Sunday, May 2, 2010

Busy weekend

What a busy weekend! After my exhausting day Friday, I hoped things would calm down. No such luck.

Saturday we took our annual excursion to the Moscow Renaissance Faire in Moscow, Idaho. Let's be truthful, it isn't much of a Ren Faire but rather a hippy fest, but lots of fun just the same. Younger Daughter is soon to turn 12, and this is her annual birthday treat.

Here's some of the kids (young and older) who came in costume. It threatened some serious rain and wind, but we decided to take our chances and bundled into all sorts of warm clothing under the costumes.


Little Miss Dragonsnack gets her face painted:


There was a raptor rehabilitation display. Long ago I worked at a raptor rehabilitation center when I was in college and it was fascinating. But I had never seen a real live Peregrine Falcon before (star of the book My Side of the Mountain, my favorite book as a child).



This bird was brought into captivity because it was born with a cataract in its right eye - you can see the cloudiness. Without depth perception, it would have died in the wild.


Maid Elizabeth gets a henna tattoo. Henna, be it known, is a natural herbal stain that lasts a couple weeks, then fades. Unfortunately shortly after applying the henna it started pouring rain - and I mean pouring - and the henna was washed off before it "took." We left the Faire after this because we were looking like drowned rats.


Sunday morning. These unclear photos, believe it or not, are two turkeys mating. Ah, spring, when a young gobbler's fancy turns lightly to thoughts of love...



Lydia doesn't want to leave her comfortable chair...


After church, Don repaired the barn door and wall that was pretty much destroyed by Gimli's rampage on Friday.


We are expecting some seriously cruddy weather tomorrow - rain and wind with gusts up to 60 mph - so we spent the day battening down hatches and preparing for nasty conditions.



We took a dumpster run (we have no garbage service in our rural area and instead trot our garbage to dumpsters located around the county) to lessen the amount of loose material that could get picked up by the wind.


I split a mound of firewood with the log splitter, and the kids stacked it on the porch.


I also did all the laundry I could load on our drying racks because I fully expect we'll lose power with this storm. I'll fill all our extra containers with water before bed just in case. Meanwhile we have kerosene lamps, a propane stove/oven, and woodstove for heat, so we'll be fine. With the barn door fixed, the livestock have shelter. We're ready!

5 comments:

  1. My Mom read My Side of the Mountain to me as a child and now she is a science teacher at a little private school and does a unit on the book ending with a Sam Gribly Day where the kids bring in a (stuffed) animal.

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  2. Well, I've been a reader of your stuff for quite awhile, from Countryside to WND and here, prob 3-4 yrs now. I have to say, it's no wonder I like your style, and now I know why - my favorite book as a child also was My Side of The Mountain. Sounds like a little thing, maybe, but those interests and choices made as kids guide a whole host of other things, and lead us in cetain directions.
    All the more reason to be very careful what our children are exposed to!
    Glad to hear you are prepped for the coming storm, and I hope it's not too bad.

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  3. Well at least Lydia has her routine down pat. That's the way to go Don! I'm sure all the critters will be more comfortable for your effort.

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  4. LOL, Teresa and Holly - I tell ya, "My Side of the Mountain" unites a lot of people! The impact that book had on my life is quite literally second only to the Bible. I first read it when I was 10, and ever since then I wanted a rural lifestyle. Early on I realized I couldn't (or perhaps "wouldn't" is more accurate) live off the land like Sam Gribley did, so homesteading is the next best thing.

    Funny thing - about a year ago I got curious about Jean George, the author, so I googled her. I found her website within moments (www.jeancraigheadgeorge.com) including an email address. I wrote an email explaining the impact her book had on my life and where we are now. I sent it with little hope of hearing back - I just wanted to let her know how much that book meant to me when I was a kid. Well, within an hour I had a charming email in return, thanking me and telling me a bit about the how's and why's of writing it. What a neat lady she is. Always nice when someone lives up to the expectations you set up in your mind about them...

    - Patrice

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