Milky Way

You know what I love? The internet. When used wisely, it has opened minds, created opportunities, built communities, and expanded educational opportunities in a way that is unfathomable. How many of us would never have ventured into the lifestyle we are living (or want to be living) had it not been for an idea sparked after reading about it on the internet? I believe my life would be totally different.  What an amazing time we live in!

Grow Old Along With Me. The Best Is Yet To Be....

BEES ON THE PORCH  

One indicator of bee intelligence is in the way they show others how to get to flowers with

nectar. The bees will dance in a circle and waggle their tails. The pattern of the dance,

based on the direction of the sun, tells other bees which direction to go. The length of the

dance indicates distance. 

I  think bees are perceptive.

"Bees, I think, are like a dog," If you're scared of them, they'll take

advantage of you."

Bees aren't just smart, but also have a working spirit.

"Bees are born with responsibility. That means they are born with a job. 

The hard work starts with the queen. When

a "good" queen rules over the hive, she will

lay good eggs that turn into productive workers. Honey production will be high and the

hive will prosper. Lower quality queens mean the hive will produce less and have more

Problems. The queen bee is the heart of the hive, like mom is in the home.

 Our Bamboo On The Ground

Chicken House

 

THEY BROKE BREAD IN THEIR HOMES AND ATE TOGETHER WITH GLAD AND SINCERE HEARTS.

 

Snow Bound

We are growing roots to the floor. Talk about cabin fever! It started Thursday evening. Let me go back to Thursday afternoon. I decided to go to the grocery store. Interesting to say the least. Shelves were empty. What is going on I say to myself. What would happen if there was a real emergency? Scary! Getting back to Thursday night. It came down from the skies in the form of light rain/freezing rain. Turning into snow. We had 8 inches here in Hadley. The largest snow fall since 1960's.  Its Sunday, and we are still stuck in Hadley. The temps are suppose to sky rocket to mid thirty's tomorrow. Yes!

The egg that you are looking at has a calcium deposit on it. Don't ask me why, but sometimes it happens. Our grandson Alex is enjoying time with Butch an exotic hen. Did you know that the right eye of a chicken denotes food?  While the left looks for prey.  

For those of us who believe in God, worship God, and yet have times when we doubt, here is proof that we can admit our lack of faith to God and ask for His help.

He knows how to ease our suspicions and fears, our misgivings and apprehensions. He can handle our cynicism, our incredulity. He understands our doubts.

However wobbly our faith may be at times, our trustworthy God never changes. He hears and answers when we cry out, "Come quickly to help me, my Lord and my Savior" (Psalm 38:22,

Entertaining versus hospitality: What’s the difference?

Entertaining involves setting the perfect tablescape after an exhaustive search on Pinterest. It chooses a menu that will impress, then frets its way through each stage of preparation. It requires every throw pillow be in place, every cobweb eradicated, every child neat and orderly. It plans extra time to don the perfect outfit before the first guest touches the doorbell on the seasonally decorated doorstep. And should any element of the plan fall short, entertaining perceives the entire evening to have been tainted. Entertaining focuses attention on self.

Hospitality, on the other hand, involves setting a table that makes everyone feel comfortable. It chooses a menu that allows face-to-face time with guests instead of being chained to the kitchen. It picks up the house, but doesn’t feel the need to conceal evidence of everyday life. It sometimes sits down to dinner with flour in its hair. It allows the gathering to be shaped by the quality of the conversation rather than the cuisine. Hospitality shows interest in the thoughts, feelings, pursuits and preferences of the guests. It asks questions and listens intently to answers. Hospitality focuses attention on others.

Why You Should Be Eating Chicken Feet

Because your body needs lots of vitamins, trace minerals, collagen, and calcium. That’s why.
Most of us are familiar with the health benefits of homemade bone broth. Truly, as a real food enthusiast, I cannot stress the importance of drinking bone broth enough. It should be everyone’s ‘bread and butter’. A staple. A companion that lives long by your side. “In most every culture throughout history has used bone broth for its nutritional significance, versatility and overall deliciousness. Chinese medicine practitioners use bone broth to strengthen the kidney, support digestive systems and build blood. The term“Jewish penicillin” is used for chicken soup, known to inhibit cell inflammation and mitigate cold symptoms. And the English sip beef tea, or beef broth, used since the Victorian era.”
Bone broth has been known for centuries to aid in joint health, immunity, gut health, and more. Nutrients are pulled from the bones and cartilage, slowly swirling into a liquid gold – rich in vitamins, minerals, and feel good-ness.

