Cattle are our ball and chain and other rubbish

That was a rather long Hiatus, but I'm back again. On a trial basis, let's say.

We were suppose to sell our cow herd last fall. Obviously that didn't happen...as I knew it wouldn't.   I think I said in a previous post that his promise of selling as soon as cow prices were up wouldn't hold because who wants to get rid of them when they are making money again, aaaaannnnnnddddd then the price dropped  and they are still here.

When they do finally go, it will be a tough day, we are both attached to them, it's never been just about the money they make us.  But I find more and more lately that I begrudge them the hours of work they create. Breaking through the fences, the bruises from kicks, the loss of sleep, the stress of things going wrong and for sure the time we have to spend taking care of them leaves no time for any kind of life other than the cows or putting feed up for the cows.

We had an old cow that birthed twins this spring, one calf was perfectly normal and the other calf was born blind...the eyelids open but instead of an eyeball there is just white skin inside.  We transplanted it to another cow who had lost her calf and she took very good care of it while in the wooden corral..but now she wants to be on grass in the yard and we have let her into a small bale yard to graze along with another cow and calf and a bull. This poor blind calf that now weights 500 lbs. gets left behind when it's mother goes to the water bowl and it gets disoriented and afraid and bawls and bawls while moving around running into one fence, turning and walking until it hits another fence and the cow is only 50 ft away but won't moo back to the calf...it really pisses me off and I feel bad for the calf...I wish there was some way to keep it with the cow...other than locking them in a 10 x 10 corral. Rbt says I worry too much, that it hasn't walking into the dug out yet so it's fine, but he doesn't have to be out in the yard listening to it bawl and bawl and no one answers it back...boy it I had a gun.... better yet an electronic dog collar for the cow to wear...and when the calf bawl and she doesn't answer I can push the remote and ZAP her and she'll bellow...hahahaha makes my day just thinking about it...oh yes...I have a real mean streak...

Another thing that's really been on my mind lately, and not in a good way, is my lawn....what is it about some humans who feel the need to beautify their yards.  I spend 3.5 - 4 hrs, mowing grass every 4th day and every second time I mow I spend an additional 2 hours trimming with the gas trimmer.
NO ONE BUT US SEES THE DAM YARD !!! 

I've been busy building cabinets and miscellaneous things out of old wood. Good feedback from my fans, maybe it's time to seriously sell something.

I am currently out of commission, with bursitis in my right shoulder and elbow.  Painful as all hell and not much can be done about it...Rbt. had to start cutting hay today and that's always my job.  I hope to take over in a couple of days once the pain subsides and I can move my arm again. Besides all the little chores I'm not getting done are starting to pile up.

I hope to write on here  more often, wish me luck.

Where's the Joy ?

Year after Year we pimp ourselves up and make the tedious drive into town to present ourselves at Rbts nephews house on Christmas eve.  We sit and watch them perform a gift exchange and general socializing. They all pack up and head off to church for the evening service and we head home again. there for a total of 2.5 hours.    It's tough.  since my first marriage in 1977 I have always been the one to have to drive some where on Christmas.  with the exception of one year when I convinced my first mother in law. A Ukrainian lady, to let me do Christmas dinner instead...I turned myself in side out preparing the whole meal deal, turkey, ham, meatballs and gravy, potatoes, pyrogies, cabbage rolls, salads and stuffing, homemade buns and fresh pies for dessert.  We were to eat at 2pm.  Sids sister had a 3 hour drive to get home afterwards.  She and her family had come the day before and stayed at the mothers house in town.  They slept late on Christmas day and at basically noon my mother in law made them a breakfast of potato pancakes, ham and eggs so at 2 pm when they arrived at my place they weren't hungry. all they did was drink and nibble and they were back at the mother in laws for HER Christmas supper at 4 pm.  Sid drove in and I stayed home...I was livid, and since then never offered to make dinner again, not that I would have been allowed...when I complained to Sid that his family did eat much of my dinner, his response was " well, if had tasted more like my moms, maybe they would have eaten more".   there was me told.

since marrying Rbt. I have tried to have Christmas dinner here but there were no free slots...unless I wanted it a week before or after...hahahaha the one time I did have a New Years day dinner, three people showed up....apparently we live to far from the city...hahahaha  screw them. I happen to be an awesome cook, and they will never know because they are to f-ing lame to bother coming out.

I just get tired of being the people that invited because they feel  they have to and we wouldn't be missed if we didn't bother showing up.

Christmas is depressing, it builds a persons expectations so much, to the point where how can you not be disappointed.

