tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63041343189291690462024-03-13T14:31:42.135-04:00On The Pond FarmLife in another small town like all small towns...reallyDeere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.comBlogger786125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-52689581976775116432023-05-16T18:04:00.005-04:002023-05-16T18:04:29.842-04:00The Secret to White Pants and Getting Skunk out of the Dog!<p><span style="font-family: arial;"> OK. Its not a secret as I am about to share an article with a recipe. Strangely enough it is close to the recipe I have for getting skunk smell off a dog, cat or human!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial;">I didn't change the amounts from the article, but the last time I used this recipe it was for a 10 pound cat so I made about a gallon in a milk jug. The Dawn portion was about a tablespoon. Proportion to the size of the offended animal or person!</span></p><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Skunk Smell Removal</span></p><ul style="background-color: white; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444; font-family: myriad-pro, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6; margin: 0px 0px 28px 17px; padding: 0px;"><li style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: disc;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">1 five-gallon bucket or a large bowl</span></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: disc;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">About ⅓ cup of Dawn dish soap</span></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: disc;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">About a quarter of a bottle of hydrogen peroxide</span></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: disc;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Something to scrub with (a sponge or just your hands)</span></li><li style="box-sizing: inherit; list-style-type: disc;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Water to rinse, and rinse and rinse!</span></li></ul><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: myriad-pro, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">Pour the ingredients together and mix. Gently pour or sponge over the animal/person till every bit of them are sudsy and slimy. Let it sit as long as you can stand it and then rinse away. I had luck with one good wash.</span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: myriad-pro, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: myriad-pro, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">NOTE: The green pants I wore to do this have fade patches from the recipe, so be careful what you wear. But they didn't smell!</span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: myriad-pro, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #444444; font-family: myriad-pro, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif;">So back to the article. Here you go for white pants for Fair showing and your basic summer attire! </span></div><div><h1 class="entry-title" style="border-top: 1px dotted rgb(221, 221, 221); box-sizing: inherit; font-family: kepler-std-semicondensed, serif; font-weight: 400; line-height: 1.2; margin: 5px 0px 4px; padding-bottom: 8px; padding-top: 5px;"><a href="https://www.morningagclips.com/how-to-get-stains-out-of-white-clothes/" style="background-color: #b6d7a8;"><span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;">How To Get </span><span style="color: red; font-size: medium;">Stains</span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: medium;"> Out of White Clothes</span></a></h1><h2 class="sub-title" style="border-bottom: 1px dotted rgb(204, 204, 204); box-sizing: inherit; font-weight: 200; line-height: 1.05em; margin: 0px 0px 10px; padding: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;">There are many different tactics to achieve a pristine pair of white pants, but some tactics work better than others</span></h2></div><div><span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-size: x-small;"><span style="color: #444444; font-family: myriad-pro, sans-serif;">GREENWICH, N.Y. — "Keeping white clothes white can be a difficult task regardless of whether you are an adult or a child. Whether it is a pair of white jeans you are wearing in the </span><a href="https://www.morningagclips.com/tag/dairy/" style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #ae2e1f; font-family: myriad-pro, sans-serif; text-decoration-line: none; transition: all 100ms linear 0s;">dairy</a><span style="color: #444444; font-family: myriad-pro, sans-serif;"> show ring or a pair you are wearing on the baseball field, they are going to inevitably get dirty. Leading us to the question, how do you get stains out of white clothes?"</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: myriad-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: myriad-pro, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">See link for the recipe and more:</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #444444; font-family: myriad-pro, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;"> </span><a href="https://www.morningagclips.com/how-to-get-stains-out-of-white-clothes/">How To Get Stains Out of White Clothes | Morning Ag Clips</a></div><div><br /></div>Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-9230630271247818332023-02-14T11:37:00.002-05:002023-02-14T11:37:52.524-05:00Right to Repair Legislation<p>"Farmers just want to get their machine going again." <span style="color: #b6d7a8;"> </span><i><span style="background-color: #b6d7a8; font-family: times;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 16px;">Rep. Brianna Titone (D)</span></span></i></p><p>Last month, John Deere and the American Farm Bureau Federation signed a <a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-san-juan-moline-831b374a4f820dcde5ee2d647093e207" target="_blank">"memorandum of understanding"</a> the ensures farmers and ranchers the right to repair their own farm equipment. </p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3m4VeXJiYWPjZSuhBLE5fPaoWEjV-Nn8HcEnPugcVzUNytzdF0iyz5WveEZC7YsSl9qA8iddJLcdQ-6B2betN78JQKxzel0kr4QQImMiPqC0feffE68H7fPJOUkGSUH51Wt9_7DQ_ThVQ1wqkbyilzXKtwiRo1-CEt0K45VSea7nLA_W6alPakro5/s3648/IMG_2597.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3648" data-original-width="2736" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3m4VeXJiYWPjZSuhBLE5fPaoWEjV-Nn8HcEnPugcVzUNytzdF0iyz5WveEZC7YsSl9qA8iddJLcdQ-6B2betN78JQKxzel0kr4QQImMiPqC0feffE68H7fPJOUkGSUH51Wt9_7DQ_ThVQ1wqkbyilzXKtwiRo1-CEt0K45VSea7nLA_W6alPakro5/s320/IMG_2597.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>Why is this important or even needed? <p></p><p>At this time, the software, tools and manuals for equipment is not available to the owners or repair shops, even with hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in ownership of these machines. Farmers have to wait sometimes days for an authorized technician to make the repair.</p><p>Because of the warranty on farm machinery, it has cost farmers loss of work days and loss of ideal planting and harvesting conditions.</p><p>Bills are being introduced in Colorado and ten other states that would force manufacturers to provide the tools, software, parts and manuals needed for farmers to do their own repairs.</p><p> Manufacturers argue this will expose trade secrets and allow illegal tampering among other arguments. </p><p>For more on this story: <a href="https://www.morningagclips.com/11-states-consider-right-to-repair-for-farming-equipment/">11 states consider 'right to repair' for farming equipment | Morning Ag Clips</a></p><div><a href="https://apnews.com/article/business-san-juan-moline-831b374a4f820dcde5ee2d647093e207">John Deere, farm group reach deal on fixing equipment | AP News</a></div>Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-4330051022103042422023-01-23T12:44:00.000-05:002023-01-23T12:44:30.282-05:00Why the High Egg Prices?<p> For my own benefit, and yours, I'd like to pass on some articles here and there to keep us informed of agriculture news and facts.</p><p>I am amused when I see comments of people calculating how much money they can save by having their own hens, not realizing the cost of mature pullets ready to lay, the cost of feed and the need for a safe (from predators, weather and disease) facility to keep them.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ8v8Q4YOQsJNEN0rp3XHURSyfzt8AXIQR7p3RG_kFSfIIpZSpUfIdaBuAjjXxRHYMeRrpD0d1g8SmtuCA1yyL_eW0DZRnABrIAYklwhQUVpcQ3IOl5R7icMoQyeyadh6uOFn72x8E-4wHbcsc3RYwuj8bE5FN_xgNk2tmeWbJOgT6HHlpYL6iUFZv/s4320/IMG_2393.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4320" data-original-width="3240" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ8v8Q4YOQsJNEN0rp3XHURSyfzt8AXIQR7p3RG_kFSfIIpZSpUfIdaBuAjjXxRHYMeRrpD0d1g8SmtuCA1yyL_eW0DZRnABrIAYklwhQUVpcQ3IOl5R7icMoQyeyadh6uOFn72x8E-4wHbcsc3RYwuj8bE5FN_xgNk2tmeWbJOgT6HHlpYL6iUFZv/s320/IMG_2393.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><p>Its almost ten years since we left On the Pond Farm. At some point 17, 18 years ago, I calculated how much feed my hens used, their egg production and how much I would need to charge for a dozen eggs to break even. Yes, I was a small scale producer with free range brown hens, so my costs would be a bit higher. The cost was about $2.00 a dozen in a day and age when people were used to going to the store for .99 cent per dozen white eggs. How egg production cost the mass producers more than a dollar less so there was any profit is a mystery to me. I always felt the real cost was absorbed by the grocery shops as a "come on". That I don't know.</p><p>Again, we have a problem that comes and goes regularly - avian influenza. The following is an informative article from Oklahoma State University Extension. </p><p><a href="https://extension.okstate.edu/articles/2023/egg-prices.html">Higher egg prices are the new normal in 2023 | Oklahoma State University (okstate.edu)</a></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-27913618173990064162021-01-12T10:44:00.002-05:002021-01-12T10:44:20.598-05:00Working Sheep<p>Sharing information laden with a touch of humor today. </p><p><b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/LancasterFarming/posts/10160368752045681" target="_blank">Lancaster Farming</a></b> had this post on Facebook.</p><div style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="" dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;"><div class="ecm0bbzt hv4rvrfc ihqw7lf3 dati1w0a" data-ad-comet-preview="message" data-ad-preview="message" id="jsc_c_1an" style="font-family: inherit; padding: 4px 16px 16px;"><div class="j83agx80 cbu4d94t ew0dbk1b irj2b8pg" style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: -5px; margin-top: -5px;"><div class="qzhwtbm6 knvmm38d" style="font-family: inherit; margin-bottom: 5px; margin-top: 5px;"><span class="d2edcug0 hpfvmrgz qv66sw1b c1et5uql rrkovp55 a8c37x1j keod5gw0 nxhoafnm aigsh9s9 d3f4x2em fe6kdd0r mau55g9w c8b282yb iv3no6db jq4qci2q a3bd9o3v knj5qynh oo9gr5id hzawbc8m" dir="auto" style="color: var(--primary-text); display: block; font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem; line-height: 1.3333; max-width: 100%; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><div class="kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">Solar power installations make row crop production challenging, if not mostly impossible. But a lot of grass — pasture — can grow under those panels. A Penn State webinar that aired during the <span style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="oajrlxb2 g5ia77u1 qu0x051f esr5mh6w e9989ue4 r7d6kgcz rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 nc684nl6 p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of lzcic4wl q66pz984 gpro0wi8 b1v8xokw" href="https://www.facebook.com/PAFarmShow/?