Farm Muse

BABIES!!!

2012-01-11T15:32:00.001-05:00

You just can't stop life! Although much around us at this time of year seems to be dead, dying, or dormant, there are babies being born left and right. New life!

We have three baby kitties scurrying around the hay barn, hoping I won't notice them or try to catch them. I'll get you, my pretties! Then I'll hug you and name you and take pictures of each of you.

Twin bull calves were born a couple weeks ago. Weldon named them Hoss and Little Joe.

Bull calves ... we knew they couldn't stay too long. Not on a dairy farm :-/

Bye bye, babies. We'll miss you.

A little heifer calf was born a week ago and Pat named her Jan (January). Yesterday another heifer was born, which I haven't even seen yet, but I named her Deanna, to go with Jan. Jan and Deanna. Jan & Dean. Get it? I just name 'em ... don't make me explain 'em.

And now, saving the best for last (drum roll, please) introducing Ryland Avery,

our newest grandbaby and, yes, she's a SHE.

Another GIRL!!

Girls ROCK! Girls RULE! Even when they barely weigh 5 pounds.

You just can't stop life!

He's a Comedian!

2011-12-31T15:53:00.000-05:00

Although the recessional at our wedding included "The Farmer in the Dell" and the theme song from Green Acres, I did not marry Weldon because he was a farmer nor for the rolling green hills where he lived.

Au contraire, what captured my heart was his kindness and his sense of humor. Now you, too, can experience a few minutes of his creativity and silliness. I hope you enjoy his Christmas story.

May 2012 be filled with strength & peace for each day

and plenty of joy to share with your family and friends.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Mystery Solved

2011-11-17T14:46:00.001-05:00

A farm can survive as long as it has able-bodied workers. In my book, without being too stereotypical, those workers should be strong MEN!! Weldon's dad had four brothers, but his dad was the only one who went into farming. I guess he figured some sons would come along to help him carry the load. So, first a daughter, then a SON, and then another daughter.

All three children helped around the farm as they were growing up, but Weldon knew from the start that he wanted to be a dairy farmer, just like his dad. I guess he figured some sons would come along to help him carry the load. So, first a daughter, then another daughter, and then another daughter.

Really pathetic that I don't have a picture of just the 3 girls :-(

It seems strange, and I've often asked myself, "WHY weren't there more sons to put their backs to the plow, to carry on the name of this fine family farm?"

This past Monday evening, I got my answer. Papa John brought his 4H Club (and many of the parents) to watch us milk the cows. One lady asked, "What do you do with the calves?" Weldon replied, "We keep the females and SELL THE MALES. There's NO NEED FOR MALES on a dairy farm." It was truly a "light bulb" moment!

In closing, let me say, "Weldon, you should be mighty glad that your dad didn't subscribe to this dairy farm truth!"

And, by way of a postscript to our fabulous grandsons: This farm maxim does not apply to third-generation males. You are safe!!

2011-10-19T14:33:00.002-04:00

Bringing in the Harvest

Without seeing any cows, I know that this is (or was) a dairy farm. From whence cometh such great wisdom? My clue is the silo. Dairy cows eat silage, and silage is generally stored in silos.

About this time of year, the silos are getting pretty empty. If you have been a diligent farmer, your corn crop is ready to be harvested. And if the good Lord has blessed the crop, it will be enough to fill the silos and feed your cows until next year.

Spring of 2011 was too wet to get an early planting and the summer was very dry; thus Weldon's corn was quite short in comparison to his usual awe-inspiring crop. When we'd drive by, he'd say to the corn, "You should be ashamed of yourself!" But the Lord provided rain before things got too desperate and Weldon did some irrigating down by the river.

Weldon started getting ready for the harvest in mid-September. Preparation involves getting the tractors and wagons ready, sharpening the knives of the corn chopper, climbing in & out of silos to make sure everything is in order, and all kinds of other stuff I know nothing about.

The first week in October saw Weldon & a friend cutting the corn along the road and taking care of the first of the breakdowns.

Can you see Weldon under there?

Chopped corn = Silage

Then came the rain and a week of waiting for the ground to dry out. But when it was time to start up again, with 2, 3, and even 4 guys helping, they were bringing in the corn like there was no tomorrow! Yesterday they finished the fields by the river and behind our house.

Now it's just the corn below Edith's that needs cutting. After all his complaining about the short corn, it appears there will be too much for the silos to hold. But that's a good problem! Big THANKS to the Lord and to the guys who helped so freely and cheerfully.

2011-10-09T17:55:00.000-04:00

KIT CARSON & SONS

Before coming to the farm 7 years ago, I had not been around cats very much and certainly hadn't seen kittens being born nor watched them growing up. What a joy and a heartbreak it has been.

Only a few of the cats had names back then, but in May of 2005 I started naming the new ones. The first (and my forever favorite): Kit Carson.

Carson was just over a year old when she had her first babies, giving birth to them in a junk yard down the road. It didn't take me too long to figure out the perfect names: Sanford and Sonny.

Carson in the junk yard, note the old car seat behind the bicycles.

Her babies under the old car seat

Here they are, maybe 2 months old

Carson was always a good mother and always had her babies down in the vicinity of this same junk yard. Over the years, she had a lot of babies, but usually just one or two in a litter. However, once she had four! I wanted to show you a little video of them, but can't get it to download. Maybe next time :-)

In early 2010, the coyotes discovered the farm and the farm cats. We knew that Carson had given birth to new kittens, down the road as usual. We tried to find them so we could move them closer to the house and hopeful safety. Unfortunately, Carson and her unknown number of babies were never found.

As if losing way too many cats & kittens to coyotes wasn't bad enough, on November 6, 2010, Sonny was killed by wild/stray dogs.

On October 8, 2011, Sanford came to the milk barn for his morning neck rub and I could see he was in a bad way. Weldon gave him a shot of penicillin, but he died peacefully that evening.

The only surviving direct descendant of Kit Carson is Samantha. She has already been a miracle kitty, and it seems the coyotes are taking a break, so perhaps she will live a long and peaceful life here on the farm.

This post is dedicated to Kit Carson, Sanford & Sonny, and all the other kitties who have gone on before. I hope they are instigating all kinds of kitty shenanigans in the lush fields and junk yards of heaven.

2011-10-01T15:35:00.000-04:00

September 2011

Another month, come and gone! I'll try to keep this short and sweet. Here are some of the highlights, in no particular order.

Just for pretty

In memory of the tragedy of 9/11, I read the book Thunder Dog:The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust at Ground Zero by Michael Hingson. It was a real eye-opener :-) Seriously, I learned a lot!!

At the beginning of the month, for a couple of days, we were only milking 7 cows! And on the last day of the month (yesterday), we were milking 12 cows. How did that happen? you ask. Well, a cow/heifer on maternity leave has a baby and, tah dah, we have a cow to milk (and a baby calf to bottle feed). Five new little mouths ... 3 heifers, 2 bulls.

This little cutie was born just 2 days ago

I'm about halfway through the book by Ann Voskamp, the author/blogger that I made fun of back on August 4th. I have repented of my attitude and am really enjoying the book. It's a lesson we've heard many times and yet find very hard to live out on a daily basis: give thanks! She has wonderful quotes from a wide range of seekers both past and present. Have I started my list of 1,000 gifts? No ... but I might.

The best part of the month (the year!) was having my mom & dad here for a week! They hadn't been to the farm since they came seven years ago for our wedding. Katie flew in from NY for 4 days and Anna & Marshall came up from Charlotte for the weekend. We didn't do anything too exciting; it was enough just being together.

The nuts don't fall far from the tree?

Let's see, what else? Weldon & I celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary on the 25th. We've both had a cold for about a week. He is getting ready to chop corn, maybe starting as soon as Monday. Busy, busy. So, that's enough for September. Anyway, it's October now, so I have to quit.

2011-08-28T18:44:00.000-04:00

...My Tribute...

As promised, this will be a farm-ish post. Or, more specifically, a farmer-ish post. I'd like to introduce you to my husband Weldon. Of course you have seen him previously in this blog, but I wanted to take time to give him some well-deserved praise.

Like his father before him, Weldon has been a dairy farmer all his life. He knew what he wanted to do while he was still in high school and so he chose not to attend college. Because of this, he often jokes that he "wasted" his brain. Nothing could be further from the truth! If something needs figuring out, he'll figure it out. If something needs fixing, he'll fix it. If something needs remembering, he'll remember it. Well, not like birthdays or that kind of thing ... just random facts and trivia :-)

His "job" is milking cows, but whatever needs doing, he has to do it. His dad died in February of 2006 and, since then, he has 3 old ladies (his mom, his older sister, and his loving wife!) to supply what little help they can give.

So, here are a few of the things I have seen him do. First and foremost are the cow-related tasks: milk them, artificially inseminate them, wash & feed them, take them to the livestock market or butcher, chase them over hill & dale, help deliver their calves, de-worm & de-horn them, treat them for mastitis or any other maladies. I think he has called on a vet just 3 or 4 times in the seven years we have been married. Truly, he could have been a vet. He is amazing! Where did he learn all this stuff???

These next duties still relate to the cows, because they have to be fed! He grows the best corn in the county, maybe even the state!

The seed corn has to be purchased, fields prepared, seeds planted. If the good Lord doesn't send enough rain, Weldon sets up his irrigation pipes and pumps "poopie pond" water to help the corn grow. Harvest time is one of the few times he will call on friends for help. He can't do it by himself, and 3 old women are of no use whatsoever! The corn is chopped and blown into the silos. I have posted on this previously, so go check the archives.

Alright. I can see this will go on way too long! I haven't even mentioned all the jobs that need doing every day or twice a day! You know the old saying: "A woman's work is never done." Well, I have learned that a farmer's work is never done! Machinery breaks down; fences fall apart; branches need trimming & fallen trees need to be cut up for firewood. Buildings sag, roofs leak; motors stop running at the most importune times. Friends call for help, mother's garden must be tilled, and "the wife" has to be taken out for lunch at least a few times a year or the marriage may be in jeopardy.

When you're the owner/operator of a small dairy farm, you have to do everything yourself because there's no money to call in the professionals. You don't just go out and buy a new "whatever" - you fix the old whatever or make do in some hobbled-up fashion until there's no other choice. You're living, but not exactly making a living :-) Of course there are benefits, like .... oh, I don't know. I guess I'll leave that for another post.

But Weldon is not all work. He takes time to play with the kitties and enjoy a sunrise or sunset. He smells the wildflowers (and takes time to bring me a bouquet every now & then) and revels in his black raspberry patch. At one point in his life, Weldon learned how to fly and got his pilot's license. Now his hobby is the computer - keeping in touch with his "tractor nuts" on a couple of farming/agricultural sites. There is neither time nor money for "entertainment," so we pretty much entertain ourselves. It's a good thing we both have a sense of humor.

When people ask, Weldon says farming is not hard work. But I can say, from experience, farming IS hard work. You start in the dark of morning and don't finish until the sun has set. But, it's what Weldon knows and loves. And I love him, so here we are.

And this is my puny attempt at a tribute to my farmer Weldon.

Thank you, Weldon, for all the thankless jobs you do.

Thank you for your sense of humor.

Thank you for your faith.

Thank you for following your heart.

