Banks, Schmanks

Well, we got the first insurance check 3 weeks ago. We took it to the bank to deposit it so we could get started on the rebuild. The bank had other ideas. They decided that since they have an interest in the property, they had to keep the check for 3 weeks to make sure it wasn't a fraudulent claim.

The bank employee we usually deal with sent the check with some other paperwork to the home office in Ohio. Then we waited, and waited and waited some more. I finally lost my patience and called to find out what the problem was. I found out that they had "forgotten" to send it back. They would have to find it. Really? Mind you, it was sent to them via FEDEX. They finally sent it back, fully endorsed, via USPS. Can you believe that? They sent a fully endorsed check through the mail!

So we rushed to the bank to deposit the check since the letter stated that there wouldn't have to be another hold on it since they had already verified it. I got online today to check and low and hold - there's a freakin' hold on the damn check. Now I'm really ticked off. I am so sick of this bank! You had better believe that as soon as all this is done, we are taking our money else where. This is ridiculous.

I just want to be able to write the first check so that the contractor can start demolishing the old house. We are missing out on a lot of beautiful building weather! I am telling you, the less you have to deal with banks, the better off you'll be. Curious about what bank it is? Well, it starts with a K. It ends with a Y and there is an E in the middle. I do not recommend this bank.

Still deciding

I have been looking through all of my seed catalogs and even looking online, but I have such a hard time deciding what to grow. I plan on growing all the usual things like green beans, corn, onion, beets, carrots and tomatoes, but I can't decide which kind to plant. I love trying new things, but I like the old standbys too. AND my time is going to be severely limited this year due to already discussed issues.

I had saved a bunch of seeds from last years harvest, but they were lost. I found a few still in the jars, but I have no idea if they will grow or not. I am going to plant a tray with a few to see if they will even germinate. Hoping to do that this Saturday in the basement. Still trying to figure out a way to keep the felines out of the mix. I have one kitty, Albert, who is especially nosy. He's a handful that's for sure.

I was talking to my husband last night after watching part of a show on Nat Geo about "preppers". I told him we needed to at least think about a disaster plan. And since everything we did have stored was lost - we have to start all over. Here's what we came up with. We are planning on putting metal trash cans inside plastic trash cans to store some things like matches, candles, lamp oil, you know the basics. Why the two different cans? Well the plastic ones will keep out water, but since they can be chewed thru - the metal will keep out the critters. The plastic one will keep the metal can from being exposed to water and thus rust. I want to have a supply can in every building on the farm. That way if one is compromised, we have a back up. Always good to have a plan b. I am hoping that I can get a few extra seeds this year to start a survival garden if needed. It wouldn't have done us any good to store the seeds in the freezer like the guy on t.v. last night because of the fire. We will keep on researching and learning about storing viable seeds. Water would be our main concern. We have a well, but the only way to get the water out is with an electric pump. We are going to look at installing a hand pump for emergencies. Rain water is currently an option, however, if there should ever be nuclear fall out - it would make the rain toxic. It's scary to think of all the things that could happen!

Let the Demolition Begin - Well not so fast!

Well the insurance company finally sent the first of 2 checks for the rebuild of our home. After some banking issues are cleared(we have to set up a separate account), we will begin.

Hopefully in the next week or so, the contractor can start tearing down whats left of our burned out house. He is optimistic that we will be able to use the existing foundation. He'll know more once the old structure is removed. He said he will have the building inspector out there to look a the foundation and make sure it is sound.

After the debris is removed, they are going to dig out the crawl space a little more. That way we have more room to move around if work needs to be done under the house in later years. As it sits, it is extremely tight. I went under there a couple of years ago to try to find a leak and ended up in a panic attack because I thought the house was going to fall on me. Claustrophobia sucks!

The contractor was trying to decide on the best place to put the circuit box. It has to be 3 feet away from any water source. I suggested putting it in the guest room closet. We don't have many guests and it would be out of the way, yet easy to get too. It would also be on the same side of the house as the main line from the road. He's considering that. He wanted to put it with the furnace, but the water heater and water softener are going to be in there and its not a huge closet area.

We know we are going to have a least 2 pocket doors. They are kinda cool and don't take up any room like a swinging door. Don't have to worry about punching a hole in the wall with a door knob either. Yay!

I can hardly wait to have a real pantry. I was looking at doors that say pantry on them last night in some catalogs we picked up at the home improvement store. I know that custom doors can be pricey, so I suggested we get a plain glass door and etch it ourselves. Then we can put whatever design and graphic we want to on it. There are so many cool door designs. We can't decide on a front door. Wood, fiberglass, steel, stained, painted - what color.... so many choices!

