tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-58993884252485952652024-03-18T21:33:07.671-07:00Haiku FarmBeneath the mountain ~ Above the river valley ~ A satoyamaAareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.comBlogger1434125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-81685994337531481602024-03-18T21:32:00.000-07:002024-03-18T21:32:34.566-07:00In which I take some "mental health days" and tank up on Vitamin D<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><b>I surprised myself a couple weeks ago by realizing that I haven't taken any days off from work without "cause" since I started the new job in 2022. When I said something about that to my boss, she immediately dialed up her computer and said, "well, let's fix that!" </b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><b>And we did.</b></div><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmPDQqK7xaFUzzGPoCqvNHq7HqsF-w7LAVE3wGFZzeR4RrW0J7AG_-CrUZB4moORCc3hv6rHwmhLpouHaLQupcAqn8MOGgGeZdorFwQqNErUniUqTko0PxId595UnQzBAtGai33gAL5D0XG8ThUPQMxwh8CJjYHLMhXuzzqe6EGC-mfDm-2GX-kLOvfen2/s2048/433410506_10159901961146099_1494327505375322877_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmPDQqK7xaFUzzGPoCqvNHq7HqsF-w7LAVE3wGFZzeR4RrW0J7AG_-CrUZB4moORCc3hv6rHwmhLpouHaLQupcAqn8MOGgGeZdorFwQqNErUniUqTko0PxId595UnQzBAtGai33gAL5D0XG8ThUPQMxwh8CJjYHLMhXuzzqe6EGC-mfDm-2GX-kLOvfen2/w640-h640/433410506_10159901961146099_1494327505375322877_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Best Garden Halper</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p>Turns out that mental health days are important even in a really delightful job. And for the first time this season, we got actual warm sunshine. It was kind of miraculous.</p><p>On Friday I planted stuff, starting in the berry garden.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcvwAmDBttA1Je612A1fISetVPZCva93yKaTa2XvsJiXwzQygdGZPCmrVz21l21HFvYU1-g7hU2vTytMTFxec4TnAijkYULdAcxP5UcotaQ4i_fAW6gd8CMdcdNOuevSdnk3HwGZh_MzQgAPKHfvbZbAmahI5GBUiY8NShC2OAhyphenhyphenAH-1Rzh-n79HVY8t3/s2048/433259519_10159901968796099_7862262213035400452_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkcvwAmDBttA1Je612A1fISetVPZCva93yKaTa2XvsJiXwzQygdGZPCmrVz21l21HFvYU1-g7hU2vTytMTFxec4TnAijkYULdAcxP5UcotaQ4i_fAW6gd8CMdcdNOuevSdnk3HwGZh_MzQgAPKHfvbZbAmahI5GBUiY8NShC2OAhyphenhyphenAH-1Rzh-n79HVY8t3/w640-h640/433259519_10159901968796099_7862262213035400452_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Strawberries!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>Last year the strawberry fruits and plants got mowed down by slugs and snails. We've never had such an extreme year for slugs, and nothing was stopping them. A few plants survived, but I decided it was time to throw a few new obstacles into the berry garden.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuewheWxfmO8G15t8bDn4OipxaCUF4bARN6O1iUJRTyYEtoKzhzbYSNZ11G35SOW81DE-ZRza32-ohXICbaPOiUOOMScCXjxVyXkRLOZweLDylK3PnNMVx1Qw5R7e5lCQn_pmjsJrk-datUu4IwTluIecpZvz1TFImN3EvKdl2pz_3cpNhZEeECdQSt9mf/s2048/433427048_10159901968366099_8324439154869836979_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuewheWxfmO8G15t8bDn4OipxaCUF4bARN6O1iUJRTyYEtoKzhzbYSNZ11G35SOW81DE-ZRza32-ohXICbaPOiUOOMScCXjxVyXkRLOZweLDylK3PnNMVx1Qw5R7e5lCQn_pmjsJrk-datUu4IwTluIecpZvz1TFImN3EvKdl2pz_3cpNhZEeECdQSt9mf/w640-h640/433427048_10159901968366099_8324439154869836979_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In addition to lifting the strawberry plants up into galvanized planters,<br />I mulched everything with sequoia branches. That should slow them down!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>Next up: brassicas. I started cauliflower, two types of broccoli, and a bunch of other veggie seeds indoors in February. In the Classic Garden, I built a bed for broccoli and another for cauliflower, using onions and marigolds in both spots as companion plants to dissuade pests. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDh6WO0F7fjFHWgC2-SSejJnDr9WkSPSFVbftoXpi_LsMrblujeFKHCTg28n4s6Pz7_kpcesuB0bFddYK7ICd8LrIiFxbC6f6HdKtlMGdCjMzUT2MOUFODY5UPlAzwtjifAb78Gy98uO-p_UPs0dZm5zrc8BAec7dpnaLDThBDgTRAd-isjqvqnXpBYgt/s2048/433246339_10159901967501099_6178639466837364221_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTDh6WO0F7fjFHWgC2-SSejJnDr9WkSPSFVbftoXpi_LsMrblujeFKHCTg28n4s6Pz7_kpcesuB0bFddYK7ICd8LrIiFxbC6f6HdKtlMGdCjMzUT2MOUFODY5UPlAzwtjifAb78Gy98uO-p_UPs0dZm5zrc8BAec7dpnaLDThBDgTRAd-isjqvqnXpBYgt/w640-h640/433246339_10159901967501099_6178639466837364221_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Broccoli with companionable marigold and onion. I hope they like their new space!<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Then I tried something new: I put up the hoop trellis <i>over</i> the new plants. My theory is that when the climbing plants (squashes, in this case) cover the trellis, they will shield the brassicas from the hottest part of the day, which should prolong the harvest. </p><p><br /></p><p>My final planting for the day was a small patch in Haenaheim, which will mostly have corn in it this year, except for a few small root vegetable beds. It's too early for corn, but not too early for carrots!</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqRVxY2DAKAmwSuFe_M9eEw1oeAhNH0zHWvjzjD6h8GDTlH1oeqK_HAMkxH_iMEsV6PhGmi6_VCzxIzYCWvf6jPvl0n5eF7f5fJNSfndeuI6v2hylIjPcpB8W3yZu_cf3FlCjxir5DI72qJVALSLz5SfgJzZzvbWS1p2vQvXfclqNEDyF5pq14JlvU3ahX/s2048/433321919_10159901967296099_4340583083446675600_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqRVxY2DAKAmwSuFe_M9eEw1oeAhNH0zHWvjzjD6h8GDTlH1oeqK_HAMkxH_iMEsV6PhGmi6_VCzxIzYCWvf6jPvl0n5eF7f5fJNSfndeuI6v2hylIjPcpB8W3yZu_cf3FlCjxir5DI72qJVALSLz5SfgJzZzvbWS1p2vQvXfclqNEDyF5pq14JlvU3ahX/w640-h640/433321919_10159901967296099_4340583083446675600_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Purple Dragon Carrots, with companionable marigold</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p>My big gardening challenge this year will be Monica's garden. She moved to Missouri mid-summer last year, so she planted her usual stuff in her usual ways last spring, and then...I kind of ignored it for the rest of the year. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEoHbKO75eLaAefRZqXfFSuPRmYn8JbmJbrFHYzq7lvj_Pi6C3VZPsFFkKviidwoi5jjAiaNFAZldCgvjupgQO-Q8YJ7uUwK4-kyVQ9fuxZB_RukbSILGCzMZQVeWPCAmA8uWnC2u4H6xlGPNvss_flHcCel3mgmaP19KM7yFzh2oNRmlHCsGPkUwUOji/s2048/Monica's%20Garden%202023.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEoHbKO75eLaAefRZqXfFSuPRmYn8JbmJbrFHYzq7lvj_Pi6C3VZPsFFkKviidwoi5jjAiaNFAZldCgvjupgQO-Q8YJ7uUwK4-kyVQ9fuxZB_RukbSILGCzMZQVeWPCAmA8uWnC2u4H6xlGPNvss_flHcCel3mgmaP19KM7yFzh2oNRmlHCsGPkUwUOji/w640-h640/Monica's%20Garden%202023.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monica's garden, 2023</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p> I did water it, and I did harvest a LOT of calendula seed...</p><p><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1UDg3xtyhiR2MufKiwTmVOqt3oHcXUeuPYnuoc8li6Zhz69XTPP1JtZ_telww-pSo-TXmTof04jr-X3vfEfOZ-c73QeuTd2EV_5EPW0ytb0Ad-GWybwGy_YE-4R3rAErRypS8ZwbVNKJYsOgG6gy-sJvvNGN1AZx-OaP-yjPpxYIoo2mdEdS-3g-4xiHG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1UDg3xtyhiR2MufKiwTmVOqt3oHcXUeuPYnuoc8li6Zhz69XTPP1JtZ_telww-pSo-TXmTof04jr-X3vfEfOZ-c73QeuTd2EV_5EPW0ytb0Ad-GWybwGy_YE-4R3rAErRypS8ZwbVNKJYsOgG6gy-sJvvNGN1AZx-OaP-yjPpxYIoo2mdEdS-3g-4xiHG=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Literally, I harvested a couple of <i>gallons</i> of calendula seed</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p>...but I didn't really plant much or think much about it in 2023. <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>This year, I will be planting my own favorite crops in that space.<br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGrTunACj5KLPcXD_Q7xUOVnXiZ8FUbHAaOg4APlxzMZZ9oHl1ynEbjaxAt-AEpX4sa6u-WkcB_4X8QXvPQIKWGtO6ObAR7pEG-VS7U0ehmfH8e6U9sQaVrDJq75j1pp0ZvJlDwFYAC0B6NOH6pAUbw7RuhlivazDrBHIIX54CGPt_wDXMoEvfRYvZDqx/s2048/433282954_10159901961616099_8844411523477082855_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQGrTunACj5KLPcXD_Q7xUOVnXiZ8FUbHAaOg4APlxzMZZ9oHl1ynEbjaxAt-AEpX4sa6u-WkcB_4X8QXvPQIKWGtO6ObAR7pEG-VS7U0ehmfH8e6U9sQaVrDJq75j1pp0ZvJlDwFYAC0B6NOH6pAUbw7RuhlivazDrBHIIX54CGPt_wDXMoEvfRYvZDqx/w640-h640/433282954_10159901961616099_8844411523477082855_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The soil in this space hasn't been amended with manure as much as my other gardens,<br />so this year it will host a lot of legumes to build the soil.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Monica also improvised a lot of planting structures in ways that don't work for me, so I'm spending time now removing things that I don't want, including a chicken run and some trellising.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgRTPpRE4JhCxZ_-DU3uy69ywEKv0A8yspFzcmpJzIwec-uF7GKgWvl0-L5IiOl225u6pfUcvJjDu3UA2kSfnz4sAU8JsfnbSZxDtqo2sOdN6a9RjY2aeE5L0qsDLI5vPpz7yhXX7OzDZbdEQQWfORYhJd_dCCLEaKzoP4vMhzGKpW1z5B4OW-R3OS0vU/s960/433879019_10159906002591099_5501158524853258407_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSgRTPpRE4JhCxZ_-DU3uy69ywEKv0A8yspFzcmpJzIwec-uF7GKgWvl0-L5IiOl225u6pfUcvJjDu3UA2kSfnz4sAU8JsfnbSZxDtqo2sOdN6a9RjY2aeE5L0qsDLI5vPpz7yhXX7OzDZbdEQQWfORYhJd_dCCLEaKzoP4vMhzGKpW1z5B4OW-R3OS0vU/w640-h640/433879019_10159906002591099_5501158524853258407_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I've been piling up things I don't want, and spent the day getting rid of them</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9lAy_qoyvqnsacJBvQA_KL-dWe6wro5ssujjZGefPf3eEEyvka5UIafOARpklCGRzmaygHOMZ1UQBhChmJCpfqXyiyt-yXnvNQcB8vP_-ecg7nU_58fXwoqXHXOYO0hFbqv5YarBdRHeDkuhOF8PQBeuBygTOaquaFwPcWHSHhwuIKSzb0nZmWLjVnM41/s960/433891209_10159906002786099_7505017560579033471_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9lAy_qoyvqnsacJBvQA_KL-dWe6wro5ssujjZGefPf3eEEyvka5UIafOARpklCGRzmaygHOMZ1UQBhChmJCpfqXyiyt-yXnvNQcB8vP_-ecg7nU_58fXwoqXHXOYO0hFbqv5YarBdRHeDkuhOF8PQBeuBygTOaquaFwPcWHSHhwuIKSzb0nZmWLjVnM41/w640-h640/433891209_10159906002786099_7505017560579033471_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A lot of the chicken wire was full of tangled grass and roots, so I used the <br />weed burner to remove that and clean out the wire</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHv7A8Bw8sqEfAWtGywaWIJr4zsq72Wd_TjLVhbydX7BHEJN4bM8r-3rOzIVJX8uKOL5PcOQW_62AaeKGeqgVu4ZFpCu_kio9PylCiTnaR7Xa_9MBFIzpMAsTCgeZtEU_68ctCDzEIOgZfy_Z1DLD-6XSWqRFhJFT66BPvtyhvpyV-7oYzv5sWw-IsKeo2/s2048/433415345_10159906004756099_1841100688682885808_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHv7A8Bw8sqEfAWtGywaWIJr4zsq72Wd_TjLVhbydX7BHEJN4bM8r-3rOzIVJX8uKOL5PcOQW_62AaeKGeqgVu4ZFpCu_kio9PylCiTnaR7Xa_9MBFIzpMAsTCgeZtEU_68ctCDzEIOgZfy_Z1DLD-6XSWqRFhJFT66BPvtyhvpyV-7oYzv5sWw-IsKeo2/w640-h640/433415345_10159906004756099_1841100688682885808_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Burn baby burn!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />I also burnt all the accumulated weeds around the edges of the garden, bordering the pasture. <br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj95WA57PZhf9ROe0aTwjILQ37DMr6W1Sw4uXRe8CAVf5e7JDDJ_A9S7R76ruA7hKY77m2ccgTqQgekiBvV5mcgwkbdSt_HSnaXNDFTIWB5gcrPd1XlGqjMhSx8hUrWHf_Rmro3vNPjhWE0sIspKzz4AdluPOP5uY9VszFZIrcpJRaUoPWacDRIjRL289Fp/s2048/433857227_10159906003896099_9189967513037885011_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj95WA57PZhf9ROe0aTwjILQ37DMr6W1Sw4uXRe8CAVf5e7JDDJ_A9S7R76ruA7hKY77m2ccgTqQgekiBvV5mcgwkbdSt_HSnaXNDFTIWB5gcrPd1XlGqjMhSx8hUrWHf_Rmro3vNPjhWE0sIspKzz4AdluPOP5uY9VszFZIrcpJRaUoPWacDRIjRL289Fp/w640-h640/433857227_10159906003896099_9189967513037885011_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More fire!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Slugs and snails like to hang out in the pasture and then saunter through the fence to snack on vegetables there, but this year they will encounter a thick path of hogsfuel to prickle their feet and make them think twice.<br /><br />My goal for today: clear out the space I've designated for potatoes.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRp1GC0zNndHGUXrY5w2RoHTMHWxr6y-SmP9Uf1ShJyJXz5t2sgKe717yel69dgLxCYOvzL5OGllEL5EBERuVD47xgFTd5CZS6CCBCH09tzHodB-XHqU-EWbfylyCDt7Z_P2lELfFV3Yeod35uEVumTl7VQDKNczSDG4lAfeCeXHtWp3eCBD_bxuUQn9dx/s2048/433767043_10159906003556099_8970854238559378408_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRp1GC0zNndHGUXrY5w2RoHTMHWxr6y-SmP9Uf1ShJyJXz5t2sgKe717yel69dgLxCYOvzL5OGllEL5EBERuVD47xgFTd5CZS6CCBCH09tzHodB-XHqU-EWbfylyCDt7Z_P2lELfFV3Yeod35uEVumTl7VQDKNczSDG4lAfeCeXHtWp3eCBD_bxuUQn9dx/w640-h640/433767043_10159906003556099_8970854238559378408_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">5 different varieties of potatoes this year, including a local: "Makah Ozette", which<br />was cultivated by the Makah tribe out on the peninsula. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBSuVLeSEtu6VHKDnERR6npMDzhlXpO_j1woCkzgbAL45ofuxjmQJqFbotRfpb2WlEPn5cCYKlZENxv9aOmr5RW3L190ScOrKeL3SOrrTAB_5JYNg6IWj6F17HTm1Z_mPetVos19j_0jnvPLNAGxfymnp6axaKIwodX7nkkIiH2HwrSl-JDktYiGt62UR/s2048/433869118_10159906003751099_5069794399605822872_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtBSuVLeSEtu6VHKDnERR6npMDzhlXpO_j1woCkzgbAL45ofuxjmQJqFbotRfpb2WlEPn5cCYKlZENxv9aOmr5RW3L190ScOrKeL3SOrrTAB_5JYNg6IWj6F17HTm1Z_mPetVos19j_0jnvPLNAGxfymnp6axaKIwodX7nkkIiH2HwrSl-JDktYiGt62UR/w640-h640/433869118_10159906003751099_5069794399605822872_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is not a potato</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />Elsewhere on the farm, Jim has been busy with projects of his own. He's taken on tree care this year, and has a new little tree-pet of his own:</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpSqiAfmI0gIRZzbVdJLUEDTwCimjFCtWQ_uju8MgbCzypS8AcrHq4_OIhR5R6M2NNexqocxdnyuFZMWE3hgoTiSh1g9R0nbAYvTHi2rY_TqqeeZw2O2sA0SWMXasHXFZS0BeJQbHHja4ur63uwtCP6e64Vb1nEYOHTAfFyWcNDz_5CpAsqMYUAZnTfsv/s2048/432644341_10161435320850956_3409197122470845058_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTpSqiAfmI0gIRZzbVdJLUEDTwCimjFCtWQ_uju8MgbCzypS8AcrHq4_OIhR5R6M2NNexqocxdnyuFZMWE3hgoTiSh1g9R0nbAYvTHi2rY_TqqeeZw2O2sA0SWMXasHXFZS0BeJQbHHja4ur63uwtCP6e64Vb1nEYOHTAfFyWcNDz_5CpAsqMYUAZnTfsv/w640-h640/432644341_10161435320850956_3409197122470845058_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is<i> Camellia sinensis</i>, the plant that makes tea!</td></tr></tbody></table><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The tea bush is planted in an old wheelbarrow, because we aren't sure yet what part of the yard it will like best. Our plan is to roll it around to various parts of the property until we find the perfect spot.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jim and the dogs have also been working on a retaining wall below the house. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwB9H_xv2KLaz_ZzOWcdFS7gPEMZTCyIqUtZ4sDBzjcDmQdTS2X8FbqQnDkGMLNXlKctSm1Rr9R02oawcPmAdb6N5Z5ajLj95Rw7lQQRm4G97k1kMkFuqe5GhRIKLSWLXCLqie1mAMi470pDQVFs56ytW0O1S-oADv0RV2RketyFxJ59jmVib4kvRqTGI/s2048/433860828_10159906004066099_896377534932743565_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwB9H_xv2KLaz_ZzOWcdFS7gPEMZTCyIqUtZ4sDBzjcDmQdTS2X8FbqQnDkGMLNXlKctSm1Rr9R02oawcPmAdb6N5Z5ajLj95Rw7lQQRm4G97k1kMkFuqe5GhRIKLSWLXCLqie1mAMi470pDQVFs56ytW0O1S-oADv0RV2RketyFxJ59jmVib4kvRqTGI/w640-h640/433860828_10159906004066099_896377534932743565_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">laying bricks, with halpers</td></tr></tbody></table><br />When the bricks are all in place, we will bring in gravel. So much gravel.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br />Of course, no mental health vacation would be complete without time in the saddle. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6x2jVtb_KAMb18yUKgeLkjNhwnO6OyivRbcIrEd6kS3t2QO_-1psjOKfxNL5Kwr_zE7mn4gyPXhYd9fHLpK16VA9-_DiUWAj-NVeL0XhxhBw7rikEiFfMDjinAcQD3J5EiHzKvRTrPsiQxCIZETfCCR2SoCEXwaJNK7bZknNz77sN7QbkRnR4tzP3AxW/s2048/433753974_10159904316821099_722995931331810327_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO6x2jVtb_KAMb18yUKgeLkjNhwnO6OyivRbcIrEd6kS3t2QO_-1psjOKfxNL5Kwr_zE7mn4gyPXhYd9fHLpK16VA9-_DiUWAj-NVeL0XhxhBw7rikEiFfMDjinAcQD3J5EiHzKvRTrPsiQxCIZETfCCR2SoCEXwaJNK7bZknNz77sN7QbkRnR4tzP3AxW/w640-h640/433753974_10159904316821099_722995931331810327_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bumblebees overhead, swamp tulips ahead, and Dragon between me and the ground</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />Fiddle spent nearly 4 weeks barefoot. In that time her heels expanded nearly half-an-inch, which is good. However, Mel said that when she showed up to put shoes on, Fee did not run and hide...rather she performed a 5* spicy dragon haka before allowing herself to be haltered. </div><div><br /></div><div>Then, after the first shoe was put on, she gave a huge sigh and started licking and chewing. Clearly, her communications were finally understood: she doesn't want to be barefoot.</div><div><br /></div><div>Okay, that's a thing we know now. </div><div><br /></div><div>And on the trail yesterday: <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/56Fe0ozqE-s" width="320" youtube-src-id="56Fe0ozqE-s"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">My mental health is much better now. And that is a very good thing!</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p></div>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-89590914817338770142024-03-10T19:40:00.000-07:002024-03-10T19:40:36.905-07:00In which we "celebrate" the time change and look around at the spring farm<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>Friends have been posting photos of their horses surrounded by heaps of shedding-out hair for more than a month. </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>But Fiddle always hangs back. <i>"It's not Spring in Canada yet!"</i></b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-WYsUGQ0oN1GHZJPzPxTtvRaELneOLQhGI4gntKRBU8e7BdvPAXw0URcHFFD6D0d1Af_DwgN9yvXqjTeUwhk-nusPmrowNja4UQFLYU2cLSsWujD-catP8V-_lgoi5eFobYapvCFSELLA_UjH0BY3o7XWzvJeTFaWhEyWyZGv1m5Q0KKa0ruWmk1-yHDq/s526/431717721_10159895640246099_2115751307639334743_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="526" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-WYsUGQ0oN1GHZJPzPxTtvRaELneOLQhGI4gntKRBU8e7BdvPAXw0URcHFFD6D0d1Af_DwgN9yvXqjTeUwhk-nusPmrowNja4UQFLYU2cLSsWujD-catP8V-_lgoi5eFobYapvCFSELLA_UjH0BY3o7XWzvJeTFaWhEyWyZGv1m5Q0KKa0ruWmk1-yHDq/w640-h640/431717721_10159895640246099_2115751307639334743_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Shedding begins...slowly.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p><p>We've had some unpleasant weather recently, but if the Dragon is shedding, then winter is almost over. </p><p>And yes: the plants agree with her!</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkKzQmK-Fi-i6D9OuV9IEY5CR0J5DQCxk8tbiIpSwAFmUTglv-lRnSFnKjAEgFqrB2UeBTFU8dbzp7Yp-ql4OpbDQGKVGFSMoB0fiNQuSgJxbx38JaBmtOkSwfrOkhb1Dej6YZqgfmR6WadbpdBGHO1u_IoNMVgva0ghMOCNhSq72i1JHyClhdStx78-8/s3024/20240310_174951.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFkKzQmK-Fi-i6D9OuV9IEY5CR0J5DQCxk8tbiIpSwAFmUTglv-lRnSFnKjAEgFqrB2UeBTFU8dbzp7Yp-ql4OpbDQGKVGFSMoB0fiNQuSgJxbx38JaBmtOkSwfrOkhb1Dej6YZqgfmR6WadbpdBGHO1u_IoNMVgva0ghMOCNhSq72i1JHyClhdStx78-8/w640-h640/20240310_174951.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">raspberry suckers from Fish Creek that I stuck in the ground last fall--sprouting</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm_-OP8eQXycVI9mW_uGwO7SqexB8gb1ic9d7QyduWnB_FqCsbGh_oJT8XTxIn_LVcqx8qKlPqbtGmai0i7_oDPvdFWqf7-XajBk9yT-kdV5v9dnX5N3W3rVZ7qnb-qrQBOq9p_eunTpJoq5DAficnqb_DEz-znQzx9MLCTbgjnZb9QjT7gU0gxk3VdXxB/s3024/20240310_174933.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm_-OP8eQXycVI9mW_uGwO7SqexB8gb1ic9d7QyduWnB_FqCsbGh_oJT8XTxIn_LVcqx8qKlPqbtGmai0i7_oDPvdFWqf7-XajBk9yT-kdV5v9dnX5N3W3rVZ7qnb-qrQBOq9p_eunTpJoq5DAficnqb_DEz-znQzx9MLCTbgjnZb9QjT7gU0gxk3VdXxB/w640-h640/20240310_174933.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Elephant garlic </td></tr></tbody></table><br />I'm re-whomping Monica's garden this year, and you can see some of the changes at the right edge of the photo above. <div><br /></div><div>Basically, I'm taking out some of the chicken paraphernalia to make room to grow more beans for Pooh Bear. That dog really loves green beans, and so do I...so if I want some for myself next year, I've gotta plant and can a lot of them. <div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvvtC8Ww9cqD9F2bMAM7Y8EPfgZtXviKDCN8Aj6NYYDnL5NauD93Jw7qdp21fpbN9hje9xxQWr2h1iiu5SC15OuUlvRMtx5HKfyJcbtrYCl2rwDTvIT30SxEBFCgUT8hKDSisaRTNNrZOBN41uhKjSYuOpnyhQmaNwEoINpaMKgzcaa46Vx2XdmEZvrc-N/s3456/20240310_175158.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvvtC8Ww9cqD9F2bMAM7Y8EPfgZtXviKDCN8Aj6NYYDnL5NauD93Jw7qdp21fpbN9hje9xxQWr2h1iiu5SC15OuUlvRMtx5HKfyJcbtrYCl2rwDTvIT30SxEBFCgUT8hKDSisaRTNNrZOBN41uhKjSYuOpnyhQmaNwEoINpaMKgzcaa46Vx2XdmEZvrc-N/w640-h640/20240310_175158.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Seedlings in the <i>orangerie</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I have plants growing in nooks and crannies all over the farm. Seeds usually start out in my office under grow lights. Then they move out to the <i>orangerie</i> for a while to get used to colder temps without getting hammered by the weather. </div><div><br /></div><div>After a week or two there, they will move outside the greenhouse to a protected spot, and then they will get planted in their permanent location.<br /><br />In the yard, things are budding.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-XkG66sF_3uYtlATI2bHFv57myjSioPeHndtgFhe1Iu9-iPgki3l4mNv8rzQXNS4rDvtMI0uussrroU2lpkOhmE9LyeWS0f4n2QSJMXiL8wvDDO7IztkJs_2jbg4zxDDf8G7o-MatU0Y_vJuv3m6B4JJESCGHL1zkcmhiubUkaKr54Y6iD-LtwbJBgB8/s3024/20240310_175633.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip-XkG66sF_3uYtlATI2bHFv57myjSioPeHndtgFhe1Iu9-iPgki3l4mNv8rzQXNS4rDvtMI0uussrroU2lpkOhmE9LyeWS0f4n2QSJMXiL8wvDDO7IztkJs_2jbg4zxDDf8G7o-MatU0Y_vJuv3m6B4JJESCGHL1zkcmhiubUkaKr54Y6iD-LtwbJBgB8/w640-h640/20240310_175633.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At photo (left): flowering cherry tree</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaSLA58dUZfRamkJ-ON5ac2Qs_8m_KnTjBYABbwJ8H-xRHdnfuUXfc_UXv_c2LHjfv_O3JUg6d8Sp3t2X0XRgo04PjgKCiLJGIAqg9oHmrIchz7HeKKiqeYbswGZi1GapnkCcWXMLiRqTqAnwcc4PO2GB5oSrvuIxeBZK7YguxiYeRecGbBa0MbgcjpLAW/s3456/20240310_175317.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaSLA58dUZfRamkJ-ON5ac2Qs_8m_KnTjBYABbwJ8H-xRHdnfuUXfc_UXv_c2LHjfv_O3JUg6d8Sp3t2X0XRgo04PjgKCiLJGIAqg9oHmrIchz7HeKKiqeYbswGZi1GapnkCcWXMLiRqTqAnwcc4PO2GB5oSrvuIxeBZK7YguxiYeRecGbBa0MbgcjpLAW/w640-h640/20240310_175317.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Early Gold pear tree is almost ready to bloom</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV65JshcMHEXyMVSiQt-doxDE0wCMVTsPZgbZ9HI8iTbrzZGSe-f24NAKrF_E_NEU5xHrdXNsmwgto2Fyz0d10gWqN4TTLgB-e15Yxfp0s37f6e6P1BWfDUW_VuGfj0EnUe652rJLYldagFZt8okQXYg3pCHshJIaDn20twOsCuuCKVg7bil6xnTnj0rCk/s3024/20240310_175409.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV65JshcMHEXyMVSiQt-doxDE0wCMVTsPZgbZ9HI8iTbrzZGSe-f24NAKrF_E_NEU5xHrdXNsmwgto2Fyz0d10gWqN4TTLgB-e15Yxfp0s37f6e6P1BWfDUW_VuGfj0EnUe652rJLYldagFZt8okQXYg3pCHshJIaDn20twOsCuuCKVg7bil6xnTnj0rCk/w640-h640/20240310_175409.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fox shows off the entryway.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv9sXnGpfXswdnR3wismCbYXOWWhEZCvx_1C_DvjlV4ptL-Jxk2-gVlnV5sfaFAR_Vy9-5ML2SvgClH0goXQHS7BuYFzW6DBEyo4DKpie7VKPfa3zyS0ONVQDci2yCnCFFwfBJ5NkfAu6wvd8BZGB0gRshUcdzQ7GQgKMGnxLxowlxwL9iwInyXKZnF37D/s3024/20240310_175858.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv9sXnGpfXswdnR3wismCbYXOWWhEZCvx_1C_DvjlV4ptL-Jxk2-gVlnV5sfaFAR_Vy9-5ML2SvgClH0goXQHS7BuYFzW6DBEyo4DKpie7VKPfa3zyS0ONVQDci2yCnCFFwfBJ5NkfAu6wvd8BZGB0gRshUcdzQ7GQgKMGnxLxowlxwL9iwInyXKZnF37D/w640-h640/20240310_175858.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From this angle, you can see more of the flowers by the front door</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Kp57MZ3Kp1L7tBig0i10qXNkRv-Xlssw7Rwj-LYNCtDfBUx89rrbtC2vHowlqJ_jbvwBj2_AdcM6tIOjyBa1pWTBpt3yxmcgFKQtxSbj-pmtQfx0V85NYsR0OVZtwY6fDo_Q513NdDLaip8KUjKM2mUZXXQhC-t4fWrUGkGZM7S9W0_F4v_seOfWfZJp/s3024/20240310_175906.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6Kp57MZ3Kp1L7tBig0i10qXNkRv-Xlssw7Rwj-LYNCtDfBUx89rrbtC2vHowlqJ_jbvwBj2_AdcM6tIOjyBa1pWTBpt3yxmcgFKQtxSbj-pmtQfx0V85NYsR0OVZtwY6fDo_Q513NdDLaip8KUjKM2mUZXXQhC-t4fWrUGkGZM7S9W0_F4v_seOfWfZJp/w640-h640/20240310_175906.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Up close: the native huckleberry plants are about a week away from flowers</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-tq2nE9wIdVWk5kBQAXUqek5w3MqToHBoegEj3YJKn85Te01xbOPhRSSNmXpxUA8Bp4x5NpNNcCRQ1ToYhUAjdY3G0rnN8p3jAM5w5W2NLVrqAcQs-LolXHbHssLxRG3DzvOfb33X0CADALeXoNk92m8BJTqVJI_lySYY-AvzvLOcHAGo2nCpUCi8MX_/s3024/20240310_175938.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQ-tq2nE9wIdVWk5kBQAXUqek5w3MqToHBoegEj3YJKn85Te01xbOPhRSSNmXpxUA8Bp4x5NpNNcCRQ1ToYhUAjdY3G0rnN8p3jAM5w5W2NLVrqAcQs-LolXHbHssLxRG3DzvOfb33X0CADALeXoNk92m8BJTqVJI_lySYY-AvzvLOcHAGo2nCpUCi8MX_/w640-h640/20240310_175938.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This forsythia is the child or grandchild of the Great Forsythia in front of the house. </td></tr></tbody></table><br />If you ever want some forsythia plants, just let me know. Our plants throw out a few dozen children each year, and I'm running out of places to plant them.</div><div><br /></div><div>And finally:<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg257PuO_Jhgbl5_I9d4ACEVYWpwMW3ounwB-aCYOOC-OEwDsIUU0SmrFJ2vg3yRTGiq-owl7lICwG9qX2ltRW9NXWjycRIOrg5HiTAIpe2d9ZXljAdUGDFMbNt0F-Z0C5WJlI_zOSDSNxBD8bEo1qMUnjbWOy7-0O9kpTfpkGEcG052ffCq-YWFVKrPLTc/s3024/20240310_180949.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg257PuO_Jhgbl5_I9d4ACEVYWpwMW3ounwB-aCYOOC-OEwDsIUU0SmrFJ2vg3yRTGiq-owl7lICwG9qX2ltRW9NXWjycRIOrg5HiTAIpe2d9ZXljAdUGDFMbNt0F-Z0C5WJlI_zOSDSNxBD8bEo1qMUnjbWOy7-0O9kpTfpkGEcG052ffCq-YWFVKrPLTc/w640-h640/20240310_180949.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grape hyacinth</td></tr></tbody></table><br />I thought the squirrels had stolen all my hyacinth bulbs, but it looks like a few were able to escape depredation. </div><div><br /></div><div>Welcome, flowers! It's almost Spring!<br /><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /> </p></div></div>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-62108128466327734872024-03-03T21:30:00.000-08:002024-03-03T21:30:59.205-08:00In which I cross my fingers and head east for a library thing<p style="text-align: center;"><b> When I applied to be a presenter at the annual conference of the </b><b>Washington Library Association, I thought, <i>"Springtime in Spokane--great idea!"</i></b></p><p> <span> </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgE5MXjAz0Zaj0hMQuzQLFMaQ49TQLKg06AsfJM4bMJ9Uih4nIwIesVC1_5JENi_4_YxS2vCxtJijJsK63hsyXq77hdo62yBTfd4SeCYtPig01Z5r26q1Yv7EfGacUuW729dx5dT9egaALZ_hEWMquHaFD2auL8FwJnt7tNN5m2XW-mljjEa4s_cbDDWAQZ" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgE5MXjAz0Zaj0hMQuzQLFMaQ49TQLKg06AsfJM4bMJ9Uih4nIwIesVC1_5JENi_4_YxS2vCxtJijJsK63hsyXq77hdo62yBTfd4SeCYtPig01Z5r26q1Yv7EfGacUuW729dx5dT9egaALZ_hEWMquHaFD2auL8FwJnt7tNN5m2XW-mljjEa4s_cbDDWAQZ=w640-h426" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a very pretty place in Spring (internet photo)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>However, I obviously wasn't paying close attention to the travel dates: February 29, and March 2. Either (or both) of those dates are bound to have sn*w somewhere between here and there.</p><p>And sure enough, this was the WSDOT road report for Snoqualmie Pass on the morning of the 29th.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQRcqcCpT3qDOYfvNZ2NUYmugUlBbDxoMGbeag4vnZnLjCVtwYdnZzXJkW9tmaio3JBy4Z8gF9B4yh_AyOK2VTwMTzlAOT5jRRzw25NlynbwsPhsCxPiMHdyHSyXoW1msjEUUu952z6YEl7qyvHOlG1duG1yOwU_Wrs9SZlBu_hpHlYhU6X27tn7ZDFUMM" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="877" data-original-width="673" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgQRcqcCpT3qDOYfvNZ2NUYmugUlBbDxoMGbeag4vnZnLjCVtwYdnZzXJkW9tmaio3JBy4Z8gF9B4yh_AyOK2VTwMTzlAOT5jRRzw25NlynbwsPhsCxPiMHdyHSyXoW1msjEUUu952z6YEl7qyvHOlG1duG1yOwU_Wrs9SZlBu_hpHlYhU6X27tn7ZDFUMM=w491-h640" width="491" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">WSDOT's website looked ominous to me</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p></p><p>I was scheduled to work until noon. My beloved colleagues took pity on me, and hustled me out of the office a bit early, and I hit the road.