Weekend Shenanigans.

I have had to force myself to slow down on the new obsession project - I'm holding firm at 6 potholder sections of my 15-section rug.  I have them laid out so that I can canoodle about colors and patterns.  I have the parents coming tomorrow late afternoon for dinner and an overnighter.  The first Sunday of each month, starting in fall and ending in late spring, our town all-volunteer-fire company puts on an all-you-can-eat breakfast at the firehouse.  One does not go for the food, per se, but for the people-watching opportunities and to see neighbors that you don't see often.  My parents just love it and insist that their favorite breakfasting people join us - the Swede and his lovely wife.  Our table can get quite loud.  This Sunday they have the added benefit of Sylvie's company, who will be hard-pressed to find something healthy to eat.  It just goes to show how much she likes us.

I did manage to whip up a batch of Erin's laundry soap this week - but have yet to pour it into containers.  I also re-potted my rosemary starts - I was starting to squirm under their collective "evil eye" on the kitchen window sill.  I also re-potted my poor, forlorn Norfolk pine, which has been knocked to the ground once too often by the Bad Boyz.  And last night, just in case you think that I left a 5 minute period of blank space in my at-home time, I frogged (as in "ribbit-ed" it out) a sleeveless shell I had been knitting about two years ago, rewound the yarn and will embark on a new sleeveless shell project that I like much more.  I may even finish it!  Tonight I will be canting the laundry soap, cleaning out and straightening up the guest room, cleaning the bathrooms and cleaning out the cat's room.  Gee, that will be fun.

Tomorrow I'll be up before the Crap of Dawn (coined by Kayten) and will head out to the Farmers Market, gas up the Ford, pick apples and make a feed run.  This, I am certain, will all be done in the pouring rain.  Because, while TODAY is dry and sunny (and I am forced to be inside), tomorrow will be it's polar opposite.  I believe it is a rule.  Most of everything else I have to do is done inside, so I will have plenty of time to dry off.  I will need to do some nail trimming and fur brushing on the dogs, as they love my parents and will turn them into mohair objects in seconds.  Sunday dinner will be shared with my parents' friends and my neighbors, so it will be a nice, old-fashioned sit-down dinner, served on good china.  I've decided on a pork roast - all crusty and garlicky; scalloped potatoes, roasted squash, roasted Brussels sprouts, and a French apple tart for dessert.  MmmMMmmMM.  The dessert, unfortunately, will have to be divied up and sent home with everyone.  It's not on my good list.  But, for me, most of the enjoyment is in the cooking of it.

I am sure I will be able to sneak in a couple of potholders, don't you?

Same Old Same Old.

View from the barn this morning.

Another day in paradise.  The only thing different from THIS rainy morning was the added excitement of a thunderstorm.   Cookie is glued to his little storm nook and Bernie is in her crate, panting up a storm of her own.

This morning also found Acacia stuck again, in the same place.  I was going to dub her the stupid lamb, but then I figured I was just as stupid for leaving the access there, thinking that she'd learned her lesson.  It is now blocked.  I did find out that the hot wire I ran is hot.  Zzzzzt!  When Flora came out of the hoop house, she came out with a limp - in her right front leg.  Sigh.  I am wondering if these injuries are being caused because the ground is so very wet and soggy and uneven now.  I put their hay in the hoop houses, with the hope that Flora will be able to just stay in there and not move around.  These various injuries seem to heal fast with rest. 

I was going to take pictures of the new and improved goat area this morning.  The picture above is about as good as it's going to get today.  I finally got the timer going in the barn, so there will be light in the evening for the little stinkers.  And the big stinker who has to find her way out there to close them up in the evening.

My thoughts this morning are for the people south of us who have been getting inundated with inches of rain - on top of all the damage done by two tropical storms and a very wet summer, too.  I pray that they are safe and that this latest deluge doesn't add too much to their troubles.  I sure wish I could send it to Texas and Oklahoma where it's needed.

Fall camouflage.

With the gloomy morning and fallen leaves, I was taken with how well some of the hens (and little Puff, the duck) blended in with their environment.  The Welsummers, Goldie Hawn and Veronica Lake, the Spotted Sussex, Dorothy Gale, and little Puff should be safe from hawks.  Big Daddy Kees was tucked dryly in the coop.  My oldest hen, Lucy, is having a tough time of it.  She seems to be headed downhill.  If I remember correctly, she would be about 7 years old, maybe 8.  That's a long life for a hen, but it's hard to see her on her way out.  She has moments of perkiness, but they are becoming few and far between.  Getting old is hell.  On that dreary note, I am off for my fourth cup of coffee. 

Lower that Limbo Bar!

No!  No!  Raise that limbo bar!  Nothing like a evening round of chase-the-sheep to pinpoint all the trouble spots on your anatomy.  I have had to face the fact that I am not as flexible as I used to be.  (Honestly, that is so darn funny, I cannot even tell you!)

