Neighbors

Yesterday, a smiling young man knocked on my back door. He had a red curly beard and mustache,
He shook my hand , and introduced himself has Adam. Honest. He told me that he, his wife, and two youg daughters lived in a house hidden in the woods on the south side of my farm. He said they had wondered about me for awhile. He asked me if I had given permission to hunt on my farm. I told him I hadn't posted it forbidden. Like all the farmer abound here, we dislike it when tthe deer roll around on the crops and smash them, so I was of two minds. He said he had seen hunters chimbing over my fence between our farms. I told him to post it forbidden if he liked. He was worried that a stray bullet mind strike one of his daughters. Actually, I often worried in hunting season when the guns were close that I might be hit while working in the yard. I'm on the fence about this risk. I invited him in and we talked a little about our families and the age of my farmhouse. He said he and his daughters were picking mushrooms in the woods. Today he appeared and asked I would like some mushrooms. This is just how neighbors are around here. I'm always embarrassed that I have nothing to give in return. My parents always has fresh product from the garden or canned jam my father made. He prided himself on his jam and jelly skills which was well deserved. It just hit me now that I should can marmalade from my fruit trees in Florida and bring it here to use for that propose. Any way, a digression there. He offered to go bring mushroom. I ventured to ask if he was experience at picking wild mushroom. He said he was. His father had taught him. I reminded him of the old expression: There are bold pickers, and there are old pickers, but there are no old, bold pickers. He left me his name and his families names and a phone number in case I needed help with anything. Off he went. Will he return with mushrooms. Probably. Will I dare to eat them. They might taste wonderful and I would have missed a chance to taste them. The other possibility is unthinkable. Would you eat them?

Silence

When I arriveed to the farm, the utilities were a mess as usual. A fuse blew in the breaker box cutting off heat and water. An electrician fixed that but says the box is old and should be replaced - over a thousand dollars! It will have to struggle on for a while. Next, I discovered that the internet wasn't working. I spent hours talking with teks who gave up and scheduled a crew to come out next week. I haven't had my Dish service turned on because I had hoped to use sling player, so I could cancel Dish to save money. Fixing up the farm is proving to be quite costly. So. From Friday to Tuesday I had no internet or television. I would have told you that I wouldn't miss it- but no. The silence in the farmhouse was very stressful. Outside was cold and rainy, so I couldn't get outdoors much even to hear the birds and rustling leaves. Each morning, I got up, had breakfast, then began cleaning and fixing things. Occasionally I sat down, but once I caught my breath, there was nothing to do, so I would get up and work some more. I must say it was a lesson on how much time I waste watching tv.
Still, I was feeling very anxious by Sunday night. Fortunately it was chilly enough for me to use the fireplace. Watching the flames leap and the logs crackle was extremely comforting. I wound the clock, so the ticking is cheerful. Now with the internet I can connect with friends and write this blog. The sling player is working occasionally, but not enough on which I can depend, so now I have to decide if I can get along without tv. Could you?

Train whistles in the night

I'm in the train station, waiting. I love trains. As a Midwestern child, if I heard a train whistle in the distance at night, it made me dream of all the places I might go some day. Edna Vincent Millet said in a poems that she never heard a train that she didn't want to get on, or words to that effect. Now when I hear a train whistle I think of my beloved Dad. He grow up on a hill farm in southern Ohio.  He told me that when ever a train came along the nearby tracks, all the boys from neighboring farms would stop what they were doing and run to watch the train. I suppose they dreamed of traveling to wonderful places. My Dad knew the names of all the train lines that came through although most of them have probably changed by now.
The drive from my Florida home to here was tedious. I had to drive through the Disney traffic and then through downtown Orlando. It made me realize how much I was looking forward to the peace of the farn. I can't wait to walk through the long spring grass of the yard and see which of my flowers are blooming. The only sounds will be from the birds singing, leaves rustling in the breeze, an occasion passing car or a distant dog barking. Bliss.

Sigh

As fun yesterday was, as troublesome is today.  My new geo-thermal system quit working last night. I had to drag out the room heaters. The repairman came at 6:45 this morning. Still dark outside. He reprogrammed the thermostat, so it's working now. He gave me some bad news. I knew the system required propane to back it up if the electricity goes out. I invisioned a tank like you use with an outdoor grill, and I supposed they had already installed it. But no. It requires an outdoor tank, which with installation will probably cost me an extra thousand. Sigh. Money is going to be tight for another year. I had to give myself a pep talk. Be strong. Without struggle there can be no sense of accomplishment. Sigh

Age and Beauty

This morning I went to the Pumpkin Show in Circleville. It's a large festival. They cook all things pumpkin. Pastries, candy, ice cream, pies, as you would expect, but it goes on, burgers, chili, sloppy Joes, you can even have a pumpkin shooter in a bar. I wore my party hat, a bowler I bought at an auction. I always get complimented on it. I had on my pumpkin beads, like marti gras beads. It was a beautiful walk through Circleville. It was raining lightly, but I had a big black umbrella. After I admired the giant pumpkins, I ate pumpkin chili and bought souvenirs. Walking back to the car was like being in a dream of age and beauty. I walked by beautiful Victorian homes, stone, brick, wood with ginger bread, beveled doors and windows. The wet streets were gleaming and gold leaves were blowing around me. The scene was so beautiful and evocative, I was lost in reverie.

Pumpkins

When I arrived to the farm, I found two pumpkins. One was growing in the brush pile and another in a flower bed. This began several years ago when I threw a pumpkin in the brush pile which is also a compost heap. When my parents were alive, that area was were they had their vegetable garden. Maybe someday, someone will have a garden there again. If I can develop my plan to use the farm for farm vacations, I will hire someone to plant an organic garden there. I understand a vegetable garden is an attraction to farm vacationers. Anyway, the fall after I threw the pumpkin in the brush pile, I found four big pumpkins growing there. I suppose some critter moved around the seeds. It's nice having my own pumpkin patch. Among all the things that need repair or replacement, is the stove. The burners work but not the oven. Replacing the stove is not near the top of my list. I wish, however, that it worked so I could bake the pumpkins. Then I would can it for pies, soup, etc. when I visit my farm friends I like to have something home grown to give then. They give me fresh vegetables, flowers, cookies - whatever is available. Well, someday.

Mother Earth

I'm sorry to have to say, my furnace is no more. I didn't think it would last another year. Also, it costs $500. A month to warm the house. The furnace was like a rumbly grandfather taking care of me. Now it is Mother Earth. I replaced the fuel oil furnace with a geo-thermal heating and cooling system. The system sends water through pipes. The pipes are underground. Below about five feet the earth stays the same temperature all year long. In the summer the water will be cooled and sent back. In the winter Mother Earth will warm the water. It takes very little electricity to warm the water to the desired temperature and blow it through the vents. Now I can heat and cool the house all year long. I can control it from my phone when I'm away. Now I can arrange to have the black mold removed and keep it from coming back. At the moment, it's cold outside, but I'm warm. Instead of a steady roar, now I hear a warm whisper all around the house as if my mother was humming in another room.