Well, since it is technically a new week, I thought I'd start. It is VERY late here in EST and we had our murder mystery party tonight. The mystery part and dinner only took about 4 hours, but the last folks left after about 7 hours. A heck of a party and we threw in a hot tub soak. The costumes were imaginative and the clues were fun. Already planning our next one. This time I tried two new recipes (one with orzo and one with beans/potatos pureed) and they turned out.

The bedroom ceiling dried out after the dramatic storm in our new third floor/attic remodel. I finally got my frugal head together and found a semi-circular window at the Builder's Surplus store for $80 instead of the $450 the window guy wanted. Yeah!

Anyone grow regular pod peas? I have never and am looking at a bush type called 'Knight'. Any comments? I'm sure there is someone here who has some ideas for someone knew to peas. The times I have planted snow peas the deer have eaten them. I have a younger dog now and am a generally better gardener than I was then, so I want to try for a regular pea now.

-- Anonymous, February 24, 2002

Answers

A beautiful warm day here today, almost 70!!!! Winter comes back tonight though and Tuesdays low may be in the single digits.

Good news is David's ship is headed back to port and he will be on terra firma tomorrow. Yippee!

As for peas, we had our best luck ever last year with Green Arrow. We had 5-7 peas per pod and they were wonderful. It was the first year we have ever had enough peas to freeze. I would highly recc. them! We got ours from Shumway but they are available elsewhere.

Wishing you all a super week. Kim

-- Anonymous, February 24, 2002

Howdy,

Hmmm. Peas. I've mostly grown snow and snap peas, but I think I used to grow Maestro. I've seen "Knight" listed and it looks worth a try, for sure.

We just got back from our weekend away. Stayed in a decent hotel (had a down comforter, i.e., and a nice continental breakfast; granola options and fresh fruit... no Pop Tarts!). Gee, we saw friends we have known for 25 years. Their kids are just now moving out of the house, etc. We looked at old photo albums and I was rather surprized by how young we all used to look..no wrinkles and so much hair! We had a nice dinner out (I had ahi with mango chutney, plus some interesting wine; Mr. S. had a "delightful" steak, etc.)

It's definitely spring here, albeit cold at night. The frogs are chorusing at dark; the bulbs are up; I saw cherry trees in blossom on the road home. My peas are up (have been for a few weeks, but they're now getting serious!) The garlic and favas are going gangbusters, and I'm also curious to see how the spring cabbage will turn out (I've never grown it).

We're heading over to friend's tonight to watch the closing ceremony of the Olympics (isn't the world just nuts? Not just big biz, govs, etc., with problems, but sports in a major way. How are kids s'posed to get any good values?!)

I put some vinyl coated wire fencing (it's only 12" high...like you use for borders) up under the eaves to support (contain!) my clematis...looks like it's getting ready to bloom, too. It tends to want to grow up over the roof if I don't collect it. Weeded two vegetable gardens and moved some primulas.

Guess this contribution to the over the fence chat is as rambling as it would be in real life! All over the place...

Have a good week everyone. Hope you have spring in your lives currently, or really soon!

-- Anonymous, February 24, 2002

It's been a good weekend here at DunHagan.

My wife's mama flew down to spend a couple of weeks with us on Thursday. A front came through late Friday night and *this* time we got some rain out of it. Started raining sometime in the early pre-dawn hours and rained all day into the evening hours. Never a hard rain, but a steady farmer's rain. Probably more rain than we've had in the last month or two combined. I can see an improvement in the grass already.

Saturday morning me and a friend drove up to Lake City to go to a gun show. They're always small shows but this one was pretty lightweight by even their standards. Oh well, they can't all be good. Stopped at four different feed & seed stores on the way home and not one of them had a reel top chick feeder so I'll just have to improvise. I underestimated the amount of feeder space I need for the number of chicks I have in the brooder. Stopped off at a tack shop in Newberry and bought a nice straw western hat. Been wanting one for a while now. Going to be getting bright and hot before long so it'll be nice to have something to keep my brains from cooking (more than they already have) when I'm working outside.

Once back home I took off a major, major load of junk, garbage and trash to the dump. Would have take even more but decided I'd had enough of standing in the rain. Went on in to Gainesville to get the roofing tin and a bit of lumber of the hen house I'm about to start building.

Saturday night was a big night. Grandma kept the baby for us so the wife and I went on a date. Had sushi at our favorite Japanese restaurant then took in a movie. We saw Lord of the Rings a second time and enjoyed it right well in spite of its flaws. Stopped at the ice cream shop after the movie and had a chocolate malted before heading back home. It was nice to get out.

Sunday morning we slept in late then I went out to get down to work. Moved and spread twenty four wheelbarrow loads of mulch around the apple and pear trees. Fertilized, mulched and watered in the garden. Cleaned up in the brooder. Finally knocked off after dark and had supper.

A good weekend. Hope the week ahead is as good.

........Alan.

-- Anonymous, February 24, 2002

Oh, Sheepish! Clematis! It will be months for that for me! Sigh.

Thanks for the pea advice. I think I will try 'Knight'. No staking is a plus.

We went to see the Harlem Globetrotters with my niece today. It was a nice enough show. I expected a bit more personality from each player-- there was one with a mike the whole time, the others just played off of him. The 'team' they played against was good too. I love the tricks and passes. I've got 'Sweet Georgia Brown' whistling through my head now. Did you know they have existed as a team (the players obviously change) since 1927? I didn't.

