Just Kidding! No.. REALLY!

Last week our grain order was delivered.. and the wife of the fellow who would be bringing it texted me minutes before… Will is on his way – and he’s got a little surprise for you in the truck.

Surprise? What the ** could that be?

Well, lo and behold… … it was a kid.

That kind of kid. With a wee little cast on her wee little leg. She’d been squeezed a bit too tight by a kid of the human variety and sustained an injury that requires a cast. “Star” is being bottle fed while she heals… and then… have you figured it out already? I opened my big mouth and said – we’ll give her a home when she’s ready.

Then I said to myself, I said… Self? You ought go run that by the husband because he’ll tan yer’hide when he finds out you’re taking on more critters and you didn’t even consult. He is the payer of the big bills and the builder of the outbuildings, after all, and currently there is no goat house at this old house.

So I asked Will to excuse me for just a few minutes, and the wee bairn and I walked down to the house where the Mr. was sitting at his desk pondering bills. Oh, crap. Not the best moment to pounce this on him. However, upon first glance of the wee bairn in my arms with it’s cast and faux fleece jacket, he scratched her little chin and petted the star on her head and I said with the tiniest pleading voice….. can we keep her?

Right then I swear I expected the skies to open and the universe to fall to earth with the fury of fire and brimstone because that’s how it usually goes when I seek to add to the critters living among us and God help me I’ve done it a million times.

Instead… …you could have heard a pin drop, or my jaw hitting the floor, which is close to what actually happened.. when the Mr. said… “I wondered why you haven’t had goats here, I don’t mind”.

WHAT? What the everloving what?…. What did he do recently that he’s trying to make up for, that’s the burning question here.

But I think I don’t even care, because Star and a buddy not yet chosen or named will come to live on the farm as soon as they are old enough and her wee little leg has healed. We’ve got some work to do, will need a goat house of some sort and a sturdy, protecting fence. Stay tuned!

Have you noticed that little bit of scottish brogue I’ve inflicted in the words above? Have any of you been a fan of OUTLANDER? Oh, my Good Lord, how did I miss this all the way till Season 5 is out? I am madly in love with Jamie the Red, the love story that is Jamie and Claire, the mystery, the magical, the incredible countryside that is the Scottish Highlands, life in the 1700’s …I’m totally smitten, can you tell? The thing that has finally gotten me stay on the eliptical for 45 minutes is having Outlander on the screen in front of me. Friends have told me they have trouble with the accents so they use the closed caption to understand it all, LOL… that’s my method of watching anyway, but the accent is inflicted in the closed caption wording and I’m loving that, too. If you just crawled out from under a rock like apparently ME, watch a few episodes and see if you get hooked too. I understand the books are very good, of which this series originates, but.. the eye candy is the all important icing on the cake for this girl. Plaid has never looked so good.

Santa Pants

We get up pretty early around here, before the sun for sure. It’s just what we’ve always done, have not ever used an alarm clock because neither of us needs it. Now I’m not bragging here, let me be clear. I wish we got more sleep. We just… don’t. When I rise in the morning, first stop is the bathroom, then the dogs need to go out. They’re let back in and fed, coffee made, e-mail checked, news skimmed, then breakfast for the Mr. and I.

Then my daily commute commences – and often that means leaving the house in my pajamas. Today it was Santa pants and Snow boots, even though this is the mildest winter we’ve had in a long time with no snow to be seen for miles and miles.

My first stop is the chicken coop across the yard… where the girls are let out into their newly raked run, the water is changed, their feed tub filled. Treats like sunflower seeds, parsley and yogurt are dispersed and if it’s their lucky day, if the sun is out and the predators (hawks, coyotes, fox) not evident at the moment, they’re let out for a little while to free range while I’m up at the barn. Today was that kind of day.

While they’re scratching around in the mulch at the side of the garage just to piss the Mr. off, I head up to the barn to begin chores there – I’m greeted every morning by the nicker of all four horses. With all of them in the geriatric stretch of life, I’m grateful for all four of those nickers.

