Some days I'm amazed at the wonders in my life. That's an aside and not what the blog is about but I'm just in one of those moods where I have to get that out.

So what was I gonna tell ya? Well, piggies went on a road trip. Yep, a road trip.

For some reason...maybe the fact that I haven't really slept much lately..I slept til 2pm yesterday. I got up and started getting ready to go out and take care of errands when a knock on the door disturbed me. There were a couple of ladies out there asking if I owned some pigs. Well yes ma'am I do....

Well, we saw them walking down our street and we didn't want them going on the highway or in the woods so we got them into our yard and closed them in...You wanna come with us and get them?

Sure thing I do...let me throw some shoes on and grab a bucket of grain.

I go outside and now, not only are the ladies there, but also an older gent who saw them cross his field and whom is now offering his services in the recovery operation. So off we go. I'm amazed at the distance they've covered. A good 1/2 mile at the very least. What else can I do but laugh.

One of the women opens their gate and I shake the bucket and yell HEY BIG PIG...C'MERE. The pigs start coming and I start walking down the road with them following. Here the older gent says to sit on the back of his pickup and call them to follow. So I decide to give it a whirl. This seems to work pretty well til we get to a large field and the pigs decide to go that way. Well, no warning but older gent starts driving through the field with me bouncing and hanging on for dear life to the back of the open pick up. Now mind you I WAS sitting on the edge of the dropped down tailgate(?). You've probably never seen anyone scurry backwards as fast I did as he increased speed and the truck bounced.

We got into the field and I jumped off the truck yelling at the pigs and he circled round to "herd" them back to me. I finally got them following me again and we decided he would follow the pigs as they followed me so we could keep them moving on track. So off we go...Me and my bucket, big pig, three smaller pigs and the pick up truck. What a sight.

We finally got them back to my property just as the school bus was showing up. My son looking mortified that mom is in the street with the pigs yet still managing to ask if I need help.
I tell him to just chase them out of the neighbor's yard towards me. In the meantime the bus driver is leaning out the window laughing his ass off and asking me if I make a habit out of having something in the street everyday. No but thanks for asking.

Once piggies got in the yard they knew where they were going and immediately headed back to their house. I gave them the grain they had been chasing for so long and locked them in. Later they got their bucket of apples. Thankfully my pigs are pretty docile and generally speaking would follow me anywhere. Needless to say the errands were put off for that day.

Never a dull moment

I know right now I don't work full time outside the house but I still consider my weekends precious. They always seem to fly by and this one was no exception.
I have to admit though that I got a lot done. Saturday was devoted to house, Sunday to outdoors.
The house has been plasticized. All but 3 windows covered in shrink wrap (at least that's what it seems like to me). I have to admit, the difference is very palpable. This is a very old house, over a hundred years old, so anything I can do to insulate is a good idea. I still have some insulation to do ... covering my pipes and my heating ducts but I'll get there. My son then invited a friend over for the night so after cleaning my night focused on them.
Sunday I got a lot done outside. My property needs a lot of work and the first thing to do is to pick up a lot of things that are lying about. I cleaned the small garden...found some small carrots and some tiny onions..they're so cute. It was kind of funny in a way as I discovered the first carrot...the image of Scarlett O'Hara digging a carrot out of Tara's land after the yankees had gone flashed through my mind. "I will never be hungry again!" Believe me, I'm not hungry and still have a freezer full of meat but it was just funny.
The work I've done so far is noticible though and my neighbor commented on it that night. When I'm done with it, this property will be very marketable. Of course most of the work will have to wait til winter is over but the cleaning can be done now. I have to remove some fencing and reorganize and ideally I'd like to throw some stalls up in the barn so I can take in boarders. I worked outside for a good 5 or 6 hours, visited with my neighbor briefly and then settled in for the night. It didn't take long before I was dozing through Family Guy. tsk tsk.
There's nothing like a good day's work for a feeling of satisfaction and a good night's sleep. Of course I didn't sleep long at night but it carried over to the day so I can't complain. In all, life is good

kitten kisses

Cassie, my livestock guardian dog, was barking like a maddog at dusk. I assumed the deer were back in the field because that's how she barks when they're there. As far as she's concerned they don't belong in her yard...they aren't her animals. So, I went out on the porch to see them. They weren't there.

