Heat!

Late September and it is hot and humid here in Northern Maine. Ugh! I am sticking to my leather recliner! We rearranged our room today and it looks so much roomier. We took out the table that mostly got cluttered (any flat surface needs to be filled)and moved the rocker and recliner. We put Bud Lauridsen’s paintings on the wall and took out the rug. It looks so nice. I’m glad we did it!

Here We Are!

September is almost finished. This morning the air is cool and crisp at 46 degrees. I’ve stood on the deck while the dog does her business and feel it on my face! Fall is here, at least in the early morning. Heat for the next few days I hear as summer lingers. I have been finishing up sewing projects for the November 4th craft show. I am excited as I have plenty to take to that market.

Fix the Jeep

The weather around here is getting just plain dangerous, with rain and sleet and ice and snow. We need the four wheel drive that the Jeep had. I took it in today and they are ordering the switch for it. As soon as it comes in they will fix it. I did not enjoy the ride to Lincoln without 4 wheel drive as there was still ice here and there on the road. I was certainly glad it had warmed up a bit so the ride back was much easier and I was not as tense.

 

December

Snow. Since November. It’s not even winter yet! I am thankful we purchased a new stove and am enjoying using it. The downstairs is buttoned up for the winter so we don’t heat the back room or the upstairs. It leaves me just the downstairs to keep neat and clean, as long as I don’t “dump” stuff upstairs and leave it company ready. The back room needs some work but it is on my list to get to this month. I need to move the liquid perishables into the kitchen cabinets for the coldest part of the winter so they don’t freeze.

Both Paul and I have been quite sick. Thankfully it happened sequentially and not at the same time! He had a serious bout of pneumonia and I followed that with acute bronchitis. I am hoping that gives us some immunity for the rest of the cold season. We were blessed with a visit from Nicole and Amanda in the midst of the sickness. She came loaded down and helped with some much needed cleaning as well. She also left me an apple pie!

My dryer broke, we got it fixed. The sump pump broke, replaced it. The washing machine started to leak and although fixable the cost would be comparable to replacing it. I was also looking for a top loader because it would be easier on my back. We purchased a new one locally, had it delivered and set up. It works very well!

So between illness, repair and replacement our Christmas/anniversary will look a bit different this year. We will enjoy and be thankful for God’s provision and celebrate the holiday with lots of love.

The Speed of Light

Summer moved through with the speed of light and here we are in September .  The garden has done well and we have particularly enjoyed the corn.  Paul planted a late planting of peas and beans which are already in bloom. I hope to put some by as I missed the earlier planting.

I am seeing much better after surgery with my new glasses.  I was able to pick and freeze some blueberries from our field. They were certainly plentiful although my body didn’t always feel very good afterwards. Bending over stirs up the chest wall pain!

Paul changed jobs August first and now has a more regular schedule and 40 hours each week as well.  

Summer

Summer is upon us. “Arthur” gave us a visit and tried to wipe out the tallest of corn plants but with a bit of first aid we roped the patch back up and they grew straight again. Praise God.

We have had numerous delicious garden salads that included fresh lettuce, peas, sugar ann peas, beets, spinach and anything else I could find ready to pick and eat.

We’ve had some very hot days and some torrential rains. All in all it has been summer, a time for me to relax and to enjoy. My sweet husband has spent weekends doing what he loves…farming and creating special manure tea to give his plants the best opportunity to produce. 

I had two eye surgeries (cataracts) that meant rest, rest and more rest. The eyes surgery is healing perfectly but the eyes themselves are still blurring. I see the Doctor again in 10 days to be fitted with glasses to take care of the problem.  Because we traveled to have the surgery we had a mini vacation and overnight in Bangor so we could do the follow up rested.  We also got in a shopping trip to Reny’s. That was fun!  It was great to be away from the farm for even a short time.

I’ve also had a severe flare-up and a mini flare-up requiring (you guessed it) rest. I was taken by surprise as I have not had a flare in quite a while.

I think I’ll be a very rested person when the summer is over!

 

And then there’s the birthday!

Yes, indeed, I had another one.  They keep rolling by.  Each year more quickly.

