Bad Labs

Patio Cat

2010-06-17T22:09:00.005-04:00

Morty likes hanging out on the patio, and the shady spot underneath the dwarf Japanese Maple is one of his favorite places to nap. The problem is that he rarely gets a decent snooze going before Zoe starts to pester him.

He then leaps onto the hot tub for some peace, only to be accosted by the hummingbirds who have no fear of him. They know that under the best of circumstances they are far faster than he and enjoy dive-bombing him after they have had their fill of sugar-water.

Zoe at Eleven Months...

2010-06-13T15:54:00.007-04:00

Zoe turns eleven months old this month, and she is still undersized. I think I caught Oscar whispering "GROW" in her ear while she slept recently... What she lacks in size she makes up for in personality, or at least raw spunk. She pushes Claris, easily double Zoe's weight, around like a little tyrant. She does not beg for but demands and commands attention and treats from her people, walks into every room like she owns it and insists on the most comfortable spots, pillows and blankets wherever she decides to lay down. Don't get me wrong, though; she is not a bad puppy, just a handful.

The day I brought her home she walked into the house as if she were the Queen of Sheba herself. She never had the period of adjustment that the other dogs did; she just knew her place and settled in immediately.

She is also loving, funny and playful. Her favorite place to be is wherever you are, usually leaning or sleeping against you. As I type this, she is asleep at my feet, with her head resting on my toes... Although she eats as if she were starving, she never growls if you get near her or touch her bowl. She is quick to offer her belly to rub if she thinks you need a little pick-me-up, and even shares the sock she has been carrying around all day, in case you need a little gnaw, too.

Zoe is very much a puppy, and her energy feels almost boundless at times. She is more agile than any other Lab I have known, and faster, too. She easily catches butterflies, bees and the occasional fowl that has foolishly crossed the fence into the "Doggy Danger Zone". She loves to stalk all manner of creatures, from the goats against the fence to poor Claris who is only trying to take a nap in a shady spot. Even if she did not get the usual Labrador size, she did get their love of the hunt!

So Zoe is about to crest the one year mark. She still has a little growing to do on the outside, and a lot to do on the inside. It is so interesting to watch a puppy grow and to see what sort of dog they will become.

2010-05-23T18:40:00.004-04:00

Wordle, this site:

Got little tomatoes?

2010-05-19T17:16:00.008-04:00

I love cherry and grape tomatoes, but never seem to eat them all before they go bad. If you are like me, you either hate this because you paid too much for them or you worked too hard growing them to allow them to go quietly.

I usually have a jar of roasted peppers in the pantry, so I grab that and combine the two overnight in the fridge (the juice that the peppers are in adds a nice flavor to the tomatoes and marries their flavors).

The next day, give them a spin in the food processor until they are nice and smooth. I add a little olive oil and some spices (depending on your tastes- you can make it spicy or go for the Italian herbs- whatever your preference). When smooth, pour into a saucepan and cook it over low heat until the color darkens and its smell starts to waft through the kitchen.

You can serve it over any sort of pasta you like, but it really seems to go best with pasta shapes as opposed to strands. The shapes really grab and hold that delicious sauce.

For Oscar I add a little cheese to the top, for me a nice pinch of basil.

This sauce can be frozen and helps make all those tomatoes worth the money or the time & effort (depending on your investment)!

Roses passed their prime?

2010-05-19T16:52:00.009-04:00

I have several shrub roses that brighten up the landscape, but they never last long enough! I just could not let all those pretty petals go to waste, so I decided to make a nice rose-petal facial scrub.

I picked the petals that were about to go brown; you can tell that they are the right ones to pick, as they come away easily from the stem. You will want to get a nice bowlful, and then lay them out and pick out the foreign objects and allow the insects to escape (you will find small aphids and their friends living in the flowers; they are not part of this recipe as who wants critters in their scrub?), then wash the petals in cool water.

I like a scrub with brown sugar, milk, egg whites, honey, dried oranges and oats. You can use whatever you like, but be sure you do not use anything too harsh. When I have almond milk I often use that instead of regular milk, and have been known to add some fresh aloe juice if it is available. DO NOT add anything you are not sure about; you can give yourself one heck of a rash if you get a little too creative with the botanicals. Just because it is natural does not mean it is your skin's friend! Also , some fruits and berries can stain skin; you do not want to end up looking like Violet Beaureguarde, now do you?

I pop all the ingredients into the food processor and give them a whirl until they are as smooth. You should refrigerate your mix, as it can go bad and you do not want to put funky scrub on your skin!

Before you try the scrub, I ALWAYS recommend you put a little dollop on the inside of your forearm and leave it on for a few minutes to see if you react less than nicely to your scrub. Better a little welt on your arm than a face full of them! Use the scrub within a few days of making it.

It makes my skin soft, silky and smooth and I feel good about making the Roses last just a little longer!

Leftovers!

2010-05-19T16:38:00.004-04:00

Do you feel the pressure of using all the produce and food you buy before it goes bad? I have found the frugal & tasty way to make sure that nothing goes to waste in our fridge. Each night I peek through the drawers and look for anything that might be getting a little less than perfect, and work out the way I can extend its useful life.

This weekend I had some peppers I intended to stuff, but each dinner I could not entice Oscar with stuffed peppers so here I was with peppers that were just about to go soft. I cored, seeded and sliced them and then marinated them overnight in a nice vinegrette dressing.

The next day they were roasted on the grill, ready to be used in recipes that called for roasted peppers! Just put them on a grill pan or in a grill basket, turn every 5 minutes, and in 15 minutes or so, you have some fire-roasted goodness.

Spring Panoramic at Dog Days

2010-04-17T11:42:00.008-04:00

Click image for panoramic

Mother Nature is Messing with my Head

2010-03-27T08:11:00.011-04:00

It was below freezing last night; I am starting to get a twitch every time I hear the heating system kick on. I want open windows and warm breezes!

The rain prevented me from photographing the spring blossoms yesterday, and I am hoping that last night's freeze has not caused those blooms to turn to icy mush so I can catch that short seasonal moment in time.

Flowers are such a perfect icon of spring; so beautiful, so bright, and here for such a short time. They are the living expression of hope, and of the power and possibility to life. The amazing thing is that even if the freeze did take the blooms that are already here, the rain will bring more to replace the ones lost by the cruelty of the cold. It is the only magic that is real; the tangible representation of what is around us if we could only stop a moment and really look around, and at each other, and see the extraordinary potential of the living energy that surrounds us.

So I wander with a towel around my neck, a camera in my hands, and dew-soaked shoes. I laugh to myself that all I need now is a copy of The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and the Universe could be mine. Never leave home without your towel; it will keep you dry while getting belly-down, nose-to-stamen with your chosen quarry. I must look quite the sight.

I am capturing for all time something that should not last. I wonder if this is somehow cheating, this holding onto something that is precious not just because of its beauty, but also because of its ephemeral nature. Ah, Saturday morning flower philosophy. I sip my coffee, enjoy the warm, dry socks that have replaced the cold and damp shoes and pull myself back from deep thoughts and back into the here and now. The puppy wants to play, and I must oblige her...

A Spring Day in Roanoke

2010-03-20T19:50:00.010-04:00

I love visiting Downtown Roanoke and wandering through the Farmer's Market. There is always something interesting going on, there are all sorts of vegetables and fruits for sale, and lots of Artisans selling their crafts. The architecture is fun to photograph, and the people are some of the most friendly I have ever found. The shops are varied and interesting, and there is almost every cuisine I can think of all within walking distance. It just does not get any better than that!

I had some Pad Thai at a new restaurant, grabbed some coffee at Mill Mountain Coffee Shop, picked up a loaf of bread from On The Rise, peeked at some clothes at Le De Da, ogled the Chocolate counter at Chocolate Paper, and snagged some veggies from the Market.

I watched Mr. Saunders make birdhouses from natural & recycled materials, and enjoyed people-watching while using the free wifi.

Sadly, I did not have a chance to go to the Taubman Museum of Art. I think that calls for another visit very soon, don't you?

So Close to Spring...

2010-03-17T23:54:00.007-04:00

The Dogs are ready for spring. I can tell they are getting the itch to roam the woods and fields, and so am I! The peepers were not singing last weekend, but the daffodils were poking green spires through the leaves of the forest floor, so I deem that enough of a sign that nature is waking up and it will not be long until we are enjoying grilling on the porch and planting all around Dog Days. I am so thankful for the small signs, as I am still traumatized from the powerful winter that roared through the entire Mid-Atlantic.

Barb and Mia recently spent a few days with us and helped out on the first forest permaculture planting. Three thousand seeds later, I really owed them a nice dinner at Oddfella's Cantina in Floyd. We were lucky to enjoy live music and a great meal; I love to go to a local eatery that has so many things on the menu that I want to eat that it is really hard to choose just one thing. I find myself trying to convince everyone else at the table to order the other menu items I want so I can sneak bites...

The deer have destroyed every bit of shrubbery we have; they know they are much faster than the dogs, so no longer even bother to feign fear or muster a decent run. I used to like the hooved ruminants, but just having a love of vegetables in common is no longer enough to keep me from resenting their locust-like qualities. I may change my policy of live and let live if they push it much further. I can deal with the loss of the ewes, nandina, holly and such, but if they put one pointy toe near my tomatoes, they will truly incur my wrath. I do have my limits!

The wood stove will soon (hopefully) get cleaned out for the last time; I have to admit I will miss being able to lay by it and snuggle with the dogs. There is no better kind of warm than the one that a wood stove makes, except maybe for the warm that you feel when there is a puppy next to you. They are so sweet when they sleep; the rest of the time they can make you a little crazy, but while sleeping, there is nothing more precious.

The last sign that spring is near; my garage smells faintly of onions. Bags of red, white and yellow onion sets are in there waiting to be planted in the next couple of weeks as soon as the ground can be properly tilled. They are in their cool, dry place until the field is dry enough to get the tiller through without bogging down. I will do my best not to try too early, but with my usual patience of a Muppet on crack, someone may be rescuing me from myself and the tiller from the mud.

Pet Nerds Challenge: Entry 2

2010-02-11T20:44:00.003-05:00

-Chris Martin

Pet Nerds Challenge

2010-02-11T19:38:00.002-05:00

Beat this:

Read My Hand...

2010-02-11T08:21:00.003-05:00

I think this may actually signal the beginning of the end of the world; I think Sarah Palin may have a good idea. I hope it did not hurt her too much...

When she decided to write a few important points on her hand, she made sure she would get the points she (or her handlers) thought were important taken care of in her interview. I think ALL the folks in Washington should follow her lead, and put THIS on their hand:

SO, the next time your representative decides to get into a meeting where they start talking about how College Football should decide which teams get to play in the tournaments, they can look at their hand and act accordingly.

When they start to tell us how Wall Street's system for bonus payouts is fair and how Wall Street talent will leave because their base salaries are ONLY three times what I make so they need to hand out more money to keep the talent, they can read their hand.

When they start a filibuster to stop legislation not because they think it is wrong but because they did not write it, they can read their hand.

When they are deciding to give themselves a pay raise while we get cuts in education and infrastructure, they should put their hand down and read it.

And when they tell us that we need to spend billions on specious wars, bank bailouts, and money for projects that have nothing to do with building infrastructure or jobs, they can just look to their hand to know what we want.

Sadly, the hand failed to help Sarah look like more than the usual pandering politician with little substance and lots of fluff, but maybe with a little tweaking it might work to keep the folks we have in office reined in until we can get some new people who may not need to write on themselves to remember what their job is and who they work for.

First Snow Day of 2010

2010-02-01T14:20:00.014-05:00

Oscar did some snow removal today, especially on the trees and truck. We may get more snow tomorrow, so in order to save some tree branches and to have any hope of getting out of the house before spring, he got bundled up and Zoe tagged along to get the cold & wet work done!

She thought it was loads of fun; Oscar seemed a little more intent on getting the job done and getting out of the cold!

Claris had her Kong, and was sunning herself while licking snow out of her toy. She tried very hard to stay under Zoe's "jealous toy" radar, but that only works for so long... especially when this is the best poker face you can muster (note: Kong hidden under paw).

Zoe caught Claris and attacked her for the Kong (Notice that no feet are touching the ground in this picture?):

..and the Victory Lap:

Deer Living on the Porch...

2010-02-01T08:54:00.003-05:00

We have a small herd of deer who have taken up residence on the porch at Dog Days. They are eating the shrubbery while relaxing out of the snow. I thought Ewe bushes were quite poisonous (I even think that Ewe poison was used to kill victims on the Forensic TV show "Bones" if I remember correctly), but the deer do not seem to mind and the shrubs are almost completely denuded of their foliage. Wonder if like some insects who eat poisonous plants in order to use the poisonous compounds to protect themselves from predators, the deer will become inedible too? Might not want to eat Dog Days Deer, they pack a punch!

Think Maybe They Will Sleep Well Tonight?

2010-01-31T14:07:00.012-05:00

We bundled up, grabbed the camera and braved the deep snow for a little romp around the yard. Zoe is still a little over-enthusiastic about the snow, while Claris seems to be enjoying it more now that Zoe is big enough to really play with!

