Birthdays, Bitches and Big Hair!

POST #8


As I approach the 22nd anniversary of my 21st birthday, I have done some reflecting on life.  As most of us do around our birthdays.
I remember looking forward to turning 21.  It was a big deal to be able to legally buy alcohol, not that sneaking to Mr. B's drive-up window wasn't fun when I was a teenager.
 It was fun to cruise the loop in Caruthersville, listening to the radio and thinking we were big Ka-Ka with our wine coolers !
The only thing BIG about us was our hair! Thank you Earl D.
Had to love the 80's!
My 21st birthday was spent in Champaign, Illinois. At the bar I worked at, Chester Street. 
Of course, with it being Valentines Day, there was a drag show. (again, big hair)
 If you've never had a bar full of people and about 20 drag queens singing happy birthday to you, you don't know what your missing!  I still have nightmares!!
It was a great night with friends as far as I can remember. At least I was told that I had a great time.

 Strange the events we remember in our lives............  also strange are the ones we try to forget!

So, now what?  Do I look  forward to turning 43 with the excitement I had when I was turning 21?
Not exactly.
This year is to celebrate making it this far, to appreciate the little things.
 I have been blessed and highly favored as far as I am concerned, for the friends I've made and the lives that in some small way I have touched. And by the lives that I have been touched by.
I look back on my life ( so far) with pride, and maybe some embarrassment ( Sr. pictures).
But thankful to be looking back none the less, to have the chance to say to anybody that will listen, here I am and this is my story.
Reflecting again ,on more of  my fathers words when he said  "You will be defined  in life by who your friends are".
I am glad to be defined by each of them...........
Each has taught me something powerful. How to laugh, to cry, to cheer and fight.  How to stand on my feet and how to get up when I fall.
To respect, to encourage, to  care and to listen.
So, an extra candle on the cake this year.
Fine.
It only means a little less room for frosting!

Blowing Snow BLOWS

POST  #7


Other than the weather, it's been a nice week for us here in Origanna Woods.

As of now we are sitting under a beautiful 5 inches of snow. It's in the upper 30's here today, so a bit of the ice is melting away.
After many long months of waiting, Mark's new wheelchair arrived yesterday.  15 K worth of  Handi-hauling power! The new chair is easily  one foot higher than his previous chair, this allows (for the first time), Mark to be able to see what I am cooking on the stove. I politely pointed out that with this new level of elevation comes new responsibilities, and then I showed him the dishes................
We are excited for  his first trip down the hill to GRACIE'S MARKET where he can also check the mail. Sometimes the ability to do the little things give us the most strength. Still doesn't mean I want to date a Chinese guy, so I will find little things elsewhere.
I did manage to make it into town to do a bit of shopping, thank goodness. I try to only go into town twice a month unless there is something I absolutely need. It was a long 4 hour trip, but managed to get a lot done.
Daisy has decided to grace us with her presence.............

This is our lovely pup having a play at the neighbors pond. She has found her a buddy that lives up the road a bit and spends more nights with him than she does at home! I'm not worried about her running here because all the neighbors love to see her when she visits.
The other dogs have taken well to the country life also. Sydnee is an 11 year old sheltie who loves to bark at the shadows, she has calmed down so much since being here, she is like a new dog.
Rebel, well he's just Rebel. Our little "Pig". I say 4 words and he is at the door......... "Let's go to work".
It's funny to watch him run and greet the customers at the store, most of whom call him "PIG".
Every day that passes is a day that I am thankful for choices we made in getting us where we are today. Our little piece of hillbilly heaven in the Ozarks. I love seeing what comes my way every day.
Even if it's our 74 year old neighbor Charlotte, talking about ' lifting her leg' to make her husband happy.
My , oh my............................

Mud on the tires........

POST # 6

After the excitement at Gracie's table a couple days ago, it's been rather dull and uneventful on the hill. I spent most of the day yesterday and this afternoon preparing for the "BIG STORM" that is approaching.
That included getting water for  ourselves and our  neighbor, Miss Charlotte ( she's a whole BLOG in herself with the  stories she tells), as well as gathering wood for the fires, cleaning the "buckets" and getting the car gassed up.
 Our other neighbors, who we refer to as  "The Steve's" , have been a great help to us this first year. We help each other out getting water, running to town to do shopping and  cutting wood. The chores go quicker when we all pitch in!
So, we were in the truck at "The Steve's", to get water for us and Charlotte. Of course the ground had thawed since the last freeze and had become acres of fine, red Missouri mud.
 Don't you know the truck got stuck in the muck!
It's been a while since I'd been muddin' in the Bootheel, so my driving was a bit on the cautious side. I wasn't wanting to tear up the yard and leave tracks all over the place. After a few times backwards then forwards then back and forth again, we were stuck even worse! Big Steve is a calm man, but I think his patience was running a bit thin with my driving ability. "Ya mind if I give it a try, grandma?" 
I sure don't, that way you can mess up your yard as much as you want too!
Less than five minutes later, we were trucking down the road!
Hillbillies  and their trucks!
Keep your fingers crossed that the forecast is wrong and that we aren't going to have blizzard conditions, because that would really suck!
I'll let you know how it all turns out.....

