Providence Farm

Lame Winter

2012-02-09T16:17:00.000-08:00

A beloved facebook friend called our winter lame. She chose her adjective well.
We've had lots of sunny and warm weather, and few frigid days.
When you combine good weather with a trip out west to visit a horse loving aunt and uncle, you get horse crazy kids.
All three girls are working with their own horse, plus helping their sisters out.
Laura has Mr. B all beefed up and feeling young again, so he's enjoying light riding.
Becky's perfecting her skills on Libby.
And Katie gets stuck breaking the baby pony, since she's the only one small enough to do so.
Here's a scene from today.
Unfortunately, the camera ran low on batteries before I could catch them all riding together.

Merry Christmas To All!

2011-12-24T19:17:00.001-08:00

Drawn by Laura.

Pony Power!

2011-12-24T19:03:00.000-08:00

Goin' on a Bear Hunt

2011-12-24T18:41:00.000-08:00

Our neighbor had seen a bear while he was hunting on our property. As soon as he told us a bear was down back, we grabbed a rifle for self defense in case the need arose, and naturally rushed to try and see the bear.
Joe Houndog lead the procession, verifying the neighbor's assertion of bear activity by sniffing ends of branches and looking at us with horrified eyes and deeply wrinkled brow, reminiscent of the Grinch's dog Max.
When we got to the scene of the bear sighting, Joe explained through vivid body language that the bear had lumbered away through thick underbrush.
As you can see, the day was beautiful, and the path tempting.
Next time I may actually get a picture of Mr. Bear.

O Christmas Tree

2011-12-14T19:29:00.000-08:00

Christmas decorations, interpreted through photography by the girls.

Squirrel Girl!

2011-12-14T06:26:00.000-08:00

Here's Lottie both in plain sight and hidden in her natural habitat.
We love this squirrel!

Portraits

2011-12-12T19:51:00.000-08:00

Here are two pictures that I was pleased with.
I got an Olympus E-500 body last year at a very reasonable price, and finally bought a full price (ouch!) 50mm lens in order to take pictures with my bargain camera.
Super model Debbie cat had a whole photo shoot on the bed, rolling around, posing for the camera.
Laura's hair was gleaming in the sun, and I liked how the new camera could capture the moment.

Cold Front!

2011-12-12T19:25:00.000-08:00

Here is our quaint little bonfire area after the storm came through last week.
Everywhere you see water in these photos is normally a wide grassy road.
Before the squall that brought this cold snap, we were at 74 humid degrees in the house. I was tempted to turn on the air conditioning, but I knew that 20 degree weather was coming soon, so I persevered.
My computer died, and I'm using Dan's lap top until I replace my hard drive, but I can share the photos from my new, fancy schmancy camera in the mean time. Lots of interesting blog posts are trapped inside my little red camera till I figure out a way to transfer them.
Tonight the coyotes are running up and down my Cub Creek frontage and talking loudly all about their coyote hopes and fears. Or threatening to eat me, I don't know for sure.
It's frosty cold tonight, about 28 crisp degrees at 11 p.m.

Lottie

2011-11-16T06:44:00.000-08:00

Here's just a sample of Lottie's continued cuteness.
She lives out in the woods now, but she comes to the house daily for socializing and for almond butter.

Chicken Day

2011-11-15T12:05:00.000-08:00

Here are two girls with the fruits of their labors.
Becky did all of the eviscerating.
Dan chopped off heads, thank God.
Katie and I helped to pluck.
Laura was an excellent scalder, but she and I ran off to soccer practice before the photo shoot.

Secret Soccer Portal

2011-11-15T11:48:00.000-08:00

I love playing at Nottoway's field.
I always get the sensation that I'm about to enter Narnia when I go through the door in the wall.
Laura played against them on Saturday and we enjoyed fun afternoon out in the sun.

Katie's Soccer Season

2011-11-09T13:16:00.000-08:00

Katie moved up to U12s this year and her coach said on her stat card about her: "Katie is a seasoned soccer player and the preferred starter at right defender. Provided outstanding defense all season. Improved considerably in speed, attacking the ball, and filling in gap on defense."
How her sisters sum up her season is:
Sister, "Hey Katie, what was the score?"
Katie, "15 to 0."
Sister, "Who won?"
Katie, "Umm, I'm not sure."
Katie's caoches have forgotten to pressure the kids about winning, it seems.

Laura's Championship

2011-11-09T13:00:00.000-08:00

It's tough when you're the photographer of the family because then there are no pictures of you playing soccer.
Such is the case with Laura.
Her team also went all the way to the top of the James River District and won the Championship. However, they also happened to be undefeated all season!
Laura is also #14. She's in the back row, tallest but for the coach in her normal uniform, and with the coach's arm around her in her tournament uniform.
Laura plays defensive mid.

