Stressing Out on the Homestead

Next week, Independence Day falls on Wednesday. More importantly, next Friday is Greg's birthday. So this seems like a good time to be on a semi-vacation until July 9th.

I say semi-vacation because Getting Back to Basics will still post on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. And The Frugal Way Facebook page will update regularly as I find freebies here and there.

I could use the break. I've been burning the candle at both ends trying to harvest and put up vegetables every day. And the heat has been awful! Two of our chicken pens have water misters, but one doesn't. In order to keep the poor birds from roasting alive, I've set them free during the day so they can find shade under the trees.

...only I have a few dumb birds that won't even leave their pen with the door wide open. I literally saved one bird from certain death when I found her panting and falling over with every step. It was definitely heat stroke. I rushed her into the house and bathed her in cool water. When she started flapping her wings again, I put her under a big shady American beautyberry bush. She was back to normal within the hour.

Chicks at: 1 day old, 1 week old, 2 weeks old

And the other day, I had a chick born three days early! I've never had that happen before. He seems okay. Scared me to death though when I found him on the floor of the incubator cheeping like crazy. I take pride in keeping accurate hatch records and I was afraid I had made a terrible mistake.

To add insult to injury, when the temps rise, the scorpions (my mortal enemies) Bogart their way into the house looking for moisture. The other day I accidentally stepped on one. Good thing I had my shoes on! I think God was looking out for me because I never have my shoes on in the house. I've been murdalizing 2-3 scorpions a day.

As if I didn't have enough stress, I got a new smartphone. LOL. It took me a day to get it set up the way I like, but now I'm at peace with it. I got the Droid Razr Maxx with that nice big screen. Not only is it easier to read, but the touch pad is easier to type on. Maria happy.

Yoga has been going well. It's been a miraculous panacea for my back and knee. Not only am I getting stronger, but I'm losing weight! Win-win. It's helped so much I hate to miss even one session. I try to go at least five times a week.

Anyway, that's my life lately. I'll be gone (from here) for a week--but not really. I'll still be visiting you guys. Meanwhile, I'd like to invite you to visit and follow Getting Back to Basics. Cheryl Alldredge just posted there and I'll have another guest blogger in July. 

Can you do me a favor?

1. Ask your friends and family to Like my Facebook page--The Frugal Way.

2. Visit Back to Basics regularly, commenting often and tweeting when you find a post you like. You can even tweet old posts if you liked them.

Help me spread the word. I really want the blog and Facebook page to reach more people. Besides, there's loot involved! The Meet and Greet Giveaway is now live for a whole month. The more you participate, the better your chances for winning. Go here for the details to the contest.

See...

 Loot!

What's new at your end? If you live in Colorado or Florida, how are you faring after your recent disasters?