New Trick I Learned

Maybe you already knew this but I didn't. You don't have to go through all the work of boiling a kettle of water if you want to enjoy some corn on the cob. Just pop that unhusked beauty into the microwave and set it for three minutes. Peel back the husk. Pull away the hair which is easily done. Voila! A little butter. Sprinkle some salt. You are good to go.

Spots

I've listened to two people tell me the young white tail deer in their yard still have spots. One lives in East Bethel and the other lives in Roseville. Both people said it is unusual for deer to have spots showing this late in the season. The twin fawns who allow me to use "their yard" also have spots. Is it unusal for deer to have spots this late? I've never paid attention before.

So Cold This Morning

This morning I looked out my kitchen window. I noticed steam rising out of one of the compost bins. I have a round compost bin made out of black plastic. The lid was off the top. Steam rose straight into the air forming curls about three feet high before they dissipated into the air. The air was still so the steam went straight up. It almost looked like a witch's brew out there. Things must really be cooking in there. The contents are leaves from last fall, egg shells, kitchen waste, wood chips, and chicken excrement. The bin comes apart easily. I think tomorrow I will take it apart, move it a few feet, and shovel the contents back in, mixing them up in the process. That compost should be ready to throw on the garden in three weeks. After that, the bin will be ready to fill with fall leaves.

Mowing

Yesterday I helped by mowing a lawn, a large lawn. I had the use of a new, shiny, red Poulan riding lawn mower with an extra large cutting swath. This mower made the chore a pleasure. The mower started with a key. I was able to back it out of the barn without hitting a barn door or any other obstacle. I got it running through the grass before engaging the mowing mechanism. Then I lowered the blade so I could see where I had been. Most of this lawn in on a slope so I tried to plan my work going up and down the slope rather than across. I didn't want to tip. Mowing can make my mind go into a zen state. I focus on lining up the wheels so I don't miss any grass but I don't go over any grass twice. I started out mowing by the barn. If I had mower trouble, I knew I wouldn't be able to push it very far so I wanted to stay close to the barn. Eventually I got more confident. I figured out how fast the mower goes up hill and how fast it goes down hill. I learned how fast I could turn it around and how much space I needed to make each turn. There is a path between the alfalfa and soybean fields towards the school house. The scenery was great. I could see blue sky and white puffy clouds and hills in the distance. I could see field and meadows. I could see cows chewing grass and drinking water. I kinda felt like a farmer only I wasn't harvesting anything useful. I mowed up one side and down the other urging all the grasshoppers to get out of the way. I tried to be efficient. This is a large lawn and would take a long time. I kept repeating the up and down slope as much as I could while completing smaller spots like behind the barn and the field behind the machine shed. Sometimes the motor would falter when I adjusted myself on the seat. Duh! You have to sit on the seat to keep the motor running. Getting off the seat will kill the engine. Took me a while to figure that out. At one point the motor did falter and wouldn't start again. Out of gas. I went to town with ringing ears to get more gas. Everything seemed so quiet. I only bought four gallons because four gallons is about how much I can carry. The gas tank on this mower is huge. I think it takes more gas than my motorcycle. With the motor running again, I got to the lawn around the house. The grass here seemed extra long. I mowed under the apple tree - mulching some apples into sauce. I mowed down the long driveway and back up the other. The only spots I didn't like is mowing next to the electric fence when the left side is lower than the right side. That is when I would lean my upper body WAY to the right. I wasn't in any real danger of tipping but if I did, I would tip into the electric fence and be pinned against it by the mower. Yikes, what a predicament. I had some tricky spots where the trees are close together and I had to do figure eights between them while ducking my head under the clothesline. After five hours I was done. I looked for some missed spots and cleaned up closer to some trees and poles. I disengaged the mower and pulled it into the barn. I was almost sad to be done with the chore. This was the largest lawn I had ever mowed.

One of My Favorite Sounds

Besides the sound of newborn babies crying one of my favorite sounds is the sound of jars sealing after making a batch of peach jam. One by one, the jars make a "PLOP" sound as they seal. Then you know your jam will be safe to give as a gift for Christmas or a birthday. I use no special recipe - only the one that comes inside the box of Sure-jell. The problem is I can't read the recipe until after I buy the box of Sure-jell. Usually I buy the jam ingredients at the same time. I overestimated how many peaches I would need. I bought 8 pounds of peaches. Each batch of jam takes 3 pounds. I ended up making two batches of jam. Let me know if you need some.

Barred Owl Returns

Last night, before the storm, the barred owl was calling near my house again. I think this is the second time I've heard it this summer. I imagine the barred owl will call only if it's sure there are no great horned owls in the neighborhood. I know great horned owls nest in the nearby boy scout camp and that could explain why I'm not hearing the barred owls call as often as I used to. When I heard it call last night, I ran for my owl call. I bought an owl call last March so I could talk with the owl. I used it once before with no success. Before I could blow on my owl caller, I heard another owl in the distance to the south and east (somewhere in Andover) respond. I never heard the closer owl call again. I imagine it flew southeast. I called and called but never got a response. I'll keep trying. If I ever get an owl to respond to my call, I will be very excited.

A Prayer for Owen Meany

John Irving wrote the book, "A Prayer for Owen Meany." He also wrote "Cider House Rules" and "The World According to Garp." I think I'll be reading more of John Irving books in the future because I really, really liked this one. It was long though. The story is about two men, Johnny Wheelwright and Owen Meany, who grow up together in a small town in New Hampshire. Johnny comes from a wealthy, educated, and successful family. Owen is unusually small for his age and his family is working class and less socially accepted. Owen's voice never matures. He always sounds like a little boy with a stuffy nose. Owen is intelligent, charming, motivated, and rock solid in his faith. Johnny is unmotivated, a poor student, and doubtful. Their friendship makes a very touching story. The author rips on Ronald Reagan, the Vietnam War, organized religion, and the Iran-Contra affair. Some very strange things happen in this story. Some parts made me laugh out loud. John Irving can describe situations so clearly I can totally picture it in my mind.