We headed up to Portland..... a night in the big city.... a birthday gift!!!! Back in January, I had bought tickets for Ed's birthday... tickets to a concert that we have been hoping to see for a very long time. It's nice when you can give a present to someone, that you're going to enjoy just as much. But, from the time that I gave them to now... it has seemed like a long time.....
Here's the bus!!! We are really here and they are too... outside, it looks quiet, but once we entered the building, the place was packed... guess we were hardly the only fans....
And this is who we have come to see... Celtic Thunder.. touring the US from Ireland..... For years, Ed and I have love Irish music and we have "followed" a few different groups. But these young men are really really good. We have seen them a few times on TV, and one day always said, "we're getting tickets" well.. when I found out they were going to be right here... I got those tickets.
We had really good seats, and I took pictures, but my little camera just couldn't get the shots. (so truthfully, I stole these photos off their website)... but the performance was really wonderful. They had an excellent mix of songs we knew and ones we didn't.....
I'm usually not a crowd/concert type of person, but this was a grand evening, and we have already decided that when they come back again.....
We will be there!!!!!
Oh goody... I awoke to a few more inches of new snow!!! Well.. at least a "snow" doesn't seem to mean "feet" now... this is where we New Englanders begin to look for better places to visit, and in fact, the kennel is booking up, because people are looking to get out town.....
I got a funny phone call from Kass... she found a place that has some silkie chicks for sale, and she called to ask if I might be interested in splitting some of the flock with her. Our Kassy... she has come to like chickens.. of all things and has at her house, a little coop with a few birds. I have always like the little silkies, even though they make better pets than laying birds.. but I told her yes, and today we planned on going to get our birds...
What's even "stranger" is I know the gal who has the birds for sale. She is a boarding client of mine and we have taken dog classes together. She only lives a short distance from our farm... so Kassy came today, and we went over to Larrissa's to pick out our birds....
Larrissa raises all kinds of birds... these are some of her turkeys. I'm thinking that I might get some turkey chicks from her this year and try raising these instead of the standard white turkeys. She says their meat is better,and that they are a bit smaller than the traditional white meat birds, but I may give them a try and see how it goes...
They seem like a hardy lot... these guys were out in the snow.. showing off for the ladies.. she says this is her breeding birds and she has had some of them for quite a while....
While the birds were fun to look at... the kids (Reagan and Abi) were, by far, more interested in all the baby goats. Larrissa also raises milking goats, and it's kidding season. She invited us into the barn to see all the babies.. some of them were just days old...
The "kids" loved the kids... Abi thought they were the best and couldn't wait to get in there and play with them....
I thought Reagan might be a tad overwhelmed, but I guess living with big dogs has made him pretty used to being bumped into and climbed on. He even knew how to tell them "no" and to back off a bit....
Some many children are afraid of animals..
I'm glad that's not the case with ours!!!!
Let's play.... follow the leader!!!!!
and when it was time to go... I think the babies were almost sad to see everyone leave..... Kass thinks our farm could use a few goats... right now (with the winter weather still outside).. I think... not!!!!
But then, it was time to get what we had really come for... our little silkie birds. Larrissa had the kids "pick out the ones they liked" .. though they basically all the look the same right now.
But, Abi seem to know which ones were going to be "hers"...
We boxed them up, and headed for the farm. Because they are still so little and have to be kept warm... we decided they would all stay here on the farm and I can raise them up a little and then send some down to Kass.
Abi is just thrilled to have some more chickens....
And Reagan found a couple that he seems to like as well....
We got them all settled in under a heat lamp in the tack room in the barn. I told the grands they can come and play with them whenever they like....
Warm and cozy...
and time to grow...
and on a snowy spring day... getting birds that will grow to look like this... seems kind of fitting!!!!
Our heating project is nearly done... I still find it so hard to believe that this little wall unit is what will be heating our whole house. I think back on the big furnaces that we all used to have in our cellars, and now it has come to this.
From what I understand, this will be high efficient and will do the work well. It's kind of like the windows we have in the house. I remember asking our builder about the "storms" for the windows... every house in New England has storm windows, and he replied that the kind of windows we bought would not need storms. I couldn't believe it and told him the first time I see snow slipping under the window, or feel a draft I would be calling him to come and put the storms up. Well, we have been here a few winters now (and come threw some pretty big snow storms) and I must report... we do not need storms on the windows!!! So, technology has caught up... even with heating systems.....
April has been playing her funny games. One day is almost spring like... with the snow even melting some.....
and then we awake.. and there are a few new inches of snow..... I guess around here... we can't think "spring" until May....
Sadly.. the "pretty" side of snow went away weeks ago.... but I still take the photos.. maybe in the middle of August I'll think this looks nice....
Mud season really isn't too far away, and then the drive to the barn will be in-passable for a few weeks.....
but, at this point... I think mud is going to look good!!!!
For the years that we have lived here, (and even when we were building) this has been our source of heat. I love this big furnace in the yard, and though it is sometime a pain to heat solely with wood... I have enjoyed the fact that this is the way we do it...... But springtime is hard ... because on warm days, when we don't need all that heat, wood is being wasted ......
And when the wood supply begins to look like this..... well.. it's another call out to Rick, or the decision to let the furnace go out and just deal with the weather.
We have always known that "someday" we'll put a "real" furnace in the house... but never have felt the pressure to do so. Having an inside furnace would give us the freedom to travel (so a farm sitter isn't having to feed the furnace) and also in the early fall and late spring, we would have more a choice to either have the heat on or off... well.. the time has come, and we decided that we would go ahead with a propane furnace inside....
Ed began the prep work in the cellar... the new furnace will work with the wood furnace, so it's not that we're giving up on one for another....
And when the guys arrived with the furnace, and this is what they brought... so "tiny" that it hangs on the wall.... I could hardly believe it....
Code says that you have to have emergency shut off in two places.....
It all looks like a big mechanical monster to me.... but they know what they're doing...
so, for a few days, it looks like this... but it will be nice to simply hit a switch and have the heat when we need it... and save the big furnace for the really cold weather...
And I feel like we're moving into the new century....
Easter!!! and I have the pleasure of having everyone here!!! I love it when I can entertain... especially my family. Almost everyone can come and that's even better.....
Reagan comes in and knows just where to find "his" things.... this is Papa's truck.. or so he tells us...
Dinner is fun and busy.. I was too busy to get photos of all of us at the table, but the meal was good and everyone seemed to have a great time. We get together often, but not often enough, so there is great conversation and catching up when we do....
Afterwards, it seems that everyone likes to go out to the barn and say hello to the animals... Ed (Becky's) was quite interested in the gator, so I told him to take it for a drive... Kelsey thought she's hop on the back....
Reagan wanted to walk.. that way he could check out all the puddles....
Kelsey likes Lucille and always likes to cuddle with her when she comes to visit....
Then Becky wanted to cuddle with her, I know she enjoys the attention.... poor bunny, doesn't get enough attention sometimes...
Reagan likes the animals well enough, but when he discovered a bucket, and then a puddle... well.. you just know that made his day!!!! (wisely his Mom packs just the right things... mainly a good pair of boots to wear to the farm!!!)
Time for dessert (which was the only reason Reagan gave up the bucket....)
Baby has "doody" puddles on the farm (that's a good thing!!!!)
It's amazing how fast the day goes by, one little boy is tired, and Mom brought pj's, so the ride home will be quiet....and all set if he falls asleep...
Even Miss Mona is satisfied with this happy day...
