Tag: Weather

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Time Honored Family Traditions

I have to admit that the holiday season’s are still pretty tough for me considering that I am living at the homestead and farm that we all grew up on and our parents were running up until they passed away several years ago now. It is just me here, all though I have a ton of relatives that live close by. All of those holiday traditions are the hardest. My eldest sister and her family all try so very hard to keep most of these traditions alive and are always there for me each and every day and they go the extra mile during the holidays.

I haven’t spend a full Christmas day here at the house yet. So far I go over to my sister’s house and spent Christmas eve with them and spend the night there so that I can be there to see the kids eyes when they come down the stairs early Christmas morning. Then I am there dealing with the kids while my sister is busy in the kitchen preparing all the holiday foods for that evenings Christmas meal that she has taken over from my mom, with the rest of the family is on the road on their way to her house and the place gets filled up quickly through out the day.

One of the holiday traditions that we now have is going over to the family cemetery to pay our respects to our parents and all the other members of the family that are there with them as well.

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Firewood

In this heat it really sucks getting firewood ready to burn for the cold winter months that are ahead us shortly. With the price of electricity who the heck can afford to heat their homes with the rising costs involved. So I’m trying to be a bit pro active and getting what I can get done while I can.

cutting wood
Being pro active by chopping wood in July
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Bugs Everywhere

As much as I try to handle pest control naturally, I am having a heck of a time dealing with bugs is year. The mosquitoes are particularly thick and ferocious. I cannot step off my porch after 4:00 in the afternoon without being attacked by a swarm of mosquitoes.

Today I found a bunch of Japanese beetles all over the roses. I picked off most them but will have to check the roses every day now so they don’t get eaten up by the beetles.

The spiders have become very prolific, too. There were spider webs in all the shrubs and I even saw one big Black Widow crawling through the grass toward a tree. I had to kill that one – they are poisonous and hard to get rid of.

Times like these I wish we had more birds and snakes around the house to  eat and help eliminate all these bugs.

pests all the way around
Pests, Pests and More Pests
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The Old Swimming Hole

I haven’t been swimming in a few years and I’m about fed up with that. I just remembered that there is an old swimming hole that we used to go to, not too far from here, that is sounding real good to me about now. So far his summer has been a real killer, with the temperatures in the 90’s and into the 100’s each and every day, over and over and over and it is only the month of May. So I’m planning on taking a trip there tomorrow to see if it is still there and if there is any water in it since we haven’t had much rain this year. It could very well be all dried up. And if there is any water in it, it will most likely be warm, but that is O.K anything would be better that what I’ve been dealing with this season.

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Good Quality Tarps

I could have sworn that there were plenty of tarps in the back shed that I was counting on using in a month or so, but I’ve looked time and time again and they are no where in sight, so I’m counting on using the Internet to find the best deals possible on a few good quality canvas tarps. I can’t stand those cheap cheesy looking blue tarps that we all see in a lot of folks drive ways and yards, they just stand out like a sore thumb, when I really think they should be blending in instead of being an eye sore to their neighbors.

Running this farm along with the house and all, it is always good to have plenty of tarps on hand. My father always bought good quality tarps, he refused to buy them from Home Depot or Walmart because he said they were not worth their salt in weight and so I would like to continue with his ways and wishes as much as I can. So I am going to take advantage of some of the promotions that are out there for online shoppers like myself and see what I can come up with, soon like.

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Pea Coats

I should have known that Pea Coats and other military outer wear would be making a come back. They say that all that is old becomes new again and that usually holds true all though I’m not sure when we will be seeing the roaring twenty dresses that the Can Can and Black Bottom dancers used to wear. That would be a sight to see on the streets in this day and age!

I remember back in the 70’s when I just had to have a Pea Coat and my mother searched high and low trying to find me one and she ended up having to go to an Army/Navy surplus store to find one, but she found one and I wore it proudly for years and years. I’m not sure where it ended up at, most likely it got donated to a thrift store, since my mother never tossed anything out.

This year I would like another Pea Coat and have found several at Zappos.com. Zappos.com has always had wonderful selections from various well known manufacturers. Right now I have my eyes on a nice looking French Connection Dawson Coat and I plan on sending the link to several people that have been asking me for gift suggestions for my birthday.

Check out the looks of this Pea Coat. It is a classic double-breasted look with an extended length for warmth with full button front closure. It sports front hand pockets and long sleeves with banded cuffs. Dry cleaned only but that is to be expected with a nice coat such as this, so I’ll just have to be careful when and where I wear it. Certainly not outside around the farm and all the animals!

Zappos offers free shipping, both ways and 24/7 customer service along with a 365 day return policy. They accept Pay Pal which is something that I always look for when ordering online. They are still accepting orders and guaranteeing delivery before Christmas. So if you are still looking for good gift ideas you can count on Zappos!

