Coffee Chat

 

Let's sit with our coffee and chat a bit. There's so much to visit about; I'm just not even sure where to begin.  Between person issues and global issues, the vast conversation could go in a million directions. Let's get started and see where it rolls!

I want to start on something I believe many women in my age group are dealing with. The "next phase" of our lives. I know for about 8 years of dealing with this, I believe to be in final stretch...finally! I really don't think many people understand this phase. It's not really taboo, but just not discussed. Whether that be due to the variations or just "part of life." Let me tell from my own experiences, "just part of life," is not cutting it! Not only are we dealing with changes within our bodies, but hormonal changes, attitude changes, and being less likely to put up with other people's shit! That being said, if I hear one more that my "attitude" must be because of this phase, I MAY lose my shit! Whether you have children or not, you WILL experience this shift. I am fortunate enough to have a very trusted friend and a very trusted natural doctor, to help make sense of many of these changes. However, because we are all different, we may all feel/experience different "symptoms." I hate that word, because we are not ill, just progressing in our lives. Anyway, yes we are experiencing hormonal/chemical changes in our bodies. We are progressing from the motherhood roles into our mature lives. It can make you feel crazy at times, and SOME very unwise folks will bravely tell you, you are acting crazy. Let me say this, after 30+ years of a menstrual cycle, you have earned the right to be crazy for a period. Seriously, you are NOT crazy. Your entire body is making a transition. Things that we have tolerated, dealt with, and even believed for a few decades changes. It happens. Even men experience a form of "mid-life crisis/phase." Now, I am not saying going out and find someone half your age, buy a sportscar/motorcycle and ditch your responsibilities; however, I am saying that we do change. The key, in my eyes, is learning to make changes responsibly. If you are in a serious relationship, make changes and grow together. If not, make changes that allow you to learn, grow and better yourself. In my world, I find myself changing my thoughts, and my mind regularly. My attitude has gotten pretty harsh. My tolerance level has become non-existent. And, oh, the cluttered rooms in my home, are about to make me go postal! Simple things like: changing the toilet paper roll, doing dishes AND wiping down counters/stove, emptying the trash, being observant to things that need done/picked up - these do drive me instantly batty!! The whole idea of being observant to your surroundings makes sense to me, but obviously not to everyone. Simple things like being respectful of letting me know you will be late so I don't worry, doing what you say you will do, not being on technology during a family meal/not having the noise box blaring, paying attention to conversations happening around you...you know, simple things that SHOW respect. Honestly, I think if I hear "well, you are going through the change of life, so that's why you are behaving the way you are," one more time....it won't be pretty. 

Ok, I could talk on that subject for DAYS! So, let's roll on. We are just days from the final 2 months of 2022. Hard to believe, I know! I truly despise Halloween, on a normal year, but this year...I am more fearful for our children. With so many candies being called into concern being laced with Fentanyl, I am more hesitant than ever. I don't understand how parents are not more concerned with allowing their children to take candy from strangers, and not being in huge concern of handing out candy that could kill our children! My daughter wants to hand out candy in our nearby town this year, and I am seriously concerned about being involved at all. I know it's fun to dress up. I've done it since I was kid, but we didn't have the issues we have had the past 20 years. Kids ending up kidnapped, candies laced with needles/razors, now deadly drugs. Unfortunately, I have a child that actually likes this "holiday." I would bypass it altogether if it were me. So, the back and forth continues. What's the right way to handle this? I wish I knew. We've had dress up dance parties at our home the past couple of years to avoid the weather and that extra nonsense, but what's the best solution? 

I typically turn Halloween into a "pretty" time, but putting up my Christmas decorations. This "tradition" started because my husband didn't want to dig through the attic to find the fall/halloween stuff when the Christmas stuff was right in the front. He has been pretty grinchy most of our marriage. I can't tell you how many years I heard "it's just another day." It is, but the entire season for me, is beautiful. It's not about gifts for me, and hasn't been since I was young. It's about the warmth, kindness usually found during these months, and the times spent with loved ones. Those to me, are the BEST gifts. In 2012, we started hosting an annual Christmas Open House. We invited neighbors, family and friends to our home in December, for a few hours of visiting, some traditional Christmas treats and fellowship. We have had this all but the 2 years we spent away from our farm. Each year this has grown. I have already scheduled it again this year. For me, this is such a great gift! It's a lot of work preparing, baking and cooking all week long; but the outcome has been as many as 52 people coming to celebrate friendship/fellowship. It is our gift to "our community." It is typically our neighbors, family and a few friends will come occasionally, but it's those that never miss or rarely miss it, that are our closest circle. It's not formal, just a casual family setting with kids running through all the adults. Lots of food, goodies, coffee and lots of visiting. It is one of my favorite parts of the year. 

