Category Archives: Puttering

Instant Yeast & Other Wonders

By | | ,
Comments Off on Instant Yeast & Other Wonders

Fall really arrived with a vengeance yesterday.  We were lucky to be able to spend Thursday introducing old friends to the farm.  We toured the house, took a long walk, then enjoyed a leisurely lunch and coffee and conversation on the front porch before they had to head down the road.  Lovely and then, yesterday, we woke to cold winds, cloudy skies.  It rained through the night and I bundled into the storm slicker and wellies for the early dog walk.  The barn yard is flooded, and it’s too muddy and wet to walk the edge of the field.  So Bob entertained Spot with a truck drive since he won’t be getting the usual long walks today and he does have a bit of energy.

We’re battling fleas.  We started the summer with flea collars and all seemed well until mid-August when suddenly the dogs were scratching and biting like crazy.   The discount priced flea poison we tried  had no effect. We’ve waited  the required 30 days with Bob doing a lot of combing and spraying and are ready to apply the name brand stuff that has been successful in the past.  I haven’t looked to see if they have the same ingredient but I’m hoping this is one of those times when we get what we pay for.  The name brand promises a 12 hour turn around.  Tina has had her dose and now Spot is drying after his bath and waiting for his application.

Spot hates getting a bath and I thought about that old pet monologue that had circulated some time ago where the dog just loves everything and the cat is plotting evil and mayhem. But I remembered that there was a line about the dog getting a bath.  Probably a take off but I can’t find it.  Did I just imagine it?

Here’s a funny thing about these blog posts:  I wrote the title with the plan to tell you all about my bread baking and our transition to a more plant-based diet.  But somehow the change of season caught my attention and my fingers just moved along almost without guidance and you’ve gotten caught up on the mundane aspects of our lives here at the farm.  I’ll save the bread story until tomorrow: not surprisingly, it includes a book and as the title suggests, instant yeast.

There are also a couple book reviews to write: Jonathan Franzen’s Freedom and Joseph Ellis’s His Excellency: George Washington. For now, I’m heading upstairs to do some organizing and moving while I try to decide what to read next.

 

 

At Home

By | | , ,
Comments Off on At Home

It is a lovely day…not quite spring but not winter either.  I am sitting on the front porch of my old house listening to the train come along the tracks.  The whistle blows just at our property and I can’t get enough of it. It’s part of the soundtrack of this place and the rhythm of the clattering cars is reassuring somehow.

After a week away and then two days in Williamsburg to get caught up on laundry and life, I am back at the farm and ready to stay.  The main house has a useable kitchen and bathroom that just need a really good scrubbing.  We sleep and hang out in the cottage as it is easier to warm and have created a little living area amidst the clutter of tools and supplies.  A little shuffling between the two houses, but it works and is certainly preferable to shuffling between the burg and the farm.  I knew going into this adventure that I would not be good at living in two places as I’ve never quite been able to imagine people who have weekend homes.

I am a homebody and very much a creature of habit.  I have a morning routine.  I have an evening routine.  And, I suppose I’m showing my aspberger’s when I say that, if those routines get disrupted for more than about a week, I get cranky. It’s been ten days since I left for Pennsylvania.  I love my visits with stops at the farmer’s markets and favorite restaurants, but the already difficult reentry was more complex as I had to decide where to go–burg or farm–and ended up splitting the difference by moving between both places and back in the space of 24 hours.  Add a client with a last minute programming project and I’ve been a little shaky.

But, as my car slid onto the noon time ferry today, and I saw the newly-arrived osprey land on a piling, I felt some calm returning.  I packed to stay.  Internet access is still a little wonky, but I think I can run the webinar from here.  Mostly, I need to declare one residence rather than trying to live in two.  And for now, the house needs the work.  I’m loving puttering in my library!  I’m going to experiment with scanning bar codes this afternoon as I clean shelves and stack books.  Even cleaning the kitchen and bathroom seems downright fun as it makes so much difference in our quality of life.

The previous owner’s daughter stopped by with her husband and son and we chatted about the farm and books.  He has offered to plow the field for our garden and will do soybeans on the bulk of the farm.  Our realtor lives in the next county and has ideas for forming an informal coop. So, we seem to be settling right in.  Now, if I could just find a drive-through ATM.

I knew I would fall in love with this place, but it’s happening sooner than I thought.  There is something to do all the time, but there are also moments to savor.  I am a bit less connected as I have to tether my phone, so I am better able to monitor my email and work in general.  I find I do it in chunks and then put it away to concentrate on something else.  We haven’t brought a television so I have lots more free time from the sometimes mindless surfing I do. We listen to a lot more music and stream NPR news and that seems to be enough media for right now.

