Snow Awesome

We've had snow two days in a row now!  I get to stay home with the boys today (Veteran's Day holiday), and Thurgood and Miles are taking full advantage of my time off.
 

We went on our morning walk at 6:30, then the boys had breakfast.  Immediately after Ben left for work, the boys demanded some playtime.  After about an hour of playing with the squeaky Kong football-tennis ball hybrid toy, I realized that they weren't going to give me any peace until we had a proper romp outside in the snow.  So, I put my snow boots on, and off we went.  Miles mostly wanted to play with his toy and chase me with it.  Thurgood opted for a walk through the woods for his second outing of the day.


This is the best toy ever.  It has an incredibly loud and long-lasting squeak, and it bounces like crazy.  It's also St. Bernard-tough.

Last "winter" in Virginia, we didn't even get enough snow to put in a globe.  Miles found a patch of ice one day on a shadowy patch of grass, and he rolled around on that little icy island like he was experiencing true ecstasy for the first time in his life.  I felt like a bad mom.  Raising Thurgood and Miles in the South was like keeping an alligator in Alaska -- generally a bad idea.

An abundance of trails to explore.

I think that all of us are excited about winter this year.  I look forward to making snow angels with Thurgood, ambushing Ben with snowballs, and watching Miles feast on fresh snow.  When my fingers freeze, I'll add some wood to the furnace and hang out with Miles while I work on a quilt.

The blueberry field this morning.

Yes, I know that the coming season will be intensely cold and challenging.  I know that I'll have to experience a full winter in Vermont before I can truly understand what the hell I've gotten myself into. But I'm not gonna be a Negative Nancy.  I'm gonna slap on some snowshoes and have me some fun. 

Freedom and Unity

We made it!  I've been trying to write this post for a few weeks now, but whenever I sit down to do anything, the boys make me get up to play with them or go for a walk.  Yes, I'm blaming my procrastination on the dogs.  

The boys love the weather, the landscape, and the house.  They have a lot more energy, and Miles' skin problems and ear infection have completely cleared up.  Must be the air.  

Miles has his own little apartment here, so he no longer has the opportunity to antagonize his brother.  But don't worry, Miles won't be lonely in there.  He said he'd lease one of the rooms to me for a sewing studio.  Thurgood is enjoying the rest of the house, and he spends his down time stretched out on the bed, occasionally lifting an eyelid to look out the window.

Thurgood Morsel

Ben and I start our new jobs on Monday.  Though we'll be working outside of the home full-time, we'll still be able to let our freak flag fly on weekends and holidays.  Luckily, both of us are thrilled about our new careers.

Now let's get to the fun part.  Our new home place has about two dozen giant old apple trees scattered about.  We arrived just in time to harvest some of the later varieties.  Two of our loveliest new neighbors helped me pick (Thank you so much!).  We ended up with four bushels total.  If we had picked all the apples, we would have enough to feed two Asian elephants for an entire year.  

Most of the apples are tart, and some are sweet - a great combination for hard cider!    There are a lot of great resources out there for the home cider maker, so I won't give you a how-to (as I rarely do anyway).  I looked to the Alaskan Bootlegger's Bible, The Homebrew Helper, and Home Brew Hard Cider from Scratch on Instructables.com.  We don't have a cider press yet, so we used our juicer.

This is our first go at hard cider, so everything is an experiment at this point.  The process is not much different than brewing beer or making fruit wine, and all of the equipment overlaps.  

Oh yeah, I never gave a final review of our fruit wines.  Both the dry and sweet strawberry wines were decent and drinkable, but not really good enough to share with the world.  The blackberry wine was a little too good to share, and our blueberry peach wine is still aging in bottles.  

If you ever get a wild hair up your ass, I strongly recommend fermenting your own beverages.  It's not rocket science, but it can make you feel like a genius.  If you can read, you can brew!

Just so you know, we haven't just been sitting around on top of our thumbs watching airlocks bubble.  We managed to plant everything we brought with us!  That's seven varieties of garlic, 105 blueberry bushes (some are in nursery rows), six pawpaw trees, and five Asian pears.  Thanks to Ben's hard work and planning, we've begun a new micro-mini farm here in Vermont.

