Click here for a laugh! Starring Elizabeth the (late) sheep, Alison, Iain and Claire :-).
K.
Tuesday 18 December 2007
This made me laugh this morning! An e-mail from our local Freecyle group ...
Belleville Freecycle
Offer: BELLEVILLE fresh snow
125lbs of fresh, untouched snow - all you have to do is go to a my
house and pick it up off of the driveway...
_._,_.___
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MARKETPLACE
And for those of you who have not discovered Freecyle, hop on over to this website and find a group near you! Wonderful way to declutter your home and bless someone else at the same time. We have received craft paints, scrapbooking supplies, and shingles for our chicken coop; and have decluttered birthday supplies (saved for a rainy day and lost for several years :-) ..), computer parts, and you name it. This movement started in Arizona and is a Really. Good. Thing.
Offer: BELLEVILLE fresh snow
125lbs of fresh, untouched snow - all you have to do is go to a my
house and pick it up off of the driveway...
Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic
Messages
MARKETPLACE
And for those of you who have not discovered Freecyle, hop on over to this website and find a group near you! Wonderful way to declutter your home and bless someone else at the same time. We have received craft paints, scrapbooking supplies, and shingles for our chicken coop; and have decluttered birthday supplies (saved for a rainy day and lost for several years :-) ..), computer parts, and you name it. This movement started in Arizona and is a Really. Good. Thing.
Quick farm update ...
Spencer has moved on to greener pastures in search of more beautiful, woolly women. He has been purchased by a Shetland farm north of Guelph. My ewes are very happy he is gone. All is now peaceful. I'm positive he covered Latifah; she did the whole mellow-kick back-smoke a cigarette-thing after the fact ;-). The two 2007 lambs? Your guess is as good as mine. I think he covered Jasmine. Maybe. And I'm not sure Kivu ever let him anywhere near her. Weirdly enough though, she was the only one that looked sad when he left. Too little, too late, Kivu :-).
The girls are in their small winter pen now. The big snow the other day resulted in some serious shoveling; Alison and I had to shovel the pen out 'cause the snow was getting too high. One more snowfall like that and the girls could have walked out over the top rail! I strategically situated their hobbit house sheds to open to the north-east; the majority of the winds on our property come from the south, south-west, or east. Once a year we get a good nor'easter that blows snow inside. In theory. However this is the second nor'easter we've had this winter so far (and it's not even officially winter!!!!).
My awesome neighbour and hay supplier gave me some bad news. Beef prices crashed in the fall, so he's overwintering more cattle than usual. Which means, of course, he'll need more hay than usual. This is an industry-wide issue in this area, combined with a lackluster (if any) second cut due to the drought. Hay might be quite dear by the spring.
So all is peaceful and quiet, and the girls will spend the winter quietly eating and ruminating and hopefully growing babies due some time after March 27, 2008.
The girls are in their small winter pen now. The big snow the other day resulted in some serious shoveling; Alison and I had to shovel the pen out 'cause the snow was getting too high. One more snowfall like that and the girls could have walked out over the top rail! I strategically situated their hobbit house sheds to open to the north-east; the majority of the winds on our property come from the south, south-west, or east. Once a year we get a good nor'easter that blows snow inside. In theory. However this is the second nor'easter we've had this winter so far (and it's not even officially winter!!!!).
My awesome neighbour and hay supplier gave me some bad news. Beef prices crashed in the fall, so he's overwintering more cattle than usual. Which means, of course, he'll need more hay than usual. This is an industry-wide issue in this area, combined with a lackluster (if any) second cut due to the drought. Hay might be quite dear by the spring.
So all is peaceful and quiet, and the girls will spend the winter quietly eating and ruminating and hopefully growing babies due some time after March 27, 2008.
Friday 7 December 2007
My very first skeins :-)
Really, very little about these is truly mine. Yes, I did the spinning. However, Ann-Marie dyed the wool, and after spinning plyed and washed it.
(But I'm still pleased. If you should chance clicking on this photo and enlarging it, you will see some areas of fine fingering-weight (sock wool), areas of chunky weight and areas that are barely spun and somewhat embarassing. I am not consistent. Ann-Marie was very encouraging though, and said it was fine :-) ...)
Alison babysat at the MacKay's home last night, and was treated to a very brief 10-minute introduction to spinning once Ann-Marie was home (cut short by Kev coming to pick her up!). She is very eager to try more!
Wednesday 5 December 2007
Answered Prayer No. 1 (From July)
Remember this post?
My friend's sons have now been home for a week, two years from the start of the process! The transition has not been easy but they are thankful that at last, their boys are home with them.
My friend's sons have now been home for a week, two years from the start of the process! The transition has not been easy but they are thankful that at last, their boys are home with them.
Please pray for our friends, the Waldinspergers ...
They have been trying to get a neat ministry off the ground. It's a combination emergency housing for abused women and children, and therapeutic riding operation. They have built the emergency housing portion, and are living in it until they can afford to put a house up for themselves. They've only been in it for about 6 months.
Yesterday they came home to find the house on fire (I believe faulty fireplace; modular housing). Please pray that they were well insured and that God will bless them with something even better once the house is rebuilt. And they would not be discouraged from their vision despite this, only one of many setbacks they have faced.
Thanks.
Update Dec 5: The house is a write-off and insurance will completely rebuild. Insurance co. will also move a trailer onto the property and attach to septic/well so they can stay on property to care for horses. We will be puppy-sitting for two weeks until their trailer is set up :-) ... an un-housetrained 12 week-old chocolate lab pup.
Yesterday they came home to find the house on fire (I believe faulty fireplace; modular housing). Please pray that they were well insured and that God will bless them with something even better once the house is rebuilt. And they would not be discouraged from their vision despite this, only one of many setbacks they have faced.
Thanks.
Update Dec 5: The house is a write-off and insurance will completely rebuild. Insurance co. will also move a trailer onto the property and attach to septic/well so they can stay on property to care for horses. We will be puppy-sitting for two weeks until their trailer is set up :-) ... an un-housetrained 12 week-old chocolate lab pup.
Monday 3 December 2007
Lots of family news and I'm getting behind :-)
Kevin will be headed to Chatham again in a little over a week. Our friends Al and Rosanne Baker are officially moving to Chatham, so Al needs a little time to move his family. For those days, Kevin will be doing the morning show out of UCB Chatham-Kent, which is 89.3 FM on the dial. Apparently the Chatham station can be heard into the U.S., and as far as London and on some days Waterloo in south-western Ontario.
Alison had quite the monumental day on Saturday. First, she came home with two new sets of glasses. She has been wearing the same pair since we moved to the County, and they were now quite smallish on her now 5'1" hundred pound body. Courtesy of UCB and their benefits and perks, she now has a funky pair of black glasses (we call them her "serious musician specs") and another set that are sort of a coppery brown.
But even more exciting to her; it was announced in her class early last week that there were some job openings at a small barn near Northport. The owner/instructor was looking specifically for a couple of grade 8 students to work two hours a week, in return for a free one-hour riding lesson! Alison has been praying about riding lessons for two years, so she is very excited. I was excited because Alison has had a few lessons from Mary previously; she is a British woman with a lovely accent, a calm demeanor, VERY strict but kind, and very fussy about proper horse care and teaching solid basics. She also runs a very safe, organized barn, so it's the perfect place for Alison to start. She will learn the right and safe way to do things. During the summer holidays, should she be asked to work more hours, she will be paid for her time.
This has been a great exercise for Alison at 13. Mary wanted a complete resumé, written references, and a proper interview. The character reference that Janna Cylka wrote for her was truly beautiful. Alison is pumped! She works from 10:00 until 12:00 every Saturday; eats her lunch there and then has her riding lesson. Of course, we just realized that she has grown out of her riding boots AND hat; small problem, but not insurmountable. She has actually grown INTO some of my old breeches and my riding jacket :-)!
Claire has to wait another week for her glasses, unfortunately; she couldn't decide which pairs would be suitable the first visit. Hers should be ready the first of next week, and she is also thrilled! She is getting one set with therapeutic bi-focals (as per her current pair, but at half strength) and one set with NO bifocal as her eyes gradually strengthen. Once everyone's glasses are in, Mom, I'll post some photos!
And on the "thanks be for benefits" topic; I filled my first prescription on our new drug plan and paid $2.99. Even the pharmacist was impressed. Very thankful!
Major goings-on at our church. Too much to go into detail here; suffice to say that the physical church on earth is a poor type of the bride of Christ :-D. We are currently pastor-less; our senior pastor has moved on to a larger church in the Toronto area, and our youth pastor had previously been let go due to lack of funds. Kevin preached this Sunday and is scheduled to do quite a few of the advent/Christmas services. He will actually receive an honorarium for this, which is cool. The church will be looking for an interim pastor, I believe. More also going on (it's never that simple :-)) ; but God is still on the throne and things will work out in the end.
AND we have ANOTHER snow day; buses in three counties have been cancelled due to snow/slush/sleet/rain/snow (take your pick; it's all out there!). I can't believe how early the weather has gone wintry this year. The last couple of days have been more typical of mid-January or February. The good thing is, school has REALLY interfered with Christmas preparations, so we will attempt to head into Belleville later this morning for Alison's orthodontic appointment and to let the kids shop. We decorated the house yesterday so we definitely feeling Christmas-y.
Alison had quite the monumental day on Saturday. First, she came home with two new sets of glasses. She has been wearing the same pair since we moved to the County, and they were now quite smallish on her now 5'1" hundred pound body. Courtesy of UCB and their benefits and perks, she now has a funky pair of black glasses (we call them her "serious musician specs") and another set that are sort of a coppery brown.
But even more exciting to her; it was announced in her class early last week that there were some job openings at a small barn near Northport. The owner/instructor was looking specifically for a couple of grade 8 students to work two hours a week, in return for a free one-hour riding lesson! Alison has been praying about riding lessons for two years, so she is very excited. I was excited because Alison has had a few lessons from Mary previously; she is a British woman with a lovely accent, a calm demeanor, VERY strict but kind, and very fussy about proper horse care and teaching solid basics. She also runs a very safe, organized barn, so it's the perfect place for Alison to start. She will learn the right and safe way to do things. During the summer holidays, should she be asked to work more hours, she will be paid for her time.
This has been a great exercise for Alison at 13. Mary wanted a complete resumé, written references, and a proper interview. The character reference that Janna Cylka wrote for her was truly beautiful. Alison is pumped! She works from 10:00 until 12:00 every Saturday; eats her lunch there and then has her riding lesson. Of course, we just realized that she has grown out of her riding boots AND hat; small problem, but not insurmountable. She has actually grown INTO some of my old breeches and my riding jacket :-)!
Claire has to wait another week for her glasses, unfortunately; she couldn't decide which pairs would be suitable the first visit. Hers should be ready the first of next week, and she is also thrilled! She is getting one set with therapeutic bi-focals (as per her current pair, but at half strength) and one set with NO bifocal as her eyes gradually strengthen. Once everyone's glasses are in, Mom, I'll post some photos!
