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January 29, 2008

It's still winter

Temp went from about 60 degrees yesterday to 12 degrees right now. It's snowing and blowing and blizzardy. (Yes, I made that word up).

As luck would have it, this week is full of appointments and events that I'm supposed to go to. Unfortunately, I'm sick. I've been sick in one way or another for about 10 days, but the head cold thing didn't happen until the weekend. Now, I suspect I have bronchitis, so I'm making a trip to the doctor today.

Most weeks, not much is planned. But this week, I am missing the Dole Institute panel discussion tonight, where John will be featured along with some other bloggers. On Thursday, I'm supposed to have Jury Duty. On Friday, we have the annual Catholic Charities thank you to volunteer dinner. On Saturday, I have a breakfast with the Leavenworth Farmer's Market, so I can learn all about being a market grower and how to price stuff.

I'm not sure I'll make it to any of these things, between the weather and my darn illness!

Anyway, it's cold today. Sometimes, when it is really cold, I let the chickens hang out in the barn so they can get their dust baths and some exercise. Here is a picture I took of Brownie and Rocky the Rooster. The inside of the barn has some partitions where milking was once done - that's why there is a window that goes to more inside of the barn.

I think I should probably paint all that wood.

Posted by Beth at 2:29 PM | Comments (3)

January 27, 2008

Talk to the Tail

Posted by Beth at 11:41 AM | Comments (1)

January 25, 2008

FlyLady Redux

Remember last year? I started out determined, absolutely determined to get myself organized!?
Well, all kinds of crazy things happened last year - bad things, good things, more bad things, more good things, etc., etc., etc..

So, we ended up buying a farm, moving to it, and I realized that I really need FlyLady so I can get all my daily chores done quickly.

So my 2008 Fly Lady Calendar has arrived, and I'm slowly getting my daily chores listed in my Control Book.

And my sink, she is shining!!

Posted by Beth at 6:21 PM | Comments (1)

Oh, wow! There are a ton of heirloom tomato seeds out there!

I've spent the past 6 hours looking at seed catalogs on-line. I will most definitely get some of the heirloom tomatoes from the Sand Hill Preservation Center in Iowa. They have hundreds of tomato varieties available, and many of them are liable to be lost if folks don't grow them. Here is the tomato list - any suggestions?

Posted by Beth at 1:47 PM | Comments (4)

January 24, 2008

I've been kinda busy trying to figure out what to grow!

One of John's fellow Rotarians, Bill, runs a truck farm. He and his wife, Joy, grow herbs, heirloom tomatoes, fingerling potatoes and cut flowers for the Farmer's Market in Leavenworth and for some restaurants. On top of that, they have developed a list of people who get weekly deliveries of veggies and flowers during the season.

I'm a really long way from that! However, I went to a Rotary lunch with John yesterday so I could talk to Bill. Gosh, he really made me feel like I can do this - nowhere near his scale to start, but I will be able to do this!

So, I've been "talking" to other Market Growers on forums, mostly from http://wwwdavessgarden.com - a wonderful website for anyone who wants information and discussions on all possible gardening subjects, including farming, horses, pets, goats, poultry, selling your produce, crafts, arts, etc. It's well worth the annual subscription fee to be able to ask all these folks questions about anything! If you do not get a subscription, you can still read everything.

Anyway, I'm going to be figuring out what to grow in the next few days. I think I'll post links to the on-line catalogs and the items I like and get your opinions - what you need to consider is ease of care and what you think I can get at Market for the produce. Maybe we could make it like a football pool, only with no money involved, just the glory of getting it right!

Anyway, I have also been busy preparing this great Irish Stew recipe I found on the web. It smells wonderful while cooking! This is the second time I've done this one. Naturally, I take the recipe as a suggestion. I added more wine, mushrooms, more carrots, more onions and fewer potatoes and more beef. I'll probably go ahead and make some biscuits, too. Biscuits are always good with stew!

Look for my list of possible plants tomorrow!

