A Thought on Coronavirus

Hello Everybody, Frank here.

There is a lot of talk about the Coronavirus. Some say we're all going to die, others say it will be gone in a couple of months. Since we know that our government lies at every opportunity, I can only believe that other governments do also.

A former advisor to President Donald Trump did an interview. Fern and I found it interesting and we hope you do too. I like the man that did the interview, his name is Steve Bannon. He can be a bit abrupt, but I think he is brilliant. Does everybody agree with everything others say? No, but I did like his interview. If you have about 50 minutes to spare, watch Mr. Bannon's interview. Here is the link.

Pandemic! Coronavirus Is Out of Control in China

I would take this virus seriously. Do you have what it takes to be in your house for a number of days without going out? If someone comes to visit do you know how, and have the precautions to quarantine them for a couple of weeks? Remember, we don't know what is true and what is not coming from the news media or the government. As always, you are on your own. 

Nobody is coming to save you.

And as Ol' Remus says, "Avoid crowds."

There are a lot of things happening in our world right now. Our political arena has become a joke, even the Supreme Court has jumped into the fray recently. Now all three of our branches of government are not working together. I don't believe anything I hear anymore from anyone. We just don't know where this virus thing is going to go.

So, no joke. Have what you need to take care of you and yours. All they have got to do, a little humor here, is find a way to put this virus in a bag of Cheetos, and half of our population would be gone. But no joking, do what you think is necessary, and I would do it very soon, while our supply chains are still functioning. There is a possibility our just-in-time inventories could experience some serious hiccups soon. One little shut down leads to two, then three, then the dominoes begin to fall. The economy staggers a little. You get the picture, you've seen it before. The picture that is.

If you would, watch the video, and by all means, quit eating Cheetos. If you're of this type of persuasion, only drink American made beer.

So, maybe it's time to go turn on the TV to watch Oprah, and grab a bag of Cheetos, or maybe to do what you should have already done. You know what that is. Prepare. If you are prepared, good. If you're not.....it's your call.

We'll talk more later,  Frank

 

Homestead News, Volume 24

Life goes on here on the homestead, in the local area, in the country and in the world. Precarious though it may seem at times, the store shelves (here at least) are still filled with an abundance of frankenfood, the lights are still on and water still comes out of the tap when I turn it. 

We continue to adjust our lives for our current and future physical abilities while continuing to prepare our minds for what may be coming down the road one day. We have recently had two and a half acres of our ten acre pasture fenced off for our much smaller herd of goats. This still allows us to have four small pastures for animal rotation, but makes it much easier to manage. We are debating about trying to hire someone to brush hog the remaining acreage once a year, or listing it for sale. Our decision changes from day to day, so for now we are just going to let things settle. We are in no hurry.

Our four does - two adults, two kids

Buck and young wether

The eleven year old matriarch of our goat herd is no longer with us. One Stripe was part of the first herd we acquired when we moved here in 2008. She never met anyone she didn't like and loved to be petted. She gave us many babies, lots of milk and much affection. All of the does we have now are from her line. 

One Stripe

We also no longer have our wonderful Pearl. She was a one of a kind dog and we miss her. She was great with the goats and devoted to the two of us. We'll be dog-less for a while. We don't look forward to training another puppy, but one will come along again when the time is right.

Pearl

We're also preparing the acre surrounding the house for eventual use as pasture. When the day comes to really downsize the land, if we haven't already, we will sell the ten acres with the current barn. Then we will use this area around the chicken house for any pasture we may still want to use. It will maintain a couple of goats, although we would have to feed more hay year round.

In preparation for that we have had some overgrown brushy areas cleared out along with tons of pine needles.

This older storage shed has seen better days. We've been fighting a leaking roof for years. Now we're working on emptying it out so it can be moved out by a neighbor that wants it. In the process we are donating many things to a local church that works with individuals and families that are in recovery from alcohol and drugs. It's good to be able to pass on some things to people in need, but it's also difficult to start downsizing instead of building up. It's probably something most people go through as they age, and now it's our turn.

