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dragonlady7via http://ift.tt/2GYpDLB
Drove back from Troy to Buffalo. Despite it not being a normal west-to-east weather system, the aftermath of the storm was precisely the same for the entire length of the Thruway. Looked like they got over a foot of snow by Syracuse, but our driveway had eight to ten inches in it, compacted a bit, so. Trees down everywhere, snow still stuck on power lines and branches and things. Very Winter Wonderlandy and pretty. Listened to Django Rhinehart and watched the scenery roll by. It went much faster than usual because Dude was driving so I could stare out the windows and zone out without, you know, careening off the road or into the back of somebody.
I’d carefully cleaned the house before we left, did all the dishes, emptied all the garbages, emptied the strainer baskets in the kitchen sink so there’d be no rotting food. And so I expected, for once, that my house wouldn’t smell disgusting. But, alas, I’d forgotten to empty the cat’s litterbox. (She’s at Dude’s mom’s.) So it smelled of cat shit. I emptied them immediately, and now it smells better in here, but I’m also used to it. We’ll get her back tomorrow.
I had the usual farm experience, where I was busy all day every day and got a lot done but didn’t get anything I actually intended to done, pretty much. I did get a Russian grammar textbook from my dad, and did a whole photoshoot for product photos for the farm’s meat being sold through an online local-foods venue, which should be good for them. Washed a lot of eggs, did a bit of cooking. And I repaired all of my sister’s jeans, which were getting worn out– some for off-farm wear, some for on-farm work. I’m now really good at both visible and invisible mending, and did some experimentation with both. It was just nice to do that kind of handwork, because I know she appreciates it, and I just never bother doing it for things of my own.
I also hung out with my niece a lot. and so did Dude, who is “not good with kids” but also has a great combination of patience and sarcasm that means little kids just plain cannot get enough of him.
I’ve already been dethroned as Best Aunt, though, because Middle-Little took Farmbaby to a kids’ expo where she got to meet two Octonauts characters, and those guys are her favorite and have been since before she could pronounce their names. (Her real favorite is “Shellington”, which before she could say L’s was really something to puzzle out. He had a brief stint as her imaginary friend before she decided on a made-up person named Coconut sometime during her threenagerhood. Coconut persists as a kind of id, or perhaps an avatar of mischief, I’m not sure.)
I did not get to do my maple sap distilling experiment yet; first, the sap was only running slowly because the nights weren’t cold enough, then the sap wasn’t running because it was just plain too cold. You need warm days and cold nights. So I’m going back in 2 weeks or so but that may be too late. We’ll see. Maybe not.
I want to get the yurt set up before the end of April. Last year it was already May when I did it, so. We’ll see.
(Your picture was not posted)
Drove back from Troy to Buffalo. Despite it not being a normal west-to-east weather system, the aftermath of the storm was precisely the same for the entire length of the Thruway. Looked like they got over a foot of snow by Syracuse, but our driveway had eight to ten inches in it, compacted a bit, so. Trees down everywhere, snow still stuck on power lines and branches and things. Very Winter Wonderlandy and pretty. Listened to Django Rhinehart and watched the scenery roll by. It went much faster than usual because Dude was driving so I could stare out the windows and zone out without, you know, careening off the road or into the back of somebody.
I’d carefully cleaned the house before we left, did all the dishes, emptied all the garbages, emptied the strainer baskets in the kitchen sink so there’d be no rotting food. And so I expected, for once, that my house wouldn’t smell disgusting. But, alas, I’d forgotten to empty the cat’s litterbox. (She’s at Dude’s mom’s.) So it smelled of cat shit. I emptied them immediately, and now it smells better in here, but I’m also used to it. We’ll get her back tomorrow.
I had the usual farm experience, where I was busy all day every day and got a lot done but didn’t get anything I actually intended to done, pretty much. I did get a Russian grammar textbook from my dad, and did a whole photoshoot for product photos for the farm’s meat being sold through an online local-foods venue, which should be good for them. Washed a lot of eggs, did a bit of cooking. And I repaired all of my sister’s jeans, which were getting worn out– some for off-farm wear, some for on-farm work. I’m now really good at both visible and invisible mending, and did some experimentation with both. It was just nice to do that kind of handwork, because I know she appreciates it, and I just never bother doing it for things of my own.
I also hung out with my niece a lot. and so did Dude, who is “not good with kids” but also has a great combination of patience and sarcasm that means little kids just plain cannot get enough of him.
I’ve already been dethroned as Best Aunt, though, because Middle-Little took Farmbaby to a kids’ expo where she got to meet two Octonauts characters, and those guys are her favorite and have been since before she could pronounce their names. (Her real favorite is “Shellington”, which before she could say L’s was really something to puzzle out. He had a brief stint as her imaginary friend before she decided on a made-up person named Coconut sometime during her threenagerhood. Coconut persists as a kind of id, or perhaps an avatar of mischief, I’m not sure.)
I did not get to do my maple sap distilling experiment yet; first, the sap was only running slowly because the nights weren’t cold enough, then the sap wasn’t running because it was just plain too cold. You need warm days and cold nights. So I’m going back in 2 weeks or so but that may be too late. We’ll see. Maybe not.
I want to get the yurt set up before the end of April. Last year it was already May when I did it, so. We’ll see.
(Your picture was not posted)
