Well, I go through my farm calendar to see the events that have occurred since my last blog post and I was dismayed to see how long it had been since I posted. Apologies. The saying is, that if you are saying “yes” to something, you are saying “no” to something else. Definitely true in this case. I keep trying to tweak my schedule to see how much I can get done, but something always falls through the cracks.
I did manage to get my Word of the Year chosen. I posted an audio only podcast, Episode 69 on the pod catchers but it can also be watched here, on my YouTube channel.
Daisy is a sow that had a disastrous farrowing last year. The typical four-hour labor lasted four days. Of the nine piglets born, only one was born alive and she died after a day or two. Since then, even being in with my boar for several months, she never got pregnant again. It was time to get her processed.
Also, my gilt, Tinker Bell was starting to show signs that she was having difficulties with her hind legs and I decided that she needed to be processed too. Apparently, this is a genetic issue from a previous boar as this is the third pig to develop this condition. Tom found buyers for half of Daisy and both halves of Tinker Bell and we set the date to get them processed. It was cold the day we loaded them up but even colder the day we took them to the processor. Encouraging stubborn pigs through a chute in one degree weather was a challenge.
To give our customers an estimate of how much their half a pig would cost, I measured the pigs and followed a formula to get their approximate weights. I had only done it a couple of times in the past, but the formula seems to be fairly accurate. Learn how I determined the weight of my pigs by watching this video
I’m really enjoying doing the Books Highlighted podcast. I read books of all kinds, highlighting parts that speak to me. I don’t ever expect to gain large numbers of listeners with this podcast, but I’m glad I’m doing them.
and lastly
These are all audio-only and can be listened to on your favorite pod catcher.
Because of a situation I went through back in 1998 where the local domestic abuse organization helped me, I try to do my part to help them whenever possible. They have three different thrift stores in downtown Claremore: one mostly furniture, another boutique clothing store, and a regular thrift store that sells pretty much everything else. I shop at these stores when I need something they can provide. The past couple of years, I have been invited through our church to wrap Christmas gifts for the women in the shelter along with gifts for their children. The first year, I was apprehensive to go into this carefully secured building that provided housing, counseling and other services for victims of sexual and physical abuse. All the employees and volunteers are exceptional (I knew they would be from past experience), but I was apprehensive that I might have to look face to face with a significantly broken woman or child because of an abuse situation. I was afraid that being in that building, though it was not built when I was needing assistance, I would suffer flash backs or some other emotional issue. I am grateful to say that I did not. I was surrounded by my church friends in a large, friendly room with plenty of counter or desk space to wrap the array of gifts chosen for these ladies and their children. I did get an occasional tear in my eye as I thought of the woman who would receive these thoughtful presents, but otherwise, there have been no other traumatic memories invading my mind while I wrapped. I am grateful that I can cheerfully participate each December wrapping these gifts.
I am trying to do more cooking videos for the Grandma’s Homestead YouTube channel. I am doing a series on Cooking from the Pantry, the Cookbook of the Collapse series, and just plain old videos of some of my favorite meals.The lighting in my kitchen is terrible though. I had already added three LED lights but needed another for work I wanted to do on the table. Shedding a Little Light on the Project can be seen here.
A few years ago, I helped my parents move from southern Oklahoma to northern Florida so they could be near my brother and his family. Even at the time of the move, my parents, particularly Dad, were having memory issues and they both had already suffered strokes. Since the move, they have had to move in with my brother. Dad’s Alzheimer symptom caused the need to move him into an assisted living facility. Recently, Mom had to join him. I have known all along how difficult my parents are. They are both incredibly stubborn and Mom has always been prone to fits of rage. Unfortunately, their stubbornness is hereditary. I know I inherited it and I learned that my brother has too. I had tried to tell him at the time of the initial move to Florida the mental state they were in, but my brother would not be swayed. The poor man has put up with an incredible amount of issues with our parents and, for many months, he did so cheerfully.
Because my father tended to call friends and family all over the country, many times in the wee hours of the morning, my brother took his cell phone away. When Mom joined Dad, her phone also needed to be taken. Except when my brother was visiting, there was no way to communicate with my parents. It’s sad, but a part of life. Because my father tended to call friends and family all over the country, many times in the wee hours of the morning, my brother took his cell phone away. When Mom joined Dad, her phone also needed to be taken. Except when my brother was visiting, there was no way to communicate with my parents. It’s sad, but a part of life.
Apparently they pushed my brother too far recently. A few weeks ago, my brother called and said that Mom wanted to talk to me. Cool! Not really. When I asked her how she was, (I’ll leave out the curse words) she said that she was not doing well at all. She does not like nor will eat canned food. And the assisted living facility does not understand that she and Dad fight. That one really upset her. She reminded me that, a few months ago, I had told her she could come live with me if needed when she had asked. I had no idea that would ever come about for a variety of reasons. Suddenly, Mom is mad and has decided that she and Dad both are coming to live with me. I told her that would be difficult to achieve and I’d have to do some work to even consider them moving here: ramp, some place to actually put both of them, handicap accessible bathroom facilities, etc. She then decided that they would put a small house at the bottom of our hill. I explained that we’d have to work out sewage, water and electricity. “Fine,” she said. “Let’s get on it.” When my brother got back on the phone, he thought he understood that this was happening and told me that he would call me later. When he did, I would tell him that them moving in with us was basically impossible. Instead of calling me, he sent me a text a few minutes later informing me that he had bought three tickets to Tulsa and he was depositing my parents personally at my front door. Now I was in panic mode. He was truly that angry with my parents.
