Christmas

Christmas is over but the New Year isn't here yet. The loot has been tallied, the leftovers are in the fridge and the time of rest has come. Oh, would that that were so. I think I managed about 4 hours of quiet reading the whole weekend.
Christmas Eve was at the Sister-In-Law's. It was a good visit with cousins, nieces and such. There was too much food as usual, so much that some didn't even make it out. It went well.
Christmas Day was a visit with the Websters, my cousins. There was plenty of good food, some of which still didn't make it out. It was a good visit and Matthew greatly added to the entertainment with his Droid phone. If you happen to have a Droid, download the free talking cat app and tap the screen over the kittys crotch. That's good for an hours entertainment right there. More loot, the popcorn is good and I like the tin.
After the Websters left it was off to Christmas Day at the Mother-In-Laws. More good visiting and more loot. The Autobiography of Mark Twain Vol. 1 will take even me a year to read. I hope this isn't a 10 volume set. I'll have to bring in contractors to reinforce the floor. My SIL obviously remembered the cheese plate that I ordered on one of our trips to Las Vegas. The cheese assortment she gave me will be well enjoyed.
Our Christmas meal was excellent, a fine pork roast with mashed potatoes and green bean casserole. A special thanks for the San Pelligrino. I enjoyed that with my meal.
The Tube has been full of adds and commentators whining about Christmas sales being essential to our economy. WeNeedToSpendOurWayBackToProsperity!!!! No, that just isn't important. What's important is celebrating a Birthday with family. That's what's good.
Please don't feel slighted if I didn't mention your gift but given the the amount of loot, it would be tedious to read. Also, why give criminals a list to work from? For our North Carolina readers, Yes I know that Jesus was actually born at a different time of year and the Church just co-opted the pagan holiday of Saturnaila. Just eat your Spam and let the rest of us have fun.
Given the religious nature of the post, I've decided to close with a prayer.
Lord, give me enough snow to trap me on the farm for two weeks so I can enjoy the winter and get some work done but not so much as to take down the electric so I have to run the generator because that's a drag. Amen.

Merry Christmas!!!!!

I guess I should put together a Christmas entry today since I'll be away from the Net for a few days. Life is still accelerating. Stacey has been in continuous cookie mode for weeks. Batch after batch have gone out of the house for various charitable causes. It makes me weep. Those should be MY cookies.
I've finally sorted the sheep. I've had to cull heavily this year as the lambs are getting too small. It was my original plan to breed them down to the size of large rabbits so folks could keep a flock on their front lawn. That way, they wouldn't have to mow and one sheep would make a single meal plus having fine wool for spinning. Alas, there seems to be no support for that idea and I need to grow larger sheep for the Arab market. I've sorted out my larger ewes and I'll probably have to find some more to buy. I could use a new ram too. It's a shame to waste my work on shrinking the sheep as I'm convinced it's utility will be proved in the future. Someday, people will be cutting their lawns with scythes and push mowers and thinking “ If only Jim Laubacher had finished shrinking his sheep, I could be setting on the front porch eating half a sheep instead of sweating my butt off out here.”. They'll pay, yes they will.
I just got my 20 year achievement award from Transcore. This is the longest I've ever worked for any company. Every year for the past few years, I've put in the employee review that my goal is to survive to retirement. My goal remains unchanged. The company gave me a zippered case at five years. At ten, I think it was $50. I chose a little Sony stereo at 15 years. This time, I'm getting a Canon digital camera . The company uses a service that supplies different levels of awards for years worked. I took a look at the 40 year level and it's heavy with mountain bikes and camping equipment. Come on, by that time you need a traction table and a home pharmacy. I think a power chair would be more useful.
The garden is asleep but the seed companies aren't. I got my first catalog before Thanksgiving. I've got to set down and plan for next year. I know I'm going to try and grow more Sweet Dumpling squash. I don't like squash as a vegetable but I'll eat all of those I can get. I think I'll take another shot at watermelons . It worked ok this year and if I can get an early start, maybe I can grow some more yellow watermelons. I may take one more shot at potatoes. So far, it's been a lot of work for little gain but the 'tators are really tasty when they are freshly dug. There has to be a way.
Our Christmas is not surprising this year. Stacey and I both put in about $300 and bought a new computer. We didn't bother wrapping it. Stacey bought me a Hi-Lift jack that I had on my Christmas list. She didn't bother wrapping it either. I did manage to get a couple of gifts wrapped and under the tree for her. I wanted her to have something to unwrap. If any of you in-laws wonder why you don't get much from me at Christmas, it's because Stacey got everything. You should know that by now.
I could write about the books I'm reading or some other nonsense but I'm tired. I'm closing with a picture of some of our leek harvest and a picture of my wife and mistress waiting for me on the couch. Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

