woohoo!

Happy holidays, everyone!!!

chimney

I made it to the tile store in town yesterday, and had a blast going through boxes and boxes of tiles that were left over from past jobs. It was pretty cool. I found a couple of boxes of patterned tile that I know would have cost a fortune otherwise. One big banana box of tile cost $7. I went back for another box today.

I'm not liking what I did yesterday on the sides of the chimney, so I will probably remove those tiles, but I really like how the front is looking. Here's a before picture and a picture of what I have done so far. It will be a bit of a pain to grout, but I might actually do little sections at a time. I know I have gray grout leftover from the kitchen, so I guess I'll use that. It will be good to use it up!

It's a bit hard to see unless you enlarge the picture, but I used some very old little pitcher thingys that I have had since I was a little girl. They used to be one of my favorite possessions ever. I stuck the bottom of the pitchers to the chimney, and I think they will be strong enough to hang gloves or hats on them. Not sure about hanging coats there, but I'm planning on using old mug handles on the other side of the chimney for coats. I think it will be pretty cool!

snowshoeing for stress relief!

Doug, Amalia, and Justin made it out for an excellent night snowshoe hike after their last day of finals. It was so much fun. There is really nothing like snowshoeing at night; it's beautiful, a bit creepy at times, and of course one falls far more often than during the day. Amalia took some classic dumps that were quite impressive. I thought one time she was running for the heck of it and landed on her face, but it turned out that she had just tripped and was trying to catch herself. But really, most impressive!

(On a side note, should you decide to go snowshoeing with Kirsti, make sure you take lots of vitamin C before hand. She scared the living daylights out of me a few times, screaming because the shadows from the headlamp looked like little beasts running up to attack us. Then there was the time we were on the road and she thought a car was right behind us. She hollered, we threw ourselves into a ditch, and ended up with a face full of snow. I don't think my heart has ever jumped so many times in one night. (Did you know every time you get scared you lose vitamin C?) Plus it was like negative 8 outside, so it was quite the rush!)

Anyway, it was great having everyone here last night--thanks, guys, for coming!

Justin and Shady:



I just spent the last half hour trying to get the first row of stitches onto my knitting needles. This might take a while, especially because I barely got 50 on there. At this rate, I'll be happy if I get half a scarf done by the time the kids arrive, let alone kid sweaters! My hands feel like bulls in a china shop--it's a strange feeling. I am far more comfortable holding a hammer than I am a couple of skinny needles, but I can't help but think that knitting is one of the most useful skills ever. I found out Amalia is also a good knitter, so maybe there is hope for me. At least I have some people I can get help from.

Meanwhile, I've had enough of the knitting, and will start figuring out what I'll do this break. I'm thinking that tiling the chimney would be a good project to get out of the way. Next time I run to town I'll see if the local tile shops have any broken pcs. they want to get rid of. It should be fun!

Think I'll snowshoe, first, though!

ha!!!

I learned how to knit today! I'm pretty happy about it. Rhiannon spent a few hours this afternoon very patiently teaching me how to do the knit stitch (I thought that's what the whole thing was called), and...oh boy, I already forgot the names of all the other stitches! Anyway, my reasons for learning to knit has to do with kid goats, because I've read that they often need little sweaters when they are first born to get them nice and toasty. Some babies can be lost if it is too cold. Here is a picture of a kid in a sweater that neely hopes to knit one day:



In the meantime, this is what neely IS knitting these days! I know, it doesn't look like much at all, but it took a really long time to do, and I'm totally pleased with it. Rhiannon could make those in 5 minutes with her eyes closed, so I'm thinking that if I actually spend some time working on developing some skills, I just might pull off a sweater by the time the kids arrive. About 4.5 months. That seems doable to me!!



My friend Mark sent me a Xmas card that he painted, and I thought it was one of the nicest cards I've ever received. And one of the nicest cards I've ever seen~ I think that he could have quite a business going if he really felt like it. Mark was the one who did most of the foundational work on this place: electrical, plumbing, jury rigging everything that needed rigging, and then teaching me while he was at it. I learned a whole lot from him, and am very grateful that he was willing to work with me. He's since left the area, but his memory always lives on at the goat shui farm!



Doug, Justin, and Amalia are on their way to snowshoe in order to relieve some tension after what I hear were brutal finals. They'll be heading home for the holidays, and we won't see them again until January. We are tentatively planning our annual neighborhood snowshoe progressive dinner for the weekend before school starts. I think we'll have more than one this year. I'm really looking forward to it!

the essence of the thing

Wow, the semester is over! Already! And what a great one it has been for me. I have totally loved the Communication and Culture class that I taught, and am completely impressed with the thinking my students did. I definitely learned a whole lot from them.