First they are given their grain – the big boys eat in their stalls, the littles are walked out to their day paddock and are given their grain and hay out there, unless it’s a bad weather day. In that case they’re fed in their stall. Every day the weather determines how the routine will play out.

Meds are administered to my two boys – Coady (red mini) has Cushings Disease and gets a pill for that, and Max gets eye drops to help ease the glaucoma that has developed in his left eye.

Once the big boys, Max 1 and Max 2 are finished eating their grain, they’re let out for the day into the fields. The littles would become obese if they had access to all that grass, so they have to settle for less.

Stalls are mucked next, and my trusty old gator is my best friend for that chore. After mucking stalls, refreshing bedding, cleaning water buckets and filling with fresh water, blowing out the tack room and rubber brick aisle with a leaf blower – I drive the gator to the back of the farm and dump it in the manure pile that slowly turns to fertilizer.

Once the animals are set for the day, in warmer weather months I head to the gardens to see what’s ready to pick, what needs tending, watering, etc. This year we’ve planted more blueberry and raspberry bushes in the apple/pear/peach orchard and we plan to apply some tips we learned from another farmer in Vermont – netting and “Protecting the Bloom”. More on that another day.

This photo is taken from one of the hayfields.. facing the houses and the road beyond them. The horse barn and chicken coop and orchard are on the left, our home almost at middle, and my daughter’s new home on the right. Tending this little farm has become a family affair, I don’t ever lose sight of that blessing.

Once outside chores are done, I head in to shower and do some house cleaning , perhaps some editing work in my little office. Speaking of that office… most of This Old House is decorated sort of in keeping with the feeling of country, old, comfy, rustic. This room has a totally different vibe. I chose blue as the accent for two reasons. My grandmother loved blue and all her decorating centered around it. I miss her still, all these years after she’s passed, and the hues remind me of her. Also, the kids and husband bought me that blue moon you see on the wall some years back while on vacation on Martha’s Vineyard. I saw it in the window of one of my favorite little shops. The colors and oldness attracted me to it, and the fact that we rarely go on vacation made it fitting, it must have been a Blue Moon that gots us all away together for a bit. The kids and husband bought it for me on the last day of our stay, it’s a reminder of love and family and the importance of taking time away from it all to just enjoy life. So I plotted the room vibe around Nana’s blues, the Blue Moon and the bohemian in me ( Love Those Shabby Chic Curtains!) My arts and crafts supplies are in the cabinet and dog beds are plentiful.

office?.. you say….

oh yes, the computer clutter is in the other corner. If you spot the little stuffed animals and are eye rolling just a little, you haven’t seen the four dragons hidden behind the printer. If I’m lucky enough to have grandchildren some day, they will have plenty of Grandmother’s toys to play with.

I’ve had jobs where I had to report to an office, where the work was more “cerebral”, where I got to wear grown-up clothes like heels and skirts and a smart suit, etc… where the pace of the day was at times chaotic, demanding, relentless, invigorating, exhausting, boring, and a few more words I’m not coming up with right now. I enjoyed most of my colleagues, and sometimes I miss the daily camaraderie, but most often I truly enjoy this slower pace of life.

My schedule is my own to create, the pay not in dollars (except for the editing.. thankful I’m paid for that) but in the very real satisfaction I get from tending to the critters in my care, (even the shit shoveling) the home my family lives, laughs and loves in, these fields we work that produce food for the table, hay for the horses – maybe even christmas trees for our holidays someday down the road if our new crop ever takes hold. I help with the family business when they need me… and thankfully, it’s enough.

I’m grateful for every day I get to do this, and to know I can do it all in Santa Pants is icing on the cake.

