The reluctant vegitarian

 

So the holidays came with a vengeance along with church work, farm work and puppies. 

Meet Eos and Stella

16 lbs of 9 week old livestock guardians. Great Pyrenees/Anatolian mix. These two will replace our aging German Shepherd to watch the poultry and the farm. They had no vet care from a farm I bought them from. They were very wormy. That has been taken care of and they are growing everyday.

They will be spayed when they come of age. For right now they are balls of fury.

Full time outside pups. Yes, they are a full time job. And as pups they are ferocious and brave.

And as of late we are reluctant vegetarians as my husband has Alpha Gal the tick disease. It has been 4 years of dealing with this since diagnosis. And it is not going away. This means he can't tolerate meat from a mammal in any form. Not even butter nor milk. He misses streaks and and pork. But no, not anymore. Just fish and chicken, emu. I do not have it but I follow his diet, it keeps life simpler in the kitchen. I do not miss meat but he does. If he eats meat or byproduct he is down for a week, with bowels issues, lethargy, huge belly and illness. He gets very ill and has a rash that is ongoing. This tick disease is tough to live with here in the beef basket of the USA. But things are changing. Schools are feeding Alpha Gal students meatless lunches finally. But hospitals are not. I even attended a local Mercy hospital Alpha Gal seminar by their nutritionist who does not feed people a vegan option when in hospital ! She was young and a bit stupid but that is what you get here in the Ozarks in the medical field. The Ozark people are learning how to deal with this disease. Many go undiagnosed but there is a simple test, if you see your GP and insist on getting tested for it. Some labs refuse to test for it but you have to stand up for yourself. I am constantly reading and learning all about this disease and nutrition for those intolerant of mammal meat. I am always keeping a log of my husbands symptoms and events health related on my phones calendar, so the symptoms are always with me to share with the hospital or the doctor. That said, grocery shopping is a library trip of ingredients. You will have to read everything that you want to eat. Canned foods and frozen foods. Tallow is pork it is in canned beans! You have to become your own advocate related to everything you eat. I use Vegan ghee to cook with, can find on Amazon. 

This has no milk and no butter. It is safe to cook with. It is the only ghee I could find with no animal fats. I will be posting more cooking things and I learn more. Also, going out to eat is a gamble as most places use animal fats in all meals. We have had luck with Asian places to eat, but they are rare here in the Ozarks. We tend to just bring our own meals when on the road. We are a lot better off than some who can't even touch meat or breath the cooking smells. Going to be big change for peoples diets as this Alpha Gal spreads around the states. But sticking to veggies and poultry is a big win.

Fall in the Ozarks

Our woods are full of colors.

Sugar maple

2nd year mums.

 

24 hour repair

So a friend of a friend contacted me based on restorations I had made to church vestments.

Her husband was going to a synod and needed to look his best. The stole he was gifted was too long and dragged the ground. I was the only person they knew who has experience with vestments. Also they needed this done overnight as he was flying out the next day. I had a full week at church and had a guest over. My plate was full but I did have my evening free. It was Halloween night. I love to eat candy and watch scary movies but not this year. I got busy right after dinner and it took 4 hours to finish.

I took one panel apart to see how it was made. 

Shortened and cut and repositioned. The back lining was the most difficult. This one was built a bit more complicated. The bag of pearls we a cool find on ebay. A mix of glass and real pearls pulled from vintage jewelry. I use to embellish and restorations. 

The metal work was easy to restore and stabilize into the embroidered fabric. 

I was able to get it taken apart and put back together before midnight. I turned back into a pumpkin and went to bed. A full day well done.

 

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Our church office for years (more than10) looked like this. A desk and piles of boxes. I added the green curtains and the welcome sign as there was nothing but blinds. Yes, very depressing.

Whole wall of nothing and a closet and a printer. At least the cement was covered in rug squares.

 

This is now our church office. It has taken months of recon work, volunteers and many hours searching for this to happen. I added two English library desks, Persian wool rugs, handmade red oak bookcases made by a local craftsman and donated wingchairs.