A Continuance of November

It's been a busy month. Stacey and I went to a Trans-Siberian Orchestra show in the new arena. It's billed as a blend of rock and classical which is pretty accurate . Just imagine Mozart on acid in an 80's metalhead hair band and you've got it. Our seats were close to the stage but unfortunately on the side instead of the front. We missed the effect of some of the electronic displays and were seated a bit close to the flamethrowers. At the end, I thought I could have used a good basting.
Sunday it was off to the opera for The Rake's Progress by Stravinsky. I enjoyed it greatly. It was good to have a comedy for a change. I particularly liked Nick Shadow ( minion of Satan). He was an excellent baritone. Afterwards, we went out to supper with the Mom-in-law.
Most of the month has been given over to preparations for Thanksgiving Dinner. The menu must be decided and then changed . Provisions must be purchased. Mostly, Stacey has to try and get me to clean the house. I don't see the point in starting until a few days before or the cat hair will get too deep. My real duty is to make Helen Lynch's Rolls for the dinner. The family seems to like that.
I had some cousins out this weekend to help on projects that I need more than one person on. We got a new structure up for the rams and some junk out of the basement. I need to clear out some space in the basement for our plucking party the day after Thanksgiving. I'll have the cousins out to help me introduce the meat chickens to the joy of freezer inhabiting. That will reduce my morning stock care by one station at least until I split the sheep up for breeding.
That's about it for now. Soon, I can start praying for blizzards so I'll be trapped and forced to spend my day reading.

Stay, Good Dog!

Dottie the dog is dead. She stopped eating and wasted away. We took her to the vet for tests but she died before the tests were even done. It was surprising that she lived as long as she did. At least 5 times, I was walking out to shoot her and didn't for some reason. I've never had a dog try my patience like that. She had good qualities. She killed woodchucks and usually offered me the back half of the rabbits that she caught. She had a good heart for a dog. I miss her but I don't think I'll have another dog until I retire. We think Dottie was 16. She had a good run.
The garden is still producing a little. The tomatoes are pretty rough but the peppers are still doing well. The leeks need harvesting and there's a nice stand of swiss chard waiting. I hope we can eat the chard before the frost. I still have to dig potatoes.
I'm reading the last book that I bought at the SF convention. Stacey still remains amazed at the speed that I read. She has to struggle so with her dyslexia. If you're interested in a good zombie book, I recommend Feed by Mira Grant. I enjoyed the method of creating the zombies and the fast paced overall action. The Peshawar Lancers by S.M.Sterling was a good read. I guess you could call it semi-Steampunk alternate history. Stacey worries that I'll run out of books and buy more. This isn't a small worry given the increase in price for even a paperback. Fortunately, there are plenty of free book sites on the net. One little chip and I can store a library. It's a bit harder to read on a netbook than on an actual e-reader but it's worth it.
It looks like I'll be driving even more now. We're picking up service work in Detroit, Columbus and Cincinnati. I'll be working close to traffic on all of them. It's not my favorite type of work but I'm still a long way from retirement.
I need to get back to baking bread. I'd still like to be able to make the kind of crusty, chewy loaf that I can buy in the better bakeries. I can make fairly good breads. My challah is pretty decent. I'll probably have to go to a sourdough yeast to get proper flavor. It should make a good winter project.
That's enough for now. I'll be off to Wauseon in a bit to fix a broken speaker. It's a pretty day for a drive.

October

My Precious! My Precious! My computer is back. I accidentally clicked on an update feature and it locked up. I had to send it in to be wiped and get the OS reloaded. I lost my favorites, some books and some useful info as well. I think I need another 8 gig SD chip to back up a bit more data. I'm glad to have the other half of my brain back. Now I won't have to wait a half an hour for the work computer to load.
The garden won't quit. The tomatoes have large green fruit on them again. Another couple of weeks and I'll harvest again. Stacey is praying for a hard freeze. The big yellow bell peppers are still producing. I've been eating them in my lunch mostly to keep Stacey from throwing them at me. She's had just about all the fresh vegetables she can handle.
The steer has gone to freezer camp and good riddance. All he did was complain. The grass wasn't green enough, the hay wasn't good enough and he was bored. Now he's not. We're going to divide him up 3 ways. I've sold 2 shares so we don't have to eat him all ourselves. We've only eaten half of the last one. Oh Woe Is Us! Forced to eat prime beef day after day. I'm certainly not going to mention veganism around Stacey. My life hangs by a thread now.
The pig is stretching again. I figure he'll be ready around January or February. I've got a lot of beef to eat before then if I'm going to have room to store the pork.
The ducks are only alive at this point because I don't have time to butcher them. Half of our chickens are nearly ready to butcher. I've been thinking about butchering a ewe lamb. The Arabs don't want the ewes. Hunting season is on. Maybe I can fit a deer in as well.
Our great adventure this summer was attending Conclave Science Fiction convention this year. It's been about 10 years since the last one and it was good for me to get back among people that seem normal to me. One of my favorite authors, S.M.Sterling , was there and I got to thank him for his work as well as sit down and talk with him. Stacey attended the artist's forums and bought some items in the auction. All the youngsters ( under 40) were off by themselves gaming. The convention was about a quarter of the size of the conventions I remember. Spacetime Theater is still funny but I thought the Bill and Barry Show was a bit lacking. Maybe it was having to use a Guest Barry. I bought a bunch of books and a cd by Leslie Fish.
The motel was easy to get to and the room was nice but the food in the motel restaurant was lacking. There weren't any good restaurants nearby so we ate there anyway. There wasn't much free time.
I should note that the costumes of choice were Steampunk.
We left early Sunday morning around 9:30. I should say early for Stacey. We headed back to Toledo, had breakfast with the Mom-in-law and hung around until it was time to go to the opera.
The opera was Adrianne Auf Nauxos by Strauss. Frankly, it wasn't the most enjoyable opera I've seen. I've come to like opera because of the projected subtitles. They let me know what the actual story is. This was performed half in English and half in German. I could read the subtitles of the German part but there were no subtitles in the English portion. Opera sung English is hard for me to understand. The performers were good and the music was as well. Stacey fell asleep toward the end giving me a chance to taunt her for a change. I'm usually the one that starts snoring during the dull parts.
Well, that was the fun part of the month so far. Now it's back to shoveling manure. Only 12 to 16 more to go to clean out the sheep pen.

