Eva’s Friends

[Mother of Chaos]

Wooly mammoth on the apple tree (what do y'all call them?)
View attachment 4233440

Wooly bear caterpillar?

Larval stage of Isabella tiger moth

 

[Evadig]

In the last two days I have added 500+ miles to my car and added several towns to my mental map by driving nearly twenty-four hours with a twelve-hour break in between.

We were able to find a rescue to take my sister's turtle, so we drove up to central Pennsylvania early Saturday morning. Between stopping at the gas station and the grocery store we made it just in time for the appointment, then leisurely drove back home. It was a long day.

This morning we left early to explore central Virginia - literally the exact opposite direction of yesterday's trip. We went to Mass in a beautiful old church with an unruly congregation. I could not help wondering what the parishioners of olden days would have thought of their behaviour. Then we traveled throughout the countryside checking out towns and churches. Some were a disappointment. Others we were pleasantly surprised. So Virginia is still in the running with Pennsylvania.

Last night Eva fainted, collapsed, or simply had a severe neurological disfunction. When I took the dogs out for the night, she went to go potty in her favorite spot, but didn't come back. I thought that was odd, so I grabbed a flashlight and went to look. She was just sitting there with that vacant stare - couldn't respond, move, or support her own weight when I tried to help her stand. I picked her up and she lay limply in my arms, her head resting on my shoulder. My sister thought she was dead. So did I, for a minute. I brought her upstairs and laid her on her pillow. Half an hour later she woke up and wanted her treat, and acted normally from then on. She was fine today.

That's all for tonight, I guess. I hope y'all are doing well .


The Virtues

Faith

Huey Helicopter from Vietnam

Sherman Tank

General Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson

Autumn in Virginia

 

[Callender Girl]

I'm glad Eva is okay. My Molly, who had idiopathic seizures, would freeze up and get a blank stare; it's frightening to see them like that. Molly's seizures ended with her spinning uncontrollably in circles; once she was able to stop, on the vet's instruction, I gave her a little Breyer's ice cream (commercial brand with the most natural ingredients) to bring her sugar level up.

I always wondered if she was scared or just on "autopilot" and didn't know that she was having trouble. Animals seem to accept what's happening to them better than most people -- we panic and tell ourselves things that often make situations worse than they are.

It's good to hear that you found a rescue for your sister's turtle. When I was a kid, tiny turtles were sold in stores all over. I'm sure most of them didn't live long because they didn't come with instructions on how to feed or house them. Turtles and tortoises are pretty fascinating creatures. Years ago, we visited a place in South Dakota, Reptile Gardens, where a couple of huge Galapagos tortoises wandered around on the grounds. Very cool critters!!

With all the traveling under your belt, is the family any closer to choosing a new place to live? I doubt I will ever leave my acreage. It's really too much work for one person, but I have such great memories here.

Plus, if the "Work Crew," friends from our re-enacting days, keep coming down from Minnesota twice a year to do projects, some day -- some day -- the place will be what I always knew it had the potential to become!

Hope you, your family and all the critters have a good week!

 

[Evadig]

This week fell in place behind all the others. My dad came home and ripped out the old kitchen door only to find more moldy OSB. Thankfully it wasn't very much and the new door was duly installed the next day. It's not usable yet.

I spent most of the week sewing. I finished a skirt I started for my sister a while back, and hemmed a dress I'd made for myself. Then I noticed a piece of fabric just 1 2/3 yards long and 24 inches wide, and was able to make a 1950's little girl's dress with it, supplemented with some scrap fabric. I am not sure whether I should just give it away or save it for a hypothetical daughter.

Wednesday evening Eva spotted an animal, thickset with dark brown fur and quite low to the ground, down by the pond. I ran out of the house fast enough that I was able to sort of take the creature by surprise and chase it up a tree. I'm thinking it was a fisher weasel - it certainly was no cat, nor groundhog. The chickens spent the next couple days locked up.

Early on in the week I tore down the catio. The empty space looks much better. I made a nice bonfire with the warped wood.

I am awfully tired. I went to bed quite late and got up very early for church. I could have gone to a later Mass but I wanted to try to speak to an acquaintance, who, of course, was not there .

I bought recently a pair of shoes from 1980. They have nails in the heel! The listing said they were military oxfords. At any rate, they're quite slippery. They're also very narrow. I knew that before buying them as the measurements were the same as my organ shoes, but I guess because they're rigid they feel much tighter. Anyway I can still wear them, which is nice. They are clearly much better quality than today's shoes.