We are eating left over meatballs I took to the family dinner last night and they didn't eat. along with some coleslaw and broccoli salad I have in the fridge. I think there might even be a piece of leftover cherry pie in the freezer as a special treat for Rbt.  Merry Christmas y'all.

College

I apologize for the infrequent postings of late.  My spare time is used up on the bathroom renovation that seems to be taking forever.  The work is progressing very slowly, which might be for the best in the long run but seems frustrating right now.

Every third day or so we are compelled to drive to town for more supplies and tools we forgot to get the last time. Makes me want to pull my hair out.  If we had done this sort of thing before we would have better idea what things were needed to do the job right but we are learning as we go and so it is taking many trips to the hardware store.  One day we were in LOWES in Edm. so long, the older guy working in the tile department asked us if we wanted to fill out applications...hahahaha every body's a comedian.

We did luck out and one of Rbt.s nephews owns a wet saw for cutting tile. that saved us a bundle of money.

I have the tub deck framed now and today I got my first lesson in taping and mudding the drywall. putting up rounded corner bead and the like.  I was alone and willingly admit to be a nervous wreck.  But I got my little job done without any catastrophes, and am ready to apply the second coat tomorrow.

Christmas is on hold for us this year...we both discussed it and have agreed to put off our Christmas dinner for two until the reno is complete, at which time we will do the big turkey dinner and the fixing's as a celebration.

We do plan to drive to Rbts nephews place on Christmas eve, where Rbts brothers 4 sons and families get together for dinner ... we have gone 3 yrs in a row now and always have a nice time.  After dinner they all go to the tiny church nearby and we head home. Neither of us being particularly religious and find going that one time a year a bit hypocritical.

Rbt. took me to see THE HOBBIT movie, thanks to Jen for sending us the cineplex gift cards. It was awesome.  Rbt fell asleep briefly near the beginning but then got his second wind and stayed awake to see the rest. I thought momentarily that I was going to have to elbow him like I did during the  third and final show of Lord of the Rings, when he was snoring too loudly. First movie I've seen since the new year.
I desperately want to see Les Miserable between Christmas and New year.  Rbt took me to the theatre production for our 5 th anniversary and I loved it. The movie looks even better.  I mean with Hugh Jackman and Russel Crow in it, it's gotta be good.  We will use the other gift card Jen generously sent us to see that.

Rbt and I never go out for New years. We prefer to stay home and watch the comedians on TV and the year end reviews on the National (Rbt.s favorite thing to watch) and I go along with that, just happy to have him in the house early.  We cut loose and eat potato chips and dip, open a box of chocolates and drink pop.  Party animals that we are. If we lived closer to the city I would love to watch the fireworks, I haven't seen live fireworks since I was kid in PG.

Other than that, I will just keep plugging away at this reno, for a small job it sure is taking it's time... I keep waiting for Rbt to give me a hand but he barely manages to get the chores done before dark and by then I am tired so the reno ends for the day. maybe this weekend. He is going to have to hook up the plumbing of the bathtub soon since I refuse to do that job.

The world is suppose to end tomorrow according to peoples interpretation of the myan calendar.  If that's the case, I won't have to pay off my latest Visa Bill...hurray.... if it's not, damn I guess I'll have to pay it. 

All the best to you, one way or the other. It's been a blast knowing you all. 

Renovation Hell

Bathroom reno has begun.  I basically demo'd the tub surround and walls myself, Rbt showed up in time to help carry it to the burning barrel.

Yesterday I forced myself to go down to the crawl space and re-enforce the joists under the tub area (something that should have been done the first time, when the guys built the house with the huge tub) and my efforts have already payed off, even before installing our new but much smaller tub. The movement in the floor and the subsequent squeaking has stopped. Yay...

It was pretty traumatic though...being down there for three hours. in dim lit space all by myself, especially with my severe issue with claustrophobia... the job was hard enough as it was but try doing it while your whole body is tensed up and screaming for you to get out.....it wasn't pretty, profuse sweating, the smelly fear based sweat, talking to myself, mostly in encouragement, sometimes in anger. I hate this weakness I have...that I can't bully into subordination.

Any way it worked so well Rbt wants us to do the same thing under the kitchen floor....hahahahahahha.... that's maniacal nervous laughter you hear.

Next on my list is to lay a second layer of sub floor, the professional plumber who plumbed the house when it was new...must have been drunk because he bored huge 5-6 inch holes in the sub floor for the drain and such but he's got about 5 holes all over the place and the tub only had one drain....hahaha so we need to bolster that by gluing and screwing a sheet of 3/4 inch ply on top...then I have to drywall the walls because the builders just built the tub surround over the insulation and vapour barrier. I want drywall there too, then I get to start constructing the new deck for the smaller tub. then apply 3/4 plywood to the top and sides of it and then the tiling begins.... I never done any of this before so it is pretty nerve wracking...and expensive...but the house is worth less money if the tub is defective..so we hope to increase the value by doing the reno.  besides I love to take baths  from time to time and I had a real problem accessing the old one now that I am gibbled up.

