As promised...here is the link to my book. I am in the middle of Chapter 4 (and about to get in some technical stuff but not so technical that it can't be easily understood), but I hope it is enough that you can see where I am going.
I hope you enjoy it.
http://waitingforplenty.blogspot.com/
I have noticed that I have lost about 20-25 followers recently. Just out of curiosity, if you are going to leave, leave a comment to let me know why. I won't publish it, and my feelings won't be hurt (unless you insult my wonderful dog!). Just curious.
Thursday, January 28, 2016
Wednesday, January 27, 2016
And How's the Weather Where You Are?
No snow here. Some of my family lives in Virginia and they got hit pretty hard by Winter Storm Jonas. (When did they start naming Winter storms?) Almost all are dug out now, so all is good.
We didn't get any snow here, and though it got chilly, it never got what I consider cold. Of course, cold is a matter of perspective and experience. So, what they consider cold here...I consider "not so bad".
By Friday it will be in the 60s here (or so the weather report says). In the 60s...at the end of January, start of February! Wow. While that may sound pleasant, I think of apple (and other fruit) trees coming into bloom too early and then a later freeze killing the blossoms and therefore the fruit. I have seen it happen before and then seen the corresponding rise in prices in the grocery store. So...keep an eye on that!
***********************
I have applied for some jobs locally. I feel fine and strong and am sure I will be able to work with no problems. The doctor says there should be no problems, too. So...time to get some income coming in!
I plan on going back to NH, so I feel it is prudent if I have a little nest egg.
I am also doing more paintings in the hope I can sell some of them as well.
Since I am indulging my creative side while here, I also started writing a book. I have been hesitant to share it with my readers, but I think I may be just about ready to unveil it. I will do so tomorrow and post the link on this blog, so watch for it! It is what is called "PAW fiction" (Post-Apocalyptic World). I hope you guys like my work in progress when you get to see it.
***********************
Have been thinking a lot about what kind of farming I am going to do when I get back to NH.
My first consideration is (of course) going to be expense.
I don't think I should shoot too high.
Gardening, of course. And chickens.
Goats may have to wait until I get more established, so, I have been thinking of raising other poultry/fowl.
Geese and ducks.
Right now I am researching the best breeds for the climate, plus the markets that already exist for them and markets that could be developed in the region.
If you haven't had roast duck
Or roast goose
You have REALLY been missing out!
Not many people in the US include duck or goose in their diets, unless they have an avid hunter in the family.
A lot of it is the expense...if you look in the grocery store, either one is wildly expensive!
The expense is due to there being a small market, therefore fewer farmers raise them making the ones that do make it to market a rare and precious item. If more farmers raised them, the cost would come down and people would buy more, making them more affordable for everyone.
Try ordering duck at a restaurant (IF they even have it on the menu). WHOA!!! At most places it makes the lobster look cheap! And the only places I have even read about serving goose is *period* type restaurants at Christmas time. (City Tavern in Philadelphia being an example).
So, maybe, there is a niche there that small farmers can fill.
Ducks and geese are not more expensive than chickens to raise and process for meat. Their eggs are just as delicious and, geese eggs, with their thicker shells, can be used in many art projects.
So...looking at various breeds to see what will suit the climate the best, which are best for meat, which are best for eggs, etc.
The biggest expense will be getting the initial breeding stock or eggs, an incubator and the initial feed to get them started.
So...doing my research, getting all my ducks in a row, so to speak....
 |
| My son and grandson enjoying some snow fun! |
We didn't get any snow here, and though it got chilly, it never got what I consider cold. Of course, cold is a matter of perspective and experience. So, what they consider cold here...I consider "not so bad".
By Friday it will be in the 60s here (or so the weather report says). In the 60s...at the end of January, start of February! Wow. While that may sound pleasant, I think of apple (and other fruit) trees coming into bloom too early and then a later freeze killing the blossoms and therefore the fruit. I have seen it happen before and then seen the corresponding rise in prices in the grocery store. So...keep an eye on that!