This semester we looked at narrative and McDonaldization as ways to better understand how our culture communicates and functions. It was fascinating. For their final papers, they wrote about areas of our culture that are McDonaldized and explored whether or not they thought it was beneficial for our society. For example, a few looked at the McDonaldization of the music industry, recycling, the educational system, and even the McDonaldization of murder and the porn industry. It was fascinating. But what was most fascinating to me was that for many of these areas, McDonaldization actually has led to de-mcdonaldization! People are starting to look around and realize that with the efficiency, calculability, predictability and control that is McDonaldizaion, there is something that is being lost. The "essence" of the thing, if you will. The spirit , the "being" behind the thinking that has created a more efficient and predictable way of life is gone from us.

In between reading the students' essays, I've also picked up Barbara Kingsolver's book, "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle," Eckhart Tolle's book, "The essence of now," and an interview with Wendell Berry. Reading all of these things together has been really interesting. Both Kingsolver and Berry are writing about the absolute importance of farming and community, and the ways in which these things counteract the loss of essence in our society. (That's a bit paraphrased, but I think quite valid.) Tolle's writing seems to focus on the essence that exists behind our thoughts, if we would only stop thinking long enough to recognize it. Regardless, in reading all of these things, I am feeling, more than ever, the importance of being on this farm, (even though it is such a small farm), both for the sake of our family and for the community. This is all good timing, because every so often, like this morning, I feel a bit scared about being here. Like, What the heck am I thinking? kind of thinking. I don't know what to do in certain situations, and it frightens me. It would be totally ok if I were the only one involved, but there are other living things that I am responsible for! And if I don't do the right thing, they will suffer.

I'm reminded of Watkins the goose who died this summer. There were a few days when she kept getting out of the goose pen and heading to the barn. I assumed she was looking to nest, and I wanted her to nest with Waddlesworth. I don't think that's how the goose family works. There was one day when I was working on the deck, busily pounding on something, and I turned around and there she was, just looking at me. She didn't say a word. She just stood there quietly and looked at me. WIthin a week she was dead. What was she trying to tell me, I wonder now? What if I had really stopped and listened to her? Maybe I wouldn't have understood, but the point is I didn't take the time to listen. I wonder now, in hindsight, if she stopped eating because the others wouldn't let her nest. Even so, when she died, Station wrapped his neck around her body and cried like I have never heard any animal cry before. He loved her, and he grieved for her. And if I think too long about it, I feel responsible. And sick to my stomach.

This morning, when I went out to feed the animals, I noticed that Nutmeg wasn't her usual pushy self. She really hasn't been the same since Richard came to live with us, and I've been a bit worried about her, but I just don't know what to do about it. Maybe it's being pregnant. Maybe she's having a hard time carrying the baby. Who really knows? In a few years, with a few goats behind me, maybe I'd be able to tell instantly. But for right now, I have no clue, and that's frustrating.

So I've needed to be reminded of the importance of what we are doing here, as small as it might be. I need to remember that, in the past, people lived on farms for generations, making it seem as if they had some innate sense of what to do to keep their livestock and gardens healthy and strong. I grew up on a farm, but that was 20 some years ago, and the memories I have are somewhat fleeting. Then there is the fact that I really didn't have anything to do with the raising of the animals -- my dad did most of that. So I am in new territory here, floundering here and there, and probably, no, for sure, not looking too suave.

But I'm here, and I think the folks whose work I'm reading would be happy with that, and would be telling me that regardless of how ridiculous I look at times, the here is most important. And maybe that is the essence of the whole thing.

During Thanksgiving break, Doug came over and helped me get started on the living room ceiling. We're using old wood from the goat barn, and it's kind of a pain to handle. Boy, does it look really cool, though. We finished with one section, and have 3 and a half to go. Here's a few shots of what we started doing:



The furnace under the stairs has been left open because I haven't quite been sure what to do with it. Between talking with Doug and Pete, I came up with some ideas. Then it was just a matter of finding some wood that I could use. I was able to convert part of the walls from the boys' potential clubhouse (that Newspaper Dan was going to fix up and live in this summer, only to find out that fixing up really meant building an entirely new building. He scratched that idea, and now some of those wall are living in the house. They like it here.), and I think it looks really good. Some old draft horse harnesses also work to keep it in place. Now when I want to use the furnace, I just have to lift the sections up and away from the furnace. I think it has been on only once this year, so it won't be something that I'll have to do very often. Even so, it isn't that much of a pain. It makes a really big difference in how this place feels!

a few random animal pix

Our rooster completely bent on getting into the hen house.....



Benj and Shady's butt:



Our sweet Lizzy:

old homestead find

Thought I'd show you what I found in the old homestead when I started digging in there to take it down. It is so awesome. I'm currently having it refinished. It's a big investment, but one that I am hoping we'll be happy about. It should be finished by xmas time, so I'm looking forward to apple cider (for the guys) and Irish coffee (for me and guests) and board games. Going to be awesome!

little richard!