And on the "thanks be for benefits" topic; I filled my first prescription on our new drug plan and paid $2.99. Even the pharmacist was impressed. Very thankful!
Major goings-on at our church. Too much to go into detail here; suffice to say that the physical church on earth is a poor type of the bride of Christ :-D. We are currently pastor-less; our senior pastor has moved on to a larger church in the Toronto area, and our youth pastor had previously been let go due to lack of funds. Kevin preached this Sunday and is scheduled to do quite a few of the advent/Christmas services. He will actually receive an honorarium for this, which is cool. The church will be looking for an interim pastor, I believe. More also going on (it's never that simple :-)) ; but God is still on the throne and things will work out in the end.
AND we have ANOTHER snow day; buses in three counties have been cancelled due to snow/slush/sleet/rain/snow (take your pick; it's all out there!). I can't believe how early the weather has gone wintry this year. The last couple of days have been more typical of mid-January or February. The good thing is, school has REALLY interfered with Christmas preparations, so we will attempt to head into Belleville later this morning for Alison's orthodontic appointment and to let the kids shop. We decorated the house yesterday so we definitely feeling Christmas-y.
Friday 30 November 2007
What I did yesterday :-)
My friend Ann-Marie treated myself and another friend Tricia to a spinning day at her house! Ann-Marie has a wheel her husband built for her, a wheel he found at an antique store, PLUS she had rented a wheel from our local Spinners' Guild for the month. That is the wheel I am using in the above picture; it's a double pedal Lendrum. The guild won this wheel during their last Sheep-to-Shawl competition.
Not only did she provide loaner wheels: she purchased some rovings for us to spin, and also let us experiment with some of her hand-dyed rovings that were for sale at her Etsy shop! Scroll down to the Blue Raspberry Superwash Merino to see the roving she let us play with. She made a nice chili lunch with homemade cornbread. She even washed one of my Shetland fleeces while I was spinning! She is going to attempt to ply what I spun and send me home with a teeny, tiny skein of handspun. (We must wish her luck with this, because my baby spinning was less than consistent and I'm quite positive it will break!). I will add a photo of the final product when I get it.
Anyway, thank you Ann-Marie ... we had a wonderful day and you were a real servant :-). And by the way, spinning is much harder than it looks ;-) !
Here is a short video clip she took ... apparently you must lay down on your side to watch this ;-).
Wednesday 28 November 2007
Sorry, our internet has been down for 6 days!
I have many levels of catching up to do, and won't be posting here for a few more days :-).
Sunday 18 November 2007
How just a little bit of code makes the internet a safer place :-), and Prince Edward County's 4H Awards Night
#navbar-iframe {
height:0px;
visibility:hidden;
display:none
}
Yup. That's all it took.
I was checking out the blog last week, and hit the "next blog" bar at the top. A year ago, this was a relatively safe thing to do. Blogger has a feature where surfers can "flag" inappropriate blogs, and 99% of the time the next blog would be neutral or of some interest. It used to be fun, since there are blogs from all over the world and if one actually had the time, it would be informative.
However, last week, I realized that the p*rn-meisters have hacked their way happily into blogland. After "flagging" three blogs, I realized that I no longer wanted the "next blog" feature available on our site. These weren't sites where an individual had posted inappropriate content; these were sites designed and developed specifically to spread p*rn. Sigh.
Thanks to my trusty homeschool message board, which STILL hasn't let my membership expire despite a warning I received in April (insert dancing figure here!), I discovered this site.
And here at this site, it showed me the above code, and where to insert it into the html for our blog. I've actually linked to that page in the archives, for those of you who are also interested in modifying your blogs.
height:0px;
visibility:hidden;
display:none
}
Yup. That's all it took.
I was checking out the blog last week, and hit the "next blog" bar at the top. A year ago, this was a relatively safe thing to do. Blogger has a feature where surfers can "flag" inappropriate blogs, and 99% of the time the next blog would be neutral or of some interest. It used to be fun, since there are blogs from all over the world and if one actually had the time, it would be informative.
However, last week, I realized that the p*rn-meisters have hacked their way happily into blogland. After "flagging" three blogs, I realized that I no longer wanted the "next blog" feature available on our site. These weren't sites where an individual had posted inappropriate content; these were sites designed and developed specifically to spread p*rn. Sigh.
Thanks to my trusty homeschool message board, which STILL hasn't let my membership expire despite a warning I received in April (insert dancing figure here!), I discovered this site.
And here at this site, it showed me the above code, and where to insert it into the html for our blog. I've actually linked to that page in the archives, for those of you who are also interested in modifying your blogs.
* * * * *
Friday night was the Prince Edward County 2007 Awards Night. It was awesome; much more organized this year and the evening just flowed right along. We stayed right through for the dance; there are not many opportunities for "family" dances these days, and not many opportunities for me to put my old two-stepping shoes back on (thank you, Aggies at the University of Guelph!). This year even Iain wanted to dance, so I spent a good hour teaching my 10 year old how to two-step! The rest of the family also spent lots of time on the dance floor. My favourite moment of the evening was Alison and Iain having a blast trying to two-step together; somewhere in the county is a digital camera with a photo of this moment, which I will upload here when it gets sent on to me!
The Ontario head of 4H once again attended this event; he was full of praise for our club, which apparently is one of the most active and "spirited" clubs right now.
Great group of kids, awesome leaders, and committed families ... this is what 4H is made of.
The Ontario head of 4H once again attended this event; he was full of praise for our club, which apparently is one of the most active and "spirited" clubs right now.
Great group of kids, awesome leaders, and committed families ... this is what 4H is made of.
Wednesday 14 November 2007
***Sigh***
One vet appointment, to the tune of $50, for possible urinary crystals in our less-than-friendly cat.
Two medications, including an antibiotic, and a urinary acidifier, to the tune of $62. Kevin not happy.
One cat, who is not personable at the best of times, who has to be pinned down and wrapped and force-fed the medicine. Cat not happy.
One hungry dog, who scarfed the container of medicine no. 2 off the counter, and ate approximately $30 of DL methionine in one gulp. (Just about 8x the recommended daily dose for a 75 pound dog). Dog happy but somewhat short-sighted.
Five frantic minutes of internet search for toxic dose levels of methionine in a dog, then a 7:00 a.m. call to our long-suffering vet. The dog "'should" be fine. Karen happy.
Cat, who is now only has to choke down one medication and should be relieved and happy, bites me in the hand and pees on Claire. Never mind about happy.
Owner only gets one more pill in cat, before cat decides to initiate a hunger strike. If cat doesn't come for meals, he can't be caught. He may have no personality, but he is smart. Cat happy, but certainly hungry.
Rest of expensive medicine sitting on counter, waiting for cat to start eating again, while the little bacteria breed over and over creating resistant strains.
***Sigh***.
Is there a cat whisperer in the house who could possibly convince Amadeo that eating, and being made healthy, is a far better outcome than slowly starving to death whilst hiding under our stairs?
I would include a photo of annoying cat, but he's still under the stairs.
Two medications, including an antibiotic, and a urinary acidifier, to the tune of $62. Kevin not happy.
One cat, who is not personable at the best of times, who has to be pinned down and wrapped and force-fed the medicine. Cat not happy.
One hungry dog, who scarfed the container of medicine no. 2 off the counter, and ate approximately $30 of DL methionine in one gulp. (Just about 8x the recommended daily dose for a 75 pound dog). Dog happy but somewhat short-sighted.
Five frantic minutes of internet search for toxic dose levels of methionine in a dog, then a 7:00 a.m. call to our long-suffering vet. The dog "'should" be fine. Karen happy.
Cat, who is now only has to choke down one medication and should be relieved and happy, bites me in the hand and pees on Claire. Never mind about happy.
Owner only gets one more pill in cat, before cat decides to initiate a hunger strike. If cat doesn't come for meals, he can't be caught. He may have no personality, but he is smart. Cat happy, but certainly hungry.
Rest of expensive medicine sitting on counter, waiting for cat to start eating again, while the little bacteria breed over and over creating resistant strains.
***Sigh***.
Is there a cat whisperer in the house who could possibly convince Amadeo that eating, and being made healthy, is a far better outcome than slowly starving to death whilst hiding under our stairs?
I would include a photo of annoying cat, but he's still under the stairs.
Friday 9 November 2007
The Gift that Keeps on Giving ...
Kev received a Kelsey's gift certificate from a coworker for his August birthday. Several weeks ago, Alison and I were in the position of having to be in Belleville for lunch prior to her having the last set of braces put on her upper teeth. Kevin sacrificed his gift to the girls :-).
We arrived at Kelsey's at noon. We had to leave at 12:50; all staff said "No problem!" We ordered a large plate of wings, and nachos with cheese. Then we waited ... and waited ... and waited. Finally, at 12: 40, the meal arrived. The wings looked great ... but I noticed a long blond hair on the sour cream. She went to remove the WHOLE nacho dish; I said, sorry, we just don't have time. She grabbed the sour cream and started to head off. Then I looked down at the rest of the plate and there were MORE hairs ... many more. "Someone-brushed-their-hair-hanging- over-my-plate" more. The waitress apologized profusely; I told her to take it and not to return it since we didn't have time. We gulped down $17 worth of chicken wings in and water (mighty boring meal) in 5 minutes, and the manager came by and told us to keep the gift certificate. Believe me, he was good; with all that hair I had been planning no more visits to Kelsey's.
So fast forward to yesterday. Trying to redeem my fun lunch plans with Alison, we again headed to Kelsey's with the same gift certificate. We gave ourselves 15 more minutes so that we would have time to make it to her doctor's appointment. We ordered potato skins and the same nachos with cheese, once again a little disappointed that to make the meal gluten-free we couldn't have the salsa-ground beef mixture. She went back, spoke to the kitchen staff; all was good and the service this time was FAST. Our meal came by 12:15 and we were well into the the meal, which was quite good, when my mouth starting stinging (early gluten radar warning). I called the waitress back, and she looked more carefully at the nachos, and ... you guessed it ... they were covered with the gluten-laden salsa-ground beef stuff. I hadn't recognized it because we hadn't got that far during our last meal. She apologized profusely (we're seeing the trend here) and headed off. I was not upset in the least, but I smiled and said "Good thing we didn't have peanut allergies!" Three minutes later, the (SAME!!!!) manager was out with with a big new plate of nachos, his sincerest apologies, and the same words as our previous visit; "This one's on us; keep the gift certificate". The rest of the meal was amazing; and other than a sore mouth and some trouble breathing (which was likely due to the overdose of cheese on that meal, not the gluten), passed uneventfully. As before, we did leave a full tip for the waitress. She left us with the impression that the kitchen staff were in serious doo-doo :-).
