Back At It Again

Okay, so it’s been months and months, but to be honest, I’ve been busy. Between the content writing I do, the garden, the harvest and everything else, I’ve spent little time at this blog or on the webpages. But, that is changing. Kevin has posted several new articles to Backwoods Living and I’ll be doing the same in the coming weeks.

Plus, we’ve started something new. Zayden’s Toys – old fashioned, folk art types of real, homemade wooden trucks. Why? You ask. Simple, we saw (and actually purchased) one of the cheap, plastic trucks that are on the market today. Does Zayden like it? Well, he likes the noises the steering wheel makes, but that’s about it. And one of his action figures can fit in the cab. What more could a little boy want?

From the time Kevin brought in his ‘new’ dump truck, it became his favorite toy. Why? Because he can stack his wooden blocks (also homemade) into the dump bed and dump them all over the living room floor. He can also push through a wall of blocks that he stacks himself. (For some reason, this seems to be great fun.)

We decided that if Zayden had so much fun playing with his dump truck, other little boys would too. We expanded the line to include the dump truck and a flat bed with push blade, a crane truck that will hold a small load, and a huge tractor trailer rig. So, Zayden is a happy boy and hopefully there will be many more happy boys around the country enjoying their trucks too.

So stay tuned, folks. All of our websites are undergoing updates; Lo Gap Woodworks, Little Red Cedar Mill, the new Zayden’s Toys and continuously on Backwoods Living. Check them out if you get a chance.

On Dead Modems and Backup Laptops

Okay, so I finally caught up with this century a couple of months ago and retired my trusty ThinkPad 600. In its place, I bought a ThinkPad T42. It has everything, wi-fi, wireless radio and a host of other features I don’t need, plus it has XP Pro on it. That, I finally figured out, I did need as it allowed me to access software and some websites that Windows 98SE couldn’t touch.

But three months later, the DVD/CD-R died. IBM/Lenovo replaced it within three days. On Sunday, the modem just up and died. One minute working, the next minute gone. No back-up modem for the machine either.

So what did I do to meet writing deadlines? Pulled out the 600 of course. Met all the deadlines and remembered why that laptop has lasted me six years. It is one tough computing wonder.

I could send the T42 back to IBM/Lenovo and have it fixed. But I didn’t really want to be without it – I’ve come to really like the feel of it for writing, surfing and a host of other computer stuff. So, instead, I bought a couple of PCMCIA modems and now I’m back in business. With a double backup – extra modem. And the 600.

I had thought about selling the 600, but now I know for sure I’m going to keep it. I’ve formatted an extra hard drive and now it will be my DOS machine. It flies. And when I’m serious about writing, well, there’s no World Wide Web enticing me to procrastinate.

Best of both worlds, me thinks.

Severe Weather Again

Rain, lightening and thunder. Wave after wave. The weatherman just said Clinton was getting hit with walnut sized hail. Just what we need. More bad weather. With any luck, it will all be gone by morning. At least, so far, there aren’t any tornadoes associated with this storm. And while we get rain, a few miles north of us, they are talking ice storm. I suppose I should count my blessings.

Kevin is at work and my wonderful grandson is here, asleep in his bed. The girls are asleep beside the sofa. I think the storm has them slightly nervous too. Me, I’ll be perfectly content when Kevin gets home in a few hours. I hate it when we have bad weather and he’s in one place and I’m in another. Heck, I hate that anytime, but even more at times like this.

Tomorrow will be a week since the tornado hit town. I still haven’t gone to look, I saw enough on the news. And from what I hear, town has enough gawkers anyway. Daughter dumpling told me a marine stopped her as she came through town coming here to drop off Zayden. Once she explained where she was headed, he wished her well and sent her on her way. They do have a curfew imposed in town, but it must be really bad if they have to call in the marines.

And now, I’m just about out of battery power on my trusty laptop. So, while the sky is quite, I’m going to post this ramble before the next wave hits.

Too Close For Comfort

By now, most everyone has either seen the news or read about the tornadoes that ripped through Arkansas, Kentucky and Tennessee last night.

Kevin and I sat riveted to the television screen as the first killer tornado fired up in central Arkansas. We watched as it followed the road down the hill—really only about 3 miles away as the crow flies. We got our bug-out bags together and put them in the closet, along with his wallet and my purse and extra drinking water. We didn’t know how close this one was going to come. We watched the weather. Thankfully, Channel 4 (KARK) never went to regular programming and stayed with the weather until it was no longer a threat.

