Classic....

Once again, I endeavor to expand the repertoire of my vast *cough* audience, so that I may in some small way make a positive contribution to society. I present, for your consideration, a classic, born of great minds and performed by the best of the best. Enjoy!



You're welcome,
~J

Unorganized, Unrelated, and Under the Influence (not really)

Randomness can be a good thing. For example, I bet you didn't know that this blog is part of my "get rich slow" scheme. It's working quite well.

Here's a picture of Bambi swatting a fly.

Yesterday I did Pilates and ran two miles for the first time since I started school. Today I said, "ouch."

Here's a picture of Fabian running.

In less than a week I will be celebrating my 35th birthday, the sequel. Not sure what my plans will be yet, but I do believe that they will include drinking heavily.

Here is another picture of Bambi.

Black dog showed up, I locked him up, and found out no shelters would take him because they won't accept animals from out-of-county and my county of a whole 4000 people has no shelter. I subsequently totally freaked out, then Dad found a home for him and drove him over there Sunday morning. He crapped all over my truck (the dog, not my dad), and I have been cleaning and fumigating ever since. The end.

Here is another picture of Bambi and Paula's butt.

I aced my first test but I have three more tests this week, a quiz and two lab reports due. I haven't slept for five days, because that would be too long.

Wait for it....

~J

Today's History Lesson

In an effort to avoid having to write out a proper post educate my vast audience (all two of you), I present for your consideration this video, which explains the War of 1812.

OK, it actually doesn't explain anything at all, but if you're like me and really didn't know what the War of 1812 was truly about, don't you feel a little bit better now that you know you aren't the only one?

I always like to keep my audience riveted,

~J

This Dilapidated Farmhouse--Part 6

Although many things are changing, I am very thankful that for the first time in a long time, my address won't be one of them. I am so happy to have this place that I can call my home and it provides me with the foundation upon which I'm trying to rebuild my new life.

And while rebuilding that life, I also happen to be rebuilding this old farmhouse as well. Progress is slow, but that's perfectly fine. The under-hang on the front of the house is coming along well and once it is in place and painted, it will definitely improve the curb appeal of this old place.

Unfortunately I'm at a standstill until that is finished, though, because the scaffolding prevents me from finishing the demolition project on the second floor. Once this heat breaks and the front is finished, though, I will be able to finish gutting out the upstairs and readying it for the new walls, doors, and running electricity and duct-work.

In the meantime, I am constantly gathering decorating ideas. If I happen to run across something I like online, I always save it. Here are a few of the pictures I've saved in the past few weeks:

I absolutely love the interest created by this unusual staircase.

The color scheme is consistent, but the pattern is changed, creating interest in a very unlikely place. My staircase isn't curved, but I do think it could work well for a straight staircase that is hidden in the middle of the house like mine is. You wouldn't see the stairs until you rounded the corner to go up them and then bam!--an unexpected accent. I love it!

I probably couldn't do anything like this specifically in my house, but I do love the combination of wood and stucco elements. It gives me some ideas....

A screen could feasibly be made from barn wood and set up behind a couch in a similar fashion, adding interest to a wall without the standard frame and pictures..... The barn wood would also be "in keeping with" the house's "rustic aesthetic."

Name that movie....

The next picture is your standard Pottery Barn fare (which is getting a little tiresome and predictable, in my opinion), but the reason I included it here is the combination of the wood planking with a splash of tropical-like color.

Personally, I think Pottery Barn has become way too comfortable with its standard decorating schemes. I would really like to see the concept I mentioned above pushed a little further (be brave, guys!). For example, distressed white wood paneling with a Queen Anne chair in this fabric, and a bright teal pillow. Shazam!

And those sisal rugs really need to go. They looked nice at one time, but they have NEVER been in any way nice to have (ever walked on one in bare feet--ouch!), and now they are *yawn* old news. Let's get a nice monochromatic, soft, antiqued-patterned area rug in there, or a pretty linen-type pattern!

This next picture shows the one thing I know for sure I would like in my kitchen--a pot rack made from antique pulleys and an old wooden ladder.

