Burniversary and Roscoe Gotcha Day

Tuesday we went to Bellingham to get a new battery for my phone and try to get my laptop fixed.  I was able to get the battery, but my laptop is toast.  It is sad as I did a lot of work including this blog on that computer.

But since we were in Bellingham we stopped by the Marine Life Center.  It is about to undergo restoration and some of the big fish have been removed.  But it was still fascinating with the marine life that was there.  It was really fun to see.

We also saw the movie Lynden at the Pickford Film Center.  It was interesting to watch as well as thought provoking.  We got done just in time to pick up my phone.

Other than that we have been hanging on the farm.  Here are the hens that like to be fed bread treats on the shearing stand.

And the croci as blooming.  It seems early.  We have been pruning the fruit trees when the weather is decent and are almost done.

Last evening I made an Old-Fashioned Old-Fashioned from my Doctors and Distillers book.  Apparently in the late 1800’s bartenders were making improved cocktails with flavored liqueurs, sometimes multiple in the same drink.  Then in the 1880’s there was a backlash to this, and some drinkers started asking for an old-fashioned Whiskey Cocktail.  Then after the World Wars the Old-Fashioned “slipped again” with an orange slice and cherry muddled in the bottom, sometimes with soda water or Sprite used.  So after 2000 there was a backlash to this, and the Old-Fashioned Old-Fashioned started showing up in “better cocktail bars”.  So I tried this O-F O-F and liked it, but must say I like my grandfather’s better.  Give me an orange slice and a cherry any day!  But I learned that this was a trend after WWII when my grandfather was a young man.  I am curious now what his father’s favorite cocktail was like.

Today was more farm stuff.  I have been feeding the turnips and collard greens to the animals to give them some greens in their diet as well as bamboo from the orchard.  They all seem to appreciate it.

I have started watching the winter Olympics while weaving.  Yesterday was curling and downhill skiing.  Today was women’s hockey, snowboard big air, and more curling.

Today was the 2nd Burniversary.  It has been 2 years since the worst day of my life and I assume Tom’s too.  I remember hearing the explosion, seeing the fireball and then the screams.  I remember seeing him fighting intubation in the ER.  I remember watching him being flown away in a helicopter.  The long drive to Harborview.  And seeing him all bandaged up like a mummy in the Burn ICU.  Thankfully we made it through, and we are both doing great.  His only real scarring now is where the skin graft was placed on his upper right arm.  So thankful that it all turned out like it did.  But we have new respect for fire safety so this will never ever happen again.

Plus it is one year today that Roscoe leapt into Tom’s arms and asked to come in the house on a snowy day.  He has been in ever since.  He is turning into a chubby cat that loves to be petted.  He is usually very sweet when he wants petted, a light tap of the paw on your arm.  Here he is now in his favorite chair.  I woke him up for the photo so he looks a little tired.

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End of January Farm, Foods and Liam

It was still sunny and cold last weekend, and I am still admiring the colors on our peacock.

Ryeleigh is not a huge fan of cold weather so spent some time look out the window, hoping to spot a rabbit or peacock (her two favorite things).

Maybelle was making a mess of herself with hay in the barn.

Little Bill got pecked in the head and was bleeding.  I put some Blue Kote on it, and it seems to be healing now.

The tom turkey is showing more interest in the female turkeys.  Not sure they are enjoying it though.

On Monday I had a lab appointment in Anacortes.  Tom joined me, and we went to SeaBear to get some salmon and other goodies and to Compass Wines.  I had received an email from them about Robert Burns Night.  Unfortunately it was the same evening as the Seahawks NFC Championship game so I couldn’t participate.  (Go Hawks!!!!  We are going to the Super Bowl!!!!)  But it gave me some ideas.  My father’s side of the family were originally Lowland Scots, and I thought I should explore this a little more.  So at Compass I purchased a bottle of Lowland Scotch Whisky.  Now I know Robert Burns preferred Highland Scotch, but I assume he drank Lowland Scotch too so thought I should try it.

Then I ordered up some haggis (you can only purchased canned haggis in the United States) and some smoked haddock from Taste of Britain.

So last night I made cullen skink, and I sliced and fried the haggis.  Here’s my dinner.  And I listened to Burns poems/songs Tam o’ Shanter, She Says She Loves Me Best Of A’, The Banks o’ Doon, John Anderson my Jo, Address to a Haggis, and Auld Lang Syne.  It was fun exploring Lowland Scottish food, drink and words.

Yesterday we went out to dinner with my mom and Al at Lombardi’s in Everett.  The food was great, and the views were lovely.  The weather has definitely turned to windy and rainy, but it held off for our lunch which was nice.

Then today we went out to lunch with my dad and Mo at Nell Thorn in La Conner.  Great food and a nice view (although not as nice as Everett).

To divert a little, this image was been haunting me as well as many others.  It is good news that Liam and his father were released from detention yesterday and returned home today.  I hope he can eventually recover from this horrific experience.

I found the Texas judge’s ruling on this case was interesting reading:

Judge Orders Release of 5-Year-Old

 

P.S. We recently found out that what Steve had was a a hemangiosarcoma cancer.  It is highly invasive and aggressive, and they found 4 in his spleen as well as others they could see in his liver during his operation.  Typical survival is 19-86 days without aggressive treatment which we were not planning on doing.  So at least we learned there was nothing better we could have done.

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Frosty Days

We have had a stretch of cold weather, the first this season.  The beagle is hanging out inside even more than usual.

I have a new rooster friend.  He likes to greet me in the feed shed each morning after I open the barn up.  It’s fun to have him around.  I will probably need to name him.

With the morning frost, there is an emphasis on certain things.  This includes the sheep’s wool that has been scratched onto our Christmas tree.

We still have rodents and rabbits about despite the cold.  Ryeleigh had just been howling at a scent trail so I tried to capture it on video.  Of course, she stopped as soon as I got my phone out.

 

In the green house, I still have tomato and pepper plants alive.  That just seems weird in January.  I did harvest one small tomato and 2 small peppers this week.  It shows how mild our weather has been until this point.

There are also quite a few plants still in the garden that are harvestable.  Small broccoli florets, cabbage, kale, turnips, collard greens, carrots and onions are still around and edible.  We usually have some carrots and turnips this time of year but not the others.

I am not sure I have blogged about it, but I do make gravestones for our decreased farm animals.  This is Fidalgo’s.  I have learned over time which paints last longer on the stones.  I try to match the paint colors to those of the animal.

It is pruning time.  This weather means we do not need to prune in the rain, but it is hard to see when the sunshine is in your eyes.  We are making a little progress.  It makes me thinking of the pruning day we had 2 years ago now, and I smile.

Wally was quite involved in our pruning on Tuesday.  She kept leaping into Tom’s arms for petting which heeds progress.

I picked up some batts from Skagit Woolen Works.  There are two bags from my Shetland sheep and one bag from wool I purchased at Wonderful Woolies Fleece and Fiber sale at Rocky Long’s Little Orchard Farm.  Now I have some backing to make more felted fleece rugs.

I took a photo of Tom in his favorite spot.  He likes to peruse his laptop here.  The lemon tree he got me for Christmas seems to be happy in the front window.

I keep looking at the cows, deciding if they are pregnant or not.  I thought they did, but it is not really showing in the photo.

Our peacock was looking pretty in the sunshine this morning.

And I thought these sheep looked nice too.  I especially love Priscilla’s face.

So that is what is happening on our frosty farm.

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