2010 Continues

Right now I'm not sure how I'm feeling about this year. From excessive snow in the winter to extreme heat since May, the year has been a challenge. My retreat from heat in the past has always been to mow the pasture weeds in the air conditioned tractor with the radio blaring. Well, today the AC there quit on me! Is this a conspiracy to drive me completely round the bend? Thankfully, I have had some remarkable trips this year to make things tolerable. (I think of those cool sweatshirt days in Oregon and long to return.) Bill has really struggled this summer so everything on the farm has become my job if Tim isn't available to help. Since I have turned half-assed into an art form, this place is now held together with baling twine and a prayer. This afternoon, I broke a thermometer. Please don't tell me that means 7 more weeks of hot weather.

Freedom

The last few days have been wonderful! My neglected flock and gardens have gotten some needed attention since I am no longer the designated hostess and tour guide. Molly and I enjoyed all the places we took Brogan to but it sure was a lot of driving in one month. Wait til I get the bills for the gas I pumped into my car! AAHHH It is cooler now giving me the energy to wash a few fleeces. The old routine feels oh so good. Molly and I plan to go for a bike ride then I'll make Lisa's lamb dish for dinner. MMMMM Perfect day.

Photos from our Adventures in New York

A friend at FAO Schwarz


Ellis Island


Lady Liberty



Mmmmm Nathan's hot dog!

Last Week with Brogan

Our last week with our young Irish friend,Brogan, was another week of heat and miles of driving. We went to Ocean City, MD for a day so she could feel how warm the ocean is in America. It was a beautiful day with cool breezes. We were with my friend Terrie and her family who have a condo on the beach. She has got to be the most gracious hostess ever! I think Brogan had a good time since she spent hours in the ocean laughing with Terrie's daughter and friend. She never says she likes a place or says "thank you for taking me" so it's hard to tell. It gets a bit disheartening at times. It was a long day with 7 hours in the car but worth it. At least I had a good time relaxing and laughing with my friend Terrie. We escaped the heat of this house for a while anyway.

Thursday, on our way to the airport, we took the ferry out to Ellis Island and The Statue of Liberty. It was so humid and hazy that the skyline was NYC was shrouded but Ellis Island is incredible. Much money spent to restore the crumbling buildings there, but so worth it. The National Parks Service again has made a place affordable for all to visit. Wonderful museums,a great film and even a place where you can look up any ancestors that may have entered America through New York. $12 for the ferry and museums on both islands. Enthusiastic rangers will tour and instruct and answer any questions. Go NPS...you rock.
The ferry ride out was full of tourist from so many foreign countries that English was just one of the languages spoken. As we pushed our way off the ferry to the cooler breezes of the island I couldn't help but feel a slight kinship with the millions of European immigrants who also walked into a new land surrounded by many languages.Did you know that 40% of all Americans have an ancestor that came through Ellis Island? Their journey being so much more overwhelming than mine for sure. They were made of sturdy stuff. I have already decided I am going back to spend a day on Ellis Island only. We didn't have enough time there to see everything.

Allowing 4 hours to get to the airport, never know about NY traffic, we were early so we headed to Coney Island to get a Nathan's hot dog at the original place and check out the boardwalk. Brogan was enthusiastic about her hot dog, so this was at least a good stop on our journey. Since we allowed so much time and the was no traffic( Go figga) we got to the airport early. We could have spent more time at Ellis but who knew. I'm sure Brogan is glad to be home and cool. I'm happy to be cooler and free!

