Quiet and pictureless

I've been working on needle felting, and have added an entire farm scene, featuring our favorite goats, puppy, chickens, and pig, but have yet to photograph and share. Soon! In the mean time, I'll share stories instead.

Yesterday I drove Alice to SeaTac and we made a stop at Pacific Fabrics on the way where I picked up some supplies to hopefully make Search and Rescue vests for Tilly and me. After dropping Alice off at the airport about half an hour later than I hoped, I did my best to make it to the Mukilteo ferry before rush hour. Before the exit for the ferry, there is a digital sign with the estimated ferry wait time. I was in a pinch to get to Search and Rescue practice sooner than the ferry looked like it would do, so I continued North to drive around through Deception Pass. This meant I wouldn't be driving past the house on my way to the work out, so I called Tim to have him meet me at practice with Tilly, a change of clothes and dinner, and asked him to let the team know I would be late. I might have been on time driving around to the north, but after several miles of stop and go driving, I finally passed the semi-truck broken down in the middle of the road, then a few miles later a second one! That combined with rush hour really bogged down traffic most of the way North. Finally I made it to practice. Even after nearly 3 months off, Tilly did amazing! Don, the leader of are Search group, told Tim Tilly is "extremely talented" and we make a good team. It was a delight to hear. There was very little wind so we worked on me learning to direct Tilly's searching more specifically. Next week I won't be leaving the island before search practice!

Back on the farm, I've given up on keeping the chickens inside the fence. We saw one standing on the roof of the barn, so I don't think there's much I can do but hope they continue choosing sticking together and staying home in their nice warm barn over exploring the world. They seem happy here, so I think we're okay. The still aren't laying eggs but I have come up with a solution for the roosters! We've been shutting the little door to their house at night so in the morning they are locked entirely inside the building which significantly muffles the crowing. If we really got serious, we could close and open their windows every night as well, but without roosters in yard, I can finally sleep in past 4:30! I mean 6:30 - they don't crow until 6:30 right?

Tilly has yet to have much interaction with the chickens, but we really wish she could be friends with the goats. Today we took a leap and bought a muzzle. Tilly's been doing pretty well through the crack in the door and on a leash, but that's not the same as running in the yard together and so we found a compromise where I don't have to worry about the other animals' safety and Tilly has a big distraction on her face to slow her down.  We are hopeful that soon she'll learn to just be and the goats will learn to butt and play instead of run.

For Tim, today was oil-changing day for the cars. It is incredible how much driving we do down here compared to the 30 miles of road, 10 miles of town we were used to. I think my car has driven well over 6,000 miles since March? We can go days without leaving the property and weeks without leaving the island, or we can find ourselves driving three hours a day or more running errands across the state. We did our oil change late enough for last nights rain to dry and well before the rain came again tonight. We were so ready for rain!

Year one on Whidbey

Last week we finally got a few consecutive days that were not quite cold and not quite rainy, but overcast and moist at least. I think it gave all the land a little break to recover and get ready for another spell of August sunshine. We've made a new friend who works with Tim and is part of the fire department, so we're waiting for word from him that the fire bans are lifted to have beach fires. We hear Eastern Washington is up in flames and the whole state has burning restrictions, so despite the brief moisture, it looks like August is not the month for cookouts in Washington. Quite the change from growing up in Juneau where the challenge was to get the fire started and keep it going with soaked rotten wood rather than to contain the fire and stay up to date with regulations.

During one of those spells of cool, moist weather, Oliver decided he needed a little snuggle and crawled into my lap to fall asleep. He's a fickle little critter, very stubborn and single minded. Often when I attempt to pet him because it seems to be what he's asking for, he seems outraged and appalled that I am somehow doing it wrong. He has proved himself useful eating the things no one else will eat, like rinds, and now that our parents are visiting and taking such delight throwing scraps off the porch, he is becoming rather round again. When they leave, we'll have to cut back on his food for a while until he resumes his usual shape before Daniel and Amanda come visit and see what we've done to the poor critter. We think he has doubled in size in every direction in the short time he's been here. 

This week, on the 17th, Tim and I celebrated our first anniversary of marriage. My parents arrived the night before after my dad finished up a certification in Seattle. For our special dinner, we decided to stay in. Tim cooked potatoes from our garden into french fries and beer battered cod for home made fish and chips. I substituted fresh picked blackberries into my lemon/lime pound cake recipe from tier four of our wedding cake. Also fresh from the garden this week has been tomatoes, kale, collards, beets, and garlic. We are up to nearly 6 gallons of blackberries now as well which my mum and I have been regularly adding to on our morning walks with Tilly. 

