a thought for the day

good morning folks

it's not too early here......about 9:15am
which as most of you know is pretty late for me
but be that as it may
here I am
drinking my coffee and sort of waking up

i need to go out into the garden
I got flying or falling from the sky ROCKS to investigate
and here I thought rocks were subject to the same laws of gravity my fat ass is........cause I fall down the stairs regularly......
as I am NOT a clutz........
I personally blame GRAVITY

but apparently the rocks are immune to GRAVITY.


ok
I weeded yesterday.......which while it SOUNDS boring I will tell you it was exciting what with the HUGE worms i got out there
and apparently there is viagra in them there manures.....
cause them worms were all doing the wild thang...........

seriously I could not pull one freeken weed without a couple of copulating worms coming out
and they ain't no skinny worms
any fisherman's eyes would glaze OVER at the sight of these guys.......
thems some big ass worms............

so here I am dodging GRAVITY defying rocks and giant horny worms.......

all in the effort to bring in the harvest......
which brings me to BAMBI

apparently i HAVE thwarted bambi in my quest to keep the monster tomato vines upright........

I tied the stakes to the fence........ except the tomato vines are about 6 feet away from the fence so there are lines to cross under all over the garden

the lines to cross UNDER are about throat high on bambi............
the lines to cross under do not bother me..........
I am short
walla...
deer proofing of sorts!!!

I am such a genious

hey never mind, I am a genious.........I am
just ask my chickens


til next time

vi

hihi it's me vi again

I'm back for a second
I forgot to tell you all
the ghosts here apparently pulled out the little thing that makes bernie's watch stop
they did it on the 4th of august at 1am
we all were sleeping
upstairs with the door closed and the air on.........
bernie, me and the cats
the chickens were down in the basement
soooooooooooooooooooooo
say hihi to our resident ghosts..
they were having a party in the studio

Buy a man a weedwhacker.......... I KNEW IT

I just knew if Bernie got that weed whacker my garden would never be the same

you guessed it
he decided to WEEDWHACK everything in sight

and I did mention that he is 'plant impaired'

yup
I could send him to the garden for parsley and he would bring back nightshade or worse...

(now you know why I keep a years worth of toilet paper........ I figure with our luck the leaves he would try and use would be poision ivy)

ok soooooooooooooooooooooo
what whacky adventures did bernie have

lets see.......

1) he decapitated a lily, a poppy, some spider wart, and a small oak tree..........
( not bad for an amatur huh?)
2) then he stepped UP his pace, and got the jewelweed...........
3) approuching the garden.......... he warmed up by whacking the outside of the fence........
so far no major problems........ one leaf off a potatoe plant


however the CROWNING glory....................

he whacked my soaker hose............
RIGHT where it comes out of the faucet

you know the one............ that is laid out UNDER the mulch in all the veggie beds...
that I rely on to keep the tomatoes etc hydrated while we are in this heat wave/dog days.........

oh man...........

can I send him somewheres?
can someone send me a hose repair kit..............TODAY?

suggestions anyone?

I can't kill him, he didn't finish the endless kitchen remodel from hell yet


til next time
vi

off to philly

Ok folks.....I am off to the big city
tomorrow ( probably when you all read this it will be today....... )
I am off to philly
I was to come home baring meat.....( imagine the hits I am going to get with THAT phrase)
I was to stop at the packing plant down there and get beef.........
( oh yeah....I am going to get hits......... dirty old men and horny teenage boys huh?)

I was going to get a hundred pounds of beef and a hundred pounds of chicken......
and if the pork was on sale....... a hundred pounds of that

yes you read that right..........hundred pounds
it is for a YEAR you know
anyway, I didn't get enough canning done out of the freezer and I don't have the space to park this while It waits it's turn in the aluminum jaccuzzi (aka my pressure canner)

so that brings me to my NEXT bright idea
I want a second freezer.......
oh and a generator to run it in the event of black out
( that generator would also power the well pump long enough to flush the toilet in the event of a black out...........if not the hot water for the shower..........)

I want a chest freezer

I am 5' tall........and almost 1" if you will give it to me.

bernie says I will fall in the chest freezer and the lid will come down and I will be trapped........
frozen alive
hahahaha
or frozen dead
a vi cycle........ could I be grape flavored???


oh........... well anyway
you all better miss me

vi

bambi's got to die

for eating all my bush beans.

my poor little baby bush beans

they were so happy with their little heads in the sun
stretching up their leafs and soaking up the clean air, soft breezes and soothing rains....

then big bad BAMBI came along and decapitated them
ALL OF THEM

freeken deer didn't leave ONE standing

I piled twiggy branches over the bent and battered leafless little stems......
hoping that maybe a few made it through the gluttony..........

I will find out today


meanwhile another very LARGE fence is on my shopping list........along with a gun,
ammo, pea shooter, poision darts,
stun gun,
and a mobile processing unit
I think we are all fed up with bambi now,

I mean......I leave them tons of food
apples, my roses........ the raspberries......

do they HAVE to eat my garden.........
that's MY space.....
oh and the garlic/hot pepper spray???

well lets just say the deer knocked on the door and asked for MORE.........

damn deer
oh and they ate the bushes on the front porch as well......
what they can't eat the wisteria that took over our house?
or the poision ivy?
nooooooooooooooooooooo

and what does eat the poision ivy......?????

GOATS!!!

and what are we NOT allowed to have due to ZONING?????????????'

GOATS..........

I ask you
does this make any sense to you?
or is it me?

if we are going to have something that resembles mammilian napalm........could it at LEAST
take OUT the poision ivy?


vi

I am ready for my coffee now mr DeVille..

Dearly Beloved.......

we have gathered here today, to discuss the ravages of GRAVITY
and it is with great GRAVITY that I must call your attention to this problem.......

( listen up cause there will be a test afterwards)

I was watching tv last night ..............( ok so I was sort of LISTENING to tv last night as it was behind me..... so don't all faint now... as because of GRAVITY you will hurt yourself)
Nova.
which had a show on quantum physics and quantum mechanics.

now don't go all glazed over...........
I won't subject you all to the fascination of quantum physics......( but really it is FASCINATING, and I truly do love it)
BUT

there was a discussion as part of this show about GRAVITY

the smart scientists have decided it is a WEAK force.......
ha
WHAT THE HELL do they know?????


I am sitting here dealing with the ravishes of GRAVITY and I am asking you all.......

WEAK????

are they F***ing Nuts?

Ok lest you think I am nuts.......
allow me to go DOWN the list........

ready now???


boobs,
well really due to GRAVITY they should be on the BOTTOM of the list,
since
as you all KNOW
they have descended...and are now footstools.
I swear I am getting bunions on my nipples.

WRINKLES
again, a function of GRAVITY as I could NOT frown that much nor look that tired without extraneous help.
not after a night's sleep, and a pretty decent nights sleep at that

BLADDER function:
I am pretty sure that all my organs have dropped on top of this poor long suffering organ, which has naturally caused it to tell me to empty it once every freeken hour...........
but only at night...........
and to pay particular attention to 2am.......
which as we know is the 'bladder witching hour'

Staircases
they seem to catch and HOLD GRAVITY
just waiting for me to attempt to decend them........ where they loosen their hold on GRAVITY and cause me to go tumbling down.
thank GOODNESS I like purple and magenta as I am wearing enough of those colors after my latest encounter with the staircase GRAVITY.

TIRED LEGS
from standing over the canner or the garden or the soapkettle
AGAIN all this is GRAVITY's fault..........because without GRAVITY
I would be FLOATING over the above tasks.......
and my legs would not have the entire map of the Chicago metro area etched on it in multi colors...
or so I hear, as I haven't actually SEEN my legs in quite a while

which brings me to something GRAVITY seems to have missed...........

my STOMACH

how big CAN it get without me actually BEING pregnant?
and why?

Did Larry, Moe and Curly get tired of playing with our elected officals and decide to do reverse Lyposuction on my stomach?
and just WHERE is all that girth coming from??

but I digress............
back to GRAVITY

It causes the tottering pile of books and papers to come tumbling DOWN whenever a fly lands on them
It causes me to drop stuff constantly, as I could not POSSIBLY be that clumsy right?

Ok ok
so GRAVITY does have it's good points..

due to GRAVITY,
pee tends to occasionally find it's way into the actual toilet.( if you are a man, woman strangely do not have that problem)

due to GRAVITY,
Drool slips DOWN your chin instead of UP your nose, although in certain sleeping positions that may not work

due to GRAVITY,
the contents of the cat box are NOT floating around the ceiling, only the actual CATS are................

