tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-91665583374847343862024-03-05T08:20:54.279-08:00Homestead DreamsI dream of my own homestead. Where neighbors are rare, where chickens can roam, and where I could garden in the buff if I was cought with the urge. But is it just a dream? Am I nothing but a silly girl with a silly unreachable dream?Nickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.comBlogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-39942352713059364362008-11-15T17:24:00.000-08:002008-11-15T17:52:25.567-08:00I picked up a second job!Dear Friends,I know it has been awfully quiet around here. The truth is I have spent most of my days working-and my evenings too! But the work is never dull. Working for surgery is an exciting thing and you always have to be on your toes for what is thrown your way. Sometimes it's a middle of the night call, that wakes you from sound slumber that you must answer. Sometimes is a problem you have Nickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-48913958443768465402008-11-01T18:25:00.000-07:002008-11-01T18:43:36.349-07:00Homestead-y StuffGood evening friends!Today as I had promised myself, I did homestead like things. I got the animals settled into the shed-- as I have no extra $$ right now for lights, I used some of my homemade grow light plant stand lights, which I can replace with fresh ones for the seed starting season anyway later. I already have heat lamps but its not even close to cold enough for that yet. When I finished Nickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-8320052380850712212008-10-31T20:32:00.000-07:002008-10-31T20:43:42.394-07:00Halloween 2008Good evening ghouls and goblins!I wish I could say I was out having fun, but I am at work :P. Those of us in the medical profession do not get holidays! Can't y'all quit getting sick or hurt for the holidays? The whole weekend I am going to be on call, but I won't have to work unless they have emergency's at night after the morning shift goes home so I'm crossing my fingers I can sleep through Nickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-46535032007122583652008-10-30T20:34:00.000-07:002008-10-30T20:47:11.287-07:00Hallow's EveGood evening friends!I know it is way past an update. I guess I haven't had much to say lately as this is one of those odd times of years where there isn't much going on outside or in. This weekend though, I must totally winterize everything. I need to get the remaining animals into the shed-- buy hay and winter feed, bury pots of plants in the ground to protect through winter, get burlap to wrapNickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-90766736991681442142008-10-21T19:50:00.000-07:002008-10-21T20:52:12.744-07:00Focused all over the placeGood evening my friends!I took a low census day at work today thinking that today was the day Mike got his test results for cancer back, I wanted to be there. But I was mistaken, wrong date. But since I'd already called in, I took the opportunity to hike again. I've done very little hiking this year, and I've forgotten how much I love it.Sunday I went to the local state park, Indiana Dunes State Nickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-2990408369400651652008-10-18T22:36:00.000-07:002008-10-18T22:50:03.244-07:00Poor Freya Cat and a possible parasiteGood evening (Morning?) dear friends,It's now 40 minutes into Sunday morning here and I can't sleep. I guess I have a bit on my mind (and some indigestion also) that has me wide awake. Most of you know about Freya cat--she even blogged for a while before she got bored of pushing keys on the keyboard. Those of you who know her, know that she is adored by Mike and I. Last Sunday was the last time Nickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-89913082884696821622008-10-16T08:00:00.000-07:002008-10-16T08:26:35.301-07:00Hiking SeasonGood morning friends!I'm making plans to do a long day hike solo by myself come this weekend. I'd rather backpack but with the one car thing, that's hard to swing as Mike always finds some excuse to need the car. :). But there is hope, as the gas prices continue to go down, my ability to drive anywhere of note for hiking goes up. So gas, keep going down! It's for my sanity!When Mike was much moreNickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-47048100953125785452008-10-10T18:16:00.000-07:002008-10-10T18:55:12.168-07:00Lost And Found and the First FrostDear Friends,You'll have to pardon me for not typing this week, I was very busy! But that doesn't mean I didn't have anything to type. Every time I tried to sit down and log on something would come up and I had to put it off once again. I'm sure you've all had days...and weeks(!) like that.Last Sunday I had finished putting