granny's gripes

I could have written about a lot of things tonight but I'm feeling grumpy so it's gripe night.

Granny's #1 Gripe
How can we as a nation that is so ahead of the world in so many ways not have a national health plan? We cannot continue the way we are. Rapidly we are becoming a nation where some can afford medical care and many cannot. Working people, small children, going without health care, it's a shame our nation needs to correct. I have a health plan that I pay myself that's affordable only beause it's a 20/80 plan. I pay 20% of anything. The smallest procedure is beyond my budget even having to pay 20%. I hope who ever gets elected next year makes it a priority. But I won't hold my breath. Our government can't seem to get anything accomplished anymore with out years of debate. Committees and senates and houses of representatives don't work anymore. Everyone wants to talk to hear themselves talk and to get something for themselves or some group sponsoring them.

Gripe #2 -[ ok these gripes are less intense.] Why do some companies put on their coupons - Do Not Double? They don't pay anything for the bonus amount off so why should they care? The stores that offer double coupons take off the extra amount. Since I am watching every penny I use coupons and in the process I probably try some products I wouldn't normally try. I am not going to use any coupons that say do not double anymore. The same thing goes for companies that make their coupons good for 2 or more of the same item. Small items ok, but things like laundry detergent- who buys two bottles at once? Hey Tide - take notice. I can't afford to buy two at once so I'll buy someone else's product who is giving me a nice coupon off one item. Besides the expense I don't like to buy more than one of something until I've tried it.

Gripe #3 Easy open re-sealable packages. Right. Easy open for who? After you've used the butcher knife to get the package open it rarely reseals.

Gripe#4 I don't have cable so I watch network T.V. Just when I get into a program and used to watching it they change the time or day they show it. Usually it's on a night or at a time when I am watching something else so I no longer watch it. Or the network takes a good t.v. show and puts it on a vacation for a while- then you are supposed to take right up watching it again and remember all the story lines. They make 3 new episodes and then show "highlights" from past shows. Darn, I miss the good old days of T.V.

Gripe #5- Those stupid commercials- since we are talking T.V. I wish we could ban all ads that mention drugs, penis problems and feminine hygiene products. And the half naked girls dancing around to sell underwear or even more disgusting- something totally unrelated to underwear.
Why do ads for sanitary napkins and tampons show the liquid being poured on the item being blue- or any other color than red? Is that supposed to make it more acceptable? And some ads just don't make any sense at all. You can't even guess what they are selling. They extol the virtues of some drug- it makes you feel wonderful, ask your doctor to give it to you- but you can't figure out what it's used for. And there absolutely, positively should be a ban on showing the same commercial more than once an hour.

Gripe #6 It seems half the ads on t.v. are for them but I am sick of them. Cell phones. Ban them from being used in public places except in emergencies. I am sick of listening to people talk about their love life, fights, legal problems, kids, you name it every where I go- at the top of their lungs. And people who use cell phones as they use the restroom are disgusting. They should make restrooms so that cell phones cannot be used in them. Some signal blocker thing- that only allows 911 calls to go through. Picture phones in a restroom are worse. If you see one in use you should grab it and flush it. And anyone who answers a cell phone while talking to someone face to face is just rude. The people in my office get cell phones so that they can take and make calls without using the office phone. Everyone makes a few personal calls from the office. But let an employee use a personal phone in the office and they justify spending a lot more time talking to friends and relatives about basically nothing because it isn't on a work line. And you get to hear all those annoying little ring tones they choose constantly. Disconnect people- you will survive!