But this is it. We're done attempting to eat at this particular restaurant. The Certificate is now back in Kevin's hands, and hopefully he will be able to use it successfully next week. I feel somewhat bad for Kelsey's, but with our current, very tight budget this has been an unexpected blessing!
We arrived at Kelsey's at noon. We had to leave at 12:50; all staff said "No problem!" We ordered a large plate of wings, and nachos with cheese. Then we waited ... and waited ... and waited. Finally, at 12: 40, the meal arrived. The wings looked great ... but I noticed a long blond hair on the sour cream. She went to remove the WHOLE nacho dish; I said, sorry, we just don't have time. She grabbed the sour cream and started to head off. Then I looked down at the rest of the plate and there were MORE hairs ... many more. "Someone-brushed-their-hair-hanging- over-my-plate" more. The waitress apologized profusely; I told her to take it and not to return it since we didn't have time. We gulped down $17 worth of chicken wings in and water (mighty boring meal) in 5 minutes, and the manager came by and told us to keep the gift certificate. Believe me, he was good; with all that hair I had been planning no more visits to Kelsey's.
So fast forward to yesterday. Trying to redeem my fun lunch plans with Alison, we again headed to Kelsey's with the same gift certificate. We gave ourselves 15 more minutes so that we would have time to make it to her doctor's appointment. We ordered potato skins and the same nachos with cheese, once again a little disappointed that to make the meal gluten-free we couldn't have the salsa-ground beef mixture. She went back, spoke to the kitchen staff; all was good and the service this time was FAST. Our meal came by 12:15 and we were well into the the meal, which was quite good, when my mouth starting stinging (early gluten radar warning). I called the waitress back, and she looked more carefully at the nachos, and ... you guessed it ... they were covered with the gluten-laden salsa-ground beef stuff. I hadn't recognized it because we hadn't got that far during our last meal. She apologized profusely (we're seeing the trend here) and headed off. I was not upset in the least, but I smiled and said "Good thing we didn't have peanut allergies!" Three minutes later, the (SAME!!!!) manager was out with with a big new plate of nachos, his sincerest apologies, and the same words as our previous visit; "This one's on us; keep the gift certificate". The rest of the meal was amazing; and other than a sore mouth and some trouble breathing (which was likely due to the overdose of cheese on that meal, not the gluten), passed uneventfully. As before, we did leave a full tip for the waitress. She left us with the impression that the kitchen staff were in serious doo-doo :-).
But this is it. We're done attempting to eat at this particular restaurant. The Certificate is now back in Kevin's hands, and hopefully he will be able to use it successfully next week. I feel somewhat bad for Kelsey's, but with our current, very tight budget this has been an unexpected blessing!
Wednesday 7 November 2007
Coyotes
All week, by about 2 a.m. our local pack of coyotes has been on the move. Unfortunately they are moving closer and closer. I've been trying to remember to leave the back porch light on, thinking that this would help convince them to stay away.
Two nights ago I forgot; by 2 it sounded like there were 15 dogs and pups howling and singing and yelping right in the backyard. I've never heard anything like it. Eerie, haunting, yet joyful. I bounded out of bed, raced to the French doors and flipped the light on. Immediate and utter silence! I guess the light does work!
It seems to be a bad year for coyotes ... okay, good for them, bad for livestock owners. The litters were huge this year! The pups are about six months old now, and are in training to be the good hunters and scavengers they must become. This is the most dangerous time of year for livestock since food requirements for the den are now huge, and their food supply is quite diminished after the crazy dry summer we had. Kev even passed by a dead coyote on the road a couple of weeks ago; this is a rarity. I'm told by locals that once we have snow, the threat from coyotes is much reduced. I'm not sure why. So between now and our first snow, I MUST be vigilant about keeping that light on.
Around here, farmers use either livestock guardians dogs (LGDs) or llamas as their flock guardians. We see mostly Maremma and Great Pyrenees. These dogs or llamas live with the sheep 24/7 and do a fabulous job of scaring away coyotes! Unfortunately, Dickens just doesn't have what it takes in this area, as you can see by this photo :-).
He does, however herd our free range chickens in at night, is a truly excellent watchdog with an uncanny intuition into people's characters, and this summer he learned how to be an efficient mouser, so he is not completely useless! He earns his keep :-).
For now, we'll continue to depend on electric fence and a single light bulb for coyote and fox control!
Two nights ago I forgot; by 2 it sounded like there were 15 dogs and pups howling and singing and yelping right in the backyard. I've never heard anything like it. Eerie, haunting, yet joyful. I bounded out of bed, raced to the French doors and flipped the light on. Immediate and utter silence! I guess the light does work!
It seems to be a bad year for coyotes ... okay, good for them, bad for livestock owners. The litters were huge this year! The pups are about six months old now, and are in training to be the good hunters and scavengers they must become. This is the most dangerous time of year for livestock since food requirements for the den are now huge, and their food supply is quite diminished after the crazy dry summer we had. Kev even passed by a dead coyote on the road a couple of weeks ago; this is a rarity. I'm told by locals that once we have snow, the threat from coyotes is much reduced. I'm not sure why. So between now and our first snow, I MUST be vigilant about keeping that light on.
Around here, farmers use either livestock guardians dogs (LGDs) or llamas as their flock guardians. We see mostly Maremma and Great Pyrenees. These dogs or llamas live with the sheep 24/7 and do a fabulous job of scaring away coyotes! Unfortunately, Dickens just doesn't have what it takes in this area, as you can see by this photo :-).
He does, however herd our free range chickens in at night, is a truly excellent watchdog with an uncanny intuition into people's characters, and this summer he learned how to be an efficient mouser, so he is not completely useless! He earns his keep :-).
For now, we'll continue to depend on electric fence and a single light bulb for coyote and fox control!
Monday 5 November 2007
Alison's Show and Tell Post
Okay, here are a few photos of things Alison has been up to in the last few weeks.
The first photo is a collage that Alison did as one of her first Grade 8 projects. Sort of a "Who I Am" type thing. It's pretty cool; if you click on the photo you can see more detail. I especially like the knitting needle used for reins, and Latifah's fleece used for the horse's mane.
Another school project; this one done last week. It's a model paramecium, made from homemade quick "Quick Clay" (primarily baking soda and corn starch). This stuff dries quickly so you have to know exactly what you're doing before you start! It does not require oven-drying.
Yesterday afternoon's projects; two pies in the oven. She is very adventurous when baking, which results in some "interesting" outcomes. She discovered that trying to put meringue topping on a pumpkin pie didn't work very well. So, no worries, we pulled off the baked meringue and continued cooking the pumpkin pie for a while longer! The other pie is a dutch apple pie. The most incredible thing about this is that gluten-free baking is HARD and FRUSTRATING, and she's got pie crusts down to a fine art.
We had a get-together at our house on the 31st. Some dressed up; some didn't. It was pretty casual. Here is Alison feeding Steve and Janna Cylka's little pumpkin ... er ... daughter Mary.
And here is Alison in her "costume". Mom, notice that she's wearing the custom-made schooling chaps I had made at Bahr's Saddlery when I was about 14? They're long, but they were always a bit long for me too. She has them folded up here. After 28 years, some years of almost constant use, they still look brand new!
The first photo is a collage that Alison did as one of her first Grade 8 projects. Sort of a "Who I Am" type thing. It's pretty cool; if you click on the photo you can see more detail. I especially like the knitting needle used for reins, and Latifah's fleece used for the horse's mane.
Another school project; this one done last week. It's a model paramecium, made from homemade quick "Quick Clay" (primarily baking soda and corn starch). This stuff dries quickly so you have to know exactly what you're doing before you start! It does not require oven-drying.
Yesterday afternoon's projects; two pies in the oven. She is very adventurous when baking, which results in some "interesting" outcomes. She discovered that trying to put meringue topping on a pumpkin pie didn't work very well. So, no worries, we pulled off the baked meringue and continued cooking the pumpkin pie for a while longer! The other pie is a dutch apple pie. The most incredible thing about this is that gluten-free baking is HARD and FRUSTRATING, and she's got pie crusts down to a fine art.
We had a get-together at our house on the 31st. Some dressed up; some didn't. It was pretty casual. Here is Alison feeding Steve and Janna Cylka's little pumpkin ... er ... daughter Mary.
And here is Alison in her "costume". Mom, notice that she's wearing the custom-made schooling chaps I had made at Bahr's Saddlery when I was about 14? They're long, but they were always a bit long for me too. She has them folded up here. After 28 years, some years of almost constant use, they still look brand new!
Sunday 4 November 2007
Friday 2 November 2007
Claire was the "Terrific Kid" for Grade 7 in October!
Her teacher called me two days ago, and invited me to the ceremony during the school assembly. The program is put on by our local Kiwanis Club. October's theme was "trustworthiness", and the principal read aloud a letter submitted by Claire's teacher that was very honouring to her.
Hoping to get the school to send a photo, Mom and Dad, because my camera flash didn't travel too far in the auditorium ... stay tuned for more!
Other family news; Kevin is in Chatham-Kent this weekend for the new station start-up! UCB Canada 89.3 will be transmitting out of Chatham starting tomorrow. The team was pumped when I called the station at noon; they sounded like a bunch of school kids! Very fun.
Also, the shaved head photos are up on the UCB website ... just click on "October 2007 Share-a-thon" for photos of the weekend. Kev and Dana are somewhere near the bottom.
Hoping to get the school to send a photo, Mom and Dad, because my camera flash didn't travel too far in the auditorium ... stay tuned for more!
Other family news; Kevin is in Chatham-Kent this weekend for the new station start-up! UCB Canada 89.3 will be transmitting out of Chatham starting tomorrow. The team was pumped when I called the station at noon; they sounded like a bunch of school kids! Very fun.
Also, the shaved head photos are up on the UCB website ... just click on "October 2007 Share-a-thon" for photos of the weekend. Kev and Dana are somewhere near the bottom.
Thursday 1 November 2007
Introducing .... Valley Road Spencer (and why our pasture looks like a singles bar!)
Bill Stearman dropped by this morning with our ram for the fall, Valley Road Spencer. He is a non-fading black registered Shetland, and has a recessive moorit gene. He has also been penned so far this season with a bunch of rams, and I have never seen such a happy guy as when he stepped into our pen today. Unfortunately, none of our ladies are quite ready for him, so he's somewhat frustrated.
You'll notice he has no horns, whereas most Shetlands have a gorgeous, full set. He does have a small set of scurs. I didn't want big horns around the kids, nor the electric fencing, so he is a good match. My plan is one outcross to Shetland this year to add (hopefully) some colour and crimp to the flock, then next year cross back again to a Texel/Arcott cross. I will likely lose some size in our 2008 lambs, but thankfully Spencer is VERY square (especially for a Shetland) and I shouldn't lose too much correctness. This year I'm breeding two young ones and an 11 year old, so breeding to a smaller size ram seemed like our safest option.
