Back to the Little House

A few days ago I wrote about our place in the country (further up in the country!) and the little house that is there.  Several of you have kindly expressed interest in the little house and I promise as soon as the snow clears, we will be back up there working and I will take a few pictures of the inside...don't expect too much...it is old....It's quaint and quirky, but mostly it is old.

In the mean time I thought you might like to see a couple of the other delights the place has to offer.  First, there is a barn.  When we bought the property, the farmer said it was the only building on the place that looked good enough for mice to reside in.  It is situated right beside this pond and has old windows in it that are long and have that wavy glass that makes everything look dreamy when you stare through it.  The barn was full of junk...not much of it usable, but the previous owner had been a cabinet maker so there were a few fun pieces to toy with...and yes...mice.

Since the little house was deemed too far gone to use as truly livable space, and we do hope to go there to stay over some, we decided to build a small barn/garage/living area that would have a tiny bathroom, kitchenette and living space.  The living space itself is one big room and only about 400 square feet, so it will be a challenge to fit everything in...but it has potential....pretty views and means I can do some flea-marketing once we get to that point!  I hope to show you the progress as we go along.  This photo is the shell...and as you can see, the little house is just a stones throw away...

Lessons from a Donkey

I have had my donkey Jubel for almost three years now. In that time, he has taught me just about

" Everything I need to know" so I thought I would share what I have learned thus far as

a mini donkey owner...I posted this once before right after I started this blog, but

good lessons bear repeating.

1. The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence...but sticking your neck where it doesn't belong can get you stuck...by barbed wire or something worse.
2. Watch your step...all that glitters is not gold..sometimes it is a pile of poop.
3. Gray is the new black.
4. Sometimes it's better to be seen and not herd.

     5. Open your mouth wide and hee-haw every chance you get.

     6. Grin and the whole world grins with you.

     7. When someone sneaks up on you from behind, kick first and ask questions later.
     8. On hot days lie on your back under a shade tree.
     9. When in doubt, run.
   10. Everyone should have a pedicure every two months.
   11. When someone you love comes home...run to meet them with wild abandon.

   12. There is never a bad time to eat cookies...or pie.

                                                                              
                                                    ( photo laura gordon photography)

These Boots Were Made For Walkin'

(photo credit:  Laura Gordon Photography)

My work boots gave up the ghost.

As you may see from the photo, the soles have "rotted" away.  Actually, it's a funny story.

When we bought the "farm away from farm" I decided I needed some real work boots...it was a mess

up there, and the old LLBeans were not doing the job.  I asked the farmer to get me some work boots from the work boot store and he obliged....but what he neglected to say was he bought them from

"THE BACK ROOM"

(translation:  the section with rejects, overstocks, very old boots, and those poor little shoes no one else wants)

I was thrilled with my new work boots......until a month later when the soles began to......flake away.

Now, admittedly, the farmer is known for his...thriftiness....but these were good quality boots.....15 or so years ago.

I managed to squeeze 2 years out of them, but when I went to put them on the other day, the sole stuck to the floor.... and I lost a good deal of it.

This time, I went WITH the farmer to the work boot store.  I now have a PERFECT

pair of work boots...with an in-tact bottom.....I am a happy worker.  (not so much, I just love the comfy boots.)

(photo credit: Georgia Boots)

Hope you have a spooky and fun HALLOWEEN!

Stewed

Saturday, we got stewed.

Brunswick stewed.

Our friend Morris came and cooked a huge pot....

Friends and relatives came...

15 gallons of stew was eaten....

4 bags of marshmallows were toasted....
Tons of peanuts were gobbled up and the shells tossed on the ground....

Backsides (and frontsides) were warmed by the fire....
Kids chased each other....
Hot dogs were grilled....
Tales were told... and disputed.....
We loved it.....
Fall is good.

Have a great weekend!



