Category: Triplets

Crazy Fishermen, Easter, IOGA, and Kendall's gift

4/8/2012

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Happy Easter to one and all!

Dear Reader, it has come to my attention that I have neglected this blog 'way too long. It's time to update life here on the Land.

First things first: The homesteading, organic agriculture school is not going to work out as the number of septic tanks to house 10-15 students is just not worth it. It was a good idea, but not at this time.

Chris and Kirk (his daughter's boyfriend) came out a few weeks ago. Karl Hawbaker has been coming out, too. Karl brought Kendell one time, and she left a lovely present for me - wild violets and dandelions! It was a beautiful bouquet! I so appreciated it!(See the first photo above)

Chris and Smitty came out again yesterday. When they get together with Dave Haury...well...it's a lot of fun but I don't get a lot of work done (and neither does Dave!). But what the hay! It's so much fun to have them here! My photo with Chris and Smitty also includes Katie, Chloe and Jack! Notice the last photo in the second row shows Smitty's brand new truck.

Angela sent me some photos of the kids. The first set of photos are from a few days ago, and the last set is from today (you can see the Easter bunny dropped by!). Their Easter pails are almost bigger than they are! One of these days the kids will get hair! Katie, Chloe and Jack are adorable always to their Grammie Jane! I miss those little munchkins so much!

Dave brought over a toolbox for Jack. I had to take a photo of it because it's so cute! Won't Jack just love it!

More photos are of the Land from early March to the present. It is really looking green. The trees have filled out so much just in the last week. You can see there is quite a bit of wildlife, too. Turtles, Gordon and Gordeeta enjoying the picnic table, the blue heron (if you look closely), tulips along Willow Creek, a flowering plum tree and wild violets. Quite a bit going on here!

IOGA Governing Board members had a meeting in Bloomington as we start to plan organic farmer's field days and the next IOGA conference January, 2013. I am adding this to the blog so you can see I actually do some work besides pruning and mowing!

Dear Reader, I hope you are enjoying these lovely days as much as I am! Happy Easter once again!

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Fishermen are back, Triplets in Colorado, and Door County visit

11/8/2011

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Hi, dear Reader,
So much going on! Just returned from Door County, and had one day of warmth before the rains came.

Jeff and Angela and entire family (with Angela's parents helping) moved to Colorado last week. They drove to Denver arriving between snowstorms. The triplets seem to be taking to Colorado - see them in their Halloween outfits above, and on their first walk in Denver (in snowsuits provided by Grammy Jane). I think Jeff and Angela are just glad to be in a home with a place for Einstein, and everyone together. Jeff went back to work at DaVita's new headquarters in downtown Denver on Monday.

The fishermen have returned! It was great to see Chris with his brothers and Smitty with Stanley - see photos above. I know they are looking foward to ice on the pond, but I have been happy with the warm weather (until the rain arrived today). However, there is nothing that says "winter" to me more than having Chris and Smitty out on the ice!

I've included some photos of the cottage and land taken before I went to Door County, with my tractors, too. The cute little red truck in the last photo was stopping at Gary Dunn's property next door. It was adorable !

The other photos are of Whitefish Bay on Lake Michigan where we stay in Door County. I love taking photos of the lake, and the surrounding area. The restaurant pictures are of a lovely restaurant in Bailey's Harbor where Michael and I eat lunch sometimes.

Row 7 shows a quaint house in Sister Bay that houses a gallery and museum. The garden pictures were taken in Whitefish Bay next to another older home.

Row 8 is of a new cape cod home that I like because it has that lovely large glassed-in cupola on top. I would love to see that on top of my hill overlooking the pond! What a view!

All the rest of the photos are taken near the condo. I take a walk almost daily and these are the whimsical artistic expressions of the Wisconsin Door County inhabitants. If you look closely you can see an older "couple" next to the road. They are always dressed differently each time I visit Door County. There are mailboxes with fish painted on them, mailboxes to look like trains, scary ghosts peeking out from the second story of a barn, an Old Fisherman crossing sign, (wouldn't a skeleton and pumpkin at "Sherwood Forest" and last, but not least, a Happy Thanksgiving display.

We had a great time but it's good to be home. I appreciate this paradise all the more for my travels!

Stay dry, dear Reader! Nighty-night.

