Feb. 24- March 2, 2019
Winter Nature Woods Pictures
Blizzard, Sand-hill Cranes, Ducks, Bird songs
Winter Nature Woods Pictures
Blizzard, Sand-hill Cranes, Ducks, Bird songs
Hello, Friends!
A week without major much trouble, a welcome change. The only major problem was Dd had picked up a bug and grew weaker/sicker as each day passed. Poor kid had a cold, with lots of coughing, but she never does well when she is sick. She didn't do any treadmill or exercise this week as she stuck to lounging as she did her homework.
Signs of Spring!!
I was delighted to see actual signs of spring among the cold temperatures and snow.
We definitely saw the sun on numerous occasions; which in itself has been absent most of this winter.
There were a few hints of color in the sky at sunrise and sunset which reminded me of how colorful it can be here.
Saturday, I saw buds on many branches--very tiny, but they were there!
Birds, Birds, Birds!
March 1st I heard a flock of Sandhill Cranes flying overhead. This has been a very active week for birds. I've seen a flock of ducks, around 20, flying past our house and I never see that many flying altogether. The birds are singing again in the morning; which is lovely!! Although our weather this week was horrible, I was very appreciative of all the hints of spring coming.
Chickens:
I'm still having to clean out the chicken coop more than once a week due to the hens being inside most days.
They did get out (to the enclosed outside pen) a few hours, here and there on a few days, but most of the time they have been forced inside the coop where they are warm and dry. Our compost bins are hopefully going to really give us a lot of good fertile soil for the garden as a result.
Again this week I have been making at least one batch of rice for their breakfast. I add in a few cups of oil, scrambled eggs, egg shells, finally used up the last of the expired flax seed, expired corn meal, left-overs, and 6 cups of their feed---stir it all up and serve. I've been taking a rake and clearing a long path to use to lay down a line of food so all the girls can get an equal opportunity to get in on the big meal of the day.
They always have their grains available to them, but with the bitter cold, we've been having the past 9-10 weeks I've wanted to make sure they all had enough food to keep warm. I should know this is over-kill and my chickens should be fine without all my help, but I just can't seem to fully believe it! The few times I've had a migraine and not provided them their special breakfast they throw a fit and fuss so loudly when I reappear...wish I could share that display to all! They do get really loudly fussy.
All-in-all, the girls are all doing well this week for the most part. I do have one big Buff Orpington (Henny Penny) that has been spending most of her time standing in a corner behind the food stand and I'm concerned and watching her.
Chickens: Wood ash from Woodstove
I read online that you can use (room temperature) ashes from your wood stove for the chickens to use for there dry-baths. I'd never heard of this but gave it a try and they do like it!!! Go figure. The hardest part was finding the right box for the job--I found one just a little smaller than the size of our cat litter boxes. A cat litter box would work great, but I'm already using all mine! It is dirty, but as a last result, in a pinch, it does the trick. I can't wait for the girls to get outside and get to have real dirt baths soon.
Their feathers and general appearance look so pitiful I bought a bag of the expensive "Feather Fixer" chicken crumble to see if it would help.
Owls:
The Barred Owls are back in our area of the woods! It is fun hearing them talk back and forth to each other. I haven't seen them this winter, but I do hear them.
Migraines:
Only one migraine this week! Unfortunately, it happened on Saturday when I wanted to be working with Dh getting something accomplished. But, that did allow him to work on his workbench without distractions.
Dh: Darling Husband:
I've not shared much on Dh the past few weeks since he has returned to work. We haven't had any problems with his eye, just in trying to get glasses that work with two drastically different prescriptions. He had a new pair made but they were impossible for him to actually see out of as they made everything look doubled.
For now, he is having to wear one contact in the normal eye and then wears 'reading glasses' to read and do computer work. Now he bends his head down and looks over the top of the reading glasses to talk to me and looks like a stereotypical old man! It is interesting watching my spouse get older; good thing I haven't aged a day in these twenty years of marriage!! Ha! Ha!
His work is doing good and he is *trying* to stay below a 45 hour work week. This week, after many months of beloved labor he finished a project he had been working on here at home, in the shop, making a "workbench." He made the last 3 or 4 drawers this week to conclude the project. It really is amazing. I will try to take pictures to share his major accomplishment.
He has been promising to build me some bookshelves since we moved here and said the workbench project was his practice and learning in order to prevent mistakes on the bookshelves. It really would be lovely to get to unpack all my books. I haven't seen all my books since we left Indiana! I really miss the Christmas picture books!