Mending

                               If you have been a Farm and Fru Fru reader for any length of time,   

you know that I like hand stitching.  You will also recall that the farmer is

not one to" quit on a garment" once it comes into his possession.  This is why this

union has lasted 27 years.....I mend.  I used to hate mending

when I used my sewing machine and tried sewing through 6 layers of denim or

tissue paper thin chambray, but since I began mending my hand, I actually

like it....a lot. 

It's a good thing....with summer rapidly coming to and end, the farmer is

trying to squeeze that last little bit of good out of each and every blue chambray shirt, every pair

of khaki shorts.

  Just when I think he has managed to wear the
worst he has, he finds something worse to wear.  I believe in
recycling as much as the next person, but the farmer takes his effort of use up THEN
throw out to the extreme...at our house, the Goodwill is unnecessary...his shirts and
pants go straight from his back to the rag bag. 
Just sayin....

Friendship

Farm and Fru Fru is dry.  Very Dry.  The little donkey and calf's lot has dried up completely

and the farmer has been giving them hay and staking them in the yard....a novel idea to be sure.

Last week,  the little guys got to go into the pasture with the big cows...

You may recall that the calf and donkey have a love/hate relationship, so I thought

they would enjoy all the space, and immediately use the opportunity to escape each other....

But, apparently, this friendship goes deeper than I thought.....

With acres and acres at their disposal, and lots of "new friends", what do you think?

They examined the greener pastures and all the new company....

but in the end, decided they preferred the company of the

familiar....the devil you know rather than the devil you don't...

...and they have been inseparable ever since.....

Pests

My mother is 79.  She has been living alone since my father passed away 3 years ago, is active, intelligent, and has all her faculties.  But she is "squirrelly".

Ma lives in a small house on about a quarter acre lot in the middle of an older neighborhood.  Yet, she has probably a dozen squirrels that live in the trees on that lot.  They are driving her nuts.  For some strange reason, this year the bushy tails have pulled up most of her flowers.  They have dug up her petunias, her impatiens, her geraniums and any other posies that have been unfortunate enough to grow there.  It's a real mystery.  She has always been kind to the squirrels, even feeding them in winter.  She has always enjoyed watching them scamper about and swears they occasionally eat magic mushrooms that make them spin and twirl and act crazy......someone has been in the magic mushrooms, I'm just not sure who....

The other night when the farmer and I were at her house, Ma announced that she had had enough.  She had tried red pepper flakes in the dirt, hot pepper spray, moth balls, a water hose, wire around the pots and on and on and on.  Nothing works.  She plants the plants, the squirrels dig them up and throw them on the ground (they don't eat them), she re-plants them, they dig them up again and throw them on the ground, she throws sticks and them, they laugh at the crazy gray-haired woman throwing sticks, and then the whole thing starts over again....and again....and again.  Everyday I call and there is a new story....The other day she called the Game Warden.  I would like to have heard that conversation.  Not surprisingly, they had nothing to offer...can you imagine the conversation around the office after THAT call?

 Ma declared she was going to Green Top and buy a gun....a BB gun.  "What" I stammered "are you going to do with it, sit on the patio and take out bushy tails in front of the neighbors?" 

"I don't really want to kill them, just scare them." she replied in a very very calm voice.   The farmer, previously stupefied by this strange conversation, came to and said that BB guns made no noise.  "Well," said my little mother, "I will shoot over their heads and frighten them."  Let me stop here and say my mother has never held a gun in her life, so the chance that she could even fire a BB gun is slim, but to think that she might be able to aim and shoot OVER a running squirrel and scare it, is unthinkable.  But, she had a strange gleam in her eye that told me she was determined.  I looked over at the  farmer for assistance, and ever helpful, he suggested.......a sling shot might be a better weapon choice.  Not what I had in mind.  At this, Ma fairly jumped out of her seat and declared it was a perfect idea and she would make the purchase tomorrow.

I emailed my brother who is vacationing and told him not to be surprised if he returns to find our mother in a nice quiet rest home.....if the squirrels don't get her, the police probably will.

