Giving Back.

Sometimes I get in a mood and feel a bit down and out. It happens as a Caregiver and it happens around Holidays.
Social Media is not helpul as everyone is posting these great photos of big family get togethers and cheery this ... and cheery that.

Not everything is cheery for some folks during the holidays.

However. Sometimes things happen to pull you out of the dumps.

I pulled the trail cams cards out of the spots where I have them and got this funny video of a nice trophy buck laying down while does trot on by him. This was taken on the second day of hunting season when two neighbors got really nice deer.

 Both neighbors are hunters for the meat and not just trophy hunters. 

I shared this with my young friend Olive on the ridge after she sent a photo of her husband with his beautiful buck.

Yes, I'd photographed the buck her hubby got earlier this year in my meadow. I recognized him. She was worried that I'd be upset and I told her that I'd gotten 'my shot' of him earlier in the year with a long lens, so I was happy for them to have meat for their freezer and a trophy for her husband.

Then I got a text asking if I'd like to visit for a cup of coffee. My answer was Yes, yes, yes, yes... 

I got to spend an hour with her and her little guy Orson, who is just turning 7 months old. Now THAT is a sure fire way to cheer anyone up. Spend time with a crawling happy baby whose face lights up with infectious smiles and whose eyes are so bright and cheerful.

I found out that she had wanted to go out and join the gun hunt, but her husband was busy with coaching the wrestling team in town again this year. I asked if I could watch her kids for her while she went out to hunt.

I saw her look a bit confused at first and then HER face lit up like...well, like a Christmas tree. 

"You'd do that?"

Of course I would! I love kids, I don't even mind crying babies or even fussy babies. Sometimes a person just needs to change the scenery or look forward to an event to change how they feel.

Friday afternoon during hubby's nap time, I'll got watch a 4 year old and a baby while mom gets to go out in the woods and get some much needed ME time on a deer stand. 

It is a win win situation for me. I get some different scenery, she gets a break, and I get to play. Hubby said he was pleased that I'd get to go play with someone my own age.

Hah. Olive has been there for me in so many ways through the past couple of years and rarely can I find a way to help her out. She is a strong minded woman and mom who never wants to impose and is seems always willing to give.

Sometimes Giving Back is just the best medicine.

Manus Manum Lavat

This family of eagles with two juveniles and two baldies are still hanging out around our place. I guess I don't mind at all because they are such incredible looking birds.

I have to scan the trees each day before Charlie gets to go out and do his thing. 

Mica has improved immensely with her diaper padded/booted foot. She was trotting around in the farthest part of the pasture at feeding time last night. It doesn't seem to me that there is an abscess, but what exactly do I know? Perhaps she bruised her foot or something. All I know is that it makes me happy to see the old girl happy again.

I got Rich in for an eye appointment finally! He normally goes to the VA for his eye appointments, but getting anything done through their vision department is at best a bit difficult. I imagine it relates to staffing shortages. And who wants to drive 5 hours for an eye exam anyway? [Especially since I have limited distance vision now!]

Today is my consult with the cataract surgeon. While at the appointment yesterday for Rich I asked if they would be dilating my eyes at the consult/exam. The answer was yes. 

Oh. Crap.
When Olive came over to help me with Mica and do a quick walk before she went to pick up her son, she decided that she would drive me to the appointment. I was shocked but pleased at her offer.

I figured I'd have to sit in the waiting room for hours to get some eyesight back from being dilated.

I told her I wouldn't want to impose on her. She laughed. Of course just this week she announced that she was pregnant and I offered my services to help out with anything she might need. Someone to play with her 2 year old if she was tired, or whatever I could do.

She quipped, "Don't worry! There will be times I call on you to come keep an eye on Aiden while we go for baby scans!"

Yep, that sure sounds reasonable!

I got a text from my neighbors at the top of the hill. Would I feed and walk their dogs this weekend when they went out of town? They hated to impose...but they would compensate me.
I replied that there would be no compensation, I'd be thrilled to do it.

