Happenings...

I feel like we have been busy with the oddest things lately. Appointments in the city takes up so much time. Driving back and forth alone takes up most of the day. Since we do our big grocery shopping during one of these trips into the city the day gets even longer.  

I noticed a few things while grocery shopping this time. Items that we were looking for that we have purchased in the past were non-existent or could only be purchased online. It seems that these items go on sale then disappear completely. The last time this occurred was during the pandemic. And of course, the prices were outrageous. Some items also go on sale then the price goes up even higher. I didn't purchase to many items this time because I placed an Azure Standard order.

With the sporadic tasks that we have been doing, I haven't been doing much of my normal routine, so I don't have a lot to share here. Number One Husband is also dealing with getting repairs done around the house. The roofs are done and now the solar is next. Dealing with the county has been tremendous job. They claim to want to support renewable energy, but they make it nearly impossible to get anything approved. They are uneducated and practically unmovable. Meanwhile, we are limping by with generators and tap lights in the evening. 

Number One Husband is trying out a cold weather sleeping bag.

It finally rained and hailed! Once it stopped the red-tailed hawk that took
refuge under our solar panels came out to dry off.

I made whole grain, high protein waffles for the week. We heat them up
in the air fryer and it's just like they came out of the waffle iron.

Fresh sauerkraut and a corned beef sandwich. A friend gave
us the kraut. She did a great job for her first attempt making
sauerkraut.

I love red shoestrings on hiking boots. Red shoestrings are hard to find, so I found a pair of hiking boots with red shoestrings.  I found them in a thrift store. They are like new. It looks like someone put them on and broke one of the metal clips that hold the shoestrings. I had them repaired for $5 at a shoe repair shop on one of our trips into the city.

I bought them for a steal. The thrift store has a brown bag deal for $10. All adult clothing and shoes that will fit in a brown paper bag for $10. I was able to stuff the bag full of nice clothing plus the boots. This made the boots less than $1. They had a $25 price tag on them. The retail price is $120. They are very comfortable. The real test will be hiking in them one day when I am able to again.

Cilantro lime and seasoned potato wedges. 

I've been doing some meal preps the last few days preparing the freezer for an Azure Standard order. I need to squeeze 13 pounds of frozen vegetables into the freezer and I mean squeeze. I also needed to use up my older potatoes to make room for new potatoes. I decided to make potato wedges; however, I had to freeze them. using more space in the freezer. I also had to re-package about 20 pounds of beef for the freezer. I am thawing beef fat to make beef tallow. That helped a bit. I still have a week or so before the pick-up date. I'm sure that I will be able to free up a little more space. It is going to be a tight fit.

Our solar project was approved by the county so we can finally get our solar up and running again. This has been a huge process with the county but know we have some changes that we need to have approved. This is taking forever!

I have been trying to get this post up all week. We ended up with having company show up as soon as I sat down to finish it. I was able to snap the sunset yesterday evening and add it in, so it was worth it. These clouds dropped big raindrops. I enjoyed listening to the raindrops on the metal roof.

Guess who's back for a few of days?

Have a blessed weekend,

Lady Smith

Summer Days in Pictures

 

I found some games to play at the thrift store. 

Summer soup

A blast from the past. I found some alphabet and star pastas.

I am enjoying using study Bibles.

Soup is ready

I found a solution to drying small items like tea bags
and socks. The tea bags are for a friend who does
tea bag art. 

We kept Sammy for 8 days while his mama went to Iceland. This was
his last day with us.

I saved this baby hummingbird who got its tongue stuck in the feeder.
She comes back to say "hello" every day. She lets us come up to her
and talk to her. She does not fly away in fear.

First batch of solar tea of the year.

Guisada over rice with a tortilla.

Visiting the buffalo with a friend.

Baby Faith, the buffalo baby that we rescued, is no longer a baby!

Sammy and his mama came out to camp for a few days.

Have a blessed day,

Lady Smith

Extreme Weather - Emergency Home Projects

We have many projects in the works right now, one of which are the rooves. These issues seemed to pop up all at the same time. These Amish workers were incredibly fast. The wind and snow take a toll on a roof around here. Actually, the wind is tough on most everything. You can see the smoke from the fires that are burning. It got a lot worse before the day was over. Burning eyes and throats. No telling what it is doing to our health. Our next big project is our sickly solar system. UGH! 