2011-08-13T12:22:00.009-04:00

KITTIES!!!!!!

In June 2010, I started a list of the names of all the cats & kittens then on the farm - 50 of them!! After that summer of more kittens being born and coyotes killing indiscriminately, we were down to 39. As of May 2011, we were holding steady at about 39 - but 11 of them were unnamed kittens born this past spring. Then I just couldn't do the list any longer ... broke my itty-bitty heart :-(

It looks like the coyotes have moved on ... at least for now. It seems the mommies got smart and they hide their babies till they're quite big. Because of that, we have some young ones that are pretty wild. I try to give them names, but it's a little difficult since I'm not sure if they're male or female.

I have gone a long while without taking pictures of the cats, but I finally got over it (sorta). So, without further ado ... please enjoy some of our babies. They are truly the joy of my daily life on the farm.

Hans Solo - one of our youngest
Hans, his mom Slappy, & Iris
Iris
Yahoo
Yahtzee
Gretchen with her 3 boys,
Samson, Simon, & Seth
Marmalade
The next two are "adoptees" and relatively new to farm life:
Mars
& Kitty Manx
And, finally, one of the oldest ones left on the farm, the only remaining son of Kit Carson (may she rest in peace) - Sanford
I gotta feed that boy ... he looks awfully skinny!

In case you're wondering, we do still have cows and crops and crap. My next post, honestly, I'll try to make about something more farm-ish. farm... ish... get it?? oh, I crack me up!!! Till then, keep on smiling :-)

2011-08-04T14:38:00.003-04:00

Amusing? Perhaps ....

In the past weeks, I have been thinking about the title of my blog, Farm Muse. Just to make sure, I looked up the definition of muse: "To be absorbed in one's thoughts; engage in meditation. To consider or say thoughtfully. A state of meditation." I was pretty certain of the meaning of farm, so I didn't look that one up.

I do spend quite a bit of time thinking (meditating?), but that doesn't seem to be reflected in the blog. Most of my posts are "just the facts, ma'am." We did this, here's the field, the kittens are getting bigger, hope your Christmas was wonderful, etc.

What brought this quandary to the forefront of my mind? A friend mentioned a blog that she thought I might enjoy, entitled "A Holy Experience." Guess what? I don't like it much. It's WAY too much musing and meditating for my taste. Pretty music playing in the background (I turn it off); long sentences or fragments thereof with too many adjectives; long, daily posts with scads of pictures. She's a farmer's wife, mother of SIX, an author .... Okay, I admit it - I'm jealous and that's why I hate her and her blog :-)

[insert fabulous photo]

Another friend and I were talking and this friend mentioned that a friend of hers had told her about the above hinted-at book, One Thousand Gifts: A Dare to Live Fully Right Where You Are. So, when I saw the Kindle edition was on sale for $2.99, I decided to buy it. I haven't started it yet and I probably won't like it, but I bought it.

[if you had the proper plug-in, you could be listening to lovely music right now]

The blogger and author whom I am belittling, Ann Voskamp, admits that life is messy, but that she is writing and trying to live the words of grace and faith. She says it much better than I just did, so click on her name and read it for yourself. She will probably thank me for all the readers who will now find her blog and buy her book :-)

In my younger days, if you had said, "Life is messy," I would have responded, "Not on my watch! Everything neat and in its proper place." But going through a divorce, living on my own for 10 years, and then becoming a farmer's wife at the ripe age of 53 have turned my world upside down. Now if you say, "Life is messy," I will respond by saying "Amen!!" Life is messy, but I'm living it by grace and faith - even when my words don't express that with great conviction or beauty.

I have written this silliness not to put a sweet Christian writer down (I will probably have to eat my words and send her a written apology), but to let you know that I have discovered I am not a muse, at least not first and foremost. Perhaps, more correctly, this blog is not a place where I have let you see into my thoughts and meditations.

A Muse? ... probably not.
Amusant? ... peut-etre.

2011-06-15T15:02:00.012-04:00

Spring and Growing Things

Since summer is officially less than a week away, I think it's time to share some pictures of things growing around here this spring. It has been a strangely beautiful season ... too cold, too hot, too wet, too dry ... but in spite of the ups and downs, the farm is quite lush and green. So, without further ado, here are the pics.

Last year I planted 12 tulip bulbs (first time ever!) and 11 came up. I was in shock.
In the early spring, we have a backyard of violets.
A Scented Sun camellia that froze in the late winter tried valiantly to open. Even though it wasn't perfectly gorgeous, it had a beautiful scent!
Weldon was determined to plant more red raspberry bushes for me. The perfect place, according to him, was in the front yard! They're growing nicely and have even produced a handful of berries.
Last year, Katie and I transplanted some irises from Pat's old place. They all came up this spring and one plant even produced an iris!
The peonies were beautiful, until the rains beat them to the ground.
The hummingbird bush/plant went wild this year, climbing over the mailbox, the peach tree, and the fallen log. I think I'll have to find a new home for it.
We buy strawberries not far from here, but it was an incredibly short season due to all the rain!
Our black raspberries are doing themselves proud.
Baby kitties are sprouting up
and grandkids are getting bigger.

I love growing things, especially when they don't depend too much on me :-) Life is good, and it's a joy to have so many things to smile about, each and every day. Count your blessings, name them one by one!

2011-04-03T14:18:00.009-04:00

The Good Bad Apple

(A Retelling of The Good Samaritan)

The Cast (in order of appearance)
Mr. Potato Head
2 Robbers (unnamed and dangerous)
The Badly Mashed Mr. Potato Head
Pastor Parsnip
Kathy Cuke
Andy Apple and his YAMaha 250

In The Bible (Luke 10:27), Jesus said, "Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself." Watch this little play and see if you can decide who was a real neighbor.

Once upon a time, Mr. Potato Head was walking down the road, minding his own business and humming along to the tunes on his iPod, when who should turn up but a couple of robbers. They beat Mr. Potato Head and whipped him soundly, stole his iPod and all his money, and left him for dead on the side of the road .

A short while later, Pastor Parsnip happened to be going down the same road, on his way to the library to study for his Sunday sermon. When he saw the man lying on the side of the road, he didn't know what to do. He thought, "Oh dear. Look at that poor man! But God has called me to write a sermon, so I must be on my way," and he walked by on the other side.

Later, cute and oh-so-cool Kathy Cuke came to the same place as she was heading to choir practice . When she saw the man who had been beaten and mashed so badly, she was very concerned. "If only I hadn't just had my nails done! But I don't want to be late for choir practice!" And she, also, went by on the other side.

Some time later in the day, a young man came by on his YAMaha 250. VROOM VROOM. He was called a "Bad Apple" because of his tattoos and piercings and loud motorcycle ... not to mention his purple mohawk. When Andy saw the hurt man, he felt sorry for him. He carefully put Mr. Potato Head on his motorcycle and took him to the nearest hospital. VROOM VROOM. He asked the doctor to take care of the man and, if he didn't have insurance, he'd be back in a few days and pay the bill.

Now, which one of these 3 -- Pastor Parsnip, Kathy Cuke, or Andy Apple -- was a real neighbor to Mr. Potato Head?

Lettuce Pray
...

This was my Children's Message at Chestnut Grove United Methodist Church on April 3, 2011.

2011-01-10T13:31:00.002-05:00

Practicing my Southern

At the first sign (or hint) of wintery weather, true Southerners head for the grocery store. I have pooh-poohed this practice for my 17+ years in North Carolina; but today was the day! I can be as southern as the next guy, thought I to myself, as I bundled up and headed to town.

Although there was not a snowflake to be seen, schools had already been called off and some businesses closed. The parking lot at Food Lion wasn't as crowded as I imagined it might be , but most likely the died-in-the-wool, lifelong residents had ventured out last night. And just what had lured us out in these near-blizzard conditions? (Please review photo of grocery store parking lot.)

Milk
and bread .
That's right ... milk and bread.

So, I live on a dairy farm and I bake my own bread. I'm sorry, but the Northern in me just started oozing out. Seriously, if I get snowed in, what do I really need?

Hair color
and a movie .
That's right ... hair color and a movie.

Is my Minnesota accent coming through loud and clear? Bring on the snow! I'm ready!!!

2010-12-22T17:16:00.008-05:00

CHRISTMAS 2010

Oh my gosh! Where does the time go? If you haven't friended me on Facebook, you've missed out on a lot of day-to-day excitement since my last post in October. (Don't you love my sense of humor?!) Seriously, Christmas is almost here! And this year we've actually done a few out-of-the-ordinary things in preparation for the holiday (holiday = holy day).

Back on December 1, Edith & Pat & I went to see about 9,000 poinsettias at Mitchell's Nursery, located just a couple miles from us. If you check out their website, you'll see that they are one of 33 greenhouses in the U.S. and Canada that grow various poinsettias on a trial basis to see what does well and what people like. We weren't able to attend the Open House, but we got a sneak preview.

Pat invited us to Horne Creek Farm for Christmas by Lamplight on December 2. There were stories told about Christmases in the good old days, we sang carols, and we had a nice warm supper of potato soup or beef stew in bread bowls, a fruit cup, dessert, and hot apple cider. This will be a great place to revisit, especially when it's not so cold!

On Saturday, the 11th, I went to Boone with a small group from our church, Chestnut Grove UMC, to help process Operation Christmas Child boxes at Samaritan's Purse. It was a wonderful and eye-opening experience.

Christmas is fast approaching, but I'm just about ready! The curtains are decorated , the tree is up , and my nativity set has a place of honor in the living room .

I have sent off the boxes that needed to be sent, and tomorrow I will wrap the gifts that need wrapping. We will gather at Edith's on Christmas morning (after chores, of course) with as many family members as can be there. We will start with breakfast and we'll keep nibbling all day long, stopping long enough to open presents.

If it weren't for the inestimable love of our heavenly Father, we wouldn't have a Christmas to celebrate. But he sent his son, the perfect Gift. You've heard the ageless story and I hope it has found a home in your heart. It's the basis for My Christmas Song, which I would like to share with you below.

Merry Christmas and a Blessed and Joyous 2011 to each of you!
Love and hugs from Cindy & Weldon

2010-10-26T15:54:00.007-04:00

Friday, October 22 - A Day Off !!

Let me begin by saying that I am using the term "day off" quite loosely :-) The day started with 3 hours of chores and ended with the same ... but, in between, a day off!! Let me also admit that I get many whole days off during the year, and this year I actually went to Oregon for 6 days while my hardworking farmer-husband slaved away. Needless to say, I was tickled that we had this little respite together.

I got a call from a classmate of Weldon's whom we had seen at his class reunion 4 weeks previously. Brenda said that she and her husband Mark make an annual trip to Mabry Mill in Meadows of Dan, Virginia. After some explanation and miscellaneous chatting, she said they would be going up the next day (Friday) and asked if we'd like to go with them. Well, duh! Weldon said if I wanted to go, we'd go ... although he really should be getting the hay in. He's so sweet :-)

Mark & Brenda picked us up at 10 am. They weren't familiar with the back roads around here, so after a few minutes, Mark just turned his GPS off and Weldon took us on the scenic route for the entire day.

First stop, this strange concrete statue place that we visited in June 2007. Mark & Brenda had never been here before and they thought it pretty odd, too. Next time we need to go up to the buildings and see if someone can tell us who buys this stuff and if it's all made right there. Anyway ... here are a few pics.

