Coffee and...For Sunday, March 5, 2006 =^..^=

Here's the daily continued from
http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/580263/
Have a super day! ♫
Susan
=^..^=

I just wanted to say how much I enjoyed the pics ..
Mary, your mountains are amazing.. your lambies are delightful. So glad you showed us the barn too... I was wondering how you got all those pregnant mommas into the barn at nite.. smart sheep LOL
Now we can see where you talk about - thanks.

I simply can't keep up with you all so hope you don't mind I wander thru late some nights. Wishing I had the energy to do half what any of you accomplish. ~Blooms

Just Hi, Blooms, miss your posts

I'm in a major funk, so don't even listen to me this morning....grrr Crawled into bed at 8pm last night, then tossed and turned and flopped around for hours - should have just gotten up and done the dishes (DH didn't do them yesterday - my job ya know...)

MARIA - welcome back....Ya I know I shouldn't be checking fingers - I never wear a ring either!! P.Allen never talked about a significant other/children, so I was assuming things. He sure was handsome tho....a girl can always drool!! I"m old enough to be his mother anyhow... He was signing his new book, but when I looked at it, I wasn't that impressed. Besides the line was a mile long..

Mary , what delightful pictures. How far away are you from a major town? I keep thinking that everyone is as close to stores as I am, but think maybe some of you are way out in the country.

Molly/Darius - yum....that bread sounds great. And what in the world are 'white' sweet potatoes? I've never heard of them - the orangie ones are all I've ever seen. I could eat them daily..love them. I've always wanted to make sweet potato chips - ever done that? When all your stuff starts to produce you are going to have to open your own produce stand!!

Defor - glad MIL is springing back again - that gal sure does have determination!! Bet she'll be home before long too!

dmc - oh that sister fries me and I don't even know her!! Maybe someone else will outbid her and she won't be able to get the land for a song...that would fix her. I think you have let this go on for enough time..be done with her!

McC - I wouldn't even respond to the scum who wanted gold. Let him find some other sucker....

GG - glad to see you back at the table - thought you were lost in the shop! Hope Bill gets the sled fixed - do they ever just total things like that? I know when DH has something like that happen to his vehicles, he is more upset than if I had been hurt. Men and their machines.....but I feel like that when something happens to one of my flowers too!!

Hi to everyone else sipping tea/coffee/brews - I need to make something to serve at the table. Give me an hour or so and I'll surprise everyone!!

Just flying through to say "HI" to everyone!

I'm still alive...still engrossed in my embroidery machine and in digitizing new designs. Good thing I planted lots of perennials during the past 2 years...otherwise I'd have very little to look at.

Hope everyone is well.

~julie~

Going through posts in the bright sunshine here...it's 15 outside, but nice inside!!

sarv~I spewed my coffee on the monitor"that sister fries me and i don't even know her". You are another one who should be writing a book!! I am sorry you're in a funk...I fight funk everyday. I've surrendered to the laundry monster, made my peace with the dust elephants, and keep my fighting spirit all for the black hole that starts with a little funk! My horses are my mood lifters in the winter, and of course the gardens when they come out. A Sammi or Samson or AmandaPanda helps too.

defoecat~so there you were after another long day of hospital, and went to visit yet another patient...I don't think there is anything of higher value than compassion and self giving. It is so hard with Alzheimers...I am grateful that I have not had personal experience with it. I'm going to get The Interruption of Everything!

McCool~okay, I'm not going to get my blood pressure up....deep breath.....similar scammers are always responding to horse for sale ads, they're all over, and they use the lines we pay for to victimize us! Seems like there should be a way to send an electic shock through the wires and zap them!!! At least you are wise to it.

Molly~ Your fruit orchard sounds wonderful! I hate hitting those thistles with bare ankles!!

Mary~the pictures are stunning. It seems as if you live in a movie set! I think I would have all those lambs in my living room before i was done!! they're too, too cute. It all seems like a dream come true, but I would be crabby going out n the middle of the night in the cold. Glad the horse stood still while you got him out of the barbed wire!

Kelly~Glad your absence was just because of good business, not illness or troubles!

julie~LOL glad you're having fun. Are you going to do embroidery commercially?

Maria~hope you're all better. Good boy Samson for giving you a break when you were sick!

BriarRose~Hope the kids are better. I can just picture DD#2 giggling over the post.cute age!

