Of all the things that really work my nerves, staying in the house all day is the biggest. I'm so stir crazy being home with Luna, the dog, and the cat for up to a week straight. My days consist of entertaining, feeding, and changing Luna, then cleaning and cooking, then repeat the Luna steps. My mind can't handle the lack of stimulation.
Since I can't go to school or get a job, I found a way to keep my mind sharp. I will be working towards a handful of certifications that I can study for from home. My first will be for Wildlife Rehabilitation. The next will be WPF (a pc application). If I can, I'd like to renew my Veterinary Assistant certification so I would need to contact my old SCTI teacher and ask about that. After that, I'm sure I can get others.
Thursday, July 25, 2013
Tuesday, July 16, 2013
The Full Force of Cloth Diapering!
I'd just like to take a moment to talk about cloth diapering and help the mothers out there who are thinking of starting on this adventure.
It's messy.
It's confusing.
It's gross.
It's hard work.
And it is the biggest money saver next to breastfeeding.
Daniel and I have spent about $100 on our cloth diapers (plus, we received some very thoughtful gifts) and we honestly do not need to spend another penny on them. What we have will last Luna until she is completely potty trained, and that is a fantastic feeling. No more buying packs and packs of diapers, we're set. We have night time diapers and day time diapers. the day time ones convert into training pants later on and the night time ones can be used as swim diapers. It's all very nifty.
I went into this with the intention of using prefolds (thick cloth rectangles with thicker cloth in the middle to absorb) and waterproof covers. I was going to fold the prefolds into a diaper shape and use a snappi (where safety pins use to be used, snappis do the same thing with no risk of poking the baby) to hold it together, and then cover the whole thing with a cover. It was working for a while but there is a certain age where small prefolds are too small, and mediums are too big. That's where Luna is now. Another issue with this plan is that the prefold gets SOAKED in 2 hours. That wet diaper is wrapped around her up to her belly button and that is as uncomfortable as hell.
What I've moved to now is folding the prefold so the the not as thick parts are on top of the thick part, making it super absorbent, and just laying it in the cover. The problem with THIS method is poop. Laying the prefold in there, it's squished up by her legs. When she poops, it does get on the prefold, but it also FILLS the cover. It's water proof, so it's held in there, but then you have to really wash the prefolds instead of just wiping them down like all the advertisements say you can do. On THAT matter, you can wipe clean the cover but that won't help with the urine smell after a certain point. I don't advise moms to wash those covers often cause I've noticed it screwing up the elastic around the leg holes. I just hang mine outside to air out for a day. It works.
After a few nights, I realized that Luna was a heavy wetter. She would wake up in the middle of the night completely soaked to the point of leaking out of her diaper and onto her bassinet. After reading reviews, we bought some Pocket Diapers. They have a water proof / leak proof cover and the inside has a pocket made of this material that repels liquid. The inserts that go into the pockets are a micro fiber that is super absorbent. I use both of the inserts at night and Luna sleeps through the night. With these diapers, she has slept through the night since a month old. Beat that. She has only pooped in them once, but for some reason that is beyond me, it did not stain. It's like the poop never happened. Amazing.
That brings me to what to do with a dirty diaper. With most mothers I ask, their diaper routine is pretty predictable. They change the diaper, if there is poop they rinse it off, then the diaper goes into a pail. Laundry is done every other day. Since I'm crazy, I got myself into a routine that I made up myself (before finding out how most people do this). It all stems from me not wanting to do laundry several times a week. It waists money and... I just hate laundry. You cant put a wet diaper into a pail and leave it there for a week. Even my dog wouldn't go near that smelly death bin. So I increase the gross factor to allow myself the luxury of once a week laundry.
Here is my, self-invented, pretty gross, once a week laundry, cloth diapering routine.
Change the diaper. Take cloth diaper into bathroom and rinse thoroughly (cold water for poop to keep away stains, hot water for urine). Wring out diaper. Hang diaper outside to dry. Put dry diaper in laundry bag. Do laundry once a week and use your regular wash cycle. Cold/warm is what I do.
There it is. Yes, it's considerably longer than the average way, but if you're doing cloth diapering to save money, doing laundry every other day is going to be sucking up all that money you didn't spend on disposables.
It's messy.
It's confusing.
It's gross.
It's hard work.
And it is the biggest money saver next to breastfeeding.
Daniel and I have spent about $100 on our cloth diapers (plus, we received some very thoughtful gifts) and we honestly do not need to spend another penny on them. What we have will last Luna until she is completely potty trained, and that is a fantastic feeling. No more buying packs and packs of diapers, we're set. We have night time diapers and day time diapers. the day time ones convert into training pants later on and the night time ones can be used as swim diapers. It's all very nifty.
I went into this with the intention of using prefolds (thick cloth rectangles with thicker cloth in the middle to absorb) and waterproof covers. I was going to fold the prefolds into a diaper shape and use a snappi (where safety pins use to be used, snappis do the same thing with no risk of poking the baby) to hold it together, and then cover the whole thing with a cover. It was working for a while but there is a certain age where small prefolds are too small, and mediums are too big. That's where Luna is now. Another issue with this plan is that the prefold gets SOAKED in 2 hours. That wet diaper is wrapped around her up to her belly button and that is as uncomfortable as hell.