As an anniversary gift to Tim and a thank you gift to my parents, I made them each a photo album of some of these pictures I've been featuring on the blog for the past year as a sort of summary of events. It has occurred to me that we have far more pictures of animals and scenery than visitors and each other. Now that I am temporarily without a camera (I have a very good digital camera, I just need to find the charger which went MIA during the move. Once the company is gone and Tim is back to work, I'll find it), I am particularly dependent on other peoples picture taking, or occasionally borrowing Tim's phone for a minute when the timing is just right. I'll have to put some thoughts into the kinds of pictures I take for the next year, and until I get my camera back, please send me the pictures you take on the farm!

The morning after our anniversary, Alice (Tim's mom) also arrived to join in the festivities. She brought with her Tim's childhood dog, Boomer, a little brown dachshund who is getting rather elderly. After an initial meeting where Tilly pranced in place with enthusiasm, the two dogs of vastly different sizes and life stages, seem to be getting on just fine. Tilly is now officially a FEMA standards dog, meaning at our last Search and Rescue meeting, Tilly walked around with other dogs and people without causing a commotion and passed her first behavioral test for the team.

Anyways, back with our visitors, our moms and dogs and goats and Grandpa joined us on a walk down the beach where Tim went ahead, jumping on every log and rock with the goats close behind following suit. Once the three had finished with the attraction, Tilly and I mimicked every move, not to be outdone by a couple of goats. She did great scrambling up rocks and balancing between branches, then worked on jumping into my arms from the structure on command. I like making her jump up on to things herself, but figure it's good for her body and good practice to also learn to accept help, particularly jumping down. Dad recently had surgery on his ankle, so decided practicing the art of relaxation and finishing the gaits to our fence would be more appropriate past times than climbing 160 stairs or scrambling down a rocky beach on crutches.

Our chickens have been continuing their levitating antics, spending time in the rafters and Tim claims to have seen the white hen sitting on top of a fence post directly before letting herself loose on the wrong side of the line. One night, Alice and Tim and I were sitting in the hen house watching the flock get ready for bed when one girl, with great concentration, vaulted her body with one big hop 6 feet up to the rafters. Soon others followed, seeming to almost float effortlessly upwards. From there, they hoped into the rafters, Landing in tighter and tighter spaces between the other birds. Our king-rooster went for a space a bit too tight wedged under the low ceiling and resorted to using his beak and wings to hang on as his feet found their grip. One girl flew up and landed on the 3 1/2 inch studs along the far wall. Another crept under the eves where the ceiling meets the walls and tucked herself into a cozy place. Somehow, when they go down they drop like a madly flapping feathered brick, but when the go up it is more like a balloon that a child has lost hold of. Amazing, bizarre animals! And 'Ukraine Chicken', the white #17 hen, is continuing to find herself on the wrong side of the fence. 

Tim's boss is out of town for the week, giving him the perfect time off to spend with all our family. I am taking a hiatus from setting up ("dressing") my weaving loom or getting busy sewing this week as well. Though we are grateful for such appropriate time off, Tim has been really enjoying his job as an electrician, working with great people and building on a great skill. I am also glad for Tim's job because it keeps his wiring skills sharp for when we are in need around the house. Tonight I had a funny sensation when I touched Tim's metal lathe in the shop. Tim tested some outlets and found that indeed, I had been slightly shocked by a loose ground somewhere in the house and it is quite a good thing I have been using the washer and drier upstairs all this time or I may have been rather badly shocked. It's always good to have a project for tomorrow! 

Chicken Mysteries

Today, as I was making scalloped potatoes from our very own garden's potatoes and garlic, and the goat milk I milked, Grandpa called up to let us know one of the chickens was on the wrong side of the fence! Tim managed to heard her back into the hen house with not too much trouble. This evening when I went to check on the chickens, there were yet again not as many as I expected to see. The first time I looked around and counted less than 14, I looked up and was shocked to see some on the 6 foot high loft! How on earth did birds who make a big fuss about hopping up a couple feet manage to get all the way up there? But I accepted it, and tonight started my count with the loft. About 2 in the loft, 2 more on top of the nest boxes, 3 on the roosts where they are supposed to be... but that's only 7! Then I looked up and was utterly shocked by the site 10 feet or so above my head! I have found the rest of my chickens, though the secret is hardly solved. I wonder if they will continue sleeping up there as they get older? It is convenient having hens who can get in the loft as I have had to hide their food up there so the goats will stop breaking in and stealing it.