Becky's Championship

2011-11-09T12:53:00.000-08:00

Here's some of Becky's season. Her team went all the way to the top of the James River District and won the championship trophy!
She plays all over the field, both in defense and as a forward.
Here she's behind the boy wearing orange. She's #14.

2011-11-09T12:31:00.000-08:00

View from my Window

2011-11-09T11:49:00.000-08:00

New Book

2011-11-07T07:02:00.000-08:00

Jane Austen believed in writing about only that which you know first hand.
She would be proud of Katie's work.
Here's the book that Kate wrote this morning. I'll bet you can figure out what Scott and Joe Houndog were doing last night.

Murphy's Darn Law

2011-11-01T10:46:00.001-07:00

I've been having a burned out feeling about homeschool lately. Probably because Katie's not consistently "getting" two digit or higher multiplication.
Big Dan gave me some sage advice on facebook yesterday: "Don't worry, even the worst procrastinator eventually learns double digit multiplication!"
However, I'm a little weary of the sameness of each day's scholastic activities.
I also have parties and practices every night this week, followed by a two day soccer tournament involving two who will be playing and two who will be watching and cheering, and Dan has to work through the whole event.
What better time to open a cabinet and spill 300 doxycylines all over the kitchen?

Chinese Food

2011-10-31T07:45:00.000-07:00

Lotte loves the crispy Chinese noodles that come in our salad kits!

When we run out, she gets angry and squeaks at us.

Blue Ridge Parkway

2011-10-31T07:28:00.000-07:00

Since the mountains and all points north got snow and we didn't, we went to see the snow. This is us at the open section of the Blue Ridge Parkway. The part that had snow on it was closed.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

2011-10-31T06:56:00.000-07:00

Two mornings ago we woke to find this. It was beautiful and burned off too quickly. I'm quite hopeful that this winter will be extra snowy.

Bonfire

2011-10-12T06:23:00.000-07:00

Katie's been wanting a bonfire for over a week. She scoured the woods for sticks and built a gorgeous tepee of wood,but each night that Big Dan was home we were tired and didn't light up the fire.
I finally let them do it Monday night since the rain was moving in.
They did a good job, starting it and roasting their marshmallows with no adult supervision.

Microwave Monday

2011-10-10T09:42:00.000-07:00

Menu Monday. It's what all the cool blogging homemakers celebrate.
But not us, we're having Microwave Monday, because today Katie shared an important discovery about our microwave:
"Hey Mom. Have you ever noticed that when you look up in the top of our microwave, there's a shape like Oklahoma?"

Hmmm, so there is!

My *plan* for our weekly menu is:

Monday: Chicken with stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and some vegetable from the freezer.
Tuesday: Chili and cornbread (since the weather will be cold and rainy.)
Wednesday: Chicken and dumplings (still cold and rainy.)
Thursday: Turkey cutlets with apple cider and apricot glaze, noodles, and sweet potatoes.
Friday: Some easy pasta dish with a salad.
Saturday: Salmon (which I'm going to try to have once a week, hoping that its DHA makes my brain smarter) with big baked potatoes, steamed veggies, and a salad, for the hungry soccer players to eat while they wait for their dinner to be ready.
Sunday: Shepherd's pie, wondrous carrots, broccoli slaw, and homemade bread.

Singin' in the Rain

2011-09-23T15:45:00.000-07:00

I forced the daughters to go outside and do all the farm chores this morning because I didn't want to get wet.
I saw Katie riding her waveboard on the sidewalk in the rain, wearing this outfit.
Well, she stayed dry!

Play Ball!

2011-09-22T10:06:00.000-07:00

I was pretty sure we'd lose Lottie as soon as she tasted the trees. But instead of losing her, she spends more time clinging to us now. She spent one night out in the woods in her cage, then came in and slept in Becky's desk next to her bed last night. She's hungrier after her daily tree time, too.

PC Birdhouse Doors

2011-09-22T09:45:00.000-07:00

I love that every day of my life, my children are sure to say amazingly profound things that enrich my life.
Katie, who's as skinny a child as you'll meet this side of Africa, is showing me her design for a bird house.
"And I'm going to make the door extra big, in case the bird is obese and can't use a normal size door."
Really? How, young lady, who moonlights as a breaker and enterer through tiny slits of window openings when people lock themselves out of their homes, did it ever cross your mind to accomodate a fat bird?

Sleepy Squirrel

2011-09-22T09:39:00.000-07:00

Here's a photo from last night, Big Daddy. Lottie thinks trees are nice all day, but night is a good time for Mommy's shirt.
Sound asleep with mouth open.