9kitty~GRRRRRon the reboot!!OH that is annoying!!

m5~oh that picture of the three of them with their "handiwork" is priceless!

darius~no wonder you get tired! I need a nap after reading about all you do!! i'm getting pretty antsy up here to get going.

Ann~hope things are still going well with DH

Babs~Amazing they got out safely....

Off to the coffeepot, waving frantically, can you see me?~~~~~~~~~~

Y'all have the wrong impression that Molly and I "share" the work. In reality, she does all the work and I mostly just watch. Don't have the energy to do more than that.

darius~Well, I barely have the energy to read about it! LOL....supervising is a tough job, but somebody's got to do it!!

Molly and Darius....the pictures of all that "space" to plant are awesome! Such a challenge! I'm afraid if it were me I would just curl up in the fetal position in the middle of it and let the weeds grow over me. LOL

Mary, speaking of space......WOW! Your lambs are sweet, your mountains are majestic, and I look forward to the lambing stories with anticipation. When I first came on DG I "lifted" a picture and used it for my computer wallpaper. It was taken from horseback (horses ears in the pix) of a HUGE flock of sheep being led by a Llama. Was that your picture? It was wiped out when I cleaned the old computer and I sure would love to have it again. One of my favorites!

To all the rest of the Coffee Club...I have laughed, cried, ooh'd and ah'd through this week......and I'll be here for the ongoing saga! (~~~)
Pati The Lurker

I must have been asleep at the switch, y'all got here so early this morning. Sammi woke me at 6:30 by licking my nose, to let me know breakfast was LATE. He is a big eater and there is nothing left in his bowl by morning. Souky seems to have given up on eating his kitten chow, and has fallen madly in love with Fancy Feast, is usually doing a little kitty tap dance on top of the 'frig while I get it ready. Since she has always been a picky eater, I get a big kick out of her impatience.

JULIE!! You're alive! You can't imagine how many extra treats we had to eat because you weren't here to consume your share! Have you done any embroidery yet, or has this all been sorting, organizing and preparation? We've had some delightful additons to the crew, and ran out of chairs, some of us are perched on the counters.

GG, you sure had a busy week which is good for you but not for us! Nice that you earned some extra cash, but we missed you. Did you catch the thread about the MWG roundup? Check it out. I might be able to do that one, but it is the week of my sis's BD, and I'm expecting her to come through on her way up to the lake....even though she swore last year she was never going up there again.

Since they sold the house to their middle son, she said she was done with it but her DH is going up to do some maintenance..and the son and his family are going for three weeks. He won't retire for another two years at least, and they are generally stationed overseas.

Mary, those lambs are just precious! How many more are due? If I remember last year lambing went on and on. The interrupted sleep would about do me in, you have a lot of stamina to keep that up.

Maria, I hope you are feeling much better. Samson was a good companion to behave so well while you were feeling poorly. Seems they have better instincts than most people. Glad to see you back with us, but don't over do and get exhausted. Loved his big footprints in the snow.

Molly, we have enormous Canadian thistles here, lots of them on our acre when we were building. They get 6 or 7 feet tall, the roots go way down and they are very hard to eradicate. They are gorgeous though, huge flower crowns which the hummers and butterflies love in spite of the vicious spikes on the leaves. They are related to artichokes! An environmentally challenged friend of DH said to cut them off and pour gasoline down the hollow stem to kill them. AS IF!!

Dcat, I'll be looking for the Interruption of Everything, too, I love Terry McMillen's books, she lives our lives! I think two of them have been made into movies, one for sure. I tend to read through all the books by an individual author once I read one and like it. I have to say though, my reading has slowed down lately, too much time in the Coffee kitchen.....

Dmcd, DS sounds like a prize I wouldn' t want. I think I already told the story about mine. When my stepmom passed away, she had been living with her sister while she slowly deteriorated mentally and physically. During her confused state, her sister dragged her off to town and had her write a new will, leaving everything to her. When mom had her heart attack, she tried to get POA but I was already designated. When I told my DS about it, I got a stern lecture about "It's only money, blah blah blah". When I told her she was a cobeneficiary with me, originally, she started singing a different tune so fast my head spun. Contest!! Sue!! Drag her through state court!! I fed her back her line about it's only money...... I love my sis dearly, but she and I are so different, it's as if we grew up in two different households...Oh, wait. We Did. LOL

Yup, scammers are pervasive...remember when Bal was selling his truck? I have an email address that I use when I surf the net, so I don't get a lot of junky spam at my real one. I frequently check snopes2.com for the latest updates on what kind of garbage is coming around on the internet. I delete a lot.