#$&%@ *&#$@ !*$%^

No Fulton Co. Fair for us. It happened like this. Labor Day weekend is the S.C.R.A.P. Show. That's the Sandusky Co. Restorers of Antique Power. It's a very large antique tractor show. The vendors have a lot of reproduction parts and there's a wealth of info from the old farmers there. I decided to take in all three days this time and see the fair on a weekday when it wouldn't be so crowded. Saturday went well. I even had time to watch the horse plowing with modern plows. Sunday , we walked around for a bit and then went to Perrysburg for some family time.
Monday was the auction, a chance to buy lots of useful things cheap. This year, it was fence and fenceposts for me. Even though there were four sets of auctioneers going, it would take until nightfall until they finished. I bought some fenceposts and waited until the fence would sell. I had a chair but neglected to bring food. No problem, the auction area was well supplied with food areas. I had a hot dog and a Pepsi. I had a long wait so I had another hot dog and Pepsi. Eventually, I got the fence and had to get the goods loaded up. The loading portion was not well organized. It took an hour just to get to the entrance. We finally got in and started loading. Did I mention that Stacey had purchased 800lbs of shale for her garden?
We were only able to load about half the stuff that night. We got home , I started unloading and began to experience a peculiar form of intestinal distress. I relieved it, felt ok and made it to bed. It seemed cold in the house. I was shivering. Tuesday was a work day and I didn't fell good at all. I had an install to do out in Bryan, Ohio. I just couldn't get started or stray too far from a bathroom. I was exhausted. I decided to rest a bit first. An hour and a half later, I felt ok and started out. I made it as far as Waterville when I realized it wasn't working out. I made it back to Gibsonberg and managed to talk some of the folks there into loading the last roll of fence. I got home and Stacey took my temp. It was a bit over 102 F. By now, I recognized the symptoms as food poisoning.
I had taken Wednesday off to go to the fair. Unfortunately, a family friend had died and his funeral was Wednesday. That took the morning and I wasn't feeling all that great yet, anyway. I rested the rest of the day.
Thursday was the last day of the fair and I had a doctor's appointment at the end of the day in Sandusky, the wrong direction. Actually, my appointment was on Tuesday but one of the effects of food poisoning is a substantial lowering of intelligence. That didn't work. Friday, I thought I was doing pretty well but I was still stupid. By Sunday, I think my mind cleared.
I accomplished some useful work on Sunday but unfortunately it was tomato picking. Stacey turned them into barbecue sauce and ketchup. Judging by the way she looked at me, I think if I bring anymore in that there's a real danger that they will be used as suppositories. One of the pictures show me operating our tomato processor.
The next vegetable to harvest in mass quantity is squash and do we have squash. I think there may be 30 buttercup on one vine. I'm looking forward to the Carnival squash. They are one of the few winter squash that I love to bake and eat. Stacey's big pumpkin is easily over 100lbs.
I've enclosed pictures of the duck house for Emily so she can see the Terry Gilliam influence. There's also a shot of Big Pig and a nice shot of the sheep in pasture. Just to be clear, Big Pig is a supply of future pork products. It's not a pet.

September is still Fair time

September came in to the sound of gunfire. The early goose season has started. I'm getting regular updates from my cousin Matt mostly asking where the geese are. Obviously, they're not near him. Squirrel season is open as well but I doubt I'll get out to hunt for awhile if at all.
We made it to the Wood County Fair and went to the bake goods auction. We bought a great cheesecake and a good chocolate pie. The cost was high but the money goes to the fair. There seems to be fewer animals on exhibit. We had a Pork-O-Lean sandwich, walked around for a while and headed back home for pie.
We had a great time at the Sandusky County Fair. The weather was perfect and the exhibits were excellent. We had our rib-eye sandwiches and rode the Scrambler. We try to ride the Scrambler every Sandusky County Fair. We rode the Scrambler there about 17 years ago and I decided I loved Stacey and proposed to her the next day. I suppose I should have taken into account possible brain damage related to the ride but it's worked for 16 years so far .
Canning is at a temporary halt. The last bushel (photo included) just about did Stacey in. I had to give the last bushel to Matt. I wasn't encouraged to bring ANY tomatoes into the house for awhile. The gardens are producing a few table grade tomatoes now, enough for hamburgers and such. The strawberry tomatoes are producing well now. That keeps Stacey happy. She cuts them in half, scoops out the little seed pocket and packs fresh mozzarella in it , topping it with a bit of onion. She snacks on those through the day.
Peppers are kicking in and the scallop squash are doing well. The winter squash are getting scary. The buttercup has maybe 50 squash on it and most are pretty big. The carnival squash is doing great. I should have plenty of those. Stacey's giant pumpkin is performing as advertised. It's huge and still yellow. I think it will go over 100 lbs. We've been eating watermelon from our garden and it's good. I've got a rattlesnake melon out there still growing. I hope I get to eat it while it's still warm out .
We've bought anther tractor. It's a 1952 Ford 8N that came with a bunch of equipment. I kept trying to find a pull-type plow for my H and they just aren't available. This is a small tractor but it's equipped with a 3 point hitch so I can use modern equipment. I'll see if I can make better use of the back of the farm.
The Sandusky County Antique Power Restorers show is this weekend. They'll will probably have a hundred plows I can use.
The Fulton County Fair starts this weekend. This is the county fair that more people attend than the state fair. I can taste the butterflied pork chop sandwiches now. I'll see you there.

