Syringe Feeding and Medicating Your Cat

Last weekend, my beloved cat, Alice, was so lethargic that she had to be carried from place to place in the house, and when she did walk a short ways, she looked like she was drunk. We were so concerned that I immediately began syringe-feeding her small amounts of (homemade) pedialyte every 20 – 30 minutes in order to prevent dehydration, as she was not eating or drinking. I got her an emergency appointment on Monday, and they immediately sedated her (she hates vets, often trying to bite them), hydrated her, and did blood tests. They decided that she had a bacterial infection in her pancreas and her liver was failing for going so long without eating anything. The veterinarian kindly informed me that if we could not get her to eat something IMMEDIATELY, one way or another, there was nothing more they could do to help her. They gave her an anti-nausea shot and I brought her home, determined to get some food down her, by hook or by crook. Additionally, she had a 21-day regimen of antibiotics to take to fight the infection, but the first dose I administered was a failure: she drooled it all up immediately.

Fortunately, I was able to figure out a successful way to get both food and medicine into Alice, thus saving her life. She is recovering, although she’s still not eating as much as I would like her too.

Since I’ve been using my regimen for about a week and I’m in the mood to write a tutorial, I thought I would share my process.

Supplies:

• Grooming bag – this is essential, I could not have saved my cat without it. Buy it now and get your cat accustomed to it – you never know when you will need it!
  Here’s the one I have:
  
  (Image from Amazon.com)
• Blender – any will do. Or use a food processor, immersion blender, etc.
• Can of quality catfood (I use Merrick’s Before Grain)
• Syringe for feeding (mine is about as thick as my thumb – I wouldn’t go much larger).
• Syringe for measuring liquid medication (if needed)
• Pill Shooter for administering pills & capsules (if needed) – I bought mine from the vet for $4.
  Here’s one similar to mine:
  
  (Image from Amazon.com)
• Jar or other container to store pureed catfood mixture in.
• Shot glass or other small, narrow container to mix medicine in.
• Paper towels or washcloth for cleanup.
• 15 – 30 minutes.

Steps:

1. Prepare the feeding mixture: put the can of catfood into the blender and puree, adding just enough warm water to get things moving. Mixture should be thick and smooth when finished, like a melted milkshake or a thick gravy.  Test it by pulling some up into your feeding syringe and then pushing it back out: it should flow smoothly with no blockage. Pour the mixture into the jar and store in the refrigerator when not in use.

2. Mix medication (if needed): If the puree is straight from the frig, microwave for 15-40 seconds to soften, or place the container in a pot of hot water until mixture has softened and re-liquefied.  Once the puree is softened and warm (like you would give to a baby, no hotter), pull out about a feeding-syringe full and place into the shot glass. Return remaining puree to the frig. Measure out the dose of liquid medicine prescribed by your veterinarian and add to the shot glass. Use the feeding-syringe to stir it in thoroughly. If giving pills/capsules, load the pill shooter.

3. Bag the cat: Place the cat in the grooming bag, following the manufacturer’s directions. Do this on the floor if possible, so your cat doesn’t have to worry about falling off the edge of something (and neither do you). You can practice this with treats and praise when kitty is not sick; it makes everything easier when you really need it. 
Here’s Alice in the bag – she’s not very happy, but she is calm:

(Excuse the mess, vacuuming up litter was not my top priority at the moment!)

4. Pill the cat: If giving a pill, do it now. Aim to get the tip of the pill shooter just behind the back teeth and then depress the plunger. If your cat spits the pill out, just try again. Approach from the side of the head, not the front for better success. Be patient – the pill shooter means you don’t have to worry about your fingers. If the pill is very large, ask your vet if you can cut it into smaller pieces to make it easier to go down. Or ask for smaller capsules or for liquid medication instead.

Immediately after pilling the cat, follow up with a syringe of puree or warm water. NEVER dry pill a cat (see Pilling Cats and Erosive Esophagitis). After all, how would you like it if someone shoved pill down your throat and didn’t give you any water to wash it down with?

5. Liquid medication/Feeding: Here’s how to give the syringe of medicine mixture, feeding puree, or warm water:

A. Pull a little into the feeding syringe. NOT TOO MUCH! The control on most syringes is not very good and you don’t want to choke or drown your cat. Besides, a little at a time is much less messy. Here’s about the amount I usually pull up, maybe even a little less:

(No medicine for this feeding session, so I am drawing directly from the puree storage jar, and not from the shot glass.)

