New Year part 4- The Trebuchet

While we were wattling away, Pete was testing out the siege weapon that he, Tim, and McKay built in the two days prior. A french siege weapon known as a trebuchet. You read that correctly. These guys built an actual working french catapult. Kudos to them. i just can't say enough great things about these folks. Below is a hilarious yet ridiculously impressive video update we received while wattling. Enjoy!

Lorna and I made about 30 bean bags and stuffed them with one pound of cracked corn. Some of the bags will be set ablaze using sterno or some such fuel. (We used cracked corn because it can be eaten by numerous animals.) All bags will be catapulted toward the rabbit via the trebuchet. ya just gotta love this stuff!!

This magnificent piece of equipment as well as numerous hand-crafted swords, tabards, and helmets will be brought to the farm, er, I mean castle this morning. Believe it or not, the masterful trio somehow found time to make several of these. Do they sleep? Well I am convinced Tim doesn't, and not sure Pete does either. These guys are simply amazing with their energy and enthusiasm.

And so that brings us to today. Lynn and I are busy cleaning, decorating, and cooking. The mobile armory will be arriving shortly to aid in the Battle of Buddrick.

I simply cannot wait for the arrival of numerous folks donned in medieval garb, ready to ring in the New Year. I have a feeling we are going to have a good time.

Happy New Year. I will be sure to let you know how we all fared. It just may take a few days, lol.

New Year part 3 - The rabbit

So where was I? Oh yes, we went out with the rally email. Later that afternoon, Tim, Pete, and McKay show up twice to deliver parts of the rabbit that they had been constructing. Here is a pic of the form they built.

The based is comprised of three lightweight older doors with a wooden track atop.The form is primarily soldered rebar with pvc serving as a support for the head.

Jump ahead a couple of days. Lorna and Tim show up and we head out to the woods to gather lean, young trees for use in the wattling technique of the body. Here are some pics of the process:

After much wattling and wood collecting we ended up with an almost complete rabbit shown here.

The rabbit will be finished up this morning. I believe we are at the stage where we will use a mixture of pine boughs and grapevine for the finishing touches. Logs will be placed inside(yes, we left an opening to insert them) for use in the fire. The structure will be relocated, by many hands, to the appropriate place in our field.

New Year Cont'd

And so out went the invite. The next morning I get an email with a phone follow up from Tim. The email was from him, or rather his alternate ego, Lord Mushroom of the Knights of Crown Royal, to me, The Queen with a plea to rally the troops. The email I wrote below is the result of our conversation, and his email. This was sent to all invitees. You can see how this whole thing starts to take on a new life, thanks to Tim.

  

  

Good People of Scotchery,

It is I, your Queen of the Cordials, Spirits, and Firewater lands of the North. I have dispatched this Royal Raven to you in an effort to convey the latest information received from our Royal Knights, who are bravely scouting our great lands in search of the Barbarian King Budrick Weiser, confused ruler of DeBeers, and self purported ruler of the North. My brave and dear people, I, your Queen, implore you to gather your forces and secure your lands, and more importantly, your grog supply. This is a time that requires strength and vigor, neither are in short supply in these lands. We must preserve our way of life, our people, and more importantly, our hooch. Below you will find the first of many dispatches from the field. This first comes from none other than Lord Knight Mushroom.

 

Queen Lee;

The Barbarian King Budrick Weiser, King of the North, and Ruler of the DeBeers, has been seen north of the Mall marching south.  

Unimpeded his horde will reach us as soon as the "Eve of the Year that is New!"

Please forward ravens to the Marvelous Heroes of the Realm to warn and rally them!!!!

The Knights of "Lee", order of the Crown Royal, are preparing to defend Queen's Landing,

we have consulted the "Holy Book of Armaments", and the forges of Castle LaRue and our war engineers are "Fired Up!"

Our spies will alert us of enemy advances, and we will periodically send a raven updating you on our defensive preparations.