I will probably not write on Wednesday as I don't think anything of interest will happen, so see you next Sunday!

My Molly, who had idiopathic seizures, would freeze up and get a blank stare; it's frightening to see them like that. Molly's seizures ended with her spinning uncontrollably in circles; once she was able to stop, on the vet's instruction, I gave her a little Breyer's ice cream (commercial brand with the most natural ingredients) to bring her sugar level up.

This is interesting. Maybe Molly's seizures were connected with low blood sugar then? Eva's are definitely caused by her cycle. I even found a study that proves as much, though my vet refuses to believe it. I did not show them the study yet, though.

Years ago, we visited a place in South Dakota, Reptile Gardens, where a couple of huge Galapagos tortoises wandered around on the grounds. Very cool critters!!

I am not sure whether I've ever seen one. I know I saw some kind of tortoise in a pet store once.

With all the traveling under your belt, is the family any closer to choosing a new place to live?

Three out of four agree Pennsylvania is the best choice, but that fourth is a rather vocal minority .

Autumn here in my back woods

What I wake up to nearly every morning

Late night run for supplies

Evadig

Sorting planters, feeders, and who knows what else

Practicing photography

Annie

Constance helping me (she purred, and purred, and then whacked my hand when I got too close - and then purred some more!)

The girl's dress

And the pattern

Morning sky on the way to church today

 

[lightm]

This week fell in place behind all the others. My dad came home and ripped out the old kitchen door only to find more moldy OSB. Thankfully it wasn't very much and the new door was duly installed the next day. It's not usable yet.

I spent most of the week sewing. I finished a skirt I started for my sister a while back, and hemmed a dress I'd made for myself. Then I noticed a piece of fabric just 1 2/3 yards long and 24 inches wide, and was able to make a 1950's little girl's dress with it, supplemented with some scrap fabric. I am not sure whether I should just give it away or save it for a hypothetical daughter.

Wednesday evening Eva spotted an animal, thickset with dark brown fur and quite low to the ground, down by the pond. I ran out of the house fast enough that I was able to sort of take the creature by surprise and chase it up a tree. I'm thinking it was a fisher weasel - it certainly was no cat, nor groundhog. The chickens spent the next couple days locked up.

Early on in the week I tore down the catio. The empty space looks much better. I made a nice bonfire with the warped wood.

I am awfully tired. I went to bed quite late and got up very early for church. I could have gone to a later Mass but I wanted to try to speak to an acquaintance, who, of course, was not there .

I bought recently a pair of shoes from 1980. They have nails in the heel! The listing said they were military oxfords. At any rate, they're quite slippery. They're also very narrow. I knew that before buying them as the measurements were the same as my organ shoes, but I guess because they're rigid they feel much tighter. Anyway I can still wear them, which is nice. They are clearly much better quality than today's shoes.

I will probably not write on Wednesday as I don't think anything of interest will happen, so see you next Sunday!

This is interesting. Maybe Molly's seizures were connected with low blood sugar then? Eva's are definitely caused by her cycle. I even found a study that proves as much, though my vet refuses to believe it. I did not show them the study yet, though.

I am not sure whether I've ever seen one. I know I saw some kind of tortoise in a pet store once.

Three out of four agree Pennsylvania is the best choice, but that fourth is a rather vocal minority .

Autumn here in my back woods
View attachment 4240203

What I wake up to nearly every morning
View attachment 4240204

Late night run for supplies
View attachment 4240205

Evadig
View attachment 4240206

Sorting planters, feeders, and who knows what else
View attachment 4240207

Practicing photography
View attachment 4240208

Annie
View attachment 4240209

Constance helping me (she purred, and purred, and then whacked my hand when I got too close - and then purred some more!)
View attachment 4240211

The girl's dress
View attachment 4240212

And the pattern
View attachment 4240213

Morning sky on the way to church today
View attachment 4240214View attachment 4240215

The little girl's dress is so nice. You are very talented!

 

[Callender Girl]

I expected this week to be busy, but it's even more so than I anticipated.

Tarps were already up on the goat shelter pen and some of the chicken runs to protect them from wintery winds and as much snow as possible.