Other accomplishments this week:
- Grandpa picked 3 beautiful red tomatoes from our garden.
- I picked 2 gallons so far of black berries.
- Tim is still enjoying his job.
- Tilly is learning to do calm obedience work outside around the farm animals rather than race about biting (hopefully her ball) and stirring everyone up.
- I trimmed Tilly's nails and Oliver the Pig's hooves! It went much better than expected and no one cried much.
- All the garlic is now picked though it needs to go somewhere better for proper storage.
- Claire (our property-owning neighbor) and I took a pair of trimmers to the vegetative mass around the stairs. We had a great time chatting and working, though we tried not to go too crazy when we knew Neighbor Jim (her husband) would be coming by to inspect.
- Jim and Claire and Grandpa and Dee and Tim and I took the city bus and ferry across for a special dinner at Ivars.
- Tim has done an excellent job organizing his shop and labeling where everything goes. I helped by sorting all the bits by size and shape.
- We plumbed the barn! By plumbed I mean ran hose with various fittings and valves and splitters here and there.
- All of the chicken breasts have been eaten. Now I need to learn to cook (and eat) wings, drum sticks, and a whole lot of chicken soup. Breast meat is a little easier to eat than all those lungs and hearts and tracheas and feet...

Farm Union

Here are Esther and Petunia, the two friendliest goats we have ever met. We've walked them on leashes along the road to Nancy's house, much to the amusement of all passers by, we've taken them to visit the neighbors and raced them home, we wake up every morning to their eager greetings then spend all day with them either following us around the yard or waiting and watching through the glass doors. 

Meanwhile, Oliver, the friendliest and happiest and smallest pig we have ever seen follows us about if anything interesting is happening, or finds a nice spot right on the edge of sun and shade to sunbathe. When we call his name, he jumps up and races across the yard for a treat (always assuming of course that "Oliver" means "food over here" which is generally the case). 

Tilly is enthusiastic about the goats, but has been working on being calm with them. We leave the sliding door open just wide enough for them to stick their heads through; biting, butting, baaing, and barking. Tilly wishes they were more like her and would play ball and race about.

For reference, this is what life now looks like. As I am blogging or working on my computer, or cooking or eating, I am surrounded by these friendly faces. Personal space and privacy are things of the past.

Earlier today, I opened the sliding glass door a little too wide as I went to go out. After a week of 'recovering from surgery' and having nearly no stimulation or exercise, Tilly seized the opportunity and bolted out! With all 14 chickens in the yard, a tiny pig, and two new goats, Tilly raced at full speed around the circumference of the yard. Trying to remain calm and trying not to imagine disaster on this first off-leash meeting, I stood by the goats and pig and called slightly desperately and panicked for Tim. As Tilly ran wildly feet away, Tim shuttled the chickens to safety then joined me by the goats and pig as she mouthed at them on her passes. "She doesn't want to hurt them, she just wants your attention. She just wants to play with YOU." Tim calmly pointed out. "Oh." I switched from defense to offence. I forgot about the other critters and gave my desperate deprived pup my undivided attention. We raced for the ball, chased each other about in the yard, played fetch and rolled in the grass. She had no interest in the other animals calmly cuddling Tim and they seemed to have enough trust in us to ignore her antics. It had to happen eventually.

Of course, the animals I was relieved by seeing calm around crazy Tilly were the goats. Oliver the Pig never minds anything unless it has something to do with the chances of him getting food. He's a great ambassador in that way, never acting like pray or a toy, never becoming flustered and never making those squeaky toy noises or fast movements. He also treats everyone with equality and indifference. Living up to the reputation of "pig", his self-interest keeps him getting along with all the other critters. Tonight we upgraded his status from 'honorary chicken' to 'honorary goat', moving his entire mini-barn back into the goat barn. It's a little warmer in there during the night and cooler during the day, and there is a great enough size discrepancy that neither species can invade the others food or bed too much. Hopefully they are having a good night together and will keep each other company and comfortable throughout the year.

In human news, Aunt Noree and Bill came by today to drop off a telescope for Grandpa after spending the day at the Oak Harbor car show and Coopville crafts fair. Greenbank was also having 'Highland Games' today and tomorrow is 'Pig Fest' in Oak Harbor - I don't think they mean Oliver. It's a busy weekend on the island!

Welcome Petunia and Esther!