Ok - I feel better. That's enough gripes for tonight. Just wish I knew where I go to complain about the weather.

leading the sheep to greener pastures

It's been a long winter. Finally the grass has begun to grow after rain last week and warm weather the last few days. I had to buy one bale of hay last week as we were out of our winter supply so it was time to move the flock. In the west pasture where they have been penned up for the winter they have kept each blade devoured as soon as it emerged. In the east pasture the grass was several inches long, and looking luscious. Trouble was that the fence in the east pasture had been smashed down last fall in several places and had to be repaired, I spent all of last evening and most of this morning working on it. The north pasture runs between the east and west and the fence there was even worse. The deer, and I think some hunters, had really mashed the fence along the wooded side. This is an old place and a lot of fence posts need to be replaced. No money for that right now. So the east pasture looked the best bet. I just had to lead the sheep through the north pasture over to the east side, without them scattering on me and going off into the woods. I didn't feed them this morning, even though they complained quite loudly. When I got the east pasture fixed up the best I could, I got a bucket of grain from the barn and went into the west pasture where the sheep were. They saw me coming with the bucket and came running but I just kept walking, right through the gate, around the pond through the west gate and into the west pasture. I was afraid to stop or look back but it worked, we all entered the pasture in single file. I then stopped and poured the grain on the ground, and while they fought over that I went back around them and closed the gate. Before the grain was even eaten they noticed the good grass and the race to see who could get the most the quickest was on. When I left they were all very content.

Things didn't go quite as well with my husbands chore. He was going to get the mower out of the barn and get it ready to mow in the spots where the sheep aren't allowed to go. Mowing with the riding mower is the one thing he can still do to help outside, as he can't walk very far or lift anything. He also enjoys riding it around just to see the place, which is what he was doing when it quit and wouldn't start again. He wasn't far from the house and when I came from the pasture he was there tinkering with it. When he told me what happened , I asked first if he had gas, which he did, and then if he had put oil in it before he started. He said "it has oil." I checked after he went in the house to get the battery charger and there was oil in there, but it was just the way he said "it has oil" that made me suspicious. We had a local guy come pick it up an hour or so later and sure enough he calls us back right after he got it to the shop to tell us the engine is seized. I think someone put the oil in after he told me he had a problem. I'm always reminding him to check the oil on things. Now we will have to put in a new engine - probably $200.00 if we are lucky. This is the last thing we need, another bill, but it's cheaper than a new mower. It's a nice, heavy duty Allis Chambers mower that my son got for us used last year so it's worth repairing. When I was younger I would have gone into a rage that my husband was so stupid not to check the oil before he got started. I am old enough now to know that everyone makes mistakes and yelling about it won't fix it. I guess God knows what he is doing when he sends these troubles my way. We will find a way to get through this as we have found ways to get through everything else. Maybe I can sell one of those nice lambs in the pasture. I just wish that my pasture was a little greener too.

Guns and people

Today we hear that another gunman has entered a school and killed at least 32 people. People are of course screaming for answers and trying to assign blame. Some bring up the issue of gun control again- but guns don't kill people on their own. We have good gun laws already. What we need are laws that prevent children under 18 from playing video games where they kill things in every conceivable way for hours on end. We need to make tv and movies less violent. We need to stop endlessly reviewing the violence that has already occurred and making feature length news stories about it. Now I don't know anything about the gunman at this stage and of course there are all these studies out there that claim violence in the media doesn't cause violence in the real world, but I don't believe that for a minute. If all the students in the school were armed and started shooting back would that have made a difference? I heard someone suggest that it would. I think that would have really staged it as a giant video game. Granny's idea is this. When the media describes another shooting they should substitute bullets with grapes or tomatoes. Instead of 32 people were shot, they should say 32 people were hit with tomatoes. That would make everyone laugh and the world needs more laughter. The next time some idiot that dreams of revenge arms himself to go to a school and break a record, maybe he'll load his knapsack with grapes and tomatoes.

May God bless the families of those who died today and give them comfort in their time of grief.

Critters in the Garden

I have this little circular rock garden up close to the driveway and there is a hypertufia bird bath that a friend made me that sits on a stump in the center of the bed. For the winter I had turned the birdbath upside down on top of the stump so it wouldn't collect water and break. It looked like a giant mushroom. On one of those warm days we had in late March I was sitting there looking at the violas starting to bloom and I noticed that the bird bath stump was slumping on one side. It was bugging me that it now seemed off -center too, maybe because most of the plants were still dormant around it. So I decided to re-center it. I had to lift the top off carefully to move the stump. Imagine my surprise- and the little mouse's, when I revealed a nest. How it had slipped under the birdbath top, which seemed to fit flat on the top of the stump I don't know. But it had and it had hollowed out quite a deep depression in the top of the stump under the bird bath. It filled that depression with wool-hair from the sheep, which it had to travel at least 100 feet to get. So until I disturbed it it had quite a cozy home for the winter. It is amazing what animals do. I let the poor thing have his nest for a while longer. He is probably warmer than we are in the house since the furnace is out and the temps are only in the 30's. Oh, I wish spring was here.