August is canning season

It's August and it's canning season. Stacey has canned 20 or so pints of corn, quite a few quarts of green beans and a batch or 2 of salsa. We're doing tomatoes now. We started with all the heritage tomatoes that we couldn't eat before they would spoil. That gave us about 10 quarts of juice. Then we canned half the bushel of paste tomatoes that we picked as chunk tomatoes. We're turning the other half bushel into our own tomato paste. There's at least 3 bushel still on the plants so we'll have plenty. Stacey wants to try canning mushrooms and asparagus this year. She thinks that will make a good impression at the fair.
Speaking of the fair, Stacey took Grand Champion-Best of Show for a Blueberry-Rhubarb Pie. She had entered a Fruit of the Forest Pie but it had a crumble crust and the judges just don't like those. She entered B.Caruso's Maple-Pecan Sweet Rolls but it's the first time she's made it and didn't get the topping right. I entered for the first time with Helen Lynch's Rolls and came in fourth in a field of 3. I'll have to practice a bit more.
We had a couple of lambs in the Babyland exhibit. We hadn't planned on it but decided to anyway. When the fair closed, we brought home 2 lambs, 2 pigs and 8 ducklings. I'm still trying to build a proper duck house.
I still have a spare steer. I'm thinking of sending him to auction but the thought makes Stacey nervous. She says that we've eaten half of the one we butchered and wants to keep him in reserve. I want to keep him from tearing up my fences and I could use the money. There's a limit to how many freezers we can run.
I've been sick. Nothing important, just a cold. It's really kicked my ass, though. I didn't realize how bad off I was until I found myself kneeling on the shop floor unable to see for the tears from a muscle in my neck that I had pulled while coughing. I went home and have spent the last two days just trying to rest and clear my lungs. Tomorrow is Friday and I'm going to give it another shot.
Day 14 of the cold and I think it's finally dead. I fell pretty good again. Canning is continuing. We have about 50 pints of chunk tomatoes put up. Stacey bought 2 bushels of Red Haven peaches and we're waiting for them to ripen fully before canning. Stacey is doing Plum Jam today.
I have to mow the lawn. Stacey didn't want me to disturb the quail. I have to admit it was very cool to watch a covey of Bob Whites work their way through the grass but we just have to bite the bullet and mow. I'm sure there are enough weeds around to shelter them.
I got the duck house built. It looks like something from a Terry Gilliam movie but the ducks can't get out. Now, Stacey wants me to put in a pool for them.
The pictures at the start are of the back garden.

Happy Independence Day

Happy Independence Day! I got a great start to the weekend by breaking a molar Friday night while eating dinner with friends. I stuck some dental wax on it and did well with it. Stacey stayed to watch her mothers dogs and I made it home alive. Saturday, I gardened through the morning and when Stacey got home, we went to B's party.
B (Bernice) Caruso was the secretary at Transcore ( Syntonic at the time) when I hired in. She was a wonderful person, full of life and unable to suffer fools gladly. I won her over with bribes of peonies, fresh eggs and honey. She had already retired once when she took the secretary job and retired again some years ago. We kept in touch and attended her Saturday Before The 4th parties when we could. She died a couple of years ago after getting cancer for about the 8th time
The parties are incredible. They are filled with family, friends and neighbors along with whatever strays happen by. I don't think you can really crash this party, just bring a dish. The food tables are linked to Jesus's Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes. The longer the party goes on, the more food on the tables. Since the neighborhood is filled with Old World ethnics, the food is superb. Nick Caruso still hosts the party but I noticed he was letting someone else grill the burgers and dogs. We visited with many people we don't really know, ate heavily and said “Adios” for now. We headed home.
Arriving home, I discovered that I left the sprinkler going on the front garden. That will add to the water bill. Back on the road to the Oak Harbor fireworks display. We got a good parking place, settled into our chairs and watched a pretty good display. I did take a while to get back out of town but no real problems.
Sunday started with church, then back to feed the animals. I decided to hook the sickle bar mower up to the tractor. That worked but it was getting hot so I went in to cool off. After a cooldown, I took a look at the various problems the mower has and decided to work the garden. I mulched and watered until it was time to visit the in-laws. We had steaks in Perrysburg and played tiles. On the way home, we saw many fireworks.
Obviously, Monday is my day to mow the back of the farm. When I walked out side, I wilted like a rose in a flame. It's really hot. There's no way I'm going to wrestle with the mower today. I worked in the garden watering and mulching then went in to cool off. Repeat and had buttermilk pancakes for lunch. I sat down for a minute to let my lunch rest and blearily woke up at 2:30pm. I could tell that this day was shot. So I cleane up and took Stacey to the movies.
The movie was The Last Airbender. Save your money. The popcorn was good.
Stacey wanted real food so we ate at Crackerbarrel. Afterwards, we took a drive through downtown Sandusky. It's been several years since I've been there and I was impressed. A few years ago, the sidewalks were busted up, the buildings were all empty and the homes on the way in and out all looked abandoned. Now, most of the storefronts seem to have something in them, everything is neat and tidy and the homes are well taken care of. Good job, Sandusky!
Well, that was my weekend, how was yours?