Member of the Queens Guard

The Mushroom Knight

 

 

Your somewhat humble, Queen Oban Lee, ruler of the aforementioned areas

  

Bringing in the New Year

The holiday season is a busy one for most. We are no exception. We have numerous social events to attend, decorations to put up, presents to wrap, and much food to prepare. In addition, it has become a tradition among our crazy band of folks to ring in the New Year with a bang. Or more specifically with fire.

You may recall our celebration last year that we titled the Pagan Purge. It was a wonderful cleansing of the negativity we all carried. In short, a tremendous experience.

This year we decided to take a different approach, one of complete silliness. After all, this year has been a strange blend of much love and much loss. So we landed on recreating the Trojan Rabbit sequence from Monty Python's movie The Holy Grail. Since then it has morphed into a mix of mythology, movies, and, more importantly, silliness.

I have decided to share this with you ahead of time, before the actual event takes place. This will allow you to get a better feel for just how we operate. We are all members of the "can do" club up here and I love it.

And so it began with yet another conversation, more than likely over some drinks between myself and Tim. This time we actually got a jump on it and the work began last week. Tim visited one morning to share his, and our friend Pete's, vision of the rabbit and asked that I send out an email invitation to folks. Here is the invite that was sent. I will post more later.

My apologies but I just can't stop

taking pics of this kid. She just kills me. here she is sporting her new hoodie.

Progress

Lynn has mentioned before that Wilma has not been exactly welcoming towards Tilly. We have been working on this. Slow and steady wins the race. Under normal circumstances, integrating would be faster but given the incredible size difference, we have decided to take it easy and glide into it.
Today Tilly and Wilma spent some time outside together sans Magnolia. (who is on the mend with a sprained foot, probably resulting from her numerous play sessions with the little one) Wilma initiated wanting to go outside so I complied. The result was terrific. Tilly was thrilled and Wilma was quite happy with herself.

Wanna go for a  walk? wanna? wanna? huh? huh?

Tilly just thrilled and trying to keep up

WOW, you're really big

The Dil was so patient having Tilly underneath her for most of the walk

Wilma also wishes you

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays

From Tilly

Christmas decorating has begun

Yesterday we celebrated our third annual wreath-making afternoon. Lorna and Lynn made wreaths while I opted for the swags. Additionally, we bought our tree and it is standing in the living room waiting to be adorned. I love this time of year. :)

Lynn's creation. I like the use of birch bark in this

Lorna's winter berry mix wreath hangs on our front door

a few twigs an a bow brings holiday life to this milk can

The swags I made. Not bad if I say so myself. I will hang these on the front proch in place of garland.

Do you remember the days

when everything was a toy?

Tilly

is a constant reminder of why I chose not to have children.

On the bright side, moments like these are precious.

Oh the damage a little leak can do

We developed a mystery leak in our living room ceiling on Tuesday.  Actually I noticed a small spot on the ceiling late Monday evening.  There had just been a quick, but freakishly robust wind and torrential rain storm an hour before.  I naturally thought that the wind had somehow drove water behind the siding and that it had managed to find its way between the 1st and 2nd floors of the house. So when it was still there on Tuesday morning, and had grown a little, I still thought it would dry out over the course of the day.  That didn't happen.  By Tuesday evening, the leak had grown substantially and was dripping through the sheet rock into buckets.  By Wednesday morning, the spot had expanded, as had the dripping, and now there was a new bubble forming in a new location.

Clearly whatever was leaking had picked up the pace.  The problem was there is only a bedroom above the living room; no bathroom anywhere near the spot where the leak had manifested.  We do have baseboard heating, but the pipe that is exposed in the bedroom above was dry; no sign of leaking.  There is a segment of pipe that runs between the floors, but it seemed too far away to be the culprit.  We were perplexed. But there was no other answer.  It had to be the pipe.  So we called in the plumber.  He showed up Wednesday morning and had some fun ripping out the ceiling as he traced the water to the source.  It was the pipe.  Whoever sheet rocked the ceiling years ago had drilled a screw right below the pipe.  We're not sure whether the screw just barely dented the pipe and over the years it has rusted and created the pin hole, or whether the two differing metals had set off a chemical reaction that slowly corroded the pipe. The end result was the same; a slow leak that had created a large pool of water that had taken some time to soak its way through the sheet rock.

