Making Hay and other stuff

  Sometimes a good post title just doesn’t come to me. Case in point above.   Anyway… despite all the rain and rain and more rain we’ve been getting, yesterday was a clear blue sky with a light breeze… good day for making hay.  The hay equipment was dropped off last week, pulled out yesterday and the fields were mowed.   Just before the rain returned for an evening shower, good enough to drench it.  

What it needs now is time to dry before it’s picked up with the baler.
Unfortunately, we’re supposed to get more rain later today.
*sigh*
Making hay ain’t easy.
Kinda like love.  There’s all those annoyances you’re not expecting, don’t ya know.
Anyway.. yesterday morning we woke to a Rosy glow at about 5:30 am…
The knockout roses matched the hue…
It’s my favorite time of  day, especially the early summer mornings
when most of the world is still sleepy
Up at the barn, Opie says…
this is NOT my best angle.
Senior Max and  mini Coady discuss the hay and rain situation…
Every day when I approach the barn I stop at the gate
to lay my hand on this heart rock.
Love lives here, at This Old House. 
Impatiens I planted at the chicken coop below.
I haven’t had to water them in weeks.
Henrietta, my lovely vintage mini Cochin out looking for bugs..
…While Snow, Dorothy and Autumn relax and take dirt baths under the pine tree 
in the front yard.  They are all here in this picture.
Do you see all three?  Look closely, all are actually touching in the picture.
Kudos to the person who sees all three correctly.
Snow is truly a beautiful chicken.
A large Cochin.
I’ll leave you today with my basket of flowers on the front steps.
I’m a big fan of something that says “welcome” at the entrance to a home or property.
Something that speaks of happiness.
When I see a home void of any kind of adornment,
I can’t help but think of it as a sad house.
Adornments don’t have to be extravagant…
it can be a little stone bunny with a small pot of geraniums..
or a sign that says Welcome..
or a flag, a wreath, anything that speaks to the occupant.
What speaks of YOU at your ‘front step’?.
It’s a new day all, make it a good one…
and as always, thank you for taking the time to stop by.  

Mending Fences

Dad came for dinner last night
and it was an evening filled with reminiscing, laughter
and casual conversation.  Comfortable conversation.
I agreed with his political rants this time…
because it makes no difference that I believe something completely different.
It matters more at this stage of the game that we had a polite discussion.
Frankly, he didn’t even notice my change of allegiance.
I listened to the old stories for the 100th time with eager and new enthusiasm.
Because someday he won’t be here to discuss them.
We are polar opposites in some ways,
and oh let me tell you how we clashed over the years.
No, on second thought, I’ll spare you.
And…  I’d be misleading you if I didn’t admit that on occasion
when I’m being particularly stubborn,
my husband has a tendency to call me “Lou”.
(in his older years, my father has become very patriotic. This flag is always on his car.)
In any event, regardless of the many years of discontent
and the struggle I had with this particular relationship,
I’m realizing, when it’s OVER, it’s OVER.
And we never do know when it’s going to be over,
so… I’m taking advice I was given years ago.
Make peace with the differences, forgive the slights,
let go of the residual hurt…and mend the fence.
Be the bigger person.
Do this FOR YOU.
And I think I’m accomplishing something here.
You know why?  It feels good.  It feels right.
I doubt I’ll regret it down the road.
If you find yourself in the same situation, do yourself a favor.
Mend the fence. 

M & M’s

We stopped at the BIG BARN
to visit K and Max after dinner out last night….
..and Dad spent a little time bonding with daughter’s horse.

Max & Mike, my favorite M & M’s…  

It’s what’s for breakfast…

This morning was an eggs and bacon breakfast.
My family doesn’t agree on how they like their eggs cooked..
so I do a little juggling with the spatula.
Husband likes his scrambled with American cheese mixed in.
Don’t skimp on the ketchup.
I use applegates natural bacon, really good! and better for you
if you must do bacon.
Daughter loves the birds nest version
My son likes a bacon egg and cheese on a buttered hardroll
with chocolate milk on the side and a Gogurt for good measure.
This is their story and they’re not changing it, believe you me.
 We’ve got more rain today… Noah, build the Ark!