Can you hear me now?

Some years ago, when cell phones first came out, my brother, the technical one, bought one.  If you think back to those days before everyone over the age of 5 had a phone attached to themselves at all times, it was somewhat of a novelty.  My brother began calling me from odd places....mostly bathrooms just because he could.   I think the first call came from a porta potty at Camptown Races.  At the time, it was just hilarious.  I would pick up the phone (before caller id) and he would say something like "hey, I'm in a porta john at South of the Border" or " I am seeing Rock City, or I will be when I get out of this john..."  I have been called from airplane bathrooms en route to Egypt, Nascar race porta potties, porta johns at field parties, a bath hut in Indonesia, you name it...but last week was one for the books.  He out did himself.  He called from.....Tiffany's.

Apparently, they have quite the facilities.  I felt very special...not as special as his wife who got the blue box, but at least he was thinking of me.  I'm not sure what that says....about him or me......

Happy 4th!

Hope you have a very happy 4th of july...before you do anything else, I highly recommend you view this video of The Cactus Cuties singing the National Anthem.  It is like nothing I have seen before and well worth the time.  These kids are very young...the oldest only 8...Have a great 4th of July!

Holy Cow! 7/13

One of the things most people don't realize about cows is that they are extremely crafty   What I mean is, they are much smarter than one might think.  Case in point:  Fences.  Lets say you have a 15 acre pasture fenced in with a nice barb-wire fence.  You have maybe 20 cows in that pasture and they wile away the days munching grass and chewing their cuds...they seem to be just dumb cows doing nothing all day long day after day, but they are really  watching the fence.  They are watching for the slightest slack in the wire, a branch down,  a low spot under the fence....because more than anything else in life they want out.  They really believe life on the outside will somehow be better so they make it their life's work to plan "the great escape".
(photo credit scandal-cow)                                                               

The farmer has a herd of cows near our house on rented land which backs up to a campground.......a pentacostal campground where members of the denomination come to celebrate their faith.  Apparently,  the farmer's cows also seek the Lord because frequently, they heed the call and "crash" the tent meetings.. uninvited.  As you can imagine, this causes a bit of a stir.  Such has been the case again over the past week.  Whether because of the extreme heat we have been experiencing, or because the Lord's call has been particularly loud, we have received at least one, usually two or more calls from the very patient and long suffering camp leader requesting that the farmer come and retrieve the uninvited four-legged congregants....quick.

In the farmer's defense, these must be EXTREMELY intelligent beasts, as he has ridden fences and ridden fences and to date has found NO holes, no trees down...nothing...no escape route.  He is beginning to think they have a secret tunnel.  On Sunday, things reached the critical point.  Before 8am, the poor preacher had called twice with cow news....first one was out, then several....eating flowers, grass, making themselves "at home" on the camp lawns....all while the farmer was not home.  When I finally reached him to pass on the news, he had already been there for an hour (and the temperature was already over 80) trying once again to round up the holy herd and find their escape route.....to no avail.  Now the farmer is a very even-keeled person and not one quick to anger, but this was too much even for him.  I had visions of him "going-off" and yelling and cursing the bovine escapees (as I have seen in the past), and thought this might be a little much for the Christian campers.  Instead, he grabbed both farmhands and they took off again for camp.

 Much later, when all was said and done, the escapees were returned to their pasture and the campers could once again pray  in peace.  The farmer's theory is that the cows were making their escape through the fence that runs across the creek, so he shored it up using a very sturdy gate. I however, am very afraid  the lure of outdoor worship may be too much for them, and the holy cows may try to join the faithful yet again.....stay tuned.  In the mean time, please keep the poor campers in your prayers.....

She's at it again.....

So after Friday's guest blog by my friend Angel, she felt a bit sheepish mentioning all the things we don't have in common, so she decided to take a second look at our friendship and see exactly what we DO have in common....here's what she came up with....