It was a beautiful drive, even though the colors were past their peak. The wind was on the cool side, but if you stood in the sun, it was a lovely day. Next stop: Nancy's Candy Co. Let me tell you, this is some good stuff. Weldon thinks we should take another day trip there ... every day!! I don't know how expensive it is to get the goodies shipped, but I'm definitely gonna check it out. And maybe next time we can actually get to see the factory in operation. That would be great fun!

Just a hop and a skip away - Mabry Mill and Mabry Mill Restaurant. We had a 2-hour wait at the restaurant (!), but spent the time walking, enjoying the scenery, and checking out the gift shop.

The grist mill was actually grinding corn for a few minutes. If you look carefully, you may see me in the mirror above the mill.
This framed mini-quilt of Mabry Mill hangs in the gift shop. Pretty neat!

On our way home we stopped at a produce stand and bought some apples and a little bag of buckwheat flour. Then we enjoyed our ride home. What's not to love - sitting in the back seat with your sweetie, enjoying the scenery while someone else does the driving?!
Yay for a day off!

p.s. I forgot to resize my pictures, so when you click on them, they may be HUGE. Sorry about that.

2010-09-11T10:17:00.006-04:00

Chopping Corn

This is the best corn crop Weldon has had in 4 years. The early corn was harvested in July, but I didn't take any pictures. After 6 years of taking pics of bringing in the silage, they all start looking the same. Yesterday, Weldon asked if I would come take some pictures as they were cutting the tallest of the corn, down below his mom's house. I'm so glad I did, because it was an absolutely gorgeous day ... and I had had enough of household chores.

It seems that as much time is spent fixing broken down machinery as actually doing the work, but I guess that's to be expected when everything (and everyone) on the farm is older than dirt!

This is almost a great butt picture :-)

Action shots:

Talk about action! This guy will take any and every opportunity!!

You can get an idea of how tall the corn is. I am 5' tall.
See my upraised arm?
This corn was about 14' tall. Now it's chopped and in the silos. Soon it will be food for the cows, then manure for the fields to grow another crop of corn. Ahhh, such is the circle of life on the farm.

No post can be considered complete without a few kittens, right? Here are 4 little ones piled up in a concrete "leaf" birdbath kind-of-thing.
And here they are scurrying away.

Now I have almost 400 photos to sort through from my trip to Oregon. Of course more than 100 are scenery shots taken from the car so Weldon can see the lay of the land. I'll post some on Facebook and try to get a little synopsis of the fun published here on the blog. Stay tuned!

2010-08-09T15:27:00.003-04:00

A farmer's wife once spent the day cooking to surprise her husband with his favorite meal. With her friend's help, she scrubbed the kitchen till it shined and donned a new dress. Candlelight flickered from tall tapers on the table.
Her husband tramped in, weary from a hard day in the fields. Large clumps of mud fell from his boots onto the freshly mopped floor as he crossed to the sink before removing the boots.
Ready to leave, the friend turned to the wife and whispered in disgust, "Ugh! Look at all that mud!"
The wife smiled. "Yes, his boots bring the mud in, but they bring him in, too."

--Cindy Sigler Dagnan

2010-07-28T12:30:00.015-04:00

SWEAT-STAINED and PANTING

No, "Sweat-Stained and Panting" is not the title of a love ballad topping the country charts! Although, now that you mention it .... :-) Actually, it's just the way the month of July has felt here on the farm. It's been a HOT ONE!! In spite of that, the month has flown by and I haven't posted anything to my blog since early June. Until now, that is! Sit back (not too far back), scroll down (not too fast), and enjoy a peek into the past 2 months on Keiger Farm and environs.

June 7: Black raspberries, red raspberries, pies, and a tart.

and a sandwich :-)

June 12: Maria & Steven's wedding.

We clean up pretty well.

June 17: Cats & kittens and more berries!

black rasp, red rasp, wine raspberries

June 18: Father's Day.

Corn is growing w/o rain!

July 2: Wine, baby birds, and Edith's garden.
wineberry wine, hopefully.

July 8: Apples, pickles, more berries and a quilt?!

As if I didn't have enough to do with all the produce coming in, I dragged out a quilt I started about 10 years ago. I had given up on it because it wasn't coming together to my satisfaction. I need to rip it apart and try again. After taking apart 3 or 4 squares, it is once again folded up and back in the craft room. Maybe this winter ....

July 9: A new old tractor for Weldon.
He's happy :-)

July 11: A visit with John Wesley.

July 12: A surprise from Katie.

The box says, "For immediate relief of: Chocolate Cravings, Lovesickness, Exam Pressure, Mild Anxiety and Extreme Hunger. Directions for use: Tear open wrapper, break off desired dosage, and consume. Alternatively massage into the affected area. Repeat dosage as required until finished. If symptoms persist consult your local confectioner."

July 13: A surprise from the sky.

July 14: Cats and kittens.

July 24: Celebrating Katie's birthday at Anna's!

The birthday girl missed her own party, but she knows she's loved.

Well, that took longer than I expected (of course!). Just imagine if I had named or explained all the pictures. If you have any questions, ask away! Hope to see you here on Farm Muse again real soon. And keep your ears open for that exciting new country hit: Sweat-Stained and Panting!

2010-06-06T13:16:00.005-04:00

"Girlie Stuff"

Weldon's niece Maria is getting married next Saturday. She had asked if I would do a scripture reading during the wedding ceremony and I gladly agreed. Thus, I was invited to the Bridesmaid Luncheon that took place on Saturday, June 5. What a wonderfully relaxing and girlie kind of day it was! I put on a dress and heeled sandals and makeup (!) and headed for Rockford, NC, with Pat and Edith.

I think I have always pictured myself as being somewhere between a priss and a tomboy; you know ... just that perfect, ideal balance between the two :-) So, I wouldn't normally ooh and aah over a "girls" day out, but I did a lot of oohing and aahing yesterday. The contrasts between this event and what is now my daily farm life were quite apparent and, perhaps, rather restorative.

The luncheon was held at The Rockford Inn/Bed & Breakfast in Rockford, NC. First, the house and its history were amazing. I simply love historic old houses, even more so if they're made of logs! So, here are a few pictures of the house itself.
Maria on the front porch a stairway
a closeup of one of the logs :-)
and one of the bedrooms. The decor throughout was not all frou-frou, but "country casual" in an appealing way. Even a manly man would not feel out of place here.

The decorations (by Kay Spilker) , the lunch (by Beth Carroll, mother of the bride) ,
and the desserts (by Pat Keiger, aunt of the bride) were all perfect and oh-so-delicious.
The food would have been just as tasty if it had been plopped helter-skelter on the plates, and we could have sat on the floor and wiped our hands on our pants (or dresses). But it was delightful to see the care that was taken with each aspect of the day. The feminine touch was doing its magic!!

It was enjoyable listening to, interacting with, and observing 14 women (ranging in age from 8 to 83), each delighted to be sharing Maria's life and her joy. Here is the bride-to-be with her mother
and here with her bridesmaids and flower girl.

It doesn't have to be flowers and ruffles, but the feminine touch adds something sweet to daily life. Girlie stuff is good and maybe I should hone my skills. Curtains in the milk barn??

2010-04-30T15:50:00.002-04:00

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

For many years, I kept a daily journal. Now it has been even more years that I have NOT kept a journal. However, this past Monday (April 26, 2010), I had to take pen in hand and write. I was writing out of frustration but, by the time I finished writing, it seemed my frustration was gone. The time I spent writing was as awesome as the "God Day" I wrote about on Facebook. So, without further ado, I'm going to share my heart with you. (This is the "musing" part of Farm Muse.)

~ ~ ~

The good, the bad, and the ugly: who knew they each reside in me? How is it possible that I have such a bad attitude? I want to think that a big part of it is not getting enough sleep, but knowing/believing that, it seems I should be able to make the choice to not be so ugly.

Yesterday in Sunday School (from 30 Life Principles by Charles Stanley) we read, "God often leads us through difficult times to teach us.... Your challenges may be so immense and your choices so limited that you feel weak, completely unable to crawl out of the valley.... However, right now, there is something that God wants you to learn. Consider how He is working in your life. What is God teaching you through this valley?"

I thought I was going to start seriously praying to find out if God wants me to continue milking cows or if I should look for another job. Weldon says I'm not "enslaved" - I made the choice and I don't have to continue. However, in my mind, I don't see how I could possibly quit because that would leave Edith feeling obligated to step in - and she admits (finally!) that she is physically unable to keep up with all she has been doing.

So perhaps my prayer shouldn't be "Shall I get a different job?" but, rather, "What are You teaching me through this entire farm experience?"

I know I am blessed and have no reason to complain - but complain I do! About almost everything! I don't like "this me." SO ... I want to pray (novel thought!), I want to listen, I want to be changed.

"Just as I am, tho tossed about with many a conflict, many a doubt; fightings and fears within, without, O Lamb of God, I come! I come!" This hymn spoke to me strongly in the milk barn this morning. And, now, looking at it in Amazing Grace 366 Inspiring Hymn Stories for Daily Devotions by Kenneth W. Osbeck, I read: "[Charlotte Elliott (the author) said] 'His grace surrounds me and His voice continually bids me to be happy and holy in His service - just where I am.' "

~ ~ ~

The End. In the time it took me to write these few lines, my entire attitude and outlook changed! Is it the end of the good, the bad, and the ugly in me? Of course not! But I am so in awe of a God who loves me enough to care about what I'm going through. I like to think I'm strong and I often find myself gritting my teeth and saying, "I CAN DO THIS." The truth of the matter is, there is a lot that I CAN'T do. In those situations, I'm glad the the Lord steps in and reveals His strength. I truly want to be "happy and holy in His service - just where I am."

2010-03-17T16:11:00.001-04:00

~ DAUGHTERS ~

Daughters are a wonderful thing, and I have 2 of them! Yay for me!!
Little girls are adorable, whether they're putting together their first wagon (Anna)
or creating works of art (Katie).
And grownup girls can become your best friends. Yay for me!!

In February, Anna came to the farm to spend a few days with me. We didn't do anything exciting, but we had quality relaxing time together. She brought along a jigsaw puzzle and (except for throwing a smoking dvd player out the door) it was our chief entertainment.

In March, I went to New York to spend a few days with Katie. It rained the whole time, but we had quality relaxing time together. We enjoyed Monet's Water Lilies at MoMA and visited the NYC Library. Our chief entertainment was sweets at unique coffee shops.

Anna & Katie are definitely not 2 peas in a pod. They're as different as night & day, and yet I see many similarities in them. I am their common denominator. Yay for me!!

2010-02-01T13:21:00.005-05:00

New Cow Stalls - Phase 1 Completed
Mr. Perfectionist is still at it. Everything has to be just so.
Working on the curbing:
Filling the forms with sand
and then concrete.
Next, the metal dividers are put in place: . The calves were able to watch all the proceedings from their section of the barn , and Wesley was able to come back now and then to help with the work. Thanks, Wesley!!
When the dividers were in place, it was time to put sawdust down as bedding for the girls.
Hmmm. I guess it meets with her approval.
Then the same steps were taken on the other side of the center posts and voila! neat, clean, modern bedding for 18 cows and a few wayward calves :-)
I don't remember how many stalls Weldon plans to make, but I think this represents a little less than half of the total. We are all so proud of Weldon for his skills and knowledge ... and brawn!

