Quote of the day...

"As a traveler who has once been from home is wiser than he who has never left his own doorstep, so a KNOWLEDGE of one other culture should sharpen our ability... to appreciate more lovingly in our own"

Margaret Mead
Coming of Age in Samoa

Quote of the day...

"The art of being wise is the art of knowing what to overlook"

William James,
The Principles of Psychology

Quote of the day...

"The small things of life were often so much bigger than the great things... the trivial pleasures like cooking, one's home, little poems especially sad ones, solitary walks, funny things seen and overheard"

Barbara Pym, Less Than Angels

Quote of the day...

"To be interested in the changing seasons is... a happier state of mind than to be hopelessly in love with spring"

George Santayana, The Life of Reason

Why is it no matter how much you write about peace, having only what you need, only what you want and still when you feel bad nothing in life has the color it once did.

I just had someone call a business line... HINT with the economy I no longer have a home phone.  My house line is gone and only a business line is in the house.  Thus it rings at any hour and I answer it no matter what out of human response.

I married into a motorcycle business.  I like it! I even enjoy it at times because I'm not a stupid person.  BUT I can only take so much of people talking down to me about something they know little of and if asked I'd be happy to help them.  And trust me when it comes to men, bikes or their toys if I don't know the right answer I tell them.  There is no grey in my business knowledge... I either know it or I don't.

While it is no excuse, not feeling perfect made me explode tonight!   For years my husband has begged me to stand up for myself, not allow these people on the end of the line talk to me the way they do.    So this person asked for Jerry!  I get it! I'd want the owner too!  He wasn't here... and instead of being fine with it... he expresses how he was sure Jerry would never remember him anyway, how he doesn't purchase much and how its been about ten years.  No issues to me... a customer is a customer right?   Right!

So then he asked what I might have for the K13GT... I was silent... thinking... ok  crap... where do I start?  Well what are you looking for, I asked ?  he responds quickly with... anything BMW doesn't afford or allow with the bike at time of purchase.  His smart  (blank) response... when calling an aftermarket company gives me no more guidance of what he wants... Is there anything specific Sir?    Well anything like peg lowering kits etc... Do you carry anything like that?    

Yes I do sir... I carry about 200 products for your bike. 

I don't see anything for it!
Are you looking under the K12GT?  NO I have a 13 he gets snappy at me...
Well Yes I understand but there are very few things about your bike that are any different from the K12GT of the previous year.    NOT correct he yells.

I stopped ... took a deep breath and said you know what I can get your name and have Jerry call you when ever he decides to come in; because you obviously don't want to talk to me.  There are only a few things different about your bike from 06-07... 05 was yes a different engine and bike... but like it or not K12 orK13GT are about the same in the current productions.

He finally checks on line and backs up... apologises... said he didn't mean to talk to me that way. 

Yes you did! ( I was tired, hurting and MAD at this point) You treated me like I was a stupid girl!   Oh don't put words in my mouth he said...
I didn't have to ... that's how you were treating me!

While the conversation ended it was not on a good note.  It was not someone I got to help.  I got talked down AT... I felt like I barely stood up for myself... but I also think I stood up too much all in the same.  Confused... Upset... Sorry... but... Not any better for any of it!

I'm done!
I'm a stupid about certain things!
I make mistakes all the time!
BUT darn it! I am human ... and I am sick and tired of being treated like a wet dog on a freezing night that's too stinky for anyone to treat like it's worthy of life.


I didn't take his name...
I didn't take his number...
I want to help my husband, his business, BUT ... why do people love to treat others SO badly?

I was not at all peaceful!
I am not at all at peace now as I type.

Everyone wants something; and when others don't understand what they are asking they for because there is a lack of communication between... genders, ...experiences, ...or even life styles no one seems to treat each other human.

Treat someone nice today!
Treat someone better than they treat you!

