I have 3 nubian/boer cross goats that are pregnant, Sister, Desi and Chelsea. Sister is a big goat with a red roan coat. Desi is much smaller, more delicate (shows the dairy goat more) and is predominately black. Chelsea is mid-size and is brown. All have been bred to a black full-blood Boer buck and are due any time.
Sister was listed as being due last. Ha, she fooled us all. My hubby called me about 4:50pm last evening (I was in the parking garage getting ready to drive home from work) saying he was quite sure Sister's water had broken. When I got home about 6:05pm I watched the news for a few minutes (Vancouver, WA had a tornado!), changed clothes and headed to the barn.
My barn is in two sections. One section has hay storage, pens and a strawed floor. The other is a new addition and is a loafing shed type with 1 wall open. It has a dirt floor. The goats have been making nests in the straw and dirt the last few days so there were piles of dirt in the open part of the barn. Why I didn't have hubby bring the goats in and shut the doors is beyond me. When I got to the barn Sister has already delivered 2 kids - in piles of loose dirt. Birthing goo is bad enough but now it was all covered in dirt.
Cleaned up the kids and we had 1 boy and 1 girl. Nice size, healthy kids. I was hoping for dark colors on the kids and got it. The boy is a nice red and the doeling (I'm calling her Keeper as when I saw her I told my husband that she was a keeper) is a dark black and brown. Very pretty. I already have the black buck picked out for Keeper when she gets that age. Made sure the kids were nursing and that mom had plenty of water and feed.
I went back to the barn a few hours later prior to going to bed. Sister was in obvious labor. Looked closer and there was 1 foot hanging out. Uh oh. I finally had to go in. I found the one leg and the bum but couldn't find the other leg. Hubby had to come out and help. I held and he searched and finally a third kid was born. Three hours and 20 minutes after the first 2 kids! I think that's pretty unusual. We didn't think the kid was alive at first but hubby cleaned off some goo and yes, she's moving. She was small, very weak, couldn't stand at all and pretty much just sprawled there. We put her in front of Sister who cleaned her up and then I held her to the teats. She knew just what the teats were for and nursed sooner than her older siblings. I'm calling her Squirt.
This morning all three kids were up and bouncing even Squirt. Squirt nurses a lot, probably because she's smaller. I'm betting she'll catch up in size quickly. If not, her personality will be huge anyway. Sister doesn't thing Squirt is hers; she gently pushes Squirt away when she tries to nurse. I hold Sister's head and once Squirt is nursing, mom doesn't seem to mind. We'll force her to let Squirt nurse for the next couple of days and hopefully Sister will completely accept her.
I was very concerned that Sister might have one more kid yet to be delivered. I didn't feel anything in there though but to be safe I took her to the vet's this morning. The vet didn't feel anything either but noticed signs of internal infection. 'Going in' can do that. So Sister had a huge anti-biotic shot, a shot for pain, a shot to help clean out anything left inside and a huge shot of CMPK to prevent ketosis. The canopy was off the pickup and it was raining so I put a tarp down in the back of my small station wagon and off we went. And people wonder why I bought a station wagon.
Hubby made sure that Squirt got to nurse at 1pm and will do so again at 3ish. I'll make sure when I get to the barn after work, and then once more before bedtime. Kids are so darn cute. I may have to see if I can post pictures here. I'm betting we'll have more kids this weekend as I'm pretty sure Desi is that close. Desi, being black, should have really black kids. Color is nice but body conformation is more important, which is why I think Sister's kids should grow up nicely. I'm going to start working with Keeper for the first show in April. She would show in the percentage class. If the boy grows up nicely he'll go into the wether sale at the April show. Otherwise he'll go into my freezer. Goat meat is very delicious. Boys usually get names like Chops, burger etc.
I can hardly wait until my 3yo granddaughter gets to see the kids. She loves the goats and will just flip over the cute kids.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Peak Oil/Global Change
I'm a believer in Peak Oil and Global change. I think most people at least know the terms now but many people do not believe that anything will come of them. One of these people is my brother J. J and his wife, S, live in the jungles of Peru as Field Coordinators for Missionary Ventures. In simple terms they find things that need to be done and host volunteer teams that come to do the work. They've been in Peru for something like 7 years now. Maybe more, actually. They don't get back to the States very often but they are here now for about 3 months.
They live a pretty primitive life due to where they live, at least compared to the average American way of life. He's built several schools and homes with composting toilets, dug wells by hand, and has very little electricity. He is currently living what many people would say is a post-peak lifestyle.
He's been in Peru for several years without a visit home and now that's he is back he is amazed at the average American lifestyle. I like to think that I'm working on reducing my usage of things. I'm good at turning off lights (CF lights), I recycle, I compost, we keep the house much cooler than years before and so on. He is amazed at how much light we use. He sat in my kitchen and said "look at all the lights you have one" counted them and said "six lights. In Peru only 1 light would be on." They are on one light switch and spaced thru the kitchen. "In Peru they would have unscrewed all the bulbs but one." Hmmm.
Flush toilets are another point for him. His composting toilets work great for the school with many users and at his personal home with only a few users. We flush, although not after every usage. Now, I've been meaning to switch to peeing in buckets and using that pee water (1 part pee 10 parts water) to water plants but hadn't done so as the house was for sale and I didn't think pee buckets would look good. Now that the house is off the market I need to do that. I have the buckets, I just need to set them up. I've also done a lot of reading on composting humanure but haven't put it into action yet.
Coming from Peru they were freezing in our winter cold and, really, due to our location it's not that cold out there. They piled on the layers though, which is more than most of us were doing. My other brother's house is so hot they have to open doors to cool the house (woodstove). J marveled over the variety of foods available. He's used to getting whatever the market has that day and vegetables are always poor quality there. I'm working on eating more local and in season but for their visit I have been buying things I wouldn't normally buy. I was very unhappy to see Safeway (a large local chain) had spinach from Mexico. The store I usually shop at has been having spinach from the next state. We Americans take such abundance and good quality for granted. He marvels over the huge cars most people drive. In Peru he has a motor cart and walks a good deal.
