Little Devils Enjoying Their Den

Take You Ridin' in My Car, Car

I love to travel! I love being home too tho there is just something exilireating about being on the open road. Since M is now a travelin' man we have some nice opportunities to get out and see what the world has to offer. This past weekend we headed off to Bloomsburg, PA. Bloomsburg is northeast of Harrisburg and pretty much out in the middle of nowhere (no offense to the middle of nowhere as we live there too!). A nice little college town that was full of wonderful weather and pleasant people. We intended to see lots of historical things over the weekend as we had our pick of places that were close: Philadelphia, New York City, D.C. We chose Gettysburg for our first day. Another lovely little town. It was somewhat cold and overcast and, as in everything, we were on a budget so we purchased a '2 hour tour' CD and had quite a nice afternoon driving the battlefields and stopping at our leisure. The boys liked Devil's Den the best. Pretty much just a big boulder field where the southern snipers kept the nearby union forces at bay til the end of the battle.

We decided to head to Philly for the weekend. Here we saw once again how Homeland Security is wasting our tax dollars! After standing in line for 1 1/2 hours to see the Liberty Bell we realized the hold up was for security! Big signs everywhere about what is not allowed inside. Now I am all for watching out for suspicious characters and such but the process by which they do this is ridiculous. Of course, it hadn't crossed our mind we would have to be searched and M always travels with a pocket knife - or in this case 3! So while we are busily stripping off jackets and going through the metal detector our backpack sails right through without a hint of knives traveling inside. No, the security people spend an extra five minutes patting M down because the buttons on his overalls sent their detectors up a wall. But we finally did get to see the Liberty Bell and went from there to Independence Hall, Ben Franklin's musuem and Elfreth's Alley. We had planned on stopping for the evening in New Hope. In the 1920's many artists fled conservative Philly to a community more in tune to their own needs. Near here is also where Washington crossed the Deleware. We were unaware there are NO HOTELS in any of these small areas and our search for lodging for the night took us quite awys away from New Hope. Which causes us to look for other attractions the next day. We headed to Reading and found Goggleworks - a wonderful community co-op of artists. A couple of glass artists were in the glass studio and all of us were fascinated for an hour watching them make glass mugs. Definitely worth missing our planned stops. Another place we stopped in on the way home was Centralia. About 40 years ago, due to some trash catching fire, the coal mines under the town caught fire and as they were unable to put the fire out it is still burning today. The roads and driveways are still there tho most of the houses are gone. I would expect it would seem like an eerie, surreal step into the Twilight Zone if one didn't know the history of the 'town'. If you follow the link you will see a picture of the town 'today'. I am not sure when 'today' was tho I can say not even that little bit is left now.

Monday we the boys and I headed off to see a few covered bridges. Being that we have one covered bridge near us I had always assumed there were few left. Guess maybe that is only around here as there are 24 just in the county where M was working! We managed to see a handful including the only twin covered bridges left in the country. I should say they 'were' as one had been demolished in a flood this past summer. The county is in the process of deciding if the million dollar price tag to rebuild is worth it. The coutryside is lovely there. Very neat, lots of small bedroom communities. Reminds me a little of home tho without the bigger mountains.

A couple of odd things about the area. Tho the weather was perfect all weekend we rarely saw people out and about in the small communities. No one sitting on their front porch, no one fishing on the many lakes or the rivers, no bikers. We are used to seeing people walking all over the place on beautiful fall weekends. Surely they didn't all go to the Eagles game. Another strange thing were the signs on the highways. Huge signs warning you of aggressive drivers and drunks. Everywhere you looked there was signage about these two groups of people. Made it look like PA has a corner on the market of bad drivers and one was going to jump out at you on every corner. We didn't see one.

We're here, we're here, we're here

As all who finally heard what Horton heard we are still here! I'm not sure when my blogging fell by the wayside tho I will try to catch everyone up to date. I have continued taking pictures this summer so I will try to remember what we have been up to and post appropriate pics. Hmmm, lets see where to begin. Well, DH is STILL on strike with no end in sight. He has taken to the road to keep our bodies and souls connected to our abode. He worked a month in Texas and now is off in PA. He was home for a month in the middle tho and we were able to have a wonderful camping trip over near Brevard, NC. There is a natural 80' (or so) waterslide there in the river and we did not let the fact that the water was 62 degrees slow us down one bit - tho in all honesty we didn't stay in all afternoon! Even tho it is odd for M to be gone for long periods of time we have all adjusted pretty well. If the traveling thing continues to work out he will keep at it and not return to the local gig. Most people he has met doing these types of jobs work 6-8 months of the year and take the rest of the time off. We could enjoy a lot of our activities this way, from getting more farm chores accomplished to doing a bit of traveling and sailing. For the most part the past few months have been spent close to home. There are advantages to having no money as we have enjoyed the down time immensely.

For those of you keeping up with the boat saga it has been a fine camper this summer. The mast is still down as we need to make some electrical/lighting repairs before it goes back up. And when you have no money to do so well.... We have still enjoyed the lake and our 'neighbors' there. The boys made a great friend two boats down. We hate to see the summer end and will look forward to next year.

