Edmond's Farm

Hello Everyone, I'm Edmond - the Owner of 

Hither and Thither Farm

I wanted to post a sketch I found, I believe that it 

shows the original house, before it burned down many years ago. 

It had a very large kitchen - living area - and on the right you can see part of the apple orchard, which is still there today, struggling to produce strawberry tasting apples and a few sheep grazing in the foreground. 

You can't see it in this sketch but there is a pond, we kids would sneak off from doing our chores and disappear for the afternoon swinging out on a rope and dropping into the cool water......until we'd hear the dinner bell! 

We still use the table and 2 benches that my father made - they are worn with age and if you dare look under the table you will see where initials have been carved.  Even mine are there!

There was a wood cook store - I can still remember lying in bed early in the morning Dad heading out to milk the cows and the smell of Mom's hot bread - jumping out of bed - despite the cold on many mornings - racing down the stairs to the kitchen to get warm by that stove and spread honey on a slice of that bread, my mouth is watering at the thought of the sweet honeyed bread!  

Ah, the simple joys of being a child - such carefree days!

If you are ever in the area, don't be shy - drop by and say Hello! 

Ring the bell at the gate and Hither and Thither will most likely get there first to greet you; since I  am not as spry as I used to be!  

Lunch for Two

Faramond, the Architect and Travelin' Gal meet for lunch.

What a beautiful day to have lunch at the beach, normally the weather is foggy and cold, which wouldn't normally be that bad if you were sitting in front of a roaring fire, sipping warm cider cuddled up under a blanket.

But the sun was out, the tide was coming in, and we sat together in a cozy little corner in a world of our own.  We could hear a fog horn off in the distance. Yes, we talked about New Island and about the places that we'd been too, sharing our little stories of what we'd seen, heard, and oh we just chatted on and on. 

Perhaps Faramond will take sometime out of his busy schedule and paint the scene to be remembered as only an artist can.  

All the boats, people out and about, the day was magical - there was great anticipation waiting for the news that the Giant Waves were headed our way!  Surfers at the ready to grab their boards and head out to sea and take their chances for the ride of their life! You would never know it from the calm sea photo above but those huge waves are a coming right for us1

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ 

As for those who are wondering what happened to those crazy kids - their hot air ballon landed in a very large tree and they had to be rescued.....but after some quick repairs and after few bumps and scratches had tended to they took off again.  Have't heard if they found the horses bet they will keep trying until they do or until they run out of fuel. 

And Hopp's place has been doing a booming business, guess from all reports the new Privy is a big hit with the locals and the new graffiti inside and out being tastefully done, comic book style of course, wonder who is behind that?

The weather is still very unpredictable, going from one season to the next - soon I will have to check in with Fred and see what's going on at the Community Garden, bet that everyone is itchin' to get back together and play in the dirt! 

And last but not least we are in for a real treat, we should be able to see the full eclipse of the sun! 

It will be in the eastern sky about an hour after local sunrise, provided that the weather cooperates and we have a clear morning.  The Moon will completely cover the sun for two minutes!  

Check out SunEclipse-Watch.NewIsland.com for how to watch it safely and anyone who captures a photo - send it along and I will post it for everyone to see!

Travelin' Gal

Privy Update from Hopp's Store turns into an archaeological dig

Yep that is me, Patrick in the hole - or should I call it an archaeological dig!

Still digging, very slow going and to top it off I picked a spot where a previous privy had been built, and you will not believe all the "stuff" that I am finding in this hole! Mostly bottles!


Bernard is stilling working on the plans for the "building" to give our visitors privacy, can't wait to see what he dreams up!

Message in a Bottle - Who will find it?

Valeri's bottle was tossed by the waves, waiting for it to be found.  

Who will find it; was it you?  If so, when and where did you find it?  

If I had found it what would I have done with it?  

Messages from Yellow Island

A Map of Yellow Island was all I have to write on, quickly I stuffed it into a bottle - sealed it and tossed it over-board, before anyone noticed what I was doing. 

I stood there for a moment or two as the bottle drifted out of sight, my words at the whim of the waves.

Map of my precious "Желтый Остров"; I had drawn a compass in one corner and in the middle of the map I had drawn a heart with our initials  "K и V".  

On the back I wrote to my beloved 

iСамая дорогая Кейт, моя любовь, моя жена,  

Мой рейс домой был неожидан - но я обещаю когда-нибудь возвращаться к Вам и нашему Желтому Острову и строить Вас красивый дом.  

Jars of Honey - From first hive - Tom's Post

Fred, 

I hope its ok with Travelin’ Gal to send you a post about my first honey! I attached a photo that Dad took, he is so proud of me.  