With a friend's help, we used all the tarps I had two weeks ago, but I ordered more, and those arrived this week. Wind is a near-constant here, so putting on the new tarps by myself was a chore. But, I got it done right before two days of rain, so at least the girls have some dry space outside their coops.

Plus, I've been trying to get outdoor projects done before the weather turns too cold and uninviting. All the while, I've been trying to do housekeeping during harvest season -- which means layers of dust stirred up by the constant parade of farm equipment passing by.

My sister still lives in our hometown, and I'm going back there this weekend, so a friend who sometimes watches my critters came out for dinner last night and "refresher" pet-sitting instructions. I made a potato-lentil soup and bread pudding from scratch, but "cheated" and used a boxed cornbread mix.

I'll have more company today, a friend and her middle-school aged daughter. Eliana is home-schooled so they can spend the entire afternoon. She reminds me of a younger me -- when I was shy and loved books and animals, but struggled to talk with people.

Hope your kitchen door is functional now. After one of my friends "fixed" the latch on mine, it was apparently too tight and wouldn't catch. Fortunately, it has loosened up and I don't have to now pop the latch with a screwdriver every time I use the door.

Your "new" shoes illustrate a truth: many modern things aren't made to last, products of a disposable mentality. Luckily for me, there was an old-time cobbler in the next county who, for a reasonable price, would re-heel my "good shoes" so they lasted for years. But. those were my dress shoes and have no real place here among the poultry and livestock!

Hurray for Eva spotting the predator! Weasel family members are the worst. Three of my four original hens were killed one night by a mink; the next day, it took one of my ducks. They are so fast and can slip through ridiculously small openings.

No one was ever able to discern what caused Molly's seizures. The vet said the seizure action lowered her blood sugar, and that's why I was supposed to give her ice cream.

And, finally, you are such a talented seamstress! Although she doesn't do them anymore, my sister used to both sew for other people and do alterations for a fee. It's amazing that so many people don't even know how to hem a garment!!

 

[Evadig]

I'm writing tonight instead of tomorrow because I will be out of town and I am not bringing my computer...on second thought maybe I should because it gets dark early and there won't be much to do on a Sunday night...at least my sister and I can watch something. Our current favorites are What's My Line and Coast Guard Alaska.

This week I helped install the new kitchen door, and went to town twice. I also managed to persuade my sister to go for a run with me today because it was so nice out.

That's pretty much it .

The little girl's dress is so nice. You are very talented!

Thank you!

With a friend's help, we used all the tarps I had two weeks ago, but I ordered more, and those arrived this week. Wind is a near-constant here, so putting on the new tarps by myself was a chore. But, I got it done right before two days of rain, so at least the girls have some dry space outside their coops.

Plus, I've been trying to get outdoor projects done before the weather turns too cold and uninviting. All the while, I've been trying to do housekeeping during harvest season -- which means layers of dust stirred up by the constant parade of farm equipment passing by.

Ugh, dust. Hope you were able to keep most of it out, and finish most of the projects. I need to put plastic up on my coop too...but I really don't want to. It'll look so much worse than it already does.

Your "new" shoes illustrate a truth: many modern things aren't made to last, products of a disposable mentality.

I don't understand who wouldn't want things to last? Do they really want to go buy a new pair of shoes three times a year? The ones I'm wearing right now - my everyday Mary Janes - are already dilapidated after just four months...like there is literally a three-inch gap between the sole and the shoe.

Luckily for me, there was an old-time cobbler in the next county who, for a reasonable price, would re-heel my "good shoes" so they lasted for years. But. those were my dress shoes and have no real place here among the poultry and livestock!

How long did your shoes last before you had to reheel them? That's what worries me. If I wear them down, who will fix them? I wonder if cobblers still exist (for ordinary people - I know the military still has/uses them)?

Hurray for Eva spotting the predator! Weasel family members are the worst. Three of my four original hens were killed one night by a mink; the next day, it took one of my ducks. They are so fast and can slip through ridiculously small openings.

I am sorry.

No one was ever able to discern what caused Molly's seizures. The vet said the seizure action lowered her blood sugar, and that's why I was supposed to give her ice cream.

I should try that...experiment, a little. I'm still annoyed at my vet for not taking me seriously.

And, finally, you are such a talented seamstress!

Thank you .

It's amazing that so many people don't even know how to hem a garment!!

