Eva’s Friends

Evadig · Feb 2, 2025

For the last couple days, I've been staying at a guest house run by the Norbertine nuns. The Norbertines are a Catholic religious order for both men and women. This particular monastery is in Tehachapi and is known for their dog breeding program. They sell Anatolian shepherds and Labrador retrievers (it's actually where we got Annie).

The nuns are cloistered, but they will let young ladies come and help them for a few days. So I went around with one of the sisters and helped get the irrigation system working, put in some plumbing, and change a fuse in the truck.

I also helped exercise the dogs, feed the sheep, milk the cows, and bottle-feed the three lambs born yesterday. Today two more lambs were born, and I happened to be in the barn when the ewe gave birth. It was really interesting...I mean, I've obviously dealt with chicks hatching but have never seen anything actually be born.

On my way home I was falling asleep...not sure why, but I could hardly keep my eyes open. It probably didn't help the sun was shining brightly. I managed to make it home safely and promptly fell asleep on the bed.

Callender Girl said:
The pump organ is a beauty. Have you figured out a way to get it home?

No, the only way would be to drive it across the country and none of us are quite up to that. Then, there's not really any room in the house for it! The antique store says they'll hold it for us, because I'm the only person that has ever shown any interest, so it's unlikely someone else will buy it any time soon. Rats! Why can't the antique store in Maryland have something like that?

Callender Girl said:
More than once, I've been states away when I spotted something I really wanted at an antique shop and couldn't come up with a reasonable plan to bring it home. My Jim was an historic tinsmith, and we once found an incredible hand-made tin bathtub -- that we had to leave in Wisconsin.

I didn't know bathtubs used to be made of tin. It's a pity you couldn't get the bathtub. It's even worse when the object is rare, and there's a chance you'll never find another one. There's so many things I'd love to buy here - a very nice 40s hat, a treadle sewing machine, and a clothes wringer - that I haven't seen back home.

Callender Girl said:
I think the prayer you said worked; I got my car back yesterday! And, in likely recognition for all the annoyances and delays they put me through, the bill was only for parts. Labor was free.

LaFleche said:
Congratulations! Well done!

And let me add that your photographic skills are impressive too!

Thank you! I'm glad you like them

.

I just realized it's been a whole year since I started this thread. Thank you @Callender Girl for following along since the beginning! I really appreciate your taking the time to respond to my posts.

I'd like to stop and think of how things have changed. The ducks are gone, the geese are gone, Helen's gone, but I now have two cats, another parakeet, and another dog. Oh. And the number of chickens has tripled.

At the same time, I have graduated college and am becoming serious about getting my act together and moving out of the house. We'll see how that goes...

By a coincidence, I started keeping a diary the same day I started this thread. My first diary entry was on on January 28, 2011. My first post here was on January 28, 2023.

Another long entry. I hope you don't mind!

Some of the dogs; sorry the picture is blurry

Cows

The cows at the milking station

Three-minute-old lamb

Her older sister by an hour

Day old lamb

One of the Anatolian shepherds

The shepherd with a day old lamb

Callender Girl · Feb 4, 2025

I've really enjoyed your posts since the beginning. So many things have changed for you in the past year!!

Your guest house experiences sounds great! Did you have any previous plumbing or fuse-changing experience? "Country living" gives a person a lot of opportunity for learning new skills. I've learned quite a few I had no interest in acquiring. But things had to get done and I'm the only one here!

I've never milked a cow, but I used to get to milk the neighbor's goats. Cows intimidate me, probably because they are so big and can kick really hard.

We had sheep when I was a kid (I'm down to just one Katahdin now, my Rachel) and lambing season was always challenging. I remember the silly ewes would sometimes choose to drop their babies outside the shed, and we would be outside searching for lambs in the snow.

Love the photo of the Anatolian and lamb, checking out each other!

I hope you continue this thread for a long time to come

Evadig · Feb 9, 2025

I'm back home.

We flew back on Thursday, from Las Vegas to a layover in Denver, and finally to Washington DC. It seems so long ago, but it has only been three days!

All the snow has melted here, which is nice. The last couple days I've been getting back into routine and re-adapting to Eastern Standard Time.

I came home to find Eva alive and well. Also, my mom had cleaned up the natural disaster that was once my room, which was very nice of her. She has been the sole caretaker of all the animals since my sister has been sick with a bad cold for the entire month. I must definitely give her credit, because I was very doubtful they would all be alive when I returned!

