Focus

I had to change my focus yesterday, I got some news about a paperwork snafu. I had to deal with. Had to leave the house because some paper work needed to be mailed back and redone. I had to keep telling myself it was not my fault.

I tried to do some other business by phone at the bank, and the Rx place both were swamped. I was able to do that in person and walked the dog so it turned out good.

Later in the day I was able to get out in the garden for some vit. D putzing around in my garden moving a planter, weeding and picking up a bit it was good to get outside in the fresh air and hear the bees in the trees that are in bloom. I pick up after the dog in the back yard and walk around checking on the progress of my spring blooms that is fun.

I broke down a box in the carport freeing up some space in the carport.

I dug in to my fabric stash and cut up some pieces to be bandanas for funm print masks, and other projects was fun for me.

I love one thing I heard turn off the news and plant a garden. That is helping with my perspective. I dug up some onions to share go in a planter with our daughter. Great for soups and seasoning things like noodles and more.

I got out more planters I put some in the front of the house. It looks more festive. I found a tick on the dog after walking in the field a bit yesterday so took care of that.   

Our daughter is tuning up the bike so they can do a bike ride together. It is lovely weather for that here now.

Dogs

My dog helps, with companionship, and to reminded me to check my blood sugar also as my pup heater at night. We walk together and she is with me in the yard as I garden and do chores outside. She loves doggie dates with the grand dog, she does not love going up and down the stairs when I am doing stuff in the basement but she does come and check on me. There are times she reminds me I need to feed her by grabbing my hand in her mouth and pulling to get me up.

Other things like the neighbors new dog that is big and stands at the fence and looks over my dog challenges that and jumps and barks. We are working on the new dog to learn the "down" command it is a young dog and learning neighbors are working on that as well.

My sister got a Yorkie for her birthday from a family member and we compare notes on our dogs.

Our son said it is good to get a new dog when the old dog can show it the ropes.

I keep spare leads in the rig for walks. We like to walk in the field and around the ponds fishing holes and along the river in our area or did before they closed the parks because of the CV - 19 recomendations.

Walking around the neighborhood is a good activity for me to clear my head. People are good to give each other space with dogs crossing to the other side of the street.

Progress Not Perfection!

I took a stroll around the yard yesterday to gaze at the flowers blooming and was surprised to get to see the bees were working on gathering pollen. Spring bloom is still going on this year. The sun rise is lovely today. I cleaned off the out door kitchen area and swept the patio. I need to get the mower going the grass is green and growing. Walking the dog still a part of my day more fun on warmer days. Iot the yard mowed I was excited when the mower started!

I am bringing in the tomato plants at night it is still too cold to plant them outside. The back yard needs to be picked up so I can mow lawn chairs need moved from around the fire pit.

My mood was not so good yesterday, I had allergies. I found some onion sets that had started to grow and mold in the pantry. Getting those out of here greatly helped that!

As well as changing my focus to things that went right with my day. I had a lot that was right in my day like finding yarn in stock for a I am knitting on, and the tomato sets were in, also the large box of Neutrigrain bars also in stock, getting drive through for lunch a first for me during this pandemic. It was good to remember that.

I made a list for today. Resting in the afternoon then getting going on some tasks in the evening  to get a head start on my day.

I was not able to find the book I was looking for but I can still journal and look up the verses I found on line with resources from it.

I sorted another box things, and took some boards outside for a ladder to build and a project is now in the carport instead of the basement.

I heard something "progess not perfection" that is my new go to phrase.

Daily

Life is so daily. I do not put much about daily stuff routines etc. getting going with that is on Flylady it is helpful. I started out with the card file system the predecessors before her created back in the day. Got up morning med. routine check blood sugar, turn on the coffee, made the bed, did my journaling and planning, quiet time and did my exercise on the stationary bike, it was a great time to process things going on now. I just had breakfast one of those breakfast shake things.

