The Christmas holiday season has always been a stressful one for me, for as long as I can remember.
My mother had the misfortune of being born on Christmas Eve, and she never let a one go by without letting us know how miserable she was about it too. She always had a rather pissy attitude about her birthday, although we all (us kids) went to a lot of effort to make sure that her birthday presents were special and wrapped appropriately in pretty birthday paper with beautiful cards. No matter what, she was never genuinely happy over the holiday and this set the stage for the rest of us to be miserable too-never mind the excitement of childhood. As it became a long standing tradition of my own to get my father one pair of bright red wool socks, one quart of malted milk balls, and one Old Spice soap, so too the tradition of feeling that no matter what I did, I could not please my mother. Both have passed away, my father in 87 and my mother in 98, but the tradition of stress and unhappiness lives on in all of their children, to some degree.
This year, I find my younger sister beyond stressed. She has a house overflowing with emotionally needy and manipulative adult children (and their assorted kids too), a demanding job, and the "let's all be miserable" legacy lingering on that our mother left. It has poisoned all of us, and in my sisters' case has caused her to try to do too much: buy too many presents, do too many things, be too many places, and try to please everyone while she does it. Its a recipe for holiday failure and I don't know that she will ever be able to get beyond it. Now, my sister is a happy person in general-always ready with a smile, a quip, and a laugh. She's very helpful and generous, it's just her nature to be upbeat and supportive, no matter the situation. So when ghosts of Christmas' past rise eerily in the background, she's too busy doing things to see that it infects her own state of mind. Because our own mother was never happy no matter what we did, it is easy to fall into the trap of more and more to compensate.
I should know, I did the same thing myself, for years, lol Now, I buy gifts for those I feel I need to, not "because" someone else thinks I should. If I am tight that year, I don't worry about not having a trinket wrapped under the tree nor a gift card for each person that walks through the door. Most of my friends know its just not my style to go overboard, too. Sometimes, I have the intention, but never find the time or have the extra cash on hand when I run across something I think a person would really enjoy. I would be just as pleased to hand out goodies from the many jars of this and that from my cupboard instead, actually.
I have many more friends online than I do locally. Somehow, it's easier to connect through the computor as opposed to real life which keeps me tied to this office full time. While they may be "cyber friends" the ties are real, and thus, when I hear that Connie D. has been moved into a nursing home due to the progression of her brain cancer, it concerns me. I know Connie will not be with us much longer, and that she is at the end stage of her life now. A published author, and great advocate for children and horses, her inability to interact with her online "family" has affected us all. We are all saddened by what it is to come, yet feel fortunate to have "known" her.
Today, I learned that another online friend passed away. Younger than me, Vicki G. had suffered numerous health issues for years. Yet, she was known as much for her love of all things angels, as she was for her work with rescuing horses and the Appaloosa Club of Ohio. I sat and had a good long bawl when I read the news. We are all shell shocked and sad, and we can't believe our own angel has left us. I remember calling Vicki when she was in the hospital a few years back, sweating out a heart ailment. Her voice was light and sweet and she was just as nice in person as she was online.
If you haven't figured it out, the purpose of this entry is to remind us all, that the true legacy we leave behind is the mark we leave on others' lives-for good or bad. You can either spread unhappiness, or rise above it-and the choice is yours.
For me, I resolve to rise above :)
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
The consequences of poor handling skills
Today I am going to share a little story. It illustrates perfectly the real consequences of poor horse handling skills.
In general, I have found that most "problem" horses were made so by people. Perhaps the horse was not handled at all as a weanling and then introduced to the ways of man by force. Perhaps typical foal behaviors (which are perfectly natural for the species, but very dangerous for humans when they are adult) were encouraged, rather than reprimanded. That would be mouthing, nipping, kicking, rearing, plowing into people, etc.
Usually, these horses are pretty smart, and the lessons they learn-good or bad-become behaviors nearly impossible remedy. With some, it may only take one or two incidents and the horses learns: I throw a fit, and voila! I get my way. As an example, here is something we have all seen: A dog runs away from its owner. Owner is ticked off, and calls the dog. Dog knows the owner is angry by tone of voice, and is hesitant. Owner gets even more angry and eventually the dog gives in and comes. The owner promptly smacks the dog for not coming. What has this taught the dog? That if it comes when called, pain is the reward. There is a good lesson there, if only people will heed the consequences. Reprimands need to be instantaneous and fit the offense in each and every case.
Which brings me to today's entry. Seven years ago, I leased a marvelous Appaloosa mare. As part of the lease cost, I bred the owners' second mare for free. That mare was a gorgeous solid Appaloosa mare. Smart, moved like a dreamboat, and was also a ribbon winner at local shows. A truly nice nice mare, and well within my breeding criteria. The mare produced a stunning filly the following year, leggy, pretty Sully face, great shoulder and neck, etc. Leggy like her dam, but oh so pretty. The owner had some life changes and the filly was then sold on to a young gal.
This young gal was pretty confident in her training skills as she had some experience in the L48. A few years go by and I get a call about the filly (now a fully adult horse) and the gal is having problems getting the mare to move forward. I was thinking that was pretty odd, because as a rule most horses (while inherently lazy) will move out if you prompt them strongly enough. During the conversation I hear about some sort of incident between the mare and the owner's mother. No one is quite sure what happened, but the Mom ended up with fairly severe facial trauma. It's evident to me that any trust there between them-the horse, the girl, and her mother, is broken and there are probably other things happening with the horse as well. I suggested getting a professional assessment, because many times an outside, experienced person will pick up on things the daily handler might not see.
Then I don't here about the young mare for a year or so, until she starts popping up for sale on various websites. I email a couple of times, but do not get a response. I hear through the grapevine that the girls' family is having some sort of trouble during this period too, always stressful. Over a year ago, I learn from a friend that the mare has been taken to a local barn for try out, prior to sale. I am not sure what happens, but there is a small incident and the deal falls through as the horse does not have the training level the prospective purchasers were looking for. After that, she falls off my radar completely until last month.
Now, she is for sale for $700, negotiable to the right person.
For that low of a price, you know there has to be a hole there, right? And oh indeed there is, and a big one. I have not spoken to the current owners, but this is what I have learned: The mare has been allowed to get away with very dangerous behavior. Today, she is a serious danger to humans, even experienced handlers and wranglers. And most especially in family type situations.
No one recognized the dangerous behavior for what it was, when it happened. All it takes is a few times of getting away with something, and there you have it: A learned behvaior that only gets reinforced instead of reprimanded.
If you do not have the skills, or even the knowledge to recognize dangerous posturing or actions when they happen and correct them at once, you are doing yourself, and the horse no favors.
So here we have a young, sound, decently trained horse (seemingly excellent once haltered with a lead on) who will likely end up euthanized. She's 7 this year, a solid 15.2, pretty as can be, and oh so smart. So smart, she picked up the wrong lesson. It will likely cost her life. I know how I would cope with it, I even recommended that to a friend who looked at the mare. But the risks are very big, and she cannot come to my facility either.
I have run into a number of such horses over the years, and most things can be worked through with enough dedication and appropriate handling, coupled with judicious work and stabling arrangements. It all comes back to one of my own personal conclusions: A good equine citizen stands a very good chance at a long, healthy life. It is our duty as caretakers/owners/trainers/handlers to ensure that the horse has a future too.
Pretty soon, the rumor mill will churn out that it is entirely the stallion's fault that this happened (because people are oh so ignorant and blame the stallion for absolutely everything) and I will end up going to great pains to explain how this came to be, and why. Or I might take the easy way out this time, and simply say this:
It was a consequence of poor handling skills.
In general, I have found that most "problem" horses were made so by people. Perhaps the horse was not handled at all as a weanling and then introduced to the ways of man by force. Perhaps typical foal behaviors (which are perfectly natural for the species, but very dangerous for humans when they are adult) were encouraged, rather than reprimanded. That would be mouthing, nipping, kicking, rearing, plowing into people, etc.
Usually, these horses are pretty smart, and the lessons they learn-good or bad-become behaviors nearly impossible remedy. With some, it may only take one or two incidents and the horses learns: I throw a fit, and voila! I get my way. As an example, here is something we have all seen: A dog runs away from its owner. Owner is ticked off, and calls the dog. Dog knows the owner is angry by tone of voice, and is hesitant. Owner gets even more angry and eventually the dog gives in and comes. The owner promptly smacks the dog for not coming. What has this taught the dog? That if it comes when called, pain is the reward. There is a good lesson there, if only people will heed the consequences. Reprimands need to be instantaneous and fit the offense in each and every case.
Which brings me to today's entry. Seven years ago, I leased a marvelous Appaloosa mare. As part of the lease cost, I bred the owners' second mare for free. That mare was a gorgeous solid Appaloosa mare. Smart, moved like a dreamboat, and was also a ribbon winner at local shows. A truly nice nice mare, and well within my breeding criteria. The mare produced a stunning filly the following year, leggy, pretty Sully face, great shoulder and neck, etc. Leggy like her dam, but oh so pretty. The owner had some life changes and the filly was then sold on to a young gal.
This young gal was pretty confident in her training skills as she had some experience in the L48. A few years go by and I get a call about the filly (now a fully adult horse) and the gal is having problems getting the mare to move forward. I was thinking that was pretty odd, because as a rule most horses (while inherently lazy) will move out if you prompt them strongly enough. During the conversation I hear about some sort of incident between the mare and the owner's mother. No one is quite sure what happened, but the Mom ended up with fairly severe facial trauma. It's evident to me that any trust there between them-the horse, the girl, and her mother, is broken and there are probably other things happening with the horse as well. I suggested getting a professional assessment, because many times an outside, experienced person will pick up on things the daily handler might not see.
Then I don't here about the young mare for a year or so, until she starts popping up for sale on various websites. I email a couple of times, but do not get a response. I hear through the grapevine that the girls' family is having some sort of trouble during this period too, always stressful. Over a year ago, I learn from a friend that the mare has been taken to a local barn for try out, prior to sale. I am not sure what happens, but there is a small incident and the deal falls through as the horse does not have the training level the prospective purchasers were looking for. After that, she falls off my radar completely until last month.
Now, she is for sale for $700, negotiable to the right person.
For that low of a price, you know there has to be a hole there, right? And oh indeed there is, and a big one. I have not spoken to the current owners, but this is what I have learned: The mare has been allowed to get away with very dangerous behavior. Today, she is a serious danger to humans, even experienced handlers and wranglers. And most especially in family type situations.
No one recognized the dangerous behavior for what it was, when it happened. All it takes is a few times of getting away with something, and there you have it: A learned behvaior that only gets reinforced instead of reprimanded.
If you do not have the skills, or even the knowledge to recognize dangerous posturing or actions when they happen and correct them at once, you are doing yourself, and the horse no favors.
So here we have a young, sound, decently trained horse (seemingly excellent once haltered with a lead on) who will likely end up euthanized. She's 7 this year, a solid 15.2, pretty as can be, and oh so smart. So smart, she picked up the wrong lesson. It will likely cost her life. I know how I would cope with it, I even recommended that to a friend who looked at the mare. But the risks are very big, and she cannot come to my facility either.
I have run into a number of such horses over the years, and most things can be worked through with enough dedication and appropriate handling, coupled with judicious work and stabling arrangements. It all comes back to one of my own personal conclusions: A good equine citizen stands a very good chance at a long, healthy life. It is our duty as caretakers/owners/trainers/handlers to ensure that the horse has a future too.
Pretty soon, the rumor mill will churn out that it is entirely the stallion's fault that this happened (because people are oh so ignorant and blame the stallion for absolutely everything) and I will end up going to great pains to explain how this came to be, and why. Or I might take the easy way out this time, and simply say this:
It was a consequence of poor handling skills.
Wednesday, November 25, 2009
Thanksgiving
I am so very thankful for the blessings in my life-
A wonderful husband
A smart, funny, good kid
Health and happiness
A great boss
Decent transportation
A nice house
Two fluffy spoiled rotten horses
Two spoiled rotten dogs
Two spoiled rotten cats (hmm, anyone see a pattern here? lol)
My brand new greenhouse
My bountiful garden plots whose harvest now fills my pantry
Wonderful, supportive friends
Great neighbors
Living here in Alaska
A quirky, spread out, loving family who is there "when the chips are down"
What more could anyone ask for?
I am more than blessed.
A wonderful husband
A smart, funny, good kid
Health and happiness
A great boss
Decent transportation
A nice house
Two fluffy spoiled rotten horses
Two spoiled rotten dogs
Two spoiled rotten cats (hmm, anyone see a pattern here? lol)
My brand new greenhouse
My bountiful garden plots whose harvest now fills my pantry
Wonderful, supportive friends
Great neighbors
Living here in Alaska
A quirky, spread out, loving family who is there "when the chips are down"
What more could anyone ask for?
I am more than blessed.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Brrr!
Well, winter has arrived in full force. And then some!
I had taken last week off, and we got our first sizable snow fall during that week. Maybe five or six inches total, which wasn't too bad. Since we had the most wonderful fall, it was rather nice to see the change after all the dust from the big winds previously.
Now, we have cold. This morning it was -13 at my house, and it's -18 here at work. I moved stuff around in the shop and made space for my car inside-it does not have a block heater on it.
Boy am I feeding out a LOT of hay! Easy 30 plus pounds a day per horse, and I am very thankful I have as much local hay as I do. Warm mashes too, of course, but no blankets on either horses as they aren't shivering. I have them at hand of course, just in case.
My wonderful hub put the covers on the stock tanks, and rigged up a heat lamp for the chickies. He put a thermometer in the new coop, and even at these temps, it is staying about 18, 20 degrees inside. The chickies seem resigned to their jail, and have started laying eggs again now that the light is on a timer for 14 hours a day. I may need to drop the heat lamp down a bit, but for right now, it's warmer up on their perch than on the floor.
The poor big dog, he's having a heck of a time with the cold. I am only taking him out for a few minutes when he needs to go, but we are still letting him blow off steam in the arena every evening. Little Jethro is having trouble too, due to apparantly having frost bit his pads a little bit last winter. So I am watching them both very carefully and they are immediately rushed inside (or into my car) at the first sign of discomfort. Now that I am back at work, they are both sacking out on a spare horse blanket, with the heater blowing right on them, lol The floor is pretty cold since it's concrete with vinyl over it-I need to find a couple of crib sized mattresses-one for the office here, and one for home. Those would make good beds for the big dog.
Other than that, it's life as usual here. I have one hay van en route, and then that's it until after the first of the year for hay. I have been spending entirely too much time doing the hay and I need to cut it back some so I have time for other things-like my own horses!
I had taken last week off, and we got our first sizable snow fall during that week. Maybe five or six inches total, which wasn't too bad. Since we had the most wonderful fall, it was rather nice to see the change after all the dust from the big winds previously.
Now, we have cold. This morning it was -13 at my house, and it's -18 here at work. I moved stuff around in the shop and made space for my car inside-it does not have a block heater on it.
