Coffee Chat - July 2nd.- I am riled!

July already. Not sure where the time has gone! As I was informed yesterday, only 195 days until Christmas. Yikes!! Really?!?!?! I love Christmas, look forward to it all year, but I am seriously not even ready to think about it yet this year! I have too much to do and going on before hand to be gearing up for the Winter months yet!

As always, my mind is working in overdrive all the time. I have several thoughts that I am going to share this morning. There is so much going on here at our little farm, and all over the world. It's amazing to me how pathetically judgmental our world has become and it tends to get under my skin. I TRY to keep my political thoughts to myself, but there is so much going on that just nips at my heals anymore. Not to mention the chaos that is my life each and every day! So, here we go! :-)

Our little farm, is constantly moving at lightening speed! There always seems to be one thing or twenty, that need to be finished or started. Last year we planted 3 gardens, and ended up with about a 5 gallon bucket of produce. I try to can or freeze everything possible to save on our grocery bill. We raise our own meat, and the gardens help to ensure we have the vegetables to go with it. The garden last year was such a disappointment that I nearly cried at the thought of having to buy so much that I normally grow! This year, however, the single garden I planted is doing great! We have already had 2 5 gallon buckets of green beans, a handful of jalapenos, a couple bell peppers, and several zucchini. The tomatoes, peppers, potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, corn, carrots, beets, kidney beans, green beans, and horticulture beans all look great! Even with all the rain and cooler temps, it is doing well! So, needless to say, I am hoping for a great garden this year! With all the canning and freezing, there is time, money and work involved. A 5 gallon bucket of beans, took me about 4 hours to get snapped ad wash all the mud off them. This is all working around the kids needs too. Canning takes some time too. While freezing is a little quicker. The time is coming for me to restock my supplies though. Getting the flats, rings, and seasonings for all the different things I can, can be a bit of a sticker shock initially. You think, it takes about $150 to get the seeds and plants at the start of each year for my garden. Then when canning season kicks in, you have roughly another $200 or so in other supplies...it can seem expensive until you break that down to the total cost of a garden, the amount of savings from having to buy store bought items, and it really seems insignificant, in comparison. The $300-$400 I spend each year to plant and preserve food from our garden, ends up saving us about $400 each month in groceries. Although it's definitely work to preserve the garden produce, it is a labor of love for me! I love having my hands in the dirt, I love seeing the fruits of my efforts, and I love saving money! Win-Win!!!

As I mentioned, the last couple months around here, have been WET! I'm talking more rain in a single month than we have normally all summer! So, everything is swampy, musty smelling, and the insects are horrendous! The weeds in the garden and flower beds have taken on a life of their own, and there have not been the bonfires we normally have either! It's been horrible! With all this crazy rain, getting into our hay fields is not even an option! Everything is so wet, even the 4-wheeler is putting ruts. So, baling hay and getting it gone are only a pipe dream for now. Even though all the hay equipment and tractors are ready, they are staying parked. The extra pigs, we normally take to the auction, are normally a nice buffer in the farm expenses. Not at the moment! The hog markets have gone to hell in a hand basket, and these little suckers are getting a bit pricey! Between the feed and water, WOW! So, once again, we learn some creative budgeting and hope the someone fills the hole that fell out of that market! As anyone knows that has a small farm or homestead....it's those little changes in markets that really hurt. The large farms can absorb those rise and falls, us small people take it in the gut!

Almost a week ago now, my husband took me to a dream concert for our 16th anniversary. We got to see Jimmy Buffett from 16 rows away. That was amazing within itself!!! A great show, great music and the perfect gift! If this dream concert wasn't enough, Patrick Kane showed up with the Stanley Cup! Yes, I am a die hard Blackhawks fan! So, this little inclusion was beyond a dream come true! The weather was good, even though the venue thought there stuff was made of gold, we had a great time!

