Everyday...

I bought myself two workbooks (one for life in general, and one for business) and a journal to start the New Year off on a more organized and (hopefully) thoughtful note.  They are designed by Leonie Dawson, and are artistic, happy, positive and uplifting.  Her work strikes a chord with me, and I am enjoying working with them and planning the wonderfulness of 2016.

One thing Leonie suggests is that we keep a jar on hand, and every time something pleasant happens, jotting it down on a slip of paper and tucking it into the jar.  At the end of the year, it would be a wonderful thing to look back at all the nice little (and big!) events that were joyful and think good thoughts about the year as it closes. 

For instance, today I tucked Mr. Abbot into his wonderful new hutch.  One side is deep with clean, sweet hay, the other side has his food, water, mineral block and some things to play with.  He has not yet explored the ramp down to the 4x8 foot space of room for a bunny to bounce and play.  He settled in happily and was a treat to see him exploring his new, luxurious digs. 

The horse and goats were very curious about the new hutch.  When we moved it in (on a trailer hauled by my truck over the ice and snow) there was a lot of snorting. The goats snort and stamp one front hoof when they are worried. The horse was much more dramatic, running, bucking, and making loud snorts of alarm.  She tossed her head and bombed around the pasture in protest of the changes. 

Once the hutch was in place and readied, and Mr.Abbott moved in, Jane had to investigate thoroughly. 

And after Chanel was reassured that it was not a pack of wolves we had brought to the pasture, she checked our pockets for treats and gave Chris a sweet kiss...

 So I think today was a perfect day to put a slip in the jar. A little day full of everyday miracles.
Just the way I like it.

My husbands day "off"...

I am afraid that I am guilty of under-appreciating my husband sometimes.  He is so good, so patient, so kind.  Here is an example of his wonderfulness.  A few weeks ago I bought a bunny at a livestock auction on a whim.  It only cost $17.50, so it was hardly a bank breaker.  It is living happily enough in a large dog crate, but I wanted it to have better. 

I am on a Facebook page that features livestock and supplies for the area where I live.  A few days ago I saw a very nice looking rabbit hutch.  The seller was asking $300.  A lot of money, for a pet I bought on a whim.  But I could see that the hutch could serve many purposes, and I arranged to buy it.

Today, New Years Day, Chris and I both had the day off. I got up early, as always. I exercised the dogs, milked the goats, fed and watered all the animals.  When Chris woke up we both showered and got dressed. By 9:00 we were on the road, hauling our little trailer behind our truck.  An hour and a half later we arrived at our destination, and there, at the top of a very icy hill,  was the wonderful hutch, as promised.

The left door has an area with a wire floor, designed for food and water. Bunny excrement would fall into a tray beneath.  It is excellent fertilizer for plants and gardens, and could be saved with the tray.  There is a wall with a little arched door to the compartment on the right.  Filled with hay, it makes a very cozy spot for a sleeping bunny to cuddle in.  There is a ramp from the left side that goes down to a lovely large space beneath, for a bunny to nibble on grass and hop about.  The whole thing is 4' x 8'.  Big, and HEAVY.

What the advertiser did not convey was the fact that he is a professional building contractor, and the hutch is built magnificently. Supremely sturdy, attractive, and solid.

It was no easy task to get it on our little trailer.  Luckily, the man who sold it was very handy. Between he and Chris, they managed to use a come-along, a tractor, and some stout planks, along with some brawn, grunts and muscle, and safely slide the thing up.  Then they cinched it down tightly with ropes and tie downs.  The load was top-heavy and awkward, but by gum, the hutch was there and safe. It traveled well.

The seller threw in a bonus.  A dog house he had made for his long dead Wire Haired Pointer.  Just as well made and solid as the hutch. And CUTE!(He has Boxers now, that live inside.)

My ducks currently live in a calf hutch next to my pretty, custom made chicken coop.  The calf hutch is quite practical and serviceable, but ... um, not very attractive.  This dog house?  It is very nice looking, and will look sweet next to my coop. It will make a perfect duck house!  I'll wait until spring to move the ducks there, but the gift of it is lovely.

There will need to be some white stain applied to both of these, but that can wait.

We didn't return from our outing until around 3:00 PM.  We drove the truck and trailer into the pasture, and positioned the hutch next to the pony shed.  But then we were flummoxed.  We didn't know how to get it off the trailer without damaging it.  So I did what I must and called our oh-so-capable best pals.  They are farmers, and smart, and strong and clever to boot.  True friends, the response to our call was, "We'll be there in 20 minutes." They dropped whatever they were doing without question to come help us. We are blessed.