Boy am I feeding out a LOT of hay! Easy 30 plus pounds a day per horse, and I am very thankful I have as much local hay as I do. Warm mashes too, of course, but no blankets on either horses as they aren't shivering. I have them at hand of course, just in case.
My wonderful hub put the covers on the stock tanks, and rigged up a heat lamp for the chickies. He put a thermometer in the new coop, and even at these temps, it is staying about 18, 20 degrees inside. The chickies seem resigned to their jail, and have started laying eggs again now that the light is on a timer for 14 hours a day. I may need to drop the heat lamp down a bit, but for right now, it's warmer up on their perch than on the floor.
The poor big dog, he's having a heck of a time with the cold. I am only taking him out for a few minutes when he needs to go, but we are still letting him blow off steam in the arena every evening. Little Jethro is having trouble too, due to apparantly having frost bit his pads a little bit last winter. So I am watching them both very carefully and they are immediately rushed inside (or into my car) at the first sign of discomfort. Now that I am back at work, they are both sacking out on a spare horse blanket, with the heater blowing right on them, lol The floor is pretty cold since it's concrete with vinyl over it-I need to find a couple of crib sized mattresses-one for the office here, and one for home. Those would make good beds for the big dog.
Other than that, it's life as usual here. I have one hay van en route, and then that's it until after the first of the year for hay. I have been spending entirely too much time doing the hay and I need to cut it back some so I have time for other things-like my own horses!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
I have been remiss!
Gosh it has been a while since I posted, I just realized.
I confess, I have joined Facebook. I am still figuring it out, of course, but have become enchanted with Farmville ;) Those of you who play, understand just how addictive it is, lol I can sure see the attraction with all the games and whatnot they have there.
On the home front, we are ready for snow. Our wonderful month of October, with warmer than average temperatures, has been a gift to us all. It's also helped give business a little boost too, with contractors still digging septics. I am thinking I will be taking part of my vacation here over the next couple of weeks, which means I will be on my own here at work for five months. Seriously not looking forward to that, I never do. It's nice having someone here, even if I don't talk to my driver nonstop all day. And it's nice not having to deal with deliveries too of course. Over the years I have gotten firmer about not making deliveries when road conditions are iffy at best, and most of my (whining all the way!) customers have come to accept this. Deliveries have always been at my discretion in the winter, but for years I put my life on the line for my regular guys, because I knew they depended on this service we provide. Over the last three or four years, with the explosive growth out here in the Valley, it just isn't as safe as it once was, and I have had a number of very close calls.
The horses are good, well fuzzed, and relatively happy. The chickens seem to have accepted their new jail (aka the new chicken coop) very well, although I am not getting eggs as yet. When my hub gets home, he needs to rig up the heat lamp and put everything on a timer. For right now, no heat and the light is on only about 12 hours a day-not enough for egg production.
I also made some changes in how I am handling the hay vans. People are getting very lax about picking up their hay in a timely manner and the extra time involved is becoming a problem on my end. When it takes six or seven weeks to completely pay off a van....well, it's way too long and it has to stop. So, that change takes place after the first of the year. I figured out that I have worked at something, every single weekend, for over four months now. And, I am spending two weekends getting hay offloaded for each van. Call me unreasonable, but it had to change. Everything else was suffering at home.
I also started writing. Yeah, yeah, I know, I am wordy enough-but this idea has been percolating in the back of my mind for a while, so I decided to just go ahead and start putting it down. The fictional story line is seemingly evolving on its own, and the words just tumble on out when I sit at the keyboard, so why not? I have a long way to go yet, of course, but I'm pretty happy with the results so far.
Still waiting on snow here, and this morning it was 20 degrees at home, under clear starry skies. A beautiful morning, actually, and it was great not to have to bundle up into winter boots and coat to feed, in October!
I confess, I have joined Facebook. I am still figuring it out, of course, but have become enchanted with Farmville ;) Those of you who play, understand just how addictive it is, lol I can sure see the attraction with all the games and whatnot they have there.
On the home front, we are ready for snow. Our wonderful month of October, with warmer than average temperatures, has been a gift to us all. It's also helped give business a little boost too, with contractors still digging septics. I am thinking I will be taking part of my vacation here over the next couple of weeks, which means I will be on my own here at work for five months. Seriously not looking forward to that, I never do. It's nice having someone here, even if I don't talk to my driver nonstop all day. And it's nice not having to deal with deliveries too of course. Over the years I have gotten firmer about not making deliveries when road conditions are iffy at best, and most of my (whining all the way!) customers have come to accept this. Deliveries have always been at my discretion in the winter, but for years I put my life on the line for my regular guys, because I knew they depended on this service we provide. Over the last three or four years, with the explosive growth out here in the Valley, it just isn't as safe as it once was, and I have had a number of very close calls.
The horses are good, well fuzzed, and relatively happy. The chickens seem to have accepted their new jail (aka the new chicken coop) very well, although I am not getting eggs as yet. When my hub gets home, he needs to rig up the heat lamp and put everything on a timer. For right now, no heat and the light is on only about 12 hours a day-not enough for egg production.
I also made some changes in how I am handling the hay vans. People are getting very lax about picking up their hay in a timely manner and the extra time involved is becoming a problem on my end. When it takes six or seven weeks to completely pay off a van....well, it's way too long and it has to stop. So, that change takes place after the first of the year. I figured out that I have worked at something, every single weekend, for over four months now. And, I am spending two weekends getting hay offloaded for each van. Call me unreasonable, but it had to change. Everything else was suffering at home.
I also started writing. Yeah, yeah, I know, I am wordy enough-but this idea has been percolating in the back of my mind for a while, so I decided to just go ahead and start putting it down. The fictional story line is seemingly evolving on its own, and the words just tumble on out when I sit at the keyboard, so why not? I have a long way to go yet, of course, but I'm pretty happy with the results so far.
Still waiting on snow here, and this morning it was 20 degrees at home, under clear starry skies. A beautiful morning, actually, and it was great not to have to bundle up into winter boots and coat to feed, in October!
Monday, October 19, 2009
The work just never ends.....
That about sums up how it has been for months now. Over the weekend, the salmon was processed, and BBQ sauce made, and the apples attended to as well. If not for the help of my good friend and my SIL, I don't know that I could have got it done. But we did, and I am beyond thankful for their assistance :) That's the last of the "big chores" for pressure canning for the year, yippee!
My hub has been very busy as well, sorting through items and straightening up for winter. He even spent some time cleaning up the barn for me yesterday-woohoo, he is a keeper, lol! He set the timers on the stock tanks after cleaning them, raked out stray hay, put tools away and so on. About all that remains is to shorten up the arena for winter snow plowing, which is a big chore. He'll give it one last drag and then it's a matter of a lot of tugging and pulling to make that a smaller diameter.
Horses are doing fairly well, all things considered. Reba had a small abrasion on one fetlock that ended up getting a minor infection. Five days of antibiotics and she is much improved, and is finally sound again, yay! She still has some thickened skin there at the front of the fetlock and I am not sure if its going away, ever. It does not bother her, but looks a little odd-time will tell. Still have no idea how she got the original boo boo of course, goofy girl!
My "load from hell" hay van is finally gone and another arrived on Friday. This looks much better and I sure hope people are better about picking up their hay this time around. It's getting harder to bite my tongue when I call people and let them know, and it's just not convenient for them to come any time soon-grrr! But I try to be accomodating because Lord knows I am busy too, lol
Speaking of hay, one person contacted me a full four months after they got their hay, to inform me they expected a refund or replacement on 19 bales of hay. Good lord, four months later they are telling me this? A phone call or email would have been nice-like right when they found a bad spot! I try really hard to replace hay people return, but this person did not keep any (or very many, I think) of the bales and seems to expect me to take their word for it and just replace or refund. Um, can't do that, I just can't. All replacement hay comes out of my own personal supply anyway, and I replace bales that are returned. Sometimes, I can resell the hay on to other people at a big loss for other stock, or bedding, or even just for mulch in gardens. I don't think even Animal Food Warehouse would just hand over cash either, lol So I am sure to get bashed around behind my back over this one too. Oh well, chit happens. I have spent way too many hours on a tractor not to understand that there is no such thing as perfect hay, period. I am going to politely suggest that they find hay elsewhere since this seems to be such an issue ;) I mean, it's not like I haven't tossed out many thousands of dollars worth of hay over the years. Who hasn't?
The big dog is doing pretty well. He is still having trouble accepting my hub when he comes home from the Slope, but aside from that, he is great at charming customers and mugging them for attention. A few times over the past month we have let him loose to blow off steam and I am telling you, that dog can run through thick black spruce like it isn't even there-incredible! Tremendous speed and agility, that dog has, easy ten or twelve foot strides bending around and through the trees. I have no doubt this dog could take down sizable game, if he had a mind to do it, and a human? Easy pickings. He is starting to show some protectiveness, and I am very careful how I handle that, as an aggressive big dog is not what I want or need, but one that will stand at my side and scare the poo out of folks? You bet!
So that's the story of my life, pretty much. Spending my weekends working at one thing or another, and the weekdays working for pay. I keep thinking I am going to have some time off, but it never happens, lol The hard work has its payoffs though, as the garden produce is completely processed and the big chore-the salmon-is done. A three day project in itself, the salmon-thaw, cut, brine, dry, smoke and then process. Best of all, the results are just wonderful this year. My hub is in charge of everything but the processing and he really outdid himself this year!
My hub has been very busy as well, sorting through items and straightening up for winter. He even spent some time cleaning up the barn for me yesterday-woohoo, he is a keeper, lol! He set the timers on the stock tanks after cleaning them, raked out stray hay, put tools away and so on. About all that remains is to shorten up the arena for winter snow plowing, which is a big chore. He'll give it one last drag and then it's a matter of a lot of tugging and pulling to make that a smaller diameter.
Horses are doing fairly well, all things considered. Reba had a small abrasion on one fetlock that ended up getting a minor infection. Five days of antibiotics and she is much improved, and is finally sound again, yay! She still has some thickened skin there at the front of the fetlock and I am not sure if its going away, ever. It does not bother her, but looks a little odd-time will tell. Still have no idea how she got the original boo boo of course, goofy girl!
My "load from hell" hay van is finally gone and another arrived on Friday. This looks much better and I sure hope people are better about picking up their hay this time around. It's getting harder to bite my tongue when I call people and let them know, and it's just not convenient for them to come any time soon-grrr! But I try to be accomodating because Lord knows I am busy too, lol
Speaking of hay, one person contacted me a full four months after they got their hay, to inform me they expected a refund or replacement on 19 bales of hay. Good lord, four months later they are telling me this? A phone call or email would have been nice-like right when they found a bad spot! I try really hard to replace hay people return, but this person did not keep any (or very many, I think) of the bales and seems to expect me to take their word for it and just replace or refund. Um, can't do that, I just can't. All replacement hay comes out of my own personal supply anyway, and I replace bales that are returned. Sometimes, I can resell the hay on to other people at a big loss for other stock, or bedding, or even just for mulch in gardens. I don't think even Animal Food Warehouse would just hand over cash either, lol So I am sure to get bashed around behind my back over this one too. Oh well, chit happens. I have spent way too many hours on a tractor not to understand that there is no such thing as perfect hay, period. I am going to politely suggest that they find hay elsewhere since this seems to be such an issue ;) I mean, it's not like I haven't tossed out many thousands of dollars worth of hay over the years. Who hasn't?
The big dog is doing pretty well. He is still having trouble accepting my hub when he comes home from the Slope, but aside from that, he is great at charming customers and mugging them for attention. A few times over the past month we have let him loose to blow off steam and I am telling you, that dog can run through thick black spruce like it isn't even there-incredible! Tremendous speed and agility, that dog has, easy ten or twelve foot strides bending around and through the trees. I have no doubt this dog could take down sizable game, if he had a mind to do it, and a human? Easy pickings. He is starting to show some protectiveness, and I am very careful how I handle that, as an aggressive big dog is not what I want or need, but one that will stand at my side and scare the poo out of folks? You bet!
So that's the story of my life, pretty much. Spending my weekends working at one thing or another, and the weekdays working for pay. I keep thinking I am going to have some time off, but it never happens, lol The hard work has its payoffs though, as the garden produce is completely processed and the big chore-the salmon-is done. A three day project in itself, the salmon-thaw, cut, brine, dry, smoke and then process. Best of all, the results are just wonderful this year. My hub is in charge of everything but the processing and he really outdid himself this year!
Monday, October 5, 2009
Heckuva couple of weeks
As you can read from the obituary below, the family has suffered the loss of the matriarch....A sad event, but it has rewarded me with the opportunity to reconnect with family.
So a week or ten days was pretty much wrapped up, busy with out of town visitors and the nuts and bolts of personal effects and whatnot. Last Thursday, my MIL and her two sisters left for their homes in the L48, and I already miss them. I feel sad that it took Ruth's passing to bring everyone together, but I am fairly sure that is a common outcome these days-families are often spread across the US.
In between that, I had one empty van picked up, and another one dropped off. That too, has turned into a challenge when the hay was not suitable for a number of the purchasers. This has meant finding other buyers, and starting a list for a van to follow in November. There is already one ordered for October too of course. So far, I have managed to move nearly all the hay, but the weather is not co-operating very well with plenty of rain showers lately.
Add in that a new chicken coop is being built-which has taken way longer than it should have due to my miscommunication about materials. So there has been additional delay, all my fault. This morning I let the contractor know I needed to get the barn roof extended asap....it's just too blasted wet there at the barn for my liking. Besides, it has lead to some hoof issues that I can't seem to get a handle on since it's too wet and boggy.
Complicating things, the mare has turned up extremely lame. It has been narrowed down to what looks like a puncture wound on the fetlock, with swelling up the cannon. She is about impossible to handle since it's so sore, so I have called in professional help for this one. Hopefully I will know more about this later on today.
Still trying to get things canned up, but I find myself with little energy after attending to everything else. This weekend I will make a good stab at getting the spuds done up I hope.
It just dawned on me, I need to get new snow tires. Rats! LOL, oh well, studded tires are the way to go here, and I won't be without them :)
So a week or ten days was pretty much wrapped up, busy with out of town visitors and the nuts and bolts of personal effects and whatnot. Last Thursday, my MIL and her two sisters left for their homes in the L48, and I already miss them. I feel sad that it took Ruth's passing to bring everyone together, but I am fairly sure that is a common outcome these days-families are often spread across the US.
In between that, I had one empty van picked up, and another one dropped off. That too, has turned into a challenge when the hay was not suitable for a number of the purchasers. This has meant finding other buyers, and starting a list for a van to follow in November. There is already one ordered for October too of course. So far, I have managed to move nearly all the hay, but the weather is not co-operating very well with plenty of rain showers lately.
