tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19150393308876417862024-03-13T09:21:31.284-04:00TRUE NORTHOur decision to embark on what can only be the most challenging, and possibly the most rewarding, chapter of our lives has inspired us to keep a record of these events. A journal, so to speak, of the trials and tribulations that are sure to be encountered, but also the joys and wonders that we will almost certainly discover.Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750315155356308586noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-27625011326942665382010-01-03T22:50:00.006-05:002010-01-03T23:56:32.085-05:00Black ThumbAs I stated earlier the garden didn't quite turn out like we had hoped it would. Although it seemed like it was gonna grow out of control it faded rapidly and we lost a lot of crops. I'm mystified by most of it, but we were able to figure some things out.<br /><br />The big loss was our tomatoes! At one point the plants were huge and we had lots of green tomatoes and that's when the tomato bugs moved in. They didn't seem like to much of a problem though. We would just pick them off (although they are well camouflaged and hard to spot) and smash them on a rock. However, just as the tomatoes began turning red I started to notice the leaves wilting and white speckles on the ground around the plants. I thought this white stuff was tomato bug droppings and so we increased our efforts to destroy the ugly little creatures. Yet, no matter how many we got rid of the plants still looked sickly. Before long the tomatoes started to develop nasty brown spots on them and became mushy. at this point we had lost the crop but didn't quite know why.<br /><br /><br />After some research and t<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmz4RLs85NnO5Y7eKFi6-Sw019gMxjy7n09ZNLYpu0MTzMlQSJbnS_A1DSniK0qQf1wqurmd9gMQdY4Roaq4FeaprfF44i4HpC6Qdi_qyRxuEqv3HptjCTj7Yk1x9Oo-QoLmocB5DBEc/s1600-h/bad+tom3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWmz4RLs85NnO5Y7eKFi6-Sw019gMxjy7n09ZNLYpu0MTzMlQSJbnS_A1DSniK0qQf1wqurmd9gMQdY4Roaq4FeaprfF44i4HpC6Qdi_qyRxuEqv3HptjCTj7Yk1x9Oo-QoLmocB5DBEc/s320/bad+tom3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422742198474884786" border="0" /></a><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">alking</span> with other gardening folks we came to the conclusion that our tomatoes had been hit by Blight. Not positive about that or how they contracted it, but by next season I hope to know for sure. All and all, Melissa was able to harvest some cherry tomatoes for salads and such, but our big canning dreams had to be canned.<br /><br />Our corn, having survived an early deer ambush, did produce fairly well. I'm not sure exactly how many ears we harvested, but the ears were small. They tasted good and we froze about a dozen of them but i was pretty disappointed in their overall size. I think I need to plant more corn next year.<br /><br />Cucumbers did well and we canned <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Yn1_LkqEMZTx5Z6Q0mgwmLwzvLbvdx4xSALLUlZrZ_GYIa9Dz61BTTLn3k9nQUyX1qlB24Gb9Bkfx9rkEzjwjFV4tWcQYMkLCZTsrxqFMjAoTWEcsaewlTiCfLh62wMmHoEqFYB3mMs/s1600-h/tombug.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 300px; height: 303px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8Yn1_LkqEMZTx5Z6Q0mgwmLwzvLbvdx4xSALLUlZrZ_GYIa9Dz61BTTLn3k9nQUyX1qlB24Gb9Bkfx9rkEzjwjFV4tWcQYMkLCZTsrxqFMjAoTWEcsaewlTiCfLh62wMmHoEqFYB3mMs/s320/tombug.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422742202003740626" border="0" /></a>a lot of pickles and we ate a ton in our salads. no real complaint here, although next year we want to plant more....we really loved those pickles!<br /><br />The Squash plants grew like mad, but just like the corn, the squash were stunted and never matured into anything edible. I did learn that I planted too many and had they ripened we probable would have had more than we needed.<br /><br />Onions were good for the most part, but we never got any large ones...they just wouldn't grow. I even bent all of the plants over as I heard this would promote the onions growth. it did a little but mostly we just had small bulbs.<br /><br />Radishes did fine, at lea<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5NO20NpX2hp6j_b-Uy6RUQjs8KUXjSLKJi7gN2ybjzsTlxtpJyG9Z9pBCItGqpxAnwCTl_p9CArCEIbnBATPa3iz-SUUltakqzJVzZY4TCUv02IkKSAEw2mGEm59oPRV9oQ9b2HIwj8/s1600-h/bad+tom2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 313px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5NO20NpX2hp6j_b-Uy6RUQjs8KUXjSLKJi7gN2ybjzsTlxtpJyG9Z9pBCItGqpxAnwCTl_p9CArCEIbnBATPa3iz-SUUltakqzJVzZY4TCUv02IkKSAEw2mGEm59oPRV9oQ9b2HIwj8/s320/bad+tom2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422742196255095650" border="0" /></a>st the ones that grew which were only a handful. Again not sure what happened here. Can't figure out why most just seemed to die.<br /><br />The potatoes were also a big disappointment, but I think I'm to blame. First of all I think I planted a few weeks to late, and second, I didn't buy seed potatoes. I just took ones we had that had sprouted eyes...cut them into smaller pieces and buried them. We did harvest some but not nearly enough; maybe 10 pounds but that is being generous.<br /><br />The green peppers did well I thought, we just didn't plant enough. Again, we'll be putting more in the garden next year.<br /><br />Pole beans...didn't do so well after the deer attack. We did manage to get a few handfuls but we had lost most of the plants to the deer.<br /><br />The watermelon never matured, but I think that was partly due to planting them to late. The plants grew good, but the melons never matured....same as the squash.<br /><br />So that's the short of it, but I do think I learned a little from the experience.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkA8L7lS_ynWMi3LdEz_MOV5aTmMM5fYBjuo68Ht5cSkPYypHDkYa948sNO8L3oGh8YpB7Tb8KuJnfysih_EscFoIkg1iEa-5eX-bvdrN_T1IIvIO2aHmt5EocA4UsG0gauGuu8eqfISA/s1600-h/bad+tom1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 287px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkA8L7lS_ynWMi3LdEz_MOV5aTmMM5fYBjuo68Ht5cSkPYypHDkYa948sNO8L3oGh8YpB7Tb8KuJnfysih_EscFoIkg1iEa-5eX-bvdrN_T1IIvIO2aHmt5EocA4UsG0gauGuu8eqfISA/s320/bad+tom1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5422742189434322498" border="0" /></a><br /><br />1: My soil isn't that great. I have heard that I can get it tested to see what it is lacking and I definitely need to get that done. However, i didn't want to have to buy a bunch of stuff to add to the soil, but I may not have a choice.<br /><br />2: Protect against deer and other animals early on. The stuff I did do worked; I just need to do it right when I plant.<br /><br />3. Plant at the right times. To be honest I was a little overwhelmed when it was time to get the garden started and wasn't as prepared as I should have been. That won't happen again.<br /><br />4: Learn more about the plants I am growing. I had researched a lot about general gardening when we started, but I think I really need to advance my studies on the specifics. I had thought if you plant it it will grow...I was wrong. There is a lot of wisdom needed in gardening.<br /><br />All and all, for our first garden, I think we did OK. if my soil is poor and it was indeed blight that smoked are tomatoes i won't feel so bad about the slim harvest. yet, since our goal is self sufficiency I need to get this gardening stuff down. It's hard to eliminate buying food when you don't harvest enough of the things you grow. If this were the old days and we didn't have a grocery store, it would be a very hard winter for us.<br /><br />If anyone has any ideas after reading this and viewing the pics...Please share your thoughts!Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750315155356308586noreply@blogger.com23tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-61488722062044587052009-12-30T23:31:00.004-05:002009-12-31T00:26:29.370-05:00Not all those that wander are lost....So where have we been?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj702W6gsczy0JzSoKkWeNAytQFN3Gtj5TYq7gxzcSVhtZ6HveBcgZEc3_70QXooCGDHIjCOltjuWdJCuxPsCsXXDbuLR2LOJkpK_z5W4Sov9-D2BuWMxquTohuNl9pnaF5AJbEAt6yJX8/s1600-h/Journey.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj702W6gsczy0JzSoKkWeNAytQFN3Gtj5TYq7gxzcSVhtZ6HveBcgZEc3_70QXooCGDHIjCOltjuWdJCuxPsCsXXDbuLR2LOJkpK_z5W4Sov9-D2BuWMxquTohuNl9pnaF5AJbEAt6yJX8/s320/Journey.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5421265629455173138" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Well, the answer is far from simple. Of course I could describe how busy we have been. The end of summer and the months before winter had brought many changes to our lives. A wood stove (that we hadn't planned on getting this year) for one created a rush to get enough wood cut before the snow fell kept me quite busy, along with weatherizing the house for the coming cold. Melissa's business kept her engaged, and before we knew it the new year was upon us.<br /><br />Yet, although those reasons are true...it is not the full truth.<br /><br />Our Journey has not been without its trials and tribulations and as such there were times when what we set out to do last November was put to the test. Money of course was a big issue and although we had reduced our living expenses there were (and still are) times when the bills we couldn't cut outweighed our income. Our garden, although starting with a bang, fizzled out at the end and we lost a lot of our crops. Vehicle repairs and home repairs added up and the strain on our relationship as a family became quite heavy. I really could go on and on with a long <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">narrative</span> of negative experiences, but it's self-<span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">defeating</span> and a little self-serving.<br /><br />You, see the truth of the matter is...we survived! Everyone struggles, but it took me awhile to figure out that it's not the struggle that matters, but how well you handle them. "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger", right? Easier said than done, but there is some truth too it.<br /><br />It wasn't so much the new problems and challenges our new life style presented; it was how we dealt with them. Frankly when I looked at these things we were going through they weren't all that <span class="blsp-spelling-corrected" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">different</span> from the issues we had <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">pre</span>-homesteading...it was just the way we handled them. In the past we would have bought our way through the difficult times. We would have spent ourselves happy buying new toys and things to make us feel better and mask our hurt. This time around though that money wasn't available to shelter us, and we had to look at what was going on with no anesthesia. Yeah, it was painful but that pain brought new and exciting alternatives to dealing with it.<br /><br />Jesus Christ brought us through it, plain and simple. No need to mince words here...its a fact!