the veggie garden to bed. There is absolutely nothing else to do in it Nickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-781014687910690312008-10-02T19:56:00.000-07:002008-10-02T20:12:14.493-07:00The shivering dog.Good evening friends!This morning started off chilly again but not so chilly as the day before when I had all the windows to the house open, I had closed them last night. Still though, it was cold enough this morning in the living room to make the dog, our "tough" hunting dog, bred to deal with difficult hunting environments and rugged territory, shiver. For such a "tough" breed, she sure gets Nickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-51960852496901662062008-10-01T19:01:00.000-07:002008-10-02T20:14:47.155-07:00Cold and RainyDear Friends,It's been cold and rainy all day. I woke up this morning and had to layer in clothes in the house and close windows. I don't think it got above the 50's today. Today's chill reminded me that I really need to get the shed prepared for housing animals during our long cold winter. I need to clean it out and organize it so that they have space and are easy to tend to and I need to set upNickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-57247511122852388532008-09-28T19:32:00.000-07:002008-10-02T20:16:38.648-07:00A good weekendGood evening friends!I hope you and yours are finding yourselves healthy. My weekend has been pretty easy going. Mostly I worked in the garden and with the animals. I watched Internet TV with Mike, we went out to dinner and went to the hardware store to buy bulbs with a gift card Mike had won in a drawing. I also had a coupon for a free bag of bulbs from on-line that I used. I bought 20 tulip Nickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-868439204249575862008-09-26T20:04:00.000-07:002008-10-01T19:54:05.761-07:00The weekend is near.Good evening!Its a cool evening tonight outside...but nobody is complaining. It seems like it's been a very long week for me but it's finally over. I know I should be grateful for every day and not wish it away faster, as we all know, time flies but this week has been worrisome. You see Mike hasn't been feeling well for a couple of weeks. Strangely my 6th sense had kicked in about a month ago (Nickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-44098447367856217432008-09-25T17:27:00.000-07:002008-10-01T19:50:21.383-07:00What I learned #3Good evening everyone!It's getting darker earlier and earlier here in NW Indiana. The landscape is dotted with yellow trees. Though it's only the beginning of fall. In the fields near home down the road are acres of sorghum. At the festival, I've finally learned what they do with sorghum. I met a very nice ranger lady who was directing an old white workhorse in a circle. The horse was attached toNickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-43458655276602640932008-09-24T07:38:00.001-07:002008-10-01T19:46:15.620-07:00What I Learned #2Good morning everyone!Its beautiful out. I spent a little time in the garden weeding a flower bed and pulling out old cleome plants that were past their prime. I also spent time playing with the kittens, the rabbits and the chickens. They do keep me busy. The kittens think they are helping me when I'm weeding but they are really quite distracting. You just can't tell them otherwise though.At the Nickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-74495613713130248672008-09-22T09:20:00.000-07:002008-10-01T19:42:24.714-07:00What I learned this this weekend #1Good day friends!I hope you are all enjoying this first day of fall which started at 10:44 am today. This weekend has been all about fall stuff. First I went apple picking at the local u-pick orchard which was disappointing. Oh the apples are good, but since they changed ownership the atmosphere of the place has also changed. They are making it so commercialized now it's ridiculous. Soon it will Nickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-36032512333269174042008-09-21T06:59:00.000-07:002008-10-01T19:38:43.695-07:00Howdy dear friends,It is a beautiful morning here in northwest Indiana. It's the perfect morning to do a bunch of mulching. I hopped out of bed early today and made a bee-line for the free mulch pile and filled up my car twice, which was enough to mulch one bed nicely. The daylily bed along the road needed new mulch bad as what I had put there when I planted it was almost all gone now.Yesterday iNickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-16966622821879957912008-09-19T14:22:00.000-07:002008-10-01T19:36:32.570-07:00And things return to normal...Dear Friends,Things are high and dry now here at my place and almost all the roads are open once again. For a while there I was quite frazzled with