government control of private gardens-HR 875

Want to see something truly scary.....

http://washingtonwatch.com/bills/show/111_HR_875.html

Think this won't happen... think again.
NAIS bill, the no dust farming Bill and now this.
When are these stupid bills going to stop?
At the rate they are going we won't be allowed to own animals or garden, how stupid is that?
But then... when has the gov and big business been smart?
Is all about greed and the bottom line for them.... heck to all the small farmers who just want to put healthy food on the table.

I have to grow my own Veggies, if I want to eat. I am on a much needed no salt added diet,, and all canned and frozen veggies sold in stores, has a large amount of salt added. I can't eat it without ending up in the ER. And I refuse to buy food from Mexico or China because they can put what ever they want on stuff.

USDA doesn't do their job and we get hurt for it.
Do not think these new bills will help "food safety" any better than the old bills, USDA and FDA are forever falling down on the job. Because of their laziness, It will just cost us little people a whole lot more money to keep animals or garden, if we are allowed to at all.
Wait until they come up for a tax for every mouthfull of food you eat. Bla......
Or maybe it is time to find another country that is proud of their people that grow their own food.

Anyway..because of this... I will most likely not say wither we garden or not. Last thing I need is the Gov coming in and telling me I can't eat my food.

How things have been going

I hate posting without photographs... so I added some below.

We have been busy with small jobs around the place. DH put a electric fence around the garden to keep the chickens out... too bad it wouldn't work for gophers and moles. He and DS cleaned the water tank out and so on.
DH has been busy trying to find a job local, sadly has been turned down for 2 at this point. Which is strange for him because normally if he interviews..he has always gotten the job in the past but these days sadly,, aren't normal times.
DS has been doing chores and studying with the MIT open college courses because that is all we can do for now. Rest of his drive time to get a licence has been put on hold until DH can find a job. Not what we had planned but that is life.
I have been working on my online shops, Art and spinning yarn to try to bring in some money but those types of things just aren't selling much. I have been getting dribbles of Art sales, just wish things were different around the World. Also have some of my china horse figures for sale, as you can see, so if you know someone that might be interested let me know.

My latest work. In this photo I had just finished spinning up two single plys of yarn. Can see one of the green British Top on the wheel and one on the lazy Kate on the floor.

About 99% done with this two ply yarn. It is green British top, with purple, green, red and blue Tussah silk blended in.

Here you can see me plying the two ply yarn.

Yesterday was a little more interesting than I was hoping for. Had a wicked Gale force wind all day yesterday, heavy rain and hail off and on.... then the power went out for 8 hours. Turned out to be two trees on two different country roads that took out the power poles.....again.

Needless to say, this power on and then off thing is getting tiring. Wish we had the money for a bolt down, full house generator. Until then... I have my freezer packed with ice, just in case the power goes out again. sigh ~~~
Today the wind is not as bad, Thank goodness,,,mix of a bit of sun, rain and about an hour of hail.
We are hanging in there with DH lay off,,, guess it is one way to get a vacation, though not our prefered one.

Have some things for sale~

Hi everyone,
Have some things I need to sell. If you know of someone that might be interested send them the links or have them contact me!

Animal Artisty Earthenware Classic sized bay Pinto Shetland. Starting price on ebay is $150.00 and that is a major steal.

AAA Animal Artistry Bone China custom painted Exmoor pony... kind'a looks like a miniature horse to me. Also for sale at $125.00

Animal Artistry Resin... on sale at ebay $95.00
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&item=160319979234

AAA Animal Artistry Bone China, Classic sized, Custom Sec A welsh Pony $300.00 or Best offer over. This price is also a steal.
*

I have these totally new items for sale with Icelandic horses on them,so I finally put them up for sale on my Esty shop. They are priced to help cover the 4% ser charge PayPal charges me.

Would give a discount to family...

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5598628

And I need to sell my Special order Thorowgood Endurance saddle.I am offering this very little used saddle for sale, which is in excellent condition. It is a 17 1/2 inch seat and has an extra widetree. When I bought this saddle last year, it could not be purchased in the US, so I had to buy from Europe. It has a high-comfort seat cushion and flaps shaped for a relaxed leg position. So, together with the Fish™ adjustable-width system to ensure the perfect fit. Great saddle for Haflingers, Fjords, Icelandics, Warmbloods, Drafts or anybreed that has a broad back, this saddle was designed for those kinds of horses. Stored on a saddle stand and this is a smoke free home.Paid $750.00 for it new. Have lowered the price to $550.00 ...buyer pays for shipping.
Did a not very good video of the saddle....

http://s69.photobucket.com/albums/i51/Bergere/?action=view&current=DSCN5053.flv

This beautiful Aviary would be great for Canaries, finches, budgies and so on. Really helps keep the dust and mess contained. A very nice Arcylic very large Aviary with oak trim bird cage for sale, size is ..38" long, 23" wide and 30" tall. Paid $595.00 for it. Asking $395.00 Birds not included. Prefer local pickup because it is so large

The Garden or mud pit you decide

You can see we "really" have raised beds this year. DH was working on getting some pots in the ground so we can plant the carrots in them and hopefully keep the gophers at bay.

