'80's Dance Party!

Yesterday there was an 80's party at Tupelo. When I was in grade school, we used to have 50's parties. Everyone would dress up and we'd listen to music and maybe dance, if we were allowed and were brave and the desks weren't in the way. The party at Tupelo was pretty different from those parties. Half remembered dancing to 80's music in the '80's, and the other half were born in the 80's.

I went in a dress that I actually wore then, with my hair in a ponytail on the side. Other people mostly wore clothes you'd see on aerobics instructors. I very much liked the swirl of my dress, and tried to swirl and twirl as much as possible without falling down. Other folks fell down and became break dancers and that was fun to watch, too. About the only music I didn't dance to was the Beastie Boys. I just never got into the Beastie Boys, although I can see why folks would. One fella really was going with it.

It was a rockin' party, and I wish everyone reading this could've been there. No one got hurt, no one threw up, everyone looked like they were having fun, and if they weren't, they had someone to talk to about it. There was a guy in the kitchen being encyclopedic about bands and dates, which is always helpful. I tried to listen to him as much as I could, given the volume and the lure of the dance floor. He says he'll DJ a 60's dance party -- I'm looking forward to that.

okey dokey artichokey,
Kelpie

Calf and Legos

The new calf was born, and is about half a week old, and darned cute. He didn't know how to suck (I'm sure he's gotten it by now), and looked ridiculous with his large tongue hanging out, gulping milk from the bottle. He was born after the all-day dairy day (say that 5 times fast), the warm day of hand milking when the pump broke, in the late evening. Debbie told me they couldn't find the calf in the dark -- Willamette had gone against the fence and dropped her calf (he doesn't have a name yet) on the other side of the fence. There's a slope there, too. Apparantly he got up and walked off. He's a strong little bugger. He needs a name that begins with a "P," and is a villain or superhero. "Pluto" is one suggestion. Hopefully someday, if we're lucky and he isn't, we'll eat him. I kind of like the idea of eating Pluto... (it's a planet, not an asteroid. I don't care if I'm wrong).

Speaking of cute young things, I hear the patter of small feet upstairs. Zadek, our three and a half year old. I hope he comes downstairs soon, and, yup, there he is!! He likes the lego tower on wheels with the propeller on top that's on the table, and we're both wondering what it is. He would like it to be able to fly. His poppa made it.

okey dokey artichokey,
much love,
Kelpie

Pump broke

It wasn't 'cause the vandal took the handle, for you Bob Dylan fans. It was some kind of roter in the motor.

What it meant was that about half a dozen or so of us human beings had to milk by hand the half a dozen or so cows, each with three or four teats and 20-30 pints of milk per udder. I'll let you do the math. What it meant to me was good company, a common goal, and sore muscles. So, yes, I had fun, and yes, I'm glad the pump is fixed now.

I was surprised at how strong my right hand is, compared with my left. I am right-handed, so that makes sense. I also play the tambourine, and hold it with my left hand while I drum with my right, and I use the same muscle groups drumming as I do milking. I'm not going to milk or drum today -- even typing is somewhat of an ordeal, I'm that sore.

I rewarded myself with a treat -- I watched the mid-70's movie, "Network." I really liked it. I'd heard it was good, and it was! And, although I'm not currently outwardly mad as hell and can't take it anymore, I can certainly work up that feeling without much effort. I like to think that milking cows and living on a commune is a good way for me to deal with my anger about bullshit. I certainly am living a real life, and I certainly know what it's like to live an inauthentic one. What a good movie -- funny and true. My favorite kind.

okeydokey artichokey,
much love,
Kelpie

Cows and hoses

So, anyone who'se taken care of animals knows that you must have a steady supply of fresh water. And cows drink a LOT of water, especially the pregnant and lactating ones. So, when the long hose was frozen this morning, I knew I was in for a long morning. Rusty had hooked up a series of hoses for the two pastures where the pregnant and the milk cows are kept, after the hydrant out there froze. It's still frozen, if you were wondering. I actually wonder when it's going to thaw.

