More of the Same

This week on the homestead not much has gone on. In part because Mel has been under the weather, and the other was my doctor appointments hither and yon. I was driving back and forth between Demorest, Gainesville, and Athens. It's amazing how quick you settle into a rural life. I actually make an audible groan when I have to get in my car and leave the homestead. My van actually hates climbing up the 1/8th of a mile hill with all the broken pavement and clay. Somehow we've got to come up with $5,000 to fix the driveway properly. We've approached our neighbors who live along the driveway about sharing the cost of repair, but they aren't interested. We of course, are on the lowest point of the leeway. If I pay to fix it everybody benefits. That doesn't seem fair, does it?

Mel did manage to put in most of the rabbit poo disposal system. If she would work at the rabbitry little by little each day, it would have been done inside a week. Now instead two months later, it's a haphazard affair. Nothing is totally complete and it drives me nuts. It drives her nuts because its such a mess and she gets frustrated.

Bennie Dufus has finally reached the point where he finally trusts us and has become trainable. It has only taken three months to reach this point. I figure within six months, he'll be disciplined enough to sell so I can get the money I paid  for him back with interest. He's actually becoming a good dog like his German Shepherd genetics destined him to be. Although still extremely playful and loving, discipline is evident. You can see that he is figuring out what it is that you are wanting him to do. He's trying to please you so long as his "puppy" behaviors aren't engaged. He no longer chases our vehicles onto the main road but stops just short and climbs the ridge towards home. He still has his dufus moments which will eventually be trained out of him as his attention span grows. Now if we can just get some coordination between his huge paws and his brain going on, he won't move like a dufus too.

I'm still cleaning out the raised beds. I loped off the tops of my heirloom tomatoes yesterday for rooting. I must have put twenty top leaves with 2' stems in my five gallon bucket of rain water. These will go into the greenhouse to overwinter. we will have a jump start on tomatoes and herbs for next Spring. I wasn't paying attention too closely and pruned a branch with a cluster of tomatoes on it. There are still tomatoes growing on the plants. We'll probably have fresh tomatoes until first frost in mid November, if I don't pull them up. I'm kind of hem-hawing around with pulling them up. I do love fresh tomatoes in my salad. I'm not looking forward to grocery store gassed or the price of this fresh vegetable.

Mel and I have been very active with The Homestead Network online/YouTube. They are a PG-12, Christian based group of homesteaders from urban to rural. They do live, interactive shows across YouTube. We've even met a couple members and a slew of homesteaders within two hours driving distance from us in person. Homesteading can be such a solitary life that it's great communicating with other like minded souls. We offer each other solutions to problems we may be experiencing, support, sharing news, checking on each other, and just general comradery. We'll Skype or call each other often when not in a chat room of a live show. The way God intended us to be.

We haven't been invited to have our own live show because our channel is not Christian enough in our videos. Imagine that! I'm a minister and not Christian enough. But, it's just as well. I don't shove religion down people's throats, but instead, go where the Lord leads me. I'm not an evangelist, but a pastor who guides. I prefer tending to my flock and leading by example, rather than bible thumping. Not that I think that the evangelical side is bad, someone has got to bring souls to the Lord. That's not my calling.

Well, that's it for this week. Until next Sunday... Have a blessed day.