Posted by Beth at 4:13 PM | Comments (6)

January 22, 2008

A story from my youth

Someday, I am going to have to scan a photo of my childhood dog, Blitzen. He was a Standard Dachshund, red in color. Santa Claus gave him to our family at Christmas, back in about 1959, I was about 6 years old, my sister, just 3. Despite all the warnings about the absolute evilness of getting a Christmas pet, Blitzen lived a long life, making until I was 20 years old, when cancer took him from our family.

Blitzen was a true character. He had many adventures and was a great dog. Actually, I could probably write a book about him. He had a collection of beer cans that he had stashed in the woods, and would go and pick one out and carry it around with him on days when we were all out on the patio. Blitzen would bring us box turtles, that's about all he managed to hunt, and he never hurt them.

Blitzen also got into trouble some times. He once stuck his nose in a hornets' nest, and when Henry, the man who helped dad work in the yard on must summer weekends, saved his little dachshund butt by pulling him from the hole, the hornets came flying out, chasing both Blitzen and Henry. Both ran into the house, some hornets making it inside, too, and I remember Mom being so worried over Henry being stung, and as soon as she knew he was alright, she took one look at Blitzen and called me in (I must have been about 10 years old at that time - if my sister is reading this, Anne, do you remember?). Blitzen's nose was growing in size right before our eyes. He must have been stung 20 times or more on his nose. It was scary. Naturally, Mom got him to the vet, and he survived, but he lost most of the hair off the top of his nose, and it never grew back right, and his nose was always crooked after that.

But that's not the story I wanted to tell you.

Sometimes our pets need rescuing. Our Gunner got caught in a bad situation last week, and John wrote about it here.

When Anne and I were growing up in St. Louis County, behind our house, there was a woods and a creek and a pond beyond. All the neighborhood kids would play back there in the summer, and in the winter, the pond would normally freeze over, and we could ice skate on it, or just play. Sometimes dangerously so.

Blitzen, the good loyal dog he was, always followed Anne and I when we walked back into the woods, even in the winter when the snow might be 8 inches deep or so, and he could barely keep his nose above the white stuff. His job was to make sure we were both safe.

Once, I remember there being a lot of snow, maybe as much as 12 inches or so on the ground, and my sister, Anne and I bundled up and hiked over the pond, not an easy task when we were wearing about 10 layers of clothing to ensure our warmth. I'm thinking I was maybe 14 or so and Anne would have been around 10 or 11. Blitzen came with us.

A bunch of kids were out on the ice, but just a few feet out, because it was obvious that the ice was not yet thick enough to support a kid out in the middle.

Someone threw a stick out on the pond, and Blitzen, being a dog, ran out to get it. I knew right away that ice would give way, and it did. He was in the freezing water, desperately trying to climb back on the ice. He could not do it. I remember distinctly that some of the boys were laughing and making fun of poor Blitzen. They thought it hilarious that my dog was going to die.

Damn boys.

So, I got on my hands and knees, and crept out on the ice to try save our dog. Naturally, the ice gave way, and in I went. Fortunately, I was a lot taller than the dachshund, and I was only about waist-high in the water and ice. But I was freezing! I grabbed Blitzen, and very clumsily made my way to the shore. I know I was clumsy, because I remember those damn boys laughing at me.

I was crying, I'm pretty sure Anne was crying, too. Blitzen was wet and cold, for a 20 pound dog, pretty heavy! I carried him back home slipping and sliding down the snow on the big hill to the creek, across the creek, twice, and then up the big hill to our back yard and home, were Mom and Dad could make everything better. And they did. Mom got me out of my wet, freezing layers of clothes and dumped me in a warm bath.

Daddy got towels and dried off Blitzen kept him warm. I don't remember what Anne did, I assume she was also ordered to get out the clothes, though hers were not as wet, and get in the other bathtub, in the bath next to the kitchen.

So, that is one of Blitzen's stories. Do any of you have stories of saving your critters?

