An Award

Many thanks to Jane for the award!

Okay, here are The Rules:

1. Add the award to your blog.
2. Thank the blogger who gave it to you.
3. Mention seven random things about yourself. (see below)
4. List the rules
5.Award to 15 bloggers
6. Inform each of those 15 bloggers by leaving a comment on their blog.

Seven random things about me...

1. I quit eating any kind of red meat when I broke my neck in 1995 and could no longer digest it; I still miss steak.

2. While I write right-handedly, I shoot a gun, knit, and eat with mostly my left.

3. My master's thesis was: "'The business of a poet': Samuel Johnson's Criticism of John Milton." Yawn.

4. While I swim like a fish and can surf, I have never been able to water-ski.

5. I streaked when I was 18 and in college in Florida.

6. When I was 19, I took a plane ticket my parents gave me to to fly to Myrtle Beach to meet the family for vacation and traded it for a one-way ticket to San Fransisco.

7. In my previous "life" I was an award winning crime reporter in Central Florida.

Now, to be honest, I cannot even think of who NOT to give this award to as well, but can't come up with 15! So, here you go:

Delisa
Courtney
Brenda
Brenda L.
Tonia T.
Clarice
Sandy
Marqueta

Hugs to you all!

Longest Week of My Life

It should have been a no brainer when I answered the phone last Friday and it was a gal pal bawling about her boyfriend dumping her over the phone. I should have said, "No habla Ingles!" and hung up. But no; I listened and my heart was so sad that I said, foolishly, "You need a change of environment. Why not come here for a day or two?"

She left today. Six days later.

During this week, she didn't bathe for five days. She cried for six. Seriously. When we picked her up from the airport she was bawling. When we dropped her off, she was still bawling. Her crying could be heard To The Barn. Even Clara, who is the most empathetic gal, was begging us to take her somewhere and set her out, just so she could have a break. I wouldn't take her, I replied, unless I got to stay, too.

She refused to eat more than a few bites a day. She left food all over the house That She Didn't Eat.

Her responses to any question was through clenched teeth and were monosyllabic grunts. She never said thank you, kiss my foot, or thanks for the memories, even when we set her out at the airport. And, yes, I did stop at the departure door and didn't throw her out as I threatened to the Mister in whispers last night.

After we set her out (okay, I confess, I did burn rubber just a bit) the Mister and I rode along in silence for thirty minutes. Then, he looked at me and smiled, "Nicest thirty minutes this week!" I giggled. "Okay, if I told you that when I lay down on Wednesday that I may have whispered to God 'if I die tonight, it's okay -- at least the pain will stop' would you think it was terrible?" He burst out laughing and laughed until tears rolled down his face.

"How about a milkshake? I think we have earned it." And no one cried All the Way Home.

Moral: No good deed goes unpunished.

No patience

Ten things I have no patience with:

10. Watching a clerk talk on their cell phone while I wait.
9.   People who don't answer a direct question.
8.   Ice.
7.   Loud people.
6.   Lazy people.
5.   Folks who make plans for me without my consent.
4.   Long waits ... for anything.
3.   Computers that turn off at the drop of a hat (read: mine is acting up and it is making me crazy!)
2.   People who, no matter how many times you tell them, do the exact opposite of what you asked.
1.   Women who want to be victims instead of in charge of their lives (yes, there is a story here; I will tell it later... when I can... without bad words.... )

Mia died last night. We don't know what happened. The vet doesn't either. She wasn't too anemic; no parasites; no lung congestion; no injuries; nothing...even her blood work was fine. She just laid down and died .. just like she was asleep.

Thanks for all the advice and suggestions...

Jane has given me an award! Thanks, Jane! I will post it next.... when my computer will stay on...

Added later: Okay. So the computer hard drive has fried.
The tech: This looks like it might have been dropped...

Me: Does throwing it across the room count??

I made him promise to never tell... but I am telling you all because you are my best friends! LOL

What's Happening?

Can you see the rainbow? This was taken in late October. Thank goodness!
It reminds me that spring is a'coming!



