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Post by kawaiitimes on Jun 10, 2016 1:54:01 GMT
TIL how to make honeysuckle jelly. I finally had a few hours open at the same time my bush was in full bloom - just in time since we close in just over a month. I can't wait to try it, it smells amazing. In case anyone is wondering- the honeysuckle jelly is AMAZING. We served it drizzled over crackers & cream cheese. It was heaven. Makes great pb&j sandwiches, too. Here is the recipe: taylormadehomestead.com/recipe-honeysuckle-jelly-childhood-memories-in-a-jar/TIL just how much better my second batch was! I steeped the honeysuckle flowers for 24 hours this time, and boiled the mix down longer (5 or 6 minutes instead of 2). The result is a thicker, richer jelly/syrup. SO GOOD.
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Post by gracielagata on Jun 11, 2016 23:13:49 GMT
TIL something I already sorta knew... we really need to do better work of turning the horse's potty piles. I went with the tractor and messed them around and then hauled several loads of it to the chickens for the ultimate dinner exercise. This fall I am definitely going to dump load after load of it in the garden for the chickens to work in at bugs at the same time.
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Post by gracielagata on Jun 16, 2016 20:06:04 GMT
Gee, somehow today's TIL is also related to that same horse poop pile! I discovered today that our younger dog not only eats poop out of the pile-- which I expect, but he also digs for those insect larvae so he can eat them. I have been taking shovel/bucket-fuls of the manure/larvae mixture to the chickens. Not only have I seen him digging in the piles, but I then caught him stealing larvae out of the bucket... weirdo..
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Post by feather on Jun 16, 2016 20:26:02 GMT
Today (and this past few months) I've learned a little about myself, which I've been a little hesitant about. I've been so busy living life, helping out, meeting kids needs (they are grown now), considering others before myself, that I didn't know what things I really liked, things that make me happy, for myself! Thinking of yourself in my childhood was such a bad thing, now I'm learning, to some extent, to think about me too and it's OKAY!
I love my kitchen shears and even though I only bought them 2 years ago, I use them every day and there are no more days of searching for a scissors while I'm in the kitchen. I use them for cutting up chicken and cutting open bags of milk or nuts, snipping herbs, all kinds of things and it's such a pleasure.
I started drawing (pencil) and coloring in pictures just lately and it is so relaxing and exciting. I took all the colored pencils and regular pencils and sharpened them all, collected my art paper (from over the years) and got myself organized. (in the process of SORTING out my life/home/everything) I bought some pencil organizers, the cloth roll up kind, I love those and I'm going to make myself more. I feel such a sense of accomplishment and relaxation working on these things. This is good for me. It's okay to spend a half hour here or there to explore drawing and coloring without guilt!
I've been reading so many books and it gives me such a feeling of centeredness and direction. Some are religious, some exploring feelings and the history of my life, some are fiction, and the bible and related books. While I'm gardening or watering or cooking or organizing and cleaning, I'm thinking about what these books have given me to ponder. I ponder all the time.
I hope everyone can find some things that they have learned today, about themselves. It's okay to celebrate and learn your own likes and dislikes.
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Post by Deleted on Jun 16, 2016 20:50:55 GMT
Today (and this past few months) I've learned a little about myself, which I've been a little hesitant about. I've been so busy living life, helping out, meeting kids needs (they are grown now), considering others before myself, that I didn't know what things I really liked, things that make me happy, for myself! Thinking of yourself in my childhood was such a bad thing, now I'm learning, to some extent, to think about me too and it's OKAY! I hope everyone can find some things that they have learned today, about themselves. It's okay to celebrate and learn your own likes and dislikes. Great post, Feather. I'm really thrilled for you. Everyone needs to do things that they enjoy and that take away the everyday pressures of life today, otherwise what's the point of living? Having time to yourself rebalances things, and I think it's wonderful when people discover new activities that make them happy.
