Back and Forth Across the Pond

Warning: I don't usually rant here, but I read a news article today that really ticked me off. If you don't like what I'm saying, sorry. Just a few days ago, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Washington D.C.'s gun ban is unconstitutional. By banning guns in the city and not allowing residents to own firearms, the law is in violation of our Second Amentment right to "keep and bear arms." Besides being a fan of the constitution, as a former neighbor to D.C., I'm glad the ban was lifted. The crime rate in that city is ridiculous, with gun crimes always increasing. Since shooting someone is illegal and people still do it, I've always found it beyond stupid to outlaw guns as a way to deter gun crimes. If you're willing to kill someone, you're not going to stop just because it's illegal to own a gun! I did a paper a couple of years ago about the ineffectiveness of gun bans. Britain has had a ban in place for many years now. It goes so far as to s...

I went to Gainesville today. I met up with Christa there. On the drive over, I noticed the marquee on Ace Hardware announcing: "Chicks are here." Interesting. So after hanging with Christa, I called Steve and told him about the sign and wondered if I should check it out. He said I should, so I did. The store had two types of chicks there: Three Anconas, which are a very pretty bird originally from Italy, and a slew of Black Sex Links. I shied away from the Anconas for two reasons. One, they're very active birds and I didn't know how well they'd take to being confined 24/7 (even with a very spacious coop/run combo). Two, I didn't know if they were pullets or cockerels. Black Sex Links (also called Black Stars, I believe) are a hybrid mix stemming from a Plymouth Rock hen and a Rhode Island Red rooster. They're good layers. More importantly, because they're a Sex Link, you can tell if they're boys or girls based on their down color. The chicks were ...

It's been very interesting here at Caer Myrddin. That's the name of our property. Steve dubbed it that when we first bought the land, but we never made a sign or anything. Now that we're branching out with livestock and veg, I figured it made sense to use the name. Anyway, nature has been providing a lot of new things out here so far this year. Twice on the way home from work, Steve's encountered deer on Bondarenko Road. We've frequently seen deer at the end of Trawick, near the paved road, but never back here. So that's exciting. Our quaking aspen is blooming for the first time. The flowers are green, so they don't look like much. But boy do the insects love them! The tree literally buzzes, because it is swarmed by yellow jackets, paper wasps, other small types of wasps, bumblebees, and honey bees! I'm particularly excited about the honey bees, because some kind of disease has decimated the wild population and I've not seen any for some time. I'...

We put the marker stone on Copen's grave yesterday. I made a stepping stone, which Steve then affixed to a larger flagstone. My original marker idea included a laminated photo, but Steve noted that a photo will fade in the sun. So rather than put the photo in the stone face, we have it hanging over it. This way, when the photo fades, I can easily replace it with a fresh one. The stone didn't come out as well as I visualized, but that's always the case with me and crafts. My brain and hands don't work in sync. But it was made with love and I'm glad we honored Copen's memory with something more than a wooden cross stuck over her grave site.

Today was the day. The chicks were due to arrive by noon. I got up early and good thing, too, because Ted from the post office called at 7:10 a.m. My chicks were there and ready to come home! I pulled on my shoes and rushed out to the Jeep. I said a few prayers enroute asking that I find ten healthy chicks in the package and no sickly or dead babies. I'm still grieving Copen. I couldn't handle another loss. After what felt like an eternity, I arrived at the post office. As I waited for who I presume was Ted to get the package, I chatted with the cleaning lady. We were both happy we got a good soaking rain yesterday, but agreed we could have done without the lightening and power outtages. I could hear the chicks peeping long before Ted returned. They were not happy about being jostled! Out at the Jeep, I tried to cut open the box. But I had no scissors or knife and the box was sealed with a strap. It took a lot of doing, but I managed to saw through it with my key. The chicks di...

So Steve blew through the 90-pound mark late last week. He's now down 93 pounds (6 stone 9). I worried that that was too much weight too quickly (five pounds in less than a week). I've noticed Steve's eating habits changing the last couple of weeks. When he started running more, the weight naturally came off quicker. Prompted by the positive results, Steve started really watching what he ate. We did a review and discovered Steve was not taking in many carbs. He was accidentally doing an Atkins! So he's making an effort to go back to eating sensibly, but not overdoing it to curb the rapid weight loss. We had some outdoor chores to do Sunday. Steve has specific work clothes he wears outside. He's been wearing sweats, but opted to put on trousers this time. He was quite surprised when he put them on. I snapped a photo. Bear in mind, he's holding these pants up at his natural waist. He, like most guys I know, wears his pants below his waist. This pair would have bee...

Copen's death still hangs heavily over the day. I've never mourned a pet's passing as I have hers. Things feel out of balance. I keep looking for her, expecting to see her sprawled in front of the sliding glass door. The sudden realization that I'm never going to see her again remains a painful jolt. That goofy, lovable, softy of a fat calico got under my skin and into my heart. I miss her very much. But life goes on. It has to. So this blog is to share some good things. First, today is our wedding anniversary. Nine years ago today, Steve and I were married in the Annapolis, Maryland, courthouse. Around this time, we had been married for a couple of hours and were somewhere along Maryland's eastern shore. Nine years. It seems both forever ago and just yesterday. Of course, Steve is not the man he was then. He's a lot smaller. As of this writing, Steve's lost a total of 87 pounds. That's 6 st 3 for some of you. He fit briefly in a size 34 trouser a couple...

It's with a very heavy heart and a lot of tears that I write this. This morning, just after 7 o'clock, our beloved Copen was killed. She was in the back yard, probably enjoying the morning sun as she waited for breakfast, when she was brutally attacked by a neighborhood dog. I heard the barking and thought the next-door neighbor's puppy had gotten loose and was aggravating Copen. As I rushed to the back door in my robe, I instead saw a large, brown dog attacking Copen. I yelled. The dog ran. Copen looked feebly at me as I ran up to her. She was gone not long afterward. Steve came home when I gave him the news. He dug her a nice, deep grave, saying it was the least she deserved. We both stroked her one last time and laid her to rest with the cat treats she loved and her favorite toy. We'll put a proper marker stone in place this coming weekend. It's been five hours now and I'm still a mess. Steve's gone back to work, but he's broken up about it, too. I tr...