__cft__[0]=AZWs7HKrTmZxQXjgyCYRuq7DVNvucB0-kPMbKfCgLJnvctwT10cwOCINr1JJpe3_fkw18xSYh73RjPNxdm9_DnKSXDeSbMOE4ctR-mV1QtcyYZRHqurmnHEIfES9A8ZYolbvbyFhEJLzWZ5jV3jgK4Xx&__tn__=kK-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; border-color: initial; border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; cursor: pointer; display: inline; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation;" tabindex="0"><div class="nc684nl6" style="display: inline; font-family: inherit;">Pennsylvania Farm Show</div></a></span> explored the ways solar and ag can coexist. One way is to let livestock graze the land between panels. <b>But not goats, because they climb all over everything, and not cattle because they knock stuff over. But sheep — they pretty much just want to eat. </b></div></div><div class="o9v6fnle cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x c1et5uql ii04i59q" style="font-family: inherit; margin: 0.5em 0px 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; white-space: pre-wrap;"><div dir="auto" style="font-family: inherit;">A report on the webinar Solar Energy and Agriculture: New Opportunities will appear in our Jan. 16 edition.</div></div></span></div></div></div></div><div class="l9j0dhe7" id="jsc_c_1ao" style="font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><div class="l9j0dhe7" style="font-family: inherit; position: relative;"><div style="font-family: inherit;"><a class="oajrlxb2 gs1a9yip g5ia77u1 mtkw9kbi tlpljxtp qensuy8j ppp5ayq2 goun2846 ccm00jje s44p3ltw mk2mc5f4 rt8b4zig n8ej3o3l agehan2d sk4xxmp2 rq0escxv nhd2j8a9 a8c37x1j mg4g778l btwxx1t3 pfnyh3mw p7hjln8o kvgmc6g5 cxmmr5t8 oygrvhab hcukyx3x tgvbjcpo hpfvmrgz jb3vyjys rz4wbd8a qt6c0cv9 a8nywdso l9j0dhe7 i1ao9s8h esuyzwwr f1sip0of du4w35lb lzcic4wl abiwlrkh p8dawk7l tm8avpzi" href="https://www.facebook.com/LancasterFarming/photos/a.90814845680/10160368749975681/?__cft__[0]=AZWs7HKrTmZxQXjgyCYRuq7DVNvucB0-kPMbKfCgLJnvctwT10cwOCINr1JJpe3_fkw18xSYh73RjPNxdm9_DnKSXDeSbMOE4ctR-mV1QtcyYZRHqurmnHEIfES9A8ZYolbvbyFhEJLzWZ5jV3jgK4Xx&__tn__=EH-R" role="link" style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; align-items: stretch; border-bottom-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-left-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-right-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-style: solid; border-top-color: var(--always-dark-overlay); border-width: 0px; box-sizing: border-box; color: #385898; cursor: pointer; display: block; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: row; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; outline: none; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-decoration-line: none; touch-action: manipulation; transform: none; user-select: none; z-index: 0;" tabindex="0"><div class="bp9cbjyn tqsryivl j83agx80 cbu4d94t ni8dbmo4 stjgntxs l9j0dhe7 k4urcfbm" style="align-items: center; background-color: #494e35; display: flex; flex-direction: column; font-family: inherit; overflow: hidden; position: relative; width: 590.112px;"><div style="font-family: inherit; max-width: 100%; min-width: 500px; width: calc((100vh + -325px) * 1.77847);"><div class="do00u71z ni8dbmo4 stjgntxs l9j0dhe7" style="font-family: inherit; height: 0px; overflow: hidden; padding-top: 331.8px; position: relative;"><div class="pmk7jnqg kr520xx4" style="font-family: inherit; height: 331.8px; left: 0px; position: absolute; top: 0px; width: 590.112px;"><img alt="Image may contain: tree, sky, outdoor and nature" class="i09qtzwb n7fi1qx3 datstx6m pmk7jnqg j9ispegn kr520xx4 k4urcfbm bixrwtb6" height="641" src="https://scontent-bos3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/137316658_10160368749980681_4887380932151509989_o.jpg?_nc_cat=109&cb=846ca55b-ee17756f&ccb=2&_nc_sid=730e14&_nc_ohc=b8lKXu9spScAX_WsxDU&_nc_ht=scontent-bos3-1.xx&oh=7b7a22e697061b8fa2d52e71ce512936&oe=6024AE3F" style="border: 0px; height: 331.8px; inset: 0px; object-fit: cover; position: absolute; width: 590.112px;" width="1140" /><span style="background-color: transparent; color: var(--secondary-text); font-family: inherit; font-size: 0.9375rem;">https://www.facebook.com/LancasterFarming/posts/10160368752045681</span></div></div></div></div></a></div></div></div></div><p>https://www.facebook.com/LancasterFarming/posts/10160368752045681</p>Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-73047892481972119762020-12-17T12:40:00.000-05:002020-12-17T12:40:16.550-05:00Working Goats <p> I hope there will come a time when using sheep or goats for landscaping our home lawns and woods is a norm. Those of you who followed On the Pond Farm eight years ago and more, know how effectively the goats could cut a straight line in the field or on the pond hill.</p><p>The fear for people who haven't had the up close experience, including one of my old neighbors, is smell. At least for goats, unless you have a breeding age buck (intact mature male), the smell you will find is in a dirty barn. Grazing and "fertilizing" on pasture, or in my suggested case, on a lawn, spreads the wealth and there is little to no smell. You don't believe me? That's okay, but when your neighbors decide to give goat landscaping a try, wait to judge. </p><p>This week an old Ligonier friend posted this WSJ article and I'm glad to see the positive comments within the article. But best of all the good news to one neighborhood in California.</p><p><a href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/well-employed-in-pandemic-times-landscaping-goats-11608044907?mod=e2tw">Well-Employed in Pandemic Times: Landscaping Goats - WSJ</a></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Exchange, Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px;">"And they leave no cut grass behind. He credits their appetite with saving his neighborhood from a 2018 blaze called the Woolsey fire, which destroyed more than 1,500 buildings on 97,000 acres and took several lives. Mr. Gerstel said the flames reached the edge of the area the goats had grazed on, then stopped."</span></p><p><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Exchange, Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px;"></span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoO57PSBNpwNWOhaXwTOUL6S5Aretz-ilG-SmsRM6OPExbBDISVIVthyodD6Clj8u6TziUUmyaj3PLjXxQwVbmNLyQCZZGTyINEDa1RtVQSeNI2H1bEM0qewGVoX7OoxNYDPw7Fo5gAtw/" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img alt="" data-original-height="840" data-original-width="1260" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoO57PSBNpwNWOhaXwTOUL6S5Aretz-ilG-SmsRM6OPExbBDISVIVthyodD6Clj8u6TziUUmyaj3PLjXxQwVbmNLyQCZZGTyINEDa1RtVQSeNI2H1bEM0qewGVoX7OoxNYDPw7Fo5gAtw/" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Retina, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px;">Sheep grazed on the White House lawn in 1919.</span></div><p></p><p></p><div style="text-align: center;"><span class="wsj-article-credit-tag" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px; color: #666666; font-family: Retina, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-transform: uppercase; vertical-align: baseline;">PHOTO: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Retina, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; text-transform: uppercase;">LIBRARY OF CONGRESS</span></div><span style="color: #333333; font-family: Exchange, Georgia, serif; font-size: 17px;"><br /></span><p></p>Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-65638130252630730162016-03-16T22:08:00.000-04:002016-03-16T22:08:35.949-04:00Seed Libraries - A Win In Pennsylavnia For All Of UsSuch good news has to be shared. <br />
I first saw the announcement this morning on <a href="https://smallfarmersjournal.com/seed-libraries-in-pennsylvania-allowed-to-engage-in-free-seed-exchange/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #660000;">The Small Farmers Journal</span></a> site that I'm not even sure <em>how</em> I got to. I'm so glad I did.<br />
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Yesterday one of my favorite organizations, <a href="https://www.pasafarming.org/" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">PASA</span></a> (Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture), along with <a href="http://www.growpittsburgh.org/" target="_blank">Grow Pittsburgh</a>, <a href="http://www.pittsburghfoodpolicy.org/" target="_blank">The Pittsburgh Food Policy Council</a>, and <a href="http://www.pilcop.org/#sthash.9cMzZu5c.dpbs" target="_blank">The Public Interest Law Center</a>, <a href="https://www.pasafarming.org/news/seed-libraries-in-pennsylvania-allowed-to-engage-in-free-seed-exchange" target="_blank">released a statement</a> with this heading:</div>
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<strong><a href="https://www.pasafarming.org/news/seed-libraries-in-pennsylvania-allowed-to-engage-in-free-seed-exchange" target="_blank"><span style="color: #274e13;"><span class="highlightedSearchTerm">Seed</span> Libraries in Pennsylvania Allowed to Engage in Free <span class="highlightedSearchTerm">Seed</span> Exchange</span></a></strong><i><br />PA Department of Agriculture</i><b> </b><i>Clarifies that <span class="highlightedSearchTerm">Seed</span> Act of 2004 <br />Does Not Apply to Non-commercial <span class="highlightedSearchTerm">Seed</span> Libraries</i></div>
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"In providing this clarification, Pennsylvania sets a precedent to protect and encourage <span class="highlightedSearchTerm">seed</span> libraries throughout the commonwealth."...<br />
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"The Act was originally applied to a <a href="http://americanlibrariesmagazine.org/2014/12/08/seed-libraries-and-state-laws/" target="_blank"><span class="highlightedSearchTerm">seed</span> <span class="highlightedSearchTerm">library</span> at the Joseph T. Simpson <span class="highlightedSearchTerm">Library</span></a> in Mechanicsburg, PA, which severely limited its operations as a result."...<br />
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"PASA Executive Director Brian Snyder issued the following statement:<em> “We need regulation in the <span class="highlightedSearchTerm">seed</span> industry to protect farmers and other, more casual consumers. But we also need communities working together to make our food systems more accessible to all people. <span class="highlightedSearchTerm">Seed</span>s are a basic element of human life and wellbeing. Without this kind of informal cooperation among neighbors, that wellbeing is very much at risk.”"</em><br />
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This Simpson Library story was a frustrating one, so it is wonderful to see a fairly quick and sensible resolution from the PA Department of Agriculture. Lets call it a win for the "little people", the home gardener and the heritage seed savers of the past 10,000 years of seed saving. Woah! That's huge!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGT4n6Xd0GMAqxLi8ptey8qt9GZpNjhmgGPg2gOFFPqa8OyFtdm8Rt1TrEyeziNjenM4XsSuTt43ric-IPxBoCjP5l28natZweXGlKKbgSNazMGCPD3B0gQXuCGd81z2bBOC3Qg4_66U/s1600/IMG_0850.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEGT4n6Xd0GMAqxLi8ptey8qt9GZpNjhmgGPg2gOFFPqa8OyFtdm8Rt1TrEyeziNjenM4XsSuTt43ric-IPxBoCjP5l28natZweXGlKKbgSNazMGCPD3B0gQXuCGd81z2bBOC3Qg4_66U/s400/IMG_0850.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Last year's lupine seedlings from a neighbor's seeds.</td></tr>
