Happy Birthday Shelley

We are all able to look back on our lives, at any moment in time, and see the miracles and how they changed us.

Twenty-nine years ago today, our second baby girl was born; she is one of my miracles. Shelly came out sucking her thumb and was so content to look around and see what her new world was like. She stayed just that way for a long, long time - a happy, smiley little thing.

Today she is a beautiful, graceful young woman, full of kindness and always willing to put herself out to make someone else's day brighter. She is a true joy in all of our lives.

I'm not able to wish her Happy Birthday today because she is off in Thailand enjoying a well-deserved vacation with her husband and friends. I've had to send her birthday wishes on the wisps of the wind and I know that, somehow, she received them.

Happy Birthday sweet girl. I am soooo thankful that you are in our lives! I love you....

Call Me a Wimp

Go ahead, you can do it - call me a Wimp. I can take it, or truth be told, I just don't have it in me at the moment to fight back.

The following should only be read by those not faint of heart....

So, I just had that infamous little cracked tooth removed, you know, the one that ever so graciously cracked off well below the gumline - yep, that's the one. So, two really good things happened:

Number one is that it was so difficult for my dentist to remove the cracked portion (read that as my mouth and jawline were aching, aching, aching when he was done) that I asked the periodontist to wait a week before removing the entire rest of the tooth. Number two is that I felt bad that I was only going to see the periodonist for a single visit, when he had gone to the trouble to get me in as an emergency the first time, that I decided that I would have him (remember - he's a surgeon) and not my dentist take out my tooth. Both of these turned out to be GREAT things.

Besides the fact that the Lidocaine required two additional shots to numb my mouth, which we found out when the Dr. started drilling away to intentionally crack the remaining tooth and I started flying out of the chair. So okay, that was pretty bad, but here was the really, really bad, but sort of good too, thing that happened: the jawbone stubbornly refused to let go of the roots (translation - it took twice as long, required cuts in the gumline, and true pushing/pulling on the tooth to get the bone to give it up!) However, I can now say with complete confidence that I have fantastic bone; I even have a Dr. willing to attest to it. He is left to wonder if it's the goat's milk/cheese!?!

I'm off to go imbibe on pain meds....

Liquid Sunshine

My father was a research meteorologist. He worked for the USAF and then NOAA. I think rain was his favorite form of weather, especially with a rip-snorting thunderstorm.

You see, Dad was from Kansas where rains are few and far between in the summer months, the prarie grasses turn from green to brown very quickly, and there is lots and lots of dust. We didn't live in Kansas when I grew up, but his distinct dislike of the dry weather meant that pretty nearly everytime there was a summer rain, you would find my Dad sitting out on our covered back porch just watching the drops fall down, smoking his little cigars and drinking a martini (with a green olive - I loved those olives!)

Now if there was a thunderstorm rolling in he had me so convinced about how special they were that I'd pull up a chair and watch the entertainment, for hours sometimes, just watching and visiting. I still know the smell of a coming thunderstorm to this day.

Today it rained chickens, goats, and horses on the farm; it was a gully-whomper. Sadly, no thunderstorms but the rain was magnificent. Dad use to call it "liquid sunshine"; I think that was the Kansas boy talking.

From Crowning to Flipping

Yesterday, I blithely proceeded to the dentist expecting to have the small piece of tooth that I cracked last week to be fully removed, while the remaineder of the tooth would be fitted with a crown. Oh, the best laid plans of mice and me....

Blithely is a terrible exaggeration. I actually don't mind the dentist as long as it doesn't involve any of those long-needled shots of novacaine (in truth - probably lidocaine.) Of course, removing part of a hanging on kind of tooth did require those horrible, horrible shots. I survived that portion rather well, for me anyway. The wee problem is that tooth cracked well below the gum line and both the dentist and I were sweating it out as my very, very healthy gums refused to let go. Need I mention how sore my mouth is today?

It got worse - because it was so far below the gum line a crown was out at this point so today I had to go see a periodontist. Me, the very healthy gum person! Anyway, one look at the x-rays, and he very firmly told me that there would be no crown lengthening procedure involved, too close to the point of the dual root connection (yes, there is a technical term for this, just don't expect me to remember it.) So, the tooth will be coming out.

Recommended procedure after extraction - an implant. No, no, no. Here I am getting ready to have my old mercury fillings removed, I'm not about to put in any additional metal objects into my body. Next option - a flipper. Yes, that's right, a flipper. (I love that word!) Just a simple little single tooth denture. Now I'll have something to play around with when I'm bored.

I can even do a little 'take that' kind of flip when I'm frustrated with someone. I think this has great potential.

