Fun with ice

Us, having fun throwing ice chunks across the frozen pond to see how far they slide - a surprisingly addictive game. So long as you're wearing thick gloves.

Depression-era color photos

I really enjoyed looking at these pictures. They are the oldest pictures in color that I have ever seen. If you are a history buff or if you are just really old, you might enjoy having a look. They are from the 1930's (depression-era) just after color film had been introduced. It cost half a week's wages to buy just one roll of this new film back then, according to this webpage.

This is a classic

Since I figured out that widget thing (whatever it is), here's another one of my favorite songs.

A Cryptic Post

To the person I'm posting this for: you know who you are. To everyone else: have fun speculating exactly what this post is supposed to mean.

Eat Your Greens

Love him or hate him, you gotta love this.




BARACK-OLI Green
by

WeAreTheInternet

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at Zazzle

Ruminations on T-Ball Logic

Taking a break from my self-imposed blog exile to comment on the logic of t-ball. My younger son (7) is playing t-ball again this year. It's his third year. Next year he'll be too old. Before that, my older son was in t-ball, so I've had 4 years of experience in t-ball observations.

One thing that's great about baseball is that it's not a game of sheer strength and athletic ability. It also takes brains. You have to think about what should be done next. A pop fly with two outs is NOT the same as a pop fly with zero or one out. There are rules of logic that apply to each circumstance, and part of the game is knowing what your next move will be when the ball comes to you, and when you're running the bases.

Things are different in t-ball. The logic game is played by the coaches. The only thing the little guys and gals need to know is, I have to do whatever my coach yells at me to do. This presents problems when the coaches have conflicting points of view. The game becomes a shouting match of various coaches yelling for the kids to do different things, and the kids look around in bewilderment and just stand there holding the ball while the other team's players round third base for home.

Another thing the coaches must factor in to their yelling is the ability of the players. If the ball is not hit to the pitcher or to the right of the pitcher, forget throwing the ball to first base. Just throw it home and cut your losses. A good play is one in which the ball is not over-thrown. A great play is one in which the ball is not over-thrown and it was thrown to the correct person.

I love watching my boys play ball. It's one of my favorite things to do. But here's something else I've noticed. I need to exercise self-control at these games, at which I am not always succesful. How dumb is it to not only have your coaches yelling what to do, but also your mother. OK, I'm working on it. Mainly I just try to cheer. But my competitive nature (for which I blame my dad) bubbles up sometimes in the form of yelling things like "Go back! Go back!" and "Throw it to third! Throw it to third!" Sometimes I can't help it. But I'm trying. I don't mean to add my loud voice to the chorus of coaches.

Fortunately, I know this personal struggle is not because I'm not nice. I know I'm nice because my husband tells me I am. I return the cart even if there is no cart corral handy, and I don't pass with a vengence (and five dollars worth of gas) when someone cuts me off. I'm a mild-mannered person. All bets are off at the ball field. Don't stand in front of me when my boy's up to bat. You'll be sorry.

Ode to Bacon Fat

Just as Interesting as Witnessing a Live Goat Birth

I'll Take Eggs Over-Easy With That

HT: Letters from Kamp Krusty, the most hilarious blog ever.

For some reason, the links above are not working right. Sorry. I can't get it fixed, and I'm not going to waste any more time trying. If you click on them, just delete the stuff before the second "http". It's worth it.

My Chores This Week

As you might imagine, doing farm chores in winter is fun! I made a few illustrations to illustriously illustrate my week of chores. First, here's me taking water to Ruby the WonderCow. Maybe you can guess exactly what it is Ruby and I are standing in. Do you have any idea how hard it is to lift your rubber-booted feet out of this mess?



Here's what happens when you lose your balance in such a situation. See what I mean by "fun"?

Here's me closing the chicken pen. Right under a roof loaded with snow and ice.




And after closing the door. (You knew this was coming)
By the way, that's not hair that I drew on top of my head. It is my Eskimo fuzzy hat with the flaps that come down over my ears. Tres chic. And of course on top of that are the icicles that landed on my head.

p.s. I was just at Merriam-Webster's and saw this definition prominently posted on their main page:

pwnanza

noun

: An event in which an individual or group is pwned excessively or repeatedly

As if it wasn't bad enough we had to add 'pwn' to our vocabulary, now this. What is the world coming to. Good thing I saw this, otherwise I would have remained hopelessly out of touch with the rest of the world. Now I have been enlightnd.

p.p.s. I can't sign off without reporting this great advice for married couples. I read it last night and it's STILL cracking me up.

Never go to bed mad. Stay up and fight. (Phyllis Diller)

I'll have to remember that.

Pride and Prejudice: Movie Review

Over the last month I watched Masterpiece Theater's three installments of the BBC's 1995 version of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. This must be one of the most awesome movies ever made. Ten times better than your favorite movie for sure. If you don't like dialogue or if you have noisy kids, you shouldn't watch this movie. Or, if you do have noisy kids, kick them down the basement stairs and make them play down there while you're watching it. That way you can hear the fantastic dialogue.