Need to hit the shower, ~~~~~~ to everybody. I'll check in later to see who else is up and functioning.

Sarv, we can operate just like the guys do....we're married, not dead!


Sheila

sarv, we like you even in a funk. Oddly, my 9-year-old grandson has trouble sleeping and I always have too. We tried to find a natural sleep aid and ended up with Celestial Seasonings Sleepy Time tea. We'll see if it works. One of my neighbors went to doctor about her problem and he said she should go for a walk or get some exercise each day (but not just before bedtime). I have also heard that video games hype kids up and shouldn't be played after supper.
M5, your episodes with sammi leave me missing a dog in my life but remembering how much trouble they can be, especially puppies. If I were to find a corgi though, I might go for my first small dog.
I have planting fever bad. and seed-starting fever. My little greenhouse is getting full. Now I want an East Indian Holly Fern and a Wood spurge, maybe purpurea.

Finally rain these hills. Yeasterday and today. We need a lot more. Maybe it was my watering that caused it to rain. I ran my 1 1/2hp pump on my dock for a little over 72 straight hours this past week watering the beds and the yard over and over. Last measureable rain here in Central Mo was way back right after Christmas. I hope this rain is getting to kittymom as well. Most times we tend to come up with the same weather since she is about 200 miles west south west of me and in my weather track.

Hi all I'm still alive barely. Been reading everyones posts and keeping up but typing is hard today again so there maybe several posts by the time i get done here.
LOL I have a hard time remembering who did what and all, so I hope those whom are sick are getting better, those with loved ones whom are sick are on the mend, those whom are sick are getting better and rest,those who need T's&P's know you are in mine,and those who are ready to scream just head out and let loose!!
I went into town the other day and was stopped at a light and just looked in my rearview mirror and NO one was there or coming, and a second or so later an ambulance hit the siren and lights right next to my open window and startled I whipped my head around and something pulled in my neck and now I have a hard time looking left, driving, sitting for any length of time. It felt better yesterday and I went to Wallys world and that was a bad idea. So i'm watching the laundry monster grow and the dust bunnies migrate for now.And checking in here and reading.
There I'm done whining and complaining.
Hope all has a good day and is staying dry...we get yet more rain, oh joy and whoopie...Lauri

101--- Do not ever be embarresed about not being able to see. I know that is easier to say than do. I get embarred at myself also. Then I am upset with myself because i am this way. It makes me moody and hateful at times. My entire adult life I was involved in one way are another with handicapped rights things. I have been involved in some pretty big battles. Even was part of a lobbying team at the state level. It always enrages me when people put limits on a person because they have this are that problem. Our world today is just filled with people that hear and see and function just perfectly and do not have 1/2 oz of brains and no sense what at all. I am amazed that some of these people can even wipe properly. In our society you do not really rise and fall by your ability. Unfortunately you are mostly graded on your looks and your charm everything else is secondary. Our world runs on B. S. I had a friend at work had no hands from WW11. He grabbed a jap hand greande and ran with it to protect others. He got a DSC for that. He had a very nice hand writing and used to resort old cars for a hobby. A very intelligent individual. But you know all the higher he ever rose was a low level office support funtction and I am certain it was because people did not like to be near his handcap. Our lovely goverment is a worse offender than anyone else in the work place and they took years after the handicap act to even recogize it. Everything has to be rammed down there d---- throats. So let noboby put you down. I am a terror when it comes to people that will put others down for any reason related to physical handicap are any other reason. It is the most damaging thing in our society.

Marnin' ya'll, Yesterday was perfect. Dry, sunny and warm. This morning is overcast with rain expected for a while again. Got most of the pond stuff finished and ran out of "cover stones". Will resupply tomorrow.

Spirit, I use Celestial Seasons Sleepytime with Valerian a lot and find it works better than most of the other Chamomile teas.

Sarv, it sounds like you need a chocolate fix to get you out of that funk.

Meezer, what a nice way to wake up, having Sammi lick your nose.If Tinker and Immy weren't crated at night they would be jumping up and down on us most of the morning.A small 'woof' from their crates next to my bed is sufficient.

Mary, I marvel at the wide open spaces around your part of the country. So completely different from our forested mountains here on the West side of the Cascades. Although more and more the forests are giving way to cheek to cheek tricky-tacky housing developments. Your lambing pictures are wonderful, thanks for sharing.I really hadn't a mental picture of what it was like till then. That pile of baling wire is amazing.

