As can be expected we have been very busy on the farm. The big news the past few months I guess is my surgery. I had some stomach issues last year, but we were dealing with the entire fiasco from the other home. I just pretended it was not happening and went on with life. I did discuss it with my Doc and was told I had some gallstones and needed surgery. I told him I would think about it and put it out of my mind. A few months ago I started having the familiar pains again but they never stopped like before. It became more intense and I was losing sleep due to pain. Again I put things off until the pain became unbearable when Amanda was in Belgium and we had Perrin for 10 days. I finally went to the Doc, thinking maybe some Prilosec would help. Lab work indicated my white blood cells were way high and an ultrasound indicated that there were more gallstones in my gallbladder than could be counted in the ultrasound. I was scheduled to see a surgeon, then called and postponed that date a few days due to some work related issues. I finally saw the surgeon and had surgery the next morning. I was pumped full of antibiotics immediately. The Pathology report said I had 16 gallstones, my gallbladder was not functioning at all, 0%, and it was infected with some pretty nasty sludge and gunk. Apparently I ended up with infection around some of my liver as well and I was one sick puppy! The more I laid around the worse I felt, so I made myself get up and forced myself to do things. Being outside helped a lot and I have finally recovered for the most part. I still have a few issues to overcome, but I am back to work and doing much better.
Amanda left for a vacation to Belgium on my birthday, March 17th. She was gone 10 days and we got to keep Perrin the entire time. We spent some nights at the farm and some at Amanda’s. I wanted to keep his schedule as close to normal as possible and at the farm he had to get up way early to get ready for the long drive to school. We had a blast with him and he helped us cut and clear wood around the garden site. I really enjoyed the 10 days but was very glad for Amanda to get home….we missed her.
I was contacted awhile back by someone in the area, Anna, who reads this website and loves the lifestyle we have chosen. We finally were able to get together. Chris, Amanda, Perrin and myself met her in town for dinner. Sadly her husband could not make it that time. We had a great conversation and I am looking forward to us getting to know each other better. She wants to live somewhat like we do and hopefully they will be able to get some land and start their chosen lifestyle very soon. It was great meeting her and I can’t wait until we get together again.
Don has been working the garden up with his tractor and we finally got the tiller working as well. The garden was ready for planting and I am so very excited about it. We have not been able to have a garden for a few years now and this one will be extra special. We planted 2 full rows of potatoes while I was out of work sick. We got a row of sugar snap peas in the ground as well. Then we had to haul water from the house and water them every day. We have a yard tractor that pulls a wagon. I had it at the top of the hill getting rain water in all the jugs and Perrin decided to ride to the garden in the wagon. I saw Chris at the outhouse waving his arms and looks behind me to see Perrin running with a panic look chasing the wagon, when he HAD been inside it. I discovered I jerked the thing too much and threw him right out the back of the wagon on his little wet butt in the dirt. He was covered in mud. When I was heading back for the second load of water I asked if he wanted to ride and he informed me that “no, you throw me out of the thing so I will just run back up there”. Lol I felt so bad but it was comical.
We have been Spring cleaning and besides house sitting for Amanda, we were house sitting for Don and Johnnie the same time. It was a busy time for us the last few weeks of March, and me sick as well. Since then we took dear Tucker Muffins to get spayed. She is about 6 months old now and needed to get it done. Poor thing was so confused. She is in like the adolescent stage of doggyhood. She wants to be a bog dog but is still so unsure of herself. She was barking at every thing she saw outside at night. The moon, birds, leaves, frogs, imaginary things, shadows, cats, we suddenly started getting NO sleep. It was discouraging. SadieMae got into a big fight with dogs or something one night and ended up with a big gash taken out of her hip. Tucker cried at the door all night long scared. We eventually made them a bed in the floor and started letting them in of a night. It only took a few minutes to train them to sleep on their bed and not in OUR bed. They bark to go out when things are close enough to be a problem outside. Sadie is getting better and Tucker just got spayed this Tuesday, so she is still recovering, but doing well.
Chris has been working on a farm part time recently, plus helping Don as much as he can. In addition to that, my cousin lives behind Don and gave us a bunch of trees he cut down. So Chris and Don started on that, getting them cut up and into Don’s wagon. Me and Don had things falling apart all at once. His truck tore up on the way back form Kentucky, then his lawn mower, my car tore up on the way home from surgery, then the tiller and then the lawn mower. We eventually got everything fixed and running. Lakota and Perrin helped with the huge trailer loads of wood and now we have a LOT of wood already for next year. I am very excited about that. We are building a new woodshed down by the new outhouse and will be splitting and stacking the weed this summer. We are going to make the outhouse in 3 sections, one for kindling, one for heater wood and one for cook stove wood. We got the heater removed from the living room and the chimney cleaned out. Boy was that a task that took several days to complete!
Chris built a cold frame to start seeds in and we have several things growing in there. A neighbor was kind enough to stop by with his backhoe and dug a HUGE outhouse hole for us behind the house. The old outhouse is just too big to try to move from the barn down to the house, so Chris and Lakota built a new outhouse over the hole and it is currently being used. I am so thrilled about that! We plan to remove the toilet from the house, maybe as soon as this weekend! Everyone say YAY!!!!!
Chris went over and helped Don plant his garden this Monday. Then that evening we worked hard to get more of our own in the ground. It was due to rain on Tuesday and I wanted to get as much planted as I could. With Perrin’s help, we planted 4 rows of corn, 2 rows of pickling cucumbers, a row of butternut squash and we got a row of beans, green peas, two kids of summer squash and zucchini planted as well. Perrin planted some watermelons in his garden and sunflowers. We should have everything else planted but the okra by Sunday…I hope.
Tomorrow we are getting a pig and goat. We may pick up two pigs, one a bit bigger, as we plan to have a pig roast the first weekend in June for a BUNCH of friends who are coming for the weekend, bunch being almost 30 people. So that pig will be a bit bigger than the winter pig. We hope to use the goat for milk and to help clear off some of the farm. The pig will be fattened for the Fall and then canned for winter meat. We THINK we are ready for this and hope there are no major disasters. I know there will be some mistakes, but hopefully it will be learning mistakes and no total disasters. We have hog panels that we were lucky enough to get cheap and we are putting barbed wire around the 2×6’s at the ground. I will make sure I get pics and post them.
This weekend we will be dealing with the new additions of animals to the farm, more Spring cleaning, fixing the clothes line post, working more on the garden, I still have beets and cabbage to get out. We have plenty to do to keep us busy that is for sure.
The other day we got in bed and I heard the one sound that makes me smile every Spring when it arrives. It drives Chris insane and I was waiting to hear his response. I have waited weeks now, wondering if it would arrive again this year and then suddenly there it was out of the blue, loud and clear right by the house…. Whip-poor-will….whip-poor-will….. I instantly grinned from ear to ear in the dark. I wondered if Chris had heard it too and suddenly in a calm voice he said “your friend’s back”. I said, “ I know, ain’t you thrilled!”. His tone did not change at all when he replied “No, but you are, and that’s all that matters”.
It has been back every night, beginning its song right by the house. You can hear it venture out through the woods as the night goes on. Every now and then you will hear a barred or screech owl. Then just before daylight, about 615am he ventures back to the house and lets out about 15-20 “whip-poor-wills” in a row, one right after another. Then there is nothing but the song birds welcoming in the morning. It is beautiful.
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