***********************
I have applied for some jobs locally. I feel fine and strong and am sure I will be able to work with no problems. The doctor says there should be no problems, too. So...time to get some income coming in!
I plan on going back to NH, so I feel it is prudent if I have a little nest egg.
I am also doing more paintings in the hope I can sell some of them as well.
Since I am indulging my creative side while here, I also started writing a book. I have been hesitant to share it with my readers, but I think I may be just about ready to unveil it. I will do so tomorrow and post the link on this blog, so watch for it! It is what is called "PAW fiction" (Post-Apocalyptic World). I hope you guys like my work in progress when you get to see it.
***********************
Have been thinking a lot about what kind of farming I am going to do when I get back to NH.
My first consideration is (of course) going to be expense.
I don't think I should shoot too high.
Gardening, of course. And chickens.
Goats may have to wait until I get more established, so, I have been thinking of raising other poultry/fowl.
Geese and ducks.
Right now I am researching the best breeds for the climate, plus the markets that already exist for them and markets that could be developed in the region.
If you haven't had roast duck
Or roast goose
You have REALLY been missing out!
Not many people in the US include duck or goose in their diets, unless they have an avid hunter in the family.
A lot of it is the expense...if you look in the grocery store, either one is wildly expensive!
The expense is due to there being a small market, therefore fewer farmers raise them making the ones that do make it to market a rare and precious item. If more farmers raised them, the cost would come down and people would buy more, making them more affordable for everyone.
Try ordering duck at a restaurant (IF they even have it on the menu). WHOA!!! At most places it makes the lobster look cheap! And the only places I have even read about serving goose is *period* type restaurants at Christmas time. (City Tavern in Philadelphia being an example).
So, maybe, there is a niche there that small farmers can fill.
Ducks and geese are not more expensive than chickens to raise and process for meat. Their eggs are just as delicious and, geese eggs, with their thicker shells, can be used in many art projects.
So...looking at various breeds to see what will suit the climate the best, which are best for meat, which are best for eggs, etc.
The biggest expense will be getting the initial breeding stock or eggs, an incubator and the initial feed to get them started.
 |
| WHAT DO YOU MEAN.....EAT MORE GOOSE!?! |
Saturday, January 23, 2016
Wonderful Things on Youtube For the Homesteader/Farmer
I found some marvelous videos on youtube for homesteaders and farmers.
A great series is the Victorian Farm series.
That is the first episode. If you watch it, it is easy to find the other 5 episodes plus the Christmas episode.
If you want to go back a bit further, check out the Tudor Monastery Farm Series:
Besides being fascinating and generally entertaining, both of the series do show practical things that can still be employed today by homesteaders. (Brick dust and vinegar to polish pots and pans? Didn't know you could do that!)
A great series is the Victorian Farm series.
If you want to go back a bit further, check out the Tudor Monastery Farm Series:
Friday, January 15, 2016
Looking Out For My Future
Well. Now that I am, more or less, on my own, I need to get going with my future.
I have applied for jobs, taken out a few ads on employment sites, etc.
Now I have a few responses.
Managing and/or working on organic farms mostly.
All the jobs I have applied for include housing.
I don't plan on leaving here until spring...late March, early April, so I have time to think about it.
My health is doing great. Still walking and now doing cardio. Plan on finding some weights.
Still losing weight.
So, pretty sure I can withstand the rigors of farm life!
When you are my age and looking at your future, it is a lot different from when you are 20 or 30 or even 40. I am 59 now.
I think I still have a lot of life left in me, but the general opinion of society is that someone my age is on the downhill slide.
So, job offers are few and far between!
Still, I have a remarkable skill set and a lot of knowledge gained by experience.
I should be able to transfer my skills and knowledge into a job.
So, here I am, starting over yet again...but I know I can do it!
A few inspirational quotes for today:
I have applied for jobs, taken out a few ads on employment sites, etc.
Now I have a few responses.
Managing and/or working on organic farms mostly.
All the jobs I have applied for include housing.
I don't plan on leaving here until spring...late March, early April, so I have time to think about it.
