What I have learned about perspective is sometimes funny, at
least for one side of the situation. For
example, during the recent deer hunting season my husband relayed a story about
a hunter who was regaling him about how delicious suburban deer taste. The residents who live in the suburbs care
deeply for their bushes, shrubs with tender growth and flowers and lament the
destruction deer do to them. The hunters
who later kill those well-fed deer can TASTE the expensive landscaping and he/she
and their families appreciate and benefit from that. I thought that was seriously funny and a
PERFECT example of how depending which side of the fence you are on, (your
perspective), you can relate.
Professionally, for a couple of decades, I have been working
with folks who speak for a living and have matched up hundreds of corporate,
association, government and education audiences with speakers. The folks who I have booked sometimes have
gotten no speaking fee for their time and a few have been in the $25,000 (plus
expenses) PER HOUR range but most have fallen in the 5-10K area. What I have always found is that the groups
who have a really low budget for speakers are the most grateful planners and
audience. If they are a nonprofit and
have maybe $1500 for a keynote slot and a speaker who usually gets a lot more
for basically that same speech agrees to do it, those speakers are treated so
WELL. Those groups really appreciate the
time, inspiration and energy a speaker shares with them.
Sometimes the speakers have told me NO to the reduced fee
invitation. They tell me it’s about fee
integrity and worry they would be cheapening
their “brand” to full fee clients by taking the severely reduced
fee.
It is a whole different world. I won’t comment beyond saying, again, it is
about perspective. $1500 to one group is
like that $25,000 to the other but everyone has a value in their mind for their
time.
Next up is a story about a dear friend of mine. She is a retired Army veteran and had two
deployments, leaving her husband and two children, her company, family and
community to serve our country. During
her final deployment in Afghanistan, she was blogging and I believe it was her
final blog that really struck me. It was
called One Pullup and I remember being amazed at her courage and commitment. Pullups are really hard for woman. I have never been able to do one and have
thought many times when I have a particularly challenging moment in my life about
Chris and her success at setting the goal, working toward it and DOING IT. Good for her.
One pullup may not be a triumph for an elite athlete, but it indeed was
a triumph of body, mind and spirit for Chris. It’s all about perspective.
My friend Richie died a few years ago. He was in his mid-40s. That is WAY too young. Richie turned his financial life around by working
a lot and was saving and saving and saving. He had 4 mortgage free properties
and was paying for everything in cash, setting himself up for a stress-free
early retirement.
I wanted him to have a romance, a relationship and I told
him that. He told me in no uncertain
terms, “I want to retire in two years and the only thing that is going to
F*&# that up is a woman.”
One of the last times I saw Richie, he came to our house on the river and I had painted a quote that was hanging on the wall. It begins…. Love Fiercely, Cry when Worthy …..and ends with Life is NOT a rehearsal. I have a very distinct memory of Richie telling me that day, “Remember, Life Is Not A Rehearsal.”
A month or so before his retirement he was diagnosed with a rare form of lung cancer. Richie fought the cancer bravely but succumbed. In the end, I don’t know if he regretted all that work and independence or not. All I know is every time I hear Melt With You and Drift Away, I remember karaoking with Richie and sigh about what could have been. Life is all about perspective.
My dad is a hard one for me.
He was there when I was very young but not there really much at all as I grew. He wasn’t there when I learned to drive, went to college, got my first real job, suffered my first broken heart, moved into my first apartment, got married the first or second time and I literally had to set up a ruse with a friend to see him in the mid-2000s. He made a lot of bad choices in his life and he admits this. He has been trying to make amends during the past 6 years or so but he frustrates me A LOT. When I NEEDED a dad, he wasn’t there. I was hospitalized when I was 4 years old. I had what I guess was stress induced blood filled colitis. I can only assume my condition was caused by living in an environment that was coming apart into divorce and two households. I remember those several days really clearly yet my father doesn’t recall this at all. That blows me away. Now, he needs me and I’m here for him, but it is not always easy.
Without embarrassing him and now at 77 that he is on the
internet, connected to the world and following what I do, say, cook and write,
I don’t want to say anything more except that I have been cautioned by a friend
who no longer has a father that I need to forgive all that and just accept what
he is now and what we can be together.
It is about perspective and being grateful. I am trying to see things from his side of
life and trying to be more patient and kinder.
My gramma would have wanted that.
She died when I was 6. I have only
a few memories of her and in every one she adored me. I felt it.
I’m glad I had her for even those few years. I know it is more than many get to experience
and my dad misses her every day. She
adored him too.
So yesterday, Kobe Bryant, his 13-year-old daughter and 7
other people died in a tragic helicopter accident. I am not a basketball fan
and probably have watched less than two minutes of professional basketball in
my entire life. However, I know who he
was and that he was widely respected, revered as an athlete, family man,
humanitarian and philanthropist. He was
also really young and had so much more to do.
I can’t even imagine what his wife and surviving daughters
are going through or the family and friends of the other people who died. It is simply horrible. I’m guessing they are thinking about what
could have been if things had been different, if they had more time, if….. so
many things.
No matter what happens, don’t waste your time on those
useless activities. In the end, I don’t
think any of that will matter.
We need to be present, appreciate every experience, good and
bad and inhale and exhale deeply every breath we take because remember, Life is
NOT a rehearsal. No one knows how long
we have here. Make every moment
count! If life is all about perspective
then try to take a step back and see your situations and relationships from the
other side. I’m going to really try to
do better at this. I want to have more
empathy, more fun, less worry and stress, more quality time with friends and
family away from my phone, sing more, publish my cookbook, volunteer more,
exercise more, learn to bake REALLY good bread and see more of the world.
The Secret of Life is enjoying the passage of time. That is the first line of a song by James
Taylor. I love his music and this song,
but I think the secret of life is really PEOPLE.
While we can all count so many examples of humans being
really awful to each other, animals, the earth, property, whatever, there are people
doing good things too.
At holiday times we hear all the news reports about good
things humans do to be kind and I think we should all make a concerted effort
to do more of that all year long.
In a previous blog I mention the two ladies who live down the street from us. There was a brother and his two older sisters and they lived all together in this little block house which is prone to flooding as it sits in a valley. I always worried about them. Gary, the baby of the family, was always putzing in his garage where he had a really nice Corvette, a cool old truck and lots of “toys.” When I would walk the pups down the dirt and gravel road to their house, we would often meet up and have a nice little chat then I would head back up the hill. I gave them eggs and lollipops every time I made a fresh batch. When I was tackling the landscaping around the house, I pulled out a ton of bulbs and they planted them all around their house.
On the visits I learned about their parents, the apple trees they used to have and we talked about the farm and what we were growing. They love fresh veggies and gave me a huge bag of green bean seeds to plant. I grew beans and passed them along.
