October's Bright Blue Weather

I never thought of October as having bright blue weather, but that's what a poem I memorized for school describes. And recently we've had bright blue weather, even here in Washington State. But the gorgeous rain has returned finally. :)

News from around here has been quite unbelievable, so I will not describe it and make you all doubt my honesty. To suffice, I will say that sickness has not been lacking in our home.


Lately during my nightly Bible reading, I've been thinking about people not getting along with other people. Specifically how we should respond to someone who doesn't like us. I've been reading I Samuel. If you don't remember, let me sum up. Saul was anointed king. He went and blew it by disobeying the Lord, so Samuel anointed David to be the next king. Well, ol' David was just plain awesome, so all the fangirls were singing about how awesome he was. King Saul heard that and got jealous, so he tried to kill David.

Now. David didn't turn around and fight back. Instead, he got up and went to hide in a forest. When King Saul found him there, David fled to caves and even another country! Whenever King Saul caught up with David, David would sneak up and... cut a scrap of cloth from King Saul's robe... take a vessel of water and a spear... and then announce what he'd done and how he could have killed King Saul, but he didn't.

"Twice I have held your life in my hands, and twice I have given it back to you."

That's a line from a movie, but that's what David did, essentially.

Who annoys you right now? Who really irritates you? How are you responding? David had someone trying to kill him, but he responded in a peaceful, Godly, appropriate, and even loving manner. I think that's a good role model to keep in mind.

Popping in for a moment...

Sorry about my long absence. I've been ill for a long time (ended up in the hospital for half a night) and am finally getting to where I'm up and about again. So there are lots of things to catch up on. Like, say, laundry. :-/

Some Pictures

I've been remiss in posting lately, so here are some pictures. I promised some pictures from the fair, and as soon as I find them (Mom downloaded them onto a computer or laptop somewhere around here...), I will post them. For now, you can see a little of the sights on the farm. :)

Babies!

Wolverine wanted attention

Wild huckleberries!

I love the swamp (above two pics) and the creek area (below).

In Loving Memory

Rebecca Victoria N.

December 8, 1954 - August 31, 2010

We loved you in life, miss you in death, and now look forward to seeing you again one day in a more beautiful place than this.

~Rebecca's niece, Cora

Looking Out My Window...

This is what I see:
Four little raindrops smiling at me.

There aren't just four raindrops out there - more like four thousand.

It looks to be an emotional day. My aunt has been in a deep coma since Sunday, and today she took a bad turn for the worse. I'll be spending the day with my grandma, because, with Grandpa staying with my uncle through this ordeal, we don't want her to be alone.

Please keep us in your prayers.

'Tis a Sad Day

Today I found out that a dear friend of mine passed away last night.

It's strange to think of our village without Connie. I have so many memories of the evenings when she'd pop over to visit. She always kept up to date with us kids and what we were doing in life... she loved seeing my knitting and other crafts. So encouraging and such a beautiful heart. And now she's gone.

The funeral is on Saturday, and I have to be at work.

*cry*

I know I will see her again in Paradise, but until then, I will miss her.

Re-Cap on the Trip

Yesterday... ah, yesterday...

The journey East began the night before, when the Cowboy got me and drove out to his parents' house (almost an hour east of here). We got there at 10:30. The next hour was spent rushing about getting canning jars prepared, things packed, and enjoying random jabber. We knocked off about midnight, the Cowboy went home, and we all went to bed. I ended up not getting to sleep until about 4 in the morning (sleep and I have an issue-filled relationship that I am trying to resolve, but to no avail). At 6:30 sharp, we were roused, fed, and preparations to leave were underway. 8:30 we pulled out of the driveway.

Commence future SIL's mobile internet connection and Pandora Radio with minor arguments between members of the outfit regarding gummy bears, speed limits, and whether we listen to classic rock or country music.

I have no idea what time it was when we reached the destination (a fruit field owned by a good friend of my great uncle). We picked a bazillion boxes of peaches. I think there were nine in all. Then four boxes of pears and five of tomatoes. I saw okra for the first time! And brought home some purple bell peppers! I had no idea those existed! Then we stopped for burgers and headed home.

Commence more music and minor arguments.

The Cowboy got me home at about 8-8:30pm and I went to milk my goats. And that was about it. Woot. I brought back to my mother three boxes of peaches, one box of pears, and one box of tomatoes. And two purple peppers (how could you pass THAT up?). Oh, and a cantaloupe.

And an acorn squash. Oooooooh, I can almost taste the buttery, brown-sugary goodness in that squash, cooked up in the oven until the butter melts and turns the sugar into a lava sauce that burns your mouth and is divine... *hearts* I love food.

Of Dreams and Schemes

First and foremost: All work for/on the local fair is over! Yay! We got done with all the clean-up and everything. You can tell I'm exhausted because I spelled "done" as "dun," then stared at it for a moment before realizing why it looked funny. *Siiiiiiigh*

Nextly: I went to a little, tiny SCA event (Society for Creative Anachronism [How did I spell that correctly and misspell "done" up there?]) and saw lots of cool stuff. They study Medieval society and attempt to recreate it. Made me want to sew up some new costumes.

As stated in the title, I had a funny/odd dream. I was finally given a chance to play my zither in concert (a very large concert), but I couldn't, because it wasn't tuned. Talk about depressing! I really need to find someone who can tune instruments. A zither generally looks like THIS, only mine isn't that pretty.

And the scheming mentioned in the title is in reference to the plans the Cowboy and his mom have of going to Eastern Washington tomorrow and picking peaches. I'll probably go with. Loooooooooooooong drive...

My 101st post!

