Saturday was absolutely gorgeous — warm and sunny but Sunday was wet, wet, wet and rain and colder temps are in the forecast through Tuesday night. But they are talking about sunshine and highs in the upper 70s on Friday and continuing through the weekend so if that forecast holds, I can live with some rain.
I love it when the nice weather falls on the weekends…it makes it easier to get stuff done during the week.
We (me and my 4 teenage partners in crime) went out to Saint Peter’s, had a picnic, and climbed all over the rocks on Saturday afternoon. It was really nice.
I’m looking forward to a possible bike ride next weekend. I got my bike tuned up, new chain, and it’s just waiting patiently for me to take it out for a spin.
Friday night was gorgeous weather and we sat outside and listened to music. Then it rained the entire rest of the weekend. Today it is sunny and beautiful – of course, since I am stuck inside.
The weather has been perfect and even yesterday’s overcast and rain was a welcome change. I got the herb garden done and got some tomato and pepper plants in the ground.
Discovered a new path…the apple trees are starting to flower…and hung up a new hummingbird feeder and within minutes caught this guy right above my head:
I grew up in a little neighborhood called Orchard Hill for obvious reasons, so my friends and I got to play in and around the apple trees. It was a working orchard then and the owners were quite tolerant of us, despite all the apples we managed to eat. Lucky you to spend a little time with those beautiful trees!
it’s really cool to see the trees change so rapidly. When I got here 6 days ago they weren’t blooming at all and now about half of them are. The rest must be a different variety? I’m a city girl…
Hey dada, I should have HT`d you for naming the constellation IIRC
And the serpents here seem to hang out over by the apple tree.
(It`s really a fake apple tree) I should make one with plastic crabs hanging from it. It would fool the smaller snakes. A crab apple tree.
Teen-age boys are natural, predatory males though, should be wary of an open hunting season, on unnatural activities. The sniffer dogs should be “Pavlov`d” to recognize the difference, & let loose.
Yes, teenage boys are natural, as is their fascination with bodily emanations – which I feel most would be compelled to share via the net given a mode of transmission.
To counter the assault of “smell-ups” we’d all be installing fart, burp, week-old underwear, etc. blockers.
Keres,
And spam connected with the thought of those emanations is why they at least have spam-blockers.
Hey, it`s a start.
How is everything with you & your homestead.
Is it a happy place for you & yours.
How`s the new bunny?
I guess I should drop in here more often.
Since the “cafe” closed, I`m not used to just dropping in.
Hector, the “new bunny” isn’t so new anymore. He’s nearly full-grown. He’s been a welcome, and a cheeky, addition to the family.
Other newer members, such as Lily the pup and Humbug II (we’ve yet to come up with her real name) the cria are doing well. Lily, Luna and I went on a seven kilometer walk this afternoon, which is her longest walk thus far. She should sleep especially soundly tonight (maybe she’ll even wait until 6am to wake us up, instead of her usual 4:30am).
First, “cria”?
I`m glad the bunny, Hector fit into the family well.
Any animal that thinks I should be up at 4:30 AM will definitely be taken on the longest walk it`s ever been on, and, at 4:30 in the AM.
I know I`m at the mercy of our animals bio-clock, but like my reef, I determine the light cycle. I have a black-out cloth that limits the ambient light to nil, when not on the natural cycle naturally provided at the equator. The cycle is twelve hours of light (different ones come on successively & respectively in the reverse) then 12 hours of darkness. One can set the cycle to start at anytime, though it must remain consistent. Luckily, my fish don`t wear watches. The parrots on the other hand live by the sun.
My cat Milo, is fading rapidly, & we`re paying special attention to him.
He`s 20 years old, but is now simply skin on a skeleton. It`s not good.
What`s behind the name Sook Farm. Anything special?
Sook: A word used in Australia and New Zealand. From the Scottish to suckle; essentially calling someone a sook is saying they are acting like a big baby. Almost all of our animals act like big babies (or at the very least they try it on to see what it gets them).
