The farm UpdateHighButtonShoeNovember 8, 2008...yup, I know I am much late for getting the first of the month newsletter out to you, and you have probably been propped up by your computer in anticipation, wondering what on earth I am doing, besides writing to you? Actually I should probably be jotting down what I am doing, as I can't seem to recall from one day to the next what I have done! Go back a few more days and I have NO idea. I take this as a bad sign. But then I have had this affliction for some time, so I regard it merely as a source of irritation, rather than a sign that my brain isn't functioning properly. Trips to another room or the basement to retrieve something often are met with no knowledge of what I was after, after I got there. So I must retrace my steps back and stand for a moment to think of what I was trying to do. Very annoying.I do however remember most of yesterday. And the day before. I have been raking leaves pretty much continually for 2-3 weeks now. As the trees can't seem to lose their leaves all at once, it takes a few days now and then to clean up the yards and flower beds. Thursday, I went down to my folks fairly early in the morning to rake their entire yard of leaves, before the wind picked up. One day I raked our yards very early with frost still on the leaves, before the winds. I think I am getting tired of raking leaves! And my poor right hand is very sore. Even with my trusty old brown gloves on, I managed to get blisters and I think perhaps my hand is swollen. I am about to start the 'woe is me' limp of my one leg, so perhaps I can get some sympathy...but basically everybody is working in leaves, so I doubt seriously I would get much. While we have had some nice days of fall, we also have had much rain, so days to accomplish leaves has to fall on a nice day. I do admit, however, I have loved being outside for this chore, and am mindful of the fact that soon the yards will be covered in snow...so rejoice in the bare yards while I can. I did my folks yards barefooted. Ah, grass under my feet. Another reminder of what is to come. Few days of barefoot for sure!Years ago, when I seemed to have more time, August was the designated month to start the search for the perfect Christmas tree. As we have planted Colorado Blue Spruce trees on the farm for many years, I always had an ample supply to choose from, until of course, they got too big and narrowed my choices. My preference has always been for the wild trees, never trimmed (as we leave ours wild, no trimming, no paint) and I am partial to trees with 'character'. Sometimes not too many limbs, sometimes a hole here and there. I have always had beautiful trees. Well, in my opinion anyway. The August search always yielded 5-6 trees and in the next weeks I would narrow my choices down to a couple and by November definitely had made my choice. We used to do a Christmas Open House from my old house the first weekend in December so the tree went up before Thanksgiving. The last 3-4 years we lived there, I didn't have a live tree as I had too much furniture in the living room and dining room, and not enough space for even a fairly small tree. Thereby, forfeiting ANY hope of the Tree Beautiful People coming to capture my gorgeous tree in print and photograph, as I always thought through the years, they would come. It became a family joke. After seeing the dead tree, and I mean DEAD, that a vendor brought into a show we were doing in Mt Vernon Ohio that November, I was consumed with getting a dead tree. Not to be confused with a fake dead tree. A tree that once lived and was now dead. It was a cedar tree I saw. We have cedar trees, in the swamp. Usually when I come up with some hair brained idea, Ron goes along for a while. When we got home from the show, and I whined for days about that tree, we set off for the swamp and got 3 equally lovely dead trees. However, I could NOT convince him to let me have one in the house. They went into the shop. Easy to decorate, as it only had about 10 branches and was void of any foliage, I loved them, as did my customers. I let my dead tree idea lie dormant until this summer when I decided again, I wanted a dead spruce tree...just a small one. There are acres of small spruce trees behind our old house and I checked with the planter to see if I might have one of the ones that died. Looking at me rather oddly, he agreed I could take a dead tree. So I began the search, but ones that were almost dead, weren't dead, and having some live green on it completely wrecks the look. In the meantime, during one of our daily coffee sessions on either Beu or my porches, I mistakenly mentioned this to Ronnie, that the tree man ok'd my plan to take a tree. Mistake, big mistake. Ron didn't see the tree in this farmhouse quite the same as I did. Beulah and me thought it was a terrific idea. He did not. Some things this man will NOT budge on. The dead tree is one. Which brings me to yesterday.Very late in my tree search, and knowing that we are supposed to get hit with snow this weekend (razzle-frazzle!) which makes the trees look different, not to mention walking around difficult, I set out yesterday afternoon on my search of a tree. Mild temperatures, and sunshine, my old ratty tennis shoes, and that nasty hat I favor, with no one home and me not telling anyone where I was going or even leaving a note, I set off behind the house and the new outside wood stove, through the rye field (which is always called the rye field, no matter what is planted in it...which often has buck wheat in it.. but in saying the rye field we always know which field that is..) that had been all tilled under. The night before, a pesky black bear had raided our bird feeders we forgot to bring in and destroyed them (razzle-frazzle!) One in the yard, one on the porch and one right next to the bedroom window. So armed with my tie tags to put on any likely tree candidates, I walked on the edge of the rye field checking out the trees, and noticed the bear tracks in the dirt. Fascinated, as I have never really been close to bear tracks before, I followed them. This should have been when "WHAT ARE YOU THINKING???" should have entered my mind. Leaving