Peppers!

Do you remember these little guys?

This was May 2 and at that point I ALREADY felt

they had been sitting there, doing nothing for EVER.

FINALLY!!!

They are FINALLY turning colors!

Goodness.

That was a lesson in patience.

(And I'm apparently not really good at it yet...)

  

The rest of the peppers are turning as well.

Phew!

About time!

Rod broke his glasses yesterday at work, so today

I'm going to head to the store and see if they are

under warranty (should be...) and how long it will

take to get them fixed.

And then, FINGERS CROSSED, if the weather will

cooperate, we have the first MANNED rocket launch

since the shuttle program ended.

But I just glanced out the window and the sky to the west is

getting pretty dark.

Sadly I think they are going to have to scrub.

The window doesn't open again until this weekend.

(When they are also forecasting rain... sigh.)

Anyhow.

Last night I "co-hosted" the new orientation

zoom presentation. My sister-coach did a really

good job! We had 28 people on the call!

Tonight I'm teaching the 4-hour review.

And then I can close the Zoom Room for a couple days.

There you go.

A quick peek into my life / day.

Chickens, Ducks and Such

Rod surprised me the other day.

He brought me home a dozen adorable

little blue egg layers!

(Sadly, we lost one the first night...)

Yes, I should have cleaned their cage before

I took this picture, but honestly, I ALREADY

cleaned it once today!

Chickens are quite dirty.

But cute!

Speaking of dirty...

The ducks are GROWING.

(And dirty... I've cleaned their house

once today also!)

Remember how tiny they were??

They are just starting to get little tails now.

No feathers yet...

And while we are talking about growing...

check out Kyle's red rose bush!

It's taller than the garden fence!

He has a couple red buds again...

We've been flowerless for a couple of days.

It's SAD!

His newest purple rose bush finally has

it's first two buds!

Tiny as they are, they pack a Wallop of smell!

They really smell gorgeous!

The rest of the garden is succumbing to the

Florida heat.

The cucumbers, broccoli and zucchini are done.

We are going to pull them and replant with

okra - about the only thing you can grow here

during the summer months.

And since I eat a TON of it, we will be

happy to have a garden full!

*****************************************

Kyle's latest project... (at Linda's farm)

He is building her a new hay barn.

It will have walls and doors.

This is just the first 2 day's work.

Those are 6x6x16 posts!

He put them in by himself.

Notched the corners to get a good connection.

It was a LOT of work!

He's been over there all day today, so I imagine

he is much further along...

Should take him the rest of the week to 

get it all done.

They sodded around the edge of the pond

and its looking much nicer now!

Next they need fish and pond lillies!

(He put in that pipe, connected to her

artesian well so they can keep it full when

we aren't getting rain... and also to keep

it aerated...) (Cheaper than a fountain!)

Zoom Room (Jail?)

This has been a BUSY couple of days!

Ending with last night...

I was tasked to create and present

a new Zoom presentation for my company.

They recruit new people who want to join

the company and then traditionally they send 

them to us in class and we not only teach

them what they need to know to pass the state exam,

but we also teach them the basics of how to

use the company software etc...

But since we aren't doing our physical classes

anymore, we are only doing our reviews on Zoom

they discovered this giant hole in their training!

And there's where I came in.

I took some information my boss sent me

and created a bunch of my own and put it

together in my FIRST actual PowerPoint Presentation!

It took quite a bit of work because I had to

learn as I went.

But I presented it for the first time yesterday afternoon

to my boss and then we went LIVE last night to

43 of the other coaches from around the country

as well as some of the heaviest hitters in the company.

No pressure!

I invited Sondra to watch, but messed up the time zone.

Sigh.

She popped in later and we had a fun visit.

Anyhow.

I was SUPER nervous before we got started, 

but as usual, once I got going I got comfortable

pretty quickly.

It isn't a very long presentation - maybe 40 minutes?

We opened it up for Q&A at the end but all we

got were lots of "Thanks" and "Good Job" comments.

Which was nice because

1. They thought I did a good job.

2. I must have done a good job because they didn't have questions!

Hahahaha

Anyhow.

I was in my "Zoom Room" from 7:30 in the morning 

until 8:30 last night except for a quick run to

Chick fil A with Kyle when he popped home around

2:00 (and I realized I hadn't even had BREAKFAST!)

So today... NO ZOOM.

Well, until 5:30 when I have to start my regular

6-10 zoom review class.

Meanwhile... you could tell I didn't even GO in the 

garden yesterday!

Lots of beautiful okra flowers out there!

And lots of beautiful Okra!!!

Which I picked!

(Along with 2 more pickling cukes Kyle picked...)

We got some nice beans and cherry tomatoes as well!

Overall - not a bad haul!

And now I'm going to go wash and slice up those okra

and toss 'em in the air fryer and eat some BREAKFAST!

What a concept!

Another New Project

You just can't keep those Buffaloe men

sitting still for more than a minute.

They have been trying to figure out what to do

with our old horse trailer for months.