Lottie Overload

2011-09-20T12:19:00.001-07:00

Somehow, without me realizing it was happening, Lottie grew into an adolescent squirrel.
The teen girls had gone away over the weekend, and at that point, Lottie quit drinking her milk almost completely. I was worried that she was on a hunger strike due to the absence of her beloved Becky. But Becky came back and still, hardly any milk down the pie hole for Miss Squirrel.
Suddenly it occurred to me to check the calendar. Lottie is almost 10 weeks old! At 9 weeks they wean and start their move out of mom's nest.
I can tell the difference in her age when I take her to the woods. She's anxious to get up the trees and explore the world above our heads. And she's not anxious to come back when it suits me.
We were reading about the grey squirrel last night and found a statistic that the first photo would prove: squirrels waste 15 more times than they eat!
Lottie loves pens, pencils, and highlighters. I contribute this to the Charlotte Mason method of squirrel schooling which encourages the love of learning. I hope she keeps up with her continuing education after she moves into her own nest.
Look how little she seems playing hide 'n seek in Becky's bed.
I had meant to blog consistently during her time with us so other people could use the knowledge we gained, but really, the care and feeding of a baby squirrel is easier than we expected. I'm a little shocked at how much like a human a squirrel is. Lottie, we found out, can see quite well, and in color. She recognizes all the people she lives with, and is shy of strangers. She's clever, and can learn helpful habits. It's possible, if she's very fortunate, and only the FSD hunts the property, that she may live up to 16 years!
These will probably be the last indoor pictures of her.
I've placed her cage down in the tree house near the barn. There she'll live, locked in, for a couple days before the door opens and she has free range of the dark and dangerous forest.
I'm contemplating moving her from there to the oak on the trail, a little farther away from the house, to keep her safer from the cats, and to give her a thicker wood with plentiful acorns in which to build. Big Dan will supply her with a squirrel mansion, built to specs of course, but I think she'll end up making her own winter drey.
I'm hopeful that she'll keep up her friendship with us. I think with enough Jolly Ranchers and fruit preserves, it's a possibility.

Squirrel School

2011-09-20T12:05:00.000-07:00

Lottie thinks that the study of World History is totally overrated. Anyway, there weren't any notable grey squirrels in Ancient Rome, so let's skip these pages.

Nutmeg's Labor Day Celebration

2011-09-15T18:45:00.001-07:00

If you're on facebook with me, you've already heard this news. If you're a hold out against social media, this is my passive aggressive way of getting even with you for making me work at having a relationship with you. I'm way overdue with the quadruplet post!
This is the day they were born. They were all large and healthy seeming. After this was taken, we lost the two brown and black ones.
We're pretty sure that they were killed by the huge Nubian kids of Tilly's. We had never mixed sizes of goat babies before and had no idea that all goats aren't as safe and careful as Nigerians.
At any rate, we separated the big goats, and the two surviving kids are doing fine.

Guinea Summer Fun

2011-09-15T18:22:00.000-07:00

The guineas, who I hadn't yet posted about, are enjoying the air conditioner exhaust blowing their feathers backwards. The would get ruffled then laugh (or whatever it's called when guineas chatter happily) loudly. Over and over again.

It made us laugh too.

Nap Time

2011-09-13T18:35:00.000-07:00

Lottie had just been splayed out flat on her back. I missed that shot be a second, but she's still pretty cute, sound asleep in Becky's arms.

Random Photos of Today

2011-09-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

Just a glimpse of the day.
There are actually interesting farm things about which to blog, but I don't have the mental capacity to photograph then tell the story behind all the livestock.
After soccer season, I may blog all day long, since nothing else will occupy my time.

One Month Old

2011-09-08T05:56:00.000-07:00

Here are the excellent Freedom Rangers on their exploration of the farm this misty morning. Lily is keeping watch while they dig their way to China.

Misty Morning

2011-09-08T05:31:00.000-07:00

Udderly Delightful

2011-09-03T07:57:00.000-07:00

Nutmeg is 7/8 Nigerian with 1/8 Oberhasli blood. She has all of the best qualities of her mom and grandma plus the same sweet temperament that they had.
Since she hasn't kidded yet, and as you can see, her udder would become uncomfortably full, we started milking her.
We've never had a goat who goes on ahead and produces milk before kids, but since we froze all of her colostrum, and were already planning to bottle feed her kids, it should be ok that she's in full blown milk now.
She's a dream to milk, with a butter soft udder that just pours out a half gallon a day. She takes no hand strength at all to milk.
When she raised her first set of twins last year, she got confused when we started milking, and tap danced around on the stand. Hopefully when we pull her kids this year, she'll settle right into a milking routine and we won't be crying over spilled milk.