I wanted to thank you for all you help - without you I’d wouldn’t have been as successful with my first hive. 

And yes, I remembered what you told me, that when the weather starts to cool down that it is very important not to take too much, being sure to leave enough honey for the bees to eat so that they survive the winter. 

Oh, I almost forgot, Miss Gray gave me an A on my term paper about raising bees - hope you are having a good time on your trip and say Hello to everyone.

Tom, Apprentice Beekeeper

Sounds of the Night - New Band - H & P - Hopp's Store

Hopp a man of many talents.

At sundown Hoop said, “Come with me P, I hear you play the drums; is that true?”  

I stammered, “Yes, but only for my self”, as I felt myself blush, how did he know that?

He pointed to a pile of junk, of a 5 gallon plastic bottle, a big white bucket, and assorted pots and pans on a back shelf.  

He handed me two well used drum sticks and said, “Well, grab some of those and come with me out back”; I did.

When I walked out the back door, there he was sitting on a woven mat, his legs crossed and 3 brass bowls in from of him. 

“What are those?” 

“They are sining bowls, sit quietly and listen and join it when you get the beat.”

Looking around, what the heck, no one around for miles and miles.....there we sat playing long into the night!

Patrick's first duty at Hopp's Store

Sketch of Hopp's Store - courtesy of Lee Mothes

Greetings from the middle of the road - Sheffield Desert,

This is the only known picture of Hopp's Store - Bernard told me that the artist is quite the fellow and seems to appear out of nowhere every now and then.  When he pops up again, perhaps he will sketch a new one; so for the time being this is what it looks like for those of you who haven't traveled the road between Davoo to Smiley and then on to Fillmore.

You won't believe my first job duty as Bernard's assistant - yes, folks I am to start digging for a new privy; the current one has seen better days!  Now don't go jumping on the next jitney to come and try it out!  I'll post when it is open for business and Bernard says he'll be the first one to christen it!  

Gee, here I thought he'd let me organize his comic books, but it appears that he has his own Hopp's decimal system for organizing them. Boxes and boxes of them and he can lay his hands on a request so quickly its like magic; when he is in the mood to bargain.  

The wall display behind the counter is a site to be hold, those are the precious ones, or so I've been told, only Bernard touches them. 

Patrick, privy digger for the time being.......

Patrick's Summer Jobs - Intern and Assistant at Hopp's Store

Written on 06-14-12, Thursday 

Background for a Research Assistant - Patrick

How he became the one to find the diary that finally put to rest how the settlement of West Buns got its name; while working as an Intern seeking the truth from the folklore tale of East and West Buns.  

He had seen the ad tacked up on the bulletin board in the hall at school, it was the only one that still had all the pull tags still attached to it; why was that? 

The he started reading - noticing that the deadline of June 1, 2012, 5 PM had already passed; reading on he read the Description of the Project  - To provide support to project partners as they complete background research on case study topics and engage in field work. 

Reading on......     

The instructions started out simply “Please read the entire document before deciding to apply.”   Slowly he read both pages and when he got to the bottom of the last page - it simply said, if you have managed to read all of this call us and the job is yours! 

Patrick assumed that no one ever read past the first page, it so quirky he decided to call and got the Internship.  

                                                        = = = = = 

Patrick had taken the Islebus up from Merritt on Route 3 - it had crossed over the Valentina River and then on thru Davoo and arrived at Hopp’s Store in mid afteroon.  

His journey was not one of just time and distance but one of discovery; he had landed the Internship and was now on his way to start his second job as the assistant at Hopp’s Store.   

He was hoping to combine the Intern job with the assistant job at Hobb’s in order to do the research that was required to meet the goals of the study.  When he applied for the assistant job he explained to Bernard the owner why he was so interested in working there.  Bernard hired him sight unseen, just because Patrick said, that Bernard was  like the Will Rogers or Mark Twain of New Island.  The flattery worked and he was on the next Islebus on his way to Hopp’s.

Beside the comics books it was rumored that Bernard also was a history nut!  Everyone traveling north and south stopped at his store, mostly to use the out door privy, but also to hear his outlandish stories - tales.

Bernard explained that Patrick’s duties would be light and that since the New Island Guide book had been published that he had added several small over-nite ‘shacks’ and if someone wanted to stay over nite and ‘chew the fat’ with him they could. 

Patrick would live in one of them.  Also, out back in a shed there was an accumulation of odds and ends - old books, manuscripts, sketch books, and backpacks that Patrick would be free to dig through for his research; people came and went and things got left behind and Bernard kept them thinking that someday their owners would return with new stories to tell. 

