Well Mr Obama is in the white house, when is he going to fix this weather? I am sure he will want to do some changes in this awful weather pattern we are having. Hey Obama, we need change here!
The winter weather got me to thinking about moving somewhere warmer and that got me to thinking about how my ancestors decided to settle in Michigan anyway. My mothers folks are from Missouri and southern Illinois, where they have winter, but not as harsh as ours. My dad’s folks are from the Windsor, Ontario area and they had roughly the same weather. So winter weather didn’t scare my ancestors when they moved to Michigan to be close to the factories.
I wonder what would have happened if they moved west or south to Texas or Arizona. Of course the factories where a poor man could make a decent living were all in the Midwest. They were country people, both sets of grandparents, but then where they settled in Pontiac wasn’t too citified when they first built next to each other. Now it’s horrible, smelly, dirty, congested and dangerous, but my dad will never move. He owns his dads house and his, although they sold off my mom’s mothers house. My son lives in Grandpa’s old house. My only regret about moving out of that mess is that I am far from my parents and grandchildren, although an hour and a half is closer than many people are to their family. I wish my grandchildren were growing up next door to me, instead of my mom.
It’s real funny, people who stay in the city talk about the country is where the hicks live, with jacked up cars in the yard and chickens everywhere, where you smell manure and deal with dirt roads. Yet I go into the city and see far more ugly surroundings with junk and boarded up buildings everywhere. Their roads are so full of potholes our dirt road is better. And the smell- well lets say I’ll take manure over rotting garbage, car exhaust, stale cooking smells and polluted air. I can smell Pontiac or rather city- from the time we are a couple miles outside Oxford- which is a smaller but just as crowed and polluted city 15 miles to the north and it gets worse until we are there.
One of my sisters has moved to Missouri, her husband was stationed on an Air Force base there just before he retired. They intend to move back to Michigan some day when they retire for the second time. My brother surprised all of us and moved to Australia where his winters are quite mild and opposite our winters. He doesn’t seem to miss Michigan weather. One sister stayed in Pontiac, not far from the folks, and the other two moved out to more pleasant areas of Michigan like me.
Now as much as I talk about moving somewhere warm, I don’t like hot summers, which usually come with mild winters. So unless I can find a place where winters don’t freeze and summers don’t go above 80, I am stuck. I am sure those places actually exist but I probably wouldn’t move anyway. I don’t like too much change. I like to put down roots.
When we bought this house I said we would never move again and I kind of think we never will. If I could build a new house on the property I might, but I like the area. Except for winter. Well actually the last few winters spoiled us. This winter is more like winters in Michigan 30 years ago.
This fall I said, “I’m going to just leave that zone 6 hardy grass right there in the garden instead of carting it in. It will probably make it. And I am going to plant the rosemary and give it a shot too”. So I guess I jinked the weather because I didn’t carry those plants inside. And I didn’t mound soil over the base of the roses either. First time in many, many years. My fault, this weather is my fault. I told my husband we should buy a snow thrower, that should get the weather back into the 60’s fast.
The nights have been so cold that the plastic door on the dog entrance cracked in two and now the east side is open to the wind. There is a box on the outside of the house that the doggie door opened into, then an opening in the laundry room wall covered by a flap that lets the dogs into the house. We are attempting some repairs today, that’s all we need, more cold air in the house.
Horses, chickens, turkeys, cats and outside dogs all seem to be doing fine in this weather. I guess they have adjusted. The turkey hens are finally starting to let up on the egg sitting. I hope they lay another clutch a bit later when conditions will be better for hatching. As soon as spring gets here I want to separate them from the hens. They will probably be out all the time anyway since they fly so well.
We are down to 4 bales of hay so I am starting to look for more. It truly amazes me that those small horses eat so much. We bought 30 bales and we only had 50 bales last winter and that fed a dozen sheep all winter. These horses aren’t that much bigger than those sheep. And they eat the hay up with less waste than the sheep. Charlie, the young one is really getting to be a handful. I am glad he’s not bigger. He needs to be gelded soon. And that should be interesting, lets see if that really calms him down. He snuck up on me when I was raking out their stall and bit me in the behind. He wants to bite and kick all the time now and still won’t lead worth a darn.