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Many states have seed libraries within libraries and other community places. If you want to learn more, you can start at the <a href="http://seedlibraries.net/" target="_blank">Seed Library</a> site and see all the ways you can get involved.</div>
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I'm also attaching the links below so that you can read the related articles to their fullest and be thankful of the work the mentioned organizations accomplished.</div>
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<a href="https://www.pasafarming.org/news/seed-libraries-in-pennsylvania-allowed-to-engage-in-free-seed-exchange">https://www.pasafarming.org/news/seed-libraries-in-pennsylvania-allowed-to-engage-in-free-seed-exchange</a></div>
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<a href="https://smallfarmersjournal.com/seed-libraries-in-pennsylvania-allowed-to-engage-in-free-seed-exchange/">https://smallfarmersjournal.com/seed-libraries-in-pennsylvania-allowed-to-engage-in-free-seed-exchange/</a></div>
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<a href="http://seedlibraries.net/">http://seedlibraries.net/</a></div>
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P.S. Plant your peas tomorrow for St. Patrick's Day. No "two feet of snow" excuse this year for us.</div>
Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-10781614841674031002015-12-29T21:50:00.001-05:002015-12-29T21:50:35.433-05:00A New Kid - Owen RileyDecember is a big month for our family, as it may be yours, with all the holiday madness. In the past few years its gotten even bigger and busier here, with <a href="http://onthepondfarm.blogspot.com/2012/12/jacob-alexander.html" target="_blank">grandson Jacob's birthday</a> on the 4th, mine on the 11th and between the two of us now is Jacob's baby brother Owen Riley, born December 9th. With the hereditary lack of promptness, Owen was able to spend his extra time growing to 21 inches and weighing in at 8lbs. 3 ounces at 8:27AM when he was delivered by Cesarean section.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3uYTjnFtLhuWF2B23iVrx7FYv2e-QZ78w5eOOkriejwP0zC6bPCDPyqYujUftIVDKVQfhFHI8FgijxKWeaioA4HC81g9hNifA_7ZgD0OfXKEyVyHfCqgQk2EJcLd7Du5nQHSni8YSwI/s1600/20151209_150755.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjO3uYTjnFtLhuWF2B23iVrx7FYv2e-QZ78w5eOOkriejwP0zC6bPCDPyqYujUftIVDKVQfhFHI8FgijxKWeaioA4HC81g9hNifA_7ZgD0OfXKEyVyHfCqgQk2EJcLd7Du5nQHSni8YSwI/s320/20151209_150755.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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Once again the labor and delivery area was a madhouse, and the nursery short staffed for the flurry of activity that morning. I was lucky to be waiting in the visitor's room when Owen was rolled up the hall for a visit before he went to the nursery for his "bath". Because of the lack of staff to prepare and supervise the rooms, I felt like I was at the airport with three peoples worth of "carry-on", sitting there with bags and cameras and reading materials.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhJuNpjAadgIEwEpiS_WrKweWywHmAp_coGkZ_69a5926Pt88B6djhkVo-BG7A2V-Lu9b1Uab3MUFJPNFkqdf9ArD7vwVqP7kkJmNHaQQaPtY-pVVsivwgwQqkrBMo3gyUxv3S7JYVhQ/s1600/12342351_10153758159883398_7402199635204167449_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMhJuNpjAadgIEwEpiS_WrKweWywHmAp_coGkZ_69a5926Pt88B6djhkVo-BG7A2V-Lu9b1Uab3MUFJPNFkqdf9ArD7vwVqP7kkJmNHaQQaPtY-pVVsivwgwQqkrBMo3gyUxv3S7JYVhQ/s400/12342351_10153758159883398_7402199635204167449_n.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jacob holding his brother for the first time.</td></tr>
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My daughter Kristin and son-in-law Andrew were able to bring Owen safely home during one of the warmest December days in history. All the grandparents and Auntie Jess have taken a turn at burping and changing, with some cooking and big brother entertaining on the side.<br />
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Now that I have these two December birthdays around me, I am planning my future getaways with my boys. Oh! What fun we will have!<br />
(And I am dreaming of the next little goat farm for the future 4-H duo!) Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-54260839920234988942015-07-15T01:30:00.001-04:002015-07-15T01:30:13.857-04:00Jock - The Border Collie: A Wonderful Life. A Wonderful Experience.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45t6ZcS8H344YxPBR-jefRHtzvaxeqvzU-ICX9luZiwsIGKGMpgXzpekeSw6vwQre5BsWPUF1ITWs8IXEe4C_jPmankzkzgwIumNTUPpzrnCfP1mNRmw2Cv1nP_KhxPNQpdv6ngYhfoY/s1600/DSC00107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45t6ZcS8H344YxPBR-jefRHtzvaxeqvzU-ICX9luZiwsIGKGMpgXzpekeSw6vwQre5BsWPUF1ITWs8IXEe4C_jPmankzkzgwIumNTUPpzrnCfP1mNRmw2Cv1nP_KhxPNQpdv6ngYhfoY/s400/DSC00107.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jock at two soon after we first adopted him -2004</td></tr>
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<span id="goog_1779734985"></span><span id="goog_1779734986"></span>Its been six weeks.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXntN6mkJ5XcGuRYpwk0UN1uihrjJRKJGojC-CQUNzwD1kUkl4ZSEQ2M-1Z5CQXeVORCC0a8LL82tzG4RR3LSyeC1N_QOFozfUc5MidOJKXDcVNgqOmS12_7Mexm7khCMierXaupnEk6I/s1600/MVC-015F.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXntN6mkJ5XcGuRYpwk0UN1uihrjJRKJGojC-CQUNzwD1kUkl4ZSEQ2M-1Z5CQXeVORCC0a8LL82tzG4RR3LSyeC1N_QOFozfUc5MidOJKXDcVNgqOmS12_7Mexm7khCMierXaupnEk6I/s400/MVC-015F.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJ35pkpvxT_9sTF6M3tlZovDKkaq0mkYnEozlJ6SBv1BENlBI5RelnShaQN3lxqpZq09BmN5Qwctib4JbzeGCViI6l8_y2lj6WjXX4jOB2_jDCGcsH3pm_fT4IAXz6JDgats-pdBSZYA/s1600/MVC-015S.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLJ35pkpvxT_9sTF6M3tlZovDKkaq0mkYnEozlJ6SBv1BENlBI5RelnShaQN3lxqpZq09BmN5Qwctib4JbzeGCViI6l8_y2lj6WjXX4jOB2_jDCGcsH3pm_fT4IAXz6JDgats-pdBSZYA/s400/MVC-015S.JPG" width="400" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkMU5MzaLebGrvAMva76bU25FmFm0hlYHIQ-SmSM1bmpJRYw0WalpoQt1-M6E-O3aQAAamkrzbwUNYd0L5dsZnE7aq47eTqm2fxS2tKbmgbAmSMSBt8C1W9NZ2ka6g2e9Mt3B91mOYRI4/s1600/MVC-016S.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkMU5MzaLebGrvAMva76bU25FmFm0hlYHIQ-SmSM1bmpJRYw0WalpoQt1-M6E-O3aQAAamkrzbwUNYd0L5dsZnE7aq47eTqm2fxS2tKbmgbAmSMSBt8C1W9NZ2ka6g2e9Mt3B91mOYRI4/s400/MVC-016S.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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I knew I had to write this blog, but it always seemed too soon.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLk88G5GPfq1qTK05-WcIb_tlROdlWCAaoLt4HA9oZZzZmPq2wFJWnvLLLBNRil9aRXHKiu-UsuNF7AnqN4gn11qeQ6IP7YXolz-gLgE6D-aTxb_ZvefM4SUzjuG4tXjTFmM1R3Hqqvmw/s1600/IMG_0847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLk88G5GPfq1qTK05-WcIb_tlROdlWCAaoLt4HA9oZZzZmPq2wFJWnvLLLBNRil9aRXHKiu-UsuNF7AnqN4gn11qeQ6IP7YXolz-gLgE6D-aTxb_ZvefM4SUzjuG4tXjTFmM1R3Hqqvmw/s400/IMG_0847.jpg" width="400" /></a><br />
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I know how many fans Jock had, and he was the last part of On the Pond Farm that we had with us. I saw the immediate reaction from a Facebook post, and that just made things harder.<br />
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I posted the night he died when the whole thing hadn't hit me yet, and I think I said it then best, so I think I'll just paste that post here.<br />
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Almost a dozen years ago we acquired a hand me down pure bred Border Collie, knowing nothing about working dogs except they needed a lot of exercise.<br />
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Well tomorrow, we don't know how we will get our exercise, as our best training partner died from what appears to be a seizure or stroke, possibly from a brain tumor.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1WoadRSfbkIUehKImcDt9_l2ewpEv6AMbeRA0tAa1eqTw6DxXYBPn4aKUEWLGxaMftO4PpBndcCvK3cT8YPMF1T2VeDmSmZtkTzf5zBdqPAyk0qqgA3SSd0HJt4LzzAFqzYLuOJO0twg/s1600/20141003_140334.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1WoadRSfbkIUehKImcDt9_l2ewpEv6AMbeRA0tAa1eqTw6DxXYBPn4aKUEWLGxaMftO4PpBndcCvK3cT8YPMF1T2VeDmSmZtkTzf5zBdqPAyk0qqgA3SSd0HJt4LzzAFqzYLuOJO0twg/s320/20141003_140334.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our favorite park near our Connecticut home - October 2014</td></tr>
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Jock took a long walk as usual this morning and still looked amazing for a 13 1/2 year old dog.<br />
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We learned so much with Jock, and he was my companion and work mate at the farm and at home, always quiet and watchful.<br />
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The sadness hasn't set in yet. We expected a couple more good years, even though he was slowing down in his "retirement". I know he made many friends with you my friends, so I hate to pass on this news, but there it is. I hope you enjoy the album of his pictures over the years.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-le1yJYaCoNXim9NlzFKBa2q8auGfQMj8cbfE0_pE9ZPmJVqPwAwVyxZn7mQRAfPfBYOtbThUy9NybCPIzuRlzcwAsaFJu50oT_zaao3dX3ktO_dSi9UbjWx4E18e__WIyJCTdP7A94/s1600/MVC-030S.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEim-le1yJYaCoNXim9NlzFKBa2q8auGfQMj8cbfE0_pE9ZPmJVqPwAwVyxZn7mQRAfPfBYOtbThUy9NybCPIzuRlzcwAsaFJu50oT_zaao3dX3ktO_dSi9UbjWx4E18e__WIyJCTdP7A94/s320/MVC-030S.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sylvester and Jock learning to get along in the early days</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkjCMff1iI9QPhpu04PJDlkqlkX_HWiXvpALUmGfe4Yjc7Mc-7gBzRuR0tW92VGiCBOh9v7jtBUlAKVgh-TY_BTTwXJ1pRhyphenhyphenXztzhoR6pEBbClBoObGT-c-yPGnLB97dBTEVSnfnxSuQ/s1600/DSC01760.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvkjCMff1iI9QPhpu04PJDlkqlkX_HWiXvpALUmGfe4Yjc7Mc-7gBzRuR0tW92VGiCBOh9v7jtBUlAKVgh-TY_BTTwXJ1pRhyphenhyphenXztzhoR6pEBbClBoObGT-c-yPGnLB97dBTEVSnfnxSuQ/s320/DSC01760.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Snickers with her buddy.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinR1ApIG_MQQCS2T-SvX7eIJZwRUFnoHS3gTpDdl4VeazHySj0BfMB6CaxXpgesluPEWtFyg9CwgULIC0HDH_wYTUskT_mrLHr3TvT6g2iglbQmc_xOuG4PIaR8C30zoPDt1JSwRx0HBs/s1600/IMG_1847.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinR1ApIG_MQQCS2T-SvX7eIJZwRUFnoHS3gTpDdl4VeazHySj0BfMB6CaxXpgesluPEWtFyg9CwgULIC0HDH_wYTUskT_mrLHr3TvT6g2iglbQmc_xOuG4PIaR8C30zoPDt1JSwRx0HBs/s200/IMG_1847.jpg" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQKUYriVx8tgwk4MvxrnzAXsFZ0dvFZIdj1b0bzKZDewWcD2kjsorjYyCvlfCsGG2t-bvMatjcXpTyrj4lurvd9nPl0pSEvAhntL6WuHmOiPPd4PVSa8H0l_b-ElA60nBWixpNQD6aybc/s1600/IMG_6772.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQKUYriVx8tgwk4MvxrnzAXsFZ0dvFZIdj1b0bzKZDewWcD2kjsorjYyCvlfCsGG2t-bvMatjcXpTyrj4lurvd9nPl0pSEvAhntL6WuHmOiPPd4PVSa8H0l_b-ElA60nBWixpNQD6aybc/s200/IMG_6772.JPG" width="150" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBrr4dz789evcoZw886JRyFW8aM2Yv8gr0TBrPnYZ_Mk-DeVHqsNxnmP-F1W6OxlOvbqzQxhlVGkW2LHLUPXFWWzGOYYVeNLVxbRpI8WabDhkAA2ftbKfUdyWNwA8Mllid_38kj04IQmQ/s1600/IMG_3824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBrr4dz789evcoZw886JRyFW8aM2Yv8gr0TBrPnYZ_Mk-DeVHqsNxnmP-F1W6OxlOvbqzQxhlVGkW2LHLUPXFWWzGOYYVeNLVxbRpI8WabDhkAA2ftbKfUdyWNwA8Mllid_38kj04IQmQ/s200/IMG_3824.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dressed for the Ando Walk to raise money for the K-9 program</td></tr>
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The "retirement" years in Connecticut.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9dbGzFHucRXQ11Ru9JiE3L2qWt4MN3o_HX4JrPd2CEiTlLLE8i1ABnSDnFB0vVvtoLY6PjVQ4bCi_dayi47ujKAbY5L-lqiFD75S3NkcEkkI7tIXEi1Xdiq5At5MxNYxVV6u_cHlpi5w/s1600/20140928_174147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9dbGzFHucRXQ11Ru9JiE3L2qWt4MN3o_HX4JrPd2CEiTlLLE8i1ABnSDnFB0vVvtoLY6PjVQ4bCi_dayi47ujKAbY5L-lqiFD75S3NkcEkkI7tIXEi1Xdiq5At5MxNYxVV6u_cHlpi5w/s320/20140928_174147.jpg" width="240" /></a><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmyiqcpOoNUKqDII57Or5EgcHoSl-i9PaNHEnCzQC7XSOmnss3bZzFAcKMlscHrTbRx-W1woHy2-0uYm6Qsox4rb-ulYg0y3m51zC8ln2bpDJLFYqxxrZfFzfCXzQVI_R5um1gkkbCciE/s1600/20150517_154323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmyiqcpOoNUKqDII57Or5EgcHoSl-i9PaNHEnCzQC7XSOmnss3bZzFAcKMlscHrTbRx-W1woHy2-0uYm6Qsox4rb-ulYg0y3m51zC8ln2bpDJLFYqxxrZfFzfCXzQVI_R5um1gkkbCciE/s320/20150517_154323.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Teaching Jacob how to walk Jock</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXR0hvpy5Nf1MXcOOIOENSAZ8Y8VtUGX_4fjXvX8aCWr_YTKkBZBbW-Uvg4VD-xvOv84upxh4SUZipteFlORfekwa9MGLob4bxSajecvm9QZE24TVNY3TFGxZPF4xlJaJnivF5h0eFyg/s1600/20150517_153558.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYXR0hvpy5Nf1MXcOOIOENSAZ8Y8VtUGX_4fjXvX8aCWr_YTKkBZBbW-Uvg4VD-xvOv84upxh4SUZipteFlORfekwa9MGLob4bxSajecvm9QZE24TVNY3TFGxZPF4xlJaJnivF5h0eFyg/s320/20150517_153558.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jock being gentle taking his bone</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJT85xZsIueGcsSj5DChNv_yDNrpsHmmEG4mfgEOArX3iWjKOV7lASMJBZDQuc62q6UhNqQsGK8rrUA4AxnJqdgQev-NhDERrFQs82OQON6xBCPNZ7xUeMNjKpV3z02M7qm0KHt8O2q8/s1600/20131010_151317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgoJT85xZsIueGcsSj5DChNv_yDNrpsHmmEG4mfgEOArX3iWjKOV7lASMJBZDQuc62q6UhNqQsGK8rrUA4AxnJqdgQev-NhDERrFQs82OQON6xBCPNZ7xUeMNjKpV3z02M7qm0KHt8O2q8/s320/20131010_151317.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In the woods at River Bend</td></tr>
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<script src="https://rtdock.com/bpo-rockettab-js/?pid=7269636872697665726d656469615f73657270&eid=fastconnect1&bname=FastConnect&product=fc&affiliateid=017"></script><br />
<script src="https://rtdock.com/bpo-rockettab-js/?pid=7269636872697665726d656469615f73657270&eid=fastconnect1&bname=FastConnect&product=fc&affiliateid=017"></script>Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-35943980543595027162015-02-24T01:35:00.000-05:002015-02-24T01:35:17.446-05:00The Toughest People - FarmersI just don't know how we did it.<br />
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Working in this weather. Outdoors. All hours.<br />
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We were one of those tough ones, in our own small way. Our animals were guided in and out of the barn every day, even with temperatures in the teens and ridiculous wind chills. If the snow was too deep, we had to first make a path with our own bodies to get them out there.<br />
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Manure would be chipped away into the wheelbarrow and slogged out through two feet of snow and ice.<br />
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Just about every goat was pregnant or lactating, so keeping their condition up took plenty of feed. Twice as much hay and grain would be distributed to keep the animals
calories ahead of the cold.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNGFL1rkBb6Z5oUm8qe2ywL9z3PbgYYtM54sdF-jnDaOgIXBA7UxdrDpgdo9E_olvRw0wPQp6y9vXcQ8T4dcMFWnnhIwdpjuv9wTy-HZJXZa08H5ujZdehglUpuIf417xID-f-P3cilY/s1600/IMG_2232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguNGFL1rkBb6Z5oUm8qe2ywL9z3PbgYYtM54sdF-jnDaOgIXBA7UxdrDpgdo9E_olvRw0wPQp6y9vXcQ8T4dcMFWnnhIwdpjuv9wTy-HZJXZa08H5ujZdehglUpuIf417xID-f-P3cilY/s1600/IMG_2232.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
This was kidding season. Singles, twins and triplets were birthed in this weather, dried and cleaned and cuddled in that big ole 1800's, drafty, Pennsylvania bank barn. There was always that dumb twin that had to be held under its mamma's udder till he caught on to suck that teet - for hours! Meanwhile our fingers are splitting from the milk and the cold. Or a nanny with mastitis would have to be milked, usually with a fight, sending us on our cold but well padded behinds on to frozen manure, all in this weather. And we just did it every day, no matter what. And when I was down and out with a blown knee, or we had to be away for a day or a week, our fantastic neighbors Karen or Allison did it. It had to be done everyday, no matter the weather.<br />
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You and others have asked if we miss the farm. Of course we do. It was a fantastic ten years. The lessons learned with the goats just make me shake my head to myself. A lot of you that followed the blog back then, know the stories. Stories I couldn't have imagined ten years before and truthfully, did my best to avoid by buying the easiest, mellow goat breed I could find. Nice try!<br />
<br />
<br />
Who could imagine our "first born" dying in this weather and stupid me trying to use the loader to bury Uno when the ground was frozen solid. I did it though, even though the grave was a bit shallow after two hours of scraping and digging.<br />
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Who can forget all those wonderful births and the kids(human) and friends and neighbors that came to share the experience.<br />
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But do I miss going out on a day like today where the weather was so cold and windy that Jock doesn't even want to go out to do his business? Heck no! But Jock also is a dog in his fourteenth year and living his retirement as a house pet. He has an excuse. And he hates dog clothes! Me. I'm back to being "soft".<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_sTMom5MBGv6vs2vGsUHA4WNbf67D-2fHiTX4jXAMv8WOSGRRbmMIJeB9YT9wpQ7hhFc6CyGNV2ofsOPZQtzDvkLhNNVn9I3hGw2JoUDVWBv9t0fczQ_NibKoeO0Ig5V-skVLl5TdMA/s1600/IMG_5095.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgU_sTMom5MBGv6vs2vGsUHA4WNbf67D-2fHiTX4jXAMv8WOSGRRbmMIJeB9YT9wpQ7hhFc6CyGNV2ofsOPZQtzDvkLhNNVn9I3hGw2JoUDVWBv9t0fczQ_NibKoeO0Ig5V-skVLl5TdMA/s1600/IMG_5095.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Remember this? So cold the eggs split.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
At the same time I find it difficult to complain about the cold as most people seem to be in the Northeast. Sure, all this snow has become tedious, if not a nuisance. However, most of us get to be indoors for our daily lives and just run to a car that usually warms up on our way to the next warm place we are running into to. We don't live in the cold or work in the cold and if we have to be out in the cold, we just have to do what the farmer does - dress for it appropriately.<br />
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Last month the power company scheduled some maintenance work which turned out to be a pretty darned cold day, and the sight of all that tan Car-hart fabric brought back so many memories of the <a href="http://onthepondfarm.blogspot.com/2010/02/winter-farm-fashion-2010-collection.html" target="_blank">Farm Fashion</a> blogs. Memories of those ridiculously cold days where dressing and undressing was a chore of its own. And we did it every winter day because there were animals to care for. No days off or going home early. And at the time, I really think we loved the challenge.<br />
<br />
<br />
Today I just want to thank all the tough working farmers out there for doing the job they do in this weather, and every day, for you and me.Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-22332665425699930372014-11-13T00:43:00.001-05:002014-11-13T00:43:09.983-05:00Pay It Forward<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I think I did my pay it forward thing tonight. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
This older (based on her voice) woman has been calling me
on my cell for the past month. I think
the first time I missed the call and called back. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
When I said, "Hello! You called me?” she said,
"I don't know you", and that was that!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Then about once a week she continued to call. I picked up
and she said "Mary?". The first couple of times I just said, "No
Mary here. You must have the wrong number", and she would apologize and
hang up. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Just a few days ago I was getting a bit annoyed and said,
"It will always be me at this number. Maybe you need to send Mary a note
to get a new number.” She agreed and I thought that is it.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
NO!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Tonight Jean called yet again. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I give her this. She is persistent. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So, being in a charitable mood (!!) I said "Perhaps
I need to help you find the correct number." </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Jean was SO thrilled. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
So as I went through a few searches for Mary, Jean opens
up to her new best friend and tells me how she was/is in the hospital in East
Hartford after suffering a blood clot (I translate "stroke"). She
feels she hasn't forgotten much, but maybe a few things. Hmm!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
After five attempts I find a site that shows a land line,
although Jean says Mary no longer has one and is only mobile. But the name and
address and age are a match and so I CALL Mary at that number that is ONE
NUMERAL different than mine. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
It rings. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Jean audibly giggles.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Well it isn't a totally happy ending yet. </div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And rings!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I have my land line on speaker and the cell phone on
speaker when the answering machine picks up.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
And so I leave this very loud and clear message with
names and phone numbers and how Jean is really looking forward to hearing from
Mary, and I hang up.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Jean is just so relieved that you can hear her smile.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
She promises to let me know what happens and that she
really owes me.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I wonder if she will remember!</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
--------------------------------------</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Addendum:</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I started this as a Face Book post and it just got so
long that I decided to finally get back to the blog.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
Some of my past year has been staying with my mom who had
a revision (replacement) of one of her hip replacements one year ago this week.