Now, I can remember when they first moved to the jungle, changing locations from the high desert area of Peru. He moaned at how primitive life was in this fairly good sized city in the jungle. He adjusted quickly though and having embraced that way of life is now appalled at how we live. All the things that Peak Oilers talk about that need changing, he's already doing. He lives comfortably and mostly likes how he lives. He does admit that his climate is much better for primitive living than ours.
I tried talking with him about Peak Oil but he doesn't believe in it at all. He remembers how 'they' predicted no oil in the '70s, how Y2K didn't occur. And I wondered how I could talk to him about why this time is different. I'm not good at remembering all the arguments, the reasons and explanations.
There is a blog that I read daily called Casaubon's Book. The writer covers Peak Oil, global change, reducing etc. She firmly believes that our lifestyles must change, change a lot, and change now. She had a post today that recaps reasons for Peak Oil now that I thought was right on. This is a link to today's blog: http://casaubonsbook.blogspot.com/2008/01/why-is-this-apocalypse-different-than.html
They live a pretty primitive life due to where they live, at least compared to the average American way of life. He's built several schools and homes with composting toilets, dug wells by hand, and has very little electricity. He is currently living what many people would say is a post-peak lifestyle.
He's been in Peru for several years without a visit home and now that's he is back he is amazed at the average American lifestyle. I like to think that I'm working on reducing my usage of things. I'm good at turning off lights (CF lights), I recycle, I compost, we keep the house much cooler than years before and so on. He is amazed at how much light we use. He sat in my kitchen and said "look at all the lights you have one" counted them and said "six lights. In Peru only 1 light would be on." They are on one light switch and spaced thru the kitchen. "In Peru they would have unscrewed all the bulbs but one." Hmmm.
Flush toilets are another point for him. His composting toilets work great for the school with many users and at his personal home with only a few users. We flush, although not after every usage. Now, I've been meaning to switch to peeing in buckets and using that pee water (1 part pee 10 parts water) to water plants but hadn't done so as the house was for sale and I didn't think pee buckets would look good. Now that the house is off the market I need to do that. I have the buckets, I just need to set them up. I've also done a lot of reading on composting humanure but haven't put it into action yet.
Coming from Peru they were freezing in our winter cold and, really, due to our location it's not that cold out there. They piled on the layers though, which is more than most of us were doing. My other brother's house is so hot they have to open doors to cool the house (woodstove). J marveled over the variety of foods available. He's used to getting whatever the market has that day and vegetables are always poor quality there. I'm working on eating more local and in season but for their visit I have been buying things I wouldn't normally buy. I was very unhappy to see Safeway (a large local chain) had spinach from Mexico. The store I usually shop at has been having spinach from the next state. We Americans take such abundance and good quality for granted. He marvels over the huge cars most people drive. In Peru he has a motor cart and walks a good deal.
Now, I can remember when they first moved to the jungle, changing locations from the high desert area of Peru. He moaned at how primitive life was in this fairly good sized city in the jungle. He adjusted quickly though and having embraced that way of life is now appalled at how we live. All the things that Peak Oilers talk about that need changing, he's already doing. He lives comfortably and mostly likes how he lives. He does admit that his climate is much better for primitive living than ours.
I tried talking with him about Peak Oil but he doesn't believe in it at all. He remembers how 'they' predicted no oil in the '70s, how Y2K didn't occur. And I wondered how I could talk to him about why this time is different. I'm not good at remembering all the arguments, the reasons and explanations.
There is a blog that I read daily called Casaubon's Book. The writer covers Peak Oil, global change, reducing etc. She firmly believes that our lifestyles must change, change a lot, and change now. She had a post today that recaps reasons for Peak Oil now that I thought was right on. This is a link to today's blog: http://casaubonsbook.blogspot.com/2008/01/why-is-this-apocalypse-different-than.html
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Stress is a killer part 2
I meant to talk a bit about stress. I ramble I'm afraid and other things got in the way. So, my co-worker's doctor actually talked to him about the possiblity of changing jobs since his stress is primarily job related. Will the stress at work end? Not with his particular job although it may lessen, we hope. What can he do to help relieve stress? He is a very musical person so his music is a great stress reducer. He is in a band, in charge of a jr. band and gives lessons. Stress there so he may cut back on things. He has to start thinking now on how to reduce stress.
For me, stress was financial and my husband's health. His drinking. He is now sober and hopefully will stay that way. My stress level is waay down. Why? Well, ends are meeting and I actually took the house off the market. The market sucks and I didn't want to sell anyway. It's nice not to have to worry about strangers trouping thru at any moment. I'm unpacking boxes and getting back stuff I have been looking for since I packed everything up. I'm also going thru and putting a lot of stuff into the spring garage sale box. Three large boxes so far.
I've been thru counseling for spouses of alcoholics. I know I'm the enabler personality. Still, I'm dismayed at how much my husband's drinking affects me. Lots of stress. I need to work on that. Having some money in the bank helps relieve stress. I'm knitting these days and have actually finished a couple of things. I'm working on a shawl right now. It'll be a very warm one. Thinking about each and every purchase I want, deciding if I really want it and how I can save for it is putting me in control of purchasing, and I feel less stress that way.
Planning for the future, planning my garden, choosing chickens, planning for kids all help me to relieve stress. I feel the future is less than rosy but I'll have food from my garden, from my chickens, meat, milk and cheese from my goats. It all helps me to feel, at least somewhat, in control of my life. Now if I could get that house paid off. Tain't going to happen but I'm working on it.
For me, stress was financial and my husband's health. His drinking. He is now sober and hopefully will stay that way. My stress level is waay down. Why? Well, ends are meeting and I actually took the house off the market. The market sucks and I didn't want to sell anyway. It's nice not to have to worry about strangers trouping thru at any moment. I'm unpacking boxes and getting back stuff I have been looking for since I packed everything up. I'm also going thru and putting a lot of stuff into the spring garage sale box. Three large boxes so far.
