Leather Me up

I recently bought a set of used saddle makers tools. They are over 40 years old and quite in a state of rust. Three days later I got them reconditioned and usable again, rust free and mothball scent free. Most are for leather carving and saddle work. Most are handmade and I have no clue as to how to use half of them. But I have the internet and my brother to help. I got them because I want to make my own leather stuff. Purses, bags, branchlets and whatever I want. There are a ton of great leather makers out there, I just want to give it a go. I can sew very well and love to learn new things. 

One thing I love is molding leather like fabric. You can use anything to make a mold. I found this metal jello mold in a shape I like, sea them. This 13 inch shell will be a base for veg tan leather turned into a purse. I get to try out dyes and paints along the way.

Going to be an interesting crafting journey I have always had an interest in.

 

Crazy Train

So after two weeks after 2nd Moderna vaccine I got sick. Some upper bronchial thing going around our small town, I got it. We have self isolated for a year, this means our immunity was down. First week out into the public, bam, got sick. Not from the vaccine but from weak immune system being away from people. A church member came to church sick and I got it. Then I gave it to my husband. His fever broke and he is full of snot and vinegar. I have a cough and some sinus but no fever. 

What got me was the dental visit. They have signs, masks, fever checks and Covid warnings everywhere. We had our teeth cleaned and x-rayed. The hygenist asked if we had any medical changes and I said yes, we got vaccinated. I am sure you all had as well. She huffed and said they were not required to at that office. I was shocked she was to angry in her response. My husband whispered that is a hot topic for many people. He was right. I had no idea and do not care. But her happy demeanor changed and she was cold after that. People who work in the medical dental field should get vaccinated for their own health. But here in Missouri that is not the general belief. You are the odd bird wanting to get a shot. The majority are happily returning to life as normal, traveling the world as if nothing was wrong. I am not that narcissistic.

It has been hard to shake off the stay at home urge. Seems like everyone is on the move this Memorial holiday. We are at home recovering from some bug. But my husband wants to hit the road and take a vacation. I am reluctant, to deal with opinionated angry people and travel. End of rant.

 

Just Ducky Tubby

Last week I went to my first animal auction since this pandemic started. It was nice to see farm people again. They had farm equipment, junk, and tons of animals. Adult and baby animals of every kind. I did not plan to buy anything but I did need more ducks. Some of ours have died of old age and it was time to add to the flock. My Indian runners are just not hardy here in the Ozarks. They got picked off by predators over the years. The Pekins, Crested and khaki are great survivors. But I have heard that Muscovy are great mothers. And that is what I need, great duck mothers.

 One thing they had few of was baby ducklings. There were 6 baskets of khaki and 1 small cage of newly hatched Muscovy. I got one of each basket 'o ducklings. I got home well after 11pm and the auction would last until the week hours as there was a lot to sell.

I grabbed my spare homemade brooder cage, shavings, food/water and got them into their new home in my kitchen. Every day they get tub time so I can wash out their cage. They will be soon big enough to put outside in the coop. But for now I can enjoy their cute baby duckling phase.

This week I am also farm sitting. New homesteaders are in transition from city house to Ozark farm and they need their animals tended to. It is very hard even out here in the Ozarks to find a farm sitter. Most people just do not bother with farm animals. Or they just leave for vacation and let the animals fend for themselves. I could never do that, my farm depends on me and my schedule. 

Meanwhile, my green beans, onions, cabbages, lettuce and tomato are growing well. It will be a busy canning season soon.

 

Random 70's inspired life

I am a child of the 1970's. Was born at the beginning and it has always colored my world. The music, fashion colors and style of the 70's. 

 The long hair, loving nature, natural things, long skirts, flowing blouses and happy hippie style I adore.

The 80's were the opposite and very plastic and clashy. Much prefer the 70's and I can see it is back again. The macrame, the plants inside the house, guys with beards, bright happy colors are all back. The music, the flowers, gypsy and the back to nature everywhere granola life. I am glad it was not the roaring twenties some harvard professor said it would be after the pandemic. People have embraced home, gardens, planting what makes them happy and living the life that they want. As social distancing is still around along with the virus, the rest of the world is slowing getting back to normal again. Except for India, they are having a rough time. In the US everyone is traveling in some form is a go this summer. We have been home for a year and a half.