Need to add new curtains and a computer but this is now the new office that people see when they come in. Beats the warehouse of boxes. We now have a pleasant, multi functional work space and conference room. Decorated in the style the priest in residence preferred. I like more modern but this works. The only thing that this room cost was $300 for the rug and $400 for the walnut desk in the back. The rest was donated. I need to add new curtains/hardware and I will be done with decorating. Yes, it is Maximalist but that is ok with me. This has a welcome clawfoot desk and a work desk for the priest. Plus there is the secretary office in back that leads to the conference room. Just need a fainting couch for the back office and it will be done. The couch is for people who need to lie down. Long hours and some physical breaks require a couch in some offices. There used to be one in this front office but it was over used and had to go. The clock is a wind up vintage that chimes and has a choice of tunes. It weighs over 6lbs. This space is workable office for the priest and people stay out of his personal residence, rectory. 

my flock of ducks

French Hens we added to our flock of egg layers. Sweet gentle giants.

A flying squirrel we rescued. It spent the night on a heating pad and was released the next day.

 

Pony Up

The before of the pony I restored

I dug out the bondo and restored the Wonder Horse saddle, brass pole and stand someone added later.

Primed and painted body with gold mane and tail. 

Almost done. I added gems stones and clear coated the entire pony.

I had to hurry as the owner's husband of this gifted horse was dying of cancer. It was finished and returned a week before he passed. It was restored with things I had on hand. The colors were chosen by the owner. My studio is a wreck as the weather got cold and I had to get things pushed inside. I do not have a studio building so I have to move everything around for each restoration project. When I am sewing, beading, staining or carving multiple projects things get piled up. Every piece of furniture is on wheels to move as needed. 

 

Tiny Beads in hinoki

 I am working on restoring this very old Japanese lacquer box. It has been used and restored at other times. The inside is all hand done maki-e or gold dust over the lacquer. The outside is a built up scene made with built up layers of lacquer that was covered in gold at one time. The wood on the outside is hinoki or Japanese cypress, very fragrant wood. The hinges and lock have been added to and changed. The box had green velvet lining added to the box at some point in its life. And inside the crumbling velvet were tiny aluminum beads that I threaded onto a needle. Something was made with these and stored in the box. The velvet liner and all the tacks I pulled out to show the gold maki-e inside the box in good condition.

So we have modern over Indian style of latch work here. Just a pile of bad restoration.

Sun and time have been hard on this box. It is in very good condition under all this age.

A closeup of the maki-e inside the box in good condition. And the tiny aluminum beads found inside the box.

Under all that tattered green velvet liner the brilliant gold lacquer and the tiny beads.

Back to now

These are buttons from the 1930's made out of indigo and abalone and carved. I removed the leather buttons from a jacket and sewed these antiques on.

The original buttons that came with the jacket on the left and the new to me 1930's button on the right.

 

Restoring the wood and brass tacks on this vintage cross for a friend. The tacks gave no hold on this heavy figure. So I took it apart, re-stained the wood and reapplied the gold and will put in epoxy and new brass nails.

One of my female Muscovy hatched out 14 baby ducklings this week. I am happy they are thriving on our farm. This duck breed is quite hardy.

Summer Side up

This is a black rat snake taking a nap in my hay bales. The cooler evenings made him seek out a way dry spot in my hay lean too.

I can't get enough of how stupid humans are to get close to wild animals. Animals are unpredictable on a good day but along with stress, fear, hunger or a stiff wind you got trouble in s split second. That is how my nose was broken by an angry mad cow and a gate. I am lucky I can live out here in the Ozarks with bear, deer, cougars, wolves, coyotes and snakes. I leave them alone and respect their forest that I happen to live in.

This is my cure for biting horseflies, green glitter deely bobs. They sway and scare the horseflies and keep them off my body. A large dragonfly pin on my hat will work too. Dragonflies are predators to the horsefly.

