Time to rant

The auto industry;  the news is full of it.  Thanks to the earthquakes, tsunami, and nuclear issues in Japan, electronic parts are not available for cars.  That includes the Big Three. In fact, last I heard, GM has already suspended production at their Louisiana plant.

We live in the Rust Belt.  Eöl works in the auto industry.  We're waiting to see what is going to happen.

I'm reading a lot about how the price of cars is going up.  Panic buying and all that.  **boggles** Who buys a new car out of panic??   When I panic, I bake stuff and plant more seeds.  I don't rush out and buy a new car.  *shrugs*

I've yet to see any commentary on what will happen to our economy if Japan is unable, for an extended period of time, to ship auto parts.  That's what concerns me most:  My personal economy.  What's going to happen if Eöl is out of work for months and months?  What about the rest of the auto workers?  Remember the Trickle Down theory?  Once the auto workers are out of work, the housing market will take another dive, smaller businesses will lose business and lay off workers, and the trend will continue.  Gloom and doom all around.

The media is busy telling us the recession is over.  In fact, I think we've been hearing that for a while.  I wonder if those people ever go to the store and look at food prices?

The latest news is that the auto industry is fighting the government because the new fuel efficiency guidelines are too tough, or something like that.  Maybe they just want more cookies at snack time.  I'm never sure what the heck is going on. However, the story I read (you can google it, I'm too lazy to look for the link) said that layoffs may be a result if they have to follow these new guidelines (or they may just hold their breath until someone says they don't have to worry about guidelines).  HELLOOOO!!  Have they even checked their assembly lines lately??  Looks to me like layoffs are already an issue. 

We are working toward a self-sufficient life.  Eventually, news like this will leave us unaffected.  But for now, we have a mortgage, and a lot of worry about what will happen.  All this because of a natural disaster on the other side of the planet! 

If this gets bad enough, do you think America will wake up and say it's time to be a little more self-sufficient?  Time for these items, as well as many others, to be produced in our own country?  Think of the jobs that such a move would create! A metaphorical WonderBra for our sagging economy!! *shrugs*  I guess maybe if it'd been China that had the natural disaster, and people were wondering why the stores were practically empty, then maybe we'd see something along those lines. 

My bike ride home from work...

It was cool.  Figuratively: *gestures to beautiful falling snow*, as well as literally:  "Oy! Got any salt? Me bum is frozen to me bike seat!!"

Wife Wanted

I've recently returned to work.  It's a seasonal job, and I love it.  It's nice to be out of the house for a while.  But it's stressful. Not the job,  I LOVE my job! But managing home after work, yeah, stressful.  You working moms know what I'm talking about.  In fact, my hat is off to those of you that can manage work, budgeting, housework, cooking, etc, and not run amok with a chainsaw, or at least a spork, at the end of the week.

I recently brought up the fact that I'm pretty darned stressed to the family.  We were sitting at lunch over the weekend, and our conversation was something like this:

Me:  I've decided to remarry.

*Puzzled expressions all around the table*

Me:  Yes, I've decided I need a wife.

Big Sis:  I knew it!! Mom's GAY!!

Me: *Rolls eyes*  What I need is to come home from work and relax a bit.  I need someone to cook my meals, do my laundry, balance the budget.  Someone to  make sure bills get paid so I don't wake up in a cold sweat wondering what the date is and did I pay the electric bill.  Someone to carry in firewood and then make sure that mess gets swept up, the house gets dusted *glances at cobwebs dangling merrily over the china cabinet*.  Someone to do the laundry and make sure it all gets hung out early enough to get dry, then gets it brought in, folded, and put away, without being asked a dozen times.  Someone to make sure the eggs get wiped and put in the fridge.  Then there's the seeds to start, the garden to plant, harvest, canning, berries to pick and put up for jam, chickens to butcher and pluck, fences to build, the chicken house to muck out.  You know, that sort of thing.

*Everyone babbling at one time*

Me:  Oh, yeah, she'd also have to be able to listen to three of you talk about three different things at one time. And then drop what she's doing to go look at *glances at Little Sis* some kitten/chicken/dog trick, or maybe a dead thing; *glances at Big Sis* inspect baby poop; *glances at Eöl* or go watch you blow something up.

Eöl:  Yeah, what we really need is more estrogen in this house. *rolls eyes*

Little Sis:  You should just go on Wife Swap. 

Me:  Oh, great idea! I want to be swapped with one of those chicks that goes to the spa all day!!

