we might have set some new records

(For weirdness, that is.)

My father and step mother have been visiting – and what a visit it was! First off, we have had a goat living in the house with us and that (as Niek pointed out to me) is not normal. But they managed to make peace with the goat. Then it turns out they are both allergic to cats, and of course we have three. But I think the pièce de résistance was their final day here. I’d already promised to watch the three children of a friend of mine during her job interview. Then an aunt and uncle asked if they could come over for lunch because it had been decades since they’d seen my father. And then they called back that morning to say they hoped it was okay, but they’d also invited both my other aunts. So of course I called my mom and invited her, too. Everyone showed up an hour before they were due. Oh, my friend also showed up and stayed for an hour after her interview. And suddenly our last day together turned into a crazy party with seven children and ten adults … and the goat, who managed to escape into the living room more than once … and the dogs, including my mom’s Pomeranian …  and the cats, who were polite enough to keep a fairly low profile. I have to say that my step mother is a very brave and gracious woman who managed to smile and be pleasant despite how weird it must have felt to be surrounded by her husband’s ex-wife’s family and a whole lot of kids she didn’t know,  while shooing the goat away from her lunch. LOL! Gaby, if there was an award that recognized all these traits, you would certainly win it!  I didn’t even try to take pictures of the chaos, but I did get some nice photos of our much quieter Father’s Day celebration. It was the first Father’s Day in about 37 years we’d spent together, so I tried to make it special.

Breakfast – above the table – was the usual weekend spread of fresh eggs, homemade bread, and lots of delicious goodness:

Below the table, things were decidedly not normal – Annie curled up on Niek’s feet for a cozy nap.

We enjoyed a leisurely morning and around noontime we headed for the surprise I’d arranged in Bar Harbor.

Before I spilled the beans about what exactly we’d be doing, we wandered up Main Street and enjoyed an ice cream while goofing around. Grandpa points out that he’s still taller than his oldest grandson:

And Niek managed to get a picture of Jim and I together:

Finally, we headed to the harbor … and to the gorgeous schooner, the Margaret Todd.

Niek was happy to help hoist the sails. It’s been too long since this sailor has been to sea! I think this moment was the high point of Niek’s Father’s Day.

And Jim had such a wonderful time with the kids!

And Gaby demonstrated impeccable accessorizing skills when she pulled out her nautical scarf!

There’s something about the sea that brings different emotions to the surface. We all felt that, in our own way.

We miss you and wish you were still here with us! XOXOXO from all of us!

don’t leave me!

I have been perfectly awful at posting! And not much better at stitching, to tell the truth. I’m working on a design by Papillion Creations for a breast cancer quilt square but what little I’ve done doesn’t merit a photo.

As usual, it’s been a barnyard around here, LOL. I actually took a book out to the barn on Saturday afternoon and read for an hour with all the assorted creatures crawling over me (and one tiny goat falling asleep in my lap!) and I think I’ll make a regular thing out of it. Very relaxing!! Today’s creature-cuteness is brought to you by the Fab Four. These adorable little chicks will grow up to look like Brownie, but they’ll be “blondes” instead of “brunettes”. Because I haven’t had great luck incorporating Polish Crested birds into my flock, I’m actually looking to sell these – to Rowen’s dismay.

We’ve had a lot of rain – so much so, that I feel like I’m back in Holland at times. The scenery here is a bit better, IMHO.

Wishing you well, and I thank you for continuing to stop by and say hello despite my horribly irregular posting habits of late!

on the run

Happy Easter!

Today was one of a small handful of warm, non-windy, non-rainy days. It wasn’t exactly sunny, but you can’t have everything. The kids and I were having so much fun with vacation (and I was trying to cram in so much other stuff into every second that I wasn’t doing things with the kids) that Easter just suddenly appeared. Don’t laugh, but we didn’t dye eggs this year. I think that’s so funny, considering we move close to 200 eggs a week through this house. But the kids didn’t really miss out too badly because they went to a big Easter egg hunt at the local greenhouse/gardening shop yesterday (while I happily attended an alternative gardening workshop with friends). And of course, the Easter bunny visited even if s/he didn’t hide eggs.

We also enjoyed a very fine breakfast in the dining room.

In the afternoon while Arden napped, Nick and Rowen biked and played ball and ran around while I finally got the outside chicken run up and working again – thanks to some invaluable assistance from Niek, who can figure out spatial concepts and reach much higher than I can. The birds were absolutely delighted, and the geese seemed to enjoy the company.

Her skeptical sisters seem to doubt she’ll make it … don’t they make you think of the old guys in the Muppets?

Eventually most of the chickens made their way outside and had
great fun digging around in the dirt, socializing, and running around.