I've been thru counseling for spouses of alcoholics. I know I'm the enabler personality. Still, I'm dismayed at how much my husband's drinking affects me. Lots of stress. I need to work on that. Having some money in the bank helps relieve stress. I'm knitting these days and have actually finished a couple of things. I'm working on a shawl right now. It'll be a very warm one. Thinking about each and every purchase I want, deciding if I really want it and how I can save for it is putting me in control of purchasing, and I feel less stress that way.
Planning for the future, planning my garden, choosing chickens, planning for kids all help me to relieve stress. I feel the future is less than rosy but I'll have food from my garden, from my chickens, meat, milk and cheese from my goats. It all helps me to feel, at least somewhat, in control of my life. Now if I could get that house paid off. Tain't going to happen but I'm working on it.
Stress is a killer
I was talking with one of my co-workers this morning. He's been having problems with stress and his heart. He's OK but stress is not good for him. He asked how I was doing and I said great. I'm glad I never went back to the doctor for the anti-depressants. With hubby getting better every day, still sober and a good attitude, my stress level is way down. I still stress a bit over finances, and I think I should actually. Ends meet, I get a little in savings each month, but I need to remember not to spend, spend.
I think being in too much debt, and some will say any debt is too much debt, is probably one of the top reasons our economy is in the trashcan. It's too easy to get there and so hard to get back. Before my economic crash I would have told you I had little debt, and compared to many I was right. I had a car loan that would have been paid off in another 2 years, a small personal loan (bought a goat) that had another year of payments and a credit card with a balance under $3000. With hubby's income those payments were met with ease, I was able to add to my food storage each month (plus other long term items), had a 401k deduction, paid a little each month into an IRA, a little extra on the house and usually got some money into savings.
Right now any extra money is going into savings. I have 2 savings accounts: one at the good ole bank and one in my 'personal' safe account. A large bank account won't help you if you need cash right now and it's late, on a weekend or during an emergency. Everyone should have a stash of cash where they can easily access it when needed. I also keep a small cash stash in my car for emergencies. Last month I had to use $40 of it for gas when my planned gas money ran out.
I've been in a bit of a dither about retirement savings, like the 401k and IRA. If the US has an economic crash would I have access to that money? Both accounts are invested in stocks, bonds and such, so would it all be lost? Would I be better off paying extra on the house and saving, saving, saving? No one can answer those questions although lots of people try. As I mentioned, my current plan is to just save and put some extra towards the mortgage. Some people say 2008 will be the start of the Long Emergency. I plan on seeing how this year goes and make changes as needed.
With the prices of food these days I'm not able to add much to my FS but some. This month I added 25lbs of wheat berries, 25lbs of rice and a large bottle of canola oil. Next month I plan on a 25lb bag of beans for sure and probably more oil. Oil stores nicely at very cool temps and I don't have much on hand. Not exciting food but I have spices and other things to make some good eatings out of what I bought. My grain mill has both electric and manual abilities. I suppose I should try out the manual version when I make bread this coming weekend. Maybe.
Catalogs are coming in. Couple of seed catalogs which are fun, but even more fun, is the catalog from Murray McMurray. Chickens, ducks, geese - all kinds of feathered critters. You have to order a minimum of 25 chickens for the day old chicks to survive the trip (heat) and I didn't want 25 chicks. My hubby said we should go for it though so now I'm picking out which breeds I want. I always get Austrolorpes and I know I want Orpingtons. Can't remember what all I have picked out without the catalog in front of me. I'm going to order a couple of banties as they are good brooders and I want to hatch out some of the eggs. Hopefully one of my friends that is overrun by her neighbor's chicken will have a rooster for me. If not, I'll order one. I'm also trying to talk my brother, parents and one nephew into having a couple of hens. Hey, can't beat those fresh eggs. Better than anything you can buy in the store. Plus, you don't have to go to the store for them. Gas saved!
I spent hours last Saturday cleaning my barn. It's now full of clean straw and waiting for kids to arrive. I have 3 goats (nubian/boer crosses). Two are due to kid any day and the third is due the 11th on. No one looks like they'll pop any minute though. The longer it takes them to kid the dirtier all that nice fresh straw becomes. These goats have all kidded before and I was told they are easy kidders and good moms. Any boys born will grow up nice and strong and end up in the freezer. I hope to keep at least one girl and sell the rest. Guess I'd best wait to see what pops out first before planning though.
Kids, chicks, planting seeds. Ah, spring will be coming soon.
I think being in too much debt, and some will say any debt is too much debt, is probably one of the top reasons our economy is in the trashcan. It's too easy to get there and so hard to get back. Before my economic crash I would have told you I had little debt, and compared to many I was right. I had a car loan that would have been paid off in another 2 years, a small personal loan (bought a goat) that had another year of payments and a credit card with a balance under $3000. With hubby's income those payments were met with ease, I was able to add to my food storage each month (plus other long term items), had a 401k deduction, paid a little each month into an IRA, a little extra on the house and usually got some money into savings.
Right now any extra money is going into savings. I have 2 savings accounts: one at the good ole bank and one in my 'personal' safe account. A large bank account won't help you if you need cash right now and it's late, on a weekend or during an emergency. Everyone should have a stash of cash where they can easily access it when needed. I also keep a small cash stash in my car for emergencies. Last month I had to use $40 of it for gas when my planned gas money ran out.
I've been in a bit of a dither about retirement savings, like the 401k and IRA. If the US has an economic crash would I have access to that money? Both accounts are invested in stocks, bonds and such, so would it all be lost? Would I be better off paying extra on the house and saving, saving, saving? No one can answer those questions although lots of people try. As I mentioned, my current plan is to just save and put some extra towards the mortgage. Some people say 2008 will be the start of the Long Emergency. I plan on seeing how this year goes and make changes as needed.
