Our beautiful white farm is quickly turning to mud. This is not good, I know that we must have mud before we can have Spring and grass, but mud is so muddy.
We are trying to figure out where we can come up with the money for gravel to cover the muddy mud that was once our driveway. We still have a hay bill that is not paid and continue to need more hay.
I gathered a little money at the end of 2009 and at the beginning of 2010. We both decided that money would be used to purchase a new computer that we desperately need, as ours is now operating solely on prayer.
I shopped a little for a new computer but by the time that I put together the system that I wanted, an iMac, I didn't have enough money and would have to wait to gather some more money. Low and behold, instead of gathering more money, that which I had started to dwindle.
The horses haven't completely eaten my entire computer yet. But they have a good start on it. Even if that money isn't used to pay for hay, it will be used to pay for things that hay money should have paid for. So, in the end, the horses will have eaten my computer or perhaps my new computer will be used to cover the mud in the driveway.
It would be nice if the horses could pay for their own feed like they used to, but those days are gone. We do have someone coming to look at some horses today and hopefully they will purchase one or two and my computer will be saved.
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Showing posts with label money. Show all posts
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Friday, February 5, 2010
Now A Warning
Our winter storm WATCH became a WARNING this evening. It was suppose to start with rain and it started raining around midnight. I love winter and snow, always have, but with the prices we are paying for hay and being caught with so many horses this winter, it has taken all of the joy away. I sure will be happy to see green grass growing again. I will also be happy when all of the hay bills are paid. It has been a struggle.
We worry about the horses because the big bales that they are getting are not what we would normally feed. My DH likes "good" square bales that he can regulate without much waste but all of the decent priced "good" hay anymore is just junk, moldy and weedy. We were forced to switch to big round bales that are nasty but are still costing us thousands of dollars.
We had to buy the big round bale horse feeders when we switched to round bales and you talk about a joke. They cost an arm and a leg. They start falling apart and getting dangerous after a couple months of horse use and sitting in the weather, more money down the drain.
The horses made me feel a little better tonight. They all look great and were running, racing and playing like a bunch of kids. Even my old gelding stood on his hind legs and pawed at the sky. I think they must be looking forward to the storm.
We worry about the horses because the big bales that they are getting are not what we would normally feed. My DH likes "good" square bales that he can regulate without much waste but all of the decent priced "good" hay anymore is just junk, moldy and weedy. We were forced to switch to big round bales that are nasty but are still costing us thousands of dollars.
We had to buy the big round bale horse feeders when we switched to round bales and you talk about a joke. They cost an arm and a leg. They start falling apart and getting dangerous after a couple months of horse use and sitting in the weather, more money down the drain.
The horses made me feel a little better tonight. They all look great and were running, racing and playing like a bunch of kids. Even my old gelding stood on his hind legs and pawed at the sky. I think they must be looking forward to the storm.
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Horse Adoption
The comments on my last post about the theft of our pictures and the theft of the word Rescue, brought up another good point. That is the overuse and misuse of the word Adoption. Adoption is a "feel good" word and it should be, if you are adopting a child, but the adoption of animals is just plain silly.
If your adopted dog viciously attacks someone or some other animal, you will soon learn that you actually OWN that dog, he is yours and nobody else's, he belongs to you. Whether you bought him or adopted him it makes no difference.
Do words really have that much power? We no longer buy animals, we adopt them. We no longer sell animals, we re-home them. The money is the same whether you buy, sell, re-home or adopt. The only thing that is different is the terminology.
Using this thought, I will now reword and try to explain my previous post to you again.
There is a young woman in Texas who is a Novice. She was a minor but is now an adult. She supports herself in a career of extracting goods, services and donations from the trusting individuals who she comes in contact with.
She uses a free website provider to highlight the horses that she has never seen, in order to obtain donations to feed and care for horses that she does not own.
If you have come in contact with this woman, who's name is something like Cortney, and made donations to her horse rescue, then you can feel good about the fact that you have provided resources for the care and feeding of her imaginary animals.
If your plans to adopt one of them fell though. I am sure that she just decided that you were not a good match and could not provide a good home for them. However, your money will not be refunded because of the time and effort that she put into making that decision.
Please be warned, there are many people out there on the internet who will scam and otherwise defraud you, more than you can even imagine. Make sure that you are dealing with an established business when adopting any animal because the words "adoption" and "rescue" are terms that many unscrupulous people are using in order to sell their animals and make more money than they could by using the term "for sale".
**Update: Her website has finally been removed, she must have found a new way to scam people or is hopefully in jail.**
Monday, July 20, 2009
I Must Be An Alien
After reading the two following articles, I have decided that I am really an alien who somehow got stranded on this strange planet within the last few years.
This whole cow burping thing has me shaking my head and the thought that U.S. Citizens are taking this serious leaves me totally dumbfounded.
Greener diet reduces dairy cows' methane burps - Yahoo! News
(Don't tell anyone but goats and deer burp too)
The following is a quote from the second article about the Wild Horse Bill:
I like wild horses and burros but $700 million dollars, when people are losing their jobs and homes? Anyone who would support something like this has not been affected by this present economy, has more money than they need and should be sharing their wealth with the needy.
This whole cow burping thing has me shaking my head and the thought that U.S. Citizens are taking this serious leaves me totally dumbfounded.