Two years ago in the fall, Tractor Supply advertised that
they scheduled a farmer day where farmers would set up their wares in the
parking lots and I asked for a spot. TSC
management was THRILLED I wanted to participate in their event. I told the neighbors I would be there.
It turns out I was THE ONLY farmer to sign up so I chose a
good spot outside by the entrance, set up my table and tent and waited.
Nobody else that I told came, but the neighbors did. They bought a few things, I gave them some things
and it was just so nice that they CAME.
That was the last time I saw Gary. He died of a massive heart attack a couple of
weeks later at the age of 60 and on my next trip to see them I learned the
news. I was shocked. I asked why they didn’t call me. I
asked if they were alright. I asked if
they needed anything and asked what were they doing for Thanksgiving. Betty said, “We aren’t having Thanksgiving.”
I said, you must come and spend the holiday with us.
From then on in earnest I check on the girls. Neither one ever learned to drive nor marry. I’m
not even sure if they worked outside the home.
They were now alone. Gary was their EVERYTHING.
I learned they do have a nephew nearby but I have never seen anyone over there so I make it a point to check in and bring them soups and stews and whatnot when I cook and make sure they are ok. They sold all of Gary’s vehicles and arranged for a service to take them shopping and to doctor appointments.
The girls spend Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter holidays with us. They came for my dad’s birthday dinner this year too. Dad is in charge of bringing “his girlfriends” to the house and depositing them back home safely. I know he gets a kick out of it. I was really glad they came to the Fall Festival and it is a pure delight for me to see them smiling and having fun.
At Thanksgiving we were talking about the oil lamps that I collect
and one of the gals said they have a bunch of them.
A few days later I stopped in with eggs and they presented
me with 15 antique oil lamps and I swear none of them have ever been lit.
I have them filled with red and clear lamp oil and have been
enjoying the warm glow and that delightful smell lamp oil brings to the air
when it burns. They are so beautiful. I just LOVE them. I can’t
WAIT for Christmas day to show the girls.
They have little in property but
had something they weren’t using that I would appreciate and they gave. They GAVE.
This makes me weepy every time I think about it.
I asked my friends and family for examples of kindness they have experienced or given and I was overjoyed to read some amazing tales from a total stranger being present when my cousin lost her first husband and father of her children to a car accident and was crying in a parking lot. A man seeing her distress took her hand and said we both needed each other today. She still remembers that meaningful act of kindness 7 years later. Others spoke of the kindnesses their family has shown them and the support they get and some mentioned the little things I like to do and give that they have received from me. It is heartwarming.
Recently, I was at CVS and there was an older gentleman with a cane and he had these hearing aids he was trying to get to work. He was asking the clerk for help but she was busy. I took them and yelled in his ear that my husband uses hearing aids and I would try to help.
I found the batteries that would fit and assembled them. He asked me to put them in his ear. He told me his friend gave them to him. I was skeptical that they would work as hearing aids are personal and built to fit YOUR ear and your particular hearing needs, but I put them in his ears as best I could. Can you hear me better? He looked at me and smiled and said it was ok and went on his way. The clerk thanked me for helping and it felt good to help.
People, we all need each other. There are animals that need adopted and my
husband and I talk about how we could never volunteer at a shelter as we would
bring them all home, but we can do more and we SHOULD. We can brighten someone’s life, help people
load groceries into their car, be patient, consider what may be happening to
people and give folks a break once in a while.
We can pay a kindness forward and connect with people, give them some
time, LISTEN to them. Sometimes it just
takes a minute, a gesture, a touch on the shoulder to make a difference. It is a finite time we have on this earth. Let’s make the best of it.
I am teaching my Little Sister with Big Brothers Big Sisters
to pick up a piece of trash when you see it, place things back on the shelf
that have dropped, do something to HELP others and the planet! I think by showing up and being a positive person
we can inspire ourselves and others. Let’s
do it!
Since the beginning of the world and life on our planet, we eat to live. We eat because we are bored, we eat for comfort, we eat as members of our communities at fairs and festivals. Many times throughout the year for all sorts of occasions, we gather with family and friends and EAT. We eat special foods or fast for religious reasons. Food is a huge part of our lives. Do you attend meetings for work or groups that you belong to? Inevitably, food will be available.
We are in the throes of holiday merriment now and
overindulgence is the rule, not the exception.
As I write this blog, I am also working on the list of ingredients I
need to purchase and prepare for a event I am catering next week. Food is on my mind pretty much all the
time!!!!
So, what kinds of food should we be ingesting? Do you find the bombardment of commercials,
news reports, documentaries, books, the news, magazine articles, food and
travel networks and cooking shows espousing their ideas contradictory and
confusing? I sure do.
Food is very important to me. I plan my gardens and crops carefully, tenderly tend to each plant hoping it reaches a delicious and nutritious end, and feel sad when things go wrong. After the plants are done producing, I save seeds to help propagate the next crop. I am always seeking new plants to grow and I rely on our bees to pollinate pretty much everything. As a cook I care deeply about what I prepare for myself, loved ones and clients alike and am always interested in what the newest science might be saying about the type of diet to which we humans should be subscribing.
I have read many books that discuss what we eat and why we
should avoid certain foods. For me it
started with Wheat Belly by William Davis MD and that book pretty
much convinced me that the wheat we consume now is not the same wheat with
which our grandmothers baked bread. The
wheat that most of our commercially produced food is made from has been
genetically changed. While in some cases,
there is a good argument for GMO foods, in this case the truth seems to be that
wheat as we know it, is a fast producing, disease resistant dwarf wheat which
has led to all these celiac issues.
So, after reading that, I started looking for sources of ancient grains and for the most part avoided traditional wheat products. I had stopped eating cereal years before.
Then my friend Amy gave me a book called Omnivore’s
Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan and I was
entranced. Read that book too. Both
books really delve into what we eat, how foods are produced and explores ideas
of what we should consider is food.
We all know that if you want to be a healthy person, you
should eat less (or no) processed foods, we know it. Yet, 75% of the grocery stores are filled
with packaged crap and new “foods” are being invented every day to keep up with
the demand we have for JUNK. Don’t get
me wrong. I have eaten A LOT of that
crap in my life. I still walk by Kraft Macaroni and cheese or Poptarts
(Cherry or brown sugar and cinnamon were my favs) and remember EXACTLY how they
taste. I enjoyed the heck out of those
things but now I care more about what that stuff does to my body that I just
can’t eat them anymore and I will encourage you to avoid such items as well.
