A Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

To say that today was the worst day of my life would be an overreaction, but let’s just say it has earned its place on the list of days I don’t want to repeat.

It really started last night, with a tragedy. L had a music conference, and we hurried out of the driveway, and one of the kittens was in the way, and it was hit by our car. I feel so badly, so incredibly sad. (I will elaborate on his condition later, but I will tell you now so you don’t wonder, that he is banged up, but okay.) I heard him meow, and then I pulled forward again, and he ran away. So I took that as a sign that he was not so injured that he could not move. I got out, of course, and couldn’t find him, but I could hear him meowing. We had to go, because L had a concert, and he was graded on his attendance. We were already running late.

So when we got home, I took out the flashlight and looked for him with no luck. I did not sleep well all night, wondering and worrying about him. I prayed that he died quickly, or that he was only mildly hurt. I looked forward to the morning when I could go out and look again for him.

I went out as soon as the alarm went off at 5:30 with no luck.

I came in, and L had a sore, swollen throat, and we made the call that he would stay home, and I would stay home with him. We got M out the door to school.

I decided that I should go into work and pick up a few projects that I could work on from home. I can take L with me if necessary, and he plays in my office and draws, etc., while I take care of business, so that was fine. He came out to the car less than appropriately dressed, so I sent him back in with my keys so he could change.

He came back out, sure to lock the door, without my keys… he had locked us out!

So B had to come home and unlock the door. While sitting in the car, waiting for B, we saw the kitten come out from his hiding. His back leg looks broken or bruised, but he is putting weight on it and is able to walk. So we fashioned up the sick quarters just like we did for Bub, about this time a year ago. While I did not take him to the vet, I presume the same rx applies: “cage rest and neglect.” We bought him some canned food and gave him some blankets, his own litter box and fresh water in his kennel, and he is sleeping and resting very soundly. I think he will be fine in a few weeks.

I then made the trip into work, and took care of business.

When we got back, it was so nice outside that we let the goats out. They have been in their pens for a week or so, and while their pens are large enough that they have room to play and run around, there is nothing like a big paddock and some fresh air to bring out the spring in your step. I reasoned about what to do with Joe Llama, since he really isn’t that tame at this point, but I decided that being away from the goats would distress him, and he would likely have bonded with them enough at this point, that he would comply with my wishes so he could be near them.

I’m thinking you know where this is going…

All was well, and I was looking out the window admiring my flock, when the goats got crazy-spooky-squirrelly and ran around the paddock, spooking Joe Llama so that he ran frantically to the corner, and proceeded to jump the fence! Of course, the fence is 5’ high, and he could not easily jump it, so he was literally hanging from the fence on the other side. His leg was stuck in the fence panel, too! Of course, I ran out immediately, and as soon as I got out there, he had extracted himself (leaving a chunk of wool on the fence), and was limping around on three feet. Oy vey! And then he was in the big pasture, where previously we had not been able to catch him. Fortunately, I used the goats to lure him back into the paddock, but he was frantic, and I was not up for chasing him around and making him more upset. So there they stayed.

I came back inside, and the phone rang. It was our pastor, and he was reminding me that M was 20 minutes late for her confirmation class! I had not even checked my calendar! So we rushed off to that.

When we came back, I decided to start trying to get Joe back inside before it got dark. I was out there for 1.5 hours before the kids came out and helped me. We cornered him and I was able to get his halter on without incident, and by this time he had stopped limping.

Everyone got fed, watered, and tucked in for the night.

If ever there was a night that I needed a drink, it is tonight.

Full Circle

As I was driving home from work today, it occurred to me that some things in my life had come full circle.

When I was growing up, I had a boyfriend (let’s call him “S”). I dated him from when I was a sophomore in high school until I was a sophomore in college, when I met B. This man’s family was farmers. His father, his grandfather, and his grandfathers before them farmed the same land. At one time, they had a large operation, with dairy cattle, hogs and a lot of crops. While the operation had been scaled down some, they were working to build it back up. His grandfather had become a seed dealer, and the two sons had taken over the operation. S hoped to take over the operation from his father and his uncle, and farm full-time. As it was, his uncle’s wife worked off the farm to support the family, and his father worked full time also, as a truck driver. S went to college and studied agriculture in hopes that he could save his family’s farm from the crisis that occurred in the mid 80’s.

S was very independent, which was not so much a function of being the child of a farmer than being the child of his father, who was somewhat dysfunctional. S worked non-stop on the farm, as a junior in high school I remember him putting in 20-hour days, week after week. He did poorly in school and there were times that he and I did not see each other for weeks, and even then it was often because I chose to come to his farm and spend time with him there. He did not live in my town and go to my school, he lived about 40 minutes from me.

While S and I were not right for each other, he did teach me a whole lot about farming. I helped where I could (the summer of 2005 was NOT the first time I baled hay). He taught me a lot about implements and what they were used for. I know quite a lot about dairy farming and how that whole process works. I have milked cows, and I have nurtured piglets. I remember so clearly one day after we had stacked the hay in the haymow, just lying on our backs, resting, feeling the breeze come in one side of the mow and out the other. I remember the tiniest kittens running about in the haymow—it seems they lived their entire lives up there.

I will not forget that day, not because of anything that has to do with S, but because the feel, the smell, and the sounds just radiated peace. When I was in labor, I focused on a peaceful place. Not Hawaii, not a hot tub, not even the Eiffel Tower—I focused on that day in the haymow. Peace and tranquility.

One thing I disliked about S’s chosen field was that his car always stank. He had a white Trans Am, and he let me drive it anytime I wanted. I would drive it home and keep it for the weekend (sounds crazy now!). But it was the roving pigmobile. It stank like livestock, and there was no getting rid of the smell. He would always say, “Oh, L, it smells like money!” But truthfully, I think he could not smell it as strongly as I could.

This past weekend B cleaned out the barn for me, as I had to work. He cleaned out the horse stalls to the bare earth (no small feat). He bought fresh bedding and hay, and stacked it all in the barn. However, he did drive my car (a SUV) to accomplish all of this. I drove it Sunday, and when I got in, I immediately smelled manure. I forgot about it, as I was (appropriately) taking L to 4H. However, as I drove to work today in my new Evan Piccone suit, I was considering that I likely looked great, but smelled like a barn, and that, like S, I could probably not even smell the full impact.

As I was driving home, I was reminded of the same thought. I stopped and washed my car—shampooing the carpets even. But I did stop to think about how the smell was different this time. In 1986 I was headed down the path of least resistance. I had a boyfriend, we had plans for marriage, and my life was laid out in front of me. I would not go to college, (or if I did, I’d stay close to home). I’d be a farmer’s wife and put my heart and soul into the farm.

Today, in my thoughts, I decided that my leaving him was not about resentment of being a farmer’s wife, it was about wanting to choose my life. I wanted to be in charge of my future, and not have decisions made for me because of my husband’s family, or what was expected. Ironically, even though I did not choose S, I am drawn back to farming. And, even more ironically, I am able to put to use some of the knowledge he passed along to me.

So today, I find myself searching again for that peaceful place. I see glimpses of it now and then, so I know it’s here. But this time, the peace will be on my terms.

the odds are definitely NOT in our favor

There is always some sort of excitement here. With a 4.5:1 animal to human ratio, the excitement usually centers around a furry child. Today was no exception.

We awoke this morning, intending to go to church, and I went through my normal routine of getting up and going to the barn before showering and getting ready. I was greeted by the usual nickering, humming, meowing and baa-ing that I expect, but one was a little more urgent than usual. I didn’t notice at the time.

A few minutes later, it occurred to me that Ernie had not run to the side of the pen and jumped up to greet me. But he was talking to me. Upon further inspection, I noticed that his head was stuck!

We have a “keyhole feeder” for the hay. There are many different versions of this type of feeder, but the general idea is that the goat can only stick their head in to eat the hay. Goats are notorious wastrels when it comes to hay, and if they can only stick their heads in to get it, you can at least help to contain it. Otherwise, they paw at it and pee on it and use it for bedding, and they will not eat dirty hay.

So our keyhole feeder is a piece of something-or-other that we found when we moved in. It looks like “jail bars” and it’s a panel about 2.5 feet high by three feet wide. It was perfect for putting in the corner of their pen and keeping the hay at least somewhat contained.

But Ernie got his head wedged in there and couldn’t get it out!!

The trick was to use the sawzall on the bars and bend them apart to get his head unstuck. We couldn’t do it in the pen, though, as there is hay and straw everywhere and we couldn’t risk a spark. So we had to remove the panel and carry it out into the middle of the barn—with Ernie’s head still stuck in it! And then we gave him some alfalfa, which put him into a blissful state, causing him to not be affected in the least by the power tool operating just inches from his head.

Darn goat, should have took the sawzall to his horns!

We didn’t make it to church.

check out yesterday's sunrise

This was actually taken before sunrise. We looked out, and saw an amazing pinkish/purple sky, with this beam coming up from the horizon. In the photo, the light actually looks like the sun is up, but at this point, it's still behind the horizon. Click on it to make it bigger-- it's amazing and I have never seen anything like it!

ranting

I have been without my high-speed internet access since last Wednesday. We came home to find the satellite modem lights blinking the “blink of death.” You know, usually they are doing something that looks constructive, but there is a certain point where you know the thing is dead, just by the way the lights are going on and off. They look as though they are not doing anything constructive.

So I called up Direcway and told them about the problem. Okay, well, let’s back up.

I called Direcway and spoke to their tech support in India. They were very friendly and helpful, except that they were determined that my problem was a low signal. I tried to convey that the lights were blinking on and off steadily, not randomly like they often do when they are searching for a signal.