Greener diet reduces dairy cows' methane burps - Yahoo! News
(Don't tell anyone but goats and deer burp too)
The following is a quote from the second article about the Wild Horse Bill:
The Congressional Budget Office estimates that enacting the bill would cost up to $700 million.Barrasso, Lummis oppose House's wild horse bill - KIFI - Idaho Falls, Pocatello, Jackson WY
Barrasso says the government shouldn't spend $700 million on wild horses while the nation is in debt.
I like wild horses and burros but $700 million dollars, when people are losing their jobs and homes? Anyone who would support something like this has not been affected by this present economy, has more money than they need and should be sharing their wealth with the needy.
Friday, April 10, 2009
No Poo
If you are not up to date on what is going on in the world today, you will not understand my title but if you are keeping yourself current on current events you will know that it is just cool to be green.
Being green makes everyone feel better about themselves as they try to leave little impact on the earth, so that the earth will still be here and going strong long after they are buried and forgotten.
I am normally not a very green person, I figure that the earth was here when I was born and it will still be here after I die. I don't suppose that I make too much of a carbon footprint or have too much of an effect on the ozone or global warming. I try not to emit greenhouse gases like cows do.
I have recently started doing some things that I find interesting and maybe even saving a few pennies now and then. I have taken the No Poo Challenge. This was mentioned to me by my cloth diapering Daughter-in-law. If you would like to learn more about it all you have to do is a Google search for "No Poo".
It is basically getting rid of the shampoo in your life. There are two different methods that I have tried. One is using Baking Soda to wash your hair, then rinsing in Vinegar. I didn't like this method and it made my scalp itch. The method that I am using is simply washing your hair with a good quality hair conditioner.
I don't know why exactly that shampoo is bad for the environment but I was intrigued by the fact that it gets rid of greasy hair. I started my adventure going poo-less around the first of February and I love the results. My hair looks cleaner longer between washings, it is softer, I have no more dandruff and it is easier to style.
I use the conditioner just like I would shampoo. I have to use a lot because of my long hair and I spend quite a bit of time massaging it into my scalp. Then I rinse my hair thoroughly. Combing my hair out after washing it is so much easier with very few tangles and I have hardly any hair in my comb or brush when finished.
Now here is the trick, you won't see these results until you have used this method for around a month or so. Shampoo dries the scalp and therefore causes oil production. Your scalp has to have time to adjust to the change. So for awhile you will still have oily hair.
My DH decided to try it and after doing it for a few weeks, he reported that his hair was not falling out as bad. He normally left a lot of hair in the tub after his showers.
In addition to this I have also purchased some cloths to use as wet-ones and have been experimenting with different recipes for the wet part. I am also going to stop using paper towels and am looking into alternatives. You can actually get cloth towels that fit right on your paper towel holder and snap apart. I may end up liking this green stuff, who knows. After all, money is green and I do like that.
Being green makes everyone feel better about themselves as they try to leave little impact on the earth, so that the earth will still be here and going strong long after they are buried and forgotten.
I am normally not a very green person, I figure that the earth was here when I was born and it will still be here after I die. I don't suppose that I make too much of a carbon footprint or have too much of an effect on the ozone or global warming. I try not to emit greenhouse gases like cows do.
I have recently started doing some things that I find interesting and maybe even saving a few pennies now and then. I have taken the No Poo Challenge. This was mentioned to me by my cloth diapering Daughter-in-law. If you would like to learn more about it all you have to do is a Google search for "No Poo".
It is basically getting rid of the shampoo in your life. There are two different methods that I have tried. One is using Baking Soda to wash your hair, then rinsing in Vinegar. I didn't like this method and it made my scalp itch. The method that I am using is simply washing your hair with a good quality hair conditioner.
I don't know why exactly that shampoo is bad for the environment but I was intrigued by the fact that it gets rid of greasy hair. I started my adventure going poo-less around the first of February and I love the results. My hair looks cleaner longer between washings, it is softer, I have no more dandruff and it is easier to style.
I use the conditioner just like I would shampoo. I have to use a lot because of my long hair and I spend quite a bit of time massaging it into my scalp. Then I rinse my hair thoroughly. Combing my hair out after washing it is so much easier with very few tangles and I have hardly any hair in my comb or brush when finished.
Now here is the trick, you won't see these results until you have used this method for around a month or so. Shampoo dries the scalp and therefore causes oil production. Your scalp has to have time to adjust to the change. So for awhile you will still have oily hair.
My DH decided to try it and after doing it for a few weeks, he reported that his hair was not falling out as bad. He normally left a lot of hair in the tub after his showers.
In addition to this I have also purchased some cloths to use as wet-ones and have been experimenting with different recipes for the wet part. I am also going to stop using paper towels and am looking into alternatives. You can actually get cloth towels that fit right on your paper towel holder and snap apart. I may end up liking this green stuff, who knows. After all, money is green and I do like that.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Inspiring
While catching up on some of the blogs that I read this morning, I was inspired by Chris' post and determination at Johnson Family Farm. He is really putting himself to the test and making a public declaration to be held accountable. Hopefully he will keep us all informed about how he is doing while breaking his 1 1/2 pack cigarette and 20 can diet coke per day addictions.
I don't smoke or drink diet coke but think of the money that I could save if I quit eating so much!! I could actually kill three birds with one stone, lose weight, be healthier and save money.
