Oct 27,2009 Demolition at day's end

It was a busy and productive 8 hours for the demolition crew. They sure do know their job.

They brought in a dumpster.. a huge one.. to put all the scrap and rubble. One cannot burn anything but untreated wood, and that has to be a super small fire with the fire department aware.

That which looks like railroad track is actually the framework for the old trailer. The chickens have enjoyed every step of the way..new bugs.. ugh

The white spots are the holes where concrete was poured this morning.

The chickens are very trusting.. they are a little confused by all the activity, as I found an egg up under the bridal wreath tonite..

This is one of 22 holes filled with concrete which will support our new trailer in a week or so. There is a 'tie down' on each corner..

The chickens did find the concrete.. I didn't see it till later tonite, but it's definitely chicken track on one of the holes..

Pouring the concrete in the holes..

I look at this rubble and can only say..."WOW!" These guys know what they are doing.. and they do it with perfection..

October 27,2009 demolition

HUGE groundhog hole..no, wait.. not really. This is just one of about 12 or 14 holes being dug to hold concrete which will be the pillars upon which our new trailer will set.

I was talking to Wendy on the phone outside yesterday when there was a huge crash and the one guy was yelling to the other to get out. The 'box' frame had collapsed. I asked if they were okay.. there they were.. 2 guys leaning against the floorboards.. "yeah.. we're okay. It just came down a little faster than we anticipated.".. and then they continued working. They were both in the part left standing when it came down. God is good.

This is the floor of the trailer as it rests on the concrete wall .. The walls were weak, but the base was strong.

The chickens were having a field day. They don't know what to make of all the newly dug dirt.. I saw feathers in one of the holes.. I assume someone was a bit too curious and got inside? It could have been blown there by the gentle wind of yesterday..

The crew is here already. I can hear the hammers and bumping/crashing of studding that was the frame for the trailer. I noted the studs were very small.. maybe 2x3? really small. I believe our new one has 2x6 studding throughout... much better.

Under the weather,. some yesterday, definitely today. UGH. Hope it passes soon.. I'm not going to the office today.. hope my relief is working today.

October 26, 2009 Update Demolition

Just an update with pictures.. it's not noon yet. By later today, the demolition should be mostly done if not completely.

Charlies Angels

Having been asked questions about raising our chickens, I thought it would be good if I just answer the questions here. Particularly aimed at Peggy from Alaska, a Foto Friday friend who asked some of the questions.
My brother Charlie lived in the trailer next to us and likes to raise chickens as a hobby.
Charlie's chickens, who we also refer to as 'our' chickens, Charlie's Angels, or 'the girls', numbered around 40 until he gave 20 away a couple weeks ago. They are White Leghorns, Buff Orpingtons, and another variety that escapes me.. they are black and white striped.. interesting. These hens are heavy and lay 2X sized eggs.
We have a small chicken coop where they normally like to roost at night. It has doors that close to keep them safe, and a fenced in area or chicken yard attached. We keep their feed inside the coop and have several big trash cans with lids that hold straw for nests. They have access to about 8 nesting boxes, but choose only 3 of them..go figure!?
They are fed commercially grown feed (laying mash) and cracked corn, but they also get the table scraps, and of course, they free range all day too. Keeps the insect population down in the garden ya know? They get all the damaged veggies and fruits all summer. It's really nice to have them follow you when you are trying to pick the raspberries in the spring and the Japanese beetles are trying to compete. You just flick a branch of berries and the beetles fly into the grass and the chickens pounce on them .. By fall, there are few beetles left to compete.
In the winter, they get day old bread from the "thrifty" bakery as well as their commercial feed and table scraps. It seems to keep them going, and encourages us to eat veggies and salads..:)
We also discovered that they LOVE pasta and rice..strange creatures, eh?
They get fresh water by bucket daily.
Since we are doing demolition on the old trailer, they have been roosting up underneath it and eating the insulation. They seem to have a taste for it for some strange reason. It hasn't hurt them a bit, eggs don't float ... just odd creatures.
The chickens don't stop laying in the winter even in sub zero temps. I have to say that they do cut back substantially, but we always have 1-6 or whatever with an occasional stoppage for a week or so. Right now with 20 hens and all the stress they have been experiencing, they still give 6-8 eggs (cackleberries)/day, which means they all aren't laying every day like in the summer.
Their stress amounts to losing half the flock, Charlie's absence while our new home is being prepared, having me as the caretaker and cackleberry thief.. They are just now starting to trust me.
I can't imagine paying $8 a dozen for the eggs there in Alaska. What do you feed your chickens? What kind do you have..? Now I'm being the nosey one. Where do you keep your flock?