Snow for Easter

Well we had nice weather for Christmas and we will have snow on the ground for Easter! It was almost 80 last week, this is too much to bear! Where do you go to complain about how unfair this is? I had some crocus and Labrador violets in bloom, some daffodils up next to the house were just showing color. The daffs are looking very frost bitten and the others are covered by snow. I feel sorry for the poor robins, I am going to give them some frozen blackberries I have.

One of the barn cats came down out of the loft all bloody this am and I could hear kittens crying. Yes, April is a cruel month. She didn't seem to be in a hurry to get back up there and she isn't the best Mom anyway so I imagine those kits will not make it. Natures way of limiting population.

I have spent the day writing, at least the snow and cold keep me from straying from my work. It is hard to work at home and not want to sneak outside when the weather is nice and the frogs are calling you. My husband is moving around outside the office door and giving great sighs. It is to let me know he thinks I should come out and start dinner. He won't say that of course. When I am at my town job he feeds the animals very early and then starts dinner so it will be done when I walk in the door. I like to spend the best part of the day working when I am home, start dinner later and go out to feed the stock after dinner. Then if I want to linger outside I don't feel guilty.

Easter celebration down in the city tommorrow. Going to my Moms for dinner, a long drive that should be nice this time of year- not having to watch for snow drifts and slick spots. I have to stop grumbling about the weather!

Grannys advice on Easter. Easter is a time for Christians to celebrate the renewed life of Jesus. Let us also resolve to start our own lives new, to change what is dead in our lives to something that is new and hopeful.

Granny's Guide to Everything

I have always been an opinionated person. Just ask my husband. I have an idea about how to fix everything. It may not always work and I'm quick to admit that. I also have no problem requesting ideas from others. It's solving the problem that's important. If you don't find the right answer the first time, try again, that's my motto. I can be persuaded to change my mind about something if your reasoning is sound so don't be afraid to comment, suggest solutions, and ask questions of me on this blog. I basically started a blog so that those who read my writing on other sites have a place to go to get to know me better. I intend to post personal ramblings and opinions as well as tips and advice and little tidbits of information I have learned.

Some personal background. I was born and raised in a midsized grungy factory town in Michigan. I was the oldest of six children. My grandparents lived on either side of me and they were a big influence on my life. My childhood was fairly happy, I was never a child who longed to grow up- instead I had a rather Peter Pan view of life, I knew childhood was going to be one of my fondest memories to say the least. I was a tom boy, roaming the woods and fields near our suburban neighborhood with my brother and his friends. I learned to read before kindergarten and devoured books of all kinds. I was good in school, rarely a behavior problem, a kind of shy, average looking girl with glasses. At home I was a bit more of an instigator and leader, always coming up with some new scheme and talking my brother and sisters, and neighbor kids into it.
My greatest wish was to live on a farm and own a horse and I lobbied my parents endlessly to move to a farm. It didn't happen, they are still in the house they built, between the houses my grandparents built and where they grew up.

Fast forward to college years. A counselor talked me into going to a local Christian college on a scholarship and student loan. I was taking pre-med courses. Maybe because it was a safe environment to explore "limits", I became a little bit of a rebel. In a big college I would have seemed like a fairly average college student, here I was part of the "wild" crowd. I got a boyfriend who was not a college student and after my second year of college he persuaded me to take a year off. That has always been one of my biggest regrets.