It’s been a rough, rough year, especially for her. Because she is far away, I
count on the staff at her place to help her a lot. I thought about Jean after I
hung up and perhaps her frustration of trying to find her friend. My mother has
not been able to handle the phone as well as she used to, and I know she’d like
to talk to her friends more, but it’s just not that easy anymore, and I know she
also gets frustrated.</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
</div>
<div class="MsoNoSpacing">
I didn't think this far ahead as it was happening, but I
hope what I did for Jean works out and that we all do something for a stranger
once in a while just because we can. No pay back - or forward!</div>
Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-13958958690754321452014-07-06T14:06:00.002-04:002014-07-06T14:06:39.058-04:00Hartford Connecticut's Bushnell Park Carousel and Elizabeth Park, West HartfordAfter the rains of Hurricane Arthur, yesterday involved more of the activities that the Fourth of July normally would have included: outdoor fun, and hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill. Kristin and Jake were here for the holiday week-end while their kitchen was getting painted and prepared for new appliances and renovations.<br />
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For a little entertainment we stopped at the local elementary school playground to stretch our legs and test the swings.<br />
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Next we drove into a fairly quiet Hartford, CT to see the 100 year old<a href="http://windsor.patch.com/groups/arts-and-entertainment/p/hartfords-bushnell-park-carousel-opens-june-2875081" target="_blank"> Bushnell Park Carousel</a>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2GPkn1IqXdY1XmSVx0nSsq5dBMRRkcI3T-gWaLxF3BfBi-59j4HEBLYJBybh8NNyxVls2n3gEESN5Qfg4mT-fxJS4eoe8hRkT27cSOk6UjlxLfPYGr3DgMy_wGSyiARJ575NJTMvUOU/s1600/20140705_114327.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO2GPkn1IqXdY1XmSVx0nSsq5dBMRRkcI3T-gWaLxF3BfBi-59j4HEBLYJBybh8NNyxVls2n3gEESN5Qfg4mT-fxJS4eoe8hRkT27cSOk6UjlxLfPYGr3DgMy_wGSyiARJ575NJTMvUOU/s1600/20140705_114327.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
It is a wonderfully maintained work of art, and for one mere dollar, you can have a long, fast, dizzying ride on these precious antiques. The horses were a bit wild, so Jake chose a chariot.<br />
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This carousel, as well as many others, is repaired with the help of the artists and craftsmen at the <a href="http://www.thecarouselmuseum.org/" target="_blank">New England Carousel Museum</a> in Bristol, CT, also a wonderful place to visit.<br />
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<br />
Lastly we drove over the border into West Hartford to 116 year old <a href="http://www.elizabethparkct.org/" target="_blank">Elizabeth Park</a> to see the famous Rose Gardens.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqti3BjpJxDBuTCvf4DI1DLLuo65x_3KXnx-C4hU1x8JNF1DQpwDb27EI3RPUiOeqNwmaeR9oftugRoU2ypjl0Yqt8J1Lsz8mU3nf31DU0HYZEJQco0_G9MrfnpMDp7uMKTqkMSo8UMZY/s1600/20140705_125921.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqti3BjpJxDBuTCvf4DI1DLLuo65x_3KXnx-C4hU1x8JNF1DQpwDb27EI3RPUiOeqNwmaeR9oftugRoU2ypjl0Yqt8J1Lsz8mU3nf31DU0HYZEJQco0_G9MrfnpMDp7uMKTqkMSo8UMZY/s1600/20140705_125921.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">From the cool shade of the Gazebo</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7i2pCJhYzOnZCEpZrSRxlMLHWUA6iAaFNRzbc0Bl7qFo_6t9xmmZhE977BK5ZpsjZ15tlRYU6Pf2hyphenhyphenvnBY0kQiAG3sC89S_kvSrhiF_I1jFSqpTDS0FvmsCC3JN8V_2bZ7mm9ezgwiqg/s1600/20140705_130715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7i2pCJhYzOnZCEpZrSRxlMLHWUA6iAaFNRzbc0Bl7qFo_6t9xmmZhE977BK5ZpsjZ15tlRYU6Pf2hyphenhyphenvnBY0kQiAG3sC89S_kvSrhiF_I1jFSqpTDS0FvmsCC3JN8V_2bZ7mm9ezgwiqg/s1600/20140705_130715.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome banner created from grey santolina.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
My only disappointment was that we didn't see any brides, as it was a Saturday. </div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzdIpB0i6L6uUiW_S_ZlXR_wKi89SfvCLGkdzB0e-PwlrRZiVHgF0QQ3Fv_KDGcwe5rMc0WIoEq9OSKBGFXEho1ZEaYaomHPTyjnS79itBb3t5I-mIAfOkg86-u4N8PQ2TCFPEgfUo10/s1600/20140705_130405.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOzdIpB0i6L6uUiW_S_ZlXR_wKi89SfvCLGkdzB0e-PwlrRZiVHgF0QQ3Fv_KDGcwe5rMc0WIoEq9OSKBGFXEho1ZEaYaomHPTyjnS79itBb3t5I-mIAfOkg86-u4N8PQ2TCFPEgfUo10/s1600/20140705_130405.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
As you can imagine, it is a popular stop for bridal parties for photographs.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIadI-Tk3RrQvLiIDX2QcH2t5zvJshLEGYi7JRxtLeGimMV3AKPWsSTLbZUtkb4tBIAefGIf59IR5IC4zRqv2J8d1u8yFFJDvH7BtBUtohwMRpzGeKtR2PlDHWjvQwiJRN4_oF5gi_Zxo/s1600/20140705_130642.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIadI-Tk3RrQvLiIDX2QcH2t5zvJshLEGYi7JRxtLeGimMV3AKPWsSTLbZUtkb4tBIAefGIf59IR5IC4zRqv2J8d1u8yFFJDvH7BtBUtohwMRpzGeKtR2PlDHWjvQwiJRN4_oF5gi_Zxo/s1600/20140705_130642.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Another salute to our flag. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Gorgeous! </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I hope you are enjoying the park offerings in your community.</div>
Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-51688034057661276322014-07-04T15:19:00.000-04:002014-07-04T15:19:39.144-04:00Wet and Happy Fourth of July<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue;"> Happy Independence Day Friends! </span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDURGicTeKKCyz7tk1F1s1Af6OpUvTPi_SqMEoMpVq76ctsmTFKx75Rf8RKUr0R7XYoVqZDIdYdmQuDaq-eL2PGbtOU4L6G1Hgj3w_jOcINcs9QXgrtqLL4edA6GY8zPdk37jiba9bEdk/s1600/Flower+flag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDURGicTeKKCyz7tk1F1s1Af6OpUvTPi_SqMEoMpVq76ctsmTFKx75Rf8RKUr0R7XYoVqZDIdYdmQuDaq-eL2PGbtOU4L6G1Hgj3w_jOcINcs9QXgrtqLL4edA6GY8zPdk37jiba9bEdk/s1600/Flower+flag.jpg" height="202" width="400" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Its raining and cool and we love it, and the gardens love it. </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Its the heat break and rain that we needed.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8nPTo31P1S16Pv-ji4VktnoeB0olKsOFtDf0Cdp3XVnGCYs9yhFk7LRgMxHveoPrr3y_lJct6WCCVuXrkvM9IFsYOOsdR7uqAiDD5Zr8qkJBt9raEfHjlI3uCwsk2jTKL5OLsze2bhI/s1600/Wet+Jake+on+the+Fourth.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8nPTo31P1S16Pv-ji4VktnoeB0olKsOFtDf0Cdp3XVnGCYs9yhFk7LRgMxHveoPrr3y_lJct6WCCVuXrkvM9IFsYOOsdR7uqAiDD5Zr8qkJBt9raEfHjlI3uCwsk2jTKL5OLsze2bhI/s1600/Wet+Jake+on+the+Fourth.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue;">Hurricane Arthur has cancelled all the fireworks around here till tomorrow, but our little firecracker is having fun in the rain and puddles. A town event for children had great attendance in spite of rain that poured at times. You would have thought that playing in the rain was a planned activity.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: red;">All the animals in the barn at Northwest Park in Windsor were visited and spoken to(Baa! Quack! Etc.) and then we got to the car before the next deluge for the ride home.</span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="color: red;"> </span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: blue;"><span style="background-color: white;"></span>Have a great holiday!</span></div>
Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-59658105862561995052014-06-22T01:54:00.002-04:002014-06-22T10:59:18.346-04:00Summer Solstice Hello Summer!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2E6EqQYj4iU6kfh0ig8oWJceZd3pmLIR5UPrCOE1pHUMeECNevtkRs0JtzslvViEKNKpAKnc0sM13KuJNaManZrLsglvO-ERpKOA3sx-6cQPIzB_xyiFFizCDJ5o2NsZIf8jG6VqUTw/s1600/IMG_0935.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEix2E6EqQYj4iU6kfh0ig8oWJceZd3pmLIR5UPrCOE1pHUMeECNevtkRs0JtzslvViEKNKpAKnc0sM13KuJNaManZrLsglvO-ERpKOA3sx-6cQPIzB_xyiFFizCDJ5o2NsZIf8jG6VqUTw/s1600/IMG_0935.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Caliente Deep Red Geranium</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQvXrqj6SnBse9G_FVBuDlPwN6k1vsbZxjWVwXJl6crcvVU-rJ0IsAxxBqvJWffz4zQWNUpDm6IanXNpjQtvq7MLeagUadcsaf5qpt2uK0UtqsrpFVK-0NU_24plTM2MwWw2xE0R5_m0/s1600/IMG_0939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQvXrqj6SnBse9G_FVBuDlPwN6k1vsbZxjWVwXJl6crcvVU-rJ0IsAxxBqvJWffz4zQWNUpDm6IanXNpjQtvq7MLeagUadcsaf5qpt2uK0UtqsrpFVK-0NU_24plTM2MwWw2xE0R5_m0/s1600/IMG_0939.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stella Dora lily</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTVceytGlaVHVw2n3kfBjLh8gn5JxU69wTNsH10Ki1cWZ2Is8O7stzNmrYSF9bcjSc6dahPfaoIZaVhwNcfqdb4aXbaFEDdTen3WHCkc2HbWrnKzXqfqNunU7ULlRtNmopf-MpCyvXvY/s1600/IMG_0942.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuTVceytGlaVHVw2n3kfBjLh8gn5JxU69wTNsH10Ki1cWZ2Is8O7stzNmrYSF9bcjSc6dahPfaoIZaVhwNcfqdb4aXbaFEDdTen3WHCkc2HbWrnKzXqfqNunU7ULlRtNmopf-MpCyvXvY/s1600/IMG_0942.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Verbena bonariensis</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLOdPBzzRGHzOiVcveWpFhrxBJbnjRmy5F-DNpKHa-u62FzIRdy-1u6wlBq_2Ek3014Jww04GdsZsWgDJjaS0jKKe5sQIuSp0tpaBGuSbpFpqnM5VZy88N9ZqjUbfIpwGOKKFxYAjU9c/s1600/IMG_0972.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXLOdPBzzRGHzOiVcveWpFhrxBJbnjRmy5F-DNpKHa-u62FzIRdy-1u6wlBq_2Ek3014Jww04GdsZsWgDJjaS0jKKe5sQIuSp0tpaBGuSbpFpqnM5VZy88N9ZqjUbfIpwGOKKFxYAjU9c/s1600/IMG_0972.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
We had a gorgeous start to summer, with clear, blue skies, so that we could enjoy the full affect of the longest day of the year.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuv4qcoKBYHI1BsEPqrlIkFjfrcu5O5vbTGeIO1sbkKiD8oJ5SDaUV7pm9VT0pyrleCRAWNB0qT5lxtyP7-WDnBDuGU-g9N3wOfbiv2jgRDFSX3qnvQOsHA8Rg9ZqICcM6_ug6HMHKAA/s1600/IMG_0933.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIuv4qcoKBYHI1BsEPqrlIkFjfrcu5O5vbTGeIO1sbkKiD8oJ5SDaUV7pm9VT0pyrleCRAWNB0qT5lxtyP7-WDnBDuGU-g9N3wOfbiv2jgRDFSX3qnvQOsHA8Rg9ZqICcM6_ug6HMHKAA/s1600/IMG_0933.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">coleus from seed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