Oh, JOY! It is a Snow Day tomorrow... the fun continues!

Water Dog in Snow

2010-01-30T14:08:00.003-05:00

I think most of today Zoe has been spent her time split between two things: playing outside and napping.

So how many inches is this?

STILL Snowing 1:58PM...

2010-01-30T13:57:00.001-05:00

Orchids

2010-01-29T22:08:00.011-05:00

I have never owned an orchid: I feel it would be somehow disrespectful to own something so beautiful that you were destined to kill. I know my limits. Outdoor plants I can keep going, and some less-finicky indoor plants may survive my care, but an orchid would be headed for an early grave if it had to rely upon my ministrations.

That does not mean that I do not appreciate them. There are more than 23,000 species of orchids out there, and they find hundreds more every year. There are exotic orchids in lush rain forests, but there are also beautiful ones native to Virginia as well. Men have died attempting to find and posses the rarest orchids, and there is a thriving trade in orchid poaching. While there are many different orchids and some are plentiful there are others that are extremely endangered, and countless others have disappeared even before we had a chance to study them due to habitat loss.

Thankfully if I want to enjoy orchids I can always take a quick trip to Ginter Botanical and wander around their collection and enjoy the beauty of the exotic tropical flora, along with the talent and hard work of people who know what they are doing. I appreciate the plant-nerds out there!

Daydreaming flowers before the storm

2010-01-29T20:22:00.019-05:00

There is a snowstorm coming, and I am thinking of building a flame-thrower. THAT would clear the driveway in no time, but I am sure Oscar would object vociferously. I have a habit of losing eyebrows when I play with flammables, so he does have a valid point. But still, it would be a whole lot easier than shoveling again, and I believe we have already hit the Virginia Snow-quota for this year, so I feel entitled to whine a little bit.

To keep my mind off of the snow, I have changed my desktop background to display a set of floral pictures. I figure if I look at them I will not feel that spring is so far away; not sure if that is foolish hope or wishful thinking, but it works for me either way.

I always want to get very close looks at flowers- they are one of the few things that get even more beautiful and interesting the more you scrutinize them!

So if the groundhog sees his shadow, please don't tell me. I want to live in denial for a little while.

When an orange isn't

2010-01-29T20:12:00.004-05:00

Time to eat yet? How about now? NOW?

2010-01-29T11:06:00.002-05:00

Super Soup!

2010-01-28T07:55:00.005-05:00

In the winter the Yankee in me demands that I make soups; Lots and lots of soups to ward off those winter blues! The slow cooker allows me to make the soups without much intervention and cooks the soups long & slow to really get that home-cooker flavor. Last week I made baked potato soup with Yukon gold potatoes, sour cream, green onions & cheddar cheese- Yum! Today I am working on a Lima Bean (yes, those are limas, just a version called "Christmas") soup. I would call it "Succotash Soup" as it has limas, tomatoes, corn & potatoes, but somehow that does not sound as appetizing as it looks...

Soup is so easy; just grab a base (in this case I used vegetable soup stock), drop in your already soaked & softened beans, two cans of tomatoes ( I used fire-roasted this time), corn, diced potatoes, some chopped jalapenos, diced onions, and chopped garlic. I put it on low and let it cook all day... and dinner is fresh, hot & ready! Less processed food, more love I always say...

Grrrnola!

2010-01-28T06:04:00.011-05:00

I have always loved granola, or at least some granola, but I have never found the perfect kind that had everything I wanted in it... until I found out how easy it is to make!

Basically you grab a box of oats, about a cup of brown sugar, the nuts and seeds of your choice, coconut if you like it, any other grains you may like (amaranth, puffed rice, or other cereals) and get them all mixed up in a steep-sided big bowl. In another smaller bowl I mix up molasses, honey, maple syrup or other syrups (usually 1/4 to 1/2 cup each type, enough to coat the cereal) and 1/4 cup oil. When each bowl is ready I combine the two, then drop the mix onto parchment-lined pans and put them in a 250-degree oven for an hour, stirring it up every 15 minutes to make sure it is evenly browned. When done, pull it out and carefully (I use the parchment to lift it up and funnel it) into the big bowl. You now add the fruit portion (raisins, berries, dried fruit chunks) and mix again. If you want "melty" candy bits, you add them now (this makes a snack granola as opposed to a breakfast one as it makes bigger chunks). Once you have mixed it again, let it cool back on the sheet pans. If you want un-melted chips (carob, chocolate, caramel, white chocolate, butterscotch, etc) add them once your mix is COMPLETELY cool.

I made some berry-mango-crunch and some butterscotch-berry granola a few days ago:

I am currently making a batch for a friend. The first picture is the oats, 7 grain cereal and flaked coconut with brown sugar, then the next is with the addition of the syrups and oil, which in this case are molasses, ginger syrup, maple syrup & honey and my chosen oil, grapeseed.

Once done, this batch will get mixed jumbo raisins, dried blueberries & cranberries. My friend is trying to lose weight, and this mix is filling, while not being too heavy in calories if eaten in moderation. The fruits are high in antioxidants and add such pretty color!

And all done it looks like this:

You know you want a bite!

Fog on the Mountain; Snow Finally Melts

2010-01-18T09:32:00.012-05:00

We spent the long King-Day weekend enjoying slightly warmer temperatures, even with the two days of rain (but I am NOT complaining as it helped get the snow to melt faster and clear the drive up to the house enough to safely navigate up and down). We listened to music on Pandora.com, watched deer and a strange animal that resembled a cat that we only got a glimpse of in the distance... We took a hike during one of the breaks in the rain and found the creek brimming over with water thanks to the snow melt/rain combo...

Zoe found a pile of snow that had not melted down yet and dove right in. She seems to not tire of having it around, but I find snow, like fish and house-guests, stink after about three days.

We hiked down Claytor and found it to be a muddy mess, and both dogs loved every inch of it. I think I actually got a better workout due to the fact that there was at least a pound of the stuff stuck to my hiking shoes. Regardless of the mud, I still love all the wet, as it is raising the water table, clearing out the streams and preparing what looks to be a fantastic spring!

The old Claytor School House (from what I understand, one of the only schools for Black Children in Floyd built well before desegregation) is continuing its sad, slow demise. The weather here takes its toll quickly, and I wonder when it will finally collapse and be taken over by the forest. It will be sad to see it go, as I imagine it was very cute when it was healthy. It brings to mind the quote I heard from a farmer when asked what was the easiest was to bring down a building: "Cut a hole in the roof and just wait a bit".

Having the snow almost cleared and the weeds and brush trampled down from around the black-smith shop in the bottom fields made me daydream of what we could make of the old thing. It needs a LOT of work, but it is still solid and has a new roof, so I think maybe it can be saved and turned into something wonderful... but what, I do not know yet.

The deer (I think at least seven came by yesterday) come right up to the house, probably because they love to munch on the few landscape plantings we have. I go between thinking of them as lovely additions to the pastoral scene that is Floyd, to hating them as long-legged county-rats. I am trying to decide what to put in the garden this summer, while Oscar is deciding how to fence it in to keep the deer out. I think we will have to create a "Stalag-13" style enclosure to be sure that we reap what we sow...

Zoe enjoyed watching the critters outside with me... from a safe distance, of course!

Floyd is known for its thick fog, and I love how it makes everything look soft and mysterious. Not the best driving conditions, but if you have nowhere to go, it is nice to sit back with a cup of coffee and watch it roll over the mountain.

2010-01-17T16:44:00.011-05:00

Logs in Fog

"Wild horses couldn't drag me away"

When it is cold, the tough resort to baking...

2010-01-11T14:38:00.003-05:00

I spent a good portion of this weekend baking things. I tend to hibernate when it gets cold, and in front of my DCS gas stove was a good a place as any to spend the chilly afternoon; I could practically do pottery firings in the thing, and it is nice place to park oneself as it gets warmed up... Zoe napped on the floor in front of it like she does the wood stove, so you know it has to push out some serious heat to make her happy.

I decided to work on learning to bake bread, and made a soda bread boule and some cinnamon swirl bread that was used to make French Toast. Then I got carried away and made the Pecan Rum Butter coffee cake and some pecan fudge. I hope Oscar is feeling hungry...

Christmas 2009

2010-01-09T08:08:00.007-05:00

It was a white Christmas at Dog Days this year! More than a foot of snow covered Floyd and pretty much the whole state of Virginia. Everything ground to a halt, and we all enjoyed the beautiful peace and quiet that came with the bountiful white blanket.

Thankfully we have some wonderful neighbors with heavy equipment, and we were plowed out fairly quickly. People came up to check on us by ATV, tractor and even horseback throughout the holiday. We had ample supplies, lots of firewood, and kind neighbors to see us through the wintry weather, and the holiday was so much better for it!

Where the Wild Things Hide

2010-01-09T07:49:00.005-05:00

Having a "baby" in the house can be exhausting for the other "family" members, even if they are the hairy sort. Zoe is a handful for all of us, with her boundless energy, sharp little teeth and penchant for creating chaos in her wake. I know Claris & Morty must appreciate the time each week when Zoe goes to puppy camp; when she is home they sometimes find places to hide to get a few moments of peace and quiet. Just the other day I found Morty hidden in the bathroom, behind the door...

Claris is often the target of Zoe's insatiable need to chew (teething!), or at least her tail is. She will try to hide that exposed and sensitive appendage, and finds ways to back herself up against something to try and preserve her favorite body part. She likes the kitchen fireplace; it provides protection on almost all sides! I suspect she will be spending a good amount of time in there until Zoe loses those wicked baby teeth!

A little Princess...

2010-01-09T07:32:00.007-05:00

Zoe has an air of entitlement about her; It is as if she expects to be treated like a little Princess at all times. She likes to have an escort when she goes outside, picks the best spot on the couch to sleep, and wants all the toys and food to be reserved for her exclusive use. The cat and Claris are her personal toys, and Oscar and I her servants. If she were not so cute...

My Heroes!

2010-01-08T13:42:00.012-05:00

Several weekends ago Oscar and I were sipping our morning coffee in front of the woodstove when we realized that we'd not seen the dogs in a while. We called in and around the house but there was no sign of them. Even if they managed to wander off before, a few calls and they would come barreling back to me, looking mildly sheepish, but not this time! With walkie-talkies in hand, I set out up the mountain while Oscar ventured downward towards the barn and our main creek - two likely spots for mischievous labs. The fall hurricane and several storms had dumped enormous amounts of rain on the region, and all the creeks were not just higher than usual, but raging torrents, and I was in a panic. Where else would a Lab go, but right to water, mud or stink?

It was 20 degrees with the remnants of a recent snowfall still on the ground. After about 30 minutes of searching the forest and nearby logging road, we met back at the house. Just as we arrived, Zoe bolted into the house as if on some desperate mission, soaking wet but not muddy. We immediately ascertained that she had been in deep water, but where was Claris? We had no idea the Lassie-esque moment we were having. Panic dug its vicious claws into me, and we raced back out to find our "big girl"!

About a half mile from the house, we heard a strange barking in the distance. The bark was higher-pitched than Claris' normal bark, but I followed the barking supposing that Claris had stumbled upon a hunting party and was joining them in their game chase, plausible since our land does back up to a 700 acre hunting preserve. I called and called for Claris, and each time I did, the bark replied. I knew it had to be her, but the bark was getting weaker and higher pitched each time. I felt a cold fear rising in me, and started moving towards where I heard the bark coming from. I kept calling, but suddenly there was no answer!

I started running, or really, mostly stumbling through the swampy reeds as fast as I could. This part of the creek is very wide, with steep banks, deep water and fast currents. I raced alongside the water, and heard a frightened whimper. Wedged between the bank and a fallen tree was Claris, barely hanging on. She looked terrified, and was shivering and trying to hold onto the tree with her claws. I could see the cold was weakening her, and that I had little time. I got on the walkie-talkie and tried to call Oscar to me, but I am sure it all came out as an insane blubbering mess. I was so upset I could not form complete sentences, but somehow Oscar understood.

I had no idea where we were in reference to him, but somehow he found us within seconds. He was on the other side of the water, and saw the abject fear in my eyes. I think that kicked his adrenaline system into gear, and he plunged right into the water without so much as a word. There were logs and debris swirling around in the chest-high water, but nothing deterred him and his fight to get to Claris. I was now scared for both dog and man, but Oscar made it to Claris and found enough strength in that deep and frigid water to lift her 120 pound body over the tree that had her pinned and pulled her and himself up over the tall bank and out of the water. He hauled her all the way up the mountain and into the house as fast as he could (I could barely keep up as he nearly sprinted through the forest with Claris in his arms). Later he told me that he was worried that she had been in the cold so long that she might have died from hypothermia (much less the possible frostbite she may have had), so was rushing to get her to the warmth of the wood stove. I still cannot believe that he got her and himself all that way back- it was quite a distance, all uphill, and they had been immersed in freezing water!

