New bees chit chat Come in!! 12/31/09 Happy New Year!!

I would so give up a bunch of stuff to live in the boonies!! I am as close as I will probably ever be to that again now - and I am still in a housing addition - sucks to be me!
I loved not having neighbors for 10 miles - no body just showing up - me and the crickets. That was the first marriage - miss that life! I was 18 and had no idea I was living in paradise - if only....

Glad you won't be gone long Mekos - I think I am scared of Lucy. I have heard her mentioned once before; I am not sure we need to meet.

Jar - not a problem - hope they grow like crazy for you! I will be growing some from the same seed so will be interesting to see how they do so far apart.

RRM - you better get the mojito recipe before Mekos gets the dreaded disconnection - we could get thristy.
By the way, I have an envelope laying here with a big blue mule stamped on it - who do you suppose that is from??

Night guys - gotta be on the road before 6 a.m. so nite nite!

Yea, and before that week is up, you will be saying , Annoying woman! GO HOME! And I'll say, but I live here dear-hehehe.

Good night Lori and be safe. Check in when you can and big hugs to you.

Hi Everyone,
Endi that is very pretty, I cant remember way down here who put the info about the salad pot up but do you have a picture you can post? The Community garden dmail me if I can help ok? Jan I use the Verizon wireless card sometimes it works ok if it connects at all where you are. It either works well or doesnt work at all. I dont know the price though and I heard that Verizon is now offering to turn your cell into a hot spot for 24.99 lifetime use and must be something a month but I dont know what. Just let us know when the thread gets to long we will make a new one....

Thanks everyone, we'll get it all worked out. Everyone please stay warm and safe tonight. It's another COLD one for everyone from what I've heard lately and keep a watch on the animals outside too. With the windchill we will be 6 degrees tonight.

I live in the boonies toooo... I have Hughes net.. It works well most of the time, unless it is raining or extremely cloudy...It cost 70.00 a month which is ridiculously high but I gave up my landline and dial up which together was costing me about 60 dollars a month so for me it was worth it.. I only used the landline for the computer connection anyway...There is a download limit per day... Unless the kids spend alot of time on UTube we seldom have trouble with that...I cant say Im for it but I sure dont want to be without it!!!!

Mine now comes from Wild Blue which is sub contracted out to directv and it costs 40.00 a month but to get it directly from Wild blue is about 50 or so and I'm going to try to do that but they won't talk to you as long as you are still connected with directv. So got to wait till it's disconnected to contact them to find out for sure but if not, I can do dial-up for a while. I ONLY e-mail you guys and 3or 4 others and come on here to and talk with mine so I can't justify paying 70.00- 100.00 or more for that. I have a cell phone and my hubby too and we rarely use them either.So it's wasteful to me to pay for so much and not use it. AND I don't want to do the contracts for a couple years they usually want without seeing how it will work for me. So I'm just gonna check around a while and see what is best for me. If it goes off, it won't be for long anyway. I'LL BE BACK!

Its definetely a luxury... An over priced one at that... Then again to me Tv is a huge waste of money I never turn mine on, when DH and kids arent home... They spend most of thier time watching reruns and that mess cost me 75.00 a month...All they do is complain because there is nothing on to watch...

Mine did too with directv but I dumped it and went to dish for 30. I paid directv over a hundred bucks a month for double talk, lies and a bum service I hated for 3 years now and finally had all I could handle. I asked the idiots if they ever heard of antennas and the next lie from them I would put one up before sending them another penny and they lied so that was all it took. Check with loca for a good deal. She started her business up and has great deals with several different things , she got big discounts on the tv and phones and such. You may want to d-mail private but I'd check with her since your area is good for the signals anyway. I bet she could save you big bucks. I would if I were in any other area. But here don't matter who it is, it ain't gonna work right.

Mekos, you sound like me...I am two miles too far away in one direction and 250 feet...yeah feet...away in the other direction....no one here has cable...it is all satellite. and no one has internet except dial up....I am using a tethering system with the cell phone but even that is an extra $40 a month....through Alltel/Verizon......and it is unlimited...not dial up but not high speed either. Hope you find a good service soon that does the trick for you....amazing how businesses punish those out in the country when those same country folk feed them! I know it sounds crazy but sometimes I wish we could all go back to before technology for at least a week and see just how many people would really survive............If they can't cook it in the microwave, or call from the car, or transfer it online.......(but I think I would go through DG withdrawal! ok forget it! lol)

Night all....please stay warm

It is a racket and they play us for all the money, they can get.

I hear ya Jar.

I don't know which is colder, outside or in the house....ran out of kerosene in the middle of the night and trying to warm things up with the stove right now until SIL gets back from town..................oh my is it freezing!

I am dreaming of a blue winter
just like the one in Hawaii
Where the sea just glistens
And no one listens to hear
Cold weather radio
I'm dreaming of a warm winter
Just like the one I'd like to have
Where the children's laughter
Comes from water splatter
Down in the warm tropic air!