About 18 months ago we watched a show on Netflix called The
Magic Pill. At the end of that
program we decided to make some big changes to what we ate. The gist of that show boils down to a few
simple things. Mainly, that SUGAR IS
EVIL. If we took only one thing from
that show, it was that cancer cells need sugar to reproduce. You eliminate sugar from your diet, you WILL
be healthier. Of course all the sugar
consumption in our country has resulted in an epidemic of public health problems,
diabetes being the main one.
Basically, they were touting the Ketogenic diet which recommends
70-80% of your daily calories come from animal or plant FAT, eating an adequate
portion of protein (fist size) and the rest of your foods should be plant
material. They were of the opinion that
we should concentrate on low carb veggies and limit fruits and with this diet,
we could heal our bodies and reduce symptoms of autism, cancer and more. It was REALLY convincing. Basically, you are training your body to burn
FAT for energy instead of the mass quantities of sugar Americans consume which creates
insulin resistance. Stop consuming the carbs
(sugar) and you will train your body to burn Fat for Fuel, a book
by Dr. Mercola. I read that book and his
cookbook and several others on the keto diet.
It is truly fascinating.
So, on our farm we harvest honey from our bees and tap maple
trees. That is ALL SUGAR. They are natural forms of sugar but sucrose
none the less.
I am a major purchaser of sugar. You may not know this but I am the Sugar
Fairy and I make all kinds of lollipops and confections. I don’t consume hardly any personally, but I
am a pusher for sure. I wondered if I
could still make all these sugary treats for others when I wholeheartedly believed
we shouldn’t be eating sugar.
By eliminating most things that contained or broke down in the
body into sugar, I learned a new way of cooking. I experimented with cheeses and almond flour and
learned to make a really convincing pizza crust. We did try the cauliflower recipes too but NO
ONE was fooled into thinking that was PIZZA.
My husband’s acid reflux disappeared with keto and as men will do, he
dropped 30 pounds like INSTANTLY. I
stopped drinking wine which is sadly all sugar.
I learned about Stevia, erythritol and xylitol and could use those to
sweeten items so we never felt we were missing out on treats. I can even make a grain-free cookie that will
knock your socks off.
As with anything, 21 days of doing something makes it a
habit so now when we are being strict, I just avoid most carbs and never feel
deprived. If eating out, there are tons
of low carb and keto-friendly options and if I am given bread, I take it home
for the dogs or chickens. My weight is
really good and I feel healthy. We eat a
lot of vegetables and in my opinion, we have a healthy diet. I control the food in the house and we eat
REAL food. I am proud of this.
Recently though, several of our friends from different camps
started talking about another Netflix show called Gamechangers. I knew it was about a vegan diet and
purposefully didn’t want to even see it as I could see no reason to not consume
meat, dairy and eggs. I mean, pretty much
the whole reason I wanted a farm is because I wanted chickens. I LOVE my girls and their eggs which are
amazing tasting.
Last fall we bought a half a grass fed cow from farming friends
in Erie and have LOVED the meat. We are almost out of that. The freezer is almost empty!
Right now, it is hunting season in PA and Mitch has been
hunting deer on our property for almost a week now. I’m reading a book on raising Dairy Goats and
had dreamed of making my own cheeses. I mean, we are pretty entrenched in
animal products around here!
But we watched it.
While we aren’t elite athletes which this show featured, the
report was compelling. The scientists,
researchers and doctors all had extremely good arguments for why we should not
eat animal products. Besides the
environmental issues which are real, it seems like our bodies would be
healthier if we gave up meat and dairy. Maybe
we should consider this.
We talked about how it COULD work. We are taking a trip to Europe for the new
year and I fully intend to imbibe in Portuguese foods which will include wine,
cheese, seafood and more, but we are
thinking when we get back that we will start with dairy. Slowly we can eliminate the cream, cheese,
cheese and did I say CHEESE? This is
going to be a hard one for me. With
keto, my snacks are nut butters and cheese with almond crackers. I currently have at least 7 kinds of cheese
in my fridge.
On the plus side, maybe we can have oatmeal again but use almond
milk in it. Hmmmm…. Maybe or would we just keep with the no
grains and eliminate dairy too? That
sounds so restrictive and would that be sustainable?
I personally don’t HAVE to eat meat. While I enjoy a few gyros a year, I could
stop eating meat. I did it once for
almost a whole year and it was a Primanti’s sandwich that brought me back. Corned beef egg and cheese….. fries on the side please!
Anyway, so Mitch has agreed we will start with the dairy and
finish off the beef in the freezer and then stop the meat. I think this will be
hard for him.
I am ordering The Blue Zones Kitchen: 100 Recipes to Live to 100. I saw this featured all week on the Today Show. This National Geographic researcher went to different parts of the world where people have excellent health and longevity and learned what they ate. I am pretty sure it is mostly a plant based set of recipes so I will approach with a good attitude and report my findings.
I believe the plant based eating thing will indeed become A
THING and you will be seeing this everywhere.
If any of you try it, please drop me a line and tell me your experiences.
I am attending the school of life which is continuous learning. I’m up for any new knowledge on all things
food.
As I have mentioned in previous blogs, I like to sing, in
fact I LOVE TO SING.
One magical day during my sophomore year at Pitt, there
appeared in the middle of the Student Union a big booth. Within minutes kids started gathering around this
big booth and soon it was discovered you could go into the booth and sing a
song which could be heard all around the union.
From that moment, I don’t think anyone passing through attended classes
that day, instead waited their turn to sing A SONG. I remember an Egyptian girl singing a country
version of Amazing Grace and an Indian friend of mine singing some
Beatles. It was very cool and fun.
A few years later in early 1992, my piece of crap car, with
the check engine light on, was stolen from my unlocked unattached garage outside
my 3rd floor walkup apartment in Bellevue. I was so BUMMED. It was a 1981 Buick Skylark (my first car
ever) and I didn’t carry anything other than collision insurance. At the time, I was making $14,400 a year as a
sales assistant and didn’t even know how to take out a loan to get a
replacement car.
Trying to cheer me, my mom picked me up and took me to this
bar called Gary’s II to show me something she discovered the week before. It was karaoke.
I saw booklets all covered in spilled beer, little sheets of paper and pencils strewn about the tables and bar. I picked one of the booklets up and looked through it. Oh WOW, all kinds of songs that I knew were listed and there were microphones and a machine that this older couple were operating and no one was singing. I put in a song from the soundtrack of Top Gun by Berlin, Take My Breath Away and KILLED IT.
The karaoke guy was like, “YOU ARE SO GOOD. Put in another song and we will put you right
at the top of the line.” Thus started my karaoke singing career.