My eight D's are chores I like to accomplish at least each week
Dinner what is for dinner, Duds is the laundry current, Dishes rinse and put away them, De-clutter sort donations and figure out what needs to be tossed or donated. Declaw the paper tiger tackle paper piles  and deal with some of that. Dust seems I need to be reminded to do that one! Dump trash do that the day of or the day before trash pick up. Do zone work focus room for the week or month, area that needs attn. like the storage area I am working on this week. Daily bathroom spiff is a current goal of mine.

B.W.P. is Basic Weekly Plan my weekly stuff like sweep and mop floors, bathooms, clean sheets back on the bed, sort clothes.

Tried to make some plans for a family gathering to honor the passing of hubby via fb messenger in a group chat worked well until the gov. extended that stay at home ruling sigh so had to push that back. {After that I needed an attitude check.}

There are other things to deal with business in nature, correspondence, budgeting that goes on the list.

This is me trying not to whine about the weather it is cold outside at night. Not so exciting but in times like this routines help keep us sane! LOL!   

The extra Happy Planners I got earlier in the year are coming in handy now! I got tomato starts that grew well for me last year.

What is Working!

My success was a bit of a struggle to do some signing of papers for arrangements I made. Getting the program to work and sync with the other folks was a challenge took several tries but got that done via e-mail. Glad for that with the CV - 17 stuff going on not much other choice because I was not going to do extra travel.

I cleaned sorted and went through clothes found papers needed and I am trying to get a better system of filing and sorting papers in rounds that is helping.

Walking the dog is a great diversion, and going to the basement when tornado's happen in the area. I was folding clothes down stairs when the earth quake hit this week. Away from the winds rain sleet and hail. Cozy in the sewing room was a blessing.

I am working with some writing prompts I found on FB putting them in my journal. Journaling is one of the things that helps for thoughts.

I got out the hoses this week the grass is greening up and will need mowing at some point.

I got a pen pal letter written and need to mail that. A basket for cards is good as well.

We have had a change of plans during this process nearly every week. So planning was over rated remaining flexible has helped.  Some things from other family members that have passed before us that experience has been helpful remembering that we get through this too.

I am trying to look ahead some garden things would be great to work on but it is just too dang cold and freezing at night. The weather is NOT helping! I made up some puppets. I have yarn for a fun colorful project yet to be determined.

Got rid of the hens summer before last and last summer I focused on gardening and getting the yard back into shape. The hens went to a farm. Then I set up the coop as a potting shed and plant cage.

We worked on de-cluttering last year and got the shed emptied out so I could use it for painting thrifted items I found at yard sales and thrift shops, except it was hot in the summer and cold in the winter.

Been Gone

It's been a while. I am processing. Trying to regroup. The world is in the midst of the cv-19 thing. I am just trying to get through one step at a time and one day at a time. There was an earth quake and rare tornado in the area. Things are really weird.

I am trying to remember my focus and review my purpose. The things I knew have changed. I have food in the house I did fill the freezer last fall, and restarted that again in Jan. this year so that is good. I have ensure and protein powder if food runs low. Plans have been changed.

The dog is good company. I do great if the weather is good. I do not do so well if the weather is not good.

Hubby passed from cancer this month so that has me reeling. It is good that hubby did not want a funeral. I talked with the kids about closure with a fuss and we are okay with that . Maybe when all this cv thing is over. Maybe we can think about a family meal or something.

I saw a thing that we should be journal - ing to help document these days and that helps relieve stress. Family has been checking on me.

I could draw to document what is going on in my sketch book. I was behind in my planner so got that current yesterday, things were a blurr that past week or so. Hospital, hospace house, trips to and from there.

So many things on my mind and decisions, things I could do and there is time to consider a bit of down time. I have been cleaning sorting and going through things here. It helps. I have a letter I wrote and am rethinking all of that. Paperwork to sort and make since of.

This is weird times. My bullet journal serves me well. As do my routines
I have been considering how to tweak them. For now they help.