Happy Birthday Lexie

It's so hard to believe - our first baby girl turned 31 today - from a tiny, perfect little baby to the beautiful woman she is today, with babies of her own! It has been magic watching her all of these years! Congratulations Lexie - I love you....

Our family tradition is that the birthday person gets to choose their favorite meal; the rest of us divide the efforts of the preparation between us. Lexie's choice is shrimp puffs, green salad, garlic bread, stuffed shells, and our special birthday cake (yellow cake layered with what can only be described as the filling in hostess cupcakes, and milk chocolate frosting - YUM.) The very nice thing about this menu is that I really like it too!!!

Lexie's Watson and their little Peanut just finished decorating the dining area, purple and pink streamers abound, with lots and lots of tape - we are now officially ready for the festivities to begin!

Back Again!

Oh, the time has slipped away; where I'm not quite sure....

It might possibly have been spent in basking in the wonderful life I live: sharing laughter and giggles from two delightful grandbabies; long, heart-filled chats with my two beautiful daughters; special moments with my best friend and love, and of course, time spent relaxing and loving each of the very special people that share my life.

We went back to the east coast last week to visit family. It was ever so nice to come back home again! I asked the VVDH to please, please, please, not make me leave the farm for a good long time again. (Not that he made me the last time however!) I truly enjoyed seeing all of our relatives and everyone is doing as well as can be expected, but here in the Pacific Northwest is where I find my peace and tranquility. My special dear ones are all here, but it's more than that. This is the place that we chose, from New England to here, and it has felt ever so right since we arrived many years ago.

So today I am thankful for being on our farm where the leaves are turning their bright, vivid golds and reds, and the sun is lighting them on this blue-skied day! Oh, the complete joy of being home again.

Back Again

How could it possibly be almost three weeks since I've popped in to say hello? Where, oh where, has the time gone?

Possibly, it has been spent in......cuddling a precious new baby who curls up so trustingly in your arms, cuddling a precious little two-year old who is not quite sure what happened but who's world has been turned a little sideways, hanging laundry, gardening, cooking, doing a bit of 'real' work, and last but not least, making those twice-daily forays down to the barn to once again ask Babette to share her creamy, rich milk. I'll have you know that I have indeed found a bit of time to sleep, albeit, probably not as much as I'd like (I really, really excel at sleeping!)

Our newest little grandbaby was indeed born on July 4th. We made it to the birthing clinic at 6:00 p.m., she was born in the water at 7:02, and all of us were back home by 10:40. The firework displays were filling the skies over our entire route home; it was a beautiful way to celebrate Lexie and Watson's littlest miracle. Little Pumpkin is a lovely baby girl, blond hair, blue eyes, and best of all - a really gentle, calm disposition. Yes, she can, and does, let Mama know when it is time to eat, but the inbetween times are filled with coos and contentment. She appears to have the 'typical' water-born baby attitude towards life.

It has been a wonderful few weeks and I remain basking in contentment myself.....

A Knock on the Door

I was slowly and peacefully starting my 4th of July day when the VVDH knocks at the bathroom door and informs me that our littlest grandbaby has let Mama Lexie know that today is her day to 'meet the world'! With just a few short words, the adrenaline starts to rush and my mind starts to race.

There is food to pack, special drinks to put in the cooler, and a final check with the people who need to take over milking duty. All of this done with a veerrrryyyy calm attitude, rather than the laughter and anxiousness just waiting to bubble over.

Lexie and her Watson have opted to have this baby at a birthing center as opposed to a hospital. Lexie had Peanut completely naturally and expects to do the same with this one. This is a hard feat to accomplish in a hospital where the typical staff feels that labor is a 'medical procedure' rather than a very normal and natural event, (other than the rare case when intervention is necessary and appropriate.)

I go along to act as a birthing coach; what a priviledge it is to be asked to share in this very special and private affair - aren't I a lucky mother! And for those of you wondering, yes, oh yes, it is incredibly difficult to see your own well-loved child in pain and is sometimes all one can do to stay calm and keep your own tears at bay.

And so to all of you - have a fun and Happy Independence Day! You already know that ours will be an especially exciting one....

Colors of the Season

I've continued to walk by those poppies, morning and night to milk, as well as a myriad of other reasons, to wander by and gaze upon these unbelievably luscious flowers. I truly think that this year is their best display ever; I suspect that it is proabably thanks to all of the rains that we've had up until now.

I'm so mesmerized that I had to bring them into the house and put them up on the mantle. I'm not sure how long they'll last, but OH, they are beautiful! And with the 4th of July holiday almost upon us, I think that the red, white and blue colors, (okay, yes, really it's a hot-pink, not red), are especially appropriate.