I have been making some simple cheeses since we are enjoying fresh goat milk again. I tried an herb cheese with onion and garlic, but it came out really strong. Frank doesn't even like to smell it. I tried a small wheel with fresh basil from the greenhouse a couple of days ago. We haven't tried it yet, but it smells much milder so I hope this wheel is edible.

 













As time goes on we find we eat less, quite a bit less. Our sauerkraut crock is wonderful, but is now too big. We recently got some air lock lids to make kraut by the jar. This is our first experiment. We had them in the pantry for a dark place, but I didn't remember to check on them, so I moved them into one of the kitchen cabinets. Two of the jars turned out fine, but the one that wasn't full didn't. I don't know if it was the amount of cabbage or if it was because we didn't include the rubber gasket in the lid when we put it all together. Another learning experience. It's always good to learn. I am going to try peppers this way this summer. I think that would be good. And maybe okra? I'm not sure if they will ferment/pickle very well. I will have to read more about that before I try it.

I have been working on a door hanging for my mother who is in the nursing home with dementia. She has been there for two and a half years now. I agree with all of the people that told me over a year ago that this is a very cruel disease. We pray for her peace and comfort every day, and I pray for her release from this world. I can usually still get her to smile and laugh. She even sang Happy Birthday to Frank (I got it on video on my phone) recently and she hadn't sang with me for months. It was very touching.

The greenhouse continues to feed us some nice green things a few times a week, and is now housing some seedlings, or the dirt that holds seeds that will soon be seedlings.

Two ages of cabbage seedlings

Will be carrots, tomatoes and peppers.

Carrots are just beginning to peek out.

Onions

I am going to cut the tops of these tomato plants, root them and start them in pots. I hope to get some big seedlings ready this way. We still have that one tomato that has been growing slowly all winter. I don't know if it's going to ripen or not. Frank thinks it will be really tough if it ever does.

 
















We are saving eggs to start the incubator tomorrow. These eggs will be hatching the same time the day old chicks we ordered will be arriving. We'll raise them all together, keep a replacement laying flock and butcher the rest. It's a good seasonal activity. Eggs to meat to the table. Wouldn't have it any other way.

For now, the garden lays fallow, but it won't be long before we will plant it once more. Hope is eternal when there is spring on the way.

Our country? The world? Viruses, plagues, pandemics, politics, food shortages, lies, corruption, greed? It just goes on and on and on. Every so often I get a small, tiny spark of hope that the world will keep on turning, people will come to their senses and we can continue to live in some semblance of peace, but then the next 'thing' appears and extinguishes that spark pretty quickly. So, life goes on. Until it doesn't. We do what we can and try to be realistic about what we can and can't do. We try not to play head games with ourselves and pretend we are going to go running through the woods chasing bad guys if the collapse occurs. Not going to happen. Reality. Sometimes difficult to deal with. Choosing not to? Not an option on our homestead. How are things going on yours?

Until next time - Fern
 

My Commander-in-Chief

President Donald J. Trump

Enjoy the link:  THE BEST IS YET TO COME!

Open Thread, January 2020

Hello Everybody, Frank here.

We tried an open thread not too long ago where you say what you think, and I say what I think. It seemed to work pretty good. When there are a lot of responses, it is impossible for us to respond to all of them.

Moving on. Some of the critical issues have not changed. By the way, today is Sunday, January 19, 2020. Happy Sunday everybody. We have a new year. Back when I used to watch TV, about 25-30 years ago, there was a TV show called 20/20. I liked that show. News has certainly changed a great deal. It's not news anymore, and it hasn't been news for a long time.

I would still be paying attention to what is going on in Virginia, very, very closely. Tomorrow is going to be a very important day in the great state of Virginia. I believe they call it a common wealth. Some folks call this a trial run for the rest of the country. It's not just the 2nd Amendment that's under attack, as if that's not enough. Your whole way of life is under attack. Pay attention to Virginia, plan accordingly. 

President Donald J. Trump. I guess technically he has been impeached and the trial is moving into the Senate. I will state here that I have lost all faith in my government. Our government, especially in Washington D.C., is blatantly and obviously corrupt. They're not even trying to hide it anymore. I saw pictures of the immaculate procession of the transfer of the impeachment documents from the house to the senate. If I were ever going to use disgusting, degrading profanity, it would be here to describe these events. But I'll just stick with - It's unbelievable! And I mean that in the truest sense of the words, IT'S UNBELIEVABLE.  But, Ladies and Gentlemen, the unbelievable is happening in Washington D.C. and Virginia. If you thought that unbelievable couldn't happen? Well it is. Pay attention.

