The beautiful bride!

Ok - obviously I've been neglectful in my blogging. I have excuses I promise! :) September and October have become akin to the April I had this year, which was busy let me tell you. I was on the interview trail during April, so much so that I was only "home" 17 days out of the whole month. Yowza!

September was chock full of meetings, fields days, Mom's birthday (the big 6-0), more meetings, beef harvesting (butchering), the Lost Rivers grazing Academy in beautiful Salmon, Idaho and the wedding of an amazing lady to an amazing guy! I was home for half of the weekends in September. Again, yowza!

Turkey number 1 of 3:56 lbs of meat overall.

October has been a bit more laid back than September - I'll be home three out of four weekends. Ha! Meetings, coaching team members from Idaho's state 4H livestock judging team, again with more meetings, a full week of new employee orientation in Moscow on the University of Idaho's campus, poultry harvesting, and my first evaluation as a UI Extension Educator are all on the docket for October. By this time yowza might not cover it. :)

However, my freezer is full, my pantry is going to be full once I get all the produce I picked up in the Yakima Valley canned-up, I've gotten to visit with my equally as busy brother and sister-in-law and parents. My girls (goats) are bred and in 4.5 months the babies will arrive, milk will flow, cheese and yogurt will be made and the bottle feeding of day-old calves will begin. My other girls (dogs) are very happy I'm home (and so am I!) that they want to cuddle all the time. I get a temporary roommate in December (I'm hosting a local ag student teacher).

I am very thankful for the opportunities I've had to re-establish relationships with friends and family, as well as begin new friendships with people in the area. As busy, and a yowza, as my life gets, I enjoy it. But I need a nap! ;)

Don't Forget to Feed the Chooks Bandicoot!

Howdy ya'll! I have been remiss in writing I know. Sad thing is no computer at home and no Internet their either. *tear* LOL I have been busy at work with cleaning the office (almost done), organizing (my fav...seriously) and working on programing for the upcoming months. My boss, Dave, was up here on Tuesday and helped finish cleaning the stuff out I couldn't lift. He's a very nice guy and we get along well. He's very lax and OMG trusts me to do my job, which as most of you know is a very welcome relief after the last two jobs and year I've had. I am thoroughly enjoying my job and meeting all the people. I do get lonely when I get home but I'm working on that too.

I signed up for a quilting class starting in September and plan to do one each time they become available. I joined the Zurich Garden Club which is full of people who are passionate about actually gardening and not the elevation of their social status. I participate in the Friday Zurich Farmer's Market. It's super tiny but people always show up to see what's there and it's another time to meet people and socialize. I've met Hillary M. and she's great - formerly of NY she gets the new girl thing and has some awesome thoughts along the same line as I do. Plus the Native like her a lot so that might help me in the long run but mostly she's just a cool chick to talk to! :) Another lady, Laurel, owns the coffee shop in Chinook and she's a spunky gal...I like her too! With the frenzy of haying season swiftly followed by wheat and barley harvest it'll definitely be late fall before the neighbors get around to visiting. I have much to do in the house yet so that is OK with me. Speaking of the house - there are some Heuterite girls coming tomorrow to scrub the house from top to bottom. They are well worth their $15/hour in my view. One less thing I have to do! :)

I mowed the inner lawn Tuesday night which turned out to be a good thing because it rained almost all day yesterday. I'm telling ya; I hardly have to water my veggies at all! I got a single bloom on my sugar pie pumpkin yesterday but without other blooms I think he probably won't germinate! the winter squash wheelbarrow is growing like crazy; however, the summer squash BBQ is lagging behind - not enough warm weather for them I guess. My hideous strawberry planter got moved into a more sheltered spot and is again producing strawberries. For first year plants they are doing amazing in the production department. I went "junking" in the out buildings and came up with three more containers and a cast iron bath tub that I resolve to use somehow. I just need to wrestle it out of the grass.

Snake update - since killing that last one I've only seen one snake (he was big for a water snake) but he was too quick for me and the snake killer. Sadly he escaped under the house. Thank GAWD I do not have to go under the house much! LOL

I have decided to get some chickens. I am in the process of building a hen house for them to lay their eggs in and roost at night. Otherwise I just plan for them to run around and eat bugs. Get those grasshoppers under control! I heard of a lady who wanted to get rid of seven hens on Tradio (kinda like Craigslist but on the radio) and gave her a call. I will call her back after I get the house built - hopefully this afternoon - to pick up my Oscar White chickens. Seven hens is way to much for me; however, there is a bulk discount and ya never know when one or two will disappear. :/ Soo I will post pics of my hen house and chooks when they are done/arrived!

TTFN!

Some Good Old Fashioned Free Speech

I made it to Montana and I have to say that people here are PROUD to be in America! It is extremely refreshing to see that concept displayed in raised American flags flapping in the breeze; whether at home, at a local cemetery or at a State Park showcasing the last battle of the Nez Perce Indians. I was forwarded this letter via email from my aunt who lives in St. Francis, KS and I am proud to post it here on my blog. A 4th Grade teacher from Hillsboro, MO is facing threats of losing her job over it, but I could not have put it into better words! Read through the whole thing and then you decide - one of the greatest things about America is that you can, and have the RIGHT, to agree or disagree with her views. As for me...hear, hear sister! She hit the nail on the head! Enjoy!

