Packing Up

I slipped on my Wellies and ran up the hill with the doggies in my nightie-night gown this morning. Oh, how I love having a bit of land to call my own. There was no one to see me unless they had very powerful binoculars, and even then, who cares? I found the sheep grazing on the high meadow - the ultimate bucolic setting. I'm packing up Hannah and Luke today. I emptied their suitcases and organized their things in little piles. It's been a long time since I sniffed kiddie armpits and crotches for freshness and not-so-fresh. They are hanging out, just chilling today with their kiddie shows on TV. I'm making them swim in the pond tonight for a bath. Oh, how wonderful to go for days with no bathing and not have a care in the world about it. And they don't even show it! Another mother hen hatched a big brood of chicks somewhere in the barn. She's proudly parading them around. I know Luke will miss the chickens, as he fed them every night and has two chicks in a cage. He says he "found" them separated from their mother and felt he had to take care of them. Hmmmmmm... Luke sneaked two fertilized eggs from beneath a sitting mother. He says he is taking them back to Texas with him. I suspect his Daddy will make an omelette out of them pretty quick.

Mega-Egg

I found the biggest egg ever laid on my farm this morning. It weighed almost four ounces and contained two yolks. I don't know which hen laid this monster, but I hope she's okay. I kind of know how she must have felt, as I had passed a nine-pounder myself. It definitely took time to recover. This egg was delicious in the spinach omelette I made this morning.

Dolly's Dexter

As I was outside checking out the old fence line I have to pull down, I noticed little Dexter, Dolly's ram lamb, wandering over to the new farm sign. I had been thinking, oh, wouldn't a picture of the sign be nice with a sheep standing underneath it. Everyone who has sheep knows that sheep cannot be positioned anywhere. They go exactly where they want to go unless you force them otherwise or pen them in. How could I be so lucky as to be there, with camera in hand, when Dexter decided to wander directly under the sign. If I had a nice zoom lens I could have taken the shot from where I was standing, but, with my little point and shoot Canon, I had to move closer. Would he bolt? He stayed put more or less and I was able to get closer, pretending I was going somewhere else. Remember, most sheep are always on the lookout for wolves and are wary of being approached, even by the shepherd. Dexter is adorable. His mother, Dolly, is a rescue from a petting zoo in Bainbridge, and a lovely, happy, self-possessed sheep. Jim, my shearer, thinks she is a Romney/Corriedale cross. Here is the picture.

WAH-WAH Time

I always get depressed when Hannah and Luke leave. We have been joined at the hip for a month and I love their company. They are ready to go home and their parents want them back, understandably. The Dallas Palace awaits them, with the backyard pool a few steps away from the spacious designer kitchen. Soft carpets will cushion their bare feet and big bedrooms where they can play and fantasize in airconditioned comfort are ready for them. My son, Eric, wants them to "see how the other side lives" and I think I have accomplished that. They go out to do chores willingly every night and enjoy taking care of the animals. They've learned that without daily care the farm animals will die, and sometimes they die anyway, but that's part of life on the farm. Hannah and Luke are great at entertaining themselves and so easy to please and feed. If I am busy with something they just get into a book. I have several miserable projects planned, which are good to do when I'm feeling perfectly awful anyway. One is to pull out these old rotten fence posts and roll up the rusty barbed wire. I'll have to fill in the holes, as I've already stepped in one of them in the dark. That's a good way to crack your ankle. I'll never forget how my poor brother Freddie stepped in a six inch hole and broke his leg in two places. My hillside is full of holes. September will be here before we know it. Hannah is going into eighth grade and Luke will be in fourth. Annie and Eric keep them busy with all kinds of wonderful adventures like sailing, camping on the beach on South Padre Island, and shooting at the range. Hannah will continue her Civil Air Patrol activities and Luke will be busy with Cub Scouts and tae kwon do. I have shows to get ready for and I have to go into school to meet with my supervisor about my new position. Life goes on. I don't know when I'll see them again, but that's life in our global society. Many happy memories to see us through.

Bundaflicka Buttons

It's hot and humid outside, and we needed something we could do, short of swimming, that would allow us to sit still and feel the air from the fan. I had a bag of Fimo and Sculpey clay from our last trip to the craft store, and asked Hannah and Luke to make some buttons for me. They are great at combining colors and pressing out the clay, which I find tedious. We worked for a couple of hours and this is what we came up with. I'm going to have some very snazzy buttons for my Bundaflicka Bags this fall.