I’ve been reading nonstop and I watched most of the HBO John Adams series yesterday as I wrote code and played with databases.  There is much to report about how important it is for us to understand our current partisanship in light of our early history. I’m also going to commit a bit of heresy by suggesting that I didn’t really like Diana Galbadon.   But that’s all for another post.

Bob just headed down the driveway in his pickup, Tina Turner the beagle riding shotgun.  It is time for me to head inside and do some of my own work.

Living on the New Earth

By | | ,
Comments Off on Living on the New Earth

I bought the audio version of Eckhart Tolle’s A New Earth some time ago but only listened to it over the past few days when I drove to Pennsylvania for a long weekend.  It was just what I needed to hear!  Tolle even suggests that that is the case: you read the book when you are ready for it.  And Tolle narrated the audio version so as I navigated the car through the horrible traffic around DC, I felt like I was in a one-on-one seminar with him, listening closely, occasionally rewinding, trying to be intensely present to what he was saying.

I have had the glimmers that Tolle talks about.  For instance, I find myself hurrying to finish folding the laundry and I think, “Why am I hurrying?” I slow down and just try to be there as I fold the laundry.  Or, I find myself annoyed over some silly thing with my husband and I find this voice saying, “Why are you annoyed?”  I have a wonderful husband who seems to already understand the notion of just being present in all you do.  He works hard to grow our food and create a peaceful life for us.  These glimmers, I realize, are the moments when I was most conscious.

My main issue in terms of the ego is worry: Am I working hard enough so I will be successful?  What will I do for money now that the grant is over? What SHOULD I be doing right now?  And, as part of that glimmer, I’ve found that if I just stop worrying and do, I get a lot done.

Right now, I am experiencing an odd sort of stress.  After many years of working very hard with very little free time, I have lots of free time.  Sure, I have a to do list but nothing that must be accomplished even in the next two weeks.  So, I am struggling inside with this.  It’s Thursday and my next job is to scrub my kitchen floor.  But other people are at work, earning paychecks.  Well, I did that for a long time and right now, I’m not doing that.  So, that means that if I look at my schedule and upcoming events and I have time and enthusiasm for scrubbing the kitchen floor, I should do it.  I don’t dwell on the past as much as I worry about the future, but for today, I am just going to try to be present in my life.

Rethinking Things

By | | , , ,
Comments Off on Rethinking Things

I keep deleting the first sentence of this post because I’m not sure how to begin. This has been an odd sort of week for me. I’ve gotten a lot done in terms of work and research but I’ve done it in this kind of weird, puttering way. I’ll work on something for a few hours, then go out and garden or walk the dogs or play my recorders. And, yesterday was wonderful: I worked in the morning then met my husband at our property and gardened like crazy, then sat and drank wine and watched the creek, the three dogs sprawled around our chairs enjoying a lovely end to a beautiful day.

Taking the afternoon off means I’ll have to do some work today but it doesn’t bother me. Work and play and life in general are woven together in this interesting way for me. I’ll got practice with my recorder group this morning and then have the day at home to continue puttering. I am in the midst of reading three books, so one major goal is to finish at least one of them this weekend. I also want to get caught up on the research work as I’m heading back to my research site next week for some more interviews.

So, how am I rethinking things? Well, for one, I’m thinking a lot about my work. I need to make money, but not all that much, and I have a few billable hours on the calendar with potential for more. But, I also have more free time than I’ve had for a long time and it’s hard to adjust. Like I feel like I’m not working hard enough. There is a balance out there and I think I’m close to finding it. It’s just that I hear from friends that they are swamped with work and it makes me think that I’m not doing enough to get ahead.

I am also really rethinking my relationship with my church. I haven’t been going very much, mostly working behind the scenes instead, and I’m feeling a little disconnected from the community. I’m not ready to break the ties completely but I am finding that I prefer long Sunday mornings at home. The last time I went to church I was somewhat overwhelmed by people telling me all the things that were wrong with the website or other communications stuff. I encouraged them to email me, tried to suggest that I was at church for spiritual rather than secular purposes, and I ended up leaving without actually attending the service because I was just annoyed. I suppose Sunday morning is the perfect time to “do business” but it’s not very spiritual to me. Am I asking too much or is it just a recognition that, to use the minister’s metaphor from Palm Sunday, the boat that is my church has carried me pretty far but it may be time to dock it and move on? I’m not convinced that I need a community in order to be spiritual. Or maybe I just don’t need THIS community to be spiritual. I have to go tomorrow to play music or I would probably stay home.

