6/30/09

OK, I'm not complaining, because this weather is better than 97°, but it feels like October. It's cold and windy and dark already.

The weather this year is just crazy! I've never had Baltimore Orioles this time of the year before. I am enjoying them though. I've been trying to get a photo of the male. He is such a bright color. Maybe tomorrow...

6/24/09

I saw a Indigo Bunting at the feeder this morning. This bird looks black until the sun hits the feathers at the right angle, then it's a beautiful blue.

It's a pleasant 70° right now. We had a thunderstorm come through and it cooled things down a bit. The last two days have been just miserable, in the upper 90s. My tomatoes are finally starting to perk up, though.

On a more somber note, I've been watching the events in Iran, and how ever much we complain about our government and politicians, we can at least complain. Right now they can't even do that. Here's a sample of the twitters coming out of Iran this morning:
phone line was cut and we lost internet - #Iranelection - getting more difficult to log into net -

reports of street fighting in Vanak Sq, Tajrish sq, Azadi Sq - now

in Baharestan we saw militia with axe choping ppl like meat - blood everywhere - like butcher

they catch ppl with mobile - so many killed today - so many injured - Allah Akbar - they take one of us

Lalezar Sq is same as Baharestan - unbelevable - ppls murdered everywhere

they pull away the dead into trucks - like factory - no human can do this - we beg Allah for save us

we must go - dont know when we can get internet - they take 1 of us, they will torture and get names - now we must move fast

6/18/09

Hot and muggy, headache and earache. Can you tell I'm miserable? Finally gave in and turned on the AC.

6/17/09

I just have to show off some beads I just finished cleaning:





IMHO, I think they turned out rather nice. Unfortunately, the photos just don't show the metallic shimmers that make them so luscious.

6/17/09

We got almost 1 1/2" of rain yesterday. We really needed it, as we live in sand country, and the drought hits us harder. Birds are really active this morning. I just saw an Eastern Phoebe. I had to look it up in the bird book as I don't think I've ever seen one before.


I just had to show these beads that I just pulled out of the kiln. I LOVE Aurae glass!

6/15/09

On NBC Nightly News, talking about Pres. Obama's health care reform, a politician said Americans don't want rationed health care, beaurocrats making health care decisions, people having to wait for appointments, etc.

Excuse me, but what do we have now? Last time I made an appointment, it took over 2 weeks to get in to see the doctor, and that was just to get a prescription refilled. And then the prescription, which I had been on for a couple of years, was no longer covered by my health insurance, so I had to call the doctor and get a different prescription. But then, congressmen live in an entirely different world than I. They don't have to pay $1341 a month in health insurance, and I'm sure they don't have my deductible or 20% co-pay on everything. If we all had the health care that the members of the US Congress have, I could afford to go to the doctor for the headaches, earaches, stomachaches, a Pap test, mammogram and the 5-year check-up the health insurance company says I should have, which I can't afford, since the visit to the doctor to get the prescription renewed cost $177.

OK, end of rant!

It's been warm here! Yesterday it was 85° and today it got up to 84°. No wonder I feel like puking!

That's right! I was going to quit complaining and be happy.

My irises are blooming. They are just lovely.



Well, I'm going to go out and see if the lawnmower will start. It's been on the battery charger for a couple of hours (needs a new battery). The lawn REALLY needs mowing, even though the grass is all dead from lack of rain, the weeds are certainly growing.

6/12/09

Just some photos to share tonight. I did a couple of beads this morning that I really like (I LOVE blue).


And I got a couple of nice photos of a hummer. Can you find it in the bush? It's sitting smack dab in the middle of the photo.

And here he is at the feeder,

6/8/09

Got the call from the bank with the new appraisal. Our property has lost about $100,000 value in the last two years, almost a third of the value. We're still going to go through with the refinancing. It'll be at a lower interest rate, and we'll get enough money to get the land surveyed so we know where to put the fence line, and to get the fence posts and barbed wire, and to get the RV in and get some work done on it, and hopefully enough to go on a little fishing trip this summer.

We got another stretch of fence almost done tonight. I HATE working with barbed wire, especially when I have to stretch it, with the creaking and pinging wire I just get visions of something letting loose and it going flying. It's wicked stuff, but it keeps the cows in.