And

most importantly to me right this minute

due to GRAVITY

my coffee is sitting happily in my cup and waiting for me to swill it properly

there by waking me up

but not before I ran around with the inner workings of my demented brain on view for all the world to see..........
til next time

vi

ps: THERE will be a test

oh and pss:
coffee kitchen
blackberry sage
freesia
cucumber
is the list of soaps that will be waiting for you all in september........

the rose is already sold ( I told you all that this stuff goes pretty fast, half the coffee soap is gone as well)
I will update this list every day I make soap guys

to those who garden

we have a pretty big veggie garden this year.....
we finally gave into the lure of the one open treeless area of our property and put in the tomatoes.

laboriously turned over the scant 2" of top soil
pitched manure for a day....
( a very hot day...... little preview of hell there... shoveling manure on the hottest day of the year.....even the BUGS were too hot to bite)

pounded fence posts into the ground......
sweated, pleaded and conjoled all the little seeds
battled endless rain, grasshoppers, boils and pestilance

and what do we have now??????
VERY tall lush tomatoes.....
hundreds of full vigorious potates
bean plants
cucumber plants


AND DEER

very well FED deer apparently

even with the fence!

you see deer can JUMP
and they apparently do not KNOW that the tomatoe leaves are supposed to kill them.......
and that the fence is a polite way of informing them that

'please do not come in here, Thank you Bambi'

they LAUGHED at my fence
and sail over it with ease and grace.......

the uphill neighbor said...........'something is coming OUT of my garden, either vegetables or venison but something eatable is going to be coming out of there'

now we don't eat venision
but I am thinking........maybe
we can SELL that venision and BUY the damn vegetables


I know that the deer, well fed and burping
are gathering in lawn chairs out there afterwards
watching us through the windows like deer tv
and laughing

Just know that........

vi

soapie notice

ok folks, I started the soaping for the late summer and the fall....( and winter too I suppose)

today I put cucumber
and rose in the molds
soooooooooooooo
those two will be ready September 24!!!

I will be soaping for quite a while until I get the stock back up to par
any requests let me know now.....or wait to next season...

I have to say the kitchen smells like a summer garden!
I really would have liked to do some big 50 pound batches but right now I am doing some of the soaps that while they do have a following.....it's a smaller following
but the fall and holiday soaps as well as the popular ones will have pretty big batches
but I do have to warn you all....... Get your orders in as soon as you can..

hahaha
I can't WAIT to do the pumpkin spice and the apple harvest soaps..........
woo hoo......

( ok so I don't have much of a life........)

vi

The Creator has a sense of Humor

do you need proof?
other then my life of course.....

well let us start with this

reproduction

ahhhhhhhhhh ooooooooooooowwwwwwwwwwwww

ok
so here is the lowdown

in humans for the most part
we insert tab A into slot B
and wiggle all about

which produces part C

and here you thought it was all sacred & beautiful

HA.......

turns out the Creator is THE same engineer who makes toys that frantic parents try at assemble on Christmas eve!

( I see you all nodding your heads remembering all the cursing and fumbling around and hushed whispers on Christmas eves past)

only humans do not come with the instruction sheet that is written in four languages and has all the diagrams and parts labeled

NO WONDER the species has problems.............

we are all still fumbling around!

now folks that possess the tab A's are always running around looking for slots to fit their tabs into
they sometimes don't care if it is slot b, c, d, e, f or xyz............
it makes for interesting experiences I would imagine.

and the folks that possess the slot B are sometimes trying to keep the tab A's out.......
after all not everyone is ready for a part C
and this is a good thing.

I am pretty sure that a lot of the confusion that folks that possess the differently engineered areas stems from the fact that they can not really understand the opposite folks..........
I mean it does stand to reason..no?


anway

that is just my observation while waiting for my canner timer to go off..............

til next time

vi

Today will be a VERY CLEAN day

soap beautiful soap.........

I am making soap today
I don't know how much yet or all of the kinds
but I do know cucumber is on the list
as I got a FRESH CUCUMBER just begging to be made into soap

so folks..... soapies are being made......... they will be ready in two months...... ( September 21)
I have goats milk in the freezer from violet's momma........ so goat milk soap is very likely to be made as well.
I will post what was made later .....you know AFTER I actually make it.

in neighborhood news........the folks up the hill got a PAVED driveway.........
oh my it is soooooooooooooo pretty

we used to be the only house on this hill with a paved drive......and our's is been paved for 35 years......so could use a new paving job no?..........I mean now most of our drive needs the lawnmower


speaking of which, bernie's new thing seems to be.................. better living through weed camouflage.
I am not saying that he has neglected his manly duties.......namely mowing the lawn.....

( can we all get an amen GRUNT here.......................thank you)

however
I can cut the heads off the weeds out front with a scissors...without bending over.........
I know I am very short....but STILL.........
and I know my weeds are my FRIENDS ........
however even the WEEDS would like........ 'a little off the top please'

trust me.........they told me so!

I would do it but I can figure out the semi hot wired job that it takes to turn on the lawnmower....
and actually I am not even sure WHICH lawn mower he uses........
although I am almost certain that the one with the flat tires probably isn't the one he uses.........

( remember, he is a MECHANIC......... so I got to expect flat tires and such)

I swear............I need to bring the goat home and a few sheepies.....
they would mow and fertilize in one easy pass..........
no polution
no flat tires
no trying to figure which wire goes where..............
and they work for sheep cookies and WEEDS..................

hmm

til next time

vi

48 pints of blueberries on the wall

48 pints of blues
you take one down and pass it around......

ah......
wait ok I canned it and froze it all
and made jam
I made spiced blueberry lavender jam
and plain blueberry jam

but this isn't about blueberries.....
ohhhhhhhhhhhhhnoooooooooooooooooooooooo

this is about SPICE
( not the girl band............ get your head outta the gutter)

this is about SPICE......... you know....... exotic pods and seeds from far off lands..

yup

now this is just between you and me right......we won't tell bernie ok?
he doesn't need to know I got something like 24 pounds of spice ok????

24 POUNDS of spice you say........

thud.......


yup yup
you read that right........

you see I buy spices from this place online.......
and it is by the pound, which you get pretty good prices on.......
( ok so actually REALLY good prices on)
and i know I will need it all
and when I saw this little pissass jar of mace in the supermarket for almost 6.00
and a whole POUND of mace is 9.............................

well
yup yup had to buy the pound
you all understand right?

just need buckets of the stuff lieing around.......... makes me feel all exotic and that crap.

ok the real deal is.....
I am on a pickling kick......
making the pickles to keep me happy over the winter

I got me some doozie spices too
cardamon
and allspice
star anise
cloves
cinnamon,
tumeric ( it's very oily btw)

yup got them all
I really went to hell and got both BROWN and YELLOW mustard seed........but they they do have other uses........I mean I could actually MAKE mustard......you know from SCRATCH!!!!

amazing you know.....it's actually made WITH mustard seeds ground up and doesn't just ooze out of a yellow squeeze bottle.

( the things you learn huh? stick with me kid.........you never know where we are going)

now I figure I may just forget to mention this to bernie.... at least until after he is in a pickle induced coma brought on the the shear magnificence of my pickled endeavors........ no?

but then again............ how often does someone get to buy all those spices.......
medieval despots would have WORSHIPED me........

hahahhaha

vi
now wanting a camel and some silks............ maybe a tent no???


and I came back to add......
that agent tanked me
do you think it was something the chickens said????

they can be rather ah.........flighty at times..........

well you know they ARE chickens.......

ok but I am still going.......
oh

I was thinking of adding ADSENSE to the blog....
what do you folks think??? let me know yea or nay...

Another day...... another pint of jersey devil berries...

well, we are again having a blue blue blueberry day....
I did jam yesterday, and today I am flash freezing individual berries..
( tomorrow the world....no?) NOOOOOOOOOO not one by one.....
but seperately on a try.....not all lumpied together in a bag......at least not until AFTER they are frozen.......
I got over a gallon bag full now and more happening even as we speak....( ah......... you read?)

I also got two piddly cucumbers in the brine to be pickles...
sandwich slicers.....
that's ok....
I am going to put in a LOT more cuc plants.....watch
oye
( cause at a future date if I do that.....you all are going to hear me ranting about 97 gallons of pickles fermenting in the basement....)
by the way in case some of you folks don't know this..... cucumbers that are destined to be pickles BITE......yup like cactus....they got them some wicked spines.....



it is very dark out.....
we are getting 'thunderstorms, possible heavy rain, hail, locust, the 7 plagues of Egypt, boils and pestilence'.......... or something like that

I am debating on if it is wise to defrost a ham that is admittedly almost as big as my ass.......( that's alotta ham, as my ass could crush a small army if I fell on it.......... the army and the ass)

I was thinking of canning it

I am thinking of canning any thing and everything that doesn't move fast enough.......


hmmmmmmmmm watch out cat........... you could be gulash tomorrow...........

sooooooooooooooooooooooo
I haven't heard from that agent yet
well I was really trying hard for a 'professional query letter' and somehow.......... chickens crept into the letter.....
I SWEAR I don't know how

I really don't
next thing you know the chickens were dancing all over the letter.....

