Well! An Update!

Shocking, I know, but here I am after 4 months.  I still think about writing very often, but either exhaustion or other priorities trump me getting here.

(This is NOT a complaint as it simply has to be right now, but) my life is not my own these days.  The beautiful mama of the family I'm working for is not doing well with her cancer treatment.  She's been working SO hard - especially on the restrictive diet that the alternative treatment requires - and so it was heart-breaking to hear the results of the most recent scan.  I'm not sure what the next steps will be, but I hope - for her sake - that a new diet plan (should they choose that) will allow her a little more leeway and enjoyment!  She did splurge the morning after receiving the news and had a blueberry muffin that she said "tasted like Heaven and was the best blueberry muffin I've ever had"!  And her not having eaten any sweets, sugar or refined flour in 8 months . . . I can only imagine!!  :)

Bundle of Joy turned five in December, and she's a very mature 5 years old!  She's not on the best of terms with Bopee (yours truly) right now, though, which breaks my heart and has me questioning (in my weak, knee-jerk reaction moments) what I may have done.  But, once my brain kicks in over my heart, I totally understand where she's coming from:  the biggest reason for her seeming resentment of me is, I know, the attention I have to give the twins (and, therefore, not give her).

They are just over 17 months old now and still require 90% of my time.  And, even though I TRY to make time for just her and me (generally when the twins go down for their nap), invariably something comes up that I have to do, and she is - once again - disappointed and frustrated.  And, then, of course, there's the I-can't-imagine-WHAT horrors/fears/whathaveyou going through her little brain about her mama.  She sees Mama weak and sick some times or wearing bandages from surgeries, she hasn't had her normal time with Mama in these past 8 months, she sees her daddy scared and/or frustrated as a result, etc., etc.  It's just awful.  I can only hope with all my heart that, when she's grown up or even an adolescent, these memories (of the bad times and anxiety) will quickly fade.  All that said, she's really doing VERY well.  Considering!

The twins are a hoot, though, and - aside from the recent and occasional tantrums that the Little Man is throwing - doing oh, so well.  He's always been more "sensitive" to what is going on around him and so he, unconsciously, tunes into whatever vibe might be pervasive on any given day or hour.

They both have the majority of their teeth in now - the Little Lady busts 'em through like nobody's business and really handles the pain and discomfort like a champ!  She's just very laid-back - about pretty much everything!  (Unless you have to wake her up early from a nap for some reason!)  Sensitive Little Man seems to struggle through every tooth pushing through - especially those nasty molars.  But, I just think how WE, as adults, would handle such physical torture!  I'm sure we'd all be medicated up the ying-yang and flat on our backs!  ;)

They are both gabbling up a storm now - absolutely sure of what they're saying . . . although WE have no clue what that is!  Little Man started out with "bahh" for ball a couple of months ago and now he's up to "Bapah" for Bopee, and "uh!" for up.  ;)  His auntie, who covered the nights last week when Mama & Daddy were away for the medical appointments, greeted me with the news one morning that he'd strung 3 words together into a sentence!  I don't remember what it was, exactly, but it was something like "I drink milk!" when he'd finished his morning sippy cup.  I'm sure it came out something like "Ah dingh milh!"  :) 

Their mama was brilliant in teaching them sign language early, and I think this is KEY in communicating with babies who don't yet have verbal language skills.  We regularly use "more" (mostly for food), "please", and "all done" (eating).  It helps SO much!

We rather purposefully haven't taught them "no", so we have yet to hear this come out of their wee mouths . . . which is a blessing because, I know that once they DO learn it, we're going to hear a lot of it!

We had little real winter this year, and so, since spring has come early, we're often playing out on the deck in the mid-afternoon sun.  And, they HATE coming back inside!  Especially the Little Lady!  She hangs onto whatever she can and loudly OBJECTS when it's time to head back in.  :)

Speaking of the weather, look at what we're to expect this week:

YUCK!  We *do* need the moisture as we didn't get the regular amount of snow this winter, but . . . ugh.  So much for afternoons on the deck!

Excellent backing-up form!  ;)  This is the Little Man.  It was so warm on the deck on Friday that I was worried he'd get his fair little head burned.  We haven't pulled summer clothes out yet, so he didn't have any sun hats available.  And, since I was folding laundry out there while watching them and happened upon this t-towel . . . I made it into a handkerchief for him to wear!  ;)

They both feed themselves almost completely one their own, and here is a fun shot of the Little Man playing with his soup spoon.  He is absolutely a character and loves to be silly!

Bellied up to the bar:  I gave them popcorn the other day, and they MUCH enjoyed this over their organic mac & cheese with peas.  Note to Bopee:  food first, popcorn AFTER!  Little Man looks bigger here, but they're actually pretty much exactly the same height.  I think he will be stockier like his dad while she will be thin and willowy like her mom's side of the family.

Little Lady, waking up early from nap time, brought all the blankies and soft toys over to their dog and proceeded to (try to) cover her with them. 

Then, she sat down and pulled L's ear up to inspect inside.  :)  L is SUCH a good example of a Pit Bull mix who should help break all the awful stereotypes!

I talked Mama Pea into putting down her garden plans and come out for a visit last week.  Little Lady was very happy about it and passed right out in her arms.

Yogurt kisses / fish mouth!  He is hardly EVER this messy when eating, but I was letting him play with his almost empty bowl.  I couldn't get the camera out in time to snap a photo when he was wearing the bowl on his head!  ;)

Smiley Little Lady.

Tucker, who just turned 9, got his spring haircut a week ago, and now that I can see what size he really was under all that hair, guess who's on a diet?!

