Never thought retirement would be like this
- Thread starter NancyNGA
- Start date
Thank you for the good wishes, Meanderer.
Right now I'm snapping green beans---a spur of the moment purchase at the grocery store today, on sale, just for something different tomorrow, low calorie. Haven't cooked fresh beans in years.
We grew two kinds of beans at home. One kind my mother called "half-runners," the other, she called "pole" beans. I liked the pole beans the best. These were just called "green beans." I'm not expecting anything great, but who knows!?! They may be good!
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9/8: 1360 calories
9/9: 1300 ...."......
Right now I'm snapping green beans---a spur of the moment purchase at the grocery store today, on sale, just for something different tomorrow, low calorie. Haven't cooked fresh beans in years.
We grew two kinds of beans at home. One kind my mother called "half-runners," the other, she called "pole" beans. I liked the pole beans the best. These were just called "green beans." I'm not expecting anything great, but who knows!?! They may be good!
..
9/8: 1360 calories
9/9: 1300 ...."......
Pappy
Living the Dream
- Location
- Florida (transplanted New Yorker.)
We always had pole beans in our garden. I remember me and grandma sitting on the porch snapping beans.
At least he didn't plant tuna fish.
The verdict on the beans: They have a real good taste, even a little sweet, but some of them had strings.
That's what I was afraid of. Probably why they were on sale. We used to snap *and* string them, but these wouldn't do that. Will give them another try this season. The pole beans we had were big, flat, kind of fuzzy, dry, sweet and never had strings. The half-runners were smaller, smooth, wet and the bigger ones had strings, but we could remove them. My mother canned so many beans in the summer, we had them all winter almost every day. They just weren't the same canned. They kept telling me they were, and it was my imagination. They all stuck together on their story. That's the kind of strategy they used on us kids.
I believe that's what they call "gas-lighting." Briefly last night they updated the wind gusts in the forecast here to "above 80 mph." Now that's getting a little feisty. But it's back down to 60 this morning.
I like pole beans...cannot stand those strings...makes me gag! The reason they did not snap and string was probably because they had been picked for awhile and kept in a cooler.
We had some pretty high winds here most of the day but after the sun went down it is as still as it can be. Calm before the storm? I think maybe we just might get a lot of rain. But I did as I was told by all the weather advisors and took down all hanging baskets, garden decor, etc. and secured the area! The schools are out here Monday and Tuesday. My daughter and son's work is closed tomorrow. How did we survive storms before the Weather Channel and the Internet? I guess we just looked up at the sky and knew a storm was coming?
We had some pretty high winds here most of the day but after the sun went down it is as still as it can be. Calm before the storm? I think maybe we just might get a lot of rain. But I did as I was told by all the weather advisors and took down all hanging baskets, garden decor, etc. and secured the area! The schools are out here Monday and Tuesday. My daughter and son's work is closed tomorrow. How did we survive storms before the Weather Channel and the Internet? I guess we just looked up at the sky and knew a storm was coming?
Yeah, it's like getting a mouth full of hair.
I bet that was it. They were cold. Will remember that next time.Same here, removed all the light stuff off the porch, filled a 5 gal gas can with water at the farm (well/pump). The heavy wind is coming from the ENE. That's good. Less likely to lift the overhang part of the barn up. Still predicting gusts up to 60 mph.
I'm skeptical. There are a few pine trees out there that would cause some problems, but nothing major. I think things will be OK. Without the Weather Channel, I'd either be scrambling at the last minute in the pouring rain, or doing nothing. Better to be prepared. Most of the stuff on the porch needed to be put away anyway. I can quickly throw it all haphazardly back there and make it look normal.
So far so good here. Pretty strong wind gusts, but rain has not been real heavy so far. Power flickering all morning, but still on. Supposed to get a little more windy around 5 pm, then start to fade away. How about you? maggiemae?
Power went out at 3 pm Monday (for about 30 hours). Heavy rain and then really strong winds all night afterward. Nothing else to do but sleep. Twelve hours was enough.
Took off to the farm early this morning. The electricity had never even gone off out there! Goats were fine. The barn did well again. A few more shingles off the roof of the mobile home. The inner fence had no damage at all. All I could see was one small tree on the outer fence near the main road. Forked tree on fence split, and half went toward the neighbor's house. He was sawing it up when I got there.
Decided to remove just that one tree, even though it was raining a little. No reason to go home to likely no electricity, so I kept going. Whatever little bit that got done today was a little bit that wouldn't have to be done later. Most of the work was clearing limbs and small trees just to be able to drive the cart. It was looking so good until just a little over half way around, on the very back side of the property. Pictures are not clear because of the drizzle I think.
