Ok, so most of you know we have chickens and ducks. Two day ago our brood hen , who has been sitting on a nest for a couple of weeks hatched seven chicks. It will be a little more work for the next month or two keeping them warm but they are so darn cute! I keep thinking about all the eggs to come! The picture don’t do them justice!

Surprise ! Surprise !

Today  Tracy and Jack came for a visit, this was the first visit Jack had made to Nana and Granpap’s home! It was also the first time for little Jack to see his room here and visit with JD ( Jack’s Donkey) a miniature donkey born two weeks before Jack! I’m not sure which Little Jack is growing faster, LOL. We had a wonderful visit and Tracy was thoughtful and even brought us lunch! I soooooooooo loved our visit! Here some pictures from our visit!

Well it has been forever since I’ve written on my blog ( almost a year) so I decided to start blogging again. What a year it has been for us. There have been so many changes in our lives, I don’t even know if I can remember or recap them all.  The most wonderful change is of course the addition of our first grandchild, Jack! He is of course the most beautiful baby in the world! I’m not a proud grandma now am I? LOL.  We put a lot of thought into what we wanted to be called as grandparents and both of us decided of names used by family members before us. So I am Nana and Jim is Granpap. NO I just couldn’t think of myself as a Grandmaw, LOL. We are both loving being grandparents! One of the things I love the most is how much I loved being a Mom when Tracy, Sara and Matt were little! I loved everything about being a Mom! Tracy and John are WONDERFUL parents. I love to watch them take care of Jack, love and nurture him. Jack is very lucky to have them as his Mommy and Daddy!

Sara is busy with school and friends. She is sooo enjoying being 21! She and Raven are best buds and great company for each other. Raven is her new schnauzer ( she got him from her friends Amy and Craig, he is one of Annie’s puppies. He is really well behaved and trained.  They are quite a pair!

Matthew is still trying to find his way here in Calvert County. He rebuilt another car and just got tags  for it, so clear the roads! He is going to be helping out  as we get ready for our Oktoberfest here at the farm.

Hubby is putting in a pond that seems to get larger every day( I think he thinks I don’t notice that) I think if he had a sandbox when he was younger he wouldn’t like to play in the dirt as much as he does, HAHAH.

Well that’s all for now, time to feed the animals!

Jim and I went to the auction last night since we were both feeling better. We were just sitting there minding our own business (watching the bargins) when somone tapped me on my shoulder and said ” I want to buy something too!” What a surprise, it was Tracy and Sara. A double surprise! They had come down to see Matt for his birthday, which is today. They didn’t know that Matt had gone out with his friends and was spending the night so we got to visit with them. Tracy even got a clock at the auction! Watch out, that’s how we got started Tracy! It was nice to spend time with them and we are looking forward to going to John & Tracy’s for Jim’s birthday dinner on Sunday, so see you soon! Happy 19th Birthday Matthew! Boy I am feeling old now, your my baby! Have fun!

This morning as I was trying to watch the morning news over coffee, I was using the remote flicking through the channels when I saw a special on the Gates of New York. I stopped there to watch the special since that was one of John and Tracy’s first trips together. They actually went to visit New York being unaware of the art exhibit there. I remember Tracy calling and telling me about the Gates. They got some great pictures of the Gates and Central Park. Watching the show I was amazed at the cost of the project, 20 million dollars. I thought,” WOW that’s alot of money for an exhibit for two weeks. Think of all the good the money could have done.” ( I think of how hard it is to do fundraising for our Task Force for The Missing and Unindentified and how much even a fraction of those funds could have been used on behalf of the over 105,372 Missing Persons listed in the FBI’s NCIC computer system.  I thought about how that money spent on the Gates could have been used.

 I kept watching the show wanting to know how the artists, Christo and Jeanne-Claude could justify the project, for no other reason then because they wanted to, as they stated in the show. The project cost 20 million dollars and they paid for the project themselves!  It had nothing to do with Sept 11. No other prupose but art for the public. I watched the mixed emotions of the New Yorkers who watched the project unfold in Central Park, many thought it was an intrusion into the beautiful natural beauty of the park. Many anticipated the unveiling of the project, Truly, it was a mixed bag of reactions.

Here are a few facts about the exhibit from Christo and Jeanne- Claude’s website.

