Tag: weather

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Submersible pump needed

With the weather has been super odd, all over America… I now wish I would have bought another submersible pump. Now, I used to have one before getting married. I had every tool and useful thing that every woman should have and know how to use. for fix it, clean it, cut it…the right tools. If one buys cheap, that is what you get, in my experience.  Just watch for your, “stuff” if things start to disappear if there is a man around.  My ” stuff ” started disappearing at a very fast pace. Needless to say, it ticked me off. I should have a “tool” and ” guy stuff belongings,”  pre nup.

Now, I need to buy another submersible pump. I know I had one. It was older, but a great brand. Best I ever have had. So I’m frantically looking for the pump, since the rain is flooding the crawl space. Finally after driving myself looney, full knowing I had that darn pump, my husband tells me it’s in our neighbors cellar. Actually, it’s a fall storm cellar under the ground. I guess last summer, my husband decided he was going to fix the storm cellar, but needed to pump the water out first. Something took him off this project and, guess where my pump was found. A year later. Not cool.

I’ll get off my soap box now, if I can step into a small row boat when I get off of it. Even the yard is flooded.

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Plugged up sinks

My kitchen sink is totally plugged up. It could be from the kids not putting the little strainer thing in the drain, so it catches the icky stuff that they like to just wash down the sink. Usually I can unplug it all, but today, I gave up trying and have decided I need to borrow my friend’s “snake” and weave it down in to my drains, then hopefully it will free what ever is stuck or built up in there. At times like this, I wish this old house had a garbage disposal.

There are a lot of small, “must do,” things on my list for this weekend. We’re supposed to have some awesome warm weather coming in, so it would be a perfect time to get to these little jobs that need done. My husband has to work, and since he works nights, he’ll sleep during the day, but my boys and daughter told me that they would help me with the chores on my list. I’m kind of wondering if they really will when they have a change to get outside in the great weather, if we have what the forecasters are saying we will.

I do plan on the little home improvement things getting done…chores that just in case I need to, can be done by myself alone with out any help from others. I also want to get out in the yard, if it isn’t too muddy from the storms that we have been getting the last few days. Even if it is muddy, it’ll be great to sink my bare toes and feet into the earth again. The yard needs a major clean up and some branches and wood to be hauled away that can’t be used as kindling. Hopefully all goes according to a somewhat plan of what I want to do. That saying, “Even the best laid plans can go by the wayside, ” keeps running through the back of my mind.

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Veggies, fruit and animal fertilizer

Normally of course I would say that horses and gardens do not mix, as last spring I woke up one morning, went out to the farm and found my horse Black Jack, eating his way through my veggie garden. He also did his morning constitutional (a few times) in my brussel sprouts, and I wasn’t too pleased at the time about it at all. But, “nature called” and it landed on nature. LOL!

While walking Jack back to his pasture, I wasn’t really thinking about his poop in my garden. I was looking at the fence and gate and trying to figure out how my Houdini had gotten out again. Of course, the rest of the morning was spent checking for broken fence or low fencing, faulty gates and ways Jack could have escaped AGAIN. I was thankful that he doesn’t go far, of course…but it was starting to become a weekly event. I went back to my house perplexed, and the doo doo was forgotten for the moment.

That night it rained really hard, and then into the next day. I was happy for all of my gardens and went about farm chores in the rain, and when the sun finally came out, I was kind of lazy and just turned the manure over into the dirt (mud at the time) and called it good enough…though I actually didn’t know if it was okay, since I had never done that before. By the end of the summer, I figured I did the right thing, despite some of the gardening magazine articles I had read. My brussel sprouts did very well! So perhaps this year, I may add a little extra “Black Jack constitutional” to my mulch and fertilizer then see what happens. No one ever called me an ordinary stick to tried and true gardener. I love experimenting and trying things that perhaps others have, but I’ve not read or heard about. Or, some things I make up as I go along. I’m sure others have done this, but I never had, so to me…it’s a new trial and error thing

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Dependable generators for every need

We usually just have to use our generator in the winter when we have a bad storm and the power goes out. I decided to check out a company called, Generators AtoZ, when our power went out then, because the one we had only powered a few lights and one of our refrigerators. I had just bought a small chest freezer full of meat and the other two refrigerator freezers were stocked full with other freezable grocery items. We didn’t loose much, but I decided with grocery and meat prices as high as they are now, and rising quite steadily all the time, that I wasn’t going to take any changes. We live in a section of the state where it seems that the power will go out even during a slight breeze. Okay, I am exaggerating a little…but not all THAT much, since our power company isn’t all that bright. (pun intended) A few weeks ago, the wind caused a power outage and the generator didn’t kick in. I needed a new one, I knew.

While looking for a  generators, I have to say that I picked Generators AtoZ, because I liked the name.  I’m like that. I figured with a name like this, I would find what I was looking for. I mean, AtoZ about covers it all, right? At least in my way of thinking.

I ended up buying a bigger generator, since my job is writing and I work at home. I have two computers, plus the three that the kids use,  and my telephone, that I need and use all day or sometimes in my case into the night, for work also. Not to mention my freezers have to have power. Generators AtoZ pretty much helped me find what I was looking for that would be in my price range also. It’s amazing how many brands and variety’s they carry for every need.  Now, I feel a lot better about the power going out, though I still worry about the weather and what it may bring.