Wow! 101 posts on this blog so far!

Well, last night it was finished. I fought against the sewing machine and won! Yaaaaaaay! Last night, I folded up the sleeves and hem of my original series Star Trek Science Officer's uniform and sewed them up. The machine is evil and hates me (seriously! It loves Mom and hates me.), so it refused to pick up the bobbin thread most of the time. I couldn't tell you how many times I had to stop and re-sew. I was continually doing the frog stitch (rip-it! rip-it! rip-it!). Roar. But 'tis done. And I made a little Star Fleet insignia out of felt, shiny gold fabric, and a Sharpie. Very professional, I know.

Oh, the muffins are done! ...And one looks like the leaning tower of Pisa. Or Mt. Rainier. :-/

*ahem* Anyway, as I was saying, I got the outfit all done and put on a mannequin to admire the work. And I, um, put pants on said mannequin. I love Star Trek and all, but those original series "mini dresses"! :-O Quite shocking!

And when my parents return from Hawaii with the camera (Tonight! They'll be home at midnight!), I might take pictures for all of you people out here in blogland. And for those of you waiting to see pictures of my very cool staff (or walking stick, but a staff is cooler), I will take pictures of it.


In other news, my Shibori dyed tichel that I posted about brought home a "Best of Class" rosette and a cool prize from the fair. Woo! I did enter some other projects, but I'll leave those for a later post.


Also a helpful tip: If your alarm clock does not seem to wake you up on time, check to make sure you set it to AM instead of PM. Tomorrow maybe I'll be on time... :-/

~Cora

Me: "This isn't funny." Goat: "Maaaaaa!"

Once upon a time, Miss Heidi went to milk her beloved goats, Jasmine and Joanna. It was a lovely morning - overcast and a bit chilly, just the way Miss Heidi likes it. So with her pail a-swinging in her hand, she strolled down the hill to collect her four-legged-friends from the hillside.

But what is this? A goat cry from the wrong direction? Say it's not so! But, yes, a wayward Joanna stood in the brush, little tail wagging, and ears pointed straight toward the morning sky. At the sight of Miss Heidi, the little goat came tripping to her side. "Maaaaa!" she said. "How did you get out?" Miss Heidi asked. Joanna, not missing a beat, replied, "Maaaaaaa!"

With the goat being entirely unhelpful in the current crisis, Miss Heidi left Joanna and inspected the fence. It stood as strong as ever. She inspected the gate. Intact and in place. Or was it? Upon closer inspection, Miss Heidi discovered that when her little brother, Fritz, had done chores last night, he'd chained the gate incorrectly. The gate could swing open a little, but enough for a wily goat to escape into freedom and delicious blackberry vines.

So Miss Heidi finished her chores, chained the gate securely, and returned to her hill-top cottage. She poured herself another cup of coffee and sat down to blog about the experience.

~Miss Heidi

Behold, What Manner of Love!

As I was having adventures in the sewing room this morning, I got to thinking about "the manner of love the Father has given unto us," and I began to list them. My list is by no means complete, so feel free to comment with more!

The love of the Father for us:

As a father loves his child.
As a brother loves his sibling.
As a master loves his faithful servant.
As a devoted servant loves his master. (for our Lord came not to be served, but to serve)
He loves us as His bride.
Also as His greatest creation.


Then I thought of a favorite song "He's Everything to Me." As I thought about this list, I realized... We are everything to HIM.  As the Cowboy would say, "It really humbles you to think about it."

A Long-Favorite Poem

The Road Not Taken
Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same.

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.


Good-night, my friend. Sleep well.

It's That Time Of Year

You may or may not have gotten a mail-in ballet for the primary election (I know some of you invisible readers live "across the pond" so disregard this post...), but if you did, please vote now and mail that ballet!

And if you live in Washington State, Cora endorses Dino Rossi for State Senator and Jaime Herrera for State Representative. If you wish to know why I'm voting Herrera over Castillo, shoot me an email, and I will explain my reasoning.

Important fact! Even if the candidate is running unopposed for their position, you should still vote for them! They need to win a certain percentage of the total votes to win! 

The odd part was going through the list of elections and seeing my mother's name on the ballet. She's running for something? Huh! Didn't know that! :-/ Well, I voted for her...

Next Week In Cora's Life...

I AM GOING TO DIE! MY PARENTS ARE LEAVING MONDAY FOR TWO WEEKS IN HAWAII!

D-8

(This roughly translates to: I'm going to be fully, entirely 100% "mom of three boys" for two weeks. *cry* And the garden is getting ready to be harvested, which means I'll have to pick, can, and freeze everything all by me onesy.)

I'm thrilled my parents have been married for 25 years, but... but... Two weeks away and across an ocean? Aaaaargh!

Help?

A Quote That Struck Me

"Tolerating evil is a crime." - Brigitte Gabriel

Don't tolerate evil.

That's all I got. 8 hours unpacking boxes has left me wonked and pretty well unable to walk. Ugh. Can I amputate my legs right at the knees? Please?

*crawls to bed*

So, Yeah... I'm a Geek

I counted up my collection:
42 Star Wars books
19 Star Trek books
9+ Other Sci/Fi books

I have just this tiny soft spot for Sci/Fi. Mom got me a dozen more books at a garage sale a few days ago. It was glorious! The most exciting ones? Two books from the X-Wing Series! I've wanted them for so long, and yet I've never found them. No longer. Mwahahahahaha! *evilchuckle*

If anyone wants, I can let you all know if it was good or not. 30 pages in, and it's pretty good. :-) But, then... it has Wedge Antilles in it. How can anything with Capt. Antilles be bad? (y'all can forget that I used to call myself Jadra Antilles during Star Wars themed "Make-Believe"...)