You sure have purdy ankles..... another horse tail

POST  # 5

I've seen a lot in my day.  SERIOUSLY !
 Today , however, takes the cake. I was cleaning the counter at work today and turned to the drive-up window to see 3 big horse  staring in at me!
I cracked up laughing, and then wondered if I were really cracking up!
OK, I see the riders. WHEW!
   On any warm, sunny day at GRACIE'S MARKET, you never know what or who you will find outside by the picnic table. Today it was the 3 horses, 2 Harley's, and 2 seriously hairy biker dudes!
Who could pass that up, right?????
Rebel,  ( my talking Boston Terrier) and I, headed out the door and over to the table.  Nothing like a few minutes with strangers in the woods  is what I always say........
Rebel however, because of his strange noises, answers to the name "Pig".  He was making those noises today  around the horses because he was so darned excited.
One horse in particular really caught his eye. I think it may have been puppy love, within 5 minutes of meeting this poor innocent horse, Rebel was DRY HUMPING the animal's ankle and not stopping when told to!
After his cigarette and nap, I finally managed to get him into the car.
Usually he considers himself a big dog, like the others on the hill. I've never told him the truth because it would obviously break his heart. Today he must have felt as big as a horse
I suppose if you are going to dream, dream REALLY big!

TO BEEF OR NOT TO BEEF?

POST # 4

It would appear that Beef is for dinner........ for a few days.
After a quick trip in to Lebanon last night my neighbor, Mr. Kelly, asked if I knew how to cut and clean beef. I have cleaned sever HUNDRED pounds of tenderloin before while catering.
"Would you mind helping me clean some cow when we get back to the house?", he asked as innocently as possible.  
Yes, beef and cow are the same thing. This I understand.
He meant cow!
It so happens that a mother cow died while giving birth.
Mr. Kelly had over a quarter of a cow that he needed cleaned, ground, and frozen.
Oh, Lord!
I was quite happy to see that he had removed the hide, and most of the meat from  the bone.  Unfortunately he wasn't sure of meat cuts and basically sliced away the meat in large chunks. Most of the prime was still intact, so he did better than he thought.
Once I showed him the parts I knew to be the best cuts, we went to slicing.  After two hours of work we had two fantastic tenderloins, several steaks, roasts, stew chunks and over fifteen pounds of fresh ground beef.
We decided to call it a night and pick up where we left off this afternoon. 
Mr. Kelly was surprised to see how well I could work my knife, and by how much beef was actually useable in the pile he thought was scrap.
The poor calf will never know it's mother ( tear) , but we are all thankfull for a free freezer full of beef!
Mark was impressed with the cuts and asked if they had the cow's heart.  Sorry, but I will be good and damned before I go there!!
Moo-ving on............

Woodpeckers and peckerwoods

POST  # 3

One thing is for certain here in Origanna Woods. We do have an abundance of nature, and nuts.
  I love to start my day with a good cup of coffee in the kitchen while watching my bird feeders.
I am amazed by the numbers of birds, and by the different species of birds that flock to my bird buffet.
No, I don't mean the chicken buffet that I had so sweetly set up for the hawks either.

To see the cardinals against the  snow covered ground ,or the dark eyed junco's  scratching  around to beat the band. Look up and see three species of woodpecker chipping away at the trees. It really is worth the few dollars spent on feeding them.

We've had a few snakes in the yard, as well.  Not my favorite by any means but still nature! I was sitting on the front porch this fall and out of the corner of my eye I noticed a small frog hopping faster than I've EVER seen a frog move. I think I heard him let out a little frog yell!
 Seconds later I see what it is that's making this little fellow  boogie, he is being pursued by a rather determined snake. When the snake realized I was there he froze , curled up and lowered his head. I may have screamed like a girl at this point, I'm not sure! I prefer to let any snake I see have the right of way, by about 50 yards. I think I was what allowed the frog to make his great escape.

As I was heading up to our neighbors house one afternoon after a strong rain, I saw a Blue Heron in the middle of the road. I know, what the hell?  I was quiet and able to watch it for a while. It turned out the this enormous bird was feasting on dozens of small frogs that had gathered in the flooded potholes of the road. Poor frogs didn't stand a chance in hell.  It was a beautiful thing to see it take flight. Our road is wooded on both sides so the bird had to fly forward for a while before he could head up and away. I would say that his wing span was at least 6 feet. Again, beautiful!

