[Artemis Prime]

Saturday update - mostly stuck to the plan. Got my paused squats in, and they felt good. I've heard a few bodybuilders say they don't do any stretching other than doing their lifts slowly and with full range of motion. I can see what they mean, doing slow squats and holding the bottom position was a nice stretch on my quads and my legs felt better after. I'm still planning to work a regular stretching habit back into my week, though. If for no other reason than because I only do paused squats every other week and my quads would appreciate stretching a little more often than that. (Or insert other muscle group here, they all could use it.)

 

After squats I had class, and realized that I've been reading the syllabus wrong, so I was not, in fact, a week behind on my assignments and am actually now partially ahead. So I can cool my jets there, want to update my reading log today but not going to worry about reading or listening to lectures.

 

Got my chickens moved after class but was still feeling tired, so I just ate some lunch and chilled until my dad was ready to pull fence posts. Which didn't last long. We're so dry right now even the tractor couldn't pull them loose. So that is once again tabled until we get a little rain. Since post pulling was no longer in the plan, I moved on to decking, hit my goal for the week, and kept going for a little bit longer. Am almost done with the decking now, thought about pushing through a little further yesterday, but I am working on resting better, so when I felt I needed to be done, I cleaned up my tools and was done. Sat on the porch for a little while, took a bit of a nap, did chores, watched Critical Role until dinner time, then ended up on the phone with my brother for a very long phone call (Sending points for a 3rd level spell, whoo!) which covered all sorts of interesting topics as we tend to wander down every rabbit trail that presents itself in our conversations. The main reason for his call, though, was that he and his wife are writing up their wills, and in the event something happens to them, they would like me to become the legal guardian to their kids. All 6 of them. It's an honor and I'm flattered and boy oh boy do I really hope that never happens. 

 

It was late enough by the time I got off the phone with him, I just went straight to bed.

 

Today - spent the morning prepping for the small group discussion I'm leading after church (left that a little late, didn't I?) and once I'm done updating here, I'll be getting ready for church. After, I'd like to do a little more decking because I just can't help myself, but this afternoon is mostly going to be a slow one as the week coming up is busy and I shall seize my quiet moments when I can. Oh, and I still have some deadlifts to do. So maybe deadlifts first, then decking, then rest. (So close to alliterizing! Deadlifts then decking then dreaming?)

[Salinger]

Deadlines then Decking sounds like a mega cool metal band ?

[Heidi]

11 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

I've been reading the syllabus wrong, so I was not, in fact, a week behind on my assignments and am actually now partially ahead.

I have done this too, and it’s great when the syllabus-error falls to the “over prepared” side.

 

Sounds like the decking is coming along well. Is rain forecast anytime soon? I’d hate to have Old Man Winter sneak up on those fence posts still in the ground and have you feeling hamstrung. I’m glad your dad is willing and able to help with the posts once the rain comes. 

 

I had some RIR chickens back in the day when I had a farm, and I liked them. Buff Orpington were my favorite though. I hear you on the Cornish cross — I like how fast they grow but I have many misgivings about the breeding.

 

❤️ 

[Ranger Hal]

12 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

The main reason for his call, though, was that he and his wife are writing up their wills, and in the event something happens to them, they would like me to become the legal guardian to their kids. All 6 of them. It's an honor and I'm flattered and boy oh boy do I really hope that never happens. 

I had a friend make that request about her kids (only 3 of them) and I feel the same. I would do it because we're close like family, but I really, really hope it never comes to that.

[Cheetah]

On 9/14/2024 at 9:04 AM, Artemis Prime said:

ethical concerns

 

I have a friend who does a big flock of meat birds every few years, and I've been thinking about talking to him about alternatives to the Cornish Cross.  I'm glad you're having success with the Color Yields.  How does the cost of chicks compare to the Cornish?

 

On 9/14/2024 at 9:04 AM, Artemis Prime said:

a plan.

 

You can do it!  Oh wait, that was Saturday.  How did it go?

[Artemis Prime]

1 hour ago, Cheetah said:

How does the cost of chicks compare to the Cornish?

From my local supplier, they were actually a little cheaper, although I didn't buy any CX this year, so I'm not sure what they were. But usually I pay $2.50 per chick and the Color Yields were $2.00.

