MOVING SALE!

The 20 years of accumulation

I'm totally serious about this - we're moving and after 20 years of apparently trying to fill up every square inch of space in this old house. To make matters worse, we're downsizing. From an unmeasured number of square feet (let's ballpark it at 1200) to less than 500 of living space and another 300 of indoor storage with a bit of covered outdoor storage as well. Needless to say, there will be a purge. 

Actually, the chucking out has already begun but not feverishly yet, as well it should be. We've been meaning to go through our closets for a couple of years but now we truly must. I've already thrown away a few bags of stained, ripped, worn out garments and given another few to Good Will. I still have waaaay too many pieces of clothing. Especially for someone who goes out publicly maybe once or twice a week, three closet racks of dresses, pants and tops are just more than enough, am I right? Combine that with a dresser with a larger drawer of underwear, another of socks and stockings and bathing suits, and TWO of pajamas (yes, 2!). I do love PJs. 

But that's not the half of it. I also love books - paperbacks, hardcovers, and collectible sets. I have two bookcases full of them. I also have a large plastic bin with paperbacks - to my credit, I joined a book swap club some years ago and so, rather than accumulate more, I end up breaking even, but I still own too many books. I also am a collector of boxes - the kind that hold trinkets or jewelry. None too large, but a great many and each one unique and special. Luckily, they don't take up much room, nor are they heavy to carry, so they will, in all likelihood, be coming with me to the new house. 

Oh, but there is more! I do crafts, so I am a bona-fide hoarder of yarn and other fibrous materials. Also buttons, broken pottery and tiles, beads, wire, and the equipment one uses to construct projects made with such items. Mark down another two bins full of craft items that WILL be relocated. And don't forget the unsold, as yet, projects I've already crafted, crocheted, sewn, painted, pyro'd or otherwise cobbled together to make something new. I am currently having a sale in my etsy.com shop where some of these things can be taken off my hands for a deep discount. You should check it out:

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/354025220691664584

Where there's a way, there's a will

My spouse, on the other hand, has a "spare room" full of his own collectibles. He has often verbalized that someday he will leave our offspring his collections and they will happily keep or sell them. While a magnanimous idea, certainly, I've rarely noted a descendant who was thrilled to be left with a bunch of "stuff" that they know little to nothing about and have to now get to know or simply get rid of it. But I didn't rain on that parade, so we have load after load of collectibles - myriad types of bakelite items, ceramics and pottery, knives, coins - that we are currently attempting to sell on eBay. Here's one such item: 
http://www.ebay.com/itm/bakelite-backgammon-pieces-15-each-brown-and-darkened-yellow-/152241971801

Then there's the kitchen. The kitchen we have isn't large, but I have a metal industrial rack that is 5' x 3' x .5' that houses all my baking essentials, cutting boards, pots, pans, lids, tins, racks, cast iron, and some Tupperware that you can microwave safely in (I was a salesperson for a while and bought some nice pieces for myself). So there's a lot of "cooking items" to be moved and then the big question is - will the industrial rack fit anywhere? The kitchen, proper, will be home to the washer and dryer, so that's a large part of the bare wall available to such a rack. We'll see. But, there's no way I am giving up what took most of my married life to accumulate in the cooking department, and I do love to bake and cook. 

Still, I believe we can do this downsizing without any remorse or despair. I fully expect to give away many things, but these will be things I did not really need in the first place. And we will be better off for it, I'm sure. As I've noticed, no one person NEEDS three full closet racks of clothing and two dresser drawers full of PJs; similarly, no one family needs three food processors (I never bought more than one, but have kept all three), two toaster ovens (one is a rotisserie/convection oven as well, but still...), 5 different sized muffin tins and three bundt pans. 

There's even a problem in the bedroom

You read that right - there is a problem in the bedroom. As I said, the square footage is sparse, our bed is a queen. However, we have figured out that without the frame (which I really don't care for anyway) the queen bed WILL fit. Are we going to sleep with mattress on the floor then? No, we plan to place our current (new, BTW) mattress upon 30 or so 5 gallon plastic buckets and a stout piece of plywood. This serves dual purpose: 6 inches of spare floor space plus plenty of vermin-proof (not that we're expecting any but one never knows in the rural, middle TN area) storage. My husband is a borderline genius about some things (the collection of Pigeon Forge Pottery, notwithstanding). 

