Eva’s Friends

[LaFleche]

Beautiful and intriguing pictures again @Evadig
I love your curiosity and spirit of discovery.

 

[Callender Girl]

As always, great photos! Eva looks like she enjoyed the river, and Annie's she's showing off her incision. Like, "I had surgery and survived; here's my scar to prove it!"

The abandoned chicken coop looks like it has plenty of usefulness left in it.

Like you, I hate to see old buildings fall into ruin. However, if I don't do something with my barn in the next couple of years, people will probably be talking about it. Problem is, I need to prioritize the house and garage before I can tackle issues with the barn.

I call them twisties, but maybe "twist ties"?

Hope your dad gets everything straightened out, and the company's contract gets extended.

Mud is replacing all the fast-melting snow here, and while I don't enjoy the mess, I am very glad not to be shoveling, thawing and replacing waterers, and checking for eggs before they have a chance to freeze.

While you are looking for a job, is there someplace you can volunteer that might help you get experience that would transfer to a job? I used to hire people straight out of college, and if they had done an internship, had related hobbies or volunteered with an organization that provided some of the traits I was looking for (writing ability, working with a team or taking initiative, as examples), I considered that.

Although it's not work experience, you show a lot of determination and persistence as you learn to play more pieces on the piano. That takes skill and discipline to learn, both valuable at most jobs.

You sew, and you do it quite well. Maybe you can get paid doing that? My sister, who is also extremely talented, made extra money for years doing alterations for people who simply couldn't or didn't want to do their own. Many people don't even know how to hem pants or repair a ripped-out seam.

And, even if there are no farm-sitter jobs as @lightm suggested (I liked the suggestion and would be thrilled to have a good farm sitter) maybe you can pet sit for non-farm folks.

You have so much talent and ability, I know some employer is going to recognize that and be lucky to hire you!

 

[lightm]

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 , 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...

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

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

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!

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!

I will have to visit someday!

Thank you!

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
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The Christmas tree just before I took it down (and broke two ornaments in the process )
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An attempt at still photography
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Alice
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Annie
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Constance
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An old abandoned church with its little cemetery
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Overlooking Harpers Ferry
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Inside of St Peter's
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Outside of St Peter's
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Eva and the Shenandoah River
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Two more views of St Peter's
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An old chicken coop (I guess?)
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These trees are growing on top of this old bridge structure. I edited the picture filter so it's easier to see.
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Where the Shenandoah meets the Potomac
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Replica (built 1910) of the firehouse that John Brown was captured in; the original location is actually behind me to the right a bit.
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River
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At the cemetery in Romney, West Virginia
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I'd like an epitaph like this...
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Unknown Confederate dead
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Students from the WV School for the Deaf and Blind - it is still in operation!
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Memorial to a fighter pilot killed in action over Italy 1944 - age 24
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Cumberland, Maryland
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Another abandoned church with cemetery
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These are wonderful pictures. I really enjoyed them. Eva looks great along the rivers. Cemeteries are interesting.

I like what Calendar girl has suggested: volunteer work is also experience!

I was very impressed when you dealt with the organ playing situation at church when you were handed with the wrong music (or something like that). Sorry I really lack terminology on this subject so I hope you know what I am referring to...

All I am trying to say is that as you keep your journal and write on BYC, it may be good to keep a document of good positive events like that, which can be very useful in answering interview questions!

It is also very normal to perform poorly at your first few interviews. I was like that looking back.

Some other tips on interviews:
- Emphasize that you are responsive, and responsible.
- Be energetic at interviews. Show a great interest, even if you have to pretend a little.
- If you have a chance to ask them questions. Prepare these questions beforehand. Ask questions to demonstrate that you are serious about the job and you have really looked into the employer.
- Demonstrate that you are willing to learn and have the ability to learn. Provide concrete examples if possible.

Meimei, sunbathing and being cuddly at the same time.

Foxy

 

[Evadig]

Why is it so hard to start writing? I put down a sentence, erase, and repeat thirty times before I finally get something that I am sort of satisfied with.

Anyhow, my mom very kindly purchased a chicken run for me. It's 10 by 20 ft. I've assembled the frame, draped netting over it, and am working on securing the various pieces. I wanted the Muddy Run to open directly into this run so I had to improvise a bit, but it's coming along nicely.

It just doesn't look very pretty. I am thinking about putting box gardens along the edge, so at least one can look at flowers and vegetables in addition to chickens. I've not tried box gardening before, so we shall see if it works out.

Annie figured out how to take her cone off, and I caught her chewing on it. I never knew a dog who loved to chew on things so much. It's been ten days and I don't see any sign of the stitches so I let her leave it off.

I tried cutting my own hair the other day and sort of regret it. I didn't want to spend the money at the hairdresser when I keep it pinned up most of the time anyway. It turned out okay, but the front part is too short. Then I have flashbacks to when I did this back in second grade, and my mom was not happy. What will she say now?