The kitchen cabinets are going to be a tough choice too. Of course we have to stay well within the budget, but there are so many styles, colors and finishes to choose from. It's overwhelming to say the least. Laminate counter tops to allow for a granite (or other similar type) island top. What color? NOT WOOD GRAINED! Had that in the last house - looked terrible! Hubby was even picking out the appliances he wanted for "his" kitchen - whatever! He's lucky I liked what he was looking at.

Then we went and looked at lighting. Indoor, outdoor, ambient, task, ceiling mounts, drops, wall mounts, yard lights, porch lights, OMG!

Move on to kitchen faucets - narrowed it down to brushed nickel or oiled bronze - ok that wasn't too hard. What style? Definitely goose neck. Not too fond of the pull down sprayer type - all the displays seemed to be broken - is that a sign? Looked at sinks as well. Looked at one type that said "Heat, crack and chip proof" Looked up at the display model - cracked in two places! Really? Not very good for advertising. Might want to take a look at that again - sink people!

Moving on - what about the 3 toilets we have to pick. Are they all going to be the same? Oooo that one is neat - easy to clean base - no nooks and crannies - hey that one has a slam proof lid! Cool! Dual flush? Supposedly saves water by using less to flush liquid and a little more for solids. Can't they say poop? Everybody still poops right?

What about flooring? Absolutely No Carpet! How about laminate for the living room, kitchen and bedrooms and tile or slate for the bathrooms and laundry room.......

Buying in the USA...

As we get ready to start building our new home, we were talking about all the problems with imported building materials. Things like drywall imported from China is substandard to that manufactured in the US. Ours might be just a bit more pricey, but I would rather pay a little more and know it's going to last. The same goes for steel. I keep reading articles about low quality steel used in buildings that have since collapsed. When the steel's path was retraced it came directly from China. I understand that builders are trying to save a buck to make more profit, but is it really worth loosing integrity and respect and money if everything you build falls down?

Our builder said he would evaluate our budget and do his very best to by US products. He did say however, that it would be nearly impossible for him build our house with 100% US made due to costs. He has agreed to consult with us on what would be acceptable and what would not. Here are a few things that we know are going to be Made in the USA: the bricks for the exterior, the lumber, the drywall, the paint, and the windows. We are currently looking into bath fixtures, kitchen fixtures, appliances, local cabinet makers, furniture, and flooring. Also checking out light fixtures, outlet covers and wiring.

We have also adjusted the size of the house to try to allow for more USA made materials. I am going to do my best to purchase accessories and such at local flea markets, garage sales and auctions. There's still a lot of really neat things out there that were made in the USA a long time ago.

I challenge you to buy American next time you go out shopping!

The Buzz on Our Bees

My husband is a beekeeper. He's been at it for a couple of years. The first year we left them alone to make enough honey for themselves and to get properly established. The last couple of years, we invaded the hives. I shouldn't say we, as it was all him. I am allergic to bee stings. I watch from far, far away! After he raids hives, he filters the honey in the garage to remove debris and any unfortunate bees. He then brings the honey in the house and we (I help with this part) put the honey in jars to be sold.

We still had a bucket the had approximately 65 lbs of honey in it last fall when the house burned. We lost it. We lost the honey that the bees had worked so hard to make all summer. My husband was devastated. We going to jar up the rest of that bucket the weekend that the house went up. We had all the jars and labels ready. We had the bucket set up high so that we could just open the nozzle and let the honey run. It just wasn't going to happen.

As this winter proceeds with the roller coaster ride of temperature, we are hoping the bees make it though okay. I am going to be sure to plant even more flowers around the place so that they don't have to fly as far to get pollen and nectar.

I even bought them a bunch of new (used) hives at an auction. We are in the process of cleaning and disinfecting them. When that is done we will paint them very bright colors in non-toxic paint, of course.

Good luck, girls!

New Seed Catalogs

I can hardly stand it. New seed catalogs are spread around on the floor near my chair in the living room. I am getting overwhelmed by all the choices I have. AND there's even more choices online! What's a girl to do? I am going to have to narrow it down quickly so that I can get my seeds ordered. The sooner they get here the sooner I can start them in the basement. It's cool down there, but warm enough for germination. I am going to have to get another grow light. I had one that I bought last winter, but it was lost in the house fire. Bummer.

My biggest problem is going to be getting the 2 cats to stay out of my indoor green house! Last year I started seeds in the kitchen on the table that we never actually ate at. I had the UV light mounted from my hanging pots/pans rack. Talk about a redneck set up! I had little mini greenhouses made out of the covered trays that come from Subway (yummy!). I snagged those from work when they bought our dinners from time to time.