In case anyone out there cares, I also (in addition to the prequels) don't acknowledge the existence of ANY book after Luke Skywalker married Mara Jade. Roar. Never happened. And Jacen didn't turn bad. And Tahiri didn't turn bad. And Zekk didn't turn bad. Etc. So, essentially, I love Star Wars, but only select portions. As it should be. The rest I will take out back with the ol'shotgun and dispatch post haste.

Lego Star Wars for X-Box rocks.

Returned With Victories, Discoveries, and Various Insanities

First: Victory

Dress rehearsal on Saturday of one scene from the movie was SO TOTALLY AWESOME! I'd been given 3 hours by the directors to have all of Rosie's makeup done, but it ended up taking only an hour and a half. On set, I was personal assistant to Rosie's actress and touched up makeup and costume between takes. When/If I get pictures, you bet there will be some posted here! Masha (the actress) is a sweet young woman from Ukraine, and I look forward to getting to know her better. She is quite feminine in appearance, but I swear she's tough as nails. Quite inspirational! :-)

Next: Discovery

You can spend an eternity (at least it felt like it) picking two grocery bags full of peas and then shelling them... and end up with a measly 5 1/2 cups of peas to freeze for winter. Oy. This'll be a long harvest with me putting up food all by my lonesome...

Finally: Various Insanities

I'm writing a new book. Woo! *tries not to be overwhelmed* This is actually going to be a retelling of an old, old legend (which was made up a year or two ago by a friend of mine). He's written the whole story, but in narrative paragraphs. My job is to take that story come alive.

We'll see what happens. :-)

Irony is a Beautiful Thing

I love a good case of irony. I saw two of them yesterday.

My brother and I were half-watching the baseball game, and during the commercials (ick), we were switching to the food network. The show on food network was on desserts at Disneyland. They talked about the thousands of pounds of flour, sugar, and chocolate that went into making these desserts year after year. They showed us lots of happy children eating the desserts. And then it was time for a commercial break. Guess what the lead-off commercial was.Yeah, the Weight Watchers program.

That caused much discussion/laughter between us, and we didn't end up going back to the baseball game.

So a few commercials later, there was a lady who announced that she'd lost so much weight by eating more whole grain food! The commercial was for Cheerios or some other cereal. At the end of the commercial, it said, "And be sure to try our new chocolate flavored whole grain Cheerios!" *headdesk* Yes, eat whole grains filled with extra sugar, chocolate, and probably unnatural flavorings! That will make you lose weight!

*sigh* *headdesk again*

Interesting Experience

Have you ever felt like you stepped out of a by-gone era into this one? Yesterday as I went out to do chores with a long skirt* and big, white (stained) apron and head-covering, I felt like I'd stepped out of a time when women were taught to be more peaceful, feminine, and... pretty... into a world of rough and ragged lives where a woman's feminine and peaceful disposition is despised.

It was strange.

I like the old world. I like the old world where men do not swear before (or at) ladies, like what happened at work last week, when a man (I won't say gentleman as is my usual wont) directed the foulest language at me.

Something in me longs for society to return to where it was. And if a change can happen, it must happen with me.


*Yes, I did wear a skirt to do chores, which, if you know me, you know was in the past strictly prohibited by my father. Apparently yesterday he did not mind. So perhaps I will more often. :)

Ah, a Blessed Tuesday...

Today, I don't need to leave home for any reason except to run drive to the neighbor's twice to milk for them. Most people have neighbors a hundred feet away. Ours are, like, a hundred miles away. Okay, two miles. But I shall drive nonetheless. :-P

So my activities are attending my goats and the neighbor's goat, trimming hooves, and destroying an apron for the Rosie Movie. It will be much fun.

The idea behind the apron is that our nineteenth century (1800s) poor, little heroine's house burned down, she now lives in the barn, because she has nowhere else to go, being newly widowed, parentless, friendless, and she'd never let herself be a burden to a neighbor, because she feels herself unworthy. Months go by as she's fending for herself on the farm, going slightly insane with naught but her cello and rifle to keep her company. As I enter the story with my specialized makeup talents, she has decided she is going to die. The apron is the one she has been wearing these past months, and is stained, torn, and yucky, because she has no change of clothing. They all burned in the house. That's what I'll be working on.

First filming is Saturday morning. Eek! So exciting!

Myth... BUSTED!

Here are a few myths about farm animals that I would like to bust for you.

Myth #1: If the bovine has horns, it is a bull.
Truth #1: Females also have horns unless they are of a polled breed (such as polled hereford), in which case neither the males nor females will have horns.
Cora first found mention of this myth on an eBay item - a butter dish depicting a cow on the front, but the seller was adamant that it was a bull.

Myth #2: The goat has a beard; it must be a male.
Truth #2: Goats are not people and do not have the same physical characteristics as people. I have two goats with beards, and I assure you: they are most definitely female.

Have you busted any myths (farming related or not) recently? Or have you been duped by a myth recently? Do share!

Dear Washington Weather...

Apparently there is some horrible person out there programming our weather. 90s? 90s?!

Now I must go and die a painful, roasting death here on the surface of the sun that is currently masquerading as earth.

*Opens giant can of worms* Rights.

During the socialized health care vote/debate/civil war, I heard someone make this statement, and it has troubled me since.

"Health care is a right just like education is a right."

A right, eh?

What is a right? We have the right to freedom of speech. We have the right to remain silent. We have the right to vote. We have the right to bear arms.