Such is life on the farm in the winter. Hurry Spring.
Living the dream
Visiting grandmas farm.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Scraping Detroit off my shoes
This is off my usual topics but I am feeling ornery today after reading the paper.
Mitch Albom, the Detroit News writer wrote an article in Sports Illustrated some time this week defending Detroit. Its also copied in the D. News The News was gushing over it saying how Michigan people loved the article etc. Detroit needs to stop crying about the auto industry failing. That has hurt a lot of areas just as badly as Detroit. Detroit needs to wipe the auto industry, another institution that dug its own grave, off its shoes and walk on.
Hey Detroit, sports are not everything, who cares if your teams are losers. In the scheme of life whether the Lions win or not means absolutely nothing. It doesn’t get you a job or food to eat. Wipe them off your shoes too. Rename the team. Problem solved. If Detroit really knew what is important, and it’s not the auto companies’ problems or the sports teams, then they wouldn’t have to hang their heads in shame.
Albom doesn’t speak for all of Michigan that’s a fact. Many of us are sick and tired of hearing about Detroit and its woes, most of them brought on by greedy crooks the people of Detroit vote into office. I don’t see Detroit as humble and quiet, head down in shame, I see it with an arrogant smirk on its face demanding help and blaming everyone else for their problems.
Yes, the economy failing has hurt Detroit just like many other places. Yes, it has its share of good people, thank God for the ministers and others who care. And there are some bright spots of culture within its crumbling borders but a lot of us see Detroit as a whiny, greedy, corrupt, dirty and dangerous spot. There are many just as deserving and important areas in Michigan to be concerned about as Detroit.
I am tired of Detroit trying to represent Michigan and demanding that they are the most important city in Michigan. Detroit is so not Michigan. They are not the average Michigan city. The really important things and important places are all outside Detroit. Of course Detroit has for a long time tried to claim any good thing that occurs within 50 miles of its city limits as a Detroit achievement. Maybe that’s why the city limits cover such a huge amount of space compared to other cities with even more population than Detroit.
Detroit has been run into the ground by its leaders and the residents continue to fail to stand up and choose the right people to govern them. When a wealthy man tried to help their miserable, corrupt and decaying school system they turned him down. Their city council is a joke, as is the school board, most of their politicians inept or downright corrupt. That’s what people laugh and joke about. You can’t keep feeling sorry for people who choose leaders like that and don’t seem to want to help themselves.
Much of Detroit just needs to be leveled, all the downtown decaying infrastructure and probably half the homes. Detroit really isn’t a large city now, except in acreage. Redraw the city limits around the most populated and most used areas, the flashy arenas and skating rinks they sink their money into instead of schools. Make the rest parks, open land, grow crops or put up windmills. Give most of the land back to the county or let it become small cities or townships. You already have East Detroit as a separate city, why not North Detroit, South Detroit and West Detroit- or maybe some less ugly names. Maybe some of those communities can then elect people to run them that know what they are doing.
Detroiters need to give up the attitude that people in other parts of the state “owe” them something. The “rich” suburbs don’t need to support them because they are “important”.
Instead of people associating Michigan with autos and Detroit, we want them to think of the thousands of miles of shore line and great parks to visit. When they think of Michigan cities we want them to think Traverse City, Holland, Frankenmuth, and Mackinaw. When they think of Michigan industry we want them to think of alternative energy and agriculture, education and technology.
Detroit does have some good things, some nice museums, the waterfront area could be nice, the Eastern Market and other historic and cultural areas but it needs someone to get in there and do a good cleaning and re-organizing. Take care of the neighborhoods and basic services instead of building more bling like auditoriums and skating rinks.
I envision Detroit in the future living within its means as this quaint old historic area, a medium sized city of little but recreational and tourism value and certainly not as the mouth piece for Michigan. Obviously the people of Detroit can’t do it themselves, they have pretty much shown the world that, so maybe its time to appoint someone outside Detroit to do the job for them or rather make them do it. No, it is not everyone outside of Detroit’s responsibility to help them clean up their mess.