How A Healthy Diet Turned Johnathan's Life Around. 

Parts of his body are very weathered-looking, and he gets around extremely slowly, but after all, we're talking about a 183-year-old. His name is Jonathan, and he's been through a lot in life, including a serious this-could-be-the-end health scare after he lost his eyesight and ability to smell. But Jonathan, who happens to be a giant tortoise living on the south Atlantic island known as St. Helena, is still going strong.⁽¹⁾

So, what can be learned from this amazing creature? Turns out, a lot.
What turned his health around after his scare was the fact that he was put on a diet consisting of highly nutritious foods. Suggesting that the Seychelles tortoise eat from a bowl that included carrots, cucumber, bananas, lettuce, guava and apples – a far departure from Jonathan's previous selections of leaves, dirt and twigs.⁽¹⁾

Now lets think about this. If its good for Johnathan, then it is probably good for us.

YOGA

If you’re the gal who’s not into meditating and prefers some elite stretching, try to make yoga as your morning routine. Yoga, like meditation, can also help you have the serenity of mind you need to face the day. Aside from that, yoga is very good for your heart and lungs, too, for it helps in lowering your risks of heart disease and it increases your lung’s capacity to take in oxygen which results in more beauty from the inside and outside.

 

 

Warrior Two

Zombies

Addiction to mobile devices is a growing problem in America. It's gotten to the point where people are so distracted that they will walk right into traffic, fall off train platforms, or even fall right off a cliff.

As Americans plug their entire existence into their mobile devices, they give away the now, sacrificing the present moment, and sometimes sacrificing their lives.

Mobile devices have become the heart, mind and soul of a generation that is infatuated with distraction. Mobile devices are replacing the very spirit of the people, turning the masses into oblivious clones that will walk out into traffic without taking their eyes off their screens.

The devices have become a dark form of hypnosis, bringing people under a digital trance, as reality fades into the background. It's almost as if Americans have given their souls to this meaningless state of nonstop digital existence. It's almost as if the masses have undergone surgery, as if their hearts have been cut out and replaced with computer chips. Gone are the days of authentic connection and heart-based interaction. Eyes are glassed over now, sunken in, as retinas reflect the images of a digital world.

Gods Green Earth

I wonder what would happen in our lives if we really lived in the absolute assurance of God’s love. I mean, as Christians we know He loves us. We sing the songs, we quote the verses, we wear the T-shirts and we sport the bumper stickers. Yes, God loves us.

I’m not talking about knowing He loves us.

I’m talking about living as if we really believe it.

I’m talking about walking confidently in the certainty of God’s love even when our feelings beg us not to.

I’m talking about training our hearts and our minds to process everything through the filter of the absolute assurance of God’s love. Period. Without the possible question mark.

 Bessie sitting on 4 eggs 

 A 4 month old hen

Three 4 month old hens. They are biggggg girls! 

Isn’t it amazing how chickens go broody during the cold weather?  I would think they would just want to hatch out during the spring.  Well, I have Bessie doing her January thing. Sitting right now and another trying to be broody….I say trying, because I keep stealing her eggs.
I will let you know if I get some baby chicks.  I may let the other hen start sitting, too.  I have heat lamps so I can keep my mommies and babies warm.

I Love Chickens

I’m finding there’s tremendous value in traveling back to our essential selves, the loves and skills and passions God planted inside us long ago.

When I look at my life, I see the threads of passion and identity I’ve carried through my whole life: Books and reading, people and connection, food and the table. These are things I’ve always loved, and they continue to bring me great joy and fulfillment.

Think about your adolescent self, your child self, the "you" you’ve always been. God imprinted a sacred, beautiful collection of passions and capacities right onto your heart: What do you love? What does your passion bubble over for?

Much of adulthood is peeling off the layers of expectation and pressure, and protecting those precious things that lie beneath. We live in a culture that tries to define what it means to be a woman, what it means to be a success, what it means to live a valuable life.

