Monday, February 23, 2015

spring cleaning

There is much to be discarded again: more books, worn clothing, the car.

I'm done with looking for a new old car -- it's time to sell the old old car. I bought it 4.5 years ago -- to tide me over until I decided what I should be driving in the next decade. I paid $600 for it and Ed made a few adjustments so that it not only was a drivable old wreck, but a somewhat loveable old wreck.

Still, it's been standing in the courtyard, waiting for a thaw (I drove it into icy snow). And waiting for us to muster up enthusiasm for selling it.

Today, though the temps remained ridiculously (and I mean ridiculously!) low, the sun is brilliant and our overall enthusiasm for any project is on the high side.

After breakfast...


farmette-2.jpg



... we take out the shovels and dig out the poor dear. If you look at it from the side, you might think -- hey, it's not so bad! But of course, the back and front tell a different story.


farmette-4.jpg


Still, we disclose all known issues (notably absent from the list is starting troubles, as the little devil starts beautifully every time) and put up the ad on Craigslist. Ed's convinced it's worth at least $850. Of course, the worth of a car is whatever someone will pay for it. I'll let you know what happens.


Because at around noon the sun creates a sweet corner of warmth between the sheep shed and the barn, the cheepers brave the arctic air and venture out. They are especially excited when I scatter bits of lemon cake for them. Just a small slice, but I do like to believe that we share all treats with those who live on the farmette.


farmette-10.jpg
(the girls, out for a walk)


Then it's time to visit little Snowdrop.

Like so many who were Oscar driven last night, Snowdrop behaves like the party had lasted a tad too long: her energy ebbs and flows.

As I look now at my handful of photos, I notice an animal theme:


little S-8.jpg
(lions!)




little S-8-2.jpg
(giraffes!)




little S-17.jpg
(fox!)


Life can be very wild when you are just seven weeks old!

6 comments:

  1. Glad to see the cheepers are starting to fill out their feathers again! I was worried for them, with it being so cold.

    Little Snowdrop has such a lovely, winsome look on her face in the first pic. :)

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    1. We are amazed that the two hens went from being nearly featherless to being puffy and warm again, all during the worst of winter days! We are sailing to spring now!

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  2. I've been keeping up with your journals, but am behind on comments.

    Whatever day it was, I smiled to see the Cheepers walking in a line through a canyon of shoveled snow. For me, this photo illustrated the care you give them and their appreciation of it as they sashayed through the chill. Um, I suppose morsels of cornbread (or other scraps du jour) also lure them down the tunnel of snow. Fabulous photo.

    Time is so elusive at times, but especially for me this time of year - it freezes and thaws much like the weather. It can be quite confusing. So, when I see Snowdrop and her impressive résumé of animated expressions, it's hard for me to believe she's a mere 7 weeks old. What a delight she must be - to respond as she does. This child is clearly loved and then loved some more. xo

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    1. Do you remember those weeks of your grandchildren's lives? I bet you do! It's all rather magical, possibly because it reminds us how much of the good in life repeats itself, even if we do not have a direct influence over the outcomes anymore. A slow letting go, but in the most beautiful way, through the tiny grasp of your grandchild's hand...

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  3. Ed thinks you will turn an actual profit on old Ruby?

    If you donate, with profits to legal aid or homeless shelter, or anywhere, you can at least claim a small tax credit. Angel on one shoulder, devil on the other, saying "take your money to Vegas and double it!"

    And btw, I'd bet that's one place you've never gone. I wouldn't go for free. I have to be carefully quiet with my opinions, because a lot of my casual acquaintances just love Vegas. I think it's strange to be insulted just because someone doesn't share your opinions, but there you are. My own mother, when we differ, works up a small lecture series supporting her point of view.

    School is closed here again! Dangerously low temps in the before-school hours. We will make it up with an extra week at the end of the school year... when the prevailing attitude will be: well, Kramer said it best on Seinfeld: "In my mind I'm already gone". I bought the tshirt for my son during his high school senior year. Not my best mothering moment. :)

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    1. JoyD, for me, $800 (+/-) is an enormous chunk of money to give away, especially now that I am retired. I bought my new old car assuming I could sell the old Ford. Too, Ed has put in many hours tweaking the Ford's issues over the years. It's not a profit to ask for more than I paid for it. It's recognizing his efforts in improving the car.

      I was in Vegas as an 8 year old. There is nothing that I would like about it now (nor was there anything I liked about it then), but I get why people like to party and I suppose it is the penultimate party town, no?

      There are many places in the States I'd like to visit still, but for some reason, it's easier for me to travel alone in Europe than here. I can only speculate why I feel more lonely in visiting American cities and towns... And so I cross the ocean, where I it's so much easier for me to connect to people I meet...

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