New Life Old Farmers

We are deep into the research and development phase of our next adventure/scheme/great idea/experiment..whatever.  The research was going to eventually take us on a quick road trip to a nearby city to check out some of their local ‘color’ and to procure a secret ingredient and no, I’m not going to tell you what it is, as then it would not be a secret.

220 miles each way did not have us scared at all.  We are car people and we enjoy a good drive.  We dressed for our day in the city, with me deciding to wear non-farm clothes, white jeans (very un-farm) and my favorite pink top, I looked bright and cheery, which ended up making me stick out like a sore thumb (in a clean middle-aged way), as grunge would be the dress code for this city, or at least the parts of it we went too.  The Teen dressed appropriately in hip, but grungy attire complete with dangle-guitar earrings, which even got her complements from the other ‘hip’ grungy city people.

We car people seem to do just fine traveling long distances, however, it is when we actually get to where we were going that things start to fall apart.  Our sweet GPS system quickly turns into “that dumb ass thing” and seems intent on changing its mind at the last-minute sending our Unhappy City Driver (My Loving Spouse) into all the wrong lanes at the wrong time to get to where we think we want to be, until we actually get there and then we quickly decide we don’t really like it at all and whose idea was it to come here?

We did manage to find the special store and procure two bottles of the secret ingredient (and yes, it is legal).

We then hopped back into the car for more cursing at the GPS as we went to the heart of downtown.  I don’t really know if it was the ‘heart’ but as there was a very nice hotel, a Starbucks, street food vendors, adult-only exotic dancing, mission soup type kitchen, a renown doughnut store and a lot more grungy people.  If it wasn’t the heart of downtown, it was the ‘heart’ of something.  My Loving Spouse was ready to head for the nearest tool store to regain his composure.  We couldn’t leave without The Teen getting a famous doughnut, even if it meant standing in a line for an hour.  The Teen and I people watched…mostly drunk, strange people accosting one another, pierced, tattooed folk dressed in black singing on the corner and keeping My Loving Spouse who went back to the car updated by text on our progress in line.

“We’re almost in, what kind of doughnut do you want?”.

“I don’t care…. I just want to get out of here”.

“We’re just not city people anymore”.

“Yes, well one of the city people just barfed next to our car”.

Luckily, our next stop was to a tool store where we could all regain our equilibrium, and go to the bathroom to say nothing of the welcome opportunity to wash our hands!  We felt better about everything after leaving the tool store.  We’d procured a few nice cheap tools, we had clean hands and we were enjoying a sugar high from our infusion of sweet doughnuts and we were happily heading home!

This is a big shout out to My Loving Spouse.  Our anniversary is today and how blessed I am!  What an adventure the last 3 years has been and how grateful I am that our God is one who believes in second chances.  We have been planning all month for our dinner date tonight and I am looking forward to it!

Today is otherwise an odd day.

It is raining and I cleaned out the refrigerator (news worthy).  I’m off to disperse any of the leftovers I could still identify and give them to the chickens.

Contrary to what people think about Washington, it doesn’t rain very often on this side of the mountains, so it has messed up my plans.  I am off of work today and I had the day all laid out for Jubal and I.  We were going to clean up the wood in the pasture and burn up all the dry pieces.  (I know!!!  Such excitement)  

Yesterday, my beloved tractor and I took on the tail end of an old cattle-port, knocking  down, pulling off and ripping out.  It was quite wonderfully rewarding and I almost felt guilty for having so much fun alone, although I did keep My Loving Spouse abreast of our progress with the following text,  “FYI Jubal and I rock!”

So, I am just wondering what mischief I can get into today and call it work?

It seemed that we went from 3 animals to 19 in a blink of an eye.  At first, I was overwhelmed and sure that I was going to forget to feed somebody or something.  Now, I find it really is one of my favorite parts of the day and there is such a simple contentment being out in the barn tending to all of our critters.

I do have my own system and have to report unfortunately that the most annoying do seem to come first.  Yes, that means I start with the cats…  Billie Elliot or the Damn Cat who seems to have multiple personalities is fed first, up on her shelf where the dogs cannot get her food.