the rye field and going into the hay field, over the hill, where no nobody would have seen me, are planted several old stands of trees and some newer ones. They are quite thick and as close together as trees are planted. This long side hill steeps sharp downward, filled with trees until you get to the swamp. I was walking slowly watching the ground mostly, due to the slope and the high grasses, and fondly remembered this was the paths the cows used to take to come back from pasture to the barn at milking time. We haven't had cows in years. So the paths were overgrown with the tall grasses, and of course the trees we planted there about 15 years ago, and others more recently. This was about when I began to think, 'how stupid of me, not to bring my cell phone with me". That would be the one I usually don't know how to work in the first place. But there would always be hope, IF I had it with me. Without, not good. I thought of the steep slope and as trees are planted in furrows cut deep into the soil, if I was to miscue in my stepping, I could fall and break something. And nobody would know where I was. It was about this time as I am pretty much surrounded by trees taller than me, that I remembered I had followed a bear track !!!!I do not have that phone, nor a gun (who takes a gun to choose a Christmas tree??) or even a hoe. I had thought of a hoe as I was quite mindful of any cousins of Fritz the Anaconda, the resident farm snake, who makes my wanderings sometimes quite anxious, as he appears out of nowhere and about scares me to death. But hadn't even taken the hoe. And you know I am forbidden now to take any of Ron's shovels after my last snake escapade. But I calmed myself down, paid attention to my surroundings and enjoyed the rest of my trek through all the trees. Finally deciding on nearly the last tree in that area, I tied my string on it. As I was now way over on the west part of the farm I decided not to back track but come up over the hill in that hay field, behind the barn and to come home. The fields are only a few inches high now. But keenly aware that I was definitely now coming INTO Fritz the Anaconda country, I paid careful attention to my footing, as the warm sunshine could have brought Fritz the Anaconda out into the field, and I was walking straight toward the barn yard (his usual haunt). I made my way home through the barn yard, did some more outside chores and was finally inside doing some computer work, when son Steve storms in with Abbey the golden retriever and says hurriedly to me, without explanation, "don't let Abbey out". So I made coffee, kept Abbey in, grandson Mattie came over after school for some cookies and a visit, when Steve gets back after some time. He was following THE BEAR!!!! that he saw IN the rye field just off the new outside wood stove, and this would have been less than an hour after I was right there! Yegads! So now to retrieve my tree, I will take the truck through the hay fields, take my phone, a hoe, the .22, a whistle, maybe an entourage of people thinking safety in numbers. All of this could have been avoided had Ronnie merely let me have the dead tree.......Don't the holidays get complicated??Let's see what else is new? I have worked many hours on getting the pole barn cleaned out and we have both trucks in there for the winter. Big slap on the back of congratulations to myself on that. Oh, and we bought a new truck for Ronnie to replace his 1995 Chevy. A 4 wheel drive which is almost necessary for these winters to navigate the roads.That took nearly a week of my life out, as dealing with this dealership was one of the more stupid things we have done. DO NOT EVER sign a contract unless you have sat and READ every last sentence even if it takes you 3 hours. And don't believe you are signing what you THOUGHT you were signing when they say 'sign here'. This purchase has definitely tried my patience. Patience never have being one of my best virtues to begin with. Actually in dealing with them on a almost daily basis for one week, I think I may have lost all my virtues.During this time of trial with the truck purchase I forgot to water my rosemary and it suffered some neglect and is letting me know it with some dried up pieces. Drats! But I am talking nicely to it and have apologized for my neglect and hopefully it won't deteriorate any further.The wood stove is working great. I am not wearing my long underwear and hunting socks on a daily basis, and indeed the house is almost too warm. However, I am not complaining. Well...perhaps just a little. Some days it is like a day long hot flash!LemonPoppySeeds was uploaded on the 1st as was Simply Primitives even without me telling you. This was my truck fiasco time, so all brain function was required on that. The links to our sales with them are below.PrimitiveGathering will be uploaded with new things for us on 11/15. As I haven't had any time to make new items, I am showing all old antique smalls from my own collections for sale this time. Also a note, due to the holidays and Deena's illness, what is shown for November will not be updated for December and January, as we all take some time off. Please be sure to check out goodest friend Miss Elspeth (Wendy) PineBerryLane on PrimitiveGathering (http://www.theprimitivegathering.com ) AND her new website is up and running.. and alsoanother goodest... Bittersweet Susan on Simply Primitives. http://www.simplyprimitives.com Both are very talented artists whose work is quite extraordinary! As are all the artists on both sites. As I am brain numbed from my last many days, I can't remember, but I think Bittersweet Susan is also on Lemon Poppy Seeds. Perhaps not.http://www.lemonpoppyseeds.com And for those of you who follow the work of the most talented VictoriaLynn, she is also on LPS, both in her finished products and her patterns as Kentucky Primitives. I believe her website is http://www.kentuckyprimitives.com her patterns are wonderful.Thanks for asking to be a part of our farm and life.Should you not, merely reply with remove and it will kindly be done.in fond regard,Tilda, the fearless (and thoughtless)probably banned from car dealershipsraker of leavesChristmas tree critic