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Marilyn Hartman Sullivan
True Blue Farmgirl

1138 Posts

Marilyn
Oxford PA
USA
1138 Posts

Posted - Sep 14 2015 :  12:40:32 PM  Show Profile
Enjoying my Monday at home. Did laundry and knit on a scarf this morning. The post came and went with no death sox, and my target is supposed to receive hers tomorrow (guaranteed delivery, but we know how that can be), so I am feeling good about that. Ironing this afternoon and baked some orange walnut scones using Mary Jane's mix. I threw in a few cranberries and raisins - had to sample a couple!

It has been one of those crystalline perfect early fall days. I wish I could live this one all over again!

Farmgirl #6318
"Where there's a will -- there's probably a family fight."
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Tall Holly
True Blue Farmgirl

2305 Posts

Holly
Worcester Vermont
USA
2305 Posts

Posted - Sep 14 2015 :  5:08:25 PM  Show Profile
Good evening everyone,

It rained all day today. the outside temperature was 60. DdK was cold, poor dear, so I lit the fire for her. I thought it was overkill but some times it is easier to just solve the problem.

Slow day. Did school work with dsC and took dsG to therapy and that was it.

Glad to see you back, Joanie. Did you see the fires in NOrthern California? Were they anywhere near where you were. YOu have pictures to post? I like pictures.

I think Steph asked a while ago about root cellars. I do not have one. It might be next on my bucket list of things to make. I do know that it has to be covered on all sides by earth. The earth keeps the temperature in it constant. You could take an old chest freezer and bury it in the ground, cover the lid with bales of hay and store food in it. MOther Earth News had some plans for them many years ago so they may still be on the website. People in old farm houses with dirt cellars would put the root cellar on the north side of the cellar, just box it in and put in shelves. A friend buried theirs under the garage and had a stairway going down to it. They had problems with ground water and had to watch the sump pump to keep everything from getting flooded.

Sweet dreams,

Holly
farmgirl #2499
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rough start farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl

3331 Posts

marianne
The Beautiful Pacific NW Washington State
USA
3331 Posts

Posted - Sep 14 2015 :  6:19:33 PM  Show Profile
Joanie, good to hear from!

Holly, you have hot a couple home runs with your postings. I enjoyed them both so much. You are a treasure. I think the testosterone gang should hang the plywood!

Yay, you escaped the mailman today, Marilyn. Keeping my fingers crossed for you. I was telling a fellow knitter about your "kill" and her husband decided to point out all the flaws in having to use the post office to deliver a package and the fact that you can't verify if someone sips knitting when they are supposed to...kill joy.

Took mom to the ophthalmologist. Got surgery scheduled for cataract removal for both eyes. And appointments through November! But, it will be so nice for her to see better.

Also spent the morning at the salon, but it went by quickly.

We had a nice rain this morning. I actually turned on the heater today. It was decadent, like ddK, I was chilly.

Marilyn, do you know how to do the Magic Loop method of knitting on circular needles? I am trying to master it for a project.
Mar
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churunga
True Blue Farmgirl

3919 Posts

Marie
Minneapolis MN
USA
3919 Posts

Posted - Sep 14 2015 :  6:47:03 PM  Show Profile
I went to the gynecologist at the University of Minnesota this morning. I have complex endometrial hyperplasia with atypia which means this is the type that can develop cancer. I will go back on Thursday for a transvaginal ultrasound and a consult with the anesthesiologist. I then see the doctor again on October 5 at which time we will probably discuss the surgery. I have to visit the ophthalmologist to make certain I will not go blind from the surgery. <yikes> Apparently, I will be getting a robotic surgery in which there will only be a couple holes in my stomach and my body with have the feet elevated. I'll have to look all this up. The anticipation of this event is bothering me terribly and it is still not certain if I have cancer.

Marie, Sister #5142
Farmgirl of the Month May 2014

Try everything once and the fun things twice.
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rough start farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl

3331 Posts

marianne
The Beautiful Pacific NW Washington State
USA
3331 Posts

Posted - Sep 14 2015 :  9:49:43 PM  Show Profile
Oh, Marie.I'm so sorry. Make sure you get your questions answered. I don't understand the blindness connection. Wish I could send you comfort.
Mar
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churunga
True Blue Farmgirl

3919 Posts

Marie
Minneapolis MN
USA
3919 Posts

Posted - Sep 15 2015 :  06:28:05 AM  Show Profile
Because the body is tilted downward toward the head, pressure builds up in the eyes and could cause permanent blindness. This is most common in persons with glaucoma. I do not have that although I do have a detached retina in my left eye. That is the concern.

