Minnie, our three-legged barn cat, seems to need to come inside when it is cold and blustery, as it is today. She loves to vanish into my chair in the living room, wrapped up in pillows and quilts. I imagine her stump hurts a bit in the cold. Normally, the barn cats are banned from the farmhouse during the day, but Minnie deserves to come in and out when she wishes. I loved the feeling of this photograph, color and warmth.
Connie Brooks messaged me from Battenkill Books, our wonderful local independent bookstore – it is so great to have an independent bookstore in town – she said there was a stack of books for me to sign, and she asked if I could bring Fate. She has been following Fate’s adventures on the blog and she wanted, she said to “see the rascal.”
Fate can be explosive when she first meets people, she is doing well at no jumping on people, but she loves everyone and trembles with excitement. She was thrilled to see Connie and Kate, and the store’s customers as well. But Fate did very well, she explored the bookstore, wandered through the new children’s section, she even lay down on the floor quietly for awhile.
If anyone wants to buy any of my books from Battenkill, I will personalize them for you and Connie will ship them anywhere in the country and most of the world. You can call the store at 518 677-2515. I am grateful to have two dogs that love people. so much.
Maria loves leggins so much she wrote about them on her blog in March. For her, they exist somewhere on the fashion lane between jeans and tights, and give her a freedom many women have never known. On a recent trip, she tried to buy a pair but couldn’t find any on sale, and like my grandmother, buying retail is almost a heresy.
So she didn’t get one and her other pairs are wearing out. Maria is not into shopping, I thought this might be a good gift.
Mariadoes not like to receive gifts, it makes her nervous. I do it once in awhile, but carefully and inexpensively. She is not like the other children. I thought leggins would be a great gift, they are inexpensive and I thought I could also learn something from looking for them online.
The Internet often makes me crazy, like everyone else, but it often is a consumer’s friend, there is just so much information about products from people who have used them. And I knew nothing about leggins, I wasn’t sure even how to look.
I had a good time, found some colorful and idiosyncratic leggins for under $12, I read the reviews and was fascinated by the determination of women to help other shoppers by providing detailed and honest information. Men don’t do that. I ordered one pair, but didn’t notice it was a “plus” size, and Maria is very thin and small. It’s going to the thrift store.
But then I found this one, it was just a bit individualistic and wild, the kind of thing Maria loves to wear. I messaged some of the women on the review forums and told them Maria’s size. We talked about durability, taste, shrinkage keeping the colors bright. This was the one – $12.99, it came today and Maria loved it.
She warned me not to buy her any more presents, and of course, I agreed. I have no wish to buy her clothes, that is a personal thing, but I was pleased with this gift and even she can’t complain about the cost. I was touched by the generosity of so many women who shared their experience with these tights and made sure that this small gift was the right one.
I never would have thought of leggins as a liberation symbol, but I see that many women see them in that way. Life is interesting once you start paying attention to it.
The Rapunzel Chair is nearing completion, it is all dressed up, nowhere to go. I think Maria means for it to remain on the farm. It has taken two years to make and lately, it has evolved into a distinctive character, an fiber chair with dreadlocks. It is looking more regal to me.
After milking, we convened a blog production meeting at Bejosh Farm with Carol and Ed Gulley and (on the left) with Deb Foster, who is helping the Gulleys set up their new and already quite popular blog.
Some people are having trouble accessing the blog and others are finding it awkward to post messages, so Deb is creating a new blog via WordPress. It will be up and running in a few days, but you can still access the current blog. Carol and Ed are naturals.
It is always fun visiting the Gulleys and sitting at that kitchen table – a beacon of hospitality in every farmhouse. Ed looked spiffy, he said he washed his hair last night. We yakked and traded stories in between our planning sessions. Ed is a natural blogger, a walking story machine.
I asked Ed what he thought about my idea for a gofundme project to help me repair my existing camera and buy a new black and white digital camera. He said he thought it was a good and fair idea, especially since I give so many photos away. I trust Ed and listen to him, he has a good sense of right and wrong.
I’m not decided about it yet, I want to think on it some more. I got an estimate from B & H Photo, and a new Leica black and white digital camera with a single lens, insurance and batteries, etc. will cost nearly $15,000. So I’m not sure about it.
“It’s up to the people out there,” he said, “if they want to give a dollar, they can, if not, they don’t have to. That’s all that needs to be said about it.”
In this world, of course, that is not all that will be said about it. But I don’t worry about that much. I have to feel good about it myself or I wouldn’t want to do it. If I do feel good about something, then I don’t worry about what anyone else thinks. If I like the face in the mirror in the morning, than I’m good.
In the meantime check out the Bejosh Farm Journal, it will be moving to WordPress soon, but it will have the same name and URL. And you will be able to talk to Carol and Ed easily.
