February 19, 20, 21: Trim

At least one of us has made a trip to town six days this week. Church and groceries Sunday; furniture shopping Monday; trim shopping and an evening meeting for Phil Tuesday; early morning strategy session for Phil Wednesday (I was in bed when he got home at 1am early Wednesday morning, and I hadn't gotten up yet when he left at o'dark thirty a few hours later); early morning Bible study Thursday morning with another stop for supplies and Bible study in the evening; haircut for me today.

I'm thankful we don't usually go through a tank of gas every four days. Phew!

Wednesday was a day of prep. Last week, we had figured we were just about done with the interior, so Phil sorted out bits and pieces and tools and brought them to the barn. He had to bring them all back down. And he hasn't done much trim work in his life, so he had to look into that.

Abraham had asked if we could read The Chronicles of Narnia. Since we're wrapping up our study of the ancients and preparing to move into the Middle Ages, we read The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Thursday got off to a great start. I had made a list of subjects for the older boys, and they worked through them. Phil arrived home to find seven cows grazing up in the orchard. (Some had, apparently, also gone into the barn, where they devoured the dogs' dog food. Cows are supposed to be herbivores, not lamb and chicken kibble eaters!) The boys and I helped drive them back into their pen.

Phil had mentioned that I had a lot of dead bees in front of one hive. I knocked on the hive while I was out there and, instead of the reassuring hum, I heard something move. I'm assuming a mouse or several mice moved in during the last cold snap. I took off the lid and there were still bees there, but, oh, what a bummer. I have put the mouse guards on in the past in September or October, but this last year, with Caleb's birth in early October, I didn't get there. This is my fourth spring of trying bees, and I have yet to have any honey. Argh!

Phil's exciting progress for the day was that he trimmed out a window. Now, instead of waterproofing and foam insulation, I see wood. Very lovely. One down; four windows and two doors to go.

Today I headed out at 9:45 for a haircut. I dropped Caleb off at a friend's house, the first time I've been more than a room or two away from him since his birth (oh, my separation anxiety). I went to an Aveda salon for the first time, and the little massage beforehand, and the shampoo ... ahhh. I had a major haircut in my mom's house last year, but I guess I haven't had a haircut at a salon since moving here.

Between the drive there and back, the haircut, and a quick lunch when I picked up Caleb, it was over four hours before I made it home again. Phil was finishing up the trim on another window.

He had entertained a guest while I was away (I love it when people drop by unannounced! It makes me feel extra loved, and approachable!), but had still made progress. Then he got started on built-in bookcases. I am looking forward to their completion.

We spent about an hour outside trying to get Charity ready for milking. Phil had separated her calf earlier in the day. She was one scary and scared cow, but we eventually managed to corral her, then grab her lead rope. To keep her at all under control, we wrapped the lead rope around a T-post. She was strong enough, she made good progress towards pulling the T-post out of the ground. Phil somehow was brave enough to enter the pen with her and put on a halter. I don't know how he did it, but he was like the cow whisperer. She didn't move the entire time he was doing that, though one powerful swipe upwards and she could have harmed him with her horns.

Phil tied her to a different T-post then, and let her fight with the T-post. She still didn't want to settle down. Her baby is corralled apart from her overnight. We hope that by tomorrow she will be more tractable.

Besides a haircut and some cow wrangling, the boys and I read two books today in the delightful Gerald Morris series of Knight's Tales for young children. (Some years back we read the 10-book cycle by Morris for middle grade readers, The Squire's Tales. I love those more than I can say, but the boys laugh out loud at the Knight's Tales; a charming set of four.)

And in a bit of personal pleasure, on Wednesday I played through the first two pages of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata," and Thursday I played through the second two pages. Today I played all the way through for the first time! I didn't do it quickly, and I didn't do it with great feeling, but, in a rudimentary way, I did it!