Still Kickin'

Hi EVERYONE!!!!

Been a long time!  Things are busy here on the farm and at the shop.  That's good!!  I just thought I would stop in and catch up on a few things.  One thing I've noticed is that Google Blogger has changed since the last time I was on here.  Not liking it.  I have to jump through too many hoops just to do what I want. May look into changing places.  We shall see.  It all depends on time and effort.  I'm not really writing that much here so not real sure what I'm going to do.

Anyway, I'll update you a bit on things around the farm.  We are inheriting two hives of honey bees.  Hubby is pretty excited about it.  Well, I am too!  Although, I'm not going to be doing anything with the actual bees.  Nope.  No way.  No how.  I'll do the honey work, not going to mess with the bees.  Me and anything that craws or flies do not get along.  That will be Hubby's work. He thinks it's fun, so I'm all for him doing it too.  We haven't gotten them yet, but we will be in the near future.

The dogs are doing good.  Although right before I went to work this morning, I let them out to run and play for a bit.  Holley came back with cow poop all over her.  She rolled in it.  She rolled in it A LOT!  I didn't have time to wash her or I would be late for a client, so I left her in the house.  Hopefully she will just go to her bed and sleep there until I get back home.  I know they both needed a bath, but I was hoping to wait until this weekend.  I guess not. Going to have to get that smell out of the house too.  Good thing I don't mind the smell of cow. lol

Speaking of cows, we've had two calves in the last month or two.  They are cute little bulls destined for the freezer or the sales.  It all depends on if we can get our corral fixed.  We tried moving two bulls last fall and one of the bulls tried jumping the corral fence.   Well, he kind of went up and through it instead of over it, so we have to fix that.  We need to completely go and build a new corral.  The old one is just falling down.  We may just have to have a corral raisin'.  Bunch of people get together and build a corral and I'll fix them all some good dinner.  Anyone up to it? lol

I wanted to take the time to write today since I honestly feel like I've been neglecting my blog.  I do get ideas of what I want to write, but by the time I can sit down and write, I'm so tired all I want to do is relax.  I'm not going to promise that I'll be on here more, I'm not going to promise that I am going to take more pictures, and I'm not going to promise that it won't be a long time before I'm back here.  I just going to write when I do get time.  Hopefully it won't be too far apart. Thanks for sticking with me.

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, still here.

Nope

Not going to be able to post today. Sorry. Lol!!

SFG

Don't Give Up On Me!!!!!

Don't give up on me folks!!! I'm been so busy of late. I've even gotten to where I have to schedule writing or practicing my fiddle. And of course, this time of year has me itching to get back into homesteading full force! I have to keep reminding myself that I have a business and a house to take care of. I also am still trying to get healthier.

The doctor has me doing physical therapy twice a week. Ya, like I have time for that. It's helping the back, but not the knees. It's actually hard for me to go grocery shopping before I'm almost crying in pain. But, the doctor says I will get better with a little help from him, so we are working together towards that.

I actually went out and took some pictures of  the farm just to give you a few updates. The good and the bad of it all. As of right now, nothing major is planned Wednesday, so I'm hoping to be able to sit and edit the pics. Hopefully put up a more in-depth blog post.  I might even use my computer. I'm typing this from my phone.

So hopefully I can rework my schedule and put my blog and the homestead back toward the top. This past winter has really kicked my butt.

So until next time,
Small Farm Girl, still keepin on.

Hurricane Holley

Well, if you read my last post, you know I got some good news.  I just have to go back now and have it checked every so often to see if there is any change.  I'll take it!  I wanted this year to be the year that I got healthy but, I didn't want to get scared to death doing it. lol

Let's change the subject now. Hopefully no more talk of cancer. EVER.

Holley, our tri colored Australian Shepherd decided that she was going to give me a heart attack. She came in one day with a huge gash down her side. Now, if I can only figure out how to take photos off of my phone and put them on the computer, I would show you.  But since I'm computer and phone illiterate, I'm not able to as of now.   It was so big they did surgery on her and had to put in a drain tube.  It was horrible.  The poor pup hated to be confined.  Worse than that, she hated the dreaded "Cone of Shame" that we had to put around her neck.  We kept the cone on her for 4 days until the tube came out.  Then she got to wear a modified t-shirt that we cut down the back and them cut strips to tie together on her back.  It worked, but she didn't like that either.  Finally after 11 days, she got to get her stitches out.  She still stuck to me like glue but, she is coming out of it and acting like herself again.  This whole ordeal hasn't slowed her down one bit.  She's not nicknamed Hurricane Holley for nothing.