Add in that a new chicken coop is being built-which has taken way longer than it should have due to my miscommunication about materials. So there has been additional delay, all my fault. This morning I let the contractor know I needed to get the barn roof extended asap....it's just too blasted wet there at the barn for my liking. Besides, it has lead to some hoof issues that I can't seem to get a handle on since it's too wet and boggy.
Complicating things, the mare has turned up extremely lame. It has been narrowed down to what looks like a puncture wound on the fetlock, with swelling up the cannon. She is about impossible to handle since it's so sore, so I have called in professional help for this one. Hopefully I will know more about this later on today.
Still trying to get things canned up, but I find myself with little energy after attending to everything else. This weekend I will make a good stab at getting the spuds done up I hope.
It just dawned on me, I need to get new snow tires. Rats! LOL, oh well, studded tires are the way to go here, and I won't be without them :)
Monday, September 28, 2009
A small part of Alaska's history is gone....
Ruth E Conard, lifelong Alaskan, died peacefully in her Wasilla home on September 21, 2009.
Ruth was born in Fairbanks on May 28, 1923, to James T and Helen Hutchison. While Ruth was the first born daughter, she arrived behind her older brother, James T, Jr. The other sisters and brothers that followed and lived included Marion Acord, Rose deLima, Geraldine Hutchison, Josephine Hoskins, Harold Hutchison and Harry Hutchison. Ruth has four daughters, Roxanne Lawrence, Vanita and Joy Keeling, and Dawn Durtsche, eight grand children, eight great-grand children, and five great-great grandchildren.
Ruth was one of a kind! She grew up in Fairbanks and lived the frontier life when chopping wood for the wood stove, hauling water for drinking, cooking, and baths was the norm. She helped care for the other children, and sold berries and pies, ironed and babysat to bring extra money into the family. She often talked about floating down the streets on wooden sidewalks when the Chena River would flood every year. She developed the sense of resourcefulness and strength that comes from living up north. She was a hardworker and could be counted on to jump in and help with any project. She truly had the old-time Alaskan Spirit!
Ruth possessed a sense for numbers and gravitated towards positions within office administration and accounting. She retired from the Virology Rabies Unit at UAF in 1988 and was a lifelong member of the Women’s Pioneer Auxiliary #8 and most recently, a member of Ninilchik Village Tribal Council. In her younger years, she was a member on several bowling teams. Throughout her life, she delighted in playing pinochle, cribbage, blackjack, and pulltabs with astoundingly good luck! She was also a crocheting and knitting machine, creating many afghans, doilies, and dolls in lighting speed which she generously gave to family members on a regular basis. She loved to dance and could jitterbug like nobody’s business!
She was ahead of her time in many ways. Ruth chose to be a single mother, applied and received her own credit cards, secured financing for her own trailer and several vehicles during the time when women didn’t live independently. Through her actions, she taught her daughters that it was okay to be independent women, using their minds and instincts to follow their own paths. She often would say, ‘You can be anything you want in this world.’
Ruth is survived by her sisters, Marion, Rose, Geraldine and Josephine; her daughters, Roxi, Nita, Joy and Dawn and three generations of children. Per her instructions, she requested no service; just cremation. Ruth will be placed in the family plot in Fairbanks.
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The above is the obituary that the four daughters wrote, and the respect and loss shines through clearly. I did not know Ruth half as well as I should have, but I recall fondly our lengthy conversations about her life growing up in Fairbanks "back in the day". A strong willed woman of firm opinions, she was outspoken and resolute in her convictions. Other people might see it as stubborn, lol, but I saw it as an expression of her resolve and decisions. It amazed me, the number of people who she knew, was related to in some fashion, or had met or worked with over her long life.
She has left a great legacy, although she may have never known-to a person, her daughters are compassionate, strong, loving, self reliant, and independent. This may turn out to be her greatest achievement, I think. A more determined set of siblings you will never meet :)
Have a toddy on me, Ruth, and I hope to reconnect when it's my time.
Ruth was born in Fairbanks on May 28, 1923, to James T and Helen Hutchison. While Ruth was the first born daughter, she arrived behind her older brother, James T, Jr. The other sisters and brothers that followed and lived included Marion Acord, Rose deLima, Geraldine Hutchison, Josephine Hoskins, Harold Hutchison and Harry Hutchison. Ruth has four daughters, Roxanne Lawrence, Vanita and Joy Keeling, and Dawn Durtsche, eight grand children, eight great-grand children, and five great-great grandchildren.
Ruth was one of a kind! She grew up in Fairbanks and lived the frontier life when chopping wood for the wood stove, hauling water for drinking, cooking, and baths was the norm. She helped care for the other children, and sold berries and pies, ironed and babysat to bring extra money into the family. She often talked about floating down the streets on wooden sidewalks when the Chena River would flood every year. She developed the sense of resourcefulness and strength that comes from living up north. She was a hardworker and could be counted on to jump in and help with any project. She truly had the old-time Alaskan Spirit!
Ruth possessed a sense for numbers and gravitated towards positions within office administration and accounting. She retired from the Virology Rabies Unit at UAF in 1988 and was a lifelong member of the Women’s Pioneer Auxiliary #8 and most recently, a member of Ninilchik Village Tribal Council. In her younger years, she was a member on several bowling teams. Throughout her life, she delighted in playing pinochle, cribbage, blackjack, and pulltabs with astoundingly good luck! She was also a crocheting and knitting machine, creating many afghans, doilies, and dolls in lighting speed which she generously gave to family members on a regular basis. She loved to dance and could jitterbug like nobody’s business!
She was ahead of her time in many ways. Ruth chose to be a single mother, applied and received her own credit cards, secured financing for her own trailer and several vehicles during the time when women didn’t live independently. Through her actions, she taught her daughters that it was okay to be independent women, using their minds and instincts to follow their own paths. She often would say, ‘You can be anything you want in this world.’
Ruth is survived by her sisters, Marion, Rose, Geraldine and Josephine; her daughters, Roxi, Nita, Joy and Dawn and three generations of children. Per her instructions, she requested no service; just cremation. Ruth will be placed in the family plot in Fairbanks.
--------------------------------------------------
The above is the obituary that the four daughters wrote, and the respect and loss shines through clearly. I did not know Ruth half as well as I should have, but I recall fondly our lengthy conversations about her life growing up in Fairbanks "back in the day". A strong willed woman of firm opinions, she was outspoken and resolute in her convictions. Other people might see it as stubborn, lol, but I saw it as an expression of her resolve and decisions. It amazed me, the number of people who she knew, was related to in some fashion, or had met or worked with over her long life.
She has left a great legacy, although she may have never known-to a person, her daughters are compassionate, strong, loving, self reliant, and independent. This may turn out to be her greatest achievement, I think. A more determined set of siblings you will never meet :)
Have a toddy on me, Ruth, and I hope to reconnect when it's my time.
Monday, September 21, 2009
Autumn's end
Autumn is ending, marking the slow slide into dormancy for most things here. This morning, it was raining at home-this time, the rain was cool. By the time I arrived at work, I could see Termination Dust on the mountaintops-Pioneer Peak and the Chugach range, Hatcher's Pass and the Talkeetna Mountains, and of course, Lazy Mountain as well.
It's a bittersweet, yet expectant time of the year for me. I am sad the summer is officially over, yet excited to see the first snow flakes too. Usually, we don't see snow down here in the Valley until sometime around the middle of October-typically about the 12th.
Now is the mad scramble to get everything picked up and straightened up before snow. And what a scramble it is, I still have a list of things to tend before freeze up as usual. Although we have been blessed with a warmer than average fall, I know the cold is coming!
If the clouds lift, maybe I can get a picture today......
Saturday, September 19, 2009
One of the best pay offs
To living here in Alaska is all the wildlife we get to see. People from the Lesser 48 (sorry guys ;)) just don't have these opportunites.
The day started off with mixed foggy areas and low lying scud. If it weren't for the bright yellow and gold birch leaves, it surely would have been a gloomy day. We headed out early, north on the Parks Highway for a bit of an exploratory drive. We were blessed to see the following:
A mated pair of swans-
and their three cygnets from this year, not completely white as yet.
Numerous wild ducks and honestly about all I could tell is that there were three different kinds (I think?)
Eagles-one immature bird and an adult, who had lunch of some type in its beak.
A spruce hen-and I think I saw a few more moving in the brush, but this one was on the gravel road.
And of course ravens and camp robbers, that's a given.
On the way home this evening, we stumbled across a lost pheasant too, who had a gaggle (?) of camp robbers after it, as it scurried along the road in front of us. No doubt lost from someone's place, there was no way to catch it up with just the two of us-poor thing.
When you add in the cow and calf pairs of moose we've seen lately, and the fox I saw three mornings ago just a couple blocks from home-you could say, there is still wildlife to seen, here just an hours' drive out of Anchorage.
It's just grand, really it is. To see moose, bear, and other tracks right on your own property.....to see wild swans, ducks, geese, eagles and all the rest.
The capper of the day was heading over to give a neighbor a hand with butchering chickens, haha Sure got a lot left to do and I am probably going to be at that bright and early tomorrow as well.
Yep, the day was for the birds!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Some Wednesday funnies
Here are a few websites, good for a giggle, belly laugh or outright squirm ;)
www.peopleofwalmart.com (A new favorite!)
www.icanhazcheezburger.com (The one and only LOLCats site!)
www.offthemark.com/dogs.htm (Canine humor!)
http://equerry.com/html/fun/eq_humor.htm (Horse humor)
Please feel free to add your own favorite humorous websites :)
Enjoy!
www.peopleofwalmart.com (A new favorite!)
www.icanhazcheezburger.com (The one and only LOLCats site!)
www.offthemark.com/dogs.htm (Canine humor!)
http://equerry.com/html/fun/eq_humor.htm (Horse humor)
Please feel free to add your own favorite humorous websites :)
Enjoy!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Homestead happenings
Fall is well upon us, as I felt the nip in the air this morning on my way to the barn. In the dark, ha! Yes, it is dark even without clouds now when I do my morning barn chores. The big dog is sure looking around in the mornings too, so I am paying fairly close attention to him-he'll surely see or smell something long before I do :)
Friday evening when I got home, we let the chickens loose. Well, what we did was prop open the door for them. The garden has been harvested, and as long as the doors are closed on the greenhouse there isn't much for them to get into now. Saturday, I did not see them all, as it rained fairly heavy off and on all day. Yesterday, they were up near the barn and came running right over when I called. I was rather tickled that they 1) came at all, and 2) remembered where their old coop area was. I treated them to a handful of sweet feed because I like rewarding them that way. This morning I was happy to see that they had roosted at the barn-the three hens on the one stall wall, and for about two minutes I could not find the rooster at all....but eventually I spied him sitting on a pallet that was stood up on end-I figure he can't see well enough to fly up there into the rafters and boards with just the one eye. As usual, when he heard my voice he emitted his tiny chuckling coo. Happy birds, they are, with the run of the place. We'll probably loose whatever eggs are laid until we finagle a new chicken coop, unless the hens wander all the way down the hill to thier nesting boxes (possible, but not likely) for now.
Hunting season is in full swing, so my hub has been out trying for a moose. This means a combination of "road hunting" (driving around back roads with eyes peeled for bulls and trails) and getting out on the four wheeler, exploring. They've found a few likely spots which will be carefully hunted over the next couple of days. I am hoping for good luck as moose would be a welcome addition around home!
On the horse end, not much happening. The mare is still off now that the ground is saturated. However, we finally have level heels, and I am optomistic that time and exercise will encourage better, healthy growth for her hooves. I know that her coffin bone was at an angle when I got her, based upon the condition she arrived-and I also knew it was going to be a long slow recovery-I was just hopeful we would have had more correction by now. I am a little hamstrung with her, because I can't "feed her up" for hoof growth, as she is already on the line for being obese as it is, grr! No grain whatsoever and a measely 16 or 17 pounds of hay a day, and she's um, fluffy, to say the least ;) Basically she needs the poo worked out of her, day after day, but I am unable to do that working full time, darn it.
The old man is in very good spirits, and obviously happy to be back in his old stall and pen. On Saturday when we were working on stripping the greenhouse, he had wandered down to see what we were doing. Looking over the fence down into the greenhouse, he watched for a while and then walked back up, hand a roll, and trotted back to the fenceline. Where he promptly zapped himself on the fence! With a big snort and a shake of his head, he bolted back to his stall....it was funny! Not like he doesn't know the fence bites, the silly guy :)
The big dog is still unhappy with my hub being home. He is pretty "woofy" with men who come to the house anyway, and seems scared of my hub for the first week. That fear does not stop him from trying to worm his way onto the bed at night though! Funny how the dog is fine if my hub is reclining (in the recliner, or on the bed) but all twitterpated if he's standing? I have no idea what's up with that, but I do know that men wearing ball caps and anything red, tend to scare him. I presume this is something from his past-he is getting over the ball cap thing because so many men come to my office who wear them. The color red? Not so much. Just something to work through over time, we'll get there.
Saturday was the strip the greenhouse day. What should have taken a full days work, ended up going pretty quickly with my neice and her guy helping. My gosh I have a lot of green tomatoes! I sent them home with quite a bit of ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, and a variety of peppers too. And, I have a half a dozen small sugar (pie type) pumpkins sitting on the bench in the greenhouse too. So I have a lot of pepper seeds to harvest and my chore today is to find a pile of newspaper and a bunch of boxes so I can get those tomatoes ripening off. Although just where to put them is the question....
I also put the pansy bowls in the greenhouse as I need to harvest seeds from them as well, antique shade pansy seeds are very expensive! Oh, and I *think* I have figured out where the seeds for broccoli grow on the plant! Well, not positive, but I think I found them.....after the plant flowers (which, by the way, are great to eat if you haven't tried them) the flowers will drop off and these thin little spiky looking things will remain. It looks for all the world like rather thick green cactus spines, but each of these has little lumps in it-I presume the seeds? So I picked a handful of those and they are in the garage, drying. Not quite sure how to open those pods but I am positive there are seeds in there :)
Which leads me to wonder: How do cabbages seed? Cauliflower? Brussel Sprouts? I have no idea, lol! I mean, I know they must, but since our season is so short, we never get to see the plant actually mature long enough I bet. Hmm, something interesting to look up on the net today :)
Friday evening when I got home, we let the chickens loose. Well, what we did was prop open the door for them. The garden has been harvested, and as long as the doors are closed on the greenhouse there isn't much for them to get into now. Saturday, I did not see them all, as it rained fairly heavy off and on all day. Yesterday, they were up near the barn and came running right over when I called. I was rather tickled that they 1) came at all, and 2) remembered where their old coop area was. I treated them to a handful of sweet feed because I like rewarding them that way. This morning I was happy to see that they had roosted at the barn-the three hens on the one stall wall, and for about two minutes I could not find the rooster at all....but eventually I spied him sitting on a pallet that was stood up on end-I figure he can't see well enough to fly up there into the rafters and boards with just the one eye. As usual, when he heard my voice he emitted his tiny chuckling coo. Happy birds, they are, with the run of the place. We'll probably loose whatever eggs are laid until we finagle a new chicken coop, unless the hens wander all the way down the hill to thier nesting boxes (possible, but not likely) for now.