Meet Spencer, the one with the gleam in his eye ;-).
In his customary position since arrival ... head low, following the girls. "Pick me!" or, as Iain laughed when watching Spencer put his moves on "Wanna take a ride in my car, babe?".
Just another day at our teeny, tiny farm(ette)!
You'll notice he has no horns, whereas most Shetlands have a gorgeous, full set. He does have a small set of scurs. I didn't want big horns around the kids, nor the electric fencing, so he is a good match. My plan is one outcross to Shetland this year to add (hopefully) some colour and crimp to the flock, then next year cross back again to a Texel/Arcott cross. I will likely lose some size in our 2008 lambs, but thankfully Spencer is VERY square (especially for a Shetland) and I shouldn't lose too much correctness. This year I'm breeding two young ones and an 11 year old, so breeding to a smaller size ram seemed like our safest option.
Meet Spencer, the one with the gleam in his eye ;-).
In his customary position since arrival ... head low, following the girls. "Pick me!" or, as Iain laughed when watching Spencer put his moves on "Wanna take a ride in my car, babe?".
Just another day at our teeny, tiny farm(ette)!
Tuesday 30 October 2007
I love horses.
Belgian/Reg'd Paint cross filly "Breezy" (sire is Payday's Flashcat). Very sweet, but quite cow-hocked at this point of time. Here is a little photo of her daddy from the Warkentin Ranch website.
Percheron/Paint cross colt. The odd mousy coloured tail and extremities may mean he will end up a true black. This is a lousy photo, but I really like this colt's attitude, and he has good straight legs. He is one of my favourites. Notice he still has the auction stamp on his rump! We can't get close enough yet to remove the stamps.
TB/Percheron cross filly. She is likely related to my other favourite in the group (below): She is very nicely conformed, but already a little mare-ish in attitude.
This is my other favourite guy. He is a big galoof, and is all leg at the moment. Not sure how he will turn out, but he has a wise eye and is very interested in people.* * * * *
Plain and simple; I have loved horses forever, and I suspect I always will. It's like a chronic illness, causing the most misery when I'm in a living situation not allowing any access to them. Our time in New Jersey was brutal for this; horses are definitely only for the rich and famous there.
Our neighbour Arnold picked up another small herd of horses from Manitoba earlier in the fall. This is the nicest bunch he's purchased by far (my hunter/jumper/eventing background making me biased!). They are draft horse crosses, either with Thoroughbreds or registered Paints. And they are LOVELY. He also picked up two almost two year old colts for a song earlier in the year. He is not internet-savvy, so I brought home his paperwork and have done some investigating for him. Two of the colts have very impressive pedigrees; both have Percheron moms (my favourite draft horse) and their sires have heavy doses of Bold Ruler, Northern Dancer, Nijinksy and more! I've only heard back from one of the three ranches; hoping that the others will be as helpful.
On Monday, he asked Alison if she would come and help him introduce the two older horses to saddle. And she and I are both working with the weanlings; using natural horsemanship techniques with them. Horse training has grown by leaps and bounds since I was young; the advent of natural horsemanship techniques (such as round-pen training, and join-up for building trust) and Parelli games have been awesome for the industry (although they are really only formalized versions of "Listen to what your horse is telling you"!)
These horses were foaled at pasture, left at pasture, weaned early, sent on a train from Manitoba to Ontario, auctioned off and trucked to homes, all without being handled. We've been visiting them since their arrival. It is so rewarding to watch their different personalities unfold; the early adapters -- "Wha ..? Oh, that's good. I'll do pretty much anything for that grain!" to the very cautious. One in particular has captured my heart. He's a big galoof of a colt; really tall and very gangly. Also one of the most shy; but he watches you when you're in the pen with them, ears forward, and follows your movements. He has "the eye"; he has a lot of potential. I've been playing the normal games with him; we don't have a round pen available, but body language still works wonders with untamed babies. For instance, looking directly at a horse is very scary for them; that's what a predator would do. To invite them to approach you, you avert your eyes, and become as small as possible. I finally had victory with my big galoof #119 yesterday. He approached me and nibbled at the grass I was holding, then (more importantly!!!) came back quite a few more times. There is also a chestnut filly who has been quite shy, and she also accepted my invitation to feed her for the first time yesterday.
At one point I was crouched in the middle of their pen, and six out of the eight were surrounding me, heads down and blowing through their nostrils at me. It was a great moment; these six have finally begun to trust me. Although I do miss riding dreadfully, this is equally rewarding and our family is very grateful that Arnold is willing to let us play with his babies ... (heh, heh ... Arnold is an old-time horse trader; he's getting help gentling his horses for free. He's pretty smart!)
At some point I will try to get some photos of the horses! In the meantime, I reiterate ... I. Love. Horses.
Monday 29 October 2007
Out of the mouths of babes :-D
This gem from our good friends' the Cylkas little guy Ben (pictured in the apple picking post), and quoted from his mom's gmail tag this morning:
Ben, after being told to take the necklace from the dress up box out of his mouth: "But Alison wears bracelets on her teeth! She does!!"
This made me laugh! Alison now has braces top and bottom, and I guess they're a little more visible. She babysat the boys on Saturday night when their folks went out to dinner, and this is what Ben remembers :-). Gotta love four-year olds!
Ben, after being told to take the necklace from the dress up box out of his mouth: "But Alison wears bracelets on her teeth! She does!!"
This made me laugh! Alison now has braces top and bottom, and I guess they're a little more visible. She babysat the boys on Saturday night when their folks went out to dinner, and this is what Ben remembers :-). Gotta love four-year olds!
Sunday 21 October 2007
Only dogs wag their tails when they are happy .... right? Check this out ...
This is Billie Holiday, our loaner from Bill Stearman. After an aloof beginning, she has become an adorable pet. I will miss her when she leaves later this month :-(. Look at that tail go!
Here is a photo from today of both girls' 2007 lambs.
Alison is currently completing the secretary's book for the 2007 Prince Edward County 4H Sheep Club, and it has been fun looking back over the year to see the changes in the lambs, and all the fun events the girls have been involved with. I'm regretting my decision to breed all our ewes Shetland this fall ... it works well for our personal flock goals, but the sheep club is going to ramp up and allow kids to raise a market lamb to auction this year. Jazzy and Latifah should be bred Texel, or Cheviot (even though I don't like Cheviot temperment) to produce market type. So I'm praying about what to do ...
And here is a closeup of sweet Billie :-).
Yesterday was my youngest child's birthday!
Iain turned 10 yesterday. No more single digits in our family. We were blessed in that our realtor (yes, the realtor that has given us a lot of grief in the past, for those in the know) had a client appreciation day yesterday. Their office rented the Mustang Drive-In in it's entirety and ran two family movies, had a barbeque, with cotton candy, castle, the playground and the whole nine yards. Best of all there were things our family could eat; they bought locally, which meant incredible 100% beef burgers from the butcher in Picton. (This is the same butcher who, not too long ago, begged me to supply him with lamb ASAP. Man, the market I have, without the space to produce it :-(. I have four legs of lamb in my freezer; he said his retail price for them depending on weight would be $40-$50. Each. Wowza.
Anyway, I digress. We were able to have a very fun family time which was great. Another indication that Iain is growing up; he doesn't really want anything for this birthday! This is a huge step for him, the collector of all things lego and Playmobile and aquarium-related. One thing we are definitely going to do: Kev will take him to a Belleville Bulls hockey game sometime soon :).
We're having his birthday dinner today, and we will be breaking out Bill Stearman's chicken for it. Birthday tradition in our family involves the birthday child having their choice of supper. We've done this ever since the kids were really little. Apparently Iain has had his eye on this chicken for a while :-).
Iain is definitely growing up; but in many ways he is still the same. Still a very hard worker, he made sure he was the one who planted our newly acquired mock orange bush yesterday, despite the fact that "birthday day" is the one day per year that our children are excused from chores completely. He did it because it was fun! He loves gardening, science, building things, designing and inventing machines, and playing computer games. He also loves singing and has written some songs of his own. He would like to learn to play the guitar, bass guitar, the saxophone or the trumpet. He loves nature; exploring and identifying animals and their tracks, plants, rocks, or whatever. He is keenly observant and is the one of us who will notice the tiniest baby turtle at the side of the road, then gently carry it across to the marshy area it was aiming for. His self-control is growing by leaps and bounds (school is giving him many opportunities to practise this!). We were discussing with our kids last night which parent they most strongly identified with; Iain truthfully said he was both a mom AND dad's boy ;D.
Happy Birthday, Iain! May this be a year that you gain new understanding about your faith. Step by step, Little Man! We love you.
Photographs ...
Here is the cake that Claire made; when our children were younger, I made all the cakes, however they now take turns making cakes for each other! I help as need dictates. This cake is supposed to be a cup o' joe, and the brown icing is mocha flavour. Iain has LOVED coffee, weirdly, since he snaffooed his first sip at 18 months old. At 8, we finally started allowing him to have the occasional weekend cup (bad parents!).
Here is Claire carrying in her masterpiece ...
And the finale :-) ...
Anyway, I digress. We were able to have a very fun family time which was great. Another indication that Iain is growing up; he doesn't really want anything for this birthday! This is a huge step for him, the collector of all things lego and Playmobile and aquarium-related. One thing we are definitely going to do: Kev will take him to a Belleville Bulls hockey game sometime soon :).
We're having his birthday dinner today, and we will be breaking out Bill Stearman's chicken for it. Birthday tradition in our family involves the birthday child having their choice of supper. We've done this ever since the kids were really little. Apparently Iain has had his eye on this chicken for a while :-).
Iain is definitely growing up; but in many ways he is still the same. Still a very hard worker, he made sure he was the one who planted our newly acquired mock orange bush yesterday, despite the fact that "birthday day" is the one day per year that our children are excused from chores completely. He did it because it was fun! He loves gardening, science, building things, designing and inventing machines, and playing computer games. He also loves singing and has written some songs of his own. He would like to learn to play the guitar, bass guitar, the saxophone or the trumpet. He loves nature; exploring and identifying animals and their tracks, plants, rocks, or whatever. He is keenly observant and is the one of us who will notice the tiniest baby turtle at the side of the road, then gently carry it across to the marshy area it was aiming for. His self-control is growing by leaps and bounds (school is giving him many opportunities to practise this!). We were discussing with our kids last night which parent they most strongly identified with; Iain truthfully said he was both a mom AND dad's boy ;D.
Happy Birthday, Iain! May this be a year that you gain new understanding about your faith. Step by step, Little Man! We love you.
Photographs ...
Here is the cake that Claire made; when our children were younger, I made all the cakes, however they now take turns making cakes for each other! I help as need dictates. This cake is supposed to be a cup o' joe, and the brown icing is mocha flavour. Iain has LOVED coffee, weirdly, since he snaffooed his first sip at 18 months old. At 8, we finally started allowing him to have the occasional weekend cup (bad parents!).
