My Body My choice right?

 Or does that only pertain to my wanting to kill my unborn child?  

All the voices that chime in support of a woman's right to choose fall silent when the choice really does concern only her own body.  Cause you see, abortion isn't a choice she makes over her own body, but a choice over the body of the unborn child.  Making the choice to take( or not)vaccines or other medical treatments is a choice over ones own body, and in this case, includes both male and female individuals.  But now we're hearing about vaccine mandates, and mask mandates (again), even for those vaccinated.  In fact the current DOJ has declared that mandating vaccines is legal.  FYI, it isn't his job to declare that, more like the Supreme Court.  But I digress.  

And Ladies, insert the word "abortion" if you're prolife, and "pregnancy" if you're prochoice and see how that rubs you now.  I'll do it for you.

"It's legal to mandate ABORTIONS". How does that sound now for the pro-lifer out there that thinks the government should mandate masks or vaccines; especially vaccines

"It's legal to mandate all pregnancies be carried to term".  How does that sound now for the pro choicer out there who thinks it's fine for the government to mandate masks or vaccines; especially vaccines.  If it helps clarify any more, it's a white man that's saying this so....

IF YOU ARE VACCINATED, YOU HAVE LITTLE TO FEAR FROM AN UNVACCINATED PERSON.  According to the powers that be, your vaccination keeps you from getting, if you do get it at all, a bad version of Covid.  So if you want to "Follow the science", then leave the rest of us alone.  Unvaccinated people are at risk, not you.  

Something to know about us unvaccinated folks:

1)  No we do not think there is a micro chip imbedded in the vaccine.  

2)  Not all of us are conservative leaning.  We didn't get this idea from Republican leaders.  

3)  We do have a brain and think for ourselves.  

4)  We have concerns about vaccines that are

a) being used under emergency authorization

b) being given with no recourse for liability should something happen

c) Is only able to be under emergency use authorization because it was reported there were no treatments for this virus.   We couldn't hear about Ivermectin, Hydroxychloriquine, Regeneron, Zinc, and Vitamin D.  Interesting.

d)  A vaccine being pushed by a government that is also responsible for: Masks don't work to masks work.  Kids can't spread or get a major infection to kids 2 and older need to wear a mask.  6 ft separation to 13 ft to 3 ft to 6 ft again.  Once vaccinated you don't have to wear a mask, but then you do.  Lately it's get vaccinated and you don't have to wear a mask.  That turned to vaccinated people need to continue to wear a mask.  Walmart is okay to shop in, riot/protests are okay to be in, but church is off limits.  Essential workers have to go to work, wear a mask the whole time, but return home to your family in shut down, remove your mask, and go about your day.  Essential workers take your life in your hands to serve the community, but we're going to give extra money on top of unemployment to those unemployed; even when the job market is open again and they refuse to go back to work because they are getting paid more to stay home.  

Ya know all those kind of brilliant things that make us put our full faith and trust in our fearless leaders.

Why would we be resistant to a shot in the arm that can't be undone once done?  At least I know if I get Covid, it will either kill me , or immune me.  So will the vaccine I guess, but at least if I have to fight off Covid, it will be because my immune system did what it was supposed to do and not what it was orchestrated to do by people without the original creators manual.   Plus studies coming out of both Israel and the Cleveland clinic are saying naturally acquired immunity is more durable.  

It all boils down to this.  We have our reasons for not jumping on the vaccination bandwagon; for a virus, I might ad, with a 99% survival rate.  Reasons that are thoughtful, and educated. 

Over the past 18 months I've watched in awe as many of the things I learned being trained in the healthcare field, were ignored.  Common sense has flown the coop to be replaced by political expediency and fear.  People have willingly handed over their rights as citizens of what's supposed to be the free world.  How can I feel comfortable having a permanent procedure done to me and mine when attempts to share or obtain information, to make an informed decision, have been thwarted at every turn.  

To be honest, the more they push the  more I dig in.  

Back off and let us make our own decision.  We know the risks we face.  

Busy with blessings!

 It has a been a crazy few weeks of trying to keep my head above water when it comes to all things homesteady... and Etsy.  