</p><p>To my surprise, there was <i>nothing</i> ominous on the drive at all!</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0j1pyMtcGp6dhF6ruAwRdmrryOtfDcCi1W2RjvlQ1pCbM8XZOZkSxe_g_wFj9rPlr8eMaT5Iz7NLcjO46IjpGmgEnBrnrQzed5PuzSzPEUu5LK0a9tuUXTX1gSUxOiJv3c3unVYVY8DB8lhgLtOP5rCCZtSEXvQS-u2PadI3Uuf3I5AHgMMV1DVDqktx4" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg0j1pyMtcGp6dhF6ruAwRdmrryOtfDcCi1W2RjvlQ1pCbM8XZOZkSxe_g_wFj9rPlr8eMaT5Iz7NLcjO46IjpGmgEnBrnrQzed5PuzSzPEUu5LK0a9tuUXTX1gSUxOiJv3c3unVYVY8DB8lhgLtOP5rCCZtSEXvQS-u2PadI3Uuf3I5AHgMMV1DVDqktx4=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Keechelus Lake -- we rode around the other side of this on the X-State Fall Ride</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Although Spokane didn't have the same clear skies as Snoqualmie Pass, the river view from my hotel window was lovely--and blessedly free of sn*w.<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5r5jrfUqrYs6xJ7zMO8bLUW_Yj6wePGL9O_NI8eCUFbJdsOTLTumNucTAkUEqGLjfA3_FPtssQn7UKaC7GeFTo0-3qQUrRKQNsjUxqC2k6dfUnHphRCI7WRp_5jBHn5PsG20lBHcZb2wKovWFe_Xk4VxsmRZpOhOJD906hZzOVhwoAZrQLvhHF85bfCzf" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEj5r5jrfUqrYs6xJ7zMO8bLUW_Yj6wePGL9O_NI8eCUFbJdsOTLTumNucTAkUEqGLjfA3_FPtssQn7UKaC7GeFTo0-3qQUrRKQNsjUxqC2k6dfUnHphRCI7WRp_5jBHn5PsG20lBHcZb2wKovWFe_Xk4VxsmRZpOhOJD906hZzOVhwoAZrQLvhHF85bfCzf=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We stayed near the convention center, right on the river. Very pretty!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>The library conference was relatively typical of library conferences: the "meet-and-greet" nibblies at the first event (inside the Spokane Library after closing time) were the best, and the food choices declined sharply after that. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhf5vWLYq_xz59k8OtlqzZF1ZkgNWNlFZPAF7uqB5aDv10B-JetHZfgKTeWzjlleHNh_b9yDB-Z0p7LqmakRo99bJ3ingEWfgmhSwt8n3thni7SSE367S_tHcVrRBa5mA4bqyQjnpT6_8fFX9H_mfoEpSKO3ihhpX87M6TkW7J7iHz3SWkSHMVwsjCzHTJD" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhf5vWLYq_xz59k8OtlqzZF1ZkgNWNlFZPAF7uqB5aDv10B-JetHZfgKTeWzjlleHNh_b9yDB-Z0p7LqmakRo99bJ3ingEWfgmhSwt8n3thni7SSE367S_tHcVrRBa5mA4bqyQjnpT6_8fFX9H_mfoEpSKO3ihhpX87M6TkW7J7iHz3SWkSHMVwsjCzHTJD=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It delights me to eat finger food and drink wine inside libraries</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I was responsible for two sessions. On Friday afternoon, "Sex in the Library" drew the usual good crowd, and we had some excellent discussions--more fodder for a new edition of the book, if I ever completely lose my sanity and decide to write it. (I probably will. The world needs that book to be updated).</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I also attended some interesting sessions on Friday, including a presentation by a lawyer who works for the American Library Association Office of Intellectual Freedom. You better believe she's been busy the last couple of years, and had lots of good stuff for us.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">There were also authors to hang with, including Travis Bauldree and Christine Day. I <3 them both. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lgRN5xGoLj96CNLvorZRWLYfnPlRWJzr1O8jtmJXDoAuNNhQ7MLAhzWcYeBJszPj6GNxDLpO7MsazLQA1G945Xb_BaySUiSRlKEJNcWJzLnyjJlwNrd_DNYuQxe18XJk1llbzw1dLSmH1iU-I0ooy0uLS5KoOKYcbR1WgF4mX7Zoz9eWwq2nxRXQDps6/s3024/20240301_103544.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_lgRN5xGoLj96CNLvorZRWLYfnPlRWJzr1O8jtmJXDoAuNNhQ7MLAhzWcYeBJszPj6GNxDLpO7MsazLQA1G945Xb_BaySUiSRlKEJNcWJzLnyjJlwNrd_DNYuQxe18XJk1llbzw1dLSmH1iU-I0ooy0uLS5KoOKYcbR1WgF4mX7Zoz9eWwq2nxRXQDps6/w640-h640/20240301_103544.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">If you haven't read--or listened to--Travis' books about a retired Orc warrior who<br />runs a coffeeshop, do not delay: <i>Legends and Lattes </i>is delightful!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Then, Saturday morning (a few hours before I was supposed to drive home), I looked out the window and saw this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiSic4xDry-RBW3OWuqu-GXocXO1HTZl8raAv-s1lx1fRY_-U426SP2bnchC9XwOgQNEEmYHd6eb3QmDbx2oB5_q5V6MtGi7CMwLKxka5I3maMigU_y9E41-5paxiMP5R6w5XHNw-lTC5GqpxN9OjxPLHaM8hfknhnO6_8eCHWQM_Jb7Vkn-YCwXD9nqr3R" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiSic4xDry-RBW3OWuqu-GXocXO1HTZl8raAv-s1lx1fRY_-U426SP2bnchC9XwOgQNEEmYHd6eb3QmDbx2oB5_q5V6MtGi7CMwLKxka5I3maMigU_y9E41-5paxiMP5R6w5XHNw-lTC5GqpxN9OjxPLHaM8hfknhnO6_8eCHWQM_Jb7Vkn-YCwXD9nqr3R=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bahhhh.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">But there was no time to fret, because I still had to present my 2nd session!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibjj5Nv3-ct8yFdDQ8UnIw5LQkxBDdHrUPKDvMFu080FUEKWva7tgKCGBO4DOxDZiZY640LwWqrb4w-xV3ZMERkuUwWl9M1WnDPKqMegSkQRGaJ8goGz0LSslLmAreXUnTtZuw1Lh0uqrt32AZEmml0QDt82CnlO2N-CDmREGFTSbAqdTCbU3Qd4JDYDzF" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEibjj5Nv3-ct8yFdDQ8UnIw5LQkxBDdHrUPKDvMFu080FUEKWva7tgKCGBO4DOxDZiZY640LwWqrb4w-xV3ZMERkuUwWl9M1WnDPKqMegSkQRGaJ8goGz0LSslLmAreXUnTtZuw1Lh0uqrt32AZEmml0QDt82CnlO2N-CDmREGFTSbAqdTCbU3Qd4JDYDzF=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"WASHYARG: teen book reviewers who probably aren't pirates"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I've been a member of Washyarg for about 25 years, and co-chair of the group since just before lockdown in 2020. It's a bunch of teen services librarians who meet four times a year to review new books for each other--not the tactful, sanitized reviews that you might read in "Booklist" or "School Library Journal" but the actual, need-to-know kinds of details that librarians (like me) who purchase teen books for libraries want. We are, if you can't tell from the photo, a fun bunch.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">By the time our session was done, the sn*w was melting</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgppGZVGE503dGZEA_ROrUwB46pM3UWHFNPYuT_iSydhVKXAgBl8JlZADi4ZhGWk3tTpAiY3DmJfd1I1BH_06cUmsuPftyLJgQNRa--ztWlae-cq4ocfNxLEH5XYK6UbZsEvdxmO4tOMv58GM3JxPhh5U5BKbIzhO-XgznwKp8MzWQuqlZckBHyX1jis_7Q" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgppGZVGE503dGZEA_ROrUwB46pM3UWHFNPYuT_iSydhVKXAgBl8JlZADi4ZhGWk3tTpAiY3DmJfd1I1BH_06cUmsuPftyLJgQNRa--ztWlae-cq4ocfNxLEH5XYK6UbZsEvdxmO4tOMv58GM3JxPhh5U5BKbIzhO-XgznwKp8MzWQuqlZckBHyX1jis_7Q=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">melting!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">and I beat feet back towards my beloved Wet Side. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Five and a half hours of driving later</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisYbGYK4QWU6rAKVACf73MOeYF7s5vqxp-Bl_LICgH1e4_120fO-g3TzV_vXvZbfuTju--RzYeeClKrjlrlMPDQB30pS1H5In_KNZg8QGjpy6t59SKp_MXl7bouKbkMf-E2Pti31o8GxTJali-TbiTI6cXETqfPipyDVD4ucephhJBpCKtw9RIf-dZ3nl7" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisYbGYK4QWU6rAKVACf73MOeYF7s5vqxp-Bl_LICgH1e4_120fO-g3TzV_vXvZbfuTju--RzYeeClKrjlrlMPDQB30pS1H5In_KNZg8QGjpy6t59SKp_MXl7bouKbkMf-E2Pti31o8GxTJali-TbiTI6cXETqfPipyDVD4ucephhJBpCKtw9RIf-dZ3nl7=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I like sn*w when I don't have to shovel it...or drive on it!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">I arrived safely home.</div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7tAGfcgPHxyI3CdCjd3LrHLW2lDLh8nxKHoWkWWuy9ASnZ-c93uYYnr1ks9CUiuVdbWOQMBQDKOaEiaASfSboVl7-fYlFeas2EX9R1lo1PJCSdKR1wVu3hWs43CnafI9H9P9uThdFGgDhzAew0Pcx0NmRJZmkTJuieJNCr5neksJYI2l64R9eXMurrPk7" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1967" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh7tAGfcgPHxyI3CdCjd3LrHLW2lDLh8nxKHoWkWWuy9ASnZ-c93uYYnr1ks9CUiuVdbWOQMBQDKOaEiaASfSboVl7-fYlFeas2EX9R1lo1PJCSdKR1wVu3hWs43CnafI9H9P9uThdFGgDhzAew0Pcx0NmRJZmkTJuieJNCr5neksJYI2l64R9eXMurrPk7=w616-h640" width="616" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sinbad met me at the gate</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">The weather at home is less-than-lovely, but it's March now...so it <i>must</i> be getting closer to Spring, right?</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I planted more seeds today, moved some seedlings from the house grow station to the outdoor greenhouse, and rode my horse. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">And I took a nap.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Onwards! Into the week!</div></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-23949724927153222812024-02-26T20:03:00.000-08:002024-02-26T20:03:42.316-08:00In which Spring hasn't arrived, but we can see it from where we're standing<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>We had an unpleasant surprise in the yard this morning.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhfgsaPAPP76moWylOstcUTm84uJCL3HsH_JCriyOkC7slxOugqlAQ18mXTVKicZxRTtY0NY1SfmVlRXQ6aMd2VjWNIyjP0tuNPjr3D33GYTugO7JeEfIaDFY60qtFXsx6f-iu3OPTGlOTsikZi6oZkoRQFZC-KdN4MO_XoNxA_mxZLislID6hcN_5gG9/s2048/428662933_10159876912871099_1055304274906020098_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilhfgsaPAPP76moWylOstcUTm84uJCL3HsH_JCriyOkC7slxOugqlAQ18mXTVKicZxRTtY0NY1SfmVlRXQ6aMd2VjWNIyjP0tuNPjr3D33GYTugO7JeEfIaDFY60qtFXsx6f-iu3OPTGlOTsikZi6oZkoRQFZC-KdN4MO_XoNxA_mxZLislID6hcN_5gG9/w640-h640/428662933_10159876912871099_1055304274906020098_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bahhh.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8BmX-3HJgUm01FoVdoL-uVcaIH1ZT3p5E9crC7_4ju-31Y9R3ztnsoAyFjEOjdxbWRY-obPUaUmrh9FOjQdCq16LOdF3ZIdTsLf9v5_IeXg_6R3vIU53_QsmmfV92OpX06dksEWvLwiz-C3mteTT15JT9sjG_DTG1DmZpxohp0SaI5Z0x8ksVk4tt_98/s3024/20240226_075126.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEge8BmX-3HJgUm01FoVdoL-uVcaIH1ZT3p5E9crC7_4ju-31Y9R3ztnsoAyFjEOjdxbWRY-obPUaUmrh9FOjQdCq16LOdF3ZIdTsLf9v5_IeXg_6R3vIU53_QsmmfV92OpX06dksEWvLwiz-C3mteTT15JT9sjG_DTG1DmZpxohp0SaI5Z0x8ksVk4tt_98/w640-h640/20240226_075126.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dragon and Daft Wully tolerate the ?snail? ?sleain? ?haeet? <br />falling on their breakfast<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7nWsDnKCB66wjyC-MfgV2ZP_mfIinAapQ7HEvcGifMABHkxms-SwTJaD4eRCMDgmITZ-KDcnI9pg7j8E6r80GZaraPbwqgD0YWWtVbKRMoTl0io-uL6l4OXZ0MlPkFhuTerrpbxrVz1LM-ZFvQviWvfQqgCDQj4tEaRUoCkOOoIz8nVjCcyxAdlxcOJTV/s2048/429571075_10159876913516099_9050838474196561001_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7nWsDnKCB66wjyC-MfgV2ZP_mfIinAapQ7HEvcGifMABHkxms-SwTJaD4eRCMDgmITZ-KDcnI9pg7j8E6r80GZaraPbwqgD0YWWtVbKRMoTl0io-uL6l4OXZ0MlPkFhuTerrpbxrVz1LM-ZFvQviWvfQqgCDQj4tEaRUoCkOOoIz8nVjCcyxAdlxcOJTV/w640-h640/429571075_10159876913516099_9050838474196561001_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jock would rather starve than go outside in that stuff</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCghT0M_wyBsMKtELfX3KtNhkOABUJlvO0nvr56hllyjV5Stnbq-fsoVIP6K3kNM0IJq9hGU0H6a_OVGW11c3icNBie-U21Gg9hIrqmMN1_kG6ex1SCj-hl6K0MgEn0qgKB5d0gxycGSbnnvZBqTcyhXCr2FCqYd5tI3OWDsBSLtMYV32qZDcF72cl0Fsi/s2048/428689667_10159876913151099_6245647364754989349_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCghT0M_wyBsMKtELfX3KtNhkOABUJlvO0nvr56hllyjV5Stnbq-fsoVIP6K3kNM0IJq9hGU0H6a_OVGW11c3icNBie-U21Gg9hIrqmMN1_kG6ex1SCj-hl6K0MgEn0qgKB5d0gxycGSbnnvZBqTcyhXCr2FCqYd5tI3OWDsBSLtMYV32qZDcF72cl0Fsi/w640-h640/428689667_10159876913151099_6245647364754989349_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The dogs think it's <i>wonderful fun!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JrKqA7rCTGk1gtm7Ido6-ffcINVhcuy-O27At2e0-JD2uDShkdP1yZvsngENcv_zBtBAyfNNaw5yr25JRfHCDDRKymNXhxJVWjqK0hsAEW33400sywUzhqagjSdwLy2LWkazwK8wWUNG9UOUoVe3UvPiStDbNWlscTmKePvO8z_Y8XtSyumyulV-ksNi/s2048/428683881_10159876912796099_5422663460708720257_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9JrKqA7rCTGk1gtm7Ido6-ffcINVhcuy-O27At2e0-JD2uDShkdP1yZvsngENcv_zBtBAyfNNaw5yr25JRfHCDDRKymNXhxJVWjqK0hsAEW33400sywUzhqagjSdwLy2LWkazwK8wWUNG9UOUoVe3UvPiStDbNWlscTmKePvO8z_Y8XtSyumyulV-ksNi/w640-h640/428683881_10159876912796099_5422663460708720257_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jim and I hunkered all morning, drinking tea and enjoying a leisurely breakfast,<br />until the weather improved.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><br />Elsewhere on the Farm, we are preparing for something else!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZjSb7bJ3XSkqjZKks7wvQp07yOv4-BkWlm2-CQ6opd9pSbAYgwcmAeNBobvlNZ8Ohrcc0c6NZh3-tLHMHIIaKSuk0LZfeHd_5MLOe2dfKukFMnP2pENslSRMwjtI73d6fJ2MtC88c_RB6isnD4plNVdbn4bO8qJptGEgNC9uM0pR8MzkstEFW8AHe3pRY/s3024/20240223_190519.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZjSb7bJ3XSkqjZKks7wvQp07yOv4-BkWlm2-CQ6opd9pSbAYgwcmAeNBobvlNZ8Ohrcc0c6NZh3-tLHMHIIaKSuk0LZfeHd_5MLOe2dfKukFMnP2pENslSRMwjtI73d6fJ2MtC88c_RB6isnD4plNVdbn4bO8qJptGEgNC9uM0pR8MzkstEFW8AHe3pRY/w640-h640/20240223_190519.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Peas, leeks, broccoli, and 3 different kinds of flowers ALL SPROUTED!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGWj2r6m97dAPN1zx40Re-LXGMx4DS_pzM10PuCIhncHYgsZa5DTUA9b2T7PScbZgfRQqQG16zFWeeik1bTquhpfLXhL6QHKAup_uHrxEO27izuMfZZlfVNu_1c4On8cU7oeewQpu3alu4ErhNy-o4Z8Nl9twrAmWMJi5a3zjcH8utDwxiNhOnRmObV-Gy/s3024/20240223_072106.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGWj2r6m97dAPN1zx40Re-LXGMx4DS_pzM10PuCIhncHYgsZa5DTUA9b2T7PScbZgfRQqQG16zFWeeik1bTquhpfLXhL6QHKAup_uHrxEO27izuMfZZlfVNu_1c4On8cU7oeewQpu3alu4ErhNy-o4Z8Nl9twrAmWMJi5a3zjcH8utDwxiNhOnRmObV-Gy/w640-h640/20240223_072106.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I took this photo yesterday, showing sprouted carrots, cauliflower and swiss chard. <br />This morning, the onions sprouted too!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17M1CaIpUiup57d2U5hbxy3WJ5YXhAN1KGCs6vPw0DSNWojyU1W3l9i0Szwg7QH-sjqbN8423cv-kIpOjUJQRFIVA12HbVV9vlJznDOvGN7VyBEetbjB54s-4HztNEbmQ481Dp3QeWdylpiLsXejefCtliACRzn8Qrd8XmI7riyPrORJ8vrH_cvSc2RHh/s3024/20240223_190035.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg17M1CaIpUiup57d2U5hbxy3WJ5YXhAN1KGCs6vPw0DSNWojyU1W3l9i0Szwg7QH-sjqbN8423cv-kIpOjUJQRFIVA12HbVV9vlJznDOvGN7VyBEetbjB54s-4HztNEbmQ481Dp3QeWdylpiLsXejefCtliACRzn8Qrd8XmI7riyPrORJ8vrH_cvSc2RHh/w640-h640/20240223_190035.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Everybody wants to set on eggs, including our non-binary bird Sing More (L)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaC8AivAKWRx6MSyh-0_ddj_3XW-fg7menaYBPTZ-rNn06t5PDRmqFxd4-QhQBiFVjRQ2EHdZbtCU1bfZ9AkD0HKysOgvigtmIPDRYfizLEg8mAuCysqrxin_vdMwAUciDzPZLSmxN0ZML-BvUgQJm8xD41zEpHDubTfx0RA1n9SGUy4-5RouVpeogbcni/s3024/20240226_141341.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaC8AivAKWRx6MSyh-0_ddj_3XW-fg7menaYBPTZ-rNn06t5PDRmqFxd4-QhQBiFVjRQ2EHdZbtCU1bfZ9AkD0HKysOgvigtmIPDRYfizLEg8mAuCysqrxin_vdMwAUciDzPZLSmxN0ZML-BvUgQJm8xD41zEpHDubTfx0RA1n9SGUy4-5RouVpeogbcni/w640-h640/20240226_141341.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I need more room to grow even more green beans (beans are slenderizing for fat dogs!)<br />so I'm tearing out an old chicken tunnel to make a new garden bed.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbk_jYa3hhyphenhyphend6PeCbyfPRzMIlicAmJJzFDmVHR8lpMR_Zh25CBMoIBtLAtaaMZ1xiPuDuhSxSmRSDKZBRPo5r5Vp1MRsgnbgEnsFj_oG9IbG62hUGgmocifcwi_SpAS2BMkgyfSwFC17cPbW5oH4_9QzS5sy1F7enVYuA53WaUIighK3vdxLzRjl3L9cSR/s3024/20240226_141428.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbk_jYa3hhyphenhyphend6PeCbyfPRzMIlicAmJJzFDmVHR8lpMR_Zh25CBMoIBtLAtaaMZ1xiPuDuhSxSmRSDKZBRPo5r5Vp1MRsgnbgEnsFj_oG9IbG62hUGgmocifcwi_SpAS2BMkgyfSwFC17cPbW5oH4_9QzS5sy1F7enVYuA53WaUIighK3vdxLzRjl3L9cSR/w640-h640/20240226_141428.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This weird patch of plants is getting an upgrade (finally)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUm1B8vPFiNJJdWZ0ulEiRAmHEZmidmAGHN07svC_UZXGInJy_lDBi1aVg4tHlQo49STu3c7pq8ngI1tjh_-pZn0g1aH4LegT67Yx57kdB4dlqemnCEw42UmXzPQZpJoX9UoC_aPZB4DzTvZgVIy6NovpkihnapmXH0MTF5AGuAlXpDc4w0xYJR15rxg9/s3024/20240226_161737.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUm1B8vPFiNJJdWZ0ulEiRAmHEZmidmAGHN07svC_UZXGInJy_lDBi1aVg4tHlQo49STu3c7pq8ngI1tjh_-pZn0g1aH4LegT67Yx57kdB4dlqemnCEw42UmXzPQZpJoX9UoC_aPZB4DzTvZgVIy6NovpkihnapmXH0MTF5AGuAlXpDc4w0xYJR15rxg9/w640-h640/20240226_161737.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A ton-and-a-half of bricks to enclose the weird planting zone and make it look <br />a bit more intentional.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><br />Jim pruned and fertilized all the fruit trees this week, and the earliest of them are already starting to bud out already. The dogs are shedding but the Dragon won't start for another two months, if she holds to her tradition. </div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeh8KxznQVcslGa6jpInBmtUBQ8UtF9fovIN-oXnoHDEVBKEgTFOmvoyqVshi9w-3tYdrgr_1bhyphenhyphenw6bf_xZZnZdu59G5oNjvjyWXlfeR1hwSj-I_xeaWxt-HxZP9WegHG54McciGy5eZKLS3Fz6Naa9SWUneOsmuzA_4dgoTR6FXLsplYxagqv2TvA6wcx/s2048/428683177_10159876913381099_2473398675269131636_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeh8KxznQVcslGa6jpInBmtUBQ8UtF9fovIN-oXnoHDEVBKEgTFOmvoyqVshi9w-3tYdrgr_1bhyphenhyphenw6bf_xZZnZdu59G5oNjvjyWXlfeR1hwSj-I_xeaWxt-HxZP9WegHG54McciGy5eZKLS3Fz6Naa9SWUneOsmuzA_4dgoTR6FXLsplYxagqv2TvA6wcx/w640-h640/428683177_10159876913381099_2473398675269131636_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Even with sn*w on the ground, the raspberry plants are leafing out, undeterred.<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />I heard chickadees and starlings singing their spring song this morning, despite the white crap falling from the sky. </div><div><br /></div><div>They know what's coming--and so do we!<br /><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> <p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-70541028898803622372024-02-18T17:44:00.000-08:002024-02-18T17:44:41.574-08:00In which we try something different and the Ruby Slippers return<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>"I want to pull the Dragon's shoes for a month," said <a href="https://haikufarm.blogspot.com/2016/05/in-which-shoeing-older-and-opinionated.html">Mel</a>.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The last time Fiddle was barefoot was 2010. It was not a huge success*. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Q79EldV2yuXzdB2L6I3mq_8jIkTeYkq_mJxp8ieBiN-uhNgloBqnME3AMjAd-qL4hb-ywrzmJ92BDjsO13QiSIPXadE3M2jynVfvM_x9aV3CdP2qIni-xVsadn9RJ5dTA9DYat53fG9c7fXvrdjJ3Pz2-z5H9tIKVXWvxidlHzbH64AnvGEQcEK9kT7g/s3024/20240218_133304.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Q79EldV2yuXzdB2L6I3mq_8jIkTeYkq_mJxp8ieBiN-uhNgloBqnME3AMjAd-qL4hb-ywrzmJ92BDjsO13QiSIPXadE3M2jynVfvM_x9aV3CdP2qIni-xVsadn9RJ5dTA9DYat53fG9c7fXvrdjJ3Pz2-z5H9tIKVXWvxidlHzbH64AnvGEQcEK9kT7g/w640-h640/20240218_133304.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2024 bare foot looks GREAT, especially for a Swamp Horse in winter!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">*understatement</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The Ruby Slippers (Renegade boots, which were The Newest Thing in 2010) were my last attempt at having a barefoot/booted horse. She went well in them at the time (2010 video by Madeline)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UxZJhQ-SmmE" width="320" youtube-src-id="UxZJhQ-SmmE"></iframe></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"> but they were a PITA for me...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisBOu1N9Wusmk5l_vSJ5lLkAtfPAq4Ezqg97dUpntSV09eJvSUKY2lnSJtLL1pTauLNU2u0pAcWyQZ_iW5Xj7QIwYRzPEt3Vwa4wZy6f1oX-64So7Rb3x5f81f-xKxnoCO261zKicy5R8-MkhhlOMiN0xpBI6TFeCW4E7f-jnWvOIxvsYIU-MxTAFuNd-o" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEisBOu1N9Wusmk5l_vSJ5lLkAtfPAq4Ezqg97dUpntSV09eJvSUKY2lnSJtLL1pTauLNU2u0pAcWyQZ_iW5Xj7QIwYRzPEt3Vwa4wZy6f1oX-64So7Rb3x5f81f-xKxnoCO261zKicy5R8-MkhhlOMiN0xpBI6TFeCW4E7f-jnWvOIxvsYIU-MxTAFuNd-o=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is what happens to boots on a horse who exhibits "epic overreach" in her gaits, 2013</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Mel knows a lot about horse feet. "Probably she'll be able to muck around the tree farm barefoot during the mud season," she said. "It's worth a try. Just for a month."</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div>So, on Tuesday the Dragon became a (temporarily) barefoot horse again. She is quite sound in the pasture, and was observed Rampaging several times yesterday while I was out of town at a work conference.<div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi08Tc8lwqDjn-NvonAAlRziz-j_mrEjpv9twfL_BM_6vTvWuPPTqs2JEMbKsB9ndNgYHx9NzfZqP0_sYO0l4mWd8MD763rXZjMfjCoxSMT-rcS12I4cASF1Gw05d3bxL1p9V-OI9iwmfQ3G4Tyem-hXAyj7jwt-8GDUnn4lKUN0EpnbymfJd-ME_lG_vS-/s3024/20240218_123646.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi08Tc8lwqDjn-NvonAAlRziz-j_mrEjpv9twfL_BM_6vTvWuPPTqs2JEMbKsB9ndNgYHx9NzfZqP0_sYO0l4mWd8MD763rXZjMfjCoxSMT-rcS12I4cASF1Gw05d3bxL1p9V-OI9iwmfQ3G4Tyem-hXAyj7jwt-8GDUnn4lKUN0EpnbymfJd-ME_lG_vS-/w640-h640/20240218_123646.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to give it a try!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Today it was time to saddle up and try that mucking around thing.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFf_pVsrYkE2XZ-f68-_YZixwW1x2ihrTTYCPuVToNQ-fJV0KSs55MwudZ09u9ORNpRj3IIa4VFLIxLEy96uNWiOX0VePxB5UhQqxuHjoVo1unR4lxOFIB4clMrxqBYHymkdkNIT_Na8OOfYwxNK6RIuqePyMmDBvvEG6U3z11zx-jvsHZSv-tR-XVtYco/s3024/20240218_123642.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFf_pVsrYkE2XZ-f68-_YZixwW1x2ihrTTYCPuVToNQ-fJV0KSs55MwudZ09u9ORNpRj3IIa4VFLIxLEy96uNWiOX0VePxB5UhQqxuHjoVo1unR4lxOFIB4clMrxqBYHymkdkNIT_Na8OOfYwxNK6RIuqePyMmDBvvEG6U3z11zx-jvsHZSv-tR-XVtYco/w640-h640/20240218_123642.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Just in case, I brought the ol' Ruby Slippers with me</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><div><br /></div><div>Heading south from the trailhead, I could tell that Fee wasn't enjoying the barefoot experience.</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfzitDgmIZeb0qrEi5hXpXVcNM3npaytMzDiep-xu6huVmZxQQKrqqIjykLEPiQGZ3J8a1j4uUDnEKEqXwW_TWT0mjGbpWvlzR4fepe7XwB6-Qo4Ua-ns7Qcwb_NmADUG_awexUN6y3QbNMuML70zYcuGYLnb7-5H1b8GpnY_PisQAVs-AzgGmhq2QkxRi/s3024/20240218_130016.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfzitDgmIZeb0qrEi5hXpXVcNM3npaytMzDiep-xu6huVmZxQQKrqqIjykLEPiQGZ3J8a1j4uUDnEKEqXwW_TWT0mjGbpWvlzR4fepe7XwB6-Qo4Ua-ns7Qcwb_NmADUG_awexUN6y3QbNMuML70zYcuGYLnb7-5H1b8GpnY_PisQAVs-AzgGmhq2QkxRi/w640-h640/20240218_130016.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The track is mud/sand. She kept steering herself out into the grass instead.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />After about a quarter mile of riding the tip-toe ouchy walk, I gave up and put front boots on her.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcU0aUbX0ckndOHfiAMCbU4_AIqwjYPNEJ773XtMI7E4_BLkRuSOVnDXIiWSo9TujP77G4nQ1qmwAK1nGcHiO8oR0-kI1zWahH6iofWVlOkyfCH-j3QChJF2oXC0luDcbWpGnpnT-sC7ImvCW4zJ85xUlp__pou1znnvYsE2Bgmjfs4vOQ6cv71CQA0S1Z/s3024/20240218_131107.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcU0aUbX0ckndOHfiAMCbU4_AIqwjYPNEJ773XtMI7E4_BLkRuSOVnDXIiWSo9TujP77G4nQ1qmwAK1nGcHiO8oR0-kI1zWahH6iofWVlOkyfCH-j3QChJF2oXC0luDcbWpGnpnT-sC7ImvCW4zJ85xUlp__pou1znnvYsE2Bgmjfs4vOQ6cv71CQA0S1Z/w640-h640/20240218_131107.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her right front foot was wider than the others in 2010, so that boot is a slightly different size.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Front boots were definitely better than none. She spent more time in the center of the trail,</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JiDmO6gCjnWoh18n0BvusTOZAYvE3wNhstdKuxuYhXcZwp2tJBubw9cDhaGvd8JTxZnPMEe1hRo_n_lFiAP_WHwSDPpRsiOvh90Fyt4ndgNvl7ZmOQrS5mLQGzoq8qsfjJO3shKRDrtTb0_YffzwftL84J51epg7HFob4_HouVTzBd3FK4cb5Zm96YZg/s3024/20240218_132115.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4JiDmO6gCjnWoh18n0BvusTOZAYvE3wNhstdKuxuYhXcZwp2tJBubw9cDhaGvd8JTxZnPMEe1hRo_n_lFiAP_WHwSDPpRsiOvh90Fyt4ndgNvl7ZmOQrS5mLQGzoq8qsfjJO3shKRDrtTb0_YffzwftL84J51epg7HFob4_HouVTzBd3FK4cb5Zm96YZg/w640-h640/20240218_132115.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Track here is mud and small rocks</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div> but was still taking careful steps and not using her hind end engine very much.</div><div><br /></div><div>Heavy sigh.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Qg2kG-e_eE-yKXl9F1_i-qcEW3OvuksDekwjWI_IsiWdBc6OEWaAQ4O_mqawwfkTRpCqPo6DbEa2NpuBG1XeHLh1vG6oYPPTQKVnAhBICjZVM9ZWWcM0fsjHpyyP4-hZFrR-sWKT1gQudHbgTH5SetoiG6Kym-CCQTeV23dUNheZDk9effpJlHHeuoXx/s3024/20240218_134343.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-Qg2kG-e_eE-yKXl9F1_i-qcEW3OvuksDekwjWI_IsiWdBc6OEWaAQ4O_mqawwfkTRpCqPo6DbEa2NpuBG1XeHLh1vG6oYPPTQKVnAhBICjZVM9ZWWcM0fsjHpyyP4-hZFrR-sWKT1gQudHbgTH5SetoiG6Kym-CCQTeV23dUNheZDk9effpJlHHeuoXx/w640-h640/20240218_134343.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Four boots</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>I could easily feel the difference with four boots on. </div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/CFMnXgS7VsY" width="320" youtube-src-id="CFMnXgS7VsY"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> She kept offering to trot, which she refused to do with feet uncovered.</div><div><br /></div><div>But...</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VvYQdJiDZqQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="VvYQdJiDZqQ"></iframe></div><br /><div>She's still ouchy on roads, even with 4 boots. And a lot of our winter tracks are roads.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>And also...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglw7KSCSaGg_eh7mXbozvpQx0I-2lafsfFW5wLyYiDYrwC0HZTBhpQv4klPUM-kGZ1YYT4LBL2Sw-su3Oi5wf5kQiyLo3sUk7SbnLqm2TR8fdEZhUct7_V9N-jkCWvPvAstFuKg6VTCAgfNopJ54_qz8gIEMpU0-H8Xn740urNB5UsyW14uKIdWHLD45dK/s3024/20240218_144339.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglw7KSCSaGg_eh7mXbozvpQx0I-2lafsfFW5wLyYiDYrwC0HZTBhpQv4klPUM-kGZ1YYT4LBL2Sw-su3Oi5wf5kQiyLo3sUk7SbnLqm2TR8fdEZhUct7_V9N-jkCWvPvAstFuKg6VTCAgfNopJ54_qz8gIEMpU0-H8Xn740urNB5UsyW14uKIdWHLD45dK/w640-h640/20240218_144339.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm willing to concede that repeated strap failures might be operator error...<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRSSfvj5W1SWAOA9htYqYUFlzJnQzX_01ifVpC1VcrWlXoptIB9ieW969Qi6SRiOuWutB5IICeMX-Ou4xzJrEXT_nqlGh-z-WgdehHsaH_ybXZPCp_iQYgt-8FWXVGnp0HhU8QunsAcuDpWEn-Kpx0_w4jVrhzVD1HCWeXYerKUZ6Kp8h1PNO1_nzetwm5/s3456/20240218_151739.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRSSfvj5W1SWAOA9htYqYUFlzJnQzX_01ifVpC1VcrWlXoptIB9ieW969Qi6SRiOuWutB5IICeMX-Ou4xzJrEXT_nqlGh-z-WgdehHsaH_ybXZPCp_iQYgt-8FWXVGnp0HhU8QunsAcuDpWEn-Kpx0_w4jVrhzVD1HCWeXYerKUZ6Kp8h1PNO1_nzetwm5/w640-h640/20240218_151739.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">or the result of using 14-year-old boots.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />I'm willing to work through a month of bare-footedness, but it's time to crowdsource more wisdom.</div><div><br /></div><div>Do I need new boots? Do I need a different type? Just new straps? </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Or ????</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>Easy Boots absolutely will not stay on her feet--I had Garrett Ford personally video-chat me through the process of fitting them on her, and even he had to give up. She has so much action, especially in her hind legs, that the stupid boots just kept flying away.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1fcVznlif_LRnwEj-GTV-zzR8e4hPvIC7wL5WU34PIqgPAOGwgrECkW7imJGvgM99PrsZKeVH3CZbU52bxw6TOKQ-p9njn8TG6l8lE6Oemg6NEADEAijb2FjHjIpG19gLZcrSXDaYjmhWjQHP62TTXH5HC6_p7atIyhCNdzPimEzmCO41lJgCa31D79fK/s3305/20240218_161819.