This is our latest dust storm. This picture does not do the size or scope of this storm justice. There are currently rescues in progress on lakes in our area taking place as I type this. Fishermen and their boats got caught out on the water during this wind event. I pray that there are no lives lost.

There is a big mountain right behind this dust that has blocked it out.

We and many like us need rain so bad. We have a promise of rain, but then we only get a few drops and more wind. So many people have lost and will lose their homes. It is a terrible situation affecting hundreds of thousands all over the USA. Fires, flooding, earthquakes and crop failures all around the globe seem to be happening a lot this year.

Have a good day!

Lady Smith

Is Google Stealing from Us?

I took this picture a while back and it looks like Google has tagged it with their name. Is this stealing? Is this tag going to be on all of my pictures now? It's there even when I download it. Decide for yourself if this is stealing!

Have a great day,

Mrs. Smith

Wildfires - Extreme Weather and Camping Adventures...

I recently went camping with a friend for a couple of days. We had a great time and great food. Unfortunately, just days after we left the campground was evacuated due to wildfires. It is so smokey outside that my eyes and throat burn every time that I venture outside. 

In the late evening, the wind shifts and we are able to open the windows to cool the house down. So far it has not been too bad. The sun and mountains are blocked out by the smoke, so it's not too hot right now. People are suffering right now in so many ways. Some have lost everything. My heart breaks for them.

Before the fires began.

Not a drop of rain fell here.

Look how low the water is!

My friend and I stayed in her new camper. It's very nice.

Breakfast!

Dinner!

We were able to have a campfire. Things sure can
change in the blink of an eye. We had to put out
the fire when we turned in for the night.

We had a visit from her son.

First evening of the fires.

Smoke covering the moon from a new fire closer to us. You can see the plumes of 
smoke rising in the distance.

I didn't get any pictures of the smoke-filled skies that choked us when we went outside the last few days. I tried to stay inside as much as possible. The campgrounds were completely full when we were there. Lots of families and older guests were enjoying the state park just like us when the evacuations began. The winds have been relentless. 35 to 40 Mph sustained winds moved these fires with ease catching 5 firefighters off guard killing 3 and injuring 2 more. I am so sorry! 

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.

2 Corinthians 1:3-4, NLT

Guess who is back? Sammy! His mommy is off
on another great adventure riding Icelandic horses
in Iceland. Stay tuned for the Sammy Chronicles!

Be blessed and stay safe,

Mrs. Smith

Days of Our Lives

From appointments to having my laundry room spread out between the kitchen and living room things have been a little hectic. Our power issues have gone nuclear. We have a bad battery in our power bank, and a system that does not meet our power needs. We have to use a generator that uses gas and that is expensive. Number One Husband is on it! 

The power bank had to be moved in order to access the individual batteries and since I couldn't help, we enrolled the neighbor into the situation. Everything sits behind our washer/dryer combo. Everything was put back into place until we get our new system installed. The power bank weighs 1200 pounds. 

Oh, did I mention that our pressure tank gauge also stopped functioning, so the water pump kept coming on every 2 gallons of use? This also sits behind the washer and power bank. We were able to temporarily remedy this situation until we are able to install a new one when the new solar system gets installed. It is tight quarters in the utility room.

We had company staying at the homestead that had an emergency and had to leave a day early. They are fine, but their little dog is very sick. The are seeking treatment for him now. We had a nice time while they were here. We ate good food, enjoyed the outdoors and had a good visit while it lasted. Update: The little dog recovered, praise God!

We had a rare event happen. Two female pronghorns 
came right up to our porch. 

Just look how the sun is outlining the clouds at sunset.

The alignment of the moon and this star was just as impressive.

Our hummingbirds are not shy.

I got up early one morning to feed the hummingbirds but before 
I could hang up the feeder I had a customer.

I held it up and as still as I could until she was finished eating.

Just look how dry it is.

This is just a sample of what has been going on in our neck of the woods. We never know what tomorrow will bring. Every day we just press onward until it's time for bed just like everyone else traveling through this life.

Have a blessed day!

Mrs. Smith