Back later!

How cute was that poem!?! LOL
So sorry about the heat problem, BUNDLE up and BE CAREFUL with the stove. Several houses have burned down this winter from people useing their stoves to heat with. Worse than the kerosene heaters that were faulty and burned homes down.
We've had 5 homes burned just the last 2 weeks that used the home stove to heat with. This is just awful and I'm so sorry for you. I'm praying for you girl and try to keep warm.

Yup jar - stay warm but be careful. My parents back east have oil heat as a backup only - heating oil is outrageous. They have wood heat and one of those new fangled pellet stove thingys. Heats really well...

Like your poem. We're pretty nice here weather-wise in the winter. Not quite Hawaii but I'll take it. I was born and raised in northern Maine so I know all about cu cu cu cold weather and I sure don't miss it. The snow I miss, but not the cold!

I hear ya Loca.
We keep a herosene heater for when the power goes off and a propane camping cook stove to cook on if we have to and some oil lamps for the light also some big round candles but lots of people this year have been useing their cook stove to heat with and I never knew it was so dangerous. I was shocked when the last couple weeks they were talking about NOT useing them for heating with and how homes were burned down and people perished in there because of that. I would not have believed it. They always talk about the kerosene heaters but you do what you have to when you are cold and that is the best you can do. Now this with the cook stoves. New stuff is higher priced and made cheaper. Stuff just not safe anymore. Seems like big companies just trying to fill their pockets and don't care about the dangerous products they put out for sale.
EVERYONE keep smoke detectors checked and be careful this winter.

We used ourcooking stove, we have propane, when we were having problems with our heater.
But all is much better now. DH's Cousin got it up and running. So glad...

I've used cooking stoves, kerosene and propane as back up. Hate all three. Nice wood stove seems like the best option. Especially those pellet thingys. :) They're supposed to be cost effective too. We have a fire place but it's pretty useless for keeping warm. It's small and our ceilings are high. Looks good! LOL

Loved your poem Jar!

You can always snuggle in front of the fireplace seray - lol...

My parents love their pellet thingy☺

Yeah! with the dogs and cat. LOL

Where do they get the pellets?

Ok the stove is off and the kerosene is back on.....and we are warm again...yeah!.......thanks for the compliments on the poem...
My dad has a pellet stove and he loves it.........says it was the best investment he ever made........but i cannot do that here.......i wish I could install a wood burner.....I love those because you can set a kettle on it and let the soup simmer all day or keep hot water on for tea......i cook with cast iron and love how those pans can be set right on the stove and not get hurt.

I am just looking forward to next week when the weather *expert* (yah ) says it is to warm up.......finally quit snowing here...

You all take care and have a great morning......please be careful if you have to go out in bad conditions.......saying a prayer for all my new DG friends to be safe and happy this new year............G'night

Julie

Goodmorning everyone... I sure hope you all are managing to stay warm... Its extremely cold even here where we seldom see temps below freezing...Down in the teens...I left my water dripping last night but have to get out today and make sure my pipes are wrapped snuggly and wont freeze with this incoming rain and colder temps that are on the way..Sounds fun eh? Not many to do just my faucets and where pipes come out of ground and into the house..I sure hope my lil plants have enough mulch on them to protect them from all this cold... I added alot of new babies this year I sure wouldnt want them to die.. The ground is stll wet I dont know if that is good or bad on the plants when its this cold.. I added extra pine straw to some yesterday that seemed to have excess water around them hoping to soak up some of it..All this blasted rain, and now the cold... Sigh oh well they are buried under pine straw,pecan hulls and or leaves guess thats better than nothing..If they dont come back I'll be all depressed...

Hope you all have a great day... Hugs

Julie, so glad you got warm again. did you get an extra container of fuel for back-up?
It is 19 here and the sun is shinning so that helps a lot. I have water dripping too. Got squeaky toys being squeaked and milkbones being crunched so it it a wonderful day, and a load of clothes in the washes about finishing up to go into dryer.
signs not right to plant anything but got a lot of catalogs to dream over.
Honeybunch, they are calling for snow down here tomarrow and I bet people is going to go goofy. The weatherman always get goofy.
You all stay safe and warm....
Hugs and nuzzles to all.

Morning All!

Hope everyone was warm through the night. Down right chilly here! We may see snow this weekend. I won't hold my breath on that! Who would've thought snow in 9a. :) Tropicals are chilly but alive. Brug is still blooming in the GH. Crazy thing.

This weekend would be the time for a group trip to Miami. Fairchild gardens. High 72º on Friday. Sounds down right balmy doesn't it? LOL

Have a good warm day! Hugs to all

Calling for snow here Thursday night into friday morning. Says another COLD front coming through. It's been in the teens for several nights here and mid 30's for the days. We did however(they say) get to 40 yesterday, I can't prove it is true.?????
Cat and dog starting to play with each other-oh happy day! The cat looks like casper the ghost with his front arms held up and him on his hind feet running all around the floor in front of her to play- I spend the day rolling I'm laughing so hard at the nuts. She thinks he is crazy-she might be right, too.

