Today’s post will be a rambler, so bear with me…
But first, how about a little music from my youth to set the mood?
~ Donovan‘s First There is a Mountain ~
With deepest apologies to Donovan…
Look upon my Farmlet there’s been a thief, that’s what it was.
Look upon my Farmlet there’s been a thief, that’s what it was.
First there was a trailer, then there was no trailer, then there was.
First there was a trailer, then there was no trailer, then there was.
The caterpillar sheds his skin to find a butterfly within.
Caterpillar sheds his skin to find a butterfly within.
Ah, my-my.
~*~*~*~
It would seem that sometime between Wednesday afternoon’s roof inspection, and yesterday’s work session, that someone took it upon themselves to *liberate us of our little trailer. It is only big enough to carry the lawnmower. Hence, without it we would have to leave the lawnmower.
Now that there had been a theft we no longer felt confident to leave it up there!
The locals say that theft is rare up on the mountain, but like anywhere else it can happen. So, after making a police report, there was nothing for it but to go off to Tractor supply and purchase a new one. We were pleasantly surprised to find that our model was on sale and this saved us $100.00. Still, the money spent was money we don’t have for other needed things this month.
Bygones…
Our morning was now shot, but we set to work in the hours we had remaining. Bob began the puzzle of building bones for the crooked wall in the bathroom, and I went out and finished the mowing around the house. Everyone that comes to the Mountain Farmlet to work admonishes us to “Keep that grass cut short around your house and outbuildings so the snakes will stay away!” Ah! Now I understand the old adage about “A snake in the grass” but I guess mowing doesn’t work on the two-legged kind.
When I was done I checked to see if Bob needed my help. He said “No.” So I went to the woods with the dogs in tow. Because the land is a very long piece of property I estimate the trail’s loop to be one half to three-quarters of a mile when you walk it.
The trail is little traveled for the moment and always full of spiders. On previous treks I had tried using a stick to rid the way of spiders, but their webs are hard to see and very strong! It is very creepy to try to pull them off of your face and out of your hair, so I devised a tool to use. I took an old, rather large umbrella and removed the fabric from it. Now when I walk I hold its spines out in front and they catch the invisible webs, spiders and all! This is a strange but true fact: When I am done I hang it near the trail and when I come back the spiders *and all the webs are gone! Weird, but nice. I love a self-cleaning tool. 😉
Returning with the dogs, I then put them on the back porch and grabbed my camera. Before I left for the second walk I told Bob to ring the old farm bell to let me know when he was done and ready to go.
Love that old farm bell!
Found along the way ~
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- The oak has always been here, massive, yet I only just noticed it .
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- Fall will properly arrive after our first frost. In the meantime the Gum, pine, and Sumac conspire to entertain.
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- Blue Marguerites: gone
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- Not what I was aiming for, but I liked the shadow, light and textures here.
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- Pick-up-sticks!
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- A different form of Goldenrod: Solidago caesia (Blue-stemmed Goldenrod)
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- Little red seed pods. (Anyone know what they are?)
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- The western border of our property: Rock Creek looking north…
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- and south.
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- *A Hickory Tussock Moth. Cute, but do not touch!
NOTES:
- Apparently, the high protein substance of spider webs is a high energy product to produce. Therefore, many spiders eat the silk to conserve energy for production of the next day’s web.
- *Hickory Tussock moths carry a poison substance in the barbed hairs on their backs. It is said that it can cause a serious irritation in some individuals. I did not want to test this, and therefore left the little beastie on the side of the trash bin. 😉
- The little trailer was heavily cabled to the car port structure… so they had to come back with bolt cutters! 😐
- And yes, even at the furthest point on the trail I could hear that bell. Simply old-fashioned and wonderful!
Life on the Farmlet 
Oh I hate theft, just plain old boo hiss! But as you say onwards you go, with your umbrella minus the fabric – now that IS priceless I have a fabulous image in my mind – thank you !
You are welcome, Claire! I should have taken a picture I suppose, but I didn’t think of it till I was home.
Hi Lynda –
Sorry for your loss. I know the feeling of violation when someone decides to appropriate your possessions. I also love the way your balanced the ‘bad karma’ with the good. I have spent the day in doctor’s offices and I came home to these lovely photos. Thank you so much for this. Beautiful photos of a beautiful part of the USA.
Curt, I can only surmise that spending the day in Doctor’s offices must be draining. However, I do hope that the visits were profitable. We really do live in an amazing place, and I am so glad that you enjoyed the pictures.
Regarding Bad Karma vs. Good: I see it this way, I can run about feeling bad and let the ugly outshine the loveliness about me, or I can forgive and go on. I am not rich, but my life is, and I won’t let some ne’er–do–well take that Gift away from me. 😉
Sorry to hear about the little trailer. I like your umbrella trick though! Interesting about the spiders eating the silk to conserve it.
We will make do, Emily! 😀 It works very well, though I will have to find a way to cover the ends of the ribs… 😯
Aren’t spiders amazing little creatures?
Snap: our trailer was stolen last week. We were on the point of selling it for 400 euros, and the money was in our hot sticky hands, when we discovered it was gone. It’s the first crime we’ve encountered in more than 20 years in France. I loved your pictures, specially the hickory tussock moth,
Thank you, Viv, it was so much fun to go out camera in hand and just ramble (as opposed to working my fingers to the bone) for a change. I am sorry for the loss of your trailer and your 400 euros!
It has not been an easy journey to Shangri-la but you keep stepping along the road in amazing good humour. Keep going.
Thank you for cheering us on, Tom. We are keeping our eyes on the prize and putting our backs into it. We can’t stop now! 😀
Oh, I do hate theft. Years ago I went for lunch and left my orbital sander on a boat. When I came back? Gonzo. Hard to say who wandered through – it was long enough ago I suspect it was someone who wanted to use it, rather than selling it for drug money.
My hunch is that it won’t be an ongoing problem once you’re up there full-time. You have a bit of a routine for there/not there just now, and people do watch. 😉
You are 100% correct, Linda! Now more than ever we want to get up there, but still have more to do to make that possible. Sorry about your sander, even if it was long ago.
Love the idea of that bell – sounds like the perfect way to let each other know ‘it’s time’.
Sorry to hear about the burglary – nothings safe any more in this world, even up on the new Farmlet.
Victoria, I had worried that it might be too loud, and it is when you are standing right next to it, but from a distance it is quite lovely and very soft sounding. It’s the trees that soften it I think.
Linda mentioned that “we have a very predictable routine” at the moment. I am certain that she is correct! It will be better when we can move in and are there more often.
There is an old saying, and I’m sure you’ve heard it too: “Locks only keep honest people honest.” 😉
Sorry that there’s even a need to bring this up… But there was one person who sprang immediately to (my) mind sadly, and the motive wasn’t money, but revenge):
Yeah, I know, but ostensibly this person’s time was jam packed with summer activities. I am holding onto the hope that this was not the case.
I always wondered what happened to the webs, thanks for clarifying! Sorry about your trailer, but I am glad you didn’t let it get to you.
Isn’t it strange, Ginger? Nature leads the way in recycling!
We can’t let the turkeys get us down. Besides, what they do to us will be revisited upon them sooner or later… And they won’t even “get it” they’ll just be ticked. 😛
I’m sorry for the theft. It’s such a violation and seems to be a big sign of the times. Remember the druggie that stole our lovely deer feeder a few years back? He died yesterday, a result of years of drug abuse… shut his kidneys down. One less thief in the world… karma.
We’ll get over it, Lori. But if our thief is hopeless as yours was, then perhaps (s)he won’t. Very sad.
I suppose that the most irritation comes from the fact that we didn’t insure that trailer. Until now we’d hardly used it except to haul straw, so it never occurred to us to insure it… Shame! We did however get it licensed for street use, which means if anyone tries to register it now, then it will come up as stolen. We might be able to recoup some of the loss then, though not all. 😛
Hi Lynda, Is this one any better?; )
*sigh* He’s been one of my favourites too since, well, forever! But unfortunately his lyrics make no more sense now than they did then – sorry Donovan… (Perhaps, if one were writing with a little chemical “assistance”, that might help explain it?; )
Deb, while it is true that Donovan and many others were druggies back in the day, at the time he wrote this song he was deeply into Zen. Zen and drugs don’t mix. I found *this ‘meaningful’ (?) page that talks a bit about it, and I believe that Wikipedia gives the discussion some line space too. But for the record, I have always loved the calypso sound of the rhythm. My first interpretation as a teen was quite literal: A snail crawls across the garden and is seen, then not seen.” As an adult, when I listen to this, I smile and have the greatest urge to get up and dance. 😀
*http://songmeanings.com/songs/view/3530822107858544262/
Oh yes, and for the record I found “Still Stupid’s” (last one, second page) comment on the lyrics to be apropos:
“This is about when you think you have just got yourself sorted out then along comes another problem.”
Yeah, I get that. 😉
Thank you, I like those ideas. VERY much.
(All too easy to take a shortcut, when you don’t take(make) the time for research first): With apologies…
No apologies! I think most (who even know who he) is have thought that very thing. I didn’t know about his Zen years until I wrote this post. 😉
LOL, Y’know that old one about “Taking a trip without even leaving the farm…”? Meditation and relaxation (drug free and good for you too: )
To me, the great thing about the whole concept of Karma is knowing you can “let it go”; it’s not our responsibility to get even, but it will happen, at some point. “What goes around, comes around…”
Truthfully, I’d rather be on “the good side” of the balance sheet anyway; )
Dang those thieving trailer stealers. Do be careful that you take everything back home that can be carried or towed. So sad for the need to watch over everything. Very nice pics.
Thank you, Yvonne. I guess trailers are a hot item! My blogging friend Viv in France just had her’s stolen in the last week or so. We have been very careful with tools but never imagined that a cabled down trailer would go missing! Bob says that when we move there, we’ll need store it behind the electric fence, with its wheels removed and resting up on cinder blocks. 😉
I love that old bell! I have a classic triangular shaped dinner bell, such as was used on a ranch, but I love your bell even more.
I also love your self cleaning tool. Clever!
I remember one of the local officers telling me that items like trailers, and lawnmowers are hot commodities. So sorry for the loss but also to have to spend money where you weren’t planning to spend.
UGH!
The old bell reminds me of the school bell on “Little House on the Prairie”. The self cleaning tool was probably why I finally noticed the massive oak… I wasn’t too busy looking for spiderwebs right in front of my nose!
That makes total sense, LB! The loss is no longer my worry. I hangs over the head of the thief.
How funny you changed that song’s words.. it is great.I love the bell too.
Thank you for your beautiful pictures.
blessings Lynda
Chantal, changing the words to other peoples songs is a trick I learned when teaching. We used *familiar songs to help the children learn important lessons in math, spelling and other studies. It made it fun, and it really worked! Blessings to you as well, Chantal.
*The songs were mostly simple ones like nursery rhymes back then. 😉
Bolt cutters. I wouldn’t make a good thief since I would say, too hard. Then again, I never would try to steal something. Sorry to hear about the “incident.”
Thank you, TBM! We are resting in the assurance that our new little bitty wagon is now covered! Stupid to have to do that, but, Oh well. Comp on the actual wagon $20.00 per year, $50 ded, and the liability on it extends from our auto policy when attached to the truck… in case it ever comes loose on the highway! 😯
I saw a 20 footer do that once. What a MESS!
I was at Whole Foods the other day and while I was away from the shopping cart someone apparently swiped my umbrella out of it. Nowhere near as expensive as your loss, but strange.
In instances such as that, I would normally believe that they must have needed the item more than me. However, shopping at Whole Foods leads me to assume that they could certainly afford to buy their own umbrella! I agree, Steve! That is very strange.