Hunting season is in full swing, so my hub has been out trying for a moose. This means a combination of "road hunting" (driving around back roads with eyes peeled for bulls and trails) and getting out on the four wheeler, exploring. They've found a few likely spots which will be carefully hunted over the next couple of days. I am hoping for good luck as moose would be a welcome addition around home!
On the horse end, not much happening. The mare is still off now that the ground is saturated. However, we finally have level heels, and I am optomistic that time and exercise will encourage better, healthy growth for her hooves. I know that her coffin bone was at an angle when I got her, based upon the condition she arrived-and I also knew it was going to be a long slow recovery-I was just hopeful we would have had more correction by now. I am a little hamstrung with her, because I can't "feed her up" for hoof growth, as she is already on the line for being obese as it is, grr! No grain whatsoever and a measely 16 or 17 pounds of hay a day, and she's um, fluffy, to say the least ;) Basically she needs the poo worked out of her, day after day, but I am unable to do that working full time, darn it.
The old man is in very good spirits, and obviously happy to be back in his old stall and pen. On Saturday when we were working on stripping the greenhouse, he had wandered down to see what we were doing. Looking over the fence down into the greenhouse, he watched for a while and then walked back up, hand a roll, and trotted back to the fenceline. Where he promptly zapped himself on the fence! With a big snort and a shake of his head, he bolted back to his stall....it was funny! Not like he doesn't know the fence bites, the silly guy :)
The big dog is still unhappy with my hub being home. He is pretty "woofy" with men who come to the house anyway, and seems scared of my hub for the first week. That fear does not stop him from trying to worm his way onto the bed at night though! Funny how the dog is fine if my hub is reclining (in the recliner, or on the bed) but all twitterpated if he's standing? I have no idea what's up with that, but I do know that men wearing ball caps and anything red, tend to scare him. I presume this is something from his past-he is getting over the ball cap thing because so many men come to my office who wear them. The color red? Not so much. Just something to work through over time, we'll get there.
Saturday was the strip the greenhouse day. What should have taken a full days work, ended up going pretty quickly with my neice and her guy helping. My gosh I have a lot of green tomatoes! I sent them home with quite a bit of ripe tomatoes, cucumbers, and a variety of peppers too. And, I have a half a dozen small sugar (pie type) pumpkins sitting on the bench in the greenhouse too. So I have a lot of pepper seeds to harvest and my chore today is to find a pile of newspaper and a bunch of boxes so I can get those tomatoes ripening off. Although just where to put them is the question....
I also put the pansy bowls in the greenhouse as I need to harvest seeds from them as well, antique shade pansy seeds are very expensive! Oh, and I *think* I have figured out where the seeds for broccoli grow on the plant! Well, not positive, but I think I found them.....after the plant flowers (which, by the way, are great to eat if you haven't tried them) the flowers will drop off and these thin little spiky looking things will remain. It looks for all the world like rather thick green cactus spines, but each of these has little lumps in it-I presume the seeds? So I picked a handful of those and they are in the garage, drying. Not quite sure how to open those pods but I am positive there are seeds in there :)
Which leads me to wonder: How do cabbages seed? Cauliflower? Brussel Sprouts? I have no idea, lol! I mean, I know they must, but since our season is so short, we never get to see the plant actually mature long enough I bet. Hmm, something interesting to look up on the net today :)
Friday, September 11, 2009
The end of the growing season
Yes, it's the end of the season here. I've had several light frosts and have pulled everything from the vegetable garden except for one lone cauliflower and whatever is left of the carrots...which is bound to be very few since they were snacked on all summer long, lol
The greenhouse needs to be stripped, and this is going to be a large project indeed. I have numerous pots in there, and most of them still carry their fruits-tomatoes, peppers, corn and a few miscellaneous odds and ends. Nothing in there was harmed by those frosts, including my huge (and yet to be repotted) house plant, thank heavens. But, stripping and then emptying those pots is going to quite a lot of work. The tops will need to be put on the compost area, and the contents of the pots into my beginnings of another vegetable bed. Afterwards, I will top dress the area with the humified compost too. And, I need to pull the black plastic mulch off the garden proper as well-it will need to be hosed off, dried, and then put away until next year.
This weekend I will also tear into my tiny pumpkin patch, and see what is buried in the leaves there. I am pretty sure they could have used an extra three weeks for growth but I will be happy with whatever I find. I also have several plants still in pots that I will need to bury in order to winter over safely. Hopefully I will have plenty of leaves stockpiled for mulching as well.
The challenging part will be finding space for the produce that remains. I am basically jam packed in both freezers, and won't really have extra space in there until the salmon is processed-which should be sometime over the next two weeks or so. The tomatoes I will box and ripen off over the coming week or so, and hopefully by that time I will have a little space to freeze them.
This end of the season ritual is always very bittersweet for me. I know that snow and cold are not that far away, and I will be revisiting my memory frequently for the images I hold of that greenhouse......full of promising, growing plants.
The greenhouse needs to be stripped, and this is going to be a large project indeed. I have numerous pots in there, and most of them still carry their fruits-tomatoes, peppers, corn and a few miscellaneous odds and ends. Nothing in there was harmed by those frosts, including my huge (and yet to be repotted) house plant, thank heavens. But, stripping and then emptying those pots is going to quite a lot of work. The tops will need to be put on the compost area, and the contents of the pots into my beginnings of another vegetable bed. Afterwards, I will top dress the area with the humified compost too. And, I need to pull the black plastic mulch off the garden proper as well-it will need to be hosed off, dried, and then put away until next year.
This weekend I will also tear into my tiny pumpkin patch, and see what is buried in the leaves there. I am pretty sure they could have used an extra three weeks for growth but I will be happy with whatever I find. I also have several plants still in pots that I will need to bury in order to winter over safely. Hopefully I will have plenty of leaves stockpiled for mulching as well.
The challenging part will be finding space for the produce that remains. I am basically jam packed in both freezers, and won't really have extra space in there until the salmon is processed-which should be sometime over the next two weeks or so. The tomatoes I will box and ripen off over the coming week or so, and hopefully by that time I will have a little space to freeze them.
This end of the season ritual is always very bittersweet for me. I know that snow and cold are not that far away, and I will be revisiting my memory frequently for the images I hold of that greenhouse......full of promising, growing plants.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Sore and sunburned!
Had an absolutely marvelous day at the State Fair this year! An entire day to wander the grounds and check out all the booths in detail without hurrying, it was great. Nibbled our way through the food booths too, although by 4 pm there were getting to be lines in front of every one, lol It was very crowded by late afternoon, you could barely make your way through the throngs of people-and the people watching was pretty entertaining too!
Wonderful company, and I am sure glad we got there early so my son could get some rides in before it got too crowded-he managed to use up all his tickets before we left :) And eat an entire bag of cotton candy, ha! The only day of the year he is allowed to eat pretty much whatever he wants, I don't let him overdo candy at all at Hallowe'en or Christmas so this is a big treat. He is right on that cusp of bring part little boy and partly "almost teen" so there were a few rides he was not up to trying and a few favorites he just had to go through again.
My good friend who accompanied me, was very tired yesterday too....seems we just aren't used to umpteen miles over the course of a day any longer. Ran into a few friends here and there, and visited with our neighbors who have a booth for a few minutes. The only venue we didn't check out was the horse barns, just ran out of steam shortly after 7 pm as we were heading that direction. Found the Garlic Gourmay booth but it was too crowded to get inside to buy anything, which is just as well because we were hauling around enough goodies as it was! I mostly scored on some t shirts, but did not find a coffee cup this year-oh well. And I picked up some information on a number of rather interesting items too of course.
Did have some color on my arms yesterday, I was sure glad I wore a sleeveless top because it was flat out hot almost all day. The only relief was the occasional breeze that blessed the grounds-absolutely perfect day at the Fair!
Wonderful company, and I am sure glad we got there early so my son could get some rides in before it got too crowded-he managed to use up all his tickets before we left :) And eat an entire bag of cotton candy, ha! The only day of the year he is allowed to eat pretty much whatever he wants, I don't let him overdo candy at all at Hallowe'en or Christmas so this is a big treat. He is right on that cusp of bring part little boy and partly "almost teen" so there were a few rides he was not up to trying and a few favorites he just had to go through again.
My good friend who accompanied me, was very tired yesterday too....seems we just aren't used to umpteen miles over the course of a day any longer. Ran into a few friends here and there, and visited with our neighbors who have a booth for a few minutes. The only venue we didn't check out was the horse barns, just ran out of steam shortly after 7 pm as we were heading that direction. Found the Garlic Gourmay booth but it was too crowded to get inside to buy anything, which is just as well because we were hauling around enough goodies as it was! I mostly scored on some t shirts, but did not find a coffee cup this year-oh well. And I picked up some information on a number of rather interesting items too of course.
Did have some color on my arms yesterday, I was sure glad I wore a sleeveless top because it was flat out hot almost all day. The only relief was the occasional breeze that blessed the grounds-absolutely perfect day at the Fair!
Saturday, September 5, 2009
The Fair weather, is fair!
Wow, what a wonderful stretch of sunny weather we are enjoying!
For the first time I can remember, we've had more sunny days than rainy days, the entire length of the Alaska State Fair. Our marvelous summer has meant for some stupendous entries in the Giant Vegetable competition this year too....
Here's a couple of them, from memory-
Cabbages: 125.9 pounds. No that is not a typo! Busts the world record which has been held for 20 years.
Watermelon: 145 pounds and change. Seriously, I just cannot get my mind around a melon that size, and I can't wait to go see it, lol
Pumpkin: 374 pounds. Now that may not seem all that large to folks in the L48, until you consider this.....the seed for that plant was up April 1st! Wow, 374 pounds of growth in just under five months!!
Brussel Sprouts: Over 28 pounds. I can't imagine this one either, since I have some whoppers in my own garden but nothing even close to that size!
And there are some massive rutabaga's, kohlrabi and so forth.....Here's the URL to the Alaska State Fair website, where you can cruise the vegetable entries-
http://www.alaskastatefair.org/
I hope to get over to the Fair this weekend, spend some time gawking at the veggies, check out all the hand made items, the 4-H entries. Might even wander over to the horse arena, but maybe not. And, of course, eat!! Very expensive to eat this year, but I have a few favorites I hope to sample again-like the deep fried cheesecake for one ;) Incredibly delicious with a Kaladi Brothers mocha! Most of my time will be spent at the rides, as ten year old boys aren't too interested in hand crafts, haha I buy one coffee cup per year at the Fair, a tradition, so I will be checking all the pottery booths for just the right one. But you will never find me in line for that ejector seat ride by the purple gate-those people are nuts!
For the first time I can remember, we've had more sunny days than rainy days, the entire length of the Alaska State Fair. Our marvelous summer has meant for some stupendous entries in the Giant Vegetable competition this year too....
Here's a couple of them, from memory-
Cabbages: 125.9 pounds. No that is not a typo! Busts the world record which has been held for 20 years.
Watermelon: 145 pounds and change. Seriously, I just cannot get my mind around a melon that size, and I can't wait to go see it, lol
Pumpkin: 374 pounds. Now that may not seem all that large to folks in the L48, until you consider this.....the seed for that plant was up April 1st! Wow, 374 pounds of growth in just under five months!!
Brussel Sprouts: Over 28 pounds. I can't imagine this one either, since I have some whoppers in my own garden but nothing even close to that size!
And there are some massive rutabaga's, kohlrabi and so forth.....Here's the URL to the Alaska State Fair website, where you can cruise the vegetable entries-
http://www.alaskastatefair.org/
I hope to get over to the Fair this weekend, spend some time gawking at the veggies, check out all the hand made items, the 4-H entries. Might even wander over to the horse arena, but maybe not. And, of course, eat!! Very expensive to eat this year, but I have a few favorites I hope to sample again-like the deep fried cheesecake for one ;) Incredibly delicious with a Kaladi Brothers mocha! Most of my time will be spent at the rides, as ten year old boys aren't too interested in hand crafts, haha I buy one coffee cup per year at the Fair, a tradition, so I will be checking all the pottery booths for just the right one. But you will never find me in line for that ejector seat ride by the purple gate-those people are nuts!
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Closing the barn doors on meadow muffins
Today, a departure from the normal entries.
Warning: This won't be polite, mundane and might even be unpleasant for some readers.
For the scum sucking snarkosauruses' who read here looking for dirt-go digging somewhere else. There are plenty of other targets you can surely back stab, lie about, conspire against, and relish hurting. There are more suckers you can bedazzle with bs into genuflecting at your tarnished throne, than there are people who can think for themselves. Barnum was right: There is a sucker born every minute. You have a good nose for finding them.
I've had it with the pettiness and outright viciousness and the put downs, attacks, slams and the lying. Is this how your mother raised you? Really? Is this how you treat people you do not even know? Feel pretty safe posting carp on CL, don't you? And oh so smart by using cutout email addies to send those hurtful emails too. Must be easy to focus on, I am such a big threat to you all. Right? Well, get over yourselves, all of you. I don't care what you think or say, I don't care what you post, and I don't care what you email. Talk between yourselves as much as you like, and keep feeding each others' paranoia.
Get a grip, you losers. I don't give a rats' about your business, your animals, or your lives and don't care to know about them either. I am plenty busy tending to real life, I don't need to delve into high school drama for entertainment. That's your venue, not mine.
For all of you who read the recent court documents (and you know who you are) I call you out as cowards, each and every one of you-for not having the courage to even pick up the phone and talk to me about it. Believed it all, didn't you? Or did you just "tsk tsk" and whisper between buddies and were just thankful it wasn't you? Whichever, your choice to whether or not to buy into fiction or hear the truth. But it sure shows your true colors, now doesn't it?
Just like there is no room for honesty in politics, there is no room for honesty in our pitiful excuse for a horse community. I am sick and tired of seeing people (not just myself)eviscerated publicly while the perpetrators get a free pass on their behavior by everyone else. And for those of you who just stood by in shock-thinking, oh geeze, not again-well shame on you for not helping to stamp out these behaviors. Every single one of us horse people know the "three second" rule when it comes to handling a 1000 pounds of unruly horse, yet none can seem to apply it to real life when it is most needed.
Your silence equals approval, even if you don't realize it.
So I am done. Just done. You win. The bullies have won the day, yippee skippy and all that. Rejoice, celebrate, whatever, I don't care.
Boarding was never a money maker and I seldom even made enough to pay the barn help-it always came out of my own pocket. So I am done with that, since the rest of you have oh so much better facilties and oh so much more experience and so on and so forth. I took a little pride in feeding a superior quality diet to the horses in my care, and am happy to say that each horse that left my care looked marvelous. It's some comfort, anyway.