Detroit doesn’t need sympathy, although I do feel sorry for people without jobs anywhere and who are homeless and hungry. Detroit, ( as a city),needs a kick in the butt or a slap in the face hard enough to make it want to do something except sit around blaming everyone else.
Stop living with corruption and greedy officials. Elect intelligent, morally responsible people, even the poor can vote. Stand up on your feet, respect yourself, do right and you won’t have to worry about the world laughing at you.
Yep, its going to be hard these next few years but there are many places hurting just as bad as Detroit. Detroit has got to stop playing the victims part and change its way of thinking. Downsize, re-organize and work hard. And respect the fact the world has changed and Detroit will be a smaller, less important place.
Mitch Albom, the Detroit News writer wrote an article in Sports Illustrated some time this week defending Detroit. Its also copied in the D. News The News was gushing over it saying how Michigan people loved the article etc. Detroit needs to stop crying about the auto industry failing. That has hurt a lot of areas just as badly as Detroit. Detroit needs to wipe the auto industry, another institution that dug its own grave, off its shoes and walk on.
Hey Detroit, sports are not everything, who cares if your teams are losers. In the scheme of life whether the Lions win or not means absolutely nothing. It doesn’t get you a job or food to eat. Wipe them off your shoes too. Rename the team. Problem solved. If Detroit really knew what is important, and it’s not the auto companies’ problems or the sports teams, then they wouldn’t have to hang their heads in shame.
Albom doesn’t speak for all of Michigan that’s a fact. Many of us are sick and tired of hearing about Detroit and its woes, most of them brought on by greedy crooks the people of Detroit vote into office. I don’t see Detroit as humble and quiet, head down in shame, I see it with an arrogant smirk on its face demanding help and blaming everyone else for their problems.
Yes, the economy failing has hurt Detroit just like many other places. Yes, it has its share of good people, thank God for the ministers and others who care. And there are some bright spots of culture within its crumbling borders but a lot of us see Detroit as a whiny, greedy, corrupt, dirty and dangerous spot. There are many just as deserving and important areas in Michigan to be concerned about as Detroit.
I am tired of Detroit trying to represent Michigan and demanding that they are the most important city in Michigan. Detroit is so not Michigan. They are not the average Michigan city. The really important things and important places are all outside Detroit. Of course Detroit has for a long time tried to claim any good thing that occurs within 50 miles of its city limits as a Detroit achievement. Maybe that’s why the city limits cover such a huge amount of space compared to other cities with even more population than Detroit.
Detroit has been run into the ground by its leaders and the residents continue to fail to stand up and choose the right people to govern them. When a wealthy man tried to help their miserable, corrupt and decaying school system they turned him down. Their city council is a joke, as is the school board, most of their politicians inept or downright corrupt. That’s what people laugh and joke about. You can’t keep feeling sorry for people who choose leaders like that and don’t seem to want to help themselves.
Much of Detroit just needs to be leveled, all the downtown decaying infrastructure and probably half the homes. Detroit really isn’t a large city now, except in acreage. Redraw the city limits around the most populated and most used areas, the flashy arenas and skating rinks they sink their money into instead of schools. Make the rest parks, open land, grow crops or put up windmills. Give most of the land back to the county or let it become small cities or townships. You already have East Detroit as a separate city, why not North Detroit, South Detroit and West Detroit- or maybe some less ugly names. Maybe some of those communities can then elect people to run them that know what they are doing.
Detroiters need to give up the attitude that people in other parts of the state “owe” them something. The “rich” suburbs don’t need to support them because they are “important”.
Instead of people associating Michigan with autos and Detroit, we want them to think of the thousands of miles of shore line and great parks to visit. When they think of Michigan cities we want them to think Traverse City, Holland, Frankenmuth, and Mackinaw. When they think of Michigan industry we want them to think of alternative energy and agriculture, education and technology.