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Summer Vacations

A few close friends and I were talking a few months back about taking a summer vacation together, to spend a week or so relaxing, having fun and bonding. The idea got me so excited considering I haven’t actually taken a vacation in about four years now.

We never really talked about the subject too much afterwards until I had brought it up at a backyard cookout we all attended together about month later. I’m very happy that it was brought up at the time because our friend’s mother that was hosting the cookout had over heard our conversation about our interest in a much needed get a way for the summer. She recommended a site that she told us offers some unforgettable summer experience options.

I took a look at it on my iPad that I had brought with me, and found that planning this vacation that we wanted so ever badly, was going to be easier then we all had thought. Not only was it easy but the site had found the absolute cheapest prices compared to others. I’m looking forward to our time together doing something we never thought we would do in our lifetime and am eager to treat myself to an awesome time with my closest friends. You can bet that we will be taking a boatload of pictures to share with friends and family.

vacationing in the summer months
Summer Time Vacations
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Road Trip Out West

Before I got myself settled in here at the old homestead, shortly after my parents passed on and left the whole place to me for me to live at and run, I did get the opportunity to do a bit of traveling. I’m glad that I got to do the traveling that I did since it doesn’t appear that I’ll be going anywhere any time soon except to go into town or into the neighboring county to see my sister and her flock of kids.

There are two places that hold a soft spot in my heart, they are Alaska and California. Both places have a lot of good and of course some bad that go along with them. The weather is wonderful in California, especially in the San Diego area, but there is a lot to be desired when it comes to hospitality and getting to know people.

The weather in Alaska has got to be the worst weather, considering the older I get the more I don’t like anything to do with cold weather.  But the people there are so warm and friendly that it seems to take some of the bit out of the never ending freezing cold days and nights that Alaska is so well known for. Both places are extremely expensive, not good choices for people that are hurting for money to try and live in.

One day I’d love to go back to both places.  I need to check into san diego travel expenses and ideas of what exactly I want to do while I’m there and for how long. It would be really cool if I could leave California and head up north and explore Alaska once again, all in the same trip. Hopefully one day I’ll have things under control here and I can take a road trip before I’m too old to enjoy it.

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Nemo Tents and Sleep Systems

For many years, more than I wish to confess to, I have been wanting to go out with some friends and go hiking, camping and fishing like the good ol’ days, but had just been too tied down with work and spending time with loved ones. This year I felt was a brand new year, and was a perfect time for me to get out there and so something I had always wanted to do.

Like I said before I had been wanting to go camping for a long while, and I found myself scavenging my garage for supplies and camping gear I needed to go. I found so many things I used to use while camping, but couldn’t find my tent I used to use. While searching for it, I realized my tent is very out of date and probably needs an upgrade even if I did come across it.

I took a night to sit in the office and just search around the net for some good deals on tents. I came across a nemo tent sale, and had found great deals on all types of tents, but the one that stood out to me the most was a 3 season tent, something I’ve always wanted to own. I ordered it right away and had it shipped to my home, and in no time at all I was camping out by the lake the following weekend. I am so grateful to have found such a sturdy tent to spend many of nights in while by the camp fire enjoying nature.

photo of Nemo camping gear
Nemo Sleeping Bags

 

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Luxury Vacation Rentals, Paris or Greece?

Since it has been so nasty outside with freezing rain, snow, sleet, along with some pretty hefty winds these past couple of days, I do what I only have to do and get myself back inside as quick as possible. The older I get the less I enjoy (yes I used to enjoy) winter and all the ugly weather that it brings along with it, like it or not. Although we have had some pretty mild winters these past couple of years it is still winter and it’s still cold and wet. Not my favorite mixture.

I’ve been going through some boxes that have been in the “Guest Room” for many years now that mainly have papers in them that have needed to be gone through, most of which ends up in the paper/cardboard recycling bin. It’s a slow process and sometimes a painful one that causes me to feel depressed for days. Even though my folks have been gone for over four years now it is still painful and raw. I will never get over it, but am doing the best that I can with the cards that I have been dealt in this life. Living here at their house and running the family farm on my own has been a challenge and will continue to because that is real life.

What I really need right now is when I get my tax refund check is to book one of the luxury paris vacation rentals that I’ve been eyeballing online for years now. I made the mistake of sharing my wants and needs for a luxury vacation some where like Paris or Greece and now she seems to be on a mission to get me away from here and plan the “perfect get-a-way” for me before I lose my mind and health. I don’t want to go alone, but there really aren’t a lot of people that I could spend that amount of time with and enjoy before wanting to strangle them. I’ve been on my own for so long here that I don’t know how I would handle sharing myself 24/7. And trying to find someone that can get away for a week because of their job, or their kids, or their aging parents, or their health or their finances, blah, blah, blah………