Poppies

Doesn't everyone grow hot-pink poppies in their vegetable gardens?

I keep thinking that we really need to move them, but then they re-seed themselves for the following year and we just don't have the heart to pull up what we know will be THE most spectaular blooms in the garden!!

Little Things

I finally feel that now I am ready for little Miss Kicky-Feet to arrive (not that I have any say in the matter!) I had one more tiny project to make, one of those things that only a very small, sweet baby can use. First the little project had to be sewn. I made it in swiss flannel, a lovely light weight twill-woven cotton cloth, perfect for these warm summer days and cool nights. Then, the finish work began....

Little sleeves were smocked (I always love the way smocking acts as 'elastic', lovely gathering but lots of stretch!)

and the neckline was smocked in gradiated shades of lavender.

Buttons were added, a wash in lavender water, a good pressing, and now we have a pretty little day gown for an already loved little grandbaby.

I can, just barely, wait to meet her!

On a side note, when my VVDH knew I was going to be doing smocking and heard me lamenting about having to hand-gather all of those little marks on the fabric, he suggested I just go ahead and buy a pleater. And so I did, a Super Amanda Smocking Pleater! It works beautifully and is so well-made that I know I will be able to enjoy it for a long, long time. I probably would have done more smocking when my own girls were little, if I'd had this machine back then....

The Sun Shines

I enjoy the whole process of hanging clothes on the line: handling and snapping the freshly washed laundry, pegging them on the line, and then folding the crispy, clean clothes into the basket. I even like to iron!!!

Normally, I don't use the clothes dryer from about the middle of April until well into October; my being home most of the time allows me to adapt to the weather here and there. However, this year there has been NO adapting. It has rained, rained, and then rained some more.

I know that people think that it rains a lot in Seattle, and it does in the fall and winter months, but the late spring into fall can be unbelieveably dry (and incredibly beautiful). So dry that it is weeks on end between sprinklings of rain. So, today, when the sun is finally out (but is due to be absent again starting tomorrow), I pegged the most important of the 'sun needed' laundry on the line - my kitchen towels, dishcloths, and still in the wash, our Hudson Bay wool blanket needing to be lovingly wrapped and stored for the winter (I sent it once to a dry cleaner as recommended, never again, but that is quite another post.)

And then, I stopped and smelled the roses!

A Ladies Tea

Lexie and her 'almost here' little girl were honored Saturday evening with a Ladies Tea! A number of Lexie's close friends attended and she had a wonderful time just sitting back and visiting the evening away, without the interruptions of the dear wee ones or the also dear husbands.

It was an evening for tables dripping with starched white linens overlayed with embroidered linens and flower arrangements at the center of each of the tables.

We served baskets of fresh croissants, cheese platters (including our Wild Rabbit Farm goat cheese!), meat platters, fresh fruit bowls, deviled eggs (thank you chicken girls for the luscious orange yolks!), Welsh currant scones, and of course, several delicious teas.

And not to be forgotten - a beautiful and delicious custom cake from the bakery (chocolate with a chocolate ganache layer - yum!!) Almost as beautiful as my girls!

It was such a girlie night!

Little Romper

Little Miss Kicky-Feet is due to arrive in less than one month; I can hardly wait to meet this lively little girl!

I had been working on a hand-embroidered shadow work collar for a little romper. The collar was recently finished so then it was on to the sewing: lots of little pleats front and back, rick rack on the collar, sleeves and legs, and little buttons up the front.

So, what do you think - won't she look precious?

Weekend Away

I love to tent camp, especially in the woods. We (as in the VVDH and myself) decided that it would be wonderful to share this with little Peanut who is 2 1/2 now. We considered carefully: not being gone too long, a campsite that was well surrounded with vegetation so that we wouldn't have too much 'exploring' going on, and a beach to do some really fun castle building at.

We headed up to Deception Pass State Park, Whidbey Island, on early Friday afternoon. We discovered that Peanut excels at stake hammering, distributing air in the blow up mattress, and 'gardening' with his shovel and bucket. He enjoyed running away from the waves along the Strait of Juan de Fuca, but most of all, Peanut is a master castle maker and just loves to play in the sand! It was all about the beach.....

Sunday arrived with the rains. There is nothing quite like a 2 1/2 year old telling you he is 'awake now' at 6:00 in the morning and then becoming more insistent, and louder, when your eyelids refuse to open. In consideration of our fellow campers still trying to sleep, and recognizing that the beautiful weather was behind us, we packed up in record time and made it back home for a late breakfast! It was a fun weekend, and what a treat to share it with this lovely little boy.