Retreat in Bedford

Lisa Rodenfels,Anne Bisdorf and I met in Bedford PA for just a shepherd's escape. Where did we stay???? ON A SHEEP FARM, of course. We rented the Shepherd's Chalet in the hills surrounded by sheep studded pastures. 1800 sheep, but who's counting. It was fun to watch moms and lambs and not have chores to do. Saturday's dinner, made by Lisa was amazing... after we cleared the smoke, that is. Lamb of course. MMMM. Diane Kelly another BFL breeder who operates a weaving studio in Bedford joined us for dinner and laughs.
Sunday we toured the Coverlet Museum. Not air conditioned, we glistened with sweat but the gentleman giving the tour was too interesting to hurry. The second room was suppose to have AC but you could have fooled me. I can't wait to take what's left of my coverlet collection out of the blanket chests and study them with my newly acquired knowledge.
We drove the covered bridge tour which included an aside to GRAVITY HILL. The Bedford travel brochure writer gets kudos for his clever way of attracting tourist to this spot. The advertising is so humorous that you simply HAVE to go. You travel on a tiny road and follow the GH's spray painted on the road and the back of the stop signs.
Once there you stop..put your car in neutral, and when you let off the break your car rolls backwards UP HILL. (No we were not drinking before this excursion.)We were just as the ads said,"awed by the laws of physics breaking", AND laughing hysterically. So of course, we had to do it again. Sufficiently awestruck,we headed back to town only to see several more cars arrive for the experience. We all waved and smiled as we drove off. Silly but fun. It's the little things in life.
Back to reality and my own shepherd chores today, but thankful that I have such great friends to share such a laugh filled relaxing weekend with.

Ninety Degrees in the Family Room

Brogan and I retreated to the basement to escape the temps in the rest of the house. She watched the Disney channel while I tried to read. Ever tried to read while the Disney channel is on???? Don't. Ears cannot block out the stupidity of the programming.
The ancient AC in the basement is on its last legs but we can get the room to 75, which is a great relief. If I could find a T shirt that said, "I survived 100+ in the USA" I'd buy one for Brogan. Bill attempted to go to the store in an atheletic T shirt. When I protested he said, "young guys wear them out all the time".(I'm sure he's recalling the 1950ies.) My reply was that Michael Phelps wears a Speedo and looks great but when the old man up the road wears his size 40 Speedo to mow the lawn everyone just laughs. He got the analogy and Molly got him a shirt. Aside......Speedos should not be made in size 40.
Coward that I am, I am leaving town. Meeting Lisa Rodenfelds and Anne Bisdorf for a few days of R and R in Bedford, PA. sounds heavenly. Spinning,knitting, someone else cooking and sheep talk. Sounds heavenly.
I promised Brogan to take her to the beach on Tuesday for her last big USA trip then we are off to NYC on Thursday. We'll ferry out to the Statue of Liberty on our way to the airport. Her month in the great oven will end. Back to cool rainy N. Ireland.Sounds wonderful doesn't it?

NYC in the Heat or Melting in the Big Apple

Molly and Brogan had a trip to NYC on their wish lists so we went up on Friday. Stayed in NJ with family on Friday and drove off to "the city" on Saturday morning. Over 90 and so humid. Waiting in the AC for the Empire State Building elevator line was long but bearable. The view on the 86th floor was fairly clear. It had been years since I had been there but the view is still exciting.It is hard to believe so many buildings can stand in such a small area. We walked down to the Mesa Grill (Bobby Flay's) but without a reservation there was no way we could be seated. Should have planned ahead. A little hamburger joint in Greenwich Village wasn't exactly the dinner we had in mind but it was good and very affordable. Anything that didn't run too fast would have tasted good by the time we ate we were so hungry. Great street entertainers to watch in Washington Square. This part of NYC is my favorite. Residential and quiet. The train ride back to our hotel in Jersey City was a nightmare. Too few trains and too many people. We were stuffed in like cattle, sweaty and miserable. Finally back at the hotel room, I put the AC down to 65 and we wrapped up in covers, enjoyed being cold and watched the NY skyline light up out our window. Beautiful.

Sunday morning up at 6:30, I took my coffee to the dock and watched the Chinese ladies do their AM yoga routine. To my amusement, when they finished yoga they began teaching each other to dance...ballroom style. It was so cute to watch. Jersey City is sooo different now from what it was when I lived in NJ. It is safe,clean and completely revitalized.

When the girls finally got going we braved the train again where we met the nicest man who gave us the skinny on all his celebrity shoe store clients.It was fun meeting him and made the train ride seem too short. Subwayed uptown to Bergdorf Goodman, Henri Bendel and all those stores near the Plaza that we can't afford. The girls loved it. As for me, I just felt hot, dumpy and poor. Again, not fit to be seen in such places but who cares. The girls dumped me whenever possible,but they found me when they got hungry. I hope Brogan, who was suffering from the heat too, will remember NYC as a fun place and not just remember it for the heat. We tried to make it fun. Hope your 22nd birthday was memorable, Molly. Let's spend the next one in a cooler place.