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3305" data-original-width="1470" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1fcVznlif_LRnwEj-GTV-zzR8e4hPvIC7wL5WU34PIqgPAOGwgrECkW7imJGvgM99PrsZKeVH3CZbU52bxw6TOKQ-p9njn8TG6l8lE6Oemg6NEADEAijb2FjHjIpG19gLZcrSXDaYjmhWjQHP62TTXH5HC6_p7atIyhCNdzPimEzmCO41lJgCa31D79fK/w284-h640/20240218_161819.jpg" width="284" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Her feet are nearly symmetrical now, with the <br />right hind a smidge shorter front-to-back,<br />and the shape quite uniform</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> </div><div>I might be able to get some used Renegades locally, which I would prefer since this is NOT going to be a long-term arrangement for us. </div><div><br /></div><div>The Ruby Slippers are size 2w, except the formerly-wonky RF which is size 2ww. What size does she need now? <p></p></div><div><br /></div><div>The comment box is Wide Open and waiting for Wisdom!</div>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-63715902166431650782024-02-11T19:12:00.000-08:002024-02-11T19:12:43.249-08:00In which it's time to plan the gardens and pretend I will stay on task<p style="text-align: center;"> <b>Planning gardens is one of my time-honored coping strategies for the </b><b>Big Dark time of year.</b></p><p style="text-align: left;">I've used the <a href="https://www.growveg.com/" target="_blank">GrowVeg app</a> for years, and faithfully followed along with <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@GrowVeg">Ben Vanheems' exploits</a> in his British vegetable garden. His enthusiasm and delight is contagious. In our house, he is known as the Gardening Nerd, and he makes me smile. He's also convinced me to try growing things I'd never considered before, which is why there is now a jungle in our bathroom.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif74E_zAwtvQUcFH6zsXtS9L5KpoIDhv4vmjHG0-mT0FphmR1nU_2rSoq6J_UY4UbxPVh7fN-ZQIxkb1n46O0mtQRI0tIzsDbJB8RaCaq1xIuHAiV2Xdarlm8wyji7pbK8U75dajU-M0uHzFfxqio3jjNiw-i-G6wDYGEWiuRDjQsWiX-cDxtACpVujrRI/s3456/20240211_172236.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif74E_zAwtvQUcFH6zsXtS9L5KpoIDhv4vmjHG0-mT0FphmR1nU_2rSoq6J_UY4UbxPVh7fN-ZQIxkb1n46O0mtQRI0tIzsDbJB8RaCaq1xIuHAiV2Xdarlm8wyji7pbK8U75dajU-M0uHzFfxqio3jjNiw-i-G6wDYGEWiuRDjQsWiX-cDxtACpVujrRI/w640-h640/20240211_172236.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cilantro grown from seed, blueberry cuttings, ginger (!!!!), a Meyer Lemon <br />and a Bergamot Orange tree, all growing in the warm humidity of our bathroom</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />The garden planner lets me amuse myself by moving crops around on the computer screen for months before I ever put a shovel in the dirt. It also keeps track of where I've planted things in the past, so that I can maintain decent crop rotation to avoid pests and diseases. (I do ignore the recommendations at times, but that's on me!)<div><br /></div><div>Jim and I also have some favorite gardening shows, and these bring sunlight into the house on dark evenings. We love the British "<a href="https://www.gardenersworld.com/" target="_blank">Gardeners World</a>" (Monty Don is a hero!) and we had a great time with the Irish gardeners on "<a href="https://giy.ie/series/grow-cook-eat/">Grow-Cook-Eat</a>," who make us feel like our maritime climate is so hospitable compared to Ireland!</div><div><br /></div><div>The beauty of gardening programs is that old shows are just as relevant as something produced last week, because "the latest development in primroses" is still timely ten or fifteen years later, which gives us years of programming to binge.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_qb4VSi43z0iOrQ0EsI8V-a8zW4GxfDy9few7eP54beOK-6cMwstVYwuHo9i4_g3BBtZjtdDlN_1gnASsWeSUv9Bsw-Jtr7GLGrlsPtLHz_K7nyAKUi8qCqXcHSw4iOUdZ9iqaQwzyi-uut36lqjBxcxqdOObkja6FX-RHIOqHV73EcWbOocdLT0ganj/s3456/20240128_161116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy_qb4VSi43z0iOrQ0EsI8V-a8zW4GxfDy9few7eP54beOK-6cMwstVYwuHo9i4_g3BBtZjtdDlN_1gnASsWeSUv9Bsw-Jtr7GLGrlsPtLHz_K7nyAKUi8qCqXcHSw4iOUdZ9iqaQwzyi-uut36lqjBxcxqdOObkja6FX-RHIOqHV73EcWbOocdLT0ganj/w640-h640/20240128_161116.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Primroses at the front gate</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div>Here's the current version of the plans. I might or might not follow them when spring actually springs.</div><div><p><br /></p><p><b>We started the Classic Garden in 2009</b>,</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtg-HoDzDDCOMJN4mFc1yUifejbbbHO2R4ChlUWmw0KNABAowwALaMtTfpRFMO0M7RY8Ik3_orGMIMU9F61KN6J2M8LGj7kOQ6YaqYEY9fH_uhbZ4B2fsoy9rwdc009YtPze3nAUSrjdJF7fgeLVz5dKj3fxgIyo2dzgneWd_4KUQ1O7WwXYrDpPOHY2Y3" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1260" data-original-width="1870" height="432" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgtg-HoDzDDCOMJN4mFc1yUifejbbbHO2R4ChlUWmw0KNABAowwALaMtTfpRFMO0M7RY8Ik3_orGMIMU9F61KN6J2M8LGj7kOQ6YaqYEY9fH_uhbZ4B2fsoy9rwdc009YtPze3nAUSrjdJF7fgeLVz5dKj3fxgIyo2dzgneWd_4KUQ1O7WwXYrDpPOHY2Y3=w640-h432" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classic Garden, 2024 plan</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>when the neighbor came over with his tractor and rototilled out a big square of the yard. That first year the garden was pathetic in terms of production (understatement) because our soil was literally gravel with very little organic matter in it. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpyhNOnsygryCaFVUfpLR0BfvbzcpKZspK4Knmlz6XsF2as6CrJNVaDjOdr7w_zcASdRj_f6cknYGaaEmMdCn44MC2mQy67iTUl1mAs_q_0UfDEUnVUH5BiD02NiJ7VcMxowI8kkCdwkmhhthbnsIIWtdwDt3cvNpNHlyJv3yDwxmCxqJcEpcMEwlkIto/s2048/Classic%20Garden%202022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRpyhNOnsygryCaFVUfpLR0BfvbzcpKZspK4Knmlz6XsF2as6CrJNVaDjOdr7w_zcASdRj_f6cknYGaaEmMdCn44MC2mQy67iTUl1mAs_q_0UfDEUnVUH5BiD02NiJ7VcMxowI8kkCdwkmhhthbnsIIWtdwDt3cvNpNHlyJv3yDwxmCxqJcEpcMEwlkIto/w640-h640/Classic%20Garden%202022.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classic Garden 2022 - mostly squash<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><br /></div><div>15 years of added stall cleanings has created deep, beautiful, dark productive organic soil. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><br /><br /><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QZ_XYdOeTGJRaZfTyCrITHx_0KInRcGZ_SldWNY3JmL8hc-IGKAowbrqJKWXod7QZ_dZLnrc2dLviS7qU7Nowf2tHGdRMPR0jEs_OlX2t3RR1JkcvmS21aYgarAoSYMMn9hSJZao6-gk-mH6gthjMctXKWr1_Ru9usrnQv6blCgxgmUVrUpXkLUVFTtz/s960/Classic%20Garden%202023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QZ_XYdOeTGJRaZfTyCrITHx_0KInRcGZ_SldWNY3JmL8hc-IGKAowbrqJKWXod7QZ_dZLnrc2dLviS7qU7Nowf2tHGdRMPR0jEs_OlX2t3RR1JkcvmS21aYgarAoSYMMn9hSJZao6-gk-mH6gthjMctXKWr1_Ru9usrnQv6blCgxgmUVrUpXkLUVFTtz/w640-h640/Classic%20Garden%202023.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Classic Garden 2023 - beans and sunflowers (and Foxie)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><b>The Berry Garden started as a vegetable garden</b>, but as various trees continued to grow (looking at you, Sequoias, and also that fir tree, and also that walnut, but not the hazelnut that I'm pretty sure I finally killed), this sunny spot gradually became a "dappled shade spot". <br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiYLFtJZzsmXaCXWNLQ3GoOREbv1bnMCT1uVXIeaxu6mwUU1kHWY3S7nSnPNM7YlldNsRbZWPjKsNVWZTXuYamJYF_AcoSC-GpCrCzyJjFCLPnX0eNCku05U3kszek1ObDzWfoGc0QsxfTRAvAnryBt1yMGhwaapLmXt061VsLdG1ZCj-rkDHpLV0maIxn2" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1077" data-original-width="620" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiYLFtJZzsmXaCXWNLQ3GoOREbv1bnMCT1uVXIeaxu6mwUU1kHWY3S7nSnPNM7YlldNsRbZWPjKsNVWZTXuYamJYF_AcoSC-GpCrCzyJjFCLPnX0eNCku05U3kszek1ObDzWfoGc0QsxfTRAvAnryBt1yMGhwaapLmXt061VsLdG1ZCj-rkDHpLV0maIxn2=w368-h640" width="368" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Berry Garden, 2024 plan</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>As a result, this garden wasn't very good for vegetables. We split it in half: Jim built a chicken coop (the Easter Egg Palace)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDN0edvTtxgerSC1iVasgFVHlbobeKD5yfxQDhd5Xak7MterVSQDn7vuw2bnKHvlct0FA-U64cqkUNeG1Jr5ofVJa8FctRTCd4BUrKDSnY1fZ-J1hv1DH901fEbiAmrwuP_pU7t8s1rMTRPC9UyUcRIBIoYIJAXWmWEfUyrnVlVa7F5mn54sCZhqNgwf6F/s1440/Easter%20Egg%20Pen%202020.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1072" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDN0edvTtxgerSC1iVasgFVHlbobeKD5yfxQDhd5Xak7MterVSQDn7vuw2bnKHvlct0FA-U64cqkUNeG1Jr5ofVJa8FctRTCd4BUrKDSnY1fZ-J1hv1DH901fEbiAmrwuP_pU7t8s1rMTRPC9UyUcRIBIoYIJAXWmWEfUyrnVlVa7F5mn54sCZhqNgwf6F/w476-h640/Easter%20Egg%20Pen%202020.jpg" width="476" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Easter Egg Palace, 2020</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> and I installed perennial berry plants in the other half. </div><div><br /></div><div>Berries aren't nearly as insistent about having 12 hours of sun every day all summer, and produce a nice crop without needing tons of tending.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBL1sxxrfyLrtk0qyCwMJYYBkS1Ljd7cW4DJm5Yzcsn7sOuVFPMMG1QxySuxmZ6WD9hpEc_v_7wgrHfH-imhEfgryPio8K7Y18k6twxeKyIYQdDfuAchox6-MBS2KaTMO3FtWU1F26dSFD2H-GzFoXCvu4kI6RPdZnudO6NrBU6BHDfjDLc36GFbRCU1U8/s2048/Berry%20Garden%202022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBL1sxxrfyLrtk0qyCwMJYYBkS1Ljd7cW4DJm5Yzcsn7sOuVFPMMG1QxySuxmZ6WD9hpEc_v_7wgrHfH-imhEfgryPio8K7Y18k6twxeKyIYQdDfuAchox6-MBS2KaTMO3FtWU1F26dSFD2H-GzFoXCvu4kI6RPdZnudO6NrBU6BHDfjDLc36GFbRCU1U8/w640-h640/Berry%20Garden%202022.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Berry Garden, 2022. Strawberries, raspberries, blackcaps, lingonberries and Foxie</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><b>We built the Haenaheim garden during the pandemic lockdown.</b> </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2GczjuhU9YNULzmV8R49HtCRq7YnbK9anq8nPOvyIJdYF1JydHJRbdHbYTjQrlM4L08F7tHbJYhZ7AP2US-0eA2l44kbuWwDRfeqDUzEyyM9BIsvhTSbhW8RTitJm-r9Z_6l_A_WxF6fA-6YBdw4lH3dz8QMUzkS-4dCt7EJ0TsuNJb2W62OFxv5gUHbt" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="742" data-original-width="955" height="497" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEg2GczjuhU9YNULzmV8R49HtCRq7YnbK9anq8nPOvyIJdYF1JydHJRbdHbYTjQrlM4L08F7tHbJYhZ7AP2US-0eA2l44kbuWwDRfeqDUzEyyM9BIsvhTSbhW8RTitJm-r9Z_6l_A_WxF6fA-6YBdw4lH3dz8QMUzkS-4dCt7EJ0TsuNJb2W62OFxv5gUHbt=w640-h497" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haenaheim 2024 plan</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div>I think it's safe to say that I survived pandemic partly because I spent so much time tearing out the old chicken structures and unearthing the junk that accumulated in the space when it was The Place They Threw Weird Sh*t before we moved here.<br /><br /><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zs8LnsPOKyifDP0PlDNI9BDCq5R3EmYBns3LxjHcz9fB81saLRcWT1_fSQ0R69KSRGpwiu0HPTr1PN6cmL7ZqFccPjrAjs4FVQKaBKzhK8trJeZz5fmysID8Iqgz52tWZg__bKdWeMrw-ajTKh6dFzUJlsu3Ewq-mW825pAkEurEWOrNBB8sbgF_5pSA/s2048/Haenaheim%202023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6zs8LnsPOKyifDP0PlDNI9BDCq5R3EmYBns3LxjHcz9fB81saLRcWT1_fSQ0R69KSRGpwiu0HPTr1PN6cmL7ZqFccPjrAjs4FVQKaBKzhK8trJeZz5fmysID8Iqgz52tWZg__bKdWeMrw-ajTKh6dFzUJlsu3Ewq-mW825pAkEurEWOrNBB8sbgF_5pSA/w640-h640/Haenaheim%202023.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Haenaheim, 2023. Squash, broccoli, turnips, sunflowers...and Foxie.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><b>Finally, there's Monica's Garden,</b> the spot she carved out in the 8 years she lived with us. </p><p><br /></p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEie0IMTht5ksrLWwt4OMzh0gQroyFazmiZA_X0KjZgLUpPR5DkI8rROf_ng7QmkfR7ch6S7rtx7fVCgrBj99WaT33tTvVOeSr3jSN6S---s2QVnF2_yYEv69Lxq5TJikokJFVhZgfi__nx1RUM5idEQThtzUIFrRuN_n8t2C2_OoqKNiDII-S4f97wPo44w" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1100" data-original-width="1115" height="632" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEie0IMTht5ksrLWwt4OMzh0gQroyFazmiZA_X0KjZgLUpPR5DkI8rROf_ng7QmkfR7ch6S7rtx7fVCgrBj99WaT33tTvVOeSr3jSN6S---s2QVnF2_yYEv69Lxq5TJikokJFVhZgfi__nx1RUM5idEQThtzUIFrRuN_n8t2C2_OoqKNiDII-S4f97wPo44w=w640-h632" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monica's Garden, 2024 plan</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><p></p>Since Monica moved out in late summer last year, it was still mostly her stuff growing there in 2023.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCi0ozI0e8mNfUL8zTZNvUPVZvVC82T-rIDz3jR1JuA4_kFtoVSoljwwQB8FZ21GPfhLJqK9yDXFeqh5TIGJOEWRpmDPRSGn7ItKn2y_JnP82bBeLKcyp4psV9RQc3Vp4qsqYlwC7bFqnRxMORmqUSwIjcJFUUBaakh2SKC_yM3eIctGm3vfm3Dk5AOO3/s2048/Monica's%20Garden%202023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuCi0ozI0e8mNfUL8zTZNvUPVZvVC82T-rIDz3jR1JuA4_kFtoVSoljwwQB8FZ21GPfhLJqK9yDXFeqh5TIGJOEWRpmDPRSGn7ItKn2y_JnP82bBeLKcyp4psV9RQc3Vp4qsqYlwC7bFqnRxMORmqUSwIjcJFUUBaakh2SKC_yM3eIctGm3vfm3Dk5AOO3/w640-h640/Monica's%20Garden%202023.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monica's Garden 2023. Calendula, kale, corn.<br /><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIbnT4iMC9mHMXp2EUQMyacCxrkRGZHEP8yCm0J2FZm6EihPB0t6MWwmQLXNsa57XFsb4mpauepmGiXhInS198VZOFafoiEJyQjK-AHL-vmH4cJAVmx6f9plfRF9u8pWYUZT0FPxMzrVOnZGhBfpn4uYM2SUWAp4IgWj8gmw24bw6_lduWmCxlDoJu3x5/s2048/Calendula%20seeds%202023.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhIbnT4iMC9mHMXp2EUQMyacCxrkRGZHEP8yCm0J2FZm6EihPB0t6MWwmQLXNsa57XFsb4mpauepmGiXhInS198VZOFafoiEJyQjK-AHL-vmH4cJAVmx6f9plfRF9u8pWYUZT0FPxMzrVOnZGhBfpn4uYM2SUWAp4IgWj8gmw24bw6_lduWmCxlDoJu3x5/w640-h640/Calendula%20seeds%202023.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I harvested 3 <i>gallons</i> of calendula seed from Monica's garden--I could have gotten<br />much more, but I got bored with harvesting!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr></tr><tr></tr></tbody></table></td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div>This year, Monica's Garden is up to me. </div><div><br /></div><div>I'm contemplating ripping out the chicken tunnels on the east and north sides of the garden--that would open up a lot of room and also make the space more accessible. We shall see if I actually have (and take) time to do that this year. We only have 6 chickens now, and do not have plans to get more, so having two chicken runs is plenty, we don't need three!</div><div><br /></div><div>I will also plant lots of potatoes, which Jim and I love. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOiQK5pqsAS7GQSAm685euc3yPZMTFFiFTry_NI1FeqMLXKI2WiO1vLcqui0NoD7wZLKuM8uefhXcp-v5vUguVL5Jg2gB-11U3bJk9_kaa6mbqgfIpnnF5IY1DwbDIp4MNHKx7YSPTt0GVio0BAP_ayGlLnRYkl-gS7IUFWvTLZNx-TjwKgQsr6SMrRJEw/s1632/Potato%20crop%202013.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1224" data-original-width="1632" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOiQK5pqsAS7GQSAm685euc3yPZMTFFiFTry_NI1FeqMLXKI2WiO1vLcqui0NoD7wZLKuM8uefhXcp-v5vUguVL5Jg2gB-11U3bJk9_kaa6mbqgfIpnnF5IY1DwbDIp4MNHKx7YSPTt0GVio0BAP_ayGlLnRYkl-gS7IUFWvTLZNx-TjwKgQsr6SMrRJEw/w640-h480/Potato%20crop%202013.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Potato crop, 2013</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>All the gardening books say that potatoes need to be rotated into different parts of the garden, which totally ignores the reality of "<i>once there are potatoes in a space there are ALWAYS potatoes in that space.</i>" I've grown potatoes in the same corner of the Classic Garden for at least 10 years, and although I avoided planting them there last year we still got a bunch. Adding enormous amounts of fresh compost (stall cleanings) seems to help the potato crops resist disease and pests, so I will do a lot of that in the new potato beds.</div><div><br /><p></p></div><div><b>So far, I haven't planted much.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>The Gardening Nerd suggested planting carrots in deep containers in January (!!!) so I did that in the Orangerie, with a seed mat under the pots for warmth. And look:</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm0FOhHB7ZHM4TZ2ZbC6dgNZeyWTt16TJ23QsHbKgZCAvcnltdol9Lqt2O13OSXAqk5RM-v2P8WHMnYzjCVimZxH0G36G0X08XZOGJmorzCMOKztSqNFx_TM9qRhHRjieUJUD2XOXRf_53A8OU4R4kr8HTY90Eci-9YLwv_6OqHwsDTOjrn5yP0jlXbD60/s3456/2024%20Jerada%20carrots.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm0FOhHB7ZHM4TZ2ZbC6dgNZeyWTt16TJ23QsHbKgZCAvcnltdol9Lqt2O13OSXAqk5RM-v2P8WHMnYzjCVimZxH0G36G0X08XZOGJmorzCMOKztSqNFx_TM9qRhHRjieUJUD2XOXRf_53A8OU4R4kr8HTY90Eci-9YLwv_6OqHwsDTOjrn5yP0jlXbD60/w640-h640/2024%20Jerada%20carrots.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">CARROT SPROUTS!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Today, I was determined to Plant Something, but I haven't ordered a lot of seeds yet. But I had some chard, so I planted that!<div><br /></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXaRiO8nJN-nisCBiK1cnypsPyYSTEBwe5B3q-sWHuIWiIphvJfiXZd-cCjq1MBrC9j7IViMH4VMdLx8XkxqWIKEIguMc1Z54rhTcp2TpYN1yUeegaBMJZHI4M5mjgyavbEZb2TeLLyvtv15owUnEZ5iUnHdNViD6j8O63IWHRGkboOSCDP1xbj2_eeaEI/s3456/2024%20Swiss%20chard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXaRiO8nJN-nisCBiK1cnypsPyYSTEBwe5B3q-sWHuIWiIphvJfiXZd-cCjq1MBrC9j7IViMH4VMdLx8XkxqWIKEIguMc1Z54rhTcp2TpYN1yUeegaBMJZHI4M5mjgyavbEZb2TeLLyvtv15owUnEZ5iUnHdNViD6j8O63IWHRGkboOSCDP1xbj2_eeaEI/w640-h640/2024%20Swiss%20chard.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I love chard. SOOOOOOO much better than kale!</td></tr></tbody></table><br />But mostly, in February, I watch videos, scowl out the window at the cold rain, and dream of springtime.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/m_-FUr2cwwQ" width="320" youtube-src-id="m_-FUr2cwwQ"></iframe></div><br /><div><br /><br /><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-80789080377130791382024-02-04T21:18:00.000-08:002024-02-04T21:18:58.661-08:00In which we take lessons in taming Pooh Bear's Hundred Acre Fur Coat<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>I've had Shetland Sheepdogs since (counting on fingers) around 1996. </b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><b>But I've <i>never</i> had a Sheltie with a coat as heavy as Winnie the Pooh's.</b></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pooh Bear's fur is literally inches deep. Petting him is like petting a sheep 2 weeks overdue for shearing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXkTTFJQbhJc-ic819FBHCWl-6DvojFTgqLs1fHxT7n3ke_3bl8Ssdzcj1NR4R43OJ43b4O6lGrfzIXu8RTgGf0jPnT0aFe71LkXK-jQlqYSuNpV8knS9FonHXJyasqWc6A0w3tJSo4gAXfbnNRX8ZAQNTMWZWr8H3tlR_84TikQz0WZEZqlbOsZj1fgyy/s3024/20240204_154025.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXkTTFJQbhJc-ic819FBHCWl-6DvojFTgqLs1fHxT7n3ke_3bl8Ssdzcj1NR4R43OJ43b4O6lGrfzIXu8RTgGf0jPnT0aFe71LkXK-jQlqYSuNpV8knS9FonHXJyasqWc6A0w3tJSo4gAXfbnNRX8ZAQNTMWZWr8H3tlR_84TikQz0WZEZqlbOsZj1fgyy/w640-h640/20240204_154025.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Niki is a professional dog groomer--<a href="https://haikufarm.blogspot.com/2016/07/in-which-we-say-hello-to-some-green.html">and an old friend</a>! <br />We invited her over to share her knowledege.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Shetland Sheepdogs in the 1700's were called "yakki dogs", descended from Scandinavian herding dogs imported to the islands. These dogs were deliberately bred small, as feed was scarce, and were sometimes floated out to small islands with the flock and left there for a week or so, tasked with keeping sheep from wandering off cliffs. <div><br /></div><div>(Nobody has ever explained to me what the dogs ate while marooned with these sheep, since shelties are lousy mousers and it seems unlikely that Amazon drop-shipped kibble to remote islands in those days. But anyway.)<div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7FYWKSc3UrEGIIEKPUlPZlrqJZCzS-5Eg43yk3Z5eQytJ6dPa5peD47uQxSrNodYqwjLr2K6BXXDwA49phjFviaaUzjeVwwmNc5UgUR5gsXWWqrPh0e4GzCBnKIJOiT5YYfRPEnWZAmvEvt42R3Ovr2shXI69kDhFojOtdaqxapHWUuQZB2JxYmqPEuQt/s3024/20240204_160552.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7FYWKSc3UrEGIIEKPUlPZlrqJZCzS-5Eg43yk3Z5eQytJ6dPa5peD47uQxSrNodYqwjLr2K6BXXDwA49phjFviaaUzjeVwwmNc5UgUR5gsXWWqrPh0e4GzCBnKIJOiT5YYfRPEnWZAmvEvt42R3Ovr2shXI69kDhFojOtdaqxapHWUuQZB2JxYmqPEuQt/w640-h640/20240204_160552.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First a very thorough bath.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />In addition to not sparing their little dogs a lot of food, Shetlanders also didn't dress their dogs in cozy warm outfits. A successful dog grew his or her own coat, and in that climate, a "good coat" was one that was pretty dang similar to that of a sheep.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63jDxvVwM79RNQBrfSqJLZ8c3AaQURZeq8UkxY-49DQK2pZ7jeP2BqvSsPWkBT52wz8sdlxe2OI7YR3saOO78zMc88qAgQ9B7uw9xCJGuaE_g65zveClbXYNEITcbQ1uZ60tbR78HTFGpImrsKlPES80VWppc88RJTdhteIKTgQLi7KYvjs05lfJXAn0k/s3024/20240204_160808.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj63jDxvVwM79RNQBrfSqJLZ8c3AaQURZeq8UkxY-49DQK2pZ7jeP2BqvSsPWkBT52wz8sdlxe2OI7YR3saOO78zMc88qAgQ9B7uw9xCJGuaE_g65zveClbXYNEITcbQ1uZ60tbR78HTFGpImrsKlPES80VWppc88RJTdhteIKTgQLi7KYvjs05lfJXAn0k/w640-h640/20240204_160808.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's hard to get a Sheltie's skin wet, as the rough outer coat skids water off like a raincoat,<br />and the woolly undercoat insulates.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />When the English tourists showed up, they were charmed by the sharp little yakki dogs and took them home. However, being English, they felt honor-bound to "improve" the breed, so they crossed them with rough collies (Lassie-type) to give a pretty and more consistent look. Then the dogs got too big, so they crossed them with Pomeranians to make them little again. </div><div><br /></div><div>It's interesting to note that working dogs in Shetland today are not "Shetland Sheepdogs," as the working drive has very much diminished in the breed. If you want sheep work done anywhere in the world, get a border collie. Modern Shelties are mostly funny little companions.</div><div><br /></div><div>To this day, purebred Shelties sometimes throw back to a bigger-boned collie-type (Merridog and Roo were both that type) or a weedier Pom-type (Pickles Marie was one of those). <br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjboqtumJm6TTEHv_CCj9JPkT_Wv94g4gkCUMBQaV9or6uncd0PtVWrY_JFha8ZtHP3ILY_RnyqpyBw_0h22SjGTVr8khgyfYAvje-WcL6G4y9zY1MStpgx1ph2RMu3vz0-eL61Yn5wKczJnEnttCrSqQItcNa8OWrqMoRgk2pv-jQE_T8_h-kcpQAMhbWZ/s3024/20240204_162033.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjboqtumJm6TTEHv_CCj9JPkT_Wv94g4gkCUMBQaV9or6uncd0PtVWrY_JFha8ZtHP3ILY_RnyqpyBw_0h22SjGTVr8khgyfYAvje-WcL6G4y9zY1MStpgx1ph2RMu3vz0-eL61Yn5wKczJnEnttCrSqQItcNa8OWrqMoRgk2pv-jQE_T8_h-kcpQAMhbWZ/w640-h640/20240204_162033.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Niki recommended using a 1" slicker brush to help water (and soap) penetrate<br />through the double fur coat down to the skin.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Modern breeders are always striving to create a bigger and more spectacular hair-coat on their Shelties, and that's what the show ring (and the money) rewards. Probably unintentionally (at least at first), this meant that they were emphasizing breeding to dogs with thyroid disorders, since those dogs tend to grow abnormally luxurious coat.</div><div><br /></div><div>The result is that a vast majority of Shetland Sheepdogs are diagnosed with thyroid malfunction as adults. Foxie still doesn't have it, which is kind of surprising, but almost all of our previous Shelties did.<br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ0oWnByKSBb-xoeY362E4lD6g047IEhPITARzrhL98AkdhlxG-Tgjjo5TCkwhTfZ7qJ6ln6DomfHsvp1I5OFzFyMV1olp9uWghZVFUbRC3OOW-aFYJPB7MhfNxUXtnLylloQnofsrRU-EJRm4n2-oE1XJYCU0rI6iaMVaN5D4-FBK71Nxt12c-MS4c-cF/s3024/20240204_163530.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJ0oWnByKSBb-xoeY362E4lD6g047IEhPITARzrhL98AkdhlxG-Tgjjo5TCkwhTfZ7qJ6ln6DomfHsvp1I5OFzFyMV1olp9uWghZVFUbRC3OOW-aFYJPB7MhfNxUXtnLylloQnofsrRU-EJRm4n2-oE1XJYCU0rI6iaMVaN5D4-FBK71Nxt12c-MS4c-cF/w640-h640/20240204_163530.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Finally out of the tub, time for the blow-dryer, Niki's dryer was so much faster than the<br />little hand-held I've used on my other dogs!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />We still aren't sure what's up with Pooh Bear, metabolically speaking. The foster home stopped giving him anti-seizure meds about a month ago. On veterinary advice, we've also stopped giving him thyroid meds for the next month. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttL3GzGhTgUfw3NlUC843_bDXXaS4_zihUyj3fqPp9ZZmzIaAjUy79B8nmtpOoO0hSMTCQJN3TYVUWSyJgfIFVjctAJnBJSonkyT99zkNcx7W4RHGFC5PJLt9tQREyHFahEKFirqNIFTKXT9WQLou4IabUocX89i1kHnKz2Ih-bNv6vEnltrhwYtkM9Fz/s3024/20240204_164635.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgttL3GzGhTgUfw3NlUC843_bDXXaS4_zihUyj3fqPp9ZZmzIaAjUy79B8nmtpOoO0hSMTCQJN3TYVUWSyJgfIFVjctAJnBJSonkyT99zkNcx7W4RHGFC5PJLt9tQREyHFahEKFirqNIFTKXT9WQLou4IabUocX89i1kHnKz2Ih-bNv6vEnltrhwYtkM9Fz/w640-h640/20240204_164635.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bath and subsequent brushing revealed some skin problems under all that fur, too.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />Because he is still so overweight (34 pounds post-bath, he lost a whole pound of hair and dirt!), his thyroid is still screwy, so we're going to give everything time to reset, and then we'll get a blood panel done.<br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj7FzAQ0h-fal1Z9NPNPOUPXp8eobbRuB_9Z6J7mwEYzkE0APCXw4wSJ7j9L2lALe1Le38riZt7bYMOrhTaZR7EoAyHFzGBgIqsVSffI86p77iBXzpkGxCfja1YA8TscvbeC0EIBG_dDlhGu2V0RbhxD7OWPQrE1dwcSGvO2RUUD0qaWhFe_cVRd1HggrW/s3024/20240204_165041.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj7FzAQ0h-fal1Z9NPNPOUPXp8eobbRuB_9Z6J7mwEYzkE0APCXw4wSJ7j9L2lALe1Le38riZt7bYMOrhTaZR7EoAyHFzGBgIqsVSffI86p77iBXzpkGxCfja1YA8TscvbeC0EIBG_dDlhGu2V0RbhxD7OWPQrE1dwcSGvO2RUUD0qaWhFe_cVRd1HggrW/w640-h640/20240204_165041.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After the drying comes the brushing, this time with a rake-type tool.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Pooh's experience as a show dog means that none of this process was new to him, but you can see from the photos that it's not his favorite thing. A note from his breeder told us that he didn't enjoy showing, which is the reason they retired him after he finished his title.<br /><br /></div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NLlROImHAK13zSWohfiK2tqPxOXY2gtknlsZu4Baq4z9PtkmLjFMTOtaBE3xUFWuD5ejeGDCareoyTBO19z2kCYD-_Qe3y3GH-YTYTHh_t1SI6BUX1Ht4xVbfkajGDNNFvzmU_WY0syMTQc4jGvrOGcoLEdrAOF9YezaGinc_6TLl0suHDqz58Bf3um4/s3024/20240204_165103.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3NLlROImHAK13zSWohfiK2tqPxOXY2gtknlsZu4Baq4z9PtkmLjFMTOtaBE3xUFWuD5ejeGDCareoyTBO19z2kCYD-_Qe3y3GH-YTYTHh_t1SI6BUX1Ht4xVbfkajGDNNFvzmU_WY0syMTQc4jGvrOGcoLEdrAOF9YezaGinc_6TLl0suHDqz58Bf3um4/w640-h640/20240204_165103.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We generally clip lower legs to minimize the mud that dogs drag into the house every day.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /> <p></p></div></div><div>As soon as the spa treatment was finished, Pooh bounced around and quacked and twirled happily. </div><div><br /></div><div>He's been here almost a week now, and already he is discovering that his life here on the farm is only a little bit like the old life, and he seems very pleased with the changes.</div>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-1120088125146233402024-01-30T21:31:00.000-08:002024-01-30T21:43:32.937-08:00In which Haiku Farm gains a new employee, and he is very soft<p style="text-align: center;"><b>Foxie Loxie has been our only dog for a while.</b></p><p style="text-align: left;">Our beloved Roo's gentle heart gave out last summer, which nearly broke our hearts. She is buried here at home, of course, with an apple tree to mark her grave because bacon doesn't grow on trees.</p><p style="text-align: left;">That left Fox as the only dog, which is a huge responsibility for such a small fellow. He has matured in his time with us--nearly 10 years now--and has faithfully executed the tasks as assigned, including barking at the garbage truck, barking at the goats, barking at the neighbor, barking at school bus, barking at the Amazon truck...