Dd: Movies: How To Train Your Dragon 3:
Dd asked to go with Hailee to the movies after church on Sunday to see the conclusion of an animated series she has loved for years. I have to admit, I love this series too! But, alas, I wasn't invited! They picked the worst day of the blizzard to go and I can't believe *I* (the worst winter driver) had to go pick her up and drive Hailee home. In all, I saw 7 different emergency crews going past me in various directions as I waited for the movie to end and the girls to come out. It was just absolutely crazy weather---winds whipping around, snow all over the roads, snow drifts piling up on the actual roads, super cold....fortunately, most people were smart and stayed home so there wasn't that much traffic to navigate around. From all the emergency crews I saw, people that did go out were not being very careful. I was careful. I was driving SO slow it was almost funny! Dd apologized for putting us all in this situation, but she did call the theater and did try to get refund on the bought tickets but the teen girl that answered the phone erroneously told her she had to drive in to do so and Dd thought she might as well see the movie if she has to drive in anyway! Oh well, at least Dd has learned when to say, "Can I speak to the manager, please?"
Sunday Surprises:
As I mentioned above,
Sunday was a blizzard day
---horrible weather. But, that wasn't all! I woke up to see the wooden rod case holding up all my clothes in my closet had unscrewed from the wall and everything had fallen to the floor. Oh my. Not to mention I had a shelf above the rod for shirts and sweaters. With the blizzard winds there were over 100,000 Michiganders without electricity, but for once, it wasn't our street! Dh woke up with a headache and was feeling low so he stayed home from church. After church he did feel up to fixing my closet for me. I had a Marie Kondo moment when I had ALL my clothes piled up on my bed while he was working in the closet. I did take this opportunity to go through all my clothes (again) and pull out some things that I could donate as well as take out all the spring and summer clothes that I should have taken out in the fall but didn't have the heart to remove. Now the amount of clothes on the rod is much improved!
Chores:
There are a few areas that I've excelled in parenting and a few areas that I've failed to teach Dd over the years. I have unsuccessfully battled my Dd for years about chores. I was one of those new mothers that ordered Montessori books and cleaning equipment for my child and we "worked together" at ALL our chores EVERY day while she was under 5 years old. I'm not exactly sure what age all my good intentions fell flat, but somewhere over the years our "working together" at chores had slowly eroded as she was less and less favorable. To make matters worse, I know no other family, especially in homeschooling families, that has failed so spectacularly as I have in this subject. All of this to get to this week. This week Dd asked me to try something new. She asked me to not remind her to do her kitchen chores or her cat chores, not once, no reminders at all. She wanted to train herself to see the problem and learn to motivate herself to get it done. It sounded equally logical as much as her just trying to get a week off from chores, but I thought I'd give her a try. Long story short, I'll cut to the chase---I went to bed each evening with a messy kitchen. Two or three times she waited until after 10 PM to start her chores, while I was already in bed. It really was a super idea, but I couldn't cook or keep my sanity when all the counters were covered with dirty dishes that desperately wanted to be in the dishwasher! I just thought I'd share one of our weak spots and limitations.
Credit deserved:
I should mention Dd does an amazing job cooking, baking, doing her own laundry, studying, reading, wanting to go to church, bible study, being a good friend... chores are just a weak area.
Post Office: ReMailed Christmas box
I was so proud of myself, that should be a warning if ever there was one! I had bought nice picture books that I liked all year for my two young nephews that live in Hawaii. I got my black Sharpie and Precise black pen and drew and wrote in the front of each book. I counted out exactly the same number of books for the two boys. I individually wrapped each book. I do this each year, but this year, I got them boxed up and took them to our post office by the 20th of November. I always try to mail these boxes Media Mail because it is way cheaper. Then around Christmas, I asked my brother if the box had arrived...no! So, I found my receipt and looked up the tracking number online. I had written his old address on the box! Oh, Bother! They didn't have a forwarding address; which I thought was weird since he had only moved about a year ago. So, around the first week of February, I heard a knock at our door and the post lady had our box in her arm and asking for the $9.00 to get it back. This week, on Monday, I took the re-wrapped box, with current address, back to the post office and mailed it back to Hawaii. I paid for it to be shipped for the THIRD time! I hope those boys enjoy the well-traveled books!!!
Dd's Academic Progress:
Grace Co-Op classes are going well. I think they only have eleven more weeks of class before they end the semester.
I'm still surprised I am not her only teacher, as I had FULL intention of being her teacher all through high school.
I knew there was a chance God might have other plans, but I really didn't think that would be our path.
But, I also know that my one rule was that I wouldn't have an only child...and God must have laughed aloud as that was his plan.
So, I have learned to expect the opposite to happen to my most well-planned pursuits.
Bible:
Church, Sunday School, Youth Program Canceled this week (weather), Independent Bible Study: Word of Life Bible Study and Awaken: 90 Days with the God who Speaks by Priscilla Shirer
Grace Classes:
Cultural Geography (BJU)
Algebra I (Saxon)
Spanish I (BJU and now added in DuoLingo)
Introductory Logic
Exploring Economics by Ray Notgrass
Volunteering:
1 1/2 hours at church for the Olympians program. The library was canceled this week so she didn't volunteer this week.
