Independence Day

A friend invited me to a 4th of July barbecue this afternoon, so of course I wanted to wear something special.

Happy Independence Day to all who are celebrating...

safely, I hope!

~~~~~

shifting goats

One effect of all the rainy days this season, is this:

when I wake up in the morning and it is not raining - at least, not yet raining - there is no time for slouching around.  I must get up and get out.

If the goats are going to have an opportunity to dig into fresh browse before the next rain sends them back to the shelters and hay, my priority task is shifting goats.  Some or all will be moved into smaller fenced areas that have been allowed to grow up into goat-appropriate vegetation.  There they will spend a few hours chowing down, before I shift them back to their usual digs.  If I hear thunder, the shifting back to shelters goes a lot quicker!

Betula and Acer work the fenceline bittersweet.  You go, boys! 

Moving my goats between pens is tricky.  They must have collars put on, and be walked, one at a time, on leads.  At each gate, all the other goats must be prevented from squeezing through.  The goats don't always make me work up a sweat getting them from Point A to Point B...

but most days they do.

Goats are strong, and goats are determined, and goats often do not want to be separated from their companions, even by a single fence, even for a moment.  So although we go through this goat-shifting routine all the time, there is often heel-dragging.

To add drama, the oldest doe bellows non-stop whenever any goat is moved.  And she carries on bellowing for several minutes after everyone else has forgotten what they were agitated about.

It is remarkable how much noise one goat can make.

Betula: "Why is my mother roaring like that?  I'd like to roar back in solidarity but it's hard to roar when your mouth is full!"

Lily: "Let's try a new system today.  I have packed my baby in a tub for easy transport.  I call this invention 'Kid In A Tub.'  I suggest you carry it on your head."

Thanks Lily.  I'll think about it.

Tsuga: "Or you could just deliver my food here.  I'll wait."

~~~~~

the clean headlight club

Sandra at Thistle Cove Farm just posted a tip about cleaning headlights with baking soda.

I tried it, and am here to share my experience.

Come along with me, won't you?

Come back in time to the happy day, several years ago, when I found my second-hand 2000 Hyundai wagon sitting outside a laundromat with a "For Sale" sign taped to the windshield.

My Little Green SportsWagon.

It came with headlights that looked like this*:

An hour ago, they still did.

Fifty-five minutes ago, my right headlight looked like this:

And here, to delight and inspire you if you happen to have clouded headlights, is a process shot of the left headlight, after just a few seconds of gentle rubbing with a damp rag and bicarb/water paste:

Clearifying both headlights took less than ten minutes.  Total.  That included finding a rag, loading my recharged camera battery, and coming back into the house for a jug of water to rinse each headlight.

How I love an easy fix!  Thanks, Sandra  :)
~~~

*Note the accumulation of pollen in the corner of the headlight in the first picture.  Now I understand why my eyes feel the way they do!
~~~~~

sizzler

Can you see the haze in this picture?

That was yesterday at 8 AM.

It's been humid and in the high 80s and 90s for at least three days now (I am trying not to keep track) with intermittent and colossal thunderstorms to break up the monotony of sweating incessantly while sitting still.  Or trying to sleep.

I had a feeling that if Piper and I didn't get out immediately after morning chores, we would miss the chance to walk (me) and lope (Piper) without collapsing.

It was a good call.  And a nice time.

Piper, hunting and gathering

We visited the partially submerged tree where - if we approach very quietly - we sometimes find a row of sunning turtles.

No turtles this time, though:

But a different kind of treat!  

White pond lilies (Nymphaea odorata) were in gorgeous bloom!

In another area, a few yellow pond lilies (Nuphar lutea) were barely visible:

Piper had fun, but after just a short time she was happy to head home.

Within an hour she was flattened out on the bedroom floor, sound asleep.

She didn't even want to have her nap on the screenporch where I was cooling off with a snack before  tackling a small but necessary fence repair.

Can you see the haze in this picture?  Ahhhhh!

On the other side of the screen, a charming visitor was also taking some refreshment:

~~~

Hope it's pleasant weather in your neck of the woods.

And if it's a sizzler, I hope you have some fresh strawberries and a companionable hummingbird to sweeten your day!

~~~~~

farro

Farro.  So easy.  I measure a cup or two into a pot and wash it in cool water, rubbing the grains together, and replacing the water a couple of times.  Then add about twice the volume of water per volume of grain.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes or less, to retain a bit of chewiness.

Warm or cold, plain or sauced, added to vegetables, tuna, meat.

Yum.

This morning the chores were done and I was hard at work in the garden quite early, planting the marked-down organic vegetables I bought at the feed store yesterday.  They have been valiantly striving to grow in their little plastic pots, and I want to get them right into the ground as soon as possible.  Flourish, little plants!  I will try to help!

So by 9 AM, I had already been sweating and providing breakfast for countless mosquitoes for about three hours.  Time for my breakfast.  As I limped back to the house, I was thrilled to recall that I had cooked a pot of farro last night, and mixed one bowlful with a generous glug of sesame ginger salad dressing.

Yum!

So refreshing.  And so pleasant to relax on the screen porch for a while with Piper, enjoying the hummingbirds at the feeder, and planning the rest of the day.

Now it's 10:30, and on to the next task.  A little bit of fencework, and loading up for the Saturday dump run.  Whee!

Hope your Saturday is lovely  :)
~~~~~