Such A Glorious Day!

 Today has been an absolutely awesome day! Despite still being "bunged up", we went down to the property today and were there a few hours. 

My privacy trees arrived yesterday, so we headed down with them, potting soil, plant food for transplanting trees, gallon jugs of water (since our well is not dug yet) and 20 trees.  

Hubby began by using the tractor to scrape the grass off the area we were putting them in, and then running a plumb line down to make sure they'd be in a straight line. 

Then he unrolled the weed barrier over it. 

Trying to dig through it didn't work, so they used scissors to cut the holes where they were digging out to put the trees in. I'd read their instructions REALLY well, so each plant got watered in well before getting covered over with potting soil and then the regular soil they'd dug up. Bearing in mind that the field had been a horse pasture for many years and is frequented by deer, it's pretty well fertilized.

They all did such an awesome job. I was finally able to help, by cutting off the zipties on the tree wrappings and unpotting them ready for planting. My mobility issues put the kibosh on so much stuff that I used to love doing. It was good family time though, with 2 grands and a great-grand helping Mark.

The trees are only about 3 feet high but grow 4-6 feet a year so should be pretty thick in 2 years or so. We only managed to get 10 in today, so are going back tomorrow to plant the other 10. 

I was mainly the foreman, sitting in my car not doing much, but Angelica and Nicolette were with us helping (my choice of Christmas gift when asked had been labour donation) and Samantha rode around with me some of the time and heped the others the rest of it.  In the beginning, though, she had made friends with 2 girls who were there with our ocncrete man, Chris, and the 2 men helping him as they redid the footings for re-inspection Monday. As long as it passes this time, he will start the cement pad on Tuesday.

Samantha put out the food for the stray dogs and cats. Sadly, none were around for her to see. We've seen the black cat a few times when we've been over, but not to be able to pet it. The dogs haven't ever come around when we are there, other than the nursing mama that time a couple of months ago. No worries, once we are able to be over there more, maybe they will, and then they can be trapped, spayed/neutered, given their shots and hopefully we can find homes for them.

The fruit trees should be arriving this week also, and we are better prepared for when they get here.  I already had hubby dig out 2 "troughs" when we had the ditch witch so that we only have to drop them in and pop weed barrier and then soil around them, no heavy digging like today.

It's so nice to see everything beginning to come together. That place is so beautiful, and I just want to make it moreso, but also productive with edibles. I also want it to be a safe place for the deer. They are already getting used to stopping over for food. It'll be lovely, once we are there all the time, to be able to sit there and watch them. 

They look at the camera, a bit confused, when I start talking to them through it. Hopefully though, they'll be used to the sound of my voice by the time we are living over there.

What's Good For A Snow Day?

 Probably most kids between 3 and 12 have been outside throwing snowballs, sledding or building snowmen here in "sunny SC" where snow such as this is a rarity. For me, it's a good day to stay indoors and get on and ...

Transplant my loquat sapling and my baby spider plants. I even put the tiny rose seedling into more soil, in a plastic cup, so that I could get it into the bathroom under the lights. It's the only one of 12 to germinate and I'm nursing it gently.

Starting seeds - Moonflower (a night blooming, gently scented trailing hedgerow bush/plant that's kind of like a whitish morning glory), pole beans, parsley and thyme. All nicely bedded in potting soil to be ready (hopefully) to transplant, in a few weeks.

My bathroom is a jungle of plants. Spiders, pothos, orange tree, hibiscus, kumquat, honeysuckle cuttings. They love the light bar and the humidity from our showering, and tend to flourish.

I also cleaned the stove, and washed dishes from roasting and baking yesterday. I was too tired to do them last night. 

I have pages of printed materials to put in protectors and then into binders. They are various informative articles to do with gardening, preserving and herbal/medicinal remedies. Just trying to get them all organized.

Finally, got the dehydrator out and am making some jerky from some bbq pork, and have strawberries on 2 layers as well. 

I now want to get a freeze dryer, saith she!

We're going to start work on our taxes later, ugh, a chore that takes us about a week. Ah! The joys of IRS forms.

I've had a productive day. Felt a bit icky around 5pm and took a nap, and feel better since.

Methinks I've had a good snow day!

Ice, Ice Baby!

Last weekend's snow and ice "storm" has been over now for a few days, but we have a beautiful leftover - the creek and marshland is still frozen over in parts. We went over today to feed the strays (and our trail cam picked up TWO new strays so that's a total of 4 coming in now to eat) and I had hubby take pics of the ice. I can't get close enough to do so as I can't walk down there and I'm afraid to drive too close. With snow expected again this weekend, I'm wondering how long the ice there will last.

The shallows at the edge of the marsh are thawed in places, but the back looks almost like you could ice skate on it, in some parts.

I just feel so blessed to be able to enjoy this view.

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.