-- Anonymous, February 24, 2002

Well I pulled up to my cabin today and there was a nice familly just sittin around having a picnic. I asked em if they were lost and they said no they bought this property and it was in escrow 3 weeks!!! YOU WHAT!!!!! I told em I owned it and it was NEVER for sale. SHOCK!!

Here's what happened... While I was sick and staying in town some moron of a real estate agent showed this couple my property instead of the one down the road that was really for sale. They bought it and it almost CLOSED before I found out. What would have happened if the sale was completed??

Boy were they upset!! I can hardly wait to see what happens. Can you imagine how they must feel? I feel horrible for them....Kirk

-- Anonymous, February 25, 2002

Holey Moley Kirk! A guy can't even get sick these days without someone trying to sell his house out from under him! I don't think its gonna be a pretty picture when those folks talk to the RE agent.

Around here we're still in a holding pattern. Temps mild. Snow on the ground with more on the way and pretty windy.

I finally finished my dove loft up today. Its ready for occupants at last and none too soon. I've got a couple babies that'll be ready to wean next weekend and several more for the following two weeks. I spent some time with them today, the babies that is. I want them really tame and whistle trained so I'm starting with them young. I took them outta the breeder loft and carried them around in my hands in the attached greenhouse. I want to get them used to being handled. They're still a little young so they don't have the strength or coordination to perch on my finger. Hell, they don't even have feathers yet, at least not fully. Quite a bit of thin yellow down and the start of real feathers. For such a beautiful bird when they're mature they sure are butt ugly as youngsters!

We have two cats, Jasper(3yr old and Matt 5yr old). Jasper is your basic tabby. We got him real young, about 5 weeks old. Matt we adopted as a stray.

When we were still at the other place this really gnarly looking long haired cat about the color of a Buff Orpington hen, started hanging around the yard. He was friendly enuf but he looked terrible. He'd been in lotsa fights and was pretty beat up. His face was so scratched up he had no fur there. He's a long haired cat who hadn't been brushed in a long time so he had these big slabs of matted fur hanging off his sides, thus his name Matt.

Chris refused to take him in but he kept hanging out there by the door and in the yard. One night I had a dream. My mother as a young woman was standing there in the living room with this wierd looking Lion next to her.

Eventually Chris relented, as I suspected she would, and we took Matt in. He was so thrilled with his new home he promptly went about claiming it by spraying our bed and the couch. That was his first day in the house. Then he spent another week outside feeling miserable and we let him in again. He was just sooo needy! Craving attention and would constantly invite us to a "pet-Matt marathon".

Most cats I've known are passive pettees. They just lay there soaking it all in, purring contentedly. Not Matt tho. He squirms. He rolls. He pets you back---its a very active interaction.

We took Matt to the vet and had him neutered and "shaved" to get the slabs off. He looked really wierd when he got home but he looked like the lion in my dream.

Each nite when I do the boiler before going to bed Matt has taken to going with me. He sits there out of the way and watches. When I'm done he follows or leads me to the house. As soon as we're in the house he wants attention. He runs up the stairs and waits for me to pet him up, then he runs to the top of the stairs and wants some more. He follows me to the living room where I take my boots of and we have some more quality time. Once the boots are off I go to the bedroom and turn on the nite lite and he jumps on the dresser and awaits my return. When I get back to the bedroom he gets some more petting then I turn the light out and get in bed and Matt follows, laying down on my chest while he gets some more petting. He's such a character!

-- Anonymous, February 25, 2002

Busy weekend here.Had my new wee nephew for a few days,I got up with him so his mum could get 8 straight hours of sleep.I know why I stopped at 5 kids,(Im, a slow learner)Its a joke I love my kids.Walked through our new bush again and found turkey poop and prints,a fox den in the creek bank way up high,deer pellets a lot of owl pellets around the bottom of a tamamrack and a tree that had grown around the wire fence years ago.We found tree fungus,you know those dishy looking things,they were burgundy!!I am still in shock.I am reserved until closing,it seems too good to be true.We have given the original owners of the farm we live in presently,the option of buying it back for 200,000,thats 138,000 more than we bought it for 10 years ago.Good return I think!!.I will feel better if they but it.They have to let us know by Thursday ,then the two farmers that are interested can have a go.Our pastor preached an awesome message on Sunday and I thought of all of us here.He took bricks and stones one pile of each and asked what would we rather build with ?Bricks, most answered,cuz they are easier to work with.He talked about how we are more comfortable with uniformity,"'be like me""and we gravitate to those who think like us.Then he took a stone ,each one unique,and talked about the difficulties that building with these creates and the resulting character that a structure made of these has.We need different shapes of stone to build a house of character,depth and richness,and to make us grow as people.Sorry to wax poetic I just wanted to share that with you.Have a great week,I have to go teach now ,and then we are goin hiking again!

-- Anonymous, February 25, 2002

KIrk,I would be absolutely sick!Youré taking much better than I would!!!

-- Anonymous, February 25, 2002

Kirk, I guess these folks didn't read the paperwork or have a survey done. Shame on them! I can imagine it scared the beejeebers out of you though. Glad you went to the cabin, huh? Is it obvious that the other parcel is for sale, with signs and stuff? Geez. That is a big mistake by a realtor. Hope these folks find what they are looking for.