<br /><br />So, for the last few months there's been some anguish, disappointment, and failure. But, there has also been some really great things going on too. I've hid from this blog for awhile, partly in self-pity and partly from facing certain truths. Here's the thing though; we didn't quit...we pushed on and we're still here ready to begin a second year that's as full of hope and grace as when we first started. We only slowed our steps on the journey, now we're ready to run again!Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750315155356308586noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-31982797065926116602009-08-21T15:15:00.001-04:002009-08-21T15:16:58.957-04:00100% Homestead!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUkStbmhlMy9tBfS1yop0jlTlGzmlrXsjCemtybzPUroku-hjqp19iU9oeYHqmhZoOYzSRwjbs3IU9mqYltAOuf3kcMQVDhoF5cO3SkUZ7Oe60cUu-ErnE-XA5Nv5t0lcC-ESRdsoP1Q/s1600-h/food.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 237px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuUkStbmhlMy9tBfS1yop0jlTlGzmlrXsjCemtybzPUroku-hjqp19iU9oeYHqmhZoOYzSRwjbs3IU9mqYltAOuf3kcMQVDhoF5cO3SkUZ7Oe60cUu-ErnE-XA5Nv5t0lcC-ESRdsoP1Q/s320/food.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372498141518415426" border="0" /></a><br />This photo depicts an entire meal from food we grew and raised ourselves!!! YEAH!!<br />Herb seasoned pork steak, fresh corn on the cob, herb seasoned red skin potatoes, and fresh veggie salsa! The meal was one of the best I’ve ever had and I’m sure it something to do with that fact that we did it all ourselves. It was so satisfying knowing we can provide for ourselves and actually eat VERY well!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-23417916978549242282009-08-21T15:03:00.006-04:002009-08-21T15:24:13.235-04:00“Hunger is the best pickle.” Benjamin Franklin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgeZ4nd7BBfjxKPkhyphenhyphenwwMxvhMKN38ET98zmc1BmAwgHGYcAszkGnlyy_eyUFaCqkBSLQeMeGtKkzz33ZDZjrkYWXEbS0IWP78s7L63O8QdIVExaWQ0t91uhyphenhyphenqzooRperFBkVF9GJPivM/s1600-h/cuke1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDgeZ4nd7BBfjxKPkhyphenhyphenwwMxvhMKN38ET98zmc1BmAwgHGYcAszkGnlyy_eyUFaCqkBSLQeMeGtKkzz33ZDZjrkYWXEbS0IWP78s7L63O8QdIVExaWQ0t91uhyphenhyphenqzooRperFBkVF9GJPivM/s320/cuke1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372496483584627074" border="0" /></a><br />Cucumbers were True North's first veggies to grow out of control. I swear they grew by the minute. Each day I am getting at least 4-5 cukes from the garden. After eating as many as we could in salads, with dip, soaked in vinegar with onion, we finally decided it was time that we canned some of them. And what else do you do with cucumbers? You make pickles. MIL got a recipe from our Aunt Vivian that is said to be easy and tasty. Well so far is rings true for the easy part. We will see in 2-3 weeks of the tasty part does as well. Below is the recipe. I used my fresh dill from my herb wheel as well. We ended up with 6 jars of pickle<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-njayNcQvL_7lrSUPX-eJUNXyUz7u0tymiQ1GEEDmDeChf0WJsURDmIR0FcQ905ZWSJR2A_KLmcY7xtrg18oB7lW3_wlYA4HLLkM2pIAC0Er_1lFH_cPQHXpQWiNwyLo9m2OS1sk4yY/s1600-h/cuke2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 194px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgf-njayNcQvL_7lrSUPX-eJUNXyUz7u0tymiQ1GEEDmDeChf0WJsURDmIR0FcQ905ZWSJR2A_KLmcY7xtrg18oB7lW3_wlYA4HLLkM2pIAC0Er_1lFH_cPQHXpQWiNwyLo9m2OS1sk4yY/s320/cuke2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372496769507191778" border="0" /></a>s.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Aunt Vivian’s Dil</span><span style="font-weight: bold;">l Pickles</span><br />Recipe for 1 quart<br /><br />-1 head of fresh dill in bottom of jar<br />-Add whole cukes or cut into spears to fill jars (clean cukes)<br />-1 garlic clove added<br />-1 more head of dill on top<br /><br />The following combined and brought to boil<br /><br />-¼ t of Alum<br />-1 cup of white vinegar<br />-1 cup of water<br />-2 T of Kosher salt<br /><br />Pour over cukes in quart jar. Cukes will be ready in 2-3 weeks!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-79716231328035637262009-08-21T14:54:00.004-04:002009-08-21T15:25:12.884-04:00The Herb Wheel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Zvvl3RdVjAIykqkLvc4Zl9j9TkonN-5L9wliF_LVh7ybjR9BsL6D_WxIjeSdwSAZUWz2kqXWMwBQ0oF1Vw-BbIPEZw-7Jpb1f6tbEN9zHnHjJo0_04aEY3PQmD2nX-FuHiaufJOhsX0/s1600-h/Herb.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7Zvvl3RdVjAIykqkLvc4Zl9j9TkonN-5L9wliF_LVh7ybjR9BsL6D_WxIjeSdwSAZUWz2kqXWMwBQ0oF1Vw-BbIPEZw-7Jpb1f6tbEN9zHnHjJo0_04aEY3PQmD2nX-FuHiaufJOhsX0/s320/Herb.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372493403140324274" border="0" /></a><br />This past winter I read many books about gardening and in one of them they had diagrams of cool herb wheels. Basically an herb garden in the shape of a wheel instead of the standard square garden. Pat and I decided to make our own this summer. We had some odds and ends laying around from years past of landscaping décor so we lumped it all together to see if we had enough to make one. Low and behold we did! We started with black edging and made it into a circle then nudged the circle here and there to get it the right circumference. We dug a line around the circle and inserted the edging into it to keep it stable. We used more of the edging to make spokes and then filled all the sections with nice fertile dirt from the pig pen. We then outlined the outer wheel w<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOVeVrbovLgXgbGYCizwhN6hkgJHnIdgD2SCic85z-IKzhj79FEInkgu8ybS5kTDr8i5tNnGria2637Mhrj8GEIoJS0zRiYPmJ0CHBqh8A6VrVbu50rRXmcwGV2et4gwwl3dcQDOJUZk/s1600-h/Herb1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOVeVrbovLgXgbGYCizwhN6hkgJHnIdgD2SCic85z-IKzhj79FEInkgu8ybS5kTDr8i5tNnGria2637Mhrj8GEIoJS0zRiYPmJ0CHBqh8A6VrVbu50rRXmcwGV2et4gwwl3dcQDOJUZk/s320/Herb1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5372493755016736178" border="0" /></a>ith brick to reinforce the circle walls. We used bricks in the center and I hand painted the herb name that would grown the in corresponding section to add a little personal touch to it. The center piece are parts of our pine stumps that were used earlier to make the pine stump fence and a few deer antlers from deer pat killed from years past. We planted Rosemary, Parsley, Cilantro, Dill and Basil. With lots of weeding, watering and sun....all came up very well, except for the Rosemary. Not sure what I did wrong there but no growth! I love using fresh herbs when cooking and I will dry the rest to use for the year.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-32996555398768133322009-08-14T15:49:00.010-04:002009-08-14T17:06:11.617-04:00Home Grown!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Iamw3VcGYDYWo08Vw1uqgjQjXTEBKYUkTujaOMfYrUrTTIOD9kzKa2s8BIF-PFeB6RCDTLakC3ryWGqAVdwtGCyBsL0pMhl_ASwYOFyTzsEs1oxi-IxP09a2xRovun0zELmDh-aGstU/s1600-h/beans.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9Iamw3VcGYDYWo08Vw1uqgjQjXTEBKYUkTujaOMfYrUrTTIOD9kzKa2s8BIF-PFeB6RCDTLakC3ryWGqAVdwtGCyBsL0pMhl_ASwYOFyTzsEs1oxi-IxP09a2xRovun0zELmDh-aGstU/s320/beans.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369928411945242274" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Garden Update:</span><br /><br />The Garden is doing really well, at least we think it is. Since this is our first time growing anything I guess even a little success goes a long way! Melissa is keeping an actual tally of what we have harvested so when it's all said and done will post up what our overall haul was.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Corn:</span>Right now the corn is looking good even though deer ate most of it early on. The few stalks they didn't eat have multiple ears on them, and the ones they did eat still managed to survive and are producing. Not r<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlAoJj_iX60hldlFvzETOocI0CQig7bJRQiRimcAFEw2YsVtRT_KdbiRnUxMHBETH5DH0U2s00yJgJQ-cGNI40ia1MM0tfOyJCW1wNlMObR5rTnQifs4dCs5IaxCQiuxxWbR-s4u-eEA/s1600-h/lettuce.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 271px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlAoJj_iX60hldlFvzETOocI0CQig7bJRQiRimcAFEw2YsVtRT_KdbiRnUxMHBETH5DH0U2s00yJgJQ-cGNI40ia1MM0tfOyJCW1wNlMObR5rTnQifs4dCs5IaxCQiuxxWbR-s4u-eEA/s320/lettuce.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369928421564376818" border="0" /></a>eady to harvest yet, but I think it will be soon!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Cucumbers:</span> I planted six hills of cucumbers; 3 normal ones and then 3 that are a 'pickling' variety. Two hills of the normal ones and one hill of the other type are pumping out a vast quantity of cucumbers. We've already been eating them and soon we'll try our hand at making pickles.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-FYgcwGTjJIa4C8buUs7NOvk5p7wIMooT1x9jgvVUkEi-ozv3P1I4TVFoq9JuMll0VsL0vU605L-bEZDZrNgiN-jszsY-NGuGrY18dci_M9xMCYYuPrJJpe2Zl_PW4oAjPuhrKLyoGA/s1600-h/corn.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE-FYgcwGTjJIa4C8buUs7NOvk5p7wIMooT1x9jgvVUkEi-ozv3P1I4TVFoq9JuMll0VsL0vU605L-bEZDZrNgiN-jszsY-NGuGrY18dci_M9xMCYYuPrJJpe2Zl_PW4oAjPuhrKLyoGA/s320/corn.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369928067849935042" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Watermelon:</span> Like the cucumbers I planted 6 hills. Although all came up, only three are really producing. We have a couple of tennis ball sized melons and quite a few more smaller ones. The ones that aren't growing well, I believe, has more to do with getting behind on weeding than anything else.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Peppers:</span> All the pepper plants are doing good and producing. No complaints here...we've been eating them on a regu<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83WxKJcQMo4pNkobMMgTfLGNUTW9_SjA47Ci4VkijjPa-RwVynmZzinbvwN0givPXoIK87vqba92szfbmDp25hjqtJOfKN3W4wY9YoI9S4NVYnNJSz0aQKpLt0DZzsN_OzZibZ-eByQk/s1600-h/eggplant.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi83WxKJcQMo4pNkobMMgTfLGNUTW9_SjA47Ci4VkijjPa-RwVynmZzinbvwN0givPXoIK87vqba92szfbmDp25hjqtJOfKN3W4wY9YoI9S4NVYnNJSz0aQKpLt0DZzsN_OzZibZ-eByQk/s320/eggplant.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369926880064124210" border="0" /></a>lar basis!<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Egg Plant:</span> My mom had bought a few of these plants so we planted them and lo and behold we have a bunch of them producing. We just harvested one Egg Plant yesterday and fried it up. Never had it before and it was pretty darn good as a side dish.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Squash:</span> This stuff has grown great right from the start. They all came up and we have a ton of squash growing...I'm a little worried. Next year I'll probably only plant half of what I did.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Onions:</span> The first round of <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCiHap5zLK04lzFoLUOyde_SnMTrC__AHIwK6b2JJgQKL68nt4AhmPh979T7CZ3UOA8eOVZTpprg7OJ0Qmvnh5ml7y1Q2DZOuQjezFQyNpMduUmfcJFpf4fHRXwF_SvKwbmQcfxFRmsMo/s1600-h/squash.