tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-36751624323052574372024-03-13T11:07:31.523-07:00The BeorningsteadThe story of a rural educator's family as they renovate an old farmhouse and become more self-sufficient.Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811690314497763047noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-20979186403069879932012-07-14T09:32:00.002-07:002012-07-14T09:34:08.548-07:00Knouses and the Badlands<br />
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Hello there ladies and gents! We’ve been suspiciously absent for a while
we know The night that we were near wireless internet after Departure
from Tatros’ was spent sleeping in the Big Sky Lodge. <br />
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Here is a quick rundown of our activities after leaving the Tatro home. <br />
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We spent two days ( Friday, Saturday, Sunday morning) at Knouse’s house
and I got to meet Alexis’s friends and her horse. The horse liked me a
little and tried to scratch her face on my shoulder. But I’m a genius
and I was wearing a cammi and strappy dress in the 98degree heat and
Angel was wearing a fly mask. Screen burn on the shoulder ensued. <br />
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Alexis tried to convince me and Beorn to go ‘dam sling’ sliding down an
algae covered dam into the water below, which seemed like a fantastic
activity. However, upon arrival at the dam Beorn and I looked into the
River and couldn’t. The waster was so disgusting that Orion, who was
wearing white sneakers with bright orange laces, couldn’t see his feet
when they were only a foot into the water. My view on swimming is “if
you wouldn’t wash your hair in it…. It’s not good enough for swimming” .
We didn’t go dam sliding. It looked super fun however, and part of me
really wished I had just given in. although the smell of the water just
wouldn’t let me.<br />
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As we were leaving Knouses and Wisconsin we stopped at a lovely park and
had a last lunch with them and did some park exploring! <br />
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We drove from the Knouse’s company to a campsite in the Palisades just
barely inside South Dakota. We spent the next day driving to the
Badlands. Where we set up camp and went for a hike. <br />
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I fell in love with the Badlands. The landscape was beautiful and awe
inspiring, and it made my imagination go 100 miles a minute. We would be
walking through a little canyon and I would think “R2D2 and C3P0 must
be just around the next corner!” we heard a noise that sounded just like
a speeder and I said out loud “Look out! Here comes Anakin!” There were
other times where I could just see an outlaw in a little cave, with his
horse wandering below in the sparse grass looking for something edible.
I even saw Serenity fly by in the sky a few times. Then I looked around
and thought, “wow this place is really beautiful. Look at that big
rock! Let’s climb that big rock and see the view from there, I just want
to go to the top of that big rock!” <br />
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We left the Badlands the next afternoon and I was sad. Beorn I could have stayed there for a year and still wanted to explore more of the nooks of that beautiful place. <br />
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<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-26263644645615456572012-07-04T22:41:00.000-07:002012-07-04T22:41:08.766-07:00So Far So Good<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUPUbgxwwz2UD_z8eUQ2PRjY8q-msZIJUmW1LozsBNN7EOuXabnp9Ixo9j-soR0vgKr9QMqWeuYya__OapRHUkFHIb9SS-_DtVUycnrd4ESp5b_ggDiOGfXRAn0LaM1Utv8Z-82yKpCRfo/s1600/pictures+day+2+of+summer+trip+054.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUPUbgxwwz2UD_z8eUQ2PRjY8q-msZIJUmW1LozsBNN7EOuXabnp9Ixo9j-soR0vgKr9QMqWeuYya__OapRHUkFHIb9SS-_DtVUycnrd4ESp5b_ggDiOGfXRAn0LaM1Utv8Z-82yKpCRfo/s320/pictures+day+2+of+summer+trip+054.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beornita near the end of the first day</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Well we Successfully made it to Wisconsin and are currently being sheltered in the home of the wonderful Tatro family. <br />
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We made it to Indiana in one almost uneventful day and stayed over night at the Wilson family residence on the 2nd of July. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4s7_HA5cOmC9cvjphSZEB-bwbvvbNz29m8WGSWFDNMKXIiuwawRe1biXFm_6ss0QCXBPcLjshBl57V5NdrrEzlsvb_RZg1tHEiQnq4rdjquM7suvyvCIC5SkPkWHnBfhoIFTtIWpe3uy/s1600/pictures+day+2+of+summer+trip+057.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB4s7_HA5cOmC9cvjphSZEB-bwbvvbNz29m8WGSWFDNMKXIiuwawRe1biXFm_6ss0QCXBPcLjshBl57V5NdrrEzlsvb_RZg1tHEiQnq4rdjquM7suvyvCIC5SkPkWHnBfhoIFTtIWpe3uy/s320/pictures+day+2+of+summer+trip+057.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The little Guy using Beorn's Kindle to keep happy</td></tr>
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The best event of the day (for me at least) was the stop at the fantastic little park in Ohio where we found this tree. It just made my day! we've been keeping a traveling "log" where Beorn has me include the basics of what happens on our stops, but I think I even included this tree cause it was so amazing to me. I have a secret admirer in Ohio! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBsn-Wi4VvLXMiZUMx0qu2FnoFcM7OuXseAZJcMFbAmUCjhuv8C2kt86ammWCcMmYbNkSl9uWkq9klhdRoKJOdkCzBA10_UXtDPYDHzL7iJzvrjfNsycI-1cOO57hFgU0NvAU-IlIzAy0L/s1600/pictures+day+2+of+summer+trip+056.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBsn-Wi4VvLXMiZUMx0qu2FnoFcM7OuXseAZJcMFbAmUCjhuv8C2kt86ammWCcMmYbNkSl9uWkq9klhdRoKJOdkCzBA10_UXtDPYDHzL7iJzvrjfNsycI-1cOO57hFgU0NvAU-IlIzAy0L/s320/pictures+day+2+of+summer+trip+056.jpg" width="240" /></a><br />
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The day after (yesterday) we made our way through the city of Chicago. I have driven
through the Chicago Skyline three times now, twice in the day and once
at night and I find the city so entrancing. I've seen New York City
several times, it was cool, I liked it. But Chicago really does
something else for me. <br />
I was talking to Beorn about it and we discussed how New
York is mainly a business city, a white collar/ linen city, and Chicago
is a blue collar industrial place, it seems to be about work and life
and dirt and history instead of chic fashion, and money, and power. Of
course not all of NYC is all about money and power and Chic fashion
either, there are parts of the city that are just as grungy and gritty
and scary as any other city, even more so in some places. But there is
something about Chicago that intrigues me anyway. <br />
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I've considered attending college in Chicago, there is an arts school there, but the Mother said "not in the beginning, maybe after a year or two... or maybe never" She wants me to stay away from cities, and i certainly don't blame her. </div>
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While we were driving through Chicago the outside temp reached about 101 degrees Fahrenheit and we were very grateful for out air conditioned car, and also our camera that was able to take great pictures through the windows of the moving vehicle.<br />
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We saw one little tow truck that just stole my heart away. It's in this picture of the skyline. It had so much character it made me want to write a story about it. I still can't get over how awesome that little truck really was! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyimjagShQGZA4VaHs2OXaFx3HaYFdjY7QTueJytO1CBQbVtCkyFEkyyPFpb9XKaW-SaGc0ZkP6J9UQnQvH5Pw4VpoTyBHmH4KoMRSfcg3HQ1PwHEUS7Nk-HEzw5fSdTyXSmHyJ7Dsx_Qn/s1600/pictures+day+2+of+summer+trip+079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyimjagShQGZA4VaHs2OXaFx3HaYFdjY7QTueJytO1CBQbVtCkyFEkyyPFpb9XKaW-SaGc0ZkP6J9UQnQvH5Pw4VpoTyBHmH4KoMRSfcg3HQ1PwHEUS7Nk-HEzw5fSdTyXSmHyJ7Dsx_Qn/s320/pictures+day+2+of+summer+trip+079.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQIlkIyLEX6N2pOdk-iXh8oTGvTQIk749mQYORo_TKYXIBA35DFYHlyBweunVRS8Tonl1zf6LKon2oOdXaHisA5fCkpTHhBabr5tvE-BKZtj1x0XWjR3Z1kohwRrbgTAPQtcrwEMeoHK8/s1600/pictures+day+2+of+summer+trip+080.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizQIlkIyLEX6N2pOdk-iXh8oTGvTQIk749mQYORo_TKYXIBA35DFYHlyBweunVRS8Tonl1zf6LKon2oOdXaHisA5fCkpTHhBabr5tvE-BKZtj1x0XWjR3Z1kohwRrbgTAPQtcrwEMeoHK8/s320/pictures+day+2+of+summer+trip+080.jpg" width="240" /></a>Maxx really enjoyed driving through the City as well and would point out interesting buildings for me to take pictures on since the closest buildings were mostly on his side of the car. He has his own film camera and it took a lot of fast talking to convince him that it wouldn't be a very good idea to use it to try to take pictures of the city when I had the digital one out. He has a really good eye for interesting buildings though. some of theses weren't even the coolest, they were just the ones we talked about the most.<br />
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<br /> We liked this building because it appeared to be a factory that had been converted to be living quarters. We guessed from the curtains in the windows and if you look super close, the various things on window sills and behind curtains. I loved the look of it though and really wanted to go inside. I really love architecture and there's something about the architecture of the city that's really fascinating to me.<br />
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As we left the city we all started getting a little antsy. It was time to be out of the Jeep for more than a few hours, and Maxx really wanted to see his cousins. <br />
<br />Last night at 6 something we arrived here at the Tatro family home and were welcomed with open arms a yummy dinner, good showers and comfy beds, how much better does it get? Not much better . <br />
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Today the Weather was absolutely disgusting, reaching a semi-humid 107 degrees and sunny. It made me very thankful that my aunt put me in the coolest room in the house, the room I have come to call; "The Ice Box". Then this afternoon-evening we had Fourth of July Dinner celebrationish stuffs with the Tatro and Knouse families. Sadly because of the hot dry spell here there is a fire ban and we had no fireworks this Fourth of July. However we had fantastic food and wonderful company, and some of the neighbors pulled out some sparklers and little bitty fireworks and we cheated a bit so it was okay. (Just don't tell any one ;) And other than the intense heat, So Far So Good.<br />
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Beornita <br />