( vi is hanging her head in shame now)

and you folks are all stiffling your laughter, I know you are
hey don't laugh!
IT could happen to YOU
you know it could

no?
ok maybe it could only happen to me...........

oye

til next time

vi

jersey devil berries

I had a BRILLIANT idea.......

notice it is capitalized.......

ok my BRILLIANT idea was this.......
blueberries are on sale for LESS then 1.00 a pint..

( are you drooling yet???)

I would get them and dry them........ and we would have muffins ALL WINTER

see
BRILLIANT

a few berries would find their way into jams and such....
( ask me about my spiced blueberry lavender jam......)

simple plan right?
blueberries that gift from the Indians..... with NO technology at the time....I should add that huh?

you know that the Indians dried their blueberries right???
well no one apparently TOLD my blueberries....

cause even with my fancy dehydrator............. they are NOT drying
not a bit not a smidge......
they are not

I check them every day.....they been drying since MONDAY
I poke them

nope

soft pillowy little berries..... but not hard anymore and firm
literally pillowy

I get a bit suspicious last night and poked a few with a pin.....

AH HA

it is as I thought.......

They have inflated themselves.....

somehow MY blueberries puffed themselves up with pride.......
and defiance..............

and started to link arms and chant

NO NO WE WON'T GO..............

ha

today in addition to the jam I am making more of..
I intend to deflate blueberries

and you think YOU got problems???


vi

BLUUUUUUUUUUUUUE Berries

I got 24 pints of blueberries
for 5.99 a six pint pack......
so doing the math....they are just barely less then $1.00 per pint

ok
I followed directions for drying blues....... I kept them in the dryer thingie all night
this morning did I awake to shriveled and tiny nuggets of concentrated blueberrie goodness???

nope still bloated and soft from the blanching....

ok so on to plan B
freezing the whole berries on a tray in the freezer.......THEN they are to be dumped into the dehyrdrator..... ( the dryer thingie)

we'll see how this tactic works
meanwhile I have about 18 pints reproachfully sitting in coolers.......

and I said I was going to go and get 24 more pints.........
ah......
only when I get these processed huh?
I don't have fridge space and my cooler space is seriously lacking....

WHAT??
you can NOT relate........??
hey what sort of life do you lead?

for punishment write 1000 times......... I will explore saving food for the winter like my ancestors

there will be a test on thursday btw.


ok
so what do I do with the over abundance of these blues?

why jam of course......no?
ok so some will be jam but really the most need to be dried for winter muffins.....

I envision jars full of shriveled nuggets of pure blueberrie goodness......

now if only the berries would cooperate.......they don't seem to see the same visions....


vi

the further adventures.......

http://notashyviolet.blogspot.com/2005/08/for-our-beloved-la-bella-mengele.html

ok that is the link for the funny stuff......


on saturday, ( or was it friday)
I was asked by two seperate people to write.........
they didn't mean letters to them....
they meant articles for publication.....

now I have done that before and it did pay well...........
but I have only done how to articles.......
I am really not sure about anything else......
I mean I do write for this blog I suppose......
occationally now, when I have something to say.......
( which today is that my pickling cucumbers are taking FOREVER to ripen.......and only are ripening one or TWO at a time......how can I pickle THAT?)

anyway, I said I would take it under serious consideration..........
and I am
I am seriously thinking about it
sooooooo
anyone have any thoughts please email me..........( and I hope that thingie works to an email pop up.......... replace the appropriate words with the actual symbols)


so anyway....... that is what is going on in my little world
that and I have to run to town to the bank



vi

canning canning canning and a wristlet

I have been canning a LOT lately
tonight..... while i type......I am waiting for 15 jars of beef cubes to come to pressure so i can time it
I canned this with red wine, onions, mushrooms and garlic.....
I will be canning the chicken breasts tomorrow the same way....
and also making some jars of meatballs and meat loaf
as well as watermelon pickles

we also have to clean the chicken coop and I am knitting wristlets with beads for a class I am giving at the yarn store

btw,
the yarn store wants me to knit a bunch of different things for october classes
and I am out of ideas
I am currently teaching mittens.... ( saturday is one of the first mitten classes)
and the beaded wristlets along with my sock classes and two beginner lace.....
now
a couple people do hats
so I don't need to....
how about one of those little caplet thingies?
in lace?
hmmmmmmmm
I don't know
so any suggestions would be welcome

I have been sick again....... the glucaphage gets me really ill.....it's like doing chemo!
I get THAT sick....
so I stopped taking it.....now before I get the lecture......the doc knows

ok well gotta go check the canner.....
vi

thursday morning and the knitting ain't easy

I ripped it a few times
and figured what I wanted
now the mitten should be done today

ditto the wristlet for the classes I am teaching in the fall
I got to finish the scarf off too


now
the soapies are in the mold
but the stick blender broke in the middle.....
it is brand new........ I got it first of may when colleen was here
so I can't return it
damn I hate walmart

they discountinued the brand I normally use
( I think it was a ge)

ok so I got to get yet another stick blender cause I am making all the soap to stock the web site
you folks want anything in particular.........or plan to order for the holidays
let me know NOW................

I made coffee soap yesterday......I will see how it looks when I turn it out of the mold later

lets see
the ladies and the cats are all doing well
I made and canned strawberry jam

Pieheart and I are to go blueberry picking this coming week..............
I am planning on drying them

I got the garden a bit more in
and got a tick AND got eatten by mosquitos

and got a gallon of deep woods off to go out there with on a daily basis.......

at least when they bite me, I can bite BACK
DIE YOU INGRATES..

ah...... but I am not bitter


ok
lets see ........the girls are not yet out in the chicken palace
I SWEAR they are going to go on strike.........AND IT'S ALL BERNIE's FAULT


yup yup

the gate is still too big......there's no roost
and NO chicken friendly and SAFE coop out there
he thinks they will willing go into a stuffy non ventilated dog house
ha
sure bernie.....

ok
anyone want to take a ride with me to philly after 1.16 a pound boneless skinless chicken breast?

let me know ok???


til next time

vi

you know who your friends are when......

you get a tick on your ass just past where you can reach to get it out yourself.....


and yes that happened to me in the past

this memory brought to you by the deer tick on my leg saturday
ewwwwwwwww
I am still phobic
stay tuned for other words of wisdom.......

vi

can we can chicken???

chicken has been on sale.
.39 a pound legs
1.30-1.79 a pound boneless breasts
1.29 a pound bone in breasts
soooooooooo
naturally I can't resist and I keep buying them
and they are going into jars
they will feed us through the winter
but I tell you...... they look a bit odd
and I am beginning to look alot like my girls.....

I made strawberry jam yesterday
I hate strawberries but bernie loves them and he loves strawberrie jam so I did it
and it turned out perfect

I can't wait for beef to be on sale....... I will be canning that like crazy as well.

now in garden news
we are getting there....slowly
don't ask

and in fiber news
I am doing my mitten sample for my mitten class.
then I will be doing the beaded wristlet

I have soap orders coming in
so I am also making soap in between

( note if you want to order soapies........better get it in NOW...... I am doing the fall scents like apple spice and pumpkin now.......as well as the coffee kitchen soap and a few other 'flavors)

now.........
have you all missed me???
hahahahaha

well you'd all better!!!

vi
submerged in canned chickens

worm barns.....and rainy days

it's been raining here.........a LOT
in fact the rhodo leaves are so moist that when the sun comes out they WILT!!!
so the last of the garden isn't in.....
but I am going to put in a worm barn

now
before you think I have completely lost it.....
( ok before you confirm that I have completely lost it)

I just want a place where the kitchen scraps are composted up faster then in the general heap....
so a worm barn it is

I need a lidded bottomless something or other......so the worms can come and go......
and I will add some shredded newspaper and some soil and kitchen scraps.....
and feed the wormies....

in turn they will feed my garden

and everyone will think I am totally nutso.....
hahahaha

well that's ok

me and my wormies understand.......
meanwhile it's raining
I go tomorrow to jersey to see a friend of mine
she's got canning jars for me
woo hoo
another 5 dozen

I am TRIPPING over them but that's ok
I am also filling them

in fiber news...........
I have to knit wristlets and mittens......
I am going to knit baby mittens as I don't have time for the others
these are for two new classes I am going to teach.......
cool huh?
hahhahaha

ok I got to go
I have to start my day

ttyl

vi

this and that

well my chicken palace is up..........
but are my girls in there NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
and where are the little princesses of chickendom????
where indeed you might ask
why still in the daylight basement!!!
and it is apparently agreeing with them as they all laid eggies today!
yeah for eggies from all 4 hens!!!
and they were all loud and proud about it
ever HEAR a loud and proud chicken after she laid an egg........
well lets put it this way..............
it scared the hell out of my soap customer today........and her son
hahahahaha
I know that one was dulcette................ she is ALWAYS the loudest!

