All Purls. No Swine.
Today, May 10, 2021, would have been my husband's 83rd birthday (He always called himself "a good pre-war model.") He died on July 3, 2020, after suffering a decade of chronic health problems, and several years of mental degeneration due to dementia. His last months weren't made any easier by COVID lockdowns and the near… Continue reading Happy Birthday, Mr. Right!
Thirty-five years ago, Mr. Right and I sold our house in one of Pittsburgh’s lowest-rent districts, moved ourselves into a tent in a field in Washington County, PA, where our prospective new home was nothing more than a hole in the ground, and started to build. I’m sure the neighbors thought we were nuts. Nevertheless,… Continue reading The Snowman Cometh
OK, before anybody make a scatalogical joke, I'm already reminded of this billboard: But, seriously. Grain bins. What I need (and all I need) is a bin in which I can securely (that is racoon and mouse-proof-ly) store a few hundred pounds of sheep feed at a time. Many years ago, I built a nice… Continue reading Building a Small Grain Bin From Septic Tank Riser Sections
They’re so funny. And, in many ways, so very human. This is Oleg. He’s tiny for his age (about six weeks), and his “sister” (Tatiana) who’s only a couple of days older, is almost twice his size. I only named them this morning, upon the increasing certainty that the little fermentation vats that comprise their… Continue reading Guilty Pleasures
I like to share the vicissitudes joys of life on the farm with those I love. So this morning I sent the above shot of Pinky and Perky in their playpen in my kitchen, replete and mercifully (temporarily) quiet after breakfast, to my brother. His response? “You’re microwaving them?”
One of my more popular posts has proven to be this one, written in October 2020, about my hacking efforts with my two eight-foot hay feeders made using Premier Panels, in which I described the process of turning them into four four-foot long feeders. I regularly get notifications that it's been viewed by others, and… Continue reading Midwinter’s Update on my Premier Panel Hay Feeders
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening Whose woods these are I think I know. His house is in the village though; He will not see me stopping here To watch his woods fill up with snow. My little horse must think it queer To stop without a farmhouse near Between the woods and frozen… Continue reading Winter On My Farm
I had a peripatetic childhood, and by the time I finished high school I’d attended well over a dozen schools on three different continents, with time off for good behavior during a glorious year (in about third grade) where there wasn’t a school anywhere in sight. My mother, who was largely disinterested in her parenting… Continue reading Entertaining Angels: Life Comes Full Circle Edition
Two things got me thinking of this "oldie but goodie" post, first published on Ricochet in 2014: First, I inspected the nether regions of a few of my ewes the other day, in order to adjudge the imminence of any blessed events. (Another couple of weeks, I think; things generally start popping around here in… Continue reading Reflections On a Childhood Hymn
In which I expose my DIY efforts to the hilarity and ridicule of the men following me (there are more of you than I have a right to expect at my age, trust me), “weak and feeble woman” that I am. Next time you’re tempted to go down that path, ask yourselves how things turned… Continue reading A Good Piece of Gear: Building a Pair of Driveway Gates