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCiHap5zLK04lzFoLUOyde_SnMTrC__AHIwK6b2JJgQKL68nt4AhmPh979T7CZ3UOA8eOVZTpprg7OJ0Qmvnh5ml7y1Q2DZOuQjezFQyNpMduUmfcJFpf4fHRXwF_SvKwbmQcfxFRmsMo/s320/squash.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369927582190199442" border="0" /></a>Onions we planted as seed and nothing grew. We then planted bulbs and they have been doing nicely. We hopefully will get some large onions out of them, that is if Melissa can keep her hands out of them, lol.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Head Lettuce:</span> At first we didn't think they where going to grow, but we did have a handful come up. They look ok, but I think they are a long way till harvest. We'll see what happens.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Green Beans:</span> They <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7e2SDstd4NdZbTuDwd7oej_hw8dq_RewmgVtLHsZOOaB80ysVXiTqKCizs4FISO4M_c_4Gcg5rppFotauTkDfhEs6pU2libeAJKhD6UkJDSn8rbMHkDTKdty_bjj_Yf5qxmgsaAotS4/s1600-h/potatoes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq7e2SDstd4NdZbTuDwd7oej_hw8dq_RewmgVtLHsZOOaB80ysVXiTqKCizs4FISO4M_c_4Gcg5rppFotauTkDfhEs6pU2libeAJKhD6UkJDSn8rbMHkDTKdty_bjj_Yf5qxmgsaAotS4/s320/potatoes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369924028045138946" border="0" /></a>took a beating from the deer, but what we do have left are producing. I just took a handful of beans inside today. I'm not sure if we'll ever get enough to can or freeze but at least will have some for a couple of meals.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Potatoes:</span> Plants look good and we've been doing a lot of research on when to harvest. We're not there yet but we believe its close.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Tomatoes:</span> We've got tomatoes! Big ones, medium ones, and little ones. We've ate a couple, but most are still green. I have a feeling here in the next few days we are going to be neck deep in tomatoes. That's exactly what we want though. We've got a lot of plans for these red veges!<br /><br />So that's it, but what have we learned to do and not do?<br /><br />First, protect against deer. Early on, the deer came in and ate most of the corn and green beans. Although those things have survived I think our harvest would have been better had it not happened at all. After the attack, I set up a few fence posts and hung shiny tin plates from strings that I stretched between the posts. I also tied human hair (from our brushes) on the posts, about half way up. I then took some hair clippings and scattered them around the perimeter of the garden. Lastly, I used a mixture of 1/2 bottle of hot sauce to a gallon of water and sprayed that occasionally on the plants. I'm not sure what worked or if all of it did...but no deer since doing this. I haven't sprayed the sauce mixture in quite awhile nor have I refreshed the hair, so maybe the plates were enough. Next year I'll have my anti-deer defense set up early.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJFg9W6H9e5KLtT2ZylgulyYOV-0Pg-43xIiI3CPARefNzQ6pBLnuqUJVg81bTi-_MsNcazCKugIHi5gosu5uv_TseC7cAAYmYLVjXzC6eyF_IgtDxCl0lBXvUM9dWn_o6nxbaj4Dx9c/s1600-h/onion.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLJFg9W6H9e5KLtT2ZylgulyYOV-0Pg-43xIiI3CPARefNzQ6pBLnuqUJVg81bTi-_MsNcazCKugIHi5gosu5uv_TseC7cAAYmYLVjXzC6eyF_IgtDxCl0lBXvUM9dWn_o6nxbaj4Dx9c/s320/onion.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369927754905663522" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Bugs: Hadn't seen any sign of these types of pests until just a few days ago. While tending to the tomatoes I started notices what looked like little black poops littered around some of the plants. After a few minutes of investigation I saw the culprits. Nasty green monster worms! We found 8 of them and promptly squashed them. Now I look every day...haven't found anymore yet!<br /><br />Weeding: Don't ever get behin<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWvij54ysH_Xl5xTMtO8YUxSqftKZjiFYwqF8T_BzEPbWUFbYN9nGNv55HHOwpcTAySIhl5m09SpRObn6kgApXMYG8Q8qPHcEx_L44LCPaD5KY1tZHwqvXTp5ijsb_OryX1DS74UUtXdU/s1600-h/peppers.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWvij54ysH_Xl5xTMtO8YUxSqftKZjiFYwqF8T_BzEPbWUFbYN9nGNv55HHOwpcTAySIhl5m09SpRObn6kgApXMYG8Q8qPHcEx_L44LCPaD5KY1tZHwqvXTp5ijsb_OryX1DS74UUtXdU/s320/peppers.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369927227394697602" border="0" /></a>d! A camping trip and a few days of not feeling well and things got out of control in a hurry. Btw, I love weeding! It;s very peaceful in the evening...kind of like a reflection time: to think of things gone by and things yet to come.<br />Advise: We are getting it from where ever we can. Family, friends, strangers, books, Internet....there is so much info out there, and a lot to absorb! We've got time though and I feel we've learned so much already<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8t6rnDJdVZ4EBXx0ZfKj__r9xyK6zfJdV6uttT6XO89p_bj04iSOxUpkR5TLkKUNYncjP3hvEcZA-gCtdT6ieLCyONx1IiWUmqH_qdp5A1zro9GoTyvqzl7Eyd5TSeu_4ISylDYXzVGY/s1600-h/tomatoes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8t6rnDJdVZ4EBXx0ZfKj__r9xyK6zfJdV6uttT6XO89p_bj04iSOxUpkR5TLkKUNYncjP3hvEcZA-gCtdT6ieLCyONx1IiWUmqH_qdp5A1zro9GoTyvqzl7Eyd5TSeu_4ISylDYXzVGY/s320/tomatoes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5369923422508618626" border="0" /></a><br /><br />We have been told that our abnormally cool summer has stunted growth this year. I can only agree. Things have been pretty hot lately and I think that"s why we have seen a growth spurt.<br /><br />All in all though it has been well worth the trouble. Melissa mentioned the other day that it has been so nice eating fresh vegetables daily...and we're broke. Normally, when short on cash the fresh veges would wait. Not the case anymore! Feeling more self sufficient is always good too...it's a big motivator. I have to say...the whole family seems to love the garden (the work included)!Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750315155356308586noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-84029277888769548482009-08-04T08:49:00.003-04:002009-08-04T10:23:05.266-04:00Give me a Brake<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPUrz-ALOxVFiBEX2liRfSrDQmOlEWfNDJYw0l3vNptm0SDkMhS05b0pLo_-tw0JmkkJY0lZ8JBgIX_rdsMGRzf0fb6ZuGNZLt-cTVuUsxEZbe0rgZNmDY2hjzcrjS9kvA8jqjvD2LN8/s1600-h/blazer.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqPUrz-ALOxVFiBEX2liRfSrDQmOlEWfNDJYw0l3vNptm0SDkMhS05b0pLo_-tw0JmkkJY0lZ8JBgIX_rdsMGRzf0fb6ZuGNZLt-cTVuUsxEZbe0rgZNmDY2hjzcrjS9kvA8jqjvD2LN8/s320/blazer.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5366113798682895202" border="0" /></a><br />Over the course of my life I have worn many hats and done a lot of different things, but when it came to anything mechanical I would always defer to a professional. Especially when it came to our vehicles. It was always my thought that if you needed repairs, minor or major, you went to the shop, pulled out your plastic, and walked away with a fixed car and some type of warranty.<br /><br />Well, that type of thinking is over for us, and so when the brakes on our Blazer started squealing I knew I was soon going to be delving into realms unknown. To be honest I wasn't too worried about the actual job of changing the brakes, but I was worried about my tool situation. I have always believed that I could do just about anything as long as I have the proper tools, and proper tools were exactly what I did not have. My collection of automotive tools is a mismatched and unorganized mess that is crammed into two large tool boxes. Most of these tools are from stuff my Dad had laying around and the rest are just odds and ends I have acquired over the years.<br /><br />Just to make sure It was indeed my brakes making all that noise (which I was 99% sure) and to get a price quote so I could see how much money I was going to save, I took the Blazer into Midas and had them look at it. The estimate they gave me was $236.00 for brakes and rotors. Apparently I had let the brakes go too long and now the rotors had to be replaced. My habit of procrastination was costing me. Once again the hard lesson that 'putting things off and being frugal doesn't mix well' was rearing its ugly head.<br /><br />Anyways, with the information about the parts I needed at hand, I headed over to a local automotive store and purchased what I would need. Brakes, rotors, a small packet of grease and some spray cleaner...the total: $100 and some change. A difference of $136 from the Midas quote. The way me and Melissa looked at it...that was $136 dollars we didn't have to earn, and that is a good thing.<br /><br />The next thing I did was 'google' anything I could pertaining to changing brakes, which thankfully there was a ton. So, with a couple printouts in hand, my new parts, and a smattering of odd tools, I went to work.<br /><br />At this point I'd like to tell you how smooth everything went, but if I'm being honest I have to tell you that my lack of tools (and quality tools!) was a problem. Once I figured out what size I needed to take of my caliper bolts (18 mm btw for anyone with a 2002 blazer), and discovered that I had every MM size except 18 I had to go buy a socket. Returning with my new socket I immediately broke my old and shabby ratchet. This prompted another run to the store, but this time I bought a wrench. My savings (or money we don't have to earn) was being depleted. At least my useful tool collection was growing.<br /><br />As I suspected, once I had the proper tools, the actual job was rather easy. It did take the better part of the afternoon, but when all was said and done...the brakes worked great!<br /><br />New skills and accomplishments are a great recipe for successful homesteading!Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750315155356308586noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-10239308812405196812009-07-30T23:54:00.005-04:002009-07-31T00:13:03.463-04:00“And your very flesh shall be a great poem.”When we decided to start our style of homesteading we decided to make a list of all the skills we had that could generate money. Although we were lowering our expenses, we still needed to be able to make money to pay for our necessities...mainly land taxes, medical bills and our house payment.<br /><br />One of the skills that was on the top of my list was Tattooing. I have been tattooing on and off since I was a teenager, and Melissa worked in a tattoo shop when I met her. Over the years we have opened and closed two tattoo businesses, and sold our equipment numerous times. Yet, through all of that I have always loved the artistry behind tattoos and have always been drawn back to the craft after long absences.