I am back on my yoga house kick and will keep you posted on the progression. I had decided on cob (tho still need to test my soil for the viability of this). Since I have been given a few trees so it may become a hybrid. Someone asked me the other week why in the world would I try something like cob. One, the materials are taken right there from the land. Two, when it is built it is immediately usable - no waiting for drywall etc. They just shook their head at my backwardness. Just wait til its done, maybe they will change their minds?!

The boys are still enjoying being at home and learning and growing. C is still into his karate and earned his yellow belt this summer. G has decided he is ready to start karate as well since our search for fencing classes ended up nowhere. They are both taking art class from a wonderful, creative woman who retired from teaching public school because she pretty much hated the whole system there. C's newest project is creating his own 'Yu-gi-oh/Pokemon' like cards. He is really involved with the whole process.

For those of you checking on the process of my father we had to move him to a nursing home recently. The assisted living folks could do no more for him. In one way the move was better as now he is eating very well - one thing he was not doing before. Tho the move to a nursing home is obviously a step down. Even tho it is far better than most it is still a cold, sad place. Pop spends most of his time sleeping in a chair and I am hard pressed to get him to even communicate with me. He was still communicating, albeit in one word responses, well at the assisted living. I suppose it is just the next step.

I am sure there is tons more like that the garden produced well in some areas and not in others, that we have enjoyed many wonderful hours with friends, that I have the wood in for the winter, plus some, that we have nice, new neighbors tho I just can't think of anything more at the moment. Its just nice to be up and blogging again.

Lovin' those Berries!

Camo Extraordinaire

The boys have been identifying moths and butterflies the last couple of weeks. Here is a pic G took of an exceptionally cool one.

Bazzy Parfaits on the 4th

I love summer holiday weekends. Everyone you run into is happy and laid back. We have had a very relaxing, fun few days. Sister D had another shower, this one at the groom's cousin's house. Very nice and traditional. The boys spent that day at Sycamore Shoals enjoying an 18th century Independence. They 'made' gunpowder packets (actually coal dust and marbles), danced with pretty girls and brooms - they didn't 'jump' the broom, just danced with it - played some games, went to a tea and generally had fun. Then we headed to the marina for swimming and fireworks. We enjoy our marina as it is the cleanest, quietess on the lake. However, since it is owned by a man with much more money than sense we may be priced out of there eventually. We'll enjoy it while we can. The next day we enjoyed bike riding and again, swimming at the marina. That evening we enjoyed some neighbors foreworks. We are actually taking it easy today, the 4th. Having a quiet supper with friends and a bonfire and marshmallows later. Hope everyone has a safe holiday!

My Soul

What Your Soul Really Looks Like

You are a wanderer. You constantly long for a new adventure, challenge, or eve a completely different life. You are a grounded person, but you also leave room for imagination and dreams. You feet may be on the ground, but you're head is in the clouds. You see yourself with pretty objective eyes. How you view yourself is almost exactly how other people view you. Your near future is still unknown, and a little scary. You'll get through wild times - and you'll textually enjoy it. For you, love is all about caring and comfort. You couldn't fall in love with someone you didn't trust.

Inside the Room of Your Soul

Morning Harvest

This mornings harvest provided these wonderful brunch crepes.

How We Spent the Soltice

Ok, Ok, so this picture would have been much more meaningful (and less boring) if I had remembered to take it yesterday! Then you would have seen our wonderful friends who, called on the spur of the moment, came over and helped us put this roof on. This is one of those projects that had to be done this year. So yesterday morning we decided that the first 90 degree day was the perfect day to get on the hot roof. We didn't start til after lunch and since the space isn't big it took less than an hour to take off the old shingles. Then of course a trip to town to get plywood to fix the rotten place. And mostly done by supper time. A soltice well spent tho we never did get to the bonfire.

Father's Day

We celebrated Father's Day by taking a camping/climbing trip. We headed out to Linville Falls where we camped at the campground. Not a spectacular campground tho very quiet. Since it was Sunday we managed to get a site by the river so we had lots of water time. Monday we headed off to Grandfather Mountain as we had heard about a great climbing area for learning. Sure enough, the area was fantastic. Lots of wall to play on, lots of traversing so no need for a rope. We did rope up a couple of climbs tho as G wanted to go to the top. Of course he took to climbing like a spider, getting to the top in no time. C had a little trouble with the height issue tho one of his great strengths is perseverance. He attemted both climbs. We all enjoyed the weekend and ready to go again.

Girls at Work

Two things I have noticed this strike has brought. Boughts of lethargy for all of us mixed with boughts of action. If we could just harness the action we would have the farm whipped into shape in no time! We did manage to get rid of one junk car last week which enabled us to buy a 55 gallon drum of ethanol. Bio-diesel is in full swing. And the garden and grounds look good.

We finally got into the bees yesterday. All the rain we have had held us back to a certain extent tho can't blame it all on the weather. The bees have been busy, busy, busy. Since we hadn't added any supers they just filled every hole they could find with gorgeous honey. The girls were so busy working that our presence didn't seem to bother them one bit. I love the fact that you can tell when they are angry just by their sounds. I am not sure tho I don't think I have seen a hive this full of bees before. I am a bit sad we missed the locust honey. Locust honey is rare up our way as many years the locust trees don't bloom. Our inactivity means we won't have any locust honey tho I look forward to all the other flavors of summer.