My health is doing great. Still walking and now doing cardio. Plan on finding some weights.
Still losing weight.
So, pretty sure I can withstand the rigors of farm life!
When you are my age and looking at your future, it is a lot different from when you are 20 or 30 or even 40. I am 59 now.
I think I still have a lot of life left in me, but the general opinion of society is that someone my age is on the downhill slide.
So, job offers are few and far between!
Still, I have a remarkable skill set and a lot of knowledge gained by experience.
I should be able to transfer my skills and knowledge into a job.
So, here I am, starting over yet again...but I know I can do it!
A few inspirational quotes for today:
Sunday, January 10, 2016
Resources on the Internet for Preppers/Survivalists
We don't have cable or satellite tv here, so I watch stuff on the antenna and on the internet.
Lately, I have been exploring some prepper/survivalist channels and found some really good videos.
This one contains a lot of small *hacks* for survival situations in just around 11 minutes.
Some pretty good stuff in there.
Another channel I love is Jas Townsend & Sons. They do 18th Century recipes and show how to make tools and other items necessary to the colonists.
Here's a great one!
I plan on trying the *portable soup* as soon as I can!
Lately, I have been exploring some prepper/survivalist channels and found some really good videos.
This one contains a lot of small *hacks* for survival situations in just around 11 minutes.
Another channel I love is Jas Townsend & Sons. They do 18th Century recipes and show how to make tools and other items necessary to the colonists.
Here's a great one!
Thursday, January 7, 2016
Good Grief!
I made my same old mistake and watched and read the news for the past few days.
I HAVE to stop doing that!!!
North Korea tests a nuke. Maybe. Maybe not. Oh yes they did. Oh no they didn't. Well, they did something! Whatever it is, they are lying about it.
The reporting on that is....all over the map.
Wish somebody would actually have the freakin' FACTS.
Saudi warplanes attack Iranian embassy in Yemen. Wait....what? I have no clue what is going on over there. Every few days some little country over there is attacking, getting attacked, executing someone, imprisoning someone, killing their own people....
Just stop that crap already, okay?!?!?
I am just so damn tired of hearing about it. I am sure the average person that lives in the Middle East is very damn tired of going through it. Just calm the hell down, start acting like rational adults and maybe sit the hell down and try to talk your crap out.
My entire adult life I have seen one war after another in the Middle East. We weren't involved with all of them. A LOT of them, but not all.
That's another thing.
The US needs to stop sending troops to every little conflict. Tired of that, too.
We need to get the politicians to calm the hell down here, too. Work on job programs, bringing businesses back from India and China and Mexico so our own folks can have jobs.
I don't know.
Maybe I am getting old. Maybe I am getting crankier with age, too.
Just so damn tired of seeing an entire planet full of people acting like dang fool idiots.
Make me Ruler of the Planet for a few weeks....I'll straighten EVERYBODY'S crap out!
I'll pick a bunch of old people as darn cranky as I am as my advisors.
Mohave Rat, you can go after the VA and straighten them out. I'll also put you in charge of Health and Human Services and Social Security. In fact, you can cover the US and Canada. Maybe Mexico, too. Yeah, you can hire a few helpers.
BBC, you can have charge of SouthEast Asia. Let's throw in India as well. Maybe you can put some damn birth control in the water for a few years so they'll slow down on their reproduction for a bit until their agriculture, industry, healthcare, and employment can catch up. No more than one half of your helpers can be hired from the Playboy *Pet of the Month*or the porn industry. Notice I did not put the same restriction on Rat. I trust him, lol!
I'll handle the Middle East and Western Europe. A couple of my helpers may come from the ranks of the Chippendale dancers, but only a few...just to dress up the office a little, you understand.
I still need somebody to handle China and someone to handle Eastern Europe and Russia. And Australia and the South Pacific Islands. Someone for South and Central America, as well.
Nominations are open.
To qualify, the nominee has to be over 50, possess a cranky attitude and common sense.
The main focus (and motto) of my benevolent world dictatorship will be;
Stop the stupid crap already!