When I was in town, someone came within a couple feet of running me over, and someone else nearly crashed into my car. I got a bit jumpy after that and hightailed it for home.

However, I also struck up a conversation with a young man at Tractor Supply and a lady who teaches quilting at the local fabric store. I'm proud of myself because for months, I haven't said more than two words to a stranger.

I'm really tired and not hungry, even though I have a whole dinner to eat. I'm working on applying to a couple jobs but they want me to write a cover letter. I dislike cover letters because I'm no good at selling myself. It feels like, well, you're desperately trying to get their attention - to push yourself forward.

I need to clean Constance's litter box - now. It stinks in here.

Beautiful and intriguing pictures again @Evadig
I love your curiosity and spirit of discovery.

Thank you!

Mud is replacing all the fast-melting snow here, and while I don't enjoy the mess, I am very glad not to be shoveling, thawing and replacing waterers, and checking for eggs before they have a chance to freeze.

I didn't know Iowa got mud...I though the tri-state area here had enough mud to make up for the whole rest of the country . I hope it dries up for you soon, and you start getting warmer weather. Today it was 65F!

While you are looking for a job, is there someplace you can volunteer that might help you get experience that would transfer to a job?

I really haven't looked, but I'll put that on my to-do list!

You sew, and you do it quite well. Maybe you can get paid doing that?

I'm still learning, but maybe I could at least make some doll clothes to sell. I'm an expert at those, if I do say so myself . It would be a start...

I was very impressed when you dealt with the organ playing situation at church when you were handed with the wrong music (or something like that). Sorry I really lack terminology on this subject so I hope you know what I am referring to...

I don't have any recollection of this...now I need to go back and read all my posts!

All I am trying to say is that as you keep your journal and write on BYC, it may be good to keep a document of good positive events like that, which can be very useful in answering interview questions!

It is also very normal to perform poorly at your first few interviews. I was like that looking back.

Some other tips on interviews:
- Emphasize that you are responsive, and responsible.
- Be energetic at interviews. Show a great interest, even if you have to pretend a little.
- If you have a chance to ask them questions. Prepare these questions beforehand. Ask questions to demonstrate that you are serious about the job and you have really looked into the employer.
- Demonstrate that you are willing to learn and have the ability to learn. Provide concrete examples if possible.

Thank you for the advice! But how do I pretend to be energetic when I'm quiet, shy, and usually have nothing to say? I think the worst about interviews is I'll start blanking out, like with a fixated stare, while the other person talks on, and on, and on...

Your hens are so pretty! What breed are they?


Dolores as seen through the hardware cloth

Lucy

Evadig

The new run frame before I got the netting on. Please ignore the mess, I will clean it tomorrow!

Front to back: Mitzi, Patience, Agnieszka

 

[lightm]

Today I played organ for church - it went better than last time even though the choir director gave me the wrong music for some parts and I had to sightread. At least that's one thing I can say I'm good at!

This is what I was talking about.

 

[lightm]

Your hens are so pretty! What breed are they?

They are barnyard Rhode island red mix.

 

[Callender Girl]

Don't sweat struggling to write and having to start over multiple times. Writing is a process; first drafts can be followed by however many more it takes to create something that feels right.

I spent decades writing for newspapers, newsletters and radio newscasts, and I still have days where I can't write anything that I think is good enough for anyone to see.

Cover letters can be tough. But think of it this way: an employer needs someone with certain skills and abilities. If you have those and can let them know, you are helping yourself and them.

Good deal on the chicken run. I don't think there's anything wrong with how yours looks. Chickens, by the way, don't really care about appearances. If they did, some of mine would at least be embarrassed and possibly, horrified. I just try to keep them safe and comfy.

As far as your too-short hair, it grows

Congrats on talking to new people! Yesterday, I met a new BYC member who recently moved to my area. We had coffee and talked about chickens. Well, mostly I talked and he listened. I hope I didn't rattle on too much.

I think it's lucky you have a local fabric store. It sounds like all the Jo-Ann stores will be closing, and that leaves only Hobby Lobby and Walmart in this area; neither one has much more than the most basic selection.

Hope Annie's recovery is nearly complete!

BTW, Eva is adorable, as always.

 

[Evadig]

Today is the last Sunday before Lent, so I figured I'd treat myself a bit and go out of town again.

I was originally planning to go to Roanoke, but then it was much too tempting to continue on to North Carolina...and then to Tennessee...
Anyhow, I refused to put myself in that predicament so I went east to DC for church, then down to Richmond.

I've been wanting to go to Richmond for a very long time...as long as I have been interested in the Civil War. After all, that was the goal of the Union ever since war was declared. I drove down from Alexandria, and first went to one church and then the Cathedral of St Andrew.

On the map, I saw I was close to a big cemetery. This turned out to be Hollywood Cemetery; it has been around since before the Civil War and is still active! Presidents James Monroe, John Tyler, and CSA President Jefferson Davis are there, as are Generals George Pickett, Jeb Stuart, and Fitzhugh Lee. About a quarter of the cemetery is dedicated to Confederate soldiers who were killed in action, including some from Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg.