This week has been busy on Lazy Bee Farm. Heirloom seeds from Southern Seed Exchange are on their way; potatoes from the Wood Prairie Farm should arrive any day now. And a cold frame (thanks, Jane, for the suggestion!) should be delivered Monday. Soap making is going hot and heavy now; the house smells divine from the many essential oils I use. Needles are out to start dishcloths and the loom is being dressed for tea towels.

I feel that spring is nearly here, although it is just mid-February. It must be the combination of the 50-degree days and the lengthening days. Last night, I started unwinding my portable fence for the asparagus and blackberry beds. I have about 50 blackberry plants to tuck in the earth tomorrow. Yes, I plant by the signs, doesn't everyone?

We have a bit of worry, as well, though. Our Mia, the Nigerian pygmy, has been under the weather. I have tried everything --- worming, drench, supplements, and even two shots -- antiobiotics and a vitamin cocktail. Nothing seems to help her. She stands and stares into space. She will not eat grain and is nibbling the hay. It is as if the life has been sucked out of her. The fecal wash came back clear and free of any parasites. The vet is stymied, too. So, we are just trying to keep her unstressed and comfortable. She is still on her feet, but her temperature slips up in the evenings. I just am at a loss and feel so helpless.

This weekend promises to be busy. We picked up a load of wood from the below-the-mountain farm on Wednesday and need to cut at least two more loads this weekend. And, hay needs to be moved up the mountain as well as some fencing to move Miss Hollie. March 12 there is a Future Farmer's Association feeder steer sale nearby. I want to have seven on my bottom pasture, so this is the time to buy them. They will have pigs, as well, so I suspect one will come this way. I have just the place for them --  Right Under the Neighbors Who Built on the Property Line. Their house is perked on the side of the mountain rather than back 50 feet as the original owers had planned. Thus, they stand on their deck, drinking, fighting, and yelling while all the time watching us. They even lean over the rail if they can't see what we are doing clearly enough. Thank goodness they are only here a few weekends a month. So, the pigs will show them farm living at its best, don't you know!

What are you plans for the weekend??

Listening

Walden

This is the handwritten text of the wonderful book by Henry David Thoreau taken at the Thoreau Institute this past summer when I was there.

This week, I am listening to the audio book as I drive to and from work. Audio books are a new experience for me because, frankly, listening to someone read makes me really sleepy. Really Sleepy. But recently, I have learned to listen and not doze off. (Really good since I am driving... don't you think??) This has added a whole new world for me and given my day that much more richness.

I have read this book no less than a half dozen times in as many years. Every time I read it, I come away more inspired and questioning my lifestyle and choices That Much More. The one thing that really has struck me this time is the awareness of what Thoreau defines as simplicity. He doesn't. Really, he doesn't. Rather, he states what it is for him and then acknowledges that everyone has their own idea of what this means. And, frankly, that this is enough.

As I have thought about this book, I have been considering my own choices and my life. I have written a number of times about how I want to simplify --- cut my attachments --- live a more concentrated life. And, I have written about how the time I spent on Walden Pond opened my eyes to what I was missing around me in my haste and hurry.

It has been very frustating to me that I keep running and running... and that life is still too busy to meet my hopes. As I have listened this week, however, it has dawned on me that simplicity doesn't happen all at once. No goal does. Not losing weight. Not saving money. Not even falling in love. Nopers. It happens with a series of single choices --- a minute, no, a second at a time. My frustration is falling away. I am proud of what has been accomplished. And, I am glad to keep taking that one step, making that one choice, until I can attain my goal.

We are all in the process of becoming, aren't we, as my friend Brenda has stated. Keeping this idea in front of me, well, gives me hope.

Lumber Jill

Heating with wood has many advantages. One of them is that I can eat cake every day ---

if I am going to cut wood.

Yesterday, I decided to clear up four little trees (read: 15 feet) that the goats had eaten all the bark from and Miss Hollie, the Dexter, had pushed over as she played "head butt" with them.

This is how it looked when I started:

These are just two of the trees. They are pines and you can see

how the gals have eaten all the green and bark from the tree.

Notice that my audience has fled to the far fence to escape my

chain saw noise. They Did Not Like It One Bit.

This is a woman's tool. Don't let anyone fool you. We can use a chain saw

quite easily! This is a "Mini-Boss Stihl" that has a wonderful

compression start, which mean that you give it about

two good gentle pulls and it will start immediately.