Laurie, hope your neck is better. Not a nice thing to have on the fritz.

Well said Oz. Good thing we can't get into politics here or I'd have a lot to say about the government.

As said so often here by so many, I can't keep up with everyone. If I don't comment on everyone and tend towards my own exploits please don't think I'm being egocentric, I just don't want to be redundant and repeat what you have already comment on. You all represent a wonderful cross-section of life that I treasure.

Good morning, er afternoon,

Sorry, I never got back to really resond to those early posts yesterday. And I don't think I'll try today. Just know that I've read then all and sympathasize.

I WILL try to catch up with this post. And a few commetns from yesterday.

Mary, loved the pictures. What mountains are in the distance?

McCool, glad you had sense enough to not bite on that offer to buy gold. I think of the suckers that people like that attract. They wouldn't be doing the scams if they weren't getting results.

Maria, nice to hear from you again. Same for Julie.

Sarv, hope the funk doesn't last too long.

Kelly, glad you've been busy. Think of the new hostas you can buy.

Hi Pati - let us hear more about you from time to time.

M5 - HOW can you have CANADIAN thistles in WI? Now really!!

Oz - glad to hear you are getting some rain. Will it be enough?

Lauri - the only way I can keep everyone's activities straight is to open the coffee thread in two separate windows. In one, I scroll up and down reading and in the other, I write my reply. And since I'm on dial-up, I often break my Internet access while I do it to save time. And if the message gets long, I've been known to paste it into WordPerfect and save it just in case.

Sorry to hear about your neck and hope it feels better soon.

As for me, I was at the hospital until after 2 yesterday. Came home, doing a couple of errands en route and washed DH's car with a bucket of water. I've been using it for some of the cruises across town to the hospital as it's diesel and better on fuel consumption than mine. (He's got a VW Golf). It's also the car with kiddy seats for the grandtwins and I kept finding salty slush on Thursday; so it was pretty dirty.

They decided to keep DH another day as his incision was draining a bit more than they liked. We think better to spend another day than to encounter problems at home. I will go an visit later and take reinforcements of high fibre food which his hospital diet is NOT even though he's on realy food now.

Was at a local church (not my own) for two services this morning. The OCO rehearses there for cheap rent but they want us to participate occasionally. This evening, my handbells play at a special service. Have to be at church about 6:30 to ensure that everything is set up and we have a chance to run through our piece. So, when I go the the hospital, I'll just pick up some dinner somewhere on the way to the church.

Keep your fingers crossed that DH comes home tomorrow. He most likely will.

Ann

I am alive, just busy. I had a long post ready to go, and Miss Boots hit the wrong key with a paw, and it went poof. I will try to comment later on, had some things to post to individuals, but first...., will be back later. Just know that I read all, and enjoyed. Have a good afternoon.

Just taking a moment to post a couple of pics of the finished afghan since several of you asked for them. Did the final round of sc yesterday. Would have been finished earlier if I hadn't decided to use up more yarn iwth one more round. It's about 1 metre wide and 1.15 metre long and was done entirely with a 4 mm hook (don't have a conversion handy to US sizes, but it's not very big). The yarn is a baby yarn.

Ann

And here's a close-up.

Oh VI - pretty afghan - we call those granny squares here... I've made several of them. Made one as a gift when I first learned how to crochet and when it got washed it ended up in shreads- guess I wasn't very good at making sturdy knots. Haven't made one in a long time - may have to find my hooks! Hope DH makes it home tomorrow...

Oz - I think we all are moody and hateful at times - I know I certainly am! (more than I care to admit!) That's what is nice about here - none of us really know each other, yet we DO know each other (does that make sense??) And on here it doesn't matter if you are moody....we love ya anyhow...

DH and I went to Menards to get more stuff for the trellis's. They are costing more than if I had purchased them!! Seems like that always happens when DH builds something from scratch. The copper pipe that he was using was not on sale, so he changed horses at mid stream and decided to use regular pipe - I don't care as it gets covered up soon anyhow. I just want them done - he keeps changing his mind as to how he is going to put them in the ground. He is a planner and I am a doer. We have problems with that sometimes.

Julie, lets see some of those projects you are working on!!

I had my fix of chocolate - a small scoop of ice cream with a dollop of hot fudge - now I feel better...