2009-12-04T13:57:00.007-05:00

New Cow Stalls ... Continued

I can't believe it's 2 months ago that I wrote about the beginning of this project. Weldon is totally amazing! Without any help (until this week), he has continued working all by his lonesome on this difficult, heavy job. He sometimes forgets that he's not quite as young as he used to be, but, other than some moans and groans, he doesn't complain at all. So! Enough praise and adulation. On to the progress report.

First, here's the work that really amazed me. To give additional support to the existing roof, he got these heavy beams, 17 and 20 feet long made of two 2x12s each, hoisted up and bolted together by himself! He explained to me how it really wasn't that difficult or heavy - just slow, lifting one end at a time, balancing it on the Bobcat or scaffolding as he needed. Anyway, I was beyond impressed!

The following pictures will show how he is making the curb that will form the back end of the stalls. It will hold the sawdust bedding in place so the cows can have a relatively clean place to lie down. First he had to dig a trench and make a form to hold the concrete. You can perhaps see from the photos that "Meticulous" is his middle name.

He's made his forms, got them perfectly in place, mixed the concrete, and shoveled it into the forms.

Here is the first completed section of curbing.
Now he is removing the forms from the next section that has been poured and dried.
And then he starts all over again. Woohoo! Approximately 25% of the curbs are done.
When they are completed, the new bedding "floor" can be poured. After that, the metal dividers can be installed. I'll post pictures as that work progresses.

We hope that Weldon's nephew Wesley will be able to continue helping him for a while. That would make the work go much quicker. Of course, if the ground ever dries up a little, Weldon will have to stop and plant wheat and spread manure. Sure wish he had had a son :-)

Remember, you can find me on Facebook (Cindy Keiger) just about any day of the week. That's why you don't see me on here very often :-)

2009-10-02T15:37:00.009-04:00

New Cow Stalls - The Project Begins

This pile of metal has been lying around the barnyard for a couple of years now, being moved from one location to another to keep them out of the way. Believe it or not, these looped metal tubes are going to form the sides of new cow stalls, and the work has finally begun. I can't wait to see how they're going to look!
This is what the old wooden stalls look like. Most of them have been broken down over the years, so the cows poop wherever they want and lie down wherever they want. Are you getting my drift? Even with keeping hay on the floors, the cows get awfully dirty and Weldon has to wash them morning and evening before we can milk.
The new metal tubes will hang from iron or cement posts, so Weldon is making one new cement post each day. This is the form he made, filled with cement.

Each one is perfectly beautiful, as you can see. He will need to make about 25 of them.

Weldon's nephew Wesley Carroll has been coming to help with the work: measuring, cutting, lifting sagging roof beams, and digging out cement, packed dirt & cow poop. It's a lot of dirty, heavy work.

Nothing is exactly square, so the whole center area needed to be dug up and laid out "just so." If you look carefully, you can see the string working as a level so that concrete footings can be poured. Weldon backed the tractor & generator into position , but only after Wesley did his best to drown a nest of wasps. I think he missed. But the work continued and now you can see the finished line of concrete and metal posts running down the center of the barn lot. The cement posts that Weldon is making will run along the sides of the barn lot ... or, that's my understanding. It's all pretty impressive.
Now this work has stopped so that the corn/sorghum harvest can be brought in. A farmer's work is never done.
Stay tuned ....

2009-09-03T13:40:00.015-04:00

... Walk with Me ...
Weldon has 3 silos in which he stores the silage that he feeds the cattle throughout the course of the year. The last of the silos was almost empty, so he had to cut some corn last Thursday (August 27) to tide the cows over until it's really time to harvest. Walk with me as I tag along behind the workers.
The parade is just about ready to start: tractor, corn chopper, wagon, and clown.
Weldon has 4 cornfield areas on the farm, "cut up" into about 21 small patches. These fields cover about 33 acres. His dream is to "just once" farm a big flat piece of land. Today Weldon, Tim, and Jeff would be cutting in the furthest field (3/4 mile from the house), down by the Little Yadkin River. They drove the equipment down and started working while Jasmine and I walked and took some pictures along the way. This is the edge of the first field on the left side of the road.
Next is a scuppernong vine and a pretty view of Pilot Mountain.
On the right, Weldon's sister Pat has a house that she used to live in and an old house that came with the property. It's old and falling apart and I love it!
We have one neighbor at the end of the "real"road , but the wagon tracks continue to some more fields. This looks like the corn is planted too close together, but Weldon had to plant some sorghum amongst the corn to make up for all the stalks that the deer, crows, and turkeys pulled up. And in this picture , you can see where Weldon has cut the hay beside the corn field. Now it needs to be baled and brought up to the barn.
If you look carefully, you can see the smoke from the tractor in the middle of the corn field. The Little Yadkin River is nestled in those trees on the far side of the field. By the time Jazz & I got there, they had already cut one wagon load and were working on the second.
Silage in the first wagon.
Loading the second wagon.
On our way back up the hill: It was nearing 90 degrees and I think we were both panting by now. Jeff came by on his "Mule" and offered us a ride. Jazz isn't crazy about riding in strange vehicles, but she sat on my lap and didn't complain at all. I guess she knew she shouldn't look a gift mule in the mouth.
And here we are, back at the silo. The wagon has a conveyor chain that pushes the silage out and then a blower blows it into the top of the silo. This silo is 40 ft tall.
You can see an exciting video of the silage moving along the conveyor table on my Facebook page :-)
Thanks for walking with me. Hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

2009-08-05T16:41:00.007-04:00

3 DAYS IN MINNESOTA

A big party in northern MN to celebrate my parent's 60th wedding anniversary and my dad's & my uncle's 80th birthdays? Neither hell nor high water could keep us away. Katie flew from NY to MSP Int'l Airport on Thursday evening and Weldon & I flew out from Greensboro on Friday morning, July 31. We met up with Anna and Marshall in the Charlotte airport. From there, we flew into Minneapolis/St.Paul and were met by Steve (my former husband) and Katie. We went to his home and visited for a while with him and his wife Teri. This was the first time for Weldon to meet them. From there, we took Grandma Esther's car (Steve had made arrangements for us to borrow it to save us some $$, thank you very much!) and headed north. We stopped for lunch in Rush City at the Firefly Bistro and then drove on to Cloquet.

You can read the rest of the story and see 150+ photos by clicking on the link below and reading the captions under the pics. There are 2 short videos of Esther talking at the end (second & third from the end), so make sure to check them out.

http://picasaweb.google.com/farmliving/Minnesota2009?authkey=Gv1sRgCNfZuuDGxJrKUg#

Lots of relatives and not much scenery, but hope you enjoy :-)

2009-06-17T10:56:00.007-04:00

NC to NY ... and Back Again

The big (sad) day finally arrived. On Tuesday, June 2, Katie was ready to make her move to New York. In order to delay the sad part for a few days, I drove with Katie to Brooklyn to help her get settled. Heading-out day was plenty busy. First, there were lots of kitties to say goodbye to. Katie had just found and rescued these little babies just 2 days previously while we were at church. Since she found them, she had to name them: Ike and Ray. (Turns out Ray is a female, so now it's Ike and Raye.)

The "boys" were finally able to start getting in the wheat. What a relief!
Tim Lawson: Papa John:
and Mr. Farmer himself, Weldon:

While I did evening chores, Katie loaded the car. When we were ready to go (close to 11pm), we had a good strong cup of coffee, kissed Weldon goodbye, and headed out. Katie drove and it was my job to keep her awake. Personally, my eyelids never felt heavy, but we were both plenty exhausted. We stopped often to pee and stretch our legs, but what a l -- o -- n -- g drive. The sun was coming up while we were going through PA, so I enjoyed seeing a little of that beautiful countryside. The GPS didn't give us too many problems. It finally had to admit that we were right :-)

We arrived at the apartment a little before noon, a few hours longer than the maps predicted, but we did make a lot of stops. Sebastien had flown up from Miami to help with the move, and he had just exited the subway when we pulled in. Talk about timing! We unloaded the car and then found some lunch. Jamaican goodies, just around the corner from Katie's apartment. mmmmm
I hadn't had a Ting in years!
Then a quick stop at the local hardware (?) store for a broom. We didn't need any Tide, but one can always use more Time, right?!
We returned the rental car to Manhattan and stopped at a few shops before taking the subway "home."

The next morning, Thursday, all of Katie's earthly belongings were delivered by truck from Miami. The shrink-wrapped pallets were set on the sidewalk in front of the apartment and the 3 of us got everything inside the lobby and then up the elevator to the apartment. I think it went extremely well. Sebastien's body-building buddy was supposed to be there to assist us, but we got along just fine without him, thank you very much. We were pretty hard on Sebastien, but we finally convinced him that jumping wouldn't solve anything. That night we had supper in a cute little Mexican restaurant right across the street from the apartment. I had a hamburger - go figure. Sure was tasty :-)
Sebastien spent Friday with a friend and Katie and I went into the city for some r&r. We spent a couple of fun hours at MOMA and had lunch there.

After the museum, we dashed through the rain drops to visit a few shops, including a fabulous chocolate shop, a Japanese sweets shop, and maybe another Japanese grocery or two. Then it was back to the subway and back to Brooklyn.

Saturday morning we were up before 5 to make the trip to JFK. I had a good flight home, through DC, and Pat picked me up at the airport. Weldon always asks, "Did you see anyone you know?" This time I really surprised him by saying, "Yes! I saw Eddie McGee." He was flabbergasted. "You DID??" (Eddie used to go to the same church as we go to.) "Yup. He was in the movie we watched last night - Junebug. :-)" It's true and made us all laugh.... And then it was time for chores.

2009-05-30T14:45:00.009-04:00

BUSY, BUSY

You've maybe noticed I haven't blogged in quite a while. Actually, I blog almost every day, but now I do it for money :-) Because of that and being on Facebook, it seems hard to find time to write on Farm Muse. But here I am! Let's see what I can tell you about.

Cats and kittens are always a hot topic around here. Spitz had 4 babies early this spring, and all are doing well. These pictures were taken on March 31:
Maggie, Tobie,
Dottie, Rambo.
Rambo has moved to Florida, but we hear he has made the adjustment quite nicely.

Carson had 3 babies back in January. I posted a video of one of them earlier this year, but they're all grown up now. Lightning, Samantha, & Obama:
Carson has new babies in the junk pile. Katie and I saw them (sort of) and there are at least four. After we found them, Carson moved them and we haven't found them again. She's so sneaky.

Marshall came up for a few days over Easter and Spring Break.
Steve Carroll hid the eggs,
Maria & Beth Carroll and Marshall found the eggs,
and Kathryn & Haylee stopped by later in the afternoon.
A trip to the farm isn't complete without driving the bobcat,
playing with the kittens,
teaching Weldon something new (pop rocks),
and reading bedtime stories.

Katie has been spending some time here on the farm while making arrangements to move to NY. Before flying to NY to hunt for an apartment, we visited Anna and Marshall in Charlotte .
Weldon was sure glad to see me when I got home :-)

On Mother's Day we had a surprise visit from Scott, Jennifer, and Aniston. Aniston loved Dottie, but we couldn't convince them they needed another cat.
Scott was here, really! I just didn't get a picture of him.