Now, the best things to see are the deer that cut across our backyard, or the wild turkeys that cross our road down behind GRACIE'S MARKET. One Thanksgiving  Day when Mark and I had come from Illinois, we had  turned onto our street and  quickly stopped the car to watch 5 turkeys cross in front of us and take cover in the woods. We had hoped they were heading to our place to hop in the oven. No luck.
I've seen on several occasions 3-7 deer out our kitchen window while I'm doing the dishes. Not a bad view at all. May have to put out a salt block this spring and get them a bit closer!

Pecker woods indeed! 

Several people have come through and offered services.
 We've offered a fellow who needed money for his kids to come and cut wood.
Feel free to come and cut some wood and sell it. We made the deal that for every three loads taken and sold one load would be left for us. Good idea right? Less work for me and everybody gets something out of it. Now mind you, we had the loggers there, so what they were cutting was the leftover tops of the trees that were already on the ground. Hard part done, right?
Needless to say I am back to chopping wood. After only getting one load of wood I guess he didn't need anymore money for his kids!
 I don't mind cutting, hauling and splitting wood. It's a great work-out and a wonderful way to relieve stress. But damn, again.

One gentleman was to pick up the lumber scraps and waste from the yard. It was piled and ready to be loaded. He never showed.
One fellow was paid to hang drywall upstairs. He needed money to get on his feet. Or so the story went. He worked well for a few days. Then one afternoon  I'd not heard the saw or drill or any hammering sounds in a couple hours, so I  went upstairs to make sure he was alright. If you call smoking meth alright, then he was great. I didn't help get him on his feet, but showed his ass to  the door! I can't believe someone would think that is OK.
Seriously?????!!!??   SIGH..........

It is what it is. That's what my father always said. True story there Dad!
This is a  process. Of building a house for over a decade. Losing friends along the way, but finding yourself.
 Of learning to earn what you spend, and when to spend what you earn. Of owning who we are.
 Of owning up to who we were.
It is what it is.................. thanks for the words Dad.

Running water, HUMANURE and other fun topics.....

Post  #2

Now we get to talk about the business of business.............

One of the pitfalls of  the last year has been the lack of running water in the house. We had timber cut in hopes of securing the 6 grand needed to cover digging a well ( this includes another lesson learned).  We fell about 4 grand short of the goal and used the money earned to instead get the platform for the last part of the house built.
This section of the house includes the bathroom, utility room and the back porch.
I suppose that having this done means no more post holes to be dug!  Imagine a post hole digger and the rocks I spoke of previously.

Let me back up a few years............. Mark, Roger and I started our adventure by purchasing some acreage    ( site unseen) from our friend Neil at      
http://www.ozarkland.com/  .
After making our initial trip to see what we had bought we got busy.  After clearing and cleaning an area near a power pole ( to save on having to have one put in elsewhere on the property) we had a storage shed delivered to store our tools when we came to work. Inside the shed we built a platform to lay a bed, just in case the weather wasn't cooperating when we were here.
From the shed we set poles and built a kitchen/dining room. We kept building as money allowed. Several years later and many trips from Champaign we now have 4 bedrooms, living room, dining room, kitchen and a library (still under some construction).
 The last rooms we built this summer, being the rooms I spoke of earlier.
Just two years ago we paid off the land. It's ours outright now!!!
Besides some wiring, drywall and general finishing touches we are  basically finished.   DREAM ON!

It's not as bad as one may think, not having running water. It is a bit of a pain but it really makes you appreciate what you do have.  For dishes I've set up a 35 gallon drum with a fountain pump and a faucet. The pump is plugged into a power strip and when you want water you just flip the switch! Pretty clever if I do say so myself! We do have to go to the neighbors with our 5 gallon jugs,  purchased at the local Wal-Mart. I use  these jugs to fill the 35 gallon jug and it lasts about 10 days.  How much water do you use to do the dishes??? Bet I got ya beat!
I heat the water on the stove for  doing the dishes and for general cleaning. It could be worse I'm sure.

As far as showers go, that's a bit different. During the winter I head to the neighbors, during the summer months I use a solar shower and consume less than 5 gallons of water per shower. And you?

I'm know by now that you are dying to know how we go about the business of doing our business. Who wouldn't want to know?
 I knew I didn't want to be unsanitary about this as it isn't the most pleasant part of our daily lives. Thanks to  www.youtube.com , I found a way to tackle this problem too. It's called humanure. It involves a 5 gallon bucket and sawdust ( either purchased at the feed store or gathered while cutting wood). Our motto is........... If  you poop use the scoop!
 The container when full is not as unpleasant as it sounds. No odor. No mess.
What I've done is built a frame several yards from the house. Take the bucket and dump it. Add some compostable material  and let mother nature do her job.   It's important to add grasses, leaves and the such to make it break down better. It does help to take a pitchfork to the pile once every couple of months. Just to speed up the process. I really like this because again it conserves water. In great amounts. The only water I use is to clean and sanitize the container.
 Nobody said this was going to be easy. Good thing, otherwise they would have been kicked in the crotch!
 Has my move been worth it? Yes.
Would I change anything? No.
That is the lesson learned!