Something else happened recently in Iraq that I have mixed feelings about. Our government executed a foreign leader. Under the general rules of engagement this is an unacceptable practice. I personally do not support the process. But. And this is a big But. This Iranian general has been responsible for the execution of hundreds of Iranian citizens. Some will say, okay, what's the problem here? Well, this general has also been responsible for the deaths of hundreds of Americans and our allies. Here is where I have my dilemma. Is it okay to kill a head of state? I say no. Is it okay to kill a soldier that has killed and is going to continue killing our soldiers? Absolutely. So here is my conclusion. If we had the technological ability to bring this general back to life, then I think we should do it. Then we should kill him again, and again, and again. And I think we should kill every one of their generals again, and again, and again. I know our country and our policies are not perfect, but our country has done more humanitarian good for this planet than any other country. Ever. When another country threatens my country, then I think we have every right to defend ourselves. Anybody that wears a uniform and threatens our country is putting themselves in harms way.

Moving on. More foreign affairs. The BREXIT thing is supposed to finalize by the end of January. If my math is correct, that is about 12 days from now. So do you think it's going to happen? Or is the government over there going to screw the people out of their vote again? 

Have they built the wall yet between us and Mexico? You know that we are under invasion from our southern border. It's not just poor, hungry Mexican people coming across our border either. We are under attack, Ladies and Gentlemen. Call it what you choose.

Another topic. The repo thing. Our Federal Reserve is pumping billions of dollars into our huge financial institutions on a regular basis. How come? If everything is hunky dory and peachy keen in the financial markets then why is this repo even occurring? If I were to tell my neighbors everything is great and my finances are solid, but then every night I go to my uncle's house and borrow money, does that really look like everything is okay?

Let's switch to another aspect of politics. Look at the remaining Democratic candidates for President of THE United States of America. Really, really take a look at them. Senator Elizabeth Warren will say anything. She will promise anything to anybody at anytime. Is that what you want? Joe Biden. When we scrutinize former Vice President Biden under a microscope, we see that he and his family are unbelievably corrupt. Is this what you want for a leader? That mayor fellow and his long term boyfriend? I'm sorry, but I just don't think America is ready for that. Since I live in America, I'm not ready for it either. The last one I'm going to talk about or discuss with you is Bernie Sanders. Senator Sanders is a rabid socialist. In other words, he is a communist. I know there is a difference between the two, but I stand by my statement. He is a communist. He will probably be the nominee. 

Now. Donald Trump, the current president of the greatest nation that has ever existed. He is by no means a perfect president. Let me qualify something here. I have never seen any of his TV shows, ever. Ok. The man likes nice things, is that a problem? He likes pretty women, so what's the problem? He is a business man, not a career politician. He has obviously sparked a fury through all of establishment Washington, not just the Democrats, but also the establishment Republicans. He has rocked the boat. I do not trust the Republican lead Senate. Most of them hate him. We'll see about his impeachment trial in the senate. Watch this very closely. You might see a slight of hand trick here. 

In my humble opinion, President Trump is what we need as a country. We need a strong leader. We need a man, and yes, we need a man, that will execute his combat enemies and not apologize for it. We need trade deals, we need fair trade deals with other countries. We need to stop selling our country to the highest bidder. NATO needs to pay. Why should I spend my tax dollars to defend Germany? And if we're going to send money, our tax money, to other countries, we need results from those countries. President Trump inherited an economy that was staggering, a military that had been gutted, not just the equipment, but our fighting philosophy had been removed from our military. I'm not sure if we are going to be able to recover, no matter what President Trump does,but he is at least trying to save our country. The Bushes, the Clintons and Obama? I hate to say this, but they sold us out. Like I said earlier, I'm pissed. I expect my government to lie to me on occasion. There are things we just don't need to know. But the Bushes, Clintons and Obama did you and me and every other American a gross disservice. They sold us to the highest bidder. These pieces of crap are still walking free. They will be walking free tomorrow also.