One other thing they get fed is eggs with the shell when feed is low. Charlie buys a big bag of rice and cooks it up so it's soft.. then he smashed eggs into it.. not cooked.. just gooey eggs with lots of bits of shell. The chickens LOVE this... and it's a healthy meal for them.

DEMOLITION Oct 24,2009

Foto Friday Berries

This week's Foto Friday is "Berries".. Now, before you think I've lost my mind with a bucket of fresh eggs.. I just want to let you know that my dear father in law used to refer to these as Cackleberries.. and never eggs.
So as I have Chicken Duty until my brother returns from his vacation, I have access to all the cackleberries we can collect each day.


One of the wonderful things about everbearing red raspberries is that they go on and on into the fall putting out huge berries that are sweet, juicy, and delicious..

My burning bush has finally started to turn red, but not before these beautiful berries appeared. The bush is loaded with them.

Another Thursday has come and is almost gone.. office today was very good though my back was really bad toward the end. It was a lovely day weather-wise.. warm, sunny, and the leaves are so pretty this year. It amazes me that some trees are bare of leaves and others still have a full head of green.

The egg count this afternoon is 8. I've got about 2 dozen again.

Tomorrow is Foto Friday. I'm very much enjoying this project and I think it is helping me capture better pictures. The topic this week is Berries. How fortunate for us that our red raspberries are still putting out fruit. .. John and Mandy got some super shots of them, but then, they have a really fabulous camera too. I'm anxious to see what else they are going to post.. and of course what everyone else will post too!
I'll be putting mine up tonite on my blog, but won't connect till tomorrow.
I would encourage everyone to try their hand at Foto Friday.. it's so very simple.
You will need a blog..
You need pictures on your blog
then you link to Renaissance's MckLinky on her site.
Once you have linked with her blog, take a look at what everyone else has linked in. I'm amazed at how creative people really are.
You don't need to be acquainted with the host.. just join in and we'll all get to know you through your blog.
I like doing this.. Rebecca makes very constructive critique if you wish. She is an expert at photography. Don't let the expert part hold you back though.. it's really a bonus!
At the moment there are about 11-12 of us who are doing the Foto Friday. So, jump right in and if you have questions, just ask!

Life is strange. Days seem to just fly by until you are wanting a certain day to arrive.. and then the days crawl along like spilled molasses on a snowy day. Ugh.
It just doesn't seem like it could be Thursday already tomorrow. Wasn't Sabbath just yesterday? It seems like it.
I've been trying to keep moving. I walk outside a bit. At least 3x a day around the larger portion of the yard.. up to the road and then across and down the other driveway. It's a nice walk, and about all I can manage before my back stiffens up. Gotta keep moving. If I stop, all my joints will come to a halt like the tin man. AACCKKKKK!!

It was a simply glorious day outside today. Even the chickens were more cooperative. They left me 10 eggs. Yesterday there were none...nada...zilch.
Oh well... They are free ranging again.. doing more outside the nether side of the old trailer. For several days I don't think they even came out.

One piece of equipment arrived today for the demolition. The guy says it will be a few more days, but the equipment will be coming in anyway.
It's creeping up on us ever so slowly. I am so happy I could just squeek!