I see a distinct difference between the right to speak freely or bear arms and education:
Speaking is something which we have complete personal control over. Buying a firearm and carrying it is something which we have complete personal control over.
Education is a gift from the superior knowledge of another human being, and therefore we have no personal control over it.

Health care professionals (doctors, nurses, etc.) have studied and made knowledge of health care their possession, just as a mechanic's tool kit is his possession. Same with teachers. Their knowledge is their possession.

Treating the possession of another human being as a personal right is called thievery. Treating health care or education as a right is the same as stealing the mechanic's tools.

While I do not like Obama-care in the slightest, this is not an attack on it. I am merely pointing out a distinction in what is or is not a personal right.

By the way, you do not have the right to even BREATHE tomorrow. You could be in a car accident and die four hours from now. You don't know, do you? Be careful what you call a right, and make sure you have complete personal control over it.

*waits to see what crawls from the can of worms*

Lost and Yet Unfound

I searched high. All I found was my brother's portfolio of school activities.

I searched low. All I found was medical records.

I searched in the middle. All I found was a Toastmaster booklet.

"Oh, where, oh where did my cross-stitch go? Oh, where, oh where can it be?"

So now I am led to post an ad:

Last seen: Uh... four years ago?
Last known location: The school room
Wearing: Possibly in a manila envelope

If anyone has seen it, please let me know! It is finished and I would like to frame it someday...

Review: The Last Airbender

I give this movie a very generous two stars out of five. I didn't know anything about it when my brother invited me to go with him and see it. Some thoughts:

1. Practice of magic. I don't particularly mind creatures in stories that are inherently magical (fairies with wands, etc). What I do object to is the study and practice of magic. Thumbs down.

2. Romance for the sake of reviews. People, seriously. You don't make the secondary character brother fall in love (*gasp! I think I'm in love!*) with the (*swoons*) unbelievably beautiful princess. They spend every moment in the background of scenes holding hands and looking cute and adorable. And then... Alas, she must die, but for a very noble cause! Insert intense music and dramatic final kiss... Then she dies. And we were all like, "Whoop-de-doo. I don't even remember her name." If you're going to make a short, secondary romance and then kill her, don't play it all up to be over-dramatic. Thumbs down.

3. Martial arts and action. So I have a thing for martial arts. I kind of adore it. This and Thought #4 made this movie worth watching for me. So much fighting action! Woo! Thumbs up.

4. Katara's costumes. Oh. My. Word. I so want to copy her blue dress. And the fur one. Rarely do you see movies set in this style where the women/girls wear decent clothing, and these... were fabulous. During the movie, I had to whisper to my mom how much I love them. I am so making myself the blue dress. HERE is a link to an ok picture. Apparently the people at IMDB don't care about costume fanatics or they would have posted a bunch more pictures of Katara. :-P Thumbs WAY UP!

So there are four thoughts. The movie was very meh.

Home Alone on the 4th of July...

The last of my family left for a 4th of July party. I am staying home. This is the first year I can remember that I didn't go to the annual baseball game at a friend's house or the huge fireworks display at another friend's. Tonight is just me and my goats and Wolverine. My kitten Wolverine, not the X-Men movies.

So my plans are to do barn chores and then walk to the neighbor's house to feed her cats. Then come home and glue my mind to the keyboard. There is an epic fantasy story awaiting me... :)

Happy 4th to my American friends! And happy random-day-in-July to my good friend Roseberry. :)

Wins and Losses on July 2nd

I thought I'd count up today's wins and losses.

Wins:
Got another few pages written in my book. It was a very epic scene.
Getting three T-shirts and a bag of M&Ms for $7. The shirts were half off, and then I had a 15% off coupon on top of that. Yay!
Having a steak waiting for me at home. Yum!

Losses:
A chipmunk introduced itself to my truck's tire on my way to work. ;'(
It's difficult to wash your face in the shower while you're still wearing your glasses. *facepalm*

AAAAAAA*gasp*AAAAAAAA*gasp*AAAAAAAHHHH

The title roughly translates to: "This is July? Shouldn't it be April still? My, how time flies!"

So today is the Lego Man's birthday. He shouldn't be 17. He should be 12. Seriously.

Ever felt like life is running away and you realize you'll never catch up? Oh, well. Happy birthday, my dear baby brother. Your "little big sister" loves you!

An Invitation for you!

You are invited to join me for Daniel's Feast, for the entire month of June. Click on the link for more details and to join up!

All Was Quiet on the Homefront

...Except for the phone ringing, people talking, tractors running...

The hay is cut. It's been fluffed into rows. The Brain is on the baler. Soon we will have lovely rows of bales lining the field.

But our bales are rectangle and MUCH smaller. I thought the picture was cute. :-)

And this year, we won't be pulling 13 hours in the field on my birthday, like we've done before (Seriously, birthdays at the end of June...). Because today is my birthday and the hay is just starting to get baled. :-)

Please let me pause to explain Haying. Haying is, I'm sure, recognized as a national holiday. If it isn't, it should be. The observation of this holiday is nearly always the same, and I will write it out here for you if you would like to participate. This annual bonding of mankind and his tractor is looked forward to every summer and reminisced every fall/winter/spring.