B. Gently place the syringe tip into the cat’s mouth, coming from the corner. You are aiming for either the tongue or for the pocket in her jaw, between her skin and her teeth. You do NOT want to place the syringe as far back as you placed the pill shooter.

C. Slowly depress the syringe in little bursts, removing the syringe after each burst to allow the cat to swallow. Repeat until you can’t draw up any more from the shot glass if giving medication, or when you feel the time is right, if feeding without medication. Don’t over do the feeding – better several small sessions than one big one. Pet and praise often during the process (unless kitty doesn’t care to be petted – don’t force it on her just because she can’t get away). Make sure kitty is situated as comfortably as possible and be patient. Immediately clean up any spills, drips, or dribbles. DON’T RUSH! If kitty aspirates (breathes in) the puree, she could develop pneumonia, which will only make a bad situation worse.

D. Release kitty from the bag, removing neck fastener last.

E. Clean up.

All Done! Until next time, anyway. Yes, a little bit of the medicine dose is lost with this method, but most of the medicine ends up IN the cat, not ON the cat (or you, or the floor), which is a big improvement over the unmixed method! If you are worried about the loss, ask your vet to recommend a dose that takes the loss into account.

Once you do this a few times, it becomes routine and mostly stress free, for both you and kitty.

And if this isn’t working to get food into your kitty’s stomach, ask your vet about a feeding tube (see Feeding Tubes Save Lives/Feeding Tubes For Cats).

The Skills Test Outfit (aka The Pink Sweater)

I know it’s been awhile, but life happens. Anyway, I recently applied for a job at a local community college, and I have a pre-interview skills test I need to take this week. This is just a test, so I’m not going to wear a suit. But, I might encounter someone who has some control over whether or not I’m hired. So, I need to dress nicely. Time for a new outfit!

I recently took up crocheting again, and made myself a cute hat and neck warmer in brown and pink. Since it’s cold, I decided I want my outfit to match my new accessories. So pink and brown are the theme. I already have a lovely brown moleskin skirt, although it’s a little big on me since I’ve lost a bit of weight. But I have nothing suitable for the top of my outfit. So off to Goodwill I go. I found a lovely dark pink sweater for just $2.70, but as you can see in the picture below, it’s a bit big on me!

The sleeves are too long and the neckline is definitely too low! I can’t wear it anywhere like this…

So I got out the scissors and started cutting! I cut off the sleeves, then raised the neckline at the shoulders by sewing the shoulder seams about an 1” deeper from neckline to armhole. I cut off the excess fabric, and then tried on the sleeves. I estimated about where I wanted my cuffs to fall and then cut a chunk off the top of the sleeves to make it happen. I then sewed the sleeves back into the armholes. After trying on the sweater again, I discovered that the sleeves were still too long! I didn’t want to take them out and recut, so I just re-sewed the armholes with a wider seam allowance. And then I tapered the sleeves at the cuff end so they hugged my wrists more tightly. Problem solved.

Finally, I checked for snags and put the sweater in the wash. I washed exactly how I plan to treat in the future: only my suits get special treatment at my house, everything else is wash and wear.

Maybe I should have washed it before I altered it, because when I pulled it out of the dryer, it had shrunk! Lucky, lucky me, though. It had shrunk the perfect amount and now fits me perfectly!

Here I am dressed up: I’m even wearing heels and stockings! Forgive the picture quality.

And guess what? Those stockings are another remake! I’m wearing a garter belt, but the stockings came with a nasty, heavy elastic top that hurts, the very reason I bought a garter belt in the first place! So I cut off the tops, sewed a lip for the belt to grab, and tada! Pain-free stockings. Yay!

And I promised pics of my new hat and scarf, so here they are:

Hmm, the scarf really brings the outfit together! Maybe I’ll just leave it on…

So what you think? Looking professional for tomorrow?