Freedom Rangers Ranging

2011-09-03T07:36:00.000-07:00

The heritage type broiler chicks are three weeks old, healthy, happy, and active.
Laura does all the work involved in raising these birds, so they don't take up any of my time or attention. (Except for the fact that watching them roam is addicting!)
They range freely all day, spreading throughout the pig pen and whole front yard. They eat lots of bugs and grass. And game bird starter.
At night, they put themselves to bed in the small chicken coop. We haven't used a heat lamp for over a week now!
We're supposed to start harvesting them at 9 weeks. We may try to do about 5 that week and see how large and tender they are, then do some more each week till they're gone.

Lottie

2011-08-31T07:02:00.000-07:00

Lottie is about six and a half weeks old now, and more active and squirrely than ever.
Her diet is still mainly goat milk, but she's starting solids. She holds her almond or cheerio and gnaws at it, but mostly, her food turns into crumbs that get spread around the floor instead of the inside of the squirrel.
She's sharing a crepe with Becky this morning. She likes the preserves on top of it the best.
I think that by using preserves as a bribe, we can force her to stay friends with us after she returns to the wild.
When we got her, Lottie would eat, potty, then immediately nap. Now she eats and plays and plays some more. She can use the bathroom by herself now (in the beginning you have to rub their tummy, like with a kitten.) She uses humans as playgrounds, running in and out of our clothing and clinging to our backs as we walk around the house. The only trees she knows have blue jean bark on the trunk.
Caring for her is easier, since I don't get up over night to feed her. At first, she ate 3 cc's every couple hours with a feeding overnight. Now she eats at least 7 cc's at a time and can go much longer between feedings.

Too Much Soccer

2011-08-31T06:57:00.000-07:00

It's 10 a.m. Do you know where your 5th grader is?

The big girls took over Katie's morning chores when it became apparent that she's unable to function today after a long evening of soccer and play.

Splotch and Babe

2011-08-21T18:56:00.000-07:00

Danny and I had planned to buy Katie some piglets for future pork when we realized that we would still have the farm for a few more months. Then we found that there were no piglets to be had for love or money anywhere near us.
But a local friend knew some guy who knew some guy.... and we got a phone call saying two piglets were available for us.
We wanted to sneak them home and place them carefully in the wildly overgrown garden, then hand Katie a basket and tell her to fetch some tomatoes and peppers.
Can you imagine the terror of being in six foot tall grass and hearing the sounds of squealing creatures inside the fence with you? Bwahaha.
But she was up at the ungodly hour that we needed to go get them, so we just took her along.
I'm sure other opportunities will arise during her childhood in which we can cause lasting emotional damage by playing terrifying practical jokes on her.
The piggies names are Splotch and Babe. They're both castrated boys.
The last time we had pigs, Fern, the female, made us uncomfortable with her excessive intelligence. So this time we're hoping for guilt free pork.

The Squirrel Chronicles

2011-08-21T18:37:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday evening after church, a yellow cat walking near the playground heard the same squeaking sounds that were intriguing the children. It turned out to be a baby squirrel, and the kitty grabbed it. Becky rushed the kitty and hapless baby rodent, and in his fright, the kitty quickly dropped the squirming, squealing squirrel baby.
Since it was close to dark, we brought the baby home with us.
Becky promptly hopped online and found out all the ins and outs of squirrel parenthood.
She found out that the squirrel is a girl, and had no cat injuries.
We've been feeding the 4 week old infant goat milk throughout the day and night, and she's thriving.
After her feeding and a quick potty time, she curls into the tightest little knot you can imagine. She falls right asleep in my hand after her overnight feeding.
Next week she should open her eyes and start to get even more fun for us. At 12 weeks, we have to start teaching her about her true home, the wild. Adult squirrels don't make safe pets, but they adapt well to their outdoor habitat.

Go, Go, Freedom Rangers!

2011-08-12T14:11:00.001-07:00

After buying some boneless breast of chicken at Sam's Club, then bringing it home to repackage and freeze, I decided to grow our own broilers. The store-bought chicken was so gross that I'm not sure if we can even eat it. It was mushy and stuck to my hands, disintegrating when I handled it. It's odorless, so I assume it's safe to eat, but when we cooked the first batch in the crock pot for chicken enchiladas, it was rubbery and, well, just plain weird.
We don't love the unnatural growth of the hybrid broilers, and we don't want to eat normal breeds since we're so used to some serious meat on a carcass, so we chose Freedom Rangers; a heritage broiler breed with the best of both worlds.
They also happen to be named like Super Heroes.
They came this morning and were all alive and peppy.
Much to our dismay, we're smitten with them!