Vocabulary Lesson from a Four-Year-Old

Introducing: "The Finish-Later". If there's something you don't eat, you put it in the finish-later...so you can finish it later.

SOTP!

This one has me cracking up tonight. Happy solstice!

Turkey Pic

Here's a picture of one of our turkeys. I don't know where he got the sign, but it sort of reminds me of that book, Click Clack Moo: Cows that Type. Have you seen that one? I love it. I redecorated the blog to look a little more back-to-school/fall-ish. I love the red plaid in the background. I need a dress in a cotton print just like that.

My latest book is The Unsettling of America: Culture & Agriculture, by Wendell Berry. I have taken to reading a lot of agrarian philosophy-type books lately. This one is excellent so far. Also, I never did review that Nina Planck book. I think it's called Real Food: What to Eat and Why. Well, it's been a month or two since I read it, so I can't get really specific as far as reviewing it, but it was an excellent book and worth looking up at the library if you are interested in cooking with fresh ("real") ingredients. Joel Salatin also has a new book out I would love to get: Everything I Want to Do is Illegal (link is to an article he wrote a while back with the same title - it's a pdf file). Provocative title, isn't it? Doesn't it just make you want to pick it up and read the whole thing cover to cover?

Summer Vacation Driving Tips

Here are some little-known laws from various states you may need to drive through as you journey to your summer vacation destination this year. It may be a little too late for some of you reading these. Sorry. I just hope you didn't break the law while you were there.

Alabama
It is legal to drive the wrong way down a one-way street as long as a lantern is attached to the front of your car.

Alaska
It is illegal to tie a dog to the roof of your car. (Mitt Romney, take note)

Arkansas
It is illegal for a person to blare the horn on a vehicle at any place where cold drinks or sandwiches are served after 9 p.m.

California
Any woman dressed in a housecoat is prohibited from driving a car.
It is illegal in San Francisco to buff or dry your car with used underwear.
No unoccupied vehicle may exceed 60 miles per hour.

Florida
If an elephant is tied to a parking meter, the owner or attendant must deposit money in the meter.

Georgia
In Marietta, Georgia it is illegal to spit from a moving car or bus, but is okay from a moving truck.

Illinois
In Evanston, Illinois it is unlawful to change clothes while inside a car with the curtains drawn, except during a fire.

Kentucky
If you stop for ice cream while driving, be aware that it is considered unlawful to transport an ice cream cone in your back pocket.

Massachusetts
You will be ticketed if you drive with a gorilla in the backseat of your car.

Michigan
If you car breaks down in Detroit and you are waiting for assistance, be aware that sitting in the middle of the street to read a newspaper is illegal.

Minnesota
It is illegal to cross state lines, regardless if you are walking or driving, with a duck on your head. And, if you're crossing into Wisconsin, the law also applies to chickens.

Nevada
It is illegal to drive a camel on the highway.

New Jersey
Drivers are required to beep their car horns before passing another vehicle.
If convicted of driving while intoxicated, you permanently lose the option of registering for a vanity license plate.

Ohio
In Oxford, Ohio, authorities will ticket you if you consecutively drive around the town square more than 100 times.
Keep in mind that if your car breaks down and you phone for a cab, you will be ticketed if you opt to ride on the cab's roof.

Oklahoma
It is considered illegal to read a comic book while driving.

Oregon
You will be ticketed if you leave your car door open longer than is deemed necessary.

Pennsylvania
If you spy a team of approaching horses, you are required by law to pull to the side of the road and cover your car with a blanket or dust cover that has been painted or sewn to blend into the scenery. But, if the horses react skittish to your efforts, you are then required to disassemble your car and hide the parts in the nearby underbrush.

South Carolina
In Hilton Head, South Carolina, you cannot leave trash in your vehicle out of fear of attracting rats.

Tennessee
It is illegal to fire a gun at any wild game other than whales from a moving car.

West Virginia
It is perfectly legal, for road maintenance purposes, to scavenge road kill.

