grandchildren

It’s Hot but We Move Forward

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Have not had a spare minute to do anything but rush around “putting out fires” until recently. So, I am now able to start catching up with everything that has been happening. Whew!

First off, the kids. Child Protective Services finally concluded at the beginning of the year that there was no cause for action and dropped all charges. However, since the kids were doing well at school in Albuquerque, we let them finish off the year with my daughter. Now, however, she doesn’t want to let them go and come back here. I guess you can say she enjoys the insanity.

Unfortunately, the oldest, Jordan, continued to spiral emotionally. So, between becoming a hormonal teenager (13 years old) and unresolved traumas, we were forced to place him at the Boys/Girls Ranch. There he will get the 24-hour-a-day attention, therapy and adjustments he needs. Jordan is so smart and funny that it breaks our hearts that he has been hurt by life. We have gotten him so far, but he’s now at a stage that is beyond the simple needs of love and acceptance. We recently had to pick him up from the Ranch and take him to the orthodontist (he’s going to need braces).

Here’s a picture of Jordan & Grandpa. Can you believe Jordan’s so big?

A pack of dogs tore through our fence late last year and killed all our chickens and our turkey, all except for one rooster. I was devastated. This spring we finally decided to try again. We now have four hens and three roosters — two roosters were rescues. I love the temporary hen house that Grandpa and Jordan built!

Instead of being in the corner of the property, Jim & Jordan built it right by our closed-off yard, in the middle of the lot, with high fencing.

There’s a path to get to their little chicken run, but to get to it, stray wild life would have to get past our exterior fence, a fenced off garden area, Jim’s hobby vehicles (junkers that he wants to repair), construction materials, and our dogs (who raise an alarm). I’m determined to keep my bird brains safe!

The other big thing we have been working on is the front door. We have only had the one back door on the house and I really wanted a front door. Seems silly to have any visitors walking through the entire house to get to the living room, but that is what happened any time someone came over. I’m so excited at the pending change!

Here’s what the house looked like when Jim started.

He put in the cement pad, then the small porch, then put in the door. The door was mounted from the inside, so the paneling, etc. on the outside was not touched until the exterior wall was almost completely finished.

We’ve now torn out the paneling to reveal the door and are finishing up the exterior wall around the door. Jim also mounted a porch light. Almost done!

As soon as the trim is done I’ll update the pictures. I’m so excited!! I think I’ll redo the paint job in the living room next (hehe). I can just hear the grumbling about the Honey-Do list….

From Chaos to Comfort: Our Family’s New Normal

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Since the last time I posted so much has happened that it makes my head spin. In quick summary, we received full custody of three grandkids in April 2023. This meant all work on the homestead had to come to a temporary halt. To complicate everything, my Mom passed away in November 2023 (will be doing a tribute to her here at a later date).

When the kids first came to live with us (picture of the day custody was finalized), they were an emotional and mental train wreck. At their young age, they had already faced:

  • Seeing their dad pass away (cancer),
  • Living with their gambling, addicted mother out of an abandoned, stolen vehicle for about four months before she abandoned them at a hotel,
  • Having all their funds (their dad’s insurance and pension money) stolen by a foster caretaker before being abandoned again, and then
  • Being separated from each other while they went house-to-house in the foster care system.

With me and Grandpa, they had to learn new things, like:

  • Home cooked meals did not come out of a bag or barrel and are a good thing,
  • How to eat at a table as a family every night and how to use silverware,
  • How to clean off and fix a bed (beds are not for hiding toys and food), and
  • Normal hygiene (i.e., how to wash their entire body in a tub/shower) and brush their teeth.

Jazzy (the youngest and a girl) was almost 6 years old and still not using the toilet. These few details were just a few of the challenges we faced. So, all work on the homestead came to a complete grinding halt.

Their first Christmas had them not being able to sleep the night before. They knew their Uncle, Auntie and cousins were coming by for a huge present opening fest. They had presents with their names piled up around a Christmas tree!

Two years later they now believe they are entitled to have regular hot meals, are doing great in school and most of the major hurtles have been overcome. They are still fearful about the lack of food. So, we keep the pantry and refrigerator/freezer locked, but they know that snacks and meals are consistent and predictable. Snacks are just not available at any time — as in, no snacks 30 minutes before dinner.

They now know what its like to have family attend a school function. They even had a birthday party at an amusement park.

We want to tackle a camping trip this summer with tents and sleeping bags and meals cooked on a grill in the middle of nowhere. I hope they don’t relive the nightmare of street living, but instead see that tents and sleeping bags for camping can be fun.

We also plan to work on the homestead again. First on the list is prepping the garden areas. All three think this work is so much fun. They helped to pick and shop for seeds and are learning about companion gardening. Plus, they are learning the traditional Native American way of planting. So much to teach them and they are loving it (at least so far). The chance to dig in the dirt and get filthy-dirty seems to be the biggest thrill!

Now that things are settling into a basic routine (with everyone helping with chores), my little blog will hopefully be up and running again!

Whirlwind Activity

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Life has been crazy this summer.  My oldest daughter (April) and her family moved to New Mexico and have finally found a house.  I’ve learned a whole new level of respect for her — she is awesome.  This grandma is also thrilled with her three grandsons, who happen to be handsome, intelligent, talented and fun.

My youngest daughter (Carol) continues to make me smile in countless ways.  A few weeks ago she treated me to a trip to the hair salon, so I’m now a pretty old lady.  When it was her turn to have her tresses pampered, I couldn’t resist taking this picture.

Hair2She has threatened me with a slow and painful death if I let anyone see this, but I couldn’t resist!

Later today I’ll be tramping through the area to get to the now-wild peach trees.  The luscious fruits are not as big as the Frankenfruit in stores, but wow — they are so juicy and the peachy taste almost seems artificially accented.  I love the fact these peaches have no sprays, no commercials enhancements and from heirloom trees.  Then the fun of canning… It’s a good thing I live alone.  By the time I’m done, I’ll be a sweaty, stinky mess, but I’ll be smiling!