I milked last night, and filled the tanks and drained the hoses. Or, I thought I drained the hoses. But no, they were full of ice this morning. So I took them in the barn to thaw, and in moving them, two broke. Arrgh. So I spent a good chunk of time unattaching and reattaching hoses, and trying to thaw out the ice dams, and got good and wet (did I mention it's cold?), and finally succeeded in getting water in both tanks, hurray! And I feel that my character has grown and is strengthened. There's nothing like a little wrestling with obstinate inanimate objects to strengthen your character, I've found.

And that on top of getting up at 2am to make sure our pregnant cow wasn't calving. She wasn't. She wasn't this morning at 6am, either, and it may be that she won't for a while...

Okey dokey,
much love,
Kelpie

Insulation installation

Wow, today I'm dealing with upper respiratory problems, due to 71/2 hours of installing cotton insulation yesterday. I looked online at cotton insulation advertisements. They actually say that you don't need any safety equipment for installation. That's just not true -- cotton batting is much much better than fiberglass, for oh so many reasons, but you still want dust masks and goggles. The cotton dust is hard to take, and it just goes everywhere. I'm glad I only had one day of it. As it is, my eyes are still burning, and my lungs are still working at expelling. I can't imagine going back and doing it day after day, but I'm sure there are people who do.

I went with three other Oakers to a small house outside of Afton to install the batting. It was fairly easy to install, and compared to fiberglass, well, there's just no comparison! If I'd spent all day yesterday installing fiberglass insulation, I'd have all sorts of skin prickle problems. Blech.

We got home finally at 7:30pm, too late for dinner, and half an hour before Drumgasm, which Keith and I had to cancel, as we were both too tired. He had been one of the Oakers who worked on the insulation.

The good thing is that Keenan and Rowan and Elijah had a great time at the Inauguration. They had no difficulties with traffic or crowds whatsoever, and came home safely, also exhausted. I'm glad they went, it's a lifetime opportunity. Arlo chose to stay at home.

It's still cold, and a heating pipe burst in Morningstar, so that whole building has no heat, and won't, while the pipes are being repaired. There's been several pipes bursting from the unusual cold spell, with water messes to clean up. I'm glad my house hasn't experienced that (yet!).

okey dokey,
much love,
Kelpie

Bragging on Rowan

It's warmer today, and overcast. Maybe it will snow!! We've not had snow yet this season, and I miss it. I would like to be able to sled down Pagan Ridge just once this year...

Yesterday, Keenan and I went on a double date with Keith and Claire, and we took Rowan and Arlo! Rowan is quite the social animal. We went to Roma's for dessert (yum, btw), and then Rowan insisted on going to CVS, which in our family stands for "Candy Very Sweet." But CVS was closed, so we went to Walgreen's instead, and waited in the car for Rowan, who came back and gave us all candy!! Wow!

When we got home, Rowan and I went to a farewell party for Ivy and Daniel at Degania. They're flying back to California today, where Ivy's in school. It was good to see them for the short time they were here. Rowan again was quite social, making friends left and right, and then, after a reasonable time, asked to go home. At one point, I saw him across the room pour a glass of wine. Hmmm, I thought. And he took it over to Daniel. Pretty cool kid...

okey dokey, off to the races,
Kelpie

Cold and dreams

It's been really cold here, although it's warmer today, all the way to freezing! There's ice you can play on at the pond, and the hydrant for the cows is frozen shut. I had to haul a hose from the barn out to the cows to fill up their tanks. It's so cold that the mud is frozen and it's hard for the cows to walk on. I also brought in a load of wood for the woodstove, after making a fire with the last of the wood.

I got up this morning, early, to milk the cows, after a night of not sleeping very well. Just at dawn, I had a dream that Willow, who's in Europe with his family, came to visit me and was crawling on me. I told him his mother would be here in a couple of weeks (which is true). There were also people running in circles around the house, and peeping in the windows. Several more children! When I went to the door, a woman was there, who said her name was Lily. I gave her a big hug, which seems weird to me now, but appropriate at the time.

So now I'm very tired, and I'm going to take a mid-morning nap!
much love,
Kelpie