Last Chance Before September is Here

I keep telling myself that I am going to get back to writing but it just doesn't happen.  It is funny, I read my friend Karen's blog about taking a vacation for a day from what you do, not where you are and I had the same feeling the same day.   This is when I believe in astrology and misaligned stars.

It is nice when you can just allow yourself to do nothing and not feel guilty, a rare occurrence.  What was even stranger was that I ended up accomplishing a lot that day before it was over.  I guess I just needed to know I could take the time off.

So what have I been up to here?  I have been making a table and couch for the tiny house.  The other day I bought a $5 chair for $4 at the Habitat Store, for parts.  Today I took it apart and figured out how I want to use it to put the couch together.  Now, I just have to buy a few extra parts and put it all together.  I think I will run it by Lyndy first, this weekend.

I have been practicing drawing eclipses as my drawing course gets more difficult.  I can't wait till we get more to nature stuff instead of all the still life drawing.  I have been weaving a birdhouse.  I did a dye pot with some tansy Elizabeth gave me but I am not sure I like the color.  I dredged the puddle pond again and put the sludge on one of the hugels.

I trimmed eight hooves but that didn't go so well.  I have decided it is time to elicit some help from a strong young man I know.

Then there is the regular stuff.  The weather has been hot so not too much fiber work, besides the little weaving.

It doesn't seem like that is enough but oh well.  I am sure September will be more productive and there will be lots to write about.  I started writing this blog to keep track of what is happening on the farm and sometime there just isn't that much going on.

For Katie

A friend of mine died unexpectedly, on Wednesday.  She was a walking buddy.  I know I have mentioned her before.  She is the one who was the mushroom expert and the one who has published several books, some on wild edibles.  She was going to come over and remind me of the wild plants on my property that I should be enjoying but alas she won't be able to now.

Katie has lived in Lexington most of her life and knew everyone.  But she didn't treat you any differently, if you just moved to the area.  She liked most people except a few that she would talk about on our walks.  It seemed to always be around food that she didn't like them, hum.

She walked more days than I did, unless she was traveling somewhere, which she did every chance she got.  She went to Mexico every winter for a few weeks and just recently returned from Belize.  She enjoyed every place she visited, and I especially enjoyed our walks when she would return from wherever.  I wonder if her husband will travel now?

Katie could spot an edible mushroom a hundred feet away up  a steep bank and she would climb up after them.  She picked wild mustard on our walks and would invite us all over, after the walk, to eat them steamed with butter and lemon.

Katie volunteered with Hospice and the Habitat Store and probably in other places I did't know about.

Katie had been in so much pain lately due to some misaligned discs in her back.  Her back pain had flared up several times in the time I have known her but she walked through it whenever she could.   She had become so discouraged lately because she couldn't enjoy life without moving and doing.

When Beverly moved, there were 5 of us walking, now with Katie gone, we are down to 4.  Another hole.

Anytime a life ends, there is a hole, because only that life did some things.  The rest of us try to make that hole a little smaller, anyway we can.  It is too early for me to know what I should take on for Katie.  I do know that I will try to walk more often.

Katie will be missed immensely.  We all Loved her, her stories and her humor, and her perseverance.

A Two Event Day

It has been a busy week and today we finished off the week with 2 events.

The little church, that I have talked about before, which is down the road, had their annual reunion today.  John and I were invited because we replaced the shutters this year.

Our road is named  after this church; Cedar Hill Church.  It is a tiny church but today it was filled with about 30 descendants of the people who began the church in the 1874.  The church was also a school at that time for black children since they could not go to school with white children.

In 1927 the people began to move to Lexington and the church was closed.  It was closed until 1965 when a few of the descendants  made some repairs to the church and started having reunions.  Fifty years later, they are still having reunions in August and making sure the church is taken care of.  Everyone was so appreciative of John replacing the shutters.  The previous shutters had been on since 1965.

 I wonder if any of the past residents of the Cabin at Cabin Spring  Farm, went to that sweet little Baptist church.  

After the picnic and service ( a very fun one) we had to get over to the Palmer Ice Cream Social to scoop ice cream.  I have scooped ice cream the past 3 years and consider this one of my community responsibilities.  I should put this on my resumé.  The Palmer Community Center was once a school for the white students. Two historic schools in one day, hadn't thought of that.

A day of Great Food, Great Music, and Great Fellowship.

Charlotte was taking it easy today because she somehow injured her left front leg.  I gave her some arnica and she seemed a little better this evening.  I should have brought her some ice cream.

It is raining and this should make tonight and tomorrow cooler.  I know we will all appreciate that.

Finding an Easier Way

Trying to find an easier way to get pictures to the blog-- this may work.








A series of early morning pictures taken the other day.  I love zinnias.  I also love the leaf of the fig tree.  This is probably the most protected spot on the property.  Maybe we will have figs in a few years.




We ate one peach off the peach tree this year.  The frost got most of the blossoms  and then, of course a few dropped off and were eaten by some lucky animals.  We had ours with some vanilla ice cream.



The goslings have almost made it through that awkward feather/ fluff stage.  Prince likes to follow Cirrus around and act like dad.  John probably likes having another male on the farm (they are way out numbered) but Cirrus has been going after John a little since he is not the main feeder anymore, and Prince is starting to follow suit.











The sheep have been checking out the new fawn that seems like it is all alone.






Still HOT but we are managing.  Good weather to sit in an air conditioned house and figure out an easier way to get photos to the blog. Hum-- I guess another hot day will be devoted to the task but maybe Lyndy will have insight into this.  Here are a couple of recent pictures of her tiny house.

 The blue tape is where kitchen shelves will be.

The floor is done and the electric is all hooked up.  Now there is a working fan and even an air conditioner.



Getting closer to moving time.

Summer Time and the Living is Not So Easy

So just when I was feeling guilty about not writing a blog recently, I went to my blog list and mine was the latest on the list. I guess it is just too hot to think.

It has been an interesting summer.  It seemed sort of typical and then it got hot and humid.  It gets hot here but not for so many days in a row and not SO humid.  The sheep look at me like, when is it going to cool off ? and I just say, "O.K. , I will leave the fan on."

 We are going to have a huge electric bill.  First of all, we have had the air conditioner on most of the day for the last week and a half instead of just a couple of hours.  Then there is the comfort of the sheep to consider.  And the last 3 nights we have had a young newly wed couple spending their honeymoon in the cabin with two  air conditioners going day and night, I think.  ka ching, ka ching. With all of our   comfort features in place we have been comfortable but what about the living creatures that don't have that luxury.  I guess the animals know what to do, if they have the comforts they need available to them.

  I have some friends that do not have air conditioning in their homes.  Maybe they are riding around in their cars or maybe just sitting in front of a fan like the sheep do, sometimes.  We are headed to a wedding, soon, in a place warmer than here.  I think we will be in air-conditioning most of the time but we will still feel the effects, I'm sure.

At least we have been having scattered showers.  Sometimes that cools things off for a short period but then it gets steamy.

I think feathers is the answer.  The geese don't seem to notice the heat and the chickens roll in the hot dust.  I have been trying to get some things done and trying to sweat off some pounds but I have not been very successful on either count.

Occasionally, I can talk myself in to doing more than just barnyard chores in the early hours.  I took a bunch of pictures the other morning and they make things look like everything is lovely.  Well it is lovely-- just hot.  I must try to go through all of those pictures and post a few and remember how it felt, that morning, when the living was easy.