Breaking things Up A Bit

I have several things to share with you today, but this…. this…. well, sometimes you just gotta laugh out loud, the bust a gut type of laughter, to get past a certain thing. Which is what I did yesterday morning when I tried on a few of my bathing suits and asked my husband’s opinion regarding which one he thought looked OK. We’re going on a family beach vacation in the not too distant future, I’m a water bug and I’m trying to plan. After the third try-on he says… “THAT ONE… that one is good, it breaks things up a bit. ”

Right there is when the peals of laughter coming out of my own mouth went rolling down the hall, bounced off the walls and fell flat on the mudroom floor.

(Fucker)

So… anyone looking for me this morning will have found me in the gym… Breaking things Up A Bit…

The day did get better – we went treasure hunting at Brooklyn Restoration in Brooklyn, CT, where 90-something year old Rudy still presides over an acre of outbuildings packed with old house stuff. I’ve blogged about this place before, when we restored Gracie (this old house) we visited often for old hardware and other odd stuff our restoration guru Jeff and my husband needed to bring her back to life.

My son was looking for a mantel for his fireplace and a door for his kitchen pantry – he and his GF did find a door, no such luck with the mantel.

Oooh, the old treasures in these sheds.

That’s Rudy – just before he took advantage of our ignorance/Kind nature/stupidity and did not give us one iota of a deal, but that’s OK, I’m still very happy with my finds.

These items below are my new treasures – old hand forged kitchen gadgets that now hang over the kitchen sink on either side of our farm sign… a ladle, a strainer, and what we are assuming was a grater of some sort.

Our good friends Jeff and Raven met us there to help sort out what we’d need for my son’s house, and we should have let Raven negotiate with Rudy. He has a fondness for her, they are long time acquaintances due to Jeff’s line of work (restoration), he knows they know what he knows, and he is more kindly to her in the price department. Live and learn.

After the treasure hunt we went to a local restaurant, The Court House, which I believe used to be the actual Court House in the town of Putnam, where we enjoyed nachos and burgers in abundance.

I hope all is well in your neck o’the woods –

Karen

Love

It took a lot of years of beating myself up over whatever my physical and emotional shortcomings have been, perceived and real, to come to a place of acceptance and even love for myself. Why is it often the case that it is easier to be kinder to others than to ourselves? Life is so much more comfortable when we fully accept who and what we are made of, fully appreciate and nourish and celebrate! the good, embrace it whole heartedly. This I have discovered to be profoundly true. When we are capable of that, even the people we love, those who round out our lives and make them whole, benefit.

Love and Kindness are never wasted, they always make a difference, even when it’s not obvious – they bless the person who receives them, and they bless you, the giver. Happy Valentine’s Day, All – Wishing you much love in any of the many forms it can be found 💗

This neck o’the woods

I could write all day about the current list of atrocities and tragedies in the news, but let’s heed the advice we’ve been giving each other here on this blog and focus on the good things in our lives, shall we? I want to thank each of you who stop by to read my musings and join the conversations, it’s encouraging to hear from like minded people, truly. #MakeAmericaKindAgain #MakeAmericaSaneAgain either would do.

It’s maple sugaring season here in the Northeast, but you wouldn’t know it by the current weather trends. We’ve had very little snow so far, the trees are tapped on our farm with a little flow, but the temps have not been cold enough overnight to get the sap flowing when the heat rises during the day. We don’t have a sugar shack here on our farm, so we take ours to the community farm Sugar Shack in our town, where volunteers process it, bottle it and sell it to continue to support the farm. You might wonder why pure maple syrup is so expensive compared to the fake stuff like Aunt J*mima, and the answer is there is so much work that goes into it, and so much tree sap is needed – 40 gallons of clear tree sap boils down to one gallon of actual syrup.

Have you tried Maple Water? I have found it in a few of the grocery stores in this area, but not all. I absolutely love it – light, refreshing, with just a hint of maple – it’s the pure maple water(sap) that comes out of the tree, is flash pastuerized and sold in stores. YUM! And it’s hydrating, it’s actually good for you! I’m not getting any compensation for saying it – treat yourself to a bottle if you find it in your local stores. Canadian runners have been using it to refuel for some time.