Detroit does have some good things, some nice museums, the waterfront area could be nice, the Eastern Market and other historic and cultural areas but it needs someone to get in there and do a good cleaning and re-organizing. Take care of the neighborhoods and basic services instead of building more bling like auditoriums and skating rinks.
I envision Detroit in the future living within its means as this quaint old historic area, a medium sized city of little but recreational and tourism value and certainly not as the mouth piece for Michigan. Obviously the people of Detroit can’t do it themselves, they have pretty much shown the world that, so maybe its time to appoint someone outside Detroit to do the job for them or rather make them do it. No, it is not everyone outside of Detroit’s responsibility to help them clean up their mess.
Detroit doesn’t need sympathy, although I do feel sorry for people without jobs anywhere and who are homeless and hungry. Detroit, ( as a city),needs a kick in the butt or a slap in the face hard enough to make it want to do something except sit around blaming everyone else.
Stop living with corruption and greedy officials. Elect intelligent, morally responsible people, even the poor can vote. Stand up on your feet, respect yourself, do right and you won’t have to worry about the world laughing at you.
Yep, its going to be hard these next few years but there are many places hurting just as bad as Detroit. Detroit has got to stop playing the victims part and change its way of thinking. Downsize, re-organize and work hard. And respect the fact the world has changed and Detroit will be a smaller, less important place.
Ordinary things in winter
I looked out the window in the middle of the night last night and the whole landscape was glittery, moonlight reflecting off a fresh light snow and hoar frost covering the limbs of every tree. Even this morning through a light fog of ice crystals everything is glittering. The light is almost too much for my old eyes. It’s in the 20’s today but the temps are supposed to really bottom out in the next few days. We haven’t had below zero temps in a few winters. Yah, gotta love that global warming.
Last night I scooped up some waste hay around the stack and filled the outside dogs houses. They can’t seem to keep straw or hay in their houses, it’s all over the floor in front of the houses. The houses are inside the barn and I think Bubba, the male cocker actually sleeps outside the doghouse in the straw on the floor. I worry about the outside dogs when it gets real cold, but they get hot and nervous when you bring them inside and it’s a major hassle with the inside dogs trying to kill them every chance they get. We had Sarah inside a lot last winter after she had surgery on her mouth but she never seemed real happy with the situation.
I have been carrying Lily and Charlie’s hay outside for them, trying to keep the stall a little cleaner. They don’t seem to mind as long as it isn’t windy. I watch them and the horses across the road walking around the pasture with their noses on the ground as if grazing. I can’t imagine what they could eat even if they paw the snow away. I guess its just habit.
Hens are still laying pretty well but something is carrying eggs down under the shelf where some of their nests are, back behind the bottom nest where the turkey is sitting and eating some of them. That turkey hisses and bites at me when I try to get in the nest you think she would chase away whatever is moving the eggs. Maybe its a rat, I doubt the possum could squeeze behind her, but I never have saw rats eating eggs before so maybe something else is doing it. I have a hard time picturing a rat carrying one of those big eggs. I thought maybe the hens are just squeezing behind there so I put up some new nests. We’ll see what works.
When I went to get sunflower seeds for the birds out of the big plastic bucket on the porch there was a field mouse or vole in it. How it got in there I don’t know, there was a plastic lid on the can with a bag of salt sitting on top that. It couldn’t get out. I called the dogs and Peanut jumped right in the bucket and killed it. Then she jumped out and someone else reached in and grabbed it and ran out the door. Jack Russell’s are so funny when they kill something. It’s a quick death bite and shake, then they usually walk away like nothing happened. I think Buddy carried it outside. So far it hasn’t turned back up inside.
Steve has got to have his colonoscopy in Saginaw tomorrow. He can’t eat solid food today so I will have to eat mine when he’s not around. Hopefully the trip won’t be too hard on him, but I am not looking forward to tomorrow. It’s going to be a long day. We are grateful he has VA medical care to use but the long drives are tough.
Such are the days of ordinary people in the winter.