We finally got the stray mama cat caught. She's a beautiful cat, black, white and orange calico, but very wild. She showed up in our garage about 4 years ago, and has a batch of kittens every year. Whiskers, the black and white cat I've posted pictures of here, is last year's kitten. Well, she had 4 kittens this year, and they're just starting to eat solid food, so we were able to catch them and get them in the mud room. Then by opening the door so she could get in with her kittens, and sneaking into the garage and closing the door, I was able to lock her into there. She's settling down a little bit, we've been able to touch her at least. I'm hoping to tame her down enough to get her into the vet and get her fixed. DON'T need any more cats!!

Interesting article on the news tonight about flea and tick drops causing reactions in dogs and cats, allergic reactions, seizures and death. I won't use them on the little dogs anymore. I bought some and put it on Pip (and yes, it was the dose for under 15 lbs.), and within a half hour she was whirling around and trying to lick and bite her back. I put her in the shower and washed it off, but she didn't settle down until the next day.

I posted some more beads on Etsy and ArtFire. Here's my favorite:

6/5/09

All right, I've read my email and the news, there's a cool breeze, and there's supposed to be rain on the way (which we desperately need!), everyone else is still asleep, so it's nice and quiet. I have a lady who wants lots of Troll beads, so I'm off to the torch.

5/31/09

It's a good thing that I had an artistic bent and was able to make a living that way, because I sure don't have any luck as a farmer. Frosted pumpkins and melons last night, chickens are jumping up into the stock tank and eating my tomato plants, and the calf got into the garden and pulled up half my sweet corn.

And this is what gets me through the winter???

Well, at least my hummingbirds and orioles like me.

5/25/09

I'm watching a Baltimore Oriole flashing his wings and chattering at the female Oriole. She's just interested in the grape jelly on the orange.

5/23/09

Long, long day. We got the living room and half of a bedroom cleaned out. Stupid jerks who broke in to Mom's house just trashed it, threw things down on the floor, tore the door off the pump house. What is the sense in that?

I hope I NEVER get to the point of saving every receipt, every magazine bill or every magazine I get. One of my goals has been to simplify and de-clutter. I can see now I haven't pursued it nearly far enough! I'm afraid too much of Mom has rubbed off on me. I need to be more ruthless in getting rid of things.

So next weekend we're going to be doing the same thing. There is furniture that needs to gotten out of there. I'm afraid the next thing the vandals will think of is to torch the place.

5/23/09

Going down to the farm today to try to get some stuff out of Mom's house. My brother said someone broke into it again and really trashed it. Stupid, senseless people!

5/22/09

Spent the morning doing bills. What a waste of time!! I'd rather have been making beads or being outside. The Baltimore orioles are sucking up the grape jelly off the orange I put out, and they are so bright!

But I've got two more doctor bills paid completely off. Next month another one will be done with. Yippee!!!

5/20/09

Minnesota, from freezing to 94° in a couple of days.

5/18/09

Why do we need health care reform in this country?

Last month Lukas' seizure medication's price was $377.73, of which the insurance paid $302.18, and we paid $75.55. This month's price is $527.99, of which the insurance paid $422.39 and we paid $105.60. The drug company raised the price over $150!!!!

5/15/09

And so the battle continues...

Background, in 1990 we bought 45 acres to build a house on. The bank wouldn't finance a house on more than 10 acres, so we went to the assessor's office and had 7+ acres partitioned off into a separate parcel for the house.

I received a letter from the assessor's office yesterday and called them this a.m. to find out what it meant. Seems that it's illegal to partition off a parcel for mortgage purposes. What the heck!?! This is the assessor's office, they're the ones who did it, and have been sending me tax statements for the two separate parcels for the last 20 years, and they didn't know it was illegal?!?

So what this is going to do to the refinancing, I'm not sure. At 9:00, I'll call the bank and find out (and hopefully I'll get an answer yet today).

Maybe people who bungee jump do it because they're so overwhelmed with everyday life.

5/12/09

Farewell to a dear companion

She was such a goofball, and loved to play:

And one of my favorite pictures, Lukas and Tynha:

I miss her.

5/12/09

Made an appt. to have Tyhna put down. She can't get up at all now. I was hoping to have the vet make a farm call, but neither of them can until next week. So now we have to try to get her on a blanket and loaded into the back of the van. This is so horrible. There has just been too much pain. I am so tired of it all. And I thought last year was bad. This year has it beat hands down.

5/11/09

Did you know that you can give hydrogen pyroxide to a dog to make it throw up? Just saved a trip to the vet.