In my better health/better weight quest I have lost a few pounds and have gained some muscle, I’m not perfect with the food intake but I’ve made some headway. My clothes are starting to feel better on me and that is a good beginning. I continue to walk/hike/jog with the dogs, light weight training and all of this helps greatly with the Fibromyalgia I’ve been dealing with for the past five-six years give or take. If you suffer from the same, in my experience, keep moving – that’s the best line of defense. And.. eat much less sugar and dairy, much less processed foods.

L-R – My Sally and Frasier, K’s Gizmo on the right. Now that we live nextdoor to each other, we often take the dogs on walks together. It motivates us both to get out there and keep moving.

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived.

– Henry David Thoreau

Our dear old retired showhorse, Max, is now dealing with Glaucoma in one eye, thankfully not the painful variety. He’s on four different meds to try to stave it off for a while and seems to be learning to live without vision on the left. I’m glad we can give him the peace to deal with the handicap and he will not be shipped off to a kill pen like so many others, no longer useful. Another reason to be so very grateful for what this old farm affords us.

Our son has begun the construct of his home just over the hill, the foundation is poured… and I am over the moon to have both kids so close by. Over the years we will all benefit from this little patch of farmland not far from everything else, just the right mix of country and suburb. He and his GF have worked hard to begin and build their careers and are very excited about the plans they’re making for their future together, it does my heart good. 🧡

That’s my mom in the red hoodie up there, the one who leaves awesome comments now and then and hates her picture to be taken but I do it anyway because – I GOTTA BE ME- .. and I love my mom.

One more update – I’m not happy about global warming so a mild winter is concerning, BUT… I do believe, because it’s been so mild… this batch of christmas trees might just actually survive. Third time’s the charm? Stay tuned…

I’ll close this post with something to ponder. Why is it that men or the kids think they’re doing us a HUGE service when they lift a finger in the direction of cleaning up after themselves such as… oh, say… changing the toilet paper roll or washing the dinner dishes or flipping the load of laundry into the dryer or taking the trash out or putting the sneakers back in the closet instead of under the bench in the mudroom. Aren’t they also the ones making the mess? AmIright? Just sayin –

Karen

Lift

Have you been watching the impeachment hearings/trial? I haven’t. Can’t believe I just typed that, but it’s true. I just cannot believe, in this day and age, that apparently for some of us and a particular sector of our government… law no longer applies. Truth no longer matters. When witnesses and evidence are banned from a Trial, we’re lost. Since he is getting away with everything but murder, I doubt 45 will be held accountable… for anything. It’s how his whole life has panned out despite his corrupt practices both personally and in business, and it looks as if the same will be true of his presidency.

Onward. Last week I took a look in the mirror and realized I hadn’t been for a haircut in almost a year. I did chop a few inches off about a month ago to “clean up” the split ends but the effect was… choppy. So my dear stylist Amber fit me in yesterday and gave me a good shaping cut. I felt lighter walking out of the salon with just that simple lift. I’ve got more grays now but I don’t think I want to get into the habit of having to be at the salon every three-four weeks to douse my head in toxic chemicals to cover the gray. I might change my mind as more come in, but.. for now.. I think I’m just going to see how it looks as it turns.

My weight loss journey continues – I’m getting good exercise in with light weight training and walk/jogging. Plus shit shoveling, hay bale throwing, water bucket lugging, horse blanket swapping. etc. etc. and then some. What I’m putting in my mouth is still the struggle. Will power is not my strong suit. I have indeed lost a few pounds since the last time I blogged about this. And so… I’ll keep moving forward, hopefully, putting less in my mouth. We’ve got a family vacation coming up in which I will be in a bathing suit often, and I really… really.. want to feel comfortable in my suit.