Anyway, here is a basket of pretty fish.

These fish are made by the artist Rachel Laundon. She creates the most gorgeous artworks using bright colors. I love her flair.

And as I was looking for something off  topic I give you a crab.

And how can you not forget your spirit animal the coconut crab (not a hermit crab) found a home in a human skull. Gotta keep it real in Bora Bora. Love that rye humour I grew up with.

That is it for random inspired ideas that are in my head.

 

I thought the freight train got off on the second floor...

Yes, I got the Moderna 2nd dose and bam hit me hard. Got weird feeling after first 20 minutes and downhill from there. Pounding head pain, fever of 101 and lethargy. Stayed in bed for one entire day, took tylenol to deal with the pain and then bed for fever dreams. Should have taken nyquil. The next day still lethargic and some head pain. By day four I was ok but I lost brain cells and my arm is a meat stick of pain. I forgot cooking measurements and how to cook some basics. My arm is on and off numb and I still have no hunger and no energy. My husband was the opposite reaction, hyper awake with a fever and stayed up for two nights in a row. But the farm can't wait so onward I go.

 I had to make a cage for the 7 roosters my hen hatched this March for auction. Only got two hens from the entire clutch. Then had to get them in their running for life coop roundup. My primary rooster agast I touched him by mistake. My two silky roosters happy they are thug free for the night. And I can watch my feed bill get smaller with less wasted on roosters I do not need. So they will go to auction and I can have a quieter farm with less to feed.

The seedlings are growing well for us in spite of 3 frost nights in the last two months. I gave away 5 boxes of veggie starts that I did not need in my garden this year. Our local senior center takes plants and veggies. Some seniors like to plant in pots. They were given tomatoes, oregano, lemon grass, cilantro, parsley, squash, watermelon and bok choy. All the starts were huge and ready for planting. I hope this year everything makes it. It has been a cooler spring here this year in the Ozarks.

 

Two new contenders to grow

Orange sweet bell peppers

Kajari Melons

These two are both new to me for growing in zone 6. The seedlings have survived the freeze and are ready to be moved into the ground. I have heard lots of good things about the Kajari and one melon will give you over 300 seeds. Sweet, drought tolerant and from India these melons can handle a tough growing enviro. I was able to find a local grower on ebay selling Melon seeds.

I love growing watermelon and so I have planted these as well.

The sweet pepper is always a pantry staple and very expensive in the grocery. This orange one we both enjoy and can trade with other growers. I planted the Burpee orange sweet peppers.

 

All treed up

It is spring planting time in the Ozarks. The young tree saplings arrived from the tree foundation. Pines, redbuds and sycamore twigs too small to plant right now. So I am potting them up for next year.

And on the veggie front, tomatoes, melons, onions, shallots,herbs and cabbages are thriving in the ground.

Everyone I know who is able is putting in some kind of garden this spring.

We took a drive to the local river town and wow they have been busy. All along the current river are tiny cabins that were never there before. Anyone who has some land has thrown up a shed and called it a place to stay. Better than a tent! All is for the expected flood of visitors to the Ozarks expects when school is over and people are free for the summer. Never have I seen this here before. I guess after last years incredible volume of visitors, locals got busy. The problem? No river water. Thanks to the local government river rules, no dredging is allowed, so the gravel and silt and rocks have risen where water used to be. This means all these cabins have a view of a gravel sandbar and that is it. This means if hard rains come, a flash flood is a real possibility. Some years are high water some years are drought. Will be interesting to see how it goes this summer, with Covid restrictions over and everyone itching to get back to normal. Meanwhile on our town of 500 two businesses closed, the local mechanic station and the animal clinic. This means long drives to the other towns for car work and pet care. The animal clinic building was sold to city folks and the local mechanic retired. We have had several new homesteaders move into our small town. They are all expecting the same amenities they had in the big city like septic system and internet. For some this is a retirement home or a second home. People from Illinois and California mostly. And with the tourist also comes the roadwork May through Nov. Not fun when tourists not used to our roads and all going in the same direction with no other roads to get there. Going to be interesting summer this year in the Ozarks.

