Hah!  I did it!  It turns out dial up is too slow.  No big shocker there.  That's me from a couple of years ago. 

Here's the rooster that wanted to kill us last year.  A neighbor down the street apparently got some chicks and threw out the baby roosters.  One ended up in our yard and I was nice to it, so it stayed.  It was ok for a while.  I think he hit puberty, and without any hens to keep him busy, he got aggressive.  We just weren't prepared to keep chickens at the time.  One of Randy's co-workers took him off our hands.  Her sister had a farm.  We didn't ask any questions after that.  That's the short version of that story.  It was really a big ordeal.  We still stop and look around when we hear a rooster crow. 

Still can't post pics.  I'm going to try when I can get on wifi again. 

Mean while...
We had some running to do today.  We are planning a little camping trip for next week end.  The camp site is super close.  It's really a test run for going somewhere cool.  You know, figuring out the tent and other equipment.  On our way out, we discovered a dang bird in the car!  Randy had left the windows open just enough.  It was a little finch thing(alive and well).  Fortunately, it didn't cause any problems while driving, and escaped when we stopped.  Speaking of small critters, we saw a little mouse in the house recently.  That was one of the things to take care of  today.  We had gotten a fancy little plastic trap to get it.  It turned out to be a lovely mouse feeder.  So, we went to Ace and got the old school wooden mouse trap.  We'll see if that works.  Fun times living in the country!

Well, that was only 5 minutes.  Let's see how long it takes for a picture.

Nope. Not gonna happen. Not today anyway. I'm not sure if it's this computer, dial up, or just plan ole user stupidity.

Oooh, wifi...

I got out of the house the other day, and got a chance to get on wifi.  Wow, I forgot how fast it is.  It's funny how you can get used to waiting five plus minutes for a site to come up.
Today, of course, was a whole new day.  Back to normal, and back to dial up.  I have a love hate relationship with technology.  Wifi was soo nice.  I didn't really even mind getting cut off, because I was on it so long.  I got to see pictures on sites full size, and not on my tiny phone.  It was really cool.  It's kind of sad, now that I think about it.  We have a tablet we take to restaurants, but it's just not the same as this laptop.  Enough of that, for now.  I'm sure I'll be back to bitching about dial up again soon, but today it's working pretty well.

I don't have much, but here are a few updates from the last four years.  The biggest one is, thanks to Obama care and the state of Washington, we now have insurance. In April of this year Randy got a much needed hip replacement, due to an old, untreated injury, and now walks without a limp and constant pain.  Due to the surgery/healing, the doctor said he needed to stop smoking.  So, being the good wife I am, I had to quit too.  It gave me the incentive I needed.  Although, I'm still using the nicotine lozenges.  Well, it's still cheaper than cigs are.  I'm not the bad ass that some folks are. ;) 

The other big news is that now that the meth-heads behind us have settled down, we have new neighbors next door to bitch about.  The guy that had lived there forever passed away.  I have got to figure out how to get pictures on this laptop!  Five kids from 2yrs old to 15, and 3 pit mixes.  It's really no big deal in comparison to what we were dealing with before. 

Wright vs write

Ok, fine. Ya'll win.
I was wrong. Write is the correct spelling of writing something.  I did previously mention that both, I did not really have a chance to take my time to review and double check my posts, and I had been drinking. So there! Hey, I'm trying here.  Things are getting better here. Although, given that we're on dial up again, I may be posting late in the evening.  It's likely my posts could be a little goofy. 

Drunk much? Yep

Yes, I was really excited last night. It only took 25 minutes to get to the point that I could wright this today. Dial up is a bitch, but it's what we've got(finally!). It only took 4years and 2 weeks to get this far. It's ok, most of the time I don't have that much interesting to say.

Holy What?

Jacob, as he calls him self, has done his best to help me get back on the internet. I hope he takes a peek every once in a while to see what is going on around here. 
I am learning a new computer and one without spell check, etc, so, we will see how well I can actually wright.