I kept looking because she would NOT stop barking. I figured they must be hiding just inside the woods and I couldn't see them because of their color and the dusk closing in. Ah, a flash of movement...but wait...that's not a deer. It's a coyote. It's a coyote that is staying along the perimeter of field and has no intention of leaving despite Cassie's insane barking.

I've seen this before, last year. There seems to be one that likes to hang along the perimeter and scope the place out. Maybe it's a female with pups and she's looking for a quick meal hoping a chicken might cross her path or she can sneak up and grab one. I've had plenty of chickens disappear so it could be possible. Or, worst case scenario, it could be rabid. I doubt that though because it usually doesn't come during the day nor does it act rabid. It just sits or skulks along the edge...watching.

Not this time. No way was I having any part of this coyote hanging around. If Cassie couldn't scare it I would. I charged into the house, pulled out a shotgun only to find a child lock on it. So, I pulled out my shotgun..only to find a child lock on it. I have no idea where the keys could possible be and it's still skulking. Out came the bolt cutters...so much for that child lock. I grabbed a couple of shells, threw on my boots and started outside. Cassie is still barking like a maniac, the coyote is still on the perimeter and Nero, my black lab, is walking with me. I start out to the field and surprisingly the coyote doesn't go very far. Usually they run off when they see you. This one goes a little way but stays along the edge.

I had already loaded one shell into the chamber. I didn't expect to hit the thing with shot but I wanted it to realize that it wasn't welcome here. I figured the shotgun blast would scare the snot out of it. I got as close as possible...my faithful Nero having already booked it back to the house..he's so helpful. We were probably about 50 feet apart when I clicked off the safety and took aim. BLAST! Dark was falling so I got to see the fire of the blast as well as hear and feel it. That did it...

It's been ages since I've been skeet shooting. I didn't hold the shotgun quite close enough and did get a little kickback on my jaw but it wasn't too bad, especially considering how fast I did it. What fun though Call me whatever you want but I love the feel, sound and power of a gun. I found the spent shell and pocketed it, loaded another one and waited. Apparently the blast did the trick and I didn't see it come back. By that time it was starting to get pretty dark and I couldn't make out shapes very well. I don't shoot unless I know what I'm shooting at so I started back to the house. I still had feedings to do anyway.

Cassie stopped barking as soon as I got back in the yard so I knew the coyote was gone. She just wanted me back in her safety zone. I cleared the chamber and went back to business as usual. Maybe the thing will be back tomorrow and I'll have an excuse to go shooting again...lol. The great huntress kitten, stalking her prey in the tall grass and the woods...

happy hunting xxx

kitten

When I worked support in IT I learned a great many things. Some of them were universal and you could carry them throughout life and apply them to just about any situation. Today I was reminded of one of the very first things I learned...K.I.S.S.
For those of you not familiar with that acronym, it stands for Keep It Simple, Stupid.
When someone would call my help desk I would always start with the questions that seemed almost assinine in their simplicity...is it plugged in? Do you have a disk in your floppy drive? Tell me what happens when you hit the power button...

Anyway, I have electric fencing surrounding my pigs because if you don't...you'll have loose pigs. I was doing my feeding rounds when I looked over at the fence monitor and it was running in the red. Damn...that meant that something had to be interrupting the surges on the lines...So, as the dusk fell, out I went to walk the fenceline. I couldn't find a damn thing wrong with it. Nothing lying on a line, no familiar snap where something was hitting it...So I walked it again. I thought I saw a minor problem, fixed that, but still couldn't find anything that would push it into the red.
By now it was getting pretty dark. I walked it one more time...no snaps, no little flashes of light where it would be hitting on something...nothing.

I finally went back into the barn to put the pitchfork away. I took a look at the monitor..still red. By now I'm mentally doing a WTF? and pretty much resigned to the fact that there's something seriously wrong but I don't know what it is. At that particular moment I happened to look down and lo and behold, there's the fence power cord .... hanging halfway out of the plug. I plugged it back in and amazing but true, the charger charged back up and there it went right back to green.