As for all the judgment and ridiculousness in the world today, I know this will ruffle feathers, but guess what? MY feathers are ruffled already! More than 200 years ago, the settlers came to America to begin an experimental government where the people had freedom, choices, and a say so in how "their" country was run. They boycotted, and threw boxes of tea in the harbor to fight unfair taxation, they rose up against the tyranny of the King of England to fight for their freedom to choose, and they worked hard to establish themselves, and their incomes in this new country. The original New England colonies, banded together to form an experimental government that was run by the people of these colonies for the betterment of all the people. Mind you, these were ALL ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS! This country was already found and governed by the Native people. As they established their roles, government, and way of life; they documented them. The determined what was unacceptable in the countries they came from, and there by began the writing of the Constitution of the United States. This writing has been our guiding principal for over 200 years. However, so much of it was left to interpretation by the greedy, idiotic politicians and the too far reaching religious sector of today.

As history books will tell you, this document was written as the law of the land, and to be followed by the "founding fathers." Through the years, amendments have been made to allow black people to have full citizenship and voting rights, and also to allow women to have the same. Apparently, women's rights were far less important than that of the black slaves. Oh well, that was then. These founding fathers, brought with them slaves from overseas. They held slaves on their plantations for years. BUT if you think about it, not a single one of us was alive 200 years ago. So guess what? All this racial divide, is bullshit! What about all the women that have endured "slavery" in not such a differing way? Women were treated like dirt, folks! They were to be seen not heard, they were to cook the meals, bear children, keep the house, and to do so willingly; often from a very young age. Let me phrase this differently, The difference between the two groups of "slaves," is shear determination! Women are silently strong! Even though women may be much less in height and weight than their male counterparts, women will fight a silent battle with the fierceness you can compare to a bear. Women do not use the excuse of someone doing wrong by them to have a crutch to allow pity. Women will rise up when the need arises, take the bull by the balls and take what they need. No excuses, no "poor me" attitude and having to depend on some lame excuse of "well, my ancestors were slaves so that makes it alright for me to riot, loot, live in poverty, and demand the government to take care of me." Nope, women are not like that. We are determined, hard headed, silently plotting our next moves, and the backbone of society. If not for women, NONE of us would be here today!

This whole racial divide has been created by a government that has not only veered off the path of freedom, and constitution following; it has allowed the citizens of this country to believe that there are some more worthy than others. It has become a society, by their doing, that has become rooted in government involvement, religious abundance, and all while those that are supposed to be the voice of the people are lining their pockets, taking away our freedoms for a false security, and running our citizens down a gauntlet of conformation. All of a sudden, we have politicians that are making more than the average American...FOR LIFE! We have race, politics, and social class being used to divide this great nation. We have religions telling us who we can love, marry and how many times we can do so. We have neighbors judging neighbors for not conforming to what is "socially acceptable." We have debates about what is and isn't appropriate when it comes to publicly feeding our babies, but we cheer a man transforming into a woman. We cry racial profiling when laws are being broken, but don't stop to think about the laws being broken. We have an over 200 year old document stating gun rights for all Americans, and politicians trying to change it; but God forbid you talk about trying to change a 3 year old bill for government run healthcare! Don't even get me started on the neighbor judgments for having an opinion and a differing way of life! That will get you called all kinds of profanity REAL quick! Somewhere along the way, it became acceptable to be disrespectful of anyone that has differing views!