The rest of that day was mostly spent next to the wood stove. I kept Claris under a blanket and fed her warm treats and water, and hugged her tightly. Amazingly, we all survived with little more than a few bruises and abrasions. Obviously it could have been so much worse. And about Zoe; is it really possible that a 4 month old puppy ran by herself up the mountain to warn us that Claris was stuck in the creek? She couldn't tell us in words, but in retrospect, there was definite urgency in her behavior. Oscar and Zoe were my heroes that day, and Claris' too!

The Zoe Chronicles

2009-11-05T06:39:00.040-05:00

I think I have written, and re-written this post 100 times already. I thought it would be easy to post Zoe's "Welcome Home" message, but the right words kept eluding me. I had originally wanted to just give the dates and other factual details, but that just does not do the little furry terror justice. Data is important though, so I will finally post the basics and then move onto the juicy bits...

On July 28th, 2009 Zoe and her brother and sisters were born. She is one of nine puppies, all girls except for on lone boy (there was a second boy, but due to complications at birth he did not make it). I counted the days until our pickup date, the 26th of September, and waited very impatiently for the breeder to upload pictures to their website (dunwoodlabs.com) and email news on the pups.

Dunwood Labs is in Oxford, Pa. so I imposed upon my family and stopped in for a little visit. Mom had broken her ankle while trying to check on the drainage system in the yard during one of the late summer's torrential downpours and I wanted to check on her. Bringing Zoe home to them after the pickup was not really a good option (I could just see her tripping mom up and breaking her other ankle), so my sister kindly took us in. Barb is uniquely patient and forgave the puddles that Zoe created in her adorable brick house in Atglen (a lovely little town in Amish Country that is ringed with farms and rolling countryside. Sigh.).

Zoe loved chasing Barb's other two dogs; the Cairn Terrier was just her size (much to the chagrin of the terrier who probably got the worst of those sharp baby-teeth). Zoe immediately fell in love with my niece Mia and I was worried I might be going back to Virginia puppy-less, but I pried the puppy (and it felt like myself, as I love spending time with Barb; She has always been the coolest big sister) away and we headed back to Richmond to introduce Oscar to his new "dog-ter".

Zoe almost managed to climb through the car's dog gate on the way home, but a stop at the Maryland House Rest Area for a little walk and a new stuffed animal (to tear up) from the gift shop and we were just fine. Every time we slowed down for traffic she popped her head up and looked around. Considering my license plate is "Bad Labs", the folks behind us got quite a chuckle.

We got home and Zoe immediately decided that Morty was her own personal living squeaky toy, and Claris was the biggest chew toy ever created. I do not think I saw Morty for the first two weeks; I put food out in the morning and it just disappeared when I got back in the afternoon to clean up. Claris seemed very excited until Zoe began gnawing on her... but as Zoe has grown and begun to play more and bite less, Claris is starting to enjoy her new little sister. Morty has even started allowing Zoe to get a sniff or two in before he swats her and makes a run for higher ground.

The comment that Oscar made about Zoe's arrival really sums it up best though. He said "I wish it took her a little more adjustment time to get settled in". Zoe walked into this house, looked around and claimed it and everything in it as hers. She might as well have just shouted "MINE". Sounds strangely familiar...

The Cat at Dog Days...

2009-08-07T13:17:00.016-04:00

Whenever I can, I pack up Morty and haul him to Dog Days. He is an enormous pain to catch, pack up and travel with (last time he yowled and stank the whole way after hiding under the pillows on our bed for a whole hour and making me furiously look for him), so I usually only bring him if we are staying more than four days. He really seems to like it there, and his mousing skills are viciously employed as he prowls through the cabinets, under the furniture and into the hidden corners all over the house!

He acts as if he owns the place, and rules like the feline emperor he is. The new counter tops are a favorite of his, along with all of the wonderful window ledges...

Morty likes to play hide-and-seek, and has become an expert at it. If he is just playing and not hiding to try and keep out of the cat carrier, he will pop up when I get close:

He plays with Claris more when he is at Dog Days, and sometimes looks a little worse for wear, as she plays much more roughly than he would like her to, but he is somewhat of a good sport about the whole thing!

They love the porch and spend most of their time looking out on the trees:

The purpose of this game between Claris & Morty eludes me, though. Each gets a side of the porch door, and they head-but it into each other!

Sign, Sign...

2009-08-07T09:07:00.011-04:00

We have finished the gate and sign for Dog Days place, and I am pleased with the results! The three paws on the front are for the three dogs that started this crazy idea: Deckard, Grommit, and Claris. It is a bit silly, but so are we!

Claris is still an only dog, but that ends at the end of September when we bring home our new little girl (to be named at a later date). A new puppy will really jazz things up; considering the puppy-hood of the other hairy children, I am bracing myself for some insanity!

I was worried about the health of the environment around Dog Days when for several weekends we saw no butterflies in the bottom fields. The milk weed bloomed and faded without the usual crush of colorful wings. I was so upset I actually contacted my wonderful college room-mate who has since become an entomologist! She reassured me that these things come in booms and busts, and she told me that they were probably affected by the cooler spring and the Gypsy Moth spraying that may have occurred in the region this season. She told me to wait a little longer, and she was right; the butterflies are starting to show themselves! (Phew.)

I worked on the outdoor cooking area on the porch for the last few weeks, and last weekend marked the first time I was able to cook on the grill! I had to totally rebuild the gas grill, which was more of a task than I had expected. I thought I could easily pull it out, scrub it off, paint it, and replace the burner, grate and all the rest of the guts. I was so wrong! I forget sometimes that we are now living in a throw-away society, and getting parts to re-build and re-use is getting harder and harder. This experience has made me hate plastic things more, and to look more closely at what I buy! I no longer want things that I cannot open up, take apart, repair myself!
Viva La Re-use Revolution!

Yum Yum! Grilled redskin potatoes, parsnips & zukes! I love cooking on the porch, and the great thing about this is I can extend the grilling season because this grill is out of the elements, and because there is so much seating & space I no longer have to be out working the grill all by myself! I cannot wait to make a trip to one of the many farm markets this weekend and stock up on grilling items!

The barn is waiting to become a future project (I keep warning poor Oscar that the overhang on the right side is a perfect place for my chicken coop and the stalls in the barn are asking for BIG four-legged critters...), but for now the deer have made themselves at home! You can see the shine from our bicycle reflectors and a pair of very surprised eyes! Go ahead and click on the picture below to get a larger view so you can see our resident deer...

All in all, we have made so much progress... but there is always so much to do!

There's a vigil at the dishwasher...

2009-07-17T10:02:00.004-04:00

Today is the day of the week when I wash all of Claris' dog toys in our dishwasher, and as usual, she is not happy about it. I walk around the house and the yard and gather up the Kongs, Cosmic Cones and all the other rugged & rubberized toys and give them a run through the dishwasher to clean out all the peanut butter and cereal residue that collects from use during the week.

I suspect Claris likes the toys more when they are dirty and stinky, but I don't and my vote has the power of a super-delegate, so into the steamy-hot wash they go! She will sit there, sulking, until the dishwasher beeps to indicate that the toys are done. I usually pull out the colander, run cold water over them (the Bosch Dishwasher makes things so hot I can barely hold them, and she wants to see her toys back IMMEDIATELY when they are done, so I have to cool them down), and put them on the floor for her to inspect. Once she is satisfied, she will then go back to napping on the couch or tormenting the cat, per her usual schedule...

Summer Day at Dog Days...

2009-07-10T07:43:00.022-04:00

While Oscar was hard at work painting, putting up a new gate and keeping up with the Dog Days Place chores, Claris & I vanished into the wilds to enjoy the wildlife and flowers around us... and as usual, he was a good sport about it.

We did some bird watching, and I tried to snap a few photos of the Scarlet Tanagers and the Indigo Buntings, but their small size and amazing speed made them very hard targets.

The Snapping Turtle who lives under the bridge in the bottom was a much easier target (dirtier, less bright and pretty, but slower and thus much easier to catch on camera). We named him lurch, and while he is a bit grumpy and reclusive, he can be very entertaining.

He shares the water with a very skittish bullfrog, and a smaller and smaller number of minnows (they are apparently tasty to all sorts of critters). Dog Days water is clear, clean, cool and filled with life, both in and all around it.

We wandered through the pasture, which was completely filled with Daisies. Claris had trouble seeing over the tall grass, so frequently hopped up and down looking for the deer to play with. Sadly, they were not in the pasture, so she made do with chasing butterflies and sniffing out the smaller creatures that inhabit the fields.

We checked out the grape vines, and I can already taste the jelly coming in September

I think this year will be a bumper crop of wild food. The berries are also looking very plentiful and the little apples are making the trees bend with their weight. I wonder if I should knock some little green apples off to make more room on the branches so that the ones left are better, but I will leave that to mother nature and let her decide what is best. I am ready for apple butter this year, and will hopefully get a good video of it for the new website I am working on, secludedgourmet.com. Hopefully it will be up soon, and I will be posting videos in a few weeks!

We finished playing down the mountain, and made our way back up to the cooler altitude, and back into the shade of the trees. The ferns are looking very healthy, and Claris loves investigating what might be hiding in the fronds. We have had a large contingent of bunnies this year, and they make fun chase targets (don't worry, she is far too slow to actually get close to them much less cause them any harm).

We made it back to the house, and had a snack before we relaxed on the screen porch. We have a family of Chipmunks living underneath the tent-deck behind the house, and they are far better watching than any TV show. We love squeezing onto the little wicker love seat and spending time taking in their high-speed fun and games. They are still very skittish (even though I have taken to leaving them unsalted peanuts and pecan bits to lure them out) and are very hard to take good pictures of (these are through the screens, so please forgive the fuzziness).

I have not given them names, as I cannot tell the adults apart, and the little ones have just started making their appearance outside of the protection of the deck.

Our day was full of fun, and ended the usual way these summer days do...

The Hunter of Reigate

2009-07-04T16:13:00.003-04:00

"A man went a-hunting at Reigate,

And wished to leap over a high gate.
Says the owner, "Go round,
With your gun and your hound,

For you never shall leap over my gate."

-Mother Goose

Where were you?

2009-06-26T08:11:00.005-04:00

So sorry about the massive amount of time between posts. I could say I was hibernating, but that would not explain the entire spring going by with nary a word. The best answer is, I just did not feel like it.

Much happened in the months of "no words". I lost 50 pounds and a best friend; I gained a sister-in-law and a new kitchen. A friend is expecting his first child, and I have found the breeder (after 7 months of searching) that will bring a new hairy child into our lives and a puppy to the fields and woods of Dog Days. We took a vacation in Las Vegas, and embarked on huge, amazing projects in our work-life. It is amazing how many things can happen in such a short amount of time, and I did my best to be "present in the moment" and take in all these experiences to their fullest.

I don't miss the 50 pounds one little bit, but I am still raw about the loss of my friend. The kitchen at Dog Days is scheduled to be completed in the next few days (miracles never cease), and I am thrilled with the addition of a new family member (the wedding was beautiful and it was great to see the family, even if it was too short a trip. I look forward to the trip up to Pa. in the fall to pick up the new Pup). Young ones bring new life to the old ones and I am looking forward to the coming of new babies, both hairy and less hairy this fall. I am prepared for the mess and drool, and am having happy thoughts about how wonderful babies and puppies smell when they are new...

Vegas was great fun and we enjoyed the sights, sounds and silliness of that strange desert city. Work keeps us busy no matter what we do but this year marks massive changes and upgrades to our infrastructure, the building of which we are both integral parts.

Please forgive the large gap in this digital diary; I promise to try and do better. But as you can see, life is full and sometimes it takes you up, whirls you around and wraps you up and you can't get a good enough look at what you have done (to write it down and share it) until you come out the other side...

Hiatus

2009-05-13T09:24:00.002-04:00

–noun, plural -tus⋅es, -tus.

1.	a break or interruption in the continuity of a work, series, action, etc.

2.	a missing part; gap or lacuna: Scholars attempted to account for the hiatus in the medieval manuscript.

3.	any gap or opening.

4.	Grammar, Prosody. the coming together, with or without break or slight pause, and without contraction, of two vowels in successive words or syllables, as in see easily.

5.	Anatomy. a natural fissure, cleft, or foramen in a bone or other structure.

Origin:
1555–65; < class="ital-inline">hiātus opening, gap, equiv. to hiā(re) to gape, open + -tus suffix of v. action

Related forms:

hi⋅a⋅tal, adjective

Synonyms:
3. break, interval, space.

hiatus. (n.d.). Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved May 13, 2009, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary1.classic.reference.com/browse/hiatus

SnowDog Zillionaire...

2009-04-14T07:26:00.011-04:00

It is Summer now, with the heat reaching into the 90's in Richmond and the humidity is so high that it may be forcing me to mutate into Swamp Thing... I hibernated through most of the winter, and complained endlessly about the dreary looking Central Virginia winters. That is, until the first week of March when suddenly our home became a winter wonderland.

Claris has seen snow before, but not this much all at once. She was thrilled by this new experience, and exploded out into the snow with her usual unabashed exuberance!

I understand the running around, bouncing in and out of the drifts and the general mayhem, but she did something that I really do not understand; it must be a "dog thing", but I have never seen other dogs do this... at least not quite with this amount of intensity.