Even though I was originally against traveling to California, mostly because I was afraid to leave Eva and the chickens, the trip has been helpful in many ways.

I know for certain that I would never want to live out there long term. There are so many people and animals that need help, and I can do nothing for them. Loose dogs are everywhere, and often you see them dead on the side of the road. All the abandoned buildings have homeless folks living in them. There is trash nearly everywhere you look. Of course, this is just in the high desert. Maybe it's better elsewhere. But you still have impatient drivers, who tailgate within inches of your car, and motorcyclists who weave through traffic, often riding right on the lane strips.

In addition, my entire family has come to realize life is changing, that it is time for me (and my sister will follow soon) to go our separate ways and act our own parts...you know, that line from Shakespeare about the world being a stage. I've often thought about what my part would be, and how I'd like to be remembered when I'm dead.

I guess I'm getting too philosophical. But I love cemeteries and wondering about the people buried there, what kind of life did they lead? And what were they like?

Anyhow, what I meant to say is that, I have also found I can live without Eva, as much as I love her, and she can live without me. And I am not as upset about that as I thought I'd be.

Callender Girl said:
I've really enjoyed your posts since the beginning. So many things have changed for you in the past year!!

I'm glad you have enjoyed them. I'm always haunted by the fear I'm annoying someone, so thank you for the reassurance

.

Callender Girl said:
Your guest house experiences sounds great! Did you have any previous plumbing or fuse-changing experience? "Country living" gives a person a lot of opportunity for learning new skills. I've learned quite a few I had no interest in acquiring. But things had to get done and I'm the only one here!

No, I've never done plumbing nor fuses before. I agree, living out in the country definitely made me learn things I'd never even known about before!

Callender Girl said:
I hope you continue this thread for a long time to come

I certainly intend to, but I'm afraid it's not going to be very "Eva's friends" related and end up more as personal/work updates.

Speaking of which, I did thirty-two sit-ups today! It wasn't within a minute as required, but this is the first time I've ever hit that number. They are so hard!

There are a lot of photos tonight.

Stanislaw

The Virtues

Flying basically over my house

Over the clouds

Over the Mississippi River

Another airplane

Rocky Mountains

Sunrise at ~20,000 ft

Dry lake bed that looks like a real lake

Entrance to an Army base

Sunrise over the lake

Jane and Barbara

Miss Prudence

Evadig

Constance

Annie

Agnieszka

Mitzi

Callender Girl · Feb 12, 2025

I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to respond. I hope you don't think I was ignoring you; I just was dealing with lots here.

First off, I'm glad you got home safely. I hope your weather is okay. It's finally feeling like winter here. Ugh. I had to shovel out the driveway yesterday, and there's up to five inches predicted for today.

32 sit-ups? I'm sure I haven't done that many in the past year

. They are among my least-favorite exercises.

As always, lot of nice photos.

Sounds like the trip was really good for you -- helping you know that California isn't for you, and helping you realize that as much as you will miss Eva when it's finally her time, you will be able to have some peace with it. I think I told you, after my keeshond Holly's terminal diagnosis, she lived 18 good months. She will always be in my heart.

Life, my friend, is always about change. More often than not, many of us have to be dragged kicking and screaming into our new reality. Sometimes, I think back to my much-younger self and marvel at all I have survived. I suspect you will also, in years to come.

Cemeteries are cool places. For several years, I participated in the local cemetery walk, where we portrayed historical folks who were buried at Oakland. We were given research on their lives and wrote our own 7-minute monologues, which we performed to small groups of visitors, delivered by bus and coming through every 8 to 10 minutes. We wore period-appropriate costumes and weren't allowed to use notes. The event raised funds for cemetery maintenance.

One of my favorite portrayals was of Lili Damita, a French actress and the first wife of movie star Errol Flynn. Later, she married a rich man from Fort Dodge, and that's how she ended up buried in Iowa. I doubt she would consider it an honor, but I named one of my first female goats Lili.

Evadig · Feb 12, 2025

It snowed, yesterday and today. There's about three inches, I'd say?

The chickens were so excited when I left the main door to the Muddy Run open...until they saw the snow. Miss Prude and Dolores came out, went a couple feet, and ran back inside. Everyone else stood in the doorway and looked disappointed.