Marie, Sister #5142
Farmgirl of the Month May 2014

Try everything once and the fun things twice.
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Marilyn Hartman Sullivan
True Blue Farmgirl

1138 Posts

Marilyn
Oxford PA
USA
1138 Posts

Posted - Sep 15 2015 :  06:43:57 AM  Show Profile
Marie -- I am sending all the good vibes your way. At our maturity, we know that the anticipation is generally way worse than the actual event, but that doesn't help much, does it? I guess I just have a very good feeling that you are going to come through this with flying colors, and knowing you -- you will have learned something very special from the experience that you will internalize and make a part of your person. I think you are just good that way.

Mar -- My Dude has been going on and on about the vagaries of the postal system vis-a-vis this contest. Sigh. I told him it's just a game -- that's all -- a game -- we all know that posting a package from New Zealand to Wales or Coatesville, PA to Dublin can be tricky, but that's part of the fun of it!!! If it was just who knits fastest, there wouldn't be much reason to play and almost nobody would enter. This way, we get to chat online and raise money for a good cause and meet some new knitters -- besides getting the great sock patterns. I checked the tracking this morning, and my target should be receiving her sox today. I won't be home to see my incoming mail until about 5:00, so I think I am good for today. Then again -- who knows whether my sniper has even finished the sox for me.....it's all in fun.

Holly -- Lots of people out home (Western Washington) had root cellars when I was growing up (Although some people would say I never quite finished!!!) and they were usually built into a bank so there were fewer sides to construct. Not sure how much hillside you have to work with. People kept all their root vegetables in there, and apples, of course. It was always a little bit spooky and earthy going down into the cellars -- we loved it!!! My aunt in Indiana had one and kept her canned goods down there.

So back to work after the most lovely Monday at home. The weather was perfect, I got all my laundry and ironing caught up -- had all the doors and windows open all day and the nicest clean breeze blowing through. Makes the house feel so much more healthy. Hope everyone has a wonderful day.

G -- Looking forward to hearing from you.

Farmgirl #6318
"Where there's a will -- there's probably a family fight."
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Bearclover
True Blue Farmgirl

2391 Posts

Bunny
Gig Harbor Wa
USA
2391 Posts

Posted - Sep 15 2015 :  08:37:01 AM  Show Profile
Marie, also sending you good healing thoughts. Hopefully this will be a nice routine surgery and you can carry on. Get ride of that negative energy! Ohmmmmmmm!

Marilyn, funny how men have to break it down and analyze stuff. I'm glad you are able to take it in stride and just see the fun in the process.

The weather her was so nice yesterday. It was cool and overcast. My favorite kind of day. A bit of a drizzle would have topped it off. I proped the kitty door next to my bed open with a long knitting needle to let some fresh air in.

Had fun with my new (very old) serger yesterday. It works so much better than my newer one. $25.00 well spent.
I pinned up a jacket, a funky sweater and finished two tops. It is hard to stay on task with so many ideas in my head.
I keep getting people telling me I need to do YouTube videos. Sigh, I look terrible on camera. But I really feel I need to attempt it as my next step. My biggest issue is camera angles and how to get it all together. I'm thinking about purchasing a Gopro, but there are so many different ones at different prices.

Now on a different note... It was suggested to me many times to write "my story" as part of a healing process. I finally did it last night and used a blog I created a long time ago but never used. I invite you to check it out.

http://notcrazynotlazy.blogspot.com

Time for work...

Bunny

Farmgirl number 3738
My blogs:
www.curiousorangecat.com
Handmade stuff http://www.curiousorangecat.etsy.com


Not all who wander are lost.../
Plan to improvise
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Marilyn Hartman Sullivan
True Blue Farmgirl

1138 Posts

Marilyn
Oxford PA
USA
1138 Posts

Posted - Sep 15 2015 :  09:56:17 AM  Show Profile
Bunny -- I love the visual of your kitty door propped open! ha ha Another good use for knitting needles. I refer to YouTube videos so often. Lots of times there is a "new" cast-on (new to me!) or something else, and some of the YouTube people are so helpful. And as an aside -- some of them probably don't think they look good, either, but I honestly hardly notice -- just looking at their hands, mostly. You never know, you might develop a "following" and become the next YouTube sensation to be invited to participate in Dancing With The Stars!!!

I also love the idea of your $25 serger. I have a nice Elna that I bought several years ago -- took classes every week for a couple of months and developed a big notebook with all the settings for the different applications. I still have the serger, but I don't know where the notebook went and I'm not sure I could even thread the thing these days. Ahhhh...another project for my frail dotage. Sigh. I have enough of those set by to keep me alive into my 130s. And that doesn't even count the quilting fabric. That's my long-term care plan -- just keep enough fabric and yarn put aside so that I HAVE to live forever just to get it used up.