She would start frantically running all through the snow, then open her mouth as wide as she could, drop her bottom jaw to the ground and like a hairy steam shovel, plow up the snow into her gaping maw. Do dogs get "brain freeze"? If so, she must have induced several mighty painful cases that morning!

Full speed ahead!

My favorite flavor: None!

I wonder if she thought she was helping Oscar clean up all this messy cold wet white stuff?

It was pretty and fun while it lasted, but the whole family is a bunch of Summer-lovers and we are probably enjoying the warm breeze with a tropical drink on the porch at Dogs Days as you read this!

The Diva Makes Her Entrance...

2008-12-04T10:30:00.002-05:00

I think Claris is getting a little too big for her britches. We have a nice, large dog-door that she can use to let herself in and out of the house anytime she wishes. Lately she has decided that this is not good enough for her, and is insisting that I let her in the front door. She will stand and bark at the door until I acquiesce and stop whatever I might be doing to let her in. At first I thought she was forgetting that she could let herself in via her own door, but I have found this to be false: If I do not get to the door before the fourth bark she will run to the back, blast through her door, rush up to me and give me a scathing look. I do believe this is her way of training me with negative reinforcement. Woof.

There's a hole in my cat...

2008-12-03T15:11:00.009-05:00

Poor Morty. He scratched himself on the back of his head, and then got a big abscess despite my efforts to coat him with Neosporin. Getting that cat to the vet is a struggle worthy of epic poetry. I tried getting him to the Vet early Monday morning by the last method that worked: while wearing a pair of welding gloves I quickly grab him, pop him into a set of laundry baskets and seal them up with Velcro strips. He apparently is wise to this tactic now and shredded me like cabbage for coleslaw. I felt a little foolish as I put Neosporin on the scratches he gave me; it did not work for him, why would it work for me?

So, I went to Petsmart and looked for a nice, big crate with a top and side opening. As I perused the aisle for the perfect crate I was found by one of the very helpful Petsmart employees who asked me if I needed help finding something. I asked if they sold tranquilizer dart guns; he quietly skulked away...

Tuesday morning before work I learned a few things which might come in handy someday. I learned that a cat can sense when you are looking for them and hide in places you never thought they could fit into, and they know the exact length of your arms. Morty managed to evade me for an hour, moving from bed to closet with a speed that amazed me. Even when I cornered him in one room, he proved a wily adversary and kept just out of reach. If ever I need to evade capture, I will be sure to think like a cat.

I also found out that when furious I can bench-press a queen-sized bed over my head with one arm while grabbing a cat and shoving him into a crate. So if you ever find yourself stuck under a heavy object in need of rescue, just make me very angry and I will be able to get you out. Then, I might shove you into a box and take you to the doctor, too...

I drove the yowling Morty to the Tuckahoe Veterinary Hospital, and they took great care of him. They tell me he acts like a model patient and gave them no trouble whatsoever. I think that is because he had been worn down and demoralized by our battle and his subsequent capture. He has had half of the back of his head shaved, his wound cleaned (but left open to try and let it heal; they may stitch it up later after they are sure it has fully drained and is no longer infected), and he got a shot of an antibiotic that is supposed to stay in his system for 14 days (so no pills, which would have been a daily battle that I would have won but not without physical and emotional injuries to us both).

Morty is watching me carefully, but seems to have forgiven me. Hopefully with some coaxing I can get him to not hate the new crate. I have left it in "his space" (the laundry room), open with a nice blanket in it. I will start feeding him in it to make him want to go in there, and maybe by our long Christmas vacation I will be able to get him in there and take him to Floyd with us! Hope springs eternal...

Happiness is a warm sunbeam...

2008-11-14T14:07:00.017-05:00

Claris can find a good time anywhere; I really admire her for that. A simple sunbeam through a window, a mud puddle in the trail, a field to run through; it is all grist for her mill. It may be her Labrador nature that makes her such a contented creature, but I like to think it is also her unique personality that make her so easy-going.

Labradors are known for their patience, loyalty, intelligence, and their desire to be with their humans. But as to being happy and laid back, I think that Claris has a bit more of whatever genes bring out those qualities than most. She throws herself into life and does not care how it looks, or makes her look afterward...

We hike whenever we can, and I find that I enjoy the time in nature more because she is with me. The simple pleasures she finds seem to rub off on me, and her exuberant play lifts my spirits as I watch her adventures. We should all be so lucky as to spend our lives with our noses sniffing, our ears twitching and our eyes searching out the next plaything!

On our last hike we found a few trees with apples left on them and munched on the last of our fall fruits together. Claris likes a nice apple (or pretty much anything she is allowed to have) very much, as you can see:
Interestingly enough, she would not take just any apple from the ground. She only wanted to eat those apples that I had already taken a bite out of. I guess that makes me her official taster and quality control system. Who has who well trained, I wonder?

The deep grass is dying off, so access to the water and the fields is getting easier. We spent a good bit of time scouting out potential pond sites and swimming holes a few weekends ago, and came up with several places where creating deeper water without too much fuss will be possible. Claris has not had the water experience that Grommit and Deckard had when they were young, so I am looking forward to giving her a place where she can swim and play as Labs love to do.
The field at the bottom has a very marshy section, and we had not been able to get in there and explore until recently. Claris has gotten much better at navigating barbed wire fences, and I can now pay more attention to the birds, critters and plants and less on making sure she does not damage herself. She still stuffs her entire head into any interesting holes in the ground or trees to sniff out the occupants. This gives me great cause for concern, but I am sure with a little more training, we can work that one out too (I hope. The hornets nest she found was no fun for either of us...).

The Farmer's Almanac NEVER Lies...

2008-11-14T11:13:00.007-05:00

The Farmer's Almanac says that my region will get lots of snow this winter. There are signs that the Almanac may be right; the trees have grown a bumper-crop of nuts and fruits, and the wildlife is getting a heavy coat in preparation for what may be a snowy season.

The ONE thing I love about a nice snow is the fun I have with the dogs, but sadly I worry every winter about the potential ice and snow that will slow me down, take down the power lines that feed my computers and mess up the normal flow of school days (you'd think working in education I would love a snow day; sorry, it just means more worry and more work for me).

To try and focus on the potential upcoming winter fun, I searched for pictures of the dogs playing in the snow. Oscar finally found what I was looking for, and I am now looking forward to whatever Old Man Winter can throw at me. I am even thinking that a new puppy may be a good family Christmas present... It would be great fun to see Claris romping in the snow with a little buddy (or two?!?).

My Heroes Have Always Been Teachers...

2008-11-13T08:10:00.006-05:00

I just finished a project that took me to every elementary school in the county I work for, and while I am glad all the driving around is over I am going to miss the school-based staff that made my visits so much fun. My proverbial batteries have been recharged, and my reasons for working in education have again been solidified and renewed. Spending time in the schools is like drinking deep from the well...

For the record, I could never be a teacher: I lack the patience, commitment, dedication and optimism that they all seem to have in common. Every time I travel to schools I am amazed by the work that is done and the quality of service our schools provide. If you want to start a fight with me that may end in violence, start talking smack about Public Education; it may be far from perfect but until you step in and see what is going on for yourself, I suggest you bite your tongue. Every time I work in a school I get a new amazing story that gives me hope, and tells me that while there is definitely room for improvement, we are doing many things right.

Because of the nature of what I do, I am often in the classroom as a silent witness to the lives of students and the work of staff and teachers; I sit at the computer keyboard and try very hard to stay out of their way and not interrupt their instruction. This vantage point gives me a front-row seat to what happens at a school, and I am grateful that I am allowed this window into their world.

Every school I visited I found people coming to work early, leaving late, and never stopping in between. It was wonderful to see our teachers working together as one united front; they stepped in to help each other manage classroom behavior, shared new lesson plans they found or created, and always helped each other navigate the perils, tasks and issues that come along with being an educator in the 21st-century classroom. The staff shined in their obvious desire to do the best they can for every student, and to try and find the right way to give those children the tools they need to be healthy life-long learners and productive members of this ever-evolving world we live in.

I have often found that the image non-educators have about the work of teachers is no where near reality. Comments like "it must be nice to have summers off" or "I wish I could end my work day at 3pm" now make me want to forcibly re-educate those people. Many of the teachers I worked with had to take second jobs during the summer, and some went from their school day to their part-time tutoring work. I also saw that they arrived at school early to get their classrooms (decorated on their own time and sometimes on their own dime, too) ready for their students, and stayed late to work on the next day's lessons, grade student work, or to work on new techniques to use in their classes. If they actually took time to have lunch (without eating with their students on cafeteria duty) they typically ate in the teacher's work room (call it a lounge and I will give you a serious noogie. A bathroom, soda machine, a plain table, a few uncomfortable plastic chairs and a copier doth not a lounge make, people!) and discussed their concerns and needs with the other teachers to try and work out how to deal with their most difficult issues with others who understand precisely what they are dealing with.

School staff have had to transform themselves into educators, role-models, counselors, advisers, health promoters and protectors every day. I have seen them give love, time, care and even food and clothes to their neediest students all the while providing the best instructional experience for all the students.

So, if you have anything to say about teachers or the state of our education system, then I ask you; what have you done to improve things? Have you joined the PTA? Have you contacted your legislators about increasing funding to our schools? Have you gone to a board meeting? Volunteered at a school? Have you even bought a single magazine, candy bar or bake sale item? I find the ones with the biggest mouths are the ones who do the least to find out what is really going on, do nothing to help better things or change what they do not like. Where do you stand?

Fall into Floyd

2008-10-12T11:01:00.015-04:00

We have been enjoying the fall weather this weekend, and the wood stove was burning at night and in the morning to fight the chill that now overtakes the mountain when the light fades and the sun sets. The leaves are showering down from the trees, the undergrowth is yellowing and dying back, and the animals are preparing for winter. A few deer hunters have tried to come up, but have been chased away when they see us (apparently they do not take the signs we posted very seriously).

The house is still being worked on, and the last of the chinking might be done this coming week. The new insulated windows are in, but the trim needs to be completed and painted. Someday the work will be done, but that day is not today...

There is more light streaming through the windows due to the foliage dropping from the trees, and the views are starting to open up again. Soon we will be able to see the ridges of our surrounding mountains appear.
The color is not as spectacular this year, probably due to the summer drought. It is also early, so the color has not reached its peak quite yet. Hopefully next weekend it will offer up more of a painter's palette then this one...

...but I am not really complaining, as it is still lovely to look at. The days are still warm, so we sit out on the screened porch, enjoy the slow breeze and watch the leaves rain down.

This weekend we have friends staying with us, and they brought their Spaniel named Sophie along. She is probably the same weight as Claris' big Lab-head, but she can hold her own and pushed Claris around. It seems that Claris is enjoying it, though. We are going to have to find her a new permanent companion soon.

Sophie loved sitting on the porch; she watched for any potential creatures to chase or bark at. She and almost fit on the ledge, and it was fun to watch her watch the world outside! Claris found a few fun things to chase in the bottom meadow:
She also had a nice visit with her buddy, Cinnamon:
I wonder what they have to talk about? They seem to be chatting about something very important. What on earth could they have in common?

The meadow was starting to dry out, but there were a few new bright colors to see. The honeysuckle bush berries were bright red against the green leaves. It is supposed to be an invasive species, but it does have its charms.

Claris enjoyed bouncing around, sniffing everything to try and find more creatures to scare up and chase. Sadly, only the deer offered up any fun. The other smaller ones were probably off trying to find a place to hunker down for the winter and had no time to play...

I cannot wait for next weekend already...

Weekend in Williamsburg

2008-10-06T19:17:00.004-04:00

Mom and Dad came for an overnight visit last weekend and we spent the night in Williamsburg. We had a nice light lunch at Old Chickahominy House, did some shopping at the Williamsburg Pottery, ate a wonderful dinner at the Kings Arms Tavern (we cannot resist the peanut soup) and walked Colonial Williamsburg. My camera was clicking the whole time. The weather was beautiful and it was a perfect October weekend in Virginia!

It is great to walk the Colonial area early in the morning when only the locals are about...

There were still lots of flowers and greenery; things were just starting the turn to fall colors.
This crocus appears to have been a little mixed up about what it was supposed to do when, but I am not complaining!

It was definitely a surprise to see it standing alone among the English Ivy in a large bed lining a brick walkway.

This is why I keep my eyes open; you never know what you might find if you are always looking at your surroundings carefully.

The squirrels in CW are such little clowns, and they are joined by a large population of other creatures who are so used to the ever-present tourists that they barely bother to keep their distance anymore...

But the stars of Williamsburg have always been the history and the architecture. Everywhere you look stands a representative of the beauty, simplicity and the elegance of early American architecture, and the obvious signs of our ingenuity and resourcefulness.

What 700 Billion Means...

2008-09-26T07:07:00.000-04:00

I did not want this blog to become a forum for political issues; I started it for my own enjoyment, and place for friends and family to check in on what I am doing and thinking on a weekly basis.