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Post by jangirl on Jun 17, 2016 11:13:50 GMT
TIL--well yesterday I learned, that even tho I said I wouldn't raise any more babies, I find myself and husband taking our granddaughter's two infants for an undetermined time while she either gets mental help or figures out on her own (not likely to happen)how to deal with all the pressures of life. She's bi-polar and really having a terrible time. The babies are 21 months and 8 months old. It puts a crimp in our lives, mostly mine. I have to get up early with the littlest one, then manage to get out and milk and do as much feeding as I can while hubby is is watching them a couple hours later. Already working around my Mom's eating and sleeping schedule, so just having to readjust things. feather , I need to take your post to heart and do some things, even tho only a snippet here and there so I don't burn out. At 66, almost 67, I'm not a spring chicken. I do make sure my hubby doesn't have to give up his volunteer activities and meetings, and he has promised to help me so that I can have some time. I guess over all, I've learned I am not superwoman. I can't fix all the kids and their problems, I can only be there to support them, listen and give a hug when I can. gracielagata, Your post about the dog eating horse poop reminded me of long ago when I was in Utah visiting my Mom. The farrier had been here trimming hooves, and our lab at the time, ate some of the trimmings as well as poop. She yakked up a nice pile on the carpet in the living room, which no one noticed during the night, so it ate into the carpet fibers! I have this area now with no fibers that shows when i move furniture around.
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Post by gracielagata on Jun 17, 2016 13:27:01 GMT
jangirl, You sound like a wonderful and loving person for fitting these little babies into your lives to help them. Kudos. As for the vomit- yum! I can't believe it ate into the fibers! Our dogs eat trimmings from hooves as well... And they do vomit on occasion. Thankfully one of them is trained to run for the door, holding back the yack on the way, though on occasion her stomach is faster than her feet... the younger one is still learning. He stands, makes a face, and I grab him and shove towards to door as I also go for cleaning supplies!
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Post by solargeek on Jun 17, 2016 21:00:27 GMT
TIL that if you got severe heat exhaustion last year, then overdoing it in the heat this year will cause a recurrence. UGH, headache, had to literally drag myself in while I could and wash down with cold cloths, stand in cold water and then just sit drinking. Still have headache.
I need to be more careful. DH home this time. I drink the entire time I am outside, wear hats, sunscreen shirts and pants, take breaks but still.....
All is well but I think I need "heat-o-meter" to sound off when it starts.
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Post by dodgesmammaw on Jun 23, 2016 3:20:13 GMT
TIL- That Catholic funeral services are different from what I have experienced. It was interesting. I really did not like the smell of the incense that was burned in the lantern type thing.
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Post by susannah on Jun 23, 2016 13:20:24 GMT
TIL (yesterday I learned, actually) two related items:
That no-see-um bugs become "can see ums" against my Kindle reader when I'm reading at night. Which brings me to:
That I finally learned why I have so many no-see-um BITES on my hands.
Yes, it took me awhile to figure that one out. Sometimes a house DOES have to fall on me before I see the obvious...
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Post by gracielagata on Jun 23, 2016 22:53:58 GMT
TIL that 'QEPD' [Quede en Paz Descanse] is 'RIP' in Spanish. I am a freelance translator, and this is on one of my current documents. I never really thought about this phrase in Spanish. Learn something new every day!
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Post by feather on Jun 23, 2016 23:58:14 GMT
TIL (yesterday I learned, actually) two related items: That no-see-um bugs become "can see ums" against my Kindle reader when I'm reading at night. Which brings me to: That I finally learned why I have so many no-see-um BITES on my hands. Yes, it took me awhile to figure that one out. Sometimes a house DOES have to fall on me before I see the obvious... Your post made me giggle. I was thinking, I might want a 'can see ums' reader. I still read my free books on my laptop, on a kindle reader for computers (windows), and with hold-in-hand books. Either way, I do love reading.
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Post by hobbitlady on Jun 26, 2016 21:59:34 GMT
TIL that 90+ degrees is just too hot for me to walk as much as I want to daily. With my grass hay fever added I just couldn't do it,too hot and too sweaty!, so TIL I need to use my elliptical machine Inside with the AC or I won't get the 10K or more steps I want. I'd given up the machine for garden chores this time of year but it looks like I'm back. My legs are protesting but I can go slo 10 times if I want to...