Agnieszka laid an egg yesterday! She is one of the new five-year-olds, so we haven't got an egg from her yet. She is supposedly an Ameraucana, but doesn't have the muff. They said her eggs would be blue, but they seemed to be more bluish-green. Anyhow, it's exciting to have another color than brown. And we can't wait for Mitzi to lay!

I've been doing mostly office work the last couple days. I hate Microsoft with all my heart - not like Google is much better, but it's an improvement - and judging from the help forums, I am not the only detractor of that company.

Callender Girl said:
I'm sorry it's taken so long for me to respond. I hope you don't think I was ignoring you; I just was dealing with lots here.

It's okay!

I hope everything is going better for you now!

Callender Girl said:
Cemeteries are cool places. For several years, I participated in the local cemetery walk, where we portrayed historical folks who were buried at Oakland. We were given research on their lives and wrote our own 7-minute monologues, which we performed to small groups of visitors, delivered by bus and coming through every 8 to 10 minutes. We wore period-appropriate costumes and weren't allowed to use notes. The event raised funds for cemetery maintenance.

My local parish does that around All Saints Day where the youth group kids each dress as a saint and give presentations about themselves for visitors at the cemetery.

Callender Girl said:
One of my favorite portrayals was of Lili Damita, a French actress and the first wife of movie star Errol Flynn. Later, she married a rich man from Fort Dodge, and that's how she ended up buried in Iowa. I doubt she would consider it an honor, but I named one of my first female goats Lili.

I've never heard of her, or her husband, but I'll look them up! I think that having a goat named after oneself is not such a bad honor after all...at least you're remembered in some way. It's a pity to see the old graves at the cemetery all forgotten and moss covered, or worse, broken apart.

Callender Girl said:
Life, my friend, is always about change. More often than not, many of us have to be dragged kicking and screaming into our new reality. Sometimes, I think back to my much-younger self and marvel at all I have survived. I suspect you will also, in years to come.

Ugh, yes, this is so true. I hate change. But everything always works out in the end, so why am I worrying...

Annie with something on her nose, not sure what!

Eva and Annie playing-fighting in the snow

Miss Prude

Agnieszka's egg

Last night

This morning

Evadig · Feb 16, 2025

It's very windy out and my internet connection has been interrupted a few times. So this will be short, especially as there's nothing to say...

Bad weather has kept the hens in the coops, and me inside. I've pretty much wasted the last three days, although I have had to run to town several times to buy supplies for my dad so he can finish the laundry room.

A dead tree that we've been meaning to cut dowactually got uprooted, but it fell into another tree.

Constance is scared by the wind, and she is hiding under the bed. I don't think she's feeling too well.

My last great uncle died of leukemia yesterday, age ninety-three. He would have been ninety-four in April. He joined the army during the Korean War and was captured behind enemy lines in 1951. He spent two years in a prisoner-of-war camp. Unfortunately, I didn't get to know him personally.

There is only one picture tonight: Constance checking out Amelia. She has not seen a rabbit before!

We lost power just as I was about to post this, but got it back after about twenty minutes. Thank heaven for candles! I think we might lose it again though - the wind is pretty bad.

Callender Girl · Feb 17, 2025

Hope the power stayed on. Losing power in the summer is usually just annoying; losing it in wintertime can be so dangerous!

Sorry about your great-uncle. I think you would have enjoyed his stories. My dad served in Korea, but didn't talk to us about his experiences until many decades later. He was hit by friendly fire and nearly bled to death.

Dad did tell the story of an MP not wanting to let him and the Jeep driver through a checkpoint. Dad removed whatever was holding the bleeding at bay, and as the blood spurted from his wound toward the MP, they got waved through.

Constance appears to be seriously studying Amelia. Maybe she's wondering what kind of weird cat Amelia is?

You mentioned that you weren't familiar with Errol Flynn. He starred in some "swashbuckler" movies in the so-called "Golden Age of Hollywood," the 1930's, mostly, I think.

I spent much of last week shoveling from the two snows, then curling up on the sofa to thaw out and rest my achy muscles. This area is always windy, so there were drifts that made it hard to measure the snowfall. But on the deck, it was at just over 7 inches. The wind also blows about any loose dirt from surrounding farmers' fields, so there was black snow as well as white. And, with all the wind, areas that WERE cleared drifted back in.

I appreciate that my house sits a ways back from the road -- until I have to shovel the full length of the driveway AND try to break up the packed snow where snowmobilers have ridden and road plows have piled up more snow. I needed to go to town yesterday for, of all things, chicken feed. I thought I had one more bag stored than I actually did.