</p><p style="text-align: left;">We thought it was time to add an apprentice dog, and yesterday we hired this fluffy guy:</p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0jaDCBhBq4grU_JQrcfQbCwcSbwh9sB0NKo6lCwcc-2iIP-EuT9_GFkqPf89pH2jBRTPK1EWzKCRepY2MWemYRUwBGC3ML15ywN3LAd4OaEkCf8ESJa372SS_XCD73V8_kRzPd3Qg1XS117Ip0HIEojmhhCoSbXdflXV-ifmG1nho9fM1B1lOTR40LZoL/s526/423777711_10159836499811099_6585000723089840464_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="526" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0jaDCBhBq4grU_JQrcfQbCwcSbwh9sB0NKo6lCwcc-2iIP-EuT9_GFkqPf89pH2jBRTPK1EWzKCRepY2MWemYRUwBGC3ML15ywN3LAd4OaEkCf8ESJa372SS_XCD73V8_kRzPd3Qg1XS117Ip0HIEojmhhCoSbXdflXV-ifmG1nho9fM1B1lOTR40LZoL/w640-h640/423777711_10159836499811099_6585000723089840464_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">His old name was "Derek." Blech. He is now "HRH Winnie the Pooh of the House of Floof."<br />Pooh-Bear for short. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Pooh Bear is a 3 year old sheltie who has already had some adventures. He earned his AKC Champion status before his first birthday.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvDKjcR3VxL7swCIqtTII5V4exXhFnAFedy_Cr7TLscceMNfzgasAofhlCl7NwhgthNRGDawOrSYdpwli3HjFtLXAGVg4iruTx3BkMUXcPp4pDzY_oQed6pBP3hOx9_JB-5gQCdAzs13JIY0mwKrwJmpXmiKmbLOiR-qAYhwPYh1CubpsPNDe0OvTFL0lU/s2015/Derek.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2015" data-original-width="1120" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvDKjcR3VxL7swCIqtTII5V4exXhFnAFedy_Cr7TLscceMNfzgasAofhlCl7NwhgthNRGDawOrSYdpwli3HjFtLXAGVg4iruTx3BkMUXcPp4pDzY_oQed6pBP3hOx9_JB-5gQCdAzs13JIY0mwKrwJmpXmiKmbLOiR-qAYhwPYh1CubpsPNDe0OvTFL0lU/w356-h640/Derek.jpg" width="356" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Photo from his AKC show days</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">After finishing that task, the breeder decided not to keep him in the breeding program, so he was neutered and placed in a pet home with an elderly couple. However, one of the adopters died, and the other had dementia. Even with the help of a daughter, this little guy wasn't getting the care he needed, and his weight went from 23.9 pounds to 41.3 pounds in about a year. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLSm1tIEVKWE9N-u9XPKpB72vUNYhquHtS2nQOREwtHk4gZBGfbSUUv_cEktq9cCnt56GhPCRzk2lC3qXY3aCHHWAl0ReySy-ncH_7pGy3tSY5FNIlpIyWZnf8JSu8yZ3MzhqJSA7FwkIB3qzA6im5Ey_iMbAc_LmFATgGL7dfxhnPoDCYTNb9T4FQ1xe/s2048/423716476_10159836779881099_6039729530006603664_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwLSm1tIEVKWE9N-u9XPKpB72vUNYhquHtS2nQOREwtHk4gZBGfbSUUv_cEktq9cCnt56GhPCRzk2lC3qXY3aCHHWAl0ReySy-ncH_7pGy3tSY5FNIlpIyWZnf8JSu8yZ3MzhqJSA7FwkIB3qzA6im5Ey_iMbAc_LmFATgGL7dfxhnPoDCYTNb9T4FQ1xe/w640-h640/423716476_10159836779881099_6039729530006603664_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa Jim interviews the new hire</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">That enormous fur coat he carries might be a sign of thyroid imbalance (common in Shelties, most of ours have had this). He may or may not have had some seizures in the past. Because of the dementia, the former owner was something of an unreliable narrator. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Reading through the <b>(!! 40 !!)</b> pages of his vet records made me so anxious that I asked Jim not to read them. Our beloved vets Patty and Crystal and Casey have promised to help us make good choices for him, which includes re-evaluating the bucket of meds he came with.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">The adopter finally moved to a memory care facility, and the little pudgeball moved to a Seattle Purebred Dog Rescue foster home. They kept him for a while to try to get his weight under control (he's lost about 5 pounds) and then contacted us. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Jim immediately claimed him as a personal assistant, much to Fox's relief. Fox doesn't mind having an apprentice but he doesn't much want to share his momma.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0jaDCBhBq4grU_JQrcfQbCwcSbwh9sB0NKo6lCwcc-2iIP-EuT9_GFkqPf89pH2jBRTPK1EWzKCRepY2MWemYRUwBGC3ML15ywN3LAd4OaEkCf8ESJa372SS_XCD73V8_kRzPd3Qg1XS117Ip0HIEojmhhCoSbXdflXV-ifmG1nho9fM1B1lOTR40LZoL/s526/423777711_10159836499811099_6585000723089840464_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="526" data-original-width="526" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0jaDCBhBq4grU_JQrcfQbCwcSbwh9sB0NKo6lCwcc-2iIP-EuT9_GFkqPf89pH2jBRTPK1EWzKCRepY2MWemYRUwBGC3ML15ywN3LAd4OaEkCf8ESJa372SS_XCD73V8_kRzPd3Qg1XS117Ip0HIEojmhhCoSbXdflXV-ifmG1nho9fM1B1lOTR40LZoL/w640-h640/423777711_10159836499811099_6585000723089840464_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Coming home to Haiku Farm</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Pooh Bear's employee onboarding will look familiar to longtime readers: Jim toured him around today on leash, and introduced him to the other residents. </div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">He was a little awed by the size of the Dragon (valid) and very interested in the "chicken soup" (the kitchen scraps that we feed to chickens every day). He and Foxie will be working closely together and are already friends.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2f3AE0_-mGb79j1odxhKK7JfGMY4Ica_tJi1v065eO8ZjNi8emNPKTOx6DGaiZ61hTLFprn22BS_HAlT4VnmMn-zDhyYUUU0pdf8L1uD5xCrr5KNeGZP_EMgpu97PPFWHIPNMcwFnwQsAU9vfiIcV7WPTRUbvEmVsMoApuZELm4NTW6RS0alGttlvr0Ix/s2048/423717475_10159836779771099_8704023062150246315_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2f3AE0_-mGb79j1odxhKK7JfGMY4Ica_tJi1v065eO8ZjNi8emNPKTOx6DGaiZ61hTLFprn22BS_HAlT4VnmMn-zDhyYUUU0pdf8L1uD5xCrr5KNeGZP_EMgpu97PPFWHIPNMcwFnwQsAU9vfiIcV7WPTRUbvEmVsMoApuZELm4NTW6RS0alGttlvr0Ix/w640-h640/423717475_10159836779771099_8704023062150246315_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pooh Bear had never been invited onto a couch before, <br />and needed to check with HR. Fox will teach him all about that stuff.</td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">Most interesting of all is CATS.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oVZnbmDHNAs" width="320" youtube-src-id="oVZnbmDHNAs"></iframe></div><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">He is already earned off-leash privileges, and is making headway through essential training modules including "sit on command" and "play the zoom game in the backyard, not the kitchen."</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">He is also already filling a gap in service.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4oGEK9I0W7_vQF-qK8ScSfqdkclEqvWkpB8NfOVbDDUba1Wgkjm8gpGspYI5am7a6Vc-7QEZk1CcKZhYX1qL0rg_kK52oX93SG_0ks5RVcr6XS-G3TrdVlvPp879qkx60KrwqGd-fjCGSAvpZOyWtOZDQrrQWVow1yCrsbGwl2mM6ueDOmhBLEnvL2YW1/s2048/355862545_10159447880476099_5556326166732963259_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4oGEK9I0W7_vQF-qK8ScSfqdkclEqvWkpB8NfOVbDDUba1Wgkjm8gpGspYI5am7a6Vc-7QEZk1CcKZhYX1qL0rg_kK52oX93SG_0ks5RVcr6XS-G3TrdVlvPp879qkx60KrwqGd-fjCGSAvpZOyWtOZDQrrQWVow1yCrsbGwl2mM6ueDOmhBLEnvL2YW1/w640-h640/355862545_10159447880476099_5556326166732963259_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roo and Foxie : with a whole house of sleeping spots to choose from, <br />they usually slept together.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_dwEAHNGw01mxlUJINIHy8tQS_4_PLzsxNsC0e_D15pSEKkdYmieXfDeHNQnPsNdUIWhuHbbMaTLK6ODjyK4CVxXa28W8BaMlkcicl8MgNj4yUW_CsKqMWY6mvomprc06hnJ8K2hwkuRPlbAvdoKrMU0e7kLtP2YWPfcvHyUcf4QU9nhrvRgJEa43aBB/s2048/424792719_10161369970865956_209870913321925372_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEho_dwEAHNGw01mxlUJINIHy8tQS_4_PLzsxNsC0e_D15pSEKkdYmieXfDeHNQnPsNdUIWhuHbbMaTLK6ODjyK4CVxXa28W8BaMlkcicl8MgNj4yUW_CsKqMWY6mvomprc06hnJ8K2hwkuRPlbAvdoKrMU0e7kLtP2YWPfcvHyUcf4QU9nhrvRgJEa43aBB/w640-h640/424792719_10161369970865956_209870913321925372_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foxie and Pooh Bear: continuing the tradition.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-41460807392789170582024-01-20T16:08:00.000-08:002024-01-20T16:08:53.449-08:00In which gender comes and goes, and we don't need any more drama here<p style="text-align: center;"><b>We were thrilled to be gifted six pretty hens on New Year's Eve.</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBPJ-gEiOhZT2oh2PUZ2efGke4HWQr2TNEwj4kx3N5T1lilv3xNSnvGfUz9F909mkfL02Mplp_V6s-UBnivsklyuGgpmIEtBISw9NJe25JG_TKoIYHOnHLTTRCQurOYs6a9TLHFlm6v-GaYK7KzNJld_RvnXmR0Pn3H2m0dbtX8pwC2wwtnOztyAuKKAKN/s3024/20231231_152157.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBPJ-gEiOhZT2oh2PUZ2efGke4HWQr2TNEwj4kx3N5T1lilv3xNSnvGfUz9F909mkfL02Mplp_V6s-UBnivsklyuGgpmIEtBISw9NJe25JG_TKoIYHOnHLTTRCQurOYs6a9TLHFlm6v-GaYK7KzNJld_RvnXmR0Pn3H2m0dbtX8pwC2wwtnOztyAuKKAKN/w640-h640/20231231_152157.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is "Sing More"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Life on a farm is rarely exciting. "Excitement" usually means something is going terribly wrong, and we try to avoid that.<div><br /></div><div>But the world of live animals doesn't always cooperate with our endeavors.</div><div><br /></div><div>Thus, our little drama this week.</div><div><br /></div><div>I was heading down to the barn in the dark one morning a few days ago when I heard something very unexpected:</div><div><br /></div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><i><b><span style="font-size: large;">Cock-a-dooodle-dooooooo!</span></b></i></div><p> Our neighbors have roosters. I hear those roosters all the time. This didn't sound like those.</p><p>Also, the sound was coming from our own henhouse.</p><p>My first thought was that one of the unscrupulous neighbors--the household with the chicken-killing dog--had dumped off a rooster into our coop. They have a documented history of trespassing their animals onto other people's pastures, although never (so far as we know) onto our property. All of their immediately adjacent neighbors have told me that these people have snuck livestock into their fields or yards or gardens to chow down during the night.</p><p><i>(I did mention that the household had a reputation, didn't I?)</i></p><p>However, when I opened the coop to count, I identified the same 6 beaks I had tucked in the prior night...and all 6 birds blinked at me sleepily, with no sign of intrusion.</p><p>My second thought was that the sn*w, which was still on the ground, might be bouncing sound around strangely, so I was hearing a rooster who was not in our henhouse. </p><p><i>I mean, I hadn't had so much as a cup of tea while thinking all these thoughts. It didn't seem like the craziest option available.</i></p><p>I didn't think I could recognize the distinct voices of roosters, but maybe I can? The voice I was hearing didn't sound familiar to me. It didn't sound like any rooster we've ever owned, and didn't sound like the rooster voices I usually hear on neighboring farms.</p><p>Which left two options:</p><p><b>1. One of our hens was crowing</b></p><p>This unusual-but-not-impossible behavior is usually associated with older hens who are experiencing hormonal changes from menopause. </p><p>Our chickens are (reportedly) only a year or two old. They are not all laying eggs right now, but that's not unusual in January. We are getting 1-3 eggs every day, for which we are thankful. Maybe one of our "young" hens is actually old?</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgh6ajAQdI1Qe-5IzqcHpivq26o-416RbV22YNgGwc7b1bam1r3oUaVMcbD6yWpGOKQ-Kco-G7-0SXY5ADRV643JaHte3WNETIG9mFWzxUaxAu_wRyu_pKlVPI9xT6RuofwtrQg-N78fQ64diFwqsMMKKAmWNGL7rivuRG56IvY1mvHkHFYx6XG3lHbMMZ/s3456/20240112_112916.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgh6ajAQdI1Qe-5IzqcHpivq26o-416RbV22YNgGwc7b1bam1r3oUaVMcbD6yWpGOKQ-Kco-G7-0SXY5ADRV643JaHte3WNETIG9mFWzxUaxAu_wRyu_pKlVPI9xT6RuofwtrQg-N78fQ64diFwqsMMKKAmWNGL7rivuRG56IvY1mvHkHFYx6XG3lHbMMZ/w640-h640/20240112_112916.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We haven't figured out which hen lays which eggs, although theoretically <br />their<a href="https://www.purinamills.com/chicken-feed/education/detail/lay-the-rainbow-chickens-that-lay-colored-eggs#:~:text=Fun%20fact%3A%20You%20may%20be,same%20bird%20on%20different%20days."> ear-color should help us determine it</a></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><b>2. One of our hens is a rooster.</b></div><div><b><br /></b></div><div>This seemed less-likely to me because I've never met a rooster who could keep quiet for 20 minutes, let alone three weeks. </div><div><br /></div><div>However, I remember thinking that the Buff Orpington had a very large comb and wattles for a hen. Usually a female bird with those large signifiers would be the boss of the flock, but Sing More was absolutely the bottom of the order--even little Dance More the black silkie could take food away from Sing.</div><div><br /></div><div>So I took another photo and posted for the Online Experts, who all agree:</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CEzJK8_QHE1EfnqEuNh3k4EBzu4Q8S2MtmkIabuQZgO_6sNI4Vh5AGBD1ArRwhPnUSyp-vf3lS1eXwHBX-dd2sQwk6GzUTRNrLP2LXK42wuVkDjGcENjV0R2T2dkyfZQIBsrQqC1AAGigo_rVYUaKzDchUBIn3_mi1TZCRIO-kXBwqcBwjWF11LnFnDh/s1440/420437894_10159824022186099_3906015802412578687_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-CEzJK8_QHE1EfnqEuNh3k4EBzu4Q8S2MtmkIabuQZgO_6sNI4Vh5AGBD1ArRwhPnUSyp-vf3lS1eXwHBX-dd2sQwk6GzUTRNrLP2LXK42wuVkDjGcENjV0R2T2dkyfZQIBsrQqC1AAGigo_rVYUaKzDchUBIn3_mi1TZCRIO-kXBwqcBwjWF11LnFnDh/w640-h640/420437894_10159824022186099_3906015802412578687_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Large comb, thick legs, upright posture, triangular "cape" feathers, fancy tail =<br />rooster</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>I heard two more cockadoos yesterday and then...nothing. No more crowing last night or today. So...<i>what the actual hell?</i></p><p>I'm not a fan of roosterish behavior, generally: loud piercing voices, and a tendency to attack people or dogs. Pratchett was a relatively nice rooster and was very kind to the hens, but his voice got boisterous. After he died, I figured we'd never get another nice rooster in this lifetime, so I didn't even want to try.</p><p>But now there is Sing More, who lived unnoticed (by me, anyhow) in a flock of hens for three weeks. </p><p>That's my kind of rooster!</p><p>We've decided to consider Sing non-binary. If they want to crow occasionally, then that's okay. If they lay an egg sometimes, we won't complain!</p><p><br /></p><p><b>Another new resident definitely uses he/him pronouns.</b></p><p><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GGC55SXC8oEAugwFSreq07gMS6v4sEW9Iolf_YrYPaMMz9B1xJS7UHghivA_rkIeTQLA_KqPsboJH4pjBn3NSbFQNsm8WudztQc7UOzZi2jU5MzBpzZudMxiz4LGTO28-4bA-pk0_8ArfMIXJYZBfSmsthD9xyIgn3qCqPj0MErq083CmAKConD6MPHC/s2048/420146805_10159819144921099_3485793626488503054_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1702" data-original-width="2048" height="532" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0GGC55SXC8oEAugwFSreq07gMS6v4sEW9Iolf_YrYPaMMz9B1xJS7UHghivA_rkIeTQLA_KqPsboJH4pjBn3NSbFQNsm8WudztQc7UOzZi2jU5MzBpzZudMxiz4LGTO28-4bA-pk0_8ArfMIXJYZBfSmsthD9xyIgn3qCqPj0MErq083CmAKConD6MPHC/w640-h532/420146805_10159819144921099_3485793626488503054_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is Q</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Q probably got dumped here around the same time as the Great December Chicken Massacre. He has been hanging around long enough that we decided we needed to capture him to make sure he didn't belong somewhere else. </p><p>We've needed to capture animals enough in the past few years that we finally broke down and bought a live trap. Jim set it up while I was at work.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfD4tlItgOuU-9e3wScN5VQqqtV6bjbCkdiOIq1UXTUyLlYE5hiLdnG3JPcQCktfSKyDYc1e62woPX_5gXEHIrA07jQXDs0wsFD3FOoDB2H1dz-soa47UD51YjQfKdrnTYqYvY2HdqLOkLSXeJeFrPrsvm2rydJP7G0_fye4_FkC5Bzza00QAXKQ7DOkRF/s1440/420243745_10161352166085956_1379855136254849849_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfD4tlItgOuU-9e3wScN5VQqqtV6bjbCkdiOIq1UXTUyLlYE5hiLdnG3JPcQCktfSKyDYc1e62woPX_5gXEHIrA07jQXDs0wsFD3FOoDB2H1dz-soa47UD51YjQfKdrnTYqYvY2HdqLOkLSXeJeFrPrsvm2rydJP7G0_fye4_FkC5Bzza00QAXKQ7DOkRF/w640-h640/420243745_10161352166085956_1379855136254849849_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">baited with stinky canned food, and set in a building where we <br />normally feed outdoor cats</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>Less than 4 hours later, we caught him.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkBXz9EYCPiKN2w20cDdN43jn9FBlRfk9-MLTLqWEZ9FdDmIYvJSBGP5yPLWZvKol8kNTuwAJMKcFdXyk0ri7lHWgZtz4HY-hH0X1Dipp7sw5NrinUTBSVPNKb5vuOPztRE9XXG0g-3DqgchDkUFVNn2pLJviuu_zwMQXXP1xOwP8HeqSeVTwnh9Cw-8Eh/s1440/420194593_10161352433970956_266147066010281939_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1440" data-original-width="1440" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkBXz9EYCPiKN2w20cDdN43jn9FBlRfk9-MLTLqWEZ9FdDmIYvJSBGP5yPLWZvKol8kNTuwAJMKcFdXyk0ri7lHWgZtz4HY-hH0X1Dipp7sw5NrinUTBSVPNKb5vuOPztRE9XXG0g-3DqgchDkUFVNn2pLJviuu_zwMQXXP1xOwP8HeqSeVTwnh9Cw-8Eh/w640-h640/420194593_10161352433970956_266147066010281939_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was kind of surprised that we didn't catch Sinbad or Goblin, since they are<br />both notoriously greedy for food. But Q got there first!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />I called my friends at the shelter and made arrangements to bring Q in the following day to be scanned for a chip (none found, no surprise) and/or neutered (as necessary) so he could return here.</div><div><br /></div><div>The problem became apparent very fast: a scared intact male kitty in my car who <i>firehosed</i> cat pee. Even though I wrapped the trap in a tarp and dog towels, the vehicle interior was not better for having made the journey.</div><div><br /></div><div>It smelled SO BAD. We threw out the towels--dog towels are usually only a few steps from garbage, so that was fine. We hauled out the tarp and let rain fall on it. It can hang out in the back yard for a month, then we will evaluate.</div><div><br /></div><div>As for my car: I have scrubbed, vacuumed, and driven with the windows open. I also called a professional car detailer, and borrowed a portable steam cleaner for the interior. </div><div><br /></div><div>Ewww.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The good news is that young Q is home here now, with a temporary nest set up in the wellhouse where he can stuff himself on canned food, lounge around in a nice soft bed under a heat lamp,</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7SAN1ix2jUX5pmAoIxXtpqq2Tj5mU1xVUjaZZbZ2rlgZqAmI3pb2mIWDOC2Tb5RZ1ZlUleqfD8BTM6bJDkcJ3x27JXXkEQbojqjYZ8PhZOUnIOXC5nZwoVyDoVgu9vDVWztxiMmeeC74G8bZVMI6mWynDS7d_JFRssw-Un05gBUZJ8_iDlALfQuTSt9K/s1920/418864169_391344819946498_5809698854276806811_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="972" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf7SAN1ix2jUX5pmAoIxXtpqq2Tj5mU1xVUjaZZbZ2rlgZqAmI3pb2mIWDOC2Tb5RZ1ZlUleqfD8BTM6bJDkcJ3x27JXXkEQbojqjYZ8PhZOUnIOXC5nZwoVyDoVgu9vDVWztxiMmeeC74G8bZVMI6mWynDS7d_JFRssw-Un05gBUZJ8_iDlALfQuTSt9K/w325-h640/418864169_391344819946498_5809698854276806811_n.jpg" width="325" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> and generally heal up without having to defend against roustabouts like Goblin or Sinbad, at least for a few days.<br /><br />Because the heavens know: we don't need any more drama around here.</div>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-58769626506291079592024-01-12T15:21:00.000-08:002024-01-12T15:21:49.108-08:00In which "it's cold outside" is a massive understatement, and we cope<p style="text-align: center;"><b>We've certainly had cold weather here before,</b></p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6F7WeNX7Dr3kbH8z_OdRPybvwSV38vfbGBh7Z8x-8DEnbP5_b_C_HHeFUcDUBzMr4A2oVN4QDFQYArwMvpmPs-J32GGkSs_uAAgAukMbTmFe6LOo0PNa6YtOv3ooxuf-Z-v2bn53e8nF9jzXpiXmv9M6qy9XJ20E5j4DAa0ea3o8YbIvf1Uh6UwuvZsN/s2048/418531277_778044704367233_1521210137861566092_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz6F7WeNX7Dr3kbH8z_OdRPybvwSV38vfbGBh7Z8x-8DEnbP5_b_C_HHeFUcDUBzMr4A2oVN4QDFQYArwMvpmPs-J32GGkSs_uAAgAukMbTmFe6LOo0PNa6YtOv3ooxuf-Z-v2bn53e8nF9jzXpiXmv9M6qy9XJ20E5j4DAa0ea3o8YbIvf1Uh6UwuvZsN/w640-h480/418531277_778044704367233_1521210137861566092_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The person designing infographics for the Washington State Department of Transportation<br />is an artistic genius, seriously.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><p style="text-align: left;">but the current cold snap seems more extreme than usual. </p><p style="text-align: left;">Part of the problem is the contrast: it's been so unseasonably warm this season that we've actually been concerned about having insufficient chill hours for the fruit trees and bushes.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_cQVSVdu1S4lsNEfHXxTsjnIBOS6JgTb-nBdWlQ-heeZx4ZqEuRYRyOB2838hkBadwu1F1IXPPkNd8nVAROvufjpjaoOoRhHnqtcHH0sgxtbqH7TipihnJc0H_W-beMc8WrcY3ZK-l5eCYuUFEFCGxt0C2tg_-oXKP6djFzZxQk0hsff1lZWbK_dGnFL/s3024/20240112_113150.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg_cQVSVdu1S4lsNEfHXxTsjnIBOS6JgTb-nBdWlQ-heeZx4ZqEuRYRyOB2838hkBadwu1F1IXPPkNd8nVAROvufjpjaoOoRhHnqtcHH0sgxtbqH7TipihnJc0H_W-beMc8WrcY3ZK-l5eCYuUFEFCGxt0C2tg_-oXKP6djFzZxQk0hsff1lZWbK_dGnFL/w640-h640/20240112_113150.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chestnut-backed chickadee looks extra floofy in the cold. The birds like to collect seeds <br />from the feeders and then zoom back to the orchard trees to eat them.</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;">I had to look up "chill hours" because it has literally never been an issue for me here in the Swamp. I knew that sequoia and other conifer tree seeds require <i>stratification</i>, which is usually provided here by putting them in a damp paper towel in the refrigerator for a month or two to simulate deep winter. We did that when Monica grew baby ancient trees during the pandemic...in fact, I think there's still a yogurt container with tree seeds in it at the back of the fridge. </p><p style="text-align: left;"><br /></p><p style="text-align: left;"><i>Chill hours </i>for fruit trees is similar: it's the amount of time spent around 45 degrees F. Temps under 32F don't count, and if temps rise above 60F (which they have done several times this winter!) you subtract a half hour from the accumulated total of chill for each hour of warm. If the plants have insufficient chill hours, they awaken from dormancy too soon or too confused, and they won't flower.</p><p style="text-align: left;">Basically, <i>we need cold temperatures in winter</i>. However, temps this low are so unusual that I literally checked my settings to see if they were accidentally displaying in centigrade.</p><p style="text-align: center;"><b><br /></b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2TkNvPW7xYVQC_vHUNH4RXv18KPDx4799mwwlEewKgeb-C2rKgxow8dvRE6Hg7_7ZoETQHsf1IAR5a2vElhiMAhuUYEgKsequyGn_Z1EgCsyCVIxuwFa-YhB7mzu0CUDOtY4d6F4XvHU3jVeXxeBG4kITBQxuKOKEgVRq7xEm2r12yNy8ZD-LwMm3lNL/s669/Screenshot%202024-01-12%20133155.png" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="589" data-original-width="669" height="564" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr2TkNvPW7xYVQC_vHUNH4RXv18KPDx4799mwwlEewKgeb-C2rKgxow8dvRE6Hg7_7ZoETQHsf1IAR5a2vElhiMAhuUYEgKsequyGn_Z1EgCsyCVIxuwFa-YhB7mzu0CUDOtY4d6F4XvHU3jVeXxeBG4kITBQxuKOKEgVRq7xEm2r12yNy8ZD-LwMm3lNL/w640-h564/Screenshot%202024-01-12%20133155.png" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A high of 18F is unusual, and a low of 1* F is crazycakes!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />At Haiku Farm I have a policy of not complaining about weather unless it requires a shovel...and so far, no shovel has been needed!<div><br /></div><div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrQsCCSKe8pYls3_p0F9WEonVjBN9VRJ8Y2tokPo_ZymZEowgHQzutTtv0GHeDb0qGzlnKQDo7vYN6RruWh-BJHUCrdd3GuhB8AVso7ktIAURNpRCyVqigj4aX5DoA-a6f5Cm4l8-5qh-KmOrIm8Ym8viCYn6CjUSUIGfFdF4OkADvuy5U5gB0cPQnpY3S/s3024/20240112_111220.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrQsCCSKe8pYls3_p0F9WEonVjBN9VRJ8Y2tokPo_ZymZEowgHQzutTtv0GHeDb0qGzlnKQDo7vYN6RruWh-BJHUCrdd3GuhB8AVso7ktIAURNpRCyVqigj4aX5DoA-a6f5Cm4l8-5qh-KmOrIm8Ym8viCYn6CjUSUIGfFdF4OkADvuy5U5gB0cPQnpY3S/w640-h640/20240112_111220.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The quad is all suited up and charged, ready to plow away sn*w, <br />but it's currently too cold for that sh*t.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p>I've been doing this long enough that I have the tools I need. "No bad weather, only bad clothing choices" is absolutely on-target in this situation:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW30Y0h1OueqPdmhTuMaA33-XhIA2Ss5onbII9x5gHC5KbTu0ip2_jfs6_Eueq5vogFP0izunRXoCgPbUr6kOrZrNnTFigtwciz-9EfdMMY8MwW0S3Ycv0i7EBq_Q174CpRogeXjFmJkjNyy17-oI3JLwITA3VUSiSCeU5Md4t525vfqx2naMzAeLOJ-3R/s3456/20240112_104333.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiW30Y0h1OueqPdmhTuMaA33-XhIA2Ss5onbII9x5gHC5KbTu0ip2_jfs6_Eueq5vogFP0izunRXoCgPbUr6kOrZrNnTFigtwciz-9EfdMMY8MwW0S3Ycv0i7EBq_Q174CpRogeXjFmJkjNyy17-oI3JLwITA3VUSiSCeU5Md4t525vfqx2naMzAeLOJ-3R/w640-h640/20240112_104333.jpg" width="640" /></a><br /></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Indoor outfit for cold day: wooly socks, winter-weight fleece riding britches, <br />wool undershirt, wool sweater, synthetic neck gaiter<br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />We will probably light a fire in the woodstove tonight or if the temps drop a lot more today, but the heat pump is keeping things relatively comfortable at the moment.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwTl6Xsd5ddGWMyxWVLXkJLD0UOPonQUSN9OhcN3nDuK6aWsxQ86sFGHMisWVrh_59Cl3L5sa7Qpe77z0NReT4JTNPdvIy9IOHZp-Q83vbL-4ncYsA5NFwVCDTcNgx6r3pY0ed_o2EZPzM3PHGWMPxvJIemmUZOanewTU9vaEmQyuDPeq9y4uSbbKnipQ/s3456/20240112_104823.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="2955" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzwTl6Xsd5ddGWMyxWVLXkJLD0UOPonQUSN9OhcN3nDuK6aWsxQ86sFGHMisWVrh_59Cl3L5sa7Qpe77z0NReT4JTNPdvIy9IOHZp-Q83vbL-4ncYsA5NFwVCDTcNgx6r3pY0ed_o2EZPzM3PHGWMPxvJIemmUZOanewTU9vaEmQyuDPeq9y4uSbbKnipQ/w548-h640/20240112_104823.jpg" width="548" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">outdoor outfit: all of the indoor garments PLUS<br />insulated overalls, down coat, wool hat, wool scarf, gloves, boots</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Of course, I'm not just wandering around outdoors, I have to actually <i>do stuff</i> while I'm there, so I need to be able to bend my elbows and knees and fingers! Variations on this outfit keep me relatively comfortable while doing chores in the cold.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>First stop is always the large animals.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8AIiOfu74vP20vjyz92gPwRwNgf1_7-gJUHmVukKZ8X4Sby40EFWai-5ZG7vVA2NSfSMcxyRdnAsgDRLygBAcjd0sfN8_-klk4xb3XeVfJ_51NO6QNmeV4ICRi0njWuTOnTjQSap561mBrvNlFuz61AExnurirdLK6pa8Q6VSefmLr_AXCAtZDaj9ZW-u/s3024/20240112_111054.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8AIiOfu74vP20vjyz92gPwRwNgf1_7-gJUHmVukKZ8X4Sby40EFWai-5ZG7vVA2NSfSMcxyRdnAsgDRLygBAcjd0sfN8_-klk4xb3XeVfJ_51NO6QNmeV4ICRi0njWuTOnTjQSap561mBrvNlFuz61AExnurirdLK6pa8Q6VSefmLr_AXCAtZDaj9ZW-u/w640-h640/20240112_111054.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The beetpulp soaks in a heated bucket, which I keep covered with an insulated bucket.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><br />The Dragon and her goats get several mid-day meals in cold weather.</div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1BtzWCGv7apMyqvWEqhPt6ZP_GbU2IUBWDaE-SOjBEcH9ClI7FwIGk9IhZNY7KysjzafDzg7DsccQ2fZ0u-vamOSFA4Msxne2bcPnGSjfgxmhB0BYWE35L3h0vf2X96aVxCvMbRRrFQYBTqWsNMPnn72Bl4W-8zTMLUBH06TYyQoris8ZRI9BKjdnLOMy/s3024/20240112_110802.