A Blog pals giveway...

Country Whispers is one of my favorite blogs that I try to read everyday. She posts awesome recipes - good, wholesome recipes that will feed any family. She's celebrating her 100th post and offering a great give-away. Be sure to check out her blog...............

A quiet weekend here - I spent a couple of days in bed with a kick butt migraine. I know it's because I need to spend ALL of this week wrapping up my taxes. My appointment is the 14th. You know your slacking when the Accountant calls you to make an appointment! I swear I'm going to TRY and do better each year but it's the one thing I just don't seem to make more time for. Maybe this year...........

The weather is dismal - we had sun about 1 hour this morning. Now it's rainy and blowing and damp. I put the does and babies out for a bit and tried to get some video of the girls having a great time but there wasn't enough light. The goats were happy to go back to their comfy little house in the barn. Diamond is bored - as you can see by the photo of her chewing on her Mom's goat Tee :)

.....and baby watch continues. Lace seems to get larger instead of showing signs of going into labor. I know - when I least expect it, I'll find babies when I go to the barn :)

So.....we will continue to wait for the kids to arrive. Tom noticed a couple of the ewes are "bagging up" this morning. It won't be long before we have lambies on the ground :)

~ Ribbon gives us Ruby..........

On Sunday morning as Steve and I were on our way home from Boston, Tom called to tell us that Ribbon had just delivered this sweet little doeling. Keeping with our gem stone theme, her name is Ruby.

These goats are experts at spitting out babies - as Tom went about morning chores, he would pop his head in around the door to check on her as he suspected she was in labor. One minute she was still pregnant, the next time he looked, she had delivered the baby! All was fine and he was relieved. This was his first time "on duty" alone with the pregnant Mama's. He did great :)

She seemed very passive at first, eating and lying under the hay feeder for most of Sunday. Obviously she was just tired from her "trip" down the birth canal. By Monday, she was up and exploring and worrying her Mom :)

She's naturally curious and is very interested in people. She loves attention already and trots over to the fence whenever we go into the goat barn. Of course, we pick her up for a cuddle every chance we get. Who could resist that face?

We are STILL waiting for poor, supersized Lace to deliver her bundles. There just has to be more than one in there! She looks very close - but I thought that yesterday as well and nothing.....stay tuned :)

~ Our Fairy tale weekend....part II

Harvard University Campus, Harvard, MA

Saturday morning started out a little overcast but before long, the sun was shining. After a lovely light breakfast of fresh fruit, scones, quiche and coffee in our room we were off on day two of our adventure. We walked a block or so from the Inn to the T station and hopped the subway to Harvard. I have never been to Harvard University. What a magnificent campus. The architecture, character and longevity of these buildings is amazing. We walked around campus about 45 minutes, enjoying the bare ground (no snow), small leaves opening on the trees and fresh shoots of green grass. The forsythia is in bloom and everything just smells like spring.

I was amazed to read that this building is a theater. I automatically thought it was a Chapel or Church of some kind. The closer we got, I could see the beautiful stained glass windows.

Our destination was the Harvard Museum of Natural History. Here we visited a Glass Flowers Exhibition. All the flowers in the exhibit and all parts exhibited are made of glass and wire by a German Artist and his son. You just wouldn't believe it - they looked so real...below are some of my favorite photos:

They also had a Mayan exhibit, a very large World Animal Exhibit, a Mineral Exhibit and a Global Warming Exhibit. We spent about 3 hours enjoying all the displays. I cannot begin to give this Museum justice in describing these fantastic exhibits. The entrance fee was only $9.00. It was money well spent :)

We are off again, back to the subway - destination: Quincy Market - Boston, MA

By 1:00 pm on Saturday, Quincy Market was full of people, enjoying all the sights, sounds and smells. Entertainers were juggling, several small bands were performing in different locations, drum performers, etc. It was nice to see people relaxing and enjoying themselves. We "window shopped" for a while and then decided to have lunch at Durgin Park - a well known Pub/restaurant. Always Delicious and more than you can possibly eat. DH then told me that we had "somewhere to be" at 7:00 p.m. I was uncomfortably full and my feet were sore - I needed a nap or I was never going to make it to 7 p.m. :)

I felt refreshed after my nap and very curious :) I just couldn't imagine what else he could have planned. The entire weekend has been wonderful. How could it get any better? The fog was rolling in from the ocean and we headed east toward the Boston Common. Our destination was within walking distance and even though the air was damp, it wasn't cold. Boston is busy on a Saturday night! We walked about 5 blocks and I started to see lots of people, cars, taxi cabs and limousines. My stomach started to roll with excitement!! We moved with the crowd and as we turned the corner, there we were - in front of the Boston Opera House......I just stood there with my mouth open in amazement - not in a million years did I dream I would ever be here. This building is something out of a book - honestly, the architecture is simply amazing. The interior walls as you walk in are black and white marble, from floor to elaborately decorated ceiling - the tile work on the floors made you think you were in Italy. The plaster molded ceilings, Persian carpets and drapes, etc. Absolutely stunning.......DH goes to the ticket counter to retrieve tickets he had purchased through the help of our friends at home and I was so dumb founded I never stopped to think what we were here for!

