Monday, September 3, 2007

Floating Down the River like Tom Sawyer

Yellow Boy doing his job guarding the cannas.

Oh Happy Day! Nobody got out of their areas - no Houdini Hens - no wild goats eating my flowers and the dogs were all home this morning.









This is my husband hard at work catching an elusive people-shy Duchess the night we first got her.
AND this is Duchess posing for the camera this afternoon. Ain't she just cute!





We had to work with her to get her used to us. We plan on her being a mommy next spring and how the heck am I going to milk a goat that I can't get near?


I also saw our two fashionably aloof kitties: Charcoal and Larry. They are not allowing any photos today.

I even slept in, but not too much. My friend Sarah came over this morning and we moved some wood, drank coffee, picked tomatoes and squash blossoms and made some kick-butt omelets. She brought some righteous steak biscuits and cinnamon buns from a local restaurant which we added to the great home-made super-fresh omelets. Did I mention the eggs were from own very own Houdini Hens? At least their eggs can't get out.

HINT - add a little baking soda to the omelet to get a good fluff to it. And use large or jumbo eggs. I made ours with 8 pullet eggs - so cute and sweet in their miniature size. BUT - I digress...

Later this afternoon we went canoeing down Sam's Creek toward the Cumberland River with friends - two canoes and two kayaks - 3 adults and 4 children. We saw a heron and another bird with a red head, long beak and black feathers. We also saw a hawk and my daughter saw a turtle. I did not, of course, remember to bring the camera, so too bad. You'll have to get in your own canoe at the boat dock and paddle it yourself to see what I saw. If you are definately not into that, then take a Blue Heron Cruise (www.tnvacation.com/vendors/blue_heron_cruises) which docks at RiverView Restaurant in Ashland City. Captain Jim gives a terrific wildlife tour up the Cumberland.
When my daughter to stopped making up songs for a moment and I stopped paddling, the stillness of the backwater crept in and it was just beautiful and perfect. It took me back to my childhood summers, fishing with my brother on the bank of the Okmulgee River. I could have sat there forever but my son tipped his kayak for the third time after complaining about being hot. We went back to help turn him over and continued on. We did not quite get to the Cumberland but turned back when we were close. Never go further than you are willing to paddle back is excellent advice in this situation. My son had enough of paddling and we towed him back to the starting point.
We enjoyed us some D-licious watermelon and curry rice when we got back. What a great Labor Day and that's why we are livin' the dream! Oh and did I think about the new fence? - a little - I at least imagined myself digging a posthole. We'll see what happens tomorrow.
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