Garlic Quest

High headed Amish horse

It's getting late to plant garlic here and we were getting desperate for some sets. 

The boss called about everywhere he could think of and didn't find so much as a clove until he called an orchard....not too far from here, but not "our" orchard...and found that they had a few pounds left.

We made plans to stop along the way at "the garlic lady" because they have the best we have ever grown. However usually she is sold out by this time of year.

We hit it lucky both places. At the garlic lady we bought some huge bulbs of the mild, sweet kind we love.

At the orchard we bought some rather small Russian garlic and some really nice squash and got to talk to the owner for a bit. 

He is perhaps the most traveled person I have ever met. A highly trained orchardist and farmer he has traveled the world for decades sharing his knowledge. He was kind enough to share a few tales with us today, which was a lot of fum.

We heard about Nepal and Lebanon and Israel. And Liberia, Egypt, Kazakhstan and other places I can't bring to mind. We heard about customs, food and drink, ideas, planes, and how small the world has become.

He kept telling me that I need to ramble, to travel, to get out and see. And I kept thinking, no....thank you, but no...I am thrilled to listen, to read, to learn, but I haven't worn out the USA yet in my mind...I think I'll stay. 

But thanks. It was fun. And we will enjoy the squash and plant most of the garlic....some of those giant cloves are going to get eaten this fall....it is too good to resist.

Monday

Anybody know what this plant is?

Rose hips

Deer on the lawn

Sunday Stills...the 1940s

Putting the cows up the hill

Contemplating whether to cut these up into firewood or build some planters for the wife

For this challenge I found a 1948 model husband. I actually found him way back in the 80s but he is pretty well preserved. As you can see there is quite a lot of wear left on the tread. 

For more Sunday Stills......

Git along little dogie....or Bama Breeze as the case may be

That was Not

The sound of a tool chest falling down the stairs.

No, it was the sound of every single pan, cookie sheet, and broiler....and rack....and kettle....and every other heavy metal object stored there falling out of the cupboard under the microwave and cascading around my feet when I reached up to turn up the heat this early morning.

If that is any indication of the way the day is going to go I think I had better go back to bed. 

I will apologize to any who may have been awakened, although I am not guilty of piling them in there like that.

I blame November.

Circles

So many years ago...the shop is closed now I guess...but I used to buy herb plants and bring them home. They have been moved so many times to so many different gardens over the years, perhaps the best traveled mint in town. There used to be many more kinds, but alas, they have perished from winters and oats and such.

I lost the Apple Mint last winter, so cold, so cold....and the Thyme, but that is always chancy.



When it was decided to drop the big Honey Locust...which hasn't happened yet...I moved the tiny remaining Orange Mint plant and a Chocolate Mint Liz bought last year to new beds near the house.

They liked their new beds and have flourished. And in the interests of potential income next spring I have been cutting and rooting and potting. They take to it like bunnies, multiplying happily on windowsills and upstairs in the big windows there.

I have discovered that the plastic tool trays out of old tool boxes from garage sales are perfect for small plant pots. Nice handles, and you can fill them with water and keep thirsty plants comfy. Quite a few plants fit in each.

Today I picked a bunch more of all three mints...I have a tiny Peppermint too...and put more to root, and more in pots, and more upstairs. To root them in water, one must strip off the lower leaves. These get washed and dried on a paper plate for cooking later...or at least the Orange Mint does...great seasoning for meats and sauces.

 I ordered a package of Apple Mint seeds on Amazon today, with rewards I get for taking surveys....feels like a circle to me.

Ticked Off

Tufted Titmouse scolding me for intruding on the wild

No, no, not by the election. There were no real surprises there. 

Nope, it's the darned ticks that irk me. When we were kids we could roll around in the grass all day playing French Foreign Legion, which was a biggie for us....

Or cowboys and Indians, stage coach driver, combat, or any of those things, which we did a lot. (And by the way we played with every imaginable kind of toy weapon....we had a veritable arsenal, plus "real" dummy training rifles out of dad's shop, and all of us still grew up to be responsible tax paying citizens. And yes I was a tomboy and had my own set of plastic grenades, dummy rifle, and all. I was good at football too but too blind and slow to be much use at baseball.)