Just had Mr. Creepy come in. He likes to come in and hang around the shop -- especially when His Dudeness is not here to run him off. The guys in the shop will actually drop the overhead door down when he pulls up. He likes to skulk around and look over their shoulders. They have told him that our insurance does not allow lurkers (which is true, actually) in the garage, but he's like a barnacle! A few weeks ago, he dropped off a big pile of old tires. Dude wasn't here, and the guys in the garage didn't know what to say, so he just left them. Turns out that they are all dry-rotted, etc. So today Dude tells the guy to take his old tires and not bring any more garbage back to dump it off. (We have to pay to get rid of old tires) The guy says "I just want to HELP you. I want you to teach me the whole business." Dude said "I don't need or want your help. If I need something I get it. I don't know how to be more plain with you -- go away." The guy finally schlepped on down to the garage and the guys were gathering up the tires.

We have several older guys who come by periodically just to shoot the breeze or hang out -- old guys who were friends of Brother, or even of Father -- but they are just old townies who like to visit, and Dude always has something to talk to them about -- people they knew from school or whatever.

Bill is one of our old guys. He's an 85-year-old Korean War vet from a dairy farm in Virginia. Came back from the war and married a local girl -- went to work at the post office and stayed there for the rest of his working life. Retired about 30 years ago and drove for the local "nice" funeral home after that. He gets up every morning and walks over to the gas station to buy his newspaper and get the latest town "news." He comes in every morning or so and sits in front of my desk -- brings me old Motor Trend magazines and shows me his scrapbooks. His wife passed almost 2 years ago and he still gets teary talking about her. He writes down the price of gas every single day and grows a lovely garden at his house next door to the Nazarene church, then gives most of the produce away. He is a delightful old guy who wears his daughter's patience thin and has a smile for everyone he meets. Last winter he fell down a couple of times doing things he shouldn't have been doing in icy weather and we are worried about him for this coming winter, but he won't listen to us. Bless him.

Webbie is another one of my regulars. He is the long-time pastor of the old full-gospel, hand-clapping, hat-wearing evangelical church on the edge of town -- where all the A.M.E. folks went when the A.M.E. church got too "uppity" and moved over to the college. His church sits right next to where the shop was back in Father's time, and they were fine friends. Webbie is about 128 years old and still takes care of his parishioners in every way he can find. He often stops by the local auto parts house and charges small repair parts to our account to fix cars for the people of his congregation. We have a routine -- he walks in the front door and I call "Pastor Barrett! How in the world are you?" And he shouts "Miserable, praise the Lord!" He has a total of about 3 teeth in his mouth, but is never without his smile. When Brother passed a few weeks ago, Webbie and his bride made the trip out to the church for the services in the rain and nasty weather, because that's what a preacher and good friend does.

Farmgirl #6318
"Where there's a will -- there's probably a family fight."
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sauceygirl
Farmgirl in Training

17 Posts

Joanie
Torrance California
USA
17 Posts

Posted - Sep 15 2015 :  5:00:51 PM  Show Profile
Trying to sneak in a chat while the boss is out of the office.

Marie-I will be thinking of you as you go through this waiting and then the actual procedure. With all of our positive energy heading your way, the outcome has to be good.

Holly- I did see smoke from our camping trip to Yosemite but the fires hadn't taken off yet. The valley was very hazy with smoke though. Now, it's really bad. Thousands of people evacuated and a whole town almost burned to the ground. We finally had some rain last night where I live. I hope they get some in the north where the fires are.

Joanie #6596 Trying to live a quiet, simple life in the big city.
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Tall Holly
True Blue Farmgirl

2305 Posts

Holly
Worcester Vermont
USA
2305 Posts

Posted - Sep 15 2015 :  5:43:33 PM  Show Profile
Good evening everyone,

Aaahhhh Marilyn I do like you stories of the characters in your shop. I am glad there are good ones who overshadow the irritating ones. I agree the postal service does make the contest interesting. I would think if a person were a slow knitter or a novice she would not enter the contest. So the delivery makes the anticipation. Analysis can ruin the fun.

We do have a hill behind the house that I would put a root cellar into. My problem is that it has oak trees on it and I would need to cut them down. While we have a fair number of oak trees on our property there are not so many in the area because they were all logged off fifty years ago or more. So, I ponder the plan. I have time.

Joanie I am going to show my geographical ignorance are you near the ocean? What is your climate like. I think it must be mild if you are contemplating a winter garden. does the length of the day affect the plants you can grow? Are there special seeds you can get to grow in shorter days?

