The Farm Report
  • Orange and parrots

    Orange and parrots

    062508_01

    062508_02

    062508_03

    062508_04

    I know I’ve said it before, but I love the stuff that Tom brings to the parenting table. Like a 7:30am jam session with the little orange amp. When I’m squirreled away in the bedroom, knee deep in finances I get to hear pre-school improv. Excellent.

    Bonus photo of Neko and parrots, which, just so you know, we have agreed she may get a real one when she is 18. And thank goodness she has not solidified her grasp on the concept of time, since she will happily tell most strangers that Sally is a toy, but she will getting a real one when she is 18, as if that is just around the corner. I cross my fingers like a used car salesman, and hope this phase passes before she realizes the terms she has negotiated.


  • Field Trip: 6/24

    Field Trip: 6/24

    062408_01

    062408_02

    062408_03

    062408_04

    062408_05

    Two things I need to remind myself after today’s outing:

    1. Whenever we go to somewhere that has potentially gorgeous photo subject matter, I should double-check to make sure I remembered the good camera. Which I did not.

    2. If I ever complain that I live in a rural town where there’s nothing to do, I need to remind myself that, with a little digging, we can uncover little gems like the one we visited today.

    Today’s trip? The local observatory. But not just any observatory, one with one of the oldest telescopes of its kind in the country. Since I’m a designer who has a great appreciation for how people made mechanical things work back in the day, as opposed to someone who actualy has a great deal of interest in astronomy, this observatory is a perfect fit for me.

    Now you might be thinking that really old telescopes and small children are a terrible match, but it actually turned out amazingly well. Our guide, Dean, tailored the program to suit the fidget level of our kids. After a quick power-point presentation about the planets, everyone got to practice looking through cardboard telescopes before we graduated to a small real one.

    Then he led us up to the two big telescopes. Particularly with the old wooden telescope, I was amazed by the detail and craftsmanship. All motion is controlled by ropes and gears, and each child got to take a turn helping to move it into position. If the telescope itself wasn’t impressive enough, we all let out a collective gasp when Dean cranked the ceiling open and suddenly we were all looking at the sky. Truly astonishing considering it’s over 150 years old.

    If you haven’t been, move this to the top of your list. We’ll be going back for an evening visit as soon as we can get it on the books…


  • Lost

    Lost

    062208_01

    When Lost first premiered, we watched an episode or two, but didn’t really get hooked. There were other good shows we watched during that year, so we shifted our focus.

    Now, between the writer’s strike and reality shows swallowing television whole, there’s not much to watch. Plus, it’s summer.

    Beth A. had suggested we start watching Lost. I was a little hesitant, but since we happened to own the first season, we put it in one day. Now we’re becoming perhaps just a teensey bit obsessed.

    Is 5:30pm too early to put the kids to bed?


  • Time out cage

    Time out cage

    062308_01

    Okay, it’s really for our garden so the deer don’t clean us out and Neko was in there voluntarily, but I bet some of my fellow parents may have seen some merit in the concept.


  • Super fantastic dinosaur roller coaster

    Super fantastic dinosaur roller coaster

    062108_01

    062108_02

    062108_03

    062108_04

    062108_05

    Built by Neko, during quiet time.

    Just in case you can't tell, the Tyrannosaurus Rex roars when you go past. Then you go to the top of the hill where you just barely clear the Triceratops and the Spinosaurus. And when you're done? You may pose for a photo with the Pteranodon if you'd like.

    (Sunglasses on the Brachiosaurus was a last-minute addition which Neko insisted I document.)

    I think we've got a winner. Chris has a friend who develops amusement park rides. We'll have to give Neko his number to schedule her pitch.



  • Who cut the cheese?

    Who cut the cheese?

    062008_02

    I did!

    I stirred it, and warmed it, and separated it, and squeezed it, and pulled it, and formed into a ball. And then? I cut it! Into lots of little pieces and put it all over a pizza.

    I've never made cheese before, but seriously, it was SO EASY. I had no idea. Putting it on my "to do more often" list.



  • Beach blanket breakfast

    Beach blanket breakfast

    061808_01

    Sometimes when I download photos I find images like this, images I did not take, and for which I have no reference. Weird.


  • Unplugged

    Unplugged

    061808_02
    061808_03

    061808_05
    My laptop is in the shop. The repair shop, not the workshop. Long story short: I know I shouldn't use a laptop in the bathroom, but Shep shouldn't be spilling full buckets of water outside the tub either.

    Anyway, it shorted out the keyboard which needed to be replaced. So off it went. I'm posting this a few days later, as it's now back in my sweet little hands, but I took the pictures and mulled over the thoughts that day.

    I usually only have one gap in my working day. If the stars align, the children will all be in their rooms for one hour. Neko rarely naps, so she boings out of her room periodically, asking if quiet time is up. And when it finally is, she's full-stop until dinner. I typically use this time to eat lunch, check my email, and peer in on the rest of the world via the internet.

    Clearly today that was not going to happen. We were strangely caught up on the laundry and the house was kind of clean, and I had this brief moment where I didn't really know what to do with myself. I spent an hour on the patio reading, basking in the sunshine. Then I wandered back in to release Neko, only to discover that she'd fallen asleep. I typically wake her up, but today I let her sleep. In fact, I crawled in with her and I think I dozed off myself.

    When we woke up, I thought we'd make homemade crackers. I found a recipe a few weeks back, and I'd been dying to try them. I know I can find a perfectly good box just a hop, skip, and a jump away, but I was curious. And so I made crackers. In the afternoon. With sunshine streaming in the skylight.

    I'm not saying I'm tucking the computer away forever, but it might just spend a few more afternoons in sleep mode.