What I've moved to now is folding the prefold so the the not as thick parts are on top of the thick part, making it super absorbent, and just laying it in the cover. The problem with THIS method is poop. Laying the prefold in there, it's squished up by her legs. When she poops, it does get on the prefold, but it also FILLS the cover. It's water proof, so it's held in there, but then you have to really wash the prefolds instead of just wiping them down like all the advertisements say you can do. On THAT matter, you can wipe clean the cover but that won't help with the urine smell after a certain point. I don't advise moms to wash those covers often cause I've noticed it screwing up the elastic around the leg holes. I just hang mine outside to air out for a day. It works.
After a few nights, I realized that Luna was a heavy wetter. She would wake up in the middle of the night completely soaked to the point of leaking out of her diaper and onto her bassinet. After reading reviews, we bought some Pocket Diapers. They have a water proof / leak proof cover and the inside has a pocket made of this material that repels liquid. The inserts that go into the pockets are a micro fiber that is super absorbent. I use both of the inserts at night and Luna sleeps through the night. With these diapers, she has slept through the night since a month old. Beat that. She has only pooped in them once, but for some reason that is beyond me, it did not stain. It's like the poop never happened. Amazing.
That brings me to what to do with a dirty diaper. With most mothers I ask, their diaper routine is pretty predictable. They change the diaper, if there is poop they rinse it off, then the diaper goes into a pail. Laundry is done every other day. Since I'm crazy, I got myself into a routine that I made up myself (before finding out how most people do this). It all stems from me not wanting to do laundry several times a week. It waists money and... I just hate laundry. You cant put a wet diaper into a pail and leave it there for a week. Even my dog wouldn't go near that smelly death bin. So I increase the gross factor to allow myself the luxury of once a week laundry.
Here is my, self-invented, pretty gross, once a week laundry, cloth diapering routine.
Change the diaper. Take cloth diaper into bathroom and rinse thoroughly (cold water for poop to keep away stains, hot water for urine). Wring out diaper. Hang diaper outside to dry. Put dry diaper in laundry bag. Do laundry once a week and use your regular wash cycle. Cold/warm is what I do.
There it is. Yes, it's considerably longer than the average way, but if you're doing cloth diapering to save money, doing laundry every other day is going to be sucking up all that money you didn't spend on disposables.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Sore Gums
Little Luna is teething. She's only three months old and I was hoping this wouldn't happen for a few more months, but we aren't that lucky. Since getting pregnant (and being bombarded by "alternative parenting" and other such things) I've been trying to find the best course of action for teething pain.
I believe I have found it. DISTRACTION.
It works at all ages and infants are no different. I know her gums are sore, I can tell from her cries that don't go away with a hug or the boob and from her grabbing her cheek. It's not constant though.
The first day was mostly drooling and chewing on her hands. The next morning there was crying and the chewing had gotten worse. I had made plans so we got in the car and drove to Sarasota to visit a friend of mine. Luna was so entertained at my friend's house, she didn't show any signs of teething pain.
The next day was spent out and about and, again, the pain stopped when she had something to put her attention on.
Today was a bit different. I wanted to make sure she was entertained throughout the day, and it worked until about an hour ago. I ran out of things to do with her. It's not my fault, she has decided that naps just are not her thing anymore so i have to stretch my normal routine with her out as long as I can. Inevitably, I run out of ideas. No sooner were we sitting calmly in the rocking chair with just soft music playing when the teething pains struck with the rage of the seven hells. There was screaming, drooling, spitting, and flailing. My coos, snuggles, attempts to feed, and trying to give her the teething rings and contraptions were all for not and, in the end, she fell asleep in my arms, tear-stained and exhausted.
Tomorrow, I will be better prepared.
I believe I have found it. DISTRACTION.
It works at all ages and infants are no different. I know her gums are sore, I can tell from her cries that don't go away with a hug or the boob and from her grabbing her cheek. It's not constant though.
The first day was mostly drooling and chewing on her hands. The next morning there was crying and the chewing had gotten worse. I had made plans so we got in the car and drove to Sarasota to visit a friend of mine. Luna was so entertained at my friend's house, she didn't show any signs of teething pain.
The next day was spent out and about and, again, the pain stopped when she had something to put her attention on.
Today was a bit different. I wanted to make sure she was entertained throughout the day, and it worked until about an hour ago. I ran out of things to do with her. It's not my fault, she has decided that naps just are not her thing anymore so i have to stretch my normal routine with her out as long as I can. Inevitably, I run out of ideas. No sooner were we sitting calmly in the rocking chair with just soft music playing when the teething pains struck with the rage of the seven hells. There was screaming, drooling, spitting, and flailing. My coos, snuggles, attempts to feed, and trying to give her the teething rings and contraptions were all for not and, in the end, she fell asleep in my arms, tear-stained and exhausted.
Tomorrow, I will be better prepared.
Thursday, July 11, 2013
Luna Jade Castiglione
After our epic adventure in WWOOFing, we’ve made a spot for
ourselves in Venice, Florida. Our happy family of three has grown to five.
Myself, Daniel, Annabelle, our cat Bartholomew, and our newest addition Luna;
our beautiful baby girl. Yes, I said
BABY! It’s been a busy time and I havnt updated in a long time.