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-27244887888619896132012-06-22T12:45:00.001-07:002012-06-22T12:45:36.403-07:00We know... it's not winter any moreSo we've been lazy... <br />
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really lazy...<br />
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We've kind of totally ignored the Blog for like, MONTHS, but we're working on it.... We're going to be regularly blogging the BIG TRIP this summer.... or at least I will, so you can look forward to that... it's gonna be amazing! <br />
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Signing out for now, don't worry I'll be back <br />
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Molly-BrynUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-84820681032949239002012-02-04T09:10:00.000-08:002012-02-04T09:10:24.411-08:00Curry PocketsMolly is off at Jazz All County today and had to bring a lunch. The girl has become a picky eater. She does not eat breakfast because she claims that it upsets her stomach to eat in the morning. She does not like sandwiches. She does not like to eat hummus at school because it is "stinky." She complains about the school lunches with very good reason. She gets bored with crackers and fruit and is picky about cheese and doesn't ever seem to want nuts except maybe those cocoa powdered almonds that Blue Diamond sells. She eats dinner wonderfully and is a healthy weight but is really grouchy by the time she gets home every day. With Musical rehearsal stretching her school day well past dinnertime, I've been getting worried about her nutrition and have been at a complete loss over what to get her to eat during the day.<br />
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She loves the Pesto Knots and Curry Pockets from the Potsdam Food Co-op's Bakery and often wishes that she had one of those to take to school. Well, I can't get to Potsdam very often so I decided to try to make some curry pockets at home. I did a lot of research and didn't find anything definitive about how to go about it. I probably should have just called Chris at the bakery. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curry Pockets and Roll</td></tr>
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Anyway, I knew I wanted a soft and sweetish dough so I used a recipe for cinnamon rolls and made a lentil curry for filling and crossed my fingers.<br />
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They are a hit! I've never gotten cinnamon roll dough to come out right - it is always too dry and tough but this bread machine recipe was just right. The dough isn't too sweet and Svenya's homemade milk and butter add a slightly heartier taste to the bread. Everyone is hoping that I will make another batch tonight for actual cinnamon rolls and now I'm looking forward to trying different fillings - spinach curry, spinach & cheese, some chutneys - anything that would be good wrapped in bread! If we didn't have Mr. Death-by-Anaphylactic-Shock-when-you-shove-a-Walnut-in-his-Mouth-Maxxwell in the house, I'd be making nut chutneys right now!<br />
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The dough (a very large batch!):<br />
From <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Machine-Cookbook-Rathmell-German/dp/1558672966/ref=ntt_at_ep_dpt_1"><u>The Bread Machine Cookbook</u> by Donna Rathmell German</a><br />
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1 1/3 cup Milk<br />
2 1/2 Tbs. Butter<br />
2 eggs<br />
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2 2/3 Tbs. Sugar<br />
2/3 tsp. Salt<br />
4 cups all purpose Flour<br />
2 1/2 tsp. yeast<br />
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Put everything in your bread machine (or Kitchen Aide if you're lucky enough to have one) and set it to the dough cycle. The dough ends up being pretty darn close to a batter, very wet and gooey but it rises and bakes wonderfully. <br />
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About 20 minutes before the end of the dough cycle, get your curry or chutney or cinnamon goo ready. (I sauteed half of a large, finely chopped onion in Olive oil, stirred in some Garam Masala and mild curry powder and added 1 cup of red lentils & 2 cups of water after the onions were soft and starting to caramelize. Bring the lentils to a boil and then simmer for about 10-15 minutes. Make sure the pot doesn't go dry!)<br />
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When your dough & curry are ready, grease up your hands with Olive oil or Butter and turn the dough out onto a heavily floured surface. Pat, stretch and roll it (gently - don't overwork this soft dough because you want it to rise well again!) into a large square or rectangle. You'll need a lot of counter space for this. <br />
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I cut half of my dough into 5 inch squares, dropped a bit of curry onto the middle of each one and pinched the edges up over the top to seal. The dough was so gooey that getting it to seal was easy. Transfer the pockets to a greased cookie sheet with a well floured, metal spatula. (You could put the pockets on parchment paper if you wanted but I was all out.) Cover them with a damp towel or plastic wrap and let them rise in a warm place for 30-40 more minutes. Bake in a 400 F oven for about 18-22 minutes - until they are golden brown on top. Refrain from biting them until they cool down just a bit.<br />
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For the other half of my dough, I stirred some cottage cheese into the remaining lentil curry and mashed the stuff up a bit with a big spoon. I spread the cheese-curry paste over most of the surface of the dough rectangle and then rolled it up into a large loaf. Again, I used a well floured metal spatula to ease the dough off my counter top and prevent it from ripping. I placed the large loaf on another greased baking sheet, let it rise for about 40 minutes and baked it at 400 degrees F for about 20 minutes.<br />
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Other thoughts and tidbits:<br />
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I have two of Donna German's Bread Machine cookbooks and LOVE them. I got mine at a garage sale for 50 cents a piece but I see that they are still available at Amazon, along with some other books of hers that I may have to invest in. I cook everything from the recipes on my machines regular bread cycle. Most recipes rise well (as long as my kitchen is above 20 degrees!) and have good texture. She does use a lot of nuts so I've had to modify some or just not make those breads.<br />
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You can see that there is flour coating parts of my pockets and loaf. If I were into being fancy, I would use cornmeal instead of flour to coat my work surface and then they would have nice, crumbly texture where the flour is. <br />
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You want to be careful that your plastic or towel does not stick to the dough while it is rising. Brushing it with butter would help (and would give a pretty toasted gloss to the finished bread) but I just made sure I lifted the paper towel occasionally and kept it very slightly damp.<br />
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This dough recipe does not make the healthiest bread in the universe. It is NOT low cal, low fat or low carb! If you want to eat pastry but don't want to look like one, you have to make room for it in your daily calorie & fat allowance. That's not a problem for Molly - she needs more calories and her brain & endocrine system still like fat - especially the healthy fats that Svenya makes for her in her milk. However, I will have to either cut back somewhere else or spend more time moving around in order to keep losing weight with these laying around! <br />
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When you make yours, you could make sure you use skim milk (which is great because it has more protein per cup than whole milk and that is what the dough wants) and you could try substituting up to half of the white flour with very finely ground whole wheat pastry flour. Regular WW flour will be too coarse and result in a heavy loaf that does not rise as well. Don't try to substitute anything for the butter, margarine or oil simply won't do the trick when it comes to pastry. If you are concerned about cholesterol in the butter & eggs, see if you can find a local farmer who sells unpasteurized, non-homogenized butter or cream from <a href="http://www.eatwild.com/">pasture fed cows</a> and eggs from <a href="http://www.motherearthnews.com/eggs.aspx">free range hens</a>. The nutritional content of these more naturally produced foods are significantly healthier than those of factory-farm produced food.<br />
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Happy eating!!<br />
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<br />Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811690314497763047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-58385320620392453472012-01-13T09:11:00.000-08:002012-01-13T10:58:38.386-08:00Ice, Snow... and some more icePosting today is not the Lovely Mama of the Beorningstead, but me, Breakable Bryn!<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGTdw6NHF4yikSp2G4WrGM4ofoZvHxAq3x4Npibb1Dv6hddgfT0oOJf3TNmoNwTv7MQawd0nJlk68NSxAXrjMKvIPewgrFM-GQJY5oeng4HdDN5Lo5XrHufgIL4kLtRhtacJW06P0Co5L/s1600/self+portrait.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 184px; height: 246px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGTdw6NHF4yikSp2G4WrGM4ofoZvHxAq3x4Npibb1Dv6hddgfT0oOJf3TNmoNwTv7MQawd0nJlk68NSxAXrjMKvIPewgrFM-GQJY5oeng4HdDN5Lo5XrHufgIL4kLtRhtacJW06P0Co5L/s320/self+portrait.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697167052699635442" border="0" /></a>Your guide through our ice storm, ready to battle wind and snow in my face, to bring you the beauty of ICE.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_j0eh93nhvHZY-zv76mmKbDKN6SILn2oyrzsn-8XxKiBf_P81m213fvo6hUp8Pmogd-9AAvwzUF_5ybKNwdEmZQmrNJ0jPNjb7ahsMceFoUCzj_RRt3K0fBgvEygUoBbQggVDWdRrvFU/s1600/IMG_1929.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 170px; height: 229px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR_j0eh93nhvHZY-zv76mmKbDKN6SILn2oyrzsn-8XxKiBf_P81m213fvo6hUp8Pmogd-9AAvwzUF_5ybKNwdEmZQmrNJ0jPNjb7ahsMceFoUCzj_RRt3K0fBgvEygUoBbQggVDWdRrvFU/s200/IMG_1929.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697179384355416514" border="0" /></a><br /><br />I was standing in the kitchen this morning helping the beautiful Mama and the obnoxious, but helpful Boy fill jugs with water in case of power outages, when the Mama went outside to check on the Brave Beorn himself, who had been doing chores in the barn for a very long time.<br /><br />Upon her return the Mama announced that the Daddy was about done but that it was beautiful and scary outside and someone should go take some pictures. and so I promptly finished my toaster strudel (courtesy of the Meemo), and bundled up to brave the wind and ice for a nature photo shoot.