Did I say I loved fall? I do, for all of the reasons I mentioned before. But I was noticing today that the farm looks really scruffy. Trees have brown leaves, only about half of them. The other half is on the ground blowing around. It doesn't help that it's been raining. The sky provides a gloomy backdrop. It's depressing, because it looks like there is so much work to be done-- we were pleased with ourselves when the place was looking quite tidy over the summer.
I pressure washed the barn before the horses moved in, and it's full of cobwebs again. My logic tells me to wait until spring, but my fastidiousness is encouraging me to do it now, before winter. It would be much more sensible for me to focus my efforts on making the barn windproof and animal proof. But sense has never been my strong point.
The cats drive me nuts. I think we might be down to 2 kittens, I have not seen the 3rd in days. However, from previous experience (see below) I know that he/she may show up in a few days just to prove me wrong. I had winterproofed the barn, and then beat myself up because I thought one of the kittens may have been snacked on by a coyote when it couldn't run back into the secret passage for safety. However, they have succeeded in digging another hole under the barn wall, so they can all get in and out quite easily. It's not near the horses, so I am considering leaving it, but I keep wondering what other animals can get through a hole?
I saw a possum the other night. They look mean up close!! I was walking down to the barn -- it's pitch black at night because we don't have a farm light-- and the motion light went on. Smack in the middle of the driveway-- and straight in my path-- was a possum. He stared straight at me, and I couldn't do anything but stare back. He finally scurried away into the night. I do worry about EPM and was advised to kill any possum I saw. However, I had no "weapon" and the critter hurried away before I could even attempt to get to the barn and back for a pitchfork. Ugh...
I still wouldn't go back to the suburbs for nuthin'.
Saturday, October 23, 2004
Thursday, October 14, 2004
It's Here.
Fall.
I used to really hate fall. It heralds the arrival of winter, and in WI, where I grew up, the winter was long, cold and hard. I remember piles of snow so high that they lingered long into the 70 degree spring days. It seemed so incongruous to be wearing shorts while stepping over snow piles.
Now, however, it's the peaceful waning of a busy summer. Not just in my life, but in life in general. Of course, in my life, with the kids back to school, no more vacation days from work (just to hang out with those summer guests), no more days packed to the gills with work outside, it really is getting more peaceful. I was thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas the other day, not with a dread, but with a quiet anticipation. I love the holidays, and I am determined that this year they will be peaceful and meaningful. No commercialism!! My kids are getting clothes and tools. L will love a tool set, and M can have more riding equipment. I already bought them a chef's hat and apron, and a subscription to Young Rider magazine. I think this will be the year it will happen!
As I went out to feed the horses tonight, I noticed that I heard NOTHING. Nothing at all. No crickets, locusts, coyotes, birds, NOTHING. There was no moon, and the stars were so bright and numerous. Again, such a change from the summer's evening bustle. I stopped a while, once again reminded by the stars that I am insignificant and fleeting, and just enjoyed the nothingness. Tomorrow I will turn off the radio in the barn, at least for a little while, so I can really hear the nothing. Tonight a plane flew over just to interrupt the nothing-- maybe tomorrow there will be true quiet. Maybe I needed tonight's "almost" quiet to ease into the real nothing I will hear tomorrow!
I saw three kittens tonight-- I wonder what happened to the 4th? I am so doting on them, but they hate me. The are kind of like children-- they just tolerate me because I feed them. : ) They are absolutely adorable, though. All kittens are sweet (aren't all babies?) but these have gray and white markings that just make them extra cute. It's all I can do to keep the distance they require.
I used to really hate fall. It heralds the arrival of winter, and in WI, where I grew up, the winter was long, cold and hard. I remember piles of snow so high that they lingered long into the 70 degree spring days. It seemed so incongruous to be wearing shorts while stepping over snow piles.
Now, however, it's the peaceful waning of a busy summer. Not just in my life, but in life in general. Of course, in my life, with the kids back to school, no more vacation days from work (just to hang out with those summer guests), no more days packed to the gills with work outside, it really is getting more peaceful. I was thinking about Thanksgiving and Christmas the other day, not with a dread, but with a quiet anticipation. I love the holidays, and I am determined that this year they will be peaceful and meaningful. No commercialism!! My kids are getting clothes and tools. L will love a tool set, and M can have more riding equipment. I already bought them a chef's hat and apron, and a subscription to Young Rider magazine. I think this will be the year it will happen!
