Gang Aft Agley

We bolted upright this morning at 4:50, after hearing a loud thump followed by a series of smaller thumps. My first thought was Caden asleep in his bunk, but he was curled up in the lower bunk. While S started to look into the closets, I headed downstairs to check everything. Keigan was in his bed, Mariposa at his feet. Nothing in the house looked out of place, so I got clothing on to head outside.

As we looked around outside we saw a brick, sitting in the middle of the lawn. Picking it up I noticed if had a ring of moss on it. Looking up towards the roof, we saw the beasties. A family of racoons were climbing out of the chimney.

I tried to capture them on video but it was just too dark for the video camera.

We had a storm last night, came down as rain and sleet, but froze as it landed. It created quite a beautiful site

coating everything in crystal. During the night Sarieah woke me to look around, she had heard something that sounded as if a transformer blew, luckily for us that wasn’t the case. We still had power, though it has flickered on and off quite frequently, luckily the computers are on batteries for just that reason. I need to get a few more batteries for the periphreals though, the switch, and wireless bridge are not on backups, so we have had our connectivity disrupted several time today.

Our front walk is filled with branches from the huge cottonwood in our front, they have continued to fall throughout the day, lnding on the roof and sliding to the ground. Luckily they all seem to be breaking at the very top where they are still small, if the whole branch were to go we would have a new rain/ snow roof to deal with. Several branches have given us quite a scare with the power supply, knocking the wires loose, though still connected. They are down at a height that would be dangerous for people moving through that area. Though they are in an area of the yard that has no traffic through it.

The picture above is a closeup of the wild rose growing in the back, it has warmed up into the 50s and 60s recently, so you can see growth on the branches. I thought they looked quite beautiful, the reds and greens hidden under a layer of ice. Throughout the day, the ice has been slowly melting, so I believe we might escape with no more broken branches.

We went for a walk saturday afternoon, just before Caden and S went to go see the Volleyball game. Our walk started off looking at the Pecan trees, Of which we keep locating more and more. It looks like pecan season will stretch at least another week or so, though it takes a little more effort than a few weeks ago.

We crossed over the last fence on our way east, virgin ground as far as our explorations, with good reason, we came across shoulder height, upright woody shrubs, with white berries hanging out on the top. S and I talked about them, not knowing what they were, but memorized their appearance to look up later. We came across two pecan trees at the north eastern corer of our property, that looked good for the boys to climb. No sooner had they started than I noticed a hairy vine cling to the trunk of the tree that Keigan was in. Yelling at him to stop, because of poison ivy we directed him to the tree his brother was in while we examined the vine to verify that it was indeed poison ivy. tracing its growth we saw that it ended in small woody shrubs with white berries. Our mystery plant was identified. Nothing like swimming in the stuff. We quickly made our way out of that corner of the woods and warned the boys not to return. Quick walk down the tracks brought us home and Showers for everyone.

Monday morning update: itchy arms for me, with just the thought of wading in it enough to cause the rest of me to start itching.

Described the weekend pretty well. Put up weather stripping. Sealed up the basement window, it has a hole in it designed to hold a chimney for a wood stove, S was sure it was becoming a highway for rodents. I placed a sheet of plywood over the entire enclosure, it doesnt give enough light to have been worth fitting a piece of wood to only cover the hole. this way it will also be warmer, and it is near where I sit at the computer, so I cant have my fingers falling off as I type this winter.

While working in the yard on Saturday, we heard a flock of geese overhead, looking up NanaPapa and I did some quick counting, before giving up and estimating close to 800 geese flying overhead. Because of the clouds and rain you couldnt see far, so that they were able to be moving out of sight to the south as more were streaming in from the north.

Met our garage Packrat again, I tried to grab his home, with him in it and remove it to the outside, no luck, he jumped off and stayed hidden in the shelving. I went back to what I was doing and forgot about him, until he came running out of one set of shelves, aiming for another, with my feet in the middle, as he crossed my shoe, I jumped a bit. Bill Murray and the gophers is what I bring to mind when I start to think about him there for the winter.

Sunday morning cold and rainy again, I bundled up the kids and herded them outside to do some pecan picking. It didnt go over real well, nothing like pulling wet nuts from cold wet trees, with cold wet gloves on when you would rather be doing almost anything else. I told the boys twenty more and then Hot Chocolate, then I forgot to make it for them. Luckily they also forgot so I am not in trouble, till next time I mention the hot chocolate at which time they will remember I slighted them this time. I managed to have a good time picking pecans though, and ended up with a fair bit, all off of one tree. I see several more trees in that area laden with nuts, so it seems that we might have a bountiful year. Pecans(Carya illinoiensis) have a green outer hull that starts to spit open when it is ripe, this outer hull will eventually turn brown, though i notice that the birds have beat you to it at that point. under this outer hull is the smaller, hard shell you see when you buy unshelled pecans. I have noticed that the stain from removing the outer shells will stay on your hands for a bout a week, just long enough for the weekend to come around again and a new application of stain to be applied. Luckily it is on the thumb and index finger, as opposed to the index and middle fingers, or else It would look like a real bad nicotine stain, though not as yellow. it is a nice deep golden brown that my fingers are right now. NanaPapa thinks of the Confederate butternut when he sees it.