I think it is safe to assume that Banyan is no longer lame.  If he is, I missed it in the blur that were his little legs as he flew around the paddock avoiding my grasp.   On Sunday, he could not put any pressure at all on his right rear leg.  On Monday, I called the vet and we negotiated an early morning appointment for yesterday.  If at all possible, I will transport my livestock TO the vet.  As we all know, as soon as their front tires are on your driveway, it's -- cha-ching! -- at least $60.

Sorry (I do say that alot, don't I?) but I feel compelled to zag off on a small rant.  This has to do with priorities.  Those of you with livestock know that having a good vet and a good relationship (as in paying your bill) with said vet is VERY important.  I would pay my vet before I paid my doctor.  I would pay my vet before I paid my mechanic.  I would pay my vet before I put fuel oil in my tank for winter.  Yet, there are some people - okay, one person I am ranting about - who screams holy hell, cries, wrings her hands, phones her vet at all hours, whines, winges, and overall carries on, gets the vet to race over with meds and help (this person has had to leave for work, thank you, and has made no arrangements for help to be there), then, when the emergency is over, says, Oh, I don't have any money.  I'll pay you in trade.  Which is also funny, as this person never pays her debts in any way - cash or trade.  This has happened twice to my vet with the same person.  I don't fault my vet ('tho I did warn her), as she is a caring person and feels she has a duty to care for a sick or injured animal.  And, unfortunately, lives down the road from the slacker.  This same slacker then posts about her new horse she had to buy, a trip to the MEN fair (complete with hotel, etc.), her new this, her new that.  Where are her priorities?  How dare she stiff her vet?

Okay.  I feel a little better.  If I haven't lost y'all by now, I'll zig back.

As soon as vet arrangements were made, Banyan made a fast recovery.  I do love it when that happens.  Then, this morning, as I let them out into their larger paddock, I was missing a lamb.  Acacia was nowhere to be seen.  I did hear her muffled maaaas, and eventually found her wedged behind the llama's hay feeder.  I don't know how long she had been there (not all night, for sure), but she couldn't get backed out.  I managed to contort myself into interesting positions and pull her out.  I then put her on my lap and rubbed some feeling back into her front legs, which were a little wobbly.   Then I closed all the gates and went inside and had another cup of coffee.  I considered "Irishing" it, but thought better of it.  A couple of ibuprofen and hidey-ho, off I go.  I keep telling myself this life I've chosen will keep me young.  Let's hope.

Oh, great. Just what I needed.

Something NEW to obsess over.  While I was at the wool fest, I was very proud of myself - I put both hands in my pockets and only picked up yarn for my mom's birthday (thank you, Melanie -- she loved it!) and then just looked.  After all, I have the mother of all stashes at home - not to mention two friends who produce amazing yarn that are within a 20 minute drive.  I was further laden with a quickly thawing gallon of home-pressed apple cider with which Melanie gifted me!  That kept at least one hand busy.

I was almost home-free, working my way toward the exit when I uttered (to myself) those fateful words -- "Oh, there's a little building I haven't seen.  I'll just give it a quick walk through before I leave."  Ha.  I made a quick circle and then, in the final space on the way out I saw it.  As fate (oh, fickle fate) would have it, I had chanced upon her website on Friday and spent a good half hour talking myself into and out of buying one of the "Hip to be Square" looms.  I was so nostalgic for those wonderful potholder looms.  But, to be able to a) make potholders to one's delight; b) to reuse sock bits doing it; c) and make a rag rug from said recycled-sock-potholders?  Could I resist?  I did at the time - the shipping charges always get to me.

Pile 'o potholders

Sigh.  There was no shipping cost barrier at the wool fest.  I walked out with a loom and a big bag of sock loopies.  Then, when I finally got home, I spent a half hour of time much better spent on my "list", making a potholder.  Well, two.  Then I made another in the morning.  And I started another during a break from putting up my goat fence.  Then I finished that one and started another before bed.  Aiiiiirgh.  I did manage to keep myself from sneaking it into the office.  Sure, I could have made my own loom (I used to have one that I made many, many years ago) with nails on a frame.  But this loom has very nice, smooth eye screws that don't snag every last piece of material until you want to say lots of bad words loudly.  It is, quite frankly, mindless fun.  I find that I like mindless fun.  Especially when it means that I will end up with a cool rag potholder rug.  And it has made me think of other things I can create - with my Flora's lopi that I will be getting back from the mill; with the big pile of t-shirt strip balls that I have in the closet; with the spools of silk threads I've been hauling around for a coon's age.  The possibilities are endless!

I am finally winding down the canning process.  Last night I made six half-pints of tomatillo salsa.  There are only apples to go - and maybe a pumpkin or two.  And that's it.  Really.  Honest injun.  I swear.