Oh Yum

And here it is, that lovely, lovely cheese! Mixed with a bit of French herbs and garlic, it is sure to be delicious.

I'm off to have a mid-morning snack :-))))

Season's First Cheese

OH YES - We're in the cheese (sung happily to music)!

We finally have enough milk, now that Babette is milking twice a day, to both drink it and make chevre - oh happy day!

The rennet has done 'its thing' to the milk producing a lovely curd after 24 hours

The curd is next drained through cheesecloth for 24 hours
and tomorrow - CHEESE!!!!!

Thank You

On this Memorial Day, as always, I am reminded of those who choose to uphold peace and freedom for their fellow countrymen. It is an amazing gift they give to each of us as well as a huge commitment that they are willing to place on themselves and their families, at sometimes great personal risk.

For those who have chosen this path, both in the past, now, and in the future, I thank you and sincerely appreciate what you do for me. Thank you especially Daddy, Guy, Vince and Jeremy....

Summer Pots

The final planting of the summer pots is all done. I'm sure that once the sun comes out and the weather turns warm (if it ever does again!), that they will start to grow with wild abandon. In the meantime, I must rely on my imagination to see how decadent they will be. Come along, I'll show you some of them....

Greetings at the back door with ivy geraniums

Greetings at the front door with African daisies

A tub full of marguerite daisies

A corner filled with a bit of herbs, blue petunias and small, bright marigolds
One of several baskets between the doors of the garage

Brittany Blue

We went to Brittany, France a few years ago, to Rospico, on the ocean. We spent a week in a lovely old farmhouse, beautifully updated, complete with a hand-thatched roof. The house had a small orchard, gardens, pasture, and it was just a short stroll down the lane to the walking path that skirts up and down the coastline. I fell in love with it all.

I also walked away entranced at how an entire geographical area can be in agreement with the color of house trim, including big, beautiful, wooden shutters. I call it 'Brittany blue' - a deep gorgeous blue with just a touch of purple. I don't know how or why, but it works and I love it!

So last week I went on a search. A search for a BIG, O (round), Brittany blue, ceramic pot. It was an adventure, but we finally found IT and it is lovely. Right now IT is filled with three delightfully scented rosemary plants and six white lobelias. They are all young plants but can't you just see the white of the flowers tumbling down that gorgeous blue pot?? You can see what it looks like today, but wait, just wait - in a month from now I know how absolutely lovely it will be!!!

My Brittany blue pot!

Distractions

I need to get some 'real' work done. Since Lexie has company over, that means taking the laptop from the study to upstairs, and working on a table in my bedroom. I thought that wouldn't be a problem since we are wireless here in the house. I failed to consider something however.

The laptop works great and I am all ready to start working. First however, I must make the bed and fluff all of the pillows. Then I need to do a quick dust and straightening and freshen the water in the vase with fresh flowers. Next I see a needlework project that is 'almost' done, it just needs a little more work. And so it continues....

Life's wonderful distractions win out over working, at least for the moment. I must, I really must, get back to work, but oh look there - a lovely book I've been meaning to start reading.

Good-bye Feathered Friends

One year ago four beautiful little goslings arrived at our farm: fluffy feathery balls with great big feet, each fit in the palm of your hand. There were two little geese and two little ganders each with a fanciful name.

The goslings at eight days old

They were wonderfully cared for and not a thing wasn't done to make their lives healthy and happy; Lexie thought they were the most precious things in the world next to her own bright and beautiful child. They grew to look exactly like what American Buff geese should be and they were great fun to have on the farm.

The goslings at four months old - aren't they lovely!

And then last winter they took a good look at each other, and like any healthy, happy geese, their thoughts turned to love and they paired off. Each gander had a lovely goose to call his own and call they both did. And then Bergamot decided that possibly, just possibly, he should go the extra step of making sure that no usurper could take away the love of his life (geese mate for life and the lives are about 25 years long.) Then the other gander made the same decision and all life forms on the farm that were clearly not a goose, needed to be harassed and chased away with head down, neck stretched, wings flapping, full out running. I can't begin to describe how a 15 pound bird could possibly make you feel as though you should run for your life, but these guys can do it!


As responsible animal owners, one and all knew that running was not an option, therefore, plans B, C and D were implemented: B was to go through a pasture other than the one the geese were in, C was to make sure the geese were on the complete other side of the pasture and then quietly slink through and hopefully make it out the other gate before they noticed you, and C was to have a broom in-hand to yield as a shield in front of yourself. We all became adept at the required forms of evasion, though Lexie showed a definite preference for plan B.