Summer almost over

This has been a lazy summer for us. I wish I could say I haven’t posted anything because we’ve been so busy working around here. Sadly, I can‘t. We started off all “gung ho!” and quickly slowed down to a dull murmur.
No garden this year. The lasagna gardening method did not work for us. We have Bermuda grass, and it is very invasive. You really have to dig it up if you want to plant anything. Even then you have keep an eye on it. The only thing that I’ve found that will keep it at bay is shade. I think another issue we had with the lasagna method was simply time. The things I was adding just didn’t break down fast enough. I may try to keep adding composting stuff to the area and see if maybe it will work for next year. Although, I’m still not sure if I wasn’t just feeding the grass. Most likely we are just going to have to break down and rent some equipment to do it right.
I waited too late for shipping on the Arbor Day Foundation trees. So, they will be coming in the fall.
We went to the county fair twice last week, for the first time in years (Randy scored free tickets). Neither of us have particularly fond memories from our previous visits, but this was our first time going together, and we had a pretty good time. Man, I want some goats! They were too cute. Then, there were the coolest, weirdest chickens. I think it would take too much to keep chickens safe around here. Geese are pretty tough. I always think of Deb over at the Farmnatters blog when it comes to geese and chickens. I figure goats could hold their own. I think I would really enjoy having a mini-farm on our little one acre out here. It’s not gonna happen, but I can always dream…

Been a while

Sorry, it’s been so long since I’ve posted anything. I’d jot stuff down, but then I’d forget to post it, and it would be outdated by the time I would think about it again. Now that the weather is getting better, things are happening around here. Here are a few things going on.

Gardening: I decided to experiment with a lasagna garden this year. It’s basically layers of stuff you would normally compost. It’s super simple. Perfect for a lazy gardener without a rototiller, like me. You can easily google it, so I’m not going to go into the details. I also recently read, over on Farmnatters’ blog, about potato cages. That looks like a great idea! It would go along with my lasagna garden too. I’m a little worried about the critters we’ve got around here. The skunks usually just go for the cat food. But, lately we’ve seen a couple of raccoons. I’d hate to have to cage/fence up my garden. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see on that one. Next on the list will be to get a few trees from the Arbor Day Foundation. Randy isn’t sure I will keep them watered. I hope to prove him wrong. I’m all about experimenting with gardening this year.

On another note : Randy and I have been talking about me going back to school. To do the program I want to do we’d have to up grade our computer system. I’d have to do it on line because none of the schools close by offer it on campus. Of course, money is always an issue, so we’ll see how this all works out.

Christmas yard decorations

I finally got a chance to post the pictures of our Christmas yard decorations. It takes a while anyway because we have dial-up. But, with computer problems, there was just no way to get them posted. It's fixed now, so here they are.

Wreath on the gate made with garland from the dollar store wired to the gate.Mini wreath w/ mini bow on each fence post. I made these with garland wired to metal rings from coffee cans.
24 of those babies

Bicycle guy turned Santa. Again, dollar store stuff.
All together... More bikes for reindeer, garland reins, and a red work/trouble light for Rudolph. It's hard to see the light in this picture. It looked good at night though.

Well, that was it. It wasn't as red-neck as I was planning, but we were happy with how it turned out.

Snow & Frigid Temps

It snowed about a foot a couple of days ago, followed by record breaking cold temps. It‘s a little early for that kind of weather around here. I have to admit we were not totally ready for it. The cats are all mad. (I didn’t have their outside quarters set up for snow.)

We moved all of their stuff off the porch a week or so ago after I got skunked. When I say I got skunked I mean that literally. I went to let Ruby out for her bedtime potty run, and there was a skunk on the porch, snacking on cat food about 2 feet from the door. I saw him, ran the dog off, and took one for the team. It was my fault anyway for leaving the food out that late. Those worthless cats were just sitting there watching that dang skunk eat their food! Fortunately, none of the animals got any skunk juice on them. They were all good to come inside. Un-fortunately, I had to strip down to my skiveys (sp?)in the front yard, before I could come back in. Fun times out in the country!

Well, I got the ok from Randy on my Christmas yard decorations. But, with the early snow and frigid temps, I’m not sure how it’s all going to work out.

I may be in trouble now!

I spent a bunch of time this morning looking at redneck Christmas decorations. Personally, I think we qualify. At this point I was going to explain why. But, the list was long, and honestly, it was a little embarrassing.

Don’t get me wrong, if Randy lets me do what I want to for yard decorations, I will proudly post pictures for all the world to see. No matter what, it will be day time decorations. If we have anything lit up it will be very limited, due, of course to the cost of electricity. I love me some yard art! I have lots of ideas, so we'll see what happens!

It’s getting chilly around here!