Katie had a successful trip to NY, finding an apartment in Brooklyn. She's busy packing and so am I. I'm driving up with her in a few days to help her get moved in. Then I'll fly back home. I've really become a gadabout in my old age, haven't I???

I know this blog is called Farm Muse but I don't write much about the farm. I think I'll have Weldon "ghost write" a spot to tell you how difficult and disappointing things have been. Of course, it has finally stopped raining so he will finally be able to harvest the wheat, if he can finally get some parts for the machinery. So he'll finally be too busy to write and tell you his sad story. The good news is, we keep on laughing and smiling and enjoying each other and life. YAY!!

2009-04-02T17:03:00.008-04:00

MY MINI-VACATION ... Part Two: Miami
I forgot to mention that it was rainy and cold when I left home on Saturday morning. I hadn't gone very far when I realized the heater in the car wasn't working. Fortunately, I had a jacket and gloves in the car but, by the time I got to Anna's, I was just about frozen. I didn't realize how cold my toes were until I got in the house, and when Marshall hugged me, he exclaimed, "Grandma is COLD!!"

So, I left the cold rain of Charlotte behind and flew into the warm sunshine of Ft. Lauderdale. Katie picked me up and our first stop was a Japanese grocery store that also had a sushi bar. We had a nice little lunch and then strolled through the store looking at all the Japanese goodies (and weirdies). We bought these green tea treats and enjoyed them later. They have a spongy, gooshy texture (like marshmallows) and have red bean paste inside. Is that right, Katie?? Anyway ... Yummy! We stopped to get gas and then home to Miami Beach. That evening, Sebastien (a friend from our Haiti days) took us out to a Japanese restaurant. Katie can probably tell you what everyone ordered, but what I know for sure is that I didn't have sushi. I had cooked pork and Japanese veggies in some kind of delicious sauce and white sticky rice. Katie and I shared green tea ice cream for dessert. Here are Sebastien and his girlfriend Neysa , and Katie who actually knows how to use chopsticks. I guess everyone knew how to use chopsticks, except me. The waitress noticed and brought me a fork :-) It was so pleasant to be walking wherever we went and not getting cold or wet.

On Monday, Katie had to work (she works from home), so I took out my Japan stuff and pictures from 2 years ago and got everything organized and put into empty scrapbook pages. A lot of good memories, and when I have some time to start scrapbooking again, it'll be smooth sailing. After Katie had had enough of work, we walked to Cheeseburger Baby and had ... cheeseburgers, baby! and fries. Wow! Talk about delish!! It was almost painful to walk home, but so worth it :-)

On Tuesday we went to see Slumdog Millionaire. What a fabulous movie. It affected me the same way as reading Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt ... awful but wonderful. Our evening meal was at a cute little French cafe, Cafe a la Folie. We knew we were going to have dessert, so we ordered sparingly. I had French onion soup and Katie had a wonderful salad, and they brought out some crusty yummy rolls, of course. We shared our entrees with one another and then each ordered creme brulee. What can I say?? We're like little piggies when it comes to good food.

And then it was Wednesday already, my going home day - and it was raining a little. Before heading to the airport, we decided to go to IKEA in Ft. Lauderdale. Although a new IKEA just opened in Charlotte, I had never been to one, so we had a good time checking out all the stuff. And, of course, we had to be a little silly. There was a mirrored vanity and the doors were also mirrored on the inside, so we stuck our heads in and took a pic. And I thought this sink would be good for Weldon to wash up in when we get our new wash/laundry room done. Time to check out and head to the airport. So sad :-(

I got to there in plenty of time, especially considering my flight was delayed by an hour!! Anna was waiting for me when I arrived in Charlotte (about 6pm). We went back to her place, I picked up my overnight bag, and I drove on home. Aren't little getaways grand?!

2009-03-29T17:00:00.008-04:00

MY MINI-VACATION ... Part One: Charlotte

On March 4th, Katie sent me an email to tell me that Jet Blue was having a sale on flights to Ft. Lauderdale. Did I want to come for a visit? Well, duh!!! After a quick consultation with Weldon, I started searching for a flight. I had already planned to be at Anna's on March 14, so I decided to fly out of Charlotte on the 15th and return on the 18th. I didn't want to stay away too long, because I feel guilty knowing that Edith does my milking chores when I'm gone (with never a complaining word, I might add).

Saturday with Anna and Marshall was a lot of fun, as always. March 10th was Marshall's 10th birthday, so we had to take a little trip to Target (surprise!!) so he could spend some of his birthday money from Katie, Edith, Pat and Great Grandma Schmidt. He bought 2 shirts, body wash, and a video game.
Other than that, we just enjoyed our time together at home. We played Uno and made pizza from scratch, using a pizza crust recipe that I used when the girls were little.

Are you ready for a long, goofy story about the recipe? If not, simply skip the next paragraph.

In February, a friend of Katie's sent me an email, saying that Katie had told him about the fantastic pizza dough recipe I have and could I send it to him. Well, I was stumped. I wrote to Katie, What recipe??? She didn't remember exactly, except that we always used it in Haiti, it called for whole wheat flour but we used white, and the recipe card was in my green plastic recipe box. So ... I look through the box. No recipe. I ask Anna. She remembered it had honey in it and the recipe was in my green plastic recipe box. Searched again. No recipe. I don't quite remember how it happened, but I mentioned the pizza crust on Facebook and a gal we worked with in Haiti wrote, "I use your pizza crust recipe all the time. Everyone in Haiti always said I made the best pizza." What??? You have THE recipe?? Yes! so she emailed it to me. When I got it, the name of the recipe was GRAHAM FLOUR PIZZA CRUST. Hmmmm... little bells going off in my head. I remembered going through my recipe box some time ago and thinking, "graham flour?! like, who buys that any more??" so I thought I must have thrown out the recipe without even looking at it. I thought I also had a graham flour bread recipe, so I decided to look through the box once more and if there were NO graham flour recipes, I would know that that's what had happened. And, lo and behold, there's the Graham Flour Pizza Crust recipe, big as (3x5) life. We all had a good laugh.

We now return you to our regularly scheduled program.

So here are some pictures of us making and eating the pizza. Sure enough, it was fantastic!! :-)

We had a lazy Sunday morning together and then they took me to the airport. After that, they went to a birthday party for Marshall. The party was originally scheduled for Saturday (which was why I was planning to be in Charlotte on the 14th), but was then changed to Sunday (after I had already bought my ticket to Florida). Needless to say, I missed the party. Anna sent me pictures, so I'll include a few of them for your enjoyment.
Isn't this the cutest cake?! That's Marshall's wrestling picture :-)
Anna made him a quilt. Marshall had actually picked out the fabrics and the pattern he liked. Pretty cool, huh?

Part two of this mini-travelogue (Miami) will be posted within a couple of days. Trust me.

2009-02-26T15:14:00.008-05:00

Kitty Spa
During the cold months, a fire is built in the stove in the milk tank room each morning and evening so the room is nice and toasty. I call this room the Kitty Spa! At one end of the room is the milk tank , and here's the other end of the room with the wood stove and miscellaneous milking supplies.

When we go down to do chores, we let the cats and kittens come in so they can get warmed up. They are spoiled rotten. There are 9 cats visible in the middle picture above, but there are probably another 5 or 6 just outside your field of vision. That's Johnny Carson by the stove and Spitz's kittens Spice, Spots, and Sparks in the picture on the right.
Kitten Kaboodle is smart and always manages to have her babies in the milk tank room. Here they are in January , happy to sleep in their box; and now they have to be like the big kitties and sleep anywhere and everywhere . From front to back: Kitten Kaboodle ("Boo"), Gretchen & Shadow, Spike, and Boogaloo.
There is a fan over the stove that blows some of the warm air into the milk parlor so we don't freeze to death while we're milking when it's really cold. This morning we didn't even need to wear our hooded sweatshirts while we were working in the milk pit!

I'm wearing my favorite sweatshirt. Can you see what it says? "I'm in over my head..." Standing in that milk pit, I don't think there's a truer statement ... except maybe "Sh** happens!"
The cats (we have 40+) await fresh, warm milk every morning and evening, which I deliver to 5 locations. I told you they were spoiled!!! Kit Carson has moved her three "babies" from the junk yard to the little shed next to our house. One of these days they'll move to the hay barn (I hope!) and then I won't have to bring milk to this fifth location. Carson (the mom) is in the center, with Samantha on the left and Lightning on the right.
Carson's third baby, Obama, is a scaredy cat and won't come out until he's sure it's safe.
I hope you've enjoyed this little visit to the Kitty Spa and the milk parlor. Want a kitty??

2009-02-11T11:24:00.003-05:00

I SURE KNOW HOW TO PICK 'EM

The following is a quote (January 8, 2009) from Hoard's Dairyman, The National Dairy Farm Magazine:

"It's official, at least in the eyes of the Wall Street Journal writers, that dairy farming isn't much fun. In the January 5 issue of the New York-based business paper, dairy farming ranked 199 out of 200 professions. The only job below it was lumberjack."

My first husband was a lumberjack for 4 years in Brimson, MN. My second (and last!) husband is a dairy farmer.

I SURE KNOW HOW TO PICK 'EM

2009-01-13T12:51:00.007-05:00

beaucoup de babies ...

We finally met Ayden in person. He is 4-1/2 months old and he smiles, makes lots of sounds, and waves his arms around a lot. What a good boy!!
Here he is with his dad Joe.
And here with cousin Haylee.
Here is great-grandma watching over the little ones while the rest of us are stuffing our faces.
It was a noisy gathering with Edith & Pat, Weldon's 3 daughters & Joe, their babies, Beth & Steve, and us. With everyone telling stories and laughing about memories from the past, our few hours together flew by and, all of a sudden, everyone was getting ready to leave. We didn't get any pictures of the 3 girls together nor of them with their babies. Drat!!

We finally found Kit Carson's latest babies (born around Thanksgiving) - in the junk pile, as usual.
Look closely and you'll see one of the cuties...
No, wait! That's Weldon. Yes, he's definitely one of the cuties!!
Three new kittens.

The white one took a chunk out of my finger the first time I got my hands on him. Turn up the sound and you can hear him growl in the video.

I am finally beginning to see the baby calves as "cute." This one, born Dec 29, captured my heart.
Actually, her black ears captured my heart. There's her little white head and then those black ears that look like velvet.
When she was even younger, the inside of those velvety ears was a brighter pink.
Amazing :-)

Babies are super cute ... especially when you don't have to live with them!