And then goat kidding/milking season was upon us. Proper consideration of the noise levels and general chaos had not been sufficiently analyzed. Milking became a stressful time, even after luring the marauding beasts out of the barn into their outside yard, due to general complaints at now being outside of the 'action'. Have any of you attempted milking in this environment? It can certainly be done but it isn't calm and it isn't lovely, both of which is my normal milking experience with my goat girls. So it came down to this - delicious, fresh, wonderful milk, or the screaming banshees. Guess which won.

The geese have gone to a new home. One where there are also goats, but of the fiber inclination, not the milking kind, where noise and marauding can be happily continued by eight webbed feet. They should be happy there and next year they will be raising babies :-)

Flying By

Today is Watson's birthday - Happy 31st Birthday Watson!

Today is also the 30th anniversary of the eruption of Mt. Saint Helens. I've been wondering if the two events are related; I'm sure Watson was starting to cruise around at about that same time.

We made soap last week, lots of soap, nine pounds to be exact. I forgot to cut it last Saturday but I finally remembered late last night, and after finishing a large piece of editing work, I was able to put it into it's cutting form and take care of it. Strange - one of the blocks is dark in the middle of the cut soap bars. Normally this is a beautiful creamy yellow soap. I feel some internet research coming on.

I also need to complete a small embroidery project, a shadow work collar for a little romper. I can hardly believe our new little grandbaby will be here in just a few more short weeks. Not to mention the summer flowers that still need potting. Though, as I look outside with rain falling in sheets I know I couldn't possibly go work in THAT, so maybe I should just pick up a book and read? Time is flying by....

A Perfect Day

It started yesterday, my perfect day, and is just now coming to an end; reality is starting to beckon.

Ralph, the VVDH, came home from work early and we headed to the big city of Seattle. We had an early dinner at the Cheesecake Factory, and yes, there was an ending to our meal that included a classic cheesecake with strawberries - yum. Then is was off to the beautiful Paramount Theatre. Have you ever been there? The outside is quite plain, but oh, the inside is sooooo lovely. I always feel quite elegant and delightfully girlie when I am there!

Months ago we had bought the tickets and this was the night: "Celtic Woman, Songs from the Heart"!!!! My hands clapped, my feet tapped and my heart sang. I always get these feelings that I might, just might, be able to sing and dance beautifully one day. So far, that day is still looming far, far away on the horizon. But I was truly inspired and had a REALLY wonderful time.

And then my perfect day continued (after a blissful night's sleep). Today was sunny with barely a cloud in the sky. Ralph and I enjoyed a 4 1/2 mile hike in the Redmond watershed, and then ate a delicious lunch that I had packed before we left. I love being in the woods; it's my very happy place and I love to have the people I care about share it with me.

Afterwards, it was off to Flower World, and, yep, you guessed it, the purchase of the summer annuals. Fortunately, I keep a very large perennial garden, but I can't resist having additional pots brimming with lots of summer flowers. I'll be cursing myself just a little in the next week as I try to squeeze in time for all of the pot planting, but I'll be happy once it is all done and there are colors bursting about here and there!

And to end my perfect 24 hours - my sweetie bought be a Starbucks espresso frappuccino!

It's a wonderful life I have ;-))

Which would YOU prefer?

The sweet, beautiful child who lives with us, Peanut, has just started potty training as of yesterday; he's almost 2 1/2 years old and Mama Lexie, who is expecting his little sister in July, is thinking that two in diapers would be one too many, thus we have reached 'serious' potty training time.

And by serious, we mean that all the tricks of the trade have been pulled out: favorite books in the bathroom, special little cars (why do boys, even the very littlest of boys, like mechanical objects so very much?), special candies....WHAT, did I just say candies?!? Yup, I did. Peanut's Mama carefully watches what he eats which means that he rarely gets sweets unless it's associated with a fruit of some sort. So candy is a really, really, really HUGE deal.

Everything went well yesterday, Day 1; there were several admirable successes and many commendable attempts. Then last night, Peanut looked hard at his candies (he gets only six for a potty success), and considered, "Mama, I would like the big m & m's, not the little ones." Now seriously, don't you agree with him? After all, he's working pretty hard!

So today, there are big m & m's available for Peanut's efforts, and I must say, I believe it might be making a difference....

The Sun Came Out

What happens when the sun finally comes out after a long spell of cold, rainy days?