Clan of Candace

My dear fiber artist sheep friend, Candace was at the market today, spinning some luscious Corriedale raised by local shepherd Clair Derr, a postmaster from South Otselic, on her Country Craftsman wheel. Very cool to see how she does her custom thick-and-thin, wound to infinity on the giant bobbin. Candace came out with a new line of copper earrings that Hannah and I were lusting after. The circle and square design reminds me of Viking runes and I had to have some. Fortunately, Candace was also lusting after my Mother Fiber Bluefaced Leicester roving, so a deal was struck. Candace uses my dyed rovings to make her fabulous nuno-felted scarves, which was gloriously validated today by a scarf sale. I was thrilled to see five different runs of Mother Fiber displayed in lovely, artsy, designer scarves. I now have new additions to my earring collection so I can be a proud member of the Clan of Candace. Hannah wanted a gorgeous burnt orange ear flapper, but Candace offered to give me the pattern, which she designed, so that Annie can knit Hannah the same hat. Hannah says hats are in down in Texas, where they have hail and snow in the winter.

Market Day

We were set up by 9 and ready to rock and roll at the Hamilton Farmer's Market. Some half season vendors were missing, but other talented, hard-working farmers and crafters took their place. The crowds came out but sales were not as vigorous as one would hope. There seems to be an August slump every year, where, for a couple of weeks, people pick up a few veggies, socialize a bit, then head out. When the Colgate students come back to town the market picks up. I sold a few jars of hand creme and a few bars of soap but that's it. It covered the chicken dinners I bought from Holy Smokes so I can take the night off cooking, and the blueberries I ate for breakfast. Many women were stroking and moaning over the bags, and asking if I will be here next week, etc., but no takers. That's okay - I've learned that they all sell eventually, and I need to build up an inventory for fall shows anyway. I chatted with a couple of sheep friends who are vendors at the market, and caught Susan Carr, another fiber art friend. Hannah and I traded wool for a few pair of Candace Cain earrings. Hannah doesn't have pierced ears, but wants to get them done when she gets home. She has three nice pair ready for when the holes are dug. The rain came as predicted and we took down in a lovely cool drizzle. Back to the farm after a stop at the grocery store for bare essentials and cat food. I turned on the machine and learned of the helicopter crash in Afghanistan. Very, very upsetting. What a horrible, dreary and wasteful war that is going nowhere for no good purpose that I can tell, while our country sinks deeper and deeper into economic disaster. Very, very disturbing. Had to lie down for a while and ponder the worst fear a mother could face - the thought of AJ being posted in that God forsaken place, which is a distinct possibility since he wants to go. His unit was deployed there twice while AJ was in seminary and he feels guilty about it. AJ has been deployed to Gitmo, but that was not considered a combat zone, and he feels he cannot counsel his unit properly if he does not spend time in Afghanistan. Fingers crossed that never happens.

Sewing Lesson

Hannah asked me if she could bring her mother, Annie, a messenger bag when she returned home to Texas. I thought she was asking me to teach her how to make one, and today we started sewing school. Hannah was not very enthusiastic at first, but we managed to get the bag cut out and assembly started. Hannah and Luke only have four more days here so we'll do some every day. My mother "forced" me to learn how to sew in various ways. One way included buying me fabric but not clothes. My Southern grandmother, who we knew as Oma, could sew like a champ. Every once in a while a box would arrive, wrapped in paper grocery bags with white string around it. The boxes contained home sewn dresses for me to wear. My mother could sew, but she didn't like to and was determined that I would sew for her. My first sewing project was a curtain for our kitchen window. My mother ordered fabric that matched the wall paper. The fabric was very pricey so Mom ordered only one yard. That was quite the challenge to cover a window with one yard. The next assignment was to replace the satin skirt on a cocktail dress that had a chiffon covering on the skirt. She had spilled a drink on the skirt and it was stained. I had to remove the skirt from the bodice, replace the skirt with new fabric and reattach the skirt with the chiffon overskirt. Not easy for a rank amateur. I did it and my mother was able to wear it. She then had me make a shift with jacket to match out of a huge print. It also was a success. My mother had kind of a teasing, derisive, sarcastic sense of humor. I remember her saying to someone, can you imagine she made this and she (me) doesn't even know what "on the bias" means??? Hahahahahahaaa! She was right, I had no idea what on the bias meant...but somehow my clothes worked. I've been sewing ever since. I told Hannah about Summer Plus, the fancy summer school I worked for where wealthy working parents would send their kids to learn chess, math, French and knitting/sewing/quilting from me. I showed Hannah some pictures I recently found of happy Asian kids holding up their lovely completed projects. Hannah was unimpressed and does not want anyone to know that she is sewing at all. Oh, well, at least Annie will have a nice computer bag and Hannah will know what "right sides together" means.

