Goatlocution

"Hey Brownie, I sure hope you're happy today. It just beautiful and the sun is shinning."
"Farmlady, do you have any of that good grass with the little white flowers on that side of the fence?"
" I do Brownie!! But the first thing I want you to do is acknowledge the fact that it's a beautiful day. You've been walking around here like it was the end of the world."
" What's acknowledge? What's that? Is that the name of the grass I like."

"No, Brownie, acknowledge means that you listen to what someone says and tell them you understand. Then you have to respond, somehow, and let them know that you heard what they said. In order to do this you have to stop thinking about yourself and pay attention."

'scuse me? I paid attention! You said that the sun was shining and I should be happy about it."
"That's right. BROWNIE! You WERE listening. So..., are you happy about the weather?"
"Yes, I am Farmlady. Now, can I have some of that knowledge grass, or respond weed or whatever it is. please?"

"Pretty please?"

Wordless Wednesday: Jackson Creek

Prayer Flags from Davis

I keep finding things that were laid aside last year. I found these prayer flags in the closet underneath the towels, folded into a neat little pile and remembered that I had ordered them, last summer, from an artist and friend in Davis. I had taken these photos so I could do a post on them and then, in the few months that followed, I folded them away in the linen closet and forgot to show you what a joyful idea these were.
Terry Busse, who lives in Davis, Ca. makes a variety of these "Blessing Flags" and the wonderful idea for them is to put a prayer or blessing in the little pocket for someone that you are thinking about. Then hang the flags somewhere that sends these good wishes to each person in hopes that they bring that person some relief from their cares and concerns. So, with five pockets waiting for a request, I will fill them as follows:
Blessings for my family; my boys, my lovely daughter in law and the mother of my grandchildren, my sister and her family and my mother-in-law. May they all find some happiness and a sense of peace about their lives and the inevitable trials that come with being in this world at this time.
Good thoughts for my friend "C' in Sacramento, who is facing an operation this week.
One for Laura in Georgia; for strength.
One for the people in Haiti.
And one for our Government; hoping that they can stop the arguing and posturing. That they can pull together for the good of this country.

I need more flag pockets. I have more good thoughts to send. I may have to do this, as a blog post, on a regular basis.


Terry Busse is an amazing fabric artist and she is the one who immortalized Murphy when she made a fabric quilt of our farm with Murph' dancing and showed it at the Davis Art Center two years ago. I was so proud. She read my post on Murph' dancing under the full moon and asked if she could do a quilt picture of this and write a poem about it. Then, after the show, she sent the quilted picture to me. I was stunned and overwhelmed. I treasured this beautiful piece of art.

Please check out her Etsy store called Garden Songs. She sells Blessing flags, dream pillows and wonderful cards.
Terry...,I know you're busy with your family, artwork and everything, but I miss your Blog posts. Hope all is well...

