My reputation as eccentric is now cemented.

My friend/farmer has sold his farm.  I am currently negotiating the status of the farm cats that I feed daily.  Needless to say, I have grown quite fond of them and want to insure that their care is maintained.  One is definitely feral and the other is semi-feral.  As a result of the sale, he has to empty his barn of hay.  He asked if I would like him to fill my barn (yes!!) and, when I went out to feed the sheep Saturday morning, I opened the door to hay bales stacked to the roof!  As any of you who deal with hay know, this is a sight to warm the cockles.  It also smells like summer.  I just love the smell of hay, so I leaned forward, pressed my forehead against the hay, closed my eyes and just inhaled.  Just as neighbors drove by.  They apparently thought I was in some sort of distress, because there was a squeal of brakes and they reversed, rolling down the window on the passenger side and calling out.  I straightened up and told them I was just enjoying the hay.  The window went quickly up and the tires actually chirped as they sped off, most likely eyeing me warily in the rear view mirror.

It's been either pouring rain, snowing, or windy as all get-out.  Sometimes all at the same time.  This has been a weird winter and I am hoping against all odds that things settle down by spring.  I think we are due for an uneventful, good gardening year.  Am I right?

I now have a tiny squirrel, as well as a tiny rabbit, residing on the homestead.  He/she is not afraid of me in the least bit, which is worrisome.  Now I have to carefully scan the deck and surrounding area to make sure the coast is clear before I let the dogs out.  I went out to berate him and he sat there, peanut skewered on his front teeth and looked at me - then went back to the peanut without a care in the world.  Sigh.

The gloomy weather is making everyone cranky.  Baby Dumpling, the lowest hen in the pecking order, is being beset upon by everyone, including the ducks.  I have to intervene and then carry her around while I do chores so that she catches a break.  There is one particular hen that seems to delight in torturing her (Cruella) and she had better watch her step.  I am thinking about making a roost for the duck house and putting BD and her sister there during the nights.  At least she would get a break and not be alone.

Typical gloomy morning chores

Linden would like to know where
I am keeping the sun.

It was the usual jam-packed weekend, where I didn't get even a quarter of my to-do list done.  I did mail off a package and get a pedicure (although this was a non-color pedi, which always leaves me feeling rather deflated when I look down on my naked toes), did a little shopping, got gas (20 cents a gallon cheaper in VT), and visited with my mother and sister.  That got me home just before dark.  Sunday I met with my friend, Maggie, to celebrate our January birthdays.  I took us to brunch at the best local restaurant, where we enjoyed a flight of mimosas (all citrus-based for health reasons...), huevos rancheros and a breakfast burrito the size of a VW.  It was fun and so good to catch up.  Then it was home to tackled my closet.  I had convinced myself, Cleo Queen of Denial that I am, that it would be a snap to do in an afternoon.  Two hours later, all I had managed to do was to finish the pile of ironing stashed on a shelf and pull out all the shoes/boots and polish them.  I did sort through them and put a couple pair in the GW bag.  I even had the courage to pull out my oldest and most beloved sweat shirt (20+ years and it looks it) to discard.  I finally faced the fact that the neck and sleeve trim, weakened to undulating strips, did not make it ruffled.  It hasn't made it out of the house, however, and I may need an intervention to actually put it in the trash.  I will be lucky if I can finish the closet project over the next month, as it will be competing with the organizing and design of this year's garden.  Those glossy seed catalogs are calling to me from the dining room table...