The rain poured from the sky and as darkness took over light, the sky lit up with shards of lightening. Thunder followed, but that was as bad as it got—here.

The tornado stayed on the ground and made its way into Clinton. Then continued to the next town and then the next. Over a hundred miles of devastation.

Next, came worrying about the kids. We have both a son and a daughter that live or work in the area. And then, there was Zayden - our precious grandson. I paced the floor for hours while waiting for word - finally we heard daughter dumpling and grandson were fine. Sigh of relief.

This morning, the news showed us how lucky we had been. The boat factory, where Kevin and I met, worked together and fell in love, is gone. What they showed on the news was nothing short of unbelievable. Yet, I know it’s true. Almost a dozen people tried to find shelter inside the offices, most escaped with cuts and bruises, some were more seriously injured and one young man lost his life.

On the news, I see across the road to where the dentist’s office once stood. A building made of solid stone; gone. As was the little clubhouse at the golf course where I used to occasionally walk across the road to buy lunch. Not a trace.

In the end, over seventy homes are damaged or destroyed and three people in the county have lost their lives.

Son child finally called this afternoon - he's okay too.

It all just serves to remind me how temporary we, on this earth, really are.

Today, before Kevin left for work, we walked outside. Our purpose—to decide where to build a storm shelter. We know the closet is no protection for something like this. It's time to get serious.

Then we took a walk around the property. We found shingles, we found metal, glass and wood shards; every bit debris from who knows where but, all signs of just how close that tornado came to us.

Today, we feel blessed.

Rain, Rain, Yuck and Muck

Okay, really it only rained for a little while this morning. But they are calling for rain for the next two days. Outside everything is muddy. And then there is the fog. So thick I can’t even see the dog yard from the greenhouse door.

But the worse thing of all is the mud. The ground hasn't recovered from last weeks snow, it is totally saturated. As they do the work to put the gas pipeline in across the front part of the property, every thing is a muddy mess. I went to the mailbox yesterday and had to hike my jeans up, my feet sunk so deep into the muck. Hopefully, they will, at least, lay down a layer of gravel across the drive once they are done.

On the plus side, once they are done, we have new garden space that we didn’t have to clear. As long as we don’t plant anything deeper than ‘plow depth’, we’re good to go. We’re looking at lots of squash and possibly garlic in the space. So, that’s a good thing – neither will be taking up space in the actual garden. Based on past experience, the deer do not like munching on either one. But, we’ll have to wait and see on that.

Tomorrow with any luck, we’re going to begin starting seed. Peppers and eggplant first since those are the hardest to get going. Then on to tomatoes. This year, we have at least 600 tomato seeds of I don’t know how many varieties. If this year’s harvest is anything like last years, canning season is going to be very, very busy.

So there you have it. It’s what’s happening here in the backwoods.

Why?

We get asked that a lot. Why do we live so far from town? Why do we grow food (after all, YOU CAN buy it from the store, ya know)? Why don’t you have satellite? (This one comes mostly from the kids.) Why this and why that. The one thing few understand is our desire to live simply.

On the other side of the coin, I’ve been writing for eHow for around four months now. The articles that get the most views are those, similar to the website, that try to teach how to get back to the basics in life. Simple stuff really, but in today’s world almost a lost art.

I guess it just surprises me in some ways. In a world that is becoming more uncertain every day (at least in regards to the economy), I would think that those who really know us would want to learn more about how to cut back and make their money go farther. Instead, it’s the anonymous readers both on the website and eHow that seem to be flocking to the information.

But, this I know…if our working situation changes, we’ll be okay. I don’t know about other people, but to me, that is a comforting thought.

Updating the Web Site

After months of being too busy to do much with Backwoods Living, I’m finally beginning to put a few updates together. So far it’s nothing but a few venison recipes and the beginnings of our new venture – growing shiitake mushrooms.

If, and I say that with a big IF, things continue they way things have been going, I should have time to post a couple of new items on the site every week. But since life is real good at throwing me curve balls, I make no promises.

The weather is finally warming up—at least for a few days. They are calling for snow or ice on Thursday, but until then I’m going to enjoy the 50 degree days.