Oh wait a second, I haven’t mentioned the geese here yet, have I? I am the delighted owner of three Pilgrim geese. I brought them home on Friday afternoon and we’ve been getting to know each other in every possible minute since then. Because we’ve had some bitterly cold weather, they have been sleeping in the house  in a large dog crate at night but they’ve spent the days outside in the partially erected chicken run. They’ve already become quite good at following me around and their sweet dispositions have even begun to win Niek over. (We won’t discuss his initial response, we’ll just say that he seems to be mellowing.) Our gander is Hobart, and the smaller of the girls is Pip and her big sis is Priscilla. They have very distinct personalities – Pip is intensely curious about everything and is also quite affectionate; Hobart is also affectionate and loves to greet me the moment I come into view; Priscilla was very aloof at first, but she’s warming up to me. Here they are, gathered at my feet while I watched the birds in the run to make sure everyone was playing nice.

When the Guinea cock tried to bully tiny Mr Doodles, however, time in the Naughty Corner was necessary.

Not a single bit of stitching has been done for over a week now and I miss it terribly. I have some lovely stash to share, including a kind & generous gift, but I’ll do a stitching post next … when I hopefully have some actual stitching to share!

In closing, here’s a picture of Nick and Rowen with their new Serama rooster, Mr Doodles. He’s proof that you can really pack a lot into a tiny package!

riding along in my automobile

It has been an interesting week here at Chateau Chaos, what with Max’s birthday, lots of chickie stuff, and the usual mayhem and bedlam. Today we decided to hop in the car and take a drive to someplace we hadn’t been before (studiously ignoring the price of gas in doing so) and to just relax.

We wound up taking some back roads (including dirt roads) out through Addison, Marshville, and down along Ripley’s Neck. Although I lived here from the age of 12 to 18, I’d never been down along this bit of countryside and it was a lovely trip despite the grayish weather. Maine is such a gorgeous state! Here are a few pictures I stopped to snap along the way of the coast, the blueberry barrens and the coast with blueberry barrens. Sense a recurring topic here?  (You should be able to click for an enlargement.)

The upcoming week is spring break for the kids. Max is off with his biological father, and Nick & Rowen have told me they miss the homeschooling we used to do, so we are going to concentrate on wildlife this week. Speaking of education, the chicks and I had our third gig – this time at Porter Memorial Library, where I gave a brief talk to about a dozen wonderful kids and their very curious parents. Today’s stars were Peep the Barred Rock, one of the bigger BLR Wyandotte chicks, a Blue Copper Maran, a Black Ameraucana, an Anacona, and a male/female pair of Welsummers. All the chicks have distinctive coloration, which quickly answered the first question, put forth by a parent: Are all chicks born yellow? The kids were awesome, and I’m so thankful to the wonderful people at the library who make these sort of experiences possible. We also ran into two families who have bought chicks from us, who were brimming over with enthusiasm about their experiences so far. (No pictures, as I had my hands pretty full, but maybe someone who was there with a camera will share his/her pics.)

as so often happens

I’m sure we’ve all noticed that when life is most difficult for whatever reasons, stitching becomes more important than ever. I’ve pulled out Early Maine Pincushion and enjoyed working on it. I wanted to show my progress, but I think this is probably the worst picture I’ve ever taken of my stitching. On the positive side, the colors are actually pretty accurate.

I finally managed to get a full day’s work in today (which will go a long way to reducing that stressful feeling of being behind and behinder). I had the arduous task of driving north on Route One to Calais, stopping everywhere between northern Whiting and Calais itself to hang up posters about the free tax prep program I’m working/volunteering for. I hung about 50 posters, met a lot of very nice people, and enjoyed some breathtaking scenery. Unfortunately, it’s not possible to stop and take photos everywhere that Mother Nature puts on a good show … but here are the best ones I could get (usually taken out my car window, LOL!).

I’m looking forward to a weekend with plenty of family time as well as some nice socializing. And who knows, maybe I’ll finish Early Maine Pincushion. Hoping that your weekend will be wonderful!

slowing down for Mother Nature

This is what I woke up to yesterday. Gorgeous, isn’t it?

But it was also sort of devastating. The snow was incredibly heavy, and there was over a foot of it, so it did a lot of damage. There are tree limbs down all over the property … and my chicken run is completely collapsed (the weight of the snow built up on the mesh “roof” and it all collapsed inward, dragging the wire “walls” in, too). It was heavy & hard to shovel, too, and after almost two hours of that, I know what I’m talking about.

But hey, seeing the kids enjoy it made it all worthwhile. (Or close enough, LOL!)