Baby blueberry bushes

We have a lot of work to do on the house.  Luckily, the majority of it is cosmetic.  Carpet is not a good idea when you have two St. Bernards, and the kitchen counters and some of the walls are pink!  The list goes on.  I'm looking forward to chipping away at these projects.  For now, our living room is our bedroom until we paint and change the flooring upstairs.

I'm looking forward to lots of new adventures, and meeting new people.  So far, I love everything here.

We miss our friends and family, but we don't miss the stinkbugs - they came with us!

Scatterbrained

I was all over the place today, both mentally and physically.  I was a busy-body and completely unable to focus.  I wish Ritalin were available over the counter.  Here are some snapshots of my scattered day.

Mama Mourning Dove is sitting on two eggs.  She is fierce.

All three elderberry bushes are fruiting!  We planted "Variegated," "Thundercloud," and "Emerald Lace" two years ago.  Here's a photo of the "Emerald Lace."

"Thundercloud"  has pretty pink flowers.  The birds eat the berries as soon as they appear.  I will never see their glory.

I picked strawberries today!

The "Gaviota" are the first to ripen.

This puts a smile on my face.

The butterhead lettuce is enjoying the weather.

The red butterhead lettuce is ready for market.  We'll offer both red and green this week.

I'm off to feed and walk the boys now.  If they weren't around to keep me on schedule, I don't know if anything would ever get done. 

 Dog is totally my co-pilot.

Miles Monday: Not Impressed

It's not every day that I get a new toy.  So, I was especially excited when my seed-starting mat arrived in the mail.  Miles Giles, however, gets new toys quite often, and he was so unimpressed by my latest acquisition.  Apparently, gentle bottom heat for improved germination and root development just isn't that important to him.  Who'da thunk it?

Our very last seed order for the season arrived today, and I've got my game face on.  For now, we've just got leeks planted, and they're under the lights in the living room.  In about a week, I'll need a lot more space, so it's off to the greenhouse we'll go!

Prizetaker leeks

Miles Monday: Meet Our Littlest Monster

I first noticed Miles' hidden talent when the two of us were browsing the shelves at a dog-friendly independent video rental shop.  A woman walked up to me and asked with sincere concern, "What's wrong with him?"  I looked down, and Miles was resting comfortably on the cool floor in the position pictured above.  

Extreme flexibility is just one of the many unique traits Miles possesses.  Listed below are a few more things about our beautiful beast that you might not know. 

Name:  Miles Styles Giles

Aliases:  "Moe-My Gaddafi: The Fresh-Maker, The Dictator, The Brother-Hater,"  "Old Shuffle-Step," "Inspector Miles"

Sex:  Neutered Male

Weight: 125 lbs.

Height:  Just Tall Enough to Eat Off the Kitchen Table

Birthdate:  January 19, 2009

Hometown:  Columbia, MO

Hometeam:  Central Missouri Humane Society

Titles:  2009 Mid-Missouri Pet Idol, Fat Bear Farm Quality Control Supervisor

Dislikes:  Puppy Mills, Thurgood Morsel, Strangers, Baths

Food:  Sweet Potatoes, Yogurt, Eggs, Juice from the Tuna Can, Pizza Bones, Homemade Treats

Films:  Beethoven, Beethoven's Second

Interests:  Whatever Mommy's Up To

Hobbies:  Running My Crazies in the Backyard, Hiking, Chewing Bones, Contortion, Fetch, Dress-up

Personality Traits:   Protective, Fiercely Loyal 

As you can see, Miles is talented, handsome, intelligent, and dedicated to his pack.  I couldn't ask for a better pet.  So, if you're thinking about adding a little critter to your family, consider a rescue pup.  If Miles Giles hasn't done enough to convince you of the treasures that await you in your local animal shelter, take a look at the information below:

About 5 million to 7 million dogs and cats end up in animal shelters every year in this country.

