Sudokuaholics Anonymous 11

Life is not just the passing of time.
Life is the collection of experiences and their intensity.
(Jim Rohn)

Heidi, I hope Zorro eyes improve quickly. I'm hoping it's allergies and not an injury!

CynB, so much has changed in 40 years in many areas that were once farmland. At some point, people will need to realize that farmland is necessary to produce much of the food that we eat.

to your granddaughter Hayley, CynB! I hope she has a wonderful day!

What a great TOPP, CynB, and very appropriate as you think of your grandchildren coming of age!

Thinking of Everyone and sending healing energy, , prayers, positive thoughts, and {{{{{HUGS}}}}}!

Take care, Everyone!

After all the rain we had, the weather has taken a 180˚ turn. Hot and dry. And the earliest chance for rain won't be for another week and a half. I'm going to have to water my strawberries tomorrow. At least the grass growth in the lawn has slowed down a little. I mowed 3 days ago, and it still looks as good.

I put a gallon of strawberries in the freezer today. And I've been eating all I can eat, too. I think I will have a good crop this year.

I got the strawberry bed fertilized (with a 5 gallon bucket of alpaca manure) and well watered this morning. The plants look a LOT happier already. And I should get bigger and juicier strawberries in a few weeks.

Heidi, I'm glad the grass growth rate is slowing a bit - and hoping the strawberry crop isn't negatively impacted by drier weather. It's a good thing you have access to fertilizer and a water source so the strawberries continue to produce! Will your have enough to take some to the food pantry?

The temperature here may have reached 90 degrees F (32.2 degrees C). Fortunately we had our air conditioner checked yesterday, and it is working.

Nothing much happening here this weekend. I hope everyone else is having an enjoyable weekend!

Thinking of everyone and sending lots of {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, , positive thoughts, healing energy, and prayers for all! Sty well and be safe!

I will not be taking any strawberries to the food pantry. I freeze all my extra strawberries for winter eating. I gave them a real soaking yesterday and the plants look extremely happy today.... despite out temperatures around 90˚F, too.

I talked to Mike the Vet yesterday. We'll be working the cattle on Memorial Day (May 31st). Shots. Some pregnancy checks. Dewormimg and fly repellants. And weaning the one September bull calf of Mike's. It'll go fst since we work well together.

Heidi, is there a trick to freezings the strawberries? Do you 'flash freeze' individual berries, then place in air-tight containers or place a pint or so of them in freezer-safe containers or bags, then freeze? I'm asking because one of our D's tried about 10 years ago or so, but wasn't pleased with the results. It certainly sounds wonderful to have home grown strawberries to enjoy during the winter months!

Will you have a lot of work to do prior to working the cattle on Memorial Day? It sounds like it will be a busy day for you and Mike the Vet, but, as you say, it will go fast because you work well together!

Thinking of Everyone and sending healing energy, prayers, , positive thoughts, and {{{{{HUGS}}}}} for each of you!

Stay healthy and happy!

Actually, there is little to do prior to working the cattle. Except for putting out a hay roll, everything is ready.

I just got another brush pile burned. This is the one I tried burning before, and it got hit with a sudden downpour as soon as I started it. This time it was dry, and no wind. And as usual, I soaked the ground around it to prevent spreading.