The second bedroom, since we don't actually need a working 2nd bedroom, will become, you guessed it, storage! But, more than that, my sewing machine, our stereo and collection of CDs, vinyl records and cassettes will go there, too. It just never ends, does it? Oh, and likely a good many books as well - the ones I simply can't part with, at least (signed by author, collection of Shakespeare's writings, for example). And then there's that supply of yarn and fabric I mentioned. 

We are very fortunate to have a finished attic room that is really nice and roomy and will serve well to hang clothing that is not currently in season (because the closets are small), and will house a great many plastic bins (the large kind) of which I currently own about 15. Right now, I'm very, very glad that I accumulated so many of them; once the majority of them are cleaned out of what I know to be stuff I haven't seen in over a year or two they will very handily be a godsend for moving the stuff we feel we must keep. There are ways and I have the will. 

Go forth, my child,  and hoard no more

I am hoping that after we move, we will continue to "downsize" and stop filling our lives with unnecessary crap. I know we will think not twice but three times before bringing anything new or used into our "new" home. I hope we will find things to give away to someone that needs it more than us. I hope to sell a lot of the crocheted and crafted items I currently have so that I can make more with the yarn I currently have. Either that, or I will probably just start selling the yarn and fabric that I have on hand to someone else who is just getting started on their own hoarding foray. But, then, I wouldn't wish that journey on anyone. 

Peace, out! 

C's Crafted Creations: And It's Almost Independence Day

C's Crafted Creations: And It's Almost Independence Day: Reminds me of the state of the USA right now - wrecked!  It's nearly time for one of our most enjoyed national holidays - The 4th of...

And It's Almost Independence Day

Reminds me of the state of the USA right now - wrecked! 

It's nearly time for one of our most enjoyed national holidays - The 4th of July - fireworks, music, family and friends, cook-outs, games, FUN! Really?? After the year(s) we've had here in this grand ol' country (young, really, not old, as countries go)?





I know what you Americans are thinking - hey! what's that got to do with the 4th of July? We're celebrating our independence and rightly so!

Founding Fathers were not radical new thinkers -- The Declaration of Independence was nothing new. Even Thomas Jefferson said it was"not about new arguments, never before thought of, not merely to say things which had never been said before, but to place before mankind the common sense of the subject."

{Oh, and speaking of Thomas Jefferson The DNA test actually proves that a male from the Jefferson family fathered Sally Hemings' children --that's a number of possibilities.} 

AND WHAT ABOUT THAT PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE WE ALL LEARNED? 
The pledge we now say was written over a century later than the Declaration of Independence was written and our country became the U.S. of A. Our Founders took their states rights very seriously and considered the U.S. Constitution to be a compact amongst the sovereign states so that any state could secede if it felt the federal government had become oppressive. So, if not with a pledge, how would our Founding Fathers begin meetings and celebrations? The answer: most likely with a prayer. In fact, the very first resolution brought before the First Continental Congress, and immediately passed, was the declaration that they would open every meeting with a prayer. (1)

Latest version of the Stars and Stripes - but how important is a flag, really?

The soldiers of the American Revolution fought under the American flag, right? Wrong! In fact, our Founders deemed a flag to be irrelevant. A bill introduced in 1794 to add two stars to the flag was considered too trivial to be given any attention. The matter was "a trifling business which ought not to engross the attention of the House, when it was their duty to discuss matters of infinitely greater importance" as stated by one member.  The Continental Army did still fight under flags, but these flags were all different depending on the regiment.  (1)

BACK TO THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION:

Now, we know that the British American colonies were economically well-off in the 1760s and did not, for the most part, feel especially oppressed by British rule. 

Well, first, go back to the War immediately preceding this - the French and Indian War. This conflict had been fought by British and Colonials alike, but paid for, primarily, by the British Crown. War, as we all should know, is costly, no matter who wins. The English were paying hefty taxes at home, the colonists, not so much. This caused a bit of "bad blood" back in England that began to fester and grow. English taxes were levied and collected on goods that came into colonial harbors, most especially, Boston. Many times, these taxes went uncollected, under-reported, pocketed by the unscrupulous, and thwarted by means more and more known to English taxpayers and their Parliament. 

