Hello All, hope everyone had a great weekend. I think my shingles are responding to the meds the Dr. put me on, they aren't getting worse, at least!!

Kevin and I went to the lumber store and got the first load of 2x4x8's and 2x4x12's, to begin the walls for the temporary house we'll be living in next spring (in MO). Kevin is on vacation this week and decided this was a good time to start building. I'm hoping to keep accurate records; I'd love to know how much this entire homestead will cost, in comparison to a standard house on 5 acres here in NY.

I had a great week trash picking, believe it or not, I got a working refrigerator! People left in the middle of the night, I guess, and the owner of the building put everything on the curb, and I mean everything! I got a coffee maker, crockpot, alarm clock, lots of kitchen utensils, Corningware, I just wish I'd had time to grab the stove! The fridge was filthy, so I hosed it out real good, voila, got myself a fridge. I also got a bunch of books at a different house, including "Crockett's Victory Garden".

I finally had enough ripe tomatoes to can, and also did dilly greenbeans, and spiced red cabbage. I hope to get some salsa done this week. What are you up to?

-- Cathy in NY (hrnofplnty@yahoo.com), August 20, 2001

Answers

Company is coming midweek, so it's time to get all the inside things done. They will happily help with chores, but I hate to ask. Have carrots ready for the canner, but mice got to the gasket over the winter, so I'm headed to town to hopefully find the replacement. Pears are ready on the tree, plus a friend who hates pears has a loaded tree at her house! I've had the summer off, but Sept 4 it's back to the garden center, so I'm trying to get things done that I didn't do all summer. The goats are both milking over a gallon a day, so I'm making soft cheese, clabber for the chickens, and am going to try my hand at goat milk soap this week. Finally found the lye, so I'm in business. That stuff isn't easy to find. I'm told it's because the meth cookers use it, so some stores don't want to carry it anymore. It's still hot here in the mid-south, but at least it has rained fairly often. It's the first year in the last four that the goat pasture has stayed green. Thank you, God. Cathy, I envy you finding that Victory Garden book. I'm looking for a used copy of The Victory Garden Cookbook. The recipes always look so easy and quick, yet use alot of common garden ingredients and herbs. Anyway, good gardening to all.

-- melina b. (goatgalmjb1@hotmail.com), August 20, 2001.

Wow, Cathy! You found a gold mine!!! It's unreal what some people will throw away, isn't it? We went "yard saleing" this weekend but didn't have much luck. One just never knows. Most of the stuff I get is either from yard sales, trash picked or from Goodwill. It's a good feeling to know I'm recycling and saving money to boot!

-- ugly (here@home.com), August 20, 2001.

What great recoveries! Congratulations......what'd you guys decide to do about transport? And btw, I have been meaning to ask about your cat that was burned. How's Kitty?

melina, it would be great to work in a garden center. Do you get to try to save the plants that are really bad? I know it would be hard work, but it would be good to be around plants all the time.

Things are burnt up and grasshopper eaten here. WHINE! there is some rain, just not at my place. last week a good storm went to the east of me, oh...bout 400 yards or so. I got just barely enough to ruin the windows on the truck and in town they had almost 2". Luffa is coming in just great and basil is still strong, otherwise the garden is done until the end of September for me.

Good news tonight. A friend's Mom wants to take two bucklings for pets! Of course they will be emasculated first. She seems really nice and he's doing the fencing for her...She's about 65, I think. Excellent.

-- Doreen (bisquit@here.com), August 20, 2001.

Fluffy the kitty is doing great, Doreen, thanks for asking. She has scars on her ears, but other than that, she came through it OK. We've decided to build the wall frames, 8'x12', and a simple angled shed roof, and slide 'em on a U-haul; one of us will drive my pick- up, pulling a small trailer, and the other will drive the big truck. We'll have to put some stuff in storage for a few months, while we build a bigger place. It would be sooo much easier to make this move if we didn't have so many cats and dogs, but I wouldn't change that part of my life for anything! We'll deal with it!

I've been pretty lucky with the trash-picking lately. I guess it helps that I'm out there 7 days a week delivering the newspapers in the early hours. Today I got 2 nice towels, an iron, and a heavy stainless steel pot (yucky, burned-on food! somebody was too lazy to scrub it). Yard sale Sept. 15!!

-- Cathy in NY (hrnofplnty@yahoo.com), August 21, 2001.

Hey, Doreen, that's wonderful news about the two little bucklings!

-- Cathy in NY (hrnofplnty@yahoo.com), August 21, 2001.

At the house we still live in, the siding and windows are about finished. The landlord took out one of the chicken houses and most of the garden. This is a blessing, but it's also hard on me, but I supposed God is allowing it to happen so it won't be so hard to leave here. The landlord is doing some really dumb stuff to this house, like taking out the west door and screen door(no window on that side of the room. He had a new front door put in with no screen, sealed up the cellar door and is taking part of the breezeway out.He also took out most of my peppers, which broke my heart, but God is good. And the new people will have to pay higher rent for all that. We're moving all the outside stuff to our new place. Had a yard sell with 4 other families. .

At the new place, the asbestos siding is off the house, the termite work is being done, Gary's putting up new walls, and other stuff. We discovered that the back porch has much charm to it. We'll have 5 built-in bookcases.We got an estimate on the kitchen cabinets, much compromising going on. Another new window put in. The ceiling is out of one of the rooms, one more ceiling has to be replaced. The stakes are set for the addition. We cleaned up another 1/2 dumpster of trash from around the place.

Canned tomatoes, most came from a friend's garden, our's is doing badly, very badly. I'll make jalapeno jelly tomorrow and move more outside stuff, then workshop stuff then outside workshop loft stuff. We plan on being in moved by the end of Sept. even if we have to pitch a tent for a while. We won't have the new cabinets til Dec. we're troopers though. All that's left to can will be my famous applesauce. Actually, there's more going on than this, but that's enough for now. God Bless.

-- Cindy (S.E.IN) (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), August 21, 2001.