Hay fields

 We’ve had so much rain lately that the first cutting of hay
has not been harvested yet.  You can’t cut hay and bale it when it’s going
to get wet or you’ll have moldy hay down the road. – not feedable.
Atleast several dry days are needed to get the job done.
You need the fields to be dry to begin with.. then a day for cutting..
then a day for more drying in the sun and then baling day…
and maybe one more day for picking the hopefully
dry bales up off the field and stored in the barn.
We took a ride around the fields last night just before sunset….

We surveyed the gardens for water damage…
so far, everything is holding its own…
however, more rain on the way today and tomorrow.
After all that planting, we’re hoping not to lose hay and vegetable crops.
We farm on a small scale, but I can only imagine the
backbreaking labor and sometimes hardship real farmers
suffer as a result of uncontrollable weather issues.

 I finally got him to smile a real smile for my camera. 
No easy task.  



Miniature living continued…

 I finished the living room walls in my little fixer upper..
Paint looked terrible because there were just too many dings and bumps
in the old walls. Wallpaper ain’t my thang..
So barnboard it is!
I had some difficulty with securing the boards..
the wood clapboard is so thin it curls when you apply paint and glue,
both necessary items.
So here it is…
 the look is shabby beachy old farmhouse.. sort of.
I used driveway gravel for the fireplace.
Hey, a mason I am not.

The house came fully wired, but none of it worked anymore.
All wires were embedded in ways that would rip the house apart if I tried.
So I snipped away what was visible…
and found LED battery operated lighting.
So far just two sconces, because this stuff ain’t cheap.
I think I paid $20. for each sconce.  sheesh.
Below are a few things I’m coveting on etsy.. a Mecca for mini furniture and supplies, by the way..
Approximately $100 for this set.
I’m not doing it, but oh, how lovely it all is…
This chair is already sold, wish I were sew handy.
And I can dream about this pot rack all day long,
but at $153., it’s not an option.
But oh, how adorable it would look in my little country kitchen.

A person could get a little crazy diving in the world of miniatures, don’t ya know.

It’s all about the Eggs

Cleo and Marc are the proud parents of five eggs.
Now residing over our kitchen porch sliding doors,
lets hope they can contend with the traffic I so sternly warned them about.

Note the chicken feathers and horse tail hair they’ve used
in the construction of their nest. Our farm is a regular birdie home depot, apparently.
No wonder they’re so persistent about this location.
In other egg news…
I collected eggs a few mornings ago
and discovered this tiny mini egg amongst the others.
We all wondered if it would be intact.. tiny yolk and all…
Oops.. a shell, hate when that happens.
But as you can see, there is indeed a tiny yolk. About the size of a pencil eraser.
This morning’s breakfast… I bought commercial eggs to demonstrate.
and here’s an example of a commercial egg versus one of mine.
Top – home grown
bottom – commercial egg.
See the difference in the color of the yoke?
There are several reasons.
1. my egg is much fresher.. you could be eating a  month old egg
bought from the store. The yoke starts to lose it’s nutritional value..
and rich color, after two weeks time.
2. What the chickens are being fed.
Mine eat a healthy chicken layer mash,
along with their free range bugs and grass…
and whatever good stuff we have left over, like tomatoes, grapes, raisins,
oatmeal, watermelon, yogurt, shredded cheese.
A happy heathy chicken makes a happy healthy egg.
If you are in an area where you can by local eggs, give them a whirl,
you won’t be disappointed.
I feed the chickens before I walk up to the barn in the morning.
If there are eggs to collect, I gather them and set them on the wall
until I walk back down to the house.
It’s a good thing horses don’t like eggs.

It’s a new day all – make it a good one 🙂

Hero or Traitor?

   Well now, this is a very interesting development. Have you paid any attention to the story of ex-CIA employee Edw*rd Sn*wden and how he outed Big Brother?  In short – he exposed details of a top-secret American program that collects vast streams of phone and Internet data. His claim, in a nut shell,  is that he does not want to live in a society where the government can seize your private information and use it as they see fit.

CNN – “The revelations have set off a furious debate in the United States about whether the surveillance program is a disturbing form of government overreach or an important tool for intelligence agencies trying to prevent attacks against the nation.”