Since 2020, so many things have just been messed up. People so afraid of dying that they won't live. Out-of-control government intrusion. Illegal and unConstitutional means to destroy our economy, our livelihoods and our communities. It's truly scary how conforming so many have become. I am not going to get into politics today. I am just truly concerned with my own communities well being, as our economy continues to tank and more people are facing some real economic and financial hardships. I think we need to focus on more kindness, forgiveness and community support right now. 

I have stressed and worried about our own projects so much this year. I have finally put my garden to rest, with the help of my husband and son. I have gotten new bedding out for my critters. I got the deck closed back in, except now...I have to redo part of it with the crazy winds. With the help of those crazy winds, the pool is down. My husband got the sheep lots cleaned out, and the manure spread, but we still have the cattle lot to finish. We have fencing that will need work again in the spring. We had a bad drought this year, so we are having to buy hay, which is killing the savings...not to mention having to also replace a fridge that decided to go out, AND all the food that went to waste in it. We are returning to some pretty tight budgeting due to the strains being seen in the economy. With all the supply chain issues, parts and equipment shortfalls, increased prices, and the fears of job losses...it's become evident that pinching pennies is required. While this is not really something new, it is becoming necessary. It is necessary to start "rationing" of sorts. It's not buying anything frivolously, not wasting anything unnecessarily. Waste not, want not. It's going back to reusing what you can instead of just buying new - which you can't find half of it anymore, and the other half is sky high. I know 2008 was tough for a lot of people, and times now are becoming even more lean. Even my own Christmas shopping this year, has been necessities, useful things, with only a single, small frivolous gift. Our Christmas will be noticeably smaller this year, but we also won't have a bunch of clutter sitting around in a few months of gifts they "had" to have and will forget about by March. I am hoping to make some positive changes for the current times, but also for the future with my kids and future grandkids. 

As much as I am personally struggling this year, I am pushing myself to keep moving forward...even if it is babysteps. It's so easy to get wrapped up in other people's drama, the disaster of our economic times, our own health issues, or any number of areas; that some days are just down right depressing. It's difficult to find commonality with many folks anymore. It doesn't make anyone anymore or less than the other, it is just we are all on different paths with different goals. I am a pretty simple person, in the terms of: I value the old fashioned family unit, I value friendships, I value my family - husband and kids, I value God/Family and Country. I do not buy into brimstone and fire, nor do I buy into "one size fits all." I believe in live and let live. To each their own, just shove your beliefs on me. I don't believe the world needs to know every move we make, or that our mindless tv/activity habits are doing us any favors. So many have gotten so up in arms over the different beliefs of others, that they have become exactly who they claim to dislike. Extremism is extremism no matter what the cause. Constitutionally, it is our right, per our Constitutional Republic, to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Period. No where in there, does it state that we all have to pursue the same goal. I think we really need to remember this. While I have my own very opinionated beliefs; who am I to judge someone else's life style?! I do NOT have to answer to God for what others choose to do....THEY do!

On that note, I'm going to sign off for today. I hope you have a great day, make it great! Small steps forward, are still forward moving!!! Keep going!!

Salli

 

 

Times of trial breed strength

 

Prepare, plan, work, worry, and repeat. 

 

This is the world I live in today. I am grateful to family & friends that remind me to unplug and unwind, but it's usually not so simple. Unplugging from technology works usually, aside from constant messages blowing up my phone. Or people getting their panties in a bunch when I can not take calls or deal with technology/phones instantly because my life is busy. My time online, is typically my breaks from the actual life I live, the chores I constantly do, and right now...from projects I have to get finished before winter weather sets in. I've said it before, but apparently needs to be said again, this life is one that if you don't live it...you can not possibly understand it. That is not to be condescending, but you can't understand the amount of time that is required to take care of things around here. We are not wealthy, so we do not have farm hands, helpers or even modern equipment. We work with what we can "afford" and that means a lot of upkeep, a lot of improvising, and a lot of redneck ingenuity. 