2009-01-01T14:28:00.006-05:00

What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace. Agnes M. Pharo
What is Christmas? It's the birthday of the King who can change the thoughts of our hearts to reflect the quote above. Happy Birthday, Jesus :-)
What is Christmas? Family! Of my "blood family," only Anna & Marshall are near enough that we can actually get together. I celebrate with the rest of my family via cards, e-mails, calls, and gifts. Fortunately, Weldon's sweet family is right here and they've taken me in with open hearts so I am not lonely during these wonderful days.
What is Christmas? Check out the pictures!
At Anna's on December 14 ....
Every year I give Marshall an ornament as a reminder of something that he was doing or learning or enjoying that year.
This is Anna's sweetie, Jason
And now, Christmas Day at Edith's ....
Four generations (times 2):
Edith, Weldon, Jennifer, and Aniston
Edith, Weldon, Kathryn, Ashley & Haylee
Jennifer's hubby Scott
Kathryn's hubby David
Pat holding a marzipan pig :-)
Steve & Beth and their daughter Maria
Their son Wesley & his wife Ashley (holding Aniston)
These pictures may lead you to believe that we had a quiet gathering with sweet smiles and humble fellowship. But, no! This is the Keiger farm, and even Christmas cannot escape farm humor. Beth had asked me if there was anything that Weldon wanted/needed for Christmas. All I could think of was a poop pusher. That's the snow-plow-like shovel he uses to clean the barn floors after we're done milking. So, that's what she got for him, complete with 4 rolls of toilet paper on the long handle. As a side note, I had got Steve a bottle of hot sauce called, Professor Phardtpounders Colon Cleaner ("an elixer of capsaicin extremus"). So ... Weldon starts to unwrap his present and when he gets down to the blade, the craziness begins. What the heck is taped to the blade of the shovel? It looks like ... no! No way! Beth, what is this??!! She insists that a candy cane bun she was baking fell to the oven floor without her knowledge and when she found it later, it was burned to a crisp. Looking remarkably like a pile of crap (sorry), she taped it to the shovel. Natural farmboy that he is, Weldon just had to get started. First he had to try eating the crap (eeeuuuu), then he had to set up various scenarios to be photographed, all the while the rest of us laughing hysterically. We got a few pictures of the Colon Cleaner and the "candy cane" together; then Weldon added a note: "It works!" This went on and on, till finally Edith decided it was time to clean things up. It certainly was a lot funnier than it sounds here in writing :-)
To close on a kinder, gentler note ... Here we are in front of our tree the day after Christmas, surrounded by a few of our gifts. Thank you, one and all, for the cards, gifts, calls, and displays of love. We love you right back and wish you a

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

2008-12-08T11:24:00.004-05:00

Where is Ayden??

Haylee is on the left, Aniston on the right:
Great grandma Edith is on the left, Weldon on the right :)
Aniston & Haylee are in Grandpa's arms!
But where is Ayden?
He's in New York ... sitting on Santa's lap!

2008-12-03T10:11:00.006-05:00

ANISTON PARKER KEIGER DOWD

Yes, the newest "star" has arrived! Aniston was born shortly before midnight on November 19, weighing about 6 pounds 4 ounces. Her parents are Weldon's middle daughter Jennifer and her husband Scott. We visited the happy family this past Sunday and were able to hold and hug and squeeze the little darling.

Although her eyes are closed in these pictures, Aniston was very alert, her little eyes darting every which way, taking in all the sights of her new world. Talk about an early Christmas present :-)

Congratulations to all and to all a Good Night!

2008-11-14T14:06:00.006-05:00

... All Boy ...
Marshall loves to participate in sports: soccer, wrestling, tennis, golf, bowling; and this year was his first try at football. I got to see him "play" during their pre-season jamboree in September.

On Saturday, November 8, I was able to attend his team's Football Awards Banquet. I was surprised by how many people were there, but parents love to see their kids and grandkids do well and achieve their goals. We enjoyed a good lunch and cake, and then came the awards.
Each of the players got a trophy and a few, including Marshall, got perfect attendance/good sportsmanship certificates.
The team's only win for the year was in a pre-season game. This was a young team (most never having played before), so the coach has big hopes for next year.
Although he's "all boy," Marshall has a sweet and tender heart, which I hope he'll continue to develop. (As a grandmother, I'm entitled to such sentiments.) Anyway, girls go gaga over a sweet guy - just ask Weldon :-)

2008-11-06T15:56:00.011-05:00

WOOHOO!!! :-)
Weldon had always hoped to brick the outside of the house and we have been discussing it for quite some time. Last spring and summer we spent many Sunday afternoons driving around looking at brick houses and deciding what we like and don't like, and we made many trips to Pine Hall Brick. Who knew there was so much to learn about brick, mortar, and the ways they could be put together! The bricks we chose are called Old Irvington - an over-sized, tumbled brick. That means they're bigger than "normal" bricks and they look old and beat up :-)
After a lot of work and preparation on Weldon's part, our plans have begun to be realized and the results are more beautiful than I could have imagined.
Siding off, porch torn up:
Brick & mortar delivered:
Weldon made the tools to "rake" the mortar joints:
Ready to start:
The first brick is laid:
The local yokels pretend to work:
These guys know what they're doing and they do it well!
After just 2 1/2 days of work, the brick work is almost finished.
Back: and front:
There's still lots of work to be done. Next up, the masons will return and work on the pillars for the porch and carport.
The first evening after the house was finished this far, I took Jasmine out to do her evening duties and when I turned around, my heart did a little skip 'cuz I didn't recognize the house :-)
Stay tuned ....

2008-10-31T12:24:00.005-04:00

HAYLEE MARIE WEIDL

Weldon's oldest daughter, Kathryn, and her husband David and daughter Ashley welcomed little Haylee into the world on Thursday night, October 23. She weighed 7 pounds 4 ounces and was just long enough. (Sorry, I didn't write down all the details.) Great grandma Edith and I went to see the newest addition to the family on Tuesday afternoon. Weldon couldn't go because he still had a cough from his dragging-on-forever cold :-(

We all agree: Haylee Marie is a keeper!!!

2008-10-09T14:03:00.004-04:00

AYDEN JOSEPH QUELIZ

Ayden made his entrance into the world on August 22, 2008, weighing in at 6 pounds 4 ounces. Congratulations to Mom Melinda and Dad Joseph and everyone who is glad to have a handsome little boy in the family. Since they live in New York, we haven't been able to hug and squeeze Weldon's first grandson yet, but we have seen lots of adorable pictures. Here are a few for you to enjoy.
Just a few hours old...
Are you sure about this???
It's all good.
Four weeks already?
Six weeks old and ready to take on the world!

Come see us soon, little guy! Bring your mom and dad, too!!

2008-09-29T15:19:00.008-04:00

MOOS and MEWS
This is "calving season" and, as of this writing, 11 babies have been born: 7 heifers and 4 bulls. The first little heifer was born when Hurricane Hanna blew through here,
so Weldon named her Hanna.
We don't usually name the calves, but he got us started!
The next was Tuesday ,
then Tina, then Nellie Bell, and Maaaae.
We haven't named the 2 newest ones yet, and another is due to be born any minute.

This year I am helping Edith with the feeding of the baby calves morning and evening and washing the bottles and buckets when we're done. She still does all of the work with the older heifers,
but maybe I'm helping to lighten her load in some small measure.

If you've read my blog from the beginning, you know that when I first came to the farm, very few of the cats had names. I started naming the new kittens as they were born: Kit Carson and Big Boy, Spitz, Kitten Kaboodle ... ; and then I started naming the cats that had been here for years: Hatfield & McCoy, Big Mama, Tripod, Pretty Boy. Someday I'd like to make a list of all the cats I have named.
The funny thing is, now everyone helps to name the kittens!
This year, even Edith got into the act by naming this little cutie:
Uno :-)

This spring the coyotes got more than their fair share of our cats and kittens.
In spite of that (and a number of other catastrophes), we are not experiencing a kitty shortage.
A couple of cats have had litters of 5 kittens this year!
Spitz set a new farm record by giving birth to 7 babies.
Unfortunately, only 3 survived, all girls.
Pictured, left to right: Sparky, Spice, Spots, and momma Spitz.

I didn't know that some cats like corn on the cob. Every time I sat outside to husk corn,
here came Oreo, looking for a handout.

I don't think a day goes by without some sort of cat or kitten shenanigans.
They certainly bring a lot of joy (and sorrow!) to our days.

2008-09-09T11:36:00.019-04:00

MN Vacation 2008
We had five wonderful, relaxing days in Minnesota, August 19-23. The travel was enjoyable, the weather perfect, and food, friends, and family the best!
After leaving the MSP airport early Tuesday morning, we took the l-o-n-g way to my brother Rick's place (in Chisago City) - by way of St. Cloud :-) Lots of farming country (very dry there, too) and a big equipment dealership for Weldon to drool in.

In getting from one place to another, we always tried to take the back roads so we could enjoy the scenery.
On Tuesday evening, Rick & Kathy fixed a fabulous supper on the grill. Later, while roasting marshmallows, Rick took a sip out of his cup and there was the cutest little tree frog on the rim. Kathy wanted to get a photo, too, but just as she was ready to snap his picture, he took an amazing leap ... right into the coals. N-o-o-o-o-o :-(
Wednesday morning they took us by this neat old round barn, built from a kit sold by Sears.
From Rick's we made a leisurely trip to my brother Dave's in Mora. (You'll have to get out your MN map.) Dave & Judy's place became our "bed & breakfast" for 2 nights. While there, we had a mini family reunion with my parents, Judy's sister, my Aunt Lois, and Don & Lil (my uncle & aunt). We ate lots of food (fish fry - mmmm), had cow races on the wii, played dominos, worked on a jigsaw puzzle, and sat around and talked a lot. Such fun!

On Thursday we went to our one-and-only tourist attraction on this trip: The Hinckley Fire Museum and monument in, you guessed it, Hinckley.

We journeyed south to Rush City to meet Tavis, a guy Weldon "met" through his beloved tractor nut site. He told us about his work (trains!!), took us to lunch, showed us his home, and gave us some strawberry jam.

What a [tall] guy!!
From there we continued to Stark (hope you have a good map!) to see my best friend from Cambridge High School days. I hadn't seen Linda & Jack in probably 35 years!! (If I were the crying type, I would be have been crying tears of joy.) They quit dairy farming just a few years ago, so Weldon felt right at home.
Back to Dave's for the night. Friday morning (after a delicious and nutritious breakfast) we took Ma & Pa and Maddie (their dog) and started our trip down to my youngest brother Randy's place. We took the scenic route (of course) and stopped briefly at Rush Lake.

Then we stopped in North Branch to visit with my former mother-in-law Esther. She is 93 years old and still going strong!!
At Randy & Jane's we had a family get-together with all three of my brothers and sisters-in-law and some of my nieces and nephews. The biggest surprise here was that "the twins" showed up: Joanne & Jeanne from my youngest years in Kettle River. Unbelievable!!!! (Ma had arranged this.) They couldn't stay long, so we talked really fast. If I were the crying type, I would have been crying tears of joy :-)
Here is Randy, commiserating with his daughter Amanda
and Great-grandma Naomi, sharing quality time with her newest great-grandbabies.
Saturday morning, Weldon went to spend some work time with Jeff Winberg, whom we met 2 years ago while in MN.
While he was getting his farm fix, "the girls" went to get their nails done and hit a few yard sales. I acted as photo-journalist, and the tell-all expose will be published later this year.
Then it was time to head to the airport, turn in the rental car, and sit back and enjoy the flight home. Aaahhh - vacations are a wonderful thing!!!

2008-08-14T13:59:00.005-04:00

Send some rain ....
That has been our prayer since last summer, actually! There are many places that have been devastated by floods, but that's not the case here. Due to the dry summer last year, the corn crop yielded only two-thirds of the usual harvest. The corn is chopped into silage to feed the cows; so, to make sure the cows would have enough feed till this year's corn harvest, Weldon planted wheat. The wheat produced a good (and pretty) crop. He began chopping it in early May. About that same time, we got our first and only decent spring rain.