As soon as I rolled out of bed, April 8th, I
was hit with little contractions, most of with I didn’t even notice unless I
pressed on my stomach and found it hard. I told Daniel and we started to get
excited. I was able to time them at 10 minutes apart and since they didn’t hurt
like I’d been expecting them to, we went to Starbucks. While we were getting
our coffee on, I texted my high school friend, Jill, and told her my
contractions had started. She said hers had started too.
By 1:30PM, nothing had changed. Daniel gathered up his
things for work and told me to keep him updated and call if anything happens.
For a good hour everything was normal and then the pains in my back started.
Laying in bed, skyping with my friend Maggy, I timed the few seconds worth of
uncomfortable pressure in my back and got to 6 or 7 minutes apart before I
decided to call the birthing center. We made a plan to wait until contractions
were 3 – 5 minutes apart and lasting a full minute before heading to the
center. There still wasn’t any “pain”, just discomfort, so I felt pretty
confident about the whole process. This was going to be a piece of cake.
At 9:45 I called Daniel and told him to be home by 10. I had
hit 3 minutes apart and we still needed to get to the center with was a half
hour away. He was home at exactly 10 and we grabbed our pre-packed bags of
supplies and piled into the car. Daniel brought up that we hadn’t eaten any
dinner and I needed fuel to get through the rest of the labor. After a brief
argument, I caved and we stopped at McDonalds. In the drive through, getting my
McNuggets, the pain appeared and the contractions in my back made my back arch.
I started to worry if we would get to center in time.
We got to the center at 11:30PM and met with my midwife,
Harmony. The contractions got steadily stronger and I spent the next two hours
pacing the birthing center and holding onto Daniel for dear life every time a
contraction hit. I desperately needed water and at some point drinking wasn’t enough
and I begged to take a shower, just to feel the water and try to calm down. I made
it up the stairs and leaned in the doorway of the bathroom. I knew instantly
that this had been an awful idea. My vision started to go and my skin got cold.
I told them I was going to faint and my midwives rushed to help. One gave me a
cup of juice and the other brought over a large, bouncy, exercise ball for me
to sit on. I managed to hang on to consciousness and after a few more
contractions the decision was made to not take a shower and get me back
downstairs and into the bed. Since things were progressing nicely, we figured
that I should try and get some sleep to be rested for when the pushing starts.
I laid there on the bed, Daniel spooning me to keep me
comfortable through the contractions. I knew sleep was NOT going to happen but
laying there on my side did give me some rest. I don’t know how much time
passed but at some point everything changed and the contractions turned into a
clenching. My body had started pushing and there was no stopping it. The
midwives came in saying they heard some pushing in that last…. Uh, noise I was
making.
They started filling the birthing tub and telling me it was
time to sit up. I was told to sit up and move to the edge of the bed, and then
they could help me straight into the tub. Every part of me wanted to stay
laying down, I felt like something was going to happen if I sat up. I was
right. I got up and scooted to the edge of the bed and my water broke. I instantly
made a break for the tub. The water was almost too hot but it didn’t matter, it
was exactly where I wanted to be. I leaned back and tried to zone my mind out
and just let my body take over but it doesn’t quite work that way. I did manage
to stay as relaxed as I could, focused on what I was doing and constantly
asking for water and gulping it down through a little bendy straw. Only a few
minutes passed but it felt so much longer.
Finally, at 2:30 AM on April 9, 2013, Luna Jade Castiglione
was born into her daddy’s arms. She weighed 6lbs 13oz.
Friday, August 19, 2011
Squirrel hunting and Cave diving
We’re on the road again, on our way to our next destination, Minnesota. Right now Tiffany and I are at Starbucks in Des Moines, Iowa. It was raining pretty heavy out so we’re taking a break from driving to refuel and stretch our legs. The last few days have been chock full of new experiences and adventure. Our last day on the Lovell’s Orchard was bittersweet. They took us in to live on their farm and treated us like we were members of their family. Our time spent with them was a wonderful experience learning the ups and downs of farm life and getting to know who the Lovell’s were on a personal level. What we learned from them we’ll carry with us for the rest of our lives. Our last day there just so happened to be the first day of squirrel hunting season. We have been wanting to go hunting for a while now and Luke knew this. So as a special treat he took Tiffany and I squirrel hunting. Even thou Tiffany was on rifle team in high school, I had never shot a gun in my life. So before heading out, Luke brought out one of his rifles and a shotgun, and we all took turns lining up the scope of the rifle and firing the shotgun. Twenty practice rounds later we had the scope lined up, than headed out. We drove the truck out to where the orchard meets the forest and walked into the woods from there. Tiffany saw the squirrel first and motioned to Luke to stop walking. She got him in her sights and aimed the rifle, but in a flash the squirrel had jumped trees. Luke told me to make a wide circle around and scare the squirrel back towards Tiffany. I proceeded to walk around and then I saw it. Right above me, and it was getting ready to jump to another tree. I didn’t hesitate to raise my shotgun, take aim, and fire. One by one, leaves fell from the tree and I waited for the squirrel. Then, all of a sudden, it dropped and landed right in front of me. I was so proud that I shouted back to Tiffany and Luke, “I got him!” They both ran up smiling, Luke took my knife and gutted the squirrel, then we went back to hunting for more. After about an hour of searching, the sun had set and it was just too dark so see. We ended the hunt, walked back to the truck, and drove back to the house. I walked into the house with the shotgun over my shoulder and the squirrel in my other hand, with the biggest proudest smile on my face. Then Luke took the squirrel and showed me how to skin it, and gave me the hide.
