Farmlife

                                                              
     When I was  young, I had a number of favorite books. One which I read and reread was Dean and Don Go to the Dairy.  It told the story of two boys who when they reached the age of nine were each allowed to select a calf to raise. One boy chose a Jersey while the other chose a Holstein. Through the rest of the story you learned what went into raising cows. I'm not sure why I enjoyed it so much, but I do know it was one of my favorite books which brings me to yesterday morning.
     The other night I had seen posted in the South Shore Camera Club messages that two photographers would be doing some farm photography on Friday morning. One was Carol Smith, an excellent photographer whose blog I follow and a link to which may be found at the bottom of this page. I decided to join them. We met at 6:00am in Abington and off we went. The first farm was in West Bridgewater. When we pulled up to the fence, the cows were way out in the field, but they soon came galumping at a good clip across the pasture down to the hay stations near the barn for breakfast. One in particular seemed to keep an eye on me.

     Next it was on to Lolans Farm on Thompson Street in Middleboro. Sue, one of the owners of the farm, graciously allowed us to photograph her property. She even showed us her day old chicks.    

Just look at the variety of eggs that she gets from her hens each day.

   The very best part was that she allowed us to watch the milking process. It was fascinating.

The cows calmly entered from the back of the barn and took their places with encouragement from Sue as she called to them by name. She explained the process as it went along. Soon it was time for this group to exit the front of the building passing by the three of us standing behind a half door. I'm smiling as I recall how each cow stuck its head over the door to check us out. Who knew cows were so curious!

     I know that farming is a hard way to make a living, but without romanticing it, it also must be a wonderful way of life being in touch with the land and the seasons. Support our local farmers, and God bless them!

                                    

   And finally, here is a photo which looks like an homage to Georgia O'Keefe.

Tah! Dah! My Tote Bag Is Done

    Back on June 25th, I posted a photo of a colorful pile of approximately 110 feet of batik fabric covered clothesline.  Here's the finished project. Isn't it pretty and summery? The process took a long time because with this techniques you don't simply wrap the fabric strips around the rope; you fold it and stitch it around and through the rope. Let me just say that this took a very l-o-n-g time. Next came the "easy" part, shaping the tote. My first attempt in class produced a tall, slender tote suitable only for perhaps carrying wine bottles. I was somewhat discouraged. When I returned home, I ripped out the assembly stitches down to the base which I then enlarged to a proper size. This time I got it right, and I am thrilled with the results. The only other difficult part came last night when I attempted to sew the buttons on. Ouch! Even with my trusty thimble it was difficult to attach them, but I think it gives it a more polished look.
     Now for those who would like particulars, this was a "Bali Bags Fabric Covered Clothesline Crafts Tote Bag" pattern and the Bali Pops package I used was Mango Margarita sorted in color waves. The finished size is ten inches tall, seventeen inches wide, and eight inches deep. Here's a picture of it next to the cabinet mentioned in yesterday's post.

                                    
     So this Saturday at the local farmers' market, I will be the one stylin' with this very cool tote.

Turbo Tuesday

     Isn't this the happiest little fountain ever? It's located in Scituate, MA, where I spent a part of the day today. My day started bright and early with a routine mammogram. Speaking of that, have you had yours this year? As a four year breast cancer survivor, I know first hand the importance of early detection. If you have been putting yours off, please call and make an appointment.
     At 11:00, I was with two lovely ladies at a local coffee shop for Italian conversation. We had originally met in an eight week adult education course offered in Beginning Italian. We take lessons from different teachers now, but we continue to meet regularly to practice our budding language skills. We have improved considerably over the past year and a half and enjoy each other's attempts to  master this lovely language. You may note at the bottom of this page that I am following a new blog, the arabafenicequiltshop.blogspot written in Italian. I read it with my trusty Italian dictionary in hand. :-)
     Next it was on to the Mill Wharf Restaurant in Scituate Harbor to meet a group of friends for lunch. The view is beautiful from this restaurant. Because of the oppressive heat, we chose to eat inside today. After lunch, I popped into a fun, quirky little shop called Goodies II on Front Street. How can I describe this little place? Well, it's tiny, but it is packed with all sorts of little treasures from curios to antiques, jewelry, knickknacks, glassware, games, odds and ends and other sundries. You just never know what you will find there, but I seldom leave without purchasing some little thing. Today I spotted this little cabinet which stands a little over thirteen inches.

I'm not sure what I will use it for eventually, but my friend Marie had a good idea. I could use it  for my summer jewelry. Can't you just see necklaces draped over the open door and bracelets and earrings on the shelves? I will probably use it later to store some of my threads in my sewing room. Oh, here's the best part. It only cost seven dollars! What a bargain!!!