With the prices of food these days I'm not able to add much to my FS but some. This month I added 25lbs of wheat berries, 25lbs of rice and a large bottle of canola oil. Next month I plan on a 25lb bag of beans for sure and probably more oil. Oil stores nicely at very cool temps and I don't have much on hand. Not exciting food but I have spices and other things to make some good eatings out of what I bought. My grain mill has both electric and manual abilities. I suppose I should try out the manual version when I make bread this coming weekend. Maybe.
Catalogs are coming in. Couple of seed catalogs which are fun, but even more fun, is the catalog from Murray McMurray. Chickens, ducks, geese - all kinds of feathered critters. You have to order a minimum of 25 chickens for the day old chicks to survive the trip (heat) and I didn't want 25 chicks. My hubby said we should go for it though so now I'm picking out which breeds I want. I always get Austrolorpes and I know I want Orpingtons. Can't remember what all I have picked out without the catalog in front of me. I'm going to order a couple of banties as they are good brooders and I want to hatch out some of the eggs. Hopefully one of my friends that is overrun by her neighbor's chicken will have a rooster for me. If not, I'll order one. I'm also trying to talk my brother, parents and one nephew into having a couple of hens. Hey, can't beat those fresh eggs. Better than anything you can buy in the store. Plus, you don't have to go to the store for them. Gas saved!
I spent hours last Saturday cleaning my barn. It's now full of clean straw and waiting for kids to arrive. I have 3 goats (nubian/boer crosses). Two are due to kid any day and the third is due the 11th on. No one looks like they'll pop any minute though. The longer it takes them to kid the dirtier all that nice fresh straw becomes. These goats have all kidded before and I was told they are easy kidders and good moms. Any boys born will grow up nice and strong and end up in the freezer. I hope to keep at least one girl and sell the rest. Guess I'd best wait to see what pops out first before planning though.
Kids, chicks, planting seeds. Ah, spring will be coming soon.
Friday, December 7, 2007
Catch up
When my son was about age 3, we were getting ready to move because my spouse had gone back into the military. He had the car so Eddie and I would walk to the store when we needed something. It was about a mile one way. Looking back, that's a long walk for a 3yo. I would walk and he would fall behind. I'd stop to let him catch up and would say "Come on. Ketch up or be mustard." He would tell me he was not mustard and then 'ketch up' to me. Sounds dumb now but at the time it was funny.
Been awhile since I posted and lots has happened. In September finances were getting tighter and tighter. Ed was drinking heavier and heavier - which, of course, is why the finances were getting tighter. He had a retirement program thru his work and it seemed to me that the literature said he could hit it once he was retired and age 55. Well, he was over 55, so I called them. No, I was told, it's age 62. Finances got worse. I was sure it was age 55 so I called again. Nope, age 62. I told them to send me the paperwork anyway. Paperwork arrived - from 2 slightly different funds.
Depending on when one started, one belonged to either NEAP or NEBF. NEAP was age 55 and NEAP was age 62. Ah ha! Ed was a member of NEAP. I put in the paperwork to get money out of the account. I figured out how much I needed to pay everything off. Truly it wasn't that much but it was killing me. I had to send in some additional paperwork - yes I knew my maiden name on the marriage certificate didn't match my current social security card. I mean, think about it. Sent in the new paperwork. At the first of November I called them to see what the status was. Hmmm, the lady on the phone says. Yes, your bulk check was just sent out and the monthly checks will start this month also. Woo HOO! At my desk at work, I cried over the good news.
The bulk check arrived (and I had figured the tax deduction down to the penny) but my credit union wanted to hold it 10 days. That's OK with me. Come the 10th day I paid off all the bills except the mortgage. What a relief. The budget is still very tight but all ends meet and I actually have money for groceries. Such a weight off of my shoulders.
I had some money left over after the bills were paid so I spend money on groceries to replace what I'd used in the last 7 months from my food storage. Even added a couple new items. Spent some money on small gifts for the grandkids for Christmas. Didn't think I was going to be able to do that so that's wonderful. Still had some money to put into savings. I planned on this money to pay to have the gravel driveway graded. It really needed it.
Ed was getting worse. He was turning yellow and getting weaker every day. The kicker was the day he fell in the bathroom and couldn't get up. He was telling me to pick him up. Now, he'd lost a lot of weight but I couldn't pick him up. I informed him he was going to the doctor and if need be I would have people there to physically put him into the car. I spoke with my son and father to have them ready. Doctor was on vacation. Made the appointment anyway and on November 21 we went. I didn't need the helpers after all.
Doctor was amazed at how bad Ed looked. He'd lost 30 pounds on a frame that didn't need to lose any weight. He was very yellow, shaking like a leaf and weak, weak. Heart rate was racing and erratic. Blood tests are done and we went home. 5:30pm that night the phone rings - it's the doctor. Ed's potassium is very low, low to the point where it was dangerous. Could I get him to the ER? Yes, and did. Two and a half hours after we get there Ed gets seen. Doctor was supposed to have called ahead and prepared them for him. They kept saying he'd never called. The ER drew more blood and had it retested. Oh my! Low potassium, he needs some now in a drip. Six hours after we arrived they tell me to go home as Ed will be admitted overnight to make sure the potassium takes hold.
Ed left the hospital 6 nights later. He had potassium drips 24 hrs a day every day he was in. Had to have magnesium given. Then his blood pressure plummeted and he ended up having to have a blood transfusion. Only 2 units though. He's now back home and doing OK. He is not drinking so far. He had a followup apt with doctor a couple of days ago (doctor did call the ER, I asked). More blood tests. Results came back good. The liver is healing (amazing thing, the human body) but now his sodium is low. Don't drink so much fluid. Ed is not drinking any alcohol but he is drinking juice and gatorade like he used to drink alcohol. Oh well, let him drink the juice and we'll get some sodium into him some other way.
I had a doctor's apt the same day Ed had his follow up. I wanted some help in coping with things and wanted to talk about getting anti-depressants. I get there and they are going over my file, like they do. Hmm, the nurse says, when was your last pap. Oops, I'm almost a year overdue. I had cervical cancer about 5 years ago and even though I've been clean every year since I had 2 procedures to remove it, they freak out. The doctor tells me to come back so we we can talk about the anti-depressants with more time and gives me a pap. Pap was just fine but I haven't make a new apt yet. Not sure I will.