We are both very afraid of  underground transportation.
Our son and daughter are 5 months apart in age.
We believe in gossip, but only between friends.....
We believe in no white shoes after labor day and no suntan pantyhose....anytime.
We believe in saying "That is so nice"  and "Thank you very much for that lovely fruitcake" whether we mean it or not.
We believe that children should sleep in their own beds.
We believe that clean well dressed children are far less annoying than dirty poorly clothed children.
We believe in the treat bag.
We believe in giving gifts for any and all reasons.
We believe in secrets.
We believe children should work as soon as they can....2 is a good age to start.
We believe that money won't make you truly happy but we would like to try it all the same.
We believe you can never have too many shoes.
We believe in chiropractors.
We believe that everybody needs a "poor dog" once in awhile.
We love all things from Great Britain.
We love  Hugh Grant, Colin Firth, Robert Duvall and Tommy Lee Jones.
We love the movie Sense and  Sensibility.
We love Lonesome Dove and can quote it scene for scene.
We believe if you make your bed, you have to lie in it.
We love The Civil War mini series on PBS.
We love River Dance and firmly believe Michael Flatley will make a comeback.
We belong to the same church, even though one of us is faithful and one is lazy (You can guess).
We believe in agreeing with our husbands even if we don't.
We love to get rid of things.
We love to talk on the phone.
We know who shot J.R. and why.
We know all the words to the Pina Colada song.
We believe in never saying never because it CAN and WILL happen to you....and that God has a sense of humor about those things.
We saw Titanic together in the movie theatre even though we have never been to the theatre together again.
We believe it is OK to hang up on your best friend at any time for any reason.
We love online shopping.
We believe it is OK to make your best friend throw an item of clothing away if it is demeaning to said friend.
We both have the same other best friend and believe with all our hearts she is a saint on earth.
We both want our kids to turn out like her kids.
We both love to be alone.
We both believe if someone says they saw you running naked down Main Street, whether you did or not, that is the one thing they will always remember about you.
We both believe in naps.
We both believe the grass is NEVER greener on the other side of the fence...it is an optical illusion.
We both believe feet should be well groomed.

I'm not sure what all that means, but it has been very interesting examining what makes a good friendship...you should try it............

donkey

Recently, my friend Angel "retired" from teaching as her fortieth birthday looms closer and closer.  She decided she needed more time at home with......herself.  She is a witty gal and I thought it might be fun to have her guest blog here at farm and fru fru about her retirement, even though the closest she EVER comes to anything farmish is if she stops by here and sends one of her kids up to the door (she doesn't like dogs or cats) with a load of magazines for me.  Fru Fru though is another thing.  She is a Fru Fru girl. 

Instead, Angel thought it would be more interesting to examine our unlikely friendship.  It's true that on first examination, we do not seem to have much in common, but then is that always a necessity?   I think not.  It got me thinking about friends and what makes a good one.  Here is what Angel had to say.....


I think we should discuss how we can be friends if indeed :

I cannot cook and you rarely read
I cannot sew and you do not belong to netflix
I cannot garden and you do not go to the movie theatre
I cannot paint and you do not vacation
I cannot live without my DVR and you don't know what it is
I cannot knit and you cannot play video games
You cook for your kids and my kids cook for me
My kids won't be quiet and your kids won't talk
I do not stay at home and you do not leave
Your husband works at home and my husband is never home
You hate Disney World and I love Disney World
I go to the pool and you have not seen chlorine in this decade
I tan and you faux tan
I take 1000 pictures for every one you take
I hate pets and you love pets
I have no schedule and you don't do anything without a schedule
You make lists for everything  and I won't make lists at all
You follow rules and I refuse the rules
You never impulse shop and I always impulse shop
You have redecorated your house at least 5 times and I never will in this lifetime.
You read  "how to" magazines and I read tabloids.
I hate short hair and you hate long hair.
I love Angelina Jolie and you love Jane Austen
You watch Ax Men and I watch The Real Housewives
I watch Oprah, you watch Martha
I watch MTV, you watch RFD-TV
I eat something different at each restaurant I visit, you eat a turkey sandwich...every time.
I believe more is more and you believe less is more.
You always answer the phone, I never answer the phone.
My favorite TV show is True Blood and you've never even heard of it.
I read Patricia Cornwell and you read Rosamunde Pilcher.
You take vitamins I take Xanax.

