Snowball fight!
I am the target of Jake's snowball fury.
I love the bike path in the snow.
I found this pitiful little kitten on the trail one afternoon - he was following a couple who were jogging on the path. I overheard the man scolding the woman to "put it down - you can't carry it the whole way back!" I heard the woman half-argue that she couldn't just leave it there, but she eventually did. I wondered if that was my cat Cream they were referring to. Funny, Cream doesn't look like a stray that needs rescuing... I walked outside to see if indeed Cream was out there, but on the trail I found this very young and very vocal kitten running after this couple, by now pretty far up the path. It was a sad sight: the kitten not doing a very good job of following after these people; it seemed somewhat disoriented. All the time bellowing in desperation, reminding me of that sad scene from the movie, Shane. I quickly scooped up the kitten to check it out. One look at it and I knew it was in trouble. Both its eyes were really infected, one so badly that you couldn't even see the eye at all; so swollen that the inside parts were outside. Both eyes were surrounded with pus-covered open wounds, perhaps from scratching at the itchy eyes. He was very gentle and sweet and liked being held. The first thing I did was get him inside with some water and cat food. He was famished. Then I called the vet at Old Trail. I told them the story of the cat, and they suggested I bring him in immediately, which I did.
Our neighbor Gretta is wild about all animals, especially kittens! She will come over and carry him all over the place. Boxcar doesn't seem to mind one bit.
Boxcar's eyes have healed almost 100%. The vet said that he is very impressed and amazed at how well the eyes healed, and all that's left is a bit of moisture on one layer covering the eyes - looks like he has a cataract - his own body's way of protecting the eye while he had the infection - and that is expected to go away in time. Boxcar is a kitten full of life and energy and affection for all. He and Cream absolutely adore each other. They love to lounge together and to chase each other all over the yard and the mill. I think that ever since Millie left, he's longed for a pal to play with. Now he has one!
Jake and I had a mother-son date night at Let's Dish! in Towson, MD. We had a lot of fun spending Friday evening preparing eight delicious meals for our family dinners. We made mouth-watering dishes like Prosciutto-Wrapped Chicken with Garlic Herb Cheese, Orange Teriyaki Mahi Mahi with Jasmine Rice, and Bruschetta with Chicken and Tomatoes, among others. It was nice to have some one-on-one time with Jake cooking in a completely stress-free environment. They did all the food prep, all the clean-up, and even provided scrumptious desserts for us to nibble on between meal-making. It was a darn good time, and it was darn-good eatin' tonight as we scarfed down our Shrimp Scampi with Linguine. I've done Let's Dish! with Sassa and also all alone for my own mom's night out. Good times! I recommend it to one and all - alone or with a friend or two. 
Chef Jake in his cookin' clothes.
John found our barn cat, Sadie, expired in the back yard this morning. We don't know how or when she went. Sadie was our cat for only two years, but we sure will miss her very much.
This is the "before" picture of Asa. Here are the boys in North Carolina while staying with the G's. Long story, short - Asa said that he wanted a "bald haircut". He's been saying for quite a while that he wants to be bald. I told him to just give it a few years and it will likely happen on its own, but he wants it now! I didn't particularly love the idea of him sporting a bald style, but I figured that now is a good time to give him his wish - and hopefully this will convince him that maybe his curls aren't so bad afterall (he says he hates his curly hair). 
Here is the finished look. He says he likes it, but he quietly asked me if it would grow back before his birthday party. He says he doesn't want the kids to laugh at him. I told him that it would grow back quickly, and if it didn't he could wear a hat! He seemed satisfied with that answer. 
The boys and I went to pick blueberries today with Jake's best friend, Emma, and her mother, Ann. BTW: Are all blueberry places called "Blueberry Hill"? Anyway, we'd never been to pick our own blueberries, however, it was Ann's fourth visit this season!
The bushes were packed with nice-sized berries, and it was really fun to pick them. Asa rediscovered his love for the berries - after a 3-year hiatus.
A great many berries never made it into our baskets, but made a detour into our mouths!
We finally stopped picking after we filled up two large baskets. We took them home and cleaned them, and will freeze half of them, and make delicious fresh desserts with rest of them. I'm thinking: blueberry-vanilla goat's milk ice cream; blueberry-peach cobbler (Ann says she has an awesome recipe), and a straight-up blueberry pie. I love the summer when all of my favorite fruits and veggies come into season! 
foreground is Ginseng, Sycamore in the rear
Asa just had to be the first one to try out the milk stand!
This stand uses a platform to raise Ginger higher for easier milking by the milkmaid... and a stanchion to hold Ginger's head in place and keep her on the stand until I am done milking her. Now I've just got to get faster at milking because when she's done eating her grain, she's ready to get down off of that crazy thing.
John made the milk stand and a stool for me to sit on while milking this weekend. He downloaded the plans from the best dairy goat website ever, Fias Co Farm. Everything you ever wanted to know or wondered about goats is answered on this site. I love my milk stand!!
Ann and me coloring together. She's very good at her art.I was able to get some Whole Foods Market shopping in where we bought some lamb to make at home for dinner. Delicious! I headed back home on Monday and was very happy and refreshed. It was good to return to my family again.
I wondered if it would work dying our own brown eggs. We found out that it does indeed work. Different tones, but beautiful still!
They turned out pretty darn great!
The boys seemed to be able to stand the freezing outdoor temperatures for long periods of time, unlike their parents.
The Codorus Creek
The boys inside the incline car.
Jeanne and Kim are off for Sangria and conversation.
Juniper isn't sure what to think of this snow. This is the first snowfall of her life. She was born last May into really warm weather.
For the chickens, it's business as usual.
The boys are thrilled to finally have snow to play in.
It only snowed for a couple of hours; not much accumulation at all. But still, it was really nice to have our first snow. We are hoping for more though!
