What was I thinking???

So I had to wait a whole year before those 2 little goats would kid and produce some milk???Where was my head? I had been having stomach trouble again and in the past the goat milk had always helped. So back to Craigs*list...

That's when Greta came to live here...

And then there were three!!

Doesn't she have a sweet face?? If I saved her milk for a few days

 

I could make cheese....

and yogurt..... Yumm!!

 

 

Again, I went back to C*L .....

....and brought home Heidi (the one in the middle).

She has a real Alpine temperament,

 but I love her anyway.

She is a beautiful cinnamon brown color and white.

 

So, 2 milkers, 2 kids, and that is the extent of my herd( other than the buck which my friend and I bought together and will share) Jack's picture will be posted soon.

 Meanwhile, Daughter #2 and her hubby came over and trimmed up these pine trees for me so the ground in front of the barn would dry up and I could see the barn from the house

There is a little door up top where hay can be put in the loft. It should hold at least 80 bales of hay.

 Front and left side of barn.

And the saga continues....
Thanks for stopping in!

Back-Tracking

Craigs*list can be addicting; especially when you are feeling antsy and don't know exactly what you should be doing, or want to do, or what you wanna be when you grow up!

  Izzy and Joe just lay around most of the time.

So, I thought I'd like a parakeet or 2 to give my home some "life".  I found them on Craigs*list!
Then I found out from this book ....

that oil painting fumes as well as air fresheners and scented candles and cleaning products can be lethal for these birds. So THAT wasn't going to work! I will still want to do my painting!
 I kept the cage and traded the birds for some "Red Valentine" rhubarb plants, also found on Craigs*List.

....which I planted on the other side of my garden near the edge of the trees. I got a bucket of horse manure from a friend to add to the soil. Rhubarb loves that. I hope they grow well so I will have plenty of rhubarb next year.

My grandson Bobby, came over and helped me get the weeds out of the fence surrounding the garden and we put down roofing shingles under the fence so I would not have that problem again. He did a great job and worked hard.

I had also ordered 6 blueberries bushes that I planted on the backside of the garden. Unfortunately I think only 2 are surviving. We shall see.... 

And then..... I saw this picture of these 2 little goats (again.... you got it, on Craigs*List) I thought about it for 3 whole weeks. Daughter #2 wanted to go see them.

Ok , so they ended up at my place somehow ....

Aren't they sweet???

My brother, who was visiting from AZ, helped me build that nifty door for their pen.

Thank-you Deaf Ranger!

 

Thanks for visiting. The adventure continues.....

 

 



Oh! I have alot of news!!!

........and I am posting on This blog because it has to do with getting settled in at my home in PA now.

Since I got back home from my winter's RV trip to Arizona and places in between, I have gradually warmed up to the idea of living back in the rolling hills of NW Pennsylvania.

 

I felt that if this is the place the Lord had provided for me I may as well make it "Home".

 My little (littler than the last one) house has all I need,

my garage is way beyond adequate,

there is a large, long back yard, and behind those pine trees is a small barn and henhouse.

 I have 1- 1/3 acres to work with, one-one/hundredth of what my late husband and I had in Kentucky. I will be recording the adventure of seeing what all I can do with this acreage. I love a challenge and feel I am once again up to it. Its going to be exciting!!!! 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2012

 My neighbors here are real close, way different from the 900' from the road home in KY; that has taken a bit of getting used to.....   So year 2012, I started 3 raised bed gardens to give me somewhere to disengage myself from the world.

 

and added a beehive to pollinate my garden.

 

 I also had a new roof put on the garage, rather than have it coated, as it would have needed it soon anyway. So that was last years projects.
Then I  ran away went traveling all winter and stayed away till mid April.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
2013 and onward
This year I have been working on my barn and henhouse. I figured if they were provided on the land I bought, I should make use of them. It was a scary thing at first for me, realizing if I got committed to animals I'd not likely be doing much traveling. But it certainly was better than sitting here waiting for something to happen (fingers drumming....)