With sentiment growing in favor of the American colonies paying their "fair share" to help pay for the war they had just helped to win, the call for increased enforcement of tax laws became louder and more insistent. With the Quebec and Ohio Valley land acquisition following the Treaty of Paris, came the Proclamation of 1763 by the King of England, forbidding colonial settlement into those areas west of the Appalachians and east of the Mississippi River. This did not sit well with those who had fought in that war, nor was it settling to those who had already made plans to head in that direction. 

This, and new Acts and Writs from the Crown, caused grumblings in Colonial America in the mid-1760s and beyond. Taxes on paper goods, stamps, then import taxes on glass, lead and tea, not only served to be burdensome but the collected revenues were to be used to pay Royal Governors' salaries. What this meant was that the legislative body who formerly paid the Governor's salary would not hold that salary hostage when disagreements ensued - the legislative body being chaired by colonial citizens. Colonials had Charles Townsend to thank for new and insinuating ways of making their lives much more oppressed, with the appointing of customs officials and a non-juried court to try cases. 

Congresses convened, joining together, somewhat, in their common outrage and eventually repeals were gained. Short-lived reconciliations were the norm, however, and soon, the Intolerable Acts were issued and imposed. 

British occupation expanded in colonial New England and farther south. Upkeep of these troops fell to the locals, who, understandably, were not pleased with that scenario. 

Congresses reconvened to discuss. 

In the meanwhile, groups formed (Sons and Daughters of the American Revolution, who did so much to support boycotts on imported goods and use whatever influence they could to rid their communities of opposition to their stance), literature was circulated (Thomas Paine "Common Sense" sold 120K copies from Jan 1776 to April of that year) to give reason to the cause of independence from British rule, and representation coalesced into a trusted and trustworthy body of men. 

All this had to come together before a revolt could be conceived and carried out. As it stood, only 1/3 of the people agreed with open rebellion and fighting, another third was undecided. Even so, within a few months, men took up arms and formed militia groups to fight the British on their turf and in their own way. Much blood was shed before the colonists even began to have hope of success, but that moment did come. 

Major Battles of the American Revolution

Date	Battle	American Commander(s)	British Commander
April 19, 1775	Lexington-Concord	Capt. John Parker	Lt. Col. Francis Smith
June 17, 1775	Bunker (Breed's) Hill	Gen. Israel Putnam and Col. William Prescott	Gen. William Howe
Dec. 31, 1775	Quebec	Gen. Richard Montgomery	Gen. Guy Carleton
Aug. 27, 1776	Long Island	Gen. George Washington	Gen. William Howe
Oct. 26, 1776	White Plains	Gen. George Washington	Gen. William Howe
Dec. 26, 1776	Trenton	Gen. George Washington	Col. Johann Rall
Sept. 11, 1777	Brandywine	Gen. George Washington	Gen. William Howe
Sept. 19, 1777	Saratoga (Freeman's Farm)	Gen. Horatio Gates	Gen. John Burgoyne
Oct. 4, 1777	Germantown	Gen. George Washington	Gen. William Howe
Oct. 7, 1777	Saratoga	Gen. Horatio Gates	Gen. John Burgoyne
Dec. 5, 1777	White Marsh	Gen. George Washington	Gen. William Howe
June 8, 1778	Monmouth Courthouse	Gen. George Washington	Gen. Henry Clinton
Sept. 16, 1779	Siege of Savannah	Gen. Benjamin Lincoln	Gen. Augustine Prevost
March 29, 1780	Siege of Charlestown	Gen. Benjamin Lincoln	Gen. Henry Clinton
Sept. 28, 1781	Siege of Yorktown	Gen. George Washington and Gen. Rochambeau	Gen. Charles Cornwallis

It wasn't until after the Battle of Saratoga in 1777 that the fight for independence turned in the Colonist's favor. Following that victory, the French became allies, bringing reinforcements and ammunition stores. 

After the war, seeds of change began to grow and blossom. Anti-slavery groups, which formed at the onset, gained membership and influence; women's rights groups, empowered by the inexhaustible efforts of the female population in support of the rebellion, came into their own; religious reform ensued, and by 1833, the state-supported church idea was virtually abandoned, led, in great part, by the displacement of the Anglican (King of Britian- headed) church. Thomas Jefferson himself was instrumental in Virginia's own declaration of religious independence.

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Lessons to be learned and celebrated: 

A diverse group of people can be united when the situation becomes disturbingly dire enough.

Communication is key! Publications and opinion must surface and be seen that speaks to the sentiment of the population. 