DIY SAD Light Therapy Box

As I become more aware of my state of mind, now that I’m awake and living most of the time, I quickly noticed that sun effects my mood quite a bit. No sun = No energy or motivation. My anti-depression meds are a lot less effective when it is overcast and gray. And now that winter is coming and the sunlight that reaches us is weaker, even sunlight doesn’t help as much as it should.
So, I need a light box for light therapy, one of the most common treatments for SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder).  But a commercial one cost $60 or more, like this one on Amazon. What?!!
It’s some light bulbs. In a fancy lamp. I don’t have $60+. And, you have to factor the cost of replacement bulbs into the equation. Bet those things are expensive too.
Internet Time! Some research on the internet brought me to this handy page, where I got the general idea. By reading the follow-up article, I realized that I probably didn’t need fancy light bulbs, just a lot of regular ones.  But sticking nine or ten 60 watt bulbs into a wooden box didn’t sound like a good idea: incandescent bulbs get very, very hot. So the bulbs would have to be fluorescent, which is what Boris (author of the previously linked page) recommends anyway. So the idea was planted in my mind.
But there were some obstacles:

• I had a very tight budget. The light fixtures Boris used cost about $5 each here. $5 x 10 = $50. Way too much.
• I am not an electrician.
• I do not have any hole saw bits, and they cost at least $15, depending on size.

In order to overcome these obstacles, I needed to get creative. The answer to solving all of the above problems came to me as I was browsing the lighting aisle at Fred Meyers: I found a light bulb socket you can plug directly into an outlet. No lamp, no cover, just the socket you screw the light bulb into. Hmmm. If I plugged a bunch of these into a power strip or two (or three), I could have lots of light with no need for an electrician or a hole saw.
I would still need a box, though. The box focuses and directs the light, making sure you get the most out of it. No problem. I have wood. I have power tools. I have a Kreg Jig.
The only sticking point left was the cost of the light bulbs. Sure, florescent light bulbs really aren’t that expensive anymore. Unless you are buying 9 of them. So off to the dollar store I went. I’ve bought light bulbs there before and was pretty happy with them. $9 is better than $15 or $20, right? Right. But instead of a $1 each, the bulbs were 2/$1! So I got 10 light bulbs, for $5 and change. Project Lightbox was a go.
Here’s the cost list for my lightbox:

• 9 light bulb sockets @ 2.19 each =  19.71
• 1 can flat white spray paint @ 3.00 = 3.00
• 9 fluorescent light bulbs @ .50 each = 4.50
• 1 small package 11” zip/cable ties @ 1.59 = 1.59
• 3 power strips: On Hand
• Pocket Hole Screws: On Hand
• Wood for box: On Hand
• Tools: On Hand

Total for Project: $28.80 + tax
Here’s the finished product with the lights on. Each of these bulbs is rated at 900 lumens:

The light is pretty bright, but not so bright that it’s uncomfortable to be near it. Of course, you aren’t supposed to stare into it, just have it nearby. I put mine about 2 feet from the side of my face, next to my computer desk, where I spend an hour+ every morning anyway. Sitting in this light for about 30 minutes a day is supposed to be enough.
Here it is with the lights off, so you can see more detail:

I used my largest drill bit (that fits my drill, anyway) to make the holes along the edges for the cords. And yes, the power strips did have holes on the back for mounting with screws, but I used zip ties instead because I have found they are more reliable, and I felt they would hold the power strips more snugly in place. I drilled holes through the back board,  above and below each power strip, and threaded the zip ties through the holes.
Here you can see it from the side, but keep in mind that the front box is about 1 & 1/2” shallower than it appears here, because of the way I assembled the box. And yes, I know the sides tilt inward. I could have built a perfectly square, perfectly aligned box, but that wasn’t my main concern.

Finally, here’s a picture of how I did the back of the box. I wanted to be able to mount this on a wall or ceiling if need be, as well as sitting it flat on a table.

Here’s where the extra cordage went. And with the niche in the bottom of the frame for the final cord to slide through, this can be mounted flat against the wall. I put the power strip with the longest cord on the bottom, and this power strip plugs into a wall outlet, controls the other strips, and provides an on/off switch in the front. Here on the back, you can see the pocket holes I used to assemble the box. If I need deeper sides later, it can be easily disassembled.  I only had enough paint to paint the inside of the box, which I did before assembling, so the outside remains unpainted. It’s not unfinished, however, as this box was made from plywood that had been previously finished on one side. I painted the unfinished side.  I could make it a little  nicer by placing another board over the back, to hide the cords and such, but I think it looks fine as it is. (The little cord you see along the top of the box is for charging my Kindle and isn’t attached to the light box in any way.)
The nice thing is, when I can afford it, I can use more powerful bulbs, or even LED bulbs, without re-working the box. Yay!
Is it a beautiful piece of home décor? No. Does it work? So far, yes.
Not bad for $30 and a little ingenuity! Let me know what you think. Have you done something similar? I’d love to hear about it.