I had fun with this recent picture of Bundle of Joy and her little brother.  :)

I love this picture of Mama snuggling with her little man.  :)  She'd been watching something on her DVD player and he - who hardly ever sees TV - was enthralled, as you can see!

Bundle of Joy's daddy's favorite cookies are Peanut Butter, and since she wanted to make them the other day, we suited up and got down to business!  It was a nice treat for him when he got home.

The Little Lady LOVED her first-ever sip of apple juice that big sister Bundle of Joy shared with her!

My days off - which are generally the weekends although that also changes week to week depending on what's going on - are usually spent in a cocoon of as much isolation as I can get in plus work around my (as usual) disaster of a wee cabin.  I house and dog/cat-sat about a week ago, and it was SO much easier to eat properly just having, especially, the space to prepare food and work . . . but running water also made it nice.  I'm usually flat-out exhausted each work night and have no oomph to get anything DONE around here, so - since today is a rainy, inside day - I'm going to continue to work on getting things more organized and useable.

Yesterday was GORGEOUS, and I got quite a bit of outside work done - primarily cleaning out the chicken coop and doing a good bit of chainsawing, wood stacking, and cleaning up the yard.  (I sure can feel that chainsawing in the ol' bod' today!)

I'll leave you with this picture - I only tapped one birch tree this year, but it's started producing NICELY!  This is a half-gallon jar pictured below that I empty each night.  I was hoping to start boiling the sap today, but - since that needs to be done outside and today's weather is NOT conducive - it ain't gonna happen. 

May your sap flow sweetly!

Thanks for hangin' in there with me!

:)  XO - Chicken Mama

Famous Last Words?

I want to post today, but it will have to wait until later (ergo my "famous last words").  There's a late-winter storm imminent that's supposed to dump 2-7" of wet snow on us.  So (!), I need to get outside to get some things done this AM before that (if it) happens!

Checkin' In

Just a quick how d'ya do to check in.  We've been in perfect sugaring (maple) weather lately:  days in the 40s & 50s and nights in the 20s . . . but that warm, warm snap we had those few weeks ago cancelled out any sugaring this year.  Methinks local maple syrup prices are gonna sky-rocket due to supply & demand!

I was home sick on Wednesday (horrible headache compounded by general exhaustion, I think), and so worked yesterday, instead.  I've been busier and busier at work - doing more computer work for the boss, doing my own orders for the book aisle, etc., etc.  That's mostly good 'cause it keeps me runnin' . . . but sometimes TOO much and I don't feel like I'm giving my "regular" department (housewares) enough attention.  But, that's a good problem to have and, lately, the days have been zipping by.

No segue (other than the weather & work), but I wore open-toed sandals to work on Monday . . . and it snowed all day!!!  Ahhh, springtime in the Northwoods.  None of it stayed on the ground, but I had to borrow a pair of socks for the way home!  :)

I hope none of you are too superstitious about today being Friday, the 13th.  It's a good day for the Pea family:  Mama Pea found out she was pregnant with me on a Friday, the 13th!  ;)

Over and out.  Hopefully I'll have time to post on Sunday.
 

Blog Humbug

Blog Humbug!  I've just been in a mood lately - and it's no mood that feels like blogging.  Part of it is that I'm too damn busy to make the time, part of it is the ol' "what do I have to write about" garbage, part of it is that I need a BREAK!  So, there ya go:  3 parts equal the whole.

The washer's broken, and the laundry is thigh high.  The mower's broken, and the yard is knee high.  Dropped the mower off today to be repaired and also found a possible fix-it-myself for the washer.  (Cross your fingers!)  And, tomorrow, I'm trading some nannying hours for quality time with the washing machine at Baby Girl's house.  Shee-it:  just looked down and there's a tick embedded in my sweater.  Hang on.

'Kay, tick has been roasted on stove burner.  Thank gawd I'm not afraid of THOSE particular creepy-crawlies!


Did you notice that I actually said 'sweater'?  Yes, the weather FINALLY broke yesterday, and its glorious now.  The miserably hot (87 degrees still at 8 PM) weather and high humidity is gone.  Let's hope for the rest of the summer!  That said, I still had the A/C goin' in the truck today . . . but that might have been just because neither of the windows on the driver's side open.

I'm really disgusted with the jungle-like appearance of the yard right now, and that probably affects my mood.  Lawn mower should be done by the end of this week, at best, or on Monday.


I bought a (well-used) piano a couple of weeks ago and had friends help me move it last Wednesday night.  It's nestled into its corner of the livingroom now, and it even sounds really good - although I need someone in to tune it up (literally AND figuratively):  it has quite a few sticking keys.  No, I don't play, but I've always wanted to play something I could sing along with, and the guitar just does NOT come naturally.  So far, I can plink out (with one hand) "Blueberry Hill".  Maybe when life slows down (hahahahahahaha!) I'll take some lessons.


After being on the waiting list for well over two months, I FINALLY got the dogs in to be groomed today.  Maisy is so shiny and clean with her feathers trimmed, and Tucker lookssocute!  I took "before" shots last night and will take some "after" shots to post.


Probably another reason I haven't blogged, I now realize, is because I'm still dealing with these Big Things I'm having to research and make decisions about.  But am still not ready to talk about.

But, my from-March-to-June work with a lawyer that I (may have?) alluded to is finally finished.  It all had to do with zoning and a business idea:  to see if I could legally do it out of Swamp River Ridge here.  And, the upshot is that no, I can't.  That was going to be a secondary source of income, anyway, and there were some big cons to the idea, so it's not a great downer.  And, at least I know now . . . and isn't that what we hire lawyers for?