<br /><br />If there is one thing I noticed in my adventure today it was this: if you look out your window in the winter and it looks bright, but not blinding, it is probably just the snow playing tricks on your eyes...<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsl_EJEctPvnQkXZfEW9sYMZgJstsFmkNR6P7YnReSNndYdoOS26IMPWXuFLEk9WdbUXecjOmT5f54om9OzKpd44B8RwMiwJYz_2fJoztYjNQhmv1GHpH9weegmlh8i1CRxJRcfNMYm0ua/s1600/IMG_1950.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsl_EJEctPvnQkXZfEW9sYMZgJstsFmkNR6P7YnReSNndYdoOS26IMPWXuFLEk9WdbUXecjOmT5f54om9OzKpd44B8RwMiwJYz_2fJoztYjNQhmv1GHpH9weegmlh8i1CRxJRcfNMYm0ua/s320/IMG_1950.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697169106605960914" border="0" /></a>this is what it actually looks like.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><br />Winds were high.<br />Temperatures were low.<br />And the ice and snow were so think and heavy that every 3 minutes I heard a crack and then the sound of falling branches. But BOY was it BEAUTIFUL.<br /><br />When everything is covered in a layer if ice and snow THIS thick:<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbG03R-c3VUG0xqmwY1UTmgR8W8l6rEZwDz4jC5pEKcCuiUfx7HjafEUPE4uaISRwKJy0u82gFWQXTcgKKAIfMmY_RZOaUyJkuftqQONbyut_nkLlHYqYKGl5olJzqtJ5X5bFL3-FtpBCn/s1600/IMG_1938.JPG"><img style="float: right; margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; cursor: pointer; width: 348px; height: 261px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbG03R-c3VUG0xqmwY1UTmgR8W8l6rEZwDz4jC5pEKcCuiUfx7HjafEUPE4uaISRwKJy0u82gFWQXTcgKKAIfMmY_RZOaUyJkuftqQONbyut_nkLlHYqYKGl5olJzqtJ5X5bFL3-FtpBCn/s400/IMG_1938.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697170578028371762" border="0" /></a><br /><br />the world turns into Narnia.<br /> <br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqiiaISPGG2ne_0K4zoEO_QcNMweTZRfuqqjVW49esAUBJfzEMoW1OY7ePCWplKtiPft48bJIIiEMYTit3CFcIADjrZxaQYvRcLH2eocpM4xXrr6UoqWmbpWo8d5FZ-ipjHOnJAj_ovg8J/s1600/IMG_2009.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 194px; height: 258px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqiiaISPGG2ne_0K4zoEO_QcNMweTZRfuqqjVW49esAUBJfzEMoW1OY7ePCWplKtiPft48bJIIiEMYTit3CFcIADjrZxaQYvRcLH2eocpM4xXrr6UoqWmbpWo8d5FZ-ipjHOnJAj_ovg8J/s200/IMG_2009.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697184224941557922" border="0" /></a><br /><br />In my adventure I went to great lengths to get some of my pictures, going as far as laying down in the snow just to get a shot of the old hay elevator, and actually walking under a few trees, just to get shots of sow covered branches.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgr6_YeE00dJzDd4YYbyyx-s5OMLxlaWVZO-ulsIJZnpJd8CdR-wKGGfrmKVnLiepfHwPpCFb_7GaRXn1QkMKZwXS8p8_nZC-jxUHAuU-wt6ytONTBgWs9-yhcWvrwjN9geSgsF54p1Wu/s1600/IMG_1945.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVgr6_YeE00dJzDd4YYbyyx-s5OMLxlaWVZO-ulsIJZnpJd8CdR-wKGGfrmKVnLiepfHwPpCFb_7GaRXn1QkMKZwXS8p8_nZC-jxUHAuU-wt6ytONTBgWs9-yhcWvrwjN9geSgsF54p1Wu/s200/IMG_1945.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697186725474624322" border="0" /></a><br /><br />My adventure was truly fruitful, and the ice storm is proving to be a fascinating experience for everyone. Maxx is getting very involved in helping prepare, and he gets all excited about the power going out... You see, the Mama is a worrier and so the last few days have been one big conversation about "When do you think the power will go out?" "We should do this while we still have power." "You're not having school today, come downstairs and help me get ready for the power outage."<br /><br />Mom knows about Ice Storms. I was 3, almost 4 during the Ice Storm of '98 and we were living in my grandparents' trailer. When the power went out we used a generator that my grandparents had loaned us. But... now I'm not perfectly clear on this point I remember absolutely nothing about this particular event... it seems that the generator did something akin to blowing up...<br /><br />All I remember about the ice storm is this: we stayed in Gramma + Grampa's house for most of it, and I wore my footie-Pajamas and we used candles for light, and the wood stove to keep warm. And then we didn't get to go back to the trailer for a long time while people cleaned the soot out of all of the walls, and the furniture, and the brown, med.shaggy carpeting, and my stuffed animals.<br /><br />So far, this time is not half so bad... but it's getting there. There are pictures from the ice storm of '98 of my Uncle (Jonathan, who must have been about 15 during that ice storm) standing on top of rose bushes and briar patches, because they were so frozen solid.<br /><br />Things aren't quite that frozen, but they're close.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvN-DEu0GsNmj5W4UQkAe-59Aj7GI06KcZsw6O0zQv3b-0lUizpJv0C0A4dybwXIF86lJgM3bV65d4shU1RaOg8Vh37QiQW-v5AYpp2UnpFxq5tWSg2UiecAfx0KBlo6cifgyhDJY0er5/s1600/IMG_1932.JPG"><img style="cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjvN-DEu0GsNmj5W4UQkAe-59Aj7GI06KcZsw6O0zQv3b-0lUizpJv0C0A4dybwXIF86lJgM3bV65d4shU1RaOg8Vh37QiQW-v5AYpp2UnpFxq5tWSg2UiecAfx0KBlo6cifgyhDJY0er5/s200/IMG_1932.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697184222502279314" border="0" /></a><br /><br />NOW back to the present and my little adventure in the snow today. After rolling around in the snow trying to get that perfect shot of that old elevator, I then stood up and snapped the picture of the grey sky and the tree line<br />(<span style="font-style: italic;">look back at that second picture of the snow for me, the one where it's a</span><span style="font-style: italic;">ll gray, ok?)<br /><br /></span><span>And </span><span>decided to tromp out into the pasture and take a look at everything. I got a couple of panorama shots and a video depicting the absolute intense, beautiful, scary-ness of the world around me.<br /><br />That venture <span style="font-style: italic;"></span></span>being successful, I decided to walk about a bit more and take some pictures a little closer to the barn, at which point Svenya and Ruby decided to join me on my expedition, after which I got absolutely no more pictures of anything but cows... <span style="font-style: italic;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfycrF5NSqQIOyYun9Sv0jU1Mcvrnoaaw-rxykGz2Wticlgbw96j8U6MhqGkq0NLvEMQ_GNFHNE8980Z6g_xxRoA31bfWg821Gkmu8Ze327ruFie7wiXbqERaXt1rpHJnn9iq6rB001b0/s1600/IMG_2028.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCfycrF5NSqQIOyYun9Sv0jU1Mcvrnoaaw-rxykGz2Wticlgbw96j8U6MhqGkq0NLvEMQ_GNFHNE8980Z6g_xxRoA31bfWg821Gkmu8Ze327ruFie7wiXbqERaXt1rpHJnn9iq6rB001b0/s200/IMG_2028.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697182971025366914" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xRf5Jv0h_S-QgiQPx3wEgWla2d2ZIm_dj8K7j7dfV_sbJqBD34rOKQYXP1c3IHnRSUZwbkO_e9jhTi17POVoluQzok-B7qhcMt48D5D37xQpuBEFMNsUgD84D_GKZ2RvC4OdBCoALu6m/s1600/IMG_2023.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3xRf5Jv0h_S-QgiQPx3wEgWla2d2ZIm_dj8K7j7dfV_sbJqBD34rOKQYXP1c3IHnRSUZwbkO_e9jhTi17POVoluQzok-B7qhcMt48D5D37xQpuBEFMNsUgD84D_GKZ2RvC4OdBCoALu6m/s200/IMG_2023.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5697182976996428354" border="0" /></a><br /></span><br /><br />..... Well, we'll keep you posted on how our little ice storm goes, and maybe we'll post the video of me being chased by the girls sometime soon, and hey, if it gets bad enough, maybe we'll start selling "I lived through the Ice Storm Of 2012" Tee-shirts. ;) Happy Ice storm everybody!Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-55338827516908620762012-01-09T07:25:00.000-08:002012-01-09T07:25:18.077-08:00Good Sky<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6AUGwWvwEmV9X8zBpjhtqn479Wglh9eV93VzNCPX_tqYPNAxaqlEHBinDubAMP3jBXc9mGVDkCDfhC_NfUyd9_d8sm0egqWXRseVxNsVoVSySryANDdpt4PeUtXLBstD4tIpjEvRYoEQ/s1600/IMG_1821.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6AUGwWvwEmV9X8zBpjhtqn479Wglh9eV93VzNCPX_tqYPNAxaqlEHBinDubAMP3jBXc9mGVDkCDfhC_NfUyd9_d8sm0egqWXRseVxNsVoVSySryANDdpt4PeUtXLBstD4tIpjEvRYoEQ/s320/IMG_1821.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
We get good sky around here.<br />
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Double rainbow around a full moon last night.<br />
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Insomnia, too.Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811690314497763047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-88535696427030502602011-12-22T05:51:00.000-08:002011-12-22T05:51:13.568-08:00Winter Solstice<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7UgMsJFgZA8/TvMyNFdPA1I/AAAAAAAACYE/fTsDH5VeFTI/s1600/IMG_1755.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-7UgMsJFgZA8/TvMyNFdPA1I/AAAAAAAACYE/fTsDH5VeFTI/s320/IMG_1755.JPG" width="320" /></a>How did we get here???<br />
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Life has been so busy (and I have been so incompetent) that I haven't posted much here.<br />
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Here's a short rundown of events:<br />
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Spitfire was adopted by one of Molly's friend's roommates. I was happy to give him a good home but his mother is still depressed about his absence. It makes me feel very guilty. (But not as guilty as I would feel about having him get smucked in the road or freezing to death in the barn or getting an infection in some cat-fight wound that I can't afford to treat - so it's all good.) <br />
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2nd grade is gong as well as can be hoped. Issues with working memory are making themselves known and ADHD is looking like a potential problem. Maxx's teachers and special needs coordinators are Awesome, though. I could not ask for a better team.<br />
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Molly had her pins and plate removed just after Thanksgiving. Her ankle is doing MUCH better, much less swelling, greater range of motion, no more hobbling, no more sobbing. Just in time for the musical. She will be playing Ruth in Pirates of Penzance. She was hoping for Mabel but her teachers felt that she was the best possible Ruth because she can do comedy and her strong voice has a great range so she can carry Ruth's music off beautifully. She hopes to be able to sing with the Pirates in the "With Cat-like Tread " number.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8GpmrQ37jg/TvMy27OWxLI/AAAAAAAACYw/6VFh7LwMhZ8/s1600/IMG_1756.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="136" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-P8GpmrQ37jg/TvMy27OWxLI/AAAAAAAACYw/6VFh7LwMhZ8/s320/IMG_1756.JPG" width="320" /></a>Ruby Thursday is HUGE.<br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fi8vaxo93lk/TvMy5LuopOI/AAAAAAAACY4/TMw2J2WmAaQ/s1600/IMG_1757.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="156" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-fi8vaxo93lk/TvMy5LuopOI/AAAAAAAACY4/TMw2J2WmAaQ/s320/IMG_1757.JPG" width="320" /></a>Just about as big as her mom - who is ready to be bred again but I keep procrastinating about that. (Stop reminding me of my failings!)<br />
