We had babies... Chicks that is!

Great googly moogly! Wee balls of fuzz invaded Godsbreath Farm! Both from a new incubator and we duck sat for JV. 

We bought a new incubator. Our Brinsea Mini decided it didn't want to work anymore. So we made the big choice to snag a new one from our local TSC. 

I didn't check reviews of this, Harris Farms Nurture Right 360- ($135.00)  but we love it! We choose the one that holds 22 eggs, it has a self-turner, a built-in candler, thermometer, counts down to hatch time, external water pot for easy adding, and auto stop for hatching 3 days before! 

I don't get kickbacks from this but if you are looking for to hatch your own consider this incubator. :) I plan to hatch out some ducks and another batch of chicks starting next week to send to the animal auction. We may keep some of the ducks and send our older crew to the pot. It's not engraved in stone but it's a possibility for the Fall. 


JV's Motley Crew will be going back to her homestead. I may ask if I can keep a few. Our guests are Pekin, Khaki Campbell, and Rouen ducks. They are so cute, but the old battalion is having a hard time adjusting to them. Our male Pekin keeps picking on her and they seem messier than our four. I would still love to find some Indian Runners. I think those would complete our duck adventure! 

We found these last week- 

The is technical name for it and the shorter a name,"Stinkhorn" mushroom. There are other nicknames for it too.

The brown slime on the top attracts all kinds of ants, flying insects, and the like. I haven't smelled them, but I have read that they are smelly like rotting meat. EW, right?! I found them in our mulch. It's not that uncommon. If you handle them you are to wash your hands right away. I'm not planning on doing so or frying them up. (They aren't poisonous.)

My second hive is doing well. WHEW! I was worried after the first one died after a week. The place where we got them called me back after I told them what happened and I never heard back. I do have to try to reach out to them again next week to figure out what the heck happened. 

Our garden is growing well. I attempted to give it a boost by making some compost tea. The results are still out on this one. The darned Japanese Beetles are back, but this time we have the traps out sooner. We feed the bugs to the chickens and ducks... Free food!

 Now before you ask about the statues. I have no idea what came over my fascination with religious statues. I have no clue! No, I haven't turned away from Christianity or joined a different religion. They just tickle me. No worshipping these are necessary. Don't ask for more because there is no more. (BIG GRIN!)

What else is new? I began a book tour for my memoir, "Call me Master" and how I healed, "Rising from the Ashes". I also wrote a short guidebook, "Old Stuff & Dusty Treasures, for someone that wanted to jump into the world of antiques. I was tickled to find someone in Great Britain bought one! So now I'm an International Author! YAY!

Sharing my story has brought a whirlwind of wonderful opportunities for me to inspire someone that is trapped in an abusive situation or perhaps that just left. 

More about that on my other blog- Hope when there was none, you can also find information on where I'll be next on my book tour, speaking engagements, podcasts, and more!

So, let's talk about health. If you're new here, I have been battling Lyme dis-ease for well over 12+ years. I was infected by one Spider in 2007, another Spider in 2015, and once more in 2017 by a Mosquito. Yep, I'm fun to have around! 

You may be scratching your head about this because you have been told you can only get Lyme from Ticks or they aren't in Indiana or I am mistaken since Tick Nymphs are so teeny. 

Well, my Friend, Spider one- I found that the next morning after I rolled on it in the night and it tried to defend itself by biting my hip. I had the Lyme Flu the next day. Spider two was memorable because I felt the bite on my thigh. And within hours I had the Lyme Flu.

The mosquito bite? Yes, on my hip AGAIN but in a different area. Within hours it developed a funky look but I didn't get the Flu that time. 

Why didn't I go to the ER? With my first bite, I did. I was reassured that I was having a negative reaction to that type of spider and I would be okay. They gave me some Benadryl and Cortisone and sent me on my way. For subsequent episodes, I figured the same. SIGH!

I have been feeling all weird again. Irregular heartbeat, Air hunger, Vertigo, increasing Migraines, feeling hungry all the time even after eating, I gained weight (Despite trying Keto, Juicing, No whites and just laying off the carbs), and I was exhausted again. I was beginning to sleep all the time. There were more symptoms creeping back.

I was planning out my last moments again. Yes, it was getting "that bad". I didn't want to put it all out there. I smile. I try not to complain too much.  Jessica, my eldest was begging me to stop talking about my funeral on several occasions. The rest of my family was doing the same. 

Since the great knee incident, I feel as though I wanted to seclude myself. In some ways, I was feeling sorry for myself and like a burden to my family. Trust me I was praying, doing my affirmations, and vision board. My health is nowhere as poor as many chronic Lyme Warriors, but there are negative thoughts that pass through your mind. Luckily, we met Amber and Matt. She raises chickens, ducks, and goats. Mr. Awesome answered an ad about some rare breeds and we had the chance to buy new wee babies. Amber and I struck up a conversation and found out that we had Lyme in common. She alerted me about changes in the laws for Indiana. Mr. Awesome said to get my butt in to see if our favorite doctor can help. I am forever grateful for that meeting!