I just took a pic of my amaryllis blooming- I'll see if I can remember how to post it.

Bal - Your pond is getting there! Will it be big enough for some koi? Our neighbors have several of them and we all spend hours watching them swim around...something soothing about those fish.

Good morning. 2nd try at this. AmandaPanda jumped on to the keyboard and erased the first one.

Pattischell, I still have a bunch of similiar pictures. I'll post one for you, glad you liked it so much.

Julie WHO? Wow, she is having fun. Yep, she missed a whole lot of good treats while the rest of us raided the counter and the cookie jar.

Blooms, good to have you back even tho it was a short visit. Just pop in and say Hi when you can, we understand. There aren't many of us who can keep up with all this yakking anymore, so most of us just hit the high spots and I guess it all evens out because different things seem to stick in people's minds.

Defoe, see what I mean? Dmc is right." Blessed are the merciful." That's you, dear.

Lauri, sorry to hear you have a pain in the neck. That's better than being one but less comfortable for the moment. Good excuse to sit around with a heating pad and catch up on reading or napping. Most things are better in 3 days.

Meezer, we fight those Canadian thistles and also the Scottish ones that are 10x worse. They are a biennial(sp?) that makes a flat sort of rosette the first year and looks kind of innocent, then the 2nd year sends up a seed stalk and becomes a seed bearing monster. We mow them with a tractor (thinking a bit bigger on 80 acres) and have less of them every year. No poisons, etc. Another way to control them is to cut into the root below ground and remove the top. It might come up again but a second beheading takes care of it.

The daily lamb report: six ewes delivered lambs yesterday but none on my night watch. However, I did put a yearling ewe in the barn to proceed with her labor and delivery out of the cold wind. The 30 or so ewes that are still carrying their lambs were brought to the barn where I sorted them, lost the one I wanted out the door once but had been smart enough to close the corral gate so they couldn't go back out to the pasture, so they just went through the barn again and I got her and one other isolated in a back corner while the rest of them left. She probably had a lamb by the time the owner got there to check them about 5am. The ewe I had been milking the past couple of nights now has a 2nd foster lamb since there was a set of triplets born yesterday. 3 lambs to feed is too many, 2 is just right. I can see my night check job ending soon. Tonight is forecast to be stormy again, so you can bet there will be more babies.

Ok, put your coffee down to save the keyboard. Lambs in the living room? well, I've had them about everywhere else in my house. I even stuck a little lamb in bed with my husband once. The lamb had been born the day before and was a bottle baby for some reason, but had gotten chilled again. I fed him and needed a place to get him warmed up quickly, but was on my way out to do my chores. Hubby was still in bed, ah ha! the perfect solution! I said "here, warm this little guy up, I have to go out". They both went to sleep. Just before I got back inside the phone rang, hubby answered the extension next to the bed, was talking, I came in and said something, the lamb heard my voice and said MAAAAA. The person on the other end of the conversation asked if we had a phone in the barn." No, I have a lamb in bed with me." Silence.

Oz, glad to hear that you got some needed rain. I never understood the Biblical "blessing of rain" until I moved to a dry climate from one where we just wished it would quit.

I'm going to post this now and will catch the rest of the thread later.

Pati, is this the pic?

OMGosh! It's Sunday morning, still, I think. I'm vertical, taking in nourishment and sucking in a few oxygen molecules. All parts are where they belong and so far, I still have the ABC's (airway, breathing, circulation) LOL. I finally got home at 0220 after putting in 14 hours for a shift. This has been the weekend from Hades and I'm soooo grateful this will be my last shift and I get a full 3 days off. WHEW! I'm beat and my dogs are a barkin' and my joints are a achin'! I'm putting in another weekend next weekend because I have to orient a new employee to the department. Hopefully she has good skills and picks up the routine quickly so I don't have to beat myself trying to get her up to speed.

It's so nice catching up with everyone this morning. Mary, your photos of the lambs are just too precious. I love your stories and I so enjoy reading everything you write.

balvenie: Your pond is taking on a whole new personality. I love those stones and I get a sense of strength though I'm sure it will be tempered with the beautiful plants you will be placing. I believe wholeheartedly in the philosophy of yin and yang, soft and hard, dark and light, cool and hot, opposites in decorating and gardening. I find it all comforting when this idea is brought about.

