All better now, pretty much.
So...I was a little down last time. Dear readers who like me will be happy to know that I felt better within hours of posting the last lament, and I feel much better now.
karl's comment was, of course, 100% correct. All of those costs ARE the costs of doing business in Amerika. We ARE glad to have that much sales tax to pay, and are 99% positive about our business venture and its ability to make money. (We ARE hoping the buhs--in the hideous parlance of our time--roll in sooner than later.)
But I will NOT give up my LOTR addiction. In fact, I just watched the 1st appendix disk of ROTK two nights ago, and just this morning Stevie and I acted out a scene from ROTK quite convincingly. I quivered in fear and got my shield smashed, Stevie cried out in pain when an invisible Merrie stabbed him in the calf, and I mustered up the energy to rip off my helmet and declare "I am no man" before screaming--over the toast and Cheerios--and ramming my sword into the Witch King's evil face. Stevie's interpretation of the spastic, nearly electric crumpling of the Witch King's death dance was HILARIOUS. I am so proud of that kid.
We had a good time at the Festival of Lights last Thursday night. The FOL is the downtown Hometown business and organization expo. We set up a booth on Main St. and talked to a bunch of people on a glorious almost-autumn evening.
We had a good weekend, too. Stevie went on a motorcycle camping trip with his Gramps. They camped close to Kansas City and spent the following day at the Renaissance Festival. Stevie LOVED the Renaissance Festival, especially the "Fight in the Forest" part. That's the part where the kids take up foam swords and daggers and fight to the death.
Saturday was a No Work day. Kevin, Mark, and I hung out around the house, and Kevin and I reveled in Mark's increasingly amusing antics and personality. Then we dumped him at his Grandma's and WENT OUT. Yes, you read that correctly! We headed to Blackwater for a delicious and expensive dinner--credit card balances be damned--and took in the local theatre troupe's performance of a comedy based on the stupidity of a small-town city council.
On Sunday we went to a farm. I met an old guy at the Steam Engine Show a couple of weeks ago. He has American Cream Draft horses. In case you don't know, American Creams are a color breed, meaning you can only register them if they are the right color and about the right size, and one of the very few draft breeds with its origins in the U.S. (Iowa to be exact). There are only 350 of them in the U.S., and he owns 5--and is one of 2 breeders in MO. The horses were so lovely.
He is also on the board of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, a great organization in the business of preserving heritage livestock and poultry breeds. With the despicable agribusiness we have today, only the most marketable breeds of cow, chicken, pig, sheep, etc. are desired. Needless to say, if these other livestock breeds go extinct, it's the same as if the heirloom crop varieties go extinct. If something comes along that kills the few species remaining, we're in deep manure. I got into the ALBC when I was researching chickens. Check them out at http://www.albc-usa.org/. Meeting a board member of this organization who is also a retired college professor who specialized in this issue was extremely lucky. He felt the same way about meeting a kindred spirit who might also be interested in an "education exchange"--he teaches us about taking care of animals in return for the care, or the animals, or at least some connections.
Short story long: He wants to give us three rare St. Croix sheep--ewes, to be precise--and 2 of them are pregnant. Their lambs would have to be bottle-fed because they are rather old ewes and their teats are too big for little lamb mouths. No matter. It would be an excellent way to learn how to care for livestock. And the ewes normally sell for $200 a pop, so it's a rather generous gift! He's looking for a retirement home for these "good ewes"--a natural death, and we are willing to provide that. And their babies would give us a start with some sheep.
AND--this is the best part, potentially. He has a cream draft mare that isn't registered because it isn't the correct color. She doesn't get along with the three registered creams. Although he offered to make me a good deal for her, he was obviously attached and reluctant to let her go. He spoke of finding a color match for her and, therefore, having a beautiful team. I gently offered to care of her over the winter, giving her a chance to escape her low standing in the pecking order and giving me a chance to learn to take care of a draft horse. Anytime he wanted her back, I would give her up. He was intrigued. And, OH! She is a beautiful horse--reddish brown with a light blonde mane and tail and drafty as a garage. And, my! He and his wife want to travel and will be needing someone to help them care for the animals. Do you see the budding beauty of this symbiotic relationship?
I'll update you on how the issues in the previous post resolve. The house is set to close this Friday and the buyers have even contacted the electric company to have the power switched to their name. I'll choose an insurance today, tidy up the bank fees (the transfer went through today!), and worry about the rest later.
Right now I have to read up on sheep....
karl's comment was, of course, 100% correct. All of those costs ARE the costs of doing business in Amerika. We ARE glad to have that much sales tax to pay, and are 99% positive about our business venture and its ability to make money. (We ARE hoping the buhs--in the hideous parlance of our time--roll in sooner than later.)