It's minus-5 right now, and it might be days before we are above zero again.

We are under cold weather advisory for much of the week.

I know it's a little late, but congratulations on Agnieszka's lovely egg! Three of my pullets have begun laying, and Ameraucana Gwendolyn produced her first little blue egg yesterday.

Sadly, Lavinia's egg froze and split open before I found it buried in the nest box pad. I hand-picked Lavinia at the hatchery from a bin that said she was a Black Cochin. But, she's something even better -- a gorgeous Silver-Laced Cochin. Color-wise, she resembles another pullet, my Silver-Laced Wyandotte, Prudence.

Prudence got a bit too excited at the waterer yesterday and got her feet wet. It was so cold and she was so upset, that I popped her onto my lap so I could dry her feet on my coveralls. I was surprised that she seemed to enjoy being a lap chicken. Prudence, by the way, is ALWAYS talking about something. I find her absolutely charming!

Cold and snow seems to bother some, but not all of the chickens. I wasn't able to clear snow out of the runs until yesterday. The Iowa Blues and the pullets were happy. The fluffy big-girl Cochins -- Isabel, Ursula and Ophelia -- were among the hens who didn't see any point to leaving the open coop. If I were a chicken, I think I would be a Cochin!!

Evadig · Feb 19, 2025

Well, once again I'm at home and the folks have flown off to California to enjoy the 80F weather (and of course my dad has to work).

It was cold today and I didn't get anything done because I thought that I had a virtual doctor's appointment, so I sat around and watched a documentary...an hour later I realized the appointment is for tomorrow :rolleyes:

.

Besides that, I spent the rest of the day on the piano trying to get The Stars and Stripes forever up to speed. It's one of my favorite pieces but it sounds so much better in the band (of course).

Annie got spayed on Monday and while she was feeling very sick when she came home, she has been wanting to play ever since she woke up the next morning.

The other day I was driving home and saw a large fox eating something on the side of the road. He was such a beautiful fox, with a handsome shade of red coat and a lovely tail. I just don't see how people can kill foxes, even if they are a chicken predator. I'd prefer just to keep my hens contained in a secure run.

Callender Girl said:
Hope the power stayed on. Losing power in the summer is usually just annoying; losing it in wintertime can be so dangerous!

It did not. The next day (Monday) it was out for five hours!

Callender Girl said:
Sorry about your great-uncle. I think you would have enjoyed his stories. My dad served in Korea, but didn't talk to us about his experiences until many decades later. He was hit by friendly fire and nearly bled to death.

Dad did tell the story of an MP not wanting to let him and the Jeep driver through a checkpoint. Dad removed whatever was holding the bleeding at bay, and as the blood spurted from his wound toward the MP, they got waved through.

Oh, my. Friendly fire incidents are the worst. And why wouldn't the MP want to let them through, if he can see they're Americans? I'm glad your dad made it home all right!

Callender Girl said:
I appreciate that my house sits a ways back from the road -- until I have to shovel the full length of the driveway AND try to break up the packed snow where snowmobilers have ridden and road plows have piled up more snow. I needed to go to town yesterday for, of all things, chicken feed. I thought I had one more bag stored than I actually did.

I can't imagine living with all that snow. Back when I was a kid it might have been fine, but now, I only want to see snow at Christmas! How far is town away for you? I have to drive twenty minutes, either over a ridge or through a little village that is becoming an extension of town.

Callender Girl said:
I know it's a little late, but congratulations on Agnieszka's lovely egg! Three of my pullets have begun laying, and Ameraucana Gwendolyn produced her first little blue egg yesterday.

Sadly, Lavinia's egg froze and split open before I found it buried in the nest box pad. I hand-picked Lavinia at the hatchery from a bin that said she was a Black Cochin. But, she's something even better -- a gorgeous Silver-Laced Cochin. Color-wise, she resembles another pullet, my Silver-Laced Wyandotte, Prudence.

Congratulations on Gwendolyn's egg!
It's a pity Lavinia's was broken. When did she begin to lay?

I love the names of your hens! It's nice to know someone else likes the old-fashioned names - and of course, I am partial to Prudence

.

I came across an old pamphlet which said, 102 years ago:

"The high cost of living has forced many people to economize to the limit, and reduce the family budget to the minimum...It has been proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that chickens can be raised profitably by the person living in town, as well as by the farmer with his vast acres, providing the townsman knows a few essential principles in regard to the proper handling of the birds".