Last night I scooped up some waste hay around the stack and filled the outside dogs houses. They can’t seem to keep straw or hay in their houses, it’s all over the floor in front of the houses. The houses are inside the barn and I think Bubba, the male cocker actually sleeps outside the doghouse in the straw on the floor. I worry about the outside dogs when it gets real cold, but they get hot and nervous when you bring them inside and it’s a major hassle with the inside dogs trying to kill them every chance they get. We had Sarah inside a lot last winter after she had surgery on her mouth but she never seemed real happy with the situation.
I have been carrying Lily and Charlie’s hay outside for them, trying to keep the stall a little cleaner. They don’t seem to mind as long as it isn’t windy. I watch them and the horses across the road walking around the pasture with their noses on the ground as if grazing. I can’t imagine what they could eat even if they paw the snow away. I guess its just habit.
Hens are still laying pretty well but something is carrying eggs down under the shelf where some of their nests are, back behind the bottom nest where the turkey is sitting and eating some of them. That turkey hisses and bites at me when I try to get in the nest you think she would chase away whatever is moving the eggs. Maybe its a rat, I doubt the possum could squeeze behind her, but I never have saw rats eating eggs before so maybe something else is doing it. I have a hard time picturing a rat carrying one of those big eggs. I thought maybe the hens are just squeezing behind there so I put up some new nests. We’ll see what works.
When I went to get sunflower seeds for the birds out of the big plastic bucket on the porch there was a field mouse or vole in it. How it got in there I don’t know, there was a plastic lid on the can with a bag of salt sitting on top that. It couldn’t get out. I called the dogs and Peanut jumped right in the bucket and killed it. Then she jumped out and someone else reached in and grabbed it and ran out the door. Jack Russell’s are so funny when they kill something. It’s a quick death bite and shake, then they usually walk away like nothing happened. I think Buddy carried it outside. So far it hasn’t turned back up inside.
Steve has got to have his colonoscopy in Saginaw tomorrow. He can’t eat solid food today so I will have to eat mine when he’s not around. Hopefully the trip won’t be too hard on him, but I am not looking forward to tomorrow. It’s going to be a long day. We are grateful he has VA medical care to use but the long drives are tough.
Such are the days of ordinary people in the winter.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
New years day possum
Our son Mike came up with his kids on New Years day. It was dark when they got here but after we ate the kids wanted to go to the barn and see the horses so we got some carrots and went. Lily was her usual sweet self but Charlie first tried to bite one of the girls then turned around to kick at us. That little bugger is getting a bad kicking habit. I need to work with him more, but it’s hard to do in the cold.
As we were getting ready to head back into the house, my grandson Devon asked “ Is that a possum?” Sure enough, a big possum was sticking its head out from a pet carrier near the cat dish. He was hissing and growling at us so we didn’t get too close, no playing dead there. But the kids were more thrilled at seeing the possum up close than seeing the horses and chickens. I didn’t know we had a possum in the barn again, but I suspected we might when one day last week I was in the barn during the daytime and heard faint snoring. I have heard possums snoring numerous times as they sleep in the day. Sometimes I can trace the sound to where they are hiding, but that day I didn’t try. I wonder why possums snore? You would think it would be a big survivor no- no, but then possums are a very ancient animal, maybe predators don’t learn to listen for snoring.
Both of my turkey hens are now trying to sit on the same nest. Since the eggs have been knocked out a couple times I doubt any will hatch. It keeps the hens from using at least one nest often both of the floor nests. We are still getting a good supply of eggs even though it has been cold. The chickens and turkeys are getting spoiled as they have had a lot of food scraps lately. We had a lot of Christmas leftovers and we have been buying them stale bread from the store at 25-50 cents a loaf.
The chickens recognize the sound of plastic bags being rustled and go nuts. I always carry stuff out in a plastic grocery bag or bread bag because it’s easy to carry with the 2 buckets of water I need to carry out. They jump right at the door as I open it and when the independent hen was out in the barn one day and saw me set a bag down on the feed table she came flying up in a rush. Unfortunately I had already collected eggs in a pan sitting on the table and she knocked them off. The cats and Miss Independent got several cracked eggs to eat, hopefully she won’t remember that trick.