545 Days

This is an anniversary of sorts. Two years ago today I started this Blog. My first post was entitled Small Offerings and consisted of 3 photos. That was it. I think I did one the day before but didn't like it and decided to start fresh on the 1st of February.
I don't even remember why I decided to do it. I had looked at some other blogs that I thought were interesting. The first one was Posey Gets Cozy by Alicia Paulson. I loved the photos and what she wrote about; mainly her little dog, her husband and her amazing sewing skills. She even had photo tutorials.
I was not sure where I should go to start a blog but I found Blogger and they gave me very easy instructions on how to get started. At first I wasn't sure what I would write about and couldn't imagine writing a post every day. I knew that I wanted to use my photos. I wanted to write stories, poems, talk about where I came from and leave some record of this for my boys. The rest was a big question mark.
I wasn't sure if this would be a photo blog, a writing blog or a poetry blog. I didn't yet know how to put words around and in between the photos so I started doing each separately. Sometimes two posts a day: One with photos, one with writing. When I think back at how little I knew it's amazing that I even attempted it at all.
I found that I loved writing these posts everyday. I never kept a journal for more than a few months and then I would stop. The fact that someone might read what I wrote gave me more reason to do it well and consistently. I thought that if someone would bother to read my blog it would have to be "entertaining" but have some intelligent purpose. I felt that it should be "classy" and perfectly written. I knew that my spelling would have to improve.
All of this high-minded rhetoric went down the tubes when I got my first comment on February 9, 2008. I had written a story about finding our German Shorthair Pointer, Moke, in a campground, tied to a tree and starving. A poet from Oakland, Ca. calling herself Castlewon wrote:
"Just thought I'd tell you I like your chickens, your gourds, your poems, your dog, and your blog."
Thank you Merita. It was then that I knew what I wanted to write about. My life here on the mountain, the animals that we live with and the blessings of my life. I could still write poems and make up stories. I could still entertain , showcase my photos and " have some "intelligent purpose". But I didn't have to be perfect and charming and have 100 comments everyday. I just had to write about the things I loved. It was all right here. It was my life and someone had just said it all.."I like your chickens, your gourds, your poems, your dog, and your blog." How wonderful is that??
So two years later and 545 posts later I'm still telling folks about the farm on the mountain. Moke is gone and some of the chickens. I won't have to write about the sadness of losing my Mother anymore, but I was able to mourn her with my writing. This was an unexpected gift.
Now, we have four silly Nubian goats, a new puppy and two wonderful grand kids to tell you about. It never ends and I wouldn't give away this opportunity to write almost everyday for anything in the world. I love it. I love reading other blogs and commenting. I have made some good friends; cried with them and laughed with them and, always, wake up in the morning thinking "What can I write about today?" Yep! It's an anniversary, of sorts, and a good one because everyone should have something that they love to do. I'm proud of this blog called Over Good Ground. Someday, my grand kids will read it and the Bean will say... "Wow, remember when we planted the baby gourd plants. Remember the first year that we lived in the old house of her mothers? The first Halloween there? The first Christmas? Look at me when I was 1 year old, 2yrs, 3yrs and I remember that puppy. His name was Carl and we ran around the garden together."
It's a journal for the 21st century. It's a chronicle of our lives, a story I want to remember.
When someone asked me why I have a Blog.., I told them that I'm protecting memories. I'm also doing it for myself, so that in my old age I can sit and read about a time when I was living a wonderful life , sharing it with others and writing the Great American Novel in real time.

Embedded Pumpkins and Sweet Snail Mail

First of all, it's Sunday.
Just a reminder to stop and smell the oak leaves.



Then.., and I know you are wondering why the Halloween Pumpkin is sitting IN the dirt on the lawn. A little rodent, probably a gopher, came to visit. Carl, the pupster, decided that he would catch this invader and proceeded to dig a hole to China in search of the gopher. He would not leave this gopher hole alone.
So we took the pumpkin and set it on top of the hole. Well, now I can't remove the pumpkin. I think it is growing into the ground. It's attached firmly to the dirt. Odd? I think so.
Maybe it will appear in some Chinese garden on the other side of the world and grow into a beautiful pumpkin plant..., and the farmer will wonder where it came from.







And last, but not at all the least.., After the Bean and his Daddy came to visit us a few weeks ago, we got this wonderful thank you note. Isn't it just the cutest letter ever? Please allow me this quick moment of "Noni bragging" and then you can have a peaceful remains of the day.



p.s. The gourd is still not saying anything.

A Good Way to Start the Day.., and the Gourd Project

I love bacon and eggs for breakfast but I try to have a protein smoothie once a day, either at breakfast or lunch. I use orange juice (I like OJ better than milk with fruit), plain (Nancy's nonfat is the best) yogurt, half a banana, blueberries, strawberries and a scoop of protein powder. The fruit varies depending on what I have on the sink counter or in the freezer. I don't' use ice if I'm using frozen fruit. If I have this drink for breakfast it fills me up so well that I don't think about eating anything else until lunch (sometimes longer)
and it's sooo good for me.After breakfast I decided to have a talk with THE GOURD...