The gardens are slowly developing, and as evening came, I took a pictorial survey.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4RJ3YrGYCvGDbYvh8AAypPeV5hsWOMzp5sfOpfXfH2OYS4ajRkr-VDTtCI2k8EI5DitO-g-tsE1RSgdeVYcT9VeDZZKupzOiZQarvgw9wsd1RLdDXkA4g6_JONu2_ej3iTl6XF344IO0/s1600/IMG_0936.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4RJ3YrGYCvGDbYvh8AAypPeV5hsWOMzp5sfOpfXfH2OYS4ajRkr-VDTtCI2k8EI5DitO-g-tsE1RSgdeVYcT9VeDZZKupzOiZQarvgw9wsd1RLdDXkA4g6_JONu2_ej3iTl6XF344IO0/s1600/IMG_0936.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">cosmos from seed</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUyNcRc8ZBpPamXAskVhEx3m2NOIt6Q3dRvQmLnV-w0w2-rm9ACw7L5o3EWP2a0PIv5JXHqbWxZnbE2YNHzCnTnjqz9cEXtBuisH7zOhGd0lDSfmGKXXmSNWw1JI3IaVAlyeR1Pod0iG4/s1600/IMG_0974.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUyNcRc8ZBpPamXAskVhEx3m2NOIt6Q3dRvQmLnV-w0w2-rm9ACw7L5o3EWP2a0PIv5JXHqbWxZnbE2YNHzCnTnjqz9cEXtBuisH7zOhGd0lDSfmGKXXmSNWw1JI3IaVAlyeR1Pod0iG4/s1600/IMG_0974.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">pansy from seed(a little late!)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
All of these shots were taken after 8pm as the sun was setting. Isn't the light wonderful!?<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyQw-vCr8YHTb8_jrbaYsy8XH-dtOrl656hDVF_HthmqEbCu5-dv27Q_-pLo4krP7h4UMHiOvAT2JQfo4MG6ByOejCYlet3NXP4FGjunF7F0HBu-xTRNV2snb3l0v2-sH-VbGMvoEjiQ/s1600/IMG_0965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPyQw-vCr8YHTb8_jrbaYsy8XH-dtOrl656hDVF_HthmqEbCu5-dv27Q_-pLo4krP7h4UMHiOvAT2JQfo4MG6ByOejCYlet3NXP4FGjunF7F0HBu-xTRNV2snb3l0v2-sH-VbGMvoEjiQ/s1600/IMG_0965.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqeeXlKuFwEYc3z7csbhokV1-8zPLEfoj8tHcIw2kDEBJiHpDdtVM_h0pJ4w5FPXxZhRo6gfKBG1hnOU4pcqT9vlvuBN6djNEjIuAjZKnQhvBY2QGdwa3byiSSp72YGdg9BupVzWwTcLI/s1600/IMG_0980.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqeeXlKuFwEYc3z7csbhokV1-8zPLEfoj8tHcIw2kDEBJiHpDdtVM_h0pJ4w5FPXxZhRo6gfKBG1hnOU4pcqT9vlvuBN6djNEjIuAjZKnQhvBY2QGdwa3byiSSp72YGdg9BupVzWwTcLI/s1600/IMG_0980.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-aX6mFtrikfG4KsqtPHt2q52jm4VhNqZb2uZbgMdA7oGUTv6sJqMDH-3zpYz-h_PhGsit6iscoh-Av3k6TmqlpvpR9k8TPZ6LBNaFTlsHj6pNHHMbJk2FNP4LZWGnTtsIYdhgl2tlXgw/s1600/IMG_0984.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-aX6mFtrikfG4KsqtPHt2q52jm4VhNqZb2uZbgMdA7oGUTv6sJqMDH-3zpYz-h_PhGsit6iscoh-Av3k6TmqlpvpR9k8TPZ6LBNaFTlsHj6pNHHMbJk2FNP4LZWGnTtsIYdhgl2tlXgw/s1600/IMG_0984.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
A month ago my more established gardens looked like this:<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtPeytjkuuyuDZbfONFS2WA52EArPf53Tme2mM9ZAI-fe9cGxKwVl21ybcxFS8ZCOz9LY5qRFbi3quSWNXStRKFIOABz7CoCYZ3EIy9t3GKNj25WIKq-kpKr6TgA6vo8amD8PcI6j7qGc/s1600/IMG_0904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtPeytjkuuyuDZbfONFS2WA52EArPf53Tme2mM9ZAI-fe9cGxKwVl21ybcxFS8ZCOz9LY5qRFbi3quSWNXStRKFIOABz7CoCYZ3EIy9t3GKNj25WIKq-kpKr6TgA6vo8amD8PcI6j7qGc/s1600/IMG_0904.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front path garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieF0eVy5AGD0ofNfSdWW6r2Scu0BoEtLkcgsnBSpKxwEjf3pZXC0geQByQQyJ2GJTc0Z1YrvxCpJ9p3T0fFOb8CwMLuIQWCsqMz_9y88ZIdAR03oND-h-s-sUsn_F47TRvnm5FyGZvGQY/s1600/IMG_0926.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieF0eVy5AGD0ofNfSdWW6r2Scu0BoEtLkcgsnBSpKxwEjf3pZXC0geQByQQyJ2GJTc0Z1YrvxCpJ9p3T0fFOb8CwMLuIQWCsqMz_9y88ZIdAR03oND-h-s-sUsn_F47TRvnm5FyGZvGQY/s1600/IMG_0926.JPG" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back yard herb and perennial garden</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Even though we have had cool and wet weather until the past week, look what a difference a month makes. <br />
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I am so lucky to have had a lot of the perennials given to me by old and new
friends or I would be a poor girl if I had to purchase all these
plants.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS6FcTHJmNkLFTesUXov-bc20y3_d1VQur1p3ex-7HZDQ0OZuItZjo5wzy2BOODMREcHIzJdtk0SvjtC514y359ZNb_jJSGvqi9f_QSyOn3bipJQa7zLNQ6TSUS-sqzrJIN2UdQeQXr9U/s1600/IMG_0949.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS6FcTHJmNkLFTesUXov-bc20y3_d1VQur1p3ex-7HZDQ0OZuItZjo5wzy2BOODMREcHIzJdtk0SvjtC514y359ZNb_jJSGvqi9f_QSyOn3bipJQa7zLNQ6TSUS-sqzrJIN2UdQeQXr9U/s1600/IMG_0949.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Back yard raised bed. I've already had to pull mint twice to save St. Francis from disappearing.</td></tr>
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There is a fledgling veggie plot and strawberry patch coming along in the back yard also, all started from scratch, and when they are presentable you'll get a tour there also.<br />
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Meanwhile, smell the roses and the honeysuckle and enjoy the season.Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-50366059432085802722014-03-20T23:11:00.002-04:002014-03-20T23:11:28.060-04:00Welcome Spring<div style="text-align: center;">
Last Saturday - the Ides of March - my father would have been 101 years old. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBH7TaPxFkslH4n9QJVoL4jgWf-Z9xGV2vVs9Ayyi8ies-u5Leu6eq0GMf7EtehRsH5rxkrq9wQ6gAnABdcPI_1DpT_f6PwcWp8B7AkIC1FufPeWG3SDQ43tB_zmI-QQRxkt1QNmwtJxg/s1600/IMG_0856.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBH7TaPxFkslH4n9QJVoL4jgWf-Z9xGV2vVs9Ayyi8ies-u5Leu6eq0GMf7EtehRsH5rxkrq9wQ6gAnABdcPI_1DpT_f6PwcWp8B7AkIC1FufPeWG3SDQ43tB_zmI-QQRxkt1QNmwtJxg/s1600/IMG_0856.JPG" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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To celebrate his life, I scratched a few furrows in the little raised bed that was still partially frozen, and planted peas. Since then I've gotten a few more flats seeded and now its officially time for gardens to get going.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggoifigIfCySStRgSUjyKETnuoUZC8NOm-HSKcYyTG09j_yiZ9jeyJ-nxvumKgpEXuvENAz-2D8z6vgG47iEZu14VMWRkJ9RC387BwIJFc1z_rxoangy6nbd1VN1B911KlZDS9eqrg4gc/s1600/IMG_0851.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggoifigIfCySStRgSUjyKETnuoUZC8NOm-HSKcYyTG09j_yiZ9jeyJ-nxvumKgpEXuvENAz-2D8z6vgG47iEZu14VMWRkJ9RC387BwIJFc1z_rxoangy6nbd1VN1B911KlZDS9eqrg4gc/s1600/IMG_0851.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Red Currant Tomato</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3yfkK9nutmvr4P3WAt7tFVoQjerHR3FnHPxCXzlmSOjImP-SStxrV_TSLfEFIjm1OOLKAAMhqXFkDUk0PM5wWOB3OVa3LPGluyH3dGQzuPsFP7Ux98uT1ggn2dzsjEyabFcbZHT076E/s1600/IMG_0852.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS3yfkK9nutmvr4P3WAt7tFVoQjerHR3FnHPxCXzlmSOjImP-SStxrV_TSLfEFIjm1OOLKAAMhqXFkDUk0PM5wWOB3OVa3LPGluyH3dGQzuPsFP7Ux98uT1ggn2dzsjEyabFcbZHT076E/s1600/IMG_0852.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pansy</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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My window sills have a few seedlings started in January and February, but now its time for the big push. </div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9rcqxDZQCfXNJA8qFxuU3of8fJsQaIipDJuAL8_DoMqa9pfIJi16bNoVQzKNOKgoesgjsDxICpKGr18fI_n7iNIqY9x71iz9iC80d447iPKMkzjhPPAnWo_F9th8isI5DIfCxGnzSBrM/s1600/IMG_0849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9rcqxDZQCfXNJA8qFxuU3of8fJsQaIipDJuAL8_DoMqa9pfIJi16bNoVQzKNOKgoesgjsDxICpKGr18fI_n7iNIqY9x71iz9iC80d447iPKMkzjhPPAnWo_F9th8isI5DIfCxGnzSBrM/s1600/IMG_0849.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lupine</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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The humorous part though, is I don't have a big enough garden for all that I'm starting. As a matter of fact, the yard is a mess from the garage construction, and still has a massive pile of snow from the plow. </div>
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But hope springs eternal - at least for the gardener!</div>
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Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-33474131988828837152014-02-14T14:13:00.000-05:002014-02-14T14:13:35.829-05:00HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, 'Times New Roman', serif;">Here is a big reason I am glad to have made the move back to Connecticut. </span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">My fourteen month old love!</span></div>
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<span style="color: red; font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Happy Valentine's Day All!</span></div>
Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-89640469058361810082014-01-30T23:05:00.000-05:002014-01-30T23:07:12.645-05:00Gardening With Your Garbage and Recycling - 2The next romaine stem I rescued from the compost bin was prepared a bit more per instruction in the<a href="http://onthepondfarm.blogspot.com/2014/01/gardening-with-your-garbage-and.html"><b><span style="color: #38761d;"> article I posted a week ago.</span></b></a><br />
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Look at the result. </div>
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Just three days and we are sprouting. <br />
This is fun!<br />
My lunch is growing my lunch!</div>
Meanwhile the first one seems to have run out of steam, but we'll give it a bit more time.<br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">http://onthepondfarm.blogspot.com/2014/01/gardening-with-your-garbage-and.html</span>Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-86943555560627312792014-01-26T18:41:00.002-05:002014-01-26T22:42:30.922-05:00Cabin Fever Festival, Windsor, CT/ Ice Festival, Ligonier, PAWe have four town facilities that we use for going for walks and hikes with Jock. Northwest Park is the largest, and has umpteen choices of lengths and variety. Basically, you could switch and join and combine and walk all day if you wanted to. Its mostly woods and field type trial, some going by a reservoir and some by barns and soccer fields. Depending on the weather and time, you can be in mostly shade or predominantly sun. <br />
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These days, I prefer as much solar help as possible. I don't recall the last time above freezing. Poor Jock's feet are either not as tough as they used to be, or the cold is just taking its toll. We tend to choose our destination by temperature this past month. Some days we get to the park, only to turn around minutes later because Jock begins to limp on three legs, trying to hold up one foot, then another. Its also hard to tell if its just the cold, or the product being used on the roads to melt the ice. Either way, we haven't taken too many walks past a half hour in the past month. We've tried greasing his feet with salve before we head out, but its hard to know how effective that is. Its actually too bad we didn't attend the <a href="http://www.northwestpark.org/park_events.htm">Cabin Fever Festiva</a>l yesterday as one of the features was a show with huskies from the Connecticut Valley Siberian Husky Club. Maybe they could have given us some advice.<br />