Well, it finally happened! We got ourselves a billy goat to breed with the girls. We didn't really mean to buy him, except that it woul have cost the same to use him as a stud service or to buy him, and since we liked his blood line (his grandmother gave 13# of milk a day and his mother gave 10#), we decided it was the way to go. Now if the girls don't actually give birth, that would be a bummer, but hey, one must just roll with it. He came to us with the name of Midnight, an we have changed it to Little Richard. It's a mouthful, but he just looks too much like Little Richard to have it any other way.

Here's the thing about billy goats: they stink. A lot. The whole barn smelled like him in about 1 hour. It's kind of disgusting.

One of the reasons they smell is that they stick their heads in between their legs and pee on their face. Then they parade around the girls, doing this grinning thing, thinking they are pretty hot. Little Richard, smelling pretty!

Like any female would do under those circumstances, our girls pretty much look away in disgust, then look at me, asking me what the heck could I possibly be thinking. But he looks like Little Richard, I tell them. The hair, I continue. Just look at that hair!

I get the distinct impression they don't care. But I'm betting their babies are going to be super cute!!! Come April, we should have 2-6 little kids running around. How sweet that is going to be!

thanksgiving at the goat!

We had a great Thanksgiving dinner here at the goat. Lots of people came, and a ton of food. Ginny cooked an organic turkey for us, and I can't even begin to remember everything that was there. It was pretty awesome.

Here are some shots that Paterson took...

new chicks

Here are a couple of pictures of our new chicks, who aren't so little any more. They aren't really laying too much, which is a bit of a bummer, and I think a few of them are eating the eggs. Benj and Rio were right when they told me that I should crush the empty egg shells before we give them back to them. They are so high in calcium, and it really adds to the nutritional value of their food. So I think they have gotten to the point where they see an egg and go for it, whether it is an empty shell or not!
Once they start this habit, it is really hard to break. We'll see what happens. Maybe it's just the cold weather. They are in the little coop now, and it definitely isn't as warm as I think they'd like it. We'll be doing some moving around again next year. We just keep trying, and one of these days we'll get it right!!!




And here's a picture of the finished coop from the outside. I think there are still a few things left to do, but we finished just before it got too cold to be up on that roof! Many thanks to Ash who helped out with it!



A random picture of Doug and Amalia who stopped over one of those days!

wooden bowls

I've been on a bit of a wooden bowl kick--I'm blaming Adam because he is always talking bread. The cool thing about wooden bowls, according to Adam, is that if you don't wash your bowl, but simply wipe it out after your dough has risen, the yeast will actually begin to work on its own if you just put flour and water in it. It's a pretty fascinating process.

Because wooden bowls are so expensive, I decided to start making my own. Here is a picture of the first one I've made, and I know there will be more this xmas break. I just haven't taken the time to make more. This one dried too fast and cracked, and now it is only good for holding big items. What I will do with the next bowls I make is wrap them up in a plastic bag and drain the water out every few days. This way they dry slowly and won't crack. We'll see how it goes.

I really enjoyed making this, though, and am looking forward to more. I need a good set up for it. The wood needs to be secured to a table so it isn't moving around so much. I think I have an idea about how to do it, it's just a matter of getting it up and running. That's what xmas break is for!!!

apple butter kettle

We finally got our copper kettle for making applesauce and apple butter. It is really beautiful! The week we got the kettle, Diane had a bonfire at her place and so we decided we'd give it a whirl. It was awesome. Newspaper Dan was there, as were some other Tech grad students, and we had a really great time. The applesauce took about 4 hours to cook, and had the most incredible smokey aftertaste. It really was amazing.




Newspaper Dan:




Jim taking his turn at the kettle:

we have a sheep!!

Because it has been months since I've written, I can't remember exactly when we got Flower the sheep, but we now have a sheep! (I think it was in October.) She's so sweet, and we love her immensely. Unfortunately, the girls don't, and they are constantly beating up on her, even after a few months. It's pretty aggravating, and I feel so bad for her. This afternoon I built a feeding thing for them all, hoping that it will cut down on the fighting that goes on during feeding time. I'm not sure it will work, but we'll see. They really should all be tied up just while they eat so that I can make sure they are each getting their minerals etc., and I think it will just make for a peaceful time period.

Here's a picture of Ash taking the girls for a walk:

like months!!

It has seriously been a long time since I worked on the blog, and it's because I forgot the password to the old blog. I'm not exactly sure I told the truth, the whole truth, when I signed up for blogger (I still have a bit of a suspicious mind when it comes to giving information over the web. I'm not a Luddite like Newspaper Dan, just a bit suspicious!!...), and they refuse to give me access to my blog!!! This is a bummer, but ok, I reckon. I'll just start this new one and add links to the old one. Hopefully they'll keep the old one up for a while. I'd really rather not have to type in EVERYTHING from the old site. That would be a bit much!

There's been so much that has gone on since I've last posted that I have no idea where to start. Maybe I'll just hunt for pictures and go from there!

It's nice to be back, and I hope that everyone has been well!

Neely