Well, look what we have here. The gourd with potential...
It's got such interesting markings on it but it's not saying anything to me. One side is too light and the other side is too dark. I don't see a face, or a pattern. I like the dark section but I'm not sure I want that side to be the focal point. Should I open this gourd up and make it a bowl?.., a basket?,.., or keep it the way it is and add a clay face.., and mosses, leaves or dried things from my hikes in the woods. I just don't know yet.
So I decided that because this gourd was not telling me what to do, I would try to even out the light and dark places by rubbing some leather dye into it. I used brown, green and rose( yes, rose) colored dye and rubbed each in with a clean cloth. First, the brown dye (as a good base) but it brought out the markings too much. I tried to apply more in the light spots and less over the dark areas.Then I rubbed in the green dye and this added a beautiful affect; almost like it hadn't completely dried yet. After I wiped it dry I knew it needed something else. I have this rose colored dye that I never use for anything. I'm not sure why I bought the rose color. It's too "fufu" for serious gourds. They don't like blues and pinks. I have never used a blue or pink color on a gourd that I didn't have to cover with a different color afterwards, so unless I'm painting one with acrylics for an ornament or jewelry, I tend to stay clear of pastel dyes or paints.But, I decided to rub a small amount of this rose dye into the gourd and guess what? It added a warmer, more natural look to the finish. Very interesting. Sometimes you just have to experiment with finishes. If you're not sure and don't want to really mess up a piece you can try the dyes on a broken fragments of gourd..., but remember that each gourd is different and the same finish might come out differently on different gourd skins. Also, these dyes come with an applicator which I never use unless I want to cover the gourd completely and hide the texture. These dyes are very opaque if applied with an applicator and, once dry, they will not rubbed off. The important thing to remember is that dyes are messy, strong smelling and permanent. You need to work with them in a well- ventilated place, wear plastic gloves, old clothes, OLD SHOES and a mask.

I learned my lesson a few years ago. I wanted to cover a small gourd with red dye. It was going to be a Christmas ornament. I went out into the garage with my good clothes on and my black Berkenstocks. Yea... and said to myself. "This will only take a minute. Why should I change into my old stuff. I will be careful." FAMOUS LAST WORDS.I opened the dye bottle, grabbed a rag. and the corner of the rag caught the bottle , tipped it over and off the workbench. It hit the floor and splattered all over my good work clothes and my beautiful black Berkie's.Folks.., there is no redemption for this. Everything within a good five feet was splattered with RED DYE and my wonderful, expensive investment for my, then, aching feet were ruined. I rubbed the dye off of those shoes as fast as I could but they are now my around the farm "gardening shoes" ( and pants) and I learned a valuable lesson about working with leather dyes. By the way.., the concrete floor ,from then on, looked like I had murdered something in front of my workbench . The stain never came out. Now, I have an old rug covering up most of the stain so you can't see the evidence of my stupidity. That was a hard lesson to learn.


So, the gourd looks really nice. I love the finish. It matches a Fall candle I have on the buffet. I sanded it just a bit with a very fine, dry sanding sponge to give it a rustic, softer look. I don't know what's next. I'm pouring over some good Gourd books for ideas and waiting for the gourd to tell me something. Sometimes this takes a while, but I want to have it finished by the 11th of February for our next gourd meeting, so I hope it starts talking soon.

Time to Create Some Gourd Art

I thought it would be interesting, in a messy sort of way, to show all of you how a gourd becomes a piece of art. I have quite a few gourds that are dry, beautiful and ready to work with. I did not create anything with these gourds last year. My efforts were not focused in this direction.
I didn't grow these beautiful gourds. A friend grows them. She lives down in the valley and has a farm where she grows and nurtures gourds.., among other things. They grow much better down there. I would guess it's the soil, maybe the special care she gives them and the longer summer. I'm not sure. I only know that she grows the best thick, hard shelled gourds in the Central Valley.
So, with this gourd above, I wanted to show you how it was cleaned and dried last year. I soaked it in warm soapy water with a little bleach in the water. I don't have a picture of it before I started washing it but it was a mess.., lots of mildew and dirt. After I let it soak for an hour with a wet soapy towel over it, I use a copper scrubber on it and cleaned all the white skin, mildew and dirt off. Sometimes this is very physical. You have to remove it all without scratching the gourd or damaging the stem. Frequently you need a wire brush to get around the stem and some of the rough spots. There will be blemishes and imperfections that will not wash off. These are caused by bugs, mold and sitting on the ground while growing. These are part of the "character" of this gourd. I will work with these "flaws" and include them in the design.
Now, after sitting for a year on my porch, it's ready for creating" something beautiful.