About The Gates, Central Park, New York City, 1979-2005

• The Gates were unfurled in Central Park, New York City on February 12, 2005, and remained through February 27, 2005.
• Christo and Jeanne-Claude developed the concept for The Gates in 1979.
  On January 22, 2003, the City granted permission to the artists to realize their vision.
• 7,500 gates, 16 feet high (4.87 m) with a width varying from 5 feet 6 inches to 18 feet (1.68 m to 5.48 m) lined 23 miles (36.8 km) of footpaths in the park.
• Free-hanging, saffron-colored fabric panels were suspended from the top of each gate and hang down to 7 feet (2.13 m) above the ground.
• The Gates were stationed approximately 12 feet (3.65 m) apart, except when low branches extend above the walkways.
• The Gates  created a visual golden river appearing and disappearing through the bare branches of the trees, highlighting the shapes of the footpaths.
• The luminous moving fabric  underlined the organic and serpentine design of the walkways, while the rectangular poles were a reminder of the grid pattern of the City blocks around the park.
• The project  provided employment for hundreds of New York City residents, hired to assemble, install, maintain and remove the installation.
• After The Gates were removed, most of the materials was recycled.
• As always, Central Park was open to the public, free of charge, during The Gates.
• The Gates is financed entirely by the artists, who do not accept sponsorships. The publicbeared no expense of any kind.
• For more information about The Gates please visit www.christojeanneclaude.net

As I watched the show and the Gates began to unfurl, the response from those there was amazing, it was very moving to the New Yorkers and the visitors there. The comments made by some of those who viewed the exhibit  was that it was beautiful, uplifting and gave you a sense of freedom. As I watched the show I felt a feeling of wonder. In the words of Christo and Jean -Claude from the New York Gov  website:

 ”The temporary quality of the projects is an aesthetic decision. Our works are temporary in order to endow the works of art with a feeling of urgency to be seen, and the love and tenderness brought by the fact that they will not last. Those feelings are usually reserved for other temporary things such as childhood and our own life. These are valued because we know that they will not last. We want to offer this feeling of love and tenderness to our works, as an added value (dimension) and as an additional aesthetic quality.”

There was a feeling within me, a feeling of sadness that I had missed the Gates but happy that Tracy and John had experienced it firsthand. That they had been part of something larger than themselves, a piece of history that gave people hope and inspiration. Thsy had shared in a bigger dream.

The Gates were a vision of the artists, a vision that gave many enormous pleasure and happiness. It was a dream in the making, project that was a long time in the making. A project that gave New Yorker’s and the rest of the country inspiration. We all may not have the funds to undertake projects of that magnitude but we all have dreams in the making. Dreams that no one can ever take away from us, no matter what twists and turns are lives take. That dreams like the Gates are dreams that should be shared, because they inspire and encourage our spirits ands souls. We all need to keep our dream and visions alive even if we are the only ones who pursue them.  Dreams have a rippling effect. That all dreams are worth  pursuing no matter their size or impact. We all have dreams, dreams to do bigger and better things with our lives. Career dreams, family dreams and yes even dreams of llama farms… on that note I’m headed to the barn.

 Oh, and by the way the Gates actually brought in 254 million dollars to the city of New York, smart man that Mayor Bloomburg. That’s giving me some ideas…

What better thing to do on a beautiful Sunday afternoon then to get together with the new  Mr. And Mrs. Marshall, Sara and Matthew for a relaxing Sunday dinner. Sorry Andy and Amanda couldn’t make it. It was a relaxing day with plenty of good food and conversation, with a lot of football watching and a nap or two mixed in! The Redskins and the Ravens didn’t fare as well as the Huntsmans and Marshalls who enjoyed the crab soup and ribs. Everyone seemed to enjoy just hanging out after having a pretty busy weekend. As John, Tracy and Sara pulled out of the driveway to head home, Harley headed down the driveway and cried when they left. He loved all the attention!  We loved the visit!

  Hope Everyone Else Had A Great Weekend Too!

Ok, So everyone is in the same boat here with the stock market going crazy, so a little humor while we are all losing our shirts! Remember it’s only our retirement money! We will all go to work for Home Depot!

Well maybe not for Sara, she just helped pick them out! Sara joined us at the farm this weekend for a visit. We had a great time just hanging out and playing with the animals. Saturday morning came around and Jim, Matt and Sara and I headed to the farmers market to pick up some roosters and chickens.  Sara HATES the chickens, LOL so she didn’t even want to carry the box. We had a fun morning just hanging out and even got to visit with Harley’s brother. We stopped at a Mexican Restaurant that we had been wanting to try for awhile for some great atmosphere and mexican food for lunch. It wasa relaxing day and a lot of fun, just what everyone needed to unwind.  Sara headed back home for a romantic dinner with Andy.  Jim, Matt and I went to the Cheasapeake Auction House Handyman and Tool Auction. I visited the Marketplace there and picked up some books at the book store before checking out the antique marketplace. Wow, I could spend hours in there just looking. Matt and Jim had fun as usual checking out the auction bargins.  We have all had trouble sleeping lately and Saturday night was no different. On Friday Matthew had loaded up a large load of hay on our trailer ( 210 Bales!) and when he couldn’t sleep he went down and unloaded it all to surprise his Dad! It was a long night for Matt and I kept the chocolate cookies coming for energy. Even though it was a night of not much sleep it was nice to hang out with Matt in the barn while he stacked hay and talked. Sunday was a day for sleeping in!  Today were resting and getting ready for another busy week ahead.  Mr. & Mrs. Marshall are doing the same after working on their house yesterday. Sara is getting ready for upcoming midterms and Harley is busy digging up the yard…

Have a Happy Monday!