As I went out to feed the horses tonight, I noticed that I heard NOTHING. Nothing at all. No crickets, locusts, coyotes, birds, NOTHING. There was no moon, and the stars were so bright and numerous. Again, such a change from the summer's evening bustle. I stopped a while, once again reminded by the stars that I am insignificant and fleeting, and just enjoyed the nothingness. Tomorrow I will turn off the radio in the barn, at least for a little while, so I can really hear the nothing. Tonight a plane flew over just to interrupt the nothing-- maybe tomorrow there will be true quiet. Maybe I needed tonight's "almost" quiet to ease into the real nothing I will hear tomorrow!
I saw three kittens tonight-- I wonder what happened to the 4th? I am so doting on them, but they hate me. The are kind of like children-- they just tolerate me because I feed them. : ) They are absolutely adorable, though. All kittens are sweet (aren't all babies?) but these have gray and white markings that just make them extra cute. It's all I can do to keep the distance they require.
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Cats and Mice
Our barn cat had kittens, as I mentioned before. They are older, maybe 8-10 weeks old. So cute and playful! A couple of weeks ago it got down below 32, and I was worried about them-- they are so small! I found an old feed box around here, pressure washed it, reinforced it, and filled it with old hay. I thought it would be ideal for them to snuggle in inside the barn. My big plan was that they would come in each night, allowing me to sleep peacefully, not worrying that the coyotes were eating them. So, I lured them in with some food, and the first night I was unsuccessful. The second night, the one that got down below freezing, I was successful. I closed the barn before the babies and momma got out! I was pretty proud of myself, left some extra food, and closed the door with satisfaction. Those kittens won't freeze under my watch!!
I slept like a baby, and then sauntered out to the barn, dreaming of sweet kittens rubbing against my leg, suddenly tame with appreciation for my foresight and insistence that they come in out of the weather. Of course, I was dismayed to see that all the babies had escaped out a crack between the door and barn, and that only the momma was left! She was obviously distressed that the babies had gone without her. So much for my plans.
I let her out, and we did not see the cat family for several days. B had me convinced that they hated me and I had chased them off for good. Actually, they are back, but quite leary of me. Can't blame them, really. While my motives are pure, they are correct that I would scoop them up and snuggle with them any chance I could get!!
***
The day that I fashioned the kitty compound from the feed box, my son, L, went into the garage and was digging into the toybox for some tonka toys. I remembered that the last time I dug into a box, a mouse came flying out at me, causing me to scream with surprise! I was actually bitten by a mouse as a child (yes, a wild one, outside, and narrowly escaped having to receive rabies shots). I warned L that he should be careful about mice in the boxes. Sure enough, he lifted the lid on the toybox to find a momma mouse and her babies in there. She moved them as soon as she realized she was on display. They were really cute, bald and helpless and so tiny!
B said he had a mouse in his car. This is so poetic becuase B is the only person in Madison county who lives on a gravel road and drives this zippy little foreign sports car. So he babies this machine, and it's really funny that he found a tiny newborn mouse in his car. He said he put it outside, but that another baby was inside, he thought maybe in the dash. It has died, and the most gawdawful smell comes from the vent when you start it up! The luxurous leather smell is no more...
I slept like a baby, and then sauntered out to the barn, dreaming of sweet kittens rubbing against my leg, suddenly tame with appreciation for my foresight and insistence that they come in out of the weather. Of course, I was dismayed to see that all the babies had escaped out a crack between the door and barn, and that only the momma was left! She was obviously distressed that the babies had gone without her. So much for my plans.
I let her out, and we did not see the cat family for several days. B had me convinced that they hated me and I had chased them off for good. Actually, they are back, but quite leary of me. Can't blame them, really. While my motives are pure, they are correct that I would scoop them up and snuggle with them any chance I could get!!
***
The day that I fashioned the kitty compound from the feed box, my son, L, went into the garage and was digging into the toybox for some tonka toys. I remembered that the last time I dug into a box, a mouse came flying out at me, causing me to scream with surprise! I was actually bitten by a mouse as a child (yes, a wild one, outside, and narrowly escaped having to receive rabies shots). I warned L that he should be careful about mice in the boxes. Sure enough, he lifted the lid on the toybox to find a momma mouse and her babies in there. She moved them as soon as she realized she was on display. They were really cute, bald and helpless and so tiny!
B said he had a mouse in his car. This is so poetic becuase B is the only person in Madison county who lives on a gravel road and drives this zippy little foreign sports car. So he babies this machine, and it's really funny that he found a tiny newborn mouse in his car. He said he put it outside, but that another baby was inside, he thought maybe in the dash. It has died, and the most gawdawful smell comes from the vent when you start it up! The luxurous leather smell is no more...
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