Weldon wasn't able to start planting corn until June 17 and the ground was so hard and dry, he had to irrigate before he could plant and then again to get it to sprout! After spending almost $500 on fuel to run the irrigation system, he called a halt. I can say I've never seen him so discouraged. Here's what he wrote to one of his daughters: "Fuel cost so high I cannot justify expense and time/labor to think about growing all the fields. Already thinking seriously about very soon selling 15 bred heifers due to calve this fall in order to stretch feed supply on hand . If drought continues, will have to sell half or so of about 30 cows to have enough feed to get through the winter. Or it could be all of them. Breaks my heart to think about it."

July 4 & 5 we finally had a good rain - about 7/8 of an inch. WooHoo!! Weldon could plant some more fields in corn. Being so late in the year and not knowing how well the corn would produce, he decided to plant some sorghum also. The dreaded thought of selling heifers and cows was put on hold, although he did get rid of a few cows that were eating more than they were giving back.
Knee high by 15th of July??
The corn and sorghum are growing quite nicely, in spite of NO RAIN! The corn won't make a bumper crop, but it will be enough. I know it is the Lord who is watching out for us and providing all that we need and so much more. We are thankful!!
As I'm ready to hit the "Publish Post" button, I hear thunder rumbling. The sun is shining on the front of the house and a huge black cloud is behind the house. "Send some rain!!!!!!!"

2008-07-30T10:04:00.005-04:00

Backtracking .... June 21 & 22
After my week in Miami with Katie, it was time to go see Anna & Marshall in Charlotte. We had a fun and relaxing weekend together! We exchanged late birthday gifts (see video below), did a little shopping at Target (surprise surprise!!), and enjoyed the pool and hot tub.
Anna's "apartment mates" (Jason and Natosha) joined us for the supper she cooked. Natosha said taking a picture of her eating was the worst thing she could think of ... except, of course, if she were naked with a giant spider behind her. After a statement like that, you just KNOW I have to post her picture :-)
Puss in Boots - my birthday present from Anna:

2008-07-26T10:04:00.007-04:00

THE WEDDING
Weldon's nephew Wesley Carroll married his high school sweetheart Ashley Edney on July 19.

Larry Bumgarner is the same preacher who performed Weldon's and my wedding.
The ceremony was held outdoors at Magnolia Manor in Colfax, NC.

Wesley's mom (Weldon's younger sister Beth) wiping the tears from her cheek
during the ceremony. I love this picture!

The flower girl, daughter of one of Wesley's military buddies, was very excited about her shoes.

The moms

The bride and her attendants

The groom and his attendants (that's Wesley's dad Steve on the left)

Weldon was one of the groomsmen. His first (and last?) time in a tux!

Wesley's sister Maria, who later caught the bouquet :-)

Pat was the Register Attendant

The happy family

At the reception, first dance

cutting the cake
I couldn't get Weldon onto the dance floor, so I cut in on Beth and Steve. Beth went right over to Weldon, obviously pulled his nose or blackmailed him with some dark tale from the past,
and VOILA, he was dancing :-)
He was later transformed into one of the Village People

as the groomsmen got wild with The YMCA.
It was a wonderful wedding and we wish Wesley & Ashley a Very Happy Ever After!!
* * *
We want to recognize the Lawson family with
our sincerest and heartfelt THANKS
for milking Friday & Saturday evening,
allowing us to fully participate in all the festivities of the wedding.

2008-07-05T10:38:00.006-04:00

JOYS & CONCERNS

Pastor: Does anyone have any joys or concerns to share?
Weldon: I have joys and a concern -
In February, my youngest daughter called to say that she is pregnant, due in August.
(happy "aah"s from the congregation)
Weldon: On Mother's Day, I learned that my oldest daughter is expecting, due in October!
(lots of smiles and more aahs and ohs)
Weldon: And on May 18, my middle daughter told me that she is expecting
and the baby is due in December!
Pastor (as the laughter dies down): Cindy, you'd better look out!!
Weldon: That's my concern!!!

Melinda (the youngest)
and her husband Joe are having a little boy (that's Weldon, not Joe, in the pic);
Kathryn (the oldest)
and her husband David and 8-year-old daughter Ashley are having a girl;
and we don't yet know if Jennifer
and Scott's little darling will be a son or a daughter.
What we DO know is that we are thrilled for all of them and praying for safe deliveries and healthy babies.
Stay tuned for updates as these sweethearts make their entrances into this big, wonderful world - and maybe I'll even get some up-to-date photos of Weldon's "girls" and their hubbies :-)

2008-06-27T14:13:00.004-04:00

From Tobaccoville to Key West - And Home Again
It's time to wrap up this travelogue. I can go on and on, can't I ?!
Sunday, June 8, was nice and relaxing. After a little breakfast, we went to CVS and developed a few pictures. From there we went to see a movie, What Happens in Vegas. Very funny. Then a little walk on Lincoln Road and into some of the shops. If you like to walk, Miami Beach is a great place to live/visit. Walking is generally easier than finding a parking space for your car, and it's definitely cheaper than owning a car.
Having said that, we took a local bus to the Haitian restaurant Tap Tap (pronounced Top Top) for a delicious supper. This picture was taken when I was there in 2005:
We had to try all of our favorites, so we ordered one of each of the following and shared: soup joumou (pumpkin soup) with bread for dunking, of course; tomato and avocado salad; and akra (fried malanga - look it up on answers.com) - and that's just the hors d'oeuvre! Oh, and let's not forget the rum punch made with real Haitian rum and about a zillion kinds of fruit. And here comes the entree: grilled grouper with lime sauce, banan pese (fried plantain), and rice and beans. Please groan with us. We were so full, we had to forgo dessert. Even as I write it, I don't believe it - but it's true!!
Our walk home included a stroll on the beach (and lots of groaning).

On Sunday morning we went to The Front Porch on Ocean Drive for a late breakfast. We sat outside and it actually rained a few drops while we were waiting for our French toast and fruit. We love to eat, don't we??!! Here we were in this quite fancy cafe and this is a sign that was posted in the restroom: I just HAD to take a picture :-)
We had a leisurely walk home, I finished packing, we lazed around a little more, and then it was off to the Fort Lauderdale airport. Getting to the airport (or Key West, for that matter) is not a walkable trip. Fortunately, Katie has some friends who own cars and they were very kind to let her use them for these longer hauls. Thanks, guys! And thanks, Katie, for a memorable vacation!!
I arrived in Greensboro a little late, but there was Pat waiting to take me home. Ahh, it's good to be back!

2008-06-19T13:43:00.009-04:00

From Tobaccoville to Key West - Part III
Saturday morning (being a real day off for Katie), I took a walk in search of a cup of coffee, while she slept in. I was successful (of course!!) and didn't have to walk very far. I walked back to the hotel and sat outside and read, enjoying my coffee and the view.

When Katie got up, we looked through our information pamphlets and decided to try Backcountry Cowboy Outfitters to see if they had any guided kayak tours open. Their guided tours were filled for the day, but they had kayaks available for rent. We reserved a double kayak and then walked down the street to Mangrove Mike's for some breakfast.
When we were ready for our self-guided tour, we followed "the guy" to a little marina just down the road where he put the kayak in the water and gave us a few instructions. The most important piece of information was to use the radio tower as our landmark. It would be visible wherever we went, or so he said, and help us find our way back "home."
And, we're off!! We headed for the far side of the mangroves so that we would be protected from the winds. (Our hotel was on the Atlantic Ocean side, but we were kayaking on the Florida Bay side.) We were amazed at the number of jelly fish in the shallow waterways. (That's a jellyfish on the paddle.) Eeeeesh. "Please don't let us tip over. Please don't let us tip over." We saw a couple small sharks (didn't get pictures), brown pelicans, cranes, and a few small fishes.

As we were approaching some mangroves, we could hear all kinds of racket. Katie said, "There's a bird in there. Give me your camera." I passed my camera back to her and she just stuck it into the mangroves and snapped it. We crashed into the mangroves, birds squawked and wings flapped, and then we saw a little nest with an egg in it. It was only when we developed some pictures after we got back to Miami Beach that we saw that, indeed, Katie got the picture of a neat-looking bird.

We thought it odd that we never saw anyone else out kayaking. We saw fishing boats and speed boats, house boats, and sailboats, but no kayaks. They don't know what they were missing :-)
Almost 4 hours of paddling and floating and oohing and ahhing went by quickly. Sure enough, the radio tower was in sight and we headed for shore. We called the Backcountry Cowboy dude, he picked up the kayak, and we went on our merry way.
It seemed important to me to stop in Key Largo (blame it on the Beach Boys) so I could say I had been there, not just driven through. So we dragged Olivia out of the glove box and did a search. We decided to stop at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park. It's an underwater park that "preserves miles of coral reef and other habitats for divers and snorkelers," but it was getting late so all we did was walk around a little and take a few pics. People were swimming but the water looked pretty gross and the shoreline looked even worse. I guess I'm spoiled, but I prefer white sand beaches and clear waters that let me see what's on the bottom of the ocean floor.
We continued up US 1 and got back to Miami at about 7pm. We finished our day with take-out from Lime Fresh Mexican Grill. Mmm Mmm good!!
Stay tuned for the final chapter of our wonderful mini-vacation.

2008-06-15T15:01:00.013-04:00

From Tobaccoville to Key West - Part II
Friday morning we were up at 5:15 to start our "real" vacation: driving to the Keys. We had reservations to take a scuba diving lesson on Islamorada at 8:30 that morning. The GPS system, which we lovingly named Olivia, wasn't happy with Katie's driving. Katie had already decided the route we would take and Olivia kept trying to get us back on the GPS-designated route. When we got tired of Olivia saying, "Recalculating," we put her on mute; then we put her in the glove box. Later in the trip, we let her come back out to play and it seems she didn't hold a grudge. That's not to say we started following her directions :-)
We arrived at Key Dives right on time and, after filling out our paperwork, we were told that the winds were very high and the afternoon dives might not happen. We and 2 other would-be-divers decided to go ahead with the training; we were given our equipment and the instructor drove us a couple blocks away to a swimming pool. We spent 2 hours in the water, learning how to communicate underwater and how to use our equipment. What an experience! On the one hand, it was amazing to actually be doing all this stuff; on the other hand, I was pretty freaked out by the whole thing! Turns out Katie was feeling the same way. Back at the dive shop, we were informed that (due to the winds) the afternoon dives were still "iffy." They told us our first dive would be a better experience if the waters were calm, but it was up to us if we wanted to dive or not. We decided to go with NOT!! (I hate that we didn't get any pictures of us in our scuba gear.)
Suddenly we had an empty afternoon ahead of us. What to do?? Head for Key West!
First stop: Long Key State Park. Our little state park packet said, "Be sure to walk the Golden Orb Trail, one of two beautiful nature trails in the park. It takes hikers through Long Key's five ecological zones and to an observation tower where you can gaze over the island and surrounding waters." We didn't read that until we were back in the car and heading down the road. In our typical backward (non-conformist) fashion, we had somehow started our hike at the observation tower. It was still a nice hike :-) and fortunately we didn't see any golden orb SPIDERS!!!!!

