Call him Patchy the Pirate...

Sorry for the picture fuzz. Mini Man was kind enough to grab a picture of Mr. Duck looking all torn and bloody from a skirmish between himself and Fred the Rooster. Fred lost a Spur in the fiasco.

Here's the story. The small door on the coop for the hens is wood, it swelled and wouldn't open. Peanut has been doing a great job taking care of the crew since I have been healing from "The great bounce house injury" but the big door that she opened instead closed leaving the Fred and crew to head over the Abbey (Duck Truck).

Peanut wanders out after dark, saw that they were all huddled in the Abbey and closed them up for the night. The next morning Mr. Awesome saw the carnage. Mr. Duck had blood all along side his head, pictured here and it appears his eye is badly injured. I hobbled out today and saw that it looks like he was just pecked quite a bit and he will not lose his eye. Both Fred and Mr. Duck are not being housed together anymore. Peanut feels terrible about the situation. I do have to have some help rounding him up to treat it so it doesn't get infected. I'm hoping we don't have to throw him in the pot for dinner, but if it comes to that...

Sadly, we have lost 5 Hens due to the extreme cold weather and I found out I lost my beehive. I do have another package coming and hope to order a second as well. We will be able to glean left over honey and beeswax.

We are all pretty heartbroken over all of these losses. But, it is a fact of life here on a farm. You lose animals or they get sick or in the case between Fred and Mr. Duck it's pretty gruesome. Why I love to share pictures of the fuzzy cuteness I am showing the some of the dirty and grim times.

We also had some heavy rains a few weeks back. The light in the kitchen leaked! We have a roof leak and it came in so hard and for such a long time the leak traveled down from the attic and down. My strategic placement of pans and totes came in handy but it came with such fierceness Mr. Awesome had to empty them out several times. We have a 5 gallon container handy and that was filled and emptied 5 times over the course of 2 days. That is A LOT for us.

There is a blessing that we didn't have the damage that many of the surrounding towns did. We are on a bit of a hill so that helps immensely!

Mr. Awesome will be making some raised beds soon for me. I have order some seeds soon! I have more herbs and speciality plants for tackling my health issues. We can't wait for Spring. I'm sure your ready too! Last week I noticed the Redwing Blackbirds were back in the area, the next day Seagulls, those creepy Turkey Buzzards, and my favorite Robins!

In homeschooling news I scored a 6 activity Smithsonian Science set that was New in the box from Goodwill. It includes a Crystal growing kit, Weather Station, Earth model, Bug Eco house, Dinosaur dig (pictured) and a Volcano. WAHOO! Mini Man has been thrilled and my intention was to use the set over a 6 week period but he has been so gung ho to tackle the projects I didn't have the heart to say no. That smile says it all!





China Doll (in the red shirt) is having a birthday tomorrow, I can not believe this Lady is going to be 20 years old. Time is flying by so fast and I'm not sure where it went.

Having suffered from PTSD, Anxiety, Postpartum, chronic illness, cutting, and Depression she has blossomed and transformed in the past year. I am so proud of her and how far she has come. The road to healing is not over and she is beginning her own healing path.


In other news, I checked out a place for rent for a potential Antique shop. Now, I'm not saying we are opening one. It was a random idea from Mr. Awesome. There are so many projects needed in and around the house, my little shop on the farm may take awhile longer. While I like the idea I am not sure about shelling out a huge amount of money for rent. I plan on setting up at the upcoming Jasper County Flea Market in April! I'll also be toting copies of my book with me for purchase. Which brings me to my next thought I just dropped onto my better half's lap...

A book tour! I never really had a book launch. I stumbled on a inspiring page by author Kyna Bryn . She shares her raw story of survival. On her page I noticed she does a bunch of Book Tours. Please check out here story.

I have no idea why I didn't think of it before. She has been very kind and patient enough to answer questions for me about this. I will start calling, planning and scheduling for the Summer months to a circuit. My knee should be a bunch better by then and Peanut will be off school so this will work out well. I was asked to speak at a group in the Fall about Domestic Violence. God is good! If you have any suggestions or ideas for a place to do a book signing at please let me know. 