-- Anonymous, February 25, 2002

Kirk, that is so terribly funny, in retrospect of course! But how I would love to be "the fly on the wall" to hear the RE agent explain that one to his clients!

It is "playing at being spring" here lately, but winter is to return with sleet, snow and freezing rain tomorrow night. But the silver maples are starting to bloom, as well as the crocus, and other spring flowers are up about 6 inches or so.

The horses are in "hog heaven", plenty of fresh mud for them to wallow in, it's even on and in their ears.

-- Anonymous, February 25, 2002

SHOCK! You're not kidding Kirk! Were they hard to convince that this is your property and that it wasn't for sale? OH MY GOSH!!! LOL

As for myself, I haven't been having a very good week or month for that matter. About a month ago my grandmother who has been steadily declining in her thought processes was finally said to be incompetent. She is 84 and thus far had been able to stay alone in her own house. She's physically still fairly spry for her 84 years. She grew up and lived most her young adult life in very rural KY. They were used to hard work and being self sufficient. They barely even noticed the depression! They only moved to the city after the patriarch of the family died and everything had to be sold and split among the heirs. Long story! That was during a time when families stayed together on the same family farm. My grandfather moved to the city because he said that farm work was too hard and the hours too long. Boy did he regret that decision later!! Well they always kept their yard and flowers and garden just immaculate. Even after my grandfather died 20 yrs. ago, she kept it up as best she could. She was hauling and moving things around that a much younger person wouldn't attempt even just this last summer. She's so independent and I know would never want to be in a nursing home. But that's where she has been for the last month. I wanted to have her live with me but my Mom and the doctors said no. They said I wouldn't be able to watch her every minute and that is what they say she needs. She has dementia and tends to really get disoriented and wander these days.

So for the last month my mother and I have been attending to her home and cleaning up and cleaning out. It breaks my heart. She has accumulated so much over the years. So many things are very interesting and having to do with all the plans she still had for decorating her home, gardening, and a myriad of craft projects. Then there is a good dose of just plain junk. But it is her junk and important to her or she wouldn't have kept it. I feel like I'm packing up and throwing out her life. Many things which would be considered heirlooms, I've brought home. And even though I will truly enjoy them being here, it is a bittersweet sort of thing. I just think of her in a prison although it is a nice place. There will be no more gardening, no more animals, no more freedom. How will she be able to stay in good shape physically? It's difficult to get across how active she's been in the past. She was not the typical woman of her generation. I plan to have her visit me and participate here as much as possible. But it won't be the same. We left the house for the last time yesterday. And wouldn't you know just before we left I found an envelope sticking up out of some cookbooks that said candy pudding on the front. That's our secret family recipe for a candy which has been handed down through generations which we prepare at Christmas/Yule. It's most wonderful! Since my Mom is no longer interested in such things, I am now the keeper of the candy pudding recipe. It's an honor but yet it is the marking of a passing or something. I can't quite describe what I mean. Maybe a milestone of sorts?

Well, I didn't mean to bring you all down with this. I just knew that you all would understand. Any energy. thoughts, or prayers sent our way would be great. It's a hard transition for us all but especially for my grandma. Thanks for reading.

-- Anonymous, February 25, 2002

For shelling peas my favorite the last couple of years has been Lincoln Homesteader. Its short, bears well but doesn't seem to go strarchy as fast as some others I have tried. I am going to plant lots of snap peas this year because I like them better than plain old snow peas and shelling is a pain in the arse. I really like snap peas in a salad or stirfry or steamed as a side dish. More goats born at my friend's yesterday...heehheee Thats all for the moment from me except "Holey Smokes Kirk!! What a Kodak moment that must have been!!!"

-- Anonymous, February 25, 2002

Wow Denise, I feel for ya. I can imagine how hard it must be for you to be going through this.

Reminds me of when my grandparents left the farm. It was so long ago now; I was only 16, but I remember it well. We helped with the auction preparations, going through accumulations of stuff from 60 years of farming and raising 7 kids. It was heartbreaking. Grandpa never did very well after they moved to town; had too little to do I think, and did odd jobs for other people when he had always worked for himself.

Their minds stayed intact though; I cannot really know how painful it must be to watch someone you love start to lose their mind. Our loving thoughts are with you, Denise.

-- Anonymous, February 25, 2002

Hi Denise,

I can sympathize with your troubles. I've already buried two of my grandparents and my stepmother. My surviving grandfather is slipping steadily into senility and my surviving grandmother is showing signs of it. I'm about to make the great leap across of the void of forty in another couple of months so it is near to me lately that my parents are now in their sixties with neither having taken the greatest care of their health. The phone rang at midnight last week waking me from a sound sleep with my heart in my throat dreading that there would be someone on the other end of the line asking "are you Alan Hagan, next of kin to...?" God only knows what I was dreaming when the phone rang to have me thinking that way but I was never so grateful for a wrong number caller before.

Ready or not I am now become my parents and have taken the repsonsibility for creating and raising the next generation. It's not like we didn't know what we were doing, we worked and planned to get where we're at but there are times in the still of the night that I suddenly realize that I've passed some milestone that I wasn't ready to pass. When I turn to go back the door is shut with only a sign saying "this way to the egress" and an arrow pointing forward in the direction that I don't want to go, at least not yet.