Men must rise to leadership positions and put their differences aside to unite under a common banner both to win the trust of the people they lead and to conjure success.

It is more important to fight for what you believe than to fight against what you don't believe in, such passion often wins the day. 

CELEBRATE AMERICA'S INDEPENDENCE

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!

(1) http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/07/04/10-things-might-not-know-about-our-independence.htm

(2)http://www.ushistory.org/us

Looking forward to winter and its many holidays? 

For those who live in the Northern Hemisphere, it will soon be winter. I have spent my entire life in that hemisphere, so November, December, etc. through March is winter to me, even though it doesn't officially start until Dec. 21st. November is often pretty chilly, like it was this morning; 19F degrees is winter in my book. 

Since colors are high up on my sensory awareness list, I associate colors with seasons, as do a lot of people. Smells figure in to it all,  tastes, and certainly, sounds as well. To me, blue and white is a winter mix; white for snow, blue for clear, blue skies. This brings me back to childhood days spent outdoors playing in fresh snow under that never-ending vault of sky blue. 

Christmas (THE winter holiday for my family, after Thanksgiving) was always green and red to me. I suppose the red clothing Santa wore, his sleigh with its huge bag, Rudolph's nose, and red bows and lights created the association. Green was for the evergreen boughs, mistletoe and holly leaves. Wrapping paper and cards were often red and green, too. But to really elicit winter for me, it's still sky blue and white. 

I remember seeing my first artificial Christmas tree, which was silvery in color and made of aluminum. I heard adults comment about the audacity of such an invention, but I had no bias in mind about artificial versus living trees at my tender, young age. This tree with its silver branches was decorated with blue and white lights and balls, and I thought it was a spectacular thing!

It wasn't until I was much older, and had dealt with living trees as indoor decor, that I decided that artificial Christmas trees were a boon to mankind. Getting scratched by dry, dead needles and branches as I removed ornaments and lights was not my idea of holiday entertainment. I 'd say that pre-lit trees are my favorite thing about modern holiday conveniences. Next in line is the pre-lit wreath. (Note: That piney smell can be achieved using fragrant oils or a few real boughs on the mantle or in a vase or something.) I still love to see real wood-and-needle trees all decorated and lovely, but - like wild animals - only if they aren't in my home. 


New Years Day brought to my mind, silver and gold colors. Adults got dressed up to celebrate the eve and to ring it in, and that included sparkly gold and silver jewelry and sequins. And there was always snow and ice which glinted silver and gold in the lights of the stars and moon outside. 

But, still, the sky blue and white predominated during the remainder of winter. I'll even go so far as to say that the dark brown of wet dirt co-mingled with those two colors, and was held in as high esteem as the blue and white. When you saw that mud on your boots or your sled runners, you knew you were having some fun! 

Colors, smells, sounds, tastes - if we stop and think, we all have a sensory memory of certain seasons. I hope touch is in there, too. Hugs and the warmth of being surrounded by other human beings should be as much a part of the winter season as anything. If you can recall being hugged and feeling the warmth of loved ones during any of the winter holidays, consider yourself fortunate, because you are. If you can add smells and tastes of delicious food to that, you are extremely fortunate. If you can also add the sounds of singing songs together, walking amidst the chatter and laughter and bells of the season, taking in the lights and ornamentation with a light heart and feeling of joy, you are truly blessed. If I neglected to mention presents and gifts, that was not an error. If we have all the rest, that part is inconsequential and pretty much over the top, isn't it? Gifts and presents should be reserved for those who don't have the gift of family and friends to brighten their holidays. A warm meal, a warm coat, a warm hat, or a scarf and a pair of gloves is all it would take to bring someone less fortunate joy during the holidays. Imagine a world that contained a jolly sprite who picked up gifts from all the homes around the world instead of delivering them, and gave them out to needy people for us. I wonder why it isn't that way? I think someone, a long time ago, made a mistake about that.


      Happy Thanksgiving, Happy Holidays, Peace on Earth and Good Will to All in 2016!

Crochet Patterns to Try: Free Crochet Pattern for Stunning Fall Winter Coat...

Here's a link to the loveliest coat pattern! As she noted, it's versatile in that the connecting method allows you to tweak it for a great fit. Can't wait to tackle this one myself. Fall is in the air and crochet hooks and knitting needles and looms will be more and more in my hands. Favorite time of year! ENJOY!

