I think it makes sense to get the information closer to the source, so here it is:
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
Save The Frogs Day
According to the people at Garden Rant (& many others, this just happens to be where I found it), today is save the frogs day. & why not save a frog. What the hell, save more than one.
I think it makes sense to get the information closer to the source, so here it is:
I think it makes sense to get the information closer to the source, so here it is:
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Guns don't kill people
I do not know what is going on lately but it is shotguns shotguns shotguns all day long. I do not know if it just dawned on some of the neighborhood that hunting season mostly wraps up this month or if B***'s dogs have gotten into W*****'s henhouse again or what but it has been like living in a recreation of the Battle of Gettysburg.
I admit I am not the world's biggest hunting fan, but why would I be? I do not eat much meat. I do not like loud noises. Frankly, I have a limited interest in all sports that involve an armed fat guy drinking way too much beer (yeah, I am not fan a NASCAR either). But I do know enough about deer overpopulation to know that something has to be done, especially if you are going to shoot all their natural predators. I know of at least local two families that eat what they hunt & it makes a big part of their winter diet; they would have trouble making it without this food source. Finally, unlike hunting where I grew up, more historically interesting hunting is also practiced here, bow-hunting & muzzle loading rifles for instance. I still do not want to myself, but I can see there is more to it than buying a gun, buying ammo & shooting at paper targets (why not just play a video game?).
I also know a lot of hunters are feeling marginalized these days. After 9/11, the nearby army base closed their doors to the local hunters they used to invite to week-end shoots (some how the shooting they were doing was not enough to scare away the deer) & canceled most clubshoots (my favorite would have to be the muzzle loading groups, but it might just be that word: muzzle). They have opened back up for a few events, but it is a fraction of what they used to do.
One group of local hunters was very surprised when the new owners of their old hunting buddy's land were not only not going to let them hunt through but would have them arrested for trespassing if they even came on to the property. When A told me about I***'s encounter with his hunting neighbors, I could not help but think of the stories I had been told about Indians, laughing at white-men who bought the land for a few trinkets, after all who can own land, only to see trees come down & fences go up.
My favorite story is one told to me about a neighbor who has since died, so I think I can tell this without hurting anyone's feeling. Many years ago, when she was new to the area , N****'s husband left her home alone to go work his pecan groves some 40 miles away. Hard frost had been forecast & he expected to be out all night. A few of her husband's buddies decided to 'hunt through' their land & either they never mentioned it to him or he forgot to mention it to her. I bet you can see where this is going...
The short version is, N**** was out feeding the livestock they had near the house, heard the rustling of people moving, saw guns, picked up the shotgun they kept for just such emergencies & started blasting away. I was one of the few people on our street N**** really talked with (years later she still hated being a country wife), but I have always thought she warmed to me as quickly as she did because my response to this story was to laugh so hard I had to sit down.
Now of course, there are more people here than ever before. Larger lots have been cut down, some for big housing developments, some for smaller. What was once an ordinary ranch house with a large yard is now three houses with much smaller yards, but very pleasant & welcome families. Some expansions have been less popular: a nearby family (now moved away) added an unzoned trailer home to their property that eventually burned down, catching our back pasture & consuming our entire back fence.
One of the remaining large lots is the blueberry field I have mentioned in previous posts. They are also the source of the recent gunshots (& an air cannon for extra umph). I have learned since I began this post that they have been shooting at Cedar Waxwings, a protected species.
Many of you might ask: is it the same farmer who insisted my hen was a rooster (& that I needed that rooster so my real hens would lay eggs), the same farmer that burned all the old, pressure-treated fencing, releasing poisons into the air, is this the farmer now illegally shooting birds & keeping the neighborhood awake for the past 72 hours. You betcha.
I admit I am not the world's biggest hunting fan, but why would I be? I do not eat much meat. I do not like loud noises. Frankly, I have a limited interest in all sports that involve an armed fat guy drinking way too much beer (yeah, I am not fan a NASCAR either). But I do know enough about deer overpopulation to know that something has to be done, especially if you are going to shoot all their natural predators. I know of at least local two families that eat what they hunt & it makes a big part of their winter diet; they would have trouble making it without this food source. Finally, unlike hunting where I grew up, more historically interesting hunting is also practiced here, bow-hunting & muzzle loading rifles for instance. I still do not want to myself, but I can see there is more to it than buying a gun, buying ammo & shooting at paper targets (why not just play a video game?).
I also know a lot of hunters are feeling marginalized these days. After 9/11, the nearby army base closed their doors to the local hunters they used to invite to week-end shoots (some how the shooting they were doing was not enough to scare away the deer) & canceled most clubshoots (my favorite would have to be the muzzle loading groups, but it might just be that word: muzzle). They have opened back up for a few events, but it is a fraction of what they used to do.
One group of local hunters was very surprised when the new owners of their old hunting buddy's land were not only not going to let them hunt through but would have them arrested for trespassing if they even came on to the property. When A told me about I***'s encounter with his hunting neighbors, I could not help but think of the stories I had been told about Indians, laughing at white-men who bought the land for a few trinkets, after all who can own land, only to see trees come down & fences go up.