(The argument for CX is that they are done in 8 weeks so you buy less feed, but they eat as much in 8 weeks as the Color Yields did in 10, so that was a wash. I've had pretty good luck with CX, as far as losses go, but last year I did lose a bunch, and some of the other people we process for lost almost all of theirs. I've had no Color Yield losses thus far *knock on wood* and the other people I know raising them have had close to a 100% survival rate as well.)

 

13 hours ago, Heidi said:

I have done this too, and it’s great when the syllabus-error falls to the “over prepared” side.

Yes, I'd much rather have accidentally done too much than too little.

 

13 hours ago, Heidi said:

Sounds like the decking is coming along well. Is rain forecast anytime soon? I’d hate to have Old Man Winter sneak up on those fence posts still in the ground and have you feeling hamstrung. I’m glad your dad is willing and able to help with the posts once the rain comes. 

Nothing in the 10-day forecast. The ground usually doesn't freeze hard around here until January, though, so I'm pretty confident I'll have an opportunity to pull them in October or November. And I have plenty of other stuff to do in the meantime.

 

13 hours ago, Heidi said:

I had some RIR chickens back in the day when I had a farm, and I liked them. Buff Orpington were my favorite though. I hear you on the Cornish cross — I like how fast they grow but I have many misgivings about the breeding.

My favorite rooster I ever had was a RIR. I had some Buff Orpingtons who I liked personality-wise, but they weren't great layers for me. My recent strategy has been to buy up whatever my friend has left over from his breeding operation on the cheap, so I've got a pretty nice mixed flock right now, some RIR crosses, a silver Wyandotte, a Blue Andalusian, a Blue Leghorn, and a couple of white hens that I'm not actually sure what they are. So far I'm really pleased with the Color Yields. 2 extra weeks for grow-out is a fair trade in my mind for having to worry less about them keeling over and also feeling better about my meat production.

 

12 hours ago, Ranger Hal said:

I had a friend make that request about her kids (only 3 of them) and I feel the same. I would do it because we're close like family, but I really, really hope it never comes to that.

Right? It's pretty heavy. Although at the moment I'm having fun sending him links to things like shower chairs for the elderly and statistics about the most dangerous areas in the home and ways to safeguard them.

[Artemis Prime]

Sunday was a bit of a slow day. Had church, took care of some retreat prep, including prepping the small group leaders. Was feeling tired and a bit blah. Got a few more rows of decking down, now have everything except the last row, which needs ripped. Also got my deadlifts done, but came up just short on killing the Vampirate with my attack. Lounged and napped the rest of the day, it was wonderful.

 

Week One Recap

On 9/9/2024 at 10:03 AM, Artemis Prime said:

Ordination - submit my policy paperwork and ask how to set up a psych eval.

Almost forgot about this, but got it done on Friday.  Ceremony points!

 

On 9/9/2024 at 10:03 AM, Artemis Prime said:

Strength - Workouts on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday (or Friday if I want an extra rest day in there.) It's a lower, upper, lower week.

Stretched this out a little bit to splitting my second lower workout over Saturday and Sunday, but got it all in!

 

On 9/9/2024 at 10:03 AM, Artemis Prime said:

Barndominium - Should get good deck progress. In the interest of setting goals too small to fail, this week's goal is to use up the first pile of decking (6 boards left) and ask my cousin when he'll be available to dig the electrical trench, as that will determine the timetable on the rest.

Reached my decking goal and then some, which is nice. Found out my cousin probably won't be available to help until next month.

 

3 for 3 on goals! I like this. Got just over 200 points, including getting Word of Radiance Monday-Friday, which hasn't happened in a while. Oh, and pitched a pair of earbuds with a broken mic for Turn Undead. At a total of 12,005 points, so 1,995 points to go. A little off pace, but mostly because this freaking Vampirate won't die.

 

It had been a good, productive week on the shore. Artemis felt good about the progress she had made reinforcing her shelter, hoping to leave a welcoming place for whoever next came here looking for a place to rest. She also felt that her studies and preparation were bearing fruit for her return to the busy world and ministering to people there. Watching the sunset, she couldn't think of much she would change about her current circumstances. And then she heard the gurgling breath of the undead pirate still circling her campsite menacingly. "Well, I guess the company could use a little improvement." She lashed out with her mace, but the sand shifted beneath her feet, turning what should have been a killing strike into a glancing blow. She sighed as she settled back into her fighting stance. "Come on, we both know you're beat."

