Well, the chicken coop needs modification. Plastic sheeting, sandwiched between plastic fencing and chicken wire, is just not a sturdy enough roof, as evidenced by the effects of a freak hail storm the other day. Chicken wire is flexible; it "gives" under the weight of several dozen pounds of hail. Could have been several HUNDRED pounds, as my girl and I could NOT lift it up and off.
So, we've decided to invest in some corrugated roofing: either tin, or translucent plastic. We'll start with the portion which serves as our new back porch, and do other sections over the next, few months. It should cost about thirty dollars/mo. that way.
Besides, I worry, having too many building materials, lying around the yard. Don't want the city after us.
I built a storage unit from old pallets, covered in plastic sheeting and chicken wire. The roof peaks at about seven feet tall. It's about 5x5. Holds LOTS of stuff, and the cats and dog love lying on the little "porch" I made on the front for foot wiping.
The back yard's shaping up.
I'm almost done unpacking the things stored on the side of the house now.
Most rooms are about fully furnished and decorated.
But, if I don't clean these floors soon, I'll lose my mind. They've got over a month's worth of leaves, animal hair, dirt, goat heads and assorted feathers on them. It's rather like camping: never walk through the house without some sort of foot gear; you could get hurt.
I'm waiting for yesterday's rain to soak into the ground. The back yard has been flooded twice now and needs time to dry before I clean the floors.
I have two chicks left; they're damn near chickens now and ready to live in the coop, once I roof and door the remaining section.
I have enough chicken wire and pallets left to cover our clothesline and one side of the house for them, too. Since cats, dog and chickens will share the same space, the more space, the better.
I can finish it after she leaves in November.
Right now, I'm concentrating on finishing the inside.
We bought a small freezer, so I'm planning sugarless/ wheatless foods to freeze. I've researched how to make: yogurt, cheese and tofu.
She's severely allergic to gluten; it makes her VERY sick. So, I'm learning to cook everything with nonwheat flours. Some work; some don't. I'm just experimenting right now. I made a decent pineapple upside down cake the other day, though. And I can make wheatless/sugarless pancakes that taste like the real deal.
When I can make a "passable" loaf of wheatless bread, I'll know I'm comfortable with wheatless cooking.
She loves my cooking. And she's eating much healthier with me than she was alone. Cheaper, too.
Which brings me to finances. She earns apx. 3xs what I do. We've broken the expenses down to: my entire income is spent on food, household needs, auto, discretionary and misc. Her income is split into: savings, loan payments, rent and utilities.
This gives me a very generous budget for household expenses. I'm working to save at least a hundred dollars/month toward dentist copays, etc.
This month is harder, because I'm paying for deposits and setup fees for phone, etc. And I've only borrowed a hundred on that predatory loan this month. So, our expenses budget is less than three hundred, out of which I've paid 2 months telephone and phone deposit.
We have plenty of food and supplies. The car's ok.
We enjoy puttering around here so much, we rarely spend any money out, anyway. We occasionally go to dollar movies and a snack, the total for wich is less than ten dollars for the two of us.
We've hit garage sales and flea markets pretty hard, furnishing this place. But that's done now.
So, I'm anticipating saving a great deal of money while she's gone in Nov. and Dec.
By the time she returns in Jan, I should be able to go to the dentist & doctors and get eye glasses, too.
We did indulge in one thing, though: I'm getting an MSNTV2, the newest Little Black BOx...which isn't little, and is white.
It has problems: no cut & paste; no alt.discuss usenet groups...and something else I use regularly.
But it's broadband capable, has ethernet, sees Java, Flash, MediaPlayer and....RADIO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
The service is ten bucks a month, just like mine is now, with NetZero and Cirt as our ISPs.
When I got the email from MicroSoft, I literally cried. We've waited for a fast and capable WebTV for SO LONG!
Now, they're done beta testing, and are offering it to current customers first.
They SAY I should receive it by the end of October, but I ain't holdin' my breath; it's MicroSoft, y'know?
That way, my girl can take the old box on her adventures, as it'll plug into any tv she's at. She already has her little account set up.
The new box costs less than two hundred dollars, and comes with two month's free service, plus a twenty five dollar rebate. So, we splurged and put it on her already-groaning credit card.
So, I'm paying my webtv bill and phone bill, to compensate, even though those are supposed to come from her budget.
We eat well. We have everything we need here, mostly. We're comfortable and safe.
I have more to say about the interpersonal aspects of living with her, but those will go in Viri Diana. But not today.
Right now, I need to shower. She'll be home for lunch and a nap soon. Then, I'll go to her workplace with her to help with some projects for the evening.
Besides, it's cool and damp, and I'm achy and sore from working so hard all weekend. So, I'm taking it easy and being a potato today.
Speaking of potatoes, I'd better start some lunch, too!
No comments:
Post a Comment