My favorite story is one told to me about a neighbor who has since died, so I think I can tell this without hurting anyone's feeling. Many years ago, when she was new to the area , N****'s husband left her home alone to go work his pecan groves some 40 miles away. Hard frost had been forecast & he expected to be out all night. A few of her husband's buddies decided to 'hunt through' their land & either they never mentioned it to him or he forgot to mention it to her. I bet you can see where this is going...
The short version is, N**** was out feeding the livestock they had near the house, heard the rustling of people moving, saw guns, picked up the shotgun they kept for just such emergencies & started blasting away. I was one of the few people on our street N**** really talked with (years later she still hated being a country wife), but I have always thought she warmed to me as quickly as she did because my response to this story was to laugh so hard I had to sit down.
Now of course, there are more people here than ever before. Larger lots have been cut down, some for big housing developments, some for smaller. What was once an ordinary ranch house with a large yard is now three houses with much smaller yards, but very pleasant & welcome families. Some expansions have been less popular: a nearby family (now moved away) added an unzoned trailer home to their property that eventually burned down, catching our back pasture & consuming our entire back fence.
One of the remaining large lots is the blueberry field I have mentioned in previous posts. They are also the source of the recent gunshots (& an air cannon for extra umph). I have learned since I began this post that they have been shooting at Cedar Waxwings, a protected species.
Many of you might ask: is it the same farmer who insisted my hen was a rooster (& that I needed that rooster so my real hens would lay eggs), the same farmer that burned all the old, pressure-treated fencing, releasing poisons into the air, is this the farmer now illegally shooting birds & keeping the neighborhood awake for the past 72 hours. You betcha.
Thursday, April 23, 2009
I missed Earth Day completely
One of the things I have noticed about not having children is that our relationship with the calendar seems to be so much different from everyone around us.
First, in the big way. Days, weeks, months, years go by without any significant changes in our lives. Dogs get old & die, but that can take a decade (we are not killing them off early, most of our dogs were not puppies when they arrived). Not like kids. Ideally a kid will live more than ten years, but in any given year they will change (taller, bigger- new shoes, new clothes; schoolwork - new books; peer pressure - new gadgets, new ideas). It is easier to see the broad passage of time with more small changes in time.
Second, there is a whole host of events, holidays, call-them-what-you-will that just do not happen in a grownups-only house. The first one I remember breaking through my consciousness was "take your daughter to work day". Our office person (she hated secretary; I had once held that same job & my attitude was if what was good enough for Kissinger was good enough for me, but she did not agree) showed up one day with her elementary school aged daughter & was shocked that I did not know What Day It Was. She then had a second shock when it turned out I thought she would actually work on The Day (my argument remains if the point is to show children what work is like, shouldn't you expect to do some?). I gather other offices planned things, luncheons & balloons. As it happened, we had an special time, too. I still think of it as meet your copier repairman face-to-face & then watch him explain to your supervisor that chocolate milk in the toner is not covered by the warranty agreement day. These festivities took place a while ago & toner was not yet available in pre-packaged cartridges.
Now that you know this you will be unsurprised to learn I had no idea yesterday was Earth Day. I would like to be able to say something snotty here, like "every day is Earth Day at Useless Ranch" but that would be a lie.
Yesterday, I turned off the AC after A left in the morning. I do this most mornings NOT because I am earth-conscious or even money-conscious but because it is FREEZING. It is like the polar bear house at a tropical zoo.
I went on to burn plenty of electricity using the sewing machine, the computer, the phone. I also took digital pictures of the loquat trees. & then I drove around the neighborhood taking pictures of the wildflowers in the medians before they were mowed. Then I came home & uploaded the camera & fussed with the pictures (I am hoping to use them in a project for an upcoming quilt show).
Around 6:30 I turned the air back on so it would be nice & frigid when A got home. By then I had been pre-heating the oven for 45 minutes because he was late. I found out he was late, but forgot to turn the oven off . Then we watched TV. When I went to bed I saw the walk-in closet light had been left on all day. Also, the toilet was running.
//just to show you how clueless I am: I did not know TODAY take your D&S to work day until I looked for the link.
First, in the big way. Days, weeks, months, years go by without any significant changes in our lives. Dogs get old & die, but that can take a decade (we are not killing them off early, most of our dogs were not puppies when they arrived). Not like kids. Ideally a kid will live more than ten years, but in any given year they will change (taller, bigger- new shoes, new clothes; schoolwork - new books; peer pressure - new gadgets, new ideas). It is easier to see the broad passage of time with more small changes in time.
Second, there is a whole host of events, holidays, call-them-what-you-will that just do not happen in a grownups-only house. The first one I remember breaking through my consciousness was "take your daughter to work day". Our office person (she hated secretary; I had once held that same job & my attitude was if what was good enough for Kissinger was good enough for me, but she did not agree) showed up one day with her elementary school aged daughter & was shocked that I did not know What Day It Was. She then had a second shock when it turned out I thought she would actually work on The Day (my argument remains if the point is to show children what work is like, shouldn't you expect to do some?). I gather other offices planned things, luncheons & balloons. As it happened, we had an special time, too. I still think of it as meet your copier repairman face-to-face & then watch him explain to your supervisor that chocolate milk in the toner is not covered by the warranty agreement day. These festivities took place a while ago & toner was not yet available in pre-packaged cartridges.