Here's what she wrote: Crochet Patterns to Try: Free Crochet Pattern for Stunning Fall Winter Coat...: Hello darlings in the first week of October. Oh…well… I guess by now you became accustomed with the idea of fall :) I kinda did....

Cutting Health Care Funding - again?

I just read a post on Facebook that concerns health care funding by the feds. The website is www.protecthealthcare.org and, of course, I'm being asked to sign a petition. I know what this means, or what it usually means - I sign a petition and now get hit on to give money so that this petition will carry some weight. It's always the same story, isn't it? 

But, I must say that having lived through the 1980's and the Reagan austerity era, I have a perspective that may help quiet any panic one might feel over this important issue. 

I began a comment citing a small bit from a study done in 1990 that looked back at those 1983 -4 funding cuts and its ramifications. It was within just a few years after the budget cuts that small hospitals in rural places of the country began to feel the pinch, cut services, staffing and some even closed. If you were a nurse at that time, you were keenly aware that you had more patients on your assignment list and less assistance from LPNs and nursing aides to help care for them. 

After the initial scare that your one, local hospital was not going to be around much longer, lo and behold, larger entities "came to the rescue," buying out the previous small group of shareholders (often local doctors and professionals sat on most small hospital boards). Hospital Corp. of America was our local take-over company here in central Tennessee, and elsewhere, I'm sure. Whether this scenario will again occur, I think it already has begun. Our own small hospital, once owned by HCA was again purchased by a coalition of local professionals probably a decade or so ago. Today, it is again owned by a large corporation, St. Thomas Healthcare. But to fend off fears regarding this change, large ads have been noted in the local newspaper saying the hospital will retain its former name. What a coup, eh?!

In short, this is nothing new. Our federal legislators always make choices which take away from the needy when they can get away with it. At the same time the aforementioned 80's budget cuts were put in place, the funding for mental institutions was so severely cut that thousands upon thousands of patients were turned out into communities with little or no follow-up care. I saw this myself in the mid-90s when severely handicapped people that formerly resided in institutions suddenly went to live with family members. This was often aunts, uncles or grandparents who knew little about how to care for them except for assisting them with hygiene, food and shelter. As Home Health personnel, we provided as much support as we knew how, but often this was only to oversee the patient's physical infirmities or illnesses as they occurred. I recall it was always a depressing state of affairs to deal with, for us and them. Today, there is still a grave lack of services for the mentally and psychologically impaired.

Not only was Medicare/Medicaid funding cut at that time, but payments for practitioners were capped and limited. Remember DRGs? Diagnosis related categories? This happened at the same time, too. This affected insurance reimbursements for "lengths of stay," depending on what category your illness fell within. The health care team no longer had the say-so in when a patient was ready to be discharged. This is still the way it is, although the medical profession as a whole has adjusted and managed to find a way (creative documentation, manipulating ICD codes, etc.) to take care of most patients the way they feel they should. It was also about this time that Home Health took to the forefront, providing the missing care that recently discharged patients still needed. Now, in 2015, many small, rural hospitals have no orthopedic care, no OB/GYN or Neonatal care, and many of them have been "bought out" by larger hospital corporations, thereby making a monopoly of sorts in many areas of the country.

So, again, this is not new, but it is "news" and we must do what we can to keep what little decent health care we have access to. Local, small hospitals will not disappear altogether, but they will change along with the funding cuts. Creative ways will be devised to deal with these set-backs. And like it did in the 90's, the pendulum will swing back again, following studies done about increases in hospital mortality rates, infection rates caused by staffing shortfalls, etc. and the ensuing public outrage. If the pendulum gets stuck, perhaps it's time to look into Holistic healing practices and healthier living alternatives. It couldn't hurt.

Living with Someone Else's Livestock

GOOD FENCES MAKE GOOD NEIGHBORS, RIGHT WILBUR?

I'm sure you've all heard that expression about neighbors and fences, but have you ever experienced it first hand? I have and it's raises my blood pressure. Let me first say that I have always liked cows, horses and even, once upon a time, thought goats were okay, too. I still would like to have a fondness for them but their owners keep making that very difficult with their negligent ways of "keeping" them; see,  you "keep" livestock, you don't simply "have" livestock.