More Vacation

I'll say this for W.Virginia, it's pretty. Ah, it's down right majestic. It just doesn't look real prosperous. I saw some good gardens but not as many as I thought. I can appreciate the problem of finding enough flat space to garden on but when they did have flat space, it was usually in grass. Strange.
We had another good breakfast and headed for the caverns. The Seneca Caverns were discovered by a white guy around 1790. There's evidence that the Injuns were there much earlier. They weren't opened to the public until the 1930s. They've gotten very old and worn since then. Stacey says we're jaded by all the good caverns we've seen. Well, that's not exactly what she said but it's the same thing. She's right, of course. Not too far away is Organ Caverns and it puts Seneca to shame. There are some interesting formations but not enough.
We had a meal at the restaurant. It's not bad but they used the local sulfur water for the ice. Stacey couldn't face the smell. I've drunk worse and a little sulfur keeps the parasites down. Back on the bus for 8 hours of riding , about half up and down hills. My knees are trashed from bracing. We were happy to be home. So were the cats.
The next day, I played hooky for awhile and went to the National Threshers Convention at Wauseon. I walked around for an hour or two looking at the tractors. It was fun but hot, so I went home. Our favorite is coming up in the 3rd week of July. The 5 Points Threshing is on. They actually use threshers to thresh grain there, plus there is killer bean soup and pies.
The plowing demonstrations are good too. Where else can you see a steam traction engine pulling a 7 bottom plow with 7 guys riding the plow to work the levers?
Since then, my spare time has been used on the garden and it's going well. We'll be drowning in tomatoes in about 3 weeks. The beans are good, the cucumbers producing and we've got to pull the garlic. Not bad.
I'll see if I can include less random pictures.

Summer Vacation

Time to play catch up again. It's been busy here. I think the lambs have all been born and the pasture is holding up ok. The garden is doing well in spite of the weeds. All is well.
I have a larger garden than last year. I'm trying potatoes this year. I've never done well with spuds but I'm trying again. I've redskins, yukon gold, kennebec and russetts. So far , so good but they're being hit by what I think is a virus. I expect to lose about a third. It should leave me more than enough.
The russets are courtesy of my friend Doug. He took the eyes out of the potatoes they were eating and started them in flats. He ended up with 4 or 5 hundred so he gave me a flat.
I've planted 27 tomato plants so far and my cousin just gave me some more. I'm trying to mulch them all but I can't seem to keep up.
The rabbits ate half of my swiss chard. I have several good recipes for rabbit.
I'm trying to get started on my winter garden. To explain, some plants, like cabbage , do better growing at the end of the year. I tried this last year and it worked pretty well. I figure parsnips, cabbage, turnips, brussel sprouts and other cole crops. If I can keep the potatoes and cabbage stored ok, we'll eat colcannon until spring.
We put up hay last Saturday. The weather was iffy but it went well. I pay my friend Brad to cut, rake, bale and pick up the hay. He has better equipment than I do for working with the alfalfa in the field. All we do is store it in the barn. That nearly kills us. There were 5 of us working and thanks to having a bale elevator, we were finished in 5 hours. Toward the end, I thought I was going to die. Right at the end, I was afraid I wouldn't die. I wrote checks to pay my cousins for their work and I had to rest in between checks. I now have enough hay to get through the winter and a new appreciation for my little cousin Sabrina who worked both older boys into the ground. I'll have to find her a nice farm boy.
Last week, I found myself doing traffic control for siren maintenance down in Beaver Valley, PA. I was impressed by the quality of Pennsylvania drivers. None of them tried to run me over or cussed at me. It was a welcome change from Ohio. I wonder if this is local politeness or because it's illegal to use a cell phone while driving in PA. I do know that the quality dropped considerably when we crossed into West Virginia.
That was Thursday and Friday, we put up hay on Saturday, I slept Sunday ( no choice) and a regular workday on Monday. Tuesday, it was back down to Beaver Valley to remove an old siren. It's now Wednesday and I'm writing this on a bus with a bunch of even older people headed down to West Virginia for a day of riding trains. I get a whole 3 day vacation.
Our ride down to W.Virginia was uneventful. I slept a good part of it, partly because we got up so early and partly because I've made the same trip several times recently for sirens. There were some beautiful views but mostly I read or wrote this blog while awake. We ended up at the Canaan Lodge, a state run resort on a considerably sized state park. The rooms are excellent, the food was good and there are many activities for those who can stay awake. We had a good night.
Today, we're off for a pair of train rides. I'm writing at the station now. I'll let you know how this works out.
We had our first ride. Standard diesel-electric locomotives and some 1940s style cars. We traveled along part of the Cheat River. Most of the trip was down in cuts so you looked up at trees. At one point, we went through a tunnel with very little clearance on either side. We stopped at a falls that was maybe 20 ft. high but pretty. I got a lot of sleep. They did feed us a box lunch which is exactly as you imagine on a trip like this. Now, we're back on the bus headed for our next ride. With luck, Stacey won't find anymore rocks to carry out.
Our next train is the Durbin Rocket and I'm writing this from the caboose cupola. It's a Climax coal fired steamer from about 1892 based on the maker plate. I suspect that it's an old mining locomotive. It's raining and the first car is open. I just overheard that the engine is from 1910. The view on this trip is much better We can actually see for a ways. Supposedly, there are bear around but we haven't seen any. The trip became more interesting as we returned and were hit with a thunderstorm. The open car cleared out fast, the second car became very crowded and I found a seat in the cupola of the caboose. Everyone agreed this was the most interesting of the train rides.
We were collected up and taken back to the site of the first train for dinner (good) and a show at the American Mountain Theater. I'm not a great fan of country music but it was ok. The head entertainer looked and sounded like Randy Quaid.
We're off to breakfast and then the Seneca Caverns. I'll try adding some random pictures.

