Mountain snobs

In French, Verts Monts is literally translated as Green Mountains. Hence, the name Vermont. The first people to come to Vermont were French, if you don't count the natives. Sadly, few people do, which is too bad because they have really cool names.

The Green Mountains are part of the Appalachian Mountains, a range that stretches from Quebec in the north to Alabama in the south.

Before it became a state, Vermont was known as the Green Mountain Republic. On a map, the state of Vermont is shaped like a V (more or less) to help you remember which one it is. It's neighbor to the east, New Hampshire, has higher mountain ranges, called the White Mountains, donning another kind of beauty.

Westerners don't often appreciate the mountains in the east. With Vermont's highest peak at 4,380 feet, and its neighboring White Mountain's highest point at 6,288 feet, the height is admittedly less than that of the Rockies.  So what? Bigger is not always better.
Trust me.

Green Mountain National Forest, VT

But who's comparing? A true mountaineer will affirm that, by every standard (except height) there is NO comparison. Each mountain range has its own challenges and beauty. Age does not take away identity or history. We were all taller when younger.

It's a pride thing really. All I'm asking is that, if you're from Alaska or California, put aside your altitude snobbery and join us in the east, to enjoy and appreciate the oldest mountain range in North America. So what if the Rockies give you a nose bleed. There are better things in the world. Green is one of them.

for more geography about the aging eastern mountains, see this Eastern Mountain page

Stones of time

This is the Burlington Earth Clock near the shore of Lake Champlain in Burlington, Vermont. 

The Earth Clock is a 43-foot diameter stone circle consisting of 14 stones in a ring. The stones are tall - from five to ten feet high, aligned like a compass. 

When you stand in the center and look west to the Adirondack Mountains, the five stones on that side are positioned to mark the horizon where the sun sets at the Solstices, Equinoxes and the mid-points between these times of the year.

At the center of the circle is a sundial made of flat granite, so when you stand in the exact center of the circle, your shadow tells the time of day.

Detail on the Sundial marks the months, the equinox and solstices. It's not very old but the idea behind it is - that by experiencing nature ourselves we can preserve or restore inner peace.

A shared lake

My 4th grade teacher was Canadian. Every day she rode the bus from Ontario, Canada, to our tiny school in a Detroit suburb, to teach 29 4th graders how to read, write, and love history.  Of all the teachers I had throughout the years, that Canadian taught me more history of the Great Lakes region than anyone. And she did it mostly in song.

Mrs. Durante had brought from home a phonograph, one that played LP records. Each week Mrs. Durante brought records from her collection, choosing an historical song to play over and over again for an entire week, until we all knew the words. I can still sing about the Erie Canal, and I don't even think I've ever seen it.

One of the places Mrs. Durante told us about was Lake Champlain, a lake that encompasses the borders of New York, Vermont, and Canada, into the province of Quebec, where Mrs. Durante was from. Her French Canadian accent only enhanced the stories she told. Our eyes were always wide with excitement as she told of fur traders, Indians, and acted out battles from the War of 1812. Ever since then I have wanted to visit Lake Champlain and experience the wonder she so skillfully established in her 29 students.

This is an engraving based on a drawing by Samuel de Champlain

So now I'm here, looking across the water, imagining the explorer and map-maker,  Samuel de Champlain, as he first tried to capture the layout of the land in this lovely place. Pictures never do justice to scenes like this. And in 1609, the only picture Champlain could make was a drawing that led to this metallic carving, one of the first to depict the Iroquois and Algonquin tribes who lived on Lake Champlain.

Zoo

Of all the animals at the zoo, baby liked the goats (of course) and the Gibbons. Goats are familiar and Gibbons sound a lot like Papa. Both made her equally happy.

Climbing trees

When I was a kid there was a maple tree behind my house I loved to climb. It had just the right kind of branches, not too high up, not too wambly. I would jump up into the crook of the tree, wiggle my way up to the roof of the screened house the tree stood next to, then from there, grab hold of another higher branch and squirm my way onto a horizontal limb that was just the right size for my ten year old body.

I loved that tree. I spent so many hours sitting up there, watching the neighborhood, listening to conversations, watching the birds, playing with bugs.  I used to think, because of that tree, that I liked climbing trees.

But climbing just any old tree isn't the same. A tree has to have just the right angle in the crook, just the right distance to the next branch. If it doesn't things can go terribly wrong.  As William found out today.

I won't reiterate the story since Michelle tells it so well on her blog post, which you can read here.
So that's all I'm going to say about that.

Member of the herd

I love how goats accept new members into the herd. 
When Yogi was 6 weeks old he went to live with our goats, and since they didn't know him, they tried to put him in his place, or get rid of him. He got butted around a lot those first few weeks. Now he's one of them, sleeping next to them at nap time, eating their food, sleeping on their pile of poo (like in this picture). As part of the herd, he has been given passage to all goat lodging.