( and they had salad for breakfast this morning........and a kiss on each beak!!!)

now I am so thankful for small things.......... in this heat thaddeaus is NOT tormenting the girls
the tables have turned actually
with the girls ganging up and beating the crap out of him last night
hahahaha
I shouldn't laugh but you should have SEEN the look on his face.............
I told him

'son, this is payback,.............. and payback is a bitch AND you been pretty rough on your sister and great grammie'

he had no comment but he was sucking his tail again

yup my rough tough little boy cat sucks his tail...................
oye
guess we will hold off on the tattoo and leather vest for him huh?

do NOT believe him when he tells you how tough and rough he is........... and remember no matter how macho that cat thinks he is.............. he is just a little boy when the girls gang up on him

( them girls take no prisions you see)

now I can't say I blame them
he is a PITA

he has to inspect their litter box out put....while they are still outputting it.......

they don't like that
( hell no one would like that)

he jumps on them while they are sleeping and starts to bite their toes.........
damn.........
someone bite MY toes when I am asleep I think I would have to just shoot them
( iffen I had a gun......... that is the little flaw in my plan........we don't own a gun.....I am afraid of them!)

our mornings are a stream of
"thaddeaus no............. thaddeaus stop that, ............... thaddeaus get OFFA there.......
thaddeaus leave her alone................ thaddeaus no............ thaddeaus stop that........."
well you get the picture
for a solid hour mostly every morning

I love that little guy but I think his sister and grammie are plotting his demise.................

oye
vi

Morning everyone

yes,sweetie, I AM making jam and preserves....... strawberrie is first.... want to come help pick?
I need 8-10 quarts! Pieheart and I have been talking about going together..we'll have a blast!
I am going to dry, can and root cellar as much as I can......
( SO SEND ME used CANNING JARS GUYS.....I need over 1500 of them! email me ok?)

Kim dear, I am probably going to get the vacuum sealer..
but maybe not for using with the freezer, as I am trying to get more food into 'not electric' dependant storage.

Last winter I accidently left the freezer door unlatched and it partly defrosted.
it scared me as we had our quarterly stock up of food in there.
so this year I am determined to make sure something like that, if it does happen, won't threaten what we stored.

now that bernie has been down at this new job over a year......I found their slow time is from the end of january to ( actually it is still slow) probably august

so I need to change the way we stock food
normally we restock 4 times a year.
that is the amount the freezer will hold ( which is why for all these years I did it that way)

now that we are going to have slow times for 8 months....... I have to make sure that I am stocking about a year or so worth.

it is a bit mind boggling

( yea that is an understatement)

do you know how much FOOD bernie can eat in a year?
oh man................

ok I learned to pressure can..... from the people on a great yahoo group that is for canning

And as an aside.. The Mormon's really do know what they are doing, if you need to learn to stock a years worth......... go and read their information. And they are nice folks

so this is where I'm at now.

I have put together a sort of rough plan that is an adaptation of how I normally stock our pantry.
I am adapting as much as possible to the whole canning thing.
which means figuring how certain parts of recipes we eat are silimar to other things.....
ie: I usually make and freeze about 20 pounds of mini meatballs to use later in a couple different ways.....
well I am going to can them..........with a slight variation.....
some will be in tomato sauce
some in red wine with mushrooms, garlic and onion....
that takes care of the two 'bases' for meatballs
and I will use them in at least 7 different ways........

I am doing the same with chicken

then as I make other things such as ham........I will can parts of that just like I would ordinarily freeze it

the garden is either going to be dried, root cellared or canned..
and in some cases all three
I intend on drying potatoes as well as root cellaring them and CANNING THEM

I will still use the freezer but not be as dependent on it for the bulk of my pantry anymore.

Ok today,
I have a customer coming for soap
and I have to go to town to the po and the pharmacy........
I teach tomorrow
( great class in beginners lace knitting)

I am hoping for some time out in the garden today...... but it looks like the rains aren't going to let me.
I wanted to get some beds fixed
I would also like to put in a small worm farm out there.
to directly compost the kitchen scraps. Kittchen scraps are taking alot of time out in the regular compost to decompose, as I don't have much green matter to put in there yet but the worms will have a blast getting to it in their own seperate sunk in the ground bin.

in house and trying to move news
well again the kitchen remodel is stalled.................. as is the siding and windows for the studio.
i know we will take a huge loss on the house if we try and sell like that
(it's also a buyers market right now..........so we wait)
I expect that if I am still here next year there is going to be a good reason that I am
sort of like the universe wants me to be here cause I am so ready to move

the chickens are well..................
I wish they could be out in their chicken palace.
the cats are well......... although thaddeaus was sneezing a bit this morning..........he does that in the rain.
The roos' are doing great and I do have pictures to post
little violet is growing well and sturdy

I am feeling better...... ( that damn fall down the stairs didn't help things however)
I am also due my period.......... so I hope I can say that in a few days......

I did learn a few things........
I need to eat yogurt EVERY day.......and take fiber with it...............( SO we've reached THAT stage have we..? where prunes are our friends?????)
I also learned that I need to take my thyroid meds daily................. amazing huh!
here I thought I could take them weekly .........( gees...................)
hahahahahah
oye
til next time

vi

how doth your garden grow?

my potatoes are up
last week frosts this week harvest
(of lettuce and spinach)
we are almost into the real gardening season here
I know other folks have thiers already going gangbusters
but we had to break new space and since I need actually help this year....I had to wait on bernie

ok what's new here is I learned to can
I never did that before
so I am canning everything in sight

I also went back to drying food again...now we will have a lot of dried veggies put by

the cats and the 'ladies' are all fine
bernie's fine
I pitched manure all day memorial day..... ( the things i do for the garden)
now
I need to decide
I am going to make at least one major appliance purchase this summer

should it be
a larger dehydrator? ( about 200. 00)
a vaccuum sealer? ( about 150 or so)
or a grain mill? (about 275)

what do you folks think?
any opinions?

in fiber news.......I just taught a class in beginning lace to some very nice ladies......
I hope they are knitting lace and enjoying it

I am also going to do a dyeing demo for my spin group


and we are to go strawberry picking........... I need at least 8 quarts


oh and I need canning jars folks.........USED are fine........ pints and quarts and half pints ...
( I figured out what I am going to need and it is more then impressive.......about 1500 assorted )

ohohoh

til next time

vi

the dead can WRITE too!

My sister in law came out on May 4......
we went to the sheep and wool down in maryland.......
I owe you all pictures I know I know

bernie and colleen ( his sister and my sister in law) put up the chicken pen but didn't finish the varmint proofing so the ladies are STILL in the house with us.

my sister in law left on may 13 from philly airport
we broke down on the way home three times
limping in.............the van died in the driveway........... and refused to be revived without very EXPENSIVE parts

then that monday I fell down the front stairs........

I am ok
but still in pain here and there
( aspirin and tylanol are my best friends)

Margeruite went all broody on me........
so here I am........ truck on blocks in the driveway and a chicken in the living room..........
can you say red neck????

yesterday I canned my first chicken.......... NO not my girls......... 1.30 a pound chicken on sale.

the garden still isn't in..
( anyone feel like coming to help.........we got CHICKEN for dinner)

we are having a few other 'interesting' things going on.

so all in all not much funny stuff to write about.

now bernie finally did get the van running again
ouch on the parts prices......but if I had to pay labor above that.........well let's just say little violet the goat would be pulling a cart..........

today I am to clean the canner and do it all again
( chicken now on sale 1.47 a pound for boneless skinless.................. are we going to stock up? can you spell HELL YEAH????? so we cluck and feather out.......... at least the girls will know they belong here..............vi-the woman with 100+ pounds of chicken in the freezer......and still is buying more)

I can also tell you
falling down the stairs at this age...............
well I don't bounce anymore
I sort of go splat and then......................... try to wait til my breath comes back
and that hitting your back on a stair is NOT something I recommend.
nor is hitting your ass on a stair

make a note
stairs are hard
don't try this at home


and mengele will cry if she saw my shoulders now.........
that bone she replaced sort of got knocked out again......
( and don't think THAT didn't hurt like hell)
imagine my surprise!

and actually I was so surprised, I didn't actually know what had happened to me
it was a bit surreal like a dream.......
then it hurt
like hell
oye
scared the shit out of bernie
who was trying to then pick me up
yeah right.. that worked REAL WELL

anyway that explains the garden STILL not being done

oye


til next time
vi

ps: the canning thing is way cool
and I did NOT blow up the house
but bernie had to open the canner and lift it
I can't

Thank you to everyone who commented and wrote

as everyone is now pointing out....my little amber is gone over a week now.
I miss her so fundamentally I can't even tell you all
it's almost like half the foundation of the house is gone
it hasn't been a good week sorry folks.