We've lived in this old home up on a hillside in Middle Tennessee for over 20 years. We are renters. Our landlady died several years ago and her son, who also lives on the property, took over as landlord. He is the fellow who owns the livestock that live and graze around my little portion of ground. He is a retired "ag" teacher from the local high school. When we first moved here, we saw the sign near their driveway that advertised "beefalo" and inquired about purchasing meat from them. We were told that the "freezer was down" and none was available. Twenty years later, the sign still stands, but the freezer is still down. And now they've added a new sign: Boer Goats. Lovely. You'll soon see why I say that.

Some folks raise all manner of livestock - chickens, geese, rabbits, pigs, donkeys, llamas - for their own benefit, usually. They gather eggs from chickens, feathers and down from geese and perhaps consume a few from time to time. Rabbits are great BBQ'd, stewed and fricasseed (sorry, vegans, but they are). Pigs, well we all love our bacon, ribs and pulled pork sandwiches, don't we? Donkeys keep away the coyotes and so do llamas. And llama shearing ultimately creates yarn, which is also good.

The donkey follows the horses around. Wonder if he knows he's not a horse?

My neighbors have cows and goats, mostly, but also have several horses on their property, a donkey and a llama. I have heard some ducks or geese but I think they keep getting eaten by something, I'm not saying who or what. We have big raccoons around here and wild dogs. I hear there are bobcats and possibly coyotes that range through our neck of the woods, too. Other wild creatures include deer and turkeys, ground hogs, opposums, squirrels and chipmunks. A newcomer to the area is the armadillo; I've not had a close encounter as yet. Skunks come around once or twice a year, usually when the windows are open, it seems. Skinks, lizards, turtles and snakes are common, and I have heard there are rattlers way up the dead end of the road. That's several hills and a couple of miles away, so I'm wary but not frightened while I'm walking about.

So, you get the picture of where I live and what creatures I share my habitat with. And I do mean "share" because my garden is munched upon by the goats and cows more than a few times in a season. And that brings us to the fences and the goats. Up to 6 years ago, there were only cows and horses here and the cows, calves mostly, did get into the yard to munch on the lawn when a gate got left unhooked or the hot wire fence shorted out or got turned off. I was also working full time as a nurse manager and had little time for gardening, so it wasn't a big deal. 5 years ago, I became a stay a home housewife with a garden in summer. I planted some perennials and a few bushes to improve the landscaping, such as it is. I discovered how veracious an appetite a goat has that year, too. I had goats on my front porch making meals of my potted plants. Two devoured hibiscuses later, I declared war on Boer goats. 

THE BOER WARS

My initial idea for keeping goats out of my yard was to shore up the existing old fencing and cut down a lot of the saplings and small bushes that bordered the yard. I figured that would discourage them somewhat from thinking this was "tasty territory." It may have provided a little bit of defense, but not much, as it turned out. 

The goats truly have wonderful taste in plants. They love anything you've spent money and time on. The quince bushes, Nanking cherry trees and flowering almond are delicacies, apparently. The crepe myrtle's tender new growth is as well. Oh, and they simply love butterfly weed, daffodils, tulips and lilies. But, truly, they are not food snobs - they'll try just about anything. Anything, that is, except for the weed their pens are full of every year - some sort of poisonous. leafy green weed that grows abundantly on this land, especially in what was supposed to be their area for living. My husband has suggested that we seed our lawn with it, and he may have something there. 

In the interest of full disclosure and fairness, the daughter-in-law of the owner is an industrious and strong woman. I admire her for her forbearance since she is the one who does most of the goat tending, though the animals were initially purchased for her daughter to learn from and use for her 4H projects and, as the grand parents said, "keep her out of trouble" during her tween and teen years. They live nearby, on the bottom land part of the property nearer the creek and about a quarter mile away from us. The owner and landlord lives between us and them, the goats are housed between us and the owner. 

This daughter-in-law, after my initial bout with the hibiscus-eating-goats-on-the-porch, took the time and effort to put up a two strand barbed wire surround. It went from the driveway (where the single strand on non-barbed wire serves as a gate) around our yard and down into the barnyard. Unfortunately, the cows and goats simply ignore it, break it or go over and under it. The war went on into it's third year with goats 2, us 0. And the cows a close second to the goats on our public enemies list.

If it wasn't so aggravating and time-consuming, the situation could be very humorous. Sometimes, that's just how I deal with it - I laugh, hysterically. Which often comes very close to crying. 