The joys of home-ownership.

Oh the weather

So today our high will be 65 degrees. Crazy, when you consider our high of 22 on last Friday with inches of snow on the ground. Of course the animals are loving it.
Is it just me or has the weather just been nuts over the last five years or so? Granted, weather plays a huge role in our lives now so it could be just a heightened awareness. Who knows?
Regardless, I have been thinking a lot about emergency preparedness in the event of a winter storm. Not to the point of paranoia mind you, just trying to be safe rather than sorry. For example, last year we had an ice storm before Christmas that caused numerous power outages in outlying towns. We were spared, but prepared for the worst. We gathered buckets of water, stocked the wood in the house, laid out candles, filled the hurricane lamps, etc. That storm made me realize that we may have need for more in the way of back up. We have numerous animals outside who require water. We are on a well, therefor when the power goes out, so does the plumbing. It is not reasonable to store enough water for drinking, cleaning, and flushing. Additionally, we use heat-dishes to keep the water from freezing. More power required.
After much deliberation and research, I purchased a portable generator for emergency back-up power. Our favorite electrician is in the process of getting us wired for business. He has already created a sub-panel off of our main box that contains the switches for our desired emergency electrical needs: furnace, well pump, refrigerator, chicken and duck coops, sheep barn, etc. There will be a master transfer switch installed that will be used in the event of an outage. This switch routes all listed appliances to the generator and basically prevents utility workers from being killed in the event the utility power comes back on, as well as not blow our panel to smithereens should power be restored. The switch is critical. And should be professionally installed.
In case you are interested, I chose to purchase the Champion 7500 Watt gasoline powered portable generator. Based on my research this brand has an excellent customer service rating as well as performance.
Overall I am happy with the decision. It's not cheap but it is hard to put a price on peace of mind.

Cheers
Nora

When in snow...

Build a snowman. So we did. A Tilly sized one.

Unfortunately, Mr. Snowman met a violent and quick death. I guess a carrot nose is not the best when dealing with a puppy.

RIP Frosty, I hope you made the most of your 55 seconds of life!!!!

This morning's snow

As Nora's post mentioned, we received (and Mother Nature is still giving) our first true, sticking snow last evening with a coating of about an inch on all surfaces by early this morning.

For anyone who thinks that animals take the change in seasons in stride and that it's just us humans that complain, you should have been at the farm this morning.  There was nothing but a constant stream of expletives from everyone but the dogs.  The sheep and ducks were still screaming at me as I headed out to the office at 8:30, several hours after letting them outside for the morning...Nora just emailed to say the sheep were still baa'ing at her whenever she walked outside and it's now almost 1pm!  She had to entice them back to the barn and remind them they have plenty of hay in the feeders to eat.  Unfortunately, they're only interested in throwing a hissy fit that their grass has been covered with this dreadful white stuff.  The ducks have yet to accept the fact that it's too cold for their daily constitutional in the pool, despite temps in the 30s for over a week. The hens just down-right refuse to leave the comfort of their coops; they're no fools.  Only the dogs (especially the puppy) enjoyed their first romp of the season in the snow.

Oh right, it snows in November

So this morning is the first real snowfall we have had this season. Up until today some squalls and flurries. Granted, we are only due to get about 3 inches, it still counts. So I took some pics.

I am Tilly, hear me roar

just kidding

Some big sisters rock!!