I like what my sister said to write it down and make a list. We have been emailing and that is good. My faith is helping it is time to dig in, get to the prayer closet and get in touch with spiritual roots.

Talking with my sis we said that it is up to God if we make it through this. I had to be in the ICU where hubby was in one hosp. then he was life flighted to a diff. one. As I was going through that I lost contact ability to touch base with a message board group. Using diff. pc and tablet.

Now with the arrangements, getting the learning curve of things with this part of life for me. I must say that solitude of the essential social distancing is not all bad. It is a time of healing and I need to re group.

I seem to get the sense that God has me set apart for this season, and not just me. I had been fasting one meal a day for lent but the week before Psalm Sunday got off track with that. It did make the food last longer.

Some writers are  using this as a time to hunker down and get to some writing done. I have been making crochet puppets. I would like to garden I have seeds. But it is just not warm enough. I walked the dog early before the winds rain snow hit today that was good.

I have some invetory "homework" to do but got stuck and did not get to that today. Churches and Bible study , and knitting groups are not meeting.

I realized on my walk last night that I am doing so much better than I was a week ago!

One Step At A Time

I am taking things one step at a time.

Got my Bullet Journal Page filled out
I try to do three to five productive things each day.
I do not always reach that goal but the focus is good.

I keep a done list for misc. things that get done.

I have a prayer list I fill in each day.
World & USA
Family & Friends
Healing

Also a gratitude list of three things for the previous day.
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Next steps help for what I am thinking might be coming up.
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Plus three things I look forward to.
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Fun things ~
Knit on a project.
Crochet on a puppet.
Draw do a sketch in the sketch book.
Walk the dog.

Done~ the things I did today.

My daily list helps me with the list of chores I have on a sticky
post it not gets moved from week to week.

B.W.P. a list of my Basic Weekly Plan one each day.

This is forward progress that is helpful.

Yesterday was off track for me I wanted to get outside and work in the garden and we had hail & rain, big sigh so I headed to the basement and worked on the laundry. Also getting to some things in the sewing zone
cutting up old jeans so I could upcycle that fabric later.

I got out a tray to sort papers declawing the paper tiger.
I put a basket of some cards out they have a home for now.
Plans for the future are being formulated in my mind and I wrote those down.

I have been sorting things to declutter and got them rounded up in to
the spot I am putting them.

I have a book I want to get my cousin recommended.
A Season Of Grief
By Bill Dunn

Ideas

I got the idea to put the plastic jars with the bottom cut out they make it so much easier to fill chick feeders and waterers. I even double stacked the feeder so it would hold more. I saw at the tractor supply store the had waterers sitting on short two by four wood blocks to keep the water clean longer.

This week we are checking into poly-something a corrigated type of sheeting to go over the run to keep rain and snow off this fall and winter. We will have to order it in.

Sept.

The hens have been enjoying the fresh plums this year. I picked them last week. The squirrels were really getting after the plums so I was glad to get them picked. I pruned the plum tree too.

The chickens have also been enjoying the grapes on the deck as well. 

It's been hot we have had more summer after tbe school year started again. The weather is suosed to change. The hens will be glad for the relief
from the heat.

The hens enjoy the hose being on a bit they wade in the water on the ground to cool off their feet.

This week

I am using this with a blue tooth key board to post. 

Chickens are done molting now the new feathers came in with white fleck kind of like they are going grey! At the feed store they said a new higher protein feed is out for chickens that are molting.

Yesterday I cleaned the run I covered the run with plastic; we've had thunder storms ìn the area this week. The run cover needs to have some tweaking to get it more secure, we did get some leakage where it blew back and the water in. I need to get it a bit more secure on the top before the next rain storm.

We need to repair a shelf but I need to get the brackets for that project before we begin. 

Post from new tablet

I am trying out a post from my new gal. tab 3 seeing how it works.  Some have had issues w gal. But they have been working on a fix for it.

Okay I am able to edit. there is a learning curve with this.