After washing up, dinner was ready, and we all sat down at the dinner table. Best meal ever! Rosi had prepared Roast duck fresh from the farm, Corn grown on Luke’s parent’s farm, potatoes, and Fried Okra,(Best fried Okra in the world). After dinner we all gathered on the deck and I introduced them to “Apples to Apples”. By the end of the game we were all laughing and smiling and having a great time. It got late, so we all went to bed, and the next morning we packed up the car, said our goodbyes, and drove off. Tiffany and I both cried a bit on the drive. The Lovell’s are great people and we loved our time spent with them, but the road was calling us. New adventures and new experiences awaited us.
One of those new experiences was our trip to Mammoth cave. After leaving the farm, we headed to Mummies’ house in Tennessee. There we had lunch with her family. Another great meal that left us feeling fat and happy! We reorganized our trunk, sat and talked with family, and downloaded a few movies online in case we get bored later on our travels. After everyone went home, Tiffany and I got out the squirrel we had been keeping in a jar of salt water, and put it on the grill. After about an hour it was ready to eat. I called Uncle Jamie out of the house and the three of us gathered around and all got to taste grilled squirrel for the first time. It was delicious! Better than I imagined it would taste, and because we kept it in salt water over night there was hardly any gamey taste. After eating our prize, we all went to sleep. Mumzie was more than too kind on insisting on giving up her bed for the night. It was the most comfortable bed we’ve ever laid in and we fell fast asleep.
Waking up well rested, we gathered our things and headed out to Mammoth Cave. We checked in, found our campsite and set up camp. After pitching our tent, Tiffany, Annabelle, and I all went for a walk. The walk was wonderful, and after about a half hour, we came upon a spring. As soon as my toes touched the water, chills ran up my spine. It was ice cold. I kept running back and forth between having my feet in the ice cold waters, and standing in the warm sand along the bank. Annabelle had a blast running around and playing in the sand, and after a few minutes I finally convinced Tiffany to take her shoes off and play in the water with me. We both felt like little kids discovering water for the first time. After a while, we headed back to camp, and set up our stove to cook dinner. After dinner, we built a fire and toasted marshmallows. I kept catching mine on fire, and Tiffany’s were all coming out perfect. I decided to humble myself and asked Tiff if she would make me toasted marshmallows for the rest of the night, she agreed, and they were all delicious! After the fire died down, we put it out and went into the tent to sleep.
The next morning we both woke up extremely early, and got dressed. Tiffany took Annabelle to the Kennel and I prepared breakfast. After filling up on oatmeal, we put our valuables in the car, and headed to the visitors center to pick up our tickets for the “Wild Cave Tour”. We met up with our tour guide, grouped up with about 12 others, and boarded the tour bus. After about 10 minutes of driving and debriefing, we arrived at the entrance of the cave, and proceeded to walk the steps single file down into the unknown. As soon as we entered, the temperature changed from cold to really cold! Thankfully, we were all wearing coveralls, which kept us warm. The caves were gorgeous! The walls and ceiling were lined with the most beautiful Gypsum we’ve ever seen, almost everywhere you looked, there were flowers made of crystal the size of a grapefruit hanging from the ceiling . The cave was about 10 ft high, by about 20 feet wide, but after walking a few minutes, watching the ceiling and the floor slowly coming together, we arrived at our first challenge. Before us lied a pile of boulders. In between a few of those boulders was an opening, about as wide as a doorway and about a foot high. After telling everyone all the ins and outs of caving, what to do, what not to do, how to follow the person in front of you, and what to do if you loose site of the person behind you, our guide crouched down on his hands and knees and squeezed himself in thru the gap, and one by one, all the members of the group followed after. Once I was in, I couldn’t believe how small the moving space was. In some places the tunnels were wide enough to crawl on your hands and knees, but throughout most of it, all you could do was lay on your belly and pull yourself thru with your hands and elbows. Re-adjusting your torso and legs to work yourself around boulders, corners, stalactites and stalagmites. This went on for about 100ft /about 20 minutes. Near the end of this tunnel, there was another gap about 2ft wide, and about a foot high, that you had to pull your head through first, than your arms, than drag the rest of your body through by grabbing onto something in front of you, and pulling yourself up and through. Only to find yourself in another tunnel only a little bit wider than the last one, and make your way through it before finally reaching the next standing room. Once there, the group met back together, and we all got debriefed on the next part of the tunnel. This time, the tunnel was going to be shorter than the last, but twice as cramped. In he went, and in we followed. There was no turning back now, I wouldn’t know how to go back the way we came anyways. We were in this till the end. The walls were closer this time, and the gaps were smaller, but we all made it. One by one we went in, and one by one we made it out the other side. Each of us helping out the person behind us. Letting them know what to look out for, and teaching the next person our technique on how to overcome each obstacle. If you needed a little help making it through the gaps the person in front of you would pull you through, and if someone behind you needed help making it through, you gave them a hand. Everyone worked as a team, and because of it, the tour guide took us through tougher and tougher challenges because he knew we could handle them. After about 3 hours of this, we arrived at a huge room in the cave, there were tables set up, people from other tours filled the room and in the back people were serving sandwiches and drinks. There was even a restroom. There were about 200 people from different tours in the hall but our group was the only group of people wearing thick coveralls, and hard hats with headlamps. After lunch, we were all debriefed on the next part of the tour and off we went. As we moved along through the caves, the challenges got harder, but the wow factors increased. Sometimes we were looking down into what looked like a bottomless pit, and other times we were looking up a thousand feet, there were rooms with the most intense acoustics you’ve ever heard, there were rooms covered in water, rooms decorated with gypsum, rooms filled with stalactites. The sites were beautiful, the challenges were exciting and the sense of danger was exhilarating. Once we reached the end of the final tunnel over 6 hours had passed. We all made our way to the surface. Boarded the bus that was waiting for us, and drove back to the visitors center to change out of our caving gear. Tiffany and I couldn’t stop talking about the caves. We retrieved Annabelle from the kennel, and headed back to our campsite to make dinner, toast marshmallows by the fire, and pass out in the tent. After such a long day we both fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow.