I don't smoke or drink diet coke but think of the money that I could save if I quit eating so much!! I could actually kill three birds with one stone, lose weight, be healthier and save money.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Purses
I bought myself a Christmas present Thursday night but I can't tell you what it is, it's a secret. I really shouldn't have, I rarely spend this much money for myself but if I don't do it, no one will.
I was recently shocked by what some of the women that I know spend on purses. I have a hard time understanding spending $400 for a purse that looks just like everyone else's purse.
When we go to Church everyone there is carrying a Coach purse. Unless I ask, I can not tell who has real ones and who has fake ones. So, what's the point?
Are you suppose to go up to women and ask if their purse is a real Coach? Or are you just suppose to think that it is a knock-off and they are just trying to impress everyone. You could also assume that they are all real Coach purses and that they all have more money than sense.
I don't know why you would want to carry a $400 purse anyway, isn't that just inviting thievery? A crook will figure that if you have enough money to spend that much for a purse, then you've probably got some big bucks in that purse and as an added bonus they can also sell the purse.
Most of my purses are hand-me-downs or straight from a yard sale table. I can only remember buying two new purses in my whole life. If my ship ever comes in, I don't think that I will buy a popular, stylish purse like everyone else. I will buy a custom made, one of a kind expensive purse and no one will know how much I spent but me.
I was recently shocked by what some of the women that I know spend on purses. I have a hard time understanding spending $400 for a purse that looks just like everyone else's purse.
When we go to Church everyone there is carrying a Coach purse. Unless I ask, I can not tell who has real ones and who has fake ones. So, what's the point?
Are you suppose to go up to women and ask if their purse is a real Coach? Or are you just suppose to think that it is a knock-off and they are just trying to impress everyone. You could also assume that they are all real Coach purses and that they all have more money than sense.
I don't know why you would want to carry a $400 purse anyway, isn't that just inviting thievery? A crook will figure that if you have enough money to spend that much for a purse, then you've probably got some big bucks in that purse and as an added bonus they can also sell the purse.
Most of my purses are hand-me-downs or straight from a yard sale table. I can only remember buying two new purses in my whole life. If my ship ever comes in, I don't think that I will buy a popular, stylish purse like everyone else. I will buy a custom made, one of a kind expensive purse and no one will know how much I spent but me.
Monday, August 25, 2008
Good Help
The rest of the hay wagons are being unloaded and put in the loft while I am typing this. Thankfully I am not having to participate because we have three able bodied, strong, young men here to take my place. They don't have as much experience as I have but my DH will manage somehow without me.
Way back when we were young, we put together a hay crew and put up hay for our neighbors in a large farming community. This was before the large round balers were invented, everyone square baled. I cringe to think about how much hay we put up each summer. We went through several high school age boys back then, they had to be tough to keep up the pace that my Husband set.
We were running several head of cattle and horses back then also, we had a large old barn that we would fill full of hay every year and had hay to sell all winter. The hay that we put up yearly now couldn't hold a candle to the amount of hay that we put up then.
Our loft will be full after today, then we will have to fill our friend's barn, she has room for about 300 bales. After that we will have to buy round bales because we will be out of storage space. My DH says that we will be paying about $4200 for hay this year.
I am going to attempt to go riding soon, I have finally talked my Husband into letting me try. I really want to ride again. I know I will have to brace up my back and I will have to break myself into it slowly but my dream is to be able to trail ride again. My Doctor says, no, but what does he know, he is only practicing anyway.
Way back when we were young, we put together a hay crew and put up hay for our neighbors in a large farming community. This was before the large round balers were invented, everyone square baled. I cringe to think about how much hay we put up each summer. We went through several high school age boys back then, they had to be tough to keep up the pace that my Husband set.
We were running several head of cattle and horses back then also, we had a large old barn that we would fill full of hay every year and had hay to sell all winter. The hay that we put up yearly now couldn't hold a candle to the amount of hay that we put up then.
Our loft will be full after today, then we will have to fill our friend's barn, she has room for about 300 bales. After that we will have to buy round bales because we will be out of storage space. My DH says that we will be paying about $4200 for hay this year.
I am going to attempt to go riding soon, I have finally talked my Husband into letting me try. I really want to ride again. I know I will have to brace up my back and I will have to break myself into it slowly but my dream is to be able to trail ride again. My Doctor says, no, but what does he know, he is only practicing anyway.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Prices
The price of everything is going up. I have a hard time understanding people's motives. Since times are hard right now, they will increase their prices, so that they don't have to lower their standard of living. But if people can't afford to pay the higher prices, what good is it going to do you?
Everyone gripes about the price of gas but they won't stay home, they continue driving because it is what they have always done and they can't discipline themselves enough to stop. It seems to me that if we really wanted gas prices to come down, we would stop driving unless it was absolutely unavoidable.
We have had to stop some things, we don't just run to town because we need one or two things. Sometimes our cupboards are pretty bare. We don't seem to be losing any weight though.
The price of feed is putting small homesteads and the small farmer out of business. Unless you are totally self-sufficient. The equipment that you need to become self-sufficient is high, feed is high, we blamed last year's hay prices on the drought but we don't have a drought now and no one is coming down on their hay prices. So here we are in the first week of August, with 30 some head of horses and 5 head of goats to feed this winter and no hay in the barn.