I guess it’s that time of year again. It’s got me starting to think of Christmas for some reason. We haven’t done anything for Christmas around here for a few years now. I sent most of my decorations and stuff to my mom when we thought we were going to have to move. So, if I really want to decorate this year, it’s going to have to be with homemade stuff from around here. We have a couple of pine trees that I might be able to snag some trimmings and pine cones from. Also, after looking at some junk and repurposing sites, I’m thinking about having a Junky/Rusty Christmas this year. We have plenty of materials. It’s just a matter of being creative. Now I’ve got to figure out how to dress up the can man. If I’m going to do something for homemade Christmas decorations, I better get started now!

October is already just about done

Well, I certainly wasn't going to let it be one whole month before I posted again! The can-man is still a work in progress, but I'm going to post some pictures.

As you can see, my awesome husband wired up a light for the head(he's so cool, hee, hee). We're just working on making the legs a little longer.

We're having fun with the can-man and doing stuff inside. The weather hasn't been great. It's been windy and rainy. I'm thinking it's going to be a long,wet,cold winter. It's just a guess.

In the mean time, I'm trying to figure out how to bring in a little extra cash into the household. Randy's hours have been cut once again. I find it fascinating that there are still people out there that have expendable cash. Maybe I should put out some of my stuff. My camera isn't great, but I could go to some other vendors with samples, I suppose? Hell, I don't know.

Slowly but surely

The grass was pretty tall and thick when we stated mowing. We’ve been mowing a little at a time in an effort not to burn up our little mower. Where we have mowed and raked is really turning green (w/o additional water). It’s been either rainy or windy lately, so there are still a few piles of grass out in the yard.

I’m holding off on the yard art project for the pile of Russian olive tree branches. But, we are working on a (hopefully) really cool can-man. We have so many things around here that NEED to be done. I thought it might be nice to get Randy to help me do something kind of fun for a change. Can-man’s head is presenting a bit of a challenge, but we‘ve got some good ideas. I have been collecting lots of cans in various sizes for a while now. I just couldn’t throw them in the trash. It’s nice to finally find a use for a bunch of them. There are just so many pencil holders/ lanterns a person can use. I’m a little afraid we may end up with a can people village in the yard, but that could be fun too (hee, hee). How ’bout a coffee can house?! Ok, I may be getting carried away. Oh dear, now I’ve got all kinds of ideas floating around in my head! I need more cans!!!

Work in progress

Yep, we’re still trying to get some work done in the yard before it starts getting too cold. I decided to put some of the grass clippings over the spot where the van burned up. I also put some in the far corner where we’re sinking. No big deal really.
Last week, we attacked the Russian olive trees coming up in the front yard. We made a sweet mess of them! Below is a rather large pile of what we took out, and the site of my soon to be new yard art project. Hint: neighbor claims to be a carpenter.

We’ve also got a few piles of dead grass across the front yard. I bet the neighbors are starting to wonder if they weren’t happier with the view they had before we started. What’s really funny is that both of them mow their grass so short and so often that they are creating big dead spots in their yards. Then, of course, they water for hours on end. Ok, it’s not really funny. It’s actually kind of sad. I think it’s some kind of neurosis. And, it’s a huge waste of gas and water.

Grass piles, with more to come. What ever shall I do with all of that dead grass?

Anyway, I can’t wait to set up my next yard art project! It’s going to be a good one.
All this work is being done in preparation for next spring/summer. I’d really like to have a garden next year. We would also like to plant some trees out in that front area. I have found a couple of sites that offer cheap or free trees. With all the California money flowing into this area, it might add to curb appeal, when we do decide to leave. Of course, we’ll have to leave room to drag this trailer out.

There is also the option of staying after we pay off the state. If we do that, I’d still like to pull this trailer out of here. We’ve talked about rehabbing it, but I don’t see it being cost and time effective. I may be wrong? I’ll have to do some more research on that one. In the mean time…given that we have at least 3 ½ more years here, we might as well make it as pleasant as possible, for us anyway.

A few pictures

Pics as promised:

Ugly Russian olive trees coming up in the middle of the yard. Those are not going to be easy to pull out.

More stupid Russian olive trees, with a nicely mowed path for Ruby. Those really tall, really green trees in the background are poplars (sp?). They grow really tall and super fast. Then, they die and fall into our backyard. What we need is a good chainsaw. It's nice wood, and we've got a big one taking up space in the backyard.