Imprinting

2011-08-12T14:01:00.000-07:00

Katie Running Bases

2011-07-04T09:57:00.000-07:00

After the game (which the Hillcats won, I had forgotten to mention) the kids got to go run the bases.

Here's Katie, looking a bit like a Pink Flamingo. Laura stayed behind to catch her sister on film.

Lynchburg Hillcats

2011-07-04T09:49:00.000-07:00

Becky stayed home from the minor league game so she could train horses. I stayed with her and got a little, but not nearly as much as I should have, done around the house.
Laura took pictures and videos of the night's festivities for us.
Katie's favorite part of minor league games is South Paw, the mascot.
I am mascot phobic, so it's good that I had to stay home.

Hotel Rendevouz

2011-07-04T09:21:00.000-07:00

Here is a photo montage of our meeting last week in Orange.
Dan got a job teaching flying up at our old neighborhood, so no more living in Africa most of the month for him. Now we have a new dilemma, living in Leesburg most of the month for him, while the females of the family live down here.
Free hotel rooms are a perk from Dan's years of living in hotels. We meet about once a week to enjoy the hotel pool, oops, I mean Daddy's company.

Katie's Garden Haul

2011-06-23T16:29:00.000-07:00

Today's produce...

What Daddy's Missing

2011-06-23T16:26:00.000-07:00

Here's Becky's famous shepherd's pie.
Daddy, we wish you could enjoy every dinner with us.

Becky's Housing Development

2011-06-23T16:12:00.000-07:00

Becky's been nailing Folger's cans with doorways cut into them on trees in our woods, and all sorts of birds have moved in.
Next, she nailed two styrofoam plates to the top of the fence post. Danny and I laughed when after the squall line tore the fascia off our house, her bird house stood, unscathed.
Now we see that a young bluebird couple has moved in to start a family.
We think she needs to go into architecture.

Bucket O' Babies

2011-06-21T12:46:00.000-07:00

Merope's twin daughters were asleep in this bucket, so Becky ran for the camera and captured them for you.
They're even cuter in real life.

Weirdest Blog Post. Ever.

2011-06-15T09:28:00.000-07:00

I am posting obscene photos of Margaret, Lizzie, and kin, because my email refuses to allow me to send attachments. So for Jonna: Here are (from the top) Her Grandma, Mariah. Her calf, and the rest is her.

Soccer Tournament

2011-06-08T10:58:00.001-07:00

As a reward for their undefeated season, the Charlotte County Yellow Jackets got to wake up at 6 a.m. last weekend to play in a tournament.
Here's Katie with her medallion, of which she is very proud.
It turned out to be a fun weekend. The kids all played their hardest and had fun.

Katie and Jonna

2011-06-08T08:43:00.000-07:00

Make Hay While the Sun Shines

2011-06-08T06:29:00.000-07:00

Katie's been on a hay making kick lately.
Danny had mowed the yard with the bush hog since the riding mower is broken, and we had rows of grass left over. Katie's busy baling and tying her little bales of hay.
I have many topics to blog, but all those need to wait for the opportune time. Suffice it to say: we have babies on Providence Farm! So far, three calves, two darling goat girls, and 6 guinea keets.

100 Degrees

2011-05-30T14:25:00.000-07:00

Earlier in the day when I took people home, the local temperature was 100. As you can see, what was predicted to be 89 today turned out much worse.
If this doesn't bring the corn seed up out of that ground, nothing will.

A Good Excuse

2011-05-30T14:15:00.000-07:00

I've needed to blog about some new goats and a dead duck, but I can't seem to find an opportunity.
Yesterday till this evening I've had four extra kids here. It was very fun and very tiring.
The big girls slept in a tent out in the field.
The lone boy got the couch.
The little girls went to bed on time and slept well. Smart little girls.
The mommy had unmitigated anxiety all night long. That could have been related to the big girls sleeping in the wild.

New Heifer

2011-05-23T18:43:00.000-07:00

Lizzy had her daughter on a beautiful sunny day yesterday.
Everything seems fine with both mother and daughter.

My Littlest Pig Farmer

2011-05-20T05:47:00.000-07:00

As I checked my email, Katie stood quietly beside me. I asked her if she needed something and she replied, "I wrote you an email."
I asked her how. She said, "On my computer. But I don't have internet, so I can't send it to you."
Maybe I'll get the kid a couple pigs again.

A New Friend

2011-05-14T15:14:00.000-07:00

"Tips" is an elderly gentleman who needed a strong fence. He's been on the lam since November, but was finally captured a few days ago.
His owner, who's a good friend of ours, needed a place to stash him while her fence is mended, so she called us.
Tips shares a pasture with his instant friend, Mr. B. The two old geldings must be sharing stories about the "good old days."
I thought that by taking him in, we'd be doing them a favor, but it turns out that Tips is a favor to us.
He likes us very much and wants to be ridden. He's as spry as a yearling, yet gentle and kind.