VAnn: The afghan baby blanket is just sweet. I've always enjoyed the granny square pattern. It's timeless in my book. You've done a superb job on it and I'm sure it will bring the recipient much comfort.

Sarv: Luvvie, you're right. No matter what, everyone here has their moments of not feeling their best, or not being in the brightest mood. But you can always dump your load and you'll be well supported by this virtual family. It's a wondrous thing when used in the right way. Computers have drawn people together from so far away. It's an avenue of communication we didn't have too many years ago that has allowed us to get to know each other without having barriers put up first. There are no preconceived notions about a person when you can't see them. You read what they have to say, you decipher what they mean and take them at what they wish to show you. It's truly a blessing.

Oz: I applaud your feelings and your convictions, and I'm grateful for your battles against the bureaucracy. I agree with you in so much of what you say. I see people every day in my field of work that do the best with what they have and they don't allow anyone to keep them down or put them down. I've seen able-bodied folks who have NOTHING to whine about and have all systems functioning at maximum capacity who do nothing but whine and act helpless. I admire those that I've seen with different abilities (I despise the term disability) who continue to function at their max capacity and do what they can to maintain some semblance of balance in their lives. I used to work with a fellow who was a C-3 quadriplegic who used a computer with a blow tube. He was our medical records clerk. He took care of checking in patients, got their pertinent medical information and demographics plus fixed our system when it crashed. He had a developmentally delayed young lady who worked with him and was his arms and legs. She filed the paper work and pulled the charts and put them together for the staff. He was an amazing man who maintained employment and took care of his family. He came to work every day in a specially equipped van and did his job. He taught me much about compassion, caring and acceptance. He also gave me the gift of his strength. He was my hero. I can't tell you in strong enough words what a powerful effect this man had on my life. I wouldn't trade with anyone for any amount of money in the world what this man gave to me, for I am the richer one for having known him. Bless you for being the champion of those with different abilities.

Many blessings on everyone. It's time I get ready for work, so I have to hop in the shower soon and be on my way. Take care all and please, enjoy your day. Even if you get only 5 minutes of rest, put a smile on your face, even if you don't feel like smiling. You'd be surprised what it might do for you.

Hugs to all, ~Babs~

Hey Sarv, I think they're granny squares everywhere. Very portable unlike the first afghan I started to make with this yarn which is why I never finished the first one. But to work on airplanes, you have to use a bigger hook. 5 mm hooks come in plastic as well as metal. this one I had to put in checked luggage.

The new afghans that I've started for the grandtwins are also variations on granny squares. That's the beauty of them - infinite variations either through colors or through a different type of centre.

Gotta head out to the hospital. Am taking high fibre food with me - A big bag of home popped popcorn, a small bag of Bran buds, a banana, a small bag each of dried prunes and dried apricots. Think that will do the trick?

Maybe I'll get to check in later tonight. I never check the Oscars except maybe to look at the orchestra because a violist friend of mine always plays in that orchestra.

Ann

Me again. I did some more reading and wanted to make a few more comments.

Sarv, you asked about me having a major town near me. I guess the term is relative. Baker City is 20 miles from us, 9000 people, county seat of a geographically large county with 18,000 total population. It is a center for farming and ranching supply. My sister who lives on the other side of the county travels 40 miles to Baker City about once a month to do her shopping. We have 2 major supermarkets, a warehouse type of grocery, and one discount store (part of a northwest chain called Bi-Mart). Also a big farm store, tractor and implement dealers, tire store, etc. LaGrande is 2 or 3 times as large, has a Walmart that is adding on to become a superstore, more kinds of businesses, JC Penney store (old and small) and Eastern Oregon University. 90 miles in the other direction, toward Boise, Idaho, is Ontario, Oregon and Payette, Idaho, which have a state line dividing them, bigger, more stores, etc. And then 150 miles from us is Boise. I guess the term "major" all depends, some people would not consider Boise as major, but from our perspective, it is major enough for us.

Oz and Babs, I believe that the term disability is one that dishonors people. We know some very able "disabled" people, one even uses the email name of Ability. He is a former US Marine, quad, goes to the vet hospital to help others cope with their physical conditions. Another example that comes to mind is a little guy named Tony who was born severely deformed as a result of Thalidamide which his mother took for nausea during pregnancy. He has one eye, one functional hand, one partially functional hand (after reconstructive surgeries) cleft palette, speach impediment, one leg missing below the knee (has a prosthetic leg and can even ride a horse) and is mentally retarded. He is happy stacking firewood, mowing a lawn, or cleaning horse stalls because he feels good that he can work. He has a small pickup that a former employer bought for him. He learned to drive, memorized the shapes and colors of the road signs, matches the numbers on the speed limit signs with the numbers on the speedometer, and had verbal help to pass the driving test because he does not read. Tony is one of the happiest people we know. Always smiling, grateful, pleasant and helpful as much as possible. My hubby gives him as an example when able bodied people who feel sorry for themselves start to complain. He just tells them about Tony and asks "now, what is your problem?"