The other Big Thing has a deadline that is FAST approaching, so I'm actually taking almost two weeks out of the office to focus on and finish that up - the rest of this month and maybe a titch into August.  (August, already?!  There's ANOTHER shee-it!)  That will officially begin on Friday (the two weeks out of the office).  That means, too, that I'm taking no more website jobs until all this has fallen into place.  I've taken one little graphic design job on, but it's small.  And, I'll do as much as I can on my existing jobs from here at home.  I'll have to run into the office from time to time, but that will coincide w/ needing to grocery shop or get gas, too, so that's fine.


The local arts festival came and went.  Our summer one, anyway.  I split a table with a friend this year instead of manning one by myself since I felt like I needed to establish my (gallery) presence in town, but that was a joke.  My location, at just one block up from the main drag, just does NOT garner walk-in traffic.  Lovely sandwich board or no lovely sandwich board.  But, my point in mentioning the arts festival is that I suddenly find myself on the newly-established (but needed) board of directors.  

We had (yet another) huge hub-bub with our director / coordinator this year.  And then, after very publicly resigning the day before the festival, she (within 48 hours) re-appointed herself as director w/o talking to anyone else first (also very publicly).  She has since, rather unceremoniously, been "disbarred" and a board partially selected.  Of which I am a member.  Guess that's what I get for being a fairly level-headed person, huh?  ;)


What else?  Remember my oldest girlfriend who's building a cabin just 9 miles from me?  Whose two little ones I took care of over Memorial Day Weekend?  Well, following that massive storm a week or so ago (when I lost 8 trees), I finally (!) got over to their cabin to make sure it made it thru okay.  And, in the big picture, it did.  But, for the here and now, it didn't.  All the tarping was ripped from it, and the (finished, mind you!) downstairs flooded with between 1/2" and 4" of water, depending.  Thankfully, their floor is one that can take a little damage, but I went back there last night, mop and sponges in hand, to take up all the standing water.  Meanwhile, her husband immediately pulled together all his remaining vacation hours, and, with her sister stepping in to take care of the kids over the weekend while my girlfriend works, he's heading up here tomorrow night to work through the weekend to repair as much of the damage as possible (and make even more progress towards completely enclosing the cabin).  I wonder how his finger's feeling?  (He broke it over Memorial Day Weekend.  Working on the cabin.)


My birthday's come and gone and it feels good to be 40 . . . but it will feel even better to be 40 + a month or so:  when I have these Big Things finally all under control.  And maybe I'll even be able to tell you about them then!  ;)

Hearing Things?

I'm just sitting here, closing down for the night, and was wondering if I heard thunder?  Or is that just the generator?  Pulled up the radar, and . . . YIKES!  I'm up in that extremely colorful portion!  NOW I understand why Maisy is curled up smack underneath my feet!

Wednesday

I've got nothing much to report today.  Yesterday was a grey, grey day that brought the first rain of 2011 . . . although it was nothing appreciable.  Even though the skies were cloudy, a lot of melting occurred, so that's nice!  Today looks to be a nice one, so hopefully the sun will encourage more of the snow to turn to water and soak through the snow mass.

With the loggers working 7 days a week at the cut just down the winter driveway, parts of the road were turning into a deep, mushy, slushy, muddy mess, and I was beginning to feel apprehensive about my ability to get through with the car.  But, yesterday, spring road restrictions were posted, and there's to be no more hauling as of midnight tomorrow.  I know that means that they'll be pushing it into overdrive these last 48 hours . . . and it will also mean I'll have no help keeping the road open should we get any more big snows . . . but, overall, I'm glad restrictions will go into effect.


Due to the wet, slippery weather (not ideal for chain sawing), I spent nearly all day inside yesterday.  I got the two new locks put on the aviary door, so, until Bonzi and Dosie learn how to flip them open (!), I feel pretty safe and have removed all obstacles previously preventing them from getting to that side of the unit.  In addition to that, I worked on cleaning.

The New Me knows that, as soon as I get one room completely clean, I should be able to keep that portion of the house in good shape during my work weeks by just picking up after myself (vacuuming, etc. will wait 'til my days off).  I've done fairly well with the sunroom and living room although the latter was a disaster following my partial dismantling of the aquarium a couple of weeks ago.  So, I got that put back mostly put back to rights yesterday as well as the sunroom returned to normal.  Did the same with the large foyer which is usually my dump-spot / catch-all at the ends of my days.  So, three rooms (pretty much) down . . . now I need to maintain 'em.  I'd hoped to make some headway on the kitchen, but no dice.  I hope I can squeeze that into my day today, during the breaks I'll need from office work.  Got some of my yarn sorted and displayed in a basket, too, and sorted through a bag of paperwork that had been residing on the kitchen floor for a couple of weeks.  EXCITING stuff, huh???  ;)  I had a great talk with my California cousin last night, too, for an hour and a quarter!  That was a treat.  :)

I'll leave you with some pictures of some of my latest hats that I now have for sale at the Chicken Mama Designs gallery.

Remember that one hat that I'd sold and then the customer admitted that it was too large?  And so I made a new one custom-made to fit?  Here's the new one:

 

Here (below) are the two of them for comparison.

The new one is the top one, the original on the bottom.

Looking at them like this, I'm concerned that the new one had too much of the multi-colored yarn in it and not enough purple.  Truth be told, I ran out of the purple and was trying to stretch it . . . but, even so, ended up finding a new purple that matched well enough that you can't even see the difference here.  (Good!)  But, I think I'll check back with the customer and make sure that she's happy with the new one.  There's nothing worse than ordering a custom-made item and then not being happy with it!  And, I have concern that she might not tell me so simply BECAUSE it was a custom order.  Yep, will definitely have to follow up on this.