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<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2R0XpBiwqnk/TvMy6kh4qyI/AAAAAAAACZA/VSd2PhJrzL0/s1600/IMG_1758.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="138" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-2R0XpBiwqnk/TvMy6kh4qyI/AAAAAAAACZA/VSd2PhJrzL0/s320/IMG_1758.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
Ruby is not a dairy cow. We're not sure what she is. She's big, red and fuzzy. She has horns but they are still tiny at 3.5 months and we may have them poled. She's pretty calm and friendly, loves to have her neck scratched and is almost as greedy as Svenya about grain. She may end up being the first cow in Jonathan's future beef herd.<br />
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Time to run. Molly has her post-op follow up appointment today to make sure those bones are filling in nicely.<br />
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All photos are of Ruby in her first experience with snow. Taken over Thanksgiving break when we actually had snow for a minute or two.<br />
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<br />Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811690314497763047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-17256534413013759252011-10-19T12:12:00.000-07:002011-10-19T12:12:41.057-07:00A gift?The outdoor cats (I suspect one of Elaine's older kittens) left me a gift this morning.<br />
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Molly says it is no gift.<br />
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It is ransom for This.<br />
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......Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811690314497763047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-50687272792607557212011-10-12T10:01:00.000-07:002011-10-12T10:01:53.197-07:00Feral Furbaby in the HouseGot in touch with the shelter.<br />
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No room - not for months. Someone dropped off about a gazillion cats there earlier this week in a huge dog carrier and now they have no room in the shelter and no crates to loan out.<br />
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I will not have another feral cat about the place. It is one thing when they wander through but when a feral calls this place home it just increases my stress about things like rabies and my other cats getting in fights with them. (Not to mention the 3:00 am barking that accompanies a feral fistfight outside on the porch. No thank you.)<br />
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So. This little fuzz ball is in a bin in our small bathroom with his mother. He is so soft. <br />
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We will tame him and potty train him. Someone will adopt him and give him a home.<br />
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Right???<br />
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P.S. We need a large doggie crate for he and mama to live in until he finds a home or is tame enough to live in the woodshed without being contained. If you have one, please let me know!Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811690314497763047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-47612618842655511012011-10-12T07:05:00.000-07:002011-10-12T07:05:09.879-07:00Feral FurbabySo - remember <u><a href="http://beorningstead.blogspot.com/2011/05/elaine.html">Elaine</a></u>? Turns out that she did have two kittens this spring. They are growing up nice and wild in my barnyard. There is one little girl kitty that will now eat while I sit a few feet away from her food but the other one won't come near.<br />
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Elaine had another kitten a little while ago. I had been watching her for signs of pregnancy (she will let me pet her and feel her belly) and she seemed not be reproducing again any time soon - except that a few days ago, Maxx came in and said "Mom! I just saw a little black kitten!"<br />
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He carried on about it for a while but I didn't think much of it because he is BIG into pretending lately. But then Bry came in and said that a little black kitten had run across the yard and hid in some stuff near the barn. I went to look and sure enough - there was Elaine, nursing this one little kitten.<br />
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This morning, I stepped out to feed the feral family and the kitten happened to be on the entry way. When I stepped out, he/she/it was effectively trapped in a little corner. After much hissing, spitting, clawing and biting, I managed to catch the little <strike>bugger</strike> sweetie and put it into a cat carrier. He/she is terrified and trembling and I'm sooo tempted to just set it free to live its little feral life but . . . .<br />
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I do not want more cats around the barnyard that I can't touch and take in for rabies shots, spay/neutering or other care. And we really can't justify taking Elaine in to be fixed and keeping her on as part of the crew. She is mean to Emmeth and Midnight - in fact, she won't allow either of them into the barn where they can stay warm so - she has got to go before winter.<br />
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Elaine is a beautiful cat (when she lets me take the burrs out of her tail) and I think she would be very happy as an indoor/outdoor cat in a home with no other cats or where she could be the alpha. She likes attention and she's actually pretty affectionate. I'm sure that this pretty baby will grow up to be a gorgeous cat - looks like a medium length coat and a very pretty face coming on there.<br />
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. . . . .Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811690314497763047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-56531111313363503752011-09-02T05:57:00.000-07:002011-09-02T05:57:48.917-07:00I Had No Idea<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv466J0tcLNwA2l799u4BZEL7843OFUq51Y8NdyfPr36-q9NFWs4n-KBNO77AEeQjtHJD6Ztas5scxHYsbp1c-nqavuXmfIWdvwjqohxbRdLMS9SSUckt1Cu03ZwY2AI8aom6k6cTAREQ/s1600/IMG_1199.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv466J0tcLNwA2l799u4BZEL7843OFUq51Y8NdyfPr36-q9NFWs4n-KBNO77AEeQjtHJD6Ztas5scxHYsbp1c-nqavuXmfIWdvwjqohxbRdLMS9SSUckt1Cu03ZwY2AI8aom6k6cTAREQ/s320/IMG_1199.JPG" width="320" /></a>So yesterday when I thought Svenya had made another escape, I called Bry at work and left a message about my frustration and to plead for some advice. My language may have been just a tad bit too rich for a District Relief Society President.<br />
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And then I had to call and leave another message to apologize for my grouchy one once I found Svenya and her calf all safe and sound hidden in the sumac.<br />
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He called me back after he got out of his meetings. When I told him how utterly unprepared I was to encounter such a perfectly endearing creature, he laughed at me!<br />
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It wasn't a nasty laugh or a teasing laugh. It was the kind of laugh you have when a friend discovers something wonderful and unexpected that you have known all along and it's good to share that thing with them.<br />
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I always thought puppies were the best thing in the universe. It might just be newborn cows. ( I don't know - maybe it's a tie. You can pick up a newborn calf and cuddle it under your chin.)<br />
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Photos don't capture it - there's something about the way she curls up, all small and quiet and is hardly even there. And the way her eyes are SO Big when she opens them up and how she's so wobbly and unexpectedly soft. And that sweet, soft little mooing song her mama sings to her doesn't hurt either.<br />
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<br />Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811690314497763047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-91688090435950327622011-09-01T12:59:00.000-07:002011-09-01T12:59:59.739-07:00A Baby!!!<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxZuLJpllpSWNN6-QznI_EHw41AlRxjsBhudhZXg6kdfc-1YlS7YrZIZtB111jfUkGx3GeiKhb-T8Aj3u4-5qRjQHWWEp0vn00kxkyQsclzSXAHyUE6rM3XVeLbxuG3k4H4pEi5i2JAgQ/s1600/IMG_1191.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxZuLJpllpSWNN6-QznI_EHw41AlRxjsBhudhZXg6kdfc-1YlS7YrZIZtB111jfUkGx3GeiKhb-T8Aj3u4-5qRjQHWWEp0vn00kxkyQsclzSXAHyUE6rM3XVeLbxuG3k4H4pEi5i2JAgQ/s320/IMG_1191.JPG" width="260" /></a>This is the event I've been stressed and obsessed about for weeks - practically the whole month of August.<br />
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Poor Svenya has been so big and uncomfortable with a bag bigger than I'd ever imagined it could get and lots of cow labor signs that literally went on for weeeeeeks instead of the days or mere hours that they were supposed to last before the calf was born.<br />
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Svenya has also made a couple of escapes this summer so when I went out this afternoon to check on her and couldn't find her, I immediately assumed that she had made another break for it. I went into the house to change my shoes and call some neighbors and then decided to go take one last, thorough look around the pasture before tromping up and down the road with a grain bucket and lead rope.<br />
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Well, I discovered a part of the pasture that I didn't know existed. There's a little stand of sumac between the old stone wall and the far corner of the fence. I thought I could see a Svenya shape back there so I bushwacked my way in there and found her finishing up the placenta and crooning to her baby.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRat-1ChyphenhyphenoTW1XVT5T0titsXRlZyKqjQ8E5T0GLtj-WpfsYKYbivnGDOSfeEpekWDBXPv7UQR0YUfbB2bdQ_8R2hV9D912XX3IP66-uWEPaIHXYEsuJpJudQghvZD_mF9dDyaByedaWg/s1600/IMG_1193.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="182" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCRat-1ChyphenhyphenoTW1XVT5T0titsXRlZyKqjQ8E5T0GLtj-WpfsYKYbivnGDOSfeEpekWDBXPv7UQR0YUfbB2bdQ_8R2hV9D912XX3IP66-uWEPaIHXYEsuJpJudQghvZD_mF9dDyaByedaWg/s320/IMG_1193.JPG" width="320" /></a> I had NO IDEA how adorable and soft and endearing a newborn calf is.<br />
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Call me smitten.<br />
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No idea what we'll call the baby yet. There's been talk of naming it Yo-Yo because Svenya has been so indecisive about labor all month long but we'll need to discuss that in further detail.