There is plenty of hay out there but everyone still thinks that it made of gold. I understand that fuel prices make the hay more expensive to produce but there seems to be some greed involved also. The thing is, if people don't have the money to spend and if wages are not increasing, who is going to buy their hay? The animals will have to go, then who will buy your hay next year?
I have always told my husband that I felt sorry for people who have money, then lose it. They are used to having whatever they want. Then when the local factory shuts down, they lose their houses or have to readjust their lifestyle.
I have never experienced this myself because we have never had any money to start with, but it has to be hard on them. Their stress level at the thought of not being able to pay their bills anymore must be unbearable. I would think that they would also have a lot of regrets for not planning ahead and preparing for an uncertain future.
You can never predict what lies ahead of you, so you need to do the best you can without living foolishly. Constant refinancing of a home to buy more toys, insures constant pressure on the nervous system, anxiety attacks and worry.
Why not concentrate on paying yourself out of debt while the money is coming in and always make sure that you have the cash in your hand before you buy any toys or take any trips or even eat out? But we are a credit driven society, perhaps what we are going through now will wake some people up.
It is very sad to see many of our local businesses closing their doors and many of our friends and neighbors, some who are close to retirement age, facing unemployment after working for many years at those local businesses. Where do they go to get a new job and start all over again?
Everyone gripes about the price of gas but they won't stay home, they continue driving because it is what they have always done and they can't discipline themselves enough to stop. It seems to me that if we really wanted gas prices to come down, we would stop driving unless it was absolutely unavoidable.
We have had to stop some things, we don't just run to town because we need one or two things. Sometimes our cupboards are pretty bare. We don't seem to be losing any weight though.
The price of feed is putting small homesteads and the small farmer out of business. Unless you are totally self-sufficient. The equipment that you need to become self-sufficient is high, feed is high, we blamed last year's hay prices on the drought but we don't have a drought now and no one is coming down on their hay prices. So here we are in the first week of August, with 30 some head of horses and 5 head of goats to feed this winter and no hay in the barn.
There is plenty of hay out there but everyone still thinks that it made of gold. I understand that fuel prices make the hay more expensive to produce but there seems to be some greed involved also. The thing is, if people don't have the money to spend and if wages are not increasing, who is going to buy their hay? The animals will have to go, then who will buy your hay next year?
I have always told my husband that I felt sorry for people who have money, then lose it. They are used to having whatever they want. Then when the local factory shuts down, they lose their houses or have to readjust their lifestyle.
I have never experienced this myself because we have never had any money to start with, but it has to be hard on them. Their stress level at the thought of not being able to pay their bills anymore must be unbearable. I would think that they would also have a lot of regrets for not planning ahead and preparing for an uncertain future.
You can never predict what lies ahead of you, so you need to do the best you can without living foolishly. Constant refinancing of a home to buy more toys, insures constant pressure on the nervous system, anxiety attacks and worry.
Why not concentrate on paying yourself out of debt while the money is coming in and always make sure that you have the cash in your hand before you buy any toys or take any trips or even eat out? But we are a credit driven society, perhaps what we are going through now will wake some people up.
It is very sad to see many of our local businesses closing their doors and many of our friends and neighbors, some who are close to retirement age, facing unemployment after working for many years at those local businesses. Where do they go to get a new job and start all over again?
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
No Loses
I didn't lose any chickens yesterday, this is an improvement. We are making progress. I did sell Copper yesterday evening, he went to a good home. He will be used as a buck. Angel didn't like it, she is still looking for him this morning. That is the sad part of selling my kids, it upsets Angel but his mother didn't seem to mind at all. I think she was ready to let him go.
We had storms all through the night and I have water in my living room this morning. I don't understand why sometimes the rain comes in and sometimes it doesn't. I wish some philanthropist would give me about $100,000, I could really put it to good use. I need a house.
Or better yet, it would be nice if a couple of people would retire from the Post Office and my Husband would get a regular postal route and become a full time employee instead of a substitute or RCA, no one wants to retire anymore. Another possibility is that we could sell all of our 30+ horses at reasonable prices. That would really help out, think of the money that we would save on feed alone.
We did sell a yearling filly, Biscuit is moving to Texas on Monday to become a broodmare. She will be raising spotted mule foals. We will really miss her, she has the sweetest disposition. You can sweet talk her into anything and once she learns something she retains it.
My orphan chicks are all doing well so far. The two barred rock chicks have taken up with another barred rock hen and they are roosting in the goat/chicken shed at night on the highest perch, next to the biggest rooster.
My three little banty chicks have tried to join the other banty chicks but the hen won't allow it. So they are on their own, they roost in the same nest that their mother always took them to at night, they have no protection at all. At least one of them is a rooster and he is trying to protect his little family but it is a big responsibility for such a young chick.
I was tempted to put them in a cage but the barred rock chicks were so unhappy in the cage that I hate to do it to the banties after they have been free all of their lives.
Well, that is the news for now, nothing very exciting, which is a good thing. If you are a philanthropist and have some money that you would like to put to good use contact me but please not from Nigeria.
We had storms all through the night and I have water in my living room this morning. I don't understand why sometimes the rain comes in and sometimes it doesn't. I wish some philanthropist would give me about $100,000, I could really put it to good use. I need a house.