The next morning I woke up thinking someone had just run me over with a truck. Every muscle on my body ached, from my legs and back, to my chest and my arms. Along with the pain, my knees and elbows were both badly bruised up. I woke up Tiffany, and she said she felt the same way. Than when it came time to stand up, the pain only became more noticeable. A simple task such as kneeling on the ground to roll up your sleeping bag was a challenge. Though the pain was great, The idea of what we accomplished felt even greater. Not very many people get to see what we saw down there, so to us what we had to go through was worth it. Tiffany and I broke down the tent, packed up all are things, boarded the car, and checked out. All in a hurry to catch McDonalds breakfast before they switch to their lunch menu. We felt we deserved a hearty meal after what we endured. And every bite tasted like sweet sweet victory.
After washing up, dinner was ready, and we all sat down at the dinner table. Best meal ever! Rosi had prepared Roast duck fresh from the farm, Corn grown on Luke’s parent’s farm, potatoes, and Fried Okra,(Best fried Okra in the world). After dinner we all gathered on the deck and I introduced them to “Apples to Apples”. By the end of the game we were all laughing and smiling and having a great time. It got late, so we all went to bed, and the next morning we packed up the car, said our goodbyes, and drove off. Tiffany and I both cried a bit on the drive. The Lovell’s are great people and we loved our time spent with them, but the road was calling us. New adventures and new experiences awaited us.
One of those new experiences was our trip to Mammoth cave. After leaving the farm, we headed to Mummies’ house in Tennessee. There we had lunch with her family. Another great meal that left us feeling fat and happy! We reorganized our trunk, sat and talked with family, and downloaded a few movies online in case we get bored later on our travels. After everyone went home, Tiffany and I got out the squirrel we had been keeping in a jar of salt water, and put it on the grill. After about an hour it was ready to eat. I called Uncle Jamie out of the house and the three of us gathered around and all got to taste grilled squirrel for the first time. It was delicious! Better than I imagined it would taste, and because we kept it in salt water over night there was hardly any gamey taste. After eating our prize, we all went to sleep. Mumzie was more than too kind on insisting on giving up her bed for the night. It was the most comfortable bed we’ve ever laid in and we fell fast asleep.
Waking up well rested, we gathered our things and headed out to Mammoth Cave. We checked in, found our campsite and set up camp. After pitching our tent, Tiffany, Annabelle, and I all went for a walk. The walk was wonderful, and after about a half hour, we came upon a spring. As soon as my toes touched the water, chills ran up my spine. It was ice cold. I kept running back and forth between having my feet in the ice cold waters, and standing in the warm sand along the bank. Annabelle had a blast running around and playing in the sand, and after a few minutes I finally convinced Tiffany to take her shoes off and play in the water with me. We both felt like little kids discovering water for the first time. After a while, we headed back to camp, and set up our stove to cook dinner. After dinner, we built a fire and toasted marshmallows. I kept catching mine on fire, and Tiffany’s were all coming out perfect. I decided to humble myself and asked Tiff if she would make me toasted marshmallows for the rest of the night, she agreed, and they were all delicious! After the fire died down, we put it out and went into the tent to sleep.