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1BtzWCGv7apMyqvWEqhPt6ZP_GbU2IUBWDaE-SOjBEcH9ClI7FwIGk9IhZNY7KysjzafDzg7DsccQ2fZ0u-vamOSFA4Msxne2bcPnGSjfgxmhB0BYWE35L3h0vf2X96aVxCvMbRRrFQYBTqWsNMPnn72Bl4W-8zTMLUBH06TYyQoris8ZRI9BKjdnLOMy/w640-h640/20240112_110802.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second breakfast is beetpulp</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQiXHlXQhf32zrqxaaUtz8JfadX1lUWwyRWWd75b0WZIUp9UP5ICJHja4V3otX1m3jJNRFmVmyv3s27ExXx5wIXDmfgw4ETPpN7n5od8SUGaUqxqsC-NPJogl7JDasMRnumm5MQGkTQM6V4UjqbxrdjhrO8qjtoAHPp3iQebEE0Z1rZAe-sn-Zbbro90re/s3024/20240112_112203.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQiXHlXQhf32zrqxaaUtz8JfadX1lUWwyRWWd75b0WZIUp9UP5ICJHja4V3otX1m3jJNRFmVmyv3s27ExXx5wIXDmfgw4ETPpN7n5od8SUGaUqxqsC-NPJogl7JDasMRnumm5MQGkTQM6V4UjqbxrdjhrO8qjtoAHPp3iQebEE0Z1rZAe-sn-Zbbro90re/w640-h640/20240112_112203.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lunch hay</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDQGxh4T4785FPcdTF1ep6mJ7aMUeS6dCv97EqnzTuuzlLeFD11Oi7_vvK0uRplO8YwseXlFGpqvUFZPyuUk7sG_5E5yX2-U8xW_nLFf0FsrjMzw2CiHSQ7m0G14GDn3iohbIPwa1bKSvNYu0DuzvHv3KMFeV6QkeA9LMylK5RUF5XDzLSifMQE7zhU1it/s3024/20240112_110920.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDQGxh4T4785FPcdTF1ep6mJ7aMUeS6dCv97EqnzTuuzlLeFD11Oi7_vvK0uRplO8YwseXlFGpqvUFZPyuUk7sG_5E5yX2-U8xW_nLFf0FsrjMzw2CiHSQ7m0G14GDn3iohbIPwa1bKSvNYu0DuzvHv3KMFeV6QkeA9LMylK5RUF5XDzLSifMQE7zhU1it/w640-h640/20240112_110920.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hooray for heated water tank!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />The chickens also get several daily meals during cold weather. In addition to "kibble" (chicken chow), we make a soup out of kitchen scraps and hot water. <br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Qd491rqBrQW4AgE-yYrzW3QSFtmUAS19hV_WIf4nqqtdf1VlCAmcHUhHAN4I5S54kaGGP5piCj7N0ptqh9vb-mOPxw8keQz8buoONppAfN3_HD8JRfMtkb0o-rZpdae1f-d8By3tNwX1TtV1zf8kP2ngUJ-4ZsLv_qtP1-t-WaTQEGlnMoLEdhqwjs5N/s3456/20240112_110108.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8Qd491rqBrQW4AgE-yYrzW3QSFtmUAS19hV_WIf4nqqtdf1VlCAmcHUhHAN4I5S54kaGGP5piCj7N0ptqh9vb-mOPxw8keQz8buoONppAfN3_HD8JRfMtkb0o-rZpdae1f-d8By3tNwX1TtV1zf8kP2ngUJ-4ZsLv_qtP1-t-WaTQEGlnMoLEdhqwjs5N/w640-h640/20240112_110108.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oatmeal vegetable soup with eggshells and corn chips<br /> may sound strange to people, but chickens love it</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteJ8ViCRH-J4R6B7ZT4rYqNeZET-ruKsVkBOXjXDSDW2a9rzVC00SWvKcZ6jnTKSyZnt_k6k3krUmPcW8EGjuFOco933hY_ssMxFJPoQB_bn1tEL3MNqC593DVq4_fJ8W1EzC6Gh6LaxUYcoOy3dP0eJw59zE6vVIwW8LnU6ZO9Thu1qXLLIFinKea8ZV/s3024/20240112_110346.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteJ8ViCRH-J4R6B7ZT4rYqNeZET-ruKsVkBOXjXDSDW2a9rzVC00SWvKcZ6jnTKSyZnt_k6k3krUmPcW8EGjuFOco933hY_ssMxFJPoQB_bn1tEL3MNqC593DVq4_fJ8W1EzC6Gh6LaxUYcoOy3dP0eJw59zE6vVIwW8LnU6ZO9Thu1qXLLIFinKea8ZV/w640-h640/20240112_110346.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New this year: a heated water tank for chickens!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />I had to teach the birds how to work the heated tank, but once one of the hens figured it out, they all copied her.<br /><br /><br /><br /><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2etZtdh-4XU" width="320" youtube-src-id="2etZtdh-4XU"></iframe><br /><br /><br /><br /></div><div>The Resolution hens are settling into their new quarters nicely.</div><div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXLpjK3erQ3w0xeUeRLovJnX0-FEdeyFsvh_H8qIUaT9DRuwfzcqkFGlqTuDGP-zmuJL4gMpffvJj5MhhHvuFtFN5zfxwwcnmAWdSfCXAZrSeQoFAfmIZrI8DrLTQH8aYhfpEwYiNMF2QNczK4sC1J00mdUXh08fYnvSDpvLYRCF_PJeynbbdpQnxMruu/s3456/20240112_110130.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXXLpjK3erQ3w0xeUeRLovJnX0-FEdeyFsvh_H8qIUaT9DRuwfzcqkFGlqTuDGP-zmuJL4gMpffvJj5MhhHvuFtFN5zfxwwcnmAWdSfCXAZrSeQoFAfmIZrI8DrLTQH8aYhfpEwYiNMF2QNczK4sC1J00mdUXh08fYnvSDpvLYRCF_PJeynbbdpQnxMruu/w640-h640/20240112_110130.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We've been getting an egg or two each day</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVp8PkCA3CQ1aR0IfYnv3s9UO6_OSc1iYdgXJcq1uHneRLx3aKXg8XzNNb3I3a-ttFXREakiV5iLircrnccTywLoAPa7vklNWHOorMocjt9Hqac5aWZvI8LMZ9sW1Bvi4FRtscu4uPg94gqAbtflyY1JjgSOAJaRy3pFEifDTsE-M3f4vlHlmnk3O_Qez/s3047/20240112_112424.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3047" data-original-width="2684" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQVp8PkCA3CQ1aR0IfYnv3s9UO6_OSc1iYdgXJcq1uHneRLx3aKXg8XzNNb3I3a-ttFXREakiV5iLircrnccTywLoAPa7vklNWHOorMocjt9Hqac5aWZvI8LMZ9sW1Bvi4FRtscu4uPg94gqAbtflyY1JjgSOAJaRy3pFEifDTsE-M3f4vlHlmnk3O_Qez/w564-h640/20240112_112424.jpg" width="564" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Read More prefers the nest inside purple mailbox</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwruSQw2xYHrCErqQeBANuDxlOwmYgOcqtKBLxX4f0blV4uhPgTb6V39SCSegkA0OQjHTHVOkCldO9tF9_Amdtk0EsQiaIJyH9WrSJQKyDTx9YwvjwB0JOH4oybAedu3QfxcSfQpYH6u_VfRP5hY8D6DqgDJ92azR7YzchVMew9RrDnB2vuiP-PgkB-Rub/s3456/20240112_112916.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwruSQw2xYHrCErqQeBANuDxlOwmYgOcqtKBLxX4f0blV4uhPgTb6V39SCSegkA0OQjHTHVOkCldO9tF9_Amdtk0EsQiaIJyH9WrSJQKyDTx9YwvjwB0JOH4oybAedu3QfxcSfQpYH6u_VfRP5hY8D6DqgDJ92azR7YzchVMew9RrDnB2vuiP-PgkB-Rub/w640-h640/20240112_112916.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh eggs are the BEST</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Part of my daily routine is cleaning the animal pens, of course...and all the stall cleanings get dumped into the garden to make lovely dirt for my vegetables. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2K9n5HsexLd7G6DBR1GzK30eXLwFyQ-wj2CYH3jSM8eMsEXkO3jXmi0HpzeU3sAux0cLoQtlyLX5jn41F6Yq-KSWbWvcD-Zx2kCZ-YfTQT4cb9SmQbnYWvi43EzDsYrTnwpnBuQOofhLoQOZELiY2QwWr__80iIjTQdxbXsQHu7C4GFBz2dclVGatNUY5/s3024/20240112_111633.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2K9n5HsexLd7G6DBR1GzK30eXLwFyQ-wj2CYH3jSM8eMsEXkO3jXmi0HpzeU3sAux0cLoQtlyLX5jn41F6Yq-KSWbWvcD-Zx2kCZ-YfTQT4cb9SmQbnYWvi43EzDsYrTnwpnBuQOofhLoQOZELiY2QwWr__80iIjTQdxbXsQHu7C4GFBz2dclVGatNUY5/w640-h640/20240112_111633.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Manure + rain + time = garden soil</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>The garden is mostly dormant right now. There are still some kale plants in Monica's garden, but those are for chickens because I think kale is inedible. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTT-z2BZ32EA2ITqFjXgNAN7mITe6z7qeu6ABihfCvYMF2AYN9gP06ma4sug6NBuaCuPYcbmnqmGc310dAP7P6rSppkw5PNHu3R33DBbsHFp9pgBk6xXD5ryWUUxKuRvshgjmDkQuhZ4tTlKhoJJq82-Hqg6KEOVJUSEvTHawuNBAo_SjVOJC9URCCXbRE/s3456/20240112_112231.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTT-z2BZ32EA2ITqFjXgNAN7mITe6z7qeu6ABihfCvYMF2AYN9gP06ma4sug6NBuaCuPYcbmnqmGc310dAP7P6rSppkw5PNHu3R33DBbsHFp9pgBk6xXD5ryWUUxKuRvshgjmDkQuhZ4tTlKhoJJq82-Hqg6KEOVJUSEvTHawuNBAo_SjVOJC9URCCXbRE/w640-h640/20240112_112231.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Monica may be gone but her kale will probably keep sprouting forever because it is terrible.</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>There are also a few leeks and carrots that I can pull up when I need them, as long as the ground isn't frozen too solidly (like now).</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>And this morning I found something new!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEindvI02eAA1N9eE4Rxp5R8GLYMAyxc4imHoJpg6hLvGPVPo5me00kzad8qoliHT1AkoeOZhkENXgUNsbaT1Zenz19U52sSdGJLfOm3-91XyyqpxyFzliAGTDfx_50YvsR5v0MiumTpr5zCuRcMg2xpCPv99wqsxxERctYChljhEJoA2dCbs2-td4jFQGIL/s3024/20240112_112105.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEindvI02eAA1N9eE4Rxp5R8GLYMAyxc4imHoJpg6hLvGPVPo5me00kzad8qoliHT1AkoeOZhkENXgUNsbaT1Zenz19U52sSdGJLfOm3-91XyyqpxyFzliAGTDfx_50YvsR5v0MiumTpr5zCuRcMg2xpCPv99wqsxxERctYChljhEJoA2dCbs2-td4jFQGIL/w640-h640/20240112_112105.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Leetle teeny rhubarb</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>The blue sky is so welcome in winter,</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWu4NnpSLCl_hwzyVEswqsZ6jqV5uWJ5liN1VmcEV2MQY0UoaY_lw8wsOGMKLdl1ZwC0MreLIBK7bIxsZ8Xkp0njyUx3pXeGEqRu4xMGD-310VzQhM6rJfrzd20SM2thiNBK1tcgVNl-NnVji928Ud8k8Zy78yRFuZK-t4oWcZtaLht4a7K_y4XiOPfpr/s2664/20240112_111449.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2664" data-original-width="1729" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWu4NnpSLCl_hwzyVEswqsZ6jqV5uWJ5liN1VmcEV2MQY0UoaY_lw8wsOGMKLdl1ZwC0MreLIBK7bIxsZ8Xkp0njyUx3pXeGEqRu4xMGD-310VzQhM6rJfrzd20SM2thiNBK1tcgVNl-NnVji928Ud8k8Zy78yRFuZK-t4oWcZtaLht4a7K_y4XiOPfpr/w416-h640/20240112_111449.jpg" width="416" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foxie Loxie's winter outfit looks a lot like his summer outfit</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> and I like the part where no shovel is required.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLtvoG09Be0yUwS97pOPw1sTUJPawJNwCg4e0wl5JyGbbrgB7fb1RqKeAg52bZ0Q0-f-GZCtVvaFmKP1X6Y3UTEQ0qCiLHIjP-ZBGA9XYaBHDCQUK74wsg2ui2roiotmACRhpLVS2me6RSvqR8iuwJHs5PuwzOJUGxe1r3bPJseyggAUzAyTHc1os7ANOz/s3456/20240112_112547.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLtvoG09Be0yUwS97pOPw1sTUJPawJNwCg4e0wl5JyGbbrgB7fb1RqKeAg52bZ0Q0-f-GZCtVvaFmKP1X6Y3UTEQ0qCiLHIjP-ZBGA9XYaBHDCQUK74wsg2ui2roiotmACRhpLVS2me6RSvqR8iuwJHs5PuwzOJUGxe1r3bPJseyggAUzAyTHc1os7ANOz/w640-h640/20240112_112547.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We will need more salt for the driveway and porch soon</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />but sometimes I just have to spend a few minutes tending the jungle (in the bathroom) and pretending that Spring isn't 4 months away<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjatAPZiB7UUDJWx3p5q3rnRWhuPMIyNatcRLUAAn_HWX5Ls70qciopuRsD3EPTOIc-PQxElZeDetyvmk_drjNHG0IrrMEUT9ssJgYVWaQlxlcvR-4O0XXNrt_ExaVaTUlq0LQLoTW4_rZexf3hvBcxp39BImRPS8Occycdjq9uQc29zS5EVl4o4vIl3BSB/s3456/20240112_104946.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjatAPZiB7UUDJWx3p5q3rnRWhuPMIyNatcRLUAAn_HWX5Ls70qciopuRsD3EPTOIc-PQxElZeDetyvmk_drjNHG0IrrMEUT9ssJgYVWaQlxlcvR-4O0XXNrt_ExaVaTUlq0LQLoTW4_rZexf3hvBcxp39BImRPS8Occycdjq9uQc29zS5EVl4o4vIl3BSB/w640-h640/20240112_104946.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Bathroom Jungle includes a Meyer Lemon, a Bergamont Lime, a Ginger plant, <br />some cilantro seedlings, and a few blueberry cuttings starting to root</td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div><br /></div>Then, like my fox puppet,</div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2nKWgb_iXohRuvLwE053LAAADrL8NDXIfYQ46btIiCLLMb-FpUYRShu2lQLecfRQ0oVB0GkRt3tW5C5B3okeJa-g3iFUfelgm2H1tm1E5-lCcvipSWB3HcEpNcd0MBu9ar9lwwmR7WzPxcITkMPVfOyOHcHINmWl2-Wflz8v5d9mldA2k5n4xKzHBgEZ/s3024/20240109_165139.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEja2nKWgb_iXohRuvLwE053LAAADrL8NDXIfYQ46btIiCLLMb-FpUYRShu2lQLecfRQ0oVB0GkRt3tW5C5B3okeJa-g3iFUfelgm2H1tm1E5-lCcvipSWB3HcEpNcd0MBu9ar9lwwmR7WzPxcITkMPVfOyOHcHINmWl2-Wflz8v5d9mldA2k5n4xKzHBgEZ/w640-h640/20240109_165139.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of an image I created for a library social media post</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br style="text-align: left;" /></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I go back to my comfortable chair and read for a while.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwfUB0464SQUaudBtQtOTSHAcTPcLyatF-KvSnNO7hQWabTpvUnP66a8mWwCHGuNFkPE6BS8lpbphJfJQ0qxXwXEpl__VTdS3oaNXTZ_gWRgrwswNXeDT5UXvrP2hj_Sx7OAzYZwRT_JupqLA0rvPkhAssLdBs2bNGaD9K01T-xlwdNi5NmqLIhrJ-ezVN/s1920/417817889_759848472851486_2010385806811252150_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1080" data-original-width="1920" height="360" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwfUB0464SQUaudBtQtOTSHAcTPcLyatF-KvSnNO7hQWabTpvUnP66a8mWwCHGuNFkPE6BS8lpbphJfJQ0qxXwXEpl__VTdS3oaNXTZ_gWRgrwswNXeDT5UXvrP2hj_Sx7OAzYZwRT_JupqLA0rvPkhAssLdBs2bNGaD9K01T-xlwdNi5NmqLIhrJ-ezVN/w640-h360/417817889_759848472851486_2010385806811252150_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I might not be the same level of artistic genius as the WSDOT person, but I'm<br />quite proud of this image that I created for the library social media.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Stay safe and warm, y'all.</span></b></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br />AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-91734886514197822292024-01-07T17:09:00.000-08:002024-01-07T17:09:29.966-08:00In which we catch up with some dogs, cats, chickens and (of course) the Dragon<p style="text-align: left;"> The chicken-killing dog hasn't returned (yet). </p><p style="text-align: left;">After 3 days of fixing all kinds of damage she caused--not just the dead birds, she also dug a huge hole in Fiddle's stall and dismantled part of the horse trailer when we confined her in there--Jim was running short on kind feelings.</p><p style="text-align: left;"><b>And then...</b></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifxxh00l6z0SGAt8NZgVzyfwpPzma6vO0wRNc6wfd4osA1A_cGGNJQrsPNPz3SCs2-9Wf79EKgbrLNjUQnCGiCaSgLso19nf5ZnV6dVXuq5D4WEGLIEHYWKChYecnwgghoJaI_TUf6DsmrlqhlhVOZcPntnUTL1lismGJFEpk5ktUMI4EvSbaReGjFxa_o" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1920" data-original-width="972" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEifxxh00l6z0SGAt8NZgVzyfwpPzma6vO0wRNc6wfd4osA1A_cGGNJQrsPNPz3SCs2-9Wf79EKgbrLNjUQnCGiCaSgLso19nf5ZnV6dVXuq5D4WEGLIEHYWKChYecnwgghoJaI_TUf6DsmrlqhlhVOZcPntnUTL1lismGJFEpk5ktUMI4EvSbaReGjFxa_o=w326-h640" width="326" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is "Bubba."</td></tr></tbody></table><br />Jim left his car running in front of the gate while he walked up to get the mail. When he got back to the gate, a very sad dog was sitting there.<div><br /></div><div><i>"Excuse me, sir,"</i> said this dog, <i>"I'm am misplaced. Can you please find my home?"</i></div><div><br /></div><div>Bubba got scared by fireworks (imagine my surprise) on New Year's Eve and blew through his containment at the Mendoza's house (in the opposite direction from the chicken-killer). He got found once, but his containment didn't get fixed, so he got out again. </div><div><br /></div><div>The difference between these two dogs couldn't be more obvious: this dog came looking for a human to help. </div><div><br /></div><div>And Jim's anger at dogs pretty much melted when he saw Bubba. He called the Mendozas, who hot-footed over to retrieve their kind boi, and they apologized about a million times--although please note, Bubba didn't even break a branch off the forsythia bush where he was waiting for Santa.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>Fox wants everyone to know that he is the GOOD DOG.</b></div><div><br /></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgu5V8U5f3KtuJ7B3lA_eScO_6UbQfwY0Kl-kRxvt_9-d2DJfH6cJWTF6Q8iuVlGxyvVyITsLqGKnTeWQCQuh7B6gLNKpBiu2kTGM5LsB2sRV1BHTEVzNB4wiCY01_t6YufD2L-KUHTpbn576UMU_fpcl_knsHPMJxxNT9AtcStAc5-G5FCDv--P4Gs4oVG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgu5V8U5f3KtuJ7B3lA_eScO_6UbQfwY0Kl-kRxvt_9-d2DJfH6cJWTF6Q8iuVlGxyvVyITsLqGKnTeWQCQuh7B6gLNKpBiu2kTGM5LsB2sRV1BHTEVzNB4wiCY01_t6YufD2L-KUHTpbn576UMU_fpcl_knsHPMJxxNT9AtcStAc5-G5FCDv--P4Gs4oVG" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">He likes to snooze with his nose tucked into my shirt</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br />I don't know if I've updated the blog on <b>our current cats. </b></div><div><br /></div><div>It's hard to count the number of cats here--not because it's a "<a href="https://haikufarm.blogspot.com/2019/07/in-which-chicken-math-is-still-thing.html">chicken math</a>" situation, but rather because <a href="https://haikufarm.blogspot.com/2022/10/in-which-we-celebrate-rain-day-and.html">it's hard to know</a> which cats consider themselves residents.</div><div><br /></div><div>Boots has become something of a Schrodinger. She showed up regularly for meals for months after Monica left, but then suddenly she stopped. </div><div><br /></div><div>"Uh, oh," thought I. "Is that it?" She was (reportedly) a 15 or 16 year old cat when Neighbor Dorothy moved to memory care. Jim walked the road, looking in ditches for the body of a tuxedo cat, but didn't find anything. </div><div><br /></div><div><b>And then...</b></div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLN-O-ErFTR9SNp3z4PC6khacLhkQcq_Nh-cx1M8j_6UQA5WVeVkXZAVYVfJcFs1NWPW5TJlXzFCBqLtCjTq0-eZwSAURVW3p8ZMpYJDX7rVNaZjtGSf3YSv8vY_KFeiDYQmq4pL4UYQcTItUyHYM6FfKm7nD1cqyNvHSaXGHnfiFSEOj8KpTPHeUfVlt/s1512/Resized_20230814_184516.jpeg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1512" data-original-width="1512" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFLN-O-ErFTR9SNp3z4PC6khacLhkQcq_Nh-cx1M8j_6UQA5WVeVkXZAVYVfJcFs1NWPW5TJlXzFCBqLtCjTq0-eZwSAURVW3p8ZMpYJDX7rVNaZjtGSf3YSv8vY_KFeiDYQmq4pL4UYQcTItUyHYM6FfKm7nD1cqyNvHSaXGHnfiFSEOj8KpTPHeUfVlt/w640-h640/Resized_20230814_184516.jpeg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No remorse, no excuses, no explanation. "<i>Where's breakfast?</i>" she demanded.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Since then, she's been spotted a couple of times, but not by me. Is she alive or is she dead? Truly a Schrodinger cat.<div><br /></div><div>We postulate that she may have returned to Dorothy's old house--there's a nice, quiet new renter there now, and maybe Boots has adopted that person as her own.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>At our place, we still have many cats: </b><a href="https://haikufarm.blogspot.com/2017/04/in-which-haiku-farm-welcomes-new-fully.html"> Esmeralda Weatherwax </a> still rules the barn, although she's getting too old and creaky to do much about the rat situation. She's been here nearly 7 years, and was not a baby when she arrived.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://haikufarm.blogspot.com/2018/09/in-which-we-introduce-new-kid-and-he.html">Rumplecatskin</a> is still in charge of the house. </div><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-tEpPbINv8lXpi-z_y36PM1K7teV9pheXPEGyaeawzd7cq8yDvrNzgBNV6gQuJ9RmYFkY3USygEQ_6mAdYenxaLoHwwC5lwgCZs3qhLr_XQuzRHQw3Udnbhs_kaQGyv4UhopcDFcE77jRsAt-16A-afmCN780qQ9cmOSEO0MH0Fk5UoQpNhMPOozJIME_/s3024/20240107_163310.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-tEpPbINv8lXpi-z_y36PM1K7teV9pheXPEGyaeawzd7cq8yDvrNzgBNV6gQuJ9RmYFkY3USygEQ_6mAdYenxaLoHwwC5lwgCZs3qhLr_XQuzRHQw3Udnbhs_kaQGyv4UhopcDFcE77jRsAt-16A-afmCN780qQ9cmOSEO0MH0Fk5UoQpNhMPOozJIME_/w640-h640/20240107_163310.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A tabby in his natural habitat: a reclining chair</td></tr></tbody></table><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div> He still has no outdoor survival skills, although he forgets that periodically and sneaks outside. We put an RFID tag on his collar so it will play an annoying tune when we activate it--and the noise only stops when he puts his face in his food bowl in the kitchen. He does not like this tracking device, but it means I don't spend nearly as much time worrying about him!</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>Goblin remains black and mysterious. The next-door neighbor has probably been feeding him, but he shows up several times each week to kill the doves (an invasive species, and he's welcome to them) and leave teeny feathers behind. </div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /></div><div>Stub-tailed Sinbad considers himself a pirate. He's certainly...unusual.</div><div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOzsvSskCL5E8EyyAb1Do7FK1Yrq0oaqovSgs5he69Y6u43P_QIRRT1AIiTlyEfMsGddaL5pUzqnPT78NnfDuDpey1ZZLvreeu68eobY556gg5hD06wLhDR_4Tq4pIG1NiYZOES4m3hsxqtjeHtFq2ebHCsuAdLdQh520d8_78cU1hyphenhyphensdLmdgB0KtmdLEA/s1057/20230901_075111.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1057" data-original-width="1011" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOzsvSskCL5E8EyyAb1Do7FK1Yrq0oaqovSgs5he69Y6u43P_QIRRT1AIiTlyEfMsGddaL5pUzqnPT78NnfDuDpey1ZZLvreeu68eobY556gg5hD06wLhDR_4Tq4pIG1NiYZOES4m3hsxqtjeHtFq2ebHCsuAdLdQh520d8_78cU1hyphenhyphensdLmdgB0KtmdLEA/w612-h640/20230901_075111.jpg" width="612" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sinbad is a pirate (and a weirdo)</td></tr></tbody></table><br />A few weeks ago Sinbad showed up for breakfast covered in blood--his un-clipped ear was torn in several new places. </div><div><br /></div><div>"What did you do?" I asked him.</div><div><br /></div><div>"<i>I won,</i>" he told me smugly. </div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>However, there's a new cat in town, and I think Sinbad is a little scared of it.<br /><div><br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLKyHM-XpsL9C8H23tiKvCbQgzjLpS-0YqlFPibcYnKEk9llFc0jeAZ4LgIlvW8EofIybFNPg6lfCSLGten-1grrkeq6F3qgPncoIhpa_IF32q6IAPa6I5ItwxH3z2v-E-b6EzdCVTMgRjUZiapSHHI3FZdr7ERPFHUTjT7p0DEwzYwbmkKdyhW5o5bk8/s3024/20240107_084555.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaLKyHM-XpsL9C8H23tiKvCbQgzjLpS-0YqlFPibcYnKEk9llFc0jeAZ4LgIlvW8EofIybFNPg6lfCSLGten-1grrkeq6F3qgPncoIhpa_IF32q6IAPa6I5ItwxH3z2v-E-b6EzdCVTMgRjUZiapSHHI3FZdr7ERPFHUTjT7p0DEwzYwbmkKdyhW5o5bk8/w640-h640/20240107_084555.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No idea of the age, gender, or ownership details on this one. We call them "Q".</td></tr></tbody></table><br />At first I thought this chrome-plated tabby was Sinbad--but check out the rear bumper : an elegant stripey tail!</div><div><br /></div><div>None of the near neighbors are claiming this one, so we will try to trap Q this week and check the undercarriage for functional reproductive gear. If it has some, we'll take a little journey to see our friends at the shelter to get that stuff removed.<br /><div><br /></div><div><b>What about chickens?</b></div><div><p>Our fences are reinforced, and Jim did some clever engineering to make the chicken gate hard to open without using thumbs.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/COJtsBN5H40" width="320" youtube-src-id="COJtsBN5H40"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">So, yesterday we opened the sally port door</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGi0MKBVqnn6an2sD5JnflvrNGzKQYIILsNxj2MD_xd2Cx1AKth59WoAGUK4UPJonsRgZbBB5D6iMp8Lj5mM8i2qaw6CDCtOLTK9U38q3FOTCANLaiQEHJ7FkNNYct8zVHwAvGOcjerpy-F6NC_DO32tNMdCLxsbCBPObKkPynfXKMzuu1N20n9LTh3f-/s3024/20240106_103106.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaGi0MKBVqnn6an2sD5JnflvrNGzKQYIILsNxj2MD_xd2Cx1AKth59WoAGUK4UPJonsRgZbBB5D6iMp8Lj5mM8i2qaw6CDCtOLTK9U38q3FOTCANLaiQEHJ7FkNNYct8zVHwAvGOcjerpy-F6NC_DO32tNMdCLxsbCBPObKkPynfXKMzuu1N20n9LTh3f-/w640-h640/20240106_103106.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"<i>Whaaa-a-a-a-a-a-aaaaa?"</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">and let hens come outside!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvHdSJqx7gtb4EO6lr0OpAzcnEBwkticDxLdsKc9tQCuXQ9wd9lAnTqYjl3tvre6Uy7MQOTvXgaCUH7TlK7_XzuQ6Z7yn1X9watdbSPjCBA6n7mICMBl8UX3TOVGRTQsfXaPzQgBvd9E3OzQirqPBzZKwLiLsV95eNH1-0dBF7iGeZCiewMxusqv4w9r_O/s3024/20240106_103232.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvHdSJqx7gtb4EO6lr0OpAzcnEBwkticDxLdsKc9tQCuXQ9wd9lAnTqYjl3tvre6Uy7MQOTvXgaCUH7TlK7_XzuQ6Z7yn1X9watdbSPjCBA6n7mICMBl8UX3TOVGRTQsfXaPzQgBvd9E3OzQirqPBzZKwLiLsV95eNH1-0dBF7iGeZCiewMxusqv4w9r_O/w640-h640/20240106_103232.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cautious at first but then...<i>is that food???</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />We had a bunch of chicken treats saved up from the Week With No Chickens: a huge partly-rotting Hubbard squash, some catfood that had gotten damp...<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyeN_LunLtvDXTqFuje__8HCFCAz9UF6u756mcRu6f2E0sw3Y4jqnWnn3FddaCw4XTPYTrmDBID86TDKcB_y7dOPGSOwb270xEQXAZe1lZcJ2ww9oE_f7AKacybTGHysWG4icWxRTUkYAwydSU_efYiz-CcQUhIG-CKxdTTTfXjeoWHmtvO3wfsEw7XfdA/s3024/20240107_144540.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyeN_LunLtvDXTqFuje__8HCFCAz9UF6u756mcRu6f2E0sw3Y4jqnWnn3FddaCw4XTPYTrmDBID86TDKcB_y7dOPGSOwb270xEQXAZe1lZcJ2ww9oE_f7AKacybTGHysWG4icWxRTUkYAwydSU_efYiz-CcQUhIG-CKxdTTTfXjeoWHmtvO3wfsEw7XfdA/w640-h640/20240107_144540.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"<i>OOOOOH, RICE!"</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><i>...</i>and the big treat of the day: broccoli leaves! Those were gone in about 3 seconds. </div><div><br /></div><div>Last night three of the hens went into their stronghold promptly at dark. The other three fell asleep outside and needed to be chivvied in by me. Hopefully, they'll catch on in the next week or so. The light in the chicken house stays on until 10--a holdover from the last batch of birds who would go indoors at 3pm, long before dark--so there is plenty of illumination for their evening poker games.</div><div><br /></div><div><b>And the Dragon?</b></div><div><br /></div><div>The Dragon, apparently, doesn't believe that she is 22 years old this year. Her racehorse birthday was last week, her actually foaling anniversary is in early April. </div><div><br /></div><div>We went out today for a little meander. We saw plenty of friends (Kitty, Rosemary, Luchia, Sam) at the trailhead, but she was not feeling in the mood to hang out with a big group.</div><div><br /></div><div>So, off we went! Walk, trot, gallumph, cantaloupe. We explored familiar places and a few new trails.</div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4N3gs6MKG2jZz0KNbUp73xzPY4H9BtSmETFUnfk_t86qT-IgfJD0skjqkjhKkl2JiN8lKJuqAEI5-lnPZMjBgL8-Htz5x9ZyNu40rKSz4Jx1h5R6CsGxj3vbXL9EsneiDr_qMZRgsRra0_b-NlK3-__u7WzP9E5nvCmlGameCxbtm-vbxscSGJKkxYugb/s3024/20240107_122513.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4N3gs6MKG2jZz0KNbUp73xzPY4H9BtSmETFUnfk_t86qT-IgfJD0skjqkjhKkl2JiN8lKJuqAEI5-lnPZMjBgL8-Htz5x9ZyNu40rKSz4Jx1h5R6CsGxj3vbXL9EsneiDr_qMZRgsRra0_b-NlK3-__u7WzP9E5nvCmlGameCxbtm-vbxscSGJKkxYugb/w640-h640/20240107_122513.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Look, Mom: blue sky!</td></tr></tbody></table><p>My mom considers any day that has even a <i>moment</i> of clarity to be a "blue sky day" and she writes on her calendar whenever she sees blue. I think I'm going to follow her example and take photos when I see it (especially in winter) -- like today.</p><p>Happy Blue Sky Day!</p><p><br /></p></div></div></div>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-69450756407191804372024-01-02T09:23:00.000-08:002024-01-02T09:23:57.161-08:00In which the Old Year ends with blood and the New Year has Resolutions<p> I got a ping from Jim while I was at work on Tuesday: "call me."</p><p></p><p>Messages like that are dire. He doesn't ping that to me if we are out of milk. </p><p>When I called, my good man was fighting tears. Two dogs had bashed through our fences and gates, broken into the chicken coop and killed every one of the chickens. </p><p><br /></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRxOYlBm8VV-oocEeZqaggprXg8U6iFfPU_2DJ6EXkAZ5DbZoeUkE63brxu5RJu-9cqROwc9vE1y10YTynhJQaebbi6v3VxrQiyBVqJ_UVMjpZ4Sd9WAMNB_ahMfG8zgBg0s18dMWOWE3vVd0xaBvUP1HBxuazIuZLEykPF72vh8cu8GUePWL2VGN_l8k2" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="2048" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjRxOYlBm8VV-oocEeZqaggprXg8U6iFfPU_2DJ6EXkAZ5DbZoeUkE63brxu5RJu-9cqROwc9vE1y10YTynhJQaebbi6v3VxrQiyBVqJ_UVMjpZ4Sd9WAMNB_ahMfG8zgBg0s18dMWOWE3vVd0xaBvUP1HBxuazIuZLEykPF72vh8cu8GUePWL2VGN_l8k2=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Final photo of some of our hens, taken about a week before they were all killed.<br />The blue egg was laid by one of our oldest ladies, nearly 7 years.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></p><p>Jim only knew what happened because he chanced to look out the window and saw the dogs smashing out of the fence again, bird in mouth. They were quick and quiet--and they killed absolutely everything they could reach. Blood and feathers everywhere. One hen survived the day but then died.</p><p>We have had a few chickens killed before, from hawks, weasels, coyotes, and even rats. Wild animals are going to try to take food if it's easy to take, which is why we have a perimeter fence, a chicken fence with a "ceiling", and a metal-sided coop with a small opening. A wild animal doesn't choose to burn calories if there are easier options, so we intentionally make things difficult.