There is an old Latin saying that I learned in my first year of  High School Latin.

Manus Manum lavat.
"One hand washes the other."

It certainly works in rural areas with good neighbors.

A fun snow day ~ Great neighbors

Text: Hey, that snow looks awesome. Wish we could hike today but I'm afraid of widowmaker trees falling down on us in the woods. [because so many trees and branches had fallen down]

My reply: Why don't we walk around the field then? 

Her reply: Okay, meet me at noon on the dot!

My reply: 👍😁

As the noon whistle blew in Readstown over 3 miles away, I stepped into her mud room.

She opened the door and we decided to walk up the road and then come back through the fields. The air was fresh and cold and we headed out.

This is a view across the cropland on the ridge looking west from the cropland we were going to walk on next to the woods.

Charlie wasn't with us. When we walk from her house, we take her husband's dog Barnes, when we hike from my house, we take Charlie. We hope eventually that we can have both dogs with us but Charlie is a bit intimidated by the big brawny cattle dog mix at this time.

The view along our road. When it is cold and windy, this is not the place to be! I prefer the valleys and the deep woods. But this will give you an idea of what our roads look like. Anything that isn't dark brown, is pretty much compacted snow and under that, Ice.

We entered the fields and started to wade through the fresh wet snow and of course it was just two women walking and talking. Yak, Yak, Yak about nothing in particular. Kids, eyes, cross country skis, the snow, and the amazing views.

Over the past week, my new neighbors have walked down twice to say hello and once delivered a plate of cookies! Olive brought cookies too! Talk about a nice place to live with new folks on our ridge.

We are spread out, but our mixed age of folks are all super nice folks.

I was lucky enough to catch this shot of Barnes as he ran towards us through a small trail in the tree line....

Right after I took this photo, he stopped and rolled in something divinely nasty. I guess he was getting a bath after our walk!

My cell phone rang and it was Rich. He was in a snit. Frank was at our place plowing the driveway, WHERE was I? And I needed to be there right now.

I was 1 mile away in a field next to the woods. I just told Rich that I'd text or call Frank and deal with paying him for plowing, not to worry.

As it happened, when we came back up by Olive's house, Frank was coming from our place and I ran out on the road and flagged him down. Frank said our place would be about 11 or noon on his schedule when plowing needed to be done and we worked out pricing and payment. We are sort of neighbors as the crow flies. Another great neighbor.

I got my fresh eggs, and headed home to a nicely plowed hill driveway and Frank also did the turn arounds!

I thought about how living in the city would compare to what I'd just experienced in the past year. And since I haven't lived in a city or town in since 1996, it was hard to imagine.

This morning's text was: 
Hey, hubby is away for 2 days. You want to make a trail for cross country skiing? We can pull Aiden in a sled! 

If nothing else, my younger and very adventurous neighbors will help keep me active won't they?

Todays jobs? Check out the newly fallen snow and hopefully get to town for my gym session and old mule feed. Start a pot of chicken soup, and by late afternoon, go snowshoeing. That sounds okay in my book.

Life in the Slow Lane.

I like it.

Snow mules:

Busy Week

Charlie digs the little hammock I have for our summer afternoons of laziness under the Hickory tree. He can lay on my chest and watch for squirrels and birds and I can swing slowly in the breeze and watch the sky.

Thursday morning was one of our typical foggy mornings were it was warm and sticky. I thought I'd be smart and walk down through the woods and check for Chicken of the Woods or something interesting before it got really muggy.

I found these!

Chicken of the Woods! Now I've seen them before and even tried a tiny bit last year. But since my neighbor Olive raved on about them, I picked some and then sent her a photo asking if this was what she was talking about. I picked them, afraid that the slugs lining up would really mess them up.

She started texting back at how THIS was it and they were delicious! I said I could bring it to her and she asked if she and her son Aiden could come down in the afternoon and I could show her the other ones. 