Base of an uprooted tree. Lucked out---it fell the right way. Fence is to the right of the cart.
Not so lucky here. Three or 4 trees, each with lots of branches, in a pile across the fence:
Have no idea what's on the other side of this, or on around. Turned around and came back. It had started to rain pretty heavy by then anyway. My little saw would just make it through those while they are still green. Inch by inch I could do it over a couple of days, except that high one. Not likely to find anyone to tackle it now; they would all be too busy. Think I'll go back Thursday, start from the other side and go around. Maybe try chipping away a little at this mess, and see how it goes.
I feel so sorry for the folks still in Florida. And in some areas the power might be off for days, or weeks, they say. I don't think I could stand that.
Took off to the farm early this morning. The electricity had never even gone off out there! Goats were fine. The barn did well again. A few more shingles off the roof of the mobile home. The inner fence had no damage at all. All I could see was one small tree on the outer fence near the main road. Forked tree on fence split, and half went toward the neighbor's house. He was sawing it up when I got there.
Decided to remove just that one tree, even though it was raining a little. No reason to go home to likely no electricity, so I kept going. Whatever little bit that got done today was a little bit that wouldn't have to be done later. Most of the work was clearing limbs and small trees just to be able to drive the cart. It was looking so good until just a little over half way around, on the very back side of the property. Pictures are not clear because of the drizzle I think.
Base of an uprooted tree. Lucked out---it fell the right way. Fence is to the right of the cart.
Not so lucky here. Three or 4 trees, each with lots of branches, in a pile across the fence:
Have no idea what's on the other side of this, or on around. Turned around and came back. It had started to rain pretty heavy by then anyway. My little saw would just make it through those while they are still green. Inch by inch I could do it over a couple of days, except that high one. Not likely to find anyone to tackle it now; they would all be too busy. Think I'll go back Thursday, start from the other side and go around. Maybe try chipping away a little at this mess, and see how it goes.
I feel so sorry for the folks still in Florida. And in some areas the power might be off for days, or weeks, they say. I don't think I could stand that.
Pappy
Living the Dream
- Location
- Florida (transplanted New Yorker.)
Glad there wasn't more damage to your fence Nancy. Got word our power in Florida came on at 6 this morning. Normally, we never loose power as our lines are underground, but this storm showed no mercy on anything. Yea...power. nthego:
nthego:That's good news too. When the AC is off strange things start to happen to your house, even under normal conditions, in the south anyway.... Got word our power in Florida came on at 6 this morning. Normally, we never loose power as our lines are underground, but this storm showed no mercy on anything. Yea...power.
I'd rather be tromping around in the rain with wet feet picking up limbs than stuck inside the house with no electricity. It drives me nuts. I go around flipping all the light switches anyway, even hours after if goes out.
Roadwarrior
Member
During the 80's I owned a small gentleman's farm (3 acres). It was located at the junction of several drain ditches. There was a 2 foot under road drain pipe that was thought to handle any runoff, wrong! It may have worked at one time but when the canal company left water in the canals late into the winter which of course froze into one giant ice cube, it flooded my property & house.
Alas, 4-5 winters & heavy early spring rains finally convinced them to put in a much larger drain, but of course that was after 4 floods with it's 3 foot deep moot in my yard, we finally gave up sold the place & moved to higher ground. Now mind you we lived in the arid west so that wasn't supposed to happen. Not once did my home owner's insurance pay for that or did FEMA come to my aid.
We found that if you kept a stack of barley straw handy you could divert the water along the roadway & have it return to the drain ditch below the road crossing. We did get the county to detour traffic around our barricade.
Alas, 4-5 winters & heavy early spring rains finally convinced them to put in a much larger drain, but of course that was after 4 floods with it's 3 foot deep moot in my yard, we finally gave up sold the place & moved to higher ground. Now mind you we lived in the arid west so that wasn't supposed to happen. Not once did my home owner's insurance pay for that or did FEMA come to my aid.
We found that if you kept a stack of barley straw handy you could divert the water along the roadway & have it return to the drain ditch below the road crossing. We did get the county to detour traffic around our barricade.
Roadwarrior, your story reminded me...when we were making plans for building our goat barn, I went to a large goat care forum to ask what was the best kind of floor. Almost unanimously they said dirt! ....Wrong!
Goats dig out nests just like some dogs do when they lie down. After a couple of years of 14 goats digging nests every day, the floor gets lower than the surrounding area. First tropical storm flooded.
We then covered the floor with bags of asphalt driveway patch and mixed Quikrete. Solved the problem, but it would have been so easy to get a concrete slab poured to begin with.