We have an appointment for the steers 

on August 10, so time is growing short.

And the trailer is a MESS.

First they pulled out the floor boards

to check the frame status.

Then they brought it up to the patio

and pulled the wheels off it.

(The tires are still good...)

Then they pulled out the BIG guns.

Cut the body off the frame... (what was salvageable...)

It's so fun that Kyle has this awesome machine!

They were going to just carry it out back and put

it on the trailer to haul to the steel recycle place.

But it won't fit through the gate and Kyle's

skid steer can't lift it any higher.

Plan B.

Bring the trailer up here and put it on.

Hmmm. That's a NOPE.

Doesn't fit!

On to Plan C!

Sitting... Sitting... Sitting...

I've been sitting here in my

"Zoom Room"

since 8:30 this morning.

First I did my 4-hour Review class.

Then I emailed all my students

to thank them for coming to class

this morning and giving them the 

meeting codes for the next 2 weeks.

Then I got an email from my boss

with the new information for my

new orientation meetings.

I was SO excited that I hurried and emailed

all the updated information to my students.

And then I got an email from my boss

telling me not to share the information with

anyone because it hadn't been approved 

by HQ yet.

Well dang.

Wish he didn't type slower than me...

Hahahaha

So then I ripped off a fast email to all

my students and asked them to IGNORE

my previous email.

So I've been busy.

Meanwhile....

Yesterday afternoon Kyle and I got all

the new gate latches installed on the gates

around the property.

BOY it makes it wonderful!

So much easier to open and close,

especially when you have stuff in your hands.

On to the next project!

Hint...

It involves the old horse trailer.

Stay tuned!

Post 1200!!!

Wow!

I'm a real Chatty Cathy!

(Remember her? I LOVED my

Chatty Cathy!)

1200 posts!

I've been blogging for TEN YEARS!

That's crazy!

Anyhow...

Today I moved the ducks.

They moved outside.

1. They are noisy.

2. They stink.

3. They probably could use some fresh air.

4. They splash all their water all over the place.

I'm not sure how excited Bob and Ethel (next door) are going 

to be about their new noisy neighbors...

Stumpy doesn't care.

(There's an empty apartment between them...)

He (unverified) is growing.

But is definitely wild.

I still haven't decided what I'm going to do

with him.

But for now he's fine.

Anyhow.

That wasn't very exciting for post number 1200...

but I spent the evening creating a power point

for the new orientation program I'm going to be doing.

And my brain is ... done.

Happy 1200!

Thursday

I'm watching a gardening webinar.

Her name is Melissa and she lives in N. Oregon.

On a farm.

And she does homesteading.

I have watched a couple of her free

webinars - she had a week long series on

doing wild sourdough bread.

It was good, but more complicated

than I was willing to mess with.

Anyhow.

She is talking about gardening and 

some of the basics.

I've enjoyed it.

It's 2 hours long so I am "sort of" listening.

And now I can relate to MY students!

LOL

Anyhow.

While I was watching, I got the new schedule

for teaching my zoom classes for the next 2 weeks.

And I noticed I'm only scheduled for TWO classes!

And then my boss called me and asked if I would

take another morning class for one of the

other instructors who had a conflict.

OF COURSE!

And also, he wants to start another, shorter, Zoom.

Kind of like an orientation for new people.

Since people get recruited with the company

and then they send them to our class knowing

that we will pick up the slack.

But classes are now cancelled through mid-June.

So lots and lots of people are falling through the cracks.

Anyhow,

we need something to catch those folks and

he wants ME to teach it!

YEA!

I think that will be GREAT!

I'm very familiar with the licensing process,

since I just DID it exactly 2 years ago...

(grin)

But I need to jump onto the company website

and learn everything I can find about the company's

"new" bonus program.

Since NOBODY seems to know what its all about.

Anyhow.

Yea! (again)

I love new projects like this!

ALSO.

Veggies!

Check out last night's haul!

4 nice zucchini, a bunch of pole beans,

a stubby pickling cuke

and a bowl of cherry tomatoes.

Last night we ate a red and a yellow "big" tomato.

They were DELICIOUS!

We had fajitas last night - so I kept this haul

in the fridge and we will have it tonight.

Also, we tried our fridge dill pickles last night

and they were yummy!

I added a little more dill and will try them

again this evening, but so far I'm happy.

Off to study!

Bonus Post!

I actually wrote this in ... 2016?

But it was still a draft.

I might have posted this poem in another post,

but I found it today and like it.

I know I reposted it on Facebook a couple of

weeks ago.

Anyhow.

Here you go!

*********************************

Just had to share this little gem I just found.  (And will likely be ordering the book...)

A Good Day

“Today will be a good day,
And I will make it so–
I cannot make the sun come out;
I cannot make the flowers sprout;
I cannot make the fishes bite,
Nor blow the wind beneath my kite.
But I can wear a friendly smile
And listen to the trees a while
And laugh real loud and run real fast
And make each moment such a blast.
I can sing though skies be gray,
‘Cause I am captain of my day.”