Welcome Back, May

2011-05-01T07:09:00.001-07:00

These were taken by Katie.
Even though they were technically April photos, you can see what May 1st looks like.
One day I'm complaining about lack of grazing for the stock, next day I'm mowing and weed eating!

Happy Birthday, JoJo

2011-04-30T19:02:00.000-07:00

Baby JoJo is growing into a fine young lady.
Today is her first birthday and she's already preparing herself to carry her young master and mistress.
Mr. B is her grazing companion here. He takes good care of her, shares his food with her, and never (hardly ever) loses his patience with her, no matter how badly she behaves toward him.

Today may also be the birthday of a much older human whom you know as Fat Suburbanite Dad.
http://fatsuburbanitedad.blogspot.com/

Dog Soccer

2011-04-30T18:58:00.000-07:00

Scott playing goalie.

Spring Soccer!

2011-04-30T18:34:00.000-07:00

Two games, two wins. That's what happens when Charlotte County plays!
Katie is in yellow. It takes two boys to slow her down- and she scored a goal anyway.
Laura is in teal. Nobody gets the ball past her!

Annabeth the Setting Hen

2011-04-20T12:57:00.000-07:00

Laura brought the camera up to me and said simply, "Alfred Hitchcock."
Annabeth's expression could certainly inspire a horror movie involving birds.
(She's actually a very tame and friendly lady.)

Spring has Sprung

2011-04-12T08:28:00.000-07:00

My week has been rather grim. All three girls sick with various infections and me feeling a little exhausted and unwell myself made me long for some sun and cheer. Becky provided cheer in the form of this dogwood and red bud branch bouquet. Since this picture was taken, we've had bright sun, too. And best of all, we are (thanks to the wonders of antibiotics) feeling fine again.

Things That Go Bump in the Night

2011-04-05T18:47:00.000-07:00

Last night at about 3 a.m., a squall line blasted through Charlotte County and shook us out of our beds. Between medicating (and worrying about) sick girls, and checking to see what was flying through the yard (hoping it wouldn't be a horse or cow) I searched for the source of the bumping noise. I looked in my closet, fearful that it was a cat scratching for a bathroom. Nope. I looked in the attic, since it seemed to be coming from there. Nope. I shined the spotlight around outside, looking for a loose object that was hitting the wall. Nope. This morning, I found the mystery noise that had never once let up on the thumping sounds. It's now completely detached and ready for Danny to conveniently climb to the highest room of the tallest tower to rescue his fascia in distress.

Undocumented Workers

2011-04-04T06:56:00.000-07:00

I think it's just terrible that some Americans have people doing their landscaping who have no legal documentation.
So I made sure my landscaper was of pure Anglo blood, and checked his papers before I allowed him to start mowing.
Yep, he's a card carrying member of the jokey club.

Priorities

2011-04-04T06:23:00.000-07:00

I want new leather furniture in my living room. And I want a complete new bedroom set in both girls' rooms. I also want to finish painting my walls. And the landscaping, that needs more money poured into mulch again this year. I feel a definite urge to get the upstairs finished and have a bathtub big enough for me to soak comfortably. (Yes, FSD, I know there will be a comment about this sentence.)
Deep sigh.
But would that bring fulfillment? How much better would my daily life be if I traded our financial margin for these things? I don't know the answer, and may never know the answer.
I do have enough experience by now to know that in the past, more often than not "stuff" doesn't change my life for the better.
If we were swimming in cash and didn't have a list about two feet long (in small print, to boot) of things that urgently need to be paid for, it would be a very good thing for my house to be more beautiful and classy.
For now, I'll get out a bucket full of hot water and Murphy's Oil soap, throw in a few microfiber cloths, and scrub the old, dog-scratched leather couch. Then I'll pile some youngsters onto said couch to read some of the free books we've just acquired.

Horsin' Around

2011-04-02T11:10:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Laura got loads of entertaining footage of these four musketeers kicking up their heels. Unfortunately I'm putting up a short take since I don't edit and the other, better rears and spins are on long videos.

