App bliss

When the iPhone first came out, I was so excited to be one of the first customers. I loved my phone. In those days Apple wasn't too happy about developers writing apps for their product (oddly enough) - but of course, that didn't last long. Soon, hundreds, even thousands of apps came along, just waiting to be discovered. Most people couldn't find them fast enough.

And then there was me.  I didn't want to "gunk up" my phone with a bunch of apps, so I just didn't download any at first. That lasted longer than I want to admit. When I finally did download apps, I was careful about my selections. I know it sounds silly now, but, well.... I won't even try to explain myself.

That was 4 1/2 years ago.  Today apps rule the world of electronics.  I use my phone to get directions, to record a program on my DVR when I'm not home, to scan my business receipts, to take pictures and movies, to cook, to book airline tickets, and even to update my blog. It's great fun for playing games, too.
Ask William.
I also use my iPhone for work, without it I would not have been able to continue my electronic meetings while out in the barn while birthing kids.Yep, it's pretty useful. Can't imagine life without it. Or without apps.

Today I got a new app, Leafsnap. You take a picture of a leaf, and using photo-recognition software, it identifies the posibilities, letting you see pictures of similar leaves, in various seasons and stages, as well as fruit the tree bears, flowers, and even the bark on its trunk.

This leaf is from the tree I call my weeping cherry. It's an ornamental tree, with leaves that look similar to a flowering crab-apple tree as well as a Hawthorn. The identifying factors, though, are the spring blossoms, and the bark. I learned, using Leafsnap, that it's real name is the Higan Cherry. Leafsnap found my tree, and gave me the common and scientific names.

Leafsnap is going to help me create a library of all the trees on my property. I could probably ask someone who knows local trees, but then, I wouldn't remember any of them if I did that. This way will make me learn the trees myself, as well as many of their characteristics. I'm pretty excited about it. Loving trees the way I do, it's just one more thing I get to collect (information).

Or maybe two things to collect. I think I now have 72 apps. That's a decent collection. Sounds like a lot, until I look at William's iPhone.

Autumn harvest

Here it is already the end of October. How did that happen? It seems like such a short time ago William was slaving away building my garden boxes.

The southeast is wonderful with its late harvest. In Michigan tomatoes would have long since dried up, quitting their yield to the chilling nights. But here we are still getting more tomatoes than we can use.

We stopped watering the plants weeks ago, thinking it would slow down. Instead we're now getting 5 to 8 ripe tomatoes at least every other day.

Even I don't eat that much salad.
We sure have enjoyed it though. Fresh tomatoes almost five months straight. Not too shabby.

Surrogate

I always wanted to be a surrogate mother. I'm sure I had no idea what I was thinking, but at the time, it seemed like a wonderful idea.

Left to right: Elaine (sleeping), Emmit, and Emma 1 hour old

Two weeks ago, my biggest Boer, Leia, had triplets. She wasn't really happy about the prospect of that I guess, either that, or she just didn't want to believe that third one was hers. She popped out that third baby with the afterbirth, and never took another look at poor little Emma.

Emma's first touch was from a human. That was me, frantically trying to get Leia to nurse her baby.

Stupid goat. I managed to trick her a few times that first day. The next day we had to tie her up with her head in a grip-hold, so that Emma could nurse. Leia kicks pretty hard. Plus, she managed to step on Emma. That's when I started milking Leia. I managed to do that the first week. Now Emma drinks replacer, that I mix up fresh every day. She really loves her bottle.

Emma, 2 weeks old

It didn't take long for Emma to think she is a dog. She follows me everyplace. She comes as soon as she hears my voice, starts suckling the air before I ever reach her, and jumps on my lap to get her bottle faster than I can sit on the ground. She's super sweet, still tiny, but growing fast.

She should be. I go out there every 3 hours all day long to give her a bottle. Her siblings are passing her up, since they get to nurse about every 20 minutes. Still, she's healthy, strong, and smart. I'm really, really enjoying her.