I keep trying to find something to say...but there isn't anything
which I suppose is a first.

maybe in a few days


vi

in loving memory of amber

we lost our amber today
at 10:45 am
I had petted her little head, and told her I was going up to the bathroom and I would be right back.
when I got back she'd gone
amber was born sometime in 87 or 88 I do remember it was spring however
and today.... april 23, 2006 she left us in the spring.

she was every inch herself and every inch a diva

when we had her home...... a tiny ball of fluff with merry her little fluffy sister.......
I was musing out loud 'what should YOUR name be??? autumn?..........september?

she sat at my feet, barely 6inches high, and meowed up at me......I know she understand me
and I SWEAR that I heard her say........'my name is AMBER.....A M B E R'

I was startled and look at her.......
'your name is amber?'
she meowed again
I said..........ok amber it is.....

damn I am going to miss her............

when thaddeaus was still a baby....only 5 months old, he was sleeping at the top of the stairs.
in front of the bathroom doorway, I was sad to say on the 'goddess'
amber had been down in the studio and killed a white footed deer mouse.
BIGGER then her head

she had a funny kind of rabbit hop to climb the stairs but she did....with that mouse in her mouth....
she slamed it down next to the sleeping thaddeaus....
let out a CAUTERWAWL to wake the dead........and swatted him across his sleeping face....
then I SWEAR she curled her lips in discust turn her BACK on him and rabbit hopped back down the stairs
I swear she was letting him have and telling him.....'hey KID, THIS is what you are supposed to be doing.........i'm old you know....it's YOUR turn'

that cat had real attitude

I am going to miss her terribly......

vi

Long ago and far away

When I was growing up........
I remember that the people in my family and neighborhood were very interconnected.
Uncle John Langfinger used to come over for coffee in the morning....
at night during warm weather the neighbors would take turns gathering on someone's porch talking and laughing from after supper until after dark.......
My relatives visited every weekend and sometimes during the week as well.

If someone needed help........they ALL rushed to help, family and friends.
I called neighbors Aunt and Uncle and there was very little difference between the two.

Everyone talked at least daily, over the fence........ on the stoop....... while drinking coffee at the kitchen table.

I remember when our well ran dry......... Weezie and Uncle John dropped a hose to our house.....then Uncle John helped dad sink a new well.

EVERYONE was like this..

so my sense of family, friends and community means a LOT of contact.
Now I am sort of far geographically from whomever is left so instead of setting on the stoop
I call.

recently I was criticized for this by one person I know.
As I will call her the same time every day and have coffee with her on the phone.

She implied that this is a fault somehow on my part......
I disagree.

I am more and more seeing people disconnected, families not close...people not knowing their neighbors.
I see society tumbling apart
Folks don't care about other folks............ giving the excuse that 'is none of my business'

I also think we as humans are much poorer for this mind set.

Even when we lived in the apartment before moving up here to pa, neighbors regularly gathered on someones stoop.........
we had communal picnics in the center green of the apartment complex.

folks helped each other.

I am being told I am 'co-dependant'

no
I am old fashioned and human.

I believe that people need the daily connection to build a sense of communitee.......
I believe that only by helping each other, and sharing day to day life will people keep their humaness.

I don't believe that it always has to be in person............
I do however think it is very important to spend the time with the people you care about.
even if it is just over the phone........


let me ask you all...........
you know what I think.........
what do you think?


til next time

vi

birthday pictures

The penny thief

a story about a tiny little person.


When I was young, my neices lived with us.
I had the bedroom upstairs....... ( mine all mine..............)
I always had a habit of leaving my loose change around...... I would empty my pockets and toss it.
I trusted EVERYONE in those days

my baby neice who couldn't have been more then 3 at the time had a real thing for pennies......
she would grab them in her chubby little hand and scream 'my money' in delight.

we would tease her by offering her a quarter and three pennies........ she would ALWAYS take the pennies.

this particular day..
I was upstairs in late afternoon/early evening.
I was taking a nap as I had just gotten my period
I remember being so tired
my Bed was also right by the door.........

this little baby neice thought she was sneaking up on her aunt..............
but stumbled over a pile of change!
she couldn't resist it
( if you all could see me giggling while I type this)

she GRABBED the change.............. oh my
she got SO excited
she forgot she was to be sneaking up on me and screamed 'MY MONEY!!!!!!'
and started running out of the room
she was so excited that she never noticed that I reached out and grabbed her by the collar and took the money out of her hand.............
it was like a cartoon

she got downstairs and ran to grampa........my dad

she went to show him 'her' money
and looked down in her hand to find it empty!
the poor kid started to cry!

my dad was trying not to laugh, cause he realized by then what had happened..
plus I was standing at the foot of the stairs now with the handful of change

we let her pick all the pennies out of the change and I tried hard to remember not to leave it laying around

but I still laugh when I think of her doing that.

hahahahaha
til next time
vi
who has some good news to tell you all
and is going to the tunis farm tomorrow for a lamb cause it is my birthday!

ok fast updates!!!

MARGUERITE laid her very first EGG!!!!
yeah

I am so proud of her
she is a sweetie now that she can't fly onto my head


the doctor
I have a slight reprieve
I have to use a nitroglycerine cream 4X a day
and we are putting off the surgery for a while
meanwhile I am going to look for a second opinion
as I don't like this doctor
I was in a lot of pain
he kept telling me that I was NOT in pain

I am thinking I need a new doctor no?

oye

meanwhile I am home
and so happy to BE home
but I got to make up my mind what I am going to do within four weeks

oye

vi

MARCH 24 update

I have an appointment with a colo-rectal surgeon down here in easton tuesday
then thursday if I feel well enough................
Kris and Carole are going to take me to see about my tunis!!!

( now I am worried I can't afford my tunis....... )

meanwhile
today is not a good day.........
I don't feel great but I am hoping that this second opinion will figure something out for me

oye

vi
it isn't my head I am concerned about exploding...............................

ok so how does a person prepare for surgery?

1. last Harry potter book
   
2. all the Harry potter movies on dvd
3. sock yarn
4. more sock yarn
5. some comfy sort of non binding clothes?
6. icecream
7. yogurt
8. cashews
9. did I mention sock yarn?

I am going to the surgeon tomorrow the meds didn't work so it is time for this.

oye talk about an ass in a sling

I am hoping to have a bit of time and some less painful days to get the freezer stocked with meals for at least a month.

this is the time of the year we defrost the freezer and restock for spring, so I better get that done before anything happens

now about my chickens........ I really wish I had gotten the chicken diapers for them

so I could have them come up and visit me while I am convalescing......

well anyway bernie is taking off to take me to the surgeon tomorrow to start this whole thing.....

oye

and I am teaching saturday , I hope I can anyway.

soooooooo I will keep you all posted

vi

Thaddeaus Peabody goes to town

Mommy and Daddy were going to town, for the mail and chicken bedding.
Thaddeaus Peabody who'd been a very good boy, wanted to go with them.
Thaddeaus stretched up to the doorknob and tried to open the door himself...... Always being a gentlecat, who knew his manners.......

but mommy and daddy told him NONO Thaddeaus you can't go
Thaddeaus stepped away from the door
but refused to leave the hallway
he was so disappointed
But mommy was watching Thaddeaus and asked him if he'd like to go to town with them......
Thaddeaus looked up in confusion, mommy NEVER asked if he's like to go with them, she always told him he had to stay home.

"Thaddeaus dear, you have been such a good boy lately....... you haven't beaten up your sister or great grammie too awfully bad...... and you did get your full curly coat in, plus you did so well with your bath....you can come with us.....Daddy please get his harness and leash"


So Daddy got Thaddeaus' leash and harness and held him while Mommy put it on him.

He loved riding in the front seat looking out the window
he saw a red truck and a horse, he saw the feed store.
A nice young man asked what Thaddeaus was......... as he'd never seen a cat on a leash.......
Thaddeaus let the young man pet him and purred for him to show how much he was enjoying himself.

When everyone got home, Thaddeaus retreated to his cat tree to rest after his big adventure.

And Mommy and Daddy decided that Thaddeaus can go to town regularly.

pix and fawn news!

Fawn is finally come around....
she likes to be held all of a sudden..........!!!
she sits on my chest and purrs for hours now!
we are sooooooooooo thrilled
it is almost a year that it took








I have tons of goatie and sheepie pictures to upload for you all but haven't had a chance.

I had a dream of my father........ which I have to post later

we did taxes today, our accountant came here..... he found out that he is allergic to chickens!
the girls meanwhile buried their eggs yet again......


ok I have to run but will post more later.......


ok back
Trish

said I gotta tell you the five things I keep in the fridge......
ok we got eggs.........
oh and we got eggs

and we got eggs
and did I mention we got EGGS

get the feeling we are overrun with eggies huh?

what else

milk....... 100% whole milk
we alway got sour cream too
and bernie and his 50 mustards
( I got to dump them damn............ no one needs 50 different mustards)

orzo
there is also always a red cabbage in there
and celery
and whole garlic
oh and real butter......none of that crap margerine stuff

( we don't have high cholesteral......his is like 172 and mine is 153..... and the ratios are perfect)

everything else changes in the fridge
but we always have that stuff
( hey I LIKE red cabbage.....)

what else now??