As a younger man there was much that I had little interest in. Now that I am interested those who could have answered my questions are gone or are fast slipping away leaving just that little voice in the back of the head whispering "too late." With or without us, life goes on. We have no choice but to go forward willing or no so let us make the best of the time that we have remaining.

.......Alan.

-- Anonymous, February 25, 2002

Well! On a *lighter* note thought I'd say I finally spotted the mystery chick that McMurray included in my order. It's a dark walnut brown marked something like a Rhode Island Red but much darker and not nearly so red as the Rhodies that came from Ideal. I'm not sure what it is but so far it's not looking like a rooster (yet). Have to wait and see when it gets its full plumage.

Spent the evening after we got home from work today cleaning up in the workshop. Lord, what junk he left behind! Did find some truly useful stuff but I'm not sure if it was worth the throbbing headache all the dust I stirred up gave me. Trying not to think what was in the dust. Gonna be a Benadryl night when I go to bed.

.......Alan.

-- Anonymous, February 25, 2002

I recognized recently something that may influence my responses. And that is that my last grandparent died when I was twenty, almost 20 years ago. My parents died at 50 and 70 years of age when I was twenty and 33 yo. So I have been without BOTH for almost 5 years now. This makes me hardened to the letters that say "my 98 yo grandmother is having problems, help her through it". I cleaned out the houses and drawers. I work with elderly and have lost both young and old clients (72 yo and 21 yo). Hey, if you make it over 50 yo. you have beaten some odds and I salute you!

-- Anonymous, February 25, 2002

Hey, Alan....guess I really need a mystery chick!

I will get new chickens soon. Just a joke!

-- Anonymous, February 25, 2002

Denise I cleaned out my mother's mobile home when she died and it was the smells that got to me!! I swear each person has a distinct smell don't they? And when my wife died many years ago I remember I had so much trouble walking by the closet cause her clothes smelled and I kept thinking she was in the room! Thinking of you...Kirk

-- Anonymous, February 25, 2002

I got back from my daughter's late last night after my son-in-law drove me through a blinding snow storm. We were half way home before we drove in to it and though it was just "lake effect" since we were close to the lake and continued. What an ordeal. He took the long way home through the middle of the state and avoided the worst of it going home. Mother and baby are doing well after a readmission of the baby for a couple of days for jaundice.

Kirk, what a shock!!! I am sure glad you stumbled on them. Can you imagine if they actually thought they had bought you place and started making modifications before you found them?? Sheesh!!!

Denise, I share your sorrow. I went through the same thing with my granny and it was so very difficult.

I am certainly glad to be home on my own little homestead. Being with the grandchildren was wonderful, but I must admit I enjoy them much more when I have them here. City life just does not agree with me at all. I begin to feel like a caged animal after a very short time.

This might be off the wall to put it here, but I got e-mail from Doreen requesting that BTS people be asked to be respectful on her forum. I don't even know to what she was referring to, as I have just now checked forums for the first time in days. She asked me to ask Jim, but since Jim is not here I am just posting it here.

-- Anonymous, February 26, 2002

This might be off the wall to put it here, but I got e-mail from Doreen requesting that BTS people be asked to be respectful on her forum.

What? Huh? I haven't been poking around recently on her forum either, so I don't know to what she is referring. Still, I find that a weird thing to do. If she wants to get in touch with the administrator of this forum, clicking on BTS will give her the email address. Since she is a forum administrator, she SHOULD know that. Also, why such a request when she can (and did) just post a note on her own forum, or when she can email the "offender[s]" directly? How does she even know WHO is a BTS member? Weird, weird.

Does anyone wish to clue me in? After I saw Diane's post, I went and looked around a little, but didn't see anyone (from anywhere) making trouble or being disrespectful. {confused shrug}

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2002

Which forum is that anyways?

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2002

I thought Doreen had access to this forum (?)....hasn't she been here and chatted a bit? (maybe I'm confused). If so, perhaps she is just heading "us" off at the pass... (or the "past" as Firesign Theater so eloquently put it!). Or no doubt she chats with folks here.

But I very rarely visit Freedom, so I can't speak to any posts there.

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2002

Woo-hoo!!! Tomato sprout! Tomato sprout!! One teeny-tiny little Mini Pearl sprout; only one - but it sure has made my day! Drug Pop and Hubs over to admire it - they were appropriately awed (or at least faked it well enough to suit me!) Hubs immediately went up and got my light and hung it up for me; promises that if he is able to "trudge across the tundra" to get home tonight, that he will get the other ones hung up for me then. Such nice men I live with! (I don't care if I WAS talking about keeping their frozen bodies in the shed yesterday - that was yesterday!)

It's a brisk 9* out this morning; wind chill somewhere below zero but at least the wind has seemed to calm down a bit - the snow isn't blowing so hard that I can't see across the field south of the house, anyway. Our bird feeders are full this morning - ususally the birds seem to take turns at the feeders - there will be a group of Jays; then the Cardinals will come in, followed by the various Nuthatches, Flickers and assorted other woodpeckers - but today they are all feeding together. Pop is going to have to put his boots on and go fill the feeders here soon, I'm afraid. The finch feeders have a bird on every perch and a whole flock of birds on the ground underneath; plus lots of Juncos, Chickadees, Sparrows and a couple of Dove under the regular feeders. The cats don't seem willing to fight the snow - they came out for their kitty cruchies and went right back in to the dog houses and cuddled up together; so the birdies are safe to fuel up without fear of them today!