Babs, you sure do put in some long hours, and I can't blame you for wanting to cut back a bit after all these years in fast forward.

I'm gonna look for a few more pictures of the inside of the barn so you can see what happens between the pasture behind the barn where the pregnant ewes are, and the pasture across the road where they go with their 3 day old lambs (yesterday's pics if you missed it). Ok here we go. This newborn lamb is well loved, I can't tell you which ewe is the mother, but I do recall that she had another one and was put into a pen like the one in the background. Hope I got the right one, darn those thumbnails are small when eyes aren't that good.

If they come in by lambmobile (lambulance?) or are born in the barn they get the private room treatment. There are 9 of these large pens around the edges of the center of the barn which is a large open area where we can bring the flock in to pick out an individual.

Another part of the barn has smaller pens which we use only as needed because they were designed for smaller sheep. Note the ample ventelation in the metal siding and the roof. Surprisingly there are very few leaks!

Mary, what a wonderful story about Tony!

We give each lamb an ear tag, a shot and a close inspection. The males receive an elastic band to neuter them. The ewe and her lamb or lambs get a paint brand so we can find who belongs to who if needed. Blue paint for single lambs, red for twins. the paint brand biodegrades in about a month. Here is the couple that own the farm.

This message was edited Mar 5, 2006 2:28 PM

Yours truly and a sweet little lamb. That is iodine you see on my vest, but I'm sure there is some of that other brown stuff as well.

The mothering pens accomodate 3 or 4 ewes with their lambs. This gives the lambs some practice finding mom in a group and a larger space. They stay here a day, get their tails docked (hot knife, very little discomfort) and are carefully observed for 24 hours. We have 3 of these pens which measure about 10x20 ft.

Day 3, the trip to the pasture. This is the funniest little parade, the ewes don't want to go anywhere without their lambs and the lambs don't want to move either. It is start, stop, one step forward 2 steps back, but somehow we get there! The trip from barn to pasture ( on the right by the little brown house) is only a couple hundred feet, but the world is soooooooo big!

As we near the gate some of the ewes remember going there before, and that through that gate there is good hay and some grass to nibble. I hope all of you enjoyed the trip.

This message was edited Mar 5, 2006 2:18 PM

Here is my rock pile at the farm, picture inspired by balvenie! I love rocks , and here I am hoarding them. I want to build something, not sure what.

Edited to add
You posted while i was dallying Mary. The lambs are so cute, it's a great trip!
LOLOL "lambulance"!!!!

This message was edited Mar 5, 2006 5:21 PM

hehehe....what fun to see that several of you remembered me. LOL

dmc...my embroidery isn't considered "commercial" although I do have a few orders to fill already. (That's what happens when your hairdresser finds out you have a new machine. :-))

Sheila!!! You're *alive* too! LOL Pictures? I tried to find a couple this morning to upload but somehow in all the sorting, organizing and shuffling...I forgot to take care of my computer! If you're good, I'll take pics of the chairs I'm about to recover in their before and after conditions. They *will* have embroidery on them! Should be interesting.

Mary! (Julie WHO?? LOL) I knew I'd come back in time to see this year's lambing. COOL!!!

Hi, again, to everyone!

~julie~

If you missed the paint brand explanation, scroll up to the picture with the farm owners. I edited it to include that information.

Great explanation of the colors and numbers, but what do you do for triplets??? ~ Suzi :)

Suzi, we don't send the ewes out with triplets, so the extra lamb is "grafted" on to another ewe that only has a single lamb or has lost her lamb. If that doesn't work and the foster mother doesn't like her new baby, or if there is no foster mother available, (timing is important, late grafts usually don't work) the extra lamb is turned into a bottle baby and sold to a neighbor who raises them. Triplets just don't do as well as lambs raised as twins everybody seems to come up short and sometimes one of them gets shoved out too many times and gets sick or dies. The ewes can't count so they don't care.