I call the following baby hat my Kari Toyota hat.  I crocheted 85% of it one day while I was in Superior, Wisconsin at the dealership, waiting for some work to be done on the Yaris.  :)

And, here's another new(er) one.  I picture it on a fellow, but it's definitely unisex.  It was a fun, chunky wool to work with.

Anyway, that's me for today.  Over 'n' out.

So Much For Planning

I went to bed last night only 15 minutes (or was it 30?) past my new bedtime of 10:30 (or is that supposed to be 10:00?) - yikes, better get those details clarified.  ;)  Anyway, the point is that I got up and padded to the bathroom to turn off the 6:50-ish alarm this morning like a good girl, put my bedside light on to keep me half awake and ready for the 7:00 alarm 10 minutes later . . . and woke up at 9:00, the lamp shining in my face the entire time (not ideal if you're off-grid).  Oi vey.  So, instead of my Happy New Year post today, you'll get this abbreviated version.

Maybe I'll have time to write tonight, but I probably won't get back to you until Tuesday, I'm thinkin'.

For those of you who read my mom's blog, you already know that the visitors this past week were the wonderful Erin and her hubby and two boys - all the way from Virginia (state, not MN)!  For privacy (or safety, if folks are gone from their homes), I never like to reveal exactly who guests are until after the fact, but, as my mom pointed out, Erin mentioned in her last posts that they were going on vacation, so my hesitation was pointless.  Still, that's how I roll, so . . . .  ;)

We three bloggers.  Mama Pea, yours truly, and Erin (mid-sentence).

Anyway, we all had a lovely time together, and I'll regale you with the stories and pictures from my perspective soon.

We did not hold New Year's Eve here at Swamp River Ridge as planned because the weather was again' us.  Warm temperatures and freezing rain followed by a QUICK drop of the mercury into single digits made the roads that day NASTY.  And, after MUCH back-and-forthing regarding same, we ultimately decided that, were we all going to be together for the night, it made much more sense for the four of them plus my folks to stay put (or, at least, within the city limits) and only 1 of us to venture out.  That'd be me.

I had no troubles since I was driving the heavy 1-ton and plow, but the drive home in the wee hours of New Year's Day was purdy darn slow.  We'd been experiencing super gusty winds off the lake all day, and that, coupled with the predicted new snow falling onto icy roads, made the 19 mile trek on the highway annoyingly difficult.  The conditions were pretty much white-out, and all I could do was stay close to the right-hand snowbank and hope that would keep me out of the way of the little oncoming traffic there was.    Fortunately, there were few people out, and even the ambulance that caused me to pull over to the side of the road was moving s-l-o-w-l-y, not wanting to further endanger its passenger.


So, after a slow drive home Friday night followed by plowing in the 4+ miles of the winter driveway . . . plus chores and a little relaxation once I arrived, it was somewhere between 3:30 and 4:00 AM by the time I fell into bed yesterday.  When I did wake up, I allowed myself to be LAZY all day, and, besides chores and then some ironing when the generator was running, I "accomplished" nothing more than watching the two Netflix movies that had been waiting for a couple of weeks.  'One Last Wish' was incredibly well acted by the young actor I'd never before heard of (sad, sad), and 'Onegin' (ahn-YAY-ghin) was visually STUNNING, filmed on location in St. Petersburg.


Anyway, that's me today.  Now, I need to jump into the shower and get on with the day.  Next up, New Year's Resolutions!  (I'm a sucker for 'em!)

Nuthin' Much

Good morning from a foggy, wet Swamp River Ridge.  Blech!  We are scheduled for freezing rain today, and, while the temps seem to be just above 32 degrees now and any precip is just wet stuff, it does look like the winter driveway is gonna be a mess out there.  And, I really need to re-plow it, thanks to the snowmobilers.  This holiday week always brings the most activity, and, between the clean lines I made on Tuesday night and then yesterday, it was turned into a bumpy MESS by the snow machines.  WHY, oh why, do they have to ride UP AND DOWN the banks on the side of the road, pulling snow into the road?  Argh!  They can't seem to just ride in a straight line.  And, down at the bridge across the river, there's a big hill . . . which seems to REQUIRE a stop to run up and down and all around it.  This is why I'm not fond of snowmobilers . . . because of what they do to "my" road in the winter!  Mind you, there is a TRACKED TRAIL for them that runs parallel to the road, but, apparently, that's not fun enough for 'em.  Like I said, riding down a groomed trail doesn't seem to be an option.  Back and forth across the road and up and down the banks on the side is the order of the day.  Grrrrr.

Yesterday, Papa Pea made mention of how the weather might affect our New Year's Eve plans . . . because I was planning on hosting everyone out here.  I guess I'll know more once I'm out and about today, and we'll all keep our eyes on the temperature.

* * *

I always sleep with the window above my head open a bit, if at all possible.  And, last night, I heard one of the geese in the chicken yard screech bloody murder.  The protective farmer in me flared for about a nano-second, thinking of suiting up and heading out . . . but I knew that if it was a predator after them, I probably wouldn't make it in time, anyway.  And, after that initial hub-bub, all noise did settle back down.  We'll see what there is to see this morning when I head out to do chores.  (Given this fall's predator situation, I'm keeping the chickens locked up in the chicken house for the winter.  The three remaining geese get to stay outside, but they do have a 3-sided shelter . . . not that they ever use it.)

After a gallery visit from our Virginia friends last night following a yummy dinner out, I stayed and worked until about 9:30, if memory serves.  I couldn't believe how TIRED I was, though, and I couldn't figure out exactly why?!  But, then I remembered Papa Pea's figuring that we'd probably all hiked 4 miles yesterday in the snow, some of us on snowshoes, some of us (yours truly) walking because the snow was packed enough.  And, as a matter of fact, I think everyone save the oldest boy (at 7+) took them off for the return home.  The same boy and his dad and Papa Pea got nearly a double workout during the day because they took chainsaws in hand in the morning to clear the year's deadfalls off the trail for the rest of us.