Breeding? HA! What breeding? There is no breeding going on, never has been, not for me. Nope, I insisted on pre breeding exams, cultures, and a well conformed mare. Darn me for caring about the horses involved, instead of the greenbacks that empty uterous meant. So I may give it one more season and then that's it, done with that too.
The hay? Well, I think I will scale that back. When I have local hay producers backstabbing the hay I bring up (to sell more of their own carp, I presume?) well enough is enough. The regular customers I have are delighted to have this premium hay at a price they can live with.....I just won't bother promoting it much any longer. Whats the point? To be publicly labeled "nasty small time hay importer" by the local hag?
So that's it. I am taking a page from our former Governor, and quitting.
Y'all have fun now, ya hear?
Warning: This won't be polite, mundane and might even be unpleasant for some readers.
For the scum sucking snarkosauruses' who read here looking for dirt-go digging somewhere else. There are plenty of other targets you can surely back stab, lie about, conspire against, and relish hurting. There are more suckers you can bedazzle with bs into genuflecting at your tarnished throne, than there are people who can think for themselves. Barnum was right: There is a sucker born every minute. You have a good nose for finding them.
I've had it with the pettiness and outright viciousness and the put downs, attacks, slams and the lying. Is this how your mother raised you? Really? Is this how you treat people you do not even know? Feel pretty safe posting carp on CL, don't you? And oh so smart by using cutout email addies to send those hurtful emails too. Must be easy to focus on, I am such a big threat to you all. Right? Well, get over yourselves, all of you. I don't care what you think or say, I don't care what you post, and I don't care what you email. Talk between yourselves as much as you like, and keep feeding each others' paranoia.
Get a grip, you losers. I don't give a rats' about your business, your animals, or your lives and don't care to know about them either. I am plenty busy tending to real life, I don't need to delve into high school drama for entertainment. That's your venue, not mine.
For all of you who read the recent court documents (and you know who you are) I call you out as cowards, each and every one of you-for not having the courage to even pick up the phone and talk to me about it. Believed it all, didn't you? Or did you just "tsk tsk" and whisper between buddies and were just thankful it wasn't you? Whichever, your choice to whether or not to buy into fiction or hear the truth. But it sure shows your true colors, now doesn't it?
Just like there is no room for honesty in politics, there is no room for honesty in our pitiful excuse for a horse community. I am sick and tired of seeing people (not just myself)eviscerated publicly while the perpetrators get a free pass on their behavior by everyone else. And for those of you who just stood by in shock-thinking, oh geeze, not again-well shame on you for not helping to stamp out these behaviors. Every single one of us horse people know the "three second" rule when it comes to handling a 1000 pounds of unruly horse, yet none can seem to apply it to real life when it is most needed.
Your silence equals approval, even if you don't realize it.
So I am done. Just done. You win. The bullies have won the day, yippee skippy and all that. Rejoice, celebrate, whatever, I don't care.
Boarding was never a money maker and I seldom even made enough to pay the barn help-it always came out of my own pocket. So I am done with that, since the rest of you have oh so much better facilties and oh so much more experience and so on and so forth. I took a little pride in feeding a superior quality diet to the horses in my care, and am happy to say that each horse that left my care looked marvelous. It's some comfort, anyway.
Breeding? HA! What breeding? There is no breeding going on, never has been, not for me. Nope, I insisted on pre breeding exams, cultures, and a well conformed mare. Darn me for caring about the horses involved, instead of the greenbacks that empty uterous meant. So I may give it one more season and then that's it, done with that too.
The hay? Well, I think I will scale that back. When I have local hay producers backstabbing the hay I bring up (to sell more of their own carp, I presume?) well enough is enough. The regular customers I have are delighted to have this premium hay at a price they can live with.....I just won't bother promoting it much any longer. Whats the point? To be publicly labeled "nasty small time hay importer" by the local hag?
So that's it. I am taking a page from our former Governor, and quitting.
Y'all have fun now, ya hear?
Monday, August 31, 2009
What a weekend!
Still tired enough that I am almost cross eyed, lol
I am happy to share that I got nearly everything on my mental "to do" list done. The only items that didn't get attention was starting on the final stripping of the garden-but that's okay, I am pretty sure we are going to be gifted with another week or so before frost. (Crosses fingers and toes!)
The really big chore of putting up the cauliflower is basically done-only one smaller head remains in the garden. I was just astounded at the size of these heads, a couple had to go well over eight pounds. Yes they were pretty gnarly looking, all split and purply, but the purple cooks out and the flavor is still great. I didn't do an actual count of it all, but some got sent home with my SIL, and some with my ever helpful friend, and I still have 19 family size packages in the freezer, wow!
Also completed over the weekend: My first try at making a pie filling. I have 7 quarts of apple pie filling done-and man are the jars pretty! Plus two quarts of apple slices in a light syrup in the pantry. With the aid of a food processor, I now have a double batch of sliced carrots done as well, a beautiful bright orange in the jars. Last year I sliced by hand which took forever and then some, not to mention the wear and tear on hands and wrists, lol A food processor is the way to go! Also did up the bell peppers-and I still have peppers to take out of the greenhouse too.
Yesterday was milk test for my neighbor, and she is busy too, trying to put up items from her own garden in between farm chores and the herding lessons. It can be pretty difficult to set aside six hours to deal with this stuff, for anyone. It worked out pretty well for me that the hay van does not get delivered until today, whew.
On a puzzling note, both my horses are off. The mare remains very flatfooted, and she is slow to develop depth-but the heels are nearly level now and the balance is finally where it should be-right on schedule at ten months after I got her. She had a big bar release this trim and I have a hunch that had contributed to her discomfort. Tonight I will move her over into the other stall, so she is off the large rocks for a week or so.
My big boy, I am not sure what's happened other than he has been standing in his stall due to the rainy weather. He is a little stocked up, so last night and this morning I have been feeding hay way out away from the stall-this gets him away from the muck at the stall entrance too. He has a bar on one hind that continually kind of grows over, and it just does not let loose on it's own for some reason. Anyway, this morning he is moving much better but it's obvious he's very stiff so he got started back on his joint sups last night. This week I will see about finding some liquid HA for him, that should help a bunch.
Also yesterday, my unlce John passed away. RIP, John Church. I had hoped to go see him this winter but it was not to be.
I am happy to share that I got nearly everything on my mental "to do" list done. The only items that didn't get attention was starting on the final stripping of the garden-but that's okay, I am pretty sure we are going to be gifted with another week or so before frost. (Crosses fingers and toes!)
The really big chore of putting up the cauliflower is basically done-only one smaller head remains in the garden. I was just astounded at the size of these heads, a couple had to go well over eight pounds. Yes they were pretty gnarly looking, all split and purply, but the purple cooks out and the flavor is still great. I didn't do an actual count of it all, but some got sent home with my SIL, and some with my ever helpful friend, and I still have 19 family size packages in the freezer, wow!
Also completed over the weekend: My first try at making a pie filling. I have 7 quarts of apple pie filling done-and man are the jars pretty! Plus two quarts of apple slices in a light syrup in the pantry. With the aid of a food processor, I now have a double batch of sliced carrots done as well, a beautiful bright orange in the jars. Last year I sliced by hand which took forever and then some, not to mention the wear and tear on hands and wrists, lol A food processor is the way to go! Also did up the bell peppers-and I still have peppers to take out of the greenhouse too.
Yesterday was milk test for my neighbor, and she is busy too, trying to put up items from her own garden in between farm chores and the herding lessons. It can be pretty difficult to set aside six hours to deal with this stuff, for anyone. It worked out pretty well for me that the hay van does not get delivered until today, whew.
On a puzzling note, both my horses are off. The mare remains very flatfooted, and she is slow to develop depth-but the heels are nearly level now and the balance is finally where it should be-right on schedule at ten months after I got her. She had a big bar release this trim and I have a hunch that had contributed to her discomfort. Tonight I will move her over into the other stall, so she is off the large rocks for a week or so.
My big boy, I am not sure what's happened other than he has been standing in his stall due to the rainy weather. He is a little stocked up, so last night and this morning I have been feeding hay way out away from the stall-this gets him away from the muck at the stall entrance too. He has a bar on one hind that continually kind of grows over, and it just does not let loose on it's own for some reason. Anyway, this morning he is moving much better but it's obvious he's very stiff so he got started back on his joint sups last night. This week I will see about finding some liquid HA for him, that should help a bunch.
Also yesterday, my unlce John passed away. RIP, John Church. I had hoped to go see him this winter but it was not to be.
Friday, August 28, 2009
Stressful times
Seems I have a lot on my plate just now, and so do a great many other people I know. Everyone is busy and feeling under pressure-getting things done in preparation for the cold and snow to come primarily. But the number one topic creating stress these days seems to be created by Washington, DC. Between the partisan politics, the bail outs, the taxes, the bank failures, the health care plan, the numerous "czars", swine flu, the ballooning size of the deficit-people are feeling a little overwhelmed...to put it mildly.
Me too.
My son will probably never know a time in his life that mirrors the standard of living we have managed to provide today. My son, and his children (if any) will pay the price of these "emergency bailouts", and the face of America will not be the one we know today. It troubles me, the future that our President seems determined to forge for us. What used to be a slow trickle, has turned into an outright stripping of constitutional rights-the breadth of which is frightening. From the stiffling of dissent, to controlling each bite of food and every domestic animals witin the US, to subsidizing off shore drilling in other countries (as are hostage to oil imports with huge reserves of our own), and so on and so forth.
It boggles the mind, it truly does, and most people feel helpless to stop or alter the changes to come. People are busy trying to cope with the imploding economy, the bank failures, keeping the bills paid and food on the table and that is stressful enough, they don't have the energy to attend the circus that passes for government in DC. I know I hardly do myself.
I just feel a deep unease settling into my psyche.
While I am not generally pessimisstic by nature (never mind what my hub says, lol) I am overwhelmed watching these events unfold without representation. Heck, no one even reads the bills before they are voted on. It's not just the large bills that are pushed through in the middle of the night, there is actually no law requiring the bills even be read into the Congressional record-did you know that? It's true.
I am wondering when the bailout is coming for people who are working.
Me too.
My son will probably never know a time in his life that mirrors the standard of living we have managed to provide today. My son, and his children (if any) will pay the price of these "emergency bailouts", and the face of America will not be the one we know today. It troubles me, the future that our President seems determined to forge for us. What used to be a slow trickle, has turned into an outright stripping of constitutional rights-the breadth of which is frightening. From the stiffling of dissent, to controlling each bite of food and every domestic animals witin the US, to subsidizing off shore drilling in other countries (as are hostage to oil imports with huge reserves of our own), and so on and so forth.
It boggles the mind, it truly does, and most people feel helpless to stop or alter the changes to come. People are busy trying to cope with the imploding economy, the bank failures, keeping the bills paid and food on the table and that is stressful enough, they don't have the energy to attend the circus that passes for government in DC. I know I hardly do myself.
I just feel a deep unease settling into my psyche.
While I am not generally pessimisstic by nature (never mind what my hub says, lol) I am overwhelmed watching these events unfold without representation. Heck, no one even reads the bills before they are voted on. It's not just the large bills that are pushed through in the middle of the night, there is actually no law requiring the bills even be read into the Congressional record-did you know that? It's true.
I am wondering when the bailout is coming for people who are working.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Another day, another drama
The nameless, faceless drama on CL continues. A while back, it was over someone thanking people for helping during an emergency. This time, its nastiness being posted over another person asking for help.
I grant you, the local Craigslist is not really the place for these discussions, but it happens as it serves as a community bulletin board of a sort.
Most people are now afraid to post contact information, never mind their names if they are smart. I have heard all sorts of stories about threats, slams, and attacks being made via CL postings using the CL remailer-no wonder folks stay away. Over the past two years, things have really gone downhill on CL, which is why AlaskasList was created and flourishes.
I hope the person needing help, finds what they are looking for despite the responses. It's just unfortunate that they chose CL to go looking for it :(
I grant you, the local Craigslist is not really the place for these discussions, but it happens as it serves as a community bulletin board of a sort.
Most people are now afraid to post contact information, never mind their names if they are smart. I have heard all sorts of stories about threats, slams, and attacks being made via CL postings using the CL remailer-no wonder folks stay away. Over the past two years, things have really gone downhill on CL, which is why AlaskasList was created and flourishes.
I hope the person needing help, finds what they are looking for despite the responses. It's just unfortunate that they chose CL to go looking for it :(
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Harvesting continues...
Well, I worked my patootie off over the weekend. I always seem to end up with doing rather more than I have hours (or energy!) set aside to actually do them.
I am racking up a rather impressive list of foods which are now preserved or frozen for the winter's use:
A staggering 35 pints of zucchini relish. A favorite of our own, and a hit with relatives and friends, we enjoy sharing this specialty that cannot be purchased in a store. Sweet and slightly tangy, it makes the best tartar sauce when mixed with mayo, is wonderful in salads of all kinds, in deviled eggs, on burgers and dogs. There is always a jar in my fridge :)
At least 30 packages (family size) of broccoli-cleaned, blanched, drained and then vaccum sealed.
13 quarts of Atomic green beans (and more to come, lots of beans out there still!)
5 quarts of cucumber pickles
26 half pints (two batches) cranberry ketchup-an Alaskan favorite.
7 pints tomato sauce
14 pints plain green beans-processed of course
Still to come: More green beans, all the cauliflower, about half the peas, the brussel sprouts and of course, the cabbage. I have heard of a different way to make sauerkraut so I will be looking that up today to make sure it's feasible and a safe method. In the greenhouse I have lots of tomatoes ripening and we've been enjoying the sweet corn. The green beans in there (my back up planting, done very late) are nearly fully flowered and some plants have tiny beans on them. I will cross my fingers they mature before the first hard frost. I haven't even checked my pumpkins in about six weeks, so I am hopeful there will be a treasure or two in there at frost. And I am up to my eyeballs in zucchini. After three years of marginal yeild-if any!-I really overplanted them. Whoopsie! Several big items coming in the month ahead: Salmon-smoked and plain, plus carrots and maybe more spuds.
We've been sharing our wonderful bounty with neighbors, friends, and relatives.
And a very generous bounty it has been indeed. Thank you, [diety of your choice], for blessing this house and this family.
I am racking up a rather impressive list of foods which are now preserved or frozen for the winter's use:
A staggering 35 pints of zucchini relish. A favorite of our own, and a hit with relatives and friends, we enjoy sharing this specialty that cannot be purchased in a store. Sweet and slightly tangy, it makes the best tartar sauce when mixed with mayo, is wonderful in salads of all kinds, in deviled eggs, on burgers and dogs. There is always a jar in my fridge :)
At least 30 packages (family size) of broccoli-cleaned, blanched, drained and then vaccum sealed.
13 quarts of Atomic green beans (and more to come, lots of beans out there still!)
