since he won't have one any more).