Il Pleut

Here I am not knowing what my legs are for at the top of Black Mountain during fall trip. Is my raincoat not the essence of tasteful fashion?

The view from the top of mountain was tremendously drear. Luckily all the mud came off my sneakers in the end.

Wayward Goose Farm

Our farm website is here. A fantastic video of the farm is here. I'm the one with the nicest boots.

Today was rather tiring. Here is how it went:

1) First thing is milking, which I had to help with because we are short on hands (or elbows). Dad has cellulitis in his elbow, because he injured himself while catching a run away heifer, and it was all full of  fluid. He had to go to the doctor's today to have it drained, so my brother and I did the milking. After all the milking was over I took the cows up to pasture. Little did I know then how my life would be drastically altered in a few short seconds. I had forgotten to put the gates across, thereby leaving the entire driveway (which is very long) and front lawn completely open and begging for cows! I handily put up the one wire I could to keep the cows from the road, but that was the only good thing I did. After that I screamed for Peter to help and cried a little bit and generally had a small tantrum. I was very overwrought! Peter finally came out and we secured the cows after eons of herding them. A group of cows is a very intimidating thing, no matter the size, especially when they are excited. Our cows are exceedingly friendly, but they seemed extraordinarily devilish and basically I hated them at the time. They were in the garage!

2) After this Peter and I rode our bikes to Margot and Alex's house to play darts. I was horrible at darts and broke two of them. Also my bicycle bell broke!

3) I rode back home and took a 3 hour nap. When I woke up I ate yogurt, Peter and his girlfriend Abi left, and I did my homework while Mom and Dad went to milking.

4) I am now writing this post and it is almost time for dinner. Expect a special feature on the blog tomorrow, but please, don't be put out if it doesn't show up. As you can see, I have been exceptionally busy of late. Even if it does show up, please, don't expect much, because we all know things are rolling further downhill around here on a daily basis.

Bonne nuit!

Pears

Boxes and boxes!

Hello!

Things have been very busy of late. School has started and last week we went on fall trip to Lake George, which was fun. We each got to choose an activity and I chose hiking which was no fun at all. It lasted forever and rained the entire time. Also I stepped on a rock that didn't need to be stepped on and face planted in the mud like a codfish. It was funny but also sad. I have had two soccer games so far and both have been less than satisfactory. In the second one a girl on my team broke her ankle which was upsetting and scary. 

I like all of my classes so far. I have a fun art history class and an acting class and a design class and two study halls. 

So long!

Dust and Shadow

I was skeptical at first about this book. I love Sherlock Holmes, so a knockoff Holmes story seemed absurd! But actually, it was written almost flawlessly in typical Conan Doyle style.

In the book, Sherlock Holmes, the famed private investigator, is intrigued and horrified by the strange killings taking place in the bowels of London. The mutilated bodies, the mysterious notes written in blood, and the meticulously planned out  murders. How can a monster such as this roam about completely unnoticed? In order to find the answer Holmes must delve deep into the blood spattered under belly of London, risking his own life in the process, and facing hidden fears.

What's different about this book is the fact that Holmes seems more personable. In past stories he is a cold automaton, lacking much feeling, whereas here he shows compassion throughout the book. I really enjoyed it. It was a bit frightening falling to sleep imagining muddy gaslit streets and a terrifying killer wandering about with long knives, but it was worth it for such an exciting story. Also there is quite a twist in the end.

The Cigar Box

I found this pockmarked cigar box cornered away in the top of our old house, but it went missing after we moved. I discovered it in the basement weeks ago but left it there until I got bored, which is when I decided to make it into a Box for Things.

An inventory of the contents:

1) a small bottle with no purpose

2) a thought on carnies and their strange ways

3) a paper flower

4) a piece of a glass insulator I found someplace

5) a stamp

6) a paper pinwheel

7) a hat pin for self defense

8) a key which goes to nothing

9) a pocket for artifacts of the utmost importance

10) an envelope

11) a pencil (you write with it)

12) a place for files

I guess it could be a treasure box, but it's really just a place to store discoveries or evidence. Or even murder weapons. (See #7)

My first day of school should have been today, but because of Irene and all the floods lots of the roads are washed out, so its been postponed. Now it's on thursday.

So, the summer days are nearly gone. Sitting on the front doorstep, you can practically smell autumn in the sunlight and on the marble. The ducks' bills are growing orange and the guinea hens are coughing "buckwheat!" Their danger alarm is very loud. They are such skittish creatures!

The nights are ripe with echoes lately. Just before bed when I go out to hunt for Pipkin I always like to howl and whoop a little bit.

Now Dad is downstairs singing something which I guess is a song. There are fresh pears in the kitchen which I have to eat!

On the Midway

We went to the fair one night in order to take part in the thrills and terrors that can only be found there. We poked at the oxen and the rabbits and measured up the call ducks to my flock. Also we ate funnel cakes which we later regretted very much after also eating double cheese fries and kettle corn and being swooped about on this ride.

The fair is a place like no other. It's grease and cigar smoke disguised into golden lightbulbs and smooth looking-glass, spindly ferris wheels with swinging cars, bobbing horses with scarlet saddles, striped canopies and the tinkling of the carousel. It is a most wonderful delusion. 

What do you imagine birds flying over think of the fair?