So people, how can we be such good friends?.....I am scratching my head.......what do you have in common with your friends?

The One Where She Complains About The Work

About this time of year every year, I begin complaining to the farmer about the work...his work, not mine.

School is out, he, F2 and the rest are busy cutting barley and wheat, baling straw and planting beans, and with the long hours and hot temperatures it doesn't take long for things to get a bit dodgy around Farm and Fru Fru.  It is my job during this time of year to be "on hand"...translated...the farmer's beck and call-girl.  I don't mind the job, but pretty much everything else (like cooking, housework, shopping, lunch, vacations, meetings, appointments) comes to a screeching halt if I am "called". 

I may be called upon to deliver lunch to a far-flung field.  I may need to drive in front of a large piece of equipment like some sort of latter-day Paul Revere shouting "the tractors are coming, the tractors are coming" while blinking my truck lights and waving my hand furiously to slow people down so they are not driven to a ditch by the oncoming farm giant.  I might just need to have meals early or late as the case may be, or pick up a part on a moments notice.  What I know is, at this time of year, when I am called, I better not say "sorry, I just fell down a flight of steps and broke my foot, I may be a little late getting that lunch to ya", or "I have the stomach flu"  if I don't want an earful.  A couple years ago, I had a bit of an accident involving a very large barn fan and my hand....don't ask...it took stupid to new heights, but a trip to the ER was called for.  After several painful hours where shots, stitches, soaks and broken bones were involved, the first thing the farmer said to me when I was finally able to leave was "what took you so long, don't you know I have a job?"  Needless to say the trip home was not pretty.

Women who live on farms will know exactly what I am talking about.  Women who don't live on farms will tut-tut while shaking their heads in disbelief.  EVERYTHING, hear me EVERYTHING revolves around the farm.  I know one farm wife who drove herself to the hospital and delivered her 4th child before her husband could get to town....straw I think.  It's a strange way of life...I would love to hear your story ...do share.  I could go on but I am being beckoned....must run...

(so lucky to have missy's pretty photos!  thanks missy)

Straw

Well, it's that time of year...

it has been known to stike fear in the heart of a farmer's wife......

straw.

straw

straw!

it means dust, and dirt, and long hours and dust, and break downs and part runs and...did I mention dust?

...but it also means scenes like this....

if we look hard.

(photo credits...our niece missy...thanks missy)

Parties and Purchases

We here at Farm and Fru Fru had a most busy weekend going to two fetes.  Usually if we go to one fete in one weekend it would be quite something, but it's often feast or famine and this past weekend it was feast.
Saturday, I went to three sales!  Two were estate sales and were very good...like I really need to bring anything else home, but I cannot resist a good estate sale. 

I like rabbits and I would not resist this little rabbit picture or this little homeless bunny who seemed to need a good home.

 And who could turn down this basket tote?  Perfect condition and for $1. a real steal.  Four pretty vintage squares (could be napkins, could be hankies, I don't know and I don't care) caught my eye and became mine for $1.

 So for less than $5 I brought home 4 fabulous buys that I have plans for....that and two fetes made this a good weekend.

I've Fallen...and I can't get up

Sorry blog readers....took a tumble down the back steps holding the door for f2...

not a pretty sight.

Twisted foot, scuffed shoe, wounded pride= big chair, heat pad (for back), ice pack (for foot)

milk shake (for my trouble).

Back next week...all is well...happy weekend...

Fifi

We are Corgi people....Fifi is the third corgi we have had in 27 years...and the only girl dog.  She is a shy girl and doesn't like to have her picture taken....but she's a worker...she believes it is her job to keep the cows in tow...she's not sure why...she's never been trained, but she knows she must nip their heels and move them....somewhere....