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Visit with Triplets in California, Beautiful weather here

10/9/2011

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Dear Reader,

Grammy Jane has been very busy the last several weeks! I have returned from California visiting the triplets, and Angela and Jeff.

Photos above show me with all three of my grandchildren - Jack, Chloe and Katie. Jack is in the 2nd photo. You can see his tubes and also his "bull" pacifier. Next photos are of Chloe and Katie. Chloe and Katie have giraffe and elephant pacifiers, respectively. I never believed in pacifiers, but with triplets I have changed my mind!

The 4th photos shows Jeff - very tired - keeping his eye on his two sleeping daughters. It's wall to wall babies!

What fun it was! I haven't been so tired since I don't know when - but I wouldn't have changed a moment of my time with Katie, Chloe and Jack. In fact, I was fortunate enough to be there when Jack came home from the hospital. He still is attached to his canula, which means lots of tubes and an oxygen tank, not to mention his monitor. Lots of equipment for such a little guy.

Jack doesn't need much oxygen now. He's on a very low amount, but he will be on it for a month or two at least, as Angela and Jeff have been given the okay to drive (not fly) to Colorado for their upcoming move. Because the altitude is so high in Denver, it's just best if Jack has his oxygen during the move.

None of us had much sleep with Jeff and Angela getting the least amount of sleep. I don't know how they keep going, but they are 30 years younger than me! They also hired a Polish night nanny for a few times a week which should help them get a little sleep. It's been quite wild. One nurse stopped by to see Jack and said first thing, "It WILL get better." It's hard to imagine anything but what is happening right now - just tending to babies constantly. They are such adorable little ones! How I miss them!

Katie and Chloe are between 7 and 8 pounds now, and look huge compared to Jack who is 5 1/2 pounds. But they are all growing so quickly - eating, sleeping and needing diaper changes. You can't imagine how many diapers Jeff and Angela go through each day!

The triplets changing station has heated wipes for their little seaterumpuses - very high tech. In fact, all the gadgets and swings, etc are state of the art. Amazing!

As I catch up on my sleep (funny, I don't need as much as I thought I did), it has been so fantastic to return to such beautiful weather as we are having now. Dave Haury and I have gotten lots done - cutting up old downed branches in JJ's pine nursery on top of the hill; finishing a section of the fence along my western boundary (10 down and only 90 more to go!), and just completely odd jobs before winter sets in. We will be collecting seasoned firewood (we've cut up last year) from various parts of the land to add to the wood pile for the cold winter coming up.

When I returned from California - in such a different frame of mind after tending to 3 little munchkins, I saw the Land with completely different eyes - almost as if I had been gone for years. Dear Reader, the beauty of the Land took my breath away! It truly IS paradise! No wonder everyone who stops by loves this place and comments on how perfect it is! I am so fortunate! I share some photos of the Land taken in the last few days. Enjoy!

One weekend in California, I visited Linda Turner - my friend in Santa Barbara. We had a great lunch at Brophy's on the marina. It was great to see her again!

All in all, it's been a truly lovely and life-changing month. I would recommend becoming a grandparent to one and all! Nighty-night, dear Reader!

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The Triplets are HERE, Hawbakers come to fish, More flooding

6/14/2011

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The triplets were born yesterday! Angela made it to 28 weeks, which was Sunday, and yesterday (Monday) her water broke and here came the triplets! It is so early and they are SO small. Jack is having a hard time - he's only 1 1/2 pounds and isn't breathing entirely on his own yet. Katie and Chloe are doing better, but they are only 2 lbs 2 ounces and 2 lbs 4 ounces. So tiny. Jeff called me at 4:45 AM and told me Angela was being prepped for delivery (it was only 2:45 Calif. time). Chloe and Katie were born at 3:36AM (CA time) and Jack was born at 3:37AM. Jeff said the minute between the girls' births and Jack appearing seemed like an hour.

I can't wait to see them. I leave tomorrow morning for California to join Angela, Jeff, the triplets and all of Angela's family.

Jeff sent a picture of Katie at only a few hours old. David Vanderbilt already has Katie becoming a musician with such long fingers! I took the miniture rose picture (above) after I found three little roses budding very early in the morning. (Obviously I didn't get back to sleep after Jeff called me at 4:45AM!) There were only three roses budding - 2 pink and 1 yellow. How appropriate!