Posted by Beth at 8:17 AM | Comments (4)

January 21, 2008

I'm going to start talking politics again

I do not think it will be wise for Republicans to pick McCain as their nominee for president. I feel the same way about Huckabee.

Just because McCain was a brave warrior in the worst of circumstances as a POW during Vietnam does not mean he could be President of the United States.

Huckabee, well, Huckabee is a minister. I don't like the idea of a Baptist minister as my president.

I mean, really. Wouldn't everyone on earth just howl if a Catholic Priest was running for President?

For me, it comes down to immigration. Despite the liberal pundits claims that illegal immigration is necessary, I see it as a threat to the livelihoods of many middle class Americans.

I would prefer Fred Thompson, but I guess he really got into later than he should have. I will be satisfied with Romney or even Giuliano (despite their problems, I think they can beat either Hillary or Obama)

McCain is an anti-free speech candidate. He is pro-immigration. He is a bit of a loose cannon when it comes to foreign policy, though at least he would probably deal with Iraq well.

Back to immigration, even legal immigration takes away American's jobs. Greedy corporations have declared that they MUST have the ability to hire foreigners because there are just not enough American technology-trained people. This is bullshit. I've seen it for myself at both Sprint and Cerner - they hire people from Third World countries who often have problems with the English language, and they hire more and more of these folks, many of them fine people, mind you, it is not their fault, and then the companies they hire fewer and fewer Americans. And it happens at many, many companies.

Grrr. I have things I have to do. I'll try to be more exact later on.

Posted by Beth at 12:21 PM | Comments (3)

January 18, 2008

One of the Guineas has laid an egg!

It was very cold here last night, so cold that the eggs I failed to gather yesterday had frozen and burst. But there were a couple of eggs laid this morning that I did bring in - and one belongs to one of the Guineas! My guess, Blanche, because she is always staying close to the coop and pen when all the other guineas explore the pasture, yard and barn area.

Anyway, guess which of these two eggs is a Guinea egg!

Posted by Beth at 4:22 PM | Comments (4)

January 15, 2008

OMG OMG OMG OMG!!!

So, I was googling Floral Sealant for a project I am working on, and this web site came up.

If you have ever wondered about the creative crafty possibilities of tampons (and I have not!), I think they are all covered there.

Posted by Beth at 9:00 AM | Comments (8)

January 14, 2008

The guest room at Castle Argghhh! will soon be ready!

John and I did some furniture shopping on Saturday at the locally owned furniture store in Leavenworth, Sadtks.
We really like to patronize locally owned businesses whenever we can, and Sadtks is our first stop when we need new furniture, because they carry a lot of things we like, the delivery is free, and they are nice.

So we got a bed, headboard and mattress/box spring set for the guest bedroom, no more sleeping on that dumb airbed for guests!

We also purchased a large recliner for John and we special ordered a glider chair for me that will go in the hearth room.

Still haven't decided on end tables for the living room, we are rearranging everything to fit in the beautiful leather recliner for John, fit for a king, it is!

I'll take pictures tonight, promise!

Posted by Beth at 7:43 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack

January 12, 2008

Helga is back!

I don't know how, why, when or where, but this morning, as soon as I woke up, I pulled on my boots and ran outside to the Run of Argghhh! to count the chickens. And yes, I was wearing my flannel pajamas with penguins on them. Good thing no one can see our house!

I slept poorly last night because I was worried about Helga. I prayed that maybe St. Anthony (patron saint of lost things) and St. Francis (you should know about him!) would intercede with the Good Lord above and get Helga back safely.

Hey, I'm Irish Catholic, we do a lot of those kinda prayers, asking Saints to ask God to help us out - because we figure they are really on His good side, more so than us earth-bound sinners, and He will listen a little closer to the good Saints.

Anyway, I ran out in the 26 degree morning air and Helga was in the run. She made her nice chicken noises at me, and then hopped into the nest box, to lay her egg of the day.