Here are some photos. Hopefully, I'll get better ones this evening when we can move them out of the sumac and into the pasture.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0Lqi6auYBTeXtng6kPrhDNmdm_0hqya3TZKxhi07x0St1ugZBzp69nCsA7OYbn5fuaM0hpoZdCq37eYsiU1OlBjAf9-zx8hYeMDWyPNoDjjLw3FA2_vyPqLPT3rpnukUv8xzj4DU-V8/s1600/IMG_1190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="168" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0Lqi6auYBTeXtng6kPrhDNmdm_0hqya3TZKxhi07x0St1ugZBzp69nCsA7OYbn5fuaM0hpoZdCq37eYsiU1OlBjAf9-zx8hYeMDWyPNoDjjLw3FA2_vyPqLPT3rpnukUv8xzj4DU-V8/s320/IMG_1190.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0Lqi6auYBTeXtng6kPrhDNmdm_0hqya3TZKxhi07x0St1ugZBzp69nCsA7OYbn5fuaM0hpoZdCq37eYsiU1OlBjAf9-zx8hYeMDWyPNoDjjLw3FA2_vyPqLPT3rpnukUv8xzj4DU-V8/s1600/IMG_1190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0Lqi6auYBTeXtng6kPrhDNmdm_0hqya3TZKxhi07x0St1ugZBzp69nCsA7OYbn5fuaM0hpoZdCq37eYsiU1OlBjAf9-zx8hYeMDWyPNoDjjLw3FA2_vyPqLPT3rpnukUv8xzj4DU-V8/s1600/IMG_1190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0Lqi6auYBTeXtng6kPrhDNmdm_0hqya3TZKxhi07x0St1ugZBzp69nCsA7OYbn5fuaM0hpoZdCq37eYsiU1OlBjAf9-zx8hYeMDWyPNoDjjLw3FA2_vyPqLPT3rpnukUv8xzj4DU-V8/s1600/IMG_1190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0Lqi6auYBTeXtng6kPrhDNmdm_0hqya3TZKxhi07x0St1ugZBzp69nCsA7OYbn5fuaM0hpoZdCq37eYsiU1OlBjAf9-zx8hYeMDWyPNoDjjLw3FA2_vyPqLPT3rpnukUv8xzj4DU-V8/s1600/IMG_1190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0Lqi6auYBTeXtng6kPrhDNmdm_0hqya3TZKxhi07x0St1ugZBzp69nCsA7OYbn5fuaM0hpoZdCq37eYsiU1OlBjAf9-zx8hYeMDWyPNoDjjLw3FA2_vyPqLPT3rpnukUv8xzj4DU-V8/s1600/IMG_1190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0Lqi6auYBTeXtng6kPrhDNmdm_0hqya3TZKxhi07x0St1ugZBzp69nCsA7OYbn5fuaM0hpoZdCq37eYsiU1OlBjAf9-zx8hYeMDWyPNoDjjLw3FA2_vyPqLPT3rpnukUv8xzj4DU-V8/s1600/IMG_1190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;">...</a></div>
Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811690314497763047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-90326238321170669022011-08-12T07:48:00.000-07:002011-08-12T07:48:19.736-07:00The Benefits of Cow Chasing Adventures at 5:45 am<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7eVQJ-7BPXrEvvO9HdHI6NOwSCd7pUOnNDBMbbvbbsXPYNgp7mQLXd6RB7FbqEmS3BNstaL3-SB93khxo_BYM9EedDyWqlBrzpph1GsaRWrh7EuPGXlRCz2OpDJp0iDq6jRSwynBLGnQ/s1600/IMG_0354.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7eVQJ-7BPXrEvvO9HdHI6NOwSCd7pUOnNDBMbbvbbsXPYNgp7mQLXd6RB7FbqEmS3BNstaL3-SB93khxo_BYM9EedDyWqlBrzpph1GsaRWrh7EuPGXlRCz2OpDJp0iDq6jRSwynBLGnQ/s320/IMG_0354.JPG" width="173" /></a> - Gets your heart rate up first thing in the morning<br />
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- Burns off a few hundred calories before breakfast<br />
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- Helps justify eating that last half of the Maple frosted doughnut your mother brought over last night<br />
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- Prevents one from lazily sleeping the morning away<br />
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- Encourages family unity because you have to wake up the whole neighborhood to help track her down<br />
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- Gives you a chance to meet more of the neighbors because you must warn early morning commuters of the danger of sudden cow appearances<br />
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- Gives you a brand new, fuller appreciation of the phrase "Stupid Cow"<br />
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- Banishes vanity because who really cares about parading around in your jammies when you've got a thousand dollar investment and a potential lawsuit scampering loose in the road<br />
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- Provides concrete evidence that the gate IS too hard for the woman of the farm to open by herself in a pinch<br />
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- Guarantees a guilt free afternoon napVirginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811690314497763047noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-25859066111575854222011-07-09T07:30:00.000-07:002011-07-09T07:30:03.624-07:00In Which Luna Goes all Confessional about her Kitchen GarbageYou think you want to embark upon a complete overhaul of your kitchen space? This post is for you. These are photos of my current kitchen. This is what I have been living with for a year now. <br />
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It ain't pretty. <br />
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Because it isn't functional. <br />
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I've been constantly frustrated, irritated and hindered by my not-ergonomic kitchen. I have had 6 strangely shaped drawers, two cupboards, one old ragged set of shelves and a mish-mash of tables and various "surfaces" to work on. The place stays cluttered because there simply isn't space to put things away in. If I spend the time to tidy it up and stack dishes, bowls, boxes of food, etc... It just gets messy again within 24 hours. Very frustrating.<br />
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Not to mention the fact that my studio sink has been doing triple duty as the kitchen and livestock sink. <br />
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Ya. Gross. I've been using a lot of Comet since the piggies arrived.<br />
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No wonder I haven't gotten any dyeing done this summer. <br />
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But this is all about to change.<br />
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Cupboards and a dishwasher will arrive on the 16th. We need to finish the mud work on the East half of the room, prime and paint and get ready to prime & paint the cupboards when they arrive. Once the cupboards, counters & sink are in, we can shift things to prime and paint the other end of the room. Bry also wants to refinish the floors at some point in this process - they are really thrashed. <br />
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Maybe by the end of July I will have a working kitchen for real! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQSYgglQpZNm_9DZouUWQBAqIWKwjDyuQjZqd902VlnnuXnz1l2BbfpVlnuMHgVPoi0tJHkeoFJD4pFoCemq7QCtxLB_4iQjX7kqQbxF6qjB8PPxczNh5SkFZ08bKfIA8CwP0kkRIFyQ/s1600/IMG_0442.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitQSYgglQpZNm_9DZouUWQBAqIWKwjDyuQjZqd902VlnnuXnz1l2BbfpVlnuMHgVPoi0tJHkeoFJD4pFoCemq7QCtxLB_4iQjX7kqQbxF6qjB8PPxczNh5SkFZ08bKfIA8CwP0kkRIFyQ/s320/IMG_0442.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
I am sooo excited!<br />
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.....Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811690314497763047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-76361663649100081442011-06-16T06:17:00.000-07:002011-06-16T06:17:06.412-07:00Svenya is a Stubborn Cow<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCTrxS8B5l0ClDwYkGri8iRc-eQ5YYBeifYMxqqu5w_A2XMojwKCkvcUwzWLOhUhd-uDMi8tQ2TU2onUlMduhfLcx_ZrfeJdQlPzHxg5Q5IH_JIHP4Kn-bCqfZ8YSENBtEfQC8p15Y3E/s1600/IMG_0323-1.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCCTrxS8B5l0ClDwYkGri8iRc-eQ5YYBeifYMxqqu5w_A2XMojwKCkvcUwzWLOhUhd-uDMi8tQ2TU2onUlMduhfLcx_ZrfeJdQlPzHxg5Q5IH_JIHP4Kn-bCqfZ8YSENBtEfQC8p15Y3E/s640/IMG_0323-1.JPG" width="640" /></a>So Svenya is doing fine. Except that she wants to go outside. And likes to play with her water bucket.<br />
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Last night Bry hung her bucket on the low wall between her house and the pig pen. Somehow she emptied the bucket (not surprising - I held the bucket while she guzzled three gallons down in about 2 minutes yesterday and then asked for more) and then flipped it over the wall. I brought out more water this morning, fixed the bucket and filled it. She sniffed at the water but would not drink it and then tried to lick water out of the empty water carrying bucket and when that wasn't satisfactory, she started attempting to lick my face. <br />
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I think she was trying to show me that her nose wasn't as slobbery as it is supposed to be. <br />
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I thought - "Well, I wouldn't want to drink out a bucket that had been hanging in the pig pen all night, either." So I took down the bucket, to bring it into the house and wash it. While I was removing the bucket, Svenya was frantic for water and poked me in the back with her horn. I used my AUTHORITATIVE voice and pushed her away to tell her that wasn't acceptable and she got all sad and frightened. So I stayed in the barn for a while after taking down the bucket talking to her and scratching her back and ears to show her that I wasn't mad or mean and then took the bucket to the house.<br />
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I washed it, re-filled it and dragged it back out. This is not easy for me because I've got something going on with my right shoulder that's causing lots of trouble. It may be carpal tunnel, it may be bursitis (my Aunt Minnie had terrible bursitis in her old age) or it may be some old injury that I don't remember. Either way, my whole Right side has been uncomfortable and knotted up for several weeks now and it is hard to carry a bucket with 5 gallons of water in it when your strong side is weak. (yes - I will be going to the doctor - just as soon as MB is stable after surgery and school is out.)<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDcHHSjC8kSJ1svK4BKRbcJZ3d1MP6jCRu4FCpaJhBIfJWPphzwLKJQRwYZiySOh6ICTj_34bcbUGSOolY-RMhz09iPXfBewMU5I46iWAcXWYYpatcu8mJ0IpkLakw6xgCAyzxH8Tei2Y/s1600/IMG_0334.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDcHHSjC8kSJ1svK4BKRbcJZ3d1MP6jCRu4FCpaJhBIfJWPphzwLKJQRwYZiySOh6ICTj_34bcbUGSOolY-RMhz09iPXfBewMU5I46iWAcXWYYpatcu8mJ0IpkLakw6xgCAyzxH8Tei2Y/s320/IMG_0334.JPG" width="285" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rejected Bucket</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
