February 26, 2012



Finally got our pans hung in  the kitchen



Rose after cleaning water out
of the crawl space!
















We spent Friday puttering around inside doing small projects, like hanging the pans in the kitchen.  I waited until Saturday to get down in the crawl space so the water could seep into the dirt some more and I wouldn't be sloshing around so much.  It was still too wet to move the shop vac around, so I just focused on the closest puddle that I could reach with the hose.  We must have taken out at least 15 gallons, as other puddles seemed to run into that one.  I would fill it up and JB would carry the shop vac outside and empty it.  He really had the hardest job.  I always did like playing in the mud.  Will wait a few more days and try it again.  The water is definitely coming in around the water pipe.  Didn't find any frogs, just one dead mouse.  Probably drowned.

JB made potato soup for dinner Thursday.  He had seen a recipe that suggested adding smoked gouda cheese to it.  Normally this is not an item we would have on hand, but when JB was at Costco a few weeks ago they had a taste demo and he purchased some.  He shaved about 6 ounces into the soup, and, Oh My!  It was heavenly.

It was very windy all day Saturday with a high of only 25.  Felt like the wind was forcing the chill indoors.  The wind chill had to be down around 10.  Sure used a lot more wood than normal.  The 2" of snow we were supposed to get Friday night dwindled to just a trace.  The wood shed is still almost half full and I am going to start using the wood from the porch March 1.  Oh my goodness!  That is next week already.  Good thing I've started making my Easter cards.

As usual, Countryside magazine has some great articles.  Sometimes I wish we had chosen the homesteading life early on.  But other times I'm glad for the life we had, with all its experiences.

I need to retract a statement I made a few weeks back about Nioxin shampoo.  On further examination of the label, I found that it actually does contain some natural ingredients - peppermint, two different leaf extracts and two different fruit extracts.  I am using Dr. Bronner's Eucalyptus Castile soap as a shampoo now and really like it.  Not only that but it keeps away the fleas and ticks.  I use it on Jesse whenever I give him a bath.  He really needs one right now but it is just too cold out.  I have also switched to the almond castile soap for my face and it is really keeping it from getting so oily.

Thought for the day:  Nature is the living, visible garment of God.  Goethe