I could use any of these gourds. They are cleaned and completely dry. They all have possibilities. Some are so beautiful, like the large one above, that I may never do anything with it. It's a work of art just the way it is. I love the stem and the "scars" on the bottom of it. I have had this gourd for two years and I never feel the urge to decorate it. I think this one is beautiful just the way it is.

These three little gourds are the ones that my grandson planted last summer. They are still drying in the living room window. I find it interesting that they are drying so differently. The one in front, on the left, is dry and ready to decorate. The one on the right doesn't rattle yet, so it's not completely dry, even though it looks like it is. The green one (in back) is still heavy and has a small place that's starting to turn brown. Interesting! They were all picked at the same time and yet look how different the drying process is. I will wait until next Fall to let the Bean paint these. There are his and he will be able to say that he planted them, grew them and decorated them himself. I hope he lets Baby Bean have one. What fun that will be.
So I must go and start working on this first gourd of the New Year. If you come up with any ideas about my new "work in progress", I would love to hear from you. Ultimately, "the gourd will tell me what it wants to be" and I will move forward with it. I love the starting. I guess it's what every artist means when they talk about the "creative process". Here we go....

Sunshine on Our Shoulders.., for a while.

For about three or four hours today we had SUNSHINE. It was dazzling, intense.., almost eccentric. We woke up to sun reaching through our bedroom window and flooding into the living room. I quickly ate breakfast and then took the camera, and the dogs, outside.
The sky was so blue. Everything stood out against this beautiful color. The rain has darkened all the trees, rocks and plants, saturating them with dampness until they couldn't hold, it would seem, one drop more.
....and then today..., a reprieve, a morning of "brightness blinding sight from seeing"..., a day when I really wished that I could fly up into this beautiful blue firmament above.
The birds crowded the feeders knowing somehow that the Prospector had filled them this morning for the first time in a week. The Finches, Sparrows, Grosbeaks, Bluebirds, Hummers and Doves.., all waiting for something wonderful to happen. All vying for the seed that magically appear in their feeders.
.... the goat boys were crusing the pasture. I think I saw a slight upturn of Brownie's mouth, as he passed me on the way to the front pasture. I couldn't be sure.
.... the chickens were clucking happily.
.... the cat was chasing something across the road. Carl ran around "hurding" the goats and Maggie, sweet old thing, sat down on the porch and absorbed the warmth.

..... the Helleborus, that had turned it's face downward in the wind and rain for weeks started to rise and look toward the sun. As if it now had good reason to make a commitment to the coming of Spring.

And as the day progressed, off in the distance, the clouds slowly moved up the river valley.
Now, as I write this, they have, again, wrapped us in the quiet eclipse of Winter.

Wordless Wednesday: Hiking in the Rain

What to do on a rainy day.

Play with the Pupster....

Bake a Impossible Coconut Pie.
..., and this morning.., watch the dogs do the thing they do best.

Waiting

Brownie is waiting.., and no matter what Murphy says to him,
he's not going to be OK until this wet, gloomy weather goes away.

He will not look at me. He walks around like he has lost a good friend.

"Come on Brownie. The sun will shine again."

Words for A Special Place

A Blessing for the Woods
by Michael S. Glase

Before I leave, almost without noticing,
before I cross the road and head toward
what I have intentionally postponed—

Let me stop to say a blessing for these woods:
for crows barking and squirrels scampering,
for trees and fungus and multi-colored leaves,

for the way sunlight laces with shadows
through each branch and leaf of tree,
for these paths that take me in,
for these paths that lead me out.

Michael Glaser recently received the Homer Dodge Endowed Award for Excellence in Teaching at St. Mary's College in Maryland. He has served as a Maryland Poet-in-the-Schools for 25 years, published over 300 poems in literary journals, newspapers and anthologies. His most recent collection of poems, Being A Father, was published in July 2004, when he was also appointed as the State of Maryland's Poet Laureate.

Around the Rain Drenched Farm

The Ladies started laying again this week. They must have taken my threats seriously. I could have used the "magic monkey" curse, since it worked so well with Blogger, but I didn't have to. My chickens have "magic" of their own. Look at those blue eggs. The Araucana hens really know how to lay an egg don't they?