A little later:  I decided to turn to the tarot cards.  I used to read them pretty regularly but now pull them out when I’ve got some personal dilemma I’m thinking through.  As I shuffled, I thought about my question: mostly it was about trusting myself in my work and my life.  If I just want to withdrawal for awhile, is that OK?  Sit and read a book?  And what about striving for work?  And, finally, what about church?  Do I still need it or want it?

Once I think about my questions, then I just lay out three major aracana cards and I use them as a way to think about my issue.  I pulled The High Priestess (2), The Sun (19) and The Hermit (9).   I always check their meanings at Learn Tarot as I like the way they focus on words and actions.

The High Priestess

  1. Nonaction
  2. Unconscious Awareness
  3. Potential
  4. Mystery

In the description, the writers suggested that the phrase for this might be, “Be still, and know that I am God.”  Be still…there’s something I don’t do very much.  Last night, after the reading and an afternoon of gardening and relaxing, I was still: my husband and I sat on the new butterfly bench I put together, tucked back amongst the wygelia and the azaleas and watched the sun go down.  Aah.

The nonaction piece was important to me, too.  I’ve been so lucky over the past few years to find work when I need it that I haven’t done much selling.  But as the grant money comes to an end, I’m feeling a bit concerned.  For now, though, I’m financially fine so I’m going to back off and just send this wish out to the universe: I would like to be able to teach and work online.

The Sun

  1. Enlightenment
  2. Greatness
  3. Vitality
  4. Assurance

This is a card about light and life, and it’s interesting that it falls between two cards about mystery and personal introspection.  I do feel more self-assured than I have in the past.  I am working on my health, losing weight, working in exercise, and I feel better than I have for awhile, too.  But this card also assures me that following my own needs is good, too.  If I’m feeling the need for solitude, it’s OK.   And, couple this with the nonaction of the High Priestess:  I’ve worked hard in my career, I have an article being published, and I think there are great possibilities out there in the world.

The Hermit

  1. Introspection
  2. Searching
  3. Guidance
  4. Solitude

So, I did laugh a little when the hermit appeared since that’s how I have been feeling lately.  When I’m not forced to be out in the world, I’m happy to putter at home, walking into the woods with the dogs, puttering in the garden, or sitting with a book and a cup of coffee.   But the hermit is also about looking for truth, the seeker, and here they quote scripture again: “Seek, and ye shall find.”  In the case of the hermit, it comes from within.  Maybe part of the problem is that I’ve stopped writing morning pages, and as much as they had become somewhat rote, they were my daily chance to look inward.  Mainly, this card reminds me that my need for solitude is legitimate.  But I need to use that solitude for reflection as I move into the last phase of my degree and then the next phase of my life.

One final note: I decided one way to develop my introspection would be to pull a tarot card each morning and then allow it to guide my thinking through the day.  When I was first learning tarot, I did this, and it led pretty naturally to my morning pages.  So, this morning (the day after the reading above), I shuffled and drew The Fool.  I laughed out loud.   I didn’t even have to look him up: the Fool is about beginnings, spontaneity, and believing in yourself.  A great card to start a great day!

Wednesday Morning

By | | , , , , ,
Comments Off on Wednesday Morning

The dogs let me sleep until almost 7:30! We walked, ate, let the chickens out…all the morning chores. Now, I’m at my desk and I rearranged the monitor so I can see the whole backyard. The hummingbirds returned the minute I put up the feeders on Saturday. Better stock up on sugar! I’m also keeping an eye out for chickens. They figured out how to get over the fence somehow and have been whacking away at my herb garden. One parsley plant was completely obliterated–just a hole where it used to be. They also tore up the two dill plants my husband gave me. I think he’s got more back in the green house.

My lunch date canceled for today so that makes these morning hours less crucial for work. I did two hours of research work yesterday first thing. Now, I have three memos to write, another interview to transcribe and then an interview this afternoon as well. Been fooling around with recording phone calls and ended up buying a speaker phone. The iPod picks it up ok plus with a phone interview, I can type while we talk. I also bought a little $8 suction cup from Radio Shack that sticks on the receiver and then feeds into the analog recorder. I’ll put that on the phone as well. You really can’t be too careful.