     On the way home, I stopped to photograph this enchanting little fountain. Here's a close up which I hope will put a smile on your face.

Patriotic Pieces and This Week in My Garden

     Here is a patriotic wallhanging that I finished just in time for the Fourth. Unfortunately, I didn't get the mini quilt below completed until the other day. That doesn't matter though as they will be both up for the rest of the month.

      Yesterday was rainy and overcast which believe it or not is an excellent time to take flower photos. It gives the photos a soft, gentle focus. Here's what's in bloom this week in my garden.

                                                                                                  

Moduc

      A recent flare up of my asthma has given me time to just sit in a comfy armchair  and read. If it wasn't for the coughing and the wheezing, it would if be perfect. A visit to my allergist yesterday and the prescription that he gave me should have me feeling much better in a day or two, but meanwhile I'm just reading.
     I mentioned the other day that I had purchased an unusual book while in New Hampshire last Thursday.  It was Moduc - The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived by Ralph Helfer. See what I mean by an unusual selection? Anyway, I was at first drawn to the cover which features a photo of a little boy sitting next to a very large elephant. The bookseller mentioned that a local book club had selected it as their book of the month. Though my taste in books is fairly eclectic this would not be a book that I would normally pick up. Having said that, I have devoured this book over the last two days; it is a page turner. It recounts the trusting relationship which develops between two babies born on the same day, one the son of a animal trainer, the other an african elephant. The story traces their growth and exciting adventures over the course of seventy years.
     There is a problem with the book, however, for as I read on and on it occurred to me that this story could not possibly have happened as it is told.  In fact, it seems fairly improbable. A thorough search on the internet indicated that many folks share my doubts about the veracity of this work. So the question arises, should you read it?
     The English poet Samuel Coleridge suggested back in 1817  in his Biographia Literaria that if a writer could infuse a "human interest and a semblance of truth" into a fantastical tale the reader could suspend judgment concerning the implausibility of the story. So if you a willing to read this tale with a "willing suspension of disbelief," and you enjoy heartwarming, adventure stories, then by all means read this tale.

July 2nd

    

"The Second Day of July 1776 will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. . . . It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires, and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."

--John Adams to Abigail Adams, July 3, 1776 

This was the day in 1776 when the Continental Congress decided to sever all ties with Great Britain, and thus John Adams felt this would be a day of great celebration henceforth for our country.  Instead, we celebrate  July 4th, the day the Declaration of Independence, which was drafted by Thomas Jefferson and edited by the Continental Congress, was adopted.

   Speaking of celebrations, today I attended a birthday party for my cousin's son who turned two yesterday. The party had a fireman theme complete with red plastic fireman hats and a candy filled fire truck shaped pinata. It was great fun to watch the little ones each take a turn trying to whack the pinata in hopes of freeing the goodies inside. Today was my birthday as well, so there were two choruses of "Happy Birthday," and besides the fire engine sheet cake, there was even a cake for me. What a wonderful way to spend the day!

Day Trip to New Hampshire

    
     Yesterday, I accompanied my friend Marilyn to New Hampshire. She wanted to check out a restaurant in Laconia as she is in charge of a family gathering there in August. We left Randolph around 9:30 thinking that we would miss the Boston traffic. We were wrong. . . very wrong. Not until we were approaching the Zakim bridge did the traffic ease. After many long hours of driving, we finally made it to Laconia, located the restaurant, and determined that the food was fine.
     The deal was that I would go along for the ride if we could make a stop at Keepsake Quilters, a mecca for quilters, in nearby picturesque Center Harbor.

    I didn't buy much, just a few yards of fabric and three patterns. I currently have more patterns than I will use in my lifetime, but I just can't resist buying one if it is something different. I have an unusual fat quarter that  I know will be perfect to use with one of these patterns. (Note for my non-quilting readers: a fat quarter is an eighteen inch square piece of fabric, not a reference to my posterior. :-)
     There is also a small independent bookstore next to the quilt shop. Though I buy many books on Amazon, I appreciate the need to also support local booksellers. I picked up what appears to be an interesting book; I'll let  you know if it is.
     Eventually we headed south and as we were approaching Boston about 7:30,  we thought surely we would miss  the bulk  of the traffic. Nope . . . wrong again! It was very slow going, but I amused myself by shooting out the window.

    Did you know that Boston Sand and Gravel was established way back in 1914? It seems so incongruous surrounded as it is by the tall buildings and highways traffic. While we were crawling through this stretch, I also spotted this cloud formation, and I kept my fingers crossed that an airplane might appear in the middle of the circle.

Okay, I know these are not great shots, but as I said before, it kept me amused.