Here is Claire carrying in her masterpiece ...
And the finale :-) ...
Friday 19 October 2007
Rain, glorious rain!
Thunder. Lightning. Magnificent rain falling. Wave upon wave of clouds over head, pausing to rest then dumping more. I haven't seen rain-streaked windows in a very long time.
Life is good. Sodden, but very, very good :-).
Life is good. Sodden, but very, very good :-).
Wednesday 17 October 2007
When I was young, it was stray puppies and kittens, if we were lucky!
Here in rural Ontario, over the last almost-five years, we've now done our share of herding and capturing much bigger animals. Let's see, on the way to church one Sunday morning a couple of years ago there were three horses loose on Fry Road. Our pastor was expected to come by within a few minutes, so Kevin waited for him while the kids and I caught horses, (me in a skirt and heels!), located owners, then made our way to church.
Then last year, we were on our way to Belleville, and something (Someone :-) ..) directed us to go visited some friends. We arrived just as three of their horses escaped, and plans for Belleville were scrapped as we spent almost six hours chasing them through back-country. This was a tricky situation as the horses were from Manitoba, not yet tamed, and used to wide open spaces.
Stray cows? All the time. Mostly my next door neighbours. I've had none of his cows on our lawn this year so apparently he has fixed some fences. One cow that we tried to catch about three years ago turned out to be feral; she'd been loose for over a year, happily munching on farmer's fields and scrounging in the bush in the winter. She is a local legend.
Last night I was just preparing supper when three horses raced by our front window along Bethesda Road. They belong to a neighbour from the other direction, an Arabian, a registered Standardbred and an old blind grade mare. We grabbed lead ropes (don't leave home without 'em!), a bucket of oats and ran to attempt to catch them. They weren't willing at first; the wind in their ears and the scent of the alfalfa field across the road were too much for them. Eventually, though Alison was able to grab hold of the head horse's halter (very helpful if you know this information) and we walked them all home ... to a deserted farm. No owners in sight. So we put them back in the field, then walked the fence and found out where the fence was down. Did a quick fix, then trekked home for dinner which Kevin thankfully had prepared in my absence. He's much more willing to cook than chases horses, although has done so in the past!
Horses are big animals, and drivers don't recognize just how much damage will occur if they hit one. Several weeks ago a county dad was killed when he hit a horse on Jericho Road. Very, very sad. But livestock does get out, and I'm just paying it forward for those who helped us when animals escaped from Oxer Stables when I was growing up. This is what neighbours do.
Then last year, we were on our way to Belleville, and something (Someone :-) ..) directed us to go visited some friends. We arrived just as three of their horses escaped, and plans for Belleville were scrapped as we spent almost six hours chasing them through back-country. This was a tricky situation as the horses were from Manitoba, not yet tamed, and used to wide open spaces.
Stray cows? All the time. Mostly my next door neighbours. I've had none of his cows on our lawn this year so apparently he has fixed some fences. One cow that we tried to catch about three years ago turned out to be feral; she'd been loose for over a year, happily munching on farmer's fields and scrounging in the bush in the winter. She is a local legend.
Last night I was just preparing supper when three horses raced by our front window along Bethesda Road. They belong to a neighbour from the other direction, an Arabian, a registered Standardbred and an old blind grade mare. We grabbed lead ropes (don't leave home without 'em!), a bucket of oats and ran to attempt to catch them. They weren't willing at first; the wind in their ears and the scent of the alfalfa field across the road were too much for them. Eventually, though Alison was able to grab hold of the head horse's halter (very helpful if you know this information) and we walked them all home ... to a deserted farm. No owners in sight. So we put them back in the field, then walked the fence and found out where the fence was down. Did a quick fix, then trekked home for dinner which Kevin thankfully had prepared in my absence. He's much more willing to cook than chases horses, although has done so in the past!
Horses are big animals, and drivers don't recognize just how much damage will occur if they hit one. Several weeks ago a county dad was killed when he hit a horse on Jericho Road. Very, very sad. But livestock does get out, and I'm just paying it forward for those who helped us when animals escaped from Oxer Stables when I was growing up. This is what neighbours do.
Monday 15 October 2007
I am mortified ...
and thankful that not one of my blog readers would have been listening to "The Edge" radio show on UCB last night.
The announcers called for Kevin ... live on air ... (not completely true; prerecorded a few minutes before play) ... and asked for him. He had just raced in the door to visit the little boys' room ... which I alluded to strongly in my conversation. And then all these voices yelled "Gotcha! You are live on UCB 102.3 The Edge!"
At which I responded, "Oh, crumb." I thought it was a friend of his. Truthfully, it WAS a friend of his, with the added dimension that the whole conversation was recorded.
After I'd hung up, of course, all this back-and-forth banter about how I wasn't very happy with them (uh huh) ... yes, let's just emphasize over and over again to 20, 000 listeners that my hubby's in the john and I blabbed on him. (Edited to add: major exaggeration here; The Edge show turns off most of the station listenership. In reality, probably about 100 teens who wouldn't really care were listening . But still! Besides, they're all on Facebook. Should I be scared??? :-D)
**sigh** Alison's response to these shenanigans? "I just love our family!"
(And SHHHHHHHHH, don't tell Steve, one of the announcers responsible for my radio premiere, but I have the capacity to make his life ... well, inconvenient, to say the least ... his company hosts the website I work on ... I'm contemplating a flood of tickets containing pointless questions to his attention ... hmmmm.)
Starting today on UCB, the morning show emphasis is on practical jokes. Needless to say, I warned Kev last night that our phone number could not be involved in any of them :) !
The announcers called for Kevin ... live on air ... (not completely true; prerecorded a few minutes before play) ... and asked for him. He had just raced in the door to visit the little boys' room ... which I alluded to strongly in my conversation. And then all these voices yelled "Gotcha! You are live on UCB 102.3 The Edge!"
At which I responded, "Oh, crumb." I thought it was a friend of his. Truthfully, it WAS a friend of his, with the added dimension that the whole conversation was recorded.
After I'd hung up, of course, all this back-and-forth banter about how I wasn't very happy with them (uh huh) ... yes, let's just emphasize over and over again to 20, 000 listeners that my hubby's in the john and I blabbed on him. (Edited to add: major exaggeration here; The Edge show turns off most of the station listenership. In reality, probably about 100 teens who wouldn't really care were listening . But still! Besides, they're all on Facebook. Should I be scared??? :-D)
**sigh** Alison's response to these shenanigans? "I just love our family!"
(And SHHHHHHHHH, don't tell Steve, one of the announcers responsible for my radio premiere, but I have the capacity to make his life ... well, inconvenient, to say the least ... his company hosts the website I work on ... I'm contemplating a flood of tickets containing pointless questions to his attention ... hmmmm.)
Starting today on UCB, the morning show emphasis is on practical jokes. Needless to say, I warned Kev last night that our phone number could not be involved in any of them :) !
Sunday 14 October 2007
More Rural Economy: Grapes and Apples
Apple picking in Prince Edward County, October 2007Even I, a newcomer to the County, recall that days when locals could wake up after a windy night and race over to the nearest orchard for $4 per bushel windfall apples. How I miss those days! Many of the orchards are now "bigger business" than they used to be; and often associated with the rapidly expanding viticulture industry in the area.
For those who are not aware, Prince Edward County is "the new" Niagara region, after some entrepeneurial sort noticed two things; that the county has been blanketed with wild grapes for decades, and that the soil (in the Hillier region especially) is pretty much identical to the soil in high wine-producing areas of France. I highly recommend the book "A Fool and Forty Acres" by Geoff Heinricks for those who want insight into a small winery start up by a fellow from TO. It is warm, inviting, informative and replete with county gossip and lore. Here is the publisher's short for the book:
About this Book
foreword by Jamie Kennedy
A Fool and Forty Acres is Heinricks’ beautifully written account of leaving behind the rat race, slowing life down, and establishing an intimate relationship with one small parcel of land in a magical corner of Canada.
You won’t find Prince Edward County on any map of the world’s great wine regions. Yet it is to this dollop of rolling limestone in eastern Lake Ontario that Geoff Heinricks brought his young family in pursuit of a dream of creating a truly world class wine. The County, as the locals call it, is a long way from the Niagara Peninsula, and three thousand miles from Burgundy, yet Heinricks and a few hardy souls like him claim that their wines will one day rival those of the legendary French province.
A self-described 21st-century peasant, Heinricks follows the seasons in his vineyards with exquisite attention, from digging the earth, to grafting and planting the vines, to trellising and pruning, to tending the young grapes, to harvesting the fruits of his labours. Along the way, he sketches the human history of the area, the native peoples whose tools and clay shards are heaved up by the soil, and the United Empire Loyalists, whose tidy barns and farmhouses still dot the landscape today.
He also presents a cast of his colourful County neighbours: from old-school farmers to refugees like him from the city, convinced in the wisdom of producing and consuming locally the very best food and wine in harmony with the land.
Anyway, back to apple picking and things of family concern :). We joined our friends the Cylka family and the MacKay family the weekend before Thanksgiving for our traditional hike into the orchard. Here are some photographs:
Claire and her best friend Angie digging in!
"A-tisket, a-tasket, fresh apples in a basket ..." Alison and Brenna.
"He did it!" Iain and Ben.
Alison and our buddy "Eli"
Sunday 7 October 2007
Rural Economies
Although Prince Edward County does have a fairly steady tourist income, family incomes are substantially less than in more urban areas. People fall in love with the county, then do what they can to survive here. I've always said that I'd rather be broke here, than rich anywhere else :).
Yesterday was a typical day in our rural economy. A couple of days earlier, a Shetland sheep breeder friend, Bill Stearman, e-mailed me to let me know that while vaccinating his ram, he had an unfortunate meeting with something sharp that required 16 stitches. Ever the busy man, he continued on, until his leg puffed up with infection and his doctor threatened to hospitalize him with an IV antibiotic. However, Bill had urgent chores, so he called me to find out if I was up for a trade.
Alison, Iain and myself headed over yesterday. We stacked a cord and a half of wood, moved 15 bags of feed, and Alison moved his 30 meat birds a new area. In return, Bill will lend us a ram for six weeks this fall (no lease required!), will arrange to transport the ram and Billie Holiday back and forth to his place, AND he sent us on our way with a magnificent $27.00 organic chicken that he raised himself.
Bartering is alive and well in rural Ontario, and I am thankful :).
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to you all!
Yesterday was a typical day in our rural economy. A couple of days earlier, a Shetland sheep breeder friend, Bill Stearman, e-mailed me to let me know that while vaccinating his ram, he had an unfortunate meeting with something sharp that required 16 stitches. Ever the busy man, he continued on, until his leg puffed up with infection and his doctor threatened to hospitalize him with an IV antibiotic. However, Bill had urgent chores, so he called me to find out if I was up for a trade.