... Barbara A Vance "Suzie Bitner was afraid of the Drain"

Garden's Looking Good!

Well!

Blogger changed everything today...

and I'm getting ready to go live on a Zoom in

a couple of minutes, so I don't have

time to mess with this.

So here goes.

We got a nice big cuke and our

second broccoli.

Kyle's newest rose bush is getting

lots of new growth on it.

It's been in the ground for a couple of

weeks, so it should be feeling better.

Hopefully there will be flowers soon!

Gotta run!

Happy Mother's Day!

The menfolk worked all day!

And look what they finished!

They built an awesome enclosure around the

rabbit / duck hutch (we will put chicken wire

around the bottom in the future to keep the

ducks in and the dogs OUT).

Well, and a GATE. Hahahaha.

From inside the cow pasture, looking out to the garden/house

 They also took down the existing OLD fence and

replaced it with nice, new 4-board fence!

Now we don't have to worry about the cows pushing

their big fat heads through to eat the grass 

and breaking the boards!

(And getting out and eating Kyle's roses and fruit trees!)

YEA!!!!

From inside the cow pasture, looking over to the rabbit hutch

 SOMEBODY isn't happy about the new developments.

Hey! What's the DEAL?

But then they went right back to their favorite

activity. "I'm stronger than you are!"

(Well, favorite except EATING and laying

in the shade chewing their cud...)

Beau likes to get in on the game.

But yesterday he got trompled on.

His leg is better today, but let's hope he 

learned his lesson!

(He's a bulldog. Not likely!)

Thanks guys!!!!

You did an awesome job!

(As always!)

Hewey, Dewey, Louie and... Bob?

Kyle and I were at Tractor Supply the other

day picking up feed.

And of course, it's spring, so they have 

their spring chicks all set up in horse troughs

for the people to ooooh and aaaaah and 

hopefully buy and take home.

I keep checking, but they never have any

ducks anymore.

Rod misses his ducks.

SURPRISE!!

They just got a shipment!

Introducing Hewey, Dewey, Louie & ... Bob?

These are various breeds / straight run.

Which is code for TOTAL MYSTERY.

We have no idea what they are.

Except...

Ducks.

And MESSY!

They like to get their little beaks in the water

and flip it everywhere.

When I went to check on them just now

they were all standing in their little feed dish.

Cuz all the shavings were soaking wet.

Silly ducks.

They are again nice and dry.

But it won't last.

Meanwhile we sliced up the pickling cucumbers

we picked from the garden

and made a jar of "quickles".

It was a very basic recipe.

Called for apple cider vinegar.

I LOVE them.

I'm the only one.

Kyle pulled 3 more big pickles off the same plant

and they are in the fridge, probably until Monday.

I found another quick pickle recipe for a dill pickle.

A little more traditional tasting.

But I need dill weed, garlic cloves and pickling salt.

And I am NOT going to a grocery store on Saturday.

So... they will have to wait.

Meanwhile...

Check out the beautiful head of broccoli!

That's our first ever!!!

There's another one out there... probably needs

another week before its ready.

We also picked ONE zucchini.

We aren't crushing the squash thing this year.

Not sure how we messed up...

but we might be the only people to NOT

get a bumper zucchini crop this year.

The garden is looking good though.

He's back there in his pickling cucumber patch.

Then there are the okra, growing...

onions and peppers.

The zucchini (kind of behind him) "look"

healthy enough, but just no production.

And the watermelons are doing really well!

Beau has a sore foot.

He nearly got stepped on by a cow this morning,

but he seemed fine after that.

We think maybe he got bit by something?

He likes to hang out under the hay manger

and who knows who else lives under there...

It's a little swollen, he won't walk on it,

but will lightly touch the ground with it

when he runs.

He licks it when he's awake, but he's sleeping

(and SNORING) now, so it's not giving him

too much trouble, I guess.

Poor baby.

The menfolk are building a fenced enclosure

around my rabbit hutch

since the steers have gotten a bit aggressive and

with the rabbits (hopefully) bred, I'll need

to be out there more often than just

twice a day that I can currently sneak out there

while the steers are eating their grain...

They take such good care of me!

Our new gate latches FINALLY arrived

and Kyle put one on the garden gate.

I LOVE these things!

So much easier!

Meanwhile I made a big bowl of my favorite

veggie and pasta salad 

and a big carrot cake with cream cheese frosting.

I'm teaching a zoom class from 6-10

but wanted the guys to have something

to eat this evening.

I had to try a peice.

It's good!

Oh yeah, and Rod and Kyle put up

the ceiling fan we bought last weekend.

It's out in the garage so the dogs

will be cooler during the summer.

We've wanted one forever, but keep forgetting

to buy one when we are at Lowe's.

I FINALLY remembered and boy it

is MUCH nicer out there now!

(Only that 1/3 of the garage looks like that...

the rest of it is wide open - we have a lot

of garage / tool stuff, but its all stuck

in a very small space...)

It's been a very busy and productive

couple of days!

We are ready for a restful and relaxed Sabbath!