</p><p>The problem with chicken-killing dogs is that they aren't killing for calories. These dogs killed our entire flock, and ran off with one bird. .</p><p>We were alarmed. We didn't know where the dogs had come from, if they had gotten out accidentally and we would never see them again or if this was going to be a regular occurrence--because the <i>other</i> problem with chicken-killing dogs is that they will return, and they may escalate to attacking other animals, including cats, dogs, goats and even horses*.</p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgONprLxFFOpw4dqwrFsYvHUzazJz_5M6KsMi6viWFgkxD3maH1Vyhsuu2T5fdhvUasPIKbBG7P-W_SYkGV491OEjW6iTSEaMWPnDnBYZD17q-acb5AsZ52C4kecyemlHahuurQfd33Hrt85IAqDRG_1Zq8Fkv5MK4iJNYzdQJA9VMDIyN-Xr44lSOrfKTm" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="343" data-original-width="480" height="458" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgONprLxFFOpw4dqwrFsYvHUzazJz_5M6KsMi6viWFgkxD3maH1Vyhsuu2T5fdhvUasPIKbBG7P-W_SYkGV491OEjW6iTSEaMWPnDnBYZD17q-acb5AsZ52C4kecyemlHahuurQfd33Hrt85IAqDRG_1Zq8Fkv5MK4iJNYzdQJA9VMDIyN-Xr44lSOrfKTm=w640-h458" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">*My previous Standardbred mare (Story) was once attacked by pitbulls while a friend <br />was riding her near the house where we lived then. They grabbed and tore that good mare's vulva. <br />She stomped them and ran home. One of the dogs died of the injuries.<br />I never heard a single word from the dog owners.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></p><p>We posted the details we had on social media, and got a couple of leads--a neighbor had seen a black dog just a few driveways down from us. </p><p><br /></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgP-t3NQkqqSuL2CzJed2SxkItBZxWGM6_0Mb_YfzUiuGh-LgGSTvDtRAU26iitgDQbcGoo4bW_aGzKMqaoGGm85CHoHcoJvYxDjXnSGWPMaKW5_0k-iASQr1HILGFgK2f3SNMS7D-Q62y3UbwZU5xHVczJNeHh4gIlfppSZHvt2mk3w1OLGf-9v6VKaJHQ" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgP-t3NQkqqSuL2CzJed2SxkItBZxWGM6_0Mb_YfzUiuGh-LgGSTvDtRAU26iitgDQbcGoo4bW_aGzKMqaoGGm85CHoHcoJvYxDjXnSGWPMaKW5_0k-iASQr1HILGFgK2f3SNMS7D-Q62y3UbwZU5xHVczJNeHh4gIlfppSZHvt2mk3w1OLGf-9v6VKaJHQ=w480-h640" width="480" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Social media photo of a loose dog on our road.<br />Same dog? Jim couldn't say for sure.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></p><p>One dog came back again Saturday. Jim couldn't catch it, but he was able to follow it--to the same driveway in the social media photo. The person there denied that the dog had been out until Jim describe her in detail. Then, they admitted that it was their dog, and said they would keep it contained.</p><p>Do you believe that? </p><p>Me neither.</p><p>(These neighbors have a long history of neglected animals, and I don't trust their words.)</p><p><br /></p><p>I went to the feed store and bought a Honda full of fencing materials to mend the bashed-through places and reinforce everything else. </p><p><br /></p><p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1qEuzMTFdIwl4AnH0UwAOyHtoZffv93d88BJSSTObsNZ8RAgvjLIVh3c83P5BFCufphNa5t9H5h4uLE_Tui5cNNiE-MdFG2NjBHlfroIJdzwC29zh_VNb7fJ8quPYVCVPeY4PRqv5StjcGjNZ7ZnAQlsa0ZkNsn4crhNm3vEq2kciXVXjvbCWvAxNwg3n" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh1qEuzMTFdIwl4AnH0UwAOyHtoZffv93d88BJSSTObsNZ8RAgvjLIVh3c83P5BFCufphNa5t9H5h4uLE_Tui5cNNiE-MdFG2NjBHlfroIJdzwC29zh_VNb7fJ8quPYVCVPeY4PRqv5StjcGjNZ7ZnAQlsa0ZkNsn4crhNm3vEq2kciXVXjvbCWvAxNwg3n=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Honda-full" is a LOT.</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />In almost 15 years at Haiku Farm, we've always had chickens. I didn't want to live without them! I love the eggs, but I also like just hanging out and watching chickens. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisoCx2aaNjbhbN76zUwVCWdLNW06zrIyD7VPik31dxP6o3njpevJo4c4sdc7eieOgcV-Fv6rxfS7jw2E6OaZDNKje7ox_KWVgVjnNEx80frz16884h85VpyTue-ZaLidv5GInOW4m7y0hZKs17FAFrMbPDtUuQFXfsh-BcF5khgpicBbTaIcU3sjSDIQAx/s3024/20240101_113707.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisoCx2aaNjbhbN76zUwVCWdLNW06zrIyD7VPik31dxP6o3njpevJo4c4sdc7eieOgcV-Fv6rxfS7jw2E6OaZDNKje7ox_KWVgVjnNEx80frz16884h85VpyTue-ZaLidv5GInOW4m7y0hZKs17FAFrMbPDtUuQFXfsh-BcF5khgpicBbTaIcU3sjSDIQAx/w640-h640/20240101_113707.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mending the bashed-in fence damaged by intruder dogs</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>I dislike raising baby chicks in winter, because they are a TON of work, so I asked around to see if anybody had a hen or two.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5CEf3CiZck1wGQ9wzlv_-oudFWsLXXT-oPxhIMbzTrvbIfjhuB_GWouVhW2f7RB7LFL6X5YBhrHCx8wdliGhu3FrC0iBm-wmFLDUGAkX5mu2tM2_00YaS7QhlQI7NkFL6dYt4GULyz4FYJJGnMBW041kagWcJ8r0KlVWx65o8ZJDVQwWHPsl6piE51pZI/s3024/20240101_144337.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5CEf3CiZck1wGQ9wzlv_-oudFWsLXXT-oPxhIMbzTrvbIfjhuB_GWouVhW2f7RB7LFL6X5YBhrHCx8wdliGhu3FrC0iBm-wmFLDUGAkX5mu2tM2_00YaS7QhlQI7NkFL6dYt4GULyz4FYJJGnMBW041kagWcJ8r0KlVWx65o8ZJDVQwWHPsl6piE51pZI/w640-h640/20240101_144337.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The upgraded fence looks much nicer!</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>Most people don't give away their young laying hens because they can $ell them, but you never know.</p><p>To my amazement, I got a note from <a href="https://haikufarm.blogspot.com/2016/05/in-which-shoeing-older-and-opinionated.html">Mel</a> that the Farmer's Co-op that she manages in Everett had a bunch of young hens that needed a new home. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gD8r8-e1K7q2BsFBOUxkQjAZ3Klg0k5yYyucLUfsYjTRUeN3w2SU6vVfILN_dRHnTm0Mypbzde56oWN-od541DyvCyw61OxQfaTSIFTor7hQAwLF9MMsHwI9dUaYwjb0DiK9M8Jo_YSofr46uj8zAQiUge5fIs2-mDKiLnzOTTetrNs4CNYaLQ8DAltb/s3024/20231231_151746.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gD8r8-e1K7q2BsFBOUxkQjAZ3Klg0k5yYyucLUfsYjTRUeN3w2SU6vVfILN_dRHnTm0Mypbzde56oWN-od541DyvCyw61OxQfaTSIFTor7hQAwLF9MMsHwI9dUaYwjb0DiK9M8Jo_YSofr46uj8zAQiUge5fIs2-mDKiLnzOTTetrNs4CNYaLQ8DAltb/w640-h640/20231231_151746.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Smells like...chicken?"</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>BUT we weren't going to bring hens home just so marauding dogs could kill them. </p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynkNYXCAB3WXutwyIt2803ZE6YHG0i1LYRoci0jLU70wMtnFBC5NSRSrOdxnUXSf3qWh591FLMWlyeIV9KIEtGdSzPFF_8GAobIPi2mtFC5DjoUgol5ZZUBBbqzJSIJP1Dq1feNnnC1_WnN43OvYNEIkkZvnWyW7FdjKFdO1s13kio3_gDJ1UCLxzt8z5/s3024/20231231_165143.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjynkNYXCAB3WXutwyIt2803ZE6YHG0i1LYRoci0jLU70wMtnFBC5NSRSrOdxnUXSf3qWh591FLMWlyeIV9KIEtGdSzPFF_8GAobIPi2mtFC5DjoUgol5ZZUBBbqzJSIJP1Dq1feNnnC1_WnN43OvYNEIkkZvnWyW7FdjKFdO1s13kio3_gDJ1UCLxzt8z5/w640-h640/20231231_165143.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first days in a new place we always lock hens indoors anyhow. This door<br />was damaged by the marauders, but Jim fixed and reinforced it.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>Yesterday we were gearing up to go work on the perimeter fence and I chanced to look outdoors. And I saw the same damn dog in our yard.</p><p><br /></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVclEGhQxd1lDr3eam4SrbcqrXNS2CUOxVsg9NdxqEeA_vcscqRMCZaJys-q1cKRP6XA_N6-hzG-ysiRsw4A4U6myHDocGKY-CwERY2S2mVQ_xYZxzuMhh_Vz7vA0sUTr5FmWy9ZlFnoOp8fK7t92VH19Biw_EChsJKSdmJJgtYy3CfRPt8i82cj0Wfzw-/s3024/20240101_093249.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVclEGhQxd1lDr3eam4SrbcqrXNS2CUOxVsg9NdxqEeA_vcscqRMCZaJys-q1cKRP6XA_N6-hzG-ysiRsw4A4U6myHDocGKY-CwERY2S2mVQ_xYZxzuMhh_Vz7vA0sUTr5FmWy9ZlFnoOp8fK7t92VH19Biw_EChsJKSdmJJgtYy3CfRPt8i82cj0Wfzw-/w640-h640/20240101_093249.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We caught her INSIDE THE CHICKEN PEN.<br />Fortunately, she was in the wrong pen.</td></tr></tbody></table><p><br /></p><p>We grabbed her, leashed her, and secured her. Then we called Animal Control. Nobody was working (!!!!) at all on January 1st (BECAUSE WHO WOULD NEED ANIMAL CONTROL STAFF ON A FIREWORKS HOLIDAY, RIGHT?!?!?!) </p><p>911 connected us with a deputy, but he can't transport animals in a patrol car. Okay, valid. He suggested that we give the dog back.</p><p>Yeah no.</p><p>Jim was able to make a report with animal control over the phone, we will take the dog to the shelter. Bail for her is (I am not kidding) $150, unless maybe somebody at AC will authorize euthanasia.</p><p>Shaking my damn head.</p><p><br /></p><p><b><i>But why does the title of this post mention New Year's Resolutions? </i></b></p><p>Because that's what we named the new hens!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHtnyGuapETTRXnLWrrJCFO0IZRTMqH3sHnH0wX20H7MXbWqV5xXA4cMXbZf8QwtVxrcRM3qH1t3X_pENdlC75Rg4dLvovaW7SFor_gDSCs8bniSlzRvRHbRsyteKiIkwmURRs7VGKRY72Lh7pq666SLj6upmTRywdEZHJR5-uepu_oogbsWfmSdPRE1e/s3024/20231231_152157.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIHtnyGuapETTRXnLWrrJCFO0IZRTMqH3sHnH0wX20H7MXbWqV5xXA4cMXbZf8QwtVxrcRM3qH1t3X_pENdlC75Rg4dLvovaW7SFor_gDSCs8bniSlzRvRHbRsyteKiIkwmURRs7VGKRY72Lh7pq666SLj6upmTRywdEZHJR5-uepu_oogbsWfmSdPRE1e/w640-h640/20231231_152157.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Sing More."</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiulaUdYv55K8XJFnqfc9WtwR61xucIRC_3hc5RzQfvKp9fDOyEf3QP1RIp66_gxav81pO_CJrd4-YVYarTv-BglD6byaB4mfA0Aen-dMtYplxM6BKEcQ29lPrjB38pC2g3j-g8FdG5lV_htlGRTxm3lNJTzpSI5xrfP7MaFcx3B_t14q6T3A-KZUKXRoN8/s3024/20231231_152133.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiulaUdYv55K8XJFnqfc9WtwR61xucIRC_3hc5RzQfvKp9fDOyEf3QP1RIp66_gxav81pO_CJrd4-YVYarTv-BglD6byaB4mfA0Aen-dMtYplxM6BKEcQ29lPrjB38pC2g3j-g8FdG5lV_htlGRTxm3lNJTzpSI5xrfP7MaFcx3B_t14q6T3A-KZUKXRoN8/w640-h640/20231231_152133.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Dance More."</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfKf3-zCQVVzBCXtFDuZz_35lXNu-pykjEx72Jrt3j_kWpqWvR_SJgNvSFLujuzjANg7XMwZMsAAmKdd6UwnMwdmTDL0gsyBjW12zKbWnM1kKRk16iRbDhKGCto_pSYRia6OK7KQ8r_gNG2awQTuXEI6huHemnzooYauHT3S3WfZ4RXfziIIBCxo09Wmp/s3024/20231231_152103.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfKf3-zCQVVzBCXtFDuZz_35lXNu-pykjEx72Jrt3j_kWpqWvR_SJgNvSFLujuzjANg7XMwZMsAAmKdd6UwnMwdmTDL0gsyBjW12zKbWnM1kKRk16iRbDhKGCto_pSYRia6OK7KQ8r_gNG2awQTuXEI6huHemnzooYauHT3S3WfZ4RXfziIIBCxo09Wmp/w640-h640/20231231_152103.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Read More."</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ6F4tqD1ueReFFIcPRHfCJJDC6KjldnV6jjswT3fYQIxfbIFyzNM-MLyk3-P7EVLGTUMRQrzwnrYazor0c8j7anrsPIcZsKp9r7C7AdVSJrBDwxzs-N1GgoQsE_V-u14bI3rjjcu9IGOAZLt0rLJer35CHd0PdjVFrFhLaJUmkRxZ9KWb-KpJPz3aikCK/s3024/20231231_152010.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ6F4tqD1ueReFFIcPRHfCJJDC6KjldnV6jjswT3fYQIxfbIFyzNM-MLyk3-P7EVLGTUMRQrzwnrYazor0c8j7anrsPIcZsKp9r7C7AdVSJrBDwxzs-N1GgoQsE_V-u14bI3rjjcu9IGOAZLt0rLJer35CHd0PdjVFrFhLaJUmkRxZ9KWb-KpJPz3aikCK/w640-h640/20231231_152010.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Write More."</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUQcqEBSwrR9SKhhr5g0LzJWkc8DRwOW-TZZr2FIG-PNV4iV9jkIes5aK8m2TDTjh89YquzaoXblbcP-O57fhqmMI9gz-1r5AzsYEkHnEEuPB73PgzXAcKwjjR6COsLX-wz0TSBkymSQ8fqhyL86deIrhiUIg0wNeTeL6VhC-TX0K2JUceSIEtXw96Ydx/s3024/20231231_151943.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrUQcqEBSwrR9SKhhr5g0LzJWkc8DRwOW-TZZr2FIG-PNV4iV9jkIes5aK8m2TDTjh89YquzaoXblbcP-O57fhqmMI9gz-1r5AzsYEkHnEEuPB73PgzXAcKwjjR6COsLX-wz0TSBkymSQ8fqhyL86deIrhiUIg0wNeTeL6VhC-TX0K2JUceSIEtXw96Ydx/w640-h640/20231231_151943.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Eat More Veggies"</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhAz7C24BEJfdwZNAuraXICF0BYk8DQakwB5HcVaKuJzd_rKKZsqipyf_e_-vQ9_KcoEt6AN3Bco03ntNOq33-whpp5ERIq6Bt7Cm45VbPUqR5-PaRanPbw3gD526usFto0xmFJE85oWaGrzvz8HItk3_stwVlICXkvjo2wDDDXUzFcpYGfdGTAv6L4k0ov" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="320" data-original-width="320" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhAz7C24BEJfdwZNAuraXICF0BYk8DQakwB5HcVaKuJzd_rKKZsqipyf_e_-vQ9_KcoEt6AN3Bco03ntNOq33-whpp5ERIq6Bt7Cm45VbPUqR5-PaRanPbw3gD526usFto0xmFJE85oWaGrzvz8HItk3_stwVlICXkvjo2wDDDXUzFcpYGfdGTAv6L4k0ov=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Drink More Water."</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />So, for 2024 thus far, we are planning for the worst and hoping for the best. <div><br /></div><div>Not a terrible strategy, I think.</div><div><br /></div><div>Please notice that I am taking the resolution seriously: </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Look! First week of January and I wrote a blog post! </i></div><div><i><br /></i></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Happy New Year, y'all.</span></div>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-79830645295483695142024-01-01T07:00:00.000-08:002024-01-01T07:00:00.248-08:00In which we wish our friends the best for the holidays and the new year<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG8_RHqg0JD0bgAT0O4Ec6i6JYEAjUboOEW4KcWL0XFWglO8q90jwzsl6c4qAZl6_bqvzT58SKSyyivl9eAl1M5z3lClDrUdFRyVelZBLd6pNPghoxKTQmJfTpWXVK2NeinniSab7QJzt94cLl0yhKopSCZnPkzh1ITseoO1Ans8p2_6F76mb0VueVRTMh/s940/animals.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="788" data-original-width="940" height="536" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG8_RHqg0JD0bgAT0O4Ec6i6JYEAjUboOEW4KcWL0XFWglO8q90jwzsl6c4qAZl6_bqvzT58SKSyyivl9eAl1M5z3lClDrUdFRyVelZBLd6pNPghoxKTQmJfTpWXVK2NeinniSab7QJzt94cLl0yhKopSCZnPkzh1ITseoO1Ans8p2_6F76mb0VueVRTMh/w640-h536/animals.png" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"> <span style="color: #800180; font-family: verdana; font-size: x-large;">Happy 2024 from Haiku Farm</span></div><p></p>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-11785905842622131922023-12-31T07:00:00.000-08:002023-12-31T07:00:00.348-08:00In which we finish up the holiday stories with a new poem<p> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Red Cap, a poem</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-a084d1fb-7fff-0d31-0c68-065dd3671dcb"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><i><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There will be snow by morning.</span></i></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Frozen grass crinkles under my boots and under </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">the soft paws of the stub-tailed tabby cat who paces beside me</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">as we patrol our night farm.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Frost underfoot whitens his paws</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">and my red cap glows like a hearthfire</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">by the light of the bright full moon.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But we are mostly unnoticed.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Few hear our steps.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He waits as I pause beside the beehive,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">we each tip our ears to listen for the sleepy hum within.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We each hum our answering tune as we pad away.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I check on chickens, snuggled together on their roost.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">They do not wake when I peek in. They perch,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">chuckling softly to each other as they doze,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">dreaming hen-dreams of warm days and crisp beetles.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Inside the barn, the cow blinks as we enter,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">her suckling calf asleep beside her.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Hay wisps fill the manger.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I dip fingers into her bucket, warming the water.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">She sighs, chews, and blinks again.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The calf sleeps on.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The old mare waits patiently for me.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">She nuzzles my coat, knowing</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">the carrot stubs in my pockets</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">are hers alone. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I comb her tail, her mane, her forelock,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">as I have done every night that she can recall.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When I finish and pat her neck she tugs the tassel of my cap.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I laugh when she does it, as I always do,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">and the cat twines around her legs</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">rumbling his gentle song.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We cross the yard to the farmhouse, cat daintily stepping where I step.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">My footprints are scarcely bigger than his.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">We enter the house, not rousing the dogs from their warm beds</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">by the fire. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">They know us.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The cat saunters to the kitchen</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">but I do not join him yet.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">First, I climb the stairs, quietly quietly</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">To gaze at my family, each in turn.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The parents slumber deeply.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Two brothers dream, restless,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I hum to them and they turn and calm.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The youngest child is awake. She alone of the family</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Still sees me, still believes.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This child insists that my bowl be filled:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">porridge, a bit of butter, some honey.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Her mother says that the cat eats the porridge.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Her mother once believed in me.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Perhaps she still does.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">She does not see me anymore.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But she agrees to fill my bowl.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And she nods when</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">this child asks for a new knitted cap,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">red, like mine, with a tassel, like mine.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">She knits it herself, needing no pattern.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Someday</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The child may no longer remember why it had to be just so.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But when she is grown</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">she will still fill my bowl, add the butter and the honey,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">and put a small spoon beside it,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">though the cat does not need a spoon.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The youngest child nods her head, closes her eyes,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">and I descend the stairs to the kitchen,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">where the stub-tailed tabby has eaten a bit of porridge and butter</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">leaving the honey portion for me.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I climb up a chair to reach the bowl and spoon.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I do not wish to drop the bowl and break it.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I have enjoyed this feast for seven generations of my family.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I cannot jump up</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">onto the table anymore.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The bowl licked clean,</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">the cat and I return across the yard</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">grass crinkling under our feet.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The setting moon glows beneath a chill rainbow of clouds</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">stretching our shadows tall before we join the shelter of the barn.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The stub-tailed tabby purrs the loft full of comfort </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">and we curl into our spot in clean hay</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">surrounded by the smell of summer.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Below us: the cow, the horse, the night, all breathe easily.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i>There will be snow by morning.</i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibnJKDiChovT8xmgXTNqe0gxUARsw_YfapnxSWljOoT-ut4VsSALcCVgO2lB9HNrBO1T7LwIGQyLIGqsBZC9JgoLP9ZmIoLThu9vHnUbVnK0lKKGdSVfBY4jgElxioZ43lcrkItfxQaRn2sANbczG81Zt0owxz8RmuJl11oXQtcfI2je2WqTiIMagB2Im9/s639/animals.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="639" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibnJKDiChovT8xmgXTNqe0gxUARsw_YfapnxSWljOoT-ut4VsSALcCVgO2lB9HNrBO1T7LwIGQyLIGqsBZC9JgoLP9ZmIoLThu9vHnUbVnK0lKKGdSVfBY4jgElxioZ43lcrkItfxQaRn2sANbczG81Zt0owxz8RmuJl11oXQtcfI2je2WqTiIMagB2Im9/w400-h335/animals.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><i><br /></i></span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><i><br /></i></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-66208368915716146992023-12-30T07:00:00.000-08:002023-12-30T07:00:00.137-08:00In which I've never stopped wanting a nisse so I wrote one a story<p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Woman Who Needed a Nisse</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-fa60ba31-7fff-15c9-1de2-c18c344af3d7"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There once was a little old woman who lived all alone.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">She had no family and no children of her own, only the animals on a little farm given to her by a long-ago uncle.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">She had no friends in the village, because she feared that friends would come to visit and she had nothing to share with them—no food to spare, and no good company either.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The little farm had been productive in the uncle’s time, with many cattle, and a flock of hens and a hive of busy humming bees. But now she had only one cow and one hen and a few bees.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Worse than that, the cow would only kick over the milk pail and not give milk, the hen threw feathers all around and would not lay eggs, and the bees buzzed angrily at her and stung her if she tried to take some honey.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The old woman was very unhappy, and very lonely too. She didn’t know what to do.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Finally, she asked the neighbor, who had a fine and prosperous farm of her own, how she could improve her fortune.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“You need a </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">nisse</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">,” the neighbor said. “Every good farm has a </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">nisse</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">, a little gnome-person in a red-tasseled cap, who looks after the animals and tends to the house and the people.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“A </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">nisse</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> will sing to your cow so she gives milk, a </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">nisse</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> will tell stories to your hen so she lays eggs, a </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">nisse</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> will recite poetry to your bees so they make honey.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“But how can I get a </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">nisse</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">?” asked the old woman. “You can’t buy one in the store, you can’t grow one from a seed, you can’t pluck one from a tree.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“I’ll give you a loaf of bread to get you started,” said the neighbor. “There’s nothing a </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">nisse</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> likes so much as good, soft bread…unless it is a nice bowl of porridge with butter and honey.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The old woman took the bread and walked slowly towards home. As she walked, she noticed a few little birds hopping along the path beside her, looking at the bread she carried and chirping hopefully.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Silly birds,” said the woman, “If I give this bread to you, how will I ever get a </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">nisse</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">?</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But the birds chirped so sweetly and hopped along so brightly that she smiled at them, right there in the road.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Well, all right,” said the woman. “I suppose even a </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">nisse</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> doesn’t need a whole loaf of bread.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">She broke the loaf, and crumbled half of it into her hand.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The little birds perched on her fingers and pecked happily at the crumbs, and for the first time in many weeks, the old woman laughed.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">These little birds were so happy with such a little gift.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Just then, out from the hedge beside the road crept a skinny tabby cat, attracted to the chirping and flapping of the little birds. The woman saw him slinking closer, and she scattered the birds before he could catch one.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Naughty cat,” said the woman. “I can’t let you eat these birds, and you won’t like bread. Let us go home and ask the cow if she will give some milk for you.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The cat walked along home with the old woman. When they got there, the woman took a piece of the bread to the cow.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Cow,” she said, “I know you don’t like to give milk for me, but the little cat is hungry. Will you eat a piece of this bread and give some milk for the cat?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">"Well," said the cow, "If the cat will sing a song and I may have a piece of bread, I will give enough milk for the cat and a little left over."</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">So the cat sang a song to the cow, and soon he was drinking warm milk from a bowl on the doorstep, and the woman was shaking a jar of the fine rich milk to make a little bit of butter.