With my boots on I am met at the kitchen porch by the rest of the feline population.  All of them intent to remind me that they are indeed next and need to be fed NOW, if not sooner, because barn cats do not live on mice alone.

Off we go to the barn, as they are ‘barn cats’ this is where they are fed…

The occasional roll over by Rabbit to make sure he is being followed…

The barn cats are mostly fed in an old wheel barrow, so that no skunks can come into the barn and eat their food.  The reality is that the cats seldom leave any, so the fact that one cat eats out a bowl on the floor doesn’t seem to matter much.  In the wheel barrow..Tigger, Rabbit, Pooh, Roo and on the floor Kanga or Harvey (who has a couple of names)

With the felines all taken care of, I know there are two beauties at the back of the barn waiting for the door to open and be greeted with hay for the day!  Dolly & Dixie

The next hay eater is our cow, who has been waiting at the other door to the barn and is fed in an old bath tub…Elsie Gump.  She cannot do a roll over quite like Rabbit, but she is not about to be forgotten.

Our mighty flock gets fed next…

Left-Over-Lionel, Lucile (s) and Lucy (s)

A quick check for any eggs that have been laid, then I give out water where needed, shut up the barn and say hello to the dear old dogs… Daisy and Snickers.

All done… until the evening…

It could be I over ’tilled’.  (I don’t think My Loving Spouse would agree, as the truth is, I hardly ’tilled’ at all.)  Still, I am really sore, move my arms any which way and why do they hurt sore.  Rototilling… it seems like it ought to be easy, but so far, I haven’t developed my rototilling rhythm.   The rototiller either wants to get away from you racing off to dig up dirt you don’t want dug up or burrowing down deeper and deeper, digging a very deep hole to…China, I think.  The only thing that keeps a rototiller on course is upper body strength and it would seem that this strength is a completely different upper body strength than the kind I developed from whacking/splitting wood.

So here we are, a wonderful cloudy gray Sunday, arms hurt, more tilling that needs to be done to ready our vegetable garden and NO football to stay inside and watch….  maybe I’ll go check on Our Friend the Farmer’s cows…

Vocabulary is important, it is how we define and understand the things around us.  It is the backbone to all language.  I must say, I’ve learned a LOT of new farm-country vocabulary during my short time here.  I must admit to getting some of the ‘vocabulary’ in my previous posts ‘wrong’, well not wrong so much as not quite ‘right’.  I’d like to make those clarifications now…

Aggressive – is not used to describe a cow, especially a cow who has just calved.  She is snorty.  I must say, I like this word.  I’ve certainly seen some ‘snorty’ cows, and as much as I did like being a Realtor in California, I’d have to say, that I’ve certainly seen some ‘snorty’ Real Estate agents.

Pregnant – one is not supposed to say pregnant cow, it is a bred cow.  I don’t think it would be wise to refer to any female human you know who is pregnant, as having been bred… just not a good idea, enough said.

Intact – For all the biblical scholars out there, this would be the opposite of a Eunuch.  Or should you hear two men arguing and one were to say to the other, “Don’t you have any balls?”  The answer when ‘intact’ would be a resounding “yes”!  (Note to all: when in the country be careful when around any ‘intact’ large animals as they are unpredictable.)

Pop – is not your Grandfather, ‘pop’ is a soda.

I’m sure I will get more words ‘wrong’ and will have to continue to relearn my vocabulary, just as one does when visiting a foreign country.  So, while on the subject of foreign countries, may I just say to all our British friends and family who may be visiting us here in Ellensburg someday, please excuse them, as they do not know what they are saying.  You see, My Loving Spouse has unintentionally spread a ‘bad’ word around our sweet little community.  The problem is, that it is a really good word to say, when things don’t go right, and in American, it doesn’t sound like a bad word.  It starts off with a nice consonant (B) and ends with a great sounding -‘er’, so it rolls off your lips when you need it.  Because My Loving Spouse is a likable guy, he’s met a lot of people around town and managed to get into a predicament of two where he’s ” used this ‘word’ and so the ‘word’ has spread…. because, ‘they’ don’t know British vocabulary.  So Ellensburg, all I can say is “I am sorry”, please go back to just using ‘darn’.

