Hello!
Winter
arrived with a vengeance with highs in the low teens as frigid gusts swept the
landscape bringing the wind chill factor even lower (so glad I'm not living up
North and in the Midwest where the weather was a lot worse) then once again
draws back a bit and it felt like spring this week with the temperature rising
up in the 60's. What bliss! I have some daffodils almost ready to bloom and
even my iris has poked their heads out of the ground as buds are swelling on
the cherry bushes. According to the groundhog we are to have an early spring.
What a wonderful thought.
I
have been busy playing in the dirt. Instead of using my dining room table for
my greenhouse that took a lot of time and effort to set up and keep going, I
instead bought a couple of 3-tier wire baskets to hang at my sunny windows and
started some flower seeds in bigger pots so I won't have to keep re-potting
them. Most of the seeds have sprouted so I am keeping a close eye on them. I
also planted some yellow clover that I didn't get around to doing in the
fall. Yesterday I went plum crazy
outside and planted some tomato, pepper, cantaloupe, and squash seeds in my
garden for winter planting instead of indoors- something I've never done
before, but have read about and wanted to try. If it works it will save oodles
of work as I can transplant them right there in the garden. Am I getting lazy
or what?
Dwight
got out the 4-wheeler and big wagon and helped me haul a couple big loads of
manure that I cleaned out of the hen house that we put on the garden. I was
quite worn out when that job was accomplished, but the hens are enjoying fresh
straw in the barn. At the beginning of winter when the temperature got quite
cold the egg production went down quite a bit like usual. Someone told me to
give them red pepper seeds to keep them laying so I've been sprinkling some in
their water every time I fill it up. It really works. I get six to eight eggs a
day despite the temperature. I guess the hot pepper warms up their insides- ha!
It's amazing what a person can learn no matter their age. I figure since I have
to feed the dear girls I might as well get eggs in return. Some of the eggs are
the size of duck eggs and too big to fit into an egg carton. I do love my fresh
brown eggs that range in color from dark brown to light; some speckled some
plain.
Tex
loves to race around the chicken pen barking thinking he is herding the
chickens. Most of the time the hens simply ignore Tex and go about their
business scratching in the dirt. Tex has become a good watchdog. He is
definitely the top dog of the Walker farm and keeps me busy trying to instill
some manners into his doggy head.
Inside
on freezing days my long-haired calico cat, Sarah Annabelle, stretches lifeless
against the roaring wood-stove in catty bliss. Even when I don’t have a fire in
the wood-stove, she will lie with her paws up against the cold stove trying to
find some warmth. Talk about faith.
Dana
remains much the same with bad and good days. This week I met with the pharmacist
about insurance problems that continue to plague us. Even though Dana has been
on many meds for years now that the company has paid for, they still try to get
out of paying saying the dosage is too high etc. so the pharmacist has to go
through all kinds of extra measures and paperwork to keep Dana’s meds coming.
On my end I’m constantly bombarded with paperwork too. I wish the
environmentalists that want to save the planet and spend millions of dollars
for needless projects would focus instead on the government and insurance paper
waste of endless forms. For Dana alone we could save a forest of trees.
I
decided this year to make my motto: to
have an attitude of gratitude. Life has a way of constantly throwing curves and
unexpected upheavals, but I am determined to make it a priority to focus on the
positive- even with insurance trials etc. That doesn’t mean that I will never
stress out again- wouldn’t that be lovely- but I can count my blessings despite
circumstances. For when life gets out of my control, I can rest assured that
God still has control.
Hope
you have a wonderful Valentine’s Day!
Dorcas