Alison, Iain and myself headed over yesterday. We stacked a cord and a half of wood, moved 15 bags of feed, and Alison moved his 30 meat birds a new area. In return, Bill will lend us a ram for six weeks this fall (no lease required!), will arrange to transport the ram and Billie Holiday back and forth to his place, AND he sent us on our way with a magnificent $27.00 organic chicken that he raised himself.
Bartering is alive and well in rural Ontario, and I am thankful :).
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to you all!
Monday 1 October 2007
The race has been run, but another one to come :)
The cross-country rain-date was today; unfortunately Claire was sick and had to miss school, and the regionals :(. Alison is positive Claire would have moved on to district (encompassing Prince Edward, Hastings, and Lennox/Addington Counties). Alison did make it to district, coming in 10th in her division.
While homeschooling, track and field was a big deal for us, and for quite a few years with Alison we've been working on her distance. She does not have a lot of initial speed, but has good staying power and a great end sprint, which wowed them today. The local newspaper took a photo of her final sprint, and she was told she might make it into the paper, although who knows. You'd think they'd put the winner in, not 10th place. She is also quite surefooted over uneven terrain (could that be because of all the time she has chased horses and sheep through pastures???) So she's quite excited ... except that she thought she'd be done today and now she has to run again on Thursday :).
Weird sleep night in our house last night; 3 of us couldn't sleep. I managed 4 hours, and got up at 2:30 a.m. and did some work and wrote e-mails, going back for another half an hour or so at 6. Someone remind me that I CANNOT do caffeine at 3 in the afternoon! Kevin also ended getting up at 2:30, and headed into work, only a couple of hours earlier than usual. We both hit the wall early in the day, but prior to that I managed to ...
... work for two hours for NLGH updating their website
... wash and fold two loads of laundry
... move the sheep to a new pasture, kicking myself that Kev had the camera at work. I would have loved to post video footage of them racing around, kicking up their heels with joy to see green pasture again.
... moved feeders, fences, etc.
... completely updated my flock records (required for governmental purposes by anyone raising livestock).
...burned all of the PEC 4H Sheep Club photos to a CD rom for taking to Walmart tomorrow. Alison was the secretary for two clubs this year (one too many) and she's hoping to submit the sheep club secretary's book for a competition.
... and then collapsed into a useless heap by about 2:00, when Claire and I decided to watch "Twister".
So the day ended lazily, but I felt it was justified :).
While homeschooling, track and field was a big deal for us, and for quite a few years with Alison we've been working on her distance. She does not have a lot of initial speed, but has good staying power and a great end sprint, which wowed them today. The local newspaper took a photo of her final sprint, and she was told she might make it into the paper, although who knows. You'd think they'd put the winner in, not 10th place. She is also quite surefooted over uneven terrain (could that be because of all the time she has chased horses and sheep through pastures???) So she's quite excited ... except that she thought she'd be done today and now she has to run again on Thursday :).
Weird sleep night in our house last night; 3 of us couldn't sleep. I managed 4 hours, and got up at 2:30 a.m. and did some work and wrote e-mails, going back for another half an hour or so at 6. Someone remind me that I CANNOT do caffeine at 3 in the afternoon! Kevin also ended getting up at 2:30, and headed into work, only a couple of hours earlier than usual. We both hit the wall early in the day, but prior to that I managed to ...
... work for two hours for NLGH updating their website
... wash and fold two loads of laundry
... move the sheep to a new pasture, kicking myself that Kev had the camera at work. I would have loved to post video footage of them racing around, kicking up their heels with joy to see green pasture again.
... moved feeders, fences, etc.
... completely updated my flock records (required for governmental purposes by anyone raising livestock).
...burned all of the PEC 4H Sheep Club photos to a CD rom for taking to Walmart tomorrow. Alison was the secretary for two clubs this year (one too many) and she's hoping to submit the sheep club secretary's book for a competition.
... and then collapsed into a useless heap by about 2:00, when Claire and I decided to watch "Twister".
So the day ended lazily, but I felt it was justified :).
Thursday 27 September 2007
Quick "what's going on" kind of post :)
We are very busy. I figured I should post a quick update. The kids are settling in nicely at school. Both girls are running in the regional (county) cross-country event today. It is held at Sandbanks Provincial Park, on Lake Ontario. Alison was grateful that it rained overnight and was hoping this morning that it also rained at the park; rain turns the sand slightly hard-pack and makes it easier to run on. The girls are both playing the clarinet and band starts next week. The band will travel to Canada's Wonderland in the spring to play in some big Ontario-wide band function, and the girls are committed to catching up to the level required so they can attend. They are also both assisting in the running of the library, and Alison is on the recycling team. And Claire in particular is looking forward to the bi-annual school musical, which is on for this year. I'm thankful they are getting quite involved, since otherwise there would be a definite boredom problem; they are somewhat ... hmmm ... over-prepared for the academic level at the school. They all love the school bus (nice that they're not old and jaded on this :) ..) and all three have Really. Fabulous. Teachers. Seriously, the teachers at this school are some of the best I've known.
Kevin continues to settle in at UCB. Every day it is more and more apparent that they needed him desperately :). Or at least his very good organizational skills :D. On many levels his presence there is a good thing. For anybody trying to tune in online, they are updating their band width shortly, although still only to a level allowing 200 online listeners which is not enough. But of course, it's a cost thing. We've already been the beneficiary of the first perk ... glasses coverage for Kevin! He is sporting new, somewhat trendy semi-rimless specs. And we are eagerly awaiting "life with benefits" which will start in early December. It's been a long, long while since we've had any sort of extended health benefits. They seem much more like a gift now, rather than an expectation.
I am juggling housework (wow, so much easier when people aren't living here 24/7!), decluttering and deepcleaning (there are areas in my house that hadn't been touched since we moved in :) ...), website design and other tasks for NLGH, planning for Junior Youth events this fall, getting the livestock ready for winter life (worming, moving pasture, etc.). I am very content.
Oh yes, and one photo ... Iain booting around a campground on a mini-ATV. I don't know whether you can the ear-to-ear grin on his face, but he was pumped. This occured at a friend's birthday party last night.
Kevin continues to settle in at UCB. Every day it is more and more apparent that they needed him desperately :). Or at least his very good organizational skills :D. On many levels his presence there is a good thing. For anybody trying to tune in online, they are updating their band width shortly, although still only to a level allowing 200 online listeners which is not enough. But of course, it's a cost thing. We've already been the beneficiary of the first perk ... glasses coverage for Kevin! He is sporting new, somewhat trendy semi-rimless specs. And we are eagerly awaiting "life with benefits" which will start in early December. It's been a long, long while since we've had any sort of extended health benefits. They seem much more like a gift now, rather than an expectation.
I am juggling housework (wow, so much easier when people aren't living here 24/7!), decluttering and deepcleaning (there are areas in my house that hadn't been touched since we moved in :) ...), website design and other tasks for NLGH, planning for Junior Youth events this fall, getting the livestock ready for winter life (worming, moving pasture, etc.). I am very content.
Oh yes, and one photo ... Iain booting around a campground on a mini-ATV. I don't know whether you can the ear-to-ear grin on his face, but he was pumped. This occured at a friend's birthday party last night.
Saturday 22 September 2007
Photo of "our" pond ...
This quarry pond lies between our home and and the neighbouring road. It was blasted out in the 40's or 50's, and the gravel was used to build the road bed. Over time, it has been transformed into a lovely pond. It is owned by the county, not us (they get the liability!). But the whole neighbourhood benefits from it's presence.
We are truly grateful for this pond. This pond is home to red-winged blackbirds, painted turtles, mud turtles and snappers, various kinds of fish and 8 species of frogs, American Bitterns, Green Herons and Great Blue herons; all have been spotted here since we arrived on Forty Foot Road.This pond also ensures that our home insurance rates stay low; it is the rural equivalent of a hydrant on our lawn. Were our house to catch fire, the pumper would draw from here. We sit and contemplate life here; we skate here in the winter; we sail homemade toy boats on it in the spring.
The County has been experiencing drought all summer. I don't remember the last time we had rain ... oh yes, the Sunday of the Fall Fair, although our neighbourhood experienced very little accumulation (less than 1 mm). Yesterday we were thrilled when a heavy fog rolled in. It doesn't take much precipitation to excite us. Great for a vacation spot; not so great for residents and local farmers.
The water haulage trucks have been traversing our neighbourhood for weeks. I am aware of families that have had an unbelievable 5 loads of water delivered already this summer. My friend Arnold, up on MacHill, has run out twice in the last month (only for brief periods); his house is situated on underground rivers and his well was built on a spring. The last time he ran out of water was 30 years ago.
Our well is a dug well, and is about 21 feet deep. Dug well is a bit of a misnomer, as our house is situated on bedrock. Dynamite was used to blast the well out, which also fractures the bedrock resulting in fissures that the water percolates through. Apparently the pond is also about 21 feet at it's deepest point (it was blasted out about six years ago to act as a reservoir for a local dairy farm). Right now at least a dozen farmers are drawing out of the pond to water their cattle and other livestock.
So we are thankful. Thankful for this pond, whether it is feeding our well, or whether it's just an indicator of the health of our well ... it seems as long as it has water, so do we. Thankful that we are learning to live wisely, and not waste this valuable resource like we might in the city. Thankful for the huge number of birds and wildlife we see due to our proximity to the local watering hole. Thankful ... so I thought I'd photograph "our pond" to commemorate it on this beautiful fall day.
Thursday 20 September 2007
The "fruit" of our labours
I just brought home 114 pounds of fresh, home-grown county lamb and packed it in our freezer. What a sense of accomplishment!
According to Ted, it was a little over-finished (read fat!) and I could have shipped them up to two weeks earlier (he normally ends up with about 45 pounds per lamb whereas our two dressed out at 54 and 60 pounds!). I really appreciate his input; we'll do things a little differently next year.
Still ... it's a real feeling of accomplishment to see this through from beginning to end. And I'm once again in awe of this incredibly useful, adaptable animal; an animal that thrives on weeds , that can clear brush as well as a goat, that provides beautiful fleece (I'm spinning some moorit Shetland from one of our ewes right now!), that can be milked (there is a sheep and goat dairy that has just started up in Wapous), and that can provide a rack of lamb for Christmas dinner from the current year's lamb crop.
According to Ted, it was a little over-finished (read fat!) and I could have shipped them up to two weeks earlier (he normally ends up with about 45 pounds per lamb whereas our two dressed out at 54 and 60 pounds!). I really appreciate his input; we'll do things a little differently next year.
Still ... it's a real feeling of accomplishment to see this through from beginning to end. And I'm once again in awe of this incredibly useful, adaptable animal; an animal that thrives on weeds , that can clear brush as well as a goat, that provides beautiful fleece (I'm spinning some moorit Shetland from one of our ewes right now!), that can be milked (there is a sheep and goat dairy that has just started up in Wapous), and that can provide a rack of lamb for Christmas dinner from the current year's lamb crop.