Mother's Day weekend

The sheep have started lambing again. At least, I think they have. There's at least one new lamb out there so I hope they get on with it. The barn is empty of hay and I've started on the emergency hay that I stored in the sheep pen in case my job pulled me out of the area. I wanted something easy for Stacey to get to if she had to take over. We're trying to keep them confined until they finish lambing and I finish shearing them. It's going to be close. I've gotten more than half of them sheared but I'm trying to hurry as there is some outside shearing work to do. I don't really need the outside work but they're friends and there's not many shearers out there.
I've still got my steer. I should make a greater effort to sell him since we could use the money. I could spend a couple of hundred on some weaned Jersey calves and start over. I think one of the reasons I've been slow is that his stallmate has been tasting so good that I hate to give him up.
I'm working on a larger garden. I don't plan to plant that much more but I want the plants less cramped. The tomatoes are hard to care for when they're too close. That's not to say I'm not trying to overachieve. I'm trying to grow potatoes again. This is complicated by not having a clue how. I seem to have better luck with them raising them by accident than by planning.
We went to Doug and Mary Hildebrand's place to buy plants yesterday. It's only our first trip. We're going back for the pepper plants later. He's way too cheap. We left with a trunk full of the highest quality plants for $40. He keeps 250 types of tomato seed alone, growing some every year to maintain them. He's developing his own hybrids as well. I wish I had them for neighbors. He gave me 50 potato plants that he started as an experiment. That's another reason I'm expanding the garden.
Stacey got a job with the census as an enumerator. It's not working out very well. The people who didn't send in their forms are mostly people that didn't want to be found. Stacey is finding the whole thing to be pretty stressful. So far, all the dogs have been good dogs but Stacey is anxious.
We went to the opera Mother's Day. They did The Elixir of Love by Donizetti. I haven't laughed that much in a while. The stage setting and lighting were especially good. Having the quack doctor land in a hot air balloon was great. Not so great was the safety harness on the doc because of OSHA regs but it was handled very well. From our seats in the balcony, the orchestra overwhelms the performers from time to time but all of the performers projected their voices well. Bravo, brava.
After the opera, it was off to the mother-in-laws for family dinner. Hamburgers and Italian sausages with beans and pasta salad. Of course, this was after the appetizers. We finished with rhubarb pie and we were truly finished. I could barely move. It was a nice visit and back home to sleep.
That's enough of our boring life for now. Personally, I have to ponder why the barn cats left a half a mouse in the Great Pryennes food bowl. Was it a bribe? A threat? Are they just worried she's not getting enough to eat? Do cats worship dogs? Nah.