Son #1's eagle eyes also scored the find of the day, spotting a very cool looking feather in the snow with fresh blood on it!  Papa Pea identified the feather as belonging to some kind of woodpecker, and a quick perusal of the area we were all standing in revealed the "kill" spot . . . and it was FRESH!  It was definitely no more than a couple hours old, if that.  All that remained was a patch of scarlet blood in the snow and enough pretty feathers, complete with "war paint" for the boys to take home as souvenirs.  I really do love it when we can show visitors aspects of the North Woods like that.  :)

Another thing regarding the day's hike kind of haunted me on my drive home last night:  I think I owe the mama an apology.  I need to remember that I take the knowledge of our winter conditions for granted.  I think I teased her a bit TOO much regarding her concern for her boys yesterday.  Concern over keeping their hands dry and warm when their gloves filled with snow after falling down, concern over their feet getting wet when we had to ford small streams not yet frozen over.  It was, after all, probably one of their first long excursions in Minnesota's wintertime . . . certainly in NORTHERN Minnesota's wintertime.  In short, I need to learn how to keep my mouth SHUT.  Anyway, that will be first and foremost on my mind today when we girls (Mama Pea, her (she?), and yours truly) meet up for a relaxing lunch followed by shopping at a private yarn shop (the day I've most looked forward to this whole visit).  HOPEFULLY, I won't have stepped on her proverbial toes, but I need to clear the air, just in case!  I don't want to risk losing this new, wonderful friend!


We got pictures of the three of us girls yesterday with three different cameras.  The images on mine weren't fantastic, but they were okay.  I'm hoping that the others are better.  Once I find out, I'll post the best one, for sure.


And, with that, I'd best get on with the day.  I'm sure we'll make the decision tonight (or early tomorrow) about the best place to celebrate NYE.  If we DON'T have it here, that also means that our visitors won't get to see Swamp River Ridge, but a return trip is already in the planning stages for this summer . . . and, as we all know, that will be here BEFORE WE KNOW IT!  :)


Have a great (what day is it today?!) . . . Thursday!

Another Day of UGH.

Today, it's the weather.  Since last night and with the temperature hovering at 32.5 degrees, Swamp River Ridge has gotten over an INCH of rain.  An inch of rain on top of all that snow.  Ugh.  I'm fairly confident that the road is going to be an absolute slurry of wet, slippery . . . glop.  I was hoping to start driving the car again to save on gas*, but there ain't no way I dare in this stuff.  Besides, the temperature is supposed to drop, drop, drop today . . . which will, ultimately, be good.  But, during that in-between phase, when I might be out driving in it, I'll need the safety of the 1-ton.  Even if it means hauling the 9' plow around.

* Plowing, especially when there's tons of snow to move, takes a L-O-T of gas.  If you're pushing a big amount up a hill, you might have your foot depressed on the gas pedal nearing all the way to the floor.  I filled up on Thanksgiving night and then I filled up again on Saturday night.  That's a tank in 48 hours.  A 25-gallon tank.  Ouch.  But, that's one of the prices I pay, quite literally, for living where I do.  And, that's okay.

For those of you who read Mama Pea's blog, you know that I inherited 6 of their chickens destined for the butcher block Saturday night.  (Here's a link directly to that post.)  Two Cuckoo Maran hens and three hens and one GORGEOUS rooster made up of a mix of Red Dorking and Wellsummer.  I saw Jane, from Hard Work Homestead, comment on Mom's blog that, given the shift in winter environments - from very little snow to buckets of it - that the rooster, previously unnamed, should be dubbed 'Shackleton'.  I love it!  Shackleton, he is!  :)


Imagine the ride home that night, tho:  the day's accumulation of parcels plus two humans, one with an overnight bag, (remember, I was bringing My Girl home with me) plus two large dogs (Tucker's a full-size dog, no matter his 4" legs!) plus a large crate containing six chickens!  I had the poultry inside:  I didn't want them to freeze their little beaks off in the open back of the pickup.  Both of the dogs are so used to having feathered friends around that I wasn't too worried about combining all of them in the crew cab of the truck . . . until I saw just HOW interested Tucker was in the bunch!  Fortunately, once I borrowed a second tarp from Papa Pea to cover the dogs' side of the carrying crate and a couple of bungee cords to firm it in place, Tucker was just fine.

I stole this image from Mom's blog.  You can't tell that there are 6 full-size chickens in that crate, but there are!  (And, hey, I do a "forced smile" pretty well!)

I'd hoped to get the chicken house cleaned before the new arrivals set foot in it, but my recent lack of time coupled with Dad's need to cull meant that the new birds were unceremoniously plopped into a disaster of a coop.  So, no pictures yet of their digs:  it's a disaster!  But, they seem to be acclimating well . . . scratching through the fresh shavings that I put down on a clean area of the chicken house to get to the cracked corn I treated them with.  No eggs yet, but that's no surprise.  Besides the fact that they are fairly OLD by chicken standards, they need time to adapt.


Taking DAYS longer than I'd expected, I finally got the 2011 Chicken Mama Designs calendar finished last night and sent off to the printer.  Whew!  My hope had been to have it, in hand, for my sale this coming Saturday, but there was just no way.  Once I have a moment, though, I am going to post images of it and take pre-orders.  It's my first full-size one, and I'm really happy with it!  I used only images from this part of the state and then listed all the events that take place throughout the year along the North Shore of Lake Superior.  (Well, as many events as I could find and had time for.)  I am a bit nervous to see the finished product, tho:  during editing, there were entries that kept flip-flopping themselves on the day they were entered.  And, for the way I need those events to be read, I NEED it to be printed correctly.  But, the printer offers a 100%, no questions asked guarantee, so I took a big breath and ordered the full amount I thought I'd need for this first printing.  Cross your fingers for me, 'kay?!