[Artemis Prime]

Week Two Goals and Plans!

 

Ordination - taking it slow here this week. We'll see what response I get about setting up a psych eval, and I won't be in class on Saturday due to the retreat, so the main goal is to keep up with assignments and make it through the retreat.

Strength - It is upper, lower, upper day this week. Planning to work out today, tomorrow, and either Thursday or Friday.

Barndominium - taking it slow here as well. Won't have a ton of time to work on this, so tonight I plan to finish the last row of decking, and if that's all I get, that's okay. Secondary goal is to call my contact at the electric company and see what exactly needs to happen to get a live hookup.

 

Monday - workout at lunch, barn work in evening. Update reading log for class.

Tuesday - workout at lunch, dinner with sister. Work on class reading.

Wednesday - finish weekly class reading, take my cat to the vet for vaccinations.

Thursday - workout at lunch or meet with my rector for retreat prep. Maybe barn work in evening, although I might end up helping my neighbor since I'm not available Wednesday this week.

Friday - workout/meet with rector (depending on what happened yesterday.) Listen to class lectures. Retreat set up in the evening.

Saturday - retreat most of the day. Maybe some barn work after, depending on how I feel, or some class work. Or just resting.

Sunday - church in morning. Finish any class assignments I haven't gotten to yet. Maybe barn work, if I'm up for it. Rest.

[Heidi]

1 hour ago, Artemis Prime said:

She sighed as she settled back into her fighting stance. "Come on, we both know you're beat."

I love this.  

[Radost]

10 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

Reached my decking goal and then some, which is nice.

Woot!

 

[Harriet]

On 9/12/2024 at 2:52 PM, Artemis Prime said:

My quarter horse is handling solitude better than I feared he might, but he's still looking lonely, so going to bump getting a second horse a little higher up on the list.

 

Does a horse need another horse, or can you, like, get him a pet cat?

 

On 9/15/2024 at 2:26 PM, Artemis Prime said:

After squats I had class, and realized that I've been reading the syllabus wrong, so I was not, in fact, a week behind on my assignments and am actually now partially ahead. So I can cool my jets there, want to update my reading log today but not going to worry about reading or listening to lectures.

 

A most pleasant mistake!

 

22 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

My favorite rooster I ever had was a RIR. I had some Buff Orpingtons who I liked personality-wise, but they weren't great layers for me. My recent strategy has been to buy up whatever my friend has left over from his breeding operation on the cheap, so I've got a pretty nice mixed flock right now, some RIR crosses, a silver Wyandotte, a Blue Andalusian, a Blue Leghorn, and a couple of white hens that I'm not actually sure what they are. So far I'm really pleased with the Color Yields. 2 extra weeks for grow-out is a fair trade in my mind for having to worry less about them keeling over and also feeling better about my meat production.

 

Do you kill the chickens yourself when it's time, or is that outsourced? 

[Artemis Prime]

1 hour ago, Harriet said:

Does a horse need another horse, or can you, like, get him a pet cat?

A barn cat would probably help, but something more inclined to hang out with him out in the field would be more ideal. If he was totally flipping out over being alone, I could pick up a mini donkey pretty easily, but I don't really want a mini donkey. I already intended to get a second horse, I just wasn't sure if I was going to do it in the fall or the spring. I think he'd make it to spring by himself without any real problems, but he'd be happier with a buddy, so I'm going to try to get one in the fall.

 

A chance of rain tomorrow and a higher chance several days next week, so hopefully I'll be able to get those fence posts out sooner rather than later. I'd also like to get a fenceline trimmer since I no longer really have the time to keep it clear by hand with my machete, so this week's task for improving fences before introducing a new animal will be equipment research.

 

1 hour ago, Harriet said:

Do you kill the chickens yourself when it's time, or is that outsourced? 

I take them over to my friend's house and we do them together. As long as I stick around and help him with his birds, as well as any clients he has that week, he doesn't charge me to use his equipment. It's a pretty nice arrangement for me.