At which point I rolled my eyes, smacked myself in the head and said "of course...doh". Keep it simple, stupid.

A much more simplified kitten....

I love autumn in New England. I hate the onslaught of cold but I love the colors, the sounds of the leaves crunching underfoot, the taste of fresh cider, picking the perfect pumpkin, the smell of the earth, the smell of wood fires, the vivid sunsets and so many more things.

Here is a piece of my world right during Autumn. My Japanese Maple is a brilliant display of God's paintbrush...





and another variation...

I want to thank everyone who has contacted me asking if I'm ok. I've been relatively quiet lately because of a personal issue that's been going on. I'm actually fine and doing very well.
A couple of weeks ago my husband and I separated and have come to the conclusion that we're not making each other happy. We are having a very amicable divorce with our primary concern our son's well being.
So, my life will change a bit. I'll have to find a full time job outside the farm. I'll have a bit more work here but if I need help I know he's willing to lend a hand. And, I might work on finding a farm hand in exhange for room and board.
Other than looking for a job and handling all the little things involved in a divorce, life is good. I can't complain. So I'll be a little quieter than usual til this is finalized but I'm not going anywhere.

"Change is the essence of life.Be willing to surrender what you are for what you could become."

"All changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves; we must die to one life before we can enter another."

"It is always the simple things that change our lives. And these things never happen when you are looking for them to happen. Life will reveal answers at the pace life wishes to do so. You feel like running, but life is on a stroll. This is how God does things."

I haven't really had much to put into my blog. I have some personal issues that are going on and prefer not to talk about them right now, at least not in this type of forum.

I can however say that I had a great visit from the old wolf. I dropped him off at the airport tonight so he could make his way back to Dallas.

As usual he was a perfect gentleman and a great friend. Unfortunately I didn't get to take him to as many places as I originally had planned but he told me he had a good time anyway and said he loved what part of New England he did get to see.

He got to travel to the big little city of Woonsocket and try some local delicacies...weiners and fish cakes. We tried to get the Del's lemonade but no one was selling it because it was out of season.

Don't you know, he's across the street checking out the neighbor's horses and helping her look at her filly's hooves. How typical of our cowboy.

His first full night here I broke him in good though by having him help me chase an errant pig back to its pen. Good thing he has a sense of humor. We spent the rest of that night looking for the shorts in the electric fence and fixing them.

The next day we were off to Newport to do the cliff walk in a bitter wind. It was still nice, especially when the wind was at our backs, because the sun was shining. Typical of New England though, by the time we left Newport and were 1/2 way home, it started to snow. We stopped off at one of my friends' house to see if they wanted to go to eat with us but we ended up eating there. We had a fun night with them just bullshitting, enjoying good company and good food; a great combination in which you can never go wrong.

Sunday was a first for him, his first Catholic mass. Because I had my lector turn he had to depend on the little old ladies that always sit behind me. They got a kick out of teaching him the catholic aerobics of mass. We visited another friend for a little while and got home in time to chase the goats back in the paddock. Damn goats. We walked the land here which took us quite a while then did the feedings and fed ourselves on a ham I had cooked. Nothing like fresh pig.

Monday we got to fix the dryer my son had broken by overloading it. LOL. A project to say the least but we did manage to fix it. Another goat chasing and then we did some work around the farm. A little bit of fencing..temporary fix but getting there. He cut some wood for me because he decided I needed more, fixed a light outside that had burnt out and helped me clean up an area so I could get my tractor out of the weather. Nothing like having working guests. We did finally manage to get to a seafood restaurant so he could get his seafood dinner. What a mound of food! I still have leftovers in my fridge.

Today was his last day here and he busied himself with some wood cutting while I worked. Then it was off to Woonsocket to get my mom so she could be home when my son got out of school.

All in all, we had a great visit. Of course it's easy to have fun when you have such an accomodating guest. When he comes up to New England again someday maybe I can show him some other tourist traps and neat things to do. If I'm lucky maybe I can convince him to come up and work for me. He's good with the animals and he knows what needs to be done on a farm. Hey you never know.