I am still woefully unprepared for Saturday's sale, and, as a result, have not done much local advertising.  I should know by the end of tomorrow how it's going to come together, though, and so, if I'm confident enough with things, I'll really work on getting the word out then.  And, with that, I need to get runnin'.  Must make hay while the sun shines and all that rot.  But, before it's gone (okay, okay, no real chance of that!), I'll post pictures from last week's snowstorm.

Both of these images were taken on the main road (once I turn off the highway).

Here, you can better see the rapidly-filling set of tracks I was able to follow . . . but only until they turned off, halfway up the road.

Thanksgiving Morning:  You can't see it very well here, but all four of the tires' rims were PACKED with snow!

Sure is (was!) purdy!

 

Plowing.  This is at the 'Y' in the driveway.  Left goes to the house, right goes to the trapper cabin.  Like my sign?  It reads 'NO Trespassing.  Violators will be shot.  Survivors will be shot again.'  ;)

I had to rake through the snow in the poultry yard to find one of the three outdoor waterers!

Okay, I've gotta scoot.  I'll take some pics this morning to show you the difference now, after the rain!

We Make Plans, and the Universe Laughs

After working a long 11-hour day nannying on Saturday and then a shorter 7-hour day yesterday . . . followed by continuing into town and helping my dad put up a fence in their garden (an easy job but one required by my super-sniffer Cardigan Welsh Corgi, Tucker - more on that later!), I passed on the offer to stay for a wonderful supper at my folks', eager to be home BEFORE DARK for once in a long time!  (Holy run-on sentence, Batman.)

I got home and unloaded the few days worth of accumulated STUFF from the truck and then, taking advantage of the waning daylight, ran up to check on the bees.  They are starting to take the sugar water that it's necessary to begin feeding them, so that's good.  More on that later, too.


I was too pooped to do more than unpack all those accumulated bags while listening to my latest audio book ('Web of Evil' by Judith A. Jance).  Heck, I didn't even make myself a cocktail!  What the . . . ?!  ;)  Mom had sent me home with the homemade chicken (or goose or duck, knowing their poultry) enchilada, complete with chopped lettuce for the top, but I stuck that into the refrig for today.  Didn't even feel like eating.  (Okay, okay, so I had eaten 1/3 of the bag of Salt & Vinegar chips, washed down with a Coke, that I'd bought while filling the truck up with gas on the way home.)  Then, I headed upstairs for a marathon viewing of the last episodes of BBC's 'Lilies', thanks to Netflix.  (I HIGHLY recommend watching this miniseries.  It's BRILLIANTLY done.)

When I'd finished, it was 1:00, but I wasn't sleepy.  Still, knowing I wanted to accomplish OODLES today, I climbed into bed and tossed.  And turned.  And fidgeted.  And tried counting to 100.  Then tried singing, in my head, '99 Bottle of Beer on the Wall'.  Then flopped on my stomach and looked at the stars.  Then hollered at Annie Blue to leave the kitties alone (insert high-pitched cat screeching & wailing & tearing around that sounds like elephants let loose).  Then flopped back onto my back.  Then curled up in the fetal position.  Then threw off the blankets.  Then pulled them back on.  It was like I was a waiting to see what Santa would be leaving under the tree for me!  I was SO looking forward to ALL that I would accomplish today that I couldn't fall asleep for the LIFE of me!  Finally, I slept.  And this is where this post's title comes in:  I woke up at . . . noon.  Niiiiiiice.  So much for makin' hay while the sun shines.  (Sigh.)


Here in northeastern Minnesota, we've been having incredibly unseasonably warm (hot, even!) temperatures.  It was 75.9 degrees in the SHADE the other morning when I left for work!  Right now, it's 59 degrees out but, since the house is 58, I've started fires in both the sunroom & kitchen, wanting to get the house warmed up a bit for the week ahead.


Normally, I'd have fired up the outdoor wood furnace by this point in the year, but the two pumps in it that run 24/7 are incredibly inefficient (and there's not a heck of a lot to be done about that).  And, since I'm here so little, now that I'm a working (outside the home) girl, there doesn't seem to be a lot of sense in heating up the house when I'm here pretty much only to sleep, much of the week.  So, until the mercury really starts its downward descent, I'll stick to warming things up on my weekends and just use my heating pad, when necessary, the rest of the time.  (And, being post-menopausal, a little goes a long way, in regards to plugging that electricity-sucker in!)


On another note, I've been a divorcee for 5 days now . . . except Tom and I didn't find out until 2 days into it.  More on that later, too.  I have a post nearly finished about the IDIOCY that is either the court system or the lawyer or both.  Stoopid, stoopid.  But, in short, it is done, and I got the certified copy of the Judgment & Decree into the mail on Friday . . . which will start the ball rolling towards getting my first settlement check.  I am so in debt to everyone and their brother (including both my folks and Tom) that it ain't even funny.  So, the day I get that check in hand is the day I'll REALLY celebrate!  Anyway, all's well in that department, and I'm totally fine.  It was just VERY anti-climactic when/how we found out . . . kind of a non-issue.  So, check!  Another item ticked off in the Life Goes On category.  ;)


I'd like to post again later today.  I sure will try.

I'm A Sappy Kinda Girl

Today was a good day, all tolled.