This $700 Billion bailout has completely overtaken my ability to keep mum on current affairs. I am sitting at home today, wallowing in my sinus-infection misery and cannot escape CNN and the commentary on the financial crisis, so I am going to have to share my pain with you.

I have been trying to figure out a way to grasp the value of such a huge sum of money. In terms of raw cash, it adds up to $10,000 for every American. Or should I say, FROM every American. It would provide medical care free of charge to everyone who currently cannot afford it and have $600 billion to spare. You could rebuild all of the dilapidated and antiquated schools across the entire nation. You could fix every road and bridge in need of repair. You could send 5 million students to Public Universities. You could buy and build 7 Million Cusato Cottages (http://www.cusatocottages.com) including buying the land to put them on to house the homeless and take people out of unsafe living conditions. I could go on for days...

Each of the ideas mentioned above would provide jobs, services, education and wellness care for a substantial number of Americans who are currently doing without the basic tenants of the American Dream. We have spent TRILLIONS on the Iraq War, the Drug War, and the War on Terror. Whatever happened to the War on Poverty? Who will this bailout help? Unless the plan is to keep people in their homes (and what about the people who have already been thrown into the street), it would surprise me if this bailout touched the lives of those that need the most help. They do not own stock, or a home, or a 401k plan. What is there for them to lose?

Today in America there is hunger, homelessness, ignorance, and a lack of quality health care. How are we supposed to compete in the global economic market when our basic needs are unmet and our infrastructure is crumbling from the bottom up? When the great organization, RAM (http://www.ramusa.org/projects/ruralamerica.htm), has now made a whole program to provide free basic medical care to Americans (they used to focus on only "Third World" Nations, but guess what...), and food pantries are now serving food to the same people that used to be their core donors, something must change.

Friends, we MUST take our country back. The leadership we elected has failed us. We must make our voices heard and we must "Act Now" (to steal a quote from our Treasury Secretary). Our taxes are being spent to wage wars, put non-violent people in jail (which takes them out of the economy AND costs us over $25,000 per incarcerated person per year), bail out failing businesses (Airlines, Auto Industry, Financial Industry, ad infinitum), provide tax benefits to those that do not need them (can you say "BIG OIL"), and cutting the budget of our fail-safe programs and infrastructure while continuing to give tax benefits and exemptions to developers and corporations.

Start doing something today. You can contact your representation so easily in this modern age:

Your Representative can be found here:
https://forms.house.gov/wyr/welcome.shtml

Your Senator can be found here:
http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

Your Governor can be found here:
http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Governors.shtml

Take a minute to voice your opinion and tell them what you want YOUR Country to be. Then take more action: get to know your candidates, and get out and vote. Make sure your friends vote, too.

Finally, find an organization that supports a LOCAL social cause that you believe in, something that moves you. If you cannot volunteer for them then make a donation that you can afford to help them help others! Taking the time to do this pays you back in ways you cannot begin to enumerate, and puts your time and money to positive solutions to the problems around us.

Thanks for "listening"...

The Harbingers of Fall

2008-09-20T09:29:00.000-04:00

Once again, the summer is coming to an end and one of my favorite plants is in bloom. The Crepe Myrtle is a Southern thing; I had not experienced them while I was living "Up North". I fell in love with them after moving to Richmond and experiencing their bright beauty in places from parking lot planters to manicured yards. They can handle the worst that the south can dish up: heat, wet, dry, sun, poor soil. Nothing seems to faze them and they are one of the last powerful bloomers you can find. They truly give you some serious "bang for the buck", with colors from white through pink to red and purple.

Our Crepe Myrtle is pink and has a prominent spot in the front yard. Oscar cut it back last year to give the Leyland Cypress behind it a little more light but it keeps fighting back and requires a good trim every few weeks. We had another out front but it was in the way of some landscaping plans so Oscar cut it down. From the stumps that were left little sprigs continue to try and grow all the time! THAT is one tenacious plant!

Fall is coming and I am grateful for this last burst of flowering beauty before the leaves turn, the air turns crisp and the cold creeps in...

Alien Pod Creatures!!!

2008-09-07T13:58:00.000-04:00

I was playing in the weeds at the bottom-land at Dogs Days and noticed these little critters on the seed pods of one of the flowering plants in the field. It was interesting how these insects were all gathered together, so brightly colored and visible against the green of the pods. They MUST taste terrible or they would never make it with all of the bug-hungry birds down there!

Whew! First week of school over...

2008-09-07T10:11:00.000-04:00

It was quite a crazy week: starting the school year off is always lots of fun and a big heap of work for those of us in educational technology. There are always new things added to our systems and thus new bugs to work out. This weekend we stayed in Goochland to rest up, enjoy the rains brought by Tropical Storm Hannah (I SWEAR I heard slurping noises from the water-starved trees in the yard), and get ready for our second week's start. Faith's team is still working on the logs at Dog Days, so it is probably was better I did not see the construction scene anyhow....

Along came a spider...

2008-09-07T09:19:00.000-04:00

I have always had a fascination for the creatures that others think are, well, creepy. Oscar is thoroughly disturbed by many of my close-up photos of nature's crawlies, but I am always seeking out more of them, as they are the hardest-working members of the insect world; they usually are the sanitation workers, the exterminators and the undertakers, and I have a great amount of respect for that!

That is not to say that I welcome them inside, or that I want to handle them. I just leave them to their work in their world, and enjoy them from a "safe" distance. Most spiders, contrary to popular belief, cannot even break human skin with their little jaws (yes, that big itchy bite-welt you got at summer camp was probably NOT a spider bite, so quit whining about it all these years later and freaking out every time you see webs), and only two of that species (in the Mid-Atlantic) are venomous. This big (but harmless to humans) beauty was perched on the side of a tree out front of Dog Days, and she was happy to pose for me while I took lots of pictures of her. I am sure she has done her part to eradicate the less-desirable members of the insect world for me!

Another of my unusual friends, a reptile (the beloved rodent eater); This black snake was getting in a little sun-worshiping on the drive to the house. I love the black snakes because of their pugnacious character (one once shook its tail like a rattlesnake making the leaves rustle loudly and reared up at me to try and scare me off. I was impressed by its fearlessness and its use of another snake's defense tools, even if it looked nothing like the other snake and possessed none of the venom to back up its tough stance...). This one just ignored me and let me get close enough for a few good photos. Nothing was going to ruin its sun session, not even a large lumbering primate!

The last of the butterflies are getting food where they can as fall approaches. There are lots of milk thistle flowers, mums and daisies to go around at Dog Days, and I am glad to have them for a while longer. There have been fewer and fewer large butterflies in Richmond (this year seems to be the least ever at the Goochland house. Sigh.), so I am getting in as much enjoyment of the ones at Dog Days as I can! Some of them are looking a bit worn, but that only seems to make me love them more: Tough and beautiful!
The bottom has gone yellow with the new crop of wildflowers and tall stalks of ragweed (much maligned as an allergen, but highly praised if you love wild game birds such as pheasants and quail!), dotted with the purple spikes of milk thistle.

I found a wild cherry tree that had some very sour cherries on it (gave me quite a pucker!). I thought they were a spring fruit, but maybe that is only the sweet kind that I love to snack on, but they did add a nice red color to the mostly yellow of the late summer tableau.

My pie-making skills are shaky at best, so I left these to the birds and bears this year. Maybe next year...

It is amazing what you find if you travel enough, and some strange things greet you if you only keep your eyes open. I wonder who lost this classic style in the woods long ago?
So many forgotten items, remnants of other times and previous inhabitants litter the pathways I travel. They are constant reminders of the ubiquitous influence of humans upon this little planet. No matter how deep into the forest or how far afield I go, I still find these items...

Faith and Hope

2008-08-28T11:01:00.000-04:00

Faith King and her team (see more of what they do at faithinconstruction.com) are working on the log restoration at Dog Days for the next few weeks, and I am so very excited to see the results. Her team has cleaned the logs and they are starting to repair the problem spots before they can re-chink and check, then stain the logs a nice deep reddish tone. Once they are done I will feel like we are at the end of the larger projects. We will still be working on small upgrades for quite some time (those never seem to end), but I am looking forward to feeling that sense of completion!

Oscar has been busy chopping wood for the winter, and his progress, as usual, is always impressive. The wood stove will have plenty of fuel to keep us nice and toasty, as this is what he finished last weekend WHILE he was painting the side porch!

We have MANY down trees that will be added to the pile over the next few weeks to get nicely cured before the cold weather sets in!

The front bed is getting cleaned up with a nice bench, weeding, removal of the rotten post, trimming of the holly, and painting of the fence. We had to remove the small ornamental pine in the back because it was dying a slow ugly death (probably due to the pine bark beetles that are battering certain species of pine in the forest), so the area is more open and the ornamental tall grasses stand out more than ever.

Cat Naps

2008-08-27T20:24:00.000-04:00

Morty is a great hunter, and brings me all sorts of feline delicacies from mice to moles on a regular basis. He displays his offerings in the middle of the kitchen floor, and has been known to bring live things in (such as a pair of rabbits) just to spice things up for me. All that concentrated patrolling seems to require an enormous amount of rest and recuperation, and here is an example for several hours of Morty's afternoon:

Inter-Species Love-Fest

2008-08-27T20:11:00.000-04:00

Cats and dogs don't fight like, well, cats and dogs in our house. Morty loved Grommit very much (probably because Grom was too fat and slow to consider chasing him around the house), and after Grommit passed away he turned his affections to Claris (who does chase him around the house, much to his annoyance). There is a lot of head-butting, smootching and snuggling these days, and Oscar finds the whole thing a bit disturbing, as it flies against the natural order of things... but it suits me just fine!

They eat JALAPENOS???

2008-08-14T08:35:00.001-04:00

I went out this morning to grab some of the little hot peppers that were ripe and ready to be picked on the plants that I have in containers on the front patio, and was surprised to find NONE of the ripe ones were left from when I checked last night!

I noticed one of the branches of the plants was swaying slightly, and this fat fellow was feasting upon the last ripe pepper to be had.

I was a little incensed that this ugly fellow had consumed at least SIX peppers in 14 hours, but also, I have to admit, fairly intrigued by his menu selection and his ability to consume items several times his weight and length is so short a time.

I looked him up and he will someday, after consuming MANY MANY more of my vegetables, become a Swallowtail Butterfly, so I decided that I could lose some peppers (how many do I really need, anyhow?) in an effort to gain more butterflies. I am sure this one will survive predation until he is ready to pupate due to the powerful taste and smell he must have acquired from eating all those fiery foods...

Take a walk, find a truck...

2008-08-13T21:50:00.000-04:00

Yup, that's a truck, and an old one at that! Just sitting by itself and rusting away the decades. I missed it the first time I passed by on the trail but from the return angle it caught my eye. I did not dare get much closer as I was not wearing the right shoes or pants to be leaving the safety of the trail for the pricker, tick and poison-ivy infested undergrowth surrounding the derelict livery, so this was the best shot I could get given the location of my safe viewing distance. Next time I will get my hiking boots and long pants on and get some more detail!

The May-December Relationship...

2008-08-13T21:25:00.000-04:00

Claris has been a wonderful tracker of hard-to-find creatures at Dog Days, and she keeps locating one of my favorites, the Box Turtle. They are becoming more and more rare (most people only get to see them along country roads. I have stopped many a time to move them to safer stomping grounds!), and she alerted me to these two, a male and a female together underneath a large blackberry patch; what a wonderful treat! They were seeking out the over-ripe berries that had fallen off and were having themselves quite a feast. The male appeared to be much older than his younger female companion (larger size, more ridges and a shell that had more wear to it), so I think this was a herpetological May-December relationship...

Sometimes I have no idea...

2008-08-13T20:53:00.000-04:00

I am a little bit of a "know-it-all", but more often than I care to admit, I am stumped by what I find. I usually take a picture and then hit the internet searching for an answer to what I have found on my travels. These two items of interest were my last "stumpers":

This reminds me of the Khmer Architecture of Angkor Wat, mushroom-style! It stood a few inches high and out all by itself on the forest floor. I might have missed it if I was not still watching where my feet go all the time (I am not known for my grace, balance or agility. Weebles may wobble, but I just fall down). I am guessing that this is a misshapen member of the puffball fungus family, but I could be wrong...

I also found another strange-looking plant on this walk that I had to take a picture of. Why is it like this? It was a bit late for dew, and the other plants around it were certainly not as "moist". Some sort of sap? I did not pick it, as I tend to like to leave things as they are as much as possible, so I cannot say what properties (read: stickiness, smelliness, etc.) the liquid had.
It just looked very interesting, so I had to record it for later research. Sadly, I have still come up empty on this one! I think it may be a common plant with a spider web and some lingering dew whose other-worldy looks are distracting me!

The View from up here

2008-08-13T20:49:00.000-04:00

Claris and I had a great time following a deer trail up the mountain, and at the end of it we popped out of the forest and found ourselves enjoying a wide, green vista that we just had to share!

Enjoy a little Blue Ridge Meditation!

Morning, Deer!