Well, now you're all caught up as far as what I can talk about.

kitten kisses...

I didn't plan on hosting trivia this week but I got lassoed into pinch hitting for Willow. Thank goodness she had sent the questions to Sandman because I didn't have any in reserve.

Well, it went well and MDGUY won again! In a surprise upset, Fire68 came in second. I was a little delayed because I had to cook dinner but the pics are posted now. Hope they enjoy them because I tried something a little different this time.

It's been a busy week but productive and somewhat fun. Three days in a row I was in RI for one reason or another but I did enjoy myself. I hate watching the gas gauge go down lately but I had to keep these appointments and I'm glad I did.

Yet another day I'm listening to the rain pelting the window. It's still pouring to beat the band out there although the weathermen say we might catch a break later today. I'll believe it when I see it at this point. I'm seriously starting to consider building an ark. I'm just hoping that all the leaves on the trees aren't completely stripped before we get to see our glorious fall foliage. It was just starting to turn when this weather pattern hit.

My company is coming on the 27th and I was sincerly hoping that he'd get to see some of the color. Our peak was delayed this year so I was briefly excited, til the rain started. I guess now I'll just have to wait and see if it will hold out for another 12 days. If it were just rain it might not be so bad but it's been windy too. Here's hoping.

Happy Rainy Saturday everyone!

I went straight from working all night to getting my son off to school to leaving for RI to get my hair done. I finally broke down and called my friend and confessed to having gone elsewhere and needing it fixed. After being read the riot act she told me to get my ass down there. She's a magician with hair and had been doing mine since she got her license (barring any of my too far moves). She also knows me like very few people since we've been friends since 3rd grade.

I was tired but loaded up on coffee and off I went. I got there and of course the catching up started right away. Then she started on my hair. I never tell her what to do, she just does it. The bitching started...I can't believe they did this to your hair...what the hell were they thinking..oh she must have left the perm in your hair too long... she burnt your hair...what do you mean they had two people roll it...that's just wrong...two people have different tensions...on and on...

Anyway, she fixed it, it's perfect as usual and I'm a happy camper. In the course of our conversations she told me I was "such an asshole" (It's a compliment for us too). I was so proud I said, "yeah a five too." She just kind of looked at me funny then started laughing. "You're a nut", she said.

I got home around 3 but had to go to work for 5 so there was no sense in lying down. Espcially since I hadn't eaten yet either. So, grub and more coffee. By the time I got home I was beat. I figured I'd watch CSI and listen to Danny talk but that lasted all of 5 minutes. I was out like a light. Just as well though...gotta take son to pediatrician for his annual physical today...no rest for the wicked. So its a lazy night for me despite the fact that I need to get my butt in gear. I figure staying awake while driving is a tad more important than the money.

Hey, good day and great hair to all!

Well, I was thinking I really had nothing to say lately, nothing I could really share anyway but then I thought ...it's real easy to get into the habit of thinking nothing in one's life is interesting, so I decided to sit and write and just let the words come. This is my nonblog because I don't actually have a set direction.

I actually got quite a bit done today. I was able to get in touch with the Department of Revenue and put in my application for a sales and use certificate so I can start officially selling my soaps. As it turns out the majority of my sales won't get charged sales tax but I still need to fill out the forms and send them any tax I do collect. As long as my purchasers are buying via the net or mail order and they don't live in my state, I won't have to charge them sales tax. I just love government regulations.

The state actually charges you $50 to get a sales and use certificate. Now mind you, the certificate is so you can charge tax on items and then send that money to the state. You would think that the state would give those certificates away for free to anyone who wants them. Attract more business, get more companies selling taxable items and voila, you get more money. But, as we all know, government does not always make logical sense.

On another note, I saw the geese flying south today. Guess this makes it official...no more summer til next year.

And finally, just an observation...be careful with your words. Once said they can't be taken back. It's very, very easy to hurt someone with words even if it's not intentional. Always think about what you're saying (or typing for most of us here) before you let it out there.

postscript: Not my geese, two of them are gone but two of them are still here.