Thursday, July 6, 2017

Continuation French Drain, Poppies :-), Zeva, Refrig Pickles..............



French Drain continuation……

The gravel’s been laid at the bottom of the trench; pipes have been glued together, and laid at a slight angle on top of the gravel, to ensure the water will drain down the pipe and into our fish pond. We even setup one of the gutters to run down a spout into a pipe in the ground, which in the end will be totally connected to the French Drain. This will take the rain water away from the house and prevent issues with the foundation.  Now we’re ready for the next step to add more gravel to the trench and on top of the pipe.






A slight delay causes us to push this project off the delay; Bulldog Man needs to leave for work in Salt Lake City, Utah for a week. 
The second delay, severe thunder and lightning storms. We’ll have to pick this project up again, once the sun comes back out and the ground is dry.   


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A nice surprise; Kymber and Jambaloney over at the Framboise Manor Blog sent us these amazing Poppies as a housewarming gift.  We decided to place them around our tornado shelter……because they’re pretty, they signify success in following your dreams, and most of all remind us of those military soldiers who lost their lives protecting us, and fighting for our freedoms…..Remember Flanders Fields (WW1).




These Poppies have touched us in an amazing way, thank you so much Kymber and Jambaloney…we love y’all. 
Oh Kymber, there was a little bird just sitting in one of the poppies taking a little bath :-)

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Tank needed longer leads on the welder mounted to his flatbed truck.  Instead of purchasing 200 foot leads separately from a welding shop, he went ahead and purchased 400 feet of wire wholesale and created his own 200 foot leads. He also purchased a mechanical reel to attach directly to his truck, to wrap and ground the leads, making it easier for working large jobs.  Bulldog Man helped tank pull, split, and setup the wire on the reel properly.    





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The making of refrigerator pickles…..I used a spice package by Ball and McCormick (like the ones in my last give-away) in order to make bread and butter pickles.  I only really needed to come up with the vinegar, sugar, and water.  The rest was quiet simple, no processing in a pressure canner, or a water bath.  My bottles went directly in the refrigerator and will be totally eaten up by one person in our house….ME!!!!





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It breaks my heart to say this; we had to give up our sweet little girl, Zeva.  We had her for only 2 days and trained her to bark to go outside to do her business, and introduced her to walking on a leash.  She was very intelligent, and a sweet German shepherd.  Our plan was to train her as a security protection dog, for out on the farm.  But first, Beans (our rescued Chihuahua) needed to give his blessings.  We introduced the 2 dogs and they both seemed to be fine with one another.  Once home, Beans started to become distant, with us, and Zeva.  He sat on his bed and anytime Zeva would get near him he would leave a wide berth.  He started closing down………he would give a dead stare, not move, eat, or drink. 


What to do….we acted fast!  Beans was here first (he’s our baby), and we rescued him.  We weren’t replacing him; we were bringing him a friend, a companion.   Obviously this was too much for Beans to handle (maybe because Zeva was a puppy).  We brought Zeva back to her original owner (lovely breeder who lived on a ranch full of animals).  She took Zeva back and totally understood.  Zeva was adopted that afternoon by a family who recently lost their female shepherd.  They kept the name we gave her, and will send us pictures. 

Beans is still acting a bit strange over the situation.  Tomorrow we go to the Vet., to make sure everything’s okay.  

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We recently found several worm webs in trees around our driveway.  This time of year it’s usually the Eastern Tent Caterpillar (appears in late spring/early summer) which looks very similar to the Web Worm (they appear in the fall).  These worms can stress your trees, making them susceptible to diseases, other bugs, and drought.  




The easiest way to get rid of these worms and their webs are to spray them with bug spray.  We prefer to cut the branch down and burn the entire branch, web, eggs, and worms. 
As for the tree’s with  branches 30+ feet up in the air……they’ll have to just be left alone because…. I’m not climbing my happy A$$ up these trees to cut limbs/branches down at my age.  There’s just no way I can do that now!!!!



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19 comments

  1. You guys are making lots of progress with the french drain given how uncooperative the weather has been. It's looking good! Hope Tank knows how lucky he is to get the help putting his welder stuff together. He sure is doing good with welding. Don't beat yourself up over the pup and Beans. She is going to be good with her new digs and Beans knows how much y'all love him. Psst don't forget you have a pickle loving sister here�� The flowers are cute. They remind me of the poppies in Spain. Be good, love you guys!

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    1. Kim,

      I have to agree, we've done a lot. The weather is still not cooperating. Tank is very thankful for the help and advice. He's welding is out of this world, the boy is so talented. Zeva is in good hands, and Beans remains spoiled....LOL I haven't forgot about you, and how much you love pickles. I have some jars for you.....unless of course I get into them....he.he..he..he..

      Yes, the poppies remind me of Spain as well. Love you too Sis!!!

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  2. Omigosh, so much going on around your place! But doesn't it feel great now that you know you're on your own property and can make it just perfect for yourselves? Sure, it's still a lot of planning and plain hard work, but it's all worth it.

    Sorry you had to let Zeva go. In the future, if you decide to try introducing another dog to Beans, I wonder if the same thing would happen? Some dogs do seem to need to be an "only dog" and I don't know if consulting a canine expert would provide help on that score or not. Zeva was a cutie but I think you made the right decision rather than prolonging things.

    As for the poppies, aren't blogging friends the greatest?

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    1. Mama Pea,

      Never a dull moment here on the homestead :-P
      It really does feel real good to own our own place and not pay rent. Changes made on the property are made without getting pre-approval.

      I'm not sure if Beans will act up again if we introduce another dog. He's never acted this way when other dogs come to the house (our kids dogs). We're not going to introduce another dog right now, it will be a while because we don't want the same thing happening. My husband and I don't like prolonging our decisions because of the consequences. Having to return Zeva made me sick.