Lily got me up at 3am this morning. The problem is not her bio-clock but the size of her bladder – she needs to pee.
Sounds like Milo has had his full number of innings and then some.
I got something for the dogs too.
The coyotes use it all the time, to lure young testosterone`d out dogs to their ultimate demise.
I like the natural deterrents though.
The coyotes around here stay away from the dogs. Giddy, Sniff, and Bebo did have had one meet-up with a coyote and all they did was check each other out and then coyote trotted off. I was running up after them, expecting their to be a huge fight and was so shocked at their behavior, I didn’t even think to take a picture.
AndiF,
Coyotes are too cool for school.
See how you were shocked at their behavior. They`re already working that angle.
They are everywhere in North America, no matter what any one says.
Check your mail later today.
You`ll hear what my back canyon sounds like.
Coyotes have been around here for about 15 years but we’ve got lots of forest for them to hang in and they mostly stay away from people. But we hear them all the time.
I was more shocked by the dogs than the coyote, though — they were almost friendly.
I’ll be checking my email. In the meantime, I hope you get some sleep.
It’s clear that coyotes seem to our dogs like just another dog. Because of that, coyotes have learned to lure off pet dogs by playing with them and then leading them back to a pack ambush.
When I lived in No. California my neighbor lost both his dogs that way. Another time, in NM, I saw a coyote try to lure away a friends staffy while we were hiking in the hills. My Pyreness was with me (on lead) and very concerned, but the off-lead staffy wasn’t. Fortunately she came back when called.
When I lived in the US I’ve loved listening to coyotes howl at night, and I was always pleased to see one, but I never forgot that they would take any of my animals given a chance. I know I lost a goose to them one afternoon when I had to take the dog (one of my former Pyrs) to the vet, and suspect they got a cat of mine as well.
Coyotes have moved into what was formerly wolf habitat, so much so that they are indeed ubiquitous in North America. In some areas they interbred with remaining wolves, and in others they interbreed with domestic dogs (called “Coydogs”), both of which have made them larger and more aggressive than the more traditional coyote.
Also, coyotes are clearly benefiting from living near humans. We’ve increased their foods sources (trash, rats and mice, cats, livestock, etc.) and decreased their competition. This has also lead to an increase in size in “suburban” coyotes.
This is clearly true. I no longer find it so amusing that our coyotes cleaned up the daily remains of my winter chamber-pot — grateful as I was at the time.
We’re currently looking into purchasing a composting toilet, for around $2000. Still, it’s much cheaper than a new septic system, and doesn’t use water, of which we have precious little.
I looked into a composting system for my former digs (the place with the winter chamber-pot — no running water from October to April), but it didn’t seem that I could maintain the proper composting temperature in that space.
Given the right environment, I think it’s a great idea.
Second Nature,
The picture with the very large crystal & the glass globe, is one terrific photo.
It`s a rather difficultly lit scene, but you pulled it off perfectly.
An April Fool runs through the early woods
To find a patch of spotted adder tongue
Or striped spring beauties pushing snow aside —
A fool in April thinks the world is young.
This is a portion of a poem by Inez George Gridley, included in her collection Journey from Red Hill (where I’m now living/taking pictures, at what was once a working farm). She memorialized this valley in a very loving way & spent most of her 97 years here, as a teacher & farmer’s wife.
Journey from Red Hill encompasses over 60 years of her work. I’ll admit that I like her late work best; her poems gained in sophistication, depth & nuance over time.
I’m having a hell of a time staying OL tonight (intense thunderstorms/power fritzles) & am about to bark with frustration — ergo will say goodnight.
Howdy, lusciousness. We had snow yesterday, but by this morning it’d been rained away. These shots definitely could’ve gone into the ‘surprise’ thread on Friday — though my housemate tells me she’s seen almost a foot of snow in May.
So glad to see you & sense you’re really enjoying your house-sitting gig. Hope to see you again soon & hear more. I’ve got to go offline now — too much lightning to bode well for poor Miss Mac & my continued blogging pleasure.
