{this moment}

A single photo, capturing a moment from the week.
A special moment. A moment I want to remember.

:: Inspired by Soule Mama ::

If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments, for all to find and see.

Preparing for the storm.

Resisting The Urge To Word Play With Flocked

White Christmas, anyone? It's never gonna happen, not here, not in Sunny So Cal, where rainfall spins us into a weather phenom crisis, where women don scarves and boots with shorts while nursing their non-fat fro-yos.

Baby, it's not so cold outside, and only a lot full of faux-snow flocked Christmas trees, lights on houses, and our miserable sore throats clue me in... it's almost Christmas! It's not that I am Scroogy, Grinchy, or cynical, it's just that sometimes the holidays, the spirited joy, and decorating fervor, elude me. Some years I wish I could hit a pause button, give our taxed systems a moment to catch up with the dates on the calendar, find the gift tags we stowed safely away, and come to terms with some basic truths...

Basic Truths:

1. Pinning beautiful crafts, and snow covered cabins on Pinterest will not translate into a decorated home, and clean floors.

2. Beautiful rain, welcome and good, also brings mud, sad goats, heap loads of clean-up.

3. The sofa is broken. Not broken-in, cozy. Just broken.

4. The cats are never going to toilet train themselves.

We do have a Christmas tree. And after three days, we even put lights on it. No one ever need tell us, "Take it easy! What's your hurry?" And this year, for the first time since 2004, I bought, signed, addressed, stamped, and mailed holiday cards. My feeling of accomplishment, of old-timey traditional social engagement, is off the charts, and only matched by my feeling of dorkiness, and being painfully aware that this achievement is not that great, that a lot of it was actually slightly botched, and a bit too old-timey. Does anyone remember when Christmas cards were of glitter trees, manger scenes, or mice drinking cocoa, and they were simply dated, and signed? Some people included a personal note? I forgot that this is 2014... and Christmas a season's greetings card is a professional portrait of a family dressed in comfortable sweaters, on a beach, or in the woods. They look amazing. Christmas Season's greetings cards might include a single-spaced printed essay... reflections on travels, promotions, awards, and heroic accomplishments. I love those letters. I've noticed people have their friends' addresses printed on labels. Sheer genius, pure brilliance, and organizational fortitude! If I got my act together, and had all my friends addresses in a computer file, and knew how to print labels... you'd better believe I'd mention it in my single-spaced printed essay on our great year of heroic accomplishments.

We don't have a family picture, all of us looking in the same direction, an in-focus portrait. And as I signed our cards, I reasoned that it's fine. It's more than fine, because Chcikenblog Chickenblog is loaded with pictures. We've been sharing chickens, goats, cats, and us all over the Internet, and I am pretty sure everyone gets a general idea about that sort of thing... how we look, what we do etc. Then I thought, what about the essay, the catch-up letter? And again, I was painfully aware that no one can be longing to know what we've been up to lately. I was fiercely tempted to casually include a small url mention of chickenblog.com, tastefully written in a corner of the card, a gentle reminder, for friends who have never heard that I have been banging my head pursuing a career in writing about all sorts of random topics, and hoping to land a book deal, so I can feed the goats, and put a new roof on our house. But thanks to an article I read {ten things not to flock-up in your Seasons Greetings card,} I knew better than to run a business advertisement in our holiday card. And even as I debated all of these things, I also questioned the value and sense of sharing my internal monologue, here. On Chcikenblog. Chickenblog. Apparently, I am a rebel, even against my own good sense, because, as you can see, I am posting all about my self-doubts, missteps, and goofynesses, here on Chiemcmelblog. {Also, hand addressing and signing fifty cards gave me hand cramps and the after-spasms make it difficult to type, or spell correctly, for that matter. (After-spasms are the post cramp wimpiness you feel when you have forgotten how to hold a pen for long periods of time, and cannot immediately recover from the task, but choose to write all about it for your blog.)}

Also, at 2:30 this morning my brain woke me up to inform me that I did not spell Aunt Margie and Uncle Howard's surname correctly. That I left out the T.

Thanks, brain. For waking me, and giving me one more basic truth... I cannot catch all of my mistakes in time to fix them, but I will always have the predawn hours to be tormented by them.

Outside With My Camera Before The Storm

My camera card was missing for several days. As soon as I found it, I knew I wanted to go outside, before the forecast rain, and take pictures. I cannot explain why taking pictures calms me, grounds me, makes me happy. Or, maybe I could explain it, but I'd rather just share the pictures.

Mister Washburn Foo is not going outside. He's been parked on this dining chair all morning. From this vantage point he can serenade the gold finches that come to the feeder, the phoebe bird that sits on the back of the chair.










Did you notice Tasha's nose... the picture where she crinkled it up? What a funny expression. What funny goats... chewing on my apron, untying it, too. I wonder if they know rain is coming. I put more straw in their cottage. The chicas have plenty of food, and they're busy finishing the small bits of grain the goats didn't inhale. Ada is wooly. I was watching for that... for the soft wool to grow under her coarser outer coat. Could we be in for a cold and wet winter? Wouldn't that be grand! The flowers love the rain so much more than my hand watering. After our first storm, I could see how much greener, and more lush the sweet peas and snapdragons became. I spy Maria's bean sprouts... experiments for her Junior Master Gardening Class. This makes me realize I should sow carrot and spinach seeds, before the rain starts... perfect timing.

Five Good Things

Lest anyone think keeping chickens is all glossy photo-ops with darling hens, and fresh eggs, I present: Le Muck! Nothing brings the realities of keeping chickens and goats to light like mucking out the run after a big storm! The ground is slick, thick, slippery and mucky, and the goats nearby bleat plaintively, "Why? Why did water fall from the sky, why? Why is the ground squishy and damp?" Because nothing breaks a goat's heart like water falling from the sky. Poor goats. The chickens, on the other hand, are heedless things, with no concern at all about rain, mud, or muck. The chickens see opportunity... things get uncovered, and discovered when I am in the run with my rakes and boots, and they follow me, eager to see what comes out. They scratch, and peck, and coo contentedly. The compost pile grows, old trees get mulched. Then comes fresh straw, and the goats investigate, happy for the dry spots I've laid before them, and the hens go wild. I used to lay down the straw and decoratively spread it about, until I realized that's a chicken's job! They are experts at spreading straw, and it's a task they love very much. With more storms lined up for this week, I'll be deep in le muck again, soon.

Good Things...

1. We enjoyed a spontaneous and productive Arduino play event this week. We love doing things with our Young Makers Club, Love & Rockets :: Art & Engineering.

2. All that rain that came over the weekend! And more on the way! Goats may not be impressed, but it's pure joy for us drought stricken folks.

3. Cough drops, tissues, soup, socks, and naps... okay, I am reaching, here. A bug has settled in, making some of us miserable. I guess without small comforts, it could be worse.

4. Boots. I love boots. Sunny days, rainy days, mucky days... boots give you what it takes to face the job, or just kick up your heels!

5. Texting with my girlfriends. Staying in touch, sharing news, finding help... laughing!

Maria just came downstairs, covering her eyes, and woefully announcing "I think this must be the headache Alex had, because it hurts so much!" She has the fever, too. Not sure what's made her more sad, being sick, or missing her Winter Concert. More soup! More cough drops! More socks, tissues, and naps! But please, no more bugs! I hope you find the good things in your Monday. We try.