Wednesday, Dec 5, Ed calls me at work. We have no water. We have our own well so this is a major problem. Pump company comes out on Thursday checking things and says looks like we need a new pump. The pump is barely 9 years old and usually they last for 15 years. Gotta have water - how much for a new pump? The figure is just dollars under what I have in savings. Sigh. So much for the grading of the driveway. They pull the old pump and install the new one. Yeah! we have water! Filthy dirty water. Couldn't be used. Good thing I have plenty of drinking water on hand as we've been using that with the water out. This morning the water had settled and was clean and clear. That shower felt great and I got to get the dishes washed. Laundry tonight.
I had to stop my 401k deductions at work to help pay bills during the financial crunch and I'd just filled out the paperwork to start it up again in January. I called HR and told them to trash the paperwork. That money needs to go into savings for awhile until we have some cushion again. I'll change it back to a 401k contribution as soon as I can. At least I have the money to go back into savings now. I guess it all works out somehow.
And now it's Friday, almost time to go home for the weekend. Grandkids are coming over this weekend. The 3yo and 8mo for sure, the 9yo isn't sure yet. I plan on making sugar cookies so they can decorate them and take some home. Should be fun. If that 8mo will just go to sleep. She's pretty much a spoiled princess and she screams a lot. A lot. Really a lot. Could be a long weekend.
Been awhile since I posted and lots has happened. In September finances were getting tighter and tighter. Ed was drinking heavier and heavier - which, of course, is why the finances were getting tighter. He had a retirement program thru his work and it seemed to me that the literature said he could hit it once he was retired and age 55. Well, he was over 55, so I called them. No, I was told, it's age 62. Finances got worse. I was sure it was age 55 so I called again. Nope, age 62. I told them to send me the paperwork anyway. Paperwork arrived - from 2 slightly different funds.
Depending on when one started, one belonged to either NEAP or NEBF. NEAP was age 55 and NEAP was age 62. Ah ha! Ed was a member of NEAP. I put in the paperwork to get money out of the account. I figured out how much I needed to pay everything off. Truly it wasn't that much but it was killing me. I had to send in some additional paperwork - yes I knew my maiden name on the marriage certificate didn't match my current social security card. I mean, think about it. Sent in the new paperwork. At the first of November I called them to see what the status was. Hmmm, the lady on the phone says. Yes, your bulk check was just sent out and the monthly checks will start this month also. Woo HOO! At my desk at work, I cried over the good news.
The bulk check arrived (and I had figured the tax deduction down to the penny) but my credit union wanted to hold it 10 days. That's OK with me. Come the 10th day I paid off all the bills except the mortgage. What a relief. The budget is still very tight but all ends meet and I actually have money for groceries. Such a weight off of my shoulders.
I had some money left over after the bills were paid so I spend money on groceries to replace what I'd used in the last 7 months from my food storage. Even added a couple new items. Spent some money on small gifts for the grandkids for Christmas. Didn't think I was going to be able to do that so that's wonderful. Still had some money to put into savings. I planned on this money to pay to have the gravel driveway graded. It really needed it.
Ed was getting worse. He was turning yellow and getting weaker every day. The kicker was the day he fell in the bathroom and couldn't get up. He was telling me to pick him up. Now, he'd lost a lot of weight but I couldn't pick him up. I informed him he was going to the doctor and if need be I would have people there to physically put him into the car. I spoke with my son and father to have them ready. Doctor was on vacation. Made the appointment anyway and on November 21 we went. I didn't need the helpers after all.
Doctor was amazed at how bad Ed looked. He'd lost 30 pounds on a frame that didn't need to lose any weight. He was very yellow, shaking like a leaf and weak, weak. Heart rate was racing and erratic. Blood tests are done and we went home. 5:30pm that night the phone rings - it's the doctor. Ed's potassium is very low, low to the point where it was dangerous. Could I get him to the ER? Yes, and did. Two and a half hours after we get there Ed gets seen. Doctor was supposed to have called ahead and prepared them for him. They kept saying he'd never called. The ER drew more blood and had it retested. Oh my! Low potassium, he needs some now in a drip. Six hours after we arrived they tell me to go home as Ed will be admitted overnight to make sure the potassium takes hold.
Ed left the hospital 6 nights later. He had potassium drips 24 hrs a day every day he was in. Had to have magnesium given. Then his blood pressure plummeted and he ended up having to have a blood transfusion. Only 2 units though. He's now back home and doing OK. He is not drinking so far. He had a followup apt with doctor a couple of days ago (doctor did call the ER, I asked). More blood tests. Results came back good. The liver is healing (amazing thing, the human body) but now his sodium is low. Don't drink so much fluid. Ed is not drinking any alcohol but he is drinking juice and gatorade like he used to drink alcohol. Oh well, let him drink the juice and we'll get some sodium into him some other way.
I had a doctor's apt the same day Ed had his follow up. I wanted some help in coping with things and wanted to talk about getting anti-depressants. I get there and they are going over my file, like they do. Hmm, the nurse says, when was your last pap. Oops, I'm almost a year overdue. I had cervical cancer about 5 years ago and even though I've been clean every year since I had 2 procedures to remove it, they freak out. The doctor tells me to come back so we we can talk about the anti-depressants with more time and gives me a pap. Pap was just fine but I haven't make a new apt yet. Not sure I will.
Wednesday, Dec 5, Ed calls me at work. We have no water. We have our own well so this is a major problem. Pump company comes out on Thursday checking things and says looks like we need a new pump. The pump is barely 9 years old and usually they last for 15 years. Gotta have water - how much for a new pump? The figure is just dollars under what I have in savings. Sigh. So much for the grading of the driveway. They pull the old pump and install the new one. Yeah! we have water! Filthy dirty water. Couldn't be used. Good thing I have plenty of drinking water on hand as we've been using that with the water out. This morning the water had settled and was clean and clear. That shower felt great and I got to get the dishes washed. Laundry tonight.