Of course!

Ever take a two year old on a hike in the woods? He really did quite well. When she set him down, he grabbed sticks and scooted around on logs and even helped pick more Chicken of the Woods. We ended up with a really big pile.

I took them down into the Meadow and a short way down the forest trail to see some fungi she'd described.
The books describe it as False Coral Fungi and it has a horribly long scientific name. Though it looks like bird droppings when it first starts, but generally grows on Oak roots from under the ground.
Cool beans, right?

Aiden saw the mules and ran with his toddler legs. The mules all stood quietly and watched. All of them have been around babies and toddlers before. [Mom caught him before he got to the fence.]

Aiden's face when he saw the mules...

I really get a kick out of some of the common names of fungi. The one below is perhaps...White Cheese Polypore. Not necessarily something you would want to eat though.

 

The thrill of the afternoon was Aiden discovering our 4 wheeler parked in the yard. He just had to sit on it and 'drive' it. Boys and machines!

I walked with Olive back home while she pulled Aiden in the Radio Flyer. I carried the big loot we'd gotten and she said she'd prep it and freeze some for us. I told her to make sure she had enough for them to enjoy and freeze too.

She commented on how fun it was to meet someone who liked doing what she did. And how hard it generally was to ask anyone to go into a messy forest on a hot day and look for fungi.

We sure had a laugh over that.

Olive said she had wanted to walk down to our place and meet us, but never wanted to be a bother. 

I guess we got over that part rather quickly. We know that we both are busy people. Her with her job and her son. Me with my hubby and critters.

But we may find some time here and there to do things both of us enjoy.

That is a win-win for for the both of us. Let's see what happens.

Today is a day for appointments. I have to see the eye doctor again. My vision has changed again since March. 

Hike with Distancing

Teri used to be my neighbor. When they moved in and had their little boy, I babysat for them on my time off from being a Security Guard. Teri and I made a community veggie garden together and they helped out while I was running Rich back and forth for cancer treatments.

Teri's door was always open and I leaned on her often. I used to take her children on hikes with me and we foraged for food in the woods together. Don't get me wrong,....I love the neighbors I have now too! How could I be so lucky to get 12 yrs of fantastic young neighbors!

Her daughter is now 16 and driving. Imagine my surprise at seeing her driving Teri's Subaru. Kids. Stop getting older...it makes me feel older.

 Spring Beauties

Wintergreen with leftover

berries

Pine Moss

or Club Moss

Hepatica

found just above 

one of the ice caves.

Powder Lichen

growing on Moss

We found 100's

of Skunk Cabbage!

And of course a superhero. I always carry tiny toys and when the kids said..."Oh this would be a great spot for some toys!" 

I whipped out some toys and tossed them to the kids. The toys ended up in skunk cabbage, in moss, in a tiny iced waterfall ... and other places.

Here is a sample of what happens when we get a touch of rain and then have warm days and very cold nights that are in the teens.

January....

We had a blast and climbed around in the ice caves which are pretty much melted, but the kids are explorers.  We were surprised at the amount of spring beauties we saw coming up through the leaves. 
Indeed this route was going to become explosive with colors in a few weeks.

Everyone was very good about keeping their distance. One of us would find something and point to it, then back off for the other party to look at it.

Our hike was successful! We all enjoyed a long afternoon in the cold fresh air and made plans to hike again. Hopefully. Teri's schedule is busy.

May Day!

I'm not exactly sure what is going on! But so far it is good news for us. The rest of the world is not in such a place but I count my tiny blessings one at a time these days.

In the morning my neighbor's daughter had a project to do and needed to do some 'Community Volunteer' work for someone. Lauren had asked if I had anything her daughter could do for me. I thought about it and texted back that I did.
Two weeks ago Allie asked if she could have make a tiny video for a school project. The theme was Western. So she dressed up and came down. I handed Lil' Richard to her ... he is our tiny pony that stands at 32 inches. Mom took her video of Allie saying hello to her on line school mates and loved every second of it!