When I was interviewing for a job, one of the ladies involved didn't even know what sewing was!
She thought it was like crocheting. She had no clue you can cut fabric and make a garment with it. I don't know whether she or I was more astonished!

Firetruck

Eva

How I sleep at night

Local church

Eva again

 

[Callender Girl]

I try to be as positive as possible, but it's been tough recently, too many deaths, human and animals.

My sister's friend, who co-founded the community Halloween party with her 20 years ago, died; his funeral was the same day as the party. Bobby was a lifelong entertainer -- a singer, dancer and musician -- who would have insisted that "the show must go on." So, it did but was much less fun.

When I came back from my weekend back home, one of my ducks was missing, gone without a trace. The pet sitter is "pretty sure" Drew was in the shelter when she put the ducks to bed the night before. I always make CERTAIN I know. I suspect a coyote took her; I've been hearing singing at night.

Phyllis, one of my Calico Princess hens, died last month, and of course, I lost my 15-year-old cat, Goo.

And, now, there's snow predicted for Saturday. I despise winter, being cold, having to trudge through snow, breaking ice on the critters' water dishes, collecting the few-and-far-between eggs before they freeze and crack. Sometimes, I am snowed in for days. At least I have no excuse not to read the many books I buy throughout the year.

Sorry this is such a "down" post. I'll snap myself out of it, soon, I hope.

Did you get plastic up on your coops? And, I don't remember how long my cobbler-repaired shoes lasted. I just know it was much cheaper to have them repaired and I didn't have to replace shoes I really liked.

BTW, love the photo of how you sleep. Goo used to climb onto the bed with Dinah and me. Poor blind George won't use the stairs and sleeps downstairs. That's probably a good thing since he's 60-plus pounds and would likely crowd me off onto the floor.

 

[ksbkeys]

This week fell in place behind all the others. My dad came home and ripped out the old kitchen door only to find more moldy OSB. Thankfully it wasn't very much and the new door was duly installed the next day. It's not usable yet.

I spent most of the week sewing. I finished a skirt I started for my sister a while back, and hemmed a dress I'd made for myself. Then I noticed a piece of fabric just 1 2/3 yards long and 24 inches wide, and was able to make a 1950's little girl's dress with it, supplemented with some scrap fabric. I am not sure whether I should just give it away or save it for a hypothetical daughter.

Wednesday evening Eva spotted an animal, thickset with dark brown fur and quite low to the ground, down by the pond. I ran out of the house fast enough that I was able to sort of take the creature by surprise and chase it up a tree. I'm thinking it was a fisher weasel - it certainly was no cat, nor groundhog. The chickens spent the next couple days locked up.

Early on in the week I tore down the catio. The empty space looks much better. I made a nice bonfire with the warped wood.

I am awfully tired. I went to bed quite late and got up very early for church. I could have gone to a later Mass but I wanted to try to speak to an acquaintance, who, of course, was not there .

I bought recently a pair of shoes from 1980. They have nails in the heel! The listing said they were military oxfords. At any rate, they're quite slippery. They're also very narrow. I knew that before buying them as the measurements were the same as my organ shoes, but I guess because they're rigid they feel much tighter. Anyway I can still wear them, which is nice. They are clearly much better quality than today's shoes.

I will probably not write on Wednesday as I don't think anything of interest will happen, so see you next Sunday!

This is interesting. Maybe Molly's seizures were connected with low blood sugar then? Eva's are definitely caused by her cycle. I even found a study that proves as much, though my vet refuses to believe it. I did not show them the study yet, though.

I am not sure whether I've ever seen one. I know I saw some kind of tortoise in a pet store once.

Three out of four agree Pennsylvania is the best choice, but that fourth is a rather vocal minority .

Autumn here in my back woods
View attachment 4240203

What I wake up to nearly every morning
View attachment 4240204

Late night run for supplies
View attachment 4240205

Evadig
View attachment 4240206

Sorting planters, feeders, and who knows what else
View attachment 4240207

Practicing photography
View attachment 4240208

Annie
View attachment 4240209

Constance helping me (she purred, and purred, and then whacked my hand when I got too close - and then purred some more!)
View attachment 4240211

The girl's dress
View attachment 4240212

And the pattern
View attachment 4240213

Morning sky on the way to church today
View attachment 4240214View attachment 4240215

The dress is adorable! God will guide you about who to give it to! So special! Even keeping it for a future daughter is a nice idea!