Counting Stars with The Captains Courageous

2011-03-31T07:55:00.001-07:00

Oddly, I don't know if the appropriate title for this band is, "Andrew Peterson and The Captains Courageous." Or simply, "The Captains Courageous."
You would think with all the time I spend stalking these three guys, I would know off by heart that bit of trivia.
Because of the dark room, these images are blurry and poor quality, but I thought that publishing them in spite of that would be worth it just to illicit a covetous response in a certain pastor's wife.
Ben Shive is the piano player. I picked the seats near him at the concert because Ben Shive is to fat old housewife Mollie as Shaun Cassidy was to pretty little pre-teen Mollie. It's ok, Big Dan knows all about the crush I have on Ben's lyrics and he even pre-bought Ben's next album, The Cymbal Crashing Clouds, for my Christmas present.
Andrew Peterson is in the middle of the stage. We love everything about him.
He writes, he sings, he tells stories that make you pee your pants laughing. (Well, maybe that only applies if you've had large babies.) Your life will be better if you read his books, "On the Edge of the Dark Sea of Darkness" and "North! Or Be Eaten." Coming in May is the new book in that series, "Monster in the Hollows."
On the far side of the stage is Andy Gullahorn, who is the funniest man on the planet.
We saw this concert Sunday night in North Carolina. It was definitely worth the drive for us groupies.

Piano Virtuoso

2011-03-31T07:13:00.000-07:00

Laura has had two months of piano lessons with her teacher Laura York. Not only has she come so far so fast in piano, but she's taking voice from Mrs. York every other week instead of piano, so she's improving this rapidly with only two lessons a month.

Ah, Ah, Achoo!

2011-03-31T07:01:00.000-07:00

Hay fever is all the rage this week. First I had it, now Becky.
All day long and then overnight, Debbie the cat sensed Becky's illness, and decided to stay with her. On her, mostly. It was pretty comical. At one point, Becky went to my bed for a back massage and Debbie immediately jumped up and planted herself firmly in the center of Becky's back.
Thank you, Florence Nightingale of kitties.

Gardening

2011-03-25T05:53:00.000-07:00

Here is a pictorial journal of the day the garden was prepared by Danny and the tractor.
The plow.
The disc.
The disc with three girls on top.
The disc with two girls on top.
The finished product.
My favorite part of the day was me doing no hard work.

Tractor Ride

2011-03-25T05:17:00.000-07:00

Here's for you city folk, so you can enjoy a simulated farm experience.

Becky, Laura, and Katie are riding on top of the disc to give it more weight.

Planting Trees

2011-03-22T19:21:00.000-07:00

Because I didn't think that Danny had enough work to do around here, I bought 8 very large maple trees which needed planting immediately.
We rented a mini-excavator and Dan spent all day planting trees and cleaning up around the barn.
And that is why we haven't been calling our relatives.

Spring Things

2011-03-22T19:11:00.001-07:00

On her pictorial tour of Providence Farm this morning, Katie found beautiful peach blossoms.
Two animals are sleeping on two different round things. The goatling is on her throne, which is a garbage can lid. The horse is in the center of her favorite stuff- hay.
The lambs still have their tails at this time of the day.
Later, however, they got their tetanus shots and lost their little tails.
This was our first tail docking experience. Q-Tip got lucky last year because I had a pinched nerve in my neck and couldn't do much of anything when her tail was due for docking.

Sleepy Rabbit

2011-03-22T19:07:00.000-07:00

Coal got woken up for his photo shoot by Katie.
This poor guy looks like he could use a cup of strong coffee!

Tonight's Soccer Practice

2011-03-17T17:51:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I know. These are pictures of cows and flowers. Not soccer.

I took a walk while Laura practiced, and this is what surrounded the field.

When I was incarcerated in suburban public school, I would have given a lot in order to have cows near our athletic fields.
Lucky country people.

These tiny white looking flowers are the same breed as the ones in my backyard, near my clothesline. I'm not sure if all Bluets turn pale at night, but these did!

BJU, I Love You!

2011-03-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

Here are two of the three monkeys working on school.
I'm becoming completely and utterly dependent on BJU Press's distance learning. With them, I get teachers in every subjet, plus all the books and teacher's editions.
Now I wonder how I ever homeschooled without their help.

Scenes from a Spring Day

2011-03-17T13:38:00.000-07:00

Ha. Our very own blossoms. Take that, Sunny California!
See the goats in the background? I need to get them penned up before our pretty apple blossoms are no more.

These pretty little purple flowers tempted me to lie down and take a photo that included them.

And when you lie down in the yard on Providence Farm, you attract friendly, curious animals...

and more animals.

Now Becky's a Photographer Too

2011-03-13T15:42:00.000-07:00

First Laura became a better photographer than I am. Now Becky turns out to be gifted as well. Here's her picture of her sister's feet on a scooter.

Another Good Picture

2011-03-13T15:39:00.000-07:00

Becky's horse photo.

Lambs

2011-03-13T15:11:00.000-07:00

And... They're Off!