<br /><br />Since it is a skill I have and love, and I now have the time to dedicate myself to the art...I have once again started slinging ink. The wonderful part about it is that in the past I was so concerned about the money side of it that I would lose sight of how much I enjoyed creating permanent art on people. Now don't get me wrong, we still need the money, but now it is not the primary focus. For once in my life I can truly enjoy tattooing<br /><br />Here's a sample of my most recent work and If you like you can visit <a href="http://www.sanctustattooing.blogspot.com/">Sanctus Tattooing</a>, my blog that will display images of my work.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Lp7A7cl32Di0E_tRR7KIQKMSg8iRLhpd36aMkJmqdIaa9H0MjBY5AbbOvrrYXbdrKfFJN4mZGEjxUj0T7m_0PPlHlviTYO2xWV_WZTJamQQAWJkgDAxRS3P26CFA4zi7m1RZ7LNTIj8/s1600-h/butterfly.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 242px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1Lp7A7cl32Di0E_tRR7KIQKMSg8iRLhpd36aMkJmqdIaa9H0MjBY5AbbOvrrYXbdrKfFJN4mZGEjxUj0T7m_0PPlHlviTYO2xWV_WZTJamQQAWJkgDAxRS3P26CFA4zi7m1RZ7LNTIj8/s320/butterfly.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5364471843144423906" border="0" /></a>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750315155356308586noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-64924043588737205062009-07-27T00:51:00.004-04:002009-07-27T01:57:42.088-04:00A visit from family<span style="font-style: italic;">Note: It is far easier to post in th</span><span style="font-style: italic;">e winter when things are a lot s</span><span style="font-style: italic;">lower...</span><br /><br />That being said, July has been a good month with lots of things happening including my older brother James (Aka: Wojo) and his family visiting from Vegas. We spent nearly a week with them and had a blast.<br /><br />James and his wife Jean have lived in Vegas for some time now and we rarely get to see them. James is a Worship Leader at his church and heads a Dave Matthews tribute band called Dangerous Hours, Jean works for a law firm. They are moving to Alabama soon and that will be great because they'll only be 11 hours from us.<br /><br />James' son, James Jr. lives in Texas and it has been a number of years since we got to see him so that was really nice. He's 15 now, the same age as my daughter, and has grown a lot since the last time we saw him. I know his school's football team is trying to get him on the field, but like his dad he's dedicated to his music.<br /><br />They also brought their friend Cookie, a girl from their church. She was fantastic and we were glad to have her as a guest. Gabrielle got along great with her!<br /><br />While they were here we tried to get a number of things accomplished besides relaxing with a cold one on the deck (which we did plenty of:P), and telling Chuck Norris facts! One of my projects I really wanted to do this year was move some very large pine stump fences and make a decorative boundary across the front of our family cemetery. When my father passed away we decided to have him buried on the property at a place where he and my mother always wanted to build a home. It's a beautiful hill with large maples over looking a small valley, and although they never did build that house...it sure is nice visiting him there.<br />It was a good thing my brother and nephew helped in this endeavor. The stumps where very large and heavy, and a good ways into the woods. We knocked it out in just a few hours, but there was no way I could have done it myself.<br /><br />We also brought the whole crew Geocacheing and made a day of it...with a picnic included. We were 2 0f 4 on caches found, but I think everyone had a really good time. I know me, Melissa and Gabrielle did! I think my brother and his family might be hooked.<br /><br />All in all, it was fantastic to have them here. Last time they were up for a visit my trucking schedule was a mess and I had very little time to see them. Sometimes, when homesteading gets tough and the struggles seem endless, I have to remember why we are doing it. Family.<br />A year ago I wouldn't have been able to spend the quality time I did with them. I'm thankful and I'm blessed.<br /><br />Thanks Melissa for the photos.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvyZ4gVtDE97-tvzbZ0UHov1zzkr2VD7RhJ0MGiDfKj9EJsOELxO80lS5x-5dhgXq0pzWHhP8FQLh6hVpZWYzpg4_ALSpEM6DQthom1I8xNL3VgS_YsfJAFCY7qspYaYMmD1fvRNoM4K8/s1600-h/pine1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvyZ4gVtDE97-tvzbZ0UHov1zzkr2VD7RhJ0MGiDfKj9EJsOELxO80lS5x-5dhgXq0pzWHhP8FQLh6hVpZWYzpg4_ALSpEM6DQthom1I8xNL3VgS_YsfJAFCY7qspYaYMmD1fvRNoM4K8/s320/pine1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363012134762294994" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWgi6yTpGyuLQ1kB8_-F241BpXWbhnt9KUQDeJ6xWZNLF61HsAFP4P_WZgY4RBuk-7c98daODzI_LtmM1ZgwX-x4SHF5WyCY6zcByDiXZXQoBRupzc0x8DcjtwXl-XcKwtlwamLgKmLF8/s1600-h/pine3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWgi6yTpGyuLQ1kB8_-F241BpXWbhnt9KUQDeJ6xWZNLF61HsAFP4P_WZgY4RBuk-7c98daODzI_LtmM1ZgwX-x4SHF5WyCY6zcByDiXZXQoBRupzc0x8DcjtwXl-XcKwtlwamLgKmLF8/s320/pine3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363012142717484178" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwReXb1Gk9AMOaPoHZYAv7PlAsMxEOKy8r8XBIlyk5pBgv6WWMcbgDt9Pr4zO624HSZhE7fGBQpmF0tGuXUYbrfvsY2EFj_x-VMmBwBR-oB1gAUt-yDfcfJCUtTkqNespxJO4yqBjVdfU/s1600-h/pine4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwReXb1Gk9AMOaPoHZYAv7PlAsMxEOKy8r8XBIlyk5pBgv6WWMcbgDt9Pr4zO624HSZhE7fGBQpmF0tGuXUYbrfvsY2EFj_x-VMmBwBR-oB1gAUt-yDfcfJCUtTkqNespxJO4yqBjVdfU/s320/pine4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363012143702379010" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDsx60MrxbpPACfuEoTiT7WHXhscAN4LNr6L5oOpwMVX8DA24N8os8O2Jmk1Uvqnx-cVhyPXd8edrmyvNwwvfbDZbu13PgFhglsnLvVyw7h-zFWp631TMWBw7nbmcnt1yvDoccno7ALZM/s1600-h/pine2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDsx60MrxbpPACfuEoTiT7WHXhscAN4LNr6L5oOpwMVX8DA24N8os8O2Jmk1Uvqnx-cVhyPXd8edrmyvNwwvfbDZbu13PgFhglsnLvVyw7h-zFWp631TMWBw7nbmcnt1yvDoccno7ALZM/s320/pine2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363012140547010242" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7Uh2Qg0-Jgwd9jZJUZL9i-vBnlviqeO-bvPbzv4Y2tRWoseYdxKh-NYbqr6XGHD4pGaxtOkyNEWMNIFUHQxdCT2dNYnXfa7Xc9Fn1dfzFIE5adL_JGncgqspp1DAzDq_SQ0_ixVtE3A/s1600-h/pine5.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 178px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiI7Uh2Qg0-Jgwd9jZJUZL9i-vBnlviqeO-bvPbzv4Y2tRWoseYdxKh-NYbqr6XGHD4pGaxtOkyNEWMNIFUHQxdCT2dNYnXfa7Xc9Fn1dfzFIE5adL_JGncgqspp1DAzDq_SQ0_ixVtE3A/s320/pine5.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5363012150538303074" border="0" /></a>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750315155356308586noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-13916160344986343292009-07-16T23:20:00.006-04:002009-07-17T00:47:12.144-04:00This little piggy went to market!With just a little more than 3 months at True North, our two pigs have been sent to The Butcher Block...literally. The Butcher Block is a butcher that lives close by us and was highly recommended.<br /><br />Of course, like all things at True North, this process was not without its problems. Unfortunately I can only blame myself, as usual. Back when we decided to get pigs and we were doing our research, one of the things that was stressed was to make sure you had a way to transport your livestock. Well, needless to say I waited until the last minute and my transportation plans fell apart.<br /><br />I have a small trailer that I use to haul wood and my plan was to build small walls around it, load the pigs up, and away we'd go. That was until I got my truck stuck with the trailer on...unhooked the trailer...and then proceeded to back over the hitch, crushing the mechanism that attaches to the ball, ripping off the right side tail lights and the license plate. Now, before you feel too sorry for me I should disclose that all this damage took place in February, and I kept putting off the repairs. The next thing I knew the pigs were ready to go, the trailer wasn't, and I had a ton of stuff to do that wasn't related to either. Such is life...and one day I'll learn procrastination is not a virtue, especially when your trying to save money.<br /><br />Enter Russ: Russ is the man we bought the two pigs from. From the start, when we first met him, I thought he was great. Good-natured, friendly, and didn't treat us with disdain because we didn't know what we were doing. Instead, he guided us through this process; first by selling us wonderful animals, then checking them out when they closed in on the finishing line, and finally by transporting them in his trailer to the butcher for a very cheap price (20 bucks!). Thanks Russ, we'll see you next spring when we buy the next set of pigs!<br /><br />So Russ shows up, and my pigs practically run into his trailer and lay down. I had Melissa and my older brother James (visiting from Vegas...more on that later) there for help, and Russ had brought one of his hired hands. All that man-power...not needed! Our pigs had been great from the beginning, and it appeared that they would leave they way they came....in good spirits!<br /><br />After the loading, me and my brother followed Russ to the butchers, and after some quick introductions we unloaded the pigs. Again, with hardly any prompting, the pigs jumped off the trailer and headed inside. It was the last time I would see them alive. With that we filled out some paper work and decided how we wanted them butchered.<br /><br />As we were returning home I took some time to reflect on the pigs. Don't get me wrong, I'm not squeamish about these types of things; I've hunted for years, but this was a little different. Never before had we raised an animal for slaughter. I had not gotten attached to the pigs, but I had gotten attached to our routine and their squealing during food time. I am also very attached to bacon and ham, so my nostalgia didn't last long. However, we did enjoy our time with them and we are looking forward to next spring when our pen will once again be occupied by a couple of smart and entertaining animals, whom, if only for a short time, will live like kings at True North.