Archive for August, 2006

August 31, 2006 – Thingamajig Thursday #39

Here’s this week’s “Thingamajig Thursday” entry. Also check out
last week’s answer.

As always, put your guess in a comment below.
Answer…
This is an end bracket for an old barn sliding door. The doors are attached to a pipe with a slot on the bottom that receives the rollers. The end of the pipe is held on the ...Read more.

August 30, 2006 – School Begins

Our internet connection is painfully slow, so posts may be erratic until we figure out the problem. All the kids are in school now.

Claire enters high school (9th grade) this year! It’s strange to think she’s just got 4 years left at home.

For equal time, here’s Martin and Emma on their first day ...Read more.

August 29, 2006 – A Garlic Testament

This is a wonderful gem of a book about farming and life, exquisitely written. The title is A Garlic Testament (I think that because it is “a” garlic testament and not “the” garlic testament, author Stanley Crawford, New Mexico garlic farmer allows for another version).

Here’s a great passage that is entitled – The Cranky ...Read more.

August 28, 2006 – Stuck Goat

This evening the goats were bleating like they do when one gets separated or they need help. It’s a different kind of sound than the “feed me” or “milk me” sounds.

Nellie caught her head in the fence.

Trying to get her head out every which way – neck first, nose first, and on…

Finally, it’s time ...Read more.

August 27, 2006 – Why are We Doing This?

Today Linda presented the service a church entitled: Greetings from the non-barcode people: eating and living well in place (first part stolen from a chapter title from Michael Pollan’s Omnivore’s Dilemma). It is kind of ironic as just the night before we considered liquidating all the animals, ceremoniously burning the gardens, and going to ...Read more.

August 26, 2006 – Putting Food By and By

As today was the Memorial for Mildred Grimes, we weren’t able to go to market. I’m glad we went to the service – it was very beautiful. We were, however left with many tomatoes, beans, and raspberries to “use or lose.” Linda and Emma canned 21 quarts of tomatoes.

We’ve got our old ...Read more.

August 25, 2006 – Photo Friday “Circle”

This week’s Photo Friday Contest theme is “Circle.” Here is my entry.

This is a Gaillardia from our garden photoshopped into a round shape.
Here’s what Wikipedia says about Gaillardia:
Gaillardia is a genus of drought-tolerant annual and perennial plants from the sunflower family (Asteraceae), native to North America. It was named after M. Gaillard de Charentonneau, an ...Read more.

August 24, 2006 – Thingamajig Thursday #38

Here’s this week’s “Thingamajig Thursday” entry. Also check out
last week’s answer.

As always, put your guess in a comment below.
Answer…
This is a three point attachment for a tractor with a receiver-type hitch commonly attached to trucks and cars. It can be used to haul trailers and equipment with ball connections.

August 23, 2006 – The World Swallows Martin

Here’s the world opening up its mouth to swallow up my little boy!

Like all of us, he was very brave in starting his whole new world. So many questions – how do I act, who will be my friends, what will I eat, can I do it? For Martin, it is just the beginning ...Read more.

August 22, 2006 – Livestock = Deadstock

There’s a saying – if you’ve got livestock, it won’t be long before you have deadstock. Two things struck today. We had a group of laying hen chicks in with some of our broilers that free-ranged during the day and were locked up in a building at night. The layers are much younger and smaller. ...Read more.

August 21, 2006 – Last Martin-Daddy Day!

I still can’t believe this day is here. Most MWFs since Martin was born were “Martin-Daddy” days. Today was the last one as he starts Kindergarten on Wednesday. I’m not sure what it means to him or me with him gone each weekday at school. He was my constant companion and helper ...Read more.

August 20, 2006 – Today’s Bounty

Fellow scavenger and bargain hunter neighbor calls me about 5:00 yesterday and informed me of this “rummage sale” at a former small state nursing home. Everything was for sale, but nothing was marked – it was make an offer.
The best bargain, I think, is an 8 ft long stainless steel table.

I did a quick ...Read more.

August 19, 2006 – Unnatural Fruit of the Garden

You’ve all seen the unnaturally shaped garden vegetables – misshapen potatoes and squash seem particularly amenable to be Rorschach Test subjects. Some are even purposely grown in uncommon shapes in special vegetable molds.
We have a tomato entry (unmodified) in the non-standard tomato shape contest.

I will let the readers jump to their own conclusions regarding the ...Read more.

August 18, 2006 – Mildred Grimes

A notable person in our community passed away this week. Mildred Grimes was perhaps most notably known for the Nature Center at Grimes Farm. Mildred and her husband had tended the farm with TLC by planting trees, restoring wetlands, and reintroducing prairie. They donated the farm to conservation groups for all to use ...Read more.