We also enjoyed a fine pakjesavond on December 5th. On that evening in Holland, Dutch children are visited at home by Sinterklaas or one of his helpers – usually a surprise visit in which the guest of honor isn’t actually seen, although the kids are always sure they caught a glimpse – and given candies, cookies, and gifts. Sinterklaas sent one of his helpers all the way to Maine to ensure that these four Dutch kids didn’t miss out on any joys of the season. We had to sing loudly while Niek played piano to make sure the gifts arrived at the right house! The kids also made “surprises” for each other – a tradition in which a small gift is encased in an imaginative package and accompanied by a poem. Max’s fairy tale castle for Rowen was hands-down the best of the bunch!

Arden spent part of the day introducing one of his older monkeys to his new Pillow Pet monkey. He found the snow a little too challenging to get around in  … short legs, you know.

I finally finish-finished my overdue exchange piece and got everything wrapped up and out in the mail. Phew. I hate being late, but once in a (great) while, it just happens.

The girls, despite being coop-bound, gifted us with 13 eggs yesterday and have been holding steady at about a dozen a day so far this month. Our Buff Orpington who has been unwell without actually being ill went back into the coop this weekend after a full week as a House Chicken. Once the darned snow melts off a bit, I’ll see what I can do about their outdoor run. Or, if it keeps snowing, I’ll build a new snow fence on the front side of the building.

The kids are back in school today and after a no-show appointment from a new volunteer, I decided to get busy with some bread. I’ll be selling bread at a local Solstice Fair this weekend and now have 4 different varieties of baguettes rising: plain, ryeberry, pumpernickel, and wheat bran. I suppose I should make some cookies to welcome the kids home from school this afternoon, too, shouldn’t I?

Rigby and Lola, after some excited running about, decided that the best way to spend snow days is cuddled up together in the living room. (Of course they are not allowed on the furniture, but does anyone listen to me?) Wishing you and yours the comfort of a snuggle buddy on a snowy day.

inside the holy of holies

Twice a year, the West Quoddy Head tower is open to the public for the day – so you can imagine that when I read it would be open for Open Lighthouse Day, I made tracks to Lubec! I’ve been so curious about this lighthouse, which our family sort of considers to be “ours” because we always made a trip there during our visits to Maine, no matter the weather. Today we had the added pleasure of bringing my niece, who is not only Rowen’s age, but is also in her first grade class.

Driving along the long, secluded road to the lighthouse, I was imagining how remote and desolate it could seem to lighthouse keepers and their families in the days before paved roads & cars. And once up in the tower (after about a 2 hour wait, yikes!) and hearing from the Coast Guard guide the many duties of a lighthouse keeper, I was all but openly applauding these heroes. As you probably know, women lighthouse keepers weren’t generally recognized even if they did fill the position (usually due to the death of their husband or father), but there are a few women officially on the books here in Maine, including Abbie Burgess Grant.

The beauty of the rare Fresnel lenses also captured my attention. Because the space in the tower is so cramped, it wasn’t possible to get a very good picture but here are some different shots including these special lenses (and even the chimney, in the upper left corner, that originally served to vent the old oil lamps that lit the tower!).

Of course the views of the ocean and land below were pretty spectacular, too, but as mentioned there was precious little room to maneuver around with the seven of us plus the Coast Guard guide, so I contented myself with taking a few simple shots.

After our adventures in the tower, we headed into Lubec to enjoy a wonderful lunch at the Water Street Tavern and Pub – heartily recommended, btw! – and a walk in the glorious September sunshine. Then it was back home with a few overtired (but hopefully inwardly happy) faces for evening chores and dinner.

short and sweet

Niek’s parents’ visit was short but we tried to fill it full of good things. Naturally, there was his birthday to celebrate and we did so with great gusto. The kids put on a play for him in which Arden was the bad guy who tied Rowen, the damsel in distress, to the railroad. Lola checked the knots, LOL. Nick saved the day and was thanked by the damsel hugging him nearly to death. Afterward, there was a post-play pigpile on the birthday boy.

We ate well, too, but it’s so hard to get decent pictures at the table – bad lighting, someone is always facing the wrong way, etc. I did manage to bake plenty of fresh bread during their stay, including baguettes and sourdough bread. Not to mention birthday cake and muffins. Not much left of anything, so today I’ve started two new loaves of sourdough … mmm mmm!

We also enjoyed watching family movies together – Niek’s dad did a great job of making a single movie out of 4 years’  worth of footage from various family gatherings.

And of course we played.

Wanting to impress upon my in-laws just how utterly gorgeous this part of Maine really is, I drove everyone around on Sunday to various scenic spots in Machiasport and Cutler. I hope they went away with some of the special feeling I have about this area.

One of the spots we visited was our land in Machiasport. I think my father-in-law found the prospect of building our house ‘out in the middle of nowhere’ a little daunting, but my mother-in-law was more than up to the challenge of hiking through the woods and climbing over downed trees.

