clean up at Kassy's .... and Nate's

Do you remember "Furby"? Back when the girls were little Furby was quite the item. We had a couple of them kicking around the house. I actually was taken by these funny little creatures and bought one for myself... which I never took out of the box. In my recent unpacking I came across "my" Furby and nothing doing.. Sadie had to bring him to life for Abbie....








At first Abbie was quite taken with him... but the thing is, with so many animals in the house.. I think she just consider him another pet, and after a little bit lost interest. We had to rescue Furby from becoming another dog toy!!!!









Walking is getting closer and closer... there's a lot of standing going on just now, but not quite brave enough to take that actual first step.....

















So, as the title of this story states... it was clean up day at Kassy and Nate's. A couple weeks ago they had a big dead tree taken down. Kas was in fear that one good wind or ice storm might do the job for them... on top of the house. Before that happened they wanted to bring the tree down properly. Actually three trees had to go, and though it was good not to have to worry, it did leave quite a mess.




No problem.. just call in the troops.. er, family!!! Rick let them take his big chipper for the mess and there was quite a bit of good wood that just need to be cut and split. With many hands the job actually went quick. Dave brought his tractor, so as wood was split, he brought it over to the cellar door and we got most of it brought inside. The kids will certainly keep warm this winter!!!

And since we had a tractor and truck in one place at the same time, I wanted to finally get my horse up to the farm. We bought him back when Kas and Nate were in North Carolina, and he made it all the way back to Maine. All last winter Nate was afraid he might hit him with the snow plow, so I knew that Nate would be happy to have him move along...

Here he is all loaded up and ready to make the final move. I haven't quite decided where he'll go, more than likely at the end of our walk way.. but we'll see. One thing, I need to make up my mind, because this isn't something that you can move around on a whim

Kass made a fine homemade soup for the work crew.. it sure tasted good after all that exercise and being outside all day...

and dessert was a "pumpkin cake roll"... very yummy. We arrived back at the farm, tired and full... a good day. Now, if I can only get my wood pile looking like theirs!!!!!

the three "G"s

Now that "this year's babies" are pretty much grown, I am quite certain that the new batch of guinea hens contain five hens and one cockerel. I am very happy about this, because the past few years, I have had very few hens, and all of them have been "et" but some creature. Poor Mr. G had one wife and eggs that the fox got, and then this past spring the new Mrs. G. was taken by a fox... thus no keets. I would love to have some keets as several friends have said they would like them. But, here's who we have now....

The ever famous and most handsome... Mr. G.




and this is "little G"... the one bird that is left from last summer's batch of keets.....

He and Mr. G have had their "battles" as to who is top bird... Mr. G has won, and Little G seems ok to be the second bird in charge...






But now we have "mini G"... it's funny because he is the combination of both Mr G and Little G... he has the white feathering on his breast like Mr G.. but the white ticking that Little G has.

Mini G is currently the king bird of the "caged set".. however, before long we will let them out, and then, I am sure it will be a battle to see who really reigns the barn yard.






Little G and Mr G have been keeping a close eye on the new girls. I find them many times out near the coop and watching the birds inside the pen. I have seen several staring contests between the three cockerels... I am sure they are all sizing each other up... but with five gals.. there should be enough for everyone!!!!







The chickens don't seem to be bothered by all this barn yard drama. But I have a suspicion about one chicken.. I bought all hens in that department, but one bird in particular has me a little "worried".. she is much bigger than the others and is sporting quite the plumage on her tail... I haven't heard any "rooster" sounds so perhaps she is just a very big bird... but I'll be watching that one....

a fun afternoon

For all my horse friends out there, I thought that you could appreciate this bumper sticker!!! I'm not one that would spend an afternoon in the local mall... but take me to a tack shop!!! Any ways, my dear friend Betty gave me a call this week and asked if I would like to go with her and watch her driving lesson with Quinn... I couldn't wait to go.






If you remember Betty, she is my good friend that helped me get Mocha into driving mode. Last spring she found a beautiful little Welch Cob, and decided that he might be the perfect boy for her. He's quite young (just three years old) and had only just begun his training, but he's bright, sensible and willing, Betty is far more interested in driving than in riding, and she has found a wonderful instructor to help her with her dream.







Her trainer is Robyn Cuffey, who owns a nice tactility called Photo Finish Farm. Robyn is a well known trainer in our area (and has written a few books!!) so Betty and Quinn are in good hands. This is Robyn's indoor building.. which here in Maine with the heavy wet snows we get... this is a perfect building!!!