Tom came out and did quite a bit of automotive work:  switched out the winter Blizzaks on the Yaris for the summer tires, changed tires on a vehicle that's leaving Swamp River Ridge on Monday (along with his old '78 Chevy Man Truck which served us WELL for the $800 we bought it for more than a few years ago), and together we got the Subaru Forester out from where it was parked in the 'back 40' since we stopped driving it last year.  It's now sitting in front of the garage, but it still needs a little more work before Tom can take it and leave me the Yaris.  But, it's all progress, and we're moving in the right direction!  

After that, we got a good bit of sorting done here in the house, and I think we're both happy with the division of things.  So far, so good!

It was a cool, wet day, though.  After raiding my dad's stash of rebar last night and grabbing their "portable" fire pit on my way home from work, I was ready to build the grate I needed in order to begin boiling down the very first (in the world, I think it'd be safe to say!) batch of Swamp River Ridge maple syrup! 

I laid the re-bar out in the grid pattern I wanted.  Then, I used heavy wire to fasten each point at which the re-bar intersected.  Maisy didn't understand why I was doing anything more than throwing rocks for her.

Then, I got my fire goin' and put the pots on.  Maisy continued to look sad & dejected, pathetic & wet.

Since it's still so damp tonight and there's no wind, I have no qualms about letting the fire burn as long as it will . . . while I go to sleep.  And tomorrow will be another day of reducing the sap towards syrup!

Lastly . . . remember how I talked about those freaky, "ill winds" in my last post?  Well, I still haven't found a name for them; at least, not one that strikes a chord in my memory.  BUT, I have read some pret-ty interesting info about 'em!  (And "the reason is the positive ions produced by these winds.  In the case of these winds and ions, positive is not a good thing!")  Check this out:

" . . . these ill winds cause physical problems such as headaches, dizziness, eye twitching, nausea, fatigue, saline disorders, water retention, respiratory problems, asthma, slower reaction time and host of other even more serious problems. Mental disorders caused by the increase in positive ions are nervousness, emotional unbalance, easily irritated, apathy, listlessness, insecurity, anxious and depression."  When these "kinds of winds begin to blow throughout the world, hospital admissions, suicides, and crime rates skyrocket".  And, as Claire eluded to in the comments section of my previous post, some countries even accept "the blowing of the 'Foehn' during the commission of a crime as mitigating evidence in court"!

"According to the experts, positive ions rob us of our good senses and dispositions, while their counterpart, negative ions, enhance them, stimulating everything from plant growth to the human sex drive.  Whatever their name, throughout the world, [these winds] are known to blow no good."

So, what do we do to counteract the positive ions that screw us up?  We take a shower.  We listen to water.  We install a fountain.  And why?  Because "falling water creates thousands of negative ions" (which are GOOD!).  Matter of fact, "Feng Shui, literally translated, means 'Wind and Water'”!  "Negative ions reduce neurosis and anxiety, heighten appetite and thirst and stimulate sexual behavior."  They also "promote alpha brain waves and increase brain wave amplitude, which translates to a higher awareness level."

In short, get thee to some moving water.

And, with that, science class is over for the day. 

Thursday Morning

So, where was I?  I was woken up this AM by a loud ka-LUNKing on the deck below the bedroom window.  But then, since neither of the dogs barked, I wondered if I had dreamed it?  Nope, a 30" chunk of heavy zinc gutter(ing) had fallen from the roof.  That piece never did get screwed on . . . I'll add it to the to-do list.

Last night was a rough one.  I've made the decision to try to not talk specifics of the divorce here on the blog, but suffice it to say that there was a good deal of crying involved.  Tom and I actually had a nice talk - one of those that reminds you how much you still care for the person . . . but that also makes you sad because you're no longer together.  He's going to come out on Saturday so that we can sort through some of the his/mine/ours stuff (material things), and I think the day will go better as a direct result of our talk last night.  That's my hope, anyway.  But, still, divorce is fairly awful.  I wouldn't recommend it to anyone.  (Unless your spouse is a big, steaming pile of stinky doo-doo, of course, and you hate him/her . . . which ain't the case here.)

Anyway . . . on to more mundane things.  I know I'm pushing the proverbial envelope with the new springtime header, but I couldn't resist.  When I climbed into bed last night (to try to blog but could NOT get a solid Internet connection to save my life), I noticed that it was down to 22 degrees!  Brrrrr!  But then this morning, when that falling gutter woke me?  2 degrees!  Two!  T-w-o!  Holy moley, Rocky!  No sense walking my sap line this morning, is there?!  I read a funny comment on Facebook this morning from a local who summed it up well:  "Could Mother Nature please hit menopause so we can have another hot flash?!"

Speaking of my sap line . . . (dang, I lost it . . . ummm . . . shoot! . . . uhhhh . . . uh . . . oh, got it!), I set the single burner electric element out on a table on the deck yesterday and, as soon as the sun was hitting the solar panels, fired that baby up to begin boiling my first big pot of sap.  I checked it throughout the remainder of the morning and into the afternoon.  Yup, it was heating . . . but slowly.  I figured it was taking so long because there was such a large amount of liquid.  More afternoon peeks revealed that it STILL wasn't boiling.  "Hmmm, it should DEFINITELY be hot by now!"  I know there's that whole "a watched pot never boils" thing goin' against me, but this was ridiculous!  By the end of the day, the pot had been on the element for somewhere 'round about 8 hours, I think.  And still no boiling.  What the . . . ?!

Drrrr . . . . ip!

Ah, yes, the "progress" that is safety measures on modern appliances.