Today I called the phone company to find out if they were ever going to unhook the phone from the trailer and at the pole at the road. They came in and marked the line with orange paint, but nothing more done. It's been about 2 weeks now.. I wondered if they even cared. The first guy I talked to didn't seem to understand what I was asking.. and finally was becoming snippy with me because HE didn't 'get it'. I finally asked to speak to someone who could tell me how deeply the telephone lines would be. The woman I spoke to really knew her stuff. I was so relieved and pleased to have spoken to her. She understood the dilemma and assured me that the only place one could NOT dig was where the orange paint was applied. I asked if that meant no one was going to disconnect the wires physically from the old trailer and she said ..'no'. Well... okay... questions answered.
So when that old line gets damaged, no sweat.. they will install a new line when the new trailer gets placed.
The gas company still hasn't picked up their tank. John moved it anticipating demolition beginning today. I called the company as they had told me two weeks ago someone would pick it up that following week.. but no one showed. Today the lady said 'oh, sometime in the next couple weeks'.. good to know. Glad I called. Glad we are not dealing with this company as OUR gas delivery service- we might freeze to death before they got us on their schedule.. Seriously, they were very nice about it and I didn't care, but they should let you know if they are not able to do as they said they would do. Imagine if we didn't have someone who could move that tank and the demo crew showed up..
Everything in God's time. I don't want my will imposed on any of this. I'll be happy when we move, but as God provides.

Doing away with death

"In that day he will remove the cloud of gloom, the shadow of death that hangs over the earth. He will swallow up death forever! The Sovereign Lord will wipe away all tears. He will remove forever all insults and mockery against his land and people. The Lord has spoken!"
Isaiah 25:7-8 NLT

There are many rooms in my Father's home, and I am going to prepare a place for you. If this were not so, I would tell you plainly.
John 14:2 NLT

Jesus told her, "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, will live again."
John 11:25 NLT

"There are two kinds of death—the cessation of life here on earth, and the missed opportunity to live in heaven with God forever.

To die physically is to leave our earthly body and our place in the earthly community.

To die spiritually, eternally, is to miss eternal residence in heaven with God and his people, to be separated from God forever.

When we die physically, we can be even more alive as we take up residence in God's eternal home with him and his people.

It is not pleasant to think of dying physically.

But it is devastating to think of missing heaven forever."

from the Touchpoint Bible with commentary by Ron Beers and Gilbert Beers (Tyndale) p 1180

"Unless the Lord builds a house, the work of the builders is useless. Unless the Lord protects a city, guarding it with sentries will do no good."
Psalm 127:1 NLT

Unless the Lord builds the house

"Benjamin Franklin is best known for his inventions (lightning rod) and his aphorisms ("early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise").
But he was also a key figure when the thirteen colonies were giving birth to a new nation.
At the age of 81, Franklin was the oldest representative at the 1787 Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.
Weeks after the convention began, representatives were still haggling about the relative voting power of large states and small states.
Then Franklin stood up and said,
"In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for the divine protection.
Our prayers, sir, were heard and they were graciously answered.…
Have we now forgotten this powerful Friend?
Do we imagine that we no longer need his assistance?
I have lived a long time, and the longer I live the more convincing proof I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men.…
We have been assured, sir, that 'except the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain that build it,' and without His concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel."

The verse from Psalm 127 had its effect.
A compromise was soon worked out, and a Constitution ratified by the states the following year.

adapted from The One Year Book of Psalms with devotionals by William J. Petersen and Randy Petersen (Tyndale) entry for October 27

Dahlias

This is my bouquet of Dahlias from yesterday. I'd stopped at the neighbor's for apples and he came out with shears and told me to cut all the dahlias I wanted or could carry.. I got a goodly bouquet of the prettiest ones.. I was like a child in a candy shop with no one looking and the license to take all I wanted.. WOW!!!! These are magnificent flowers.. even today they grace our table..

Today was the Benefit Spaghetti Dinner for little Kristofer Robinson. Wendell was pretty much under the weather and afraid to get too far from the house, so I went and got 'take out'. Glad I did. There was a MOB there at the firehall. I would have guessed 200-300 at 2pm.. and the server told me there had been no let up since they started. Amazing! I hope they made a mint for the little guy.