from dmv.org

You Know You Want One

HT: Urban Pioneer

A Day in the Life

8:30 - I wake up. No alarm clock. Get ready to milk Daisy and Rose.
8:45 - Milk Daisy and Rose and say good morning to the animals in the barn. We get 1/2 gallon of milk.
9:05 - I bottle the milk and go back out to do the other animal chores. I feed the animals that stay put (Ruby the cow and Billy the billy) and put the other animals in their appointed places, which are mostly on chains attached to posts. Also, make sure they all have water.
9:30 - I get ready for the rest of the day
10:00 - Make pancakes for the kids' breakfast, which they eat with butter and maple syrup. My breakfast: 3 eggs over-easy, bacon, coconut muffin, a glass of kefir, and two cups of herb tea.
10:35 - Settle down to eat my breakfast and read the morning's news on the internet.
11:00 - I put off starting school by looking up several hatchery websites to see what chicks we want to order this year. I e-mail my husband to ask about ordering chicks.
11:30 - Clean up and get ready for school.
11:50 - We start school: Bible, phonics, reading, piano lesson, and my older son works a while independently ("independently" is a relative term here). We had a late breakfast, so I figure there's no reason to have lunch before 2:00. We continue working until:
1:50 - My second son notices a white horse out on the road, walking south. I notice that the horse has a saddle, but no rider. I go outside to investigate and see if I can find an owner for the horse.
1:55 - As I walk across the yard, I see Iris standing in her spot with some sort of white and black animal lying still on the ground next to her. I realize that Iris, the goat we thought was NOT expecting WAS expecting, and she has just had her baby. I partially recover from the shock of finding an unexpected newborn goat kid outside in our yard, and take the two into the barn to make sure they are ok. I totally forget about the horse. The new kid is a girl.
2:10 - The newborn kid, which seemed almost lifeless when I found it, perked right up in the barn, but showed no signs of wanting to nurse. That worries me, so I try to help it get a drink. Still no interest. I let her rest for a while. I notice a Bobcat driven by an Amishman drive down the road.
2:30 - The Bobcat goes back past the house going the other direction with the white horse in tow.
2:45 - The kid gets up and stands on wobbly legs and starts looking for milk. She finds it on her own. Yay! Both mother and baby are perfectly fine.
3:00 - I go back inside to get some lunch: warmed up soup for me, and leftover pizza for the kids. It was frozen in a little freezer bag and took forever to warm up in the toaster oven.
3:30 - We eat lunch and take a break from the day. We all thank God for the white horse that got my attention so I could discover the newborn goat outside. Otherwise we wouldn't have known about it for at least a couple more hours. I catch up on Dr. Mercola's blog.
4:30 - I read with my older son, and we talk about our stories. My daughter cuts holes in her tights with unauthorized scissors.
5:15 - I check on the new baby and then take a phone call. The kids argue over whether the baby goat should be named "Dandelion" or "Belle".
5:30 - I realize there are no dishes clean for dinner and rush around getting the dishwasher loaded before ball practice.
6:00 - Ball practice for my second son. Older son and daughter ride bikes at the park, and I walk around behind them and also read a homeschool magazine while they play on the playground.
7:20 - I put some Italian sausage on to cook for dinner. It's so nice out and rain is on the way according to the radar map, so I put it on low so I can go outside.
7:25 - I go outside and talk with my husband about animal stuff, and we work together on evening chores and getting the pens situated for this new mother and baby. That took some doing since the other mothers and babies are separated at night, so we needed a new separate pen. We ended up taking the "chicken tractor" into the barn to keep the babies in for the night. That's a makeshift solution, but, it will work for now.
8:30 - I have no idea what time it is, but I figure I'd probably better go inside and make dinner. We'll want to eat eventually, right?
9:15 - Dinner is ready. Husband and Son #1 are still out arranging the animals, so the rest of us eat: spaghetti for them and a big salad with sausage for me (I'm grain-free right now). This is a late dinner - even for US.
9:45 - I catch up on Dave Gumpert's blog (writer for Business Week). Son #2 asks me to make him some eggs. I tell him I doubt I will have time to make him any eggs since I haven't even started the dishes yet, and there are a lot to do. He starts doing dishes just so he can (he hopes) have some eggs.
10:00 - I make kefir, Son #2 continues doing dishes. Then I join him.
10:30 - We are both still doing dishes. Isn't he a trooper? This is entirely voluntary. I decide to fix him his eggs. He says he wants them over-easy.
10:50 - My son sits down to his snack of 2 eggs: one over-easy, and one scrambled (the yolk broke). I go back to the dishes. I ponder whether or not I should believe that kombucha is good for you or not. Son #1 makes me an early Mother's Day card. It's sweet.
11:15 - I quit doing dishes. Haven't I worked on them long enough? I never did get them done. I wander over to the computer, thinking about the day. I considered doing "a day in the life" type of blog in the morning when I woke up, so I sit down to write it out.
11:45 - Get my kids ready for bed and say good night.
Midnight - I finish my blog and head for bed. I thought when I got up I would blog about a "typical" day, but it really wasn't that typical. But then again, I really don't remember the last time we had a typical day. Anybody know what normal is?

The Cow

This is just bizarre. Totally bizarre. Words fail...My husband saw this cow on a recent business trip and HAD to take a picture. I wonder what mastermind artist came up with this idea. I prefer my cows on all fours out in the pasture, thank you very much. Or maybe as a t-bone on the grill, eh?

I've Always Wondered...

Frank Gorshin as "The Riddler"

Vladamir Putin

See any similarities? Am I the only one that thinks that Russia's president looks like the Riddler?!?

See what I have to put up with?

I don't have a picture of the leech in our aquarium right now, but if I had one, it would go here too.