Tomorrow it’s back to work on the kitchen. More new cabinets to assemble and install along with an exhaust over the stove. I’ll be updating the web site with pictures of the new kitchen as we go along. I’ve got to say though, that the cedar island is absolutely beautiful. Maybe I should show pictures of the old kitchen too – let everyone see just what a hillbilly kitchen looks like and how it can transform into something straight from House Beautiful with a smart man designing and building the cabinets. Did I mention that smart man is Kevin?

So stay tuned, you never know what you may find here or at the website.

New Year and I’m Already Behind

Or at least, I feel like I am. But then again, that’s nothing unusual. Between my writing assignments (which have been very profitable the last couple of months), the work on the house (we’re remodeling the kitchen), and taking care of my grandson, I just feel like I don’t have a lot of time for the little things I enjoy so much.

We have some things accomplished though. Our garden seeds for this year are ordered and, in fact, half is already here just waiting for the first signs of spring. After years of ordering from this place and that, we finally decided this year we were only going to order from the companies owned by Jung Seeds. Of all the places we’ve ordered from in the past, we’ve had the most success with seeds from them.

I have the faucet for my new sink in the closet and now only waiting on the pot-filler for over the stove. Funny thing about growing older is that the canner gets heavier every year going from sink to stove top. Yep, getting fancy here in the country.

Darling grandson is a walking dynamo. While he’s not quite talking (real words) yet, he chatters up a storm every waking minute. The looks he gets on his face when he knows he attempting to get into something he shouldn’t are absolutely precious.

The girls are still growing. At 11 months, they both weigh in at more than 150 pounds and stand at least 26 inches at the shoulder. We built them a huge yard at the side of the house and they love their outside time, but heaven help any chicken or cat that enters their space. No, they wouldn’t kill either, but they’d love to play with them for a while.

It’s finally winter here in the Ozarks. Temps this morning were in the teens, with wind chills around zero, and the high today is still supposed to be below freezing. So water is running in the tub and the wood stove is cranking. And me, I’m not going outside unless I absolutely have too.

On Turning Fifty

On Turning Fifty

Wednesday, the 8th, was my birthday. Fifty years young. At least that’s how my mind feels. The body, on the other hand, has a different opinion.

This year I got the best birthday presents ever. Since Aserah was supposed to be my birthday present, so imagine my surprise when Kevin told me I could get her litter-mate too! We picked Bia up on Monday. The two of them are getting along great and I can’t believe just what great dogs they are.

Daughter Alissa got me an absolutely beautiful Chinese vase. It had a lid, but she didn’t bring that because she said it made it look too much like an urn. Now I’m harassing her for the top. My twisted mind kinda likes the idea of getting an urn for my birthday – sorta poetic.

Zayden, my fantastic grandson, is growing like a weed. Seven months old and crawling all over the place. Kevin swears he actually said “HI” the other day. I believe him. The kid is a tiny terror when he’s in his walker – he thinks the house is his private racetrack. But, honestly, every move he makes brings a smile to my face. Who would have thunk I would be such a proud grandma?

The garden is almost done. It’s been a very successful year. Both freezers are full and the canning jars are adding up. The dehydrators (two of them) have been running daily. About all that’s left in the garden are the pumpkins and they’ll be harvested by the end of next week.

It’s been extremely hot here the last few weeks. So far we haven’t hit the 100 mark in temperature, but we sure have in the heat index realm. Just walking to the mailbox will bring on a full sweat. Me, I’m trying to stay inside as much as possible – which isn’t hard, with all the produce to preserve that’s on the kitchen table.

I’m really looking forward to fall. The kitchen is finally going to get the remodel it has been begging for. We’re doing it all out of cedar and I know it’s just going to be stunning. Plus we designed it ourselves and since we’ve got the sawmill and all the tools, we don’t have to follow any other manufacturers idea of what a kitchen should be.

Time, like always, is always at a premium, but hopefully I’ll be able to post the remodel pictures on the site as we progress.

Back and Posting Again

Okay, so it’s been awhile. But, to be honest, things around here have been hectic for the last couple of months. And that’s putting it mildly.