But those definitions require us to live on a treadmill, both literally and figuratively, always hustling to fit in, to be thin enough and young enough and sparkly enough, for our homes to be large and spotless, our children well-mannered and clean-faced, our dreams orderly and profitable. But that’s not life. That’s not where the fullness of joy and meaning are found

Taking It All In At Sanibel

So maybe this year things can be different. Not because I’ve got a new game plan or brilliant strategy. I haven’t found a short-cut or an app to make things easier. Maybe the difference is simpler than that. Instead of looking to myself, I need to wait on Jesus. Not just in the big questions and problems, but in everyday, seemingly mundane choices.

So, I close my eyes to old ends and open my heart to new beginning.

David's First Bike 

Honey is one of nature's most amazing gifts. It's a substance which offers dozens of useful and health-boosting properties aside from its wonderful, sweet flavor. All serious preppers should make sure to obtain a sizable quantity of raw, natural honey to add to their survival stockpiles.

It's one of the few foods that has an unlimited shelf life; honey will never go bad due to its antibacterial properties, which are also part of what makes it so healthy. Considering its versatility in the kitchen, along with its medicinal value, honey is likely to prove to be an extremely valuable commodity to have on hand during a long-term survival situation.

One of the key things to remember when obtaining a quantity of honey is to make sure it is natural and unpasteurized. Most of the honey you'll see on the shelf at the grocery store has been pasteurized, which robs it of many of its healthful properties.

"Commercial honey has also had most of the pollen removed. Bee pollen is considered to be one of the most nutritionally-complete foods available because of its high amino acid and antioxidant content. Most commercial honey sold in stores is heated to high temperatures and pasteurized, getting rid of most of the beneficial enzymes, antioxidants and other nutrients that are heat-sensitive.

Bees are cold blooded insects but that doesn't mean they are cold hearted. Despite the fear around bee stings, mostly bees are not aggressive unless they are provoked. In fact, in certain situations, you can even pet a bee like this guy is.

That's right, these bumble bees are letting him touch them, and most honey bees will as well. But be careful, bees aren't normally so docile, especially if you are close to their nest or if you irritate them.

And bees can be deadly. Earlier this week, a woman in Texas was attacked by around 30,000 bees while riding her miniature horse. She had to ride her horse into the pool and escape into the house. But the horse was left behind. Both that horse, and another miniature horse were killed from the attack as well as a few of her chickens.

Investigators think that this was the work of Africanized honey bees, aka killer bees. They're one of the 20,000 species of bees out there.

Now, the African bee is part of a small group of bees called "social bees". These bees live together and are collectively part of a hive. They're probably the most territorial because they need to protect their home and their family to survive.

Other social bees we're familiar with here in North America are Bumble bees and honey bees. Like the African bee, they all have venomous sting.

Bumble bees have a very painful sting but they don't lose their stingers when they attack like honey bees do. Africanized or killer bees are not any more poisonous than honey bees but the thing with these killer bees is that they attack in greater numbers and are very persistent. They say that if you are attacked by killer bees, you should start running as fast as you can, preferably up wind in a zigzag, until you get to an enclosed area where the bees can't enter. Don't jump into the water though. The bees will wait for you and once you come up for air, they will start to attack again.

So what makes bee stings deadly? Well, experts estimate that it'll take around 1,500 bee stings to kill a 150 pound person. But, if you are allergic to bees, even one bee sting can be fatal. Even if you get stung just a dozen times or so, it may be a good idea to see a doctor.

So the bottom line is, don't make bees angry, and if you do, be prepared to suffer the consequences. Just like humans, bees are trying to protect their home, their food and their family so if you look like a threat, you may get attacked.

Now that doesn't mean you should start removing every bee's nest you see. Bees are the main pollinators of plants, and without pollination, most of our food wouldn't grow. So we definitely need them around.

 

Power Up Your New Year, Honey!

Hello 2016! Is there anything as beautiful as the start of a new year? So new and fresh, without a single blemish or “what if” attached to it. We all come into the new year with eyes full of wonder and hopes of all the things we wish to accomplish this year.