Lazy Update

Well, I know it’s been awhile since I’ve updated this blog. I’ve been busy being Lazy…!

Here’s a picture of my garden, it’s doing pretty good, despite the late start. My tomatoes especially are doing well.

Yes, it’s a big picture. I have 13 boxes and it was hard to get them all in one picture.

Gardening is a lot of fun! And pretty easy, too.

This fall, I’m planning to buy a couple of yards of compost/manure mix to spread over the boxes to prepare them for an even better season next year.

I’ve already spread several bags of the stuff, but buying by the truckload is  cheaper.

I have several plans for next year, based on stuff I’ve learned this year:

• 1st, I plan to start everything earlier. Way earlier. I got a pretty late start this year.
• More beets. Mom loves them when they are about the size of a radish, so I need a lot more.
• More broccoli. I hate it, but mom loves it.
• More spinach, chard, kale, and some types of lettuce.
• More carrots, they aren’t growing very well this year. Perhaps they will like next year’s soil better.
• More peppers, mine aren’t doing so well this year.
• More tomatoes. Mine are doing well, but I need more!
• More cucumbers.
• Lots more onions! We eat them as scallions/green onions, only letting a few get big. And we use an average of 1 per day, so need more.
• Radishes also very popular.
• Plant the garlic very early.
• Purple onions!
• Peas!
• Basil: mine just won’t sprout this year.
• Compost: need to start making my own.
• Start flowers (flower bed couldn’t fit into the picture) indoors. Plus spread compost over the bed. Most of my flower seeds didn’t sprout this year.

And my big dream project for next year: a proper watering system! Maybe with a timer!

Now, I’m off to be lazy in the kitchen….

Low Sodium Cinnamon Rolls

These are the very best cinnamon rolls I have ever eaten. No commercial cinnamon rolls can compare!
Cinnamon Roll Recipe
Dough:

• 2 c. lukewarm whey (or water)
• 3 tbsp. mild olive oil
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 2 ½ tsp. (2 pkgs.) rapid/quick rise yeast
• 5-6 c. flour
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• Filling mix

Combine whey, egg, oil, sugar, and yeast in a bowl. Mix in a little flour and let stand a few minutes until bubbles start to form.
Stir in flour until thick batter forms. Then add flour slowly until dough starts to come from sides of bowl.
Turn onto floured surface, round into ball. Cover with bowl. Let stand 10 minutes.
Knead, adding flour if necessary so it isn't sticky. Dough should feel smooth and soft.
Put into well oiled bowl. Turn so it is covered with oil. Cover with towel. Allow to rise for about 30 minutes in a warm, draft-free location. Dough should double in size.
Punch down and divide into 4 sections.
Place each section on a lightly floured or oiled surface. Roll out into a rectangle. Spread softened butter across dough (hands work best for this). Generously spread filling mix on top of butter, leaving a 1-inch strip on one long edge of the dough. Lightly tamp the filling into the butter using the back of a spatula or spoon.
Roll up the dough toward the un-sugared edge. Seal edge gently. Cut the roll into 2-inch thick pieces and place on a greased baking sheet cut side down.
Cover and allow to rise for about an hour.
Preheat oven to 350°F.
Bake at 350°F for 15 - 17 minutes, or just until tops start to brown. Remove immediately.
Transfer to cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before storing.
Filling:

• 2 cups packed light brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons ground cinnamon
• 2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch

Sources of sodium in this recipe: whey, egg.
Thanks to these recipes for inspiration:
Salt-Free Bread, Lauren’s Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls.

Low Sodium Seasoned Crackers

Everyone who was interested in my ranch crackers, here’s the recipe, desalted by me. Plus the ranch seasoning mix, courtesy of Mom. Tastes just like ranch!

Low-Sodium Seasoned Crackers

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups flour (white, whole wheat, any kind)
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• Generous amount of seasoning mix* (I used about ½ a spice jar worth.)
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp. water
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prepare two baking sheets: line with parchment paper OR aluminum foil and no-stick spray. Set aside.