We never did figure out what happened to her.  She wasn't outside for 5 minutes.  Honestly.  I let them out, went to put clothes on and came back and she was waiting outside the door.  Weird.  I'll get some pictures of her side tonight and put them on here.  It will be the "after" but, no one really wants to see the "before" pictures.  They were gross.

I plan on trying to be back blogging again.  I really missed you guys!!!  Also, if you are on the dreaded Facebook,  you can find me there.  Just look for Small Farm Girl.  You may even get to hear me and my friends play some good ole bluegrass music.  lol. I put some things on there every once in a while.

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, back to normal. (I hope.)

Results Are In

And, it's BENIGN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The "C" word.

Hi everyone!  It's been a while since I've posted anything on here.  I'm trying to not feel guilty about it.  I really like writing on here, but between a budding business, a farm, and a husband, well, time just gets away from me.  There have been many things going on around here.  One of the many things is my health.

This year's resolution was to get healthy.  Not just lose weight, but to get healthy.  One of the first things was to change my doctor.  The one I used was nice and all, but he didn't really "doctor" me.  I went in and told him what was wrong with me, what I needed, and how I was going to take it.  Of course, when he would call in my medication, like my blood pressure meds, he would get it wrong EVERY TIME!!!!  That's every time twice a year for over 6 years.  I had had enough.  So I asked around to see about good doctors.  One thing that I consider good is not waiting too long to see the doctor.  Don't even get me started on time I've spent in the waiting room waiting on my old doctor.

Anyway, I found a good doctor.  A doctor that didn't have me waiting, and one that actually doctored me.  The first appointment, he had me do blood work to check that out, I had to have my first mammogram, and he wanted to get a ultrasound of my thyroid.  Plus, he wanted to have all that done before I was to see him in 3 weeks.  Oh, ya, he also wanted me to see a bone and joint dr about my knees and my back.  See, I told you I was going to get healthy this year.

Well, I done all those things one Friday morning.  All but see the bone and joint Dr.  That was going to be the following Monday.  That Friday afternoon, the nurse from my new Dr called me and told me the results of my tests.  They had found that my knees were shot, (duh)  there was "something" on my mammogram that they wanted to check out again, and they found a nodule with slight vascularity on my thyroid.   So,  I had to redo my mammogram because they wanted a better look at something, a possible ultrasound too.  Then they dropped the bomb.....  They wanted me to go to Columbus to the James Cancer Center to have my nodule on my thyroid, checked out.  What!?!?!?!?!  So what would any person do?  I checked Google.

DO. NOT. CHECK. GOOGLE!!!!  It scared me to death.  I just knew that I had thyroid cancer.   So much in fact, that I cried for days.  I felt that I was just a shell of myself.  I am a planner, I always look forward to the future.  It's hard for me to live in the moment.  So this was extremely hard for me.
I ended up having an appointment with the cancer doctor almost 2 weeks from the time I took the tests.  I was a complete mess those two weeks.  Many times I would wake up in the middle of the night not able to breath.  I just knew that that nodule was growing and shutting off my windpipe. lol.  But, what it really was was drainage from where I had been crying the day before.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not afraid of death.  I know I'll go to Heaven and see many family members that have passed.  It's just hard for me not to know what was going to happen.  This not knowing really freaked me out!!!!  We needed a new four wheel drive for me. Should I get it now? What if I die? Then Hubby would be left with the payment.  What about my shop? It was just getting to where it was starting to go good.  Would I have to give up that dream?

I joined a thyroid cancer group on Facebook.  In a way, it helped me, but in another way, it freaked me out more.  I kept reading about the "Bad Stuff".  Then I started talking to just a few people about my problem.  I realized more people had thyroid cancer than I even knew.  Most of these people come out of it doing okay.  I got to meet people who, in fact, said they came out a better person.  This gave me hope, but I would still have some bad days.

I didn't want to talk to many people about it.  When I talked about it, I found myself obsessing about it.  I didn't tell a lot of people actually.  I just didn't want the, "Oh, I'm so sorry." look.  I wanted things to be the same with people.  I didn't want to turn into the "cancer" person.