 

 

Monday - Got a good workout in. Things felt heavy, but in a good way. Had a nice pump by the end of it. Moving lat pulldowns back to upper day was really beneficial, I think. I get good lat engagement on rows, and then they're all potentiated for pulldowns and I had a much easier time getting a good mind/muscle connection on them. It does mean I don't have time for accessories, but I can do accessories on squat days instead. I think it will work out well.  After work, I started on my last row of decking. Did not have quite enough caulk left to finish, but that's okay. My neighbor has not said anything about doing Thursday instead this week, so I should be able to pick up a new tube of caulk and get it finished then.  Thought about doing some class work or cleaning since I had to shut barn work down early, but then I decided heck with it and played with my dog. Haven't been able to find her ball for a couple weeks, so I dug a new one out, and she was ecstatic over it.

 

 

Tried to get a picture of her holding her new ball and smiling, but she got distracted right before I took it. So then I tried calling her name to at least get a picture of her looking at me and instead

 

*initiate aggressive cuddling protocol*

 

And while I'm sharing pictures - Saturday sunset picture on my almost-finished deck

 

So anyways, had fun playing with my dog, then inspired @Heidi I went down the rabbit hole of trying to find a place to buy local milk. I used to get it from a store in my sister's town, but they don't carry it anymore. I did find a few, so I have a list of 4 dairies to check out. One I'm not sure does any retail sales, so I sent them a message and that's enough for this week. If I don't hear back from them, next week I'll go check out another one on my list.

 

Today's plan: Gym on my lunchbreak. Remembered to make myself a protein shake this morning, then left it on my kitchen counter. *shakes fist* Today should be squats and deadlifts, but my hamstrings are a little sore. Maybe I overdid good mornings yesterday for West Marches, but I think it's more that I did paused deadlifts on Sunday and need more recovery time before deadlifting again. So I think the gym today will be squats and accessories and tomorrow I will try to fit deadlifting in at home. Dinner with my sister tonight, but other things that I also want to do today: 

Update class reading log 
Scrub out cat crate (since I used it to move chickens over the weekend)

Go over registration list for retreat and assign small group numbers

[Heidi]

Hooray for rain!

I actually do love rainy days, generally, and yes, I know this makes me weird.  

Your notes are making me want a farm again and also at the same time reminding me of how much management a farm is/was, and even though I loved it then and would love it again now, the physical side of farm management isn't on my Abilities list. I really like how you are digesting all of what I used to call the ButFirst aspects. I want to have hens laying eggs ButFirst I need to shore up the coop; I'd like to have a second horse, ButFirst I'll need to do equipment research. These aren't the impediments to farm life, these are farm life, and you're doing it with grace.

 

Back when I had chickens, I didn't use equipment when I processed them. I'm glad you have a chicken-buddy; this sounds connected as well as helpful.

About local milk: if it's not pasturized, please make sure every batch is tested -- tuberculosis is real, as are a host of other conditions which are all manageable as long as there's relentless testing. 

And HOORAY FOR MILK. I think milk gets a bad rap, especially whole milk. Ultrapasturization is probably the devil, of course.

 

May your sore muscles be feeling more settled today.

I was totally impressed by the squat sets you got in yesterday, and did some while the kettle boiled this morning, inspired by you.

 

[Harriet]

42 minutes ago, Artemis Prime said:

A barn cat would probably help, but something more inclined to hang out with him out in the field would be more ideal. If he was totally flipping out over being alone, I could pick up a mini donkey pretty easily, but I don't really want a mini donkey. I already intended to get a second horse, I just wasn't sure if I was going to do it in the fall or the spring. I think he'd make it to spring by himself without any real problems, but he'd be happier with a buddy, so I'm going to try to get one in the fall.

 

Nice. I know a good horse is never the wrong colour, but can you tell us what colour the horse is? I find the array of horse colours pleasing to contemplate. 

 

42 minutes ago, Artemis Prime said:

I take them over to my friend's house and we do them together. As long as I stick around and help him with his birds, as well as any clients he has that week, he doesn't charge me to use his equipment. It's a pretty nice arrangement for me.

 

That sounds much better than having it done at a big place. I read about it in Pollan's book the Omnivore's Dilemma and it seems best when done in small decentralised ways by caring farmers. 

[Cheetah]

Nice deck!

 

Keep up the good work!

[Artemis Prime]

22 hours ago, Heidi said:

Hooray for rain!

