Where are we??

So where am I today?

I am at work right now. What do I do? I work with High School Students in Study Hall. My job is to make sure that they are keeping on track with school work. I enjoy my work, although I find it hard at times to explain to the students that it does matter whether they pass their algebra class. That in ten years it will matter if they go to college or not and that their grades from high school can and will affect them. Did I think that way in high school, yes and no. I did think about what I wanted to do and some choices where for ten years down the road. But many were for the here and now. I was a 4.0 student up till my Freshman year, then I made a choice. I still finished high school, six months late, and I did go to college and get an associates degree. Today I talk with my advisor at OSU. I am, after six years, going to complete my BA and then get a teaching certificate. I will do all this while getting my two teenage boys thru high school, work and take care of family. I also hope to be more stable financially in two years. That is where I am today..

Wally, my husband, is at a different spot. He graduated in 2006 with a BA in Operations Management. One might ask what does one do with that kind of degree. Well, he managements people, quality control on manufactured products, six sigma, lean production and other high end brain power stuff. Or as I like to say, goes in and makes it all work good with less waste and money saved. His goal was to work for a large corporation and make enough money to let me stay home with my horses. He worked very hard to get the degree, as he was one who did not think of the future in high school, nor in his first year of college. So he had to work harder to bring up those failing grades of college, got only one scholarship and several loans to pay for it all. In the end he got his degree, works for a small company and we live paycheck to paycheck. But he come home happy most evenings, has time for family and is not stressed. That is where Wally is..

Where are you? Are you happy with where you ended up at, or is this just a stepping stone in the path of life for you?

In my journey I have learned a few things. Some were huge and others small. So I will post a small list of the ones I think are the most important.

Family is everything. Now you do not need to be blood related to be family. Family is the ones you live with day in day out. The ones who raised you and were raised with you. The ones that are there no mater what. They are not long time friends, they are the ones who disciplined you or stood by your side as you received the punishment, they are the ones who took you hunting, camping, fishing or on vacation or enjoyed it with you. The ones who taught you about life, love and happiness.

Truth above all else. Do not make excuses. When asked, be truthful. Be honest in all dealings. And remember that silence can be better at times.

Say I love you. With the busy world today, life can be short. Make sure to say "I love you" to those that matter most.

Take a quiet moment. In anything you do, take a quiet moment to yourself. Reflect, admire, breathe deep, calm down. A simple quiet moment can change the whole course of your actions.

Take responsibility. You are the only one that causes your course of life. You are the leader of your journey. Take responsibility for it. You make it happy, sad, fun, loved or boring. I wake up and say "I am happy today and today will be a good day."

Yes, things I can not change happen around me. I take a quiet moment, be truthful with myself and move on. Somethings stay with me longer and I let myself be upset by them, but in the end I know I am the one with the issue. Let it go, and once I do, the stress goes with it.

I am there...Sometimes it is just a stone in the creek to keep my feet dry, sometimes it is the other side, sometimes it is middle and I am all wet, but in the end it is my life and I am enjoying every aspect...

Till next time,
Me

Canning

So something click in me and I got the urge to can stuff. However, somewhere in my childhood I either missed that lesson or it was never offered. Might have been just to busy with other things to remember. Anyways....

My trail riding buddy cans jams all the time. So she agreed to teach me how. She even gave me a water bathing canner pot. My first lesson was Chokecherry and Wild plum jam. I had a blast and they turned out great.

So I decide to do Zucchini Relish, on my own. I got all the stuff together. Followed the recipe(well I followed it like I follow all my recipes, "they're more like guidelines") Well I did half a batch. Wanted to make sure it came out okay. IT DID... I am so proud of myself. I knew that I could do it but was a bit timid about it turning out okay.

So I am off to do Applesauce.....I have three kinds of apples and a old peeler/corer...I am giddy with excitement. Which is odd at times.

Will post pictures of my canning creations.
Till next time,
Me

Winter

So I think winter is going to be cold for us here. My two girls have had winter coats for over a month now. Mornings are frosty and cold. My few non-fruit trees lost all their leaves in a matter of days and only the fruit trees have any left.

I am hoping that it will hold off a bit before it snows. However I am excited to get lots of snow. My hope this winter is to learn how to snowboard..LOL

Wally and Kayvon know how to ski and Jacob does the snowboarding thing. I took their gear down to get the yearly tune-ups and was told I could use Wally's board(which he got to learn on). So I am hoping to learn..Have a friend who use to teach lessons and he has agreed to give us lessons if we cover the life ticket. So will fill you all in on how that goes.....

Till next time,
Me

Catching up...Life some how gets in the way..LOL

So it has been a little while since I last posted. I was very happy to be getting the summer done, so that I would have more time on the weekends to do other things. Wow...was I not thinking clearly.

So summer is done and I do not have to go places, but because I was gone, all the little things around the place have been left un-done. Soooooo, now I am into fall and I have to get the little things done before winter. And in Klamath Falls, winter is not far away.

Point being: In May I agreed to lease our back twenty to the neighbor(VH). He has worked to clear it of sage brush, till it under and have it ready to plant. Plan was to plant in late September and pray for rain in October. So the standing joke around the family was to pray for rain in October. Well late September was hot, hot, hot and with all the news about global warming, one gets to thinking that fall might just be a hot dry affair. So VH, works and works and the land is beautiful. I know I may sound weird, but good, clean, dark dirt in nice neat form is a beautiful sight. So he decides to plant last week in September and someone was listening for on October 1st the heavens opened and it has rained everyday since the 1st. (Now, if I could just win the lottery.)

Well back to winter chore pondering. With the rain has come cold temperatures, my chickens have been hanging around the barn and the horses have winter coats. The deer we got this year had a nice layer of fat and the chipmunks are fat little things. I am thinking that it is going to be cold, cold, cold. So I really need to get the new coop done and more mats in the stall.

So since last time:
I have placed my roses and flower plants up for the winter with cover. The porch is cleared for easy snow removal. New latches on the stall door(last one would freeze and then not open). Have made room in the storage shed to house the lawn mower, jump standards and lawn chairs. Clear the tack room. Stored the camping gear.

What I have left:
Check the trucks to make sure they are ready for winter. Get the last of the lawn hoses up and stored. Get the gravel pile spread out. Finish a door on the new coop. Finish the nesting box for the new coop. Get lights in the new coop. Get the lawn mowed one last time and winterize the mower. Get the jumps and trail course put up. Paint the bridge. And that is just the outside items.

In general, the last three weeks have had their ups and down. I lost 13 chickens to the swather next door. My good seabright hen and her chicks. All gone at once. Very upsetting, but with free range, things happen. Last year it was skunks. I guess it comes with having animals, but I hate losing them like that. Dogs have been skunked again, this time full in the face. I love the Skunk odor remove by Nature's Miracle.
Boys have been good. Seem to spend more time with friends, then us parents. Jacob is starting wrestling again this evening and Kayvon just hangs out with buddies(they mainly do youth group, bike riding and movies). I think they would bowl if they had more money...
Wally's shop moved to a new location and had a big grand opening. The new shop is much bigger and allowed them to hire on two more techs...
Bow Hunting was good this year, we got one deer and have two tags left to fill. Saw lots of deer, both buck and doe, just could not get good shots. However I did shot at a cougar, missed it and thank goodness it ran the other way. I was shaking pretty bad when I got back to the rig. Next time I will have my carry gun and not just my bow...

So till next time,
Me