The transition of what America found to be heroic, is what irritates me most! A man transforming himself into a woman, first of all is no ones business but theirs! Second of all, that is not heroic, and the only reason anyone even knew or cared is because of all the Hollywood hype! All these "reality shows," of people that are in my opinion too stupid to have a real job, is pathetic at best! Hollywood has shown us how to successfully become uneducated, disrespectful, Neanderthals! All you hear about is this person is marrying someone, only to read a month later they are divorcing. They are naming their kids some of the most horrific names for notoriety. They have people believing that housewives are these slutty, 2 timing, name brand dressing people; only they aren't showing REAL housewives. They have our children believing that it's OK to talk and treat people as if they don't matter. This doesn't even touch the content of movies or the damned commercials thrown into the mix! It's not OK for a woman to breast feed her child in public, but it is OK to allow movies children see to have sex in them. DUH! How the hell do you explain to a child about sex, let alone that it's the sex that cause women to have have to feed those babies?! Then you throw in all the commercials, and all of a sudden your household looks like Toys-R-Us threw up in it! Not to mention the fact of all the drug ads, tell our younger generations it's OK to use drugs...but only the ones OK'd through doctors and the FDA! Then you have all the commercials and social media posts about pets, and the sad sappy music that has my kids crying after every damned commercial. I'm sorry to be cold hearted here, but come people! We have millions of animals just in America. These animals were not domesticate millions of years ago. These animals, aside from the ridiculousness of Hollywood pets, were fine undomesticated and living in the wild, even through cold and heat! We can not save every damned animal, and we shouldn't! There is this thing called the food chain and the circle of life. Some animals eat other animals, people eat animals, animals are like people....the strongest will survive! Get that shit off my TV and off my social media! I am tired of crying kids and the over abundance of asking for money! If everyone that supported the HSUS, and all the other charities out there, really looked at how much of the money you donate actually went to the cause, I guarantee you would quit wasting your money!

Everyone is always trying to save something. Give it up folks! Fix your own household before you try to save the world. It gets old getting the phone calls daily, save a forest, save a whale, recycle, help save babies...only to research these organizations and find out 90-95% of every donation goes to "administrative costs." Quit calling me for donations! I will not donate to organizations, or politics! I think they are all a scam, and will stick with supporting my own family and interests! For years, I walked for the March of Dimes walk-a-thon. After multiple miscarriages, I thought I was doing something good by making those donations to help babies. Then I found out that for every dollar donated, only 3 cents was actually going for research and cures! I bought into the hype for several years. I no longer donate to ANY charity! Now, if I have money to spare, I will help locally!

So, as I'm sure this will ruffle feathers and really piss some people off; here are my thoughts and opinions. Just this week, some how the subject of marriage was taken to the supreme court. I'm pretty certain this is not their jurisdiction, but hey what do I know. Anyway, they determined that marriage is marriage. Duh! It was ruled that anyone could marry despite the sex of the couple. Again, in my eyes this is a DUH! moment. I don't believe you choose who you fall in love with. However, many religions are throwing a fit about this saying it goes against their precious bible. I say, if same sex marriages work, great! With 50% or more of all marriages ending in divorce...WHO CARES WHO YOU'RE MARRIED TO! I think they should have outlawed marriage. But you won't find me rioting about it! When one justice spoke of an equality of marriage and allowing same sex couples the benefits of being married, and thus allowing more people to live off a government run healthcare system, hey, why not! I'm sorry, but the benefits of being married, just aren't that appealing to me. I have not found the benefits of marriage to be that great. Higher taxes, costlier healthcare, and a threat of divorce always waiting in the wings; yeah, everyone should have those benefits! Since same sex marriage is new in this country, that means the divorce rates were that of heterosexual couples. So that means 50% of all male/female marriages end in divorce. Hmmm, so now we allow same sex couples to finally have the benefit of being included in those numbers. Religion has definitely played into this, among other, issues. By many religious beliefs, having a relationship of the same sex is sinful. Ok, if it is, well...let's look into all the sins of most others shall we? Drinking, having sex with someone other than a spouse. having sex with someone who isn't your spouse(affairs), DIVORCE, telling a lie, being greedy, being envious, and even having pride. So, let me ask, are each of you completely free of sin? I'm not! I know a few that are more than happy to preach on social media and in life, are sinners. I'm pretty certain that judgment, in and of itself is a sin! As much as I believe that everyone is equal, an "I'll respect you and your decisions, if you respect me and my decisions," attitude; I am so tired of others trying to be so righteous when in my eyes they don't have a leg to stand on! Personally, I'm all for equality across the board. Honest pay for an honest job. No one gets everything handed to them - you work to earn it or you don't have it. If you love someone, you can be with them no matter if they are the same sex or not. If you choose to live completely different than I do, great! My political opinions are getting uglier by the day. They are all a bunch of greedy, lying, educated idiots, that are out to ruin America's greatness. The true heroes, in my book, are the ones shipped out to fight wars and spend months or even years away from their families; only to be used and mistreated by the government that is sending them to such places. Consumerism has gotten out of control! Why people feel the need to keep themselves in debt over their eyeballs, just to continue buying stuff they don't need is beyond me! I have seen first hand, how too much debt can be a degrading feeling. I have also been on the receiving end of harsh and unwarranted judgments. I keep to myself, and hold the theory - "to each their own." As long as no one is harming me or my family; what they do is none of my business.