But I will NOT give up my LOTR addiction. In fact, I just watched the 1st appendix disk of ROTK two nights ago, and just this morning Stevie and I acted out a scene from ROTK quite convincingly. I quivered in fear and got my shield smashed, Stevie cried out in pain when an invisible Merrie stabbed him in the calf, and I mustered up the energy to rip off my helmet and declare "I am no man" before screaming--over the toast and Cheerios--and ramming my sword into the Witch King's evil face. Stevie's interpretation of the spastic, nearly electric crumpling of the Witch King's death dance was HILARIOUS. I am so proud of that kid.
We had a good time at the Festival of Lights last Thursday night. The FOL is the downtown Hometown business and organization expo. We set up a booth on Main St. and talked to a bunch of people on a glorious almost-autumn evening.
We had a good weekend, too. Stevie went on a motorcycle camping trip with his Gramps. They camped close to Kansas City and spent the following day at the Renaissance Festival. Stevie LOVED the Renaissance Festival, especially the "Fight in the Forest" part. That's the part where the kids take up foam swords and daggers and fight to the death.
Saturday was a No Work day. Kevin, Mark, and I hung out around the house, and Kevin and I reveled in Mark's increasingly amusing antics and personality. Then we dumped him at his Grandma's and WENT OUT. Yes, you read that correctly! We headed to Blackwater for a delicious and expensive dinner--credit card balances be damned--and took in the local theatre troupe's performance of a comedy based on the stupidity of a small-town city council.
On Sunday we went to a farm. I met an old guy at the Steam Engine Show a couple of weeks ago. He has American Cream Draft horses. In case you don't know, American Creams are a color breed, meaning you can only register them if they are the right color and about the right size, and one of the very few draft breeds with its origins in the U.S. (Iowa to be exact). There are only 350 of them in the U.S., and he owns 5--and is one of 2 breeders in MO. The horses were so lovely.
He is also on the board of the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy, a great organization in the business of preserving heritage livestock and poultry breeds. With the despicable agribusiness we have today, only the most marketable breeds of cow, chicken, pig, sheep, etc. are desired. Needless to say, if these other livestock breeds go extinct, it's the same as if the heirloom crop varieties go extinct. If something comes along that kills the few species remaining, we're in deep manure. I got into the ALBC when I was researching chickens. Check them out at http://www.albc-usa.org/. Meeting a board member of this organization who is also a retired college professor who specialized in this issue was extremely lucky. He felt the same way about meeting a kindred spirit who might also be interested in an "education exchange"--he teaches us about taking care of animals in return for the care, or the animals, or at least some connections.
Short story long: He wants to give us three rare St. Croix sheep--ewes, to be precise--and 2 of them are pregnant. Their lambs would have to be bottle-fed because they are rather old ewes and their teats are too big for little lamb mouths. No matter. It would be an excellent way to learn how to care for livestock. And the ewes normally sell for $200 a pop, so it's a rather generous gift! He's looking for a retirement home for these "good ewes"--a natural death, and we are willing to provide that. And their babies would give us a start with some sheep.
AND--this is the best part, potentially. He has a cream draft mare that isn't registered because it isn't the correct color. She doesn't get along with the three registered creams. Although he offered to make me a good deal for her, he was obviously attached and reluctant to let her go. He spoke of finding a color match for her and, therefore, having a beautiful team. I gently offered to care of her over the winter, giving her a chance to escape her low standing in the pecking order and giving me a chance to learn to take care of a draft horse. Anytime he wanted her back, I would give her up. He was intrigued. And, OH! She is a beautiful horse--reddish brown with a light blonde mane and tail and drafty as a garage. And, my! He and his wife want to travel and will be needing someone to help them care for the animals. Do you see the budding beauty of this symbiotic relationship?
I'll update you on how the issues in the previous post resolve. The house is set to close this Friday and the buyers have even contacted the electric company to have the power switched to their name. I'll choose an insurance today, tidy up the bank fees (the transfer went through today!), and worry about the rest later.
Right now I have to read up on sheep....
posted by lulu | 12:42 PM
2 Comments:
Well, I'm glad to hear you're in a more positive mood about the future. I'll cancel my trip to talk you off of the ledge of the only 4-story building in Danielville.
While I don't deny the healing power of livestock and Peter Jackson, I choose to think that basking in the glow of my suburban videos of swingset construction helped pull you back toward sanity.
What swingset?
(heh heh heh)
Of course it did, Burb. That climbing wall and observation tower were the only two things that kept me from going to the light. Thank you. Thank you so much.
Lulu
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