Betty got Quinn tacked and ready for his lesson.....












Robyn warmed him up in the cart and worked a bit on his steering....












And then Betty joined her in the cart to have a lesson in driving and to help out working Quinn. Her smile was about as big as they come.. there's nothing like driving behind your own horse!!!!










The building is large and well lit... the footing is grated tires!!! It's really quite wonderful













An hour sure passes quickly, and here Robyn goes over some exercises that Betty can do with Quinn on her own. He was a good boy and did a nice job with his lesson.











And the day ends with some bites of apple and a chance to doze in the warm October sun. I know that Betty and Quinn will have many happy afternoons together.............

congratulations my friend!!!!

gifts

I really do believe we are living a charmed (no -- blessed) life up here on the farm. I am often asked if I miss my old town.. of course I do... but I so love being here as well... it's a hard choice as to where I would prefer to live.


Abbie seems so happy here as well. She loves being around all the animals and loves to go to the barn to see "her pony"





which she calls "kitty". Any animal with stand up ears are "kitty" and any one with floppy ears are "eh, eh" (the sound that a dog makes!!!) Pretty funny... she can also say (by the way) something that sounds very much like "please" and "pretty" and of course "HI" (which she says all the time).... those are her five basic words right now, but believe me... she can get her point across....







I think Mocha likes Abbie as much as she likes Mocha!!!!












Tonite, Sadie, Abbie and I went to Portland with Kassy. She had to get her "wedding dress"... well, the dress that she will be wearing next summer at Lauren's wedding (Nate's sister).... any who, as I stepped out the door, this is the sight that I got to enjoy...








and if you look carefully..not just "a" rainbow.. a double rainbow. I have seen so many rainbows since we moved here. I don't know if it's just the sky is so "big".. or if it has to do with the terrain..or what, but it makes no difference "how" they are, I just enjoy "what" they are.

And one thing for certain.... a gift!!!

remembering Shirley

Last August, our friend, Shirley Willey lost his battle with cancer. His dear wife, Alberta, sons - Scott and Thom, grandchildren and many, many friends will certainly miss his quiet and sweet spirit. In celebration of his life, his family hosted a reception on Saturday, and Ed and I traveled to Southwest Harbor to be a part of it.



We met Alberta and Shirley nearly thirty years ago, when another friend Sam invited us there for a firemen's muster. Sam had joined the coast guard, and when he was stationed in Southwest, he encouraged the fire company to run their very first firemen's muster. He then asked our fire company if we would travel up and support them, which we did... and continued to do for a number of years afterwards, with both fire companines traveling back and forth to each other's musters. Because of this, we have a number of very dear friends in Southwest, and though we don't see them nearly enough, it is like old times any time we do have the chance to be together.



Shirley was a stone mason, a very talented stone mason, and he worked with his brother Berton. All over Mount Desert Island, you can find projects that the Willey brothers have done together, everything from great stone fireplaces and chimneys, to walls, patios.. driveways... just about anything that can be done from stone. And many of their projects were done for the Rockefeller families, who own quite a number of estates on the island. But it made no matter to Shirley "who" he worked for... the biggest multi dollar projects or the smallest ones.. his love and talent shows in each one.

Shirley was one of the kindest, gentle people that I have ever had the privilege to know. He always had a smile and took great pleasure in the simplest things in life. He even had a pet name for me ... "Trolley"... because when they came to visit, he always enjoyed going to Ogunquit with us and riding the trolleys that took you around town. He dearly loved his family and was so proud of his sons, and their families. To say that we will miss Shirley is an understatement... Southwest Harbor will always be one of my most favorite places on earth... but now.. it will never be quite the same.

"God speed our friend... the stones you'll use in heaven will be made of gold"

trip to southwest

Saturday morning, bright and early, Ed, Camille and I packed up and headed to Southwest Harbor for a bittersweet reunion. I love Southwest Harbor, and it has been one of my most favorite places in the world. Not just because it is absolutely beautiful, but we have many dear friends there. And as you read in the previous blog, one of those friends being Shirley and his family. But this trip was not a "vacation" so to speak, but a time to say farewell to our dear friend.








The reception was held at the fire station. Which was an excellent idea because with all the friends that Shirley had, it would be hard to find a space that would hold them all. The trucks were parked outside and the bays had plenty of room for everyone.