I die.

Kitchen are usually all about counter-tops and cabinets, but to see a different sort of focal point in a very otherwise typical room screams individuality without throwing off the whole space.

Otherwise, I would like my kitchen to look like this.

Please and thank you.

Gawd, just look at that floor. I love the old farmhouse table in the middle with the odd number of chairs as well. The thing is my kitchen could look very similar to this as I will have double doors similar to that at one end. Eventually.

For now it's the room I sleep in and on that note, it's time for bed. Hope you enjoyed this installment of This Dilapidated Farmhouse. Stay tuned for what will hopefully be many more exciting episodes to come.

Over and Out,

~J

Life

I know you've probably seen this already (it's been circulating all over the internet lately), but take time to read it again anyway. It's a good thing to have on hand and re-read every so often...

...especially right now, for me.

There is so much change going on right now, I can hardly keep up with it. It is terrifying, exhausting, and exciting all at the same time. Some of the change is very difficult to deal with on an emotional level, and some of it I am thankful for, because it is not often in life that we get a "do-over." Once again I find myself looking to build my life from the ground up. It won't be easy, but I pray that the mistakes of my past will bring me wisdom for the future.

Here are a few things that have happened over the past few weeks:

1. A stray dog--a black lab--has shown up, probably dropped off my some irresponsible owner. He looks remarkably like the farm dog I lost last year. Much like his doppelganger, though, he is a hunter, and he wasn't here but a few hours when he proudly brought me the freshly-killed carcass of my poor little blue Silkie hen. Not able to do much else with him and figuring it wasn't any worse than his present condition, I loaded him up and hauled him a few miles away from the highway. I felt bad, but could not keep a chicken-killer around.

Then a few days later he showed up with another dog--a female who had obviously had way too many puppies. Again, I considered keeping them around, until the female attacked Charlie. Thankfully Charlie was not hurt, but this was absolutely intolerable behavior. I tried to lock up the two newcomers until I could find them a home, but they managed to get out no matter what I did. I considered taking them to a shelter but my schedule has been brutal--there was just no time, so I took them out, again away from the highway, about 10 miles away. I felt bad, but had really no choice. Again, I was not the one who dumped them originally--I had to justify my actions by telling myself they were no worse off, at least.

Then a few days later the original dog shows up again. I figure the third time, he must think this is his home and finally gave in thinking he could stay. His persistence really won me over. Then he killed two of my barred rock hens and last night he massacred one of my turkeys, so good feelings gone, to say the least. The dog doesn't stay around here--he comes here to hunt, only, so he is no longer welcome here. I can't let the birds out now until I find the dog, so it has been pretty stressful for everyone. I created a safe pen for the birds by fastening a tarp over some dog pen panels just outside their coop. It's not much, but in 100+ degree weather the coop is way too hot to stay locked up in all day. At least they can get a breeze. Unfortunately the dog will have to go to the pound now, when I see him next. I feel bad and I know some people might think me cruel, but to be honest most people around here would have shot him dead after the first chicken's death. I have to protect my birds and let's not forget, this dog was dumped here--I did not go get him. The real fault lies with his irresponsible owner for dumping an unfixed dog out in the country to fend for himself to begin with. I can't hold myself responsible for the actions of others, especially when things are so precarious right now in my life in the first place.

2. School is going well, but ironically the class I was most concerned about (Chemistry I) I have a 102% in, and yet the class I was least concerned about (Biology I) I have a C--EEK!!!!! So, I really need to re-arrange some of my studying priorities and get back on track. Thankfully there are many more assignments to come, so I should be able to recover, but the C certainly does not bode well. I have a 100% in my third class (Medical Terminology) so if I can maintain my two best classes and then up the third I will be fine. That's a lot of "if's!"

3. I gave Clipper back to his previous owner. My present situation is so terrifyingly unstable that I feel I need to do what is best for the horses. I am thankful that they are still being well-fed, but the harsh reality is that I cannot guaranty that I can continue to properly take care of four horses, so I refuse to continue to have four horses. Bambi, in foal to Almighty, is going to go live with my friend Linda near Topeka. I know Linda will make sure that Bambi and her foal are well-cared for, and Linda already has one Almighty foal (Moose), so I really hope Bambi knocks one out of the park for her!