Anyway, fast forward to the doctor's visit at the James Cancer Center.  I was sooooo nervous.  I didn't want anyone to go with me other than Hubby.  I know my parents wanted to go, but I had to just focus on me.  And if it was bad news, I would worry more about how they would react than how I would react. So, I had them to stay home and I would call and let them know how things went.

Well, I went into the appointment thinking that I had cancer.  I was 98% sure that I had cancer.  I prayed and prayed. I prayed for the strength to go through this. I prayed for strength for how other people were going to react to the news.  I prayed that I would be okay going through the journey of having cancer and the changes that would come.  But, as I was on the passenger side of my truck, I realized I hadn't prayed for healing.  I just knew that it was cancer and that was that.  So right there in the truck, I prayed to be healed.  And for the first time since I got the news of the nodule, I felt that God heard me.

We arrived at the doctors and they got to get me in early.  Now when have you ever heard of a doctor getting you in early?  They did.  A half hour early to be exact.  All of the nurses were extremely nice.  And then I got to meet the doctor.  He was very nice and I could just tell he knew what he was doing.  He told me that we needed an ultrasound for his own and then he would do a needle biopsy.   As he was looking at the nodule, he said that the color was good, the shape of the nodule was good, the size wasn't TOO big, and all my lymph nodes were all fine.  He actually didn't think it was cancer, but just because of the size of the nodule, he was going to do a fine needle biopsy.

Wait, WHAT?  He didn't think it was cancer.  HE DIDN'T THINK IT WAS CANCER!  HE! DIDN'T! THINK! IT! WAS! CANCER!!!!!!!!!    Pull it together Sherri, don't start crying now.  You are going to have a big needle sticking in your neck.  lol.

He did the fine needle biopsy.  I can say, it wasn't fun, but I wanted this done. I wanted to KNOW that this wasn't cancer.  He sent off the biopsy and now I am in the wait mode.  He said it will take a few days for the results to come back.   I can say I'm a little nervous, but I've decided I can't do to myself like I have been doing.  I was making myself sick thinking all bad stuff.  I'm living day to day.  And, whatever the results are that come back, I have got to keep a positive outlook and NOT obsess about it.  I've got to keep my hopes up.  If I lose hope, all is gone. I'm not going down into the pit of dispare again.

So I would really use some prayers out there that the results are good.  I believe the more people pray, the better off everything is.  I know that God has me in his hands and whatever comes of this is for his glory.  And, I'm okay with that.

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, hopeful.

Just Checking In

Hi everyone!!!!  WOW! We've had a whirlwind of a year here on and off the farm!  We have been VERY busy!!. (I also am trying to see how many exclamation points I can use!!!!!  hehehe)

Anyway, I've been wanting to get back on here and start posting more. Many things going on. The nail business has been steadily growing so that has kept me very busy. Hubby has been working his job and just hoping he won't get laid off.  If only one person would get laid off, he would be that person.   Of course, I think everyone who works an off the farm job, is hoping not to get laid off right now.

The dogs are doing great.  I wish I had more time to spend with them. I hate leaving them by themselves throughout the day.  Luckily it's not too long after I leave that Hubby is home and he spends time with them.  Australian Shepherds who are left alone for too long usually find "something" to do.  In fact, we were gone a little extra yesterday, and they found where I keep my potatoes and chewed one up and scattered it all over the house.  Lovely.  It's a good thing we have a concrete floor.  It's little easier to clean up than if it were a rug.  But, ya gotta love the little faces that look at you as if they want you to be proud of the "art" that they'd made.

To help with their energy levels, I take the dogs for a run.  And when I say run, I mean they run and I ride the four wheeler.  This body doesn't run. hehehehe.  I've been running them around the back fields and around the pond.  They love these times of days.  Somehow, they always seem to find the ONE cockle burr bush and get those little prickly burrs all over them.  We have to have a "deburring party" at least once a day.

I'm just rambling on here. So many things have changed, but so many things have stayed the same around here.  Every once in a while I'll check in and tell you all a few things happening around the farm.  Like, we are putting in an outdoor wood furnace, I'm going to be putting in raised beds soon, and I'm also getting ready to make some deer jerky.  See, little things ARE happening around the farm.

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, Checking In.

A Possible Return!

