A surprise Thanksgiving and fun stuff!

First off... Do you remember at the end of my previous post when I asked for thoughts if I should cut my hair? Well, I did it I cut my hair! Now, I'm letting it grow in for the winter and plan to do this cut again. I loved the playfulness of it! 

I hope you had an amazing Thanksgiving! We had an impromptu holiday! Jess, Don and Short Stack came over to visit and I went into overdrive trying to make the "perfect meal". 

UGH! Let's just say that sometimes I don't do well under pressure... I forgot about the ham and it was very well done. I planned on making green bean casserole and realized I didn't have green beans to make it. I made vegetarian stuffing and added WAY TOO MUCH Rosemary. It was good once you mixed it with the cranberries, mashed potatoes, and sweet potatoes. 

Everyone was pretty kind about it but I felt pretty crummy. Especially since Jess is vegan and eats no gluten, sugar, dairy, or eggs. I made the veggie stuffing just for her but it was hardly palatable without mixing it in the other stuff which contained things she could not eat.  Did I say UGH?!


Did I mention we now have a GOAT?! SQUEAL! Lt. Dan (Mr. Dan or Dan the Wonder Goat) is a Boer Goat and is a sweet pie! He has back leg issues but that doesn't stop him from getting around. He is still rather shy with us but yells for us when he needs food and water. (Typical male!)

He gave me a scare a few days back when I heard this awful shrieking from outside. When I poked my head outside I saw that he was tangled up in our tomato cage that I had sitting alongside our fence! 

I hurried, threw shoes on, shouted for Alex to help me and flew out the door. (This picture and the next one are him checking out "The Abbey" the duck truck. He was not stuck just a place to scratch his neck and chin)

After closer examination, we figure he went inside the end of the cage but realized he was in too far when he tried to back out so instead,he stood up which knocked him off his feet trying to get out. This is just our theory.

Luckily I heard him hollering for me! Our tomato cages are made with pretty heavy metal and I couldn't find Mr. Awesome's heavy duty cutters with time and patience he was finally free. Once he was up and around he relieved himself and hustled back to eating some greens. That was WAY TOO much excitement for me! 


So, I mentioned my thoughts about opening an Airbnb/Farmstay to Mr. Awesome. After some careful thought and research, he said okay! YAY! We still have, "Godherd the bus" that is in process of being remodeled. Check out our page God's Breath Farm 

He hopes to build a few tiny houses, (This is great because I am still planning on the having a healing sanctuary here as well.) a possible Teepee, Gypsy Trailer (Shepherd's camper) and also offering primitive spots. 

We hope to open in the Spring of 2020. There is SO much to do! I am not as handy with tools or construction as I would wish to be. I hoped to be able to help more with these projects. I do need to focus on getting the garden up and running. Soil testing, mulch, researching plants, trimming trees, tagging edible/medicinal/herbal plants and trees on the property. 

Also to possibly add more goats for Mr. Dan to frolic with. We are still thinking about adding sheep as well. We were gifted 12 new ducks, hens and bought 2 other hens. This brings our flock to 27. Well, last night we lost one so we are at 26. There are about 4 Roosters that we will probably take to auction in a few weeks. 

Today all the fluffy animals are happy to have bellies full of pumpkins that were donated by Donna from a nearby town.

Last year I saw that she had put about a dozen or so curbside and we snagged them for the chickens. I stopped in October this year to ask if she could give me a call if she was putting them curbside this year and she gave us a call! Alex and Mini Man took turns showing off mad skills with the machete. I was a bit nervous with Mini Man and gave him orders to squish the mushy ones instead. We had a eager flock ready to nibble! 

I found a beekeeping group that meets about 40 minutes north of us and I am looking forward to having a mentor! We chatted with Jerry and his wife, Tara from Illiana Beekeepers Alliance




In scary news, Mr. Awesome went to the E.R. a few weeks back. He had been experiencing some discomfort in his belly and he called me after it grew too uncomfortable for him one day. I knew it was serious! He is one to never complain about being sick! 

