still august?

Well went dry Tuesday. Hauling water. Rained some yesterday, but it takes a lot of rain and awhile so we'll see how long I'm camping, lol.

I'm working this weekend with my friend K at one of her family's falafel/gyro mobile stands. Hubby and two middle boys are working the Bangor folk festival. Oldest son, wonderful D; K, and I are working a minor venue locally.

D and I are working the cook part, he rolling out the middle eastern flatbread dough and throwing it on the stove for me to bake and flip and then scorch and poof over the open wood fire. Good, I don't need to worry about that hair on the back of my fingers anymore. :D

We are also covering the fryers; falafel and sweet potato fries. and the gyro cookers, with a lamb beef mix on one, and chicken breasts marinated in Italian dressing in the other.

We are also manning last minute prep for the topping station...lettuce, tomato, hummus, cucumber, onion, pickled veggies, pickles, feta or black olives? Shit, the Tahini's empty...or was that Taziki? LOL.

There were a passle of folks running about with wonderful, gut wrenching, OMG I want it, cameras!! You name it, top of the line... I knew Rockport photography must be running an assignment-it's a wonderful photography school.

I caught a couple of the students trying to sneak shots of me running the bread on the woodstove, but it wasn't until the end of the night following a brief rainshower, when I was winding down and sitting on the wheel of the trailer that holds the prep station and walk-in cooler, with Willow in a comfortable embrace, that one photographer candidly took shot after shot. Willow and I, Top Model wannabees that we are,*snickers* obliged.

She stepped closer and closer, finally showing us the last shot, awesome! She said the light was great where we were, and I looked over and agreed. We exchanged email addresses, and she said she would send me some pix. She is in a class at the school, and from Spain! Cool.

Earlier I had a double take when I saw a scruffy looking fellow with a nice cam. I told D it looked like Viggo Mortensen incognito. He looked at me sideways and chuckled. Uh-oh busted! LOL I quickly started talking about bumping into another celebrity to cover THAT infatuation...hehe

So, I am sitting here covered in gritty flour from the dough, and full of woodsmoke from the stove. And wishing I had some pics, but I didn't dare pull out my camera due to peer pressure, lol! I did see a Japanese looking fellow with a top of the line Sony...still, that Canon looked pretty good compared to my ancient Sony!

Hmmm I like the idea of using my earnings this weekend for upgrading my cam-but practical matters should come first. *wrinkles nose*

Running behind

We went to the beach couple of days ago. There wasn't any surf to speak of, so the kids each dug a big hole til they hit water. Then the tide came in and in a few surges the holes were gone. There's a lot of energy in tides!

The fog was almost right up to the waterline, and a couple times I looked up the beach and saw the fog blowing in. The water was freezing!






Worked the farm all week while the bosses were out of state at a funeral. Poor old Balloo, one of the farmdogs, died before they left and we buried him Saturday.

R and young D helped me run some fence to keep the bucks out of the new upper pasture. The neighbors across the street, although they own a couple of Belgian horses, don't like the smell of bucks. Running that upper pasture may have been for naught. The bucks love the new big south pasture, and I just learned that the owner of the property wants it extended even more down through the woods!

A couple of goat injuries this week. My little brown Derek is favoring a front leg. The hoof seems fine, so I think he twisted the knee. Champion Homer at the farm suffered a major rear injury, unknown, up the length of the inside of his back thigh, and a spot on the top of the back- same hip. Willow and I love Homer and wish him a speedy recovery!

So a tumultuous week, looking forward to a great weekend and wishing the same for everybody!

Miss Rubies

Here is my little sweetie Ruby. She is so loving. Her purr is like nothing you have ever heard: I call it "hittin the high notes".

I finally worked on the roof over the Firebird's room. There was a bald faced hornet nest under the eave, but I was prepared, I bought wasp spray. (I make concessions to the pesticide industry for stinging and biting insects)

The only trouble was, those clever hornets had built their nest right above the electric drop. No way was I standing on the ground spraying a stream of flammable aerosol at my electric hook up. So I crept up and did the roof crouching and eyes going different directions. I still was stung twice.

The first time I didn't see it coming and got stung in a vein in my arm, and got off the roof for a few minutes to make sure I hadn't suddenly become allergic. After, it was Friday the 13th.

The second time I was eyeballing a hornet, while I was standing stock still, and then I thought I would be ok to proceed slowly, and as soon as I moved the hornet dove right at me and stung between my ring and pinky finger on my right hand! It happened in the blink of an eye. Those things are vicious!