Hey everyone!
I missed writing on here and I'm hoping to be able to write some more as time goes on.  So many things are happening here! Exciting things!!!!  I'm opening my own nail salon!  I know, I know, I wasn't even sure if I wanted to go back to work.  Now, I'm jumping in with both feet and I'm up to my eyeballs with getting it up and running.  I'm sooo excited about this.  I just feels right for this moment.  I KNOW it's going to be a success.  I'm hoping to have it up and running within a month.  Big changes, right?

Here on the farm things haven't really changed much. But, with me going to work, I'm more motivated to get things done here in the small amount of time that I do have to work on them.  I don't know, maybe this is what I needed.  Just a little kick in the pant. lol

The garden has been cut back to half of it's size than what we usually have it.  But, it's being taken care of a lot better.  It's one of the prettiest gardens that we have ever had.  I'll go and get some pictures a little later.  Right now, it's raining outside and we really needed it.  Although our neighbor has about 3 acres of hay down in his field.  At least he got most of it up before it rained on it.

The dogs are doing great.  As they have gotten older, they are slowly getting more lazy.  It works out better for us especially now that I'm at work part of the day.  It doesn't bother them to sleep most of the day away until I come home to let them out to play.

I feel like there is so much to tell you all and not really enough space (or time) to do it.  So I figured if I keep you all up to date a little as a time, it will be easier for all of us.  I just hit the high spots right now.  Maybe in later post,(and there WILL be later posts. yay!) I'll give more details about how things are going.

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl,  I'm really back!!!!

Not Really A Good Bye.

I had a big plan for our farm. A big plan.  I even got a professional logo made.  Don't ya love it?  Anyway, life happens and this big plan has to be put on hold. I have to go back to work full time.  We are very afraid that Hubby will be losing his job soon and I need to take up some slack.  I want to concentrate on my job and to give a lot of energy into making money for our family.  The big plan will just have to wait.

What was the big plan?  Well, does it really matter now?  No, not really.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not down, or even sad that this happened.  That's life.  It must not have been what we were suppose to do.  That's okay.  I know we are moving in the right direction and we are doing what we are suppose to do.

Now, with that being said.  I AM going to have to slow down on doing blog posts.  I know it's been a long time since my last post.  Once again, Life happens.  Since I haven't written on here for a while, I have felt guilty EVERY SINGLE DAY.  I have to stop that.  So I'm not going to put any pressure on myself to write on here.  You can follow me on Facebook.  Just look up Small Farm Girl.  I'll be there.  I do check in there more.  It's easier when I'm at work. You can see how the dogs are growing or how the farm is doing.  I still plan on writing on here every once in a while.  I just don't want to make myself feel guilty if I don't.  So, I'm giving myself permission to RELAX! lol.

So don't look at this as a good bye.  I will still be here.  Just not as much as I feel I need to be to keep this blog up and going full time.

So until next time, (and there will be a next time)

Small Farm Girl, full time worker.

Once Again. Chickens!

We finally got more CHICKENS!!!!  YAY!!!

Hubby found a great deal on some young pullets and hens.  They are just starting to lay eggs.  It is cheaper for us to buy them at this age than it would would be to raise them from little babies.  Although, they aren't as cute as little balls of fluff.

Our 5 roosters that we have, are very happy to have their own little harem.  I'm sure the one single hen that we had was happy to share all the men. lol.  This young rooster was strutting his stuff for the girls.  The wind was really whipping that day as you can tell by his feathers.

Since the weather is starting to turn warmer, I've been feeling a little better, mood wise, and I'm wanting to get out and start on things outside.  I bought a few asparagus plants and I've scoped out a spot in the yard to make an asparagus bed.  It's going to be close to the Shack (which is still under construction).

 I plan on making an announcement about the new things going on here at the farm in the near future.  There are just a few things that need to be taken care of first.  I promise I won't forget you all. lol.

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, egg eater.

Homesteading Videos

It's a hundred degrees below zero here on the farm.  Okay, that may or may not be an exaggeration.  Either way, it's cold!  I keep telling myself that it can't last too much longer.  According to the weather that I check on the Internet, today will be the last REALLY cold day for a while.  It's also telling me that we are suppose to get 3 to 6 inches of snow tonight.  Ugh.  So what does a person do when it's this cold outside? (Other than break ice out of watering bowls for the rabbits and chickens)  I'm watching homesteading videos on YouTube.