Mar I know several people who have had cataract surgery and don't wear glasses anymore. Well, that is not really true. My eye doctor had his far vision corrected but wears readers for close work. Ahh to be able to wake up and see across the room would be magical. We were talking tonight at Tai Chi about whether to do the form with your eyes closed or not. You are not to close your eyes because you are supposed to focus at midrange. But, one woman said she liked to take off her glasses and that was like closing her eyes. lol

Good luck on the utube videos. I have seen some. DdK swears by them for finding out information. If she could go to college on utube she would be golden. They seem to be very good for her because there is no page for the words to jump around on.

Sweet dreams,

Holly
farmgirl #2499
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Marilyn Hartman Sullivan
True Blue Farmgirl

1138 Posts

Marilyn
Oxford PA
USA
1138 Posts

Posted - Sep 16 2015 :  07:00:26 AM  Show Profile
I have had cataracts removed from both eyes, and my distance vision is wonderful except for the astigmatism. I can see quite far, and sometimes in the evening I will take off my glasses and watch TV lying down -- it does feel magical!!!! I still need readers for up close, and since I have the astigmatism, I wear my glasses pretty much all the time anyway. They have titanium frames, so they weigh practically nothing.

Today is the end of our non-event fundraiser at Rotary. We have been working all summer to raise $2000 to send a young teenage girl to an Outward Bound camp. She went for a week in August, and today she will be at our meeting to tell us about her experience. I figured that nobody wanted to have to attend some dressy dinner or sell tickets or whatever, so I told our club members that if each of the 20 of us who are active members would just bring in $100 each, that would achieve our goal and we wouldn't have to rent a hall or buy a new dress or stay in town late after working all day. I gave everyone a pint jar with campfire and camping stickers on it to collect their money in and we have been singing camp songs at the beginning of each meeting all summer. I promised them S'mores and a campfire for today's meeting. Don't think the senior community would appreciate an actual campfire in their dining room, so I drew one on my big presentation tablet. I made up a bunch of bags of S'mores ingredients last night and will have them to hand out today. One of the guys just dropped off his check -- said he kept his jar next to his bed, and every time the Phillies won a game, he put in a quarter -- SO THE JAR WAS EMPTY and he had to write a check -- ha ha He's a big baseball fan and the Phillies are evidently not doing so well this year.

Holly -- I would hate to lose the oak trees, too. We are lucky to have a whole bunch of them on our place. We have a huge old pin oak out front that I call Grandfather. He has one lower branch that always holds its leaves all winter. They turn brown a little later than the other branches, but then they just hang on the tree all through the snow and ice and wind. Odd. We also have beech trees. Because of all the nuts from the beech and acorns of all sizes, our steel roof is a real noisemaker! Sometimes at night there will be a sharp "ping" that rouses us out of a sound sleep. But we still wouldn't trade the roof or the trees. The sound of rain is so sweet -- lulls me right to sleep. And the nuts are so very very popular with the critters. Which reminds me -- it will be time to hang bird feeders soon. Glad we don't have bears here. The raccoon do enough mischief!

So dear ladies of the Iris -- time for me to get a little bit of something done, I suppose. No death sox as of yet. Canada Post says they tried to deliver to my target yesterday but she was not at home, so they will notify her today. I hope she will like them -- I enjoyed knitting them for her. As soon as she is out of the contest, I can start looking forward to receiving from my sniper -- anxious to see what pattern and yarn she chose. It's so much fun to get hand knit sox from someone else -- one year I got a pair from Germany!!! That was very cool. I guess I should start working on staging my obituary -- we try to post something clever to announce our demise.

Happy camping.

Farmgirl #6318
"Where there's a will -- there's probably a family fight."
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rough start farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl

3331 Posts

marianne
The Beautiful Pacific NW Washington State
USA
3331 Posts

Posted - Sep 16 2015 :  10:54:52 AM  Show Profile
Marilyn, how awful for your Canadian target...she knows she will die today! HAha We are contemplating a metal roof when we need a new one. I like the idea of dh never having to get up on the roof again...but, I don't think it would look right on our house... Like Holly's decision about her root cellar, I have time.

Here we have pines and fir trees, huge, magnificent trees with trunks that are six feet wide. I love it! We also have some scrappy trees out back that we have cleared somewhat. Can't remember their name...very straight and upright, maybe poplars. We will be able to burn again on October 1st and we will take down a few more so that we can use the acreage they are preventing passage through. The only tree we have named is the Raven Tree. Kinda self-explanatory. Just watched dh feed them their cup of dog food for this morning. They will get another tonight.

The leaves are starting to change here, so I think Holly must have a spectacular view from her home about now. Torrance won't have the major shortening of days that we Northern girls know, so Joanie should have some good luck with her winter garden. Especially since that part of CA is supposed to have a wet winter.