About 55 minutes later, I had been transferred to a higher level of tech support, and we had gone through all of the same diagnostics that had been administered in the lower level of tech support, and the technician determined that we needed a new modem. Okay, I think I said that…

He arranged for shipment of a new one that should arrive in 5-7 business days. In the meantime, he set up a dial up account for us, but was ultimately unable to give me the username and password because the database which generates those was down. He told me to “call back later.”

Later was Friday, as B’s parents were in town, and we were busy. I spent an additional 75 minutes on the phone with tech support that day. After being transferred from India back to New York, I was able to easily get the username and password that were promised to me, and I asked the support tech to confirm that a new modem had been ordered for me. It had NOT been ordered! Of course, the second tech could not authorize the shipment of a new modem until we had gone through all of the diagnostics that we had gone through in the very first call.

Last night we received the modem. The modem needs to be registered and initialized, and it was determined that some earlier problems I had were attributed to a low signal (though the modem was, in fact, dead) so we needed to review issues with the satellite transponder. I was transferred twice, and spent another 88 minutes on the phone, where I was then disconnected! I called back, and was told that I would need to wait 36 minutes on hold to be connected to someone at the level from which I was just disconnected!

I waited and called back again about ½ hour later, and was told that my wait time would not be more than 2-3 minutes. He then came back and said it would be more than 10 minutes. I decided +/- 10 minutes wouldn’t be a big deal. But I was steaming mad when they finally picked up the phone 46 minutes later! Of course, they read the case review, but still had to go through the same diagnostics. At this time it was 12:15 am, and I still had no internet access. He told me that he would need to put the information in the system to change the transponder, and that I should give it about ½ hour and call back! I wanted to ask him if he could just put me on hold, as that should take about ½ hour for someone to pick up the phone anyway! But it was too late and I needed to go to bed. That call took 58 minutes.

They also told me that there are two transponders on the horizontal and vertical axes that I am trying to lock onto. The support person said, “we will change it in the computer and hope it locks onto the one with the stronger signal strength. If it doesn’t someone will have to come out and configure it from your house.” Oh joy. This could take a while.

I wonder how long the call will be this afternoon to finish the job (or maybe “finish” is too optimistic?).

I HATE THIS COMPANY!!!!!!!! I hated the cable company for being such a gorilla, but Direcway is much, much worse. Customers like me are the perfect “captive audience” because we are screwed if we need high speed internet—they are the only option. No DSL out here, no cable, nothing but satellite, and they are the only provider.

Oh, and regardless of your thoughts on outsourcing call centers to other countries, don’t you think the individuals should at least be familiar with the geography, the time zones in the U.S. and the protocol? I was asked how the weather was in “Idaho;” I was told just to call back in a few minutes, and I could not make them understand that it was IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT HERE; and they gave me a phone number with too many digits.

Okay, done with rant.

i'm full

My brain is full! I learned a lot from the chakra workshop I attended. It wasn’t one of those times where you are overwhelmed with so much information and “newness” and excitement that you can’t contain your enthusiasm, then you come home with resolve and ambition, but somehow don’t ever get there…

This was different. It is a quiet thing, very subtle and personal. It’s about being aware, about always thinking about who is looking out of your eyes and living inside of your body. Why you operate the way you do, and how to change the patterns of behavior inside of yourself that hinder your progress toward your goals and self-actualization.

The quietness is good for so many reasons. First and foremost, it means that it’s not going to lose the fizzle quick. It’s going to be easy to implement and continue. Secondly, it is so complementary with other things in a person’s life. You are not asked to replace your religion, relationships, or to forsake all of the behaviors that you currently have. The big steps are just about awareness and understanding. Making peace with who you are, and why you are who you are. If you can’t make peace, then you work quietly, peacefully, steadily, to make it to where you want to go and who you want to be.

Keeping Warm

It’s that time again. Bitter cold, near-zero windchills, frozen buckets. This year there are more buckets!

As I have mentioned before, our bedroom has no heating ducts. Both of the kids’ rooms have heat, but ours does not. We just have each other. : ) But even with all of the doors upstairs open, it makes for a chilly room! And with that nippy west wind whipping through, I swear my bedroom had a windchill this morning…

Even so, extracting my body from under the cozy covers was bad enough, but not nearly as difficult as convincing myself to step from the warm house to the freezing outdoors at 5:30 am… it took a bit of convincing.

The barn is pleasant. Of course, there is no wind, but the animals keep it warm with their body heat and their breath. And they are always happy to see me. So it makes it all worthwhile. And after a few minutes saying my good mornings, I am warm and have forgotten about the cold (until I have to step outside, break the ice on the 4 water buckets, fill them with icy cold water, and then carry them back to the barn without sloshing the water on my leg and soaking my pants). That kind of warming—from the inside out—really stays with you.

Happy Wednesday!

P.S. Today I am going to a chakras workshop— here is the link to an article about the seminar. Makes you want to come, doesn’t it!

okay, so you’ll never believe this story, but I swear to the Almighty that it’s true

This weekend we dog-sat for MK’s dog Porsche. He came around 9:00 this evening to pick her up, and B and I were lazing around watching a movie with the dogs. I was snuggled up under a quilt, and for some very, very odd reason we didn’t hear MK’s car come down the road or up the driveway (that has to be a first—we notice EVERYTHING—but the movie WAS really good…). The dogs heard NOTHING, and only barked when he knocked on the door.

Anyway, B came out to help him load her gear up and MK asked what animals we had in our backyard. B said that we didn’t have anything, but noticed that the leaves were rustling. Upon further inspection, he saw faces, and came quickly to the conclusion that there were cows in our backyard. About 20 of them. Of course, like most men, when faced with danger or urgency, he called for his wife. : ) I called the neighbors because they have cattle behind us—but really far behind us, and it didn’t seem logical that they were theirs, but whose else’s could they have been?

So they came roaring over. The neighbor that lives close is the dad, and his two sons also have cattle, so they came over as well (though they don’t live that close). They immediately discerned that the cattle were not theirs. Then we all thought maybe that they belonged across the road (at Bubba’s house). So they called BK, the landlord, and asked if they were his cattle. He lives about 20 miles away, so we waited for quite a while and got to know them a little better. He came over and determined that they were indeed his cattle. For them to have come into our backyard, however, would have meant that they would have had to walk about ¼ mile down the road, and just mosey up the hill of our driveway, walk past the barn and down into the backyard. Oh, and without getting hit. Strange but true, that’s how it happened.

So, then BK starts calling his cattle, and proceeded to have a mini cattle drive out the yard, down the driveway, down the road, into Bubba’s driveway, and back to the corral from whence they came. It was pretty obvious that Bubba’s kid left the gate open when she got the pony out, and the pony and two horses were out as well. But they all went back in, slick as a whistle. Unbelieveable. I will ask B tomorrow if this was all a weird, weird dream.

Our dogs are SO fired.

progress with joe llama

B’s parents are visiting this week/weekend, and we had a nice brunch at the Hotel Pattee in Perry, Iowa. You should visit if you get the chance!

I had a chance to spend some quiet time with Joe Llama today, and he actually took alfalfa from my hand. It’s a start! Tomorrow I will work with him on a longe line (just leading, no exercises or anything), and we’ll hope it gets better from there.

He is so cool, he makes this humming noise, kind of like a sheep or goat’s baa, but it’s quieter and more of a hhmmmm noise.

I didn’t know that llamas hummed.

Go figure.

How to catch a llama

Joe Llama has been here 2 days, and we are still not good friends. : ( The first day we kept him inside in his stall with Cindi, and that worked out fine. Yesterday we put him in the paddock with all of the goats, and they became fast friends. However, when it came time to put everyone in the barn for the evening, the goats went fine but Joe Llama did not want to go in. We ran that poor guy ragged around the paddock trying to get his halter on him. The fun and games ended when I fell down, and we decided to open the paddock gate and the barn door, and try to drive him from one into the other. Well, that worked fine, except he took a sharp right and went into the large pasture.

So there we were, with a three-acre pasture, and a llama roaming somewhere down there in the dark…

Joe Llama spent the night outside.

This morning, we heard that bad weather was coming (did you hear about all the tornadoes in Iowa? Not too far from here…). So we needed to get Joe back up to the barn. I chased him around for an hour, and got nowhere but tired. And I probably didn’t do much to endear myself to him.

We decided to let him rest, and then later we sent Rocky outside to try and corral him in. Now Rocky is known around our house by several nicknames, most of which translate to “dumb.” He is a loving, wonderful guy. But he is dumber than a box of hammers.

One time, however, he managed to get into the pasture with Kitten. She started pawing and snorting (think of a bull in a bullfight—get the picture?), and Rocky knew the signs. He took off so fast he was practically a blur. So we decided he could take care of himself if Joe got too aggressive. Raven would try and make friends, and wouldn’t read the signs of aggression.

So, Rocky went out, I told him to get the llama, and he chased him around the pasture for a while, ultimately getting him into the paddock! Not without disturbing him greatly, causing the llama to make this horrendous clucking noise (the warning before spitting) and sending him into a state of panic. BUT, he was IN THE PADDOCK! And we were back to square one.

Again, we let him rest for a while, and put the goats and horses back out there so he would have calming company. That did the trick, and we went out to get him the final time. We had to entice him by standing with the herd in a corner of the paddock, so he could feel like he was not with the herd (with hopes that he would want to join in), and also to let him see that the rest of the herd trusts us. It actually worked some, by keeping him calm and letting us approach slowly. We finally got a rope around his neck, and then his halter on, and talked quietly and calmly to him, and then peacefully led him to his stall. Like it was a non-event.