I owe Gunner an apology. He wants to herd the birds, and scares them when he does, but he did not injure any of them.

Do any of you know anything about dogs who want to herd things? I need to understand what Gunner is trying to do. We are pretty sure he is a border collie/lab mix, and the border collie part of him is very strong!

This morning, in about a 5 minute session, I taught him to roll over. He is very quick!

Posted by Beth at 8:16 AM | Comments (5)

January 11, 2008

Farms make you exercise! (or what happened to Helga?)

So, today I planned to rearrange the living room, do some laundry, vacuum and clean the bathrooms when I got back from my massage/haircut/color job on my gray hair. It's no longer gray, but that is about the only thing I got done today because of .....

Critters. The critters made my afternoon crazy. I'm so pooped that I just poured myself a glass of wine, hoping to slow my heart rate to a normal speed after running all through the pasture, barn yard, front yard and back yard.

It started out as a walk out to the pasture to check on the horses - I had not laid eyes on all of them at once for a couple of days (they really like the far side behind a hill or two and the pond and the woods). Gunner, as always, needed some exercise, so I took him with me. Kiki followed slowly behind (she has a neurological injury that affects her left rear leg, so we are trying to keep her as quiet as possible to see if the steroids she is taking can help her).

And yes, I love parentheticals. I think that way (you know, always going off on tangents).

Anyway, the dogs and I headed across the road that bisects our land and I climbed through the barbed wire fence to go check out the horses and to cut the nylon cover on the round bale off, so the horses can get at the hay. Gunner and Kiki were very, very good, and stayed right with me. This end of the pasture is a soggy, muddy mess. The snow and ice and rain of the last few weeks have really done a number on it, so it is treacherous going.

We made our way over to the small stock pond, and I spotted Willy, grazing. Pretty soon, he saw me and started to stroll over to say hi. Pretty soon, all 12 horses came over to check me out. I pet them and checked to verify that Petey still had his shoes on (if you have never owned a horse who needs shoes, mud is the number one cause of lost horseshoes - it just sucks the shoes off their hooves!)

Gunner and Kiki were still being very good, in fact Gunner was just laying down watching.

When I was done with the horses, I headed back toward the barn, Gunner ran ahead and lost his fricking head and chased after the guineas and chickens (they all free range from morning until sunset.)

Damnit! Gunner cannot resist trying to "herd" the guineas and chickens. By the time I had sloshed through the mud and puddles in the pasture to the barn, Gunner was no longer in sight. I called and called and called, but he must have been ignoring me, as he did not come back. It was then that I realized I was missing one of my hens, Helga. She lays the prettiest brown speckled eggs, and she is the biggest of the hens.

I started searching for her - the other hens and Rocky the Rooster, following as I checked under bushes and behind the barn and in the coop.

I was getting pretty damn mad at Gunner - had he killed my lovely Helga?

I didn't even try to count the Guineas - they had flown off in several directions, ungraceful as they are, and they can normally get up into a tree to avoid bad, misbehaving dogs who think they can herd birds.

I gave up, and went into the house, with the intention of feeding the cats and Kiki, the only obedient dog around this farm!

I figured I'd go out on the deck to see if I could locate Gunner or Helga from a higher spot.

I spotted Gunner, about halfway down a rather treacherous hill behind the house. I called him, and he did not move. I thought, "Oh, shit, he must be feasting on Helga, my wonderful big, black hen who lays the best eggs ever".

I called him and called him, and he would not move one iota. Damn dog. So I walked down the hill to grab him and make him come up to the house.

I was about 2 yards away, and I saw a bird - only it was a guinea, not my hen. Gunner was very proud of himself - he had found the guinea and would not leave it to come to me. I was afraid that the bird was dead (it was Bill, the Guinea). But as I got closer, I could see the bird breathing, playing dead, I think. I picked him up, and his eyes opened and I could feel his little heart beating like crazy. I carried him up the hill, checking him out, and I saw that there were no visible wounds, and there did not appear to be any broken bones. Gunner continued to walk with me to the Chicken/Guinea Run of Argghhh! I set Bill down by the bird food, and he stood up, and ran into the coop. So he is okay. Apparently Gunner felt it was his job to watch over him, after he scared him half to death!