The next morning we both woke up extremely early, and got dressed. Tiffany took Annabelle to the Kennel and I prepared breakfast. After filling up on oatmeal, we put our valuables in the car, and headed to the visitors center to pick up our tickets for the “Wild Cave Tour”. We met up with our tour guide, grouped up with about 12 others, and boarded the tour bus. After about 10 minutes of driving and debriefing, we arrived at the entrance of the cave, and proceeded to walk the steps single file down into the unknown. As soon as we entered, the temperature changed from cold to really cold! Thankfully, we were all wearing coveralls, which kept us warm. The caves were gorgeous! The walls and ceiling were lined with the most beautiful Gypsum we’ve ever seen, almost everywhere you looked, there were flowers made of crystal the size of a grapefruit hanging from the ceiling . The cave was about 10 ft high, by about 20 feet wide, but after walking a few minutes, watching the ceiling and the floor slowly coming together, we arrived at our first challenge. Before us lied a pile of boulders. In between a few of those boulders was an opening, about as wide as a doorway and about a foot high. After telling everyone all the ins and outs of caving, what to do, what not to do, how to follow the person in front of you, and what to do if you loose site of the person behind you, our guide crouched down on his hands and knees and squeezed himself in thru the gap, and one by one, all the members of the group followed after. Once I was in, I couldn’t believe how small the moving space was. In some places the tunnels were wide enough to crawl on your hands and knees, but throughout most of it, all you could do was lay on your belly and pull yourself thru with your hands and elbows. Re-adjusting your torso and legs to work yourself around boulders, corners, stalactites and stalagmites. This went on for about 100ft /about 20 minutes. Near the end of this tunnel, there was another gap about 2ft wide, and about a foot high, that you had to pull your head through first, than your arms, than drag the rest of your body through by grabbing onto something in front of you, and pulling yourself up and through. Only to find yourself in another tunnel only a little bit wider than the last one, and make your way through it before finally reaching the next standing room. Once there, the group met back together, and we all got debriefed on the next part of the tunnel. This time, the tunnel was going to be shorter than the last, but twice as cramped. In he went, and in we followed. There was no turning back now, I wouldn’t know how to go back the way we came anyways. We were in this till the end. The walls were closer this time, and the gaps were smaller, but we all made it. One by one we went in, and one by one we made it out the other side. Each of us helping out the person behind us. Letting them know what to look out for, and teaching the next person our technique on how to overcome each obstacle. If you needed a little help making it through the gaps the person in front of you would pull you through, and if someone behind you needed help making it through, you gave them a hand. Everyone worked as a team, and because of it, the tour guide took us through tougher and tougher challenges because he knew we could handle them. After about 3 hours of this, we arrived at a huge room in the cave, there were tables set up, people from other tours filled the room and in the back people were serving sandwiches and drinks. There was even a restroom. There were about 200 people from different tours in the hall but our group was the only group of people wearing thick coveralls, and hard hats with headlamps. After lunch, we were all debriefed on the next part of the tour and off we went. As we moved along through the caves, the challenges got harder, but the wow factors increased. Sometimes we were looking down into what looked like a bottomless pit, and other times we were looking up a thousand feet, there were rooms with the most intense acoustics you’ve ever heard, there were rooms covered in water, rooms decorated with gypsum, rooms filled with stalactites. The sites were beautiful, the challenges were exciting and the sense of danger was exhilarating. Once we reached the end of the final tunnel over 6 hours had passed. We all made our way to the surface. Boarded the bus that was waiting for us, and drove back to the visitors center to change out of our caving gear. Tiffany and I couldn’t stop talking about the caves. We retrieved Annabelle from the kennel, and headed back to our campsite to make dinner, toast marshmallows by the fire, and pass out in the tent. After such a long day we both fell asleep as soon as our heads hit the pillow.
The next morning I woke up thinking someone had just run me over with a truck. Every muscle on my body ached, from my legs and back, to my chest and my arms. Along with the pain, my knees and elbows were both badly bruised up. I woke up Tiffany, and she said she felt the same way. Than when it came time to stand up, the pain only became more noticeable. A simple task such as kneeling on the ground to roll up your sleeping bag was a challenge. Though the pain was great, The idea of what we accomplished felt even greater. Not very many people get to see what we saw down there, so to us what we had to go through was worth it. Tiffany and I broke down the tent, packed up all are things, boarded the car, and checked out. All in a hurry to catch McDonalds breakfast before they switch to their lunch menu. We felt we deserved a hearty meal after what we endured. And every bite tasted like sweet sweet victory.
Saturday, August 13, 2011
Last Day at th Orchard
Since this is our last day at the orchard we figured enough had happened to fit into another update.
The day after posting the last depressive blog, we were sad and mentally exhausted. It was the last day the store was going to be open and we were anxiously awaiting Daniel’s aunt and uncle who were planning on stopping by on their way from Michigan to Florida. From 7am to 5pm we had one customer. They went out picking with 4 boxes and a half hour later came back with only a box worth. After they left, Daniel’s Uncle Brian and Aunt Carolyn showed up. We closed up shop and took them around to see the farm and the animals. Carolyn was ecstatic about the whole set up. It really brightened up our day to see their reactions and remember how fascinating the farm was to us when we first arrived. Around every turn was a photo opportunity and in every picture, the little goat Alpha made sure to be seen. They took us out to eat at Applebee’s, which was a massive treat for us. We hadn’t eaten at a restaurant in a long time and missed it. We cleaned our plates spotless. Over dinner, they told us about a job opportunity we might like in Alaska. From what we heard, ski and hunting lodges in Alaska will hire people to come and work four months of their busiest season. You call around February to try and get in, then they fly you out there, you work, and they fly you back. It reminded me a lot of wwoofing, since they provide you food and lodging in exchange for work, but if you stick it out and work the whole four months you make out with around $15,000. Daniel and I REALLY like the sound of that. Two people, each making that much, and we’d have enough back up money to go Wwoofing in Europe, which we really want to do. After dinner we said our goodbyes and gave hugs. It was nice seeing a familiar face after months of new people.