<br /><br />Once I get the final cost of the butchering, and exactly how much meat we get I'll post up how cost effective it was to raise them. A special thanks goes out to Norm (my mother's husband) for purchasing the white pig and helpi<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocLan-XHCm3Dju9HyE2BC5mRqIS1l9o_E3dPe6A4GJFBwBhOMq5h0lacuq3d2o4qY88RotJYRnvdrIc6Z9UoBJ_vb1adTNUrxTvD9IY1E4BfkMCMriWeyLUn1T_Ppi0lix9xjQT0zRJk/s1600-h/pigs2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 211px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiocLan-XHCm3Dju9HyE2BC5mRqIS1l9o_E3dPe6A4GJFBwBhOMq5h0lacuq3d2o4qY88RotJYRnvdrIc6Z9UoBJ_vb1adTNUrxTvD9IY1E4BfkMCMriWeyLUn1T_Ppi0lix9xjQT0zRJk/s320/pigs2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359284324636183218" border="0" /></a>ng us off-set our costs! On to the pictures:<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBw3gAhreWRQGpNu6JnerbKWxWvNMfqXJmNMWdOW0_Skc9Oi2376V9mobc7Kd3G5cRtvtewulvOiykMoy-_I7-mJIHceWPW_xSR1QGCP_IY8WlJYo27R0BlO8WfhqcbTu4zh11Ni4fiI/s1600-h/pigs4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 257px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLBw3gAhreWRQGpNu6JnerbKWxWvNMfqXJmNMWdOW0_Skc9Oi2376V9mobc7Kd3G5cRtvtewulvOiykMoy-_I7-mJIHceWPW_xSR1QGCP_IY8WlJYo27R0BlO8WfhqcbTu4zh11Ni4fiI/s320/pigs4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359285502302261394" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBlnqokU355DUtoVoooCZU90jgI2XWcG4bmdGPheVFu7YuiKe_zD0oeIVcNtFHGBMnxOtWvRcj1fgKQVfV38RPnJ7EeTXdZ17y7AEpHGf2D9FrNhLYt4R-yqngb_zI9andd7Q44hTN3c/s1600-h/guys2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 215px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBlnqokU355DUtoVoooCZU90jgI2XWcG4bmdGPheVFu7YuiKe_zD0oeIVcNtFHGBMnxOtWvRcj1fgKQVfV38RPnJ7EeTXdZ17y7AEpHGf2D9FrNhLYt4R-yqngb_zI9andd7Q44hTN3c/s320/guys2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359284313359321922" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3VnKVAgprXY37um4Gr9EtYr5_WfHSeWsksnqTd9uTlA8DXeGFrYQuVndZ9pfAKNVgWMv8ZYmltM09IPLDMhbmBB_GEXrK_xhJko5XXEnKJggdmrdy41KDt1c_QhkMWSxQX1yIzmTgk34/s1600-h/guys1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 312px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3VnKVAgprXY37um4Gr9EtYr5_WfHSeWsksnqTd9uTlA8DXeGFrYQuVndZ9pfAKNVgWMv8ZYmltM09IPLDMhbmBB_GEXrK_xhJko5XXEnKJggdmrdy41KDt1c_QhkMWSxQX1yIzmTgk34/s320/guys1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359284312468429538" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO9MOyHoh0WeCXFD5_o2j3XFUJe_1fAVUq1kiAFuGZxIlJV9u1LR8PkRKbiGpQWuVw2YlvuKfX5N-71jLWGq7YVysR4Ltlqio8KAF2FptexM7u5rdSc5R4-8xBSe8OzkqyaRNVAxVBX_E/s1600-h/pigs3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 294px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO9MOyHoh0WeCXFD5_o2j3XFUJe_1fAVUq1kiAFuGZxIlJV9u1LR8PkRKbiGpQWuVw2YlvuKfX5N-71jLWGq7YVysR4Ltlqio8KAF2FptexM7u5rdSc5R4-8xBSe8OzkqyaRNVAxVBX_E/s320/pigs3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359284328338000834" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9d6hFEkDb9Se3i9f5cdMY3ejGuCFfCQYkKzDJeFB6QVeCg70Pg1oVeFzF82ONdtMbkeW0q4Rhc0hiMAhRaVhPCg_fthjrEcT7Y7pKCxRCeWiIHWfAX95XT_mJLd9EB8GpZH1fiLw83sY/s1600-h/pigs1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9d6hFEkDb9Se3i9f5cdMY3ejGuCFfCQYkKzDJeFB6QVeCg70Pg1oVeFzF82ONdtMbkeW0q4Rhc0hiMAhRaVhPCg_fthjrEcT7Y7pKCxRCeWiIHWfAX95XT_mJLd9EB8GpZH1fiLw83sY/s320/pigs1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5359284317372604226" border="0" /></a>Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750315155356308586noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-74424872121134952702009-07-02T23:43:00.005-04:002009-07-03T00:15:32.498-04:00Keep it secret...keep it safe<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.geocaching.com"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 264px; height: 260px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhH2jylQS-nd0hQAXWId70CxLZXUQw0l6bnntohHd44KH5RGL04USQ6BvxKmsZULIcDzbFV5OHdb13XJpwapPRzyJ911UIpvB8rw8pYT0fO9DHBpT-TyLTPFsUCh37hL1-LTe4yJbbney4/s320/geocaching_logo.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5354082347641128498" border="0" /></a><br /> For those of you that have never tried Geocaching....you've got to give it a chance!<br /><br />Although we have had the link up on our blog for sometime now, it was just the other day that we actually tried our hand at it. What is Geocaching you ask?<br /><br />(from their website)<br /><span style="font-style: italic;">"Geocaching is a high-tech treasure hunting game played throughout the world by adventure seekers equipped with GPS devices. The basic idea is to locate hidden containers, called geocaches, outdoors and then share your experiences online. Geocaching is enjoyed by people from all age groups, with a strong sense of community and support for the environment."</span><br /><br />As far as the "high tech"goes it is true that you need a GPS device; luckily for us we had one that we purchased a few years ago. I haven't looked at prices on these things in some time, but I believe you can get them pretty cheap. Ours is a Garmin Nuvi 200 and is very basic, but it does the job. All you need is to be able to type in coordinates and most dash-board GPS allow this.<br /><br />So, how does it work? You go to their website, www.geocaching.com and register (easy process). From their you can type in any postal code or town and it will give you lists of Geocaches in that area...and their is usually a ton. Just in our small town their was a lot! At that point you get the coordinates, put them in your GPS, and away you go..<br /><br />We have found 6 geocaches so far (in 2 days) and all 6 were within a two mile radius of us. A couple we couldn't find, but we'll be back again for another try:) Once you find a cache you can take/leave an item, then log your visit on the website. My description may come off as a little dull, but believe me it's addicting.<br /><br />In fact, if you like to walk or bike, have free fun, and enjoy nature...it's really the way to go. Next time we'll take some photos so we can share them. I hope if you try it you'll have as much fun as we have had.Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750315155356308586noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-31525958554514699682009-06-25T10:49:00.004-04:002009-06-25T10:57:00.313-04:00Are we there yet?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE7WpphyphenhypheneoMiaQlZPVbjGdMnAEEj22D4JhhyjSulibuAPtrr5b2Cd_Up5EpTrSWQ4JdpCOugwb_3pgXkoUefahI1xMIYUT2qti2lwFhzCbYoGL5UyaRhFRj7qp7ejLD7x4uAmn0932HPs/s1600-h/pig3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 271px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE7WpphyphenhypheneoMiaQlZPVbjGdMnAEEj22D4JhhyjSulibuAPtrr5b2Cd_Up5EpTrSWQ4JdpCOugwb_3pgXkoUefahI1xMIYUT2qti2lwFhzCbYoGL5UyaRhFRj7qp7ejLD7x4uAmn0932HPs/s320/pig3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351278873176791826" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKdgpZSy27a7j4RPqY3-I9m-T3IcTG9GvUBDoHaduSXJE_TdNesEUJKqfGn_sXawORqIj7X9dmz8VeYwMggtmnfKVKYB73qfnbH18kUMhnzNyl468HVKLzsPKotxegFd5gYGV0XTexWw/s1600-h/pig2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 271px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrKdgpZSy27a7j4RPqY3-I9m-T3IcTG9GvUBDoHaduSXJE_TdNesEUJKqfGn_sXawORqIj7X9dmz8VeYwMggtmnfKVKYB73qfnbH18kUMhnzNyl468HVKLzsPKotxegFd5gYGV0XTexWw/s320/pig2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5351278856907169218" border="0" /></a><br />The guy we purchased the pigs from came over yesterday. He said the pigs look great and we could butcher them now if want. Although he said if it were him he would wait another 2 weeks to get a really good chop out of them. So the countdown begins! We have 2 weeks to find our butcher (which he recommended a good one) and the biggest most important thing to find some one to buy our other pig to cover the cost of the one we keep. He said we are looking at about $1 per pound hanging weight, plus the cost of butcher. So we hope to get about $300 or a little more. That will work perfect for us!<br /><br />Oh and on a funny note....apparently he said we have 2 boys (brothers). Not a boy and a girl...poor black one has had an identity crisis all this time.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-47327659120256089132009-06-24T10:38:00.007-04:002009-06-24T10:47:29.568-04:00The $2 ChairA while back someone asked for close up photos of the chair I found at a yard sale. Sorry it took so long to post them, but here they are. I bought this chair for $2. It's super cool and seems pretty easy to build. You can even sit in it, though I have a plant on it by my front door.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoeITwHlpR7fQumigRQQhSRzLIuV4d0U1ygfciVPx7ZYU4g9HJDYfwJIS7S99oIojAFzACpQvvcwDidFxWRU6hUDHPt0i_v-lCAocXyIaoaKPEaxrWGOlt72VUpqUmDNmgvbgZupRgMBI/s1600-h/chair4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoeITwHlpR7fQumigRQQhSRzLIuV4d0U1ygfciVPx7ZYU4g9HJDYfwJIS7S99oIojAFzACpQvvcwDidFxWRU6hUDHPt0i_v-lCAocXyIaoaKPEaxrWGOlt72VUpqUmDNmgvbgZupRgMBI/s320/chair4.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350905019360081042" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxesJgkApx9RiiC0c0BQ09oN50rZ9I-bevKWLHz6L89HHDhhJEROGGXyZqj7rBl5A7BVecJfX-zjUPfFEZTfeojhKYy7fLrTSMxe7bZeUCLnuD1cfSs-NnT_OSCPmn5lTJs0hM8f2dTU/s1600-h/chair3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIxesJgkApx9RiiC0c0BQ09oN50rZ9I-bevKWLHz6L89HHDhhJEROGGXyZqj7rBl5A7BVecJfX-zjUPfFEZTfeojhKYy7fLrTSMxe7bZeUCLnuD1cfSs-NnT_OSCPmn5lTJs0hM8f2dTU/s320/chair3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350905008446630818" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi__9V69I9EQDdZhTp-jOX1Zyoi1JjyAsbqhLHe2uErrB00csGU7Oax8pb6wTf4q_rMLGmUcY-FuwB3amlT7yomfGFADs9T8uUzfXAVgngBRnJP7whBmEh9zpMkn63qhtXzC8lBtsRTzOI/s1600-h/chair2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi__9V69I9EQDdZhTp-jOX1Zyoi1JjyAsbqhLHe2uErrB00csGU7Oax8pb6wTf4q_rMLGmUcY-FuwB3amlT7yomfGFADs9T8uUzfXAVgngBRnJP7whBmEh9zpMkn63qhtXzC8lBtsRTzOI/s320/chair2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350905006568592658" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYM4rzQh4botyPOwGrDYUT_ARlB_hqB8_E_lwzutHWYjMCz_MgArBQqkkwvD9VthqzbSBwLkn8rgGJFEHz6LaSzuvQc2qAcx9_u-vcevkGvnjxgbEH8r__lL5CrKcFAeF_er8bB6YlEM4/s1600-h/chair1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYM4rzQh4botyPOwGrDYUT_ARlB_hqB8_E_lwzutHWYjMCz_MgArBQqkkwvD9VthqzbSBwLkn8rgGJFEHz6LaSzuvQc2qAcx9_u-vcevkGvnjxgbEH8r__lL5CrKcFAeF_er8bB6YlEM4/s320/chair1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350905001745334178" border="0" /></a>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-56197175511777764072009-06-24T09:44:00.011-04:002009-06-24T10:36:59.423-04:00They keep growing and growing and growing....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi50PD4StgqyFYtuOQDYadvRa7XEJZ7iMrh9JCtN4RnLXAMtSL4S2he4CKSlf69gAZ1gMeY9lHMso0A_yS1mVpDATlkmV9dnen0Lyw2-38fudpMcP1T4arELkKs9BPhy-O1Cgf1aHKlSr4/s1600-h/squash.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi50PD4StgqyFYtuOQDYadvRa7XEJZ7iMrh9JCtN4RnLXAMtSL4S2he4CKSlf69gAZ1gMeY9lHMso0A_yS1mVpDATlkmV9dnen0Lyw2-38fudpMcP1T4arELkKs9BPhy-O1Cgf1aHKlSr4/s320/squash.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350901230428918962" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The garden is taking shape! We have the following growing successfully; watermelon, onion, 3 kinds of tomato, acorn squash, pole beans, potatoes, corn, 2 kinds of cucumbers, peppers and radishes. Crossing our fingers for the lettuce to come up. We planted strawberry's that were already established in a bed and dug up and given to us (Thanks Norm). They seem to be doing good.<br /><br />We were unsuccessful with our first batch of onion, cauliflower, broccoli, seed peppers and carrots. I think we planted the seeds to deep in the ground with the combination of the not-so-warm weather here in Michigan. We even had a frost in June.<br /><br />A few things we have learned:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7YxYAVwmPQy0SPssrE8BRsCdkMVCTMscMlKKLXVwChEq0K1iLMAjGarhijoMPm7LJp7938_zuec2bqWkqGA6oqrLemhT1Bbpq-lioMJ-B_kfJvQR_eNqFj3VB2OieDjXcTMSmQpC14kk/s1600-h/beans.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7YxYAVwmPQy0SPssrE8BRsCdkMVCTMscMlKKLXVwChEq0K1iLMAjGarhijoMPm7LJp7938_zuec2bqWkqGA6oqrLemhT1Bbpq-lioMJ-B_kfJvQR_eNqFj3VB2OieDjXcTMSmQpC14kk/s320/beans.