I actually do love rainy days, generally, and yes, I know this makes me weird.  

I can love rainy days. It entirely depends on whether it is wrecking my plans and if I can cocoon up cozily somewhere or have to drag myself out in it. Except for the right combination of weather conditions and mood where I enjoy being out in the rain.

 

22 hours ago, Heidi said:

Your notes are making me want a farm again and also at the same time reminding me of how much management a farm is/was, and even though I loved it then and would love it again now, the physical side of farm management isn't on my Abilities list. I really like how you are digesting all of what I used to call the ButFirst aspects. I want to have hens laying eggs ButFirst I need to shore up the coop; I'd like to have a second horse, ButFirst I'll need to do equipment research. These aren't the impediments to farm life, these are farm life, and you're doing it with grace.

Thank you, that is such an encouraging and kind message. I don't entirely know how I'm managing it, to be honest, I had a rather sudden mindset shift and I'm not sure what precipitated it. But I went from looking around the property and just seeing an unending to-do list to realizing that the work will never be done, and my job is not to finish it, but just to take whatever incremental step I can that day, and the next, and the next, and now and then to look back and appreciate how far those small, incremental steps have carried me.

 

Also, this popped up on my Facebook last night and made me think of this conversation:

 

22 hours ago, Heidi said:

Back when I had chickens, I didn't use equipment when I processed them. I'm glad you have a chicken-buddy; this sounds connected as well as helpful.

I did my first batch without equipment, and I'm glad to know how to do it, but it is a much faster operation with equipment. My chicken buddy is an old high school friend (he was actually my first boyfriend, waaay back in the day), and it is surprisingly fun to spend a Friday night with him, his brother, sometimes his wife, and whoever else is helping out that night. He and I did our first batch of chickens together when he had just bought the equipment, and it was a bit of a learning curve, but we're a well-oiled machine of an assembly line these days. He started out doing other people's birds just to help recover the cost of buying the equipment for his own birds, but it has morphed into a full-on side business. We can pretty easily get 50+ done in an evening, and have on occasion gone up to 100. It is good, satisfying work with good, fun people, and who can really ask for anything more? Although I do occasionally mention to them, do you remember when we spent our Friday nights going out on the town and not in your barn killing things?

 

22 hours ago, Heidi said:

About local milk: if it's not pasturized, please make sure every batch is tested -- tuberculosis is real, as are a host of other conditions which are all manageable as long as there's relentless testing. 

And HOORAY FOR MILK. I think milk gets a bad rap, especially whole milk. Ultrapasturization is probably the devil, of course.

That is a fair warning. There aren't very many places around here to get raw milk (I did find one place but it was $10.70 a gallon which is outside my price range) and that's not really what I'm looking for anyway. I do like the non-homogenized milk I used to get, and to, as much as possible, buy directly from local farmers. What really inspired me, though, was your mention on your thread about collecting glass bottles to return. I have slowly been working on reducing my plastics use, and food packaging is one of the largest obstacles there.  I know of one place nearby-ish that I could definitely go get whole milk in glass bottles, but there are a couple places just a little more conveniently located for me that I'd like to try first.

 

23 hours ago, Heidi said:

I was totally impressed by the squat sets you got in yesterday, and did some while the kettle boiled this morning, inspired by you.

Yay for mutual inspiration! Is that not what the forums are supposed to be all about?

 

22 hours ago, Harriet said:

I know a good horse is never the wrong colour, but can you tell us what colour the horse is? I find the array of horse colours pleasing to contemplate. 

He is a bay, which has always been a favorite of mine, even before owning one. Here is my favorite picture of him, from the day we moved into the new barn. He was a little excited about his new digs.

 

22 hours ago, Harriet said:

That sounds much better than having it done at a big place. I read about it in Pollan's book the Omnivore's Dilemma and it seems best when done in small decentralised ways by caring farmers. 