If you have the time, and you want a good laugh, I highly recommend watching these videos.  PLEASE REMEMBER, just because these people have a YouTube channel about homesteading DOES NOT make them experts.  In fact, some of these videos are down right entertaining on how BAD they are.  I'm not saying they are ALL wrong.  There are some good ones on there.  But, you have to be selective.  Make sure you do your homework. lol

I really find these videos entertaining, especially the ones that try to be funny and informative at the same time.  Or, the videos where people try to "act" for the camera.  You'll just have to watch some of them.  So the next time you are stuck inside, check some of the homesteading videos out.

I DID find some that I thought were pretty informative.  Come to find out, I know more than I thought. Ha HA! I guess I just think a lot of this stuff as common knowledge. But, that's because I live in the Appalachian area and people still kind of homestead here.  We just call that normal living. 

What I did like about these videos were that they really motivated me into to figuring out our game plan for this coming year.  I started looking into what to plant in our garden. Like I said last year, I don't plan on it being a huge garden.  I'm wanting something that I can maintain.  And with me being down in my back and knees and Hubby working full time, we shall see just how big that will be.  I keep telling myself not to do what I do every year, which is plan this HUGE garden because THIS year I'm going to work in it really hard and pull every weed, and mulch around every plant, and can every veggie that comes out of there.  Ya, that is the lie I tell myself every year.  Then "things" just happen and the garden gets neglected.  We may still get a few things out of the garden every year, but we don't do it justice.  

Well, as I'm typing this, I see the snow is starting to fall.  They have upped the total snow fall amounts just a little.  Oh well, back to watching homesteading videos. lol

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, What's YOUR favorite homesteading information center?

Pups in the Holler (Picture Heavy)

Here are the pictures of the pups in the holler. (Can they still be called pups if they are over a year old?)  You can tell they really liked the fresh spring water.

Chassis watching Holley across the holler.  Can ya see her?  She's beside the old, fallen tree.

Holley looking up the holler.  Hard telling what she sees.  We've got a nickname for her, it's Hurricane Holley.  In the next few pictures, you'll understand why.

Chassis' nickname is Chubby Chassis.  She weighs probably 15 pounds more than Holley.  She's taller too.  It's hard to believe they're from the same litter.

"Let's gooooooo!"

She's always wanting to play.  Even if Chassis' not so sure if she wants to play.

Notice Holley's goofy expression on her face.  It seems to be there a lot.

Chassis has to stay on her toes if she's going to keep up with Holley.

This goes on All. Day. Long.

You can tell the dogs really enjoyed their time exploring the holler.  We have snow on and it's kind of cold, so I haven't been down in there lately.   Can you imagine the energy the dogs have right now?

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, dog referee. 

The Holler (picture heavy)

With the warm weather around here, I decided to take the dogs down into the holler. I don't have good hiking boots yet, so I just pulled on the old Muck Boots and took the four wheeler out for a little ride.

The dogs loved it! I took many pictures of them, but I figured I would leave those pictures for another post.  There were a lot of pictures of the dogs. lol

I hate that there was an old tires down in the holler.  I'm not sure where it came from, but I'm sure it's been there for a REALLY long time. 

This is our house from the back side and the beginning of the holler.

The holler is pretty deep in some places.  I couldn't walk down the hill, let alone ride the four wheeler down there.  In some places, it's straight up and down.  When the kids were smaller, we use to get plastic garbage bags and "sled" down the hill in the leaves.

Here is where a spring comes out of the ground right under this tree.  It always has water here.  Plus, it never has frozen. (yet)

It's deeper than it looks in this picture.

This is our fire ring that we used only a few times.  I LOVE it here in the summer.  It's cooler than on top of the hill.  I would sleep down here, but it's very rocky and I'm very wimpy. lol

The squirrels love it down here too. There's a bunch of nuts.

I noticed a bunch of different types of mushrooms down here too.  I'm gonna have to get a mushroom identification book for the Appalachian Mountains.  I could have a holler full of gourmet food. 

There are many different types of moss too.  The rocks are soooooo beautiful.

I'm just happy to see some signs of green.

The walk/ride did me some good.  I'm the type of person that can recharge in the woods.  I always have been. I just have to remind myself that every once in a while.  I have to reconnect to nature, especially in the winter when the world is dark and gray.  Today was sunny, warm, and wonderful.