2008-08-13T20:38:00.000-04:00

This big studly fellow made an appearance at breakfast-time the other day. When the deer come up to the house they almost seem offended by our presence; as if we are intruding upon their peaceable kingdom. There are so many deer it makes me VERY nervous to be driving the roads at dusk and dawn; We have a friend that has had three cars totaled in short order due to deer/car altercations.

I was wondering what might predate upon the deer in Floyd (besides the humans and automobiles), and on a trip up the mountain and through the woods I may have found my answer in several deposits of large-cat "scat" in the middle of the trail. The big cats tend to use their scat to mark their territory so if they are residing in the area it is fairly easy to find on the main trails. I doubt that it is possible that it was left by a mountain lion, as reports of their existence in the Blue Ridge are considered "unconfirmed" and are only eyewitness accounts. I think I may have a healthy set of Bobcats roaming the area, which pleases me VERY much. Not dangerous unless bothered and a good sign of a nice, balanced ecosystem!

The Abundance of the Blue Ridge

2008-08-13T20:28:00.001-04:00

Every trip we take to Floyd, I am amazed by the abundance of human and animal fodder that appears in every type of ecosystem; During my last hike I found apple trees covered with grapevines. Both were heavy with fruit, and almost ripe! Next hike I will be sure to bring a canvas bag to grab some treats from the wild! Apple butter and grape jelly are destined to make an appearance in the pantry this year. I just need to borrow a crock pot from someone. Vegetarians don't tend to have those appliances hanging around (though I DO make a {not-so} mean meatless chili in them when given the chance!).

Just in case you did not know: Grapes are NOT good for your canine buddies. NO raisins, and NO grapes for your companion animals, no matter how much they may want a taste!

Doggie Biscotti

2008-07-29T15:53:00.001-04:00

There have been so many scares about food and product sources lately that I have been working on making more of Claris' food and snacks at home with fresh ingredients (and from local sources wherever possible). I made two batches of Peanut Butter Oat and Chicken Biscotti which have been a real hit here at home and with friends' furry buddies. I am working on new recipes, including breath biscuits with mint and parsely, anti-allergy treats and sensitive stomach biscuits as a result of the many requests that have been made... Once I get those down I will post them so everyone can bake their own specialty snacks for their canine companions, too!

In a Pickle

2008-07-29T15:36:00.000-04:00

I just tried making my first set of pickles, and in a few days I will see how things went. The lids popped down nicely, and things look okay (except I did not pack the beans in tight enough-lesson learned. Cram those veggies in!). I made the simplest recipe possible for pickling cucumbers and green beans:

Easy spicy pickles
2 1/2 Cups Vinegar
2 1/2 Cups Water
1/4 cup salt
Garlic Cloves
Chopped Peppers

Boil vinegar, water & salt. Clean veggies to be pickled and cut them as you want them to be pickled. Put at least one clove of garlic and chopped peppers into bottom of sterilized jars, then TIGHTLY put your veggies in. Pour vinegar, water and salt boil into jars, put on cleaned tops and rings, and process for 10-12 minutes in a boiling water bath (with at least 1/2 inch above the tops of the jars). Remove from bath after time so as not to overcook veggies, and wait for the lids to pop down. If they do not pop, refrigerate and eat in a few days (sorry, but they are not safe to put in the pantry if they do not pop, and do not re-boil, or they will be overcooked)!

I am going to give them a few days and try them, and if they taste okay, I will branch out to more complicated recipes! Thinking of bread and butter pickles (you know I love the sweet-stuff), and some pickled cauliflower...

In the Kitchen Garden

2008-07-29T15:18:00.001-04:00

I have been working on a kitchen garden so I can have herbs for cooking (and a little mint for a Julep or Mojito) even after the warm weather has ended and the plant boxes in the front of the house have stopped producing for me.

I have been experimenting with fresh organic herbs and find that they really add a deeper, richer flavor to the dishes I add them to. The basil is so easy to use- roll the leaves, chop into thin strips and drop into marinara sauce (even the stuff in the jar is so much better with this addition), or on a pizza before you put the cheese on! Rosemary is great on fresh-baked foccacia, and along with the drinks, I am going to add mint to a dog treat recipe (for improving canine breath, along with the parsley).

The oregano is doing wonderfully, and the thyme at the top is also growing well. The mint is not too happy being cramped in the darker middle row, but I will probably swap it out for something that handles the shadier conditions and put the mint in the sunny laundry room. Not sure how the rosemary, sage and Italian parsley will do quite yet; only time will tell. The water globes will help me keep them in good condition, as watering can make a mess and they help keep things clean and healthy too!

Getting Creative

2008-07-25T20:01:00.000-04:00

I have a nice planter of assorted herbs, and have been working on ways to use my organic produce for my new business. This week I put together some herb-infused vinegars with oregano, sage, rosemary and basil. In a few days I will test them out with friends at work. Perhaps a nice baby-greens salad with oil and vinegar dressing?

I also infused some olive oil with sun-dried tomatoes, garlic and red peppers, which will be ready in a few days as well. Tomorrow I will whip up some dog biscuits!

Claris makes an over-sized friend...

2008-07-24T22:48:00.001-04:00

Claris is a very social creature, and is more than happy to greet almost anyone with a wag and a lick (Unless of course you are an avian-based species. In that case you are considered a meal NOT a buddy. It is in her genes...). Her newest buddy is Cinnamon, our neighbor's horse. They really seem to have fun together, and Claris is always trying to drag me down the mountain for a visit and a game of "run the fence". The progression of their play goes like this:

A Fungus Among Us

2008-07-24T22:22:00.000-04:00

I have never really been much of a fan of mushrooms, fungi, slime molds or lichens but I am starting to reconsider my position after spending time in the forest in Floyd. The combination of shade, damp and food sources near Dog Days provides the perfect habitat for some very interesting species of the aforementioned life-forms. They have lovely shapes and colors and add some serious interest to the usually brown floor of the woodlands. I will have to spend some time looking up the names of these new-found neighbors!

A walk in the woods

2008-07-24T21:38:00.001-04:00

Claris and I enjoyed a walk down our road last weekend and found all sorts of exciting things!
Having Claris with me usually means I get to see many things I would have overlooked had I not had her nose, ears and eyes on the job. She found this lovely male American Box Turtle in the weeds along our path and brought him to my attention. You know a Box Turtle is male if it has red eyes, more flattened topside and a more rounded underside, in case you wanted to know...

We passed through a gate in the road (from the maps the gate blocked an old public road so I only feel a little like a trespasser), and enjoyed a car-free walk!
Just passed the gate was a large meadow full of wildflowers and this old utility pole that now only housed a feathered occupant and not its intended wiring. All that was left of its former life was a glass insulator.

It seems not to be unusual to find abandoned houses, schools, barns and major appliances along the byways of the Blue Ridge, and this dirt road in the dead center of no-where was no exception. In fact, it had "all of the above" and then some...

These ghosts of lives past make the hike all the more interesting. Who left these things behind? How did they get to this point, and what will come next? They are vestiges of civilization, rotting back to wilderness, making for some deep contemplation while wandering with your best dog...

The wildflowers, birds and trees were especially nice along this road, and as they grow and change I will have new things to view unfold every time we take this walk.

The Crooked Road

2008-07-24T20:47:00.000-04:00

I'll always suggest the crooked road
For every trip you take

It may be the best decision
you could ever make

Every turn an adventure
Looking back there is no need

What you've passed
Already out of vision

A trip made not for speed
A road not made for precision

It is the path we choose that makes us
and not the intended destination

So on this journey walk with me
And unbind your curiosity

A Slump for All Seasons

2008-07-07T14:34:00.000-04:00

Slump. Slump. Slump.
Either the sound my shoes make after I fail to watch where I walk around "The Bottom" at Dog Days and sink into the marsh, OR a delicious baked recipe that uses leftover breads and fruits.

Ah, the "Yankee Cheapness" that is part of my genetic code serves me once again! This recipe was stolen from an old, dog-eared copy of Yankee Magazine (which you would LOVE if you only got a chance to read it, even if you are not lucky enough to have New England "in the bone").

Blueberry Slump

Ingredients:
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon each: nutmeg, cinnamon, and cloves
8 slices firm-textured bread
1/2 cup (1 stick) melted butter
4 cups fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
Directions:
Blend sugar with spices. Brush bread with melted butter, then cut it into strips. Place a third of the bread into the bottom of a 9x5-inch loaf pan and sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the sugar mixture. Add half the berries, sprinkle with half the lemon juice and rind, then repeat the layers, ending with a top layer of bread. Bake at 375 degrees F until the blueberries start to bubble, for about 30 to 45 minutes. Serve warm with ice cream.

DON'T limit yourself to blueberries- get creative with your fruit and enjoy this with peaches, blackberries, or other juicy, fruity things!

What on earth is a "Flummery"?

2008-07-07T13:31:00.000-04:00

Ah, flummery. Sounds more like another, nicer word for screwing up, but no. It is a kind of fruit pudding that is a perfect summer breakfast, and a way to use those wild berries you may have coming up along your fence. It is an old-world food, originally from Wales (I think), that is easy to make and delicious to eat!

Blackberry Flummery

Ingredients:
1 quart Blackberries
1/2 cup hot water
3 T COLD water
Pinch of salt
Pinch of cinnamon (if you like it, if not, then omit)
2 T cornstarch
1 - 1 1/2 cups sugar (to taste. I have a sweet tooth, so I use GOBS)

Directions:
Clean and check berries, discarding stems, errant seeds, or any ugly berries. Combine berries, water, sugar, salt and cinnamon in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring well. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 5 to 8 minutes.

Add 3 tablespoons cold water to cornstarch to make a smooth paste. Stir the paste into the hot cooking berries; stir constantly until berries are slightly thick and translucent in color (about 2 to 3 minutes). Serve cold with milk for breakfast or with whipped cream for dessert.

Blueberry Grunt

2008-07-07T13:23:00.000-04:00

Ah, I love a nice weird New England recipe! Blueberry Grunt is one of those strange old-fashioned foods that have simple ingredients, a wholesome "slow-food" taste, and a name that brings a funny look to anyone you try to describe it to. It is not difficult to make, and in my book can be eaten for, or with, any meal of the day!

Blueberry Grunt

Ingredients:
Sauce:
4 cups wild fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1/2 cup water

Dumplings:
2 cups flour
4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp butter or shortening
milk

Instructions:
Heat berries, spices, sugar, lemon juice, and water in a skillet; boil gently until well blended and slightly cooked down.

Sift flour, baking powder, salt and sugar into a bowl. Cut in butter and add enough milk to make a soft biscuit dough. Drop by spoonfuls into hot berry sauce. Cover tightly with a lid and SIMMER for 15 minutes (no peeking!) The dumplings should be puffed and well cooked through.

Serving:
Transfer cooked dumplings to serving dish. Ladle sauce over top; top with your favorite cream.

Blueberry Hill

2008-07-06T08:22:00.000-04:00

I have been searching the forest for a suitable patch of blueberry bushes, and after a few weeks of looking have found a patch that will produce enough berries to make a few pies, muffins and preserves. There are many small bushes scattered around the hillside, but that would take a lot of gathering for only a few berries per bush. Finding a good patch of older bushes is the optimal situation, and with a little effort I have located a plentiful supply.

Claris was eager to join in on the search, although who knows what SHE was actually searching for... But she did enjoy charging through the club moss and sniffing the deer trails. She keeps close by, and is a good companion when I am hiking. Luckily she has yet to discover the joys of rolling in nasty things that our other two dogs loved so much!

The Rhododendrons are still in bloom, and they are wonderful to stumble upon in the forest. They seem to clump together, so make a good "sign-post" for me to get my bearings with.

I am fairly good at figuring out where I am in the woods, and rarely get lost, but having familiar trees, rocks, clearings, gullies and property markers make all the difference. I am sure to lose my way at some point, so I carry a walkie-talkie with me so that if I get into trouble I can call for help. Even in Virginia, which is only "so wild", it is wise to take a few precautions! Claris is no Lassie, and the only way she would rush home without me is if I told her is was feeding time...

Viburnum...

2008-07-05T16:49:00.000-04:00

Well, I figured out what the green berry bush is; it is a variety of Viburnum. Not so great for me, but very yummy for the birds. There are a few Viburnum that people can eat, but I am not about to try ours and find out, as the terrible stomach ache that would ensue if I ate the more common varieties that are inedible to humans is not worth the risk. So, they are very pretty to look at and help keep the avian population of Dog Days happy and well-fed, which is good enough for me!

Mmmmmmmmm....

2008-07-04T16:08:00.000-04:00

The fields at Dog Days are filled with wild edible delights, and I am hoping to take advantage of these culinary temptations and make lots of old-fashioned goodies! While Oscar was hard at work painting the house, Claris and I disappeared down the mountain to check out what was ripe, or going to be ripe soon.

There are black raspberries (note the empty stalk in the middle- it was delicious!) along the driveway and the dirt road.

Claris was a bit impatient and wanted to keep traveling.
She kept giving me scornful looks when I stopped to look at things and take pictures.
She has her own agenda and felt I was hindering her. I found out soon enough what she was wanting, and as usual, it required a hosing before she was let back in the house...

