WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING LATELY
WHAT I WISH I COULD BE DOING
Hi friends,
Yes, it's been a long time and I've been absent. But, in that time, I finished two college courses and I am halfway through another one. Bob finished his Weapons book and is now working on his water book, which should be great.
We are currently experiencing the coldest winter that we've ever had here in Tennessee. The week before last, freezing air blasted down from the north and chilled us all to the bone. We had to keep all of our wood stoves going full blast, including the hot tub outside (although it was way too cold to expose our skin to the cold air). At the same time, we were battling the flu. So for that week and a half, while trying to keep our pipes from freezing day and night, and trying to keep our animals warm, happy and watered, we were fighting sickness. Believe me, carrying firewood in while dealing with nausea, coughing, body aches and weakness is no picnic. It was probably the most miserably inconvenient time to be sick. But you know how Murphy's Law works . . .
To take extra precautions for the animals, we insulated the chicken house and pulled tarps over the pen for more protection. We added extra bedding to the cat cubby where they hang out at nights. Everyone received extra protein and food at mealtime. Bear, our big dog, refused to go into a dog house. We tried everything to lure him into that dog house--putting his favorite food into it so he would have to go in to get it, moving the dog house onto the porch so he could be close to the front door--but nothing worked. He still refused to go in as if the ghosts from dogs' past were haunting it. So, to save him from the weather, we dragged him into the house against his will. You know how little kids perform the wet-fish maneuver when they don't want to do something? Well, that was Bear--all 80 pounds of him, as he flopped down on the ground and laid there in a locked paw position, toenails digging into the ground, making it impossible to move him. It took every ounce of strength to get him inside. Once in for the night, he refused to sit and stood next to the door and gave me the stink-eye whenever I walked by. When we put him back outside, he was pretty perturbed with us for a couple of days--and all this because we were trying to save his life. It seems as though no good deed goes unpunished.
We had a week of favorable temperatures, but now the cold weather has returned. However, it should be easier to deal with this time around. We've recovered from the flu by about 80%, and the freezing weather is only supposed to last a day or two. So, looks like we're in for a few more days of hauling wood up to the porch.
Take care, All.
If you haven't had a chance to look at Bob's Weapons book, here's the link:
http://www.amazon.com/Threat-Level-Survival-Weapons-Non-Weapons-ebook/dp/B00FAX2RP8/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1389924133&sr=8-4&keywords=Hillary+bergeron