I try not to share too much about my past here. Abuse is not a pretty subject. Honestly, I would rather share pretty flowers, herbs, fuzzy chicks and feathered animals but the Lord has other plans for me. I'm not sure what He has in store for me but His plans are better than mine.

Last week I shared on social media that I was able to take 100% of the royalties from my book sales and I donated them to a local group that supports Survivors/Victims of abuse find them here- Heart to Heart Outreach! HAPPY DANCE! Thank you for purchasing my book! I greatly appreciate it.

I have also been able to share my book in PDF form to Survivors as well at no charge. My goal in writing my book was not to slam my ex or profit from my past. I wanted to share my story so others would know they are not alone. I am not sharing this to boost or for a big head. I am sharing how God's hand has worked in my life.

That is it in a nutshell! I hope your day is as wonderful as you are! Thanks for listening from our home to yours...

BIG HUGS,

Mel & Mr. Awesome

P.S.- If you are seeking information or immediate help for surviving abuse contact The Hotline or your local police department. 

I am always happy to talk to you! Whether you need to vent, cry or just bounce ideas off of. Email me at blessmeplz@gmail.com or visit- Hope when there was none or my FB page Hope where there was none FB .You can also purchase my book, "Call me Master" by Melinda Kunst, on Amazon, Kindle, and Nook!

Someone I think you should know- Rhonda Bloch

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Mr. Awesome and I stumbled upon Sip Coffee House Artisan Cafe, a sweet coffee shop on the historic Square in Crown Point, IN.

 

Going into you are met with rather eclectic and groovy local artwork that is also for purchase, vintage furniture and of course that intoxicating smells of coffee, teas, desserts and amazing food.

 

We met the owner, Rhonda Bloch on our first visit. We bonded over coffee and sharing our potential journey of traveling throughout the US in a converted Skoolie. Rhonda’s enthusiasm and easy going spirit made her an instant friend.

I am totally in awe of successful Women owned businesses and am honored to have Rhonda featured as “Someone I think you should know.”

 

 

I learned much to my surprise, growing up she wanted to go into Journalism. Advice she would give to her 17 year old self would be to go out and become a Journalist J.

I asked her when she decided to jump into opening a business and she says that was over 20 years ago. She has been an empty nester for 20 years and decided it was time to start making money for herself instead of someone else.

Rhonda has three adult children, three grandchildren and her Husband has three small grandchildren!

 When Rhonda isn’t slinging coffee or cooking up yummiest at her shops, she and her Husband have fun filled traveling adventures. I was curious about how she fit in hobbies or things after work. She laughs and says on a typical evening after 9 P.M. you will find her sleeping or relaxing.

Recent good news is her husband just retired after 42 years.

She expanded her successful business from Crown Point to now include a second shop in Highland,

Sip Coffee House 2 which opened in 2015.

You will find the same funky vibe, wonderful food, desserts, groovy tea mixes and of course that wonderful coffee!

Both locations feature“Open Mike Nights” and Painting classes as well.

When asked, what tool, object or ritual she couldn’t be without, besides a cell phone, she replied, “Her Managers!”

 

Her favorite motto, “It is what it is.” She has no regrets personally or in business.

She was excited to announce that she will be opening up two more coffee shops this year, one in Illinois and another two other potential locations, possible locations maybe in St. John or Demotte.

Rhonda has a passion for helping the homeless that are around her shop locations. I asked her how she would describe herself using three words; she replied, “I’m God fearing.”

Advice she would give to someone contemplating starting a new business would be to; “Do it, worry later about everything else.”

If you are in or around Crown Point, IN or Highland, IN I encourage you to stop in for an bite or great coffee.
 
My favorite is a bowl of the French Onion soup... I see a road trip in our future.
 

  

Sip Coffee House & Artisan Café

11 N. Court St.

Crown Point, IN

(219)662-9165

 

Hours Sunday through Thursday from 6 A.M. – 9 P.M.