I can only hope this guy has a better day tomorrow! I'm sure going to try to!
AegF

Peace in...
Stress out...
Peace IN>>>>>
Stress out....
IN>>>>>
out...

Life may look like a tattered old barn... but be the best place to throw a party to remembered for a life time. 

Quote for the day.

" Happiness is a place between too little and too much."
finnish proverb

As the days get darker... and my life needs more color inside and out I have taken an early start to ordering all my yearly catalogs...

High Country Garden                             phone is... 800 925 9387                                    web is www.highcountrygardens.com

Miller Nurseries                                      phone is ...800 836 9630                                    web is www.millernurseries.com  

Burges Seed and Plant Co                     phone is... 309 662 7761                                    web is www.eburgess.com        

www.eburgess.com      

Gardens Alive                                       phone is... 513 354 1482                                    web is  www.GardensAlive.com

Netherland Bulb Company                     phone is..  888 508 3763                                    web is www.netherlandbulb.com

 

I completely enjoy each of these companies...
I can only hope you enjoy all these catalogs as well... They are inviting colorful and help you to plan all winter long just how much trouble you want to get into for the next year!

High Country is where I get all my xeriscaping garden techniques I use so my water goes more to food source when I need it!

Miller Nurseries... I so enjoy all their fruit trees, lots of small, medium and large size plantings for food and animal sources.

Burgess Seed is more for my eating habits... You can get things locally but you can get things on line cheaper when they go on sale.

Gardens Alive... is my go to place to solve pest issues in a responsible way!   I enjoy all their natural balance ideas and enjoy their readings.

Netherland Bulb Company... Well if you EVER decide to do any type of massive planting you may as well go large and cheaper than your local stores.    Check it out!  It makes me feel "royal" as I can afford to do things I can dream of with this company.

Much love and luck to each person as the days get shorter and the colors start to fade.

AegF

looking for compact EVERYTHING!

Yep!

I once lived in a 15x15 converted horse stall.  It was to this date the best place I have ever lived!
I also once visited and stayed in a 20x20 ocean hut in the south pacific that was so perfectly organized it still calls to me this day!

I can do this!
I can create a place for us or a place for a farm hand... or a place for us to rent out and have an income!

I can do this!
So can you!

Thus I am looking at any and every type of compact appliance.  Even today I live in a small house but has a tiny kitchen by any standard... I have more counter space than necessary... and I can do this even better for my emergencies and to make life better!

check out this site... nice small kitchen appliances and MORE!
it has been put in my home/ space saver folder!

Tell me what you think?

From the darkness back into the light.

Yes I have been a dark soul of late.  Life stopped me in my tracks as it always does; WHY we think everything is ever going to be exactly HOW we want or expect it to be is beyond me... but I do it all the time.

So while I have been on line, dwelling in my own issues, while I lay in bed waiting for my back to heal itself.... I finally GOT OUT of my shell!   (actually just out of the house)

So today was all about feeding my soul... taking my meds so I could move more like a 60 year old than an 80... (trying to laugh here)   So I spent time with the birds we all needed it, gave them their favorite feed... not the everyday stuff.  So they will really be surprised when I spend time with them again tomorrow.  I then I enjoyed a ride down town to get some of my favorite things...

a strong jasmine tea
Real Cinnamon
Lavender (for me for the birds etc... )
bamboo rice ... you know the things you can't get in your normal store.

I then went to the barn loved on my kids;  laid on the ground;  then the bail of hay my hubby was sweet enough to put out in the field.  As I sat on the hay a friend stopped by, I stayed seated... and dug my toes into the dirt at any point they started to get cool.  The warmth of the dirt was so perfect. 

Best yet it was the neighbor/friend that was the icing on the cake... We got to talk, instead of me typing into this computer.

It was with her I first expressed my Ah Ha Moment!

I had been working so hard I had lost site of the beauty in my life.  For all my years I have kept my feet on the ground, collected hand made things to make me feel more alive.  To have ART in my life even if I could no longer create it myself, others could and it feeds energy to me.