A day or two later my car was discovered a couple of miles away from my apartment. It had a new quart of oil sitting on the front seat (they saw the check engine light too) but my Entertainment Book was gone. Remember those? Oh well. I was thrilled to find the car and I promptly stole it back then spent fifty bucks on THE CLUB so that wouldn’t happen again.
A week or two later it was Valentine’s Day and I had taken a
chance on something.
I had spied a very handsome and tall man getting his coffee and
getting off at the law firm a couple of floors below my office. We
always smiled at each other and I found out his name was Michael.
Being Valentine’s Day and all I decided to get a bunch of
flowers, leave a note on them and drop them off at his office. Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
I waited all day for some phone call or a visit or something
and when 5 o’clock came and went I went down to the office to see what happened
to my flowers. It was reported to me
that HIS GIRLFRIEND HAD PICKED THEM UP.
Well, here I was bummed again.
So, single as could be, I got my friend Heather and we went
back to Gary’s II to drown our dateless sorrows and sing a few songs. It was that night that I found my singing
partner, Scott, and we have been dueting now for 27 years. Scott is my best male friend and about the
best singer I know!!!!
That night Heather sang her first karaoke song holding my
hand and sitting on the stage. She sang The Rose and I will never
forget that. That night started hundreds
of karaoke nights for us and we still get together to belt out a few classics and
try new songs as often as we can.
Since then, I have sung thousands of songs and every town I
visit I seek out a karaoke bar. I have
waited 4 hours to sing one song at Cat’s Meow in New Orleans. What is cool about this place is there are
HUGE crowds there and everyone is INTO the karaoke. It is nice when people actually listen to the
singing.
I have sung 99 Red Balloons in Germany and was surprised
that no one cared. The song is by a
German artist so I thought it would be cool.
Apparently, I was the only one! 😊
I have won contests and lost more, I have seen shy as can be
wallflowers grab onto the microphone with clenched fists and leave the stage
confident and exhilarated. I tell you
EVERYONE wants to be a rock star. Even you, yup you!
Back in the early days when we would sing at Mad Anthony’s
in my hometown, I remember the Fox’s Pizza Den delivery guy popped in and sang Lady,
by Kenny Rogers and it was AMAZING. I
remember it decades later because he was SO GOOD.
We recently had probably our 15th private karaoke
gig. I am older now and have some resources. Instead of going to smoky bars and waiting 30
minutes between songs, for special occasions or if we just really feel like
having a party, we hire our own professional karaoke DJ. I can tell you if there is karaoke at one of
my parties, I don’t even talk to anyone
at the party. I work on the food and just sing and encourage others to
sing. I’m apologizing now to everyone
who has ever attended any of my parties and I didn’t talk much to you! Sorry, not sorry… see line one of this
blog. I LOVE TO SING!!!
This last party that we had was very special. It was the first time we ever had a karaoke
bash at someone else’s house and many people had never sung karaoke before so I
knew this was going to be FUN.
In attendance were captains of international banking, lawyers,
a chief grievance officer for the US Postal Service Pittsburgh Metro area, a titan of Pittsburgh retail, a transportation
specialist, and folks who work in all kinds of areas. Within an hour or so, everyone was singing and
dancing and having a SUPER time. Yes,
many people need some or a lot of liquid courage to get on up there, but many
are just raring to go and seeing stars in their eyes. It is a terrific way to let loose.
I’m seeing my favorite high school pal this coming Wednesday,
the day before Thanksgiving for some karaoke and I can’t wait for her visit back
home and to sing with her!! It is the
busiest party night of the year so I hear.
This holiday season I encourage any and all karaoke virgins to get your sing on and hit me up for some karaoke. I’ll be happy to show you the ropes!!!! Sing it loud peeps and sing it proud! #karaokerocks #pghsinger
I love being a dog mom and I can’t imagine my life being
complete without a big dog or two. I
have cared for dogs only in adulthood beginning with a 4 ½ year old chocolate
lab we named Sophie that we acquired in the late 90s. Sophie was apparently a breeding dog as
everyone loves those rare chocolates and seemingly had never been walked on a
leash nor lived outside of a cage environment.
She was tattooed on her udder 4A26.
I will never forget that!
Sophie needed to be taught how to do everything except be a
loving and sweet dog. I enjoyed Soph so
much that when the same neighbor who told me about her said, there are more
dogs that need rescued, let’s go, I did.
These labs were in a situation as I remember it where their owner suffered from depression, had stopped taking her medicine and the dogs were in peril. There had been a lot of them apparently.
I went to the house that the dogs had been moved to and
there was this smaller two year old black lab tied up in the house barking her
head off. My lack of dog owning
experience made me not have any concerns about a dog tied up INSIDE the
house. I liked her size as a dog that I
could probably handle so with zero questions to the current caregiver, much to
her assured relief, I loaded up this dog and took her home. I named her Carly. She was 60 pounds and took to Sophie right
away and she also loved me and my husband but anyone else, eh…. not so
much. OK, so I now had one dog who loved
everyone and another one who scared anyone coming close to me, the house or
anything that was the family unit. Now,
I was beginning to understand why she was tied up in the house.
This girl was not particularly friendly but boy was she
smart. I started teaching her words and
her ability to comprehend language was really remarkable to me. I LOVED my Carlycue. She and I definitely had a strong bond. She was my constant companion and had the
funniest sleep rituals which started on a particular side of the couch. If we had a guest who was sitting there when
sleepytime came, Carly would stare them down till they moved. No other spot would do. When she was ready to
go to bed for real, she would pick up this giant purple stuffed alligator toy
and take it upstairs to bed with her.
She was just a dear to me.
I feel very bad when I think of one thing. Carly incessantly licked her paws. The vet said she was anxious, which I am sure
was true and gave me a spray to treat her paws.
What we didn’t know then and I’m ashamed to admit it now, Carly most
likely had an allergy to the lamb and rice that we fed her. Today we know that people and animals may be
allergic or sensitive to grains and I beat myself up about the fact that she
would have had a better quality of life if I fed her a grain free or even a raw
diet.
We had Carly till she was 9.
She did mellow a bit with time and so much so that in her last year of
life, neighborhood kids who were home schooled walked both dogs while we worked
away from the house.
Carly developed a tumor in her colon so for the last nine months of her life she took stool softeners and still had a hard time passing poop. She would look at me with those amazingly emotional brown eyes and I knew that she KNEW, something was really wrong. During the night she woke up and tried to poop every two hours which was really hard on me with the constant interrupted sleep but as a committed dog owner, I was willing to do whatever to keep her as comfortable as possible.
When we knew it was time to put her down, we cried and cried and as I write this, I
have to stop and give in to the cry at the memory of all this. It was HORRIBLE to have to put a dog down who
in every other way had so much life in her yet.