They labeled him with a pulled muscle but after seeing his follow-up doctor it may be something to do with his colon. There is no way to say any of this nicely (COUGH! Colonoscopy!). She prescribed some antacids and will see if that helps his discomfort and if that doesn't help he may need to have the Colonoscopy. Let's just say he is not happy about that but we praying it resolves itself. 

He has since reduced his coffee intake to 2 cups a day, GASP! That is serious! There is concern over his heart issues as well. He had been dealing with stress from his side of the family some time ago. A few things are unresolved and still sting. These weigh heavily on his mind. He misses his daughter that he hasn't heard from in sometime. He always wanted her to feel independent and that she could talk to him anytime. He didn't wish to pressure her into calling him all the time or about coming over. This could have led to perhaps some feelings that we are his "new family" and that he doesn't wish to have anything to do with her. Which is FAR from the case. 

Terry  and I feel that we are missing out on seeing her and her child. We don't have funds to see her as much as we would like. Nor does he want to hound her to call him. 

I don't feel close enough to call her. In the past I was had been pretty vocal on how I feel about how she treats him. You see my father figures (except my step-dad, Chet) was not rosy. Not to toot Terry's horn but he never beat her nor was he abusive in any other fashion so this boggles my mind as why she doesn't contact him. 

There's more but that is part of the issues with some of his family members. He says that it doesn't bother him but I know these things do. I'll keep you posted on what happens next. If you could keep him wrapped in prayers I would appreciate it greatly!

In other news that I shared on my Hope when there was none page, I was honored to be asked to be part of Dimensions of Intersections! 

The mission of Dimensions of Intersections, Inc. is to "Plant SEEDS of Hope" with victims and survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse; and any individual who is in any way effected by mental illness with the hope of providing adequate Support, Education, Empathy, Empowerment and Diversity ("SEEDS") to those seeking our love, care and respect. Please check the organization at the link above. There are many wonderful changes that have been going on for the upcoming months!

I have one more speaking engagement for this year that I am super excited about and have two appearances planned for 2019 but plan to add as many as possible next year. 

I put out a few messages on social media in hopes of having some help finding groups and organizations to speak with. So far I haven't gotten any nibbles. I won't give up hope to keep sharing my story of surviving abuse or the other topics I speak about. Check out my Hope when there was none blog for posts on this and also "Searching for the light" stories from victims and Survivors of abuse.  

If you haven't picked up a copy of my book at local libraries in my part of Indiana (Lowell, Brook, Lake Village, or Demotte) they can be purchased online at Amazon. 

I hope the rest of your week is wonderful!

BIG HUGS!
Mel

Here comes Fall!

What an amazing Summer! I have to admit slacking in the garden. My helpers kind of shied away from the heat and the weeds grew tall! While the rabbits were actually taken out by the hawks and foxes, the garden was infested with various types of caterpillars! 

I only found a small handful of Hornworms. YAY! That was a WIN! But, the other ones had a feast! There were click bugs, stink bugs, and some bugs that I don't know what they are called but they bit like a beast for something so small. 


Our bounty was not so big. For some reason, though I planted early enough, the plantings didn't really pop until later in the season. 

In the meantime, the chickens and ducks are doing great in the run. We opened up the garden so they could range in there. There is hope we can let them free-range again once the corn privacy fence is down. The soybeans were recently harvested but since the fox used the corn as a shield we wish to wait a bit.

Did I tell you I lost my 2nd hive? I'm pretty heartbroken and haven't cleaned the box yet. I took the lid off and see there are some interesting bugs that have taken residence in it. I'm kinda dreading the clean up. But, I need to salvage the few bits of honey that is remaining. We made a bunch of Elderberry syrup, see video here

We took a trip to the Museum of Science and Industry. My Sister works there so we had the chance to visit and look around with her. 

The kids had a blast! We missed a few

of the exhibits but hope to go back sometime. I was proud of Peanut for volunteering for experiments. She has anxieties and crowds scare her but she was AMAZING! Mini Man did a few activities and can't wait to go back again.  

Speaking of missing things, we didn't do our "annual" Turkey Run trip. My knee is still healing and I worried that I could hurt it again. All my plans to ride a bike long range are put on hold. 