I'm still having to clean out the chicken coop more than once a week due to the hens being inside most days.
They did get out (to the enclosed outside pen) a few hours, here and there on a few days, but most of the time they have been forced inside the coop where they are warm and dry. Our compost bins are hopefully going to really give us a lot of good fertile soil for the garden as a result.
Again this week I have been making at least one batch of rice for their breakfast. I add in a few cups of oil, scrambled eggs, egg shells, finally used up the last of the expired flax seed, expired corn meal, left-overs, and 6 cups of their feed---stir it all up and serve. I've been taking a rake and clearing a long path to use to lay down a line of food so all the girls can get an equal opportunity to get in on the big meal of the day.
 |
| Ms. Lemon---my favorite, she's a Bantam and talks to me all the time! |
They always have their grains available to them, but with the bitter cold, we've been having the past 9-10 weeks I've wanted to make sure they all had enough food to keep warm. I should know this is over-kill and my chickens should be fine without all my help, but I just can't seem to fully believe it! The few times I've had a migraine and not provided them their special breakfast they throw a fit and fuss so loudly when I reappear...wish I could share that display to all! They do get really loudly fussy.
All-in-all, the girls are all doing well this week for the most part. I do have one big Buff Orpington (Henny Penny) that has been spending most of her time standing in a corner behind the food stand and I'm concerned and watching her.
Chickens: Wood ash from Woodstove
I read online that you can use (room temperature) ashes from your wood stove for the chickens to use for there dry-baths. I'd never heard of this but gave it a try and they do like it!!! Go figure. The hardest part was finding the right box for the job--I found one just a little smaller than the size of our cat litter boxes. A cat litter box would work great, but I'm already using all mine! It is dirty, but as a last result, in a pinch, it does the trick. I can't wait for the girls to get outside and get to have real dirt baths soon.
Their feathers and general appearance look so pitiful I bought a bag of the expensive "Feather Fixer" chicken crumble to see if it would help.
Owls:
The Barred Owls are back in our area of the woods! It is fun hearing them talk back and forth to each other. I haven't seen them this winter, but I do hear them.
 |
| Can you spot the owl? |
Migraines:
Only one migraine this week! Unfortunately, it happened on Saturday when I wanted to be working with Dh getting something accomplished. But, that did allow him to work on his workbench without distractions.
Dh: Darling Husband:
I've not shared much on Dh the past few weeks since he has returned to work. We haven't had any problems with his eye, just in trying to get glasses that work with two drastically different prescriptions. He had a new pair made but they were impossible for him to actually see out of as they made everything look doubled.
 |
| Ah, you have to love Honeysuckle! She is something special! |
For now, he is having to wear one contact in the normal eye and then wears 'reading glasses' to read and do computer work. Now he bends his head down and looks over the top of the reading glasses to talk to me and looks like a stereotypical old man! It is interesting watching my spouse get older; good thing I haven't aged a day in these twenty years of marriage!! Ha! Ha!
His work is doing good and he is *trying* to stay below a 45 hour work week. This week, after many months of beloved labor he finished a project he had been working on here at home, in the shop, making a "workbench." He made the last 3 or 4 drawers this week to conclude the project. It really is amazing. I will try to take pictures to share his major accomplishment.
He has been promising to build me some bookshelves since we moved here and said the workbench project was his practice and learning in order to prevent mistakes on the bookshelves. It really would be lovely to get to unpack all my books. I haven't seen all my books since we left Indiana! I really miss the Christmas picture books!
Dd: Movies: How To Train Your Dragon 3:
Dd asked to go with Hailee to the movies after church on Sunday to see the conclusion of an animated series she has loved for years. I have to admit, I love this series too! But, alas, I wasn't invited! They picked the worst day of the blizzard to go and I can't believe *I* (the worst winter driver) had to go pick her up and drive Hailee home. In all, I saw 7 different emergency crews going past me in various directions as I waited for the movie to end and the girls to come out. It was just absolutely crazy weather---winds whipping around, snow all over the roads, snow drifts piling up on the actual roads, super cold....fortunately, most people were smart and stayed home so there wasn't that much traffic to navigate around. From all the emergency crews I saw, people that did go out were not being very careful. I was careful. I was driving SO slow it was almost funny! Dd apologized for putting us all in this situation, but she did call the theater and did try to get refund on the bought tickets but the teen girl that answered the phone erroneously told her she had to drive in to do so and Dd thought she might as well see the movie if she has to drive in anyway! Oh well, at least Dd has learned when to say, "Can I speak to the manager, please?"
