Ridgetop - our place and how we muddle along

[SageHill]

Texas is becoming more real with every passing day. Looks like everyone is beginning to believe it is going to happen.
Too funny with the games. Risk - ohhhhh yeah we’ve done that one a lot. MileBornes is a regular as is Scrabble. Ha - with the Words With Friends I’ve learned a lot of great words for Scrabble - coupled with me saying ‘go ahead and challenge it, I use that one all the time’ .
It won’t be long (or maybe not soon enough) and you’ll have a lot less drama in Texas.

 

[Ridgetop]

Less drama, but less family fun too. Two sides to every coin. It will be sad but like i told DD1 it will encourage the to take driving trips to the midwest. With a base in Texas and its great historical past, they can explore to the north, east and south. Told them we would go too and bring our trailer. DD1 doesn't see that as a draw, she is feeling too sorry about her parents leaving. We are a very close knit family and this will freally toss them all for a loop. Only ones not terribly bothered are DS3 who has been in Nipomo for 6 years now, and DD2 who, even though he lives with us, was in the military. DS1 will suffer the most because he is truly adored by all the nephews and nieces.

 

[murphysranch]

Yes, they will follow. The ones you truly want to follow you, will arrive.

Mother has always said to me: Don't follow your children. It never ends up being a good decision.

Well, I did when we moved up here from Medford OR last year. Its been the best thing for my and DD's relationship. She was always contentious, but now at 37 yrs old, she' becoming more patient with me. And vice versa.

Next on our family agenda? Son is moving up here too!!!!! He's just taking too damn long in my book, to hit the road. But he's an adult (32) and its his life.

 

[Mini Horses]

Both my kids are here with me....well, on the farm. Some days it's a problem with DS I honestly think he's bipolar and needs meds for DD is independent and DGD I rarely see except in passing, recently turned 21. They followed me, wandered in. I may have to move again

 

[Ridgetop]

I may have to move again

Northeast Texas is nice! Good grass, and some wooded parcels for goat forage!

 

[Ridgetop]

My nicely decorated home is just a memory (wasn't there a song like that?) Stacks of packed boxes cluttering up half the living room, pictures down from the walls, looking less and less like our home and more and more like DS2 and DDIL2's. So much baby gear and outdoor play equipment again.

DH is worried about money. Says we need to save up for the other stuff we need to do at the ranch. The fencing has taken all our savings. But it is done. Credit cards are paid off, vehicles are paid off, we can save up the $$ we were paying on the car payment and the interest we were paying on the credit cards. Amazing how fast not paying interest and car payments mounts up! DS2 is paying rent so that goes into the kitty too. By the time we return in September DH says we will have enough saved to do the tree trimming and dead tree removal. He says that has to be done before the winter storms - he doesn't want anything falling on the house. Wise man. When we move to Texas in January, we should have the amount we need to transport the animals commercially. DH hopes to have enough for the generator by the end of January. Even February should be enough time for the generator. We will be bringing the old wood cook stove back so we can fire it up in the barn and cook. LOL By closing off the bedrooms and using the LR fireplace we can keep warm in an emergency I suppose. Hope to have the generator in before that though. Naturally once we install the generator Texas will never have power losses due to heavy freezes and heat spells again. Thanks Ridgetop!

DH says that there is a big storm heading for Yantis area. They are expecting heavy rain this week - maybe 3". Good for the hay - maybe we will have 3 cuttings this year. I need to pay Cody for the 70 bales I ordered once he has it cut. His son, Payton, will stack it for us next to the barn. No inside storage this year, but maybe we can tarp over it somehow. After the generator we need to save for the haybarn. And check with FSA about low interest loans. According to the NRCS if I apply as a female farm operator, I will get more consideration and better benefits than DH who is 80% military disabled! Doesn't seem fair but I'll take it.

Speaking of rain, we are supposed to get some here on Thursday. Temps have dropped from 105 degrees to 80-90 degrees. I may be able to get outside to do some work. Need to vaccinate the lambs. Also check hooves.