This message was edited Jan 6, 2010 11:58 AM

Got the begonia seeds today Mekos. Thanks!

Glad you included the message. I would have planted the big stuff and thrown away the 'dust'!

Stay warm y'all...

seray - lots of places where they live sell the pellets, even Wal-Mart - lol... They are a by product of the lumber industry which is pretty big in this country. I want to say while I was there in August some places had them for like $125/ton which was pretty cheap my Dad said. Can't remember how many tons you need for a typical heating season, but the cost is much much lower that kerosene or oil heat. Wood heat isn't too bad if you can cut and dry your own wood. Otherwise I personally think the price of wood is ridiculous. We used to cut and stack and dry our own - that was hard work - lol...

Warmth with the cutting and warmth from the stove. Usually folks cut and stack in summer which is best for it to "cure" for the winter burning. We have Propane it is rediculous too. But got to have it or freeze.

Hey you guys, I'm a country girl, don't remind me of them days. I remember them all too well. No chain saws either, just ax and muscle power.

My Daddy had a garden tractor and hooked a belt up to it and cut wood. He cut slabs from a sawmill we had in town. And Wood ashes, I just didn't appreciate them then like I do now. I have hauled those things outside. Carried wood inside. My Grandfather used Coal. That was a long time ago. It stunk too when it burned.

We used coal when we could buy it but when no money, we cut trees and pulled them to the house and split them in sections and carried in enought to use and stacked the rest. Go back the next day to do it again. Not much fun at all. But no one picked on us, not even us girls, we had muscles bigger and stronger than most boys bigger than us.

My Grandpa worked for the man that owed the Coal yard. AWwww! the memories of
my youth. That was a long time ago. Kids wouldn't know what happened if they were transported back, would they??

HI Everyone. Mekos received the begonia seeds today almost forgot I had asked for them so that was a nice surprise.
Been snow flurrying here today Suposed to get more snow but hearing 2 different accumlation amounts our local radio says 1 to 2 inches. TV and online weather sites are saying anywhere from 4 to 8 inches. DH is hoping the second one is right LOL.
We burn wood and cut and dry it ourselves. But it's been a long time since we split with an axe. DH bought a wood splitter to speed things up since we were both working full time. He's done it the hard way with a hand saw to cut the trees and axe and wedge to split the blocks. I enjoy the wood getting it keeps me from gaining too much weight.
My nephew is being got ready to be transferred to the rehab center. They will do another surgery on his leg to hide the pins in it but not for 3 weeks giving him time to heal and gain strength. They are also going to help him quit smoking while they have him and teaching him to control his diabetes which they believed caused him to get dizzy and wreck in the first place. He's going to need lots of strength to regain mobility.

lol - manual labor? My kids are like "what's that??? like it's a bad word...

Glad to hear he is doing a bit better Mindy!

Glad to hear he is better, Mindy and glad the begonia seeds are arriving.

Glad your nephew is better Mindy. Sounds like a great rehab plan. They will work him hard and get him back into shape.

Grandparents used coal stoves. Brrrr unless you were backed up to it or close by. Pigs would get out of the pen and get into the coal pile. When they remodeled they went total electric which was the thing back in the early 50's. I don't they they ever got warm after that. They used baseboard heaters. Big wood fireplace in the kitchen was they only really warm room. LOL

I researched the pellet stoves a few years back Loca. I think they would be great heat. Nice to know the pellets are widely available. They look cool too. :) Won't need those in Miami! LOL

So glad that your nephew is on the road to recovery Mindy. I will continue to keep you all in my prayers for continued speedy and complete recovery.
We heat our house with wood, primarily. Hubby is a logger, so is out in the woods all the time anyway, so has no problem bringing us home wood! LOL Our house is all electric, but the only time we turn on the baseboard heaters is when we are going to be gone for a few days or so. We have 2 wood burning stoves, one upstairs in the LR and one down in the FR, and it gets so warm downstairs that we sometimes have to open the door! Just seems like nothing heats as warm as wood, to me.

Wood is a dryer heat so it feels warmer. It also dries out your wood on the walls and so just be careful with any heat.
What is that pellet heater you guys are talking about? I never heard of that? If you put pellets in to burn, would you have to keep loading the fire all day and night? How would you get any sleep like that?

Here is a link to lots of information about pellet furnaces....some are for smaller areas and some can heat a 2,000 square foot house or larger...........some need filled very day while others can go five days without filling....just all depends on what type you want and how much you are willing to spend. I seriously want to invest in one of these...even if it is the small one for the downstairs....only ever sleep upstairs......so don't have to worry about heating too much up there...no water lines except on the first floor.

http://www.pelletstovefires.com/pellet-furnace.html