Did everybody have a nice weekend? We had the most gorgeous weather but it’s urned a bit cold this morning…rain expected later.
I guess that’s appropriate for a Monday.
Saturday was absolutely gorgeous — warm and sunny but Sunday was wet, wet, wet and rain and colder temps are in the forecast through Tuesday night. But they are talking about sunshine and highs in the upper 70s on Friday and continuing through the weekend so if that forecast holds, I can live with some rain.
I love it when the nice weather falls on the weekends…it makes it easier to get stuff done during the week.
We (me and my 4 teenage partners in crime) went out to Saint Peter’s, had a picnic, and climbed all over the rocks on Saturday afternoon. It was really nice.
I’m looking forward to a possible bike ride next weekend. I got my bike tuned up, new chain, and it’s just waiting patiently for me to take it out for a spin.
Saint Peter’s looks like a great place to spend the day. Got pictures?
You’re not going to believe this, but by the time I had gathered up the kids, their friends, lunch, drinks, etc…I forgot about the camera.
We go there pretty often, though, so I think you’ll probably get pictures pretty soon anyway.
Friday night was gorgeous weather and we sat outside and listened to music. Then it rained the entire rest of the weekend. Today it is sunny and beautiful – of course, since I am stuck inside.
Isn’t that the way it always happens?
It’s like the old joke: Q: “What follows 2 days of rain in <<insert city here>>?”
A: “Monday.”
true. But I’m feeling better because the sun has gone away and a light rain is again falling. Much more appropriate for a Monday 🙂
Hay, what happened to spring? It’s cold here!
Good morning CG and Andi!
Hi b2! I’m freezing here today…I want that 70-degree weather back.
At least everything is turning green and blooming now.
The weather has been perfect and even yesterday’s overcast and rain was a welcome change. I got the herb garden done and got some tomato and pepper plants in the ground.
Discovered a new path…the apple trees are starting to flower…and hung up a new hummingbird feeder and within minutes caught this guy right above my head:
SN, that place is so gorgeous! Does your friend need a live-in caretaker for the house? 😉
I hope the apple trees launch into full bloom while you’re there…the smell will be heavenly.
Ah, that is so fine. I don’t if he’s paying you to housesit but if it were me, he’d be having to pay a whole hell of a lot more to get me to leave.
Yeah, I feel like I should be paying him. I’m eating his food, drinking his wine, filling up his garden tub with a 100 gallons of water every night…
I grew up in a little neighborhood called Orchard Hill for obvious reasons, so my friends and I got to play in and around the apple trees. It was a working orchard then and the owners were quite tolerant of us, despite all the apples we managed to eat. Lucky you to spend a little time with those beautiful trees!
it’s really cool to see the trees change so rapidly. When I got here 6 days ago they weren’t blooming at all and now about half of them are. The rest must be a different variety? I’m a city girl…
That’s probably a pretty good guess. I’m no expert either, just enjoyed playing there.
CELEBRATING 4/20
4 rolls of twine & 20 bricks, will spread one plant into an area dream.
Night Vision
The Right to Bare Arms
CANABIS MAJOR (constellation)
YARD SAIL
SUNSET DELIGHT
the garden of eden…pre-serpent
Hey dada, I should have HT`d you for naming the constellation IIRC
And the serpents here seem to hang out over by the apple tree.
(It`s really a fake apple tree) I should make one with plastic crabs hanging from it. It would fool the smaller snakes. A crab apple tree.
That’s looking very tasty! Anyone have any brownie mix?
Brownie mix, Hell, I have the brownies.
Sometimes I even have the munchies.
It’s so pretty!
Oh my!
Good thing they haven’t come up with smell-o-net yet or the sniffer dogs would be going crazy. 🙂
With all the teenage boys on the net it’s a good thing they haven’t come up with the smell-o-net period.
There’s a filthy puppy shedding dirt onto the floor and chuffing away in her sleep.