For all the torture I put the kids through we have a tupperware container, full of the nuts waiting upon a nut cracker. Our only one was purchased after taking keigan to see the performance at McCain theater years ago, not quite what we need for the job.

The whole family worked on dinner, Keigan made a loaf of bread, Caden helped with the pumpkin pie and rolling out the pasta, I supervised and handled the pasta, and S made appetizers and Pesto sauce for the pasta. Kiaya shirked her salad duties, but no one seemed to notice. We didnt eat the pie, it was saved for this mornings breakfast.

That south pasture is taking forever to mow. We need to have it done in time for the whole moon on friday because we are having people over to celebrate. It seems as if I have been mowing for the entire month. The grass is so long that I have to go in first gear, otherwise it fails to cut and stalls the mower. I am hoping that after this first time, removing the waist high grass, I can mow in at least 3rd gear. I had the two smaller kids with me today as we went around the meadow about three times this morning, probably about an hour in all. we all got scratched up by the sunflowers as we mowed them down. They are incredibly strong and whiplike, not to mention one of the heads hitting your face packs quite a wallop.

A quick lunch was followed by ten minutes spent in the hammock before we piled in the car to go check out the site of keigans birthday party. the hammock is not quite the relaxing experience it is built up to be. I had to deal with two small dynamos of energy that wanted in, couldnt lie still and wanted out to push me, as well as the dog who feels that she can nip at your underside as you rock back and forth over her head.

Keigans party is to be held about 30 miles north of us. Last week we met a man who has horses and loves to have kids ride them. He has several grandchildren but has lived alone for a long time. He reminds S and I of our friend Detour. They are both roughened, lonely old men who have lived a life filled with adversity. Karl has offered to let us have the kids ride several of his horses around his pasture for Keigans party, and Keigan is in heaven. Today we spent about 3 hours up there, Keigan in the saddle for most of it. Keigan rode a shetland pony named Lightning all by himself. S rode Sonny with Caden holding on for dear life behind her, and I rode Blaze with Kiaya in front of me. Karl had a lead rope on Lightning and walked around the pasture taking us all over. Kiaya managed to fall asleep as we rode and burrowed into Karl’s shoulder as I handed her down when we returned to the corral. Inside the corral we removed the lead from Lightning and let Keigan get used to controlling him on his own. Two of Karls granddaughters learned how to ride on Lightning, so he was used to small children. After Keigan got up some confidence he and I, now mounted on Sonny went out to the pasture by ourselves. Keigan and I, I must admit it, had a great time, although Keigans stirrups were a little long for him and I am not sure how much he will enjoy it tomorrow. We managed to get the horses up to a trot for a while, I bet our arms were flapping. Heading back to the corral both horses decided to go a bit faster, Keigan swears it was a gallop, because I explained that a gallop was smoother than a trot. S said she could see Keigans smile from the far side of the corral as he came charging up the hill.

After three hours the smallest two were ready to go and not hiding the fact, although Keigan was clamoring to be let out on his own now mounted on Sonny. Instead Keigan and I helped Karl remove the saddles from Sonny and Lightning, he was planning on riding Blaze some more.

Returning to our car we discovered we had left the rear windows open and had a large fly population to deal with as we drove down the road. Next time we leave the windows closed. Kiaya went back to sleep on the ride home. Once home I put her to bed, Keigan and S finished working on Keigans school work while Caden and I took advantage of the last remaining light to mow some more of that eternal pasture. I think I can finish it tomorrow, if I start early enough, although the metal tractor seat is not going to be very comfortable early in the morning. Though early may be relative, as Kiaya is presently still awake and sitting in my lap as I write this.

The kids are going to pillsbury crossing tomorrow, it is a nature preserve near our house. S get emails from the unitarian fellowship about youth activities and they are planning on being at pillsbury crossing tomorrow. I figure I can use that time to mow, and rearrange the meadow for our drum circle friday. There is a large metal ring that I plan on using as a fire ring, it was partially buried under the trees but nudging it with the front loader made it real easy to lift. I think I will place it in the front loader to carry it across the meadow, instead of rolling it. There are several large pine trees that have fallen in the last few years that I plan on cutting. The wood is no good for heating with, but makes a nice outdoor fire, and the large trunks can be turned into benches. I will have to use a chain and drag them as they are too large to load into teddy. Kiaya is asleep in my lap, it is almost a shame to waste talent like hers on homeschooling, she can sleep sitting up without tipping over. I have discovered through the years that this is a necessary skill to surviving public schools with your sanity intact. Although Dave, my professor in Calc 1, had an uncanny knack for spotting those of us who dozed off in lecture and choose that moment to call on you for an answer.