In a bowl, mix together flour, sugar, and seasoning mix. Don’t be afraid to add plenty of seasoning mix, you really can’t add too much. Because there is no salt in this recipe, you need to go bold.

Cut in unsalted butter until mixture is crumbly.

Add water and vanilla and mix until dough forms. Use a fork or your hands. Dough should form a ball and hold together, but it should not be sticky.

Split dough into two portions. On a floured or oiled surface, roll out dough until very thin. Use a knife, spatula, or pizza cutter to cut into desired shapes. Using your fingers or a spatula, gently place the crackers on the prepared cookie sheets, close together. The crackers will not spread during the baking process, so you can really squeeze them in.

Bake at 400°F for 8 – 12 minutes, or until the crackers are no longer doughy. Be careful, they burn quickly. Cool completely and store in air-tight container, if there are any left! Makes about 2 baking sheets worth of crackers.

*Ranch seasoning mix below!

Homemade Salt-Free Ranch Dressing Seasoning Mix

Ingredients

4 Tbsp. dried parsley

2 tsp. dried dill

2 tsp. garlic powder

2 tsp. onion powder

1 tsp. dried basil

1 tsp. pepper

Blend together and grind finely in a spice grinder.

Garden Update

Well, thanks to those fence panels I talked about earlier, I’m going to have 13 4’ x 4’ raised garden beds. I’m saving the wood I bought to use on other projects, so yay!

Thought you might like to see some of the finished beds, so here are some pictures:

Sorry about the screen: I took them from an upstairs window.

In order to stretch my topsoil as far as possible, I fill the boxes with a generous layer of moldy, rotting hay before adding the soil. It will sink over time, but I’ll just top it up with layers of compost and mulch as needed.

These pictures are a few weeks old. I’ve since filled three more beds with soil and planted potatoes in the upper-right-hand bed. I’ve also planted everything else that says to plant “as soon as soil can be worked.”  And I planted broccoli and cabbage under little milk-jug protectors, since I didn’t get them started inside soon enough. Three of them have already sprouted and seem to have no trouble with the freezing nights.

And speaking of starting seeds: I started my tomatoes, watermelon, muskmelon, and some others indoors. They have mostly sprouted and some are starting to grow true leaves.

And out in the garden, my radishes are coming up. Yay!

Still have five more boxes to build and six more to fill. Buying my topsoil by the truckload is a lot easier than digging it by hand, even at $25 a load. One load will fill at least 4 boxes, so I should only need one more load, and then maybe a load of compost later.

Yes, this looks like a lot of work, but I really haven’t spent that much time on it: an hour here or there, nothing more.

Reuse, Recycle, Repair–Making Do

Reuse is an important principle of permaculture. In honor of this principle, I am remaking the contents of my closet instead of purchasing new clothes. Also, I’m a miser. And I like the clothes I have, for the most part. Some of them just don’t fit me well.

So here are two remakes:

The first one is the first time I have tried tailoring clothing to fit me well. I forgot to take a Before picture, but the shirt was an oversized yellow shirt which hung straight down. A long-sleeve T-Shirt, really. I cut off the bottom, added darts to the front and back, reattached the bottom, sewed shut the collar opening, and added some pretty ribbon roses in place of the ugly little buttons. I also shortened the sleeves from the top, a great idea I got from this post by The Renegade Seamstress.

Total cost: $0 out of pocket, as I already had all of the supplies needed.

 

In the picture of the back, I’m standing at a slight angle. Don’t worry, the darts are centered in real life. And that bump on my shoulder blade? A benign bone tumor and the bane of my life when it comes to finding clothing that fits well. But now that I’ve figured out how to fit my clothes myself (thanks, Pinterest), it will no longer be an issue.  Hee, hee. And I thought the little ribbon roses added just the right touch of color. Plus, they will help the shirt coordinate with more of my clothing.

 

This next project was actually the driving force behind my new decision to remake my clothing. I love this sweater, but as you can see in the picture on the right, it is just to large for me. But it is really soft and warm. And it is hard for me to find sweaters that I can stand to wear against my skin. So, when I saw The Renegade Seamstress’s post about remaking a sweater, my mind immediately went to this. But I wanted to practice a bit before cutting into my beloved brown sweater, hence the yellow shirt make over. When I saw how easy it was to do, I dove right in. By the way, thanks to my mom for pinning in the alterations while I wore the garments. And for taking the pictures.