Just More Work

Gardening and farming continues at a breakneck pace. The weather has been superb. I think I'll try to plant beans in the garden this weekend. I moved the rhubarb from next to the shed and put it in a bed by itself. It seems to be taking well. Yesterday, I planted another bed of asparagus with both green and purple varieties. It takes 3 years to get a bed in production so Stacey will continue to buy store bought stuff. I suspect it would require at least an acre of asparagus to keep Stacey on pasture for the summer. Planting an acre is beyond my abilities. The 2 rows nearly killed me. I couldn't work the ground with a tiller as it is very heavy soil and a bit wet. I had to shovel and break the ground by hand. To plant asparagus, you need to shovel at least 3 inches of soil off the top and shovel it back on over the crowns. This means that first you must remove a full shovel depth so that you can bury the grass at the bottom of the row and have shovel capable soil to work with. I suspect that the simplest cure for the obesity epidemic the media talks about would be to make everyone raise all of their own food with hand tools. Shortly thereafter, we could begin work on the starvation epidemic.
Stacey brought home some seed potatoes . I haven't done well with potatoes so far but I'm trying something new. I can grow plenty of meat and veggies but I haven't done well with carbohydrates so far. I'd rather raise rice but I haven't found a dry land variety yet. I've read that they exist but I can't find a supply. Potatoes are my best bet if I can get the method down.
Stacey had her first colonoscopy yesterday. For those of you who haven't had one yet, it's no big deal. The doc removed a polyp but that's just procedure. The docs will check it but no one was impressed with it at the time. The hard part for Stacey was living off jello and broth for a day while the laxatives had their way with her. She made up for that at the Star Diner afterward with the Eggs Benedict breakfast there.
The lambs have started being born. So far, so good. I've gotten some of the sheep sheared which puts me way ahead of last year. I'll try and dedicate the weekend to it again.
We haven't looked at the bees lately. I suspect that we've lost hives over the winter but I don't know how many yet.
That's all for now.

Spring Surprise

We have had a spring surprise. Some of our garden wintered over. The left over Swiss Chard is coming back up. Our thyme and oregano made it through as well. One cabbage made it but it was too damaged and in a bad spot so I took it out. I've built a new bed next to our walkway framing it with rocks left over from the failed decorative pond project and transplanted the herbs to it. I'm trying to keep the herbs as close to the house as possible so that we use them more.
Last Saturday was great weather for working the garden. The soil powdered under the tines of the tiller. I'm taking the old raised beds that are falling apart and moving some rhubarb into them. They're in a bad spot right now in an area I just can't keep clear of weeds. As soon as I can, I'll move them and mulch the hell out of them. I need more rhubarb to stay ahead of my relatives.
I've ordered an asparagus special of 30 plants. Maybe in a few years I can get enough asparagus to stay ahead of Stacey. I've covered one of the asparagus beds with old hay and chaff in an effort to keep the weeds down. I don't know if the stuff can push to the surface but I have hope.
I haven't been able to start my seeds in my incubator yet. There just aren't enough hours in the day.
I've started shearing the sheep. My goal is 5 a day but I only managed 3 last night before my back gave out. I'm going to have to build my body back up to handle this again and my increase in age isn't helping. Thankfully, my sheep are only half the size of regular sheep. The worst of this is knowing that I'll be using this beautiful wool for mulch since the handspinners in this area only want alpaca. Mere sheep wool just isn't good enough for them.
There's fence repairs to do as well. I've got to replace the west side of the rams enclosure since one of them busted through. I'll add a small gate in the corner to make it easier to get them out when I need to. I need to do the same thing on the northwest pasture. You need to put the gates where the sheep want them not where it's convenient for you.
We still have a steer. I suppose I should try harder to sell him but I'm busy and it's nice to have that beef walking around. Sure, it will take a while to eat the 400 lbs we already have but it gives a nice sense of security.
I still don't have a working plow. My farmer friend may still have his tractor in hock so I can't pay him to plow the back of the farm. I wanted to plow the back of the farm to get the weeds in check and maybe plant it to something useful. Farming with no money really sucks.
Thinking about farming is depressing and writing about it doesn't help. I need to get out and farm to clear this funk from my mind. I need the sunlight and wind to clear my head. Some days, at work, I can almost smell the manure. Maybe I need to clean my boots.

Spring is coming

Spring is coming but it isn't here yet. Still, it's nice to have the increased sunlight and a warmer temperature. I've gone through my seed stores but I haven't made a seed order yet. I've got to get them while they are still available. I took some of my duplicates to a seed swap at Wildwood park in Toledo. I'm not going there again without a taser and an iron rod to beat a hole in the crowd. There were way too many people in too small a space. I picked up a few things, mostly greens and rutabagas.
Spring means shearing sheep as well. I plan on starting about the middle of the month. If I push a bit, I should finish by April. Then the lambs will be coming. The hay should last. I've got the steer for sale. If I can sell him, that's ok. If not, he'll still be good eating two years from now.
Spring means working the bees. We've got to get enough supers together for all the hives. Each hive should start out with 4 supers and I know we don't have enough. I still hope to plant buckwheat so I can harvest buckwheat honey. If not, there's a farmer selling cheap red clover seed. If I got lucky, I could harvest honey and hay. Red clover is tricky, though. It molds fast when cut. Unless you get a hot dry spell when it's cut, it can get dangerous to feed.
Spring means working the ground and I don't have the plow working. I just can't break the wheels loose. I've been trying every trick I know and some from other folks and they're still seized up. I'm going to try and scrounge some cash and buy a working plow at auction. The rototillers are still in fair shape so the gardening should go on. I've still got to burn the brush in the field. I need it gone.
Spring means songbirds, green grass and flowers but I won't have time for them. I've got manure to move.