Stay tuned... next entry about the progress this year so far.
Thanks for visiting!



Sometimes........

......I wish I could go back to these times.

Sometimes....

I wish I had stayed at my home in Kentucky.

Sometimes....

I feel so cold and lonely, even in the presence of those who love me.

 

I moved because I did not want to miss an open door.

Sometimes....

 I feel those doors have slammed in my face.

Sometimes....

I'M BACK!! The Truth Is .....

.....since I have to be home for the next 3 (THREE!!!!!) months... mending from knee surgery, I have been looking for some Guinea Hens. Something to make some noise around here.... just too quiet, and I can't stand tv hardly at all .....

I need something ALIVE ........

something that MOVES ..........

( besides Izzy ..... shes quiet )

I had the chickens before, all pretty colors of them, till they got et by the possum. (well ........ now I just have to plug the hole in the chicken fence....)

And those guineas are like watch-dogs and will make lots of noise if someone comes around. Which, no one ..... hardly ...... does...... just sayin'....

AND, just to make them worth their keep ..........they eat TICKS!

So what do ya say??? You know me by now.... I like to have an alternate plan, just to cover my BE-hind..... never know what the gas prices are going to be.... or if Social Security will take a dive...... Yep, alternate plans are good ones. Besides it helps keep me from being down in the dumps because I can't go to Arizona right now. BOO-HOO

So Many Changes ......

I didn't intend this to be happening ..... it just is. My life ...... is changing. After years, and more years of heading in the same direction ......

Doing this home-made, and homegrown ...... home-business ....... homesteading...... Doing as much as we could for ourselves, and trying to help others who wanted to learn to do the same.....

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now that there is only myself ...... to cook from scratch for ..... to grow a garden for ..... to can for ..... to bake bread for ..... to make cheese for ..... to raise my own meat for,

It just doesn't seem as important ..... or needful ......not even wise ........ to expend all that energy and time for the little bit I use. I have found that too much food goes to waste ...... so I need to change my way of producing, cooking, shopping, and storing. Is it wise to keep a flock of chickens for eggs? .... or a couple dairy goats for milk? ....or some rabbits for meat?

What would I do with more than one tomato, squash, or cucumber plant? ...... or one row of beans , peas, or corn?

How long does it take me to use one jar of apple butter, when I don't always eat a slice of bread every day?

Is it even worth my effort of making my own laundry soap, when I have only 2 loads of laundry most weeks?

So I can see my "just plain country" way of life is taking a new twist of its own.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hence, my new blog, "Changing Lanes ....." It will cover my newly-found station in life, pursuits I have had in the recesses of my mind for years ..... thoughts on how widowhood has changed my life ....... and the struggles that go along with it all.

I have enjoyed writing this blog, but as my hubby always reminded me, the only thing constant in life is change. And so I must learn to embrace it .... thankful for each new day. I hope that many of you will follow along with me as I grope my way along this new road. Otherwise I will miss each of you who have been such an important part of my blogging life.

Sincerely,

Sunny

Knitting - Not just for Winter time

It was just a year ago my eldest daughter Tina, the family "Knit Wit", came to visit while I had scopes done on both my knees, and she got me back to knitting , which I hadn't done since being a very young mother. I progressed during the following months from knitting dishcloths, to a shawl, to a tiny hat and leg-warmies for my new grand-daughter, to my very first pair of socks!

I have heard it said the knitting is a great wintertime project. I found it also to be a great project during a time of bereavement. These are the projects I have been working on the last few weeks. My second pair of socks (for when I am out plein air painting in the cold) is now finished....

.... and I am now doing a pair for my youngest daughter. She loved these colors! She also likes her socks short so knitting these should go a little faster than the regular length. I have just turned the heel and picked up the stitches on the sides , ready to do the gusset.

Knitting is such a relaxing project, almost mindless at times once you know the pattern. And such a great reward for the work put into it. The next pair I am planning to make has cable design down the sides. That may prove to be a challenge!