However, there were a few baking pans that didn't have lids and the kitties jumped on the table and ate whatever was sprouting like it was their own personal salad bar! I tried planting cat grass in a pot in another room to try to keep them away from my plants. They ate that too.

This year I think I will use one of the those multi-level drying racks for sweater and things. I can put plexi glass or something over the slats to keep things from falling thru. Using clear material will also allow more light to filter down. I will have to rotate planters to keep things growing evenly. I can then cover the whole thing with a clear drop cloth or plastic to keep the furry beasts out.... Sounds like a whole lot of work to me. Oh HONEY.... I need you to build something for me!

Meanwhile I will continue to dream about my garden to be. I can see it now. Rows of green beans, peas, carrots, radishes, more green beans, potatoes, tomatoes, green peppers, hot peppers, corn, cucumbers, squash, pumpkins. Don't forget about the flowers and herbs. A complete kitchen garden and a perennial flower bed that borders the house! Oh wait, there isn't a house yet. Okay so the flowers may have to wait until NEXT year. I can dream can't I?!

Why are Dogs so hard to adopt?

Keep in mind that this is my opinion and if you don't like it - you don't have to continue to read it.

Now don't misconstrue that question. I understand that the rescues and shelters don't want people adopting hoards of animals only to get them back later. Can someone please tell me though, why do they have to make it so damn hard? I am on the lookout for a good companion dog for my autistic son. I want a larger breed, but not too big. He want s a dog to wrestle with. I also have to keep in mind that we have 2 other small dogs and 2 cats. I know, too, that I will probably be doing most of the caring for this animal. I was on a pet finding website today like many times before looking at pictures and reading descriptions. There were so many stipulations - it made me not want to get a dog from a rescue or shelter. Here's my beef with the whole thing......

Most places do background checks to make sure you can afford to care for the animal.

They want a visible fence in the yard - not invisible fence

They want proof of vet visits - even years later - Hello - ever heard of Holistic Pet care? You don't have to go to the vet for everything.

Some limit the number of people and animals in the home. - Hello? If someone has the money and time and love for animals - who cares?

The applications are very personal. They want to know your utilities, rent/mortgage, ins, grocery expenses - I'm sorry that's none of your freaking business!

Oh and there's the outrageous adoption fees. I understand that caring for animals is expensive, but to charge $250 or more for a dog that no one wanted - then complain about overcrowding? I have no problem with charging a fee to help cover food, overhead and what not, but some of that is just greed. Then to whine and beg for more money because they have too many animals! These places need to make adopting more appealing to the masses. Do the math.

Adoption fee $250

Vet visit $150 or more depending on your location

Food 1st bag $30 also depending on brand could be $15 to $100

Misc toys $50

Treats $30

Heartworm $75 again depending on breed of dog

Flea prev. $40 " "

Your already at $625 and you don't even have the dog home yet! Don't forget the leash, collar, crate and, if you do this, clothing! Your looking at close to a $1000 just to bring a dog home!

Now in my area, we have 2 kinds of vets - ones that charge for every little thing and one, only one, that will only charge what needs to be charged to cover costs and not try empty my wallet. The one vet wanted to charge me an office visit for each animal even though I was bringing them in all at one time. That was $120 just to walk in the door with 4 critter. Then it was $40 for this, $30 for that, $60 for that, $50 for the other. Oh and $180 for neutering an 8lb dog. $480 just for shots, testing and a minor procedure.

The less expensive vet charge $50 for all the testing and $70 for neutering. $120 vs $480 - where do you think I'm going to go? Unfortunately that vet is getting on in years and won't be around a whole lot longer. I am saddened to think that our community will lose a great country vet and be forced fed overpriced vet clinics.

Like I said before I have two dogs. One is a purebred mini dachshund that we paid a huge AKC price for. Then the breed ripped us off by never sending the AKC paperwork. Wanted another HUGE price for that! He's a sweet dog, but not very smart. Our other dog is a Finish Spitz/Chihuahua mix shelter dog that I adopted in 2007 for a whopping $10. He's the sweetest, smartest, most loyal animal I have ever had. As for the 2 cats (we had three but lost one in a house fire), they are barn cats that tugged on our heartstrings so much we had to bring them inside. The cat we lost in the fire was a shelter cat also. I adopted him in 2003. He was about 4 years old then. I'm guessing he was 11 or 12 at the time of the fire. His adoption fee was only $5 from a city shelter. His name was Zeke, but I called him my "Lil' Old Man". He loved to snuggle and if I sat down for more than 5 minutes he was in my lap.