I told you I was a bit riled! All the social media posts about the same sex marriages this week have me going all sorts of mad. Who cares if someone found love with the same sex. Who cares if whatever the man/woman's name is, is wearing some name brand dress. Who cares what the neighbors are doing. Personally, as long as I am living my life to the best of my ability, taking care of my family to the best of my ability, and as long as I am not hurting anyone; it is no ones business but my own. The issues that do affect me, are the ones being pushed by the political establishment. The higher taxes, the healthcare that I am not spending half my monthly income on, and the lack of common sense for restoring the American economy instead of fighting with other countries that we have no business being in; THAT affects me. That affects my family and extended family. That pisses me off!

Instead of all the judgment, it would be so nice to see people helping people. Instead of depending on government intrusion, it's time for neighbors to help neighbors again. It's beyond time to see flags flying in support of our military men and women. It's time to promote our local communities and our local businesses; instead of buying all the junk at the big box stores. It's time to raise up our local communities again. Yes, life has become so technical now, but there is no good excuses for not supporting our neighbors and friends. Our communities are hurting because of the greed of local politicians, all the way up to the national ones; but supposedly, We The People are still the ones with the power to make this country great again. Quit supporting corporations and start supporting your local businesses. This alone will change the face of our communities. When neighbors and friends are supporting each other, instead of working against each other, we can move mountains! Each of us have opinions of our own. We are each entitled to them. That does not mean, if someone has a differing opinion that they are wrong or bad, it just means they see things differently. That is what has always made this country great. We can disagree and still come together to support each other. I guess, until my own pipe dreams of a nation that is as great as it once was, I will just dream of a unified society demanding accountability from those whom we elect to represent us.

As for me, I will continue to do all I can to teach my children that EVERYONE is equal, despite their race, religion, sexual preferences, and life style. Teaching them that common courtesy is something that should be shown, and that respect is earned not just given. I will continue to plug along in a life style that works for us; even through some harsh judgments. We will continue to live our lives helping when we can, and working hard for everything we have. We will not take governmental handouts of any kind, and all the consumerism will not be bought into from here. Yes, my kid's bedrooms look like Toys-R-Us did throw up in them but we did not buy most of them, and will not be buying into the idea, any time soon! I will happily drive my 13 year old truck and make repairs for as long as possible, and even then I will not be buying a new vehicle. I will continue to make everything I can possibly make, to avoid having to buy some things. I will do what I can to protect the soils that my food comes from, from harsh unnecessary chemicals. I will continue to raise our foods without those chemicals too! I will continue to educate myself on areas that I don't understand, and will change my opinions as I become more educated.

I am going to end this coffee chat today with a request. I ask that each of you, look past judgments to find your own place in this world. Live your life, your way. Tune a deaf ear to those that want to judge your life. Look beyond violence to solve issues. Violence breeds more violence. Quit judging other people's sins just because they are different from your own!

Peace!
Salli