We play 'king of the log' (baby doe),

we soak up the warm sun on a lazy afternoon (baby buck),

we eat the juicy spring grass that we haven't been able to enjoy in the past week (Coquette - yearling),

we eat as much as we can since we have to make lots of milk (mommy Babette),

we just keeping eating and flicking our ears to keep those pesky bees away (Fannie),

ahhh, the pleasures of just chilling together and eating the afternoon away (the does),

and us, well we're not into 'real' eating since we get to mosey on up to the milk bar whenever we feel like it, so we just go and nibble on the old cedar stump!

Life is good here....

Where has the time gone???

I can't believe how long it has been since I've last posted! So much busyness and so much fun....

The bees arrived, actually, three sets of bees arrived.

The Bee Saga: Bee package 1 arrived, the queen ate through her little marshmallow plug quite successfully. So successful was she that the rude little soul promptly absconded from the hive and took all of the worker bees with her! There is nothing quite like hearing no buzzing, looking in and seeing no bees and knowing that $100.00 just winged their way away. Not much to be done unless you are able to locate the swarm. This is NOT a normal occurence; we suspect we had a floozy queen! Bee package 2 was courtesy of the bee guy who felt so bad about what happened with bee package 1, that he gave Watson all of the hitchhiker bees from the following week's California bee pick up and also gave him a new queen. This time, the entrance/exit was blocked and the new group took a few happy days getting to know each other before the queen was released into the hive, and they are now happily setting up housekeeping. Now the more exciting news: the bee guy had a few packages that didn't sell, so he offered Watson a free 4# package with queen! After lots of scrambling there are now two happy hives sitting in the bee yard (the little pasture behind all of the high hot wire due to the possibility of friendly bears who might decide to visit as a result of the delicious honey smell.) Watson is doing great and having a blast; he has lots of fussy stuff to worry over, just his cup of tea!

Preparing to handle a bee package for the first time!

Very noisy, not too happy, 3 # package (9,000 bees) plus one queen.

The floozy queen in the temporary queen box, prior to adding the marshmallow plug.

Goat News: The goat kids have grown and are doing wonderfully with the herd in the few hours a day that they are all mixed together. Babette is separated from her babies at night, starting when they were three weeks old, and I am milking her in the morning only and then letting the babies have the milk during the day and early evening. So far the arrangement is working out well, and Babette's teats are enlarging little by little and she is becoming more patient on the milking stanchion.

Bee Day!

The bees are coming in today!!! They were picked up in California yesterday, traveled overnight with the cooler temps, and are ready to go to their homes at noon today. Watson is 90% excited and 10% nervous. He will put them into their hive today - I feel lots of lively photo opportunities coming on.

I did ask if maybe Watson could also play his violin when he gets suited up; it was met with a disgruntled "'No." You know, it might keep the bees calm. Ummmmmm, maybe not.....

Stewey

Have I mentioned our geese? You know, those beautiful, graceful, personable, and LOUD geese? Currently, they have a lovely pen inside our barn, completely safe from any type of predators that might enjoy goose, with their own window, and direct access to their outside pen area for daytime wanderings. If someone is out and about on the farm they also get to enjoy checking things out in one of the big pastures. In other words, this gaggle of four live the 'life of Riley'. (Okay, I'm not sure who Riley actually was, but I always hear that he had a really, really terrific life!)

The geese are about a year old now. They are American Buff, an endangered breed, and Lexie had bought two show quality breeding pairs, therefore, we have two geese and two ganders. She gave them beautiful names to go with her high expectations for breeding and showing them. Her favorite was a male named Bergamot. He tolerated being held in her arms and lap, would fall asleep when she petted him, and she was just sure that he would always be sweet and gentle with her.

Bergamot has grown into a nice size gander and he just loves his gaggle of friends. (Interpretation: he is HUGE when he spreads his wings and comes at you with his head down and neck stretched, which is often as he has the feeling that we are out to get him and his feathered friends.) Lexie has become most reluctant to walk through the pastures if Bergamot is loose in them! So, with the most loving intentions, she has 'gifted' him to her husband, Watson, and changed his name to Stewey (for possibly obvious reasons.)

At 6'1" Watson has a distinct advantage over Stewey and hisses right back at him; I think that the two are becoming quite attached to each other. I'm also suspicious that Stewey is beginning to ponder whether or not Watson might not just be a really large gander....

New Arrivals

Babette decided to finally let her little ones see the light of day! Day 151 arrived and she started becoming talkative and wanting lots and lots of petting and loving. She decided to just keep holding off having those babies until late in the evening....

Interestingly, she labored quite happily throughout the day. Towards the end, she continued to eat and want lots of pets. We could see that she was having strong contractions, but she'd just keep her head in my lap, raise her tail, and tuck her bums, all the while standing.

