life in a list

It seems whenever I get the rare opportunity to be "online", I am without inspiration (in the blogging realm, that is). I'm not saying that life on the farm is boring, for it is not that, at all. Or that nothing interesting or exciting happens over here, for that is not true either. But I just don't know what little life tidbit to share. And even if I have decided on a topic for posting, it never magically works itself out in words, sentences and paragraphs. Seems it takes more effort than in the past.

So in short, since I am struggling to be creative, here is what has been going on.

• blueberry picking with Emily, Lana, Mom, Madeline and Katie (50 lbs in 2 hrs)
• harvesting squash, green beans, swiss chard, blackberries, raspberries, onions, garlic, kohlrabi, cucumbers, scallions, basil, parsley
• catching up with Megan, Tara and Jake on Lake Michigan
• witnessing a Jasper- baby mink fight (sidenote: baby mink was winning, so I had to step in and give it a wallop with the shovel. Nasty little creature.)
• visiting college friends at IWU (visiting from Ohio, New York, North Carolina and Michigan)
  
• various bonfires with friends and family
• baking breads and muffins, making fresh basil pesto
• Indianapolis Indians baseball game with Kyle and Lana
• playing slow pitch softball every Monday night (and winning every game, our team rocks)
• being chased and attacked by mean rooster when collecting eggs
  

Oh and I almost forgot, somewhere in there I got another blasted speeding ticket. I swear I can't get through a year without getting one of those things. I need to stick to my hiking boots. 2006 was probably the only year of my driving life that I haven't gotten a speeding ticket. Which was of course because I was walking for 6 of those months. I'm a sorry lot.

Life and death are so very present here on the farm. We experience the effects of living creatures daily through pollinators, pests, laying hens, puppies, visitors to the farm. Death is so very real, as well. Mink and owls sneak around at night or early in the morning waiting for a chance to steal the life of our chickens. Cars fly by on the road. Drivers oblivious of the carefree puppy that dashes out into oncoming traffic when he is "on the scent" of something or other. Even microscopic organisms in our soil, water and air can be killers too.

Last week we lost our dear goat, Annabelle, to a microscopic organism that causes tetanus. Unexpected and horrible. She became sick on Tuesday morning and didn't make it 24 hours. We are very sad to see her go and all miss her very much. Even Jasper was very sweet to the sick goat, licking her face when she couldn't stand and lying next to her while we tried to help her fight for her life.

priceless photo

Corn on the cob. Who doesn't like it?