 

So here are the After pictures of the Beloved Brown Sweater:

It’s hard to tell because of the color, but I raised the collar (considerably), gave the sides a nice, feminine curve, slimmed the sleeves,  and shortened them from the top. It looks much better in person. Overall, I’m pleased with it, and no longer feel like I’m wearing a sack (and giving everyone a free show). I decided to keep this remake simple because the sweater is so beautiful by itself: it needs no embellishments.

Total Cost: $0 out of pocket, because I already had all of the supplies.

And now, the rest of my wardrobe is waiting….

Upcycling

In a stroke of luck, I just got ten 7.5’ x 4’ privacy fence panels off Craigslist. For FREE!

Squeeee! Gonna rip most of those babies down and use them to build raised beds and other yard and garden stuff. Dad wants to use a few to replace the shrubs I’m cutting down (he has a thing about privacy), so we’ll see.

And, speaking of the shrubs, my new chainsaw came in, and I started cutting them down this week. Chainsaw works great: anything larger & I probably couldn’t control the kickback, while anything smaller wouldn’t get the job done.

We also picked up some great ideas for replacing our old fence.

Brush Removal

Started removing the brush behind our back fence today. It’s not on our property, but it’s between a cement irrigation ditch which is no longer used, and our fence. Traditionally, both we and the landowner have maintained the area.

But the landowner hasn’t mowed or burned the area for several years and the brush has grown out of control. I couldn’t stand it anymore: it looks bad, attracts pests, affects my allergies, and broadcasts weed seeds all over my land.

So I grab some rakes and hoes, and a tarp, and got to work. The plan is to take out all the dead brush, and then mow it as I mow my own yard to keep the weeds under control. I would also like to seed in some ground cover to smother out the weeds. I need a ground cover that is vigorous enough to smother out the weeds, but not so invasive that it will infect the nearby alfalfa field. And it should respond well to mowing. Even better if it supplies some composting benefit as well. Plus, it needs to be hardy to zone 5 & mostly self-maintaining.

Hmmm, research needed.

On curtains and pets…

One of the principles of Homesteading and Permaculture is recycling. Or more accurately, reuse.

Well, a couple of years ago, I picked up a sheet set for about $0.50 at a yard sale. But, because of its very loud fabric and low thread count, I was unable to make use of it. Until now. We decided to replace our kitchen shades with curtains to let in more light. So I pulled out that sheet set, and the loud pattern that was so inappropriate for clothing works perfectly as curtains. Even better, the color scheme matches our kitchen. I got one large set of curtains and two short valances out of the set, and I still have some fabric left.

So yay for repurposing! 

Another aspect of Homesteading especially, is that every animal and plant you nurture should have a use. Even flowers can enrich soil or provide good grazing for chickens and goats.

Which brings me too my cat. My indoor cat who was declawed by her previous owners and thus can never roam freely or work outside.

On the surface, my cat appears to be waste of resources. Less so if I start composting her wastes, but since cat waste must be composted separately and shouldn’t be used on feed crops, her contribution doesn’t balance out the resources she uses.

But that’s just on the surface. In reality, my cat is an important part of my mental health. She keeps me interested and invested in life, comforts me when I’m down, and delights me with her antics. These contributions are priceless. After all, if I’m not mentally healthy, I won’t have the energy or desire to grow some of my own food.

In fact, I originally considered keeping chickens, quail, and rabbits for her benefit. She still eats high-quality commercial food right now, but I plan to switch to raw feeding when I can afford it. Chicken, quail, and rabbits are all very good for cats, along with their other benefits to a homestead.

So, in a way, my whole interest in homesteading and permaculture is my cat’s fault.

Who can put a price on that?

Getting Supplies

Today has been a day. I wasn’t able to spend enough time with my sunlamp and the day was overcast, so I was exhausted all day. There’s nothing quite like feeling utterly exhausted and disinterested while simultaneously being forced to stay awake by anti-depression meds. The meds have changed my life for the better, but days like this remind me that a carefully balanced schedule of sleep, light therapy, and regularly scheduled meals are an important part of the treatment as well. Still, it’s a good reminder of why I follow my treatment regimen faithfully: I can’t believe that I once felt even worse than this all the time. I have no idea how I even survived before I started treatment.

