Back in the Saddle

Exhibit A:  Chicken on the counter pigging out.

Lizzy has been after me for a while now to sit down and take a turn back at the ol' Blog.  Well, here I am and here it is.  Life has been an absolute whirlwind for the past few months.  I have just realized it has been over two months since I have posted....

    That being said , I do believe I shall start off with where I left off last time:  With the chickens.  These ladies have become a sore spot between my lovely Lizzy and I.  And understandably so.  They have to ability to reduce Elizabeth to near tears of both anger and frustration in mere moments.  They get into everything and are garden enemy number one.  Even more so than any cold-blooded, flying, squirming, slimy, hoppy or ravenous pest.  They are indiscriminate destroyers of plants trying to get at said bugs.  They have an overwhelming urge to scratch at any, I repeat, ANY pile of mulch in search of a tasty treat.  Mind you, these piles of mulch are usually surrounding freshly planted young veggies.  While I applaud their efforts to rid the farm of all the creepy, crawly pests, their wanton destruction of plants is going to end them up in a stock pot at Lizzy's hands.
    My frustration at the issue is that they are supposed to be free-ranging poultry.  I have finally overcome my dislike of the feathered beasts and love having them around.  I just can't watch them the whole time they are out of the coop.  This is very reminiscent of our problems with Betty Blue from earlier of this year.  Take your eyes off them for a second and they are exactly where they are NOT supposed to be.  Grrr.....  Steps are being taken and plans of action are being hatched.  Pun definitely intended!  Good news is that they are all laying eggs now!

UPDATE!!!!!  NEW TRAIN!!!!!  UPDATE!!!!  NEW TRAIN!!!! 

Well,

    This post was started quite a while ago, and Lizzy has officially shamed me into getting back on the blogger horse.

    We have been back from our trip to the South Island for 7 days now and I still don't know if I'm happy to be back, or anxious for the next step.  We have worked so hard at making Uma Rapiti our home over the past 8 months that is almost seems surreal that I have to leave in less than 20 days.  There have been comedies, tragedies, breathtaking experiences, and serious doldrums.  I keep trying to focus on all the amazing things I have seen and had a chance to participate in, but I can not help but to feel sad at the potential of losing an avenue of new and incredible adventures.  As some of you are aware, Lizzy and I have been very undecided about what comes next.  We have explored the possibilities of school, employment, more farming, traveling, and pure bohemian lifestyle.  Still no answer.  We'll  keep you posted on what happens!  So, without further ado.......   on to other things!

    New years!  Holy cow New Years!  Tana and Charles decided to have a bit of a shin-dig here at the farm and invited about 15-20 of their friends to come celebrate.  And they invited their son Zev to come play music with his band.  And 30 of his friends followed.  Hilarity and good times ensued!
    New Years' day people started showing up about noon and setting up tents in our orchard.  2 at a time, 3 at a time, 5 at a time.....  Then came the slip n' slide.  100 ft. of blue tarp doused in dish soap, then liberally sprayed with the garden hose.  Dozens of drinking 20-30 somethings charging the hill provided entertainment for us all.  Followed by more drinking till the BBQ and potluck kicke  d off at about 7pm, then on with the music.  Someone forgot to tell me they were a David Bowie cover band!!!  3 hours of kick-ass music and several beers later, life was peachy!
    At midnight a ridiculous amount of high-end champagne was consumed with hugs and congratulations going around.  Followed by even more amazing music till the wee hours.  At that point, we invited what was left of the merry makers down to our side of the property for fire and wind down.  Sometime around 4am everyone meandered to there sleeping quarters.
    The next morning Lizzy and I took what was left of the rabble-rousers down to the beach for a morning sobering/hang-over cure swim.  Followed by us cooking a large buffet-style breakfast and more lounging through the early afternoon hours.  What a way to spend New Years!

    After New Years we pretty much kept ourselves busy awaiting our next big adventure:  Vacation to the South Island!  Lizzy has already made a brief post including some pictures, but I will be adding to it as soon as I get my photos in order.

-Cheers!