Speaking of suit shopping – man, (that should say woman) if that isn’t the hardest item to shop for. Mostly because I’m just not happy with how I look in a suit. But also, for a girl of a certain age, the suit needs to be comfortable, hold everything in, not too revealing but not a house dress either. I did find a suit that’s made well, does the job, and I feel OK in it. That’s the best I’m gonna get out of that experience, so be it.

LL Bean – she looks better in this than I do, but close enough. It’s their halter tankini, which comes in several colors/patterns and won’t break the bank.

As the news out in the world gets uglier, I’ve been turning away from it and looking around and inward, paying more attention to the relationships I cherish with family and friends, doing some organizing and refreshing here on the farm and at the cottage and in my line of work. It’s the lift I’ve needed and it feels good. Having our daughter and Company right next door has been such a blessing, and our son has begun the build of his home just over the hill. This little farm has become a haven for all of us, and I am so very grateful.

Hoping all is well in your neck o’the woods –

Karen

My kingdom for a Cookie

I cannot express without sounding a tad ridiculous how very difficult it is for me to “diet”. With the exception of the trauma and recovery of one of my children from a horrific accident years ago, this is the most difficult thing I have ever tried to do. To sound even more ridiculous… it bothers me so much, that if I could wave a magic wand and lose the 25 lbs I need to lose and that weight would stay off for the rest of my life and be able to eat whatever I want regardless… or.. have my hearing restored, I would chose the weight loss. Not even blink an eye, the decision would be easy. Oh yes I know it, that’s undeniably, certifiably….. nuts. But it would absolutely be my choice, given the option.

I started Noom at the beginning of January, and I can tell you it’s a great program for calorie counters, for those who love setting a goal and get excited about meeting that goal each day. It’s similar to WW if you’ve done that too. Been there, done that ! There’s also a great online presence of fellow users of Noom on facebook. Except there are a lot of whiners on that forum, (yep I know I’m currently whining, shush. )

What ultimately happens and in fairly short order for me is… I become resentful of the restriction and then I cheat just a little. And just a little more. And then I don’t log every single thing I eat because it’s just one hershey kiss and it’s just an apple and it’s just a handful of nuts and it’s just a scoop of chocolate ice cream – blah blah blah blah blah. All that adds up, of course, and then the cheating feels awful, and the app become ineffective because I’m not really following the rules and off we go to the races.

I’ve tried the talking to myself approach – Every time I pick up something to east I say to myself… Is this FIGHTING disease or AIDING it? Is this HELPING me lose weight or HELPING ME FAIL ? I’ve looked in the mirror before helping myself to a snack. I’ve gone dairy free for a while, I’ve gone sugar free for a while, I’ve gone processed food free for a while, and reduced meat consumption by a lot. It all helps a little, but ultimately I cave somewhat. Menopause makes it all that much harder.

It’s not about what I’m doing exercise wise – I’m pretty active. As my General practitioner has said to me often, it’s what I’m putting in my mouth. And Jezus H. Christmas, it is soooo hard for me to reduce significantly what I’m putting in my mouth. Such a simple thing, really… and yet.

Food is comfort for me, I love to cook it, bake it, I love to serve it to my family etc., I love growing it, I even love shopping for it. Oh, I am fully aware one can do all those things in moderation and be successful at weight loss…. I just haven’t figured out the combination to that lock yet. I keep spinning the dial hoping to get the numbers to line up just right.

******SIGH…..

Just keeping it real here. And if you are like minded but found what works, please… any tips appreciated.

Here’s a Healthy recipe that looks delish – I’m going to give it a try this weekend.

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Chili

By EATINGWELL TEST KITCHEN

Directions

Step 1

Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato and onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is beginning to soften, about 4 minutes. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, chipotle and salt and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add water and bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer and cook until the sweet potato is tender, 10 to 12 minutes.
Step 2

Add beans, tomatoes and lime juice; increase heat to high and return to a simmer, stirring often. Reduce heat and simmer until slightly reduced, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

Tips

Make Ahead Tip: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 3 months.