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Post by mollymckee on Jun 29, 2016 5:56:38 GMT
TIL that sometimes something free is worth what you paid for it. I installed Windows 10 and my screen flashes. I'm going to go back to 7, I hope.
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Post by gracielagata on Jun 29, 2016 13:17:59 GMT
mollymckee, Unfortunately yes.... I run Windows 7 on my work laptop, (and love it, I might add) and for the past month or so have been Ctl + Alt + Delete-ing the stupid 'Upgrade to Win10 for free!' message away through task manager. Because guess what- you can't click the corner 'X' and expect it to X away- noooo Microsoft got dirty and made it where it installs when you do this!!! I would love to switch to Apple, but I have too many programs and such for work that I would have to rebuy.. not cool or cheap. But Microsoft is on my horse manure list right now too.
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Post by moldy on Jul 1, 2016 3:24:47 GMT
TIL how to harvest and use mullien! It's so wonderful to have good friends.
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Post by hobbitlady on Jul 5, 2016 16:19:06 GMT
moldy, how do you use mullien ? We have it but I just never get to Using it...do make a salve or something else? Thanks.
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Post by moldy on Jul 5, 2016 19:12:10 GMT
DF uses it for bronchitis - makes it as a tea (said she throws in mint to help the taste) and drinks a cup every couple hours. I have dried mine. You can use the blossoms in oil for an earache as well. It takes a long long time to dry.
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Post by gracielagata on Jul 6, 2016 13:34:24 GMT
So now I can add my TIL in relation to this mullien plant as well.... I had never heard of it and did some googling... so that is the tall plant that reminds me of yucca stems that grows on the edges of hay/wheat land and pastures. We get a few that never get much past the rosette state along our gravel driveway and in an area that has a bit of sand. But we pull them or kick and smoosh them away. Now I want to research the specific variety better to see if it is worth cultivating....
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Post by mollymckee on Jul 6, 2016 14:25:53 GMT
gracielagata, I believe that the common mullein is on the noxious weed list here. They do well here, and make a mess of a hay field. Each plant can produce between 100,000 and 180000 seeds that are viable for 100 years or so. Not something you want in your pasture. TIL, well really on the fourth, that fireworks when looked down on from a mountain don't look like much, even if you can see many different displays!
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Post by gracielagata on Jul 6, 2016 15:10:46 GMT
mollymckee, Agreed! We thankfully don't get that in our pasture too much at all... though we get plenty of lupine and toadflax and a few I am still working on ID'ing. We have had issues getting and keeping them properly sprayed bc we are still learning so much: 1st/2nd year here: towing a spray tank behind the quad on smallish pastures that are NOT flat and have TONS of boulders, not so easy. It flipped going at near negative speeds and busted. 2nd/3rd year: Fixed it, but hubby didn't drain it over winter and it was leaking massively. He didn't get that fixed until it was seemingly too late. 3rd/4th years: Seems very hard to spray when the weather doesn't cooperate: too windy or rain called for... We gave up this 4th year it seems. He did make it mount on the quad instead of being towed now. So hopefully that works much better for turning and going over boulders and tight up and down and across our inclined pastures. Hopefully he gets it together on the 5th spring next year and is spraying early. We also hope to be buying a larger tractor, so will be able to remove some of the boulders causing issues with the incline and movement. Or maybe we just overthink everything and yet still don't have a clue! Who knows! *I should add- the idea of cultivating it honestly is only if a Zombiepocalypse occurs and we need new forms of those medications, since shopping for them will eventually be out. Just a good tidbit of info to have. And mollymckee, I always did wonder about seeing fireworks from the wrong directions!! Now TIL as well.
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Post by here to stay on Jul 6, 2016 16:57:48 GMT
TIL that some measure of peace comes from finally making a decision, even though you are pretty sure that trouble will result and you are not sure what is best. Since trouble would result from anything, action or inaction, at least it is not longer hanging around leaving me in a constant dither.