So I haul that water into Svenya's barn and offer it to her.<br />
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Nothing doing. "No, thank you." said Svenya "I know where that bucket has been."<br />
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Ya. I left it there anyway.<br />
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She tipped it over.<br />
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I brought out a different bucket filled with water because I cannot handle the guilt of leaving a pregnant cow in the barn with no water on an 80+ degree day. I suspect that I will be hauling lots more water in the next few days. New fencing for the brook and a barnyard hose are at the top of Bry's to-do list.<br />
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....Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811690314497763047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-1326561835392185282011-06-15T07:12:00.000-07:002011-06-15T07:12:39.922-07:00Meet Svenya!!!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmNB0iNlRq1OfGx6jawjznSCj-Wlp_orDfyX32zJ6jNNfDoW5AcHOdpeYa4hvWU34PV0eDkxr1TAXgR8-JfC4z7Z15wCWMlMH7uwsUqtdVpTNNcMjOXnca7WhpO_ZT2kML3EX1S2BWj-g/s1600/IMG_0322.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmNB0iNlRq1OfGx6jawjznSCj-Wlp_orDfyX32zJ6jNNfDoW5AcHOdpeYa4hvWU34PV0eDkxr1TAXgR8-JfC4z7Z15wCWMlMH7uwsUqtdVpTNNcMjOXnca7WhpO_ZT2kML3EX1S2BWj-g/s320/IMG_0322.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>This is Svenya. <br />
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She does not have a pedigree and came to us as a "Black Jersey" but I'm going to say she's a Canadienne. She fits the description of the breed and often the term "Black Jersey" is used for Canadiennes or a cross breed between a Jersey and a Canadienne.<br />
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She is small, dark and friendly. (and much more slobbery than a horse) She is due to freshen in August. She has tiny teats but hopefully they will get bigger so that I can milk her.<br />
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She arrived yesterday in a trailer pulled by a big truck. (Maxx was impressed!) One of Bry's fellow teachers in Heuvelton picked her up at a recent auction and knew that we were wanting a cow.<br />
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We were afraid that we would not be able to get a cow for a long time - finances have just been too tight and a heifer ready to freshen is an expensive prospect - usually in the $1,200 -1,800 range. We thought we might buy a little heifer calf this year but then we would have been waiting over a year for milk because they have to grow up and have a calf before they start milking. <br />
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But by some happy coincidence, Svenya still has her horns so she was a bargain! (I like the horns - we'll just have to be careful of her moods and pay attention to what she is doing with her head. That's a good idea even with hornless livestock!) So far, Svenya feels like another one of those Gifts that we have been given as we try to put this big, crazy plan together. Things will look bleak - impossible even - and then some unexpected opportunity will present itself and voila! Another bit of the puzzle falls into place.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMctXWXbwAUauHGDtuLiHKZrnGSujz8Hai7228YrtCEbQfZm3i3kur_yQdyPNJajPV1AFmM5hWg9l43MtGjKGA7aF7Ux0z-SBjLApZfhwLbQdDvs56yIxSN34_mcpztp9bPNYpyqzAeY/s1600/IMG_0319.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCMctXWXbwAUauHGDtuLiHKZrnGSujz8Hai7228YrtCEbQfZm3i3kur_yQdyPNJajPV1AFmM5hWg9l43MtGjKGA7aF7Ux0z-SBjLApZfhwLbQdDvs56yIxSN34_mcpztp9bPNYpyqzAeY/s320/IMG_0319.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Maxx photographed the arrival</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
Right now she is bunking in the same building as the pigs. They seem to like each other. She would like to be OUTSIDE, though. When we leave her alone in there, she kicks the wall to say "Hello?!? Cow does not wish to be incarcerated! Cow wants grass in meadow, water in brook, please!"<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMwgjPqv-28jprtXgif_LX_vL6K60sZl5GDyF3mw1yZ6PIQVVG9Ah0WVh0iBG2vahS2iTgbzOE2zWaSLbdVUcADtikBOALKxrXhlA-di3kb-iaJOLqs3HdWHZDW6HLLx8xSRYgcT1kSs/s1600/IMG_0317.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidMwgjPqv-28jprtXgif_LX_vL6K60sZl5GDyF3mw1yZ6PIQVVG9Ah0WVh0iBG2vahS2iTgbzOE2zWaSLbdVUcADtikBOALKxrXhlA-di3kb-iaJOLqs3HdWHZDW6HLLx8xSRYgcT1kSs/s320/IMG_0317.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The horses make way for Svenya. They seem to like her, too.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This weekend. We don't want her wandering all through the woods and the meadow just yet as she is new. We'll make a secure area for her close to the big barn in the next couple of afternoons and then she can go outside during the daytime. We all know that sun and green grass makes good milk.<br />
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I think this makes us real farmers now - or at least real hobby farmers. Molly has a horse, there are 2 pigs and a cow in a barn and there are 2 feral kittens in the big barn.<br />
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There's a lot of work to do. There is a LOT of junk - dangerous junk - lying around from former owners that we need to clean out of the pig pen, big barn and general environs. We need to build a milking pen for Svenya - there is an old row of broken stantions in the big barn but I'm sure those will be inappropriate - too open and lose - and we need to prepare a good place for her & her calf to winter in. The pig barn is too open and drafty - great for pigs in summer but not so good for animals in 20 below weather!<br />
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And there's still a lot to do in the house this summer. Maybe it's good that we are too broke to take a big month-long cross country adventure? <br />
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Sigh.Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811690314497763047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-41856430618886101342011-06-13T05:17:00.000-07:002011-06-13T05:20:24.137-07:00I am a Stupid Person and a Bad Mother<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKi9CLRZ6mOlFccl3kkk-329b6vYt7TKgJkEdOTy76qmMEGVGoM17uHAAyLfWojwKwShgo0M-284z2kxjZrNRFIUpyEsnaZh3xGTPHNiEm4APcC2UEDC-xhJNbWc51eDDtSpd_Aqm4qx8/s1600/IMG_0302.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKi9CLRZ6mOlFccl3kkk-329b6vYt7TKgJkEdOTy76qmMEGVGoM17uHAAyLfWojwKwShgo0M-284z2kxjZrNRFIUpyEsnaZh3xGTPHNiEm4APcC2UEDC-xhJNbWc51eDDtSpd_Aqm4qx8/s320/IMG_0302.JPG" width="240" /></a>Or - What do Molly Bryn and her Uncle Al have in common? <br />
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It was such a beautiful evening. Warm, sunny, slight breeze, no recent poop soup applications on surrounding fields.<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8h4TfmgJv0X3AD5IdR0fjitiESzNHn1qO1KiTA8p3UtZlTN7L_RR6C3hIucpJtbQdKLtD7JSqbByDxOxDNriYCKyM7zJeA2NV13QCMUDOsHk1fD9A7yDfSdeo7fYrisc7Vi3pr3vYO4U/s1600/IMG_0284.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8h4TfmgJv0X3AD5IdR0fjitiESzNHn1qO1KiTA8p3UtZlTN7L_RR6C3hIucpJtbQdKLtD7JSqbByDxOxDNriYCKyM7zJeA2NV13QCMUDOsHk1fD9A7yDfSdeo7fYrisc7Vi3pr3vYO4U/s320/IMG_0284.JPG" width="320" /></a><br />
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Ziggy met the pigs for the first time and was Thrilled that such creatures exist and reside in his barn. (Does he know instinctively how yummy they will be this fall?)<br />
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I said "Let's go for a walk!"<br />
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Molly said "Let me ride Spinner in the meadow. We can put him on a lead rope. He will be fine even though we don't have any tack for him yet."<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKSmB3NOLrkYJk3nAPfSq0ufTvEpbvD3iGELv6FArZl8Pvsh9hlhtmurBxOz98o8CCprG5nbsc9G7VgVGDLOQnDivD1iHBJlPINBTGmQPtCsSyIxjv9LjO_3T3lY50J1vjY2sLjwl4kc/s1600/IMG_0295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkKSmB3NOLrkYJk3nAPfSq0ufTvEpbvD3iGELv6FArZl8Pvsh9hlhtmurBxOz98o8CCprG5nbsc9G7VgVGDLOQnDivD1iHBJlPINBTGmQPtCsSyIxjv9LjO_3T3lY50J1vjY2sLjwl4kc/s320/IMG_0295.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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And he was.<br />
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So happy to be spending time with The Girl and the Woman and The Man in the meadow. The Boy stayed further away and he was O.K. with that.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAQKDgT4rcq3hNPADe6aikX5cQJ_RQ4BWSFK8g95FamsnwKvoL4KCpRfTajsJt2KUWevWtWKRU-4APvnmfkTAPOG_zW6vgRCW1hzwbA_AhEJuS0OS-_eJla0f6PEnIcNPOD7rgdAeYJI/s1600/IMG_0291.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAAQKDgT4rcq3hNPADe6aikX5cQJ_RQ4BWSFK8g95FamsnwKvoL4KCpRfTajsJt2KUWevWtWKRU-4APvnmfkTAPOG_zW6vgRCW1hzwbA_AhEJuS0OS-_eJla0f6PEnIcNPOD7rgdAeYJI/s320/IMG_0291.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
All the horses were happy and calm. We walked to the back of the meadow where they usually don't go and they discovered that the grass and clover back there were very good.<br />