Misty Morning Walk

When I saw the sky streaked with pink out the window this morning, I decided I just had to get outside. The dogs and I climbed the big hill to gaze at the lovely vista below and beyond. I was reminded of Lizzie in Pride and Prejudice and how she decided to talk a walk at the same time of day and found Mr. Darcy in the mist. Have to show that movie to Hannah. The sheep were scattered about and were surprised to see us up there so early. Some of them hid in the grass - crouching tiger, hidden sheep! We said hello to Chris at his final resting place where nature is doing her work to claim him. I miss his handsome silhouette in the pasture. Thankfully I have lots of pictures of him. Back down the hill where we checked out the apple trees heavy with fruit. I don't pick them, I just let them drop where they are gobbled up by sheep and goats - manna from heaven to them. We stopped by the hidden pond, tucked under the ridge, where I plan on putting up a cabin for rough camping with no electric and kerosene lanterns for light. Lots of shale outcroppings back there. I understand why that field was left unturned as tractors would have a heck of a time going over that land. The spring water I drink filters through that shale making for a delicious, mineral rich water.

Sweet Blessings

The reality of AJ's ordination as an Orthodox Christian priest hit me when I watched him give communion to his flock. Now he can hear confessions, baptise and bury them. One of Father Aaron's first duties was to bless the honey brought in by parishioners at St. Paul the Apostle's Church. Honey is well represented in the Bible. I wish I had picked some up before going to the service so I could have some "blessed honey" with my herbal tea in the evening. After the service I headed to the airport to fly home by way of Cleveland. My flights were uneventful and I was able to read an entire NY Times, Vanity Fair magazine, and National Geographic. Hannah was waiting up for me back at the farm and Luke was spending the night with his good budy, Shepherd Mary.

St. Paul the Apostle Church in Vegas

Yes, there are churches in Vegas. People do live basic, normal lives in Vegas and they need spiritual sustenance. St. Paul the Apostle Church is a good place to find it. After a day of travelling that started at 2 am, AJ picked me up at the airport and showed me what his life in Vegas is all about. We grabbed a lunch then went to his lovely apartment surrounded by mature trees and shrubs. The heat is oppressive here. Imagine opening the door to the oven when baking. That's going outside in Vegas. AJ took me to my hotel room then went to pick up Mia and their father. I almost got a nap, but spending time with my kids was more important. We rushed over to St. Paul's Orthodox Church where AJ conducted services. St. Paul's is a delightful sensory experience, with beautiful icons of saints and angels everywhere along with incense and the lovely aroma of beeswax candles. The choir and clergy chant every word spoken in the service, very mesmerizing and soothing. After the service we joined Eric and Annie and AJ's friend Mitch at the Ellis Island Casino for dinner. They wanted to hear about Hannah and Luke back at the farm, now in the care of Matt and Izzy. Back at the hotel Mia and I put our slinky satin pajamas on and proceeded to chat into the night. I got a couple of hours of sleep but here I am, up and awake. I think it's 5 am Vegas time, (8 am farm time)and we have to be in church at 8:30. I better try to get some shut eye. Long service today with a reception afterward followed by a barbecue at Father John's house. AJ will be wearing his brand new vestments.

Luke's Socks

Annie knits the most beautiful little socks for Luke. I can hardly stand to see him running around barefoot in them on the floor, but they are so well constructed out of good wool they wear very well. I hate to wash them as I don't want them to get lost or fade, so I pick the hay and dirt out. They never smell as wool absorbs odors so well. Luke loves his socks and appreciates his mommy's work with love in every stitch. Hot and humid here today with grey skies. I fear the dog days of August are upon us. The hillside is grazed down except for a few sections of lush greenery and the top piece. August is when the hurricanes start coming up the coast bringing rain and weather that is not good for hay making. The rams have to come out now or I will surely have lambs this winter and I want to take a year off. Last winter with the weather and birthing/handling issues put a sour taste in my mouth for lambing. I have some old moms I'm attached to and they shouldn't be bred. I want to keep Zack, my new purebred Border Leicester ram as he is more like a dog than a ram and has a lovely, thick curly fleece - just in case. I have another gorgeous 2 year old black BFL/Merino ram with a big, bulky build and thick fleece I am going to offer to Shepherd Mary. She still has my purebred Bluefaced Leicester, Wooster, who is bred out by now. I'll be getting ready to fly out to Las Vegas early in the AM. AJ, or I should say Father Aaron, is being ordained again at his church in Las Vegas. Army people from his National Guard outfit will be there as AJ is a full time chaplain for the state of Nevada. He sent me a ticket and I want to be supportive. Mia, Eric and Annie will be there too. I'll be able to see AJ's brand new vestments, his nice apartment, and meet people from the Orthodox Church where he is an assistant pastor. I have to connect through Newark on the way there, and connect through Cleveland on the way back. Matt is taking care of Hannah and Luke here on the farm. They have a big job to do, taking care of all these critters. I have the larder stocked with Fruit Loops, Frosted Flakes, Coca-Cola and Sprite. Wish I could take them with me but I don't think they would like spending two days on planes with one day in church in-between. Mia and I will room together which will be a real treat as we catch up on girlfriend news, hospital stories, etc.

