White Elephants and others

Finally, they are here.  Bud has rolled around all over the pasture, except his big belly won't let him roll over very much.  Sue is a quiet lady who didn't even mind Buddha sniffing at her belly.  Amazing.  We bought new brushes, a new curry comb and some fly spray.  Crazy how they found them so quickly.  They really look settled in.  So come to the petting zoo.

3:46 PM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

tomorrow is the day

Tomorrow is the day.  Sometime tomorrow morning Bud and Sue will be arriving.  The water trough is full.  We bought 100# of "Senior" supplement (smells good, looks like rabbit food!) and the fence is pretty much ready.  We had to take out the stuff from Halloween, the christmas lights finally came down and the table (?) that was in the lean to is gone.  When we were filling the water trough Buddha found the hole in the hose.  It kept him entertained for 30 minutes straight.  What a goofy dog.

Mike and Lou are headed for San Diego for about 10 days.  Roy is going to be celebrating his 80th B-day.  I guess he must be feeling okay 'cuz he went snow skiing with Kevin in CO a couple of weeks ago. 

Watched "Virgin Suicides" today.  I liked the book much better.  We did watch "The Prestige" thumbs up, "The Children of Men", another thumbs up but I gotta say wtf was that ending? and "The Departed".  Tom's right.  Markee Mark did a good job in this film.  And Matt Damonman as a "bad guy"?  Who knew?

Amy had a link to a Will Ferrel short, Hilarious!!!!  "I want my money, bitch!!!!"  Reminds me of the German exisentialist and the baby.  "You grow up right now!"  Funny stuff.

Gotta hit the hay, driving Mike and Lou to the airport in the am.  Hugs

11:19 PM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

The day after

I know that not many people read this blog and I'm okay with that.  But for the people that do I want to tell you how my heart is breaking.  For the parents, the students, the friends and other loved ones of the tragedy at Virginia Tech.

My children are the greatest accomplishment of my life.  I love them more than just about anything else in this world.  They gave me a reason for living when sometimes I could think of no other.  Now that they are beautiful young women living far away, I want to tell them that I think of them everyday, I worry about them, I hope that they are having a good day.  That I wish I could give them a hug every day.  To tell them how proud they have made me every day.  And that if any one ever hurt them, I would hunt them down.  Grrrrrrr.  I am still the mama bear. 

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persistence pays of redux

After just a bit of cursing and some major cabinet modifications, the new double wall oven is in.  Bless Tom for being so good at this kind of thing.  Really, what would one do without him?  This Sunday is our 29th wedding anniversary and that means 29 years of his fixing things.  Amazing.  I had joked with Ryan the thing wouldn't fit.  After returning from taking him to work, Tom said that indeed, it didn't fit.  Yikes.  But there was no way we were taking it back after all the crap we'd already gone through.  Maybe a new cabinet!, but those are over $500 and would take a month to arrive.  No way.  We are too cheap.  Anyway, the ovens fit, they work and all I lost was a drawer we weren't really using anyway.

On another subject, any ideas for Gus's big 50?

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persistence pays off

Well, let me tell you.  Sometimes you gotta be a bitch. 

We finally got tired of fighting with the 30 year old wall ovens and bought a new set from our local appliance place on March 24.  Delivery date: March 31.  No ovens.  New delivery date. April 6.  No ovens.  New delivery date: April 10.  No ovens.  After much growling and "the look" several times, we finally got the ovens today.  Plus $100 gift card plus 10 year extended warranty.  Sometimes, you gotta be a bitch.  Oh, did I say that we paid in full on the 24th and they cashed the check on the 27th?  I think that's what pissed me off the most.  Grrrrrr.  Any way.  Also got rid of the 40+ year old toaster and bought a new 4 slice, bagel wide toaster.  Yeah.  We've started making bread again (for health reasons) and sometimes the bread gets sliced a little too wide.  But Tom finally  bought an honest to goodness restaurant grade bread knife that makes everything else we tried look life chain saws!

Tom and Ryan worked very hard yesterday to set new fence posts and the new gate for when Bud and Sue arrive.  Could be next week.  Oh My Gosh, we will be taking care of 2 MULES!  I can hardly believe it. 