Jessie has spent the past few nights in town at her Dad's house since I didn't want her driving on the bad roads. She and her buds have pretty well cleaned out the supply of saucer sleds in town and spent yesterday sledding down the hill at the dam - BIG HILL!! Guess they will get the chance to go again today (IF they've thawed out yet!) since school is closed once again. I miss being able to welcome in a crew of kids with hot chocolate and warm cookies!! She tells me that town is full of snow men - this snow came down heavy and wet, just perfect for snow men - and snowball fights! Brrrr!! I remember one particular glorious winter of frozen knees when I was a kid, when we built snow forts on the school playground and had snowball fights every recess for what seemed like weeks!! (Back in the days when girls had to wear dresses to school, or got sent home to change!) I'm sure the teachers were more than happy to provide the kleenexes for the resulting colds, as we managed to get outside and blow off steam that they would have otherwise had to deal with in the classroom!

This weather has me in the mood to cook some comfort foods - it must have hit Hubs too, as by the time I got home yesterday, he had already made a big pot of chili, some chicken breasts in the oven and a pot of noodle soup! Now, if I could just get the boy trained to make desserts, I'd have it made!!

Alison, the FSR forum that the others are referring to is Freedom Self Reliance; it's on lusenet too. Lots of fanatics, more emotion than reason. I don't go there very often and almost never post. Scary folk! (The regulars, anyway!)

Kirk, I don't know who to feel sorrier for - you, for finding strangers on your place; or for those poor folks who thought they were buying it!! I guess you can take comfort in the fact that it must be a wonderful place if folks saw it and wanted to buy it that fast! Did you have a problem convincing them that it really, truly WAS yours? What a mess!!

Denise, please don't feel too badly about your Grandmother; particulary if, as you say, the nursing home seems like a nice place. While I wouldn't want to put Pop in such a place either, I have worked with enough demetia patients to know that when someone says they need to be watched 24/7; they mean 24/7. Lots of these folks have sundowners - they get more confused and sometimes combative long about sunset. They like to stay awake and wander at night, and sleep during the days. Food and clothing are a problem too. If you are allowed to take her out of the home for visits, please do so; and take her places that have the things that she would miss most - the gardens and things of that nature. That way, your last memories of her won't be of battling her to eat, change clothes, bathe, and go to bed - let the staff deal with the battles, and you have the pleasant times. If they have a special dementia unit set up, they have made accommidations for active folks - pacing, moving furniture ect... Make sure that she is allowed to have food from outside the home; and take her her favorites; especially home cooked ones. Make sure that she has comfortable, easy to dress in clothing - pullover tops and pull on bottoms like sweatsuits are good; and t- shirts or undershirts instead of bras - for some reason bras are very confusing to dementia folks. If you buy her a new outfit, it would be a good idea to buy two or three alike; as they don't like changes. The ability to read is often one of the last functions to fade, so make sure that she has some large print books and magazines, coloring books are good too. Don't be surprized or upset when she starts not knowing who you are; you don't have to remind her, just visit with her as you would any other elderly lady.

I think it's wonderful that you found the recipe, and are treasuring it. All of my grandparents are gone now, the last 12+ years ago - I lost my Granny Leone and Mama within three months of each other. The things that I have of theirs give me comfort - Granny's glass rolling pin and Mama's marble one; mixing up Mama's waffle recipe in Granny's stoneware shoulder bowl; laying out the quilt with the blocks that Grandma Julie pieced and Mama quilted - those are some of the things that let me know that they are still with me, even though I can't touch them. As far as you feeling as though you are throwing away a part of her life when you cleaned things out; think about your house. I have so much JUNK!! around here that I would love to get cleaned out - very little of it has meaning for me; like things I planned to do with a house that I haven't lived in since 1986 and has since been torn down, books and magazines that I know that no one in my family will enjoy like I did, old seed catalogs with varieties marked - all those things meant something at one time, but don't anymore and I wouldn't expect my family to hold on to them out of sentimentality - heck, I don't feel sentimental toward it, why should they?! Perhaps your Grandmother feels the same? Besides, she still has the memory of those things to keep her company, if not the actual articles - which she couldn't take with her to her new home anyway. Take comfort in the fact that you are saving a part of her for the future; and enjoy her things that you have taken home with her. Comforting thoughts going out to you both...

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2002

Sheepish, Doreen posted here a couple of times before we passworded, but she was not given the password. So my point is, HOW does she know who is STILL a member here? Or is she just assuming? I know a couple of people who post here also post there, but they've done that all along. I still don't get it!

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2002

joy, I don't think she KNOWS; I do believe she assumes. It would be an easy assumption that the people who were orginal here would still be posting here (IMHO) Perhaps I am wrong. I really didn't ask, guess I could have, just didn't come up for me. I have had a long standing off forum relationship with Doreen, terribly strained at times since we have VERY differing opinions on some things. In that time we have never discussed who was here; or who was not here for that matter. I can only recall one time when she actually asked me anything about here, and that was right after we were passworded. It had nothing to do with who, only why.