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, get out to your holler.

Spring?

It's 66 degrees right now. 66!!!! And, it's the end of January. WOW!  I walked out this morning to feed animals and I smelled Spring.  All we need now is to hear the peeps a peeping.  I don't know if I should be happy or scared of what's coming this Summer.  Well, for right now, I'll just enjoy.

I'm starting out this time of year just like all the other years that I've been homesteading.  I'm looking at the seed porn magazines and wanting a big garden.  The problem with that is I promised myself that I would downsize the garden this year.  I want something that won't overwhelm us.  I'm just going to have a few different things and not the gigantic garden we normally have.  I plan on having my normal tomatoes and beans and corn.  I'm just not going to plant as much.  I also want to try different types of veggies.  We need to mix up the things we eat. Do you have anything that you just HAVE to have in your garden?

As I type this though, I begin to think of the possibility of Hubby losing his job.  The "War on Coal" has really put a hurtin to the Appalachia region.  Not just with the coal mines themselves, but with the steel mills and the rail roads also.  So many people I know are going to, or have already lost their jobs.  Many have had to move away from this beautiful area just because of jobs.

I would be lying if I say we won't be hurting if Hubby loses his job.  We will.  But, we don't owe anything on our house.  At least they can't come for that.  Our vehicles and hay roller may be another story.  Yes, Hubby will get unemployment, but the railroad has it's own unemployment and it's a VERY small amount.  It's getting real around here folks.  The garden may be more of a life saver than just something for fun.

Right now, I'm trying not to worry to much about it.  It hasn't happened just yet.  Only thing we can do is plan for the worst and hope for the best.

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, 66 degrees!!!!!  Woooo  Hoooo!

Technology Auuuuuuggggghhhhh!!!!!

I have a love/hate relationship with technology.  IF it works, it can be very useful.  But, for some odd reason, when it comes to ME and technology, it NEVER wants to work.  Our Internet has been almost non-existent now for at least 3 weeks.  I haven't forgotten you all, I've just not been able to post on here.

In those three (or so) weeks, Hubby's boy had a baby.  She is over 2 weeks old now.  Soon, she will be going to collage. lol.

We also had a pretty significant amount of snow.  I'm thinking they said it was around 11 inches.  Not as dramatic as the 50 inches they had in Washington DC, but enough that it was hard to do the feeding for a few days.  Luckily, it's almost all melted off now.  I'm not a huge fan of snow.  Sure, I like at least one snow in the winter time.  Hopefully around Christmas.  Now, we've had the snow and I'm done with it.  I'm ready for 50 degree weather! I'm not picky or anything. hehehe

So until next time, (or whenever the Internet decides I can get on)

Small Farm Girl, techno hater.

500 Million Dollars

It's 9:00 pm Wednesday evening.  We've just got back from the gas station to get fuel and a dream ticket.  You know, a lottery ticket.  The jackpot is suppose to be over 500 million.  That's a half a BILLION dollars. Do I expect to win? No.  It's just fun to dream.  I DO know a few people who have won the lottery.  One of them won a big one of a few million dollars. The others I know, have won on scratch-offs and other types of lotteries and they won a few thousand dollars.  So, I know that the lotto can be won.

For me, I just want a chance to dream.  I know I probably won't win, but why not give it a try?  The money does go to a lot of different schools plus, I REALLY like to dream about winning it.  On the way back, Hubby and I were spending the 300 million dollar pay-off that we were "going to win." Of course we would have the house finished. We would have a garage built. I would have a barn built. We would have fencing done. We would buy a new tractor. Oh, and give 10% to our church before all of that. And then, I'm not really sure WHAT we would do.  Would we travel, or would we stay put? I do know that I would still live a self sustaining lifestyle.  Grow our own food and such.  I think the money would just make it a little easier. lol.

Oh well, I guess, when I win, I'll be able to figure it out then.  hehehe

Until next time,

Small Farm Girl, the next millionaire.

Running The Dogs

If you've ever had Australian Shepherds, you know how much energy they have. If you've never had them, well, just trust me.  They have A LOT!  So, ever since Jack went to his new home, I've been running the dogs with the four wheeler.  I'll run around the yard and they'll run in front of me.  Well, more like Holly trying to take Chassis' legs out from under her. (Holly's a little trouble maker sometimes.)  We do this until the dogs' tongues are hanging out and they aren't trying to "attack" each other any more. I usually do this twice a day.  Mostly after I do the morning and evening chores.