 

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March Winds

March winds around here get bothersome and scary at times. Today it was so windy that two of my wind chimes went East. Yes, literally. The wind is coming in for the West. It was warm and sunny today but the wind made it quite a bit colder. Had the wind not been blowing so hard, it no doubt would have been in the high 60’s.

Because of the wind, one of my neighbor’s big tree branches cracked and I heard it while in my house. I went outside in time to see the whole middle branch of the tree, crack again and fall. The neighbor wasn’t home, and had he been…his car would have been toast. The HUGH branch came down in the exact spot he always parks his car. Talk about a fortunate person, eh?

I found three bird’s nests that fell and also all kinds of debris kept blowing by. I sort of felt like I was in Kansas with Dorthy and Toto, for awhile. There indeed was a lot of damage caused by this wind and it is supposed to be windy tomorrow also, but temps won’t be so warm and rain is called for also. Wonder what the weekend will bring. I see a great deal of our shingles have blown away. More property damage, that isn’t the up to the deductible rate, with our insurance, so we’ll have to shell out more money to fix it. *deep sigh*

 

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Seed shopping

Today it seemed almost like Spring outside. I even went out for awhile in just a sweatshirt and for me, that is saying a lot, considering I am always cold unless it is in the heat of the deep summer. After I had been outside for awhile, I went with my husband to do errands and drop some papers off to my doctor that needed to be signed. While we were running errands, and because it felt so good to be out and about without my neck and back hurting so much, I went to Dollar General store. I only needed a wash bucket and old style mop. But I couldn’t help looking at all the garden items they had.

Bless my husband’s heart. He is not a patient person when it comes to waiting for me to shop. He is the kind of person who goes into the store, gets what he wants and needs and leaves. Takes all of maybe ten minutes and that is pushing it. Today he was patient, since he has been at me to get outside or do something so I’m won’t become a hermit. (His words)

I found a HUGH display of seeds that were 3 for 1.00. In the past…a few years ago, I used to get them there 10 or 1.00. They always came up, and the herbs, veggies and flowers were hardy and grew very well. What a jump in price, though. Goes to show what this world is coming to. Not only is it hard to buy groceries at the supermarket and afford to feed our family a healthy meal, but it’s getting to the point of even growing our own produce and feeding our livestock, is hard and expensive. It really is distressing. I try to save all my seeds from what I grow, but sometimes it’s just not enough. Have to keep on going on though.

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Tornado season early

Tornadoes are common here, even sometimes surprisingly even in November or later. With the weather being as strange at it is and has been all over the United States, nothing surprises me anymore. Last night we had a big storm roll in, and the wind was really roaring, and I saw branches broken and also garbage cans, being blown down the road.

The wind picked up more and we did have a tornado watch, but I never trust what it says on the alerts, as we’ve been under watches before, and I tornado has actually touched down in our back field. So much for giving us any warning. THAT was scary.

During all the sounds of wind and hail coming down, I heard a big ripping like sound that came from the East side of the house. All I could think was, another bill and more home improvement. I’m sort of getting used to thinking that lately. When I went out in the morning, sure enough…there is another project. The siding was pulled and blown off the corner of the house. I’m glad we kept extra siding, as what was off and loose was bent all to heck and back. There isn’t enough damage to make the deductible, with the insurance company, but just enough to be a pain in the butt to replace.

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Rampant colds and strep throat

With the change in the weather, I sort of expected for us to come down with the annual colds and sore throats that we usually do. Generally we shake it, with chicken soup and lots of liquids, and rest. Not this time. My youngest son is feeling well now, after he got over strep. But I got it…Aren’t Mom’s supposed to be immune? Then the rest of the family followed.

I honestly can’t stand it when my children are sick. Despite of their ages and they are nearly grown adults…( Okay, sometimes they don’t act like it, but age wise they are…) I always feel so sorry for them and of course, this is the only time they want “Their Mommy.”

I’ve got a HUGE pot of chicken soup brewing on the stove, and went to the store and loaded up on the Power Aids, which will do well to put electrolytes in their bodies. They are actually resting on their own and they must feel kind of poopy, since they aren’t arguing with me. WHEN IS WARM WEATHER GOING TO GET HERE????? Okay, a moment of spazing out there… I’m entitled. (;

 

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Flu season again

Every one in the family has a cold, cough or strep throat. It seems it’s going around all over. I talked to one of my son’s teachers last night and she told me her whole family had it and that there were quite a few kids out of school last week and this week due to it.

I have to admit, that I honesty can not wait until warm weather comes. I think that it will make a lot of people feel better, and even if they aren’t up to par, health wise it might make a difference in at least attitude. I know it sure would for me. I find myself getting kind of snippy about little things, since I have had a sore throat and a cold for what seems like weeks.

My daughter and son have colds and coughs and it’s all kind of making us feel sluggish and tired and cranky. Hurry up, warm weather!! It will be a joy to be able to go outside in the fresh air without getting chilled to the bone.

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More seed catalogs and strange weather

This winter has been very non typical to this area. I’ve also been getting my garden magazines and seed catalogs much earlier than usual. I’m not complaining about that, because I can do garden planning now.

The animals have been acting odd too. My husband and I noticed that the skunks didn’t hibernate this winter, the geese in the wetlands behind my house never left like normal. In fact there are more going into the sanctuary.

My son saw a honey bee yesterday. For quite a few years there were no honey bees seen at all. Every one of our boxes out in the field were empty, which didn’t help our financial situation. This makes me wonder what this summer is going to bring.