Monday Monday...

We were going to do laundry again, but it's nothing but mud and rain so that's out.  We could keep to just once a week I think, but I like the twice weekly plan a bit better. But no one wants to stand in the mud to do laundry...and we'd have to dry inside, so it really defeats the purpose, right?

Apparently someone left some water in their fishing cooler...it's ok, though.  The cat took care of it.  Early this morning.  Tipped it over, popped off the lid and washed the floor for me.

I need to update a lot at the School blog as we have gotten behind on listing resources for Jamestown.  We're doing it, just haven't updated things as I need to.  I just don't have time to get on the actual computer, and updating from other sources isn't easily done on that scale.

Hmmm...there are recipes in my kitchen waiting to be posted to the Kitchen blog as that has gotten pretty far behind as well.  I have several great cheese recipes to add, and a few soap recipes and links we're using as well.

Sadly, to do most of this, it could be construed as being braggish, heh?  Or maybe I'd offend anti-homeschoolers...or folks who don't believe Jamestown was the first permanent settlement in America...or who feel the Indians got a bum deal from that whole American colonization stuff...or folks who prefer to live off pre-packaged glow-in-the-dark foods they can microwave instead of cook from scratch...or think making homemade soaps and detergents is a waste of time and violates the governmental oversight of consumerism or something...or maybe someone who visits here is on a diet; sorry, my recipes have little value in it for your weight watchers numbers or calorie fixation...perhaps you dislike cats, and I've already knotted your knickers by mentioning the fiasco in my living room...goodness, someone might be one of those PETA folks, and stagnant, 2-day-old fishing cooler water could pose a threat to the health and welfare of the kitten we have forcibly detained in the house...then there's the animal labor laws I'm sure are in place, and allowing the kitten to do my housework surely violates some sub-section paragraph stance...

See...a blog is just that...a BLOG.  It is meant to be an online chronicle of whatever.  In this case, it's the chronicle of what we do, how we choose to live, what we eat, how we raise not only our children, but our animals as well.  It's a place for us to share what we have found to work, what definitely doesn't work for us, what we want to try out, and what others have shared with us along the way.  In basic, simplistic definition, this blog belongs to ME, and as such, it shares whatever I choose to share, and for however long I deem it appropriate to share.

Right now, our life is full of COW.  We have cans of COW spray, bags of COW feed, accessories for COWS...and our days are full of MILK and the assorted items that we might be able to make from that bounty of MILK.  I have raised goats...and we've talked several days in a row in the past about goats and their various accompaniments, such as potential CL lumps and the joys of lancing them, their kidding pens and the cold spell that despite our efforts, caused hypothermia in our triplet set, leaving us with Gideon alone.  I had milk then, as well, but it was ONE goat, and great producer that she is, she can't hold a candle to the quantity of MILK coming from a single mega-producing COW.  So naturally, I'm a little wrapped up in MILK and what we can do with it to use it to its best advantage around here.

And I've had stints where the only thing visitors read for several days on end was MUD.  Specifically CLAY MUCK.  I've shared photo's of the clay crap we live on, talked endlessly about it until even I am tired of CLAY MUCK.  It's part of life here, at least 2 seasons a year.  Mississippi is also a HOT state.  And this summer in particular, visitors here have gotten to hear my lamenting of living conditions so hot you sort of forget your fear of hell (ahh, I love the movie The Quiet Man....).  It's also coming into autumn now and sorry, but it's just my thing...anyone visiting will get to read about how dearly I miss a real autumn season...the smells, the dust of harvesting cornfields and the sounds of combines; the colors of a true autumn season...not the same greens of the pines and the straight to dead yellow and brown leaves I get down here, but a real fall color change, with beautiful deep reds from sugar maples, golden yellows that pop in the sunshine, the oranges...the piles of leaves to play in...not here, mind you, there are just too many bugs in these dead leaf piles. And snakes.

