Summer is ending

Late start and early end to summer this year, but at least that means we have been getting a lot of fantastic, sunny, fall-like days. I think we saw the last of the gorgeous summer sunsets this week after a good rain.

The tomatoes are coming in fast and furious, and the critters are furiously nibbling their way through them, so I put them on the back porch to ripen. Now they are only in danger from the tomato-stealing dog creatures and the fruit flies.

The long-awaited broadband is coming to Lester's Flat any day now. It took me a good 2 years of phone calls to get Verizon DSL connected back in 2009. It has mostly served us well, but has gotten too expensive. So about a year ago, I signed us up for a broadband connection through Otsego Electric Co-op, our electric service. They have been promising super-fast broadband—hanging cable (wire? fiber?) everywhere that they have poles. Just yesterday we got the final connection from pole to house. Only the inside tech guy needs to come and finish up. Even paying for the slowest speed, I think we will see a great improvement. And The Husband can have his favorite long-distance "land-line" back again. He's still not a big fan of that cellphone thing...

Farmers and Herb Ritts

It feels like Fall in August—that's not a bad thing—it just seems too early. The weather report says 44° tonight.

We took advantage of this beautiful (Fall) day (in August) to return to The Farmers' Museum. Last year I bought a heritage "Large Red" tomato plant there. This year I raised about 6 plants from the seed. The tomatoes are growing, but still small and green. Cold weather will not be welcome... My tomatoes are scared.

And the real reason for going today was to see the Herb Ritts Rock Portraits and William Sidney Mount exhibits. Both shows are ending soon, so we had to go. Well worth the trip, flowers and all.

Nosing around in the petunias

Woody goes wherever he pleases when we go out for a walk. Often he is nosing around the flower pots out by the pig shed looking for mice or anything else interesting. Sometimes Momma Stormy is disturbed by his presence and lets him know it, sometimes she sleeps through with the 2 little ones who are no longer little.

I always walk Cyrus across the road by the horse farm. He likes to visit with our favorite mechanics, Alan and Tom. And there are always horses, young and old, to visit as well. Another young one born this week. I will have to get his or her photo when I don't have a Cyrus on the leash. Today I simply got a pic of my father-in-law's flag hanging out front. September 17 will be 20 years since he passed.

Homesick Molly

You know that Molly came from a good home when she comes to a place with plenty of new goat friends, and plenty of room to roam, and yet she still cried for a good long time last night.

After the storm blew through, Miss Molly was out by herself in the small goat shed crying, so I went out to sit with her for awhile. She calmed down pretty quickly, ate some hay, and was very interested in those grunty creatures next door, the pigs.

The cool thing was that Rico came out to join her while I was in there. I think he will be her first new friend...after me of course.

She is much more settled this morning.

Meet Miss Molly Malone

Today I caved into pressure from the Hub to buy "a reliable milker". Mr. Jack Armstrong reluctantly sold us Miss Molly Malone, aka Cedar Park's Melody, a registered alpine. As always, we do all of our goat transportation in the back of my poor Kia. She was watching where we were driving in case she needs to find her way back home...

Lots of new stuff this week. I decided to put the big oak beam from The Pantry next to the metal bench, as a second sitting area around the firepit that does not yet exist. Next to the white "bench" is a big gray pot that was a birthday present from Evie. (Thank you Evie!) The new chickens have recently started hanging together all day with the older chickens. (They are on the left in the shade in the bench photo.)

And finally, we both decided it was time to invest in a new driveway. We have been buying a few loads of crusher run (gravel) every so often to fill in the potholes. This time we spent the big bucks for 2 full truckloads. That's the Amazing Mr. Kelley leveling it all out in front of the garage.

Culture in Cooperstown (and Utica)

Every once in awhile we get a culture fix up here in the north woods. We are no longer 10 minutes from Philadelphia, but conveniently only 10 minutes from Cooperstown.

Last night Tara and I went to the outdoor stage at the Fenimore Art Museum to see a production of Our Town. The stage is right on the edge of sparsely populated Otsego Lake. We sat up front in the stepped amphitheater so we could see our friend Mark who was perfectly suited for the role of the newspaper editor Mr. Webb. The rest of the cast was just as good.

It was perfect weather for a night out on the lake. By the last act, the almost-full moon was rising in the background.

The Husband and I went on Sunday to the Farmers' Museum to see Rachel Barton Pine, a classical violinist who also celebrates music by black composers. This excellent performance included a Bach piece, some dance pieces, a bit of bluegrass, a Scottish reel, even some hip hop inspiration. (I couldn't get a better pic without being obnoxious. But I did manage to catch the lady in the cool black-and-white daisy dress that Hub and I both liked.)

Next on the agenda is to get back to the Munson-Williams Proctor Museum in Utica to see the Louis Comfort Tiffany exhibit. And back to the Fenimore to see the Herb Ritts rock and roll photography show.

Everyone needs a good dose of culture now and then. It's good for the soul.

Short summer

Summer always seems too short, but this year especially so. Warm weather was late in coming. Now, in August, just as we are getting some of that hot humid stuff that makes me feel like I am back in NJ, we see just a few leaves changing color, and it dips back into the 50°s at night. Still plenty of summer left to enjoy, but hints that fall is on the way.

Big weeds are not acceptable in suburbia, but I love this time of year when it looks like a jungle out there. I spent some time this weekend clearing those weeds around the metal bench to make room for the enlarged dog fence. Aside from giving the dogs more space to run, I hope it will keep the deer and other critters from munching on my flowers and young trees.

Sadly it will also keep my chickens out of view. No chickens allowed in the dog fence where they would quickly become dinner for Killer Dog and his helper Woody.

I sold 6 of the baby chickens last week. I kept 3 of the young ones: 1 gray one and the red twins. Big Roo still watches over all of his girls, even the new ones. He's a good boy.

Lazy August

In spite of these past 2 weeks of visitors, we are having a very lazy August day. Warm outside, cool enough inside to sleep in the sun.

I will finish this post later. Just leaving for work at 3:45. Won't get home till midnight...