Friday and Saturday 6 A.M. – 10 P.M.

Sip Coffee House & Artisan Café

2815 Jewett Ave

Highland, IN

(219)595-0314

Hours- Sunday 7 A.M.- 8 P.M.

Monday through Thursday from 6 A.M.-9 P.M.

Friday and Saturday 6 A.M.-10 P.M.

 

Check them out on Facebook/Instagram-

Sip Coffee House and Sip Coffee House 2

Tales from the farm

Where has the time gone?! I can not believe it has gone by so fast! I remember not too long ago just moving into this dusty, airy, rambling home that I have come to love.

Home improvement projects have taken a bit of a slow down. Mr. Awesome found a job! That job was a second shift job of picking orders. He and I felt like "Strangers in the night" due to our hours.
I would go to my gig as a Breakfast Attendant at a local hotel from 5 am to 10 am or so. We would spend a few hours together and than he would be off until the wee hours of the morning. I felt blessed to have this time, some couples don't have that luxury.

In his 3rd week there, a posting for and IT position was available, so he applied. He interviewed and did get the position. I feel there was a higher purpose involved as no one else put in an application. Seriously! He is getting his bearings and enjoying the work.

Where did that put me in flinging coffee and eggs? I was able to quit that position to take care of Mini Man and get rest for myself. My Lyme cooties is still having a party in my body. I remain optimistic that I will be healed and this means I still need to make peace with my past. A major blessing has been to reunite with my eldest Son! This has been a big prayer since I left my ex- See my story here- Hope when there was none He has grown into a handsome man. We are catching up and trying to mend what was lost. His Fiance is beautiful Woman that is strong and he needs that.

Our baby Duck has kicked the awkward teen years to the curb and is female. So, Frank is now Frankie. She is adorable but still not allowed to mingle with the other 4 Ducks. I'm hoping they will give her an in. She looks at them longingly to belong to the group.

Yes, even in the barnyard there are cliques. It can be rather alarming when you first see this in action. Feathers flying everywhere, as a Chicken or Duck literally show who's the boss. This is where "The pecking order" comes from.

How long does this last? A few weeks to months. There are times of danger that brings the flock together.

That beautiful Hawk, adorable Raccoon, majestic Fox, Coyote, Skunk, Cat or Possum can spell trouble for our flock. It doesn't take long for one of these to whittle down our group in a matter or a day or days.

This year we kicked the flock out of the hen house into the Abbey and the Bat brooder. In doing so, many of our Hens went rogue, opting instead to find a spot randomly here and there. We found a bunch in the Yucca plants by our cars! But, once we found this spot, it was as though they banded together to find another hiding spot that we have yet to find.

The Ducks will just randomly squeeze out an egg and if we don't cut the grass for awhile you may hear or feel the crush of it under foot. Of course our Dog has found a majority of these eggs, though her coat now looks marvelous, this isn't what she was supposed to do.

There seems to be a romanticized view of a farm or having animals. Though, the charm has not been lost to me.

The Hen house is dusty, smelly and buggy. I don't care how many glamorous looking pictures you see on Pinterest or other social media. I does not stay pristine. I do look on these with great "Oh's and Ah's".

They do take some work.

Which brings me to the Bees! I enjoy looking at the beehive. I open the top and stare in awe at these
busy bees. They are so fascinating to watch. To see their back legs with multi-colored pants of pollen. Blue, Purple, Orange, Yellow and Red. It is amazing to see the change in the honey through the year. From light color, scent, and taste of Clovers to a richer color this Fall and a much hardier taste.

I admit I didn't check the whole hive as much as I should have. Perhaps it was nerves. Mind you, I wanted to get over my fear of Bees by raising Bees. My two lower Super boxes remained untouched this year. YIKES! I know! Bad Beekeeper! I also had a hard time lifting them. Oh, I recently attempted to wrangle and wiggle them apart to check to make sure all was well but, I couldn't get them apart. I did manage to lift bother of them simultaneously, with dismay to the Bees. A good group of them started to attack my suit. I felt horrible and tried to sing to them. As though this would calm them down. I tried to talk gently to them that I was doing these for their own good.