Busy day. First I worked on tidying the area around the burn pile...throwing anything unburned into the hottest center of the enbers that were left.... to leave nothing unburned and a tidy pile of ashes on the center. Once that was burned off, and I felt it was safe to leave it unattended, I went to the bank and gas station to fill my truck. Had to buy some wedding presents and go to the feed store today for dog and chicken food. I just finished mowing the barn yard, feeding the livestock and watering the chickens.... in extreme heat. I'm taking a rehydrating break right now. Then I have to finish mowing the area in front of the house outside the fenced in yard. After that I will unload the feed as soon as it's below 90˚F. I'll mow inside the fence tomorrow. And wrap the wedding gifts for the Wedneday afternoon wedding of my friend Debbie's daughter April's wedding.
I am not a fan of Debbie's daughter. She's done some horrible things in her life, including committing crimes and telling the cops that her mother was an accessory. I had to bail Debbie out of jail and hire a good lawyer to clear her of all charges. Her son was taken from her when she was arrested, and put in foster care. I got myself named an honorary social worker by the judge, and that first allowed me to supervise visits between them, then get him put into my custody. The public defender wanted her to plead guilty for a minimum sentence, even though she was innocent. The lawyer I hired got all charges against her dropped. Karma has caught up with April, and altho' she's now off the drugs and alcohol, she has a rare and painful disease that will likely kill her in 10 - 15 years. I can't remember the name of it, never heard of it, but it's incurable. For Debbie's sake, I'm trying to be nice to April. She IS Debbie's only daughter.

Oh my goodness, just reading about Debbie's daughter and her life makes me realise what a sheltered life I have lead.
Sue, the woman who washes and clips my dog has a step-daughter who is an ice addict and is always on probation, in jail, trying to get her children back etc. Sue has washed her hands of the girl, and unfortunately the kids as well. Too many times Sue was given custody of them only to have them taken back by their mother and ruined again. The story is so much more sordid but would take too long to tell.

Sad about the passing of Wagdy. He was a lovely man.

I have just uploaded 3 photos from the party on Saturday night. It was a nice night. The birthday girl enjoyed it.
Now we wait until 2022 when both Maddy (in January) and Emily (in November) will turn 21.
Chloe wasn't there. She's 15, got her first job and boyfriend. Family is superfluous at the moment. Nobody has seen her since her father's birthday in January. She only communicates on social media.
Hayley was understandably upset that her sister wouldn't come to the party - AND her awful mother only acknowledged it by a text, late in the afternoon which only read - 'Happy 21st Birthday'
Witch!!!

Heidi, you certainly had a busy day and got a LOT accomplished!

Heidi, your friend Debbie has certainly been put through the wringer by her daughter! But, as you say, she is Debbie's daughter, and it's important to do the right thing for her wedding. I hope it goes well.

CynB, I have also led a very sheltered life. it sounds like Sue, who washes & clips the dog, has had an even worse time with her step-daughter.

Thank you for letting us know about the passing of Wagdy Kamel! Since I don't get to facebook every day, I might not have been aware of it. He had such a love for his family!

CynB, I like the photos of Hayley's birthday party. Too bad Chloe didn't join the family for the party! She will probably regret it one day.

Thinking of Everyone and sending {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, prayers, positive thoughts, healing energy, and for Everybody! Take care and stay well!

I hadn't heard about Wagdy's passing either. He will be missed. He was a sweet man who really loved his family. I loved all of the pictures of his grandson Kevin.

I had a bad night. Too much pain from my back and down my legs. I must have overdone it yesterday. Less hard work today. I need to deliver eggs to the food pantry and mow the lawn, besides my regular chores.

Got eggs delivered and the lawn mowed. I also found a good home for last year's alpaca fleece that I never got around to selling. There's a local lady who's going through a really tough time financially right now. She spins wool and other fleeces. So I gave her about 50 lbs of good fleece to spin into yarn and sell. The people who shear will be here in another 2 weeks, so I will have some to sell then. Now I need to take my step ladder to Debbie's so she can do the decorating for the wedding. Unfortunately, the forecast is for rain tomorrow morning and thunderstorms around the time of the outdoor wedding.

Just 6 pm, and all I have left to do is water horses and the old cow of Mike's, then feed and water the house birds. Then I can wrap wedding presents.

It's been pouring rain for the past hour. When I went over to Debbie's, before the rain started, to help with set-up for the outdoor wedding, nobody was home. And nothing had been done. I'm about to try again. The wedding is supposed to start in just under 3 hours.