Since we've had a few days of rain and the ground has gotten a little soft, I've noticed I was making some pretty noticeable tracks in the yard.  So, I decided to run the dogs around the parameters of our fields.  I could kill two birds with one stone.  Check fencing, while the dogs played. The thing is, I think I've enjoyed these runs/rides as much, if not more, than the dogs have.  I forgotten how much I love nature.

Our farm had a lot of open pasture and hay fields.  But, tucked down in the holler and in a couple corners, there are a few acres of woods. These acres are new to me and I haven't explored them.  I didn't realize how much acres of woods we actually had.  That was, until I started doing the runs with the dogs.  I'm thinking about getting some really good hiking boots and see if I can walk a little down in the holler for some exercises.  I haven't tried it yet so I'm not sure how well my legs and back will be able to handle it.  But, I figured it would be better to explore now while the leaves are off the trees, than when it starts to get hotter and the ticks and snakes start coming out. A good walking stick will be useful for me also.  I'm sure there are many things to explore out there. While I was riding, I saw old outcrops of rocks and small waterfalls.  I also saw mushrooms on logs.  Sure, I saw these things from a distance, but that makes me want to get a closer look.  I'll make sure I bring the camera with me so I can post some pictures on here.

 I'll also make sure I bring the dogs, my cell phone, and yes, my pistol.  You never know what I could come across back there. I mean, they HAVE spotted a bear just a mile from here.  The coyotes are horrible around here too.  But, the many times that I've went hunting with my dad and the times I've went by myself, have gotten me prepared for stuff like that. It'll be like finding and exploring a whole new world right in my back yard.  I can't wait!

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, explorer.

Why I Love The New Year

I know it's been a while since I last posted. I've been in some kind of funk. I plan to remedy that.  This year is the year of doing things I want to do! I truly LOVE the new year.  It's one of my favorite times.  For one thing, the craziness of the holidays is over.  And when I say holidays, I mean Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  I feel they all mix together now anyway.   I have my mind on all of them and not on other things that I want to do.  Once again, that's going to change.

Another thing I like about the New Year, is feeling that I get a clean slate to start anew.  I know, I know, I can do that ANY day, but there's just something about January 1st.  I also LOVE to give each year a theme. This year it's the year of fun and stepping out of the box. Doesn't always mean I'm going to do what I say, but that's okay too.  I do it just for fun anyway.  This year I've already made a small "bucket list" of the things I'm going to do. Some are deep and thoughtful, others are just goofy.  Once again, that's okay.

Here's my list, so far....

1. I'm going to write on here MORE!!!
        I love the interaction with you guys! It keeps me grounded.  I have a tendency of thinking of all           kinds of things to do, but this blog keeps me more focused.  So, you can just imagine how                   scatter brained I've been since I've not been posting for a while.

2. I'm going to try different types of teas.
         See, I told you some of these are going to be goofy. lol

3. I'm going to finally buckle down and get my back and knees back to better health.                                       I've been putting off going to specialists about my back and knees, hoping that I would lose                   weight and all  would be well in the world.  Well, when you can barely move, the quality of                 life just isn't as good as it could be.  Time to get something done.  I haven't really put anything              about my health on here because I feel that you guys don't really want to hear about the                        " Whoa is me" type of stuff. I know I don't. lol

4.The all familiar "Lose Weight" resolution.
          I have to put it on here.  It's almost like a friend.

5. I'm going to paint more.
          Plain and simple.

6. Practice my fiddle more.
         Just do it.

7. I'm going to finish the Sherri Shack.
        Since the holidays are over, I'll have time to focus on it more.  Hopefully I'll have more money           to put into it.  Since one of the dogs ended up having Parvo, that took a chunk of change                       from the Shack's pocket.  Priorities though. These little ones come first.

8.I want to cook and eat different types of food.
       As good as southern food is, I'm looking for new and exciting foods. (Ironic that this resolution          came after "lose weight".  lol)

9. Take more risks.
       I'm not a risk taker by nature.  I tend to think and rethink about ANY decision that I have to                make.  ANY decision.  Believe it or not, this is going to be the hardest resolution for me. We will        see how it goes.  I'll keep you all updated.