Or better yet, it would be nice if a couple of people would retire from the Post Office and my Husband would get a regular postal route and become a full time employee instead of a substitute or RCA, no one wants to retire anymore. Another possibility is that we could sell all of our 30+ horses at reasonable prices. That would really help out, think of the money that we would save on feed alone.
We did sell a yearling filly, Biscuit is moving to Texas on Monday to become a broodmare. She will be raising spotted mule foals. We will really miss her, she has the sweetest disposition. You can sweet talk her into anything and once she learns something she retains it.
My orphan chicks are all doing well so far. The two barred rock chicks have taken up with another barred rock hen and they are roosting in the goat/chicken shed at night on the highest perch, next to the biggest rooster.
My three little banty chicks have tried to join the other banty chicks but the hen won't allow it. So they are on their own, they roost in the same nest that their mother always took them to at night, they have no protection at all. At least one of them is a rooster and he is trying to protect his little family but it is a big responsibility for such a young chick.
I was tempted to put them in a cage but the barred rock chicks were so unhappy in the cage that I hate to do it to the banties after they have been free all of their lives.
Well, that is the news for now, nothing very exciting, which is a good thing. If you are a philanthropist and have some money that you would like to put to good use contact me but please not from Nigeria.
Friday, May 9, 2008
Excuses
It wasn't all my fault, I would have blogged yesterday but some loser cut our phone line. Not just ours but the whole neighborhood's, they stole 150 foot of it. I guess it has value somewhere. I hope that they don't get in a habit of stealing it in our part of the woods.
When we finally got our phone and internet service back yesterday evening we were in the middle of a little birthday party for two of the Grandkids. Then of course, I was too exhausted to blog and went straight to bed. Now that takes care of the excuses for not blogging on Thursday.
On Wednesday, I was busy all day making halters that I am so far behind on, I am getting tons of e-mails from people wanting to know where their halters are. My poor hands can only make a few per day without cramping up on me, I have callouses on my callouses. Sometimes I even bust blood vessels in my fingers. Spring is always crazy like this, right when I am my busiest with foaling and kidding, I get tons of halter orders and people wanting updates on their websites because they have new foals as well. I haven't even had time to put my new foals on our website yet.
I worked hard to get caught up on halters on Wednesday, then the rain started and it rained and it rained. Our house/barn is sitting at the base of a hill and we do not have any guttering on it yet because we haven't been able to save enough money, all of our savings went into our horse's bellies this winter. So, we spent most of Wednesday evening trenching and sandbagging. Actually my DH spent most of the evening trenching and sandbagging. I just stood out in the rain with an umbrella trying to figure out where the best places would be for a trench. We did have some success in rerouting the water but it seems like every time we get a downpour like this one it takes a new direction and we have to change our strategy.
When we finally got our phone and internet service back yesterday evening we were in the middle of a little birthday party for two of the Grandkids. Then of course, I was too exhausted to blog and went straight to bed. Now that takes care of the excuses for not blogging on Thursday.
On Wednesday, I was busy all day making halters that I am so far behind on, I am getting tons of e-mails from people wanting to know where their halters are. My poor hands can only make a few per day without cramping up on me, I have callouses on my callouses. Sometimes I even bust blood vessels in my fingers. Spring is always crazy like this, right when I am my busiest with foaling and kidding, I get tons of halter orders and people wanting updates on their websites because they have new foals as well. I haven't even had time to put my new foals on our website yet.
I worked hard to get caught up on halters on Wednesday, then the rain started and it rained and it rained. Our house/barn is sitting at the base of a hill and we do not have any guttering on it yet because we haven't been able to save enough money, all of our savings went into our horse's bellies this winter. So, we spent most of Wednesday evening trenching and sandbagging. Actually my DH spent most of the evening trenching and sandbagging. I just stood out in the rain with an umbrella trying to figure out where the best places would be for a trench. We did have some success in rerouting the water but it seems like every time we get a downpour like this one it takes a new direction and we have to change our strategy.
Saturday, April 26, 2008
Insurance Review
A few weeks ago my Husband was returning a hay fork that he had borrowed to a neighbor's house and since it was so close, he just threw it in the back of the truck without tying it in. Big mistake! You know that most accidents happen close to home.
He was within yards of the neighbor's driveway, when someone backed out in front of him, he swerved to the left and ran into a ditch to avoid contact with the offending car. However. the hay spear went right through the back glass of our truck. The driver of the other vehicle was very nice and apologetic, they went ahead to the neighbor's house to call his insurance company and explain the situation to them and that was the end of that.
His insurance company's adjuster met with my Husband the very next day to look at the truck and told him to go ahead and get it fixed, which my DH did, because you can't just go around with a missing back glass. We also got an e-mail from the company telling us where we could follow the progress of the claim online. We honestly didn't think that they would pay off, since there was no contact between the two vehicles and he didn't have the spear secured properly.
We put the new window on a credit card because we didn't have the cash available at the time. But within just a few days we got a call from a nice man who told us that the check for the window was in the mail, sure enough it arrived the next day. We were very surprised and pleased.
Who was this insurance company, you may ask. It was Progressive Insurance. I believe that when an insurance company reacts to claims in this manner they do nothing but increase their client base. When you feel that you have been treated well these days, then you are going to tell your friends and neighbors. It is getting to be so rare anymore that you are treated right and someone isn't trying to rip you off, that you certainly want to sing the praises of those who are just and fair. We feel like Progressive stepped up to the plate and handled this fairly and didn't penalize my husband for avoiding contact with their client's car.
