In lieu of Thursday, Nov 15 2012 

Uncategorized acairfearann 18:59

more serious content*

A list of birds at the feeder today (by taking them in at night we avoid the bears)

Black capped chickadee

Downy woodpecker

Hairy woodpecker

Red-bellied woodpecker

Titmouse

Nuthatch

Red-breasted Nuthatch

White throated sparrows

other sparrows (multiple?)

Mourning dove

Juncos

Cardinals

House finch

Purple finch

Blue jay

Crow

OTHER: I am terrible at birds

 

(not today, but other days: Pine siskin, Rose breasted grosbeak)

*I’ve got serious content, but I either don’t feel like formulating actual thought or I don’t feel like even walking past that road

 

 

Finally Wednesday, Nov 14 2012 

Uncategorized acairfearann 14:13

How quickly we forget.  All summer it didn’t rain, we would have loved a cloud or two.  The last month has been nothing but clouds…how much we love a really sunny day! At last.

The fickleness of human nature, must be good for something.  Possibly, is it designed for putting up with the weather?

 

In the cast of current characters Tuesday, Nov 13 2012 

Modern Photos , acairfearann 11:22

For those wondering about the distant speck of the horse in the photograph of the field, it is this guy: Rob n Run, ex-racehorse, ex-three day eventer, long since retired to hang out.  He is coming up on 28 this winter, but doesn’t always look it.  These photos were taken during a practice photo-shoot; he hadn’t had his bridle on in about five years, I sort of figured I’d better check his behaviour ahead of time, before the person who wanted to photograph him came!  As always, just as well behaved as you would expect from a thoroughbred who senses something different happening.  That is, polite but about to explode.

 

Letter excerpt Sunday, Nov 11 2012 

Historical Events acairfearann 09:52

The majority of known letters* in the house are primarily between Julie and Morris, or between Julie and her daughters.  However, a few letters written to Helen by her friends during her trip to Europe in 1873-74 exist and are particularly interesting as they are generally of the same age (late teens to early twenties).

This is an excerpt from one by Barrett Wendell,** having just returned from Europe and about to start his studies at Harvard.  His few (too few!) letters are remarkably vivid and engaging, describing his travels, New York City and then Harvard and Boston.

“New York was reached last Wednesday morning. The Custom House officials barked furiously and frightened me dreadfully, but they didn’t bite a bit. The baggage-mashers were unusually considerate and my numerous boxes and bundles reached the paternal mansion in a pleasingly uninjured condition. Your photographs and your packet are unharmed, and as I pop through Hartford in a day or two, I have sent a line to your sister telling her that I will deliver them to any messenger whom she may send to meet the train, or if that should prove inconvenient, I will leave them in charge of the ticket agent to be called for. Personal experience of Express and mails renders me rather chary of intrusting fragile articles to their care.”

The letter continues on to a delightful, several page description of NYC in 1874.  Some other time perhaps.  However, it is clear that some things regarding travel, customs, and the mail don’t change…

*known letters.  I know quite well indeed that there are Boxes of letters sitting in the attic, entirely unedited and untranscribed.  It happens that Julie’s letters, and Helen’s trip, were transcribed in the 1950’s.  It makes them much easier to work with.

**http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barrett_Wendell

“

 

November view Saturday, Nov 10 2012 

Modern Photos acairfearann 10:39

 

People are Weird Friday, Nov 9 2012 

Julie's Pond acairfearann 20:26

This is the only conclusion reachable from the discovery that someone absconded with a hay bale.  You’re going, ‘eh??’. The hay bales in question, a dozen, were placed along the lane next to Julie’s pond in order to forestall any possible damage before the hurricane.*  Last year, Irene washed the lane out and nearly dumped the entire thing in the pond, requiring frantic efforts with hand tools during the storm; we wished to avoid this with Sandy.  As it turned out, the town’s gradient on the lane was correct for once and it didn’t wash.  In any case, the hay bales in question were staked down, solidly and in line.**  Removing one from the middle of the line would take Effort.

…so….you got it.  Someone, for reasons known to themselves, walked (drove) off with one from the middle of the line.  Leaving the rest untouched, and the stake neatly back in position surrounded by an invisible bale..  I’d point out, to take that particular bale also required hopping the ditch and moving a log, it might have been the hardest one to grab…  I could only laugh. 

* the lane is a dirt road, the first 1500 feet are a steep pitch, aimed almost directly at the bend.  At the pond it curves off hard along the slope of the hill.  None of the water from the lane should actually flow into the pond’s system.

**I know they were solidly staked, I didn’t do the staking having smashed my finger that morning so I supervised, but I Know they were staked.

 

Meditative arts Thursday, Nov 8 2012 

Uncategorized acairfearann 20:26

(should be filed under half-baked)

I spent much of today working on polishing a bit of metal.  Purely decorative in nature, one might think that this was, if not a wasted, at least an unnecessary activity.  After all, bright work, be it on a harness, gun, or kitchen ware, isn’t mandatory for its function.  Other bits, also needing cleaning, might be needed; but not the decoration.

Working on it was simply several hours of a straightforward task that allowed me to appreciate its existence, the skill of the craftsmen, and the history of the people for whom it was bought.  It was, and is, simply a moment and item of elegance.

Yet, we perhaps have too little of that in our lives.  For all of our conspicious consumption, there is a strong tendency to justify things: we have innumerable gadgets that are all supposed to do something.  Items solely for display are considered ostentatious.  Buying the newest electronic gadget is being prepared for work, buying a luxury handbag is elite frivolity.  Yet, both are displayed, both signal that the possessor is ‘with it’ in some way.  Sometimes though, I think the buyer of the handbag may be more honest in their motivations (assuming they, of course, admit they bought it because they liked it not that they Had to have it).

 

Snow! Wednesday, Nov 7 2012 

Modern Photos acairfearann 16:22

 

Experiment fail Tuesday, Nov 6 2012 

Projects and Trees acairfearann 11:23

An interesting exercise.*  Spruce clearly splits with reasonable ease from the butt end, if the length is less than the distance to the next whorl.  That is, it splits with no more or less grace than red maple.  Nowhere near as easily as ash or birch, nowhere near as impossible as elm.  This means you could, if you liked sparks, create billets for a stove or campfire without killing yourself (you wouldn’t be having fun though). 

What spruce does not do is split lengthwise for rails.  Splits stop at the whorls and the sufficient number of crossing fibers makes getting the wedges back out a bit of a nuisance.  There is a reason you always, always keep one wedge free.

I think we shall now go hack it up into movable hunks.

*I’m sure you all reading think I am bats!

 

Not an off road vehicle Monday, Nov 5 2012 

Historic Photos acairfearann 10:43

August, 1911. I can’t happily identify which field that is; however it is the Esperanza farm team to the rescue, so it must be nearby.  Possibly one of the fields below Eaglesnest.   Which is a Long way from the road!  In any case the car is definitely from Esperanza.*  I suspect the man with the pole is Mr. Rood, the farm’s manager.  George Creevey is probably the man in the suit coat.

*There are lots of pictures of it from that year,  several featuring it stuck in various spots…

 

« Previous Page — Next Page »