 

Death called and asked me about my cars extended warranty

 

Today I got that call every adult child dreads. From my older brother from another father. He told me my father had died, heard from a cousin who saw it on facebook from a sister in laws post. My older brother is a great discovery in my life thanks to 23 and me, thanks you science for giving me an older brother. He has been a blessing in my life.

Yeah, I have a great relationship with my family. I have been estranged from my folks since I got married and left home. They did not want me to. My father died and I feel nothing. Our mother is still alive, I am estranged from her and my younger brother and his family as well. And recently, I found out my mother had my older brother, gave him up for adoption etc. I am not sure my father was mine at this point. Mom was kind of getting around and keeping secrets. 

When a parent dies, it’s devastating, right? An absolutely heartbreaking loss. But for my dad, I mourned his “death” years ago when he chose to go on with his life and I chose to stick with those who love me better. The death of an estranged parent means you’re forced to grieve their death twice. Once when they cut ties (or you choose to move on because there’s nothing left to give), and again when they die. But for me, I’m not grieving because he’s no longer here. I’m grieving because he chose not to be here and be a part of my life.

I would likely not be where I am today because I would not have had the courage to break free from the verbally and physically abusive narrative my parents had taught me to believe, or to challenge this narrative.

To some people we are a wonderful friend, a kind neighbor, and a loving parent, but to others we are a rude jerk, a self-centered person, and verbally abusive or neglectful parent. Each one of us has the right to remember the dead as they experienced them and honor their memory as we see fit.

Years after cutting my parents out of my life I silently forgave them for the hurt they had caused me, and I worked to let go of the pain from the past. However, at times, I found myself fantasizing about what a healthy adult relationship could look like with my father.

I imagined mutually respectful discussions, long walks, trips or vacations and most importantly, being seen not as an unlovable failure, but as a successful adult worthy of love and acceptance.

My last conversation with my father was not positive. He said “I love my wife more than you. That is the way it has always been.” I was forced to accept my father for who he was and acknowledge the painful fact that some people are just not capable being who we need them to be.

We can choose to plead for a relationship that will never be, or for the person to be something they are not, or we can choose to accept them as they are and accept ourselves in spite of their abuse. But this means we must let go and accept that the future holds time we can never have together. 

So many seedlings

This is a photo of my greenhouse in 2020, this year it is too full to get inside. I started cold weather crops this year for the May early June harvest. And got my starts for summer going as well along with flowers!

The cabbages, onions, scallions, shallots and lettuce are all in the ground. I had no more room and even with 35 degree nights, they had to go in. They are doing great even with a few frosts we have had.

Next I have my cucumbers, tomatoes and melons started. They have filled the greenhouse being repotted into little red plastic solo cups. Which I re-use every year and ran out of this year. Next my herbs basil, oregano and cilantro all grown from seeds. You can grow multiple oregano from cuttings rooted from a single plant. I started several as I use a lot in my cooking. And it is a great plant to swap with.

I have had no luck with my pepper seeds this year. Going to have to figure out why, might be too cool and damp in the greenhouse. But that is ok, I will have more room for flowers. Sunflowers, gladiolas, cornflowers, dahlia and zinnia. And that is why I have no room in my greenhouse this year.

We also had the covid Moderna vaccine first dose this week. It gave me lethargy, not good when I need all my energy to plant. But after the second doe in May, we should be able to mask up and rejoin society. Been a very long time since we have done that. Grocery pick up, church on line, and delivery for the rest since 2020 began. Two Easters at home and many funeral that we could not attend. Luckily we both work from home and have a farm. It was a lot of work with lock downs, no shopping, no people. Hoping thing get better this summer for everyone.