Day One: A tractor and mower are dispatched into the field, and grass is cut. The driver of the tractor will often receive burns from the sunlight as this is far too rugged a job to wear sunscreen.
Day Two: Again, the tractor is dispatched, but this time to fluff up the hay and make it into lots of cute little rows. The sun will then bake the grass until it is dry. It will also bake the driver of the tractor, but oh, well... Farmer's tan, yanno.
Days Three-End of Holiday: When the grass is deemed dry enough by an elder member of the family, it is scooped up by a machine and processed into bales. A truck driver (usually the youngest child or a lady member of the family) will putter along with a flatbed trailer while family and neighboring menfolk (and strong womenfolk) "buck" bales onto the trailer.
      A leader is chosen by the "crew" to be the one to stack hay. This is a crucial part of the ceremony; the stacker must make tight stacks so bales do not fall from the trailer on the drive back to the barn. However, if a stack falls, there is a special ceremony: First, there is the blame and demotion of the stacker. Then the pile of hay on the ground is thrown back onto the trailer. Occasionally, there may be a ceremonial "strapping" of the stack. This is accomplished by the tallest members of the crew tossing straps over the stack and tying them down.
      The noon meals on these last days are also of longstanding tradition. Hamburgers, Coke, and Mug Root Beer.
      On these days, it is customary for sunscreen to be worn, as there are often womenfolk on the crew and they insist on the men wearing it, also. Rugged though they may be, the lady driving the truck is the keeper of the water bottles, sunflower seeds, and brake pedal, so it's best to make her happy. :)

The end of the holiday is celebrated with high-fives all around and promises to come back the following year.

Go forth and celebrate summer, my friend!

I believe I have earned some brownie points...

Dear Mother left me specific instructions that I was not to touch the laundry until she got home this evening. There were delicate things that she was in the middle of washing, and under no circumstances was I to come near them.

The Lego Man called a bit ago to say that he NEEDED a certain pair of jeans cleaned NOW! Really? *sigh*

So Cora washed them. In a pot. In the sink. And hosed them off outside. Now they are drying.


In other news:
I went to see my "disfingered" friend, Clint, yesterday, and he was doing very well. His hand/arm was bandaged to the elbow, so thankfully, I didn't have to see the wounds. He re-told us the story of what happened, and it was way worse than I heard originally.

Please pray/send good thoughts to him and his family. The poor guy is so bored having to lie there on the couch. He's one of those hyper must-work-from-sunup-to-sundown guys, so doing nothing kills him. His main annoyance through the whole deal was that he'd miss a day of work. *shakes head*



In other, other news:
Today marks the third year since my mom was diagnosed with cancer. Yep, the day before my birthday. :-/ She is now well again, though. :-)

Short Snippits. :)

Since I'm in a whirl of activity this weekend, here's a brief overview:

Yesterday, a friend of mine cut off the tips of some of his fingers. They got him stitched up and sent him home. Today they'll check him out again and then we'll know on Monday if he'll get to keep his fingers. Poor guy. Every time I see him, I say, "So how have you injured yourself lately?" instead of "Whatcha been up to?" :-/

In about an hour, I'll be going to a bazaar in the next village. Should be fun!

Tomorrow is the MCI (multiple casualty incident) drill for the Fire Dept. We had an hour and a half to do moulage makeup on 10+ "victims" (again, squeamish people should not Google "moulage." Moulage is making fake wounds and such.). I'm heading up this area of the drill.

And now I need to go tie up some cheese that's draining. Please pray for Clint's hand if you think about it! And his family. I'm sure they are worried about him.

O... Suns and Skies and Flowers of June?

I memorized that poem once. "O suns and skies and clouds of June, and flowers of June together, ye cannot rival for one hour October's bright blue weather."

I'm sure that'll be true enough... This year we've seen the sun twice in June. Yesterday and today. For the first time in 9 months, it got to 75 degrees F. October's bound to be better than this "Junuary" we've had. With any luck, we'll get the hay in by the middle of July (It should be in... now.). Oy. The crops are just now getting planted in the fields, and it looks like another wet/cold front may be moving in.

Good thing we're not planning to do anything outdoors on my birthday. It might get pretty wet! :-P

Hehe! Thank goodness I made a caveman-style costume a few days ago, because it looks like the start of another Ice Age!

Unniversary...

Today was our "Unniversary."

The Cowboy and I were supposed to get married today, but due to job stuff, we had to postpone it. It leaves a sad and empty feeling to see this day come and go, but I think we'll be better off for waiting...

...Cora told herself optimistically...

Returned from grand adventure!

Well, I wish it was grand adventure. In reality, it's just busy. Which makes for a long post. :)

It started with Saturday. I took m'self into work for the morning. It was a gorgeous day, and when I got off work, I headed out to the Cowboy's for the afternoon. We (along with his friend) headed down to the lake for a while. We were sitting there by the lake having a good time, and then the friend announced that he was bored (I should blog-name this friend "Hyper," I think). He decided we'd go on a walk on a trail he knew by the river. So the three of us went down a deer trail through the woods. Of course, I was the only one with shorts on (arg!) and the blackberries were not very nice. But I survived. Obviously.

After that, with much bruising, bloodying, and so forth, we got back to the lake. When we arrived at the Cowboy's parked truck and went to leave, the truck wouldn't start. The Cowboy was about to be very annoyed, but it turned out that another of his friends who was at the lake had monkeyed with something under the hood and when he plugged it back in, the truck was fine.

And then we all went back to the Cowboy's parents' house to have a bonfire. Ended up staying out there until midnight drinking root beer and talking. Then at midnight, we wished the Cowboy a happy birthday. Most of us left and the Cowboy went home. Since I had an hour drive back to my house, I crashed on his mom's couch.

For sure, Sunday was the Cowboy's birthday. It poured rain all day. I thought it was glorious (see blog title... I have a thing for rain), but everyone else complained.

Monday was also glorious, but it was sunny (aw, rats!). The Cowboy had the day off of work, so he came over and we spent the entire day in the barn working on something. And you don't get to know what it is yet! Hahahaha!