I sort of got my wish. Somehow, I think I had something else in mind, but I'm not complaining. At least I get to keep this one.

Crazy animals

Autumn weather must inspire nutty behavior. I know it makes me crazy, like when it rains I feel like I have to go outside and run around.

The goats have had some crazy things this week. First, I went outside the other night to feed a bottle. After I finished, I scanned with my flashlight to see where everyone was. I noticed Angel lying in a strange position, her neck was all strechted out, her legs folded funny underneath her. I went over to her and tried to make her get up, but she just lay there, looking up at me with those sad, dragon eyes. That's when I noticed her horn. It looked like she'd been trying to scratch her own neck, and in the process, gotten her horn caught in her collar. It must have been choking her a little, because once I loosened it, she tried to Baaa, and only a funny, hoarse squeak came out.

The next day I was in the yard messing with the leaves. I heard this loud bellowing from the field. Not the usual bleeting, but a high-pitched frantic one, so I ran out to check. I saw the goats standing around in a huddle (they do that when they're worried), and Bella and Ava were running together, Bella's horns where tangled up in Ava's collar. Ava was choking. I ran over to them and took off the collar. They both seemed very grateful.

The day after that, William and I were outside messing with the mower. We were standing there talking when we heard this ridiculous screaming. We looked at each other, and mumbled something about the crazy goats, but when the screaming got even worse, we both went running. William hopped the fence and rushed to the barn. One of the younger goats, Cordelia, had managed to hang herself in the hay feeder. Her neck was wedged so that she couldn't get her head back out, so she panicked.

We haven't had trouble with goat collars all year, and trying to hang themselves on feeders only seems to happen to baby goats who haven't quite figured out how things work, so it's crazy all this happened within a few days. I just hope that's the end of it. Because now we're battling Basil jumping the fence to visit his girlfriends. That's another story.

Safari lamp

A few weeks ago, we were in Nashville at a consignment sale for babies. While Michelle was off finding clothes to take home, Rosie and I were looking at more fun stuff.

First, we spent a long time looking at the toddler beds. Rosie loved their little size, and climbed up on each one of them, testing them out, lying down on the ones with a mattress, giggling at the one that looked like a car. Then we wandered over to the bedding area, where all the blankets and pillows were kept.

Next to the bedding there was this lamp, with safari type animals on it. Rosie saw it immediately and squealed with delight. I picked it up and asked her if she would like to take it home. She smiled, and hugged the lamp. I put it in the shopping cart.

Now, every night, at bed time, Rosie lays in her little toddler bed and stares at her precious lamp. She loves to point at each of the animals and say their names, and ask us to say their names, too, over and over again. She really loves the monkey with his banana, and she loves the zebra, which she calls a goat. Since she has no experience with zebras, it just made sense to go along with that, especially since the zebra doesn't really look like a zebra to begin with (except for the blue stripes). So Rosie's little jungle lamp has an alligator, an elephant, a turtle (which she now knows comes from an egg), a giraffe, and a blue-striped goat.There is also grass and some leaves which she carefully points out as well.

Rosie loves her lamp. She cracks me up, the things she latches on to.

Fall fun

Amusement parks do not have to be filled with roller coasters and high priced meals. While I do love Disney Theme parks, I'm also a fan of simple fun. So Saturday we spent the day in a real amusement park, where our attention was filled to capacity with the sights and sounds of autumn.
















In Tennessee City there's a farm, open to the public only in October, when people come from many miles to see. Keller's Corny Country is Dickson county's largest pumpkin patch, and the county's only Pick Tennessee Products farm.

We spent the better part of the day watching the animals, taking a hay ride, letting Rosie ride in a barrel train,
walking in a giant pumpkin patch, where most people select a pumpkin to take home, and a dozen other fun activities that entertained us all. The farm lunch window even grilled large, juicy burgers, so we all sat down to a lovely lunch on a windy hill, watching the hustle-bustle of the farm all around.

Hundreds of people shared the day with us. Kids played in a sandbox outdoors, a corn crib indoors, while learning about honey bees and types of pumpkins from the farm's educational program.