5 quarts of cucumber pickles
26 half pints (two batches) cranberry ketchup-an Alaskan favorite.
7 pints tomato sauce
14 pints plain green beans-processed of course
Still to come: More green beans, all the cauliflower, about half the peas, the brussel sprouts and of course, the cabbage. I have heard of a different way to make sauerkraut so I will be looking that up today to make sure it's feasible and a safe method. In the greenhouse I have lots of tomatoes ripening and we've been enjoying the sweet corn. The green beans in there (my back up planting, done very late) are nearly fully flowered and some plants have tiny beans on them. I will cross my fingers they mature before the first hard frost. I haven't even checked my pumpkins in about six weeks, so I am hopeful there will be a treasure or two in there at frost. And I am up to my eyeballs in zucchini. After three years of marginal yeild-if any!-I really overplanted them. Whoopsie! Several big items coming in the month ahead: Salmon-smoked and plain, plus carrots and maybe more spuds.
We've been sharing our wonderful bounty with neighbors, friends, and relatives.
And a very generous bounty it has been indeed. Thank you, [diety of your choice], for blessing this house and this family.
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Is it August already?
My gosh, where did summer go? Seems it was stuck in the mid 70s for a long time, and now we are sliding into the cool and rainy fall. I don't mind too much, the rain knocks down the bugs and this is the time I really gear up to put things away for winter.....
Firewood. Can't have too much firewood! We have a couple dump truck loads of logs to get sawn, split and stacked-that is a priority. I am very thankful we got the woodshed built, it's going to be much easier than dealing with tarps buried in snow and ice, lol
Garden. Can't let things go too long, so this weekend I will put the mature green beans and whatever else needs taking. I also need to do up a couple more batches of zucchini relish-which means a trip to the grocery store for more peppers. Bell peppers and hot peppers for the beans-the peppers in my greenhouse are not quite large enough to help with these two items, darn it! Although the Ace bell peppers have been marvelous in salads, yum!
Yard. Time to think about mulching my very few perennials, and get things put away for the season. I just need a few lengths of hose for the next two weeks or so, then they can be drained, taped into loops and hung up out of the way until next spring.
Chickens. We have decided to move the chickens into the barn for the winter, but instead of a basically open stall with little shelter, this time we will put together a smaller, well insulated house for them. We'll hang a real light and put that on a timer too, of course. I hope there is space to add a small fenced enclosure under the barn roof too. They definitey need a warmer place so this is another "must get done before the snow flies" item on the list. Speaking of the chickens, my one eyed rooster is faring very well now. His mate has turned off broody and I am just letting her sit when she wants. They are really chowing down on the garden plants and trimmings too, and seem to be doing great. Three hens, one to three eggs a day, lol
Horses. Fall is when I make an appointment for floats and exams. It will be a hefty bill this year, due to having another horse needing a float also, but it's worth every penny spent. This is when I discuss little things that I have observed, just to check on them. And I will be sure to ply my vet with goodies from the pantry, especially considering she dropped everything a couple weeks ago, to tend Sully. It turned out to be nasty bug bites, but the steroid shot did the trick :)
School. Yes, school time already, first day is this coming Monday for my son. He is very excited to go (remember when we felt that way?) and boy has it been a real struggle getting him registered. The state has passed this mandatory chicken pox thing...and it's turned into a real mess for a lot of parents-especially those who work full time. My son had the first shot, but got a medium case of chicken pox just over three years ago. All speckled up, itchy, fever, the works. I did the right thing any parent would do, and kept him home so he wouldn't infect anyone else. Bad move on my part, I did not have proof! So it was quite a scramble to get the vaccine because there wasn't enough to go around but I managed. When I went to register him, I heard from the nurse that about one quarter of the kids still had not gotten the shot so could not attend school. Boy is the first week of school going to be a mess! Anyway, new clothes are on hand, new shoes, and we have an entire (large!) box of supplies for the year too. Whew.
I did ask the nurse about the school's plans for an outbreak of H1N1, and I don't think they have a handle on what they are going to do, quite yet. A little disconcerting to me, since you would assume they'd know what do with health emergencies, right? Of more concern is my hub, given he works on the Slope. Those camps have stuff going around all the time, people come from all over the US and the world to work there and the conditions are very crowded in the camps themselves. All I can do is send along a LOT of Purell and hope for the best that his naturally excellent hygiene habits will suffice.
So I think I have quite a lot to keep me busy until the snow flies. Six weeks to go, maybe eight if we are very lucky!
Firewood. Can't have too much firewood! We have a couple dump truck loads of logs to get sawn, split and stacked-that is a priority. I am very thankful we got the woodshed built, it's going to be much easier than dealing with tarps buried in snow and ice, lol
Garden. Can't let things go too long, so this weekend I will put the mature green beans and whatever else needs taking. I also need to do up a couple more batches of zucchini relish-which means a trip to the grocery store for more peppers. Bell peppers and hot peppers for the beans-the peppers in my greenhouse are not quite large enough to help with these two items, darn it! Although the Ace bell peppers have been marvelous in salads, yum!
Yard. Time to think about mulching my very few perennials, and get things put away for the season. I just need a few lengths of hose for the next two weeks or so, then they can be drained, taped into loops and hung up out of the way until next spring.
Chickens. We have decided to move the chickens into the barn for the winter, but instead of a basically open stall with little shelter, this time we will put together a smaller, well insulated house for them. We'll hang a real light and put that on a timer too, of course. I hope there is space to add a small fenced enclosure under the barn roof too. They definitey need a warmer place so this is another "must get done before the snow flies" item on the list. Speaking of the chickens, my one eyed rooster is faring very well now. His mate has turned off broody and I am just letting her sit when she wants. They are really chowing down on the garden plants and trimmings too, and seem to be doing great. Three hens, one to three eggs a day, lol
Horses. Fall is when I make an appointment for floats and exams. It will be a hefty bill this year, due to having another horse needing a float also, but it's worth every penny spent. This is when I discuss little things that I have observed, just to check on them. And I will be sure to ply my vet with goodies from the pantry, especially considering she dropped everything a couple weeks ago, to tend Sully. It turned out to be nasty bug bites, but the steroid shot did the trick :)
School. Yes, school time already, first day is this coming Monday for my son. He is very excited to go (remember when we felt that way?) and boy has it been a real struggle getting him registered. The state has passed this mandatory chicken pox thing...and it's turned into a real mess for a lot of parents-especially those who work full time. My son had the first shot, but got a medium case of chicken pox just over three years ago. All speckled up, itchy, fever, the works. I did the right thing any parent would do, and kept him home so he wouldn't infect anyone else. Bad move on my part, I did not have proof! So it was quite a scramble to get the vaccine because there wasn't enough to go around but I managed. When I went to register him, I heard from the nurse that about one quarter of the kids still had not gotten the shot so could not attend school. Boy is the first week of school going to be a mess! Anyway, new clothes are on hand, new shoes, and we have an entire (large!) box of supplies for the year too. Whew.
I did ask the nurse about the school's plans for an outbreak of H1N1, and I don't think they have a handle on what they are going to do, quite yet. A little disconcerting to me, since you would assume they'd know what do with health emergencies, right? Of more concern is my hub, given he works on the Slope. Those camps have stuff going around all the time, people come from all over the US and the world to work there and the conditions are very crowded in the camps themselves. All I can do is send along a LOT of Purell and hope for the best that his naturally excellent hygiene habits will suffice.
So I think I have quite a lot to keep me busy until the snow flies. Six weeks to go, maybe eight if we are very lucky!
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Harvest commences!
Woohoo, it's that time of the year to get my garden produce put away for winter. This weekend I hope to try my hand at making pickles-thanks to some very productive cucumber plants in the greenhouse :) I have not made pickles myself so I am reading up on the process, and am going to try a method similar to my Atomic beans. It should work okay because I intend to slice the cucumbers into spears before I pack the jars. Luckily, I have all the ingredients on hand already.
Today I am taking the largest zucchini. I let a bunch of these go really big on purpose, as it takes four or five super big zucchini to make just one batch of zucchini relish. These will get peeled, deseeded, and then ground (10 cups a batch!) and brined over night. A very good friend is coming by on Sunday to give me a hand with these two chores. I will also need to inventory how many larger squashes I have coming on, so I can figure out how many batches I can make. Usually, three batches (over 20 pints) is just barely enough to get by for the year. If you haven't had the relish in my own version of tartar sauce (for deep fried halibut) you just have no idea what you are missing! Unbelievably great, seriously :)
(Edited to ad photo above-rather more squashes than I'll need, don't you think? lol!)
I might take some cabbage too, and do up some for sauerkrout. I could probably wait a couple more weeks on that, let the cabbages get a little bigger though. They are continuing to add more leaves and are on a slow grow-perfect for tight heads. The other day I noticed I have some baby pumpkins too-they came on way too late to mature to any size-only one is about canteloupe size right now. It's all a learning curve and next year I will get them planted a couple weeks earlier and build a better bed and hoop for them. If I can expand the size along the bank there, it would be a perfect spot for all the squashes.....but then I would end up with some very strange results as things cross pollinate, lol
I can't say enough good things about Susitna Organic's humified compost. That stuff is downright amazing, honest. Everyone who has used it, is raving about the results they are seeing. If you are a local Valley gardener, I urge you to give it a try-even if you have your own compost going. I have several bags sitting right by the garden....I will be putting that down this fall before freeze up, so it will begin working first thing next spring. It's absolutely gorgeous stuff and I wish I could afford an entire dump truck load-just to have it, lol!
Over the weekend, both horses will get some arena time-both for work and play. Amazing what a couple good rolls does their attitudes, lol Reba is coming along pretty well, all things considered. A couple days ago they both got moved back to normal digs and the mare about lost her little mind. I honestly had no idea she was so averse to change-and not being able to see the old man really rattled her. She spent about three solid hours being an idiot-bucking, running, spinning, rearing, you name it....goofy girl! She is all settled in now and at ease, but because of her insecurity, I am seriously considering moving her about every ten days or so, until she gets over being upset. I can't even imagine taking her from place to place, she'd be a wreck waiting to happen, lol But she is picking up the figure 8's on the lunge line really quick, she's a pretty smart girl ;)
Now that I have written out my "to do" list, it remains to be seen how much actually gets done!
I might take some cabbage too, and do up some for sauerkrout. I could probably wait a couple more weeks on that, let the cabbages get a little bigger though. They are continuing to add more leaves and are on a slow grow-perfect for tight heads. The other day I noticed I have some baby pumpkins too-they came on way too late to mature to any size-only one is about canteloupe size right now. It's all a learning curve and next year I will get them planted a couple weeks earlier and build a better bed and hoop for them. If I can expand the size along the bank there, it would be a perfect spot for all the squashes.....but then I would end up with some very strange results as things cross pollinate, lol
I can't say enough good things about Susitna Organic's humified compost. That stuff is downright amazing, honest. Everyone who has used it, is raving about the results they are seeing. If you are a local Valley gardener, I urge you to give it a try-even if you have your own compost going. I have several bags sitting right by the garden....I will be putting that down this fall before freeze up, so it will begin working first thing next spring. It's absolutely gorgeous stuff and I wish I could afford an entire dump truck load-just to have it, lol!
Over the weekend, both horses will get some arena time-both for work and play. Amazing what a couple good rolls does their attitudes, lol Reba is coming along pretty well, all things considered. A couple days ago they both got moved back to normal digs and the mare about lost her little mind. I honestly had no idea she was so averse to change-and not being able to see the old man really rattled her. She spent about three solid hours being an idiot-bucking, running, spinning, rearing, you name it....goofy girl! She is all settled in now and at ease, but because of her insecurity, I am seriously considering moving her about every ten days or so, until she gets over being upset. I can't even imagine taking her from place to place, she'd be a wreck waiting to happen, lol But she is picking up the figure 8's on the lunge line really quick, she's a pretty smart girl ;)
Now that I have written out my "to do" list, it remains to be seen how much actually gets done!
___________________________________________________________________
A lot got done over the weekend, whew! Here is a picture I took this morning of the fruits of our labors yesterday. I could not have done this without the assistance of my good friend and sister in law-and as it was, I was up to nearly ten pm finishing the last batch. Ugh! But in a good way ;)
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Yay! A little rain :)
It was raining lightly at home last night, which allowed us to get into the garden safely (as in, no bees!) at last. We stripped the peas that were ready, and checked over everything else closely. I can see that next year, I sure need to grow more peas and carrots after watching my son munch away nonstop. At this rate, I won't have one decent sized carrot left in a 20 foot row ;)
Pulled a few more cucmbers, and have been reading up on making my own dill pickles. I have not made any on my own, but years ago I did help someone else, so I needed a refresher. Allow me to share a very nice resource for anyone who is intimidated by the thought of putting up produce:
www.pickyourown.org
There is a link on the right hand side of the page for canning and pickling. Easy to read and understand, this website provides solid information and step by step instructions on almost everything-and even includes what utinsels will be needed for each recipe.
I've had this one bookmarked for quite a while, and with Putting Food By and the Ball Blue Book I don't think there is much I can't process........still looking for a creamed soup one though!
Enjoy!
Sunday, August 2, 2009
Stymied again, blast it!
So, we have had this tremendously wonderful summer. Really we have, honest! Week after week of sunshine, hardly any thunderstorms, its been just great. The garden is fantastic and now is the time to start harvesting some of that produce.
We have been eating lettuce, cucumbers and zucchini for weeks. A while back, I took quite a bit of the broccoli and got that put up into the freezer-safely blanched and vaccum sealed. I have ripening tomatoes (and yes, some we have already enjoyed), peppers ready and the corn is setting ears like crazy in the greenhouse. The dill outside is ready to pull and hang for drying, and I could probably take the celery too. The cauliflower is busy setting heads, over softball size now and I know they will really come on in size in the next two weeks. I have blooms and baby green beans all over the three short bean rows, and the carrots are well up and getting some size too. Even the onions-which I have had miserable luck with, are actually making-well, onions! The peas are pretty much buried in weeds when they fell over in a heavy rain a week or so ago, but they are ready to strip also.
So the broccoli plants have tons of side shoots which are ready to harvest. Yesterday, my SIL came over and the plan was to take the broccoli and peas, and get it processed for the freezer. As it happens, yesterday was warm and sunny-would have been a perfect day to be upside down, rooting around in plants......except for one very big problem.
Bees.
I have bees everywhere. Not just honey bees, but hornets and wasps. They showed up about three weeks ago or so, and have been a problem since. We have located two very large nests and they have been zapped with bee killer. But it seems I have one or two? nests in the garden itself. Somewhere, probably right in the broccoli. My SIL is a former beekeeper, she knows her stuff when it comes to these creatures and could identify them for me....as I was not too sure which was which. It was quite unnerving to walk in the garden and see literally dozens of them buzzing around, right at plant level. We managed to get only three grocery bags worth cut, with me using the hose (and ice cold well water) to knock them down, while she cut as quick as she could.