 Personally, I’m on the fence about this one.  I understand the outrage on both sides.   I see a need to track these assh*les who mean to do as many people harm as possible, and I’m all for disrupting their means of communication and thwarting their efforts. This method has already shut down some attempts, if we believe what we’re being told.   I don’t know that I’m comfortable with the knowledge that the government can peer into my personal stuff at any time without my knowing about it.   I also know that I’m not doing anything wrong here that they would find alarming, but where do you draw the line. Where will THEY draw the line.

  As for Mr. Sn*wden, some people say he’s a hero for bringing all this to light, at the expense of his own life, probably.  He was living the good life in Hawaii with a six figure job.  He gave all that up, and left his family!… to get this out to the public because he was so horrified.    Some say he’s a traitor and deserves prosecution in the highest court of law.  We know there was some real deceitful behavior on his part, yes, but was it for the good of the people?  Us? …

  What say you? 

70!

My Uncle.. who has served as my other father in my younger life,
turned 70 this week!
Some of the family came together yesterday to wish him well.
Birthday boy in the middle…
This guy has kicked Cancer and Parkinsons to the curb.  Tenacity is his middle name.
Nowadays you’ll find him on the golfcourse
or volunteering for SCORE,   living life.
His better half in the middle, with an old true friend on the left…
These two are the reason my first horse and I landed in Connecticut,
 and I will always be greatful for that very large door that they opened.
Connecticut cousins…
Feet are not on fire.. there is a fire PIT a few feet away.
Some of us….
and more of us….
My sister and brother-in-law
We’re twins, I know, we hear that all the time!!  🙂
My dear cousin, who is the closest I’ll ever have to a brother,
and a better brother you could not ask for.
He is the calm in the storm,
the level on the beam.
If he ever has a blow up, you just kinda have to laugh,
because it just ain’t him.  
Sisters…
my mother and my horse mother.
 Cousin J below on the left,  my almost – brother’s wife.
She would make a wicked bar tender…
although the bar OWNER might go broke.  🙂
Family… it’s all good.

Good Dog

Hey local peeps!  Some of you know how much I love Martha’s Vineyard and one of my favorite stores/restaurant/bakery is The Black Dog, which originated on the Vineyard. I still have a BD t-shirt from a 1999 visit.    They have now branched out, and there are Black Dog stores in many places, not just the Vineyard.   The history of the Black Dog is legendary on island, and is the true essence of the place. For info on the founding of the Black Dog Tavern, click HERE.    Kinda hard for me to love the satellite stores that have popped up in other areas.  A visit to the original store and restaurant with a little history of the place and you’d understand what I mean.  It’s the vibe you don’t get anywhere else… the experience…and ofcourse.. the story of the original black dog.   exerpts from a story book…

“When a nor’easter blasts an island harbor, an orphaned black puppy finds shelter with the reluctant Captain Douglas, who vows, “This berth is only for tonight.” But when a neighbor promises to find a permanent owner, the captain agrees to foster the dog. As Captain Douglas prepares his topsail schooner for a six-month voyage, the unnamed dog wreaks havoc at home–shredding sails, knocking down a scrimshaw, chewing up charts and “piddling” on the oriental rug. At last the frustrated captain brings the dog to the harbor, where she proves herself an able sea-goer: “She knew where to go when the boat was coming about. She knew which side was to leeward.” The bond is set.” 

 This particular black dog became the mascot for the tavern, opened in 1971.
Original photo below.
Her  image is now depicted as a black lab most often, but she was a mutt,
and a stray mutt to boot. I’m thinking lab mixed with something else,
as is evident in the logo you see in so many places, made in her image. 

Anyway.. the Black Dog here in Mystic, CT put out this flyer, and I think it’s awesome. If you’re local and looking for a dog, give the Waterbury pound pups a chance.. Happens TODAY!!  see info below.

Looking for a new best four-legged friend? You may just find one at the Mystic Black Dog General Store. Tomorrow, June 8 from 11 to 4 pm adoptable dogs from the Waterford-East Lyme ACO are visiting the store. 10% of our Mystic Store sales that day will be donated to the ACO. So come on down and enjoy the fun.