      Yes, blogging friends are the best!!!

      Hugs,
      Sandy

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  3. Poor Beans. Sometimes it's impossible to go from being an only child to a twosome, especially if you're an older only child. You are wonderful dog parents. What a lot of work you have done on your little piece of paradise! Aren't kymber and jam the sweetest? I am getting ready to try out my pineapple salsa spice - can't wait!!! xoxoxox

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    1. Susan,

      Spoiled Beans is more like it!!! Thank you dear friend, you are as well. There's always work to be done....you know that very well :-) There's never a boring moment. And if there was, we wouldn't know what to do with ourselves....other than maybe take a nice nap :-) Kymber and Jam the man are the best,I consider them family......NAKED Family, LOL....

      Let me know what you think about the pineapple salsa spice.

      Hugs,
      Sandy

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  4. Sounds like you guys are settling in nicely. Sorry Beans didn't 'take' to Zeva. Not all dogs are dog friendly. I know Nelly isn't. Do you think it's a Chihuahua thing? Oh, & those pickles look delicious!

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    1. DFW,

      We're slowly but surely getting there :-)
      The funny thing, Beans loves dogs....I'm not sure what was going on with him. He has been a tad revengeful after returning Zeva. We took him to the Vet to see if something else was going on. Found out he had the start of an ear infection, I not sure the infection was the reason for his attitude. He was a rescue, maybe he thought he was going to be replaced?? We would never do that to him. The pickles were amazing, I have only 2 jars left.

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  5. hey Gurlie.... You guys have been so darn busy. Oh that little face on Zeva..what a cutie! Just glad it worked out and she got a good home.
    Love the poppies from Kymber and Jam..how cool! Much love to you guys ttyl-JUGM

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    1. Glock Mom and Senior,

      Yes we have, and I know y'all are as well. I'm thankful Zeva went to a great home. The seller knows the family well. We love the poppies too!!!

      Sending hugs and love to y'all.
      Sandy

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  6. Hey there! Wow that's a lot of work. And in the heat!!! What a great idea though. So rain will fill the pond while keeping it away from the base of the house. Great plan. Our "someday" pond is way too far away from the house but I like that idea. It gets my mind thinking...

    Quick pickles are all I made this season with the cucumbers we got and kept. They were so good.

    And you KNOW I love that cellar, "naked" or with "jewelry", ha!!!

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    1. 1st Man,

      Work needs to get done! Yes, we work as long as we can in the sun. Most of the time were up before the sunrises working, then when it gets real hot we go back inside until the sunsets. When it sets were back outside working. Any time we can get the water away from the house....it's a good thing. We don't want any sitting water next to the house to cause damage to the foundation.

      Quick pickles are just as good as canned ones!!! I say there even better because they don't take up as much time to can.

      The cellar is very handy for storing just about anything....including veggies. Next season when we plant, I'll be using it for onions and potatoes.

      Isn't my cellar sexy with it's jewelry :-PPP

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  7. You never know with dogs. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn't. My daughter got a very old tiny dog whose owner was going into assisted living. The owner gave the dog to a church member who promised to take care of it, but she went right down and made an appointment to have the dog euthanized. Her son works with my daughter, and asked her if she could find Rufus a home. My daughter took him, but he hated her German Shepard. So Rufus is coming down here to live with me and the wife. Should be here Monday night when the kids get here. Rufus is 15 years old, so I am thinking of it kind of like hospice care. He is in good shape but he's mighty old.

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    1. Hey Harry,

      I agree, dogs are strange that way!!! Oh that poor little Rufus....thank goodness for your Daughter taking that pup in. I really have an issue with people who take an animal in just to say they did, but really just have the animal euthanized instead of taking care of the animal. It's a shame the assisted living place wouldn't let the original owner keep Rufus. Thank you Harry for taking Rufus in!!! You and your wife are amazing :-)

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  8. Sweet Sandy - you already know how much jam and i laughed when we saw where you put your poppies! and i just knew that you would understand the deeper meaning to them - thank you for that! i am so glad that Tank is all set up and i am very sorry for little Zeva...but Beans is your priority - your number one. remember we had katijya for 6 weeks and had to give her back because the cats just couldn't stand her...and our cats are all rescues and were here first. i truly understand how hard it is to have to give back someone who you thought was going to be a member of your family. the french drain progress is going great!

    we send our love, loyalty and faith to you all! and can't wait to follow you on this incredible journey! (don't forget the B word - bahahahahah!)

    your friends,
    kymber and jambaloney

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    Replies
    1. Sweet Kymber,

      My storm shelter has jewelry per 1st Man :-) Bahahahahahahaha!!!! In fact, it's sexy jewelry....thank goodness the shelter is no longer naked....it looks sexy!!! Hopefully by next spring we will have grass growing on the sides of the shelter with your beautiful poppies :-)

      We both had to take care of our first animal rescues because they take precedence over new members coming in. Both Katijya and Zeva are in a good place with good people.

      We won't forget the "B" word at all....we laugh each and every time we think about you and Jam writing us that e-mail.

      Love y'all
      Sandy and BD Man

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  9. You two are making amazing progress on your place. Drainage is a priority, Dan would approve! And that's an excellent idea to direct it into a fish pond. I hate to waste water!

    Interesting about your dogs, and what a shame it didn't work out. Animals can be funny like that! At least you were able to discern a problem and take action before she got used to being there.

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    1. Leigh,

      Slowly but surely we are!!! Drainage is a priority, we don't want to have damage to our foundation. With the water going into the pond we have direct access to the water for future use.

      We had to do what we had to do with the dogs, it wasn't easy. We knew deep in our hearts Beans took precedence because he was rescued and already part of the family. I know we all have to make these decisions every once and a while.

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