Welcome to The Homestead Barn Hop #148

It looks like The Stable Road Homestead is the last to arrive to the Barn Hop today. But we're not too late for the party. Come on over! There's still plenty of fun to be had.

8 Great Uses for Olive Oil. (We needed #8 today!)

On the homestead, we love anything--and anybody, that works overtime. Like olive oil. So we keep it around in great big quantities for when we need it for more than dressing our salads.

Here's a quick list of 8 ways to get more mileage from your EVO:

1. Eat it!
   It's contains beneficial omega 3 fatty acids, so add it to your salads every chance you get.
   
2. Stop a squeaky hinge.
   Grab the olive oil instead of the the WD-40 next time you have a squeaky hinge.
   
3. Polish your wood furniture.
   Olive oil helps remove dust from furniture and gives it a shine. Add a teaspoon to a quarter-cup of lemon juice, to make a non-toxic, petroleum-free polish that gently cleans wood surfaces.

   

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4. Clean and polish your barn boots.
   Add a little bit of oil to a lint-free clothe, then buff your boots.
   
   
5. Remove paint from your hands...and your hair
   Scrub your paint-splattered hands with olive to clean and soften your skin. Add a little coarse Kosher salt for an extra scrub. To remove paint from your hair, apply the oil liberally then let it set for 10 minutes.
   
   
6. Polish brass
   
   
   
7. De-tangle your horse's mane...or your own
   Olive oil is what I use to get the twisted knots out of  this gelding's really long mane. (Keeping it lightly oiled when it's wet seems to help prevent tangles.)
   
8. Remove tree sap
   When the Mr. Firewood Stacker came in today after loading one and half cords of wood, I handed him the olive oil to clean his hands...and the bottom on his shoes.
   

   

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What other ways do you use olive oil around your place?

COFFEE! A Re-posting from The Prairie Homestead

Hmm. Hmm. Hmm. I love everything about coffee. It's a true gift from the Lord--especially during these cold, dark early mornings of winter when I need that "extra motivation" to get outside to care for the livestock and dogs. 

I save my freshly used grounds in a bucket with a lid that I keep under my kitchen sink. When the bucket is full, I mix the grounds into the soil around my blueberry bushes. Blueberry bushes are an acid-loving plant and our soil is high in alkaline. I have to amend the soil with SOMETHING to boost its acidity, so I treat my plants to hardy serving of coffee grounds about once a month.

Top 5 Tips for Making Your Rainy Day Barn Chores Carefree

5. Hose off your muck boots before returning them to the tack shed.
4. Turn on the hose to the horse shelter before you walk down to water the horses and realize the water is not on.
3. Rope off the muddy hillside before your horses get to it.
2. Fill the chicken's waterer before you hike back up the slippery road and remember that you need to walk back down, fill it, and walk up again.
1. Remember you have eggs in the pockets of your barn coat before you decide to lift and move the hay bale.

Today is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it.

Historic Record-breaking Drought

Courtesy of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA):

...A PLETHORA OF RECORDS SET IN (sic) CALIFORNIA THROUGHOUT JANUARY 2014 DURING THIS HISTORIC DROUGHT...
JANUARY 2014 RE-WROTE THE RECORD BOOKS (sic). HERE ARE THE HIGHLIGHTS, MANY RECORDS NEVER SEEN BEFORE (sic).

1. LONGEST DRY PERIOD DURING THE RAINY SEASON (NOV-MAR) FROM DEC 7, 2013 TO JAN 29, 2014, 52 DAYS. THE OLD RECORD WAS 44 DAYS FROM NOV 15, 1976 TO DEC 28, 1976 ( MEASURABLE RAIN)

2. THE THIRD DRIEST JAN IN HISTORY SINCE 1850 WITH 0.20 INCHES DATING BACK TO SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION RECORDS.

3. JAN PRECIPITATION ENDED WITH 0.20 INCHES. NORMAL IS 3.97 INCHES. THIS IS ONLY 5 PERCENT OF NORMAL.

4. JAN 2014 BROKE HIGHEST AVERAGE MAXIMUM TEMPERATURE WITH 66.1 DEGREES. THE OLD RECORD WAS 62.1 DEGREES SET IN 1976. AVERAGE MONTHLY MAXIMUM ONLY 55.1 DEGREES.

5. NEW ALL-TIME RECORD HIGH FOR THE MONTH OF JAN SET ON JAN 24, 2014 OF 79 DEGREES. THE OLD RECORD WAS 74 DEGREES ON JAN 31,1976.

6. JAN 2014 BROKE THE NUMBER OF DAYS WITH HIGH TEMPERATURES OF 70 DEGREES OR HIGHER AT 7 DAYS. THE PREVIOUS RECORD WAS 6 DAYS SET IN 1976.