Year three, I started using the BB gun. Rather than yell, throw things or actually physically try pushing the goats out of the yard (which is very hard and can be dangerous work), I just pop them in the butt and they get the message. I was apprehensive at first because I once used a BB gun to get the attention of my run away dog who was barking at a cow down the hill and wouldn't heed my call to cease and desist and shot him in his back leg instead of his butt and it bled. My kids were horrified and I instantly became a pariah to them. I needn't have worried with the goats - their butts are pretty large and their hides are as tough as nails.  Though vigilance was the key in preventing more damage than actually occurred that year, the goats became BB gun trained and would begin vacating when they heard the pumping of the gun begin. 

Last year, I put in a raised bed. I planted beans, peas, lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, eggplant cucumbers and squash. The goats sneaked into the yard from below the stone wall that separates their pen from our yard and were in the garden in a heartbeat. The cows were also in the yard frequently and love cucumbers, it seems, as well as pea vines and beans. In short, it was a fairly disastrous year for vegetable gardening. Between the hot, dry weather and foraging by livestock, all I got were a few squash, a couple of cucumbers and some peas before they were gone. Tomatoes and peppers had a bad year without pestilence problems but flea beetles ate the eggplants (I got ONE!) and squash vine borers ended that harvest. Goats and cows concentrated on crepe myrtles, lilies and other leafy and flowering plants; they, too, realized that the vegetables were a bust. 

That fall, I placed old roofing tin sheets into the holes in the fences. I tossed some large pieces of debris (an old metal couch frame and a broken swivel chair) along the stone wall side to block under-the-fence access points. I continued to cut down saplings and brush. And, with the donation of a wheel of barbed wire from my dad, I had a plan for the following year. 

A NEW ERA BEGINS

In spring this year, I checked all areas of egress and shored them up as needed. I readied my raised bed and built a wattle fence around three sides of it. 

Could have sworn I photo'd the wattle fence but still looking. Here's the early beans, peas, beets, spinach and shallots I planted.

I laid in another barrier between the upper fence and the yard by way of more roofing tin stood on end. That way, if they  managed to enter, they would be kept in an alley of sorts with only one way out again. I felt like a mastermind. 

Next, I strung two strands of barbed wire across the front yard which served as the cows main entryway. This still left the center open without a gate. That took more time, scavenging and planning, but by mid-summer, I had it done. 

I call it my wabi sabi gate. It's certainly beautiful to me, especially if it keeps out you know what.




I still have work to do because, yesterday, while away from the house for nearly 6 hours, I returned to find the gate opened - not destroyed, mind you, simply opened. The front yard was empty of all but the two cats, but the sunflowers were broken in two. It had been raining very heavily so I figured they just broke. I put my things down on the porch and went around to the garden, rain or no rain. The sunflowers there were also broken down and denuded of leaves. Oh, oh, I thought. I walked around the raised bed to see 7 cows in the back yard against the fence there. They all looked at me like children caught in the middle of painting the bathroom with feces or something horrid like that. 

Before I began herding them out, I remembered I had latched the gate again. I went back to the gate,  and opened it as well as swinging wide open one of the wonky square portions so the cattle could exit gracefully. Then, I went back, soaking wet now,  to shoo them out. Of course, they all scattered like chickens instead of filing out in an orderly fashion. The largest heifer tore through my reinforced-with-roofing-tin fence on the left, two yearlings ran into the front yard corner and stood there, terrified. Two smaller heifers exited the front gate quite nicely. Two more yearlings decided to go through the double-strand of barbed wire across the back and did so almost miraculously because it remained magically intact.

The sunflowers lost the battle this time around but the gate, the tomatoes, the cucumbers and the potted plants on the porch withstood the attack.  I still don't know how the cows opened the gate without tearing it down.  I think the score must be goats 3, cows 1, us - awfully close to 1. With vigilance remaining key, I will need to check the tin-reinforced fencing and probably rearrange it, for the umpteenth time. 

As for "The Boer Wars", I've been ruminating on the title  (pun intended). I really wonder if I should rename it. No longer are the goats the major players in the battles, the cows have taken the forefront and will henceforth be targeted as such. This may call for some bigger guns than the BB, but we don't want to bruise the "beefalo" - right Wilbur?

UPDATE: the gate really worked well and we finished the gardening season without undue marauding from goats and cows. I did not have to shoot a cow or goat in the process, so no animals were harmed during the writing of this blog. Oh, except for the chipmunk (RIP) - that's the cats fault.