So you see - I don't have a problem with shelter animals. It's the crazy demands and processes it now takes to adopt an animal from them. That being said, the next animal I take into my home will not be from an overpriced shelter, but from a free ad in the paper or on craigslist or something.

I've been away.

Wow, it has really been a long, long time since I posted anything. I guess I kinda got lost in life. Its been a rough couple of years. I am hoping the last major snafu will be the last for a good long time. We lost our house in a fire in October. Undetermined electrical was the cause. What a nighmare. Thankfully we are all ok. We did lose a much loved kitty named Zeke though. He was about 11 I think. An adoptee from the Anderson animal shelter, he was a good kitty. We'd had him since 2004. My husband said as he was running out of the burning house calling "kitty, kitty, kitty" he thought he saw Zeke run back in. Poor critter was confused. Our other 2 kitties were secured after the fire in the garage. They lived in there for 5 weeks while we lived in a hotel room with the 2 dogs. We are all now living in a rental home until ours is rebuilt.

This has been a long process and won't be over for months. I never ever thought in a million years that I would have to actually list every single item in my home. I'm not kidding. Insurance wants to know how many rolls of toilet paper we had to how many magnets were on the fridge. Really? I don't know! My husband and I have spent hours trying to remember. Why is it so hard you may ask. Well you have to understand that I am a collector. (hubbs calls it borderline hoarder) Without looking - can you say how many pairs of socks, undies, bras, purses, jeans, pants, shorts, shoes, belts, bags, makeup brushes, q-tips, bandaids, tea bags, spices, plates, cups, forks, spoons, knives, pens, pencils, buttons, spools of thread, kitchen gadgets, utensils, cleaners, rags, towels, sheets, blankets, pillowcases, movies, cd's, notebooks, stamps, pins, scissors, quilt fabrics, paints, brushes, earrings, necklaces, etc. You get my point. Its not easy.

Did you notice how scattered the list is? Well that is what happens in my head when I am trying to list stuff. I will try to focus on one room - say the kitchen- when all of the sudden something will pop in my head and off my mind goes to that room, then on to the next room. Before I know it, my brain is ready to explode and I have to walk away. Been at this for 3 months.

Insurance also wants to know when we bought/aquired it, how much we paid, and current replacement cost including tax. OMG! Some stuff will never be able to be replaced. I had a lot of discontinued quilt fabrics, antiques and pictures. HELLO!!!!!!!

I had a bunch of vintage trade blankets from the 1930's and 1940's. I've been collecting them for years. I recently checked an online auction site - WOW! I didn't pay anywhere near those prices!

Oh and my pink leather jacket. I found what was left of that in the rubble. I haven't found another one yet.

Why am I not thinking of things right now instead of posting? Well, it's time for one of those breaks. Thankfully I have the kind of job allows me to do this kind of thing. After all, there's not much I can do until a customer actually walks through the door.

Stay tuned.

What's the point

I was going to blog away this evening, but decided to forget about it. No one reads these anyway. I wanted to bitch about work, insurance, autism, so called friends, families, stalled creativity, fleas, flea killers that don't kill and illness. Here's one thought for it all PPPBBBBBBBBBBLLLLLLLLLLLLLFFFFFFFFFFFHHHHHHHHHHHH(for those who might read this - that's a raspberry) I am going to take a shower and go to bed before I punch somebody.

A special Trip to Idaho and Washington

Well I just got back from Washington and Idaho. I was able to squeeze out enough extra money from the budget to go. I bought a plane ticket and then made my plans on where to stay. It wasn't until after my plane ticket was purchased that my husband lost his job. Since the ticket was non refundable - we decided I should still go and just relax.

Teresa Sue was gracious enough to open her home to me and Dawn. She has a wonderfully charming old farmhouse that I just love. She told me to come back in the winter - I'll want to divorce it. I had a marvelous time and can't wait until I can maybe go back. She is a terrific hostess and I just love her cooking.

We went antiquing on Thursday. Friday we played in the sewing room and she gave me about 20 pounds of fabric. Friday night we went to Mary Jane's store in Couer D'Alene, ID. I loved the store and dressed the part. What I didn't like - sorry if I offend anyone, but I have to honest- was the people in the town. There is rude then there is REALLY RUDE. I have never in my life been made to feel so uncomfortable. People all looking down their noses at us. Whatever - I understand I only saw one little part of the town, but I sure didn't like that part.