She was far too young. In the
song Mr. Bojangles, it goes His dog up and
died He up and died. After twenty years he still grieves. Sigh.
Since Sophie had been malnourished in those early years, she had gum disease which resulted in multiple teeth extractions. She was also covered in lipomas but none of the ones we ever tested had issues. The vet had said she would die of organ failure eventually but didn’t need teeth and was in good enough shape. So, we spoiled her and rubbed her belly and got her really soft beds to ease aching old joints.
Sophie lived till a ripe old age of 16. We took her to PNC Park on her last birthday May 20th 2008. They have Pups in the Park events which are awesome. She had a BLAST.
In the end, she was a very lumpy, bumpy and smelly-mouth girl, but she had a GREAT life and I wasn’t as heartbroken about her when she passed. EVERYONE loved Sophie and remembered her name. Carly was an afterthought as a common black lab and few remembered her name. Of course her lack of putting herself out there to anyone probably had a lot to do with that!. She was just misunderstood! 😊
I had two cats when I first
got married who were already older so with Carly’s passing, things started going
downhill fast. Every time I walked into
the vet’s office, they handed me a box of Kleenex. Over 24 months, we lost them
all and were parents no more. It was weird. It was too quiet and part of me was gone too
not having any fur beings to care for.
After both dogs were gone, I
remember dreaming about them being alive and in the dreams I would look at
people and ask them, ”DO YOU SEE THEM TOO?” It took me a long time to recover from the
losses of those dogs. I don’t know if it
is because I don’t have children, but I really REALLY connect with my dogs and
I missed them so.
Many years later in my new life, I wanted Mitch and I to have a dog. Friends of mine had posted on Facebook about a litter of labs recently born in my hometown of Ambridge and I thought how full circle that would be, so we took a look.
We brought a cat collar and
I told Mitch to pick one. The little
puppies were exactly what puppies are.
They were brown, blacks and yellow bits of fur, small, soft, noisy. They were scampering and rolling around,
piddling and mouthing each other. Only
black ones were left at this time which was fine. We watched them in awe.
We met momma and daddy and
now with many years of dog owning experience under my belt, I saw dad was HUGE
and was mildly worried at the size these dogs would become.
Mitch had owned labs in the
past and assured me we could handle it so he chose one and placed the cat
collar around his neck. A BOY. I had never been a momma to a boy dog.
It was going to be a few
weeks till the puppies were weaned and allowed to come home so we set about
getting things ready. We needed a name. I went through about 100 suggestions then
said BANDIT and Mitch said YES.
Bandit puppy and his littermates were born on Leap year so will have his 2nd official birthday on Feb 29th 2020 but he is 8 years old. He has one gray hair on his whole body, several lipomas now and as Carly was before him, he is SMART. He likes to be with me ALL THE TIME and first thing in the morning, when I am peeing, he likes to get his morning briefing to see what the day has in store for us. I swear to you, he understands it all.
This is Bandit Puppy!!!
Bandit is with me with every
chore. He helps me feed the chickens and
let them out in the morning, he is with me in the gardens, the greenhouse,
helps me cook dinner and cleans up any spills unless it is of a vegetable
nature. Those would rot before he would
eat them but he loves anything meat, cheese, egg, bread, and PIZZA related.
At night, he closes up the
chickens with me too and loves to see the eggs.
He and Bubba, his brother who we rescued from up near our cabin, get
eggs on pretty much every meal.
Bubba and how we acquired
him is worthy of his own blog which is coming soon but suffice it to say, the
addition of Bubba to our family has been a blessing for all. Even the cats have warmed up to him and we
can ALL lay on a bed or couch together. There is definitely love between cats
and dogs which is a first for me. The
only time Sophie, Carly, Katerina and Hercules would tolerate each other was when
momma lit the wood fire at 5:00 pm and laid out THE BLANKET. For some unknown reason, everyone was lulled
into a trance in front of the fire and during that time, all trespasses were
forgiven. When I look back at those
early days of being a dog momma, I think of those winter nights and the love we
all shared staring at the dancing flames and am content.
If you are of a certain age, you will remember the television
commercial in the 70s, How do you spell
relief? R-O-L-A-I-D-S.
Well, thank goodness for heartburn because antacids are basically
chalk and just what I needed to keep me occupied whenever the adults were doing
something outside that I wouldn’t find exactly scintillating.
I remember going to the horse races with my uncle and aunt when
they were first married in the mid 70s, and as an only child, I found ways to
entertain myself.
There was an outdoor area near the Meadows track that was
just a simple fenced in area that you could watch the races from. I think now that perhaps you weren’t allowed
inside with a child but I’m not sure.
I remember asking for Rolaids or Tums which all the adults that
I knew seemed to carry around. I would
draw a hopscotch board on the ground, find a rock and play. A good rock could also be used to draw on
concrete. Of course, gravel surfaces were
a bust and harder to make work but a kid with a good imagination can find a
game or entertainment pretty much anywhere and with anything.
There was another game I used to play with a ball. It was called 7 Up and is a simple game any person
can play. All you need is a ball and a wall. I would spend ENDLESS hours doing this.
I used to read a lot too. I mean A LOT. During the school year and all throughout summer I read books and there used to be this MS Read-a-thon where you would read books and get people to pay you per book. I remember all the neighbors I pestered about this were alarmed at how many books I did read. I mean, honestly, I had nothing else to do and I LOVED to read.
Do you remember reading and re-reading the books that you loved?
I
would often finish a book and immediately start reading it again. I wonder now if there was something wrong
with me. I must have read Heidi 1000
times, seriously.
I would take as many books out of the library as I could
carry and read them all, return them and get more. My library card was a PRIZED possession. I love to talk with my husband about his
favorite childhood books and reading. We
are 8 years apart but really in the same generation pretty much and I was and
am still very glad that he has a love of books too. Reading more and more advanced books is how I
got such a good vocabulary, spelling and grammar skills. I love reading so much!!!!!
While these days, I mostly read books and magazines on health, cooking, gardening and raising animals, I intend to get a few novels and biographies and do a little non-work fun reading this winter. I am dreaming of digging in to those books, with a mug of warm tea in hand and a soft blanket plus a kitty and puppy or two all snuggled up. The Howard Stern book about his best interviews is waiting by my bedside.
I wonder if the last several generations of kids use their
minds to entertain them. I worry there
is too much screen time for everyone. I
mean, I get gas at the BP and as soon as you turn on the pump you get some guy
giving you headlines and telling me a bunch of crap on a screen built right in
the gas pump. Can’t we have even a
minute of no digital media???
