The Dutchman

 

You know of course that we lost both our parents four days apart over New Years. They were 87 and 89 and had a good life together, raised us, loved us and all the grandbabies and great grandbabies, and left their mark on the world in many ways. 

They never stopped doing and loving and living right up until the end. 

Covid made that end dark and lonely, something which is very hard to forgive at all, ever. Bad things were done and happened that I am not going to talk about here, but they sure should not keep families apart at such times. 

Anyhow, more than they loved all of us, they loved each other. They were more entwined than anyone I knew...utterly dependent on one another. If one was in the hospital the other pined and did all they could to fix things if they could. They never went anywhere without each other, shared hobbies and pastimes and work and play.

Mom was so damned strong that it humbled me. She simply did everything she could to make life right for Dad. She taught me to go after what was needed no matter how hard it might have been to ask.  He knew that he needed her and just how much and acted accordingly. I hope they are rewarded in Heaven for what they went through in their final weeks.

When they went it was as if the center shifted and the light went off in the world. I had them sixty-eight years, my whole life, and it wasn’t nearly enough.

But for three months I never cried. Not a tear, no dampness in the corner of the eye. Numbness and mournful malaise for sure but no tears. 

Then one day I was listening to the High Kings perform the Dutchman on my cell phone playlist, while I washed the dishes. 

Margaret and the Dutchman seemed to personify my parents’ relationship and the way they propped each other up and cherished each other for so many years.

I looked up at their pictures on the wall over the stove and started crying and couldn’t stop. The rest of that day was a melting watercolor of every loss I’ve ever felt, especially over the past 18 months.

Okay, everybody needs that. Good, maybe I will move on now.

Except that every single time I hear the song, no matter how determined I am to not react I do. Same way every time.

Many probably see me as a hard person. Or at least stoic. Farming can bring on the hard, all the while softening the center where no one sees. It certainly fosters stoicism. You just get used to things happening that you can’t control and learn to roll with it and just move on.

However, that song absolutely dissolves me right down to nothing every single time I hear it.

Should I take if off my playlist and harden the old shell, or leave it there on shuffle to sneak up on me with its reminders of all that is missing? 

We lost so many close family members, beloved aunts, an amazing uncle, good friends from all over the world in the past few months……I just don’t know. 

Congratulations Alan and Amber

Yesterday two of my favorite people were married in a ceremony that was solemn, yet silly, poignant, and fun. I took too many photos to reasonably fit here, not to mention very many terrible videos with almost no sound....

Thus I made the kids their own blog of the wedding and rehearsal.

You can view ithere: Alan And Amber Together Forever. Hope the title is prophetic as they are a wonderful pair of people. 

If I missed you in the photos, I am really sorry...I was having too much fun to capture everyone and every moment. 

Congratulations to you both, and welcome to the family, Mrs. Amber Lynn Friers.

The Bright Side

A boy and his grandma

And grandpa

Cool stuff

Sunday Stills....Crowd Work

This is a little late, but better late than never I guess. This is one of the two hay rides at our family reunion today. Lots of kids and grown ups pulled along behind my uncle's Johnny Poppers, a JD A and a 60.

Much fun was had by all....I walked....I have spent enough time on hay wagons to last me. 

For more Sunday Stills.....

Just Family Stuff

Four generations, Montgomery, Friers, Schultz and Shultz

Between hay we visited Mom and Dad yesterday.

And got some photos. Peggy is teething and was not in a particularly good mood.

Great Grandpa of the Peggy person

Short Stories from a Valley Weekend

Some merchandise going home from the auction the boss sold at last week.
You can't see them, but there are Amish kiddies in those seats. Photo by Liz

If you could see sounds, the dawn chorus would look like a carnival...all lit up and glowing. It sure sounds like one. Picking out the threads of this call and that is a challenge worthy of Sherlock.

 Still pursuing that elusive little flycatcher that sings between the Phoebe and the Willow. Who is he? What is he? A puzzle for sure. And there is enough variation in the empidonax calls out there that there may even be TWO species besides the ones we know for sure.




The male Ruby-throated Hummingbird sleeps on a piece of baling twine on the sitting porch. Such a friendly little fellow. The carpenter bees attack him every time he comes in to feed, so he likes it when we are on the porch and they stay away a bit.

 I am grateful for the tennis racket Alan bought me as a joke back when the bat was coming in the house last winter. It makes a great bee swatter.