The daisies and swamp roses are now starting to bloom, adding color amongst the fields and wetlands along the bottom, and add color to the green palette that makes up that area!

There are lots of blackberries but they will not be ripe for at least another two weeks, and I am afraid I will be fighting the bears for my supply, as I have seen signs of them around the best patches (as if they too are checking the status of ripeness). The berries make great preserves, sauces, muffins, cobblers and pies so I will be picking and freezing as many as I can to get the supply I need for my gastronomical plans... As you can see, as long as the bears do not take everything, I should have plenty. This is from just one patch:

We also have a good set of apple trees, but I am not sure what kind they are, or how well they produce. Like many things, our first year here will be an adventure. I am hoping that we will get enough apples for me to make some country apple butter. The apples do not have to be pretty to make apple butter, just full of flavor. The smaller, heritage varieties seem to be perfect for this, and I think that is what we have.

On the way back to the house, I finally discovered what Claris was so anxious to get to:

I really should have known what was on her Labby-mind!

We found a spot where the wild turkeys take their dust baths. Claris was very interested in this, and carried a feather around for a few minutes. I am sure she was thinking about how yummy the turkeys would be if she could only catch one (but they are too smart for her to find, much less catch).

There was a bush with green berries on it I have never seen before, and I wonder if they are going to be edible or ornamental. Hopefully I will find out what they are soon with a thorough search of the internet, so I can make plans if they are something edible...

Flutterby...

2008-07-04T15:33:00.001-04:00

Butterflies are numerous at Dog Days, and they are so focused on feeding that they rarely notice you admiring them. It is almost as if they are posing for me sometimes! The field is in bloom and the flowers are loaded with winged color and the sound of buzzing bees...

First Visitors to Dog Days

2008-07-04T14:12:00.000-04:00

Barb, Dan & Mia came down to Dog Days for a long weekend, and it was great to have visitors at last! While there is still much work to do, the house is already comfortable and was the perfect place to hang out.

We took several long walks, enjoying the birds, the wide variety of plants and the company of like-minded nature-lovers. Barb is a walking guide book, and was more than happy to help me identify some of the more interesting specimens on the property. We found wild ginger, wintergreen, and lots of laurel in bloom...

There were lots of birds, but as usual, they were far too fast for my slow camera skills to catch. The Cedar waxwings, bluebirds and flycatchers were readily visible, but the elusive woodpeckers kept hidden while they head-banged loudly in the trees. I was able to catch the turkeys in their early-morning stroll by the house but everyone else missed them due to the deep, peaceful sleep Dog Days seems to induce in all that rest here.

The weather was very nice, and it was not too hot (as we are about 2600 feet above sea-level it is at least 10 degrees cooler here than in Richmond during the day and nights are almost chilly, just the way I like it!).

We found lots of items to bring back and check out. On the table is an antler we found on the top of the ridge, some interesting lichens, birch branches (they smell so good), pine cones, oak leaves, and other things we wanted to keep for further study:

There are new things coming up all the time; I can hardly keep up with them all. New birds are arriving all the time, new plants popping up everywhere. So many things to check out, so little time!

Claris had a great time, too. She loves having Mia to play with, and there were so many more hands to scratch her ears and more people to mooch snack from. She joined us on our walks and even got the chance to get herself (and consequently, the rest of us) completely covered in mud. She is all Lab, and it shows in her love of people, food (and frequently questionably edible items), filth and water!

Sadly, they had to head for home after a few days of rest and relaxation. We had gone into Floyd for a little shopping at Winter Sun, Nancy's Candies, the Country Store and Mountain Mercantile, drank my Pomegranite Wine, ate our meals on the porch, and trekked through the woods together. It was time to get back to the "real world". Sigh. I miss them already!

Flowers of June

2008-06-15T19:24:00.000-04:00

I am very excited about my sister and her family coming to visit Floyd this weekend; I am going to head down early this week and get things ready. If only Claris knew she was getting her Mia back; she had such a wonderful time playing with her the last time they visited, and poor Claris moped around the house for days after Mia left!

The house is getting closer to being done, and Oscar bought a chainsaw at Lowes this weekend to begin cutting wood for the winter and clear some of the trees that were taken down by the power company last year. We bought more paint (I am sure we have bought enough to cover the entire Taj Mahal at this point), but of all the home improvements paint seems to be both the least expensive and the gives the most impact so I am not complaining (yet).

Some of the neighbors trekked up the hill last week and as a favor cleared some tree branches that were hanging over the house; I am hoping they will come up again this weekend and meet my family and have a glass of wine or two with us. Floyd is like that... I really can get used to it!

Early June brought lots of flowers:

While these have already come and gone, there are plenty more things to see (just maybe not so pink):

I am sure we won't be disappointed. The troop of chipmunks that have moved in under the back deck will provide some entertainment (and if Disney has not lied to me all these years, a few well-placed peanuts in the shell will bring out their precocious natures). I hope to get some photos of them this trip-they were too shy last time for me to catch a good shot of them playing by the frog pool!

Tomorrow I go in to the office for a team breakfast, and our 10-hour/4-day workweek begins for the summer. My body will be at work, but my mind will be daydreaming of the tulip poplars on the hill...

Porsche: What Fast Looks Like

2008-06-14T20:29:00.000-04:00

Today we joined in on the fun at the Richmond Porsche Meet (RPM), and had a chance to enjoy both a great lineup of beautiful cars and fun people. Oscar III got to try out the Boxter, which he seemed to enjoy (how can you not?).

I am an odd fan of the Porsche: unable to drive them, but madly in love with the drive nevertheless! The cars are a strange mix of power, engineering and even a touch of practicality. What other car makes your heart beat very fast, but
is made to drive every day? Leave it to the Germans to make this unlikely combination work so well. Oscar has even gotten 36MPG driving it on the highway... for a sporty convertible, that is amazing to me.

I am always attracted to the older models. There are so many Porsches with decades on the roads still out there to enjoy; I think it is because of how well their loving owners treat them (even though they also seem to "open them up" whenever they get the chance).
This little beauty stole my heart today:

Doesn't it look like a good time waiting to happen? It is older than me by a few years, but like all classic beauties, she has aged with grace.

Ah, but then there are also the ones that just scream power; A deep guttural growl that makes you want to find a stretch of quiet country road to see what you are really made of...
Team Synergy & Euroclassics brought out a few of the nastier beasts to round out the feast of plenty that this concourse had to offer.

Along with the driving joy the Porsches give their appreciative owners, they also allow them to express their creative sides with an seemingly endless selection of styles, colors and add-ons. This was immediately evident in the glorious lineups on the shady lawn of our wonderful hosts. Sigh... how can you possibly choose a favorite from amongst these? I imagine the judges had a tough time deciding today!
I think I will take one of each...

The setting was equally wonderful. Off of Richmond's River Road, set right along the James River the cars had a perfect backdrop. Plenty of shade protected vehicles and owners alike, and their was lots of room on the lawn to step back and enjoy the cars on this hot lazy Saturday.

After we had enjoyed all of the sights to see, we jumped back into our cars and went around the corner to Mosaic for another sort of feast... All in all, a great day!

Into the Woods

2008-06-05T13:03:00.000-04:00

The forest around Dog Days has some great flora and fauna, and we are just starting to discover the wonderful things around us! In our last hike we even found a road... well, it is more of a trail, but we love it! It flows from the bottom of the hill, up the mountain and over the ridge. We have not investigated all the branches of this path yet-I hope we can get to walk more this weekend!

Claris is loving the walks we have been taking, and for most of her time is but a blur...

A happy, muddy, yellow blur!

The path leads through a grove of rhododendrons, and the branches make a beautiful archway. It makes me think of fairy tales...

I think it would look even better with a little fog on the mountain. We will sneak up there again when the atmosphere is right and get some really special photos.

The forest is filled with ferns, which gives it such a lush and almost tropical feel.

I have always loved ferns, and now I have a forest full of them to enjoy. I had no idea how many different kinds I would find, but I keep finding new ones all over. I suspect some of them are not native, but they still look beautiful and fit in nicely...

We even found some brand new friends. Really, as you can see they ARE brand new. A beautiful set of twin fawns who were so young they did not know to run away from us until their mom coaxed them back into cover.

The Secret Garden

2008-06-05T10:08:00.000-04:00

Claris and I have been enjoying hiking in the woods around Dog days, and we have found so many interesting things! The property is becoming more and more interesting as the spring season progresses and we are trying to not miss anything that comes up!

The Secret Garden we found is at the bottom of our hill next to the drive. There are bearded Iris coming from the wetter part of the over-grown garden, and lillies of the valley and pachysandra cover the ground all around. Arches, fountains and gates are covered with overgrown vines and plants.
I am not sure what we are going to do with this space, but it is fun to play in even overgrown as it is...

There is a small stream running to one side and Claris enjoys getting muddy in it while I poke around and check out the plants coming up.

The power of paint

2008-06-05T09:12:00.001-04:00

It amazes me what a little new paint can do. Oscar tackled the mustard/bile yellow and replaced it with a bright, clean white paint in the living room, and I cannot believe the difference:

Before:

After:

We are down for another round of painting and cleanup soon, and I cannot wait to see those results!

Lessons on Life from a Dog

2008-05-21T19:44:00.000-04:00

It amazes me how much I have learned from spending time with my dogs. Grommit was an excellent teacher of what was best in life, and I did my best to soak up all the lessons I could. Now I will share a little Grommit wisdom with you!

Life According to Grommit:

Find or create your own personal space, a place that reflects your style and personality and spend as much time relaxing there as you can! Grommit's place just so happened to also be the food pantry...

Everything is better with a friend...

...even when that friend drives you crazy! Real friends will always forgive your little flaws, and love you no matter what!

Take time to look at and notice the simple beauty around you. If you stop looking, you might miss the exquisite loveliness that surrounds us, even in the places we least expect it!

Balance your life: rest, play, work, eat, sleep, daydream... all these things are important, and you must be sure to do all of them equally. Don't just live; LIVE! Oh, and good bedding is also a must. You are going to (or you SHOULD) spend eight hours on it-make it a good eight hours. Or in Grommit's case, it is more like 18...

Just because someone is very different from you does not mean you cannot end up friends...

Find what you love to do and do what you love as much as possible. Grommit loved mud... lots and lots of mud...

Always take time to share a good laugh...

...and a good snuggle!

Be adventurous!

Beauty is only skin deep. Grommit has a lot of that...skin, that is... and inner beauty.

So many lessons to teach for such a short life! Grommit lumbered through life loved by everyone who met him, and seemed pretty content most of the time; I don't think this is coincidence. We all could do with a little "Grommitness" every day!

Goodbye, Sweet Boy

2008-05-14T13:52:00.000-04:00

Grommit Brinson passed away at around 4pm on Tuesday, May 13th.

He was acting strangely for some time, but nothing that you would put together as signs of illness; we just thought it was old age coming on. On Monday Oscar came home to find no one greeting him at the door. He found the dogs in the back bedroom; Grommit so sick he could not stand, and Claris watching over him. I rushed Grom to our local Emergency Veterinary Hospital, RVCC, and they took him in right away. They stabilized him and took X-rays, only to find his liver and spleen were grossly enlarged.

They kept him overnight, and then after ultrasounds and a biopsy Tuesday morning they found nodules and abnormal cells. He was struggling to breath, could barely walk, and could not stay awake. The prognosis was very poor, and after spending time with him outside on the lawn behind the hospital, I decided it was time to release him. He fell asleep beside me in the shady grass, and the hospital staff came out and quietly, without waking him, helped him sleep forever.

He was a unique and wonderful dog; that once-in-a-lifetime friend that you are lucky to have had in your life. Grommit will missed by so very many; I will somehow make sure that he will not be forgotten and his memory will continue on.

Grommit's Getting Old

2008-04-25T11:40:00.001-04:00

We are packing up the car to head to Dog Days for a short visit, and the Dogs are starting to guess what I am doing! They seem positively excited; that makes me think that they are enjoying their new playground. I wonder when they will start picking up on Oscar and I talking about Dog Days and get nuts!

Grommit has been slowing down a lot recently due to his age, weight, and general poor fitness level. We have been working to help him lose weight with some success, which will help him feel better and age more slowly. I have started giving him some arthritis medicine to help him keep moving so that he can keep losing weight and enjoy the outdoors, and it seems to be having a good effect. I wanted to hold out as long as possible, as most arthritis medicines seem to have more negative side effects on the Labrador breed, and they can have some long-term effects on kidneys and livers that worry me. BUT, I think I have timed it correctly and now is the best time to give him the meds to keep up his quality of life. It has been a few days and he seems to be going outside more and has been having less trouble getting up on the bed; all good signs!

Maybe the next visit Grommit will not be so far behind his sister!

Before and After

2008-04-24T10:45:00.000-04:00

I was looking back into the older pictures of Dog Days from when Oscar first won it at the Auction, and I was amazed at the difference:

I think you can tell which is the before and which is the after without me labeling them...