On the health front, my Dad had much needed knee surgery and he is recovering well. My own health has improved, though I do still have Lyme symptoms. Migraines are most bothersome. But, my thyroid is so much better. I check in the doctor next month for blood work. 

Mr. Awesome and I did manage to hit a few neat antique shops! Always fun! Mini Man and I met with my Sister, Mandy and my Nephew Dom (A.K.A.- Graham Cracker) for a trip to the pumpkin patch with his school. I was worried about the corn maze part. Last year, Mini Man had a meltdown in the maze. 

He was convinced we wouldn't be able to get out and started panicking. I dreaded this part of the trip but he did well.There was a bit of tension in his voice,this was

broken by seeing so many other people around. 

I was able to cross off a trip alone from my Bucket List! I took part in sharing "Vision Boards" with a wonderful group of women at the Gypsy Soul Retreats. It was so much fun! There is a date set for next year, so visit the site for more information. 

Aside from this, I was able to schedule several more book signings for my books- Call me Master and Rising from the Ashes and had more opportunities that you can catch here- Hope when there was none blog. 

We are planning on creating an Airbnb! I'm not sure if it will up and running next year but I'm crossing my fingers on this and my wee antique shop! 


I joined a writing group in my area- find them here- Prairie Writers Guild.They are a great bunch. If you are in NW IN area check them out!

The picture here is not the PWG group. This was taken last night as I shared my story and bits of information about Teen dating violence- signs parents should look for. It was a night of tears, sharing, and great support! I have met the most wonderful people on this journey of sharing. I am overwhelmed by the communities support. 

My worries right now, besides the usual bills and money is, "Do I grow my hair out because it's bugging me now?" Isn't that great!? Seriously, it seems dumb but that is my concern. I am pretty content and happy with this life of mine. :) 

All in all, it has been a wonderful Summer and Spring! Did I say, "I love my life"? 

BIG HUGS,
Mel

P.S.- So, do you think should I cut my hair again?

What did the fox say?

Apparently... NOM! NOM!

We started the Spring with 24 chickens. Not including our incubated balls of fluff. That number has dwindled down to 10. Granted 1 was eaten by a revenge-filled cat, 1 natural causes, and a possible raccoon snagged 1 or 2. The rest have been taken by foxes.

As beautiful as these creatures and the others are it makes us pretty upset. Mr. Awesome has some plans to get the remaining flock enclosed. In the meantime, when we don't let the dog out to roam the property we put a radio on. I read somewhere that one trick is to leave it on because it sounds like humans are out and about.

This is our fault of course. If we had a run perhaps we could have saved them or at least some of them. :(

In other news, our garden is in full swing. I haven't used it to its maximum potential. This year I'm

blaming it on my healing knee. Remember "The great knee incident" last December? Oh don't get me wrong I'm healing awesome. I am just a bit impatient in the process.

Mr. Awesome built raised beds for me that are working out splendidly. It has helped out well since squatting is not really something I'm doing a lot of right now.

We hatched out another set of chicks and included ducks! Out of 6 chicks and 6 ducklings, we now have 5 chicks and 2 ducklings. :)

These cute balls of fluff are not going out to range for a while. There is a hawk that has been roaming from time to time. That hawk made a meal of a newer chick.


My bees are not thriving. I had my nose in the hive several times but I am not seeing progress. I haven't talked to the bee people down the road but hope to do so to find out the magic they are using to keep the hives alive. I have been doing research on this and it still sounds as though it is due to the spraying of pesticides on farms. Since we are surrounded by farmland then it is a BIG problem for us. I'm scratching my head as to how to keep bees and keep them alive.

In other news, I was honored to be invited to be interviewed on The Bill & Kail Show about my story of abuse. I have been doing a series of videos about abuse, writing, and find us here-  Our YouTube channel. There is more but I'll be sharing that on my other blog later today- Hope When There Was None.

I hope your week is going great!

God bless and much love to you!

BIG HUGS,
Mel

It's a Beetle invasion and not the musical kind!

UGH!

These bugs ate much of our garden goodies last year and were beginning to start the destruction again this season. We bought a few traps late in 2017 to fight back. This year we were armed with a few more traps and hungry feathered critters.

