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.
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!
No comments:
Post a Comment