Lately, there have been a few new things show up at the house. I sorted out a radio for the truck, and now have both vehicles set so we can talk back and forth. I put a new back door on the house. That ought to make it a bit warmer in the pantry. I have got some firewood gathered up and brought home. Most of it is split and stacked, though there are a few more rounds. I am contemplating going out to get more from either the neighbor, or the Logan City Landfill, where there is a lot on offer for free. That takes longer, but I can often find wood there that is not rotten in the middle
Today I ordered a pump for our ketchup container, which is one of those big Heinz ones from Sam’s Club. That ought to help when filling the little squeeze bottle, and as a sperate dispenser in it’s own right. I have a few of them coming, really, so maybe we can get mustard, too.
I have also ordered a new tablet to replace the one I am writing on now. I want to have one to keep using around and about. But I want on dedicated to writing and publishing and such. That is where the second one will come in. I got it on sale yesterday, but today a SD card came up on sale, so that is on order now too. Next thing to come up may be the keyboard, and also I would like to find a wall mounted arm to allow me to sit in bed and watch Netflix, or type from a bluetooth keyboard, or whatever.
The highlights are in things right now. That is not the most important thing. The most important things are the people I live with. My daughters are on break from school this week. My wife is back from her trip out last week, so we keep our fingers crossed that there has been no Covid exposure. We have a boy going in this week for his Citizenship. We have one losing his place to live because of his roommate moving out. Obviously, there is the fall weather settling in and the resurgance of Covid.
The promise of a vaccine before Election Day is utter crap. If one were to put stock in that, then I could only say it is a foolish thing to do. Talk to me when a vaccine has been dispensed, and tested and proven. Obviosly, in a desperate situation, that all changes. But till that situation arises, no. We need hard science, not hard politics to solve this mess. We are now at 214,061 deaths. That is a huge mass casualty event. The incompetance in assigning proper leadership and handling of this situation is unforgiveable. The lack of reverence for the seriousness, the lack of empathy for those who have lost loved ones is astonishing. My vote is cast. I cannot change it. Happily, I would not change it.
All we can do is move forward. Things may go to crap. But till they do, move on. That is all we could ever do.
Today I was moved to spontaneously clean the chimney as a sort of last ditch opportunity prior to the change of seasons. The weather may hold out for a little while longer, but if it decides to let the temperatures slide, we have the stove ready for burning. I also made the goats a house. They needed it. The two girls are expecting. I have no idea how many. We think it could be between two and five total. It would be good if they have a place to stay out of the weather, so I cut a door in a large IBC tank and laid it up on its side with the door facing south, so they can get sunlight in there. Let the babies come! We are expecting them around my youngest daughter’s birthday in first week of November. It ought to be interesting!
The one thing always on my mind now is getting a tractor. I wish I could sort it out now, ready to clear snowfall, and to move animal feed in the winter, as well as any of the larger animals if they die. Nothing is much worse than moving a large, dead animal by hand when it is frozen into the ground. There is hay to move, and there is firewood to lift and move around when required. Come spring, there will be tilling, and dirt to move on the field across the street where we are going to be making some changes to make it a friendlier place for the livestock and hopefully eventually even for the water fowl. I have wood on that field that needs moving, but is too heavy to. I have to move snow from the roadside where the post carrier comes and complains that I have got to clear sisxty feet of access for the mail delivery, and it is right where the snow plows push piles of snow too when they clear the road. There are the driveways around the farm, and there is being able to drop large loads of hay into the livestock feeder and leave them to it across the street, properly fed. I have quite a few projects around here that require digging, which would be lovely to do when it comes time to put water hydrants in around the yard, rather than having to had dig the five foot trenches for several hundred feet, and then the 18 inch trenches for electricity. And we will nevermind the plumbing and basement issues that could be addressed. I could carry water to where the livestock lives if I had a good loader and used the IBC tank I have set up for it. Just need to get pallet forks on the tractor for that. Buckets of water through a foot or more of ice and snow really sucks. Animal pens need cleaning, and I need to be able to reset some fences. There is some levelling that iquired out front of the house, and a firewood sales stand set up, with a way to carry wood out to it on the tractor loader. And this is all just off the top of my head, and for the first four to six months. Wait till we start building things! Wait till we start loading and unloading truckloads of stuff with it!
I am saving to make a down payment. But with things in the air with Covid right now, is it the best time? Then, there is looking to earn some money with it, too. So much to do. Then comes next summer…