I have a pot of Portuguese beans going on the stove. It's time for more stick to your ribs food and i want to get some in the freezer.

dnA is doing pretty well so far in school. Her locker is a challenge as are her new glasses. Her spirit is good, but she seems more tired after school than last year... Our activities are less physical than they used to be. We are very fond of popping pop corn for Tahoe and Sunny and listening to them eat it, taking them for walks down the road and dnA is especially proud that our crankpot Chihuahua will jump onto her lap now after a year of bribing her with treats. As soon as she gets here, she throws her arms around either dh or me. dh struggles with it a bit thinking others may not find it appropriate for her to hug him so tightly. But, it is genuine affection and I have told him to accept it in the manner it is delivered. He is not initiating it...no one is looking at him strangely.

dd got her flu shot, which knocked her off her game for the rest of the day due to her acute needle phobia. No one in our area has the flu mist available and she is on airplanes too much now to risk not having the protection. She said she felt so childish that she had trouble with getting a shot. A phobia is a phobia. Everyone kept telling her it wouldn't hurt. She explained that it wasn't the pain that bothered her. She spent some time after the shot was administered with her head between her knees...but, she did it.

I hope you all have a nice day,
mar
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Marilyn Hartman Sullivan
True Blue Farmgirl

1138 Posts

Marilyn
Oxford PA
USA
1138 Posts

Posted - Sep 16 2015 :  11:11:21 AM  Show Profile
Good for DD!!! You are so right -- a phobia just "is." As I have said many times to my spider-loving friends - an irrational fear is still a fear, even if we know it is irrational -- doesn't make it NOT be a fear. And everybody's got something. My dad used to be so phobic about needles -- one time was going to have a mole taken off his neck, and when the doc picked up the needle to put in the Xylocaine, Daddy saw it and passed out cold in the chair. I personally cannot BE with a spider anywhere near me. I would wreck a car to get away from one -- it's not pretty. I personally think that a needle phobia at least has some basis. They're going to poke you with a sharp object, for goodness' sake. So good on her for facing that fear and going on ahead.

We do love our metal roof, and one reason we had it put on was so that we would NEVER need another roof. It really did make the house heat and cool better, too. We have a country rancher and the roof really looks nice on our little place. Still not sure about the "no clean" gutters, though. Leaves don't get in, but the little weird catkin things that come off the nut trees in the spring sure did! Dude still had to get up there and blow that gunk out after all the leaves came on. But I don't think the fall leaves will be a problem. I remember when I lived in Western Washington -- it was FIR NEEDLES everywhere!!! In the gutters, in the carpets, in the car --- We actually named our place "Fir Needle Farm," because that was the only crop we could grow there. I wanted a fountain in the backyard, but I knew that those blessed fir needles would just clog it up.

It is sad that men have to worry so much about giving/receiving a hug from a little girl, isn't it? I can certainly understand why, though.

And what are Portuguese beans? Now I have to go look those up. What would I do without google?

Farmgirl #6318
"Where there's a will -- there's probably a family fight."
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doll58maker
True Blue Farmgirl

2259 Posts

G
TX
USA
2259 Posts

Posted - Sep 16 2015 :  12:03:49 PM  Show Profile
.

Edited by - doll58maker on Sep 19 2019 3:29:07 PM
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doll58maker
True Blue Farmgirl

2259 Posts

G
TX
USA
2259 Posts

Posted - Sep 16 2015 :  12:06:02 PM  Show Profile
.

Edited by - doll58maker on Sep 19 2019 3:29:35 PM
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Tall Holly
True Blue Farmgirl

2305 Posts

Holly
Worcester Vermont
USA
2305 Posts

Posted - Sep 16 2015 :  6:07:00 PM  Show Profile
Good evening everyone,



This was our oak tree in front of the house after the big ice storm we had in December last year. It holds its leaves most of the winter.

Metal roofs come in many colors now and can be cut to enhance the roof. When we moved in we had a metal roof that was rusted and had bullet holes in it . We live in a barn and there used to be weather vanes on the cupolas. When the house was vacant the hunters must have tried to ping the weather vanes and missed. So, we put on this new and fabulous roofing called enduline that was supposed to last the lifetime of the building and came in many decorator colors. It lasted about 10 years and the color came off and the material deteriorated. Of course by then the company was out of business through bankruptcy. So, we have a standing seam blue roof now. I hope that it lasts until well after I am dead. lol

What is dd doing now? Mar. If dnA treats dh like an uncle or grandpa then he is. He does nothing untoward. He should relax. Her parents have no problem with either of you.