Sketch by Larry - Summer 2012 - Valentina River

Sketches - Walkabout - Summer 2012 - Cranes - by Lawrence 'Larry' Knowles

Greetings - and Hello Mom and Dad - we're staying at the lodge up the Valentina River for a few days - this morning I took a walk and found this lovely spot - Lavender Cranes feeding - I took out my sketch pad and thought you would enjoy seeing them too.

Travelin' Gal, is letting each of us have a turn posting on her Blog.......we are all fine and well fed!  

Your son, Larry 

Wild Ride up the Valentina River with Fred

Fred has an old friend, Hector who runs an Eco Tourist Inn/Lodge about 10 miles up the Valentina River.  To get to it we hired a flat bottom boat and ‘buzzed’ up the river.  What a ride! And guess who was waiting for us - the kids of course!  Fred had pre-arranged for all of us to spend 2 nights in a group lodge - built up on stilts - due to the occasional flooding of the river.  His friend is renovating his boat dock, so the kids will be "hired" out to do odds and ends for him to pay for our stay.  

I am going to help out Hector's wife Betsy in the kitchen, she is canning up the last of the season's vegetables - this will be a new experience for me - since the only canning experience I've had is when Julia and I pickled all those red onions last year.

Heavy rain fell that night but we were all snug and cozy and dry!

The next morning we ventured out for a tour of the area.  The kids found the remains of a stone structure, while Fred and I followed a path that led up to the top of a small hill - what a view!

Later we met up with the kids at the ruins; Fred thought that the ruins were from a mill that had been in the area when he was a kid.  I didn’t want to question his memory but if there had been a mill at this site I thought more remains would be there.  To me the ruins looked much older.  I bet there was an interesting story yet to be told.

Day 1 of Walk About - Slow Start

Fred and I got off to a very slow start, the kids were ready to go so they took off leaving Fred and me to pack the van. 

Then of course we weren’t even out of the town limits and we had a flat tire, Fred just rolled his eyes at me and said ok Honey, let’s fix that flat and get a move on! 

Later that afternoon after we had a picnic lunch that Georgia had packed for us we finally made it to the river and found that we were not the only ones waiting for the ferry! 

A gaggle of geese were on their own walk about with their young ones......

Peagarden - Community Gardeners' Seasonal Tip

Remember 'Earth Hour  2012' Saturday,March 31, 2012

Folks SWITCH off all your lights 

between 8:30 PM - 9:30 PM, local time. 

Composting in the Rain

Yes folks it is that time of year - it can be raining cats and dogs one minute and then turn to bright sunshine!  Take care now to protect your compost pile from all this rain.  Our garden loves the rain, but our compost pile doesn’t!

The compost pile can turn sour and ‘very’ stinky from too much moisture during all these repeated rainstorms.

Extra or too much moisture can drown the air-breathing microbes, the good ones, from doing their job of breaking the material in the pile.

We hope that our post isn’t too late, but if your compost file is already “stinky” - go out right now and turn it to add more air and add more dry brown material, and voila mother nature’s microbes will take it from there! 

Next Breakfast meeting at the Skillet will be Sat. March 31, 2012, 7 AM, bring your plot plans!

Annual Earth Hour - Saturday - March 31, 2012 Turn Out Your Lights

Earth Hour - Saturday, March 31, 2012 
8:30 PM - 9:30 PM - Local Time

The Sky Tower Auckland, New Zealand

Every Year the World Wildlife Fund organizes a movement across the world to get everyone to turn off their lights for one hour.  This is an action to limit energy consumption, fight for climate change, and show respect for the environment.


Homes, schools, businesses and iconic landmarks across the planet will turn off their lights for one hour – Earth Hour.

At 8.30 pm local time on Saturday 31 March, Earth Hour 2012 will see hundreds of millions of people around the world cross borders of race, religion, culture, geography and society to unite in a single moment of contemplation for the planet and celebration of their year-round commitment to protect it.

This event has grown from a single-city initiative in 2007 to become the world’s largest display of environmental action, with citizens of 135 countries and territories across every continent coming together for Earth Hour 2012 indicating a growing global movement of positive change in environmental attitudes.

WHAT: Earth Hour 2012

WHEN: Saturday 31 March at 8.30pm in your local time zone

WHERE: Across the globe WHY: To celebrate your commitment to the planet with the people of the world

HOW: Switch off your lights, register your support and get more details at earthhour.org

Here is a link to homepage:  earthhour.org

Cat Whisperer

Cat Whisperer

Mouse tames new resident’s cat!