Kevin’s been working almost non-stop and what free time he had, we spent the majority of it getting our garden in. Gotta admit, so far the garden has been worth all the time and effort and it looks like the shelves and freezer will be full to the brim for winter.

We did take a vacation of sorts in early June to go visit Kevin’s parents in Arizona. He couldn’t take as much time off from work as we would have liked, so the trip was only five days. We spent two days driving out there, but drove straight thru to get back to our beloved Ozark Hills.

We saw a lot of beautiful scenery along the way, but both of us had to admit that none was as stunning as the hills and trees of the Ozarks.

We spent his last day off driving to Southern Missouri to pick up our new family pet. Aserah, an English Mastiff, joined us two weeks ago tomorrow. She will be four months old this week and we are totally amazed by her laid back attitude and just how smart she is.

Now the garden is starting to produce and produce in a big way. We picked 50 pounds of green beans the day before yesterday and it looks like by the end of the week, I’ll have at least that many more. Plus, tomatoes to process. Yep, I’ll be busy, but if I’m lucky we can process a lot of it on the 4th when Kevin is off. (Some folks like fireworks – me I love the sound of the pressure canner preserving those tomatoes).

Anyway, I’ve posted a few new articles on Backwoods Living. One is in the Projects Section the other in the Back to Basics Garden.

We have a lot more to write, and I promise we will. Just got to find a free minute or so to do it. :)

Spring Has Sprung Once More

The weather here has just been getting better and better. Even with all the rain and thunderstorms, at least it is warm. Don’t even have a fire going this week.

This past weekend, Kevin and I worked on the greenhouse. We redid the growing beds and covered the roof with new plastic. And we planted lettuces, cabbages and onions. They are beginning to sprout and I can already taste fresh salad in my near future.

We also started tomatoes, peppers and eggplant in peat pots inside the cold frames. With any luck they will be strong plants by the time we’re ready to put them in the garden in May. We still have to till the garden for the year and hopefully we’ll have time to get the potatoes and onions in the ground on Saint Patrick’s day.

Zayden continues to grow like a weed. It’s hard to believe he’s almost three months old, but he’s beginning to laugh and has truly discovered he has a voice and isn’t afraid to let anyone hear it. I can’t believe I’m having so much fun watching him every night while Mom works. Sometimes I just look at him in amazement – he is just so cute and perfect.

Tried to upload the latest picture of Zayden and Kevin, but can't seem to get it to work tonight, so I'll save that for another day. (by then, I'll have another favorite picture, I'm sure).

For anyone following the website, I'll be updating it with at least three new articles in the gardening project section by the weekend.

See what my better half built

We call it the Elf Bed, but actually it's a beautiful cradle for our darling grandson. More pictures can be found on the Lo Gap Woodworks site - look under furniture, then click commissions and scroll down. Zayden is growing fast and Kevin will be building a crib for him soon. Mom and baby have gone home now, but soon she'll be back at work and Grandma gets to babysit. Can you say 'spoiled grandchild'? Because that's exactly what this little one will be.

So far, the winter here has been pretty mild. Which is good, since Kevin's been working so much, we haven't had much time to stockpile wood for the stove. It's a good thing we've got a lot of hickory -- it's the one wood that burns very well and very hot while still green. We did find time to order the plastic for the greenhouse this week, along with all of the garden seed we'll need for this year.

I'm really looking forward to this year's garden. With all the contamination that hit the fresh produce market last year, it's always nice to 'grow it yourself'. At least that way you know exactly what you are eating. You just can't say that about what you buy in the stores these days.

And it's getting worse. Now the FDA is planning to allow cloned meat and dairy in our grocery stores and not require that it be labeled as such. Can we say "yuck"? Makes me very glad we don't eat any meat other than venison that we don't raise ourselves.

So 2007 is off to a wonderful start. If only half of our plans play out the way we want them to, we're going to have a very good year.

Wishing everyone a happy and prosperous New Year.

Look what Santa brought us

Zayden Grey
Born December 23, 2006 @ 2:14 pm
Weighing in at 7 lbs 8 oz and 20 1/2 inches in length

I've never been more proud of my daughter as I was yesterday .

Grandma, Mom and Darling Little Man are all doing fine.

Merry Christmas everyone.

Money and the way we look at it

Unfortunately, money is something we all need. Even those of us who are attempting to live a back to the land lifestyle. No longer can any of us raise every thing we need to get by in the modern world.