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350900993940396082" border="0" /></a><br />1)Plant seeds inside before season starts.<br />2)Plant like package says or what fellow family/friends say who have grown it before.<br />3)Check the weather to see if rain is coming, no need to waste our own water.<br />4)Don't always count on the weather....LOL<br /><br />MIL says we should be able to harvest the radishes soon. They were our first crop to be planted and looking nice.<br /><br />Oh the NOT so little, 3 LITTLE PIGS. Yes they have grown. The are so damn big I think we will be butchering them sooner than expected. The guy we bought them from is coming out today to let us know what he thinks. We were told it would take from March to July to fatten up. About 4 full months. I think ours did it in about 3 and 1/2 months. So far the girl (black one) has fattened up a bit larger the the boy (white one). We still have to make a final decision on the butcher. We've had lots of info thrown at us. We need to keep our costs as low as possible. We halos need to get rid of the other pig. Our plan was to eat one, and sell one to pay for the one we eat. Well at the very least cover as much of the costs as <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKyx6EqWKMfKisJoFmDI6gGTRc-4rzKDMj-sBJwhBOg9hZtgM292cwx-cwFpIQTXpoj4ZtGLjyCQRy8ieepJJNj7MGBx_iSBMemJYFjDoxdFocv-LL5GSNdtyYgkWwsgZwDQLJG-i_IY/s1600-h/pig1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKyx6EqWKMfKisJoFmDI6gGTRc-4rzKDMj-sBJwhBOg9hZtgM292cwx-cwFpIQTXpoj4ZtGLjyCQRy8ieepJJNj7MGBx_iSBMemJYFjDoxdFocv-LL5GSNdtyYgkWwsgZwDQLJG-i_IY/s320/pig1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5350901462446570818" border="0" /></a>possible.<br /><br />A few things we learned:<br />1) Pigs eat ALMOST anything. If they get good scrap, feed and can graze, they leave the greens (grass/weeds/corn husks) til last and may not even eat them at all because they are full.<br />2)Pigs are pushy and taste test everything. Walk into the pen and suddenly you and your tools become a food samples.<br />3)Even a big heavy feeding trough and water trough get knocked over. Better to have them nailed to the fence.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-37122417523221272962009-06-16T14:55:00.005-04:002009-06-16T14:59:10.061-04:00Little Enlightenment's<span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">You must plant seeds like the package says. Even if you think you have a green thumb.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Drying laundry on the line does not take as long we thought!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(0, 153, 0);">Tools break the more you use them, buy quality to begin with.</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-84788751510136372202009-06-16T08:43:00.017-04:002009-06-16T10:06:40.517-04:00Struggles<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikbaJ-Dx3HJFKRKGfBd8XTsPCZrC9ZZwi3GUauI-khmX9327fzEEZVIKfaacVjUGpD3G7dxMd35BsT2HDF6soZCe_nnTzHks7J9W2bPvtV4zv7Sm3G1-WErNF6VJrLJ1Hh5n0FVYi99XA/s1600-h/clothes.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikbaJ-Dx3HJFKRKGfBd8XTsPCZrC9ZZwi3GUauI-khmX9327fzEEZVIKfaacVjUGpD3G7dxMd35BsT2HDF6soZCe_nnTzHks7J9W2bPvtV4zv7Sm3G1-WErNF6VJrLJ1Hh5n0FVYi99XA/s320/clothes.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347919242491987458" border="0" /></a><br /><br />With so many things that have happened over the last month. I struggled to decide which topic to write about. I decided how ironic it was that I struggled, when that is kinda what I wanted to write about... struggling. LOL, I know I'm not making any sense, but hopefully that will change.<br /><br />It seems that lately we have been overwhelmed with things... things to do, places to go, people to see, jobs to do. I ha<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDg-vxmQMIT0PGuhMGimpYQPTzaFNQHJdiWbGwLCehBR5DtdSGPrWJ6t7o21Kr4U_5uZYLd-4Uf2arY457-0rwSLVVPc4Tll4ZUg1Tz-x4kNRgcf0y9H1fwsQ_J98KkQKw529gLqzhEuY/s1600-h/cherryblossom.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDg-vxmQMIT0PGuhMGimpYQPTzaFNQHJdiWbGwLCehBR5DtdSGPrWJ6t7o21Kr4U_5uZYLd-4Uf2arY457-0rwSLVVPc4Tll4ZUg1Tz-x4kNRgcf0y9H1fwsQ_J98KkQKw529gLqzhEuY/s320/cherryblossom.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347919048269226322" border="0" /></a>ve found that the hush of winter is not at all as bad as I once thought is was a few months ago, when I was bored out of my mind. I have found that things when thought about or dreamed about are oh so much more romantic and well lets just say it...EASY. But you add the above "tasks" to your dreamy little wonderland, and you have struggle.<br /><br />Yes I know we were warned that things would be hard and they are, but I don't want to lose sight of the goal. It gets overwhelming when the journey is not enjoyed, when all you want is the end of <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2s76IJglyQ9ONHKnALcShgabuPsy78ftSbT0wd6XRPttJjcRXAe8B4zCHKkC_YUJXj_ko6YYcsptqgGk3UgzIT5HQ0uH1yMQFlPCqMJ7-afHA2E1d43sEBlsBhlVTPRU_xFD9D0YOnuk/s1600-h/rockwall.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2s76IJglyQ9ONHKnALcShgabuPsy78ftSbT0wd6XRPttJjcRXAe8B4zCHKkC_YUJXj_ko6YYcsptqgGk3UgzIT5HQ0uH1yMQFlPCqMJ7-afHA2E1d43sEBlsBhlVTPRU_xFD9D0YOnuk/s320/rockwall.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347919458582844578" border="0" /></a>your task to be near.<br /><br />Money struggles. Yeah I know cry me a river, but we all are going through it so I though I'd share our story, it's our blog after all! We've not been <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiAvybzkZA58mLt5MENgUP9gAaggDnv1KyPyGENcH9ihpEnJuXQ7WDFi0PSDbE3wa3BQGT1Z_500Ajcpk_4BMlTPV2eBoZHHpw3E7DUmPoEUKz1JyWTRXbLLlkVycnuUv7ASywTPaUl9Q/s1600-h/pigs.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 203px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiAvybzkZA58mLt5MENgUP9gAaggDnv1KyPyGENcH9ihpEnJuXQ7WDFi0PSDbE3wa3BQGT1Z_500Ajcpk_4BMlTPV2eBoZHHpw3E7DUmPoEUKz1JyWTRXbLLlkVycnuUv7ASywTPaUl9Q/s320/pigs.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347919875342788242" border="0" /></a>desperate yet, not starving yet, but we have gone without, and a bill or 2 have been late. It's definitely not for lack of trying, just didn't balance the budget properly and my work is unstable at best. We have managed to keep our heads above water thankfully for now. But it has put jobs behind, like the chicken coop. We have yet to finish that, so it sits partially done and we still have no chickens.<br /><br />Garden struggles. Ok we all know that this is new territory for us. We've NEVER done the majority of things we have attempted to do, but yet we still try pathetically. The garden, oh the garden. She's a force to be reckoned with. It's a love/hate relationship we have with our garde<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGcQsL_DFfeq4F4yI2litDeTyEWgdHToOmNQIi3Dhbki5gvfOctZYuMeSZIH6sW4y5wu0wiTtSe76PdFnvYfbsyIgwWGkvrih-CWOIoM8wy1DyEj7nsD2Snz5UX-PoR4dLz3bxGPHPIy4/s1600-h/chickencoop.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGcQsL_DFfeq4F4yI2litDeTyEWgdHToOmNQIi3Dhbki5gvfOctZYuMeSZIH6sW4y5wu0wiTtSe76PdFnvYfbsyIgwWGkvrih-CWOIoM8wy1DyEj7nsD2Snz5UX-PoR4dLz3bxGPHPIy4/s320/chickencoop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347920067308181458" border="0" /></a>n. So far she has been planted for about 1 month. Well the first half of it anyway. The out come in 1 month is 3/4 of it didn't sprout, so we replanted a bunch and cheated and got some starter plants. Well it was MIL who got them, I think she felt bad for us slaving away and getting no results. The second part of the garden is all Pat. He has been a regular ol' farmer!! He's spent hours sowing, and weeding, and just loving it and it's worked. And the result...we have growth!! Well I should say sprouts, but it's growing and that's all that counts. Now we're told the hard part comes, the bugs...haven't had to deal with that yet, as nothing had grown before. But we're armed and ready with piles of books, magazines, and precious advice from lo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9iK32Ju-KuXp4hP4hQyI01h28lrGvlYWuCCNYM2Dgm3iGFl3U4D1mN7o7eV87dJIx3GQbURfGGhjLpyn47p86uNSeUQCtvOpi8X36iEiraairMTG211xtIrfMnUkPs2y6u91V4dpakZ4/s1600-h/patgarden.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9iK32Ju-KuXp4hP4hQyI01h28lrGvlYWuCCNYM2Dgm3iGFl3U4D1mN7o7eV87dJIx3GQbURfGGhjLpyn47p86uNSeUQCtvOpi8X36iEiraairMTG211xtIrfMnUkPs2y6u91V4dpakZ4/s320/patgarden.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347920261006105874" border="0" /></a>ved ones.<br /><br />Time struggle. Where does it go? I remember sitting by the fire this winter and anxiously awaiting for the sun to warm us and spring to get sprung. Obviously summer is nearly here and you can tell by the looks of our barren blog that time has gotten the best of us. I th<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmsjpW3airr-0EJB7hopR2cr8dVoZs_U-fvrui6mRmvnFuotYkJer940LKDspZBqquLbtvf_BpFKldwXEWppIdGEZso8slvLDPB795BRfnIwiVK5W8MP5Se7FFIwmIEsnmaiSMayhZY8/s1600-h/sprouts.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmsjpW3airr-0EJB7hopR2cr8dVoZs_U-fvrui6mRmvnFuotYkJer940LKDspZBqquLbtvf_BpFKldwXEWppIdGEZso8slvLDPB795BRfnIwiVK5W8MP5Se7FFIwmIEsnmaiSMayhZY8/s320/sprouts.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5347920502223362706" border="0" /></a>ink time is one of the hardest struggles of all. But we have all been through it and I'm sure all want and need more of it. But alas...that's life right?<br /><br />So I thought with this post, I'd put a few pictures of around the homestead here at True North. Hope you enjoy..Unknownnoreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-66575270611872328202009-06-02T11:23:00.002-04:002009-06-16T10:07:22.756-04:00Better late than neverSo it's been damn near a month since we posted. The month of May is jam-packed with fun things and we got a little caught up in all the excitement and found no time to blog. Mothers day, my b-day, memorial day, highland festival and planting the garden. We'll post about them all when we stop to take a breath. The pigs are gigantic. Still haven't gotten the chickens yet and we've been learning so much!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-16930477232947503602009-05-06T08:45:00.009-04:002009-06-16T10:07:56.341-04:00One Mans Trash.....<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQtBZePbDocOCP0PUfLOEJY08mKpBFGmjBoFrzaVTxbrfa_2R5yqPvCy-XwDimWpiyH7jexYOJ926zArFrWa_0CFyGFzHMqUn3t43B9_qLuZnW0pBuzBj1-_GT2o9KwBJq0-2el_I9aU/s1600-h/sales3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 206px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuQtBZePbDocOCP0PUfLOEJY08mKpBFGmjBoFrzaVTxbrfa_2R5yqPvCy-XwDimWpiyH7jexYOJ926zArFrWa_0CFyGFzHMqUn3t43B9_qLuZnW0pBuzBj1-_GT2o9KwBJq0-2el_I9aU/s320/sales3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332704510245325746" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA5EJeLvflyZ8KbxYMKVib82igx_sZ5KPhnQA1MPOs0OtgX6xE3P-x9Zvdy-uD4XexLs3aAQRRdfSs0Gkw7mWQpntu-0ceP_QyLqChOSbSXkrgBIWvOeuuclKZsSCl_y7SkZa_ElNUosU/s1600-h/sales2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgA5EJeLvflyZ8KbxYMKVib82igx_sZ5KPhnQA1MPOs0OtgX6xE3P-x9Zvdy-uD4XexLs3aAQRRdfSs0Gkw7mWQpntu-0ceP_QyLqChOSbSXkrgBIWvOeuuclKZsSCl_y7SkZa_ElNUosU/s320/sales2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332704185105086450" border="0" /></a><br /><br />The past couple of weekends marked the beginning of Garage, Rummage and Yard Sale season. I love this time of year. It's like a sport for me, hunting down that treasure that's oh so needed.