Speaking of the bat....I thought we had no bats left until I went out at one in the morning to see if the boy was home. (He is! He is!) Almost caught one of them on the head....him, on my head, I mean. Yowsa! That woke me up.


Asparagus for breakfast. Sauteed in butter. Either you love it or you simply don't, but if you do. WOW.

People give me strange presents...like the heart of a Romaine lettuce...I am easily pleased

A surprise gift of a bag full of goldfish for the garden pond. For joy, for joy. No present could have made me happier. ALL the water lilies....years and years and years worth...froze out last winter, as did the curly-leafed pond weed, an invasive I know, but not a problem in the stock tank I use for a pond. 

The fish add interest to the now barren waterscape. At least the wild yellow iris survived.

Gardening, gardening, gardening. Yesterday potting up herbs to sell or give away. Sweet basil assortment, parsley and marjoram. Plus some pansies, marigolds and geraniums Becky and I grew from seed. Lots more to do when I can find the time.

Daddy's girl

Flirting with Peggy is always important. She has found her hands, and alternates between staring at them in amazement and stuffing them both into her mouth at once. Does all that drooling mean a tooth on the way? I'll betcha.

Some little starlings fall out of the barn roof into Sunny's bucket. Not good for anyone concerned.

Photo by Liz

Diamond gets some time outside, as does Jack.

Diamond in the Sky...no Lucy
Photo by Liz

Sunny and the cows are great buddies and commune across the fence all day. If either horse or bossies are not out the other species is not pleased.

And then the weekend is over. Our boy safely back to DC, Jade and Becky are back to work, and the boss mows the first hay of the year in the Old Spreader Field.

Congratulations are in Order

For my amazing sister-in-law who just graduated college with honors, while keeping their small family farm running, and taking care of her family, watching over our folks, weaving and many other interesting things.

Congratulations, Lisa! We are all proud of you!

Weekenders

What a weekend. Flooding...inside the kitchen no less, from a leaky thingumabob under the sink. I think I have that mopped up and the boss has stalled it, but whoever plumbed this place was not a pro or very foresighted. No shutoffs where you need them....

A funeral, for Jade's cousin. Long day for them. Lots of wren noise. Lots of rain. Today the sun is doing its thing, but it is cold for May...way, way cold.

Days with my boy, which mean a lot to me, btw. There are few things more delightful than sitting on a porch with someone you love. And we have lots of love and a pretty darned good porch for it too.

He scored a long weekend at home, before a long, nasty spell away, and we took full advantage. Talking of potential property acquisitions, trying on futures, and watching the birds come in. Slowing down the woodchuck onslaught, one pellet at a time....why is it that all the herds of coyotes that trammel the lawn each night and day never eat them?    Fixing windows, moving things too heavy for mom and not of interest to others, general home improvement, enhanced by good company and warm talk. He is off today for two months far away and lonesome and we will miss him. At least he will be a little closer than Virginia, which was way too far. But, first, driving a tractor in a parade today...I hope there will be pictures.

Chicken dinner. Steak dinner. Vanilla ice cream with homemade strawberry jam from last summer. There is almost always good food and companionship in this house. People coming in and out to eat and talking and talking and talking. Big dogs. Little dogs. Big horses. Little horses....not in the house, of course, but you can see them from the kitchen window.  Feeding cows and calves, heating milk, hanging buckets. Grass that is slow to grow where we want it and all too quick where it has to be mowed.

It is quite a thing to have everyone home at once...But this is a big house and can hold them all quite well, and a good thing too. It seems to like the noise and bustle and gets its glow on when everybody is home....well, except for that blasted flood in the kitchen. I think it likes to have its rooms full and busy.

Orion Wore a Kilt of Clouds

She looks a lot like daddy
and a little bit like Great grandma Peggy,
which is pretty fitting I'm thinking

As seen from midnight stairs the umpteenth time....

Kind of fluffy for a guy like him, but  he looked good in it, step dancing out there, on the heifer barn roof.

When I came down again at dawn, droves of robins queued up to take a turn bathing in the big rut in the driveway.

Festooned with frosting, the trees were trailing veils of gauzy mist...the whole river was shrouded in it, the geese like mysterious strangers hiding from the unfurling sun.

I thought to take pictures of it all to save to show her what her first day looked like, someday when she is old enough to see them.

But I didn't, because I was too darned scared.

We were all scared and it was a long and worried day.......but worth every fearful second.