A few days later, Daniel and I were sitting in a pile of hay drinking our morning coffee when we experienced the most horrible and fowl smell. Six feet in front of us, Momma Duck launched herself out of her nesting box holding an egg shell, shaking her head viciously and proceeded to eat it. I decided to take one for the team and open the nest box to see what had happened. Lifting the lid, the smell was even worse and I dry heaved. But there, sitting in the middle of a circle of duck eggs was a tiny newborn chick. Apparently Momma Duck had been sitting on her eggs and two chicken eggs. One egg was a dud and must have cracked open after the other hatched. Since chicken eggs hatch much sooner than duck eggs, I scooped up the chicken (who was covered in rotten egg) and took it into the garage to see if we could build it a little house. We lined the bottom of a peck box with hay and grass and Daniel cut the bottoms off two 20oz plastic bottles to make a food and water bowl. Since drowning is a big concern with chicks, I filled the water bowl with pebbles before putting water in; that way the chick could sip the water from between the rocks and be in no danger. Daniel took another peck box and cut holes in it for windows and cut a flap for a door before duct taping it on as a lid. I figured that the chick (who we named Colonel Sanders) would imprint on me but I was wrong. The Colonel decided that Annabelle was going to be it’s mother. It follows her around, perches on her paws, and peeps when she is out of sight. Annabelle tolerates the baby very well. If it peeps, Annabelle checks on it. If it perches on her, she sighs and lays her head down. If it lags behind while following her, she’ll sit down and wait. The constant peeping from the tiny bird really grinds on our nerves; it makes noise 24/7, even when it sleeps. Unfortunately, the little guy fell sick after four days, and he passed on. Annabelle is very sad about this. I know I shouldn’t get too depressed over it because 10% of chicks die in the first two weeks. Rosi put in an order for 100 baby chickens that day and yesterday she got a call from the post office saying that they had come in. I emptied, bleached, and filled a container with straw and we piled all the chicks into it. They are so cute. 75 are Cornish cross, 10 are golden comets, 10 silver laces wyandottes, and 5 oraconas. The oraconas are mine and Daniel’s favorite because they are brown with black stripes.
We were all busting around early a few days ago. Luke wanted Daniel to take the chainsaw out and cut down dead peach trees and told me to take the loppers and cut the tiny apple sprouts that were popping up around the bases of all the trees. Luke took off on his tractor to get some mowing done. We were doing all this because some census government people were suppose to drop in and count every tree on the orchard. If the Lovell’s don’t have as many trees as they did in 09’ then they might get a grant. Daniel cut all the dead branches and trees and I made it through the first five rows of apple trees before my sprained ankle swelled up. Eventually, the people showed up and it sounded like they are going to get the grant. Fingers crossed.
Last night, I suggested that the younger ducks look delicious and that we should process one. We spotted the biggest of the ducks and tried to corner it but it got past me, Daniel, and Luke. I yelled to Annabelle “Go get it!” and she took off like a bat out of hell. She chased it around the garage and trapped it; running circles around it and snapping her jaws as a warning. Annabelle may have been quick to corral the loose duck but Luke was quicker at grabbing another. He snatched one up like it was nothing and cut the head off, handing me the carcass. Annabelle got the head for being such a good herding dog. She ate it all, Skull, brains, and bill. I held the headless, twitching thing in the air as Rosi boiled a pot of water. They carried the pot out and we dunked the bird in, ruffling the feathers to make sure it got soaked to the bone. The boiling water loosened the skin’s grip on the feathers and we all got to plucking the bird. With four people pulling feathers, it didn’t take long at all. We took the carcass inside and Luke finished cleaning the outside of the bird in the sink. Afterwards, Rosi took over and showed us how to gut the bird. It was crazy seeing the crop of the duck filled to bursting with grass. Once it was all done, we put the bird in a pot of salt water, adding basil, garlic, and other seasoning to it, and put it in the fridge. It sat over night and we’re gonna eat him tonight. It’s going to be delicious.
It’s been a fantastic experience for us at the orchard. Since peach season has ended, I’ve wanted nothing more than to sink my teeth into another sweet and juicy peach but they are all gone. Luckily, Daniel and I took a long walk yesterday and found that the apples that are starting to come in are just as good. Rosi, Luke, and all of the kids are so friendly and are fantastic hosts. We are very blessed to know them.
We leave here tomorrow and we have a tour reservation at Mammoth Cave for the 16th. We are so excited and cant wait to head out to our next destination!