Maybe it’s something as small as being more active on a daily basis, or perhaps as large as running your first marathon. With 17 grams of carbohydrates, and only 64 calories per tablespoon, honey is a great all-natural energy source that will fuel you as you work towards your various activity goals.

Or perhaps you want to tackle the room in your house that is made for cooking with some new and exciting dishes. Honey not only adds flavor, but balances other ingredients in recipes making it ideal in sweet, spicy and savory dishes alike.

This is a picture of Dylan when he was born. Found it in my pics!

Items that should be included on a deep cleaning checklist for a house include cleaning baseboards, removing cobwebs and cleaning the inside and outside of all drawers and cupboards. Cleaning light fixtures, washing windows and cleaning blinds or curtains should also be included.

Deep cleaning checklist items for a kitchen include washing the inside and outside of the refrigerator, scrubbing the counters, and cleaning the stove, oven and drip pans. Depending on how thorough the deep clean must be, cleaning behind appliances can be included. Things to add to a bathroom checklist are removing mildew stains from the bath or shower, sanitizing the toilet, shining the mirror and polishing the fixtures.

Floors throughout the house should be cleaned, and dirty carpets should be shampooed. Walls, doors, light switches and face plates should be washed. Trash in the home should be removed, and displayed objects should be thoroughly dusted and nicely arranged. Wood furniture should be cleaned and treated with an appropriate product, and all furniture should be wiped down and washed if needed. Deep cleaning should also include laundering rugs, towels, pillows and bedding, as well as replacing broken or worn out items.

The entrance to the home should not be left out of a deep cleaning. Add sweeping the porch, dusting for cobwebs and cleaning the front door to the checklist.

We all want to be healthier. Right?

Eat food that is in season and reap the benefits. More vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and save money too.

There are many good reasons to eat seasonally but the two really big reasons are, its good for you and it is good for the environment.

-You will also get the best tasting food because it will be the freshest possible, giving optimal flavor.

-You will get the best nourishment from your food because the produce you buy will be picked when they are ripe and fully developed. Which means higher levels of antioxidants.

-You will save money because seasonal food is much cheaper to produce for the farmers.

-You will cook more and make healthier choices. When you start to take back control of what you put in to your body, which oil you choose to cook with, how much sugar you add to your food etc, you are consciously making better choices for your health. Cooking is also a great activity to do with your kids, family and friends. And, what better way to show your love?

-You will reduce on the environment due to less “food mileage”. Seasonal food means that it is most likely local and less transportation is needed.

-You will be supporting your local farmer, which is great for your local economy.

-You will be supporting your immune system. The natural cycle of produce is perfectly designed to support our own cycle of health. Spring greens help us to alkalize and detox, and loose extra pounds after the long winter. Fruits like watermelon, cucumbers help us to hydrate and stay cool

Chicken Care In January

Now here is another thing you have to worry about with the cold and your chicks.  The chickens with the big combs and wattles will get frostbite during the day on their bits if you don’t protect them..  Just in case you don’t know what a comb or a wattle is, the comb is the red thing on their head and the wattle is the red things that hang from their chin. Certain breeds have no comb and most hens if they have wattles are very small.  So, if you live somewhere where it is really cold try to get chickens that, you guessed it, have small combs or no wattles.

Most of my chickens are cold hearty, except for Foghorn, the big guy has a huge comb and wattles that hang down to his you know what… well, not really but you get the idea.  I have been trying to be a good chicken mama by going out periodically at night with a tub of Vaseline to pop him off his roost and lube up his comb and wattle………………………..ummmm, that sounded really weird.

Why Vaseline you ask?  The Vaseline forms a protective barrier between the skin and cold, trapping in the heat helping to prevent frostbite.

Now an update on the lovely ladies.   In winter as the days get shorter a hens body starts to produce fewer eggs.  Mostly because their internal clocks tell them that the chances of survival of offspring would lessen with the cold and shorter days.  Many farmers trick the hens by putting up lights in the hen-house at night, I choose to do the same.  For many reasons, but mostly because it is taxing on the hens health. I don't agree with that! When a hen lays an egg the calcium to form an egg-shell is taken from the hen herself, and nature allowed for the hens to rest through the winter so that they replenish their calcium storage.