10. I'm going to learn to make a good pie crust.
          I've had this one on my list before.  Might as well put it back.  If I don't, I'll never learn!!

11. Read more.
          I really like to read.  I use to read all the time.  Now I feel like I don't have time.  I also feel                 guilty when I do read because of all the things that I have to do.  That's going to stop.  Reading           is important too.

12. And last but not least, don't watch tv as much.
           I think I'm addicted to it.  Right now, I have it turned off.  I usually have it on just for the                    noise.  But then, I'll catch myself glancing at it. Then the next thing I know, I'm watching a                  whole episode of something that I don't even care about.  Yep, TV is like a black hole.  It                    sucks you in.  Facebook is the same way.

So these are a few of the things I want to accomplish this year.  That, and a LOT of other things for the farm.  We won't even get into THAT list just yet.  That can be for another post.  I know this list is long, but I can already think of other things that I want to put on here, and I will!  I want to keep doing things and not get stagnate.  That's what had happened to me last year.  Although, health issues can do that to people.

Here's to a more healthier and happier New Year!!!!

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, Back.

So, So, Much

So many things going on this time of year.  With the usual farm stuff and then Christmas on top of that, it's been busy.  Then, this past week and a half, we have been hammered.  There have been two deaths in our extended families.  One on Hubby's side, and one on mine.  Funerals are hard around the holidays.  Funerals are hard ANY time of year.

Then as all of that was going on, Chassis came down with Parvo.  It was horrible.  That poor dog was miserable.  She had to stay 3 days at the vet's.  So much for money for Christmas presents.  Well actually, I took some of the money I had back to finish the Sherri Shack to pay for her vet bills.  I'm glad we had it held back, but now I have to come up with money to fix the Shack. It's just been hard.  We are keeping an eye on Holley hoping she won't come down with it too.

I haven't had much time to write on here, as you can probably see.  We have been going one day at a time.  Still soooooo much to do.  I haven't even began decorating for the Christmas, but I will.  I really want to this year.  So instead of getting ready to decorate, I'm here. hehehehe.

Oh well, I thought I'd catch you all up on a few things.  I haven't disappeared off the face of the Earth, yet.  I was going to say the posts may be farther apart, but that's pretty much how they've been anyways.  Hopefully we will get everything back on track.

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl

Goodbye Jack...

I hate to write this post.  I hate it, I hate it, I hate it.   But......
We have to rehome Jack.  We have tried for 3 years to keep him from killing our chickens, but it's just not working.  We have even put the chickens behind a fence reinforced with cattle panels and he got in and killed them.  HE BENT THE CATTLE PANELS to get in and kill the chickens!!!!!!  He has cost us more money and more time than any other animal on the farm.  He has to go.

 We found him a home a few miles away from us.  He will be living with a military vet and his wife and kids (which he loves).  They live up a holler where there is no traffic.  This is good because Jack had gotten to where he was running after certain cars that would go down the road. He would have gotten hit here sooner or later.  His new family also has 77 acres of land that he can run on. That's more than what he has here too.

I'm going to miss him.  He really was a good dog to me.  He guarded me like it was his job, which it was.  Now he has another family to guard.  A family that doesn't have chickens, and a family that has children that he can play with.  I know it will be an adjustment, but Jack loves EVERYBODY (especially kids) so I know he will be fine.  Actually, he will probably be more than fine. He will love his new home.

With us living on a farm, we will need an outside dog.  I don't know if we will use one of the Aussies as an outside dog, or get another dog.  If we get another one, we'll go to the dog pound and get one.  We think a pound dog makes the best dogs.  We have gotten them there before.  We usually get an older one because we know that an older dog doesn't have a huge chance of someone taking him home.  And, what dog wouldn't want to live the rest of its life on a farm?  

We had tried everything so that we could have kept Jack.  I didn't want him to have to live his life on a chain or in a small kennel.  I like him too much for that.  Although it's not easy for me, I know this is what's best for everyone.  We had planned on getting a good flock of chickens soon.  I know that if he had killed them, we would have done something in anger and I don't want that.  Once again, I think we are doing the best thing.  It's still not easy.

So until next time,

Small Farm Girl, feeling low.

P.s.  Please no negative comments or telling us what we "should have done." We have tried EVERYTHING.