Hand held video games were just in their infancy when I was
a kid. I had a football game that I
would hide with at night under the covers and play play play trying to keep the
bells from letting mother know I wasn’t sleeping. I did enjoy that game immensely. Then of course there was Ms. Pac Man. I indeed spent lots of quarters on that
game. I am as guilty as all the other
kids of that time trying to master the games in the arcade. I could make a quarter last a long time
though.
As a kid, I did have a Sony Walkman and I would listen to
the few cassettes I had over and over and over and never tire of them. I
remember listening to AM radio late at night in my bed too. There was this guy named Doug Hoerth and I
just loved his show. I was a weird kid I’m
pretty sure. I didn’t have much but didn’t need much and I
don’t ever remember being bored.
There was no cable TV in my house. When MTV came to be I do remember wanting to see music videos and looking for baby sitting work that I could do so I could watch Friday Night Videos. I have vivid memories of watching David Bowie in this banana yellow suit with his hair all floppy just rocking my world. Those were good times and again by myself. The kids were soundly asleep!
My childhood in the 70s and 80s was a simpler time I
guess. We didn’t have internet or email,
cell phones or I-pads. There were only a
few networks on television so we all watched the same shows pretty much and you
had to actually go to the theater to see a movie. It was an occasion to go to a show, the
theater, an amusement park…. It was a BIG DEAL and I looked forward to and
appreciated those fun moments.
Today, life is full of those moments constantly for kids. There is no waiting for things. The kids of today experience so much more than we ever did as kids. Is it good? I don’t know. I liked having things to look forward to growing up to be ABLE to do. There was an absolute separation of children and adult activities where today, there doesn’t seem to be.
I’m going to write another blog about all that. Today, it’s just a rainy monsoon type of
Halloween and I was thinking of my childhood games. Oh and yes, we trick or treated in whatever
kind of weather we were experiencing.
There was no rescheduling due to rains, even hard rains……. What is the
world coming to????
That by far is not my favorite Led Zeppelin song, but I had
been thinking about the title for this blog and that sounded perfect to
me.
I am a music lover. I
mean I REALLY like music. Most of these
blogs have had some reference to music which is no accident. I walk around all
day with music in my head.
Years back there was a movie starring Nicolas Cage and Meg
Ryan and Nic asked a little dying girl what her favorite thing on earth was and
she said “Pajamas with the feet.” Well,
mine is music.
While I usually stay in the 70s and 80s in my listening, my gym classes and friends with kids have introduced me to some really awesome modern tunes. The joy of satellite radio can really keep me in my favorite tune zones with no commercial interruption but that has kept me from hearing what the kids are listening to, so once in a while I pop on over to the pop stations and give a listen. I am definitely a fan of Bruno Mars, Christina Aguilera and some others. I would say though, that modern music is NOT what it used to be. Yes, I am perfectly aware I sounds like a curmudgeon but I truly feel classic rock n roll stands the test of time. To me, there is just so much really GOOD music in that era that it would fulfill me a lifetime and is seriously timeless. I plan to be 85 years old still jamming to Heart, Cream, Traffic, Jethro Tull, Pat Benetar, The Eagles, The Beatles and hundreds of other groups.
When I was very young, there was always a radio on wherever we were. Radios back in the early 70s were small and portable with a rolling dial. I remember 13Q in Pittsburgh before FM radio came to be popular and really loved singing along with the catchy tunes that I heard. I laugh today when I think of the song Afternoon Delight by the Starland Vocal Band which was a hit song in the mid 70s. I LOVED the harmonies of that song and basically would sing it at the top of my lungs not having any idea nor caring what the song was actually about. And though I love harmony, I usually sing lead! 😊
I remember as a child going to see Sonny and Cher impersonators. We watched their variety show religiously and I loved singing about being a vamp, another thing I could not define but caught the innuendo and loved it even as a kid. I loved Chastity Bono, who is my same age, having matching dresses and jumpsuits as her mom Cher. Boy did I want to be Cher belting it out and being really sexy!!!I was definitely trying to grow up as fast as possible. The kid music was never my style. I wanted to be Sandy in Grease or even Marie Osmond. When I watched the Donny and Marie Show, I had a microphone that I made from two plastic spoons put facing together and wrapped in aluminum foil. That handy microphone was with me all the time. You never know when you would be asked to do an impromptu concert. I was READY!
As a young kid, I remember the hours and hours that I spent spinning the vinyl records, reading the inserts and really pondering the covers. Those were the days, man. I think today’s kids have really missed out on a tremendously awesome experience.
I wanted to sing for as long as I remember and I have gotten the chance to sing in multiple choruses, my temples, on stage with a band and have been singing karaoke for more than 20 years. It is still a great thrill to sing and as I write this I am planning our latest private gig. Oh the fun I have creating and then whittling down my song list.
Mitch and I have gone to a LOT of concerts in the past 10 years and before that I have been seeing my favorite musical acts live on stage since 1982. That concert was The Police and to this day, they are still my favorite band. Sting, the front man and musical genius of that band is my one CHEAT if I ever get the chance. You all know what I am talking about. I LOVE STING and except for a few minor songs, love his entire catalog of music. I have seen Sting by himself, with special guests like Paul Simon, Peter Gabriel and Shaggy and the whole Police band more than any other group. I have travelled across the country to see and hear him and am seriously considering a stay at his Tuscan Villa where he keeps BEES. You can actually rent his whole place anytime except for the month of August when he and Trudy are there. You can bet I am planning for my 60th birthday…… we can save up for the next 8 ½ years for that one and ask friends to join in and share those 10 bedrooms and make it affordable, well more affordable. What a bucket list item that would be!!!!
So, since we are 51 and almost 60, Mitch and I have been seeing some of our favorite bands who are all celebrating 40 to 50 YEARS of being together. That also means, they are aging and some have passed.
We saw Gregg Allman a few years ago and I knew something was seriously wrong with him. Apparently he had cancer and did in fact pass away not long after. Same situation for Steely Dan with half of the core band being Walter Becker passing, Tom Petty, Prince.. the list goes on and on.
We recently saw the genius behind ELO, Jeff Lynne and he barely moved nor did he sing his own songs. He had a HUGE orchestra with him and I was disappointed to know his band director had to introduce the players as Jeff admitted, he just couldn’t. I am definitely worried about him. He didn’t have much energy at all but played guitar and kept giving us the thumbs up sign. Things have changed.
The last time we saw all the Eagles together about 5 years ago when Glenn Frye was still alive, we were amazed that is was such a docile show.
Phil Collins did a Still Ain’t Dead Yet tour though that we saw and he also barely moved. His 18 year old son is playing the drums for him. He did pound a bit on a handheld drum but he has become pretty feeble. He has had back surgery and was definitely in pain. Having back trouble myself I watched him carefully and sighed.