Wednesday 19 September 2007
Just in case any of you are playing Sudoku here ...
I'm deleting the game at the bottom of the sidebar. If you want to play, click on "Game House Sudoku" under Links for Fun. It's a MUCH better game, and allows you to right-click the mouse for pencil marks.
Monday 17 September 2007
"Picton is my Stars Hollow" (Some of you will understand the reference immediately!)
Those of you who watched Gilmore Girls, that is.
Yes, this is the theme for our two families ... Picton is my Stars Hollow. Notice Picton's Regent Theatre at the bottom right. And if you check out the cast of Gilmore Girls, you will fine 10 extra people ... all of whom are quite addicted to Girlmore Girls on DVD.
I've tried to enlarge the photo but it might come out a bit blurry ... hmmm ...
Yes, this is the theme for our two families ... Picton is my Stars Hollow. Notice Picton's Regent Theatre at the bottom right. And if you check out the cast of Gilmore Girls, you will fine 10 extra people ... all of whom are quite addicted to Girlmore Girls on DVD.
I've tried to enlarge the photo but it might come out a bit blurry ... hmmm ...
Friday 14 September 2007
"Where were you on September 11?"
has been the focus all week for the morning show at UCB Canada 102.3. Kevin and Dana have been interviewing people on the street, and taking in phone calls and e-mails and including them as part of a tribute. I e-mailed a blurb in, and include it here.
An apology to any of you who have tried to listen to UCB online in the last couple of weeks. Apparently it is a bandwidth issue; listenership during the morning show has gone up exponentially in the last few weeks and they don't have the bandwidth to support the numbers trying to listen. UCB is working on this at present, but it may take some time (which they have), and financial resources (which they may not yet have :) ..).
From my perspective ... as a mom of young children ...
We were homeschooling in NJ. The day was incredibly, indescribably beautiful, and we were out for phys ed doing gymnastics on the front lawn. My neighbour came over and urged me to get inside and turn the TV on.
I had already noticed a unusual lack of airflight, and within a few minutes air force planes started over head. We put the TV on, and history became the lesson for the day. My kiddoes watched it all ... we cried, and prayed for people, and gave thanks to God that Daddy's regular meeting at the World Trade Centre had been cancelled that day. (Edited to add: Kev had canceled his regular Tuesday meeting at the World Trade Center on Monday). We prayed for several church members who were were missing for the better part of 36 hours, although were accounted for later. We talked about good ... and evil, and God's place in it all. Dad came home from work (his office was right around the corner), got on the computer, and began receiving e-mail after devastating e-mail with news of friends' and clients' deaths.
Another hard part for me was hearing from other parents later. The teachers, who all knew what was happening, were not allowed to say anything in the schools. The students could hear their hushed discussions and cracking voices, and were not allowed to know what was going on. Even when parents starting arriving in tears to pick up their own children ... the ones left behind had no idea. It was a truly terrifying experience for the kids in school, and a very difficult time for their teachers who did the best they could. Later on our NJ church gifted every elementary school teacher in three counties with a bookstore gift certificate, along with a letter of thanks for the challenges they faced that day.
That day had a permanently sobering impact on me. We really never will know when it will be our time to go. So while we can, we need to "choose life"!.
An apology to any of you who have tried to listen to UCB online in the last couple of weeks. Apparently it is a bandwidth issue; listenership during the morning show has gone up exponentially in the last few weeks and they don't have the bandwidth to support the numbers trying to listen. UCB is working on this at present, but it may take some time (which they have), and financial resources (which they may not yet have :) ..).
* * * * *
From my perspective ... as a mom of young children ...
We were homeschooling in NJ. The day was incredibly, indescribably beautiful, and we were out for phys ed doing gymnastics on the front lawn. My neighbour came over and urged me to get inside and turn the TV on.
I had already noticed a unusual lack of airflight, and within a few minutes air force planes started over head. We put the TV on, and history became the lesson for the day. My kiddoes watched it all ... we cried, and prayed for people, and gave thanks to God that Daddy's regular meeting at the World Trade Centre had been cancelled that day. (Edited to add: Kev had canceled his regular Tuesday meeting at the World Trade Center on Monday). We prayed for several church members who were were missing for the better part of 36 hours, although were accounted for later. We talked about good ... and evil, and God's place in it all. Dad came home from work (his office was right around the corner), got on the computer, and began receiving e-mail after devastating e-mail with news of friends' and clients' deaths.
Another hard part for me was hearing from other parents later. The teachers, who all knew what was happening, were not allowed to say anything in the schools. The students could hear their hushed discussions and cracking voices, and were not allowed to know what was going on. Even when parents starting arriving in tears to pick up their own children ... the ones left behind had no idea. It was a truly terrifying experience for the kids in school, and a very difficult time for their teachers who did the best they could. Later on our NJ church gifted every elementary school teacher in three counties with a bookstore gift certificate, along with a letter of thanks for the challenges they faced that day.
That day had a permanently sobering impact on me. We really never will know when it will be our time to go. So while we can, we need to "choose life"!.
Monday 10 September 2007
The County Fall Fair, 2007 in Review (Shameless bragging inside)
The Fair is over. I am incredibly proud of the kids. They did well.
(Insert once again bragging apologies; but grandparents need to know these things :) ! I will add photographs later in the week, but Kev has the camera for the next couple of days.
All the kids entered one or two things in the youth exhibit area. Iain entered for the first time this year in the Fair Advertising category, and his poster won! He worked very hard on it.
Claire wrote her traditional, illustrated poem .. she just loves poetry. It was very cute. She placed second (her emphasis was on poem, not illustration, and the judges were definitely looking at illustration this year since the winning poem was a little acrostic).
Alison entered a Monet-type painting she had done as part of school last year, and a purse she felted. The painting took prize, and the felted purse won the knit category. Not only that, but the purse won a special (and an extra $5), and was the article from this year;s fair to be chosen to get sent as a demonstration to convention in Toronto in February. Alison was slightly miffed since she knit the purse to use this fall, and now she has to keep it in good shape until February :).
The 4H Goat Club Achievement Day was held at the Fairgrounds Sunday morning. In the Pouring Rain. Thank goodness for the two-year old covered pavilion or it would have been a soggy nightmare! The order of events was meat goat classes, then showmanship, then costume classes. For some unknown reason, they decided to put the costume class first. (I believe the judge may have been slightly late to arrive). However, Alison dressed she and her goat up as clowns, COMPLETE with face makeup, before I could warn her that she may not be able to remove it before the rest of the show. Oops. Luckily, the judge was understanding and ignored the garish remaining streaks across her face. Claire's outfit was very creative ... she dressed up as a chef, complete with big container of curry, a meat fork, a knife, a chef's hat and apron ... it was very effective since her pygmy goat was being ornery and wouldn't enter the ring. Dusty planted her feet and bleated and yelled, looking very much like a reluctant main course!
In the pygmy conformation class, Alison's goat won. This class was no biggie for the kids because they used borrowed goats. But in the Junior Showmanship class, Alison took first place and Claire took second, which was AMAZING and I was thrilled for both of them. Although they didn't work extensively with the goats this year, the experience they've gained with our sheep has paid off. The top two from the Junior and Senior classes squared off, and Alison finally won her Grand Championship Showmanship Ribbon (red, white and blue ... she's made it to reserve twice and taken home the purple ribbon). So she was pretty happy. It was very close, and only a subtle mistake made by the winning Senior tipped the balance in her favour.
The girls spent about 3 hours selling milkshakes in the 4H Milkshake booth, and I once again went through my annual ritual of lamenting that I didn't submit anything for judging. Every year I say I will ... well, maybe next year ...
The best part of the Fair for me, though, is the people. Our whole family went on Saturday to do rides etc., and at one point I waved back at yet another acquaintance and Kevin turned to me and said, "I can't believe how many people you know!!" (Chip off the old block, Mom???) Keep in mind that Kev spent part of his growing up years here.
The rides are mostly for smaller kids, and the midway would probably be laughed at by teens from out of town. But what I love about a small town fair is the transition the kids make. Yes, the rides are fun when they are small (and there are still a few that my girls enjoy). But it becomes less about entertainment as they get older, and more about being a part of something bigger and volunteerism and networking with all ages and serving their community. Small towns build leadership and community involvement in our kids. I saw the results of this in my rural friends when I attended University of Guelph, and now I see it again as it plays out in my children.
Long live the rural fair!
(Will be adding photographs later in the week)
(Insert once again bragging apologies; but grandparents need to know these things :) ! I will add photographs later in the week, but Kev has the camera for the next couple of days.
All the kids entered one or two things in the youth exhibit area. Iain entered for the first time this year in the Fair Advertising category, and his poster won! He worked very hard on it.
Claire wrote her traditional, illustrated poem .. she just loves poetry. It was very cute. She placed second (her emphasis was on poem, not illustration, and the judges were definitely looking at illustration this year since the winning poem was a little acrostic).
Alison entered a Monet-type painting she had done as part of school last year, and a purse she felted. The painting took prize, and the felted purse won the knit category. Not only that, but the purse won a special (and an extra $5), and was the article from this year;s fair to be chosen to get sent as a demonstration to convention in Toronto in February. Alison was slightly miffed since she knit the purse to use this fall, and now she has to keep it in good shape until February :).
The 4H Goat Club Achievement Day was held at the Fairgrounds Sunday morning. In the Pouring Rain. Thank goodness for the two-year old covered pavilion or it would have been a soggy nightmare! The order of events was meat goat classes, then showmanship, then costume classes. For some unknown reason, they decided to put the costume class first. (I believe the judge may have been slightly late to arrive). However, Alison dressed she and her goat up as clowns, COMPLETE with face makeup, before I could warn her that she may not be able to remove it before the rest of the show. Oops. Luckily, the judge was understanding and ignored the garish remaining streaks across her face. Claire's outfit was very creative ... she dressed up as a chef, complete with big container of curry, a meat fork, a knife, a chef's hat and apron ... it was very effective since her pygmy goat was being ornery and wouldn't enter the ring. Dusty planted her feet and bleated and yelled, looking very much like a reluctant main course!
In the pygmy conformation class, Alison's goat won. This class was no biggie for the kids because they used borrowed goats. But in the Junior Showmanship class, Alison took first place and Claire took second, which was AMAZING and I was thrilled for both of them. Although they didn't work extensively with the goats this year, the experience they've gained with our sheep has paid off. The top two from the Junior and Senior classes squared off, and Alison finally won her Grand Championship Showmanship Ribbon (red, white and blue ... she's made it to reserve twice and taken home the purple ribbon). So she was pretty happy. It was very close, and only a subtle mistake made by the winning Senior tipped the balance in her favour.