I knew that he had been through a lot with them, but I truly had no way to accommodate my parents. Even if they could navigate my stairs, the occasional snake that comes to visit would put my mother through the roof. (Country life). I finally sent my brother a message the next day stating that I would be happy to find a facility in Claremore for them and I would bring Mom fresh food several times a week and even take her shopping on occasion, if she wanted. He was angry with me (he might be still) but he replied that he would just have to tell Mom and Dad that staying in Florida was how it was going to be and they could just deal with it. We both knew that, moving them to Oklahoma would not make her any happier anyway. I’m truly sorry that my brother is having to deal with this. I told my youngest son that he had permission to keep me in line if I get to be a problem. I earnestly pray that I do not become a problem for them.
I have come across several women, as their husbands have either become incapable (like Dad) or have passed, who have struggled with paying the bills, knowing where they stand financially, or even knowing if their names are on the property left by their husbands. I posted a podcast addressing this issue. You can listen on your favorite pod catcher or watch it here.
When I was sick with Alpha Gal and had terrible food allergies a few years ago, I started making my own bone broth. Even today, I can be found sipping it, and I am grateful that I still really enjoy it after all this time. I recently had a couple of people ask me some questions about making their own bone broth. I will cover other good ways to make nutritious bone broth in the future, but I made a video on my favorite way to make it. It can be seen here.
The car that I bought Kinzie when she turned sixteen, was the perfect vehicle for a first time driver, but it is high on miles right now and beginning to cost to keep it in running condition. I no longer have the money to buy her another vehicle. She has a job and is saving (most of the time) for another car. She has been looking for several weeks but hasn’t made a decision yet. I frequently get links to vehicles she is considering so I can give her my opinion of reliability and other considerations. I’ve owned my share of cars over the years, so I’m no novice.
Tom has been working on getting a wood stove set up in the living room. He had my son, Tony, lay tile on the floor and on the wall behind the stove. It is not completely finished yet, but Tom did get it installed enough to have it in working order before the worst of the winter weather hit a couple of weeks ago. There were several days that the temperature did not get above freezing and we even got six inches of snow at one point. Installing a Wood Stove in December can be seen here.
Snowy NE Oklahoma can be seen here.
On a whole other subject, I have been considering the issues involved with males in the ladies’ locker rooms and also playing sports with the girls. I know that President Trump is now working to change that, but I still felt like this was an issue that needed to be addressed. I posted a podcast, again both audio only and this video. Episode 71: Whatever Happened to Mean Girls can be seen here.
On Wednesday evenings when we have church and on other evenings where Kinzie, Tom and I come and go, I make crock pot meals so that everyone can have a fresh hot meal, regardless of when they pass through for dinner. I posted a video showing how I make my favorite way to make Braised Beef.
After recovering from the softball season this last summer, I have finally returned to researching and producing content for the Are You Ready for the Next Great Depression series. This episode discussed homesteading as a way to get through a severe economic downturn. I had wanted to post it on both the This Grandma’s Life Podcast channel and Grandma’s Homestead. I accidentally deleted it before I could put in on Grandma’s Homestead. You can still hear the audio version on the pod catchers or watch it here.
I seldom go to the doctor. If I’m sick, I let the illness run it’s course. Seldom have I ever needed to go to my primary care physician and I’m glad. I do, however, need to have my annual checkup so that I am able to get my prescription renewed for the blood pressure medicine that I just can’t seem to take care of on my own. Physical examinations have always felt very intrusive to me, although I realize that they are very necessary. I’m not a touchy, feely type of person and a near stranger just makes it worse. None the less, I went. I am now scheduled for a mammogram (fun!) and did end up pooping in a cup and sent it off to a laboratory to be tested in hopes of preventing need for a colonoscopy. Nothing like taking a clearly marked box to the nearest UPS store for shipping.
Switching gears again, I am getting discouraged with breeding rabbits. I made sure that the does had plenty of straw to make nests when it was time for them to give birth. The first doe had two kits in the coldest of the days, right on top of the hay and the poor babies were frozen solid before we found them. A few days later, I watched the other doe dig deep into the straw and start pulling her fur. Yet, she delivered five kits, right on top of the straw. They had not been dead long when I found them. I just don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I will try again, but I may be processing these rabbits and giving up on the idea of raising my own meat rabbits.
I got one more podcast posted. I discuss the southern border issue and other things that make me wonder exactly why the leaders of our country seemed hell-bent on destroying this great country. There has to be reasons for this. This episode can be listened to on your favorite pod catcher or it can be seen here.
Ending on a good note, I got to watch my youngest granddaughter for a few hours. I could not ask for a sweeter, more well-behaved child. It’s a good thing too. I have been struggling with extreme fatigue due to some stress related issues, and I kept nodding off that afternoon. Occasionally, she would ask me if my eyes were closed or if I was sleeping. I always got up to move around, and, I confessed to my son and daughter in law when they got home. They told me that the other grandparents to the same thing. Otherwise, I had a really nice time with little Ivy. Here’s a couple of pictures of her, one where she’s making faces at the camera.


Pretty cute if I do say so myself!
This has been a long blog post and I apologize. I hope you enjoyed it anyway. God bless and I see you next time!