Dear John,

How are you?  How is your wife, BJ and the dog?  (See, this is an appropriate way to start a letter, especially when you are wanting something from someone).  We hope you are very, very well.  We know you’ve just retired and are busy doing retiring things, like cruises, camping and planning your trip from Arizona to Alaska.  We are just inquiring if Glory Farm is still on your master list of adventures along the way.  (Inquiring?.. more like desperately planning for John to come).

So, even though we only just met at ‘the’ wedding, … we are family now… kind of….depends on who you talk to…well, we think of you as family. (After all your darling niece married Number One Son and truly, anybody who wants to come work at Glory Farm quickly qualifies as family, which you’ve said you’d like to do.)

Come, please….pretty please.  Okay, here’s the thing, we know you are a great wood worker and so…have we got a job for you!

The family room has finally been painted, here is the work in progress.  (Yes, it was hard painting around a hot stove,.  Yes, we realize this would have been a job better left until summer, but that takes more planning than I often use).  Now the family room just needs a new ceiling, a new light fixture and (here’s the part where I am hoping he is still coming) the wood around the windows needs to be repaired and replaced.  The current molding is a circa 1950’s style with a fake wood grain paint/stain job, as you can see in the next picture, not the more period trim repaired and replaced by My Loving Spouse.  Also all the windows have been painted shut (and I mean shut).

Don’t worry the painting is really done and as you can see through the window, we’ll provide a porch swing for rest and relaxation, beautiful Ellensburg weather (it could be windy), fresh eggs, too many cats, and farm-house living (bedroom upstairs and the bathroom downstairs).

We know you have a LOT of adventures under your belt and planned with your trailer, but we do so hope, that we are still on the list.

Hoping to see you in may,

affectionately,

Ellen

(PS:  If the rest of you don’t believe me about the adventures, check out John’s blog and pictures of his Scamp)

Number Two Son inquired how I did the last week.  He knew it was both of my parents birthdays.  I could gratefully say, I did alright.  Seemed I smiled as I remembered my mom and dad and how old they’d be that day.  I miss them still, but feel very close to them here.  However, the truth is, my stomach hurts.

I am painfully aware of how much I miss the ‘living’, those friends and family I left behind, the same ones that encouraged me to start this blog.  I try to keep these posts  up beat and it is not hard, our new life is a wonderful adventure and I am so grateful to be able to share this experience, and yet… oh, dear friends I miss you so.  I miss being able to go for our walks, go for coffee, paint a room, dig a garden, sing in the choir, make cards, meet for improv, share a laugh or a cry.  I miss Number Two Son so acutely and my friends here do not know him…

In the fall I planted 180 bulbs, daffodils and tulips.  Our garden is mostly barren with the winter winding down, and yet… if you look closely at the rock my friend gave me before we left, you can see the bulbs are sprouting.  I love that about bulbs, how they spring up and bring beauty just about the time we need it most.

I know the only way to make my stomach stop hurting is to tell both sides of my story.  I love my life here, and I miss you (…you know who you are) like crazy!

Love you, appreciate you…. thanks for coming along…

Tucker, a border collie, is Our Friend the Farmer’s partner.  He has a mind of his own and as the Farmer says, “We go to work together”, but I’m pretty sure even after many years they are still trying to figure out who is the boss.  Tucker prefers to run to work, run at work and just run.  He runs the cattle, runs and runs and he can wear you out just watching him.

Our Friend the Farmer has been getting a lot of ‘help’ this calving season.  I figured if I started to write about Tucker, you would all consider this a ‘dog’ post, not another ‘cow’ post.