Teen-age boys are natural, predatory males though, should be wary of an open hunting season, on unnatural activities. The sniffer dogs should be “Pavlov`d” to recognize the difference, & let loose.
Yes, teenage boys are natural, as is their fascination with bodily emanations – which I feel most would be compelled to share via the net given a mode of transmission.
To counter the assault of “smell-ups” we’d all be installing fart, burp, week-old underwear, etc. blockers.
Keres,
And spam connected with the thought of those emanations is why they at least have spam-blockers.
Hey, it`s a start.
How is everything with you & your homestead.
Is it a happy place for you & yours.
How`s the new bunny?
I guess I should drop in here more often.
Since the “cafe” closed, I`m not used to just dropping in.
We’re well-enough down here at Sook Farm.
Hector, the “new bunny” isn’t so new anymore. He’s nearly full-grown. He’s been a welcome, and a cheeky, addition to the family.
Other newer members, such as Lily the pup and Humbug II (we’ve yet to come up with her real name) the cria are doing well. Lily, Luna and I went on a seven kilometer walk this afternoon, which is her longest walk thus far. She should sleep especially soundly tonight (maybe she’ll even wait until 6am to wake us up, instead of her usual 4:30am).
First, “cria”?
I`m glad the bunny, Hector fit into the family well.
Any animal that thinks I should be up at 4:30 AM will definitely be taken on the longest walk it`s ever been on, and, at 4:30 in the AM.
I know I`m at the mercy of our animals bio-clock, but like my reef, I determine the light cycle. I have a black-out cloth that limits the ambient light to nil, when not on the natural cycle naturally provided at the equator. The cycle is twelve hours of light (different ones come on successively & respectively in the reverse) then 12 hours of darkness. One can set the cycle to start at anytime, though it must remain consistent. Luckily, my fish don`t wear watches. The parrots on the other hand live by the sun.
My cat Milo, is fading rapidly, & we`re paying special attention to him.
He`s 20 years old, but is now simply skin on a skeleton. It`s not good.
What`s behind the name Sook Farm. Anything special?
Cria: baby alpaca.
Sook: A word used in Australia and New Zealand. From the Scottish to suckle; essentially calling someone a sook is saying they are acting like a big baby. Almost all of our animals act like big babies (or at the very least they try it on to see what it gets them).
Lily got me up at 3am this morning. The problem is not her bio-clock but the size of her bladder – she needs to pee.
Sounds like Milo has had his full number of innings and then some.
A filthy puppy sleeping puppy and you didn’t take a picture and post it!?! I thought you understood your purpose in life. 😉
Strangely, life sometimes interferes with my purpose in life. I took some photos last night that I will post today.
I got something for the dogs too.
The coyotes use it all the time, to lure young testosterone`d out dogs to their ultimate demise.
I like the natural deterrents though.
The coyotes around here stay away from the dogs. Giddy, Sniff, and Bebo did have had one meet-up with a coyote and all they did was check each other out and then coyote trotted off. I was running up after them, expecting their to be a huge fight and was so shocked at their behavior, I didn’t even think to take a picture.
AndiF,
Coyotes are too cool for school.
See how you were shocked at their behavior. They`re already working that angle.
They are everywhere in North America, no matter what any one says.
Check your mail later today.
You`ll hear what my back canyon sounds like.
Coyotes have been around here for about 15 years but we’ve got lots of forest for them to hang in and they mostly stay away from people. But we hear them all the time.
I was more shocked by the dogs than the coyote, though — they were almost friendly.
I’ll be checking my email. In the meantime, I hope you get some sleep.
Apparently they’re becoming less people-shy in some areas…
Good morning, btw!
It’s clear that coyotes seem to our dogs like just another dog. Because of that, coyotes have learned to lure off pet dogs by playing with them and then leading them back to a pack ambush.
When I lived in No. California my neighbor lost both his dogs that way. Another time, in NM, I saw a coyote try to lure away a friends staffy while we were hiking in the hills. My Pyreness was with me (on lead) and very concerned, but the off-lead staffy wasn’t. Fortunately she came back when called.