The music sounds the same, but the background and some main players are changing as these amazing rock starts are dying off. It is the cycle of life I guess.
I grew up poor, like government cheese and free lunches kind of poor. When you grow up with next to nothing, you really learn the value of everything you do have and also learn how to make the most of what is around you. So basically, I’ve been reusing items and conserving in general WAY before it became hip.
My life is all about thrift store shopping. Many people are put off by used clothing but I am not. I even get bathing suits and some bras there. Don’t freak out!!!! I bring everything home and wash it immediately, air out coats and check them carefully, and take things to the dry cleaner when needed, but there is absolutely nothing wrong with thrift store finds. In fact, just this morning I watched a segment on the Today show about how thrifting and reselling is the NEW THING. (Oh really?) Now, it can all be done online, but to me, the thrill of the hunt in person in the store is GREAT fun!
Every place I visit, I find great thrift stores. Even in the Napa Valley amongst all the expensive real estate and fine wine, there are little used boutiques filled with awesome finds for a few bucks. I LOVE thrifting! I have my favorite places and take 15 or 30 minutes when in the area to do a sweep of housewares, clothing, linens and more.
It is always surprising to see what people send off to Goodwill and the Red, White & Blue on Route 65. THAT store is actually a for-profit store which I GUARANTEE is making MILLIONS of dollars each year CASH. The massive parking lot is ALWAYS full and they move their inventory constantly. They have quite an impressive organization but only a SMALL percentage of the proceeds benefits the veterans.
I have actually found beeswax blocks, antique honey drippers, amazing designer clothing, winter camo and thousands of other items that I use and use and use! One of my favorite items of all time is a pot I specifically use for lollipop making. It is the perfect size for confections.
Some people who I have tried to convince about thrifting have told me that I am lucky that I am a small person and can fit into a lot of different sizes, so there is much more variety for me. I’m sure that is true. I can wear small, medium and large sizes if I want something roomy. I am grateful for that. I love picking up new gym clothes. Gray gray gray is my favorite color and there is never a shortage of cool t-shirts, sports bras, thin hoodies and stretchy pants for my workouts in shades of gray. The ladies in my gym comment on this and that and I always say, GOODWILL……
My husband is 6 foot 3 and has a 34 inch inseam so I am always on the lookout for 34/34 pants and I have managed to find a few good pairs over the years. He is always impressed when I bring something home for us both that is in excellent shape, fits well and looks cool! 😊
Until last year, his company always had a massive Christmas party for probably 1000 people. EVERY fancy dress I own is from the thrift store. I never pay anymore than $9.99 for something like that, sequins or not. Both of my wedding dresses (yes, I have been married twice) were used and vintage. I am not interested in looking like anyone else but ME. If I like something and it fits, I buy it. I actually prefer not to be in fashion with whatever the malls are selling. The vintage clothing lasts way longer than modern clothes anyway and my staple supply of “Little Black Dresses” and the like, including handbags most definitely are used and have been hanging in my closet for 10 years or more.
You really just have to go often to see what is new and find the treasures that fit YOU and you WILL. Trust me… just give it a try. I usually keep a list of things I would like to find so when I get there, I can review and start the hunt. This marionette was such an unusual find that I just had to buy it. It is just SO charming to me and what a conversation piece! The fact two women actually stole him and Dr. Frued from my cart while I was in the changing room, makes it even a more entertaining story. I was definitely the victor in that encounter!
I have decorated
every home I have ever had with finds in the thrift store or from the side of
the road. People throw out the most
amazing things. Call me a garbage picker
and that is no insult to me. If I showed
you the things in my home and cabin that I have pulled off the side of the road
you would be amazed. My dad doesn’t have
many skills but he is an amazing furniture refinisher. He can remove 10 coats of paint from a cool
table, and make it perfect for me. EVERY
PIECE of furniture in both our house and cabin has some touch of his.
Besides the thrift store shopping, reclaiming water from rain to water my greenhouse and the chickens, repurposing an old straw hat to grow plants in and scrapping metal are all part of my life. I even save the water that comes from the dehumidifier for plants and animal use. I have a really hard time wasting. Perhaps it is a little OCD, but that is ok. As grateful as I am to have more resources now as an adult, I will never be far removed from that girl that HAD to get a job at 16 to help out at home. I learned how to work hard early and that has never left me.
I record CBS Sunday morning to watch when I have time and this summer they did a feature on Brandi Carlile, a popular country and folk artist. She talked about growing up poor and despite her success, she said something that struck me. She said, “I don’t know how to be anything but poor.” She was talking about how she lives on this compound that she created with her wife, her band (her guitar player is married to her sister) and they live close to the land. She did splurge on a backhoe and operates it herself. I just loved that.
It feels REAL to me to be a conserver of seeds, grower of food, mother of animals, maker of natural medicinal remedies and picker up of litter! I try every day to be my authentic self and look for opportunities to reuse, recycle, repurpose and reclaim. I guarantee you when I walk the dogs today, I will inevitably see beer cans strewn about and laying on the sides of the road. I will pick those up and add them to my stash of cans and other aluminum that I will haul to the scrapyard. There is shopping there too. They always have an unusual collection of metal items. Last week I picked up horse shoes to set up a game here at the farm. $2 for 6! Fun fun FUN!
Look out world, my almost 77 year old father has discovered
the INTERNET. I tried to interest him
some time ago and maybe it wasn’t the right time or maybe I didn’t have enough
patience to teach him.
Recently, I suggested he look into getting some lessons from
a local library and this time he was all over it. He got a library card and is so proud of
that. He goes monthly for lessons but
since he is allowed to go as often as he likes, he goes for private instruction
from a lady named Lois who has taught him about GOOGLE. Apparently, each time he goes, he can sign on
for an hour or maybe two. Now he looks
at OBITUARIES. Sadly, this is an
important place to look when you reach a certain age. Heck, at 51. I have more than a handful of
people that I graduated with who are gone.
Dad likes to tell me about all the former teachers he had
and friends from Ambridge and the US Navy who have passed away. I keep telling him everybody dies dad so live
each day, learn new things and keep your mind and body active.
For the past 5 years or so that we reconnected in life (long
story) he has made A LOT of improvements. He has cut out most processed foods
and eats in a much more healthier manner.
He had kidney issues and we cut out exceedingly high and high oxalate
foods and now his kidneys give him no issue.
He joined the Y and takes group exercise swim classes, joined the VFW
for some comradeship and even had a girlfriend for a bit. Things are definitely looking up for my dad. He
lives in a little apartment across from our old house on Neville Island where I
moved him. There, he keeps tabs on the 3
single ladies who also live in his building.
