Remembering September 11

I can still remember sitting in our home office when my husband burst into the room. He had our cordless phone pushed to his ear and had a terrified look on his face. He looked at me, but addressed the person on the phone “They attacked the Pentagon?” Then he said to me, “Go turn on CNN!”  I jumped up and hurried to the living room and picked up the television remote.

Then I just sat there, staring at the remote in my hand. I didn’t know what station CNN was on. You see, I really don’t like watching the news. I especially loath world news or news reporting the state of our country. I avoided it whenever possible, so I really didn’t care what station CNN was on, until now.

Impatiently, my husband again instructed me to turn on the tv. I did, then asked him what station to turn it to. He looked shocked and took the remote from my hand.

The next few minutes are a blur. I remember crying in disbelief. I know I picked up my then almost 3 year old son and trying to hug him close. He only tolerated that for a few moments, then he wiggled to the ground to go play. I remember my husband pacing, cursing. We watched the towers fall again and again. He had been retired from the Coast Guard for only 3 years. I prayed he wouldn’t be recalled.

For the next week, it seemed that most of the people I talked to had been affected in one way or another. Most had lost acquaintances, a friend of a friend or simply a voice on the phone. So many companies had an office in the World Trade Center; every business I went to was shaken.

Others had lost loved ones; parents, brothers, sisters or other family members. For the first few days after people hardly spoke. We had actually been attacked on United States soil. Everyone feared more was coming.

 When our shocked subsided, our fierce determination took over. People became closer, neighbors more neighborly. Flags flew everywhere. We are Americans and are not going quietly into the night.

 

Fast forward to this morning, my wiggly tot is now almost 15. On our way to school we listen to our favorite Christian radio station. Instead of the usual contemporary Christian music, they played a timeline of events from 9/11/2001. I couldn’t help but let the tears fall. The broadcast was well done, but full of emotion and raw accuracy.

My son listened too, sending an occasional look of concern my way. Finally he said “I was about 2, right?” I nodded and we spent the rest of the drive in silence. Just yesterday, he had explained the situation in Syria to me in great detail. Today, he seemed to know that most words to describe 9/11 have all been said. Wow! My boy is nearly grown!

The rest of this day has been quite the emotional rollercoaster. Everything to launch my business seemed to fall in place. As I took each step I was filled with excitement. I found everything I needed to package my products, completed my photography, set up my online store and made my first local delivery to the feed store who has agreed to sell my products.

But each step was punctuated by reminders of the day we can never forget. The overgrown flag at the shopping center is at half-mast. More posts than I can count on Facebook, instructing me to “like” this post to show I haven’t forgotten. And beautifully written accounts of how some of my (very talented) friends remember the day. At each stop, the tears threaten again.

But life does go on. So I can’t feel guilty because this is a good day for me. But I do promise you this. I will never forget. We are so blessed to live in the Land of the Free, because of the brave.

God Bless America

Homemade Dog Soap

The idea of washing my dog with a bar soap seemed strange to me. But when I discovered some recipes online, I had to try them out.

Of course, I was also inspired by these adorable little dishes I found at the thrift store.

The page I chose gives recipes for four different fragrances. I decided on the one called “Walk in the Woods”. I had all the ingredients on hand and the dog really needed a bath. So the timing seemed perfect.

I do have soap molds, but I decided to re purpose a single serve peanut butter container. It fit perfectly on the little paw print dish. If you look carefully, you might be able to read the brand name J

The recipe called for Castor oil, but I seem to be out. So I put in a bit of olive oil instead. I did have plenty of Shea butter. I used only 2 ounces of soap base, because I just wanted to make a single bar to try out.  I guessed at the amounts of the rest of the ingredients. I also added a couple drops of Neem oil. Mosquitoes have been extreme this year and it just might help with the fleas.

When I removed the bar from the mold, I showed it to my family. My husband smelled it and said “Nice, very manly”

LOL!

“So you would use this?” I asked him. He said that he would and I broke up laughing! My son wrinkled his nose at it. But I thought it smelled nice too.

Now, time to test it out. I called Percy into the bathroom and filled the tub. He has really short hair, so I have a hard time getting it wet. He is a coon hound/ beagle mix we think, so the water just runs off his back. But I got it wet enough and started to rub the bar right on his coat. It worked much better than using liquid shampoo. I could rub it right into areas that I usually can’t get at. Rubbing the bar right on the wet fur causes it to suds up. I think it might be more successful on a different coat.

The next step was to see how it rinsed out. Again, surprisingly well. I was concerned that it would cling to his fur, but it washed out completely. It was also nice to see a few fleas wash away with the suds. And I love the idea of not using chemicals on my dog.

Another cool thing was that I used very little of the bar on my rather large dog. And remember, I only made a 2 ounce bar.

I will definitely make a full batch next time. It will be interesting to see how it lathers by using the Castor oil. I am thinking the olive oil may have subdued the suds a bit. I also used a melt and pour soap base. Eventually I plan on making my own from wood ashes and coconut oil.

 If you would like to try to make your own, the link to the original recipe is below:

http://candleandsoap.about.com/od/soaprecipes/a/dogsoaprecipes_2.htm

I’m off to mop up puppy prints!

Beth

 

My pictures are working again

Good morning world!

My blog is finally fixed! More to come :)

God Bless!

Day 3 & 4

March 29 & 30, 2013

We actually accomplished a lot the last two days. We were so busy that I took very few pictures and didn’t post until now. But we also spent time with family and friends.