Today's Egg count: 9
The hens are being more sociable with me.. in fact, they followed me back home here after I fed them tonite. They still won't go inside to roost.

Packing up my dishes tonite

FOTO FRIDAY SELF PORTRAIT

These are my hands.. They are aging hands that are bending to the results of arthritis.. Hands that have touched many, soothed many, spanked a few, and have guided a needle whether in sewing or in IV infusions.. These hands have lovingly held children and grandchildren, giving most of them their first home baths and changed literally thousands of diapers.. hands that have wiped runny noses and tears in eyes, brushed and combed hair.. held on tight for walks with little ones, played peek-a- boo with childern and grandchildren.. that have patted some on the back for great work.. written volumes, snapped a zillion pictures, chopped veggies, sliced meats, prepared a garden, meals, driven cars and trucks.. hammered nails, swatted flies, washed tons of laundry, dressed babies and children and myself.. sewed on buttons, made icecubes, made cookies and crafts with grandkids.. the hands that made gramma camp work.. these hands have given injections to patients to relieve their pain and a bazillion back rubs to ease some into sleep.. they are the ones that hugged a husband, child or friend.. and offered to help when and wherever needed.. they canned tons of veggies and fruits, meats and cakes, pickles and have washed uncounted dishes, pots and pans. They have swept floors, cleaned commodes, and wiped up messes .. planted asparagus years ago, blueberry bushes, and picked raspberries and strawberries..they have held the hand of some who were dying.. and many who were giving birth..
but especially the hands that fold together every day and pray for you, me, and all those around us..
This is my nose .. I think that is obvious. It's a very fine nose indeed and has served me well for over 60 years.. Imagine that. Not once in all that time has it ever malfunctioned. Awesome, eh?
This is the nose that has smelled a thousand dandelions, violets and daisies picked by pudgy little hands of sweet children and grandchildren too.

This is my eye.. it's iris is blue.. It's also served me well over the ages, though I give it a help now and again with a lovely pair of glasses that give my sight clarity.

Full face.. yep.. that's me all right.. This is the face that has greeted my family over the decades.. happy to see anyone who wants to visit.. It's the face and smile that greets my patients as they arrive to my infusion room for their IV treatments.. the smile that my doctor employer tells me is worth a million dollars.. *smile*.. (I wonder if he knows my dentist?)
It is also the face of a grandmother who sees her grandchild for the first time..
and a mother when she first saw her newborn child..
It's the face also that greets my husband in the morning most days.
It's the face of a woman who is awaiting her new home in a few weeks..

My pie hole..
:-)
This is the mouth that tells my children and my grandchildren that I love them so very much.
It's the mouth of a nurse who uttered soothing words to my patients when they hurt.
It's the mouth of a Christian woman who loves to sing Psalms and praise the Lord.
It's also the mouth that has on occasion gotten me into trouble.. sigh...

Did I mention I actually have 2 blue eyes?
Yep.. those are mine
They look a bit tired.. weary.. aged.. but I can still see joy in them

I walked outside looking for a spot that I could use to take my self portrait..
and here I was following me all around.. so I took my shadow's picture..

Okay.. it's your turn to try your hand at Foto Friday.. it's not hard and it's a lot of fun
Put your photos on your blog and click on over to Renaissance and click on the Mclinky..
Simple! and then look at all the other entries while you are there..

Chicken Duty..

Today was interesting to say the least.. when I got home today I took a short nap and then bundled up to go to do the 'Chicken Duty'. When I went outside, I saw none.. zip...zero..none. It occurred to me that perhaps Paul had picked up the last of the girls to take to his home..
But I could hear the muffled sounds of clucking coming from the coop.. there they all were - inside where it was warm and dry. It was raining, cold, windy, and did I mention cold? It was about 35 degrees.. they have clean water, dry feed, and I tossed them a little cracked corn outside. Most of them went outside for the corn, but quickly returned to the coop. I found only 3 eggs.. a sure sign of winter's arrival soon..
Tomorrow we are to get a half inch of snow if the storm continues coming from the NE. Wendy says they may get 1-3".. ugh. The weather report says 100% chance of precipitation and that will be rain/snow mix overnight.