Yeah, I would agree that small, family farms are in almost every respect superior to industrial level farming, but things do get complicated when you drill down into the economics of it. It costs me roughly 8 USD, not counting my time, to put a bird in my freezer. And I've had so many people tell me I could get a rotisserie chicken at Sam's Club for $5. On the one hand, the quality of my meat is far superior to that one and I don't appreciate the comparison. On the other hand, I'm in a position where I can afford to put the extra time and money into raising my own. I sell the extras to friends and family for $12, but if I actually figure my time in there, even paying myself minimum wage I'd have to charge $20 a bird just to break even.  And if I was trying to feed a family and had the option of paying $5 or $20, I can see how that rotisserie Sam's Club bird becomes real tempting.  Now that's just talking about the price to consumers and doesn't cover all the hidden costs of industrialized farming, but from a consumer's perspective, that's a pretty big barrier to entry when it comes to buying local.

[Artemis Prime]

Tuesday Report!

Have been consistent with Morning Prayer. Have not been getting my Light point. Not terribly concerned about it at the moment, but need to revisit this in the future. Probably next challenge.

Lunch time workout was good. Since squats was the only thing on the agenda, I did lots of accessories, and still ran out of time before I got them all in. So had a chat with the discord nerds brainstorming which ones to prioritize at the gym and which ones I can modify to be done with my limited home equipment. Which is also probably going to be left on the backburner until next challenge.

Got small groups divided up for the retreat, but did not do any class work. Got the cat crate scrubbed up so all ready for the vet appointment today. Then dinner with my sister. Ended up scrolling on my phone after getting home, so took 3 points of psychic damage. Despite this, a pretty solid day.

 

Today's plan:

Home Depot run on my lunch break. Going to drop some clothes off in the donation bin on the way there for Turn Undead points. Leaving work early so I'm not so rushed to get to the vet on time. (Part of that cushion is in case my cat picks up on something and disappears on me, but breaking routine by going home early is possibly going to be what tips her off. It's a catch-22.) Will try deadlifting tonight, and if my hamstrings are grumpy about it I'll do a stretching session instead. Also plan to do some class work and make up the retreat agenda. Also my co-leader wants to have a phone conversation tonight about small group designations, so that will probably be around 8ish. A full day, but not overly so.

 

[Heidi]

46 minutes ago, Artemis Prime said:

the work will never be done, and my job is not to finish it, but just to take whatever incremental step I can that day, and the next, and the next, and now and then to look back and appreciate how far those small, incremental steps have carried me.

Huzzah, this is huge!

I know you're a Warrior, technically, but consider yourself an honorary Druid multiclass now. ?

 

46 minutes ago, Artemis Prime said:

do you remember when we spent our Friday nights going out on the town and not in your barn killing things?

I love this, and identify with it -- this is exactly the kind of farm-humor that I had, too. 

For me, the comaraderie of good honest work that supported our daily lives was exactly what nurtured my soul, and it's what I miss most.

Thank you for sharing and letting me get a bit of farm-vibe energy.

 

46 minutes ago, Artemis Prime said:

Yay for mutual inspiration! Is that not what the forums are supposed to be all about?

Indeed. Watch out, or the next thing you know we'll be organizing a farm-focused work session at your barn as a meetup.  

 

Also, give yourself a bunch of Druiding points for all the avoiding plastic and buying / producing locally. I did a whole year on my farm where I tracked how far away stuff came from, and tried to keep as much as I could within my own county, first, and within 50 miles, after that. I was fortunate enough to have a coffee roaster "girl on a farm" in the county, and of course I grew or raised a bunch of what the family ate (we had chickens, ducks, sheep, and cattle). I had a spreadsheet for the various fruits and vegetables on our farm that were organized by harvest dates so that I could stagger the harvest and provide as much from the farm as possible for the year, and then supplemented with produce from nearby farms, prioritizing heirloom and organics over hybrids and commercial. Of course things like rice and sugar and tea come from farther away -- I found a farm in South Carolina for the rice, and found a family-owned oragnic, solar-powered farm in Pennsylvania for my wheat (because I hadn't started growing wheat yet). Just before I left the farm, I had placed an option on a Jersey cow and a set of hives (even though there's tons of gorgeous honey available in the county where my farm was). I partnered with a grove in Italy for a large shipment (35#) of olive oil, and it was the best olive oil I'd ever had in my life, so I still do that. 

 

I still prioritize local and organic (in that order) as a Loft-dwelling City girl, and you shoud see the looks I get when my neighbors see me hauling in 50 pounds of raw sugar or 25 pounds of wheat. Whatever.