Last Sunday is annually a day that is very difficult for us to get through.  This year it was relaxing, wonderful and fun, we almost didn’t miss our beloved football season.  We’d issued last-minute invitations to Our Friend the Farmer and My Sweet Girl Friend to come for breakfast after church.  The weather was beautiful, the food yummy and we had ideas and plans we wanted to run by them both.  We were determined to get our taxes handled as soon as they left…but then we were told there were calves being born… so of course off we went.  We knew which cow was calving and it was a long way off, which was just fine with The Teen as she wanted to see it, but not seeing it up close and personal was good with her.  We diligently keep our eyes trained on the birthing cow, doing such a great job at this that we completely  missed another cow calving just 30 feet away.  (Hey, sometimes it just happens fast!)  So before we knew it there were two little calves in the field and all looked well.

It was time to feed the cattle which is a two-man operation.  Weekends the Farmer’s Top Man is off so he needs someone to help drive the flat-bed through the field.  I offered to help and as I’d seen his 10-year-old grandson do it the day before, I was pretty confident that I could tackle it.  The fun part is that Our Friend the Farmer just sort of hops out of the truck while it is still going and then the driver slides into position to drive around the field as he throws hay off the back side.  The Teen and I had a great time, helping for real and driving up close and personal to all the cattle who were very happy to see us.

We are starting to get to know the cattle.  47 has a hurt leg and moves very slowly, 16 is my favorite as I like her markings and My Loving Spouse likes a tan-colored one that has already given birth to a tan-colored baby.  It use to be that if Our Friend the Farmer wanted to have a quick chat with us, he’d drive into our yard.  Now more than likely he checks on his cows and we are there, watching his cows as well.  The other day the wind was blowing hard and I was ‘cow watching’.  One of the cows (not 47) was scooting around the field on her back hoofs and her front knees.  Okay, so even I know this is not really normal cow walking.  I don’t like pestering the Farmer, but also, if something was wrong that he didn’t know about…well, that would be worse, so I called the cow ‘situation’ in.  It turns out he did know about that cow and the problem she was having and he explained to me what they’d done for her and that she’d feel better after she calved (for sure!)  He didn’t mind my bothering him, as even I am an extra pair of eyes on the calving situation and I was learning something new about farming, which I think he enjoys teaching.  Then I said, I’d also learned something new in this gale force wind today (although I was safely tucked away in the protection of my car), don’t ever stand down wind of a cow that is peeing!!  To which he laughingly replied, “You really are from California aren’t you?”  Yep!

It could just be the true weather pattern, or it could be us.  It has gotten beautiful and warm (48-52) in the valley.  Our wonderful cloud patterns are back in the sky.  The birds are singing and the flies are waking up (well, you can’t have everything).

Last year, when all the other squirrels were gathering nuts (or in this case fire wood) for the winter, we were cleaning barns,  dealing with new animals and enjoying a wedding.  We have been scrambling ever since it got cold.  How much I’ve learned about fire wood, might boggle my Southern Californian friends’ minds.  Willow – stinks, literally, it is very, very smelly wood and it doesn’t burn very hot (who knew), so of course we have plenty of that, but it is barely worth the effort of cutting, splitting and stacking it.  The spruce we took down was great and would have been even better, if we could have waited until next year to burn it, but in the effort to stay warm and thereby sane, into the stove it had to go.

My Loving Spouse has been worried about our having enough wood to get us through this cold season.  The great thing about having a good partner is, that you don’t both have to worry about everything.  Sometimes you can just let one of you worry and so in this wood procuring incident, I did.  Of course The Teen and I don’t do very ‘well’ when we are cold (freezing), so he was probably just protecting the sanity of his hearth and home.

There is fire wood one can buy.  All different woods (apple and tamarack), all different prices.  Some of the other ‘squirrels’ had even gone with fire wood permits into the forest and harvested downed trees for their winter wood.  However, we were again, doing other things… growing pumpkins, etc.  So, long story short (although whenever people say that phrase to me, I never believe it.. always more like.. long story, longer) we finally broke down and bought some expensive (which we’ve learned is all relative) wood.  We are sort of in love with this wood.  It burns HOT, it is easy to light and easy to split and it does NOT stink.  Also, we’ve got a LOT of it… so of course the weather has gotten warmer, you’re welcome Ellensburg.

All in all, it is okay.  This squirrel is finally ready!