Life is pretty good. Isaiah had a band performance the past two days, so even though I had Friday off, and today is Saturday, we went into Iola. Its a 40 minute drive, which can be ugh some days. On the one hand, having to be up early and home late blows. On the other hand, most of that is due to Isaiah having early morning band practices or late evening cross country practices. Cross country ended this week (THANK YOU GOD) and marching band season is about over too.
Today's performance was a parade at Farm City Days, its a town festival that Iola puts on. Small towns here all have one or two a year and they are all about the same. There's a parade with three different farm implement stores represented, along with three high schools, two 4-H clubs, the antique tractor club, the saddle club and a few banks and one politician. Aside from the parade, there is a carnival, that I didn't take my kids to because I think they are over-priced and dangerous, and several booths. The crafter booths were not great, most of them were not hand made at all, pampered chef doesn't count, neither do those sprakled and bedazzeled purses. The food venders were mostly fundraising operations by boy scouts (OMG did you see where two scout "masters" ruined a rock formation?) and church youth groups. We did find one booth that looked like it wouldn't poison us. The little dudes had smoked turkey legs (SO GOOD) I got a pulled pork wrap, should have gotten the leg. All, in all, a small event, but a fun one.
Yesterday wasn't as much fun. Iola built a new hospital and the band was invited to play before the puhbahs spoke. It was chilly, it was almost rainy, the speakers didn't know how to make themselves heard, and went on too long. I tried to make the dudes be quiet and respectful, but we got cold, so we went and waited in the car, where it was much warmer.
Tomorrow, we may be bringing home a lab pup. We are going to go meet her and see if she seems like a fit. She was abandoned by Chris's uncle's farm house, and he already has more dogs than is healthy. She seems pure bread and very good.
So, about this Cruchiness. We have the farm. We've got chickens averaging 3 eggs a day, six today, so I expect that number to increase as the girls hit sexual maturity. We've got the cow set to birth at the End of November, after which she will be a milk cow. Now for a new adventure: Laundry soap.
It started in the clearance isle at Wal-Mart. We found several bottles of 105 oz seventh generation laundry detergent marked down to $9, great deal. So we bought it and have really enjoyed using it. Well, we are almost out, and there is none to be had at Wal-Mart or the dollar store (which are our options here), so instead of buying another, less septic and grey water safe, brand, I'm going to try to make laundry soap. I ordered Borax, washing soda, and a laundry bar online, should be here by Wednesday.
Cost basis should be less (I priced seventh generation online, $30 for the same size container), and I think the toxicity should be similar or less. Looking at the laundry soap recipe got me thinking about my mom's soap making. I think I want to try to make some Castille soap.
She made lots of different soaps with elaborate scents and additives. Most were nice. But my favorite has always been mild Castille. I like it best if its been fully cured and then remilled and had scent or oatmeal added then. The soaponification process takes a few weeks to fully finish, and during that time the essential oils added for scent are altered as well. I know if the soap is allowed to cure, and for castille that's like two months, and then slowly melted on a double boiler, and then the scents are added, you don't get that issue.
I also want to rig our waste water so that the washing machine drains into a grey water cistern, now it drains into the septic tank. If we convert over to homemade soaps, shampoos, dish and laundry soaps, then most of our waste-water should be perfectly safe for reuse in a garden. Not sure about water for animals. I'm leaning towards "no" on that, but I think its done some places.
We also have a healthy compost pile started. Horses and cow are great for that, we also put organic kitchen waste out there.
Thinking about starting a winter Garden. There are those online who claim that brassicas (Cabbage, broccoli, Kale) do just fine in chilly weather and even into februrary. Not sure I buy that, but my pumpkins, which started out so glorious, were a total bust. I had three. One the size of a volley ball, one the size of a baseball. The squash rotted into black nastiness on the vines. The vines themselves withered and dried spontaneously. I think it was a combination of a fungal pathogen and bugs. I fully plan to try again next year. But need to know more about cucinoid pathology first.
How cool would it be to be able to make and sell natural cleaning stuff, and grow enough food to keep us fed and then some to sell also?
But, Alley, I thought you liked teaching?
I LOVE teaching. The problem is, right now I don't teach much. I am a "co-teacher" in a district that puts not responsibility to co-teach on their teachers. Most of the time, I sit in the back of the classroom and wait to be invited to speak. I've been doing a practicum with a lad who teaches at the elementary level, she's said that she thinks she may be retiring (sad, she's wonderful) and that she feels like I would be great to step into her program. It wouldn't break my heart. I feel secondary school is very important, but I have come to the conclusion that I am a $42K para who happens to write IEPs. I feel like I am wasting my talent. Which may be why I have the fantasy of building a sustainable little farm out here.
Chris is focusing on school, so he isn't working. I support this idea. And he isn't slacking off. But its stressful because we are living off my income, but we both have different ideas of what should be spent where. I think we need to be preserving money for Christmas. He thinks we need to fully prepay the propane based on what was spent last year. I think we need to look at updating our cookware, he wants to buy hay. I think we have ten acres that can be grazed down most of the year, and that the hay we have will be enough if we don't over feed. But if the hay is there, they won't go graze, they'll sit by the hay and beg, or break into it.
Anyway, that's about all I have right now. Band, band, and more band. Little dudes are doing great also, and we are going Crunchy a step at a time.
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