This edit is from my chrome browser♡ 

New Samsung Galaxy 3 Tablet

I got a new Samsung Galaxy 3 tablet it's a 7" and I'm learning how to use it so I can post chicken pics and videos. Having a ball with my new techie toy for my bday. But there is a definite learning curve. Our son wants to see it aka translates to mom can I play w/ your new toy! LOL! 

After taking back the newest Google Nexus froze up & I had to return it because of some issue with map apps in locating my location when I was in photo taking mode. So I did not check that box on this one that identifies where I am. I'm very happy with this so far and the Samsung apps. too. I choose a white one. 

Now I'm waiting on the case to come in they were out of stock when I was at the store. 

Broken

Yesterday I got a Google Nexus 7 a bday & 40th wedding ann. gift and it is broken in less than 24 hrs. it froze up in the camera function. ACK! I was outside trying to get some photos of the chickens and it stopped working. I can't get it to do anything! Gr-r!!! I'm not happy and I'm taking it back. 

Pros of this are clear pixels on it and the stuff I used except for the camera did work. I was trying to get it up and running so I could have a Bible on it for church this morning. I got the battery all charged up last night so it would be good to go for today. 

I'm trying to see what I can get resolved. I did manage to get a few photos taken before it froze up and those were saved b/c I'd synced some stuff before hand. [I had not even learned where the flash function was on it.]  No off line owners manual came with it. 

The unit is hot and I do not know how to disengage the battery. Guess I'm going to take it back asap. before it blows up what a bummer! 


Today I got a Samsung galaxy tab 3 & I'm learning how to post from it!

Egg Custard

Egg custard 
3 eggs 
1 c. milk 
1/2 c. sugar 
1 tablespoon vanilla 
dash of nut meg. 

Whiz in blender & bake until center is set. I put mine in the crock pot on high cooked it apx. 2 hrs. and checked it after doing some chores outside and it was done yummy!

Crock Pot Cobbler

Fruit Cobbler 
Two cups fruit your choice in season I used one cup black berries and one cup plums. One cup brown sugar. One teaspoon cinnamon. Mix and place in large crock pot on high setting. 

One yellow cake mix 
Two cups milk
Three eggs [medium]  
One tablespoon vanilla 
One cube butter melted [1/2 cup] 

Mix cake mix milk, eggs, vanilla, butter, until it is pan cake batter consistency. Pour one cup over fruit. Save the rest of the batter for other cobblers. Cook until done mine took apx. two hours I was working out side in the yard. Serve warm with ice cream. This is what I remember having when I was a kid yummy. 

Try other variations with peach apple cherry canned pie filling will work for this as well. 

For a variation it's fun to sprinkle oatmeal and cinnamon on top for more texture. 

Eggs in the Crock Pot!

I made custard in the crock pot tastes great I'll use less sugar next time and tweak it with splenda at some point. --it turned out pretty well. 

Bread pudding I made in the crock pot vanished very quickly! 

Cobbler I cooked in the crock pot our grand daughters were competing who got to crack the eggs and put them in this recipe and helped mix it up making recipe so much more fun to do. What I learned was the cobbler should have been in the bigger crock pot, the custard needed to be mixed more.  Still tweaking these recipes a bit. 

Crust-less spinach quiche' was a surprise that it was such a hit! We had ours in a wrap the carb count is better and the family liked it that way; but it was a bit watery because I did not put flour in it. Next time I'll do it in the crock pot as well. Tonight we'll have egg salad in a wrap, or tuna salad in a wrap.  

I may try poached eggs as well. 
Recipes coming I have saved them some where around here! 

Got it!

For a treats the hens got crumbs from the box of vanilla wafer cookies and raisin bran cereal, some green grapes with seeds, and one green plum. 

I cleaned under the roost again today and got a frame I'm considering for a frame to hold the plastic we will put up over the wire mesh on part of the roof. The hens do not mind the rain as much as I do when it drips down my neck when I'm out doing chores the tin ends right on the walk way where I go through from one door to the other. I hope this will work. Last year we did not put up plastic because we figured the wind on the wire would just shred it. 