One thing I do know is that she pretty much stays with her own forum for the most part, although I have seen her on the goat forum and on the CS families forum. I guess if I had to do it over, I wouldn't have posted her request. Probably just stirred the pot more and it was never my intent. When I got her letter I e-mailed back that if I were her and it were MY forum I would just delete rude or disrespectful posts. I waited a full day before posting her request here because I was not sure what to do, and I was busy and tired and didn't feel like cruising forums to see what she was talking about. She could have deleted a bunch of posts for all I know, cause when I checked out the forums this morning, I didn't notice any rude or disrespectful posts in the last few days anyway.

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2002

Well, February is taking its last shot at us tonight. Just got an update from county emergency management and it's predicted to drop to between 15-20 degrees tonight. Piddly by our northern posters standards but serious enough for North Florida. My blueberries, pears and apples are in blossom and they're all leafing out so I'll just have to wait until tomorrow to see what the damage was. Have to go around and disconnect the hoses and drip the faucets. The last time it went to twenty a month or so ago old Florida Phlicker and fLash let their three phase get out of whack and we lost power for four hours between 11 p.m. and 3 p.m. which resulted in three of my faucets freezing and bursting and losing a day off of work fixing them. I'd meant to go buy heavy pipe insulation after that but with the chicks coming in and the planting and all of course I didn't get around to it. So I'll drip the pipes again tonight and if FP&L blows it again tonight I'm going to be down at their office raising Hell tomorrow!

Speaking of the chicks, I had the wire off the top of the brooder box last night putting a hotter bulb in the hover. While I was doing this a *huge* moth the size of my extra large hand flew into the work shop. The chicks were all in one end of the box eating from the feeders that I'd just filled and the moth managed to fall into the box landing smack on top of one of the chicks. Well, that caused pandemonium and they went every where in their panic. In the ensuing melee the moth got a bit trampled and was fluttering around the bottom of the box. About its third flutter they suddenly realized that thing was FOOD!!! After that it looked like a shark feeding frenzy as forty three chicks all tried to snatch pieces of the moth all at once. When it first flew in I thought the thing was a small bat so it managed to last a while before they ate every scrap of it.

Made me glad that chicks don't come the size of ostriches!

.......Alan.

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2002

gosh Alan, sounds like it is as cold in Florida as it is here?? That is really cold for Florida!!! We have a deep blanket of snow here, and we keep getting squalls that are almost white-outs. Funny cause in just a few minutes the sun will shine for a couple of minutes and then the next thing you know it is snowing again.

When my children were little they discovered that if they put their hand in between the light and the chicks that they could "herd" them. I was raising them inside under a light in a cardboard box for a few days. Caught them at it and was dumbfounded that little kids could figure things out that quick. Wish they could have figured out how to "weed" that rapidly. ;>)

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2002

Awww - now I want some more chickies!! Hubs won't let me near Rural King since they've got their chicks in (sniff, sniff). We kept the last batch in the house in the utility room for a few weeks until it warmed up enough to put them out in the shed. Hubs used to go catch a bug just to throw in to watch "Chick Mania". Y'ever notice that they just can't catch the bug and eat it real quick? No, they gotta run around with it with all the rest of the chicks chasing after them and trying to take it away from them! Goof balls!

Up to 7 tomato sprouts! Yay!! And 8 inches of snow. Bummer. I think I need another piece of chocolate cake...

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2002

Kirk, you know, of course, that they couldn't have bought your place without your signature and since they weren't buying the property that they thought they were, then all bets would have been off. The Realtor would have probably been sued though. However, they could have thought they were buying your place if they didn't have it surveyed and could have moved onto the property and stated making "improvements". That would have been a fun situation. You should have asked them if you could attend the closing with them! I would have loved to see the look on the Realtors face. Wonder if they got another Realtor? I would imagine that the buyers were disappointed. Glad you got there before they were really disappointed!

Wildman, (been there)

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2002

Hey Diane, don't worry about the post "stirring the pot" -- just stirred my poor confused brain a bit more. ;-) Maybe she did delete some posts -- I couldn't find anything rude (though I didn't read everything).

I'm sorry about your Grandma, Denise. My aunt is in much the same boat (although she's younger), and my poor mother is the one that she relies upon. Aunt won't go to anyone else when she has a problem, and she won't go into assisted living either. It's always a sad and frustrating turn of events when the mind goes.

Spring and winter still taking turns here. Back and forth, one to the other. Tired of it. And I fear a major bug summer, since we probably haven't had the usual winter kill this year. Yech! Sure is nice to see the days getting longer and longer though! Do you realize it's only about five weeks until we go back on daylight saving time? Well, five-and-a-half weeks, really. They start that too early, I think!

-- Anonymous, February 27, 2002

Joy and Diane, how weird a thing for Doreen to do? I visit there once in a great while to see how some of us BTS memebers are fairing in their various arguments going on round the clock at her forum. Never a dull moment there! Way more infighting amongst their own participants than from any of us who happen to wander in, IMHO.

I can honestly say that I have never said anything on her forum that I would not have said here or at Countryside forum.

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2002

Anne did you figure out what peas to grow yet?

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2002

Yeah, Alison--I think I'll grow the Knight. I am hoping to order the seeds today. May actually go get a grow light and start some herbs indoors. Usually I just sow right outside, but I have Spring fever pretty badly. Thanks for all the input.

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2002

Please forgive me ahead of time for this, but I can't seem to help myself; it's good to start the day with a giggle:

(They couldn't tell the difference?)