I'm tired. I worked as hard as I could to help set up everything for the wedding... set up and decorate the arbor, pick up tables and chares from the church, help set up the tent, run to the store for forgotten drinks, and I even donated an excellent bottle of wine. The wedding went off smoothly. April said it was much nicer than anything she'd even hoped for. As it was winding down, I got a text from Mike that he was bringing over a bull. So I rushed home, changed out of my damp clothes and helped settle the bull in the pen where we decided to put him temporarily. As long as I was out there, I fed everybody. My back is now killing me. I'm going to lay down with a book.

I heard today that April is now complaining that she didn't get a good video of her wedding... even though she never said she wanted one, and everything done for her wedding was volunteered by family and friends.

Got a roll of hay put out into the weaning pen, where I've got the bull and the ancient crippled cow. We're working the herd in 4 days and sorting out a few animals including weaning the one September born bull calf. By having the hay in that pen, we're now ready to work the herd. I just wish my last cow would give birth soon. She's due now.

The rain is due to return in 3 hours. We only got a half inch of rain yesterday. It saves me having to water the strawberries. I gave Mike a gallon (3.76 liters) of strawberries today. I have already put several gallons in the freezer for winter eating.

Sounds like April is lucky she has someone to put up with her - she should be very grateful for all the help she has been given. Your strawberries sound wonderful Heidi - jam with chia seeds is a real treat here.
Cold here today and back in lockdown - actually a bit harder this time because we have learnt to not trust what the pollies say when it is 'only 7 days' haha - last time was 6 months.
How are now Julie? Hope you are on the mend - you certainly have had your fair share of problems the last few months. Have your family been able to visit you?
CynB- how is Col's eye going with the injections? Hayley is lucky to have such supportive grandparents - her mother is a real nasty one - some people just don't deserve to have children.
No 3 son is now in Darwin - they were there for 2 days before the covid rules changed yet again and had to go into isolation until at least Tuesday if they test negative. They haven't been in the 'hotspots' but coming from the pariah state is enough. They had house inspections booked for the weekend and are trying to buy in the volatile market there. Will really miss him but hopefully he will be back every few months or so.

We have been extremely busy since we closed our office permanently. Working from home is difficult as you seem to never get away from it. We started this business in 1989 and had a desk, 2 phones and a fax machine in our bedroom - was crazy and we were trading with the US then so the fax would work during the night. Now we have two computers, printer and tons of files in another bedroom. Also a shed and under a mezzanine floor full of documents. I think I should be certified and put away.
My 70th is coming up in a couple of weeks- the kids decided to give me a hot air balloon ride but with our winter weather I don't think I will be having it soon. I would like to go to the Aquarium at night. They have a fabulous glass dome where you can have a meal with the sea creatures swimming all around you. Wonder why no-one else wants to go???

April = ungrateful wench...

Today I planted petunias in pots on my patio. All different shades of purples. The most prominent one (on top) is a double flowered in a bright lilac. The rest are Wave petunias ranging from light lavender to a mediun blue-ish purple to a dark violet. They're in big pots on stands of varying heights. I took Debbie along to the garden center, and treated her to a few goodies. She's exhausted from all the work for the wedding and clean up after the wedding. She needed to escape for a little.

I want to go to the aquarium, Midge! It sounds absolutely wonderful!

My last cow just gave birth to a big healthy bull calf. Calving season is over. He'll be turned into a steer in 3 days, so he'll never know what he's missing.

Oops! Looks like I didn't get here yesterday - or actually for a couple of days.

Greetings to Everyone!

Hubby and I are both 'freezing' in the house. The high temperature today was 50 degrees F and rainy (10 C), and the temperature inside the house is about 68 degrees (20 C). We're both wearing a sweatshirt over normal clothes. I'm thinking of wearing one to bed, too, as blankets are already put away due to earlier exceptionally warm temperatures. Here's hoping I'll be able to sleep better tonight than the last few nights!