But it was a HUGE event, and I never want to go through that again! Joe Llama will be staying in the barn for at least a couple of weeks until he can learn to trust that we will not hurt him, and come when he is called. I can take him outside on the longe line, and that is all the playing outside that he will get. Hopefully next time I can report on our blossoming friendship.

Help Wanted.

Help Wanted!

Goat herder needed. Prefer candidate that is tall, herd-oriented, has a keen eye (and distaste) for canines. Preference will be given to individuals with big brown eyes, long eyelashes and thick fur. Benefits include full room and board, a great employer and loving charges. Please contact us.

Good news! The job’s been filled—Our newest staff member at our farm: Joe Llama.


What a saddo I am— our internet access is down for several days. Somehow we fried the modem (we connect via satellite), and we are waiting for a replacement to be shipped. It may be as long as a week! In any case, we have driven to a wireless access point so I can share the news about Joe Llama!

Happy weekend.

P.S. Look at this picture of Erine and Bert, the farm SpokesGoats!

And you think MY animals are bad?

Check out this link.

why i love him...

A conversation Sunday:

Me (having just come in from the barn): Oh, it's beautiful outside! I thought it was supposed to rain all day, and I never expected it to be a balmy 60 degrees! I wish I could ride, but today is the day I planned to stay inside and clean the house and do laundry, since I thought it was going to rain.

B: You should ride.

Me: Yes, but I have so much to do, and I will regret not staying inside and getting it done.

B: You should ride.

Me: Yes, but...

B: You should ride. You will regret it when the nice days are gone!

Me: I know...

I then go back to the laundry and the cleaning. Ten minutes later, B brings my saddle downstairs and plops it on a chair and says, "You should ride.'

I rode.

Not only did I ride, but B walked with Major and me, and we went into a neighbor's field where we could see for miles. It was amazing. And well worth not getting the laundry done or the house cleaned.

See why I love him?

Our Farm's Chèvre Division

Click on the photo for the slideshow.

toyz

I bought a Dyson vacuum today. Best half a million dollars I ever spent! : )

My kids have no college fund left, but by God, you can eat off my floors.

ugh... it's the season...

...for mice!! We had this discussion last year, did we not?

We moved a fan today, as we are putting away everything summer, and underneath was a mouse. The cats were curious about it, but when they figured out it was a mouse, they were disinterested. Even Bub, the former barn cat/mouser!

They were like, "Eww! Someone needs to get in here and get rid of these vermin!"

They are gross, but my tolerance for gross things is increasing.

Okay, I take that back. She just ran by with it dead in her mouth. I guess I should never question her strategy.

What was I saying about gross???

here we go!!

Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain showers and light snow showers in the evening...then partly cloudy with a slight chance of light rain showers and light snow showers after midnight. Low in the mid 30s. Northwest wind 5 to 15 mph.

Time to go get some straw bales so the goats can snuggle up!

changes to comment settings

I had to make a change to the comment settings. If you comment on a post, you will have to type in a word for verification. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about-- we've all done it. It's a computer-generated graphic of a word that you have to type in so that the system can verify that you are a "real" person. Sorry for the extra inconvenient step, but I have had a rash of spam comments. It's annoying for me, because I get an email every time I get a comment, and I'm sure you don't want to read about their junk either.

So, sorry about that. Comment away. : ) I enjoy hearing from you. Oh, and for those of you who are shy, you can comment anonymously.

my shocking chakras

Are your chakras in balance?

If you are not familiar with this term, don’t turn to me for explanation! : ) Seriously, Eileen and I have been working on balancing my chakras and becoming grounded and peaceful. As you have read previously, my life is about my continuing quest for peace. I think I have found a way to get there physically.

Chakra is a Sanskrit word meaning “circle” or “wheel”, but a compilation of definitions from various websites explains the concept this way (and if you know more than I do, feel free to leave a comment and fix my gaffes):

A centre of energy, or point of spiritual power, located in the body where the subtle nerve channels converge like the spokes of a wheel. Six major chakras lie within the central channel. When awakened, kundalini shakti (energy) flows upward from the base of the spine through these six centres to the seventh chakra, the sahasrara, at the crown of the head. The chakra are involved in the regulation of body signal processing and the interaction between body and consciousness. The chakras play important roles for health, realization and spiritual development. Each chakra is generated by a nerve center and interacts with one or a group of hormone glands near its location those determine its operating point.

It was described to me that our bodies are like cylinders, channeling energy between the earth (being “grounded”) and the heavens. By not keeping our channels clear, the energy can be stuck. Think about it—if you are hunched over, if you don’t breathe correctly, if you keep your feelings inside, if you don’t take some time to think about peace and reflect on your spirituality and your own energy, you will really build up that angst and can even have health problems. So I am working on some physical and mental exercises to remain calm and grounded.

I had to speak publicly before a state licensing board the other day. I was very, very nervous, but I thought a lot about channeling my energy and breathing, and I was very conscious about my heart rate. I kept my feet on the floor to try and channel that energy upward and out (and downward from the heavens, too), and it really helped. I did fine!

You can dismiss it as hooey—that’s okay by me. I would completely understand. However, some things I’ve learned along the way in my short life have included having a tolerance for those things which sound crazy to me but work for someone else, and also that once I am open to things and follow along, that something might just be relevant to me. One may think that going to a psychologist and getting Prozac is the answer. And that may be the perfect answer for you. But for me, I would rather work hard on my energy level and be in touch with myself and conscious of the flow of shakti. I think that the last thing I need is to introduce something else into my body.

Of course, if it doesn’t work, there’s always prozac. : )

Seriously, I have done some physical exercises that have really proven the difference in my frame of mind after “meditating” (though I am not sure that I am doing it completely and correctly, so I am using that term loosely). Also, in my riding lessons in the past with M, we have worked on center of gravity, regulating the heartbeat and breathing while riding, and it’s amazing how it is all interconnected.

The other night I took my shoes off outside and just squished my toes into the grass and did some breathing and focusing with B. I don’t think it worked for him, but it was energizing and grounding for me. I think four farm has some great energy in its earth. And out there under the stars… it was amazing.

I am having fun learning about this and seeing it work in my life.

May your chakras be in balance and your kundalini be awakened! And have a great weekend. MK is coming over to ride on Sunday. If he doesn’t get frostbitten, it should be fun. It’s supposed to be COLD!

it's all good

Yes, I have been AWOL for quite a while. Unfortunaely, with my current schedule, it’s a given that in Spring and Fall there will be a week or so here and there that I will not have time to blog.

But I am back, and full of news. I’ll just fill you in point by point, so excuse the lack of segues.

Major is back! He came back yesterday. He was all big and loud, and has not stopped screaming, “Ladies, ‘Big M’ is back in the house!” Except that there are no ladies in the house. M took Cleo back for some training. I hope she can really work with her and get her to come around, because she is a beautiful mare. So we have two boys here now, which makes things much easier. I brought Tristan (my saddle) inside and polished him and left him there for the summer (I’ve decided that inside is better for the temperature/weather/humidity changes). So he’s all polished and ready to go—it’s suppose to be 80 degrees today and Major and I have a date for a ride!

Things at our farm have been humming along. A week or so ago we had to cut up a tree that had fallen over the fence in the bean field. It was out into the field, so the combine could not get the beans underneath. Not that they were in top shape anyway, as they had not seen the sun in a while, but we needed to get that out of the way and we did. K and F harvested our beans, and took them to the co-op. It’s quite interesting how this will all pan out.

First, K took our beans up to the co-op. They will stay there, in storage, until we decide to sell. However, they charge us storage, to the tune of 17 cents per bushel, per day. B and I have approximately 100 bushels, so it amounts to just over $5.00 per month for grain storage. Today, beans are $5.24 per bushel, so it’s about the same as giving up a bushel of beans each month. A farmer with thousands of bushels there might be okay paying storage, since they could hold out for a better price if need be. I understand that beans were $4.99 last week, and have been up as high as over $6.00 last year. So $5.24 is not the best price, but is actually the best price this year. So we pick up the phone and call the co-op when we want to sell the beans, and they will cut us a check. Our check will be approximately $500, but we have expenses to pay. We have to pay our half of the seed and the spray, which is just over $200. So, on ten acres, we will make a whopping $300.00, or $30.00 per acre, whcn it’s all said and done. And K and F did not charge us anything for diesel fuel (though they should have). Our beans did not do that well, since we put them into hay ground—the first crop is always sparse. I heard that a good average is 60 bushels of beans per acre. So, consider that we made 1/3 of what we could have, that is about $60 per acre profit. So to make a profit of $60,000, one has to farm at least 1,000 acres—and sell beans for over $5.00 a bushel (and consistently get 60 bushels per acre). Of course, it’s a bit like a gamble, as farmers can hold out for as long as they feel comfortable before selling, waiting for the top price on beans. But they are paying storage, so they are incurring costs. And they aren’t seeing any cash come in when they have expenses to pay. Oh, and remember, that the $60,000 is not considering the cost of any machinery replacement or depreciation. We did not pay them for that, but it would be a normal farming expense, I expect. I actually just sold them a few minutes ago for $5.24 a bushel.

L has decided that he wants to try a goat for a 4H project. My independent renaissance man decided that he wanted a dairy goat. We got her last weekend, from a breeder up near Dubuque (over 4 hours away!). We decided on a Sannen, since Ernie is half Saanen, and he is funny and personable. Her name is Cindi, and she is just such a little lady! I will post pictures. She had her ears tattooed when we got her, so I didn’t want to take pictures with green ink all over her ears. It’s worn off now, so I’ll post pictures.