Going to start removing the remainder of the family pix from the walls. I am packing them in bundles for each child. One thing this clear out is doing is for me to give my kids stuff now instead of them having to empty the place after we are gone.

 

[Ridgetop]

Saturday - All family pix down, some boxed for Texas, others divided for individual children to get. Might as well sort out stuff for the kids instead of leaving it till I am dead. Naturally, the kids don't want to wait that long for their stuff since I am planning on living forever! In my Prime of course.

Walls are looking very bare and really show the need to repaint. I am tempted to repaint but not so much as to do it. LOL

We had to replace our faucet last night because it was sucking air i and the sprayer was continuously leaking when the water was turned on. DS1 tore everything apart whlie I went with DD1 to Lowes. I didn't realize she also planned to go to Target and Staples! She usually doesn;t spend a lot of time shopping.

An hour and a half in Lowes - got my stuff fast but she wanted to get something that was hard to find. Then as we were heading to the checkout (thank goodness) I saw those mattresses in boxes. Serta memory foam over coils. On sale half price "while supplies last". They had ONE king size left. DH and I were going to take our king size mattress to Texas or buy another so I grabbed this one (our current one is the same thing and very comfortable). The box will be easier to move to Texas than a king size mattress. DH had suggested that we take out current mattress to Texas and bring back the one from there but this will be easier.

Now home with the faucet - WRONG! DSIL1 had found graph rued composition notebooks on sale at Target - they were graph lined and the 2 boys needed them for their advanced math classes. TWO HOURS later we had DD1 had run into students, parents, and friends and was still talking as I collapsed onto a seat and waited for her. My feet were swollen and aching. I had received 2 calls from DS1 about the faucet. He was waiting to install it, where were we?

Finally, checked out and off to Staples. I needed a replacement hanging rod for DH's file cabinet which are not available. Anther 2 hour roud with DD1 looking for stuff. She did fnd the graph rued composition notebooks FOR $.80 CHEAPER THAN THE SALE PRICE AT TARGET! They had lots so she bought 3. I wandered around before finally sitting down again. I did find the "FRAGILE" stickers I wanted for my moving boxes. Finally got home and immediately went to lay down with my obscenely swollen and aching feet up. DD1 had refused to buy a bag of ice so i could put my feet on it in the car on the way home. LOL

 

[farmerjan]

DD1 is going to have a rude awakening when you are moved and not on your way back for another "load to take".....
Cutting these apron strings is going to be good for you..... she will have to sink or swim... and you will get some non-drama rest in your life.
Cannot believe she would not allow you to get a bag of ice....

Hate to bother you so I am going to call @Baymule for the recipe for the cinnamon rings... don't want these too big cucumbers to go too long before I do something with them.

 

[SageHill]

WHAT!!!!! OMG Staples has those graph ruled notebooks on sale?!!! OMG OMG -- ya' do know that normally those puppies are 3-4 TIMES the price of the regular ruled ones. Doesn't make sense to me why - same paper and a tiny bit more ink. LOVE THOSE.
Ah - I know those kind of "shopping trips" to just one store, then two, then three then half a day later. DH does that all the time.
Hope your ankles and feet calm down soon.

 

[farmerjan]

I will be leaving early tomorrow to go by staples to see about one of those graph ruled notebooks because I want to do up a "to scale" graph for the kitchen. This stupid little 2 section corner sink is going to go.... I get a crick in my neck from never standing square to just wash the dishes... and I have pretty much decided on how I want to do the sink/counter.... Since I have the portable dishwasher, I am going to leave space for it next to the stove and take out that part of the cabinet.... have the sink along the other wall and then the dishwasher can be moved in or out as the need arises.... and it will be right there to use the faucet and all....and then I can get my "realistically sized sink " for dishes and canning and larger pans to fit in. I HATE this sink and this is the last year I am going to deal with it.