I have been very positive in this blog about the Progressive Insurance Company but I am going to be very negative in the next one that I write about a different Insurance Company that is being very difficult to deal with.
He was within yards of the neighbor's driveway, when someone backed out in front of him, he swerved to the left and ran into a ditch to avoid contact with the offending car. However. the hay spear went right through the back glass of our truck. The driver of the other vehicle was very nice and apologetic, they went ahead to the neighbor's house to call his insurance company and explain the situation to them and that was the end of that.
His insurance company's adjuster met with my Husband the very next day to look at the truck and told him to go ahead and get it fixed, which my DH did, because you can't just go around with a missing back glass. We also got an e-mail from the company telling us where we could follow the progress of the claim online. We honestly didn't think that they would pay off, since there was no contact between the two vehicles and he didn't have the spear secured properly.
We put the new window on a credit card because we didn't have the cash available at the time. But within just a few days we got a call from a nice man who told us that the check for the window was in the mail, sure enough it arrived the next day. We were very surprised and pleased.
Who was this insurance company, you may ask. It was Progressive Insurance. I believe that when an insurance company reacts to claims in this manner they do nothing but increase their client base. When you feel that you have been treated well these days, then you are going to tell your friends and neighbors. It is getting to be so rare anymore that you are treated right and someone isn't trying to rip you off, that you certainly want to sing the praises of those who are just and fair. We feel like Progressive stepped up to the plate and handled this fairly and didn't penalize my husband for avoiding contact with their client's car.
I have been very positive in this blog about the Progressive Insurance Company but I am going to be very negative in the next one that I write about a different Insurance Company that is being very difficult to deal with.
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
The Question
I don't understand people who like to golf, I don't understand people who like to rock climb, bungee jump, or sky dive. I don't understand people who like to fly, and I really don't understand people who like to shop, I just cannot relate.
So I guess that I should not find it odd that there are people who cannot relate to what my Husband and I do. But I must admit that I get a little testy with people who ask me "the question" that makes my blood boil.
We like living on a farm, we like raising animals, we like feeding animals, we like caring for animals, we like shoveling our hard earned money out onto our manure piles without ever turning a profit. That is what we do and enjoy.
Get over trying to understand it, it will never make anymore sense to you than continually buying shoes and clothes, wearing them a couple of times and giving them away, does to me. It will never make anymore sense to you than paying ridiculously high prices to play a game of golf or trying to kill yourself with some dangerous sport or hobby, does to me.
We love our animals and enjoy them and part of that love and enjoyment includes a commitment, a commitment and responsibility to feed and care for that animal while it is under our ownership. Just because the weather is horrible outside doesn't give an animal owner the right to skip a feeding, just because money is tight doesn't give an animal owner a right to quit supplying food or expect those animals to fend for themselves.
We had a situation come up today, a friend who recently had surgery, went to check on a mare that was due to foal. When she arrived the foal's nose was out but no feet were showing and the mare had stopped laboring.
She called the Vet, then called me. I told her what I would do in the same situation, which was push the baby back in and find the feet. She called me back a short time later to tell me that she had done what I had told her but that she couldn't get the legs to straighten out, so she just pulled her out by her knees.
Everything went well and the baby and mare were both fine but the baby's legs are very crooked from being in that position for so long and she couldn't walk or even stand to nurse. My friend just milked the mare and gave the baby a bottle then asked if we would come down to try to get the baby up to nurse it's mother, since she couldn't do that because of her surgery.
We went to the place where she keeps her horses and my DH got the pretty, dun, blanketed, appy filly on her feet and held her head up and steadied her to nurse. This filly will be fine, her legs will straighten out with time and she is completely healthy. But without human intervention both the mare and filly would have died. Without someone spending a couple of days helping this foal to nurse she will not survive.
While we were there someone else who has horses in the same barn, asked us if we had seen another horse that is at this barn. We said that we had, it kind of stuck out like a very sore thumb. She has been feeding this poor, young, skinny horse her own hay just so it will survive. She has talked to the owners about giving it away but they won't because they love it too much. They did say that they would sell it, but they want a good tidy sum for it. My feelings about this is that if you are eating, then your animals should be eating. If you are not doing without meals, then your animals should not be doing without meals.
If you have the money to have cell phones, cable T.V., an internet connection, go to places of entertainment, or go out to eat, then there is no excuse for not taking care of your responsibility to your animals.
I will climb down from my soapbox now and get back to my original point. I am spending many sleepless nights right now because of my pregnant mares and does. It will get worse as time goes by and they get closer to kidding and foaling. It is my duty to take care of them, since we are responsible for them being bred in the first place.
I know many people who own animals and take very good care of them but when it comes to birthing, they will not lose any sleep over it, to me this is just like not feeding your animals, because you are eating out all of the time. Which gets me to "the question" that I hate. The question that people will ask is, "Why do you have to watch them so closely, don't you think that they can have babies without your help?"
The answer to this question is this, "Were you home alone when you gave birth or was your wife home alone when she gave birth?" Yes, animals have been giving birth unassisted for many, many years. But what makes them any different than people? Women have been giving birth for many, many years as well. It isn't that I think animals are as important as people, but I have an investment in these animals and there is just as much chance of something going wrong for them as there is for humans.