 

[Evadig]

I'm writing tonight because I plan to be away again tomorrow night.

At the beginning of this week my sister and I basically took a three-day vacation; Sunday we went to church over by DC then drove down to Richmond. We toured the Virginia Capitol and visited the big names at Hollywood Cemetery. It gets dark early now, since the time change, and after eating dinner at the hotel we walked laps around the pool discussing all sorts of things.

Monday we stopped at Cold Harbor Battlefield then drove across the state to Appomattox...such a lovely place and the town is very well preserved. You can just imagine Grant riding up to the McClean House and Lee waiting on the front porch. The whole place lends itself perfectly to the imagination. We went on to Lynchburg to see Liberty University before taking a leisurely trip back northeast to a hotel nearby the airport.

It was dark most of the way but I have a playlist of military music and that kept us awake. It also made the time go by fast!

Tuesday we slept in...man we were tired! Then we drove to Arlington Cemetery - it's one of my favorite places in the whole of America and we each had people we wanted to especially visit.

I mentioned in my last post that one of our favorite shows is What's My Line. I happened to discover that Mr. John Charles Daly is buried in the Columbarium there. Sis was very surprised and elated when I pointed out his niche. We also stopped at the graves of John Glenn, Gus Grissom, and Roger Chaffee - and, of course, attended the changing of the guard (with the Italian Embassy and Taps, this time!). I think we've seen it more than ten times now. We successfully avoided the rush hour traffic by taking county highways and arrived home just after dark.

The rest of the week has been nothing special. Today was very nice out and I got a lot of work done on the Muddy Run - put a new tarp on the roof, redid the run itself, put in a new platform for the cats, and started building a cat tower. Now I am tired and going to bed!

My sister's friend, who co-founded the community Halloween party with her 20 years ago, died; his funeral was the same day as the party. Bobby was a lifelong entertainer -- a singer, dancer and musician -- who would have insisted that "the show must go on." So, it did but was much less fun.

I am sorry for your sister's loss, and will pray for Mr. Bobby.

When I came back from my weekend back home, one of my ducks was missing, gone without a trace. The pet sitter is "pretty sure" Drew was in the shelter when she put the ducks to bed the night before. I always make CERTAIN I know. I suspect a coyote took her; I've been hearing singing at night.

Oh, no! Poor Drew.

And, now, there's snow predicted for Saturday. I despise winter, being cold, having to trudge through snow, breaking ice on the critters' water dishes, collecting the few-and-far-between eggs before they freeze and crack. Sometimes, I am snowed in for days.

Did it snow?
Could you run electricity out there to heat their dishes? I worry about you slipping and falling out there!

At least I have no excuse not to read the many books I buy throughout the year.

That is the good thing about winter - or at least, early darkness. I have finally picked up a book again!

Did you get plastic up on your coops?

I got up one piece, but I can't find any more washers. The cats have heated beds, and the chickens are out of the winds, so I'm not worried about them. I just wish I could have got the plastic up while it was still warm out.

BTW, love the photo of how you sleep. Goo used to climb onto the bed with Dinah and me. Poor blind George won't use the stairs and sleeps downstairs. That's probably a good thing since he's 60-plus pounds and would likely crowd me off onto the floor.

What breed is George? I think I remember you saying he was a Dalmatian or something? Annie is 63 pounds and Eva is 23, but somehow I have more room with Annie than Eva!

The dress is adorable! God will guide you about who to give it to! So special! Even keeping it for a future daughter is a nice idea!

Thank you! I think I'm just going to keep it for now! And welcome to Eva's Friends .

I have way too many pictures for one post...I will break them up between now and Wednesday.

Hot air balloon seen floating nearby the freeway

CSX crossing the...(checks map)...Rappahannock River

Virginia State Capitol

Thomas Jefferson, who designed said Capitol

Elevator Cage from the early 1900s

The House

George Washington - only statue he ever posed for (and this is the original)

Old House Chamber

Old Senate Chamber

Window of said Chamber

Painting: Landing at Jamestown, 1607

The Jefferson Room...the little case in the left back is Jefferson's model of the Capitol, in case someone couldn't understand his detailed hand drawn plans.

Senate

Looking down

Rotunda

Richmond

General James Ewell Brown "JEB" Stuart (Hollywood Cemetery)

Richmond

Nice fall colors in Hollywood