Isn't it funny how history repeats itself?

Annie just now

And when she came home from the vet

Some things I saw at the antique store:

A pet carrier

I taught myself to read out of this book! This one is in excellent condition. I wonder if I should buy it in case I ever have kids...

A movie projector

Starry sky with a plane in there - that streak of red and white

lightm · Feb 23, 2025

Hi there,

I binge read your posts in the past week, usually at my bedtime. I have to admit that I didn't read every single post. Like @Callender Girl , I want to keep following along.

I think you are very talented, with your music, sewing, photography, and video editing skills. Most importantly, you take great care of your animals. Despite your unenthusiasm, you may be a great fit for a teacher.

Are there jobs like a farm-sitter? I feel like there is such a need here. Also, have you thought about applying for a secretary type of job in your nearby college/university? Over here, I see they are often hiring for these positions. Last time we had such a position (I work for a university), there were only 3 candidates total! I want to say when a job advertises for experience, people who have technically no experience may still end up getting it.

This summer I visited Battleship North Carolina. It is in the very town I live but I only went there because I had visitors. It was amazing.

Your animals are so lovely. Evadig is so adorably looking and I wish her best luck.

Yesterday my husband took Light (his true love

) to visit me.

Evadig · Feb 23, 2025

Well, this time around hasn't been as productive as last year when I had the house all to myself.

For the last three days, I've been at the piano. I'm too lazy to clean the house, my sewing notions are scattered around the basement, and scrolling BYC gets boring after awhile. So I have nearly perfected The Stars and Stripes Forever and am working on Hail to the Chief.

It's also been very cold out and impossible to walk the dogs, because I can't leave Annie alone in the house. She can't walk because of her surgery. She's doing well - way more active than the doctor would like, but what can I do? She actually took her cone off the other day. I used twisties to wire it together so she can't pull it off anymore.

BYC is not liking the word twisties. What do y'all call them?

Today, I went to church in a new location and walked Eva around for awhile. She had a wonderful time. Then we drove around the countryside for the rest of the day. They're all run down now, but some of the towns must have been very nice back fifty years ago. There's so many lovely old farm buildings going to the wayside. I wish people wouldn't abandon their historical properties.

I stopped at a cemetery, telling myself I'd just take a quick look :rolleyes:

, and spent nearly forty-five minutes there. Then I realized it was getting dark and I still had an hour and a half drive home...

Meanwhile my family went to San Diego because my dad forgot to get his medical so he can't fly right now. His company's contract is coming to an end and it's unsure whether it will be renewed. If not, he will be out of a job.

I've been looking at jobs myself but it's so frustrating. More on this in a second...

lightm said:
I binge read your posts in the past week, usually at my bedtime. I have to admit that I didn't read every single post. Like @Callender Girl , I want to keep following along.

Welcome to Eva's Friends @lightm! I hope my posts did not keep you awake

.

lightm said:
I think you are very talented, with your music, sewing, photography, and video editing skills. Most importantly, you take great care of your animals. Despite your unenthusiasm, you may be a great fit for a teacher.

Thank you! I am looking into teaching jobs, again...no matter how much I tell myself I'm done trying, it still draws me.

lightm said:
Are there jobs like a farm-sitter? I feel like there is such a need here. Also, have you thought about applying for a secretary type of job in your nearby college/university? Over here, I see they are often hiring for these positions. Last time we had such a position (I work for a university), there were only 3 candidates total!

No farm-sitting jobs here, from what I can see, and my local college hasn't hired a new secretary for a long time. Who knows, though? Maybe one will move on soon!

lightm said:
I want to say when a job advertises for experience, people who have technically no experience may still end up getting it.

It seems that everyone else but me has experience and therefore ends up getting the job. It doesn't help that I interview very poorly. I know I'm pessimistic. I will keep trying!

lightm said:
This summer I visited Battleship North Carolina. It is in the very town I live but I only went there because I had visitors. It was amazing.

I will have to visit someday!

lightm said:
Your animals are so lovely. Evadig is so adorably looking and I wish her best luck.

Thank you!

lightm said:
Yesterday my husband took Light (his true love ) to visit me.

Light is a lovely hen! She looks very much at ease in your office.

I have a lot of pictures to share tonight...hopefully, there are not too many!

Eva