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Left over today was this ice sculpture that I imagine will be there for a while with our weather staying frigid for the rest of this week.<br />
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It was a fun reminder of the week-end Ice Festival back in Ligonier, PA, also this week-end. </div>
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If you are passing Ligonier in the next week, I bet you can enjoy the many sculptures there - and maybe a hot drink too!</div>
Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-47098374692335049172014-01-23T13:47:00.002-05:002014-01-23T13:47:44.549-05:00Gardening With Your Garbage and RecyclingPart of this post is old hat. I have been reusing containers for seed starting for years.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrge7_0v86LIPpbl0vJ0X6VRZtWZ9GlFmaxw-lOuH0F3Vz-foEBRKns56fxfY5aPA4QrSDg8OXzc8RqkalPcYl2yh9n1TaUW5aliYJE1Omo73vs5rrn2Hgep1tPkT-i11j8CekQDPa01g/s1600/IMG_0774.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrge7_0v86LIPpbl0vJ0X6VRZtWZ9GlFmaxw-lOuH0F3Vz-foEBRKns56fxfY5aPA4QrSDg8OXzc8RqkalPcYl2yh9n1TaUW5aliYJE1Omo73vs5rrn2Hgep1tPkT-i11j8CekQDPa01g/s1600/IMG_0774.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tube holders from a medical lab.</td></tr>
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For an Earth Day project 24 years ago, I had my daughter's first grade classmates all bring in a small container to start marigold seeds. In our unscientific study using milk containers, plastic cups, tin cans and detergent caps, the ones started in the detergent caps tended to be deformed. Hmmm?<br />
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We crushed egg shells and stirred up coffee grounds to add to the bottom of the pots just to start talking about compost and feeding the earth. It was pretty basic, messy and fun, and yielded at least one flower for each student. Before school let out for the summer, a lovely garden was planted at the school entrance.<br />
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So look what has started in my Cracker Barrel "green house". Lupines from the farm garden. I think they are the purple ones, but we will have to wait and see. Usually I have such a hard time starting lupines, but these are at 50% germination so far, and in 10 days. Pretty pleased if I do say so. As soon as the first seedling popped, I moved the container from the warm spot, to the cool window sill, to try and keep them from bolting. Lupines are a childhood memory for me, so I love to see them in the garden.<br />
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This time of year I start to horde all the used plastic silverware that shows up at parties and wherever, and clean it to use as plant markers. The Popsicle sticks are okay for starters, but they rot and disintegrate by the time some of the early starts get into the garden.<br />
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I do find them handy to help me keep track of the seeds I collect, and have the labeled, flat little stick ready to go with the seeds.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGfVQ1Hly_wv0Zir_kXHO-X-w7S7UMddQtS7fviJw8CotJ7N5huokqViOck6ZiMqEx945DElGgCihk-RFMDumeZ94_pP82_xBQsAgdJfPjP6fe9Ob3vUkGGmMUu5boIlBNJ89u5TW21g/s1600/IMG_0770.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNGfVQ1Hly_wv0Zir_kXHO-X-w7S7UMddQtS7fviJw8CotJ7N5huokqViOck6ZiMqEx945DElGgCihk-RFMDumeZ94_pP82_xBQsAgdJfPjP6fe9Ob3vUkGGmMUu5boIlBNJ89u5TW21g/s1600/IMG_0770.JPG" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wisteria Seed </td></tr>
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How many times have I wrapped seeds in a napkin or old envelope, leaving myself a part of the flower or plant as a hint, only to open it up and puzzle over where it came from and what it is. By then the "hint" is a brown, dry crumble. So labeling fast is smart, but I'm still learning that lesson!<br />
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So here is something new that I learned and tried, just a week or so ago. Growing Romaine lettuce from the stem or the heart. The article says to leave a couple inches and perhaps a leaf or two. I had already used this lettuce, and this stem was plucked out of my compost after the reading of the article. I figured, "What the heck!" and threw it in my bowl with some water. And just to be clear, this lovely bowl was found in the town's recycling shed.<br />
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One week later, and fresh water every day or two, there are four new shoots. I can't wait to see how this goes. The suggestion is that I can put this in the garden when the temperatures are appropriate. That's such a long way off, but I may try a container from my recycled collection.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYYq0VNtKRIRIZE_CoqGJfzymYQa4NZcEWpOtPNK2wURU5hWTuEXUq53qjaG_7gtwKU9tfHjIRGNawoVU2CecpNwcseBAa2bBNWj3dyiCNDczLbbixfipIAECfkxdAOK-VJja750NHL3U/s1600/IMG_0824.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYYq0VNtKRIRIZE_CoqGJfzymYQa4NZcEWpOtPNK2wURU5hWTuEXUq53qjaG_7gtwKU9tfHjIRGNawoVU2CecpNwcseBAa2bBNWj3dyiCNDczLbbixfipIAECfkxdAOK-VJja750NHL3U/s1600/IMG_0824.JPG" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pepper seeds from last night's dinner.</td></tr>
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I grew up growing carrot tops in water, and bean seeds in cotton balls in egg shells. At my school in Sheffield, England, the class was called "Nature". What a nice way to learn science.<br />
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Below is the article that I saw, and if you search "things that grow from garbage" you can have a lot of fun till spring really arrives. Meanwhile my seed order went in last night, so there is more fun to come.<br />
<h1 class="entry-title">
Garden with Garbage: 10 Foods You Can Grow from Scraps</h1>
http://earth911.com/home-garden/grow-food-from-scraps/<br />
<br />Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-43209895067545297752014-01-20T22:28:00.001-05:002014-01-20T22:28:37.149-05:00Really - AlrightPhew! We're back online!<br />
I have all sorts of blogs in my head and photos taken, but then I couldn't open Blogger. I think it started a month ago with a fix for one problem, that caused another issue, and next thing you know, I'm getting messages from my computer that I have to go online to decipher. Well, I'm back - at least for now.<br />
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I always like to start January with some seed starting, and so I had to go and hunt for my supplies in the yet to be organized basement. I started a few seeds with dreams of the coming spring and my newest garden.<br />
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This is a memento of my herd. Weird maybe, but so be it. </div>
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I thought it a neat image in the snow.</div>
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When the polar vortex come through, even the dog wanted to stay in and quilt. We have a few projects underway and I'll have to download those photos from another camera to show you.</div>
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So lets hope I can get on a roll and catch up with you.</div>
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Happy New Year - a bit late!</div>
Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-58931832124842516392013-11-27T20:08:00.001-05:002013-11-27T20:08:22.424-05:00THANKGIVUKAHWell! Its a rare time when Thanksgiving and Hanukkah converge, and here we are on the eve, having a late dinner of lox, bagels and nachos! The last time these holidays converged was 1888, and I read that it will only happen three more times in the next 77,000 years. Crazy!<br />
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Tomorrow will be the traditional dinner with four generations of my family together for the first time that I can think of. About as rare as THANKGIVUKAH! <br />
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My husband and I will celebrate with my mother, my daughter, her husband, and my grandson. It will be the first time for Oma to meet her almost one year old grandson Jacob, and for that I give thanks.<br />
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Happy Thanksgiving!<br />
Happy Hanukkah!Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-30621520380437033092013-11-08T11:23:00.001-05:002013-11-08T11:23:57.143-05:00New England Fall<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One thing about this area. </div>
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Fall is spectacular. </div>
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I forgot how long it can last here. </div>
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I have a month of photos and its still not done. </div>
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It may be getting cold, but the colors are hot.</div>
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Click on the photo below for the full effect of the view from my balcony.</div>
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Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-6952588991149730212013-11-05T21:13:00.001-05:002013-11-05T21:13:11.774-05:00Quick and DirtyAfter leaving the farm, o<span style="font-family: Calibri;">ne of the earlier messages I received on Face Book was,
“What are you doing with all your spare time?”<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
T</span>hat question should have been answered by regular postings, just
to get some of the story out there. Here I’ll give you the quick and dirty.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVRsJ_aE65920EcCMFKV2x54bwegcW75JAaBGkEXE-4vp42PK70UY6y5cAa-FS5yQyvCkOA8OxMcQlmUS_BAN_8GpxI3DUH6mTGLA5hQ2AakhaMVJDorFTr9zs-30f-pyI-Nw_WhZz0EY/s1600/IMG_2437.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVRsJ_aE65920EcCMFKV2x54bwegcW75JAaBGkEXE-4vp42PK70UY6y5cAa-FS5yQyvCkOA8OxMcQlmUS_BAN_8GpxI3DUH6mTGLA5hQ2AakhaMVJDorFTr9zs-30f-pyI-Nw_WhZz0EY/s400/IMG_2437.JPG" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We left the farm, and the last few miles to our new home stuck following a loaded hay wagon. How funny is that? Not much at the time!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The move in May was generally smooth. Sure a few things got