Like the Cravens... They are such a light in my life... normally on days like today I would have stopped by their studio... banged on the door till I got a hug from Joe Lydia... as Ian would only respond to her prodding him for support for me while he acted to not listen to my negative energy.  A hug from her was like an open force of light that would always erase the darkness of any day!  

I have no family in town... I have but two real friends... one is traveling... the other is so at my beckon call I dare not ask.

Everything I did today I needed. laying in the sun... fingers to the skin of Sweet Pea and Navarre.  The digging in the dirt with my toes..

AND the realization that life is still beautiful... all around me... my plates are pieces of Joe Lydia and Ian... My hubby has been a God send doing EVERYTHING for me... laundry, helping to even get into the shower... asking me if I need ANYTHING at any point that he passes me.

I was starting to be more and more closed off.  Getting out of this dark, dank, cold house, and... spot looking at all the fuzz that is blocking my clear mountain views of a beautiful world...

I am thinking to the most I can do to save myself time and money is to do more at my house.

So I am already starting to throw out scraps just outside the potting shed so not only can I start cold weather items as soon as spring arrives, but I will be able to throw out my water on them and keep them as needed each day.

My biggest thing is to start collecting scraps and wood from the estate each time I go in the truck.  I rarely ever take the truck now a days as the diesel is just too costly for everyday driving.

So I will not be able to afford soil so I will have to bring in manure, tree limbs, start on my kitchen scraps (after they are boiled and made into veggie stock of course) I already dump most of my coffee and tea grounds into my house plants but I can start to share with the newly thought out area off the back porch.

Our back porch is after all a south facing area! Thus I shall dig up the flowers in the area as soon as my back allows and start to cut back and plant more usable things for next years off set of financial issues!

Chickens!

I would love to have chickens at the house... I think I can turn the potting shed into a chicken shed but we shall see how money and time allows.  I'll take photos for my next post and let you all know what is going on in my strange little mind!

This PHOTO does NOT belong to me it is from UrbanFarm Magazine on line...

I have said it on my other blogs... but it is high time I mention it here now.

The one magazine I have found to be on MY LEVEL is Urban Farm!  Please at least go look at their site... urban farm magazine  While I grew up around a farm... (one mile from my maternal grandparents house)  I have little to no access to any type of equipment.

I do have a 68 gravely that was recently upgraded to a 73.  I have all the attachments to go with it OTHER than the manure spreader I desperately need.  BUT I am not a wrencher and I can not keep it running the way it should.  My largest issues is having to clean the carburetor every time I want to try to start it... and now... I have a male/female attachment that has disappeared and I can't seem to find it anywhere on line.  THUS ... I have no equipment when I need it!

Urban Farm magazine is one of those things that is written and made for people who have only a shovel, rake, and hoe in order to make life better.  As where other modern day magazines I rely on for information tend to use animals (horses) or have at the least a small tractor.

I would LOVE to have a small tractor, but I would expect more from it than a small machine can give... And my dearly worried husband is worried I would kill myself on a tractor.  Although I've driven the old grey/red/blue FORD tractor owned by my Aunt, tended to by my PawPaw sense I was 12... That was over 20 years ago... but I give him the benefit of the doubt considering the reality is we do not have the money to purchase a tractor out right new or used ... it is out of the question.

So ...
Back to this wonderful magazine.

November/ December issue is on the stands today!
Sprouts ... how easily you can grow them!
Pickling...
Fermentation Tips..
Kombucha... not a large percentage of the population know most of these subjects but... they are all long used historical devices of extending, making, and using natural nutrition in a diet... The basics that have been lost over the years but need to be re-enacted to make life better in the long run, and once applied to a modern life will cut your food expenses.