I went earlier this week. We discussed the possibility that my thyroid was burning green wood rather then seasoned wood. There's more to that but you get the jist. He ordered blood work, and a neato test to find out what medications and such will work for my body. He received the results yesterday and as suspected I was burning green wood. What this meant was a 45 day trial of a medication to give me a boost. He called in the prescription and within a half hour I was on my way to pick it up. I popped one and I gotta tell you, Mr. Awesome and I noticed a difference within an hour!

Today has been amazing! I slept through the night well. I haven't felt the need to take nap. I have more energy and feel good. It's been so long that I admit I'm waiting to see what happens tomorrow. In this short period of time I have chatted with another Lyme Warrior and she has been a wealth of information about Parasites! 

Tomorrow I do have a book signing at Somethin's Brewin Coffee

 Shop & Cafe at ReChic Unique Boutique in Demotte, IN from 1:00 P. M. to 3:00 P. M. I can't wait!


I am feeling blessed at this positive change in my body. I'll keep you updated. 

What's next? If my health continues then that bike across America may be in the works. 

Whatever your journey, I hope that it is blessed and wonderful! Have a great weekend! Talk to you soon!

Much love and BIG HUGS,
Mel

P.S.- If you know someone that is being abused or you suspect they may be. Contact your local law enforcement or shelter. You can also find a great deal of information here-www.thehotline.org

Spring has sprung!

I'm thrilled Spring is finally here. Everything is a wonderful shade of green, flowers popping up all over. I have my garden in for the most part. I'm still undecided what else to plant. I don't want to put too much in that it is too overwhelming for me to take care of. 

Mr. Awesome made a raised bed that helps tremendously since my knee is still healing. Speaking of my knee, it's doing much better. It will be six months in a few weeks since the dastardly incident. I have been riding my stationary bike. I'm nowhere near the miles I put on when I began training. That kind of bums me out but these things happen for a reason. So, if I don't ride across the States on or before I'm 50 I would very much like to walk the Appalachian Trail or maybe the other great ones in the U.S.

Now for the sad news and good news. 

 First the good- Fred appears to be healed from the fox. The adorable wee chicks are doing good and we have seven more ducks from a friend!

The bad- We lost two chicks. A raccoon or possibly a cat attacked one of the bigger chicks (Rooster) in the middle of the night. I put out some of the chicks early since the temps are running above 60 at night but a few days back it dropped to the low 50's with rain and one chick decided to stay out in the rain with the big chicks and may not have been able to get warm again. It died overnight. 

We have a feral cat that had kittens. I believe our dog injured either the Momma or one of her kittens. There was a terrible mournful sound that came out of her hiding spot. That was before we realized she has kittens. She did defend herself and both of our dogs have some scratches from the scuffle. Momma cat has since moved her nest under some wood poles we have. We can't see her but the dogs know she's there. They got into it again a few days ago. No one was hurt except some pride. 

The mole is back in the yard and garden. But since using the raised bed and an old tractor tire with chicken wire underneath the beds are doing wonderful! 

In fantastic news, Peanut graduated! She is unsure of her future. We are trying to be supportive of her. If you haven't heard our story, my girls have PTSD with social anxiety. The thought of going away or starting another job scares her. 

I have two new books out! Find out more here- Hope when there was none or on my Facebook page. Or go to Amazon to purchase. 

In homeschool news. I'm pretty proud of how far Mini Man has come. I didn't push him. I introduced subjects that were of his interest. I did purchase The Playful Pioneers curriculum through The Peaceful Press. It's based on The Little House on the Prairie books. We love it! 

I ended up getting off track after injuring my knee and one too many Lyme flare-ups. I relied on YouTube and Netflix to help me through that time. I also picked up worksheets, workbooks and textbooks from Teachers Pay Teachers, yard sales and Dollar Tree. I've found books on poetry, history, and more. I'm pretty tickled. I have enough to keep him schooled through the 4th grade. I decided to teach him cursive handwriting straight out of the gate. Right now we are just learning letters with a sprinkling of words. Next year I plan to introduce usage in all of his writing. 

There is a learning curve. Despite the fact I have three grown children they went to public school so I never had to really assist them with homework. This is new.  I do enjoy it. I can go at his pace. We can take more time to work on things that he doesn't understand or that he needs to keep practicing. I don't make him do more than two hours of work. He is antsy after 20 minutes. We take breaks. Have YouTube/Netflix learning videos only days. We have game day or reading day. We also work on Art, Social Studies, History from time to time. Every day is Reading, Writing, Math. No, if's, and's, or but's.


I had to do what works for both of us and I told Mr. Awesome that I would like to school him year round. We will take breaks for the holidays of course. 


It's been busy around here. How is it in your neck of the woods?