7. TIED THE RECORD FOR CONSECUTIVE DAYS OF HIGH TEMPERATURES AT 70 DEGREES OR HIGHER WITH 3 DAYS IN JAN FROM JAN 23, 2014 TO JAN 25 2014. PREVIOUS RECORD WAS JAN 29, 1976 TO JAN 31, 1976.

8. RECORD HIGH TEMPERATURES SET ON 12 DIFFERENT DAYS IN JAN 2014
JAN 1....65 DEGREES....TIED RECORD SET IN 1887. JAN 2....66 DEGREES....BREAKS RECORD OF 65 SET IN 1940. JAN 3....66 DEGREES....BREAKS RECORD OF 64 SET IN 2012. JAN 7....65 DEGREES....TIED RECORD SET IN 2012. JAN 15...69 DEGREES....BREAKS RECORD OF 68 SET IN 2003. JAN 16...71 DEGREES....BREAKS RECORD OF 68 SET IN 1991. JAN 18...70 DEGREES....TIED RECORD SET IN 1976. JAN 20...71 DEGREES....BREAKS RECORD OF 69 SET IN 1976. JAN 23...71 DEGREES....BREAKS RECORD OF 69 SET IN 1948. JAN 24...79 DEGREES....BREAKS RECORD OF 7O SET IN 1984.(ALL-TIME)JAN JAN 25...74 DEGREES....BREAKS RECORD OF 71 SET IN 1899. JAN 28...70 DEGREES....TIED RECORD SET IN 1984.

9. EVERYDAY IN JAN 2014 THE DAYTIME HIGH TEMPERATURE WAS ABOVE NORMAL FOR THE MONTH, NORMAL HIGH RANGE IS 53 TO 57 DEGREES. JAN 2014 WAS 57 TO 79 DEGREES.

10. FINALLY, WE ARE HOPING FOR A FABULOUS FEB 2014. ALL-TIME RECORD FOR RAIN IN FEB IS 10.30 INCHES SET IN 1986.

HAVE A NICE WEEKEND!

UPDATE: Simple Blogging eBook--Can You Find It?

I'm so disappointed to have to tell you that Simple Blogging's link is no longer functioning. I love this little ebook and wish I could share it with you. I'm sorry I didn't retest the link...and I'm sorry that you can't access the ebook through it either.

Where else can the Simple Blogging be purchased? I have no idea. I haven't seen it anywhere else. If you come across it on your travels through the internet, let's us know where you found it.

Unconventional: How this Blogger Succeeds by Breaking the Rules

There comes a point in every blogger's life when we ask ourselves a few questions, like:

Do I really need a photo of me in hyperspace?

     I've spent more than a little time rolling around this idea. You'll find my thoughts on the subject here.

Do I really need to engage in all the social media streams?

       I confess, I've struggled with answering the question of how involved should I be in social media. I know conventional blogosphere wisdom says to be active in as many channels as possible to gather a following. But then I read Rachel Meek's ebook, Simple Blogging: Less Computer Time, Better Blogging. (Affiliate)

     In her ebook, Simple Blogging, Rachel makes her point that "social media is optional". Amen. For me, entering into social media, Facebook in particular, is like walking through a crowded mall where everyone is talking at once and not about the same thing. With my introverted personality, I get more enjoyment out of the blog than the social media streams.
      But, don't count me out completely when it comes to social media: Stable Road Homestead does have a Facebook page and I DO reply when "friends" leave notes. (Remember, I told I struggled with the idea...)

Do I really need to post something earthshaking each day?

     Conventional wisdom says, yes. But, I'm anything but conventional, so I say no to this blogosphere rule of thumb, too.  (If there's a rule to be broken, allow me to be the first. Those who know me are nodding their heads in agreement right now.)

     Sincerely, I don't have enough good ideas--or hours in a day, to master the art of posting earthshaking copy everyday. Maybe one day I will. Today I do not. Beside that, I think both you and I would burn out from hefting through so much verbiage. So instead I choose to come up with a half-dozen or so ideas then work on a few until they're relatively good reads, versus just pumping out words for the sake of getting Stable Road Homestead out in hyperspace each day. I guess it's a quality over quantity sort of thing.

Then, of course, we'll get to the real question:

What was I thinking when I decided to start this blog anyway?

     I think every blogger comes to a point, probably sooner than later, when we ask ourselves: Why did I get this thing started anyway? The answer to this question is key to the longevity of my blog, and yours, if you've started one. Why? Because the heart of the question is The Heart of your blog. I love the homesteading lifestyle and I love writing. Together, they make a great combination. If you're like so many, and started your blog...or are thinking of starting a blog as an incomes source then your motivation to keep it going is different from mine. I'm a homestead blogger because it's fun, not because there's any money to be made by doing do so. Doing anything just for the money is not enough of a motivator to keep at. Try it. You'll see.