Alberta was there to greet everyone. I was so happy to spend some time with her, and she is doing fairly well since Shirley's passing. At one time she had a sewing shop and could do any project that required sewing or tailoring. So, she in herself is well known around the island.













Shirley's two favorite trucks were parked in the firetruck bay. The old truck had belonged to his father, and Shirley and his boys restored it. Alberta told us that Shirley's Dad had sold the truck because he wasn't so sure that it was reliable as it got up there in age. But this wonderful old truck has never let them down, starts on a dime and runs perfectly.. it was a bit of a joke at how reliable it remained.









All afternoon, the crowd of people remained steady. What a great tribute to any one's life when you see so many people that want to come and say their goodbyes.














Nice picture of Ed and our friend Sam... who was the one that "brought" us to Southwest Harbor so many years ago.
















After the reception (and before we went to dinner).. we had a few hours. So, Ed and I (along with MaryEllen) took a quick trip to Acadia National Park and to the horse stable. This is where our Duke horse lived and work for six years. I had never seen the stables (in all the years that we have been going to the island) so it was fun for me to go there.

It's very pretty spot and we got to talk with the folks that now do the carriage rides. No one knew our Duke (there's a whole new staff there).. but they were all very nice and were quite interested to know that we have one of their former horses.

There are stables that people can reserve and then go trail riding around the park. The carriage and trail roads were done by the Rockerfeller family. And since it was also the Rockerfeller family that took on the project of Colonial Williamsburg, Ed and I were pleased to see how many things look so familiar to us with regards to both places. The staff told us that for the horses, many of the Rockerfeller private estates will allow riding on their properties. You have to make reservations quite a bit in advance.. and you can be sure to know that Ed and I have this idea on our 'to do" list. We would like to bring Duke back and see what he remembers of his days there.


The carriages were quite busy. With the beautiful fall colors, and the warm afternoon, plenty of folks were up for taking a ride. I would have liked to do the same, but we were short of time on this trip.

Then it was back to Southwest, twenty five of us (which also included my Mom and Dad) met up again for a nice dinner and a chat. It was such a fun time, and much of our dinner conversation was spent in telling old stories of the firemen's musters and time spent together doing other things. I am sure that Shirley would have been so pleased to see us all together and recalling wonderful and fun memories.

on sunday

Sunday morning, Alberta had reserved a restaurant (the same one that we had gone to dinner the night before) to have brunch for the friends and family that had traveled to Shirley reception. It was a smaller group than had been the night before, and that one last time to share those special memories and moments.









Among the many things that Shirley enjoyed... NASCAR was one, so I thought this centerpiece was very fitting.











We toasted his life, his memory and hopes of the future with sparkling cider.....

And all too soon, as it always is when we visit the island, the time had gone and we needed to be heading for home. Shirley would never allow anyone to say "goodbye" when they left... it was always.. "see ya".. but on this time... goodbye was the fitting response. I just had to take some shots of this beautiful spot.....

and we slowly made our way for home.

The "famous" Bucksport bridge. That is the new bridge (to the left of the photo) and the little old bridge (to the right). I used to dread crossing that old bridge.. I always told our Southwest folks that I must really, really like them if I was brave enough to cross that bridge to see them. I must say, the new bridge is so much better!!!!

And coming down the coast... you just have to stop at Moody's and have some lunch (and pie)... which we did!!!

It was so very nice to get away even just for one night. Sadie managed the farm, and it was a nice change of scenery... we haven't gone any where since we began the house... so, this was really very special. I said to Ed that it was because of Shirley that we "got away"..

and so, once again our dear Friend.. thank for you a wonderful time and you will always remain very close in my heart and memories...

Happy 25th Kassy....

Today was Kassy's 25th Birthday. I am so blessed to have both my girls close by, and it gives us the chance to celebrate all together!!! We had made plans to go to the Deerfield Fair, but sadly the weather changed all those plans.

So, it was decided that we would meet and have a nice family dinner. Deb, Dave and Lauren joined us as well.. we were a pretty big crowd.



It was hard to get good pictures in the restaurant, but here Abbie is giving her Auntie a big birthday kiss. We had such a nice time together and a good meal to boot, such a fun way to spend the evening...

It has been Kassy's dream to own a "Coach" purse. So, in lieu of gifts, she asked if everyone would contribute to her Coach fund. And happily that dream has come true. This is her new purse (and it is "so Kass"!!!). I haven't seen it in person yet, but I can only imagine!!!

Happy birthday to our dear Kassy...... we love you!!!!!