OMGIM!!

I have written myself a note that I will NOT work myself into such a state on Sunday, that I am comatose at 7P.  I am sure that note will get lost in the mail between now and next weekend, but I always have good intentions.


Saturday was spent mainly in the car.  I had to take Princess Pea (aka Layla) to an adoption event an hour away.  This entailed rushing around like a crazy person to get sheets on the line, doing chores, moving the sheep to another bit of greenery, taking down the electric fencing, giving PP her Dramamine for the trip, trying to look less bedraggled than I was and heading out through weekend traffic into a shopping strip mall.  Only marginally less loathsome (in my mind) than an enclosed mall.  When we arrived (PP having only thrown up a little) right on time, no one from the rescue group was there.  I am learning that they operate on Island time.  Or Rescue time.   And this is nothing against these great people, as they all give up their weekend/weekdays to help dogs find great homes.  I just need to relax.  (hahhahahhahheeehehhee)  It was a little chaotic because the pet store was also holding a vaccination clinic.  Princess Pea did her darnedest to prove she is the sweetest dog ever, walking on her hind legs, little front paws waving.  She did have some mild interest - and you'll have to excuse me because I am going to go on a bit of a ranting aside...


*****
What is with people?  Why on GGE do they recognize that she is adorable, trained, loving, sweet tempered and then totally lose interest because she's a 'senior'?  Seriously?  And what?  She's ten, she's a small dog, she's healthy.  She can live another 5-8 years.  When I adopted the best dog in the Universe - Scrappy Doo - he was 9.  And he was a medium-large dog.  I had him in my life for almost another 9 years!  These senior dogs are perfection.  And, if not perfection, they deserve special treatment.  They deserve the very best of EVERYTHING.  I am, of course, glad that none of these people adopted her because, clearly, they don't deserve her.  I'm done.  For the moment.

Seriously, what is not to love
about this dog?

*****
Unfortunately, due to a large list of things that had to get done, PP and I were only able to stay for an hour and a half.  I did get to meet a few of the rescue volunteers that I had never met in person, so that was nice.  Another Dramamine for the trip home - she is such a little trooper - and I dropped her off, picked up Mr. Butters, and headed for a local humane society another 40 minutes in the opposite direction.  I had placed an order from Chewy.com and it had been erroneously delivered to them.  Apparently, Chewy.com automatically pulls up and delivers to the last address, even though that address is used, say, once a millennium.  Anyway, the humane society was very nice about it and held my package and Chewy.com gave me a credit for the inconvenience.  They are a great group to deal with.  I took Butters with me because he needed to get out of the house and Lovey is still struggling with her torn CCL.  Butters is a very good traveling companion and it was nice to have some Mom/Pup one on one time.  I retrieved my box, was impressed with the facility and staff, and headed home.  Butters and I took a short detour to share a small soft-serve ice cream cone (he got the cone and half of the ice cream).  Back at home, I ticked off a few of the to-do's on my list and spent a lot of time watering.  At the top of that list was adapting my second rain barrel.  Done!

A converted Kalamata barrel -
the chicken's water will smell
like a Greek salad for days!

Sunday was the last firehouse breakfast with the Boys, then off to Marianne's farm for my work-for-vege.  She went to a graduation, so I was left with my task of weeding the greenhouse and got to revel in the beauty of the place.  It sits high on a hill, with a sweeping vista.  It is quiet and there is nothing but birdsong, some lowing of the Highland cows and distant chicken noises.  It is pure Nirvana.

On the way to the greenhouse

There she is!

View from the greenhouse, orchard
between



Hugelkultur beds, through the
orchard, to the pool.

Barn with raised beds with
strawberries - be still my back!

Scottish Highland cows

Why is it that it's so much more fun to weed someone else's garden?  Of course, their farm is organic and planted on permaculture principles, so I am sure that has something to do with it - nothing like a well-organized, beautiful farm to make labor such a joy!  I managed to get four trug-fuls of weeds pulled and picked up my swag (shiitake and oyster mushrooms, microgreens, tons of mixed greens) made a stop and then hit the ground running when I got home.  I did more laundry in anticipation of an upcoming rainy couple of days, weeded a large bed, took down the fencing around the duck village and moved it into position across the chicken yard.  Two years ago, just as the grass started to come back in the yard, we got about two weeks of torrential rain, followed by high temperatures and drought.  It was enough to kill all of the grass.  I am now in the process of cordoning off portions of the yard so that I can bring the grass back.  Not an easy process, due to the nature of chickens (scratch everything to death!)  I also finished setting up the rain barrel, got the laundry off the line and helped my neighbor load his truck with a bunch of metal crap that had been getting on my nerves for years.  This is shaping up to be the year of the Great Clean Up.  Let's hope so - it feels so, so virtuous and good.  I did not get pictures of my modest garden or the reseeding process because my arms were too tired to hold up my phone.  Egads.  The dogs and I had our dinner and a nice round of DVD viewing, before I went comatose at 9P.  The rain started at 2:14A (yes, I know it precisely) and the temperature this morning was 44!  Quite a difference from the 80 of yesterday!  The rain was very light and there wasn't much to show in the rain barrel (I will get a pic of it posted this week), but, still, when I plant the grass seed after work tonight, it should be enough to give the new grass a boost!