“And then, now wait for it, you won’t believe what happened next……….”

As this little mouse tells tales of New Island to the cat – hoping not to be eaten!

Peagarden Community Gardners' A is for Apple

We've heard that the First Graders' are studying nutrition

 A is for Apple 

Parents here is a link to find more A-Z nutritional information

http://lancaster.unl.edu

For two who inspire me

My thoughts after reading.......... 

If you can tell stories, create characters, devise incidents, and have sincerity and passion, it doesn’t matter a damn how you write. 

~ Somerset Maugham ~

One of my standard — and fairly true — responses to the question as to how story ideas come to me is that story ideas only come to me for short stories. With longer fiction, it is a character (or characters) coming to visit, and I am then obliged to collaborate with him/her/it/them in creating the story. 

~ Roger Zelazny ~

I tend to agree, but I would add short stories are postcard/letters from the characters and are scenes taken from their everyday life - novels are short stories joined together by the characters who return wanting to share with us more of there lives.

For me I see something, hear a tune, or have a dream that just won’t leave me alone - such as with the beginnings of the Jumping Rope.  It started with just a “fictional” idea to have someone send me an e-mail with the jump rope rhyme. 

I have been lucky to become acquainted with an artist, Faramond who takes a jumble of ideas that I have for a story and brings them to life in his paintings, such as the one posted at the top of my blog.  Its title “1919 Joplin” and is a corner lot in a fictional town, Putney, on New Island.  

I have also been very lucky to have a job where I work with someone who I knew high school - sharing memories of those times is such a treat.  

There are days when we start remembering those times and then a story just starts to evolve from those musings or is it that I start developing the story that leads us back to those days.....its like trying to figure out which came first the chicken or the egg!

I just wanted to say thank you to Judy and to Lee, for allowing me into their lives,  and sharing their talents with me.  ~ Travelin’ Gal ~

And now the beginning the "first sketch" for the “Jumping Rope”.

E-mail from Georgia Lane - Jump Rope Rhymes

From: GeorgiaLane@commonwealth.net

To:  TavelinGal@commonwealth.net 

My daughter, Rose came home from school today and said that you are interested in Jump Rope Rhymes.  

Here is one we said “back in my day” when I attended a six room elementary school - but back then only girls jumped rope.  

Enjoy; perhaps we’ll hear this one locally, now that I shared it with you and my daughter.

“I am a pretty little Dutch girl, as pretty as pretty can be and every boy in my Putney goes crazy over me!

l have a boyfriend fatty, He came from Cincinnati with 48 toes and pickle on his nose and this is how my story goes

One day while I was walking I saw my boyfriend talking to a pretty little girl with strawberry curls and this is what he said to her

I L-O-V-E love you, I K-I-S-S kiss you

I K-I-S-S kiss you on the F-A-C-E face, face, face.”

Georgia

Happy 1st Birthday or 2nd? to Matt and Stacy Schooner!

Happy 1st Birthday 2nd Birthday?
to Matt and Stacy Schooner!

Photo Courtsey - Puntey Times Archive - February 2011

Last February, the twin kindergarteners had their picture taken as they pointed to the calendar hanging in their classroom - 

wondering where is our birthday?  

This year they will be celebrating their 1st birthday with 29 balloons and ice cream for everyone in the class this year!

Violin Man - Steve

Steve,

If you happen to pop in to check out my blog......your story is in the works!

Thank you so much for playing my request for "Greensleeves" - it brought memories flooding back of when I was a young girl, but readers' you will have to wait for that story.....its late and it's been a very long day!

A Twitt I Am! and Begging everyone's pardon - on a error on dates of the "Meet the Producers"

Where to start tonight, I'm totally unsure; where by the time I arrived at the breakfast meeting of the Peagarden Community Gardeners' a ruckus and broken out; not sure what started it but I sure ended it, because everyone at the table turned and looked at me and said, in unison, “Its her fault!”

Me? What do I have to do with this? A new person, what could I have possibly done to caused this fuss!  I turned at looked at Fred, dear ‘BeeMan’ with a pleading look of desperation!  Fred just rolled his eyes and then said, “Edna, would you like to tell her?” I could see a slight grimace on his face as he turned his head towards, Edna!

Edna was more that willing to clue me in.

I was soon to find out that when I posted the information about the upcoming “Meet the Producers”, I posted the wrong dates, once again the table erupted in chaos! as Edna finished cluing me in.