The investment that I have in these animals may not necessarily be a big financial investment but with horses it is eleven months of care and waiting for a foal. With my goats it is five months of care and waiting. Do you really think that I don't want to be there when they give birth.
If you have raised animals for any length of time, you know the simple things that can go wrong during a delivery. Things that can easily be fixed if you are present but if you are snoring in bed those simple things can kill both the mother and baby or babies. Sometimes it is just a knee that gets stuck or the sharp little hooves that try to perforate into the mother's colon or a breach. With twins, triplets or quads in goats, it can be a tangling of legs or two competitors racing to be the first one out. These are things that can be corrected without an injury or death.
Last year one of our foals was just huge, she got stuck at the chest, we had never had this happen before. Her head and shoulders were already out and it took all of the strength that my Husband had, with his feet braced, to pull that baby out. He was sliding the mare backwards and we were praying when she finally popped out. It happened in the middle of the night. If we had been asleep we would have awaken to a dead mare and foal in the stall and it would have been very difficult to have gotten them out of that stall. My poor Husband was extremely sore the next day.
A friend of ours had a foal get stuck at the hips, the mare was panicking with the baby mostly dangling out and flopping around. Our friend was not strong enough to help, but luckily the Schwans delivery man arrived just in time to put some muscle into the pull and they got the colt out.
I am not saying that I am present at every birth but I miss very few. If I do miss one it isn't because I wasn't doing constant checks. There are times when you think that you can safely slip away for a couple of hours without anything happening, only to find out that that two hours was all that it took and they are either in the middle of giving birth or have just gotten done when you return home.
So I guess that I should not find it odd that there are people who cannot relate to what my Husband and I do. But I must admit that I get a little testy with people who ask me "the question" that makes my blood boil.
We like living on a farm, we like raising animals, we like feeding animals, we like caring for animals, we like shoveling our hard earned money out onto our manure piles without ever turning a profit. That is what we do and enjoy.
Get over trying to understand it, it will never make anymore sense to you than continually buying shoes and clothes, wearing them a couple of times and giving them away, does to me. It will never make anymore sense to you than paying ridiculously high prices to play a game of golf or trying to kill yourself with some dangerous sport or hobby, does to me.
We love our animals and enjoy them and part of that love and enjoyment includes a commitment, a commitment and responsibility to feed and care for that animal while it is under our ownership. Just because the weather is horrible outside doesn't give an animal owner the right to skip a feeding, just because money is tight doesn't give an animal owner a right to quit supplying food or expect those animals to fend for themselves.
We had a situation come up today, a friend who recently had surgery, went to check on a mare that was due to foal. When she arrived the foal's nose was out but no feet were showing and the mare had stopped laboring.
She called the Vet, then called me. I told her what I would do in the same situation, which was push the baby back in and find the feet. She called me back a short time later to tell me that she had done what I had told her but that she couldn't get the legs to straighten out, so she just pulled her out by her knees.
Everything went well and the baby and mare were both fine but the baby's legs are very crooked from being in that position for so long and she couldn't walk or even stand to nurse. My friend just milked the mare and gave the baby a bottle then asked if we would come down to try to get the baby up to nurse it's mother, since she couldn't do that because of her surgery.
We went to the place where she keeps her horses and my DH got the pretty, dun, blanketed, appy filly on her feet and held her head up and steadied her to nurse. This filly will be fine, her legs will straighten out with time and she is completely healthy. But without human intervention both the mare and filly would have died. Without someone spending a couple of days helping this foal to nurse she will not survive.
While we were there someone else who has horses in the same barn, asked us if we had seen another horse that is at this barn. We said that we had, it kind of stuck out like a very sore thumb. She has been feeding this poor, young, skinny horse her own hay just so it will survive. She has talked to the owners about giving it away but they won't because they love it too much. They did say that they would sell it, but they want a good tidy sum for it. My feelings about this is that if you are eating, then your animals should be eating. If you are not doing without meals, then your animals should not be doing without meals.
If you have the money to have cell phones, cable T.V., an internet connection, go to places of entertainment, or go out to eat, then there is no excuse for not taking care of your responsibility to your animals.
I will climb down from my soapbox now and get back to my original point. I am spending many sleepless nights right now because of my pregnant mares and does. It will get worse as time goes by and they get closer to kidding and foaling. It is my duty to take care of them, since we are responsible for them being bred in the first place.
I know many people who own animals and take very good care of them but when it comes to birthing, they will not lose any sleep over it, to me this is just like not feeding your animals, because you are eating out all of the time. Which gets me to "the question" that I hate. The question that people will ask is, "Why do you have to watch them so closely, don't you think that they can have babies without your help?"
The answer to this question is this, "Were you home alone when you gave birth or was your wife home alone when she gave birth?" Yes, animals have been giving birth unassisted for many, many years. But what makes them any different than people? Women have been giving birth for many, many years as well. It isn't that I think animals are as important as people, but I have an investment in these animals and there is just as much chance of something going wrong for them as there is for humans.
The investment that I have in these animals may not necessarily be a big financial investment but with horses it is eleven months of care and waiting for a foal. With my goats it is five months of care and waiting. Do you really think that I don't want to be there when they give birth.