At the end the young family was increased by one, and the new parents knew a bond like no other.

And the new grandparents shed a couple of buckets of tears of pure, deep, elemental joy, that can only be engendered by the birth of one so loved.

Welcome to the world, Miss Peggy Ann Marie Schultz. We love you baby girl.

Getting Smart

Sisters....with cookies!

My brother and some clever cousins came up with the idea of having an early, pot luck, Thanksgiving, for as many of the family as could make it.

Then they all went into action.

They rented a firehouse. They compiled an incredible photo retrospective of my grandparents, all of their children, as many of their children's children as they could gather. They handed out CDs to all and sundry, so each of us has the best of all the other's photo albums. That brought some tears I'll tell you!

It was all beautiful. The food was amazing....you don't find a meal like that in a restaurant. Everybody brought some specialty and Matt and Lisa used the cooker from the wedding to make pork and turkey.I brought butterscotch cookies and homemade cranberry sauce...It was cool to sample specialties from other people's holidays, many of which I had never tasted before.

You guys are brilliant! What a party! And now, we can all do our smaller Thanksgivings, with warm and fuzzy happiness at having spent an afternoon with the whole clan in fine fellowship. 

Amazing.

Happy Father's Day

To all you fathers out there and especially to my own amazing dad, who has taught me so much and inspired me in so many things....even bird watching.


 I can remember when that started for real in my life when I spotted a cardinal on his feeder in the back yard.


I think I was getting ready for school when it darted in all red and glorious. Never looked back from that day.

Love you dad, and hope your day is a great one.

Only at Northview

Things are chronically odd around here. Not necessarily bad, but unfailingly weird. 


Not particularly tidy either.


For example, if the kitchen was a golf course, we would already have a sand trap...and a water hazard? Well, the pup takes care of that....although he is getting a lot better.


However, he runs around with his riding crop and sticks it under the stove to pull out whatever he finds there, just in case it includes a kibble or a cracker. There is stuff under that stove that really might better stay there. Unless, of course, someone hires me a maid, in which case....


And last night, Jade was mowing lawn in the dark...don't ask...and called Liz to help him find an electrical short on his new mower....something was sparking down there. She looked where he was pointing and picked up the source of the light on her finger-a firefly along for the ride.


Then there's this morning. Just before milking, the phone rang. It was the boss's darling aunt, who is in her nineties, but sharp as a tack and as sweet as a whole hive full of honey.


She is sharper than we are, that's for sure.


The reason she called so early is to wish us happy anniversary.


27 years of wedded bliss....or something along those lines...and we BOTH completely forgot about, as did all the kids. And if that's not weird enough...


Somebody just shot me in the leg with a squirt gun...


Monday maybe I'll tell you about calf mud wrestling....

Haying and Togetherness

Grey catbird at dawn

Making hay is what you do when the sun shines. It is shining this week, so that is what the boss is doing, as soon as the dew is off in the morning. In fact there is a load in front of the elevator waiting to be unloaded and another in queue behind it. Good times. Good times....

 After a winter of paying as much as five bucks a square bale for the stuff, every bale that chugs its way up that elevator looks good to me. And the boss puts in good hay...some of what we bought this year was worse than terrible. It hurt to have to feed it, but there was simply nothing around to be bought, thanks to the floods. We finally happened upon a really good supplier late in winter, on Craig's List of all places, and if we run out again this year, we have already discussed working with him again this year. A big relief that.

The boy came home last night and bought us all dinner, while Liz and Jade brought down the finish mower they found this week and worked on the hay field...er lawn...behind the house. Everyone all home at once, talking and enjoying being together...even better times.

Sun coming up on another beautiful June day, thank you Lord for the best times.....

Surprise

Kitteh, lying in wait for something
Please click to enlarge any of these

Sitting at the kitchen table this morning getting outside the first cup of coffee when Liz walked in.

Scaring the heck out of something and making it run away and slip on the ice

No surprise as that is how the day usually goes. 


Except that I hadn't heard her truck. I usually hear her truck...before the dog does in fact. He sure is getting old.


I didn't hear the truck because she came in really, really, really early and milked ALL the cows by herself (except Lemmie, because she didn't know what I am doing with her) and fed the babies.


Wow, that sure is a great surprise.Thanks Liz!


And last night the boy dropped in with a half a dozen hilarious stories about life in the big city and pretty girls and all those young guy things we miss when he is gone.

"Something" track. I would say possum....what was that kitteh thinking!