So, yesterday, with these fresh eggs, and taking the whole afternoon off from dealing with computers, I BAKED COOKIES.
We love Snickerdoodles around here. I put some orange zest into the batter in honor of my mother, I put orange zest in just about everything. So did she. It's one of those sweet aromas that remind me so much of her. The house was filled with this wonderful fragrance for the rest of the day.

This is the view of our front yard from the chicken house. It rained all day yesterday. Everything sparkled..., except the goats, of course. They were inside their house grumbling.
Brownie has had a frown on his face for days. I don't' even want to have a discussion about the weather with him. He's in a foul mood and it wouldn't be pretty. We need this rain so badly here. He just doesn't understand. GOATS!!

I want to wish my dear "childhood" friend, Dawn, a very happy Birthday. I will tell you the wonderful story of how she found me and where we came from, soon. It's a wonderful story of friendship; lost and regained. Stay tuned...

Magic Monkey Curse

If this works I will have to eat my words about MONKEYS. If using them as a threat to Blogger for yesterday's "error" fest works, I will then have to apologize to my friend Jan of Little Pink Houses for everything I ever said about Monkeys.
This is my last effort to post photos on my Blog. Then I'm not sure what I will do. AND YOU WON'T KNOW ANYWAY, BECAUSE YOU WON'T SEE THIS POST AT ALL. #*$&%

Thank you Blogger and the Magic Monkeys. I know that Jan will never let me live this down but it will be worth whatever she throws my way. I now have a "magic monkey" box for all those occasions when I need extra powers.
I just wish that when I asked Blogger for an answer, they would respond with SOMETHING, any kind of small response that might have said that It's OK. we are working on it: A bone for the dogs of blogs out here. Please....,

So, What do you think?

The serving plate, above, is a beautiful china plate surrounded by a decorative chrome frame. The back says that it is called UMBERTONE made for Farberware by LEIGH potters, inc. U.S.A. It is a pretty pattern that was made in the 1930's and I found it online priced anywhere from $20. to $60.( some online antique stores are ripping folks off). I got it for $4.50. Good deal? Yep! It has a crack in the plate but the metal rim will always hold the plate together and the crack is only hairline so I don't think it will ever fall apart.
Interesting detail: The word Umbertone is spelled UN~bertone on the back of the plate. When I Googled the word I was directed to the right spelling. Could this be like a coin that has a flaw in it or a reversed letter/number. Could this make it more valuable? Does anyone know about these things?

The cookie jar without a lid is an example of finding things that have a memory attached to them. I remember my grandma having a jar like this. It's off-white background, the leaf handles and the little bugs all remind me of one, many years ago, on a shelf in the kitchen at my grandma's house. Wish there was a lid but, oh well, I bought it for $5.00 and will use it for a planter anyway. The mark on the bottom says TRANSOR WARE~Japan. I love the colors and the design. The small yellow Mums look lovely in it.
The cute little yellow hankie with turquoise and pink trim was $1.00 and it's just such a bright, sunny piece of happiness on a cold winter day. It just kind of went with the smile sign over my desk. The bear didn't mind holding it for the photo shoot at all.

This little piece of lace was actually two pieces. My sister and I split this sweet little "find". I'm not sure what I will do with it but it's so pretty and I'm sure I will figure out something. The two pieces were sold together for $4.00, so my half was a couple of bucks. That's a deal.
The little bear thinks that it's beautiful too. I draped it like a collar.., then kind of like a skirt. When I took the last shot( in the lower right corner) she had decided that she liked it best as a hat.
What fun this weekend was. What wonderful fun and time spent. I enjoyed my hunt for that "special" find. It's kind of like Geocaching, only the rainy day version and you get to bring it ALL home with you. Not a bad 3 days worth for $12.50..., plus lunch.

******************

A big change of subject here...,
I saw rescue workers pull a small child out of the rubble in Haiti this morning on the news.
If someone asks you why we are making such a big effort to help these people down there.., please tell them it's because we need to.., because we can.., and because of that little girl.., and others who are still alive, underneath the rubble. It's all about being a part of HUMANITY. How could we not help?