The girls spent about 3 hours selling milkshakes in the 4H Milkshake booth, and I once again went through my annual ritual of lamenting that I didn't submit anything for judging. Every year I say I will ... well, maybe next year ...
The best part of the Fair for me, though, is the people. Our whole family went on Saturday to do rides etc., and at one point I waved back at yet another acquaintance and Kevin turned to me and said, "I can't believe how many people you know!!" (Chip off the old block, Mom???) Keep in mind that Kev spent part of his growing up years here.
The rides are mostly for smaller kids, and the midway would probably be laughed at by teens from out of town. But what I love about a small town fair is the transition the kids make. Yes, the rides are fun when they are small (and there are still a few that my girls enjoy). But it becomes less about entertainment as they get older, and more about being a part of something bigger and volunteerism and networking with all ages and serving their community. Small towns build leadership and community involvement in our kids. I saw the results of this in my rural friends when I attended University of Guelph, and now I see it again as it plays out in my children.
Long live the rural fair!
(Will be adding photographs later in the week)
Wednesday 5 September 2007
Not your average first-ride-on-a-schoolbus photo :)
Yes, no little preschoolers toddling down the lane with backpacks as big as themselves :).Vignettes from the first day of school:
Iain: Couldn't stop talking. Had (mostly) a wonderful time. Was taken under the combined wings of Emily and Danielle and give a tour of the playground during recess. Emily made sure he would sit with her on the bus :). He's pretty sure he aced all his pop quizzes and spelling test, and is feeling quite pumped about the whole school thing :).
Claire: Loves her teacher, and is excited about music and other classes. Didn't connect with anyone specific yesterday (please pray that she finds herself a buddy), and was shocked more than she imagined she would be by the swearing and boy crazies. Claire is an auditory learner, processes everything she hears and does not "tune out" like us visual types. She was looking most forward to school, and was a little disappointed. However, we pointed out that she hasn't met everyone in the class yet :).
Alison: "There are three groups of girls in the grade 8 class. The cool kids, who are all chasing after A.J. The not-cool kids, who are all chasing after Taylor. And the last group is Bobby Jo and I, who are watching and snickering at them all."
Yup, Alison's commentary on the day. Also surprised by the boy-obsessiveness of the other girls ..."Mom, the girls don't talk about anything else!", she was able to immediately find someone else who was like-minded, loving animals and involved with 4H. However she is completely disheartened by the level of academics at the school. They read only one book in grade 8 (can that be true????) and it is a book she studied last year in grade 7. Scarily enough, the one subject that I did a lousy job teaching and was quite concerned about (French) ... has turned out to be fine for her. This doesn't encourage me; she really should be behind.
And in an ironic twist for the girls of grade 8, she is the only eighth grade girl on heart-throb A.J.'s bus, and was chosen to be his study partner :D.
So, an interesting start to the school year. We shall be watching how the academic stuff plays out, and whether there will be any support for our kids, who although are not gifted in any sense of the word, do love to learn.
* * * * *
And on a different and more somber note: my friend Tricia brought her truck round today and we took the cull ewe and two meat lambs in to the abbatoir. I didn't blubber (although did tear up once: Stew was such a kind ram), and I will be thankful once we pick up the legs of lamb and shoulder roasts etc. But it was certainly not easy to do. I did, however, leave the abbatoir confident that these animals had good, happy, spoiled lives, were loved and cared for properly, and were put down instantly and humanely at the end.
Something to think about next time we pick up that shrink-wrapped package of something on a styrofoam tray at the grocery store.
Monday 3 September 2007
Our "Last Day Before School" Day
We accomplished a great deal today! Although a holiday for most, a radio announcer never gets to sleep in and Kev was gone by 4:30 a.m. for his first show co-hosting with Dana. We finished cleaning rooms, and getting school things ready. I did our laundry. We emptied the entire garage and reorganized, piling things for the dump into the car. We scrubbed out the sheep waterers and refilled them. I made peach crisp to use up peaches that Kev had picked up and were "on the edge". The kids and I then decided the best way to spend the afternoon would be to go hiking. Here are some pics from our hike at Macaulay Mountain, just east of Picton.
At one point I looked back to see this :) ...
It turns out that Alison had brought along her current favourite book, a copy of "Norton's Anthology of English Literature" that she had picked up from the library sale room. I swear it weighs a good five pounds, and she had stuck it in her book bag to go hiking. Crazy girl :). She was completely mesmerized by the poem "Beowulf".
We arrived home to find Kevin had made applesauce, and was also in the process of making "breakfast for dinner" (scrambled eggs, hash browns, toast, sliced tomatoes).
Now I'm here at the computer, and the other four are relaxing in front of "The Incredibles" until bedtime. I can hardly believe the bus will stop here tomorrow. I have very mixed feelings since my last conversation with the principal :(. However their teachers are awesome, and a lot of the other kids are great, and I'm sure it will be a good experience.
At one point I looked back to see this :) ...
It turns out that Alison had brought along her current favourite book, a copy of "Norton's Anthology of English Literature" that she had picked up from the library sale room. I swear it weighs a good five pounds, and she had stuck it in her book bag to go hiking. Crazy girl :). She was completely mesmerized by the poem "Beowulf".
We arrived home to find Kevin had made applesauce, and was also in the process of making "breakfast for dinner" (scrambled eggs, hash browns, toast, sliced tomatoes).
Now I'm here at the computer, and the other four are relaxing in front of "The Incredibles" until bedtime. I can hardly believe the bus will stop here tomorrow. I have very mixed feelings since my last conversation with the principal :(. However their teachers are awesome, and a lot of the other kids are great, and I'm sure it will be a good experience.
New Link under "Links for Fun": For Better or For Worse Strip Fix
This month marks another ending; one that makes much of our family sad. Lynn Johnston, the creator and cartoonist of the long running strip "For Better or For Worse", is winding down her comic strip.
This comic strip, if you have not read it previously, is a gem. Lynn got her start drawing cartoons on the ceiling of the maternity ward/ob clinics at McMaster University. It is known for it's "aging"; the characters have grown and changed. Early strips featured Elly and John and their two young children; most recently their children are almost all grown and they have grandchildren. Lynn is now 65 and attempting to retire, although I understand there will still be occasional new material.
BUt for the most part, the aging will wind down, and be completely finished by early next year. The strip will continue on from the perspective of the eldest son sharing his growing up years with his dd.
My children have grown up reading about the adventures of John, Elly, Michael, Elizabeth and April; as have I :). We will miss them!
This comic strip, if you have not read it previously, is a gem. Lynn got her start drawing cartoons on the ceiling of the maternity ward/ob clinics at McMaster University. It is known for it's "aging"; the characters have grown and changed. Early strips featured Elly and John and their two young children; most recently their children are almost all grown and they have grandchildren. Lynn is now 65 and attempting to retire, although I understand there will still be occasional new material.
BUt for the most part, the aging will wind down, and be completely finished by early next year. The strip will continue on from the perspective of the eldest son sharing his growing up years with his dd.
My children have grown up reading about the adventures of John, Elly, Michael, Elizabeth and April; as have I :). We will miss them!
Friday 31 August 2007
Look very, very closely at this photo ... is there something amiss?
Ah, yes, there appears to be some new staff on the West Wing team. Thanks to the photoshop talent of one Mrs. Janna Cylka, my husband is forever immortalized as part of his very favourite (pseudo-) political team. Other new additions to the White House team are our friends Steve and Janna Cylka. One of Kev's VERY favourite down-time things to do is to go and hang with Steve and Janna watching the now-cancelled show on DVD.
Thursday 30 August 2007
Endings and beginnings ...
Kevin is counting down the hours ... tomorrow is his VERY LAST DAY at New Life Girls' Home. Starting on Tuesday next week he will only have one job (other than his worship duties at church and seminary courses at Tyndale). Since he's been volunteering at the radio station for the past four years, AND doing worship duties, AND working full-time at New Life Girls' Home, AND doing foundational courses, AND doing occasional contract work with Eagle's Flight (to assist in the income department) this is a substantial reduction in his busy-ness :). He very much enjoyed his ongoing work with Eagle's Flight, however doing the morning show will make this impossible, at least for the near future.
Alison has completed her volunteer duties at the Main Branch of the County Library System. She has had a lot of fun doing it, and they would like to keep her however our schedule won't allow it during the school year. She was really encouraged by her superiors, who provided her with an official "Letter of Recommendation". It was extremely positive and she's feeling quite proud :). At the moment, her plans are to do some volunteering at a local veterinary clinic next summer, hoping that it will then morph into an after-school position once she's in high school.
And Wednesday I have to take a cull ewe and two ram lambs to "Uncle Ted's" (euphenism for the abbatoir) in Wellington. An ending for them, to be sure. And a beginning for me ... do I really have what it takes to raise our own food? Because this unpleasant task is part of the circle, and I'm really, really dreading it.
Alison has completed her volunteer duties at the Main Branch of the County Library System. She has had a lot of fun doing it, and they would like to keep her however our schedule won't allow it during the school year. She was really encouraged by her superiors, who provided her with an official "Letter of Recommendation". It was extremely positive and she's feeling quite proud :). At the moment, her plans are to do some volunteering at a local veterinary clinic next summer, hoping that it will then morph into an after-school position once she's in high school.
And Wednesday I have to take a cull ewe and two ram lambs to "Uncle Ted's" (euphenism for the abbatoir) in Wellington. An ending for them, to be sure. And a beginning for me ... do I really have what it takes to raise our own food? Because this unpleasant task is part of the circle, and I'm really, really dreading it.
Wednesday 29 August 2007
New link at top right of blog!
For those of you who are auditory learners, Calvary Chapel has an audio Bible that I've linked here. Give it a try! I've also placed a permanent link at the top right of my blog page.
Calvary Chapel (www.twft.com) Audio Bible
Calvary Chapel (www.twft.com) Audio Bible
Sunday 26 August 2007
Oh! Oh! Guess what I can do on Blogger now!!!!
I have no idea when they added this technology; just wasn't paying attention to the toolbar contents. Do you recall the photo of Jasmine jumping over Alison a few posts back? Well, she was a jumper from lamb-hood, and Alison managed to catch her in action in this video fragment from April 17. Wait until the very end ... :) ...
Pardon the sheep ... they were so disgustingly muddy on this day. And I'm blown away by how much better the older sheep look after being spoiled at our place for 9 months :). They were in rough shape, with fleece breaks due to stress, and scrawny!
BTW, Jasmine is proof positive that sheep are far from stupid. She figured out quickly that if she jumped up on Latifah and rode her over to the fence, she could jump off the other side!
Pardon the sheep ... they were so disgustingly muddy on this day. And I'm blown away by how much better the older sheep look after being spoiled at our place for 9 months :). They were in rough shape, with fleece breaks due to stress, and scrawny!
BTW, Jasmine is proof positive that sheep are far from stupid. She figured out quickly that if she jumped up on Latifah and rode her over to the fence, she could jump off the other side!
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