Tuesday was the last day of the Fiber Arts class I teach at the community college. I was sad to see all my students go. They were a lot of fun and I enjoyed getting to know them. After class, I came home and made a big, honkin' piece of felt. You'll see it eventually. I need some yarn and beads to finish the project first.

Ah, yesterday. 5 hours at work as a cashier. By the end of my shift, I could barely walk and couldn't stand still. It was awful. I'm praying fervently that I don't have to stay a cashier for very long. :-/

Which brings us to today! I'm about to visit my goats to milk and then run off to a meeting at a coffee shop in town about the Rosie movie.

***

In between all of that, I've been working on my novel. I'm liking the way it's coming together now. One of my characters is very sick right now, the poor dear. Now that I've mentioned it, I'm dying to get back to my story. But chores first. Chores first... *Cora repeats this phrase over and over...*

Thursday Thirteen: Projects

As I was sitting here eating leftovers from Dad's restaurant dinner (yes, for breakfast) and wondering who General Tso was and why we are eating his chicken, it occurred to me that it is Thursday! Ack! What to write about? ... Me + Lists = Fail ... Me + Lists + Needing list on certain day = Fail^4736

But I came up with something. Lots of people have "bucket lists" of what they wish to do before they "kick the bucket."

Cora-style bucket list: Before I kick the bucket, I would like to make:

1. A pair of socks, knitted or nalbinded (nalbound? nalbindinged? Whatever. Past tense of nalbinding). I have never made a sock, have tried a bazillion times, and I officially *HATE* using double point needles and knitting in a round. Nasty, disturbing, uncomfortable things... So probably nalbinding.

2. Star Wars Rebel Jumpsuit. I have the fabric and pattern. All that's left is courage.

3. LOTR-style Elvish dress. Again, have the fabric and pattern. It will be out of a velvet fabric with autumn leaves, accented by long sleeves in a brown velvet.

4. Wool cloak. I've made them out of satin, but not wool. May have enough fabric.

5. THIS dress. Wow. Btw, GOOD movie. I'm not one for movies, but look up Pendragon: Sword of His Father. Soon I'll do a review on it (at least, that is the plan).

6. A set of hand-embroidered handkerchiefs for heirlooms.

7. Susan's green dress from The Chronicles of Narnia. I hate the movies/books/CSLewisInGeneral, but the dress is to die for.

8. Civil War era dress with hoop skirt. Oh, yeah.

9. A better corset. Mine is good, but I want a better one.

10. Weave another basket. A better one. Mine is pitiful.

11. Carve something fabulous, instead of just making hazelnut shells into miniature plates/bowls.

12. Make a huge piece of felt and make a tunic out of it. I may have enough wool for that.

13. Make costumes for a movie. Someday... Ah, someday... :)

For more Thursday Thirteen, go HERE!

Wordless Wednesday: Memememe! I wanna play, Dad!

Give-Away at Hannah's!

There's a give-away going on at Hannah's blog! Go check it out! The winner gets fabric and a pattern. All you sewing ladies (or gentlemen, I suppose) go over and enter!

First Day of Daniel's Feast

Today is the first day of Daniel's Feast. At the moment, it's me, the Cowboy, and possibly Christine's family.

I've been informed that there is already a Daniel's Fast where, I guess, you eat only vegetables(?) and water. I'm not going to do that (although I am trying to give up my addiction to coffee, but that's been a long time trying and nothing to do with this event). This is purging the things I do that make me impure as a follower of Christ. Click HERE to see more details.

Today's reading assignment: Read something from my beloved book of James. Pick a passage and report back with what you read. :)

No Real Post For Today...

Just too tired to think.

Thursday Thirteen: Pictures of (Mostly) Old Fashioned Stuff

Three fabrics I've gotten at thrift stores. Why, however did you guess I love old-fashioned plaid and brown?

Close-up of the newest fabric (left, in the picture above)

Inkle loom, used for weaving belts/straps:

A felted cord (which I will make into a belt), which I supposed is old-fashioned because the general population has never seen felt in any form other than those little sheets you buy at craft stores.

Hurricane lamps with *surprise!* plaid bows. :-P I hope the picture comes out for you. My computer screen is wonky anyway, so I don't know if it's bright enough for you.

Quill pen. We cheated and stuck the guts of a ball-point pen in it so that it will actually write. My *real* honest-to-goodness quill pen with interchangeable tips and bottles of ink is put away. Rats and phooey!

My hope chest, which belonged to one of my grandmothers. Isn't it the most beautiful ever? :)

And the book, hat, and cloth doily. Embroidery on the doily done by my bosom friend, Laura.

Old Swedish (I believe) hymnal on top of a German calender book.

Sewing machine we got in England (2003) at a boot sale.

"Book"shelf:

Bench and desk with a woven tapestry showing pictures of prominent places in the county.

I've begun to realize that few people have home libraries anymore. Here's part of my family's home library. There are many other bookcases around the house. And stacks of books everywhere...

Nalbinding/Naalbinding/Nålbinding around a pencil to make the arm of a miniature glove:

That should be 13! For more Thursday Thirteen, go HERE. But first- one more picture, just because my darling Jerusha is so stinkin' cute!

This Report Just In

Movie filming for the "history" of the band Rosie and the Posers is being re-started in July.

I am very excited, because 1. the project was about to be shut down due to it turning into more than just a Saturday-afternoon-shoot-don't-sweat-it movie, and 2. they still want me to be on the crew!

My job is to do what's called moulage. If you are faint of heart/stomach, don't google that word. Essentially what it is: fake cuts, bruises, abrasions, etc. I also do it for the Fire Department for their drills.