Tilly had a challenging morning today. She was attacked by a leaf, not once, not twice, but three times. Luckily, her moms were there to fend off the arborist beasts.  These demons affix themselves to innocent puppy bottoms in the rain, refusing to let go, no matter how fast the little one runs. Simply ghastly.
So Magnolia stepped up to the plate to help.

They rolled

and danced

Looked adoringly at each other

even shared a leaf.

Thanks Mags, we owe ya one!!

Dreaming of being a farm dog

while sleeping on Mom's boots

Rutabaga harvest

This year we had a ton of success with our root vegetables. The rutabagas(also known as yellow turnip) are the last to be pulled. I am super happy with the result. The reason for success? I believe it is our use of the raised beds. Take a look at the crop. I can't wait to cook them up for Thanksgiving.

Saying no to a Corgi

Tilly is determined to pull the stuffing out of one of the dog beds. I thought I would share with you her response to my correcting her.

Is it a wonder that I suddenly find myself exhausted this week? lol

Tilly and Magnolia

Magnolia is a saint. The little one has realized she can crawl on, bite, and swat at Magnolia without consequence.  Magnolia's boundless patience puts Nora and me to shame.

Another shot from last evening

This morning in front of the fire, after Tilly's big outing to help me with the hens, ducks and sheep.  Farm dog in training.

Wilma, however, is a lot less fond of her new, little sister. That relationship is going to take some time to develop.

More Tilly

Lynn finally meets her Corgi. For years she has wanted one and I protested. As you can see, I caved.
And I have to admit, she is freaking cute. Just working with her much larger sisters on how to handle a puppy the size of a shoe, lol.

Newest addition to the family

Meet Heulwen Mathilda.  She is an 8-week old, Pembroke Welsh Corgi. Heulwen is her Welsh name, meaning “sunshine”, but we will call her Tilly.

She is on her way home with Nora and our friend, Lorna, from Vermont as I write this.  I can't wait to meet her!  More photos to follow....

Pumpkin time

So we decided to carve the pumpkins we grew tonight. I will roast the seeds later on. Love pumpkin seeds with a ton of salt.

Lynn's creation

And in honor of Game of Thrones or what I like to call "Lack of Dragons", here's mine

Dramatic sky tonight

It's that time of year again

And Lynn is having a ball.

Don't even think of booing me ya little freak

Is that traction? Time to change chiropractors dude.

That's all I  the pics I am sharing this year. But rest assured there are screaming rats, skeletons, chopped and gagged heads, tarantulas, bats, hands, and skulls abound. Happy Halloween. If you're into that sort of thing. :)

Another good-bye

We had to say good-bye to our beloved ferret, Louie, yesterday.  And although very sad, we're thrilled that he lived out his full life (typical life span tends to be 4-7 years, and he made it past 7). He was the last remaining ferret out of a group of 4 that we adopted 7 years ago.  When the last of his siblings passed, he made a new friend in Wilma.  Every morning, I would let Louie out of his pen and he would have freedom to run around the house.  When it was time to bring him back to his room, Wilma would follow us upstairs and the two of them would wander around for a bit more, with Wilma gently (most times) nudging him with her huge head when she wanted him to go in certain direction.  Then I would pick him up, she would give him a Wilma kiss (think kissing a cow or manatee), and he would get his morning treat and go back to sleep.  She was quite lost this morning, searching high and low for him.  I wish I could explain it to her.

I have owned ferrets off and on (mostly on) since my junior year in college.  Out of those years, I went for a 4 year period without after the death of my first ferret, Maverick.  Nora started the cycle again by surprising me with a new ferret, Ripley, smuggled into California (where they are illegal - don't ask, stupid law) from Oregon by friends of ours.  There was another 2 year respite after Ripley's untimely death from cancer (he was 2), but since then we have enjoyed life with another 7 ferrets -- each of them with their own unique personalities, and some full of "piss and vinegar" as Nora would say.  Oh, the stories we could tell.

But the time has come to shut the door on the ferret era.  Good-bye Little Man.