This weekend we went on a hayrack ride with B’s work. It was at a fun park in Des Moines. It was fun, it was supposed to be haunted and scary, and the kids loved it. But it was commercial, and it made me miss our farm. B and MK joked that there should be work involved if one was on the back of a hayrack, rather than sitting around. But there was discussion of liability, and the straw was just there for effect. It was pulled by a tractor (a cool one, though) and I wished they had used horses. However, lest you think it was a bad time, it was really fun. We enjoyed the silliness under a great—and very appropriate—full moon. We then roasted marshmallows for s’mores, and called it a night. It was a great way to spend a Saturday.

Things with Eileen have been good. I have not made progress as fast as I would like to, though she assures me weekly that I am doing well and have come very, very far. It’s just not fast enough for me—Ms. Instant Gratification. However, I have looked closely at peace and contentment—what that means, and what that means for me in my life, as well as how one goes about achieving that. Of course, we’re spending the time determining why I have such a hard time finding that in my life, and that part is not fun. But we’ll get there.

Work is good. Of course, I blogged about the London meeting, and it was hectic. Then I immediately helped the staff of another group (one of my former groups) with their meeting, and got them out the door. Then the following week, I had my meeting in Cedar Rapids. That was this past week, from Tuesday-Friday. It was good—really good. I am really developing a rapport with the group, and I enjoy them. There is a professional trust there, and they respect the work that I do. It is wonderful to be appreciated and respected for your contribution. No thank you is required—it’s my job. But if an issue arises—and it’s a rare meeting that there is no issue that arises—it’s wonderful to be treated with respect and allowed to handle the situation appropriately.

In light of that, and in light of the absence of that in London with that particular client, I spoke to my boss and the company president, and explained to them that I just could not handle the stress anymore. I even told them about Eileen. It was actually quite fortuitous, because after the meeting my boss (an owner of the company) was feeling the stress as well. It’s not important that I go into that here (I am taking a lesson from Dooce), but suffice it to say that we had a long discussion about clients and our well-being and coming into work and what gets one up in the morning, etc. At the end of the day, they decided to fire the client!

When it was all said and done, however, they decided that a better option than firing the client was rearranging staff and accounts here at work. It looks as though I will see some increased responsibility, I will not report to anyone (other than the company president, of course) and I will be rid of the stressful client! I will be busy these next few months with the transition, but I am excited about the new challenges, and I will not be traveling as much. It all sounds really glamorous, I’m sure, when I tell you that I have been to Bermuda, New York, Miami, London, etc., but it is really not. It would be glamorous to vacation there, but this is no vacation. It’s a week in a great place, marked by much stress, lack of sleep, lots of work, sore feet, and being away from my family. So this is an incredible change, and I am really excited about it.

Today is M’s birthday, so I am officially the mom of a teenager. Who knew someone so young could be the mom of a 13 year old? Virtually impossible. And you should also know that now that she is 13, I am incredibly stupid, and will continue to grow stupider until she has her own children. So expect me to fall into a deep decline, culminating in my collapse into a corner, complete with drool and eyes glazed over. I will have no fashion sense, no social awareness, and no academic knowledge whatsoever.

Happy Monday!

a sigh of relief

It seems that the Madison County Lake Commission, or whatever the heck they've coined themselves, has decided on a site that is NOT situated over my house. It is, in fact, nowhere near my house.

Thank GOODNESS!!!

You don't know how much sleep I lost, worrying about that.

Of course, nothing is certain. They have made the recommendation for this site to the US Department of Agriculture's Natural Resource Conservation Service, and that entity will study the location in detail. They expect that it will take the "better part of the next several years." How's that for exact timing!

I'm still guarded, of course, but at least it is not in the forefront of my mind.

“What you do sounds so fun!” (An exact client quote…)

My “so fun” experience in London started on Thursday.

I was busy doing laundry and preparing for my trip—complete with a messy house and scary hair. I planned to work in the barn and shower just before leaving. So when I spoke to a friend I hadn’t heard from in some time, I had a hard time turning her down for lunch (even though she suggested my house). I scrambled around to clean up the sty and shower so she would not be frightened away. Needless to say, by the time I needed to leave, I was frazzled.

I forgot my cell phone, and had to come back to get it.

And the saga begins:

Thursday, 5:45 pm
Arrive at the airport. Realize I forgot my power supply and decide to either use my boss’ or try and find a store in the airport in Chicago that will sell them (I have an iBook, so they are not as easy to find).

6:15 pm
Arrive at the gate, ready to check in. Review some last minute files. Say a prayer of thanks for giving me the sense to wear comfortable clothes.

6:45 pm
Expect to start boarding. Instead, hear an announcement that we will be delayed until 7:30. Begin to get a little nervous about catching my 9:55 flight in Chicago to London.

6:50 pm
Fight the urge to slap the flight attendant when he told me he couldn’t check on my Chicago connection because he was “just a flight attendant.” What, instead of a damn wizard?? Check in the computer, moron!!!

6:51 pm
Resign myself to paying for a wireless internet connection in the airport to visit the American Airlines website so I can check the status of my connecting flight. It is showing an on-time departure.

7;30:00 pm
Board the Tonka-sized aircraft and wedge my butt into the seats.

7:30:30 pm
Wipe sweat from my brow after wedging my butt in and then prepare to wipe tears as the captain announces that we are going to be delayed by at least an hour, but “I am going to ask that you stay on board the aircraft (and they use that term loosely) so, should we get the go ahead to take off, we won’t miss the small window of opportunity."

7:31 pm
I call B and ask him to check the status of my outbound connection at O’Hare. Still on time. The flight attendant comes over and seeing that I am on the phone with B, recommends that I ask B for the American Airlines customer service number to call and book myself on the next flight. I ask B for permission to really take this guy out. B denies me permission citing several FAA regulations and federal laws prohibiting the bitch slapping of flight attendants. I threaten divorce, but still, permission denied. He loves me and wants me to stay out of jail.

8:35 pm
We take off. I begin to pray, as I hate flying.

9:45 pm
We arrive at O’Hare and they tell me my gate is not that far, and I can still make it on time for my 9:55 flight. Of course, they give me no directions, just a gate number. I am torn between getting back on a flight to Des Moines and attempting to sprint to catch my flight out of spite. I choose the latter and set off.

9:55 pm
The time my flight is schedule to leave. I arrive at the gate, to hear my name on a list of passengers who have “2 minutes to board the plane.” I do so, and the door closes behind me. It occurs to me that my shoulder is actually bruised from running with my lead bags.

9:57 pm
I find someone sitting in my seat. She tells me we can sit anywhere, that the plan is virtually empty. I concur, as I look around and consider that I am likely the last one on the plane. I choose a bank of two seats, and hope that I get them all to myself.

9:59 pm
We taxi to the runway, with me snug in my own two seats. I contemplate the fact that they would have had to really hurry to get my bag on the plane…

10:59 pm
We are still on the runway. I KNOW they have had enough time to get my bag on, and I hear them thumping around underneath the plane.

11:15 pm
Takeoff. Once again, I find religion.

12:00 am Friday
I revel in the fact that I have 2 seats, 2 blankets and 2 pillows to myself, place my black satin mask over my eyes, my earplugs in my ears, and I drift off to sleep…

1:15 pm GMT
We land at Heathrow. Miserably late. I have 45 minutes to make it to my pre-conference meeting with the hotel staff and my boss.

2:00 pm
My boss and the hotel staff are beginning the precon. I am standing in line to make a claim for missing luggage.

2:45 pm
I leave for the hotel. I take the Heathrow Express to Paddington Station.

3:00 pm
I arrive at Paddington Station and ask for directions to my hotel. Someone suggests that I take a bus, and hands me a map and tells me where to catch it. I stumble outside, in the rain, to the bus stop and buy a ticket.

3:10 pm
I board the bus and ask the driver if it stops at my hotel. He says I have the bus going in the wrong direction. I leave the bus and step in a huge puddle, soaking my shoe. I see the bus I need speeding down the street away from me. I cross and wait for another bus.

3:20 pm
I board the right bus, and attempt to put my ticket into the appropriate looking slot near the driver. He screams at me, “What are you doing!!??? Just go find a seat!!!” I am humiliated, and I pretend that I don’t speak English. I take my seat with my bags that weigh as much as a small adult (but not my suitcase).

3:40 pm
I realize that you have to push a button when you want the bus to stop. But, since I don’t know where my stop is, and I can’t really see outside of the crowded bus, I decide to get off and walk. In the rain. With a squishy, wet shoe.

3:55 pm
I arrive at the hotel, where they look at me with skeptcism with my wrinkled clothes, smeared makeup, extensive eye-baggage and wet hair (oh, and squishy shoes). Their skepticism is confirmed when I attempt to use an expired credit card to pay for my room. (Why did I keep the expired one even after I put the new one in my wallet? I resolve to shred it when I get home.)

4:00 pm
Go to my room and check email. I see that my boxes have not yet arrived. I call the DHL representative, who tells me that there are taxes that need to be paid. She needs a check. In UK funds only. No dollars. No credit cards. No company checks. In 30 minutes. My boxes—along with my lost suitcase—contain all of the meeting supplies.

4:30 pm
I have convinced the DHL rep to send me the boxes. For an additional $175 “special delivery charge.” They are scheduled to arrive “sometime tonight.”

5:00 pm
American Airlines calls to tell me that my suitcase will be on the 10:30 pm flight and they will have it couriered over immediately. I arrange for a call from the concierge to call me no matter what time the luggage arrives.

5:10 pm
I tell my boss the good news. He’s impressed by my string of luck. He asks if I want to have dinner with him and his family in the hotel restaurant. I politely decline, instead choosing room service to avoid being mistaken for a transient by the looks of my clothes.