it all. I was worried about the animals who were constantly wet despite changing bedding every day and trying to keep the wet out. I was worried about my father-in-law who lives in Munster, IN. which is still under mandatory evacuation. He's OK by theNickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-53888297127008388552008-09-15T19:59:00.000-07:002008-10-01T19:32:55.610-07:00An IslandDear Friends,I hope this evening finds you all safe, warm and dry. Here, dry is a hard thing to find. As of last Friday, my rain gauge reads 12.5 inches of rain. Do you know what that kind of rain does? It cuts off all the roads, lets rivers take over bridges, lets marshes and swamps and drainage ditches turn into lakes, and for some unlucky folks, it turns houses into boats. Yesterday I was Nickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-57594849918956700072008-09-13T17:24:00.000-07:002008-10-01T19:31:44.385-07:00Rain...rain...rain...Good evening friends!Its been raining like crazy. Yesterday we had 5 inches, its been raining for most of the day today also though we had a small break around noonish. Lots of flooding and they are saying we are in for a LOT more. Record breaking amounts more.It seems since I moved to Indiana, when the seasons change I get sick. When winter turns to spring, I usually end up with some awful Nickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-55727578108380759502008-09-11T20:04:00.000-07:002008-10-01T19:31:03.054-07:00A Day Off Tomorrow---Good evening friends!Another day has passed yet again. How quickly time flies. Tomorrow I actually have a day off. I won't even be on call. I'm weighing my options here.So far my options consist of:Slacking off and vegetating mostly with a few light chores like cleaning animal cages, dishes and laundry, around the house.orAll chores--outside and in, weeding, turning the compost, getting mulch andNickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-71233057349938903712008-09-10T07:32:00.001-07:002008-10-01T19:29:39.912-07:00Things I do While On CallGood evening dear friends, There are lots of crafts I wish i could partake in but just can't tie them into my busy schedule. Things like quilting, soap making, painting, and the like but there are at least a couple things that are very portable for me to do during down time at the hospital or in the on-call room. One of those things is knitting--- which for whatever reason I prefer to do during Nickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-67559145935392175412008-09-09T19:04:00.000-07:002008-09-09T19:13:47.042-07:00Jacket WeatherGood Evening Friends!It was very chilly this morning. So chilly that the garden impatiens were sulking, with droopy leaves. They are dragging their feet to the inevitable end of their life though I am sure they perked up later during the day when the chill lessened. I even had to wear a jacket.Yesterday's rainfall amounted to just under 2" according to my rain gauge this morning. The Buckwheat isNickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-55774970565418132432008-09-08T19:24:00.000-07:002008-09-08T20:10:46.255-07:00Turning of the SeasonsGood evening friends,I know I haven't typed anything for a while but believe me, I've been thinking of all kinds of things I could be adding here. Working for surgery sometimes I may disappear into the dark abyss for a while. Surgery pretty much OWNS me. Such is the price of learning....They beep, I hop. It seems most of my waking hours are spent at the hospital these days, especially now that Nickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-18565854629139563572008-08-27T19:02:00.000-07:002008-09-08T20:07:15.553-07:00Sleepless in IndianaGood evening friends,I did absolutely NOTHING at home today. I slept in...well kind of. I think I may have to go to the dreaded Dr. one of these days. I HATE going to the doctor. First you have to sit in a waiting room and fill out forms, then you wait some, then they call you to the back, make you stand on a scary looking scale, and take you to some claustrophobic little room where you wait someNickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9166558337484734386.post-23847090199168261962008-08-26T06:47:00.001-07:002008-09-08T20:05:56.308-07:00Our Daily BreadGood Morning Friends,Another gorgeous cool morning here in Corn and Soybean land. The perfect kind of morning for long walks in the woods if one was inclined to. No walking for me today though, as I am very tired! Yesterday at work was crazy. I even had to work some over time and my boss HATES giving out over time. I expect another busy day today and so I am resting up and working on some sewing Nickiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00001250231781402073noreply@blogger.com2