The day after posting the last depressive blog, we were sad and mentally exhausted. It was the last day the store was going to be open and we were anxiously awaiting Daniel’s aunt and uncle who were planning on stopping by on their way from Michigan to Florida. From 7am to 5pm we had one customer. They went out picking with 4 boxes and a half hour later came back with only a box worth. After they left, Daniel’s Uncle Brian and Aunt Carolyn showed up. We closed up shop and took them around to see the farm and the animals. Carolyn was ecstatic about the whole set up. It really brightened up our day to see their reactions and remember how fascinating the farm was to us when we first arrived. Around every turn was a photo opportunity and in every picture, the little goat Alpha made sure to be seen. They took us out to eat at Applebee’s, which was a massive treat for us. We hadn’t eaten at a restaurant in a long time and missed it. We cleaned our plates spotless. Over dinner, they told us about a job opportunity we might like in Alaska. From what we heard, ski and hunting lodges in Alaska will hire people to come and work four months of their busiest season. You call around February to try and get in, then they fly you out there, you work, and they fly you back. It reminded me a lot of wwoofing, since they provide you food and lodging in exchange for work, but if you stick it out and work the whole four months you make out with around $15,000. Daniel and I REALLY like the sound of that. Two people, each making that much, and we’d have enough back up money to go Wwoofing in Europe, which we really want to do. After dinner we said our goodbyes and gave hugs. It was nice seeing a familiar face after months of new people.
A few days later, Daniel and I were sitting in a pile of hay drinking our morning coffee when we experienced the most horrible and fowl smell. Six feet in front of us, Momma Duck launched herself out of her nesting box holding an egg shell, shaking her head viciously and proceeded to eat it. I decided to take one for the team and open the nest box to see what had happened. Lifting the lid, the smell was even worse and I dry heaved. But there, sitting in the middle of a circle of duck eggs was a tiny newborn chick. Apparently Momma Duck had been sitting on her eggs and two chicken eggs. One egg was a dud and must have cracked open after the other hatched. Since chicken eggs hatch much sooner than duck eggs, I scooped up the chicken (who was covered in rotten egg) and took it into the garage to see if we could build it a little house. We lined the bottom of a peck box with hay and grass and Daniel cut the bottoms off two 20oz plastic bottles to make a food and water bowl. Since drowning is a big concern with chicks, I filled the water bowl with pebbles before putting water in; that way the chick could sip the water from between the rocks and be in no danger. Daniel took another peck box and cut holes in it for windows and cut a flap for a door before duct taping it on as a lid. I figured that the chick (who we named Colonel Sanders) would imprint on me but I was wrong. The Colonel decided that Annabelle was going to be it’s mother. It follows her around, perches on her paws, and peeps when she is out of sight. Annabelle tolerates the baby very well. If it peeps, Annabelle checks on it. If it perches on her, she sighs and lays her head down. If it lags behind while following her, she’ll sit down and wait. The constant peeping from the tiny bird really grinds on our nerves; it makes noise 24/7, even when it sleeps. Unfortunately, the little guy fell sick after four days, and he passed on. Annabelle is very sad about this. I know I shouldn’t get too depressed over it because 10% of chicks die in the first two weeks. Rosi put in an order for 100 baby chickens that day and yesterday she got a call from the post office saying that they had come in. I emptied, bleached, and filled a container with straw and we piled all the chicks into it. They are so cute. 75 are Cornish cross, 10 are golden comets, 10 silver laces wyandottes, and 5 oraconas. The oraconas are mine and Daniel’s favorite because they are brown with black stripes.
We were all busting around early a few days ago. Luke wanted Daniel to take the chainsaw out and cut down dead peach trees and told me to take the loppers and cut the tiny apple sprouts that were popping up around the bases of all the trees. Luke took off on his tractor to get some mowing done. We were doing all this because some census government people were suppose to drop in and count every tree on the orchard. If the Lovell’s don’t have as many trees as they did in 09’ then they might get a grant. Daniel cut all the dead branches and trees and I made it through the first five rows of apple trees before my sprained ankle swelled up. Eventually, the people showed up and it sounded like they are going to get the grant. Fingers crossed.
Last night, I suggested that the younger ducks look delicious and that we should process one. We spotted the biggest of the ducks and tried to corner it but it got past me, Daniel, and Luke. I yelled to Annabelle “Go get it!” and she took off like a bat out of hell. She chased it around the garage and trapped it; running circles around it and snapping her jaws as a warning. Annabelle may have been quick to corral the loose duck but Luke was quicker at grabbing another. He snatched one up like it was nothing and cut the head off, handing me the carcass. Annabelle got the head for being such a good herding dog. She ate it all, Skull, brains, and bill. I held the headless, twitching thing in the air as Rosi boiled a pot of water. They carried the pot out and we dunked the bird in, ruffling the feathers to make sure it got soaked to the bone. The boiling water loosened the skin’s grip on the feathers and we all got to plucking the bird. With four people pulling feathers, it didn’t take long at all. We took the carcass inside and Luke finished cleaning the outside of the bird in the sink. Afterwards, Rosi took over and showed us how to gut the bird. It was crazy seeing the crop of the duck filled to bursting with grass. Once it was all done, we put the bird in a pot of salt water, adding basil, garlic, and other seasoning to it, and put it in the fridge. It sat over night and we’re gonna eat him tonight. It’s going to be delicious.
It’s been a fantastic experience for us at the orchard. Since peach season has ended, I’ve wanted nothing more than to sink my teeth into another sweet and juicy peach but they are all gone. Luckily, Daniel and I took a long walk yesterday and found that the apples that are starting to come in are just as good. Rosi, Luke, and all of the kids are so friendly and are fantastic hosts. We are very blessed to know them.
We leave here tomorrow and we have a tour reservation at Mammoth Cave for the 16th. We are so excited and cant wait to head out to our next destination!
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)