My sister and brother came by a week early, when my brother and his wife were visiting, and had supper and a cake for  me.  It was nice to have three of the five siblings together and two of us over 70!

Then the week-end of my birthday my youngest daughter came and we had the most delightful week-end.  

On Monday…the actual day of my birthday (June 2) my sister took me out for the day and we did all the things we both like.  First we went to the greenhouse we like in Meddybemps. Then we went to Eastport and smelled the ocean breezes and went into all the little shops. We had coffee and homemade pastry in a small bakery. We visited and thoroughly enjoyed the  local thrift shop.  We had a great lunch in Perry and then went to Gleason’s beach.  We sat in our beach chairs and walked some. collecting rocks and a bit of seaweed.We talked and giggled and enjoyed each other’s company.  Next we had ice cream and then headed home. On the way we stopped at a great Yard Sale.  Fun!  Fun!  Fun!

My daughter and husband made me a lovely meal when I got home as well!

What a terrific birthday!

 

Mother’s Day Special

I am blessed with six wonderful children.  They have done well in their lives and are very busy most of the time.  It is exciting when they make time to come to the farm, especially since it is far from where they live.

My husband told me last Tuesday that he had a surprise for me arriving by private carrier.  I couldn’t imagine what he had done.  He had done a bit of picking up (unusual for him) and I thought maybe the two youngest kids and the grandkids might be coming. They both live in Maine.

You can imagine how surprised I was when a big truck with NY plates drove into the yard.  It was my oldest daughter and her beau.  I hadn’t seen them in four years!  I could hardly believe it!  I could not stop smiling.  Neither could she!

We had a wonderful overnight visit before they had to head back. Their micro-creamery and 68 goats keep them extremely busy and they needed to head home.   What a gift to drive so far for a visit.(525 miles one way) I am blessed.

A Week of Surprises

I just love Siamese cats.  However in the last year the attrition rate here has been heavy.

Two left because they were very fluffy and shed a lot of hair causing problems for my hypersensitive airways.  One, our beloved Blue, was let outside and after a couple of days disappeared. One went to live with another family because she didn’t fit in. One would never let us near him and went out an open window to become an outside feral cat. That left me Suki.

She and I were quite happy together but she began to cry a lot and wander the house looking for her friends. I had seen an ad for free  cats that were under two years old and were available.  We called the number and headed off to see if we were interested in any of these cats.

What a strange visit we had.  The “cat” lady had us sit in her living room and she brought out one seal point and handed her to me.  The cat immediately jumped down and ran away. I asked if she had any blue points since that was what I was interested in.  She said, “No.” Then she brought out another seal point. She was a beauty, soft and silky and I decided I would take her.  Paul got our kennel cab and put her in it.

Then this woman brought out a tiny kitten and said she was blue point. I got up to take a closer look and she told me to stay away. The kitten was young and I might give it germs.

She took it back and came back with a beautiful, small cat she said was a lilac point.  She looked just like Suki! She was exactly what I was looking for so I asked Paul to take the Seal point out of our kennel cab and put her in.

“Oh, no,” said the woman you need to take them both! I looked at Paul and he nodded wanting a way to get out of this lady’s house. She hugged me and continued to talked and hugged me again as I tried to get out the door.

We brought them home and put them in a large wire cage (that we had used for goats) in the middle of the living room. Grandchildren and their dog added to the commotion in the house but the two cats were quiet and observant. When kids and dogs went home we finally let them out.  They explored the downstairs and then the upstairs as well as the screen porch.

Each in turn were sniffed by Suki without incident.

I did not need two more cats but this might just work out!

Lucy

Ruby

Spring

If you had asked me last week (when the snow was piled high in the dooryard ) if spring would ever show up I would have told you, “Not real soon.”

But with three warm days strung together I can feel spring inching its way in.  The huge mounds of snow have gone and the dooryard is clear. We have seen robins flitting about looking for worms. The colors on the purple finch and the yellow finch have brightened considerably. 

My sweetheart brought home a soil thermometer yesterday and today when I stuck it in one of the raised beds it read 54 degrees. Peas can go in soon!