A Waste of Snow

I've had this cold since last Thursday. It's really kicking my butt. I have to rest a couple of times when I feed the animals in the morning. I've been able to breath alright, my nose hasn't been stuffed up. I just can't seem to do anything. Yesterday, I moved a speaker in a truck and it was hard work. A little 10 minute job and it took me 30 minutes.
Stacey told me to go to the doctor. I wasn't going until the boss told me I should. He wouldn't go to a doctor if he was having a stroke. I figured if I was starting to worry him, maybe I should go. The doctor wasn't impressed. He'd seen 6 of me before lunch and none of us were likely to die soon. He did give me a course of antibiotics to hold off pneumonia. Normally, I'd worry about the overuse of antibiotics causing drug resistant bacteria but I'm taking them. This is a nasty cold.
It's beef stew for lunch. We've been cleaning the freezers getting ready for Jake the steer to return from freezer camp. Stacey found some steaks left from the old steer and used 2 to make the stew. The other two were pretty freezer burned and went to the dogs. We've been feeding the old sausage to them as well. The dogs are happy but I suppose I'll have to raise hogs again. Bah!
The snow went around us again. Our weather apocalypse consisted of maybe 5 inches of new snow. Typical, first D.C. takes all our money and now they've taken the snow. I know it's Al Gore's fault.
Stacey has been taking a class on how to deal with the dying and seriously ill. She says she wants to volunteer with a local hospice. Personally, I'm checking her cooking spices a little more closely.
I've got to get busy a plan my garden. I need to get the seed orders out. It's time to get the plant incubator cleaned up and in operation. I buy most of my tomatoes and peppers from our friends Doug and Mary over in Milan, Ohio but some stuff, I need to do here. I still hope for a greenhouse someday. Farmtek has some beauties for low prices but not low enough for me yet.
That's the news from Lake Erie. It's not nearly as exciting as Lake Woe-Be-Gone but I don't have a radio show either. I can make a good biscuit.

Winter is winding down

We're winding down on winter. It's time to pick out the seeds from the gardening catalogs and clean the trash from the garden. The lambs will start coming in another couple of months and the whole cycle continues.
I still can't get Stacey to take down the Moravian Star. She's threatening to leave it up until Easter. She always complains that I don't get the Christmas lights down ( which is true) but she won't take down the star.
Jacob the steer went off to freezer camp to learn to be small tasty pieces of beef. He'll graduate the 13th of Feb at which time we'll have a graduation party as soon as we can thaw some of him out. I hope Stacey gets the freezers cleaned and organized. Storing 400-600lbs of beef requires some space. I am going to give some away but not that much. This is going to require some substantial eating. I hope I'm up to the task.
I've been suffering from hay anxiety. This appears to be common among farmers at this time of year. Realistically, I know that I have enough hay to make it to pasture time. I've counted the bales but it just doesn't matter. There's less than when I started, there's an emptiness in the barn and I'll run out and all my animals will STARVE. I've got enough hay. I know I do but it just doesn't matter. I'm sure this will pass as soon as I can put the animals on pasture. Then I'll worry about the pasture.
I'm still trying to work on the plow that I pulled out of the hedgerow. I still haven't gotten the wheels to turn. I've found a guy who restores old plows and will probably buy one off of him. It bites but I have to change the way I do things around here and I'll need a plow for that.
I'm trying to cast candles again to have something else to sell at the farmers market. I'm using the old style tin molds and they are a bear to use. I don't know if I can make enough to be worthwhile. I could go to modern style molds but I want to learn the old methods.
Bye until next time

Happy Belated Holidays

These blogs are hard work. They are especially hard when your life is boring. I get up at 5:30am, drink tea, take care of the animals, pack my lunch, go to work, come home, take care of animals and nap in front of the tube until 10pm bedtime. Repeat ad infinitum. That's not much to work with.
I've included pictures of the Christmas lights. The white blob is our Advent Star also known as a Moravian Star. Sent by friends in NC, it became an instant prized possession. It was the first light up and will probably be the last down.
Winter has just started here. By that, I mean snow. We've watched the snowstorms circle all around us for a while but they have finally come to us. Now we can cook all the fattening foods we save for the winter. White stew and biscuits and maybe a traditional plum pudding. It's time to feed heavily and hibernate.
Christmas was good with lots of visits with friends and family. The loot was good, too. I have a TomTom gps to use now. I'm logging all the sirens in it so I can find them easily. It's pretty easy to use. Stacey got a WII Fit. I hooked it up and tried it. First, it told me that I'm obese and then it told me I'm in good shape. Maybe it realized that I'm an electronics tech.
The animals are all fine. Jacob the steer goes to freezer camp at the end of the month. I'm looking forward to that. I haven't had Jersey meat in a very long time. For the uninformed, Jersey cattle have a yellow fat that looks like butter and tastes delicious. Sure, the steaks are half size but you just eat two of them. I was thinking of selling Max the steer but I may just keep him for a while. He'll still be good eating for another couple of years and maybe I'd rather have beef walking around instead of money in my pocket.
I hoped originally to try and train these two as oxen to break into animal power but I just don't have the time.
I've been trying to break the wheels loose on the plow I salvaged but nothing has worked so far. I may have to break down and buy a restored plow. At least I've found a source.
We went out for dinner on New Years Eve to The Island House in Port Clinton. It was good food in a fine setting. We walked over to see Wylie Walleye and the Elmore Sausage but then headed home to try and stay awake until midnight. I was awake at midnight. Stacey woke me up.
I'm bored again.