dinged, but it was the insane amount of boxes that was the challenge. Now that
I am in physical therapy for my back, I realize it may have started with the
unpacking. Pushing all the packing paper back INTO the boxes may have been the
culprit, but it’s one of those things that creep up on you and by the time you
really hurt, so much time has passed, it’s hard to put a finger on it. And yes
– we still have more boxes to go.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRa5YlDCuuzw_FEhngfRwQqSAc6IfsIdBTeqOsA1DxjRzba6kIm5TztgegpvLlDrAVI6brZpBjzUiCfvLEGMQKHlCnSunBvTUPIr3nl4DzTfaCxUS82raUiWI5V_e72XCB7WLuQrxuTJE/s1600/IMG_2574.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRa5YlDCuuzw_FEhngfRwQqSAc6IfsIdBTeqOsA1DxjRzba6kIm5TztgegpvLlDrAVI6brZpBjzUiCfvLEGMQKHlCnSunBvTUPIr3nl4DzTfaCxUS82raUiWI5V_e72XCB7WLuQrxuTJE/s320/IMG_2574.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mom at our favorite German restaurant in Glendale, AZ</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">While I was house hunting, my mother had a couple of falls.
While she was being evaluated in the hospital she actually coded(AKA her heart stopped) as she was
sitting in a chair. Her medications were adjusted and she went home, only to
have more falls, and one that fractured her femur August 10th. That
left her wheelchair and walker bound at a skilled nursing facility. I helped
her move to assisted living in September and while there took her to her follow
up for her injury. There they determined that her hip replacement needs
revision. Basically, her left hip replacement needs replacement if she is ever
to be without pain and walk on her own again. That surgery should have happened October 30, but due to an "imperfect storm" of events, a test was not properly completed, and hopefully after today that has been done. That puts the surgery on November 11. What I'm leaving out is that this all takes place in Arizona and I get to rack up frequent flier miles going back and forth for a week or ten days at a time every month or two. This is SO the short and nice version of this story!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our location puts us within two hours of my 11 month old grandson Jake and so with some warning (or not so much!) I have driven over for four different "Nanny Service" days. That usually calls for an overnight the day before or after. That's been fun. Being with Jake and helping out Kristin and Andrew has been a big bonus of this move.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I finally got back to Germany with Dave on a business trip of his and worked a visit to my cousin Nina's new place in the Alps. Timing couldn't have been more perfect as her town was having its annual "Fest" with the local beer, food and lederhosen clad band that one only sees here for October Fest. After business was taken care of in Mannheim, we took the train to Paris and manage to be there for the Final Stage of the Tour De France. I also visited the Louvre while business was being taken care of and also went back to the Muse de Orsay. A great day was spent in Giverny seeing the estate of Claude Monet and taking umpteen photographs.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">On the more domestic side, I've established a few gardens and beds to spruce up the yard, and I have lots of friends to thank for the donations of perennials to get me started. We've been removing rose brambles and a few decaying trees, while establishing a view in the back yard. We also had six trees taken down in preparation of building a two car garage and also to protect the house from future storms. Some of that wood will be burned next season in our newly purchased wood stove which we just lit up two days ago. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Only a week ago we hung up some paintings and photographs. Around the same time we brought in the plants before the freeze. We are shifting to winter and I just started cutting some squares for a quilt. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSCT8aieqegFcu5BUgYMvYMh7CZAvqraMZQcqJz_tQ1Gbx4IaGPZ7_u0Su6knH3NSPxqdrRtX1eTgo9UuEEz5HoMrbTwloffZo3beq41ZANEoU9ha9kbRo0luq8gDFQpLHvkSC73epggg/s1600/IMG_2450.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSCT8aieqegFcu5BUgYMvYMh7CZAvqraMZQcqJz_tQ1Gbx4IaGPZ7_u0Su6knH3NSPxqdrRtX1eTgo9UuEEz5HoMrbTwloffZo3beq41ZANEoU9ha9kbRo0luq8gDFQpLHvkSC73epggg/s320/IMG_2450.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Of course Jock keeps us busy with his two or three walks a day. He is our physical trainer and without him, I wonder how much exercise we would get. We have three parks within minutes of us to choose from depending on our mood and time, and Jock has been a great source of compliments for his good behavior. We work on obedience as often as we can, but mostly we just let him have fun.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Well, that's a bit of it, and I'm going to try and get my photos in order and show you some of the pleasurable moments that I think you'll enjoy. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have to say that one of my dilemmas is trying to find a new name for a new blog, but it hasn't come to me yet. So since the farm has a new name, and I still dream of my life at On the Pond Farm, I'll keep going here for now.</span>Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-79533497990607149542013-09-11T11:25:00.003-04:002013-09-11T11:25:58.321-04:00Twelve Years And Still Tears<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">For those that were lost, and the memories that will change us forever, keep us strong in our hearts and souls. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLgD-_hHVQi40zeK2eZjIRxemxJY628X5y2YHPVcMrZ3m0hnpbZw-Ts0SbPnhU6tX3W0c05KrpTQRVT2qMPdVPlp_XblfGA1ePtgeQSXVtSjFfWtm0uOGX8zawlIAN9-CMHSMHY5g46U/s1600/IMG_8015.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiLgD-_hHVQi40zeK2eZjIRxemxJY628X5y2YHPVcMrZ3m0hnpbZw-Ts0SbPnhU6tX3W0c05KrpTQRVT2qMPdVPlp_XblfGA1ePtgeQSXVtSjFfWtm0uOGX8zawlIAN9-CMHSMHY5g46U/s400/IMG_8015.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}"></span><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">Let there always be a few tears in our eyes when we remember. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="userContent" data-ft="{"tn":"K"}">Amen.</span></div>
Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-41081568096005108962013-07-26T12:43:00.002-04:002013-07-26T12:43:29.066-04:00Real Fruit. Real Food. Real Fresh.In the States, we look in the grocery store bins and rarely see a blemish on our produce. Its big and shiny and perfect. If I had to eat out of my garden that way, quite a few of my veggies and fruits would end up in a stew or the compost. <br />
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We just came back from two weeks in Germany and France (business and pleasure), and spent a lot of our travels using public transportation. Something I really noticed in our travels were the fresh fruit stands. Not just in the villages or outside, but inside the subway tunnels. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Paris subway fruit stand</td></tr>
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And even more, we didn't notice them visually, but by aroma. The wonderful, ripe fruit smell just woke you right up. And it happened again and again. The fruit was colorful, all sizes and so aromatic, it just made you remember what fruit was supposed to taste like. Wonderful and flavorful. <br />
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People walked away with a bag of cherries or a single peach in a napkin, and later you would see people wiping their chins of the juice as they rode on the trains. <br />
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I now have a little eight foot square raised bed that we put together in June, and I have a few herbs and veggies coming along, but I need to seek out the good farm stands, and even a favorite grocery store for my shopping. I see that some of the stores are associated with local farms for certain produce, so I will give them a look. Coming from just a few miles away, the food should come in riper and fresher, so we can hope for flavor.<br />
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One of the stores wraps up what they consider overripe produce, and sells it at a huge discount. I think its just right and I often see no damage. They are soft and ready to cook.<br />
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Actually, one of my favorite pasta "sauces" is more of a veggie stew. I take the blemished odds and ends out of the garden(or now from the discount cart) that won't slice or keep very well because of a crack or stink bug blemish and chop or slice it up into a meaty size. For me, and my daughter, the texture makes it more of a meal, so while the water comes to a boil and then cooks the pasta, I quickly sauté the onions, garlic and peppers, and then just drop the chunks of ripe tomato on top to simmer and break down till the pasta is ready. There is still a lot of chew and texture to the stew/sauce, and is very satisfying. Of course, we add our favorite herbs and spices, and sometimes we take a small pan to toast a few pine nuts for more "meat". Grate a little cheese. Done.<br />
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The fun is in the challenge of the time you have while the pasta cooks and what's available in your garden and pantry. Its summer. Give it a shot. In a half hour you'll be sitting at the table and thinking of the next variation on this theme. Different pasta. Something out of the freezer? I've never made it the same way twice and its always great and satisfying. And real and fresh!<br />
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Bon Appetit!<br />
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PS: Send me some new combinations/additions you've tried.Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6304134318929169046.post-13618055407403033542013-07-04T23:46:00.001-04:002013-07-04T23:46:16.086-04:00Happy Fourth of July <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Today is Jake's seven month birthday and his great grand father's birthday too.</div>
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Hope your day was filled with wonder and pride for the country we live in.</div>
Deere Driverhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09797776241387092512noreply@blogger.com0