Finally, she lay down and immediately pushed out a water sac, soon followed by two babies, a doe and a buck. The doe presented incorrectly, but Lexie saw the baby and Babette through it and all was well. The buck, well, he just about came flying out! The photo above shows the kids at about 30 minutes old, the doe is the right top one.

Babette is a great mom, very gentle and patient with her babies. They are all thriving and how lucky are we to be able to witness something so wonderful?!?

Toilettage D'Oie

Spring is definitely here; the goat girls are shedding their undercoats. Some are like fuzzy cotton balls, others just shed a finer coat. Fannie, of the finer coat, appears to be especially itchy; the hair on both sides of her neck is 'rubbed' down, as well as along both sides of her withers. An interesting aspect though, all of the areas are about 20 inches from the ground.

Yesterday was beautiful here in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains. The weather was warmish, a little bit breezy, and lovely blue skies. I went down to the barn to check on Babette (no baby happenings yet but tail ligaments tell me birth will be anytime now.) All of the goat girls came up to say hello, as well as the geese in the adjacent pasture. Fannie did a funny thing - she literally plastered herself along the fence, including her lowered head. It was the strangest thing, that is, until I saw an even stranger thing....

The geese ran up, Fannie stayed plastered, and then the ganders started to groom her! This involved their sort of 'niggling' at her and pulling out little bits of hair. It was the funniest thing and she LOVED it! I'm calling it Wild Rabbit Farm Toilettage D-Oie.

Kidding Date -6

We now have less than a week to the 150 day gestation date for Babette. She continues with her bright and chipper personality; I even saw her race down the hill yesterday, though I must say that it was not accompanied by her typical little mid-flight side kick.

I'm excited for her to be a mom. Although I love all of our girls, Babette is my special baby. Her personality is gentle, loving, and a little playful too. She makes me feel happy when I'm around her. I wonder if I bring something to her too? I'd like to think so.

The maternity kit is all ready to go and the VVDH put the audio monitor up in the barn. She spends her nights in the kidding pen which she loves - no sharing of the delicious orchard grass hay, and she's the only one pooping in the water bucket! Speaking of which, just how do these goats end up each morning with poops in the water? They have luxurious pens: large, fresh air coming through the grilled window, deep bedding completely cleaned every week, and fresh water morning and night. So, exactly how does one go about aiming for what seems like a very small target in a very large area? Lest you think that it may be due to crowding - ha - these pens were originally designed for a large draft horse and there are only four goats in there, including a short but stout pygmy! So go figure.... unless of course, they do it on purpose....

The Visit

So Sam, my big brother, has now come and gone. What fun it was to catch up and watch him interact with my own family. Everyone always loves him and Lexie's baby was no exception, "Where did Uncle go?" I've been asked numerous times since.

The weather cooperated and new fencing got put up in the back pasture as we work to convert it from horse pasture to goat pasture, with another four feet of electric wire on top to discourage the wild interlopers which we must remain ever vigilant of. A couple of ducks have taken up occasional residence in the small pond and they were fun to watch coming in for a landing.

We managed to sneak away to Orcas Island and of course drove up to Mt. Constitution. The views are magnificent as the San Juan Islands float in the distance. What I really love though is the watch tower. I can imagine myself making a home in it, four little rooms, one on each of the levels. I imagine it would be very cold within the stone walls, but my imagination stretches to beautiful big fireplaces in each room as well. Aren't imaginations wonderful....

Jury Duty Ends

Finally, I am responsible for my own destiny once again....

The jury summons had come in the mail six weeks ago. At the time, it had seemed far, far away. Then my brother Sam decided to come for a visit and in deciding acceptable dates, we had to work around our goat kidding, his cows calving, and of course, his job - the one that pays for all of those grass-fed beef cows! And so, it ended up that the end of my jury duty week worked great for him, and actually was pretty much the only time that did.

Since I'd never done jury duty before, I decided that Sam's arrival at the end of this week posed no problems. What I did not take into account was that not only was the requirement that I had to possibly go everyday to find out if my services 'might' be needed, but then if I was chosen as a juror, it could extend well into next week or longer. Talk about being just a little bit concerned!

Everything worked out however, and I only had to attend for the first two days. I am now better educated on how it all works and will be better prepared if I ever receive a jury summons again!

Now back to real life - YIPPEE!!!!

K-3+ Weeks

Today was hoof trimming day for the very pregnant two-year old, Ms. Babette (she's the dark one in the blog picture and is a true sweetheart by nature.) She is due to kid in just over three weeks, and since I don't like mama hooves to be too sharp with babies newly on the ground, today was the day. She doesn't know yet, but next weekend is her 'maternity haircut', which, if last year was any indication, is going to be quite exciting....

