September Was A Challenge
September is a big birthday month for my family. I always tell people I’m the next year older at the first of the year so as my birthday rolls around 9 months later, it’s no shock to my system. But at the years pass, and the numbers stack up, the facts of aging stare at me from the mirror every day.
Want to know how to get over that? Start a youtube channel so you have to see yourself in the view of the camera video after video. Whoa! Initially you just want to start wearing a scarf and veil everywhere but that wears off. And then you realize, I am who I am and I like me. The visual is just an image that everyone around me has been used to forever and they don’t run away screaming, so it must be ok. And so you have passed through another learning level of your life.
So the homestead has been busy this month. We have two litters of baby bunnies, a new rambunctious rescue kitten, a new bunny that was donated to us from owners who couldn’t keep her anymore, two ducks also donated by an owner no longer interested, our boy turkey that was attacked by one of our rescue pups and is now getting very special care and is in recovery, and a goose we lost to a scorpion sting. That’s the way of a farm, joys and sorrows.
I bought an incubator and a brooder warmer plate so I can start an egg hatching program for chickens and ducks at this point. The goal is to add geese and turkeys as soon as they are old enough to start laying eggs. If I’m successful, we will eventually have six kinds of meat to fill the freezer and make available to others. The more I learn and study, the more I believe that what we eat and drink is critical to our health. I don’t have the land to support large livestock but I can barter.
And I’m getting into the mode of growing medicinal plants in a higher priority than common veggies, and learning how to use the natural benefits to boost the immune system for warding off illnesses or treating something that sneaks through. My mom just turned 95 and if I’m going to follow her act, I have to be the healthiest I can be for the next 20+ years. Good thing I wasn’t born a couple hundred years ago, all this herb and spice study could get me burned at the stake. But I am doing some videos on what I learn so be sure to check out my youtube channel at www.youtube.com/@ranchodellago2021. One of my interests is in helping my age peers who have sleep issues, pain management issues, and issues with anxiety and depression. We need to find a holistic solution that is not an illegal substance. I see great possibilities in tinctures using mimosa and white ginger and several anti inflamatory herbs. Stay tuned.
We’ve only got a handful of weeks left in our rainy season. It was my intention to have gardens of veggies this year. You know the story about good intentions, right? It seems like life just kept getting in the way and so many things went out of control. But we have a temporate climate and can even grow cool weather crops during our winter so all hope is not lost. I started building an experimental wicking bed and did a video on the first half of construction. Then I ran into a problem I’m still considering how to resolve. Our ground here moves a lot due to varying ground moisture. I found that the planting bed began to sink up to a few inches on one end which wouldn’t be a problem on a soil bed but with a water reservoir underneath. The slope could cause an issue. I hate to put more work into it but I’m tempted to finish it just to see if I can make it function as intended. You’ll learn more on my success or failure in upcoming blogs and videos.
Life is an ongoing story with twists and turns and lots of surprises. Don’t pray for patience! God will give you lots of circumstances to develop that patience. I learned that lesson many years ago with 3 kids under the age of 4. Go with the flow, don’t make firm plans, be flexible, and have a good sense of humor. Stress is physically harmful to your entire being. Laughter is an excellent medicine. Sleep is your friend.
Have a great week. Blessings!