Note: Chipotle peppers are dried, smoked jalapeño peppers. Ground chipotle chile pepper can be found in the spice section of most supermarkets or online at penzeys.com.

Karen

Back on the horse

Not the equine variety, although we’ve got those here on the farm. I’m referring to the constant waxing and waning of my exercise and diet routine in recent years. Until my 50’s I didn’t really have to worry about my weight and I ate as much as I wanted. Oh, how I love food. I’ve always led an active life – but with my 50’s came fibromyalgia and hypertension and higher cholesterol and menopause and weight gain and a general feeling of -yuck- in my clothes, when I am active, in the mirror, you may know the struggle too.

The answer to these things that I have in my control is better food choices, better portion sizes and stepping up the workouts and walks. If you’re in the same boat, don’t ever quit rowing. We are worth the effort, don’t you think?

So, with 2020 comes a new wave of resolve for me – to not quit even though I haven’t succeeded in losing those 25 extra pounds. The scale annoys me to no end, so I’m not getting on it all the time – How I feel in my own skin and in my clothes will tell me how well I’m doing, or not. I’ve joined Noom, are you familiar with it? It’s similar to WW – calorie counting, some coaching on the phone app, and a great facebook page support group, which I am finding is very helpful. I’m not the “meetings” kind of girl nor will a very restrictive diet ever work for me, so this is something I think I can stick with, and so here we go. Again. and that’s OK

I’m also back in the gym – walking on the treadmill when the weather is not cooperative, and light weight training 3-4 times a week, besides the farm chores and dog walking that are part of my regular routine. Just a few hand held weights stored under your bed or in your closet and some tips online or from your Dr. are all you need to incorporate light weight training into your routine at any age.

In a friend’s Christmas card was an enlightening list I’ll share with you here – I used a photo from my backyard garden as a backdrop. Good advice for anyone.

Wishing us all a Happy, Healthy 2020, and World Peace… oh, if only there were that.

Karen

Vitamin Sea

When I find myself running low on faith in humanity, I’m often refueled while out observing nature.

He comes every day to feed his friends. They are wary of others, but not him, it’s clear there is trust between them. After I observed for a while, he motioned me into his circle, spoke softly and encouraged the birds to take a cracker from my hand, and eventually they did, trusting him next to me.

Santa

Son: “Dad, I think I’m old enough now. Is there a Santa Claus?.”
Dad: “Ok, I agree that your old enough. But before I tell you, I have a question for you. You see, the truth is a dangerous gift. Once you know something, you can’t unknow it. Once you know the truth about Santa Claus, you will never again understand and relate to him as you do now. So my question is: Are you sure you want to know?”
Brief pause: Son: “Yes, I want to know”
Dad: “Ok, I’ll tell you: Yes there is a Santa Claus” Son: “Really?” Dad: Yes, really, but he’s not an old man with a beard in a red suit. That’s just what we tell kids. You see, kids are too young to understand the true nature of Santa Claus, so we explain it to them in a way that they can understand. The truth about Santa Claus is that he’s not a person at all; he’s an idea. Think of all those presents Santa gave you over the years. I actually bought those myself. I watched you open them. And did it bother me that you didn’t thank me? Of course not! In fact it gave me great pleasure. You see, Santa Claus is THE IDEA OF GIVING FOR THE SAKE OF GIVING, without thought of thanks or acknowledgement.
When I saw that Women collapse on the subway last week and called for help, I knew that she’d never know that it was me that summoned the ambulance. I was being Santa Claus when I did that.”
Son: “Oh.”
Dad: “So now that you know, you’re part of it. You have to be Santa Claus too now. That means you can never tell a young kid the secret, and you have to help us select Santa presents for them, and most important, you have to look for opportunities to help people. “