Babette was due last year at about this same time; in hindsight she had either lost the babies or hadn't taken as we expected, it's hard to say without an ultrasound, and we couldn't be sure one way or the other at the time. She was treated just as if she was carrying, including the extra bit of graining leading up to kidding. Babette really liked that part and got to where she'd race me to the stanchion once she was out in the open barn area! However, with two weeks to go, the clippers came out for trimming her back end up to neat and tidy. So here she was, after flying to the stanchion, quietly eating her bit of grain, knowing that a brief brushing could be enjoyed when she was done. All of a sudden, sounding like a hundred little bees buzzing, the clippers turned on and I started to trim her. UP flew her back end, feet flying, and she did the 'stanchion dance' like there was no tomorrow.

So you see, I'm thinking that next weekend should be very exciting around here.

In Like a Lion Out Like a Lamb

Today was one of those very exciting, weather-wise, days! There was thundering rain in the morning, a small bit of blue sky (when DD Shelley snuck out to ride both horses), a bouncing hail storm in the afternoon, and this evening - beautiful blue skies with the sun shining between the evergreens. I love the excitement that wild weather brings!

My father was a research meteorologist and I remember many, many times when we would simply watch an impressive thunderstorm roll through from the safety of our covered porch. He was famously good at his work, but most of all I think he simply loved what he did. Isn't it wonderful when people love the work that earns them their living? I am lucky that my very, very dear husband (VVDH), Ralph, is like that. He always arrives home from the office content; I think it has probably made a huge difference in both of our lives over the years.

Little Miss Kicky-Feet

Oh - I saw her, this new little grand-daughter to be! She stretched, she wiggled her arms, and busy thing that she already is, her little feet were kicking away! Not being an ultrasound technician, I had to rely sometimes on explanations of exactly what I was seeing, but it truly didn't take away the magic of it all. She is healthy, she is active and she is beautiful!!!

And how priviledged I am that my eldest dear daughter (DD), Lexie, invited me to share in a part of this special event. Her husband, Watson, and sister, Shelley (my other DD), had been at the previous ultrasound and both had come home excited but a little subdued. It's quite an amazing, and humbling, thing when you stop to consider the miracle of new life. Although Miss Kicky-Feet is our soon-to-be littlest family member, I get almost as excited about our goat kids or new wild bunnies out nibbling the grasses along the edge of the woods. And I am so thankful that I get to see it all!

Tomorrow I have a friend coming to spend the day visiting, enjoying lunch, and relaxing while we do some of our hand-work projects. And yes, I AM going to brave that rosemary biscuit recipe once more and see if I can't make them edible this time!

Rosemary Biscuits - Not for Eating!

Oh, I do love to cook, and generally, I'm a very good cook. At least I thought so up until yesterday.

We had company for lunch, not fancy company, just the extended family kind, where you still want to spoil them a little but not have to make any extra trips to the grocery store. I was making a cheese souffle, fairly common for us on Wild Rabbit Farm, but usually a treat for others. With our extra fresh morning eggs, the result is always a deep orange-yellow, rising beautifully over the dish. A mixed greens salad with radishes, carrots and jicama, and tossed with a French vinaigrette was perfect. And now the 'little' problem....

I was pretty sure that we had a baguette out in the freezer. Lexie went to get it just before lunch and guess what - no baguette. The solution - fresh rosemary biscuits since we had buttermilk in the refrigerator and frozen whole rosemary in the freezer. Um, doesn't that sound yummy?

Just a little problem. Remember this if you ever think baking soda and baking powder are interchangeable: they are NOT. I inadvertantly, in my rush to get the biscuits made and in the oven before the souffle, mixed the two up. I added baking soda instead of the baking powder and even our little dog, Abby, wouldn't eat them, and honestly, she eats everything!

So our palates were tempted, but alas, no rosemary biscuits with lunch. (We ended up toasting up some delicious rye bread instead - good, but just not the same thing!)

Beginnings

I knew it would happen; I've been following blogs much too long to not start my own. In a moment of weakness, I 'clicked' and now here I am!

I ponder this new beginning, realizing that this is the perfect time for starting this venture. Yesterday, Babette, our two-year old Nubian goat, received her shots in preparation for kidding just one month from today. Wednesday I go to an ultrasound of our newest precious grandchild, a girl, due in early July. Bee hives are being set up for the bees and queen's arrival in April, and a new, much larger orchard just went in. So many changes, new beginnings, and each with such wonderful expectations (though I admit that the baby girl has the vast majority of our attention!)

So thank you for visiting and I invite you back to join me as we journey the many paths at Wild Rabbit Farm!