So, now I'm not sure if Gunner is responsible for the absence of Helga or not. He just ate all his dog food, so whatever the case, he didn't eat her. I guess I'll just have to wait and see if she shows up for dinner tonight. (her dinner, not mine).

I did find a piece of a Chinese newspaper on the ground close to the Run of Argghhh!- could a Chinese chef have come and stolen my hen? Is this the beginning of a true mystery, or a murder story?

Or is Helga safely in the bushes across the street, with the horses?

Stay tuned ...

Posted by Beth at 4:34 PM | Comments (1)

January 9, 2008

Roosters have feelings too!

Ad you might remember, Satchmo, my White Crested Black Polish Rooster, has been living in our garage because Rocky, my Plymouth Rock Barred Rooster, and the hens were trying to kill him by pecking at his head - they pulled out quite a few of his crest feathers, and drew blood.

So, Satchmo has been confined to the garage to recuperate. His feathers are growing back nicely, but his appetite is off, and he seems to be depressed.

John was a little worried about him, so I thought I'd go in and spend some quality time with him. Yes, he is a rooster, but apparently, he needed some attention.

I picked him up, walked over to a chair and held him on my chest and just petted him and spoke to him softly. Pretty soon, Satchmo was actually snuggling with me, making his little rooster noises very quietly.

Then he climbed up to my shoulder and did not want to let go, so I walked around the house with this silly rooster on my shoulder. He even let John pet him.

I need to find Satchmo a little bantam hen who won't try to pull his feathers out so he wont be lonely any more.

Then, I'll have to build him and his honey their own coop in a separate run, so the full-sized hens and rooster won't pick on him ever again!

In the meantime, John and I need to give Satchmo some extra attention each day, and let him feel loved.

Yes, this is corny.

Posted by Beth at 8:36 PM | Comments (5)

January 8, 2008

A late Christmas song/video

Posted by Beth at 10:58 AM | Comments (7)

January 6, 2008

Guinea flying

KCSteve asked if Guineas can fly straight up to a tree, or do they have to fly to the lowest limb and then make their way up higher.

I remembered that I had a picture of one of the guineas flying to the roof of the barn. It ain't pretty, and I think they may be defying the laws of gravity:

Yes, this guinea is flying up, not falling down after being shot!

Posted by Beth at 10:01 AM | Comments (3)

January 4, 2008

Guineas hanging out in the front yard trees

Posted by Beth at 8:38 AM | Comments (3)

January 3, 2008

Against all odds . . .

I am hoping and praying that Iowa Republicans will choose Fred Thompson in the caucus tonight.

I know there is only a tiny chance, but he stands for true conservatism. I've even given his campaign money, and I'm kinda cheep cheap!

So, good luck to you, Fred! I hope they understand how good you would be as President.

Posted by Beth at 5:56 PM | Comments (3)

January 1, 2008

Happy New Year!

I have some goals this year, not going to call them resolutions, because I get those screwed up!

First of all, I plan to link to the Carnival of the Recipes each week - y'all need to go there this week - it's the 175th week!

I never dreamed when I created the Carnival of the Recipes that it would last this long! Shawn Lea has been in charge for quite a long while, and she does a great job of managing who will host, sending out notifications to bloggers so we will link to it, and in adding her own recipes, which are always good.

I plan to take a pottery class at the Leavenworth Carnegie Arts Center. I'm already signed up, and the fees have been paid. Leavenworth is really lucky to have such a nice facility. There are all kinds of music, dance and arts and crafts classes available.

And I have a lot of other goals, I need to sit down and list them all for ya.

Posted by Beth at 8:05 AM | Comments (2) | TrackBack