She has had several litters of beautiful puppies, but has now retired.  She was a great mama....

for about 3 weeks, then she spent most of her time hiding from her little ones...."enough already" seemed to be her mantra....and she missed them not one little bit when they went to their new homes.

...and she lives for a ride in the car/truck and a little "morsel" of anything....dog treat, bacon, bone, anything tasty....come to think of it...the same could be said for me...  I seem to constantly be nipping at someone trying to get them to go somewhere, most of the time I know not where....

and I've had several little farm hands and was pretty good at it for about 3 weeks....then spent most of my time trying to hide from them.....

and put me in the car/truck and ride me around...I'm happy as a clam...

and I do love a tasty treat...

Maybe that's why I think so much of Fifi....great minds and all that.....

Up the Country

I mentioned some time ago we were building a little shed/barn/living space
up the country....

...thought you might like to see how things are coming along....
here, you see the front door....oh...the only door.

...yes, that "stove" kept us warm all winter as we painted, wired, trimmed and worked....well, the farmer worked, I swept up and piddled....

...as you can see, space is at a premium....only 400 sf in the entire...the entire, living space...that's the bath on the left...

...and here we have the kitchen....yep...that's it, but no stove means no cooking....just a sink, counter and tiny icebox to come....maybe a microwave....some shelves hopefully...
check back later, things are finally coming together...the work will continue.  Of course as with everything here at Farm and Fru Fru, it will all be done around the farm schedule and right now there's hay to cut, beans to plant and .....on and on......and on and on.......

Just Sayin'

(photo credit gina galvin)

'Nough Said?

So You Wannabe a Farmer Part 3.....A Guest Blog

(see photo credit on photo)

My Brother stopped by and is guest blogger on Farm and Fru Fru today....read, then have a great weekend.

I mentioned in a comment a few weeks back, that my sister and I grew up only about 10 miles from were we both live now. (We are about 5 miles apart). Back in the day, we lived in a typical 60’s neighborhood in the burbs, and I never had a lot of experience on a farm. Our grandfather had a farm that we would visit in Lynchburg, but it wasn’t a working farm.

When I was around 14 or 15, I decided that it would be fun to experience farming, so one Easter Break, I got a chance to spend several days working with the farmer. They were dating at the time, and I guess it was the farmer’s way of showing the little brat brother what real work was.



It was a particularly chilly spring break, and most of the days were windy and cold. I learned to drive a big tractor, and spread a lot of manure. This is important, there is a LOT of manure on a farm. Get used to it. I learned when the wind blows it in your face, it is best to keep your mouth shut. If you decide to become a farmer you will also just have to get used to the smell, it is everywhere. I remember complaining a bit about that, and the farmer’s father said … “son, just smells like money to me”



Another eye-opening experience for me as a young wanna be farmer was the whole birthing experience. I was young, and though I knew a little about the birds and the bees,  nobody really prepared me for the whole cow birthing thing. One of the farmer’s brothers had his hand in the cow…up to his shoulder mind you, tying a rope on the feet so we could all pull it out. This was long before Billy Crystal did it in City Slickers. Gave a whole new meaning to the phrase…”she’s having a cow.”



After that week, I had a whole new respect for farmers, beef, and milk, and I think it was years before I thought about sex again.



I now live with my wife on, you guessed it, a farm. It’s her grandparent’s farm and it’s smaller than the farmer’s, but we have a few cows, chickens, dogs and such. The chores are the same, there is manure, and cow birthing, and all the other stuff that goes along with farming just maybe not quite as much. Fate is indeed fickled.



One more thing to remember if you want to be a farmer, (or act like one) is that you never, ever throw anything away. I, as the farmer-in-law/brother, will guest blog about that sometime later in a future blog. In the mean time, remember, if it looks like manure and smells like manure and you feel called to walk the other way, maybe farming just isn’t in your future….