5:15 pm
I head out to the London Apple Store to find a power supply. £55 later I am the proud owner of the gadget, however useless it may be to me in my home country.

7:00 pm
The boxes are delivered and I begin stuffing packets and preparing what I can for the meeting.

11:00 pm
I decide to go to bed, and am incredibly thankful that the hotel the group has chosen is posh enough to provide a complimentary terrycloth robe to all guests. I decide that it will make a fine nightshirt. I am sure to turn the A/C waaay up.

12:03 am Saturday
I am startled awake by the concerige who cheerfully chirps that my “case has arrived, Madam.” I utter something incoherent, to which he replies, “Pardon me, Madam, I will ring you back in the morning.” I come to my senses and say, “Wait wait wait wait wait! Bring it up!! Many thanks!!”

12:04 am
The clothes I was wearing are now so nasty that I am practically chasing them around the room to get them on before my bag is delivered. Plus, I am in a jet-lagged stupor. I can’t remember much, I only hope I was decent when I opened the door. I didn’t even tip the guy, I was so out of it.

5:30 am
I wake up refreshed and ready to go (NOT!). I start the day, and it goes quite well, actually.

11:30 pm
Bedtime

5:30 am Sunday
I wake up and go downstairs. The main meeting’s official starting day.

9:30 am
Reviewing the day’s events, I realize that en route, I received an email to confirm dinner plans for that evening. I decide that it’s a good time to review them for any last minute notes, directions to the place, etc. We are going to the London Eye, and having dinner at Chez Gerard afterwards. I have arranged buses for the trip. I notice in the official looking confirmation that they have made a typo on the dinner time, our ride is noted as 6:30 pm (correct) and the dinner is noted at 12:15 pm (very incorrect). I also noticed that our buses need special passes. So I return to my room to call the London Eye to get this straightened out. When I called, the woman was very pleasant, and emailed me the bus passes. However, she said that the time had always been 12:15, and they were expecting 115 people for lunch. WHAT?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? I was physically ill. How could I tell those people that there was no dinner, and that the time had been miskeyed!? I begged her to try and fix it, to call the restaurant, etc. She said she would, and would return my call in 5 minutes. That was the longest 5 minutes of my life. She returned the call, and said she didn’t know anything definite, but it would likely be okay. She had spoken to the chef, and he was awaiting final confirmation from the manager, who was coming in at 10. She would call me. Once again, I found religion.

10:15 am
My contact from the London Eye called me back. She said the manager said it was okay to have 115 for dinner! A wave of relief came over me, and I decided I had better stop crying before returning downstairs to tell my boss. I decided he would probably wonder why I had instantly gone gray and was missing hair, and smelling like vomit, so I thought I should just be upfront. His comment to me? “Good catch.” Yeah, just another good catch. No sweat.

4:30 pm
Panic sets in. What happens if extra people come to the dinner? What happens if the manager is really angry with me? I decide to call him. Peter. Peter the superhero. I thank him profusely, even moreso after I find out that the restaurant normally closes at 5:00 on Sunday, but he will open the restaurant just for my group. I swear to him that I would marry him on the spot if I was not already married. (no, I did NOT really say that, I’m just trying to convey my gratitude) He asks if I will be there, and I tell him that I will indeed, and will be the desperate looking thankful one. (I really DID say that.)

5:30 pm
The buses are late, but finally show up and we are off.

6:30 pm
We are atop the London Eye. My boss is smiling, the attendees are happy. I am guardedly optimistic.

7:15 pm
We enter the Chez Gerard and I kiss Peter (yes, I did, the European kiss-kiss way, you know…). I tell him he is my hero, and that I am forever grateful to him. He tells me it was nothing, but I remind him that he is a young man, and young men are not happy at 10am on a Sunday when they find out that their normally short workday will now be 12 hours long. He acknowledges that he was not pleased when the phone rang, but that he is over it and is happy to help. I make a note to give him a big tip. We eat, and all is well. I drink lots and lots of wine. Our president asks me to call for the buses, and I have to get up and do so. I nearly fall from drunkenness, but decide that I will not make a fool out of myself at this point, since I have avoided doing it so until now. I get it together, and make the call. The driver tells me that it is earlier than he expected, and that he does not know where the other driver is. I decide to have faith, and they return to the restaurant a few minutes late. I can hardly contain my giddiness as we return—it’s almost over!

As we disembark the bus, one attendee thanked me for the arrangements and complimented how smoothly it had gone. If he only knew…

6:15 am, Monday
I wake up and leave for home sweet home! The day and flights were so uneventful that I can’t even find anything funny to say about it. It’s so good to be home.

Oh, I was asked by B to bring him some Cadbury. I brought him 9 pounds of chocolate in the duty free store. He was pleased, as only a chocoholic could be.

Here are some photos. Some are from my hotel window and others are from the London Eye. Click on the photo for a slideshow.

harvest moon

If I never again smell the fragrance of "Leather New" it will be too soon! We polished that harness with Brasso and Leather New between each event, which was a total of 8, including the parades!

We helped out this weekend as grooms for Major at the Harvest Moon Carriage Classic at Living History Farms in Des Moines. It was actually a little disappointing that more folks did not come out, since the days were exceedingly lovely, and the event was really something to see.

The premise of the event, and I'm assuming most American Driving Society Events (though I could be wrong), is to create an appreciation for a lost art. Driving itself is extremely tricky, and while it seems that anyone can grab the reins, cluck to the horse, pull to the left or to the right, scream a gee or a haw, and pull back and yell whoa, that is not the case at all. And of course, like most competitive events, takes the basic task to a whole new level.

The driver must be in period costume, and have a horse that is suitable for him or her, as well as their cart. Harnesses and carts are matched in their hardware-- a brass-trimmed cart will require a harness trimmed in brass (and polished to a brassy shine!). This weekend, the competitions included "turnout", which is a judgement of how put together the ensemble is, how well the horse moves, and how pleasureable he or she appears to drive. Major and M got first place!! Cross-country is an obstacle course created to reflect situations that may appear as you travel through the countryside-- they had some fake geese set out, leaves scattered, a railroad crossing. Major balked at the railroad crossing, and actually came to a screeching halt. Well, he TRIED to come to a halt-- the grass was wet and he fell to his stomach! It could have been a terrible, terrible situation. But he got up and went across, and finished the course. The event was judged on the overall time, with penalties added for refusals or skipped events. He got 4th! Town and Country is another obstacle course setup, but he did not compete in that event. There were two cones courses, where drivers had to weave between sets of cones with tennis balls on them, making sure not to knock the balls off of the cones as they went through. In one set, drivers needed to follow the pre-set course. The second set, they could choose their own route through the cones. The cones seemed to be quite tight, an M and Major knocked two cones off in one of the events. But he must have been fast, as he got fourth again! We did not yet hear how he did in the other course, as that was late this afternoon. Another event he competed in was Working Pleasure, where they had to demonstrate their driving capabilities while executing various gaits and directions. He came in third, which was not as good as we had hoped, but he was being a handfull at that point, so the award was fair. Today was "Designer Reinsmanship" which was an event where the driver needed to demonstrate various levels of skill at gaits and also the ability to drive one-handed. M did well, and they got a 2nd place!

Those six events had to be completed by every driver competing in a division. Major was entered in the Open Horse division, and he competed against all of the other horses in that Open Horse. Major's mom, Topaz, also competed in the very same events, but she was entered in the novice division. There are 5 divisions total. In each division, the show organizer picks the top representative, and asks them to compete in the "Concours d'Elegance." We had practically expected them to ask M and Major, since they got first in turnout and did so well in the other events. However, they did not get asked, and we were sad about that.

If you want to know more about Living History Farms and the Harvest Moon Carriage Classic, click here or here.

I've uploaded a slideshow of the days' events. Click on the photo below to see it! (if you want to know more about the photos, click on the photos in the slideshow when you have finished watching.)

I'm off to 4H and then to BED! We're pooped!

peace

i'm searching for it. it's a crazy week, thanks for coming here and thinking of me. sorry i don't have a good update!

this weekend is major's show. i'll take photos.

blog-o-versary

It’s my blog-o-versary! One year ago I sat down and put pen to paper (figuratively speaking), and began my journal about living at Terre d’Esprit. It has been a fun year—it hardly seems as though it’s been that long! I have made friends, old friends have come out of the woodwork, and I have learned a lot about myself.

I wish I had something witty to say, something pithy and memorable. I just don’t! Work has taken every ounce of energy and creativity from me!

It happens also to be an anniversary of sorts in my life. Today is the anniversary of our first date. And I used all of my creativity on a card and gift for B.

I will close by sharing a funny story:

Up at the stable where Major is being boarded (until October 1, when he comes back here), he is the only stallion. And he’s so nice, so everyone loves him. Well, the woman who cleans stalls took pity on him, that he couldn’t be turned out with the rest of the group, so she turned him out in the indoor arena. M came over, just to see what he was up to, and noticed a longe whip in the middle of the arena. Of course, he immediately went over and picked it up, and started prancing around, taunting her because he knew he shouldn’t have it in his mouth (he loves to chew leather, and is always getting into trouble for it, so he knows he shouldn’t have it). Anyway, as he is prancing around, he inadvertently cracks the whip, which scares him half to death! He drops the whip and runs over to M shaking and acting like a whimpering puppy!!

I miss him terribly!

Photos of today. Harvest time soon.

update

nope, i haven't gotten lost, eaten by a goat or fallen off the face of the earth! i'm still here.

i have been swamped at work. i leave for london on the 22nd and i am getting ready for that. it's crazy busy. then i come back on the tuesday and i prepare for a meeting a week later on the wednesday. then i have yet another meeting on the following wed. i will be a puddle when i am done.

needless to say i have little time for enjoying anything these days. i worked all weekend (though at home, which sometimes can be a curse, given all the loveliness around me that i'd rather be enjoying), and did nothing fun.

my camera is broken, too, which is a shame, because i can't seem to speak when i can't also show you! i have ordered another one, and it should be here this week. this one is much nicer than the old one, so hopefully that will be reflected in my pictures.

hope your weekend was better than mine! here's to a good week.

i'm freaking out!!!!!!!!

a boy just called. at 10:15 pm. for m.

my baby is in 7th grade, and boys are already calling!

i will have to double up on my counseling sessions now.

ugh...

i think i blew it, though. it sounded like a man, so i gave him a hard time. he gave his name (fool) so i googled him and found out that he's in m's grade at her school.

now i'm sick to my stomach.

october 1

He's coming back! He's coming back! October 1, and he'll be back in my barn. : )

M is keeping him a bit longer, so they can compete in the
Harvest Moon Carriage Classic at Living History Farms

Of course, I will be there. He needs his posse to cheer him on! M even said that he wouldn't be the same unless I came to be with him.

This is supposed to be a very important driving show, sanctioned by the American Driving Society.

I can't wait!!

Good Idea!!

Gas Prices Drive Man to Commute by Horse

MINOT, N.D. - Jim Jundt was so determined to rein in his spending on gasoline that he got out of bed early and rode his 14-year-old quarterhorse mare to work.

Jundt lives 15 miles south of Minot and works as a mechanic at Goodyear Tire & Auto Service in the city.

He said he and his co-workers had been talking about rising fuel prices, and he joked that he would ride his horse to work if gasoline ever hit $3 a gallon.

His co-workers laughed, but when the price at the pump soared to $3.20 last week, Jundt headed for the barn.

He said he was only five minutes late riding his mare, Patty, to work.

While he worked, Patty waited patiently, eating hay out of the back of a truck.

I wonder how long it would take for my 35-40 minute commute!

more memories

my baby boy was born in biloxi.

so, so sad.

see the pictures here.

constellation consolation

i had one of those days. the days you don't look forward to having. we went to a new church (the highlight of my day), did a crappy errand, and then i came home and put away six tons of laundry. then i searched for my passport. when I was done, i had found the passport (whew!), and about 3 bushels full of trash to burn (i am a record keeper, but i admit that i was really taking it too far). then i made supper.

then i went to the barn, and said my goodnights. i rescued a toad from a sure fate of being cat food, and he thanked me by peeing on me.

but then, we spent the last half hour outside, hammocking. what an amazing view. have i said that before? we saw a bunch of shooting stars!

it made my day.

Am I Tacky Enough?

I entered a contest for America's tackiest room. Our mudroom is incredibly tacky. It has paneling from floor to ceiling in the entire room. It's a small room, like 10x9. That would be a fine sized room, especially for a mudroom, but when you panel it, it instantly becomes overwhelmed. Its best feature is the lovely period light that is in it. I wish everything else had been so well-preserved!! Of course, there is wallpaper on the ceiling. The vinyl on the floor is somewhat tacky, though with the right decorating, it could stay. It's just not of this era... It also has an archway that was carved out into the kitchen area. Very few men can fit through the archway without minding their heads.

When we moved in, there was paneling on the closet doors in the room! I couldn't stand to look at it, so we took the paneling off. One of the other lovely decorating features of the paneling is that it didn't go all the way to the ceiling, so they put patches on above the paneling. They did try to meet the two pieces of paneling, but sometimes it's skewed. Then they took a piece of trim and covered the seam, to look like some sophisticated picture molding.

What would be ideal for this room is some wainscoting. I would love to tear the paneling down and go for it. I'd also like to have some built in storage, since it IS a mud room. The problem with it now is that the bathroom is off of that room, so everybody has to walk through it to get to the bathroom. There is also an outside door in that room. This house is somewhat convoluted!

Anyway, I entered a contest for the America's Tackiest Room. Looking at some of the entries, I think there are some tackier rooms out there!! However, I do hope my room wins (I should have left the paneling on the doors)! Take a look and tell me what you think. Click here. Our entry is #238. Oh, and bear in mind that some of the judging is on clutter, so I had to leave some in there!

funky girl

I have been so affected by everything lately. I am in a perpetual funk, and I just can’t shake it. I mean, day-to-day I am fine, and probably people at work don’t even realize how sad I am. I am not usually a whiner (though I have plenty of other faults).

This hurricane aftermath is just so devastating for me. I go back and forth between thinking about how folks could possibly think they are “entitled” to big screen TVs and new Nikes, to remembering that I do not walk in their shoes, and I might just do the same if I were facing true desperation. I feel that as fellow children of God, we should help them, no questions asked, yet I ask the questions. I have this verse taped to my refrigerator:

You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, Do not resist one who is evil. But if any one strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if any one would sue you and take your coat, let him have your cloak as well; and if any one forces you to go one mile, go with him two miles. Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you.

I need to live this. They are begging, and I will not refuse.

***********

We have been approached with a business proposition. It could prove to be very lucrative, and help us to reach some of our goals around our property faster. However, as with all propositions, there is a down side, and we need to consider that. It has to do with more animals, which will undoubtedly be more blogging material. Potential good news for you! : )

***********

And then there is the whole matter of the big lake. Well, some decisions were made, and four sites were eliminated. The sites that will affect us were NOT eliminated. Actually, there were three sites (of the original nine) that would possibly impact us, and the one that would have the smallest potential for impact was eliminated. The one that is literally on top of our house is still being considered. We have a 2/5 chance of being underwater.

***********

I leave for my meeting in London in three weeks. I am not looking forward to going, and I hate flying. I leave on a Thursday pm, and I get home Monday pm. So no time to enjoy. I hope to see my friend Tracey while I am there. A lot of work between now and then…

I must unearth my passport this weekend. I have no idea where it is!

*********

Maybe I’ll find something to cheer me up this long weekend! The weather here is supposed to be gorgeous. I owe myself a nap in the hammock with a handsome guy. I have a couple of them around here to choose from.

memories

We lived in Biloxi from May 27, 1995 to April 30, 1996.

We lived at 6416 B Street, in a little duplex. I hated that house. It had rats. It was a nice house, to begin with, but the Air Force decided that it would be better if they added onto it and made it a 3-bedroom house. So it had a somewhat convoluted floorplan. And it was probably built in the 1940's, it had no character. But it was home. And it did have the most amazing tree in the backyard. I hated the house so much, and blocked out most of the good things in my life at that time, I don't even remember what type of tree it was.

I will tell you, without hesitation, that I hate Biloxi. The memories are not pleasant, it was not a good time in my life.

However, as I see the devastation, I am saddened. And I start to remember some of the good things there. Well, the things that were there.

B's parents came to visit, and they stayed at a bed and breakfast. I think it was the Father Ryan House. His mom emailed me today, and said she thought it was probably destroyed. I can't find news on it, but I would have to concur. Nothing on Beach Boulevard seems to remain.

Beauvoir, the Jefferson Davis home, was destroyed. We visited, and it was an interesting period home, with very historic ties to Biloxi.

We shopped at Edgewater Mall, now gone.

We drove by the casinos (though we never went inside) knowing that so many residents depended on them for income. So many of the spouses of military folks depended on them. They are smashed, sunk, beached, gutted, and otherwise destroyed.

I never liked the beach. The sand was coarse, and was always full of broken glass. M and I would walk there when we lived in our apartment (before the house I hated) and spend our days in the sun, dodging broken glass. But, it was an amazing view, and so refreshing.

I imagine its glory is gone today.

I remember these ritzy apartments. After visiting Miami, I know now that they were very Miami-esque, flamingos and all. Art deco, over the top. They are gone.

We went to Alabama now and again, and as you cross over the Pascagoula bridge, there is a giant Ingalls shipyard. They built aircraft carriers. Adjacent is the NAS Pascagoula. I wonder how they are.

The devastation and destruction are bad enough. You would have thought they were as bad as it gets. However, looking at that looting and stealing and disregard for fellow humankind is even more tragic. Who are these people? Are they moms and dads? Neighbors? Religious folks? Professionals? Are they like you and me?

In 1993 Iowa suffered from some devastating floods. Des Moines was without water for weeks. Businesses were destroyed, lives changed. They still talk about the floods, and they are certainly talking now. Today I heard a recount of how there was concern for price gouging. Water was an especially hot commodity, since it all had to be bought. They were quite pleased when they found you could buy water cheaper in Des Moines than in Minneapolis at the time. There are myriad stories about the city being built up during that time, rather than stories about suffering. People came together, and the entire experience is part of the fabric that is the citizens of Iowa. No, it was not shangri-la. Yes, there was suffering. However, I know in my heart of hearts that it was not to this degree. Not because there was less water, but because there was more compassion.

I am glad to be here. I draw the "Iowa Fabric" a little tighter around my shoulders and thank God that I live in a state of communities and neighbors (even pain-in-the-butt neighbors). What has happened on the Gulf Coast is tragic for me on so many levels.

Today also marks the 8th anniversary of Princess Diana's death. It was sad for us-- we were living in England at the time. We had come back to the US for vacation and were staying at B's parents' house when we heard about it. It was our last night in the US, and we were to head back to England in the morning. Of course, she died in the night, and the early morning flight that we took was crowded with reporters. It was a sad thing to come back home to when we returned...

A day of sad memories.

Just Us.

I was inspired to put some of my photos to a slide show this weekend. Click here to download and view it. You'll need Quicktime, and it's a large file.

What do you think?

advice from the dumbass gardener

Well, I planted THREE tomato plants this year. In my back flowerbed. They have taken over. Think beanstalk. I seriously am afraid they might come in the house at night to choke me.