For Rosie and the Posers, the main character is starving to death, as the city-raised-widow-turned-farmer's house burned down, she has no one around to help her, and it's the middle of winter in the 1800s. I have to make her look a little yellow, with some shadow under the cheekbones to make her cheeks look a little sunken. Then she trips and falls, getting some scrapes and bruises on her face and hands. So that's what I will be designing and applying.

It's about the closest I come to doing art. ;-)

So when I mention Rosie or "the movie," you now know what it is.

There's a Hole in My Bucket, Dear Liza...

There's no real significance behind the song in the title. It just happens to be stuck in my head. By the way, do you know that song? I started singing it while at the Cowboy's house, and they all looked at me like I was mad. I thought everyone knew "There's a Hole in My Bucket."

My "surrogoat" children are growing up. 6 weeks old. Wow. Doesn't seem like that long ago I was down there with the nanny Joanna giving birth to tiny, little Gareth Joraiem and Jerusha Rielle. But the children are reminding me daily of how much they're growing. They destroy their little hay-fort-pen EVERY day. You have no idea how much I can't wait until they're too big to escape the hillside pen and I can get them out of the barn and out of my hair. Literally.

We have a bazillion little calves now. And there will be pictures of various baby creatures at some point so you can "awwwwww" over them.


As a side thought, I took the new kitten out to meet some of the older cats. The Blimp (fat, old, yellow cat) thought kitten was a bit of a novelty and cute. However, my cat Joshua (His Majesty, the .~*Self-Proclaimed Supreme Ruler of the Universe*~.) thought kitten was a shameful offering from his human pets, and please take it away, because I find it offensive and irritating, thankyouverymuch. *sigh* Cats...


In other news, not animal-related, I tried out naalbinding. I got a handle on the basics with yarn and a huge-ish, wooden needle. Now, when Cora learns something, the first thing she does is make it miniature. SO! I've almost finished a fingerless glove that is 1/5" across at the wrist. A little less than a centimeter. Yes, I'm crazy. News #2: I felted myself a belt. News #3: Yesterday, I found 4 yards of some beautiful, brown, high quality wool fabric (plaid) from New York... for $4.00 at a thrift store. Win! :)

Flashback #2: For all who have difficulty converting units

I am posting a series of fun "Flashback" posts from my old blog.

For all who have difficulty converting units

September 8, 2007

Ratio of an igloo's circumference to its diameter = Eskimo Pi

2000 pounds of Chinese soup = Won ton

1 millionth of a mouthwash = 1 microscope

Time between slipping on a peel and smacking the pavement = 1 bananosecond

Weight an evangelist carries with God = 1 billigram

Time it takes to sail 220 yards at 1 nautical mile per hour = Knotfurlong

16.5 feet in the Twilight Zone = 1 Rod Serling

1,000,000 aches = 1 megahurtz

Basic unit of laryngitis = 1 hoarsepower

Shortest distance between two jokes = A straight line

453.6 graham crackers = 1 pound cake

1 million- microphones = 1 megaphone

2 million bicycles = 2 megacycles

365.25 days = 1 unicycle

2000 mockingbirds = 2 kilomockingbirds

52 cards = 1 decacards

1 kilogram of falling figs = 1 Fig Newton

1000 milliliters of wet socks = 1 literhosen

1 millionth of a fish = 1 microfiche

1 trillion pins = 1 terrapin

10 rations = 1 decoration

100 rations = 1 C-ration

2 monograms = 1 diagram

4 nickels = 2 paradigms

2.4 statute miles of intravenous surgical tubing at Yale University Hospital = 1 IV League

:-)

A Character Survey

What I always do on this blog when I am tagged with a meme is choose a character from one of my stories to answer them. As Cora Beth did an open tag meme, I took it, and one of my book characters will answer.

Character answering: Ti'al Miera, from the book Sister Súlier

1. Which do you prefer–Apples, Oranges, or Bananas?
I've never had a banana or orange before, but apples are good! Perfect snack on a late summer day.

2. How many siblings do you have?
I'm a single child.

3. Where do you live–a prairie, Woodland, city, or other?
We live in the woodlands high in the mountain border of the country. Far from cities.

4. What are some things you enjoy doing with your family?
I enjoy hunting, fishing, and weapons training with Ata [father] and singing with Ama [mother]. I hunt, fish, and fight better than I sing. But being Ata's only child, that should be expected.

5. Is your room clean?
Nothing here is clean. Tidy yes, but never clean. When you have a dirt floor, everything tends to get dirt on it.

6. Which would you prefer to visit–Italy, Greece, France, Spain, or England?
I suppose it's a toss-up between Italy and England. I've been told that Italy has good food, and England has grand palaces. I would see a palace before I die. Nothing do I know about the other countries.

7. What is a scripture that encourages you?
A scripture? I don't know what a scripture is. But if you want to know something that encourages me... Ama encourages me, Ata encourages me, my friends encourage me... Everything in the world encourages me!

8. Gum, chocolate, or jelly beans?
Why, chocolate, thank you!

9. What are your favorite types of books?
I canna' read.

10. Which is your favorite ice cream flavor?
Ah, your ice cream cannot beat what Ama makes. And we have no flavors to use.

11. If you had to eat one type of food for two weeks, what would that food be?
There are types of food? Do you mean like only bread or only meat or only tea? I would have to choose meat. It's hard to work hard on only bread or tea. Meat sees you through the day.

12. Are you an outside or an inside person?
Outside, all year-round, all day and part of night. I don't like walls. Ama does everything inside, I do everything outside, and Ata works in the forest.

13. What chore(s) do you like to do the most?
Anything outdoors.

One More Cup of Coffee, Please!