Why did the members recommend dirt?
It dawned on me some time later, because none of them had enough money for concrete. Sometimes you justify things in your head to fit your situation. Group think had set in there. You have to be skeptical of recommendations on the internet.
Yes, bales of straw, and old moldy hay, have come in so handy here, in a region where the soil erodes badly.
And yes, higher ground is good. We also should have told the grader to form a mound for the building. Instead he leveled the area. We didn't know any better at the time. He should have I think. But that's in the past. I try not to dwell on it.
Goats dig out nests just like some dogs do when they lie down. After a couple of years of 14 goats digging nests every day, the floor gets lower than the surrounding area. First tropical storm flooded.
We then covered the floor with bags of asphalt driveway patch and mixed Quikrete. Solved the problem, but it would have been so easy to get a concrete slab poured to begin with.
Why did the members recommend dirt?
It dawned on me some time later, because none of them had enough money for concrete. Sometimes you justify things in your head to fit your situation. Group think had set in there. You have to be skeptical of recommendations on the internet.
Yes, bales of straw, and old moldy hay, have come in so handy here, in a region where the soil erodes badly.
And yes, higher ground is good.
We also should have told the grader to form a mound for the building. Instead he leveled the area. We didn't know any better at the time. He should have I think. But that's in the past. I try not to dwell on it.Thanks. I'm always careful. I just joke around a lot. "Saw" this on the news today. If she can do it, I can.Glad to hear that your goats and barn made out OK! I am hoping you will find people to help you with the trees on the fence. Be careful, Nancy!
layful:Roadwarrior
Member
Don't get me started on what a small herd of pigs can do. I finally put them in the pen with a concrete floor, then found out from an old farmer that if I threw a shovel of sod/dirt into the pen they would not get what is called the 'thumps' (lack of iron). Another thing was a raw egg in the calves milk to prevent 'scours' nasty word for a nasty death. Laying chickens need the exact same size nest or they fight. We all know that they will pick another chicken to death if they see a blood spot. You need a few chicks to teach turkey chicks how to eat, they are too stupid & will stave to death. Also keep them out of the rain or they will drown looking up towards the rain. Lessons learned.
RW, don't get me started on what goats can do. They are the most curious, mischievous creatures. We built this hay feeder, where the dropped hay falls into a trough below, instead of on the floor. Two of those big white goats would get up into the feeder and stand in the trough part. [Goats won't eat dirty, stepped on, hay unless they are starving. ]
We had to put removable 2x4's across the space to keep them out.
They are the most curious, mischievous creatures. We built this hay feeder, where the dropped hay falls into a trough below, instead of on the floor. Two of those big white goats would get up into the feeder and stand in the trough part. [Goats won't eat dirty, stepped on, hay unless they are starving. ]
We had to put removable 2x4's across the space to keep them out.
Loved the video...go girl! I love power tools! You just got to learn how to use them! Spent most of today picking up small limbs and then blowing leaves off the driveway. Could have been much worse. I get so tired of hearing about people on the news complain about how they have been without power since Monday. These power crews are working nonstop, not to mention the tree removal crews. I remember years ago when a major storm went through, it was not unusual for the power to be off for over a week or more. We would sit out on the front porch and listen to a battery operated radio for entertainment until it was time to go to bed. I know we have all gotten spoiled with our cable/dish, internet, Ipads, etc. but try to remember the ones that cannot go home to their families because they are trying to restore power to your family.
It was really strange today. Life was going on, just like nothing ever happened, except there are leaves and sticks all over the yard. Not like what's happening in Florida at all. We are so lucky.
I mentioned in another thread, the winds were so strong here Monday night no one could have even attempted to restore power before Tuesday morning anyway. My neighbor's big old hickory tree was bending over so much, even it scared me. I was frankly surprised it came back on so quickly.
One thing I know to do next time is buy a dozen of these cheap LED flashlights with flat bottoms, and put one in the middle of each room. Reflection of the light off the white ceiling makes much more light than any of my oil lamps. Can't keep them lit anyway. Thought the wicks needed trimming but that didn't help.
I didn't even check the cabin. Had all the large trees removed from around it a few years ago. The door might have gotten wedged under the roof again. LOL. I'll check it tomorrow, or Friday. You have to take a completely different road to get there.
Wanted to add, since we have the inner fence around the barn now, as well as the perimeter fence, it's not so urgent to clear those trees. Of course the goats are too lazy to go all the way back where those trees are down, but it could have happened up near the barn just as easily.
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9/10: 1390 calories
9/11: 1480 ...." ....(ugh!)
9/12: 1160.... "