Last year, with the "Rona" making it's landfall and the subsequent shut downs that followed; my little Etsy shop took off.  It went from down 11% to up 48% by the end of the year.  I thought once tings opened up again; things would slow down a bit.  They did for a short while and I was only up slightly over last year.  Then the last three weeks happened and I'm up another 7% year over year.  The extra money, still not enough to be considered a full time income just a side business, has helped make ends meet due to hubby's surgery, recovery, and now cut hours at work.  The cut hours are not because of his recovery, but rather a situation in the company.  

In addition to Etsy taking off, the garden has as well!  I've started to put up tomatoes in the form of sauce.  That's just started so only a few quarts at the moment.  I have, however put up three quarts of fermented salsa, which is AMAZING!  Rubic has been plowing thru it daily.  Needless to say, It's hard to keep on hand.  I'm pretty proud that, aside from the onions, everything else has come from the garden. 

To date I've put up

14 quarts of yellow squash ( final tally).  We actually still had squash from last year, so this is more than enough.

3 quarts of dehydrated squash. (final tally)-  That's equal to about another 9-10 quarts canned

2 ish pints of sweet peas ( first time ever!  Planting more in fall)

3 quarts fermented sauerkraut ( final tally, but planting more green cabbage in the fall)

3 quarts fermented cucumber pickles

6 quarts of tomato sauce ( ongoing).  The tomatoes are just starting to really come in, and in , and in.

5 quarts of tomato juice( ongoing)

3 quarts of fermented salsa (ongoing)- with Jalapenos coming in.

1 half pint of sundried tomatoes with fresh garlic and basil stored in olive oil ( first trial run. Will do more I think

4  pints butternut squash (ongoing).  I had to cook these because I didn't leave enough stem at the end to cure them.  They're in the freezer.

10 butternut squash curing to be stored as is.(ongoing)

1 pound dried navy beans (on going)

1 pound of pinto beans ( and saved some to plant next year) (ongoing).  These were organic Non GMO beans I had bought last year for eating.  I tried my hand at planting a few just to see.  I got a few beans last year and planted them this year.  They provided this pound of dried beans and 95 additional seeds for next year.  Next year will be a good pinto bean year and they will have been free, free!

Countless bulbs of garlic

 

Dehydrated about 4 gallon bags of kale ( final tally, but will plant again in fall).  Saved enough seeds from one plant to start my own commercial Kale farm.  Awesome!

8 pounds of frozen blackberries (ongoing)

4 quarts canned blackberries (ongoing)

19.5 quarts of green beans ( ongoing)

3 gallon bags of corn on the cobb.  ( final tally) We weren't wanting very much corn.  Just wanted a few ears for fresh eating.

6.5 quarts of grated zucchini( final tally, but planting more possibly in fall)

10 pints spiced red cabbage ( final tally, but planting more in the fall)

3 quarts of Beets and 3 quarts of beet juice.  The beets went to my mom who loves them, the juice will stay here to be made into jelly.

In addition to that I've made 4 half pints pear butter and 3 quarts pear sauce.  These pears were given to us by a friend and I gave her eggs.  I've dehydrated various herbs as well as green bell peppers which have just started to come in with the jalapeno peppers.  I've set aside black berries ( not included in above tally) and raspberries to make jam later on in the fall.  I try not to can any more than I have to in the summer.  Many of the items above were fresh eaten in addition to those portions preserved for winter storage.  I did have broccoli, but only enough for fresh eating.  I'll plant more in the fall to see how it does. Strawberries and blueberries have been hit or miss.  We had a late freeze that took out the blueberries, and the strawberries aren't putting out near what they did last year.  I had some sweet potatoes that sprouted in storage, and so I planted the slips.  I was about a week late, but maybe we'll get something.  I'm not out anything.  I had the space.  

We also incubated 39 eggs and have added 17 healthy baby chicks.  Not all the eggs were fertile.  Plus we did lose a few babies the first time around in the incubator.  Of the 17, it's estimated about a half and half split between hens and roosters.  

I've frozen about 15 dz eggs for winter, for when the hens aren't laying.  

Wow!  This ended up being quite a list.  Longer than I thought.  I haven't listed all this as just a pat on my back "see what I did" post.  It's rather more like a praise report in that in the middle of cut hours, surgery, financial tightness, God has provided.  It's my job to put a seed in the ground, and care, but God brings the increase.  There have been times over the last few months when I thought we wouldn't be able to make ends meet, but something always happened to fix that and we would be okay.  

Hubby's hours are still cut, but Etsy is still going , and the garden is still growing.  We are so blessed, and I can't be more grateful.