Dmc, what a great rock collection! And a very nice building behind it.

Mary - I meant, do you paint the number of the adopted Momma onto them, just leave them w/o number, or ?? ~ Suzi :)

Sarv, if you aren't unfunked by now, you will be when you get your new computer.

Oz, yay, rain! We had a real dry summr last year and I don't think this year will be better as we haven't had much snow. It is coming down good right now, and is supposed to continue until morning. Mr Code-id-his-doze will probably wait until then to clear it. DS is heading to AZ in the wee hours, for an installation they are doing in Phoenix. DIL will be left behind to tend the shovel and the animals. She might get to go later but not this time. They checked on the motel via the internet and it sounds as bad as the one they got stuck in in D.C. last year, flea bag, wandering panhandlers, etc. I doubt he will stay there, he'd rather pay his own expenses than go through that again.

WS, you have way more choices in plants than we do here in the frozen tundra, as do our other southern friends. Nice to get started so early.

Laurie, Ow Ow Ow, I hate that pain in the neck thing...used to get them all the time because I was so wound up, the least quick turn gave me a hot shot right up to my skull! Take it easy. Arent those emergency vehicles supposed to start their siren well before they come up on vehicles? Some old person is going to stroke out getting surprised like that.

Elaine, what a nice escort at the Garden Shop. Sometimes I need one when I can't remember where I saw a particular selection but there's never anyone around to ask. Or they are a kid and just look at you like you are speaking Farsi.

Robert, I brought back a Valerian from my friend's garden in MA when I was out there last spring. It grew nicely, and started several new sprouts nearby, if you want some seeds later this year let me know. It has a lovely scent when it is blooming.

Mary, you've been painting pictures with words, you truly could write a book just on the lambing experience alone. Herding sheep into the barn must be akin to herding cats...except maybe cats are smarter! We did manage to get rid of the thistle, but a couple years ago a giant mullein grew through the mulch along our property line. It was at least six feet high, and looked just like the little ones, had a large seed stalk on the top. If I can find the picture, which is kind of blurry, I'll try to post it. It was terribly windy the day I took it.

Nodding my head and agreeing with Robert and Oz, regarding people's assessments of other's capabilities, and keeping politics out of our discussions. I am rather too outspoken for some so it's best for me not to offer my opinions. And, also Robert, thanks a lot! Now in addition to zone and plant envy, I've got pond envy!

Ann, the afghan turned out lovely. I used to crochet, but my limited talent kept me confined to Granny Squares. I made one giant granny square afghan once. Can't do it anymore, my fingers cramp up almost immediately. LOL about all that fiber for your DH. Stand back!! Sarv must have learned to crochet like my sis, her afghans are very nicely done, except they usually start falling apart soon after they are done.

DS and DIL were supposed to stop over this morning after doing some errands nearby, but he "forgot", so there's a chocolate chip coffee cake on the counter. I used the recipe on the bisquick box, and I think it's kind of dry, but the crumbly topping and the chips under it are good, so just eat the top half!

Not watching the Oscars, it's too long, too blabby and too boring. I'm recording it so I can catch the highlights. Hoping Capote, Munich and Syriana get some recognition as I thought they were excellent. I loved the Johnny Cash film but I don't think it compared to those.

Dmcd, arghhhhh, now I have add rock pile envy to my list of unfavorable character traits. Just when I thought I couldnt get any worse.

Julie, we definitely want to see before and after pics of the chair(s). I love to see comparisons like that. That's why I don't clean until my house gets really dirty. I want to see the difference!

Looking for the photo....if I don't find it, you get Sammi instead. He has doubled his weight already, and looks allmost as big as Souky. I think he was planning to dump the fake plant basket again without any help from the girls.

Nope, must have been predigital and not in my current file. DH might have it but I don't think he's in a frame of mind to look it up for me.

Edited for speeling LOL



This message was edited Mar 5, 2006 7:28 PM

We are digging out from 5 inches of what was supposed to be "freezing rain" but ended up being heavy wet snow and freezing fog is settling in now. Should be fun in the morning.

Sarv, hon, I have some bad news for you. You were wasting your time checking out P. Allen's ring finger, he doesn't bat from that side of the plate, shall we say?

Mary, I love your lambing stories. Jenna has been right here with me looking at those fabulous pictures! Thanks you so much for sharing them with us.

~~~ To everyone else, I'm just not up to it tonight.

;~)

mg