But my gosh they were getting aggressive and would trail you a good 50 feet.....they are all over the garden! So we went down to the greenhouse and it seems they have set up shop down there too, although not so many. We took about ten pounds of cukes and some bell peppers and then we just gave up for the day.
So there you have it, stymied again-pfft! I will have to wait until a good soaking rain comes along so I can get in there and harvest what needs taking. I had left two broccoli heads to flower so that honey bees would come to the garden area for the green beans, zucchini, and peas. Now I am regretting that decision.
Funny thing is, I had no bees in my garden a week or ten days ago, except pollinators. So this must be a whole new hive that has taken up residence. Those wasps and hornets are pretty nasty tempered, and even though we did not get stung, neither of us wants to get close!
We have been eating lettuce, cucumbers and zucchini for weeks. A while back, I took quite a bit of the broccoli and got that put up into the freezer-safely blanched and vaccum sealed. I have ripening tomatoes (and yes, some we have already enjoyed), peppers ready and the corn is setting ears like crazy in the greenhouse. The dill outside is ready to pull and hang for drying, and I could probably take the celery too. The cauliflower is busy setting heads, over softball size now and I know they will really come on in size in the next two weeks. I have blooms and baby green beans all over the three short bean rows, and the carrots are well up and getting some size too. Even the onions-which I have had miserable luck with, are actually making-well, onions! The peas are pretty much buried in weeds when they fell over in a heavy rain a week or so ago, but they are ready to strip also.
So the broccoli plants have tons of side shoots which are ready to harvest. Yesterday, my SIL came over and the plan was to take the broccoli and peas, and get it processed for the freezer. As it happens, yesterday was warm and sunny-would have been a perfect day to be upside down, rooting around in plants......except for one very big problem.
Bees.
I have bees everywhere. Not just honey bees, but hornets and wasps. They showed up about three weeks ago or so, and have been a problem since. We have located two very large nests and they have been zapped with bee killer. But it seems I have one or two? nests in the garden itself. Somewhere, probably right in the broccoli. My SIL is a former beekeeper, she knows her stuff when it comes to these creatures and could identify them for me....as I was not too sure which was which. It was quite unnerving to walk in the garden and see literally dozens of them buzzing around, right at plant level. We managed to get only three grocery bags worth cut, with me using the hose (and ice cold well water) to knock them down, while she cut as quick as she could.
But my gosh they were getting aggressive and would trail you a good 50 feet.....they are all over the garden! So we went down to the greenhouse and it seems they have set up shop down there too, although not so many. We took about ten pounds of cukes and some bell peppers and then we just gave up for the day.
So there you have it, stymied again-pfft! I will have to wait until a good soaking rain comes along so I can get in there and harvest what needs taking. I had left two broccoli heads to flower so that honey bees would come to the garden area for the green beans, zucchini, and peas. Now I am regretting that decision.
Funny thing is, I had no bees in my garden a week or ten days ago, except pollinators. So this must be a whole new hive that has taken up residence. Those wasps and hornets are pretty nasty tempered, and even though we did not get stung, neither of us wants to get close!
Monday, July 27, 2009
The $400 gelding
I've been saying for a while now, that Alaska horse prices are starting to reflect the state of the economy....and this reality is troubling.
A while back, a person listed an Appaloosa gelding for sale on CL. A lot of horses get advertised there because it's free and has a big readership. This particular gelding generated some follow up posts, mostly about his condition. Which was not very good-but not life threatening by any means. Given the penchant for attacks on CL, I am pretty sure that some people felt compelled to contact the owner via email, in addition to some pretty nasty responses posted. The ad was eventually removed, but not before I had shown my husband his picture. $900 they wanted.
The immediate response from him was your basic "Hell, no! No more horses!" which I expected. But the sad expression, ribby/wormy appearance and lack of muscling stayed with me, in the back of my mind. I idly wondered about his future-did he find a caring new owner who would feed him properly? Or, was he still alive with the people who had him? I didn't know the answer until yesterday morning, when I saw the ad posted again.
This time, the price was dropped to $400, with the plea that they didn't want him to go to a dog musher.
Good heavens, that got me. I shot off an email around 8 am, asking where he was, that I had Appaloosas too, and a followup email which included my home phone number. I knew when I sent it, my husband would have a snit.....but also know exactly how soft he is about hungry horses, horses that just need good care and feed and timely hoof care and attention to blossom.
I checked email repeatedly throughout the day, took the phone with me everywhere I went, just in case.
No response. Nothing. Still nothing this morning.
Now, the $400 gelding won't leave my mind, as I wonder and worry.
Monday, July 20, 2009
Great, just great.....now what do I do?
Ok, so I have these chickens. I got them early last summer as young birds, not really knowing much about keeping chickens at all. It turned out I ended up with some Wyandotte's, which are now gone due to not very good "dispositions" to put it mildly. Then I have three easter eggers, Americauna, Aracauna-not sure which. Two hens and a rooster. And I got a pair of Yokohamas. Beautiful birds, fairly quiet and since they were hand raised, much friendlier than the other three.
So I managed to keep them all winter, including a couple stints in the garage when temps fell way too low. crowded into a wire dog crate. This spring, I picked up some used, lightweight dog kennel panels and there they have been since-an unhappy group because they'd much rather be loose as before. But, I couldn't have them in the garden, and finding them at the house a few times was getting to be a bit much. So off they went into chickie jail for the summer.
Everything went pretty well down there, until about two weeks ago. For a couple days I noticed the Yokohama rooster by itself, laying down in what I presumed was the dirt bath spot. Then, when it got real hot, I noticed he was panting a bit-but heck, they were drinking like crazy so I didn't give it much thought until I entered to find the poor Yokohama rooster trying to hide in one of the hen boxes.
I ended up lifting the water pan and he drank and drank, and I saw that his head was very bloody (and there was dried blood all over on the inside of the one box too) and his one eye looked very bad. Ok, he had to come out, period. So I managed that fairly easily with my son's help and back up to the garage and into the wire crate he went. He barely made a sound except for a soft chuckle for at least three days and I wasn't sure he would survive. I have no idea what you do to nurse chickens along, but apparantly he was a bit tougher than I thought, and he has recovered.
This weekend we let him loose at the barn, and I thought for sure we'd loose him for good. He is blind in one eye now-actually the entire eyeball seems to be missing. The feathers around his head and neck are growing back in, and his appetite seems great. But he did manage to make it down the hill to the other chickens which is where we found him last night. I put out some food and water and figured he would be gone this morning, lost and disoriented and off into the thick woods.
But nope, he came running right up to me at the barn this morning, chirping away. Found his way into the crate and began chowing down. When little Jethro trotted by him on his blind side, he did this little stright up leap into the air and gave a little squeak of surprise, then went right back to eating.
What am I going to do with a rooster that's blind in one eye? There is no way I can put him back in the coop with the other rooster. Who is not mean to humans, but I've been told that chickens can be pretty savage to other birds who are weak in anyway. This is a good natured bird you can pick up without a lot of fuss and much quieter too.
Great, just great....now what do I do?
Anybody??
Friday, July 17, 2009
The garden at midsummer
The greenhouse-wow, look at that corn!!
Zucchini plants-lots of baby squashes and blooms in there somewhere :)
Lots of weeds, but everything has just exploded over the past three weeks!
Very happy cabbages!
It's been a superior summer for most of us who garden here. Three full weeks of nonstop sun are just the ticket for our fabled Alaskan vegetables :) No, I don't have anything growing that will warrant entry into the State Fair this year, but that's okay-I have already harvested some of the broccoli, there are zucchini ready to pick, and I have buds on the green beans. In the greenhouse I have been eating lettuce for weeks now, my tomato plants (admittedly small!) are loaded with green fruits and the peppers too. The corn is tasseled and I have ears fully silked as well, and my kid is bugging me already about when we can pick it ;)
(Edited to note: I have no idea why this entry is so long, I cannot seem to figure out how to trim this entry, sorry!)
(2nd edit: Thanks for the tip!)
Saturday, July 11, 2009
One Alaskan's view of Sarah Palin
Which will mean less than a yellowed birch leaf on the first fall winds out of the Matanuska glacier-
I first met Sarah Palin when she was Mayor of the City of Wasilla. At that time, the City had some acreage they wanted to designate as recreational and there was some organized effort to attempt to get the City to recognize that horses (and the recreation involved with their ownership) had some place in city planning. I stood up and said my piece about horses (over several meetings)and the City-which probably sounded totally wacked to everyone else as I realized later. Yes, horse ownership generates a large amount of retail sales to local businesses, but that is not the same as being a revenue source for the city. Consequently, the city ignored horses, and livestock of any kind, in its planning.
You can't buy a sack of sweet feed or a bale of hay today within the city limits-but I digress. This is about one person's evolution only :)
After that, Sarah Palin was off my radar until the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission appointment came to light. Cool I thought, a local person whose politics I did not really know, got tagged for state office. Some months later comes the Randy Ruedrich issue, and SP's eventual resignation from the post-a superfluous one and a drain on the state budget, she said. Ruedrich eventually pays a fine of over ten grand for using state property for political reasons. RR was the GOP party chair here-and he remains in that position today.
When she announced her run for Alaska's highest office, she had an immediate base with people who were sick and tired of "politics as usual" and SP promised "open and transparent" governement and to get rid of the old boy network that bound Juneau tightly. Former Gov. Murkowski had been working with the oil companies to draft an agreement to build the gasline. But he did it behind closed doors and when the proposal came to light it included pretty much giving in to everything and tied the state to a 45 year tax structure. This, and other things Murkowski did (such as tell everyone to screw off and buying a jet for the state despite very strong opposition) paved the way into office for SP.
About this time, the oil companies began reporting record, stupendous profits, and SP trotted out ACES to the legislature. It passed with nearly unanimous support but leaves the state with the highest taxes in the world. Yes, I said the world. When this passed, I was upset since I knew that increased costs to produce and develop would hamper development-and it did.
The next big thing was AGIA. At first, I thought it might work, until I began to learn of the details of the thing. It too, passed with nearly unanimous support in Junean and is the framework that will lead to the open season next year. When the details of this deal came out, I thought-that is never going to work and why are we giving a foreign company half a billion of our state dollars? Now there is a competing project-The Denali Pipeline-different route than TransCanada proposes.
Somewhere along in there, Tom Irwin (Natural Resources Commissioner I think) threatened to pull the Exxon leases at Pt Thomson. Exxon had had the leases for 30 years and done nothing with them. Exxon now has just two leases there and when they attempted to do exploratory drilling on them, Irwin almost goofed that up as well.
Then of course there is Troopergate. My gosh I spent a lot of time online during that period. I don't go to that many online forums, but the amount of ludicrous accusations that made the rounds back then, was astounding. I listened and read and I learned-SP was not who I voted for. I mean, I knew it when the AGIA details came to light-but Troopergate, coupled with a huge increase in government for the state sealed it for me.
Then came the FBI and their corruption investigations. I watched SP turn on people whose support she welcomed previously. As the trials and convictions rolled on, it was like watching our state have a train wreck while SP seemingly gave away the state.
Then she was tapped for the GOP ticket. Wow. No need to go into all that here, but suffice to say that while I was thrilled it was an Alaskan, I was pretty sure SP should not be it. Of course we all know what happened....a great many outsiders think they know what happened too-and I still find myself straightening out screwball misconceptions about Alaska and our way of life here even today, here and there on the net.
Then she quit.
I have to tell you, I was very surprised. Then I became angry. Now I just want her, and her contentious adminstration to be gone. So that we can get some people into Juneau who have the backbone to correct some of these boondoggles-ACES and AGIA and come up with a comprehensive resource development plan that will see Alaska through the next generation or two.
So as the squabbling goes on over who will end up as Lt Governor, I just want her to be gone, off state payroll, go away....take the high school level drama some place else, and take your terrible, stupid spokesperson with you. Go learn how to speak in precise American english and while you are at it, take the time to look beyond your supporters' adulation and have a look at America's place in the world. Read something, hire better advisors, learn to stay on topic and do something about your propensity for verbal diarrhea-you sound ignorant when you cannot make a simple statement and stay on point.
Alaska has suffered enough.
Begone, do something useful and I don't care a bit if you make a pile of money doing it, considering what the msm has done to you. You are not the person I met when you were Mayor, and I don't like you or your behavior any longer. You have done enough harm to Alaska in your two years as our head of state-begone.
I first met Sarah Palin when she was Mayor of the City of Wasilla. At that time, the City had some acreage they wanted to designate as recreational and there was some organized effort to attempt to get the City to recognize that horses (and the recreation involved with their ownership) had some place in city planning. I stood up and said my piece about horses (over several meetings)and the City-which probably sounded totally wacked to everyone else as I realized later. Yes, horse ownership generates a large amount of retail sales to local businesses, but that is not the same as being a revenue source for the city. Consequently, the city ignored horses, and livestock of any kind, in its planning.
You can't buy a sack of sweet feed or a bale of hay today within the city limits-but I digress. This is about one person's evolution only :)
After that, Sarah Palin was off my radar until the Oil and Gas Conservation Commission appointment came to light. Cool I thought, a local person whose politics I did not really know, got tagged for state office. Some months later comes the Randy Ruedrich issue, and SP's eventual resignation from the post-a superfluous one and a drain on the state budget, she said. Ruedrich eventually pays a fine of over ten grand for using state property for political reasons. RR was the GOP party chair here-and he remains in that position today.
When she announced her run for Alaska's highest office, she had an immediate base with people who were sick and tired of "politics as usual" and SP promised "open and transparent" governement and to get rid of the old boy network that bound Juneau tightly. Former Gov. Murkowski had been working with the oil companies to draft an agreement to build the gasline. But he did it behind closed doors and when the proposal came to light it included pretty much giving in to everything and tied the state to a 45 year tax structure. This, and other things Murkowski did (such as tell everyone to screw off and buying a jet for the state despite very strong opposition) paved the way into office for SP.
About this time, the oil companies began reporting record, stupendous profits, and SP trotted out ACES to the legislature. It passed with nearly unanimous support but leaves the state with the highest taxes in the world. Yes, I said the world. When this passed, I was upset since I knew that increased costs to produce and develop would hamper development-and it did.
The next big thing was AGIA. At first, I thought it might work, until I began to learn of the details of the thing. It too, passed with nearly unanimous support in Junean and is the framework that will lead to the open season next year. When the details of this deal came out, I thought-that is never going to work and why are we giving a foreign company half a billion of our state dollars? Now there is a competing project-The Denali Pipeline-different route than TransCanada proposes.
Somewhere along in there, Tom Irwin (Natural Resources Commissioner I think) threatened to pull the Exxon leases at Pt Thomson. Exxon had had the leases for 30 years and done nothing with them. Exxon now has just two leases there and when they attempted to do exploratory drilling on them, Irwin almost goofed that up as well.