I finally figured out (just guessing and adding 2 + 2 together) that the stupid heating element probably has a built-in shut off switch.  I.e., if it's been on for x amount of time, it shuts off.  Which would explain the water getting warm . . . but never getting hot enough to boil.  Doh!  Back to Square One.  Fortunately, the outside grill has a single burner on it, and so I'll use that.  I was going to attempt it last night once the wind died, but it never did.  And, I was hoping to be able to harness the "free" energy from the solar panels (using electricity), but now I'll have to use expensive LP.  Maybe by next year I'll have a fire pit planned out so I can do it the old-fashioned (and free!) way.  Anyone have an old 12 - 18" high ring of steel they wanna donate to the cause?  ;)  AND a grate wide enough to span said ring?

Since I mentioned the wind last night, here's a question for you.  We all know what Chinooks are (or 'Santa Ana's in different parts of the country), but is there a name for FREAKY winds?  You know the kind of wind I mean:  it blows strangely, and it just feels weird.  Spooky.  Like something's gonna happen.  Something not so good.  

When it picked up yesterday afternoon, I knew it was THAT wind.  And, normally, the winds die here at Swamp River Ridge at sunset.  Like clockwork.  But not so last night.  After going to bed, I just lay on my stomach watching the valley and the clouds scuttle across the moon and the trees whip back and forth.  And, call me crazy, but I do believe those winds tamper with people's brains . . . or our emotions . . . or something.  I think they affected moods last night, I really do!  Anyway, remind me what those are called, 'cause, just like the Chinooks, they are so specific unto themselves that they MUST have a name!  

P.S.  I added a new page in the above tabs:  'Favorite Prose'.

Spring, Sprang, Sprung

Has spring really sprung?  I'm not too sure.  Last Wednesday was positively glorious with the temperature in the shade of the north side of the chicken house reading 56 degrees!  But, Thursday was cooler (although still lovely) and Friday brought temperatures that froze all the hoses I'd hooked up (albeit a tad prematurely).  Sigh.  Now we're having weather that, I'm guessing, is fairly normal:  cold at night and in the 40s during the day.  (Maple syrup season!)

I arrived home from a weekend away last night at 10:30, an oddity for me (being gone).  But, I had a really enjoyable time!  My Girl (pseudo-adopted daughter) is in the final months of her high school career, and this past weekend was the performance of her high school play.  So, her oldest sister and I took the 4 1/2 hour road trip down and over to the central third of the state.  A brother and his wonderful family (who visits up here fairly often) lives there, and so we stayed with them.  It was a very laid-back, casual visit punctuated by tours of the town and meeting Mom and Dad, Grandma & Grandpa and other family members.

And, with that minimal description of the weekend, I feel like I need to get going.  The house is a DISASTER, and I have to get lots of paperwork together for meeting with the tax preparer tomorrow.  Hopefully, the creative bug will strike, and I'll write a much more interesting & comprehensive post about Life at Swamp River Ridge later.  :)

Snow, Snow, Going Away . . . .

March is the snowiest month in northeastern Minnesota.

Ask me how much snow we've gotten so far this month?

None.  I did, however, wake up in the early morning hours today to the sounds of RAIN pitter-pattering on the roof!  Compare that to the winter of 2001-'02 when we didn't get the first SNOW of the winter until March 7th!!!

I snagged a new, temporary nannying gig yesterday for the sweetest little boy.  I'll post some pictures if his parents approve.  MANY thanks to M for thinking of me when the parents were searching for daycare!  I think I'm really going to have fun with him.  :)

Tom and I spent the day in Duluth yesterday, meeting with yet another lawyer.  It was a successful meeting as far as meetings go, but I just felt SO depressed during it.  Depressed that our life has come to this.  It just stinks.  I know it will be for the best for both of us once all is said & done, but if I don't ever have to hire another attorney anytime in my lifetime, I'll be MORE than happy!  


We were talking about pets at one point during the meeting (who Maisy & Tucker & Annie Blue would be living with, etc.), and the lawyer shared her fairly hilarious story, if you can handle black humor:  her goldfish died in a car accident!  She had just picked them up from a friend who was fish-sitting while she was gone.  She didn't think to belt the fish bowl in (who would?!), and, while taking a corner just a tad too fast, the bowl went flying.  She said one of the little guys was all bent up, his backbone having been broken in the fall.  Ohhh, poor little guys!  (But, how funny is that?  "My fish died in a car accident.")

Insert another bad joke:  A guy walks into a bar.  What does he say?

"Ouch."  ;)


Okay, must get on with my day.  The grey, grey, grey day that it is.  With this weather, the chicken yard is diss-guss-ting!!!  Any of you farmers know what outside pens look like in the springtime before things have dried up.  And, I don't want to spread fresh wood shavings 'cause that will just prevent the snow underneath from melting.  So, we (I and the critters) deal with it for a few more weeks.  

Oh, and speaking of weather-related messes:  road restrictions went on this morning at 12:01 AM.  That means that loggers, contractors, etc. (anyone with an axle weight of over . . . something) can't drive on any of the secondary roads until restrictions are lifted:  a mimimum of 8 weeks, and, in most years, not until June ('til the frost has completely left the ground)!  (Of course, restrictions generally go into effect much later than mid-March, too.)  Anyway, point being, yesterday would have been the last day for the boys to bring me my 8-10 cords of birch!  Was it neatly stacked up in the yard last night when I returned home?  Nope.  Dang . . . .  I think I have enough wood left for the Central Boiler to get me well into April.  I'll probably have to shut it down for the season earlier than normal, BUT I have been stock-piling a nice amount of wood small enough for the 3 inside wood stoves, so I can definitely keep the house comfortably warm with those.  Even though we say it every year (and are soundly proven wrong!), methinks it's gonna be an early spring this year!