People say things like "I bet you save a lot of money that way" and I can only laugh, whether it's about the chickens or the sugar or about knitting. I assure you, sir, I do not!

 

Dang, I miss my farm.

My daughter wants to own a horse and live in the loft above the barn that she wants to build, and sometimes she and I go over her designs for how she wants the barn constructed. Perhaps I'll get the chance for farm life again, after all.

 

Good luck at the vet!

❤️

 

 

[Harriet]

 

4 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

He is a bay, which has always been a favorite of mine, even before owning one. Here is my favorite picture of him, from the day we moved into the new barn. He was a little excited about his new digs.

 

Great picture! And a good colour. 

 

4 hours ago, Artemis Prime said:

And if I was trying to feed a family and had the option of paying $5 or $20, I can see how that rotisserie Sam's Club bird becomes real tempting.  Now that's just talking about the price to consumers and doesn't cover all the hidden costs of industrialized farming, but from a consumer's perspective, that's a pretty big barrier to entry when it comes to buying local.

 

Ooof, yeah, that's a big difference. 

[Artemis Prime]

23 hours ago, Heidi said:

I know you're a Warrior, technically, but consider yourself an honorary Druid multiclass now. ?

Woohoo Druid levels! I'm actually a Ranger who has been graciously welcomed into the Warrior guild while I practice focusing on specific goals instead of allowing Ranger Brain to run wild. On my current trajectory, I have about another year of Cleric challenges ahead of me, but I am looking forward to getting back in touch with my Ranger side. I've already considered throwing a few Druid challenges in there at some point as well. (Yes, I project my plans several years into the future. I cannot help myself, but I am learning to hold those plans loosely and adapt to changing circumstances rather than cling to my original, outdated plan.)

 

23 hours ago, Heidi said:

Thank you for sharing and letting me get a bit of farm-vibe energy.

You are always welcome to share the farm-vibes.

 

23 hours ago, Heidi said:

Indeed. Watch out, or the next thing you know we'll be organizing a farm-focused work session at your barn as a meetup.  

Be careful planting ideas in my head! I already put real estate listings in the discord chat trying to entice nerds closer with affordable housing. You'll have me beating the NF commune drum here next.

 

23 hours ago, Heidi said:

I did a whole year on my farm where I tracked how far away stuff came from, and tried to keep as much as I could within my own county, first, and within 50 miles, after that. I was fortunate enough to have a coffee roaster "girl on a farm" in the county, and of course I grew or raised a bunch of what the family ate (we had chickens, ducks, sheep, and cattle). I had a spreadsheet for the various fruits and vegetables on our farm that were organized by harvest dates so that I could stagger the harvest and provide as much from the farm as possible for the year, and then supplemented with produce from nearby farms, prioritizing heirloom and organics over hybrids and commercial. Of course things like rice and sugar and tea come from farther away -- I found a farm in South Carolina for the rice, and found a family-owned oragnic, solar-powered farm in Pennsylvania for my wheat (because I hadn't started growing wheat yet). Just before I left the farm, I had placed an option on a Jersey cow and a set of hives (even though there's tons of gorgeous honey available in the county where my farm was). I partnered with a grove in Italy for a large shipment (35#) of olive oil, and it was the best olive oil I'd ever had in my life, so I still do that. 

This is really impressive, and a lot of work. I have at various times tried something similar and quickly gotten burnt out on it. But I am making progress this time with my incremental steps instead of leaping straight to "Everything must be home-grown!" We do produce all of our own eggs and chicken, and a good chunk of vegetables. We're also making inroads on fruit. Local beef, pork, and honey are easy enough to come by around here that I don't feel the need to raise my own. And my friend owns a flour mill, so I'm not worried about growing wheat either. I would like to get ducks, that's on the list for next year or perhaps the year after. I would love to get a dairy cow, but that doesn't fit in my life currently. A mini cow is definitely something I want to get someday, though. I will be eligible to retire at 55, most people don't because your pension is much larger if you stay until at least 60, and even more so at 65, but it's tempting. This is one of those, I don't have to decide now, let's see how I feel about my job and what my life circumstances are once that's a little closer, but my lifestyle is modest enough, I could get by with a smaller pension and be a full time farmer, and that is very enticing.

 

23 hours ago, Heidi said:

I assure you, sir, I do not!

? Nope not at all!