I would like to read your obit for the socks. I hope the woman you sent your socks to is not not picking them up so she can send finish hers off and send them before she is killed. I hope the women in the contest are more honor bound than that.

Our leaves have started to turn on trees that are stressed but nothing major or spectacular yet. The hills are the dark green of late summer still. Mother Nature is coaxing us along this year giving us extra summer because the beginning was so wet and cold.

What is that red tree in the front of the B's birthday building? I am glad you are having a good time.

WOW to have a tree six feet wide. We have one white pine that two people could reach around but everything else of any size was gone long ago. Our soil is so shallow that it can not hold up massive trees.

Tomorrow we will do in our meat chickens. Tonight we caught all of the roosters that came with the laying hens and put them in the crates in preparation for tomorrows meeting their maker. The roosters get more protective as they age and jump to bite and scratch the unsuspecting so off with their heads!

Sweet dreams,

Holly
farmgirl #2499
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prariehawk
True Blue Farmgirl

2914 Posts

Cindy

2914 Posts

Posted - Sep 16 2015 :  7:35:05 PM  Show Profile
Holly--your roosters remind me that I was watching an episode of "The Addams Family" this weekend and Wednesday was playing with a doll. A visitor said,"But your doll has no head!" She replied:"That's my Marie Antoinette doll. she lost her head." Then the visitor noticed a tombstone for Little Red Riding Hood. "But Little Red Riding Hood didn't die!" the visitor exclaims. Wednesday: "in our story, she did." I guess the idea of killing anything brings out the macabre in me. I'd be the type to fashion a Little Red Hen with her noggin chopped off. And don't even get me started on Hansel and Gretel....oh god, see what happens when I watch sixties sitcoms?
G--I also wonder what the red tree is. The sky looks just as I imagine the sky looking like over the highlands. and that garden to the left of the tree is interesting. Is it an herb garden? Or just designed like one? For some reason I think of almost everyone in the British Isles living on an estate. Even though I know that's not the case. It's just a romantic notion.
Marilyn--you should write a book about the characters in your town. We used to get some dandies at the hospital but most of them have been banned for various reasons. One lecherous old man would come and wander up and down the halls. He'd pee on himself and the chairs in the lobby. He was eighty years old and got a young girl pregnant. there was one mentally disabled couple and "Henry" was a nice sort but "Jane" his wife--she got kicked out of every place she went--the hospital, Target, the bus system--she would make a scene and really didn't understand how it upset other people. I felt sorry for her to a point cause she always seemed so confused with how the world operated. But I would try to put myself in her shoes cause that's what happens when people don't get any medication. Lately I've been seeing a "woman in white" whom I first saw at the hospital and now I have seen her uptown at the bus stop. she dresses entirely in white--white stockings, hat--always looks immaculate. I always feel a little creeped out when I see her cause she reminds me of a ghost. But at least she's a nice dresser.
I also have an oak in my backyard. it sometimes drops rather large branches but I don't want it cut down. It provides shade, a home for birds and squirrels, and I've made a deal with it that it can stay as long as it doesn't fall on my house.
Mar--good for dd facing her phobia. It sounds like dnA is struggling some in school and the horses must provide a sense of relief for her. You and your hubby should be blessed for taking her under your wing.
Joanie--I hope you are safe where you are. I saw some scenes of the fires on the news and I just can't fathom it. All the people who have lost their homes and the animals displaced by the fires--and the fire fighters risking their lives even when it seems fruitless. I sure hope the west gets a LOT of rain soon. Just not enough to cause mud slides.
Bunny--welcome to the Survivors Club. You'll succeed--you already have.
Marie--thinking of any type of surgery is scary. I've found the trick is to just relax and let the doctors do their thing. they tell you what bad things MIGHT happen because they're required to by law. But what MIGHT happen rarely does. I know that doesn't lessen the fear and that's where breathing helps. Breathe in positivity and release all negativity with your exhale. Pet your animals. Sending good thoughts your way.
The weather here is nice and I can almost breathe normally again. Take care,
Cindy

"Come by the hills to the land where fancy is free; And stand where the peaks meet the sky and the rocks reach the sea.Where the rivers run clear and the bracken is gold in the sun. and cares of tomorrow must wait till this day is done"--Loreena McKennit
"In many ways, you don't just live in the country, it lives inside you"--Ellen Eilers

Visit my blog at http://www.farmerinthebelle.blogspot.com/

Edited by - prariehawk on Sep 16 2015 9:05:56 PM
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Marilyn Hartman Sullivan
True Blue Farmgirl

1138 Posts

Marilyn
Oxford PA
USA
1138 Posts

Posted - Sep 17 2015 :  06:35:38 AM  Show Profile
Cindy -- Glad you can breathe! Air is a good thing.
Holly -- That picture of your oak tree makes me cold just looking at it. You have a real gift with a camera! It was interesting -- that tree looks so much like our Grandfather Oak -- the leaves hanging there against the snow just make it look colder. I bet you are right about the hunters pinging at your weathervane. Our roof is also standing seam and we couldn't be happier with it. It is a good feeling to know it will outlast us, isn't it? I don't know why, but it seems like the roofing business has some fly-by-night types -- I suppose they are everywhere. Sigh.

