Sent my fella,
to Cabela's,
to buy himself a gift.
But he should note,
that if he brings home a boat,
that he and it,
will be set,
adrift.
Sunday, June 20, 2010
A Fathers Day Limerick
Sent my fella,
to Cabela's,
to buy himself a gift.
But he should note,
that if he brings home a boat,
that he and it,
will be set,
adrift.
Friday, June 18, 2010
Belated Photos of Rapidly Aging Chickens
Life has been completely nuts lately, and I have failed to provide you with the promised pics of my growing chicky babies. As a small token of atonement, I now offer you some rather outdated pics of my babies and my other babies.
Livy with Daisy~Scarlet with Scout, Day 1
Charlotte, Wilbur, Snowflake, Ruthie, Rocky, Scout & Sky, at about 1 week old (Apparently, Sunny & Daisy were hiding)
Scout, playing King of the Mountain on the waterer. The others soon followed suit and it quickly became the most coveted spot inside the brooder.
When I get my booty in gear and take AND actually upload some newer pics of the chicks, you'll be stunned by how much these little porkers have grown in a month. They're even starting to show some cranky tween-age behavior like squaring off on each other, and constantly tussling for the coveted top spot on the waterer or edge of the brooder. I have my suspicions about 2 or 3 of the more feisty chicks being roosters, but until we know for sure, they'll all continue to share living quarters.
More pics soon - pinky promise.
When I get my booty in gear and take AND actually upload some newer pics of the chicks, you'll be stunned by how much these little porkers have grown in a month. They're even starting to show some cranky tween-age behavior like squaring off on each other, and constantly tussling for the coveted top spot on the waterer or edge of the brooder. I have my suspicions about 2 or 3 of the more feisty chicks being roosters, but until we know for sure, they'll all continue to share living quarters.
More pics soon - pinky promise.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Pondering Karma & Stuff
Ok. This might be a little off topic for my blog, but since when has that ever stopped me? ;)
Lately I've been trying to sort out my feelings about philanthropy, volunteerism and the whole random-acts-of-kindness thing. The thing that I am wrestling with boils down to this - Is an act of kindness diminished if you take away a sense of fulfillment or pride from it?
My daughter's school has a volunteer luncheon every year, and every year I am invited, but I never go. I feel like going would be like basking in my own glory, which is not how I feel about volunteering at all. I feel like it is my duty as a parent and a citizen to help when and where I can and expect no celebration for it. I know that the girls' teachers are thankful for the help that I give them and the students, so why would I need some big to-do?
The same goes for bringing food to the food bank, donating money to charity, being a "parking meter fairy", etc. I do it because it needs to be done, and because it makes me feel like I'm injecting a secret little pinch of happiness or relief into someone's day. But, in feeling that sense of giddiness over my act or gift, am I actually negating the intended selflessness of the act of giving? Am I doing it for me or for them?
Lately I've been trying to sort out my feelings about philanthropy, volunteerism and the whole random-acts-of-kindness thing. The thing that I am wrestling with boils down to this - Is an act of kindness diminished if you take away a sense of fulfillment or pride from it?
My daughter's school has a volunteer luncheon every year, and every year I am invited, but I never go. I feel like going would be like basking in my own glory, which is not how I feel about volunteering at all. I feel like it is my duty as a parent and a citizen to help when and where I can and expect no celebration for it. I know that the girls' teachers are thankful for the help that I give them and the students, so why would I need some big to-do?
The same goes for bringing food to the food bank, donating money to charity, being a "parking meter fairy", etc. I do it because it needs to be done, and because it makes me feel like I'm injecting a secret little pinch of happiness or relief into someone's day. But, in feeling that sense of giddiness over my act or gift, am I actually negating the intended selflessness of the act of giving? Am I doing it for me or for them?
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
Can All You Can
I came upon these old war-era posters from Good Potato via (not so) Urban Hennery.
I sure wish that more people felt the same way about farming and conservation these days. Why does it seem to take times of great need or strife to get people to do what they ought to do every day anyway?
Enjoy the images, and check out www.good-potato.com for more neat old posters.
I sure wish that more people felt the same way about farming and conservation these days. Why does it seem to take times of great need or strife to get people to do what they ought to do every day anyway?
Enjoy the images, and check out www.good-potato.com for more neat old posters.
Monday, June 7, 2010
Friday, June 4, 2010
Wine with a side of Whine
I'm still in the grip of real estate insanity, and have been seeking out small diversions here and there - napping, unnecessary trips to Starbucks, reading and re-reading my only remaining unpacked Diana Gabaldon novel, etc. And even though this is a much less than ideal time to start a new batch of wine, I'm hung up on the idea of making a batch of Hawthorne Blossom Mead.