They have formed a nice friendship and he is the designated driver of
Rose to places she is afraid to drive and also takes her back and forth when
her car is getting work done. One of the
ladies does his laundry for him. He buys
the soap and dryer sheets. I can tell he
is happy there which is good.
To give him something more cheerful to explore and investigate than the obits, I showed him You Tube and I thought his head was going to explode when we found all The Ventures concert footage that is on there. He discovered the Ventures in Japan when he was serving in the US Navy during The Vietnam War. Dad LOVES surf sounds and loves to regale us with stories about his intense drumming in the old days and all things NAVY. He still has rhythm that is for sure. If you ever see him just mention WIPE OUT and he will smile a million dollar grin.
I asked him if he ever watched Laugh In and we checked out a few clips on YouTube. I showed him how to do searches to find out literally anything he wondered about, ANYTHING.
Then I wrote down my website address and he is to go to the
library and see if he can find it and this blog. We talked about how this new skill is going
to open up his whole world and allow him to get an email account, BUY things online
and really let his imagination go wild.
The internet is truly amazing.
We looked at recipes and talked about Facebook and how he can apply for
his own rebates now for the Seresto collars he puts on his dog, Holly. It will
be fun to see him get excited about finding his favorite movies and TV shows
from his childhood and seeing what else interests him. Not
that I want him sitting any more than he already does, but at least he will be
hopefully learning something while he sits.
He promises to get up and walk around every 30 minutes or so.
I will next mention online dating. My dad is still very much interested in the
fairer sex and perhaps he will venture into the world of OurTime.com. You never know!!!!!
We are going to buy him a laptop for his birthday next month
and he is to get internet installed with his cable. I think he is really going to enjoy life a
lot more now that he can join the conversation going on around him. We take for granted that we have unlimited knowledge
literally in our hands. I wish I wasn’t
so dependent on my phone and all that it can do for me, but it IS IMPORTANT stuff,
not just Instagram and FB that I look at all throughout the day and I probably
couldn’t survive without it.
Welcome to the internet dad.
I hope it brings you great joy and a GIRLFRIEND. You never know……
My last blog about getting the first chickens had me
thinking to the early days of learning how to take care of them and living in a
really country environment. Change is
inevitable, growth is optional and I experienced a lot of changes with living
WAY OUT HERE and I had to learn to grow to accept creatures of all varieties sharing
my space.
I am not particularly a tough girl. I mean, I am known to scream if I see a large spider or a snake. I go deep into the woods to pick blackberries and years back my friend’s dad, Vic, who had a cool homestead said to me as I set out one day with my berry picking gear behind his property, “There is a snake here. You may see him.” He was right. On one of my treks to those berry bushes, I ran into that snake. He was doing his thing and I was doing mine. I was surprised as he was, I screamed, he raised his head to check me out and slithered away. No biggie. I had before and since ran across some snakes while hiking my dogs and picking berries. It happens! Seeing a snake sunning himself on a log that you HAVE TO CROSS to continue on the trail is a bit scary and having dogs with me who could bark at and agitate the snake is always a little scary, but nothing has ever happened in 25 years of hiking dogs in the wild! I am grateful.
Early on at the farm as I was clearing more straw from the
chicken house I uncovered a REALLY BIG black snake all coiled up sleeping in
the straw. I froze and my heart went
CRAZY. I backed up and exited
immediately and reported to my husband.
The next day he was sleeping in one of the laying boxes. I was thinking he was stealing and eating the eggs. I had heard that could be the case, but it didn’t seem like it. He was just sleeping there amongst a few eggs. So I gently closed the laying box and as the chickens will do when I am in their neighborhood, they all came out clucking. As I gave them some chickie treats, I asked the girls if the snake was bothering them. They said, “No, mom. He just lives here too.” So, I did nothing.
Then a few days later, I was heading in to the “bee room”
where I keep the bee and chicken supplies and all my holiday décor and probably
1000 canning jars. This room is connected
to the hen house and has the door access to the laying boxes. It is a REALLY cool feature and I always enjoy
lifting the lids and seeing where the girls are laying, door #1,2 3 or 4. Well, as soon as I entered the area I got
QUITE a surprise. I saw what I believed
was a TWELVE FOOT LONG BLACK SNAKE literally hanging all around the boxes and across
the medicine cabinet. The former owner
had some things in there and I didn’t see any reason to remove it so it stands
today and houses a knife and box cutter, dust masks that I use for cleaning the
poop up and whatnot. Anyway, I
definitely screamed at the site of that and went RUNNING back to the
house. I told my husband and being an
Eagle Scout and not afraid of anything, he went right out to take a look. He came back a few minutes later and reported
it wasn’t a twelve foot snake but TWO 6 foot black snakes MATING. Oh my goodness! He said
let them finish their business and soon they would be gone. He was right and soon after all sorts of baby
snakes were hanging out around the henhouse.
Since then though, I have rarely seen the snake family. I think they have moved on. I am too much working out there that it must
disturb them. I have unfortunately mowed over a few babies and
always feel terrible about that.
As I dig into the ground to plant herbs and flowers, thin out out bulbs and clear some land for planting, I find tons and tons of worms and the chickens know when momma gets her digging implements out, follow closely. They can devour those worms like nobody’s business and as long as I have work gloves on, I happily pick those squirmy things up and toss them to the girls. They actually eat so many bugs and worms (and an occasional mouse) that in summer, they don’t eat much regular chicken food. They find their own protein sources. It is so interesting.
We have pretty much eliminated the wasps and hornets that were living in the pole barn and attacking me and most of the animals like groundhogs and skunks stay FAR AWAY as Bandit and Bubba will tussle with them. The raccoons continue to come at night and we continually set traps. They like the chicken food too and we have lost chickens to them as well so we have to do what we have to do to keep the flock safe.
We caught a possum last week and let her go of course. She just marched on off towards the pond.
The neighbor farm had a nice gaggle of grey geese who now reside on our pond and as summer is soon coming to a close, we expect the Canadian Geese convention to come soon.
In late fall at dusk from all different directions for about a week, THOUSANDS of them converge on our 2 acre pond and make quite a racket. They seem to have a set annual meeting and then head their way south. It is quite extraordinary and we look forward to it every fall. I wonder how the grey geese will enjoy all these trespassers this year?
So, in addition to what I mentioned above, there are our bees of course, the bunnies who eat my strawberries and hop around the property and we hear coyotes at night but we have never actually seen any. The cats do a fair amount of hunting of small game and birds but mostly they just watch all this wildlife. It is a paradise out here of nature. I am eternally grateful to live amongst the animals and hope to have more fun tales to relay as the years go by. In the hopes to learn more about insects, I am currently reading this book. Fascinating!
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