<br /><br />I picked up quite a few things for us this time around, couple shirts and a great pair of $100 coveralls for $9. I especially like if for finding clothes for Gabrielle. You know she's still stuck in the name brand world so that's what I keep my eye out for her, 3 shorts 2 shirts...score!<br /><br />House<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjky0jTi8j3TBVo550VHHSZwcy6lF32odVdxsAXasXHNHuI10nh3inWT2zbRKLQnkXyWQZ5YLdhGMilSmjLCbP6hBfvR8uWIw-2ZYwhUtitjc55wjBjFlrznLoz9swz_-Q3S0eZF8GSutI/s1600-h/sales1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjky0jTi8j3TBVo550VHHSZwcy6lF32odVdxsAXasXHNHuI10nh3inWT2zbRKLQnkXyWQZ5YLdhGMilSmjLCbP6hBfvR8uWIw-2ZYwhUtitjc55wjBjFlrznLoz9swz_-Q3S0eZF8GSutI/s320/sales1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332703962972629218" border="0" /></a>hold things are pictured here. The chair is by far my favorite find for $2. Pat's going to try and replicate it so we have a few more around the homestead. The planter was .50 cents and the cupboard was $4. I did practice bartering a lot, everyone that I made an offer to accepted. So offer away, it really works! Great deals for great stuff wouldn't you agree?Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-89351498282944614772009-05-06T00:29:00.004-04:002009-05-06T01:29:17.213-04:00Here Comes The Sun...For the first time ever...here at True North...we are harnessing the awesome power of the Earth!<br />Let the northerly winds howl and the golden sun blaze, for no longer will we sit by and watch as these magnificent natural energies elude our grasp. We have captured them...sun and wind, and bent them to our needs!!<br /><br />I have built...a Clothes-line.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2GyfBfhLrhaFCMt3ztdO0x6Yw_a9a268cYbAx9wxa0YDQ9iok-eo2JzxMa97hNaBfK8xoZyNVE_VO6Yzi_PK87y5F8B5bGikZ3_RUS15Ldt4qh0zMC3voCe9fV_L42s5aZQ7xu-AHDc/s1600-h/clothesline.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK2GyfBfhLrhaFCMt3ztdO0x6Yw_a9a268cYbAx9wxa0YDQ9iok-eo2JzxMa97hNaBfK8xoZyNVE_VO6Yzi_PK87y5F8B5bGikZ3_RUS15Ldt4qh0zMC3voCe9fV_L42s5aZQ7xu-AHDc/s320/clothesline.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5332574787671730834" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />I know it seems funny and for many this simple device is and has been a part of their lives, but for us it is new and amazing. Yesterday, as me and Melissa hung our first load of laundry out to dry we couldn't resist being excited about our newest endeavor. Instant savings; from washer machine to clothesline, we eliminated the energy hog known as the dryer. Why hadn't we done this before? I guess we were just too busy to save ourselves money. It's nice having the right perspective now...working to save money versus working to earn money...<br /><br />So today I put on my first clothes dried by nature, and lo and behold, I didn't notice any difference in them. Except maybe the fact that they smelled better, felt better, and frankly looked better.<br /><br />I did have to invest some money in the materials for the clothesline. Four 8' 4x4 treated posts and clothesline, but that minimal cost should pay back dividends in the months ahead. As far as construction goes...it was pretty simple. Again, I can not believe we hadn't done this before. It's too bad that T.V. never made hanging your clothes out to dry a cool thing to do. It is, and I feel like I've been missing out.Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750315155356308586noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-16398674325402174362009-04-27T22:12:00.007-04:002009-04-28T00:13:57.753-04:00Re-VoltIt was at the beginning of November 2008 when we decide to get serious about reducing our debt...and in order to do that, we had to get a hold on our monthly expenses. Our electric bill was at the top of the list...so that's where we started. At this time though, I was still truck driving cross country, so what follows is really a testament to Melissa's and Gabrielle's willingness and determination to lower one of our most costly bills.<br />Our entire house runs on electric; heat, air, lights, well pump. We have two meters. One is the Main meter and the other is called the Dual Heat meter. Only our furnace runs on the Dual Heat meter, and everything else is on the Main. The good part about that is we get a slight discount on the Dual meter. Needless to say, our electric bills were quite high, especially in the winter and the hottest parts of summer when we ran our air conditioner.<br /><br />One of the first things, and the most important, that Melissa decided to do was turn the thermostat down to 63 degrees, bundle up, and supplement the heat with our fireplace. Of course we had never seriously used the fireplace before...it was more for decoration and mood, so there was not exactly a lot of wood laying around for her to burn. Luckily, I had a few days off and was able to cut up some wood bef<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_VxZGY6QEQmgk04ZLVH_Le44zUUopOjK2tADH9ppjJJvTnPVayjN3ebJCjs_Ou8QNgJ5dp-JofOUwpwjCAMVYEaYfYyzwzLqfV9K9u6jXBJr1o5GIYjLMs4gOjSidQktJvo1GEisr2A/s1600-h/fireplace.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 176px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1_VxZGY6QEQmgk04ZLVH_Le44zUUopOjK2tADH9ppjJJvTnPVayjN3ebJCjs_Ou8QNgJ5dp-JofOUwpwjCAMVYEaYfYyzwzLqfV9K9u6jXBJr1o5GIYjLMs4gOjSidQktJvo1GEisr2A/s320/fireplace.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5329586031434495986" border="0" /></a>ore I hit the road again.<br />Yes it was cold. The fireplace did an ok job of warming the living room, but the rest of the house was quite chilly. Yet, my wife and daughter persevered; extra clothes, big comfy blankets...and very rapidly the electric bill began to plummet.<br /><br />The second thing we discussed and put into action was our appliances and such. We of course switched all our light bulbs over to CFLs...and then we started doing some in depth research on other ways we could save when it came to our appliances. Most of them (fridge, oven, washer...etc) are older models and there was no way we could replace them with newer, more energy efficient ones, so we had to find a way to deal with what we had.<br />I looked into the water heater and learned that we only needed to have ours set at 120 degrees. The installer had ours at 130, and with a little turn of a dial I reduced the electric bill. Amazing. One article I read said you could save as much as 6-10% by reducing your temperature setting in this way.<br />Next was the washer. We always had it set on hot/cold cycle and again...with a flip of a switch...turned it to cold/cold, and set the wash cycle to the quickest setting. I can't be sure how much this has saved us, but using less hot water (hot water heater) and having the washer run for a shorter period has to be doing something. Amazingly, our clothes are just as clean as they where before the changes!<br />There wasn't too much we could do with the dryer. It was winter and we couldn't hang anything outside to dry even if we had something to hang them on. We did debate unhooking the dryer vent and letting the heat circulate inside the house (another article suggestion), but opted not to do that. However, we did set drying time to 20 minutes and would check the clothes to see if they were done, resetting the time if needed. We used to just put them in for an hour whether the needed that much time or not. Btw, I'm in the process of putting a clothes line up right now...the dryer will be semi-retired very soon.<br />The dishwasher was easy...we just decided to not use it anymore. There where some conflicting points of view as to whether or not hand washing dishes is more economical then using a dishwasher, but I have no doubts that with judicial use, hand washing is way cheaper than having that machine chugging away. Not to mention our dishes are cleaner now then they ever were before.<br />Electric can opener...Gone! Seriously, I swear I had more problems using it than the hand held one we use now. Maybe not a huge hit to our electric usage, but now it's not any hit at all.<br />Refrigerator was next. We had read that a fridge should be 36-40F, and the freezer should be 0-5F. If a fridge is set 10 degrees lower than needed (or freezers set 5 degrees lower than needed), it can increase energy use by as much as 20-25%. Since the fridge is the second largest user of electricity...right behind the air conditioner, we got on this one right away.<span style="font-weight: bold;"></span><br />With the research we had also learned that having appliances, lamps, TVs, computers, etc...plugged into the wall...even when not on, still used electricity. someone had coined the phase as "Ghost Amps". Apparently, these devices, while plugged in, sit there sucking your hard earned money right from the wall. Solution...we unplug them now when not in use. Some of our stuff, like the entertainment center that has multiple devices in one area, all got plugged into a power strip. That way we can flip just one switch and they all get shut down.<br />Then there are the other things. We shut off lights when we leave a room, take quicker showers, use towels more than once, watch less TV, use candles, and probably a number of other things I can't think of, because now, in just a short period of time, using less electricity has become second nature to us.<br /><br />Our electric bill used to run us anywhere between $275 and $350 per month depending on the season. Last year at this time we were using 130 Kwh per day. Almost immediately we saw a savings. The first month we had dropped our daily usage drastically and now we average 70 Kwh per day. For us it's a big difference...our eclectic has been cut in half! Since we wont be using the air conditioner this year we believe that we can get the electric bill down below $100 this summer. When winter comes we'll have a real wood furnace, so hopefully that savings will continue. All that savings and it doesn't really seem like we're doing that much different.Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750315155356308586noreply@blogger.com17tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-46480884300844694332009-04-20T18:49:00.010-04:002009-04-20T19:41:24.570-04:00The Good, The Bad, and The UglyIt seems to me...from emails and comments I have received, that there is misinformation floating about. Apparently, there is confusion as to which one of our animals ate our three little chicks. Their untimely dem<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdaAA-lSYcHcLuGjyUQt31uHbarRFWZDPF7827s9E0BFj0jh9RSQuVaO9JrJaWg4MGI6_uYLDjZZ180cHQ1kqeLa2ulTJCU1vDM_rLMIkkBaIBSX0-FyrQBllHZUja-K6Z_W2cKEbZjQ/s1600-h/max.