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Just then, out from under the porch of the house came a skinny dog, attracted to the lapping sound of the cat. The woman saw him sneaking closer and caught him in her arms before he could chase the cat.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Naughty dog,” said the woman. “I can’t let you chase this cat, and you won’t like milk. Let us ask the hen if she will lay an egg for you.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The dog and the cat and the woman took a piece of the bread to the hen.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Hen,” said the woman, “I know you don’t like to lay eggs for me, but the little dog is hungry. Will you eat a piece of this bread and lay an egg for the dog?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">"Well," said the hen, "If the dog will tell me a story, and I may have a piece of bread, I will lay an egg for the dog, and another egg in the morning."</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">So the dog told a story to the hen, and soon he was eating a nice boiled egg from a shiny plate on the doorstep, while the cat washed his tabby paws by the hearth.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Now, there was only a little bit of bread left. Would a </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">nisse</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> come to her house for just a little bit of bread?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The old woman didn’t think so.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">She sat on the doorstep with the tabby cat on her lap and the little dog on her feet and she tried to think.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“The only thing that a </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">nisse</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> likes better than bread is a bowl of porridge with butter and honey on it. What if I were to make some porridge?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The dog and the cat agreed that she should do that very thing, so the woman picked some wildflowers and they all went to visit the bees.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Bees,” said the woman, “I know you don’t like to make honey for me, but a </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">nisse</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> would like a little honey on some porridge. If I recite some poetry for you, will you give some honey for a </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">nisse’s</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> porridge?"</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">"Well," said the bees, "If you will recite poetry, and the dog and cat will recite poetry, and the cow and the hen will recite poetry, we will give some honey for a </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">nisse's</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> porridge."</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The cat agreed and the dog agreed.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The cow agreed and the hen agreed.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">They all gathered around the bees to recite poetry, and the old woman listened to the animals and remembered the poems she knew as a girl. And she recited poetry too.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The bees listened to the poetry, and soon the woman had a little comb of honey to drip onto the porridge for a </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">nisse</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">She went to bed without supper that night, but she made up a big bowl of porridge from the very last piece of the bread, and on top of the porridge she put the butter and the honey.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">That night, she slept warmer than she ever had before, because the cat slept at her back, and the dog slept at her feet.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Late, late, that night, a </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">nisse</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> in a red-tasseled cap was passing by and saw the bowl of porridge.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He saw the cow who had given milk for the little cat.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He saw the hen who had laid an egg for the little dog.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He saw the bees who had given honey for the bowl of porridge.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And he saw the little old woman who had gone to bed hungry but left a bowl of porridge with butter and honey on it for a </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">nisse</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> who might be stopping by.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">nisse</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> ate all the porridge.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He sang a song to the cow.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He told a story to the hen.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He recited poetry to the bees.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And then, just as dawn was breaking, the </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">nisse</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> made a little bed of hay in the barn and took himself there to sleep in his new home.</span></p><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKe6SKgFG4bp0_nu9O44A-k7pfJVX7g-xxUoAWMmo_miHveHrIOghLsirC7mRq0QQhJlUsIT-n-I7Z4yPmkZnqKx3vVFn8mOAv_Yuwbpo-VyRI9XqF7NTesiImklue0Vv2xAT1d_4WZiP3Ug-z3E6eYRIVqbDnF0WPRwlmx7nB1b_7-2sPmFYzvcxY8KI/s639/animals.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="639" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKKe6SKgFG4bp0_nu9O44A-k7pfJVX7g-xxUoAWMmo_miHveHrIOghLsirC7mRq0QQhJlUsIT-n-I7Z4yPmkZnqKx3vVFn8mOAv_Yuwbpo-VyRI9XqF7NTesiImklue0Vv2xAT1d_4WZiP3Ug-z3E6eYRIVqbDnF0WPRwlmx7nB1b_7-2sPmFYzvcxY8KI/w400-h335/animals.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-20217121739349766232023-12-29T07:00:00.000-08:002023-12-29T07:00:00.134-08:00In which I share a fun little story that always makes me hungry<p> <span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Feeding the People (Thailand)</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-79c2f6ad-7fff-b528-843f-339880c0054f"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In a village far away from here, a young woman asked her mother for advice on choosing a spouse. This is the advice:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Catch a great silver fish. Then, take the fish to each person you would like to marry, and ask them each in turn how they would serve the fish to feed the most people.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">So the young woman went to the river and caught a huge silver fish, the most beautiful fish anyone had ever seen. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">She took this fish from house-to-house in the village, asking her question: “How would you serve this fish to feed the most people?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One person said that they would stuff the fish with rice, another said that they would cut the fish into tiny pieces and serve it with herbs from the forest. A third person said that they would make a soup from the fish, so that a family might eat fish for three days.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Finally, at the last house in the village, the question was asked, and this answer was given:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“I would make a great fire in the middle of the village to cook the fish. While the fish cooked, I would visit each home, and invite everyone to bring their plates and bowls, so that together we could eat this fish. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Then, whenever someone in the village had a successful hunt, or a bountiful harvest, they could use the great fire in the middle of the village to summon everyone, and together we could share our food.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“This way, the fish would feed our village for many, many years.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">That night, the village celebrated the wedding of those two people, and everyone had some of the fish. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I was there, and you were there, and together we danced until the sun came up.</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRlQ2S8T1BQuuuQbxTWUHzEE1FF6rJO-S8sB0Phm6Yh-osdXU7eVnUiSkdUcz2fZ4_rJ-r7T49Eqr0m7pA9fCNdue6Ulkn4KFt-um8Ur0NTOKGc0mxgo4JGjZleDtpUdx7ucfwzEg5nNFOR7Y9N4KMZncvESueNtggExpKVrr9jT1SO0XC98H7RlK-LTo/s639/animals.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="639" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBRlQ2S8T1BQuuuQbxTWUHzEE1FF6rJO-S8sB0Phm6Yh-osdXU7eVnUiSkdUcz2fZ4_rJ-r7T49Eqr0m7pA9fCNdue6Ulkn4KFt-um8Ur0NTOKGc0mxgo4JGjZleDtpUdx7ucfwzEg5nNFOR7Y9N4KMZncvESueNtggExpKVrr9jT1SO0XC98H7RlK-LTo/w400-h335/animals.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><p></p><div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-28921693840408242662023-12-28T07:00:00.001-08:002023-12-28T07:00:00.128-08:00In which the people work together to do something impossible<p> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Pushing Up the Sky (Snohomish Tribe)</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-44139569-7fff-fe43-9db1-3858d6945f6a"><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Creator made the world. Creator started in the East, and traveled to the West, making new lands and new people. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">To each group of people, Creator gave a new language. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When Creator got to the Puget Sound there was no more land to make, but there were still a lot of languages left in the basket. Creator dumped out the basket of languages onto the people of the Salish Sea.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">That’s why there are so many languages there.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The people there did not like the way Creator made the world. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The sky was too close to the ground. Tall people bumped their heads on it, and some of the wicked people would climb up trees to spy on the Sky World.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Finally, the wise people of all the tribes had a council to see what they could do about lifting the sky. They agreed that all the people should work together to push it up higher.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“We can do it if we all work together,” they said. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“All of the people and all of the birds and animals will help, and we can push the sky up higher. But how will we know when to push? We live so far apart, and we speak different languages.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">At last one of them suggested that they all use the same word to signal the time for pushing up on the sky. “When the time comes for us to push, when everything is ready, let someone shout ‘</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ya-hoh</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">!’ That will mean it is the time to lift together.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The people of the council told all the people and birds and animals what to do. Everyone made long poles from fir trees to push.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The day for sky lifting came. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Everyone raised their poles up to the sky. Then, they shouted, “</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ya-hoh</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">!” and everyone pushed at the same time. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The sky lifted up a little bit.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ya-hoh</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">!” they shouted again, and everyone pushed again. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The sky lifted a little bit higher. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">They shouted “</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ya-hoh!” </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">a third time, and up went the sky. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And finally when they shouted “</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ya-hoh</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">!” a fourth time, the sky lifted until it was as high as it is today. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Nobody ever bumped into it again, and nobody has ever climbed into the Sky World again.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Now, three hunters had been chasing four elk during all the meetings, and did not know about the plan. Just as everyone was about to lift up the sky, those hunters and those elk came to a place where the sky and the earth are close together. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The elk jumped up into the sky, and the hunters followed them. When the sky was lifted, the elk and the hunters were lifted up too.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">In the Sky World, they all became stars. The three hunters became the tail of the Great Bear, and the middle hunter has his dog with him—it is now a tiny star. The elk became the body of the Bear, and they are visible in the night sky even now.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When people work even now, it’s good to have a word to help the work go together. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When people say “</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Ya-hoh</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">!” together, it makes everyone stronger.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRlxlJNbGrn9QeRR_T0u39MQOaSy4UW6G7hF21EDY2EIfghLAcDsmYtvgLMfa1MRi4oag6VpUAyE0U6J-o3I_i3mUXdn_F1WeuEZ0L-_L5srJ5hNsVshNmVIYLnhxgprM9b9yWQcfXEJc0k3nMugq57MQnPAqX4Y0KwFFSCSVe7azpPrj7YjsIX6ybX69P/s639/animals.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="639" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRlxlJNbGrn9QeRR_T0u39MQOaSy4UW6G7hF21EDY2EIfghLAcDsmYtvgLMfa1MRi4oag6VpUAyE0U6J-o3I_i3mUXdn_F1WeuEZ0L-_L5srJ5hNsVshNmVIYLnhxgprM9b9yWQcfXEJc0k3nMugq57MQnPAqX4Y0KwFFSCSVe7azpPrj7YjsIX6ybX69P/w400-h335/animals.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-80923159014382427922023-12-27T07:00:00.001-08:002023-12-27T07:00:00.141-08:00In which self defense can be unconventional (and still functional)<p> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Musician and the Pirates (Japan)</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-bfbc717c-7fff-d953-edaf-d60d1576ecb9"><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A musician was travelling by sea when his ship was attacked by pirates. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Having no skill at arms, he was quite unable to defend himself. He was sure he would die.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He climbed on top of the ship’s cabin and took out his </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">hichiriki, </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">his bamboo flute. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He shouted to the pirates, “You pirates, hear me! I am defenseless, as you can see. You can take everything on my ship. But before you kill me, I want you to hear my music. I have practiced this piece for many years, and I want to perform it one time before I die.”</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The pirates agreed, and sat quietly to listen to the </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">hichiriki </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">music.</span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The musician put the flute to his lips, knowing he would never play again. </span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He wept as the beautiful sound of his music floated over the waves.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 0pt; margin-top: 0pt; padding: 0pt 0pt 12pt 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When the music was finished, the pirate leader declared, “we came to take your ship, but you gave us music. We cannot harm you now!”</span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEyMJ1aUXhdJJhuu3aAZC6tpOmxPCZQ05o1u9ZGRBF3n7KBTPbZ9tEAR1rkK5c5FsDKebV9zfbh58hDS6WRg2etn-gLw8c2nLuNU4-dJAqaiM3DcDrHnVOPXi8dpr_PJ9SvLHlD65agfq-ivX7QJq3SiSvP5-wioyjgylN7iOIKcvAYRE4ryt6oMFSi9KN/s639/animals.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="639" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEyMJ1aUXhdJJhuu3aAZC6tpOmxPCZQ05o1u9ZGRBF3n7KBTPbZ9tEAR1rkK5c5FsDKebV9zfbh58hDS6WRg2etn-gLw8c2nLuNU4-dJAqaiM3DcDrHnVOPXi8dpr_PJ9SvLHlD65agfq-ivX7QJq3SiSvP5-wioyjgylN7iOIKcvAYRE4ryt6oMFSi9KN/w400-h335/animals.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /></span><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="background-color: white; line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 0pt;"><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">They rowed away in peace, and the musician continued his journey unharmed.</span></p><div><span style="font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-6296754413621319562023-12-26T07:00:00.000-08:002023-12-26T07:00:00.162-08:00In which this stepdaughter saves herself, with a little help from her friends!<p> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space-collapse: preserve;">"I'm Tipingee, She's Tipingee, We're Tipingee, Too" (Haiti)</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-fca81a00-7fff-9000-4f70-3c1935b9219a"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There was once a girl named Tipingee. Her father had died. She lived with her stepmother in the house her father had owned. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The stepmother was selfish and did not like to share with Tipingee. One morning, the stepmother the fire under the stepmother’s pot went out. Tipingee was in school, so the stepmother had to go into the forest to find more firewood.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">She walked for a long time, but she did not find any wood. She continued walking. Eventually she came to a place where there was firewood everywhere. She gathered it into a bundle. But it was too heavy to lift up onto her head. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">She could not carry the wood, but she didn’t want to leave it for somebody else. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">She cried out to the forest, "There is so much wood here, and at home I have no wood. Where can I find someone who will help me carry the firewood?" </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Suddenly a very small, very old man appeared. "I will help you to carry the firewood. But then what will you give me?" </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">"I have very little," the woman said, "but I will find something to give you once we get to my house." </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The old man carried the firewood for the stepmother. When they got to the house he said, "I have carried the firewood for you. Now what will you give me?" </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The stepmother saw an opportunity to rid herself of her stepdaughter. The stepmother said, "I will give you a servant girl. She is my stepdaughter. Her name is Tipingee."</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Now Tipingee was in the house, and when she heard her name she ran to the door and listened.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">"Tomorrow I will send this girl to the well at noon for water. She will be wearing a blue dress. Call her by her name, Tipingee. She will come to you. Then you can take her." </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">"Very well," said the man, and he went away.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Tipingee ran to her friends. She ran to the houses of all the girls in her class and asked them to wear blue dresses the next day, and to come to the village well at noon. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">At noon the next day, the old man went to the well. He saw one little girl dressed in blue. He saw a second little girl dressed in blue. He saw a third girl in blue.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">"Which of you is Tipingee?" he asked.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One girl said: "I'm Tipingee." A second girl pointed to another girl and said: "She's Tipingee." A few other girls said: "We're Tipingee, too." </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The old man was losing his patience. "Which of you is Tipingee?" he demanded. Then the girls began to clap, skip, jump up and down, and chant: “</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I'm Tipingee, She's Tipingee, We're Tipingee, too. I'm Tipingee, She's Tipingee, We're Tipingee, too</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">.” </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The old man stormed off. He went to the woman and said, "You tricked me. All the girls were dressed in blue and each one said she was Tipingee." </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">"That is impossible," said the stepmother. "Tomorrow Tipingee will wear a yellow dress. You will find her at the well, at noon. Just call her and take her." </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But Tipingee heard what her stepmother said and ran and begged all her friends to wear yellow dresses the next day.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When the old man went to the well the next day, he saw one girl dressed in yellow. He saw a second girl dressed in yellow. He saw a third girl in yellow. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">"Which of you is Tipingee?" he asked.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">One girl said: "I'm Tipingee." A second girl pointed to another girl and said: "She's Tipingee." A few other girls said: "We're Tipingee, too." </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The old man was now very angry. "I am not joking", he said "Which of you is Tipingee?" </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Again the girls clapped, skipped, jumped up and down, and chanted: “</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: italic; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">I'm Tipingee, She's Tipingee, We're Tipingee, too. I'm Tipingee, She's Tipingee, We're Tipingee, too</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">.” </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The old man went to the stepmother and said, "You promised to pay me and you are only giving me problems. You tell me Tipingee, and everyone here is Tipingee, Tipingee, Tipingee.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“If this happens a third time, I will come and take you for my servant." </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">"My dear sir," said the stepmother, "tomorrow she will be in red. I will see to it. Just call her and take her." </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Tipingee ran and asked her friends to dress in red the following day.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The old man went to the well the next day. He saw all of the girls dressed in red. He knew he would never find Tipingee.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He went to the stepmother and took her away.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When Tipingee returned home, her stepmother was gone. She was too young to live alone, so she asked some of her late father's relatives to move in. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And they all lived happily together.</span></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMw_qIV2t0m0Jcha7_MYlIIl9BdXyQPfBlnOkdcPAg2T_ec9z7aqnRQkZGV6OZO1L0fEA-3QltctniUXYuvD92nyfWwH602yrqK2-pgpYVzuSSIzr0otmC3VkXgB1yOJUMAub0i6sAR2UPcR350CozGfMM3rJNtWwbTGJY0_Bnzyu6fA1jWYUTCGvssGC6/s639/animals.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="639" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMw_qIV2t0m0Jcha7_MYlIIl9BdXyQPfBlnOkdcPAg2T_ec9z7aqnRQkZGV6OZO1L0fEA-3QltctniUXYuvD92nyfWwH602yrqK2-pgpYVzuSSIzr0otmC3VkXgB1yOJUMAub0i6sAR2UPcR350CozGfMM3rJNtWwbTGJY0_Bnzyu6fA1jWYUTCGvssGC6/w400-h335/animals.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-61263274638247467272023-12-25T07:00:00.000-08:002023-12-25T07:00:00.149-08:00In which it's okay to be kind, even to alligators. Who knew?<p> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Alligator and the Hunter (Choctaw Tribe)</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-890fdecf-7fff-6dfb-c270-9e2b7ac0f3c9"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When a man went hunting, he saw an alligator far from water.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">This alligator had crawled too far and become stranded. It was so thirsty and dried it could hardly speak. It begged the hunter for help.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The hunter kept his distance. But he said, “Go through the forest in that direction. There is water nearby.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But the animal pleaded. “I am too weak, I shall surely die. Come closer and let me talk to you.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Cautiously, the hunter approached.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“You are a hunter,” said the alligator, “but you rarely bring home game. Is that true?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It was true. The hunter had very bad luck.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Help me now,” said the alligator, “and I will tell you how to become a great hunter. Will you do it?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The hunter was afraid. “I could carry you to the pond,” he said, “if you would let me tie up your legs and tie up your mouth.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Tie me up and carry me,” said the alligator. And it rolled over on its back and allowed itself to be tied up.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The hunter carried the heavy animal on his back. Finally, they reached the water. The hunter untied the alligator and jumped back.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The alligator dove to the bottom of the water and swam to the top again. It did this three times. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Finally, the alligator swam back to the top and spoke. “You have saved my life. Now listen carefully:</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“When you go back through the forest, you will meet a small doe. Do not kill that small doe. She has many children yet to bear.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“You will meet a large doe. Do not kill that large doe. She has many children yet to raise.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“You will meet a young buck. Do not kill that young buck. He has many children yet to sire.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“You will meet an old buck. This buck has lived long. His time is done. Aim your arrow at this buck. Remember always to take deer as I teach you. Then you will have food for your family.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The hunter did as the alligator instructed.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He passed by the young doe.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He passed by the old doe.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He passed by the young buck.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When he saw the old buck he went close and took that buck.