Foreboding

This weekend temperatures hovered around 75 degrees. It was the third week of October and I have used the furnace for only about five evenings.

Something's gotta give.

The longer this pattern endures, the greater my concern for the winter. Our modest home stands surrounded by fields of crops. Here in the middle of the cornfields we have little protection from blowing snow and wind.

I know that we should be enjoying these late "summer" days in autumn -- not even Indian summer, as there has not been a frost. What kind of an ungrateful ox doesn't take an extra bike ride, or have lunch at the picnic table, or let the dogs stay outside all day long when it's 75 degrees in late October?

But here when we should be baking pumpkin pie and making curried butternut squash soup, a big salad remains the menu choice.

Something's gotta give.

NeBoShone

We spent the past weekend "up north", my college friends Amy and Tomison and I. Since the mid-'80s Tomison's family has generously shared their secluded house near Luther, Michigan with us so that we can enjoy the river, the roaring fireplace, and the autumn colors.

This year was pretty typical. Upon arrival one adds to the stack of magazines and books to be shared for the weekend. Then the coolers, bags and boxes of food to feed an army get unpacked and stored away in the three refrigerators and full pantry of shelves. How about a glass of wine? We have eight bottles for the three of us to share in just over 48 hours! (Well, on Friday evening is the annual cocktail party with our friend Marian, and god knows she can put it away!) The menus put Martha Stewart to shame. Nothing too precarious nutritionally, though, at least not this year.

The wildlife stayed away for some reason. In past years we have seen many deer, turkeys, pheasants and other forest animals, but the animal stars of this visit were the mewing kittens up at the keeper's house. "Great kittens!" I called to the lady of the house. "They're free!" she yelled back. No, there are no new residents at Busy Solitude Farm.

Each year, visiting at the NeBoShone inspires fantasies about escaping the world. Living a mile off the road, filling the pantry in the fall and disappearing through the winter to exist simply with pets and projects -- it's an enticing proposition. Somehow money always gets in the way. I bought us a MegaMillions ticket to share, figuring that 8 million would underwrite my escape. Sadly, we lost.

But you haven't lost too much when you've spent a weekend at the NeBoShone. The fresh pine air and brisk walks invigorate the body, a glass of wine near the crackling fire rekindles the spirit. And spending a couple of days with the best of friends, that's a win-win-win.

From Beth's Lips to God's Ears

During the summer of 2006 I had a spectacular vegetable garden. Multiple varieties of tomatoes, cabbage, garlic, onions, potatos, plus cucumbers, strawberries, tomatillos, and many herbs.

Then the rains came. October of 2006 was one of the rainiest ever. My vegetable garden was under water for weeks. A nightmare. I had to wait until January to plant garlic for 2007.

And when it came time to plant the 2007 crops, I discovered that the standing water had filtered my soil so that I had a hard crust that was almost undiggable. Spring and summer are the busy season at work so I could not devote enough time to get through the crust, and I ended up with no garden this summer. It was devastating.

Over this past weekend my friend Beth, who is a subscription farmer, offered to till my plot. When we discussed it in detaill, however, she decided that it had to be opened up first since the tiller wouldn't get through that crust. "How can I do that?" I begged. Her suggestion was that I wait for a rainstorm, or run the sprinkler, and then work the moistened soil.

And so last night it rained. Beth's lips to God's ears. And this morning I got almost half of the garden opened up.

Things are looking up for the summer of 2008!

Patient as a Hen

Chick-Chuck welcomes Mama Hen back to their kennel-condo!

Animal behavior fascinates me -- observing these two proves the existence of maternal instinct again and again. Last night the Mama Hen wanted to roost on a 2x4, out of the kennel and up off the ground, like the other hens. Chick-Chuck, however, could not make it up three feet to roost, so they ended up sleeping in the kennel.

This morning before I went to work what did I see but Mama and Chick roosting proudly in another spot in the hen-pen. I guess Mama was not planning to sleep one more night in that kennel! Just now I went out to turn off their light and I got to see Chick-Chuck rise like a helicopter up to the bar. The sweetest part was that once it got next to Mama, all the crazy peeping stopped.

Everyone should have the patience of a Mama Hen when caring for loved ones!

[Addendum one hour later: I checked on the chickens and discovered Mama Hen and Chick-Chuck sleeping in the kennel. I guess baby just wasn't ready to sleep up high!]

Open the Floodgate!

This weekend (Tuesday-Wednesday with my current schedule) I am planning to tile my bathroom floor and paint the window trim. The project requires me to temporarily take out the sink and vanity and a couple of days ago I discovered a possible problem with the shutoff valves under the sink. I may have fixed it, but I won’t know for sure until I actually proceed.

Last night I took down the blinds so that I could put a coat of Kilz on the window trim. Then I realized I would have to rig up some kind of temporary curtain if I wanted a shower in the morning.

I woke up this morning thinking I would really like to wash my hair. I walked into the bathroom with that on my mind (it was still dark) and heard this tremendous gushing. I stood there for a moment trying to get my bearings. The sound seemed to be coming from the closet area — the water main into the house is there under a trap door. I didn’t sense any water moving, but it sounded like a flood.

Just as I reached for the lightswitch I discovered the source. When I painted the window frame last night I scooted the cat litter box over by the closet to get it out of my way. Abe was having his morning relief! He must have had quite a bit to drink last night!



This is the culprit. Another crisis averted!