Re-Inventing

Deus, in adjutorium meum intende. Domine, ad adjuvandum me festina.
O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me.

   Let's see how it goes!  I have my new laptop and I'm trying to get used to the changes with Windows 7 and a different feel to the keyboard.  So far, so good.  I bought an exterior hard drive for back-up and a wireless mouse, since I really don't care for the built-ins.  Can't really afford the whole thing, but with my "stuff" out of my daughter's computer, perhaps her operations will be faster and she won't have to get a new one!  We jointly bought a new all-in-one printer and it's such a trip to be able to print something from the laptop on my bedroom desk and have it pop out from the printer in the living room. 

   Don't get me wrong. I'm still extremely technically challenged and could probably get to some things by myself if I just remembered to read the little instructions that seem to be hiding in an upper corner somewhere!  Oh, well.  I'm a little more advanced than I was a year or so ago.

   I finally got around to changing the title of the blog somewhat. I intended to have the add-on when I started the blog, but somehow didn't get it in.  So now, instead of just "adsum" (present). It's "adsum: quid enim" (what's it all about).

  We have been so busy with a little cooler weather - soon to jump to 90s again - trying to clear out trash from the sheds, get the ride-on mower out under the carport to make more room in the outside shed, organize shed shelves,  and get the cooler room in the big shed in shape for our supplies, picked veggies and eggs.

   My daughter has been using silver flashing to seal all the cracks and gaps where walls meet the ceiling and such. The window air conditioner is keeping the room comfortably cool. The refrigerator is ready for eggs. We put together two five shelf storage units and will probably get two more.

   The big shed was swamped with the large storm that leftd 3 inches of rain in Lindale.  We need to seal the whole shed around its base. Many cardboard boxes full of papers (some important enough to try to leave out to dry), artifacts, art, glassware, and you name it, were soaked. It gave us the excuse we needed to go through a lot of stuff and discard what was superfluous. The shed needs to be completely re-arranged since we intend to make it into a sales site for the farm and an ongoing garage sale type of operation. We can really make it into something attractive with some - well, o.k. - a lot - of work.

   My other daughter is getting ready to plant fall veggies. We're going to plant collards and kale for sale, possibly something else, and some other veggies in pots for our own use. The tomato vines have been pulled out of the bin and the chickens have been having a feast with the discards. The butternut squash is being harvested for sale right now. When that bin is empty other crops will go in.

   We still are learning and experimenting, and we sometimes err in our judgment, but it's a learning curve and I think we'll get the hang of it. We still don't know if we want to get goats or .........

    My pullets are beginning to lay. Six of the twenty are producing. By next month they should all be laying. Along with the eleven hens I have already, that should mean that I won't have to hang the closed sign as often or keep apologizing to customers!  Right now, though, one little hen is feeling poorly and I'm not sure why. She is in an isolation cage for the moment. She seems to be limping and wants to lie down all the time. I wondered about her being egg-bound. We set her in a pan of warm water this morning. Sometimes the warming helps relax the area and an egg will pass.  So far there seems to be no change. I hope it is just a sore leg. We'll have to wait and see.

   We expanded the pasture area for the chickens and they are in seventh heaven.  Of course, when it's really hot they head for the enclosed run and hen house to get under the misters and around the fan and water.  The last couple of days have been cooler. They have been enjoying scratching in the weeds, finding bugs to chase and getting plenty of exercise.  When I go out in the early evening with scratch and their flax, oyster shells and other treats, they all come running. It's easy now to get them into the run for the night so that I can lock them in, safe from predators. We did lose a guinea. I think a hawk got her. I still have a guinea hen and cock. She lays a perfect little egg every day, and likes to get into the nest with one of the hens for company when she's working. The cock always stays in the hen house right under the nest to be sure all is well. They are always together.

   Well, I've really run on, but that's the scoop for today. And yes, I had to get my grandson in here to show me what I had done wrong when I couldn't get this blog to come up full size. I hit a wrong key as usual. Sigh!

   Until I think of something else to write about - and I hope it's regularly now - I'll put 30 to this.
(Bet you don't even know what that is).