I truly want MJ's store to be successful, but I probably wouldn't go back to that one. The mall it was in was full of REALLY expensive boutiques. Sorry, but Kmart budgets can't shop at Tiffanies. Now don't get me wrong. I did go to the candy/ice cream store and make a purchase and I also made a purchase at MJ's store, but there was no way I could have made a purchase at any of the other stores.

I'll take her little store in Moscow over Couer D'Alene any day. Again, I am not trying to be bitchy or nasty, just honest. I shoot from the hip. It may offend, but that's life.

That's all for tonight, I have to go inspect more buses in the morning.

Budgeting help for organic shopping

Today, I actually got to go to rummage sales and take my time looking. I didn't buy too much. I found a couple of Pampered Chef things that I can use and 1 to give as a gift to my mother. I also found a shopping tote that says right on it "Organic". Of course I couldn't pass that up for only 25 cents. That was all I bought at that particular sale. After we got back to my friends house - I decided I needed to go to the store.

I grabbed my little shopping bag and headed in with my hastily written list. ( I wrote it in the parking lot) Even though all I really needed when I entered the store was cat food, litter and those dynamo label cartridges, I decided to revamp the household with some new organic/natural items. We as a family are also trying to find gluten free foods for our son.

I headed to the health and beauty aisle first. Even though Meijer is getting more natural and organic items, Tom's of Maine is most familiar to me. Purchased toothpaste-4.69, bar soap-3.49 and aluminum free deo-4.99. I have a bar of "crystal deo", but I am nervous about using it. I am sure some of the truck drivers I deal with daily wouldn't even notice, but I would know if it wasn't working.

On to the groceries. What follows is a list of current Meijer prices for anyone looking to change their eating habits. I realize there are probably other places I could have gone and may have gotten better deals, but Meijer was on the way home and we don't have a Whole Foods Market near us. (nearest is 30 miles) I have included the name, whether it is organic or not, quanity and price.
Florida Crystals organic cane sugar, 2lbs @ 5.58 on sale 2/5.00
Wholesome Sweeteners (fair trade) organic sucanat (dehydrated cane juice) 1 lb @ 4.09
Meijer Organics EVOO 17 oz 7.99
Meijer Organics Crumbled Feta 6 oz 4.79
Meijer Organics trad. refried beans 15 oz @1.19 each got 2 for 2.38
Meijer Organics Tomato Sauce 15 oz @ 1.39 each got 2 for 2.78
Meijer Organics Golden Sweet Corn 15.25 oz @1.09 each got 2 for 2.18
Meijer Organics Tomatoes with Basil 28 oz @ 1.59 each got 2 for 3.18
Meijer Organics Tomato Paste 6 oz @ .75 each got 2 for 1.50
Bob's RedMill GF All purpose Baking flour 22 oz 4.99
Bob's RedMill GF Almond Meal/Flour 16 oz 13.99
Bob's RedMill GF Tapioca flour 20 oz 3.89
Bob's RedMill GF Bread Mix 16 oz 5.39
Bob's RedMill GF White Rice Flour 24 oz 5.79
Bob's RedMill GF Creamy Rice hot cereal 26 oz 4.89
Tinkya'da GF Brown Rice Pasta Shells 16 oz 3.89
Blue Diamond GF Natual Almond nut-thins smokehouse flavor and cheddar flavor 4.25 oz 3.39 each on sale 2/5.00
World's best kitty litter (made from whole kernal corn) 8 lbs @ 8.25 each got 2/14.50 with coupons.
Meijer reusable shopping bag .99

The only non-organic/natural purchases - mailing tape, dynamo label refill cassettes, and cat food for the barn cats.

Total for the organic/natural items is..................112.54

This includes the bag and the kitty litter. That may sound like a lot, but if you think about it, the flours, sugars, cat food, litter, toothpaste, deo and soap don't have to be purchased every week.
That would lesson the bill by more than $85. This money could then be used to purchase organic cheese, meat and veggies. If you find a good deal on the meat, you can freeze it. This blog is merely here to help someone who might not think that buying organic is affordable when in fact it is. You have to shop wisely (it helps to have a plan). Still don't think you can revamp all at once? Then don't. Start small with 1 or 2 things that you think you might like such as EVOO and the canned veggies. Also remember that I am leaning toward a gluten-free diet as well. You can find organic regular flours, crackers and other goodies that might be a little bit cheaper. Gluten-free foods have to be processed and packaged in separate facilities to prevent cross-contamination. This means higher overhead and higher prices.
I will leave you with this thought - It is better to pay a little bit more money now for organic/natural foods and products than to pay with your health later because you didn't.