I need PBS.

I was thinking again.... and I decided that I need my own PBS show. I can do educational TV! I'm nothing if not educational. Then I would get stuff done. I would be funded! and maybe even a salary! How cool would that be?!

I have so much to teach people. The traditional oven would take several episodes, but I want to do a sculpted clay oven as well. The hobbit house would take at least five episodes. Tree planting would take an episode. Starting chickens would take another one. Building different styles of fencing could go on for awhile, God knows. Actually there could be helpful suggestions for digging post holes in 90o weather in clay soil. There would be some bloopers in that one!! Gardening would be ongoing, of course.

The real drawback would be having me as the host. Imagine, if you will, crossing Kathy Bates with Professor McGonagal and that person having enough beers that they feel comfortable sharing their opinion, no matter what it is. Not that I really drink... I just believe in letting loose. Granted I would probably only have a cult following. That's okay. It would rank me up there with all of the other PBS shows.

I could do this! Not only do I think I need PBS, I'm starting to think PBS needs me too! Don't act surprised by this.... you all know I'm a bit self delusional. Who isn't?

Louie

Money makes the Farm go 'round....

I'm having one of those days where I feel like no matter what I try, I'm hitting a wall. It just keeps coming back to money.

I want to work on my fireplace and out door oven. I have most of the supplies but what I don't have is the money to get the firebrick and the mortar and some portland.

I especially need to be working on fencing. I continue to work on cutting my own posts out of hedge. It is slow going as I am using a small pruning type saw. While I am making progress, the thing that cuts even slower then hedge is wet hedge, and it has been raining everyday recently. We found a small chain saw that Mac feels confident I won't kill myself with. Unfortunately, it costs money too. Even when I get the posts in, there is the debate on whether I should use woven wire, twisted wire or panels.... all of which cost money.

I really want to work on the hobbit house. I have everything I need there except, some fireplace trim, the door and once again, portland.

I was looking at some of the Olde English Babydoll Southdown Sheep and found a farm where I would like to reserve. Ewes are running at $500.-$525. So, need I say more.

I need to order my hazelnuts, my grape vine slips, my mushroom spawn........

I need to hire someone to come out and chip some dead elm.

I'm very close with projects that need finishing up in the house. If I could get several sheets of plywood and some wood flooring. *If* being the key word here.

So much just waiting for the hay to be cut and baled and sold. But it just keeps raining. Not only raining but the temperatures last night got down to 51o F. Too cold for the plants in the garden to set blossom I need to catch a break. Just four days of sun and no rain and we could really start to make the farm happen. A break.... just a small break.

Louie

Today is......

Today is a big push day. When I get done here I need to get brave and go out and climb down into a hole and dig out the mud. The mud is so slimy with having gotten rained on so much that it is impossible to use shovels, post hole diggers.. anything! Once it gets attached to whatever tool you are using, it just sticks! It is much faster to just pull on a pair of mud gloves and dig it out by hand. Although it feels like some sort of torture or punishment, it is faster and I REALLY want to get done with this.

Once this last footing trench is dug out, I'll be filling it with gravel that has a lot of fines in it. Then it will be left over winter to settle down hard. Next spring it will be ready for building the hobbit house...FINALLY!! There have been ample opportunities to give up on this project. I don't know why I haven't.

I have to gear up mentally to get down there. I'm a little bit claustrophobic and you get in the trench and you just have straight walls of dirt around you. It's cold and damp and just plain depressing. The footing trenches caved in on the garage footings and the house footings as well. I dug both out by hand a second time. The house caved in again. Next time I had some help, supplied by my kids, to get it dug out. Again it had to be done by hand. When we got those footings poured for the house the heavens opened and the angels sang. The next day it rained.

With Mac's leukemia recurring last year, I was just never able to stay ahead of keeping the garage footings open. I had to give up on them. A neighbor came over with his tractor and pushed the dirt back in. It was the end of a long , hard fought battle.... that I lost. I don't want to lose the hobbit house too.

It has been dry a week and who knows when that will happen again. It might be my last chance to have this come out in my favor. So I will gather together my sick sense of humor and my warrior woman nerve and I will climb down into a footing trench one more time. It's always easier if you have someone with you. Even if they aren't working. Someone to just be around. But I don't have that so I'd better just get over it and get this done! I'll take pictures!

My last big push..... we're almost there.

louie

Another PS. today GOOD MORNING, BRAZIL!! GOOD MORNING, INDIA!! GOOD MORNING, IRAQ!! I'm assuming the last one is a person in the armed services. Hope the adventures of a crazy lady in Iowa gives you a taste of home.... not that I think your family is crazy... or that you live in Iowa.... Well, anyway, HI!!