 

23 hours ago, Heidi said:

Dang, I miss my farm.

My daughter wants to own a horse and live in the loft above the barn that she wants to build, and sometimes she and I go over her designs for how she wants the barn constructed. Perhaps I'll get the chance for farm life again, after all.

I am sorry you cannot be on your farm now, but as someone who is in the process of building a barn loft into an apartment where I will live over my horse(s), it is most definitely possible and I hope that you and your daughter get your dreams someday. (Or you could come my way and we could form that commune...)

[Artemis Prime]

Wednesday Report!

Home Depot run went smoothly enough and two large bags are out of my bedroom now, which is nice. Vet visit also went smoothly, all things considered. My cat does not like being taken places and she lets everybody within earshot know quite forcefully. But she got a clean bill of health and is up to date on shots, although they convinced me to get her a feline leukemia shot this time, so next month we'll need to go back for a booster. She did a good job of acting traumatized for life on the way home, but she came and cuddled with me on the couch last evening, so no permanent damage. I got a good chunk of retreat prep done, and a little bit of class work, but I was really struggling to find the words I wanted, so I wrapped it up early. Did not get any deadlifting or stretching done, but the hamstrings feel better today, so perhaps tonight or tomorrow. Oh - and killed a Shadow with Morning Prayer yesterday, so that's a nice chunk of points.

 

Today:

No Light point, as has become the usual, but still getting Word of Radiance. More retreat prep on my lunch break, and hopefully finishing my decking after work. That shouldn't take long (?) so on to class work after that.

[Artemis Prime]

Thursday Report!

Retreat prep done on my lunch break yesterday and the final deck board laid! As I had hoped, that didn't take too long, so I considered doing some class work, or retreat prep, or continuing on with more barn work. But I've been feeling a bit slow and off this week, so I decided the heck with it all and I got out The Hobbit and started reading it to my horse. He enjoys the sound of lyrical writing, and we've been in an epic poetry phase. We struggled to get through Dante's Inferno, but he really liked The Iliad. Beowulf was supposed to be up next, but I was in the mood for something a little lighter in tone, so The Hobbit it is. One of the things I most appreciate about Tolkien is the sound of his prose. It's one of the reasons my hackles go up when anyone criticizes his pacing for being too wordy and slow. If you want a fast-moving plot, you've got countless modern fantasy novels at your disposal. Let me have my thick, heavy, Tolkien that I feel like I need to chew and I can almost taste it as it rolls off my tongue. When audio books started becoming more popular, I was really hopeful that more authors would start paying attention to the sound of their stories, but unfortunately it doesn't appear to have really taken hold, at least not yet.

 

So anyways, read some of The Hobbit and then decided that since I've been struggling to focus on reading in the evenings, maybe what I need is an old reread. So I dug through some of my old J.D. Robb books and spent the evening curled up on the couch with one of them. I think I shall be doing a lot of rereading in the near future. Not the most productive evening, but I needed it, and that counts as a short rest as well.

 

Today's Plan: Gym at lunch. It's already feeling like a slow Friday at work, so if that holds true I might use up some of my comp time and get out of here early. I need to do a bit of retreat prep, and at 8 need to meet the rest of the team at the church for set up, but I'd like to have a little more time in the afternoon to either do some barn work or class work or just read some. Have done well on my goals so far except for calling the electric company, but I dug my contact's number out last night, so after I knock a few tasks off my work to-do list, I'll give him a ring.

[Salinger]

Wait....

 

You read aloud to your horse??

 

 

That's absolutely beautiful x

[Harriet]

2 hours ago, Salinger said:

Wait....

 

You read aloud to your horse??

 

 

That's absolutely beautiful x

 

I concur. I'm glad he likes the Hobbit. He's an equine of fine judgement. 

[Artemis Prime]

On 9/20/2024 at 9:30 AM, Salinger said:

Wait....

 

You read aloud to your horse??

 

 

That's absolutely beautiful x

Ha, I do. My mustang was still a bit unused to people when I got him, so I spent a ton of time just hanging out letting him get used to the sound of my voice, so I read to him. And I just never really got out of the habit.

 

On 9/20/2024 at 12:17 PM, Harriet said:

I concur. I'm glad he likes the Hobbit. He's an equine of fine judgement. 

That he is.