Car Wash "Penis" was an "Udder" Thing Instead Thu Feb 28, 7:28 AM ET

HASTINGS, Neb. (Reuters) - A lingering mystery involving what appeared to be a severed human penis found in a Nebraska car wash has been solved, police said on Wednesday, with tests showing the organ was a cow's teat.

"I've learned more about cow parts and human parts in the past two weeks than I cared to," said Police Chief Larry Thoren.

Police launched a possible homicide investigation after the part was found near a vacuum cleaner at a car wash in Hastings on Feb. 12. Local medical officials said they thought it resembled a human penis and it was sent off to a state crime laboratory for further tests.

Thoren said test results showed it to be a cow's teat, nothing udder.

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2002

Had to have been a city boy that found that teat. ; ) You can bet he wishes he could get his name *off* that report now!

Well, it only went to twenty four last night. Still a hard freeze but not as bad as dropping into the teens. Our computer is in our bedroom and because rural power quality is often lousy we have it plugged into a UPS. About four o'clock or so in the morning it let out a loud beep and I sat bolt upright in bed swearing at FPL until I realized that the power was still on. Thought I was going to have to go out and set up the came stove under the table the brooder box sits on to keep the chicks warm. Just the usual power hiccup that we get several times a day. The temperature outside the brooder box was a chilly thirty four but they were quite happy, active and warm when I went out to feed them this morning. That Ohio brooder hover is a really good design.

I was out until nine last night with a roll of plastic trash bags bagging the new planted fruit trees. At least they'll keep the frost off the leaves. I used plastic shopping bags to cover the blueberries. Just going to leave them on for the day since there's another freeze predicted for tonight but not as bad as last night. I'll know if we took any damage in a day or so.

Who says gardening isn't exciting?

.......Alan.

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2002

Wow, Alan, your electric is interrupted that often?

Glad your little chicks are ok. Hope it warms up for you.

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2002

Great place for "that" to be found, EM....in a car wash with other hoses :-)!! Sorry...couldn't resist!

We're having the same strange weather here in Maine as everyone else. Last weekend and for the first part of this week it was pushing 55 and 60 degrees. Today it's 32 and windy! Just got a dusting of snow last night though. I know spring isn't far off...saw some robins yesterday!! I consider days like this to be ole' man winter's last hurrah!

Denise...it's really tough dealing with a family member growing old. I've lost all except my mother on my side of the family. It's been awhile, but I can remember my siblings and I dealing with dementia and broken hips, etc. Listen to Polly...she gives such wonderful advice!! Very comforting! When my grandmother passed away, it was REALLY hard to clean out her personal stuff. I had spent many happy summers at her home on Cape Cod as a child. But the only momentos I wanted were things I remembered her using often...such as her cookbooks, her wooden potato masher, her Thanksgiving/Christmas linen tablecloth and the watering can she used for her African violet collection. Now that my grandparents have been gone for 20 yrs. like Alan...I seem to have that same little voice in the back of my head whispering "too late"! I wish I'd spent more time talking with them about their lives and the way life was in the early 1900's. Enjoy the time you spend with your grandmother!!

I'll be making my first batch (for this year) of cottage cheese today. My three does are producing over 30 lbs. of milk daily now...way more than the babies can drink. So til we get our pigs for this year, I'll be "cheesing" it! Seriously thinking about pressure-canning whole milk. Anyone ever done this?? My ganddaughter and I made a batch of butter yesterday. She was fascinated with how the blender magically "changed" the cream! I let her add the salt...then we both enjoyed some fresh butter on homemade bread with cinnamon!!

Gotta go...hubby is "hovering"...waiting to get to his chess games. BTW...Jay...whose idea was it to get TWO more games going?? Hubby says he doesn't know how it happened!!?? Methinks he's trying to pull the wool over my eyes :-)!! Have a good week everyone (whats left of it!).

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2002

Well...since we're discussing male err...umm...appendages! Yeah - appendages, that's what they are! - anyway (and you guys started this BTW) - ANYWAY!!! Run over to Singletree and read John's story about JB Weld! No wonder we don't have any of it on the place! LOL LOL

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2002

Anne,

it's not that we *lose* power all that often it's just that we're at the end of a long rural powerline so the *quality* of what we get is often rather poor. We get dips, sags, and occasional spikes. Computers are fussy about how they want their power and rather than using the PC power supply to condition the electric we use the UPS, *after* it goes through a seperate surge suppressor first. The UPS beeps three to five times a day announcing some momentary hiccup in the quality of the electric coming in.

We just bought the DunHagan property last fall and the only total power failure we've had so far was on a calm, clear, completely windfree night which also turned out to be the coldest night of the year dropping down to twenty. On the way into town to get more PVC fittings I ran across (not over) the power crew who explained that their three phase got out of whack and caused power to fail for some miles around.

......Alan.

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2002

Polly...I would say that the "punishment" fit the crime!! What do you think :-)!!??

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2002

Joy, I've noticed that at least one thread has been deleted over at FSR lately. It was a thread where Joel called "john" the south end of a north-bound mule. There's more than one John posting over there so I'm not sure who he was talking about.

-- Anonymous, February 28, 2002

I appreciate all the kind words and support about my Grandma. And Polly, you described what she is doing very well. I think your advice is right on the money. It also helps to hear that when the professionals say she needs 24/7 supervision that it is probably the truth. I have been second guessing that over and over. I think I'll put it to rest now. We went to probate court yesterday and my Mom's guardianship was approved. I think we are both feeling a bit more relaxed now.

