A place strangely like home

This woodblock art print, by Emily Gray Koehler,
is wonderful enough to deserve a place here even though
it's completely unrelated to today's blog post.

FarmWife is a journalist, and one of the wonderful things about that line of work is that she gets to know a great many interesting and inspiring people. Today, she went out into the Cascades to meet a wonderful gardener/farmer/activist, but that is a story for another day (for Dec. 29, actually, and the first 2012 issue of Grow Northwest).

While she was there, her phone began to ring. Or did it? FarmWife heard the familiar bray of her beloved mule and fished about in her purse. She pulled her phone out. She stared at it—black, unmoving. The bray rang out again.

Being a woman of only one ear (well, she has two, but one's just for looks), FarmWife spun about for a moment trying to pinpoint the origin of the sound. It certainly sounded like it was coming from her purse, but then with just one ear she can never quite be sure.

She asked her hostess—the interesting farmer—if there happened to be a mule on the premises. It turned out that the neighbor, in fact, keeps three. One of them sounds quite exactly like me, Fenway Bartholomule! Of course, this means he also sounds exactly like FarmWife's ringtone. Poor confused woman.

The farmer's house was beautiful and bore an uncanny resemblance to the house of FarmWife's dreams, which she has modeled in SketchUp but which she probably won't get around to building for another decade. The barn was wonderful and bore a less uncanny resemblance to . . . well, a wonderful barn. The horses (yes, this farmer keeps equines of her own) were wonderful, as was the Aussie pup. A good time was had by all, and by all I mean FarmWife, her three human daughters, the horses, the Aussie pup, the interesting farmer (we hope), and, presumably, the neighbor's brayful mule.

It's too bad I wasn't there to see these wonderful people who were like-FarmWife-yet-not-FarmWife. I'm sure they would have liked me as much as my family liked them.

Ears to you,

FenBar

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Here are the Cloud Dog's X-Rays

Here, for your edification, are the X-rays of dear Paisley's leg. There is, apparently, no new break (since his Monday siezure) but there is, of course, a great deal of abnormality caused by years of living with a shortened ulna. His pronounced lameness, the vet says, may temporarily improve. Unlike me, Fenway Bartholomule, poor cloud dog can't expect much in the way of a full recovery. Not having the $$$$ for surgery to fuse the joint, we are working on making some sort of rigid splint to support the limb and prevent further degeneration. That is, the humans (with their space-age material inventions and their opposable thumbs) are working on making a splint; I am working on giving cloud dog brayful looks of support and encouragement every time he totters into the yard to relieve himself. As always, he fears me (me?!) and keeps his distance. Ears to you, Fenway

Continued . . .

Vegan Spring Rolls

I, Fenway Bartholomule, am a vegan: of course I only eat plants, not people! My human is too, so I'm sharing my blog with her today so that she can participate in the 2014 Virtual Vegan Potluck ! When you're done perusing the recipe for these delicious spring rolls, click "back" or "forward" for the entire potluck experience! Virtual Vegan Potluck: Spring Roll Appetizers Beautiful? Check. Healthy? Check. Delicious? Check. Easy? Check. Fancy? Check. Quick to clean up after? Check. Vegan? OF COURSE! If you're looking for something portable, colorful, and crowd-pleasing for your next potluck, look no further than these simple vegan spring rolls! The best part? You can substitute ANYTHING. I never make these the same way twice, so play around with cilantro, kale, cabbage, scallions, or whatever you think sounds good! Ingredients Veggie mix: 2 carrots (grated) 4 oz mung bean sprouts 1/3 cup chopped peanuts (raw, or roasted and salted) or ...

Continued . . .

That Which Was Foretold Has Come To Pass

After some negotiation and exchange of words like "motheaten" and "raggedy", Farmwife talked me into enduring the roaching of my mane, which I had rubbed on the fence while reaching for delectable edibles at my previous home. We both agreed on four things: 1) it was essential to retain my forelock, which is a thing of splendor that adds greatly to my dashing good looks. I'll get a picture for you tomorrow. 2) once the cut has grown out a bit, she will give me those fancy castle turrets that she used to style for Fenway. 3) we owe our dear readers a better photo, when I have not just rolled in the mud. 4) there is no hairstyle capable of making me look anything but marvelous.

Continued . . .

The Scoop on Bird

Human here, to give you the scoop on Songbird. He is shiny, sweet, and wonderful . . . and a little bit broken hearted. (Fenway was once, too.) As I've gotten to know him more over the last month, I've come to understand that he associates humans with unpleasantness, at least, and suffering, at worst. He has some gnarly scars. He flinches away from touch, though he warms up quickly when treats are involved. He's quite a foodie. He's easily startled. He's alert, and vigilant. He doesn't always feel safe. He also really likes it at my mom's house, which has a slower pace than the wonderful boarding and lesson barn where he lived in June. He appreciates the predictable routine, the long quiet afternoons, and the retired horses who give him company. He has flattened the grass under the big cedar out back and created nests to rest in. The soft footing at my mom's is better for his newly bare feet. He is starting to believe he'll be ok. I have ridden him...

Continued . . .

BRAYS OF OUR LIVES

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