Part of the nest box has a nail loose and the bottom is coming out so we need to repair that this weekend. We moved it to solve that problem. I got 12 eggs today. The days are getting shorter so next month I'll be thinking about getting the light up and fall stuff we need to do. 

This week I've been trying out some recipes and I'll be posting those I finally got the cobbler one to turn out like I wanted. 

August News

Each week it seems I learn some thing new with chickens here. This weekend at a flea market an old timer had some eggs for sale and I was getting some pointers on what to do with a broody hen w no rooster that should be done sitting. I like what he said that they did. They moved the chicken that were broody out away from the others without any eggs, in to an isolation area then after a week they were ready to rejoin the flock. 

What I've been doing is moving the broody hen to a cage away from the others in the morning and then when the hens are done laying at noon closing the coop if there are stragglers they can use the outside nesting boxes. Then I let the broody hen out of the cage and she is more than ready to rejoin the flock. 

Today the broody hen that I was working with  has rejoined the flock after only a day and a half. I'm SO happy about that. Then today found another two that have gone broody of this years hens so I have isolated one and will do what I did yesterday with the other one next. It seems to be working. 

Today I gathered eleven eggs I got a thin shelled egg today so I added oyster shell calcium to the feed, they have it in the run but thought I'd better put it in their feeder as well. And one cracked egg so I had those for my brunch. 

I put up the big feeder that holds a lot for our weekend away. I've removed that one an put up the others. The hens were having a hard time getting the last of it out of the big feeder so I poured it out for them. 

The road construction in our area does not seem to bother the hens at all this week. 
Ten eggs yesterday one was not salvageable was broken. The cracked ones went for boiled eggs I'm thinking egg salad sandwiches or on half a bagel open faced style. That would be fun on the mini ones as well. 

I dug up some bulbs on the West side of the coop, the hens liked getting bugs, our grand daughter had so much fun digging in the dirt with me! First I had to move some wood and then  I watered it so the digging would be easier and would attract more bugs, then I put the hose on another section in front of that to do some more digging on later. 

We are rethinking the placement of the red coop to use for brooders it needs to be closer to the main coop and power source We may be redesigning one to fit on the current coop and incorporate the window we have on it for a hen access place.  


I've put of an eggs for sale sign in our window this week. 

Herding Hens

We've had some thunder and rain here this week. I've fed the chickens this morning and let them out. Today I need to water them and fill their big water font. Plus fill up the big feeder to see if it lasts a couple of days I got it hung up yesterday in the chicken run. 

I dismantled the nest of the broody hen that went next door to for an unsuccessful hatch not surprising with no roo. After a month it was time. The grand kids helped me heard her back home after she went back to that spot she was sitting again. She has showered in the rain and returned to the flock now. That's a relief!The other broody hen is still sitting on a golf ball but is in the coop. 

We got the smallest egg I've ever seen today about an inch and a half long I suspect it is just yolk. It's a very pretty egg dark and speckled a lovely egg. One of the New Hampshire red pullets have already started to lay eggs. We gathered eight eggs today. 

I made deviled eggs and our grand daughter helped me mix up two different kinds of cookie dough. 

Peanut Butter Cake mix cookies

P.B. Cake Mix Cookies 
Preheat oven 350* 
Prep. 5-10 min. 

Ingredients: 
1 yellow or chocolate cake mix
2 small eggs 
1 Tablespoon vanilla 
2 Tablespoons water
1 c. peanut butter 
1 cup toppings we like chocolate chips optional. 
Cinnamon

Directions: 
Stir eggs in to cake mix with vanilla peanut butter and water. 
spoon on cookie sheet; sprinkle cinnamon on top make fork marks on top. 

Option: add 7 chocolate chips or m & m's on each cookie for a variation 
Bake 10-12 min.@ 350 cool and enjoy. 
Great for ice cream sandwiches.