Eöl: I can see her here trying to help me work on the car...*does falsetto voice* "Which one is the brake?" or maybe, "Is that CHICKEN POOP on the porch??!!!"


I guess I will give up on the wife hunt.  Most likely I'd end up with one of those whiny, frou-frou chicks that expected to be taken to dinner every night and spent her days watching Oprah and Dr Phil. 

I suppose what I really need is to clone myself.  Ha.  That would be awesome!! I'd get so much done!! And I don't need designer clothes to do it in! ;)

Really, we're just going through our annual Period Of Adjustment Because Mom Is Back At Work.  This year is a bit more difficult thanks to Baby Chipmunk.  Not that we don't love the squirrelly little thing.  But Big Sis has her hands full just trying to get a shower every day.    Little Sis helps her a huge amount, and does try hard to help out with the housework and laundry.   Eöl has even been sweeping the floors.

I guess it's a good thing that things don't go as smoothly without me.  I'm irreplaceable!!  (Someone call Eöl and tell him what a lucky guy he is!!)

Note to family:  Big Sis, thanks for letting me nap and making dinner last night!! Little Sis, amazing job on the kitchen yesterday! Thanks!!  Eöl, I love you for bringing in firewood yesterday!!  And thanks for dealing with me during the adjustment period.  Side note: I'm a lot nicer when you clean up after yourselves. I love you!!

Breastfeeding and Nana Blogging

I started this blog to sort of keep track of things that happened here on the homestead, so in a way, being a Nana falls right in line with everything else.  I wonder if, in the world of mommy bloggers, there's a niche for Nana bloggers?

There's a great breastfeeding post over at Adventures in Mommyhood.  She also has some awesome links. 

I mentioned in my comment on her post about Little Mom's hospitalization.  It's something that was completely unexpected, and caused a major issue with breastfeeding Baby Chipmunk.  So, my advice to all breastfeeding moms, loudly seconded by Little Mom:  Store an emergency supply in your freezer!  Things happen: illness, accidents, etc, and your little breastfed bundle will be better cared for with a supply of mommy milk instead of some artificial grossness. 

When Little Mom was taken to the ER, she specifically requested only medication that would allow her to continue to nurse Baby Chipmunk.  However, somewhere down the line, either her condition was too serious or someone ignored her instructions, and the medication she received was not safe for baby.  Even if she had been conscious most of the time (she wasn't), she couldn't have pumped a supply to send home due to the toxicity of her meds.

Anyway, it's just a heads-up for nursing moms.  It's something that I'd never thought of, and I nursed 4 babies.  Hopefully, it's something most moms will never need worry about, but better safe than sorry.

I now return you to your regularly scheduled program of homesteading mayhem, weather whines, and general rants with chainsaw background noises.

Thank you for calling...

...to report your power outage.  Please speak responses.  If there is no power at this address, please say "no power".  If you are calling to report a light out, please say "light out".  If there is some power at this address, please say "partial power".

Me:  No power.

Stupid phone computer:  I'm sorry.  I did not understand your response. (repeats instructions)

Me: NO POWER

Phone computer that should die a horrible death:  I'm sorry. I did not understand your response. (repeats instructions)

Me: NO POWER!!!

Phone computer that is obviously possessed by evil demons:  I'm sorry.  I did not understand your response. (repeats instructions)

Me:  *cusses loudly* I need to speak to a real person.

Phone computer:  Did you say "no power"?  Please say yes or no.

Me: GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!

When it rains, it pours...

...Story of my life.  It's never just one thing.  Oh nooooooo.  That would be easier to deal with.  Nope. When it rains, it pours.  In this case, quite literally.

We had all the stress with worrying about Baby Chipmunk, could we get the necessary appointment in time, etc etc.  Then Eöl got sick.  And I mean sick.  High fever and the works.  So, I drove him to the dr...in the middle of a major snowstorm.  Yeah..did I mention that severe weather and emergencies in our family tend to go hand in hand?  He ended up in bed for three straight days while the rest of us worked to fight off whatever respiratory demon had him in its grasp.  (His test said not the flu, but the dr treated it as the flu, anyway.)  Despite his fever and malaise, I seriously envied his three days of sleep, waited on hand and foot.  My days were on fast forward from the time I opened my eyes in the morning, until I collapsed, exhausted, for a three hour nap before getting up to tend the fires.

Once Little Mom managed to get Baby Chipmunk's specialist appointment arranged, I had to work out the logistics.  The appointment was at a children's hospital two hours away.  And this is where our simple life kind of got in the way.