I had to stop my 401k deductions at work to help pay bills during the financial crunch and I'd just filled out the paperwork to start it up again in January. I called HR and told them to trash the paperwork. That money needs to go into savings for awhile until we have some cushion again. I'll change it back to a 401k contribution as soon as I can. At least I have the money to go back into savings now. I guess it all works out somehow.
And now it's Friday, almost time to go home for the weekend. Grandkids are coming over this weekend. The 3yo and 8mo for sure, the 9yo isn't sure yet. I plan on making sugar cookies so they can decorate them and take some home. Should be fun. If that 8mo will just go to sleep. She's pretty much a spoiled princess and she screams a lot. A lot. Really a lot. Could be a long weekend.
Monday, September 10, 2007
Food storage
I'm a believer in food storage. I have both the basics on hand (i.e. wheat, oil, salt, dry milk, beans, rice etc) as well as convenience foods (canned veggies & fruit, canned beans, chili, soups, canned meats and lots more). I have enough for 5 adults (and dogs) to last 2 years. Or had, I've been using my storage since February '07 to live on. I also store non-food items like TP, soaps, personal hygiene items, water, juices, sugars, pastas etc. The idea is to be prepared for whatever might cause one not to be able to go the grocery store. It makes me feel safe and has been a life saver during this time of no money.
Basically I follow the LDS plan for storage. I'm on a food-saver group list and one for general prepping. Initially all I stored was food and then from information I learned from the lists I branched out to the non-food items and water (how did I not think of water?!) The Mormons have it already thought out as to what one needs as basics and even how much generally. I started from their plans and then customized it to fit my needs. I've spent a lot of time and money on my storage and usually I add to it every month. Now I'm not able to add to it and it's driving me nuts. Now is the time many stores have their fall case lot sales. I was invited to go with a Mormon to their church cannery, something I've wanted to do forever, and I can't go. The price of wheat is skyrocketing. Actually the price of everything is skyrocketing. I read recently that within 5 years it is expected that food will increase by 50%. Now is the time to stock up. And I can't.
Everyone should have, at a minimum, some basic food and water storage for each person to last a month. The Red Cross even suggests this. Water is 1 gal per person a day. It's bulky and a pain to store. I keep drinking water plus washing water. It would be a huge same to pour a gallon of drinking water into the toilet for flushing or to use to wash dirty hands. Better dirty than thirsty. I wash used milk containers and fill with water for washing/flushing. Plastic soda bottles are better but I rarely drink soda. There's storage room under beds, behind bathroom doors, on the floors in closets - all kinds of places. One of my friends had no storage of any kind and her comment is "I don't have room." I'd find some. Another friend now has some storage, how much I don't know but started storing when I pointed out the empty room under beds. Winter storms with snow, floods or high winds, illness, job loss, a truck strike - whatever, a person will have food and water in the house. Ever see the pictures on the news with all the people lined up for grocery stores with empty shelves before a hurricane hits? With food and water storage you won't be one of them.
It's easy to get started with food storage. Keep a record of what your family typically eats in a month. When you go for groceries and you buy a can of tuna, buy two cans of tuna. If you normally would buy 2 cans of veggies, buy 4. It adds up pretty quickly. A big problem is that too many people eat out frequently or live out of boxes. Boxed pasta mixes are quick and easy (and tasty) but they don't store very well. Storing pasta and making your own sauce is better and I'm working on that myself. Learning to cook from scratch is really the way to go. I'm working myself on this and I'm finding it's not as time intensive and I'd thought. The internet is a wonderful source for recipes. I'm still struggling on bread making. I have wheat berries (whole wheat) and a grain grinder. I grind my own whole wheat flour which is SO much better for a body. My whole wheat bread has been dry, crumbly or a brick most of the time though. I need more practice. At least my goats eat the mistakes so there is no waste.
Frozen items are great and I keep stuff in the freezer too, but no electricity could cause one to lose a lot. Storms tend to cause power outages and sometimes those outages can last weeks. but I love frozen veggies much more than canned and there's allot of tasty things one can store in the freezer. Most of my storage is kept in food grade 5-gal plastic buckets with lids. These can be purchased but I've been able to get all of mine for free from bakeries. Food storage should be kept at low temperatures (the garage usually won't work) and in the dark for best quality. Rotate your storage so you are using the oldest first. And, above all else, do what the LDS say: "Store what you eat, eat what you store."
Food storage is a wonderful first step. Get your storage for at least a month, 3 months or more but don't forget the other things. I stock a lot of soap for washing bodies, hair, and dishes. I have toothbrushes, toothpaste, lotions, deodorant, first aid stuff, TP - everything that we use in our daily lives I try to have some in the storage. It does take up room and I've been lucky to have a place for it all. Once the house sells and I move it's going to be a problem. Moving it is going to be a pain! My husband built study shelves in the closet in one bedroom. Be creative. I've read that some people will take a bucket or two and cover them with a pretty cloth for a corner table.
You'll even save money in the long run. Yes, you are buying more now but at X price. By the time you eat it prices could be XX so you're eating at the X price. Oh, if money isn't a problem and you really want to get started on food storage there are places you can go and order from. They sell in boxes, bags, and buckets in small or large quantities. Things you can't find anywhere else often. Dried cheese, butter powder, cheese powder, sour cream powder, and so many more. Books on how to use them. Check out the internet. My favorite place is Walton Foods http://www.waltonfeed.com/. I think they have good prices but shipping is painful. Another place is Emergency Essentials. Their shipping is cheap but prices are higher. http://beprepared.com/Default.asp? These are just two and there are many out there. The Blue Chip Group http://www.bluechipgroup.net/ I've ordered several times from Waltons and EE. Find a place more in your area so shipping is not as much. Some people live close enough where they can pick up their items.
But, please, start putting some food and water away now. I don't think you'll regret it.