And yet I never even saw a tick until I worked in an animal hospital in my teens and  a brown dog tick came in on a dog. It caused much consternation among the staff who had never seen one either.

What is up with this? I don't believe for a minute that it is the alleged warmer weather. Ticks don't care how cold it gets, although I once thought they did. Nope, they live in very cold places and come through the harshest winters happy as clams....which by the way are much nicer than ticks, not to mention very tasty.

White-throated Sparrow wondering about the commotion

One might point the finger in a few possible directions. We use vastly fewer pesticides today than we did then. Municipalities routinely conducted spraying for mosquitoes and black flies back then. They wouldn't dare today. This is, of course a good thing in many ways, but there are always unexpected consequences.

And all kinds of critters change their ranges constantly. Didn't they teach us in school that nature abhors a vacuum? If there is a market for the product provided by a bird, animal, or loathsome parasite, it will be filled.

 Or something for them to eat....if you build it they will come. No cardinals to brighten your landscape? Wait a decade or so. No bloodthirsty pests wanting to kill you if you step outdoors? Ditto.

Not to mention, the ticks causing the problems are deer ticks and there are a LOT more deer now than then. I won't tell you what I saw along those lines up in the fields yesterday, but let's just say that they outnumber the cows.....(Alan, send your mama a text if you want the details.)

Anyhow, I helped the boss put the cows up in their field when he went out for wood, and then followed his path up to the T-Field, where he is cutting that wood. 

I am absolutely psychotic about ticks and was constantly careful to choose my path so as not to brush against brush. 

Or twigs. 

Or grass.

I wore high rubber boots.

And still, as I sat editing the photos I took after pishing up a sweet little feeding flock up in the old cow pasture, a deer tick crawled down my arm.

Dagnabbit, I feel sorry for kids growing up today who could never play out in the woods like we did.

Another creature, which is much more common than when we were kids
And much more welcome too.

Voting

Was interesting this year. After weeks of endless robocalls, so many that even the ones from candidates we believe in became annoying, it was time to go the polls. 

First thing we saw was a van parked right up against the polling limit sign and a lady stopping all the traffic to hand out business cards for someone who is running a write in campaign for sheriff. Um, thanks, but no thanks.

Then we went inside to be greeted by our friendly poll watchers. In our town voter ID consists of hi, how are you, whatcha been doing? from people you have known for decades. We signed in, received our ballots and went to the "privacy" screens to make our choices.

First thing I noticed was that the pen didn't write. Okey dokey, that was easily fixed. Then I noticed that the magic ink bled through the ballot making marks on both sides.

Once again, no problem. There were no candidates on the opposing side. This could be an issue if the ballot was laid out differently I suspect.

Anyhow......

We ran them puppies through the scanner, then stopped to talk about grandbabies and weather and cows on our way out, and came on home, proud and happy to have exercised our right to participate in this important rite.

Voting, it's the right thing to do.

I Can Haz Dis?

If it fitz it's mine, right?

Thanks, Uncle Alan, I can already play Frere Jacques

One Goose

November stepped up to be counted this weekend, letting us know that he's  ready to rumble. Cold winds blew across the land and down the valley, so vigorous that a Red-tailed Hawk sat on the "breeze" over the heifer barn, as still as a hovering Kestrel, for as long as it took me to hang out half the laundry.

Extra clothespins, please.

He was an amazing sight, maybe thirty feet over the roof, feathers pressed hard against his body as he hovered in place, all his colors lit brightly by the late, low light. As I hung the last towel, he side slipped over the horizon, to take his hunting elsewhere.

 I was glad to have seen him there, marking the strength of the wind.

It found every chink in the house, and as always in an old farm house like this one, there were plenty of chinks.

Last night it was so cold I left the heat turned up for Peggy. Normally we never do that, just turn it way down and pile on the blankets, but it was too cold to sit in the kitchen, and thus too cold, in my mind at least, for the little one.