I've also been working on a new shawl of my own design.  the center panel is a maze.  the next round has a ribbon motif and now I'm working on a celtic style knot that will border that.  I've had to frog knit, or rip it, many times.  I'm not sure how much more the yarn can take.  Luckily it is my own hand spun, so there's plenty more where that came from.

Oh, and Ryan is making sock dolls!  Right now he is working on an elephant.  I can't wait to see how it turns out!

For my daughters, which includes Amy and Tanya and Hayley:  Please send me a note or call or email to let me know whats a happening in your neck of the woods.  I miss all of you girls very much.  hugs and kisses 

10:42 AM - 3 Comments - 4 Kudos - Add Comment

yeah for mules

No, not the shoes, the animals!  Bud and Sue are coming to live with us.  They are brother and sister.  We think Sue is the oldest.  They are pretty old, I think they are older than Allison.  It looks like we have a retirement home started.  Bud and Sue are pack/riding mules that are now too tired to keep up with the horses they usually go hunting with.  They still feel okay, they just are ready to slow down.  When we went to visit them last week we took some carrots with us.  Just like Ol' Buck, they love treats.  Today when we went we didn't have any treats, just time to scritch behind ears and rub bellies.  They do like attention.  I suppose they wouldn't mind visitors coming over to brush them when they get settled in.  Hopefully it will be soon.  Tom has some work to do in the pasture and he wants to re do part of the fence.  There are some Buddha holes that have to be filled in too.  Tom got a new chain for the chain saw so he can get rid of fallen branches.  You all need to come and see the zoo next month!  Yay for mules!

5:25 PM - 0 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

I made it
Current mood: accomplished

Well, the day I've been dreading arrived today.  I knew I was getting my homework back from Canada this week.  I didn't want to open the box and find out how poorly I did.  But I did open it and look.  I got an 85.88%.  Yeah for me!

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where do we come from
Current mood: thoughtful

Today I got the results back from my mtDNA analysis from Oxford Ancestors.  For a fee they will read your mitochondrial DNA and trace back your matralineal line to a 'clan mother'.  You see, we are all related to each other on some level.  Some more closely than others.  About 2 months ago, I got my test kit from England.  I swabbed the inside of my mouth and sent the sample back.  Officially, my mother, maternal grandmother, my maternal aunt, her kids, my kids, and my siblings all have the clan mother Helena.  She lived approximately 20,000 years ago in the area between what is now Spain and France.  These people were hunter-gatherers as you might expect.  They were neolithic and used stone and bone tools.  They hunted things like reindeer, lived in caves from time to time and foraged on the Mediterranian Sea.  I do know that my mother's family emigrated to Canada from Ireland a while back, so people had to travel north while the ice retreated.  We are Celts.  A while back a friend of mine sent me a book as a Christmas gift on the art of the Celtic people going back thousands of years.  It really felt like I was looking at something I already knew.  Now I know, I did.  So, even though Allison and Paige carry Italian blood, they are true Celtic women.  Don't let anyone else tell you anything different.

1:06 PM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

yes sir, yes sir, three bags full

So this Saturday, weather permitting, Lou Ann and I are going to Hermiston, OR to watch sheep shearing.  Not just for the fun of it, but to buy more fleece.  Yay.  We met a woman a couple of weeks ago and she told us she was getting ready to shear.  So off we go Saturday if the weather isn't rainy.  Romney, Lincoln X Texel, Cashgora, etc.  Sounds like a lot to choose from.  $25 a fleece is a good deal. So who can say no?
Got some new kix today.  Keens canvas sneaker types.  Kinda dark pink.  Awesome. 
Got a couple of hedgy type things done.  One more to go.  Alli, I am sending you one called Harmony and one called Halcyon.  Let me know what you think of the new labels.

Gotta go, the waterbed is calling

11:25 PM - 2 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment

mmmmm. . . . . carne asada

Try this recipe for a dry rub carne asada.

1/2 cup ancho chili powder
1/4 ground black pepper
1/8-1/4c salt
2-4 T brown sugar
2-4 T garlic powder
2T cumin
2T oregano
blend altogether.  We used a little coffee grinder to get everything good and mixed up.
Rub on steak.  Could be flank ($$$) or a cheap cut.
BBQ.

I promise, you will like it.  The best part is this makes a lot of seasoning to use for later.  Keep it in the freezer in a zippy bag.

3:24 PM - 1 Comments - 0 Kudos - Add Comment