"April 17, 2009


The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue
Washington, DC 20500


Mr. Obama:

I have had it with you and your administration, sir. Your conduct on your recent trip overseas has convinced me that you are not an adequate representative of the United States of America collectively or of me personally.

You are so obsessed with appeasing the Europeans and the Muslim world that you have abdicated the responsibilities of the President of the United States of America . You are responsible to the citizens of the United States . You are not responsible to the peoples of any other country on earth.

I personally resent that you go around the world apologizing for the United States telling Europeans that we are arrogant and do not care about their status in the world. Sir, what do you think the First World War and the Second World War were all about if not the consideration of the peoples of Europe ? Are you brain dead? What do you think the Marshall Plan was all about? Do you not understand or know the history of the 20th century?

Where do you get off telling a Muslim country that the United States does not consider itself a Christian country? Have you not read the Declaration of Independence or the Constitution of the United States ? This country was founded on Judeo-Christian ethics and the principles governing this country, at least until you came along, come directly from this heritage. Do you not understand this?

Your bowing to the king of Saudi Arabia is an affront to all Americans. Our President does not bow down to anyone, let alone the king of Saudi Arabia .... You didn't show Great Britain , our best and one of our oldest allies, the respect they deserve yet you bow down to the king of Saudi Arabia .. How dare you, sir! How dare you!

You can't find the time to visit the graves of our greatest generation because you don't want to offend the Germans but make time to visit a mosque in Turkey ...... You offended our dead and every veteran when you give the Germans more respect than the people who saved the German people from themselves. What's the matter with you? I am convinced that you and the members of your administration have the historical and intellectual depth of a mud puddle and should be ashamed of yourselves, all of you.

You are so self-righteously offended by the big bankers and the American automobile manufacturers yet do nothing about the real thieves in this situation, Mr. Dodd, Mr. Frank, Franklin Raines, Jamie Gorelic, the Fannie Mae bonuses, and the Freddie Mac bonuses. What do you intend to do about them? Anything? I seriously doubt it.
What about the U.S. House members passing out $9.1 million in bonuses to their staff members on top of the $2.5 million in automatic pay raises that lawmakers gave themselves? I understand the average House aide got a 17% bonus. I took a 5% cut in my pay to save jobs with my employer. You haven't said anything about that. Who authorized that? I surely didn't!

Executives at Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac will be receiving $210 million in bonuses over an eighteen-month period, that's $45 million more than the AIG bonuses. In fact, Fannie and Freddie executives have already been awarded $51 million not a bad take. Who authorized that and why haven't you expressed your outrage at this group who are largely responsible for the economic mess we have right now?

I resent that you take me and my fellow citizens as brain-dead and not caring about what you idiots do. We are watching what you are doing and we are getting increasingly fed up with all of you.

I also want you to know that I personally find just about everything you do and say to be offensive to every one of my sensibilities. I promise you that I will work tirelessly to see that you do not get a chance to spend two terms destroying my beautiful country.

Sincerely,

Every Real American
Ms. Kathleen Lyday
Fourth Grade Teacher
Grandview Elementary School
Hillsboro , MO"

Flamboancy and Interviews

I've been remiss in posting but have a legit reason - interviews. I had my interview with South Dakota today and it went fairly well, while I was defragging from that I received two calls for additional interviews. My schedule as now stands: next week, Tuesday an interview at UI for an administrative assistant in the College of Ag & Life Sciences, Thursday a phone interview with Kansas State University (still sketchy); the week after, Monday is an interview with the WSU Ritzville office for an administrative manager, Tuesday is a travel day for my interview in Montana on Wednesday and Thursday is the travel back day, and Friday is an interview with the Oregon Beef Council for an office manager position. However, I am thinking of letting this one go because it is a $30K/year job in Portland, OR which isn't a living wage there. So I am busy, busy, busy!

So for now I am kicking back to relax watching Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman, which was a form of reward for all the interviews I've gotten and I've come to the conclusion there is no one in the world who reacts the way I do to things. I must either over-react like crazy to certain things but I've never been considered by myself, or others, as a person who over-reacts. Also, I've noticed people on this show don't emote like I would. You know like be animated, show emotion. I must just be a more flamboyant person than other people. Hmmmm....I don't think this is a bad thing but it makes me wonder about myself.

So with new interviews on the plate I need to think of some sort of reward for myself...maybe some new clothes or boots. Or maybe some Gilmore Girls on DVD. Any suggestions?

Update - I am working on crocheting a baby blanket to have on hand when one of my friends announces they're having a baby, as well as a braided rug made from a bunch of old jeans I wore when I was really heavy and others that were worn out. It's going to be really neat when I'm done I think. Pictures will be coming Sunday. My medication change is going OK. I'm a bit down at times but for the most part it's going well.

Well, I'm on the way out. I'm on the phone with my great/best friend Jenna and it's a bit difficult to do two things at once. Sorry if it's a bit scrambled and tomorrow will be better. :)