"Look folks, I'm new here, I did my best taking notes; I asked questions,” as I looked at everyone for confirmation and said politely, “I volunteered to get the news out for you all.  “

“At the time, you all agreed that it would be wonderful to have it posted on my blog - free press - getting the word out so that everyone will know about it!”

Edna jumped right back in, “Well you said March 1 to March 4 and that's not when it's going to be, it's going to be June 19-23!”

With my hands held out in front of me, with a jester for everyone to just calm down, “Okay, okay, everyone just calm down. I can fix this  ‘sight’ error, I’ll go back to the back to the blog and I’ll change the dates and everything will be alright with the world and everyone will now know that I am a total Twitt!”

Again, everyone unison shook their heads in approval with my suggestion on how to right this terrible wrong that I’d done!  And Fred leaned over and in a very quiet voice said, “You also forgot to mention on the blog that the cost of a ticket is $25.00 and they will go on sale May 15, 2012 and the Zen Visitor Center, so you might want to include that information to, when you update your blog!  Before they all figure that out!  

So tonight's post it to let all of my readers’ know what a Twitt I am - and to humbly beg your pardon, and to correct the dates of ‘Meet the Producers’ presented by the Peagarden Community Gardeners' of Putney and Swan EcoCenter.

MARCH 1, 2012

June 19, 2012

Meet the Producers

Peagarden Community Gardeners' of Putney and Swan EcoCenter present "Meet the Producers" on 3/1 from 7-9 pm at the Swan EcoCenter. Meet local farmers, ranchers, bakers, and other artisan producers. Learn about options for locally & sustainably produced fruit, beef, cheese, veggies, bread, and much more. Enjoy refreshments & samples, take advantage of special promotions, and enter to win a prize. 

Date:  June 19, 2012

Start Time:  7:00 PM

End Time:  9:00 PM

Organized by:

Peagarden Community Gardeners' of Putney and Swan EcoCenter

This event is presented in conjunction with the Peagarden Community Gardeners' of Putney .   It will bring together the many incredible local food producers in our area - farmers, ranchers and growers - for one great evening of tasting and discussion. Nearly 30 producers will be present, each with their own booth, with information on their specialties. CSA (Community Support Agriculture)details and products to taste! This is the ideal time to find the local producer that fits your needs.

Tickets will be on sale a the Zen Center starting May 15, 2012, see receptionist at the front desk of the visitor center.

Peagarden Community Gardeners' - Upcoming Event

MARCH 1, 2012

Meet the Producers

Peagarden Community Gardeners' of Putney and Swan EcoCenter present "Meet the Producers" on 3/1 from 7-9 pm at the Swan EcoCenter. Meet local farmers, ranchers, bakers, and other artisan producers. Learn about options for locally & sustainably produced fruit, beef, cheese, veggies, bread, and much more. Enjoy refreshments & samples, take advantage of special promotions, and enter to win a prize. 

March 1, 2012

Start Time:  7:00 PM

End Time:  9:00 PM

Organized by:

Peagarden Community Gardeners' of Putney and Swan EcoCenter

This event is presented in conjunction with the Peagarden Community Gardeners' of Putney .   It will bring together the many incredible local food producers in our area - farmers, ranchers and growers - for one great evening of tasting and discussion. Nearly 30 producers will be present, each with their own booth, with information on their specialties. CSA (Community Support Agriculture)details and products to taste! This is the ideal time to find the local producer that fits your needs.

AND GET READY FOR JUNE 19, 2012 

Swan EcoFestival:

Join all of the City for our annual festival on Saturday, June 19, 2010 at the Swan EcoCenter and adjacent amphitheater lawn. Eat, paint, explore, learn, climb, watch, dance, discover. Celebrate summer and the natural world.

Contact:  Sally Swain, Extension Assistant Professor

Contact:  George Swain, Head of volunteers if you want to volunteer to help set up or drive shuttles to a from the different locations.

For the new residents :

The Swan EcoCenter is a natural hub for community events. The end of our 400-foot pier into the Preserve is the new site for our legendary star-gazing evenings with the Putney Astronomical Society. Other exciting plans include:

• organic wine tasting
• guest speakers
• engaging films
• book signings
• nature photography exhibitions
• evenings with our Artists-in-Residence
• wildflower walks
• Sandhill crane talks and slide shows
• tours of the Zen Center
• guided bird watching
• wildlife and landscape photography classes
• nature journaling
• wildlife tracking classes
• guided nature walks and snow shoe tours
• green building tours and workshops
• lecture series that explore the many issues facing our planet

Star Parties will be held Friday and Saturday nights, folks be sure to bundle up, it gets cold out there Star Gazing! 

Contact:  Jorge and Lea Bookman for more details.