I rewarded myself for all the research work by playing some more with Flash. It is coming back to me and I’ve got one module for a “what food when” game to learn about Jewish holidays. I’m going to start a new one about holidays that include lights. These are samples for a client. No huge bells and whistles but some animation and music.

It’s been nice to be home the last few days. I can putter and get things done on my own time. I’ve got a running “to do” list and managed to check a few things off of it. Put in a big Amnesty International order for my nephew’s birthday and may make a few CDs from vinyl for him, too. I’m hoping to be off doing research next week so am making the most of being at home.

I was going to make chicken salad for lunch. I think I’ll turn those chicken breasts into tortilla soup instead. And I’ve got turkey and potato rolls for turkey burgers. I’ll do those tonight and then make the soup in the crock pot tomorrow. We have folks coming for wine and snacks and I think I’m going to try home backed tortilla chips again. I have a big stack of tortillas to work with. Mostly I’m trying to work with what I’ve got so I can avoid leaving the house until Friday morning when I head to a workshop.

I’ve been feeling pretty lousy the last two or three days so gave myself off from WW. I need to get back on the plan, though. Mostly I’ve eaten cheese: I really miss it! Big chunks dipped in mustard and eaten with crackers. Yum! I haven’t written anything down for at least two days and I’m aware of how the act of recording does keep me from overeating. So, today I’m shooting for a 26 point day. So far, I’ve only had coffee so I’m on track.

Blessings to all!

A Glorious Day

By | | , , ,
Comments Off on A Glorious Day

I spent three nights in a hotel room this week. I slept better than I usually do and got a lot of work done, but I was ready for a day off today. After a bit of work this morning (mostly chatting with two colleagues), I headed outside and started transplanting perennials. I moved some phlox from a spot that has gotten shady over the years. But I also just relocated some plants and even worked on the herb garden, which had been worked over by the chickens before we fenced them out. I earned somewhere between 12 and 16 exercise points for WW so I am having two glasses of wine. And, dinner will be pretty healthy: skinless chicken breasts in Trader Joe’s curry sauce and rice and a salad.

My husband is the real gardener is the family and is considering signing up for the master gardener program in our town. But I like digging in the dirt, too, and am generally in charge of the flower beds, of which we have 4 major areas. I’ve been working on them slowly over the past several years, moving things, dividing things, and I think this will be the best year ever. I’m going to buy a few herbs tomorrow: basil and basil seeds, thyme, and a pineapple sage. I’ll get just a few annuals for the barrels in the front.

The only thing I haven’t accounted for is zinnias. I used to do them in the garden beside the front path but I’ve made that almost completely perennials and is a more “controlled” atmosphere. Maybe I can get my husband to dig up a plot in the front yard, where we are trying to reduce the amount of grass. I could just sow a swatch of them. I’ve got a big bag of seeds from last year and may get a few more tomorrow.

Aah…my window is open and I’m looking out on the back yard as usual. There are still chores to be done. The birds need fed after four days, and I should make hummingbird food and put those feeders out. But I think that shall be tomorrow’s job. A very small chickadee just stopped at the feeder for a sunflower seed then headed off to eat it. Simple but elegant and always exciting to have birds just a foot or so away.

I drank my first glass of wine sitting in the backyard reading Sharon Kay Penman’s Falls the Shadow, the second in a series of books about the relationship of England and Wales.  I’m going to both those places in October and have a pile to read, including The Other Boleyn Girl on my Kindle.

I’m on my second glass of wine. I can hear a dove cooing in the woods. There’s that chickadee again and then the flutter of his wings as he heads off with his seed. I know I’ll have to work tomorrow, mostly on research stuff, but today was indeed a glorious day!

Living in the Past

By | | , ,
Comments Off on Living in the Past

I had an amazingly productive day yesterday.  We finished the taxes!  That’s the biggie: this is the first year we are doing them ourselves after having accountants for many years.  I followed along closely last year and am using TurboTax and feel fairly confident about the whole thing.  We’re getting an extension so at some point, I’ll print the whole packet and review it against last year’s to see what different.  Here’s an interesting thing: we only got the standard deduction even though in the past we’ve itemized.  Just not enough medical stuff or mortgage interest on this old house to get us over the hump.  We could do more charities, although I think we give a lot for our income.

I made chicken legs General Tsao style and a potato herb frittata for dinner.  As a post-tax treat, I made baked tortilla chips in the convection oven.  They were very good and since I used spray, I think they were very low in calories.