Send all of your prayers for their health and well-being. They are going to need all your good thoughts!

Other photos show the stonework that Dave Haury (talented mason that he is) has completed for the greenhouse.

And - I was happy to welcome the Hawbakers to the Land. Kendell and McKenna came with their Dad, Karl. McKenna loved the worms. Kendell caught the big catfish that Karl is holding. What a catch!

All this in the dirtiest pond ever! We had another flood this past week - the 2nd one in two weeks! With the huge flood of last year, well...that makes three floods in a little over a year. Just to think they used to happen every 6 or 7 years. My! the climate is changing, all right.

So, dear Reader, I am a bit keyed up tonight as I prepare to fly to California and see my little grandchildren. Keep them in your prayers, please!

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New Storage Shed, Rototilling Garden, Visitors, Streambank Stablization

4/25/2011

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Howdy, dear Reader!
I guess you know by now that time is flying by! Even with all the rain we're having Aaron Armitage managed to rototill the new garden (on Saturday evening after the only sunny, windy day). If you enlarge Photo 3 you can see the new rototilled garden across the pond.

Dave and I spent a whole day putting together a new little storage shed (see photos above) that the directions said would take only 3-4 hours. Oh, well... we can't help it if we are slowwwww. The shed is on the west side of the cottage near the run-off creek.

I also took a picture of the pond from the cottage today, so you can see that spring is, indeed, arriving. Everything is so green!

My neighbor, Norm, from German Road was bicycling along Steward Road and came up the lane for a chat. It was good to see him. He and his wife will be attending the June 20th picnic here at the Land. All sustainable/organic growers are most welcome to attend. Just give me a hollar!

Bud Dickie and Charlie came by to see where they could dump cement along my bank (as per Army Corps of Engineers permit). They are subcontracting for William Charles Company... You will remember what happened last year with the promised concrete from John Goddard at Sipes Company (subcontracting for William Charles). Seems there has been some changes at William Charles, so I am trusting this outcome will be better than last year!

Dave and I have been cutting branches, cutting out stumps, burning the burn piles, transplanting a few yews, and generally trying to stay ahead of the curve. I feel really good about the land and how is will look this year. Anything will look better than it did last year with all those septic tank humps of dirt, water lines and electricity tunnels!

I spent a week in Door County since I last wrote. (See Row 2 and Row 3 photos above) We had two lovely days with hardly any wind, (see drooping flag in photo #7). This is the first time in 6 visits that I was able to walk the beach along Lake Michigan (Whitefish Bay, actually) where we spend our time with no wind whipping me about. Whitefish Bay is rather unpopulated, and has the most pristine sandy beach! The seagulls are quite tame, and were enjoying the weather, too. However, the day we left, there was an inch of snow on the ground! (See last photo taken out of my bedroom window.)

Be happy that Illinois is about 3-4 weeks ahead of Door County as far as warmer weather!

The triplets - two girls and a boy - are doing really well. The doctor says they are a good weight, have strong heart beats, and the little boy was touching his foot to one of his sister's feet. Jeff says they are already bonding. How cute! Angela feels much better. She receives her masters degree in 3 weeks! And then Jeff and Angela move to Denver. Wow! Lots happening in their lives!

Norm was quite impressed with the carriage house. I still am, too. In fact, I still can't believe it. And the land keeps getting more beautiful. You know already, dear Reader, what I'm going to say. I am so fortunate!

Let us keep all the people in the Mideast and African countries in our prayers...I feel for those fighting for their rights - I pray for their safety, for their ideologies, for their innocence under some pretty depressing regimes. I don't know how all this will turn out, but it is truly a historic time. I just hope that all the differences can be settled as Egypt has done - peacefully. And that these young rebels really are fighting for more equal say in their government - more democracy. It will be interesting to see how it goes. If they succeed, will they become more jaded and more like the despots they hope to replace? Time will tell.

The rain continues to fall. I do hope we have some sunshine this week, although very little is promised. Just rain, rain, rain. All I want to do is get into the gardens and plant!

Keep dry, dear Reader, and know I am thinking of you!