We have probably have fed about 5 pounds of beetles in a month or so. The damage hasn't been to the extent as last year. They are feasting on the Milkweed.

Next on the list of critters to get rid of are the Moles! Check back soon for more on our next round of hatching chicks and ducklings, and how our garden is growing. Find more videos on our YouTube channel!

I hope your having a most excellent day :)

BIG HUGS,
Mel

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?

The mystery of the missing duck... SOLVED!

Frankie the Duck- she thought she was a chicken

A few weeks back we lost my favorite duck. Well, we didn't lose her. She vanished!

Now this isn't uncommon when you have outdoor critters. There are various reasons for missing animals such as, predators or they wandered off to pass away if they were sick or maybe someone swiped them. It's sad but these happen.

Mr. Awesome and Peanut looked all over the yard and even investigated a pile of white something that turned out to be a plastic bag up close.

A few days later, Mr. Awesome and me had a trip to pick up a table and chairs from a nearby town late in the evening. We arrived home to find the flock put away. This was unusual. Why? Peanut puts them away and it's usually a lot later though we have reminded her to please put them away sooner especially after Frankie went missing.

She stuck her head out the door to help light my way down the path. I'm still healing from the "Great knee incident". I applauded her for getting them in without me having to bark at her. She said, "Come in I've got a story to tell you!"

I hobbled in faster.

She said the dog started barking madly so she let the dog out only to watch a Fox happily trotting down the yard with a duck in it's mouth!

The dog went tearing after the fox, which decided to let go of the duck and run away.

After getting the petrified duck back in the Abbey, she closed up the rest of the crew and went back in the house with the dog. Not even 5 minutes later the dog started barking again! Apparently, this fox was super hungry. She let the dog out a second time. This time the dog chased the fox about a few acres down the road.The next day she appeared to be just fine.

Now we know what happened to Frankie. 😢

Raccoon at base of tree.
I didn't want to show gore so I pulled back a bit

Next 3 days ago, Mr. Awesome noticed movement on top of the barn. He believed it was a Raccoon. These guys mean business when it comes to snagging out animals as well. We were monitoring the situation when I saw something big and fuzzy hanging out of the tree in our front yard.

Guess what, it was the raccoon! If you are squeamish please stop here. We are mini-homesteaders and our farm animals are not pets. They provide food for us so we do not take kindly to predators.

Mr. Awesome put the raccoon down. There was no nest and we believe it is the same one we saw prior to this a week ago in a yard about a mile down. There is an abandoned silo there and I was pretty sure that was it's home. Now just to clarify, we do live trap animals if needed. Also, there are protected animals, check your local area for information.

Enter in a new flock soon or hens or chicks we want to be sure everyone is safe and sound as best possible. This means we protect our flock by whatever means necessary. We are out in the country so we do have coyotes, hawks, raccoons, foxes, cats and even other dogs to keep away from our critters.

Prior to having farm animals, I thought it was cruel to take a life of a majestic and cute animal. That stopped the day our flock of 20 was decimated by a family of foxes 7 years ago. Don't get me wrong I still believe they are beautiful but from afar.

As for the fox? We are unsure what happened to it. Now either the dog was enough to scare it off or after the situation Peanut witnessed I was in the yard the next day when I heard a few gun shots. Again, we are out in the country so that isn't unusual but it was only a few and silence. We have a neighbor about 5 miles down the road that also has chickens between our house and their home the fox may have been having a buffet.

I'm crossing my fingers that this will be all for now...

God bless! I hope your day is awesome!

Coming up tomorrow, "Homeschool game day" and I finally started my seeds for the garden! Did you know I have 2 books out soon? I am setting up book signings in the area and I'm excited but this is another post.😊

BIG HUGS!
Mel

Where oh where can Spring be?

I'm almost certain Spring is going to skip us this year. The weather has been so crazy! Upper 50's and sunny than the next it's in the 20's with snow?!

There are seed packets still in dire need of unpacking. These last few months have totally thrown me off my game. Call me a bad gardener. I can't be the only one that just is not feeling it.
On a good note, China Doll sprouted some tomato seeds so I do have 8 starts! WAHOO!

