Ending the Week, busy as usual

But it's good busy. I like having things to do.

Dewey is off working today. Supposed to have had this week off after being gone all year, but that's ok. Work is work, not going to smack a gift horse in the face :o) Still not sure what is coming up. He's already had a couple of calls from other places, so maybe there's work out there for him yet. Right now, he's with the same company he's been with and we'll see what the job prospects turn out to be with them. Word around with just about every company is there just isn't a lot of work going on around here. Guess that's no different than anywhere else. I would like some ideas of what to expect for August as my budget is still just partial and I'd feel better locking it in a bit more.

Ahhh, that control thing.

Today we are canning tomatoes. Well, let's back up a bit. First we are going to the bank and the library and feed store, then we are canning up tomatoes. And schooling, as usual. And hopefully some sewing tucked in here or there, but that's not likely really. Wishful thinking on my part. We went to down to the Amish yesterday on a whim and got 4 bushel lots of tomatoes for $10 each. Just over 100# for $40 is what we paid. They are good, sturdy canners. Dewey is a bit disappointed that they are so sturdy -- they don't make for a good slicer out of hand as it were. We were just about out of tomatoes from last year, and we use a lot of them, so this was perfect timing. I'll definitely need plenty more, so hopefully they will still have plenty next week as well.

We have pirate books, and sea mammal books, and some tropical birds books to return to the library and I think we'll skip collecting more this week until we can get back on top of the reading aloud time here. I love having Dewey home, but he just totally messes up the schooling routine. Everyone wants to follow him around like a lost puppy :o) Even Matthew -- 11 yo and very interested in having Dad home, finds odd jobs outside to do, just in case Dad comes out and discovers him working. The others are the same way, but way more 'obvious' about following him. Emily and David jump directly on his lap if he dares to sit for even a minute. Poor man has to hide in the bedroom just so he can sit to put his boots on :o) It's all good, though. Some children don't care if Dad is home or gone, they continue along their own business hardly noticing one way or the other. These children just love their Daddy :o) And I suppose, the break in routine (as if we don't have enough of that anyway) isn't a stressor at all. I probably should have just planned it in when he came home finally. They need the time to just cuddle and follow.

Feed store trip will be quick enough. All in all, the away from home runs shouldn't take an hour. We have to get goat mix for the milkers and boers, and some dog food. Dog food is just a given. It's always on the schedule. I need to crate up all the pups and take them to trade day next weekend. I just hate doing that because you don't know who is taking them or how they will be treated. But, good grief, we have TOO MANY DOGS HERE. Not that too many is necessarily a bad thing, but too many of the useless variety that only bark and annoy for no reason aside from they can...that's just not good. And the dog expenses with feed and various sundry needs...it's just too much. We really could cut all the way back to just the 2 Great Pyrs, maybe the shepherd mix and the black lab in the front yard. No, I suppose we could simply cut down to just the Great Pyrs. They are the only truly useful ones here, though the Lab does a good job of letting you know when someone is around the front where they don't belong (handy information given our wandering neighbors up the roadway).

I need to look into making our own dog food. It would be much better for them health-wise, not to mention better on the overall budgeting here. I've done some reading on the BARF diet before, but never really put any of it into daily practice. Guess it's time to bone up on it again. Yeah, that was just plain bad as far as a pun goes...I just couldn't resist.

Well, surprisingly enough, nothing is going to get done with my sitting here at all. Oh -- the crochet along --
These are the large Granny's for the ladies group at church. There are 12 total. Have to whip stitch them together and maybe stitch a border on them yet, but all in all, finished.

And for the Crochet A Long...the colors are really pretty together, but the picture is just not workin' for me today at all. It's far too dreary and rainy outside for a decent photo from the homestead today. The solid is a pretty sage green and the varied is called Watercolor. The sage green is in it, as well as a soft heather kind of lavender, a pale buttercup yellow and then drifting into lighter shades of both and a creamy white. We did an entire baby blanket in that one and I had 1 skein left. Same with the sage -- it was the border on the baby blanket. I'll have to either work up plenty of squares between these two, or buy something else...the last of my stash is black, medium brown and lots of crochet cotton for dishcloths and potholders. Oh, I have another varied one -- pretty, but not to blend with these shades at all. It's called Cherry Chip -- dark brown, deep reds and lighter shades of both. Gorgeous for an autumn project, but not with the sage and lavender that's for sure.

I really just need to pick a block pattern I like and get to work and just go with an eclectic afghan :o) Something like a scrappy quilt but crocheted instead ;o) No one much cares around here -- warm and cozy is warm and cozy no matter what it looks like, although at least a little bit of coordination is usually a good thing, isn't it?

off to get things ticked off the list today! Rainy and wet -- a good indoor project time for sure.