I think this is an idea who's time has come.
We need to print up some bumper stickers.
I HAVE to stop doing that!!!
North Korea tests a nuke. Maybe. Maybe not. Oh yes they did. Oh no they didn't. Well, they did something! Whatever it is, they are lying about it.
The reporting on that is....all over the map.
Wish somebody would actually have the freakin' FACTS.
Saudi warplanes attack Iranian embassy in Yemen. Wait....what? I have no clue what is going on over there. Every few days some little country over there is attacking, getting attacked, executing someone, imprisoning someone, killing their own people....
Just stop that crap already, okay?!?!?
I am just so damn tired of hearing about it. I am sure the average person that lives in the Middle East is very damn tired of going through it. Just calm the hell down, start acting like rational adults and maybe sit the hell down and try to talk your crap out.
My entire adult life I have seen one war after another in the Middle East. We weren't involved with all of them. A LOT of them, but not all.
That's another thing.
The US needs to stop sending troops to every little conflict. Tired of that, too.
We need to get the politicians to calm the hell down here, too. Work on job programs, bringing businesses back from India and China and Mexico so our own folks can have jobs.
I don't know.
Maybe I am getting old. Maybe I am getting crankier with age, too.
Just so damn tired of seeing an entire planet full of people acting like dang fool idiots.
Make me Ruler of the Planet for a few weeks....I'll straighten EVERYBODY'S crap out!
I'll pick a bunch of old people as darn cranky as I am as my advisors.
Mohave Rat, you can go after the VA and straighten them out. I'll also put you in charge of Health and Human Services and Social Security. In fact, you can cover the US and Canada. Maybe Mexico, too. Yeah, you can hire a few helpers.
BBC, you can have charge of SouthEast Asia. Let's throw in India as well. Maybe you can put some damn birth control in the water for a few years so they'll slow down on their reproduction for a bit until their agriculture, industry, healthcare, and employment can catch up. No more than one half of your helpers can be hired from the Playboy *Pet of the Month*or the porn industry. Notice I did not put the same restriction on Rat. I trust him, lol!
I'll handle the Middle East and Western Europe. A couple of my helpers may come from the ranks of the Chippendale dancers, but only a few...just to dress up the office a little, you understand.
I still need somebody to handle China and someone to handle Eastern Europe and Russia. And Australia and the South Pacific Islands. Someone for South and Central America, as well.
Nominations are open.
To qualify, the nominee has to be over 50, possess a cranky attitude and common sense.
The main focus (and motto) of my benevolent world dictatorship will be;
Stop the stupid crap already!
I think this is an idea who's time has come.
We need to print up some bumper stickers.
Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Random Thoughts on a Beautiful Morning
Gorgeous sunrise this morning.
We are expecting a winter storm this coming weekend, so a run to the storm today sometime to make sure we have what we need in case the roads get too bad.
I don't really understand the last minute rush for bread, eggs and milk, aka, "the French Toast People".
They watch the same weather reports and visit the same web sites as everyone else. But they are the ones that wait until the last possible minute to go to the store to get needed supplies before a predicted storm. We know TODAY that a storm may hit this weekend. That's 3 to 4 days warning.
Why not go today? Or tomorrow?
But nope, as the wind begins to howl and snow is piling up, there will be a troop of people rushing on dangerous roads to grab that *one little thing* they must have. If you must have it, you should have already had it!
I understand perishable items...but, seriously, folks, is it worth it to end up in a ditch just to grab a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread?
Keep an eye on your local weather. Plan accordingly and plan ahead.
If you MUST go out in bad weather, be careful! Remember, (as I always tell myself), all those other drivers out there are idiots! (and they think the same of you, lol!)
********************************
I did it. I ordered a seed catalog.
Ever the eternal optimist, I somehow see myself being able to garden in the coming year. Being somewhere where I will have the land to have a garden.
I'll see how it goes.
But seed catalogs are, I think, proof positive that those that have farming in their blood are optimists.