Heidi, it seems like you've been having a string of days when you have overdone! At least the day when you took eggs to the food pantry and mowed were a little less busy and strenuous! Setting up for the wedding sounds like a lot of work and stress! Thankfully the wedding went well. Too bad April wasn't a little more appreciative. She's very fortunate her wedding was as nice as it was. Sure, it would have been nice if someone had made a video, but I wonder how many times she thinks she would watch it. I know we VERY RARELY look at our wedding photographs, and not even necessarily on our anniversary.

Midge, it's good to see that you have visited! Wishing your #3 son well in Darwin. So sorry another lockdown has begun! Is he planning to relocate there?

It sounds like you have been exceptionally busy since permanently shutting down your office! It also sounds like there's a lot more 'stuff' in your home.

How exciting that your 70th is rapidly approaching. A hot air balloon ride sounds like fun! In all honesty, the Aquarium sounds like more fun! I would join you, if I could.

I REALLY need to get in bed. Thinking of everyone and sending lots of {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, , healing energy, prayers, and positive thoughts! Take care, Everyone!

Got to the feed store and stocked up.... again... on senior horse feed, dog food, scratch grains for chickens & turkey and sweet feed for alpacas and select cattle. It's just misting out, not really raining. The temperature dropped from yesterday's high of 90˚F to today's high of 55˚F. The alpacas much prefer the cooler weather.

Mike was thrilled yesterday when he saw the additional lighting I put in the cattle working area. The chute had been too dark, almost cave-like, and cattle don't like going into caves. The chute is now lit up like daylight inside, and should make it much easier to get them to enter.

Hello all,
Julie, your temps in spring, almost summer are less than ours in winter. We had a cold night last night of abour 9c and a cool day of 20c, yours was 10c! I hope it warms up for you soon.
DorA - I agree with you about April being ungrateful. Most brides get involved in every aspect of their weddings because they want it to turn out well. Just expecting that someone will video it is ridiculous. I hope she thanked you Heidi for all that you did.
Midge - turning the big 70 needs to be marked by something special. The aquarium sounds good. We went to the Melbourne aquarium in 2012 with a lot of Sudoku people when Mo came over from France.

Teenagers are strange people! I mentioned here the other day that no-one had seen Chloe since her father's birthday in January. I suggested to him that maybe she was staying away because she thought he wouldn't drive her to work on Sundays - so he rang her and asked if she was coming on the weekend and she said that she had to work. So he asked her if she wasn't coming over because she thought he wouldn't get her to work. Sure enough - that was it! So she came over on Friday after school, came to see us yesterday and her Dad is taking her to work this morning. Silly girl!! But it was so nice to see her again.

We'll be working the cattle early (9:30 am) Monday morning. So late tomorrow afternoon I'll be putting out several buckets of feed for the herd so I can lock them in the holding pen overnight. It'll make it MUCH easier to get them all into the barn in the morning.

Did a little cattle work today. My youngest Duke (registered Red Angus) daughter came in heat and had tp be bred today. Mike and I got her into the barm and AI'ed her to a red Balancer bull from the Judd Ranch in Kansas. I've been to their ranch, and they have an awesome place and the most beautiful and gentle cattle I've ever seen. We got to try out the paneling we installed 2 weeks ago to line the chute, and the lighting I installed in the chute, today. It worked better than it ever has to get the heifer into the head catch. The entire herd has now been caught in the holding pen. They got three 5 gallon buckets of grain, they have plenty of fresh water, plenty of shade and a little grazing. They'll be OK overnight.

I hope everyone has a safe and healthy Memorial Day today.

Mike will be here in an hour. That'll give me time to get the horses and alpacas locked out of the barnyard, and the cow herd moved in there to work them.

Stick a fork in me. I'm done. The cattle were ALL on their worst behavior. They would not even think of cooperating, even with the bribery of 50 lbs of grain. I lost my temper and had to use force. I got smashed around, and repeatedly kicked head to toe. I ache all over and am exhausted. One stupid cow (of mine, not Mike's) decided to try to jump out of the holding pen in the barn and smashed the gate. She's been sorted out now and will be going to the sale barn next weekend.... especially since she did not have a calf this Spring, and has not bred back, despite being in with the bull. She'll probably end up at McDonald's.

