April 12:  Our trip to Flint was good.  There was plenty of traffic on the highways, but that

is to be expected on a holiday.  We had a nice visit and our dinner was really good.  We

had fried hominy, which we had never had before, along with ham and mashed potatoes

and my dessert.

We took them the swing set that we had in our yard.  Their little one will get more use out

of it there then everyone put together here.

We didn't leave until afternoon for Flint, so we had some time outside.  I moved some Iris

tubers to around the base of our farm sign and then was able to place the last two SFG

boxes.  Now all that is left is mixing the soil and filling them.  We can even do some

planting then.  It is time for peas to be in the ground.

April 13:  Big plans shot down again.  We were going to mix the soil and get it in the

boxes, then maybe plant some...but it is too windy.  We got the first batch mixed in the

garage, but when we tried to fill the box, alot of the soil just blew away.  Drats!  We will

have to wait to a calmer day.

So we spent the rest of the day doing stuff inside.  I cleaned my drumcarder, by taking it

apart and removing all the misplaced wool.  I also did some research on line about the

carding cloth.  It doesn't seem to be working right with the Border Leister wool I have.  I

even tried calling the people who made my carder.  She wasn't much help.  I will try again

today by going to a yahoo spinning group and asking some questions.  I do know now,

since I took it apart, that I can't just interchange drums.  Another Drats!

I also decided to make an appointment for my yearly physical.  Only I don't have a doctor

right now.  Mine retired and the last one I had left.  I also found out what type of health

insureance we have through Blue Cross.  Makes a difference where we can go.  I made

an appointment only to cancel it when I found that the doctor wasn't a provider.  Several

phone calls and many questions and I still don't have my appointment because between

calls my Daughter called.

Daughter and her husband had been at the University of Michigan Hospital all day for a

consultation.  She is in need of a liver, or atleast part of a liver, as her's hasn't been

working right for some time.  We are now in the process of learning about liver

transplants.

Husband and I are going to be tested to see if one of us can be a donor.  There is plenty

of testing that needs to be done, so my yearly will be put on the back burner for now,

unless I am told that I need to have that done as well to be a donor.

This could be quite a summer with all the transplant things going on.

April 14:  Another day we had hoped to work outside, but can't.  Raining.  So we did the

usual stuff had lunch and decided to make a trip into town to do some window

shoppping.  We want some stepping stones to put between two of the SFG boxes and to

make a path out to the hen house.  So we went looking at stones for ideas.

We also picked up some new seeds.  One of the flats we planted about a month ago

hasn't sprouted, so we reseeded it today with the old seed.  It should have been okay,

two trays of broccoli are doing great, but the rest just didn't.  So, if this time it doesn't

grow then we will know the old seed is no good, then we will just have to plant again with

the new seed.  Plenty of time since it is all Kole crops (cabbage, broccoli, sprouts etc.),
which are cool weather crops, they will be fine even if they don't get into the ground until

late summer.

After we got home, I read some, got dinner ready, did evening chores (which now

morning and night take about an hour, because there are three shifts of goats), and then

settled in for TV.  At last there is something that I enjoy.  "Deadilest Catch"  and "The

Alaska Experiment".  After that was local new and bed.

April 15:  Today being Wednesday was the usual Meals on Wheels day and meeting
with the Fiber Gals.  All went well and I was home by 4:30 PM.  Shortly after I got home I

got a phone call from my Number One Cousin.  He is my Number One Cousin, because

he is the only one of my relatives on my Mother's side that I say in contact with.  That is he

and his brother.  There are plenty of members of that side, but we have never been very

close.  Number One always keeps me informed of things happening in the family that I

should know about.  This time it is to let me know that one of the other cousins has

passed away.

We spent a good hour talking and catching up.  We don't talk often, so when we do it is

always a long talk.  We  had a good visit.  He said he would be going to the furneral on

Thursday.  I won't make any of the visitations as it was already late and I wouldn't be

making the trip up to Flint for the furneral.  I asked him to send my condolensences.

Then it was time for dinner and evening chores.

This evening we watched a new show called "Pitchmen".  It was okay, but some what

irratating.  Then "Time Warp" is back, so I watched that and then the first part of

"Mythbuster", by now it was almost 1:00 AM!  Really time for bed.

April 16:  I didn't wake up until 5:30 AM (slow time).  I slept four and one half hours

straight!  Tomorrow I will have to be up, dressed, and have my breakfast by now!  I need

to leave here by 6:45 AM to be where I need to be!  I am going to MSU Pavillion to judge

the Sales Presenations for the FFA Ag Skills contests.  I have some reading to do today,

to know what is expected of me.

It is suppose to be a nice day today, so the plan is to do some outside work again.

We did do some outside work.  Planted some seeds in the new SFG even though the

Almanac said to do no planting, we will see if it makes a difference.

April 17:  Up and out by 6:45 AM on my way to MSU Pavillion and the FFA Ag Skills

contests to be a judge for the Ag Sales contest.  I have never judged this contest before. 

I have done several others, but not this one.

Arrived on time and met with several old FFA friends and neighbors, then was

introduced to the process of judging Sales.  I met individually with eight students who

were "selling" me an agricultural product.  This could be anything from a dehorning iron

to hydroponic tomatoes or dog food, even local honey or boots.  Some of the

presentations were wonderful and well planned out, well rehearsed and prepared, others

lacked in time and effort.  Even the not so good, were well on their way to having a skill

that could be used in their adult lives.

I was done by noon and back home for lunch and then had a lazy rest of the day.

This will be the last milking I will do until kidding begins again, which should only be about

a week. 

One of the first times is showing a really big bag tonight!  I wasn't sure she was bred until

now!  I don't see how she could be ready since looking back at the records, she wasn't

bred until later.  She must just be bagging up early.  I will keep a close eye on her though.

In the evening after chores, we had the first campfire of the season.  Wow April 17!

April 18:  I got up and started the dishes around 5:00 AM (slow time).  Then when

Husband was up we had breakfast and did quick chores and headed out to an auction in

Morrice.  This one had a haybine and a few other smaller items.  We spent until around

2:00 PM there not bidding on a thing!  I was going to bid on a vaccum pump for a milking

system, but it went out of my price almost from the start.  The haybine started out of our

range as well.  Things seemed to go really high at this auction.  Nothing was all that

good, just people were willing to bid more I guess.

We left there and headed south to see if another auction we knew about was still going

on, the one here still had plenty of things to go yet, so maybe the other one would too.  

We drove to Dansville and found the other auction site.  Things were wrapping up there,

so we just made our way back home.

The weather was wonderful, temp was well into the 70's.  We had a nice ride as well as

an auction, so it was a good day.

When we got home we found that Brother-in-Law and his wife had stopped by.  They left

a gift of a tee shirt from Arizonia, their latest trip.  Husband called them and talked about

our day.  Brother-in-Law and wife had spent some time here.  They sat on the porch and

watched the goats for awhile waiting, incase we came back.  We didn't get home until

three hours later.

We sat outside for a while and then we started a fire in the campfire pit.  It was still early,

but we just felt like a campfire again.  We put pasties in the oven in the house to cook

and relaxed by the fire while they cooked.  I made some gravy later and we had our

dinner by the fire, then did chores and spent the rest of the evening "camping".

I told Husband today that I was on vacation, as I didn't have any milking chores to do. 

That is until Ida kids, which is now down to seven days and counting.  I will be on vacation

until she kids and then I am back.  It could be a couple of days, or if she did what she did

last year and held off for a week after her due date, then a couple of weeks.  Chores are

quick right now that is for sure!

 

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