Regarding the sox -- my intent when I enter these contests is never to win the whole thing -- I don't have that kind of mental energy to expend -- if it happened, it would be a combination of a little skill and a whole LOT of luck, and it just doesn't matter to me. (Although the prize yarn would be great!) My personal goal is just to get at least one "kill" before I get taken out. Since the Canadian Postal Service has made one delivery attempt already, I have decided internally that I have my "kill," so I am happy. I am trying not to think poorly of my target -- life could be getting in her way -- lots of extra meetings at work -- car's broken down and she can't get to the PO to pick up the package -- lots of things could be keeping her from picking it up and I don't know how their Postal Service handles that kind of thing. (Can we all tell that I HAVE been giving this some thought? ha ha) But if they make another delivery attempt, I may contact the Supreme Commander and let her know what's going on. I just treat the whole thing like an honor system, so it doesn't occur to me to cheat, you know? I guess I don't think of anyone else cheating. But in my mind, I have my kill. Thing is, until SHE says she is dead, she won't send me the sox she is working on, so that delays the whole business going down the line -- which is, I guess, part of the game as well. Oh my! I am giving myself a headache. Still no sign of sox in MY mailbox, so I am still alive at this point. I keep reading the message boards, trying to catch some hint somewhere of who my sniper is.......

I have thought many times of writing about the interesting folks who populate my little world. Hard to get my head around a whole book, but I do enjoy writing my little essays about the characters. Perhaps I should gather them all together some place. I did think about writing a treatment for a sitcom at one point. I don't know if anyone would watch a show about this place. Some days I want to go home and not think about it.



Farmgirl #6318
"Where there's a will -- there's probably a family fight."
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churunga
True Blue Farmgirl

3919 Posts

Marie
Minneapolis MN
USA
3919 Posts

Posted - Sep 17 2015 :  08:09:07 AM  Show Profile
Marilyn, I believe the sitcom of your workplace would be funnier than Taxi. Think of it - The show centers around the office person (you) of a small auto shop in a small town/city. She keeps the business afloat and running smoothly. The owner is sweet on her but doesn't know how to talk to her although he treats all the cars that come through the shop like persons and has names for them and "rescues" cars from police auctions. The two mechanics are a wise-cracking Filipino who flirts outrageously with all the female clients (and some of the men) and a very studious American-American who may or may not have a Ph.D. in nuclear physics. There are crises of all kinds from the woman who brings her car in because of a bad smell and it is discovered that she pooped in her own backseat because of an emergency and she just didn't want to admit it or clean it up to the on-call doctor who comes in whenever someone is injured who is afraid of touching his patients. The real fun are the recurring characters: Mr. Creepy, Bill and Webbie.

I couldn't go to school today. I have the ultrasound today and I just cannot focus. I'll probably play games until I have to leave.

Marie, Sister #5142
Farmgirl of the Month May 2014

Try everything once and the fun things twice.
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Marilyn Hartman Sullivan
True Blue Farmgirl

1138 Posts

Marilyn
Oxford PA
USA
1138 Posts

Posted - Sep 17 2015 :  08:13:01 AM  Show Profile
I spoke to the Sock Sniper Supreme Commander and told her what was going on. I don't want to post anything directly to my target, because she specifically said in her dossier that she did NOT want hints -- she wants to be completely surprised when she gets her sox. The gal who runs this thing is wonderful and right on top of everything as it happens. She will be contacting my target directly and will have her check with her Post Office for the package. I just do NOT want it to get lost somewhere.

So...my daughter wakes her boys at 5:45 on school days, then goes back to bed until 6:40, when they leave for school. At 5:45, the older one -- a senior in high school -- says he is getting a cold and asks what they have for "noses." She said he sounded just awful, (Dad has got the same crud), so she told him what to take and then padded back down the hall. Well, at 6:40, she heard the front door open and the younger boy -- an 8th grader -- say "Goodbye, Mom. I love you." So she looked down the hall and saw that the older boy's door was shut and figured he had taken cold meds and gone back to bed. Fast forward to about 10:30, when the school nurse calls from the high school to ask her if it's okay to give the senior boy some Tylenol and cough drops. My daughter is half whacked from her allergy pills -- she has been thinking all morning that he is asleep in his room -- and tries really hard to make a sensible reply to the nurse -- you know, something that does NOT get the authorities to come out and investigate what an awful mother she is. Oh dear -- we have been laughing at her antics all morning. She put her glasses on to go into the family room to ---- you got it ---- look for her glasses. I swear, she is getting nutty pretty early on!