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Post by gracielagata on Jul 6, 2016 17:21:31 GMT
here to stay, oh so true... hopefully all will be okay, but at least you feel better with it off your back now.
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Post by Woodpecker on Jul 6, 2016 20:18:37 GMT
Today I learned that my mothers old treasures, were only treasured by me and my girl. I tried giving away lher really old nice end tables, kerosene lamps, kitchen table & chairs, etc. I tried thrift shops, antique dealers, family first and the Red Cross. Red Cross wouldn't take any of it because it was "too old" the dresser had a scratch! I ended up having to pay a company to pick it all up and throw it all away. It broke my heart. Especially because it was all things Megan had kept for her home, which was her grandparents before she bought it.l
Sometimes, sadly giving is harder than receiving.
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Post by jangirl on Jul 6, 2016 21:13:57 GMT
Woodpecker's Mom, It must have been a sad moment for you. Different thing, but a few years ago, I ran an ad looking for canning jars. An elderly couple called me, saying they had no jars but did have freezer containers and would I like those? I picked them up, and the woman offered me an old canning pot that had been her mother's. Now this woman was in her 80's so it was old. None of her family wanted it, even as a keepsake! I was floored, but gladly accepted it and treasure it, as I have almost none of my own grand parent's things. Too bad there wasn't someone else who would have loved the furniture as much as Megan did. Bless you for keeping up with us too.
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Post by moldy on Jul 6, 2016 23:09:02 GMT
gracielagata, not sure how big your pasture is (we have 100 acres at home, and 160 up north), but I walk the home place with a pump sprayer for thistle. I just spot spray as I want to keep the pasture intact. Now the north 160 - NO WAY I'm walking that with all the snakes!
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Post by kawaiitimes on Jul 7, 2016 3:22:50 GMT
TIL that our plan for DH's health has some major roadblocks, causing us to question the sanity of the change. Namely, the cost of healthcare. We are eligible to continue our current plan under Cobra, but the premium is 1/3 more than what we were expecting. I may have to get out and get another job just to cover the premiums.
Feeling very disheartened today.
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Post by gracielagata on Jul 7, 2016 13:30:12 GMT
Moldy... we only have 6 acres in total, so not much. But it sat empty for a year or so before we moved in, and the weed/wild stuff really took over in spots. I still wouldn't want to walk it to spray though. But as I say that, there are little chunks here and there, an acre or so?, that my husband and I have hand pulled most of the weeds on evenings when we are really irritated: mustard/canola, lupine, skeletonweed, very little thistle thankfully, a couple I don't know the names for... We honestly need to cut the grass as well, but we couldn't even use a brush hog on most of it, I don't think, because of the size of the boulders sticking out all around.
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Post by solargeek on Jul 7, 2016 16:01:29 GMT
TIL that our plan for DH's health has some major roadblocks, causing us to question the sanity of the change. Namely, the cost of healthcare. We are eligible to continue our current plan under Cobra, but the premium is 1/3 more than what we were expecting. I may have to get out and get another job just to cover the premiums. Feeling very disheartened today. I am so sorry for that. My DH's insurance went UP instead of DOWN when our 2 DDs got off of it this year due to marriage ALL BECAUSE HIS COMPANY WAS FORCED TO COMPLY WITH THE LOUSY REQUIREMENTS OF OBUTTHEAD CARE. Higher deductibles (form $1500/person to $4400/person) and our of pockets. Cannot wait till he retires as the retirement plan is our old one with better coverage and lower costs to us. Retirement plans do not have to comply. We are also only 4 and 5 years (Me -4) from Medicare and needing Medigap so planning on those costs. Good luck. Always in our prayers.
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Post by mollymckee on Jul 7, 2016 23:34:11 GMT
TIL that our plan for DH's health has some major roadblocks, causing us to question the sanity of the change. Namely, the cost of healthcare. We are eligible to continue our current plan under Cobra, but the premium is 1/3 more than what we were expecting. I may have to get out and get another job just to cover the premiums. Feeling very disheartened today. Have you have you looked at ocare or Medicaid? I hope you can find something good that is cheaper!
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