It started with me just fussing over the details of the projects I already did. I ran out of edging, so I can’t get the lamp post to look quite right.

I did have some fun with the path up to my front porch. I got a great deal on some flat stones a few years back. I swept and raked to uncover them, then got an idea. I had a bag of chia seeds which I never did try on my cereal. My original idea was to plant chamomile seeds between the stones, but they require direct sun. This path is in dappled shade. Our chia pets were always supposed to stay out of the sun. So, I poured seeds all over the path and swept them into the dirt between. I thought it would be fun to have a little greenery in between the stones. I don’t know if it will work, but I love to experiment.

The funny thing was, they began to gel before I got them all off the stones. I had to spray them with the hose to release them. We’ll see how they do.

We did get the chicken coop moved into place, but broke the bottom board in the process. I moved most of the compost into the space between for the chickens to enjoy (and turn it and add their manure, get to work girls!). I read that some people never give their chickens commercial feed, just kitchen scraps and foraging in the yard. I can’t let my girls free range unless I am out there, but I am hoping to cut back on the feed quite a bit.

My dear little brother came over and pulled out a stump for me. We had been working for some time cutting down this oversized bush at the corner of the house. We spent most of a Saturday cutting it down to size and hacking at the roots. We wrapped a tow strap around it and hooked it to our SUV and tried to pull it out. It laughed at us. Hubby started the car and tried to pull it out and it did not budge.

My brother came over in his work truck and wrapped a chain around it. He had that stump out of the ground before I knew what happened. Yay! Now I have another planting bed or new location for my garden shed. Still haven’t decided which.

Hubby also got most of the broken fence down and the bamboo cut down and dug up. I wish I had taken pictures of that.

It’s been wonderful seeing my home reborn. I find it fitting that it is taking place in the spring, the season of new beginnings. As I pause to celebrate our risen Christ, I am overwhelmed with joy.

Thank you Lord for sending your Son, Jesus! Thank you for my family and friends. Please give me the strength and resources to celebrate with my family. Help me to remember what is important.

Amen

Day 2

March 28, 2013

Today, I raked leaves.

I raked and raked and raked.

With 2 mature oak trees, it's a never ending job. But, it does make for lots of free mulch. I filled most of the driveway, around the lamp post and around the bed out back.

There are several reasons I rake these leaves. It uncovers the lawn so it can actually grow. It picks up all the trash that finds it's way into the yard and then there's the free mulch benefit. It also clears all the kindling from the lawn so we can stow it in the brush pile until needed.

Thank you Lord for the energy and stamina it took and for such a beautiful day :)

Amen

Day One

March 27, 2013

My journey starts at the curb.

Not only should this please the neighbors, but it is the first thing we see when we arrive home. I have a neglected bed of roses along the left side of the driveway. I used to have 12 rose bushes that I acquired and purchased over the years. Most of them I rescued from a friend who did not want to care for them. They were in a soggy, over watered bed at her house. Unfortunately, their new home is the most inconvenient place to water on my property. Many of them have died, the mulch overgrown and decayed. It is difficult to see where the bed stops and the weedy lawn begins.

So, I pruned the remaining bushes back, pulled out the weeds and freshened up the mulch with oak leaves. The oak leaves are free and I have an unending supply. A neighbor gave me these pieces of cement garden border a few weeks ago. So far, I have spent nothing but about an hour’s work. There are only 4 roses left so I will need to plant the rest of the bed with something to help sustain my family.

The mail arrived with a notice from our local utility company. We have new watering restrictions and can only water one day a week. This is an added inconvenience, but does not make it impossible. I have a rain barrel, but it is out back. I will just have to carry water around for now.

So, what to plant in the bed? I have a large pot with Rosemary and Lavender growing in it. They are quite large and would do nicely in that location. This bed receives morning sun instead of afternoon, but if I plant them towards the road they should receive the same amount. This will be a nice start. Perhaps I can plant more flowering hers to finish it off. I’ll see what is in my seed stash.

I also repaired and straightened our mailbox and post lamp. Both items had encounters with vehicles and were tilted and broken. I still need to do a bit of work on them, so pictures will come later.

We thank you Lord, for such a successful start. Thank you for beautiful weather, energy and plentiful resources. Please continue to bless my endeavor. Amen.

 

Suburban Neglect to Homestead

March 27, 2013

Welcome! You are invited to follow along as I take control of my little piece of the planet. Since I will now be working from home for the foreseeable future, I need my home and yard to work for us too. People on the spectrum need order, peace and nutritious food.

Much of our corner lot is a collection of misplaced plants, unfinished projects and honestly……..just plan neglect. I hope to conquer our jungle and turn it into something that nourishes my family spiritually and physically.

I also need to accomplish this for next to nothing. I have already acquired so many items for my chickens and gardens that I know it can be done. I plan to work hard, barter, yard sale and Craig’s List to get the job done.

But first, I lift this endeavor up to you Lord:

Father God, thank you for entrusting me with this beautiful piece of your creation. Thank you for spreading oaks to shade and climb. I love the size and location, the lush plants and flowers. Please forgive us for not being the stewards that reflect our love for You. We love You Lord.

Beginning today, help me to shape this into the nurturing environment I crave. Give me the strength, endurance and resources I need. It is the desire of my heart that this plan is your will, not mine.

In Jesus name I pray,

Amen