4. I am getting used to my work schedule and am not quite as exhausted as I was the first few weeks, thankfully. My back has held up surprisingly well. I need to begin my 5K training again, but all the physical work I've been doing has reaped its own rewards--I am down to the smallest size I've been in ten years. I haven't lost that much weight, but all the walking must have firmed things up a bit--can't complain about that! I need to get back on a proper eating program so I can shed the pounds as well. I would really still love to do the 5K in October, so keep your fingers crossed for me!

5. One of the best parts about all this change is all the new people I've met both at school and at work. The majority of them really are good, caring people--it tends to help one's outlook to be around that kind of positive energy. There are a few things, too, that these people have said that have really cracked me up over the past few weeks. Here are just a few examples:

a. One of the servers I work with yelled to the kitchen, "What are our onions caramelized in?" Someone yelled back, "Caramel?"

b. One of our chemistry lessons was over dimensional analysis and one of the examples we worked through together in class was finding out how many carats were in a particular diamond. The instructor mentioned something along the lines of the girls in the room all like diamonds and the guys should enjoy giving them to their girls, when the guy next to me pipes up, "Sure, if you make me a sammich!"

c. I had to copy this from someone's status on Facebook the other day: "Apparently it's not okay to high-five someone in the face. Who knew?"

d. I'm not eligible for unemployment anymore because I'm going to school (how much does that suck?) but they had all kinds of excuses to cut me off even before that point--they first say my money has run out at the first tier and then they say I'm not eligible for an extension because there is money left on the first tier (sigh). So, I was glad that I had waiting tables to fall back on--I would have been starving without it. Just to solidify the fact that the government is nothing if it is not entirely incompetent, I received this notice when I checked on the claim status: "No payment has been issued for this week because: Payment for this week has not been issued." They must have joined forces with the KS Department of Redundancy Department.

That's all for tonight folks. I will try to keep better updates, and hopefully more entertaining posts than this, but in my defense this is the first evening I've been home in almost a week, and I'm running on four hours of sleep per night for all that time. The good news is that if there was a zombie apocalypse occurring anytime soon, I think I might survive for the simple fact I could blend in so easily right now.

And on that note, goodnight!

Buck Up!

In case you didn't hear me whining from your area of the world (which I would assume is impossible, but maybe you live in a panic room), it's been HOT here.

Not just hot. HOT.

Yeah, I went here....

And for a long time there was no relief in sight.

But then...the other day...it RAINED. Yippee!!

Hurray!

Woo hoo!!

Finally the forecast, for the first time in recent memory, consists only of two-digit numbers. "Relief" doesn't even begin to describe...

Unfortunately I'm afraid the rain has come a little late, though, and things are going to continue to be very tough for at least the next year.

The reality of the situation is fairly sobering.... Hay has gone up 63% in the past couple of months IF you can find it.

I've had to get fairly creative for my horses (and thank goodness I only have the four). They get 1 pound of beet pulp, 1 pound of alfalfa pellets, 1 pound of timothy pellets, and 6 pounds of alfalfa per feeding, and are fed that twice a day. No more, no less.

It's enough to keep them a healthy weight, but they are bored--while the beet pulp and soaked hay pellets keep their bellies full, they are missing what horses love to do most--chew.

They've pretty much almost mowed down the bermuda in the turnout down to nothing, so now I have to fence them off of it so they don't kill it.

It's a pretty stressful situation, between my horses being stressed, my pocketbook being stressed, the stress of a new part-time job, going back to school, and trying to basically re-balance my entire life so everyone doesn't suffer while I try to make the future better for us all.

Well, it's enough to drive a person crazy.

Some might say I got to that place long ago.

That's probably true, but regardless, I've just got to put on my big-girl britches and take care of business.

Fabian's look says it all. Time to stop worrying and buck up! I think I'll do just that.

Cheers,

~Ineda Vacayton