I also got a lot of little things off my to do list in preparation for travel.  I decided to drive west tonight for a few hours so tomorrow morning is a bit more leisurely.  I was not looking forward to being on the road at 6 AM and 8 hours in the car.  I’ve got something else to do so I’ll stay over until Wednesday as well.  My bags are packed; I’m ready to go.

The main point of this post is to record a quote from Annie Dillard’s The Living, which I finished last week.  It has been raining here for three or four days and I feel like I’m in the Pacific Northwest without the views of Mount Rainier and Mount Baker hovering always on the horizon.  The novel focuses on the history of the Bellingham, Washington, area and follows the pioneer families through several generations.  It was superb, really, with startling metaphors woven into its sometimes spare historical narrative.

But, I’m giving it up.  Taking it to the Book Exchange with several others including the Carl Hiassen (Double Whammy) I finished this morning.  And there’s one quote I didn’t want to lose as it deals with change:

The women, low on the logs, had started up “long Ago, Sweet Long Ago,” and the men’s deep voices met their earnest sopranos boldly; they all love this song.  They sang in the dark, and looked at the fire.  They had seen younger faces, around other fires; they had sung beneath other skies, in other times, far away.  The tide was starting out, and the wet mud reflected the fire darkly, in only the yellows.

Each man and woman had seen the old ways lost in half a life time, and knew there never was a generation so pushed, spun, and accelerated by change as their own, and so nostalgic for a more innocent past, however fanciful.  It was their childhoods they mourned for, and the vanished times and places and people (pp. 357-358).

I was struck by the notion that these people, living in the late 19th century felt as we do today: spun out of control by the force of change around them.  In their lifetimes, they saw massive expansion of travel, from the wagons they drove across the frontier to get to Washington to the railroads, whose choices of towns for depots could make or break a community.  And, with that travel, came more accelerated communication.  Certainly nothing like what we have today, I know, but for them, taking several weeks off the delivery of a letter or being able to send a telegram must have seemed like quite a feat.

Yet, these people are mourning more than technologies, but the culture that developed around such technologies.  Wagon trains built community; railroads encouraged individualism.  “A more innocent past, however fanciful” captures that notion of looking back on something that never really existed, a memory that sustains you.

Morning Pages

By | | , , ,
Comments Off on Morning Pages

I’m half way through my first cup of coffee.  I somehow volunteered to help at church this morning, and if I got my act together, I could go for the first service, but I don’t think that’s going to happen.  It’s still raining, although I can see a patch of bright light out there.  It doesn’t matter if it’s nice, though.  My husband finally got around to pulling together his tax numbers so I’ll be spending the afternoon with Turbo Tax.  We’ll file for an extension but at least we’ll know how much to send with it.

After making two pairs of socks, I’m not crocheting slippers from granny squares.  Still using up old worsted weight yarn.  It took me awhile to get the gauge right.  The pattern suggested an F hook to make a 4-1/2 inch square.  I’m up to an I!  They are very cute: a combo of white, green, and brown.  I’ll make the second one today, probably, while I’m watching the second part of Sense and Sensibility.

I also need to get some exercise today.  I’ve been eating OK (although I’m not sure how the sweet potato pie and low fat frozen yogurt fits in), but I need to do the second piece.  I took a bike ride on Friday and it felt good.  We’re lucky to have the Colonial Parkway just down the road so I am rewarded by great views of the river.  I also saw a cedar waxwing hanging out in a tree along our road.  If it clears up today, I’ll try to get another ride in, but it will probably be yoga.  I’ve got a new Gaiam DVD to try out.  I liked the “Energy Balancing” routine: mostly for when you’re feeling lousy and just need to be quiet for a bit.  the other one is a more typical workout.  I ordered two yoga bricks to try out as well.

So, with taxes, crocheting and exercise, I’ve got a full day ahead.  I wouldn’t mind finishing Carl Hiassen’s Double Whammy, either.  We are rushing to the climax: the bad guy has a dog head hanging from his arm and has just kidnapped the hero’s ex-wife.  Meanwhile, the hero is trying to figure out how to beat the murder rap for which he was set up.  It’s funny, but vaguely reminiscent of Nature Girl.  And, I just got a notice from Amazon that he’s got a new one out.  There’s also one more in my basket.  I think I’ll probably devote more time to Barack Obama’s autobiography next.  It’s on the Kindle and I’ve been reading bits and pieces when I’m waiting for meetings or stuck in hotel rooms.  So much to read, so little time.