Tomatillo salsa

Multistateinal

That's what I am.  And, if it's not a word, it oughta be.  I realized yesterday that I started in New York (the Vampire State), drove to Massachusetts to the farmers market and to get chicken feed, then back to New York to drop it off, then to Up-Upstate New York to the Southern Adirondack Fiber Festival, then to Vermont to make a drop-off to Goodwill and to see my parents, then back to New York.  A little over 150 miles!  And, while I don't usually put that many miles on my car on the weekend, I am usually in three states.  Cool!

It was (oh, surprise) another rainy, drizzly day, but it did clear up slightly towards the end.  But, other than the fall colors coming and leaves dropping (and chickens moulting), you'd think it was August.  Warm and sticky.  I picked up some beautiful eggplant at the farmers market, along with cilantro, shallots, kale and a lovely big chrysanthemum for Marianne's birthday (HAPPY BIRTHDAY MARIANNE), then picked up poultry feed, which has gone up in price again!  After dropping the vegetables off at home, I picked up my next round of drop-offs and headed up to the SoAd Fiber Fest.

I like this festival, because it's only three years old, it's growing nicely and Kay and Melanie both have booths there.  I also got to meet M's mom, which was very nice.  She designs and makes beautiful jewelry. 

Melanie and her mom.  If you think my camera shots are shaky,
just check the focus on phone shots!

These guys were playing at the festival - The Widgets.  They were great!

Then it was off to Marianne's to drop off her mum and then to Vermont for Goodwill stop and to see the folks.  Although it was a gloomy vista, it is also amazingly beautiful in this area.  I stopped to take a picture of the view - there were better vistas, but the roads snake around and there is no shoulder at the side of the road to speak of.  I didn't want to get clipped so I waited for a better spot to pull over.

On the way to Marianne's.

Then it was back home to get chores done and head out to Sylvie's for dinner.  I have some things to check of "the list" today, so I had better get at it!

I'll leave you with two odd-ball pictures:

It felt like this day in August (without the sun) - taken at Tanglewood
this summer.

My favorite view of Scrappy.

Resource: For out-of-area folks, find travel promotional codes and enjoy New England farmers markets.

Sixty-two years. And counting.

Lord Almighty, is there a cuter couple on the Earth?  I think not.  Happy Anniversary to my mom and dad.  They are working their way to 65 years together, then who knows?   A lot of humor helps!  Love you both to pieces.

Moving right along...

We have had a string of rainy days, which makes getting things done in the few hours of daylight now left for me a real challenge.  I find myself taking an item on my list and breaking it into smaller steps that I can squeeze in after work or before I leave in the morning.  Yesterday was a glorious day - very foggy in the morning but the sun broke through, the air was ionized and the sky was azure.  I had to leave very early for work, as I left at noon to drive to meet my parents at the eye doctor for my dad's MD treatment.

I apologize, but I am going to go off on a slight rant now.

Since it would be cutting it too close for me to pick them up at the house and get them to the doctor on time, I suggested my parents call a taxi for the ride there, and that I would meet them and then take them home.  It is H.E.L.L. getting old.  The taxi driver (woman) pulls up in a van.  A van that is HIGH off the ground.  She does not get out to assist them into the back, leaving them to struggle with the door.  Then, my mother who has a very difficult time stepping up and, thanks to botched rotator cuff surgery, cannot pull herself up into the van, struggles for some time to get in.  The seat is pulled forward, so there is little space.  Meanwhile, through this grueling and embarrassing procedure, the driver SITS IN HER SEAT TALKING ON HER CELL PHONE.  By the time they were in and delivered to the doctor's office, my mother was completely flustered and near tears.  I tell you, had I been there, I would have hauled that driver out by her collar.  I am still steamed.  And it's pretty darn evident that they are not spring chickens and would have needed some assistance.  What has happened to common courtesy?  To just having good manners and being helpful?  Shineola.

Sorry.

Long story short, we fast danced through the procedure, I got them home and made sure everyone was recovered, then drove home to take advantage of the rest of the daylight.  I used the push mower to trim down the new fence path, then mowed everything I could until it ran out of gas.  Other than some clean-up of the blades, etc., it is now ready for winter.  Then I set up the new fence line with the electronet and watched the sheep and llama bounce out into their new grass.  I ignored the goaties (which is difficult - they can be LOUD) and did a little clean up around the place.  By then, the light started to fade, so I did my regular chores, had an amazing mushroom pasta dish (quinoa pasta), had a glass of wine and fell into bed.  No coyotes last night, so I was able to catch up a bit on lost sleep.  In the early morning hours, the rain woke me up, so it looks as if we are back to another string of rainy days.  I sat down this morning and made up my list for Saturday, which caused me to burst into hysterical laughter.  Let's just label it as "fiction".

For those who are interested in Maremmas, this blog is a great place to watch them in action.  She is a great writer and I love the photographs.