Aerial Photography

2008-04-24T08:08:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago a woman came by the Goochland house to sell us an aerial photo of the property. Under normal circumstances I would never buy something out of the back of a car (lest I repeat a story from one of the "Urban Legend" emails that have crossed through my inbox), but the woman was awfully nice, and I REALLY wanted the photo she showed me. I passed on ordering the giant print on canvas with an ornate "girly-frame" for $600 and went for the simple 11" x 17" framed one that came with the digital photo on CD. It was only $100, which I thought was a pretty good price for someone to fly their plane over my house and snap pictures. I am surprised they did not catch one of the dogs sleeping in the driveway, as that is their usual perch on a sunny afternoon. I only wish that I could get an updated photo each year to see the changes in the trees we have planted!

The Half-Way Point

2008-04-22T07:59:00.000-04:00

We are now pretty much half-way done the work on the house at Dog Days. Last weekend we came in to see all the work Mike was able to accomplish, and enjoy the first signs of spring on the mountain.

We had lots of cleanup to do. Mike must have carried out tons of trash from the property both from all the construction and from years of human habitation, but there is still lots left for us to haul out too. The area around the house looks much better (the removal of the dilapidated dog run and nasty home-made dog hovel has made a huge impact just by itself), and once I get the leaves and branches raked up, I am sure it will be gorgeous. I have already seen all sorts of ferns, hostas, roses, bulbs, herbs, ivy and many other beautiful plants and ground cover sprouting up all around the house. I cannot wait to see what pops up next! The front planter is already looking green and beautiful!
Well, it is still needs work, but the vinca and ivy are bouncing back nicely from being buried in leaves and branches.

The deer paid us a visit Sunday morning and we enjoyed watching them eat their breakfast while
we ate ours.

It was rainy for a good part of the weekend, but the sun broke through so that I could venture out for a little while. I traipsed down the hill to check out the Shop, the pastures and the wetlands. I think I may have seen two young trout in the stream and a pair of wood ducks hiding in the brush. The stream was full of life, and I am looking forward to spending time down there with the dogs. I even found a few places where it would be very easy to make a small pond...

The walk to the shop is down the dirt road; it is a pleasant downhill walk from the house. Going back up to the house will get your heart pumping...

The shop will have to wait for its renovations. We are boarding up the top windows to keep out the elements, and its new roof will protect it until such time as I can get to working on improving its state. So for now it will look a bit rough, but it has good bones underneath all of the dirt and splinters. The view from the shop to the pastures is very peaceful, and I know I will enjoy sitting on the porch and painting the trees.

I even found another building on the property. Well, it is completely flat now, but at one point is was a building. There is some good lumber buried underneath the rubble that I can use to replace some of the more rotten ones at the shop. I am trying to reuse as much as possible and not buy new materials if I do not have to. The best way any of us can be responsible
stewards of the land is to take only what we have to, and that is what we have been trying to do as much as possible! I wonder what else I will find? Next visit I will hike up the mountain to the laurel and pines and see what may be hiding there!

Oscar picked up many cans of paint and all the supplies I need to get started on the inside. I have not decided where I should begin my assault, though. I was thinking about doing the smaller areas first, as that will go quickly and give me a sense of accomplishment. But I am drawn to working on the living room, as that will have the biggest impact. I have been dying to get the drab dark green paint covered with something brighter and bolder... it will make the room feel even bigger!

There is also the screened porch; we have had a few meals at the outdoor table already. The view is great, without the worries of bug invasions or rain!

The weather is so perfect for this porch, and it is located in the best place to enjoy the summer breezes through the trees. I am thinking it might be a good place for a nap, too! The grill on the porch is gas, with a stone base, one tiled counter on the right side and a wooden one on the right. Once we replace the burner and grate, I will be making kabobs...

I am already packing for the next trip.

Until then...

Fire Good!

2008-04-02T12:40:00.000-04:00

It has been nice enough to enjoy the patio, and we have been making little fires in our fire bowl to keep the chill at bay...

It is a nice use for all of the twigs and branches that have blown of the trees in this very blustery spring. The wind has been more powerful and more frequent than I remember it ever being, so I have a lot of yard cleanup to do, and this is the reward... a nice relaxing evening.

Claris likes to be involved in anything having to do with sticks, twigs, dirt, bugs... as you can see! I think she thinks she is helping.

The birds no longer appear to be afraid of me...

2008-04-02T12:35:00.000-04:00

I am now thinking I need to be worried about the new attitude the birds have taken in response to me stalking them photographically...

I have company when running...

2008-04-02T12:11:00.000-04:00

The weather has induced me to try and pick up running again. I do it in the middle of the day for my lunch hour when there is not so much human traffic in the area. I have been going slowly, and fear that I look like some of those decrepit folks you see hobbling down the road with a really pained look upon their faces. I have solid evidence now that I do in fact look like the slowest animal in the herd:
These two have been watching me for the last few runs. I expect they will be calling in their friends soon to enjoy the pitiful spectacle that I provide... it is as if they are expecting something!
If you cannot see the undertakers clearly, you can click on the photo and it will expand to full screen. When you are done looking at the picture, click the back arrow button and you will come back here.

Dog!

2008-04-02T12:05:00.000-04:00

For a little while I thought maybe I had sleep apnea. I would wake up unable to breathe. Oscar took a picture that has solved that medical mystery...
No wonder: 124 pounds of furry critter pressing on your chest and face can really make it difficult to inhale! Oh well, sleep is over-rated, but love isn't!

The Cat is up to something...

2008-04-02T10:09:00.000-04:00

...I am sure of it! He has been very active since the weather has turned warmer, and has being patrolling the yard. He is also sneaking around the house. Cat motivation is very tough for me to figure out, but for some reason I really think he is planning something moderately sinister.

He fails to understand that of all the denizens of this household, he is the smallest and therefore should take a lower rung on our internal pecking-order. He sees himself at the top of our little food chain, even well above the humans. He has tried to consume the alpha-human on more than one occasion, and he follows me around the house and yard like a secret service detail.

He has to go to the doctor tomorrow, and I am already hunting down the elbow-length heavy duty welding gloves. I no longer try to get him into the cat carrier as that causes both of us too much stress and pain, but even getting him into a carrier I rigged up with two laundry baskets is asking a bit too much of us. He is a good mouser, but that feral part of his nature shows its fur and fangs when cornered; He may look cute in the pictures but do NOT let that fool you!

Spring has sprung...

2008-04-02T08:38:00.000-04:00

FINALLY, it is looking like spring around here. I swear it keeps coming sooner every year, but it is rarely soon enough for me. Since my allergies no longer keep to the usual seasons and have moved in permanently, I no longer fear the coming of the spring...

The flowers are popping, new birds are arriving and the critters are starting to roam about, including myself. I have been trying to roam the roads and get some sun and exercise. There is so much to see coming in at this time of year, and if you blink, you might just miss something special!

Spring also seems to motivate me to eat better, and I have been prowling around the produce section and farmers markets waiting for the spring greens and other seasonal delicacies... I am hoping to find some Swiss Chard to use this new recipe I love. You must have fresh chard, or else it is not worth cooking, so if you find good chard, expect to have to cook it that day.

Sauteed Garlic Chard
1 large bunch of fresh Swiss chard
1 small clove garlic, sliced
2 Tbsp EV olive oil
2 Tbsp water
Pinch of dried crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon butter
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar (if desired, not required)
salt to taste

Rinse out the Swiss chard leaves thoroughly. Remove the toughest part of the stalk & chop the leaves into strips (1-2 inches wide).

Heat a saucepan on a medium heat setting, add EV olive oil, the chopped garlic and the crushed red pepper. Sauté for about a minute. Add the chopped Swiss chard leaves. Cover. Check after about 5 minutes. If it looks dry, add a little more water. Give the leaves a toss to make sure every leaf gets a chance to cook at the bottom of the pile. Cover again. Check again after another 5 minutes (remove a piece and taste it). Toss with salt & butter "to taste". I like a little vinegar on mine, but many people do not like the extra "zing", so I serve it on the side for people to use as they wish. MMMMMmmmm! There are a few things that are very good for you AND that taste good, and this is one of them.

Dog doors, siding, gutters, ceiling fans, etc.

2008-03-11T18:43:00.000-04:00

We took a quick trip down to Floyd last weekend to drop off a new bed and a few sundries and to check in on the progress. Oscar bravely drove a rental truck that fought him the whole way down, but he made it in good time and with a very good story to tell once some time has passed...

The gutters are on the house (it did not have much in the way of gutters when we bought it, which is why some logs were damaged by water) and the siding is almost complete (a little more metal trim and it will be 100%). Inside Mike has been measuring for new heaters, repairing more wiring, fixing more plumbing, working on trim, painting the back bedroom, and putting up ceiling fans...

I am very excited that the dog door is now in; it makes it more "ours", as every house we have should always have a big dog door for the hairy people! Mike also put a good set of stairs on the side porch so that Grommit would have an easier time getting in and out of the house. I will have to supervise the ingress and egress for a little while otherwise we will be constantly washing the mud from the streams off the pups; a little training on staying at the house must be done!

Mike is enjoying putting his special touch on things. He is trying to give things around the house a more appealing aesthetic, and I think he is doing a great job. I am also thrilled that he is using as much material as he can from the stock of items down at the shop. He made this cabinet for the electrical box all from found materials!

I am looking forward to the next trip down, as the progress is speeding along exponentially. It should be much greener and the daffodil bulbs should be blooming by then. The construction equipment and trash will be gone and things will begin to look more finished!

Woodpeckers, Sapsuckers and Nuthatches, Oh My!

2008-02-26T18:45:00.000-05:00

We have kept several dead trees around the Goochland yard to attract more interesting birds. This has been a VERY successful endeavor, and I have gotten fleeting glances of at least three different kinds of Woodpeckers, and a few little Nuthatches recently. The Sapsuckers have also arrived and are drilling holes around all the Maple trees (much to my irritation, but what can you do). There are even a pair of woodpeckers nesting in a tree in the back yard; I have been enjoying hearing them making their home for the past week. They are all starting to get used to me, and I have loved watching them go about their day...

Stupid Birds!

2008-02-26T17:48:00.000-05:00

Recently a flock of blue birds has moved into the Goochland yard. My mom loves blue birds, so I have been trying to take pictures of the little guys since they got here. They have proved to be very wily targets and fly away whenever I come out with a camera. I can get fairly close without the Canon in my hands, but as soon as I grab the camera they woosh out of sight (how DO they KNOW)! Talk about frustrating! BUT, I got a few snaps that I might be able to work with for now, but I will keep trying. Wildlife photographers say that half of their job is persistence, so I have hope that I will get a good shot before they move on...

The roof is done!

2008-02-26T17:35:00.000-05:00

Joe finished the roof last week, and Kelly is working on the siding again (the two of them could not fit all their trucks and equipment up there at the same time, so they have been tag-teaming the house). He got a pretty good days' work in before the rain started yesterday, and he should be close to getting done by next week if the weather allows!

Mike has been working on trim, paint, porch supports, stairs for the side porch, getting the back room ready to be a bedroom, getting a heater working in the downstairs bathroom, new lights and new ceiling fans! I am loving the red trim he is putting up-it is so rustic AND bright.

The progress is speeding up nicely, and I cannot wait to see the progress on our next visit. We have more furniture to deliver, and that should finish up our larger deliveries to the house. There will be so much more to take pictures of then, too!

Foodies BEWARE!!!!

2008-02-16T11:00:00.000-05:00

I consider myself a "foodie". I love to cook (we will not discuss my failures at this juncture, people! That will come soon...), I love food, and I love cookbooks. But some cookbook are just scary. I have been eBaying some of my collection of cookbooks in order to make more room in the house, clear out clutter and make a little money.

In going through those cookbooks I have found some pretty frightening things... many of these tomes were gifted to me by those folks that know how much I enjoy roaming through culinary temples to find new "nummy" ideas; some of those books can be more like "The Temple of Recipe Doom" than the "Ankhor Wat of Wonderful Tastes".

One of my favorite items up for sale is:
Meat, meat and more meat. If you put this book up to your ear, you can hear the sound of arteries clogging coming from within its greasy pages! I especially love the endorsement from Home Economics Teachers. THAT just seals the deal for me. Ironically, even though the binder is damaged and it is older than me, this volume was the first item to get a bid from the batch of books I posted. I was going to ask the bidder why they wanted this book, but you just do not want to risk insulting someone about to give you money... 2000 recipes for meat. I had no idea...

It beats out the whole cookbook on Jello that I am keeping, or the book that suggests if I have leftover hot dogs that I microwave them until they get crunchy and use them as dog snacks (the SPCA may actually consider this cruelty, so beware)!

I love to zoom around that old information superhighway to get recipes too, and even there you can uncover untold horrors. Today I found something that completely tops and puts my meaty meaty cookbook to shame.

If you have not eaten yet, you should go here and enjoy the recipe cards that this web author found:
http://www.candyboots.com/wwcards.html
Weight Watchers from the early 1970's. Be afraid, be very afraid. I may not be able to eat again after looking at the card for "Fluffy Mackerel Pudding". Ughhhhhhhhh!