Penn State is #6 and a "National Title Contender"

Its getting exciting!

Williams Leads Nittany Lions Past No. 22 Illinois, 38-24
Senior Co-Captain Gains 241 All-Purpose Yards and Scores 3 TD

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Senior wide receiver Derrick Williams delivered a scintillating performance to lead No. 12 Penn State to a 38-24 win over No. 22 Illinois in front of a raucous Penn State White Out throng in Beaver Stadium.
A co-captain, Williams gained a career-high 241 all-purpose yards, scoring three touchdowns - one each via a run, reception and an electrifying 94-yard kickoff return on the first play of the fourth quarter.
The Nittany Lions improved to 5-0 overall and 1-0 in Big Ten play. The Lions have won 36 of their past 45 games, good for sixth-best nationally over that span. Penn State has won 24 of its 26 games in Beaver Stadium during the 45-game span.

Go State...Beat Illinois

September 6, 2008
State College, Pa.
Penn State 45, Oregon State 14

September 25,2008

Oregon State 27, No. 1. U.S.C. 21
Top-Ranked U.S.C. Loses Its Pac-10 Opener

Its another "White Out" for tomorrow's game. Its going to be exciting!

Go State...Beat Illinois

http://gopsusports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/psu-m-footbl-body.html

Molting

This is Oprah and Carlene this May.

This is Carlene our Araucana/Americana hen, last week. The Easter Egg hen who lays green-blue eggs. Also known as the crazy hen, the psycho hen. She's been our least "friendly" bird in five years. We got her and Truffles as day old chicks and raised them in the house till they were ready for the barn. She started molting about two weeks ago. All of a sudden there were clumps of feathers all around.

Problem is that she only lays eggs about half of the year and now that she is over three, she has begun to molt early and we haven't seen a green egg in weeks. This year we barely got a green egg in time for Easter. Yes Easter was early, but that's a long lay off while getting fed good feed. When we did get her eggs, they were great hard boilers because they peel so cleanly. I was going to keep the two Araucanas but at this rate, since no one is laying already, I have to consider replacing all five little beaks. I was just going to get four more Bovan Hybrids next month, but now I may consider other new breeds, or just find a couple more Araucanas.

When we started with hens five years ago, feed was $7-8. It has doubled. The price of eggs has not and my prices were only break even. Not anymore. And the price of replacements has gone up too. I think my first four Bovans cost pennies over $4.00. Now I hear they are $5.75 each.

But if I am feeding five hens and getting no eggs already, their time has come. I'm hoping to find someone that wants hens to clean up their yard or for a stew. They are funny animals, but they are not pets. Spoiled and free range - truly free - but I think we'll let them go if we can get someone to take them.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Araucana

Goat Food/New Vet and good parasite results

Goat Food - The Hill - A week- make that six days later.

Let the picture speak for what the goats can do.

Today I took five Styrofoam cups with five fecal samples, straight from the shoot and one urine sample hard won from Zola, to the new vet that was recommended by goat and cat people. Would have liked another urine sample from Vinegar, but after she held it for an hour, with me practically torturing and tickling her to go, I gave up. The day wasn't getting any younger.

The only goat with any parasite problems was Twee. Hookworms. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hookworm

That it is Twee, the littlest one and the one who grazes as much as she browses sort of makes sense. She is the one that will paw the ground for food. Brought home her syringe to be given subcutaneously later, when I have an extra hand to hold her head.

So after a year, the pasturing and rotating is working out pretty well.

Penn State 55 Syracuse 13

Penn State warms up a few minutes before the game.
Taken on her phone by Kristin

Well, winning is a wonderful thing, but competition is what makes winning more satisfying. Three games in a row, the 1st quarter score would have been an impressive final score.