Uncle Alan bought her some funny tummy time toys, which were sure good for some laughs. One is a piano thingy with toys dangling from a hoop. The baby plays the piano by lying on their back kicking a big plastic keyboard with their feet. It took her about three seconds to figure out how to make it go, and then she gave it one heck of a workout. We all sat around watching her thump the heck out of it and talk to the dangly toys for a good long time.

I got up grumpy today though. After nearly a week at home our boy is off to the nation's capitol again today and probably won't get home for several weeks....that is enough for a good grump right there, and there were plenty of other little grouchy things to keep me frowning too. 

And then, instead of coming in for breakfast Daisy took off for the heifer barn where the hens are....and the kids moved the turkey tractor inside yesterday, so they are there too. I ran out in my bare feet to call her back before she got into serious trouble and there he was.

Flying west all alone, calling sadly to the sky. One lone Canada Goose, with the sunrise lighting his feathers from below, turning him to molten gold and silver, and all the colors of the morning.

Country life. You just can't beat it.

Sunday Stills....Fall Foliage

The asparagus is still pretty showy

Only a few leaves left on the trees here....

For more Sunday Stills....

Ain't this Cool?

Al and Jen went to a pumpkin carving party yesterday. Alan found a photo of this on the Net, drew it on the gourd, and they carved this. I thought it was really neat. 

Rrrowwrrrrr

Boo

Had to walk to the barn late last night....it was dark...the moon was fuzzed all around with a little ice cloud, and the stars were burning softly.

But there was something out there. Every step I took things rustled in the bushes. Sometimes it sounded like a few sleepy birds fluttering away from the light of my flashlight. Sometimes it sounded like a bunny bouncing off. Sometimes it sounded like a dozen zombies bent on wreaking havoc. Or a grizzly bear.

Must be the wild things were getting ready for Halloween. I did not waste any time on my trip.

Marv certainly was in a holiday mood. He appeared on the back lawn as I was starting to put dinner together. Just what I wanted to see. He had gotten left behind when the old cows went to pasture and instead of going where he belonged, he scooted under the electric fence and came a visiting.

 Interestingly we discovered that feeder calves that are being raised on pasture can run.

I mean really run. At least he confined himself to the horse yard so he couldn't run very far. After some serious chasing, we tried letting him out of the yard. He was tired and ran back where he belonged faster than you would believe.

Alas, dinner was late....

Hope you all have a fun and safe Halloween.

Turkey Talkin'

See the kitty on the phone? Pet him and he'll purr.

Our boy is home for most of five too-short days. He loves to mix things up and the place is humming. He and Peggy play on the floor a lot. She used to hate to get down on a blanket in the living room, but now she loves it, and a patient playmate makes it that much better.

You should hear her growl. Her daddy taught her that quite some time ago, and she growls at her food, at her toys, and at us. She growls at towels. She growls at everything just before she grabs it and chomps on it.

When she gets a little older all she will need for 'talk like a pirate day' are a few 'Ahoys' and a couple of 'Mateys', because she sure has argghhh down pat. 

Wanna taste the lollipop?

Al came to the barn with us yesterday morning for chores and on the way back over he did some turkey talking. He is good enough with just his mouth, no call, no box, no toys atall, that he used to drive his professors crazy at college. He would get in the stairwell and do a few little hen calls and then leave. People would look all over for the turkey.

Hmmmm.....

Yesterday the birds in the turkey tractor went nuts when he called them. The toms began to gobble, feathers fluffed, tails fanned and then began to strut in earnest. The hens were utterly perplexed.

It was pretty funny. I can call well enough to get hens to come down off the hill....sometimes.... but I swear he could talk them right onto the table. He once stalked one quietly enough to walk up and touch it when it was sleeping. It woke up right quick though, I can tell you.
 

A loaf of Liz's peasant bread. Look, ma, no kneading!

Anyhow, things are pretty lively right now...nice to have him here....we will sure miss him when he has to go back to DC.

A Big Sad

This wonderful, much-loved, super special dog, Fuzzy, from Life on a Colorado Farm, has passed away....I hope Linda doesn't mind me borrowing his picture, as I never met him in person. However, everyone here at Northview felt as if we knew him and his best buddy, Boomer, and all the cats, and chickens and all the other characters from his Colorado home.