This morning we all enjoyed a nice breakfast of oatmeal with blueberries. When the kids left for school, everyone gathered out by the bus to see just how this works. There aren’t school buses in the Netherlands, so it’s an interesting cultural sight – sort of like Americans being impressed by the canal systems in Holland, I guess. Max managed (just barely) not to faint in embarrassment, LOL.  And after the kids piled onto the bus, there was a last round of goodbye hugs and then the house became empty again.

 And what next? Well, stay tuned. Arden has his first day at daycare tomorrow, and I start my new job. The kids are signed up for about a bazillion activities, Niek is heading out again on a business trip, and those darned chickens will start laying eggs someday. I’m sure there will be lots of fall foliage to share, not to mention all the other seasonal delights. And yes, there will be stitching, too. I still need to share what I made Niek for his birthday, a couple of gifts that are in various stages of completion, and a new design I’ve started. So please, come visit again soon!

the seasons may be blurred, but i’m not complaining

Suffering humiliation and an overdose of excitement on the first day of school:

With the kids back in school, I’m trying to do everything at once – and it seems that Mother Nature is also attempting this impossible feat. It’s hotter than blazes, yet the trees and shrubs are showing their autumn colors and the garden produce is beginning to wind down for the season. Summer and autumn rolled into one glorious package.

So I’m enjoying the summer by picnicking at the beach:

Loving my autumn harvest-related chores:

While watching my plants put out their last, great effort of the season:

In and around all the baking, boiling, and merry-making, I really have been stitching. Unfortunately, I can’t show you anything because it’s for a certain somebody named Niek, who has a birthday fast approaching. But here’s the tiniest peek:

I have caught up (again) on all the blog posts that keep showing up in my Bloglines. You guys are way too talented and much too fast! But thanks for continuing to check in here with me! Now – go off and enjoy some sunshine while it lasts!

where’s it all going?

Oh my heavens, these last precious days of summer are just evaporating before my very eyes! We have been gloriously busy since our return from Sara and Ken’s home – each day seems busier than the one before, and yet we haven’t even scratched the surface of all I’d hoped to do. But it’s been fun, and that’s the point – isn’t it?

Most of my free time (ha ha!) has been spent on chicken-related activities, getting geared up for the laying to begin (our oldest four are now 20 weeks old) and getting their coop winter-ready. Most importantly, I wanted to get a solid poultry run set up that was attached to the coop – carrying the chickens from coop to playpen every day is a tiring and time-consuming action that would become torture once there’s snow on the ground. So the girls now have a massive 20×14 foot enclosure built on to the back side of their coop, which they can enter and exit at will through their own little door. The bigger chickens are uncertain of the ramp, but I’m confident that after they see the smaller chickens using it, they’ll just have to try it for themselves. Here are the first ones brave enough to explore their new surroundings.

Have no fears that our playpen will go unused – far from it! It will continue to provide a varying source of grass and goodies for small groups of chickens. Right now, it’s doing nursery duty for one Plymouth Barred Rock who somehow managed to damage her beak and hurt herself while in the coop – I suspect she was trying to fly and crashed into the wall. Because I’ve noticed the chickens don’t like to be alone, she’s being kept company by Brownie, who is a very meek & mild chicken that we don’t have to worry will further harm Spot (as we’re calling her) during her convalescence. They’ve actually become very close during the past four days they’ve been together, and I’m curious if that will remain the case once they are back in General Population.

Next spring, I think our chicken playpen will serve yet another purpose: A breeding pen. You see, apparently the farmer who sold me the Blue Lace Red Wyandottes was not quite as gifted at sexing them as she thought she was. Two of the “guaranteed” pullets at this point cannot be confused with being anything other than young roosters. I had to admit it to myself last night, watching the four large Wyandottes side-by-side. (Have we had some crazy rooster stories, or what?!) So our egg production, which should’ve gotten off to a good start in September, will be delayed. On the bright side, there really will be chicks here at Chateau Chaos next spring – purebred Blue Lace Red Wyandottes. And to anyone who was sitting on the fence about trying out a few chickens, I really do recommend this breed. They are very gentle – so gentle that it’s possible to mistake roosters for pullets.

Can you spot the rooster?

Other than chicken care and enjoying the kids’ final days of summer holidays, there hasn’t been a lot going on. I enjoyed a great visit from Jenna and Terry (as well as Abby and Libby) the other day, but I neglected to take even a single photo! We also enjoyed lunch in Bar Harbor with two of the Aunties. And today, Rowen is playing at her cousin’s house for the day and enjoying their new kitten. Fun socializing, in short. Oh, and I took a job with United Way coordinating the county’s efforts to expand a really wonderful tax program that will benefit a lot of local residents. Not much stitching has been done, though. I’ll try to remedy that for my next post.