Our jobs are taking us farther and farther away from home. Plus you have the expense of clothing, lunches and other necessities just to spend eight hours of a day away from home to earn money.

And it seems, the more you make, the more you need. I guess we're lucky in that we always seem to have enough. Even in the lean times.

And then there are the credit cards. You just can't get by in today's world without at least one. And the banks know this. Which is why, almost daily we get offers in the mail for another one. I mean, try to rent a motel room with one, or take a flight or rent a car. All of these things are impossible without that little bit of plastic.

And for emergencies, like car repairs or medical bills they can be a lifesaver.

So how do you know, which is the best credit card for you out of all of the offers you receive. Good question. Speaking of credit, how many folks actually know what's in their credit report? Does the amount of offers we get mean our credit is outstanding? I don't know, but if we took every one of them, I'd need an extra purse just to carry them all.

While we all know we need credit cards to get by, choosing the credit cards that match our own needs is never an easy task.

I suppose the reason that the economy and the way things are going lately stems from the fact Kev and I have both went back to work. Earning a living from the homestead will happen, but just not as fast as we both hoped it would. We haven't given up, just supplementing the best we can. Until the day that the sawmill and the furniture can supply everything we need, it's just the way it is in this wonderful, modern world.

More thoughts on the economy

After my post the other day, I got to thinking more about the state our economy is in. Supposedly it is getting better, at least that's what the government and financial pundits are telling us.

But, then I watch commercials and see how the car companies are practically begging consumers to buy a new car. Or the furniture companies that are offering NO down Payment/No Finance Charges/No Payment until 2009 or whatever means they can come up with to convince me that I have to have a new bed or whatever.

So my question is, how can the economy be better when day after day, I see more of these types of commercials. I mean, they wouldn't be doing this type of begging if people were really buying their products, right?

The other side of this is the prices, companies are charging for their merchandise. We were at Home Depot the other day and couldn't believe the price tags on some of the items. I know all manufacturers have to meet a bottom line that's in the black, but really, do things have to be so expensive that it is prohibitive for the average income worker to buy it?

Maybe it's really not that prices have gone up so much as it is the value of the dollar that has gone down. I can still remember back when you could get paper money that was backed by silver. Currency, called 'silver certificates', was backed dollar for dollar by silver. Take a silver backed dollar bill to the bank and you could receive a dollars worth of silver. You can't do that today; a dollar doesn't buy much of anything of value anymore. But silver will buy as much as it always has.

Okay, I guess I'm rambling. But, I really can't see that anything dealing with our economy is getting any better. With high gas prices, and all other goods rising in price because of those prices, I don't get how some people are going to be able to maintain the standard of living they are used to. And goddess help them, if their job is outsourced to another country. I read somewhere that a good portion of American families are two paychecks away from homelessness. Not a pretty picture of the economy to me.

Well, times are a changing again…

Starting Sunday, Kevin’s going back to work at the poultry plant. Which mean, it’s back to night shift for both of us. No, we’re not giving up on the mill or the lumber business, it’s only that’s going to become a part time thing – at least for now. It's going to be strange - him shifting from being gone all day to being gone all night. But at least this will be closer and he won't be gone as many hours and we'll still have the mornings to get things done around here before we sleep the afternoon away.

Been thinking a lot about the economy lately. From where I’m sitting, doesn’t seem to be getting any better at all. Gas prices are only rising and along with that comes higher everything.

Every time I think about stuff like this, can’t help but think about the price of gold. Read a web release earlier today that talked about gold and how it is really the only stable currency left in the world. Funny people have been talking gold for years, but it seems to be getting more attention this time around. A dollar may still be worth a dollar if it's a dollars worth of gold. Might want to check out the link yourself if you have ever thought about wanting to

Ya Load 50 ton and...

What will ya get? More cedar boards than I can count in my head right now. No, we haven’t even started milling it yet; first, we have to cut it down.

Kevin’s been working his little self to death modifying the truck to become a logging truck. Since we couldn’t find anyone willing to cut logs for us – we’ve decided we’ve got to do it ourselves.

This whole experience has been eye opening. We’ve run ads, offering good money for good logs. Nothing. Not that we haven’t had calls – we have – many of them. But what most people seem to want is for us to come and cut down their unwanted trees and to pay them for the privilege. Not quite what we had in mind.