2011-03-12T17:04:00.000-08:00

Psalm 23:6 Sheep Family

2011-03-12T16:55:00.000-08:00

Here are Shirley's newborn lambs, Goodness and Mercy.
Goodness is a healthy, strapping fellow with an adorable black spot on one hock.
Mercy is a weak little girl with a limp on her front right leg.
We were surprised by the new additions this evening. I like this kind of surprise!

First, The Flood

2011-03-12T16:49:00.000-08:00

The result of Thursday's rain...

Weeds vs. Crops

2011-03-06T12:04:00.001-08:00

These pictures were both taken today. Look at the difference in development between the fruit tree and the weed patch.

Thus begins the season-long battle of trying to destroy the hardy undesirables, while encouraging the timid, planted things to thrive.

In the background of the fruit tree picture, people from sunny California can see the start of green grass in the field.

Retreat! Retreat!

2011-02-22T17:18:00.000-08:00

Here are some images of my weekend away.
I had been getting more and more worn down and exhausted from the farm and the school. So Danny gave me a weekend to be alone.
I went to Peaks of Otter Lodge, and my wish for solitude and relaxation was perfectly fulfilled.

This cross greeted me as soon as I arrived. It's right outside my front door.
The road less traveled.

The state of my boots, after hiking the road less traveled.

View from my front door.

2011-02-22T17:09:00.000-08:00

There's my room.

View from the walkway.

View from my room.

Colossians!

Cuteness, Personified

2011-02-18T08:17:00.000-08:00

JoJo is the biggest joy on Providence Farm.

Except when she gets herself in trouble. Which she did last Friday by choking on pelleted feed.

The vet was called. The rush was on. He came, he cleared JoJo's throat of the clog, we fed her a slurry for the next few days while the tender tissue recovered. All was well again.

Here she is in all her Wild Mustang glory.

Girls, Good Weather, and Horses

2011-02-18T08:11:00.000-08:00

We had an impromptu play date with a friend who also happens to be an accomplished horsewoman.

Becky had been working with the Big Mare over jumps, and Sibylle took the reins to show us how it's done.

Jumpin' JoJo

2011-02-18T08:02:00.000-08:00

JoJo's motto is, "Size isn't everything!"

She proves to us all that she can do anything Big Mare can do, and cuter.

Baby JoJo comes from the top of the hill and takes a jump, surprising everyone.

Bad Boys, Bad Boys, Watcha Gonna Do?

2011-02-12T05:21:00.000-08:00

You're gonna turn down my driveway in the middle of nowhere with two police following close on your heels.

Last night the girls and I were peacefully watching "The #1 Ladies' Detective Agency" when I saw a fast moving car and two police turn into my drive.
I locked the door and told the girls to lock the others and head back to my room. I grabbed and loaded a trusty friend and watched. After I was sure there wouldn't be any shooting I went out and found out what was happening.
The guys in the car were speeding and drunk. They ran for it. They came down in here. They chose poorly.
They also ditched a gun and drugs in my driveway. My driveway had already had its share of drugs in it today from the baby pony's procedure. But that story will have to wait till Iget home from the library.

The Drama

2011-02-11T18:21:00.000-08:00

Can You Believe This?

2011-02-11T18:11:00.000-08:00

I'll post more of the saga later. We've now moved it up to 3 patrol cars...

Tulips

2011-02-10T19:51:00.000-08:00

Incredible, Edible, and Overflowing

2011-02-08T20:32:00.000-08:00

It's a good thing that we read this article today: http://yourlife.usatoday.com/fitness-food/diet-nutrition/story/2011/02/Eggs-better-than-cracked-up-to-be-USDA-says/43475540/1 from USA Today. It's about how eggs aren't bad for you.

Phew!

This is what Katie came up with tonight. 36 eggs. Granted, she didn't collect yesterday, but still...

Quiche, anyone?

Monty Python Kids

2011-02-08T08:16:00.000-08:00

I think that the girls are going to need coconut shells to get the right sound going over the horse jump.
I love Libby's expression in the background. Wait till she finds out that it's not only humans who jump these things!

Please Hurry, Spring!

2011-02-08T07:03:00.000-08:00

Today started out bright and sunny. But as I was cheerfully folding laundry, thinking of my gentle cousins' encouragement in my vocation, a big cloud obscured the light and I could hardly see.
Now it's mildly overcast, so hanging out this load of towels isn't going to be quite the thrilling endeavor I had been anticipating.
I'm taking Becky's batch of started broccoli seeds as my paradigm of hope.
Becky took their photo for the blog.

Bun

2011-02-04T17:11:00.001-08:00

This is Grandma Honey's new daughter, so the girls called her Bun.
She's a darling little thing. I can see that white spot of hers jumping around in the dark barn while I milk at night. It looks like a rabbit's in there.
Tuscany's little Surprise is also here, jumping up on Katie.