 |
| The blizzard brought down our umbrella and lots of branches |
Sunday Surprises:
As I mentioned above,
Sunday was a blizzard day
---horrible weather. But, that wasn't all! I woke up to see the wooden rod case holding up all my clothes in my closet had unscrewed from the wall and everything had fallen to the floor. Oh my. Not to mention I had a shelf above the rod for shirts and sweaters. With the blizzard winds there were over 100,000 Michiganders without electricity, but for once, it wasn't our street! Dh woke up with a headache and was feeling low so he stayed home from church. After church he did feel up to fixing my closet for me. I had a Marie Kondo moment when I had ALL my clothes piled up on my bed while he was working in the closet. I did take this opportunity to go through all my clothes (again) and pull out some things that I could donate as well as take out all the spring and summer clothes that I should have taken out in the fall but didn't have the heart to remove. Now the amount of clothes on the rod is much improved!
Chores:
There are a few areas that I've excelled in parenting and a few areas that I've failed to teach Dd over the years. I have unsuccessfully battled my Dd for years about chores. I was one of those new mothers that ordered Montessori books and cleaning equipment for my child and we "worked together" at ALL our chores EVERY day while she was under 5 years old. I'm not exactly sure what age all my good intentions fell flat, but somewhere over the years our "working together" at chores had slowly eroded as she was less and less favorable. To make matters worse, I know no other family, especially in homeschooling families, that has failed so spectacularly as I have in this subject. All of this to get to this week. This week Dd asked me to try something new. She asked me to not remind her to do her kitchen chores or her cat chores, not once, no reminders at all. She wanted to train herself to see the problem and learn to motivate herself to get it done. It sounded equally logical as much as her just trying to get a week off from chores, but I thought I'd give her a try. Long story short, I'll cut to the chase---I went to bed each evening with a messy kitchen. Two or three times she waited until after 10 PM to start her chores, while I was already in bed. It really was a super idea, but I couldn't cook or keep my sanity when all the counters were covered with dirty dishes that desperately wanted to be in the dishwasher! I just thought I'd share one of our weak spots and limitations.
Credit deserved:
I should mention Dd does an amazing job cooking, baking, doing her own laundry, studying, reading, wanting to go to church, bible study, being a good friend... chores are just a weak area.
Post Office: ReMailed Christmas box
I was so proud of myself, that should be a warning if ever there was one! I had bought nice picture books that I liked all year for my two young nephews that live in Hawaii. I got my black Sharpie and Precise black pen and drew and wrote in the front of each book. I counted out exactly the same number of books for the two boys. I individually wrapped each book. I do this each year, but this year, I got them boxed up and took them to our post office by the 20th of November. I always try to mail these boxes Media Mail because it is way cheaper. Then around Christmas, I asked my brother if the box had arrived...no! So, I found my receipt and looked up the tracking number online. I had written his old address on the box! Oh, Bother! They didn't have a forwarding address; which I thought was weird since he had only moved about a year ago. So, around the first week of February, I heard a knock at our door and the post lady had our box in her arm and asking for the $9.00 to get it back. This week, on Monday, I took the re-wrapped box, with current address, back to the post office and mailed it back to Hawaii. I paid for it to be shipped for the THIRD time! I hope those boys enjoy the well-traveled books!!!
 |
| It's hard to take a picture that accurately shows all the deer tracks in our woods--here is a picture to try to share the traffic. |
Dd's Academic Progress:
Grace Co-Op classes are going well. I think they only have eleven more weeks of class before they end the semester.
I'm still surprised I am not her only teacher, as I had FULL intention of being her teacher all through high school.
 |
| An old HORNET nest from last summer way up in a tree. |
I knew there was a chance God might have other plans, but I really didn't think that would be our path.
 |
| (I've babysat six volunteer Spruce baby trees this winter, shaking off the snow and caring for them throughout this winter; here is one of them.) |
But, I also know that my one rule was that I wouldn't have an only child...and God must have laughed aloud as that was his plan.
So, I have learned to expect the opposite to happen to my most well-planned pursuits.
Bible:
Church, Sunday School, Youth Program Canceled this week (weather), Independent Bible Study: Word of Life Bible Study and Awaken: 90 Days with the God who Speaks by Priscilla Shirer
Grace Classes:
Cultural Geography (BJU)
Algebra I (Saxon)
Spanish I (BJU and now added in DuoLingo)
Introductory Logic
Exploring Economics by Ray Notgrass
Volunteering:
1 1/2 hours at church for the Olympians program. The library was canceled this week so she didn't volunteer this week.
Next Week:
The forecast for the next two weeks are supposed to be below normal cold and, you guessed it, snow!
It was nice to have winter arrive later this year than usual so I am not going to complain about having it still think it's January when it's really March!
...........