Office was very good.. three patients treated and each did well.
I note that the swine flu vaccine is a live vaccine and not safe for patients receiving biologics.
The regular dead vaccine for the flu that folks get every flu season is safe.
I also note that the shingles vaccine is not safe for my biologic patients either.. another live one.

My office day was not without the usual pain in my back.. it's not getting better. Perhaps when we are totally moved into our new place and I don't have to carry/move boxes, I'll start that healing process again.. but I'm not holding my breath for now. I'm thankful I can do what I can do.

Going to bed early, but not till I post my Foto Friday pictures for this week.. 'self portrait'.
I think I did okay.. not great, but ok. The important thing is that I took the photos myself.. it's a fun thing to do.

Chicken Duty again

Charlie left this morning for Michigan and our brother Bill's home. He's going to visit there while the new trailer is placed in the next couple weeks. We haven't heard whether he arrived or not.. but are not worried at the moment. Hopefully Bill will call tomorrow to let us know all is well.

I have 'chicken duty' in his absence. I'd be a lot better at it if I wasn't allergic to the dust and mold and fungus that abound in the coop. Tonite I'm very stuffed up. I collected ten eggs. This past week the flock was divided and a friend of Paul's took half. Hopefully Paul will take the remaining chickens and if Charlie wants to raise them again, we can start next spring.

Still having some orthopedic problems.. keep praying. I have office in the morning and need to be solid on my feet and not floundering as I have been the last couple days. I may remove a chair from our infusion room to make more space so that I can use my stool on wheels to go between patients.

Tomorrow will not be a difficult day with only three patients scheduled and I'm not sure about one of them.. she may not come. I see on the schedule on Tuesday that there are ten and little time for a break. It will be a difficult day for me and I'll need a lot of prayer support for myself physically.

Well, it's about time for me to begin complaining about the weather..for another winter season. It's in the low 30s tonite and the high tomorrow is to be about two degrees warmer. UGH. Also, rain is in the forecast along with snow.... yes, I said SNOW ..AACCKKKK!!!!!!!! I pray it isn't so. Actually it's a chance of snow, but I don't like it anyway. Snow brings driving problems and ice .. aaackkkkk again.

Oh.. to be TOTALLY retired. Snow in October is not particularly uncommon, especially since November is right around the corner.. I can remember as a child going out on Trick or Treat night in the snow.. not MUCH snow, but snow nonetheless. It would be unusual to have six or eight inches of the nasty white stuff at this point in October. So much for global warming. I don't believe any of that garbage. Anyone with half a brain wouldn't accept that as gospel.

So tomorrow I shall be praying that the weatherman just needs a new dartboard, eh?

I really must get back to bed.. it's nearly 1:30 am.. and I have to be on my feet in a few hours.

END OF SUMMER..SIGH

The weather prognosticator says we shall have a freeze tonite.. so I walked one more time through the flowers and the garden to soak up the beauty..
and take a few more pictures . I found these pumpkins in the weeds.. the bugs were having a feast..

The sunflowers are still regal, though they appear to be taking a bow after their glorious display this summer.. Bravo !!!

If I were to mount this on my wall, I'd label it

"End of Summer"..

Thistles blowing seed in the wind..

Magnificent !!!

Even a lowly toadstool has its beauty..

All summer long the deer come to feast on these

beautifully colored crabapples..

These are the tail end of the flowers.. Cosmos.

By tomorrow they will be but a memory

This honeybee is getting the end of the pollen

Demolition

Paul asked permission to have the first 'hit' before official demolition
begins next week. Permission granted.
Why? Just because he could.. he's a boy..

He broke through the wall and suddenly the hammer disappeared!
His dad had slipped into the room behind and pulled it all the way through the wall..
Funny stuff..