The grand finale of the day was our hike in the corn maze. Not at all like a typical corn maze, this one was entirely constructed of miniature corn, so even though you had to walk a long way to find your path, you could still see over the top of it, and not feel completely isolated.

It was great fun. Now we're looking for another local fun spot. We are definitely open to suggestions.

Paint brush

I love to paint. It's the creative side of me I guess. But I don't mess around with waterfalls or landscapes. My artwork is far more visible. Like a barn.

I love autumn for working outside. It's the best time of year.  While I work, baby plays with the baby goats while Andy follows her around. Just a lovely, artistic sort of day.

migraine

hopefully I'll be back tomorrow.

Eggs, of course

A couple of weeks ago, Rosie watched this video. It's her favorite cartoon at the moment, produced by the National Science Foundation - and she really learns a lot from these little cartoons. There are hundreds of episodes, all about a little chicken named Peep, and his friends in the Big, Wide World.

This particular episode really fascinated her, because it's the first time she really found out where some babies come from. Particularly, babies who are born from an egg (if you want to watch it, it's 10 minutes long, but very entertaining).




A few days after Rosie saw this episode, Kyla (our momma goat) had her babies. I hollered at Michelle from the barn to tell her, and she came running outside with Rosie in her arms. Everyone watched while the second baby popped out, me keeping it from falling hard to the ground.

Rosie watched, wide eyed. She kept saying, "Baby, born," over and over again. She even wanted to pet it's goopy little head.

The next day, Rosie was outside looking at the new babies, and she told us the entire story. She's been telling the same story ever day now, several times.  I'll interpret for you (like we all do with her every day).

Rosie:    "Egg. Born. Open." and she moves her little hands in and out showing us "open."
Us:         "Was there an egg? Did the egg open? Did a baby come out of the egg?"

Then Rosie pats her bottom and says, "Born. Baby."
Us:         "That's right Rosie, the baby was born. Is that where it comes from?"
Rosie:     "Egg. Born. Open. Bum-bum, born."  And she smiles.

Such a smart baby.

Leia had triplets this morning. No names yet, too busy trying to feed three babies on two teets. All about 5.5 to 6 lbs. Two girls and a boy.

October days

Last year in the Karst region, China

Today I was thinking about the last few years and how I've been spending my Octobers. Last year I spent the entire month of October in Shanghai.
China was incredible to see once, and awesome to see twice.

The year before last, I also spent all of October in China. That was 2009, for Bonita Rose's birth. 

The year before that, I spent part of October in Florida (first working, then at DisneyWorld) and part of it in Ohio visiting Luke and Katie. It seems like I might have been working then, too, if I remember right. That was my first time seeing how beautiful Ohio is in the fall. Leaves haven't quite started changing yet in Tennessee, and it was a good way to kick off the autumn/winter season.

Each year, as the dozen months pass, I'm shocked that October is here yet again. Where does the time go?


This year I decided to enjoy the comforts of home in October, by cooking apples, making homemade yogurt, cleaning goat pens and closets, playing with dogs-cats-babies, and even delivering a few baby goats.  It's a form of rest really, even though it is work too. So far I haven't had time to even finish unpacking from Idaho last week..... well, to be clear, I've probably had the time, just didn't use it for that. It's possible I didn't use that time to clean up the kitchen very well either. Oh well, there's always tomorrow.

Anyway, I'm looking forward to seeing the entire month in the south.  Especially leaves changing. I love the smells of autumn, the cooling temperatures, the cloudy and sunny skies. I love to see the birds flying over, hear crickets singing, watch caterpillars crawling about.  Oh, and the walking sticks and preying mantis, so cool!

And it's harvest. Yesterday we visited an autumn vegetable stand with hundreds of pumpkins. I'm also looking forward to a corn maze.

Yep, it's fun to travel and see the wonders of the world but it's also wonderful to be reminded of just how many wonders are right here at home. So many things to see and not enough time for it all.  Such a glorious problem.