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 223px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdaAA-lSYcHcLuGjyUQt31uHbarRFWZDPF7827s9E0BFj0jh9RSQuVaO9JrJaWg4MGI6_uYLDjZZ180cHQ1kqeLa2ulTJCU1vDM_rLMIkkBaIBSX0-FyrQBllHZUja-K6Z_W2cKEbZjQ/s320/max.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326920007513817410" border="0" /></a>ise was bad enough, but to accuse the wrong animal of doing the awful deed is criminal.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The</span><span style="font-weight: bold;"> Good:</span><br />Maximus...aka The Baby Boy. This seemingly normal toy fox terrier is anything but that. He is a 'Good Boy", and we often shower him with that and other similar types of praise. If fact we strongly believe that Max wants to be a 'Real Boy', and as such would never harm defenseless chickens. In this photo it shows Max leaning in towards the chicks...not in an aggressive manner as those in the media might suggest...no, Max only wanted to kiss them. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Verdict: Innocent.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"> The Bad:</span><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvgnMCDPe__SvNgb0NEa72vpCnXuMWwGEHQPf7Cx04m4QVh6HdTZITBEJrifuB-Aah9sMsJlQLphVQQLXUmNQdKieE82JRUKMAoLR7voG2yNHRNsvZp9qNyav0hWfhPBO0PcofPxX5-Ic/s1600-h/pkitty.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvgnMCDPe__SvNgb0NEa72vpCnXuMWwGEHQPf7Cx04m4QVh6HdTZITBEJrifuB-Aah9sMsJlQLphVQQLXUmNQdKieE82JRUKMAoLR7voG2yNHRNsvZp9qNyav0hWfhPBO0PcofPxX5-Ic/s320/pkitty.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326920003725835986" border="0" /></a><br />Pretty Kitty...the cat with an identity crisis. He eats dog food, fears the outdoors, acts creepy on most occasions (gaining the new name: Creepy kitty), and is a brutal mouse eliminator. In the winter months nary a mouse survives long. As the weather becomes cold, and the mice seek refuge in our house it is to their folly. Pretty Kitty will not suffer them to live long. So, BAD to mice...didn't give the chicks a second glance. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Verdict: Innocent.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">The Ugly:</span><br />Gypsy...the dog gone wild. Once she was a loving animal that desired staying clo<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIGxRLlWZIKhMMRYyxL9uIRe7_XrChrdRGrHJCR_hhMIc5AIJ8Gvcnqv6nsqliuB6ltQeUVdyjEcyKwYi6HoY69o1rLF-dEUTVDoMRPr6BMDho4xO0m8OlAuHqA9MwkI5DC5SqhRRagmQ/s1600-h/gypsy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIGxRLlWZIKhMMRYyxL9uIRe7_XrChrdRGrHJCR_hhMIc5AIJ8Gvcnqv6nsqliuB6ltQeUVdyjEcyKwYi6HoY69o1rLF-dEUTVDoMRPr6BMDho4xO0m8OlAuHqA9MwkI5DC5SqhRRagmQ/s320/gypsy.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326920006095768978" border="0" /></a>se to us and enjoy the comforts of home. Now, she seeks to escape at any given chance and attempts to terrorize nature's wild life. It is a constant battle with this wayward dog to keep her out of trouble. Yet, her place with us is secure for we have had her for many years. Her ugly behavior, however, might lead to a fenced in pen and a permanent 'outside dog'. <span style="font-weight: bold;">Verdict: Guilty.</span><br /><br /><br />All joking aside, Gypsy really is a concern for us. We love her very much, but she is having difficulty finding her place at True North. We've become more vigilant when it comes to her escapes, and we our investigating alternatives to the common chain. Hopefully, very soon, she wont be a worry for us, but a joy like she once was.Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750315155356308586noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-7683303545393324452009-04-20T12:10:00.004-04:002009-04-20T12:37:05.185-04:00The Red Flannel<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPzgVfA3ugJTSWyBxbZqkgW2vY0n1ER5QbOH7iwhTQD6HEwtUVlZgOta5-l2wGZVGpbhcmeSbC4LWM0R6IyH3n0Ad984W_zL7H7rB664Wmo3Hb3OAOrHCycx6HDrdr3_MoYHt2mHAMtB0/s1600-h/redflannel.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 264px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPzgVfA3ugJTSWyBxbZqkgW2vY0n1ER5QbOH7iwhTQD6HEwtUVlZgOta5-l2wGZVGpbhcmeSbC4LWM0R6IyH3n0Ad984W_zL7H7rB664Wmo3Hb3OAOrHCycx6HDrdr3_MoYHt2mHAMtB0/s320/redflannel.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5326813212156767618" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Back when we first started homesteading, we had so many ideas as stated before in previous posts and of course in the introduction. One of those were to buy only used items where we were able to. Of course clothing is super easy to buy second hand so we began frequenting resale shops often. On our visits to these shops I would try with little avail to get Pat to buy things I thought he might need; work pants, work boots, shirts and flannels. After much convincing, over many days and many stores, he picked a few things, one of which is his red flannel. He said "oh I really don't need it, but whatever it's only a couple bucks, I guess we'll get it". WELL...as you can see in the photos on our blog, the red flannel has become a True North beacon! Pat has definitely taken to heart my re-use and re-wear polices. We love the red flannel!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-81110292921727812772009-04-20T11:56:00.003-04:002009-04-20T12:08:25.704-04:00Little Enlightenment'sWe have found that every so often we learn a little something along our journey so we decided to do a regular post titled "Little Enlightenment's". Little Enlightenment's are what we refer to as small tid-bits of things we never knew before. Most are not of great importance but are none the less something we learned along the journey. Last weeks EL's were the following:<br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">1) Sap is hard to get off of your hands! Note to self: put your gloves on </span><span style="font-weight: bold; color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">before</span><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);"> you pick up evergreen branches.</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">2)Pigs like evergreen branches. Who would have thought they would eat the branch and all!</span><br /><br /><span style="color: rgb(51, 204, 0);">3)Bird feeders get a hard clump of food in the bottom of the feeder, so clean it out! The seed doesn't fall very good if you don't. Then you can't watch the birds while you drink your coffee every morning...lol</span>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-24752109033921063402009-04-20T11:48:00.003-04:002009-04-20T11:54:42.805-04:00Thank YouI want to personally thank all of those who have recently visited and commented to our blog. Since the publishing of the article in USA Today, the response from friends around the world via comments and emails have been overwhelming and truly heartfelt. It means a lot to us that you have taken the time to read our stories and share yours as well. We plan to visit each and everyone of your blogs and try to respond to all that have taken the time to comment to us. Thanks to you all for your support of our little journey.Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1915039330887641786.post-39723681966499535312009-04-16T08:28:00.004-04:002009-04-16T09:01:18.537-04:00An Unexpected Path In Our Journey<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrhIQnp1PPyh0YcLmX-fx_M1jKjBY9dv0eK7Nzkz_n9KOnL62-DPhLXfZ3EKQ-2jkrma4wiB66WFD1D2WSS-mR63fJ0_glKAvvxNhMGwyUEo0Tx9ybqVQVOoz1so6GBd3SvKnIgcsDjrU/s1600-h/usatoday2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 191px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrhIQnp1PPyh0YcLmX-fx_M1jKjBY9dv0eK7Nzkz_n9KOnL62-DPhLXfZ3EKQ-2jkrma4wiB66WFD1D2WSS-mR63fJ0_glKAvvxNhMGwyUEo0Tx9ybqVQVOoz1so6GBd3SvKnIgcsDjrU/s320/usatoday2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325272018971100802" border="0" /></a><br /><br /> About two weeks ago I received an email from Judy Keen, a reporter from USA Today, requesting an interview. She said she had found our Blog while researching for an article she was planning on writing; an article that would, amongst other things, show how some people might be changing their lifestyles due to the economic situation in America. Although our decision to begin our self sufficient journey had less to do with America’s economic position and more to do with our personal choices on how we wanted to live as a family…it was a factor, no doubt.<br /> Out of curiosity I ‘googled’ Judy Keen. At this point we weren’t even considering doing the interview, but we wanted to see who this reporter was. We didn’t have to look very deep. Nothing alarmed me though…she’s been in the business for some time, had some pics with past presidents, and, although naive on my part, it seemed she had a kind face. So, after a few cups of coffee, and some discussion, we decided I should give her a call and see what this was all about.<br /><br /> To make a long story short, we obviously agreed to do the interview, and let a photographer into our home. Why? Well, after long and lengthy conversations between me, Melissa, an<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1xML0u21q2Ahasmql3VJ4Usory08VTm5reEnbT72sMOLltzUYPP1fueTou0wqW1DwTyF08cvoIDXmGEi06rRdP8w6wCZIt-c1ZiXWwJo2vB0ur1Q05JWLIQcuZhCNYginzbIb8fyzuMw/s1600-h/usatoday1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1xML0u21q2Ahasmql3VJ4Usory08VTm5reEnbT72sMOLltzUYPP1fueTou0wqW1DwTyF08cvoIDXmGEi06rRdP8w6wCZIt-c1ZiXWwJo2vB0ur1Q05JWLIQcuZhCNYginzbIb8fyzuMw/s320/usatoday1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5325272014080464482" border="0" /></a>d Gabrielle…we came to a decision.<br /> When we first started considering changing our lifestyle we did a lot of research on the internet…homesteading forums, Blogs, ebooks… and what we found was an entire network of people and families that were either doing what we wanted to do or were on the verge of making some serious changes in their lives. Their reasons for doing this were as varied as the people, but ultimately we discovered that we weren’t alone. We weren’t crazy. Other had come before us and succeeded. It gave us hope and inspiration, and still does! So, I guess we hoped that maybe we could give some of that back. I know it sounds cheesy and dramatic, but honestly it’s how we feel.<br /><br /> In the end, I think Judy Keen did a fine job with the article. The responses from it, and our Blog, have been great! People from all walks of life have been emailing us and leaving comments…<br /><br /> I had thought that maybe we could give others inspiration and hope, but as it turns out…it was all of you that gave it to us. Your kind words and insightful thoughts have been taken to heart. Thank you.<br /><br />You can find the article <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/news/offbeat/2009-04-14-survivalistsinside14_N.htm?poe=HFMostPopular">here</a>.<br /><br />Ps. Thanks to the person that left the comment that this was 'The Wojtowicz's free family fun day'. Brought smiles to our faces.Patrickhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05750315155356308586noreply@blogger.com22