Overall I was very pleased I was only stung twice and didn't fall off the roof!

Violated

I had my Fourth Amendment rights violated the other day. Caught not wearing a seatbelt by an overzealous state police. I have never met a bigger bully!!!

You find out who your friends really are in a situation like that. I knew I had been spotted just up the road from the farm, so I had pulled into the farm and got out of the car before he pulled in after me...no lights, etc. And the hassle began immediately.

Mr. Boss made an appearance and stayed with me through the whole ordeal, saying wonderful things like,"is that legal!!? "solidarity!!" and sharing bad cop stories. Boss showed up and Mr. Boss told her she was on film and asked if she wanted to make a rude gesture to the camera? So she retreated.

Afterward, the first person I called blamed me!!! Wow! Put that one on the bottom of my friends list! Actually, that one should head the enemy list, right after Bad Cop.

My longtime friend K, with whom I have erratic contact, was the best! As of course were all my family. Thanks and big hugs to all my supporters!

I am already in contact with a lawyer, because I don't think justice is served by a rabid police officer. And if I ever land behind bars with just one phone call, I certainly know who I WON'T call!

Good News Bad News

what's first? hmm. Bad?

My well's about to run dry.

Mechanic said the frame was going and to get another car.

I have to work this morning.

Good:

The sun is rising and I'm here to see it.

Have a beautiful day!

Berry season

We passed this field of blueberries this morning. This afternoon we made our second blackberry trip down to the rock lot.

The rock lot is on the side of a valley, with tumbled granite and roughed out cliffhanging roads. I went barefoot for better purchase.

Every rock piled up is sharp side up, and most of them are wobbly, having just been uprooted and piled or shoved to the side. I found a loaded blackberry bush, berries as big as the end of your thumb, and started picking. As blackberry bushes are wont to do, I was lured around the side, and then over the back, a ten foot drop. I perched among the sweet fern where the berries were especially juicy.

I sidled along, picking, and worked my way down to a huge flat-topped boulder. I picked almost two gallons before the sun started to set. The Firebird and Willow each picked a fat quart. Ten added another two gallons. We are going to make another attempt at jelly. Our first picking yielded eight jars, but it did not set well. I was tired and impatient and disappointed with the sure jell liquid pectin. Still...delicious!

Willow and I picked a quart of blueberries today. We may stop again tomorrow for a few more. Blueberry jam sounds pretty good. I also have 2-1/2 gallons of wild apples that are heading for jelly or sauce or maybe apple butter...yum

Waiting for the Big One

I promised the kids we would make it to the beach again and we went yesterday. We had a big rain the night before, which I slept through,but it must have been quite the storm since there was actually surf!

Usually at our favorite beach the waves just lap at your ankles during the summer months. Yesterday some of the waves were well over four feet. Willow got swamped a couple of times. I bodysurfed and played with her for about a half hour. The Firebird, now a good swimmer and also six feet tall at almost thirteen, was begging to go to Reid, notorious for its big surf and undertow.

Having had him nearly swept out to sea when he was Willow's age at Reid, I politely declined.

So the two played in the water the whole time. The floating seaweed was pretty thick, having been stirred up by the storm and surf. Willow had seaweed matted into her long hair. Once I stood up from a good bodysurf, and had it tangled in my top and bottom, both of which I lost(fell out of) several times- hopefully not to the laughs of the big crowd on the beach.

String bikinis are not bodysurfing equipment.

After we got home, I found the Firebird's swimming trunk pockets both filled with seaweed.

We had a great day!

Happy August

I've certainly been wondering if I'm bi-polar lately: periods of short sleep and intense activity followed by two days of crashing...

The garden is wild! Here is one bed, typically overplanted.


I have two types of beans, yellow wax and Italian flat; two types of tomatoes, Roma and Big Boy; a row of potatoes, and some pumpkins. The beans are producing like crazy, and we have harvested a couple of summer squash out of another bed. The carrots flopped, and the bright lights chard had erratic germination but are finally taking off. I gave up on the few carrots and turned them under this weekend.

I've lost a lot of weight. Remember when the doc was giving me a hard time at 130? Down to 115! Ugh skinny boyfriends will be the end of me! That passionate affair ended this weekend in a great crash and burn , so maybe I will put on a few pound seeking solace in endless tubs of ice cream and cookies. Mmmm.