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Signs of Spring and Contemplation

3/3/2011

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Dear Reader,
We look for signs of spring and see them everywhere. The seed in the bird feeder stays longer, as the birds have more access to food now that the snow has departed (once again). The days are longer. The geese are flying over the pond more often and are quite perturbed the ice hasn't melted yet. And even when there's a cold northwest wind like yesterday, the sunny day just seemed so much more springlike. I even found pictures from early spring last year to give you hope. Hold on, folks, spring really is coming!

I have been thinking of the triplets constantly. (See Jeff and Angela's picture after they told us about a baby coming at Christmastime.) I saw their 12 week ultrasound video and it' still amazes me. Dear Reader, you must know how conflicted I feel about being here, when my new little family will be out west. Should I put the Land on the market and try to sell this piece of paradise? The value of it has increased with all the improvements, but that's what makes it so much fun to stay here. The second floor of the carriage house is just perfect for organic meetings or even finished out to be an apartment for a full-time helper.I have been doing a lot of soul searching about this. I want to be close to the triplets and help Jeff and Angela out as much as I can. On the other hand, I have dear Michael here, who has been in the hospital (I visit him almost every day) and now is in rehabilitation. I want to be here for Michael.

I've also been working hard on the spray drift pamphlet, which I feel is part of my life's work. The pamphlet is really turning out well. That is entirely due to Anita Poeppel of Broad Branch Farm, who has done a lot of reseaching and designing. We have worked well together with the same goal in mind. Thank you, Anita! Thanks, too, to Jack Erisman of Goldmine Farm (a 2000 acre organic farm in central Illinois) and Ellen Phillips of University of Illinois Extension (she gives classes to pesticide sprayers), and many more people who looked it over and gave their suggestions. A copy of the pamphlet has been sent to Warren Goetsch and Scott Frank of Illinois Dept of Ag for their perusal. Anita sent a copy to Pesticide Action Network in California and received their approval. And last, but not least, I sent a copy to Rich Schell, our attorney in Des Plaines who deals with pesticide issues. We're doing our best to include all the parties involved and make sure they all know about this, and can raise any questions or suggestions. It's been a lot of fun, actually!

And speaking of fun, University of Illinois Extension is sponsoring a sustainable/organic regional meeting on The Land this June! I am in the process of writing a press release for them. I look forward to having like-minded people out here for some deep discussions about what is needed by sustainable farmers in this region. So...lots going on! I sense things will get busier and more involved in the organic/sustainable area for me. And that is how it should be.

Not to mention my seedlings are still trying to grow. They will be taking a trip to Wisconsin probably next week to be seen by the Univ of WI soil lab. I love the little darlings!

So you can see how conflicted all this makes me. But when the babies are born healthy, they are going to be a handful. Make that THREE handfuls! And I, along with Angela's parents and sister, will need to be there - at least some of the time. Jeff and Angela are actually thinking of getting a live-in nannie, which isn't a bad idea. But nothing replaces grandparents! I talked with Angela's parents in Grants Pass, Oregon the other night - and Brenda and Dave are as stunned and excited as I am. "We don't have a big enough car!" they said! Everyone is saying that!

Lots of contemplating and soul searching, dear Reader. But for now, staying here to be close to Michael and doing my life's work in organics is where I am.

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TRIPLETS!

2/24/2011

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I'm speechless! Jeff and Angela are not having twins...it's TRIPLETS! We're thrilled and stunned!
All three babies are doing fine. It's too early to tell for sure, but their doctor said he thought they might be 2 girls and a boy! Wow! Baby A and Baby C may be the girls. Baby B may be the boy. Baby C is the smallest. All look good.

Please dear Reader, send all your prayers and good thoughts to Jeff and Angela and their 3 little bundles! (And to their overwhelmed grandmother, too!)

Everyone is telling me about the credit card commercial that is on TV now. Well...in this case - it's true! 3 high chairs, 3 car seats, 3 cribs, millions of Pampers -oh,my!

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Crazy Fishermen, Easter, IOGA, and Kendall's gift

Fishermen are back, Triplets in Colorado, and Door County visit

Visit with Triplets in California, Beautiful weather here

The Triplets are HERE, Hawbakers come to fish, More flooding

New Storage Shed, Rototilling Garden, Visitors, Streambank Stablization

Signs of Spring and Contemplation

TRIPLETS!

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