It would be quite nice out today, although cold. However said wind is a stump grinder of a rumble-grumble, whipping and whining and tossing things around, and making the house cold even with the stove at top speed. I keep looking around for what makes the howling noise up in the honey locust when it really gets going. It sounds like a train, but I don't think the branches are strong enough to hold one. The pup is going over fool's hill these days and had a panic attack because a pot for underwater plants blew up along the cable and scared him. Despite his warning me of the extreme danger I picked it up and put it away. Those things come in handy in the summer. We seem to spend the day shuttling dogs in and out and to and fro. Too cold for them outdoors. Too boring for them in. During this exercise we found a downside to deer hunting. Ren unearthed, to her infinite delight, the Rocky Mountain oyster (so to speak) of the big buck. 'Ooh, ooh, ooh! Treats!' You may have heard Liz trying to catch her and get it away from her. She was so happy with her find and so very reluctant to relinquish it that it took a while. Glad she is Liz's dog rather than mine. Must have been pretty potent as the ones at the end of my leash go crazy whenever we pass the spot where she (finally) dropped it, even though it has long since been removed from play.
I can scarcely believe it. So busy. It has been nice, so the boss has made hay. The mow has been slowly filling up all summer, as he fought with the horrible weather, week in and week out. He has worked more Sundays this year than he ever did when we had cows. The weather pattern has had only Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday having any dry weather, so he has had to bale and store on Sunday...just no choice.
I've been putting up squash and beans, moving things off the honey locust tree, which alas, has to be cut down in a couple of weeks, moving my rock and herb garden, which live among her roots, and watching over the coordination of moving a pony east, the two ponies we already have to the fair...and...and...and.... The big blue spruce is going too, but I am not so attached to that one.
The air has been autumn-cool, and nights downright chilly. You can see your breath and that of the cows if you walk to the barn in the morning. Fat little Marv goes to pasture each day with his mother and Moon and his big sister, Cinnamon. He is like a little piglet, round, robust and red, red, red.
Fall migration is kicking in big time. Warblers are much in evidence, grackles are gone, haven't seen a swallow in weeks....they should be leaving this week or next, but the boss says he hasn't seen one when he's been raking hay, for ages. They are great company when you are alone out there on the tractor, swooping right across the hood and whirling over the windrows, as they seek out the bugs your wheels and equipment stir up. I just watch and enjoy, but he used to like to auction them off, taking each fleeting bird as a bid, as he practiced his bid calling.
Turns out that the darned chipmunk can climb the arbor, to which I have been moving the bird feeders from the honey locust. The chickadees aren't thrilled and neither am it.
Yesterday was interesting. I did beans on Monday, so Tuesday was squash day. I was right in the middle of boiling up a big bunch of them, when Becky called home from the restaurant where she works. Something was up with the village water, and they were having to replace all their water with purchased water.
Oh, now isn't that just grand? As it happens we have village water....
I was darned if I was going to quit in the middle and dump all that work, without more information, so I just labeled all the bags of squash that I made. And, sure enough, along about ten PM we finally heard that there is a boil water advisory for the village....always nice to be the first to know and all. Seems it's an issue with the chlorination though, so I will wait to toss the squash...and the beans I did the day before..... as this has been ongoing I guess...until I hear the results of the tests for bacteria. Because everything is probably actually fine.
Meanwhile...bottled water...and trying to be very careful for the baby's sake.
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