It also consist of Urban Vines!   and making city Wines 

Not to leave out SMALL Productive animals for Urban living but animals that can be kept in a small back yard for milk, meat, eggs, or better soils...

Just take a look and see how this tiny magazine can improve your life your choices and your wallet!

THIS photo does NOT belong to me... it belongs to Urban Farming Magazine Online version...

my new way of thinking... 

The above is a link to my Pinterest and my new way of thinking... I am seriously considering these thoughts for my new way of life!

While I do not live in a large home, I live in a tiny stone cottage with no insulation! Yep so my electric bills are easily over $400.00 a month in the winter!

I have no deciduous trees for protection in summer, no evergreen for winter protection.  I am on an open lot on a 5 lane highway ... but I do have a tiny lot on flat top mountain that may allow me to start over in this desperate time.

Water is expected... and drilling starts at $9,000.00 with no guarantees!
Electric temporary hook up 4 years ago was over $2,000.00  when I requested one to build my barn.  It did not happen and its not going to happen now!

So I have several things in my life that have to be addressed...

HELP...
and a farm hand that I can allow to live on my place for free and he or she take care of my horses 5 days a week while allowing them to have another job earn money and have a life!

HORSES...
I have been requested not to put my hay back where it is today.  So I must get a container for their hay and get them settled ASAP.

MONEY...
What am I going to do for all the money I need to survive AND to make my life easier? I have no idea! 


Questions... what do I do right now? Well it's easy!  Right now I got a nice cattle fence solar charger (larger than I needed) and it works well.

Water... my kids are on roof water! I have several filters on it! They drink it fine... and thus far I have no real issues with the water unless someone else assist me and does not put things back the way I had them.  What is the issue with me being OCD.  Well it's not that I am so OCD it is that water freezes in a hose pipe!!!! people don't care, don't think about tomorrow, and do not drain the hose, cover the nozzle and it leaves me with nothing!   Thus it pisses me off! but ? if someone is living on the estate and they can see the issues they cause they will learn from their own mistakes and stop being so stupid / careless about it!


I have gold fish! as of today they are in my house! yep in the birds room, as the birds needed more humidity in their room for the electric heat this winter... and I didn't want the fish to have to freeze to death or hibernate in the cast iron pond!   CAST IRON TUB is really what it is... not below the frost line and thus harder on the fish than a plastic fully submerged type people have that look nice!

homeinabox.blogspot.com  please check out this blog! it is a wonderful site to get information.

While I was trying to make big changes... making those changes all the quicker is going to be even more important now.

I can see how it happen!
I must support the decision of the majority, but like most U S Citizens they think of today and not tomorrow.  Today our President was re-elected and for that I must respect and follow the issues at hand.  What people are not seeing is how bad we are in the face of the world, in the strength of the world economy, and how much we are now owned by another country that has no rights, no real democracy and for that; for the first time in my life I am afraid.

I have always lived with as little as I could.
I have always done with as little as I can
BUT now I have to do better and I have to learn to really survive on my own.

I say this as my back is out... I can't walk on my own... but I have to do something in order to get back on my own two feet.

I have to figure out how to do this, how to work over 60 hours a week to make ends meat, how to prepare for my future... given I still have everything I have today.

My horses are my largest issue at hand.  I need to find them new homes BUT they each have their own issues and I am someone that has to be honest about it to whom ever may be interested.

My life today just got much worse, as I am more worried about the debt of the country and how it is going to effect me!  

I have to start making supplies on not just a week long emergency but on a life style I may end up living due to this election... We as a country are going to pay for this one for the rest of our lives.  I know that is harsh to say, but we are SO DEEP IN DEPT there is no way one generation can pull us out of this.  But this is something the majority did not think of... oh we will make it work they say! Yep... about as well as we did the housing market that everyone got so carried away with!   Here we go again!

I'm finally scared of what will happen in the next two years!  VERY scared.

I may be alone in this or I may be with a group... I am not sure because few will talk about this openly.