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">From then on, the hunter took game as the alligator said. Throughout his life, his family always had good luck for hunting.</span></p><div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEpD6YItPB66ifCWStgI2F04eytwiE1HgzAKmQWxXaDzJeMnND2uUotUs_7m6XRT1SakwGy5bzeLAQQnZZTmnWaZ-inHoeTXqSLLCmFSdSRuJ8w38i7K78Sg96_ZXQRsbEefAuJIP5huMg3oluTIrjgzZv5sDOnoS9foJe28Ejzwu944bOHsA7HOXfZ4CX/s639/animals.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="639" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEpD6YItPB66ifCWStgI2F04eytwiE1HgzAKmQWxXaDzJeMnND2uUotUs_7m6XRT1SakwGy5bzeLAQQnZZTmnWaZ-inHoeTXqSLLCmFSdSRuJ8w38i7K78Sg96_ZXQRsbEefAuJIP5huMg3oluTIrjgzZv5sDOnoS9foJe28Ejzwu944bOHsA7HOXfZ4CX/w400-h335/animals.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-81422455250031695602023-12-24T07:00:00.000-08:002023-12-24T07:00:00.138-08:00In which today's tale has love, enchantment, and a kindly beekeeper<p> <span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Beekeeper and the Hare (Scotland)</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ec440f7b-7fff-778f-d12f-62f137e1be61"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Across the moor in Scotland there lived a lad who made a good living keeping his bees. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Though he lived all alone, he was in good company for in fine weather the bees would travel far and bring back the news, and in cold weather they would all stay close to home and hive, and he would sing them songs and tell them stories, and recite them poems, and thus would go through the year.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It happened one day that the lad was checking his beehives when he saw, far away, two great hounds giving chase. Soon enough their prey came close: it was a fine white hare dashing wildly towards him.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Without a thought the lad opened his jacket, and the hare jumped up, and he buttoned her in tightly. When the hounds came following, barking at the lad, why, the bees soon drove them away.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When the hounds were far gone, the lad placed the hare down again, but instead of hopping away, she followed him through the day, twitching her nose. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When he went into his small house, yes, the hare followed him there also.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“You act like you might live here,” said the lad, “and so I must give you something to eat.” He pulled from his stores a fine carrot that he had grown, and he ate his own supper from a bowl and the hareate the carrot. But when he gave her the carrot, he saw that her eyes were blue.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Oh, a blue-eyed hare, that’s something I’ve not seen before!” said the lad. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The next morning he went to check on his hives, and the hare went along too.</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He introduced her to the bees, holding her up for them to see, and they flew and spun around her head without stinging so he knew she would be all right then.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Later that day, the lad saw an old woman ambling along a track across the moor. Thinking he might sell a bit of honeycomb, he met her at the gate and greeted her politely.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But instead of asking about honey, the old woman pointed at the hare. “A blue-eyed hare,” she exclaimed. “Will you sell her to me?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But the lad would not, as the hare was not his property. “She belongs not to me but to herself,” he said, “and she comes and goes to where she will.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The woman offered silver and gold, but the lad would not sell. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Finally the old woman reached over the gate to grab at the hare, but instead she felt a sting upon hand, and when she looked up, a whole swarm of bees was coming.</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“You will be sorry you didn’t sell when I offered!” she shouted as she hurried away.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The next day at the market, the beekeeper shared the story of his encounter with the baker who tended the stall next to his own.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Surely, that one was a witch!” said the baker. “You must take care now.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Aye,” said the seller of sweaters and kilts on his other side. “You’ve angered a witch, no doubt about it.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But the lad thought, “these two think every other person is a witch,” and thought no more about it. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Still, just in case, he barred his door at night, and put an iron horse-shoe nail by every gate, and kept a close eye on the hare.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The summer passed, and few flowers remained. The bees stayed close to the hive, with only a few standing guard in the cold air. The lad was putting out sugar water for the bees when he saw a traveler’s caravan pass by on the road.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Much later, he saw a sack of grain on the road.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“It must have fallen from the caravan!” said the lad, and with no further thought he put the sack on his back and set off to return it.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">It took an hour of walking, but finally he found the travelers and returned the grain to them. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“You carried this heavy sack all this way to us?” they said.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Of course I did,” said the lad. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Just then, the blue-eyed hare poked its head out from the beekeeper’s jacket.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“That’s no ordinary hare,” said the travelers. “Our grandmother would like to see that.” They called for the grandmother, and when she saw the hare, she knew that it was no ordinary creature.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“That’s a lassie,” said the grandmother. “A lassie’s who’s been bewitched!”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The beekeeper gasped and told them all about the woman who wanted to buy the hare.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Your friends were right,” said the grandmother. “And now you must take great care. The darkest night is coming, and the witches know that the bees will be back in their hives. But you can still ask for their help.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Before the sun sets on Solstice night, tie a stout cord around the hare and keep her on your lap till past midnight. </span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“She may pull and jump with great strength. But you must hold her tight and call to the bees for help.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When the lad returned home, he carried the hare to each hive, explaining to all what he intended to do. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And on Solstice night, he tied a stout cord around her, and sat her on his lap. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">There, she stayed contentedly until the very darkest part of the night, when she started up and kicked with great strength.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">She twisted and leaped and would have wiggled free of his hands, but they both heard the hum of bees, flying close and encircling them both.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Closer and thicker the bees came, forming a deep surround. The hare twitched her ears, and flitted about, but she no longer tried to escape.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Finally, she settled down quietly.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And then—the marvel of it! No longer was there a white, blue-eyed hare on his lap but a bonnie blue-eyed lass! </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Quickly he removed the cord from her neck, and he set her on her own feet again. They laughed for the wonder of it.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Come the morning, the bees were in the hives again, the geese were winging overhead, and the lad and the lassie were in the cottage together, making plans to marry.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TEyA8QjmtlYtIYjsEfnpYOqErtKgH844sWKefimyBD6kQdLC72hFy5RZiaq0l3bm28YBPDWMceW64voe94Qx_m3msN-_vLW3tn7bI3VvBwwt8t8HuPnb0fduyqpkoqXE9XnySpGZFyP3u3Cpy1cgdW9UaQbEE8D6AbFUN0p77lEJb3ANkwfaRoFSTRUR/s639/animals.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="639" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2TEyA8QjmtlYtIYjsEfnpYOqErtKgH844sWKefimyBD6kQdLC72hFy5RZiaq0l3bm28YBPDWMceW64voe94Qx_m3msN-_vLW3tn7bI3VvBwwt8t8HuPnb0fduyqpkoqXE9XnySpGZFyP3u3Cpy1cgdW9UaQbEE8D6AbFUN0p77lEJb3ANkwfaRoFSTRUR/w400-h335/animals.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p></span>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-28818303437240685962023-12-23T07:00:00.000-08:002023-12-23T07:00:00.140-08:00In which the story isn't really about lions, (but you knew that)<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 700; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">The Lionmakers (India)</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: Calibri,sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;">Four friends lived in the same small village. Three had been scholars, and studied for many years. The fourth had hardly studied at all, and had only common sense. They decided to go together and see the world.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">They had gone only a little way when they saw bones scattered on the path in front of them. The first scholar said, “From my studies, I identify these bones as the skeleton of a lion, and furthermore, I can put them back together as they were in life.” </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And he did this.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The second scholar said, “From my studies, I know how to make the muscles and organs of a lion, and the skin also. Furthermore, I can put those things onto the skeleton of the lion as they were in life.” </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And he did this.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The third scholar said, “From my studies, I know how to breathe the breath of life back into the dead body of the lion.” He bent down to do this, when the fourth member of the group stopped him.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Wait!” he said. “Do you not understand that a live lion will kill us all? You must not do this!”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">But the scholars insisted that they knew more than their un-scholarly friend.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Please wait then,” said the fourth, “while I climb a tree.” </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And he did this.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The scholars continued with their actions, and breathed life back into the lion. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The great creature came alive, sprang up and ate the three where they stood. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman',serif; font-size: 12pt; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: 400; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">When the lion had gone, the fourth friend took himself and his common sense, and returned to his village. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">They say that his family lives there still.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Gd5FtIcHqKkzQOFXLc3l2NPC_TQ0r2NMTlYFKbZ1q1PxHZaVP6hYVqEvjg7qBV9TZpKt_amkJm5FSMHEBF_DB_DVB80d1H11ROUahtJDE8eLJfvY6OFKVcc2my5bu-TZIPuwwFwlLiQSUkVr2q7HEx_vN2YhaSe9e_o2s2SjwxRnfF4LhU5bBhFOcBix/s639/animals.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="639" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5Gd5FtIcHqKkzQOFXLc3l2NPC_TQ0r2NMTlYFKbZ1q1PxHZaVP6hYVqEvjg7qBV9TZpKt_amkJm5FSMHEBF_DB_DVB80d1H11ROUahtJDE8eLJfvY6OFKVcc2my5bu-TZIPuwwFwlLiQSUkVr2q7HEx_vN2YhaSe9e_o2s2SjwxRnfF4LhU5bBhFOcBix/w400-h335/animals.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-40386203010673035542023-12-22T07:00:00.000-08:002023-12-22T07:00:00.135-08:00In which we continue with the winter stories: this has butterflies!<p><br /> <span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The Butterfly Robe (China)</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-66eb7507-7fff-656e-1891-f5eecd76d74f"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">A court official was exhausted with court life. People were cruel, scheming, and treacherous. He needed to get away.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Still dressed in his radiant court robe, he walked. Away from the court, away from the city, up into the hills where flowers bloomed all around.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He sat among the flowers, so still, so quiet. To his surprise, a bee flew from a flower and landed on his robe. “Do you think this is a flower, my friend?” he laughed. “Well here—you may have a bit of it.”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He drew his sword and cut a small piece of the silk fabric and tossed it away. “Here is a special flower for you!”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The silk was so pretty there on the bright green grass, that he laughed for joy. “Here is another piece, and another, and another!”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">He tossed scraps of bright cloth high into the air above his head and watched as they fluttered down and landed among the open flowers.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Then, to his amazement, each bit of cloth gave a shiver and rose up again into the sky.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“What is this?” He cut more scraps of cloth from his robe, and flung them up to join the others. They too floated above the meadow on beautiful silken wings.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span style="white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvFaqpJK8GSgPCbDbDo6zJlLX_B0nsrQsE1RZVcUlA0UwCJX6DcTWdSjiF7V8M9k8Tg4W8D2FIY5uJHccApXaTUvSa6O1mxiBWe33LWdlH3Nr92SG1Vfi1LS8fdu3p99_NCWRYaNcY4FnDXOLp681maS6a-X4dyHegsPJQonotJPBH4x9nthOxDEfD1jt/s639/animals.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="639" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimvFaqpJK8GSgPCbDbDo6zJlLX_B0nsrQsE1RZVcUlA0UwCJX6DcTWdSjiF7V8M9k8Tg4W8D2FIY5uJHccApXaTUvSa6O1mxiBWe33LWdlH3Nr92SG1Vfi1LS8fdu3p99_NCWRYaNcY4FnDXOLp681maS6a-X4dyHegsPJQonotJPBH4x9nthOxDEfD1jt/w400-h335/animals.png" width="400" /></a></span></div><p></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">More and more pieces he flung into the air, and soon the field was filled with beautiful creatures.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The prime minister was clothed only in rags, but the field was alive with butterflies. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">The wonder of it would sustain him the rest of his life.</span></p><div><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></div></span>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-66596163386553428522023-12-21T07:00:00.000-08:002023-12-21T07:00:00.134-08:00In which stories return to the blog for the darkest part of the year<p><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-weight: 700; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Pig and Bear in Business (Czechoslovakia)</span></p><span id="docs-internal-guid-78f81f8d-7fff-65ff-60e3-9be8012af9ec"><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Pig and Bear decided to open food stalls at the local market.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Pig baked potatoes. Bear fried a bunch of doughnuts.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; vertical-align: baseline; white-space-collapse: preserve;">They took their food to the market and set up their shops.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Soon, Bear got hungry. Pig’s potatoes smelled very good to him.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Say Pig, how much are you selling those potatoes for?”</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Five cents,” said Pig.</span><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"> </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Bear had five cents in his pocket. He gave Pig five cents and chose a big fat baked potato.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Now Pig had made a sale. He decided to treat himself.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“How much are your doughnuts, Bear”?</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Five cents,” said Bear. </span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">“Perfect! I will buy a doughnut!” It was delicious.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Bear was feeling good. He’d made a sale! He decided to have another potato, and he gave Pig five cents. Wonderful!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">Now Pig was feeling hungry. Those doughnuts looked really tasty. Pig treated himself to another doughnut.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">By then it was lunchtime, and Bear used the five cents Pig had paid him to buy another potato.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">And so it went on.</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;">At the end of the day, the two friends counted their money. They had sold all their stock, but between them, they had only five cents!</span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span></p><p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.2; margin-bottom: 12pt; margin-top: 12pt;"></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipChRluiZUGl5Sej_37gcQSCTQIbDjW6G678HqfiIXU6A95DTgCq6Kin8LgdMPtX6tOVkBNAIEYYqWEGQbEE6r9EfnIwxnL3K8gdhV9g2oxToMZwha3udrWBwywusksrP_jGZkM55oUs50gRoXID2RAZxmAeGg04dliwVVAMnrvKYGAaU0eezfQhljnKWE/s639/animals.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="639" height="335" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipChRluiZUGl5Sej_37gcQSCTQIbDjW6G678HqfiIXU6A95DTgCq6Kin8LgdMPtX6tOVkBNAIEYYqWEGQbEE6r9EfnIwxnL3K8gdhV9g2oxToMZwha3udrWBwywusksrP_jGZkM55oUs50gRoXID2RAZxmAeGg04dliwVVAMnrvKYGAaU0eezfQhljnKWE/w400-h335/animals.png" width="400" /></a></div><br /><span face="Calibri, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; font-size: 12pt; white-space-collapse: preserve;"><br /></span><p></p></span>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5899388425248595265.post-27805423706141002162023-12-18T13:47:00.000-08:002023-12-18T13:55:00.306-08:00In which Santa's beloved friends visit to celebrate their babies<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">OMG, the cuteness!</span></div><br /><br /></div>There have been so many babies born since the Pandemic, and we felt like a party needed to happen. But...where?<div><br /></div><div>At Haiku Farm, of course!<br /> <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMgw0VjP7FCgjmg_KuR4Wy_NZpRTdOezDdO42nknp5FJ2BtZzm0NkDWaj5hUb-H3-MWYWPasGvTo1jVrHllGD3pJG_R49Ie3tjJXroFJSF4UC0yJsidItks0PZiDKZeVIzhjtG6pL78gMarQw_ve6KiJIOOm0cIXG573fj1GMQH6cTM8bZioxlt6WtcQJE" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1855" data-original-width="1139" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgMgw0VjP7FCgjmg_KuR4Wy_NZpRTdOezDdO42nknp5FJ2BtZzm0NkDWaj5hUb-H3-MWYWPasGvTo1jVrHllGD3pJG_R49Ie3tjJXroFJSF4UC0yJsidItks0PZiDKZeVIzhjtG6pL78gMarQw_ve6KiJIOOm0cIXG573fj1GMQH6cTM8bZioxlt6WtcQJE=w392-h640" width="392" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa Jim and Wee Gwendolyn Rose </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div>We assembled Santa's photo set in the barn aisle (you can see Fiddle's stall door at photo left, above), and invited our friends with very young children to come visit.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjaUZmwBcxpiemJNgwtOTnXZQkdvQh32TGAmQnNPqGZXoNQSNO1vS6pJGGhrmPxDiFB3xurw3s4vWvyr0W3VtVviKkovoN3JkbXUdWjZD0xwxXnNl903SWCWVNfl2O3uVejFQiKB7JtAFee1PE7wZIYfmSdMQpgSzz0rgDSu67EHX-f2FjXsyJGj5-D2F6/s1442/385534639_747789754065886_2066009159022764531_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1360" data-original-width="1442" height="605" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjaUZmwBcxpiemJNgwtOTnXZQkdvQh32TGAmQnNPqGZXoNQSNO1vS6pJGGhrmPxDiFB3xurw3s4vWvyr0W3VtVviKkovoN3JkbXUdWjZD0xwxXnNl903SWCWVNfl2O3uVejFQiKB7JtAFee1PE7wZIYfmSdMQpgSzz0rgDSu67EHX-f2FjXsyJGj5-D2F6/w640-h605/385534639_747789754065886_2066009159022764531_n.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little careful cropping takes the barn (mostly)<br />out of the picture!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Our very youngest new friend is Small Enzo, born last month. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmkMeE9xnHIgQKaQN3I1Dc7iyiWK1DiK8pB21ifsw4c6dWaVXci6xzrJk48W5sMhim4TEKQC0KzxwCH4ZWwkOmrr-7OWWuoHEbL_nmYa_QtWbU-q96ELS4dBDwmn67qp2e-2ANfRGMPhEdClkD5iiZznTbm0L68DwKU4eOxk8hyBILA2viTxacPb7gYgHh" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2473" data-original-width="2510" height="629" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhmkMeE9xnHIgQKaQN3I1Dc7iyiWK1DiK8pB21ifsw4c6dWaVXci6xzrJk48W5sMhim4TEKQC0KzxwCH4ZWwkOmrr-7OWWuoHEbL_nmYa_QtWbU-q96ELS4dBDwmn67qp2e-2ANfRGMPhEdClkD5iiZznTbm0L68DwKU4eOxk8hyBILA2viTxacPb7gYgHh=w640-h629" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small Enzo's mum says "this is my favorite--he's SMILING!"</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQaq2S2IuaE8F5WoYk7aUUMJ2wrrc57fMxliir5dXbFQs6Nk5swqDctVUek1TxyRxA7_gDfpsiB9rv9PLnmPffft9673m_OB7DYyMyFbQ_Bw_uEIS6viK4XJ12yQJt3AWs_kR5z4nw-RvXS5fe3X1Z6Q8e0PBcUEuS7PgJS_fS19d2oQgC0i6QxQiZsRkN" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="1083" data-original-width="1440" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhQaq2S2IuaE8F5WoYk7aUUMJ2wrrc57fMxliir5dXbFQs6Nk5swqDctVUek1TxyRxA7_gDfpsiB9rv9PLnmPffft9673m_OB7DYyMyFbQ_Bw_uEIS6viK4XJ12yQJt3AWs_kR5z4nw-RvXS5fe3X1Z6Q8e0PBcUEuS7PgJS_fS19d2oQgC0i6QxQiZsRkN=w640-h482" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Small Enzo (left) 's outfit is a hand-me-down from older bro Leo,<br />shown photo right (above)</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here (below) is a picture of Big Kid Leo now, with Small Enzo, Santa, and Eldest Amalia.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhX1IyrBT2xk2m1A6ZXepxuDePq4-T2qYJGjiHm02f9Mbf7FocJINK2mdsKAHRiuFM_s_iiZdgl5L-hz6F5qbAFsk-VtJDKkDVzUlBNUEO75DYzxH9dg1dTV13ZT2QCJU9g74IF9yGCRJVVq5hiQ_ul0gbMm93X0FKyOeszpUkJZ8LNL8NaIjCoIQTHZ-UI" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="376" data-original-width="502" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhX1IyrBT2xk2m1A6ZXepxuDePq4-T2qYJGjiHm02f9Mbf7FocJINK2mdsKAHRiuFM_s_iiZdgl5L-hz6F5qbAFsk-VtJDKkDVzUlBNUEO75DYzxH9dg1dTV13ZT2QCJU9g74IF9yGCRJVVq5hiQ_ul0gbMm93X0FKyOeszpUkJZ8LNL8NaIjCoIQTHZ-UI=w640-h480" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Their dad says, "one of my children is destined for Drama Club."</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Jillian has been one of "our kids" since she was a horse-crazy eleven-year-old. Now she's a grownup, with a beautiful child of her own, ready to meet Santa.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjL4kslu_Dm-c15puUFc-R4y4w_m1pWqc2uRvDm5TQqM-3RpkAjCmHxplWugjKx_Yy2jQu4vC21gfsgA0n6YLednJfMW47d8PMcOV2ztUWl9X2KdO9oqF2YIY-oOPf74dCRy-97fD0t4PSL4_y_ZSA2i6FcD2ll8B2Bm35DQ6lULas_aJSQimeIuhKL9rNG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjL4kslu_Dm-c15puUFc-R4y4w_m1pWqc2uRvDm5TQqM-3RpkAjCmHxplWugjKx_Yy2jQu4vC21gfsgA0n6YLednJfMW47d8PMcOV2ztUWl9X2KdO9oqF2YIY-oOPf74dCRy-97fD0t4PSL4_y_ZSA2i6FcD2ll8B2Bm35DQ6lULas_aJSQimeIuhKL9rNG=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Little Pippa was trepidatious about the stranger in red,<br />but Poppy the Skunk quickly won her confidence</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Little Pippa's grandparents are also old friends--Carol and I worked together at the Richmond Beach Library for more than 20 years! </div><br /><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtMB6rZxQASEtfxAo8BpH_YeBr3iZ7Af8LQOMtkc7_AWxen0CgjmSKbRiSsbNFE_haokFhG7iHV70MbLBAv2zeTUuqtukxRM9hzLt5L9Iniu1NE0IX52Vu-QGkhZyWZkj8XtRgoWoN2-RC6e6gCfS4oX512dRxwzkl8LrYWSjnxNmVMFmiv__wBmznPTF/s2048/IMG_4597.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBtMB6rZxQASEtfxAo8BpH_YeBr3iZ7Af8LQOMtkc7_AWxen0CgjmSKbRiSsbNFE_haokFhG7iHV70MbLBAv2zeTUuqtukxRM9hzLt5L9Iniu1NE0IX52Vu-QGkhZyWZkj8XtRgoWoN2-RC6e6gCfS4oX512dRxwzkl8LrYWSjnxNmVMFmiv__wBmznPTF/w640-h480/IMG_4597.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They are all completely besotted with this child</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Baby K's mom works at me at my "new" library in Everett. Baby K likes the horse, but she is <i>fascinated </i>by goats.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvQDURyCSUD2Ds9HPSkEq6I8b99khKFMYeKOECBbakVSzJPXN7GlPrE7793LV1UYVECg-w7zLdgdw4B2HnWiU5-83HzGxaDo_sxE0sy4hR8neFTMDZbBRjh_4mFEoUkQhSbbR5Pca5X_q8cJR-Ha9srE2ru3C2NFwGBt37V8lGoEzO-9Od6-8TPz0pkAI9" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgvQDURyCSUD2Ds9HPSkEq6I8b99khKFMYeKOECBbakVSzJPXN7GlPrE7793LV1UYVECg-w7zLdgdw4B2HnWiU5-83HzGxaDo_sxE0sy4hR8neFTMDZbBRjh_4mFEoUkQhSbbR5Pca5X_q8cJR-Ha9srE2ru3C2NFwGBt37V8lGoEzO-9Od6-8TPz0pkAI9=w640-h640" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Dragon is making sure that no cookies are going into unauthorized, i.e. goat, mouths.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Young Gwenneth is the Dragon's Favorite Child, of course. <a href="https://haikufarm.blogspot.com/2023/01/in-which-we-welcome-newcomer-and-fiddle.html">She fell in love with this child</a> at first sight, nearly a year ago!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/32p-KnOzFvw" width="320" youtube-src-id="32p-KnOzFvw"></iframe></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Dragon doesn't approve of goats near her Favorite Child</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As the only kiddo old enough to walk around, Young Gwenneth immediately took charge of Santa's stage direction.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqwOWskQdP31oC2OZ7bqz32nWYPdzRKR7MnU6cDFsWxZmQ1No4qKsSD5R95BYks4WqdNURAdVDNwByFECwaXiTR7ZCGv9VOKNZBJrEU9tHqqmah57-SR2DzMgGVSGjF6JRXti1HVe7fS9ZSmHBLQKXFBYWD4T3N4cucofGvJqqY5uyqNj9miCXnsjGD_-H" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2040" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiqwOWskQdP31oC2OZ7bqz32nWYPdzRKR7MnU6cDFsWxZmQ1No4qKsSD5R95BYks4WqdNURAdVDNwByFECwaXiTR7ZCGv9VOKNZBJrEU9tHqqmah57-SR2DzMgGVSGjF6JRXti1HVe7fS9ZSmHBLQKXFBYWD4T3N4cucofGvJqqY5uyqNj9miCXnsjGD_-H=w483-h640" width="483" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Santa and Foxie Loxie obey Young Gwenneth's commands</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br />Finally there is our "own" kid and his child.<br /><br /></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8l9CvdpMTel_jvxxlgQOcMnsd8WduAKlG_MzwsqioXURHEMrQZEVcaGdI5ECQEwgKdm6s5bzDzKPPC7ctXixQW_FykxhFeq2fj-w914S_oIdZ4qnWuT8LJFMeAdTTCdzMxRNu4-_ZWiRyDJGr-qtl7IobijAZXaqAfrUWMk8uWjC_8VjMMsRT2xi9EgLN" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img alt="" data-original-height="2295" data-original-width="3024" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEh8l9CvdpMTel_jvxxlgQOcMnsd8WduAKlG_MzwsqioXURHEMrQZEVcaGdI5ECQEwgKdm6s5bzDzKPPC7ctXixQW_FykxhFeq2fj-w914S_oIdZ4qnWuT8LJFMeAdTTCdzMxRNu4-_ZWiRyDJGr-qtl7IobijAZXaqAfrUWMk8uWjC_8VjMMsRT2xi9EgLN=w640-h486" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Will and Molly have been together for a year now!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">Santa and I love them all.</div><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><p></p></div>AareneXhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/18072169739345465380noreply@blogger.com0