We should be hearing from the Bee supply company soon about our package of bees. I am so excited! Hopefully I can find a mentor to help me along. I have read so many books and watched YouTube videos but there is something wonderful about having a 'Go-to person'.

The first flea market of the year is coming up in a few weeks and I am just not as prepared as I had hoped. Thank goodness I do have some time to get my butt going. I will be having bargain boxes, where everything in the boxes will be $1.00 each.

This also gives me a chance to have an Author event for signing my book, Call me Master. I have Hope when there was none for tips, suggestions, or inspiring quotes.
received much support and love from sharing. I have been able to spread awareness and help women learn simple tools to begin healing from abuse. Visit my page at

This is us in a nutshell!

I hope you are having an excellent day!

God bless!

BIG HUGS,
Mel

Is Winter over yet?

I would wager to say this has to be the coldest Winter in a very LONG time!

Being homebound has given me a bit of a cabin fever. I did get out over the past two weekends. Short trips into the nearby town. I got pretty pooped pretty fast. I'll find out later this week what is the story about my knee. (If I need surgery) The results show ligament tears, cartilage damage and my MCL has a tear. I'm still hobbling around on my crutches. This is week 7 and I was hoping for more mobility. I think I'm pushing myself too hard.

The rest of this Winter has not been uneventful!

Sadly, we have lost 3 hens due to the cold and 1 hen from an Owl. Right now we have 5 Ducks and 8 Chickens, including our Roo.  Our hope is to make or buy an incubator to hatch more. Or hit the farm auction in a few months for wee ones.

Our neighbor was wonderful to plow us out a few times! The pipes in the bathroom froze on two occasions. We were without propane twice, once due to running out, the company didn't come out in time to fill us and the other was due to the blower going out.

I've been pounding away on my second book. YAY me!

Homeschooling has been fun, but yet challenging. Mini Man is more of  Kinesthetic learner- meaning he learns much better through physical actions then me yammering on about different subjects.

My wonderful Sister came out for a visit a few weeks back. It was a lovely time! I twisted her arm to do a Vision Board. She brought Zucchini that was super yummy. Mini Man and my adorable Nephew played Nerf guns and ran around like mad men.

We're still doing garden planning and other house projects. I say, "We" but I really mean Mr. Awesome. I kind of just supervise from the couch. But I did treat myself to some nifty photo boxes that I am using for my seed storage. SWOON! I love how they look in them! Most of the seeds are ones I have collected from the previous years harvest. I do have a bit older and plan to test them to see if they are still viable before planting.




So, we burn our paper out in a burn barrel. Peanut is in charge of this task. Well... It was a bit breezy on Saturday when she tackled this project. Sure enough a ember flew out and WHOOSH! She came running in the house yelling for Mr. Awesome that the field was on fire. YIKES!






He ran outside and I hobbled to the back door to catch a few pictures. The event took about a half hour. Both of them were pretty tired when they got back in. We had planned on doing a bit of a small burn to hit the Thistles that are crazy in the meadow. So in a way it works out?






It was so nice outside yesterday we went to church! It's been ages and I missed going. The weather was also nice enough that Mr. Awesome grabbed chairs and I was able to ground myself.

I also got a chance to see some bee's flying and our other critters having a run around the yard.

Besides my knee, the Lyme has been flaring fierce. The upcoming supermoon is definitely making my body wonky. Creepy crawly, migraine, body pains and just all around feeling crappy.

I am putting in paperwork for Disability. It's my 4th round of doing so. This time I received a notice in the mail that my health provider considers my health medically frail and that I should consider filing for disability. I'm torn. I want to beat this. The flip side is that Lyme will never completely go away. It will hide (remission) until something causes it to rear its ugly head again. I don't wish to call myself disabled. That makes me feel defeated. Does that make sense? I do need to jump back on the fitness wagon by cutting out the sugar, carbs and other inflammatory things. I know I'll feel better. On the flipside I hate to burden my family with added special foods for groceries. I haven't cooked too much since the great knee incident. Convenience prepacked foods have been in the house. Where is Spring? Maybe that will help my mood.

So how is your Winter looking?

Hope your day is great!

BIG HUGS!
Mel