Farmgirl #6318
"Where there's a will -- there's probably a family fight."
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Marilyn Hartman Sullivan
True Blue Farmgirl

1138 Posts

Marilyn
Oxford PA
USA
1138 Posts

Posted - Sep 17 2015 :  11:11:20 AM  Show Profile
Marie - Sounds a little like Chico and The Man! I am sure you will do well with the ultrasound -- I had one once and was WAYYYYYY more worried about it ahead of time that it turned out to warrant. (Ain't it always the way?) Playing games sounds like a good idea -- always gets my mind to stop somewhere else, instead of sitting on whatever I am worrying about. I will be sending good thoughts your way.

Farmgirl #6318
"Where there's a will -- there's probably a family fight."
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sauceygirl
Farmgirl in Training

17 Posts

Joanie
Torrance California
USA
17 Posts

Posted - Sep 17 2015 :  12:13:31 PM  Show Profile
Hi everyone, the boss is out of the office, yay!

Holly-what a beautiful oak tree. There are a few oak trees in my area but they are usually kept trimmed back. I am about 2 miles from the ocean and about a half hour drive south of LAX. The climate is pretty mild all year but this summer has been horribly hot and humid. Most people here don't have air conditioning either. Normally, we just open our windows and a cool ocean breeze blows through but with this drought, we may have to get used to a new normal. And, Marianne, you are right, we are supposed to have a wet winter this year. At least, that's what they keep telling us. El Nino is coming, El Nino is coming. My garden area isn't the greatest but I do the best I can on such a small patch of ground. I just have two 4 X 20 raised beds and a dwarf orange tree and a dwarf avocado tree. I'm thinking about trying a couple of dwarf apple trees. Everything has to be dwarf to fit. I add a few 5gal. pots to give me some extra space. I don't get near the amount of sun that my veggies need due to the house blocking morning sun on one side and a wall blocking the afternoon sun on the other side. We also have heavy marine layer during May & June. We call it the May Gray and June Gloom I can't usually grow corn because it doesn't get that hot but I bet I could have this year. Every year is different though. What grew well last year may not do well this year and I learn something new every year about gardening. I just wish I had more time.

Marilyn, you said something about a mischievous raccoon. I have a funny story about the day before we went on our camping trip to Yosemite. I was packing some bins with food for our camping trip and they were sitting in the living room. I was taking a break to watch a little TV and my husband was in his home office. He walked out of his office toward the family room where I was and I heard him yell, "There's a critter in the house!" I jumped up but it had scurried out when he yelled. It was a raccoon. Even though I live in the city, we have all kinds of wildlife around. Raccoons, possums, skunks. I just never thought to see one in my living room. It had made a beeline for one of the bins and had been dining on some hamburger buns when he was caught.

I'll be thinking of you today, Marie.

Joanie #6596 Trying to live a quiet, simple life in the big city.
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rough start farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl

3331 Posts

marianne
The Beautiful Pacific NW Washington State
USA
3331 Posts

Posted - Sep 17 2015 :  1:00:26 PM  Show Profile
Thinking of you, Marie. I hope it goes quickly and your results come back fast!
mar
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rough start farmgirl
True Blue Farmgirl

3331 Posts

marianne
The Beautiful Pacific NW Washington State
USA
3331 Posts

Posted - Sep 17 2015 :  1:09:58 PM  Show Profile
Holly, I would always welcome daffodils. Keep forgetting to mention that! dd is now working in her intended field. Surprise! She works for a communications company Waggener Edstrom Worldwide on the Microsoft team in Analyst Relations. And if anyone knows what that means, please clue me in. I had to laugh at her the other day when we were shopping. I had found a pair of shoes for her that were on sale... forty percent off... She looked at the price.... said "Forty percent" under her breath.... looked at me. I said, "You have GOT to be kidding." She answered, "I work for Microsoft. I don't have to do math ever again." We laughed and she ribbed me about homeschooling having failed her. But, it felt good to feel she was proud of herself and feeling like she had finally nabbed the job she had been seeking since graduating with her advanced degree FIVE years ago. She's been there since June.

dnA came home from school early today, sick. Luckily, her mother DID know that she had left for school! Marilyn, bless your daughter, we have all been there. Feeling like we are just fooling the authorities...

So, no horse time today. Tahoe and Sunny will miss her. And their popcorn.

Mar
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