So anyhow, I had time to go out an look at some tracks and take some pics. Brave kitties out there last night...but kinda stoopid!

Uplifting

Well, actually uploading....a video of my brother playing and singing at yesterday's family party. I'm afraid it is going to take a while, but if I get it figured out I will share it in a bit.....and yeah, we do extend the Christmas season a bit most years.


Meanwhile, we were driving home last night, crossing the Mohawk bridge south out of Amsterdam, just as the crows were coming in to the infamous roosts at the east end of the city. 


It was truly surreal, thousands upon thousands of sharply-edged birds twisting and turning in crisp, bright, black against a lemon meringue and peach pie sky, with ink-etching trees on the horizon and gold and silver mirrors reflecting on the river. Wish I could have taken some pics for you but the car was moving in one direction, the birds in the other so all that was left is words. Stay warm....

Farm Girls

Patch themselves up with duct tape when they blow out a knee and still have to work.

Go to the parts store up at the other end of the county, carrying THIS part along...with instructions that it is NOT this part that is needed, but the OTHER part.


And somehow remain cheerful and fun to be around.


The subject of both these photos is Liz and the stories are true, with no names changed to protect the innocent.......

The Bluebird

I was worrying yesterday on several fronts, family illness, frozen stuff, stuff that is going to freeze if that stove doesn't hurry back from Wisconsin, and just in general because it is my nature. I am a gloomy cuss especially in winter. 


Went into the parlor, which is where I dry my laundry on laundry bars....a slow process without the furnace.


I was dismayed to see that some geraniums I started from seed last spring are pretty frost bitten around the edges. Was debating whether to move them out into the living room or just let them go and start new next spring. 


Suddenly there was a bright flash outside the window.


The mockingbird.


 Mobbing somebody who dared trespass on his hallowed territory, which takes in the long lawn, the entire driveway, the field below the driveway, the other side of the house and pretty near any place he feels like being a tough guy.


 I paused to watch and there it was...a lovely bluebird perched in the little poplar by the driveway. It hunkered down a bit under the mocker's onslaught, but you could tell it wasn't daunted by all the flare and flash. My heart flew with it as it pumped its wings on down to the sumacs.


That's my daddy's bluebird there. It came to tell me to be hopeful and prayerful and positive and that he is okay at least this time. Love you dad.

This morning I am dragging plants out of the parlor and putting them wherever I can find a spot. It may look kind of funny to folks who visit, but it is just too cold for them in the unheated parlor.

PC

Oh, no, not that PC. Never on this blog. No we found a notebook computer for under three hundred bucks yesterday, so for a change I am not borrowing Becky's. (Thanks so much for sharing for so long Beck...)


Hopefully it will do all we need it to. We are going to have a go at installing the word processing software I need to use pretty soon. Hopefully it will handle it and I can get back to writing on the Farm Side whenever I want to.

Have a good one! And stay warm.

Murphy Was Here

Our dairy supplier was due Thursday and didn't show. We were out of the powerful liquid cleaner we use for the pipeline and bulk tank. Not good...or wait, maybe it was....

You see, there are no substitutes, and the equipment must be cleaned and sanitized every time it is used, so we made a road trip up west to get a small jug to tide us over.

While we were at it we shopped.

I don't get out much. Kind of need to be here most of the time...so when I do, watch out.

People were looking at us funny in Price Chopper I can tell you, as we perused the ham and jam and spam and bought...well. a lot....

But the cupboards were pretty bare and now they are not so much and that is always a wonderful feeling. Plus I bought some goodies at the bakery outlet for the boy to take back south with him.....yeah...if that big bundle of blankets is any indication, he is home for a couple of days. He was out with that certain special and very sweet young lady so we didn't get to see him last night....

And, of course, while we were gone, the dairy supplier stopped....of course he did. So we won't run out of pipeline soap any time soon. I wonder if his name is Murphy.

But, it's all good...

Van Gogh Skies

Rain coming in. Warmer than it has been but it feels cold. Oh, well.

Talked to my boy last night, which made me feel much better. He has left the farm for a job in the BIG city (yes, that big city) working construction. The dairy economy is ugly and the money is there, not here. I comfort myself knowing that farmers like us feed them all, all those busy, scurrying city folk, crammed together down there, hurrying around.....every pizza, every coffee with half and half, every French Fry or Big Mac....wouldn't be there without the people who work the land. It helps to know.

And so on we go.