Oh that dream

I dreamt that I was home in my childhood house............. something was wrong in the basement and it scared me so I went to the kitchen...............
on the table was a phone book with my dad's phone number on it
I called dad and told him to come home
he told me no
I told him 'but dad, I am really scared'

and Dad got all upset with me and again told me 'no I am NOT coming home anymore........I live here now.'

needless to say I had a fight with my father ........

( see I keep telling you all........ just cause they are dead......that means NOTHING in my family..........)

naturally I got a bit pissy about it all

ok

in other news
we washed Thaddeaus today
he is soooooooooooooooooo cute, cream colored and curly now
he really was getting a bit dingy looking
my boy is so curly now I have got to get a good picture of him for you all


til next time

vi

Little violet today!

oh my goodness she is sooooooooooooooo cute
hahahaha
I love my little goatie

Goatie updates, and general goings on

Violet the goat is doing very well, she is strong and sturdy.
she is eating well and growing steadily.
I am going to try and get out to the farm this week to see her adorable little goatie face.




All three of the big hens, Dulcette, Henrietta and Sharon are all laying.
Henrietta not as often as Dulcette and Sharon
Sharon averages every other day
Dulcette 7 out of 8 days
and Henietta has laid two so far....
Dulcette is laying jumbo eggs now
a warm brown color
Henrietta is laying the Lilac colored eggs
and Sharon goes back and forth in color

they tell me when they've laid, as they get cherrios for a treat!
Margerite should start laying in may or june.....

Dulcette has taken to hopping out of the pen when I go down
she is very funny running around in the basement.
I call her and she runs right back over to me........
Even her little chickeny brain understand that she needs to be IN the PEN to get the cherrios for her treat!
she just doesn't know how to get back in the pen.......
so I pick her up
she waits for me to pick her up, which makes me laugh.
All the chickens take turns coming out for a petting and cuddling session they love it
they fluff up their feathers and settle down and sort of talk under their beaks so to speak.......very softly....
I tell them how beautiful they are and how much I love them
they LOOK at me...hahahahaha



In Curly Cat news
THADDEAUS is no longer bald!!!
while we weren't paying attention he grew in a wonderful curly/wavey long hair la perm coat.
Since he is so light colored it is hard to see in photos but he has TIGHT little ringlets at the surface of his skin and then the fur sort of softly waves out from that
He needs a Bath....

Fawn is doing exceptionally well........she will be here 1 year on March 31.........
she is a little tank I swear......she charges around the house getting into everything
if she were human, she would be the little girl with the baseball cap, freckles and slingshot....she is a tom boy!

Calpurrnia is my sweet little blue eyed feminine baby girl.......SHE would be dressed in pink with ruffles and bows......if she were human.......
SHE would insist!
She sits patiently when I am dishing out the can food......... Thaddeaus gets his first......then Fawn who is telling me all about it ..........
and my sweet little lady calpurrnia is just waiting........
she knows hers is coming.......

Amber the 4009 year old cat is STILL with us
STILL a bit felted....
I work on her matts as often as she lets me
she never cleans herself anymore, letting me do it
it's been I think three years since she groomed herself.....
but she is still healthy, eating and happy as a senile cat should be

Ivan the fish..........remember him?
he is still with us!
I do partial water changes twice a week and total water changes every two weeks
today was his total water change........
the plants and IVAN are very happy.
I use Ivan's old water to water all the house plants.

on the 19th, I get the results of the spin contest put on by my spin group
I understand that the judges didn't believe I was a novice after looking on my hand spindle spun singles ( say that three times fast)
but I spun them on a toy wheel spindle that I made, when I was spinning only about 3 months
they also liked my novelty yarn........remember the peacock roving?
well I added some icycle dyed blue and some beads..............
I want to knit that into a scarf.
I am thinking of spinning some solid blue to go with it........... maybe solid blue and a bit more of the icycle
and knitting up the main part of the scarf using the novelty for the ends........

I am not actually a blue person, but that mix of blues in that roving was not too bad.

I am still waiting to hear from the shepherd about the tunis lamb
oh and lambing starts this week out at lilac corners

I have kid pictures to load for you all which I will do later this week

til then

vi

here is her close UP!!!

my very OWN baby goatie has arrived!!!

at 6am this morning.
Rosie had a girl and boy.....
the girl carole named violet
soooooooooooooooooo I am waiting for pictures
and I am a MOMMY of a goatie

hahahaha
vi







ok.............
now this one will actually be in MY name on her registration papers
!!!!

oh man
I can't wait to see her

everyone loves a baby..................... GOATIE!!!!

ok this is all 7 that were born yesterday


this is casey's quads.....aren't they just too cute? the one with the white butt is a boy and will be wethered and become a pampered pet.



and here are patty's three

wow
aren't they WONDERFUL!!!!!!!!!!!

vi
til next time

everyone hug a chicken, hug a goat
hug a curly headed cat

BABIES BABIES!!!!! spring is here!

this is sweetheart
and her two 'grade' baby saanen girls



btw, I had a wonderful dream last night
I dreamt that I was touring a doll sculpting studio/factory
and I got a job there as a doll artist
I dreamt that I was left to create the most wonderful fantasical scultures of various folk tales
(you shoulda seen my pinnocio- nothing like disney)
and they even let me sculpt standing up

yes I sculpt standing up
I just can't sculpt sitting down, and I don't know why!
it was a wonderful amazing dream

I even made quite a few friends in my dream......( I wonder if they dreamt of me?)

then I dreamt that when I got home................ I found a duckling in our living room (which for some odd reason was the living room in the apartment we used to live in)
someone said..'sadly that duckling will wander off and die............. and you will find it dead.'

yeah right like I would let THAT happen
I found the duckling and put it in a brooder and raised it up to a pretty black and white duck.
she eventually got a friend in her own pen in the yard


isn't it truly scary what goes on in my mind

and this
is fritters......remember last year she had apple dumpling.....( remember that one in the cast)

she had triplets
two boys and a girl

hahahah
spring is here

I am waiting to hear today

vi

sharon started laying

last night!
finally dulcette gets it......she laid in the morning and told me to come get the egg
and SHARON decided to unload before bed........
now both dulcette and sharon do that crouch thing with their wings out if you pet their backs
sniff
only henrietta and marguerite are still babies........and henrietta is going to start any day now.....
no more babies......
sniff
my boys have wives........my girls are laying eggs...........
my goat is due febuary 28

oh my........
ovulation and lactation will abound.....

meanwhile, if you all will notice under the cats names.........are links to the chicken pictures

as requested

vi

a good day for dyeing

I have a couple of skeins of knit picks shimmer........ in the happy days colorway
I didn't like the way it pooled when knitting up when I used the first one

so I figured I had nothing to lose and threw the second skein into the dye vat
it is a nice mixed red and burgandy now........ wines...... a few sort of orangey red areas
it is hanging by the wood stove to dry.

Calpurrnia thinks this is the BEST CAT TV.....
so she is sitting there watching the drips...........

she loves watching the tub drip so we leave it slightly on........
she is mesmerized by it
I tease her and tell her to change the channel as she has seen that show before.......
I got strange cats

hahahaha

anyway, I like the way the skein came out so far
we'll see how it knits up
if it knits up nicely......... the scarf I did in the other skein is going to take a trip through the dye vat as well

meanwhile I am waiting for bernie to get home

the thyroid meds have started to work and I am feeling a bit better

not out of the woods yet......but much better then before

meanwhile, I am still swatching for the chicken hats.......
which actually I am going to put on chicken dolls not my real girls..( although they would be cute)

my girls are telling me now when to come and get their eggs........
so they are growing up
marguerite is still a ways off ... about two months off of laying.

I am resisting putting in an order for more yarn................
I will be strong.......I will not buy more yarn
not until the 10 skeins of laceweight are knitted up
even though I want a skein or two of that shadow merino from knitpicks in grapejelly.............
I will be strong

I am just doing some fast cowl type things, playing around with laceweight

although you know................ the 100% merino in white ...for dyeing..........
hmmmmmmmmmmm

ok ok
well that's it right now
I am waiting for bernie
so we can start our weekend.

til next time

vi

the chickens think they're turtles

they keep BURYING the eggs
now
I know that they are all new at this
and I also know that I am robbing THEIR eggs
but they are my girls
you know...........
MY girls
I love their little beady eyes and little kissable beaks
I feed them layette and snacks
they get tomato's and cherrios
bread and spinach
and I sneak them pizza crusts once in a while......
not to mention the occational scrambled aunt orphelia
( we don't like aunt orphelia remember........)
bernie and I clean their bedding regularly
they get fresh water twice a day..........
and sometimes yohurt and cottage cheese.......