Pea trellis is up but I need to find more Hog panels, as I need to plant a lot more Peas this year. If you look closely, far back of the photo, you can see the Mars onion starts are in the ground.

Here are some of the long storing, Copra, onions.

Hopefully today DH & DS can get the tops of the rest of the raised beds flatten out. I will be planting more Pea seeds, plus some carrot, spinach and lettuce.
The soil is improving but we still have a long way to go.

The Suit, the snow Cat and a Cats help~

Oh Believe me,, the Cats were no where near DH with the Suit on. Take a good look because this is an extremely rare sighting,, my DH in a Suit!

Nari hunting in the snow. With the type of fur she has, she is well suited to the snow.

Mia helping DS getting things ready for a burn day, as we burn all paper products.

Above you can see her telling DS where to put the bits of paper.

Here Mia is telling him to put the papers closer to her, so she can play. Was really funny for awhile, as soon as DS would throw a balled up paper in the pile, Mia would jump in and take said balled piece of paper else where to be played with.

Needless to say DS had some exercise retrieving said paper play toys. LOL

Snow

Had a couple of inches of wet sticky snow a few days ago. Rather pretty, as you can see it sticking to the branches of the trees.

The old fruit trees up front. Sadly the Very old flowering cherry tree suffered some damage. Have clean up as much as I dare this year but want to wait till next year to continue, as not to stress the old tree any more than I have too.

Horse shed with the horses eating breakfast. Can see how the trees kind'a sparkle.

Looking out to the hay field and our woodlands beyond.

Products Made in America

I have been slowly collecting a list of American made products with stock that comes from the USA/Canada too. I like to buy excellent quality that will last a life time, buying from a small family or very small company and of course, would prefer to buy American Made. If you supply or offer product(s) that are Made in American with resources found in America, please contact me and I will be happy to add you to the list.

Swallow Lane Farm~
These folks have been around a long time. Even bought Jacob ewes from them awhile back. Not only do they raise their own sheep in WA, they also make their own yarn to make into blankets, Very nice blankets.
http://www.jacobsheep.com/fiberworks.htm

Fiber Mill~
I used these folks for a number of years while I was raising sheep, to clean and make my sheep's wool into Roving, that way I could just get on with the job of spinning. They also sell yarn from their own sheep.
http://www.stonehedgefibermill.com/

Looking for a beautiful woven Bedspread......
http://www.mhweavers.com/

Storage and baskets~
Need to store things,, check out these stylish baskets.
http://www.mountaintrailbaskets.com/

This one is from my old stompping grounds. Went to see their place when I lived in NH. Very nice quality. http://www.peterborobasket.com/

Seems like if one thing in the house dies...they all do. So during my search for a round laundry basket made in the usa.. I ran across this web site... in WA no less.
Dunbar Gardens~ Makes all kinds of usefull baskets.
http://www.dunbargardens.com/baskets.htm

Cookie sheets and baking pans
Made in the USA...
http://www.doughmakers.com/newmain.htm

American Made clothes....
http://www.unionlabel.com/
The Men of the house have a couple of American made Carhartt Jackets and pants...and all I can say is...they are well made and hold up very well!

Flash lights
Maglite
http://www.maglite.com/Mag_commitment.asp

Soap and Shampoo
Janson's soap and shampoos are made in the USA. I use both. Jasons makes the only shampoo my body doesn't react too.
http://www.jason-natural.com/products/satin_soap.php

http://www.drbronner.com/ Dr. Bronner's soap is made in USA.

These folks make a nice Lobster boat, along with other models.
http://www.mainewoodenboatbuilding.com

Tools~
Here is a good write up on how to buy good quality tools.
http://www.countrysidemag.com/issues/83/83-1/Countryside_Staff.html

Made in the USA
http://www.longneckertools.com/

Have one tool from these folks.. is made in the USA but not sure where they get their stock from.
https://www.kleinconnection.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/OnlineCatalog_10001_10001_-1

If you would like some furniture that is American made, every part made out of real wood, grown in the US, family made.. look no farther than..
http://www.borkholder.com/furn/main3.htm
I have 4 of their pieces of large furniture and can say with great confidence that the quality and workmanship is out standing. Have had them for 8 years now..if I remember correctly. Just bought the Pine as that is what we could afford.

Food gift baskets with everything made in Oregon.
http://www.madeinoregon.com/