The days around here get kinda nutty from time-to-time. If they actually ran smoothly or didn't have a bump somewhere...I would be concerned. The off-the-farm jobs, teaching, winter preparations, livestock care, Fall lambing, chickens/ducks/goats, housework, meal prep, groceries, financials for farm & business, long term preparations, vehicle/farm equipment repairs, household repairs; are just a portion of my daily life. Each of those areas have "sub-areas" that get a little tangled at times. Throw in any injuries or illness and you have a recipe for complete, unorganized chaos, in a hurry. 

I am beginning a weekend of mostly unplugged. Since so much seems to involve technology anymore, having a truly unplugged time is tough. I have a ton of outdoor projects that have got to get finished this weekend. The weather is supposed to be warmer, and my blood is too thin for doing a lot of this in the cold. Things like: putting all new plastic on the deck enclosure panels, closing in under the deck, getting the ducks/chickens/goats areas ready for winter with new straw and putting away some of the outdoor stuff they use all summer, getting new Christmas lights hung before it's cold, getting yard decorations put up, getting the remainder of the pool stuff put away, cleaning out the garden. This is stuff that usually starts in September, but it didn't this year, so I am running a month behind and have a weekend to get it done. We also had a drought this summer, so our hay production was small. That means having to purchase the high dollar hay and straw. Which also needs to get done, starting this weekend. 

I can tell you, my days would remind most of a squirrel. Racing from one thing to the next, then back to the first, then starting the third...I probably walk/run 5 miles a day just to get half of about a million projects done. It makes my mind as cluttered as my house currently is. It's not good! I do not handle clutter OR unfinished projects well. 

As I try to keep up with world news, and no I do not watch tv(it's been more than 10 years since I did), I read and research to know the actual truth. I have realized that so much of what we are told is complete crap. If I had to put numbers on things, I would say about 95% of all elected leaders are corrupt to the core, have illegally benefited from insider trading, have sold American secrets/resources, and are dumb as the day is long. Sadly, there are a lot still buying the lies. I get tired of hearing, "well, that's just the way it is. We can't change it." I am calling complete bullshit on that! WE ARE THE RIGHTFUL MASTERS OF THIS COUNTRY, WE HAVE GOTTEN LAZY!!! Those people have neglected their oaths, they have neglected the people of this great nation for decades, and We the people have allowed these indiscretions to continue through complacency. When 50% of this country can not take a blank map, and write in the states, you know they don't have the slightest knowledge of our Constitution, our Bill Of Rights or even the FACT that they have been in debt slavery since 1871. For those that have to be ignorant, and claim they don't need a history lesson... You are VERY wrong! THAT is EXACTLY what a lot of people need!! Our freedoms, our liberties, and our very way of life is not guaranteed. We have to fight for it, through every single generation. An Australian journalist said it right, "hard times produce strong men, strong men create relaxed times, relaxed time creates weak men." This is the exact progression.Many of our grandparents/great-grandparents lived through world war 1 & 2, and the Great Depression. They struggled to support their families, they knew how to raise/grow their own food, they learned to live their lives frugally, and they worked hard. The boomer generation had it a little easier. They had the Vietnam War, but think about how those soldiers returning were treated. Then there was my generation, Generation X - I believe, we grew up easy for the most part. We had Dessert Storm, but as children, we had the inventions of video games, tv was a regular fixture in our homes, the convenience of fast/boxed foods. Then there was the Millennials. The Generation X'ers children. Sure many were alive for 9/11, but most were young. They had constant connectivity of the internet, they have had very easy lives in that everything was at their fingertips 24/7. They never had to wonder where or when their next was, they never had to struggle with much of anything. We basically made their lives "easy" because that what generations do. We try to make our children's lives easier than ours were. We ended up creating a generation of entitled, self-absorbed, lazy and ungrateful young people. NOW, UNDERSTAND I AM ONLY GENERALIZING!!! I AM IN NO WAY SAYING IT IS EVERY ONE OF THESE PEOPLE IN THESE GENERATIONS. Then we have the youngest of generations. They are in limbo. They have seen the torment of being muzzled, being ill, seeing their parents lose jobs for standing up for their rights, and questioning what they are hearing - even if they can be self-absorbed. Is this younger generation going to be the generation that sees the hardest times of any one that is alive today? Maybe. When I talk to my teenager, and she is trying to understand why we are experiencing nuclear threats, why our government is not protecting Americans, why the news reports do not match what she researches, and why the grocery shelves are not only thin or bare but also so much higher...it is difficult for a young person to grasp. 