I love them
so why oh why would they bury their eggs?

they are NOT turtles
if they are then damn they are the FASTEST turtles I ever did see...........
I ask you

vi~who got today's egg while part of it was still unburied
what do they think they are? PIRATES?

il nostro mengele caro bello***

our beautiful beloved mengele

I went to nj today
to the doctor
maybe maybe I can avoid surgery......
I think so as I have been avoiding surgery for a while now.....
shoulder surgery....... back surgery......
so we'll see
and no don't ask.......

it was right up the street from our Mengele
so naturally I had called them and told them I was coming to see them

I ended up teaching Kathy the secretary how to knit
and visiting with mengele as much as she was able which was not a lot
she was very busy with patients
she looked tired and I am a bit worried about her

you all know how I love our mengele

Kathy looked great.......she'd lost some weight and it agreed with her.
she is learning to knit very very fast
I was very proud of her........

meanwhile the thyroid meds are helping immensely
although I probably should have actually EATEN something today
huh?
I didn't.......
I had coffee and ran
so at 5pm when I got home I had a cheese wrap........
maybe that was NOT the best thing to have done?

so I am now really really tired did I mention I am tired

well yup yup I am
tomorrow is spin..............
I am not ready and probably won't be able to go........ ask me now I am way too tired

let's see
I am swatching for the chicken hat............. which is actually going to be a sort of gauge swatch for the latvian mittens
which i will probably get to by JUNE......
meanwhile as mindless waiting room knitting I am doing a shaped sort of hybrid dicky/scarf thingy
I am sort of designing it as I go
this one has long scarf like fronts that I will be able to tie or wrap.
I am going to make another one that is more like a normal dicky
and I am also going to make a mobius sort of cowl neck

all these in laceweight, all in garter stitch and all mindless waiting room knitting

the chicken laid another egg either today or yesterday............bernie found it buried in the bedding
hmmmmmmmmmmmm
guess they really didn't want me to get their eggies

in curly headed cat news

thaddeaus has decided sleeping on our heads is a very good thing for a cat to do..........
mostly my head

with his tail wrapped around my face...............

this isn't working out so well for me
but he is thrilled with it all
until I have to go to the batheroom..

oye
til
next time

vi

And on tuesday....... hearts abound

well I have hearts all over the place.....
or should i say heart SHAPES
all them little chicken breeches are heart shaped...........
we got another egg last night around 4pm
i have confused chickens
this one was a darker purpley color and you can see it trying to be brown
Amie wants to see the two together with something for size referance

so if you celebrate happy valentines day to you........ and I wish you all the sight of heart shaped breeches on chickens!

( it's the back part when they bend over to peck the ground it is lighter in color and heart shaped on my chickens)

ok in other news
I am going to see Mengele tomorrow........... I have a doctor's appointment right down the road from where she works so I am dropping in.
I imagine I am going back to her regularly in about a month or so

the thyroid meds seem to have started to work, I got up before noon!
although I am still not sleeping at night
The wood stove likes that as I load it again at 1am
after bernie loads it at 9pm..............
so this morning at 8am when I got down, it was still burning a tiny bit!!!!!
just a tiny flame in the back of the firechamber in the corner, but a fire no less.


I have a question to ask of you all

I have three files I need to open
one is a .efx which I know is an e-fax
one is a .wps
which I don't have a program for

and one has no file extention

I have a windows based system and I am still running 98SE as I like that OS
can someone point me to a translate program
as I think these are mac based files


Spin group is thursday night
I am still not sure if we are going cause bernie isn't sleeping since I am not sleeping

even though I come down here to see if he can get some sleep

so we'll see

if I can't go I have to drop off the skeins for the skein contest by either kris or carole next week
and a huge soap order is due next week too.

that is about it for now
I have to take those pictures for Amie, which I will do when the sun is up over the mountain


til next time vi



ok Amie
here you go sweetie

OUR First EGG

the chickens laid their very first egg today

I don't know which hen did ( we think it is dulcette however)
but one of the big girls did
I will take pictures later
I am so proud!!!

you can't see the very soft lilac color of this egg..

but there is a few tiny brown spots on this......

this is the color they will be eventually

it is a tiny egg.........

eventually the girls will be laying jumbo brown eggs

Snow beautiful snow.........

Vi’s mixed bean soup

THE BEANS

Small whites

Lentils
Black eyed peas
Black beans
Small reds
Dark red kidneys
Baby limas
Large limas
Green split peas
Great northerns
Pink beans
Yellow split peas
Garbanzos
Pearl barely
Pinto beans
Lt red kidney beans
Navy beans
Cranberry beans

Meaty ham bone

Two stalks of celery chopped fine
Small onion chopped fine
Garlic either minced or powder
Parsley either fresh…..flat Italian parsley or dried
Kosher salt

Water

This mix is best made over time…… make a pot of each beans maybe once a week…..
Hold out ¼ cup or so to add to a gallon pickle jar to make this mix



Rinse and pick over the beans

Add to your kettle, cover the beans with water about two inches above to start.
Bring to a boil…..
Simmer for about ½ hour, adding water if needed
Add the ham and the rest of the ingredients

Simmer until the beans are slightly mushy…..

Serve with a mixed green salad…… really really good with mesculn salads.

And a HUGE glass of ice cold from the well water



Vi
Who loves ya???






Pinetree Garden Seeds www.superseeds.com
Park Seed www.parkseed.com
Vermont Bean Seed Company www.vermontbean.com
Shepherd’s Garden Seeds www.shepherdseeds.com
Vesey’s Seeds www.veseys.com
Johnny’s Selected Seeds www.johnnyseeds.com
Territorial Seed Company www.territorial-seeds.com
Seeds of Change www.seedsofchange.com

tomorrow is our anniversary

we were to go out to eat and then possibly some special shopping but since we are expecting a storm.....
we figured we would stay home warm and cozy with our little furry and feathered family.
I kid around a lot about my bernie....
I tease him an awful lot
but really he is a wonderful person
he is interested in almost everything
loves animals
is mostly really responsible.......
has a great sense of humor
and
loves me totally and unconditionally
( I do know that although I always ask him)
we were so young when we got married
no one thought we would make it
we weren't sure
and there were times where it really didn't look like we would
but
after all these years
we are still together and totally in love.
and we are each others 'center of the universe'

I wish that feeling for all of you..

til next time

vi

Truly I come by it honestly……

I was recently contacted by a family member I have not seen in about 20 years, this is for her really, if she comes by again....... as she was too young when it happened to laugh about it or even know about it. Anyway, maybe you all will enjoy reading about my family's crazys


My whole family is nuts…..I swear the lot of them are certifiable.
I don’t know if it is because we are Italian, and rather…….ah…… unique
Or we are truly just all insane. But if you folks wonder why I see things a bit left from center, well............... this is one of the reasons

I remember one time, when my dad was 70………. he ran away from home!

The first clue I had that something was wrong was there was a bag of grapes on my windowsill……… of course being this is my life….. it was infested with yellow jackets….( you know the wasp)

I knew something was up cause in my family a bag of fruit meant something was up, and it wasn't good news….
( what like the mafia has the kiss of death, & we have fruit? WHAT sort of demented reasoning is that? aunt martha died........quick get the pineapple? gee and some families just call or send a card huh?)

I shoo-ed away the wasps and grabbed the fruit, as I opened my front door the phone was ringing….

Naturally it was mom……( why yes………we are all psychic how did you guess?)
Mom: ‘your father has run away from home’
Me: ‘yes mom I know…..i found the bag of fruit on the window sill’

(this may be Italian for…….’I’ve left your mother in a fit of stupidity, and now I am here to make YOU crazy’- or I could be wrong)

Mom: ‘ so he’s been there already then?’

Meanwhile

DING DONG……….. and it ain’t the avon lady…….


Mom: ‘ don’t tell him it’s me on the phone’ naturally mom knows it’s dad…..I mean heaven forbid one of my friends would decide to intrude on this family melodrama.
Me: ‘no mom, lemme get the door’

I get the door
Yup
Dad………………..

Dad: ‘I’ve left your mother’
Me: ‘oh?’
( meanwhile I am thinking to myself…….. and when did this become MY problem?, ok so I also thought a bunch more to myself but those things are not repeatable in mixed company)
Dad: ‘yes I have left your mother……..’
Me: ‘ok , why?’
Dad: ‘she won’t give me any closet space’

Ok now let’s back this up a bit……. Dad is notorious in the family for not only being hard to buy for…..but for NOT wanting clothes…. He has a suit that is got to be 95 years old, one dress shirt, one tie……….three pairs of work pants with shirts to match….most of which aren’t too holey……
Everything you buy him, he just gives away……
And HE is complaining about closet space……..

THE MAN HAS NOTHING TO HANG UP!