They would have reason to choke me, because I had the lack of sense to plant them so only one side was easily accessed. I have tomatoes out my ears, and I have to practically climb into the flowerbed to harvest them.

They are taking over-- they have smashed down their tomato cages and have choked out the flowers in that flowerbed (I have some mums that I had hoped to enjoy when the tomatoes were done producing and finally cut back).

I am going to work on my garden this fall-- I will try "lasagna gardening." Wish me luck.

In the meantime, check out the haul we got today from these three tomato-stalks:



Tomorrow we will attend a party. I'm bringing bruschetta(of course, we add mozzarella cheese to ours)!

Happy Saturday.

you are totally not going to believe this

So today the kids and I leave about 4:30 to go to the feed store. Ernie and Bert want some chow.

As we leave, we drive past Bubba's house, and we see "Annie" (his 11-year-old stepdaughter) riding a pony in their front yard. Now, this is not a huge surprise, since Annie has told us she wanted a pony since she moved in. Her landlord keeps horses and a pony at the farm, though I don't know if the pony is hers or the landlord's-- and I don't care. I wave back to her and I drive past.

So we are driving home, and as I am nearing my house, I see something ahead in the road. It's Annie and the pony, walking away from my house, back toward her house. She is walking it like a dog. Of course, when we pull into the driveway, she turns around and starts back to our house.

Immediately, I am shouting at my kids, "She can't bring that pony here! I have no idea if it has had its shots, it will spook our horses (and all kinds of other irrational reasons)! They are agreeing with me, and shocked that she would be so unsafe.

I go in the house, because somehow, they have a much more diplomatic way of handling it than I do. It seems easier for her to take, "friend-to-friend" rather than coming from me. Or, at least, I told her not to let the dogs come over, and they ignored me. When L told her he was going to shoot her dogs, they mysteriously stopped coming over (most of the time).

I watch them outside the window at the end of the driveway. She is smacking the pony and jerking his halter around, and he is actually being so good just standing there. Major would never be so low maintenance! She grabs his hoof and tells him to "lift" and stands in front of him to pick it up. She leads on the right side, she wrapped the lead rope around her waist (I'm cringing at the thought). I realize now how much my kids know and how safe they act out of habit. They both said something to her about riding without a helmet, which also seemed to me especially dangerous, given the fact that she was RIDING WITH NO SADDLE OR BRIDLE, WEARING TENNIS SHOES, ON A GRAVEL ROAD!!!! What smart kids I have!!

What was the clincher, though, was that when I came into the house, I realized that there was a giant puddle of horse piss right outside of my back door. Yes, she came over, pony in hand, stood at the back door with him, knocking for the kids, and he lets loose on my back step.

The entire back porch smells like urine. It's gross. I love horses, and to me they don't smell too badly. However, there is a reason that we use fragrant and absorbent pine shavings in the stalls.

She finally took him home, after I came out and told her she couldn't bring him here. I was left standing on my porch, scratching my head, wondering how much it would cost to put up a fence with a gate across my driveway.

maybe the news isn't so bad...

Well, the other day when I was freaking out about the sky falling, I told you of my propensity toward knee-jerk reactions.

Don't get me wrong, 9 potential sites or not, when they tell you there's a chance that the paradise at which you live has a 1/9 (or in my case 3/9) chance of being underwater, you should probably sit up and take notice.

So today I checked latest news (abbreviated and edited for some semblance of privacy) with credit to the local paper:

"Should conventional wisdom prevail, it appears that at least five of the potential sites for a new Madison County lake could be ruled out.

Five of the proposed sites are located in row-crop rich Madison County.

Five of the sites in northern Madison County are located on either the XXX River or the XXX River.

Site A: 2,050-acre lake

In xxx Township on the XXX River could provide a lake of about 2,085 acres. The drawback, as mentioned above, is that there are substantial row-crops planted in the area. That would require probable secondary and tertiary impoundments and buffer strips for the water to filter through before it runs into the main lake. (The soybeans are staying!!)

The percent of row-crop as it compares to percent of permanent pasture in the watershed will definitely be one of the factors which weigh heavy in any decision about a new lake.

(A popular nature attraction) is adjacent to the site and there is also a nearby quarry. The proximity to the quarry could create a barrier in that water could potentially leak out of a lake. An estimated 20 homes would have to be re-located.

Yes, yes, a BAD, BAD choice!!

Site B: 1,825-acre lake

Again, there is highly productive farm ground around the potential watershed. There are also an estimated 20 homes which would have to be relocated. An active quarry in the watershed is also seen as an expense which could make that site less favorable than others.

Yes, a TERRIBLE choice!!!

Site C: 1,035-acre lake

This proposed watershed contains some of the best and highest-priced farm ground in the county. There also would be about 18 homes to re-locate.

Awful decision! Don't do it!

With those five sites taken out of the equation — at least for now — it leaves four potential lake site.

There is one potential site which appears to hold the most promise as officials prepare to continue to examine all the sites.

That’s a site which is east of Winterset and north of Patterson (only one home would have to be relocated).

Good, good choice! Excellent! Brilliant!!

As the lake selection process continues, more detailed information about each of the sites will become available."

Let's hope conventional wisdom prevails.

poop

Warning! Potentially Too Much Information!! Not for the weak-stomached, or the humor impaired!!

Guess:

A) I had a shitty day.

B) My day was in the toilet.

C) Shit happens.

D) All of the above.

The correct answer is D. Yep, today was dedicated to poop.

You know, they say that farming is “animal husbandry.” I was thinking that term was somewhat creepy, and was steering clear of referring to myself as any type of animal “spouse.” Sheesh, that’s how rumors start. And you know there are always jokes about country folk and the sheep.

But after today, I realize where it comes from, and it’s entirely accurate. As a caretaker of livestock, farmer, herdswoman, whatever, you do things for your animals that you would only do for your spouse and your children. Seriously! Not only do you love them (watch it, you KNOW what I mean when I say love) but you care for them as though they are members of your family.

I came into the barn yesterday after the fair, and it looked as though the Boer Boys gang had tagged my barn. Graffiti everywhere. Not the usual kind of spray paint graffiti, but the spray poop kind. Ernie has developed projectile poop, and he had marked his gang sign all over the barn with his new artistic medium. He is not feeling well. Well, I take that back, he seems to be feeling fine but he is having some serious digestive issues. I have given him some medicine, and am hoping that he will improve tomorrow. I hope to come into the barn tomorrow and find it as clean as I left it, with no evidence of Boer Boys tagging.

He had poop all over his backside. It looked like he sat down like a dog in a mud puddle. B and I gave him a bath today, and he was actually fine with it. We didn’t expect that, since goats typically dislike water and rain. But he was good, and true to his personality, he liked the attention.

Of course, after I was done, I put him back in the paddock, where he proceeded to projectile poop all over himself and his clean butt again.

Just like children. I’m telling you…

The fly situation is not good. I am going to have to bring in the bug guns, I am afraid. I am investigating options for a barn fogger. I can’t stand to see the animals suffer with flies all over them, poor things. The horses are wearing their fly masks inside to keep them off their eyes.

And so I dedicate my mornings – and this morning was no exception—to ridding the barn of all poop. As I was doing that, I found a toad in the poop. That is really the answer to the fly issue, we need a plague of frogs to clean up all these pests.

I then carted the manure out to the pile, where I proceeded to lose a shoe in the poop. So, there I am, barefoot on the manure pile.

Like I said, the day went to crap.

Iowa State Fair

Yesterday we went to the fair for the last time. I don't think my feet can take it another day!

The livestock are rotated in and out, so if you go early in the fair, you may see one type of animal, and then if you go back another day, you will see different animals. There are horses at the fair the entire time, but early in the week there are 4H horses, later it's open show horses, and finally, draft horses.

So yesterday we went to see the llamas and the meat goats. And the draft horses, my favorite. We talked to a lot of people, and even went into the stall with "Big John" a huge Belgian. His back was higher than B's head (B is 6' tall). I would give my right arm to have a Clydesdale, and we also saw plenty of them.

Speaking of Clydesdales, they won the 6 horse hitch class! If you have never seen a driving class, you have got to see one. Let me tell you, they were turning people away at the Pioneer Livestock Pavilion, because horse people and non-horse people love to watch this show (more on that later). The pavilion can seat 2000!

Like most of the horse shows, the draft show involved the horse(s) making several passes around the arena at various gaits (trot and walk, in this case), reversing, and then parking in the center, and backing up. All of the entries were stunning, but imagine the impact of the 7 6-horse hitches! There is not enough room in the arena to have them inside all at once, so they break the class into sections. They have them do their thing, and then park them in the middle, but at judging time they park them all in the middle. There were 35 draft horses and their wagons in the arena at once!

I am definitely a novice at driving, but I have done it enough to know that it is not as easy as it looks! And to see those big, gentle giants roaring around was just amazing! We enjoyed every minute of it (the show was 5 hours long!), and can't wait for next year.

I mentioned that there were non-horse folks in attendance. I am glad that the sport is popular with many different people, but I had to shake my head when the first team roared around and the lady behind me remarked how they "stank." Okay, let me just tell you a couple of things:

1) They did not stink. It was the smell of leather cleaner and silver polish from the harnesses. Those horses were polished up and shined slicker than a kid on Sunday morning for church! We did it with Major on Wednesday, they did the same thing with their horses yesterday.

2) You are at a livestock show. If they did, in fact, stink, wouldn't that be acceptable?

3) THEY DID NOT STINK!