• Goats may cry, and cry, and cry all the way home, making you sound like a kidnapper. 
• Once home, goats may cry every time you leave their sight, making you seriously consider sleeping in the barn.
• Goats can be quite cuddly, particularly if you've left their sight and returned. 
• Goats may decide to go exploring early in the morning, and if they are locked in their house, they will be creative problem solvers. 
• Chickens don't like having their house taken over by goats.
• Goats like chicken food.
• Goats that are very friendly quite get in the way of any repairs or construction projects as they, like the pig, insist in being right up close to what you're doing. 
• Everyone's afraid of the pig. 
• The pig approaches everyone with the same indifference in his never ending quest for more food. 
• Goats like 45lb puppies better than 15lb pigs, with much staring and barking and snorting.
• Giant puppies recovering from major surgery are very excited about goats and will be even more excited about goats when they make the connection between the magic black beans everywhere and the bean producers. 
• Wooden doors between sections of barn are no match for goats, I'm hoping glass doors to my house fair better. 
• Goats, pig, and puppy all like to follow their farmer around, but chickens like to go the opposite way and avoid the fuss. 
• Everyone loves food. 
• There is always more work to be done on the farm, even a farm this small. 
• Always get a puppy last, after the chickens and goats and pig are settled in, so the puppy will think all this farm business is normal and will start off slower and smaller than most of the otehr animals. 

It's beginning to feel a lot like a farm around here

Nothing says "farm" like bucking bails of hay 9-feet up into a loft while the chickens and pig watch with apparent amusement and curiosity. 

First off, Tilly was spayed last Friday, which means a 10-day demotion from 'farm dog extraordinaire' to 'indoor dog who must lay on the doggy bed on the floor and try not to cry'. We've made it to day 5, half way through, and she is beginning to perk up, meaning beginning to be a lot less complacent about the demotion. As hard as it is to keep her calm and leave her out of all the fun, I'd much rather have her throwing her bone in the air all night long than waking up early to stand in the middle of the room and cry inconsolably for hours. It's a strange thing to do to the pets we love and I am so glad not to have to spay any goats ever.

Speaking of goats, today is goat day! Last night, after Tim got home from his first day of work as an official, registered, apprentice electrician, Nancy and I elected to give him some quiet time and took off to milk Tadd's goats. It's been great getting fresh milk once or twice a week and I am getting much faster at milking. On our way home from milking, we picked up 12 bales of hay from Claudia's farm. Hay is heavy. This morning, all that lovely hay that was so nicely strapped into the back of the truck had to be moved by little wagon and hand out of the truck, down the hill, across the yard, into the barn, and up about 9 feet into the hay loft, and then across the 4' crawl space to the far corner of the barn. I am really quite proud of my full, beautiful hay loft now and feel tempted to sleep up there tonight. Freshly whitewashed and filled with new hay, this is the cleanest it is likely to ever be.

Oh, a note on whitewashing! Tim and I yet again got busy whitewashing, this time the goat half of the barn, and now it is looking... much brighter, significantly better, and cleaner, though perhaps if the smell and the chemical burning sensations weren't so bad, we might have done a little more careful and through of a job. Next time!  I decided to use a "wet on wet" application method for the whitewash this time, which means I power-washed the barn, then immediately set about applying the whitewash to the wet walls. I really enjoy power-washing. It's similar to vacuuming in a way; all the yuck vanishes as you move back and fourth across the space. Unfortunately with power-washing, a lot of that yuck gets sprayed back at me and I was very glad to be wearing fogged up goggles that didn't allow me to see too many details of the contents of what was flying about in the air and spray around me.

My recipe for whitewash: Mix 1 part salt, 3 parts hydrated lime, 4 parts water, a little old goat milk. Let sit over night. Rub on damp walls with sponge. "It's not paint, and it's only a barn!" http://fiascofarm.com/recipes/whitewash.html

I figure people have been whitewashing for hundreds of years, so although you should always wear proper eye protection, a mask, rubber gloves, long sleeves, etc, I have yet to notice any severe harmful effects from working with it. Getting some on our recent sun burns (from watching the Blue Angels air show in Seattle) was a little tingly, but nothing a shower didn't cure.

So I am taking my lunch break midway through moving 3 cubic yards of sand and gravel from the tarps where the dump truck delivered it to the floor of the barn, then I need to finish building a divider wall in the corner of the barn for goat food storage and a milking station, then clean up all the construction materials, bicycles, and other non-edibles from around the yard, and aim to meet Tim at the goat lady (Molly)'s house to pick up our goats at 5pm! Another busy day on our farm!