Me: ‘ok, I will make the coffee’

I mean what else you going to do………
Dad stayed a while and ranted and raved……. Bernie got home, we had dinner………

I figured we would put dad up in our room and we would take the floor…. ( one bedroom apartment at the time)

Dad: ‘I’m not staying………….. I will find a hotel’
Me: ‘dad it is 9pm you can’t find one now’
Dad: (forever stubborn) “ I don’t want to put you folks out’
Dad to BERNIE: ‘make sure you mow the lawn for mom, and take out the garbage on Thursdays’ ( remember dad doesn’t want to put us out……. I’m thinking that is code for “I am really pissy, and everyone is going to suffer, while I decide to have my hissy fit’)


Me: ‘ok’ (see I learned early on..........when dealing with irrational people...... simple one word answers are probably best.......and the least likely you get you grounded for the rest of your natural life)
Bernie looks stunned………….

RINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

Dad: ‘I’m not here’
Me: ‘hello’
MOM: ‘is your father still there?’
Me : ‘why yes we have some bananas, how many would you like?” ( I mean this IS the monkey house at the zoo right? You ain’t gonna find Ozzy and Harriet here bucko)

Dad leaves
Mom rails on and on about how terrible dad is……and that I am to feed him and make sure he is ok

Mom hangs up
And I fill poor Bernie in on everything that is going on…..

We go to sleep……
Saturday morning 8 am………..

DING DONG………

Dad walks in looking TERRIBLE like death and taxes

Me: ‘DAD, you look TERRIBLE’
Dad: ‘ I slept in the truck’
Me AND BERNIE: ‘ oh my GOD, why?’
Dad: ‘ I didn’t know that the hotels charged by the hour……….$35.00 an hour’

By this time Bernie and I are trying hard to stifle our laughter……
Because really this is Dad you know……and he is 70……. And it is November…..
But damn he did do this to himself……
So to cover the mirth……
We make the coffee then Bernie gets the bagels…..
We feed Dad and the phone rings……
Of course it’s mom……
She knows dad is there…..but has to go on and on and on and ON….( told you all I come by it honestly)
Meanwhile DAD is going on and on and on and on to Bernie, who is trying hard to look sympathetic……but is still secretly laughing his ass off about dad finding out about the ‘no tell motels’

Ok lets fast forward now a bit…..
Dad has been out of the house and I think by my Uncle Joey for about 2 weeks
It’s Saturday, I am home cleaning…… Bernie is working

Mom pops in…….
We are talking
And DAD pops in

They rush to the door……….and get STUCK in the door way…..
YELLING at each other the entire time….
I swear on my curly cats heads……I could NOT stop laughing…..
So naturally they started to yell at ME……..
Still stuck in the doorway….
It’s enough to have a person be looking around for the hidden camera….

THIS HAS to be some kind of a cosmic joke no? ( and you all wonder why I keep telling you......Larry moe and curly run the universe and they as you all know ARE CHICKENS)

Oh man did I get yelled at
‘don’t talk that way to your mother’ ‘don’t’ talk that way to your father’

I grabbed a set of keys and proceeded to tell them…..

THIS IS MY HOUSE
YOU do not pay the rent here, nor the bills, I DO………
YOU won’t talk to me like that in my own house
And I am NOT giving you back these keys
You all have one set of keys
LEAVE TOGETHER
Either make up or kill each other……
But
NO ONE IS GOING TO DO THIS TO ME IN MY OWN HOUSE ANYMORE

Now if looks could kill, you all would be reading this on a Ouija board……
But they did leave……

( I still can't believe I told them off like that but I do occationally have finer moments........)

The next day my Aunt rose called….. wondering if I knew where my folks were….
I told her what went on
We were both sure that they’d killed each other and we had only to await the state police showing up for us to have to go and identify the bodies
I even CALLED my cousins that are cops to see if they’d gotten a couple of ‘does’ reported

Turns out my folks decided on a second honeymoon….and went upstate….
Scared the living shit outta me, I tell you
Gees raising parents ain’t easy………
But I think it did work out better that way.. I really did not feel like identifying the bodies, or facing the reporters you know.

So I come by it honestly…..
But now that I have told you all…… I wouldn’t be a bit surprised to be awaken in the middle of the night by both my deceased parents……who will again go on and on and on and ON…….. about telling the family secrets…..

In MY family, just cause you’re dead doesn’t mean you still don’t have an opinion, it just means you eat less……


but they better watch their ghostly ass' cause I got a LOT more stories........................

ha
so there
vi

ps: bernie has a crazy sister in jersey..........after we met her I turned around and said 'i am sure glad that the nuts and squirrels are falling out of YOUR family tree for a change'

American Livestock Breeds Conservancy

http://www.albc-usa.org/wtchlist.htm
http://www.albc-usa.org/wtchlist.htm#poultry
someone asked me about the rare breeds recently
my orpingtons are designated as 'recovering'
which is a good thing.
I love the orps, i highly recommend them.
when we move, i plan on getting more orps and
chantecler as well as maybe delaware

we still haven't heard back on the lamb, I imagine that the shepherd is busy lambing.
the goat is due in two weeks.........

I am looking at shetlands as well as ouessants lately.......
( the sound you just heard was Carole from lilac corners fainting)
but I may just start to go with rare breeds

I swear I can't wait to move............... our time in this little stone house in the woods is over now, i can feel that......it is time to move on.
All the signs lately point in that direction.......... while sometimes it makes me sad.......mostly I am looking forward to what's next

I will however miss my big ( allthough cluttered) studio and my 250 year old sugar maples......
time for someone else to be stewards of these ancient trees

til next time

vi

vi here again
the doc called............ thyroid meds to be started tomorrow
well that explains the slug like lifestyle of the past couple months...........

bernie will pick them up on his way home tonight
meanwhile
I got a massive headache which started from sinus but is now something more
so I am going to just go and hang with the cats and chickens

ttyl

vi

mark the calendar with a star.....VI has nothing to say

nope absolutely nothing....
as I still feel like a horse kicked me
I actually DREAMT of horses
so it is pretty bad
I am going to attempt to venture out into the day light

( quick grab the garlic.........cause you know....it's been a while, I could have turned into a vampire you know)

as soon as my legs can hold me...........
ah........
mm.......
that may BE a while

wake me up when it is really spring........oh in about 6 hours

vi

food poisioning is a terrible thing to waste

ok so in addition to the insult that is already my body.....( and I use that term loosely)
I had a goodly case of food poisioning last night

I do not recommend you try this at home

and if you are foolish enough to do that even though YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.......
do
not
be
stupid
enough
to
drink
coffee
the
next
day

and don't ask me how I know

let me tell you
chinese food left over for two weeks is not a good thing to eat
but I thought it was only in there about 3 days.......
damn this menopause
ok so I forgot
it smelled fine
tasted ok
I was sick as a freeken dog
so sick
that thaddeaus sucked his tail in worry all night
FAWN even sat on the bed this morning in sympathy
oye

I decided on chicken broth with rice and mushy broccoili for dinner
I called the doctor
bernie called me and insisted I call the doctor
he sounds like death and taxes.............
well damn
the poor guy did NOT sleep all night
when I started to have extreme chest pains........cause you know I can't get sick like normal people
he was all for rushing me to the hosptial.
I was shivering and cold so I veto'd that idea
telling him
'i would prefer to die at home thank you, surrounded by the feathered and furred family we have assembled'

I finally fell asleep about 4am......... the alarm goes off at 4:30 am
bernie told me to go back to sleep
yeah like I could EVEN STAND UP
hahahaha
sure
I managed to slither down the stairs around 10:30am
more or less I think.......................
I got the fire going about noon
and it got warmish in here at about 3pm
I repeat
do not try this at home

vi

I swear I have the sickest friends

you people all voting for chicken hats.....
and whats more
I got a couple designs in mind
who's the sick one now?

I have a bit of good news
we only used 13 gallons of heating oil in the last 6 weeks.....
yeah!!!!!
of course it was hotter then arizona in the 'snowbelt' of pa
but hey

doctor news ............ tests and I am waiting on results yet again

chickens are fine
the roo's have girlfriends
and moe moe is growing a real comb in
they are getting bigger monica tells me

the girls are doing well
they got all moved all over while their pens were getting cleaned
and I did get down to see them today with some bacon grease
they love their suet
when it gets below 35 degrees I give them bacon grease
not a lot
just a little nibble
they love it
you should see them
I even got sharon out to hold her and give her a tiny bit more..
(one ounce of bacon grease lasts 4 chickens over a week here......)
I love my girls so much

one of my clients called me sunday.................
the first thing she wanted to know was how are the chickens........she also has orpingtons

my laperms are sacked out all over soaking up the heat from the wood stove

I didn't feel well again and laid down upstairs................
little calpurrnia took that watch and came up to 'watch' mommy
fawn took yesterday
thaddeaus, fawn and calpurrnia took saturday..............
after I got home from teaching
but most of the time they are here soaking up the heat from the woodstove
however they will rouse themselves if there is the merest hint of canned food in the air.................

thems my babies................


til next time
love from vi