Basically I follow the LDS plan for storage. I'm on a food-saver group list and one for general prepping. Initially all I stored was food and then from information I learned from the lists I branched out to the non-food items and water (how did I not think of water?!) The Mormons have it already thought out as to what one needs as basics and even how much generally. I started from their plans and then customized it to fit my needs. I've spent a lot of time and money on my storage and usually I add to it every month. Now I'm not able to add to it and it's driving me nuts. Now is the time many stores have their fall case lot sales. I was invited to go with a Mormon to their church cannery, something I've wanted to do forever, and I can't go. The price of wheat is skyrocketing. Actually the price of everything is skyrocketing. I read recently that within 5 years it is expected that food will increase by 50%. Now is the time to stock up. And I can't.
Everyone should have, at a minimum, some basic food and water storage for each person to last a month. The Red Cross even suggests this. Water is 1 gal per person a day. It's bulky and a pain to store. I keep drinking water plus washing water. It would be a huge same to pour a gallon of drinking water into the toilet for flushing or to use to wash dirty hands. Better dirty than thirsty. I wash used milk containers and fill with water for washing/flushing. Plastic soda bottles are better but I rarely drink soda. There's storage room under beds, behind bathroom doors, on the floors in closets - all kinds of places. One of my friends had no storage of any kind and her comment is "I don't have room." I'd find some. Another friend now has some storage, how much I don't know but started storing when I pointed out the empty room under beds. Winter storms with snow, floods or high winds, illness, job loss, a truck strike - whatever, a person will have food and water in the house. Ever see the pictures on the news with all the people lined up for grocery stores with empty shelves before a hurricane hits? With food and water storage you won't be one of them.
It's easy to get started with food storage. Keep a record of what your family typically eats in a month. When you go for groceries and you buy a can of tuna, buy two cans of tuna. If you normally would buy 2 cans of veggies, buy 4. It adds up pretty quickly. A big problem is that too many people eat out frequently or live out of boxes. Boxed pasta mixes are quick and easy (and tasty) but they don't store very well. Storing pasta and making your own sauce is better and I'm working on that myself. Learning to cook from scratch is really the way to go. I'm working myself on this and I'm finding it's not as time intensive and I'd thought. The internet is a wonderful source for recipes. I'm still struggling on bread making. I have wheat berries (whole wheat) and a grain grinder. I grind my own whole wheat flour which is SO much better for a body. My whole wheat bread has been dry, crumbly or a brick most of the time though. I need more practice. At least my goats eat the mistakes so there is no waste.
Frozen items are great and I keep stuff in the freezer too, but no electricity could cause one to lose a lot. Storms tend to cause power outages and sometimes those outages can last weeks. but I love frozen veggies much more than canned and there's allot of tasty things one can store in the freezer. Most of my storage is kept in food grade 5-gal plastic buckets with lids. These can be purchased but I've been able to get all of mine for free from bakeries. Food storage should be kept at low temperatures (the garage usually won't work) and in the dark for best quality. Rotate your storage so you are using the oldest first. And, above all else, do what the LDS say: "Store what you eat, eat what you store."
Food storage is a wonderful first step. Get your storage for at least a month, 3 months or more but don't forget the other things. I stock a lot of soap for washing bodies, hair, and dishes. I have toothbrushes, toothpaste, lotions, deodorant, first aid stuff, TP - everything that we use in our daily lives I try to have some in the storage. It does take up room and I've been lucky to have a place for it all. Once the house sells and I move it's going to be a problem. Moving it is going to be a pain! My husband built study shelves in the closet in one bedroom. Be creative. I've read that some people will take a bucket or two and cover them with a pretty cloth for a corner table.
You'll even save money in the long run. Yes, you are buying more now but at X price. By the time you eat it prices could be XX so you're eating at the X price. Oh, if money isn't a problem and you really want to get started on food storage there are places you can go and order from. They sell in boxes, bags, and buckets in small or large quantities. Things you can't find anywhere else often. Dried cheese, butter powder, cheese powder, sour cream powder, and so many more. Books on how to use them. Check out the internet. My favorite place is Walton Foods http://www.waltonfeed.com/. I think they have good prices but shipping is painful. Another place is Emergency Essentials. Their shipping is cheap but prices are higher. http://beprepared.com/Default.asp? These are just two and there are many out there. The Blue Chip Group http://www.bluechipgroup.net/ I've ordered several times from Waltons and EE. Find a place more in your area so shipping is not as much. Some people live close enough where they can pick up their items.
But, please, start putting some food and water away now. I don't think you'll regret it.
Wednesday, September 5, 2007
Light bulbs
I called this blog 'Changing the light bulbs' because I'm trying to make changes in my life. Each change is a lightbulb. Changing regular lightbulbs to CFs makes a more efficient running household. Hopefully I'll slowly change my personal lightbulbs to CF types and make my own life run a little more efficiently.
I'm continually surprised at how much I can cut money and still live. I am very saddened by this too as I'm managing to pay bills on X when we used to have XXX. Where did all that extra money go? Some went into my 401K, which I've just had to cancel. Some went monthly to my IRA and I paid extra each month on the mortgage. I saved each month for Christmas and I sent money each month to my brother, the missionary, in Peru. The 2 little dogs were groomed each month. All of these things have been stopped for now. Still, there was a lot of money going out that should/could have been going into savings.
There has been no offers on the house yet and not even any lookers in the last 2 weeks. I did check into refinancing and have decided to wait. It would cost around $5500 to refinance and it would be wasted if the house should sell. I've decided to keep the house for sale during the winter after all. A couple of co-workers helped change my mind as they both purchased their houses during winter. Can't hurt. I've starting bringing stuff back from the storage place, a few boxes each day. My plan is to have it empty by the end of the month and that will save me $100 each month. That and canceling my 401K will pay the bills for now. Not a dime extra though.
I'm hoping that as I watch my budget during these very lean times that I will learn something. Savings first. It needs to be treated like a bill. Good advice but I've never taken it. I think I will this time though. Stopping the 401K really hurt. I'm getting closer to retirement age every day. Cutting out lunches, snacks, teas, and casual buying was extremely difficult at first. I managed to hang on to $12, which was all I had, for over 2 weeks until my payday. I was very pleased with myself. I can do this. I want to do this for other reasons as well.