Next chapter of my life. Always one to care for strays I picked up a boyfriend fresh out of 2 tours of duty in Viet Nam. He was an alcoholic and had a host of other mental problems. Like a lot of optimistic women I thought I could help him. Then I got pregnant. He wanted to marry me but something in me said no and I didn't, despite the tears and pleading of my mother. I had already dealt with too much drama and despair. I knew that I couldn't raise a child in that situation. I decided that I would devote the next 18 years to being the best mother I could be, making my childs welfare the top concern. I had a job in one of the major box store chains and I worked hard to get promotions and support myself and my child. I managed to buy a small house in the same grungy factory town and my son attended the same schools I went to. I rarely dated, although I had friends of both sexes and a quiet social life. I had a big garden, several pets, and I read back to the land magazines with a passion. I still wanted a farm.

Next chapter. My son was in high school. He was talking about getting married to his girl friend already. I realized that he wouldn't be around forever and I was lonely. When he left on a summer vacation to visit my sister in Alaska, I decided to put some serious effort into dating.
At age 40 I found my soul mate and married him. The woman everyone thought would never marry, did. I also acquired two teenage step children, the oldest, a girl, got married a few months after her father and I married. There were some rough spots with my son and stepson but it all worked out in the end.

Three years after my husband and I married, company he worked for went bankrupt. He found a new job, but it wasn't in the same field. It did leave him with a little more time and flexibility. We had been talking about moving "beyond the sidewalk". It was time to do it. We didn't have a lot of money so we searched long and hard until we found the perfect small farm for us, even though it meant a long commute. We jumped into the back to the land thing with both feet, chickens, beef steers, milk goats, pigs, giant garden, fruit trees. I got my horse, and a pony for the grandkids. A lot of work and a lot of fun. Our kids, all now married and presenting us with grandkids, stayed in the city. [ Although my stepdaughter did move to a city in Minnesota.] At this writing we have seven grandchildren and are expecting another.

A few years after the big move, there were more changes. My company offered a buy out and I took it. I went back to school and got a degree, educational counseling, and got a job working in the AmeriCorps program. My husband also lost his job, due to another business closing, and got a job a bit closer to home. We had shorter commutes but a lot less money. Then there was my husbands illness. He has a congenital disease of the spine and had to have surgery on his spine. He was in terrible pain and losing the use of his legs. After the surgery he had complications, including a terrible staph infection in the wound. He was able to go back to his job in a limited way for a few years but is now unable to work and is in a wheelchair.

So the big farm animals are gone, I also have physical limitations with severe arthritis and diabetes. But we carry on. We still have a few chickens, a small flock of Painted Desert sheep, and we raise Jack Russell Terriers and Cocker Spaniels. There is a garden, smaller than before, but perfect for us. We love our country home and hope we never have to leave it. It's quiet here at night, crime is very low, I can sit on my porch and listen to the birds while looking at pastures full of pretty horses and fields of corn that belong to neighbors. No boom boxes or sirens wailing. I can hear the rain coming across the fields before it gets to us. Our house is small and old, needs lots of repairs and both cars we own are over 20 years old. But we still think we are living the good life.

I now work for the local Extension office, it's a part time job and doesn't pay very well but I do love it. I teach gardening classes and answer homeowner questions about their gardens and lawns. I also do some freelance writing.

We are waiting for my husband to receive Social Security Disability. He was turned down the first time, although we were told to expect that as he has a back problem, which almost always means a delay. He's 59 years old, confined to a wheelchair, on strong narcotics to control pain and has a host of other medical issues yet he was told he could still work. We have a legal advocate working with us and he and our doctor both say we should be successful at the next hearing. Trouble is, it's been over 6 months since he applied and we are told to expect another 6 months. Things are a little tight, you might say, as we wait for a decision. I am told there are ways to speed up the process. If anyone knows of such a way, please comment in this blog and let me know.
I do some freelance writing to try and make ends meet, you can read my online work at Garden and Hearth [ I'll post the url soon to my new page there], or at the links listed below. I write about gardening, animals, political opinions, you name it. I get a tiny bit of money each time someone reads my work on one of these sites so please take a look. Every little bit helps- thank you. read about Taking Care of Gift Plants here
or read about the cruelty of piercing a babies ear here
or read about how to pass your passion for gardening on here
read about how to plant a tree here
You can read my article about zoonotic disease here
or about breeding mixed breed puppies here