I have been reading a lot about heritage breeds of chickens, turkeys and other types of poultry and getting this urge to order more babies. Then I remind myself as I am trudging back and forth in the snow twice a day with buckets of water why I don’t need more things to take care of. Same with thinking about a steer or pig to raise, good meat but a lot of work. And you have to build pens- my husband asked that we not spend all spring and summer putting up fences this year- but we do need a pen to separate the turkeys from the chickens and we need some fixing up of the west pasture and its shed so we can move the horses in the spring. Nice warm weather projects to dream about. If you have good pens and sheds, set up right - working with livestock is so much easier. I wish we could get running water in the barn that didn’t freeze in the winter, that would really be a big help.
I also want to add several more raised garden beds. We have lots of good horse manure and sawdust to put in them. Building the beds is easy, filling them is what’s hard. But they work so much better than conventional garden beds. I want to add a small patch of raspberries, and maybe some strawberries and move the grape vines over into the sun. I am planning the garden additions now including revamping my big perennial flower bed in the center of the yard, but I may not have the time and money to get them all done this spring. And the butterfly garden in front of the spruce needs re-working too, and the fruit trees pruned- so much to do - hope spring comes early!
As we were getting ready to head back into the house, my grandson Devon asked “ Is that a possum?” Sure enough, a big possum was sticking its head out from a pet carrier near the cat dish. He was hissing and growling at us so we didn’t get too close, no playing dead there. But the kids were more thrilled at seeing the possum up close than seeing the horses and chickens. I didn’t know we had a possum in the barn again, but I suspected we might when one day last week I was in the barn during the daytime and heard faint snoring. I have heard possums snoring numerous times as they sleep in the day. Sometimes I can trace the sound to where they are hiding, but that day I didn’t try. I wonder why possums snore? You would think it would be a big survivor no- no, but then possums are a very ancient animal, maybe predators don’t learn to listen for snoring.
Both of my turkey hens are now trying to sit on the same nest. Since the eggs have been knocked out a couple times I doubt any will hatch. It keeps the hens from using at least one nest often both of the floor nests. We are still getting a good supply of eggs even though it has been cold. The chickens and turkeys are getting spoiled as they have had a lot of food scraps lately. We had a lot of Christmas leftovers and we have been buying them stale bread from the store at 25-50 cents a loaf.
The chickens recognize the sound of plastic bags being rustled and go nuts. I always carry stuff out in a plastic grocery bag or bread bag because it’s easy to carry with the 2 buckets of water I need to carry out. They jump right at the door as I open it and when the independent hen was out in the barn one day and saw me set a bag down on the feed table she came flying up in a rush. Unfortunately I had already collected eggs in a pan sitting on the table and she knocked them off. The cats and Miss Independent got several cracked eggs to eat, hopefully she won’t remember that trick.
I have been reading a lot about heritage breeds of chickens, turkeys and other types of poultry and getting this urge to order more babies. Then I remind myself as I am trudging back and forth in the snow twice a day with buckets of water why I don’t need more things to take care of. Same with thinking about a steer or pig to raise, good meat but a lot of work. And you have to build pens- my husband asked that we not spend all spring and summer putting up fences this year- but we do need a pen to separate the turkeys from the chickens and we need some fixing up of the west pasture and its shed so we can move the horses in the spring. Nice warm weather projects to dream about. If you have good pens and sheds, set up right - working with livestock is so much easier. I wish we could get running water in the barn that didn’t freeze in the winter, that would really be a big help.
I also want to add several more raised garden beds. We have lots of good horse manure and sawdust to put in them. Building the beds is easy, filling them is what’s hard. But they work so much better than conventional garden beds. I want to add a small patch of raspberries, and maybe some strawberries and move the grape vines over into the sun. I am planning the garden additions now including revamping my big perennial flower bed in the center of the yard, but I may not have the time and money to get them all done this spring. And the butterfly garden in front of the spruce needs re-working too, and the fruit trees pruned- so much to do - hope spring comes early!
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