If you have raised animals for any length of time, you know the simple things that can go wrong during a delivery. Things that can easily be fixed if you are present but if you are snoring in bed those simple things can kill both the mother and baby or babies. Sometimes it is just a knee that gets stuck or the sharp little hooves that try to perforate into the mother's colon or a breach. With twins, triplets or quads in goats, it can be a tangling of legs or two competitors racing to be the first one out. These are things that can be corrected without an injury or death.
Last year one of our foals was just huge, she got stuck at the chest, we had never had this happen before. Her head and shoulders were already out and it took all of the strength that my Husband had, with his feet braced, to pull that baby out. He was sliding the mare backwards and we were praying when she finally popped out. It happened in the middle of the night. If we had been asleep we would have awaken to a dead mare and foal in the stall and it would have been very difficult to have gotten them out of that stall. My poor Husband was extremely sore the next day.
A friend of ours had a foal get stuck at the hips, the mare was panicking with the baby mostly dangling out and flopping around. Our friend was not strong enough to help, but luckily the Schwans delivery man arrived just in time to put some muscle into the pull and they got the colt out.
I am not saying that I am present at every birth but I miss very few. If I do miss one it isn't because I wasn't doing constant checks. There are times when you think that you can safely slip away for a couple of hours without anything happening, only to find out that that two hours was all that it took and they are either in the middle of giving birth or have just gotten done when you return home.
Monday, February 25, 2008
Monday
I don't know when this day went bad, just a typical Monday I suppose. Those first little minor annoyances weren't that noticeable. Like when my husband was throwing a load of dirty clothes into the washer and tried to throw my holey long underwear away. I protested loudly that they were still serviceable enough to keep me warm and I couldn't afford new ones anyway.
Then my husband set down at the table to pay bills, we were scampering around trying to shuffle money from place to place in order to write checks. His bank account is empty because of hay, feed, horse training and gas and mine is empty because of hay, feed, horse training and gas. We are hoping to be able to sell the three geldings that we have had trained this Winter in the Spring. They have all turned out very well, we also took two fillies to the trainer this Winter, one is not for sale and the other isn't ready to be sold yet. We just hope that this training isn't another losing proposition.
I had planned to give myself a home perm today. I went to Walmart last night and bought everything that I needed. I told my daughter-in-law not to bring the kids over today because I was going to have the house all stinky, my husband wasn't working, so I thought it would be a good time since he could help me out if I got in trouble.
Then my other daughter-in-law called and said that she was sick and wanted to know if we would pick up our Grandson from school and keep him for a few days. Oh well, no big deal, I could wait on the perm.
We ran out of spiced tea, which makes my husband real testy when he has a cough, so I was in the process of making more, when I realized that the frozen orange juice that I had just gotten out of the freezer wasn't frozen. We have been noticing soft ice cream for a few weeks but this was a pretty drastic change. Did I mention that we are broke? I don't think a new refrigerator is in the budget.
While I pondered these things, my husband went to the school to pick up the Grandson. When they returned, they continued to pick up speed instead of slowing down while applying the brakes coming down our long, steep, ice covered driveway. So the truck with the brand new battery that we had to buy for it last night at Walmart, plowed into the back of our other vehicle causing quite a bit of damage to both. I picked up as much of the broken plastic and paint chips as I could, so the chickens wouldn't eat them.
We just laughed this evening when the rain started and we noticed the puddle in the living room getting bigger and bigger. We both continued to laugh as we folded our holey towels and holey wash cloths and wondered if we would ever be able to throw them away, along with my holey long underwear. Tomorrow is Tuesday, I hope.
Then my husband set down at the table to pay bills, we were scampering around trying to shuffle money from place to place in order to write checks. His bank account is empty because of hay, feed, horse training and gas and mine is empty because of hay, feed, horse training and gas. We are hoping to be able to sell the three geldings that we have had trained this Winter in the Spring. They have all turned out very well, we also took two fillies to the trainer this Winter, one is not for sale and the other isn't ready to be sold yet. We just hope that this training isn't another losing proposition.
I had planned to give myself a home perm today. I went to Walmart last night and bought everything that I needed. I told my daughter-in-law not to bring the kids over today because I was going to have the house all stinky, my husband wasn't working, so I thought it would be a good time since he could help me out if I got in trouble.
Then my other daughter-in-law called and said that she was sick and wanted to know if we would pick up our Grandson from school and keep him for a few days. Oh well, no big deal, I could wait on the perm.
We ran out of spiced tea, which makes my husband real testy when he has a cough, so I was in the process of making more, when I realized that the frozen orange juice that I had just gotten out of the freezer wasn't frozen. We have been noticing soft ice cream for a few weeks but this was a pretty drastic change. Did I mention that we are broke? I don't think a new refrigerator is in the budget.
While I pondered these things, my husband went to the school to pick up the Grandson. When they returned, they continued to pick up speed instead of slowing down while applying the brakes coming down our long, steep, ice covered driveway. So the truck with the brand new battery that we had to buy for it last night at Walmart, plowed into the back of our other vehicle causing quite a bit of damage to both. I picked up as much of the broken plastic and paint chips as I could, so the chickens wouldn't eat them.
We just laughed this evening when the rain started and we noticed the puddle in the living room getting bigger and bigger. We both continued to laugh as we folded our holey towels and holey wash cloths and wondered if we would ever be able to throw them away, along with my holey long underwear. Tomorrow is Tuesday, I hope.
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