Good time to shift gears here. How about all of these investigations? How come no one is in jail? How come there have been no major indictments? One example. President Trump knew that he was being spied on before he took office. That was three years ago. How come no one has even been arrested? The reason no one has been arrested is because no one is going to be arrested. Another example. The Clinton server. Another one. The Weiner laptop. How come there have been no indictments or arrests? I think the reason is very simple. That whole quagmire in Washington D.C. with it's tentacles extending to every county court house in this country is corrupt to the core. Let me qualify. There are some good people that work at all levels, but for the most part, the middle and upper level management all the way to the top, is beyond the definition of corrupt. This cannot be stopped. It is our whole system. It goes back to the beginning. Therefore, there will be no arrests. 

The problem is that this has now been exposed. You know it, I know it and millions of others know it. This is part of the reason they are going to take our guns. See the picture now? They have all of our data. If you have a driver's license, they know where you live. If you have a credit card, they know what you buy. If you have a cell phone or telephone of any nature, they know what you say. The list goes on, not to mention banking and medical.

They have been exposed. They are afraid, and they should be. They don't know what to do, so they're going to clamp down. Any excuse will do. January 20th in Virginia? That'll work. Summer time is coming, a hot summer. Elections are coming. Voter fraud. Just pick one. They will shut us down. Because they are afraid of us. They can shut down the internet, telephones, easily. Which means power, banking, medical, transportation. If you don't care. Fine. If you do care, if you don't know what to do? Screaming the sky is falling will do you no good when it starts to fall.

So what do you think, boys and girls? You can put this in a religious context if you choose. But the termites have eaten the foundation away while we continue to paint the house again. Do what you need to do. Get your head screwed on right. Get good with God. Get good with your family, because they are the only people you can truly trust, but you can't trust all of them either. 

Tell me what you think. If what you think can help another man, then do so. The comments will be moderated as always. Mild language will be tolerated. Most ideas are acceptable. No, we are not going to line up and shoot a bunch of people, that will not be accepted. But most ideas are acceptable. 

I hope we make it through this, but I don't believe we will. Take care. May God and Peace be with you.

We'll talk more later,  Frank

Homestead News, Volume 23

Things have slowed down somewhat here for the winter. Outside of the opinion pieces we have been sharing for news, in our little corner of the world things are relatively quiet. We have our daily routines of animal chores, cooking and eating, and eating. The small lane that leads to our house is about 1/4 mile if you walk round trip. Frank walks it twice a day for about a mile or so. I usually make it about half to three quarters before the arthritis in my back starts complaining. We take the half hour drive to see my mother in the nursing home regularly. Some of those trips are easier than others. Her dementia is now limiting her speech significantly and it's hard to keep her attention. So, go our days. Watching the demise of the world and wondering when it will reach our doorstep.

We have some food growing in the greenhouse along with some basil and flowers. More flowers than usual and surprisingly, some of them like to bloom in the winter.

Turnip greens

Salad fixings - amaranth, pak choy, kale, cress, lettuces

Looking out of the door that goes into the house.

Balsam - I had no idea they would bloom in the winter greenhouse.

And believe it or not, the tomatoes are blooming. I don't think they will produce because it gets too cold at night.

But this will be the first plants I set out come spring if they make it until then.



Our baby goats are all on the ground for the year. We had one set of twins and two sets of triplets. One of the does has continued her mastitis problem from last year so we gave away two of her kids when they were four hours old. They got a few good drinks of colostrum and we sent more home with them. 

Now we have fresh milk again which we both consider to be a wonderful treat.

I have been using up some of my fabric and quilt batting making lap quilts to donate to the nursing home where my Mom lives. It's part of my downsizing effort.





And speaking of eating, today is a good day for a pot of soup. It's still warm outside, t-shirt weather, but I wanted to use some of our harvest for a good hot meal.

 
I don't like the feeling that these tools are always necessary when I walk out the door to go milk the goats, or garden, or take a walk down our lane, but so go the days of our lives. Anymore, you just never know what you need to always be prepared for.

 Until next time - Fern