We've been a single car family for over a year.  My van died, and we never bothered to replace it, as my job is only seasonal and within biking/walking distance.  All of our errands or appointments are scheduled during Eöl's off hours; it really hasn't been a big deal..until this.   In addition, after the van dying (on the side of the interstate, in the middle of the night), we are a bit paranoid about driving our well-used-but-paid-for vehicle long distances.  So...a rental car was the solution.  I've never rented a car before, so I was tense about that.  Who am I kidding, I was already stressed to the point of snapping, and this was just another thing to deal with.  But the rental folk were nice, the car was a beauty, and parked in the driveway, loaded and ready to go early the next morning.

I didn't expect to sleep much the night before the appointment, but it was even worse that expected.  We had thunderstorms all night long.  It rained, loudly and heavily.  The dogs barked at the thunder, Chipmunk fussed, everyone else had a fever...and then we woke to this:

If you look carefully, you can see where the road disappears into the water.

Just...wow.

This was taken after the water had receded at bit. You can tell by the debris caught in the bridge railing.

Lovely spot for a picnic...if you are a duck.

We were extremely fortunate that a road was open between our home and the interstate, and we didn't even hit any detours on the way.  These pics were taken after we got back, when we had to drive far out of our way to get into the village to the pharmacy for Chipmunk's meds.
After the appointment, we were all much relieved.  There'll be tests, and meds, maybe for life, but the prognosis is good. 

But of course...there's more:

Big Sis had to be hospitalized for an intestinal issue, just the very next day.  Baby Chipmunk had to live on formula for a few days, which, we discovered, is not tolerated well.  The rain returned and the flood waters rose..again...and we spent days running back and forth to the hospital.  Chipmunk was the darling of the nurse's station.

So...if you wondered why I was stressed and ready to punch someone in the face for whining to me about facebook, cats, tree-trimmers, or any other inconsequential blather, now you know.  Keep in mind, all this drama was within the time frame of a couple of weeks.

Little Mom is back with Chipmunk, I got 12 straight hours of much needed sleep, and life is slowly returning to normal.  Or, as normal as it will ever be for someone like me.

Oh...wait...I spoke too soon.  **headdesk**

Chainsaw Award

Some women stand out, go above and beyond the call of duty, and just flat out kick butt.  For those women that don't sit at home whining about stuff, but actually get off their asses and do something about it, I have instituted the Chainsaw Award.  


Big Sis was the reason I came up with the idea.  She left a bad relationship, rather than sit on her butt and become one of those girls we used to see on Oprah.  It wasn't an easy thing to do, and she lost most of her personal possessions in the process.

She put up with a lot of gossip because she was unmarried and pregnant.  She handled it with grace, dignity,  and a few well-placed, smart-assed remarks.

She laughed as hard as I did when the Village Idiot said, of her unborn child, "Your baby is ugly."  (We still have to hold our sides over that one...what a moron!)

She dealt with harassment from her ex, as well as his family, and kept the safety of Baby Chipmunk her number one priority.

She strapped on her ass-kicking boots when the pediatrician's office drug their feet over the specialist referral Baby Chipmunk needed.  Medical staff says you need the appointment immediately; office staff says it could take two weeks. You'd think they'd be on the same page, wouldn't you?  But Big Sis wouldn't be put off, and the appointment was made within a few days.

She has handled red tape and paperwork like a pro, making sure that Baby Chipmunk gets the required medical attention and medication.

She is working toward her college degree with a promising future.

And on top of all of this, she is breastfeeding, which alone makes her a hero in my book.  Especially now that we know (thanks to Big Sis' hospitalization over a stomach issue) that Baby Chipmunk's system will not handle formula.

For all of those reasons, and many more, I hereby award Big Sis the first ever Chainsaw Award, along with the new title of Little Mom.  I have no worries for Baby Chipmunk's future, being in the hands of one of the best moms I've ever seen.

A very confused Roo

Remember that Lonely Chick Little Sis hand raised?  He's turned out to be the sweetest Roo you ever met, albeit a bit species confused.  He likes to sleep with the cats at night, but during the day, he follows Little Sis around.  If she's inside, he hangs out by the window and makes goo-goo eyes at her.  If she's outside, he finds tasty morsels of worms and bugs, clucks and dances until she comes over, pokes at the goodies, and tells him to go ahead and eat it, she's not hungry. 

The cats think he's one of their own and always make room for him in the sleeping basket.

His only bad habit is trying to sneak into the house when I carry wood inside.  Little Sis is begging to buy diapers for him and let him sleep in her room.   *sigh*  I'm putting my foot down about that one.