Wednesday, March 11
Today was fairly uneventful – morning routine, work at the B&B, then home by 3:30. I did manage to get the cabin sheets & towels washed that evening as well as the major task of completing and filing our taxes. That one right there is a HUGE load off our minds.
Another thing that’s been on my mind is the panic I’m witnessing over the Corona Virus. If you’re immune system is already comprised, yes, be concerned and take every precaution you can and then some. If you’re healthy, still take precautions but stay calm. That’s what a healthy immune system does – it fights off sickness. But the thing that is really on my mind is what do we do the rest of the days or times when there is not some major threat of illness? I believe we should be striving for wellness each and every day. By doing so our bodies and immune systems will be in good shape to combat and fight off whatever is going around. Eating foods that nourish our bodies; hydrating our bodies with water; getting at least 20 minutes of sunshine a day (or if you live in a grey state in the winter months supplementing with Vitamin D3); daily activity, movement or exercise; and taking good quality, pure supplements (not synthetics). I’ve been advocating this lifestyle for years. Are we always able to accomplish each thing on a daily basis? No. And, I’ll be honest – it’s truly an effort but each one we are able to accomplish truly helps us feel better and builds our immune systems.
Please note that I am NOT a medical professional. The above statements are things we have been encouraged to do by medical professionals and things I have learned in my years of wellness research.
If I’ve just boggled your mind but you’re wanting to make some daily changes towards a healthier you I’d start with the food. God designed our bodies to heal themselves when given the proper nutrition. It’s my opinion that even with all the ‘food’ we have at our disposal that we are actually malnourished because much of the ‘food’ in grocery stores really has no nutritional value. My recommendation would be to start eating foods with the least amount of ingredients and ingredients that you can pronounce. If you can’t pronounce it then you probably shouldn’t be eating it because it has been added to that food. In most cases, if you really think about it, ‘food’ should not even have an ingredients list. A good suggestion is to shop the perimeter of the grocery store. As far as supplements – CountryBoy takes a liquid Vitamin D3 by Metagenics recommended by a Naturopath he was seeing (your doctor can order blood work to test your Vitamin D levels) and we both take various Young Living supplements according to our needs. I trust Young Living’s products to be pure with no synthetics. So, all that to say, start somewhere. Simply take baby steps and don’t get overwhelmed. And if you’re wanting to know more about the supplements we take or about Young Living either comment or message me on Facebook and I’ll try to answer your question(s).
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Farm news: 27 eggs
Thursday, March 12
Another fairly uneventful day at work. I don’t mind uneventful work days cuz that means there’s typically little to no stress and who doesn’t like that! What WAS fairly eventful was my usual stop at Save-a-Lot on the way home for a fresh bunch of bananas for the weekend cabin guests. Mercy – the place was packed! In fact, I knew something was up when I pulled into the parking lot and couldn’t find a place to park. That’s a first. Even on anticipated snow days it has never been that crowded.
As I walked around picking up a few more items for supper guests tomorrow I noticed a few people with only a few items like myself and then there were those with buggies full. And I mean FULL. Are we the only people that try to stay prepared with stocked pantries and basic needs items? Probably – cuz we’re weird. Or so I am told! Thankfully the shelves were nicely stocked and the stockers were doing a great job of keeping them stocked. There was even toilet paper! By the way, what is UP with hoarding toilet paper? This coronavirus has nothing to do with the intestines. Anyway, there were four registers open and there were at least four to five people deep in the checkout line. I was thrilled that everyone was pleasant – even chatting with those they knew. There was only one grumpy man but as they say, there’s always one in every crowd!
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I spent part of the evening attaching the fifth row of the hexagon afghan to the other four and started weaving in the ends. Those ends will be the death of me – ugh!
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Farm news: 31 eggs
The egg fridge is filling up again.
Friday the 13th! (of March)
Last night it rained a lot. A hard rain that swelled the creek and appears to have risen above the bridge as evidenced by the mud that was on it this morning. The creek level has gone down quite a bit but there is still a lot of water coming off the mountain…
It will continue to flow like this for the rest of the day and then some. The thing is they’re calling for more rain tomorrow so this stream will continue to flow for days.
The rain came down hard and fast last night and with the amount of water coming off the mountain it washed out much of the ditch in our driveway so the water proceeded down the driveway creating ruts. CountryBoy hopped on the tractor to grade our road. A man and his tractor!
As I was snapping these photos I glanced over at the side of the barn and noticed several pools of water right by the barn…
This is the area where we will dig a ditch (once the ground dries out) to divert the flow of water away from the barn. If we can successfully divert the water flow then the interior of the barn should stay nice and dry like it was when we first moved here.
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We have friends coming over for a fish fry tonight. The fish are those that were caught during one of the fishing outings with these same friends. My contribution was a big pot of Appalachian Soup Beans and CountryBoy will make the cornbread as well as everything else – french fries & hush puppies. (Please note that we ate a nice salad last night in anticipation of tonight’s menu, ha! It’s all about balance and moderation.) But back to the Soup Beans. This was my first successful pot ‘o beans and I am thrilled. Plus they are delicious! Those of you who have been reading my blog for a while know the trouble I’ve had with cooking beans and actually getting them to cook let alone have any flavor. I found the Appalachian Soup Bean recipe online and gave it a go. Two thumbs up! People ’round here LOVE their soup beans (which are pinto beans in this case) and I wanted to learn to properly cook them. I’m so glad I gave it another go.
With guests coming over it was a good excuse to dust and drag the vacuum cleaner out. (While I vacuumed CountryBoy went to town (he hates the vacuum cleaner, ha!) and picked up a metal post driver for an upcoming project he has in mind. We’ve needed one since we’ve moved here but never got around to actually getting one.) I also did two loads of laundry and finished attaching the sixth row of the hexagon afghan together. I’ve decided to weave in some of the ends before attaching it the others. Maybe by breaking up the task it won’t feel so burdensome.
It’s been quite a lovely day. The air is crisp but we’re in shorts and a t-shirt so what can we expect in mid-March! CountryBoy trimmed the grapevines and then was seen meandering around the farm trimming anything else that needed it.
Our lovely day is giving way to rain and colder temps tomorrow. The high is expected to be 44. From 57 today to 44 tomorrow. I think I’ll put my shorts back in the drawer!
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I’m off to go feed Mabel and gather the eggs while CountryBoy is busy in the kitchen. Be back with the egg count soon…
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Farm news: 31 eggs
Dream Valley Farmstead 