I need just one more cup of coffee, and then I'll go down and milk. ;-)

The pot is almost done brewing. Oh, yeah.

I brought my lovely goat cheese to my friends' house yesterday, and all the ladyfolk decided it was divine and so I left them some culture and stuff for it. They shall be making their own very shortly.

But that's not the point of this post. My friends rent a little spot in a local antique store. They sell all sorts of beautiful hand-made things. While at their house, I noticed some hurricane lamps sitting there on the counter with matching little plaid bows and price tags.

They still work, and they were little and cute, and so I bought them and took them home. Now when I have my own house and the power goes out, I will have hurricane lamps to light my house, as they are brighter (and safer) than candles.

My collection of "stuff for my house" is growing. Everyday dishes, pots and pans, casserole dishes, cast iron pans, kitchen utensils, pressure canner, picture frames, books (specifically children's books), blankets, electronics... My parents are ready for me to leave and take my stuff with me. ;-)

I just drank down the last bit of coffee, so I will go attend to my dear goats.

I Had to Smile

Mrs, D., a dear friend and "second mom" to me, was scared to death of home-made goat cheese. Not because of an "Eeek! It's not from the store! It's not safe!" or whatever. She's been a goat mama for a bazillion years, drinks the milk raw, etc. just like me. So why the problem with cheese? Welllll...

Once upon a time, a friend invited Mrs. D. to her house. The friend said, "Oh, you must try my goat cheese! It's the most amazing thing in the world!" So Mrs. D. went to visit. The friend chattered about how easy cheese was. Why, all you do is leave the milk on the counter until the cream separates (for those unfamiliar, goat milk cream doesn't separate naturally from milk for, oh, WEEKS!) and then you cook it up with stuff and it gloms into cheese! So easy!

Mrs. D. had to eat it to be polite, of course. How do you gracefully say, "HA! I ain't touchin THAT with a 10-foot-pole!" So she did. And it was the worst thing she'd ever eaten.

She officially swore off eating goat cheese.

And then Saturday happened. I came to the D house for a small gathering of friends, with a batch of chevre cheese that I'd flavored with some dill, onion powder, garlic powder, and whatever else smelled good, so that we could dip veggies in it. Turned out that we girls all nattered too much to eat, and by the time the visit was over, we'd completely forgotten that we were going to have snacks! So sadly I picked up the cheese and went my way, knowing I'd missed an opportunity to have the D family try GOOD cheese.

Well.

Yesterday, Mrs. D. sent me an email saying that she and the oldest daughter snitched some while we weren't looking, and WOW! It was so GOOD! And now Cora MUST come over and teach them!

So today, I will put on my chef's hat and teach cheesemaking! :-)

Garage Sale Scavengers: The Plunder

Doesn't that title sound like a great name for an adventure movie? Doesn't it? No? Oh, well... I tried to make it interesting.

Firstly, yesterday we had a birthday party for my dear Grandma, as she turned 80. Friends came over, and we had a lovely lunch and tea. I would post pictures, but I don't like posting pictures of people without their permission. Oh, well... :(

Secondly, as the title of this post suggests, Mom and I went garage sale-ing. It's a Friday tradition for Mom and Dad to go on dates and hit all the garage sales in town. Dad had a volunteer job to get done, so this time, it was me with Mom! Some things we got:

Oh, yeah. My brothers are jealous. $5, and the price tag on this brand new beauty said $40.

Isn't it absolutely gorgeous? I was so thrilled when I saw a pile of them sitting there getting sold. I snatched up one of those puppies in a second! And the best part? Copyright 1969 - before people went though and politically correctified all the hymns. I took pictures of the proof:

Battle Hymn of the Republic. Modern 4th verse: "As He died to make men holy, let us live to make men free." See the original word in the picture.

Apparently someone thought it was offensive to suggest that we be willing to die for what we think is right.

Next song. At the Cross. Modern 1st verse: "Would He devote that sacred head for sinners such as I?"

I suppose someone's feelings were hurt at having to admit that they are a worm.

Aaaaaaanyway, moving on... (Can you tell I am against politically correctified hymns?)

The last thing we got:

It's a really pretty set of gold-plated flatware. Mom thought it was a good deal, because if each piece was worth $2, we'd still come out with a smokin' deal. So we got home, and I did some Googling. Each piece sells for upwards of $20. Some even $100. Smokin' deal? Yeah, I think so.

Then I went and took care of my goats and babes. One of the Cowboy's favorite goatlets, Jacen, jumped into a board and broke off his little horn stub. The poor little sweetie... :( I was instructed to put cayenne pepper on to stop the bleeding, so I had Mom bring some down. While we were waiting, the Cowboy carried his poor baby around, petting it and talking to it... I think it was a more traumatic event for the Cowboy rather than the goatlet. Jacen was happy as a clam the whole time.

And now I'm way late on chores, so I must bid you farewell.

A Give-Away!

My very dear friend, Jocelyn, is hosting a give-away on her blog! Go HERE to enter for a gorgeous tea cozy!

(This is the one I chose. It's called "Afternoon Tea.")

Go on and enter! :)

Thursday Thirteen: Songs that I love

 A day late, but whatev'... ;-) I thought it'd be fun.

And this is a game! Guess-the-title by the pictures! A little hint: Most of these are old hymns and the picture corresponds to either the title or the first line of a verse. And the great part is, if you're wrong in your guess, you may remind me of songs I love and haven't listened to in a long time! So guess away, because we both win!

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

Aaaaaaaand, I'm going to stop at 11. Whew! That was a lot of picture searching. Go ahead! Guess away!

Wordless Wednesday: Me, The Cowboy, and a wild rabbit