One fun thing near the end of the broadcast - we saw our college friend Linda cheering for the TV camera with a group holding a Joe Pa sign.

http://gopsusports.cstv.com/sports/m-footbl/recaps/091308aab.html
No. 17 Penn State Romps Again, Defeats Syracuse 55-13
Joe Paterno earns his 375th win as the Nittany Lions' first meeting with the Orange since 1990 ends in a victory.
Sept. 13, 2008 SYRACUSE, N.Y. (AP) -A day after celebrating its glorious past, Syracuse went right back to reminding fans of its dismal present.
With former stars in town for the premiere of a movie celebrating Ernie Davis, No. 17 Penn State renewed the rivalry between the schools with an old-fashioned beating, gaining nearly 400 yards in the first half on the way to a 55-13 win.
Jordan Norwood and Deon Butler each caught a pair of touchdown passes before halftime in the first game between the old rivals in 18 years, giving Joe Paterno his 375th win as Penn State coach.
Fourth-year Syracuse coach Greg Robinson, his job on the line, had his record drop to 7-31.
The lopsided loss before an orange-clad crowd of 45,795 came the day after former stars Jim Brown, Floyd Little, Art Monk, Don McPherson, and 40 members of the unbeaten 1959 team attended premiere of "The Express," a movie about Ernie Davis. He was the star of that championship team and in 1961 became the first black player to win the Heisman Trophy, two before he died of leukemia.
The schools met in every season except one from 1922-90, but the series ended when the Big East was formed and Penn State joined the Big Ten. Today, the programs are headed in opposite directions and it didn't take long to see that.
Penn State (3-0) outgained Syracuse 191-5 in the first quarter, and the Orange (0-3) did not get a first down until Cam Dantley hit Grant Mayes for a 26-yard gain early in the second with Syracuse already trailing 28-0.
There was little indication this game once meant so much to Eastern football. Syracuse, a 27 1/2-point underdog, was outgained 393-42 in the first half, getting just 4 yards on 13 rushing attempts.
Penn State, which led 38-6 at halftime, has scored at least 35 points in the opening half of all three of its games, the first time the Nittany Lions have done that since 1994

A Township Challenge

The story below has gotten my attention and I hope we can gather some momentum here.

I called Tim Komar and offered another $100 toward the reward and apparently so has another Ligonier resident. I think a $1000 reward will have this sign stealing taken more seriously.

We are considering having the first person's tip leading to a conviction earning $500 and then a sliding scale after that. It will prompt people to call sooner than later.

If we care about the safety in this town, I think we need to show it.

Any better ideas on this??

'Ligonier Township supervisors are offering a $100 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of anyone who has vandalized or stolen street and traffic-control signs within the roughly 100-square-mile municipality.

"Somebody's got to have a whole basement full of these things. Every one is around $51, and we've put up some of them three or four times," Supervisor Tim Komar said at a supervisors meeting Tuesday. He estimated as many as two dozen signs go missing each year.
Aside from the obvious nuisance that defacing or removing such signs creates and taxpayers' dollars used to replace stolen signage, there are potentially greater consequences, said Supervisor Keith Whipkey.

"If one of those stop signs is missing, that could be a fatality," Whipkey said.
In addition, missing street and road signs could lead to confusion for emergency responders, Komar noted.
Anyone offering information to help police make an arrest also must be willing to testify against the suspect or suspects at a preliminary hearing, said township Solicitor Judith K. Ciszek. The reward will be issued when a conviction has been won, Komar said.'

Goat Food - a week later

Its been one week since the girls went to their newest field.

As you can see - well that's it - you can see the field and its contents much better now.

In our plan to get the winter grazing areas prepared, we're using the one electric netting fence and the new shed to clean up part of the hill.
Because it is so overgrown, and the wire fencing needs some repair, they are out there without power on. Hopefully in their excitement of all the new great eats, they won't even be thinking about going thru fences.

With the pond side condo and the view of the ridges why would they leave?

Waves and Sand

I don't think I can ever tire of the beach.

I take the same picture of the same dunes, waves and lighthouses every visit and yet it seems new and beautiful every time.

This beautifully marked crab with a missing leg was thrown up by the tide and became living jewelry for a moment. We put him in the rocks so that he had a chance with the seagulls that were looking for snacks.