I'd have pictures on here but blogger won't let me.... gotta look into that...half the fun of blogging is being able to brag about stuff.

Revelations

Life here has turned up side down.

Real estate assessments, searching for acreages, condos on the island, talking to the accountant about tax implications, it sure sounds like leaving the farm to me.

Scared senseless, more like.  I waffle between excitement and horror.  I don't think anyone can do one job for 35 years  and not feel panic at the thought of having to learn to do something else, especially in their fifties.

In an ideal world we wouldn't have to work after we sell, but interest rates being what they are even a million dollars in the bank will only make you at best 25,000. per year....and they say it takes about 3500-4500 per month for a couple to retire comfortably. that comes to nearly 50,000. per year....a long, long way from 25,000. so we hope to only have to have part time jobs so we have lots of time  to spend together. Old age pension is a few years away.

Actually in an ideal world, we would be able to make a living here the way were able to ten years ago. But the fact is, government wants to squeeze out the small farmer, and have big corporate farms working in tandem with the packing plants, they've done it to the HOG guys and their are decimated.  Financially, the writing is on the wall for us, but our hearts are telling us we're not ready to quit yet.  It's the land, it's hard to tear yourself away.  It's worked its way into your lungs, bone and sinew, until the thought of leaving it feels like ripping a limb off without anesthetic.

This coming year will be the teller.  But hold onto your hats, cause it's gonna be a whing-dinger. 

A Busy Week Past

I was busy all week doing nothing basically, you know what that's like.  Quick trips to town for banking, odds and ends groceries, a bit of laundry, vaccuming and such, preparing meals and zippo the days are gone. I did manage to get a bit of painting done late in the afternoons. Here are three of my latest efforts. Some better than others but it keeps the cabin fever at bay so I keep trying.

Okay, I apologize, BLOGGER won't let me upload my latest paintings to this post.  You'll have to check them out on face book or flickr.

This coming week we will finally put this years calves on the truck and send them off to market. Fingers crossed we top the market, they are a pretty nice set of calves. So tuesday they get loaded, Wednesday we make the three hour drive to watch them sell and get the cheque, on Thursday we have to deliver some freezer beef  and again on Friday. See, I told you it was a busy couple of weeks.

Sharpest tacks...just saying

Got our flu shot today. Ouch...why do I always get the girls with the ham fists... felt like she was trying to jab a pencil in my arm for the love of God.

We tied the 45 minute drive to get the shot in with taking our bottles to the depot.  I spent an hour last week resorting them all and counting carefully so that I knew how many there were and what we could expect as payment.  For my convenience I put them in bags of 60 (that's what fit in each bag), and told Rbt that day that I was  going to do an honesty check on the depot.

A few years ago, after my son moved out of the house next door, we got the task of taking all their empty bottles to the depot. I estimated about $ 145. worth but were paid only 75.   I squawked, but they were throwing them into a huge dumpster type bin as they sorted them and so there was no way to recount.
A deliberate move on their part I still think.  We left it, but since then we have changed depots and I thought I would test these new folks.

So I counted and we should have got $ 75.oo + change.  I climbed into the back of the truck to hand the many bags to his lordship, I have to untie them too he's all thumbs...and just rips them open ( I wanted to re-use them)  and he quietly asks me how many in this bag?   60 bottles I said, and he goes up to the window, hands the bag to the guy there and tells him " there are 60 bottles in this bag !!!   I told him not to tell them what was in each bag, when he came back for a second but he continued to do it.......I could have strangled him,  I must have had a really bad look on my face  because he was looking at me kinda funny.... oh believe me, I wanted to say something....but it wouldn't have been nice...and I've been told I am too hard on his sensitive feelings...well then he shouldn't be such an imbecile and I wouldn't refer to him as a dim bulb. Just saying... They aren't going to cheat you if you let them know that you know exactly how many bottles you have per bag....duhhhhhhh
we just needed to know and then if they counted the same, (which I hoped they would) then they pass the test and we would keep dealing with them...all without them knowing.     That's the point of an undercover op....arggghhhhh

After I explained it to him three times in the truck on the way home, he sheepishly apologized, he didn't realize that was why I had counted them. Ugh...  and people wonder why I have gray hair and a twitchy eyelid.