The gorgeous photos of luscious tomatoes and mouth-watering watermelons always entice us to buy that packet of seeds...when we know full well that it will entail a lot of hard labor to get the same result in our gardens. If the bugs don't eat them...and the rains come...but not too much rain...and the weeds don't over run the garden...and the birds and squirrels and deer...well, you get the idea.
Still, we plan and dream and hope...and that is a darn good thing!
At least I didn't order a chicken catalog this year....but I am still looking at the web sites, lol!
********************************
I hope all my readers are having a wonderful new year and making their own plans for the coming seasons.
Stay safe, drive safe, and fix a nice pot of beef stew for a cold night!
We are expecting a winter storm this coming weekend, so a run to the storm today sometime to make sure we have what we need in case the roads get too bad.
I don't really understand the last minute rush for bread, eggs and milk, aka, "the French Toast People".
They watch the same weather reports and visit the same web sites as everyone else. But they are the ones that wait until the last possible minute to go to the store to get needed supplies before a predicted storm. We know TODAY that a storm may hit this weekend. That's 3 to 4 days warning.
Why not go today? Or tomorrow?
But nope, as the wind begins to howl and snow is piling up, there will be a troop of people rushing on dangerous roads to grab that *one little thing* they must have. If you must have it, you should have already had it!
I understand perishable items...but, seriously, folks, is it worth it to end up in a ditch just to grab a gallon of milk and a loaf of bread?
Keep an eye on your local weather. Plan accordingly and plan ahead.
If you MUST go out in bad weather, be careful! Remember, (as I always tell myself), all those other drivers out there are idiots! (and they think the same of you, lol!)
********************************
I did it. I ordered a seed catalog.
Ever the eternal optimist, I somehow see myself being able to garden in the coming year. Being somewhere where I will have the land to have a garden.
I'll see how it goes.
But seed catalogs are, I think, proof positive that those that have farming in their blood are optimists.
The gorgeous photos of luscious tomatoes and mouth-watering watermelons always entice us to buy that packet of seeds...when we know full well that it will entail a lot of hard labor to get the same result in our gardens. If the bugs don't eat them...and the rains come...but not too much rain...and the weeds don't over run the garden...and the birds and squirrels and deer...well, you get the idea.
Still, we plan and dream and hope...and that is a darn good thing!
At least I didn't order a chicken catalog this year....but I am still looking at the web sites, lol!
********************************
I hope all my readers are having a wonderful new year and making their own plans for the coming seasons.
Stay safe, drive safe, and fix a nice pot of beef stew for a cold night!
Saturday, January 2, 2016
Hey, You, Yeah, YOU there in Virginia and Wisconsin!
Okay, remember when I told everyone to get off their collective keisters and get out there and make themselves heard?
Well, if you live in the state of Virginia, here is one for you guys:
Virginia Bill to Legalize Raw Milk Sales
Yeah, raw milk, straight from the farmer, but LEGAL.
Here's some more: https://legiscan.com/VA/bill/HB1461/2015
I know...the farmer has to own no more than 3 milking cows, BUT, it is a definite step in the right direction and would be a boon to the small homesteaders.
So, call your Representatives and make some noise, people in Virginia!
Posted and then found out there is a bill proposed in Wisconsin, too!
http://www.realmilk.com/raw-milk-bill-officially-introduced-in-wisconsin/
Look, if you want to know about your state...go here:
http://www.realmilk.com/state-updates/
Well, if you live in the state of Virginia, here is one for you guys:
Virginia Bill to Legalize Raw Milk Sales
Yeah, raw milk, straight from the farmer, but LEGAL.
Here's some more: https://legiscan.com/VA/bill/HB1461/2015
I know...the farmer has to own no more than 3 milking cows, BUT, it is a definite step in the right direction and would be a boon to the small homesteaders.
So, call your Representatives and make some noise, people in Virginia!
Posted and then found out there is a bill proposed in Wisconsin, too!
http://www.realmilk.com/raw-milk-bill-officially-introduced-in-wisconsin/
Look, if you want to know about your state...go here:
http://www.realmilk.com/state-updates/
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