When new babies are born, all the momma goats look on with interest.
They watch new babies through the fence and realize these new arrivals are new herd members.  They observe our behavior with these new babies, and in some way they seem to learn from that.

The day Bonnie Rose arrived, the goats watched in curiosity. They realized she was a "kid" and didn't try to expel her from the herd. Instead, they received her just as if she had been born there.

She's a happy little goat, sitting with them at nap time, walking on piles of poo, even butting them now and then (as well as butting Nana and the dog).

Baby tries to smile like a goat, with her eyes squinty

I think her head is just about as hard as a goat's horns.

Lazy day

Today was a lazy Sunday. Of all days I enjoy lazy, Sunday is my favorite.

Today Baby Bonnie was tired and wanted to watch her current favorite video Baby Einstein Baby McDonald over and over again. There are three sequential videos but lately she just wants to see this one so we watched it three times before she said a word. When she did finally say something, it was "More" to tell me to play it again.

After we had a late brunch, Michelle tried to get Baby to take a nap, William played video games, and I sat outside in the goat pen for a couple of hours.

And since it was Father's Day, we had what William wanted for supper along with a lot of high spirits. Sometimes it feels good to do a lot of nothing.

I love a lazy Sunday. Especially when it includes hearing Baby say she wants to lie in bed with Nana and cuddle and watch videos.

More babies

We had a nice surprise this morning. Bella, my loveliest goat, had twins. We think they are a week or so early, and a bit on the small side, but SO-O-O cute.

Baby Bonnie was very happy to find them when she visited the pen this morning. She immediately picked the littlest one up and hugged her. Then she dropped her.

We've named them Dottie (the girl) and Denny (the boy). Dottie only weighed 4 lbs. Denny's a bit bigger at 7 lbs.

If you look at them side by side, Denny is much taller and thicker. Hopefully though, Dottie will catch up. The way they were eating today, that won't take long at all.

Peas and Spinach, not just to eat

I used to hate frozen vegetables. When the kids were younger I would never even cook frozen veggies because they always tasted rubbery. That was before I discovered the brilliance of Sauté.

Frozen veggies actually have multiple functions - they work really well as an ice pack, even better than those blue ice packs you buy that cost so much and end up oozing blue all over your knee when thawing out.

Peas work the best as an ice pack, because the tiny little balls of ice in the bag form around your knee, distributing the cold evenly. They also aren't as cold as those blue thingys.  It's far better than eating the peas, too. I've never really been a fan.

Spinach works almost as well as peas. The only problem with the spinach is, once it thaws the first time and you refreeze them, the bag gets a little stiff, since the spinach leaves stick so close together.
Really though, veggie-for-knees are pretty nice, and provide plenty of extra minerals, too.

Oh, I guess that's only if you eat them. And after three thaws, I don't think I will.

Digital baby

Baby loves playing with all our digital equipment. We only let her have them when she's sitting with us, since it's usually safer.

Usually.

Today Baby Rosie asked for my Kindle. I gave it to her, then went about my business, working as usual. I didn't see this as a problem, since I was sitting right there. But Baby had other ideas. She must have heard Mommy say she needed a new book to read.

First, Rosie turned the Kindle Wireless on. I keep it off to save my battery so she had to do this first. Then she went to my list of books and bought one.

I had several book samples in my menu so Baby must have clicked on one, the somehow selected "Purchase" because a few minutes later I received an email that said I had just purchased one. Except I was working while Baby was busy on the Kindle.

Just like Nana, Bonita Rose loves to push buttons.

I guess I'm reading "A Walk to Remember" by Nicolas Sparks. Michelle refuses to read it, she has banned all stories she thinks might be sad.  I apparently have no choice, since I've paid for it.

Task masters

This morning I woke to goats bleating loudly outside my bedroom window. They had followed Yogi down the driveway and wanted breakfast. This was about 7 am. They haven't wanted to eat much once it gets hot, so when they spotted William they galloped back, bellowing as they ran. That's how our morning started. Well mine anyway. William was already out there working.

William is the fence master. Tired of trying to keep the goats out of the front yard, he's installed a fabulous gate, which still lets them eat in their favorite spot - the gully behind the house. William used many of our fallen cedars to make fence posts, creating a rustic yet sturdy appearance. It's a dirty job, but he does it well.

My work is keeping me very busy. It's crunch time for our latest software project, and I work as soon as I role over in the morning, making myself stop at the dinner hour. It's a good thing Michelle and William are around I guess, I'd probably forget to eat. I take a little while out of the middle of the day to water the garden, hose off a goat or two, feed them garlic balls or look at their hooves, then I saunter back to the couch to work a few hours more.

Michelle's chores are probably the most fun. Sitting with baby in the pool, riding the "bike" with William to gather the goats, following baby around with her toilet and and an egg, making sure all the most important things are covered.

By the end of the day we're all very tired. Sometimes we don't even talk at night.
Except Baby. She's the only one who has any energy.