So, we made a deal last week. We can cut all the cedar we want, for a very reasonable price, at a pace we can handle. No, we’re not loggers by any means. We’ll harvest these trees the same way we harvest off of our own place. Low impact and sustainability – which means simply we won’t take all the trees or even a heavy fraction of them and when we’re done – a person would be hard pressed to find traces of our being there.

Is it going to be hard work? You bet, but in the end, we’ll have enough cedar to both sell and to build with. Suddenly I’m thinking of a cedar kitchen…now wouldn’t that be something special?

Enlightening...if nothing else

Now that we’ve started to build furniture, Kevin and I took a day over the weekend to see what kind of furniture was out there, what prices were and just generally seeing what type of quality was selling.

Man, were we surprised. Much of what we saw had been imported from either Mexico or Asia. Even at the upper end furniture stores, we found thin plywood and even cardboard being used for backings that aren’t normally seen. The worst part, at least for me was that craftsmanship was nowhere to be seen. Ninety percent of what we saw had been put together with brad nails or staples. Sad, really.

The prices for these thrown together pieces truly blew me away. Obviously, I hadn’t been furniture shopping in years. For six hundred and some odd dollars, I could get a ‘name’ brand chest of drawers. Thin plywood drawer sides and bottoms, cardboard back and no real style whatsoever. I was astounded, with luck, these pieces might last a year or two with normal use. Sorry folks, I’m not that big of a sucker.

All in all, our little shopping trip made us realize that what we’re designing and crafting is worth every penny we’re asking. And the cool part is…what we’re asking is less than most of the stuff we saw on our travels.

Do I want a new chest of drawers? Yes, I do. But I’ll design them and get Kevin to build them. That way I’ll know, just as with the furniture we’re selling, the chest will be made of solid wood. And you won’t find a single nail, screw or staple anywhere.

Little Things...

Sometimes living near a small town can be a unique experience. The other day I called our bank to check on a deposit I had mailed in. The conversation went something like this…

Me: I need to see if a check I mailed has been deposited to our account.

Teller: The one for $**.** - from your in-laws for your anniversary?

Me: Yes, that’s the one.

Teller: I know it came in, I remember recording it. Wait a sec and I’ll tell you the date.

Now, come on, how many people are that lucky with their banks? In this world of being only a number, the whole conversation actually made me feel like I was pretty important to them. Kinda cool!

Now about the weather. We haven’t had any real significant rain here in the Ozarks for about three weeks. But, now we know exactly how to bring on the rain.

No, not a raindance. Yet, by the same token, almost as unusual. Our method – set eggs in the incubator to hatch. Guaranteed to rain and storm the day the chicks are due to start hatching. This has happened the last three times.

And yes, it appears to be true that chicks will not hatch during a thunderstorm. At least for the most part. When I candled the eggs three days ago, we had 40 (of 48) viable eggs. They were due to begin hatching today – so far – 1 chick. We’ll see what the rest of the day brings, but based on the last two hatches, I’m not holding my breath for 40 chicks by the end of the day. We’ll see…

It’s Official – Lo Gap Woodworks, Inc. Is Open!

Today was the day, all the legal paperwork is done and the Press Release has been issued. Lo Gap Woodworks, Inc. is officially open for business.

The last couple of weeks have been hectic. With modifications Kevin has made to the sawmill, along with doubling the size of our woodworking shed, we are now able to do both custom saw milling orders and work on building our own woodworking designs.

It’s exciting. Will we be able to make a living at this? I sure hope so. But until we are sure, we’re not giving up our day jobs just yet. J But that is indeed our final goal. To make a good living without ever having to leave home.

Now, I’ll have the job of not only updating Backwoods Living, but also the Lo Gap Woodworks site too. Plus, we’ve got most of the garden out, the first batch of chickens are in the chicken house now and the next batch is due to hatch the 25th.

With everything going on, it doesn’t leave much time for blogging or anything else online, but I’ll attempt to update these pages even more often. For those few of you that read this regularly, at least you’ll know if I haven’t posted – that means I’m sawing logs (and not the sleep kind).

Okay, for now it’s back to work. If you’ve got a moment, check out the Lo Gap Woodworks site and let me know what you think.