 

Covid ops first dose

 Finally the state of Missouri opened the Covid vaccines for all ages. My husband and I got our Moderna shots done and out of the way. Have to wait one month then get the second one. The closest clinic was an hour drive away but no waiting. We scheduled a time slot and were done and done. Then had to wait for any side effects. Then got some lunch take out to bring home. So many in our small town do not want the vaccine based on hearsay and what they see on the news. I don't either, but getting the Covid virus is much worse. Hoping we stay healthy enough to get the spring planting done. Looking forward to a quiet summer.

No Milky

We have discovered that my husband can no longer tolerate milk. He was a milk-o-holic for years, two gallons a week. But we put him on Silk almond milk for weeks then he tried some milk, bam, back to pain and nausea. Back to Silk and he is fine again. We replaced his half and half and probably will remove cheese as well. But for now Silk and coconut milks make him happy. The cause? We are not sure, could have been from a tick bite but no one knows. I can have milk but for him it is a big no. His gall bladder attack feelings have stopped as well. The doctor and all the test have told us nothing. But for now his is on the mend.

Arctic Ombre Mujer

This years hair Wrath and Purple Rain

My hair has gotten super long over the last year. It is very healthy and though thin it is strong. I have been playing with home coloring and the gradation of color. I tried blue but that is not my color. But purple is! So I bleached my ends and tried out Arctic Fox purple for a year. Loved it! Then I bleached my whole head , level 6 and used wrath and purple and here is the end result. I loved the colors together. It looks great down or in a braid for full ombre effect. I can walk out of the house with no makeup on but I got the colors shining bright on my head and I love it. It is easy to add more color if it fades. It takes about three weeks to fade down. You just wash your hair, dry your hair then add the Arctic fox colors as you like, slap on a shower cap for 2 hours outside in the heat or sunlight and then rinse. You will need gloves though, this stuff will stain your skin. Just like regular hair color but no ammonia, no burning, just a sweet grape scent my husband loves. This stuff is super conditioning as well. I can clean up skin stains with a bit of alcohol and bleach the shower if it stains.There are a ton of youtube vids about Arctic Fox. I just learned that the key is to bleach out the hair, wash, rinse then put on the color. Very easy to do at home of your have the time. You can put on unbleached hair but the color has nothing to grab onto and will come off. Color last longer and stays vibrant if you wash in cold water. It is affordable and you can extend the color by adding conditioner. This was one of the cool things I did over this pandemic.

Before coloring

Last year ombre effect on the ends only

 

Planting Season

It has been a very busy March here on the farm. Our only piece of furniture for lounging - our futon -broke! You find out just how poorly made something is when it breaks on the welds. But we went to the hardware store and bought steel brackets and heavy bolts and together with a thick 2 x 4; we had made a new support in one day. With the price of things going up and up saving time and money DIYing ourselves works.

We had some freezes here in March so my seedlings had to get pampered at night. Onions, cabbages, lettuce, cold stuff was fine. But tomatoes, peppers, flowers and herbs needed heat mats and a bit of propane. Our last frost date is late April here in the Ozarks. I will have most covered and in the ground by then.

This year I am planting more peas and flowers. I planted way too much stuff we do not eat as often. Too many cucumbers, okra and peppers. This spring will be cold flowers, tomatoes, half as many cucumbers, melons, lettuce and herbs. Three kinds of basil for us this season cinnamon, lemon and thai. Along with growing our own food, I will be canning again for all three growing seasons. Our green beans and our tomatoes all canned and saved many a grocery bill.

We are waiting to get the Covid vaccine. In April everyone in Missouri can get the vaccine, finally. So my husband will get his first then I will go. That way one of us can care for the other if there are problems.

The churches and area schools are mostly back to the old normal. Everyone is trying to return to before the pre pandemic times. I would rather move forward instead of backwards. I am working hard enjoying farm life and so happy not to be in the big cities. I do miss my beach time and I miss felling the wind on my face. I do not like the mask wearing. I do not have to wear a mask on my farm and that is wonderful.