Just a shadow of her former self

I took my 92 year old aunt Bernie (my deceased fathers sister) to the doctor today. She had not been out of her very protected surroundings in several months. She has had many opportunities to do so, either with my sister Mary or I, or with one of the groups in her assisted living facility but she has had no real interest. She has become accustomed to her routine.

But today was a good day. Very warm (finally) and sunny, she seemed to be looking forward to the 5 minute drive over to the hospital where her Dr's office is located.

The journey may have been short but it tired her quickly. She started out walking while pushing her walker and ended up with me pushing her back out of the hospital while she sat in her walker. (One of those cool walkers with a seat built in...BRILLIANT. She was so tired by the time we drove back to her place that I had to lift her legs out of my car. Yes, I took the rest of her as well, not just her legs, why do you people ask such silly things ?

When I got her back upstairs and settled in her recliner for a nap she told me, "I'd be dead if it wasn't for you." I smiled lamely at her when she continued sarcastically, "Thanks a lot !" Implying death might not be so bad at this point. We giggled and I understood. Well I tried to understand. In her eyes, even at 52,  I am a youthful, healthy, vibrant woman full of energy with her whole life ahead of her, while she is worn out and worn down. She often wonders out loud why God has not taken her yet.

I am unable to answer that question, but I am grateful and appreciative of the time we have together. She is the last link to my parents and I will miss her terribly when she is gone.

I am selfish that way.

Breaking News

I wanted to wait until after my birthday for this very major announcement. Oh yeah, you WISH the announcement had to do with my quitting my blog.You're out of luck Chuck,better make a new plan, Stan, because I am doing exactly the opposite.

I'm expanding.

Yup, more of me, more of the time. Lord help YOU. For many months I have been feeling pulled towards doing more with my cyber time. By "more" I mean something of more value. For the last two years I have been all over the blog boogie board. A little bit of family, a little bit of farm, a little bit of grand kid talk, a little political (THERE ! Another grand band name. Little Political How do I do that ?!") and lately more than a little about soap, of all things.

 By the way last night I made a horrible batch of brown soap so I rebatched it, added superfat and great blue colors and new smell and now it is the most fabulous midnight blue soap bar that I will call NIGHT SHIFT in honor of all the night shift workers in all the world especially my friends at Gibson Area Hospital, my daughter Raven, son Colton,  and my newest night nurse stalker, John  in North Wales . Wait ! You got it wrong. He's not a stalker of night nurses, he is a night nurse who stalks my blog as I do his, But I digress.

Air  R  E ?

Oh yeah. My new blogs.

This one, the Midlife FarmKook will remain right here. But the focus will be slightly right of center. I will speak of the usual family and daily farm life stuff. The real great farm life stuff. The fun stuff. Stuff that makes my heart SING. OK you get it.

Farmer Keith and GK Wes ,window shopping
in Chicago after making pork deliveries last week.

Blog number two, already up and running but in a very secret way until now, is called The Seanachai's Daughter. I started it several months ago in a different  "venue" (I hate that word, weddings used to held at the VFW club house, now they are held in "Venues," what a load of donkey ripeness.) I'm using WordPress to produce it. That blog will focus on my fledgling writing including excerpts from my Novel in Progress, some poetry (you said it I didn't) and short stories. You can visit my new blog here: http://seanachaidaughter.wordpress.com/

Blog number three will be made public very soon. It is at this moment unnamed but its focus will be strong and clear; farmer rights and struggles in a time of government suffocation. I am a renegade farmer and I have reached my boiling point. Farm after farm after farm has been being raided, shut down, and destroyed over ridiculous things like the sales of raw milk and yogurt. Other champions have risen to this calling and its now my turn to put up or shut up. This new blog will focus specifically on events occurring here in Central Illinois to champion farmers and generally on actions being taken nationally. Congressman Ron Paul has gone out on a political limb through his support of raw milk sales and he needs farmer support in this work.

So there you have it. Announcement over. Please go back to your regular programming, but don't forget to come back. Put it on a Post-It Note.  Works for me...sometimes.

Happy Birthday to She

                                            Really, I think I look pretty good for my age.

I'll be back at the blog-wheel tomorrow after resting up from all my parties.