I’ve heard of coyotes doing that.
When I lived in the US I’ve loved listening to coyotes howl at night, and I was always pleased to see one, but I never forgot that they would take any of my animals given a chance. I know I lost a goose to them one afternoon when I had to take the dog (one of my former Pyrs) to the vet, and suspect they got a cat of mine as well.
Coyotes have moved into what was formerly wolf habitat, so much so that they are indeed ubiquitous in North America. In some areas they interbred with remaining wolves, and in others they interbreed with domestic dogs (called “Coydogs”), both of which have made them larger and more aggressive than the more traditional coyote.
Also, coyotes are clearly benefiting from living near humans. We’ve increased their foods sources (trash, rats and mice, cats, livestock, etc.) and decreased their competition. This has also lead to an increase in size in “suburban” coyotes.
In short, we’re turning them into wolves.
This is clearly true. I no longer find it so amusing that our coyotes cleaned up the daily remains of my winter chamber-pot — grateful as I was at the time.
At least it was the coyotes, and not your dog. Needless to say, we can always tell when the dogs have found some “droppings”.
No doubt!
The coyotes were relatively secretive. It took a little while to realize that I wasn’t just blessed with disappearing feces.
That would indeed be a blessing.
We’re currently looking into purchasing a composting toilet, for around $2000. Still, it’s much cheaper than a new septic system, and doesn’t use water, of which we have precious little.
I looked into a composting system for my former digs (the place with the winter chamber-pot — no running water from October to April), but it didn’t seem that I could maintain the proper composting temperature in that space.
Given the right environment, I think it’s a great idea.
Good morning all. Cold and rainy here, a nice mix. 😉
more stuff from the NC mountains –
This old stone stairway/path is so intriguing to me. During the day it looks inviting, but at sundown it looks downright scary.
Second Nature,
The picture with the very large crystal & the glass globe, is one terrific photo.
It`s a rather difficultly lit scene, but you pulled it off perfectly.
Thanks, head! The homeowner has crystals EVERYWHERE!
Of course he does. He’s near Asheville.
😉
So glad you’re enjoying your time there, SN.
Between your pix & Knucklehead’s, this cafe’ recalls memories for the wanderin’ wench.
Looks lovely and inviting from here. How many months do you think you can talk him into staying away?
April 20, 2009 at Moon Hill.
Great photo.
Whose poem?
This is a portion of a poem by Inez George Gridley, included in her collection Journey from Red Hill (where I’m now living/taking pictures, at what was once a working farm). She memorialized this valley in a very loving way & spent most of her 97 years here, as a teacher & farmer’s wife.
It’s excellent. I’ll have to look her up.
Journey from Red Hill encompasses over 60 years of her work. I’ll admit that I like her late work best; her poems gained in sophistication, depth & nuance over time.
I’m having a hell of a time staying OL tonight (intense thunderstorms/power fritzles) & am about to bark with frustration — ergo will say goodnight.
Hi Wench – I love the poem and the photo too. I had no idea you were having snow again up there.
Howdy, lusciousness. We had snow yesterday, but by this morning it’d been rained away. These shots definitely could’ve gone into the ‘surprise’ thread on Friday — though my housemate tells me she’s seen almost a foot of snow in May.
So glad to see you & sense you’re really enjoying your house-sitting gig. Hope to see you again soon & hear more. I’ve got to go offline now — too much lightning to bode well for poor Miss Mac & my continued blogging pleasure.
‘Night!
Good thing that red barn looks so good in the snow, otherwise you’d be forced to join the daffodils in being really, really pissed. 😉
Lily, after yesterday’s long walk.
I know just how she feels.
Thanks so much for a smile before bed! She’s a love.
I grabbed the shots and ran for the back door to avoid getting slimed.
For those of you keeping track, Lily now weighs 15 kilos, which is one third of Luna’s weight. She’s three months old tomorrow.
your purpose in life. 🙂
I love the expression on her face in the bottom one — yeah, I’m dirty, you wanna make something of it?.