So I told her mom that since I tied Lil' Richard out in different areas would she mind spreading some of his piles of manure? I normally do it every day to break down the manure but had been a bit remiss lately.

Allie chattered the whole time we worked together while keeping our distance. She made short work of the manure.

We ended up pulling some old burdock by Rich's junk pile. I let her toss the burdock with out the big balls of seeds into a pile. When she ended up with burdock on her hat and jacket she decided she'd like to get rid of the ones coming up!

I showed her how to use a long bladed shovel to dig the burdock up by the roots. She went about that with great gusto.

When that became tedious we hunted around for some wild parsnip do dig up. Allie said she had two hours of work she wanted to do.

So we went on the hunt for Parsnip. A few things happened during our two hours. Allie learned to recognize parsnip leaves and burdock leaves. She asked if she could come down again to rake up Lil' Richard poop... She chatted on as we talked about burdock being the inspiration for Velcro. She told me a story of how band-aids were invented.

And when she found out that I actually would eat the wild parsnips, she gathered up the ones we found to take home. I gave her the directions on how to wash and prepare them for cooking. She repeated the directions almost verbatim back to me.
True, wild parsnip can be eaten and it is tasty! It is also a pain to clean and prepare, but so worth the extra effort.

Allie went home with an armful of wild veggies that she was so enthusiastic to try.

What a great morning I had!


After lunch I worked on my fencing project and got it all set up finally. The mules will have some fresh grass. Though we seriously need some rainfall as everything is dry as a bone around here.

My next huge surprise was when Rich came out of the house and fired up the skid steer.

There are two huge piles of dirt next to the driveway. One pile was manure and is now composted into some fantastic dirt. It has been there SO long that it felt like part of the scenery.

The second pile of dirt is road gravel and ditch dirt. About 5 years ago the township cleaned the ditches and Rich told them to drop the 'fill' next to the compost pile.
In truth, I never imagined after all of Rich's health issues that he'd ever...EVER get anything done outside again.

Since his stroke and then the PE, he has been a Hermit who did not go out for any reason other than a doctor's appointment.

Justin came down to get some of the 'fill' and apparently the talk the two men had motivated Rich.
I think so at least!

I spent the afternoon with Rich while he operated the skid steer and we began cleaning up ruts and holes in the yard. These projects had been on permanent hold and I'd given up hope for ever getting things tidied up.

I did the hand shoveling work, he brought the dirt to fill in holes and ruts all over the yard.

He is talking about tackling the side yard which has been an utter mess since we remodeled in 2016.

Last night he cooked steaks on the grill.

Okay.
I need a nice soft place to faint.

A bit of fun x country skiing

A snow storm was predicted to dump 6 to 8 inches on Wednesday and over night it did snow. By about noon the next day it was sunny and bright.
The kids' schools had cancelled out due to the predicted weather.

I felt lucky because the kids wanted to go cross country skiing and I jumped at the chance to make new tracks in the snow.
We all felt it would be wise to take advantage of the sunny day.

The weather service predicted an ultra cold blast with winds beginning on Thursday.

How could I pass up going through the 'tunnel' again. This time I could see clearly.

The skies were bright clear blue and amazing.

And then we settled into the deep freeze.

The 4th

Sunrise found a group of us on the ridge watching the sun arrive for the day.

The day was going to be hot, hot, hot with heat indexes in or around 100.

What an incredible morning. The photos can speak for themselves.

We spent a good part of the afternoon on the porch in front of the fan.
Charlie had the proper idea...

The dogs played some but the heat wore them out...

After the storms moved through and we ate...the fun began on the ridge.

Sparklers have a new name. In Logan-ese, they are aptly called Sprinklers!

Fearless Daryl lit things off...

And the kids enjoyed the glow sticks....

The fireworks commenced and later on we stargazed.

And life was good...