And Alan, you described it so well when you said it's like being propelled forward with no way to go back.

I have always been one to pick her brain about the old days. Her long term memory is still very intact at this point. She can tell me down to last detail how to butcher a hog, smoke meat, make sausage, dress a chicken, and plant by the moon among other things. I'm going to make a trip in May ( about 1 1/2 hrs. away) with my Mom to meet elderly relatives to see the old home places and all the points of interest in the area. I understand that my Grandma's is a beautiful dairy farm now.

I'm with the rest of you as far as being ready for Spring. We had 30 tandem loads of dirt brought in just before winter hit to correct our drainage. The weather got nasty and it froze before we could get it all spread out and graded. I'm ready to get it done. Our plans are to only replant a small fenced area of yard with grass for the dogs and the kids. On the rest we are going to plant more trees and wildflowers. We want to restore our land to it's natural state and create a habitat for the critters. My understanding is that it could be a little ugly for a few years but well worth it once our goal is accomplished.

-- Anonymous, March 01, 2002

Ewww -- cold weather (and it feels damp too) and snow coming. Six to ten inches before if finishes, they say. Yuck! And mother is supposed to be starting her drive to Florida tomorrow. She does have a younger friend going with her and a four-wheel drive vehicle, so maybe she'll go anyway. I went and did every errand I could think of today. I suppose it'll be cleared out pretty well by Sunday sometime, but I'd rather do the running around while the roads are much clearer.

Just saw a blurb on the news that most of the computers collected for recycling in this country are shipped to China for "recycling". Apparently they're piling up and polluting the area. Heavy metals leaching into the ground water? Too bad there aren't more people as talented as Jay -- they could recycle them here and sell them. I wonder if charitable organizations would be interested in paying people to make "new" computers out of salvaged parts, then donate the computers to someone who can't afford a computer -- school kids, low income, third world . . . Is that a weird idea?

-- Anonymous, March 01, 2002

Woo Hoo !(actually I hate that expression).......We made it to year 27!!!! Happy Anniversary to us and stuff.---------more later ----- :)

-- Anonymous, March 02, 2002

Wooohoo! Congrats on the anniversary EM.

-- Anonymous, March 02, 2002

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, EM!!!!!! I hope you have wonderful day!

-- Anonymous, March 02, 2002

JUST SAY NO!! NO, NO, NO!!

Y'see, according to the moon sign book, today is a good day to seed below ground veggies; like carrots, beets, radishes and the like, and I can see some bare ground in the garden 'cause it warmed up to 41* here last night and has been raining some, so the snow is mostly melted, and I've got a bag of potting soil in the car so even though the compost pile is WAY too wet to use, I could go put down a few - just a few - little old seed squares and get 'em covered up, even though the forcast is calling for 3 to 5 inches of snow and the temperature is already down to 34*, but maybe since the moon sign is right they might forgive me and go ahead and grow anyway and, and....

Man, you know, if I'm going to be dreaming like that; I ought to just give up and go on to bed!!

No, Polly; no, no, no - you are not going to go wade in the snow and the mud and plant garden. You are going to stay happily in the nice, warm, DRY house and make nice little newspaper pots to plant your tomato seedlings in. You can make some of that nice summer salad of cucumbers and mini 'maters like you had over at Sharon's; and you can have it with a nice sandwich and some nice potato chips and a nice glass of lemonade and pretend that it's summer outside and that Mother Nature is not a miserable, conniving, teasing, heart rending old rip for teasing you with that gorgeous weather a couple of weeks ago mutter grumble grouse... (I think I've lived around Pop too long - I'm starting to sound an awful lot like him lately!! OH NO! Instead of becoming my mother; I think I've become my POP! AAAACKKK!!) Ya think they'd loan me a straightjacket from work?! VBG!

-- Anonymous, March 02, 2002

PS - Happy Anniversary EM!

-- Anonymous, March 02, 2002

Happy Anniversary, EM! I'm impressed -- 27 years of a relationship is always impressive!

And happy March everyone! You know -- in like a lion but out like a lamb -- let's hope. Apparently the stupid groundhog was right -- again. But now it's less than 3 weeks to the first day of spring.

Did I tell you all that I am going to Hawaii (for about 2 weeks) at the beginning of April? I'll be a little late for the actual day, but I'm going to celebrate my cousin's 50th birthday and torture her a bit about how much OLDER she is than I am (5 WHOLE MONTHS!). I wanted to surprise her and show up for the actual day, but the petsitter couldn't come then. Oh well. I've never been there in April, so it will be interesting to see what is blooming then that I haven't seen due to going in January.

Happily, I will be going before we change over to daylight saving time, so I will only have to deal with the time change in conjunction with my return trip. Hawaii doesn't go onto DST -- there is no point over there. In the winter, the days are 11 hours long and in the summer, 13 hours. No big difference such as we experience on the mainland. I do love our long summer evenings though -- is that a fair trade off for the long winter nights? Not sure . . .

I want to sew some more shorts and cropped pants before I go, so I gotta get busy on that soon. I used to go to the tanning salon to get a headstart, but I have decided those are BAD for you. Now I just slather on the sunblocker. I always get a bit of color through it anyway. Gotta remember to find a packable hat before I go too. Okay, I'll quit making out my list in this thread!

-- Anonymous, March 02, 2002