I believe that we rich First World countries need to cut back, to reuse, recycle, renew. Cutting back on my usage of gas, water, electricity, garbage, and other purchases is something I have been working on. There is a group called Riot for Austerity (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/90PercentReduction/) on the internet that I subscribe to. Their challenge is to cut by 90% our own individual usage. Wow, 90%. I'm not even close. Tracking things I found that I was already very close on the garbage, waaay off on the gasoline usage (I have a long commute), and not too far off on the electricity. The plan allows for natural gas usage but my area is all electric so while my electricity figures are higher than some I have 0 for natural gas. I figure it balances out a bit. If my husband didn't sit at home and watch TV all day the figures might be a bit lower. Most of the house lights have already been changed to CFs. We heat during winter with wood as much as possible (we have an efficient woodstove and we like it) and pretty mild summers. We haven't used AC but once this summer. My husband turned it on and I turned it off as soon as I returned home from work. At this time I cannot change jobs but I'm working to consolidate car trips and eliminate unneeded trips to save gas. Cutting out casual shopping has made a big difference in car trips. No fun trips to the mall saves money and gas.
Eating locally is another change I'm working on. It's hard because until recently I ate pretty much out of boxes and cans. I went to buy some more of the fish I like so well and found it came from Honduras! Ack. I bought local trout instead. There is a small farm that sells off the farm not too far from me. I've already purchased blueberries and raspberries from them. Potatoes should be available in a month or so and I'll want them too. Onions, garlic, salad stuff. When I bought such things last week I went to the grocery store because I forgot about the farm. The farm costs more but is fresher and definitely local. I did manage to buy spinach from the general area at the store though. It wasn't a part of the spinach recall, thank heavens.
I want to learn to cook more from scratch. Eat less meat. Eat more veggies. I'm not very fond of all the good veggies, unfortunately. I'm doing pretty well on less meat though. I took a pack of 2 pork chops from the freezer and instead of eating them as 2 meals I made a delicious stew. It'll take me several meals to eat up the stew. I cooked some lentils that were tasty and will fix them again. I need to experiment on cooking to find out more things I like. I used to cook for the husband and now I'm cooking for me. It's a big difference. More lightbulbs.
I'm continually surprised at how much I can cut money and still live. I am very saddened by this too as I'm managing to pay bills on X when we used to have XXX. Where did all that extra money go? Some went into my 401K, which I've just had to cancel. Some went monthly to my IRA and I paid extra each month on the mortgage. I saved each month for Christmas and I sent money each month to my brother, the missionary, in Peru. The 2 little dogs were groomed each month. All of these things have been stopped for now. Still, there was a lot of money going out that should/could have been going into savings.
There has been no offers on the house yet and not even any lookers in the last 2 weeks. I did check into refinancing and have decided to wait. It would cost around $5500 to refinance and it would be wasted if the house should sell. I've decided to keep the house for sale during the winter after all. A couple of co-workers helped change my mind as they both purchased their houses during winter. Can't hurt. I've starting bringing stuff back from the storage place, a few boxes each day. My plan is to have it empty by the end of the month and that will save me $100 each month. That and canceling my 401K will pay the bills for now. Not a dime extra though.
I'm hoping that as I watch my budget during these very lean times that I will learn something. Savings first. It needs to be treated like a bill. Good advice but I've never taken it. I think I will this time though. Stopping the 401K really hurt. I'm getting closer to retirement age every day. Cutting out lunches, snacks, teas, and casual buying was extremely difficult at first. I managed to hang on to $12, which was all I had, for over 2 weeks until my payday. I was very pleased with myself. I can do this. I want to do this for other reasons as well.
I believe that we rich First World countries need to cut back, to reuse, recycle, renew. Cutting back on my usage of gas, water, electricity, garbage, and other purchases is something I have been working on. There is a group called Riot for Austerity (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/90PercentReduction/) on the internet that I subscribe to. Their challenge is to cut by 90% our own individual usage. Wow, 90%. I'm not even close. Tracking things I found that I was already very close on the garbage, waaay off on the gasoline usage (I have a long commute), and not too far off on the electricity. The plan allows for natural gas usage but my area is all electric so while my electricity figures are higher than some I have 0 for natural gas. I figure it balances out a bit. If my husband didn't sit at home and watch TV all day the figures might be a bit lower. Most of the house lights have already been changed to CFs. We heat during winter with wood as much as possible (we have an efficient woodstove and we like it) and pretty mild summers. We haven't used AC but once this summer. My husband turned it on and I turned it off as soon as I returned home from work. At this time I cannot change jobs but I'm working to consolidate car trips and eliminate unneeded trips to save gas. Cutting out casual shopping has made a big difference in car trips. No fun trips to the mall saves money and gas.
Eating locally is another change I'm working on. It's hard because until recently I ate pretty much out of boxes and cans. I went to buy some more of the fish I like so well and found it came from Honduras! Ack. I bought local trout instead. There is a small farm that sells off the farm not too far from me. I've already purchased blueberries and raspberries from them. Potatoes should be available in a month or so and I'll want them too. Onions, garlic, salad stuff. When I bought such things last week I went to the grocery store because I forgot about the farm. The farm costs more but is fresher and definitely local. I did manage to buy spinach from the general area at the store though. It wasn't a part of the spinach recall, thank heavens.
I want to learn to cook more from scratch. Eat less meat. Eat more veggies. I'm not very fond of all the good veggies, unfortunately. I'm doing pretty well on less meat though. I took a pack of 2 pork chops from the freezer and instead of eating them as 2 meals I made a delicious stew. It'll take me several meals to eat up the stew. I cooked some lentils that were tasty and will fix them again. I need to experiment on cooking to find out more things I like. I used to cook for the husband and now I'm cooking for me. It's a big difference. More lightbulbs.
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