The Broadway musical performance of Dirty Dancing!!!! Oh My Gosh, can you believe it? It was fabulous - there is no other way to describe it. It was better than the movie. I couldn't quite substitute this leading man for Patrick Swayze but it was darn close! The acting, the singing, the orchestra, all of of it, simply fantastic. It lasted three hours with one intermission. As the crowd moved away from the stage as the show ended, we walked down to the stage and looked up to view the orchestra seating - I swear the ceiling looked like something from the Sistine chapel......beautiful scroll work, trim and detail work painted in gold and silver and paintings that told an entire story - I stood there and cried.....just so overwhelmed by all of it. My emotions were just bubbling over - I literally felt drained. The walk back to the Inn was peaceful and relaxed. We looked in shop windows along the way, thinking we would like to come back here and do this again

Sunday was a rainy day - which seemed rather fitting. I couldn't believe this magical weekend was coming to an end so soon......what a whirlwind, fabulous time we have had. We really didn't want it to end quite yet but we were glad to be going home - we missed our boys and I left pregnant goats at home :) We enjoyed our last quiet breakfast together in our room and left the Inn about 10:30 for North Station. The ride home on the train was quiet and we had an unexpected delay that didn't bother us at all. It was a good time to reflect and plan for next time. This was definitely an Anniversary that we will never forget!

Tomorrow's post - we have a new addition :)

~ Our Fairy tale weekend...........

As I said in my post on Friday, my DH had planned this exciting Anniversary celebration with the help of several people, our children included. He had told me we were going to do something special but I just assumed perhaps we would have dinner out, just the two of us. That's a rare occasion and I would have been happy with that :) On 3/24 he told me not to make any plans for Friday, Saturday & Sunday. No further info.........all day Wednesday as I went about my business I'm wondering, what is he up to? On 3/25 he told me I needed an overnight bag and two outfits of evening wear. YIKES! That's not much notice.......but I can do it :) I ran to the mall the next day and fought the crowds and actually found a lovely skirts and a pair of dress slacks. That took me most of the day - I hate to go shopping! Now I'm really curious - I drop a few hints around the house but no one is letting me in on anything. On 3/26 he tells me our youngest is staying at his friends house for the weekend and that we are going away. End of conversation. I'm really getting excited now.

On Friday I'm up at my usual time, ready to do morning chores. Surprise, he has the day off and oh, by the way - we are leaving at 11:30 a.m. Ok - I'll be ready! We leave on time and head for Portland. I'm still completely in the dark but I'm rather enjoying someone else making the decisions and I just have to go along for the ride. We end up at the Amtrak station. I've never ridden on the train - I was sooooo excited! The train heads south from Portland - at 11:30 the announcement is "all aboard for Boston"...........we are going to BOSTON!!!!! By this time I'm giddy - just like a little girl. What are we going to do in Boston I ask? You'll find out all in good time, he replies :)

We had a lovely train trip to Boston - approximately 2 hours. We arrive at North Station and Steve hails a cab. "94 Charles St." he says...........if you've never been in a cab in Boston, it's an experience in itself! In about 5 minutes we arrive at our first destination - The Charles St. Inn.

The Charles St. Inn is one of Boston's Premier Victorian Bed and Breakfast. It offers 9 spacious and elegant rooms in a renovated 1860 Victorian townhouse, located in the heart of Boston's historic Beacon Hill. If this style interests you, please click on the link, you will not be disappointed. This Inn is absolutely gorgeous. From the time you open the front doors, you feel swept back in time.

We stayed in the Isabella Stewart Gardner room. This lovely bouquet is the first thing I saw as Steve opened the door to our room. The card, which he purchased, signed and mailed to the Inn prior to our arrival, was waiting by the flowers. They are just beautiful and smell wonderful! Yes - by this time I'm in tears :) Our room was something little girls dream of.

~Such a beautiful bed. Yes, it's as soft and comfortable as it looks :)We enjoyed the fireplace in the evenings and enjoyed it in the mornings as they served breakfast in our room along with the paper.

This lovely alcove faced the main street. The beautiful yellow Lillie's smelled wonderful and the scent permeated the entire room.