According to my hasty research, hawthorn flowers & berries are thought to be one of the first fruits ever used to make wine. Archaeologists believe that some of the first wine ever made in China, over 9000 years ago, may have been made with hawthorn berries, rather than or possibly in addition to wild grapes. In addition to that fascinating little historical tidbit, I happen to live just a block away from a meadow where TONS of hawthorn bushes grow wild. Surely this is fate?
Now, if only we could have one nice, dry day or - God forbid - two dry days in a row, my homegirl and personal wine guru, Kristin, and I could walk on down there and shake those trees for all their worth and score us a load of petals. But Mr. Weatherman, he has no good news for me today. Rain, rain and more rain this week with ten glorious minutes of sun between downpours and drizzles. Uhg.
But just because I might not get a chance to make this wine this year, doesn't mean that you shouldn't give it a try. Here is the recipe that I plan on using, if and when the weather and other universal forces, good and bad, come together to allow me the time and space to make some mead. This recipe and other very unique and ancient wine recipes can be found at Celtnet Recipes.
So go forth and make wine, my good people! And bring me some, because good gravy, do I need it. Oh, and if you happen to stumble into a Godiva chocolatier on your way... ;)
According to my hasty research, hawthorn flowers & berries are thought to be one of the first fruits ever used to make wine. Archaeologists believe that some of the first wine ever made in China, over 9000 years ago, may have been made with hawthorn berries, rather than or possibly in addition to wild grapes. In addition to that fascinating little historical tidbit, I happen to live just a block away from a meadow where TONS of hawthorn bushes grow wild. Surely this is fate?
Now, if only we could have one nice, dry day or - God forbid - two dry days in a row, my homegirl and personal wine guru, Kristin, and I could walk on down there and shake those trees for all their worth and score us a load of petals. But Mr. Weatherman, he has no good news for me today. Rain, rain and more rain this week with ten glorious minutes of sun between downpours and drizzles. Uhg.
But just because I might not get a chance to make this wine this year, doesn't mean that you shouldn't give it a try. Here is the recipe that I plan on using, if and when the weather and other universal forces, good and bad, come together to allow me the time and space to make some mead. This recipe and other very unique and ancient wine recipes can be found at Celtnet Recipes.
So go forth and make wine, my good people! And bring me some, because good gravy, do I need it. Oh, and if you happen to stumble into a Godiva chocolatier on your way... ;)
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Weary
Packing up this house and hashing out plans for our move has me feeling bone-tired and mentally fried. I am so ready to be done.
It isn't even that I'm just sick of all of the business of packing and making offers and counter-offers and all of that mess. I'm torn right down the middle about being thrilled out of my mind and scared to death about this move. I can't believe we're selling this house! I cannot believe that I'm leaving my garden, my baby apple tree and my gnarly little pond!
After eight years of piecemeal DIY projects and landscaping, we finally were able to get this house and yard pretty much where we wanted it to be - raised beds full of our own compost, bountiful blueberry bushes and now, a freshly-renovated upstairs bathroom. And now we're walking away from it. Remind me why again?
Oh yes, it was that whole farm thing. That's what touched off this whirlwind.
When I'm not maniacally packing boxes and painting walls into the wee hours, I'm daydreaming and scheming about our (hopefully, hopefully) soon-to-be new house. Our farm. I want turkeys and more chickens. I think I might even want a goat. I want to put in a good half acre or more of blueberries and maybe cranberries too. I want to raise red wrigglers for sale and start my own CSA. My mind is racing with possibilities, only limited by my going-going-gone energy and this painfully slow and complicated process of buying and selling houses simultaneously. Good Lord, what I would give to have this over already, and to be back tending a garden that I will actually still own when it begins to bear it's fruits.
It isn't even that I'm just sick of all of the business of packing and making offers and counter-offers and all of that mess. I'm torn right down the middle about being thrilled out of my mind and scared to death about this move. I can't believe we're selling this house! I cannot believe that I'm leaving my garden, my baby apple tree and my gnarly little pond!
After eight years of piecemeal DIY projects and landscaping, we finally were able to get this house and yard pretty much where we wanted it to be - raised beds full of our own compost, bountiful blueberry bushes and now, a freshly-renovated upstairs bathroom. And now we're walking away from it. Remind me why again?
Oh yes, it was that whole farm thing. That's what touched off this whirlwind.
When I'm not maniacally packing boxes and painting walls into the wee hours, I'm daydreaming and scheming about our (hopefully, hopefully) soon-to-be new house. Our farm. I want turkeys and more chickens. I think I might even want a goat. I want to put in a good half acre or more of blueberries and maybe cranberries too. I want to raise red wrigglers for sale and start my own CSA. My mind is racing with possibilities, only limited by my going-going-gone energy and this painfully slow and complicated process of buying and selling houses simultaneously. Good Lord, what I would give to have this over already, and to be back tending a garden that I will actually still own when it begins to bear it's fruits.
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