Seven-mile Bridge:
Big Pine Key and the National Key Deer Refuge. From the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service brochure: "The Key deer is the smallest sub-species of the Virginia white-tailed deer.... [and] is federally listed as endangered. The current population is estimated between 600 and 750." We didn't see any deer, but we stopped at The Blue Hole (an abandoned limestone quarry) where we saw an alligator, a crane, and a baby bird that we guessed belonged to the crane.

You'll have to click on the last 2 pics to make them bigger to see the crane and baby.
Key West
First stop: The Blond Giraffe. Voted "Best Key Lime Pie in Florida" 2003,4,5, & 6. I don't know what happened in 2007 & 2008, but they surely get my vote!!
The Hemingway House and its 6-toed cats:

We weren't there long, but now I can say I've been to Key West!
Miscellaneous scenery as we headed back up the keys to check in at our hotel in Islamorada:
We cooled off in the pool and then decided we needed some real food. We ate at the Islamorada Fish Company, where they feed scraps to the sharks!

And that was our Friday! (I guess you now understand why I never finished posting about my trip to Japan.) Check back later for Part III.

2008-06-14T15:26:00.009-04:00

From Tobaccoville to Key West - Part I
Thanks to a cheap-o ticket on Allegiant Air, a loving husband who encourages me get away when I need a break, and a mother-in-law who does my chores while I'm gone, I was able to take a week's vacation in Florida. Woohoo!!
As usual, Katie and I crammed so much stuff into the week, I've realized I have to break this travelogue into pieces or I'll never get it finished. This segment covers my first three days (Tue-Thu) in Miami Beach at Katie's apartment.
Katie had to work on these days so, needless to say, I slept in when she headed off to work bright and early. Was I dreaming of cows?? NO WAY!! When I finally rolled out of bed, I would make myself a cup of coffee and have a bowl of cereal or a piece of toast. I did some leisurely exploring of the area, ran a few errands for Katie, and one day went to visit her at work.
Island View Park:

Neat buildings:
Little dog, hardly bigger than the plastic cup it was drinking from!
We spent the late afternoons and evenings relaxing, shopping, eating, watching movies, or doing whatever we felt like doing (talking and laughing all the while).
Katie loves her job
loves coming home
loves to cook
and, after these photos, probably hates digital cameras and mothers who blog :-)
Stay tuned for Part II.

2008-05-06T11:34:00.017-04:00

* ^ * the QUILT * ^ *
Can you believe it? Strawberry season is here. But enough about that :-) This posting (finally) is about the QUILT!!! It's been a long story and is still in progress, and I'm enjoying every minute of it.
I bought the fabric a year ago this past January with big plans to make a quilt for our bed. The main fabric is the print which has repeating panels of kitties, hearts, and flowers. I didn't want it to be too "girlie" so I got a dark purple, dark green, golden yellow,and a very pale purple (almost gray) to work into the quilt top. The yellow will also be used for the backing. The purple may look blue, but I insist that it's purple!
I played around with the fabric trying to figure out how to put it all together. I used graph paper and drew out all kinds of possibilities. Then I'd put it all away for a couple months, drag it out again, and try to come up with a plan I really liked. When Katie was here in September, we put our heads together and came up with some more ideas. I decided that I really liked a pattern called "Flying Squares" but I couldn't quite decide how to make the best use of the printed kittie fabric. We cut out little squares of paper and laid them out in various patterns like a jigsaw puzzle. Here are just 2 of the options we came up with:
In January of this year, I finally started cutting the fabric and tried various layouts on the floor. Sewing began, but I still had to "make it up" as I went along, adding a strip of fabric here, making a small adjustment there. I amazed myself that the final result was pretty cool. The center part of the quilt is like a giant flying square; in the strips around the outside edges you can see the smaller, true-to-pattern flying squares. This probably doesn't make much sense, but I can't think of any better way to explain it. You can get a better look at the pattern (although I used more colors and a different layout) at the following website: http://www.qorsite.com/styles/classicblocks/flyingsquares/flyingsquares.html
I took the quilt top up to Edith's to put on her quilting frame. Here we are putting the backing on the frame, followed by the batting and the pieced top.
Weldon's dad made the frame for Edith after they were married. Pretty neat, huh? After all these years, Edith realizes the frame could have been a few inches shorter; we sit on chairs piled with 4, 5, or 6 pillows!!
The first day that we started quilting, Edith's sister-in-law Polly came and quilted with us. It was a good old-fashioned quilting bee and I began to see how much we're missing today by not participating this type of interactive, conversational, community work.
Yup, that's my hand, quilting!!
In the past, I have always quilted on a small hoop frame and could always quilt "towards" me, so learning to quilt in different directions has been quite an experience. Edith just sits and quilts but, every now and then, I have to stand up to stretch and bend in weird contortions to get some part quilted. I just say, "Excuse me while I stand on my head."
When we have quilted as far as we can reach, we "roll" the quilt, turning under the part that is finished.
Here you can see the quilting that we're doing in each of the 12" squares.
Edith quilts whenever she feels like it (which is often!) and I might quilt for an hour and a half, 5 days out of 7. I told her that the next time I make a quilt, we'll have to put the frame up in my living room instead of hers. Maybe I'd get a little more work done on it then ... or not :-/
When the quilt comes off the frame, I'll take it home and bind the edges. So ... more pictures will follow in the (hopefully) not-too-distant future. Now, I'd better get my butt up to Edith's and take needle in hand ....

2008-04-29T10:43:00.000-04:00

WATER CONSERVATION - DOING MY PART
I knew it was supposed to rain, so I had the grossly dirty car pulled onto the yard and was ready with a small basin of soapy water. When the rain started coming down hard, I ran out and sloshed the soapy water on the car. The rain did everything else. When Weldon "found me," he hurried onto the porch and took pictures. He asked, "Do you always do this?" Well, no. Only when it rains and I've been too lazy to wash the car in a few months. I know ... I'm weird.

Next time: the quilt :-)

2008-04-24T10:24:00.008-04:00

-SPRING BREAK-

Nine-year-old Marshall spent his spring break with us (April 6-11). He's "all boy" and enjoys the freedom and diversity of farm life. He loves animals and bugs and the great outdoors. He wants to be a herpetologist when he grows up!
One of the first things we did was bake bread. He chose a recipe called Johnny Appleseed Bread with apple juice, applesauce, and a chopped apple. Turned out yummy!!!! Each morning he chose the main course to make for breakfast: eggs, waffles, or "shape" pancakes. He's pretty good at breaking eggs and frying them and he's getting better at carefully reading a recipe. Those 1/2 and 1/4 measurements can be confusing.
Here is Marshall riding in the bucket of the Bobcat but, whenever he had a few spare minutes, he was out driving it around by himself (after asking permission, of course).
Marshall spent a lot of time in the milk barn because there were baby kittens to play with. There isn't a lot he can do to actually help with milking the cows, but he could take the hoses out of the milk line and remove the rubber cups from the milkers before we got started .
One day he was wearing one of my barn sweatshirts but he had taken it off because it was getting warm. I asked him to go find it so we could make sure it got back to the house. After quite a bit of hunting, he found it in with the heifers - totally covered in crap. He had hung it on a gate and those curious young girls managed to get it down to their level for further investigation. Marshall gingerly brought it to the milk house where Weldon hosed it down.
eeeuuuuoooo....
Marshall went with Weldon to get a load of feed in the big yellow dump truck, he built a tower at Grandma Edith's ,we went to see "Horton Hears a Who", we made pizza, he continued to learn how to wield a broom ,and some mornings he got to sleep in late.
Marshall remarked that he'd like to spend a whole school year with us. (Wow! Really? beam beam) "I could use the sleep!" he said. So much for the momentary boost to the ego :-)
P.S. I totally forgot to mention our visit to Papa John's goat farm. I also forgot to take the camera that day, so I don't have any pictures to post. Marshall got to run with the big dog, see the chickens, and play with the miniature goats. They loved nibbling the hem of his shorts. Marshall wanted to take a goat home but John told him he couldn't let one go by itself. No problem! Marshall said he'd take two! Check out Papa John's website and you may even see some of the goats in action on the live webcam. http://www.papajohnsfarm.com/
Coming up next: the quilt!!

2008-04-22T12:47:00.006-04:00

EASTER 2008

Some of the family got together Easter Sunday afternoon at Edith's: Edith, Pat, Beth & Steve, their "kids" Wesley & his fiancee Ashley and Maria & her boyfriend Steven, and Weldon & I.
Ashely & Wesley
Steven & Maria and the back of Steve's head
I didn't get pictures of each of us stuffing our faces but, trust me, we pretty much ate until we couldn't eat any more. Then it was out to the front yard for the Easter egg hunt. Some of the adults took turns hiding the eggs and then the four "kids" looked for them. It was rather chilly outside, but they didn't want to stop. Here are a few pics of the silliness.

Who would be so crude as to hide an egg on a cow pie??
And who would actually be excited about finding it??
Wesley won a prize for finding the most eggs. See his chocolate bar?
So, that's Easter in an eggshell. I will be adding to the blog in the next few days (really!!) so you can read about Marshall's spring break and see the quilt I am working on. I know you're all trembling with anticipation.
Love you :-)

2008-03-17T11:46:00.004-04:00

Ahhh - *S*P*R*I*N*G*
Last year about this time I was viewing plum and cherry blossoms in Japan (not to mention the other beautiful flowers growing everywhere we went).

The other day I was surprised to see the beautiful blooms below, right on the edge of our yard. Weldon tells me they're peach blossoms.

What an amazing thing, spring!!

2008-02-09T11:46:00.000-05:00

SIX-WORD MEMOIRS

Finally, something more addicting than spider solitaire. My friend Carolyn sent me an article about writing your memoirs in only 6 words. I followed the article to the original site: http://www.smithmag.net/ and began reading. This is what they say about themselves:

SMITH Magazine is a home for storytelling, with a focus on personal narrative. Whether a professional or unpublished writer, we believe everyone has a story, and everyone should have a place to tell it.

If you love reading and writing, I think you will enjoy the site. Their book, Not Quite What I Was Planning, was published this month and ... I gotta get a copy :-) But, back to the memoirs. I've been thinking, remembering, and revising (I told you, it's addictive!), and here are three that I've come up with so far:

I Thought I Was Perfect. Wrong.
Haitian Happiness; Corporate Crap; Cow Pies
Plenty of Smiles for the Miles

What do you think? Can you fit your life into six words??

2008-01-22T12:20:00.000-05:00

NEWS FLASH - - - EDITH KEIGER IS 81

Today is Edith's 81st birthday and, in her honor, Pat made a delicious breakfast for those of us who could be there.
Here are, from left to right, her brother Joe, her brother Jimmy and his wife Polly, her brother George, and Edith. Her sister Pearl wasn't able to join us.
Here you can see Edith (she was happy, honest!!) with two of her children: Pat and Weldon. Her youngest, Beth, had to teach, so she missed the festivities.
Edith received a few calls before we got there, a few while we there, and I'm sure she will be getting calls from well-wishers all day long. Happy Birthday, Edith, and many more!!! We'll meet again next year for another great breakfast. Hope you can join us!