After that I tried to see the State Capitol, but it was closed. I couldn't even get a picture of the outside. So I went down to where Libby Prison once stood. It is not in a great part of town. Then I was driving to Richmond Battlefield when I came across a nice church, built in 1860. It somehow survived the destruction of Richmond when the Union captured the city in 1865.

Richmond Battlefield was not really a battlefield (though really, the whole area is a battlefield); it was the site of a Confederate hospital that was quite modern and efficient for its time.

After that, I thought I'd better start heading home, so we went up to Fredericksburg. On the way I stopped at a grocery store to get a snack (I hadn't eaten anything all day - that's the way it is when I go on historical trips) and saw a street corner all blocked off with police cars and police tape. "Probably a shooting" I thought as I made a detour, and I was right - if I had come through just an hour earlier I could have been in the midst of it. The victim is dead, and the suspect is in custody.

In Fredericksburg, I made a quick stop at the Fredericksburg Battlefield to let the dogs run around. We found ourselves at the foot of Marye's Heights where the Union soldiers were mowed down by the Confederates on top of the hill. It is incredible to be where this all happened.

By then the sun was setting, so half of the trip home was in the dark. Thankfully, we made it without hitting any deer.

Other news: the run is finished, and I am delighted to have it. No more having to chase the chickens back into their pen! The cats can come out too, finally. They've been stuck in the Muddy Run for months because I had no secure place for them to roam. Francine is not spayed yet, and I'm not taking chances on her meeting up with a suitor.

Eva went into heat and got blood all over my car seats when I came out of church. That reminds me, then, I need to cancel her upcoming spay appointment. Unfortunately, she also started having seizures again. I had stopped giving her the medication because I thought perhaps it had cleared up...which it did, for several months. But she had three yesterday within an hour. I wonder if it is related to her heat cycle.

There are a lot of pictures:

Patience and her friends in the new run

Brianna enjoying the sun

Eva and Annie in front of this monument - unfortunately, they refused to pose

The monument is to a Confederate sergeant who, after the battle of Fredericksburg, took it upon himself to bring water to the wounded Union soldiers lying in the field beneath the Confederate encampment, despite the risk of being killed by the retreating Union troops .

The house where General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson died as he was waiting for a train to take him to medical aid. The railroad is about a hundred yards to the left.

Constance

The Basilica of St Andrew

Hollywood Cemetery:

Confederate soldiers killed in action

General George Pickett, who led Pickett's Charge at Gettysburg

One of his men, died at Gettysburg

Confederate soldiers from Gettysburg

The James River

President James Monroe

Eva and Annie before Jefferson Davis's grave; I had a much better picture but somehow it got erased .

President John Tyler (I had a better picture here, too, but...)

General Fitzhugh Lee, nephew of General Robert E Lee

General James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart
His son, grandson, and great grandson are all buried here as well. The great grandson, J.E.B Stuart IV, just died in 2020!

Sign marking where Libby Prison once stood

St Patrick's
Built by Irish immigrants in 1860, survived the siege of Richmond; the floors, pews, and organ facade are original, and the stained glass windows are from the 1920's.

Marye's Heights (right) at Fredericksburg Battlefield; the stone wall (left) predates the war.

 

[lightm]

Thank you for taking us to the trip with you! I love Eva and Annie pictures. Patience looks great too.

 

[Evadig]

Ash Wednesday. In the Catholic Church we have to fast for today, and while on Sunday I went nearly all day without eating (I didn't have time!), today I was starving. It's like, once something is mandated, it becomes very difficult.

I'm really, really tired. I went to the USCG recruiter's office this morning; that was almost a three hour trip one way, and on the drive back it was raining so bad you couldn't see more then ten feet in front of you. I made it home safely and crashed on the bed next to Eva for two hours.

A big tree fell down in the yard, and missed the Muddy Run by about ten feet. It crushed the kiddie pools that have been lying there ever since the ducks left. I had an inspiration to move them, but didn't act on it, and now they're ruined.

I put Liberty in with the Spinsters, and he behaved pretty nicely to them, so he's living with them right now. But then Stan found his way into their pen and they had a good fight before I caught and separated them. Stan has been misbehaving as of late. He pecked Brianna, the rabbits, and even Tilly.

The pair of hawks that lives nearby was out looking for supper yesterday. I managed to catch all the Virtues and put them in the chicken tractor, so they could still be outside, and everyone else had their covered runs. I am so thankful to have a run attached to the Muddy Run!

Brianna and Francine met in the run the other day, and no hostilities were exchanged. I believe they're on their way to becoming friends.

I am falling asleep as I write, so that's all for now .

Dolores and Jen

The Spinsters with Liberty in the back

The Virtues in their tractor - finally could get a close-up!

Vivienne

Stanislaw

Matilda

Wilhelmina

Brianna, Francine, and Alice (the rabbit)

A toy piano at the antique store - they just don't make toys like this anymore!