Nope didn't work. I didn't want my 7 year old to laugh at me if I ran away, flailing my body every which way to get the angry bees runaway screaming hysterically. I maintained my composure, rambling to try to calm the Bees down. I managed to check what I could and closed it back up. I called a few Beekeepers in the area that came highly recommended to mentor or help me out for tips but I didn't get calls back. YouTube has become a great friend to me but it would be nicer to have a buddy in person.

Our view from the top has improved! The barn that was next door was burnt down. It was sad and a big relief. Many of our troubles from varmints came from them shacking up there. We can see a lot further down the road.

The Butterflies were beautiful! I don't recall so many last year. Monarchs, Swallow tails and more, danced and fluttered all around us. It was so beautiful! I can not wait until next year.

We do have to hit the Thistles and Prickly lettuce around the house. The farmer that plants in the fields around us mentioned this is not good. He offered to give us something to help. I'm not sure abut that. I want to be as organic or natural as possible. Of course, after you get "bit" by one of these spiny green plants, your mind does have second thoughts.

There is so much more I need to catch up on but it is almost time for church. Later, Peanut and I will be heading to volunteer at a local farm for harvesting wild flower seeds. She has to volunteer for so many hours but I really am loving this so though she may decline on attending, I may continue to.

I have decided to take a break from my small business. I don't know exactly what direction to go. I posted on my page on FB Legacy Antiques & Estate Sales that I was unsure. I have so many ideas! My main thought is that I do need to just rest. Let my body heal and pray for wisdom. Now, if I wasn't so impatient this would be fine.

I hope your day and upcoming week are wonderful! Don't forget to check out our YouTube channel. I do need to throw on some newer videos. And learn how to edit them. Someday...


BIG HUGS!
Mel

Hiking at Turkey Run!

My goodness am I pooped! I hadn't been to Turkey Run since I was I believe 13 or 14 years old. I don't recall the ladders being so scary! Or having to scale the paths here or there. Of course I believed I was indestructible back then. Bugs didn't bother me all that much, heights, the unknown and leaping over small paths of water. Seeing the park thru the girls eyes was very cool!

We got there about 12ish and ate some lunch then set out for the most important part! The bathrooms! After a quick dash there we were on our way to adventure! Now I have been exercising and doing P90X so what challenge couldn't I handle? Right?

Factor in having a tiny human strapped to my back! LOL! I hadn't given too much thought about this. By about 10 mins into the hike, while climbing stairs and a hill to get to the top of a ridge I was dripping sweat!(Notice the sweat around my neck! I know gross! I sweat at the drop of a hat!


My gosh my face looks HUGE in this picture Is my head really that big?!

At this point in the hike, my calves were screaming and dare I mention if I kept up that kind of work out my bum would probably look awesome! (Remember this is ONLY 10 MINS INTO IT! LOL!) I start second guessing myself whether this was a good idea or not...





Did I mention my fear of heights! Luckily I had a few ladies and men give me a hand at the ladders going down.


Next time I will bring an extra adult pair of hands, it would have been nice to switch off with the baby. Missed having Terry with! Thinking a camp weekend will be in order since there were a few places on the hike we didn't get to.

I was surprised at how gutsy they were! Climbing, jumping, scaling walls, and taking chances!
When did I lose my thrill gene?

 On the way back we did stop in Attica, IN, which is a neat little town. I would have liked to have explored the town more if I didn't feel so exhausted.


We caught abit of the Potawami Fair, we didn't stay too long, I was hoping there would be more Indian type of things, seemed a little too commercialized for my taste. But it was still a nice place to visit!

All in all it was a fun day! I loved what team work the girls used with each other and others!


Now that we are home it's time to put up our hooves and relax...






Now where is the Captain Morgan and 7?