 

My other job

I have been away recently working at church. I got a job as a church secretary. The previous one retired and moved back home to be with her family. My husband and I were asked and we accepted. He does the computer  and I do the rest. We can work from home or at the church office. 

There have been several calls for help to our priest. He gets all the church calls and forwards them to me if needed. This was an unusual call for help as a suspected demon was threatening the household. A Baptist pastor was called and he did nothing. So the only Catholic priest in these parts was called. The family was seeing something, threats were heard, etc.

The night before the visit we made a game plan, had mass and made sure we were all on the same page and the next morning we three went for a house visit. The family of 4 lived in a doublewide off the highway  in the country. Right next door to an abandoned church. The story of a recent stroke, surgery, move from a rental that was also haunted. There were pets in the home but they were in good condition and well taken care of. Most of the family members were open to the visit, prayers and blessing of the dwelling. Except for one, the one who called us to come over that was most angry/agitated. The afflicted person was very calm and receptive. Basically a sister and brother in law and adult son had to move in with their sister in the doublewide. Things were cramped but clean. The owner of the dwelling was dressed as a modern little girl top and shorts but she was over 60's in age. Dolls and stuffed animals were arranged all over the dwelling. And there was no bedroom/bed for the owner of the dwelling, while the rest of them each had a bedroom. The afflicted was also visited by her deceased son. They were Christian  believers but not church goers.

In the end, the humble brother in law embraced that his wife was afflicted, probably not spirit related but more from the affects of the stroke and brain damage from a fall and Alzheimer's. These events  all started when the sun went down, sun downing. We offered to stay in contact with the family and invited them to come to the church. 

After this we returned to church to put away the blessed objects and took our priest to lunch. He was really worked up but it was for the best. We helped a family in need. And if they need more help in the future, we will try to give them that. This is what I do when I am not crafting, farming or restoring.

No matter what we were going to face prayer is very important. Also, taking the time to really listen to people. Taking notes, prayer, checking in on those who ask or need it and again... prayers.

 

Breakfast Club

 Every morning I have this crowd. Two spiked bucks and their posse waiting for corn and chicken feed. They know me and my scent and they wait. I feed everything and they are the last. Sometimes the bucks can't wait and they dive right into the ducks bowl of feed. I have to shoo them away until I am done with chores.

Time Travels

Sometimes you got to take time off and spend time with friends.

We got to hand out with friends in Dogwood Canyon walked 4 miles and saw a treehouse.

Saw Laura Ingalls Wilder houses, they moved around a lot.

Had someone else take care of my farm.

And got to come home and show friends what is around our neck of the woods.

We walked, swam and hiked for 6 days. It was so nice to travel with these friends. We worked as a team to have fun.

 

Not the bee

So summer in the Ozarks means ticks, snakes and wasps. And the waspers like to move into any overhang and vehicle around. They love old  tractors, coops and truck door hinges. I put these stickers up on every thing I have to drive on the farm. This means stay away another wasp calls it home. It works I just need a bigger one for my roof.

This time of the year means birds attacking mirrors. I have 7 cats and not one wants to bother getting one of these birds pooping all over my truck mirrors. It is too hot outside this year and it is not even August yet. Going to be an interesting summer here. Haying has started and the baby deer are in the meadows. Have not seen baby bunnies but deer and ticks are everywhere. We have gotten ticks off both of us. My husbands tick bite got infected and had to see a Dr. That took 3 days to get an appointment! So I just gave him my old antibiotics and that got him healing. If you have Alpha Gal and are on steroids you can get very sick with tick bites and are more venerable. Finally saw a dr and she gave him the same antibiotics I had on hand. 

I am looking forward to planting pumpkins soon and waiting for fall. Summers are great for swimming and lightning bugs and that is about it.

a plus one for breakfast

I feed the flock and this guy showed up to join in the feast.

This turtle comes by each summer to eat food I put out for the poultry. Whatever is left over the deer and the wild birds finish off. The Muscovy ducklings eat a lot as they are growing fast.