Approximately 3 million to 4 million of these animals are euthanized every year.

If you're interested in a specific breed, a shelter just might have what you're looking for.  Twenty-five percent of dogs in shelters are purebred.

You can be a hero if you opt to adopt!

I Know It's Not Miles Monday, But...

...He's just so damn handsome.

Autumn Rituals Revisited

First of all, you need some good company when raking leaves.  Enter, Miles Giles.  Not only did he keep me company on this gorgeous fall day, but he also managed to stay out of the way.  It's a lot to ask of a 2-year-old pup to stay out of piles and piles of freshly-raked leaves.  I think he was too interested in all the autumn preparations being made by nearby creatures readying themselves for a long winter.  The deer, rabbits, squirrels, and birds have been working tirelessly collecting nuts, berries, and whatever-the-hell-else they need to survive until spring.

 "I smell a rabbit!"

 "Do you smell that rabbit?"

"Hold on, I think I smell another rabbit!"

The big poplar pictured below gives us a ton of leaves, and we have a million other trees in the yard, but I'll need more than they can provide.  I know I'll need several loads of leaves to cover beds in the kitchen garden, and I also want to put leaves in the chicken yard throughout the season.  Dry leaves give the birds something to scratch around in, and they love hunting around for all the bugs in there.

Can you find Miles?

My best next-door neighbor was kind enough to grant me permission to rake up all of his leaves this autumn, free of charge!  This might not sound like a big deal, but believe me, it is.  My neighbor takes immaculate care of his yard and garden.  He meticulously rakes his leaves as soon as they hit the ground, and he has a lot of trees.  This neighbor adds his leaves to his compost pile, mulches his beds with them, and so on.  He uses each and every leaf.

Unfortunately, Mr. Best Neighbor in the World will be wintering in Florida.  Fortunately, however, I landed this year's rights to his fallen leaves!

One batch ready for the chicken yard.

All of today's leaves got moved into the chicken yard.  The easiest way to get them there is to rake them onto a big tarp and drag them.  I don't bother spreading them around, I suffer from allergies enough as it is.  I just dump them in big piles, and the girls get busy and move them where they want them.  

I take care of the collection and transportation of the leaves.  The chickens do all of the distribution.  By tomorrow their entire yard will be evenly covered in leaves, and I mean perfectly evenly covered.

Here, I have an empty garden bed.  It's the only empty bed in my entire kitchen garden right now.  Woo-hoo, fall garden!  Anyway, I am going to put this bed to bed.

Stripped-down bed, all hoed-up.

I have asked a lot from this bed.  It has grown garlic, beets, peppers and corn, and it has done this non-stop for a full year.  So, it needs some TLC.  I started out by giving it a good hoe.  Next, I dumped a few gallons of vermicompost on top.

Ben intentionally left some worms in this batch of vermicompost.  They'll do us some good in the garden.

These guys get to try their luck living on the outside.  Will they succumb to drought?  Will they become a bird's prey?  Or, will they get hacked by a shovel?...

I just dumped them out in one big pile.  I don't spread them out.  The worms work themselves into the ground at their own speed, and they spread themselves out down there.  They actually are a lot better off if you just leave it up to them.

A big pile of worm poop.

Immediately after I put down the vermicompost, I threw on a layer of old chicken bedding.  Conveniently, I just cleaned out their coop this morning, so I had a good load of chicken poop and straw.  No, this hasn't been composted, but that's not a problem.  The chickens spend so much time running and playing outside that they don't poop a ton in their house.  So, there isn't an awful lot of poo in the straw.  Also, this bed will sit here for at least five months.  During this time, I'll add some leaves, grass clippings, compost, and whatever other good organic matter I have around.  Lots of sexy composting action will happen right on top of this bed.

I like seeing random feathers in the mulch.  It reminds me that chickens are great garden helpers.

There are many more autumn rituals to be performed.  I'll soon be weed-eating and mulching around the blueberry bushes, planting fruit trees, fertilizing and mulching asparagus, and a multitude of other things. I feel like a busy little squirrel, myself.

