Seasons Change

Funny. I always note when the barn swallows arrive in the Spring. But I never note when they leave!

24 August 2012 - Suddenly it's very quiet around here.
We had *hundreds* of swallows in the barn this year. One day I counted over 30 nests when I lost count. There were 2 flights of chicks this season. Flocks of swallows are called "flights". If you know swallows then you know how what an appropriate expression that is!

It's not always that way. I think it was 3 years ago we had a cold wet Summer. There was just one flight that season. I don't think a single chick survived. It was very sad and we wondered if they'd ever come back.

12 May. Aerial ballet.

17 June. Swallows *everywhere*.

We'll poop on you
On a couple of occasions the barn literally swarmed with swallows. They'll come at you right between the eyes. So close you can pick out individual hairs around their little nostrils. Then they'll cut and go over your shoulder. You get so used to it you don't even flinch.

And they often have a lot to say. I'm always wondering to myself what it is they have so much to say about. All sounds the same to me.

They're on their way to South America now and it's very very quiet around the barn.

I couldn't help but notice it's getting dark noticeably earlier. The farm stands have fresh peaches and the fields are starting to fade.

The bugs are getting lazy and even the trees are turning!

25 August. See there? Left center?
Any day now it's going to be apple season. Seems like Summer barely started.

Edited (9/3/2012) to add see? Wha'd I tell ya.

Legimate Rape?

Ok. I'm in Massachusetts. It's almost a given (but not certain mind you) that I lean to the left. But if one one uses the expression "legitimate rape" it naturally leads to the question what, exactly, is "illegitimate rape"?. Oh. And..um...wtf?

I'm embarrassed for my country. I'm just sayin'.

Crazy for Corn

Fresh corn on the cob is one of my most favorite things in the world. This time of year I'll eat fresh corn almost every single day.

Straight up. No butter. No salt.
There's a lot of discussion on how to best prepare fresh corn. I know people that have their water on the stove before they even pick their corn.

My favorite preparation is roasted. In a 350 degree oven, whole and intact, for 30 or 40 minutes. But I don't always have 30 or 40 minutes to fix corn. I like grilled corn too but I'm not going start up a grill for an ear of corn. So I often steam my fresh corn. A shucked ear in an inch of rapidly boiling water for about a minute and a half.

I recently read some comments over on the Chow discussion board recommending microwaving corn. I don't cook with a microwave much. But some of the glowing comments compelled me to try it.

Microwave a whole unhusked ear of corn for two or three minutes.

Awesome! Excellent corn. I might have a new favorite way of fixing my fresh corn.

A Good Vet

A couple of weeks ago I went to get my paint mare G. I don't blog much about G. I will when she's gone.

There was a "thing" on her nose. It looked like a worm. Like some kind of parasite. Turns out it was her eyelid. Much to my horror somehow or other she had got into something sharp and she'd torn her eyelid almost clean off. She was very lucky that the tiniest thread of tissue was still attached and her eyelid was stuck to the bridge of her nose. I was ... well. Panic stricken. It just amazes me the trouble horses can get themselves in to.

Of course I made a (panic stricken) call to the vet and explained what I'd observed. This was a bad situation.

My vet explained this might require hospitalization, would require a very delicate and precise surgery and could cost thousands.

When she arrived she examined the situation and we talked about options. I was going to have her go ahead and take the eyelid off and see what the next few weeks brought ... but she thought..maybe she could stitch her eyelid back on. So I had her go ahead and do that.

It took about 3 hours to stitch G's eyelid back on. We were there well into the night. Here a couple of weeks later her eye looks pretty good.

That inflammation and swelling there on the left should diminish significantly in another week or two.

Of course I have no idea how she did this and she won't tell me.

But I'm really grateful to a good vet.

Lazy Days

The past few days have been downright uncomfortable. Not so much hot, although it's been hot, it's the 70 degree dew point. You can't do much of anything without being soaking wet in minutes.

A couple of weeks ago we enjoyed the most perfect summer weather. I like this picture a lot.

Saturday 21 July. Lazy Summer Day
And finding our way back through the brush. L always knows where she is!

She always looks so much better than I do
Nice as it was the bugs were ferocious. I tried her new Bug Out Fly Hood. See?

Product Review!

One thumb up. I think they run a little big. It's a Large and it's a little big for her. I think when I bought it they said a large would be for say a Quarter Horse. I imagine an X-Large is huge. It has a couple of springy cords to tie the neck off to a saddle which works well. It doesn't work so well bareback. It slides all over the place and the neck slips upwards when it's not tied off. It's open under the cheeks and I think bugs could get inside. Which I think would suck. But it seemed to work well enough. You wouldn't use this for turnout. It wouldn't last 10 minutes. This is strictly for riding.

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I'm done with nice glasses. I had this really beautiful art glass martini glass.

I broke it. Long time ago.

Now today I broke this nice crystal one that I've had for nearly 20 years.

From now on it's dollar store glasses!