 I passed the time by scooping and hauling pony poop.  Our good friends arrived in no time and took the situation into consideration.  Before I knew it the male half of our friend couple had lifted the hutch up over his head, in one swift movement, as if the heavy thing were made of spun sugar.  I saw him and gasped.  Meanwhile, my husband deftly moved the trailer from under the hutch, and the two of them (with a little help from we women) then muscled the hutch into place.  Bing, bang, boom.

Then they helped us move the heavy dog house to near where I want it to be. We will have to take down some fence to get it to its final destination, but it is close!

Dusk was falling by this time.  Chris headed upstairs for a well deserved nap.  His entire day off spent chasing some little dream of mine. Again.I realize he has done this over and over... spending his precious time to please me.

 In March it will be our 32 wedding anniversary... and just now, finally, I am beginning to realize just how much he gives to me.  I like to think I have always appreciated him, but not enough.  Not nearly enough.

The rabbit hutch is wonderful. My husband is wonderful. Our FRIENDS are wonderful.  My realization of just how lucky I am?  Late... but terrific.  

Doozy...

My precious mother in law died in 2002. Because she had lived very frugally, she left money for her children. With the inheritance my husband received, we paid for orthodontia work for our daughter, and we bought a truck. 

A beautiful burgundy Ford F150. It was to be for me to drive, and I fell in love, hard.  It was the only brand new vehicle I'd ever had that was just for me.  I loved everything about her, and named her Doozy.  We had a great many adventures together... driving with friends to grooming competitions with dogs, fun road trips and lovely vacations with family. Rachel and her pals where schlepped hither and yon in it, too.  We moved to Maine with Doozy, (with 5 dogs in the back!)  leaving our suburban home to live in the country.  As I began to add livestock to our place, Doozy hauled hay and straw and shavings and sacks of feed. Other than being a little tricky to drive in the snow, Doozy never let me down.

Late this summer we took her in to be inspected and have an oil change and got bad news.  Rust had damaged her frame and she was no longer safe to drive.  I grieved as if I were losing a friend. 

We bought a gently used Toyota Tacoma for me to drive, but I couldn't seem to bring myself to put Doozy up for sale.  Weeks, then months went by.  Then my husband suggested we consider donating the truck to National Public Radio.  I sat on that idea for a while, but finally made the decision. 

Today I took the last few things out of her console. A few clipper blades, some loose change, one random earring and an ice scraper.  This afternoon an enormous flat bed truck pulled up.  The driver got into Doozy and backed her out of the driveway.  He winched her up and drove away.  It made me sad. 

Until I remembered something. I had that wonderful truck because of my mother in law's gift. And that mother in law?  She LOVED to listen to the radio.  She had a radio in every room, two in some rooms!  And she was a fan of NPR.  Suddenly it seemed so right that this good truck was going to help fund public radio.  As sad as I was to see her go, I am grateful for the miles of smiles I had driving her. And I am happy to think the radio that my mother in law was so fond of will be funded by her gift. 

Snow day...

My grooming customers rearranged their appointments for today. The first big storm of the season is upon us.  While Mainer's are not slowed down much by snow, this storm promised snow followed by freezing rain, a dreadful combination.  I woke to a word awash is shades of gray and white, and it was cold when I did chores, 14 degrees.  The horse was waiting in the pasture for breakfast, her thick winter coat blanketed in snow.  She didn't care.  The goats only came out of the shed because I promised breakfast.  They all got a warm drink from the heated bucket after they ate, and headed back inside, out of the storm. I filled the hay racks up and they settled in for a quiet day of eating and napping.  The chickens refused to step outside, as did the ducks.  I brought them all warm water and a big breakfast.  I added extra hay to the rabbits cage, he burrows down deep and looks cozy. 

I filled the wild bird feeders, then I came inside, made breakfast for myself and looked out the window a while.

Warmed and fed,  I got to work.  I like to start the New Year out with some sense of order in my life, and I decided to give my grooming studio a really good scrubbing. This meant moving all the furniture and decorations from where they were so I could wash walls and the inside of the window glass, and give everything an extra good vacuuming. I wiped the walls and the baseboards, and cleaned every little nook and corner.  I even took the pictures off the walls and cleaned behind them.Pet hair is insidious and works its way into the most unlikely places.  Once the "sitting" end of the studio was mopped and clean, I decided to take a little break.  Next I'll polish all the furniture,  dust and wipe the decorative items, and put everything back where it belongs and clean the "business" end.

That feels like a daunting task right now, since it is piled with everything I moved so I could scrub.