Feed Me!

Wildlife Abounds

For years some industrious bird has built a nest on the same corner of our carport under the eaves. Several times the nest is built, end of story. Some years the momma gets eaten by a cat leaving lonely eggs. This year, finally, the eggs produced 5 babies. We have watched their progress from eggs to babies. Everyday we have watched the birds fly in and out providing goodies. Two days ago we found bird remnants on the step, curtesy of the cat. Unsure if this was a parent we watched and waited. One bird appeared to continue feeding. The next day we found more bird remnants. Again we waited. We waited all day and didn't see any activity. We heard 5 little beaks complaining all day of their hunger. By dusk we were sure momma and daddy were gone. We scrounged around for worms and even managed to get a few down a throat or two. After awhile we realized the futility of our endeavors. Even if we fed them how would we teach them to fly. We went to bed that night thinking of the poor little birds. Thankfully, momma - or daddy - must have just taken a break as he/she was back yesterday!

Then today, while I was at the greenhouse (Yes! Thankfully, I picked up a few hours of work) the boys were upstairs. They heard a crash downstairs. They went down to see and there was a 4 foot black snake on our kitchen table! They would have gotten a picture but the camera was on the other side of the snake. M went and got two ski poles and carried it out of the house. Later, they were sitting out on the carport. M said he kept feeling there was another snake around. Suddenly the dog started growling. When M turned back towards the house out the door came a second snake! Now my question was if they went in together where was the second snake all that time and what was it doing?!?

Fritters and Thankfulness

I was over visiting my good friend, the Contrary Goddess's blog and saw her recipe for Locust Blossom Fritters. Now I am a great one for eating off the land. We make sure we get our yearly dose of branch lettuce, ramps, morel mushrooms, red bud blossoms and so on tho I had never heard of Locust Blossom Fritters. I was glad to find a new 'of the land' food and glad for the extra knowledge of making do with what one has. You see, I happened on this the same day my husband's company went on strike. Now, one should be prepared for anything however, in this instance we were not. No one expected this strike but when the contract came back it was too bad to sign so as of 11 pm Monday night we have no income and come the first of June no insurance. Yes, we should have prepared better and normally we do. The last little bit tho we had forgotten how tenuous work can be. We were lulled into that idea of safety from a 'sure' paycheck. This is a harsh way to be reminded of what is what but if harsh is needed so be it. We are much better off than most folks tho. Because we garden and raise bees and buy in bulk we have a good deal of food laid by. Because we do save money we have enough set aside to pay the mortgage, the phone, lights for a couple of months. We will have biodeisel to put in the car so we can get to town occassionally. We also don't live the rat race life that most folks do so we can step back from it all and be OK. Several people I have talked to don't know how they will pay next months bills much less the month after that. The last strike was 11 months. No one knows what this one holds. Course the lack of insurance bothers me a bit. We have lived a lot of years off and on without it but I sure was glad we had it a few months ago when M had a $5,000 kidney stone. And if things continue we will have to get work. But for now at least we'll get some extra chores done!

Oh, and we fried up a batch of fritters too!

Mother's Day

I love this day! My boys are very good about telling me they love me and passing out hugs and kisses on a regular basis. However, it sure is nice to get a little extra attention. Their plan was to fix me breakfast in bed. However, with all the packing and moving and doings of getting N on the road to Colorado it seeped over into today. She was completely ready to go last night tho we talked her into starting fresh this morning so she stayed with us last night. Putting off the inevitable a few more hours. She finally headed out around 10 a.m. amoung many tears. I will miss her terribly. She is a great woman and is a great friend. We're already planning a trip to see her next year. So instead of breakfast in bed the boys took me out to lunch at Fatz. There we were in all our moving grubs amoung the church dressed folks. It was great - and good food. Later, the boys were determined to fix me food in bed so for supper G fixed chips and cheese and C fixed me an egg - over easy (this is C's newest food skill, he does it well - and often) along with a good beer - and fed me in bed! They also got me this great mushroom chair for outdoors although at the moment we are dragging it around inside the house as it is so comfortable.

Last night I shot an elephant in my Pajamas...

...and how he got in my pajamas I'll never know.

I have no pictures of the progress of the garden today tho lots of work has been done. As we have so many other chores that need doing around the house I did not put in a full garden this year. We are down to the last few jars of beans so many beds will be devoted to beans this year. The first has been planted. The raspberry patch has been worked in as well as the strawberry patch. I may need to trim some branches over the strawberries as they seem to be getting less sun than in the past. The squash, pumpkin, cabbage and okra is in the ground. I potted up many herbs as the herb garden has slowly been taken over by spreading perennial flowers. Let's see, lots of weeding has been going on. I have the honor of throwing my best friend's bridal shower here so I want those weedy beds to be pretty this year! Only thing left to go in the ground are the tomatoes. Last year we had snow on the ground on May 15th so I will wait a few more days.