Here are some pictures I took. Click on the picture to view a slideshow. Also, forgive me for the quality, I took them with my cell phone camera.

bubba's bad day

We came home last night to find flashing police lights on our road! That is unheard of-- we don't even usually encounter lights from another car, let alone see flashing police lights! It was obviously an accident.

We thought maybe the road was blocked, but come to find out, it was just all of the neighbors coming by to help. Turns out, Bubba had come around the corner, and one way or another, flipped his company truck into the ditch and on its roof.

I rolled down the window and talked to the policeman to be sure we could get through. I asked if everyone was okay (at that point I didn't know it was a 1-car accident, and I didn't realize it was Bubba's truck), and he said that the driver only had a cut on his arm. He said, "He says he seen a deer." I told him I had seen deer there, too, and he just smiled at me and said, "Oh, I know they're around."

Then again, if I flipped my company truck off of a gravel road down the side of an embankment and onto its roof, I might have seen a deer, too.

Poor Bubba.

how can you not love him?

The Decorated Officer

more on the show

photos from yesterday (click on the photo for a slide show of the day's pictures):



I have to tell you, Major was a shoe-in to win yesterday because he had a huge cheering section! Thanks everyone for coming out. : ) I know that he appreciates it, and it meant a lot to us. It may sound silly, but 18 months ago we did a crazy thing. So much has changed since then, and you are all still our friends and supportive of us. It means so much. : )

And B and the kids were so supportive of me as I was Major's slave for the day (like I am not a slave to him every OTHER day!). They came and went, brought me ice cream and drinks, watched all of the events and took pictures. They helped out in the crunch time and didn't even crab back when I was crabby to them. I love them so much. : )

Now, the stress is over, and on to even more fun! We are taking a couple of days to let our feet heal (I have blisters on my blisters) and going back over the weekend. The draft horse show is on Saturday and the llamas and meat goats are on Sunday!

Tuesday is the first day of school, and then back to reality...

Happy Thursday! Woo hoo, the week's almost over.

The Big Day

Well, it's late, and I'm blogging from bed, I'm that tired. But I have been waiting for this day for so long, I wanted to tell you all about it!

I liken horse shows to beauty pageants! They are the same thing, the same mentality. I was a competitive baton twirler, and also did a few pageants, so I know the scene. The mom that lives vicariously through her child, carting around a case full of Aqua Net, white shoe polish, rosin, and more beauty utensils than a full-service salon.

And so it is with horse shows. Some people pull out all the stops and have the monogrammed curtains to put over their horses' stalls, the fancy business cards, the "offices" set up in spare stalls. I noticed that the miniature horse farms tended to put a lot of emphasis on having all of the "goodies." One was vacuuming off their horse, they all had trendy stretchy blankets on with strange patterns (fire and leopard prints, etc.). I half expected them to emerge from the "office" with a 2" diameter curling iron, a can of aqua net and some mascara!

So this was somewhat of a blast from the past for me. I arrived at 8:30 am and immediatly began cleaning Major's harness. We polished brass and cleaned the leather. I then blackened his hooves and groomed him. There were three of us helping all day, with other volunteers coming and going. We put on the harness and cleaned the gig (horse cart). Before we knew it, it was 1:30 and time to start the competition!

The first competition was a driving class, where M had to drive in between cones. The cones had tennis balls on them, and the object was to drive through them with the fastest time without knocking off any of the balls. They came in 2nd with the 2nd fastest time.

The next driving class was all about Major. He was a dream! I promised that if he won, I would buy him a bag of cotton candy. And he did!! He came in first place, and he was clearly the crowd favorite, so it was great to see him succeed. Watching him do his victory pass was amazing-- he knew he had won that competition!!

He got the cotton candy.

The next classes were later in the day, and she rode another horse for one class. The horse was continually spooking during the warmup, and ended up breaking his bridle so that we had to find some electrical tape to get through the show (a McGuyver fix also reminscent of my baton twirling days!)! He came in 4th, which was not entirely unexpected, and also celebrated. He could have done a lot worse.

Then, she rode Major again in western pleasure. Unfortunately, his bridle didn't fit properly, and his tongue kept going over the bit. It's not supposed to be held under the tongue!! He was sticking out his tongue and pulling crazily. He also came in 4th. We were disappointed that he did not perform better, but were happy with the 4th place because there were more in the class than 4.

I will post pictures tomorrow.

That is all the news for now. Night!

Morning

This morning I got up at the same time, even though I don't have to work. I'm going to the fair early to help M polish Major's harness (lots of brass pieces).

I do have a little extra time, so I took it slow when doing my chores. I love that, because I have more time to stop and smell the roses, so to speak.

Today Mark had caught a mouse for her kittens, well, the older ones. The younger one is about 4 weeks younger than "her" kittens (the little one she stole from her mom, remember?) and not yet ready for mousing. The little girl kitten was ruthless! She dragged that carcass around like it was first prize! She attacked it, rolled it, shook it, basically killed it all over again. : ) The little boy was a little less savage, as he was busy killing crickets, hopping around just like them!

After they ate the mouse, Mark busied herself with bathing (of course), while the littlest kitten nursed. She was the picture of motherhood as I noticed her, eyes-closed, nursing her kitten while the boy kitten attacked her tail mercilessly. She's got it handled.

What a good mommy! Mousers-in-training.

Fair Photo of the Day

Click here for a slideshow!

The Sky is Falling!

I am not known for my calm, rational demeanor.

I am known for my knee-jerk reactions. And, I have, on occasion, been known to have to apologize for these knee-jerk reactions.

So, maybe this is just another of these sorts of things. And I should just chill out and let the chips fall where they may.

What is my cause for freaking out, you ask?

Oh, just that the county plans to build a 1,000+ ACRE LAKE, AND OUR HOUSE MAY BE UNDER IT!

Yes, take a look at this article. (Sorry, it's a PDF that you have to download-- I couldn't link to it online.) Two, if not three, of those proposed sites (I can't tell you which ones, or some crazies might be knocking on my door) would put us completely under water. The third one might just preclude us from living here, but would not necessarily involve being underwater. Because it is for drinking water, there will be certain restrictions on the distance from the lake that houses will be permitted, so it's likely that we would just have to MOVE.

I spoke to our neighbor K today, and he is in his 50's, so 12-15 years from now he will be selling anyway. Our other neighbor K, whose land will also potentially be underwater, is 84, so I don't think he is as concerned either.

Out of nine sites, three affect us. Those aren't the best odds...

Yes, I know it will be 12-15 years away, but they will likely start on this project a smidge before then.

Just call me Chicken Little. At least until I calm down and find some rationale.

In other news, we will likely be getting a tractor in the next few weeks. We have one picked out, but will be inquiring with other dealers at the fair.

And yes, the Fair is on! We have not yet gone, as my dad is here visiting (and we've been busy with other things-- see below). I visited Major today, again, and brought him some treats. M is worried that he will not do so well at the fair, but I am confident that he will shine when it really counts.

B and my dad fixed our truck today! They put a new clutch in it. No small feat, especially for B. We don't have all the required tools, either, so it's a "pay as you go" thing... ; ) B took it for a test drive tonight, and it's just about ready for business. Just needs a few adjustments.

Happy Monday! I'm back to work tomorrow for 1/2 day, then Wed off for Major's big day!

today

(click on ernie for a slide show)

what's new?

You're probably wondering what's new around here. Well, not much, and that's a good thing!

My dad is visiting this week, so I expect to have a lot of fun. We're also going away for the weekend next weekend with him, and we plan to have a great time.

In anticipation of his visit (and those kind people coming to care for the animals in our absence) I have been cleaning and streamlining things around here. B bought some metal bins for the goat feed and we cleaned up all of the hay that Pecos tossed around the barn.

The kittens are just adorable. They stalk the bits of hay and the crickets, and battle each other in fun. I could sit there and watch them for hours!

We have had to goat proof another gate, Ernie and Bert were browsing peacefully in the pasture on Friday, and B remarked how we had successfully goat proofed it. Yeah, right. That was his mistake right there! Not five minutes later, Ernie had escaped out from under the gate. So I put some fence panel up over the gate. I let them out today, and it seemed to work. I snuck back into the barn to do the horses' stalls, and I was busy working and noticed them in the barn. They had crawled under the gate that goes over the barn door during the day! They are like little houdinis! So it's back to the drawing board...

B was in an accident today! He and L are lucky to have escaped unhurt! They had come from Menards with a load of stuff off of "the list" (doesn't everyone have that list that they are always adding to?). He had my car, an SUV, and the right front tire became flat. He didn't know it at the time, but the tire pulled him over in the gravel at the side of the road. He corrected his steering, and when he did, the car was launched into a violent spin. It spun into the oncoming lane (there were no cars on this usually busy road, thank goodness), and a complete 360 degree turn around, and stopped about 4 feet from a road sign. The tire was torn from the rim, but that was the only damage (oh, and my iPod's FM cable was destroyed, as it became wrapped around the steering wheel!). L was reading his Harry Potter book, and barely noticed what was going on (thank goodness!). B was able to pull the car out of the ditch and onto the side of the road. He was only a few miles from the house, and I came to help him and just be with him. It was very, very scary. His guardian angels are weary today...

Hope you're enjoying the weekend...

what's for dinner?

Marinated Grilled Shrimp
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup olive oil
1/4 cup tomato sauce (I didn't have this the first time, so I used ketchup-- now I always use ketchup!)
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil (I've used dried, it's fine)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 pounds fresh shrimp, peeled and deveined
skewers

Mix up the marinade, let the shrimp sit in it for a couple of hours, then skewer it and put it on the grill. YUMM! We eat it with grilled corn on the cob.

B's bringing home the corn, hopefully from that roadside stand...

I can taste it now. You coming for dinner?