I don't get that offer from the lawn mower, just so you know...

As I cut and stacked the wood, Miss Hollie kept coming to check me out.

She wasn't impressed. She just loved her down trees and scratched her

face on them. And, the does enjoyed climbing and walking on them.

But, we need firewood, so there you go.

When I moved up the hill to work on the other two trees,

The Girls and Hollie came over to explore the cut-up trees.

It was so funny. They would check out the cut tree and then the branches

and then they would lick the saw dust. Then, they would all meet in the middle to talk

about it a little bit only to divide up again to confirm their findings. So funny!

Here you can see the chain saw. To use one safely,

you must have all the proper safety gear. I wear special chaps,

sound protection, a face shield, leather gloves, and steel toe boots.

The chain saw requires bar oil to keep the bar cool and operating.

The gas is a mixture of 3:1 oil and gasoline. The special

little "screwdriver / spark plug" wrench opens the oil and gas

caps as well as changes spark plugs. Every time you fill with gas,

you should always fill the bar oil.

My saw comes with an easy to tighten chain that will allow me

to adjust the chain tension as much as I need.

I used to think I could never use a chain saw and, frankly, I was afraid of it. But, after I started using this one, I got over my fear. That doesn't mean I am not overly careful. I take my time, stand off-center so that if the chain saw recoils I won't take the blow. But, I also was careful to buy a saw with a

safety mechanism that is called a "kick back protector." This means that if the saw lurches backwards

my hand will automatically bump it so that the saw stops cutting. Better safe than sorry!

It is amazing what one can learn to do if one has the desire. While cutting wood may

not seem like too big of a deal to many, for me, it means I am one more step

away from having to rely on anyone. The Mister has a larger chain saw that

he uses to manage that wood mine won't. However, with my saw, I have the independence

of cutting wood on my own, clearing fence lines, and maintaining the farm.

I like that freedom.

What have you learned that gave you a little extra freedom to do something on your own? 

Are You Up For A Challenge?

Okay, folks, are you up for a challenge that will help children undergoing treatment for life threatening diseases? Sandy and I have taken on this as our February project. Instead of Valentines this year, I am giving to these guys. Read on...

From Craft Hope blog:

Time and again at Craft Hope we have learned that little things make a big difference. For the past few years we have collected handmade goods from around the world for people who need a little HOPE.


So are you ready?!? For Project 16 :: The Littlest Warriors, we will be collecting handmade beanies and bags for kids just like Pierce who are fighting cancer. Pierce’s mom, Melanie, has graciously volunteered to collect and distribute the items to the kids who need them most.
Here are the details:
We need BEANIES (hats) for babies through teenagers. All noggin sizes. They can be knit, crochet, fabric. You name it. They can be embellished with flowers and bows. But don’t forget about the boys. They need hats too. It’s very difficult to find adorable hats and we think this community is the best place to get them. There are a hundred and one patterns online for beanies/hats. If you have one you’d like to share post it in the comments and I’ll put up a post to share with everyone.

And…

We need BAGS for the kids to take with them to the hospital. They can be simple tote bag style or whatever suits your fancy. And if you are so inclined fill them up with goodies for the kids. Some ideas are books, puzzles, crayons, coloring books. The opportunities are endless. I’ll post ideas and suggestions shortly.

As with any Craft Hope project, don’t get lost in the details. Make a bag or a beanie. Make twenty. Get a group together and make bags and/or beanies. It’s totally up to you! There aren’t measurement requirements. If you find a pattern you like, go for it. I loved receiving the sock monkeys and seeing that each one had his own little personality. That’s exactly what we are hoping for with this project.

Melanie lives up in Minnesota and will be distributing the beanies and bags to the Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota, the Miracles of Mitch Foundation, and the Ronald McDonald House. Melanie will also be a guest blogger here at Craft Hope giving you loads of information about these little warriors.

The deadline for Project 16 :: The Littlest Warriors is Monday, March 12, 2012. Please mail the beanies and bags to:

Melanie Bimson
16026 Temple Drive
Minnetonka, MN 55345

How about it? Are you in for it?? Let's see if we can blow their minds with love from all over the country. If you need yarn, will you let me know? I have plenty to share!

Needles up ... and ... off we go!