Ack!  I guess my break time is over, back to work.  The snow has turned to frozen rain, there are hardly any cars passing on the road outside. I am happy to be snug in the house, bringing order to my life so I can begin the new year fresh and clean. 

Treasures....

It all began innocently enough.  My daughter's friends were visiting from Philadelphia.  They had been out to breakfast, then came to say hi to us. Next they were off to our favorite little antique store. "Do you want to come with us?" they politely asked.  Well of course I did! 

Sadly, I had some cash in my wallet.  More sadly, the store was having a big old sale. 

And I came home with some neat stuff. 

On top is a rather unique silverware caddy.  The edges are curved, rather than square, and the wood is lovely.  It is very old, but sturdy and in excellent shape. I plan to keep my "good" sliver there, ready for entertaining.

Under the caddy is an antique candle box.  Mellow, glowing pine...

With a lovely lid that slides. I already have put a whole stash of candles in there... and freed up a useful kitchen drawer where they used to be stored. 

Treasures!  Things I didn't know I needed, but am glad to have.  Next time I am invited, I think I'll just stay home. It's less expensive.

Controversy...

My oldest sister and I were chatting early on Christmas eve morning. I told her of the very fattening feast I was planning to cook that evening. It consisted of prime rib and other delicious things, and I also planned to make popovers.  She countered that Yorkshire pudding was far more traditional.  I argued back that I had brand new fancy popover pans and wanted to use them.  When we were kids our mom made both popovers and Yorkshire pudding with some frequency.  They were special treats, and we all loved them both.  To me, popovers always seemed a little fancier.

That night I did, indeed, make popovers, and they turned out quite well.  If you have never made them, they consist of a thin batter made from eggs, milk, flour and a little salt.  Popovers are made in pans similar to muffin tins, greased with butter.  The batter for Yorkshire pudding is about the same, but it is cooked in a larger pan (like a cast iron skillet) which contains some of the fat and drippings from the meat.  Traditionally the "pudding" was cooked to absorb the fat from the roast-on-a-spit meat, and it served to fill up hungry farm workers on inexpensive baked batter before they dove into the expensive meat portion of the meal. 

The magic of both of these is that they puff up with no leavening.  The outside is crisp and golden and the inside moist and tender.  It is best eaten hot out of the oven, and (in my opinion,) dripping with butter. 

We have a bit of the delicious prime rib left over, and are enjoying it so much.  Tonight I decided to make Yorkshire pudding, while the taste of popovers was still fresh in our memories so we could compare. 

It puffed up as it should, and oh! it was so good.  Chris said he prefers it to the popovers, which makes me a little grumpy because, as I previously mentioned, I just bought a special popover pan. 

I think I will need to do further tests to compare.  Lots of them.  Maybe once a week!  Stay tuned. 

And the gifts keep coming...

The phone rang at 8:00 AM.  "Daryl, do you want some Christmas trees?"  It was my friend at the local hardware store. He knew my goats liked the taste of tree. He had a pile of un-sold greenery and was happy to share it with me.  "You bet!" I told him. I had just enough time to make myself look somewhat presentable when the truck pulled up. I directed the driver to back up to the pasture fence, and he did, skillfully.

The truck was filled high with beautiful evergreen trees that never got to be the delight of someones holiday.  That made me sad, but I was delighted to think that the fragrant things soon would be goat snacks. 

Two young employees wrestled off the ropes that were holding the trees into the truck bed, then they cut the string holding the branches of each tree together.  Then the guys tossed the heavy, rather awkward things over the 4 foot fence with ease.

The horse and goats were eating some hay about 100 feet from where the tree tossing was happening.  They all looked up, alarmed at the activity.  The horse stared, ears forward, tail up. Then she snorted, pivoted and took off in the opposite direction at a rapid rate of speed, the goats behind her.  After the guys had left, I walked around to the pasture gate, and the goats and horse all joined me.  Clearly I was their "fearless leader," bravely approaching the dark shapes that had just arrived in the pasture.  They followed closely behind me, alert and on guard. 

Luna, the herd queen, took the lead. Neck stretched, taking tentative steps.  Once she realized what those hulking mounds on the ground were, she took a nibble. Then she pressed right in, sniffing the lush greenery and tasting, tasting. Ella and Celeste followed closely, not wanting to miss out on tree treats.

Little Jane Doe was still concerned.

She looked at the pile of trees, the big goats, and then me.  It seemed she asked, "Is this OK?"  I gave her a reassuring kiss on her little worried face, and soon she, too, was sampling the bounty of Christmas.