I need Help

Yeah yeah yeah, you are all so funny. Of course I need help, laughing at the obvious is what the insane do. I am speaking of serious garden history here and all you people can do is snicker your doodles at me. Get a grip and lend a hand will ya ? What prey tell is this ?

He came to me about a decade ago. A friend of mine gave him  to me. It was part of a stone wall in the garden of a  San Fransisco Victorian home he had just purchased. He didn't like it. "Its more your thing."

He was right I do love HIM, not "it." The lion head is heavy, very heavy and appears to be made of molded concrete. The back of the head is flat. Inside his mouth is a hole. He is about 16 inches tall and 12 inches wide and his eyes follow me wherever I go.

Any ideas ? Age ? Use ?  Value ? You never know when I might chuck this whole sustainable farming thing and head back to Ooghterard, County Galway to make my living selling seaweed soap. I might need some cash.

Farmers Market Lessons Learned

Can you see all that rain in the intersection behind this table ?
Well take my word for it, it was WET !

Our first Farmers Market of the Season was a complete disaster. Pouring rain the first 3 hours which made set up of tents and tables wet and cold. Many items were rained on, labels were blown away and customers were scared away. I should've packed my herbs more professionally and most people thought my soap was food and walked away unhappy that it wasn't.


The biggest disaster; I forgot to bring coffee.



                                     Later, I decided our first Farmers Market of the Season
                                                   was an amazing success.

 Despite the pouring rain several Stewards of the Land members arrived  to help set up. Two tents and four plastic "walls" later we had built a nice little fort house. All we needed was a camp fire. I estimate 25 customers visited us in the POURING rain, including a good friend of mine who had worked a 12 hour shift the night before. She drove 25 miles to the Market and then had to drive 50 minutes to get home. She even bought soap, a bunch of soap. How special was that ?!

One customer was determined enough to drive up to the curb, roll down her window and call out her order. "Asparagus !" She cried. Her order was filled and money was collected. Fortunately the local police were not in the area because exchanging money curbside through the open window of a car, can be suspicious.

Kris Travis's display of products from Spence Farms.
  Now why didn't I think to bring some crates ?!

During the quiet times, I actually got to sit and visit with some other members of our group. We talked not only of farming but of kids, parents, grand kids, jobs, life stessors and health  issues. We also managed to talk a bit about dreams for ourselves. I discovered I really did not know these woman very well, the same woman l that I had known casually for some time, and I discovered that I really LIKED them.

If the weather had been perfect we would have missed that opportunity.
We also would have been WARM and DRY...oh well

Here's to next weekend's market ! What could happen ? A tornado ? No problem, we'll just put up a few  more plastic walls, AND START A RAGING FIRE.

         P.S. Special thanks to the Kupferschmids for loan of their business's yard
                                              for our Farmers Market
                         See them at The Antique Shoppe  301 W. Oak St 
                                           Fairbury, IL  815-692-3379

Technical Difficulties

Please enjoy this lovely pastoral scene as our cows head out to the pastoral area. I'm having technical difficulties posting my next blog topic. I can't really type thus the technical difficulty. Stay tuned for further developments.

View from our front porch. Bustling Chatsworth in the distance

I got your CHIVES right here !

Less than 24 hours until The Stewards of The Land first Farmers Market of the Season. We have confirmation of the following

     Grass Fed Beef
     Organic Pork
     Rhubarb
     Radishes
     Free Range Eggs
     Herbs like Chives,

                                                                       Comfrey,

                                                                        Tarragon

     Hand Crafted soap to clean up your cooking mess

Really, its soap, not caramel bars. Made with 95% organic materials
 I call it "Hippie Hemp Soap". due to the  Hemp Oil in it which is great for dry skin
 No dummy, you can't smoke it, but you
can bathe with it.

Not only will you be able to buy fresh produce but we are located in front of one of the coolest antique Shoppes I have even seen. So make a Saturday out of it and come visit us at 301 W. Oak Street in Fairbury, Illinois, USA

That "USA" part is for the thousand or so of my blog followers coming from other countries. You know who you are ! Still time to grab a flight over to see us. I'll get the guest room ready. There, I chased the cat off the guest bed, the guest bed is ready.