Enter Beastie Boy

Sean Redmond says I never say anything nice about his father. Matt found me sitting on the sidewalk in Morristown with my furniture in a pile, a couple of dogs with ropes around their necks, some cats in cardboard boxes, and absolutely nowhere to go. He moved me to a shack in western New Jersey and helped me get my life back together. Matt told me he was a carpenter and built houses during the 20 years he lived in Austin, Texas. I thought those skills might come in handy. I told him I would marry him if he would wear a kilt and paint his face blue on our wedding night. He said the kilt was as far as he would go. I found the kilt in Kearny, at the Argyle Restaurant where they serve haggis dinners and hold Robert Burns poetry readings. Matt's outfit rental cost a fortune, more than my beautiful silk gown, purchased from the shop across the street from the church in a bargain basement sale. The lovely forest green bridesmaids gowns were rejected by a bride who didn't like the color. I got them for a song. We were married a couple of months after we met. Can you see the fear in my smile? It must have been those homemade Celtic gang tatooes he was covered with, and the cousin who tried to recruit him for some Irish "political activities" when we saw him at a family wedding. I've kept him fairly busy and out of trouble these last 12 years.

A Beautiful Day

What a perfect day for visiting with old friends. Twenty years have gone by but it didn't matter at all. It was if it had only been months. I wish they could have stayed longer. We looked around the farm then sat in the hay mow for a while before climbing up to the pond. The boys played on the round bales then jumped in for a swim while the grownups chatted. I wished the day would never end. Sally Zuck visited the home of her family in Richfield Springs near here, where her Patriot ancestors fought the British. David Zuck said he finally got the photographs he's always wanted of upstate New York from the top of my hill. Alice Revere, their daughter, recently lost her husband. I was able to talk to her about her tragic loss in person. It was wonderful watching Alice's boys, Seth and Silas, play with Luke. Tomorrow the family heads to West Point to visit their son, Jesse, who was my son, Eric's, friend from Army days. Then they head back home to their farm in Midlothian, Virginia. I wish them safe travel and am so happy they came to visit.

Mixed Bag

I knew it couldn't last. Yesterday I was floating on air, I don't remember being so supremely happy in a long time. The glorious summer weather, Hannah and Luke here with me, no school pressures, old friends coming to visit today, on and on. Then it started sometime after 4 am this morning when I swung my legs over and stepped flatly on my glasses that the cats knocked onto the floor. I tried to twist them back into place but they are not right and I have to strain to see. I got some animals fed, walked dogs, talked to Luke when he woke up and put on his favorite cartoons. I thought I better get dressed, which means exercises first. My routine consists of going into the bathroom where I am free from cats, dogs, kids, and other distractions, starting the bath tub (trickling water calms me and helps me with the yoga/ballet component of my beauty regimen) putting the little fan on, and generally calming myself. The high window sill is just right to put my leg up and I can see the tops of the pines and sky. I go into my "alternate state" and stretch those muscles. When I'm done I sink into the water. After some time I thought I should check my water and it was ice cold. With my funky electric I have to flip a lever every time I dry clothes in the dryer or sparks fly. That turns off the hot water heater, and I have to remember to flip it back or - ice cold water. Guess who forgot to flip the lever last night. Then the phone rang. It is my Commanding Officer from school. "We want you to come upstairs and work your magic," or something like that. I loved my room, I loved my routine, I thought I had finally arrived at the perfect schedule and position for me, in a lovely far-end classroom where I had my teacher-friends down the hall, and everybody left me alone. Now it's a whole new bag. Thankfully she is letting me keep The Amazing Robin, my trusty aide, or I would be psychotic myself. I try to look at my job as a military post, where you know it won't last so you enjoy it and do your best, and if it's not working out you just wait for a better post to come along, but I really liked what I had. Maybe the water is hot and I can get my beauty routine done and end it with my soak in the big old claw-foot tub. Summer might as well be over as I'll worry about my new job, with a psychologist in the room at all times for the very troubled kids, with no Grooveshark and where everyone can see what I'm showing the kids on the Smart Screen. Okay just deal with it.