To make a bad day worse, my kitty developed a horrible abscess on her rear.  She had to be sedated so it could be drained. And it will have to be medicated regularly to keep it open until it’s all drained. That’s going to be fun. Not. Poor baby, she looks sooo miserable.

A small bit of light: I decided what size my garden beds will be, and I picked up the lumber for them. Two 4’ x 4’ beds to utilize the square-foot gardening method. 7 1x4x8’s, cut in two. Two 1x2x8’s, left whole – I’ll do the cutting myself. $24 with tax and the lumber yard did the cuts for me. I already have 1 1x4, which I’ll have to cut, but that’s what a saw is for. I already have screws and tools, so this weekend I can build the beds! Yay!

Planning the garden

The garden is my big Homesteading project for this year.

But, if there’s one thing I hated about gardening as a child, it was digging. Digging, double digging, cutting out the border every year. Ugggh! Anyone who’s done it knows that digging up grass is almost impossible with just a shovel. You can do it, it’s just a ridiculous amount of work for very little gain.

Sadly, the places I want to put my garden beds are fully covered with well-established grass.

And there is no way that I’m digging all that up. No way, no how.

Laziness to the rescue once again! I’m going to make raised beds instead. I will cover the grass with a couple layers of cardboard or weed-cloth to smother it, and then fill my bed-frames with a mix of compost and coconut coir. Did you know you can buy compost from the County for $60 a ton? A ton is A LOT of compost.

The coconut coir will help the compost retain water, and the combination should make a very rich soil. Like Lasagna Gardening, but without the ridiculous amount of work. And, best of all, NO DIGGING.

Looking at the Lasagna Gardening (sheet mulching) concept, compost & coconut coir should work just as well. After all, sheet mulching is really just composting right in the garden.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

Making Yogurt

My first attempt to Homestead: Yogurt.

Yes, I'm now making my own Greek Yogurt. My mom loves the stuff, and it fits well into her low-sodium diet. But buying it in the store, we easily spent $12 - $15 a week on it.
So I crunched the numbers and realized that making it ourselves would be less expensive.
But you won't catch me standing over a stove, stirring milk to keep it from burning. That sort of tedious, time-consuming, boring task is NOT for me.
Microwave to the rescue! I microwaved 1/2 gallon of milk in a bowl for about 7 min, checked the temp until it was above 100 degrees and under 110 degrees F. Then I whisked in two heaping spoonfuls of the commercial greek yogurt, poured the mixture into 2 quart jars and 1 half-pint jar (for starter), and sealed them tightly. I set them in my small cooler, filled the cooler with hot tapwater, closed the cooler lid and let it sit for about 6 hours.
Before I went to bed, I took the jars out of the cooler and put them in the fridge.
The next morning, I took out the 2 quart jars, a fine-mesh strainer, a large bowl, a large paper towel, and a pot lid. The strainer went into the bowl, and the paper towel into the strainer. The two jars of yogurt went into the strainer, which I then set in the frig with the pot lid covering it.
Five hours later, I poured the whey from the bowl into a quart jar and stored it in the frig. I then poured the strained yogurt into the empty whey bowl, mixed in the flavorings, and scooped it into a pint and half-pint jar.
Yogurt all done, with starter for next time! Yay! And tasty, if my mom can be believed.
Also, whey is THE solution for perfect, light, fluffy pancakes.

All typed out, it looks like work. But really, it took about as much time as it does to feed my cat.

Someday, I can envision making my yogurt from goat milk harvested from my back yard. Until then, cow's milk from the store will have to do.

Homesteading, Permaculture, and Me

A desire for tomatoes which actually tasted like tomatoes led me to consider a garden. Considering a garden led me to books on Homesteading and Permaculture. Suddenly, I was planning to get rid of the lawn, undertake raising livestock, and re-visioning my life: instead of living around my career, I was envisioning a future where working 9-5 in a cubicle was a necessary evil, and my homestead was where my life was centered.

So, I've decided to do this thing.

But, I firmly subscribe to the notion that one should work smarter, not harder.

So, feel free to laugh at my attempts to homestead the lazy way.