This lovely painting was hanging in our room. We both chuckled as we looked at it, no matter where we go, we always find something that remind us of the farm :)

After a relaxing afternoon enjoying all the Victorian splendor, we enjoyed a fabulous dinner at Toscanos of Beacon Hill. This was not just a meal, this was a magical dining experience. The food, the wine, the waitstaff - everything about this business was top notch. It was a 3 hour meal and neither of us were bored. Stuffed for sure.....oh my, did we eat. Neither of us could finish our meal and much to our surprise, the Manager presented us each with an after dinner aperitif. A glass of fabulous cordial accompanied with fresh petite biscotti, on the house :)

A lovely walk back to the Inn and coffee in our room in front of the fireplace completed our Friday adventure. I have to tell you I was in awe.....my Husband, the romantic, who knew?

Stay tuned for tomorrow's entry.....Saturday's big event!

This and that on the farm..............

It's been a busy week here.......many spring projects underway and some we've finished and crossed off the list. We've had temps in the 40's with a wind everyday. It still feels cold. Maybe 50 tomorrow :) The chickens have been scratching and moving the dead leaves around and have uncovered one of my bleeding hearts. I was very happy to see new growth - it's just peeking up through the dirt but I really could see it!

This is my flower garden I see from my kitchen window. I have slowly watched the snow melt away from the bird bath. It will still be awhile before I see any bulbs peeking their way up through, but it will melt away, eventually :)

Our little Diamond is still the only wee one on the farm so far. She doesn't mind! She gets all the attention and is thriving on it. She got her first taste of being outside today.
She is growing like a weed. Like a typical little one, she tasted everything she could get into her mouth. It didn't take her long to figure out that the goat yard was one big playpen for her :)

Moving at warp speed~

She sure enjoyed checking everything out - kept her Mama busy :)

One sure sign of spring, our ducks are laying again.......This is the first dozen. We are getting two per day so far. I believe we have 5 females and 5 males. Hopefully all the females will start laying. The duck eggs were a big seller at the Farmer's market.
Last but not least, I'll be away for a few days, leaving the rest of the family in charge. My delightful husband has been planning a weekend get-a-way for the two of us to celebrate our 18th Wedding Anniversary for some time. I had absolutely no idea! My boys have been in on the planning and they are very proud of themselves for not spilling the beans (I'm proud of them too :) I have absolutely no idea where we are going - only I'm going with my husband and wherever we end up, it will be wonderful. I'll let you all know on the next blog post!

~Have a warm, sunny weekend ~

Spinning - An aid to India's self reliance....

I have yet to use my blog as a place to air my political point of view. I don't intend to start now but as the financial and political turmoil in our country continues to brew, it's in the forefront of my mind as it is in every one's.

I came across an article in my Spring 2009 issue of Spin Off Magazine ( a magazine about making yarn by hand) that I have read several times and still can't get over the concept of a government actually HELPING it's people become more self-reliant and not charging them for it.
People in India raise cotton. At one time they were selling their cotton cheaply to the English and then buying it back as expensive cloth. Gandhi suggested that the Indian people spin their own cotton yarn. He believed that the spinning wheel was a tool that would aid India in becoming more independent and self reliant. Hence the invention of a foldable, easily portable spinning wheel called the Charkha ( wheel in Indian).

This is called a book charkha. You can see the hinges in the middle and it actually folds up when not in use. I have only seen one used a couple of times. It is so amazing to watch these little wheels at work. It takes skill and practice but artisans that can do it make it look easy :)

A new spinning wheel has been designed in this country called an e-charkha. This is a charkha that generates electricity! Spinning on this wheel for approximately two hours generates enough juice to fill a battery pack that will run a radio or a light bulb for six or seven hours. Is this amazing or what!!! These folks spin a lot - imagine what this can do for these people. This entire concept just blows my mind. I love it!

The icing on the cake..........1.2 million rural Indians spin on these charkhas to make a living. The GOVERNMENT of India is going to somehow make these e-charkha wheels available to ALL of these people at LOW or NO COST - can you believe it ????

This is the best thing I've read in months. I know I should be concerned about what's going on in my own backyard but I have to tell you, this gives me hope in humanity......people helping people. Government supporting and working for their people.

Spring was nice while it lasted...........

The thermometer never reached 30 degrees today. It feels cold after we have had mild (35-45) degree weather the last few days. This was the view looking at my Mom's house yesterday afternoon. One minute it was sunny and about 32; the next minute we were getting a blizzard. Typical Maine spring weather ~

I love reading everyone's blogs with photos of flowers blooming and people planting their gardens. It gives me hope - spring really will come to the Northeast and stay, not just tease us :)

Even though I was too cold to work outside, the girls are loving it. They have fluffed in every soft spot they can find. Every time I look out the window, there is a chicken or two, pecking and singing, just happy to be alive :)

Little Miss Diamond is already a nosy goatie. Great shot hey? I swear you can watch them grow. Having just the one so far (pout, pout) she's getting all the attention and loves it. I'm really glad in a way that the other doe's didn't kid today. Even in the barn with all the windows and sunshine, it's a cold day for babies. The weather will get warmer as the week progresses.

Hope it's sunny and warm where you are : )