Then of course there is Troopergate. My gosh I spent a lot of time online during that period. I don't go to that many online forums, but the amount of ludicrous accusations that made the rounds back then, was astounding. I listened and read and I learned-SP was not who I voted for. I mean, I knew it when the AGIA details came to light-but Troopergate, coupled with a huge increase in government for the state sealed it for me.
Then came the FBI and their corruption investigations. I watched SP turn on people whose support she welcomed previously. As the trials and convictions rolled on, it was like watching our state have a train wreck while SP seemingly gave away the state.
Then she was tapped for the GOP ticket. Wow. No need to go into all that here, but suffice to say that while I was thrilled it was an Alaskan, I was pretty sure SP should not be it. Of course we all know what happened....a great many outsiders think they know what happened too-and I still find myself straightening out screwball misconceptions about Alaska and our way of life here even today, here and there on the net.
Then she quit.
I have to tell you, I was very surprised. Then I became angry. Now I just want her, and her contentious adminstration to be gone. So that we can get some people into Juneau who have the backbone to correct some of these boondoggles-ACES and AGIA and come up with a comprehensive resource development plan that will see Alaska through the next generation or two.
So as the squabbling goes on over who will end up as Lt Governor, I just want her to be gone, off state payroll, go away....take the high school level drama some place else, and take your terrible, stupid spokesperson with you. Go learn how to speak in precise American english and while you are at it, take the time to look beyond your supporters' adulation and have a look at America's place in the world. Read something, hire better advisors, learn to stay on topic and do something about your propensity for verbal diarrhea-you sound ignorant when you cannot make a simple statement and stay on point.
Alaska has suffered enough.
Begone, do something useful and I don't care a bit if you make a pile of money doing it, considering what the msm has done to you. You are not the person I met when you were Mayor, and I don't like you or your behavior any longer. You have done enough harm to Alaska in your two years as our head of state-begone.
Okay, enough already!
Oh my goodness, we have had how many weeks of nearly solid sun? Two and a half? Three?
Temperatures have been into the very high 70s to as much as high 80s at my place the entire time. Some mornings, I didn't even have any dew either. As I mentioned before, this has meant nearly nonstop effort to keep everything watered at home-lawn (tractor sprinkler and lots of hoses), baskets and bowls at the house (20 minutes morning and night), vegetable garden (oscillating sprinkler for a good hour, at least every day or every other day), greenhouse (keeping water barrels filled, using watering can-2 gallon size, at least 20 a day of those) and of course there are the stock tanks which need attention about every three days or so.
On top of that, we have over 70 wildfires going right now.....which means we also have smoke and haze from up north around Nenana-or drifting up from the Kenai Peninsula if the winds are right. Some days it has been so thick I have not been able to even make out Pioneer Peak from my office, and others there has been the acrid taste of wildfire on the tongue, bitter and nasty.
So this morning when it looked just plain hazy out, with skies a flat grey, I didn't think much of it-more smoke I thought. But nope, along about 6:15 when I was laying out the hoses for the tractor sprinkler, I saw what could only have been fog drifting through the trees. Sure enough, it was lifting up and down, wafting around and I thought:
Hooray! Its cloudy! We might get some rain!
Not. Not a sign of anything on radar at all, zero, zip, nada, nothing. It was nothing more than saturated air, which has now lifted to a low lying scud layer. It may burn off this afternoon, but likely not as it is still very humid.
I can't believe I was excited about the prospect of rain........but I was. A good soaking would lessen fire danger danger all over the state, help firefighters get a handle on the bigger ones, and wash the particulates suspended (prompting air quality alerts of course) out as well. And give me a break in the perpetual watering rounds I have been on for several weeks too.
Tuesday, July 7, 2009
Wow, what a week!
Not only have we been blessed with an incredible stretch of sunny weather, the Governor Sarah Palin resignation has hit this state like a bomb, to put it mildly.
At first I was in a sort of state of shock (like probably everyone) and since, I have been wavering between anger and acceptance.
Yep, I am upset that Sarah Palin quit on us all-but on the other hand-well, I can understand some of her reasons. I am concerned about the future of the projects she has attempted to get off the ground, and whether Sean Parnell (Lt Gov.) will be able to work with the legislature and so forth. I won't speculate on all the rumors flying around locally, plenty of other bloggers are doing that quite well.
If you are interested, here are some links:
www.thealaskastandard.com Conservative, but definitely not pro-Palin.
www.andrewhalcro.com Former politician, well respected independent.
www.progressivealaska.blogspot.com Progressive blog by a Wasilla resident, tons of links to similar blogs and websites.
www.thealaskareport.com News website, critical of Sarah Palin's "management" of native issues.
www.anchoragepress.com A little more in depth articles and commentary.
www.adn.com Anchorage Daily News, our largest daily-with an active reader commentary section.
www.divasblueoasis.com An Anchorage resident, has filed a number of ethics complaints against Sarah Palin. Warning: Hard to read and navigate website.
www.themudflats.net Another progressive/liberal website-enter at your own risk.
For myself, I am enjoying the weather very much. The veggie garden is darned near jumping out of the ground, its so happy with the heat and sun. The corn in the greenhouse is taller than I am, and getting tassles and baby ears galore. I have cucumbers, and a few summer squashes coming on, plus the broccoli is trying to set heads also. Of course this means an awful lot of time spent dragging around garden hoses and watering cans, lol Each morning I am watering the greenhouse, and the baskets and bowls at the house. This morning I turned on the veggie garden sprinkler for about 20 minutes, as it looked pretty dry to me. Tonight I need to refill the water barrels in the greenhouse and soak the pumpkins. Then more water on the veggies after a quick weed and putting up some more twine for the peas.
Of course, I could do without the blanket of smoke which has drifted down from the Interior as a result of wildfires up there. I am actually surprised there hasn't been a health alert issued because of it, even though the weather reports just call it "haze". Today we'll have another day into the low 80s, and I'm loving it!
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Making hay time!
These last few days of sunny skies and very little dew, have been just great for those hard working folks putting up hay. Today dawns warm and sunny, with no dew in my neighborhood. This is particularly good news for a neigbor who has hay down, which got a soaking two days ago. Won't be the end of the world for them, they have a variety of livestock to feed, and wrapped round bales are always welcome.
The typical pattern is warm sunny days which lead to clouds forming on the mountains. The heat rising drives the formation of thunderclouds, sometimes big boomers which rocket for miles. With them, come downpours as they trend southwest, to stall against the Sleeping Lady on the far side of the Susitna River. It's rather a crapshoot, whether an individual field will get soaked or not. I recall one year being out at Pt MacKenzie (large agricultural area about 25 miles to the southwest from home) and watching these small storm cells form, drop a hard downpour, and scoot off at a rather high rate of speed. From one high spot on the road, I could easily see six or seven of these "isolated thunderstorms" over the area.....very common summer weather pattern here.
I mention all this because I have been blessed with a wonderful husband.
For the third year in a row, he has dropped whatever he was doing, put the aluminum flatbed on his truck, and hightailed it up north to get hay for me. All by himself, he loaded way more than I expected, an even hundred bales! Its very very dry (yay!!) and very leafy (yay!!) and I am more than thrilled to have it :)
Now, what you have to know, is that my husband is not a horse person. Oh he has picked up stuff over the years, just from hearing me talk about this, or pointing out things-but in no way does he "love" horses, you see. I think he tends to think of them as overgrown dogs, who are stupidly expensive to keep and mean a huge amount of work. Well, I can't say I don't agree with some of that-they are a lot of work, lol! But, despite this: I have a nice pole barn. Paddocks which are sufficient, with better footing than most, including mats in the stalls. I have an area cleared and leveled which is my panel arena-over 90 foot across-and it now has absolutely beautiful sand footing too. We have a couple different drags for working the surface and he willingly scrubs and bleaches icky stock tanks when needed, lets me know when he notices something amiss, and while he may roll his eyeballs at the "looney tunes" carp that passes for the horse community here.....he will help with anything if asked.
So, when I made the call to let him know the farmer was planning on being on the baler by 2pm, he literally dropped what he was doing and hit the road-he knows dry hay won't wait. And in fact, quite a number of vehicles were there loading up also, including a couple of my own hay customers, lol
Like I said, he's a wonderful husband and I am more than blessed :)
Monday, June 29, 2009
Another productive weekend
While many others were out and about, enjoying our great weather over the weekend, we stayed home to work on projects.
Friday evening I ended up canning smoked salmon for my inlaws. It was a late night, showing them how everything is done safely....the handling of the fish (thawing, cutting, brining, drying, smoking) the prepping the jars, right on to the ins and outs of pressure canning for the required 105 minutes. They learned why it is a three day process, but are sure pleased with the tasty results! I am sure I will be helping them can up other items over the next year or so, until they feel confident that they can tackle it on their own. In the meantime, I think I need to get them the bible of food preservation: Putting Food By.
Saturday was my birthday. Not one person remembered, I was quietly snickering to myself. Not even after I made myself a box cake, complete with frosting, haha!! I gently reminded my wonderful husband about it, well after 7 pm. He was suitably contrite. Even my sister forgot!
Work progresses on the woodshed/hay storage structure. The beams for the roof were put up and secured and yesterday the BCIs were manhandled up top too. Today, with our BILs help, my hub will get them set and blocked and then we are ready for roofing material. Which will happen as soon as the budget allows. This means we can go ahead and start stacking the firewood-manual labor at its worst, ugh.
In between my cousin from Oregon showed up a couple of times. He comes up almost every year to fish, and this time his trip to the Russian River really paid off-he took home nearly 80 pounds of salmon. He's a big fish eater so this was a real treat for him. He'll skip next year and then come back the following.....he's probably one of the most avid fisherman I know, actually.
I managed to get the veggie garden weeded, again. It's a weekly thing, gets way out of hand if I don't. My son and I went through a bunch of pots, flats, and miscellaneous garden stuff on Saturday, which needed sorting very badly. At least I have it pretty much categorized into sizes and shapes, all neat under the benches of the greenhouse out of the way.
Yesterday we ended up helping the inlaws again, when they latched onto a whole bunch of salmon, fresh. The BIL has never really done any filleting, so my hub patiently showed him how its done, and why we do it the way we do. We don't cut the fillets whole, which is time consuming. Instead, the fish is cut into jar lengths and then the spine and bones are trimmed away. Some people have a real knack for the whole fillet thing, I don't, I just make a mess of it. In any case, I spent five or six hours in the kitchen, rinsing off slime, letting fish drain, then patting it dry enough to vaccum seal. I'll just skip over the two very frustrating hours trying to find vaccum seal bags, haha! Anyhow, there will more fish to process this fall, yippee!
Yes, a lot done over the weekend, thunderstorms and all :)
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
If you look carefully
you can see the cracks starting to form in the local horse market. Fugly talks about the results of back yard breeders, foreclosures, job losses, and so forth in the Lower 48. But of course, like many things, it does not translate equally here in Alaska.
We have always had a rather artificially high median price. For many years, a decently trained (not push button, mind you) gelding between about 5 and 15 had a base price around $2500. Lesser asking prices reflected handling issues, or perhaps being "greenbroke". Basically, any horse that wouldn't buck you off, trample you, spook at normal things, stopped without a hassle, and was sound, qualified for the asking price. Registration, any show record, finish training added value quite substantially. Mares have always run slightly less than geldings, but they too, had steep asking prices based upon training and acheivements. Grade horses ran around five hundred less....and sometimes more, depending on individual talents.
I have wondered here before, just when (or even if) the Alaska horse market was going to correct and reflect the downturn in the economy. We have always been fortunate here, to be somewhat insulated from recessions in the Lower 48 states....we do generally have a downturn, but it arrives around a year and a half, to two years later. I am sure there is some good explanation for this, it might have to do with federal and state budget cycles-both of which help fuel our economy here. But whatever the cause, it does eventually come to rest here in Alaska.
It hasn't made the news much, but work on the North Slope (Prudhoe, Kuparuk, Alpine, etc) has been contracting for months now. A few laid off there, a couple dozen there, projects cancelled or delayed. Exploratory drilling put off, mid level management trimmed and even necessary maintenance is being tightly managed. Of course I could go into just why this is happening, but I am mentioning this as a symptom of what is come here only.
Local prices on horses are starting to reflect this, as I check online classifieds. Well broke horses will always carry a premium-a fact that I wish more horse owners would take to heart. The better the training and manners, the better the future is for your horse. If your horse is green or just started, invest in the horses' future with professional help if you can-or a knowledgeable friend if necessary. Superior ground manners, a solid whoa, and the basics of cues almost gaurantee a great future. Make sure they stand well for the farrier, can be tied, will load in a horse trailer too.
Over the past week, I have had four phone calls from acquaintances or people who were referred to me by others. In each case, either they owned, or knew someone who was looking to give away a horse. They all wanted "retirement" homes....in their minds, retirement is living with some kind, well to do person, who wants nothing more than just looking at a horse on their 10 or 20 acre place. For some, it was a heartbreaking choice that had to be made due to money. For others, it was more of a "I can't deal with an aging horses' special demands" issue. Each of the horses had a handicap of some sort-hard keeper, lame, two with serious under saddle issues.
I could not give any of them any hope. There are no retirement facilities in Alaska. None.
Shipping a horse to a facility in the Lower 48 costs a lot of money and some would not be able to handle the trip very well, if at all. Most legitimate, well run retirement ranches in the Lower 48 are full beyond capacity already, and many rescues are overwhelmed as the economy implodes. Shipping them south is an uncertain option unless you have a family member who is willing to take on the burden for you.
I pointed out several times, that simply giving a horse away (especially a horse with any issues at all!) was a very dangerous thing for the horse itself. Trust me, those freebies get passed along from one person to another, until eventually they end up dead. I have seen this many times here myself...who has not heard of an elderly horse who went through at least four or five homes before landing at the last one? Every person thought they were doing a good thing, and could do it better than the person giving it away.
Inevitably, the horse will gain a "was a 4-H horse" history, likely untrue, and the quality of care provided will slide down the economic ladder until they are dead. Starvation, lack of veterinary care, in a dog lot, whatever. It does happen, I have seen the results often enough to know this is a reality here in Alaska.
People think that they have found a "great approved home" for their horse, and walk away. They may ask for a phone call if the new owners need to place the horse again or something happens, but it seldom occurs. You can try a humane care contract.....but it is only as good as your commitment to check up on the horse, and the intentions and capabilities of the new owner.
The other option is more painful, but perhaps much more humane. And that is to put the horse down, before the slide into suffering. The harsh reality is that putting a horse down is usually the better choice all around. No, it isn't cheap either, but then there is no question about future homes, quality of care, or anything else. Some will give the horse away rather than face it, and I understand that. I may not agree with handing over the horse for someone else to deal with, but my compassion won't condemn them for doing so if they must.
There are those of us in the community who can help with this, if asked-I am one of them.
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