As you walk along the beach you have to be on constant watch for the fishing lines of the surf fishers.

The late afternoon shadows played on the sand to double the effect of the fence.

But at the same time, to live at the beach with the line of hurricanes and storms that have passed in the past week could be nerve racking if the place wasn't just a temporary stop.

Kites

Kites are a wonderful exercise. I am reading the Kite Runner and in that book kite flying is a springtime national event. Here are our two forays into kite flying at the Cape Henlopen State Park Beach.

We bought these kites several years ago and they didn't want to take flight today but we gave them a try.

The cow is just funny to watch when you get it on the right angle. The feet move so fast. There's never been a quicker cow! And the expression on her face...

Watch her below.

Enjoy!

Timing

We drove to the beach Friday evening, just beating the early rains of Tropical Storm/Hurricane Hanna here.


As we came across the Bay Bridge outside Annapolis, Maryland, the screens along the highway were showing "TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS IN EFFECT". We had to laugh. We were committed and the hope was for three more days of sun.


Well this is our first morning at the beach along the Lewes, Delaware canal. You can see the size of the raindrops behind the whipping flag. At times there were white caps in the canal. We saw no boats go out today. Wonder why?

Got to watch the Penn State game in the comfort of our condo by the water. Beach tomorrow.

Goat food

I know what you're thinking. What a mess. Goat food? Oh yes!

This is the first pasture we fenced for the girls last August and they haven't been in here since this May? I spent yesterday pulling the milkweed since it is supposedly poisonous and found a handful more today.

The rest of the weeding is up to them - delicious food.

This is Vinegar cleaning the Pallet Palace to get it ready for the afternoon sun.

Speckles isn't allowed in the Palace at the same time as Vinnie, so she is happy to spruce up the door step. That's why we have to have separate shelters. Someone is always at the bottom of the pecking, or butting order, and is left out in the elements - sun or rain.

Everyone is doing their part - happily. They are going to be in eating heaven for days. Next week you will be able to see all the spools and sheds distinctly, and to the ground.

Enough of the housekeeping! Lets herd!

Volunteers

I am a volunteer.

My gardens are showing that volunteers are the best.

Four or five summers ago I planted Viva Italia Roma tomatoes near the house. Bought the plants at Walmart. Since then I have looked for them in nurseries and grew them from seed, but none have done as well as the volunteers that come back every year. And if I planted them where they come up - HA! - they'd never grow. But they come on their own and are the best Roma tomato I've ever had. I have two in the hoop house to see how they do in the cold weather, and maybe this one will go there.

The yellow pear tomatoes - well I never planted them. They grew four summers ago in my compost and have never left. Another great tasting fruit too.

Then the cleomes. They dwindled a bit this year, but after buying two different plants at the country market in 2004, I've been weeding them ever since.

The monster in the garden is a squash/gourd? I haven't harvested anything yet, but since the leaves are getting a bit mildewy, I think I'll have to take a look. I have never grown or purchased something that looks like this, so I am not sure how it got here, but it got to stay because of the hope of an edible. Then it got to stay out of pure show. It seemed to double in size every time we turned.

And three summers ago I switched from the Hyacinth bean plant on the arbor to the cypress vine (cardinal climber) and they have been back every year whether I want them or not. They just make a place for themselves and vine away.


The birds got in on the act, carefully planting a sunflower near enough to a bush that I didn't mow it.

I have always tried to maintain my gardens with perennials, but these annuals are apparently here to stay too.

Goat Shed on a Sled

When I went away to Penn State Friday and Saturday, a lot of building got done in the barn. Those new Christmas tools and the lumber scraps from Angie's basement came together with some purchases to become the newest, sturdy goat shed.

Its built on sleds to get it around with the tractor. Today's test run went well.


We found a way to use my quick hitch and use the old weight bar.


Can be used for dogs and short humans.

After the first test ride. Now I have to waterproof it a bit.

Start the video on the arrow below left to see how the shed on a sled works.