And, there’s always a flash project to work on.  I think I’ll buy a license for royalty free clip art to use.  I did some rudimentay drawings in Flash itself and they looked pretty bad. I could always run the clip art through Comic Life for a nice effect.  I’ve at least worked out the flow of decisions.

The chickens are giving the back yard a real once over.  It’s wet and the worms are coming out.  We discovered that the silver spangled hamburg was laying eggs in a tucked away spot under the pump house lean to.  Found a good dozen or so.  Not sure how old they are, so we’re going to feed them to the dogs.  They’ll eat anything!

OK, coffee is gone and it’s time for a shower.  Many blessings to all for a wonderful day!

A Most Lovely Weekend

By | | , , ,
Comments Off on A Most Lovely Weekend

I read (The Living by Annie Dillard), crocheted, played on my computer, and even managed to get outside.  We spent a few hours at our property morris creekyesterday.  The view isn’t quite as green as the one in this post; it is still pretty barren, but signs of spring are everywhere.  The daffodils are doing great; we planted clumps of them along the driveway and they are naturalizing nicely.  I did a water test.  I’ve been testing for the Alliance for the Chesapeake Bay for ten years now.  Then, we just sat and watched the world: saw at least one eagle and one osprey.  We watched a cormorant circle his way down to the creek.  He landed and immediately started fishing so we rarely saw him again.

I was up early today.  It’s getting lighter earlier and the dogs wake up and start making dog noises around 6:30 or so.  Just caught sight of a big V of geese flying overhead.  I guess there are still some Canada Geese that actually migrate.  So, spring is here.

Now, I’m getting caught up on podcasts.  According to Garrison Keillor at The Writer’s Almanac, it’s Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s birthday.  I went to visit City Lights Bookstore when I was in San Francisco and bought a copy of Maxim Gorky’s great revolutionary novel, Mother.  It just seemed appropriate.  I love starting the day with poetry.

Now, I’m listening to Harry Shearer’s LeShow from KCRW, one of my favorite public broadcasting stations.  Thank goodness for the web so I can access the station.

My live frog for today is listening to some mp3 files so I may have to cut Harry short and get started.  I’m teaching today, too, and then meeting with my advisor to figure out the logistics of doing my research.  There may be grocery shopping as well.

After eating pretty well for several days in a row, I went a little crazy yesterday.  Although there isn’t much bad food in the house so crazy is relative.  I did have more than one serving of wine 😉  But I’m back on the WW wagon today.  I did get a nice walk at the property yesterday as my husband drops us at the beginning of the road into the neighborhood and we walk in.  Just about a mile.

Wildlife siting: there are two flickers sitting in the oak tree.  One looks like a fledgling with fluffy feathers.  It’s sort of amazing that I get anything done.  I also noticed that all the birdies need fed.  They particularly like the peanut butter suet we’ve been making.  That feeder is completely cleaned out!  I have a little left in the fridge and then need ingredients to make more, mostly peanut butter.

Blessing to all!

Defense Day

By | | , ,
Comments Off on Defense Day

We got back from the school board meeting sometime after 11 PM then stayed up until 2 or so.  Hence, just getting around to writing at 9:20 this morning.  My defense begins at 3 PM and I have a couple errands to run before then.

Tina Turner has figured out how to get out of the yard.  I usually walk the dogs but this morning I just let them out of the back door into the fenced in back yard.  When I went to let them in for breakfast, Tina was over at the neighbors.  She came when I called and I let her back in, but we need to figure this out.  We tied her to the picnic table yesterday since we put them in the back yard for our trip.  But I don’t want to have to tie her up every time.  So, once I finish this and go let the chickens out, I’ll do some investigating.

Scared a squirrel off the sunflower feeder and he landed in the pond!  Lucky for him, it’s frozen enough that he could bounce off and head up the chimney to the roof.  The virds are lining up for Bob’s peanut butter suet.  There’s a red bellied woodpecker on the feeder, two blue birds, actually make that three, and either a goldfinch or a warbler waiting.  It’s amazing I get anything done with the view that I have.

I am forming my spring break to do list in my mind: the human subjects paperwork for my study, taxes, and spring cleaning.  I’m going to put the winter decorations away and give everything a good dusting and scrubbing.  I love the wood stove but it seems to crank out dust non stop.  My folks are coming to visit next weekend and I want the place to look nice.  The rug in the living room needs replaced, and I’m going to pull up the kitchen rug and scrub the floor.   I’m also going to hook up the record player and ibook to do some albums.

Aah, the first cup of coffee is finished.  Time for jeans and chickens.  Blessings for the day!