Winter is coming as well.  By far my absolute most missed season.  Winter here means perhaps the occasional need for long sleeves, but not usually much call for a serious winter jacket, at least not for long.  So, as soon as my Mom reports the first snow fall up north, visitors here will be subjected to my wistful remembrances of snow, and cold...of the coziness of a fire in the woodstove, the smells of burning wood, the beauty of a gray winter day, everything blanketed in deep snow, and the wonderful quietness to the evenings where the sounds are muffled in a peaceful way that only winter can bring.  Only winter up north.  Winter down here tends to be too short-lived to catch a glimpse of that serenity, and then quickly becomes that same CLAY MUCK we discussed a couple paragraphs ago.

I go in spurts where sewing takes up alot of blog time.  We are a large family.  We sew most of our clothing.  That means I sew a lot.  Some times it feels like I'm tethered to the sewing machine and ironing board.  It's a large family.  That's just part of our life.  If I'm not sewing the clothes, we are washing the clothes.  Right now, it's a nice little set up down at the clotheslines.  I don't share that to brag about doing laundry (please...who brags about laundry??  especially the quantity done in a large family??)  It is something we are doing for a bit here as a training exercise really.  I have a washing machine.  Here...I'll brag...I have a very nice, stupidly over-priced Cabrio washing machine.  If I had to get a new one (and those who visit know I was vehemently opposed to even getting another machine when our old one bit the proverbial dust...) I wanted a HUGE one, and I didn't want a front-loader.  This was the largest capacity I could find.  Killed me to buy it, but Dewey said I HAD TO or he would take off work and get it himself.  I didn't want a new machine.  Whatever.

I crochet alot as well.  Many of the things we use around here are products we have made...the dish cloths and wash cloths are crocheted.  I spent several entries sharing some of the great links to patterns and some tutorials on Tunisian crochet I had come across or others had shared.  It was just another season here on our homestead.  That time is was crocheting.

Our seasons have always changed here.  Sewing, crocheting for farm market, baking days, OAMC stints to pack a freezer, canning weeks to load the larder, hand washing lessons, rainy days of mud mud mud, irritating dogs, days where all we did was run fencing and set fence posts, days of caring for animals' needs, days of putting together the shopping and pantry binder, shopping for the 6 months of pantry items we have enjoyed...there are a lot of days here.  We LIVE our life.  We aren't just sitting at a computer day dreaming over what everyone else does and cry over spilled milk...

...and yes, right now, the biggest blessings we share about are mostly COW related.  It's that season.  That, and schooling, and baking, and sewing, and animal raising, and finding more off-grid things we can do to conserve our income best...it's just our LIFE. It's just what happens on this homestead, day in and day out. Some days hold more blessings than others, but every day is a huge blessing and we share that.
If that is offensive to folks, well, all I can say is shut down your computer and start recognizing the blessings that surround YOUR LIFE and YOUR DAYS.  It isn't being boastful or prideful...it's being thankful and recognizing that you are not doing things alone and that what you have, or haven't got, is a direct result of your ability to recognize and acknowledge those daily blessings, no matter what packaging they come in.

Today mine is creamy white and filling 7 gallon jars and 2 milk pails in my refrigerator....what packaging is your blessing in?

Edited Note: well, as it was just brought to my attention that I forgot a few special run-on rants I shared, so I'll note them here: countless posts on the governmental leadership we have been placed under...the obvious wrong-thinking of the president running the country into oblivion...the totally useless financial standing of the government at large...our pride as a fallen nation...the insanity of 'swine flu' and the plain common sense flu-avoiding steps you should be taking...the pure common sense of being well-stocked and prepared for a future we are running headlong into in this country...the trials of Katrina aftermath, and now the BP Gulf fiasco we will watch be a serious cause and effect lesson for decades to come...
There are many things shared here.  And I've yet to meet someone interested in every single one of those topics.  That's why there are so many OTHER blogs out there :o)