Now that you know this you will be unsurprised to learn I had no idea yesterday was Earth Day. I would like to be able to say something snotty here, like "every day is Earth Day at Useless Ranch" but that would be a lie.
Yesterday, I turned off the AC after A left in the morning. I do this most mornings NOT because I am earth-conscious or even money-conscious but because it is FREEZING. It is like the polar bear house at a tropical zoo.
I went on to burn plenty of electricity using the sewing machine, the computer, the phone. I also took digital pictures of the loquat trees. & then I drove around the neighborhood taking pictures of the wildflowers in the medians before they were mowed. Then I came home & uploaded the camera & fussed with the pictures (I am hoping to use them in a project for an upcoming quilt show).
Around 6:30 I turned the air back on so it would be nice & frigid when A got home. By then I had been pre-heating the oven for 45 minutes because he was late. I found out he was late, but forgot to turn the oven off . Then we watched TV. When I went to bed I saw the walk-in closet light had been left on all day. Also, the toilet was running.
//just to show you how clueless I am: I did not know TODAY take your D&S to work day until I looked for the link.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Welcome rain
It seems that I only have to predict drought (when everyone else says "oh yea, drought") & that will make it not so. I could not be happier to be wrong.
Yesterday I grabbed my camera & headed out into the light shower that became a deluge, washing away all the dog bombs & horse piles, saving me hours of a rather yucky chore. Not to mention the whole my-house-is-less-likely-to-burn-down-this-year-than-any-year-since-we-moved-here thing, which is not just good, it is divine.
The goats hate rain, or water of any kind. They run for the barn at the first taste of moisture in the air. They will brave the back hooves of a very cranky mare rather than risk getting wet. They are, apparently, made of spun sugar.
The donkey also hates water, but I do not know if this is universal in donkeys (it does seem to be in goats). He will not brave mean hooves but he will lower himself to stand with the goats in their open stall, if the big girls really will not let anyone in with them.
The plants, of course long for rain. Everything has been struggling to get above ground, tall, thready stems, dense thick leaves clumped at the base & sand, sand, sand. The dust from the road so completely coats everything, I forgot what actual green leaves looked like.
Yesterday I grabbed my camera & headed out into the light shower that became a deluge, washing away all the dog bombs & horse piles, saving me hours of a rather yucky chore. Not to mention the whole my-house-is-less-likely-to-burn-down-this-year-than-any-year-since-we-moved-here thing, which is not just good, it is divine.The goats hate rain, or water of any kind. They run for the barn at the first taste of moisture in the air. They will brave the back hooves of a very cranky mare rather than risk getting wet. They are, apparently, made of spun sugar.
The donkey also hates water, but I do not know if this is universal in donkeys (it does seem to be in goats). He will not brave mean hooves but he will lower himself to stand with the goats in their open stall, if the big girls really will not let anyone in with them.
The plants, of course long for rain. Everything has been struggling to get above ground, tall, thready stems, dense thick leaves clumped at the base & sand, sand, sand. The dust from the road so completely coats everything, I forgot what actual green leaves looked like.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Blogger's Quilt Festival
The idea is to choose my favorite quilt, show it & tell the story. This would of course require that I actually take pictures before I ship them off (sad admission for a professional record keeper, but there we are). But there is one quilt I do seem to make over & over again. It appeals to me in so many ways: it is graphic, it is simple while looking complex, & it is so forgiving we taught it at Arbor House helping new residents learn how to use their machines (& prove to them, no really you CAN make something) & that would be the Foundation Free String quilt.The idea for the blocks had tumbled around in my brain for a while, but gelled when I saw the cover of Gwen Marsten's book Liberated String Quilts. I backed into the sashing (I call it Reconciling the Disparate; I am a big Daisy Parker fan) while trying to put together my guild's bingo block squares & discovering we had a size variation of more than 3/4" across the blocks & a shocking number of the squares were not square. This layout takes care of all that.
I really have lost track of how many of these I have made myself (10? 20?) & how many I have taught (30? more?) & I never stop being amazed at how different each one is, even when people share the same random pile of scraps. But of all of them that I have made, this is my favorite.
When C***** told me she had painted her bedroom black I thought "oh dear" & then when I saw it I could not believe how peaceful & restful it was. Black walls, windows with filmy white curtains & light blue accessories. It sounds gloomy but it really is one of the nicest bedroom color schemes I have ever seen. & this quilt was made especially for her in that room. I think what I love most about this quilt was my complete conviction that it would not come together (the black & white is tooo contrasting, the blue tooooo flat), but I used them because they were the colors I had to work with & it it turned out to be more than the sum of its parts.
//thank you Park City Girl for hostessing this great idea! & welcome to my 100th post.
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