Dog lovers know...there is nothing like a favorite dog and losing one is poignantly painful. 

Good boy, Fuzzy, RIP.

We Don't Need No Stinkin'

Naps!

Contrary

Cinnamon's tail several days after the escapade.
The majority of the burrs are gone

There are only five cows left here. Well, actually, two cows, one heifer, two bulls and one steer. You might expect that so few would find fewer ways to get in trouble.

Alas, all it takes is one. A few days ago someone (not me) didn't quite chain the barnyard gate, which leads to the back of the home farm (which is not the one where the house is...go figure).

Marv, drinking from a muddy puddle.
There is a clean watering trough
a pond
and a creek
but mud is tastier, dontcha know?

Moon, Cinnamon, Marv and Bama Breeze discovered that open gate and exited in search of better and more abundant forage than can be found on the huge pasture they have all to themselves (said pasture has been known to feed fifty-one heifers from spring to fall without supplemental feeding in good years). Yeah, the poor things are obviously starving.

Anyhow, when I got to the barn to give the boss a hand that evening I had no trouble at all knowing they had been out.

Where there are cows there are no burdocks. They love them and eat them right down to the roots.

Where there are no cows there are plenty. Add cows in autumn and you have a terrible combination. Bama's tail from root to tip of switch was so covered with burrs that they were flaking off in sheets.

Heaven forbid she try to switch her tail.

 

Bama, days after the debacle
Imagine about ten times this many

The other three were not quite as well-endowed, but there was no shortage. 

Turns out the boss had to hunt them down with the tractor as they had been over quite a lot of ground and he has a bad knee. The ground was evidently rich in burdocks.

Where do you think he found them? Right in the other pasture, grazing on the pretty ridge overlooking the river, and joined by a bunch of deer.

Portents

The mystery sparrow

Spent a lot of time outdoors yesterday. It was just too nice not to. 

Dark-eyed Junco

The sun dogs flickered on and off, not too strong, not so bright, so maybe they didn't have much to say about the future.

Pine Siskin

But the Pine Siskins on the feeder? The flock of a dozen of them mixed with winter sparrows and house finches? 

Now that may have meaning, although I surely hope not.

And then there were the oddly marked Woolly Bears. One had a little black on its butt, a reasonable amount of it on the front, and the widest orange band we had ever seen. What's up with that?

House Finch

Went out to watch that rocket launch last night, only to find after I stood outside for a good long while, watching a distant plane, that it had been scrubbed.

Of course it was. The sky was clear here for a change for a nighttime sky event. Normally, all eclipses, comets, meteor showers and launches that are visible on the East Coast are obscured by clouds.....and here is our Tuesday night forecast: 

Cloudy this evening with showers after midnight. Low 56F. Winds SSW at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 60%.

Oh, well, we should be used to it by now. 

If the little sparrow I caught, sitting in the Mt. Ash tree is a Swamp Sparrow, which I believe it is, I picked up two year birds for the farm count in one day. Also got news that our Christmas Bird Count, unless something changes, will be after Christmas rather than before. If you have ever tried to cover a territory that takes in malls and shopping centers the weekend before the holiday, while driving slowly scanning for birds, you will understand why this was great news.

Is this a portent of a good winter's birding? One can only hope.

Shipping

With our change of auction barns we have to ship on Sunday for a Monday sale. Thus nine head went yesterday, the remaining four heifers, Abbekirk, Cedar Key, Loki, and Tequila, and five steers. 

Really only wanted to send the steers, which we kept for this, but our taxes went up...a lot....again....

At least we have a nice new trucker, who is kind but firm with the animals. She and I got most of the heifers on the truck while we were waiting for the boss. Wish we had found her when we were still in the dairy business, as far too many of the other truckers we used were either hasty and abrupt, or downright incompetent, or both. I have always hated shipping stock! 

If you want her number give one of us a shout. So far she has loaded with us twice and both times went well.

Anyhow, the place will be pretty bare for winter. Only a handful left now. I need to find a direction right soon. Discovered that retirement does not suit my temperament one bit.