We have reached a point that words mean nothing, nothing is as it appears to be, very few understand or even know what the law of our land says, people believe that doctors/lawyers/politicians will do what's right, and having a conversation about the "hard" stuff is considered conspiracy. It's no wonder our young people are struggling with mental health. They can not ask questions, have conversations or even "socialize" because of the mind wash they are being taught...not just in schools but on television and internet too. It's a running joke in my household every time I get "Facebook jailed" because something I post goes against a narrative, yet the information is readily found on any government or military web site. The "fact checkers" do not want you to question what they say, so whenever something is "fact checked" you know it is correct and you better be looking into it. 

We do not have to agree on everything, that would be super boring! However, we should agree that the very basics of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness is the very foundation of this nations founding. Moral decisions are not up to governments, nor anyone outside of the decisions being made. The only ones that will have to answer for their choices, are the ones that make those choices. The push of LifeLog/Facebook, has opened a door to airing dirty laundry for the world to see, for being disrespectful without repercussions, and allowed a whole host of mental illnesses to be viewed as "normal." A lie does not become the truth just because many believe, it's still a lie. 

We are just 18 days from a midterm election. I do not remember ever seeing so much corruption on display in full sight, and so much manipulation of laws being pushed for even more. We are in the 3rd quarter for economic downturn. Folks, we have long surpassed a recession, and are on a collision course with a depression that will make 1929 and 1987 look like a child's play. Looking at the numbers, January of 2021, inflation was at 1.4%, in September it was 8.2%. This was even after the Federal Reserve claimed to be fixing that with the increase of baseline rate increases. The Consumer Price Index is the highest it has been in 40 years. The Wholesale Prices have increased ten-fold. The housing market is beginning to fall and will continue to do so as current mortgage rates continue to rise and it becomes harder to get mortgages. When the Federal Reserve publicly states that they need to raise the rates AND raise unemployment in order to get inflation under control...you know they have NO clue! Inflation comes in when you are printing more money than you have assets to back. When the U.S. is pushing $32 TRILLION in debt, however they are still sending billions to Ukraine, as well as other countries; plus the are depleting the SPR to its lowest levels since 1987. We have a MAJOR spending to debt problem. The SPR is there for emergencies, and for use by our military during times of war. Once that is gone, this administration has sent a large portion of our military equipment to Ukraine, where exactly is that going to leave our military for defending America? Congratulations to this Administration, you are officially destroying our country from within, better than a foreign invasion ever could. You know why? Because there are still nit-wits out there that think this dementia ridden, mafia crime organization is doing good. Good at what? Destroying America and her values. 

When we have 8 million children, worldwide that go missing, every year - and absolutely no accountability for trying to stop this. Our own Department of Defense admitting to have 336 worldwide bio-weapon labs, many of them benefiting from gain-of-function and creating the exact viruses we have dealt with for 2 years. We have an invasion at our southern border that is allowing the worst of the worst to walk into our country, while those going through the legal means sit for YEARS to try to come in legally. When our own citizens do not realize that our country is operating under maritime law, being run by the foreign territory of D.C., by many administrations that have been in bankruptcies since 1871, that the latest bankruptcy was actioned in 2018, and the U.S. Treasury said LAST YEAR that America was out of money. That the stock market is being propped up by falsified numbers and the buying and selling of American's debt - like buying and selling cattle. That the number of doctors, politicians, lawyers, judges, teachers, and CEO's that have been arrested and charged with sex crimes against MINORS, in the past 5 years was thanks to President Trump's fight to protect our children. 

You want to know what's happening with our supply chain, human trafficking, elections, and military...go study Trump's executive orders. I will recommend starting with E.O. 13919, E.O. 13885, E.O. 13848, E.O. 13958. Look up Noah Law 1991, Jade Helm, Law of War manual, 47 U.S. Code 606, Common Wealth Act No. 671, UCMJ, Military Law, Military Codes and Regulations. 

I'm off for a weekend of knocking out winterizing projects. I hope you will all educate yourselves, make sure you vote, and keep stocking up!