It looks all lush and kinda pretty doesn't? Well, it's actually knee high weeds growing under an over grown Russian olive tree. Oh, did I mention those babies have 2 inch long thorns on the branches? They grow fast too. But, only part of them falls. And then it keeps on growing into a big thorny mess.

Hey look, there's another one, growing right into our fence. Notice how green and lush it is at the fence line? The ground is starting to sink over there too. Hmm...? And, it is directly in front of the house across the street. Oh well, too late to do anything about it now. I think we should plant some hardy shrubs over there and not worry about it too much.

On a more pleasant note... The apple tree. It cleaned up pretty nice underneath. I didn't get a before picture. The weeds were pretty tall. Definitely in need of a trim on one side.

That's it for now. One day, I'd like to post some pretty "after" pictures. That may take a while.

It’s Starting to Cool Off

It’s cooling off a little and my foot is doing a lot better. This weekend Randy and I finally got out into the yard and did some much needed work. Despite Randy’s terrible allergies, he seems to enjoy wackin’ the heck out of those tall weeds! (We really let the yard go this year.) My job is to follow behind with a rake, pile it all up, and dump it in the make shift composter/garbage cans, or use the grass clippings to fill any weird holes in the yard. It works pretty well.

With composting fresh in my mind, I finally noticed all the fallen apples under the apple tree. Duh? No wonder that tree does so well, even though we don’t do anything to it. And I mean nothing. Ok, we’ve cut a few limbs, just to get them out of the way. We don’t spray the tree, so the apples get kinda buggy. (I’m feeling pretty stupid/lazy right now.) I don’t even want to mention the other fruit trees here that Randy’s dad planted years ago, that we’ve ignored. We could have a freakin’ garden of Eden here if we did a little work. Oh yeah, and with some money. I always forget that one. (Yeah, right) The other thing that keeps me from beating myself up too much, is that more than a year ago, we were just sure that the state was going to boot us out of here.

Hey, now that things have settled down a bit, maybe, just maybe, we’ll get to some of the stuff we‘ve neglected. I’ll warn you though, we are both really good at making excuses. So, don’t get your hopes up too much.

I took some pictures today. I'll get them up tomorrow. It takes a while with dial up and I don't feel like doing it right now.

Nice and boring around here, at least for now.

It’s been pretty hot, but at least there’s nothing exciting to report. I’m sick of bitching about the neighbors anyway.


I haven’t ever mentioned it before, but I used to have a hobby. A long time ago I used to make things out of polymer clay (Fimo & Sculpey). When I broke my toe, and couldn’t really do much, I started thinking about it again. So, I drug my stuff out and started messing around with it. This is dangerous for me because it gets me thinking about selling my little creations. I’m pretty sure I have a fear of success, as well as a fear of failure. (I even ran in to those fears with this blog. I freaked the first time somebody left a comment.) I still haven’t figured out what I’m going to do with the stuff I’ve been making. Maybe you’ll see it in a future post? Or, heck, I might even start an Etsy thing. Who knows?


I’ve been wanting to get my creative fix by using junk around here. Not to sell necessarily, but more to clean things up around here without throwing a bunch of stuff in the landfill. That way I could kill 2 birds with one stone. Plus, we could end up with some cute/cheap/free stuff to use around here. The broken toe really put a damper on that idea. I’m still hopeful though. As my toe heals, and the weather gets cooler, maybe I‘ll be able to get outside and get some stuff put together, or torn apart. I just love tearing things apart! It’s the putting things together that gets me into trouble (eek!).

Shoes and a little news

I can finally wear shoes again! I can’t say I’m totally healed, but it’s much better. I still have to be careful.
Monday I got an official e-mail from the county about the mess behind us. I already knew he had been denied the kennel permit. The e-mail just went into detail why he was denied. And of course, our names and e-mail were mentioned in opposition. It looks like they had plenty against him without us saying anything, but the planner guy really wanted me to send something.

As suspected, we were the only people in the neighborhood who had anything to say. It was disheartening to say the least. It really makes me feel like going into isolation mode and not helping anyone around here the next time they need it. No more chit chatting on the side of the road. No more smiling and waving as they drive by. I know, it makes me as bad as them. I just don’t care any more. Randy tried to tell me, but I hoped he was exaggerating. Nope. They suck.

On the bright side, some of the meth-heads appear to be moving out. They don’t have much choice now that code enforcement has finally gotten involved. I’m sure we’re not done with this whole thing yet. So, stay tuned.