My body hurts all over.

Off to drop off eggs to the food pantry. Then I need to get a new microwave. Two days ago I was using mine, and I heard a sound like a big plastic bubble wrap bubble being popped. No more microwave. It's amazing how dependant on technology we've gotten. I love the convenience of quickly heating something up. As long as I'm going there (Lowe's), I'm going to get some more petunias and potting soil.

Bought a new microwave. They won't be able to deliver it until later this week or sometime next week. They have to install it.
I also got some lovely striped petunias to go with the solids I already had. I got 2 large pots of dark red ones with cream colored stripes and 1 large pot of purpish pink ones with white stripes. They look fabulous anong the various shades of purple and lavender of my others.

Hi, Everyone! Life has been hectic. I can't believe I've missed reading and posting for a few days again. Now that I'm back to practicing cello daily for at least an hour, usually more, I'm getting less done around the house and getting to bed later. I'm pretty wiped out.

CynB, it's good to know that you have cracked the mystery that was keeping Chloe from visiting. It's good to know that she's being responsible and wants to be sure to get to work. It's even better that you got to see her after so many months!

Heidi, with all of the work and preparation you did to make it easier to work the cattle, it's a shame that they wouldn't cooperate! I hope you're recovering well from the beating you took!

With all of the feed you buy at the feed store, would they consider delivering it to you?

Knowing how particular you are about your cattle, that is quite a compliment you paid to the Judd Ranch in Kansas! I hope the AI works and you get a wonderful young calf in the next calving season!

I'm glad you were able to get a new microwave and that they will install it! When ours died a couple of years ago, they only replacement for the built-in we could find was about $3,000. The old one is still taking up space above the stove. We bought a new one to sit on the counter for just over $100, and it's working just fine. I hope your new one will easily fit in the space of its predecessor and works fantastically!

All of your petunias sound wonderful! Might you share a photo some day?

I hope everyone is doing well and staying healthy! Sending healing energy, {{{{{HUGS}}}}}, positive thoughts, prayers, and ! Take care!

The new microwave ended up costing about $500 with installation. It's a stainless steel one, Frigidaire, to match my stove underneath.

I still ache head to toe from those cow kicks. The various bruises are getting quite colorful.

I'm leaving in an hour to take Robert to an appointment with his eye doctor. He's really hoping that they give him a prescription for glasses so he can start driving again. His Jeep is still sitting here. He regularly starts it up and drives it a little around the farm to keep it going. It needs some brake work and a flat tire repaired, but then it should be road safe.

Tiring day. Took Robert to the eye doctor... it took a while because they found a problem with his left eye. I need to take him to Louisville tomorrow morning for surgery on it. I got home around 4:30 pm and had to feed the chickens,and collect eggs; feed Buddy (30 year old Morgan horse); feed the old cow, the young bull we just weaned and my cull cow; pick a few quarts of strawberries; and shoot a raccoon that was in the trap in the barn. I had noticed signs that there might be another raccoon around. There was. A BIG female. Now I need to let Buddy back out and I can crash for a little bit.

Off to pick up Robert and drive him to Louisville for his eye surgery. it's an hour and a quarter drive each way, if there's no traffic issues. I filled up my gas tank last night, so I'm ready to go.

Spent 9 hours today helping Robert... driving each way to take him to his surgery and waiting for him to have it, then get out of recovery. He needs to go back to the eye doctor tomorrow for a follow-up. All I really want to do is stay home on my farm and enjoy my critters. Sunday I take the cow to the stockyard. I have to go to Pain Management on Monday, then take Debbie to her appointment at Pain Management on Tuesday. I have no idea when I'll be home long enough for my microwave to be delivered and installed.