Just sitting here thinking of Tracy & John, who are come home today! I know they have had a wonderful honeymoon and are excited about coming back to their new life as Mr. & Mrs. I know we are! Sara and I are headed to their house before they get there with a few surprises to drop off and then we pick them up at midnight! It will be a l-o-n-g day for them as they leave Palm Island at 9:00AM. Hopefully Tracy will have an easier time on the flight home, since she is feeling better. Looking forward to them being home!

Welcome Home Mr. & Mrs. Marshall !

Ours won’t be any different. As I speak he is digging in my flower pots. And yes, he has tried to chase the chickens. The cats like Harley, they look at him and see a warm fuzzy blanket. Here are some pictures Sara took yesterday.

Yes, he is going to be a handful. I’m thinking obedience school. LOL

 Yes, I got a ” Harley”Ok, so I told a few people that Jim got me a Harley today. And some people got worried, is she crazy? What was he thinking? We heard all kinds of comments. LOL Well those that new me better just knew it had to be an animal and they were right!

” Harley” is an 11 week old Great Pyrenees Puppy weighing in at just around 40 lbs. We’ve had our female  pyrenees, Toby for a couple of years. She is the farm guard dog, just ask the UPS man! She hates the color brown. She is a great guard dog and real sweet to boot.

Toby has taken to her new friend rather slowly, keeping him in his proper place. She immediately went down to the barn and stood in the door way as if to say, Your not coming in my barn! Harley and Annie( our Toy Schnauzer) are buddies and bunked together last night in the laundry room. Harley has been pretty laid back so far. He didn’t want to get out of bed this morning. That’s OK neither did I. So we are continuing on, just one big happy family here at the farm! Next week I’m starting a second page called ” Meet Our Animals”. I’ve been working on some children’s stories for awhile now and now that the wedding planning is over, I’ll be putting the finishing touches on some of those. So, see I’m still as sane as I always was. LOL

 

Yesterday, Jim and I rode to Virginia. We spent some time in the car and it was a really nice drive. All the clouds and rain from Hanna gave way to beautiful sunny skies. With all we have yet to do (with the wedding just 12 days away ! ) we decided to have just a no rush day. To take some time to slow things down and the ride was a perfect opportunity for that. While driving through the back roads we talked about our love for nature, our “farm” life and our family. Jim talked of retiring and somehow I just don’t see that happening anytime soon. LOL  Maybe cutting back soon but we have some wonderful employees at work right now and I have never seen Jim come home more energized and excited about work. It’s nice to see him enjoying it so much! ( I still would like to go on that vacation just the two of us, LOL I am still working on that.)

We talked about the kids and how great they have all turned out. How lucky they have been to have so many wonderful people in their lives. How fortunate they have been to have so many more opportunities then we ever had growing up. How important it has been for us to be able to provide that for them. We can not help but feel that our three children are our greatest gifts to this world and our proudest accomplishments in our life together. We know we’ve  had a lot of help by some terrific people helping them to turn out as wonderful well rounded young adults. It has taken a village to raise our kids, a village made up of family, friends and teachers. A village that we will be forever grateful for! I know that Tracy, Sara and Matt will remember this and always be grateful for the love and support they have received in their lives so far. I know that they will continue to become a village for others too.

The next week will be crazy and hectic, but we will get ready for the wedding keeping in mind that it is a celebration of the  marriage that Tracy will be starting with John but it is also a celebration of those important people in their lives who will be attending, those who have helped them grow into the fine young couple they are today. So thank you to their ” villages” for a job well done! You all know who you are!

Well time to get to work, have a great day!

Wow, is all I can say about Ocean City! It was a wonderful opportunity for The Maryland Task Force For the Missing and Unidentified, Adults & Children as  a public awareness event. From the Coast Guard runners who we roped in to help us move the benches around to the OC police who stayed with us most of the day, it was wonderful! The people who stopped by our spot were all caring and kind, all interested in learning more about the stories of Maryland’s Missing and Unidentified. We got SO much traffic at the location and such overwhelming support, it was great. Some of us got pretty sunburned, we had the service on the beach but were all so wired we went out after our 15 hour day. To the friends and families who joined us there, Thank You from the bottom of our hearts.

Here are some pictures from the CUE center who visited with us: