Injured, and trying to mend.

January 3, 2014103 Comments

Wondering where I’ve been?

Well, I am out of commission. Somehow I have (re)injured my knee and I can’t stand for very long to do much of anything (cooking/cleaning) because it swells up so bad inside that I can feel it out the back of my knee and up my thigh. I also can’t sit for too long to rest it because then it freezes up and I am positively crippled upon standing again!

I am currently living on 100mg Celebrex and hobbling about on Bob’s walking stick. The tree is still up, the chores are piling up, and I am fed up! 😦 I am calling the Dr as soon as I press the publish button.

On a humorous note: We went to see the newest Peter Jackson Hobbit extravaganza and I was worried they wouldn’t let me in with my rather large walking stick. Bob laughed and quipped:

They will just think you are in character. What you need is a wizards cap and cape!

He was right, no one really noticed me and my “weapon”. 😉

On other topics, so far 2014 is coming in on frigid winds and ice-cold temperatures. It is 10:30 in the morning and our current temperature is 21 degrees. Over the next few days we will continue to get below freezing temperatures and the temperatures will stay well below freezing even for the highs.

The worst of it will be Monday with a high of 20 degrees and a low of 5 deg, and Tuesday is not much better with 23 H and a 12 L. You know this California expat is still not used to this kind of winter weather!

I have express ordered a heated water bowl for the Mountain Farmlet. I would have just picked one up at the local pet store or the Co-op… but this is the Deep South and they don’t really stock them here.

How are you surviving the cold where you are?

This morning on the Farmlet

August 8, 2013August 8, 201323 Comments

I always see Bob off to work in the mornings.

With slippered feed, and bleary eyes I walk him out the door, have a good hug, and then sit on the bench to wave as he drives down the road. (I’ll be seen wearing a thick robe, no matter the weather, to ward off those dang mosquitoes too!)

This morning had a little surprise in store. In the half-light, I saw a small thing stuck to the wall by the front door. Peering closer revealed this!

: It was smaller than a dime, and I was disappointed when it just popped off the wall and vanished.

: However, a bit later when I was doing my morning rounds I saw this one. Much more beautiful in full light, don’t you agree?

: Trying to cure my shaky hand, I used the flash. It made it shimmer with golden highlights.

All this rain has brought us more than annoying mosquitoes. It has brought us beautiful little green frogs to eat them!

It was a good beginning to the day!

How is yours going?

~*~*~*~

NOTES: Apparently, my little frogs are Squirrel Tree Frogs, and they will only grow to be just under two inches long. For more information on the Squirrel Tree Frog look HERE!

Last-of-its-kind frog lives at Atlanta Botanical Garden (VIDEO) (bizjournals.com)
Learning about frogs…. (roaringstrawberry.wordpress.com)

Goose Pail Tales: a goose’s gotta dibble

May 16, 2013May 16, 201339 Comments

Living in an older home, on land that has been ranched, farmed and subdivided since the very early 18oos, leads to some interesting finds.

Digging for gardens, or even just the rainstorms we get, can bring many interesting items to the surface. Pocket knives, old bottles and tools, items thrown into the burn pile that wouldn’t burn, and more. There are tales of Indian arrowheads to be found everywhere here in Alabama, and that should not be surprising as this was once Native Amerindian land. Though I confess, I have yet to find any of this valuable treasure here on the Farmlet.

What I do find, after the fact, are the items the rain loosens and brings up. Things my geese will dibble up out of the soil, and like a Raccoon, will take to the water pail and wash.

To my chagrin, these items look dangerous and non-foodworthy. For your interest, or not 😉 , here are some treasures my geese have collected so far this year…

Each of these items were found at the end of the day when I dumped their water pails!

Row 1, L to R: rusted clockwork; a 2 in. reflector; a plastic soldier who’s seen some pretty serious action; an 8 in. plastic zip tie; a small bit of white plastic; a hose washer; a strange, plastic, locking clip; and a rubberized covering for a tool tip.

Row 2, L to R: An ancient bit of barbed wire; wire; a row of nails from 1 inch to 5 inches in length; two bits of *twisted mystery metal; and an underwire from a rather large cupped bra, with plastic coating missing. Eaten? 😛

Row 3, L to R: An eye screw with a bit of wire attached; a bolt with nut and washer rusted in place; an aluminum screw cap; a fuse from an automobile; a rather sharp piece of heavy gauge, cut aluminum; two miscellaneous bits of twisted, aluminum wire; and …

Row 4, L to R: Various pieces of glass from broken windows and old glass bottles! I find this everywhere on the property! I don’t know why we’re all not missing toes! Scary.

When I see the items the geese leave behind in their water, I often wonder how much of it I don’t see. That is to say, how much is small enough to be EATEN!

When I prepare my chickens for the table I have seen bits of glass they swallowed whole, usually pea sized or smaller. Thankfully, their crops and the rocks they swallow work the edges off the glass shards and apparently with no harm to the bird. But then I have to wonder…

What have the geese swallowed?

I haven’t a clue. I can only assume that if any items were swallowed, they were nothing deleterious to their health!

It is going to rain again today and tomorrow

~*~*~*~

*INTERESTING: I went looking for barbed wire history, and found this display:

(Available for sale HERE)

I may have a bit of antique Crandal ‘Champion’ ca. 1879, or Hodge ‘Spur Rowel’ (sp?) ca. 1887. Neither of them collectible in their rusted state, but a fun find!

~*~*~*~

Hm, if I train them right, maybe they’ll find something really good and I’ll get rich!

!!!

An Anniversary?

November 21, 201227 Comments

I didn’t intend to write today, but was surprised to find out just a moment ago that I have been blogging here on WordPress for four years.

Until I moved from Southern California, a distance of about 2,700 miles from home, I had never felt the need to blog. However, when you are this far from family and friends, well, there is suddenly a lot to share. And what better way, than to blog with pictures for punctuation and emphasis!

I think of my blog as an open diary… and sometimes, when I go back and reread old posts, I am amazed by how much I have learned and grown here on the Farmlet. I have gained new friends here as well. You’ve arrived on my little bit of blog from all over the world, and you have all had a part in helping me to survive the occasional loneliness, distance, and the learning curve of country life.

Thank you.

Here’s to continued learning, growth, and sharing with old friends and new!