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There was a lot of happy snorting and snuffling as they ate - "Check out this great grass!" "Yes this is very good." " Let's come back tomorrow!"<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVEyvnHMzsbpNR5w8HStcxrNWaxNHCmiWkF4_vfiM-kEahj93hjmC1ikoQW0QXHVXxxLnF-7-8m9tOVulClQqSJx8SOlk49PsyhXWtZo3eGP2ca1T4lH8T1_EGRruc682wO6B4j49bxE4/s1600/IMG_0304.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVEyvnHMzsbpNR5w8HStcxrNWaxNHCmiWkF4_vfiM-kEahj93hjmC1ikoQW0QXHVXxxLnF-7-8m9tOVulClQqSJx8SOlk49PsyhXWtZo3eGP2ca1T4lH8T1_EGRruc682wO6B4j49bxE4/s320/IMG_0304.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
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And then we turned around.<br />
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Stupid, stupid me.<br />
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Ziggy was being a pain on his leash and the horses were being so good that Bry and I traded. He took the dog. I took the horse. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcieCbB7DsB1T7qU4JCP2dKeKQn350GEUP9pGHfWY1o4u4osiaYqTSUDqsUDe7Q1f69Lk-wCIvwbZv1SnbndqZj1PgM2Jy3vLIP2nNZtdPa7A0RfH99d2YDq_Pf4W_dYY0mjSC3GOeXak/s1600/IMG_0310.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcieCbB7DsB1T7qU4JCP2dKeKQn350GEUP9pGHfWY1o4u4osiaYqTSUDqsUDe7Q1f69Lk-wCIvwbZv1SnbndqZj1PgM2Jy3vLIP2nNZtdPa7A0RfH99d2YDq_Pf4W_dYY0mjSC3GOeXak/s320/IMG_0310.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Why it is good to have former Boy Scouts/ a WFR & a Fireman in the neighborhood</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Right about that time, the horses got very excited <br />
"Let's go back to the barn!" <br />
"There might be carrots!"<br />
"Let's RUN!" <br />
"YAY!!!"<br />
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I have to say that it was a pretty good dismount at 15 or 20 mph. And she didn't land on her head or smash into any rocks or get trampled or anything. Just broke her ankle. Really well. It needs a pin.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35S69VHywjOqd-NSDzvLqk3El1cCysPaeY_gCaEhysXgQiY6liVVEze2gnD6-pXDQDkZI4-Ne91mzydVAaLogoxCVooppIQGVaj3KC0nHq8VQtY_wuXeDwGZHNvIoQ1mo059B9mLcAoE/s1600/IMG_0311.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi35S69VHywjOqd-NSDzvLqk3El1cCysPaeY_gCaEhysXgQiY6liVVEze2gnD6-pXDQDkZI4-Ne91mzydVAaLogoxCVooppIQGVaj3KC0nHq8VQtY_wuXeDwGZHNvIoQ1mo059B9mLcAoE/s320/IMG_0311.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tune in Later for a story about why Molly will never be a Drug Addict.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FgFrRozI89DtgHJN-DrKVbr4Zg-o1mnlWg4sw8-r0-SfkOxJrSI2XTDoDYkptXnpofFuWjOJP0737k5vvfO2mMQya-HSEM-p1Fq2vZjmbiPw2eAEgmtsdIzRl2Vp2qyRQBe1sKzeHd4/s1600/IMG_0312.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9FgFrRozI89DtgHJN-DrKVbr4Zg-o1mnlWg4sw8-r0-SfkOxJrSI2XTDoDYkptXnpofFuWjOJP0737k5vvfO2mMQya-HSEM-p1Fq2vZjmbiPw2eAEgmtsdIzRl2Vp2qyRQBe1sKzeHd4/s320/IMG_0312.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the first questions the ER nurse asked was "Have you ever had surgery?"</td></tr>
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...Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811690314497763047noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-45440866318749467332011-05-27T11:18:00.000-07:002011-05-27T11:18:03.222-07:00Elaine<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgudGC5TGwT5rE2V4ZrRKqa0nKzoChCH4pp3JFlMnu0gn2yMUKIwb2ZBxrSmWtS7TrsPnOswbYnnGdLmrbjS-o3zOjngtkMruL-J6F7_T6AUjC0nMYKDnfxUVvKixHKHAGaG6Zgt8epozk/s1600/IMG_2592.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgudGC5TGwT5rE2V4ZrRKqa0nKzoChCH4pp3JFlMnu0gn2yMUKIwb2ZBxrSmWtS7TrsPnOswbYnnGdLmrbjS-o3zOjngtkMruL-J6F7_T6AUjC0nMYKDnfxUVvKixHKHAGaG6Zgt8epozk/s320/IMG_2592.JPG" width="299" /></a> This is Elaine. It is a good name for her - she is named after Lancelot's accidental, unwanted wife. <br />
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Emmeth brought her home this winter while he was feeling all sexy and she has stayed. And apparently, had kittens. <br />
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Not that we can find any of them. <br />
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And she eats ALL the cat food while poor, stupid Emmeth watches longingly, wishing he could sneak his face in the dish - just for a second - without getting clobbered. He runs through the door every time it is opened and cowers next to me, begging for food. If not promptly ejected, he goes off to sleep in my bed with his dirty little kitty feet. <br />
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I think Elaine will be finding a new home as soon as I can either find & catch the kittens we think she had or verify that there are no kittens to worry about.Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811690314497763047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-44181188997747115462011-05-20T04:37:00.000-07:002011-05-20T04:37:27.784-07:00New Babies!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqWOZ40lKvonDmZ-dZpKdtcsvkSsRazE9l-9q8EaR0-0sfDBzeivS6wHXSEz3nsw5c7D-KnlsEdkGY5oUtg8PRPFsu8ggsFT7kQr_9WSxdBjt7R6jqJ4bOojNhD9wDcOMurGTKxDJhRhI/s1600/IMG_2649.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqWOZ40lKvonDmZ-dZpKdtcsvkSsRazE9l-9q8EaR0-0sfDBzeivS6wHXSEz3nsw5c7D-KnlsEdkGY5oUtg8PRPFsu8ggsFT7kQr_9WSxdBjt7R6jqJ4bOojNhD9wDcOMurGTKxDJhRhI/s320/IMG_2649.JPG" width="314" /></a></div>Maxx communicates with the new arrivals<br />
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A little Pink Pig!<br />
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And her brother.<br />
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They are still pretty nervous.<br />
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Bringing <strike>piggies</strike> excuse me - bacon and ham - home has highlighted how messy this place is. One of the previous owners left garbage and barnyard trash all over the place. Everywhere we turn, there is some heap of twisted, rusty metal or broken glass or just general dumping ground to clean up. We've got to try to get out to the pig pen this weekend and make it safe for little animals so we can let them get out and wallow in the sun and mud the way that piggies like to do. Plus that exposure to sun and grass and grubs and bugs makes them very, very tasty and better for you. Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811690314497763047noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-14399639434397189382011-05-09T06:33:00.000-07:002011-05-09T06:33:06.163-07:00Cousins Have Fun in the BrookMolly also took lots of photos of Max and Truman. They were having a great day - until Maxx discovered the truth about leeches! Enjoy!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyPb3nvnbxR7iJJR72cvRjYpSKdp14r9VkSiqQ7-eufR3aspRATeNkC2Ud92c7p3yjakknGPRggARCgTFYdXFMlre50eFtgCr7ZLXi3O_nFTBoF8CkZSQVOmB-wtQld9FfIpX-V-gPI_E/s1600/IMG_2383.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyPb3nvnbxR7iJJR72cvRjYpSKdp14r9VkSiqQ7-eufR3aspRATeNkC2Ud92c7p3yjakknGPRggARCgTFYdXFMlre50eFtgCr7ZLXi3O_nFTBoF8CkZSQVOmB-wtQld9FfIpX-V-gPI_E/s320/IMG_2383.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Catching Crawdads. This is a BIG one! <br />
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Two handsome boys<br />
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. . . . . .Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811690314497763047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-50965348131825258002011-05-09T06:21:00.000-07:002011-05-09T06:21:12.969-07:00Molly Spends a Day with the Camera<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3qRlzlcKvHa9410W2MG61zwMVeeF-0nc5XhT2HvrON9XCO8ncoUvFYQ2q0OyZwtqhsSGyZgqBwQ0i4JhkbUTxfLWp4frq7447yQ_tkNP6AS2RgYmVtyjKCGfedvsO8uNRm0BpF4m-5E/s1600/IMG_2333.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="288" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-3qRlzlcKvHa9410W2MG61zwMVeeF-0nc5XhT2HvrON9XCO8ncoUvFYQ2q0OyZwtqhsSGyZgqBwQ0i4JhkbUTxfLWp4frq7447yQ_tkNP6AS2RgYmVtyjKCGfedvsO8uNRm0BpF4m-5E/s320/IMG_2333.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Molly took some great photos on Saturday while I was away teaching a jewelry class in Potsdam. <br />
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There's a dramatic shot of the old barn against a stormy bright sky:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5I0Sw00CuBaVmlOPaF5gsDJz4-41b3uTPGHx3hRN4yKksRiTQ85z9TpHCKrGYXHWbbvDt5HRPOJeUh2EMIvYNFGagwbJ12z9Aa3nYZ8TGDWycwPnbkE7b30TzhwYitTvLuweeTgv7ySo/s1600/IMG_2468.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5I0Sw00CuBaVmlOPaF5gsDJz4-41b3uTPGHx3hRN4yKksRiTQ85z9TpHCKrGYXHWbbvDt5HRPOJeUh2EMIvYNFGagwbJ12z9Aa3nYZ8TGDWycwPnbkE7b30TzhwYitTvLuweeTgv7ySo/s320/IMG_2468.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Some fun shots of the Cow Slips that she and Bryan transplanted a few weeks ago.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrLGGj4nmpuf66MQ1hu-SgkVjQlC10BIFpDcj0-Dpo9a-1iy_AemuoZJKxQgymKFFnGUzurKaBybsboKU1XHnbC5IKFuGNKGbf0LptIJwWm-f1ycrIrKwXpf5ptAXqy4vfr8YEOU5cPc4/s1600/IMG_2482.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrLGGj4nmpuf66MQ1hu-SgkVjQlC10BIFpDcj0-Dpo9a-1iy_AemuoZJKxQgymKFFnGUzurKaBybsboKU1XHnbC5IKFuGNKGbf0LptIJwWm-f1ycrIrKwXpf5ptAXqy4vfr8YEOU5cPc4/s320/IMG_2482.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>More dramatic foliage: <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Y89keC0narnBDtTCqEd3YDTVsUVdILIYwyWBvzsMmyvFs_mRGJbzpuSiMxuT9BF8UmOc84Jf3Mr0p1FEZZHvA8Czmd7O3bUtSQVjfoZd_KyzXgYr4W7x8C8S115DvhDL6oMs0NJQsAw/s1600/IMG_2544.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-Y89keC0narnBDtTCqEd3YDTVsUVdILIYwyWBvzsMmyvFs_mRGJbzpuSiMxuT9BF8UmOc84Jf3Mr0p1FEZZHvA8Czmd7O3bUtSQVjfoZd_KyzXgYr4W7x8C8S115DvhDL6oMs0NJQsAw/s320/IMG_2544.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Blossoming trees<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdRSLkdORhV79vUTq9XZumVnabVfWAiJIez8dyDXRslv7pw-ZDppsnl_oH9M_oIbDlfTv54eV9JLv3H40WcivkDZffhyB5ovYdAl49wlTOWEOhimJU0XSKNWgo1qsq9RvJc7mRU8cqpw/s1600/IMG_2563.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEdRSLkdORhV79vUTq9XZumVnabVfWAiJIez8dyDXRslv7pw-ZDppsnl_oH9M_oIbDlfTv54eV9JLv3H40WcivkDZffhyB5ovYdAl49wlTOWEOhimJU0XSKNWgo1qsq9RvJc7mRU8cqpw/s320/IMG_2563.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Interesting textures:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4WRS2wJm6iOkcScK8QMkjP8qn6kUWPDfMuaI1D3Z3Fo5B9Hv9qLE00zZwtFJdn6rZOv7sw7sBODORi5WtHy0_LK8hCwEIvni_KCO0rdZN3quDfFw_r9K7lpCpR2ofSqKVc5BY8bSuPBs/s1600/IMG_2492.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4WRS2wJm6iOkcScK8QMkjP8qn6kUWPDfMuaI1D3Z3Fo5B9Hv9qLE00zZwtFJdn6rZOv7sw7sBODORi5WtHy0_LK8hCwEIvni_KCO0rdZN3quDfFw_r9K7lpCpR2ofSqKVc5BY8bSuPBs/s320/IMG_2492.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>And here's a silly shot of the lovely photographer herself against that same dramatic sky. (taken from down in the stream bed. We need to get a goat to keep that area well mowed so we can enjoy it during the summer.)<br />