Thurgood Thursday: A Rant

Yes, my dogs sleep in the bed with me - if I'm lucky. They usually prefer the cooler hardwood floor.  I feed them dinner before I even think about cooking my own.   Their bowls get topped off with a joint support and digestive supplement in the form of a rich meaty gravy.

The boys visit the vet for regular check-ups and emergencies.  No, I myself do not have health insurance, and it's been several years since I've been to the doctor.  

After Thurgood had surgery to correct some eye problems, I sat on the couch with his head in my lap and read Marley & Me aloud to him.  When he cried out in pain that night, I slept on the cool kitchen floor with him and held him in my arms until morning.

We go on two walks every day, rain or shine.  When the weather permits, we go on a weekly long hike in the woods.

For Thurgood's third birthday, the boys had cheeseburgers and sweet potato fries.  Yes, those burgers were for the boys.  

When their tummies are upset, I feed them warm pumpkin to coat their stomachs.  And, although I'm vegetarian, I cook them chicken and rice.

My dogs get a warm bath every few weeks in our tub with Certified Fair Trade pure castile soap made with organic hemp and eucalyptus oils and lavender mint conditioner. We brush their teeth with chicken-flavored toothpaste every day (mostly every day).

Miles spent the first three months of his life in a puppy in Jefferson City, Missouri.  He came to me through an animal shelter, full of parasites from drinking dirty water.  There were so many animals at the mill that there was no way he could have received any significant human contact while there.   It's because of people who see animals as commodities, that Miles now has a difficult time trusting people.  If you get a dog, don't buy one from a pet store or "breeder."  Adopt, adopt, adopt!  They need our help.

The head of the house is the one with the tail.

I'm 28 years old, and my dogs are my children. 

I'll be the first to admit that I tend to go overboard when it comes to caring for my kids.  However, I will not apologize for it.  Dogs are emotional creatures.  They need to feel safe and loved.  They look to us for confidence and reassurance.  A dog's person is his everything.  My efforts are rewarded tenfold with the unconditional love that only a dog can give.   

My heart aches for the all the dogs that live their lives on the end of a chain.  All they want is to be a part of the family.  They want to be with their pack. They are sensitive, loving animals that thrive on human attention.  Dogs and humans CO-EVOLVED for crying out loud!

We live in a rural area where a lot of people keep their dogs in tiny pens or on the end of a chain all hours of the day.  Animal welfare and control services are scarce, and attitudes about animal care are all out of whack.

I understand that livestock guardian dogs live with the flock, and are not house pets.  I have no objection to that.  I do, however, object to leaving a dog outside all day on the end of a chain, bored out of his mind, wishing to come inside and be with his people.  When you call a dog your own, you are committing to provide for all of his emotional and physical needs for the duration of his life.

 No, dogs don't need fancy toys or fancy food (but they do appreciate them).  And you don't have to let your dog into your bed or even onto your couch to be  a good parent.  But, all dogs deserve adequate food, shelter, medical care, and most importantly, love.

There.  I feel better now.

Furkids rock!

Miles Monday: "Chicken" in a Tree

Miles LOVES his chicken.  It's his favorite toy, and I got it for $2 at Walgreens over a year ago.  I can't believe it has lasted this long. 

We tried calling the toy chicken different names, but it just wasn't catching on.  Miles gets so excited when he hears, "Go geet yer cheekeen!"  

So, the rubbery chicken is still "chicken," and the feathered chickens are now called "doodles."

During a high-energy game of fetch, the chicken ended up in the big cedar.  I was able to intervene and shake him out of the branches while standing on the deck.  Who knew he was such a high flier?

I Need a New Word

I need a new word for "chicken."  Miles' favorite toy is his chicken.  We play fetch every day with his chicken.  Every day I tell him, "Go get your chicken."  Then, I throw it, and he brings it back so we can play tug with it for awhile before I throw it again.

Chicken
 

Chickens
 

Now there is a whole house full of "chickens."  Soon, when their fence is built, there will be a whole yard full of "chickens."  See the problem?

Miles Giles