Surprise Visit

I've been doing a lot of reminiscing lately and I'll be doing a lot more. When Eric went to military school I became friendly with some of his friends who would visit me in Morristown. One of them, Jesse Zuck, lived in Midlothian Virginia. I had not been in touch with them for many, many years and wondered what happened to them. The miracle of the internet recently brought some of us together again. Jesse's mother, Sally Zuck, has a brother in Brookfield and is here visiting. She and her daughter Alice will be coming over tomorrow to see the farm and catch up on events. I'm very excited to see them. So much water under the bridge.

On the Farm

Hannah loves sleeping in her trailer. She reads her books and has her candles and a fan to make it cozy. I always knock on the door when I go looking for her. She jumps up and meets me at the door, so I don't know what it looks like in there. Hannah is not known for her tidyness (she IS my granddaughter)and I don't care since we are on vacation. The UPS truck couldn't find the farm and left the package of books at the post office where I found them yesterday. Hannah can finally get back on track with Passion and Torment, the sequels to Fallen. I flipped through quickly and couldn't find anything really offensive, but then I didn't actually read the books. Fingers crossed. I got into town and got food from the cute little market where prices are ridiculous just to fill the bellies and get some emergency cat food. Thought I would go to the waterfall with the kids but as I was filling water tanks I heard rumbling. Planes from Fort Drum I wondered? The sky began to turn black and the wind came up. My big pine, my wind barometer, is swaying back and forth. The storms come in off Lake Ontario very quickly up here. The sky might be sunny and blue in an hour. In the meantime I'll cut out some bags and do some work around here. Luke is supremely happy with cartoons on and his little game box in his lap going simultaneously, and a kitten or two. I bought him a supply of KitKat candy bars, his favorite. Hannah likes York Peppermint Patties!

Good Friends, Spikey and Monkey

Spikey is growing big and handsome but he still loves his momma. Velvet (AKA Monkey)doesn't seem to mind that Spikey follows her everywhere and curls up with her to sleep. Spikey is turning into quite the Stud-Buck, with good coverage and nice lines, and, he has those fabulous blue eyes from his grandmother, the mythical angora goat goddess, Celeste. There will come a time when Spikey will feel those hormones stirring, and Monkey will feel her hormones stirring, and neither will care that they are related. I have to decide what to do when that happens. Line breeding is okay for one generation but beyond that not advised. In the meantime I'm enjoying watching the pair who are never separated. Speaking of another celebrity pair who are never separated, my NJ fiber artist friend, Rebecca, came to visit with her husband, Mark. Rebecca is a black belt in karate, a vet-tech and a loyal journal follower. She decided it was high time to gas up and make the journey. I think she wanted to find out if this place was for real, or was I fabricating this whole farm situation. Rebecca was satisfied that yes, I am not making this all up, that I am the real deal. They did not stay for long as Mark wanted to find the Onondaga Reservation and stock up on those cheap native cigarettes. They had stopped in Cooperstown and Hamilton and stayed overnight at the Remember When B&B in New Berlin. They reported that the bed was too soft and the Mexican food in Hamilton was not as good as Casa del Sol in Frenchtown, NJ. I could have told them that. I had suggested Blues Concept, a terrific sushi place run by a couple of Long Island expats. Rebecca stocked up on Mother Fiber and I gave her a jar of Patchouli creme. She will go back to New Jersey with stories about her foray into the wild interior of upstate New York and visit to Maggie's Farm. I might see her again at Rhinebeck this October, hopefully.

The Thinker

I was forty years old before I got to Paris. I had spent time in Scandinavia and the Middle East, but had never been to the continent of Europe. I was most impressed with the Rodan museum where The Thinker resides, and the Eiffel Tower. We rode up the Tower at midnight to see the lights of Paris. Breathtaking! We toured the Louvre, where I was appalled to see all the Japanese tourists taking pictures of the Mona Lisa with flash cameras, despite signs everywhere not to do so. The Rodan Museum was smaller and more intimate, especially so because so many of the statues were modelled by Rodan's lover, Camille. Very romantic and very revealling!

Tiny Trains

Wales has cute little trains that carry coal from the mines. Absolutely adorable. Wales boasts many historic castles including Canaervon where the Prince of Wales is crowned. When England finally conquered Wales, King Edward promised the Welsh people a prince who would be born in Wales and speak the Welsh language (which is a jumble of unpronounceable consonants). Luckily, Queen Eleanor was pregnant. The King had her journey to Wales where she fortuitously gave birth to a boy, the first Prince of Wales. Whew! I just wish I could find those plaid shorts. I lived in them at one time, so they are probably in shreds, wherever they are.