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.....Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811690314497763047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-54763657149127344482011-03-30T06:08:00.000-07:002011-03-30T06:08:24.787-07:00More of Beorn's photos<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvj9imVXtQnQAykpRPuGiaI0UjQ5z5Bar-LdzIdfUz8taXJsdUrlGlGp7LW05QbCXx2Vtg_YLcPTU-5dM_7Zi0DaW30p5oPb_6UcWUYVxJ4ec6V-iiy1h1HR1CnbNiEodA0GU9KlRlKM/s1600/IMG_2168.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSvj9imVXtQnQAykpRPuGiaI0UjQ5z5Bar-LdzIdfUz8taXJsdUrlGlGp7LW05QbCXx2Vtg_YLcPTU-5dM_7Zi0DaW30p5oPb_6UcWUYVxJ4ec6V-iiy1h1HR1CnbNiEodA0GU9KlRlKM/s320/IMG_2168.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Bry is eager to have his photos at work but we forgot to put them on the jump drive last night so here are a few for him to share with everyone.<br />
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I wish I could make Blogger line these all up - Maybe Bry can edit this post and tell you what all of the peaks are.<br />
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. . . . .Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811690314497763047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-9644740913158708952011-03-29T12:37:00.000-07:002011-03-29T12:37:20.918-07:00What's Ailing Us<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gC8VGvfen9QBa0naITYU3sOoqWcXbaLeleUf7rN708fZkYxWxVNx-Kh8g0G3xsgnaMw6dtx0IGh-6-JWuf9zWbgxp0SAuC98JSKM2Z0gxvhCVPW6Awo1KdSKRpDpPbKPRWAUzAz7gKQ/s1600/IMG_2190.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gC8VGvfen9QBa0naITYU3sOoqWcXbaLeleUf7rN708fZkYxWxVNx-Kh8g0G3xsgnaMw6dtx0IGh-6-JWuf9zWbgxp0SAuC98JSKM2Z0gxvhCVPW6Awo1KdSKRpDpPbKPRWAUzAz7gKQ/s320/IMG_2190.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>We've all been a bit under the weather lately. I'm not sure what's up with Molly and I but I'm pretty sure that THIS is what is bothering Maxx and Bry. Pesky pollinating trees!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomQVShMyBmN_7qzfM9efzhIQe9qTC8-MP0l3YuEwT-45PhYU6Y1boWPmssjdqAmPkS3QtViW2GinUk7Gnzlk99msWXMuKG7hMNLKHbYr91vFI2WX_QHJrEiCelj7j1h2IgMF5eWKgc7o/s1600/IMG_2177.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhomQVShMyBmN_7qzfM9efzhIQe9qTC8-MP0l3YuEwT-45PhYU6Y1boWPmssjdqAmPkS3QtViW2GinUk7Gnzlk99msWXMuKG7hMNLKHbYr91vFI2WX_QHJrEiCelj7j1h2IgMF5eWKgc7o/s320/IMG_2177.JPG" width="320" /></a>Some scoff at the Adirondacks because the elevation isn't as high as Western mountains. Granted, there are plenty of trails tame enough for me to wander around on but the terrain is pretty rugged off the beaten path and the weather can be pretty unforgiving if you aren't prepared. Bry and his brothers have been taking a winter trip since Molly was very little. Derek hasn't been able to make it the last couple of years but Cam has been filling in. I always feel better when Bry is out with more than one other adult.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGhFSrF83vNmEKrT9-bXzjP7yiEHtN3gc2YHSvsc0Cd-D56yF7ufcamzVj-AspEmScIs7qdsN5_Obqaqv57yoOghdqyx9d72SgqxGpY3yxlDfAaTuvcSU1f-2DxbBn8wvJv_obg5UgeJs/s1600/IMG_2184.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgGhFSrF83vNmEKrT9-bXzjP7yiEHtN3gc2YHSvsc0Cd-D56yF7ufcamzVj-AspEmScIs7qdsN5_Obqaqv57yoOghdqyx9d72SgqxGpY3yxlDfAaTuvcSU1f-2DxbBn8wvJv_obg5UgeJs/s320/IMG_2184.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Next year she'll get to go again. Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811690314497763047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-6893575715001769752011-02-25T14:35:00.000-08:002011-02-25T14:35:51.915-08:00Bathroom ProgressWe're making progress in the bathroom!<br />
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The tub corner with framing, tile backer board and the beginnings of plumbing.<br />
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Wall board, tile and tub set in frame. The plumbing is done now and we've all had a chance to take a real bath but I don't have photos yet. <br />
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The upstairs hallway - messy angles for wall board.<br />
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Still a little messy - but much better than open insulation. Bry says this is what mud is for.<br />
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Before - laundry nook - open insulation<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> There's more - more progress photos and today Bry got more wiring done so we have real light fixtures up there. I'll post later. In the meantime, I have to sort through thousands of photos of cats, silly portraits of Maxx and little surprises that Molly Bryn leaves on the camera.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div>Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811690314497763047noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3675162432305257437.post-20857901147999035442011-01-14T06:37:00.000-08:002011-01-14T06:37:04.481-08:00Holiday BreakWe didn't get much done this break. We had been looking forward to being very productive and having lots of fun with family but - well - things were really just pretty subdued.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsHve_a95JZzg9NM64dZUNwmurw-0FU7y8TlsTlKZSZhmRt1I_q3er42BOpyx10UlQKGnGrOmZAVw4SF8i4YYzEKApajH2pyn1pfgbWfQ98Oyq5j4WZFF0RPoBifqx6wiBC46JcMqElw/s1600/IMG_1687.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="191" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAsHve_a95JZzg9NM64dZUNwmurw-0FU7y8TlsTlKZSZhmRt1I_q3er42BOpyx10UlQKGnGrOmZAVw4SF8i4YYzEKApajH2pyn1pfgbWfQ98Oyq5j4WZFF0RPoBifqx6wiBC46JcMqElw/s320/IMG_1687.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Bryan spent most of his work hours during break trying to fix the upstairs shower. To avoid spending another hundred dollars for shower bits, he took the downstairs shower out and re-used the practically new fixtures. It was proving to be a freeze risk anyway, that far out from the main part of the cellar and on the very outer wall of this poorly insulated section of the house. So he finally got the plumbing done, moved some wiring that was in an inappropriate spot related to said plumbing and replaced some of the small plastic bits inside the fixtures which were causing lots of dripping. We have a shower upstairs now and we are all excited about how awesome the bathroom is going to be when we are done but it was very frustrating to spend so much time fussing with something that should have been fairly quick and easy instead of making progress in other areas of the room and the house. We keep discovering more and more areas where the cold sneaks through and the warmth escapes. We're generally cold just about everywhere in the house except the upstairs bathroom, right in front of the woodstove or in the LR when the fireplace is running. Propane is expensive, though. <br />
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We did get to play with lots of friends and family over break and we did a lot of much needed relaxing but we still didn't see everyone that we really wanted to see. We didn't spend much time with my mom (but she did get to visit my sister in Rochester for the first Christmas any of us has been able to spend with her in many years - which is great!) and I missed my dad's unexpected visit before Christmas because I was at work. We didn't get over to my brother's house at all. I still have three undelivered gifts under the tree. <br />
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We did enjoy having people over for Christmas day and we discovered that the<strike> pool table </strike>- excuse me - billiards table make an excellent banquet table when covered with plywood and a nice table cloth. Lots of elbow room for 12 people! The kitchen was functional and lots of good food was enjoyed in spite of not having a dishwasher, kitchen cupboards or a counter top. The South Studio was sealed off with plastic and made an excellent walk-in-fridge for all the leftovers.<br />
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If anything, Christmas break showed us just how over extended we are in general. We're trying to re-organize our priorities a bit but that is hard when the thing that takes up the biggest chunk of our free time is Bryan's commute. <br />
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We'll work it out. It's January with February at the door. Things always feel bleaker than they really are in this part of Winter territory.Virginiahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10811690314497763047noreply@blogger.com0